Hey Gang, Quick tournament report and Thoughts on the deck! (Sorry I've been away for so long, life catches up with you!)
Round 1 vs Mono White Felidar-Resto Combo...Lifegain...Mill?
Played vs a homebrew. Deck was designed to mill you out with Altar of the Brood plus the interaction between Felidar Guardian and Restoration Angel, but there isn't much time to do that when you have Reality Smashers getting in your face. Clean 2-0
Round 2 vs Scapeshift Combo
Only loss of the night, I fee like this matchup is just super bad for us in general, but we played it to our outs. Notably, I did get to T2 Strangler to process his Search for Tomorrow to force his Tribe Elder to go off. Even then, Its hard to beat a deck with Cryptics and Remands when you don't see your Cavern. Close two games, but we fell just short. 0-2
Round 3 vs Grixis Delver
Matchup feels like Goldfishing honestly. Having a great play of T2 Reshaper into T3 Thought Knot, then watching him terminate Reshaper and Fetch-Fatal Push Thought Knot Had me worried, but I got to take his Tasigur and he can't beat Lingering Souls plus Liliana Mark V's Ultimate. (WHO IS INSANE MORE ON THAT LATER)In game two He remands my T3 TKS three times, but eventually I get him to stick, eat a Terminate, then Surgical the Terminates from his deck, clearing the way for Daddy Smasher to get em. 2-0 Clean
Round 4 vs Panharmonicon Elves
Normally this matchup is a nightmare for me, but I had begun playing Kalitas mainboard over a second Mind Stone, and boy did he do it to em! Game 1 I hit t3 Lili, T4 Kalitas, and its a wrap, nothing more to say. Game 2 he has T3 Panharmonicon, and I die to two Shaman of the Packs off of a Collected Company. Game 3....What a match. I take his Lead the Stampede on T1 With thoughtseize, follow it up with Fatal Push, then Play Lili. He Untaps, Plays a land, passes; representing CoCo. I rip Kalitas off the topdeck like an absolute lucksack.....and watch him get Dismembered. I minus 2 Lili (INSANE I KNOW RIGHT?), Flip two Lingering Souls, and get back Kalitas. Obviously this is EXTREMELY Lucky, but it was awesome nonetheless. The Next turn I play Kalitas and Hold up Path, Plusing Lili to get a Zombie, he Cocos into Heritage Druid and Visionary. Still not attacking into my board, and lacking an Archdruid to protect his dorks from Lili, I make Kalitas into a 7/8 and Attack with him for the rest of the game. 2-1 Close matches.
...And all that was good enough for 3rd Place out of 18! Not too shabby.
In regards to the Lili/Fatal Push topics, I have been finding that I want to run a different Split of the 4-2 Path-Push I am currently Running, and Might actually cut a Relic to play a 3-4 Split. I think something that hasnt been mentioned yet is that Path turns on our processing as well, which although it is a small part of the deck, is still important. I have been playing a maindeck Lili ever Since I realized I could get back Reality Smashers, and I have never once had it be a dead Draw(except vs Ad Nauseum). I still think Playing a one-of Sorin is correct, because we are still relatively Weak to burn game 1, and any help there is appreciated. Sorin also clenches the aggro matchups with the addition of Push, making our removal and stabilization cleaner.
I think we should also consider the "card advantage" cards like Liliana, Sorin, and (to a lesser Extent) Kalitas, can give the deck. With Fatal Push being as good as it is, I am finding that I want to play more pushes to "turn on" Kalitas and to seal up the GBx matches. Sorin can essentially be a timewalk vs aggro decks if we play it correctly, although I am finding him to be weaker as time goes on. And I absolutely believe that Liliana should be in this deck 110% no questions asked, as she serves a threat vs control that they Have to deal with, and also Buys Back our creatures. Absolutely an essential card IMO. Jund cant compete with A smasher getting bought Back unless they have very large goyfs. Same with Abzan and stuff like Jeskai etc. She also shores up the affinity matchup, which in my experience has been absolutely terrible, but I feel that is a measure of my inexperience with the matchup.
Question for all my 'Drazi lovers: How to do we feel about the Processing in the deck? Do we even need it anymore? As time goes on, I realize that we are jamming 3-4 slots to turn on another 4, and whilst the deck is fine with these cards, I wonder if we couldn't turn those into more discard spells or (as previously Mentioned) Endless Ones. Endless One synergizes with Liliana for some solid plays, and can hold its own vs aggro. I have no intentions on changing anything, just want some more opinions on it.
Those are all good points. I'v also been toying with Lost Legacy as a way to answer Blood moon out of the board, but it feels hit or miss A LOT. I'm heading to a modern tournament tonight and I'm trying out a singleton Blight herder in the Main because of all the midrange in my shop. I've adjusted my list tonight to represent something closer to yours, although I simply don't own the second Mind Stone, so I'm just playing Herder in its spot. (I FULLY expect to be punished for a higher curve but we will see!) Herder also has the convenient upside of Dodging Blood moon and helping us play through it by saccing scions. I'll let you know if it plays out like that tonight.
I'm trying a wastes in the side tonight, with a cavern main. I expect a lot of midrange control today, simply because lots of the players in my shop have the luxury of swapping decks on a whim, when they see who has shown up. (I.e. Goblin guy shows up, everyone jams maindeck angers before the tournament)I've also cut Liliana, the Last Hope from the deck on account of it doesn't kill anything Wasteland Strangler can't. It's nice to buy back Reality Smashers, but I feel that the double black can be constricting on the manabase as well. There have also been a few games where her -2 puts two smashers in the yard along with the first one, making it awkward. Lost legacy is the card I want to test the most tonight; A few Ad Nauseum players have shown up, and I'd like to try and get them game 2 with an on curve Legacy to see how it pans out. (As noted before, it also hits Blood Moon) Hopefully I'll have a good tournament report for you tonight after the games
ALSO! For anyone who wants to help refine a list for me to play at Regionals in NY, let me know! I've signed up and am prepping hard for the tournament. Hopefully I'll have a good showing and put us on the map! If anyone else is going, let me know and we can collaborate further. Cheers!
I like this. I feel like that EE in the SB should be another Ratchet bomb, simply because our EE is maxed at two and is less versatile than the bomb for games vs Sun and Moon and other grindier matchups. I think I might also suggest cutting Fetid Heath and Running a Wastes in the main (Or the other Ghost Quarter), simply because there is no card in your maindeck that has double white or double black. I understand it can be nice to not have to ping yourself off of your land, but I dont think this outweighs the ability to play around Blood Moon and kill manlands in Game 1. I agree with 2 Caverns, I feel that that number is the sweet spot for caverns, especially with 4 Flats in the Main now, since we can fetch the colors we need relatively painlessly. I myself think having two mind Stones isn't a terrible idea, but I wonder how it will pan out on paper; sometimes we do durdle, and even the cantripping doesn't help that much.
3 Push in the main/side is the perfect number. I think this card slots out easily in the tron matchup for the necessary Exile removal and Pithing needles. Also, I understand our need to defend against blood moon, but I wonder if we aren't taking too many precautions. Usually ratchet bomb and Anguished are good enough for me to deal with Blood Moon, my real issue is dealing with Stormbreath Dragon out of those lists lol.
TL:DR; I think this shell is a good starting point, but I would try and put one of your lands from the Side into the Main to make room for more sideboard options
So I did some thinking about the B+R announcement today, and after reading some of the comments here I was wondering if maybe now isn't a good time to dust off our Blight Herders again. With Control and Midrange probably on the rise after this announcement, (plus the release of Fatal Push) it might not be a bad idea to try and out-value our opponents on the midrange plan with a Herder or two. I might try cutting 3x Reshaper for 2x Herder and another Mind Stone (to compensate for a higher curve, and to cantrip since we have taken out Reshaper)
Literally just spitballing the idea here, but if we expect the B/G/X decks to see an increase in play, It might be in our best interest to have a value engine like Herder. Herder is usually also good vs control, since the trigger is on CAST not ETB, and control may also see an uptick in popularity. Hell, Herder isn't even terrible vs Tron Game 1, since it Dodges Ugin and Karn only gets rid of 1/4 of it.
I honestly dont know what the B+R announcement does for us, but if the meta becomes slower, our archetype gets better. I also agree with Deaddrift and Tituba as far as reevaluating the sideboard, and possibly cutting a relic. With dredge getting hit by the bannings, and with midrange decks predicted to be on the rise, I think we could do better than a 2 Mana cantrip topdeck; maybe this is where we can find space for the maindeck Anguished Unmaking. Also, if we manage our relics properly we will have minimal loss of effectiveness; cutting one might lose us some percentage points vs B/G/X decks, but I expect that to be made up for by the inclusion of Fatal Push. Tron/Valakut still feels like slogging through the muck, but maybe jamming more threats (or the GQ/Crucible Package) can help us even the odds there. Other than that, I feel that we are still fairly positioned at the moment, not a ton of other matchups stick out as terrible to me as of right now. I'll have a tournament report for you guys after Wednesday to let you know what decks popped up and what some of my shop thinks about the bannings as well. I have a lot of experienced players a the shop playing T1 decks, so it might be good to hear some opinions from them. Cheers!
Good to hear some opinions on this, wanted to see if I was undervaluing Strangler or overvaluing Push, turns out it was both!
Another question/poll for you guys: Tidehollow Sculler. Anyone still running him? How is he doing for you guys? Do you miss other cards that would be in his place? I might want to try some scullers in the future, but I'm not sure where to make the cuts. Thoughtseize has been insane for me, but there are some games where I feel that I have no pressure, something Sculler could provide. Let me know what you think!
Spitballing Ideas here, but maybe this (http://mythicspoiler.com/aer/cards/hiddenstocks.html) could help us smooth our draws. Since we have little card draw, maybe scrying is important. Might be a bad idea; not too sure. Making 1/1s and scrying every turn shouldnt be underestimated.
As an aside, I wonder if we can't afford to play more of a control deck with the inclusion of Fatal Push. Maybe we get to cut our Stranglers for Push, and Play Blight Herders in the Main as another haymaker, and a way to go over midrange and control. Our Aggro matchup will almost assuredly be better with this card, but I think we may find that we will be lacking on threats, especially because other decks with be playing Push as well. Herder not only dodges Push, but also makes a bunch of chump Blockers. In this way, our processors also don't compete for value. I think I may try this angle when Push is released, doing something like this:
-4 Strangler, -1 Anguished Unmaking(moved to the side)-1 Go For the Throat
+2 Blight Herder, +4 Fatal Push
I like what I see here, but I wonder if this doesn't dilute the power of Push by losing out on cantrips off of relics.
I also wonder why we go into green when we have no early game green Eldrazi. Don't get me wrong, I love world breaker, but is it right to jam a new deck just for this card? I really like the idea here, but I feel that U/B Eldrazi might be better than G/B Eldrazi, because we then have access to skyspawner, Reshaper, AND strangler. Just a thought.
I also feel that we can focus more on a board control deck with Push in our arsenal, and we don't have to take a lot of damage to do it (looking at you, Anguished Unmaking). Testing will tell, but this is a huge boon for us! Let's get to testing.
....So unless I'm missing something, we now have access to unconditional black removal that triggers off of our fetchlands and cantrips. This is a pretty big power spike for us. I like this.
4x Path to Exile
1x Anguished Unmaking
1x Collective Brutality
3x Thoughtseize
4x Lingering Souls
1x Go for the Throat
1x Liliana, the Last Hope
1x Sorin, Solemn Visitor
4x Relic of Progenitus
1x Mind Stone
Tournament Report from Last night: Went 4-1 to come in 4th place, not too shabby.
Round 1 Vs Mono-U TronDrazi (0-2)
Matchup is a nightmare for us. This build runs Elder-Deep Fiend, TKS, Smasher, Reshapers and Chalice of the Void. Not the best was to start the tournament, but got the worst matchup out of the way. Game 1 she plays Chalice on 1 off of a land and Simian Spirit Guide, which I promptly scoop too as I have 2 Paths, a Relic, and Thoughtseize in my hand. Game 2 I never get off of three lands and Stabilize at 4 life before she plays two Reality Smashers in the same turn. Brutal. Hindsight is 20/20, but I think that using Surgical to get their Deep Fiends or Smashers can really help the matchup.
Round 2 vs Naya Burn (2-0)
Matchup was a breeze. Turn 2 I hit a fully escalated Brutality to kill his Swiftspear, take a Lava spike, and gain two. Next turn he draws a rift Bolt and plays an Eidolon. I drew Strangler and Processed the bolt to kill Eidolon, he promptly scooped. Game 2 I hit a turn 3 TKS to take his Boros Charm, then played Sorin to close it out. Wasn't even close. This matchup is great for us.
Round 3 vs Abzan Midrange...flicker...budget? (2-1)
Kind of an oddball deck here. We both had Lingering Souls here, but I drew into Liliana, the last hope. Needless to say, that card alone wins games, and it pulled its weight in spades, getting back Reality smashers and killing off Lingering Soul tokens. I win Game 1 by running over his Resto Angels with Two Smashers. Game 2 He "Gets the Nut" and plays back to back Thoughtseizes, lingering souls, and a Siege Rhino, followed up by Eldrazi Displacer. I have only Lingering Souls as my threats, so he blinks them away and I die. Game 3 he must have brought in Loxodon Smiters, because my first Thoughtseize on t2 gave him just that. He follows his play with a Rhino on T4, and I play and flashback souls on my turn. He vomits his hand on T5, Playing Displacer and Wall of Omens, but he doesn't know I have Damnation in hand. I cast Damnation and put him in topdeck mode. I draw Sorin and Flashback a Lingering Souls to close out the match. It is also worth noting that this was a slow, grindy close. I actually managed to ult Sorin.....Twice. He had voice of resurgences and still more lingering souls, but the grind on my end was real. Fun match.
Round 4 vs Naya Burn (2-1)
Not much to say here. Game 1 I nut and hit T2 TKS, taking his Atarka's Command, follow it up with Lingering Souls, and cast Sorin. The Concession was quick. Game 2 he Kills me through a Timely Reinforcements by having 2 Atarka's Command in his hand. Game 3 my opening hand was Brutality, Brutality, Souls, Souls, Marsh Flats, Shambling Vent, Vault of the Archangel. I play vent and he punishes me with Goblin Guide, revealing Strangler. I untap, play vault, and Brutality him, pitching two Lingering souls to take an Atarka's command, kill his Guide and gain 2. He untaps, holds up two mana, and passes. I draw TKS, but hold off on casting it as I assumed It would eat a Path, so instead I brutality him again to take a Lava spike, leaving an Eidolon and Rift bolt in his hand. (Seem familiar?) He untaps on t4 and Plays Eidolon and Suspends Rift bolt. I untap and Cast Strangler to kill Eidolon and Process the Rift Bolt. Salty concession ensues.
Round 5 vs Non Budget Abzan (2-0)
Played against Kevin Jones' brother, who is an awesome dude. Game 1 I Mull to 6 and lead with a vent, and he inquisitions me to reveal Eldrazi temple, Matter reshaper, strangler, 2x Lingering Souls. He takes reshaper and I draw Marsh flats and pass. He untaps and inquisitions me again, this time taking a lingering Souls. It is at this point that I realize that he must not have his own lingering Souls, so I am quick to cast mine the next turn after drawing Relic. We grind for a few turns with a very small goyf vs my souls tokens, but eventually I draw TKS and some stranglers to win the Game. Game 2 he had double Bitterblossom but it would end up hurting him in the long run as I have two Reality smashers in my hand that punished his small 1/1s. It is worth noting that a Thoughtseize that I cast close to turn 5 revealed Zealous persecution, Damnation, and Murderous Cut from him. I had one smasher and a strangler out already, with the second in hand. He has one bitterblossom token. I think for a second before I swing with the team....and he pitches Damnation to kill Smasher with Murderous Cut. Perfection. I untap slam my other smasher to put him to 4, and he goes to 2 on his upkeep, hits the thinktank for a minute, and decides he has no other outs. Good Games and he is always an absolute pleasure to play against.
Impressions:
Deck is solid! Performed very well tonight and I'm sure that if I wasn't land screwed in the first match, I could have went 5-0. We have very interesting lines of attack and I feel that this deck will do very well. I play with players on the skill level of Kevin Jones (Who is a regular at my LGS) and Joe Countryman, so I sometimes get some really good practice in. Having those players around also helps with healthy deck discussion and testing. Despite the fact that some of the players think the deck is "a pile," I feel very confident that if you put the time in to learn the deck, you can do well with it. Cheers!
Fair points there Deaddrift. I've also been considering one of the many swords of money and value as a way to provide additional card advantage. Sword of Fire and ice and maybe Feast and famine are the two up for debate right now, but Its all in the testing queue.
So far so good though. The deck is truly solid and has some pretty nutty draws. I'm hoping for some more good cards for this deck in the future, and I will be playing it at SCG Regionals come February. I'll post a tournament report of my past two tournaments if you'd like
So I just recently put together Processors and took it to a 4-1 and 3-2 finish over the course of two tournaments. Deck is sweet, but I wonder if we dont have room for a singleton Batterskull in the main? My meta is full of midrange and Tron (ugh) so my list is a little unorthodox, but there have been some fairly good synergies going on. I do find myself wishing that I had another source of lifegain though, even with Sorin and Vault. Not sure what to cut or where to start, but putting a Batterskull on a Spirit token seems pretty good vs almost any midrange deck.
Couldn't you (and please correct me if I'm wrong) just try playing Blight Herders instead of Smashers if Blood moon is so bad in your meta? I understand the whole Reality smasher vs Herder argument as far as how aggressive you want the deck to go, but maybe in the same vein that if Control starts to show up again, we play Herder, can't we do the same thing if Blood moon starts rearing its head again? The Scions Herder produces are "fixing" in a way. Not very experienced with the deck yet, so I could just be crazy here
I've been wanting to play this deck for a while now, and I have a few questions to help me get started:
1. What are the essentials to the deck? I.E. What should I be picking up first?
2. Are there any synergies I won't/don't see at first? What should I look for in an opening hand?
3. Can we run something like Rest in Peace over Relic? Or is Relic's card draw too invaluable?
As an aside, I'd also like to say that I think Distended Mindbender might be able to help this deck vs other decks that go big, like Tron, Ponza, or Titanshift. I might just be wrong though, so let me know what you think! Can't wait to get started and get off of my budget deck
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Round 1 vs Mono White Felidar-Resto Combo...Lifegain...Mill?
Played vs a homebrew. Deck was designed to mill you out with Altar of the Brood plus the interaction between Felidar Guardian and Restoration Angel, but there isn't much time to do that when you have Reality Smashers getting in your face. Clean 2-0
Round 2 vs Scapeshift Combo
Only loss of the night, I fee like this matchup is just super bad for us in general, but we played it to our outs. Notably, I did get to T2 Strangler to process his Search for Tomorrow to force his Tribe Elder to go off. Even then, Its hard to beat a deck with Cryptics and Remands when you don't see your Cavern. Close two games, but we fell just short. 0-2
Round 3 vs Grixis Delver
Matchup feels like Goldfishing honestly. Having a great play of T2 Reshaper into T3 Thought Knot, then watching him terminate Reshaper and Fetch-Fatal Push Thought Knot Had me worried, but I got to take his Tasigur and he can't beat Lingering Souls plus Liliana Mark V's Ultimate. (WHO IS INSANE MORE ON THAT LATER)In game two He remands my T3 TKS three times, but eventually I get him to stick, eat a Terminate, then Surgical the Terminates from his deck, clearing the way for Daddy Smasher to get em. 2-0 Clean
Round 4 vs Panharmonicon Elves
Normally this matchup is a nightmare for me, but I had begun playing Kalitas mainboard over a second Mind Stone, and boy did he do it to em! Game 1 I hit t3 Lili, T4 Kalitas, and its a wrap, nothing more to say. Game 2 he has T3 Panharmonicon, and I die to two Shaman of the Packs off of a Collected Company. Game 3....What a match. I take his Lead the Stampede on T1 With thoughtseize, follow it up with Fatal Push, then Play Lili. He Untaps, Plays a land, passes; representing CoCo. I rip Kalitas off the topdeck like an absolute lucksack.....and watch him get Dismembered. I minus 2 Lili (INSANE I KNOW RIGHT?), Flip two Lingering Souls, and get back Kalitas. Obviously this is EXTREMELY Lucky, but it was awesome nonetheless. The Next turn I play Kalitas and Hold up Path, Plusing Lili to get a Zombie, he Cocos into Heritage Druid and Visionary. Still not attacking into my board, and lacking an Archdruid to protect his dorks from Lili, I make Kalitas into a 7/8 and Attack with him for the rest of the game. 2-1 Close matches.
...And all that was good enough for 3rd Place out of 18! Not too shabby.
In regards to the Lili/Fatal Push topics, I have been finding that I want to run a different Split of the 4-2 Path-Push I am currently Running, and Might actually cut a Relic to play a 3-4 Split. I think something that hasnt been mentioned yet is that Path turns on our processing as well, which although it is a small part of the deck, is still important. I have been playing a maindeck Lili ever Since I realized I could get back Reality Smashers, and I have never once had it be a dead Draw(except vs Ad Nauseum). I still think Playing a one-of Sorin is correct, because we are still relatively Weak to burn game 1, and any help there is appreciated. Sorin also clenches the aggro matchups with the addition of Push, making our removal and stabilization cleaner.
I think we should also consider the "card advantage" cards like Liliana, Sorin, and (to a lesser Extent) Kalitas, can give the deck. With Fatal Push being as good as it is, I am finding that I want to play more pushes to "turn on" Kalitas and to seal up the GBx matches. Sorin can essentially be a timewalk vs aggro decks if we play it correctly, although I am finding him to be weaker as time goes on. And I absolutely believe that Liliana should be in this deck 110% no questions asked, as she serves a threat vs control that they Have to deal with, and also Buys Back our creatures. Absolutely an essential card IMO. Jund cant compete with A smasher getting bought Back unless they have very large goyfs. Same with Abzan and stuff like Jeskai etc. She also shores up the affinity matchup, which in my experience has been absolutely terrible, but I feel that is a measure of my inexperience with the matchup.
Question for all my 'Drazi lovers: How to do we feel about the Processing in the deck? Do we even need it anymore? As time goes on, I realize that we are jamming 3-4 slots to turn on another 4, and whilst the deck is fine with these cards, I wonder if we couldn't turn those into more discard spells or (as previously Mentioned) Endless Ones. Endless One synergizes with Liliana for some solid plays, and can hold its own vs aggro. I have no intentions on changing anything, just want some more opinions on it.
Hope all of this rambling helps. Cheers guys!
I'm trying a wastes in the side tonight, with a cavern main. I expect a lot of midrange control today, simply because lots of the players in my shop have the luxury of swapping decks on a whim, when they see who has shown up. (I.e. Goblin guy shows up, everyone jams maindeck angers before the tournament)I've also cut Liliana, the Last Hope from the deck on account of it doesn't kill anything Wasteland Strangler can't. It's nice to buy back Reality Smashers, but I feel that the double black can be constricting on the manabase as well. There have also been a few games where her -2 puts two smashers in the yard along with the first one, making it awkward. Lost legacy is the card I want to test the most tonight; A few Ad Nauseum players have shown up, and I'd like to try and get them game 2 with an on curve Legacy to see how it pans out. (As noted before, it also hits Blood Moon) Hopefully I'll have a good tournament report for you tonight after the games
ALSO! For anyone who wants to help refine a list for me to play at Regionals in NY, let me know! I've signed up and am prepping hard for the tournament. Hopefully I'll have a good showing and put us on the map! If anyone else is going, let me know and we can collaborate further. Cheers!
3 Push in the main/side is the perfect number. I think this card slots out easily in the tron matchup for the necessary Exile removal and Pithing needles. Also, I understand our need to defend against blood moon, but I wonder if we aren't taking too many precautions. Usually ratchet bomb and Anguished are good enough for me to deal with Blood Moon, my real issue is dealing with Stormbreath Dragon out of those lists lol.
TL:DR; I think this shell is a good starting point, but I would try and put one of your lands from the Side into the Main to make room for more sideboard options
So I did some thinking about the B+R announcement today, and after reading some of the comments here I was wondering if maybe now isn't a good time to dust off our Blight Herders again. With Control and Midrange probably on the rise after this announcement, (plus the release of Fatal Push) it might not be a bad idea to try and out-value our opponents on the midrange plan with a Herder or two. I might try cutting 3x Reshaper for 2x Herder and another Mind Stone (to compensate for a higher curve, and to cantrip since we have taken out Reshaper)
Literally just spitballing the idea here, but if we expect the B/G/X decks to see an increase in play, It might be in our best interest to have a value engine like Herder. Herder is usually also good vs control, since the trigger is on CAST not ETB, and control may also see an uptick in popularity. Hell, Herder isn't even terrible vs Tron Game 1, since it Dodges Ugin and Karn only gets rid of 1/4 of it.
I honestly dont know what the B+R announcement does for us, but if the meta becomes slower, our archetype gets better. I also agree with Deaddrift and Tituba as far as reevaluating the sideboard, and possibly cutting a relic. With dredge getting hit by the bannings, and with midrange decks predicted to be on the rise, I think we could do better than a 2 Mana cantrip topdeck; maybe this is where we can find space for the maindeck Anguished Unmaking. Also, if we manage our relics properly we will have minimal loss of effectiveness; cutting one might lose us some percentage points vs B/G/X decks, but I expect that to be made up for by the inclusion of Fatal Push. Tron/Valakut still feels like slogging through the muck, but maybe jamming more threats (or the GQ/Crucible Package) can help us even the odds there. Other than that, I feel that we are still fairly positioned at the moment, not a ton of other matchups stick out as terrible to me as of right now. I'll have a tournament report for you guys after Wednesday to let you know what decks popped up and what some of my shop thinks about the bannings as well. I have a lot of experienced players a the shop playing T1 decks, so it might be good to hear some opinions from them. Cheers!
Another question/poll for you guys: Tidehollow Sculler. Anyone still running him? How is he doing for you guys? Do you miss other cards that would be in his place? I might want to try some scullers in the future, but I'm not sure where to make the cuts. Thoughtseize has been insane for me, but there are some games where I feel that I have no pressure, something Sculler could provide. Let me know what you think!
As an aside, I wonder if we can't afford to play more of a control deck with the inclusion of Fatal Push. Maybe we get to cut our Stranglers for Push, and Play Blight Herders in the Main as another haymaker, and a way to go over midrange and control. Our Aggro matchup will almost assuredly be better with this card, but I think we may find that we will be lacking on threats, especially because other decks with be playing Push as well. Herder not only dodges Push, but also makes a bunch of chump Blockers. In this way, our processors also don't compete for value. I think I may try this angle when Push is released, doing something like this:
-4 Strangler, -1 Anguished Unmaking(moved to the side)-1 Go For the Throat
+2 Blight Herder, +4 Fatal Push
Let me know what you think
I also wonder why we go into green when we have no early game green Eldrazi. Don't get me wrong, I love world breaker, but is it right to jam a new deck just for this card? I really like the idea here, but I feel that U/B Eldrazi might be better than G/B Eldrazi, because we then have access to skyspawner, Reshaper, AND strangler. Just a thought.
I also feel that we can focus more on a board control deck with Push in our arsenal, and we don't have to take a lot of damage to do it (looking at you, Anguished Unmaking). Testing will tell, but this is a huge boon for us! Let's get to testing.
http://mythicspoiler.com/aer/cards/fatalpush.html
....So unless I'm missing something, we now have access to unconditional black removal that triggers off of our fetchlands and cantrips. This is a pretty big power spike for us. I like this.
Thoughts?
4x Reality Smasher
4x Wasteland Strangler
3x Matter Reshaper
4x Path to Exile
1x Anguished Unmaking
1x Collective Brutality
3x Thoughtseize
4x Lingering Souls
1x Go for the Throat
1x Liliana, the Last Hope
1x Sorin, Solemn Visitor
4x Relic of Progenitus
1x Mind Stone
2x Plains
1x Swamp
1x Wastes
4x Caves of Koilos
2x Godless Shrine
1x Isolated Chapel
1x Vault of the Archangel
3x Ghost Quarter
2x Shambling Vent
3x Marsh Flats
4x Eldrazi Temple
Round 1 Vs Mono-U TronDrazi (0-2)
Matchup is a nightmare for us. This build runs Elder-Deep Fiend, TKS, Smasher, Reshapers and Chalice of the Void. Not the best was to start the tournament, but got the worst matchup out of the way. Game 1 she plays Chalice on 1 off of a land and Simian Spirit Guide, which I promptly scoop too as I have 2 Paths, a Relic, and Thoughtseize in my hand. Game 2 I never get off of three lands and Stabilize at 4 life before she plays two Reality Smashers in the same turn. Brutal. Hindsight is 20/20, but I think that using Surgical to get their Deep Fiends or Smashers can really help the matchup.
Round 2 vs Naya Burn (2-0)
Matchup was a breeze. Turn 2 I hit a fully escalated Brutality to kill his Swiftspear, take a Lava spike, and gain two. Next turn he draws a rift Bolt and plays an Eidolon. I drew Strangler and Processed the bolt to kill Eidolon, he promptly scooped. Game 2 I hit a turn 3 TKS to take his Boros Charm, then played Sorin to close it out. Wasn't even close. This matchup is great for us.
Round 3 vs Abzan Midrange...flicker...budget? (2-1)
Kind of an oddball deck here. We both had Lingering Souls here, but I drew into Liliana, the last hope. Needless to say, that card alone wins games, and it pulled its weight in spades, getting back Reality smashers and killing off Lingering Soul tokens. I win Game 1 by running over his Resto Angels with Two Smashers. Game 2 He "Gets the Nut" and plays back to back Thoughtseizes, lingering souls, and a Siege Rhino, followed up by Eldrazi Displacer. I have only Lingering Souls as my threats, so he blinks them away and I die. Game 3 he must have brought in Loxodon Smiters, because my first Thoughtseize on t2 gave him just that. He follows his play with a Rhino on T4, and I play and flashback souls on my turn. He vomits his hand on T5, Playing Displacer and Wall of Omens, but he doesn't know I have Damnation in hand. I cast Damnation and put him in topdeck mode. I draw Sorin and Flashback a Lingering Souls to close out the match. It is also worth noting that this was a slow, grindy close. I actually managed to ult Sorin.....Twice. He had voice of resurgences and still more lingering souls, but the grind on my end was real. Fun match.
Round 4 vs Naya Burn (2-1)
Not much to say here. Game 1 I nut and hit T2 TKS, taking his Atarka's Command, follow it up with Lingering Souls, and cast Sorin. The Concession was quick. Game 2 he Kills me through a Timely Reinforcements by having 2 Atarka's Command in his hand. Game 3 my opening hand was Brutality, Brutality, Souls, Souls, Marsh Flats, Shambling Vent, Vault of the Archangel. I play vent and he punishes me with Goblin Guide, revealing Strangler. I untap, play vault, and Brutality him, pitching two Lingering souls to take an Atarka's command, kill his Guide and gain 2. He untaps, holds up two mana, and passes. I draw TKS, but hold off on casting it as I assumed It would eat a Path, so instead I brutality him again to take a Lava spike, leaving an Eidolon and Rift bolt in his hand. (Seem familiar?) He untaps on t4 and Plays Eidolon and Suspends Rift bolt. I untap and Cast Strangler to kill Eidolon and Process the Rift Bolt. Salty concession ensues.
Round 5 vs Non Budget Abzan (2-0)
Played against Kevin Jones' brother, who is an awesome dude. Game 1 I Mull to 6 and lead with a vent, and he inquisitions me to reveal Eldrazi temple, Matter reshaper, strangler, 2x Lingering Souls. He takes reshaper and I draw Marsh flats and pass. He untaps and inquisitions me again, this time taking a lingering Souls. It is at this point that I realize that he must not have his own lingering Souls, so I am quick to cast mine the next turn after drawing Relic. We grind for a few turns with a very small goyf vs my souls tokens, but eventually I draw TKS and some stranglers to win the Game. Game 2 he had double Bitterblossom but it would end up hurting him in the long run as I have two Reality smashers in my hand that punished his small 1/1s. It is worth noting that a Thoughtseize that I cast close to turn 5 revealed Zealous persecution, Damnation, and Murderous Cut from him. I had one smasher and a strangler out already, with the second in hand. He has one bitterblossom token. I think for a second before I swing with the team....and he pitches Damnation to kill Smasher with Murderous Cut. Perfection. I untap slam my other smasher to put him to 4, and he goes to 2 on his upkeep, hits the thinktank for a minute, and decides he has no other outs. Good Games and he is always an absolute pleasure to play against.
Impressions:
Deck is solid! Performed very well tonight and I'm sure that if I wasn't land screwed in the first match, I could have went 5-0. We have very interesting lines of attack and I feel that this deck will do very well. I play with players on the skill level of Kevin Jones (Who is a regular at my LGS) and Joe Countryman, so I sometimes get some really good practice in. Having those players around also helps with healthy deck discussion and testing. Despite the fact that some of the players think the deck is "a pile," I feel very confident that if you put the time in to learn the deck, you can do well with it. Cheers!
So far so good though. The deck is truly solid and has some pretty nutty draws. I'm hoping for some more good cards for this deck in the future, and I will be playing it at SCG Regionals come February. I'll post a tournament report of my past two tournaments if you'd like
So I just recently put together Processors and took it to a 4-1 and 3-2 finish over the course of two tournaments. Deck is sweet, but I wonder if we dont have room for a singleton Batterskull in the main? My meta is full of midrange and Tron (ugh) so my list is a little unorthodox, but there have been some fairly good synergies going on. I do find myself wishing that I had another source of lifegain though, even with Sorin and Vault. Not sure what to cut or where to start, but putting a Batterskull on a Spirit token seems pretty good vs almost any midrange deck.
Here's the link: http://mythicspoiler.com/aer/cards/yahennisexpertise.html
This card seems insane for us, as it doesn't kill our big dudes, and deals with selfless spirit
Long time lurker, first time poster (here)
I've been wanting to play this deck for a while now, and I have a few questions to help me get started:
1. What are the essentials to the deck? I.E. What should I be picking up first?
2. Are there any synergies I won't/don't see at first? What should I look for in an opening hand?
3. Can we run something like Rest in Peace over Relic? Or is Relic's card draw too invaluable?
As an aside, I'd also like to say that I think Distended Mindbender might be able to help this deck vs other decks that go big, like Tron, Ponza, or Titanshift. I might just be wrong though, so let me know what you think! Can't wait to get started and get off of my budget deck