I'm in the process of putting together a modern-legal UR shell (hello tax return, goodbye tax return, hello Snapcaster Mages) I can take in a few different directions and I had some success with Sphinx's Tutelage in a UB mill deck. Since this build is casual I can use the obvious synergy of Young Pyromancer and Skullclamp to trigger the Tutelage. By way of context, the meta is fairly janky casual games often with 3 or 4 players.
The manabase obviously needs work but that's what I've got at the moment. I'd like to try squeeze Fraying Sanity in but I've seen lots of arguments back and forth about how effective it is. Gitaxian Probe is something I've considered, maybe instead of Manamorphose ?
I haven't worked out a sideboard yet but I like how robust the shell is so maybe something to swap out the mill components and make it more like conventional UR Pyromancer build.
This is a concept I came up with while looking at old deck listings from 1999. Basically looking at turning Titanshift into a Wildfire deck, which can recover from its own Wildfire easily while locking out the opponent.
I think the strongest option is to go full cephalid breakfast with it. Run 4 narcomebas, dread return, angel of glory's rise and a ton of humans. You can easily win on turn by running no basics and laboratory maniac, or just return 1/3 of your deck to the battlefield.
It sounds like your options are to ask for a group vote in response to "Which isn’t an issue if the group agrees to the change. Not just one or two people wanting to change it." If they vote for the changes great! If not you should abide by their decision and either make different decks or find a different group.
Agreed with FGC. Tempo is essentially a deck archetype that tries to keep opponents off balance while you play faster. In 1v1 tempo decks use the most efficient threats and free or very cheap spells to try to keep the enemy from interacting before they win.
Depending on the groups ban list you could make a tempo deck of mana rocks, four balances and some powerful threats to keep the enemy from ever getting going.
It can be casual vs. competitive as well. Chaining Massacre, Wight of Precinct Six, and Dark Deal for an early colossal threat is a good tempo plan, but replace Wight of Precinct Six with Waste Not and the deck becomes much more competitive.
Ancient Stone Idol seems like it could be decent here. Not particularly difficult to get out turn 4 off a Radha, comes down from just swinging wide naturally, replaces itself when it dies.
There is an early attempt to make the GB deck work. It tries to survive with frogs and imps while stock piling the grave, then combos ivy league denizen, viscera seer, and safehold to search for deathgreeter and gains infinite life.
That is one very risky card. If it gets countered you lose your entire hand, and it doesn't provide any actual card advantage. It is like Cathartic reunion but requires more build around and has a bigger upside.
I think there are two possible builds with it. One would be a dredge deck that runs the ivy league denizen combo, the other being a UB fish deck that goes Gush-> Restless Dreams for massive creature draw.
Ivy League Stuff:
Ivy Lane Denizen + Safehold Elite / (any green persist creature) + Bloodthrone Vampire / (any sac-to-pump black creature) = Infinitely large black creature.
Ivy Lane Denizen + Safehold Elite / (any green persist creature) + Viscera Seer = Infinite scry (pseudo-tutor).
Ivy Lane Denizen + Safehold Elite / (any green persist creature) + Viscera Seer / (any sac engine) + Deathgreeter = Infinite life.
Ivy Lane Denizen + Safehold Elite / (any green persist creature) + Viscera Seer / (any sac engine) + Essence Warden = Infinite life.
Okay, I updated it per your suggestions. Since I am running black I prefer Syphon Mind over Manifold Insights, and I decided to keep talisman in order to make sure I can hit intimations. We are pretty low on removal right now, I will probably switch in last one standing if my meta changes.
Goldfishing this, Fact or Fiction is surprisingly good with Dark Intimations. I can drop an archaeomancer or dark intimations into the grave, the other one into my hand and go off from there.
I'm working on a budget version of grixis multiplayer, with the exception of Sol Ring and Bargain which I already own. Trying to keep individual cards under 50C where possible.
The biggest question I have is Callous Oppressor vs. Last One Standing. My group is usually creature based, with one mono black life drain deck. Oppressor combos with marauder and is a good way to build a board presence, last one standing and whelming wave combo with archaeomancer for a board lock.
Any other suggestions will be greatly appreciated as well
It is pretty good, but how much better is it then Elvish Piper? You still have to survive a turn to activate it, and while it draws a card it costs 3 per activation.
It seems like a cool deck, I would include jace's Archivist as an easy combo engine. 1 mana to put 21 cards into a graveyard is pretty dang good.
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
4 Tarmogoyf
1 Thragtusk
4 Bloodbraid Elf
3 Farseek
1 Growth Spasm
4 Search for Tomorrow
4 Wildfire
2 Destructive Force
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Cinder Glade
2 Stomping Ground
9 Mountain
5 Forest
Any suggestions or ideas? I'm pretty sure running Roast in big numbers in the side will be important.
With multiple opponents stuff like Foil and force of will are worse, but cards like massacre, balance, Mizzix's Mastery, etc. are better.
Depending on the groups ban list you could make a tempo deck of mana rocks, four balances and some powerful threats to keep the enemy from ever getting going.
It can be casual vs. competitive as well. Chaining Massacre, Wight of Precinct Six, and Dark Deal for an early colossal threat is a good tempo plan, but replace Wight of Precinct Six with Waste Not and the deck becomes much more competitive.
1 Deathgreeter
4 Golgari Brownscale
2 Ivy Lane Denizen
4 Putrid Imp
4 Safehold Elite
3 Spore Frog
4 Stinkweed Imp
4 Viscera Seer
2 Restless Dreams
4 Lead the Stampede
4 Jungle Hollow
8 Swamp
4 Golgari Guildgate
6 Forest
There is an early attempt to make the GB deck work. It tries to survive with frogs and imps while stock piling the grave, then combos ivy league denizen, viscera seer, and safehold to search for deathgreeter and gains infinite life.
I think there are two possible builds with it. One would be a dredge deck that runs the ivy league denizen combo, the other being a UB fish deck that goes Gush-> Restless Dreams for massive creature draw.
Ivy League Stuff:
Ivy Lane Denizen + Safehold Elite / (any green persist creature) + Bloodthrone Vampire / (any sac-to-pump black creature) = Infinitely large black creature.
Ivy Lane Denizen + Safehold Elite / (any green persist creature) + Viscera Seer = Infinite scry (pseudo-tutor).
Ivy Lane Denizen + Safehold Elite / (any green persist creature) + Viscera Seer / (any sac engine) + Deathgreeter = Infinite life.
Ivy Lane Denizen + Safehold Elite / (any green persist creature) + Viscera Seer / (any sac engine) + Essence Warden = Infinite life.
3 Callous Oppressor
4 Fleshbag Marauder
2 Sepulchral Primordial
9 Island
1 Sol Ring
8 Swamp
4 Crumbling Necropolis
4 Talisman of Indulgence
4 Impulse
3 Trade Secrets
1 Yawgmoth's Bargain
3 Syphon Mind
3 Fact or Fiction
4 Dark Intimations
Goldfishing this, Fact or Fiction is surprisingly good with Dark Intimations. I can drop an archaeomancer or dark intimations into the grave, the other one into my hand and go off from there.
The biggest question I have is Callous Oppressor vs. Last One Standing. My group is usually creature based, with one mono black life drain deck. Oppressor combos with marauder and is a good way to build a board presence, last one standing and whelming wave combo with archaeomancer for a board lock.
Any other suggestions will be greatly appreciated as well
3 Callous Oppressor
4 Dark Intimations
4 Fleshbag Marauder
2 Sepulchral Primordial
3 Whelming Wave
1 Yawgmoth's Bargain
4 Portent
8 Swamp
3 Talisman of Indulgence
4 Dimir Aqueduct
3 Fellwar Stone
1 sol ring
9 Island
4 Crumbling Necropolis