So predictably, this was a bust tonight. I got destroyed by a Valakut deck, held my own a while against a Soul Sisters but lost to what I think was bad luck. Then I played a Cheerios deck but the guy had to leave in the middle of the second game. I think I could've sided effectively against him.
I'll still try to make it work next time I go to my LGS. I'm thinking of taking out the Coiling Oracles & the Renegade Ralliers, they were kind of lackluster tonight. That frees up 5-6 spots. I think I'll bring in some counterspelling, Mana Leaks or something similar. Otherwise, I'm not 100% sure what would help.
I'm not too sure about the rest, I'll sit down with a couple of friends this weekend and go through it again. I'll post the next iteration here for posterity.
I'm hesitating to try and fit some Birds of Paradise in here. Not sure it's worth it. I'm not buying Noble Hierarch. I'm still wondering if I should switch Venser by Mistmeadow Witch. Sideboard is really tentative at this point. Last thing, I'm not sure if I should run 22 or 23 lands.
In this list, I think Coiling Oracle is interesting, doubles as ramp and draw. Maybe it overlaps Wall of Omens too much though. Then again, Maybe I could take out the Serum Vision.
Otherwise, Thraben Inspector sounds like a solid choice. Clues seem a bit mana intensive, not sure. Meddling Mage is obviously a solid choice, would help against combo decks. Wish I hadn't sold my playset when they were worth 15$. I'd be willing to buy maybe 2 back.
All the lifegain ones I'm really not sure. Kitchen Finks is hard to replace. Inquisitor Exarch is a bit different though. Maybe it could help finishing off an opponent.
Snapcaster Mage is usually a good choice but I'm not sure in this deck. Not that many instants or sorcerys worth grabbing. Plus I'd probably rather not exile Eerie Interlude so I can keep getting it with Eternal Witness.
Any opinions? I feel like I'm talking to myself a bit. Still helps me sort out my thoughts...
Voice of Resurgence seems interesting but I think I'm missing something. If I blink it, I don't get the token right? Otherwise, it's only if an opponent casts a spell during my turn? I'd rather clear that up before I run and grab a playset.
The version I saw of this deck online had a playset of Cryptic Command. At 1UUU, I think it's a bit much. However, it made for a versatile recursion loop with Eternal Witness. It allowed disabling creatures, drawing and countering. Again, it's a bit mana intensive but it seemed to work. Maybe 4 is too many. Any thoughts?
Thanks for the input, I'll go through all that later today. Originally, in this deck, I was going to go with Mistmeadow Witch, it's a bit mana intensive but I wonder if it could replace Venser, the Sojourner and lower the mana curve a bit. I could also bring back Eldrazi Displacer instead but having played it in the past, it imposed a lot of restrictions.
I've been playing magic for over 10 years, I'm just now trying to get into competitive modern and I'd like some advice on a deck I built. It's a Bant Flicker Control deck. I found a deck list online somewhere. It used Eldrazi Displacer which I'm not too fond of, it warps the mana base too much. So I decided to focus on Eerie Interlude which can give me a lot of value, at instant speed, for 2W :
From play testing, it seems to work pretty well, I usually end up recurring eerie interludes and path to exiles with the eternal witness. Often I'll be drawing extra cards at the same time with the wall of omens, reflecting creatures, etc.
I'd like to bring this deck with me in the coming competitive modern events at my LGS. I don't think it's top tier but it's fun to play with, lots of interaction with the opponent's board. There's room for improvement I'm sure and I really need help building a sideboard since I've never done that.
Right now, some of the modifications I'm thinking are as follows :
I won one of the matches, I was mana screwed in another and I think I should've won the last but lost due to an oversight (one of the players had a Westvale Abbey I hadn't seen and I could've board wiped a couple of times before he used it).
So here are my thoughts on the deck. The Deathbringer Thoctar is kind of hard to get on the board and I wish he was a 4/4. It dies easily to a Lightning Bolt. I wasn't sure I should cast it when I reached 6 mana because I had no way of protecting it if an opponent cast a lightning bolt on it. The Death Baron would solve this issue I think since it gives +1/+1 and doesn't require an equip cost to give deathtouch. But over 100$ for a playset... is it worth it?
I didn't really manage to use Slitherhead but I see the point of having it. It's a way of immediately making my thoctar into a 4/4. Also the fact it's a zombie allowed me to bring back Gravecrawler a couple of times.
Gravecrawler is a very solid card. Coupled with Reassembling Skeleton, it gives me the fuel to draw cards with vampiric rites. They also allow me to attack or block without worrying about losing card advantage too much. I only managed to cast Vampiric Rites once, I'm sure the games would've been different if I'd cast it more often.
Fleshbag Marauder was really useful, allowed me to get rid of bigger creatures.
Fatal Push + Lightning Bolt + Jund Charm is too much I think. I need to focus my removal better. Vraska's Contempt or anything that can remove indestructible creatures would be very welcome. Better sweepers could help a lot too. At first, my plan was to put in Sweltering Suns or Yahenni's Expertise but I was afraid it would be counter productive with the 3/3 Thoctar. Maybe I can find something else.
Deathbringer Thoctar with deathtouch allowed me to finish the game, as expected.
The mana rocks were useful but I wonder if I shouldn't just take out Sol Ring and try to fit in 2 more Mind Stone
Any thoughts, improvement ideas are more than welcomed, I'm fully open to getting rid of the Thoctars in favor of another, more efficient win condition. Thanks!
Yeah I know the Death Baron is overkill, but it just looks so strong, I'd like to add a playset of it to my collection! I may replace it by a budget option to test out the deck though.
I'd like to fit 2-4 mana rocks in there, not sure what I should remove. Maybe the Lightning Bolt don't have a place in this deck. I'd rather use reasonably good mana rocks too, Rakdos Keyrune looks underwhelming to me. I like Mind Stone, Fellwar Stone. Maybe it's good place for my Alloy Myr. Maybe a Sol Ring and two Mind Stone.
I'm also hesitating between Slitherhead and Shriekmaw. I already have the shriekmaw in other decks, I'm trying to vary a little.
But the more I think about it, the more it seems like a bad plan. Building around an expensive 6 CMC already sounds kind of bad but then adding all those expensive cards as support... I'm sure I can build another well rounded, fun to play deck that's not as expensive.
I've got decks in all color combinations except red black so I'd like to build one. Problem is I've got absolutely no inspiration. We play multiplayer, no restrictions.
A couple years ago, I had a vampire deck with 4 x Bloodghast. I really liked the card but I sold them because I was bored with vampires. I'd like to play it again. Needless to say, I'm annoyed that it's now valued at 4 times the price it was when I was playing them. I'm also looking at Gravecrawler and I think it may be a better fit for a sac engine.
I also like the Death Baron, he would work well with the Thoctar, but he is expensive. I know he kind of pushes me into a Zombie deck but I think that the Baron, Thoctar and Gravecrawler wouldn't feel like a traditional tribal deck where the pawns are boosted by the lords.
Not considering the list of cards I already have, my budget is around 200$. I've got it in store credit at my LGS so I may be at peace blowing it on 4 X Death Baron
I recently traded a couple of hundred dollars worth of cards to an online store and got a fair amount of credits. I'd like to get myself a playset of a build around card, with an upper limit of 30-35$.
I'll still try to make it work next time I go to my LGS. I'm thinking of taking out the Coiling Oracles & the Renegade Ralliers, they were kind of lackluster tonight. That frees up 5-6 spots. I think I'll bring in some counterspelling, Mana Leaks or something similar. Otherwise, I'm not 100% sure what would help.
I'm not too sure about the rest, I'll sit down with a couple of friends this weekend and go through it again. I'll post the next iteration here for posterity.
4 Wall of Omens
3 Coiling Oracle
4 Eternal Witness
2 Renegade Rallier
2 Reflector Mage
2 Knight of Autumn
2 Flickerwisp
4 Aether Vial
Instant
3 Path to Exile
3 Eerie Interlude
2 Cryptic Command
Sorcery
3 Serum Visions
1 Wrath of God
Planeswalker
2 Venser, the Sojourner
2 Stonehorn Dignitary
2 Knight of Autumn
1 Renegade Rallier
1 Flickerwisp
1 Reflector Mage
2 Relic of Progenitus
1 Venser, the Sojourner
2 Stony Silence
1 Wrath of God
1 Path to Exile
1 Cryptic Command
I'm hesitating to try and fit some Birds of Paradise in here. Not sure it's worth it. I'm not buying Noble Hierarch. I'm still wondering if I should switch Venser by Mistmeadow Witch. Sideboard is really tentative at this point. Last thing, I'm not sure if I should run 22 or 23 lands.
Optional Blink
Aviary Mechanic, Deputy of Acquittals, Jeskai Barricade
Mandatory Blink
Dream Stalker, Kor Skyfisher, Quickling
Recursion
Snapcaster Mage
Lifegain
Cathedral Sanctifier, Arashin Cleric, Cleric of the Forward Order, Inquisitor Exarch
Beatdown
Countless Gears Renegade, Faerie Impostor
Draw
Coiling Oracle, Thraben Inspector
Ramp
Loam Larva, Nest Invader, Sylvan Ranger
Denial
Meddling Mage, Plaxmanta
In this list, I think Coiling Oracle is interesting, doubles as ramp and draw. Maybe it overlaps Wall of Omens too much though. Then again, Maybe I could take out the Serum Vision.
Otherwise, Thraben Inspector sounds like a solid choice. Clues seem a bit mana intensive, not sure. Meddling Mage is obviously a solid choice, would help against combo decks. Wish I hadn't sold my playset when they were worth 15$. I'd be willing to buy maybe 2 back.
All the lifegain ones I'm really not sure. Kitchen Finks is hard to replace. Inquisitor Exarch is a bit different though. Maybe it could help finishing off an opponent.
Snapcaster Mage is usually a good choice but I'm not sure in this deck. Not that many instants or sorcerys worth grabbing. Plus I'd probably rather not exile Eerie Interlude so I can keep getting it with Eternal Witness.
Any opinions? I feel like I'm talking to myself a bit. Still helps me sort out my thoughts...
4 Wall of Omens
2 Stonehorn Dignitary
4 Eternal Witness
3 Reflector Mage
3 Spell Queller
1 Reclamation Sage
3 Kitchen Finks
Land
2 Forest
2 Island
3 Plains
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Temple Garden
2 Breeding Pool
2 Flooded Strand
4 Windswept Heath
2 Prairie Stream
2 Canopy Vista
2 Misty Rainforest
3 Aether Vial
Instant
4 Path to Exile
3 Eerie Interlude
Sorcery
3 Serum Visions
2 Wrath of God
Planeswalker
3 Venser, the Sojourner
From play testing, it seems to work pretty well, I usually end up recurring eerie interludes and path to exiles with the eternal witness. Often I'll be drawing extra cards at the same time with the wall of omens, reflecting creatures, etc.
I'd like to bring this deck with me in the coming competitive modern events at my LGS. I don't think it's top tier but it's fun to play with, lots of interaction with the opponent's board. There's room for improvement I'm sure and I really need help building a sideboard since I've never done that.
Right now, some of the modifications I'm thinking are as follows :
1. Change Spell Queller for something else. They are good but don't work well with Eerie Interlude and venser.
2. Add in some Flickerwisps maybe?
3. Remove one Venser, the Sojourner? casting cost is too high, not sure about this.
4. Move 1-2 Kitchen Finks to sideboard
5. Move Stonehorn Dignitary to sideboard
6. Maybe review the shock land vs Canopy Vista and Prairie Stream ratio
7. Add another Aether Vial? I don't want two in my starting hand though...
8. Switch Reclamation Sage with Knight of Autumn
9. I think it has 61 cards right now, I need to cut out one more of course
That's all I can think of for now. So if anyone has tips, I'll gladly take them.
Thanks!
4 Slitherhead
4 Gravecrawler
4 Fleshbag Marauder
4 Reassembling Skeleton
4 Deathbringer Thoctar
Enchantment
3 Vampiric Rites
3 Fatal Push
3 Lightning Bolt
2 Jund Charm
Artifacts
1 Sol Ring
2 Mind Stone
3 Basilisk Collar
3 Dragonskull Summit
3 Rootbound Crag
3 Woodland Cemetery
2 Forest
4 Mountain
8 Swamp
I won one of the matches, I was mana screwed in another and I think I should've won the last but lost due to an oversight (one of the players had a Westvale Abbey I hadn't seen and I could've board wiped a couple of times before he used it).
So here are my thoughts on the deck. The Deathbringer Thoctar is kind of hard to get on the board and I wish he was a 4/4. It dies easily to a Lightning Bolt. I wasn't sure I should cast it when I reached 6 mana because I had no way of protecting it if an opponent cast a lightning bolt on it. The Death Baron would solve this issue I think since it gives +1/+1 and doesn't require an equip cost to give deathtouch. But over 100$ for a playset... is it worth it?
I didn't really manage to use Slitherhead but I see the point of having it. It's a way of immediately making my thoctar into a 4/4. Also the fact it's a zombie allowed me to bring back Gravecrawler a couple of times.
Gravecrawler is a very solid card. Coupled with Reassembling Skeleton, it gives me the fuel to draw cards with vampiric rites. They also allow me to attack or block without worrying about losing card advantage too much. I only managed to cast Vampiric Rites once, I'm sure the games would've been different if I'd cast it more often.
Fleshbag Marauder was really useful, allowed me to get rid of bigger creatures.
Fatal Push + Lightning Bolt + Jund Charm is too much I think. I need to focus my removal better. Vraska's Contempt or anything that can remove indestructible creatures would be very welcome. Better sweepers could help a lot too. At first, my plan was to put in Sweltering Suns or Yahenni's Expertise but I was afraid it would be counter productive with the 3/3 Thoctar. Maybe I can find something else.
Deathbringer Thoctar with deathtouch allowed me to finish the game, as expected.
The mana rocks were useful but I wonder if I shouldn't just take out Sol Ring and try to fit in 2 more Mind Stone
Any thoughts, improvement ideas are more than welcomed, I'm fully open to getting rid of the Thoctars in favor of another, more efficient win condition. Thanks!
But for sac, I like the Fleshbag marauder and the Merciless Executioner. Reassembling Skeleton also looks pretty good in this deck and I think I have some in my boxes somewhere. I think I like Seal of Fire, not sure about it's power level though. I've been looking to use Repeating Barrage or Sweltering sun too, sweepers are always good in multiplayer.
Considering what you said, here's what I'm going for currently :
4 Deathbringer Thoctar
4 Death Baron
4 Reassembling Skeleton
4 Gravecrawler
4 Fleshbag Marauder
4 Slitherhead
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Fatal Push
Artifact
2 Mana rock?
Enchantment
3 Vampiric Rites
4 Dragonskull Summit
4 Blood Crypt
I'd like to fit 2-4 mana rocks in there, not sure what I should remove. Maybe the Lightning Bolt don't have a place in this deck. I'd rather use reasonably good mana rocks too, Rakdos Keyrune looks underwhelming to me. I like Mind Stone, Fellwar Stone. Maybe it's good place for my Alloy Myr. Maybe a Sol Ring and two Mind Stone.
I'm also hesitating between Slitherhead and Shriekmaw. I already have the shriekmaw in other decks, I'm trying to vary a little.
4 Deathbringer Thoctar
4 Death Baron
4 Gravecrawler
3 Grave Pact
Instant
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Fatal Push
4 Dragonskull Summit
4 Blood Crypt
But the more I think about it, the more it seems like a bad plan. Building around an expensive 6 CMC already sounds kind of bad but then adding all those expensive cards as support... I'm sure I can build another well rounded, fun to play deck that's not as expensive.
I know what I don't want :
- Tribal deck, particularly vampires or zombies.
- Nothing with Rakdos, Lord of Riots or Demigod of Revenge
- Not too aggro
Some things that may interest me :
- Goblins
- Shenanigans, resilience, combo
- Fuel for long drawn out games
- Energy mecanic
And here's a couple of interesting cards that are sitting in a binder, that I've been meaning to use in decks :
- 4 X Fatal Push
- 4 x Dark Ritual -> Though it's underwhelming in multiplayer
- 4 X Unearth
- 4 X Lightning Bolt
- 4 X Harnessed Lightning
- 4 X Deathbringer Thoctar
- 4 X Bituminous Blast
- 4 X Etched Champion
- 4 X Lavaclaw Reaches
- 4 X Dragonskull Summit
- 4 X Blood Crypt
A couple years ago, I had a vampire deck with 4 x Bloodghast. I really liked the card but I sold them because I was bored with vampires. I'd like to play it again. Needless to say, I'm annoyed that it's now valued at 4 times the price it was when I was playing them. I'm also looking at Gravecrawler and I think it may be a better fit for a sac engine.
I also like the Death Baron, he would work well with the Thoctar, but he is expensive. I know he kind of pushes me into a Zombie deck but I think that the Baron, Thoctar and Gravecrawler wouldn't feel like a traditional tribal deck where the pawns are boosted by the lords.
Not considering the list of cards I already have, my budget is around 200$. I've got it in store credit at my LGS so I may be at peace blowing it on 4 X Death Baron
So, does anyone have any idea?
Thanks!
I've been thinking of a landfall deck for a while. Maybe where I can sac lands and get'em back with land tax.
Bitterblossom or reanimate are good examples. I already have em though.
I don't really have any color preference, but i'd like to avoid black and blue. I already have some pretty strong decks in those colors.
I've been eyeing Land Tax for a while. i've been meaning to make a GW deck, maybe that's a good candidate.