I'm looking to start playing modern for the first time. I play a lot of legacy, commander, and pauper. I decided to enter modern as the player base is larger than legacy, and gives me more access to games at my local store.
In terms of decks I like to play, I love Legacy Death and Taxes. It is my all time favorite deck. I love white, and I love resilient strategies. I'm not a fan of most combo, blue control, or any glass cannon strategies. As evidence by my love for D&T, I like to play with a solid game plan of grinding my way to victory. In pauper, I play WW Soul Sisters.
White is obviously my favorite color, but Mardu would be my favorite color combination. As long as I'm not playing blue, and am playing white, I'm happy.
In terms of the cards I already have, that isn't an issue, as I intend to proxy what I need and work my way up. As for the level of play, I would like to be as competitive as possible. My store has a vast array of decks, most of which reside in the top tier.
If you guys could just toss some ideas my way, I will do my research and find what suits me best. Thanks!
I didn't even think to connect the fact that Conspiracy 2 is coming out with the premise of making an Advisor tribal deck. I think advisor tribal is a lock once Conspiracy 2 drops. I also didn't realize Karona was an avatar, that is another I will seriously consider. Wurm tribal seems like good fun too. The only GW deck I have is a hyper competitve Selvala list, so this would be a great way to explore the big splashy stuff this color combo offers. Ulka's Shaman list looks great as well.
I'm gonna have to build all of these haha. These are all great suggestions. Thanks.
Evening fellas, I intend to make my next EDH project a tribal deck. However I don't want to do something overdone and tired. No, I'm looking for something unique that can still stand at a casual table.
Some tribes I was considering in order:
Advisor (Voting/Politics theme?)
Shaman (Maybe Sek'Kuar)
Avatar (No clue)
See what I'm getting at here? I want to try a tribal theme that is different from what has been done. I'm not worried about being hyper competitive, I have decks specifically for that. This one is about having fun, though I can't decide on what tribe to pick; and I am most certainly missing some pretty crazy tribes. I'd love to hear your suggestions for tribes and maybe strategies/theme for those tribes.
Awesome deck. Mardu is my favorite color combination, and Alesha my favorite commander. It is a shame, because I could never get a consistent list under her; however yours seems to be tuned to near perfection.
If you don't mind taking the time, I'm curious; what kind of changes would you make so the deck could better handle larger creature based strategies? I know big creatures hardly exist in cEDH, however my meta has not yet evolved to the stage of Doomsday Zur and other top tier cEDH decks, but they are almost there. So for now, I'd love to build the deck, but tune the power down just a bit and make it viable against creature based strategies. Once the meta has grown I'll have the shell I need to fight those pesky combo decks.
It is definitely possible. There is already a Mono Green ramp deck out there that runs Aurochs Herd and a whole bunch of ramp. There is also Mono Green tokens deck that runs cards like Might of the Masses and Scion of the Wild. You could create a marriage of the two decks, using ramp to play your elemental, and enchant him with cards like Fists of Ironwood, etc. Then support it with cards like Scion and Might. I like the brew potential here, if I had more time, I might draw up a list.
I think one thing to keep in mind would be Spidersilk Armor either in the mainboard or sideboard as removal protection from Shrivel and Electrickery.
I would love to see what kind of list you might come up with.
I'm not much of a Modern player and I don't play Pauper so these bans don't directly affect me, but I really don't like the anti-combo stance WotC are taking in recent years - they're killing off a popular and long-established part of the game.
As someone who has played Pauper almost exclusively for the last 4 years or so this is definitely the impression I'm getting. First they banned every card that could possibly make Storm combo a viable strategy, then Infect, and now Esper Familiars/High Tide (the latter for the paper Pauper players). Every time a combo deck consistent enough to become competitively viable enters the format they ban a core card essential to make the deck work.
I'm pretty disappointed in Wizards for basically saying "Pauper must be an aggro and control only format. No combo will be allowed." I haven't played Modern myself, but the last few years of bannings certainly make it look like they're trying to remove combo from that format as well. Thank goodness for Legacy... Oh wait, Legacy costs a small fortune to play and Wizards has all but completely stopped supporting it. =P
When storm was a deck in Pauper, it warped much of the format around it. Without counterspells, you were racing a clock. That forced people to play blue, and this isn't like Legacy where you can splash a color easily. Pauper has basic lands and tap lands, every color you add only slows your deck. Storm definitely needed to be banned.
As for the Cloud of Faeries ban, blue delver decks that ran CoF and Esper Familiars made up 50% of the meta at one time. That is absolutely ridiculous for two decks to dominate a format with many archetypes to choose from. Esper Familiars had nearly no bad matchup. WotC isn't banning combo, they're banning a deck that had the answer to every problem. At WORST Esper Familiars would have matchups against decks where they only won 50% of the time.
Delver needed to be knocked down a little as well. As the explanation said, nine of the top ten played cards in Pauper are blue. Mono blue delver in Pauper has cards banned in Modern: Ponder, Preordain. Blue is very powerful in pauper, and this helps other colors take a foothold. Overall, this CoF ban is healthy for the format.
Obviously you have some sort of bias towards combo. If combo is what you want to play so badly, they are plenty of combo decks. Midnight Guard + Presence of Gond. (The Splinter Twin of pauper ironically) You can also pull this combo on turn 4.
There are plenty of combos to work with. The only difference is that these can be disrupted. Esper Familiars was nearly impossible to disrupt when had infinite mana, to give them infinite card draw, to let them counter anything you have, or kill you with the combo.
(There is probably only like 2 people who care about this)
I have never played pauper, but on the times I have thought about it Cloud of Faeries was the first card I thought about brewing with based on my love of faeries (being the first tribe I ever played), my love of blue and it being a free spell. This makes me less likely to play Pauper in the future, but it was cool to learn about how it was abused.
Also, isn't it January 15th? This article states January 18th as the announcement date.
Both Delver and Esper Familiars utilized Cloud of Faeries, and there were times when these decks comprised of 50% of the meta together. Not all of the Pauper community was convinced that the Cloud was worth banning, but the numbers were there. I am certainly biased, as I've never liked blue as a color.
I know this is the paper forum, but the MTGO pauper forum has less activity than this one, and nearly all Paper pauper playgroups use the MTGO ban list.
So I took burn to my local shop for the very small (6-8 people) pauper tournament. I ran four Goblin Fireslinger in place of 1 Needle Drop and the three Shard Volleys I was running.
The deck performed well and I pulled second if it wasn't for the Soul Sisters life gain deck. (Unfortunately Electrickery can't reset all the life gained from the Soul Sisters )
Anyways, I am really beginning to see the value of Goblin Fireslingers, at least in my meta. To start, they were nice pressure whenever I entered top-deck mode. Often if I used up my hand, and still didn't have the kill, the Goblin Fireslinger could continue to do damage no matter how many creatures they had. However, that isn't the real reason I like the fireslinger in burn.
I think I discovered the real reason Goblin Fireslinger has seen a surge in use, Gurmag Angler. I didn't realize it until I played both a Turbo Exhume deck and a Angler Delver deck; Gurmag Angler doesn't have trample, and your Goblin Fireslinger suddenly stonewalls 5 damage, essentially buying you a whole turn to draw the kill. This happened twice. My hand was empty, Pristine Talisman had my opponent just out of reach, he plays an angler, I go to my turn, draw a land and pass the turn, and he swings for what should be lethal. But I had my Fireslinger, I chumped, drew a bolt, and won the game.
So the fireslinger seems to be a strict meta call. Save for a select few people, my meta is full of decks like Kiln Fiend, Angler, Exalted, etc. All these decks that want to get in big swings with single creatures. Goblin Fireslinger offers another block option along side Keldon Marauders, one that proved to be extremely effective for me. Thinking about it now, it makes a lot of sense. Angler decks are getting more popular, and the Fireslinger gives burn a card that can burn as well as block a big swing. Hope that sheds some light on the recent Goblin Fireslinger trend.
I don't play Goblins, but do you think Goblin Freerunner will get any spots in Goblins? Obviously he would only get played for his surge cost, but Goblins has no issues playing more than one spell a turn, and a 3/2 Menace for 1R seems really good. Maybe a two of in Goblins?
I'm trying to pull something positive out of the commons so far.
At the same time, I've been seeing lists that are completely removing all creatures and going for strict burn.
What are your opinions on this? I don't think I would want to get rid of my Keldon Marauders. As for the Goblin Fireslinger, it seems like a way to run 8 copies of Curse of the Pierced Heart. Goblin Fireslinger wasn't recently downgraded to common; so it makes me wonder why it is suddenly seeing a surge in a play.
If I was to run 4 Goblin Fireslinger I'd probably remove either Flame Rifts or Shard Volley. What do you fellas think? I am interested in giving these slingers a try in my burn deck.
I have a question that has been perplexing me. I notice that nearly every MBC list runs Oubliette. Why not Murder? What am I missing?
With decks running Oubliette, that opens up opposing decks to destroy the enchantment with removal. Murder is instant speed, costs the same, and the creature can't be brought back with enchantment removal. I have to be missing something obvious here.
In terms of decks I like to play, I love Legacy Death and Taxes. It is my all time favorite deck. I love white, and I love resilient strategies. I'm not a fan of most combo, blue control, or any glass cannon strategies. As evidence by my love for D&T, I like to play with a solid game plan of grinding my way to victory. In pauper, I play WW Soul Sisters.
White is obviously my favorite color, but Mardu would be my favorite color combination. As long as I'm not playing blue, and am playing white, I'm happy.
In terms of the cards I already have, that isn't an issue, as I intend to proxy what I need and work my way up. As for the level of play, I would like to be as competitive as possible. My store has a vast array of decks, most of which reside in the top tier.
If you guys could just toss some ideas my way, I will do my research and find what suits me best. Thanks!
I'm gonna have to build all of these haha. These are all great suggestions. Thanks.
Some tribes I was considering in order:
Advisor (Voting/Politics theme?)
Shaman (Maybe Sek'Kuar)
Avatar (No clue)
See what I'm getting at here? I want to try a tribal theme that is different from what has been done. I'm not worried about being hyper competitive, I have decks specifically for that. This one is about having fun, though I can't decide on what tribe to pick; and I am most certainly missing some pretty crazy tribes. I'd love to hear your suggestions for tribes and maybe strategies/theme for those tribes.
Thanks!
If you don't mind taking the time, I'm curious; what kind of changes would you make so the deck could better handle larger creature based strategies? I know big creatures hardly exist in cEDH, however my meta has not yet evolved to the stage of Doomsday Zur and other top tier cEDH decks, but they are almost there. So for now, I'd love to build the deck, but tune the power down just a bit and make it viable against creature based strategies. Once the meta has grown I'll have the shell I need to fight those pesky combo decks.
Thanks!
I think one thing to keep in mind would be Spidersilk Armor either in the mainboard or sideboard as removal protection from Shrivel and Electrickery.
I would love to see what kind of list you might come up with.
When storm was a deck in Pauper, it warped much of the format around it. Without counterspells, you were racing a clock. That forced people to play blue, and this isn't like Legacy where you can splash a color easily. Pauper has basic lands and tap lands, every color you add only slows your deck. Storm definitely needed to be banned.
As for the Cloud of Faeries ban, blue delver decks that ran CoF and Esper Familiars made up 50% of the meta at one time. That is absolutely ridiculous for two decks to dominate a format with many archetypes to choose from. Esper Familiars had nearly no bad matchup. WotC isn't banning combo, they're banning a deck that had the answer to every problem. At WORST Esper Familiars would have matchups against decks where they only won 50% of the time.
Delver needed to be knocked down a little as well. As the explanation said, nine of the top ten played cards in Pauper are blue. Mono blue delver in Pauper has cards banned in Modern: Ponder, Preordain. Blue is very powerful in pauper, and this helps other colors take a foothold. Overall, this CoF ban is healthy for the format.
Obviously you have some sort of bias towards combo. If combo is what you want to play so badly, they are plenty of combo decks. Midnight Guard + Presence of Gond. (The Splinter Twin of pauper ironically) You can also pull this combo on turn 4.
Freed from the Real + Axebane Guardian + Another defender.
Ivy Lane Denizen + Safehold Elite (Or any Green Persist creature) + Carrion Feeder (Or any other sac outlet)
There are plenty of combos to work with. The only difference is that these can be disrupted. Esper Familiars was nearly impossible to disrupt when had infinite mana, to give them infinite card draw, to let them counter anything you have, or kill you with the combo.
Edit: Thinking about it, I realized I missed a pretty big combo deck in 1-Land Spy. Balustrade Spy + Deck with only one land(And cards like Gitaxian Probe, Manamorphose, Simian Spirit Guide, etc.) + Songs of the Damned/Haunting Misery. There are plenty of combos out there for you to play
Both Delver and Esper Familiars utilized Cloud of Faeries, and there were times when these decks comprised of 50% of the meta together. Not all of the Pauper community was convinced that the Cloud was worth banning, but the numbers were there. I am certainly biased, as I've never liked blue as a color.
Cloud of Faeries is gone! As a despiser of all things blue, I am happy to see this.
Does Esper Familiars completely fizzle? They still have ways to combo.
How about Delver lists that run Cloud? Do they still run Spellstutter Sprite? Will Faerie Miscreant take Cloud of Faeries place?
I know this is the paper forum, but the MTGO pauper forum has less activity than this one, and nearly all Paper pauper playgroups use the MTGO ban list.
Discuss.
(There is probably only like 2 people who care about this)
The deck performed well and I pulled second if it wasn't for the Soul Sisters life gain deck. (Unfortunately Electrickery can't reset all the life gained from the Soul Sisters
Anyways, I am really beginning to see the value of Goblin Fireslingers, at least in my meta. To start, they were nice pressure whenever I entered top-deck mode. Often if I used up my hand, and still didn't have the kill, the Goblin Fireslinger could continue to do damage no matter how many creatures they had. However, that isn't the real reason I like the fireslinger in burn.
I think I discovered the real reason Goblin Fireslinger has seen a surge in use, Gurmag Angler. I didn't realize it until I played both a Turbo Exhume deck and a Angler Delver deck; Gurmag Angler doesn't have trample, and your Goblin Fireslinger suddenly stonewalls 5 damage, essentially buying you a whole turn to draw the kill. This happened twice. My hand was empty, Pristine Talisman had my opponent just out of reach, he plays an angler, I go to my turn, draw a land and pass the turn, and he swings for what should be lethal. But I had my Fireslinger, I chumped, drew a bolt, and won the game.
So the fireslinger seems to be a strict meta call. Save for a select few people, my meta is full of decks like Kiln Fiend, Angler, Exalted, etc. All these decks that want to get in big swings with single creatures. Goblin Fireslinger offers another block option along side Keldon Marauders, one that proved to be extremely effective for me. Thinking about it now, it makes a lot of sense. Angler decks are getting more popular, and the Fireslinger gives burn a card that can burn as well as block a big swing. Hope that sheds some light on the recent Goblin Fireslinger trend.
I'm trying to pull something positive out of the commons so far.
I noticed a lot of lists are starting to run 4 of Goblin Fireslingers in the mainboard in addition to the 4 Keldon Marauders.
At the same time, I've been seeing lists that are completely removing all creatures and going for strict burn.
What are your opinions on this? I don't think I would want to get rid of my Keldon Marauders. As for the Goblin Fireslinger, it seems like a way to run 8 copies of Curse of the Pierced Heart. Goblin Fireslinger wasn't recently downgraded to common; so it makes me wonder why it is suddenly seeing a surge in a play.
If I was to run 4 Goblin Fireslinger I'd probably remove either Flame Rifts or Shard Volley. What do you fellas think? I am interested in giving these slingers a try in my burn deck.
With decks running Oubliette, that opens up opposing decks to destroy the enchantment with removal. Murder is instant speed, costs the same, and the creature can't be brought back with enchantment removal. I have to be missing something obvious here.