Stonehewer Mystic1W
Creature - Human Artificer
When ~ comes into play, you may search your library for an equipment card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. If you do, shuffle your library.
2/1
Angelic Arbiter1WWW
Creature - Angel
Flying
Players can't pay life, sacrifice permanents, or discard cards.
Permanents can't enter the battlefield from libraries or graveyards.
2/2
Guardian Mystic2W
Flash, Haste T: Target creature gains protection from the color of your choice until end of turn.
0/1
AdjucateUW
Choose one:
Counter target creature spell with converted mana cost 2 or less.
Could we run Chalice of the Void out the board for Elves!, Storm combo, Infect, and Bogles? I could only see myself boarding it in on the play, but it seems really sick on turn 2 against those decks.
I still don't physically own Canopies (nor Spellskites, but that shouldn't be a big problem in coming weeks) and am trying to trade for them. I don't know if this is the kind of deck that can make it through 15 rounds, but it's "my deck", and Merfolk doesn't have Flickerwisp.
Regarding Intrepid Hero, mine are Urza's Saga ones with the flavor text edited with fine-point Sharpie to read: "We each have our own strengths, Radiant," Serra said with a sly smile. "If all of my people were like this one, who would carry your scrolls WIN THE GAME?
How do you guys feel about Mikokoro + Spirit of the Labyrinth? You get to draw an extra card each turn cycle, and if you tap Mikokoro and say "both players draw a card" during your opponent's turn, and they draw a card, they get a Game Loss at Comp REL if they already had at least one card in hand.
With everyone discussing forge-tender I'd like to recommend trying out the new GW command in its place. As overextended mentioned, its best use is vs. the lightning storm win condition and red sweepers. At worst its a healing salve which is pretty bad. Dromoka's command can be splashed off of 4 main deck lands that shouldn't hurt us
Dromoka's Command is better than Forge-Tender, but is the splash really free? I think it's close, but any manabase has a cost, and a few life for the opponent or an occasional tapped land isn't free.
Another thing for people to think about: For everyone suggesting to play a spellskite in the main deck, what are your thoughts on playing Eidolon of Rhetoric in its place? Eidolon does more work vs. the burn match-up, and more work vs. the combo match up. At worst it eats removal the same as Skite (expect for twisted image).
Skite can save creatures from bolts, abrupt, and so on, which is good vs. Junk/Jund midrange, and it costs less mana, which is relevant at times. Burn has a lot of instants, so I'm not sure how much better a 3-cost creature will be if it comes down after they've played their hand. Against combo, we will have to be hardcasting Eidolon, because vialing it in would be too slow against Ad Nauseum and similar combo decks; it might be too slow.
Eidolon does have one power and can be vialed in to eat a random X/1... I prefer 'skite, but there are arguments for Eidolon.
The spellskite is amazing against burn. It adds turns to their clock and blocks their creatures. The more they devote to attacking your damage at your skite limits their resources not to mention the forge tender countering their spells. Once we begin attacking them and ther mana base its rough for them. My best friend runs burn in just about every format so I use to playing against the archetype. My strategy isn't for everyone just explaining my positioning around my sb slots. I think you running kfw is a legitimate option. I'm just in a different strategy I think.
I'm totally happy some decent results are pouting in too. Can you tell me some strategy behind beating junk?
Sequencing is important. You can typically stall the ground, so try to run your flying threats and Intrepid Hero out last. Intrepid Hero hits Siege Rhino, Tasigur, and big Goyfs that can't be dealt with on the ground. Stall the ground out and have them waste removal on dudes; don't be afraid to slow down. A late Resto or Flickerwisp will probably be doing most of your damage; a twice-bolstered Wisp is a three-turn clock against them, barring Siege Rhino. Your Game 1 is not going to be favored, but keeping them off BB with Ghost Quarter / Arbiter or Tec Edge (later) is also important, for Liliana. If Junk makes up a big percentage of your meta, run two maindeck Hero; otherwise, one is probably correct. I'm adding a second to the side.
Postboard, you get better. Bring in Jotun Grunt, Mirran Crusaders and Celestial Purges. Jotuns keep the Goyfs small and prevent them from easily casting and abusing Tasigur, while Purges hit everything in their deck worth hitting (except Goyf). Mirran Crusader adds inevitability. Junk has better cards, but you have a few good CA engines (Wisp and Resto coming to mind).
If you try and go all-in on them and focus on being aggro, you'll run into a Siege Rhino wall. Clogging up the ground with 2+ Golem tokens (don't throw them away early!) is the best way to get the game to a point where you can win with flyers.
I'm either lucky or our deck is naturally well postioned against them.
Maybe I'm just unlucky, but burn just seems faster. In the past, when they had fewer tools and maindeck Inquisitor Exarch provided 2-4 life in that matchup, it was much easier IMHO, but now I feel, given the prevalence in the meta and the limited room, relative to other matchups (like Junk Midrange, a deck I've been having significantly fewer issues against with practice), to outmaneuver the opponent, that more dedicated hate is worthwhile.
Also, I don't understand the importance of 'skite in that matchup. It's basically a Dragon's Claw against ~2/3 of their deck's spells; it doesn't help with Lava Spike or Searing Blaze or Bump in the Night / Boros Charm.
Perhaps a board with two Firewalker and two Forge-Tender? That way, you still have a great burn m/u postboard while being protected against Scapeshift, Tron, and Jeskai. We can always consider Leylines, but I don't like devoting four sideboard slots. I am always a huge fan of playing board cards that are good against multiple decks; also, in my list, I really want to board out Intrepid Hero, Aven Mindcensor, and Spellskite at minimum, leaving me with three cards that need to be boarded in.
Do you guys think Standstill would be too powerful?
I think it would be what creates a Modern control deck; play it, and it forces the opponent to either sit there or let you draw 3 cards. But if you don't play around it, you just payed 2 mana for an opponent to Ancestral Recall.
I'm debating between playing D&T and a spicy Knight of the Reliquary brew.
Creature - Human Artificer
When ~ comes into play, you may search your library for an equipment card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. If you do, shuffle your library.
2/1
Angelic Arbiter 1WWW
Creature - Angel
Flying
Players can't pay life, sacrifice permanents, or discard cards.
Permanents can't enter the battlefield from libraries or graveyards.
2/2
Guardian Mystic 2W
Flash, Haste
T: Target creature gains protection from the color of your choice until end of turn.
0/1
Adjucate UW
Choose one:
I like running about half my sideboard as silver bullets, and the rest as cards that hit multiple decks. It currently looks something like:
2 Kataki, War's Wage
2 Chalice of the Void
against specific decks that our deck struggles with, and the other eight slots are
against multiple decks each.
4 AEther Vial
4 Path to Exile
Creature (29)
3 Dryad Militant
4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Leonin Arbiter
2 Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit
4 Flickerwisp
4 Blade Splicer
2 Kitchen Finks
2 Mirran Crusader
1 Aven Mindcensor
3 Restoration Angel
4 Ghost Quarter
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Mutavault
2 Horizon Canopy
1 Eiganjo Castle
14 Plains
3 Kataki, War's Wage
3 Kor Firewalker
2 Intrepid Hero
2 Spellskite
2 Rest in Peace
1 Celestial Purge
1 Disenchant
1 Grafdigger's Cage
I still don't physically own Canopies (nor Spellskites, but that shouldn't be a big problem in coming weeks) and am trying to trade for them. I don't know if this is the kind of deck that can make it through 15 rounds, but it's "my deck", and Merfolk doesn't have Flickerwisp.
Regarding Intrepid Hero, mine are Urza's Saga ones with the flavor text edited with fine-point Sharpie to read: "We each have our own strengths, Radiant," Serra said with a sly smile. "If all of my people were like this one, who would
carry your scrollsWIN THE GAME?I wouldn't say that's true. W (and maybe G) is/are (an) excellent color(s) for sideboarding, and hatebears come in all sorts.
That said, this deck looks interesting. What's the logic behind not trying to fit ~4 Thoughtseize MD? Hand disruption is typically good against combo.
But what about Vial?
My manabase is something like
for 16 sources, and I only have occasional problems.
4 THS Thoughtsieze
Pile B:
1 NM Revised Taiga
$5
4 Aether Vial
4 Path to Exile
Creatures (29)
3 Dryad Militant
4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Leonin Arbiter
3 Spirit of the Labyrinth
4 Flickerwisp
4 Blade Splicer
2 Kitchen Finks
1 Aven Mindcensor
1 Intrepid Hero
3 Restoration Angel
4 Ghost Quarter
2 Tectonic Edge
1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
1 Mutavault
1 Eiganjo Castle
14 Plains
2 Kataki, War's Wage
2 Celestial Purge
3 Kor Firewalker
2 Mirran Crusader
1 Disenchant
2 Jotun Grunt
2 Spellskite
1 Akroma, Angel of Fury
How do you guys feel about Mikokoro + Spirit of the Labyrinth? You get to draw an extra card each turn cycle, and if you tap Mikokoro and say "both players draw a card" during your opponent's turn, and they draw a card, they get a Game Loss at Comp REL if they already had at least one card in hand.
I'll play her this Friday and see what's up. I just like being able to beat for one in the air... Flying isn't irrelevant.
Yes. However, when it isn't, it is really, really, really good.
Dromoka's Command is better than Forge-Tender, but is the splash really free? I think it's close, but any manabase has a cost, and a few life for the opponent or an occasional tapped land isn't free.
Skite can save creatures from bolts, abrupt, and so on, which is good vs. Junk/Jund midrange, and it costs less mana, which is relevant at times. Burn has a lot of instants, so I'm not sure how much better a 3-cost creature will be if it comes down after they've played their hand. Against combo, we will have to be hardcasting Eidolon, because vialing it in would be too slow against Ad Nauseum and similar combo decks; it might be too slow.
Eidolon does have one power and can be vialed in to eat a random X/1... I prefer 'skite, but there are arguments for Eidolon.
Sequencing is important. You can typically stall the ground, so try to run your flying threats and Intrepid Hero out last. Intrepid Hero hits Siege Rhino, Tasigur, and big Goyfs that can't be dealt with on the ground. Stall the ground out and have them waste removal on dudes; don't be afraid to slow down. A late Resto or Flickerwisp will probably be doing most of your damage; a twice-bolstered Wisp is a three-turn clock against them, barring Siege Rhino. Your Game 1 is not going to be favored, but keeping them off BB with Ghost Quarter / Arbiter or Tec Edge (later) is also important, for Liliana. If Junk makes up a big percentage of your meta, run two maindeck Hero; otherwise, one is probably correct. I'm adding a second to the side.
Postboard, you get better. Bring in Jotun Grunt, Mirran Crusaders and Celestial Purges. Jotuns keep the Goyfs small and prevent them from easily casting and abusing Tasigur, while Purges hit everything in their deck worth hitting (except Goyf). Mirran Crusader adds inevitability. Junk has better cards, but you have a few good CA engines (Wisp and Resto coming to mind).
If you try and go all-in on them and focus on being aggro, you'll run into a Siege Rhino wall. Clogging up the ground with 2+ Golem tokens (don't throw them away early!) is the best way to get the game to a point where you can win with flyers.
Maybe I'm just unlucky, but burn just seems faster. In the past, when they had fewer tools and maindeck Inquisitor Exarch provided 2-4 life in that matchup, it was much easier IMHO, but now I feel, given the prevalence in the meta and the limited room, relative to other matchups (like Junk Midrange, a deck I've been having significantly fewer issues against with practice), to outmaneuver the opponent, that more dedicated hate is worthwhile.
Also, I don't understand the importance of 'skite in that matchup. It's basically a Dragon's Claw against ~2/3 of their deck's spells; it doesn't help with Lava Spike or Searing Blaze or Bump in the Night / Boros Charm.
Perhaps a board with two Firewalker and two Forge-Tender? That way, you still have a great burn m/u postboard while being protected against Scapeshift, Tron, and Jeskai. We can always consider Leylines, but I don't like devoting four sideboard slots. I am always a huge fan of playing board cards that are good against multiple decks; also, in my list, I really want to board out Intrepid Hero, Aven Mindcensor, and Spellskite at minimum, leaving me with three cards that need to be boarded in.
Merfolk would love this.