Hey guys, great thread, seen some things I haven't though about. I've been playing Atraxa Superfriends for a while and I'm still trying to tune the deck.
I'm going for the almost creature less version, control version that eventually grinds out a win with PWs or with Tezzert's ultimate and beatdown with artifacts. I've onyl won once with Atraxa and it was a very weird game.
Hello, I don't have much experience with 1vs1 traditional commander but I see it be more and more popular with friends and people the groups I play (almost nobody I know likes French 1v1) so I decided to get into it.
I took my multiplayer Derevi and started to change it for this format but I still don't know that much (I've always played mutli EDH).
I'm sure there are some cards in the deck that I should take out because they aren't that good in 1vs1 and vice-versa with cards I should add, right now the only ones I'm not sure about are:
-Strip Mine This deck has heavy color requirements, same reason I'm not using Mana Vault.
-Mana Drain Very little use for colorless mana and it's the only counter I'm running, should probably be good if I decided to run more.
-Forsaken City It's only there to combo with Stasis, not a good land for anything else.
-Aura Shards Not sure how good it is in this format.
-Living Plane It's great with Linvala and slows down opponents but it's CMC may be too high for what it does.
-Rhystic Study I'm also not sure how strong it would be in 1vs1 , it seems at least decent.
Now about Confidant vs Arena, this is in fact a meta call since I see a lot more creature removal than enchantment removal (which is mostly spot and not mass) and there's no Uba Mask or Nekusar (at least not yet). Also since I'm going to try Zur that's another point to Arena. Maybe sometime I'll try Narset again but I too want to try Contamination in that slow, I used to run it in a mono black deck and it was always very strong.
About Many Crypt maybe it's not that good but I've find that I have plenty of uses for it and haven't find the colorless mana to be wasted, at least not yet.
I've been looking at the list and I'm making these changes to try the next time I play:
Well I played a few games tonight, the deck is really fun, Joseph list is awesome and the games helped me understand the list better.
Some of my conclusions (along with your advice guys):
-I took out Skittles not for the triple black but became I wanted to trim the higher end of the curve.
-Also took out Zur the enchanter, I'm convinced he can be great for the deck but I had to take out something and he was a 4CMC card. Next time I want to try him (maybe instead of a PWs or an enchantment). Damnosus idea of using him along with Contamination is worth trying.
-Took out Deathrite Shaman and I'm thinking of trying him instead of Noble Hierarch manly to have more graveyard hate (I didn't need this time because there was a lot of GH from another player but I can't always count on that).
-Tried Imperial Seal on a few goldfish games and it was too slow, made me sad since I try to use it in every black deck still it's a great card.
-Damnosus was spot on about Narset Transcendent played 1 game and ended up taking her out, not enough cards for her +1 and -2 to be relevant. She fizzled a lot and the rebound wasn't very relevant (I did tried her in the Superfriends version and there she's very good, even more so rebounding wrath effects).
-Also I took out 1 forest. It's hard to go down to 33 lands when 1 can't generate mana so it's like having 32 but I needed one more space and it worked out.
-Played 2 games with my friends tonight and Chains of Mephistopheles didn't work out for me, on one game I didn't want to play it because I needed the extra cards and in the other game it stopped 2 players from comboing out but it also stopped me too from winning and it gave the game to the Rafiq player.
The card is great as a meta call if you have many storm like decks.
-Never drew (or tutored) Ichor Rats so I still haven't try the poison route and Astral Cornucopia (I was tempted to cut it but I want to play with it first).
Well first of all I haven't been able to try the deck yet (I'm going to play tonight) so I'm not sure how easy is to cast Skittles but I've played 5C in EDH before and having triple black on turn 4/5/6 doesn't seem that hard.
Next I was making an Atraxa Superfriends deck and I saw OP list and liked very much so I took it and modified it a bit so obviously is very similar, once I start playing the deck in my local metagame I'll start adapting it more (I'm still making the Atraxa SP list too).
About Chains from what I see it's like a Leovold that affects us but harder to get rid off, very good vs spellslinger decks or wheel decks.
Hey man great thread. I've been tinkering with your decklist, it's awesome.
One of the cards you're running that I didn't like it's Dark Confidant, I've been using Phyrexian Arena instead (mainly because it loses less life and it's harder to destroy, also can be fetch with Zur the Enchanter). Also Zur made it really worth it to play low cost enchantments. Also I'm using Treasure Find instead of Reap since there's not black in the games sometimes.
This is the list I ended up with and I'm down to 105 cards but I'm not sure what 7 cards to take out, if you guys could take a look at my list and help me out it would be great, plus I'm really exited to play the deck with my friends on the weekend (it sorted by type and cmc):
Maybe this has a little too much ramp but I don't think so, and most cards are so useful that it's very hard to know what to take away (even more so because I haven't had a chance to play the deck yet, maybe tonight I can try a game).
Hi, I'm back after a long time away from Magic (last time I played EDH Primeval Titan was legal and you could tuck commanders with Condemn) so It's been a long time.
I'm going to play mostly in a competitive meta so all the help you can give me would be appreciated, I've been trying to see all the good EDH cards from "new" sets but it's going to take some time.
The Commander is Sliver Queen for now but probably any 5C commander would be good, I'm not really attached to it and I would even go for a 4c commander if it help more with the strategy of the deck (When I used to play the deck sometimes I felt that I only played red for land destruction which is fine but maybe not worth it). The idea is to play Superfriends , control the board and win mostly through either locking down the board/combos/advantage thanks to the PWs.
I feel the deck is lacking PWs (The ones that I do have a lot don't seen that strong) and it feels more like a pile of 5c goodstuff than a Superfriends control/combo deck.
Also I have a sub-theme of enchantments because Jokulhaups , Decree of Annihilation ) and Obliterate don't destroy them but there's probably too many sorceries/enchantments and maybe a little too much ramp (I'm a ramp addict in EDH).
Some of the cards I think may be worth cutting are(but I'm not sure what to replace them with):
It's also worth mentioning that Atraxa, Praetors' Voice could be a good 4c commander (and I play only 7 red cards but most are very strong, the mass destruction ones are game ending a lot of the time) and some of the new gold PWs that used red seem strong.
Since my preorder for Theros cards doesn't ship until the 27 I have no standard deck at the moment (I used to play UWR auras and Naya Blitz) and I don't have enough cards to make a decent deck right now and I know some people that do have good decks and are playing the FNM so I'll probably go to chat and maybe play some EDH.
DRS and Ooze in the aggro decks aren't really the answer to Melira. Well at least with the aggro decks that are viable right now.
Affinity (which is more of an aggro/combo deck) can't play them effectively, Gruul Zoo becomes too slow to beat Melira if they have to play Ooze turn 2 and keep 1 mana open turn 3 (specially since a lot of the time you don't play more than 2 lands in one game) and has no use for DRS. Domain Zoo already plays DRS and I don't see Ooze as a great card there.
I really think that Kitty has to come back and some more tools for aggro to deal with combo are needed. If aggro is going to be a part of the competitive tier 1 meta in modern.
Whyfly I would never play less than 4 Ghor-Clan Rampager, that card is an MVP. I would have lost more than half of my games without him, I've never been sad to draw a rampager, he's just that good.
-Bigeyes1992: Honestly it feels like Molten Rain is better than Blood is every match is needed except vs Scapeshift and UWR control. Vs Scape**** most of the time Molten Rain feels like win more when it helps you in that match or it doesn't almost nothing when you're struggling. Bad Moon means that can't win until they draw a Nature's Claim. Against UWR control it just destroys their manabase, I'll be honest in other matchs I rather have Molten Rain, I think one or the other it's a metagame call.
-WHyFLy: During the tournament the Bloodcrypt ended up saving me a good amount of life when using Dismember. I want to try 18 lands instead of 19 just because a lot of the time I felt I had to many lands, in fact I god mana flooded a few times but I never got mana screwed since most of the time I could play with 1 land until I drew the second one. Also Torpor Orb is great but I haven't play a single game against Melira or Kiki Pod with the deck (Ajani Jund, RG Tron, UWR Control and Burn were more popular than Pod and Affinity/Twin/UWR Geist and Scapeshift all had almost the same number of players than pod had, so around 14 pods and 12 to 10 players for each of the other decks). I don't see myself siding Orb in other matches except Pod or Twin and against Twin I rather have Combust so I thinking about taking out the Orbs from my sideboard.
-Lantern: Thanks for the advice about Ape and Guide, that was really useful.
About Dismember it never felt like -4 was too much except when I was already losing bad, but even so with 1 Bloodcrypt it was just -2. I had more to do with the metagame. Against Jund since the only creature they play that needs Dismember is Tarmogoyf I don't like it in that mach, most of the time it sits in your hand waiting for a goyf and you're wishing is was another creature or burn to hit the planeswalkers, honestly I rather play Dreadbore against Jund. Against RG Tron (the other most played deck in my meta) it doesn't do anything, likewise against UWR Control (third most played deck in my meta). Against Burn you obviously don't want it, against Pod it's a good card but vs Melira is as good as any instant burn and againt Kiki Pod I think I rather have Combust. Against Affinity paying life it's just too much, in that game I rather have seal of fire, tarfire, anything that doesn't cost life. Against UWR Geist... well killing a Vendilion Clique or an Snapcaster with it seems like a waste and Geist has hexproff.. again Combust. VS Scapeshift even if they have Titan I don't want it and in the mirror I sure as hell don't want it. I'm struggling to find matchs where I want Dismember.
Right now I'm thinking about making this change: -1 Bloodcrypt, -3 Dismember +2 Seal of Fire +2Tarfire or +2 Colossal Might. And trying this sideboard:
Hi, I played a local Open tournament on Saturday, amazing tournament (a GPT) with 221 players, I was sick (had a fever which sucked) but I was worth it, my deck:
Round 1 vs Scapeshift "Titan Version" (one of our worst match-ups in my experience)
Game 1: I win the die roll and come out gun's blazing with T1 E1 , T2 Emissary + E1 + Guide and luckily my opponent didn't have a Pyroclasm that turn, T3 Boar and he conceded.
For game 2 I side -3 Dismember -2 Pillar of Flames, +3 Molten Rain +2 Vines of Vastwood.
Game 2: He mulligans to 5 and starts with a tapped shockland. I play a guide, attack pass. He plays a land + suspend a Search. I play Kird Ape and Vexing Devil. He plays Firesprout and kills my board. I play Emissary + Tarmogoy and another Vexing Devil. He misses a land drop. I draw a Molten Rain and that was it.
1-0
Round 2 vs UR Storm
Game 1: I win the die roll. I play goblin guide he reveals a land. He plays a sleight. I play E1 + Kird Ape, he reveals another land with guide. He plays a land. I play a Boar and he plays peers through deeps. He tries to go off but fizzles so he kills my board with grapeshot. I play a rampager. Next turn I play a Tarmogoyf and he scoops.
For game 2 I side -3 Dismember -1 Pillar of Flames, +2 Relic of Progenitus +2 Deglamer
Game 2: He plays Serum Visions. I play E1. He plays a land. I play a Relic and a guide, he plays Peer at eot. He plays an electromancer and manages to combo with 1 land thanks to hitting a Past in Flames with Epic Experiment (how I wish I had one mana open for the relic...)
Game 3: I play Kird Ape and he plays land/go. I play 1 ape and 1 vexing devil. He plays a land. I play a guide and rampager a creature he peers eot. He tries to combo but fizzles and kills my board with grapeshot. I play 2 creatures and a relic, he scoops.
2-0
Round 3 vs Ajani Jund (this game was really long and I don't remember it that well)
Game 1: I keep 3 land 2 tarmogoyf a guide and a kird ape. I played and ape (I'm still not sure in some games if it's better to play the Kird Ape or the Goblin Guide first when I have no E1). He plays tapped land. I play a guide he reveals a land. He plays inquisition and makes me discard a Tarmogoyf. He reveals a land with guide and bolts my ape. I play a Tarmogoyf. He plays a Dark Confidant (he's at 14 life), I drew nothing but lands, attack and tarmo get's blocked by bob. He plays an Ajani and +1 my Tarmo. I play a Kird Ape. He plays a LOTV and flashes souls. I drew 2 more lands and conceded.
I side -3 Dismember +3 Vines of Vastwood
Game 2: I play an E1. He plays a shaman. I pillar the shaman, play guide and attack, he reveals a land. He plays a land and passed. I play an Emissary and a Kird Ape, he bolts my E1 and I play a Vines on the E1 so that's brings him to 5 life, he draws and concedes.
For game 3 I side -1 Goblin Guide +1 Dismember
Game 3: It was really long, like more than 20 minutes long, at one time I had 6 land on the board a 4/5 goyf and no cards in hand and he had 5 lands (1 ravine) a shaman, 2 spirits and no cards in hand. I drew a rampager he blocked the goyf with ravine and 2 tokens I bloodrushed. Next turn I drew a land he removed a creature and I left him a 4 life. He drew another shaman. I drew another land he blocked with the shaman and won 2 life. He drew a land. I drew another land attacked, he won 2 life and was left with 4 life. He drew a lingering souls and flashed it. I drew my second rampager he blocked with 1 token, I bloodrushed and won.
3-0
Round 4 vs UWR Belcher control (Wins with Endless Horizon + Goblin Chalbercher)
Game 1: I mulligan to 5 with 3 lands and 2 creatures. He plays an Isochron Scepter with azorious charm imprint. I drew 4 lands in a row, he comboed in turn 6.
I side -3 Dismember -2 Pillar of flames +1 Smash to Smithereens +2 Deglamer +2 Vines of Vastwood
Game 2: I came out guns blazing with T1 E1, T2 E1 + guide, T3 Boar T4 rampager blood rush, he only played an think twice and a bolt.
Game 3: He mulligan to 6, thinks for a while, keeps and plays land go. I play an ape. He plays an Izzet Signet (he didn't have any land that gave red mana). So I played deglamer on the signet hoping to screw him of red mana. It happned he was color screwed. I played more creatures and he didn't have a Wrath so I won on turn 5, he had bolt, 2x helix in hand.
4-0
Round 5 vs Living End (this player would end up splitting the finals in the top 8 and making 7-1 in the swiss)
Game 1: I play E1. He plays a tapped stomping ground (so I though that maybe he was playing Scapeshift or Jund). I play E1 + guide. He plays Cliffs and passes. I play a boar and he cycles 3 (1 wraith and 2 4/4) creatures eot. He plays a land. I attack, he cascades into living I bloodrushed a rampager in response. He attacks I block one 4/4. I play a Tarmogoyf. He plays the cascade spell that won't let it block and kills me.
I side -2 Pillar of flames +2 Relic of Progenitus
Game 2: I mulligan to 6 then play an ape. He plays a tapped land. I play ape + vexing devil (he takes 4). He plays a land and passes. I play a boar, he cycles a creature for 2 and a wraith. He plays a brindle boar. I attack and rampager the creature blocked by the boar and play another vexing (he doesn't take 4. He plays another boar. I attack and bolt him for the win.
Game 3: This game goes exactly like game 2 except he played 3 brindle boars and I played 2 ghor-clan he never drew a cascade spell.
Living End is a horrible horrible match, I think I only won because he couldn't cascade in games 2 and 3.
5-0
Round 6 vs Scapeshift (no titan)
Game 1: I couldn't kill him fast enough, he started with a suspended search, T2 Sakura, T3 Sakura + bolt, T4 Remand + Peer and T5 Scapeshift
I side -3 Dismember -2 Pillar +3 Molten Rain +2 Vines
Game 2: I mulligan to 6. I now know he keep 1 Breeding Pool, 1 Forest, 3 Firesprout and 2 Remand. I played an E1. He plays the tapped pool. I play a guide and an ape. He plays a forest. I play a tarmogoyf and he remands. He finaly draws a red land and firesprouts. I play an emissary + E1 + Kird Ape + Vexing Devil. He plays another firespout (I die a little inside). I play a Tarmogoy. He plays a Valakut and a search. I molten rain the Valakut. He plays a land. I play a rampager and he remands. He plays a land. I attack and he commands my tarmo to my hand. Next turn I play a boar and attack with it and tarmo. He plays a firesprout. I drew a land and hit him for 4 leaving him at 4. He has no hand and drew... a Scapeshift and I lose.
5-1
Round 7 vs Domain Zoo
Game 1: I mull to 5 and he starts with a shaman. After that he bolted my ape, played a Geist, helixed my boar, pathed my tarmo, snaped a helix and won on the back of a Geist + Elspeth .
I side -1 Dismember -4 Goblin Guide +1 Pillar of Flames +3 Vines of Vastwood +1 Flame Slash
Game 2:I play an ape. He plays a hierach. I pillar the hierach and play an E1. He plays a hierach and a shaman. I play a boar. He helix my boar and bolts my E1 and wins 2 life. I play a tarmo. He plays a tarmo. I attack and bloodrush my tarmo he blocked with his own tarmogoyf. After that he drew an snapcaster, another helix, another shaman and a tribal flames while I drew 4 lands and 1 kird ape
5-2
Round 8 vs UR Storm, the one that lost was going to get 2 packs of MM and the one who won was getting a Dragon's Maze booster box, so we decided to play and split the prize.
I won 2-0 but he keep a hand with 1 land and a hand with 3 past in flames. We were both really tired, my fever was a lot higher than when I started the tournament and honestly I was sad that I lost 2 games in a row that where a win-and-in for the top 8 (the prize for just making the top 8 was a ticket plane to Santiago, Chile to play in the GP in November).
6-2
All in all great tournament, I ended up on 13 place (second best tie-breakers of the 6-2s). I didn't expect to do that well since I haven't played in a big modern tournament for more than a year (although I did judged in every one of those tournaments ). I had almost no experience with the deck (I only played it once in a LGS tournament) so I made some mistakes and mostly I don't my sideboard was good enough.
The most played decks in the tournament where UWR control, Melira Pod, Kiki-pod, RG Tron,Ajani Jund, Burn and Scape****, it was odd that I only played against one of those decks but after the third or fourth round most pods where out of the running (RG Tron and UWR are bad bad matchs for Melira Pod).
The top 8 was:
1 4c Gift
2 UWR control (1 splitted in the finals)
1 Junk
2 Living End (1 splitted in the finals)
2 Scapeshift (1 Titan and 1 without titan)
Right now I'm thinking that maybe I should try 18 lands without the Bloodcrypt.
Also the Dismembers where my most sideout card so maybe trying a few in the sb and changing them for something else, not sure if a pump card or something like seal of fire, same with the pillars of flames.
About the sb, Flames Slash was mostly useless, I never got a chance to use Torpor Orb so I'm undecided about the card. I've been wanting to try 1 or 2 Combust for sometime so maybe I will. Also I love Molten Rain but it seems that Blood Moon is better vs Scapeshift.
And right now I think our worst match-ups (for the popular decks) are Scapeshift and UWR control. I know that Domain Zoo is bad but the deck is not popular at all, there were 2 in 221 players (also there where only 3 Gruul Zoo, the other 2 players went 5-3 if I remember correctly).
Any advice about matchs, my deck and anything to do with playing Gruul Zoo are welcome.
Hey guys I've been trying this version of zoo (I was playing Domain before) and I have a question. My local metagame is mostly Jund followed by RG Tron and then Affinity/Mono Blue Tron/Pod (both Melira and Kiki)UWR (both midrange and control) and monored (every other deck is played but not as much as those decks). So what would be the best version of this deck to play agan Jund/RG Tron/Affinity/Mono Blue Tron/Pod? What about the sideboard?
It really depends of the LGS, I play in one where the owner has 6 decks (non budget) that he lends to regulars to play so we at least always have 1 Affinty, 1 RUG Scapeshift, 1 UWR Midrange, 1 UR Twin, 1 Mono Red Burn and 1 RG Tron, plus he's finishing a Melira Pod and a D&T.
Last time I played the meta was:
1 Domain Zoo (me)
3 UWR Midrange
2 RG Tron
1 Pox Assault Loam
2 Ajani Jund
2 Affinity
1 Soul Sisters
1 B/W Tokens
2 Melira Pod
1 Kiki-Pod
2 Mono Red Burn
Well I have a report from the GPT I played yestarday.
I went 3-2 and got 9th place (tied in points with 7th and 8th place, it sucks to have an opponent drop from the tournament, if he hadn't I would have placed 7th).
Round 1 VS a friend playing Affinity
Game 1: He wins the die roll, I mull to 5, and plays Citadel, 2x Memmite, Ornitopther , Mox Opal, Thoughcast, Drum. I play noble. He plays Ornitopther, Blinkmoth, Plating and hits me for 8, I go down to 9 and die the next turn.
Game 2: I mull to 6, stall the ground with 2x Loxodon, he plays a Darksteel citadel and 2 Etched Champion (now I can't kill them ever) and eventually I lose bya Champion with plating.
0-1
Round 2 vs Kiki Pod
Game 1: He wins the die roll and I mull to 6. I came out fast with noble T1 and Geist T2, he goes BoP T1, T2 Wall of Roots, T3 Pod + Image at time Geist, T5 he was at 4 (I was tapped out with a tribal in my hand) and he manages to combo out.
Game 2:. I mull to 6, with Aven + Cage he can't combo, I start beating him, a Dark Confidant leaves me a very low life, he manages to blink/copy a Kitchen Finks 5 times, I had him at 6 life and he pods a Zealous Conscripts and kills me.
0-2
Round 3 vs BW Tokens
Game 1: He wins the die roll, I mull to 6, It's a very long game with tons of back and forth, eventually 2 Shamans plus Snapcaster with Flames gives me the game.
Game 2: I mull to 6, he mulls to 5. I go out slowy, he plays 2 anthems and I lose the damage race.
Game 3: I mull to 6, he mull to 5 (again). I go out guns blazing with Shaman, Tarmogoyf + Helix, Flames + Snapcaster and win.
1-2
Round 4 vs UR Storm
Game 1: He wins the die roll (again...) I play T1 shaman, T2 Geist, T3 Flames + Tarmogoyf, he manages to combo win T4 with Pyromancer Ascension.
Game 2:I mull to 6, I go T1 Noble, T2 Loxodon, T3 Tarmo + Helix, T4 win with Snapcaster + flames.
Game3: I go T1 bolt, T2 Confidant, T3 Geist, T4 he fizzles the combo and I win.
2-2
Round 5 vs UWR Midrange
Game 1: I win the die roll (yay), I go T1 Noble (he bolts it), T2 Helix, T3 Tarmogoyf, T4 Helix + Flames, T5 Flames + Snapcaster and win.
Game 2: It's very back and forth until I manage to kill his Celestial Colonnade with a Combust and then burn him for the win.
3-2
I don't remember all the decks in the top 8 but I know there was 1 Affinity, 2 UWR Midrange, 1 Valakut, 1 Junk midrange and 1 Melira Pod.
Well first I was good to play modern again after 6 months where I only judged the events but I realized that I don't know most of the cards that the decks are playing and I misread the metagame, I expected tons of mono red, RG tron and some UWR and Melira, the last 2 were true but there was only 1 mono red and zero RG Tron.
So my sb was bad, I needed more cards again Affinity at least and Kor Firewalker + Fulminator Mage didn't do anything for me.
The card I side out the most was the Dark Confidants, it's sad because it's one of my favorite cards but I wouldn't play more than 2 main (they did help me against combo) if event that, I want to try some 4CMC or 5CMC in my sb and maybe Elspeth in the main and Bob doesn't allow that.
I still think that I rather keep trying Loxodon Smiter instead of Lingering Souls since they were a house all night and they were great even against Affinity (although the flying blockers would have helped me more in that match only).
I still need to get me some Voice of Resurgence (although I don't fancy paying 40US$ for each) and try them. But even now I'm not seeing any game were I really would have liked a 2/2 that leaves tokens.
If I had to play tomorrow I would probably use something like this:
Any advice for my list?
https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/14-12-16-eDQ-atraxa-superfriends/
I'm going for the almost creature less version, control version that eventually grinds out a win with PWs or with Tezzert's ultimate and beatdown with artifacts. I've onyl won once with Atraxa and it was a very weird game.
I took my multiplayer Derevi and started to change it for this format but I still don't know that much (I've always played mutli EDH).
This is my deck right now:
1 Arbor Elf
1 Avacyn's Pilgrim
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Caustic Caterpillar
1 Copperhorn Scout
1 Elvish Mystic
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Noble Hierarch
1 Quirion Ranger
1 Scryb Ranger
1 Serra Ascendant
1 Weathered Wayfarer
1 Bloom Tender
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Aven Mindcensor
1 Edric, Spymaster of Trest
1 Glowrider
1 Hushwing Gryff
1 Loyal Retainers
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Sanctum Prelate
1 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
1 Vryn Wingmare
1 Yisan, the Wanderer Bard
1 Captain Sisay
1 Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
1 Hokori, Dust Drinker
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
1 Sakashima the Impostor
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur
1 Breeding Pool
1 Brushland
1 Command Tower
1 Exotic Orchard
1 Flooded Strand
2 Forest
1 Forsaken City
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Gemstone Caverns
1 Hallowed Fountain
2 Island
1 Mana Confluence
1 Marsh Flats
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Polluted Delta
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Savannah
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Strip Mine
1 Temple Garden
1 Thran Quarry
1 Tropical Island
1 Tundra
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Yavimaya Coast
1 Chord of Calling
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Eladamri's Call
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Mana Drain
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Chrome Mox
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Diamond
1 Null Rod
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Sol Ring
1 Sphere of Resistance
1 Static Orb
1 Tangle Wire
1 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Trinisphere
1 Winter Orb
1 Aura of Silence
1 Aura Shards
1 Living Plane
1 Rhystic Study
1 Rising Waters
1 Stasis
1 Sterling Grove
1 Stony Silence
1 Survival of the Fittest
1 Sylvan Library
1 Eldritch Evolution
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
I'm sure there are some cards in the deck that I should take out because they aren't that good in 1vs1 and vice-versa with cards I should add, right now the only ones I'm not sure about are:
-Strip Mine This deck has heavy color requirements, same reason I'm not using Mana Vault.
-Mana Drain Very little use for colorless mana and it's the only counter I'm running, should probably be good if I decided to run more.
-Forsaken City It's only there to combo with Stasis, not a good land for anything else.
-Aura Shards Not sure how good it is in this format.
-Living Plane It's great with Linvala and slows down opponents but it's CMC may be too high for what it does.
-Rhystic Study I'm also not sure how strong it would be in 1vs1 , it seems at least decent.
Now about Confidant vs Arena, this is in fact a meta call since I see a lot more creature removal than enchantment removal (which is mostly spot and not mass) and there's no Uba Mask or Nekusar (at least not yet). Also since I'm going to try Zur that's another point to Arena. Maybe sometime I'll try Narset again but I too want to try Contamination in that slow, I used to run it in a mono black deck and it was always very strong.
About Many Crypt maybe it's not that good but I've find that I have plenty of uses for it and haven't find the colorless mana to be wasted, at least not yet.
I've been looking at the list and I'm making these changes to try the next time I play:
-The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale , I've used this card a lot on EDH but it was in decks where your creatures dying didn't matter and with other kinds of taxing effects.
-Arid Mesa
-Woooded Foothills
+Deathrite Shaman
+Contamination
+Zur the Enchanter
And a name for the deck maybe something like Angelic Prison?
Some of my conclusions (along with your advice guys):
-I took out Skittles not for the triple black but became I wanted to trim the higher end of the curve.
-Also took out Zur the enchanter, I'm convinced he can be great for the deck but I had to take out something and he was a 4CMC card. Next time I want to try him (maybe instead of a PWs or an enchantment). Damnosus idea of using him along with Contamination is worth trying.
-Took out Deathrite Shaman and I'm thinking of trying him instead of Noble Hierarch manly to have more graveyard hate (I didn't need this time because there was a lot of GH from another player but I can't always count on that).
-Tried Imperial Seal on a few goldfish games and it was too slow, made me sad since I try to use it in every black deck still it's a great card.
-Damnosus was spot on about Narset Transcendent played 1 game and ended up taking her out, not enough cards for her +1 and -2 to be relevant. She fizzled a lot and the rebound wasn't very relevant (I did tried her in the Superfriends version and there she's very good, even more so rebounding wrath effects).
-Also I took out 1 forest. It's hard to go down to 33 lands when 1 can't generate mana so it's like having 32 but I needed one more space and it worked out.
-Played 2 games with my friends tonight and Chains of Mephistopheles didn't work out for me, on one game I didn't want to play it because I needed the extra cards and in the other game it stopped 2 players from comboing out but it also stopped me too from winning and it gave the game to the Rafiq player.
The card is great as a meta call if you have many storm like decks.
Now some things that workeed very well:
- Phyrexian Arena, Land Equilibrium , Derevi, Empyrial Tactician, Karn Liberated and Nether Void were allstars for me tonight. Also Joseph was completely spot on about Crystalline Crawler, I had a game where all my mana rocks were wiped out and Crawler allowed me to get back into it, I didn't notice his interaction with Stasis but that's very cool.
-Never drew (or tutored) Ichor Rats so I still haven't try the poison route and Astral Cornucopia (I was tempted to cut it but I want to play with it first).
Overall I'm pretty happy with the deck.
Next I was making an Atraxa Superfriends deck and I saw OP list and liked very much so I took it and modified it a bit so obviously is very similar, once I start playing the deck in my local metagame I'll start adapting it more (I'm still making the Atraxa SP list too).
About Chains from what I see it's like a Leovold that affects us but harder to get rid off, very good vs spellslinger decks or wheel decks.
And about my list I still have to take out 6 cards, sharing ideas about that would be useful. I've been thinking about taking out:
Crystalline Crawler
Imperial Seal
Swords to Plowshares
But I'm not sure what other 3 cards to take out.
EDIT: And what you think of using Zur the Enchanter ? and playing Phyerxian Arena instead of Dark Confidant?
PS: Maybe take out Narset too?
One of the cards you're running that I didn't like it's Dark Confidant, I've been using Phyrexian Arena instead (mainly because it loses less life and it's harder to destroy, also can be fetch with Zur the Enchanter). Also Zur made it really worth it to play low cost enchantments. Also I'm using Treasure Find instead of Reap since there's not black in the games sometimes.
This is the list I ended up with and I'm down to 105 cards but I'm not sure what 7 cards to take out, if you guys could take a look at my list and help me out it would be great, plus I'm really exited to play the deck with my friends on the weekend (it sorted by type and cmc):
1 Arid Mesa
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Flooded Strand
1 Marsh Flats
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Bayou
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Tropical Island
1 Breeding Pool
1 Scrubland
1 Godless Shrine
1 Tundra
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Savannah
1 Temple Garden
1 Underground Sea
1 Watery Grave
2 Forest
1 Island
1 Plains
1 Swamp
1 City of Brass
1 Command Tower
1 Mana Confluence
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Strip Mine
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
Creatures 13
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Deathrite Shaman
1 Noble Hierarch
1 Bloom Tender
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Aven Mindcensor
1 Ichor Rats
1 Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
1 Leovold, Emissary of Trest
1 Zur the Enchanter
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
1 Crystalline Crawler
1 Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon
1 Astral Cornucopia
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Diamond
1 Mox Opal
1 Sol Ring
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Talisman of Unity
1 Talisman of Progress
1 Talisman of Dominance
1 Torpor Orb
1 Winter Orb
1 Static Orb
1 Orb of Dreams
1 Chromatic Lantern
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Tangle Wire
Enchantments 11
1 Root Maze
1 Stasis
1 Bitterblossom
1 Chains of Mephistopheles
1 Sylvan Library
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Necropotence
1 Pernicious Deed
1 Land Equilibrium
1 Nether Void
1 Doubling Season
Planeswalkers 11
1 Dovin Baan
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Narset Transcendent
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Tamiyo, Field Researcher
1 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Venser, the Sojourner
1 Teferi, Temporal Archmage
1 Karn Liberated
1 Imperial Seal
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Regrowth
1 Three Visits
1 Treasure Find
1 Grim Tutor
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Armageddon
1 Ravages of War
Instants 10
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Swan Song
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Counterspell
1 Mana Drain
1 Abrupt Decay
1 Beast Within
1 Anguish Unmaking
Maybe this has a little too much ramp but I don't think so, and most cards are so useful that it's very hard to know what to take away (even more so because I haven't had a chance to play the deck yet, maybe tonight I can try a game).
EDIT: I forgotten that I had Linvala in the deck.
I'm going to play mostly in a competitive meta so all the help you can give me would be appreciated, I've been trying to see all the good EDH cards from "new" sets but it's going to take some time.
The Commander is Sliver Queen for now but probably any 5C commander would be good, I'm not really attached to it and I would even go for a 4c commander if it help more with the strategy of the deck (When I used to play the deck sometimes I felt that I only played red for land destruction which is fine but maybe not worth it). The idea is to play Superfriends , control the board and win mostly through either locking down the board/combos/advantage thanks to the PWs.
Here is my actual list (sorted by type and CMC):
1 Sliver Queen
Lands
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Command Tower
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Serra's Sanctum
1 Tolaria West
1 Reliquary Tower
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 Strip Mine
1 Maze of Ith
1 Krosan Verge
1 Flooded Strand
1 Polluted Delta
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Windswept Heath
1 Arid Mesa
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Marsh Flats
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Watery Grave
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Temple Garden
1 Stomping Ground
1 Steam Vents
1 Godless Shrine
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Breeding Pool
1 Blood Crypt
1 Badlands
1 Savannah
1 Taiga
1 Tundra
1 Underground Sea
1 Bayou
1 Plateau
1 Scrubland
1 Tropical Island
1 Volcanic Island
1 Bloodchief Ascension
1 Propaganda
1 Rhystic Study
1 Ghostly Prison
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Pernicious Deed
1 Humility
1 Moat
1 The Abyss
1 Tainted Aether
1 Collective Restraint
1 Night of Souls' Betrayal
1 Burning Sands
1 Privileged Position
1 Doubling Season
1 Mana Reflection
1 Omniscience
Artifacts
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Torpor Orb
1 Grim Monolith
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Coalition Relic
Creatures
1 Academy Rector
Planeswalkers
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
1 Liliana Vess
1 Sorin Markov
1 Sarkhan Vol
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Ajani Vengeant
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Fact or Fiction
Sorceries
1 Imperial Seal
1 Farseek
1 Three Visits
1 Nature's Lore
1 Regrowth
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Grim Tutor
1 Timetwister
1 Wrath of God
1 Damnation
1 Skyshroud Claim
1 Harmonize
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Allied Strategies
1 All Suns' Dawn
1 Hallowed Burial
1 Austere Command
1 Jokulhaups
1 Decree of Pain
1 Obliterate
1 Decree of Annihilation
1 Exsanguinate
1 Wargate
The most usual win condition was : Grim Monolith + Mana Reflection + Exsanguinate , it works but I'm not sure if it helps the deck.
Besides that combo the deck mostly won by controlling the game with PWs + mass destruction ( Jokulhaups and Decree of Annihilation ) or with enchantments like Humility + Burning Sands + Night of Souls' Betrayal ) , also Bloodchief Ascension worked kinda like an alternative win condition (not that well but it did it job).
I feel the deck is lacking PWs (The ones that I do have a lot don't seen that strong) and it feels more like a pile of 5c goodstuff than a Superfriends control/combo deck.
Also I have a sub-theme of enchantments because Jokulhaups , Decree of Annihilation ) and Obliterate don't destroy them but there's probably too many sorceries/enchantments and maybe a little too much ramp (I'm a ramp addict in EDH).
Some of the cards I think may be worth cutting are(but I'm not sure what to replace them with):
It's also worth mentioning that Atraxa, Praetors' Voice could be a good 4c commander (and I play only 7 red cards but most are very strong, the mass destruction ones are game ending a lot of the time) and some of the new gold PWs that used red seem strong.
So any advice would be welcome, thanks.
Affinity (which is more of an aggro/combo deck) can't play them effectively, Gruul Zoo becomes too slow to beat Melira if they have to play Ooze turn 2 and keep 1 mana open turn 3 (specially since a lot of the time you don't play more than 2 lands in one game) and has no use for DRS. Domain Zoo already plays DRS and I don't see Ooze as a great card there.
I really think that Kitty has to come back and some more tools for aggro to deal with combo are needed. If aggro is going to be a part of the competitive tier 1 meta in modern.
-Bigeyes1992: Honestly it feels like Molten Rain is better than Blood is every match is needed except vs Scapeshift and UWR control. Vs Scape**** most of the time Molten Rain feels like win more when it helps you in that match or it doesn't almost nothing when you're struggling. Bad Moon means that can't win until they draw a Nature's Claim. Against UWR control it just destroys their manabase, I'll be honest in other matchs I rather have Molten Rain, I think one or the other it's a metagame call.
-WHyFLy: During the tournament the Bloodcrypt ended up saving me a good amount of life when using Dismember. I want to try 18 lands instead of 19 just because a lot of the time I felt I had to many lands, in fact I god mana flooded a few times but I never got mana screwed since most of the time I could play with 1 land until I drew the second one. Also Torpor Orb is great but I haven't play a single game against Melira or Kiki Pod with the deck (Ajani Jund, RG Tron, UWR Control and Burn were more popular than Pod and Affinity/Twin/UWR Geist and Scapeshift all had almost the same number of players than pod had, so around 14 pods and 12 to 10 players for each of the other decks). I don't see myself siding Orb in other matches except Pod or Twin and against Twin I rather have Combust so I thinking about taking out the Orbs from my sideboard.
-Lantern: Thanks for the advice about Ape and Guide, that was really useful.
About Dismember it never felt like -4 was too much except when I was already losing bad, but even so with 1 Bloodcrypt it was just -2. I had more to do with the metagame. Against Jund since the only creature they play that needs Dismember is Tarmogoyf I don't like it in that mach, most of the time it sits in your hand waiting for a goyf and you're wishing is was another creature or burn to hit the planeswalkers, honestly I rather play Dreadbore against Jund. Against RG Tron (the other most played deck in my meta) it doesn't do anything, likewise against UWR Control (third most played deck in my meta). Against Burn you obviously don't want it, against Pod it's a good card but vs Melira is as good as any instant burn and againt Kiki Pod I think I rather have Combust. Against Affinity paying life it's just too much, in that game I rather have seal of fire, tarfire, anything that doesn't cost life. Against UWR Geist... well killing a Vendilion Clique or an Snapcaster with it seems like a waste and Geist has hexproff.. again Combust. VS Scapeshift even if they have Titan I don't want it and in the mirror I sure as hell don't want it. I'm struggling to find matchs where I want Dismember.
Right now I'm thinking about making this change: -1 Bloodcrypt, -3 Dismember +2 Seal of Fire +2Tarfire or +2 Colossal Might. And trying this sideboard:
- 3 Blood Moon
- 3 Vines of Vastwood
- 2 Relic of Progenitus
- 2 Deglamer
- 2 Combust
- 1 Smash to Smithereens
- 1 Dismember
- 1 Pillar of Flames
I do think that maybe splashing white could be worth it, but I don't like the idea of playing less than 30 creatures.If I were to test the deck with white I'm thinking about something like this:
4 Arid Mesa
3 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Forest
1 Mountain
1 Plains
3 Copperline Gorge
4 Experiment One
4 Goblin Guide
4 Kird Ape
4 Loam Liom
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Flinthoof Boar
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
3 Lightning Helix
2 Pillar of Flames
3 Blood Moon
3 Vines of Vastwood
2 Path to Exile
2 Deglamer
2 Aven Mindcensor
2 Rest In Peace
Still, at least right now I'm liking the Gruul version a bit more.
2 Arid Mesa
2 Scalding Tarn
4 Stomping Ground
1 Bloodcrypt
1 Forest
1 Mountain
4 Copperline Gorge
4 Experiment One
4 Goblin Guide
4 Kird Ape
4 Vexing Devil
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Flinthoof Boar
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
3 Dismember
2 Pillar of Flames
3 Molten Rain
3 Vines of Vastwood
2 Torpor Orb
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Deglamer
1 Pillar of Flames
1 Flame Slash
1 Smash to Smithereens
Round 1 vs Scapeshift "Titan Version" (one of our worst match-ups in my experience)
Game 1: I win the die roll and come out gun's blazing with T1 E1 , T2 Emissary + E1 + Guide and luckily my opponent didn't have a Pyroclasm that turn, T3 Boar and he conceded.
For game 2 I side -3 Dismember -2 Pillar of Flames, +3 Molten Rain +2 Vines of Vastwood.
Game 2: He mulligans to 5 and starts with a tapped shockland. I play a guide, attack pass. He plays a land + suspend a Search. I play Kird Ape and Vexing Devil. He plays Firesprout and kills my board. I play Emissary + Tarmogoy and another Vexing Devil. He misses a land drop. I draw a Molten Rain and that was it.
1-0
Round 2 vs UR Storm
Game 1: I win the die roll. I play goblin guide he reveals a land. He plays a sleight. I play E1 + Kird Ape, he reveals another land with guide. He plays a land. I play a Boar and he plays peers through deeps. He tries to go off but fizzles so he kills my board with grapeshot. I play a rampager. Next turn I play a Tarmogoyf and he scoops.
For game 2 I side -3 Dismember -1 Pillar of Flames, +2 Relic of Progenitus +2 Deglamer
Game 2: He plays Serum Visions. I play E1. He plays a land. I play a Relic and a guide, he plays Peer at eot. He plays an electromancer and manages to combo with 1 land thanks to hitting a Past in Flames with Epic Experiment (how I wish I had one mana open for the relic...)
Game 3: I play Kird Ape and he plays land/go. I play 1 ape and 1 vexing devil. He plays a land. I play a guide and rampager a creature he peers eot. He tries to combo but fizzles and kills my board with grapeshot. I play 2 creatures and a relic, he scoops.
2-0
Round 3 vs Ajani Jund (this game was really long and I don't remember it that well)
Game 1: I keep 3 land 2 tarmogoyf a guide and a kird ape. I played and ape (I'm still not sure in some games if it's better to play the Kird Ape or the Goblin Guide first when I have no E1). He plays tapped land. I play a guide he reveals a land. He plays inquisition and makes me discard a Tarmogoyf. He reveals a land with guide and bolts my ape. I play a Tarmogoyf. He plays a Dark Confidant (he's at 14 life), I drew nothing but lands, attack and tarmo get's blocked by bob. He plays an Ajani and +1 my Tarmo. I play a Kird Ape. He plays a LOTV and flashes souls. I drew 2 more lands and conceded.
I side -3 Dismember +3 Vines of Vastwood
Game 2: I play an E1. He plays a shaman. I pillar the shaman, play guide and attack, he reveals a land. He plays a land and passed. I play an Emissary and a Kird Ape, he bolts my E1 and I play a Vines on the E1 so that's brings him to 5 life, he draws and concedes.
For game 3 I side -1 Goblin Guide +1 Dismember
Game 3: It was really long, like more than 20 minutes long, at one time I had 6 land on the board a 4/5 goyf and no cards in hand and he had 5 lands (1 ravine) a shaman, 2 spirits and no cards in hand. I drew a rampager he blocked the goyf with ravine and 2 tokens I bloodrushed. Next turn I drew a land he removed a creature and I left him a 4 life. He drew another shaman. I drew another land he blocked with the shaman and won 2 life. He drew a land. I drew another land attacked, he won 2 life and was left with 4 life. He drew a lingering souls and flashed it. I drew my second rampager he blocked with 1 token, I bloodrushed and won.
3-0
Round 4 vs UWR Belcher control (Wins with Endless Horizon + Goblin Chalbercher)
Game 1: I mulligan to 5 with 3 lands and 2 creatures. He plays an Isochron Scepter with azorious charm imprint. I drew 4 lands in a row, he comboed in turn 6.
I side -3 Dismember -2 Pillar of flames +1 Smash to Smithereens +2 Deglamer +2 Vines of Vastwood
Game 2: I came out guns blazing with T1 E1, T2 E1 + guide, T3 Boar T4 rampager blood rush, he only played an think twice and a bolt.
Game 3: He mulligan to 6, thinks for a while, keeps and plays land go. I play an ape. He plays an Izzet Signet (he didn't have any land that gave red mana). So I played deglamer on the signet hoping to screw him of red mana. It happned he was color screwed. I played more creatures and he didn't have a Wrath so I won on turn 5, he had bolt, 2x helix in hand.
4-0
Round 5 vs Living End (this player would end up splitting the finals in the top 8 and making 7-1 in the swiss)
Game 1: I play E1. He plays a tapped stomping ground (so I though that maybe he was playing Scapeshift or Jund). I play E1 + guide. He plays Cliffs and passes. I play a boar and he cycles 3 (1 wraith and 2 4/4) creatures eot. He plays a land. I attack, he cascades into living I bloodrushed a rampager in response. He attacks I block one 4/4. I play a Tarmogoyf. He plays the cascade spell that won't let it block and kills me.
I side -2 Pillar of flames +2 Relic of Progenitus
Game 2: I mulligan to 6 then play an ape. He plays a tapped land. I play ape + vexing devil (he takes 4). He plays a land and passes. I play a boar, he cycles a creature for 2 and a wraith. He plays a brindle boar. I attack and rampager the creature blocked by the boar and play another vexing (he doesn't take 4. He plays another boar. I attack and bolt him for the win.
Game 3: This game goes exactly like game 2 except he played 3 brindle boars and I played 2 ghor-clan he never drew a cascade spell.
Living End is a horrible horrible match, I think I only won because he couldn't cascade in games 2 and 3.
5-0
Round 6 vs Scapeshift (no titan)
Game 1: I couldn't kill him fast enough, he started with a suspended search, T2 Sakura, T3 Sakura + bolt, T4 Remand + Peer and T5 Scapeshift
I side -3 Dismember -2 Pillar +3 Molten Rain +2 Vines
Game 2: I mulligan to 6. I now know he keep 1 Breeding Pool, 1 Forest, 3 Firesprout and 2 Remand. I played an E1. He plays the tapped pool. I play a guide and an ape. He plays a forest. I play a tarmogoyf and he remands. He finaly draws a red land and firesprouts. I play an emissary + E1 + Kird Ape + Vexing Devil. He plays another firespout (I die a little inside). I play a Tarmogoy. He plays a Valakut and a search. I molten rain the Valakut. He plays a land. I play a rampager and he remands. He plays a land. I attack and he commands my tarmo to my hand. Next turn I play a boar and attack with it and tarmo. He plays a firesprout. I drew a land and hit him for 4 leaving him at 4. He has no hand and drew... a Scapeshift and I lose.
5-1
Round 7 vs Domain Zoo
Game 1: I mull to 5 and he starts with a shaman. After that he bolted my ape, played a Geist, helixed my boar, pathed my tarmo, snaped a helix and won on the back of a Geist + Elspeth .
I side -1 Dismember -4 Goblin Guide +1 Pillar of Flames +3 Vines of Vastwood +1 Flame Slash
Game 2:I play an ape. He plays a hierach. I pillar the hierach and play an E1. He plays a hierach and a shaman. I play a boar. He helix my boar and bolts my E1 and wins 2 life. I play a tarmo. He plays a tarmo. I attack and bloodrush my tarmo he blocked with his own tarmogoyf. After that he drew an snapcaster, another helix, another shaman and a tribal flames while I drew 4 lands and 1 kird ape
5-2
Round 8 vs UR Storm, the one that lost was going to get 2 packs of MM and the one who won was getting a Dragon's Maze booster box, so we decided to play and split the prize.
I won 2-0 but he keep a hand with 1 land and a hand with 3 past in flames. We were both really tired, my fever was a lot higher than when I started the tournament and honestly I was sad that I lost 2 games in a row that where a win-and-in for the top 8 (the prize for just making the top 8 was a ticket plane to Santiago, Chile to play in the GP in November).
6-2
All in all great tournament, I ended up on 13 place (second best tie-breakers of the 6-2s). I didn't expect to do that well since I haven't played in a big modern tournament for more than a year (although I did judged in every one of those tournaments ). I had almost no experience with the deck (I only played it once in a LGS tournament) so I made some mistakes and mostly I don't my sideboard was good enough.
The most played decks in the tournament where UWR control, Melira Pod, Kiki-pod, RG Tron,Ajani Jund, Burn and Scape****, it was odd that I only played against one of those decks but after the third or fourth round most pods where out of the running (RG Tron and UWR are bad bad matchs for Melira Pod).
The top 8 was:
1 4c Gift
2 UWR control (1 splitted in the finals)
1 Junk
2 Living End (1 splitted in the finals)
2 Scapeshift (1 Titan and 1 without titan)
Right now I'm thinking that maybe I should try 18 lands without the Bloodcrypt.
Also the Dismembers where my most sideout card so maybe trying a few in the sb and changing them for something else, not sure if a pump card or something like seal of fire, same with the pillars of flames.
About the sb, Flames Slash was mostly useless, I never got a chance to use Torpor Orb so I'm undecided about the card. I've been wanting to try 1 or 2 Combust for sometime so maybe I will. Also I love Molten Rain but it seems that Blood Moon is better vs Scapeshift.
And right now I think our worst match-ups (for the popular decks) are Scapeshift and UWR control. I know that Domain Zoo is bad but the deck is not popular at all, there were 2 in 221 players (also there where only 3 Gruul Zoo, the other 2 players went 5-3 if I remember correctly).
Any advice about matchs, my deck and anything to do with playing Gruul Zoo are welcome.
Last time I played the meta was:
1 Domain Zoo (me)
3 UWR Midrange
2 RG Tron
1 Pox Assault Loam
2 Ajani Jund
2 Affinity
1 Soul Sisters
1 B/W Tokens
2 Melira Pod
1 Kiki-Pod
2 Mono Red Burn
I went 3-2 and got 9th place (tied in points with 7th and 8th place, it sucks to have an opponent drop from the tournament, if he hadn't I would have placed 7th).
My list wast:
4 Arid Mesa
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Misty Rainforest
1 Marsh Flats
1 Forest
1 Plains
1 Breeding Pool
1 Godless Shrine
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
1 Temple GardeN
4 Dark Confidant
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Geist of Saint Traft
4 Loxodon Smiter
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Noble Hierarch
2 Snapcaster Mage
Spells:14
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
4 Tribal Falmes
2 Path to Exile
3 Fulminator Mage
2 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Aven Mindcensor
2 Kor Firewalker
1 Slaughter Games
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Abrupt Decay
1 Combust
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Path to Exile
Game 1: He wins the die roll, I mull to 5, and plays Citadel, 2x Memmite, Ornitopther , Mox Opal, Thoughcast, Drum. I play noble. He plays Ornitopther, Blinkmoth, Plating and hits me for 8, I go down to 9 and die the next turn.
Game 2: I mull to 6, stall the ground with 2x Loxodon, he plays a Darksteel citadel and 2 Etched Champion (now I can't kill them ever) and eventually I lose bya Champion with plating.
0-1
Round 2 vs Kiki Pod
Game 1: He wins the die roll and I mull to 6. I came out fast with noble T1 and Geist T2, he goes BoP T1, T2 Wall of Roots, T3 Pod + Image at time Geist, T5 he was at 4 (I was tapped out with a tribal in my hand) and he manages to combo out.
Game 2:. I mull to 6, with Aven + Cage he can't combo, I start beating him, a Dark Confidant leaves me a very low life, he manages to blink/copy a Kitchen Finks 5 times, I had him at 6 life and he pods a Zealous Conscripts and kills me.
0-2
Round 3 vs BW Tokens
Game 1: He wins the die roll, I mull to 6, It's a very long game with tons of back and forth, eventually 2 Shamans plus Snapcaster with Flames gives me the game.
Game 2: I mull to 6, he mulls to 5. I go out slowy, he plays 2 anthems and I lose the damage race.
Game 3: I mull to 6, he mull to 5 (again). I go out guns blazing with Shaman, Tarmogoyf + Helix, Flames + Snapcaster and win.
1-2
Round 4 vs UR Storm
Game 1: He wins the die roll (again...) I play T1 shaman, T2 Geist, T3 Flames + Tarmogoyf, he manages to combo win T4 with Pyromancer Ascension.
Game 2:I mull to 6, I go T1 Noble, T2 Loxodon, T3 Tarmo + Helix, T4 win with Snapcaster + flames.
Game3: I go T1 bolt, T2 Confidant, T3 Geist, T4 he fizzles the combo and I win.
2-2
Round 5 vs UWR Midrange
Game 1: I win the die roll (yay), I go T1 Noble (he bolts it), T2 Helix, T3 Tarmogoyf, T4 Helix + Flames, T5 Flames + Snapcaster and win.
Game 2: It's very back and forth until I manage to kill his Celestial Colonnade with a Combust and then burn him for the win.
3-2
I don't remember all the decks in the top 8 but I know there was 1 Affinity, 2 UWR Midrange, 1 Valakut, 1 Junk midrange and 1 Melira Pod.
Well first I was good to play modern again after 6 months where I only judged the events but I realized that I don't know most of the cards that the decks are playing and I misread the metagame, I expected tons of mono red, RG tron and some UWR and Melira, the last 2 were true but there was only 1 mono red and zero RG Tron.
So my sb was bad, I needed more cards again Affinity at least and Kor Firewalker + Fulminator Mage didn't do anything for me.
The card I side out the most was the Dark Confidants, it's sad because it's one of my favorite cards but I wouldn't play more than 2 main (they did help me against combo) if event that, I want to try some 4CMC or 5CMC in my sb and maybe Elspeth in the main and Bob doesn't allow that.
I still think that I rather keep trying Loxodon Smiter instead of Lingering Souls since they were a house all night and they were great even against Affinity (although the flying blockers would have helped me more in that match only).
I still need to get me some Voice of Resurgence (although I don't fancy paying 40US$ for each) and try them. But even now I'm not seeing any game were I really would have liked a 2/2 that leaves tokens.
If I had to play tomorrow I would probably use something like this:
4 Arid Mesa
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Misty Rainforest
1 Marsh Flats
1 Forest
1 Plains
1 Breeding Pool
1 Godless Shrine
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
1 Temple GardeN
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Geist of Saint Traft
4 Loxodon Smiter
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Noble Hierarch
2 Snapcaster Mage
Spells:18
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
4 Tribal Falmes
2 Path to Exile
2 Might of Alara
2 Elspeth, Knight Errant
2 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Aven Mindcensor
2 Thundermaw Hellkite
2 Thoughtseize
2 Stony Silence
1 Slaughter Games
1 Combust
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Path to Exile
1 Duress