tidehollow sculler being a 2/2 can be quite relevant. It can trade with a lot more creatures than a brain maggot can. Ex: goblin guide. Now I know the purpose of the 'sculler isn't to trade but after you've processed the exiled spell you're left with a far better body on the 'field with 'sculler compared to the maggot.
Do you rely on it for fixing? Seems like you have a lot of B/W sources and it may be unnecessary. I don't know though; never played with it. Just looks strange as a one-of.
I went 3-1 too, not sure the size of the field but >30.
R1 Seb on Naya Burn 2-1
Seb's first time playing burn.
G1 Seb mulled to 6 can kept a land heavy hand. Some swiftspears came down along with lave spikes, swiftspear got pathed. Dropped a strangler and processed a suspended rift bolt.
G2 4 eidolons in row meant removal was gonna cost me a lot of life. Dropped a TKS and smasher. Was already at 2 life at this stage. All I could do was sit there against the 2 remaining eidolons. He eventually drew some burn, swung in with the eidolons which I was forced to block and burned me.
G3 Removal with 2 smashers is good.
1-0
R2 Auric on RG ponza
I hadn't faced ponza in a while so my SB had been adjusted accordingly which meant my crucible of worlds and sacred ground had been taken out.
G1 He's on the play, T3 blood moon. I've got no access to basics/colourless mana.
G2 T1 thoughtseize a Baloth, T2 thoughtseize a thrun, he's still got an inferno titan in hand. T3 draw and play a souls. Grind it out a bit, disenchant a utopia sprawl as was trying to beat down fast. He drops titan, wipes be spirits. Plays another baloth. Bolts and pings my TKS with titan attack triggers.
1-1
R3 Jerry on Jund
Games were long and I don't remember specifics.
G1 I win with souls I think
G2 He wins with scooze and raging ravine at 3 life.
G3 Smash face with smashers and souls.
MD eternal scourge was nice for this match up. Allows chump blocks if you have a relic of progenitus out till you draw into something more substantial. I like scourge for grindy games. Lost of spot removal is nice. Ooze can be a problem if you don't have relic or it's gone to late game and opp. has lots of green mana. My opp was very confused by my deck having never seen it before.
2-1
Kev on BUG ponza
yay more blood mooons. . .
G1 lose to blood moon.
G2 he's got bolts, snaps, blood moons, stone rains but I manage to ekk out a win at 3 life with TKS and soul beats.
G3 I have multiple paths, a scourge some nonbasics and a plains in hand. Don't play the plains till T5 skipping my T4 land drop which was the right play since he stone rains the turn before I play the plains. I drop scourge, path it when he drops a blood moon and grab a wastes allowing me play my colourless eldrazi and just beat down from there.
This match up although it packs a lot of more powerful cards seems easier than the GR versions as it's a lot slower. That being said you can just get hosed by a T3 blood moon. Silly card.
Final: 3-1
Ah yes, night of souls' betrayal is defo a non-bo with lingering souls. ZP is great, I play it in the SB of my Eldrazi and Taxes list. I overlooked it when I built my SB but I'll probably stick it back. I like that smashers survives a languish. This is all great info, thank you.
Tried out this deck last night at a small-ish 4 round tourney. Went 3-1, beat burn, BUG goodstuff and bant eldrazi. Lost to elves. My question is how to beat elves? Any strategic help would be appreciated. Is it correct to T1 path their mana dork? This just seems like it ramps them. Should I be saving the path for something like elvish archdruid or heritage druid ? Any sideboard tips would be appreciated too (I know my sb is a bit wonky but there's a few RG ponza decks in my meta hence the sacred ground and crucible). Off-colour fetches are suboptimal but what I had on hand.
Am I missing something? They have kiki in play, it's your end step, they flash in resto and make a million angels. They all enter tapped. you gain a million life. Now it's their turn. Untap all the angels and swing for 3 mil.
edit: I am missing something. Kiki enters tapped. Opps.
Stops Kiki-chord combo
Slows some aggressive decks down and gains life.
1 mana makes it early and easy to cast
One-sided
Not legendary
Hurts opponent lingering souls a bit
It might be better for soul sisters but still an exciting card!
Doesn't quite stop Kiki-chord as they can kiki-resto in the end step. It does slow them down however
I was thinking vs zoo or jund it would be good. Can be hard to deal with for those decks. Gains life and presents a threat. What did you replace it with?
Round 1 – Zoo
Not sure on the list exactly, saw knight of the reliquary and Wild Nacatl
Game 1 timely reinforcements mitigated about 14 damage, very powerful card. He got me down to 4 life but I had Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite and iona, shield of emeria in hand with mana to cast them both.
In: 3x timelys,
Out: can’t remember exactly. Probably Iona and a few remands.
Game 2 again timely reinforcements was great. Mitigating a lot of damage. Again brought to 4, Droppped an ugin, the spirit dragon, wiped the board bolted him with ugin and swung in with colonnade beats for the win.
Result 1-0
Round 2 Mono U tron,
Mono u tron was my 1st modern deck. This guys too as he was fairly new to the format.
Game 1 Early Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite, win with Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite beats.
In: terastodon, Tormod's Crypt
Game 2 reanimate terastodon blowing up some tron lands. He gets me down to 2 with elephants beats after rifting my elephant. Can fly over with colonnade for the last 4 damage for the win.
Result 2-0
Round 3 Affinity
This seems like a great MU for UW tron.
Game 1 turn 2 signet, turn 3 gifts, turn 4 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite. GG
In: 2x pithing needle (stops cranial plating and inkmoth nexus), disenchant
Out: Iona, 2 remands
Game 2
Pithing needle naming plating, he pops it with a grudge few more spells that I can’t remember back and forth. My misplay was pathing a creature he had when I had a wrath in hand. He had an inkmoth on the board. He activates inkmoth swings for 11 with it.
Game 3
He overcommits by barfing his hand full of signal pests, Master of Etherium and other creatures. I T4 wrath. He can’t come back.
Result 3-0
Round 4 BW eldrazi hatebears (eldrazi and taxes)
Game 1
He plays Leonin Arbiter, Æther vial drops some thought-knot seers and reality smashers. I can’t stop the beat down
In: I feel like this is an agro deck so I slip in 3 timelys 2 needles for the vials.
Out: iona, not sure what else
Game 2
He plays vial I needle it. He swings in for some beats. I drop a timely. Then reanimate Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite. Swing in for lots.
Game 3
This was a close game. I had wraths for his two reality smashers. Both of us playing TKS. He managed to draw his 3rd smasher and takes the victory.
Result: 3-1
Round 5
Intentional draw to top 8
Result: 3-1-1
Top 8
Round 1 Junk
Game 1 he cast lingering souls a total of 5 times. I got flooded. Couldn’t stop the spooky beats.
Game 2 Again I get flooded. He drops a goyf and then another one. I feel like I have to gifts for the wrath package. This was his intention as after I wrath he’s able to create a strong board presence. Harsh beats ensue. I thought this opponent played very well. He sided out his paths so if I dropped an Iona he wouldn't have any dead cards.
Finish 5/8
The junk MU I found difficult. I’m wondering if thopter combo might be a wincon vs this deck. I’d been playing with it in for a while but took it out as I found it I was never gifting for it. I always had a better option. Maybe worth the two slots in the SB vs Junk. I'm not sure 'slaver is worth it here. We sometimes have trouble getting Tron online so the ruins + 12 mana + 'slaver lock can be quite difficult to achieve. Altho' it might be worthwhile in a longer, grinder MU where it's possible to get enough mana. This deck is a blast to play, versatile and powerful even if some people consider it to be the worst tron deck and the worst gifts deck. I think batterskull should replace the wurm as it doges paths. I also want to throw in a crucible of worlds but they're quite expensive.
B/R got absolutely annihilated by dredge. Dredge got a fairly nuts hand game two it has to be said.
Do you rely on it for fixing? Seems like you have a lot of B/W sources and it may be unnecessary. I don't know though; never played with it. Just looks strange as a one-of.
2x Polluted delta
4x Caves of Koilos
4x Eldrazi Temple
1x Flooded Strand
2x Ghost Quarter
2x Godless Shrine
1x seagate's wreckage
1x Plains
2x Shambling Vent
2x Swamp
1x Vault of the Archangel
1x Wastes
planeswalker
1x Sorin, Solemn Visitor
4x Relic of Progenitus
2x Mind Stone
spells
1x collective brutality
2x Thoughtseize
2x Inquisition of Kozilek
4x Lingering Souls
removal
4x Path to Exile
1x Go for the Throat
creatures
3x Matter Reshaper
4x Reality Smasher
4x Thought-Knot Seer
3x Wasteland Strangler
2x eternal scourge
1x ratchet bomb
1x disenchant
1x zealous persecution
1x declaration in stone
1x Pithing Needle
1x Rest in Peace
1x languish
2x Stony Silence
1x Surgical Extraction
2x Blessed alliance
1x celestial purge
2x warping wail
I went 3-1 too, not sure the size of the field but >30.
R1 Seb on Naya Burn 2-1
Seb's first time playing burn.
G1 Seb mulled to 6 can kept a land heavy hand. Some swiftspears came down along with lave spikes, swiftspear got pathed. Dropped a strangler and processed a suspended rift bolt.
G2 4 eidolons in row meant removal was gonna cost me a lot of life. Dropped a TKS and smasher. Was already at 2 life at this stage. All I could do was sit there against the 2 remaining eidolons. He eventually drew some burn, swung in with the eidolons which I was forced to block and burned me.
G3 Removal with 2 smashers is good.
1-0
R2 Auric on RG ponza
I hadn't faced ponza in a while so my SB had been adjusted accordingly which meant my crucible of worlds and sacred ground had been taken out.
G1 He's on the play, T3 blood moon. I've got no access to basics/colourless mana.
G2 T1 thoughtseize a Baloth, T2 thoughtseize a thrun, he's still got an inferno titan in hand. T3 draw and play a souls. Grind it out a bit, disenchant a utopia sprawl as was trying to beat down fast. He drops titan, wipes be spirits. Plays another baloth. Bolts and pings my TKS with titan attack triggers.
1-1
R3 Jerry on Jund
Games were long and I don't remember specifics.
G1 I win with souls I think
G2 He wins with scooze and raging ravine at 3 life.
G3 Smash face with smashers and souls.
MD eternal scourge was nice for this match up. Allows chump blocks if you have a relic of progenitus out till you draw into something more substantial. I like scourge for grindy games. Lost of spot removal is nice. Ooze can be a problem if you don't have relic or it's gone to late game and opp. has lots of green mana. My opp was very confused by my deck having never seen it before.
2-1
Kev on BUG ponza
yay more blood mooons. . .
G1 lose to blood moon.
G2 he's got bolts, snaps, blood moons, stone rains but I manage to ekk out a win at 3 life with TKS and soul beats.
G3 I have multiple paths, a scourge some nonbasics and a plains in hand. Don't play the plains till T5 skipping my T4 land drop which was the right play since he stone rains the turn before I play the plains. I drop scourge, path it when he drops a blood moon and grab a wastes allowing me play my colourless eldrazi and just beat down from there.
This match up although it packs a lot of more powerful cards seems easier than the GR versions as it's a lot slower. That being said you can just get hosed by a T3 blood moon. Silly card.
Final: 3-1
2x Bloodstained Mire
4x Caves of Koilos
4x Eldrazi Temple
1x Flooded Strand
2x Ghost Quarter
3x Godless Shrine
1x Plains
2x Shambling Vent
2x Swamp
1x Vault of the Archangel
1x Wastes
1x Sorin, Solemn Visitor
artifacts
4x Relic of Progenitus
2x Mind Stone
spells
3x Thoughtseize
2x Inquisition of Kozilek
4x Lingering Souls
removal
4x Path to Exile
1x Go for the Throat
creatures
4x Matter Reshaper
4x Reality Smasher
4x Thought-Knot Seer
4x Wasteland Strangler
1x Crucible of Worlds
1x Damnation
1x Distended Mindbender
2x Pithing Needle
2x Rest in Peace
1x Sacred Ground
2x Stony Silence
1x Surgical Extraction
2x Timely Reinforcements
2x celestial purge
Hi folks,
Tried out this deck last night at a small-ish 4 round tourney. Went 3-1, beat burn, BUG goodstuff and bant eldrazi. Lost to elves. My question is how to beat elves? Any strategic help would be appreciated. Is it correct to T1 path their mana dork? This just seems like it ramps them. Should I be saving the path for something like elvish archdruid or heritage druid ? Any sideboard tips would be appreciated too (I know my sb is a bit wonky but there's a few RG ponza decks in my meta hence the sacred ground and crucible). Off-colour fetches are suboptimal but what I had on hand.
Thanks,
DT
edit: I am missing something. Kiki enters tapped. Opps.
Doesn't quite stop Kiki-chord as they can kiki-resto in the end step. It does slow them down however
1x Academy Ruins
1x haven of the spirit dragon
3x Celestial Colonnade
2x Flooded Strand
1x Ghost Quarter
2x Hallowed Fountain
1x Island
1x Plains
1x Seachrome Coast
1x Snow-Covered Island
3x Urza's Mine
3x Urza's Power Plant
4x Urza's Tower
Instant (18)
1x condescend
4x Gifts Ungiven
4x Path to Exile
4x Remand
1x negate
4x Thirst for Knowledge
1x Day of Judgment
1x Supreme Verdict
1x Timely Reinforcements
1x Unburial Rites
1x Wrath of God
Artifact (7)
4x Azorius Signet
2x Expedition Map
1x Mindslaver
Creature (5)
1x Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1x Iona, Shield of Emeria
1x Snapcaster Mage
1x thought-knot seer
1x wurmcoil engine
Planeswalker (1)
1x Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
2x Celestial Purge
1x Disenchant
1x Dispel
1x Negate
2x Pithing Needle
1x Relic of Progenitus
1x Rule of Law
3x Timely Reinforcements
1x terastodon
1x faith's fetters
1x tormod's crypt
Round 1 – Zoo
Not sure on the list exactly, saw knight of the reliquary and Wild Nacatl
Game 1
timely reinforcements mitigated about 14 damage, very powerful card. He got me down to 4 life but I had Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite and iona, shield of emeria in hand with mana to cast them both.
In: 3x timelys,
Out: can’t remember exactly. Probably Iona and a few remands.
Game 2 again timely reinforcements was great. Mitigating a lot of damage. Again brought to 4, Droppped an ugin, the spirit dragon, wiped the board bolted him with ugin and swung in with colonnade beats for the win.
Result 1-0
Round 2 Mono U tron,
Mono u tron was my 1st modern deck. This guys too as he was fairly new to the format.
Game 1 Early Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite, win with Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite beats.
In: terastodon, Tormod's Crypt
Game 2 reanimate terastodon blowing up some tron lands. He gets me down to 2 with elephants beats after rifting my elephant. Can fly over with colonnade for the last 4 damage for the win.
Result 2-0
Round 3 Affinity
This seems like a great MU for UW tron.
Game 1 turn 2 signet, turn 3 gifts, turn 4 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite. GG
In: 2x pithing needle (stops cranial plating and inkmoth nexus), disenchant
Out: Iona, 2 remands
Game 2
Pithing needle naming plating, he pops it with a grudge few more spells that I can’t remember back and forth. My misplay was pathing a creature he had when I had a wrath in hand. He had an inkmoth on the board. He activates inkmoth swings for 11 with it.
Game 3
He overcommits by barfing his hand full of signal pests, Master of Etherium and other creatures. I T4 wrath. He can’t come back.
Result 3-0
Round 4 BW eldrazi hatebears (eldrazi and taxes)
Game 1
He plays Leonin Arbiter, Æther vial drops some thought-knot seers and reality smashers. I can’t stop the beat down
In: I feel like this is an agro deck so I slip in 3 timelys 2 needles for the vials.
Out: iona, not sure what else
Game 2
He plays vial I needle it. He swings in for some beats. I drop a timely. Then reanimate Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite. Swing in for lots.
Game 3
This was a close game. I had wraths for his two reality smashers. Both of us playing TKS. He managed to draw his 3rd smasher and takes the victory.
Result: 3-1
Round 5
Intentional draw to top 8
Result: 3-1-1
Top 8
Round 1 Junk
Game 1 he cast lingering souls a total of 5 times. I got flooded. Couldn’t stop the spooky beats.
Game 2 Again I get flooded. He drops a goyf and then another one. I feel like I have to gifts for the wrath package. This was his intention as after I wrath he’s able to create a strong board presence. Harsh beats ensue. I thought this opponent played very well. He sided out his paths so if I dropped an Iona he wouldn't have any dead cards.
Finish 5/8
The junk MU I found difficult. I’m wondering if thopter combo might be a wincon vs this deck. I’d been playing with it in for a while but took it out as I found it I was never gifting for it. I always had a better option. Maybe worth the two slots in the SB vs Junk. I'm not sure 'slaver is worth it here. We sometimes have trouble getting Tron online so the ruins + 12 mana + 'slaver lock can be quite difficult to achieve. Altho' it might be worthwhile in a longer, grinder MU where it's possible to get enough mana. This deck is a blast to play, versatile and powerful even if some people consider it to be the worst tron deck and the worst gifts deck. I think batterskull should replace the wurm as it doges paths. I also want to throw in a crucible of worlds but they're quite expensive.