MTG Salvation

Thanks for the kind words, patbou_clone, I wrote that primer, and just did a very minor update.

I have found Unsettled Mariner to be excellent against many decks that are tough for Humans. There's no question that it helps with Burn, Mono-R-Prowess, and Jund, which are all pairings where we can use an assist. The stacking with itself and with Thalia (who, unlike Mariner, nonbos with herself and with Phantasmal Image) can be gross. How does a 3-CMC Bolt, or a 4-CMC Lili who can't minus, sound?

One thing that makes Burn and aggro decks tougher for Humans players are the Canopy lands--most lists run five total. I have only four and prefer that.

I don't favor Tajic and Kambal, personally.

Quote from user-100024666 »

Hey folks,
i play humans since february and it was a blast. I have a matchwin percentage of 70% and it feels like the most powerful deck i ever played in modern. But now i have a hogaak problem so i worked on a new 4c list. Let me know what you think about it.

Unsettled Mariner seems like it might be good, but which current problems is it solving for you? Freebooter's our only way to see our opponent's hand, and has evasion, so I still like it, though I have cut down to 3 now.

In general, I think cutting Ancient Ziggurat is probably a mistake, especially in a list that (like mine) runs Phantasmal Image, Deputy of Detention, and Gaddock Teeg. Even Mantis Rider probably needs Ziggurat--I've had problems casting Rider many times. And, you run Collector Ouphe, which is probably fine, but my Yixlid Jailers definitely require it.

As always, playing the deck will let you know. Good luck! I'm glad that Humans still has so much game in the current degeneracy.

I feel confidant against HogaakVine with my build. The deck can still just beat you on T3 in game 1, but overall I like my chances.

I really like the playset of Deputy, because it's great against the things that Humans is weak to. I had to change my land package a little to accommodate it, but it has totally been worth it. I cut a Reflector to make room since they overlap in their use.

I would not go back to 4x Image, but it might be wrong to cut the fourth Freebooter. The 2x Militia Buglers are flex slots that dig for SB hate and provide near-certain value against removal of all kinds, but maybe one of the newer MH1 or M20 cards would be better overall.

Quote from dcovino »

Get in the habit of activating the vial and giving your opponent the chance to respond to the activation on the stack before putting the creature in play.

I want to second this comment, not revealing your Vial creature before the trigger resolves is extremely important.

It can also be fun to occasionally dummy-activate Vial, without intending to play a creature, just to keep opponents on their toes, if you have the breathing room to do this or want to force a play before you untap.

Pretty sure Tajic can't mentor himself, right? The text says "target attacking creature with lesser power."

Qasali Pridemage is no harder to cast than Teeg, comes down the turn before Blood Moon, can wall 1/1s, and pumps attackers. You can name "Wizard" with Cavern or Territory if you need to hard cast it off a tribal land, enabling Meddling and Reflector. It even deals with the rare Torpor Orb where nothing else would. IMO it is very nearly strictly better than Reclamation Sage in Vial Humans. I made the switch a long time ago, and have never regretted it.

Knight of Autumn is probably the go-to from now on, though.

I feel like Anafenza is pretty bad against Hollow One and Bridgevine... leaves many threats untouched in both decks, and is super slow. She's not bad against Dredge, and the 4 butt is relevant against Bolt/Helix, but I'm not looking to make any space for her in my 75.

I went 6-1 in the Swiss of a 101-player PPTQ last week, but lost to the mirror in the first round of top 8. I play three Thalias, three Buglers, three Images, and four Reflectors. I dig Gaddock Teeg a lot, and run one. I don't think I saw it mentioned here yet that it shuts down both KCI and EE, in addition to its obvious merits against Tron and its unbelievable utility vs. UW Control. Teeg also hits Gifts, PiF, and Empty, from Storm. I also play, and seem in practice to be able to cast without trouble, two copies of Qasali Pridemage. I prefer it to Rec Sage.


Thanks to patbou for posting relevant content links, helped me feel like I could get caught up, after being off the grid for a week.


In terms of tips and tricks for new players, like Aazadan I would also suggest focusing on learning how to use Vial correctly. Using Vial well can be kind of non-obvious, at least to me.

Make a habit of NOT playing out a creature until you've asked the opponent for a response to the Vial activation. (This is most important with Vial on 2, but it's just a good habit all-round.) Several of our creatures (Meddling, Thalia, sometimes Image, Teeg if you play it) have powerful un-triggered static effects that can potentially lead to a blowout.

False tap at opportune moments to keep opponents on their toes--playing a creature is a "may" ability.

If like me you run the card, plan ahead to play Dire Fleet Daredevil on a key turn of the game, whether in response to a Snapcaster target or on the opponent's draw step to nab a sorcery-speed threat.

In general, pay attention to how your "leave at two" vs. "go to three" decisions play out--for me this can be a tough call, but I get better with practice. It's a very context-dependent call.

Yeah, that is a fair look at Bugler. On the other hand, card advantage and selection is just good on its face. A few pages back I calculated the odds of hitting with a Bugler at 93% in unfavorable conditions, so a 95% hit rate overall in practice is a pretty good ballpark. I have yet to whiff off of it, personally. I play three, two in the flex slots and the third in place of Phantasmal Image #4.

The selection piece is a big deal, but it must be pointed out that oftentimes we want a Bugler target early, and Bugler does not get targets early--in the timeframe that this deck is operating on, that is. If you're digging for Rec Sage or Kataki on T3 against Affinity, it's already too late, unless maybe you were on the play and landed a T1 Vial. So the dig has to be evaluated somewhat critically.

Xathrid Necromancer is good against sweepers and targeted removal of course, but it can also be very good against aggro, where you can use it lategame for chump blocks, only to then Vial Necromancer in before damage and subsequently crack back with a bunch of 2/2s out of nowhere. I'd really like to run one in the side, but right now I don't feel I have room.

Bugler is right in this deck, I am certain. It is a tremendous consistency tool and I personally think that the fact that it gets its value once and then is free for combat duty--unlike, say, Meddling, Thalia, Freebooter, or more relevantly, Dark Confidant--is a huge part of its useful application. I haven't whiffed with it yet and it has proved decisive on several occasions.

I'm playing three in a standard list, except I have only three Phantasmal Image. I was 4-0-1 Friday (ID last round) and 3-1 (losing only the mirror) last night at my large and competitive LGS with this list.

For sideboarding, I often run into the problem of knowing what looks good to bring in, but not knowing what I want to take out. In these situations I usually side out a mix of single copies of cards that may be useful but are not key players in the matchup.

I get the Bugler is an inferior draw engine compared to Dark Confidant argument. But I think a better analogy would be to Silvergill Adept, since both get value once on ETB, reveal a card from hand, draw a card (well 95%)... and both can then swing freely (cough vigilance) or block without sacrificing some kind of value beyond the body. Many of our guys can't say the same.

Can't wait to try it out on Friday, going to run it as a three-of.

Confused about Round 4, there, FCG; didn't his EE take out his own Torpor Orb?

Big Thalia is old tech that's coming around again. My sense is that this kind of phenomenon is likely for Humans for the foreseeable future--the main game plan is very strong, but can benefit from being tweaked and reinforced by swaps among a few slots. Right now, Tron is very good, and big Thalia is excellent against Tron, so she makes sense if you are planning for that matchup.

As far as making more room for Bugler, I am not so sure that is a correct idea, but if it were then I think the third (and possibly fourth) slots in the main might have to come from an Image, a Reflector Mage, or a Freebooter. All are not great against Jeskai, which is a weak matchup for us, while Bugler seems likely to be excellent in that match. A side benefit is that Bugler can dig for any of these cards, slightly counteracting the pain of cutting one copy (but also slowing down its deployment, it should be said). For instance, I have run only three Reflector Mage before, and it occupies the same spot on the curve as Bugler does, which is relevant.

[EDIT] The more I think about it, the more I like cutting one Image for Bugler #3. An opener with multiple Images can be pretty weak.

In terms of sideboard options to maximize Bugler's effectiveness, the standard answers all seem fine to me. Bugler does make some of the more marginal options worse--stuff like Heron's Grace Champion, Notion Thief, and the mostly-abandoned Vithian Renegades.

I have seen Torpor Orb played against me twice in the past couple of weeks. It has me reconsidering Qasali Pridemage. Also, I'm thinking Gaddock Teeg is looking good as spicy tech against lots of decks--namely Tron, KCI, and Elves, but he also helps against the sweepers, Cryptic Command, and planeswalkers out of UWx builds.

I have been mulling over Militia Bugler and I think I have a conclusion. Looking for verification that my framing of this probability problem, and my reasoning, are correct: I think Bugler fills the flex slots going forward, no question, as soon as it's legal. Maybe even as more than a two-of.

Here's an explanation of my thought process. I used an online hypergeometric calculator to do the math for me. My assumptions:

• The sample size is four;
• The population is the number of cards remaining in the library (N);
• The number of successes are (N) - ((remaining Mantis Riders [max. 4]) + (remaining lands [max. 18]) + (remaining Vials [max 3]) + (non-Mantis Rider creatures drawn so far [varies]));
• We want one or more hits;
• We play a standard Vial build with Bugler as the two flex spots.

Test Case: I tried to consider how to minimize live hits and maximize dead ones for this scenario. A very bad situation (worse cases could be imagined of course) for a hit off Bugler would be in the following game:

• We kept an opening seven on the draw with one land, one Vial, and all creatures. We never draw any Mantis Riders, lands or Vials.
• We cast Bugler on T4, off a T1 Vial and only one land in play.
• We cast two one-drops on T2, and another one-drop and a two-drop on T3 (or kept all these in hand, doesn't matter for this, as long as these cards are not in the library).
• The rest of our hand (on the draw, four non-Bugler cards remain in hand) is also only made up of potential hits for Bugler. Now, 18 lands, 4 Mantis Riders, and 3 Vials remain in our library.
• In this scenario, we have 24/49 hits left in our library, which leads to a 92.9% chance to get one or more targets in the top four cards.

Conclusion: Even when the library is skewed towards dead draws, Militia Bugler is still extremely likely to be a two-for-one at a decent rate.

Granted, sometimes Bugler is going to bottom a Mantis Rider and whiff; or instead, draw a late-game Champion, Hierarch, or other low-impact card. However, in other cases it will whiff, but by doing so it will bottom four consecutive dead draws.

Running out of threats is this deck's weak point. Digging for more action will make the deck more consistent, and as shown, Bugler can be expected to hit in the large majority of cases. The point about finding sideboard cards is also well said and adds to Bugler's virtues.

Note that Bugler gets worse in decks with Kessig Malcontents, Restoration Angel, Thalia, Heretic Cathar, and the like--though it is also probably in contention with those specific cards for the slots.

If my framing of the problem is useful (criticisms welcome!) then Bugler seems an auto-include, no question. Thoughts?

Regarding Isareth, it's not playable in a Vial deck because BB is not a sustainable casting cost, regardless of the card's other virtues or faults.

Bugler looks like an intriguing option.