No sideboard yet, but I was testing the validity of a deck that runs grim lavamancer and 11 ish spot removal over a deck that gains card advantage with sweepers. So far, the spot removal has been par excellent (magma jet and faithless looting together are a house, too). Grim hasn't been all that relevant. I may consider maindecking some land destruction instead. Thoughts?
Lavamancer would probably do better with a compliment of fetch lands to give him some gas. Early game they will help thin your deck, and post moon they will just be tapping for red and won't hurt anyway. I keep wanting to put him in my build, but his low life makes him vulnerable to removal and my own Pyroclasm. Vexing Devil is something I have been considering since he survives Pyroclasm.
Obviously I like the sweepers since I am running Pyroclasm. Being able to take out 2-3 threats with one card keeps my Bolts aimed at my opponent.
I feel like Magma Jet should be something better. Don't get me wrong, I like Magma Jet. It just doesn't feel right for this build.
One thing that caught my eye was the Figure of Destiny and Demigod of Revenge. I have been considering an AiR build with Demigod, Figure and Kargan Dragonlord that I can make use of the ramp of Seething Song and Simian Spirit Guide. I don't see Song or Guide in your build though and wondered you might benefit from them.
If I wanted to do a more aggressive build, I would probably add in a 4th figure and 4 kargan. That is a good idea. The idea here isn't really going to be any good against any decks except maybe control styles and aggro decks.
I've been testing magma jet, because even with the new red card drawing, only looting is really worth it. I also like removing mana dorks and getting card selection out of it. Red is lacking in good selection (RIP SDT), and this can kill otherwise painful bears, etc.
I guess you might look at the burn suite and remember that it's rarely going to the head..I'm intent on using it to remove early threats. rituals aren't even a consideration at the moment. they do speed me up, at the cost of being very dead draws later. I'm trying to see how consistent the deck is without them and am also considering dipping into black for night of soul's betrayal. If I do, then the grim lavamancers are definitely gone.
Rituals are usually bad late game, but my build has been making pretty good use of them despite that. I can always ditch them with Looting, or if nothing else, pump out a huge Banefire. Magma Jet seems like a good way of cycling them out of the way too.
I decided to throw together a basic list for an AiR build and for the Bridge build. Have not played these, but it might be a good place to start if anyone is interested in building one of these. Its likely I will stick with my current build for a while, but I hope someone will try these out and give some feedback on them.
The decks which my strategy is weak against are Affinity, Twin, Storm and Burn style RDW. For those decks, I have added the following cards to my sideboard:
Honestly, my build hasn't been having any issue with anything creature based, including some netdecked varieties packing geist of saint traft.
I am liking having the spot removal as heavy as it is. Late game, the reach can really end stalemates. I typically win around t6 or so. My weakest cards:
figure of destiny (only good if I get him to his final stage. earlier on, not so much), I rarely drop him before I have 6 lands in play. Almost never, in fact, other than to bait a path to exile for the demigod of revenge coming up next!
Koth of the hammer. his first two abilities are nearly useless, but that last one is gravy and is the primary reason I play him. However, against token decks I'm having some issues. I'm thinking about dropping both for better finishers if they can be found. Maybe chandra nalaar would be good, if only she hit creatures or players with the +1 ability. Copy chandra just isn't as good otherwise. On the other hand, ultimating chandra ablaze pretty well rocks hard in this deck. And BOTH of the first two abilities are always relevant.
current thoughts: Lingering souls can be rough to deal with without a grim lavamancer active (typically is about the first thing to die if they see him drop). -3 figure of destiny, +3 forked bolt? at worst, it's a sorcery speed shock. At best, it nails two earlier creatures or a couple of souls tokens. I don't like it being cmc 1, however. I might consider adding in some of the arc lightning effective reprint once m13 comes out. hits bigger creatures as needed and can still hit home, too.
-2 koth (costing less is nice, though rarely needed, I've found), +2 chandra ablaze. I really want to see her be good, and she's best in a control deck with a metric ton of mana at it's disposal. Thanks to the jets, faithless looting, and very cheap early burn, I rarely have to worry about missing land drops, and when I do, I still control precisely as I am supposed to.
current sideboard is very similar to yours, dolzero, though I've got a few volcanic fallouts I'm trying out. Blood moon with lots of burn baiting has really been shining against heavy counter/control decks. With running 8, I'm having zero trouble resolving one and even though there are some variants packing cryptic command, unless they go island happy, they pretty well just die to the non basic hate. tron is a joke, and affinity is sort of 50/50 at the moment. I've given up on beating combo for now.
I can see figure not being great. I am afraid I would wipe him away with Pyroclasm before he would ever be much use to me. That is partly why I don't run Grim Lavamancer. Bonfire of the Damned could remedy that issue.
Koth I have found extremely useful. The untapping and swinging with a 4/4 can take out a Liliana when they least expect it. That has been my most valued use of Koth. It's almost like having a 4/4 haste for 4 that doesn't die to sweepers. Even just swinging for 4 a turn puts a clock on your opponent. I wouldn't care much for the -2 ability if I didn't run Banefire as an extra finisher. It's a great sink for extra ramp spells late game, and combined with Koth, it usually hits for 10+
You said you were having problems with combo decks? Which ones are giving you trouble? Melira can get around Moon with Birthing Pod, so I could see it being troublesome, but you can really limit what they can cast from their hand. Twin seems like it's rough, as it only needs 1 blue and can fetch for an island in response to me playing Moon.
I would really like to get more play testing in with the deck, but my time is really limited and there isn't much for Modern events in my area lately.
I haven't actually managed to face any pod decks, yet. I imagine my habit of blowing up every single creature I see early on might make their jobs somewhat difficult to get going. No, the real issue I've been having is U/R storm lists. If I can't drop a moon soon enough, gg to me. I'm definitely not fast, and really, the moon doesn't stunt their development enough to really do anything. twin can be a pain, too. I will say that their blue based countersuite pretty well does diddly to me. I'm thinking about giving dead/gone a try vs. them. bouncing their target in response is pretty funny and can kill the things that need killing (the blasted twin itself)
I was hoping Chalice of the Void could counter storm copies, but apparently they are never cast so there is no way for Chalice to do that. That also makes Dragon's Claw ineffective at countering storm as well. That was my plan, but now I guess I need to look at other options.
chalice early enough will stop their cantrips. Unfortunately, chalice is very bad for me. Most of my spot removal early on is cmc 1 and cmc 2. If you want to take out exarch twin, you'll probably need torpor orb. My matchup vs. them is bad enough that I'm thinking about just punting it. I am going to give it a try, though. I'm still not sure what to do about storm. My main seems strong enough against most creature and control decks I may just go with mindbreak trap and protect it with guttural response against these decks.
Unfortunately there aren't a lot of answers to Storm for mono red. Thorn of Amethyst might do the trick, and can slow down Affinity as well.
Splashing white also gives a few other possibilities. Throw in 4x Arid Mesa and 4x Plains could be just enough. Ethersworn Canonist, Rule of Law and Thalia, Guardian of Thraben could all fit the bill. I kind of like Rule of Law best of those options, since it's harder (damn near impossible for Storm) to remove.
I used a slightly modified version of the second list in your recent post DOLZero and some decks just cannot win once ensnaring bridge goes up (eg. Mono Black discard). I tried Genju of the Spires in there as somebody suggested but it didn't really do the trick, if I have a moon effect down against somebody running enough non-basics to make Genju relevant it becomes more of a "win-more" card.
On Basilisk Collar: I've never had anything but 'cute' interactions with this. I feel like this would be invaluable in destroying fatties but it always comes up at the wrong time. Keeping this in but I've been unlucky so far.
Turn two plays are weaker for the deck too since so many important cards rest at 1cmc or 3cmc (where's Ancient Tomb!?). Later today I think I'll mainboard Simian Spirit Guides or Desperate Ritual even though it's supposed to be a slower deck so I can power out a Moon, Bridge or Koth a turn earlier.
I think Ancient Tomb was only printed in Tempest, and is not legal in Modern.
Koth putting out 4/4s is plenty fine on its own. I don't like the idea of my guys getting picked off by a lightning bolt. That's pretty much why I never bothered with Genju of the Spires.
Collar would probably be amazing if you could fetch it somehow and only run a 1 of. It's too bad there isn't much besides Godo, Bandit Warlord in mono red to do this with. Maybe try it as a 2 of and hope you only run into one each game. Cinder Pyromancer could be sick with one.
I like the Guide. Let me know how he works for you.
Haven't played it enough to say anything conclusive yet, but I like Guide so far. Biggest problem is he becomes lackluster if bridge sticks and usually you want it to. If he continues to just be dumped for R I might put Desperate Ritual in his place.
Maybe to give unused Basilisks utility we could add in Trash for Treasure? Gaka used that to great effect in a Gifts package. I have no ideas for other useful artifacts since we don't have gifts or treasure mage and faithless looting should never dump bridge, but I think the idea should be put out there.
Also have to add, I know Ancient Tomb isn't legal so I wasn't getting on you for its exclusion. Just wishing we had it available.
I'm having a hard time understanding why you'd need basilisk collar. I wouldn't even consider it in my build and I run 4 grim lavamancer. It's kinda meh, at best, in my opinion. On the other hand, I haven't run into too many oversized knights either.
Godo is an idea, but if you're going to run him, then go fetch batterskull or perhaps a sword, though I'm not sure which one you would want. A much better lifegain card, I think, than basilisk collar.
Collar turns any Lavamancer or Sparkmage into insta kills, which to me was the primary reason to run it. Kill any real threats, and then just sit back and ping your opponent's life total away.
Godo costs too much, and even Hoarding Dragon, which is a 4/4 flier for 1 cheaper needs to actually die to use his tutor effect. I wouldn't recommend either if you were going to build for Modern. I suppose you could always splash blue for Trinket Mage, or white for Steelshaper's Gift. Both would fit better, but also requires fetch lands and a few non-mountain basics.
I understand what it does. I'm not arguing that. I'm just pointing out that I don't see the need for it. I guess it does wipe the floor with goyfs, kotrs, etc. but mostly I just use what burn I need to make it work and then the moon prevents them easily casting another one. If you were going to run it, it'd definitely be a 3 of, and with the faithless lootings coming in, you'd be sure to see one.
So I have been able to get in a little more play time with the deck. Here is the problem I am facing: Consistency. There are times when the deck comes out strong, for example drawing into a second Demigod with Faithless Looting and having a Seething Song in hand, or shutting down my opponent with the turn 2 Blood Moon. However there are times when the deck seems like it's stalling out, desperate to draw an answer. Either I am pitching cards with looting trying to dig to my next land drop, or sitting on nothing, hoping to top deck a Demigod. Right now I need to find a way to really get things moving when I stall out. Any ideas?
that's part of the reason I dislike the ritual suggestion. I highly recommend goldfishing my list a few times. It has been exceptionally consistent and plays just like a mono red board control list. The only issue I've been having thus far is the forked bolt/figure of destiny slot. I haven't run into any token lists since I started putting the forked bolts main, but it's been doing a helluva number on various early aggro drops. Having 4 magma jet and 4 faithless looting helps sooo much on consistency it's not even close to funny. I'm also really glad I went with the ultra heavy spot removal suite. I did make my melira and twin matchups fairly positive game two. Torpor orb turned out to be a great choice and thorn of amethyst helped a lot against storm, though this one can be a ton more tricky.
I could see about dropping the mana ramp and Banefire for Lavamancers and stuff. I would probably have to ditch Pyroclasm if I ran more creatures too. Maybe just fill up on some burn. Forked Bolt seems like a good option for hitting multiple targets and I could try rocking the Ensnaring Bridge route as well.
Also, I was giving Dragon's Claw a try for storm and other burn based decks. Seems pretty good in this deck.
dragon's claw? possibly. I have zero problems with most red decks, so I haven't bothered with it.
I have volcanic fallout boarded and sometimes board it in for magus of the moon or forked bolt, depending on the matchup. My grims always stay. Even if they do die to my fallouts. They've proven far too useful not to.
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4 magus of the moon
3 figure of destiny
4 Grim Lavamancer
4 incinerate
3 magma jet
2 koth of the hammer
4 blood moon
4 faithless looting
No sideboard yet, but I was testing the validity of a deck that runs grim lavamancer and 11 ish spot removal over a deck that gains card advantage with sweepers. So far, the spot removal has been par excellent (magma jet and faithless looting together are a house, too). Grim hasn't been all that relevant. I may consider maindecking some land destruction instead. Thoughts?
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Obviously I like the sweepers since I am running Pyroclasm. Being able to take out 2-3 threats with one card keeps my Bolts aimed at my opponent.
I feel like Magma Jet should be something better. Don't get me wrong, I like Magma Jet. It just doesn't feel right for this build.
One thing that caught my eye was the Figure of Destiny and Demigod of Revenge. I have been considering an AiR build with Demigod, Figure and Kargan Dragonlord that I can make use of the ramp of Seething Song and Simian Spirit Guide. I don't see Song or Guide in your build though and wondered you might benefit from them.
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I've been testing magma jet, because even with the new red card drawing, only looting is really worth it. I also like removing mana dorks and getting card selection out of it. Red is lacking in good selection (RIP SDT), and this can kill otherwise painful bears, etc.
I guess you might look at the burn suite and remember that it's rarely going to the head..I'm intent on using it to remove early threats. rituals aren't even a consideration at the moment. they do speed me up, at the cost of being very dead draws later. I'm trying to see how consistent the deck is without them and am also considering dipping into black for night of soul's betrayal. If I do, then the grim lavamancers are definitely gone.
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4x Demigod of Revenge
4x Figure of Destiny
4x Kargan Dragonlord
4x Simian Spirit Guide
4x Faithless Looting
4x Seething Song
4x Desperate Ritual
4x Blood Moon
4x Lightning Bolt
2x Banefire
22x Mountain
4x Grim Lavamancer
4x Cunning Sparkmage
3x Magus of the Moon
Permanents: 14
4x Koth of the Hammer
4x Blood Moon
3x Basilisk Collar
3x Ensnaring Bridge
4x Lava Spike
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Faithless Looting
Land: 23
4x Arid Mesa
4x Scalding Tarn
15x Mountain
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4x Combust
4x Dragon's Claw
3x Chalice of the Void
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I am liking having the spot removal as heavy as it is. Late game, the reach can really end stalemates. I typically win around t6 or so. My weakest cards:
figure of destiny (only good if I get him to his final stage. earlier on, not so much), I rarely drop him before I have 6 lands in play. Almost never, in fact, other than to bait a path to exile for the demigod of revenge coming up next!
Koth of the hammer. his first two abilities are nearly useless, but that last one is gravy and is the primary reason I play him. However, against token decks I'm having some issues. I'm thinking about dropping both for better finishers if they can be found. Maybe chandra nalaar would be good, if only she hit creatures or players with the +1 ability. Copy chandra just isn't as good otherwise. On the other hand, ultimating chandra ablaze pretty well rocks hard in this deck. And BOTH of the first two abilities are always relevant.
current thoughts: Lingering souls can be rough to deal with without a grim lavamancer active (typically is about the first thing to die if they see him drop). -3 figure of destiny, +3 forked bolt? at worst, it's a sorcery speed shock. At best, it nails two earlier creatures or a couple of souls tokens. I don't like it being cmc 1, however. I might consider adding in some of the arc lightning effective reprint once m13 comes out. hits bigger creatures as needed and can still hit home, too.
-2 koth (costing less is nice, though rarely needed, I've found), +2 chandra ablaze. I really want to see her be good, and she's best in a control deck with a metric ton of mana at it's disposal. Thanks to the jets, faithless looting, and very cheap early burn, I rarely have to worry about missing land drops, and when I do, I still control precisely as I am supposed to.
current sideboard is very similar to yours, dolzero, though I've got a few volcanic fallouts I'm trying out. Blood moon with lots of burn baiting has really been shining against heavy counter/control decks. With running 8, I'm having zero trouble resolving one and even though there are some variants packing cryptic command, unless they go island happy, they pretty well just die to the non basic hate. tron is a joke, and affinity is sort of 50/50 at the moment. I've given up on beating combo for now.
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Koth I have found extremely useful. The untapping and swinging with a 4/4 can take out a Liliana when they least expect it. That has been my most valued use of Koth. It's almost like having a 4/4 haste for 4 that doesn't die to sweepers. Even just swinging for 4 a turn puts a clock on your opponent. I wouldn't care much for the -2 ability if I didn't run Banefire as an extra finisher. It's a great sink for extra ramp spells late game, and combined with Koth, it usually hits for 10+
You said you were having problems with combo decks? Which ones are giving you trouble? Melira can get around Moon with Birthing Pod, so I could see it being troublesome, but you can really limit what they can cast from their hand. Twin seems like it's rough, as it only needs 1 blue and can fetch for an island in response to me playing Moon.
I would really like to get more play testing in with the deck, but my time is really limited and there isn't much for Modern events in my area lately.
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Splashing white also gives a few other possibilities. Throw in 4x Arid Mesa and 4x Plains could be just enough. Ethersworn Canonist, Rule of Law and Thalia, Guardian of Thraben could all fit the bill. I kind of like Rule of Law best of those options, since it's harder (damn near impossible for Storm) to remove.
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On Basilisk Collar: I've never had anything but 'cute' interactions with this. I feel like this would be invaluable in destroying fatties but it always comes up at the wrong time. Keeping this in but I've been unlucky so far.
Turn two plays are weaker for the deck too since so many important cards rest at 1cmc or 3cmc (where's Ancient Tomb!?). Later today I think I'll mainboard Simian Spirit Guides or Desperate Ritual even though it's supposed to be a slower deck so I can power out a Moon, Bridge or Koth a turn earlier.
Koth putting out 4/4s is plenty fine on its own. I don't like the idea of my guys getting picked off by a lightning bolt. That's pretty much why I never bothered with Genju of the Spires.
Collar would probably be amazing if you could fetch it somehow and only run a 1 of. It's too bad there isn't much besides Godo, Bandit Warlord in mono red to do this with. Maybe try it as a 2 of and hope you only run into one each game. Cinder Pyromancer could be sick with one.
I like the Guide. Let me know how he works for you.
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Maybe to give unused Basilisks utility we could add in Trash for Treasure? Gaka used that to great effect in a Gifts package. I have no ideas for other useful artifacts since we don't have gifts or treasure mage and faithless looting should never dump bridge, but I think the idea should be put out there.
Also have to add, I know Ancient Tomb isn't legal so I wasn't getting on you for its exclusion. Just wishing we had it available.
Godo is an idea, but if you're going to run him, then go fetch batterskull or perhaps a sword, though I'm not sure which one you would want. A much better lifegain card, I think, than basilisk collar.
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Godo costs too much, and even Hoarding Dragon, which is a 4/4 flier for 1 cheaper needs to actually die to use his tutor effect. I wouldn't recommend either if you were going to build for Modern. I suppose you could always splash blue for Trinket Mage, or white for Steelshaper's Gift. Both would fit better, but also requires fetch lands and a few non-mountain basics.
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Credit to DolZero for this awesome sig!
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Also, I was giving Dragon's Claw a try for storm and other burn based decks. Seems pretty good in this deck.
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I have volcanic fallout boarded and sometimes board it in for magus of the moon or forked bolt, depending on the matchup. My grims always stay. Even if they do die to my fallouts. They've proven far too useful not to.
Credit to DolZero for this awesome sig!