MTG Salvation

Recently an interesting brew made some pretty good results, it was made up from mostly multi-colored (Gold) creatures and almost no "spells".
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/449282
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/452584

The deck was also featured in some articles explaining the composition and card choices, here:
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/articles/instant-deck-tech-five-color-aggro-modern
http://modernnexus.com/dotw-rainbow-aggro/
http://www.gatheringmagic.com/carlosgutierrez-07282016-fifty-shades-of-aggro/
http://www.starcitygames.com/article/33361_Daily-Digest-Make-Modern-Rumpf-Again.html

Here is the list:



The deck looks really fun playing with all of the most efficient creatures and having many options to customize it.
The obvious weakness is the manabase which auto-loses to an early Blood Moon and is rather weak to Ghost Quarter and other means land destruction.

Some changes that I would make to this deck is to replace Kitchen Finks and Falkenrath Aristocrat as there are stronger options in my opinion.
I would personally go with Rhox War Monk and Wilt-Leaf Liege instead, but Butcher of the Horde also seems rather good as a big flyer with flexible abilities
(or maybe Rakdos, Lord of Riots as a big evasive threat).
I would also replace the 1x Tidehollow Sculler with the 4th Spell Queller.

In the sideboard I see room for some good options like:
Meddling Mage, Huntmaster of the Fells, Reflector Mage, Dauntless Escort, Geist of Saint Traft, Loxodon Smiter, Burning-Tree Shaman, Orzhov Pontiff, Loxodon Hierarch, Brion Stoutarm, Saffi Eriksdotter, Trygon Predator, Olivia Voldaren.

With lifegain from Siege Rhino and Kitchen Finks/Rhox War Monk I wonder if it can be a good idea
to add some City of Brass to the deck instead of some Gemstone Mine which can only produce mana for three turns and Pillar of the Paruns which can't cast PtE and the mana dorks.

Here is the version I'm inclined to use at the moment:



In the SB:
#I added Geist of Saint Traft (against uninteractive combo decks), Huntmaster of the Fells (against midrange and burn), Meddling Mage (against combo) and Dauntless Escort (against sweepers).
#Took out: Sigarda, Host of Herons (seems slow and I'm not sure what it comes in against), a copy of Izzet Staticaster (one seems enough) and Kitchen Finks.

I consider replacing Stony Silence as well as it's not that easy to cast and the deck can already deal with artifacts directly with Qasali Pridemage/Abrupt Decay or "take" them with Tidehollow Sculler/Spell Queller.
It can free some slots that can used for GY hate: Relic of Progenitus, Grafdigger's Cage, Rest in Peace.

Also, would 5-drops like:
Underworld Cerberus (against sweepers and GY decks),
Surrak Dragonclaw (against counterspells and tokens/chump-blockers),
Obzedat, Ghost Council (against prison decks)
and Blood Baron of Vizkopa (against removal heavy decks)
be good for the SB ?

Anyone playing this deck and has some insight to share ?
The deck seems to have so many options to choose from.

I just came across this deck about a week ago and thought it looked really interesting but felt it lacked something. I took more of a Control focus with it and replaced the [[Falkenrath Aristocrat]]'s with [[Reflector Mage]]'s. Also Did the same as you by cutting the single [[Tidehollow Sculler]] for the 4th [[Spell Queller]]. Made a huge difference.
I also came to same conclusion as you that [[Rhox War Monk]] needed to fit into this deck somehow but I simply can't figure out when I wanna drop for them. [[Kitchen Finks]] serves too large of a purpose for when a game goes long to drop them. With that said, I'll be keeping the Monk in the burner.
Other Cards I tested out were [[Glittering Wish]] (which is really fun actually) & [[Knight of New Alara]] instead of [[Wilt-Leaf Liege]] (which was just as lackluster). That's one of the things I love about the deck; it's SO versatile. The downside is that the original deck list is so rock solid that it's hard to find things to take out to try other things. Anafenza is really the easiest thing to cut after the changes I made already to test other things in that slot but I always end up putting her back, as a 4/4 for 3 with a decent ability is worth keeping.
Obviously, [[Blood Moon]] is our BANE. So I amped up the enchantment destruction by siding [[Dromoka's Command]] since it serves dual purposes and I'm leaning heavily towards adding a single [[Destructive Revelry]], for good measure.

How has Reflector Mage been doing for you ?

I really like Rhox War Monk so far, if it is left unanswered it can run away with the game against creature decks.

Wilt-Leaf Liege has been pretty good, pumping the smaller creatures (mana dorks too, unlike Knight of New Alara) and keeping Mantis Rider and Spell Queller out of L.Bolt range.
It can occasionally be good against discard (Liliana), a funny option can be to "Path" a Reality Smasher and discard/deploy Wilt-Leaf Liege.

What do you think about Butcher of the Horde as another option to replace Falkenrath Aristocrat ?

Another interesting option is Doran, the Siege Tower which also makes: Rhox War Monk, Spell Queller, Siege Rhino and the dorks stronger.

I'm not sure that Dromoka's Command/Destructive Revelry is a good option against Blood Moon in this deck.
Casting any of them under the "Moon" is highly unlikely without 2 mana dorks (or a dork and our 1 forest).

A better answer seems to be Qasali Pridemage (if it is already on the battlefield), Spell Queller or preemtively taking it with Tidehollow Sculler or naming it with Meddling Mage.

I've been playing this deck for a few weeks now and removing Falkenrath Aristocrat is just a bad idea.
She's a house. T2 Mantis Rider T3 Falkenrath is brutal. And once you have enough mana you can sac your dorks to grow her.

I haven't played against Blue Moon yet, but even Affinity seems like a 50/50 post sideboard. I feel like the worst matchup is Dredge because it's hard to make sure I have Anafenza early enough to matter.

I'm not saying Falkenrath Aristocrat isn't good, I just dropped it to be more control, which has just as mixed results as the aggro build.

Reflector Mage has been great. Especially when I can drop it down on turn 2 and rob my opp of a turn. Against Death's Shadow it has been an MVP so even if I go back to full aggro, I'm at the very least boarding 2-3 depending on the meta.

The Dredge matchup is easily the most difficult I've played. Dredge doesn't conform to natural Magic so the only way to handle it is post-boarding. I've been slotting more GY hate in all my decks because the deck is gaining more traction.
Affinity is a race, nothing more. That's where the Aggro version shines more.

The only reason I suggested Dromoka's Command & Revelry is because if we don't get the Pridemate out, we can at least still float mana before the Moon resolves in attempt to snub it out with one of the two when it does. I've also considered trying Hide//Seek as it can remove Blood Moon from play or eliminate a future one(which also makes me more inclined to run a single Plains in the deck also).

Doran actually sounds really fun! I am definitely going to try him out.

You should have a dork or two - 2 Pridemage's plus the 2 Abrupts should be able to deal with a blood moon.

I'm not really having mixed results. The deck has been extremely solid in testing and has stomped FNMs. Only time I've lost so far is against Affinity or when kiki chord draws literally every path to exile he has, plus uses EWit to recur them.

After testing more, I'm convinced that this deck is LEGIT and probably on of the funnest decks I've piloted in a very long time. Watching my opponents face when I drop a turn 2 Mantis Rider then turn 3 & 4 Siege Rhino is a joy that's hard to duplicate. I'm also convinced that a more control heavy version is the way to go. I still swear by Reflector Mage over Falkenrath Aristocrat mainly because I like my decks to be more interactive but that's personal preference, I suppose.
Personally, I'm short 2 Voice of Resurgence so I'm using Coiling Oracle in it's place to really good results (but boy do I wish he was a 2/2). I've been trying other cards like Geist of Saint Traft (Great, of course but even better once I learned he still gets a boost from Exalted), Rhox War Monk (Still find to be underwhelming over Finks), Deputy of Acquittals (only worked half the time when I needed it to), Butcher of the Horde (Pretty much a worse Aristocrat), Doran (you really have to tailor the deck to him) & Rafiq of the Many (Very fun with Geist). I love that the deck can be tinkered with and not really miss a step too much.
My current decklist is as follows:
Creatures:
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Noble Hierarch
2 Coiling Oracle
2 Voice of Resurgence
2 Qasali Pridemage
1 Tidehollow Sculler
1 Kitchen Finks
3 Reflector Mage
3 Spell Queller
3 Mantis Rider
2 Anafenza, the Foremost
1 Geist of Saint Traft
4 Siege Rhino

Spells:
2 Abrupt Decay
4 Path to Exile

Lands:
1 Forest
1 Breeding Pool
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Exotic Orchard
2 Reflecting Pool
3 City of Brass (no Mana Confluence atm)
3 Pillar of the Paruns
4 Ancient Ziggurat
4 Tendo Ice Bridge (No Gemstone Mines atm)

Quote from Flaat »

I also wonder if Might of the Nephilim has a place in the right build, giving +6/+6 to anafenza, rhino or mantis rider can really close down games.

It can be pretty hard to cast, but it's good that it's in the right color (G and W are the two easiest non-creatures to cast)

edit: Although if you want to go that route, Knight of New Alara could be interesting.

There is also an aura version in Blessing of the Nephilim (or the equipment version - Civic Saber).
Both seem like win-more cards though.

What do you think about Olivia, Mobilized for War in this deck ?
It is another flyer and can grant haste (and a +1/+1 counter) to other creatures by discarding unnecessary lands, mana dorks or removal spells.

This seems like a very fun archetype. I was playing around with this build, using Knight of New Alara as the lord and Collected Company for fast creature draw. Because of how reflecting pool works I felt it was best to get as many 5C lands as possible onto the field. Reflector Mage felt better then Voice of Resurgence against aggro, but I would sideboard some number of the latter to help with control matchups. Geist is probably weaker then it should be, but I own four already and it combos with Knight of New Alara.

How to you guys feel about Duskmantle Seer? With Siege Rhino& Kitchen Finks in the deck, it might end up being a diamond in the rough.

What does it bring over the other 4-drop options?
The 4/4 flying body is decent but the additional effect being symmetrical doesn't seem like the best fit for this deck.

Some other interesting creatures which might be worth cons:
1. Savage Knuckleblade - solid body but the abilities are a bit costly apart from the haste.
2. Sedraxis Specter - if not removed quickly or walled can cause some serious damage against slower control decks or removal-light combo decks, especially if dropped on turn 2.
And the "unearth" ability is also pretty good.
3. Madrush Cyclops - body is mediocre (at least it doesn't die to bolt) but giving haste to all creatures seems good, a pretty good turn 3 play imho.
4. Lightning Angel - a beefier Mantis Rider that is bolt-proof and doesn't die to a Restoration Angel ambush.

Has anyone any results to share with the deck ?

How do you sideboard with it against fast combo or aggro decks ?

Recently I had an idea to go heavier into flying creatures for this deck so I consider the following changes:
-1x Rhox War Monk, -2x Anafenza, the Foremost, -2x Wilt-Leaf Liege
+3x Sedraxis Specter, +2x Lightning Angel.

I also wonder if the 4x Path to Exile might be enough removal and the 2x Abrupt Decay might be replaced by 2x Lead the Stampede to draw into more creatures.
It can also help dig for the SB "bullets" which are mostly creatures.

Here is the new build idea:


What do you think ?

I think this deck is probably one of the coolest decks I have seen. It just looks like a blast to play. That being said, I think lead the stampede is a good idea. Have to try it out and see where it gets you, or if you miss the removal abrupt decay provides. Decay has a lot of things that it can target that will help this deck win, but the pridemages' serve a similar purpose and can be found by the lead the stampede.

I also think that athreos, God of Passage would be great here.

It will never attack...
Against heavy removal I have Dauntless Escort in the SB.

What are your thoughts on the new set? Anything catching your eye for this deck...I am kind of interested in Kambal, consul of allocation and Voltaic Brawler.

I'm not sure that Voltaic Brawler fits this deck as we don't use many 2-drops and they serve utility functions rather than being plain beaters.

Kambal, Consul of Allocation on the other hand seems like an excellent SB card for this deck.

There are so many options to try in this deck and I think that is why I love it. I am currently trying two Master Biomancer as it provides some extra strength to all of our creatures and it doesn't die to bolt.

On a side note I've seen some posts indicating that some pilots of this deck are going on a more "control" route. I think it is important to remember that this deck should be considered aggro most of the time. We want to disrupt what we can, but "Plan A" should be beatdown.

I think that is a good idea adding Stormbreath Dragon to help with the blood moon problem. I wonder if there are any good 4 drops that are double red... My fear with adding storm breath is that the CMC is a little high. I'll keep looking, but I think that is a good idea.

The only problem with the gods is (as noted earlier) they most likely won't attack so their abilities need to be worthwhile. That being said Iroas, God of Victory has some nasty abilities....but useless if we're on defense.

I tried out Stoic Angelto stellar results. I'm still sticking with a more control focused deck but, as pointed out, the plan is to stay aggro while doing it.

As far as cards from the new set are concerned, I agree that Kambal, Consul of Allocationis going to be beyond great out of the SB when facing Storm or Ascendancy decks.

The Blood Moon problem is one I've been trying to figure out how to get around for a while now. The only consistent answers I've come up with are to either run 2 Qasali Pridemage main and 2 in the board or to run an extra forest main and some green enchantment hate in the board. I like the Stormbreath idea but it kinda clogs up space during games that we don't see a Moon. I'm confident that there is an answer out there, we just need to find it.

Quote from PlainsAngels »

I think that is a good idea adding Stormbreath Dragon to help with the blood moon problem. I wonder if there are any good 4 drops that are double red... My fear with adding storm breath is that the CMC is a little high. I'll keep looking, but I think that is a good idea.

I don't think that adding red creatures is the right way to go against Blood Moon.
But if you would here are some 4cmc options: Thunderbreak Regent, Cyclops Gladiator, Flame-Wreathed Phoenix, Ember Swallower, Obsidian Fireheart, Pia and Kiran Nalaar, Rakka Mar.

I think that: Spell Queller, Qasali Pridemage, Tidehollow Sculler and Meddling Mage are good enough solutions that can help against other cards as well.

Quote from D90Dennis14 »

Quote from PlainsAngels »

I think that is a good idea adding Stormbreath Dragon to help with the blood moon problem. I wonder if there are any good 4 drops that are double red... My fear with adding storm breath is that the CMC is a little high. I'll keep looking, but I think that is a good idea.

I don't think that adding red creatures is the right way to go against Blood Moon.
But if you would here are some 4cmc options: Thunderbreak Regent, Cyclops Gladiator, Flame-Wreathed Phoenix, Ember Swallower, Obsidian Fireheart, Pia and Kiran Nalaar, Rakka Mar.


I think that: Spell Queller, Qasali Pridemage, Tidehollow Sculler and Meddling Mage are good enough solutions that can help against other cards as well.

While I agree that it isn't the optimal solution, I don't think it's necessarily a bad idea either. Personally, I wouldn't go a full 4 of, but maybe 1-2 in the board.

The chance to find them (and cast them before losing) is rather low anyway so I don't consider it a real out, I just accept that the deck can't bit turn 2 Moon on the draw.

Having cheap enchantment removal like: Natural State/Fragmentize to get rid of an early Blood Moon makes more sense in my opinion.