It functions nearly identical to Farseek, except for the deck thinning aspect. Sure, it can be Sphere'd, O-Ring'd, etc. but if they're using those spells on our mana instead of our actual threats, then more power to them. That said, you'll absolutely want to MD Underworld Connections, as your lands (and drawing them) becomes highly more valuable.
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Nocturnal God of Chaos of The Æsir Probably the most random person you will ever meet. Trust me on this one. Well, I'm off to poop.
Oh, my username is the same on Xbox and Cockatrice, add me!
"For some of us, easier Magic is good Magic, but if you are one of those 'intelligent types,' feel free to play your Hive Mind mirrors. The rest of us are here for the fireworks." - Kent Ketter
Playing in Type 2...BGRJundHearted
It functions nearly identical to Farseek, except for the deck thinning aspect. Sure, it can be Sphere'd, O-Ring'd, etc. but if they're using those spells on our mana instead of our actual threats, then more power to them. That said, you'll absolutely want to MD Underworld Connections, as your lands (and drawing them) becomes highly more valuable.
Nearly identical, which means it's identical only on turn 2. You even can't get off a start with T3 Huntmaster, T4 Thragtusk. Later on it's still worse than Farseek.
It's only bad against Zombies, which doesn't seem to be getting much play(to the surprise of absolutely everyone). UWR GoST.dec is the popular aggro choice right now, and Keyrune is definitely fine against them.
It's also worth noting that none of the Jund decks we have seen on camera today have SRG or Avenger in them. One of them just won and is X-1 going into the final round, and another was X-1 at the start of the round. I really don't think that Avenger/SRG is the correct plan for this deck, and IMO these event results(this week and last week) are proving me correct.
What event are they playing type 2 at?
The RTRPT is modern/limited. I'd love to see some type 2 action.
Yeah, I found SCG Indy on twitch. One Jund top 8 so far. 2 mystery decks, a few american control and reanimator.
Effin' reanimator. That deck is so good.
Honestly, I'm getting a little tired of Thragtusk. It makes every match so grindy, and as soon as the sideboards come in, it's like 20 minute games. I just watched a 4c Control vs 4c Reanimator barely get in two games in 50 minutes. Brutal.
Hey everyone Has anyone tried out MD Liliana of the Veil? specifically alongside Grisly Salvage + Deathrite Shaman. It's pretty good card advantage. Even though Deathrite Shaman is pretty easy to remove, people don't usually want to use removal on her, and removing her doesn't really mess up your game plan too much. Liliana will just tick up and provide fuel for Deathrite - a lot of decks can't handle discard turn after turn, and the ones that want stuff in their graveyard don't want it exiled via Deathrite Shaman. This can start working by turn 4-5 pretty consistently, which works pretty well on unburial rites, messengers, and snapcasters since that's when all that stuff is going on. I've only played a few games with it but I assume it's legit if Deathrite shaman sticks around - she has about as much resiliency as a kleenex lol.
Like other people have said, Grisly Salvage is an awesome dig spell, and it's found homes in other decks besides this one. I'm sure it's gonna continue to be awesome. Here's what I plan on playing next FNM:
Sideboard is malleable. As of now, Zombies isn't too big where I play. People play a lot of GW and a lot of UWx Control strategies. If it turns out I need Pillar of Flame MD I'll have to shove them in there somehow, but I like tragic slip for the instant speed -ness. Thoughts?
This is what I've come to, complete with sideboarding strategies, and future suggestions.
I came to Mana Bloom for a card that could replace Farseek in smaller numbers. Some have said that it doesn't allow for T3 Huntmaster, T4 Hellkite/Thrag. I feel like if you go T3 Huntmaster, T4 Hellkite/Thrag, you're living the dream, and you nut drew. While that can (and will) happen, you want consistency, and if you consistently can win the game, with or without nutdraws, then it's a better deck overall. Mana Bloom provides you with a steady stream of mana, even as your land count increases, while occasionally giving you a second spell to cast to flip your Huntmaster, all while ramping you the following turn. If Farseek had buyback, it would feel something like Mana Bloom.
Deadbridge Goliath was talked about here and there, and when I tested it with Lotleth Troll, I noticed a small thing: people are afraid of 4 mana 5/5s. They don't want to attack into it or use kill spell on it, unless it's for value. In which case, what more could you ask a 4 mana 5/5 for? Well, if they DO manage to just kill it, you get to make *ANOTHER* creature into a +5/+5 monster. Usually it's Olivia or Nighthawk, but sometimes it's Thundermaw Hellkite, and the game ends. Just try this gentleman, he's vicious.
No 4-ofs. I feel like with a diverse threat package, you're less vulnerable to Sever and Sphere. Also, since most of our cards gain value with each use, it is useful to have a variety of options to use each turn, depending on the board state you're in.
Zombies
+2 Curse of Death's Hold
+2 Rakdos Charm
+1 Sever the Bloodline
+2 Pillar of Flame
-1 Underworld Connections
-2 Bonfire of the Damned
-2 Rakdos's Return
-2 Mana Bloom
You ideally want to draw at least one UC, so that you can stay ahead on cards. Don't hesitate to trade at all, unless it's with an active Olivia/Deathrite. Those two can COMPLETELY dominate, especially once Olivia gets out of burn range. Also, Curse shuts down most of their Zombies pretty hard, so if you have it and the mana, find a way to get it in play. Lotleth Troll can be brutal, as well as Rancor, so don't be afraid to use Golgari Charm or Sever the Bloodline to deal with him, though a case could be made for stronger GY hate.
RDW/Rakdos
+2 Pillar of Flame
+2 Curse of Death's Hold
+2 Abrupt Decay
-2 Mana Bloom
-1 Underworld Connections
-2 Golgari Charm
-1 Sever the Bloodline
You want cheaper, faster removal, until you get Curse online. You still want Sever for the flashback, especially since you never know when you need to Dreadbore something small to live. Watch for the opposing Bonfires, and you should make it through to the late. Also, if you notice a want for Rakdos Charm (if they're on Goblins) take out the Dreadbores for them and keep the Sever in the MD instead.
Bant OR G/W/x Aggro
Lots of angles to attack us from. Depending on the build, you'll want to adjust these numbers, but generally...
+2 Liliana of the Veil
+1 Sever the Bloodline
+2 Appetite for Brains
+2 Slaughter Games
+2 Abrupt Decay
-2 Mana Bloom
-1 Underworld Connections
-2 Pillar of Flame
-2 Golgari Charm
-2 Bonfire of the Damned
It's mostly in order. Board the first line out for the second, depending on the MU. If you would board out Bonfire against Control (which you should) board in Decays. The only one where I think this isn't true is against control, I want the 3rd Sever AND the 3rd Underworld Connections. Liliana is mostly for the builds where you feel comfortable in your card advantage. Don't be afraid to shave creature numbers here, as you want to land something, and keep it safe from Terminus/Supreme Verdict (in that order, even!). If it's GW Aggro, name Angel of Serenity, then Thragtusk/Armada Wurm (whichever you can't control easily.) Keep Golgari Charms in for Anthems of any kind, and Sever/Pillar/Curse are pretty valuable in trading your cards for theirs.
UW/x Control
+2 Appetite for Brains
+2 Slaughter Games
-2 Pillar of Flame
-2 Bonfire of the Damned
Just take out Terminus, then Tamiyo and keep in mind Supreme Verdict is a live draw, and you should be fine. I usually like to keep Deathrite Shaman in play as long as possible, because it shuts down Snapcaster Mages and other Flashback spells for value, because Azorius Charm + Snapcaster can be a complete beating with Tamiyo in play, forcing you to overextend. The key here is to be REALLY good at Jace piles, and ALWAYS writing down hands. It's an exercise in beating them by inches, which we have more of than they do. If you play a third Slaughter Games, name Sphinx's Revelation to avoid HUGE blowouts.
If they're on Esper, be careful of Unburial Rites, and be sure to name the AoS as needed, then probably Tamiyo, as we can usually beat Griselbrand (too many options on single target kill spells.) OH! Nevermore can be a thing, so keep Decays around, I think.
All in all, I think this is a lot of thoughts in one post, and I know I've probably missed a bunch of things, but I feel like I covered a lot too.
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Nocturnal God of Chaos of The Æsir Probably the most random person you will ever meet. Trust me on this one. Well, I'm off to poop.
Oh, my username is the same on Xbox and Cockatrice, add me!
"For some of us, easier Magic is good Magic, but if you are one of those 'intelligent types,' feel free to play your Hive Mind mirrors. The rest of us are here for the fireworks." - Kent Ketter
Playing in Type 2...BGRJundHearted
With running Farseek at 4, you have about a 35% chance to open it, and almost 40% to see it before t2. Running 4 HoTF, 3 Olivia and 4 Farseek makes a t3 4 drop unbelievably live. Missing a land drop would be the only reason to not curve out in that manner, and that's just variance.
My problem with mana bloom is it ramps us ahead a turn, sure, but once the game gets going, there's rarely a turn with 2 open mana for you to recast mana bloom. With farseek, you can play it t2 and not ever have to see it again. With mana bloom, I have to keep pumping mana into it, effectively de-ramping myself by 2 one turn, to get ahead 1 for the next. Any turn after t2, I won't have the option to do this. Not to mention, farseek actually grabs a shock land for free.
Okay, test it. Don't just theorycraft, if you think it's bad, try it and see what I've seen that's caused me to recommend it. Think positively, not negatively =)
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Nocturnal God of Chaos of The Æsir Probably the most random person you will ever meet. Trust me on this one. Well, I'm off to poop.
Oh, my username is the same on Xbox and Cockatrice, add me!
"For some of us, easier Magic is good Magic, but if you are one of those 'intelligent types,' feel free to play your Hive Mind mirrors. The rest of us are here for the fireworks." - Kent Ketter
Playing in Type 2...BGRJundHearted
Okay, test it. Don't just theorycraft, if you think it's bad, try it and see what I've seen that's caused me to recommend it. Think positively, not negatively =)
Mana bloom is just a land that has limitations here. You can only use it once a turn and when it has no counters it bounces back. That is less consistent than a farseek. I only need to theorycraft it because my analysis of the card shoots down any reason to test it. There very little if any times it is actually just better than a farseek. Also, you are rarely going to rely on using it to flip a huntmaster, that is just looking for a reason to play it.
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1st place GPT Seattle
1st place GPT Anaheim
You don't need the ramp in any specific matchup, and very rarely do you need the color consistency that Farseek provides. Casting a t3 4-drop is good, certainly, but IMO, is not a necessity to win the game in any specific matchup. Playing the full set of Farseeks has always felt like too many blanks, and the "upside" of deck thinning is very rarely relevant (as the odds decrease is so small that you have to play all 4 to notice a significant difference, though shuffling is helpful).
There's no reason to be hurtful, as well.
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Nocturnal God of Chaos of The Æsir Probably the most random person you will ever meet. Trust me on this one. Well, I'm off to poop.
Oh, my username is the same on Xbox and Cockatrice, add me!
"For some of us, easier Magic is good Magic, but if you are one of those 'intelligent types,' feel free to play your Hive Mind mirrors. The rest of us are here for the fireworks." - Kent Ketter
Playing in Type 2...BGRJundHearted
Okay, test it. Don't just theorycraft, if you think it's bad, try it and see what I've seen that's caused me to recommend it. Think positively, not negatively =)
Mana Bloom ramps you ahead 1 turn conditionally, and with requiring me to sink mana into it. Farseek ramps me ahead 1 turn permanently, for the rest of the game.
That's not theory crafting, that's fact. What in your testing made you not like the permanent ramp of Farseek?
Some lists are moving to 3 Farseeks instead of 4. I solve the issue of stale top decks with Grisly Salvage instead.
You don't need the ramp in any specific matchup, and very rarely do you need the color consistency that Farseek provides. Casting a t3 4-drop is good, certainly, but IMO, is not a necessity to win the game in any specific matchup. Playing the full set of Farseeks has always felt like too many blanks, and the "upside" of deck thinning is very rarely relevant (as the odds decrease is so small that you have to play all 4 to notice a significant difference, though shuffling is helpful).
There's no reason to be hurtful, as well.
I am in no way being hurtful. Im telling you why it is not worth my time to test the card. The card is strictly worse than farseek in every way possible. Mana bloom ramps you one turn while farseek ramps you for good.
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1st place GPT Anaheim
I've actually not been running them in my green heavy build, and I don't mind not having them. Avenger solves the Thragtusk issue, and I don't find the ramp absolutely essential. I'm running a fuller creature suite and some grisly salvage. I find the keyrune is best against terminus, and even then isn't 100% necessary.
+1 Keyrune is not required for a successful jund list.
I've played probably 50+ competitive matches now between states, grand prix qualifier and MTGO daily/queues with two different jund lists I tweaked.
I originally played a more "control" variant. No 2 drop creatures, 3 drop (vampire nighthawk) balanced color build, 3 rakdos key runes and more removal spells.
I currently play a list with strangleroot geists, wolfir avengers, bonfires and no keyrune.
I WAY prefer the aggressive version I'm playing now.
My MTGO queues win % has gone up significantly and I just shipped 1st place for a san antonio grand prix qualifier, going 7-1 (35-40 people)
Granted, my agro list is much more refined than my old controlling one.
If you play strangleroot geist , you should really be playing wolfir avengers (the mana base supports it and it's very complementary).
When you combine those with the "staple" cards of
Huntmaster of the fells
Thragtusk
thundermaw hellkite (essential in an agro version)
Olivia Voldaren
Farseek
Pillar of flame
You only have a certain amount of slots left for removal..
Because you have a fair number of threats as it is, the key rune is not necessary.
25 land + 4 seeks is more than enough to hit 5 drops consistantly, and am much more often looking for threats/answers than land even without the keyrunes.
The body is very good, but it is slow to get going and isnt absurdly powerful or anything.
Having a critical # of answers is just more important.
SCG event was odd, Basically no one plays aggro in Indianapolis apparently. Almost all the Jund decks had multiple maindeck Rakdos's return which seems to indicate everyone knew beforehand that the meta was going to be all midrange and control.
This is what I thought.
Those lists look they would be eaten alive by zombies...
Very possible they knew the local scene and figured control was all the hype.
They all look phenomanal against control and terrible against zombies.
But that is one of the beauties of Jund, we can adapt to almost any meta game.
You know... I'm probably going to build the green "aggro" version kind of like you mentioned. I think 2 maindeck Hellkites are good because you want that extra safety valve against stuff like Sigarda.
Against Sigarda, thundermaw isn't as good because of Selesnya charm. I know not as many lists use it as they do azorious, but Nighthawk can block, kill, and gain life while if you're using thundermaw it can either get removed with charm or trade. If you're using the hellkites in addition to 3+ nighthawks, then it's a moot point anyways.
Granted, thundermaw is much better when they have walkers, or youre an aggro deck list. It also hits significantly harder than nighthawk, or if you need to punch in damage. Unfortunately I'm a little biased in helping refine a friends bant control list, and my meta is full of zombies and aggro, I can't deviate as much as I want to test. Also, late game hellkite followed by overloaded mortars is just enough for Sigarda.
A few things that Ive tested, and want to claify about in testing: Deadbridge is ok in the right circumstances, but definitely not a replacement huntmaster. Scavenging him onto a nighthawk / thundermaw to seal/win the game is nice in ideal circumstances, but won't happen every game. Removal spells that hurt it really badly are Sever the Bloodline and Azorious Charm, which are starting to pick up speed and take over spots in decklists. Sure, the Huntmaster is swinging for less damage, but it seperates it, allowing you to kill two cacklers (or other things) if need be. Deadbridge is best in a deck with grisly salvage and Liliana, but its a card that needs to be kept in mind when building a deck, whereas you throw huntmaster into anything with RG and it gets better.
Huntmaster really shines vs. the UWR Geist deck that is taking the Standard world by storm. Because they are so reliant upon GoST to win, they frequently have to 2 for 1(Unsummon + Searing Spear) Huntmaster to get him out of the way.
Hey guys . After playing this past Friday with my average jund midrange deck(I will put up the list in the deck garage soon) I noticed a few things that I would like to point out. I did very well against azorius aggro, the mirror, and zombies but tgen I played 2 azorious control matchups that slaughted me. The first match I did well and had the guy at 5 life but he kept azorious chaming my guys to the top of my deck then snapcasting the charm. This went on for like 5 turns while he kept playing azorious keyrunes. I got a pillar, zapped him to 3 life while I was at 14 and because of all the cbarms he was playing I ended up dying to those silly keyrunes. Im wondering if some instant speed burn is nessisary if we cant seem to get those rakdos's return or slaughter games out when we need. The second match was pretty much the same as the 1st. Thoughts on instat speed removal?
Hey guys . After playing this past Friday with my average jund midrange deck(I will put up the list in the deck garage soon) I noticed a few things that I would like to point out. I did very well against azorius aggro, the mirror, and zombies but tgen I played 2 azorious control matchups that slaughted me. The first match I did well and had the guy at 5 life but he kept azorious chaming my guys to the top of my deck then snapcasting the charm. This went on for like 5 turns while he kept playing azorious keyrunes. I got a pillar, zapped him to 3 life while I was at 14 and because of all the cbarms he was playing I ended up dying to those silly keyrunes. Im wondering if some instant speed burn is nessisary if we cant seem to get those rakdos's return or slaughter games out when we need. The second match was pretty much the same as the 1st. Thoughts on instat speed removal?
A lot of decks are starting to play Searing Spear main deck as a way to remove smaller creatures such as the keyrunes or nighthawks in the mirror and also as a way to deal that last few damage in long games. Seems like it could be good.
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-=Current Decks=-
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Modern: B Vampires B BW Tokens BW BRG DredgeVine BRG
Yeah I think I might try to sqeeze some of them in. there arent too many zombie decks at my lgs so far so maybe ill put spears MD and pillars in the sb. Those keyrunes are pesty buggers.
All of the instant-speed removal options have some limitations.
Abrupt Decay: kills Loxodon Smiter, Detention Sphere, Underworld Connections, and not much else.
Tragic Slip: kills mana dorks, Keyrunes, and Aristocrat. With a little work, kills Lotleth Troll.
Ultimate Price: kills Restoration Angel and Hellkite. Can't hit the major zombie threats.
Victim of Night: kills most things... except the entire tier 1 aggro deck.
Murder: costs 3.
Haste and pseudo-haste (like Silverblade Paladin) demand some instant-speed answers, but which ones?
Oh, my username is the same on Xbox and Cockatrice, add me!
"For some of us, easier Magic is good Magic, but if you are one of those 'intelligent types,' feel free to play your Hive Mind mirrors. The rest of us are here for the fireworks." - Kent Ketter
Playing in Type 2...BGRJundHearted
Nearly identical, which means it's identical only on turn 2. You even can't get off a start with T3 Huntmaster, T4 Thragtusk. Later on it's still worse than Farseek.
Youtube Channel
What event are they playing type 2 at?
The RTRPT is modern/limited. I'd love to see some type 2 action.
The SCG events where it has been top 8'ing
1st place GPT Seattle
1st place GPT Anaheim
Yeah, I found SCG Indy on twitch. One Jund top 8 so far. 2 mystery decks, a few american control and reanimator.
Effin' reanimator. That deck is so good.
Honestly, I'm getting a little tired of Thragtusk. It makes every match so grindy, and as soon as the sideboards come in, it's like 20 minute games. I just watched a 4c Control vs 4c Reanimator barely get in two games in 50 minutes. Brutal.
1st place GPT Seattle
1st place GPT Anaheim
Like other people have said, Grisly Salvage is an awesome dig spell, and it's found homes in other decks besides this one. I'm sure it's gonna continue to be awesome. Here's what I plan on playing next FNM:
2 Kessig Wolf Run
4 Blood Crypt
4 Overgrown Tomb
3 Woodland Cemetery
2 Rootbound Crag
3 Evolving Wilds
3 Forest
2 Mountain
2 Swamp
4 Thragtusk
4 Huntmaster of the Fells
4 Deathrite Shaman
3 Olivia Voldaren
2 Wolfir Silverheart
18 Other Spells
4 Grisly Salvage
4 Farseek
4 Liliana of the Veil
2 Tragic Slip
2 Sever the Bloodline
1 Rakdos Keyrune
1 Rakdos' Return
2 Golgari Charm
1 Sever the Bloodline
2 Underworld Connections
3 Appetite for Brains
2 Rakdos Charm
2 Vraska the Unseen
3 Vampire Nighthawk
Sideboard is malleable. As of now, Zombies isn't too big where I play. People play a lot of GW and a lot of UWx Control strategies. If it turns out I need Pillar of Flame MD I'll have to shove them in there somehow, but I like tragic slip for the instant speed -ness. Thoughts?
4 Blood Crypt
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Dragonskull Summit
2 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Swamp
4 Woodland Cemetery
1 Forest
4 Rootbound Crag
Creatures
2 Deathrite Shaman
3 Vampire Nighthawk
2 Deadbridge Goliath
3 Huntmaster of the Fells
3 Olivia Voldaren
2 Thundermaw Hellkite
3 Thragtusk
2 Pillar of Flame
2 Sever the Bloodline
2 Golgari Charm
3 Underworld Connections
2 Bonfire of the Damned
2 Mana Bloom
3 Dreadbore
2 Rakdos's Return
This is what I've come to, complete with sideboarding strategies, and future suggestions.
I came to Mana Bloom for a card that could replace Farseek in smaller numbers. Some have said that it doesn't allow for T3 Huntmaster, T4 Hellkite/Thrag. I feel like if you go T3 Huntmaster, T4 Hellkite/Thrag, you're living the dream, and you nut drew. While that can (and will) happen, you want consistency, and if you consistently can win the game, with or without nutdraws, then it's a better deck overall. Mana Bloom provides you with a steady stream of mana, even as your land count increases, while occasionally giving you a second spell to cast to flip your Huntmaster, all while ramping you the following turn. If Farseek had buyback, it would feel something like Mana Bloom.
Deadbridge Goliath was talked about here and there, and when I tested it with Lotleth Troll, I noticed a small thing: people are afraid of 4 mana 5/5s. They don't want to attack into it or use kill spell on it, unless it's for value. In which case, what more could you ask a 4 mana 5/5 for? Well, if they DO manage to just kill it, you get to make *ANOTHER* creature into a +5/+5 monster. Usually it's Olivia or Nighthawk, but sometimes it's Thundermaw Hellkite, and the game ends. Just try this gentleman, he's vicious.
No 4-ofs. I feel like with a diverse threat package, you're less vulnerable to Sever and Sphere. Also, since most of our cards gain value with each use, it is useful to have a variety of options to use each turn, depending on the board state you're in.
Zombies
+2 Curse of Death's Hold
+2 Rakdos Charm
+1 Sever the Bloodline
+2 Pillar of Flame
-1 Underworld Connections
-2 Bonfire of the Damned
-2 Rakdos's Return
-2 Mana Bloom
You ideally want to draw at least one UC, so that you can stay ahead on cards. Don't hesitate to trade at all, unless it's with an active Olivia/Deathrite. Those two can COMPLETELY dominate, especially once Olivia gets out of burn range. Also, Curse shuts down most of their Zombies pretty hard, so if you have it and the mana, find a way to get it in play. Lotleth Troll can be brutal, as well as Rancor, so don't be afraid to use Golgari Charm or Sever the Bloodline to deal with him, though a case could be made for stronger GY hate.
RDW/Rakdos
+2 Pillar of Flame
+2 Curse of Death's Hold
+2 Abrupt Decay
-2 Mana Bloom
-1 Underworld Connections
-2 Golgari Charm
-1 Sever the Bloodline
You want cheaper, faster removal, until you get Curse online. You still want Sever for the flashback, especially since you never know when you need to Dreadbore something small to live. Watch for the opposing Bonfires, and you should make it through to the late. Also, if you notice a want for Rakdos Charm (if they're on Goblins) take out the Dreadbores for them and keep the Sever in the MD instead.
Bant OR G/W/x Aggro
Lots of angles to attack us from. Depending on the build, you'll want to adjust these numbers, but generally...
+2 Liliana of the Veil
+1 Sever the Bloodline
+2 Appetite for Brains
+2 Slaughter Games
+2 Abrupt Decay
-2 Mana Bloom
-1 Underworld Connections
-2 Pillar of Flame
-2 Golgari Charm
-2 Bonfire of the Damned
It's mostly in order. Board the first line out for the second, depending on the MU. If you would board out Bonfire against Control (which you should) board in Decays. The only one where I think this isn't true is against control, I want the 3rd Sever AND the 3rd Underworld Connections. Liliana is mostly for the builds where you feel comfortable in your card advantage. Don't be afraid to shave creature numbers here, as you want to land something, and keep it safe from Terminus/Supreme Verdict (in that order, even!). If it's GW Aggro, name Angel of Serenity, then Thragtusk/Armada Wurm (whichever you can't control easily.) Keep Golgari Charms in for Anthems of any kind, and Sever/Pillar/Curse are pretty valuable in trading your cards for theirs.
UW/x Control
+2 Appetite for Brains
+2 Slaughter Games
-2 Pillar of Flame
-2 Bonfire of the Damned
Just take out Terminus, then Tamiyo and keep in mind Supreme Verdict is a live draw, and you should be fine. I usually like to keep Deathrite Shaman in play as long as possible, because it shuts down Snapcaster Mages and other Flashback spells for value, because Azorius Charm + Snapcaster can be a complete beating with Tamiyo in play, forcing you to overextend. The key here is to be REALLY good at Jace piles, and ALWAYS writing down hands. It's an exercise in beating them by inches, which we have more of than they do. If you play a third Slaughter Games, name Sphinx's Revelation to avoid HUGE blowouts.
If they're on Esper, be careful of Unburial Rites, and be sure to name the AoS as needed, then probably Tamiyo, as we can usually beat Griselbrand (too many options on single target kill spells.) OH! Nevermore can be a thing, so keep Decays around, I think.
All in all, I think this is a lot of thoughts in one post, and I know I've probably missed a bunch of things, but I feel like I covered a lot too.
Oh, my username is the same on Xbox and Cockatrice, add me!
"For some of us, easier Magic is good Magic, but if you are one of those 'intelligent types,' feel free to play your Hive Mind mirrors. The rest of us are here for the fireworks." - Kent Ketter
Playing in Type 2...BGRJundHearted
My problem with mana bloom is it ramps us ahead a turn, sure, but once the game gets going, there's rarely a turn with 2 open mana for you to recast mana bloom. With farseek, you can play it t2 and not ever have to see it again. With mana bloom, I have to keep pumping mana into it, effectively de-ramping myself by 2 one turn, to get ahead 1 for the next. Any turn after t2, I won't have the option to do this. Not to mention, farseek actually grabs a shock land for free.
1st place GPT Seattle
1st place GPT Anaheim
Oh, my username is the same on Xbox and Cockatrice, add me!
"For some of us, easier Magic is good Magic, but if you are one of those 'intelligent types,' feel free to play your Hive Mind mirrors. The rest of us are here for the fireworks." - Kent Ketter
Playing in Type 2...BGRJundHearted
Mana bloom is just a land that has limitations here. You can only use it once a turn and when it has no counters it bounces back. That is less consistent than a farseek. I only need to theorycraft it because my analysis of the card shoots down any reason to test it. There very little if any times it is actually just better than a farseek. Also, you are rarely going to rely on using it to flip a huntmaster, that is just looking for a reason to play it.
1st place GPT Seattle
1st place GPT Anaheim
There's no reason to be hurtful, as well.
Oh, my username is the same on Xbox and Cockatrice, add me!
"For some of us, easier Magic is good Magic, but if you are one of those 'intelligent types,' feel free to play your Hive Mind mirrors. The rest of us are here for the fireworks." - Kent Ketter
Playing in Type 2...BGRJundHearted
Mana Bloom ramps you ahead 1 turn conditionally, and with requiring me to sink mana into it. Farseek ramps me ahead 1 turn permanently, for the rest of the game.
That's not theory crafting, that's fact. What in your testing made you not like the permanent ramp of Farseek?
Some lists are moving to 3 Farseeks instead of 4. I solve the issue of stale top decks with Grisly Salvage instead.
I am in no way being hurtful. Im telling you why it is not worth my time to test the card. The card is strictly worse than farseek in every way possible. Mana bloom ramps you one turn while farseek ramps you for good.
1st place GPT Seattle
1st place GPT Anaheim
+1
Keyrune is not required for a successful jund list.
I've played probably 50+ competitive matches now between states, grand prix qualifier and MTGO daily/queues with two different jund lists I tweaked.
I originally played a more "control" variant. No 2 drop creatures, 3 drop (vampire nighthawk) balanced color build, 3 rakdos key runes and more removal spells.
I currently play a list with strangleroot geists, wolfir avengers, bonfires and no keyrune.
I WAY prefer the aggressive version I'm playing now.
My MTGO queues win % has gone up significantly and I just shipped 1st place for a san antonio grand prix qualifier, going 7-1 (35-40 people)
Granted, my agro list is much more refined than my old controlling one.
If you play strangleroot geist , you should really be playing wolfir avengers (the mana base supports it and it's very complementary).
When you combine those with the "staple" cards of
Huntmaster of the fells
Thragtusk
thundermaw hellkite (essential in an agro version)
Olivia Voldaren
Farseek
Pillar of flame
You only have a certain amount of slots left for removal..
Because you have a fair number of threats as it is, the key rune is not necessary.
25 land + 4 seeks is more than enough to hit 5 drops consistantly, and am much more often looking for threats/answers than land even without the keyrunes.
The body is very good, but it is slow to get going and isnt absurdly powerful or anything.
Having a critical # of answers is just more important.
Last Updated 02/07/24
Streaming Standard/Cube on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/heisenb3rg96
Strategy Twitter https://www.twitter.com/heisenb3rg
This is what I thought.
Those lists look they would be eaten alive by zombies...
Very possible they knew the local scene and figured control was all the hype.
They all look phenomanal against control and terrible against zombies.
But that is one of the beauties of Jund, we can adapt to almost any meta game.
Last Updated 02/07/24
Streaming Standard/Cube on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/heisenb3rg96
Strategy Twitter https://www.twitter.com/heisenb3rg
What is your deck looking like right now?
Granted, thundermaw is much better when they have walkers, or youre an aggro deck list. It also hits significantly harder than nighthawk, or if you need to punch in damage. Unfortunately I'm a little biased in helping refine a friends bant control list, and my meta is full of zombies and aggro, I can't deviate as much as I want to test. Also, late game hellkite followed by overloaded mortars is just enough for Sigarda.
A few things that Ive tested, and want to claify about in testing: Deadbridge is ok in the right circumstances, but definitely not a replacement huntmaster. Scavenging him onto a nighthawk / thundermaw to seal/win the game is nice in ideal circumstances, but won't happen every game. Removal spells that hurt it really badly are Sever the Bloodline and Azorious Charm, which are starting to pick up speed and take over spots in decklists. Sure, the Huntmaster is swinging for less damage, but it seperates it, allowing you to kill two cacklers (or other things) if need be. Deadbridge is best in a deck with grisly salvage and Liliana, but its a card that needs to be kept in mind when building a deck, whereas you throw huntmaster into anything with RG and it gets better.
RGBWHumanimatorWBGR
Modern:
BWGProject MeliraGWB
Commander:
UBWNo-Creature MeriekeWBU
RGUlasht's BrigadeGR
A lot of decks are starting to play Searing Spear main deck as a way to remove smaller creatures such as the keyrunes or nighthawks in the mirror and also as a way to deal that last few damage in long games. Seems like it could be good.
-=Current Decks=-
Standard:
B Mono Black Devotion B
Modern:
B Vampires B
BW Tokens BW
BRG DredgeVine BRG
Legacy:
X Affinity X
B Dredge B
Abrupt Decay: kills Loxodon Smiter, Detention Sphere, Underworld Connections, and not much else.
Tragic Slip: kills mana dorks, Keyrunes, and Aristocrat. With a little work, kills Lotleth Troll.
Ultimate Price: kills Restoration Angel and Hellkite. Can't hit the major zombie threats.
Victim of Night: kills most things... except the entire tier 1 aggro deck.
Murder: costs 3.
Haste and pseudo-haste (like Silverblade Paladin) demand some instant-speed answers, but which ones?