Dryad Militant is good, obviously, it annoys Snapcaster and makes Delve harder so it definitely has meta applications, I just love vialing in a counterspell from using curse catcher in Merfolk. While Judge's Familiar is not a Merfolk, it does fly, so it's like having a single Lingering Soul hanging around as well which can be useful, I mean the thing trades with Vendilion Clique for one.
It's a metagame call, so we can't help you unless we know what your deck and your metagame look like. And even then, we probably still won't reach a consensus. The one-drop question comes up all of the time, so I'm just going to quote myself talking about the four most commonly used one-drops:
Kytheon: This card is probably the best general-use one-drop. It's aggressive, and once it flips, it has relevant modes against a lot of different decks. Sometimes it can be hard to make this flip though, because you don't want to swing into Tarmogoyf with your T2 Thalia just for the Kytheon trigger.
Judge's Familiar: This card is typically used to make a T2 ThaliaBolt-proof, on the curve. Bonus points if you bait the Lightning Bolt on the draw by playing T1 Æther Vial, followed by T2 Thalia, and in response to your opponent's inevitable EoT Bolt, you vial in Familiar and counter it. This card also has the advantage of being able to swing for 1 in the air all game, while still providing protection for your creatures.
Dryad Militant: This card shines in metagames filled with Snapcaster, Tarmogoyf, and delvespells. It can do a surprising amount of work. It also occasionally wrecks an opponent playing Storm.
Icatian Javelineers: This card is excellent creature removal for one-drops and infect creatures. It takes out Noble Hierarch, BoP, Grim Lavamancer, Viscera Seer, Glistener Elf, Blighted Agent, Inkmoth Nexus, like a boss. If you're lucky, you can sometimes catch a Dark Confidant too (T1 Vial, T2 Vial in the Javelineers). As you pointed out, it can also mess up combat math and be flickered later in the game. But I think you get the most mileage out of this card when you hit a T1 mana dork, because people like to keep questionable hands when they see Hierarch and BoP.
Playing millions of cards every turn... Slowly and systematically obliterating any chance my opponent has of winning... Clicking the multitude of locking mechanisms into place... Not even trying to win myself until turn 10+ once I have nigh absolute control... Watching my opponent desperately trying to navigate the labyrinthine prison that I've constructed... Seeing the light of hope fade and ultimately extinguished in an excruciatingly slow manner... THAT'S fun Magic.
We have 2-3 users that are dramatically making this thread incomprehensible and non-productive for anyone else to possibly join in the discussion. This needs to change.
Every time I see [ktkenshinx] post in here, I get the impression of a stern dad walking in on a bunch of kids trying to do something dumb and just shaking his head in disappointment.
Near Mint: The same as Slightly Played, but we threw some Altoids in the box we stored it in to cover up the scent of dead mice. Slightly Played: The base condition for all MTG cards. This card looks OK, but there’s one minor annoying ding in it that will always irritate and distract you whenever you draw it. Moderately Played: This card looks like it survived the Tet Offensive tucked inside the waistband of GI underwear. It may smell like it, too. Heavily Played: This card looks like the remains of Mohammed Atta’s passport after 9/11. It may be playable if you double-sleeve it to stop the chunks from falling out. The condition formerly known as "Washing Machine Grade" Damaged: This card is the unfortunate victim of a Mirrorweave/March of the Machines/Chaos Confetti/Mindslaver combo.
[M]aking counterfeit cards is the absolute height of dishonesty. Ask yourself this question: Since most people...are totally cool with the use of proxies...what purpose do [high] quality counterfeit cards serve?
I didn't think of the Javelineers. That's an interesting consideration. I think I'll stick with the Owl though, late game vials are rarely profitable but they always hit 1 at some point and vialing in a Judge's Familiar to counter something is just neat. It's not a card people really play around. I think the biggest issue with Dryad Militant is that it needs to come down early or not at all. That's true to an extent with Judge's Familiar but a bit less so because it flies and ups the cost of already pricey spells like Cryptic Command.
I did not make that clear. "All grix variants" means
Twin
Delver
Control
Really the only tier 1 deck that we are missing is Merfolk. Mainly because I took mine apart to make D&T.
The Crusaders where amazing for me out of the side last time. The decks he is good against he is an all star. Stalled out boggles and beat up elves like a champ. With the amount of R decks in the room though I dnt want him main.
I feel like the core is good, but I am def very tempted to push skites to the side. I feel like my list lacks a little oomph. Especially with my curve topping at 3. I was looking at Brimaz to fill that spot, but I think he is a little lack luster. Maybe push 2 skites to the side, drop a bob and bring in 3x blade splicer? With no resto not sure how good they are. Maybe a sword? Stone cloaker is new card for me. So that might also be able to go to make room for another beater
Cards that I am not sure on :
4th bob
2x Skites main
Stone cloaker
1x Wasteland Strangler main. 1 main / 1 side may be better. He is bad against Jund and Grix decks.
4th Tidehallow
That is 6 cards total. Cards I am mulling over :
3-4x Blade splicer
2x Sera Serra Avenger
Resto angle. Supper risky with bob.
Brimaz
2-3x Jotun Grunt
I am starting to think Jotun Grunt is the card I am looking for. Just not sure if he can be sustained for long enough against none delve decks.
Really long time since since I posted here, gotta say the competitive forums got much better since 2010
Anyway, I've been playing the BW version online for around 2 weeks, and would like to say a few things, for my own reference and maybe to help others going along a smiliar path:
3 Bobs, 4 Scullers.
4 Lingering Souls on the side (for those creature heavy games you side out the Thalias and Wingmares)
If you want to hate Affinity, play Kataki. Stony Silence is good because it can hit other decks, but for Robots it's too slow.
Wasteland Strangler is cool as heck.
You will lose to Merfolk.
You will win against random jank as long as you play tight.
Like in Legacy, I think this is one of the most skill testing decks in the format (although it plays differently), and is just fun to play. Except for the really bad matchups, for most losses I can go back and find exactly the point I screwed up.
That said, I need some help with my flex spots. This is what I'm currently running:
The sideboard is a work in progress, but my main contention is with the 2 Crusaders and 2 Pontiffs on the main. They just play like sideboard cards (they either win the game or whiff like a faerie's fart). I used to play 2 Kytheons and 2 Brimaz in their place (along with a Shizo and Eiganjo) but Kytheon just leads into bad attacks and Brimaz makes me depressed against Goyfs and Tasigurs. Do we have any better choices that can take their place? I'm almost considering Swords and maybe even Fiend Hunter, since Strangler has been such a MVP.
Crusader and Pontiff are definitely cards that float in and out of the mainboard, but in my opinion always have a spot in the 75. I'm having an issue determining your meta here. You want to take out Crusader, but are having trouble with Tasigur/Goyf, so you don't want Brimaz? So why not keep in the Crusaders haha? I'd suggest if Pontiff and Crusader aren't very relevant in most of your meta, putting them in the side and maybe going with the ever reliable 4x Blade Splicer. There are also the options of Serra Avenger/Swords (2-3/1-2 split) or Pack Rat (2-3x) depending what kind of beaters you need.
I also don't get what you mean by Kytheon leading into bad attacks (unless you're being meta and talking about the magic storyline...), you lead yourself into bad attacks, Kytheon is a 1-drop that can occasionally become a powerhouse if you can manipulate the battlefield to allow for it, otherwise he can forces removal on himself which is stellar.
My biggest question for your list is what matchup do you need the Patrician's Scorn in the side for? Is boggles that huge a part of your meta?
My biggest question for your list is what matchup do you need the Patrician's Scorn in the side for? Is boggles that huge a part of your meta?
While I agree that the Patrician's Scorns should probably be replaced by a different card, it can do a great job of getting rid of Blood Moons without costing you any tempo. You get bonus points if you actually manage to hit multiple Blood Moons.
Playing millions of cards every turn... Slowly and systematically obliterating any chance my opponent has of winning... Clicking the multitude of locking mechanisms into place... Not even trying to win myself until turn 10+ once I have nigh absolute control... Watching my opponent desperately trying to navigate the labyrinthine prison that I've constructed... Seeing the light of hope fade and ultimately extinguished in an excruciatingly slow manner... THAT'S fun Magic.
We have 2-3 users that are dramatically making this thread incomprehensible and non-productive for anyone else to possibly join in the discussion. This needs to change.
Every time I see [ktkenshinx] post in here, I get the impression of a stern dad walking in on a bunch of kids trying to do something dumb and just shaking his head in disappointment.
Near Mint: The same as Slightly Played, but we threw some Altoids in the box we stored it in to cover up the scent of dead mice. Slightly Played: The base condition for all MTG cards. This card looks OK, but there’s one minor annoying ding in it that will always irritate and distract you whenever you draw it. Moderately Played: This card looks like it survived the Tet Offensive tucked inside the waistband of GI underwear. It may smell like it, too. Heavily Played: This card looks like the remains of Mohammed Atta’s passport after 9/11. It may be playable if you double-sleeve it to stop the chunks from falling out. The condition formerly known as "Washing Machine Grade" Damaged: This card is the unfortunate victim of a Mirrorweave/March of the Machines/Chaos Confetti/Mindslaver combo.
[M]aking counterfeit cards is the absolute height of dishonesty. Ask yourself this question: Since most people...are totally cool with the use of proxies...what purpose do [high] quality counterfeit cards serve?
The Scorns are as you presumed Bogle hate that also covers for Blood Moon basically. I used to run 2 Celestial Flares in their place before and been happy with the change so far.
My meta is MTGO which is hard to predict. Sometimes I'll play against Bogles and CoCo all night, sometimes it's just that damn Emeria Titan deck and some miserable Esper draw go...
I guess I'm more than prepared for the creature match ups, but would like to have some edge against slower control.
Edit: I will test some amount of Pack Rats (and maybe a Mutavault or 2) and move the Pontiffs to the side to see how it goes.
The Scorns are as you presumed Bogle hate that also covers for Blood Moon basically. I used to run 2 Celestial Flares in their place before and been happy with the change so far.
My meta is MTGO which is hard to predict. Sometimes I'll play against Bogles and CoCo all night, sometimes it's just that damn Emeria Titan deck and some miserable Esper draw go...
I guess I'm more than prepared for the creature match ups, but would like to have some edge against slower control.
Edit: I will test some amount of Pack Rats (and maybe a Mutavault or 2) and move the Pontiffs to the side to see how it goes.
I have tested with Pack Rat as a 2x prior to using Wasteland Strangler, back when I was running 4x Blade Splicer. It is a card that can run away with games ridiculously often, and is amazing for grindy matchups like Grixis Control. Nothing is better than vialing a Pack Rat turn three on your opponent's end step with 3 mana open to make a copy. It turns all of your topdeck lands/vials into rats and it has great synergy with Dark Confidant. It also can be an amazing top deck in an open board. The problem it's slightly to slow to take a dedicated beater slot in my opinion, and is more of a supplemental end the game from a standstill kind of creature. Then again, like I said I haven't tested since BFZ hit, and a little while before that, so it could be worth testing out.
How does going W/X work with you guys instead of just going White. I could imagine it being pretty annoying with blocking your own searching or do you just run a splash and like 4 fastlands, 4 shocklands?
How does going W/X work with you guys instead of just going White. I could imagine it being pretty annoying with blocking your own searching or do you just run a splash and like 4 fastlands, 4 shocklands?
It's this exact reason that W/G tends to have more consistent success than the other W/x colour-combinations. You typically don't want to run any fetches of your own, which limits your choices as to what lands you can run. At the same time, running 7+ colourless lands makes checklands very bad, and the fact that those colourless are typically utility (i.e. Ghost Quarter) makes filterlands somewhat bad as well.
How does going W/X work with you guys instead of just going White. I could imagine it being pretty annoying with blocking your own searching or do you just run a splash and like 4 fastlands, 4 shocklands?
It's almost never a problem. A playset of fetchlands or less is completely fine, because you'll just sequence your land drops to avoid conflicts with Arbiter. In extreme cases, you can run Mindcensor instead, because that only affects your opponent.
How does going W/X work with you guys instead of just going White. I could imagine it being pretty annoying with blocking your own searching or do you just run a splash and like 4 fastlands, 4 shocklands?
It's this exact reason that W/G tends to have more consistent success than the other W/x colour-combinations.
This is true, but it's misleading. W/G has access to Razorverge Thicket and Horizon Canopy, both of which are great. However, the number one reason to run W/G is Noble Hierarch. In any green splash, Hierarch should be the first nonland card in, and the last one out. It's not the lands that make the W/G manabase more stable - it's Hierarch.
At the same time, running 7+ colourless lands makes checklands very bad, and the fact that those colourless are typically utility (i.e. Ghost Quarter) makes filterlands somewhat bad as well.
This is true. As explained a few pages back, the filterlands are best used when you need a deep splash in your off color. But you still can't really load up on them, because we run so many utility lands.
Playing millions of cards every turn... Slowly and systematically obliterating any chance my opponent has of winning... Clicking the multitude of locking mechanisms into place... Not even trying to win myself until turn 10+ once I have nigh absolute control... Watching my opponent desperately trying to navigate the labyrinthine prison that I've constructed... Seeing the light of hope fade and ultimately extinguished in an excruciatingly slow manner... THAT'S fun Magic.
We have 2-3 users that are dramatically making this thread incomprehensible and non-productive for anyone else to possibly join in the discussion. This needs to change.
Every time I see [ktkenshinx] post in here, I get the impression of a stern dad walking in on a bunch of kids trying to do something dumb and just shaking his head in disappointment.
Near Mint: The same as Slightly Played, but we threw some Altoids in the box we stored it in to cover up the scent of dead mice. Slightly Played: The base condition for all MTG cards. This card looks OK, but there’s one minor annoying ding in it that will always irritate and distract you whenever you draw it. Moderately Played: This card looks like it survived the Tet Offensive tucked inside the waistband of GI underwear. It may smell like it, too. Heavily Played: This card looks like the remains of Mohammed Atta’s passport after 9/11. It may be playable if you double-sleeve it to stop the chunks from falling out. The condition formerly known as "Washing Machine Grade" Damaged: This card is the unfortunate victim of a Mirrorweave/March of the Machines/Chaos Confetti/Mindslaver combo.
[M]aking counterfeit cards is the absolute height of dishonesty. Ask yourself this question: Since most people...are totally cool with the use of proxies...what purpose do [high] quality counterfeit cards serve?
This is true, but it's misleading. W/G has access to Razorverge Thicket and Horizon Canopy, both of which are great. However, the number one reason to run W/G is Noble Hierarch. In any green splash, Hierarch should be the first nonland card in, and the last one out. It's not the lands that make the W/G manabase more stable - it's Hierarch.
And what enables you to reliably cast Noble Hierarch on Turn 1? Temple Garden, Razorverge Thicket, Horizon Canopy. If W/G did not have access to fastlands (or Horizon Canopy), Noble Hierarch wouldn't be anywhere nearly as good in this deck. The exceptionally good mana-base that W/G gives you access to is one of the biggest major factors in the colour combination's success. More important, while yes, you could get by with the available mana-bases in W/B or whatever else, those are more complex two-body problems where you have to be very attentive to how you construct the rest of your deck to fit coherently with the mana-base. There is no such restriction in W/G, where you can conceivably play *twelve* lands (or more!) that produce both White *and* Green without possibly forcing you to stumble. Noble Hierarch is great, but don't be fooled. Imagine if a similarly powerful Black or Red 1-drop was printed - it would heavily skew how you have to build the deck so you can accommodate it with the less-flexible set of lands available in the format.
As a follow-up (I might get flak for this), while I agree that it doesn't hurt "too much" to have fetchlands in the deck, having any more than one or two (i.e. if you're *relying* on fetchlands, even to a small degree) introduces a percentage of games where it *will* bite you in the ass. And while that percentage might not be big, if you're building your deck to carry you through many rounds of a tournament, you'll eventually run into instances where your own deck loses to itself. And I don't think that it's worthwhile.
I'm salty guys. Just got 0-2d 3 times in a row by amulet bloom. Guess I'll be buying some Chalices after all. Hive Mind is a dirty card. blegh.
Also for anyone playing online, I think Allies is going to be the new flavor-of-the-month deck. It's being featured in this weekend's modern open and is doing ridiculously well. I highly recommend playing 2+ Wrath of Gods and some Grafdigger's Cages in your sideboard. Or perhaps some Hallowed Moonlights. Or maybe Hushwing gryff? Anything that wipes the board & fights their etb triggers, & something to fight CoCo.
I'm salty guys. Just got 0-2d 3 times in a row by amulet bloom. Guess I'll be buying some Chalices after all. Hive Mind is a dirty card. blegh.
Also for anyone playing online, I think Allies is going to be the new flavor-of-the-month deck. It's being featured in this weekend's modern open and is doing ridiculously well. I highly recommend playing 2+ Wrath of Gods and some Grafdigger's Cages in your sideboard. Or perhaps some Hallowed Moonlights. Or maybe Hushwing gryff? Anything that wipes the board & fights their etb triggers, & something to fight CoCo.
I'm trading out cards in the board for Worship due to the amount of aggro in the wild right now. Allies is definitely part of that equation.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“Modern has provided us a non-rotating format that is far more accessible than Legacy or Vintage, but still retains many of the qualities that people enjoy in those formats—such as a more stable metagame, the ability to play and tweak the same deck week after week, and simply a much more powerful card pool than Standard.”
- Sam Stoddard, “Developing Modern” (June 21, 2013) (by means of Sheridan Lardner, "Fixing Modern: Defining Format Mission (March 16, 2016))
This is true, but it's misleading. W/G has access to Razorverge Thicket and Horizon Canopy, both of which are great. However, the number one reason to run W/G is Noble Hierarch. In any green splash, Hierarch should be the first nonland card in, and the last one out. It's not the lands that make the W/G manabase more stable - it's Hierarch.
And what enables you to reliably cast Noble Hierarch on Turn 1? Temple Garden, Razorverge Thicket, Horizon Canopy. If W/G did not have access to fastlands (or Horizon Canopy), Noble Hierarch wouldn't be anywhere nearly as good in this deck. The exceptionally good mana-base that W/G gives you access to is one of the biggest major factors in the colour combination's success.
Aside from Canopy, the manabases for WG and WU are the same. I concede that the addition of Canopy is non-trivial (because it's so versatile), but there are more than enough options (fetchlands, shocklands, fastlands, filterlands, checklands, painlands, and basics)to fill out the 14-16 mana-producing slots in D&T. What makes those decks play differently isn't just the 2-drops and 3-drops; it's Hierarch.
What makes you reliably cast Hierarch on T1? That's a bad question, because the answer is Æther Vial. In G1, most of the time, you will still lead with Vial. There are really only two circumstances when you might lead with Hierarch: (1) you have a T2 land destruction play with Arbiter and Ghost Quarter, or (2) you have a Mindcensor in hand and you want the opportunity to catch a T2 fetchland. There is actually a third option, which is if you want to land a T2 Smiter, but that's not in every WG build.
More important, while yes, you could get by with the available mana-bases in W/B or whatever else, those are more complex two-body problems where you have to be very attentive to how you construct the rest of your deck to fit coherently with the mana-base. There is no such restriction in W/G, where you can conceivably play *twelve* lands (or more!) that produce both White *and* Green without possibly forcing you to stumble. Noble Hierarch is great, but don't be fooled. Imagine if a similarly powerful Black or Red 1-drop was printed - it would heavily skew how you have to build the deck so you can accommodate it with the less-flexible set of lands available in the format.
From the above list of lands, the only lands that the enemy colors (WR and WB) don't have access to, are the fastlands. Right off the bat, Shocklands and Painlands easily get you to 8. If you're determined to fix your mana on T1, then fetchlands are fine, and they make 12.
From Karsten's analysis, if you want to have a 90% chance of hitting your colored-mana one-drop on T1, you need 14 sources of mana of that color. So if a comparably powerful one-drop were printed in B or R, the combination of those 12 sources plus an Æther Vial is going to push you over the edge.
As a follow-up (I might get flak for this), while I agree that it doesn't hurt "too much" to have fetchlands in the deck, having any more than one or two (i.e. if you're *relying* on fetchlands, even to a small degree) introduces a percentage of games where it *will* bite you in the ass. And while that percentage might not be big, if you're building your deck to carry you through many rounds of a tournament, you'll eventually run into instances where your own deck loses to itself. And I don't think that it's worthwhile.
The only card in our deck that can stop our searches, is Leonin Arbiter. Aven Mindcensor doesn't affect us. That means that you have two full land drops to use any fetchlands that you want, before Arbiter even becomes a possible problem. Obviously, you get more chances if you lead with a different two-drop, like Thalia.
There are only two ways that Arbiter becomes an issue: (1) you topdeck a fetchland after you play an Arbiter or (2) you see 3+ fetchlands in your opening hand. (2) is possible, but statistically unlikely. (1) is really the point of greater concern. But the truth, is that you'll seldom notice (1). Here's why: let's assume that you have a 60-card deck, and that the "critical" turns are T3-T5. (1) only happens if you topdeck a fetchland in those 3 turns, after you've played the Arbiter on T2. Although it may happen, it doesn't happen very often.
So what's the "cost" of not playing fetchlands? Less mana-fixing on T1 and T2. That's a pretty big deal in a deck like ours, because we need to curve out properly in order to stay ahead.
There are only two choices: run fetchlands or not run fetchlands. The correct choice is a comparison of outcomes. Which number is larger: (1) the number of games that you stand to win by having more perfect mana on T1 and T2 or (2) the number of games you stand to lose by having an Arbiter in play, and having to pay 2 to get out from under it.
To me, it's pretty intuitive that the correct answer is (1). But I concede that you are technically correct, in the same sense that if someone asked "how many plains do I have to run in order to guarantee that I have 2 in my opening hand?", you might be inclined to answer "54." I just think that's a bad way to construct a deck.
Playing millions of cards every turn... Slowly and systematically obliterating any chance my opponent has of winning... Clicking the multitude of locking mechanisms into place... Not even trying to win myself until turn 10+ once I have nigh absolute control... Watching my opponent desperately trying to navigate the labyrinthine prison that I've constructed... Seeing the light of hope fade and ultimately extinguished in an excruciatingly slow manner... THAT'S fun Magic.
We have 2-3 users that are dramatically making this thread incomprehensible and non-productive for anyone else to possibly join in the discussion. This needs to change.
Every time I see [ktkenshinx] post in here, I get the impression of a stern dad walking in on a bunch of kids trying to do something dumb and just shaking his head in disappointment.
Near Mint: The same as Slightly Played, but we threw some Altoids in the box we stored it in to cover up the scent of dead mice. Slightly Played: The base condition for all MTG cards. This card looks OK, but there’s one minor annoying ding in it that will always irritate and distract you whenever you draw it. Moderately Played: This card looks like it survived the Tet Offensive tucked inside the waistband of GI underwear. It may smell like it, too. Heavily Played: This card looks like the remains of Mohammed Atta’s passport after 9/11. It may be playable if you double-sleeve it to stop the chunks from falling out. The condition formerly known as "Washing Machine Grade" Damaged: This card is the unfortunate victim of a Mirrorweave/March of the Machines/Chaos Confetti/Mindslaver combo.
[M]aking counterfeit cards is the absolute height of dishonesty. Ask yourself this question: Since most people...are totally cool with the use of proxies...what purpose do [high] quality counterfeit cards serve?
There are only two choices: run fetchlands or not run fetchlands. The correct choice is a comparison of outcomes. Which number is larger: (1) the number of games that you stand to win by having more perfect mana on T1 and T2 or (2) the number of games you stand to lose by having an Arbiter in play, and having to pay 2 to get out from under it.
There is a third deck design choice: Construct your list so you don't need colored mana on Turn 1 or so that you need at most one colored source. I know there are a plethora of reasons both for and against this.
Were it not for the fact that Marsh Flats is absurdly overpriced, I might pick them up and give it a try, but I'm piecing a new deck together right now to add to the pool, so I'm just not interested in dropping almost $200 on a playset of a card that might smooth some issues in the deck that I'm seldom plagued by. The more reasonable fix for me is just to experiment with the balance of Isolated Chapel and Caves of Koilos...both of which I already have. I've also considered adding a single Reflecting Pool as that tends to be a nice fix for two and three color decks. I wouldn't play more than that, but just one is a nice way to get extra mileage out of duals. It even makes Fetid Heath a more playable card.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“Modern has provided us a non-rotating format that is far more accessible than Legacy or Vintage, but still retains many of the qualities that people enjoy in those formats—such as a more stable metagame, the ability to play and tweak the same deck week after week, and simply a much more powerful card pool than Standard.”
- Sam Stoddard, “Developing Modern” (June 21, 2013) (by means of Sheridan Lardner, "Fixing Modern: Defining Format Mission (March 16, 2016))
How does going W/X work with you guys instead of just going White. I could imagine it being pretty annoying with blocking your own searching or do you just run a splash and like 4 fastlands, 4 shocklands?
It's this exact reason that W/G tends to have more consistent success than the other W/x colour-combinations. You typically don't want to run any fetches of your own, which limits your choices as to what lands you can run. At the same time, running 7+ colourless lands makes checklands very bad, and the fact that those colourless are typically utility (i.e. Ghost Quarter) makes filterlands somewhat bad as well.
I had a chat about checklands vs shocklands with a guy recently.
My idea is that 4 shocks, 4 fastlands should cover the mana base providing it's not too heavy into one colour. That seems pretty free, Cavern of Souls could potentially fix mana as well which might be worth a 2 of. Spellsnare etc. are annoying if you're not playing something off the vial so I think a couple of copies of Cavern are probably worth it. Running more than two could be painful though.
I had a chat about checklands vs shocklands with a guy recently.
My idea is that 4 shocks, 4 fastlands should cover the mana base providing it's not too heavy into one colour. That seems pretty free, Cavern of Souls could potentially fix mana as well which might be worth a 2 of. Spellsnare etc. are annoying if you're not playing something off the vial so I think a couple of copies of Cavern are probably worth it. Running more than two could be painful though.
The problem with Cavern in this deck is that we don't have enough consistency across creature types to be able to rely on it to do much of anything. You could lean more heavily on one or another creature type (Soldier, Wizard, etc.), but then you start to cut into utility, which is very, very bad for a deck that is driven almost entirely by utility.
For example, my own 75 breaks down into the following numbers by creature type:
Angel: 3
Bird: 2
Cat: 5
Cleric: 8
Eldrazi: 2
Elemental: 4
Horror: 2
Human: 11
Knight: 3
Processor: 2
Soldier: 5
Wizard: 2
While Human will hit roughly 1 out of 6 cards in the list, it's still useless with most of the rest. Cleric is the next largest presence, and it definitely isn't worth it. In a deck that already mains 4 copies of Æther Vial I'd honestly rather just have another Plains in a splash list.
That said, could be great in lists that luck into creature type overlap, but I wouldn't overly engineer that way and shave off utility just to use the card.
“Modern has provided us a non-rotating format that is far more accessible than Legacy or Vintage, but still retains many of the qualities that people enjoy in those formats—such as a more stable metagame, the ability to play and tweak the same deck week after week, and simply a much more powerful card pool than Standard.”
- Sam Stoddard, “Developing Modern” (June 21, 2013) (by means of Sheridan Lardner, "Fixing Modern: Defining Format Mission (March 16, 2016))
So I went to the RPTQ yesterday with a pretty similar list to the last one I posted.
I think the only changes I did main was -1 Brimaz +1 Mindcensor, and in the SB I took out Mark of Asylum, Crucible, 1 Crusader and a Liege, for an Eidolon of Rhetoric, Sunlance, weathered wayfarer and a second BFT.
Tourney Recap
Jeskai Midrange 2-0
Living End 2-0
Esper Gifts 2-1
Little Kid Junk 1-2
Affinity 2-0
Draw
4-1-1
Top 8
Kiki Cord
0-2
I felt like I got a bit unlucky in this match-up. I don't think it's a favorable one, but I got ridiculously flooded on plains both games. The second game I saw 19 cards, 12 of them being lands. Sometimes that's just how it works out though. Only top 4 gets the PT invite, but I am lucky that it qualifies me for the next RPTQ at least.
Biggest newest all star was Eidolon of Rhetoric. I'm really impressed with him in anything combo based, or blue based. The biggest flop of the day was surprisingly Blade Splicer. I use to think he was the Bread and Butter of the deck, but now I'm reconsidering his merits, especially in the dense green creature match-ups.
I'm testing a slightly different approach, and I'm sure I'll get some crap for it. Here's the ideas - a change of the one drops to total: 1 Kytheon, 2 Weathered Wayfarer, and 1 Judge's Familiar. I'm cutting resto. Cutting 3 Blade Splicer and one spellskite. For 3 Mirran Crusader and 3 Phyrexian Revoker in the main.
Before you right it off, here's the logic:
Cutting militant - Most of what militant is good against, the deck is already favorable against. Adding Weathered Wayfarer, gives a more MUST answer threat turn 1 imo. Being able to collect all the GQ's/tec edges is insane.
Cutting Blade Splicer - Splicer is GREAT on defense, but terrible for offensive strategies. Mirran crusader is a silver bullet, in what I consider poor match-ups (big green creatures). And adding the crusader to the main frees up precious SB slots.
Adding Revoker - I know. This isn't legacy. BUT I am running two swords, which gives him more offensive potential than previous D&T decks. Revoker helps a lot against our poor match-ups - Elves, Mana dorks.dec, CoCo, affinity, etc. And finds random value against other pillars of the format Exarch, Lilly, Scooze, Karn etc.
I tested the new version (pre-board) post tournament against Twin and Jund.
Twin 18-2. (20 games)
Jund 8-2 (10 games)
Conclusions: Revoker wasn't what we wanted most of the time (it's not meant for these match-ups), but randomly found value. Wayfarer is unbelievable, it feels like a pseudo bob, where if we can use it once, we're most likely winning that game. Mirran Crusader is a strict upgrade from Splicer, and is another MUST answer.
I believe this is an extraordinary move into the right direction, I don't think this deck HAS to be that different from a legacy port. And of course welcome debate.
Here's the current list-
Hi everyone! I went to a modern side event at grand prix qc and I went 3-0-1.
Round 1
2-0 vs jund
Round 2
2-1 vs naya zoo/burn
Round 3
Draw vs another jund ( would have won)
Round 4
2-0 vs affinity
I was playing a lingering taxe build(thanks deathcatmix!) with some changes.
Mostly the card I was the most impressed was kytheon. He give us a nice way to defend ourselfs for days on the ground,only with his indestructible ability while we atk in the air. Making him flip is cherry on top. I went with 3, I think Maybe cut one for a 3e serra, but ill still
Think about it. The two worship SB was really surprising for my opponents and really helped out (with kytheon it is sad for the opponent). Lingering souls(3 main) really does fit Well in the curve event as a 4 drop.
A card that I always was fan wont make the cut anymore: leyline of sanctity. I played vs 2 jund and never tought it was worth the switch postboard. My point is that you have a chance to do 1 or 2 for 1 ( or more vs burn, but we have other answers vs burn) with it IF you have it in your first seven. The top deck mode feel awfull and we have plenty of possibilities elsewere. Maybe I am wrong. If you Think I am, which match up you bring them in and you Think it is really needed.
Other point : I prefer relic of progenitus a lot more than rip in modern. Using relic smooth up the curve and the 1 draw it give us is really nice. Plus spellskite protect it
I will post the decklist tonight or tomorow
Last point for now: I met glitter at this event! We were side by side in the first round. Such a Nice guy! Keep up the post Guys! I read everything and I love it!
WUDeath&TaxesWG
Legacy
UBRGDredgeUBRG
UHigh TideU
URGLandsURG
WR Card Choice List
WUR American D&T
WUB Esper D&T
The Reserved List
Heat Maps
Javelineers are interesting however.
Really the only tier 1 deck that we are missing is Merfolk. Mainly because I took mine apart to make D&T.
The Crusaders where amazing for me out of the side last time. The decks he is good against he is an all star. Stalled out boggles and beat up elves like a champ. With the amount of R decks in the room though I dnt want him main.
I feel like the core is good, but I am def very tempted to push skites to the side. I feel like my list lacks a little oomph. Especially with my curve topping at 3. I was looking at Brimaz to fill that spot, but I think he is a little lack luster. Maybe push 2 skites to the side, drop a bob and bring in 3x blade splicer? With no resto not sure how good they are. Maybe a sword? Stone cloaker is new card for me. So that might also be able to go to make room for another beater
Cards that I am not sure on :
That is 6 cards total. Cards I am mulling over :
I am starting to think Jotun Grunt is the card I am looking for. Just not sure if he can be sustained for long enough against none delve decks.
Crusader and Pontiff are definitely cards that float in and out of the mainboard, but in my opinion always have a spot in the 75. I'm having an issue determining your meta here. You want to take out Crusader, but are having trouble with Tasigur/Goyf, so you don't want Brimaz? So why not keep in the Crusaders haha? I'd suggest if Pontiff and Crusader aren't very relevant in most of your meta, putting them in the side and maybe going with the ever reliable 4x Blade Splicer. There are also the options of Serra Avenger/Swords (2-3/1-2 split) or Pack Rat (2-3x) depending what kind of beaters you need.
I also don't get what you mean by Kytheon leading into bad attacks (unless you're being meta and talking about the magic storyline...), you lead yourself into bad attacks, Kytheon is a 1-drop that can occasionally become a powerhouse if you can manipulate the battlefield to allow for it, otherwise he can forces removal on himself which is stellar.
My biggest question for your list is what matchup do you need the Patrician's Scorn in the side for? Is boggles that huge a part of your meta?
I commented further up that I was looking for beaters for my list. Have you tested Pack Rat? It may be fit my needs.
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My meta is MTGO which is hard to predict. Sometimes I'll play against Bogles and CoCo all night, sometimes it's just that damn Emeria Titan deck and some miserable Esper draw go...
I guess I'm more than prepared for the creature match ups, but would like to have some edge against slower control.
Edit: I will test some amount of Pack Rats (and maybe a Mutavault or 2) and move the Pontiffs to the side to see how it goes.
I have tested with Pack Rat as a 2x prior to using Wasteland Strangler, back when I was running 4x Blade Splicer. It is a card that can run away with games ridiculously often, and is amazing for grindy matchups like Grixis Control. Nothing is better than vialing a Pack Rat turn three on your opponent's end step with 3 mana open to make a copy. It turns all of your topdeck lands/vials into rats and it has great synergy with Dark Confidant. It also can be an amazing top deck in an open board. The problem it's slightly to slow to take a dedicated beater slot in my opinion, and is more of a supplemental end the game from a standstill kind of creature. Then again, like I said I haven't tested since BFZ hit, and a little while before that, so it could be worth testing out.
So in this regard, W/G has access to the best and most robust mana base, which includes fastlands (Razorverge Thicket), shocklands (Temple Garden), as well as Horizon Canopy.
This is true, but it's misleading. W/G has access to Razorverge Thicket and Horizon Canopy, both of which are great. However, the number one reason to run W/G is Noble Hierarch. In any green splash, Hierarch should be the first nonland card in, and the last one out. It's not the lands that make the W/G manabase more stable - it's Hierarch.
This is false. 0-4 fetchlands are fine. I run fetchlands in every splash that I build, and it's almost never a problem.
This is true. As explained a few pages back, the filterlands are best used when you need a deep splash in your off color. But you still can't really load up on them, because we run so many utility lands.
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As a follow-up (I might get flak for this), while I agree that it doesn't hurt "too much" to have fetchlands in the deck, having any more than one or two (i.e. if you're *relying* on fetchlands, even to a small degree) introduces a percentage of games where it *will* bite you in the ass. And while that percentage might not be big, if you're building your deck to carry you through many rounds of a tournament, you'll eventually run into instances where your own deck loses to itself. And I don't think that it's worthwhile.
Also for anyone playing online, I think Allies is going to be the new flavor-of-the-month deck. It's being featured in this weekend's modern open and is doing ridiculously well. I highly recommend playing 2+ Wrath of Gods and some Grafdigger's Cages in your sideboard. Or perhaps some Hallowed Moonlights. Or maybe Hushwing gryff? Anything that wipes the board & fights their etb triggers, & something to fight CoCo.
- Sam Stoddard, “Developing Modern” (June 21, 2013) (by means of Sheridan Lardner, "Fixing Modern: Defining Format Mission (March 16, 2016))
How to Use Spoiler Tags
Starting Over: The Origins of the Mulligan Rule
Practical Approach to Slow Play
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 2: SWARM and TOOLBOX
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 3
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 4
These videos are by MTG Salvation Moderator Lantern!
Introduction to Tempo
Controlling Tempo
Elements of Tempo
Roadblocks to Tempo
How Not To Build A Deck - Tempo
Learn How To Sideboard, Dammit!
Mulligan's Island
The Art of the Mulligan
The Art of the Mulligan: Eight Case Studies
Fundamentals: The Mulligan
Some Mulligan Exercises
A Mulligan Is Worth Three Cards
The Mulligan Debate
Common Sense: The Art of the Mulligan
Who's The Beatdown?
3 Caves of Koilos
3 Eldrazi Temple
2 Fetid Heath
3 Godless Shrine
4 Ghost Quarter
3 Plains
3 Shambling Vent
2 Tectonic Edge
Artifacts (4):
4 Æther Vial
4 Path to Exile
Creatures (29):
3 Aven Mindcensor
3 Eldrazi Displacer
3 Fiend Hunter
4 Flickerwisp
4 Serra Avenger
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
3 Thought-Knot Seer
3 Tidehollow Sculler
3 Wasteland Strangler
3 Chalice of the Void
2 Dismember
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Rest in Peace
3 Stony Silence
3 Surgical Extraction
3 Flooded Strand
6 Island
3 Polluted Delta
3 Steam Vents
3 Sulfur Falls
Creatures (16):
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Stormchaser Mage
2 Gut Shot
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Mutagenic Growth
3 Spell Pierce
3 Twisted Image
3 Vapor Snag
Sorceries (8):
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Serum Visions
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Blood Moon
2 Dispel
1 Forked Bolt
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Repeal
2 Roast
1 Spell Snare
2 Spellskite
1 Vapor Snag
4 Bloodstained Mire
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Copperline Gorge
5 Mountain
3 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
4 Wooded Foothills
Creatures (14):
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Goblin Guide
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Atarka's Command
4 Boros Charm
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Lightning Helix
3 Searing Blaze
Sorceries (8):
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt
2 Deflecting Palm
4 Destructive Revelry
2 Kor Firewalker
2 Path to Exile
2 Rending Volley
3 Skullcrack
19 Forest
3 Treetop Village
Creatures (24):
4 Avatar of the Resolute
4 Dryad Militant
2 Dungrove Elder
4 Experiment One
4 Leatherback Baloth
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Strangleroot Geist
4 Rancor
Instants (10):
3 Aspect of Hydra
4 Vines of Vastwood
3 Dismember
2 Choke
2 Gut Shot
2 Deglamer
2 Feed the Clan
2 Oxidize
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Skylasher
1 Unravel the Æther
What makes you reliably cast Hierarch on T1? That's a bad question, because the answer is Æther Vial. In G1, most of the time, you will still lead with Vial. There are really only two circumstances when you might lead with Hierarch: (1) you have a T2 land destruction play with Arbiter and Ghost Quarter, or (2) you have a Mindcensor in hand and you want the opportunity to catch a T2 fetchland. There is actually a third option, which is if you want to land a T2 Smiter, but that's not in every WG build.
From the above list of lands, the only lands that the enemy colors (WR and WB) don't have access to, are the fastlands. Right off the bat, Shocklands and Painlands easily get you to 8. If you're determined to fix your mana on T1, then fetchlands are fine, and they make 12.
From Karsten's analysis, if you want to have a 90% chance of hitting your colored-mana one-drop on T1, you need 14 sources of mana of that color. So if a comparably powerful one-drop were printed in B or R, the combination of those 12 sources plus an Æther Vial is going to push you over the edge.
The only card in our deck that can stop our searches, is Leonin Arbiter. Aven Mindcensor doesn't affect us. That means that you have two full land drops to use any fetchlands that you want, before Arbiter even becomes a possible problem. Obviously, you get more chances if you lead with a different two-drop, like Thalia.
There are only two ways that Arbiter becomes an issue: (1) you topdeck a fetchland after you play an Arbiter or (2) you see 3+ fetchlands in your opening hand. (2) is possible, but statistically unlikely. (1) is really the point of greater concern. But the truth, is that you'll seldom notice (1). Here's why: let's assume that you have a 60-card deck, and that the "critical" turns are T3-T5. (1) only happens if you topdeck a fetchland in those 3 turns, after you've played the Arbiter on T2. Although it may happen, it doesn't happen very often.
So what's the "cost" of not playing fetchlands? Less mana-fixing on T1 and T2. That's a pretty big deal in a deck like ours, because we need to curve out properly in order to stay ahead.
There are only two choices: run fetchlands or not run fetchlands. The correct choice is a comparison of outcomes. Which number is larger: (1) the number of games that you stand to win by having more perfect mana on T1 and T2 or (2) the number of games you stand to lose by having an Arbiter in play, and having to pay 2 to get out from under it.
To me, it's pretty intuitive that the correct answer is (1). But I concede that you are technically correct, in the same sense that if someone asked "how many plains do I have to run in order to guarantee that I have 2 in my opening hand?", you might be inclined to answer "54." I just think that's a bad way to construct a deck.
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The Reserved List
Heat Maps
Were it not for the fact that Marsh Flats is absurdly overpriced, I might pick them up and give it a try, but I'm piecing a new deck together right now to add to the pool, so I'm just not interested in dropping almost $200 on a playset of a card that might smooth some issues in the deck that I'm seldom plagued by. The more reasonable fix for me is just to experiment with the balance of Isolated Chapel and Caves of Koilos...both of which I already have. I've also considered adding a single Reflecting Pool as that tends to be a nice fix for two and three color decks. I wouldn't play more than that, but just one is a nice way to get extra mileage out of duals. It even makes Fetid Heath a more playable card.
- Sam Stoddard, “Developing Modern” (June 21, 2013) (by means of Sheridan Lardner, "Fixing Modern: Defining Format Mission (March 16, 2016))
How to Use Spoiler Tags
Starting Over: The Origins of the Mulligan Rule
Practical Approach to Slow Play
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 2: SWARM and TOOLBOX
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 3
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 4
These videos are by MTG Salvation Moderator Lantern!
Introduction to Tempo
Controlling Tempo
Elements of Tempo
Roadblocks to Tempo
How Not To Build A Deck - Tempo
Learn How To Sideboard, Dammit!
Mulligan's Island
The Art of the Mulligan
The Art of the Mulligan: Eight Case Studies
Fundamentals: The Mulligan
Some Mulligan Exercises
A Mulligan Is Worth Three Cards
The Mulligan Debate
Common Sense: The Art of the Mulligan
Who's The Beatdown?
3 Caves of Koilos
3 Eldrazi Temple
2 Fetid Heath
3 Godless Shrine
4 Ghost Quarter
3 Plains
3 Shambling Vent
2 Tectonic Edge
Artifacts (4):
4 Æther Vial
4 Path to Exile
Creatures (29):
3 Aven Mindcensor
3 Eldrazi Displacer
3 Fiend Hunter
4 Flickerwisp
4 Serra Avenger
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
3 Thought-Knot Seer
3 Tidehollow Sculler
3 Wasteland Strangler
3 Chalice of the Void
2 Dismember
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Rest in Peace
3 Stony Silence
3 Surgical Extraction
3 Flooded Strand
6 Island
3 Polluted Delta
3 Steam Vents
3 Sulfur Falls
Creatures (16):
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Stormchaser Mage
2 Gut Shot
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Mutagenic Growth
3 Spell Pierce
3 Twisted Image
3 Vapor Snag
Sorceries (8):
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Serum Visions
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Blood Moon
2 Dispel
1 Forked Bolt
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Repeal
2 Roast
1 Spell Snare
2 Spellskite
1 Vapor Snag
4 Bloodstained Mire
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Copperline Gorge
5 Mountain
3 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
4 Wooded Foothills
Creatures (14):
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Goblin Guide
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Atarka's Command
4 Boros Charm
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Lightning Helix
3 Searing Blaze
Sorceries (8):
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt
2 Deflecting Palm
4 Destructive Revelry
2 Kor Firewalker
2 Path to Exile
2 Rending Volley
3 Skullcrack
19 Forest
3 Treetop Village
Creatures (24):
4 Avatar of the Resolute
4 Dryad Militant
2 Dungrove Elder
4 Experiment One
4 Leatherback Baloth
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Strangleroot Geist
4 Rancor
Instants (10):
3 Aspect of Hydra
4 Vines of Vastwood
3 Dismember
2 Choke
2 Gut Shot
2 Deglamer
2 Feed the Clan
2 Oxidize
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Skylasher
1 Unravel the Æther
I had a chat about checklands vs shocklands with a guy recently.
My idea is that 4 shocks, 4 fastlands should cover the mana base providing it's not too heavy into one colour. That seems pretty free, Cavern of Souls could potentially fix mana as well which might be worth a 2 of. Spellsnare etc. are annoying if you're not playing something off the vial so I think a couple of copies of Cavern are probably worth it. Running more than two could be painful though.
For example, my own 75 breaks down into the following numbers by creature type:
That said, could be great in lists that luck into creature type overlap, but I wouldn't overly engineer that way and shave off utility just to use the card.
- Sam Stoddard, “Developing Modern” (June 21, 2013) (by means of Sheridan Lardner, "Fixing Modern: Defining Format Mission (March 16, 2016))
How to Use Spoiler Tags
Starting Over: The Origins of the Mulligan Rule
Practical Approach to Slow Play
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 2: SWARM and TOOLBOX
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 3
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 4
These videos are by MTG Salvation Moderator Lantern!
Introduction to Tempo
Controlling Tempo
Elements of Tempo
Roadblocks to Tempo
How Not To Build A Deck - Tempo
Learn How To Sideboard, Dammit!
Mulligan's Island
The Art of the Mulligan
The Art of the Mulligan: Eight Case Studies
Fundamentals: The Mulligan
Some Mulligan Exercises
A Mulligan Is Worth Three Cards
The Mulligan Debate
Common Sense: The Art of the Mulligan
Who's The Beatdown?
3 Caves of Koilos
3 Eldrazi Temple
2 Fetid Heath
3 Godless Shrine
4 Ghost Quarter
3 Plains
3 Shambling Vent
2 Tectonic Edge
Artifacts (4):
4 Æther Vial
4 Path to Exile
Creatures (29):
3 Aven Mindcensor
3 Eldrazi Displacer
3 Fiend Hunter
4 Flickerwisp
4 Serra Avenger
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
3 Thought-Knot Seer
3 Tidehollow Sculler
3 Wasteland Strangler
3 Chalice of the Void
2 Dismember
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Rest in Peace
3 Stony Silence
3 Surgical Extraction
3 Flooded Strand
6 Island
3 Polluted Delta
3 Steam Vents
3 Sulfur Falls
Creatures (16):
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Stormchaser Mage
2 Gut Shot
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Mutagenic Growth
3 Spell Pierce
3 Twisted Image
3 Vapor Snag
Sorceries (8):
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Serum Visions
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Blood Moon
2 Dispel
1 Forked Bolt
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Repeal
2 Roast
1 Spell Snare
2 Spellskite
1 Vapor Snag
4 Bloodstained Mire
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Copperline Gorge
5 Mountain
3 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
4 Wooded Foothills
Creatures (14):
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Goblin Guide
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Atarka's Command
4 Boros Charm
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Lightning Helix
3 Searing Blaze
Sorceries (8):
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt
2 Deflecting Palm
4 Destructive Revelry
2 Kor Firewalker
2 Path to Exile
2 Rending Volley
3 Skullcrack
19 Forest
3 Treetop Village
Creatures (24):
4 Avatar of the Resolute
4 Dryad Militant
2 Dungrove Elder
4 Experiment One
4 Leatherback Baloth
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Strangleroot Geist
4 Rancor
Instants (10):
3 Aspect of Hydra
4 Vines of Vastwood
3 Dismember
2 Choke
2 Gut Shot
2 Deglamer
2 Feed the Clan
2 Oxidize
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Skylasher
1 Unravel the Æther
I think the only changes I did main was -1 Brimaz +1 Mindcensor, and in the SB I took out Mark of Asylum, Crucible, 1 Crusader and a Liege, for an Eidolon of Rhetoric, Sunlance, weathered wayfarer and a second BFT.
Tourney Recap
Jeskai Midrange 2-0
Living End 2-0
Esper Gifts 2-1
Little Kid Junk 1-2
Affinity 2-0
Draw
4-1-1
Top 8
Kiki Cord
0-2
I felt like I got a bit unlucky in this match-up. I don't think it's a favorable one, but I got ridiculously flooded on plains both games. The second game I saw 19 cards, 12 of them being lands. Sometimes that's just how it works out though. Only top 4 gets the PT invite, but I am lucky that it qualifies me for the next RPTQ at least.
Biggest newest all star was Eidolon of Rhetoric. I'm really impressed with him in anything combo based, or blue based. The biggest flop of the day was surprisingly Blade Splicer. I use to think he was the Bread and Butter of the deck, but now I'm reconsidering his merits, especially in the dense green creature match-ups.
I'm testing a slightly different approach, and I'm sure I'll get some crap for it. Here's the ideas - a change of the one drops to total: 1 Kytheon, 2 Weathered Wayfarer, and 1 Judge's Familiar. I'm cutting resto. Cutting 3 Blade Splicer and one spellskite. For 3 Mirran Crusader and 3 Phyrexian Revoker in the main.
Before you right it off, here's the logic:
Cutting militant - Most of what militant is good against, the deck is already favorable against. Adding Weathered Wayfarer, gives a more MUST answer threat turn 1 imo. Being able to collect all the GQ's/tec edges is insane.
Cutting Blade Splicer - Splicer is GREAT on defense, but terrible for offensive strategies. Mirran crusader is a silver bullet, in what I consider poor match-ups (big green creatures). And adding the crusader to the main frees up precious SB slots.
Adding Revoker - I know. This isn't legacy. BUT I am running two swords, which gives him more offensive potential than previous D&T decks. Revoker helps a lot against our poor match-ups - Elves, Mana dorks.dec, CoCo, affinity, etc. And finds random value against other pillars of the format Exarch, Lilly, Scooze, Karn etc.
I tested the new version (pre-board) post tournament against Twin and Jund.
Twin 18-2. (20 games)
Jund 8-2 (10 games)
Conclusions: Revoker wasn't what we wanted most of the time (it's not meant for these match-ups), but randomly found value. Wayfarer is unbelievable, it feels like a pseudo bob, where if we can use it once, we're most likely winning that game. Mirran Crusader is a strict upgrade from Splicer, and is another MUST answer.
I believe this is an extraordinary move into the right direction, I don't think this deck HAS to be that different from a legacy port. And of course welcome debate.
Here's the current list-
4 Æther Vial
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
4 Path to Exile
Creatures
2 Weathered Wayfarer
1 Kytheon, Hero of Akros
1 Judge's Familiar
4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Leonin Arbiter
2 Serra Avenger
3 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Spellskite
2 Aven Mindcensor
3 Mirran Crusader
4 Flickerwisp
4 Ghost Quarter
3 Tectonic Edge
3 Mutavault
2 Horizon Canopy
1 Seachrome Coast
9 Plains
1 Eiganjo Castle
2 Burrenton Forge-Tender
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Rest in Peace
1 Eidolon of Rhetoric
3 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Sunlance
2 Auriok Champion
1 Spellskite
2 Engineered Explosives
Grand Prix Pittsburgh is about 3 weeks away. I'll probably be taking something fairly similar.
Round 1
2-0 vs jund
Round 2
2-1 vs naya zoo/burn
Round 3
Draw vs another jund ( would have won)
Round 4
2-0 vs affinity
I was playing a lingering taxe build(thanks deathcatmix!) with some changes.
Mostly the card I was the most impressed was kytheon. He give us a nice way to defend ourselfs for days on the ground,only with his indestructible ability while we atk in the air. Making him flip is cherry on top. I went with 3, I think Maybe cut one for a 3e serra, but ill still
Think about it. The two worship SB was really surprising for my opponents and really helped out (with kytheon it is sad for the opponent). Lingering souls(3 main) really does fit Well in the curve event as a 4 drop.
A card that I always was fan wont make the cut anymore: leyline of sanctity. I played vs 2 jund and never tought it was worth the switch postboard. My point is that you have a chance to do 1 or 2 for 1 ( or more vs burn, but we have other answers vs burn) with it IF you have it in your first seven. The top deck mode feel awfull and we have plenty of possibilities elsewere. Maybe I am wrong. If you Think I am, which match up you bring them in and you Think it is really needed.
Other point : I prefer relic of progenitus a lot more than rip in modern. Using relic smooth up the curve and the 1 draw it give us is really nice. Plus spellskite protect it
I will post the decklist tonight or tomorow
Last point for now: I met glitter at this event! We were side by side in the first round. Such a Nice guy! Keep up the post Guys! I read everything and I love it!