Took the deck mono one drops build for a spin tonight. I was using suboptimal build because I am still waiting on Student of Warfare and only have 2 Kytheons (plus missing a few fetch lands). However, the deck still performed incredibly tonight. I want 3-0 with a draw at the end. I like playing 2 or 3 copies of Sacred Foundry and splashing red for lightning bolt. I played against W/B deck, Infect, and Vengvine/dredge deck.
I did some play testing against Abzan, and this deck might have some trouble against a curve that looks like turn 1 thoughtseize, turn 2 goyf, turn 3 lingering souls, turn 4 siege rhino, etc. If anyone has any good advice on attacking Abzan, I'd appreciate it.
I was thinking electrickery out of the sideboard for souls tokens/young pyromancer, and then extra dismembers for goyf/rhino. Anyone have any other ideas?
Yeah, I mean Worm Harvest seems slow, but I haven't tested it. I think Seismic Assault is a good option as well, plus offers another way to answer lots of Faeries or Zoo. I like what Captain Nick said about Worm Harvest and it's interaction with Dark Confidant. I think I would cut the it for another Flame Jab, and maybe cut 1 Liliana for the 4th goyf. Also, I would want 4 faithless looting. There is nothing like turn 1 loot, discard Raven's Crime/Flame Jab and/or loam. I guess your wanting to turn 1 inquisition though.
Young Pyromancer is really good in this deck too. The reason I would say Young Pyromancer is a good option over even Goyf is because it's something that does not rely on the graveyard, and gives your deck a way to play through hate or another dimension of attack. Plus in the event that you get retrace/loam engine going, you produce so many more tokens then bitter blossom.
[deck]
1: Arid Mesa over the Misty Rainforest. Will there really be a point when being able to fetch out the Blood crypt be better then just the other two shocklands?
2: Worm Harvest. As a late game finisher, with DRS out of the picture and multiple ways to deal with any main decked Oozes at this point, is it still a relevant card, or are Tarmogoyf/Crusher good enough on their own.
3: Raging Ravine. Is he worth the slot now, with the unbanning of bitterblossom, they could potentially have an endless course of blockers by the time he comes online. I was considering cutting this and trying out a main decked Horizon Canapy, basically for some simple "draw at instant speed" effect.
1) It will certainly come up where you'll want a blood crypt just because of murphy's law, but your probably going to see so many lands the majority of the time it wont matter.
2) Haven't tested, but seems slower.
3) I think if you worried about Bitter Blossum you should run more Flame Jab.
@Kathal--I have been doing some testing with it and it gets to the lock turn three or turn four pretty easily. The trouble is early aggression and dealing with their board state at that point. This version I think is better against control, midrange match-ups and dominates Tron among others.
However, you might be right that the interaction may be too cute to be effective. It's really nice to strip mine, seismic and loam in the same turn. This was mainly built for budget reasons, and then I started testing it and was quite impressed. I also think cutting 1 Mulch and 1 Aven Mindcensor for 2 Wild Guess is correct. It's nice to discard your Life from the Loam and immediately dredge in response to the draw, although Mulch is a better late game card and helping to find a loam to put in the yard.
@Cloudman--I think if I went with the fetch mana base, Knight of the Reliquary build, I would definitely add Wild Nacatl for sure. There were already some loam decks playing Kird Ape, and I think it's an easy switch. I agree with Kathal that Anger of the Gods would be a better 3 drop out of the board then Tamanoa. It takes additional cards to get Tamanoa active, and doesn't do anything (besides block) to effect the board. They will still have all their dudes, and you can get blown out by a removal spell. I think it's better to just answer their creatures with a wrath, and keep digging to get your Loam plan active.
It let's you get all the fun stuff with Seismic/Countryside/Flame Jab, but gives you a ghost quarter interaction that can just keep people from playing against you. It's a little slow so out of the board I'm thinking some number of Path to Exile, and Anger of the Gods or something comparable to shore up aggressive beatdown strategies.
Any advice on Jund? I went 2-2 at my LGS. 1-1 vs. r/g tron (easy matchup for the most part), beat b/w tokens, and lost to jund to fall just shy of prizes.
The deck ends up playing a really good board control game. It has early aggression against control matchups and takes really good advantage of late game mana sinks in both Heliod, Hundred Handed One, Angel of Serenity and Aurelia's Fury. The Silence effect of Aurelia's Fury hasn't come up too much, and I haven't really tested it all out. I went with Banisher Priest over Boros Reckoner because I just want to answer early threats and deal with problem permanents such as Master of Waves, Nightveil Specter, etc.
The deck plays like any control deck where you just want to make land drops till you completely take over the game. You can still win's with your early aggression sometimes. I haven't really tested out Anger of the Gods a whole lot, and until recently I had Gideon in there. I am playing a one of Assemble the Legions, and two Angel of Serenity. I feel like I might want an Elspeth, but I feel I would have to cut an Angel, and I really want two because it feels like people forgot about that card, and it's a way to get some card advantage in the late game when you start returning creatures to your hand.
Nykthos has an interesting role. It's not the explosive role it has in say a G/R filled with mana dorks, but it does let you get stuff out early. It's also the late game engine that lets you create a whole bunch of clerics or make for a really big Aurelia's Fury.
How do people feel about Gitaxian Probe in the U/G intruder versions? I have an unhealthy obsession with that card and want to put it in every deck I play.
Here is the list I am toying with that splashes red for removal and extra answers for combo. I went with a 2 of Lotus Cobra, but I feel it might be right to play more.
I wanted to make a RUG Ramp Version as well, but I feel like two colors (the red splash for removal and wolf run) makes it to difficult to add the third color and makes Nykthos way worse. The one of Banefire is there for the control matchups, plus as a mana sink. Raging Ravine was my choice for on board mana sinks.
I debated on Gaea's Herald in the sideboard for the control matchup, or maybe Mistcutter Hydras. I feel like the Elvish Mystic (mana dorks) are the worst cards in the deck, just because I feel like red sweeping is really powerful.
I feel like Lotus cobra with the Farseek's/Search for Tomorrow/Primeval Titan effects is going to be bonkers. I also thought it might be right to put in a thundermaw hellkite or two.
I am nervous about farseek because it only grabs Stomping Ground or Mountain. I might be looking for a replacement. Maybe going with the mana dork strategy is better. I feel like that would make the deck faster.
I did some play testing against Abzan, and this deck might have some trouble against a curve that looks like turn 1 thoughtseize, turn 2 goyf, turn 3 lingering souls, turn 4 siege rhino, etc. If anyone has any good advice on attacking Abzan, I'd appreciate it.
I was thinking electrickery out of the sideboard for souls tokens/young pyromancer, and then extra dismembers for goyf/rhino. Anyone have any other ideas?
Young Pyromancer is really good in this deck too. The reason I would say Young Pyromancer is a good option over even Goyf is because it's something that does not rely on the graveyard, and gives your deck a way to play through hate or another dimension of attack. Plus in the event that you get retrace/loam engine going, you produce so many more tokens then bitter blossom.
1) It will certainly come up where you'll want a blood crypt just because of murphy's law, but your probably going to see so many lands the majority of the time it wont matter.
2) Haven't tested, but seems slower.
3) I think if you worried about Bitter Blossum you should run more Flame Jab.
However, you might be right that the interaction may be too cute to be effective. It's really nice to strip mine, seismic and loam in the same turn. This was mainly built for budget reasons, and then I started testing it and was quite impressed. I also think cutting 1 Mulch and 1 Aven Mindcensor for 2 Wild Guess is correct. It's nice to discard your Life from the Loam and immediately dredge in response to the draw, although Mulch is a better late game card and helping to find a loam to put in the yard.
@Cloudman--I think if I went with the fetch mana base, Knight of the Reliquary build, I would definitely add Wild Nacatl for sure. There were already some loam decks playing Kird Ape, and I think it's an easy switch. I agree with Kathal that Anger of the Gods would be a better 3 drop out of the board then Tamanoa. It takes additional cards to get Tamanoa active, and doesn't do anything (besides block) to effect the board. They will still have all their dudes, and you can get blown out by a removal spell. I think it's better to just answer their creatures with a wrath, and keep digging to get your Loam plan active.
What are some good lands in modern to fetch up with Knight of the Reliquary?
4 Young Pyromancer
1 Aven Mindcensor
4 Leonin Arbiter
4 Life of the Loam
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Flame Jab
3 Seismic Assault
4 Faithless Looting
3 Mulch
2 Fir-lit Thicket
3 Razorverge Thicket
3 Ragging Ravine
2 Stirring Wildwood
2 Sacred Foundry
5 Mountain
1 Forest
1 Plains
4 Ghost Quarter
It let's you get all the fun stuff with Seismic/Countryside/Flame Jab, but gives you a ghost quarter interaction that can just keep people from playing against you. It's a little slow so out of the board I'm thinking some number of Path to Exile, and Anger of the Gods or something comparable to shore up aggressive beatdown strategies.
I'm running mono-white more midrange strategy. Here is what I based it off of: http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=60732
I took out Linvala,1 Blade Splicer, 1 thalia, and a land in order to add 4 Dryad Militants. I am also not play the windbrisk heights.
Here is the sideboard I played with recently:
2 Ratchet Bomb
3 Rest in Peace
4 Burrenton Forge-Tendor
1 Sun Lance
3 Kataki War's Wage
2 Stony Silence
Here is my list:
CREATURES:
2x Angel of Serenity
4x Banisher Priest
2x Heliod, God of the Sun
2x Hundred Handed One
4x Precinct Captain
4x Soldier of the Pantheon
SPELLS:
2x Anger of the Gods
1x Assemble the Legions
2x Aurelia's Fury
3x Celestial Flare
2x Chained to the Rocks
3x Mizzium Mortars
2x Spear of Heliod
LANDS:
5x Mountains
3x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
9x Plains
4x Sacred Foundry
4x Temple of Triumph
The deck ends up playing a really good board control game. It has early aggression against control matchups and takes really good advantage of late game mana sinks in both Heliod, Hundred Handed One, Angel of Serenity and Aurelia's Fury. The Silence effect of Aurelia's Fury hasn't come up too much, and I haven't really tested it all out. I went with Banisher Priest over Boros Reckoner because I just want to answer early threats and deal with problem permanents such as Master of Waves, Nightveil Specter, etc.
The deck plays like any control deck where you just want to make land drops till you completely take over the game. You can still win's with your early aggression sometimes. I haven't really tested out Anger of the Gods a whole lot, and until recently I had Gideon in there. I am playing a one of Assemble the Legions, and two Angel of Serenity. I feel like I might want an Elspeth, but I feel I would have to cut an Angel, and I really want two because it feels like people forgot about that card, and it's a way to get some card advantage in the late game when you start returning creatures to your hand.
Nykthos has an interesting role. It's not the explosive role it has in say a G/R filled with mana dorks, but it does let you get stuff out early. It's also the late game engine that lets you create a whole bunch of clerics or make for a really big Aurelia's Fury.
Let me know what you think.
I wanted to make a RUG Ramp Version as well, but I feel like two colors (the red splash for removal and wolf run) makes it to difficult to add the third color and makes Nykthos way worse. The one of Banefire is there for the control matchups, plus as a mana sink. Raging Ravine was my choice for on board mana sinks.
I debated on Gaea's Herald in the sideboard for the control matchup, or maybe Mistcutter Hydras. I feel like the Elvish Mystic (mana dorks) are the worst cards in the deck, just because I feel like red sweeping is really powerful.
I feel like Lotus cobra with the Farseek's/Search for Tomorrow/Primeval Titan effects is going to be bonkers. I also thought it might be right to put in a thundermaw hellkite or two.
I am nervous about farseek because it only grabs Stomping Ground or Mountain. I might be looking for a replacement. Maybe going with the mana dork strategy is better. I feel like that would make the deck faster.
Combo seems like it would own this deck.
CREATURES:
[3] Elvish Mystic
[2] Leatherback Baloth
[2] Lotus Cobra
[4] Primeval Titan
[4] Sakura Tribe Elder
[4] Strangleroot Geist
REMOVAL:
[2] Anger of the Gods
[1] Banefire
[4] Lightning Bolt
RAMP:
[4] Farseek
[2] Garuk Wildspeaker
[4] Search for Tomorrow
LANDS:
[4] Copperline Gorge
[3] Forest
[4] Nykthos **might want less
[3] Mountain
[4] Raging Ravine
[4] Stomping Ground
[2] Wolf Run
SIDEBOARD:
[3] Ancient Grude
[3] Choke *Blue hate
[2] Defense Grid *Combo/control matchup
[2] Pilar of Flames *extra removal (Answer to Voice of Resurgence)
[2] Pyroclasm *Swarm creature matchup
[3] Relic of Progenitus