Match 1 vs. Abzan Counters Combo(2-1)
Lost Game 1 because I didn't really know what I was playing against. Opponent combo'd off into infinite life, I scooped to sideboard.
Game 2 Blood Moon won.
Game 3 Was just about keeping his little creatures off the board, got off an Anger of the Gods, felt good.
Match2 vs. Red Prison(2-0)
Game 1 was a non game with Opponent having a Turn 0 Gemstone Caverns but then no other mana. Luckily I had creature fat and onboard quickly to end the game fast.
Game 2 I faced a Turn 2 Chalice on 1. Luckily I drew into my Engineered Explosives early and was able to take out Chalice along with 2 goblin tokens, them bolt his Legion Warboss and kept his board clean after that.
Match 3 vs Spirits (UW, G not confirmed) (0-2)
I sided in Blood Moons, Anger of the Gods, Destructive Revelry, Engineered Explosives, Dismember, and I think Hazoret?
Just didn't have enough to keep those Spirits off the board and Opponent had the upper hand the whole time. Spirits is just crazy with all their counterspells with legs. I'd love any advice people have on beating this deck.
I'm thinking about Pyroclasm for the sideboard, and I still want to test out a single copy of Lazotep Plating in the main to see how it plays generally.
Red likes to force through damage, and hate on Blue. I can see Fore of Red making another spell uncounterable and preventing damage prevention. "Target spell cannot be countered this turn. Damage can't be prevented this turn."
We see this with cards like Exquisite Firecraft, Combust, Inescapable Blaze, etc...
It would also be a cute way of sort of getting Pyroblast into Modern, since it would basically be a red counterspell against blue counterspells.
Certainly a strong card when you really break down everything it does.
The only downside is the discard is not a may so if you have 2 strong cards left you can't cast this unless you're willing to throw those 2 cards for 2 random draws. That could really make enough of a difference to stop this seeing much modern play.
Turn 1: Exile 2 Monkeys for RR, cast this, discarding 2 Stinkweed Imps, dredge them as your draws. Begin turn 1 with a minimum of 4 power on the board and a maximum 10 cards of fuel in your graveyard.
I know Dredge doesn't play Simian Spirit Guide, but I can see a new dredge deck forming around this.
EDIT: After reading the subsequent comments, I see where the confusion was created. The original comment was based on having 0 cards in hand. Even if you only have 1 card in hand, you discard that card and draw 2. But yes, if you have at least 2 cards in hand, you need to discard 2.
Yeah, I apologize for creating so much confusion.
At worst the card is really "Discard 2 lands, draw 2 cards, get a 2/2 creature, for 3cmc. Because sometimes, I guess, you've been sandbagging lands for a reason...
Ugin's Conjurant + Celestial Kirin was a "concern", it seems. Uh...I mean, I was aware of the combo, but it seems like a waste of word count to mention it in the same sentence as Neoform or Karn.
P.S.
1) a round of applause for Gitaxian Probe, which managed to get banned in Modern, Legacy, Pauper, and the next closest thing to banned in Vintage
2) I couldn't read "Augur of Bolas was still on the table for discussion" with a straight face. Full disclosure, I don't play Pauper, so the things that make Augur ban-worthy elude me. Then again, Bloodbraid Elf was once banned, so congratulations on not making the same mistake twice, I guess?
In pauper, in which blue spellslinger strategies dominate, a 2cmc creature with 3 toughness is very hard to get around. Augur can block aggro plans for days. If it was a 1/1 it wouldn't be a problem. This is similar to Deathrite Shaman have 2 toughness, thus being all the more strong.
Seasoned Pyromancer 1RR
Summon Human Shaman
When " enters the battlefield, discard two cards then draw two. For each nonland card discarded this way, create two 1/1 elemental tokens. 3RRExile " from your graveyard, create two 1/1 elementals.
Love Morophon, hate the name. Seems pretty lazy. Like why does it have to almost have "Morph" in it's name?
"Oh, what do we call this changeling lord that can morph into any creature?"
"Morpho The Magnificent?
"I know you're joking, yet I think you're onto something..."
Exactly how much more flexibility does this have over Disrupting Shoal? It lets us knock out Tron pieces, which Shoal couldn't... But I'm thinking that's the only place where New Force will see action. Otherwise hands that are blue and play counters will usually have the right cmc card to exile for Shoal - so much is under 2cmc in Modern...
Force of Negation... I think I'd still prefer Disrupting Shoal? Though I guess the exile clause of New Force counts for something... I just think hitting some creatures for free is still important.
I like getting Prohibit - It was also on my Horizons speculation list so I prematurely dug out a few copies, glad I already have them. It'll be situational, but I think sometimes a hard counter on a cheap creature in the late game will be important.
Edit; Revised Thinking:
Upon thinking for a few more minutes, I'm actually excited to explore the new balancing act that is updating our spell suite.
Force of Negation will certainly replace Disrupting Shoal. This means I'd need to think about how to combat creatures. I think Stubborn Denial is still WAY too good to ever cut, and Mana Leak is very versatile (situationally better than Prohibit a lot of the time). Do I replace the Spell Pierce with a Prohibit? Do I cut a Tarfire as well and run 2 Prohibits?
4 Disrupting Shoal
4 Serum Visions
4 Thought Scour
3 Stubborn Denial
2 mana leak
2 sleight of hand
1 spell pierce
1 chart a course
1 simic charm
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Tarfire
Creatures
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Hooting Mandrills
2 Snapcaster Mage
2 Steam Vents
1 Breeding Pool
1 Stomping Ground
4 Scalding Tarn
3 misty rainforest
3 Wooded foothills
2 island
1 mountain
1 forest
3 Blood Moon
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Destructive Revelry
2 Hazoret the Fervent
1 Feed the Clan
1 Echoing Truth
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Dismember
Match 1 vs. Abzan Counters Combo(2-1)
Lost Game 1 because I didn't really know what I was playing against. Opponent combo'd off into infinite life, I scooped to sideboard.
Game 2 Blood Moon won.
Game 3 Was just about keeping his little creatures off the board, got off an Anger of the Gods, felt good.
Match2 vs. Red Prison(2-0)
Game 1 was a non game with Opponent having a Turn 0 Gemstone Caverns but then no other mana. Luckily I had creature fat and onboard quickly to end the game fast.
Game 2 I faced a Turn 2 Chalice on 1. Luckily I drew into my Engineered Explosives early and was able to take out Chalice along with 2 goblin tokens, them bolt his Legion Warboss and kept his board clean after that.
Match 3 vs Spirits (UW, G not confirmed) (0-2)
I sided in Blood Moons, Anger of the Gods, Destructive Revelry, Engineered Explosives, Dismember, and I think Hazoret?
Just didn't have enough to keep those Spirits off the board and Opponent had the upper hand the whole time. Spirits is just crazy with all their counterspells with legs. I'd love any advice people have on beating this deck.
I'm thinking about Pyroclasm for the sideboard, and I still want to test out a single copy of Lazotep Plating in the main to see how it plays generally.
Mad Auntie?
We see this with cards like Exquisite Firecraft, Combust, Inescapable Blaze, etc...
It would also be a cute way of sort of getting Pyroblast into Modern, since it would basically be a red counterspell against blue counterspells.
Turn 1: Exile 2 Monkeys for RR, cast this, discarding 2 Stinkweed Imps, dredge them as your draws. Begin turn 1 with a minimum of 4 power on the board and a maximum 10 cards of fuel in your graveyard.
I know Dredge doesn't play Simian Spirit Guide, but I can see a new dredge deck forming around this.
Yeah, I apologize for creating so much confusion.
At worst the card is really "Discard 2 lands, draw 2 cards, get a 2/2 creature, for 3cmc. Because sometimes, I guess, you've been sandbagging lands for a reason...
In pauper, in which blue spellslinger strategies dominate, a 2cmc creature with 3 toughness is very hard to get around. Augur can block aggro plans for days. If it was a 1/1 it wouldn't be a problem. This is similar to Deathrite Shaman have 2 toughness, thus being all the more strong.
I meant you draw two even if you *can't* discard. You still get to draw 2 with an empty hand.
At worst it's 1RR for a 2/2 body that draws you 2 cards. You don't need to discard in order to draw two. That's very strong on it's own.
Summon Human Shaman
When " enters the battlefield, discard two cards then draw two. For each nonland card discarded this way, create two 1/1 elemental tokens.
3RRExile " from your graveyard, create two 1/1 elementals.
"Oh, what do we call this changeling lord that can morph into any creature?"
"Morpho The Magnificent?
"I know you're joking, yet I think you're onto something..."
I like getting Prohibit - It was also on my Horizons speculation list so I prematurely dug out a few copies, glad I already have them. It'll be situational, but I think sometimes a hard counter on a cheap creature in the late game will be important.
Edit; Revised Thinking:
Upon thinking for a few more minutes, I'm actually excited to explore the new balancing act that is updating our spell suite.
currently my suite looks like this:
4 lightning bolt
4 serum visions
2 tarfire
4 Disrupting Shoal
1 spell pierce
3 stubborn denial
1 Simic Charm
2 sleight of hand
1 chart a course
2 mana leak
3 Blood Moon
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Destructive Revelry
2 Hazoret the Fervent
1 Feed the Clan
1 Echoing Truth
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Dismember
Force of Negation will certainly replace Disrupting Shoal. This means I'd need to think about how to combat creatures. I think Stubborn Denial is still WAY too good to ever cut, and Mana Leak is very versatile (situationally better than Prohibit a lot of the time). Do I replace the Spell Pierce with a Prohibit? Do I cut a Tarfire as well and run 2 Prohibits?
What are people thinking?