MTG Salvation

Yeah I saw that jester left and he was doing a giveaway. Shame, they always had such good content. Also that giveaway ended on my birthday maybe he would have picked me lol.

As for card discussion, I can't afford the surgical extractions currently. Is there another card you'd recommend? Right now I'm trying out tormod's crypt and it seems to be working pretty well.

Quote from rghapro »

Yeah I saw that jester left and he was doing a giveaway. Shame, they always had such good content. Also that giveaway ended on my birthday maybe he would have picked me lol.

As for card discussion, I can't afford the surgical extractions currently. Is there another card you'd recommend? Right now I'm trying out tormod's crypt and it seems to be working pretty well.

Another budget option is ravenous trap. It's a spell so helps flipping delver. But crypt grows goyf so they're both viable. I like grafdigger's cage too in some meta (vannifar, elves, dredge...)

Tormads crypt is the next best card for us. Probably followed by ravenous trap

Is Nimble Obstructionist a real card in this deck? It seems kinda sweet, but 3 mana is a lot in this deck.

Just started trying it out this week. So far both times I saw it I wished it was clique.

So here's an interesting thought: Pteramander over Delver? I'm not sure how good it actually is, but I feel like the adapt isn't that hard to get to in this deck. Plus it's another enabler for stubborn denial. It's just a thought and it could be terrible, but it seems interesting enough to me to want to try it.

I think the best answer, if you want to play it, is probably alongside. I've toyed with the idea of cutting my Mandrills for it, at which point I'd probably cut Goyf, too, and at which last point I'd probably just be playing Jordan's UR list: http://modernnexus.com/ur-it-rebuilding-delver-salamander-drake/

But I like cracking Misty Rainforest and casting Huntmaster of the Fells too much for that. Plus I like having the big ground roadblocks for Burn and the really quick clock they provide for the combo matchups. The UR Salamander Drake may be better-positioned right now, but I think in a power-level vacuum, they're pretty close.

Quote from rghapro »

So here's an interesting thought: Pteramander over Delver? I'm not sure how good it actually is, but I feel like the adapt isn't that hard to get to in this deck. Plus it's another enabler for stubborn denial. It's just a thought and it could be terrible, but it seems interesting enough to me to want to try it.

Pteramander is not a first turn drop. It needs at least 3-4 turns to grow in temur build, sometimes even more. So I won't cut delver. If you want to play it just play Izzet Delver as MikePemulis said. I think it's a powerful deck, but it plays quite differently from temur.

I think it's funny that if we adjust pretty much any one card that matters we might s well just play a different deck that does what we are trying to do better.lol! Usually deaths shadow. In this case Phoenix.

Truly, we are at the mercy of waiting for a card to be printed that blows this deck wide open.

Hello guys! It's been a while after my last visit here, because i tried an esper goryo list on the past few months, anyway, back to monkey growth (i was playing remand shoal and mishra's bauble version) and i have to say @obnixilis:
I disagree, gds and especially ur phoenix are decks that are really different in the gameplan and in the positive mus.
Take phoenix, it has better chanches against creatures decks, but it lose against ad nauseam and tron, mu where we shine.
Or gds, that is extremely vulnerable to a pte, and cannot race dredge, for the lack of permission.
We have our plan, our strenghts and we should focus on them.
A good reprint would be fantastic, but we are not a worst version of a tier 1.

Ps. Twitch messed up, i'm " LaCapraContenta"

For what it's worth,

So I found this guy trying Rug pteromander… I only skimmed through the video. It didn't look like it worked out very well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQaFU9w4pbY

Howdy y'all! I'm playing my first FNM with the deck in a while. The past two weeks I have been playing BG Company Elves, but I think this deck will be better in the meta that I have been seeing at these FNMs. My main deck is pretty stock, but with the sideboard I am trying a few different things. Anyway here is the list, and I'll talk about it a little bit after.



So, like I said the main deck is pretty stock. The one card that is outside the norm is the maindeck Spite of Mogis over something like a Roast, Dismember or Flame Slash. I believe Jordan has played this card before and I have been a big fan of it. It kills just about anything you want it to, you get a scry, and it is cheap. The downside is that sometimes it is a dud and that it is a sorcery. However I think the upside on this card is so good, it outclasses our other three options.

Before I dive in to explaining my card choices, I have a little bit of background. I am actually pretty excited about trying out the sideboard I've put together because I think it helps out a lot in the meta I've been playing in. Two weeks ago I played against G Tron, Grixis As Foretold, U Mill, and UB Faeries. Last week I played against Sultai Midrange, Amulet Titan, Mono G Eternal Command, and Living End. Last week out of 12 decks, not counting myself, there was 4 Amulet Bloom and 2 Tron, 1 UB Faeries, 1 Phoenix, 1 Dredge and the other 3 decks I listed that I played against. My sideboard is built with the decks I've listed in mind. Anyways, onto some card discussion.

First, 3 Damping Sphere. Normally, we are playing Blood Moon in this spot. However, in this deck I am starting to think Damping Sphere is just better. We do lose some game against midrange, but this card is KILLER against Tron and Amulet. It is also really good against Storm and I know the guy that was on Eternal Command usually plays Storm. I am not sure where I stand with this card against Phoenix. I think it is good, as it slows them down from trying to turbo-flip a Thing in The Ice, as well as stopping them from casting a bunch of spells in one turn to get back some Phoenixes. I'll probably be trying to side it in against Phoenix and see how it works.

Next, 3 Tormod's Crypt. Basically, I don't have the money to shell out for 3 Surgical Extraction right now (I know it's weird because this deck isn't particularly cheap, but hey I'm a college student that doesn't have a job right now so what can I really do), so I am playing this instead. However, there is some upside to this. This card has WAY more play against Storm and Dredge. I also think it is significantly better against a card like Pyromancer Ascension, as it is completely possible you keep them from ever getting a counter on it with this card.

Lastly, 2 Spell Pierce. Why am I playing a worse version Stubborn Denial in my board? Well, I think this card is a lot better post board against basically every deck I listed than Disrupting Shoal. Additionally, in the cases in which I do not have a 4 power creature on board, I think Spell Pierce is harder to play around than Stubborn Denial. My logic is this: 2 mana is more than 1 mana. Seems good to me.

I think the rest of the sideboard is pretty standard. We all know where cards like Huntmaster of the Fells, Ancient Grudge and Destructive Revelry are good, and as I have previously explained, I am very high on Spite of Mogis right now. Hopefully it is as good as I am hoping it will be.

I will attempt to report back with an FNM write up either tonight after I get home or tomorrow. Hopefully I have some more content to contribute, but if not and the sideboard choices all totally suck and I 0-4, at least I learn a valuable lesson that I am not as good at picking cards for sideboards as I thought I was.

Speaking of content, I would absolutely love to start making some videos playing this deck on MTGO again. However, I basically had to sell out of MTGO, so my only deck on MTGO right now is BG Company Elves. If you guys would be willing to let me borrow cards until I can afford to buy them myself, I would be more than happy to take this deck through some Modern Leagues and post the videos. If y'all are interested in this at all, just let me know and I will do what I can to make it happen with your help.

If you've read all this, thanks for the time! I'll be back later with another long post, likely about how I 0-4'd.

Howdy y'all! Back from my FNM. I went 1-2-1 last night, winning against RW Electro End Hollow One, losing against Jund and Eldrazi & Taxes, and drawing with Sultai Midrange. Last night wasn't ideal but I believe it gave me a little bit of insight with this deck. For now, I'm gonna talk about how I think my sideboard cards performed. If y'all want to hear more about how the matches went, just let me know and I can talk a little about that as well.

So firstly, let's talk about what I didn't side in at all. Damping Sphere & Ancient Grudge did not come in against any of the decks I played last night. There was 4 Amulet, 2 Tron, 1 Phoenix, and 1 Storm, but I just dodged them completely. Good for me, I already know that these cards can be absolute houses in the right matchups, so I wasn't so concerned about putting them in the sideboard.

Next lets move on to over performers. Tormod's Crypt was really really good last night. Against Sultai, I was able to keep them from ever casting a Tasigur, the Golden Fang and I was able to use it in conjunction with Lightning Bolt to take care of a few of my opponents Tarmogoyf's. This deck struggles with large creatures quite a bit, so having a way to disrupt those creatures was pretty nice. And as for my RW Electro End opponent, it basically shut him out of the game. I feel really good about keeping this card in the sideboard, and for what it is worth, I think I like it better than something liked Surgical Extraction.

Next, let's talk about Spell Pierce. I might be a little biased, as this is one of my favorite cards ever printed. I brought it in against every opponent and it did really well every game. Against RW Electro End, I got to counter a Living End off of an Electrodominance for 0, which basically won me the game. Against Jund, I got to snag a Thoughtseize in game 2 and a Liliana of the Veil in game 3. Against E&T, I snagged an Aether Vial which really messed them up as they were on 1 land until the last few turns. I think it really shined against Sultai however, as it won counter wars, countered Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Liliana of the Veil and acted as very solid defense against cards like Assassin's Trophy and Maelstrom Pulse. This one felt REALLY good to have in the sideboard and I will probably be keeping it there.

Lastly, just a quick comment on Spite of Mogis. I think this is likely the best choice of removal for our maindeck, and I really liked it in the sideboard as well, as it killed Tarmogoyf's, Scavenging Ooze's Thought-Knot Seer's and everything in between. IT did some serious work. I am however very interested in trying out Beacon Bolt in the sideboard, as I think the ability to Jump-Start it, as well as it counting cards in exile may make it a worthwhile replacement. I'll give it a try next week and let y'all know how it goes. If anyone else has any experience trying this card, please let me know as I'd love to hear it.

Now, let's move onto the under performers. Sadly, I really did not like having Huntmaster of the Fells in the sideboard. Against Jund, Sultai and E&T, I was never in a spot where it was advantageous to cast the card. In the cases I was able to cast it, I wasn't able to flip it at all. To me, this card is starting to feel like it is really only good if you are ahead. Does anyone have any recommendations for card's to take its place in the sideboard? I was thinking of trying something like Keranos, God of Storms, Jace, the Mind Sculptor or maybe even Thragtusk.

To wrap this all up, I didn't really miss the cards like Blood Moon or Pyroclasm. I think if I was playing at a little bit bigger of an event where I wasn't as familiar with the meta, I would build my sideboard a little differently. However, for now the only changes I think I am going to make is cutting the Huntmaster of the Fells for something else for the midrange/control matchups, as well as trying Beacon Bolt in the sideboard over Spite of Mogis

Thanks for the read and hopefully I can play to some better results next time!

Thanks for the results. I've been quiet here but have settled into doing pretty well locally and about 50% or a tick worse in leagues online.

I'm running a Spell Pierce in the main over a 3rd Leak and love it for all the reasons you said.

Blood Moon and Huntmaster win games against the grindy decks. I really disagree with you about Huntmaster. I've settled on 2 but have played as many as 4 before. It has won games I was way behind in, especially in conjunction with Moon. Another consideration is that it's a win condition on a stalled board, or against Ensnaring Bridge. Jace does almost nothing for us. Thragtusk and Keranos interesting but 5 mana is a lot. Plus you're on 17 lands, so that's extra tough. Hazoret is a house against BGx but sucks against Path. Chandra is fine but doesn't gum up the board like Huntmaster does. Thrun would be okay but double green is rough. I know others have played Saheeli Rai in this slot, but that really only does things when you're even or ahead. Huntmaster flipping plus a Bolt can kill bigger creatures, too.

Let me know how Spite of Mogis and Beacon Bolt go for you. I'm running a Flame Slash main and a Dismember in the side for those purposes and have been unimpressed with Spite, but Beacon Bolt could be worth a look.

I'll be glad to give Huntmaster of the Fells another try, as I used to absolutely love it in this deck. But with the printing Assassin's Trophy and it's subsequent replacement of Abrupt Decay in the BGx decks, it just feels like those decks have a much more consistent way to deal with the Huntmaster.

If I was to play a 5 drop in the sideboard, I would likely go down to 2 Mana Leak main, and play a Spell Pierce over it, then 1 Spell Pierce in the sideboard. I think that extra slot in the sideboard would go to another basic land. If I was playing my lands like I do now (2 Island, 1 Forest, 1 Mountain) I would play the 3rd Island in the sideboard. However, I used to play 3 Island and 1 Forest main with the Mountain in the side. I think that configuration just slightly increases the number of 1 land hands you can keep, as I don't think you can keep any 1 land hands in this deck with Mountain being the sole land in hand. However that also comes with the downside of not being able to fetch a basic Mountain G1 against something like Burn where your life total does matter.

Spite of Mogis was awesome for me. The only time it was bad was against Mono W Eldrazi & Taxes when I delved to play a Hooting Mandrills and left a Mishra's Bauble in my graveyard to make future Goyfs larger, and then drawing the Spite of Mogis the next turn. I think that was a dumb misplay on my part, and not really a testament to how good the card is, because our graveyard is usually pretty stocked. 1 mana to kill some of the biggest creature in the format feels REALLY good most of the time.

Anyways, I think I will be trying something like this next week.

I'd cut a sphere for a blood moon and a revelry for 1 hazoret to improve midrange match-ups. 2 slots are not enough for those decks. I'd try to find room for engineered explosives too if you own them.

Currently, the plan for midrange matchups is cutting all the Disrupting Shoals and the Curious Obsession and bringing in Huntmaster of the Fells, Beacon Bolt, Spell Pierce and the Mountain. However, I think you might be right in that a Blood Moon and Hazoret the Fervent might just be better in the sideboard. I am a little bit worried about going so light on enchantment hate, as cards like Rest in Peace and Leyline of the Void really mess up our creatures.

Here's what I'm on. I've trimmed from 4 to 3 to 2 Huntmasters as I feel better and better about the BGx matchups. Spell Snare has been solid lately. Hits the BGx I can always count on at FNM, also Manamorphose and Thing from Phoenix, and Cathartic Reunion against Dredge. Lots of uses.

My standard board plan against most midrange is:
-4 Shoal
-3 Scour
-1 Tarfire
+2 Huntmaster
+3 Blood Moon
+1 EE
+1 Dismember
+1 Spell Snare

For Mardu, I leave in Tarfire, cut 3 Moons, and bring in 2 Pyroclasm. I agree that Hazoret is a house against non-Path decks, but for me, there's such antisynergy with Huntmaster that it's one or the other, not both, and Huntmaster has more utility.

I bring in Blood Moons even against UW and BG, though maybe 2 rather than 3. It's an easy answer to the creaturelands and no one prepares for it. Other than that, I think careful play against UW especially gets you there more than the actual cards, although Dispel is amazing here.

Personally, I would keep Obsession in against midrange.

I know Jordan has talked about BGx being really rough for this deck, but I think it's fairly even. Part of that is that in the days he was talking about, Abzan was the BGx deck of choice, and that matchup is pretty rough. Another is that Mandrills totally dodges Push, and the card advantage we get from Trophy is pretty acceptable early on. Personally, I find go-wide creature strategies like Humans and Spirits to be the toughest matchups.

You may also be overdoing it on the artifact hate. A pair of Destructive Revelry has been in my board for literally a year now, and at times I've supplanted with an Abrade, an Ancient Grudge, whatever, but I don't think Grudge is especially good against anything right now. Hardened Scales kind of ignores it, as does Prison. I've decided if I need an extra heavy-duty hate card for the Welding Jar decks, it'll be Hurkyl's Recall.

Glad to see folks talking again. I've been playing it but without much to say. Got the Monday Modern night tomorrow and I'll be playing this 75. Will report back.

The more I think about it, the more I think you're right about Ancient Grudge. I think I'll probably just end up cutting both of them from my sideboard and keeping destructive revelry in for now. Any thoughts on Cindervines in the Revelry slot?

Sad to say I've had fairly dismal records the past two weeks going 2-2 and 1-3. Last week was rough as I brought the wrong sideboard for what I played against expecting to see more of what I saw the week before. My meta is small and extremely diverse. It's hard to prepare a SB for. I also play tomorrow night. I'll keep a bit of a record for a small report.