Sideboarding for this deck is really tough to compare to the splinter twin deck for grindy match ups. Splinter twin needed to cut a lot of the combo against decks like jund or midrange which featured a plethora of ways to kill their combo creatures making it difficult to ever assemble a combo, leaving twins dead in hand which is why they often boarded into things like keranos to mitigate the bad match up. Honestly, Breach (the combo itself) has only one weakness against midrange, and that weakness is Thoughtseize. Obviously we can still get junded out by a fast draw but I'd still rather be playing breach against midrange decks (or in this meta really) right now than Splinter Twin. I find it difficult to board out the entire combo against almost everything, infact sometimes i just shave one copy of breach at most. We have ways to grind as a UR control deck, but we will often get ground out better by decks designed to do that in the first place. I would advise not boarding out your combo 99% of the time without a real good reason or unless your board is so stacked for a particular match up that you think playing out control is better, it's our main route to victory and the best draws we can assemble once we stabilize in any given match up. I actually feel favored against Jund style decks in this meta right now, especially pre sideboard.
I've been playing UR Breach for quite a few weeks at my local shop for modern events which is home to a good handful of competitive players and tiered decks. So far my record overall is 22-4-1 in matches at modern FNMs. I played last Monday with two jaces as the modern challenge decklist suggested and I agree that it felt at home. I believe two is correct as generally you only want to see one within a given game being a primarily combo oriented deck (not a primarily Jace control deck). You definitely do not want simian spirit guide in this deck. Yes, there will be hands which reward you for including mox monkey but overall you will lose big percentage points for including this card in your maindeck. With all of the combo Peices we need to run, there is no room for topdecking another potentially dead card outside of our opening hand.
Edit: I firmly believe this deck is well positioned moving forward as our wincon dodges removal and Inquisition of kozilek (which most of the mid-range decks have adopted as the four of per Reid Duke and with the slight decline in shadow decks). Breach also plays well against opposing control decks as it is an instant and playing on their EOT with breach leads to many wins when you can sandbag a second breach or remand your own after having them waste spells.
+1 for a real primer. Both Madcap and Breach have done well recently including being the third highest win percentage of archetypes in the pro tour. Deserves a real primer that's not just the old shackles moon title.
Sideboard was fairly thrown together for FNM but I went 3-1 (I normally play grixis DS) BUT this deck was extremely fun to play and reminded me of the old cruise days with how well Chart performed.
Beat:
Grixis Delver
Jeskai Flash
Infect
loss:
UB Walkers (8 three drop Lilis, 4 Ashioks, lots of removal...) Not a common deck
I really disagree with his choice to include the extra 4 sleight of hands.. I know he had a good run but on camera it seemed many of his turns were spent tapping out for cantrips and just drawing more cantrips. 12 (if you include wraith, which you should) is plenty and I don't think cutting interaction to spend that much time cantripping is the right choice. Also it opens you up to chalice so much harder
I have done a lot of google searches trying to find any material or testing done by players with an Esper shell and As Foretold. Has there been any testing amongst this thread with this card and AV, what's the consensus? I know esper draw-go doesn't want AV like grixis does but with As Foretold perhaps a new shell could be made to play it in esper?
Here's my list, been winning FNMs consistently with this version give or take a card or two difference while tweaking. Fairly confident it's the strongest version of shadow that I've played of the all the variants. Access to path and white sideboard hosers have been great and lingering souls fit the plan so well to not only keep applying pressure but also to control your life total against aggressive decks so that your big hitters rarely have to hang back on defense. Been testing Mana leak over extra Inquisitions and they feel really powerful in this shell where we often apply a faster clock than even turn 1 delvers from back in the day when leak was at it's best then.
My local meta features a lot of tiered decks and a lot of grind. Lots of bant/abzan company, affinty, burn, Tron, and the occasional jank
Been enjoying Grixis Shadow for a few weeks now and I fully understand the power of a free cantrip that draws us into our threats and also makes our shadows bigger / fuels delve. However I've been thinking about Grixis as a shell for DS and it feels like a lot of games we shock/thoughtseize and snap thoughtseize our life total fairly easily without much help and I've often drawn Street Wraiths when I no longer could afford the 2 dmg and didn't want to hard cast it, and these are often games where I'm not overly wreckless when fetching colors out.
If we were to trim or cut Street Wraiths in this shell it would slow down the deck a little bit, yes this is a drawback.
But it would allow for more slots to play interaction which could add resiliency. Is a loss in speed worth that?
We would feel a little less threat dense if Street Wraith were cut for interaction and not another threat like delvers were/are in some lists.
But we still have 8 can trips and lots of ways to grind until we draw a delve creature or a DS.
What are thoughts on this? Am I crazy? Would it only work in some metas (less tron, more grindy)?
I wasn't able to attend, but there was a Modern 1K near me and the winner had a Grixis Shadow Delver List. From what I heard the meta had Eldrazi, Scapeshift, and a bunch of other pretty tough lists. The winner's list looks very strong, I assume the MD Surgical is to fight vs Path to Exile decks. I want to try Remand in place of the Mana Leak.
Having delver and cryptic in the 75 together feels really good, 21 lands also felt fine
Nice to see some good results! I'm also inclined to play 21 lands with the Cryptic Delver build. How come you don't play any K-Command in the 75?
Definitely do, missed that when I wrote out the list. I have 2 copies in the main and would love a 3rd if I could find a spot for it. 21 lands felt fine, I didn't miss too many drops overall but I'm going to run it back again on monday. Taking down an 18 person FNM 5-0 felt good though being the first night I switched to this configuration. Typically I play something closer to the YP version pre-probe-ban.
Edit: I firmly believe this deck is well positioned moving forward as our wincon dodges removal and Inquisition of kozilek (which most of the mid-range decks have adopted as the four of per Reid Duke and with the slight decline in shadow decks). Breach also plays well against opposing control decks as it is an instant and playing on their EOT with breach leads to many wins when you can sandbag a second breach or remand your own after having them waste spells.
https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2018-02-18
Edit: 17th place
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Young Pyromancer
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Serum Vision
4 Opt
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Vapor Snag
4 Chart a Course
2 Logic Knot
3 Mana Leak
2 Spell Snare
1 Electrolyze
4 Polluted Delta
3 Spirebluff Canal
2 Steam Vents
3 Island
1 Mountain
Sideboard was fairly thrown together for FNM but I went 3-1 (I normally play grixis DS) BUT this deck was extremely fun to play and reminded me of the old cruise days with how well Chart performed.
Beat:
Grixis Delver
Jeskai Flash
Infect
loss:
UB Walkers (8 three drop Lilis, 4 Ashioks, lots of removal...) Not a common deck
Edit: http://magic.wizards.com/en/events/coverage/gpcop17/grand-prix-trial-winning-decklists-grand-prix-copenhagen-2017
My local meta features a lot of tiered decks and a lot of grind. Lots of bant/abzan company, affinty, burn, Tron, and the occasional jank
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Street Wraith
1 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
2 Gurmag Angler
4 Serum Visions
3 Thought Scour
3 Path to Exile
3 Fatal Push
4 Thoughtseize
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Stubborn Denial
2 Mana Leak
3 Lingering Souls
1 Liliana, the Last Hope
4 Polluted Delta
4 Flooded Strand
3 Marsh Flats
2 Godless Shrines
2 Watery Grave
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Swamp
1 Island
1 Countersquall
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Disenchant
2 Collective Brutality
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Liliana, the last hope
1 flaying tendrils
1 Damnation
1 nihil spellbomb
1 spell snare
If we were to trim or cut Street Wraiths in this shell it would slow down the deck a little bit, yes this is a drawback.
But it would allow for more slots to play interaction which could add resiliency. Is a loss in speed worth that?
We would feel a little less threat dense if Street Wraith were cut for interaction and not another threat like delvers were/are in some lists.
But we still have 8 can trips and lots of ways to grind until we draw a delve creature or a DS.
What are thoughts on this? Am I crazy? Would it only work in some metas (less tron, more grindy)?
Do you live in Austin TX by chance?
Definitely do, missed that when I wrote out the list. I have 2 copies in the main and would love a 3rd if I could find a spot for it. 21 lands felt fine, I didn't miss too many drops overall but I'm going to run it back again on monday. Taking down an 18 person FNM 5-0 felt good though being the first night I switched to this configuration. Typically I play something closer to the YP version pre-probe-ban.
2-0 Abzan Midrange
2-1 GW Tron
2-0 Jund
2-1 Brain in the Jar / Expertises
2-0 Esper Control
4 Snapcaster Mage
3 Tasigur
4 serum visions
4 lightning bolt
4 thought scour
3 fatal push
2 terminate
3 spell snare
2 mana leak
1 countersquall
3 cryptic command
4 scalding tarn
4 polluted delta
1 bloodstained mire
1 creeping tar pit
2 steam vents
1 watery grave
1 blood crypt
1 sulfur falls
1 drowned catacombs
1 creeping tar pit
3 island
1 swamp
1 mountain
1 engineered explosives
1 surgical extraction
1 magma spray
2 molten rain
1 Liliana, the last hope
1 izzet staticaster
1 countersquall
2 dispel
1 anger of the gods
1 damnation
Having delver and cryptic in the 75 together feels really good, 21 lands also felt fine