Why not?
And please explain, because just a. "No," is a horrible answer.
What's your reasoning for running Crack the Earth?
Dreadbore blows, I don't know why you'd ever mention it. And I don't think Bitterblossom fits in this deck, especially not mid-late game(you've got 3, I doubt it'll show up in your opening hand which is where you want to see it). It's a 4CMC, but have you thought about Creakwood Liege to replace it? It pumps up your creatures while making a 3/3 each upkeep.
Right, I agree that I need some removal in here. I was hoping to find a modern Gempalm Incinerator, but I've looked through all the modern card archives I can and haven't found a goblin like it. Isn't there a bounce goblin that can be used in modern?
But! You can't forget that I'm running fanatics And festering goblins. They have a tendency to deal with 1-3 drop creatures, especially if I drop a lord on t1 or t2(which happens surprisingly more than I thought it would).
I like the land d. path so far, you'd be surprised how much it's actually been messing people up(if only I could use Wastelands!). A game against a Jund modern deck(I'm pretty sure it wasn't a netdeck, just an idea of a friend that wanted to try it out) showed me that I have enough land hate to make them hesitate land drops, or replay how they're going to run their hand. I've also been thinking of using some of the 2-3 drop goblins that can blow up lands, or have sac goblin abilities so I can pop my festering goblins whenever I want.
EDIT: what do you think about running one or two Arms Dealer and dropping another card for Krenko? Think it's worth it?
@Goblin Bard: we get it, you love Goblin Guide. We, obviously, don't like him in certain gaoblin decks. So, since our deck lists are,
"..Jankpiles..,"
then please, feel free to show us what a Real modern goblin deck looks like. I can't wait to see your list.
No, vial goblins works so well in legacy because of Goblin Matrons, Goblin Ringleaders, Wasteland, and Rishadan Port. I'm trying to find a way to replicate that in modern using Tec Edge and Ghost Quarter. It's hard though, because Harbinger is the best tutor I can find that's modern legal.
@Cobra:
Spirit Guide and Vial are Perfect for each other, if you ask me. Both of them combine to make the deck rather snappy, and both help with the 5 colorless lands that are in the deck. I really like the two and having playsets of each mained because they make life so much easier. I've been thinking of using Sensation Gorger as a one-of, putting in two Jesters, and side boarding Bloodmark Mentor.
Anyway, I came up with a list to share, since goblins are fast and fun(my brother and I came up with a third turn kill using goblins, Mass Hysteria, and Clickslither):
(4)Legion Loyalist- I like these guys better than Guides. The idea of putting lands into your opponents hand is not a pleasant one.
(3)Facevaulter- Worth a shot
(3)Festering Goblin- kind of like Mogg Fanatic, but not quite. Still cool though, and worth a shot. Going to see how it works with facevaulter
(4)Warren Instigator- this is a guaranteed playset. First goblin I wrote down, to be honest
(3)Frogtosser Banneret- cant wait to test this
(4)Goblin Chieftain- I want to find room for a forth
(3)Mad Auntie- I like this card. It's a lord, and it can regen your Instigator
(1)Goblin King- the more lords, the better
(2)Boggart Harbinger- thought I'd try them out, and I like them enough to want to leave the 2 in there. It jump starts you after a creature sweep on turn 4, and I'm the type of player that likes to leave my Vial on 3 so I can EoT pump lords and harbinger to prep for my swing
(4)Simian Spirit Guide- some extra speed, and I love dropping instigator on t1
(2)Reforge the Soul- full up that hand after first wave and kill
(4)æther Vial- gotta have these in a goblin deck, it makes them so much faster
(2)Tarfire
Edit: tested it out a few times, and I've got to say, I like it. I tested it against an off the wall casual deck a friend of mine made, so I can't say I was able to go up against merfolk or zoo(like I wanted to test it on).
My first game was freakishly fast, as I had two Spirit Guides in my opening hand, along with a Blackcleave cliff, Hovel, chieftain, instigator, and festering goblin. Hit a reforge the soul on turn 3, and that was all she wrote.
Game 2, the swamp landed in my opening hand and mess up my chance to play an instigator I topped, which was a bummer because it was turn two. But, that only slowed me down a step. What really slowed me down was a nasty board swipe on her turn 4, but because of Harbinger, I was able to pull the piece I needed at the end of her turn and toss out an instigator with a chieftain. But, sadly, another swipe. I hit a miracle RtS to fill my hand, and I was back in business again.
I like Harbinger, helped out more than Mentor did. I'm thinking of replacing mentor with spike jester, as it seems like better use of the card spaces Mentor is taking up.
EDIT: got to test against Elves earlier, and they were some pretty intense matchups. I won 2-1 first match, lost 2-1 second match, and reserved a grudge match for the next time my friend and I play.
Match 1
game one: my Ghost Quarters turned out to be pretty useless in this matchup, and it's making me think of what kind of lands I could sideboard in to replace them against mono-colored decks. Anyway. I hit a vial and fanatic in my opening hand with a spirit guide. Why not play both? Doing that kept me ahead of the board by being able to take out early game ramp. I vial-harbingered EoT for a tarfire, took out The Archdruid, and won the game.
Game two: two vials in opening hand along with two lords, reforge the soul, and two lands. I kept, because I didn't care. I topped a fanatic, instigator, and festering goblin, but it was too late. He flung out elves faster than I could blink, and told me after that he'd never seen it come out like it did until that game.
Game three: I got to find out he was running vials as well. I had a hard time keeping up, since I didn't have a vial opening hand, and he started pumping out creatures. Thank god I decided to stick Chain Reaction in my sideboard. Swept the board and didn't look back.
Match 2 was full of back and forth creature bashing, trying to get through each others creature walls. Loyalist Really pulled his weight in these games because the guys deck pumped out a lot of elf tokens. I only got him once in these three games, and it was the only time I won during this match.
I think every mill deck should have Jace Beleren in it, as he keeps cards going into your hand, he gets huge fast, and he takes cards off of your opponents library. At only around $8 a piece, he'll help the deck out more than most other cards would.
I agree with whoever said they would stick ghost quarter in over splashing white for Path. No need to muck up your land base with another color, it just adds inconsistency and more money into the equation.
Don't use Traumatize.
Ever.
Unless you can play it first or second turn(which I sure haven't found an easy way to do yet), it's pointless to mill 15 cards on 5th turn. Haunting Echoes is the way you want to go if you want something that'll really mess your opponents up.
Has there been mention of Surgical Extraction or Extirpate yet? Both are amazingly good at early game removal in a mill deck.
Some of you seriously think that not running fetch lands automatically makes your deck a, "budget deck?"
Remind me to never take your advice again, please. Because this is one of the craziest things I've EVER heard as far as Magic is concerned.
My UB Faeries deck is worth around $1,000, and it doesn't have a Single fetch land in it. Please, please tell me that it's a "budget deck."
My UB Mill deck runs only 2 Misty Rainforest for Hedron Crab, and it's not because I only have two to use. It's because my land base is perfect without them, I just want a little extra mill power in mid-game before I slam down a Haunting Echoes.
I agree with the fact that Some decks would turn into budget decks if you dropped fetch lands from them, because they do more than just fetch a land. Deathrite Shaman in my modern land d. deck would be a perfect example. All the lands in all graveyards helped the deck lock people up on the second turn. Without fetch lands, it wouldn't have functioned as smoothly about 40% of the time. And now that DRS is banned, my poor deck doesn't function at all...
I was thinking of running Vexing Devil instead of Birds, but Snapcaster Mage is definitely a good card to switch them to as well. As far as saying that, "playing a bird after turn one is useless," is concerned, I disagree for a Few reasons:
1) a turn two bird can still lead to a 3rd turn 4-drop, be it Cryptic Command, Purphoros, or Talrand.
2) being able to start setting up your board while countering your opponents turns is very helpful.
3) you can chump-block any flyer without trample
4) it costs a G. It's not like it's an expensive creature
Same with Bolts, seeing as how I'd like to create creatures with an instant rather than cast a creature and only get a couple damage out of it.
Don't forget, I haven't even figured out a sideboard yet. There's going to be some kind of board sweep, be it a Chain Reaction or something different. Didn't Wizards just spoil a blue mass creature bounce for 4CMC?
Also, what do think about using Beast Within instead of Reach through Depths?
When I first saw the card Purphoros, God of the Forge, I immediately wanted to figure out a modern tournament-worthy deck based around him. But, that caused some trouble for me at first. He's got a double weakness when he turns into a creature, making him prone to all sorts of removal. So I decided that I needed to figure out how to use him without gaining too much devotion to red, yet being able to pump out creatures. So, these are some of the cards i've been playing around with to finish up this deck proper.
(3)Talrand, Sky Summoner- such a beast in a counter-control deck. He makes your control cards a 2-for-1 and swings the battle in your favor too frequently to not want him on the board.
(4)Young Pyromancer-Even moreso than Talrand, Young Pyromancer is perfect for this deck
(4)Birds of Paradise- nothing wrong with a little ramp. And if it's late game, consider a bird to be a chump blocker that shocks when it enters the battlefield.
(3)Guttersnipe-this guy along with a Pyromancer and Purphoros on the board saps the life right out of everybody but you.
(4)Purphoros, God of the Forge
(3)Mana Leak- a decent counter that can be replaced
(3)Beast Within- a great removal card with potential to do some damage as well by using it on one of your 1/1 tokens
(4)Rune Snag- any better 2cmc counters to put here?
(4)Remand- not going anywhere
(3)Cryptic Command- might add a 4th...
(3)Spell Pierce- I like pierce better than Spell Snare in this deck, but I haven't tried snare out yet. It's just a gut feeling that I went with.
The land base is definitely up for altering. I just threw something together real quick so I could start play testing the deck:
EDIT: I finally got a chance to test this against American Control(RWU), and it did pretty good.
First match I swept, winning 2-0. I had every answer I needed when I needed it, and plenty of counters for deep counter battles. I made sure I played draw-go both games, only taking time to start setting up when I had two mana left to counter any incoming disruption.
Second match I won 2-1. I should have mulliganed first game, and lost because of it. Kessing, Hinterland Harbor, and flooded grove were my opening lands, which made it a rough start, and I just couldn't get ahead once I was able to fully function. My buddy had card advantage the whole game(which meant control advantage as well), and that's all he needed off the start. This was the only game that my lands screwed me, surprisingly. But I still want to solidify this land base. One in every 5 games on average is too many, and we shouldn't have to worry about of we're going to have the right mana or not.
The last two games of the second match went a lot like the first two games of the first match. Deep counter battles over things that couldn't be dealt with otherwise, pieces falling into place while disrupting, and then a couple good swings to finish off what Purphoros hadn't gotten around to.
------------------------------
Can't wait to test it against Ad Nauseum and splinter decks, along with Bogle. Although, I'm pretty sure some counters are going to have to come out, and GQ or Tec Edges are going to have to go in so I can deal with Boseiju and other lands that can turn tides if left on the board.
So, I've been taking the time to build and test most of the deck lists in this thread. And I've got to be honest, Scion of Oona is just too good to NOT have a playset mained.
I've also found that in most cases of spot removal, I'd rather them be a counter. So I cut the two verdicts that I run in my own deck and tossed in 2 leaks. Now, it's a force to be reckoned with. Especially when my opponent goes first and I have a Spell Snare and Remand in my opening hand.
Snapcasters were kinda fun, but only useful enough for me to want to play him when a Cryptic command was in my graveyard. Scion of Oona helps out a lot more, regardless.
Sword of Feast and Famine worked pretty well, but I've yet to decide what I want to cut in my main to add one or two.
Very interesting. Someone who went the Scion route with no V. Cliques in the main and only 1 in the side got second recently. That is EXTREMELY surprising to me.
I've been trying to tell you for a while now.
I don't run V. clique, I DO run Scion, and I do just fine in all my matchups.
I know it gets rid of the problem with one card(as opposed to Remand), but it's not a second turn time walk like remand. And that draw is worth it completely. Replacing that counter with another potential counter or a spellstutter sprite is too good to pass up.
Three Mistbind Cliques are perfect. I've been tweaking a faerie deck for a while now, and 4 seemed to flood my hand with them. I took one out, and the results have been so much better.
I don't think I've seen Pendelhaven in anybody's deck list, and I'm curious as to why. I like it a lot more than Creeping Tar Pit, and doesn't slow you down a turn. I only run one, and I also refuse to run tar pits because they blow early game. Early game is where you take control so you don't have to let up, and tar pits go against that.
And why are people using Mana Leak instead of Remand, or having Spell Snare sideboarded so you can run more spot removal in main?
Hellrider has haste. That's the Biggest reason why I use it, along with it being CMC4. It's really easy for my deck to get to 4 mana on first turn, but 5+ can happen sometimes(Reforge the Soul first turn does happen). The fact that he deals damage by declaring creatures as attackers is a huge plus too. It turns your memnites and ornithopters into a little more damage each turn.
Hero of Oxid Ridge is a beast. He's also got haste, so you can swing the turn you drop him. Along with his ability to make it so creatures with power equal to or less than one not be able to block makes him very scary on the first couple turns of the game if you get him in your hand.
There also back-to-back(1st and 2nd turn) CMC 4 drop capabilities because of Reforge the Soul. Plus, you spend your hand in the first two turns, and miracling one on 3rd turn to keep threats going at them is too good to pass up.
Basically, I tried to make a Red Deck Wins kind of deck, except with creatures that have the potential to stick around rather than being sacked at EoT(I.E. Ball Lightning).
What would be good to take out for Blood Moon? Because I really do like the idea of maining it in this deck.
Green means Fauna Shaman is accessible(even though it's not a knight, it's still a great creature). Which also means you could do something cool with her and Puresteel Paladin, along with Mox Opals and different swords to give protection.
Could be fun, and add some mean creature search as well.
Allowing your opponent to draw cards is a good thing in a mill deck, as it adds to the cards you're taking away from their library every turn. But, you've got to run heavy control to back it up.
I made a mill deck back when Eldrazi-New Phyrexia was standard. It was a lot of fun, and there wasn't a standard deck I played that could beat it consistently.
I've been fine-tuning it for modern ever since it rotated out of standard, and this is how it's breaking down so far:
Hedron Crab- why wouldn't you use these crazy little crabs? They can be Nasty with the right land base.
Tome Scour- Tome Scour is one of the best early game mill cards in modern. It's all about making cards fall from their library to their graveyard, and this sorcery packs a nice punch for a U. Haunting Echoes- this is your "I bet you'll scoop" card. It sucks up the scraps that Surgical Extraction and Extirpate don't deem an immediate threat, and seriously changes your opponents morale for the rest of the game.
That's it for the slow stuff, now let's dive into the pimpness.
Glimpse the Unthinkable- C'mon. It's not a mill deck if you don't run this. Remand- Enough said. Cryptic Command- quasi-Time Walk, anybody. Mana Leak- Open to being replaced with either bounce or another counter. Surgical Extraction- This card was a Blast when I had Chancellor of the Spires mained along with Archive Trap. Sometimes, I'd open with Chancellor(and use Extraction here if I see a 1 or 2 drop I hate), drop Archive Trap in response to them using their sac land, and then extract. All on first turn. AND it was all standard at the time. Good times Extirpate- to get rid of those mill nuisances like Emrakul or something that could lock you down. Archive Trap- A lot of people use sac lands. They also use search such as Birthing Pod and Steelshaper's Gift, amongst other things. Why not capitalize on that?
Planeswalkers
Jace Beleren- I wish he could be Jace, the Mind Sculpter, but he can't be. So that's that, and this 3CMC drop works good enough to put in this deck. He keeps you drawing cards, he keeps cards falling off your opponents library(sure they go to hand which isn't as good), and he's a great distraction to keep you alive a little longer. Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver- "Why use Ashiok, he doesn't really help." He helps a lot more than people expect. He generates creatures for defense or to plow face and win with your opponents Tarmogoyf. Plus, he's another life bumper that people get worried about.
And please explain, because just a. "No," is a horrible answer.
What's your reasoning for running Crack the Earth?
Dreadbore blows, I don't know why you'd ever mention it. And I don't think Bitterblossom fits in this deck, especially not mid-late game(you've got 3, I doubt it'll show up in your opening hand which is where you want to see it). It's a 4CMC, but have you thought about Creakwood Liege to replace it? It pumps up your creatures while making a 3/3 each upkeep.
But! You can't forget that I'm running fanatics And festering goblins. They have a tendency to deal with 1-3 drop creatures, especially if I drop a lord on t1 or t2(which happens surprisingly more than I thought it would).
I like the land d. path so far, you'd be surprised how much it's actually been messing people up(if only I could use Wastelands!). A game against a Jund modern deck(I'm pretty sure it wasn't a netdeck, just an idea of a friend that wanted to try it out) showed me that I have enough land hate to make them hesitate land drops, or replay how they're going to run their hand. I've also been thinking of using some of the 2-3 drop goblins that can blow up lands, or have sac goblin abilities so I can pop my festering goblins whenever I want.
EDIT: what do you think about running one or two Arms Dealer and dropping another card for Krenko? Think it's worth it?
@Goblin Bard: we get it, you love Goblin Guide. We, obviously, don't like him in certain gaoblin decks. So, since our deck lists are, then please, feel free to show us what a Real modern goblin deck looks like. I can't wait to see your list.
@Cobra:
Spirit Guide and Vial are Perfect for each other, if you ask me. Both of them combine to make the deck rather snappy, and both help with the 5 colorless lands that are in the deck. I really like the two and having playsets of each mained because they make life so much easier. I've been thinking of using Sensation Gorger as a one-of, putting in two Jesters, and side boarding Bloodmark Mentor.
Anyway, I came up with a list to share, since goblins are fast and fun(my brother and I came up with a third turn kill using goblins, Mass Hysteria, and Clickslither):
(4)Legion Loyalist- I like these guys better than Guides. The idea of putting lands into your opponents hand is not a pleasant one.
(3)Facevaulter- Worth a shot
(3)Festering Goblin- kind of like Mogg Fanatic, but not quite. Still cool though, and worth a shot. Going to see how it works with facevaulter
(4)Warren Instigator- this is a guaranteed playset. First goblin I wrote down, to be honest
(3)Frogtosser Banneret- cant wait to test this
(4)Goblin Chieftain- I want to find room for a forth
(3)Mad Auntie- I like this card. It's a lord, and it can regen your Instigator
(1)Goblin King- the more lords, the better
(2)Boggart Harbinger- thought I'd try them out, and I like them enough to want to leave the 2 in there. It jump starts you after a creature sweep on turn 4, and I'm the type of player that likes to leave my Vial on 3 so I can EoT pump lords and harbinger to prep for my swing
(4)Simian Spirit Guide- some extra speed, and I love dropping instigator on t1
(2)Reforge the Soul- full up that hand after first wave and kill
(4)æther Vial- gotta have these in a goblin deck, it makes them so much faster
(2)Tarfire
(4)Blackcleave Cliffs
(4)Auntie's Hovel
(4)Cavern of Souls
(3)Blood Crypt
(2)Ghost Quarter
(1)Tectonic Edge
(1) Graven Cairns
(2)Swamp
Edit: tested it out a few times, and I've got to say, I like it. I tested it against an off the wall casual deck a friend of mine made, so I can't say I was able to go up against merfolk or zoo(like I wanted to test it on).
My first game was freakishly fast, as I had two Spirit Guides in my opening hand, along with a Blackcleave cliff, Hovel, chieftain, instigator, and festering goblin. Hit a reforge the soul on turn 3, and that was all she wrote.
Game 2, the swamp landed in my opening hand and mess up my chance to play an instigator I topped, which was a bummer because it was turn two. But, that only slowed me down a step. What really slowed me down was a nasty board swipe on her turn 4, but because of Harbinger, I was able to pull the piece I needed at the end of her turn and toss out an instigator with a chieftain. But, sadly, another swipe. I hit a miracle RtS to fill my hand, and I was back in business again.
I like Harbinger, helped out more than Mentor did. I'm thinking of replacing mentor with spike jester, as it seems like better use of the card spaces Mentor is taking up.
EDIT: got to test against Elves earlier, and they were some pretty intense matchups. I won 2-1 first match, lost 2-1 second match, and reserved a grudge match for the next time my friend and I play.
Match 1
game one: my Ghost Quarters turned out to be pretty useless in this matchup, and it's making me think of what kind of lands I could sideboard in to replace them against mono-colored decks. Anyway. I hit a vial and fanatic in my opening hand with a spirit guide. Why not play both? Doing that kept me ahead of the board by being able to take out early game ramp. I vial-harbingered EoT for a tarfire, took out The Archdruid, and won the game.
Game two: two vials in opening hand along with two lords, reforge the soul, and two lands. I kept, because I didn't care. I topped a fanatic, instigator, and festering goblin, but it was too late. He flung out elves faster than I could blink, and told me after that he'd never seen it come out like it did until that game.
Game three: I got to find out he was running vials as well. I had a hard time keeping up, since I didn't have a vial opening hand, and he started pumping out creatures. Thank god I decided to stick Chain Reaction in my sideboard. Swept the board and didn't look back.
Match 2 was full of back and forth creature bashing, trying to get through each others creature walls. Loyalist Really pulled his weight in these games because the guys deck pumped out a lot of elf tokens. I only got him once in these three games, and it was the only time I won during this match.
I think every mill deck should have Jace Beleren in it, as he keeps cards going into your hand, he gets huge fast, and he takes cards off of your opponents library. At only around $8 a piece, he'll help the deck out more than most other cards would.
I agree with whoever said they would stick ghost quarter in over splashing white for Path. No need to muck up your land base with another color, it just adds inconsistency and more money into the equation.
Don't use Traumatize.
Ever.
Unless you can play it first or second turn(which I sure haven't found an easy way to do yet), it's pointless to mill 15 cards on 5th turn. Haunting Echoes is the way you want to go if you want something that'll really mess your opponents up.
Has there been mention of Surgical Extraction or Extirpate yet? Both are amazingly good at early game removal in a mill deck.
You could first turn a Smallpox with Graven Cairns and really mess up your opponent
Remind me to never take your advice again, please. Because this is one of the craziest things I've EVER heard as far as Magic is concerned.
My UB Faeries deck is worth around $1,000, and it doesn't have a Single fetch land in it. Please, please tell me that it's a "budget deck."
My UB Mill deck runs only 2 Misty Rainforest for Hedron Crab, and it's not because I only have two to use. It's because my land base is perfect without them, I just want a little extra mill power in mid-game before I slam down a Haunting Echoes.
I agree with the fact that Some decks would turn into budget decks if you dropped fetch lands from them, because they do more than just fetch a land. Deathrite Shaman in my modern land d. deck would be a perfect example. All the lands in all graveyards helped the deck lock people up on the second turn. Without fetch lands, it wouldn't have functioned as smoothly about 40% of the time. And now that DRS is banned, my poor deck doesn't function at all...
1) a turn two bird can still lead to a 3rd turn 4-drop, be it Cryptic Command, Purphoros, or Talrand.
2) being able to start setting up your board while countering your opponents turns is very helpful.
3) you can chump-block any flyer without trample
4) it costs a G. It's not like it's an expensive creature
Same with Bolts, seeing as how I'd like to create creatures with an instant rather than cast a creature and only get a couple damage out of it.
Don't forget, I haven't even figured out a sideboard yet. There's going to be some kind of board sweep, be it a Chain Reaction or something different. Didn't Wizards just spoil a blue mass creature bounce for 4CMC?
Also, what do think about using Beast Within instead of Reach through Depths?
(3)Talrand, Sky Summoner- such a beast in a counter-control deck. He makes your control cards a 2-for-1 and swings the battle in your favor too frequently to not want him on the board.
(4)Young Pyromancer-Even moreso than Talrand, Young Pyromancer is perfect for this deck
(4)Birds of Paradise- nothing wrong with a little ramp. And if it's late game, consider a bird to be a chump blocker that shocks when it enters the battlefield.
(3)Guttersnipe-this guy along with a Pyromancer and Purphoros on the board saps the life right out of everybody but you.
(4)Purphoros, God of the Forge
(3)Mana Leak- a decent counter that can be replaced
(3)Beast Within- a great removal card with potential to do some damage as well by using it on one of your 1/1 tokens
(4)Rune Snag- any better 2cmc counters to put here?
(4)Remand- not going anywhere
(3)Cryptic Command- might add a 4th...
(3)Spell Pierce- I like pierce better than Spell Snare in this deck, but I haven't tried snare out yet. It's just a gut feeling that I went with.
The land base is definitely up for altering. I just threw something together real quick so I could start play testing the deck:
(4)Steam Vents
(1)Sulfur Falls
(2)Cascade Bluffs
(4)Breeding Pool
(1)Hinterland Harbor
(2)Flooded Grove
(1)Stomping Ground
(1)Reflecting Pool
(2)Misty Rainforest
(1)Kessig Wolf Run
(1)Forest
(1)Island
(1)Mountain
EDIT: I finally got a chance to test this against American Control(RWU), and it did pretty good.
First match I swept, winning 2-0. I had every answer I needed when I needed it, and plenty of counters for deep counter battles. I made sure I played draw-go both games, only taking time to start setting up when I had two mana left to counter any incoming disruption.
Second match I won 2-1. I should have mulliganed first game, and lost because of it. Kessing, Hinterland Harbor, and flooded grove were my opening lands, which made it a rough start, and I just couldn't get ahead once I was able to fully function. My buddy had card advantage the whole game(which meant control advantage as well), and that's all he needed off the start. This was the only game that my lands screwed me, surprisingly. But I still want to solidify this land base. One in every 5 games on average is too many, and we shouldn't have to worry about of we're going to have the right mana or not.
The last two games of the second match went a lot like the first two games of the first match. Deep counter battles over things that couldn't be dealt with otherwise, pieces falling into place while disrupting, and then a couple good swings to finish off what Purphoros hadn't gotten around to.
------------------------------
Can't wait to test it against Ad Nauseum and splinter decks, along with Bogle. Although, I'm pretty sure some counters are going to have to come out, and GQ or Tec Edges are going to have to go in so I can deal with Boseiju and other lands that can turn tides if left on the board.
Most recent deck list tested:
4 Young Pyromancer
3 Birds of Paradise
3 Guttersnipe
1 Huntmaster of the Fells
1 Talrand, Sky Summoner
3 Purphoros, God of the Forge
Spells(23):
3 Lightning Bolt
3 Spell Snare
3 Izzet Charm
4 Remand
2 Simic Charm
2 Counterflux
3 Voidslime
3 Cryptic Command
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Scalding Tarn
2 Steam Vents
3 Breeding Pool
2 Yavimaya Coast
2 Sulfur Falls
1 Cascade Bluffs
3 Island
1 Forest
1 Raging Ravine
1 Kessig Wolf Run
I've also found that in most cases of spot removal, I'd rather them be a counter. So I cut the two verdicts that I run in my own deck and tossed in 2 leaks. Now, it's a force to be reckoned with. Especially when my opponent goes first and I have a Spell Snare and Remand in my opening hand.
Snapcasters were kinda fun, but only useful enough for me to want to play him when a Cryptic command was in my graveyard. Scion of Oona helps out a lot more, regardless.
Sword of Feast and Famine worked pretty well, but I've yet to decide what I want to cut in my main to add one or two.
I've been trying to tell you for a while now.
I don't run V. clique, I DO run Scion, and I do just fine in all my matchups.
I've actually been thinking of taking the Geth's Verdicts and one Go for the Throat for Boomerangs or some sort of bounce. Maybe Into the Roil?
I don't think I've seen Pendelhaven in anybody's deck list, and I'm curious as to why. I like it a lot more than Creeping Tar Pit, and doesn't slow you down a turn. I only run one, and I also refuse to run tar pits because they blow early game. Early game is where you take control so you don't have to let up, and tar pits go against that.
And why are people using Mana Leak instead of Remand, or having Spell Snare sideboarded so you can run more spot removal in main?
Hellrider has haste. That's the Biggest reason why I use it, along with it being CMC4. It's really easy for my deck to get to 4 mana on first turn, but 5+ can happen sometimes(Reforge the Soul first turn does happen). The fact that he deals damage by declaring creatures as attackers is a huge plus too. It turns your memnites and ornithopters into a little more damage each turn.
Hero of Oxid Ridge is a beast. He's also got haste, so you can swing the turn you drop him. Along with his ability to make it so creatures with power equal to or less than one not be able to block makes him very scary on the first couple turns of the game if you get him in your hand.
There also back-to-back(1st and 2nd turn) CMC 4 drop capabilities because of Reforge the Soul. Plus, you spend your hand in the first two turns, and miracling one on 3rd turn to keep threats going at them is too good to pass up.
Basically, I tried to make a Red Deck Wins kind of deck, except with creatures that have the potential to stick around rather than being sacked at EoT(I.E. Ball Lightning).
What would be good to take out for Blood Moon? Because I really do like the idea of maining it in this deck.
Could be fun, and add some mean creature search as well.
I made a mill deck back when Eldrazi-New Phyrexia was standard. It was a lot of fun, and there wasn't a standard deck I played that could beat it consistently.
I've been fine-tuning it for modern ever since it rotated out of standard, and this is how it's breaking down so far:
Hedron Crab- why wouldn't you use these crazy little crabs? They can be Nasty with the right land base.
Tome Scour- Tome Scour is one of the best early game mill cards in modern. It's all about making cards fall from their library to their graveyard, and this sorcery packs a nice punch for a U.
Haunting Echoes- this is your "I bet you'll scoop" card. It sucks up the scraps that Surgical Extraction and Extirpate don't deem an immediate threat, and seriously changes your opponents morale for the rest of the game.
That's it for the slow stuff, now let's dive into the pimpness.
Glimpse the Unthinkable- C'mon. It's not a mill deck if you don't run this.
Remand- Enough said.
Cryptic Command- quasi-Time Walk, anybody.
Mana Leak- Open to being replaced with either bounce or another counter.
Surgical Extraction- This card was a Blast when I had Chancellor of the Spires mained along with Archive Trap. Sometimes, I'd open with Chancellor(and use Extraction here if I see a 1 or 2 drop I hate), drop Archive Trap in response to them using their sac land, and then extract. All on first turn. AND it was all standard at the time. Good times
Extirpate- to get rid of those mill nuisances like Emrakul or something that could lock you down.
Archive Trap- A lot of people use sac lands. They also use search such as Birthing Pod and Steelshaper's Gift, amongst other things. Why not capitalize on that?
Planeswalkers
Jace Beleren- I wish he could be Jace, the Mind Sculpter, but he can't be. So that's that, and this 3CMC drop works good enough to put in this deck. He keeps you drawing cards, he keeps cards falling off your opponents library(sure they go to hand which isn't as good), and he's a great distraction to keep you alive a little longer.
Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver- "Why use Ashiok, he doesn't really help." He helps a lot more than people expect. He generates creatures for defense or to plow face and win with your opponents Tarmogoyf. Plus, he's another life bumper that people get worried about.
4 Tome Scour
4 Glimpse the Unthinkable
4 Remand
4 Cryptic Command
3 Mana Leak
3 Surgical Extraction
3 Extirpate
3 Archive Trap
2 Haunting Echoes
3 Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
Land(20):
4 Sunken Ruins
4 Drowned Catacomb
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
2 mikokoro, Center of the Sea
2 Watery Grave
2 Island
2 Swamp
3 Chancellor of the Spires
4 Boomerang
4 Dictate of Kruphix
4 Howling Mine