I guess the advantage in his build is that he is mostly never afraid to loam as there is almost no drawback to having cards in his yard, so there is that.
Hey, y'all, I've been mulling over my Reanimator list, and I've got some questions.
- What do you guys thinking of Massacre Wurm and/or Inkwell Leviathan as sideboard targets? I can sometimes win with Wurm on the spot. Having a second pseudo-wrath creature might be awesome. Regarding Leviathan, I've found that when I'm playing against decks with hard removal (Jund: Terminate, Maelstrom Pulse; UWR: Path to Exile) or bounce (Merfolk: Vapor Snag; any deck with Cryptic Command), I've wished I had access to a un-targetable creature. Leviathan checks off lots of boxes for me, and I'm curious if you guys think it deserves consideration.
- I feel that I need an efficient way to answer Wurmcoil Engine, so how about a couple Path to Exile in the sideboard? And what about Hide // Seek? I've never played with this card, but shuffling in Wurmcoils seems pretty good. It can also nab enchantments, so I could bring it in against Rest in Peace, Blood Moon, Leyline of Sanctity, and Leyline of the Void, too. Feels like a flexible sideboard option. Thoughts?
- What about one Pithing Needle in the main? There are many relevant targets in game 1: Deathrite Shaman, Scavenging Ooze, Relic of Progenitus (against RG Tron), Birthing Pod, Glen Elendra Archmage, Aether Vial, manlands threatening to kill us, etc. And we can get it back with Sun Titan if we mill it.
- Is it heresy to go down to two Lilianas? Against aggro decks, I've boarded her out often, so perhaps a fifth monster would be better in the third Liliana slot. The speculator in me thinks that Wild Nacatl might get unbanned, so I'd rather have a fifth maindeck monster in the third Liliana spot to increase my odds of assembling a fast combo. And with the two Stinkweed Imps now in the deck (which I love, btw), I'm not as worried about having enough ways to bin idiots. Maybe I put the third in the side(?). With the ability to recur her with Titan, I think going down to two could be fine. I'd like opinions, though.
If you think you need a better anti-removal guy, Inkwell Leviathan is about as good as it gets. I'm sure sideboarding it would be fine.
Hide/Seek seems really loose. I'd rather run Path than it. Isn't there a Sorcery speed Exile target artifact or enchantment for 1W. Revoke Existance or something like that. Less mana intensive and hits everything you listed. Though I'd assume you'd be boned by Blood Moon regardless of what sideboard card you have.
You could definitely try a Pithing Needle main. I'm not sure how relevant it'll be as a one-of, even with Sun Titan "tutoring" it out of the grave for you. Generally I just try to remove/counter the things that Pithing Needle hits, rather than run a potential do-nothing card. To each their own though.
I don't think it is heresy to cut a Liliana. She is generally run as a 3- or 4-of in midrange decks but that's by no means a set number. If you can get by with 2 and still have her be useful, that's just effecient deck building. Give it a try and see how it treats you.
I think we should keep any banning discussion in the appropriate threads. As far as this thread is concerned, we are playing against decks built with the current banlist. If that changes in the future, we can discuss changes we need to make for it at that time.
I replaced seismic assault with burning vengeance. Multiple vengeance are good and it doesn't require triple red so i can run a greedy manabase. They also go well with all the flashback stuff. The big loss is instant speed but i've added alchemist's refuge for when that matters. Flashing a raven's crime during your opponent's draw step is pretty sweet.
Your mana base seems very weak and I am not sure lightning axe is all that great. How have your experiences been as is? I am not sure if money is an issue but it seems you should be playing 4 misty rainforest, 4 scalding tarn, maybe a few cascade bluffs and even a sulfer falls or two. At the very least I think you should have a steam vents and a breeding pool/stomping ground with ways to fetch them. Because you are playing raven's crime I think a singleton urborg, tomb of yawgmoth would benefit you. I am also concerned that creeping tar pit activations require you to have less red in your mana base, which means you aren't getting full value out of multiple retraces to trigger your burning vengeance.
These are the more prominent issues I have found looking at your list. Maybe I am wrong, but I think you are looking pretty slow overall and I am not sure how you compete with some of the faster aggro decks and combo. Also jund seems like a really bad match up for you.
Alright, thanks for the imput. Yes my mana base is budget so i'll have to work with that. I guess remaining 3 colors would mean better mana. This is my updated list, i don't know when i will get the chance to test it:
My mana base is an ideal one, not what i currently have. For the sake of the discussion, it is what it would be if i decided to take this to a tournament.
I choose lightning axe over terminate and abrupt decay because there are a lot of infect decks in my meta so having access to a one mana instant speed removal is important.
May I ask why lightning axe over lightning bolt? the card disadvantage seems like it would be rough even though we have the best card advantage engine in the format and the ability to dome someone for 3 with lightning bolt really is good. Also, How has conflagrate been for you. Theoretically it seems like it would be a weak card. If it ends up weak in testing, I would recommend trying out smallpox, jund charm, pyroclasm, or more cheap removal like abrupt decay or terminate. In my testing, The mana in this deck has always been tight. Playing right, you always use all of your mana and are looking for ways to be more mana efficient. As such, I have leaned towards a 3-2 split of burning vengeance and seismic assault. I have also worried about burning vengeance becoming too much of a do nothing card if you don't have anything to flashback or retrace. Have you ever run into the problem of drawing too many burning vengeances?
lastly. I have been considering picking up squee and running him (my version is currently creatureless) would you recommend it? Is the full playset really worth it?
There is a reason that Seismic Assault is costed so difficultly. It is a very powerful effect. While Burning Vengeance can be powerful, think about the mana investment you are going through to make it work. 1G + R or B per activation of Crime or Jab. Granted that's a potential 9 damage for 5 mana, but that's sorcery speed and susceptible to interruption. Against just 1G. Instant speed interaction.
I could be tempted by the idea of it with a RUG shell, since Snapcaster is a thing. Plus, I like that it lets you not get blown out completely by them having a Surgical Extraction game 2 and 3. I could see it as extra copies of Assault, but cutting Assault seems like a bad call.
I've considered Conflagrate but in order for it to be good, you have to already be ahead. It functions a lot like Flame Jab but it is a really big hit on your hand size (though I guess Squee helps with that a bit). I think it could be awesome though but I haven't tested it because I've felt like there were stronger cards for my deck. I've wanted to test with it but I can't bring myself to cut other cards. I'd be interested to hear how it works for you, Ace1.
Well, like i said before i haven't done much testing (against established decks), i was only posting here so i could have some feedback. I've played the deck a lot casually and have had some success.
EDIT: i'm going to test full conflagrate to see if they are good, the idea is to dredge squees and phoenixes, fill your hand with them and loam, them sweep the board and deal damage to the dome with conflagrate, getting back the phoenixes (just split one damage to the face), hopefully dredging more conflagrates. I'm going to be testing this list when i get the chance:
Played my ControLoam list at our weekly modern tournament yeasterday. Went 2-2. Which was pretty mediocre but I lost to known bad match ups. Also, I was tired because I'm still jet lagged and I like making excuses.
Took out a Goblin Guide for a Crucible of Worlds. While Crucible was interesting, it never really helped me get closer to winning. It provided a way to grind out a bit more value, but for my given meta, that's not really what I needed to be doing. Goblin Guide also under performed for me a bit. Which was disappointing but I think it is mainly the meta again. Everyone seems to be playing very aggressive decks. So, he ended up being a 2/2 chump blocker. Though there were a couple games where he still did some work. I really like him here but I'd want it more for a grindy or combo sort of meta (aka a more T1 deck meta). Here's the list I ran:
Round 1: vs RDW
I probably played a bit too loose and did too much damage to myself off lands here. I went 1-2. With Assault, I could keep the creatures from killing me. I just didn't have enough counters for his burn. Being on the play vs the draw is really big. Play lets you get away with less damage from lands while still being reactive enough.
Round 2: vs GB Zombie Aggro
Played against a friend that was borrowing my other deck. It's all just recursive creatures and the GBx core disruption cards (Liliana, Thoughtseize, Abrupt Decay). Game 1 mulled to 5 and had a decent hand but he 'Seized my Assault and I didn't see another one. Game 2 he hit a Lotleth Troll with Regen up all the time. I couldn't kill it and he Decayed/sac'd my defensive Goyfs. While I feel I'm decently set against Jund style decks, the creature resilience here really got me. Lost 0-2
Round 3: vs GB Rock
The guy playing this deck drops a lot of cash on cards but likes to tweak decks to his own style (that being big dudes). So while the deck was pretty much GB Rock, it had stuff like Primeval Titan randomly slotted in. He also ran Eternal Witness for extra uses of Abrupt Decay/Liliana. Game 1 I didn't see a Loam but drew enough lands with Assault and had 3 Bolts with 2 Snapcasters. Did 16 damage in one turn. Game 2 he saw 3 Abrupt Decays and 2 Eternal Witness. I couldn't make anything stick and lost to a Goyf over a couple turns. Game 3 he mulled to 3 and didn't hit any lands for a few turns. I won pretty easily even though my hand was pretty mediocre on a mull to 6.
Round 4: vs Junk Reanimator
This match up was pretty easy to be honest. I had counterspells for his Unburial Rites or Goryo's Vengeance when it mattered. Game 1 I saw all three Goblin Guides and won pretty quick. Game 2 I had Goyf on turn 2, after a Scour, followed by Assault into Loam plus Deprive backup. He needed to Goryo a Griselbrand to stay in the game on turn 4 but I had the counter.
The deck did fine. I think I need to change it up a bit for the way my store's meta is shaping up. I think I'm going to try out a 3-of Young Pyromancer with a couple Flame Jabs. Cutting a Bolt, Crucible and the Goblin Guides. Just to see how that goes.
I have the Naya version of Aggro Loam built up from a few years ago. It's pretty obvious why the Black version is so good, but I was just curious: is the KotR/Path/Canopy/etc version completely obsolete? As much as Id adore having access to stuff like Bob and Raven's Crime, the Naya build still seems pretty bad ass and chock full of synergy. Would I be shooting myself in the foot so badly to leave it unchanged?
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Formerly JacobsCabin, thank god the new site let me change it.
Also very much into fighting games (mostly UMvC3) and chess, feel free to hit me up about either!
Modern: GWGW Sovereigning Trap (my own design, feedback welcome!) WG RGB Aggro Loam (does a more fun deck exist?) BGR R Robots with burn R
I don't think it's bad. It's just not as aggressive as the Jund build. I think the guy that was testing the Naya version said Knight was usually just a beater and generally the deck was a bit slow. I think you could definitely do well with Naya as the individual cards are strong and there is synergy there. We still need someone to work on and refine a Naya list though. So if you feel like working on it and sharing your results, I'd be glad to get a list set up in the Primer for you and some match up results.
- Seven fetches has worked out fine for me. Twilight Mire should probably be a Fire-Lit Thicket, but I don't currently own one. I also found Horizon Canopy to be underwhelming (and painful). Since I don't run Lingering Souls, I didn't need four white sources. Plus, I couldn't instant-speed dredge Life from the Loam in response to, say, Extirpate.
- Two Inquisition of Kozilek should help me disrupt the early game, a problem I often faced with this deck. T1 I nabbed Relic of Progenitus against Tron and Aether Vial against Merfolk in my testing. They're not very good topdecks, so I'm only playing two, but I don't normally topdeck in the late game anyways because I'm dredging.
- I moved my three sweepers to the sideboard in favor of two Flame Jabs, which may or may not be correct. Too often I wish I had recurring damage sources that could kill higher toughness dudes (especially in my tournament experiences against Pod decks that played cards like Restoration Angel), and my Pyroclasms weren't blowing out my opponent often enough. I'm curious to know what, say, the creature-less Jund players think of maindeck 'Clasms.
- Most often I wished Sun Titan was any other fatty because I didn't always have a Liliana of the Veil or a Seismic Assault in the graveyard (and don't play Eternal Witness), so I swapped him out for a Griselbrand. The lifelink was relevant in many games, and drawing seven cards is insane in any format.
- I want to find room for a Mulch effect, but I can't find a cut. Stinkweed Imp, even as a one-of, does absolute work in enabling the combo. Drown in Filth has been surprisingly good, too, and you can never have too much removal, right?
- I think my sideboard covers most of the metagame (except against other graveyard strategies, but the only prevalent one seems to be Living End, which is great for me). Any suggestions, though?
@Monster - As for the last part against living end. The most relevant hate seems to be grafdiggers cage. They will eventually blow it up most likely but if you can use it to slow them down then you could have a chance to drop Iona naming black to shut off their living end.
Clasms are somewhat underwhelming for me as well. They are useful mostly in the hate bears and UWR delver match up where geist can be tough to deal with otherwise.
On horizon canopy - I think the yard hate that is more concerning for us is rest in peace over extirpate/surgical anyway. So I have to agree that canopy seems uselessly underwhelming.
Flame jab - It is definitely an insignificant source of damage but the issue in some games is that we can get them down very low, then end up cold to a pithing needle. So having flame jab as a complimentary source of damage is definitely good. Since you have borborygamos you aren't really as at risk of being cold to a pithing needle since he is still a great beater.
I definitely agree that twilight mire should be a fire-lit thicket. Lightning axe could probably become more drown in filth. You still get the removal, plus another spell that fills your yard. Loam still returns lands to your hand so mulch may not be necessary. You do still have liliana to discard creature cards from your hand, so there is that.
@Monster - As for the last part against living end. The most relevant hate seems to be grafdiggers cage. They will eventually blow it up most likely but if you can use it to slow them down then you could have a chance to drop Iona naming black to shut off their living end.
Grafdiggers cage does literally nothing against living end.
Grafdiggers cage does literally nothing against living end.
Indeed. It doesn't do anything to cascade because the cards are cast from exile rather than from the library, and it doesn't do anything to Living End's effect because the creatures enter from exile (as they are put into exile from the graveyard, and then put onto the battlefield).
Lots o' talk about Living End, wow! I was saying that the matchup is probably good for me (although I haven't tested against it) because the creatures I'd bring back trump my opponent's. What graveyard hate do they play, Faerie Macabre?
@mykatdied, thanks for confirming my suspicion about Pyroclasm. I feel like they're good when they're good but horrible every other time. I like the idea of having instant-speed removal against Twin, so I may keep the Lightning Axes in and swap out one Flame Jab for another Drown in Filth. Like you said, I don't think I need a ton of Jabs because of my diversity of land-pitchers, but having access to one would probably be nice just in case things go south.
What if I played one or two Zombie Infestations as an alternative way to utilize my resources? Some of the Goryo's Vengeance deckbuilders have talked about including Infestation, and I'm starting to think it would be better than Jab because I now have my sweepers in the sideboard. Then again, if I'm gonna go the creature route, I might as well play Lingering Souls, which I never really loved in the deck.
- What do you guys thinking of Massacre Wurm and/or Inkwell Leviathan as sideboard targets? I can sometimes win with Wurm on the spot. Having a second pseudo-wrath creature might be awesome. Regarding Leviathan, I've found that when I'm playing against decks with hard removal (Jund: Terminate, Maelstrom Pulse; UWR: Path to Exile) or bounce (Merfolk: Vapor Snag; any deck with Cryptic Command), I've wished I had access to a un-targetable creature. Leviathan checks off lots of boxes for me, and I'm curious if you guys think it deserves consideration.
- I feel that I need an efficient way to answer Wurmcoil Engine, so how about a couple Path to Exile in the sideboard? And what about Hide // Seek? I've never played with this card, but shuffling in Wurmcoils seems pretty good. It can also nab enchantments, so I could bring it in against Rest in Peace, Blood Moon, Leyline of Sanctity, and Leyline of the Void, too. Feels like a flexible sideboard option. Thoughts?
- What about one Pithing Needle in the main? There are many relevant targets in game 1: Deathrite Shaman, Scavenging Ooze, Relic of Progenitus (against RG Tron), Birthing Pod, Glen Elendra Archmage, Aether Vial, manlands threatening to kill us, etc. And we can get it back with Sun Titan if we mill it.
- Is it heresy to go down to two Lilianas? Against aggro decks, I've boarded her out often, so perhaps a fifth monster would be better in the third Liliana slot. The speculator in me thinks that Wild Nacatl might get unbanned, so I'd rather have a fifth maindeck monster in the third Liliana spot to increase my odds of assembling a fast combo. And with the two Stinkweed Imps now in the deck (which I love, btw), I'm not as worried about having enough ways to bin idiots. Maybe I put the third in the side(?). With the ability to recur her with Titan, I think going down to two could be fine. I'd like opinions, though.
Here's my current list:
4 Verdant Catacombs
3 Arid Mesa
1 Marsh Flats
1 Raging Ravine
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Dakmor Salvage
1 Horizon Canopy
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Graven Cairns
1 Blood Crypt
1 Stomping Ground
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Godless Shrine
1 Temple Garden
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Swamp
1 Forest
1 Mountain
2 Stinkweed Imp
1 Sun Titan
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
3 Borborygmos Enraged
Planeswalkers (2)
2 Liliana of the Veil
Enchantments (2)
2 Seismic Assault
Spells (22)
4 Faithless Looting
3 Raven's Crime
2 Lightning Axe
2 Pyroclasm
2 Abrupt Decay
1 Drown in Filth
4 Life from the Loam
4 Unburial Rites
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Extirpate
2 Pithing Needle
2 Thoughtseize
2 Path to Exile
1 Abrupt Decay
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Stony Silence
1 Ray of Revelation
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Damnation
1 Terastodon
Thanks!
EDIT: Any banning predictions? Will Deathrite Shaman get the kibosh?
Hide/Seek seems really loose. I'd rather run Path than it. Isn't there a Sorcery speed Exile target artifact or enchantment for 1W. Revoke Existance or something like that. Less mana intensive and hits everything you listed. Though I'd assume you'd be boned by Blood Moon regardless of what sideboard card you have.
You could definitely try a Pithing Needle main. I'm not sure how relevant it'll be as a one-of, even with Sun Titan "tutoring" it out of the grave for you. Generally I just try to remove/counter the things that Pithing Needle hits, rather than run a potential do-nothing card. To each their own though.
I don't think it is heresy to cut a Liliana. She is generally run as a 3- or 4-of in midrange decks but that's by no means a set number. If you can get by with 2 and still have her be useful, that's just effecient deck building. Give it a try and see how it treats you.
I think we should keep any banning discussion in the appropriate threads. As far as this thread is concerned, we are playing against decks built with the current banlist. If that changes in the future, we can discuss changes we need to make for it at that time.
4 delver of secrets
4 young pyromancer
sorceries: 21
4 faithless looting
4 raven's crime
4 flame jab
4 life from the loam
4 mulch
1 worm harvest
2 lightning axe
4 izzet charm
enchantments: 4
4 burning vengeance
lands: 21
4 darkslick shores
1 creeping tar pit
4 copperline gorge
1 raging ravine
3 evolving wilds
3 terramorphic expanse
1 alchemist's refuge
1 forest
1 swamp
1 mountain
1 island
I replaced seismic assault with burning vengeance. Multiple vengeance are good and it doesn't require triple red so i can run a greedy manabase. They also go well with all the flashback stuff. The big loss is instant speed but i've added alchemist's refuge for when that matters. Flashing a raven's crime during your opponent's draw step is pretty sweet.
These are the more prominent issues I have found looking at your list. Maybe I am wrong, but I think you are looking pretty slow overall and I am not sure how you compete with some of the faster aggro decks and combo. Also jund seems like a really bad match up for you.
4 squee, goblin nabob
4 chandra's phoenix
sorceries: 22
4 faithless looting
4 raven's crime
4 flame jab
4 conflagrate
4 life from the loam
2 mulch
4 lightning axe
enchantments: 4
4 burning vengeance
lands: 22
3 blackcleave cliffs
3 copperline gorge
1 raging ravine
1 urborg, tomb of yawgmoth
4 verdant catacombs
4 misty rainforest
1 overgrown tomb
1 blood crypt
1 stomping ground
1 forest
1 swamp
1 mountain
My mana base is an ideal one, not what i currently have. For the sake of the discussion, it is what it would be if i decided to take this to a tournament.
I choose lightning axe over terminate and abrupt decay because there are a lot of infect decks in my meta so having access to a one mana instant speed removal is important.
Do you think it is better now?
lastly. I have been considering picking up squee and running him (my version is currently creatureless) would you recommend it? Is the full playset really worth it?
I could be tempted by the idea of it with a RUG shell, since Snapcaster is a thing. Plus, I like that it lets you not get blown out completely by them having a Surgical Extraction game 2 and 3. I could see it as extra copies of Assault, but cutting Assault seems like a bad call.
I've considered Conflagrate but in order for it to be good, you have to already be ahead. It functions a lot like Flame Jab but it is a really big hit on your hand size (though I guess Squee helps with that a bit). I think it could be awesome though but I haven't tested it because I've felt like there were stronger cards for my deck. I've wanted to test with it but I can't bring myself to cut other cards. I'd be interested to hear how it works for you, Ace1.
EDIT: i'm going to test full conflagrate to see if they are good, the idea is to dredge squees and phoenixes, fill your hand with them and loam, them sweep the board and deal damage to the dome with conflagrate, getting back the phoenixes (just split one damage to the face), hopefully dredging more conflagrates. I'm going to be testing this list when i get the chance:
4 chandra's phoenix
4 squee, goblin nabob
sorceries: 22
4 faithless looting
4 raven's crime
4 flame jab
4 conflagrate
4 life from the loam
2 mulch
4 volcanic fallout
enchantments: 4
4 burning vengeance
lands: 22
3 blackcleave cliffs
3 copperline gorge
1 raging ravine
1 urborg, tomb of yawgmoth
4 verdant catacombs
4 misty rainforest
1 overgrown tomb
1 blood crypt
1 stomping ground
1 forest
1 swamp
1 mountain
I'd say burning vengeance is rarely a dead card, with 8 retrace spells and all the dredging i have lots of ways to put them in the grave.
Took out a Goblin Guide for a Crucible of Worlds. While Crucible was interesting, it never really helped me get closer to winning. It provided a way to grind out a bit more value, but for my given meta, that's not really what I needed to be doing. Goblin Guide also under performed for me a bit. Which was disappointing but I think it is mainly the meta again. Everyone seems to be playing very aggressive decks. So, he ended up being a 2/2 chump blocker. Though there were a couple games where he still did some work. I really like him here but I'd want it more for a grindy or combo sort of meta (aka a more T1 deck meta). Here's the list I ran:
3 Goblin Guide
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Snapcaster Mage
Spells: 25
2 Spell Pierce
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Thought Scour
3 Izzet Charm
3 Deprive
4 Life from the Loam
4 Seismic Assault
1 Jace Beleren
1 Crucible of Worlds
2 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
1 Breeding Pool
2 Island
1 Mountain
1 Forest
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Copperline Gorge
1 Raging Ravine
2 Cascade Bluffs
3 Ghost Quarter
2 Volcanic Fallout
2 Engineered Explosives
1 Deprive
1 Back to Nature
2 Nature's Claim
2 Ancient Grudge
1 Ghost Quarter
2 Spellskite
2 Dismember
Round 1: vs RDW
I probably played a bit too loose and did too much damage to myself off lands here. I went 1-2. With Assault, I could keep the creatures from killing me. I just didn't have enough counters for his burn. Being on the play vs the draw is really big. Play lets you get away with less damage from lands while still being reactive enough.
Round 2: vs GB Zombie Aggro
Played against a friend that was borrowing my other deck. It's all just recursive creatures and the GBx core disruption cards (Liliana, Thoughtseize, Abrupt Decay). Game 1 mulled to 5 and had a decent hand but he 'Seized my Assault and I didn't see another one. Game 2 he hit a Lotleth Troll with Regen up all the time. I couldn't kill it and he Decayed/sac'd my defensive Goyfs. While I feel I'm decently set against Jund style decks, the creature resilience here really got me. Lost 0-2
Round 3: vs GB Rock
The guy playing this deck drops a lot of cash on cards but likes to tweak decks to his own style (that being big dudes). So while the deck was pretty much GB Rock, it had stuff like Primeval Titan randomly slotted in. He also ran Eternal Witness for extra uses of Abrupt Decay/Liliana. Game 1 I didn't see a Loam but drew enough lands with Assault and had 3 Bolts with 2 Snapcasters. Did 16 damage in one turn. Game 2 he saw 3 Abrupt Decays and 2 Eternal Witness. I couldn't make anything stick and lost to a Goyf over a couple turns. Game 3 he mulled to 3 and didn't hit any lands for a few turns. I won pretty easily even though my hand was pretty mediocre on a mull to 6.
Round 4: vs Junk Reanimator
This match up was pretty easy to be honest. I had counterspells for his Unburial Rites or Goryo's Vengeance when it mattered. Game 1 I saw all three Goblin Guides and won pretty quick. Game 2 I had Goyf on turn 2, after a Scour, followed by Assault into Loam plus Deprive backup. He needed to Goryo a Griselbrand to stay in the game on turn 4 but I had the counter.
The deck did fine. I think I need to change it up a bit for the way my store's meta is shaping up. I think I'm going to try out a 3-of Young Pyromancer with a couple Flame Jabs. Cutting a Bolt, Crucible and the Goblin Guides. Just to see how that goes.
Also very much into fighting games (mostly UMvC3) and chess, feel free to hit me up about either!
Modern:
GW GW Sovereigning Trap (my own design, feedback welcome!) WG
RGB Aggro Loam (does a more fun deck exist?) BGR
R Robots with burn R
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Arid Mesa
1 Marsh Flats
1 Raging Ravine
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Dakmor Salvage
3 Blackcleave Cliffs
1 Copperline Gorge
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
2 Graven Cairns
1 Twilight Mire
1 Blood Crypt
1 Stomping Ground
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Godless Shrine
1 Temple Garden
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Swamp
1 Forest
1 Mountain
1 Stinkweed Imp
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Griselbrand
3 Borborygmos Enraged
Planeswalkers (3)
3 Liliana of the Veil
Enchantments (2)
2 Seismic Assault
Spells (22)
3 Faithless Looting
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Raven's Crime
2 Flame Jab
2 Lightning Axe
1 Abrupt Decay
1 Drown in Filth
4 Life from the Loam
4 Unburial Rites
1 Ghost Quarter
2 Pithing Needle
2 Thoughtseize
2 Path to Exile
1 Abrupt Decay
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Stony Silence
1 Ray of Revelation
2 Pyroclasm
1 Damnation
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
- Seven fetches has worked out fine for me. Twilight Mire should probably be a Fire-Lit Thicket, but I don't currently own one. I also found Horizon Canopy to be underwhelming (and painful). Since I don't run Lingering Souls, I didn't need four white sources. Plus, I couldn't instant-speed dredge Life from the Loam in response to, say, Extirpate.
- Two Inquisition of Kozilek should help me disrupt the early game, a problem I often faced with this deck. T1 I nabbed Relic of Progenitus against Tron and Aether Vial against Merfolk in my testing. They're not very good topdecks, so I'm only playing two, but I don't normally topdeck in the late game anyways because I'm dredging.
- I moved my three sweepers to the sideboard in favor of two Flame Jabs, which may or may not be correct. Too often I wish I had recurring damage sources that could kill higher toughness dudes (especially in my tournament experiences against Pod decks that played cards like Restoration Angel), and my Pyroclasms weren't blowing out my opponent often enough. I'm curious to know what, say, the creature-less Jund players think of maindeck 'Clasms.
- Most often I wished Sun Titan was any other fatty because I didn't always have a Liliana of the Veil or a Seismic Assault in the graveyard (and don't play Eternal Witness), so I swapped him out for a Griselbrand. The lifelink was relevant in many games, and drawing seven cards is insane in any format.
- I want to find room for a Mulch effect, but I can't find a cut. Stinkweed Imp, even as a one-of, does absolute work in enabling the combo. Drown in Filth has been surprisingly good, too, and you can never have too much removal, right?
- I think my sideboard covers most of the metagame (except against other graveyard strategies, but the only prevalent one seems to be Living End, which is great for me). Any suggestions, though?
Would love some feedback - thanks, everyone!
Never stop the assault!
Clasms are somewhat underwhelming for me as well. They are useful mostly in the hate bears and UWR delver match up where geist can be tough to deal with otherwise.
On horizon canopy - I think the yard hate that is more concerning for us is rest in peace over extirpate/surgical anyway. So I have to agree that canopy seems uselessly underwhelming.
Flame jab - It is definitely an insignificant source of damage but the issue in some games is that we can get them down very low, then end up cold to a pithing needle. So having flame jab as a complimentary source of damage is definitely good. Since you have borborygamos you aren't really as at risk of being cold to a pithing needle since he is still a great beater.
I definitely agree that twilight mire should be a fire-lit thicket. Lightning axe could probably become more drown in filth. You still get the removal, plus another spell that fills your yard. Loam still returns lands to your hand so mulch may not be necessary. You do still have liliana to discard creature cards from your hand, so there is that.
Grafdiggers cage does literally nothing against living end.
Indeed. It doesn't do anything to cascade because the cards are cast from exile rather than from the library, and it doesn't do anything to Living End's effect because the creatures enter from exile (as they are put into exile from the graveyard, and then put onto the battlefield).
@mykatdied, thanks for confirming my suspicion about Pyroclasm. I feel like they're good when they're good but horrible every other time. I like the idea of having instant-speed removal against Twin, so I may keep the Lightning Axes in and swap out one Flame Jab for another Drown in Filth. Like you said, I don't think I need a ton of Jabs because of my diversity of land-pitchers, but having access to one would probably be nice just in case things go south.
What if I played one or two Zombie Infestations as an alternative way to utilize my resources? Some of the Goryo's Vengeance deckbuilders have talked about including Infestation, and I'm starting to think it would be better than Jab because I now have my sweepers in the sideboard. Then again, if I'm gonna go the creature route, I might as well play Lingering Souls, which I never really loved in the deck.
Magic is hard.