MTG Salvation

Nph

When I modify my deck, I run through all the options I think are viable and then break down which decks I would want or not want those particular cards. Essentially, I create a SB guide for each card I considered and tried to find the most powerful MD with the cards I sided out the least. Runed Halo was my number 1 choice as a card I was happy to see in ~90% of matchups. (I love that card!) Negate was next, followed by Remand. Essentially I'm happy to see Remand against decks that cast high CMC spells (Eldrazi/Titan/Tasigur) or haymaker spells early (LotV) to slow their roll and give me a chance to find a permanent answer, and against blue mirrors as additional fuel for counter wars (UW and UWR). I may be completely mid-siding, though, as it's been some time since I've played with Remand and I'm operating on old information.

One thing I really miss from the original list is just how many cantrips there were. So... I'm bringing Remand out of retirement! Updated list:

You have 12+ ways, unless you discount Cryptic. I can understand not counting Rev, as it's more a wincon than draw spell.

Blessed Alliance works MD as an answer to threats Push won't kill, typically Eldrazi and Titan, while giving you life gain against Burn and the ability to mess with the math of a Scapeshift player. I'm on a 1/1 split of Push and BA, but haven't put in enough rounds to tell you whether I like it or not.

And if you're not interested in the sorcery-speed catch-all, you might try Anguished Unmaking. I've had one in my MD and have really enjoyed being able to answer the random god or other difficult to deal with permanent. Having Alliance in the main helps with the life loss, too.

Clique has been absolutely fantastic for me (as a 2-of). I'm reworking my SB currently to account for the rise in Shift and the fall of CoCo and Dredge, but Queller is definitely on my radar as it seems very good against Burn and it can steal a game from Shadow out of nowhere. Interested to hear how your testing goes.

I love the split. It gives you a speedier out to LotV and protects you against Pithing Needle. Plus, with Grixis control on the downswing, I've won a few games by the opponent not reading the "unblockable" clause. Manabase is as follows, and it's been fairly decent. Might use +1 B source, though.

Went 2-0 last night before I had to leave. Faced Elves and GB Midrange.

Elves 2-0
Very easy matchup, assuming we see the eventual wrath. Used my life as a resource, let him get me down to 3 or so while I was busy TTing for lands and wraths, and then ECharming his chance to rebuild away before I swept. G2 he punted, putting down blockers for my Tar Pit instead of casting his GB elf that drains. I believe I had Cryptic in hand, but he didn't know that.

SB- Wrath, Push x2, Dispel x2 in; Knot x2, Unmaking, Blessed Alliance, Rev x1 out.

GB Midrange 2-1
G1 she dropped Liliana before I could do anything about it and the next 5 turns became about killing her with Snaps, Tar Pits, and eventually Colonnade. Draw engine + Colonnade beats FTW. G2 I mulled a one-land and no-land and lost to Thoughtseize, Brutality, Extraction, and a Tireless Tracker that I couldn't kill. G3 was another grindfest, Pithing Needle on my Colonnades, a Grafdiggers Cage, and a timely Brutality on my Zenith led to Tar Pit and Snap beats. Cryptic is a beast. I did mis-SB by leaving in too many wratha, due to seeing Marsh Flats and expecting to see Souls somewhere. What I would do next time is SB for Jund, rather than Junk: In- Purge, Unmaking, Push x2, Elspeth; Out- Halo x2, Blessed Alliance, 2 x Verdict.

Definitely agree with this strategy. Often we can get under the mill plan with a manland, snapcaster, a couple tokens, or the like, and just ride to victory. Bridge has to be dealt with first, then lantern. We can survive mill; it's the intelligent mill that's a problem.

I don't think it's per se wrong to bring in creatures against control, so long as they're utility. But I may be biased, as I bring in Cliques post-board.

Tournament report:

Sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes, well...

How do you all approach Ponza? Max out on Knots, Negates, Cryptics, and Wraths?

Boy that Naya Walkers list with 4x MD Blood Moon and Oath of Nissa is brutal! Is there anything we can do about it or is it just 0.1% of the meta that we have to let go?

I think somebody raised this a few pages ago, but has GDS gotten to the point on the metagame where Liliana's Defeat is viable? Kills everything but Snapcaster and gives us game against their planeswalkers, which is traditionally our weakness.

I just recently cut TS and Surgical, which opened up space for Clique, Stony Silence, and Rest In Peace. Overall I'm happy with the trade, as the discard/extraction package is best when combined, and you can't always depend on drawing both halves timely.

Quote from Cody_X »

Do you ever feel that you have too much removal?
I get that runed halo has other uses, but 4 wraths, 4 path, 1 push, 1 alliance, the halos, and now an anguished unmaking, compared to a measly 8 counterspells seems lopsided.
If it has been working for you, thats all well and good, but my own list (and how I generally prefer it) is much more balanced in that regard.

Sometimes, absolutely. My problem is that I just don't think the modern counterspells are good right now, at least not the ones we play. Most of the top decks are either aggro or big mana decks. Cheap counterspells like Knot and Leak quickly become useless against Tron variants, conditional counterspells like Snare, Dispel, etc don't have enough worthwhile targets across the metagame as a whole, and unconditional counterspells are too expensive against the aggro decks.

Honestly, I feel like the tools we have to choose from while trying to remain draw-go are very limiting.

I'd definitely listen to suggestions if you're offering.