Also, here is my nonbudget list if anyone has any suggestions. The main things I've been thinking about are: 3-4th Neoform, 4th Finale of Devastation, 2nd Teferi, Time Raveler, 8th Mana Dork and 2nd Eternal Witnessmaindeck. (pretty much what mix of these I want)
Ballista beats Bridge. If you're going to play one win con, I'd advise Ballista for that reason. here.
Can't you just attack with the 0-powered Druid and then untap it before damage to pump it infinitely large? Or are we more concerned that we are sacrificing Vizier to tutor out Ezuri in the first place?
Whoops, you're right. I suppose there are things like Worship to consider, or the Ad Naus matchup. Remembering that you can attack through bridge, perhaps Ezuri/Rhonas could be okay to play as your only win con.
Maybe we could play a ballista in the sideboard to beat those kinds of things? Or are those effects still too marginal to warrant a sideboard slot.
Ballista beats Bridge. If you're going to play one win con, I'd advise Ballista for that reason. here.
Can't you just attack with the 0-powered Druid and then untap it before damage to pump it infinitely large? Or are we more concerned that we are sacrificing Vizier to tutor out Ezuri in the first place?
Thanks for the great feedback!
A couple more thoughts/questions:
Should we still be playing Walking Ballista or other wincons when Ezuri almost always is just as effective and works far better with the ~11 tutors that put something onto the battlefield? I also don't see how giving Rhonas multiple creatures the ability to attack for infinite is very useful, and the possibility of a backup beatdown plan if your druids are removed seems pretty marginal to me in the context of Modern.
In the same vein, Duskwatch Recruiter also seems pretty useless. Ezuri fills the role of the battlefield-tutorable creature that wins the game now and doesn't require Ballista as an actual kill condition. Not working with Neoform also shouldn't be a big concern as you can just sac the Vizier of Remedies to get it out.
Going back to one of @AcademyRuins' previous lists, is Teferi, Time Raveler really better than having more tutors (likely Eladamri's Calls, which personally I have found a great supplement to the current suite as they allow t3 Druid and also dodge Cage)? I have not tested w/ him and are curious of yall's opinions on him.
In general, I feel like we should basically refine the deck to combo backup pieces (Greaves, Stepmom, Lunge, EWit), tutors (Neoform, Evolution, Finale, Call), obviously the actual combo cards, and a wincon. Other interactive cards and bullets just take away from the t3-t4 potential of this deck, which I feel like with Stepmom is the best place for this deck to be in the Modern environment.
I just got into Druid decks fairly recently and the evolution seemed like the most focused and competitive version - especially with Giver of Runes, I think a streamlined build that aims to combo and only combo is probably better suited for the current Modern environment. I also want to buy this deck irl, which currently has forced me into the moderate budget range (though this deck quite easily accommodates for that requirement). Here is my current decklist:
In deckbuilding, several things came up that I wanted to consult this thread for.
First, I found that generally, I was just using Duskwatch Recruiter as a wincon only, and decided that maybe I wanted to substitute some or most of them for more tutors, which serve the same purpose but usually hold a lot more utility.
I have also really liked Giver of Runes so far, which has seemed to me to be a great way to help cover removal or otherwise make the opponent's early turns extremely awkward.
At the moment, I am kind of lukewarm about Postmortem Lunge, and as I have shaved them down to 2 copies (mostly for more tutors) I was just wondering how core the 4-of is considered to you guys.
Concerning the URx decks that seem to currently be the bane of this deck, what sort of strategy is this deck taking post-board to deal w/ them? Also, just in general, are there any changes that you would make to my sideboard? (keep in mind I would totally be playing blue if not for my budget requirements)
Do you think I have too many tutors? I have just found that many of the other cards in my deck might as well have just been these more versatile combo pieces, and as of yet, I have liked the abundance of them quite a lot. On this topic, do you think Eladamri's Call is worth it? The factors I have been considering are mainly manabase problems, the upside of dodging Cage, the fact that it effectively can be a Finale of Devastation that allows you to pay the cost across 2 turns, and it's cheap IRL cost.
And finally, are there just any other thoughts or changes you would like to give me considering my deck and maybe the archetype in general?
EDIT: Postboard, what is our gameplan against Tron? Are we favored in any of the 2-3 games?
2 Breeding Pool
2 Forest
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Horizon Canopy
2 Temple Garden
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Windswept Heath
3 Razorverge Thicket
1 Waterlogged Grove
Nonlands
3 Eladamri's Call
2 Teferi, Time Raveler
4 Noble Hierarch
3 Birds of Paradise
1 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
4 Devoted Druid
1 Eternal Witness
4 Giver of Runes
4 Vizier of Remedies
4 Eldritch Evolution
4 Finale of Devastation
2 Neoform
3 Postmortem Lunge
2 Burrenton Forge-Tender
1 Chameleon Colossus
3 Kitchen Finks
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Yixlid Jailer
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Meddling Mage
2 Path to Exile
1 Qasali Pridemage
2 Teferi, Time Raveler
Maybe we could play a ballista in the sideboard to beat those kinds of things? Or are those effects still too marginal to warrant a sideboard slot.
Can't you just attack with the 0-powered Druid and then untap it before damage to pump it infinitely large? Or are we more concerned that we are sacrificing Vizier to tutor out Ezuri in the first place?
A couple more thoughts/questions:
Should we still be playing Walking Ballista or other wincons when Ezuri almost always is just as effective and works far better with the ~11 tutors that put something onto the battlefield? I also don't see how giving Rhonas multiple creatures the ability to attack for infinite is very useful, and the possibility of a backup beatdown plan if your druids are removed seems pretty marginal to me in the context of Modern.
In the same vein, Duskwatch Recruiter also seems pretty useless. Ezuri fills the role of the battlefield-tutorable creature that wins the game now and doesn't require Ballista as an actual kill condition. Not working with Neoform also shouldn't be a big concern as you can just sac the Vizier of Remedies to get it out.
Going back to one of @AcademyRuins' previous lists, is Teferi, Time Raveler really better than having more tutors (likely Eladamri's Calls, which personally I have found a great supplement to the current suite as they allow t3 Druid and also dodge Cage)? I have not tested w/ him and are curious of yall's opinions on him.
In general, I feel like we should basically refine the deck to combo backup pieces (Greaves, Stepmom, Lunge, EWit), tutors (Neoform, Evolution, Finale, Call), obviously the actual combo cards, and a wincon. Other interactive cards and bullets just take away from the t3-t4 potential of this deck, which I feel like with Stepmom is the best place for this deck to be in the Modern environment.
I just got into Druid decks fairly recently and the evolution seemed like the most focused and competitive version - especially with Giver of Runes, I think a streamlined build that aims to combo and only combo is probably better suited for the current Modern environment. I also want to buy this deck irl, which currently has forced me into the moderate budget range (though this deck quite easily accommodates for that requirement). Here is my current decklist:
3 Plains
2 Brushland
1 Horizon Canopy
4 Temple Garden
2 Windswept Heath
1 Fortified Village
6 Forest
1 Gavony Township
Nonlands
2 Duskwatch Recruiter
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Giver of Runes
1 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
3 Eladamri's Call
2 Postmortem Lunge
4 Devoted Druid
3 Eldritch Evolution
4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
4 Finale of Devastation
2 Eternal Witness
4 Vizier of Remedies
3 Chord of Calling
2 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Burrenton Forge-Tender
2 Chameleon Colossus
1 Knight of Autumn
1 Selfless Spirit
1 Tormod's Crypt
2 Path to Exile
3 Kitchen Finks
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Remorseful Cleric
In deckbuilding, several things came up that I wanted to consult this thread for.
First, I found that generally, I was just using Duskwatch Recruiter as a wincon only, and decided that maybe I wanted to substitute some or most of them for more tutors, which serve the same purpose but usually hold a lot more utility.
I have also really liked Giver of Runes so far, which has seemed to me to be a great way to help cover removal or otherwise make the opponent's early turns extremely awkward.
At the moment, I am kind of lukewarm about Postmortem Lunge, and as I have shaved them down to 2 copies (mostly for more tutors) I was just wondering how core the 4-of is considered to you guys.
Concerning the URx decks that seem to currently be the bane of this deck, what sort of strategy is this deck taking post-board to deal w/ them? Also, just in general, are there any changes that you would make to my sideboard? (keep in mind I would totally be playing blue if not for my budget requirements)
Do you think I have too many tutors? I have just found that many of the other cards in my deck might as well have just been these more versatile combo pieces, and as of yet, I have liked the abundance of them quite a lot. On this topic, do you think Eladamri's Call is worth it? The factors I have been considering are mainly manabase problems, the upside of dodging Cage, the fact that it effectively can be a Finale of Devastation that allows you to pay the cost across 2 turns, and it's cheap IRL cost.
And finally, are there just any other thoughts or changes you would like to give me considering my deck and maybe the archetype in general?
EDIT: Postboard, what is our gameplan against Tron? Are we favored in any of the 2-3 games?