i think the EE that pushes to force a wincon do indeed stretch pretty far. It presents a 2-for-1 opportunity to the opponent, and there isn't any real tempo gain.
I feel the best way to capitalize on the card is to search for silver bullets where they are needed on the board ASAP. Hence IMHO its role is pretty much Sideboard, and against decks that have singular wincons and move faster than us.
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@Syreal94 Are you still running the same list you posted about a month ago? I'd be interested to hear your about sideboard. How have the 3x Natural State you are/were running worked out?
Great news. Results like this prove the versatility of the deck be it GW/GB or any other variant.
I'd say GW version is better for a meta where you don't expect much interaction where decks like Dredge, Goryo etc. are prevalent. Though in such cases I think SotP is simply too good to pass up
Hi guys! I'm preparing for GP Lille and I can't find a deck I like in Modern. I'd like something combo-ish and aggressive, and this might be it. Although it's more interactive than I'd like (sweepers and all)...what are the good and bad matchups? Is there concensus on what spells to use (Coco/Chord/Lead/Evolution), and if black is worth it? Thanks!
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Trophyless guy.
Thought of the Month: I gave up from trying to require the 'i' on my name: SolesticIo
The only thing universally agreed upon in the Elves thread is thast Elves is an awesome deck and you should definitely play it.
As for the GW/GB thing, both styles have their proponents and diehard fans. GB Elves tends toward Lead and CoCo, GW toward Chords and CoCo. Eldritch Evolution doesn't really have a home yet, but this is a work in progress, and some people have been enjoying Sylvan Messenger.
I personally am not very serious about Modern at all, and I only play it when Legacy isn't available. Naturally, I play Elves, the deck that Miracles has pretty much squashed in my format of choice.
The matchups that I fear the most as a GB Elves player are Infect, Abzan CoCo, and Tron in that order. Infect is super hard for GB to deal with. They have a faster clock by 1+ turns, and they are naturally resistant to removal and discard. GW has a better time of it here due to Spellskite and Melira tutoring. Abzan CoCo is similar, but more vulnerable to GY hate and discard. They are also a little slower, so racing is more feasible. Tron is rough because of all the sweepers, but decks playing Leads and Golgari Charms (for regeneration) can get through this.
The matchups that I personally look forward to the most are Merfolk and Delver, and tempo strategies generally. They need to spend mana to stick a clock, and we plunk down a mana dork or three in the hole this creates. Then the elves spill out Affinity style, and they are stuck trying to Lightning Bolt and Mana Leak, but without being able to keep parity on mana production this is a gradually losing proposition. Before long, Delvers or what have you are being left back to block, and hole opens up for CoCo or Lead. Resolving this spell ends the game. Postboard, they don't have sweepers because this would kill their own dudes, so the game plays out similarly.
I am a fan of both, so I have both an overgrown tomb and temple garden in my manabase. 4 leads in the main and 3 chords in the side. Game 1 I'm trying to explode like affinity. If the opponent turns out to be faster, I become GW toolbix-ish postboard with Chords for Kataki (Affinity), Melira (Infect), Anafenza/Scooze (Dredge, Living End), Spellskite (Bogles). I've got a number of storm decks in my meta too, so I'm probably going to sleeve up a copy of Eidolon of Rhetoric.
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Haven't been running into much Affinity so I can't really give you any results - but I am very tempted to try them this weekend shaving the 2 sweepers and the Melira. Further, I think the Melira should change back to a Skite.
I'm also in the school of Chord only, no Lead so I might be weird in that regard with my sideboard. If I was playing Lead I would opt out entirely of Chord in the sideboard and go for something like this instead:
3 Seize
3 Natural State
3 Finks
2 Relic
2 Dismember
1 Pithing Needle
1 Open Slot
So I am back again prepping now for gp indy at the end of the month but currently gearing up for a gpt hoping to get some byes. How do you guys feel about not being a hard tier two anymore as stated by modern nexus. I have made some changes from the more aggressive brew I took to grand prix detroit but i am nervous about what the tier one decks bring to the table. The gpt is saturday morning so hoping for some help before then if possible.
Here is the deck as it currently stands:
i am mainly concerned about the abzan company match up is there any tech out there that has been discovered to consistently deal with it? Yes i know there are only 3 caverns i have not been able to find a 4th and as far as canopy goes they are just too much of an investment at this time.
I find that i play really well in most matches the only decks holding me on edge are living end, ad nauseum, and company. everything else i have been able to put up decent numbers against lead and wrens run are amazing out of the board against control and essence warden is something new that i was going to try out this friday. Has anyone tried Loaming Shaman or Samurai of the Pale Curtain. Thanks for any help.
for a big event u can expect a large amount of dredge, so defo be prepared for that.
Anafenza has worked for me so far, if you're not comfortable having WBG then pale curtain would work; or Leyline of the Voids. Against ad naus you'll want Stain the Mind for peace of mind. Against Company, the aforementioned GY hate cards will prevent them going infinite on you. I see you've got a relic of progenitus, which will work too.
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Mind giving a a quick recap of your sideboarding strategy?
I made a pretty long post a couple pages back regarding how I sideboard for certain matchups. Sideboard has changed a little - probably gonna run the following this weekend:
3 Natural State - Affinity (3), Tron (1-2)
3 Thoughtseize - Tron (3), Combo (3), Jeskai Nahiri (3)
3 Kitchen Finks - Jund (3), Jeskai Nahiri (3), Abzan (3), Living End (3), Burn/Little Zoo (3)
2 Relic of Progenitus - Jeskai Nahiri (2, eat the Emrakul), Storm (2), Living End (2), Jund (1-2, depends on how you read your opponent re: grim lavamancer. 2 may be correct.)
1 Melira, Sylvok Outcast (Infect bullet)
1 Phyrexian Revoker (Tron, Unfair matchups [Affinity included!], dork matchups, mirror)
1 Reclamation Sage (Affinity, random hittable targets)
1 Dismember (Value dismember comes in a lot.)
How can Phyrexian Revoker come in for the mirror, doesn't it shut off your own dudes?
The key to the mirror is to try and negate the edges you don't have. If they have an Ezuri, and you don't, even if you find one with Chord you're on the losing end of that exchange. If they have more Mystics and you have more Llanowars, a Revoker immediately makes things lopsided. Revoker was much better when GW was the niche, as you could turn off Ezuri, then fetch a Mirror Entity and end the game that way. Revoker helps way more in a behind scenario to equalize the game, more or less is the logic. I'll be honest with you however, the mirror is all about how many Cocos each side hits, and whether you have Chord main or Lead main. Chord main has a distinct advantage in the mirror because you're effectively playing 5 Ezuri.
Went 4-2 today, not good enough for Top 8 this time around. (45 players - clean cut at 4-1-1+)
Normal list (18 lands, E-Wit main, 3 Chord), sideboard as follows:
3 Thoughtseize
3 Kitchen Finks
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Dismember
1 Melira, Sylvok Outcast
1 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Creeping Corrosion
1 Fracturing Gust
I was gonna play the Natural States today, but I managed to lose my foils and didn't have too much time to find some new ones (it didn't make too much difference anyway).
1-0 Grixis Control [2-1]
1-1 Infect (I threw!) [0-2]
1-2 Jund [1-2]
2-2 Abzan (My opponent threw!) [2-1]
3-2 Infect [2-1]
4-2 Ad Nauseam (Revoker MVP) [2-1]
Ended up 14th, netted some packs (opened Emmy!). Probably gonna minus a Relic, and add a Scooze. We still got some play even down here in Developing Competitive.
I got to jam a bunch of games today and wound up with a few ideas.
First, I think I went too far in the colorless land direction. 3 Nykthos and 1 Westvale Abbey, 4 out of my 19 lands, caused several mulligans that would not otherwise have been necessary. I also don't think those lands are necessary any more. Take the Shrine for example. I activated it a lot a few times today and won those games... but would I have won them anyway? How much mana can be made just via the elves themselves if devotion exists to Shrine for a lot of mana, and how is that not enough? The card may be win more, and I'll try the deck at 1 copy. As for Westvale Abbey, it did win me one game against Tron, but I might have been winning that game anyway. While the 9/7 demon is nice, a lot of decks can deal with it, and is it really that much nicer than the 5 dudes I sacrificed to bring it out? Not so much.
The sideboard card that I tried on suggestion from you folks on this thread, Golgari Charm, has proven itself a thousand times over. It's so crazy what this card can do. It's a counter to sweepers that is also itself a sweeper, usually one-sided! And it kills enchantments! All in one card! In one game against Affinity, Golgari Charm 3-for-1ed his army of two Inkmoth Nexus and that battlecry thing (doing no damage to my own Lorded army), and in the next game it stuffed a Whipflare (take that, one-sided sweeper, I'LL BE THE ONE CASTING THOSE THANK YOU VERY MUCH). Against my next opponent, in one game Golgari Charm stuffed his Anger of the Gods... and in the next it blew up his Worship.
Won a pptq with black elves. Used chord style with main board bullets replacing nettles. Bullets were spellskite, eternal witness, scavenging ooze, elvish champion, and replaced one of my ezuri with a craterhoof behemoth. Board was more bullets plus ran the fink melira combo as well in board
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Gastronaut- Cooking up a pile of Kraj
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I don't know whether I've completely gone off the rails, but this idea has popped into my head recently so I thought I might as well get it out there. I may have jumped entirely into the deep end of the deck but y'know, the water ain't too bad.
So, with that in mind -
I am shooting so far from the hip with this idea. GW, Chord based - but it looks promising on paper.
So...the plan is to go over the top against control/midrange with Reality Smasher post board, and pre-board to set up a Displacer value engine/stop blocks and let us push for damage. I'm fully expecting this list to get dismissed summarily but in theory it appears like it might work. I'm not sure whether the amount of colourless lands are correct, but there can be a tweak by going up in Boreal Druids, and cutting down on Mystics (blasphemous, I know - but 1 green vs 1 colourless should not matter if we reconfigure the mana to have all green sources). Just throwing the idea out here - I can't really test it (missing the lands/eldrazi). Its just proof that we still have places to move with this list, perhaps.
I don't know whether I've completely gone off the rails, but this idea has popped into my head recently so I thought I might as well get it out there. I may have jumped entirely into the deep end of the deck but y'know, the water ain't too bad.
So, with that in mind -
I am shooting so far from the hip with this idea. GW, Chord based - but it looks promising on paper.
So...the plan is to go over the top against control/midrange with Reality Smasher post board, and pre-board to set up a Displacer value engine/stop blocks and let us push for damage. I'm fully expecting this list to get dismissed summarily but in theory it appears like it might work. I'm not sure whether the amount of colourless lands are correct, but there can be a tweak by going up in Boreal Druids, and cutting down on Mystics (blasphemous, I know - but 1 green vs 1 colourless should not matter if we reconfigure the mana to have all green sources). Just throwing the idea out here - I can't really test it (missing the lands/eldrazi). Its just proof that we still have places to move with this list, perhaps.
Interestingly, I had a similar thought after a PPTQ I played in this weekend, but my idea was lighter on the displacers (2) but still had the black for Shaman of the Pack as that is the biggest thing that displacer could be blinking. Obviously this causes a significant shift in the mana base, but there just isn't a bigger thing you could be blinking than SotP.
That said, I played in and top 8'd a 51 person PPTQ this weekend making a literal last minute shift from Chords to Leads in the GB version going 4-0-2 only losing 1 game in the swiss in round one where I kept a sketchy 6 card 1 lander against Grixis Delver with a bunch of dorks and a coco.
Grixis Delver: 2-1, Lose Roll, Noteworthy: Ormendahl closed out game 3
Naya Zoo: 2-0, Lose Roll, Ended Both Games at 1 on t4, Game 2 I went full legacy mode with double nettles + HD off of lead into double company on T3
Bant Eldrazi: 2-0, Win Roll, Another set of nut games where Leads and Nettle Sentinel + Heritage Druid did heavy lifting
Temur Prismatic Scapeshift: Lose Roll, 2-0, G1 Was T4 Kill draw, Main Deck Champion got me through for lethal; G2 Ormendahl closed out g2 in response to valakut triggers to kill elves
Double Draw into 3rd seed in top 8
Temur Prismatic Scapeshift (Same as Round 4): 1-2, Mull to 5 G1 Omen into Scapeshift on T6 with opp at 6 with lethal on board. G2 Mull to 6 but T1 Thoughtseize steals a Scapeshift & T3 Dwynen survives Anger to kill him 2 turns later. Keep a sketchy 1 land 6 with 3 dorks, Coco and Archdruid. I don't draw another land till T4 after he turn 3 Angers my dorks. He scapeshifts for the win.
Standard BWZombiesBW
Modern BG Collected Company ElvesBG Watch at https://www.twitch.tv/baad007
Wed 7-10 Sat 7-10 Sun 6-10
Legacy GBW Natural Order ElvesGBW
I don't know whether I've completely gone off the rails, but this idea has popped into my head recently so I thought I might as well get it out there. I may have jumped entirely into the deep end of the deck but y'know, the water ain't too bad.
So, with that in mind -
I am shooting so far from the hip with this idea. GW, Chord based - but it looks promising on paper.
So...the plan is to go over the top against control/midrange with Reality Smasher post board, and pre-board to set up a Displacer value engine/stop blocks and let us push for damage. I'm fully expecting this list to get dismissed summarily but in theory it appears like it might work. I'm not sure whether the amount of colourless lands are correct, but there can be a tweak by going up in Boreal Druids, and cutting down on Mystics (blasphemous, I know - but 1 green vs 1 colourless should not matter if we reconfigure the mana to have all green sources). Just throwing the idea out here - I can't really test it (missing the lands/eldrazi). Its just proof that we still have places to move with this list, perhaps.
I feel like displacer may be a bit slow on so few main deck colorless sources, maybe move to some llanowar wastes too for GB<> and open a splash for SotP? 4 feels like a lot.
I feel like the deck really wants matter reshaper? Aside from a handful of creatures there is t much that's profitably blocking the reshaper in modern. Maybe the CMC is too low for so few <> sources though to hit on curve. Chording him in to block something and drawing a card is straight value, I mean he makes coilfang oracle look embarrassing. Although the blue splash for both gives you the emerge possibility with elder deep fiend
I like the reality smashers in the board. It feels so dirty and presents a quick clock against a bunch of decks. Why the smasher over thought-knot seer though? Seems like the disruption would be better if you're throwing a combo player off long enough for you to get under and he chords for 1 less. He is a slower clock granted.
Maybe elves are the replacement for eye of ugin lol. Either way you have me brainstorming now. I'm a fan...
I don't know whether I've completely gone off the rails, but this idea has popped into my head recently so I thought I might as well get it out there. I may have jumped entirely into the deep end of the deck but y'know, the water ain't too bad.
So, with that in mind -
I am shooting so far from the hip with this idea. GW, Chord based - but it looks promising on paper.
So...the plan is to go over the top against control/midrange with Reality Smasher post board, and pre-board to set up a Displacer value engine/stop blocks and let us push for damage. I'm fully expecting this list to get dismissed summarily but in theory it appears like it might work. I'm not sure whether the amount of colourless lands are correct, but there can be a tweak by going up in Boreal Druids, and cutting down on Mystics (blasphemous, I know - but 1 green vs 1 colourless should not matter if we reconfigure the mana to have all green sources). Just throwing the idea out here - I can't really test it (missing the lands/eldrazi). Its just proof that we still have places to move with this list, perhaps.
I feel like displacer may be a bit slow on so few main deck colorless sources, maybe move to some llanowar wastes too for GB<> and open a splash for SotP? 4 feels like a lot.
I feel like the deck really wants matter reshaper? Aside from a handful of creatures there is t much that's profitably blocking the reshaper in modern. Maybe the CMC is too low for so few <> sources though to hit on curve. Chording him in to block something and drawing a card is straight value, I mean he makes coilfang oracle look embarrassing. Although the blue splash for both gives you the emerge possibility with elder deep fiend
I like the reality smashers in the board. It feels so dirty and presents a quick clock against a bunch of decks. Why the smasher over thought-knot seer though? Seems like the disruption would be better if you're throwing a combo player off long enough for you to get under and he chords for 1 less. He is a slower clock granted.
Maybe elves are the replacement for eye of ugin lol. Either way you have me brainstorming now. I'm a fan...
I'm also on the Chord only plan, I just enjoy playing it over Lead. The M15 art is so flavourful as well.
My SB is actually pretty similar to yours Syreal, only differences being that I run two fracturing gusts, a skite over Melira [which is a great call by the way, as skite can be relevant in more than one matchup] and a Scooze in place of Relics.
On another note, how's the ewitness been working out for you?? I haven't played one in my MB since my first iteration of modern elves.
I know it's been talked about before in this sub, but i've been running/testing a Prowess of The Fair in my SB on and off for awhile and have loved it. There's some really neat interactions that with it [tapping an enchantment with Heritage Druid, getting in an extra point of damage with a Shaman of the Pack or getting an extra mana with Elvish Archdruid. I believe due to weird tribal rulings you can also regenerate it with Ezuri... Not that you would... But nonetheless, you can...] and it helps against board wipes [at least you'll have something left over].
Opponents also frequently take it over 'better' choices with a Thoughtseize or Iok.
I'm also on the Chord only plan, I just enjoy playing it over Lead. The M15 art is so flavourful as well.
My SB is actually pretty similar to yours Syreal, only differences being that I run two fracturing gusts, a skite over Melira [which is a great call by the way, as skite can be relevant in more than one matchup] and a Scooze in place of Relics.
On another note, how's the ewitness been working out for you?? I haven't played one in my MB since my first iteration of modern elves.
The E-Wit has been unbelievable. It has almost always come off a coco, and every time it's gotten coco back, or at worst, gotten back a Shaman or an Ezuri. Overperforming so much I'm considering 2, and trying out the Japanese creature configuration again. Melira just ices Infect so I think I might keep it considering how much infect I played the other week.
Just started playing the deck and had a few questions. I'm on a pretty stock GB list with lead the stampede over chord.
When is it correct to play collected company during the main phase because of heritage druid instead waiting until your opponent's turn?
Sideboarding: is it worth it to side in reclamation sage against burn to try to kill eidolon of the great revel (or against decks using courser of kruphix or eidolon of rhetoric) or is that too unlikely to actually come up?
Just started playing the deck and had a few questions. I'm on a pretty stock GB list with lead the stampede over chord.
When is it correct to play collected company during the main phase because of heritage druid instead waiting until your opponent's turn?
Sideboarding: is it worth it to side in reclamation sage against burn to try to kill eidolon of the great revel (or against decks using courser of kruphix or eidolon of rhetoric) or is that too unlikely to actually come up?
Excuse the poor grammar, did it on my phone:
Times when its correct to mainphase a coco:
a) when you're going off (ie, t1 heritage, t2 nettle nettle dump) - at this point if they have the maindeck dispel, good on them
b) against a blue deck where they're tapped out - notably against (poor) Jeskai Nahiri pilots, you can overwhelm them with coco in the mainphase when they (mistakenly) tap out for Nahiri.
c) against affinity/combo decks when you want to hit a lord or ezuri pre combat to push for damage - pretty obvious, but decks like RG Shift, Ad Nauseam, Storm. If its a race, you should feel obliged to try and put as much pressure as possible.
d) whenever you "sense" weakness in an opponent, whether it be by fact (ie, jund player, no cards in hand, no board) or via reads (bad body language despite full grip, slouches etc but if you're not good at it, don't do this)
e) in the mirror - theres no real point holding back unless you want to "surprise block" (rarely relevant, because you both should know 4 mana open could be a coco)
re: sideboarding w/ recsage
I do bring Rec Sage in against Burn, Eidolon is one of the few cards you're genuinely worried about so killing it is a priority. I don't really worry too much about Eidolon of Rhetoric though, you just play a dude on your turn, cocos/chords on theirs and they're still just as overwhelmed. Might be a bit different for the Lead deck though - might be worth parking a dismember or two in the board for the matchups which Rhetoric would typically come in against anyway.
I feel the best way to capitalize on the card is to search for silver bullets where they are needed on the board ASAP. Hence IMHO its role is pretty much Sideboard, and against decks that have singular wincons and move faster than us.
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I'd say GW version is better for a meta where you don't expect much interaction where decks like Dredge, Goryo etc. are prevalent. Though in such cases I think SotP is simply too good to pass up
WBG Elves WBG
Cheeri0s
EDH:
RG Omnath, Locus of Rage RG || GWUB Atraxa, Praetors' Voice GWUB
R Zo-Zu the Punisher R || WU Brago, King Eternal WU
UB Gisa and Geralf UB || BGW Ghave, Guru of Spores BGW
Thought of the Month:
I gave up from trying to require the 'i' on my name: SolesticIo
As for the GW/GB thing, both styles have their proponents and diehard fans. GB Elves tends toward Lead and CoCo, GW toward Chords and CoCo. Eldritch Evolution doesn't really have a home yet, but this is a work in progress, and some people have been enjoying Sylvan Messenger.
I personally am not very serious about Modern at all, and I only play it when Legacy isn't available. Naturally, I play Elves, the deck that Miracles has pretty much squashed in my format of choice.
The matchups that I fear the most as a GB Elves player are Infect, Abzan CoCo, and Tron in that order. Infect is super hard for GB to deal with. They have a faster clock by 1+ turns, and they are naturally resistant to removal and discard. GW has a better time of it here due to Spellskite and Melira tutoring. Abzan CoCo is similar, but more vulnerable to GY hate and discard. They are also a little slower, so racing is more feasible. Tron is rough because of all the sweepers, but decks playing Leads and Golgari Charms (for regeneration) can get through this.
The matchups that I personally look forward to the most are Merfolk and Delver, and tempo strategies generally. They need to spend mana to stick a clock, and we plunk down a mana dork or three in the hole this creates. Then the elves spill out Affinity style, and they are stuck trying to Lightning Bolt and Mana Leak, but without being able to keep parity on mana production this is a gradually losing proposition. Before long, Delvers or what have you are being left back to block, and hole opens up for CoCo or Lead. Resolving this spell ends the game. Postboard, they don't have sweepers because this would kill their own dudes, so the game plays out similarly.
Overall record: 139-98-15
Total number of matches: 252
Win percentage ignoring draws: 58.649789
Win percentage including draws: 55.158730
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The MD is the same, the sideboard is in constant flux. I've been running this sideboard for the past couple of weeks:
3 Seize
3 Finks
2 Relic
2 Dismember
1 Melira
1 Revoker
1 Rec Sage
1 Creeping Corrosion
1 Fracturing Gust
Haven't been running into much Affinity so I can't really give you any results - but I am very tempted to try them this weekend shaving the 2 sweepers and the Melira. Further, I think the Melira should change back to a Skite.
I'm also in the school of Chord only, no Lead so I might be weird in that regard with my sideboard. If I was playing Lead I would opt out entirely of Chord in the sideboard and go for something like this instead:
3 Seize
3 Natural State
3 Finks
2 Relic
2 Dismember
1 Pithing Needle
1 Open Slot
Here is the deck as it currently stands:
4 gilt-leaf palace
4 windswept heath
3 cavern of souls
2 overgrown tomb
1 pendelhaven
1 westvale abbey
4 elvish mystic
4 llanowar elves
4 heritage druid
3 nettle sentinel
4 dwynen's elite
4 elvish visionary
4 shaman of the pack
4 elvish archdruid
2 ezuri, renegade leader
1 reclamation sage
3 lead the stampede
1 relic of progenitus
1 phyrexian revoker
1 essence warden
2 abrupt decay
1 fracturing gust
1 creeping corrosion
1 wren's run packmaster
1 scavenging ooze
3 chord of calling
2 kitchen finks
i am mainly concerned about the abzan company match up is there any tech out there that has been discovered to consistently deal with it? Yes i know there are only 3 caverns i have not been able to find a 4th and as far as canopy goes they are just too much of an investment at this time.
I find that i play really well in most matches the only decks holding me on edge are living end, ad nauseum, and company. everything else i have been able to put up decent numbers against lead and wrens run are amazing out of the board against control and essence warden is something new that i was going to try out this friday. Has anyone tried Loaming Shaman or Samurai of the Pale Curtain. Thanks for any help.
~adralen
Anafenza has worked for me so far, if you're not comfortable having WBG then pale curtain would work; or Leyline of the Voids. Against ad naus you'll want Stain the Mind for peace of mind. Against Company, the aforementioned GY hate cards will prevent them going infinite on you. I see you've got a relic of progenitus, which will work too.
BGW Elves BGW|BW Tokens BW|WBR Sword&ShieldWBR|BUG DelverBUG|UWR Kiki UWR | UR Storm UR
Mind giving a a quick recap of your sideboarding strategy?
I made a pretty long post a couple pages back regarding how I sideboard for certain matchups. Sideboard has changed a little - probably gonna run the following this weekend:
3 Natural State - Affinity (3), Tron (1-2)
3 Thoughtseize - Tron (3), Combo (3), Jeskai Nahiri (3)
3 Kitchen Finks - Jund (3), Jeskai Nahiri (3), Abzan (3), Living End (3), Burn/Little Zoo (3)
2 Relic of Progenitus - Jeskai Nahiri (2, eat the Emrakul), Storm (2), Living End (2), Jund (1-2, depends on how you read your opponent re: grim lavamancer. 2 may be correct.)
1 Melira, Sylvok Outcast (Infect bullet)
1 Phyrexian Revoker (Tron, Unfair matchups [Affinity included!], dork matchups, mirror)
1 Reclamation Sage (Affinity, random hittable targets)
1 Dismember (Value dismember comes in a lot.)
Overall record: 139-98-15
Total number of matches: 252
Win percentage ignoring draws: 58.649789
Win percentage including draws: 55.158730
Normal list (18 lands, E-Wit main, 3 Chord), sideboard as follows:
3 Thoughtseize
3 Kitchen Finks
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Dismember
1 Melira, Sylvok Outcast
1 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Creeping Corrosion
1 Fracturing Gust
I was gonna play the Natural States today, but I managed to lose my foils and didn't have too much time to find some new ones (it didn't make too much difference anyway).
1-0 Grixis Control [2-1]
1-1 Infect (I threw!) [0-2]
1-2 Jund [1-2]
2-2 Abzan (My opponent threw!) [2-1]
3-2 Infect [2-1]
4-2 Ad Nauseam (Revoker MVP) [2-1]
Ended up 14th, netted some packs (opened Emmy!). Probably gonna minus a Relic, and add a Scooze. We still got some play even down here in Developing Competitive.
First, I think I went too far in the colorless land direction. 3 Nykthos and 1 Westvale Abbey, 4 out of my 19 lands, caused several mulligans that would not otherwise have been necessary. I also don't think those lands are necessary any more. Take the Shrine for example. I activated it a lot a few times today and won those games... but would I have won them anyway? How much mana can be made just via the elves themselves if devotion exists to Shrine for a lot of mana, and how is that not enough? The card may be win more, and I'll try the deck at 1 copy. As for Westvale Abbey, it did win me one game against Tron, but I might have been winning that game anyway. While the 9/7 demon is nice, a lot of decks can deal with it, and is it really that much nicer than the 5 dudes I sacrificed to bring it out? Not so much.
The sideboard card that I tried on suggestion from you folks on this thread, Golgari Charm, has proven itself a thousand times over. It's so crazy what this card can do. It's a counter to sweepers that is also itself a sweeper, usually one-sided! And it kills enchantments! All in one card! In one game against Affinity, Golgari Charm 3-for-1ed his army of two Inkmoth Nexus and that battlecry thing (doing no damage to my own Lorded army), and in the next game it stuffed a Whipflare (take that, one-sided sweeper, I'LL BE THE ONE CASTING THOSE THANK YOU VERY MUCH). Against my next opponent, in one game Golgari Charm stuffed his Anger of the Gods... and in the next it blew up his Worship.
I'm going up to 3 next time.
Overall record: 139-98-15
Total number of matches: 252
Win percentage ignoring draws: 58.649789
Win percentage including draws: 55.158730
file:///C:/Users/tyler/Downloads/imgres.htm
I don't know whether I've completely gone off the rails, but this idea has popped into my head recently so I thought I might as well get it out there. I may have jumped entirely into the deep end of the deck but y'know, the water ain't too bad.
So, with that in mind -
I am shooting so far from the hip with this idea. GW, Chord based - but it looks promising on paper.
4 Forest
4 Brushland
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Windswept Heath
1 Sea Gate Wreckage
1 Pendelhaven
1 Temple Garden
//creatures: 34
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Heritage Druid
4 Llanowar Elves
1 Boreal Druid
4 Dwynen's Elite
4 Elvish Visionary
1 Selfless Spirit
4 Elvish Archdruid
4 Eldrazi Displacer
2 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
2 Eternal Witness
4 Collected Company
3 Chord of Calling
4 Reality Smasher
3 Kitchen Finks
2 Stony Silence
2 Dismember
1 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Melira, Sylvok Outcast
1 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Reclamation Sage
So...the plan is to go over the top against control/midrange with Reality Smasher post board, and pre-board to set up a Displacer value engine/stop blocks and let us push for damage. I'm fully expecting this list to get dismissed summarily but in theory it appears like it might work. I'm not sure whether the amount of colourless lands are correct, but there can be a tweak by going up in Boreal Druids, and cutting down on Mystics (blasphemous, I know - but 1 green vs 1 colourless should not matter if we reconfigure the mana to have all green sources). Just throwing the idea out here - I can't really test it (missing the lands/eldrazi). Its just proof that we still have places to move with this list, perhaps.
Interestingly, I had a similar thought after a PPTQ I played in this weekend, but my idea was lighter on the displacers (2) but still had the black for Shaman of the Pack as that is the biggest thing that displacer could be blinking. Obviously this causes a significant shift in the mana base, but there just isn't a bigger thing you could be blinking than SotP.
That said, I played in and top 8'd a 51 person PPTQ this weekend making a literal last minute shift from Chords to Leads in the GB version going 4-0-2 only losing 1 game in the swiss in round one where I kept a sketchy 6 card 1 lander against Grixis Delver with a bunch of dorks and a coco.
Grixis Delver: 2-1, Lose Roll, Noteworthy: Ormendahl closed out game 3
Naya Zoo: 2-0, Lose Roll, Ended Both Games at 1 on t4, Game 2 I went full legacy mode with double nettles + HD off of lead into double company on T3
Bant Eldrazi: 2-0, Win Roll, Another set of nut games where Leads and Nettle Sentinel + Heritage Druid did heavy lifting
Temur Prismatic Scapeshift: Lose Roll, 2-0, G1 Was T4 Kill draw, Main Deck Champion got me through for lethal; G2 Ormendahl closed out g2 in response to valakut triggers to kill elves
Double Draw into 3rd seed in top 8
Temur Prismatic Scapeshift (Same as Round 4): 1-2, Mull to 5 G1 Omen into Scapeshift on T6 with opp at 6 with lethal on board. G2 Mull to 6 but T1 Thoughtseize steals a Scapeshift & T3 Dwynen survives Anger to kill him 2 turns later. Keep a sketchy 1 land 6 with 3 dorks, Coco and Archdruid. I don't draw another land till T4 after he turn 3 Angers my dorks. He scapeshifts for the win.
List:
4 Heritage Druid
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Nettle Sentinel
2 Dwynen's Elite
2 Elvish Visionary
1 Scavenging Ooze
4 Elvish Archdruid
1 Elvish Champion
1 Eternal Witness
2 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
1 Reclamation Sage
4 Shaman of the Pack
4 Lead the Stampede
4 Collected Company
1 Viscera Seer
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Spellskite
1 Melira, Sylvok Outcast
1 Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen
1 Chameleon Colossus
2 Thoughtseize
1 Dismember
3 Chord of Calling
2 Fracturing Gust
1 Stain the Mind
BWZombiesBW
Modern
BG Collected Company ElvesBG
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Wed 7-10 Sat 7-10 Sun 6-10
Legacy
GBW Natural Order ElvesGBW
I feel like displacer may be a bit slow on so few main deck colorless sources, maybe move to some llanowar wastes too for GB<> and open a splash for SotP? 4 feels like a lot.
I feel like the deck really wants matter reshaper? Aside from a handful of creatures there is t much that's profitably blocking the reshaper in modern. Maybe the CMC is too low for so few <> sources though to hit on curve. Chording him in to block something and drawing a card is straight value, I mean he makes coilfang oracle look embarrassing. Although the blue splash for both gives you the emerge possibility with elder deep fiend
I like the reality smashers in the board. It feels so dirty and presents a quick clock against a bunch of decks. Why the smasher over thought-knot seer though? Seems like the disruption would be better if you're throwing a combo player off long enough for you to get under and he chords for 1 less. He is a slower clock granted.
Maybe elves are the replacement for eye of ugin lol. Either way you have me brainstorming now. I'm a fan...
So something like this maybe?
4 Forest
4 Brushland
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Gilt-Leaf Palace
2 Llanowar Wastes
1 Pendelhaven
//creatures: 34
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Heritage Druid
1 Boreal Druid
4 Dwynen's Elite
4 Elvish Visionary
4 Elvish Archdruid
4 Shaman of the Pack
2 Eldrazi Displacer
2 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
1 Eternal Witness
4 Collected Company
3 Chord of Calling
4 Reality Smasher
3 Kitchen Finks
2 Dismember
1 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Melira, Sylvok Outcast
1 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Stony Silence
1 Reclamation Sage
EDIT: Idea 2:
4 Brushland
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Llanowar Wastes
1 Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers
1 Pendelhaven
1 Sea Gate Wreckage
4 Heritage Druid
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Nettle Sentinel
4 Dwynen's Elite
4 Elvish Visionary
4 Elvish Archdruid
4 Matter Reshaper
2 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
3 Lead the Stampede
My SB is actually pretty similar to yours Syreal, only differences being that I run two fracturing gusts, a skite over Melira [which is a great call by the way, as skite can be relevant in more than one matchup] and a Scooze in place of Relics.
On another note, how's the ewitness been working out for you?? I haven't played one in my MB since my first iteration of modern elves.
Opponents also frequently take it over 'better' choices with a Thoughtseize or Iok.
The E-Wit has been unbelievable. It has almost always come off a coco, and every time it's gotten coco back, or at worst, gotten back a Shaman or an Ezuri. Overperforming so much I'm considering 2, and trying out the Japanese creature configuration again. Melira just ices Infect so I think I might keep it considering how much infect I played the other week.
Excuse the poor grammar, did it on my phone:
Times when its correct to mainphase a coco:
a) when you're going off (ie, t1 heritage, t2 nettle nettle dump) - at this point if they have the maindeck dispel, good on them
b) against a blue deck where they're tapped out - notably against (poor) Jeskai Nahiri pilots, you can overwhelm them with coco in the mainphase when they (mistakenly) tap out for Nahiri.
c) against affinity/combo decks when you want to hit a lord or ezuri pre combat to push for damage - pretty obvious, but decks like RG Shift, Ad Nauseam, Storm. If its a race, you should feel obliged to try and put as much pressure as possible.
d) whenever you "sense" weakness in an opponent, whether it be by fact (ie, jund player, no cards in hand, no board) or via reads (bad body language despite full grip, slouches etc but if you're not good at it, don't do this)
e) in the mirror - theres no real point holding back unless you want to "surprise block" (rarely relevant, because you both should know 4 mana open could be a coco)
re: sideboarding w/ recsage
I do bring Rec Sage in against Burn, Eidolon is one of the few cards you're genuinely worried about so killing it is a priority. I don't really worry too much about Eidolon of Rhetoric though, you just play a dude on your turn, cocos/chords on theirs and they're still just as overwhelmed. Might be a bit different for the Lead deck though - might be worth parking a dismember or two in the board for the matchups which Rhetoric would typically come in against anyway.