Urza's Mine/Urza's Tower/Urza's Power Plant - 4 of Each - These are the namesake of the deck, the Tron lands, without these there would be no deck. Instant 4 of, if you run less you are doing it wrong.
Grove of the Burnwillows - 4 - This is the best suited land for the deck. First of all, it allows the colorless mana if that is all that's needed, and taps for R or G at only the cost of 1 life gain to your opponent. Why choose this over Karplusan Forest? While the forest is a lot cheaper if you're running budget, it deals you damage, which can lose you the game. You don't really care what your opponent's life is at, if you get the combo out you need you basically win. While you're getting that combo out you will be taking damage and if you're playing Jund or Affinity that might be A LOT of damage, and that 1 damage the forest dealt you might even lose you the game. The same idea goes for Stomping Ground; if you need the mana right away it is going to cost you 2 life which can lose you the game.
Eye of Ugin - 1 - This is one of the pieces of the deck that makes your comboing into Emrakul so much easier. First of all, it makes your Emrakul, the Aeons Torn or any other Eldrazi you might run 2 mana cheaper, which is a bonus. But the main feature about this land is the fact the it can tutor for a colorless creature, be it Emrakul or Wurmcoil Engine, for the deck's favorite number of mana, (7 the number all three Urza lands make when you have them out) which can either save you in a game or win you the game. It is also easily tutorable by our 12 land tutors in the deck.
Land Tutors:
Expedition Map - 4 - This is a colorless land tutor, which you can drop turn one and turn two crack, no matter what color of mana you have. Compared to the other two land tutors which require green, this one is probably the most consistent out of the 3.
Ancient Stirrings - 4 - Now out of all 3 lands tutors this one is probably the worst in ways of tutoring for a specific land. But what it lacks for in that it sure makes up for in straight up awesomeness. This not only allows you to grab a land (lands are officially colorless according to MTG rules), but it allows you to grab any colorless card from the top 5 cards of you deck, whether it's a timely Wurmcoil Engine, or the Emrakul, the Aeons Torn you needed to finish the game, or Karn Liberated to inflict some pain on your opponent, or the Expedition Map you need to finish Tron, or even just for some mana fixing in the Chromatics, this card offers so much flexibility.
Creatures:
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn - 1 - The big daddy himself. He is the single most devastating creature in Modern. Let's break him down, first of all the downside 15 MANA! Now that would normally be improbable in competitive magic, but for a deck where the lands spit out 2/3 each it is not hard at all. Now all we have left is the awesomeness of Emrakul: he cannot be countered, if you play him he automatically sticks! When you cast him, you get an extra turn, so you can turn his annihilating guns at an opponent the turn after with annihilator 6 (for those who don't know, annihilator is an ability that activates when you declare your attack, once you have declared that you are attacking your opponent they have to sacrifice the number of permanents equal to the annihilator amount, in Emakrul's case 6). We got to keep going, he also has Flying, and protection from colored spells, let's just say the amount of evasion he has is through the roof. Finally when he hits the graveyard he is shuffled back into your deck with your whole graveyard (don't worry he won't hit it very often). When this guy hits the table 99% of the time you win. It's that simple.
Wurmcoil Engine - 1 to 4 - This guy is the beater of the deck. He is a beast of a monster that just won't die. He is run in any number of possibilities, that being 1 to 4 of, depending on if you’re playing the mindslaver package (see top draft picks) or not. Regardless, let’s break him down. He has lifelink and deathtouch which allow him to gain you much needed life after taking a beating, and stop any attacker with his deathtouch. Not only that but when he goes to the graveyard from the battlefield (dying, or sacrificing) he comes back in the form of 2 3/3 wurm tokens one with lifelink and one with deathtouch. His only downside is he is susceptible to exile effects such as path to exile.
Other Cards:
Karn Liberated - 4 - Don't get confused by him being in the other cards, he is one of the staples of the deck. This deck is sometimes called Karn Tron for that reason. He is the power house of the deck outside of Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, his cost is the perfect amount of mana (7), so you can drop him turn 3, and start wrecking your opponent. Let’s break him down, his +4 ability is a control's deck worse nightmare, discard, awww you were holding onto that counter? TO BAD! His -3 ability is the single best ability in magic, exile any permanent. And his -14 (which is easy to get) can be very useful, let’s say you’re stuck and can't get the last mana to summon the Emrakul you have in your hand, but your Karn is getting close to 14, why not exile Emrakul using his +4 (targeting yourself), then next turn use the -14, according to magic rules, when the new game starts, you go first and since you start with the Emrakul in the game, you can attack your first turn with him. Talk about game over...
Chromatic Sphere/Chromatic Star - 4 of each - These are commonly referred to as eggs (I don't quite know why). In a deck that runs allot of colorless mana, finding a G or R can be sometimes difficult. These solves the problem, they are almost like a Manamorphose on a stick, yes it cost 2 to get your mana and only generates one but those 2 mana are colorless, and can be spent over 2 turns. These also allow you to draw into the combo pieces you are missing, or draw the answer you needed for the game state. And generate the mana you need to fetch your missing land with Sylvan Scrying, or pop the board with Pyroclasm. Overall these put in work, and are a must have in R/G Tron.
Now that we have covered the main core of every R/G Tron (Karn) deck, we need to cover the rest of the options which is what varies. With the above cards we have a total of 43 - 46 cards (depending on how many Wurmcoil Engines you run). The following cards are the common ones that fill the 17 - 14 spots left.
Mindslaver Package:
The mind slaver package usually includes the following:
Now those are generally the numbers most decks run, if they run the package. To break it down, the reason why you would run this is a win condition to lock your opponent out of the game. How it works is you get Tron online with 6 additional mana, a Academy Ruins and usually a Prophetic Prism or Talisman of Impulse for the blue source needed. First you play and crack Mindslaver, which cost 10 mana, you now control the player's next turn, you get to see their hand, draw their cards, tap their mana, play their spells, choose to attack or not, it's basically your turn again, with their cards. Make sure you leave them with no mana or answer in their hand, now on their end step, or on your untap step, you tap your Academy Ruins using the prism or talisman as the blue source with a mana, putting the Mindslaver back on the top of your deck, and rinse and repeat the process. Eventually decking them (if they don't scoop, and you have no threat on the board). One final note, for consistency I generally go for the 4 Mindslaver or none theory.
First Round Picks:
(These are the most often chose cards to accompany the starting line)
Pyroclasm - This card should almost go in the starting line. Almost all R/G Tron decks run this as a 4 of. It is the best aggro control the deck has. With a meta that is so quick in Modern (Tron, Affinity, Soul Sisters) most creatures hitting the board have a toughness of 2 or less, this card takes care of those creatures. It shuts down so many decks, and keeps you alive. Please consider this as a staple in the deck.
Relic of Progenitus - This card hoses Jund, and any deck dependent on the graveyard. It also gives you the added bonus of drawing a card. Most decks run 2 - 4 of in the main board, with additional ones in the side. It just busts a huge hole in the meta, and increase the win % of this deck through the roof. Please also consider this a staple.
Oblivion Stone - This is a great control card for this deck, it basically clears the board except for lands. Since it takes 8 mana it can sometimes cause a problem with only Tron out, but it gives you the option of spacing it out, paying 3 to cast, and 5 to activate, even allowing you to save a Karn Liberated or Wurmcoil Engine if you only have the 7 mana compared to the 8. This card is usually run in all Karn decks as a 1 - 3 of.
Explore - This card is one of the most talked about options for the deck. Some say it's a must have that lets you pump out turn 2 Tron, others says it's a dead draw late game. Basically what it does is it allows you to possibly play a turn 2 Tron, also drawing you a card. The argument against it is usually after turn 4 you should only have 1 land in your hand, so after turns 4 it turn into 2 mana for drawing 1 card, which isn't horrible but still not that great. Decks the runs this usually run 2.
Basic Lands Forest/Island/Mountain - Because of effects like Path to Exile and Ghost Quarter, it is usually accepted to run 1 - 2 basic lands. In a normal build they are Forests, to help with the tutors, but if you’re running the Mindslaver Package you might want to think about Islands. It also lets you get your land count up, which generally is at 20 in the R/G Tron build.
Ghost Quarter/Tectonic Edge - These cards are usually found as a 1 of if run. These cards are versatile, they can tap for the one normal mana. Or allow you land destruction in those mirror matches, or to destroy the pesky Raging Ravine that keeps hitting you. They also allow you to get your land count up to 20 with 2 basic lands, with the lands discussed in the starting line.
Prophetic Prism - This card is also run without the Mindslaver package, as a permanent mana fixing option. Usually run as a 2 of.
Final Round Picks:
(These are the cards not as often chose, but still play a huge role in R/G Tron)
Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre - This guy is another beat stick, an Eldrazi as they are formerly known. He is run because a lot of times, you cannot get the mana for Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, and Ulamog, is a great option when you can't get Emrakul out. Although not as good as Emrakul, he is still far from crappy, when he hits the battlefield you Vindicate, then he is indestructible, only one of the best abilities ever printed. Finally he has a annihilating gun for himself, although it is only annihilator 4, it will still put a dent (by a dent I mean a huge gaping hole) in your opponents deck. He is also tutorable with Ancient Stirrings and Eye of Ugin, overall he is a very good option. Decks that run this guy usually only run 1 of him similar to Emrakul.
Spellskite - Normally a sideboard card, there is fair amount of lists running him mainboard. He is run for the same reason Relic of Progenitus is run mainboard, and that is for the meta. Since Spellskite busts so many deck open, he is sometimes valuable to game 1, compared to just 2 and 3. He works by allowing you to turn the target of affects, and abilities to him, instead of the first intended target, such as buff spells for infect, of untap effects for twin, allowing you to pay mana or 2 life, so you will never be mana screwed for this effect. Also having a decent blocker to stop most aggro decks doesn't harm at all. Overall this card is an amazing answer to allot of things. When it is run he is usually run as a 2 of.
Mindslaver - Aside from the Mindslaver package we do see this guy once in a while as a 1 or 2 of in the deck. I would advise against running him without the package, but others found him useful. It can completely throw your opponent off, especially if they are running combo such as Twin. It is also tutorable with Ancient Stirrings, it is an OK card as an option for control. It really runs down to what you are looking for from the deck.
All is Dust - This card is another one that is talked about a lot and why most people run Oblivion Stone over it, when this is 1 mana cheaper. With Affinity being such a big part of the Modern meta, this can prove very detrimental to you. It does take out indestructible spells, by making their owners sacrifice them (indestructibility does not protect the creature from sacrificing), which oblivion stone does not, which is why it earns a spot in some decks. It is usually only run as a 1 of though.
Batterskull - This card is normally found sometimes in the sideboard. The reasons you would main deck it is if 4 Wurmcoil Engine is not enough, and are still getting run over by aggro decks. Personally I run three in my mainboard. This is a monster of a card, when it comes into play, it comes with a 0/0 Black Germ token equipped to it, so you get a 4/4 lifelink creature with vigilance for 5 which is nuts. You can then also equip this to a creature for 5 (causing the germ to die, if it hasn't already), allowing you use after the germ is gone. You can also return it to you hand for 3 and replay it to get the germ back again. This allows it to be very resilient to destroy effects as long as you have the mana available. Overall this is a great card, it is not tutorable with Eye of Ugin which is the downside of the card. Just test the meta where you live, this might be a viable option for you.
Karplusan Forest - This is usually a budget replacement for Grove of the Burnwillows, please see the explanation of Grove in the starting line as to why you should just go with the Grove. We do see some lists that run this in addition to 4 Groves instead of the basic lands. It is usually run as a 2 of. Really it comes down to a judgment call, if your deck needs the R as well as the G that the forest makes, this might be an option for you.
Free Agents:
(These cards aren't normally featured in the R/G Tron deck, but offer a great twist to the deck)
Tooth and Nail - If you are looking to put your own twist on the deck, this might be an option for you. This card allows you to tutor 2 creatures from you deck and put them into play, if you pay it’s entwine cost, the total cost being 7GG, is a huge cost, but a deck like Tron can handle it. The 2 options are usually Emrakul, the Aeons Torn and a creature that gives Emrakul haste such as Flame-Kin Zealot. This card can allow you the win out of nowhere, and most people will not expect that out of a Tron deck.
The following are some examples of current deck lists. Please note these don't have to restrict your options when making a deck, but should be used as a guideline.
The Standard R/G Tron Deck
by Alex321 MTGO Modern Premier 1st Places Source
In this section we will cover various aspects of how to play the deck. We have discussed allot of the strategy already in the card selection sections, so as to not be redundant, please read them over again. If you have any question about the deck, that is not covered here, feel free to ask in a reply below, as it is hard to cover 100% of the deck, without turning it into a 10 pages essay.
The Deck's Main Goals (In Order of Importance):
1. Assemble Tron
2. Control the Board
3. Play Threats
4. Win
1. Assemble Tron:
This is the name sake of the deck, without being able to assemble the 3 lands, Urza's Mine/Urza's Tower/Urza's Power PlantUrza's Mine/Urza's Tower/Urza's Power Plant, we will be sitting ducks, not being able to play most of our threats. One of the most important steps to assembling Tron is your opening hand. Let's go through what a good opening hand is and is not.
Knowing when to mull is important. If your opener doesn't have at least 1 Tron piece and a Map/Scrying, most of the time you should mull.
If your hand has several Ancient Stirrings, but only 1 (or 0) Tron pieces, mull. It's a trap. While Stirrings is great, if used wrong it can put a bunch of Tutors and pieces you need on the bottom.
If your hand has a crap ton of Chromatics and a single Tron piece, it can sometimes be worth keeping, but it's risky.
Your ideal start is either Tron in hand (obvious), T1 piece/map into T2 piece/use map into T3 Tron, or T1 piece/Chromatic into T2 piece/use Chromatic and Scrying into T3 Tron. I'd say the Map route is better because it's less likely to be countered.
It is also good to mention, depending on what deck you are playing, you might want a board wipe (Pyroclasm, Oblivion Stone) in hand.
After we assemble Tron, if we have any land tutors left, or draw into any. It is sometimes beneficial to hold onto them, in case of a targeted land destruction (I would say hold onto one max).
2. Control the Board:
Controlling the board means, getting rid of any threat to your loosing of the game. As long as our life total is not 3 or lower, we usually are focusing on Tron, but if we start getting in the red zone, we should be looking at how to control the board. Always try to think 1 or 2 turns ahead. Because of the fast meta in Modern play right now, we are going to have to sometimes control the board before setting up Tron. Which might mean pushing the complete Tron back a turn. This deck has a couple options for controlling the board.
Pyroclasm is your best friend for controlling the board, which is why it is suggested to run them main board, hopefully you can play this while getting Tron online, if not it might be beneficial to play a Grove of the Burnwillows before setting up Tron. This is a great card because of the many aggro decks the beast out on turn 2 or 3.
Karn Liberated is the ideal turn 3 drop for the deck, after assembling Tron. This guy is a beater, if you have Tron online and this guy in your hand and don't play him, you are playing wrong. He can hose any permanent, or shut down combos with discard. He is the option for board control.
Oblivion Stone this card is another great option for board control, allot of time there is going to be more than one threat, and while it’s said to say, Karn might be too slow, well this card is your best friend, it will pop the board. Allowing you to take control with next turn Karn Liberated or Wurmcoil Engine. It also gives you the bonus of being able to space it out over 2 turns if you don't have the 8 available.
Relic of Progenitus this is another great card for control, which is why it is suggested to run them mainboard. With so many deck relying on their graveyard for power, this card shuts them down, playing one alone will cause those decks to slow down and think, giving you the advantage.
Wurmcoil Engine doubling as a threat this guy can give you huge board presence, bring your life total up, and act as a blocker for those pesky aggro decks. He is huge when it comes to board control.
After we are in the green zone, and not at threat of loss, we can then start playing aggressive threats.
3. Play Threats:
This is where we want to be, being able to start attacking, or using that Mindslaver lock. By this point there is a good chance your life will be low (below 10), and we need to be careful not to give control back to our opponent. The threats we have are the following:
Karn Liberated this guy not only helps with control, but is a huge threat. Being able to stop your opponent before they get started by discarding and Vindicateing is a huge threat to them. If they have no hand and no board thanks to this guy, we are sitting in the gravy zone.
Wurmcoil Engine this guy is a win condition all on his own, once we have control, we can tutor this guy out a couple ways, either through Eye of Ugin or Ancient Stirrings. We can also use him to gain control if needed. This guy can start attacking with a vengeance, and more than one on the field is just bad news for your foe.
Mindslaver Lock (see draft picks) normally if you get this online it’s your game, it’s that easy.
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn this is our ideal threat, when he hits the board it's your game. It will take allot of control to get him out though, so if we play our other steps right, most of the time, unless we win via another route, getting him online is possible. When your opponent sees him 80% of the time a scoop will be involved.
Your deck might run a different threat than these posted, these are just the most common, please note though we need to control the board before we can go on the offensive, no matter which threat you run.
4. Win:
If we have made the right moves, kept the right opening hand, controlled the board, and played our threats at the right times, this is bound to happen. Enjoy it, R/G is not one of the easiest decks to run, but when it is run right, this is what we have to look forward to.
Here is where we will cover sideboard and match up options, since the sideboard for R/G tron is so diverse we will be covering it a bit differently. I will put a deck that is popular in Modern meta, and put what card are good to side in, as for siding out it is going to depend on your deck. Also I will try and put how R/G tron does against the deck (I am still collecting win %). If you feel you have a card in your sideboard that is efficient, left me know. For reasons to keep it simple, I will only be including the standard sideboard cards.
Now for the amount and which card you will run in your sideboard, depends on first of all how your deck is configured, and what the meta is like where you play. For example if you don't run 4 Wurmcoil Engine mainboard, you might wanna think about putting some in the side. Now lest get on to the matchups.
Match Up Margin: Great - We stomp them over 70% win rate Good - We are ok against them 50% win rate Horrible - Be prepared to loose under 40% win rate
Affinity: Great + Nature's Claim, + Vandalblast, + Ancient Grudge, + Electrickery, + Sudden Shock. When playing this deck we need to play control, we need to get rid of their threats before they tromp us. Which is why artifact hate, and creature hate is a must when sideboarding. Once we get their board under control, we can then burst out and take the win.
Soul Sisters: Great + Torpor Orb + Electrickery + Oblivion Stone + Combust + Nature's Claim. Game one is almost a guaranteed lock; we have too many answers coming from too many angles for them to handle. Pyroclasm and Oblivion Stone decimate their board. Bringing in Nature's Claim game 2 shuts down some of their best sideboard answers, namely Nevermore and Stony Silence. Use your board sweeps wisely and you should be in for an easy win. Souls Sisters match up written by Wangtopia.
Jund: Great + Wurmcoil Engine, + Relic of Progenitus, + Oblivion Stone. Jund is not as fast as Affinity but can still beast out hard. Jund relys allot on their graveyard, once we remove that with Relic of Progenitus, they will have a huge gap in their deck. Pyroclasm and Oblivion Stone will help allot to get rid of their creatures, and Karn Liberated will help controlling their man lands, and Liliana of the Veil. If we can control their board, we will win.
U/W TronGreat + Torpor Orb, + Nature's Claim, + Ancient Grudge. We don't really need to do much in the ways of sideboarding against our Blue/White counterpart. Run artifact hate for they signets the run, and maybe Torpor Orb to stop their Eldrazi and Iona, Sheild of Emeria. Since this is a slow deck like ours, the game turns into a race to see who can get out Emrakul, the aeons torn faster. Since we have way more land tutor, and Karn Liberated, we usually win that race, plain and simple. This is probably our best match up.
Birthing Pod: Great + Torpor Orb, + Graffdigger's Cage, + Oblivion Stone, + Relic of Progenitus, + Artifact Hate. Birthing Pod is usually found in two forms, Naya or Combo, either way out deck usually has the answer. We want to control their board, get rid of birthing pod with artifact hate, and creatures with Pyroclasm, and Karn. Grafdigger's cage stops this deck in it's tracks, Torpor Orb stops the combo. Now all you have to do it control the board, and play your threats to win.]
Storm: Good + Grafdigger's Cage, + Electrickery, + Thorn Of Amethystm, + Slaughter Games, /Trinisphere. Game 1 comes down closer to a die roll and depends greatly on their build if they are running Epic Experiment then it is unfavorable, if you can drop an active early Relic Of Progenitus you can cause them to fizzle or earn yourself a few turns to drop a Karn and start eating their hand. After board Thorn Of Amethyst/Trinisphere make the match-up much easier while Grafdigger's Cage will prevent Past In Flames, keep in at least one-two sweepers in case they board in Bushwacker + Empty The Warrens or board into Splinter Twin. Storm match up written by Fizzeler
Infect: Horrible + Spellskite, + Melira, Sylvok Outcast, + Rule of Law, + Sudden Shock. Be prepared to loose game one most of the time to infect. Post-sideboard we stand a chance. You want to find that spellskite, if we get it out, it will stop infect in their tracks, stealing all their buffs. Other than that you want to get rid of their creatures as fast as possible (Pyroclasm, Sudden Shock). If we can control their creatures, and stop their buffs, we win.
tournament results
This primer was compiled by myself Twinner, and kfcdoubledown. Thanks to anyone else who offered up ideas.
This primer is almost done, to finish I need your help!
Guys I need help making the sideboard/match up option for the following decks:
RDW/Burn
Scapeshift
Twin
Delver (RUG)
Uxx Control
Tokens
If you want to submit one, please pm me it, with the same formatting as this:
U/W TronGreat + Torpor Orb, + Nature's Claim, + Ancient Grudge. We don't really need to do much in the ways of sideboarding against our Blue/White counterpart. Run artifact hate for they signets the run, and maybe Torpor Orb to stop their Eldrazi and Iona, Sheild of Emeria. Since this is a slow deck like ours, the game turns into a race to see who can get out Emrakul, the aeons torn faster. Since we have way more land tutor, and Karn Liberated, we usually win that race, plain and simple. This is probably our best match up.
Please only include cards that are included in the sideboard list for consistency. Thanks.
There is no issue with the other forum post, this one is irrelevant.
The old primer was started by a poster who no longer frequents this site. While they did transfer ownership to someone new, much of the information in the thread is antiquated, and some parts are "works in progress" that have not seen any progress since the thread's creation (such as MU analysis, and insight on how to play the deck better). Additionally, the organization is rather poor.
Because of this, and the fact that the upkeep on someone else's post is relatively difficult, I submitted a request to the mods to create a new primer that could be edited more frequently, while shoring up some issues with the original primer. The mods agreed, and so I made this new primer.
In your discussion on Slaughter Games, you should probably mention it being great in the mirror for taking out Karns. Karn is probably the most powerful card in GR Tron in the mirror because of how easily he can keep your opponent from assembling or maintaining Tron. Casting Slaughter Games and naming Karn Liberated thus stops your opponent from pressing that nearly certain "I win" button.
In your discussion on Slaughter Games, you should probably mention it being great in the mirror for taking out Karns. Karn is probably the most powerful card in GR Tron in the mirror because of how easily he can keep your opponent from assembling or maintaining Tron. Casting Slaughter Games and naming Karn Liberated thus stops your opponent from pressing that nearly certain "I win" button.
Added, along with the first matchup analysis (the mirror). Thanks!
If you like smashing opponents with huge creatures, if you like a deck that won't break you budget, if you like a deck that is combo, if you like awesome!, then this is the deck for you. R/G is a lot different from its counterpart U/W Tron; it has more of an aggro feel to it. It focuses on the Tron lands (Urza's Mine, Urza's Tower and Urza's Power Plant) to punch out Karn Liberated, Wurmcoil Engine, big daddy Emrakul, the Aeons Torn and sometimes Mindslaver. It plays control with Pryoclasm, Karn Liberated, and Oblivion Stone. Overall, it plays the whole field of styles.
1 Urza's Mine
1 Urza's Power Plant
1 Urza's Tower
1 Grove of the Burnwillows
1 Eye of Ugin
1 Expedition Map
1 Sylvan Scrying
1 Ancient Stirrings
1 Karn Liberated
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Chromatic Star
1 Chromatic Sphere
Urza's Mine/Urza's Tower/Urza's Power Plant - 4 of Each - These are the namesake of the deck, the Tron lands, without these there would be no deck. Instant 4 of, if you run less you are doing it wrong.
Grove of the Burnwillows - 4 - This is the best suited land for the deck. First of all, it allows the colorless mana if that is all that's needed, and taps for R or G at only the cost of 1 life gain to your opponent. Why choose this over Karplusan Forest? While the forest is a lot cheaper if you're running budget, it deals you damage, which can lose you the game. You don't really care what your opponent's life is at, if you get the combo out you need you basically win. While you're getting that combo out you will be taking damage and if you're playing Jund or Affinity that might be A LOT of damage, and that 1 damage the forest dealt you might even lose you the game. The same idea goes for Stomping Ground; if you need the mana right away it is going to cost you 2 life which can lose you the game.
Eye of Ugin - 1 - This is one of the pieces of the deck that makes your comboing into Emrakul so much easier. First of all, it makes your Emrakul, the Aeons Torn or any other Eldrazi you might run 2 mana cheaper, which is a bonus. But the main feature about this land is the fact the it can tutor for a colorless creature, be it Emrakul or Wurmcoil Engine, for the deck's favorite number of mana, (7 the number all three Urza lands make when you have them out) which can either save you in a game or win you the game. It is also easily tutorable by our 12 land tutors in the deck.
Land Tutors:
Expedition Map - 4 - This is a colorless land tutor, which you can drop turn one and turn two crack, no matter what color of mana you have. Compared to the other two land tutors which require green, this one is probably the most consistent out of the 3.
Sylvan Scrying - 4 - Pretty straight forward, grabs you the piece of Tron you need, or the Grove of the Burnwillows for some control, or the Eye of Ugin for the finish.
Ancient Stirrings - 4 - Now out of all 3 lands tutors this one is probably the worst in ways of tutoring for a specific land. But what it lacks for in that it sure makes up for in straight up awesomeness. This not only allows you to grab a land (lands are officially colorless according to MTG rules), but it allows you to grab any colorless card from the top 5 cards of you deck, whether it's a timely Wurmcoil Engine, or the Emrakul, the Aeons Torn you needed to finish the game, or Karn Liberated to inflict some pain on your opponent, or the Expedition Map you need to finish Tron, or even just for some mana fixing in the Chromatics, this card offers so much flexibility.
Creatures:
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn - 1 - The big daddy himself. He is the single most devastating creature in Modern. Let's break him down, first of all the downside 15 MANA! Now that would normally be improbable in competitive magic, but for a deck where the lands spit out 2/3 each it is not hard at all. Now all we have left is the awesomeness of Emrakul: he cannot be countered, if you play him he automatically sticks! When you cast him, you get an extra turn, so you can turn his annihilating guns at an opponent the turn after with annihilator 6 (for those who don't know, annihilator is an ability that activates when you declare your attack, once you have declared that you are attacking your opponent they have to sacrifice the number of permanents equal to the annihilator amount, in Emakrul's case 6). We got to keep going, he also has Flying, and protection from colored spells, let's just say the amount of evasion he has is through the roof. Finally when he hits the graveyard he is shuffled back into your deck with your whole graveyard (don't worry he won't hit it very often). When this guy hits the table 99% of the time you win. It's that simple.
Wurmcoil Engine - 1 to 4 - This guy is the beater of the deck. He is a beast of a monster that just won't die. He is run in any number of possibilities, that being 1 to 4 of, depending on if you’re playing the mindslaver package (see top draft picks) or not. Regardless, let’s break him down. He has lifelink and deathtouch which allow him to gain you much needed life after taking a beating, and stop any attacker with his deathtouch. Not only that but when he goes to the graveyard from the battlefield (dying, or sacrificing) he comes back in the form of 2 3/3 wurm tokens one with lifelink and one with deathtouch. His only downside is he is susceptible to exile effects such as path to exile.
Other Cards:
Karn Liberated - 4 - Don't get confused by him being in the other cards, he is one of the staples of the deck. This deck is sometimes called Karn Tron for that reason. He is the power house of the deck outside of Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, his cost is the perfect amount of mana (7), so you can drop him turn 3, and start wrecking your opponent. Let’s break him down, his +4 ability is a control's deck worse nightmare, discard, awww you were holding onto that counter? TO BAD! His -3 ability is the single best ability in magic, exile any permanent. And his -14 (which is easy to get) can be very useful, let’s say you’re stuck and can't get the last mana to summon the Emrakul you have in your hand, but your Karn is getting close to 14, why not exile Emrakul using his +4 (targeting yourself), then next turn use the -14, according to magic rules, when the new game starts, you go first and since you start with the Emrakul in the game, you can attack your first turn with him. Talk about game over...
Chromatic Sphere/Chromatic Star - 4 of each - These are commonly referred to as eggs (I don't quite know why). In a deck that runs allot of colorless mana, finding a G or R can be sometimes difficult. These solves the problem, they are almost like a Manamorphose on a stick, yes it cost 2 to get your mana and only generates one but those 2 mana are colorless, and can be spent over 2 turns. These also allow you to draw into the combo pieces you are missing, or draw the answer you needed for the game state. And generate the mana you need to fetch your missing land with Sylvan Scrying, or pop the board with Pyroclasm. Overall these put in work, and are a must have in R/G Tron.
Now that we have covered the main core of every R/G Tron (Karn) deck, we need to cover the rest of the options which is what varies. With the above cards we have a total of 43 - 46 cards (depending on how many Wurmcoil Engines you run). The following cards are the common ones that fill the 17 - 14 spots left.
Mindslaver Package:
The mind slaver package usually includes the following:
1x Academy Ruins
2 - 4x Prophetic Prism
4 Talisman of Impulse
Now those are generally the numbers most decks run, if they run the package. To break it down, the reason why you would run this is a win condition to lock your opponent out of the game. How it works is you get Tron online with 6 additional mana, a Academy Ruins and usually a Prophetic Prism or Talisman of Impulse for the blue source needed. First you play and crack Mindslaver, which cost 10 mana, you now control the player's next turn, you get to see their hand, draw their cards, tap their mana, play their spells, choose to attack or not, it's basically your turn again, with their cards. Make sure you leave them with no mana or answer in their hand, now on their end step, or on your untap step, you tap your Academy Ruins using the prism or talisman as the blue source with a mana, putting the Mindslaver back on the top of your deck, and rinse and repeat the process. Eventually decking them (if they don't scoop, and you have no threat on the board). One final note, for consistency I generally go for the 4 Mindslaver or none theory.
First Round Picks:
(These are the most often chose cards to accompany the starting line)
Pyroclasm - This card should almost go in the starting line. Almost all R/G Tron decks run this as a 4 of. It is the best aggro control the deck has. With a meta that is so quick in Modern (Tron, Affinity, Soul Sisters) most creatures hitting the board have a toughness of 2 or less, this card takes care of those creatures. It shuts down so many decks, and keeps you alive. Please consider this as a staple in the deck.
Relic of Progenitus - This card hoses Jund, and any deck dependent on the graveyard. It also gives you the added bonus of drawing a card. Most decks run 2 - 4 of in the main board, with additional ones in the side. It just busts a huge hole in the meta, and increase the win % of this deck through the roof. Please also consider this a staple.
Oblivion Stone - This is a great control card for this deck, it basically clears the board except for lands. Since it takes 8 mana it can sometimes cause a problem with only Tron out, but it gives you the option of spacing it out, paying 3 to cast, and 5 to activate, even allowing you to save a Karn Liberated or Wurmcoil Engine if you only have the 7 mana compared to the 8. This card is usually run in all Karn decks as a 1 - 3 of.
Explore - This card is one of the most talked about options for the deck. Some say it's a must have that lets you pump out turn 2 Tron, others says it's a dead draw late game. Basically what it does is it allows you to possibly play a turn 2 Tron, also drawing you a card. The argument against it is usually after turn 4 you should only have 1 land in your hand, so after turns 4 it turn into 2 mana for drawing 1 card, which isn't horrible but still not that great. Decks the runs this usually run 2.
Basic Lands Forest/Island/Mountain - Because of effects like Path to Exile and Ghost Quarter, it is usually accepted to run 1 - 2 basic lands. In a normal build they are Forests, to help with the tutors, but if you’re running the Mindslaver Package you might want to think about Islands. It also lets you get your land count up, which generally is at 20 in the R/G Tron build.
Ghost Quarter/Tectonic Edge - These cards are usually found as a 1 of if run. These cards are versatile, they can tap for the one normal mana. Or allow you land destruction in those mirror matches, or to destroy the pesky Raging Ravine that keeps hitting you. They also allow you to get your land count up to 20 with 2 basic lands, with the lands discussed in the starting line.
Prophetic Prism - This card is also run without the Mindslaver package, as a permanent mana fixing option. Usually run as a 2 of.
Final Round Picks:
(These are the cards not as often chose, but still play a huge role in R/G Tron)
Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre - This guy is another beat stick, an Eldrazi as they are formerly known. He is run because a lot of times, you cannot get the mana for Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, and Ulamog, is a great option when you can't get Emrakul out. Although not as good as Emrakul, he is still far from crappy, when he hits the battlefield you Vindicate, then he is indestructible, only one of the best abilities ever printed. Finally he has a annihilating gun for himself, although it is only annihilator 4, it will still put a dent (by a dent I mean a huge gaping hole) in your opponents deck. He is also tutorable with Ancient Stirrings and Eye of Ugin, overall he is a very good option. Decks that run this guy usually only run 1 of him similar to Emrakul.
Spellskite - Normally a sideboard card, there is fair amount of lists running him mainboard. He is run for the same reason Relic of Progenitus is run mainboard, and that is for the meta. Since Spellskite busts so many deck open, he is sometimes valuable to game 1, compared to just 2 and 3. He works by allowing you to turn the target of affects, and abilities to him, instead of the first intended target, such as buff spells for infect, of untap effects for twin, allowing you to pay mana or 2 life, so you will never be mana screwed for this effect. Also having a decent blocker to stop most aggro decks doesn't harm at all. Overall this card is an amazing answer to allot of things. When it is run he is usually run as a 2 of.
Mindslaver - Aside from the Mindslaver package we do see this guy once in a while as a 1 or 2 of in the deck. I would advise against running him without the package, but others found him useful. It can completely throw your opponent off, especially if they are running combo such as Twin. It is also tutorable with Ancient Stirrings, it is an OK card as an option for control. It really runs down to what you are looking for from the deck.
All is Dust - This card is another one that is talked about a lot and why most people run Oblivion Stone over it, when this is 1 mana cheaper. With Affinity being such a big part of the Modern meta, this can prove very detrimental to you. It does take out indestructible spells, by making their owners sacrifice them (indestructibility does not protect the creature from sacrificing), which oblivion stone does not, which is why it earns a spot in some decks. It is usually only run as a 1 of though.
Batterskull - This card is normally found sometimes in the sideboard. The reasons you would main deck it is if 4 Wurmcoil Engine is not enough, and are still getting run over by aggro decks. Personally I run three in my mainboard. This is a monster of a card, when it comes into play, it comes with a 0/0 Black Germ token equipped to it, so you get a 4/4 lifelink creature with vigilance for 5 which is nuts. You can then also equip this to a creature for 5 (causing the germ to die, if it hasn't already), allowing you use after the germ is gone. You can also return it to you hand for 3 and replay it to get the germ back again. This allows it to be very resilient to destroy effects as long as you have the mana available. Overall this is a great card, it is not tutorable with Eye of Ugin which is the downside of the card. Just test the meta where you live, this might be a viable option for you.
Karplusan Forest - This is usually a budget replacement for Grove of the Burnwillows, please see the explanation of Grove in the starting line as to why you should just go with the Grove. We do see some lists that run this in addition to 4 Groves instead of the basic lands. It is usually run as a 2 of. Really it comes down to a judgment call, if your deck needs the R as well as the G that the forest makes, this might be an option for you.
Free Agents:
(These cards aren't normally featured in the R/G Tron deck, but offer a great twist to the deck)
Tooth and Nail - If you are looking to put your own twist on the deck, this might be an option for you. This card allows you to tutor 2 creatures from you deck and put them into play, if you pay it’s entwine cost, the total cost being 7GG, is a huge cost, but a deck like Tron can handle it. The 2 options are usually Emrakul, the Aeons Torn and a creature that gives Emrakul haste such as Flame-Kin Zealot. This card can allow you the win out of nowhere, and most people will not expect that out of a Tron deck.
Through the Breach - A neat little combo where you cheat Emrakul, the Aeons Torn out. Decks the run this usually run 3 Emrakuls and 4 through the breach.
The following are some examples of current deck lists. Please note these don't have to restrict your options when making a deck, but should be used as a guideline.
The Standard R/G Tron Deck
by Alex321 MTGO Modern Premier 1st Places
Source
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
3 Wurmcoil Engine
Planeswalkers [4]
4 Karn Liberated
Spells [32]
4 Ancient Stirrings
4 Chromatic Sphere
4 Chromatic Star
4 Expedition Map
2 Explore
2 Oblivion Stone
4 Pyroclasm
4 Relic of Progenitus
4 Sylvan Scrying
1 Eye of Ugin
2 Forest
1 Ghost Quarter
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
4 Urza's Mine
4 Urza's Power Plant
4 Urza's Tower
3 Electrickery
2 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Mindslaver
4 Nature's Claim
1 Oblivion Stone
2 Spellskite
1 Vandalblast
The R/G Tron Deck with Mindslaver Package
by Swoll MTGO Modern Premier 6th Place
Source
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
1 Wurmcoil Engine
Planeswalkers [4]
4 Karn Liberated
Spells [34]
4 Ancient Stirrings
4 Chromatic Sphere
4 Chromatic Star
4 Expedition Map
4 Mindslaver
4 Prophetic Prism
2 Relic of Progenitus
4 Sylvan Scrying
4 Talisman of Impulse
1 Academy Ruins
1 Eye of Ugin
1 Ghost Quarter
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
1 Tectonic Edge
4 Urza's Mine
4 Urza's Power Plant
4 Urza's Tower
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Combust
1 Grafdigger's Cage
3 Pyroclasm
1 Relic of Progenitus
2 Seal of Primordium
2 Spellskite
2 Wurmcoil Engine
My Take on R/G Tron
by Twinner
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
4 Wurmcoil Engine
Planeswalkers [4]
4 Karn Liberated
Spells [31]
4 Ancient Stirrings
3 Batterskull
3 Chromatic Sphere
3 Chromatic Star
4 Expedition Map
3 Oblivion Stone
4 Pyroclasm
3 Relic of Progenitus
4 Sylvan Scrying
1 Eye of Ugin
2 Forest
1 Ghost Quarter
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
4 Urza's Mine
4 Urza's Power Plant
4 Urza's Tower
2 Combust
2 Grafdigger's Cage
3 Nature's Claim
1 Relic of Progenitus
4 Spellskite
2 Torpor Orb
1 Vandalblast
In this section we will cover various aspects of how to play the deck. We have discussed allot of the strategy already in the card selection sections, so as to not be redundant, please read them over again. If you have any question about the deck, that is not covered here, feel free to ask in a reply below, as it is hard to cover 100% of the deck, without turning it into a 10 pages essay.
The Deck's Main Goals (In Order of Importance):
1. Assemble Tron
2. Control the Board
3. Play Threats
4. Win
1. Assemble Tron:
This is the name sake of the deck, without being able to assemble the 3 lands, Urza's Mine/Urza's Tower/Urza's Power PlantUrza's Mine/Urza's Tower/Urza's Power Plant, we will be sitting ducks, not being able to play most of our threats. One of the most important steps to assembling Tron is your opening hand. Let's go through what a good opening hand is and is not.
2. Control the Board:
Controlling the board means, getting rid of any threat to your loosing of the game. As long as our life total is not 3 or lower, we usually are focusing on Tron, but if we start getting in the red zone, we should be looking at how to control the board. Always try to think 1 or 2 turns ahead. Because of the fast meta in Modern play right now, we are going to have to sometimes control the board before setting up Tron. Which might mean pushing the complete Tron back a turn. This deck has a couple options for controlling the board.
3. Play Threats:
This is where we want to be, being able to start attacking, or using that Mindslaver lock. By this point there is a good chance your life will be low (below 10), and we need to be careful not to give control back to our opponent. The threats we have are the following:
4. Win:
If we have made the right moves, kept the right opening hand, controlled the board, and played our threats at the right times, this is bound to happen. Enjoy it, R/G is not one of the easiest decks to run, but when it is run right, this is what we have to look forward to.
Here is where we will cover sideboard and match up options, since the sideboard for R/G tron is so diverse we will be covering it a bit differently. I will put a deck that is popular in Modern meta, and put what card are good to side in, as for siding out it is going to depend on your deck. Also I will try and put how R/G tron does against the deck (I am still collecting win %). If you feel you have a card in your sideboard that is efficient, left me know. For reasons to keep it simple, I will only be including the standard sideboard cards.
1 Combust
1 Gradigger's Cage
1 Nature's Claim
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Spellskite
1 Torpor Orb
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Sudden Shock
1 Rule of Law
1 Vandalblast
1 Mindslaver
1 Melira, Sylvok Outcast
1 Electrickery
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Slaughter Games
Now for the amount and which card you will run in your sideboard, depends on first of all how your deck is configured, and what the meta is like where you play. For example if you don't run 4 Wurmcoil Engine mainboard, you might wanna think about putting some in the side. Now lest get on to the matchups.
Match Up Margin:
Great - We stomp them over 70% win rate
Good - We are ok against them 50% win rate
Horrible - Be prepared to loose under 40% win rate
Affinity: Great + Nature's Claim, + Vandalblast, + Ancient Grudge, + Electrickery, + Sudden Shock. When playing this deck we need to play control, we need to get rid of their threats before they tromp us. Which is why artifact hate, and creature hate is a must when sideboarding. Once we get their board under control, we can then burst out and take the win.
Soul Sisters: Great + Torpor Orb + Electrickery + Oblivion Stone + Combust + Nature's Claim. Game one is almost a guaranteed lock; we have too many answers coming from too many angles for them to handle. Pyroclasm and Oblivion Stone decimate their board. Bringing in Nature's Claim game 2 shuts down some of their best sideboard answers, namely Nevermore and Stony Silence. Use your board sweeps wisely and you should be in for an easy win. Souls Sisters match up written by Wangtopia.
Jund: Great + Wurmcoil Engine, + Relic of Progenitus, + Oblivion Stone. Jund is not as fast as Affinity but can still beast out hard. Jund relys allot on their graveyard, once we remove that with Relic of Progenitus, they will have a huge gap in their deck. Pyroclasm and Oblivion Stone will help allot to get rid of their creatures, and Karn Liberated will help controlling their man lands, and Liliana of the Veil. If we can control their board, we will win.
U/W Tron Great + Torpor Orb, + Nature's Claim, + Ancient Grudge. We don't really need to do much in the ways of sideboarding against our Blue/White counterpart. Run artifact hate for they signets the run, and maybe Torpor Orb to stop their Eldrazi and Iona, Sheild of Emeria. Since this is a slow deck like ours, the game turns into a race to see who can get out Emrakul, the aeons torn faster. Since we have way more land tutor, and Karn Liberated, we usually win that race, plain and simple. This is probably our best match up.
Birthing Pod: Great + Torpor Orb, + Graffdigger's Cage, + Oblivion Stone, + Relic of Progenitus, + Artifact Hate. Birthing Pod is usually found in two forms, Naya or Combo, either way out deck usually has the answer. We want to control their board, get rid of birthing pod with artifact hate, and creatures with Pyroclasm, and Karn. Grafdigger's cage stops this deck in it's tracks, Torpor Orb stops the combo. Now all you have to do it control the board, and play your threats to win.]
Storm: Good + Grafdigger's Cage, + Electrickery, + Thorn Of Amethystm, + Slaughter Games, /Trinisphere. Game 1 comes down closer to a die roll and depends greatly on their build if they are running Epic Experiment then it is unfavorable, if you can drop an active early Relic Of Progenitus you can cause them to fizzle or earn yourself a few turns to drop a Karn and start eating their hand. After board Thorn Of Amethyst/Trinisphere make the match-up much easier while Grafdigger's Cage will prevent Past In Flames, keep in at least one-two sweepers in case they board in Bushwacker + Empty The Warrens or board into Splinter Twin. Storm match up written by Fizzeler
Infect: Horrible + Spellskite, + Melira, Sylvok Outcast, + Rule of Law, + Sudden Shock. Be prepared to loose game one most of the time to infect. Post-sideboard we stand a chance. You want to find that spellskite, if we get it out, it will stop infect in their tracks, stealing all their buffs. Other than that you want to get rid of their creatures as fast as possible (Pyroclasm, Sudden Shock). If we can control their creatures, and stop their buffs, we win.
tournament results
This primer was compiled by myself Twinner, and kfcdoubledown. Thanks to anyone else who offered up ideas.
This primer is almost done, to finish I need your help!
Guys I need help making the sideboard/match up option for the following decks:
RDW/Burn
Scapeshift
Twin
Delver (RUG)
Uxx Control
Tokens
If you want to submit one, please pm me it, with the same formatting as this:
U/W Tron Great + Torpor Orb, + Nature's Claim, + Ancient Grudge. We don't really need to do much in the ways of sideboarding against our Blue/White counterpart. Run artifact hate for they signets the run, and maybe Torpor Orb to stop their Eldrazi and Iona, Sheild of Emeria. Since this is a slow deck like ours, the game turns into a race to see who can get out Emrakul, the aeons torn faster. Since we have way more land tutor, and Karn Liberated, we usually win that race, plain and simple. This is probably our best match up.
Please only include cards that are included in the sideboard list for consistency. Thanks.
GX Tron XG
UR Phoenix RU
GG Freyalise High Tide GG
UR Parun Counterspells RU
BB Yawgmoth Token Storm BB
WB Pestilence BW
Currently playing:
- URx Twin in Modern
#RIPTwinhttp://www.twitch.tv/trei_gamer
The old primer was started by a poster who no longer frequents this site. While they did transfer ownership to someone new, much of the information in the thread is antiquated, and some parts are "works in progress" that have not seen any progress since the thread's creation (such as MU analysis, and insight on how to play the deck better). Additionally, the organization is rather poor.
Because of this, and the fact that the upkeep on someone else's post is relatively difficult, I submitted a request to the mods to create a new primer that could be edited more frequently, while shoring up some issues with the original primer. The mods agreed, and so I made this new primer.
GX Tron XG
UR Phoenix RU
GG Freyalise High Tide GG
UR Parun Counterspells RU
BB Yawgmoth Token Storm BB
WB Pestilence BW
Added, along with the first matchup analysis (the mirror). Thanks!
GX Tron XG
UR Phoenix RU
GG Freyalise High Tide GG
UR Parun Counterspells RU
BB Yawgmoth Token Storm BB
WB Pestilence BW