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  • 1

    posted a message on Modern Esper Draw-Go
    I think that if Miscalculation was to be modern legal, it does deserve some consideration for 1-2 slots at least. Also, while you can compare it to remand, I think the more apt comparison is to Logic Knot. In the early game, they both fill the same role by giving interaction T2-5ish for 2 Mana (Miscalc is even easier on the mana base here) that will permanently answer a card. The difference is of course that in the late game the cards behave different. Logic Knot maintains it's use as a counter by scaling with your mana, whereas Miscalculation will simply swap for another card. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, and I think if a deck wants to play Logic Knot, it should at least consider Miscalculation.

    It's easy to under evaluate a card that has 2 mediocre modes, but gives you flexibility and options. Of course, just cantripping is quite a bad option, but nonetheless on a single card, Slightly worse mana leak and slightly worse Think Twice is still going to be better than you might think.

    Note that my point isn't necessarily that Miscalculation would be a card Esper Draw-Go wants, but that I think it's wrong to write it off immediately based on the fact that at face value, it looks like a bad card.
    Posted in: Control
  • 1

    posted a message on [Primer] U(x) Aetherflux Reservoir Combo
    I think a combo deck that relies around a single card to win the game is always going to be weak to control. If you enjoy the deck, just keep playing and accept that you're going to have a rough matchup here and there. Of course, if your meta is filled with control decks, you may need to play a different deck if you care much about winning Smile

    As for tools against control. I don't think the Bastion Inventor plan is very good. Unless you're improvising it out on turn 2, it's rarely going to be a fast enough clock. Transformational sideboards are great if you can leverage the rest of the deck to support it, but the beatdown plan just isn't supported by the remaining cards in the deck. Sure, it will work out well in some games, but I think with extended testing you'll find it doesn't hold up.

    I think if you're set on fighting control, Hope of Ghirapur is the way to go. It is able to improvise if needed, and can be fetched with Whir, so it fits seamlessly into the deck. It's a tricky card to play though, since it's tempting to try to keep it until you're ready to combo in a turn, but I think it may be more correct to use it to generate incremental value and resolve your draw spells so you can find another one. At some point I might try the full 4 copies.

    Also, in G1 against control you have to remember a lot of their deck is probably creature removal, and they likely don't have a way to deal with a resolved Reservoir. Whir is important here, since it lets you start a fight on their end step, and you can set up a turn where they simply don't have enough mana to counter all your spells, and allow you to combo in one turn.
    Posted in: Standard Archives
  • 1

    posted a message on Grixis/Tasigur (URB) Twin (2/2015 - 1/2016)
    Quote from IwontJump »
    1- Manabase without Scalding Tarn
    I refuse to buy the Scalding Tarn until a reprint, and with my Grixis Delver I don't run in to that many problems, that being said, I really need help fine tuning the manabase, I figured to cut the basic mountain, but I'm not really sure about the rest, feels that it lacks red sources, should I add more Sulfur Falls or maybe Blackcleave Cliffs? And is running 22 lands too greedy? I tend to get very greedy with my manabase
    The 22 vs 23 has come up before. I'm still firmly on board with 23 and don't want to fall into the greedy trap of cutting a land. Basic mountain may still be useful because of Path and Ghost quarter, which may be relevant in some matchups. With that list, checklands are probably better than fastlands, so +1 sulfur falls seems good.
    2- Counter Package
    Is Cryptic Command really needed? What about Deprive and Spell Pierce, can they be usefull in Twin?
    Deprive has come up before, but we really want to be hitting 4 mana to combo, and deprive sets us back a turn for that. There's very few instances where we need a catch-all counter and dispel/pierce/remand wouldn't have sufficed. In that list, I'd definitely play 4th remand over deprive.
    Question, while I'm mentioning Olivia.. I think she's kind of slow for the wider field where you can't predict the meta. How are people handling all the aggro (outside of removal and wipes)? Lavamancer is my answer for it, but does Lilly have a spot? Her +1 has synergy and her -2 edict is useful at cleaning the board. I was thinking about her or Ashiok... Any thoughts?
    Some sideboards have packed a Liliana or two for when the deck becomes more control than combo. I think I like her over Ashiok.
    Posted in: Modern Archives - Established
  • 5

    posted a message on Grixis/Tasigur (URB) Twin (2/2015 - 1/2016)
    Quote from MarcWizard »
    The manabase is not complete yet due to fiscal reasons and uh.... wife.
    Most of the lists I've seen don't run wife, makes you more susceptible to Burn. I have Pia and Kiran Nalaar in that slot myself.

    I'll show myself out.
    Posted in: Modern Archives - Established
  • 2

    posted a message on Grixis/Tasigur (URB) Twin (2/2015 - 1/2016)
    I don't think the exile clause is relevant in the aggro matchups. I still like anger though because it's able to get value against Junk by denying Voice/Finks triggers, and it does blow out DredgeVine, not that that's a big player in the meta. With the deck already geared to wanting to hit RR for Twin, I don't think the mana is that hard, and I'd personally rather have the incidental exile upside. I'm not too concerned about exiling my own creatures, since you have that knowledge and can work around it. The only time it's been difficult is if I drop a T2 Jace, and I want to cast a T3 anger but have no way to flip him. I would probably run pyro before radiant flames.

    Related story, I was playing against a RW token deck. They have 7 spirits and a firewalker and I know they have bolt in hand, I have Tasigur and Jace AoT holding off any attacks with Blood Moon cutting him off white. Neither of us can attack. So on my turn I draw and play Anger to clean up the board. He bolts Tasigur in response so it will get exiled. I remand my own Anger, pass, and Anger the next turn to clear the spirits while keeping Tasigur alive, causing the scoop. I felt pretty good that day.
    Posted in: Modern Archives - Established
  • 1

    posted a message on Grixis/Tasigur (URB) Twin (2/2015 - 1/2016)
    Quote from MarcWizard »
    I'm wondering if the pros outweigh the cons here. I've Scoured my Twin into the GY more often than I'd like, taking away my surprise element G1 and prompting the opponent to be extra careful when I have 3 mana untapped. I figured this card will actually let me dig for combo or answers, alongside Serum Visions. Looting simply has a better synergy with Twin than Scour does, and we don't lose anything with regards to turn 2 Tasigur.
    I'm trying to fight the blue mage instinct that dismisses looting immediately because card disadvantage, but I'm still not convinced it's good. I think the first thing to deal with is the fallacy that not milling things like snaps is a pro. The top of the library is unknown, so the only thing relevant about what you mill is how you can later use it as a resource (which is almost always a positive due to delve, snaps, KCommand), and the information (which is mostly negative). Really, the only pros are that it does a better job of digging for a specific card, and it gives card selection. I don't think that's enough to justify the cost of -1 card.

    Quote from Redvader »
    Just as a few questions: what matchups do we want to face as the more combo centric version and which ones do we want to face as the more midrange version? Also, is my SB too redundant in places in your opinion? And if so, how should I adjust it? I need to get a bit of practice in with the deck to feel in good control of the deck, but it seems really good to have essentially both twin and control in one deck.
    Looks like a solid 75. I'm running the lists with more discard, but here's what I do in some of the more common matchups I've had on MTGO:

    Twin Mirror: I usually take out the combo, but I'm not sure if that's correct. It's just really hard to win a fight over twin when the initiator is down 4 mana.
    Burn: Long game doesn't favor us very much. Combo is best.
    Jund: Generally combo goes out since it's hard to beat AD, and discard can make it tough to assemble the pieces.
    Infect: Generally infect's going to be faster than us, and if you deal with their threats well you can easily just beat them down. I like taking out combo here, just so you can make sure to not die.
    Affinity: Kind of same as infect. Because of KCommand, if we don't die we generally win.
    Control: Not too sure about these matchups. I usually take the combo out though since it's the same deal as the twin mirrors. It's really hard to win a fight when you have to tap 4 to start something, but the long game doesn't really favor us either. Haven't played enough of these.

    Quote from Alphez86 »
    Re: the Burn matchup, I imagined that comboing off quickly was our main route to victory. I am not very comfortable with the idea of the matchup being 50/50 at best, though: it is quite common in my metagame and I would enjoy having an edge. I think I might try to squeeze a couple Vampiric Links in in the SB, even though I have no idea how to find room for them.
    I've seen Vampiric link in a few sideboards but I'm skeptical how good they are. Outside of Tasigur, we don't really have anything that wears link that well. The other tech is Dragon's claw, which I'm trying out now. It's nice that it triggers off of some of our own spells.

    For those running the discard deck with 2x Tas: Does anyone else feel the third Jace is clunky? There are times when I want to play him t2/3 but the yard is empty thanks to not drawing fetches. Graveyard synergy is tough with no scours. I tried adding a scour in one instance and dropping a Jace in a second instance, and running 2x Jace felt smoother. Also, scouring and revealing I'm on combo pisses me off lol. Is 2 Jace optimal while the third is just good, or do we really want that 3rd jace?
    I'm not sure if there is an optimal number since Jace isn't a centerpiece of the deck like he is in control. For me, I often value the loot effect he gives over being flipped in a lot of games. That said, I'm sticking with 2 purely because I don't want to pay for a 3rd until he drops when standard rotates out xD.
    Posted in: Modern Archives - Established
  • 1

    posted a message on Grixis/Tasigur (URB) Twin (2/2015 - 1/2016)
    Quote from Alphez86 »

    I didn't see Fulminator Mage being played nor discussed much. Blood Moon seems to be a much more common SB card. Why? I think I'd feel very uncomfortable playing Moon alongside that manabase, while casting Kommand with a Fulminator in my graveyard is the best feeling in the world.
    Although I haven't been liking Blood Moon that much recently, the games where it's been good, it's been REAL good. Fulminator mage is definitely better in a longer, grindy game, but Fulminator + KCommand + Fulminator is play that totals 9 mana, where blood moon can come down turn 3 and lock the game down right there. That said, I don't think there's a clear answer. Play to your meta.

    Speaking of manabase, what is the best UB non-shockland dual to play, in your experience? In most of the winning decklists that I saw, there was no clear best option.
    I'm now pretty certain that if you're on the discard lists, Darkslick Shores is what you want. Otherwise, the checklands seem slightly better since you're less likely to need the mana on T1.

    Is the Burn matchup as bad as I expect it to be? In my experience with TarmoTwin, sticking Goyfs and racing was one of the very few routes to victory. What do we do with Grixis?
    I'm at about a 50% winrate out of 6 matches (7-7 in games too). The games I've won have mostly been with the combo, since we're not that good at racing without an early Tasigur. I feel the discard lists are slightly better than the light splash lists here as well.

    Quote from rafl »
    Hey guys! Picking up Grixis recently after some experience with UR Twin. The thing that puzzles me the most is how to use Blood Moon here. In UR Twin I'd board it in against most 3-color decks in the format for the occasional free win. However, my experience with this deck is that Blood Moon hurts me equally or sometimes even more than my opponent. Am I playing them wrong or what? Should I bring it in only when it's super good (Tron?, Bloom)? Should I play something else entirely in its place?
    It's obviously not as good as in a 2 color deck, but it's actually not that bad if you're not running cryptics, since you can often survive on 1 swamp 1 island, and with 2 island you can snap back blue spells. That said, it's been pretty unimpressive, probably because I haven't hit the matchups where it's really good much (no bloom yet). Blood Moon also hasn't been great against Tron. Between Oblivion Stone, and SB'd hate cards that can be cast off of a sphere/star, it's hard to have one stick and be good since they have so much colorless interaction. A crumble to dust effect seems better against them.

    Quote from Hquinn_87 »
    is this list good? Or have I change it?
    Definitely fine to not main Tasigur. Your list seems a tad soft to affinity, but that's not necessarily something you have to change unless they make up a big portion of your meta.
    Posted in: Modern Archives - Established
  • 1

    posted a message on Grixis/Tasigur (URB) Twin (2/2015 - 1/2016)
    I haven't been playing twin for very long so take the comments with a grain of salt, but here's my thoughts.

    Dreadbore's not appeared in any lists that have top8'd, and while the ability to kill walkers is nice, there aren't that many relevant walkers we need to worry about. If this were a control deck, a resolved planeswalker might need an answer, but as a combo deck, esp G1, dealing with a walker at sorcery speed seems largely irrelevant, as either the damage has been done, or we're going to untap and combo off because they tapped out. Another thing I just thought of is that it makes you weaker in the twin mirror, since you lose 2 pieces of interaction with the combo.

    3 Tasigurs may be too many, especially in a list with no Jaces. You're much more likely to draw 2 copies, and you're not filling your graveyard fast enough to consistently drop 2 early even if the first gets killed. Also increases the chance of stranding twins in your hand.

    The 2 clique seems to lean your deck to be pretty tempo oriented G1, with a real chance for a good clock early on. Lately I've been running with 3/2 split of exarch/pestermite since these days people expect exarchs, so the bolts usually are used on other targets, or the removal doesn't care about toughness. Just something to try maybe.

    4 Kolaghans does seem like a lot. 3CMC is actually quite late in a lot of matchups. Sure, it generates a ton of value, but there are a significant number of games where you simply don't have time to get that value (burn, twin mirror, tron, merfolk), and there are actually a few matchups where command is pretty bad. I think 2 is enough given you're running 4 visions/3 cryptics, or 3 max if you end up cutting some cryptics.

    Personally I'd still prefer the 4th bolt over flame slash. Spellskite already dies to Kolaghans, and most decks aren't running that many. Linvala may be a nice target, but the number of games where your opponent plays linvala and you have the flame slash ready is too few vs. the games where you really need the instant speed of bolt. Would have to come down to the meta.

    I definitely would stick to 1 lighthouse, and cut the palace. Lighthouse is very mana and time intensive, and again there are a lot of matchups where you simply don't have the time. The serum visions really help you dig to your 1-ofs pretty well. Drawing multiples is also really bad. Rix maadi has the same problem of being mana intensive. If you want that effect, then LotV is better. Otherwise, just cut it for some sulfur falls or more basic islands.

    Posted in: Modern Archives - Established
  • 1

    posted a message on Grixis/Tasigur (URB) Twin (2/2015 - 1/2016)
    I have 3 Inquisition/1 Thoughtseize. Though I've never felt they're particularly better G1 vs 2/3. Any matchup where they're good in G1 tends to stay true for G2/3. I've rarely ever sideboarded them out. The only time they're ever bad is against Leyline of Sanctity type effects, but I've only run into that once out of 20 or so matches on MTGO. The ability for it to nab Abrupt Decay G1 aginst BGx decks though is the best benefit of them G1 over counters, since it lets you push through your combo. And in G2/3, you then have the option to sideboard out the combo and strip away more problematic cards and land threats that can't be AD'd like Tasigur, and leave them with very few decay targets.

    Both lists have done well so it probably comes down to playstyle. I haven't played the deck long enough so I'm very uncomfortable with long draw-go's in the mirror. Having discard is a good way for me to maintain card parity while having good information. The only thing I hate is that it overloads the amount of sorcery speed interaction (between Serum Visions and Discard), and tapping out on your turn can be really bad when they get to resolve a Kolaghan's getting back Snap, since those games tend to be all about card advantage.
    Posted in: Modern Archives - Established
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