Feels as if there's too many hoops to jump through to make the companions from Ikoria work in our deck.
And on another thing. Should I add the creature that forces us to make an 80 card deck as an alternate card choice in the primer?
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@Gerant
that's too hard for me to give an exact answer, as I did not write down what happened in all those games I used the 3-sphere or dovin. For Burn, if I got down the walker or the 3 sphere when I'm still 10 life or above, then my chances of winning go up, better if they don't have an eidolon yet in play. For storm, I need to be on the play against their fast hands, and also holding other kinds of hate like a counter or a halo to name grapeshot - against their slower hands, if I do get down the walker or the 3-sphere, it's gg. And about infect.. this deck is annoying, taxing them helps, but they could still win with a scale up on the blue phyrexian, or a scale up on something made unblockable by distortion strike - removing all their infect creatures and spellskite is still my main goal.
I am committing to trying out Yorion, and as soon as paper tournaments start again in my area I will do at least two tournament reports with the "expanded" build I posted on page 72. Until then, it is speculative at best and I would not include it in the alternate cards. (As a non-Companion on its own, it seems worse than things like Glimmerpoint Stag and Momentary Blink, so unless you feel such niche cards belong there it is a moot point.)
Back to your list; for Burn, Infect, and Storm, I really think you should run a second Halo over your 3-Sphere, then, and probably even a third over your Dovin. The advantage of being 2 mana is the most important consideration, but the fact that they work well in multiples and can actually lock out topdecks is very relevant as well. Finally, from what you say and the subtleties of your list, I think the card will be the effect you want the most access to early, which you can't enable in any other way than playing more copies. You have very little selection, and few ways to return any of the three options in the lategame, so you should commit hard to having the best effect early in order to reliably back up your proactive plan with Tarmogoyf.
ok, that's nice. If Yorion testings are succesful, maybe we can put that list as another sample decklist on top of the primer. So that people would have one more sample to look at.
hmm, I do have one more runed halo. Will try replacing the 3-sphere with that. I don't have a third halo, so will have to place an order at my scg cart for that. However, sadly there's no way for me to test.. there is no one to play with because of the virus lockdown. Will be testing once things go back to normal.
@Gerant I believe Zirda allows you to play Thraben Inspectors clues for free as well as any PWs you run according to an article I read. But yes, it’s cost is too high if it means leaving behind two key pieces of our deck. Let us know your thoughts after running the Yorion build. As for the list, I’ve gotten much more comfortable with it. I can attribute some losses to silly mistakes but otherwise I feel good against any non combo or Tron matchup. I struggle more against Burn type decks still as damage to the face combined with hasty threats are hard to beat unless I have enough chumps and a Batterskull in my opening hand. Unfortunately, I have a poor record against them at the moment as I feel I’m drawing poorly or my answers are too slow/insufficient. Also I’ve played against some Soulherder Emeria decks and they’ve just run over me. It’s not a popular deck at all but I’ve played against it a few times, surprisingly.
Also, aside from the obvious negatives of not having Supreme Verdict, Detention Sphere, and Court Hussar, would a mono-white build really be that far off in power level? When looking at the list, I'm tempted to test again with an all white build just to see how it fares. I know Saint Tobias has been running one in his local meta and Gerant's insights helped it run more cleanly. In the past, I always felt that UW was clearly better (and still do), however, having played with Gerant's Stoneforge version, I'm wondering how much it matters in terms of power level, due to Stoneforge's capabilities and reducing the need for flickering effects. Thoughts on the pros/cons or optimal builds for a single color?
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First, I am glad the list is starting to work for you. If you have played a lot of Burn decks locally, bumping the number of Lone Missionary tends to have a very high return on investment in the matchup. Not only does it give you an early blocker and a way to punish their self-inflicted Eidolon damage, but the lifegain trigger is substantial enough to stabilize for an extra turn while being cheap enough to go under Skullcrack in the most common early situations. My win percentage against Burn is probably around 20-25% higher when I have drawn Missionaries, across a sample size of several dozen matches. Specifically, if I ever manage to set up a clean Sun Titan trigger on the card, the game will almost inevitably end in my favour (usually very quickly unless I am playing around Deflecting Palm).
When it comes to beating Soulherder, Mortarpod is the key. Keeping one primed is very easy against their 3-drop, and denying them easy value after that becomes trivial once sweepers are factored in. This is a matchup where their ability to play around Settle the Wreckage can hurt a lot, though, so you could consider swapping it for a second Wrath of God if your meta is right for it, or maybe a Winds of Abandon if not. As a general piece of advice that wins many more games than it loses, it is almost never correct to get a Batterskull with Mystic against a manabase beginning with Hallowed Fountain. The 'Pod versus 'Skull decision can sometimes be game-defining, so if I can sequence a Wall of Omens or a tapland on turn 2 against an unknown opponent, I often choose to do that instead of casting Stoneforge Mystic due to the increase in information one extra turn will yield. As a further note, the beatdown plan is often extremely narrow, and the decks you truly need it against frequently start the game with very transparent plays on turn 1 (e.g. Spirebluff Canal + Serum Visions, Mountain + Lava Spike, Scryland, Tolaria West, Tron land, etc.), and Batterskull is otherwise much better to find a little later on.
Next, Zirda has no interaction at all with any Planeswalker I can think of, other than the fact that his Companion requirements will see Loyalty abilities as sufficient for his inclusion. My point about Thraben Inspector is that his presence on its own will invalidate Zirda as a Companion, since he does not actually have a colon in his oracle text. The italicized text about Clue activations does not count, as it is simply a reminder for the mechanic of the token he generates. Zirda also clearly states that activated abilities cannot be reduced below one mana in his text box, if that is what you meant by "play clues for free", and I don't think that reducing clues to 1 from 2 is an attractive enough rate that I would be interested in such a synergy. If I happened to have both cards, I would probably be glad of it, but neither one on its own provides sufficient incentive for me to include the other.
Finally, there is always something to be said for a clean manabase in Control decks, so I have several times begun testing alternatives with an eye towards becoming mono-white, but the blue splash keeps opponents guessing by threatening countermagic, and opens up key sideboard options depending on the metagame. Out of the following five effects, for example, at least three have always felt necessary to me: the Maelstrom Pulse of Detention Sphere against multiples and Tokens, the uncounterability of Supreme Verdict against Flash decks and Tempo, the "fair game" enforcement of Teferi, Time Raveler, the value stack interaction of Glen Elendra Archmage, and the ability to stop cost-cheating mechanics with Lavinia, Azorius Renegade. The most important difference between mono-white and W/u, however, is the only card that white just does not have a substitute for, the only card in the maindeck that requires more Islands than Plains to cast; Court Hussar.
The Hussar is simply irreplaceable, and on its own provides justification for the blue splash. This is due to a combination of its maindeck value (where it guarantees a consistent target for Emeria, the Sky Ruin as the game extends past turn 14, provides redundancy for every desired effect, and splits the difference between being an extra land in a mana-hungry deck versus a threat to put that mana to use in the lategame) and probably more importantly its effect on the sideboard. At 3 mana, it is cheap enough that it is generally safe to tap out for when digging for both singletons or two-ofs while the opposition is still setting up their post-board plans, and it allows your alternate 15 to cover more ground by making space for two or three extra effects that would otherwise face heavy competition from four-ofs. It provides these effects, mind you, as a chump blocker against Aggro that is not dead against Control or Prison, which can set up turn four against "go-wide" swarm strategies or "get big" attrition decks just as easily as it can try to disrupt key permanents because it digs THREE cards deep. Most importantly of all, though, it enables the long game for all of these purposes because it does not invest a card. Some people have tried Champion of Wits as a replacement, and while it offers more power later on, the game often ends before the card loss it represents in the aftermath of a stabilizing Wrath of God can be recouped. Sea Gate Oracle is one of the only reasonable analogues for its effect, and even it represents a huge downgrade in both power and synergy.
Overall, it is my honest opinion that the most viable competitive form of the strategy discussed in this thread has always been based in W/u. That is not to say that mono-white is unplayable, or that it has no redeeming features, because there are certainly legitimate reasons for any of the above arguments being irrelevant in specific contexts. I have particularly appreciated, in the past, being able to slam WWW cards on-curve as almost an afterthought due to a manabase in which every land has the potential to tap for W. On the other hand, the benefits never outweighed the costs of losing access to the single basic Island to set up a pain-free Supreme Verdict on turn four following a Pilgrim's Eye, or other such considerations. If these are eliminated, the whole exercise becomes much more intriguing, and in fact my personal front-runner for a mono-W build is the following:
I have not had time to test it fully, but this build does a reasonable job of replacing the W/u version's flexibility with a higher power level and more redundancy. If Azorius Titan is like a rapier, this is a claymore - slower to begin interacting and less maneuverable plus restricted and inconsistent in its angles of attack, but much more powerful if able to guarantee a clash along the axes it prioritizes. Hour of Revelation has been particularly notable in its synergy with the lands, while absolutely demolishing opponents if ever cast for the discount price. I am also very pleased with the sideboard's usage of Ranger-Captain of Eos, which creates very positive dynamics when the opponent is a known quantity. My current focus is finding ways to explore Brought Back, Selfless Spirit, or Charming Prince in the maindeck. Feel free to try it out and/or weigh in!
Finally, there is always something to be said for a clean manabase in Control decks, so I have several times begun testing alternatives with an eye towards becoming mono-white, but the blue splash keeps opponents guessing by threatening countermagic, and opens up key sideboard options depending on the metagame. Out of the following five effects, for example, at least three have always felt necessary to me: the Maelstrom Pulse of Detention Sphere against multiples and Tokens, the uncounterability of Supreme Verdict against Flash decks and Tempo, the "fair game" enforcement of Teferi, Time Raveler, the value stack interaction of Glen Elendra Archmage, and the ability to stop cost-cheating mechanics with Lavinia, Azorius Renegade. The most important difference between mono-white and W/u, however, is the only card that white just does not have a substitute for, the only card in the maindeck that requires more Islands than Plains to cast; Court Hussar.
personally for me, verdict is enough reason to go blue. Here in my area, having a board wipe against infect and to a certain extent also merfolk decks, that is not countered by spell pierce // force of negation can be the difference between winning and losing. Blue also gives access to spreading seas, allowing my deck to have 8 total cantrips + also mess up Burn. If I'm on the play, a seas on their first land effectively delays their casting of Eidolon by two turns.
Hope everyone is doing well during these times. Been playing some UW Emeria online and happy with the results. Will be planning on running some leagues in the near future, and it’ll be interesting to see how the meta responds to the new set. I’ve already encountered a few, though the cards didn’t seem to give them a clear advantage when playing. Obviously the sample size was too low and people are still learning how to use some of the companion cards. I’ve mentioned it before but would creating a discord channel be helpful for the thread?
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So since the general consensus seems to be that companions are busted, I thought I'd jump on the hype train with Yorion. Running an 80 card deck is a kind of blessing, since there have always been a ton of cards I wish I could squeeze in but wasn't sure what to cut for them. Here's the list I've come up with, and an explanation on some of the choices.
4x Stoneforge Mystic gives us a strong start for most games, even if we don't have much else going on the first few turns.
3x Dryad of the Ilysian Grove Grove and 3x Knight of Autumn are the source of a small green splash that I've always wanted. Dryad is pretty absurd for our deck I think. Most games we get Emeria online turn 9 at the earliest. With Dryad out, that's sped WAYYYY up to turn six or even turn five with the right draws. Not only does that make our plan more reliable, but also more consistent.
Those are most of the interesting choices, the rest is pretty stock for Emeria Titan. Would love to hear what you guys think! (also I love the idea of a discord)
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It's flavor-tastic
Sig made by Tiiratore. PM him if you want one.
Disappointing avatar made by Mirror Entity at Disappointing Signets Inc.
My Decks:
Modern:
(online)Enduring Ideal
(online)BUG
(paper)Mono White Control
Standard:
(paper) Whatever I can throw together
(online) UWR Control
interesting splash with the Dryad. I've been hearing good things about this creature from other players. Glad to see it getting tested in our deck. As long as the dryad is alive even Emeria is a plains. This will indeed speed up emeria activation. 2 power and 4 toughness makes it a reliable creature as well.
Saint Tobias I have not tried Dryad of the Ilysian Grove, but I briefly entertained Realmwright for a day or two. Seeing as it is on-colour, less fragile by not dying to Wear // Tear, tutorable by relevant effects, and 30% the converted mana cost of the Dryad, I assumed my analysis of it would port cleanly onto the 2/4 Exploration-Creature. Please share your thoughts if your experiences differ, but I felt there was insufficient card advantage to support the effect on the face of it, and the return on investment when it did reach play was limited to turns 7/8/9 (and always left me open to opposing removal to do so). After that, it was simply a redundant creature, and never brought any additional value outside that narrow window, so it got cut. If the effect came with a cantrip or value of some other kind - or best of all if it was found on a land itself - I would be VERY interested, but things have ended there for me right now.
Please let me know how your 80-card build runs, though, and I would love if you could keep careful note of all your wins/losses with it so that we can have some solid numbers to analyze, specifically when it comes to your pre-sideboard versus post-sideboard games. I suspect that this will be where a major trade-off takes place, as one fewer available slot will compound the dilution-based consistency issues inherent to a larger sample size.
Chantu9Y, I think there was talk of starting a Discord when it seemed like this site was in danger of shutting down, but consensus was not really reached before things solidified again.
Fluff, would you be able to explain what happened with that process a little better?
Good to hear from you all.
P.S.: Does anyone here play Vintage? I have two or three brews which I would like to discuss with specifically Dredge, Mentor Control, and/or Oath players, but it has been over five years since I have played in a sanctioned tournament so I would appreciate input on the metagame. Let me know if you would like to talk!
Did a league and went 2-3. Five rounds, five Lurrus Of The Dream-Den decks. Will try to give my best shot at a recap, apologies in advance, I'm not too good at these.
Round 1 - Grixis Lurrus Delver
Their deck was a little interesting. Sprite Dragon along with Delver made for a fast clock, but overall his deck ended up running out of steam pretty fast as long as I didn't let Lurrus stick around. His Mishra's Baubles aren't as impressive if they don't come back every turn. I boarded in my Tormod's Crypts to combat Lurrus and Snapcaster. It felt like a pretty good matchup.
1-0
Round 2 - Jund Lurrus Zoo?
Honestly, this matchup feels really bad. He had a playset of maindeck Nihil Spellbomb AND the playset of Scavenging Ooze, so Emeria and Sun Titan felt pretty weak. I didn't even bother with the Tormod's, which might have been a bad move on my part, but his deck hardly used Lurrus.
1-1
Round 3 - Lurrus Boggles
I like this matchup a lot. Knight Of Autumn was very good here, and Yorion helped a lot too. Only sideboarding I did was bringing in the third Knight Of Autumn.
2-1
Rounds 4 and 5 - Lurrus Prowess
Both of these rounds went about exactly the same, so I'll group them together. I won the first game both times, then lost the next two. Both rounds I found myself hoping to get to six lands so I could overload Winds Of Abandon, but it didn't happen.
2-3
Closing thoughts
-I want to go up to 34 lands from 33. Far too often I found myself crossing my fingers and hoping to draw a land
-Yorion is the truth. Any time I got to cast him he let me just run away with the game.
-Dryad of the Ilysian Grove Grove is very strong, but if I can't draw past my fourth land, he doesn't do too much. I plan to go down to 2 Dryad to add an extra land.
-The green splash is worth it if just for Knight Of Autumn. I'd like to play at least 3 mainboard.
-Stoneforge Mystic is strong, but I wish I could play something else. It doesn't have too much synergy with the deck. I think I'll go down to 3.
-Dovin's Veto felt pretty weak, but I did play against five creature based decks, so it might just be something to do with matchups. Might go down to one? Not really sure.
Well, that's my thoughts at least. As far as Dryad VS Realmwright goes, I think Dryad does far more. Realmwright still asks you to wait till turn 8 to start getting Emeria activations, and isn't useful for much else. Dryad is a good blocker, and he accelerates you a lot. He didn't help me in my worst games this league, but that was because I wasn't drawing lands, not because the dryad itself is weak. Anyways, I look forward to tweaking the list and trying again!
First, how many games did you play in rounds 1,2, and 3? I think one of the most important things for you to share is whether you got pushed to a game 3 in any of these, followed by your impressions of how the post-board games felt. The fact that you lost four post-board games in a row to end the day is a very worrying sign to me, and the first matches might help shed some light on whether this is better or worse than it sounds.
Second, your Dovin's Veto, Flickerwisp, Charming Prince, Knight of Autumn, Sword of Fire and Ice, and Dryad of the Ilysian Grove all lose initiative in attrition games, so I am not surprised that decks with Lurrus of the Dream-Den felt like tough matchups. This is not the end of the world in general, it is just to say that your build seems generally worse against attrition, and is probably a little better against Combo and a lot better against Prison. I assume that this is not the direction that the metagame is trending towards, though, so keep an eye on your local opposition and be prepared to make adjustments.
Third, I agree that Veto is probably not pulling its weight, especially as a two-of in an 80-card deck. The same would go for Dryad if you dropped to two. The change in percentages between one and two copies out of eighty cards is negligible, and by having a chance of drawing one of either against a random opponent you get access to the effect without compromising any more than the minimum necessary. The next best number of a card to run after the maximum of four is a singleton, when you choose your spell suite with no other constraints but access.
Fourth and finally, you definitely need more land. Not only do you have more colour requirements and more fetchlands without access to Crucible of Worlds (which in point of fact you might want to try putting a Ramunap Excavator in for), you have ZERO copies of either The Birth of Meletis or Pilgrim's Eye, and you are running extra pseudo-sixes in Winds of Abandon! I think you need at least 36 land to support just your curve, and likely some other kind of help if you want to keep running the Dryad. If you say it was good for you, I'll believe you, but (just going off of what you mentioned) I will say that there are much better blockers out there in these colours if you want that, and that even in the best of times his "acceleration" leaves you empty-handed and down cards just when you are trying to stabilize. I would rather play Renegade Rallier or oracle of Mul Daya than the Dryad any day of the week, if given the choice - the former two have a chance of actually helping me when I have Mulliganed or topdecked into them, and could get better in the lategame.
Thank you for the breakdown so far, keep up the testing!
Thanks for the report. It's informative on the current situation.
I've been hearing from discussions on another mtg forum that Lurrus is the new Hogaak. Perhaps, let's wait and see where this goes. If the card becomes too widespread, it could end up getting a ban. That's straight up so many Lurrus you played against. Tough, since our board wipes are less effective if they can recur.
Would agree with what Gerant said. Perhaps you could make room for a Pilgrim's Eye or two somewhere in your build? It helps get extra lands needed to activate emeria.
I was speaking about what I described in the sentence just above that one. I wasn't sure of (or that interested in) what had happened, so I assumed you might be a better source for Chantu9Y to go to. Is there/was there ever a Discord?
When it comes to your build, one idea is excellent, one shows promise, and one has reasonable utility in an 80-card build. The first thing is Arcum's Astrolabe as a noncreature target to provide free value with Yorion, Sky Nomad. I had an (untested) build a while ago that provided reliable colour access without running any lands that couldn't become Plains (other than Emeria, the Sky Ruin itself). This is a real advantage, and if you have the slots it makes a lot of sense to supplement Wall of Omens with it. The second thing is Raugrin Triome, which enables splashing later in the game. It is an ETB tapped land, though, and the cycling cost is heavy, so the opportunity cost is quite high and I would strongly advise against relying on a singleton of it for anything other than Kicker costs, activated abilities, or maybe lategame spells (at best in the < 3-mana range) for cards that can still be relevant when you don't have it available (Bant Sojourners, as an example). This is a Control/Attrition shell: uncastable topdecks kill you when you are trying to stabilize. Dragonmaster Outcast is a good card in general, but a bridge too far here, since it can never even be a 1-drop in this shell. Finally, Golos, Tireless Pilgrim is a fair way to get extra access to Emeria with a larger deck size, and his activated ability is exactly the kind of "gravy" that the Triome enables passively.
In almost all other respects, I think you have a deck here that would perform better WITHOUT Emeria, the Sky Ruin in it. You have 8 Planeswalkers, 4 Artifacts, and anywhere from 2 to 11 Creatures that do not immediately synergize well with both stabilization and reanimation if both your and your opponents' boards are clean. Your Emeria triggers will therefore run out more frequently, and sometimes not have targets in the first place, if you try to extend the game. When they do happen, they will sometimes give your opponent time to interact by passing the turn before they gain value, which is virtually unacceptable when trying to turn the corner. Some of your additions are high-value, such as Eternal Witness, but when you start from behind as much as Emeria does as a strategy, you have to look at the fail-case first. The card is a 2/1 blocker on losing boards. This would just barely be fine, if it were not for its requirement of Green mana to cast. Splash colours are already a luxury that can't be relied on during setup, and so the fact that it costs GG by the third turn of the game cuts its utility down by a third to a half of its original worth. How much is a 2/1 Creature going to help on turn 3? I might be willing to risk it. If I have to wait until turn 4, though, the expected value of that small a body decreases dramatically. The ETB trigger does become stronger as the game extends, so I get the appeal, but it just demands too much when its presence can't be relied upon early. My general advice for "power" cards in this strategy applies: a singleton will give you all you need if you are dead-set on the effect - always providing that you have the slots.
The last thing I would say is that your manabase is extremely ambitious. For starters Veil of Summer is a very tall order in the sideboard. Also, without Wall of Omens to blink with Charming Prince or Yorion, Sky Nomad, and with 9 fetchlands (counting Field of Ruin), 33 lands is probably too few by at least 2. On top of that, you are running 14 lands (over a third of your manabase) that cannot produce Snow mana on turn one for your Astrolabes, and 8 of those (just under a quarter of 33) will NEVER produce it no matter what! The number of times you will either have to Mulligan or keep speculative hands relying on Arcum's Astrolabe is far too high even in 7-card scenarios, let alone against potentially disastrous interaction like turn 1 or 2 Inquisition of Kozilek. On top of this, four of these utility lands plus your three non-Plains Basics cannot contribute to your Emeria count, which is a near mathematical guarantee that you will have (base probability at least one and leaning heavily towards two) extra turns of delay before reanimation comes online.
All that being said, if you do choose to go forward with your build I would be very interested to hear how well Knight of Autumn and Thragtusk perform. These seem like the most viable payoffs for the Green splash, and give a lot of utility overall, specifically when combined with Yorion, Sky Nomad. Though I have no experience with them in this shell, I have also been very impressed by the number of useful effects that Gaddock Teeg shuts down when sweepers get sideboarded out, and have heard good things about Sigarda, Host of Herons, Trostani Discordant, and Dragonlord Dromoka in terms of easily-splashable plays that can help stabilize. Remember to keep track of your total number of wins pre- and post-sideboard, as that is a major cost to super-sized decks that is exaggerated by the Companion mechanic taking up an extra slot.
If you guys want, I can get us started on a Discord. I wouldn’t see it replacing this forum, but would be a good resource for smaller discussions and real time chats. And I’m sorry, but I feel like I’m missing something here. I still don’t understand the Yorion hype as I’m trying to think of the scenario where it just wins me the game or increases my odds against unfavorable matchups. If anyone has played with it such as Saint Tobias, can you help me better understand why this would potentially be a preferred build for the future?
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First, how many games did you play in rounds 1,2, and 3? I think one of the most important things for you to share is whether you got pushed to a game 3 in any of these, followed by your impressions of how the post-board games felt. The fact that you lost four post-board games in a row to end the day is a very worrying sign to me, and the first matches might help shed some light on whether this is better or worse than it sounds.
Second, your Dovin's Veto, Flickerwisp, Charming Prince, Knight of Autumn, Sword of Fire and Ice, and Dryad of the Ilysian Grove all lose initiative in attrition games, so I am not surprised that decks with Lurrus of the Dream-Den felt like tough matchups. This is not the end of the world in general, it is just to say that your build seems generally worse against attrition, and is probably a little better against Combo and a lot better against Prison. I assume that this is not the direction that the metagame is trending towards, though, so keep an eye on your local opposition and be prepared to make adjustments.
Third, I agree that Veto is probably not pulling its weight, especially as a two-of in an 80-card deck. The same would go for Dryad if you dropped to two. The change in percentages between one and two copies out of eighty cards is negligible, and by having a chance of drawing one of either against a random opponent you get access to the effect without compromising any more than the minimum necessary. The next best number of a card to run after the maximum of four is a singleton, when you choose your spell suite with no other constraints but access.
Fourth and finally, you definitely need more land. Not only do you have more colour requirements and more fetchlands without access to Crucible of Worlds (which in point of fact you might want to try putting a Ramunap Excavator in for), you have ZERO copies of either The Birth of Meletis or Pilgrim's Eye, and you are running extra pseudo-sixes in Winds of Abandon! I think you need at least 36 land to support just your curve, and likely some other kind of help if you want to keep running the Dryad. If you say it was good for you, I'll believe you, but (just going off of what you mentioned) I will say that there are much better blockers out there in these colours if you want that, and that even in the best of times his "acceleration" leaves you empty-handed and down cards just when you are trying to stabilize. I would rather play Renegade Rallier or oracle of Mul Daya than the Dryad any day of the week, if given the choice - the former two have a chance of actually helping me when I have Mulliganed or topdecked into them, and could get better in the lategame.
Thank you for the breakdown so far, keep up the testing!
Thanks for the input, I'll definitely be making some of those adjustments. The more I think about it, the better Birth Of Meletis seems, so I'll be testing it out first I think.
Thanks for the report. It's informative on the current situation.
I've been hearing from discussions on another mtg forum that Lurrus is the new Hogaak. Perhaps, let's wait and see where this goes. If the card becomes too widespread, it could end up getting a ban. That's straight up so many Lurrus you played against. Tough, since our board wipes are less effective if they can recur.
Would agree with what Gerant said. Perhaps you could make room for a Pilgrim's Eye or two somewhere in your build? It helps get extra lands needed to activate emeria.
Yeah, not sure if Lurrus is broke or just really popular right now, but I'm already tired of seeing it lol
If you guys want, I can get us started on a Discord. I wouldn’t see it replacing this forum, but would be a good resource for smaller discussions and real time chats. And I’m sorry, but I feel like I’m missing something here. I still don’t understand the Yorion hype as I’m trying to think of the scenario where it just wins me the game or increases my odds against unfavorable matchups. If anyone has played with it such as Saint Tobias, can you help me better understand why this would potentially be a preferred build for the future?
Definitely would join a potential Discord! As far as Yorion, there's a few things to keep in mind. First of all, keep in mind that he doesn't just blink your creatures. He can reset your Batterskull and Mortarpod, reset Detention Spheres and even Birth Of Meletis, alongside all of your value creatures. Him being a huge beefy flier is also important, since the only thing we have to combat fliers specifically is our wimpy little 3/1 friend. It's also useful being able to attack with your team then blink them so you don't have to be afraid of the backswing.
The biggest thing is that you ALWAYS have him at the ready. Even if your hand is empty and you have nothing on the battlefeild, you still have access to a huge flier to provide defense. And if you do have things to blink with him, he opens up whole new lines of play that you can always have at your disposal. And the only cost to playing him is.....you have to play more good cards? In all my games playing with him, the 80 card restriction didn't exactly bite me in the ass too much (unless you count my own deckbuilding errors lol). Your deck doesn't get less consistent because so many of the cards we play are already Swiss Army Knives that can do any number of things depending on what we need at any time.
Flickerwisp, Knight Of Autumn, Charming Prince, Detention Sphere, Path To Exile, and Winds Of Abandon all can do lots of different things depending on what we need, so filling the deck with more of these modal cards helps us more than it hurts, in my opinion at least.
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My Decks:
Modern:
(online)Enduring Ideal
(online)BUG
(paper)Mono White Control
Standard:
(paper) Whatever I can throw together
(online) UWR Control
Legacy:
(paper)The Gate
(paper)Dream Halls
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And on another thing. Should I add the creature that forces us to make an 80 card deck as an alternate card choice in the primer?
_________________
@Gerant
that's too hard for me to give an exact answer, as I did not write down what happened in all those games I used the 3-sphere or dovin. For Burn, if I got down the walker or the 3 sphere when I'm still 10 life or above, then my chances of winning go up, better if they don't have an eidolon yet in play. For storm, I need to be on the play against their fast hands, and also holding other kinds of hate like a counter or a halo to name grapeshot - against their slower hands, if I do get down the walker or the 3-sphere, it's gg. And about infect.. this deck is annoying, taxing them helps, but they could still win with a scale up on the blue phyrexian, or a scale up on something made unblockable by distortion strike - removing all their infect creatures and spellskite is still my main goal.
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I am committing to trying out Yorion, and as soon as paper tournaments start again in my area I will do at least two tournament reports with the "expanded" build I posted on page 72. Until then, it is speculative at best and I would not include it in the alternate cards. (As a non-Companion on its own, it seems worse than things like Glimmerpoint Stag and Momentary Blink, so unless you feel such niche cards belong there it is a moot point.)
Back to your list; for Burn, Infect, and Storm, I really think you should run a second Halo over your 3-Sphere, then, and probably even a third over your Dovin. The advantage of being 2 mana is the most important consideration, but the fact that they work well in multiples and can actually lock out topdecks is very relevant as well. Finally, from what you say and the subtleties of your list, I think the card will be the effect you want the most access to early, which you can't enable in any other way than playing more copies. You have very little selection, and few ways to return any of the three options in the lategame, so you should commit hard to having the best effect early in order to reliably back up your proactive plan with Tarmogoyf.
hmm, I do have one more runed halo. Will try replacing the 3-sphere with that. I don't have a third halo, so will have to place an order at my scg cart for that. However, sadly there's no way for me to test.. there is no one to play with because of the virus lockdown. Will be testing once things go back to normal.
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Want to play a UW control deck in modern, but don't have jace or snaps?
Please come visit us at the Emeria Titan control thread
UWAzorius Titan ControlUW
BWOrzhov ControlBW
UWAzorius Titan ControlUW
BWOrzhov ControlBW
First, I am glad the list is starting to work for you. If you have played a lot of Burn decks locally, bumping the number of Lone Missionary tends to have a very high return on investment in the matchup. Not only does it give you an early blocker and a way to punish their self-inflicted Eidolon damage, but the lifegain trigger is substantial enough to stabilize for an extra turn while being cheap enough to go under Skullcrack in the most common early situations. My win percentage against Burn is probably around 20-25% higher when I have drawn Missionaries, across a sample size of several dozen matches. Specifically, if I ever manage to set up a clean Sun Titan trigger on the card, the game will almost inevitably end in my favour (usually very quickly unless I am playing around Deflecting Palm).
When it comes to beating Soulherder, Mortarpod is the key. Keeping one primed is very easy against their 3-drop, and denying them easy value after that becomes trivial once sweepers are factored in. This is a matchup where their ability to play around Settle the Wreckage can hurt a lot, though, so you could consider swapping it for a second Wrath of God if your meta is right for it, or maybe a Winds of Abandon if not. As a general piece of advice that wins many more games than it loses, it is almost never correct to get a Batterskull with Mystic against a manabase beginning with Hallowed Fountain. The 'Pod versus 'Skull decision can sometimes be game-defining, so if I can sequence a Wall of Omens or a tapland on turn 2 against an unknown opponent, I often choose to do that instead of casting Stoneforge Mystic due to the increase in information one extra turn will yield. As a further note, the beatdown plan is often extremely narrow, and the decks you truly need it against frequently start the game with very transparent plays on turn 1 (e.g. Spirebluff Canal + Serum Visions, Mountain + Lava Spike, Scryland, Tolaria West, Tron land, etc.), and Batterskull is otherwise much better to find a little later on.
Next, Zirda has no interaction at all with any Planeswalker I can think of, other than the fact that his Companion requirements will see Loyalty abilities as sufficient for his inclusion. My point about Thraben Inspector is that his presence on its own will invalidate Zirda as a Companion, since he does not actually have a colon in his oracle text. The italicized text about Clue activations does not count, as it is simply a reminder for the mechanic of the token he generates. Zirda also clearly states that activated abilities cannot be reduced below one mana in his text box, if that is what you meant by "play clues for free", and I don't think that reducing clues to 1 from 2 is an attractive enough rate that I would be interested in such a synergy. If I happened to have both cards, I would probably be glad of it, but neither one on its own provides sufficient incentive for me to include the other.
Finally, there is always something to be said for a clean manabase in Control decks, so I have several times begun testing alternatives with an eye towards becoming mono-white, but the blue splash keeps opponents guessing by threatening countermagic, and opens up key sideboard options depending on the metagame. Out of the following five effects, for example, at least three have always felt necessary to me: the Maelstrom Pulse of Detention Sphere against multiples and Tokens, the uncounterability of Supreme Verdict against Flash decks and Tempo, the "fair game" enforcement of Teferi, Time Raveler, the value stack interaction of Glen Elendra Archmage, and the ability to stop cost-cheating mechanics with Lavinia, Azorius Renegade. The most important difference between mono-white and W/u, however, is the only card that white just does not have a substitute for, the only card in the maindeck that requires more Islands than Plains to cast; Court Hussar.
The Hussar is simply irreplaceable, and on its own provides justification for the blue splash. This is due to a combination of its maindeck value (where it guarantees a consistent target for Emeria, the Sky Ruin as the game extends past turn 14, provides redundancy for every desired effect, and splits the difference between being an extra land in a mana-hungry deck versus a threat to put that mana to use in the lategame) and probably more importantly its effect on the sideboard. At 3 mana, it is cheap enough that it is generally safe to tap out for when digging for both singletons or two-ofs while the opposition is still setting up their post-board plans, and it allows your alternate 15 to cover more ground by making space for two or three extra effects that would otherwise face heavy competition from four-ofs. It provides these effects, mind you, as a chump blocker against Aggro that is not dead against Control or Prison, which can set up turn four against "go-wide" swarm strategies or "get big" attrition decks just as easily as it can try to disrupt key permanents because it digs THREE cards deep. Most importantly of all, though, it enables the long game for all of these purposes because it does not invest a card. Some people have tried Champion of Wits as a replacement, and while it offers more power later on, the game often ends before the card loss it represents in the aftermath of a stabilizing Wrath of God can be recouped. Sea Gate Oracle is one of the only reasonable analogues for its effect, and even it represents a huge downgrade in both power and synergy.
Overall, it is my honest opinion that the most viable competitive form of the strategy discussed in this thread has always been based in W/u. That is not to say that mono-white is unplayable, or that it has no redeeming features, because there are certainly legitimate reasons for any of the above arguments being irrelevant in specific contexts. I have particularly appreciated, in the past, being able to slam WWW cards on-curve as almost an afterthought due to a manabase in which every land has the potential to tap for W. On the other hand, the benefits never outweighed the costs of losing access to the single basic Island to set up a pain-free Supreme Verdict on turn four following a Pilgrim's Eye, or other such considerations. If these are eliminated, the whole exercise becomes much more intriguing, and in fact my personal front-runner for a mono-W build is the following:
4 Thraben Inspector
4 Wall of Omens
4 The Birth of Meletis
1 Winds of Abandon
4 Pilgrim's Eye
3 Generous Gift
4 Solemn Simulacrum
2 Cavalier of Dawn
3 Hour of Revelation
14 Plains
2 Mistveil Plains
3 Emeria, The Sky Ruin
4 Field of Ruin
1 Hour of Revelation
1 Stonecloaker
1 Devout Lightcaster
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Kor Firewalker
1 Ghost Quarter
3 Ranger-Captain of Eos
2 Remorseful Cleric
1 Burrenton Forge-Tender
1 Hex Parasite
1 Hope of Ghirapur
1 Kami of False Hope
I have not had time to test it fully, but this build does a reasonable job of replacing the W/u version's flexibility with a higher power level and more redundancy. If Azorius Titan is like a rapier, this is a claymore - slower to begin interacting and less maneuverable plus restricted and inconsistent in its angles of attack, but much more powerful if able to guarantee a clash along the axes it prioritizes. Hour of Revelation has been particularly notable in its synergy with the lands, while absolutely demolishing opponents if ever cast for the discount price. I am also very pleased with the sideboard's usage of Ranger-Captain of Eos, which creates very positive dynamics when the opponent is a known quantity. My current focus is finding ways to explore Brought Back, Selfless Spirit, or Charming Prince in the maindeck. Feel free to try it out and/or weigh in!
personally for me, verdict is enough reason to go blue. Here in my area, having a board wipe against infect and to a certain extent also merfolk decks, that is not countered by spell pierce // force of negation can be the difference between winning and losing. Blue also gives access to spreading seas, allowing my deck to have 8 total cantrips + also mess up Burn. If I'm on the play, a seas on their first land effectively delays their casting of Eidolon by two turns.
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Want to play a UW control deck in modern, but don't have jace or snaps?
Please come visit us at the Emeria Titan control thread
UWAzorius Titan ControlUW
BWOrzhov ControlBW
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2952028#paper
Modern:
(online)Enduring Ideal
(online)BUG
(paper)Mono White Control
Standard:
(paper) Whatever I can throw together
(online) UWR Control
Legacy:
(paper)The Gate
(paper)Dream Halls
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Want to play a UW control deck in modern, but don't have jace or snaps?
Please come visit us at the Emeria Titan control thread
Saint Tobias I have not tried Dryad of the Ilysian Grove, but I briefly entertained Realmwright for a day or two. Seeing as it is on-colour, less fragile by not dying to Wear // Tear, tutorable by relevant effects, and 30% the converted mana cost of the Dryad, I assumed my analysis of it would port cleanly onto the 2/4 Exploration-Creature. Please share your thoughts if your experiences differ, but I felt there was insufficient card advantage to support the effect on the face of it, and the return on investment when it did reach play was limited to turns 7/8/9 (and always left me open to opposing removal to do so). After that, it was simply a redundant creature, and never brought any additional value outside that narrow window, so it got cut. If the effect came with a cantrip or value of some other kind - or best of all if it was found on a land itself - I would be VERY interested, but things have ended there for me right now.
Please let me know how your 80-card build runs, though, and I would love if you could keep careful note of all your wins/losses with it so that we can have some solid numbers to analyze, specifically when it comes to your pre-sideboard versus post-sideboard games. I suspect that this will be where a major trade-off takes place, as one fewer available slot will compound the dilution-based consistency issues inherent to a larger sample size.
Chantu9Y, I think there was talk of starting a Discord when it seemed like this site was in danger of shutting down, but consensus was not really reached before things solidified again.
Fluff, would you be able to explain what happened with that process a little better?
Good to hear from you all.
P.S.: Does anyone here play Vintage? I have two or three brews which I would like to discuss with specifically Dredge, Mentor Control, and/or Oath players, but it has been over five years since I have played in a sanctioned tournament so I would appreciate input on the metagame. Let me know if you would like to talk!
Did a league and went 2-3. Five rounds, five Lurrus Of The Dream-Den decks. Will try to give my best shot at a recap, apologies in advance, I'm not too good at these.
1-0
1-1
2-1
Rounds 4 and 5 - Lurrus Prowess
Both of these rounds went about exactly the same, so I'll group them together. I won the first game both times, then lost the next two. Both rounds I found myself hoping to get to six lands so I could overload Winds Of Abandon, but it didn't happen.
2-3
-I want to go up to 34 lands from 33. Far too often I found myself crossing my fingers and hoping to draw a land
-Yorion is the truth. Any time I got to cast him he let me just run away with the game.
-Dryad of the Ilysian Grove Grove is very strong, but if I can't draw past my fourth land, he doesn't do too much. I plan to go down to 2 Dryad to add an extra land.
-The green splash is worth it if just for Knight Of Autumn. I'd like to play at least 3 mainboard.
-Stoneforge Mystic is strong, but I wish I could play something else. It doesn't have too much synergy with the deck. I think I'll go down to 3.
-Dovin's Veto felt pretty weak, but I did play against five creature based decks, so it might just be something to do with matchups. Might go down to one? Not really sure.
Well, that's my thoughts at least. As far as Dryad VS Realmwright goes, I think Dryad does far more. Realmwright still asks you to wait till turn 8 to start getting Emeria activations, and isn't useful for much else. Dryad is a good blocker, and he accelerates you a lot. He didn't help me in my worst games this league, but that was because I wasn't drawing lands, not because the dryad itself is weak. Anyways, I look forward to tweaking the list and trying again!
Modern:
(online)Enduring Ideal
(online)BUG
(paper)Mono White Control
Standard:
(paper) Whatever I can throw together
(online) UWR Control
Legacy:
(paper)The Gate
(paper)Dream Halls
First, how many games did you play in rounds 1,2, and 3? I think one of the most important things for you to share is whether you got pushed to a game 3 in any of these, followed by your impressions of how the post-board games felt. The fact that you lost four post-board games in a row to end the day is a very worrying sign to me, and the first matches might help shed some light on whether this is better or worse than it sounds.
Second, your Dovin's Veto, Flickerwisp, Charming Prince, Knight of Autumn, Sword of Fire and Ice, and Dryad of the Ilysian Grove all lose initiative in attrition games, so I am not surprised that decks with Lurrus of the Dream-Den felt like tough matchups. This is not the end of the world in general, it is just to say that your build seems generally worse against attrition, and is probably a little better against Combo and a lot better against Prison. I assume that this is not the direction that the metagame is trending towards, though, so keep an eye on your local opposition and be prepared to make adjustments.
Third, I agree that Veto is probably not pulling its weight, especially as a two-of in an 80-card deck. The same would go for Dryad if you dropped to two. The change in percentages between one and two copies out of eighty cards is negligible, and by having a chance of drawing one of either against a random opponent you get access to the effect without compromising any more than the minimum necessary. The next best number of a card to run after the maximum of four is a singleton, when you choose your spell suite with no other constraints but access.
Fourth and finally, you definitely need more land. Not only do you have more colour requirements and more fetchlands without access to Crucible of Worlds (which in point of fact you might want to try putting a Ramunap Excavator in for), you have ZERO copies of either The Birth of Meletis or Pilgrim's Eye, and you are running extra pseudo-sixes in Winds of Abandon! I think you need at least 36 land to support just your curve, and likely some other kind of help if you want to keep running the Dryad. If you say it was good for you, I'll believe you, but (just going off of what you mentioned) I will say that there are much better blockers out there in these colours if you want that, and that even in the best of times his "acceleration" leaves you empty-handed and down cards just when you are trying to stabilize. I would rather play Renegade Rallier or oracle of Mul Daya than the Dryad any day of the week, if given the choice - the former two have a chance of actually helping me when I have Mulliganed or topdecked into them, and could get better in the lategame.
Thank you for the breakdown so far, keep up the testing!
huh? Sorry, what do you mean process?
@Saint Tobias
Thanks for the report. It's informative on the current situation.
I've been hearing from discussions on another mtg forum that Lurrus is the new Hogaak. Perhaps, let's wait and see where this goes. If the card becomes too widespread, it could end up getting a ban. That's straight up so many Lurrus you played against. Tough, since our board wipes are less effective if they can recur.
Would agree with what Gerant said. Perhaps you could make room for a Pilgrim's Eye or two somewhere in your build? It helps get extra lands needed to activate emeria.
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Want to play a UW control deck in modern, but don't have jace or snaps?
Please come visit us at the Emeria Titan control thread
I was speaking about what I described in the sentence just above that one. I wasn't sure of (or that interested in) what had happened, so I assumed you might be a better source for Chantu9Y to go to. Is there/was there ever a Discord?
well, you guys can make a discord if you want to.
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Want to play a UW control deck in modern, but don't have jace or snaps?
Please come visit us at the Emeria Titan control thread
Is Yorion will change our point of view with Emeria Titan and try a arrogant multicolor build ?
Personnaly i think there is a big big potential with it.
I try this brew, let me know what do you think about it :
4 Arcum's Astrolabe
Instants = 5
4 Path to Exile
1 Settle the Wreckage
Sorcery = 5
2 Winds of Abandon
3 Supreme Verdict
Planeswalker = 8
3 Teferi, Time Raveler
2 Elspeth, Sun's Nemesis
2 Serra the Benevolent
1 Elspeth Tirel
Creatures = 25
1 Kami of False Hope
1 Dragonmaster Outcast
3 Thraben Inspector
4 Charming Prince
3 Ranger-Captain of Eos
3 Knight of Autumn
3 Eternal Witness
2 Thragtusk
1 Yorion, Sky Nomad
1 Golos, Tireless Pilgrim
3 Sun Titan
3 Emeria, the Sky Ruin
2 Windswept Heath
2 Flooded Strand
2 Prismatic Vista
3 Field of Ruin
1 Raugrin Triome
2 Temple Garden
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Prairie Stream
1 Canopy Vista
7 Snow-Covered Plains
2 Snow-Covered Forest
1 Snow-Covered Island
1 Mistveil Plains
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Blast Zone
1 Slayers' Stronghold
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Yorion, Sky Nomad
3 Lavinia, Azorius Renegade
2 Celestial Purge
4 Veil of Summer
2 Rest in Peace
3 Stony Silence
TURN 5 YORION !
Dont laught, it works !!
Emeria will survive the modern !!!
<3
When it comes to your build, one idea is excellent, one shows promise, and one has reasonable utility in an 80-card build. The first thing is Arcum's Astrolabe as a noncreature target to provide free value with Yorion, Sky Nomad. I had an (untested) build a while ago that provided reliable colour access without running any lands that couldn't become Plains (other than Emeria, the Sky Ruin itself). This is a real advantage, and if you have the slots it makes a lot of sense to supplement Wall of Omens with it. The second thing is Raugrin Triome, which enables splashing later in the game. It is an ETB tapped land, though, and the cycling cost is heavy, so the opportunity cost is quite high and I would strongly advise against relying on a singleton of it for anything other than Kicker costs, activated abilities, or maybe lategame spells (at best in the < 3-mana range) for cards that can still be relevant when you don't have it available (Bant Sojourners, as an example). This is a Control/Attrition shell: uncastable topdecks kill you when you are trying to stabilize. Dragonmaster Outcast is a good card in general, but a bridge too far here, since it can never even be a 1-drop in this shell. Finally, Golos, Tireless Pilgrim is a fair way to get extra access to Emeria with a larger deck size, and his activated ability is exactly the kind of "gravy" that the Triome enables passively.
In almost all other respects, I think you have a deck here that would perform better WITHOUT Emeria, the Sky Ruin in it. You have 8 Planeswalkers, 4 Artifacts, and anywhere from 2 to 11 Creatures that do not immediately synergize well with both stabilization and reanimation if both your and your opponents' boards are clean. Your Emeria triggers will therefore run out more frequently, and sometimes not have targets in the first place, if you try to extend the game. When they do happen, they will sometimes give your opponent time to interact by passing the turn before they gain value, which is virtually unacceptable when trying to turn the corner. Some of your additions are high-value, such as Eternal Witness, but when you start from behind as much as Emeria does as a strategy, you have to look at the fail-case first. The card is a 2/1 blocker on losing boards. This would just barely be fine, if it were not for its requirement of Green mana to cast. Splash colours are already a luxury that can't be relied on during setup, and so the fact that it costs GG by the third turn of the game cuts its utility down by a third to a half of its original worth. How much is a 2/1 Creature going to help on turn 3? I might be willing to risk it. If I have to wait until turn 4, though, the expected value of that small a body decreases dramatically. The ETB trigger does become stronger as the game extends, so I get the appeal, but it just demands too much when its presence can't be relied upon early. My general advice for "power" cards in this strategy applies: a singleton will give you all you need if you are dead-set on the effect - always providing that you have the slots.
The last thing I would say is that your manabase is extremely ambitious. For starters Veil of Summer is a very tall order in the sideboard. Also, without Wall of Omens to blink with Charming Prince or Yorion, Sky Nomad, and with 9 fetchlands (counting Field of Ruin), 33 lands is probably too few by at least 2. On top of that, you are running 14 lands (over a third of your manabase) that cannot produce Snow mana on turn one for your Astrolabes, and 8 of those (just under a quarter of 33) will NEVER produce it no matter what! The number of times you will either have to Mulligan or keep speculative hands relying on Arcum's Astrolabe is far too high even in 7-card scenarios, let alone against potentially disastrous interaction like turn 1 or 2 Inquisition of Kozilek. On top of this, four of these utility lands plus your three non-Plains Basics cannot contribute to your Emeria count, which is a near mathematical guarantee that you will have (base probability at least one and leaning heavily towards two) extra turns of delay before reanimation comes online.
All that being said, if you do choose to go forward with your build I would be very interested to hear how well Knight of Autumn and Thragtusk perform. These seem like the most viable payoffs for the Green splash, and give a lot of utility overall, specifically when combined with Yorion, Sky Nomad. Though I have no experience with them in this shell, I have also been very impressed by the number of useful effects that Gaddock Teeg shuts down when sweepers get sideboarded out, and have heard good things about Sigarda, Host of Herons, Trostani Discordant, and Dragonlord Dromoka in terms of easily-splashable plays that can help stabilize. Remember to keep track of your total number of wins pre- and post-sideboard, as that is a major cost to super-sized decks that is exaggerated by the Companion mechanic taking up an extra slot.
Best of luck!
UWAzorius Titan ControlUW
BWOrzhov ControlBW
Thanks for the input, I'll definitely be making some of those adjustments. The more I think about it, the better Birth Of Meletis seems, so I'll be testing it out first I think.
Yeah, not sure if Lurrus is broke or just really popular right now, but I'm already tired of seeing it lol
Definitely would join a potential Discord! As far as Yorion, there's a few things to keep in mind. First of all, keep in mind that he doesn't just blink your creatures. He can reset your Batterskull and Mortarpod, reset Detention Spheres and even Birth Of Meletis, alongside all of your value creatures. Him being a huge beefy flier is also important, since the only thing we have to combat fliers specifically is our wimpy little 3/1 friend. It's also useful being able to attack with your team then blink them so you don't have to be afraid of the backswing.
The biggest thing is that you ALWAYS have him at the ready. Even if your hand is empty and you have nothing on the battlefeild, you still have access to a huge flier to provide defense. And if you do have things to blink with him, he opens up whole new lines of play that you can always have at your disposal. And the only cost to playing him is.....you have to play more good cards? In all my games playing with him, the 80 card restriction didn't exactly bite me in the ass too much (unless you count my own deckbuilding errors lol). Your deck doesn't get less consistent because so many of the cards we play are already Swiss Army Knives that can do any number of things depending on what we need at any time.
Flickerwisp, Knight Of Autumn, Charming Prince, Detention Sphere, Path To Exile, and Winds Of Abandon all can do lots of different things depending on what we need, so filling the deck with more of these modal cards helps us more than it hurts, in my opinion at least.
Modern:
(online)Enduring Ideal
(online)BUG
(paper)Mono White Control
Standard:
(paper) Whatever I can throw together
(online) UWR Control
Legacy:
(paper)The Gate
(paper)Dream Halls