New Dredge and Legacy player here! I've got most of the usual Dredge lists for the past couple of months, except for, oh well, LEDs. It seems like that ship has sailed without me. Now, my goals with building Dredge were to pilot a difficult deck, to spend within a low budget, and have a deck to experience the format in the first place. It is, above all, a learning experience for me.
With that said, I also understand that I'm piloting a sub-optimal Dredge list, which may feel to more experienced players as a glimpse to the past pre-Faithless Looting era due to the lack of LEDs. Regardless, I'm looking for help to fine tune the deck within those unfortunate constrains.
What would be your approach to LEDless Dredge? I'm looking forward to your comments and advices.
Word of warning to other B/W Eldrazi Taxes players is that while RIP is a great card in the list, it does turn your Stranglers into a vanilla 3/2 for 3.
Are you certain of that? Every thread I've read on the subject said the opposite, but I haven't seen any official ruling.
I've seen a magic online video, probably Frank Lepore's Modern Monday, in which Strangler processes something and it goes back to exile immediately after resolution of ability. It means that Strangler has infinite fuel, not the opposite. Rulings are the best source to confirm or deny that, though. Does anyone know the correct rulings on this?
hi all ! I tested my E&T today agaisnt aura hexproof but loose all my games. I got a lot of useless cards main deck (strangler, PTE,...) But i got nothing in side. I'll buy 1 or 2 spellskite, but is there any other card against aura?
You have 4 maindeck hate cards called Flickerwisp! Flicker away their auras and repeat with Eldrazi Displacer. Post sideboard remove the Stranglers and trim Paths for discard and perhaps board in Zealous Persecutions to get their creatures before aura-pumping action. If they don't get any trample online, another time-saving strategy is blocking with any dude and blinking it with your Displacer.
I hope you find my comments helpful! Good luck!
EDIT just checked on greywyn's comment. Absolutely right, the aura's controller chooses how to attach it once it comes back. My bad!
I feel like Leyline of Sanctity is a double-edged sword. Sure, it is an all-star if it is in my opener in a relevant matchup, but I also understand the argument that if I don't see it in my opener and it happens to come by turn 4 or whatnot, it might as well be a Darksteel Relic because the "damage" is already done. With that thought in mind, I decided to test Mirran Crusader in my 2 slots to shore up most of the same decks (Naya Zoo, Burn and Jund mostly) either by presenting a pro colour creature or just a relevant double-striker that blocks well. It requires further testing to see if it can also help with outrunning non-interactive combo decks.
Anyways, I feel like running 3 Leylines can be a way out, but as I structure my sideboard, the current 2 slots are better served with Crusader. I also need to test if I really need 3 stony silences. Cutting to 2 can give room to 3 Leylines. It can also be the case that I'm being too afraid of mulligans and should risk going to 5 if I see only 2 relevant cards and 4 lands in a 6 cards hand. Lucky for me, a friend of mine has a stock Jund deck that I'll face regularly in kitchen table training.
Quick LGS tournament report. Unimpressive 2-2 last night with definitely a better sideboard for my meta.
Game 1: 2-0 vs Naya Zoo
Sorin MB was an all star. Another interesting card that I sided in all night was 2 copies of Mirran Crusader. Went for it as my go to extra card vs Naya, Burn and Jund. Sure, it is a lightning rod, but it is likely that Thalia, Guardian of Thraben or Leonin Arbiter will be targeted first.
Game 2: 0-2 vs Dredge
The worst about this matchup is that I lost to my own deck. Game 1 I mulligan to 6 and keep a hand with 4 lands, TKS and Sculler. Scry removes another land and yet I flood out. Dredge is a really quick deck with a lot of tools. My 2 creatures couldn't hold enough. I had the opposite going on for me on game 2. Kept a 7 cards hand with 2 lands, Thalia, Sculler and a world of 3 CMC creatures, including an amazing blocker for the matchup, Mirran Crusader. Legend says that the DnT player is still trying to find the 3rd land to this day.
Game 3: 0-2 vs Jund
I had similar unkeepable hands due to flood of lands with 7 cards and only 2 lands with 6 cards. Of course, in comes the Thoughtseizes and I miss again my 3rd land drop. My opponent played alone. I side in Auriok Champion, Rest in Peace and Mirran Crusader, 2 copies of each, and an extra Smasher. Out goes the 4 vials, 2 Scullers, 1 Wasteland Strangler. I mulligan to 6, keep a hand with Rest in Peace, Auriok Champion and lands. He thoughtseizes me on his turn 1 and takes my Auriok Champion. My rest in peace resolves the following turn and I'm already in Jund mode again. No luck topdecking. How am I supposed to make this matchup easier if my opponent discards my hate?
Game 4: 2-1 vs Naya Zoo
Much of the same matchup as the first. Sorin was an all star, Mirran Crusader was a more relevant blocker than, say, a Sculler, and stabilizing did the trick.
Overall, I highly recommend the package of 2 Auriok Champion + 2 Mirran Crusader. If in further testing I feel that the lack of pro red doesn't compensate the double strike, I'll mess around with Paladin En-Vec for a bit. Definitely more relevant than 2 Leylines, despite the aggressive Jund discard still being an issue. On another note, I feel like I was really unlucky in the games I missed my 3rd land drop, especially considering that I pack 23 lands. Should I keep a hand with only 3+ lands if I see no Vials? Are hands with only 2 lands unkeepable?
Thanks for the support! Any comments are appreciated.
I agree that Sorin can be great in WB. I ran him when I was still playing the Anafenza combo and Flip Lili in the deck (before I switched to Lingering Taxes). He's fantastic, but rough to cast, and is functionally similar to Vault.
Leyline is only good if in your opener. The likelihood of this with only 2 is small. Late game it can be okay, but not against Jund or Burn.
If you have it, try Auriok Champion in those slots instead. It has great game against both decks.
2Chalupacabra
Thanks for the insightful comments! Unfortunately I already run 2 copies of Auriok Champion in my sideboard and can't afford any more copies in my budget right now. It does wonders in the burn matchup and has some utility vs Grixis and BGx decks. My problem with Leyline of Sanctity, though, is that I'm looking for cards that shore up both the Burn and BGx matchups. Perhaps ticking Leyline to 3 by cutting a single Stony Silence could do the trick? Or maybe cutting the 3rd Stony Silence AND the Leylines to make room for other good stuff? What would you recommend? Much appreciated!
2mrPandarian
1 Sorin MB is, in fact, an experiment of mine. My meta is crowded with Naya Zoo or Naya Burn decks, and it feels like an ok card to MB. Much like a singleton Batterskull in UR Delver/Blue Moon shells, it is a good card to access some life gain and stabilize the game after some creatures hit the board. If I don't see it, probably won't miss it. If I can't cast it due to missing land drops, it is a single dead card in my hand. It should probably be replaced with a proper 3rd Smasher if I feel like it annoys me more than helps. TBH, it was able to provide HUGE life swings in the matches I've found it. Unfortunately, it was the kind of match life gain was not so relevant, like game 1 vs Nahiri Control. Still, by turn 4 even a 4/1 lifelinker Flickerwisp is relevant in an aggro matchup.
Now, for the 2 SB Leylines, I just want some game against Burn, discard effects (BGx decks and 8-rack) and the occasional combo that needs to target players to win. Grishoalbrand comes to mind, although vs Ad Nauseum it is a mistake considering Laboratory Maniac. It can also be sided in vs storm if I pair it with Zealous Persecutions, covering both Grapeshot and Empty the Warrens. It really shines when I can get it out of my hand before the game begins vs Jund and the like, as it blanks 2 to 3 cards in their hands. They usually pack MORE discard and MORE removal against me, and Lily's -2 is back breaking against my Smashers. Is there a better way to shore up at least Burn and BGx matchups? Is Fiendslayer Paladin a real card expecting Pyroclasm or Anger of the Gods type of effects out of our opponent's sideboard?
Thanks for the quick response, guys! Let's give it another go:
I'm currently playing a BW Eldrazi & Taxes deck (decklist below) and decided to bring it to GP São Paulo during the weekend. Here's a quick report of my 6-2 standing (10th place!) in the Saturday Power Modern tournament at the GP:
Infect: 2-0
Seriously easy matchup, although to be fair the opponent wasn't in a great beat. I controlled his hand and creatures on game 1. Game 2 forward 2 Thoughtseizes and 2 Zealous Persecutions bring additional removal and control. Out goes Reality Smashers, my single copy of Sorin, Solemn Visitor and another not-so-obvious choice, probably 1 Leonin Arbiter or an Æther Vial. What would you guys suggest? I guess in retrospect it could also be a land as my curve goes significantly lower.
Nahiri Boros Control: 2-1
Talking about bad matchups and good luck. It was a very odd list with Blood Moons, Chalice of the Voids and super friends helping Nahiri, the Harbinger mainboard. What was specially odd in my opponent's build was the lack of spells to cast until turn 4, except for the removals targeting my creatures and occasional board wipes, also mainboarded. He takes game 1 as I can't outpace a combination of Elspeth, Sun's Champion, Gideon Jura and Nahiri herself. Post sideboard I went for all 3 copies of Thoughtseizes and Reality Smashers, taking out my almost useless, save for the processor lock, Wasteland Stranglers. Game 2 Eldrazi Temples got my Thought-Knot Seers out of my hand by turn 2, as I've managed to discard 3 (yes, 3) Blood Moons before he could cast them due to his missing land drops. Other interesting plays throughout the match were flickering Chalice of the Void to reset its counters to 0, Nahiri, the Harbinger to reset her counters, as well as flickering Gideon Jura to attack at will his Nahiri and his life total (thanks, primer!). The combination of flicker effects and smashers secured the match.
Affinity: 2-1
I was able to Flickerwisp away game 1, as I reseted counters generated by the Steel Overseer and presented a profitable blocker 3 times, eventually drawing Wasteland Stranglers and Eldrazi Displacer. Sideboarding in 3 Stony Silences and 2 Zealous Persecutions as it potentially wipes my opponent's board. Now, what to sideboard out is way more tricky. Out goes Smashers and Sorin, although he's not particularly bad in this matchup if I ever get there. Probably sided out a single Vial and an Arbiter. Mirroring my Infect matchup, it could simply be land + anything. Game 2 was really close as he races me before I take full control. Game 3 I ended up drawing a combination of the Eldrazi Displacer, Flickerwisp and Wasteland Strangler lock for the late game and started with a combination of Tidehollow Sculler, Leonin Arbiter and Ghost Quarter early game, effectively controlling my opponent's hand and his coloured lands to avoid Blood Moons. Drawing Stony Silence by turn 3 was the beginning of the end as I secured the match.
Boros Burn: 1-2
Turns out stabilizing 3 Goblin Guides by turn 2 on the draw is a tough thing to do. Not much I could have done on game 1, except drawing Thalia, Guardian of Thraben or keeping a hand with her in the first place. Sideboarded in 2 copies of Leyline of Sanctity and 2 copies of Auriok Champion. Sideboarding out the Smashers was a no-brainer, but Sorin was still very interesting. Took out an Arbiter and a single Vial as I expected some for of enchantment/artifact removal. Game 2 I had a Champion and some form of hand control. It was enough for my opponent to scoop. Game 3 I kept a good hand under normal circumstances that wasn't enough without the hate. I should mulligan more aggressively in this matchup. I believe this loss also cost me the top 8, as my opponent proceeded on losing 3 consecutive games and dropping out of the tournament. Can't do much about that.
Infect: 2-0
Very similar match to the first one. Same strategy, same results. It's either a very tough matchup for them or I got super lucky in both matches.
Eldrazi Bant: 2-0
The trick here was getting out Scullers ASAP to steal my opponent's Thought-Knot Seer before he could cast it on his turn 2. He could path my Sculler on the following turn, but opted not to. I proceeded on playing my Though-Knot Seer and he chooses to path it in response. His exiled creature gets processed to kill a mana dork on my following turn and it gets really hard for him from there. I have no real sideboard plan against this deck. I just swapped the mainboard Sorin for an additional Smasher. Game 2 was grindy, and it felt like fighting for a stable Displacer was the key to the game on both sides. The Flickerwisp + Displacer + Strangler lock was wonderful late game, effectively processing 2 TKSs and killing a Smasher with double -3/-3 effects. It is very important not to blink the opponent's Drowner of Hope. If the opponent sees attacks with this bad boy, block it and blink your creature instead.
Grixis Delver: 2-1
Another tough combination to race is double Delver on turn 2 with a blind flip on the following turn. The big villain of this matchup, though, is Kolaghan's Command, as it easily 2-1 us. I sided in 2 Rest in Peace and 2 Zealous Persecutions, as it is decent vs Delver and Snappy. I could also side in Leyline but couldn't see enough bad cards to fit it in. Thoughtseize is also a very strong contender to side in. As you can imagine, sideboarding was chaotic to say the least. Game 2 my opponent mulligans to 5, draws amazingly and fights hard, but ended up losing. Game 3 his early Tasigur, the Golden Fang was fierce, but not very good against multiple TKSs and Flickerwisp effects. His counterspell package was out of place. Spell Pierce and Spell Snare were cute Darksteel Relics vs my hand of TKSs and 3 CMC creatures.
Jund: 0-2
I was in 5th place by the last round. I just wanted to ID soo bad and secure a top 8. My opponent, 7th place, disagreed. I was nervous, sideboarded wrong, kept poor hands and flooded out. On both games I ended up on topdeck jund mode very quickly and drew mostly lands. This is definitely a matchup I need to study more. Not necessarily to understand the opposing deck as I know how it plays out, but to understand my role and sequencing in the matchup. Sideboarding is tricky, as the only thing I'm sure of is boarding in Rest in Peaces, Leyline of Sanctity and my 3rd Smasher. Still, I'm very happy with the deck and the overall result, especially because this was my first GP and second time playing the deck in a competitive environment (the first one was a FNMish modern event on the night before, does it count?). Most importantly, it was also very challenging and fun.
I hope this poorly written report is useful to someone. Feel free to make comments and ask questions. Any help is much appreciated. Here is the decklist for reference:
I've recently posted my 6-2 finish at the Saturday Power Modern at GP São Paulo in the old thread. I've got a lot of comments and questions about sideboarding and gameplan, but no response from the community. Is it too rude to post it again here? I'm unfamiliar with magic forums do's and don'ts.
I'm currently playing a BW Eldrazi & Taxes deck (decklist below) and decided to bring it to GP São Paulo during the weekend. Here's a quick report of my 6-2 standing (10th place!) in the Saturday Power Modern tournament at the GP:
Infect: 2-0
Seriously easy matchup, although to be fair the opponent wasn't in a great beat. I controlled his hand and creatures on game 1. Game 2 forward Thoughtseizes and Zealous Persecutions bring additional removal and control. Out goes Reality Smashers, my single copy of Sorin, Solemn Visitor and another not-so-obvious choice, probably 1 Leonin Arbiter or an Æther Vial. What would you guys suggest? I guess in retrospect it could also be a land as my curve goes significantly lower.
Nahiri Boros Control: 2-1
Talking about bad matchups and good luck. It was a very odd list with Blood Moons, Chalice of the Voids and super friends helping Nahiri mainboard. What was specially odd in my opponent's build was the lack of spells to cast until turn 4, except for the removals targeting my creatures and occasional board wipes. He takes game 1 as I can't outpace a combination of Elspeth, Sun's Champion, Gideon Jura and Nahiri, the Harbinger herself. Post sideboard I went for all 3 copies of Thoughtseizes and Reality Smashers, taking out my almost useless, save for the processor lock, Wasteland Stranglers. Game 2 Eldrazi Temples got my Thought-Knot Seers out of my hand by turn 2, as I've managed to discard 3 (yes, 3) Blood Moons before he could cast them due to his missing land drops. Other interesting plays throughout the match were flickering Chalice of the Void to reset its counters to 0, Nahiri, the Harbinger to reset her counters, as well as flickering Gideon Jura to attack at will his Nahiri, the Harbinger and his life total. The combination of flicker effects and smashers secured the match.
Affinity: 2-1
I was able to Flickerwisp away game 1, as I reseted counters generated by the Overseer and presented a profitable blocker 3 times. Sideboarding in 3 Stony Silences and 2 Zealous Persecutions as it potentially wipes my opponent's board. Now, what to sideboard out is way more tricky. Out goes Smashers and Sorin, although he's not particularly bad in this matchup if I ever get there. Probably sided out a single vial and an Arbiter. Mirroring my Infect matchup, it could simply be land + anything. Game 2 was really close as he races me before I take full control. Game 3 I ended up drawing a combination of the Eldrazi Displacer, Flickerwisp and Wasteland Strangler lock for the late game and started with a combination of Tidehollow ScullerLeonin Arbiter and Ghost Quarter early game, effectively controlling my opponent's hand and his coloured lands to avoid Blood Moons. Drawing Stony Silence by turn 3 was the beginning of the end as I secured the match.
Boros Burn: 1-2
Turns out stabilizing 3 Goblin Guides by turn 2 on the draw is a tough thing to do. Not much I could have done on game 1, except drawing Thalia, Guardian of Thraben or keeping a hand with her in the first place. Sideboarded in 2 copies of Leyline of Sanctity and 2 copies of Auriok Champion. Sideboarding out the Smashers was a no-brainer, but Sorin was still very interesting. Took out an Arbiter and a single Vial as I expected some for of enchantment/artifact removal. Game 2 I had a Champion and some form of hand control. It was enough for my opponent to scoop. Game 3 I kept a good hand under normal circumstances that wasn't enough without the hate. I should mulligan more aggressively in this matchup. I believe this loss also cost me the top 8, as my opponent proceeded on losing 3 consecutive games and dropping out of the tournament. Can't do much about that.
Infect: 2-0
Very similar match to the first one. Same strategy, same results. It's either a very tough matchup for them or I got super lucky in both matches.
Eldrazi Bant: 2-0
The trick here was getting out Scullers ASAP to steal my opponent's Thought-Knot Seer before he could cast it on his turn 2. He could path my Sculler on the following turn, but opted not to. I proceeded on playing my Though-Knot Seer and he chooses to path it in response. His exiled creature gets processed to kill a mana dork on my following turn and it gets really hard for him from there. I have no real sideboard plan against this deck. I just swapped the mainboard Sorin for an additional Smasher. Game 2 was grindy, and it felt like fighting for a stable Displacer was the key to the game on both sides. The Flickerwisp + Displacer + Strangler lock was wonderful late game, effectively processing 2 TKSs and killing a Smasher with double -3/-3 effects. It is very important not to blink the opponent's Drowner of Hope. If the opponent sees attacks with this bad boy, block it and blink your creature instead.
Grixis Delver: 2-1
Another tough combination to race is double Delver on turn 2 with a blind flip on the following turn. The big villain of this matchup, though, is Kolaghan's Command, as it easily 2-1 us. I sided in 2 Rest in Peace and 2 Zealous Persecutions, as it is decent vs delver and snappy. I could also side in Leyline of Sanctity but couldn't see enough bad cards to fit it in. Thoughtseize is also a very strong contender to side in. As you can imagine, sideboarding was chaotic to say the least. Game 2 my opponent mulligans to 5, draws amazingly and fights hard, but ended up losing. Game 3 his early Tasigur, the Golden Fang was fierce, but not very good against multiple TKSs and Flickerwisp effects. His counterspell package was out of place. Spell Pierce and Spell Snare were cute Darksteel Relics vs my hand of TKSs and 3 CMC creatures.
Jund: 0-2
I was in 5th place by the last round. I just wanted to ID soo bad and secure a top 8. My opponent, 7th place, disagreed. I was nervous, sideboarded wrong, kept poor hands and flooded out. On both games I ended up on topdeck jund mode very quickly and drew mostly lands. This is definitely a matchup I need to study more. Not necessarily to understand the opposing deck as I know how it plays out, but to understand my role and sequencing in the matchup. Sideboarding is tricky, as the only thing I'm sure of is boarding in Rest in Peaces, Leyline of Sanctity and my 3rd Smasher. Still, I'm very happy with the deck and the overall result, especially because this was my first GP and second time playing the deck in a competitive manner (the first one was a FNMish modern event on the night before, does it count?). More importantly, it was also very challenging and fun.
I hope this poorly written report is useful to someone. Feel free to make comments and ask questions. Any help is much appreciated. Here is the decklist for reference:
New BW Eldrazi & Taxes player here! I've been playing WB Tokens for over a year now and this deck seems like an excellent alternative with most of the same manabase and sideboard, albeit vastly different in gameplay.
I've been checking a lot of videos and lists, and I wanna try the following 75 as a first iteration:
Now, I'm struggling with my flex slots. Is it too risky to squeeze in 2 Sorin, Solemn Visitors in the main with only 22 lands? Is the 23rd land worth it considering 2 Reality Smashers mainboard? Wall of Resurgence seems to do the trick in stabilising. Plus, putting 3 counters on Shambling Vent looks silly, but unlikely. Any thoughts on those options?
BTW, Blood Moon makes me shiver just to think of it. How have you guys managed to dodge it?
Just a brief disclaimer. I'm aware that D&T players traditionally study their meta before fine tuning their deck. I usually expect an aggro meta with the occasional combo or control player, and I'm looking forward to a down to the ground 75 that will allow me to better pilot the deck and fine tune it later on.
I really appreciate the help. Keep supporting this great primer!
Thanks for the heads up, CalvaryWolfPack! In the long run it is always better to have all the options available to fine tune our deck.
What would you recommend for a metagame as random and vast as a GP? São Paulo is going to host one in July and I'm positive that this is my deck of choice (not that I have many options TBH hahaha).
Updates on my list. I've managed to snatch another copy of Inquisition of Kozilek for a very fair price. I'm in doubt about the Thoughtseize x Inquisition of Kozilek ratio. I'm currently running 3x3, but now I can split 2 seizes and 4 inquisitions. Another option is ticking up to 7 discards main deck, but I'm unsure of what to take out of the deck. I'm looking at 1 copy of Honor of the Pure. That would be a no-brainer if I had x1-2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar, as it acts as a functional anthem as well. I guess this type of question is ultimately better solved in a Bitterblossom build.
Regardless, I think it is a good idea to pro/con our alternatives. Maybe primer-worthy if we have a good discussion?
For the x2 seizes x4 inquisitions split:
pros: better equipped against Burn and aggro matchups, as lifeloss matters. Hits most of the relevant threats and bombs in Modern.
cons: Inquisitions aren't particularly good vs. combos such as Scapeshift or Ad Nauseam (granted, it takes care of Angel's Grace at least).
For the x3 seizes x3 Inquisitions split:
pros: better equipped against combo and any sort of deck with huge threats. Tron (both GR and Mono U), any Eldrazi deck that runs Reality Smasher, and so forth. The extra seize also comes in handy vs control matchups that pack Cryptic Command and Supreme Verdict.
cons: more lifeloss, because we're not in a rush to stabilize the board or anything like that.
What do you guys thinks? Once again, here is my updated list for reference:
I can see you trading 1 Zealous Persecution for 1 Ob Nixilis Reignited, but I've got to say your sideboard looks well balanced. Which card is seldom used? Have you considered investing in a couple of Auriok Champions? They easily fit the role of Kor Firewalker against burn and have massive utility against grixis and the like. Combined with Worship it can provide a soft lock for your opponent, even if that isn't a real gameplan by any means. For those who plan on switching to Bitterblossom builds, it is a must that will be bought anyway.
Out of curiosity, has anyone tried Oath of Gideon? There's been some discussion as to its inclusion as of late with additional planeswalkers.
I think that Oath of Gideon depends heavily on which planeswalkers it is supporting. Huge for Gideon, Ally of Zendikar as it ultimates on the turn it comes in play and survives. Now, it isn't particularly interesting for the other usual suspects Sorin, Solemn Visitor, Sorin, Lord of Innistrad, Elspeth, Knight-Errant or even Liliana of the Veil, although it incentivizes goldfishing for ultimates and minus abilities. Another downside is that it's an overcosted and untimely Raise the Alarm. It has to have great synergies to justify its inclusion, but I think we need to test it to find out.
New Dredge and Legacy player here! I've got most of the usual Dredge lists for the past couple of months, except for, oh well, LEDs. It seems like that ship has sailed without me. Now, my goals with building Dredge were to pilot a difficult deck, to spend within a low budget, and have a deck to experience the format in the first place. It is, above all, a learning experience for me.
With that said, I also understand that I'm piloting a sub-optimal Dredge list, which may feel to more experienced players as a glimpse to the past pre-Faithless Looting era due to the lack of LEDs. Regardless, I'm looking for help to fine tune the deck within those unfortunate constrains.
What would be your approach to LEDless Dredge? I'm looking forward to your comments and advices.
Here is my updated list for reference:
4 Cephalid Coliseum
4 Gemstone Mine
4 Mana Confluence
2 City of Brass
Creatures (27)
3 Ichorid
4 Narcomoeba
4 Putrid Imp
2 Tireless Tribe
4 Golgari Grave-Troll
4 Stinkweed Imp
4 Golgari Thug
1 Flayer of the Hatebound
1 Flame-Kin Zealot
4 Bridge From Below
4 Cabal Therapy
4 Careful Study
2 Faithless Looting
3 Breakthrough
2 Dread Return
1 Ichorid
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
2 Ashen Rider
3 Firestorm
3 Leyline of the Void
4 Nature's Claim
I've seen a magic online video, probably Frank Lepore's Modern Monday, in which Strangler processes something and it goes back to exile immediately after resolution of ability. It means that Strangler has infinite fuel, not the opposite. Rulings are the best source to confirm or deny that, though. Does anyone know the correct rulings on this?
You have 4 maindeck hate cards called Flickerwisp! Flicker away their auras and repeat with Eldrazi Displacer. Post sideboard remove the Stranglers and trim Paths for discard and perhaps board in Zealous Persecutions to get their creatures before aura-pumping action. If they don't get any trample online, another time-saving strategy is blocking with any dude and blinking it with your Displacer.
I hope you find my comments helpful! Good luck!
EDIT just checked on greywyn's comment. Absolutely right, the aura's controller chooses how to attach it once it comes back. My bad!
I feel like Leyline of Sanctity is a double-edged sword. Sure, it is an all-star if it is in my opener in a relevant matchup, but I also understand the argument that if I don't see it in my opener and it happens to come by turn 4 or whatnot, it might as well be a Darksteel Relic because the "damage" is already done. With that thought in mind, I decided to test Mirran Crusader in my 2 slots to shore up most of the same decks (Naya Zoo, Burn and Jund mostly) either by presenting a pro colour creature or just a relevant double-striker that blocks well. It requires further testing to see if it can also help with outrunning non-interactive combo decks.
Anyways, I feel like running 3 Leylines can be a way out, but as I structure my sideboard, the current 2 slots are better served with Crusader. I also need to test if I really need 3 stony silences. Cutting to 2 can give room to 3 Leylines. It can also be the case that I'm being too afraid of mulligans and should risk going to 5 if I see only 2 relevant cards and 4 lands in a 6 cards hand. Lucky for me, a friend of mine has a stock Jund deck that I'll face regularly in kitchen table training.
Quick LGS tournament report. Unimpressive 2-2 last night with definitely a better sideboard for my meta.
Game 1: 2-0 vs Naya Zoo
Sorin MB was an all star. Another interesting card that I sided in all night was 2 copies of Mirran Crusader. Went for it as my go to extra card vs Naya, Burn and Jund. Sure, it is a lightning rod, but it is likely that Thalia, Guardian of Thraben or Leonin Arbiter will be targeted first.
Game 2: 0-2 vs Dredge
The worst about this matchup is that I lost to my own deck. Game 1 I mulligan to 6 and keep a hand with 4 lands, TKS and Sculler. Scry removes another land and yet I flood out. Dredge is a really quick deck with a lot of tools. My 2 creatures couldn't hold enough. I had the opposite going on for me on game 2. Kept a 7 cards hand with 2 lands, Thalia, Sculler and a world of 3 CMC creatures, including an amazing blocker for the matchup, Mirran Crusader. Legend says that the DnT player is still trying to find the 3rd land to this day.
Game 3: 0-2 vs Jund
I had similar unkeepable hands due to flood of lands with 7 cards and only 2 lands with 6 cards. Of course, in comes the Thoughtseizes and I miss again my 3rd land drop. My opponent played alone. I side in Auriok Champion, Rest in Peace and Mirran Crusader, 2 copies of each, and an extra Smasher. Out goes the 4 vials, 2 Scullers, 1 Wasteland Strangler. I mulligan to 6, keep a hand with Rest in Peace, Auriok Champion and lands. He thoughtseizes me on his turn 1 and takes my Auriok Champion. My rest in peace resolves the following turn and I'm already in Jund mode again. No luck topdecking. How am I supposed to make this matchup easier if my opponent discards my hate?
Game 4: 2-1 vs Naya Zoo
Much of the same matchup as the first. Sorin was an all star, Mirran Crusader was a more relevant blocker than, say, a Sculler, and stabilizing did the trick.
Overall, I highly recommend the package of 2 Auriok Champion + 2 Mirran Crusader. If in further testing I feel that the lack of pro red doesn't compensate the double strike, I'll mess around with Paladin En-Vec for a bit. Definitely more relevant than 2 Leylines, despite the aggressive Jund discard still being an issue. On another note, I feel like I was really unlucky in the games I missed my 3rd land drop, especially considering that I pack 23 lands. Should I keep a hand with only 3+ lands if I see no Vials? Are hands with only 2 lands unkeepable?
Thanks for the support! Any comments are appreciated.
2Chalupacabra
Thanks for the insightful comments! Unfortunately I already run 2 copies of Auriok Champion in my sideboard and can't afford any more copies in my budget right now. It does wonders in the burn matchup and has some utility vs Grixis and BGx decks. My problem with Leyline of Sanctity, though, is that I'm looking for cards that shore up both the Burn and BGx matchups. Perhaps ticking Leyline to 3 by cutting a single Stony Silence could do the trick? Or maybe cutting the 3rd Stony Silence AND the Leylines to make room for other good stuff? What would you recommend? Much appreciated!
Here is my sideboard for reference:
1 Reality Smasher
3 Thoughtseize
2 Auriok Champion
2 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Rest in Peace
2 Zealous Persecution
3 Stony Silence
1 Sorin MB is, in fact, an experiment of mine. My meta is crowded with Naya Zoo or Naya Burn decks, and it feels like an ok card to MB. Much like a singleton Batterskull in UR Delver/Blue Moon shells, it is a good card to access some life gain and stabilize the game after some creatures hit the board. If I don't see it, probably won't miss it. If I can't cast it due to missing land drops, it is a single dead card in my hand. It should probably be replaced with a proper 3rd Smasher if I feel like it annoys me more than helps. TBH, it was able to provide HUGE life swings in the matches I've found it. Unfortunately, it was the kind of match life gain was not so relevant, like game 1 vs Nahiri Control. Still, by turn 4 even a 4/1 lifelinker Flickerwisp is relevant in an aggro matchup.
Now, for the 2 SB Leylines, I just want some game against Burn, discard effects (BGx decks and 8-rack) and the occasional combo that needs to target players to win. Grishoalbrand comes to mind, although vs Ad Nauseum it is a mistake considering Laboratory Maniac. It can also be sided in vs storm if I pair it with Zealous Persecutions, covering both Grapeshot and Empty the Warrens. It really shines when I can get it out of my hand before the game begins vs Jund and the like, as it blanks 2 to 3 cards in their hands. They usually pack MORE discard and MORE removal against me, and Lily's -2 is back breaking against my Smashers. Is there a better way to shore up at least Burn and BGx matchups? Is Fiendslayer Paladin a real card expecting Pyroclasm or Anger of the Gods type of effects out of our opponent's sideboard?
I'm currently playing a BW Eldrazi & Taxes deck (decklist below) and decided to bring it to GP São Paulo during the weekend. Here's a quick report of my 6-2 standing (10th place!) in the Saturday Power Modern tournament at the GP:
Infect: 2-0
Seriously easy matchup, although to be fair the opponent wasn't in a great beat. I controlled his hand and creatures on game 1. Game 2 forward 2 Thoughtseizes and 2 Zealous Persecutions bring additional removal and control. Out goes Reality Smashers, my single copy of Sorin, Solemn Visitor and another not-so-obvious choice, probably 1 Leonin Arbiter or an Æther Vial. What would you guys suggest? I guess in retrospect it could also be a land as my curve goes significantly lower.
Nahiri Boros Control: 2-1
Talking about bad matchups and good luck. It was a very odd list with Blood Moons, Chalice of the Voids and super friends helping Nahiri, the Harbinger mainboard. What was specially odd in my opponent's build was the lack of spells to cast until turn 4, except for the removals targeting my creatures and occasional board wipes, also mainboarded. He takes game 1 as I can't outpace a combination of Elspeth, Sun's Champion, Gideon Jura and Nahiri herself. Post sideboard I went for all 3 copies of Thoughtseizes and Reality Smashers, taking out my almost useless, save for the processor lock, Wasteland Stranglers. Game 2 Eldrazi Temples got my Thought-Knot Seers out of my hand by turn 2, as I've managed to discard 3 (yes, 3) Blood Moons before he could cast them due to his missing land drops. Other interesting plays throughout the match were flickering Chalice of the Void to reset its counters to 0, Nahiri, the Harbinger to reset her counters, as well as flickering Gideon Jura to attack at will his Nahiri and his life total (thanks, primer!). The combination of flicker effects and smashers secured the match.
Affinity: 2-1
I was able to Flickerwisp away game 1, as I reseted counters generated by the Steel Overseer and presented a profitable blocker 3 times, eventually drawing Wasteland Stranglers and Eldrazi Displacer. Sideboarding in 3 Stony Silences and 2 Zealous Persecutions as it potentially wipes my opponent's board. Now, what to sideboard out is way more tricky. Out goes Smashers and Sorin, although he's not particularly bad in this matchup if I ever get there. Probably sided out a single Vial and an Arbiter. Mirroring my Infect matchup, it could simply be land + anything. Game 2 was really close as he races me before I take full control. Game 3 I ended up drawing a combination of the Eldrazi Displacer, Flickerwisp and Wasteland Strangler lock for the late game and started with a combination of Tidehollow Sculler, Leonin Arbiter and Ghost Quarter early game, effectively controlling my opponent's hand and his coloured lands to avoid Blood Moons. Drawing Stony Silence by turn 3 was the beginning of the end as I secured the match.
Boros Burn: 1-2
Turns out stabilizing 3 Goblin Guides by turn 2 on the draw is a tough thing to do. Not much I could have done on game 1, except drawing Thalia, Guardian of Thraben or keeping a hand with her in the first place. Sideboarded in 2 copies of Leyline of Sanctity and 2 copies of Auriok Champion. Sideboarding out the Smashers was a no-brainer, but Sorin was still very interesting. Took out an Arbiter and a single Vial as I expected some for of enchantment/artifact removal. Game 2 I had a Champion and some form of hand control. It was enough for my opponent to scoop. Game 3 I kept a good hand under normal circumstances that wasn't enough without the hate. I should mulligan more aggressively in this matchup. I believe this loss also cost me the top 8, as my opponent proceeded on losing 3 consecutive games and dropping out of the tournament. Can't do much about that.
Infect: 2-0
Very similar match to the first one. Same strategy, same results. It's either a very tough matchup for them or I got super lucky in both matches.
Eldrazi Bant: 2-0
The trick here was getting out Scullers ASAP to steal my opponent's Thought-Knot Seer before he could cast it on his turn 2. He could path my Sculler on the following turn, but opted not to. I proceeded on playing my Though-Knot Seer and he chooses to path it in response. His exiled creature gets processed to kill a mana dork on my following turn and it gets really hard for him from there. I have no real sideboard plan against this deck. I just swapped the mainboard Sorin for an additional Smasher. Game 2 was grindy, and it felt like fighting for a stable Displacer was the key to the game on both sides. The Flickerwisp + Displacer + Strangler lock was wonderful late game, effectively processing 2 TKSs and killing a Smasher with double -3/-3 effects. It is very important not to blink the opponent's Drowner of Hope. If the opponent sees attacks with this bad boy, block it and blink your creature instead.
Grixis Delver: 2-1
Another tough combination to race is double Delver on turn 2 with a blind flip on the following turn. The big villain of this matchup, though, is Kolaghan's Command, as it easily 2-1 us. I sided in 2 Rest in Peace and 2 Zealous Persecutions, as it is decent vs Delver and Snappy. I could also side in Leyline but couldn't see enough bad cards to fit it in. Thoughtseize is also a very strong contender to side in. As you can imagine, sideboarding was chaotic to say the least. Game 2 my opponent mulligans to 5, draws amazingly and fights hard, but ended up losing. Game 3 his early Tasigur, the Golden Fang was fierce, but not very good against multiple TKSs and Flickerwisp effects. His counterspell package was out of place. Spell Pierce and Spell Snare were cute Darksteel Relics vs my hand of TKSs and 3 CMC creatures.
Jund: 0-2
I was in 5th place by the last round. I just wanted to ID soo bad and secure a top 8. My opponent, 7th place, disagreed. I was nervous, sideboarded wrong, kept poor hands and flooded out. On both games I ended up on topdeck jund mode very quickly and drew mostly lands. This is definitely a matchup I need to study more. Not necessarily to understand the opposing deck as I know how it plays out, but to understand my role and sequencing in the matchup. Sideboarding is tricky, as the only thing I'm sure of is boarding in Rest in Peaces, Leyline of Sanctity and my 3rd Smasher. Still, I'm very happy with the deck and the overall result, especially because this was my first GP and second time playing the deck in a competitive environment (the first one was a FNMish modern event on the night before, does it count?). Most importantly, it was also very challenging and fun.
I hope this poorly written report is useful to someone. Feel free to make comments and ask questions. Any help is much appreciated. Here is the decklist for reference:
4 Godless Shrine
4 Caves of Koilos
4 Eldrazi Temple
4 Ghost Quarter
2 Shambling Vent
1 Fetid Heath
3 Plains
2 Swamp
Creatures (28)
4 Tidehollow Sculler
4 Leonin Arbiter
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Flickerwisp
4 Wasteland Strangler
3 Eldrazi Displacer
4 Thought-Knot Seer
2 Reality Smasher
4 Aether Vial
4 Path to Exile
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
1 Reality Smasher
3 Thoughtseize
2 Auriok Champion
2 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Rest in Peace
2 Zealous Persecution
3 Stony Silence
I've recently posted my 6-2 finish at the Saturday Power Modern at GP São Paulo in the old thread. I've got a lot of comments and questions about sideboarding and gameplan, but no response from the community. Is it too rude to post it again here? I'm unfamiliar with magic forums do's and don'ts.
Thank you very much for your patience.
I'm currently playing a BW Eldrazi & Taxes deck (decklist below) and decided to bring it to GP São Paulo during the weekend. Here's a quick report of my 6-2 standing (10th place!) in the Saturday Power Modern tournament at the GP:
Infect: 2-0
Seriously easy matchup, although to be fair the opponent wasn't in a great beat. I controlled his hand and creatures on game 1. Game 2 forward Thoughtseizes and Zealous Persecutions bring additional removal and control. Out goes Reality Smashers, my single copy of Sorin, Solemn Visitor and another not-so-obvious choice, probably 1 Leonin Arbiter or an Æther Vial. What would you guys suggest? I guess in retrospect it could also be a land as my curve goes significantly lower.
Nahiri Boros Control: 2-1
Talking about bad matchups and good luck. It was a very odd list with Blood Moons, Chalice of the Voids and super friends helping Nahiri mainboard. What was specially odd in my opponent's build was the lack of spells to cast until turn 4, except for the removals targeting my creatures and occasional board wipes. He takes game 1 as I can't outpace a combination of Elspeth, Sun's Champion, Gideon Jura and Nahiri, the Harbinger herself. Post sideboard I went for all 3 copies of Thoughtseizes and Reality Smashers, taking out my almost useless, save for the processor lock, Wasteland Stranglers. Game 2 Eldrazi Temples got my Thought-Knot Seers out of my hand by turn 2, as I've managed to discard 3 (yes, 3) Blood Moons before he could cast them due to his missing land drops. Other interesting plays throughout the match were flickering Chalice of the Void to reset its counters to 0, Nahiri, the Harbinger to reset her counters, as well as flickering Gideon Jura to attack at will his Nahiri, the Harbinger and his life total. The combination of flicker effects and smashers secured the match.
Affinity: 2-1
I was able to Flickerwisp away game 1, as I reseted counters generated by the Overseer and presented a profitable blocker 3 times. Sideboarding in 3 Stony Silences and 2 Zealous Persecutions as it potentially wipes my opponent's board. Now, what to sideboard out is way more tricky. Out goes Smashers and Sorin, although he's not particularly bad in this matchup if I ever get there. Probably sided out a single vial and an Arbiter. Mirroring my Infect matchup, it could simply be land + anything. Game 2 was really close as he races me before I take full control. Game 3 I ended up drawing a combination of the Eldrazi Displacer, Flickerwisp and Wasteland Strangler lock for the late game and started with a combination of Tidehollow Sculler Leonin Arbiter and Ghost Quarter early game, effectively controlling my opponent's hand and his coloured lands to avoid Blood Moons. Drawing Stony Silence by turn 3 was the beginning of the end as I secured the match.
Boros Burn: 1-2
Turns out stabilizing 3 Goblin Guides by turn 2 on the draw is a tough thing to do. Not much I could have done on game 1, except drawing Thalia, Guardian of Thraben or keeping a hand with her in the first place. Sideboarded in 2 copies of Leyline of Sanctity and 2 copies of Auriok Champion. Sideboarding out the Smashers was a no-brainer, but Sorin was still very interesting. Took out an Arbiter and a single Vial as I expected some for of enchantment/artifact removal. Game 2 I had a Champion and some form of hand control. It was enough for my opponent to scoop. Game 3 I kept a good hand under normal circumstances that wasn't enough without the hate. I should mulligan more aggressively in this matchup. I believe this loss also cost me the top 8, as my opponent proceeded on losing 3 consecutive games and dropping out of the tournament. Can't do much about that.
Infect: 2-0
Very similar match to the first one. Same strategy, same results. It's either a very tough matchup for them or I got super lucky in both matches.
Eldrazi Bant: 2-0
The trick here was getting out Scullers ASAP to steal my opponent's Thought-Knot Seer before he could cast it on his turn 2. He could path my Sculler on the following turn, but opted not to. I proceeded on playing my Though-Knot Seer and he chooses to path it in response. His exiled creature gets processed to kill a mana dork on my following turn and it gets really hard for him from there. I have no real sideboard plan against this deck. I just swapped the mainboard Sorin for an additional Smasher. Game 2 was grindy, and it felt like fighting for a stable Displacer was the key to the game on both sides. The Flickerwisp + Displacer + Strangler lock was wonderful late game, effectively processing 2 TKSs and killing a Smasher with double -3/-3 effects. It is very important not to blink the opponent's Drowner of Hope. If the opponent sees attacks with this bad boy, block it and blink your creature instead.
Grixis Delver: 2-1
Another tough combination to race is double Delver on turn 2 with a blind flip on the following turn. The big villain of this matchup, though, is Kolaghan's Command, as it easily 2-1 us. I sided in 2 Rest in Peace and 2 Zealous Persecutions, as it is decent vs delver and snappy. I could also side in Leyline of Sanctity but couldn't see enough bad cards to fit it in. Thoughtseize is also a very strong contender to side in. As you can imagine, sideboarding was chaotic to say the least. Game 2 my opponent mulligans to 5, draws amazingly and fights hard, but ended up losing. Game 3 his early Tasigur, the Golden Fang was fierce, but not very good against multiple TKSs and Flickerwisp effects. His counterspell package was out of place. Spell Pierce and Spell Snare were cute Darksteel Relics vs my hand of TKSs and 3 CMC creatures.
Jund: 0-2
I was in 5th place by the last round. I just wanted to ID soo bad and secure a top 8. My opponent, 7th place, disagreed. I was nervous, sideboarded wrong, kept poor hands and flooded out. On both games I ended up on topdeck jund mode very quickly and drew mostly lands. This is definitely a matchup I need to study more. Not necessarily to understand the opposing deck as I know how it plays out, but to understand my role and sequencing in the matchup. Sideboarding is tricky, as the only thing I'm sure of is boarding in Rest in Peaces, Leyline of Sanctity and my 3rd Smasher. Still, I'm very happy with the deck and the overall result, especially because this was my first GP and second time playing the deck in a competitive manner (the first one was a FNMish modern event on the night before, does it count?). More importantly, it was also very challenging and fun.
I hope this poorly written report is useful to someone. Feel free to make comments and ask questions. Any help is much appreciated. Here is the decklist for reference:
4 Godless Shrine
4 Caves of Koilos
4 Eldrazi Temple
4 Ghost Quarter
2 Shambling Vent
1 Fetid Heath
3 Plains
2 Swamp
Creatures (28)
4 Tidehollow Sculler
4 Leonin Arbiter
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Flickerwisp
4 Wasteland Strangler
3 Eldrazi Displacer
4 Thought-Knot Seer
2 Reality Smasher
4 Aether Vial
4 Path to Exile
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
1 Reality Smasher
3 Thoughtseize
2 Auriok Champion
2 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Rest in Peace
2 Zealous Persecution
3 Stony Silence
New BW Eldrazi & Taxes player here! I've been playing WB Tokens for over a year now and this deck seems like an excellent alternative with most of the same manabase and sideboard, albeit vastly different in gameplay.
I've been checking a lot of videos and lists, and I wanna try the following 75 as a first iteration:
4 Godless Shrine
4 Caves of Koilos
4 Eldrazi Temple
4 Ghost Quarter
2 Shambling Vent
1 Fetid Heath
2 Plains
1 Swamp
Creatures (28)
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Leonin Arbiter
4 Tidehollow Sculler
3 Eldrazi Displacer
4 Flickerwisp
4 Wasteland Strangler
4 Thought-Knot Seer
2 Reality Smasher
4 Path to Exile
4 Aether Vial
Flex slots (2) being one of the following pairs:
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
1 Plains
2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
2 Wall of Resurgence
1 Reality Smasher
3 Thoughtseize
2 Auriok Champion
2 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Rest in Peace
2 Zealous Persecution
3 Stony Silence
Now, I'm struggling with my flex slots. Is it too risky to squeeze in 2 Sorin, Solemn Visitors in the main with only 22 lands? Is the 23rd land worth it considering 2 Reality Smashers mainboard? Wall of Resurgence seems to do the trick in stabilising. Plus, putting 3 counters on Shambling Vent looks silly, but unlikely. Any thoughts on those options?
BTW, Blood Moon makes me shiver just to think of it. How have you guys managed to dodge it?
Just a brief disclaimer. I'm aware that D&T players traditionally study their meta before fine tuning their deck. I usually expect an aggro meta with the occasional combo or control player, and I'm looking forward to a down to the ground 75 that will allow me to better pilot the deck and fine tune it later on.
I really appreciate the help. Keep supporting this great primer!
What would you recommend for a metagame as random and vast as a GP? São Paulo is going to host one in July and I'm positive that this is my deck of choice (not that I have many options TBH hahaha).
Updates on my list. I've managed to snatch another copy of Inquisition of Kozilek for a very fair price. I'm in doubt about the Thoughtseize x Inquisition of Kozilek ratio. I'm currently running 3x3, but now I can split 2 seizes and 4 inquisitions. Another option is ticking up to 7 discards main deck, but I'm unsure of what to take out of the deck. I'm looking at 1 copy of Honor of the Pure. That would be a no-brainer if I had x1-2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar, as it acts as a functional anthem as well. I guess this type of question is ultimately better solved in a Bitterblossom build.
Regardless, I think it is a good idea to pro/con our alternatives. Maybe primer-worthy if we have a good discussion?
For the x2 seizes x4 inquisitions split:
pros: better equipped against Burn and aggro matchups, as lifeloss matters. Hits most of the relevant threats and bombs in Modern.
cons: Inquisitions aren't particularly good vs. combos such as Scapeshift or Ad Nauseam (granted, it takes care of Angel's Grace at least).
For the x3 seizes x3 Inquisitions split:
pros: better equipped against combo and any sort of deck with huge threats. Tron (both GR and Mono U), any Eldrazi deck that runs Reality Smasher, and so forth. The extra seize also comes in handy vs control matchups that pack Cryptic Command and Supreme Verdict.
cons: more lifeloss, because we're not in a rush to stabilize the board or anything like that.
What do you guys thinks? Once again, here is my updated list for reference:
4 Godless Shrine
2 Isolated Chapel
2 Fetid Heath
3 Windswept Heath
4 Windbrisk Heights
2 Vault of the Archangel
4 Plains
2 Swamp
Token Generators (13)
3 Raise the Alarm
4 Lingering Souls
4 Spectral Procession
2 Timely Reinforcements
4 Intangible Virtue
2 Honor of the Pure
Removal (8)
4 Path to Exile
2 Dismember
2 Zealous Persecution
Discard (6)
3 Thoughtseize
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
Others (4):
2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Worship
2 Hero of Bladehold
2 Auriok Champion
2 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Extirpate
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Sundering Growth
3 Stony Silence
I can see you trading 1 Zealous Persecution for 1 Ob Nixilis Reignited, but I've got to say your sideboard looks well balanced. Which card is seldom used? Have you considered investing in a couple of Auriok Champions? They easily fit the role of Kor Firewalker against burn and have massive utility against grixis and the like. Combined with Worship it can provide a soft lock for your opponent, even if that isn't a real gameplan by any means. For those who plan on switching to Bitterblossom builds, it is a must that will be bought anyway.
I think that Oath of Gideon depends heavily on which planeswalkers it is supporting. Huge for Gideon, Ally of Zendikar as it ultimates on the turn it comes in play and survives. Now, it isn't particularly interesting for the other usual suspects Sorin, Solemn Visitor, Sorin, Lord of Innistrad, Elspeth, Knight-Errant or even Liliana of the Veil, although it incentivizes goldfishing for ultimates and minus abilities. Another downside is that it's an overcosted and untimely Raise the Alarm. It has to have great synergies to justify its inclusion, but I think we need to test it to find out.