Now Jaberwocki is running a creatureless version that features Desperate Ravings. He has a stream of him grinding with it. It's really sweet. He has basically turned this archetype on it's head and is having great results with it. Now that Modern season is over it might not get any more attention, but we'll see.
Slitherhead is amazing. It adds so much utility here and there, there are just so many little useful things about it that help you out. As someone else mentioned, a big part of what Slitherhead is doing is making you Vengevines into 5/4 creatures instead of 4/3. They kill faster (and I'm hoping you do this when they don't have red open) that one counter puts it out of lightning bolt range. Though I just as often tossed the counter on any other creature to make a faster clock or get bigger than a blocker.
As far as sideboarding, generally I don't like bringing in/out more than six cards. Bringing in more can hurt your deck since there is so much synergy between all the pieces and you don't want to take too many of those pieces out. Super fast dredging isn't usually a priority after game game one, so usually a Burning Inquiry or two can come out, I often went down to three Slitherheads, or cut Gnaw to the Bone. If Darkblast doesn't have targets, take them out, but aside from that I don't usually take out all of the same thing, just one or two from here and there. I know it's not a match-up by match-up sideboarding guide, as the sideboard is likely to change more than the rest of the deck from tournament to tournament. If it helps you, figure out what you want to bring in and out of popular match-ups beforehand and write it on a small slip of paper to put in your deck box.
The Rakdos charms should be something else, maybe they should be a couple more Thoughsiezes, or I was thinking about Dreadbore after this past weekend. The toughest match-ups have been Burn and Tron, but combo can always be a potential problem if they get an explosive hand since you aren't interacting much. Have a couple cards in your sideboard that are good at slowing down whatever combo decks are currently popular.
Another reason to dredge less in games two and three is that a lot of your sideboard cards are better when drawn, and having more draw steps increasing your chance of getting them.
Yeah, I watched the coverage of your matchup with Tron and it seemed really tough. You had that explosive hand to open game 2 and just rolled him, but he established in game 3 with a good hand and it seemed real tough. Dreadbore seems like a real good choice. Please keep updating us with any new tech or ideas you come up with.
@semioldguy: great, great info....can't thank you enough. Few more questions if you don't mind. How did you like Slitherhead? Raph said it was awesome, did you find it to be so? And how did you SB for some of the more popular decks out there? I know you said you would change up the SB, any ideas on how that would go yet? Thanks again
I haven't really been a part of the modern forum here at all, only occasionally at MTG Salvation in the Legacy forums, but figured I'd contribute my list here since several people asked me about it at the GP.
I'd make a couple changes, I'd probably move the mainboard Gnaw to the Bone back to the sideboard and bring in either Vengeful Pharoh or a Big Game Hunter, as those are good in many of the matchups when a little help is sometimes needed. The Rakdos Charms should become something else, I'm not sure what, an extra Thoughtsieze or two, and... something else. They were just underwhelming even when I'd board them in.
Vengeful Pharaoh is THE TECH!!!! Love that card. Your list is very similair to Raph Levy's GP deck from Lyon last year. He seemed to be a huge believer in the deck, glad you had great results with it as it's very fun. Did you have a specific strategy for playing Burning Inquiry? I've always found it to be difficult to play, but I suck so no indictment on the card choice Also, any matchup/sideboarding advice based on your matches? Thanks!
He refers to it here, but BDM comments on it if you watch his match coverage. What would he play instead? Go back to the traditional Goyf, Bob, CC route?
I dunno......
Blood ghast is the best creature because it has almost guaranteed recursion
Not to say that this statement isn't true (as I agree with it), but in reading the tourny coverage and watching the live feed of his round 14 match, it was stated that he was very unimpressed with the performance of the Bloodghasts and would probably wind up cutting them. I have no idea what would go in it's place.
This is the deck Chapin says he would have played at GP Chicago if he had gone, back in November. Looked pretty cool, but not sure if I'm sold on Bridge from Below. Still like the Jundvine lists.....
Could you please go into a bit of detail with Phantasmal Image? Interactions, synergies and so on...
I had a chance to speak with Lulz (MTGO) and he explained some interactions with the deck. Phantasmal Image is mainly, but certainly not limited to, cloning Vengevine. In fact he described a "god hand' to me:
Turn 1: land, mana dork
Turn 2: Hedron Crab, fetch. Hope for a milled Vengie or two, cast phantasmal image copying Vengie.
Deck is very consistent, I really like it. You really don't need cards that dredge to consistently recur Vengevine. But as Lulz told me, it's hard to convince people of that!
I do hope that he posts a detailed guide for this deck
I might give a more in detail explanation for this deck later. Suffice to say for now that I have done a lot of testing on MODO with this deck, and this is the list I have come to.
If you post questions I can answer them later. Have fun.
Very interested in hearing a card by card breakdown of this deck.. I saw a daily result list from the 2nd i believed that you 3-1'd and the decklist was a bit different (no geists) So obviously you felt some changes were needed. Very nice all in all and would love to hear more about it!
Believe it or not, Dragon's Claw is pretty sweet against RDW and Burn. Easy to cast, and just hope they never boarded in Smash to Smithereens or Ancient Grudge
Yeah, I watched the coverage of your matchup with Tron and it seemed really tough. You had that explosive hand to open game 2 and just rolled him, but he established in game 3 with a good hand and it seemed real tough. Dreadbore seems like a real good choice. Please keep updating us with any new tech or ideas you come up with.
Vengeful Pharaoh is THE TECH!!!! Love that card. Your list is very similair to Raph Levy's GP deck from Lyon last year. He seemed to be a huge believer in the deck, glad you had great results with it as it's very fun. Did you have a specific strategy for playing Burning Inquiry? I've always found it to be difficult to play, but I suck so no indictment on the card choice Also, any matchup/sideboarding advice based on your matches? Thanks!
http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/eventcoverage/gpsd13/day1#7
He refers to it here, but BDM comments on it if you watch his match coverage. What would he play instead? Go back to the traditional Goyf, Bob, CC route?
I dunno......
Not to say that this statement isn't true (as I agree with it), but in reading the tourny coverage and watching the live feed of his round 14 match, it was stated that he was very unimpressed with the performance of the Bloodghasts and would probably wind up cutting them. I have no idea what would go in it's place.
Thoughts?
This deck 4-0'd a Daily on the 15th
3 Blackcleave Cliffs
2 Blood Crypt
2 Copperline Gorge
1 Forest
1 Godless Shrine
4 Marsh Flats
2 Overgrown Tomb
1 Stomping Ground
2 Swamp
3 Verdant Catacombs
Creatures
4 Bloodghast
4 Deathrite Shaman
3 Golgari Thug
4 Gravecrawler
4 Lotleth Troll
1 Shambling Shell
4 Stinkweed Imp
4 Vengevine
2 Blasting Station
1 Darkblast
4 Faithless Looting
3 Grisly Salvage
1 Lightning Axe
1 Ancient Grudge
3 Gnaw to the Bone
3 Grim Lavamancer
3 Nature's Claim
2 Stony Silence
3 Withered Wretch
This really creative take on Loam got top 8 in the last MTGO PTQ:
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
2 Blood Crypt
2 Copperline Gorge
1 Ghost Quarter
4 Graven Cairns
1 Lavaclaw Reaches
1 Mountain
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Raging Ravine
2 Scalding Tarn
1 Stomping Ground
1 Swamp
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Bloodghast
Spells
4 Faithless Looting
2 Flame Jab
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Life from the Loam
2 Lightning Bolt
3 Liliana of the Veil
4 Raven's Crime
3 Seismic Assault
4 Smallpox
4 Ancient Grudge
4 Dragon's Claw
1 Flame Jab
2 Lightning Bolt
2 Pyroclasm
2 Thoughtseize
15 sideboard cards
Piloted by Jaberwocki
Any thoughts??
This is the deck Chapin says he would have played at GP Chicago if he had gone, back in November. Looked pretty cool, but not sure if I'm sold on Bridge from Below. Still like the Jundvine lists.....
http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/modern/25167-Back-Under-The-Bridge-From-Below.html
Any thoughts? Is this deck viable right now?
http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/events.aspx?x=mtg/daily/eventcoverage/dragonsmaze13ptq/0223albequerque
Can you post SB for this deck?
Ray of Revelation?
I had a chance to speak with Lulz (MTGO) and he explained some interactions with the deck. Phantasmal Image is mainly, but certainly not limited to, cloning Vengevine. In fact he described a "god hand' to me:
Turn 1: land, mana dork
Turn 2: Hedron Crab, fetch. Hope for a milled Vengie or two, cast phantasmal image copying Vengie.
Deck is very consistent, I really like it. You really don't need cards that dredge to consistently recur Vengevine. But as Lulz told me, it's hard to convince people of that!
I do hope that he posts a detailed guide for this deck
Very interested in hearing a card by card breakdown of this deck.. I saw a daily result list from the 2nd i believed that you 3-1'd and the decklist was a bit different (no geists) So obviously you felt some changes were needed. Very nice all in all and would love to hear more about it!