MTG Salvation

Hi everyone! Haven't been updated or posted anything here for quite some time Last January 31 I made it to the Top 8 of a 104-person event with a 5-1-1 record. Figured it would be relevant since we rarely have Modern events with this relatively large number of player turnout. Here are my match-ups:

Round 1 : 2-0 vs. Infect
Round 2: 0-2 vs. Affinity (loss was a misplay on my part)
Round 3: 2-0 vs. Jeskai Control
Round 4: 2-0 vs. RG Scapeshift
Round 5: 2-0 vs. BW Eldrazi
Round 6: 2-1 vs. Wilted Abzan
Round 7: Intentional Draw

Registered for around 9 USD, then we split the Top8 pot with all of us getting 50 USD worth in cash and 4 OGW packs. Pretty happy with my performance despite having diarrhea, fever, and flu that day. >.< Here's my decklist (even up to now; I don't make changes until I lose bigtime.):



After considering the deck's recent evolution and adaptation after the recent Pro Tour, I've come to the following considerations:

1. Our local metagame does not really shift radically, so I'm keeping my build with Wild Defiance in it. Card is just so good; never a disappointment in my hand. Negates Jund and Burn's removal and helps push through CotV.
2. I'll probably have Viridian Corrupters as my primary modification if ever the time comes. Chalice of the Void just destroys the deck too much not to play this.
3. If recent popularity dictates that speed is of the essence with the deck, I'll have to go with Martin Juza's BUG Infect list from the Pro Tour. It has not changed much since GP Singapore (which is a good sign that he believes it is a good list), and I can behind the deck's gameplan of guaranteed having an Infect dork all the time and pumping it into oblivion once the coast is clear. Straightforward no tricks. (Still don't get the 4 Dismember in his SB though. Still waiting for a tweet reply hahaha)
4. If need be that I adapt like Kai Budde's or Tom Ross's recent articles, I'd rather have Pulse of Murasa over the Finks. Non-burn aggro decks will definitely have efficient ways of dealing with blockers, plus the creature recursion really is what I value. >.< I look forward to a Burn opponent's face after he Helixes a T2 dork of mine only to gain a 3-card advantage on my T3 HAHAHA =))

Does it matter what fetches we run given that some Eldrazi lists have Oblivion Sower? Is using Verdant Catacombs a bad idea?

Huey's tournament report is up. Finks is for Burn (gains life and races them in regular damage).
http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/not-quite-top-8-at-pro-tour-oath-of-the-gatewatch/

Quote from Tanukimo »

Does it matter what fetches we run given that some Eldrazi lists have Oblivion Sower? Is using Verdant Catacombs a bad idea?

I don't think they will side in Oblivion Sower against Infect. It doesn't really matter which fetches you play. Spreading them out reduces the chance of getting blown out by Surgical Extraction, but that card is not commonly played.

I take out the Dryad Arbor, 2 Giatxian Probe, 4 Mutagenics. Bring in 4 Nature's Claim and 3 Twisted Image

What are the matchups you typically want Dryad Arbor in? I know it's good versus Lily in BGx. Beyond that are there any other archetypes that it's typically wanted for. I think I've heard Burn is a popular one. Otherwise do I just try and get a feel based on what I see my opponent playing and how aggressive they are in their fetches etc?

Is Dryad Arbor generally a mainboard card or sideboard card?

I like to play it in the main board. The most obvious reason is to fetch in response to a Liliana activation but I can count numerous times where I've fetched + pumped it as a surprise blocker for an early threat (Nacatl, Goyf, etc) or used it to win on the swing back since most players are not paying much attention to their life total playing against infect.

Quote from Manturras »

Slip through space feels great against the 0 drops that affinity set on the first turns.

Main or side?

So the plan with Dryad Arbor is primarily only go for it if it's an Alpha Strike sort of thing? It seems a very easy creature to kill, so damage over multiple turns would seem difficult to do.

Also main decking to fetch in a chump blocker seems pretty solid as well when an opponent overextends?

What about Wild Defiance? I see people talk about considering it pseudo creature in hand. It seems best against burns removal yet seems too slow to be viable there. Can anyone explain this?

I'm new to the archetype and am trying to mass immerse myself.

Dryad Arbor is the best. She does a lot of work as:

1. Sacrifice fodder to Liliana of the Veil in BG/x decks.
2. Surprise chump blocker. I'm sure I've costed some opponents their games because of this.
3. Your Plan B. I don't even alpha-strike with it; if I don't have an Infect dork I try to chip away at their life ASAP. I've kept hands with only Wild Defiance and fetches to get the Dryad and she's done wonders.

Considering promotion of Zoo, Burn and Jund to Tier1, Wild Defiance¡is the best card to have right now. It just blanks so much removal and accelerates your gameplan as well. I have won through Chalice of the Voids in Colorless Eldrazi as well because of this since my dorks still get +3/+3 even if my pump spells get countered.

It seems like people are looking for speed in infect more than ever. If this is the case do people think that distortion strike might be a stronger option that Slip through spaces? The extra +1/+1 means that over 2 turns you can use only a become immense to get to 10 infect, or only use a +4/+4 if you have a hierarch already in play or it's on the corrupter that people are playing so much of. I feel like Slip through Spaces is just not as strong at ensuring a consistent early turn win.

I'm not sure if I agree with that. Slip Through Space turns Become Immense on faster than Distortion Strike, which opens up a T3 kill with the following sequence:

T1: Misty Rainforest, fetch Breeding Pool, cast Glistener Elf
T2: Wooded Foothills, fetch Forest, cast Spellskite
T3: Pendelhaven, activate Pendelhaven, cast Mutagenic Growth (pay with life), then Slip Through Space, then Become Immense, attack for 10 poison

This is a far-from-optimal hand (no Noble Hierarch, no Blighted Agent, no Might of Old Krosa, no Wild Defiance, only 2 fetches), and it still gets there on T3. I think Slip Through Space opens up possible combinations for the T3 kill.

That is true. However a couple of things:
1 I didn't think lists are main boarding spell skite, so my protection spells main board are spell pierce, vines and blessing, all of which cost 1.
2 that means I can cast distortion strike on turn 2 while holding counter spell back up, getting guaranteed early damage in.
3 I still get it in the grave for turn 3 for become immense, plus I no longer need mutagenic growth for the pump, only for the grave so it could even be a gitaxian probe.
4 That means I don't need the pendelhaven in the hand for turn 3 kill, which means my variation is more likely as well.

i hate modern right now...heading to grand prix bologna and i got no idea how my build should look like. there are so many uncertainties which i think make infect a poor choice right now.

i feel horribly behind against colorless chalice eldrazi which however might already be outdated again since uw/rg eldrazi wins the eldrazi mirror. but is colorless eldrazi really played less in the end? if knew that colorless eldrazi is played less, i could cut that mainboard 1-2 viridian corrupters which i hate.

also, uw eldrazi is probably favoured vs infect too. up to 8 dismember and path, gut shot coming out of many sb. great -.-

also it feels so strange to play without spellskites.

but there are more questions. 3 or 4 become immense?

slip through space or rancor? rancor is better for your burn matchup paired with nature's claim but is a nonbo with become immense, slip will trigger become immense more often but seems weaker overall.

really play 3 kitchen finks in the sb like many players do right now? wild defiance then looks horrible in the same 75 with kitchen finks. for example vs burn i do not want like 5 three drops. then cut wild defiance?

dismember or spell pierce main? what are the arguments....

man i just wish oath was never printed and i could play infect in the far more comfortable old meta with twin.

Quote from demo_gosu »

No Infect in top32 at SCG Modern Open Louisville is suprising and worrying.....
Anyone got some input on meta in general?

20 of 32 were Eldrazi and another 5 were Affinity. How much longer before someone wedges some Eldrazi into an Affinity deck and we have Eldraffinity?

thank you for the list. can you also give us the link so we can read his reasoning?

Built and played the Pantheon list tonight to a 3-1 finish. It felt good, but I think I'll be making some minor changes. Dryad Arbor main is one thing I'd like to add. A 3rd Forest or possibly an Island is another option I'm considering. I also think I will be reworking the spell suite a little bit. But overall, the deck was fun. Not a bad showing for my first time ever playing the deck anyway!

I really like the one bird

so on tron, do we board twisted images and some natures claim. or do we try to race them. I know one player runs 3x spellskites main

Quote from AndreMuge »

I usually try to race them.

But i use Dismember and Viridian Corrupter in main board.

ok i run 2x Corrupters main and 1 dismember. 2x corrupters in side