Hi everyone, new Kiki-Chord player here. I've been on the deck for a couple of months now - yesterday was my first post-ban event, feels good to finally be able to take out Big Game Hunter! I can't comment on Nahiri as I haven't tried her yet, but I have been testing Archangel Avacyn, and if Wraths start seeing more play as predicted I definitely think she has a place in the deck. We don't have that many things we care about that die to her flip side (P&K would be the big one, but other than that not much) and she is just a strong card, even against decks that don't have Wraths (unlike Escort). She also has great synergy with Resto, since you can blink her with the flip trigger on the stack to plague wind (or just blink her anytime to give your team indestructible). She is a super quick evasive clock that helps our beatdown plan as well. Has anyone else been experimenting with her?
anyone tried (or knows about) a battle box for multiplayer? I would love to have a battle box ready for quick plays, and to be the first experience of ppl joining my group, but every list I saw until now is oriented to 1 vs 1.
I will probably start to design my own MP Battle box, but I wanted to ask first
The other thing I realized is that seek can hit lands. So it can take out Valakut against scape shift.
Scapeshift usuarlly runs 2 Valakut, so this scenario works only if they need to go to 8 lands (36 damages). For the usual 18 damage, one valakut is enough. But this does not mean it's not a good card. If they put you at 18 or similar, and play scapeshift with 7 lands, you could seek for Dig Through Time, Tom Cruise, scapeshift or a command, getting you out of reach.
I posted a red, greenless list ages ago before I fully had my 4c list built--but I've revisited the idea with some new cards and the new fetch printing. I've done some testing with it, and I like it a lot--nothing mindblowing, but this could be situated better in the meta and worth looking into. I really like Godo instead of grave titan in this list, and keranos has been unreal. Having reach in exchange for some versatility has been nice. I haven't tested much with the twin matchup, but I expect we lost a couple of points there. Any suggestions would be quite welcome!
Seems interesting. Seems like the main thing you're getting is Lightning Bolt. Everything else red seems decent, but not great. I'm not sure what matchups this version is better against.
One issue here is that green version hits artifacts and enchantments with Abrupt Decay, Sultai Charm, and Maelstrom Pulse (and others). You have nothing for this in the main, and just Wear // Tear in the board. There aren't a ton of non-creature artifacts and enchantments you'd want to kill typically, but Grafdigger's Cage and other grave-hate could be an issue here. I'm not sure what you can maindeck for this, but there's got to be something worthwhile.
Perhaps Izzet Charm could be good here? It looks like you can cast it easily, and it lets you get rid of stranded fatties in your hand, or just get a bit of value by looting a flashback spell for a new card. The other modes allow for a lot of versatility. You definitely don't want a lot of copies, but 1-2 could be interesting.
I found that with 2-mana ramp creatures, I was often going turn 1 Thoughtseize or tapped land, turn 2 Sakura-Tribe Elder, then turn 3 play a Liliana of the Veil anyway. I felt that the times I got turn 3 Gifts Ungiven were not as frequent as the times that Elder was an awkward part of the curve, or a dead draw. I considered dropping ramp altogether, but that meant having almost no 2-drops (Abrupt Decay as the only one I'm happy casting on turn 2). Birds of Paradise is the perfect answer. It allows me for turn 2 Liliana of the Veil, Lingering Souls, or Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver (even just a quick Sultai Charm is quite good). Birds is worse against Electrolyze in particular, but by that point often the damage is done. Birds is also worse than Sakura-Tribe Elder in that it can't threaten the last points of damage, and it doesn't directly fuel Treasure Cruise. I've been extremely happy with the change to Birds, though, and the deck feels like you have a lot more powerful openings because of it.
I've been absolutely loving Ashiok. To me, it feels like a cheaper Tamiyo, the Moon Sage, but harder to kill. Ashiok doesn't give a massive advantage when it first comes out, but it is a serious threat if unanswered. I have a second in the board right now, but I definitely could see putting it in the main instead.
I highly, highly recommend everyone test a single Treasure Cruise. In the ideal scenario in the lategame, it is phenomenal. If it's in your opener, it's still much, much better than drawing your Elesh Norn, as you can typically draw 3 on turn 4 or so.
I haven't made any changes to the manabase yet. I've felt that it's solid right now, but I'm still keeping my eye on Horizon Canopy. When it's good it's great, but when it's bad it's miserable.
I just realized that three Damnation effects are much worse with the Birds of Paradise now. I think it's still worth keeping right now, because trading my Birds and Damnation for 3-4 creatures is still worthwhile. I'll consider moving the maindeck Damnation to the board, but for now I think I'll keep all three in the 75.
What about Sylvan Caryatid instead of birds? It wont ramp into second turn lili, but it gives some protection to lili or ashiok in turn three. Also I agree about Ashiok, he is awesome against pod
So is Keranos better than Sigarda in the more grindy matchups (BGx, UWx, Pod mirrors) Just wanted to get some opinions as I haven't had a chance to try either yet. Also, I think the new mana dork could be worth testing in the non chord builds in place of Wall of Roots where WoR isn't as important.
I read that Sigarda is better against rock/jund/junk and Keranos is better against uwr. This is pretty logical, since Sigarda makes lili half useful, but can be killed with supreme verdict or ***. But in my limited test games, keranos was a awesome against jund. In one game I poded an angel for keranos just before going in top deck mode. Then I limited myself to survive while keranos literally took over that game. It probably help that he didn't draw any tarmos.
So, I'm still testing (only online), but right now I side in Thrun, Sigarda, Obstinate Baloth and Keranos against Junk/Jund/Rock. Against uwr is not clear for me, I side in the same cards minus baloth, but the MU is still miserable.
Soundclaw Mystic
1G
Creature - Human Shaman
T: Add G, U, or R to your mana pool.
Morph 2
When Mystic Soundclaw is turned face up, add GUR to your mana pool.
Nice 2 drop. Even the morph could be useful late game against Electrolyze decks (or maybe not)
So we could see:
T1 Mana Dork
T2 Face-Down Mystic
T3 Reveal it, tap it. 6 mana on turn 3 and nowhere near a christmas magic land scenario since there are tons of mana dorks and morph doesn't use the stack.
What I'm saying is that you shouldn't play either. Ancient Grudge is light years ahead of Bant Charm and since Bant Charm isn't a creature, one of Harmonic Sliver's main advantages over AG is taken away.
Ancient Grudge can be a very dead card in non-affinity matchups. You want artifact destruction versus Pithing Needle, Torpor Orb or Grafdigger's Cage which get run more and more. Since you can't be sure wheter they sided one of these hate cards in or not and they side in two at most so the chances of facing one isn't great. By playing Bant Charm you have a card which is never dead unless you facing a deck without artifacts, creatures or instants (which I don't think exists).
I was curious about Bant Charm replacing or not Ancient Grudge (or Harmonic Sliver), so I made a search:
Has anyone tested Flametongue Kavu as a 1-of either main or side? It seems like it could be a useful card for us (general removal that hits hosers like Linvala, Keeper of Silence) akin to Shriekmaw that Melira is maindecking now. Secondly, does anyone actually like Fiery Justice? I've never tested with it either.
What are peoples thought on not playing domri or chord? I have been looking at my list trying to make my list better against zoo while keeping a good game against uwr. Been thinking about dropping the domris for te fourth kitchen finks and third voice. I am a huge advocet of domri so he would emedietly be in the sb for the grindy matchups. I just wanted to get other peoples thought on it.
kitchens finks and voice are pretty bad against anger
you can't blink avacyn with resto
I will probably start to design my own MP Battle box, but I wanted to ask first
What seems less realistic for me aren't the fetchlands, but the trilands in a no shards set.
Scapeshift usuarlly runs 2 Valakut, so this scenario works only if they need to go to 8 lands (36 damages). For the usual 18 damage, one valakut is enough. But this does not mean it's not a good card. If they put you at 18 or similar, and play scapeshift with 7 lands, you could seek for Dig Through Time, Tom Cruise, scapeshift or a command, getting you out of reach.
// Modern Daily #7532989 on 2014-10-10
4 Liliana of the Veil
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Grave Titan
4 Sylvan Caryatid
1 Thragtusk
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Life from the Loam
3 Lingering Souls
1 Raven's Crime
2 Thoughtseize
1 Unburial Rites
4 Abrupt Decay
1 Dismember
4 Gifts Ungiven
2 Path to Exile
1 Slaughter Pact
1 Batterskull
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Blood Crypt
1 Breeding Pool
1 Celestial Colonnade
2 Creeping Tar Pit
2 Flooded Strand
1 Forest
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Godless Shrine
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Island
3 Marsh Flats
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Plains
1 Swamp
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Temple Garden
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
2 Verdant Catacombs
1 Watery Grave
1 Creeping Corrosion
1 Darkblast
1 Fracturing Gust
1 Ghostly Prison
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Rule of Law
2 Slaughter Games
1 Spellskite
2 Stony Silence
1 Terastodon
1 Timely Reinforcements
1 Torpor Orb
If you are going to play red and have Batterskull maindeck, I will add Godo, Bandit Warlord
http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=73481
http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=73492
What about Sylvan Caryatid instead of birds? It wont ramp into second turn lili, but it gives some protection to lili or ashiok in turn three. Also I agree about Ashiok, he is awesome against pod
4 drop, but Ashcloud Phoenix could activate ferocious in a semi regular manner (still not sure if is a playable card)
And Batterskull. This is legacy and modern relevant
I read that Sigarda is better against rock/jund/junk and Keranos is better against uwr. This is pretty logical, since Sigarda makes lili half useful, but can be killed with supreme verdict or ***. But in my limited test games, keranos was a awesome against jund. In one game I poded an angel for keranos just before going in top deck mode. Then I limited myself to survive while keranos literally took over that game. It probably help that he didn't draw any tarmos.
So, I'm still testing (only online), but right now I side in Thrun, Sigarda, Obstinate Baloth and Keranos against Junk/Jund/Rock. Against uwr is not clear for me, I side in the same cards minus baloth, but the MU is still miserable.
Soundclaw Mystic
1G
Creature - Human Shaman
T: Add G, U, or R to your mana pool.
Morph 2
When Mystic Soundclaw is turned face up, add GUR to your mana pool.
Nice 2 drop. Even the morph could be useful late game against Electrolyze decks (or maybe not)
Added from another thread
I was curious about Bant Charm replacing or not Ancient Grudge (or Harmonic Sliver), so I made a search:
http://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=6752&d=238792&f=MO
1 Bant Charm
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Harmonic Sliver
http://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=7308&d=241859&f=MO
2 Bant Charm
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Harmonic Sliver
Not saying this is the correct way, bur certainly is an option
Sadly Flametongue Kavu is not modern legal
kitchens finks and voice are pretty bad against anger