@konino yes Thalia is bad news... I always keep 3 Gut Shot in the sideboard, actually moving over to Dismember now because I'm a little scared of the Cheeri0s deck. I suppose Baral, Chief of Compliance could be an option.
Swan Song I have found to be bad against Burn even though it's a cool combo with TiTi. Even Spell Snare I have discovered is not where you want to be. Going 1 for 1 is just not good enough, you have to focus on getting your engines out early into more impactful spells like Exhaustion. Howling Mine and TiTi are good, and if you can pretty much lock them out starting on turn 3 sometimes you can win. Chalice wasn't that great for me but a lot of people like it so I might test it again.
@aggrosdemise that's a cool list I might try it out even though I like the straightforwardness of monoU.
Personally I'm not a fan of Elixir. In all the time I've played this deck, decking myself has NEVER been an issue. It nonbos with Snapcaster which is a pillar of the deck IMO. Against infinite life I have Inkmoth Nexus. 3 Part the Waterveils is enough to win in the vast majority of games and TiTi is an extra wincon in the sideboard. Although I might go back up to 4 PtW since moving TiTi out.
Temporal Mastery I like as a 3-of. You have some control over it with Serum Visions, and it's gotten me out of otherwise unwinnable situations multiple times. The Miracle is not that uncommon and when you get it it's busted, especially with TiTi.
I made the same decision on TiTi. Fatal Push is really the first one-mana removal spell that can cleanly answer it so I moved my 3 copies to the board were it can be very good after they side out removal. I brought back two Howling Mines, and am experimenting with one Boomerang which has actually been pretty impressive. Besides hitting lands etc. it interacts well with Snapcaster and even Radiant Fountain in a pinch.
Melnevacor, thanks for the report. I've been struggling slightly less against Burn after introducing 3 Redirect to the sideboard. Nothing feels better than turning a Bolt on a Nacatl or an Abrupt Decay back on a Goyf. Against decks like Burn and GBx it's not really that situational.
I would definitely grab a playset of Dictate of Kruphix over Howling Mine first, and pick up the other two Time Warps, then Temporal Mastery and Cryptics. Stubborn Denial should get cut, usually by the time we have a big creature the opponent is locked out of the game anyway. I've also wanted Spell Snare to work in the past but I just don't think it's the right deck for it. Just my opinion.
I think the Probe ban was one of the best ways to attack Infect, I'm very happy about that. The information they gained against interactive decks was huge, not to mention helping rough draws and filling the graveyard.
I wonder if the first ability on all of them is going to be based on the number 3. We also don't know if they're all going to be sorcery. Draw 3 cards - probably too good. Whatever it is it's going to cast Ancestral Vision though
@GhostDad420 The deck does actually look really sweet, didn't mean to downplay it. I'm going to test it a bit and see how it ticks. My gut is that you might want Remand over Spell Pierce and another snapcaster or 2.
Hello Faerie players (if there still are any), I think I've fallen in love with this as my new Modern deck.
I've been tuning my list and it feels pretty strong. It's actually incredibly skill intensive and rewards good play and knowledge of the format more than any other deck I've played. A lot of games come down to the wire and it's always a couple small decisions here and there that swing it in your favor. Deciding what to counter with what spell, when to play control and when to start putting on pressure with lords, when to play which Faerie etc. If you play the deck badly it looks like a complete pile, but I really believe if you play it perfectly you can put up great results.
I've tried lots of different numbers but 7 one-drop Faeries feels perfect. You really want a cheap body on the field turn one to power up all your other synergies with SSS, Quickling, etc. Pestermite performs really well for me and I would have more but you risk clogging up your opener with all 3+ drops and Quicklings etc. I like it better than V-Clique in this build though. Untapping a land to hold up Spell Snare/Piece/Vapor Snag is pretty common.
2 Mistbind is where I've settled, it is a great top end in certain matchups but you don't really want to see it in your opener.
I've gone back and forth on Remand vs. Mana Leak. Remand leads to more nail-biters but the digging yourself into more gas is really needed in this deck.
Dismember is an all-star slam dunk 3-of. Let's face it: things are going to slip through the counterspell net and having 1-mana hard removal is great on the offensive and the defensive.
I feel that Ghost Quarter is also a must in a deck relying on counterspells as it hits manlands and also things like Cavern of Souls.
That's about it really, Redirect is kind of my pet card in the sideboard of blue decks as it really helps out the Burn and GBx matchups.
Somewhat related: I have two faeries on the battlefield and I Collected Company into a Spellstutter Sprite and another Faerie. Can I counter a CMC4 spell with the Sprite?
Some random thoughts from a fellow old-timer who recently returned to the game:
1. The aesthetics of the game have changed. That was the hardest thing for me to get over. The art no longer has that iconic 90s fantasy "Magic" feel to it, most of it is not really resonant or unique to me at all and a lot of it looks semi computer-generated. I also hated the new frames. But...it's not the 90s anymore so I really can't complain. Everything about the card aesthetics is objectively "better" now, it's just different from what we originally fell in love with.
2. One of the problems of being a grown-up is that things in general just aren't as exciting as they were when you were a kid and just discovering them. The adult brain just can't be (and probably shouldn't be) immersed in game to the extent that you were as a kid, and the thrill of discovery is a little blunted by the millions of people on forums who have already figured everything out, what's good and what's bad, how much money you have to spend to be competitive.
3. On the bright side, Magic is pretty much objectively a better game now. Wizards has had decades to refine their design and development to create the most fun gameplay. The game is also way, way more popular. When I was a kid we had to travel to attend any kind of tournament because the local comic shop would never get more than 5 or 6 people to play and it wasn't even worth it for them. Now I go to FNM at my local store and there are regularly 30-40 people there.
4. Playing the actual game of Magic is shockingly similar now to how it was in 1994. It's still the same awesome, fun, challenging, thought-provoking game that we originally fell in love with. In fact, probably even better if you're really honest.
5. Magic players are still the same cool, welcoming, interesting people as ever. There are just a lot more of us now, and to me, that makes this pretty much the best time ever to be a Magic player.
So I hope you do come back to the game, you can't actually go back to when you were 12 years old, but to me playing magic is about the closest you can get.
Swan Song I have found to be bad against Burn even though it's a cool combo with TiTi. Even Spell Snare I have discovered is not where you want to be. Going 1 for 1 is just not good enough, you have to focus on getting your engines out early into more impactful spells like Exhaustion. Howling Mine and TiTi are good, and if you can pretty much lock them out starting on turn 3 sometimes you can win. Chalice wasn't that great for me but a lot of people like it so I might test it again.
@aggrosdemise that's a cool list I might try it out even though I like the straightforwardness of monoU.
Temporal Mastery I like as a 3-of. You have some control over it with Serum Visions, and it's gotten me out of otherwise unwinnable situations multiple times. The Miracle is not that uncommon and when you get it it's busted, especially with TiTi.
3 Exhaustion
3 Temporal Mastery
3 Part the Waterveil
4 Time Warp
1 Boomerang
3 Cryptic Command
3 Gigadrowse
4 Remand
4 Dictate of Kruphix
2 Howling Mine
1 Gemstone Caverns
1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
1 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Radiant Fountain
20 Island
1 Exhaustion
3 Gut Shot (or mix with Dismember)
3 Hurkyl's Recall
3 Redirect
3 Thing in the Ice
Melnevacor, thanks for the report. I've been struggling slightly less against Burn after introducing 3 Redirect to the sideboard. Nothing feels better than turning a Bolt on a Nacatl or an Abrupt Decay back on a Goyf. Against decks like Burn and GBx it's not really that situational.
I've been tuning my list and it feels pretty strong. It's actually incredibly skill intensive and rewards good play and knowledge of the format more than any other deck I've played. A lot of games come down to the wire and it's always a couple small decisions here and there that swing it in your favor. Deciding what to counter with what spell, when to play control and when to start putting on pressure with lords, when to play which Faerie etc. If you play the deck badly it looks like a complete pile, but I really believe if you play it perfectly you can put up great results.
Anyway, my list:
2x Mistbind Clique
2x Pestermite
3x Quickling
4x Scion of Oona
4x Spellstutter Sprite
3x Zephyr Sprite
4x Remand
2x Spell Pierce
2x Spell Snare
4x Vapor Snag
3x Ghost Quarter
16x Island
4x Mutavault
2x Gut Shot
2x Hurkyl's Recall
2x Negate
2x Redirect
4x Relic of Progenitus
3x Spreading Seas
I've tried lots of different numbers but 7 one-drop Faeries feels perfect. You really want a cheap body on the field turn one to power up all your other synergies with SSS, Quickling, etc. Pestermite performs really well for me and I would have more but you risk clogging up your opener with all 3+ drops and Quicklings etc. I like it better than V-Clique in this build though. Untapping a land to hold up Spell Snare/Piece/Vapor Snag is pretty common.
2 Mistbind is where I've settled, it is a great top end in certain matchups but you don't really want to see it in your opener.
I've gone back and forth on Remand vs. Mana Leak. Remand leads to more nail-biters but the digging yourself into more gas is really needed in this deck.
Dismember is an all-star slam dunk 3-of. Let's face it: things are going to slip through the counterspell net and having 1-mana hard removal is great on the offensive and the defensive.
I feel that Ghost Quarter is also a must in a deck relying on counterspells as it hits manlands and also things like Cavern of Souls.
That's about it really, Redirect is kind of my pet card in the sideboard of blue decks as it really helps out the Burn and GBx matchups.
Somewhat related: I have two faeries on the battlefield and I Collected Company into a Spellstutter Sprite and another Faerie. Can I counter a CMC4 spell with the Sprite?
1. The aesthetics of the game have changed. That was the hardest thing for me to get over. The art no longer has that iconic 90s fantasy "Magic" feel to it, most of it is not really resonant or unique to me at all and a lot of it looks semi computer-generated. I also hated the new frames. But...it's not the 90s anymore so I really can't complain. Everything about the card aesthetics is objectively "better" now, it's just different from what we originally fell in love with.
2. One of the problems of being a grown-up is that things in general just aren't as exciting as they were when you were a kid and just discovering them. The adult brain just can't be (and probably shouldn't be) immersed in game to the extent that you were as a kid, and the thrill of discovery is a little blunted by the millions of people on forums who have already figured everything out, what's good and what's bad, how much money you have to spend to be competitive.
3. On the bright side, Magic is pretty much objectively a better game now. Wizards has had decades to refine their design and development to create the most fun gameplay. The game is also way, way more popular. When I was a kid we had to travel to attend any kind of tournament because the local comic shop would never get more than 5 or 6 people to play and it wasn't even worth it for them. Now I go to FNM at my local store and there are regularly 30-40 people there.
4. Playing the actual game of Magic is shockingly similar now to how it was in 1994. It's still the same awesome, fun, challenging, thought-provoking game that we originally fell in love with. In fact, probably even better if you're really honest.
5. Magic players are still the same cool, welcoming, interesting people as ever. There are just a lot more of us now, and to me, that makes this pretty much the best time ever to be a Magic player.
So I hope you do come back to the game, you can't actually go back to when you were 12 years old, but to me playing magic is about the closest you can get.