Help me trim down my Bruna, Light of Alabaster deck!
Currently planning to run 36 lands and 63 spells, which requires ~9 or 10 cuts. About 50% of my games are 1v1. I play against Zegana, Meren, Sheoldred, mono-W Avacyn, Doran, and Superfriends fairly often.
I do not currently plan on acquiring any cards not on this list, with the possible exception of Door of Destinies.
This is great fun. Bonkers with O-Naginata, to say nothing of Runechanter's Pike. I've gone back and forth over Sunforger, but the repeated cost is hard to make optimal use of. Command Beacon gives even more help to voltron as a strategy.
My Shu Yun list is decidedly more midrange and less spellslinger, so some of these creatures will be unnecessary for you, but I run these 14. Both the creature and planeswalker version of Narset are strong and on-flavor for monks. A swarm-type monk deck seems more vulnerable to sweepers/wrath than one built around Shu Yun as a general. Multiple monks and/or prowess triggers can turn a game very quickly, but your opponents will be 'prepared' for it in the next game in the event that you play again. As to whether speed or resilience is "better," only experience will tell.
Reality Spasm and Echo Mage in a deck with any of many other combo targets. In a 'void' allows unlimited tapping and untapping of ANY permanents. Use the permanents of your choosing for tutoring, drawing, counter spells, etc. Fun with Tamiyo's emblem or Elixir of Immortality; many possibilities. I believe this interaction was possible in Standard during the first Zendikar block.
In EDH, even in an Avacyn, Angel of Hope deck where she's been bounced, etc., I still find myself preferring Fated Retribution, Angel of the Dire Hour, or even Rout for 7. An empty field is better in many cases than 8 power with Vigilance, without Flying or any other protection/evasion. That said, it will be fun to resolve and to play on a trial basis. A member of my playgroup who prefers Sheoldred almost always alpha-strikes. Ideally I'd hold this up with 1 left for Relic of Progenitus, but we're getting into wish-land now... In Standard, the opportunity cost seems exceedingly steep. Where's Celestial Colonnade when you need it, lol!?
Here's my Modern deck for this summer:
Really looking for constructive sideboard help from players with more experience, most of all on best in-s and out-s vs *Abzan(Wilt version vs Goyf/Lili version...), *UR Twin, *R/w Burn, *Affinity, *Infect, *GR Tron, *GWb Collected Company...
I can use Aven Mindcensor, Runed Halo, or Ghostway if they really(!) end if for 1+ major opposing archetypes. Torpor Orb and Suppression Field aren't out of the question either.
BTW, Merfolk seems to be the toughest to win pre- and post-board.
Objective - stay in the game long enough to overrun with flying creatures, or enable quick hits with Sublime+ Student of Warfare, Thalia, or Plague Myr.
Nykthos can sometimes help with casting WW, but I found it not to increase my performance notably. It is nice to charge up a Student suddenly or cast two angels as once, but that's a win-more situation rather than going from stalemate to victory. On the chance of facing hatebears/LD, the extra basic land is the better value IMO.
The sideboard includes three of Nature's Claim for fast artifact/enchantment removal.
Graveyard shenanigans of every kind are handicapped by Rest in Peace , while there are four self-hexproofing effects in the side for limiting edicts, milling, and Jace's ultimate (Miracles games can go quite long...) Dawn Charm and Pollen Lullaby slow down aggro and sweeps, while providing a situational counterspell and scry effect, respectively. Obviously the Enchantresses are there to provide card advantage in the form of drawing cards. Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre can be an alternate finisher, anti-mill condition, and with Karakas deals with the majority of permanents, not to mention it can remove my own Ensnaring Bridge. Exploration and Crop Rotation can get the multiple-for one lands into play faster, or dig up Karakas/Tabernacle when needed. Heliod, God of the Sun provides another source of tokens and is a bit harder to remove than other creatures. Against aggro, he gives my angels Vigilance - though it's probably almost never relevant, lol. Stony Silence in the sideboard deals with Equipment and other frustrating artifacts like Sensei's Divining Top. Pithing Needle can handle nonartifact activations like Sneak Attack, Planeswalkers, and lands. (and artifacts if necessary). Last but not least, Mirri's Guile allows a potentially faster route to success.
Big problems for the deck include Artifact/Enchantment sweeps, Council's Judgment, Spirit of the Labyrinth, and Notion Thief. Suppression Field can be very painful to play against. I'm a casual/modern player for the most part, and rarely play Legacy, so any input would be welcome. I'm sure there are plenty of gems I don't know about. What do you think about main or sideboarding a couple of Abeyance? Would it be worth it? What would come out for them? Terra Eternal shows promise, too, but doesn't stop spells. Swords to Plowshares and Defense Grid present some tough trade-offs.
What are your thoughts on playing this casually? competitively? Online may be withing the realm of affordability at ~300 tickets...
It has a lot of tools, so harder to play around, if not as consistent with Thoughtseize and Blight . After reading this thread though, I think it might not have enough life stability / blockers. Resolute is just too out of reach / high opportunity cost to rely on... Not sure if any lands can go for citadels to combo with Nissa.
Well Carfentanil, I think we definitely have a lot to talk about. If I may, I'd like to discuss specific cards in your deck and hope you respond to my critiques in kind. I genuinely want to know why you've made some of your card choices:
-Nissa, Worldwaker: I don't think she belongs in this kind of deck. You're not running any Darksteel Citadels, so you risk having one of your lands dying to removal/exiled/getting nuked. And you're only running 4 Forests, which makes her first ability EXTREMELY hard to be relevant most of the time. Another removal spell could fill her slot.
-The Chain Veil: No, no, no! Burn this card! Send it down to the depths of the ocean never to be found! Joking, but seriously, this card, at least in the current meta, is bad. It takes eight, count it, 8 mana to even get this thing going. And its the definition of a "do nothing" card if you don't have any planeswalkers on the battlefield. You could be doing so much more with 8 mana, like casting any of your other planeswalkers in the deck, especially Ajani Steadfast, who does the same exact thing functionally as The Chain Veil, only he adds counters on you creatures as well, and doesn't require you to spend each time to do it. Personally, I'm hoping there will be another card(s) in the next set that either lessens the activation cost of the artifact, or provides us a cheap way to cheat it onto the battlefield. Only then will this card be standard playable.
-Courser of Kruphix: This card is a mainboard card and should be a 4 of in ANY deck that has Green in it. Aside from Thoughtseize, it is THE SECOND BEST card in standard. It provides incremental lifegain. It has a big butt (4 toughness), which makes it an excellent blocker. But MOST importantly, it provides INSANE card advantage, netting you 2-3 cards a turn. Main this now!
-Thoughtseize: As with Courser, you need to mainboard a full set of these. It's the best card in standard. Period. Why? Becuase it can disrupt ENTIRE deck strategies and hates out early game plays that might benefit your opponents wincons.
-Read the Bones: An interesting card choice. You're not running any Temples in your deck, so I can see why its scry effect could be beneficial. But if you ran 4 Coursers and maybe a full set of at least 4 Temples, you really won't need the scry. Plus you have to remember, this deck already asks for A LOT of life to be paid, either by tapping mana (Mana Confluence, Caves of Koilos) or card effects like Thoughtseize and Abzan Charm. Life is very precious to us, at least in the first 4 or 5 turns.
-Despise: Mainboard or Sideboard. It's a personal choice with this card. But you need 4 of these in this deck. The current Standard Format Meta has been shifting more towards creature heavy and midrange deck strats for the past couple of years, with many useful spells being tacked onto creatures. Mark my words, Aggro decks this coming season will be running rampant in the form of Mardu Aggro, Mono Black Aggro, White/Black Aggro, and Rabble Red. So will Midrange decks with good creature interactions that build up to huge threats fast. Think of Despise as Thoughtseize, only that it targets creatures and planeswalkers only, but doesn't require you to pay life for it's effect.
-Fleecemane Lion: I don't quite understand what function he serves here. You'll have to tell me why you included him in the deck.
-Oppressive Rays: Another interesting choice. I could see it maybe doing work on some fattie, or some other creature that has some relevant activated ability. But remember, it won't hit cards like Stormbreath Dragon. Hero's Downfall will, which reminds me...
I think with Nissa the mistake is the classic case of irrationally high appeal for a card 'because I own one or have a friend that does' and therefore making an inferior choice. Veil + Nissa does cool things in EDH / Casual, but yes, I now agree it's slow for standard, especially in multicolor. (If only we had Shocklands...)
Fleecemane can dodge both control and removal. T2 3/3 is a decent size. More Hero's Downfall is probably the better option though. Having answers is usually more efficient than having threats. Unless the threat, like Elspeth, can win by itself.
Thanks for pointing out the weakness to Stormbreath. That was mostly overlooked on my part - I wasn't as thorough as I should have been building this list.
Rays can slow down an early rush, or make an opponent choose between maintaining midgame pressure vs. playing other spells. Best vs fast aggro, IMHO.
I'm undecided on Drown in Sorrow - proabably going to be a metagame call when it comes to toughness, and not useful vs. other control players. Really tears up Mardu, though.
I've broadened the land base while trying to keep taplands low in number / balancing them with pains.
Fleecemane really does have to be playtested quite a bit to get an idea of its dependability - it doesn't work everywhere.
It has a lot of tools, so harder to play around, if not as consistent with Thoughtseize and Blight . After reading this thread though, I think it might not have enough life stability / blockers. Resolute is just too out of reach / high opportunity cost to rely on... Not sure if any lands can go for citadels to combo with Nissa.
Edit: Sorry, overlooked that you were excluding Wall of Omens, though Wisp could still be relevant. In that case, I second the prison-style recommendations from BobbertZhubert. Maybe 2-of Sphere of Safety?
Currently planning to run 36 lands and 63 spells, which requires ~9 or 10 cuts. About 50% of my games are 1v1. I play against Zegana, Meren, Sheoldred, mono-W Avacyn, Doran, and Superfriends fairly often.
I do not currently plan on acquiring any cards not on this list, with the possible exception of Door of Destinies.
Current list: 73 nonland cards
1 Brainstorm
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Ethereal Armor
1 Mizzium Skin
1 O-Naginata
1 Path to Exile
1 Skullclamp
1 Sol Ring
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Azorius Signet
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Delay
1 Hindering Light
1 Kor Spiritdancer
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Spirit Mantle
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Umazawa's Jitte
1 Aura of Silence
1 Azorius Cluestone
1 Bastion Protector
1 Chromatic Lantern
1 Coalition Relic
1 Commander's Sphere
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Council's Judgment
1 Detention Sphere
1 Exclude
1 Grasp of Fate
1 Karmic Justice
1 Oblation
1 Shielded By Faith
1 Sphinx's Revelation
1 Steel of the Godhead
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of Vengeance
1 Angelic Field Marshal
1 Auramancer's Guise
1 Dismiss
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
1 Sage's Reverie
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Wall of Reverence
1 Archangel of Thune
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Corrupted Conscience
1 Dictate of Heliod
1 Gilded Lotus
1 Mystic Confluence
1 Righteous Authority
1 Sphere of Safety
1 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
1 Tezzeret, the Seeker
1 Adarkar Valkyrie
1 Medomai the Ageless
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Sun Titan
1 Teferi, Temporal Archmage
1 Terminus
1 True Conviction
1 Twilight Shepherd
1 Walk the Aeons
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Angel of Serenity
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Avacyn, Angel of Hope
1 Eldrazi Conscription
Which 63 would you include (cut 10)?
Just for comparison, these are my top 'almost there' cards:
1 Angelic Purge
1 Fate Forgotten
1 Aetherize
1 Argentum Armor
Combat Advantage:
1 Archetype of Courage
1 Magus of the Moat
1 Make a Stand
1 Urza's Incubator
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
1 Silent Sentinel
Graveyard Hate:
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Learn from the Past
1 Jace's Archivist
1 Narset Transcendent
1 Staff of Nin
Combo:
1 Guilty Conscience
1 Stuffy Doll
1 Keening Stone
1 Bruna, Light of Alabaster
EDIT: Despite all the expensive cards available, the most dangerous one tends to be Madcap Skills
Really looking for constructive sideboard help from players with more experience, most of all on best in-s and out-s vs *Abzan(Wilt version vs Goyf/Lili version...), *UR Twin, *R/w Burn, *Affinity, *Infect, *GR Tron, *GWb Collected Company...
I can use Aven Mindcensor, Runed Halo, or Ghostway if they really(!) end if for 1+ major opposing archetypes. Torpor Orb and Suppression Field aren't out of the question either.
BTW, Merfolk seems to be the toughest to win pre- and post-board.
Objective - stay in the game long enough to overrun with flying creatures, or enable quick hits with Sublime+ Student of Warfare, Thalia, or Plague Myr.
Nykthos can sometimes help with casting WW, but I found it not to increase my performance notably. It is nice to charge up a Student suddenly or cast two angels as once, but that's a win-more situation rather than going from stalemate to victory. On the chance of facing hatebears/LD, the extra basic land is the better value IMO.
2 Student of Warfare
4 Plague Myr
1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Wall of Omens
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
2 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Restoration Angel
3 Sublime Archangel
2 Voice of All
3 Wall of Reverence
4 Archangel of Thune
4 Baneslayer Angel
4 Gods Willing
3 Path to Exile
Lands
1 Eiganjo Castle
1 Ghost Quarter
15 Plains
4 Seraph Sanctuary
1 Tectonic Edge
2 Disenchant
2 Kataki, War's Wage
3 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Pithing Needle
2 Rest In Peace
2 Spellskite
2 Stony Silence
playing Celestial Purge is appealing due to the strength and prevalence of Splinter Twin, but it seems a narrower answer than the cards above.
Playtesting has this deck at around 40-50% vs tier 1.
thinking of other cards I could sideboard... first choices are...
Auriok Champion - should one of these(if playing two) be Kor Firewalker? I've been seeing many fewer Dismember and Slaughter Pact lately but Tasigur seems to be on the rise.
Fracturing Gust
Erase or Patrician's Scorn
Timely Reinforcements
Ethersworn Canonist
Rule of Law
Burrenton Forge-Tender, Mark of Asylum, and the Cirles of Protection seem to me not to be broad enough...
any advice and input will be appreciated... thanks!
4 Argothian Enchantress
3 Mesa Enchantress
3 Peacekeeper
1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
Lands
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Karakas
2 Krosan Verge
1 Plains
3 Razorverge Thicket
4 Savannah
3 Serra's Sanctum
2 Sunpetal Grove
4 Temple Garden
2 Temple of Plenty
2 Exploration
3 Ghostly Prison
1 Greater Auramancy
1 Heliod, God of the Sun
2 Luminarch Ascension
1 Mirri's Guile
2 Privileged Position
2 Rest in Peace
2 Sphere of Safety
1 Sterling Grove
2 Story Circle
Nonenchantment Spells
1 Crop Rotation
2 Dawn Charm
1 Ensnaring Bridge
3 Pollen Lullaby
2 Aegis of the Gods
2 Leyline of Sanctity
1 Mirri's Guile
3 Nature's Claim
2 Pithing Needle
1 Rest In Peace
3 Stony Silence
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
The objective of this deck in to lock/stall into an activated Luminarch Ascension and beat down the opponent with an army of Angels. Ensnaring Bridge , Ghostly Prison and Peacekeeper maintain a degree of a soft-lock and Sphere of Safety can make it airtight. Piling on the penalties against creature-heavy opponents is a sideboarded The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale. Story Circle doesn't stop burn and aggro cold, but does a great job slowing them down. Stifle is an issue, though. The permanent-based control conditions in this deck are guarded by Sterling Grove , Greater Auramancy , and Privileged Position.
The sideboard includes three of Nature's Claim for fast artifact/enchantment removal.
Graveyard shenanigans of every kind are handicapped by Rest in Peace , while there are four self-hexproofing effects in the side for limiting edicts, milling, and Jace's ultimate (Miracles games can go quite long...) Dawn Charm and Pollen Lullaby slow down aggro and sweeps, while providing a situational counterspell and scry effect, respectively. Obviously the Enchantresses are there to provide card advantage in the form of drawing cards. Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre can be an alternate finisher, anti-mill condition, and with Karakas deals with the majority of permanents, not to mention it can remove my own Ensnaring Bridge. Exploration and Crop Rotation can get the multiple-for one lands into play faster, or dig up Karakas/Tabernacle when needed. Heliod, God of the Sun provides another source of tokens and is a bit harder to remove than other creatures. Against aggro, he gives my angels Vigilance - though it's probably almost never relevant, lol. Stony Silence in the sideboard deals with Equipment and other frustrating artifacts like Sensei's Divining Top. Pithing Needle can handle nonartifact activations like Sneak Attack, Planeswalkers, and lands. (and artifacts if necessary). Last but not least, Mirri's Guile allows a potentially faster route to success.
Big problems for the deck include Artifact/Enchantment sweeps, Council's Judgment, Spirit of the Labyrinth, and Notion Thief. Suppression Field can be very painful to play against. I'm a casual/modern player for the most part, and rarely play Legacy, so any input would be welcome. I'm sure there are plenty of gems I don't know about. What do you think about main or sideboarding a couple of Abeyance? Would it be worth it? What would come out for them? Terra Eternal shows promise, too, but doesn't stop spells. Swords to Plowshares and Defense Grid present some tough trade-offs.
What are your thoughts on playing this casually? competitively? Online may be withing the realm of affordability at ~300 tickets...
I think with Nissa the mistake is the classic case of irrationally high appeal for a card 'because I own one or have a friend that does' and therefore making an inferior choice. Veil + Nissa does cool things in EDH / Casual, but yes, I now agree it's slow for standard, especially in multicolor. (If only we had Shocklands...)
Fleecemane can dodge both control and removal. T2 3/3 is a decent size. More Hero's Downfall is probably the better option though. Having answers is usually more efficient than having threats. Unless the threat, like Elspeth, can win by itself.
Thanks for pointing out the weakness to Stormbreath. That was mostly overlooked on my part - I wasn't as thorough as I should have been building this list.
Rays can slow down an early rush, or make an opponent choose between maintaining midgame pressure vs. playing other spells. Best vs fast aggro, IMHO.
I'm undecided on Drown in Sorrow - proabably going to be a metagame call when it comes to toughness, and not useful vs. other control players. Really tears up Mardu, though.
I've broadened the land base while trying to keep taplands low in number / balancing them with pains.
Fleecemane really does have to be playtested quite a bit to get an idea of its dependability - it doesn't work everywhere.
New List:
2 Ajani Steadfast
1 Ajani, Mentor of Heroes
1 Liliana Vess
3 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
1 Garruk, Apex Predator
--Creatures
4 Courser of Kruphix
4 Sylvan Caryatid
--Control
3 Abzan Charm
3 Banishing Light
3 End Hostilities
4 Hero's Downfall
4 Thoughtseize
3 Utter End
2 Mana Confluence
4 Windswept Heath
2 Caves of Koilos
2 Forest
1 Llanowar Wastes
2 Plains
4 Sandsteppe Citadel
2 Temple of Malady
1 Temple of Plenty
1 Temple of Silence
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
2 Swamp
4 Bile Blight
4 Despise
1 Liliana Vess
2 Oppressive Rays
3 Revoke Existence
1 Utter End
2 Ajani Steadfast
1 Nissa, Worldwalker
1 The Chain Veil
1 Ajani, Mentor of Heroes
1 Liliana Vess
3 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
1 Garruk, Apex Predator
---Creatures
4 Sylvan Caryatid
---Control
2 Thoughtseize
2 Read the Bones
3 Banishing Light
2 Hero's Downfall
2 Bile Blight
3 Abzan Charm
4 Utter End
3 End Hostilities
1 Despise
3 Mana Confluence
4 Windswept Heath
3 Caves of Koilos
4 Sandsteppe Citadel
3 Plains
4 Forest
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
3 Swamp
2 Thoughtseize
2 Bile Blight
2 Revoke Existence
3 Fleecemane Lion
2 Courser of Kruphix
2 Oppressive Rays
1 Despise
1 Liliana Vess
It has a lot of tools, so harder to play around, if not as consistent with Thoughtseize and Blight . After reading this thread though, I think it might not have enough life stability / blockers. Resolute is just too out of reach / high opportunity cost to rely on... Not sure if any lands can go for citadels to combo with Nissa.
Rhox Faithmender at 4? This does combo with Resolute Archangel, right?
Edit: Sorry, overlooked that you were excluding Wall of Omens, though Wisp could still be relevant. In that case, I second the prison-style recommendations from BobbertZhubert. Maybe 2-of Sphere of Safety?