So i
I think there is a very strong tier 1-2 deck between Prized Amalgam, Bloodghast, Zombie Infestation, Gravecrawler, Ghoulsteed/Stitchwing Skaab and Faithless Looting. Not even sure if we want loam. Squee might serve The same purpose in grixis colors. I haven't Found The deck yet so Im gonna keep searching.
I can't claim an easily hateable strategy to be Tier 1 or 2 unless it is truly powerful and fast. Affinity and Living End are prime examples of such - strong but fold to sideboards quite often. LE is not really a major player unless everybody around are Eldrazi like it used to be but it is quite fast, disruptive and is a combo deck, while Affinity is just bustedpretty strong.
Between all recurrable creatures and outlets we just can't create this level of consistency and speed. It will end up being something like Grixis or 4c Dredgevine and original Dredgevine isn't even good.
Maybe I just have negative look on Dredgevine and that's why I feel bad about all that Amalgam and Gravecrawler jazz. It is true "no Infestation" gameplan will benefit, but right now I can see neither slots nor payoffs to justify Blue and Gravecrawler.
If @Phenaxe is still not over it, I bet there is one person still doing it. From my PoV, in a world populated by fast aggro, Thopter Foundries and Abzan Company it's just that great.
61 cards with 22 lands and no Darkblast maindeck have surely caught my attention. While I'm not really questioning your Abrupt Decays and a ton of Lightning Axes - maybe t2 Tasigur, the Golden Fang, t2 Wall of Omens and t3 Blood Moon is your daily meal - but you've brought a good point to discuss : the strategical approach, control vs aggro.
My loyalties belong to The Red Zone - turning creatures sideways and Fireballs was my thing since I was 12, although I'm not shy of Mana Leak play - but we should put our preferences aside. I'm not advocating for an absolute Pro-Tour winning knowledge and context is always to be given, but my position is that you want to be the beatdown, not the control.
It comes down to the very beginning of it all - that article.
"Misassignment of role = game loss."
Bringing a knife to a gunfight is generally a bad idea. While you can stab the gunman if stars align, you'll certainly end up outgunned in a long-term relationship.
And that's what happens when you take a Control route with a 75(6)card deck named "Squee Loam".
It's not a simple knife - more of a Swiss Army one. You have a knife, a fork, a can opener, a portable gun and Brownscale topping on it - but it's still a knife. A beatdown deck.
Our strengths lie in straightforward versatility. Not that of a Lightning Bolt - a different one. The combination of consistent and fast beatdowns from Bloodghast and Zombie Infestation tokens, raw power and utility of Conflagrate, and a consistent, fast access to our sideboard cards and one\two-ofs while advancing our game state in all 3 directions by doing basically one thing - Dredging - is what puts us over the top. That's what we get by limiting our ability to play "normal" cards in a "normal" game of Magic.
By bringing those cards back and allowing them to dictate our gameplan once again, we make a step ahead by increasing our permission suite but take two steps behind by diminishing our proactive strategy and "proactive" versatility.
It's not always possible to be the beatdown. Sometimes you just have to clear the board with Conflagrate because that Melira, Sylvok Outcast been giving those cute winks to that Viscera Seer for quite awhile. Sometimes you just have toRaven's Crime them for a billion because they are Turns.dec with enough counterspells to counter spells of a person next to you. Sometimes you block with Squee or Pharaoh or Brownscale.
All those lines are possible,strong and probably even game-winning - but what's most important you are able to do these things without defering your game plan.
I'm not saying that Abrupt Decay is not relevant or strong enough to be played. It's completely the opposite - that card is strong enough to turn the table and clutch a game out of enemy's hands. It's so strong it carries matchups - thus really influencing such pivotal decision points as starting hand and Dredging. That's where a lot of deck's free losses already lie, and there is no need to make it weaker. And it's going to happen because it's very hard to evaluate how good this or that actually is and because Magic is a card game, y'know.
There are also such factors as actual card selection in the deck but math territory is not my major, and I'm getting long here. Just get your priorities straight and don't overevaluate things. Take the most profitable line and play that way.
Do what you're geared for. You're a knife. Monstrous, zombified, firebreathing 4-colored Swiss Army knife, powered by the most busted keyword ever printed.
Also all my points aren't quite true about Thoughtseize. Unlike Abrupt Decay, you want them in your starting hand or t2-3 and you don't care if you lose them later.
TL;DR Think twice over your non-graveyard cards and don't bring a knife to a gunfight = choose your game role cautiously.
I really love the way this deck plays and am thinking of buying into it. Do you all think it's worth it in the upcoming meta? The only thing I need to acquire is the mana base, I have most of the other cards available.
Mana base is always open for Modern. You can use those lands elsewhere - from Jund to Living End to whatnot.
From my perspective, Dredge decks are always about dedication. It only gets better when you get better with it, and deck is dependant on metagame, not on it's own power level. It's pretty rogueish, strong, complex and rewarding, and there is always Affinity and Infect around to prey upon. If this kind of Magic is your beat, you should certainly buy it even if the weather outside is frightful.
I believe your sideboard card is Memory's Journey. Playing the only emergency banned card in a Modern tournament is not really a legal thing.
Urborg is strong. I had a good move with it today, when my opponent played it t2, and I was able to triple Raven's Crime his 6-card opener out of the game. It's really strong with Smallpox and Crime, as you have no way to filter your mana akin to Graven Cairns, like Loam decks of old. Some people around here are a bit paranoid about their colors and Tomb of Yawgmoth can help you folks.
Jund Charm is way too narrow for my taste. It doesn't Pyroclasm better than a Conflagrate, it doesn't GY hates better that Bojuka Bog, Memory's Journey or Leyline of the Void, and +1 counters mode is just plain bad. All those pieces aren't really that bad but you have real alternatives that can be played out of GY - the best advantage of the deck with Dredge. "Traditional" cards that are supposed to be drawn and played from hand are better to be really effective if you see them - like Thoughtseize or Abrupt Decay. Smallpox is a subject of debate, but I think it fits the same level.
I also don't think Worm Harvest is worth it in a deck with 23-24 lands. Inevitability is great, but it's the lack of early and midgame consistent pressure that leads to losses in Modern, not the lack of winning mechanism. Way too often Harvest t5 will give you 3-4 tokens and that's not really enough to do the trick.
@Zulama
You'll probably feel that Jund Charm is underwhelming and 2 Darkblasts are not enough for where you want them. I moved from SB Gnaw to the Bone(meta call) and my favorite Lightning Axe is now Abrupt Decay. Abrupt hits more targets and is counterable, and my weather forecasts are yet to bring Delve creatures and Siege Rhinos to the fray. See you on Cockatrice.
Also a ponderous remark on Unburial Rites. While it's even worse than Conflagrate vs counterspells, I think we should not forget that 1 cast of Rites is more game-breaking. While Iona, Shield of Emeria has never been worse against U\W, Craterhoof Behemoth spells a victory if you manage to catch your Control opponent counterspell-lacking. Conflagrate has more utility (but you don't really need it there) and requires a setup, making it somewhat slower. It may be relevant in a Thopter Foundry world we're living in.
So it's over. Eye of Ugin is gone and apocalypse is finally over. I feel like Gideon fromNear-Death Experience card after all this Eldrazi nonsence.
Maybe all that plan with ruining Modern was a flavor thing to show us what it felt like in Battle for Zendikar?
I feel like former is not a problem for a deck that has a fast and reliable access to 4 copies of Ancient Grudge. Time will tell us what shell can play Thopter Foundry the best but I think it won't be an issue for Squee Loam.
Ancestral Vision, on the other hand, doesn't look like a beatable one. CA is huge, but I am more concerned about overall resurgence in the Blue part of metagame. Whether it's a constant change or FOTM is to be determined, but it doesn't look like a good thing to me anyways:
Blue decks run counters. Counters are generally good against a deck that wants to end its games with an tricky Fireball. They also hose Zombie Infestation, which is an important piece of our puzzle.
Depending on their build, U\x Control shell can find a lot of tools to deal with us. From a constant supply of mass removal like Electrolyze or Anger of the Gods and a strong hoser Blood Moon from U\R down to Path to Exile and Rest in Peace in U\W. Not to mention their card selection that makes sure they see their hate cards.
While U\X has been far from unbeatable for me before, I think things are going to change and we should probably employ more resource-denial strategies. More than one Raven's Crime maindeck to start things off, for example.
Blue is also (probably) going to push Jund and aggro decks like Infect behind in their meta shares, which affects our good MUs directly. Decks that are soft to GQ like Tron or Eldrazi are pushed aback aswell. Though Affinity as primary target is not leaving thanks to how strong it is regardless of your meta and it's good for Loam.
Altogether I think new Modern meta will be healthy for format - if you like Control mirrors - and not really that accomodating for Squee Loam. But then again, I'm not a prophet - just making my point of view.
I'm confident in my current Loam 75. My attention right now is on post-ban Eldrazi brewing, but I'll be in touch.
this is right, the only weaknesses of EE. You can put one of the 2 Lands that can bring back an artifact in your Board. I dont Need that, i have 8 draw spells in my deck. EE is so flexible, i wont Miss it. But i Play my deck different To this typical loam Decks. This Decks i think are To Slow Then you dont have zombieinfestication in Hand. One Opponent Said To my deck it is a Little bit like Splinter twin. Kill the Opponent in Turn 4:)
I don't quite understand how it's supposed to be even faster. Mind sharing your list?
How do we beat a scavenging ooze? all our removal is dark blast and conflagerate, dont we need a more straight-forward way of killing it?
Main deck/board some hard removal. Abrupt decay, Lightning Axe etc. are all good measures. Also Conflagrate+RRR as mentioned. It is possible to catch it with double Darkblast, but that' just theory.
It's not an easy way to pull off all these and Ooze generally means we're about to lose. There should be a way to hose us anyway.
You have to draw it, you have to pay mana to use it and you can't pitch non-lands for it and those you have in spades. Vortex is out of my personal agenda at the moment.
You can go very hard that road and shell out Narcomoeba, Bridge from Below, etc. etc. Believe me, it's not that good. Fireball + Face is still stronger.
1. How many basics are you all running? I've got 2 Swamps and a Forest, but sometimes I think a basic Mountain would be a good idea to make certain that Path to Exile gets me something, and as a painless but fetchable second red source for Conflagrate flashback. Not sure if it's worth cutting a Ghost Quarter for it.
2. Is instant speed removal necessary now that Twin isn't a deck anymore? I run 2 Terminates out of the side, and was thinking about replacing them with Dreadbore, or perhaps even Maelstrom Pulse. Pharaoh and blockers and Conflagrate do a good job of taking care of most creatures, and I wonder if the extra flexibility of either Dreadbore or Maelstrom Pulse would be worthwhile out of the board. I've lost to Ugin out of Tron and Kytheon out of White Humans before, and if the instant speed part of Terminate is no longer necessary for killing Deceiver Exarch, maybe these sorcery speed options are better.
3. And just a note: seems like the flex slots of the deck are splintering into a few directions. Some people are on the combo plan with Squee and Conflagrate, others on the Unburial Rites / fatty plan, others on the value plan with Lingering Souls. Is anyone else still on the heavy resource-denial plan with Smallpox and Raven's Crime?
1 - I run 1 each basic as I mentioned, mostly because of PtE, also access to painless colors and colors out of my Ghost Quarter. I also lost numerous times to Blood Moon.
2 - Regarding Instant VS Sorcery overall - I don't really think there is a big difference, really. Abrupt Decay is bad positioned both thanks to "Can't be countered" and ">=3CMC" relevancy clauses on it, and you are right - without Twin there isn't much to be killed instant speed besides Melira Company/ Kiki Chord shenanigans.
Regarding actually playing normal removal in our deck - debatable. I'm not comfortable with it for reasons I probably stated quite some times - it's hard to draw them. PWs are not a real problem for a deck with Conflagrate, unless it's t3 Karn Liberated or something you can't prepare for in advance.
If it floats your boat, Maelstrom Pulse is certainly better than Dreadbore, as much as Abrupt Decay. I'd play some of BG spells if I'd have the issue.
Scavenging Ooze is my personal problem, not PWs, that's my excuse for Lightning Axe. Against this certain card, Instant speed is relevant.
3 - If we flash-back into ancient days, before Eldrazi Winter, in waning ages where Twin departed and Infect-Affinity-Tron-Burn were Decks To Beat (that's what I use to predict post-ban, given the fact nothing besides Eldrazi bans is confirmed), we will see that meta is fast, not grindy. Right now with Eldrazi it's even faster; it's not a resource game but a game of speed in Modern. Hence the lack of opportunity for resource denial plan to shine and that's why IMO it's not as popular.
This is fantastic. Congratulations to all of you who have placed well and put this deck on the map.
I played a bit of Loam Assault about a year ago, and I clicked on this thread because I'm looking to build a B deck (I'm a CoCo player at heart), And this deck has surpassed my expectations.
1. Couple questions- I know it's all guesswork, but how well do you expect this deck to do post SoI?
2. I actually own the majority of this deck already, but I really don't want to shel out the cash for Bloodghasts- is there a budget option, or are they integral?
3 For the burn matchup, I know someone above suggested Leyline of Sanctity, and if you have W for Souls, a Kor-Firewalker might do the trick. When I was playing a drudge variant in Standard a while back, I used Dragon's Claw. Not a great answer, but it's colorless.
Welcome aboard.
1 - viability depends a lot on opposing Graveyard hate and less so on popularity of our good matchups - Affinity and grindy decks in particular. I expect GY problem to rise for some time, and then it should cyclingly drop again like it always does, unless hardcore GY decks like Shoalbrand or Living End retain their positions. Putting deck on the map actually hurts it - people are ready to play against what used to be "Rogue One" status deck and are ready to pack hate in their SB.
2 - Bloodghast is one of the best cards in our deck. I would strongly advise against dropping them for budget concerns. They are singlehandedly winning certain matchups and it's basically never dead card.
3 - Find a way to reliably draw both Firewalker and set up WW for it and I will give you a medal for your efforts. Dragon's Claw is on the same "try to draw me" boat.
Burn is a tricky opponent, and besides a nut draw and Golgari Brownscale or Gnaw to the Bone there aren't much options.
Ghoulsteed boasts an impressive - although not evasive - stat line and arguably mediocre cost. It looks better that the most we've seen so far, although I can't quite catch it's purpose?
Spend 2B to pitch 2 cards and get a 4/4?
Sounds good, but often you want to pitch more than 2 cards and that body is not exactly scary. Dodges Bolt, punches, but that's kinda it.
Setup for it is kinda hard early an I want to do different things later in the game. Not exactly sure if this thing is worth it.
@Smallpox
Card's positioning in the meta aside, my biggest concern is that you have to have 3 lands in your opener to make it good. My average starting hand is 6 cards already and it's only getting worse with Smallpox. Just with 2 lands I can cast any spell I need in my deck - but not the BB sorcery. That's probably #1 thing that's holding me back.
#2 is simply the fact it's another card I need to draw and not dredge into. While buffing up some special plays it reduces the consistency of your dredges, which is not a really good thing.
It's certainly playable if you are a fan, have proper fetches and play against decks that soft to pox on daily basis. I don't fit any of those 3 so I'm passing.
@Phenaxe summed it pretty much right. I can only add that in my ~25 matches of testing 1 Rites 1 Elesh Norn I casted Rites 3 times and won only once after that. It should be a 2/2 if you want to make it working but then again - loss of focus hurts.
When you're looking for Rites, you want to dredge a lot, and with Squeeflagrate you want to dredge for value once you have Conflagrate...etc.etc.
I wonder how much more innovation I'm going to kill by argumenting "it's not good enough"...
1U, Discard two cards: Return Stitchwing Skaab from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped.
"Amazing, isn't it, how scraps can come together to create such a wonder?"
-Stitcher Geralf
3/1
And by adorable I mean effing horrifying, naturally.
I am torn now, this thing costs 2 and a card less than masterpiece, can't die when we inflate our hand for Conflag, but doesn't have as much reach as the flying armball.
I'm nobody to give a verdict, but 3/1 is dead to anything. Using both Masterpiece and Stitcher requires a bit more setup - having cards, having mana, having it in your Gy - than just slamming Zombie Infestation, and Masterpiece looks better in that role. It's a stronger payoff card and makes your life a little less colored manaintensive.
If I am to pay a ton of mana just for dumping my hand, it's better for a 7/7 flyer to wait for me at the other side of this trade.
@Prized Amalgam
This guy is going to haunt some kitchen tables, that's for sure. Obvious synergy with Bloodghast though is not enough for me to justify its inclusion. Maybe another time, if Masterpiece gets my attention.
@The Awesome Frog Legendary
While flowing with value and is 100 times more awesome with fetches, without recursion and for five mana I'd better be off with him in Commander or Standard.
@pimping decks
While IMO Expeditions, Foil Jaces etc. are pretty much unessesary bling and show-off, I am a firm believer there is some kind of special ting in appropriate basics. Lucky charm, feng-shui, karma, neuro-programming - you name it.
Trio of simple foils - M13 Mountain, Old INN Swamp and a Tenth Edition Forest - are waiting until I get a paper copy of the deck. They aren't fancy or something, but I own them for God knows how long and we've been through an awful lot together. I guess it all that takes to have a lucky charm.
I'm not sold on Drownyard Temple. It's basically retuning Bloosghasts instant speed and that's it. And Bloodghast is not a card that wants additional support in a deck with fetch lands and Life from the Loam. Way too mana hungry on its own and ramping 1 colorless doesn't do much in a colored mana hungry deck. Also that's why you should hardly cut a fetch for it.
Much like Eastvale Abbey, it's a toy, not a tool. I'm not excited.
Our utility lands should be more specifically geared towards our needs, whether it's GQ land destruction, Vault Lifegain or Mutavault beatdowns. All those 3 things are important pieces in our gameplan and getting a (C) land on the battlefield isn't quite the same.
If it would to have "3: return to your hand" or even 2 cost for that ability, there would be some more applications as a mana sink and cards-in-hand fodder.
How can you hate probably the most rogue and unique competitve deck in Modern that doesn't really play unfair things or ridiculously fast? That doesn't cost 2000$ against your casual budget brew?
How can you hate a deck that basically folds to your sideboard cards?
I don't get it, really. A pleasure to play and a pleasure to beat.
Brain intensivity and complexity is a thing, tho. Zombie Loam plays totally different Magic, and it's not really easy to keep up. I do feel like I miss casting spells and creatures normally sometimes. You can also take a wrong line and realize you messed up only when game is over.
But this is a good Johnny deck, and I am a Johnny at my heart. Only Pauper can really make me feel better than playing Loam.
@phenaxe
Good job! Looking forward for footage and some more feedback on what you've felt thought etc.
I can't claim an easily hateable strategy to be Tier 1 or 2 unless it is truly powerful and fast. Affinity and Living End are prime examples of such - strong but fold to sideboards quite often. LE is not really a major player unless everybody around are Eldrazi like it used to be but it is quite fast, disruptive and is a combo deck, while Affinity is just
bustedpretty strong.Between all recurrable creatures and outlets we just can't create this level of consistency and speed. It will end up being something like Grixis or 4c Dredgevine and original Dredgevine isn't even good.
Maybe I just have negative look on Dredgevine and that's why I feel bad about all that Amalgam and Gravecrawler jazz. It is true "no Infestation" gameplan will benefit, but right now I can see neither slots nor payoffs to justify Blue and Gravecrawler.
If @Phenaxe is still not over it, I bet there is one person still doing it. From my PoV, in a world populated by fast aggro, Thopter Foundries and Abzan Company it's just that great.
61 cards with 22 lands and no Darkblast maindeck have surely caught my attention. While I'm not really questioning your Abrupt Decays and a ton of Lightning Axes - maybe t2 Tasigur, the Golden Fang, t2 Wall of Omens and t3 Blood Moon is your daily meal - but you've brought a good point to discuss : the strategical approach, control vs aggro.
My loyalties belong to The Red Zone - turning creatures sideways and Fireballs was my thing since I was 12, although I'm not shy of Mana Leak play - but we should put our preferences aside. I'm not advocating for an absolute Pro-Tour winning knowledge and context is always to be given, but my position is that you want to be the beatdown, not the control.
It comes down to the very beginning of it all - that article.
"Misassignment of role = game loss."
Bringing a knife to a gunfight is generally a bad idea. While you can stab the gunman if stars align, you'll certainly end up outgunned in a long-term relationship.
And that's what happens when you take a Control route with a 75(6)card deck named "Squee Loam".
It's not a simple knife - more of a Swiss Army one. You have a knife, a fork, a can opener, a portable gun and Brownscale topping on it - but it's still a knife. A beatdown deck.
Our strengths lie in straightforward versatility. Not that of a Lightning Bolt - a different one. The combination of consistent and fast beatdowns from Bloodghast and Zombie Infestation tokens, raw power and utility of Conflagrate, and a consistent, fast access to our sideboard cards and one\two-ofs while advancing our game state in all 3 directions by doing basically one thing - Dredging - is what puts us over the top. That's what we get by limiting our ability to play "normal" cards in a "normal" game of Magic.
By bringing those cards back and allowing them to dictate our gameplan once again, we make a step ahead by increasing our permission suite but take two steps behind by diminishing our proactive strategy and "proactive" versatility.
It's not always possible to be the beatdown. Sometimes you just have to clear the board with Conflagrate because that Melira, Sylvok Outcast been giving those cute winks to that Viscera Seer for quite awhile. Sometimes you just have to Raven's Crime them for a billion because they are Turns.dec with enough counterspells to counter spells of a person next to you. Sometimes you block with Squee or Pharaoh or Brownscale.
All those lines are possible,strong and probably even game-winning - but what's most important you are able to do these things without defering your game plan.
I'm not saying that Abrupt Decay is not relevant or strong enough to be played. It's completely the opposite - that card is strong enough to turn the table and clutch a game out of enemy's hands. It's so strong it carries matchups - thus really influencing such pivotal decision points as starting hand and Dredging. That's where a lot of deck's free losses already lie, and there is no need to make it weaker. And it's going to happen because it's very hard to evaluate how good this or that actually is and because Magic is a card game, y'know.
There are also such factors as actual card selection in the deck but math territory is not my major, and I'm getting long here. Just get your priorities straight and don't overevaluate things. Take the most profitable line and play that way.
Do what you're geared for. You're a knife. Monstrous, zombified, firebreathing 4-colored Swiss Army knife, powered by the most busted keyword ever printed.
Also all my points aren't quite true about Thoughtseize. Unlike Abrupt Decay, you want them in your starting hand or t2-3 and you don't care if you lose them later.
TL;DR Think twice over your non-graveyard cards and don't bring a knife to a gunfight = choose your game role cautiously.
Mana base is always open for Modern. You can use those lands elsewhere - from Jund to Living End to whatnot.
From my perspective, Dredge decks are always about dedication. It only gets better when you get better with it, and deck is dependant on metagame, not on it's own power level. It's pretty rogueish, strong, complex and rewarding, and there is always Affinity and Infect around to prey upon. If this kind of Magic is your beat, you should certainly buy it even if the weather outside is frightful.
Urborg is strong. I had a good move with it today, when my opponent played it t2, and I was able to triple Raven's Crime his 6-card opener out of the game. It's really strong with Smallpox and Crime, as you have no way to filter your mana akin to Graven Cairns, like Loam decks of old. Some people around here are a bit paranoid about their colors and Tomb of Yawgmoth can help you folks.
I also don't think Worm Harvest is worth it in a deck with 23-24 lands. Inevitability is great, but it's the lack of early and midgame consistent pressure that leads to losses in Modern, not the lack of winning mechanism. Way too often Harvest t5 will give you 3-4 tokens and that's not really enough to do the trick.
@Zulama
You'll probably feel that Jund Charm is underwhelming and 2 Darkblasts are not enough for where you want them. I moved from SB Gnaw to the Bone(meta call) and my favorite Lightning Axe is now Abrupt Decay. Abrupt hits more targets and is counterable, and my weather forecasts are yet to bring Delve creatures and Siege Rhinos to the fray. See you on Cockatrice.
Also a ponderous remark on Unburial Rites. While it's even worse than Conflagrate vs counterspells, I think we should not forget that 1 cast of Rites is more game-breaking. While Iona, Shield of Emeria has never been worse against U\W, Craterhoof Behemoth spells a victory if you manage to catch your Control opponent counterspell-lacking. Conflagrate has more utility (but you don't really need it there) and requires a setup, making it somewhat slower. It may be relevant in a Thopter Foundry world we're living in.
So it's over. Eye of Ugin is gone and apocalypse is finally over. I feel like Gideon fromNear-Death Experience card after all this Eldrazi nonsence.
Maybe all that plan with ruining Modern was a flavor thing to show us what it felt like in Battle for Zendikar?
Let's talk unbans - Sword of the Meek and Ancestral Vision.
I feel like former is not a problem for a deck that has a fast and reliable access to 4 copies of Ancient Grudge. Time will tell us what shell can play Thopter Foundry the best but I think it won't be an issue for Squee Loam.
Ancestral Vision, on the other hand, doesn't look like a beatable one. CA is huge, but I am more concerned about overall resurgence in the Blue part of metagame. Whether it's a constant change or FOTM is to be determined, but it doesn't look like a good thing to me anyways:
Blue decks run counters. Counters are generally good against a deck that wants to end its games with an tricky Fireball. They also hose Zombie Infestation, which is an important piece of our puzzle.
Depending on their build, U\x Control shell can find a lot of tools to deal with us. From a constant supply of mass removal like Electrolyze or Anger of the Gods and a strong hoser Blood Moon from U\R down to Path to Exile and Rest in Peace in U\W. Not to mention their card selection that makes sure they see their hate cards.
While U\X has been far from unbeatable for me before, I think things are going to change and we should probably employ more resource-denial strategies. More than one Raven's Crime maindeck to start things off, for example.
Blue is also (probably) going to push Jund and aggro decks like Infect behind in their meta shares, which affects our good MUs directly. Decks that are soft to GQ like Tron or Eldrazi are pushed aback aswell. Though Affinity as primary target is not leaving thanks to how strong it is regardless of your meta and it's good for Loam.
Altogether I think new Modern meta will be healthy for format - if you like Control mirrors - and not really that accomodating for Squee Loam. But then again, I'm not a prophet - just making my point of view.
I'm confident in my current Loam 75. My attention right now is on post-ban Eldrazi brewing, but I'll be in touch.
I don't quite understand how it's supposed to be even faster. Mind sharing your list?
Main deck/board some hard removal. Abrupt decay, Lightning Axe etc. are all good measures. Also Conflagrate+RRR as mentioned. It is possible to catch it with double Darkblast, but that' just theory.
It's not an easy way to pull off all these and Ooze generally means we're about to lose. There should be a way to hose us anyway.
You have to draw it, you have to pay mana to use it and you can't pitch non-lands for it and those you have in spades. Vortex is out of my personal agenda at the moment.
You can go very hard that road and shell out Narcomoeba, Bridge from Below, etc. etc. Believe me, it's not that good. Fireball + Face is still stronger.
1 - I run 1 each basic as I mentioned, mostly because of PtE, also access to painless colors and colors out of my Ghost Quarter. I also lost numerous times to Blood Moon.
2 - Regarding Instant VS Sorcery overall - I don't really think there is a big difference, really. Abrupt Decay is bad positioned both thanks to "Can't be countered" and ">=3CMC" relevancy clauses on it, and you are right - without Twin there isn't much to be killed instant speed besides Melira Company/ Kiki Chord shenanigans.
Regarding actually playing normal removal in our deck - debatable. I'm not comfortable with it for reasons I probably stated quite some times - it's hard to draw them. PWs are not a real problem for a deck with Conflagrate, unless it's t3 Karn Liberated or something you can't prepare for in advance.
If it floats your boat, Maelstrom Pulse is certainly better than Dreadbore, as much as Abrupt Decay. I'd play some of BG spells if I'd have the issue.
Scavenging Ooze is my personal problem, not PWs, that's my excuse for Lightning Axe. Against this certain card, Instant speed is relevant.
3 - If we flash-back into ancient days, before Eldrazi Winter, in waning ages where Twin departed and Infect-Affinity-Tron-Burn were Decks To Beat (that's what I use to predict post-ban, given the fact nothing besides Eldrazi bans is confirmed), we will see that meta is fast, not grindy. Right now with Eldrazi it's even faster; it's not a resource game but a game of speed in Modern. Hence the lack of opportunity for resource denial plan to shine and that's why IMO it's not as popular.
Welcome aboard.
1 - viability depends a lot on opposing Graveyard hate and less so on popularity of our good matchups - Affinity and grindy decks in particular. I expect GY problem to rise for some time, and then it should cyclingly drop again like it always does, unless hardcore GY decks like Shoalbrand or Living End retain their positions. Putting deck on the map actually hurts it - people are ready to play against what used to be "Rogue One" status deck and are ready to pack hate in their SB.
2 - Bloodghast is one of the best cards in our deck. I would strongly advise against dropping them for budget concerns. They are singlehandedly winning certain matchups and it's basically never dead card.
3 - Find a way to reliably draw both Firewalker and set up WW for it and I will give you a medal for your efforts. Dragon's Claw is on the same "try to draw me" boat.
Burn is a tricky opponent, and besides a nut draw and Golgari Brownscale or Gnaw to the Bone there aren't much options.
Highly debatable. Exactly for the reason you stated.
Spend 2B to pitch 2 cards and get a 4/4?
Sounds good, but often you want to pitch more than 2 cards and that body is not exactly scary. Dodges Bolt, punches, but that's kinda it.
Setup for it is kinda hard early an I want to do different things later in the game. Not exactly sure if this thing is worth it.
Card's positioning in the meta aside, my biggest concern is that you have to have 3 lands in your opener to make it good. My average starting hand is 6 cards already and it's only getting worse with Smallpox. Just with 2 lands I can cast any spell I need in my deck - but not the BB sorcery. That's probably #1 thing that's holding me back.
#2 is simply the fact it's another card I need to draw and not dredge into. While buffing up some special plays it reduces the consistency of your dredges, which is not a really good thing.
It's certainly playable if you are a fan, have proper fetches and play against decks that soft to pox on daily basis. I don't fit any of those 3 so I'm passing.
@Unburial Rites
@Phenaxe summed it pretty much right. I can only add that in my ~25 matches of testing 1 Rites 1 Elesh Norn I casted Rites 3 times and won only once after that. It should be a 2/2 if you want to make it working but then again - loss of focus hurts.
When you're looking for Rites, you want to dredge a lot, and with Squeeflagrate you want to dredge for value once you have Conflagrate...etc.etc.
I wonder how much more innovation I'm going to kill by argumenting "it's not good enough"...
I'm nobody to give a verdict, but 3/1 is dead to anything. Using both Masterpiece and Stitcher requires a bit more setup - having cards, having mana, having it in your Gy - than just slamming Zombie Infestation, and Masterpiece looks better in that role. It's a stronger payoff card and makes your life a little less colored manaintensive.
If I am to pay a ton of mana just for dumping my hand, it's better for a 7/7 flyer to wait for me at the other side of this trade.
This guy is going to haunt some kitchen tables, that's for sure. Obvious synergy with Bloodghast though is not enough for me to justify its inclusion. Maybe another time, if Masterpiece gets my attention.
@The Awesome Frog Legendary
While flowing with value and is 100 times more awesome with fetches, without recursion and for five mana I'd better be off with him in Commander or Standard.
@pimping decks
While IMO Expeditions, Foil Jaces etc. are pretty much unessesary bling and show-off, I am a firm believer there is some kind of special ting in appropriate basics. Lucky charm, feng-shui, karma, neuro-programming - you name it.
Trio of simple foils - M13 Mountain, Old INN Swamp and a Tenth Edition Forest - are waiting until I get a paper copy of the deck. They aren't fancy or something, but I own them for God knows how long and we've been through an awful lot together. I guess it all that takes to have a lucky charm.
Much like Eastvale Abbey, it's a toy, not a tool. I'm not excited.
Our utility lands should be more specifically geared towards our needs, whether it's GQ land destruction, Vault Lifegain or Mutavault beatdowns. All those 3 things are important pieces in our gameplan and getting a (C) land on the battlefield isn't quite the same.
If it would to have "3: return to your hand" or even 2 cost for that ability, there would be some more applications as a mana sink and cards-in-hand fodder.
How can you hate a deck that basically folds to your sideboard cards?
I don't get it, really. A pleasure to play and a pleasure to beat.
Brain intensivity and complexity is a thing, tho. Zombie Loam plays totally different Magic, and it's not really easy to keep up. I do feel like I miss casting spells and creatures normally sometimes. You can also take a wrong line and realize you messed up only when game is over.
But this is a good Johnny deck, and I am a Johnny at my heart. Only Pauper can really make me feel better than playing Loam.
@phenaxe
Good job! Looking forward for footage and some more feedback on what you've felt thought etc.