The only reasons I can imagine why people are maxing out on stomping ground first is because they have seen pro's do it or are coming from the breach shift lists. Every time you see a pro try out the deck at a GP, they seem to not know the deck well and run 4 stomping grounds. Then they get destroyed by Aggro decks and miss out on top 8. And the Breach shift list needs the full playset because it wants to play 5 mountains, cast through the Breach, and win.
Other than that, there isn't a reason that I've heard that was any good. And those reasons I listed already aren't very good anyway. You should max out on cinder glade first because it's basically Taiga in our deck. Then, two stomping ground is sufficient to make sure you can fetch for your untapped colors when you need them. More stomping ground will mess you up because you will end up having to pay the life more often because you draw them. And then you just keel over and die to Aggro.
Hi everyone, I am sorry that my planned updates for the primer got delayed so long and that I haven't posted as regularly for a while. My surgery in August that I mentioned on here went straight into my semester at university starting up with band camp and everything being crazy at the beginning of the quarter. I now finally have my schedule all sorted out and while very busy should be able to continue to update the primer and post regularly.
Fair point, the 14-16 cantrips plus sometimes Peer through Depths or Pieces of the Puzzle from the side are still pretty solid for digging to sideboard stuff though.
That's the thing I seem to disagree with a lot of people on. Deck space itself is a resource. And storm may be a combo deck that only needs to hit5-6 mana and cast Gifts with a reduced in play to win, but so much deck space has to be dedicated to making this happen that it stops you from doing many other things. So, the deck has expended almost all of the deck space resource just on trying to win and is left without enough of that resource to run a bunch of disruption and stuff.
I think EMA didn't cause as much of a price drop because FoW has higher demand. Also, at least locally, EMA started popular and got quickly less popular. My shop ended up stuck with over a case of EMA that we only just finished getting rid of.
My sideboard is pretty Jank looking because it's pretty tuned to what my meta was a few months ago during the height of GDS when people were saying it's the strongest deck in modern and needs to be banned. So I won't share it. But, if you look at the list for the black splash in the Primer I run basically the same list. I run Verdant Catacombs instead of misty rainforest, a full 4 farseek instead of the 2 explore, and replaced the coursers with Hour of Promise. I will try to post a list on saturday if I have a chance. But I'm working 1030am-midnight or later. And Sunday I'm celebrating my anniversary. So it may be a few days before I can give you a nice clean list.
Look at this new Commune with Dinosaurs. So green gets these super ponders with Commune with Nature, Commune with Dinosaurs, Ancient stirrings and blue doesn't get regular ponder.
I always get very angry when I have to cast serum visions in modern. Sometimes I just want to pickup my deck an throw it at my opponent.
I think you need to do what your username says. Take a deep breath and count to 4.
Also, commune with Dino's is bad. All of the green cards you listed are very restrictive to your deck building past playing the right color. Ponder just asks you to play blue and gives you a crazy powerful effect without telling you to build your deck in a specific way. Plus it always replaces itself where sometimes the other cards you listed just waste a mana to discard a card. And serum Visions really isn't as bad as you are making it out to be.
The list in the Primer comes from an SCG modern classic in Worcester. I believe it either won the event or came second. But yes, Verdant catacombs is strictly better and what I run. Omen isn't even needed. I played 2 KHE for a while with 0 Omen and it was great. I play 3 Omen currently because I was trying them out and haven't felt the need to back down to 2. Sometimes you draw a second, but that's not awful because it gives you redundancy against any removal other than Echoing Truth and Maelstrom Pulse. Collective brutality is an interesting card. I mentioned that I play a very similar maindeck, but my sideboard is vastly different. But I can see bringing it in against matchups like delver where it can turn a random spare card into killing a delver and taking a spell from them. And I have not updated my sideboard for the mirror yet. I have been busy and unable to play modern competitively for about 5 weeks. So I haven't played the mirror near as much as you would expect to see now. There was discussion recently on this thread about the mirror. I suggest finding and reading it. It should be in the last few pages.
If you are thinking of splashing Black I highly recommend 4 Push 2 decay. I've been doing it for months and it's fantastic. I played the exact maindeck list for the splash that's in the Primer for a little while. I found that farseek was so good for perfect mana that I dropped the two explores to max out farseek. I recently replaced Courser of kruphix with Hour of Promise. The removal is so much better than what Red offers and having maindeck answers to Blood Moon, Cranial Plating, and random other things is amazing. With 3ish sweepers in the side, you don't really lose much on the Aggro matchups. The 6 maindeck removal spells is often enough to still get game 1. And the additional sweepers seals it for games 2 and 3
I've been playing Caleb Scherer's fetchless list and I'm pretty sure Opt straight replaces Peek. Looking at the opponents hand is decent, and sometimes great. But I think digging to a reducer on turn one is better
I've been playing the Caleb Scherer storm list with 3 Peek and no fetches for a bit. I'm going to try replacing Peek with Opt. Looking at the opponents hand is nice, but I think digging to the reducer on turn one is better. And it kinda lets you bluff interaction on turn one. I dig it
I wouldn't say R&D are garbage because of hostage taker. Obviously the FFL combined with the corporate crap that led to the standard changes caused issues for standard lately. But by and large, R&D have given us a fantastic game to play. And with the sheer number of cards that get created, I can understand and be ok with something like that slipping through the cracks because everyone knew how it was supposed to work and made a slight templating error.
In some ways, I wish my metas were more like yours. I have traveled anywhere from 100 mi either direction to 55 mi. So, the metas should technically be different because there are never the same people. Some teams travel to most of them, but outside of them, many players are different (or just like me trying to get one).
Played in a 50 person PPTQ today for 6 rounds. Had a sour taste in my mouth near the end, despite getting luckier than all of my opponents.
Round 1 vs. GDS. So, this is where they are. Thank goodness I didn't abandon the matchup completely. In game 1, he has some discard and a solid clock, but I ramp pretty well. I feel that my Prime Time is going to get Terminated and then anything else Stubborn Denialed until it's game, but he doesn't have either and the Prime Time kills him on the first swing. In the next game, it is similar, but he has less discard and a slightly slower clock. I have 2 Titans in hand and I don't see myself losing. Sure enough, he didn't have the answer to the Titan again. I mean, I know it's tough for them to win if Titan resolves, but I figured he'd at least have something after that. 2-0.
Round 2 vs. E Tron. My opponent does turns 2 and 3 Walking Ballista. I get a Titan after he has a turn 4 2/2 Ballista and knock one down. He does All is Dust, but I have another Titan to wipe his board and that's all he has. Yes, I took some pings, but it was certainly not enough for a quick ramp into Titans. In the next game, his hand is slow again, but he gets a midgame Smasher. All of my 6 draw steps were lands and I lost with Prismatic Omen in play. Needed Titan for double Valakut or Scapeshift for a million damage. In the last game, it goes back and forth with Smasher vs. 2 Obstinate Baloth and he adds some extra Walking Ballista for 1 and Matter Reshaper, while I add Reclamation Sage to destroy a Mind Stone, making only land + Smasher lethal. He goes in for a risky attack. I go in for a risky attack. He goes for it while at 4, putting me super low, but I draw Bolt to hit Walking Ballista and trudge past a Matter Reshaper with double Baloth for 4 damage and game. Close games, despite him not getting quick hands or a single Thought-Knot Seer. 2-1.
Round 3 vs. Living End. This seems like a terrible matchup, especially with my 2 mainboard Relics put in the SB for #2 and 3 Hour of Promise today. He kept a 1 land hand and cycled a card every turn. He must have draw at least 10-12 cards before losing to Prismatic Omen and Scapeshift. In the next game, he had a turn 3 Living End, but I won with Scapeshift on turn 4 after doing Sakura-Tribe Elder sacrifice into Scapeshift for 18. He was at 17. Super lucky round for me. 2-0.
Round 4 vs. GDS. In the first game, he does some discard into pressure, but Prime Time does 6 damage to him with triggers. In the next game, he does 1 discard on my Farseek and I drew 6 lands only this game. In the last game, I draw a lot of land and can't find Titan. Triple Death's Shadow makes quick work of me. I kind of wish I hadn't sided out Bolts, but sure enough he had at least 1 Stubborn Denial in hand. 1-2.
Round 5 vs. Burn. My opponent mulligans to 3. Mind you, he's the first opponent to mull, other than in game 2 vs. E Tron where we both mulled to 6. I mulligan to 6, but 6 is twice 3. He only has 1 land and plays some creatures. I draw a million Sakura-Tribe Elder into Scapeshift. I see Scapeshift on top with Goblin Guide, so I don't block and sacrifice. Easy win, although I was at 11. In the next game, I get an unanswered Kitchen Finks. Then he attacks with Eidolon of the Great Revel and Goblin Guide to put me to 4 life before the persist trigger. The Finks persists and I gain 2. So I know he doesn't have Boros Charm, which would have killed me with the life gain trigger on the stack. He EoT Boros Charms me, which I tell him after the match that he could have killed me. I play Obstinate Baloth the next turn and survive him having enough burn at 2 life after he has Destructive Revelry for my Prismatic Omen. He had another Destructive Revelry in hand. I thought he had Deflecting Palm, but there was no beating that card at this point. 2-0.
Round 6 vs. Merfolk. The top 8 players are locked. ID 0-0-3.
Top 8 vs. (the same) Merfolk player. In game 1, he plays a Cursecatcher into Lord of Atlantis. Not bad, right? I draw only 5 land and Prismatic Omen this game, but the Omen would have been enough if he didn't play Kira, Glass Spinner. I do some triggers with my Prime Time after he Spreading Seas a Valakut to kill his creatures with 2 triggers each to Kira and a Master of Waves. He has lethal with Cursecatcher since I'm at 1. He plays another Lord and attacks with both in case. In the next 2 games, I try to shy away from spell based stuff when he has countermagic open and land double Prime Time in 1 and Prime Time and ramp spells afterward in the other. 2-1.
Top 4 vs. UW Control. He starts off with Leyline of Sanctity before the game after mulliganing. Then, he missed a 3rd land drop. I have a choice of playing Mountain or Valakut so that I can sacrifice Sakura-Tribe Elder for Prime Time. I play the Valakut and keep swinging. He plays Ghost Quarter on the Valakut and Surgical Extraction. He said, "yes, I run mainboard Surgical Extraction." He eventually plays out 3 Cryptic Command, 3 Path to Exile, and 3 SCM for Path to Exile. I ramp hard in the next one and resolve Prime Time. Then I play another one and he didn't have countermagic for either, presumably on 3 Cryptic Command since he had 3 land in play. In the last game, I have a vulnerable hand. He starts with turn 0 Leyline of Sanctity and gets my Valakut killed and Surgical Extraction again, but I still have 1 in play. I try to Beast Within in response, but he has Cryptic Command. I draw Beast Within a few turns later for his Leyline and do some damage, but he runs out a Ghost Quarter to get the last Valakut into the graveyard. The odd thing is that I am swinging away with Obstinate Baloth and Sakura-Tribe Elder for quite a bit when he throws 2 Scm and a Vendilion Clique under the bus somewhere in between, failing to take a card from me because I had 3 land after my draw step. He has Crucible of Worlds and then Detention Sphere for my Reclamation Sage after a Celestial Colonnade traded with my Baloth. I literally drew every single land in my deck. After he resolved 3 Ancestral Vision and Sphinx's Revelation, I draw 2 Prime Time in a row, but he has a Logic Knot for enough to counter it. He played a Hallowed Fountain untapped at 2 life, then cast Gideon of the Trials and tried to do an emblem. I asked him if he paid 2 life since it's untapped. The Judge tells him that since he's at 2 life, he has to rewind until he doesn't pay 2 life for the untapped land. He has all the Cryptic Commands now that he drew a bunch, so double Prime Time in a row doesn't do it. I also feel that I probably should have boarded in Chameleon Colossus, but it's just so odd assuming that your opponent is always going to have the only singleton Surgical Extraction and Ghost Quarter, while I won't draw Relic of Progenitus to target myself or sacrifice in a pinch. 1-2.
I finish 4th place, getting knocked out by a player who played Hallowed Fountain untapped when he was at 2 life, then went to cast Gideon of the Trials and then emblem. Judge allowed him to rewind and gain his 2 life back when he was at 0. He was the head judge, so there's nothing I can do. Hopefully next week is better.
*Decklist was the same as above, but put 2 more Hour of Promise into the mainboard, taking out 2 Relic of Progenitus. Then I put them in the SB, taking out Gragdigger's Cage and Mwonvuli Acid-Moss.
In some ways, I wish my metas were more like yours. I have traveled anywhere from 100 mi either direction to 55 mi. So, the metas should technically be different because there are never the same people. Some teams travel to most of them, but outside of them, many players are different (or just like me trying to get one).
Played in a 50 person PPTQ today for 6 rounds. Had a sour taste in my mouth near the end, despite getting luckier than all of my opponents.
Round 1 vs. GDS. So, this is where they are. Thank goodness I didn't abandon the matchup completely. In game 1, he has some discard and a solid clock, but I ramp pretty well. I feel that my Prime Time is going to get Terminated and then anything else Stubborn Denialed until it's game, but he doesn't have either and the Prime Time kills him on the first swing. In the next game, it is similar, but he has less discard and a slightly slower clock. I have 2 Titans in hand and I don't see myself losing. Sure enough, he didn't have the answer to the Titan again. I mean, I know it's tough for them to win if Titan resolves, but I figured he'd at least have something after that. 2-0.
Round 2 vs. E Tron. My opponent does turns 2 and 3 Walking Ballista. I get a Titan after he has a turn 4 2/2 Ballista and knock one down. He does All is Dust, but I have another Titan to wipe his board and that's all he has. Yes, I took some pings, but it was certainly not enough for a quick ramp into Titans. In the next game, his hand is slow again, but he gets a midgame Smasher. All of my 6 draw steps were lands and I lost with Prismatic Omen in play. Needed Titan for double Valakut or Scapeshift for a million damage. In the last game, it goes back and forth with Smasher vs. 2 Obstinate Baloth and he adds some extra Walking Ballista for 1 and Matter Reshaper, while I add Reclamation Sage to destroy a Mind Stone, making only land + Smasher lethal. He goes in for a risky attack. I go in for a risky attack. He goes for it while at 4, putting me super low, but I draw Bolt to hit Walking Ballista and trudge past a Matter Reshaper with double Baloth for 4 damage and game. Close games, despite him not getting quick hands or a single Thought-Knot Seer. 2-1.
Round 3 vs. Living End. This seems like a terrible matchup, especially with my 2 mainboard Relics put in the SB for #2 and 3 Hour of Promise today. He kept a 1 land hand and cycled a card every turn. He must have draw at least 10-12 cards before losing to Prismatic Omen and Scapeshift. In the next game, he had a turn 3 Living End, but I won with Scapeshift on turn 4 after doing Sakura-Tribe Elder sacrifice into Scapeshift for 18. He was at 17. Super lucky round for me. 2-0.
Round 4 vs. GDS. In the first game, he does some discard into pressure, but Prime Time does 6 damage to him with triggers. In the next game, he does 1 discard on my Farseek and I drew 6 lands only this game. In the last game, I draw a lot of land and can't find Titan. Triple Death's Shadow makes quick work of me. I kind of wish I hadn't sided out Bolts, but sure enough he had at least 1 Stubborn Denial in hand. 1-2.
Round 5 vs. Burn. My opponent mulligans to 3. Mind you, he's the first opponent to mull, other than in game 2 vs. E Tron where we both mulled to 6. I mulligan to 6, but 6 is twice 3. He only has 1 land and plays some creatures. I draw a million Sakura-Tribe Elder into Scapeshift. I see Scapeshift on top with Goblin Guide, so I don't block and sacrifice. Easy win, although I was at 11. In the next game, I get an unanswered Kitchen Finks. Then he attacks with Eidolon of the Great Revel and Goblin Guide to put me to 4 life before the persist trigger. The Finks persists and I gain 2. So I know he doesn't have Boros Charm, which would have killed me with the life gain trigger on the stack. He EoT Boros Charms me, which I tell him after the match that he could have killed me. I play Obstinate Baloth the next turn and survive him having enough burn at 2 life after he has Destructive Revelry for my Prismatic Omen. He had another Destructive Revelry in hand. I thought he had Deflecting Palm, but there was no beating that card at this point. 2-0.
Round 6 vs. Merfolk. The top 8 players are locked. ID 0-0-3.
Top 8 vs. (the same) Merfolk player. In game 1, he plays a Cursecatcher into Lord of Atlantis. Not bad, right? I draw only 5 land and Prismatic Omen this game, but the Omen would have been enough if he didn't play Kira, Glass Spinner. I do some triggers with my Prime Time after he Spreading Seas a Valakut to kill his creatures with 2 triggers each to Kira and a Master of Waves. He has lethal with Cursecatcher since I'm at 1. He plays another Lord and attacks with both in case. In the next 2 games, I try to shy away from spell based stuff when he has countermagic open and land double Prime Time in 1 and Prime Time and ramp spells afterward in the other. 2-1.
Top 4 vs. UW Control. He starts off with Leyline of Sanctity before the game after mulliganing. Then, he missed a 3rd land drop. I have a choice of playing Mountain or Valakut so that I can sacrifice Sakura-Tribe Elder for Prime Time. I play the Valakut and keep swinging. He plays Ghost Quarter on the Valakut and Surgical Extraction. He said, "yes, I run mainboard Surgical Extraction." He eventually plays out 3 Cryptic Command, 3 Path to Exile, and 3 SCM for Path to Exile. I ramp hard in the next one and resolve Prime Time. Then I play another one and he didn't have countermagic for either, presumably on 3 Cryptic Command since he had 3 land in play. In the last game, I have a vulnerable hand. He starts with turn 0 Leyline of Sanctity and gets my Valakut killed and Surgical Extraction again, but I still have 1 in play. I try to Beast Within in response, but he has Cryptic Command. I draw Beast Within a few turns later for his Leyline and do some damage, but he runs out a Ghost Quarter to get the last Valakut into the graveyard. The odd thing is that I am swinging away with Obstinate Baloth and Sakura-Tribe Elder for quite a bit when he throws 2 Scm and a Vendilion Clique under the bus somewhere in between, failing to take a card from me because I had 3 land after my draw step. He has Crucible of Worlds and then Detention Sphere for my Reclamation Sage after a Celestial Colonnade traded with my Baloth. I literally drew every single land in my deck. After he resolved 3 Ancestral Vision and Sphinx's Revelation, I draw 2 Prime Time in a row, but he has a Logic Knot for enough to counter it. He played a Hallowed Fountain untapped at 2 life, then cast Gideon of the Trials and tried to do an emblem. I asked him if he paid 2 life since it's untapped. The Judge tells him that since he's at 2 life, he has to rewind until he doesn't pay 2 life for the untapped land. He has all the Cryptic Commands now that he drew a bunch, so double Prime Time in a row doesn't do it. I also feel that I probably should have boarded in Chameleon Colossus, but it's just so odd assuming that your opponent is always going to have the only singleton Surgical Extraction and Ghost Quarter, while I won't draw Relic of Progenitus to target myself or sacrifice in a pinch. 1-2.
I finish 4th place, getting knocked out by a player who played Hallowed Fountain untapped when he was at 2 life, then went to cast Gideon of the Trials and then emblem. Judge allowed him to rewind and gain his 2 life back when he was at 0. He was the head judge, so there's nothing I can do. Hopefully next week is better.
*Decklist was the same as above, but put 2 more Hour of Promise into the mainboard, taking out 2 Relic of Progenitus. Then I put them in the SB, taking out Gragdigger's Cage and Mwonvuli Acid-Moss.
There's not really much you can do with a head judge other than politely ask them to check their ruling. But, I think that ruling was wrong.
Other than that, there isn't a reason that I've heard that was any good. And those reasons I listed already aren't very good anyway. You should max out on cinder glade first because it's basically Taiga in our deck. Then, two stomping ground is sufficient to make sure you can fetch for your untapped colors when you need them. More stomping ground will mess you up because you will end up having to pay the life more often because you draw them. And then you just keel over and die to Aggro.
And a bunch of cantrips to find them, and 4 gifts ungiven to get them. Seems reasonable, yes.
Wastes is not currently a subtype. Wastes are Basic Lands with no Subtype. So, Encroaching Wastes having no subtype fits perfectly.
I think you need to do what your username says. Take a deep breath and count to 4.
Also, commune with Dino's is bad. All of the green cards you listed are very restrictive to your deck building past playing the right color. Ponder just asks you to play blue and gives you a crazy powerful effect without telling you to build your deck in a specific way. Plus it always replaces itself where sometimes the other cards you listed just waste a mana to discard a card. And serum Visions really isn't as bad as you are making it out to be.
There's not really much you can do with a head judge other than politely ask them to check their ruling. But, I think that ruling was wrong.