MTG Salvation

By now I think we've all seen Noose Constrictor, the new wild mongrel from EMN. When it was first spoiled there was a lot of buzz about new decks and archetypes that it could enable so this thread will be for discussing just that, what new archetypes do you think are now viable? What, if any, decks does it give a boost too? Or do you think it is overrated and wont see play? This isn't a deck building thread but I'm curious as to the various strategies and archetypes people want to try now that we have access to mongrel in modern.

Goes infinite (in the sense that it lets you mill your entire library and draw a pile of cards) with dakmor salvage and the gitrog monster as a starting point (both pretty decent playable cards on their own in a loam shell).

Being the discard outlet for life from the loam type decks seems like the most likely place.

Quote from Kruphix7 »

By now I think we've all seen Noose Constrictor, the new wild mongrel from EMN. When it was first spoiled there was a lot of buzz about new decks and archetypes that it could enable so this thread will be for discussing just that, what new archetypes do you think are now viable? What, if any, decks does it give a boost too? Or do you think it is overrated and wont see play? This isn't a deck building thread but I'm curious as to the various strategies and archetypes people want to try now that we have access to mongrel in modern.

Look into a deck that uses classic discard outlets that are good like: Squee, Goblin Nabob, Vengeful Pharaoh, zombie infestation. Add in Noose and other graveyard cards that are good. You can go aggro with Vengevine or you can go midrangy with Pharaoh.

Eh, we already have better discard outlets like insolent neonate. Might be okay as a 5-8 for this kind of effect in a dredge deck...but I don't think its gonna be that viable at 2 mana.

While it completely enables Madness and Midrangish dredge combos, it doesnt really make them good. It makes them playable (good enough for me really) but it can still be a gimmick.

It has some weird interactions with combos. Like Necrotic Ooze can now do way more stuff. It also can be a go to card for any combo that wants things in the graveyard, like reanimation strats. So even if madness doesnt get a ton of play, this is an extremely versatile card. basically, its the best card in modern at what it does... which is take cards from the hand to the grave.

It'll be played in the same deck that Mongrel was played in, i.e. Madness.

Dredge doesn't want it. All the discard outlets in Dredge do something useful in addition to discarding: Looting/Neonate draws (i.e. dredges), Conflagrate/Lightning Axe burns, Haunted Dead reanimates Prized Amalgam, etc. Constrictor just pumps itself, which is weaker than all the other possible effects.

Hmm, thinking if an old fashioned RG madness style deck can still work. Start with 4 Noose Constrictor, 4 Reckless Wurm, 4 Fiery Temper?

A little sad WoTC don't make cards like Wonder anymore.

Quote from Mastodon »

Eh, we already have better discard outlets like insolent neonate. Might be okay as a 5-8 for this kind of effect in a dredge deck...but I don't think its gonna be that viable at 2 mana.

You can only discard 1 card, 1 time, to insolent neonate. Noose Constrictor functions as a means to dump your entire hand or more.


Gitrog, all dredge cards, Wonder cycle are all good places to start brewing.

I still want to try a GWx Maverick style deck with Knight of the Reliquary, Noose Constrictor and Traverse the Ulvenwald are it the forefront. Run a bunch of utility lands, Life from the Loam, and a suit of silver bullet hatebears. My one worry about this deck is still triggering delirium for Traverse, but the Constrictor should make it much easier to do. You'll probably have to run a full set of Æther Vial to make Traverse a proper GSZ replacement, but doing this also allows to to pitch redundant copies to help trigger delirium. With a small blue splash you could also run Academy Ruins to get the Vials back as well, and it's a great target for KotR.

The card is obviously powerful, but I'm not entirely sure that modern has the payoff cards the Noose Constrictor wants. I think the card will become a role player in a popular deck eventually, but it may take some time before the correct shell is discovered and tuned.

It won't see play in any deck, it's a pretty bad card nowadays.

Isn't it obvious? 2/2 for 2 that gets bigger only until EOT by giving you CD.
Its uses in madness decks are pretty clearly insufficient.
Its uses in a combo deck that needs the discard ability are possible but unlikely.