I think the squee is a very interesting idea, and I've been thinking about trying to squeeze some delve creatures in, but I like having extra protection and I can't find space.
I can't emphasize enough how great I think taigam's scheming is. Nothing digs deeper, and it also helps play around targeted discard. I also think thoughtseize should be a 4x because using it to discard hulk comes up more often than you'd think.
Also, I am taking this deck to a GPT on sunday. Hopefully it goes well.
I played a Hulk combo deck some time back, before DRS banning, using Melira combo as the wincon - http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/protean-combo-melira/ - I don't have the deck built anymore, but this is most likely how I'd build it if I reassembled it.
Having played a similar version of the deck myself for some time I have to agree that it is a lot stronger than I initially expected. I've actually had some success with running 1 copy of Squee, Goblin Nabob to offset some of the card disadvantage from all the looting. I also haven't been playing with ideas unbound or taigam's scheming (though I'm considering testing both since it seems as though many of you have had nice results with those).
I think darkblast is a nice 1-of as a sideboard card as the dredge 3 allows you to further your own gameplan while disrupting theirs in the matches where -1/-1 is relevant removal. I was also playing a couple tasigurs as the ability gives some raw cardcount allowing me to loot more before running out of cards, in addition to being able to do better in longer games. I wouldn't be surprised if cutting some of the slower elements from my version for a more combo-centric approach might be stronger though.
I've also been playing with only 1 reveillark but 3 body doubles, as hardcast body doubles often can be a nice replacement to footsteps.
EDIT: Don't have the exact list I used to use as I regularly disassemble decks to test new brews but it was fairly close to this:
I've been running some delve creatures similar to your list, and I've found them to be pretty great because of how easily the deck can power them out and how well they can keep a Goyf at bay or even close the game on their own. I think 2 is a solid number.
That said, I really think Gurmag Angler is the way to go; Tasigur's activated ability is very often so bad that your opponent would WANT you to activate it, since you'll want to loot away things like Reveillark & Hulk which your opponent obviously wants in back in your hand. The extra point of power to take out Goyfs / opposing Tasigurs & increase the clock by 1 turn just seems worth it considering that; Is his ability really that useful to you in this deck?
I'm also pretty concerned about the chance of milling a Footsteps with Thought Scour & probably wouldn't run it for that reason (that could be your spot to test Taigam's?).
That was the old list I used before I stumbled upon this thread. Tasigur's activated ability is actually decent because while the cards you get back are actively detrimental to your gameplan you get more net cards to loot away making it easier to sculpt a 2-3 card hand to beat a control deck for instance. However, after testing I feel like Squee does that job better than Tasigur. He has never won a game with beatdown, so I don't consider him reasonable because of that, however the ability to temporarily keep a random Rhino or Goyf at bay was fairly nice.
Compared to the list I posted the current list I'm running is:
-2 Tasigur
-2 Thought Scour
-1 Bolt
-1 Steam Vents
That was the old list I used before I stumbled upon this thread. Tasigur's activated ability is actually decent because while the cards you get back are actively detrimental to your gameplan you get more net cards to loot away making it easier to sculpt a 2-3 card hand to beat a control deck for instance. However, after testing I feel like Squee does that job better than Tasigur. He has never won a game with beatdown, so I don't consider him reasonable because of that, however the ability to temporarily keep a random Rhino or Goyf at bay was fairly nice.
Compared to the list I posted the current list I'm running is:
-2 Tasigur
-2 Thought Scour
-1 Bolt
-1 Steam Vents
Squee has a pretty cool interaction with lightening axe--which serves the dual purpose of defense from aggro and looting your dudes while you assemble the combo pieces. Also kills your hulk if you reanimated it via makeshift.
Sure he does, but you won't always draw squee, and while you want to have discard outlets most of them are card disadvantage, and you can only take so much card disadvantage before the deck stops functioning that well.
Lightening axe however has been good for me without squee (I didn't think of even including him). It kills all early pressure in modern that could put you on a clock outside of early prime time or wurmcoil engine--but especially good is that it kills scavenging ooze and stops the twin combo while providing utility.
The only point where the card disadvantage is a thing is when you need to loot but can't afford to discard footsteps/combo protection. literally nothing about card advantage matters otherwise.
Has anyone played this deck to much success since early Sept. I currently play only standard competitively, but want to start playing modern. I enjoy that this deck is a fringe combo that has potential to beat out twin, and seems resilient after board to graveyard hate, as well as some people don't know how it works and misplay vs it. Any updated lists? Also I noticed that the preferred kill condition is mogg fanatic instead of the other options, is this because of the option to ping a creature in a pinch? Also after board when expecting graveyard hate I see that grave titan is the common option, is Baron of Vizkopa an option in a junk/jund heavy meta, immune to dismember, path, and out of the range of bolt.
I'm noticing that there is a TON of variance between lists that have been successful. I'd really like the see the list that made day 2 of the scg event this psst weekend. When wildly different lists have sporadic success it makes me think the deck could be a real force if only it was properly developed. Maybe I'll have to pick it back up.
After that core there is a lot of difference between lists regarding tools for consistency, redundancy and protection.
I think Taigam's Scheming is good enough to play 4, and I like thoughtseize in the deck but in the extremely aggro focused meta game i see lately it's not as good.
Sac Hulk, get Seer + Body, sac, get Seer + Body, sac, get Lark + Seer, sac, returning Body (Lark) + Body (Hulk), sac hulk lets you get a creature from your deck and sac lark brings back both Body as lark+hulk... same board state, just keep sacing the hulk to get ALL creatures from your deck. Current board state: Seer x3 + Lark (real) + Body x2 (lark or hulk) + Simian Spirit Guide x4. If any of those creatures (or all of them) die, you can rebuild the same board state just without the real Lark. That's 8-12 flying power + a lot of ground blockers.
In other words, exiling Mogg Fanatic is the wrong card to name with Slaughter Games. They should name Body Double or Lark, they prevents you from looping.
Game 2/Game 3 you should side in Grave Titan. This provides an alternate win con if they have Leyline or exile Mogg, as you just create infinite zombies. Secondly, Titan offers as a backup plan if they let hulk die then exile it before you search up Body Double... then you search up Titan instead
When do the Emrakul's come in? I was figuring against heavy exile decks (Junk really) that don't really play counterspells. I guess honestly I can't figure out the sideboard, but that's likely due to lack of play.
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Semi-retired Lantern Player. I try to get out to play every once in awhile!
I never played with or againt this deck, I'm just a curios guy looking the list, forgive me if I'm saying bull*****, but have you guys thought of using Maggot Carrier and Deathgreeter to beat leyline?
There are many cards that are better choices than those, for example: Zulaport Cutthroat or Kokusho, the Evening Star. However, you don't need this effect. Instead you can just use the Grave Titan you sided in to generate infinite zombie tokens. Or if you don't have titan, just bring your whole deck into play: 3 seer, 2-3 larks, 4 spirit guides, 1 mogg, 0-2 hulks. Your creatures can't die as you just rebuild with the infinite board state. Then you scry infinitely and put Echoing Truth on top.
This deck looks nice on paper but in exactly what it's better than Griselbrand? It's main reanimation spell can't be countered by dispel and Spell Snare and it has better cantrips. But hulk loses horribly to path. Why I should play this combo over any T3 combo decks in modern like Amulet, Griselbrand or Infect?
Seer + Body (as Lark) + Body (as Hulk) will let you infinite. You can sac Hulk copy to get a creature out of your deck, then sac the Lark copy to bring back both Body Doubles copying what they were before. Now you can get all the creatures from your deck.
With Seer + Body + Body + Titan, you sac titan, then sac one of the Body Doubles. Use the other Body (as Lark) to revive both Body Doubles: one becomes a Lark again allowing for infinite, then other any creature you want like that Grave Titan. Rinse and Repeat.
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I can't emphasize enough how great I think taigam's scheming is. Nothing digs deeper, and it also helps play around targeted discard. I also think thoughtseize should be a 4x because using it to discard hulk comes up more often than you'd think.
Also, I am taking this deck to a GPT on sunday. Hopefully it goes well.
I've been running some delve creatures similar to your list, and I've found them to be pretty great because of how easily the deck can power them out and how well they can keep a Goyf at bay or even close the game on their own. I think 2 is a solid number.
That said, I really think Gurmag Angler is the way to go; Tasigur's activated ability is very often so bad that your opponent would WANT you to activate it, since you'll want to loot away things like Reveillark & Hulk which your opponent obviously wants in back in your hand. The extra point of power to take out Goyfs / opposing Tasigurs & increase the clock by 1 turn just seems worth it considering that; Is his ability really that useful to you in this deck?
I'm also pretty concerned about the chance of milling a Footsteps with Thought Scour & probably wouldn't run it for that reason (that could be your spot to test Taigam's?).
Squee is cool tech though.
Compared to the list I posted the current list I'm running is:
-2 Tasigur
-2 Thought Scour
-1 Bolt
-1 Steam Vents
+2 Taigam's Scheming
+1 Thoughtseize
+1 Murderous Cut
+1 Makeshift Mannequin
+1 Godless Shrine
Squee has a pretty cool interaction with lightening axe--which serves the dual purpose of defense from aggro and looting your dudes while you assemble the combo pieces. Also kills your hulk if you reanimated it via makeshift.
Lightening axe however has been good for me without squee (I didn't think of even including him). It kills all early pressure in modern that could put you on a clock outside of early prime time or wurmcoil engine--but especially good is that it kills scavenging ooze and stops the twin combo while providing utility.
The only point where the card disadvantage is a thing is when you need to loot but can't afford to discard footsteps/combo protection. literally nothing about card advantage matters otherwise.
http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=94565
2 Body Double
1 Mogg Fanatic
4 Protean Hulk
2 Reveillark
2 Viscera Seer
Spells (31)
4 Pentad Prism
3 Izzet Charm
3 Pact of Negation
1 Summoner's Pact
2 Through the Breach
4 Faithless Looting
4 Footsteps of the Goryo
1 Gitaxian Probe
4 Serum Visions
3 Sleight of Hand
2 Taigam's Scheming
2 Island
1 Mountain
1 Swamp
3 Gemstone Mine
4 Polluted Delta
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Steam Vents
1 Watery Grave
1 Pithing Needle
1 Grave Titan
4 Leyline of Sanctity
1 Echoing Truth
1 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Lightning Axe
1 Swan Song
1 Through the Breach
2 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
From these lists that have done well I think we can safely say the core of the deck is something like this:
4 Footsteps of the Goryo
2 Body Double
2 Reveillark
2 Viscera Seer
1 Mogg Fanatic
4 Serum Visions
4 Faithless Looting
2 Taigam's Scheming
3 Izzet Charm
After that core there is a lot of difference between lists regarding tools for consistency, redundancy and protection.
I think Taigam's Scheming is good enough to play 4, and I like thoughtseize in the deck but in the extremely aggro focused meta game i see lately it's not as good.
Sac Hulk, get Seer + Body, sac, get Seer + Body, sac, get Lark + Seer, sac, returning Body (Lark) + Body (Hulk), sac hulk lets you get a creature from your deck and sac lark brings back both Body as lark+hulk... same board state, just keep sacing the hulk to get ALL creatures from your deck. Current board state: Seer x3 + Lark (real) + Body x2 (lark or hulk) + Simian Spirit Guide x4. If any of those creatures (or all of them) die, you can rebuild the same board state just without the real Lark. That's 8-12 flying power + a lot of ground blockers.
In other words, exiling Mogg Fanatic is the wrong card to name with Slaughter Games. They should name Body Double or Lark, they prevents you from looping.
Game 2/Game 3 you should side in Grave Titan. This provides an alternate win con if they have Leyline or exile Mogg, as you just create infinite zombies. Secondly, Titan offers as a backup plan if they let hulk die then exile it before you search up Body Double... then you search up Titan instead
When do the Emrakul's come in? I was figuring against heavy exile decks (Junk really) that don't really play counterspells. I guess honestly I can't figure out the sideboard, but that's likely due to lack of play.
Still has to sac 6, but good point.
I honestly don't know what it's for then, other than maybe to protect the graveyard?
With Seer + Body + Body + Titan, you sac titan, then sac one of the Body Doubles. Use the other Body (as Lark) to revive both Body Doubles: one becomes a Lark again allowing for infinite, then other any creature you want like that Grave Titan. Rinse and Repeat.