Hey folks. I'm going to my first big modern event in a long, long time this coming weekend, and I put together a list based on a combination of what I've seen works. I just want to make sure it's solid, and am currently nitpicking card choices here and there. My current conundrum is the Grafdigger's Cage in the sideboard. I was really hyped up about using Nihil's Spellbomb, but from what I've seen thanks to Bloodbraid Elf most matches that we'd use Spellbomb we're actually favored now. I'd appreciate any thoughts. Thanks
Looks solid. What I think you can reconsider is the Thrun (does it really warrant a precious SB slot? Control decks became so much better with BBE) and the second Grudge (Mainly depends on your expectation for Affinity and Lantern).
As for Spellbomb, its still the most versatile GY hate card we have. I would probably run 1-2 while including 1-2 Cage. Both cards combined should be 3 IMO.
Can't believe we've reached the point where people are cutting Abrupt Decay entirely from their decks. In theory it should be the perfect answer card for Modern, but because of the broken delve mechanic...
Yeah, its has become more often an awkward card now. I am not sure if its right to cut it entirely, as its a good card for an open meta in theory, just like you said.
I have harder time to believe this is right. Every time I'm thinking about this I got paired with deck Abrupt Decay is good against. It's the worst creature removal we have but it's otherwise a very versatile card. With Bogles becoming more popular Decay seems very reasonable but even without it I like the card.
I am with you on the versatility. In a wide open meta like now this should be great. And it is great against Bogles e.g. But it is also one of the cards that get boarded out a fair amount of times.
Currently 2-2. Lost round 1 and 2 to RB Hollow One (0-2, he drew amazing both games) and Bogles (1-2.) I won round 3 and 4 against a weird dredge/emerge deck (2-0) and Jund (2-0.)
Can't believe we've reached the point where people are cutting Abrupt Decay entirely from their decks. In theory it should be the perfect answer card for Modern, but because of the broken delve mechanic...
It's a good card, but it misses too much. I remember the days where it was a 4 of. It just feels these days that between 4 mana creatures/planeswalkers, Tron cards, Delve guys, and so on that going too deep on it is a mistake. I have been considering some number in place of Terminates in a 2 Forest build, but even that ends up feeling wrong.
I'd never play less than 3 Scavenging Ooze though.
Jadine said Liliana's Defeat is for the mirror primarily. However, I am not a fan. Gurmag from Hollow One is obviously also a target, but I would not expect many Tasigurs going onward. Grixis DS will be worse now.
BTW we got a Jund undeafeted at 7-0 atm at Dallas, playing right now against Affinity, which should be easy.
I scrubbed out at 4-4. I kinda stopped caring at 3 losses and made a HORRIBLE misplay in round 8 to lose it, but I'll write a more detailed-ish reported tomorrow.
Going to try again in the classic tomorrow. Does anyone have jadines or connets list?
Great that it works for him, as he is undefeated, but I dont like imitating an aggro deck that way.
One thing I found strange was in round 8 against an Affinity player. There was signal pest, thopter, ravager on the bf, and the affinity player cast champion as his last card. No manlands where there, only 2 drums, 1 mountain and 1 darksteel. Instead of firing up KCommand in response to champion he let it resolve and KCommanded anyway as the affinity player went to combat with pest and ravager, from which point he was able to put all counters on the champion.
Maindeck are no changes atm, but I replaced Anger with EE, to hedge against Bogles and also can help for any nonland permanent in the range of CMC 0-3. Its kinda a support for the missing Decay maindeck. Charm is a card I always like, but always felt to be too weak to run maindeck. However, among all Charms, I think this is the strongest one we have. Would never consider other Charms. Again, Golgari Charm helps with Bogles and against Leyline in general, while being a mini sweeper which I am a bit low now since I cut Anger (EE can be a sweeper of course, but not that reliably like Anger) so Charm should help against that. I am not sure I want Charm for UWx Control though.
What I might consider, if the manabase works to my liking (which I am still sceptical about, I am nowhere sold on 24 lands) is to replace 1 Push with a Abrupt Decay again, for more flexibility. I'll see if I miss it or not.
Observations from the current Grixis DS vs. Jund feature match (GP Madrid):
Its game 2 and commentators keep mentioning TBR from Grixis DS as an insta win possibility.
The Jund player looks at his SB for a second and I see BBE there => boarded at least 1 copy out.
Surgical Extraction from the Jund player against Grixis DS (attrition based matchup) and he topdecked it as a devastatingly dead topdeck.
Unrelated but still wanted to mention it: Saw 2 Glorybringer in the SB from Jund.
So, the Jund player lost. I wanted to highlight this for all players watching this (since feature matches can be biasing concerning correct plays) to prevent people doing similar mistakes. To reiterate: BBE is the reason we have a good matchup against Grixis DS now, don't board it out. Surgical is a combo hate, not a card you should be bringing in against attrition based matchups. Topdecks like those are almost 90 % of the time dead draws, and are not affecting the board. And TBR is a card the Grixis DS player boards out against Jund, so dont expect it in games 2 and 3.
Jund creatures lack flying or reach and there's a number of flyers in the format that can be key (Celestial colonnade, Inkmoth nexus, Lingering soul tokens) at killing us or Liliana. Is there a specific antiflyer option that could be better than standard removal? Which would be your favorite card or strategy against midrange decks that could feature a significant portion of flyers?
Jund creatures lack flying or reach and there's a number of flyers in the format that can be key (Celestial colonnade, Inkmoth nexus, Lingering soul tokens) at killing us or Liliana. Is there a specific antiflyer option that could be better than standard removal? Which would be your favorite card or strategy against midrange decks that could feature a significant portion of flyers?
I did play Ishkanah, Grafwidow to some success against Souls, it was great. But I would not really play it atm, there are way better options to attack flying threats. Removal is really the best option we have for them. Do you have problems with flyers in general? Against which in particular?
Looks solid. What I think you can reconsider is the Thrun (does it really warrant a precious SB slot? Control decks became so much better with BBE) and the second Grudge (Mainly depends on your expectation for Affinity and Lantern).
As for Spellbomb, its still the most versatile GY hate card we have. I would probably run 1-2 while including 1-2 Cage. Both cards combined should be 3 IMO.
I am with you on the versatility. In a wide open meta like now this should be great. And it is great against Bogles e.g. But it is also one of the cards that get boarded out a fair amount of times.
Modern
UWGB 4c Snow Control BGWU
It's a good card, but it misses too much. I remember the days where it was a 4 of. It just feels these days that between 4 mana creatures/planeswalkers, Tron cards, Delve guys, and so on that going too deep on it is a mistake. I have been considering some number in place of Terminates in a 2 Forest build, but even that ends up feeling wrong.
Is SCG modern open a good indication of the metagame? Jarine is playing 2 Decay and no terminate..
TappedOut
Would love to have more input to improve!
Well, you know what Decay does and what Terminate does, I think its a small concession to Bogles.
Jadine said Liliana's Defeat is for the mirror primarily. However, I am not a fan. Gurmag from Hollow One is obviously also a target, but I would not expect many Tasigurs going onward. Grixis DS will be worse now.
BTW we got a Jund undeafeted at 7-0 atm at Dallas, playing right now against Affinity, which should be easy.
Going to try again in the classic tomorrow. Does anyone have jadines or connets list?
Modern
UWGB 4c Snow Control BGWU
Jadine's list: http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=119403
A few too many concessions to Bogles in my opinion, but she is a master!
How about connett?
Modern
UWGB 4c Snow Control BGWU
One thing I found strange was in round 8 against an Affinity player. There was signal pest, thopter, ravager on the bf, and the affinity player cast champion as his last card. No manlands where there, only 2 drums, 1 mountain and 1 darksteel. Instead of firing up KCommand in response to champion he let it resolve and KCommanded anyway as the affinity player went to combat with pest and ravager, from which point he was able to put all counters on the champion.
4 Verdant Catacombs
3 Bloodstained Mire
1 Wooded Foothills
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
3 Raging Ravine
2 Overgrown Tomb
1 Blood Crypt
1 Stomping Ground
1 Twilight Mire
2 Swamp
2 Forest
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Dark Confidant
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Bloodbraid Elf
Noncreature Spells [22]
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Fatal Push
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Thoughtseize
2 Terminate
2 Kolaghan's Command
2 Maelstrom Pulse
4 Liliana of the Veil
3 Fulminator Mage
2 Collective Brutality
2 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Kitchen Finks
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Golgari Charm
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Liliana, the Last Hope
1 Grim Lavamancer
Maindeck are no changes atm, but I replaced Anger with EE, to hedge against Bogles and also can help for any nonland permanent in the range of CMC 0-3. Its kinda a support for the missing Decay maindeck. Charm is a card I always like, but always felt to be too weak to run maindeck. However, among all Charms, I think this is the strongest one we have. Would never consider other Charms. Again, Golgari Charm helps with Bogles and against Leyline in general, while being a mini sweeper which I am a bit low now since I cut Anger (EE can be a sweeper of course, but not that reliably like Anger) so Charm should help against that. I am not sure I want Charm for UWx Control though.
What I might consider, if the manabase works to my liking (which I am still sceptical about, I am nowhere sold on 24 lands) is to replace 1 Push with a Abrupt Decay again, for more flexibility. I'll see if I miss it or not.
So, the Jund player lost. I wanted to highlight this for all players watching this (since feature matches can be biasing concerning correct plays) to prevent people doing similar mistakes. To reiterate: BBE is the reason we have a good matchup against Grixis DS now, don't board it out. Surgical is a combo hate, not a card you should be bringing in against attrition based matchups. Topdecks like those are almost 90 % of the time dead draws, and are not affecting the board. And TBR is a card the Grixis DS player boards out against Jund, so dont expect it in games 2 and 3.
She said she's not as high on K-Command as everyone else.
She's on 0x Ancient Grudges, which is a good meta call, I think for the first few tournaments players will be off the deck
She is firmly for 25 lands
She cut terminate so that her deck is only dependent on red for BBE and bolt
3x Treetop because it works well against Jund mirrors? Treetop is good, and the man-lands mean you have something to do
I did play Ishkanah, Grafwidow to some success against Souls, it was great. But I would not really play it atm, there are way better options to attack flying threats. Removal is really the best option we have for them. Do you have problems with flyers in general? Against which in particular?
BRGJUNDGRB---BRHOLLOW ONERB---BGELVESGB---BRGLIVING ENDGRB---GWBOGLESWG
EDH:
BRGKARRTHUS, TYRANT OF JUNDGRB
Wonder how his mana felt and how much Bob hurt him all throughout. Still, can't argue with results.
https://magic.wizards.com/en/events/coverage/gpmad18/top-4-decklists-grand-prix-madrid-2018-2018-03-11
Hey thanks, man!
BRGJUNDGRB---BRHOLLOW ONERB---BGELVESGB---BRGLIVING ENDGRB---GWBOGLESWG
EDH:
BRGKARRTHUS, TYRANT OF JUNDGRB