I recently mustered the courage to pretty much buy this deck. I had a few of the cards already, so I figured I'd finish it off. My list is Llandudno Elf's, since it seemed designed the loosest and any changes I make won't be totally altering. That also means I'm trying out the Wolf-Skull Shaman and as such am running Llanowar Elves over BoPs.
The first thing I want to do is fit in a Sword of X and Y, but I'm also interested in adding Nova Chaser, despite its lack of shaman subtyping. It turns Harbingers into actual damage threats, and lets them retrigger to find Rage Forgers. Similarly, I can champion a Rage Forger and retrigger the counters if need be. Probably wouldn't play more than one, though. Not having haste is an issue for a 2-toughness body, especially when I'm spending 4 mana unreduced by a banneret. Thoughts on this?
I am also not playing any commune/lead the stampede, which hasn't bit me yet, but how often do you guys use these cards?
I admit the Nova Chaser sound like a fun one of in the deck. I would personally be more likely to use it on a Flamekin than a Forger unless I really needed that second counter trigger.
Lead the Stampede has actually won games for me and I would have a hard time giving up the 2-3 I typically run in the deck. Either it helps me recover from a wipe or fills me hand to shut out the game faster before they can recover. Commune is a personal choice, I run 1-2 as an extra "tutor" of sorts and it works well for me. For the cheap casting cost it is highly effective imo.
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“Your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride.”
― Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential
I will always firmly stand by the belief that Magic is a game first and a collectable second.
So lately I've become deeply disillusioned with the standard metagame and have been looking for an accessible modern deck to test the format with and I really like this style of deck. Love the synergies, and a few choice cards I was fond of when they were standard legal.
Most of the decks seem to fall along very similar lines, and since I don't know what kind of metagame I'll be heading into, I was thinking something like this:
So I tried to stick to the general shell of the deck. A few of the one drops are a combination of personal taste and willingness to spend money on my first modern deck. I have a spikeshot elder, and a prophetic flamespeaker so I felt comfortable including them. The 1 fauna shaman I'm willing to buy and if I enjoy the deck and the new format I'll go to three. Troll Ascetic just seems like a challenging card but then again I don't know much about modern.
The lands are the lands I think I have access to lol, will have to see my friend first. I have no idea what cards to sideboard, was hoping someone could recommend one for a blind meta. I'd like to hear any thoughts or suggestions on the list. Any changes would have to be a few dollars though as I'm not trying to make a big investment.
It looks quite solid. However, I tried the sword, but for me it never really worked.
Mutavault is very good. I played with it before the price spike, and I played with it in combination with Æther Vial. Thanks to Aether Vial you can drop the Mutavault turn 1 and still have some good use for the colorless mana. When Mutavault is rotating out of Standard I will start playing it again.
Yeah I was thinking about Aether Vial too. The sword that was suggested to me was to play Feast and Famine since it works well. Fire and Ice just gets that little more damage in as well as drawing you a card. Feast and Famine just forces that one player to Abrupt Decay the sword which isn't that much of a loss
I've been looking for a cool looking deck that is different from all the common ones for my first modern deck, this one jumped out at me as looking pretty fun and being able to put out surprisingly high damage pretty fast. I don't have all the cards in this list yet, but even without the burning-tree shaman, cavern of souls, and only half of the stomping grounds it worked decently against some people at my card shop last night, caught a couple people off guard for a couple Turn 4 wins too which was pretty fun. Always cool to have 5 creatures on the board at the start of turn 4 and then drop the Rage Forger.
I am definitely considering picking up a couple essence wardens, and Fauna Shamans. I might take out 1 harbinger and 1 wolf-skull to put the Faunas in my main board. I might move down to 1 eternal witness and take out the destructive revelry and fit the two essence wardens in there. I figure if I bring in the Fauna's I dont need to run 2 of the Eternal Witness to get it in my hand if I need it.
I was also wondering what you think of Destructive Revelry vs. Ancient Grudge. I feel like I only need to run 2x one of the two in the sideboard, but I am not sure if the second cast or the extra dmg is better. I'm looking to finish games in 4-5 turns, so I'm not sure if that extra 2 damage would really help finish off the game that much faster or if the added value of getting a second cast is just way better. I'm my first few games with the deck, I noticed I was often over-killing when I was able to swing for lethal anyways so I am leaning towards the ancient grudge.
I think one card that needs testing is Stoke the Flames. It kills a lot of creatures that the deck can't handle and it is easy to cast because the deck is all creatures.
The most trouble I run into is from burn. I'm play testing Wild Defiance against it and when it lands is great, but it can be tough to get down.
I think that against burn your life total is more important than your creatures and Wild Defiance is three mana that doesn't do so much for that. Also I bet that if there is a creature worth removing, it will be removed when Wild Defiance is on the stack. I would just throw in some more Essence Warden.
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EDIT: I play on MTGO and as you may know the client is replaced by a new one. The new client is buggy, clunky, laggy, poorly designed and frustrating to play with. I don't enjoy playing on this client and that is where it ends.
The new client needs serious work. This can take long and therefore I will not be playing this deck for a while. I will keep following this thread, but I won't be as up to date as usual with the new cards or the Modern metagame.
I did some playtesting last night and Wild Defiance is an interesting addition. In one game my opponent literally chatted "fuuuuuu......" and scooped. In another I had 2 WD out, bolted my own emissary to make it an 8/5 and blocked a goyf to keep alive. In retrospect something like Rest in Peace is better against Tarmogoyf, but it was a fun play. I think it's a side piece. It does not help against Anger of the Gods or Pyroclasm. I wonder if something like Hallow has any place, I already splash white.
On the new client server things seem to function alright, but I found cards getting exiled instead of going to gy. I guess Wizards has to know and will work on it.
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Modern UB Tezzerator UBW Gifts B 8Rack
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You're right about the downsides to Wild Defiance. It's def more a FNM card. Hallow is nice, and you get life gain, but I need to acquire some first. Shared animosity is sick, and descendant's path is interesting, but I think I'd rather use Leaf-Crowned Elder and get the big body.
Has anyone tested with kiki-jiki? Using him with rage forger would be just gross.
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I think Woo also ran Doran, which was interesting but would conflict with Shared Animosity. My deck has dialed back from full on aggro to a sort of opportunistic version than can overrun for the kill.
Interesting. I never actually saw him play Kiki, though he did complain about having it in hand. My deck has morphed into a slightly slower version. It can still hit hard early with a god hand, but is better turns 4-6 after getting a bunch of dudes out. Leaf-Crowned Elder is a machine.
I kept finding myself wishing the bolt was a dude so I could progress my board state. It does mean sometimes waiting until I can gang enough guys together for an attack. I mulled over path, and in a game against tron this am was cursing not having it for wurmcoil, so maybe it's a good idea. I'm finding this build pretty resilient against a lot of different matchups. I'm going back and forth between wolf-skull and eternal witness...I think witness is truly the better card. WSS is a frickin bolt magnet, and I've never generated more than a couple wolves.
I added one ratchet bomb because while slow against something typical it drills tokens. For some reason I'm seeing a lot of pyromancer/delver lately. I thought about AOTG or pyroclasm but often as not it hurts more than helps.
Thanks for organizing, I was having a tough time sorting that out.
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Yeah, I think I need to just play games without changing things too much and see. Flamespeaker is another magnet for removal, but it's sort of good because they leave rage forger and get punched.
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Alright, I know I just said I'd just play matches, but I found some Taurean Mauler and fit a couple in. They tutor like elementals, they go tribal with shamans, they pump everyone with Animosity, and they grow quickly, immediately beating 2 damage sweepers. If they don't bolt them first play they're out of range. Intriguing.
One other bonus, if you only have flamekin opening you can tutor for Mauler instead of rage forge and build some board before the crush.
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Seems to do good against most other "rogue" brews. I've taken games off of some top tier decks as well. Usually can surprise decks that have low board presence with the burst that this deck can put out. Especially the Rage Forger pings, that unstoppable damage really throws people off when they see it the first time. Especially hilarious when you get a couple of rage forgers out and can swing for lethal before the damage step. Mostly I have trouble with discard decks and decks with boardwipe. Usually affinity can outrace me, and Jund is difficult if they get a big goyf going. I can do decent against combo decks (twin/pod) post-sideboard by bringing in the hate cards, and can sometimes win before they get the final combo going first game.
The two modern FNM's I entered I went 1-3 (4-6 in games), and 3-1 (6-3 in games).
I think I lucked out in the second one where I wrecked a bad brew 2-0 in round 1, beat an Urza deck 2-0 before they could get out their Emrakul both games, beat pod deck 2-1, then got beat by american control 0-2.
I was originally debating between commune with nature and lead the stampede. I am running commune in the main board, and i side in lead the stampede against boardwipes so I can get some cards back on the board fast to try to stabilize from them. I feel that if I had lead instead of commune against the american control deck I might have had a better chance to come back from wrath.
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Hey, kind of weird and out there... but has anyone tested Triumph of the Hordes as a 1-2 of? I feel as though it could often win games out of nowhere with the midgame board strength we usually have. Rage forger pings rack up 3-4 counters before they even get a chance to block and any blocking creatures would be left weakened for future attacks if they survive.
Has anyone tried running Blood Moon in this deck at all? Seems like it just hard counters so many non red decks that rely heavily on non-basic lands, I might run some in the sideboard, and maybe even main board.
Hey, kind of weird and out there... but has anyone tested Triumph of the Hordes as a 1-2 of? I feel as though it could often win games out of nowhere with the midgame board strength we usually have. Rage forger pings rack up 3-4 counters before they even get a chance to block and any blocking creatures would be left weakened for future attacks if they survive.
Interesting, With a rageforger on T3 with a few bodies on the field, I can see this being a pretty consistent T4 win only needing 10 damage. I'll need to playtest it a few time to see how it goes.
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The first thing I want to do is fit in a Sword of X and Y, but I'm also interested in adding Nova Chaser, despite its lack of shaman subtyping. It turns Harbingers into actual damage threats, and lets them retrigger to find Rage Forgers. Similarly, I can champion a Rage Forger and retrigger the counters if need be. Probably wouldn't play more than one, though. Not having haste is an issue for a 2-toughness body, especially when I'm spending 4 mana unreduced by a banneret. Thoughts on this?
I am also not playing any commune/lead the stampede, which hasn't bit me yet, but how often do you guys use these cards?
CMy Peasant CubeC
On Cubetutor
Lead the Stampede has actually won games for me and I would have a hard time giving up the 2-3 I typically run in the deck. Either it helps me recover from a wipe or fills me hand to shut out the game faster before they can recover. Commune is a personal choice, I run 1-2 as an extra "tutor" of sorts and it works well for me. For the cheap casting cost it is highly effective imo.
― Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential
I will always firmly stand by the belief that Magic is a game first and a collectable second.
Most of the decks seem to fall along very similar lines, and since I don't know what kind of metagame I'll be heading into, I was thinking something like this:
4 Llanowar Elves
3 Flamekin Harbinger
1 Spikeshot Elder
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Bosk Banneret
4 Elvish Visionary
3 Wolf-Skull Shaman
2 Burning-Tree Shaman
4 Rage Forger
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Prophetic Flamespeaker
1 Troll Ascetic
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Commune with Nature
2 Rootbound Crag
2 Stomping Ground
1 Cavern of Souls
9 Forests
7 Mountains
So I tried to stick to the general shell of the deck. A few of the one drops are a combination of personal taste and willingness to spend money on my first modern deck. I have a spikeshot elder, and a prophetic flamespeaker so I felt comfortable including them. The 1 fauna shaman I'm willing to buy and if I enjoy the deck and the new format I'll go to three. Troll Ascetic just seems like a challenging card but then again I don't know much about modern.
The lands are the lands I think I have access to lol, will have to see my friend first. I have no idea what cards to sideboard, was hoping someone could recommend one for a blind meta. I'd like to hear any thoughts or suggestions on the list. Any changes would have to be a few dollars though as I'm not trying to make a big investment.
Yeah I was thinking about Aether Vial too. The sword that was suggested to me was to play Feast and Famine since it works well. Fire and Ice just gets that little more damage in as well as drawing you a card. Feast and Famine just forces that one player to Abrupt Decay the sword which isn't that much of a loss
Here is the list that I am aiming for:
4x Bosk Banneret
4x Burning-Tree Emissary
3x Burning-Tree Shaman
4x Elvish Mystic
4x Elvish Visionary
4x Flamekin Harbinger
4x Rage Forger
2x Troll Ascetic
4x Wolf-Skull Shaman
4x Lightning Bolt
Sorcery:
2x Lead the Stampede
Land:
2x Cavern of Souls
6x Forest
5x Mountain
4x Rootbound Crag
4x Stomping Ground
2x Ancient Grudge
2x Commune with Nature
1x Destructive Revelry
2x Eternal Witness
2x Guttural Response
2x Leaf-Crowned Elder
2x Relic of Progenitus
2x Tattermunge Witch
I'd also like to experiment with Obelisk of Urd and Reclamation Sage when they come out as well.
What do you guys think, I'm still unsure of if I want to swap some cards between main and side still.
Modern : RGTitanshiftGR / UGWKnightfallWGU
I was also wondering what you think of Destructive Revelry vs. Ancient Grudge. I feel like I only need to run 2x one of the two in the sideboard, but I am not sure if the second cast or the extra dmg is better. I'm looking to finish games in 4-5 turns, so I'm not sure if that extra 2 damage would really help finish off the game that much faster or if the added value of getting a second cast is just way better. I'm my first few games with the deck, I noticed I was often over-killing when I was able to swing for lethal anyways so I am leaning towards the ancient grudge.
Modern : RGTitanshiftGR / UGWKnightfallWGU
― Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential
I will always firmly stand by the belief that Magic is a game first and a collectable second.
UB Tezzerator
UBW Gifts
B 8Rack
Legacy
RB Goblins
I did some playtesting last night and Wild Defiance is an interesting addition. In one game my opponent literally chatted "fuuuuuu......" and scooped. In another I had 2 WD out, bolted my own emissary to make it an 8/5 and blocked a goyf to keep alive. In retrospect something like Rest in Peace is better against Tarmogoyf, but it was a fun play. I think it's a side piece. It does not help against Anger of the Gods or Pyroclasm. I wonder if something like Hallow has any place, I already splash white.
On the new client server things seem to function alright, but I found cards getting exiled instead of going to gy. I guess Wizards has to know and will work on it.
UB Tezzerator
UBW Gifts
B 8Rack
Legacy
RB Goblins
Has anyone tested with kiki-jiki? Using him with rage forger would be just gross.
UB Tezzerator
UBW Gifts
B 8Rack
Legacy
RB Goblins
UB Tezzerator
UBW Gifts
B 8Rack
Legacy
RB Goblins
4 copperline gorge
4 forest
2 razorverge thicket
4 stomping ground
3 temple garden
3 flamekin harbinger
4 birds of paradise
4 bosk banneret
4 elvish visionary
3 fauna shaman
3 wolf-skull shaman
4 burning-tree emissary
4 rage forger
2 prophetic flamespeaker
2 burning-tree shaman
2 leaf-crowned elder
1 thrun, the last troll
1 ratchet bomb
3 shared animosity
2 burrenton forge-tender
1 kataki, war's wage
3 rest in peace
1 stigma lasher
3 destructive revelry
2 blood moon
3 leyline of sanctity
UB Tezzerator
UBW Gifts
B 8Rack
Legacy
RB Goblins
I added one ratchet bomb because while slow against something typical it drills tokens. For some reason I'm seeing a lot of pyromancer/delver lately. I thought about AOTG or pyroclasm but often as not it hurts more than helps.
Thanks for organizing, I was having a tough time sorting that out.
UB Tezzerator
UBW Gifts
B 8Rack
Legacy
RB Goblins
UB Tezzerator
UBW Gifts
B 8Rack
Legacy
RB Goblins
One other bonus, if you only have flamekin opening you can tutor for Mauler instead of rage forge and build some board before the crush.
UB Tezzerator
UBW Gifts
B 8Rack
Legacy
RB Goblins
Right now I'm running this:
4x Bosk Banneret
4x Burning-Tree Emissary
2x Burning-Tree Shaman
3x Elvish Mystic
2x Essence Warden
1x Eternal Witness
1x leaf-crowned elder
4x Elvish Visionary
2x Fauna Shaman
4x Flamekin Harbinger
4x Rage Forger
2x Wolf-Skull Shaman
4x Lightning Bolt
Sorcery:
2x Commune with Nature
Land:
3x Cavern of Souls
5x Forest
5x Mountain
4x Rootbound Crag
4x Stomping Ground
2x Ancient Grudge
2x Lead the Stampede
2x Guttural Response
2x Reclamation Sage
2x Relic of Progenitus
2x Tattermunge Witch
2x Troll Ascetic
1x Stigma Lasher
Seems to do good against most other "rogue" brews. I've taken games off of some top tier decks as well. Usually can surprise decks that have low board presence with the burst that this deck can put out. Especially the Rage Forger pings, that unstoppable damage really throws people off when they see it the first time. Especially hilarious when you get a couple of rage forgers out and can swing for lethal before the damage step. Mostly I have trouble with discard decks and decks with boardwipe. Usually affinity can outrace me, and Jund is difficult if they get a big goyf going. I can do decent against combo decks (twin/pod) post-sideboard by bringing in the hate cards, and can sometimes win before they get the final combo going first game.
The two modern FNM's I entered I went 1-3 (4-6 in games), and 3-1 (6-3 in games).
I think I lucked out in the second one where I wrecked a bad brew 2-0 in round 1, beat an Urza deck 2-0 before they could get out their Emrakul both games, beat pod deck 2-1, then got beat by american control 0-2.
I was originally debating between commune with nature and lead the stampede. I am running commune in the main board, and i side in lead the stampede against boardwipes so I can get some cards back on the board fast to try to stabilize from them. I feel that if I had lead instead of commune against the american control deck I might have had a better chance to come back from wrath.
Modern : RGTitanshiftGR / UGWKnightfallWGU
Interesting, With a rageforger on T3 with a few bodies on the field, I can see this being a pretty consistent T4 win only needing 10 damage. I'll need to playtest it a few time to see how it goes.
Modern : RGTitanshiftGR / UGWKnightfallWGU