Oh and Funeral, try Garruk 2.0 in one of those 5 PW slots. I really like Garruk 2.0 after a board sweep.
My problem with Garruk 2.0 is that he doesn't untap lands. Although the card draw effect would be swell..hmm
Do you think I should replace my Garruk 1.0? or maybe replace Liliana? I really like the her tutor effect, letting me get just the answer I need..and also the discard engine after a Death Cloud is brutal.
But podding into a two drop that gets you a land puts you at the same amount of mana, but further up the chain?
I prefer to save my 1 drops to pod into my 2cc answers later in the game (like spellskite or phyrexian revoker)
But what Dan.f said works nice too because there's now no risk of losing your mana dork (since you pitched it for a creature that actually fetches a land, the creature is now disposable aka poddable)
I'm not particularly sure which order, but I know I want the Armageddon in the middle. I'm really not picky so you can use your creative discretion in how you want to blend them together. I'm even open to the idea of maybe like some solid diagonal lines splitting each image. But regular blending/shading would be fine also. Like I said..I'm not picky. Use your artistic discretion. I'd also like the text "who needs land.." written in all lower case, and in any sort of mystical-looking itallic font you see fit, preferably right in the center at the bottom of the banner.
I can't stress enough that I'm completely open for just about all of my specifications to be changed as you see fit. The only solid requirement I have is that you use these 5 images and that Armageddon be in the center.
Take all the time you need. Thanks so much in advance!
bumping this one, it may have been lost in the pack
I usually die....in game and life...each time i meet a valakut, and i play almost the same deck as yours (only 1 vat and doom blades instead of go for the throat)
The Mimic Vats really help.. Also make sure you have at least 2 Spellskite in after sb. Obviously use Memoricide to take out the Primeval Titans as early as possible. 2x Tectonic Edge and 3x Slimes mainboard also help a lot. I used to keep an additional Slime in the sb for Valakut, but people haven't been playing it as much recently so I removed it. Another change I've made recently is mainboarding the Phyrexian Revoker. He can stall them if you drop him early, calling Overgrown Battlement. I've also removed Dismember is favor of more Beast Withins and GFFT, but Doom Blade works too.
Are you playing 6 mana makers? this helps start the race and can soon be podded into Spellskite. And are you using Brutalizer Exarch? Getting him or a Slime on a Mimic Vat can devistate Valakut.
50 cents! Dang! I paid 4 bucks each for mine. But now they're up to about $8/each! Anyways, I am voting to rename G/W Pod to "Brush Pod". Anyone have any objection to this?
Yeah I can't believe how quickly pod prices are skyrocketing! I just ordered mine last week, paid 3.50 ea.. and now everywhere is charging at least 7-8$.. wow
Also, I love the name Brush Pod! way better than Selesnya Pod =(
I'm a huge supporter of B/G pod. It is the only 2-color pod deck that is actually tournament viable. Although I've recently splashed white in mine because, like GWC said..It's so easy to splash a third color and we benefit from it so much.
I've run it as a 1-of in every one of my Pod variants. I'll take the -2, I could truly care less. It's a great card.
All this fuss over the -2 life (which I too could care less about) and most of the time you'll be podding into it anyways! What more versatile 4-drop is there?? This card wins games left and right. I have a feeling we'll be seeing Metamorphs going up in price over the next couple of months here..
Here's a modified version of a RDW/Burn deck I used to play in Extended a couple years. I changed a few things around to fit Modern..and I've only tested online so far, but it feels pretty efficient.
I tried to create a sideboard that could still utilize Isochron Scepter, while remaining relevant against popular decks. I have yet to play in any Modern events, so I don't have any serious test results yet.. But I'll post when I do. I also included a couple Buried Ruin in the sb, because they will most likely sideboard in some hate against the scepters and bridges. And although Noxious Revival isn't burn, getting one on a scepter can be devastating.
Obviously the Mox Opals will be a lot slower than Chrome Mox..often times I'm not even able to activate it until turn 3. But it's a 0 cost card that will make mana, if not right away. Since I also lost Great Furnace, I elected to remove Shrapnel Blast, a staple in my original build.
The overall idea here is to utilize Seething Song to blow your hands as you draw them with Wheel of Fate. Ensnaring Bridge keeps aggro off you, so you don't need to worry about burning creatures unless absolutely necessary. There's also the obvious synergy between Pyromancer Ascension and the scepter, which keeps pressure on your opponent. Ideally you want a Lightning Helix or a Galvanic Blast on the scepter, but anything will do.
Isochron Scepter or Red Sun's Zenith will ultimately be the win conditions. The key to success is through Ensnaring Bridge and Seething Song (letting you blow your hand). Flamebreak helps keep early pressure off you, while also feeding them some damage. Ideally by the end of turn 3 you want a bridge on the table and your hand gone. The scepter also helps empty your hand quicker since you use 2 cards for the single effect.
I chose to run only 3x Wheel of Fate and Pyromancer Ascension because, realistically, I never need to draw more than one..and all of the other cards are mandatory 4-ofs. Except for the Zenith of course, which I often never need anyway. But if I do draw it, I've usually got an Ascension online by then and I can just dump any extra mana I have from copied Songs into it for the win.
If anyone's intersted in trying this style of creatureless RDW, here are some other options I considered that you might want to use to tweak your build:
So I was just getting ready to post my BGW land destruction deck I used to play in Legacy, but then I realized that Vindicate is not legal is Modern. Woe is me
Not really sure on this. I think I like Archon a lot more than other players. As an attacker he is evasive (flying). As a blocker he can block anything and when he dies you can exile anything on the board. It gets worse when you have a Pod out as your opponent knows you can kill anything they play on your turn, probably after doing four damage to them. I have not tried BSA, so it could easily be a better card. Only negative is BSA is not good to Pod away. But hey, we eventually have to do some damage and win the game and she is not a bad choice to do that.
Baneslayer Angel is bigger, and also has flying. She creates a greater total life advantage when attacking via lifelink. She may not exile a permanent upon death, but she slays far more creatures in combat without a scratch on her. If you block a 4/4 with the Archon, both creatures die to combat damage, and you get to remove another permenant of theirs. If you block a 4/4 with BSA, they lose the creature and you lose nothing. So ultimately they both net the same card advantage (+1 in your favor) except with BSA you just gained 5 life and you still have a 5/5 flying first strike lifelink protection from demons and dragons on the table.. You do the math.
I originally ran Alchemy but every time I casted it I was always hoping for a counter, so instead I just replaced them with more counters. Dissipation Field is more useful here because it continually slows down opposing creatures, whereas DOJ only clears the field once. Also I have a couple DOJ in here already..
The only reason I don't use the O-Ring is because of the manabase. I like Beast Within better anyway..as the 3/3 is rarely a problem. And the fact that it can hit lands is very important as well, since this deck has some amazing LD potential with the addition of Unburial Rites
The Revoker may be coming out for another Spellskite, but currently I always find something useful for the Revoker. I only side it out against control deck with no swords and no planeswalkers. I take the LD/mana denial route often with this build, and I'll even drop the Revoker naming BOP if they play one
I guess the main reason I want the bounce is because its reusable, and the fact that you aren't required to have the spell in your hand + mana open when they cast the creature. Both Grasp of Phantoms and Silent Departure have flashback, and I can even return them with Runic Repetition later. Although I'll probably use Visions of Beyond instead of Think Twice..yeah definitely.
My problem with Garruk 2.0 is that he doesn't untap lands. Although the card draw effect would be swell..hmm
Do you think I should replace my Garruk 1.0? or maybe replace Liliana? I really like the her tutor effect, letting me get just the answer I need..and also the discard engine after a Death Cloud is brutal.
I prefer to save my 1 drops to pod into my 2cc answers later in the game (like spellskite or phyrexian revoker)
But what Dan.f said works nice too because there's now no risk of losing your mana dork (since you pitched it for a creature that actually fetches a land, the creature is now disposable aka poddable)
Brutalizer Exarch is great against Valakut, and that's what he's asking about.
Mimic Vat is also useful in the Valakut match-up..so if its in your sideboard, you should be bringing it in.
I agree that at least 6 dorks are necessary for a good chance against Valakut.
I kind of feel like the old Liliana is actually better in Cloud..
Also, why is the new Liliana so hot?? O_O
*EDIT* forgot to post my decklist
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
3 Viridian Emissary
3 Kitchen Finks
2 Eternal Witness
2 Obstinate Baloth
Planeswalkers (5):
3 Garruk Wildspeaker
2 Liliana Vess
Sorceries (18):
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Maelstrom Pulse
3 Damnation
3 Death Cloud
3 Night's Whisper
2 Life from the Loam
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Overgrown Tomb
2 Treetop Village
2 Mutavault
6 Swamp
5 Forest
4 Surgical Extraction
3 Memoricide
3 Plow Under
3 Fulminator Mage
2 Krosan Grip
What do you guys think about using Chimeric Mass in this deck?
bumping this one, it may have been lost in the pack
The Mimic Vats really help.. Also make sure you have at least 2 Spellskite in after sb. Obviously use Memoricide to take out the Primeval Titans as early as possible. 2x Tectonic Edge and 3x Slimes mainboard also help a lot. I used to keep an additional Slime in the sb for Valakut, but people haven't been playing it as much recently so I removed it. Another change I've made recently is mainboarding the Phyrexian Revoker. He can stall them if you drop him early, calling Overgrown Battlement. I've also removed Dismember is favor of more Beast Withins and GFFT, but Doom Blade works too.
Are you playing 6 mana makers? this helps start the race and can soon be podded into Spellskite. And are you using Brutalizer Exarch? Getting him or a Slime on a Mimic Vat can devistate Valakut.
'Brush Pod' makes me think of Brushlands and Anurid Brushhopper.. and those are much more dear to my heart than Selesnya
Yeah I can't believe how quickly pod prices are skyrocketing! I just ordered mine last week, paid 3.50 ea.. and now everywhere is charging at least 7-8$.. wow
Also, I love the name Brush Pod! way better than Selesnya Pod =(
I'm a huge supporter of B/G pod. It is the only 2-color pod deck that is actually tournament viable. Although I've recently splashed white in mine because, like GWC said..It's so easy to splash a third color and we benefit from it so much.
All this fuss over the -2 life (which I too could care less about) and most of the time you'll be podding into it anyways! What more versatile 4-drop is there?? This card wins games left and right. I have a feeling we'll be seeing Metamorphs going up in price over the next couple of months here..
I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say:
Thanks guys.. We know you're down a man right now, so take all the time you need. We appreciate your work and wait for it patiently.
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Galvanic Blast
4 Lightning Helix
4 Flamebreak
1 Red Sun's Zenith
Utility (19):
4 Mox Opal
4 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Manamorphose
3 Wheel of Fate
4 Seething Song
3 Pyromancer Ascension
4 Isochron Scepter
Lands (17):
4 Arid Mesa
4 Darksteel Citadel
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Mountain
1 Plains
4 Smash to Smithereens
2 Buried Ruin
3 Ghostfire
3 Path to Exile
3 Noxious Revival
I tried to create a sideboard that could still utilize Isochron Scepter, while remaining relevant against popular decks. I have yet to play in any Modern events, so I don't have any serious test results yet.. But I'll post when I do. I also included a couple Buried Ruin in the sb, because they will most likely sideboard in some hate against the scepters and bridges. And although Noxious Revival isn't burn, getting one on a scepter can be devastating.
Obviously the Mox Opals will be a lot slower than Chrome Mox..often times I'm not even able to activate it until turn 3. But it's a 0 cost card that will make mana, if not right away. Since I also lost Great Furnace, I elected to remove Shrapnel Blast, a staple in my original build.
The overall idea here is to utilize Seething Song to blow your hands as you draw them with Wheel of Fate. Ensnaring Bridge keeps aggro off you, so you don't need to worry about burning creatures unless absolutely necessary. There's also the obvious synergy between Pyromancer Ascension and the scepter, which keeps pressure on your opponent. Ideally you want a Lightning Helix or a Galvanic Blast on the scepter, but anything will do.
Isochron Scepter or Red Sun's Zenith will ultimately be the win conditions. The key to success is through Ensnaring Bridge and Seething Song (letting you blow your hand). Flamebreak helps keep early pressure off you, while also feeding them some damage. Ideally by the end of turn 3 you want a bridge on the table and your hand gone. The scepter also helps empty your hand quicker since you use 2 cards for the single effect.
I chose to run only 3x Wheel of Fate and Pyromancer Ascension because, realistically, I never need to draw more than one..and all of the other cards are mandatory 4-ofs. Except for the Zenith of course, which I often never need anyway. But if I do draw it, I've usually got an Ascension online by then and I can just dump any extra mana I have from copied Songs into it for the win.
If anyone's intersted in trying this style of creatureless RDW, here are some other options I considered that you might want to use to tweak your build:
Other Artifacts:
Welding Jar
Feldon's Cane
Locket of Yesterdays
Pyrite Spellbomb - if you're scared of pro red
Shrine of Burning Rage - I really wanted to include this, but just couldn't make it fit.
Other Burn:
Burst Lightning
Shrapnel Blast - only if you run more artifacts
Punishing Fire - I'm really liking this + Grove of the Burnwillows.. might try to work that in
Incinerate
If anyone can think of any other relevant burn or artifacts I didn't list in the options section, please let me know!
Baneslayer Angel is bigger, and also has flying. She creates a greater total life advantage when attacking via lifelink. She may not exile a permanent upon death, but she slays far more creatures in combat without a scratch on her. If you block a 4/4 with the Archon, both creatures die to combat damage, and you get to remove another permenant of theirs. If you block a 4/4 with BSA, they lose the creature and you lose nothing. So ultimately they both net the same card advantage (+1 in your favor) except with BSA you just gained 5 life and you still have a 5/5 flying first strike lifelink protection from demons and dragons on the table.. You do the math.