Noice, that looks much better. Vault Skirge will always be better than Kitesail as a 1-drop imo, and I don't think either are better than Kor Duelist in this deck as it can swing anywhere from 1 - 10 T2 (without Cranial Plating) and if it's around for T3 it can swing anywhere from 1 - 22 (without Cranial Plating) and is the main reason I run Hot Soup
If you're going Kitesail might as well cut Kor Duelist for more equipment and definitely a play-set of Bonesplitter's or Silver-Inlaid Dagger and Vault Skirge for consistent flying threats. If you're going flying for the evasion you may as well cut back Infiltration Lens to a 1 of and Explorer's Scope to 0 and Captain's Claws to 2.
SB is cool, I would suggest cutting,
2 - Etched Champion, it's too slow and doesn't affect the board.
2 - Relic of Progenitus, It's good I just don't like it in this deck where we struggle more mid and late game and it always requires holding up mana to answer gy trouble.
1 - Ethersworn Canonist, not good in multiples.
1 - Brave the Elements back in MD
1 - Dispatch back in MD (with a deck as tight as this you need a wide answer pool in your SB and use redundancy MD for consistent G1 draws).
Add in
2 - Ghostly Prison, This deck hates getting swept with literally no recursion or indestructible aside from Brave the Elements so the alternative to sweeps against wider decks and faster aggro is Taxing their creatures with Ghostly Prison.
2 - Strength of Arms, especially if you're running evasion with Kitesail you need a playset of SoA.
2 - Thalia, Heretic Cathar, Storm decks will always be around and this pairs nicely with Ethersworn and has way better stats.
1 - Rest in Peace, Not budget sorry but sticks around the whole game
Blue will always be the best color to splash with Puresteel. It seems you're running the risk of diluting the aggro build with the consistent Trinket Mage build, I would recommend Retract instead so you can easily protect Puresteel with Brave the Elements and Retract cast 0cmc's to find two Knight Exemplar's.
Love the addition of copying with blue as both Puresteel and Exemplar are completely broken in multiples, great thought.
I can't really tell how good your deck is as it isn't hotlinked to cards. If you wouldn't mind fixing that I could take a better look at it.
Again thanks for reading and let me know your thoughts, as this is so similar to regular Sultai energy I would like to hear how I could make it drastically different and maybe better for Rivals. SB guide is basically the same as Sultai so I'll just keep updating the Win-Rate, the Game Notes and reply asap.
Thank you that helped a lot actually. Agreed on the deserts and went with Endless Sands as the backbone desert. As of now, the deck is looking much different.
* Going to 3 HoD's in 75
* Chandra is going back in MD, not sure why I ever took that out
* No more 1 0f's in the mana base, trying to make Endless Sands work and keeping 2 Hostile Desert, everything else is colored
* Utility lands going in SB
Would love more feedback on the new list. I've play 20 games for majority wins so far with it.
Very interesting deck list! I like the Sniper more if you cut the other cycle engines cuz you're on 22 land already with expensive enchantments/artifacts that don't do much so your early creatures are gonna get Fatal Push'd and with only 12 creatures recursion is going to be hard to make count. I used to run Izzet before rotation where we lost Lightning Axe, Fiery Temper and Thing in the Ice so I am very familiar with this tempo-like strategy and want to see Sniper do work where Thing in the Ice fit so nicely.
I'd definitely cut/test:
2 Enigma Drake - 2 Curator of Mysteries * 8 Drakes with different graveyard buffs is inconsistent but 6 seems fair so upping cycling with Curator and using Enigma as the late game win-con seems more appealing with Manifestation as the play-set
3 Harnessed Lightning - 2 Curator of Mysteries 1 Sweltering Suns * same thing as above really, Lightning seems like a bunk draw against decks that run Blossoming DefenseDive DownThe Scarab God
2 Faith of the Devoted - 2 Riddleform * lowers your curve, its ability = Faith's cmc, works better with Enigma and Sniper, more resilient to disruption
2 Key to the City - 2 Riddleform * Key to the City is great but is so much slower than Riddleform or just running Glint-Sleeve Siphoner and Champion of Wits
3 Countervailing Winds - 3 Supreme Will * gotta do it, leaving 1 Countervailing Winds is good way to only see it late game when it counts, Supreme Will to find it
2 Abrade - Lightning Strike * Abrade is great but also can be in SB for the MD to focus on player damage
1 Abrade - Blazing Volley * Same as above, 1 damage to each is reassurance in the MD for a number of token decks or if they stick multiple Glint-Sleeves
Fling would be a tight 1-of Grapeshot kinda mid-range jank in the MD or SB.
* Half of your lands being Deserts almost assures a T4 Sand Strangler
* Harsh Mentor has to pull a lot of weight for a R bear and can be vanilla but is still T2 MVP most matches
* MD Saheeli Rai + Sand Strangler + Combustible 9/10
* MD Chandra + T5 Combustible + Rivers Rebuke 7/10
* SB Censor + Sarcophagus + Curator of Mysteries 6/10
* Rampaging Ferocidon works well with Mentor and is the answer for Aethersphere Harvester and Gifted Aetherborn
* Pretty strong against Sultai MD and SB with majority of my wins against Sultai, Temur and 4 Color Energy decks
* Saheeli is much more playable than Chandra against aggro-synergy decks in my experience
* Curator is a great recursive threat with Sarcophagus but cards like Cast Out Sorceress Spyglass and Ixalan's Binding usually kill me on board
* Rampaging Ferocidon helps a lot with Angel of Invention and other recursive creatures sacred cat
* If you can flip Azcanta or find Dowsing Dagger with Mentor and Saheeli you can usually curve into a T4-T5 Combustible
* Even though the sideboard is made to help with control and engine-decks most of my losses come from UB Control, GPG, Approach with U or R and the surprisingly explosive Concoction Improv decks I've been tuning with people
Love running Combustible, it seems underrated and doubles as a value first-striker that can handle The Scarab God easier than the other Hulks and gets value from ETB since most the time Hulks get an Abrade or Ixalan's Binding or Vraska's Contempt.
I'd consider 4 Sand Strangler and 2 Walking Ballista, cutting/sideboarding 3 Hour of Devastation and 3 Nissa's.
Hard to suggest for this list as it's pretty air tight and well thought out. I can see those choices being wrong MB against a lot of the control meta but Strangler + Ballista is really good at dealing with Whirler Virtuoso, Hostage Taker, The Scarab God, Unblockable creatures and Ballista in a pure ramp deck is 2sick.
It makes it harder on Gifted Aethorborn, Longtusk Cub, Aethersphere Harvester and Heart of Kiran to act aggressive as they won't expect after safely chump blocking or gettting blocked for you to cast Strangler main phase two to finish off a body and have a 3/3 which only comes to mind because you won't draw Abrade every time you need it which seems to be the only artifact hate MD.
MB:
Walking Ballista
Sand Strangler
Vizier of the Menagerie
Ranging Raptors (Works decent as a 5th-8th of Spring to Mind, really good with Walking Ballista)
Vizier of Many Faces (SB card, ramp makes embalming easier too)
* Cut card advantage and spot removal for most aggro match ups like Allies, Affinity or Red
*Kusari-Gama is the way to go.
* Surprisingly easy to get Mortarpod + Kusari or Basilisk Collar + Viridian Longbow on the field, gets overkill if Scythe of the Wretched sticks
* Deathtouch ping their biggest creature with sacrificing tokens and germs, Kusari can deal 1 damage to each of their creature if you force a block, gain control of the biggest creature you killed, equip Mortarpod to that creature and rinse the salt
* Handles Emrakul, the Aeons TornLingering Souls and opposing Selfless Spirit
* Look out for Infect fliers, Release the Gremlins, grindy mono W matches with Ghostly Prison stuff
* Does exceptionally well against mid-range creature decks like Delver, Jund and Abzan Company
So Fatal Push destroys most this deck early without Selfless Spirit and Steelshaper's to find Lightning Greaves in MD. Something early to give me hexproof instead would be good against Inquisition and Thought Seize but I don't run many 3cmc cards so I went with Rest in Peace and Hot Soup to dodge Death's Shadow and Snapcaster-chump-blocks. The creatures are easier to deal with in this match and something like Whispersilk Cloak could be fast enough as a second target for Steelshaper's.
Without evasion Liliana will wreck you. Counter spells will wreck you too. If they play any counters maybe try Strength of Arms G3 instead of Godsend, Fiendslayer and Selfless Spirit.
Probably my worst match up as it is with most players. If they don't get the T1 win your only shot is getting through with Duelist for maximum aggro damage before they find the combo. With very little ways to interact with your opponents stack it's important to identify the combo pieces and what they may have in their SB to protect those pieces. Now Spellskite is your best card in this match up and hopefully soon I can work with four Aether Vial's and maybe Grand Abolisher's. Finding extra room for more Spellskites is probably a good thing all around.
Thanks again for reading and please leave a comment with your thoughts. I'll continue to track my win-rate and update the list and reply as often as possible.
Vault Skirge will always be better than Kitesail as a 1-drop imo, and I don't think either are better than Kor Duelist in this deck as it can swing anywhere from 1 - 10 T2 (without Cranial Plating) and if it's around for T3 it can swing anywhere from 1 - 22 (without Cranial Plating) and is the main reason I run Hot Soup
If you're going Kitesail might as well cut Kor Duelist for more equipment and definitely a play-set of Bonesplitter's or Silver-Inlaid Dagger and Vault Skirge for consistent flying threats. If you're going flying for the evasion you may as well cut back Infiltration Lens to a 1 of and Explorer's Scope to 0 and Captain's Claws to 2.
SB is cool, I would suggest cutting,
2 - Etched Champion, it's too slow and doesn't affect the board.
2 - Relic of Progenitus, It's good I just don't like it in this deck where we struggle more mid and late game and it always requires holding up mana to answer gy trouble.
1 - Ethersworn Canonist, not good in multiples.
1 - Brave the Elements back in MD
1 - Dispatch back in MD (with a deck as tight as this you need a wide answer pool in your SB and use redundancy MD for consistent G1 draws).
Add in
2 - Ghostly Prison, This deck hates getting swept with literally no recursion or indestructible aside from Brave the Elements so the alternative to sweeps against wider decks and faster aggro is Taxing their creatures with Ghostly Prison.
2 - Strength of Arms, especially if you're running evasion with Kitesail you need a playset of SoA.
2 - Thalia, Heretic Cathar, Storm decks will always be around and this pairs nicely with Ethersworn and has way better stats.
1 - Rest in Peace, Not budget sorry but sticks around the whole game
Thanks again, lemme know your thoughts.
Love the addition of copying with blue as both Puresteel and Exemplar are completely broken in multiples, great thought.
I can't really tell how good your deck is as it isn't hotlinked to cards. If you wouldn't mind fixing that I could take a better look at it.
Thanks!
Run a playset of Auriok Steelshaper always in an aggro equip build, 3 Stone-Haven Outfitter is perfect.
Cut Auriok Glaivemaster 2x Kitesail Apprentice Toolcraft Exemplar Shuko (terrible card) Lightning Greaves
Run Kor Duelist Strength of Arms Bonesplitter Basilisk Collar Brave the Elements or 2 Swiftfoot Boots and another playset of a 0cmc equipment. Paradise Mantle is not great in an aggro build so maybe Spider-silk Net or Cathar's Shield instead.
This deck is all about cutting high end cards like The Scarab God - Hostage Taker for Nissa, Steward of the Elements and to put extra protection Negate - Supreme Will - Savage Stomp around our added threats Ripjaw Raptor - Deathgorge Scavenger - Ranging Raptors which add more synergy MD with Walking Ballista and are fun to play against other creature decks. SB is for Enchantment/Artifact/Graveyard/Combo hate and has 4 Longtusk Cub's to offset the popularity of Fatal Push MD as all three of the new 'Saurs are resistant at 3cmc with 4 Blossoming Defense. Thank you for reading!
4 Winding Constrictor
4 Ripjaw Raptor
3 Deathgorge Scavenger
3 Ranging Raptors
3 Walking Ballista
2 Glint-Sleeve Siphoner
2 Verdurous Gearhulk
1 Rhonas The Indomitable
1 Rishkar, Peema Renegade
5 Sorceries
4 Attune with Aether
1 Savage Stomp
9 Instants
4 Blossoming Defense
2 Die Young
2 Fatal Push
1 Vraska's Contempt
2 Nissa, Steward of Elements
21 Lands
4 Blooming Marsh
4 Botanical Sanctum
4 Aether Hub
2 Endless Sands
3 Forest
3 Swamp
1 Island
4 Longtusk Cub
2 Negate
2 Appetite for the Unnatural
2 Aethersphere Harvester
2 Vraska, Relic Seeker
2 Bontu's Last Reckoning
1 Lost Legacy
11 Dinosaurs 16 Non-Creature spells
* Ranging Raptors works better with Nissa, Steward of Elements than Rishkar, Peema Renegade because of the legendary typing and Raptors puts actual lands on the field - has added ramp effects with Walking Ballista and Savage Stomp
* Rishkar is still too good though, always going to at least be a one of
* Savage Stomp isn't overpriced when it targets a Ballista, second copy in SB with 3 Deathgorge makes it easier to cast too
* Nissa, Steward of Elements basically wins games as a pseudo Aether Vial that can Scry 2
11/29/17
* Carnage Tyrant might work in place of Ripjaw Raptor to lose the curve out and just stall until sticking Carnage with a Negate for Fumigate or Settle the Wreckage but I like the utility of sticking Vraska, Relic Seeker instead
* Prowling Serpopard could be awesome from the side board against Essence Scatter and protecting basically the only thing Supreme Will wants to target against me (Creatures) but then they just Supreme Will to scry 4, draw 1
* Hard to get through Whirler Virtuoso any token deck or go off against Search for Azcanta with B
* Attune with Aether + Longtusk Cub + Nissa, Steward of Elements + Winding Constrictor 9/10
* Winding Constrictor + Rishkar, Peema Renegade + Ripjaw Raptor + Walking Ballista 9/10
* There's 21 possible cards for Nissa's 0 to hit with 39 duds out of 50 cards all together (50 possible cards - not including Ripjaw Raptor and Verdurous Gearhulk and the 7 cards in opening hand and the 3 draws before T3) giving roughly a 40% chance to hit a 3cmc or lower creature or a 42% chance to hit 5cmc or lower while base is draw a card with a good Scry rate
11/30/17
* Negate is better than Spell Pierce in this deck, thoughts?
* Bontu's Last Reckoning works perfectly with an already in play/hand Nissa, Steward of Elements and often tempos for the win
* Bontu's Last Reckoning works more favorably with Ranging Raptors than Rishkar, Peema Renegade assuming you can get a land or two out of Ranging Raptors T3 to have 6 mana before cracking Bontu's Reckoning on T4 then hold 3 lands for next turn or drop Nissa, Steward of Elements to crack the top deck
* Running Nissa against red decks is not recommended unless someone has some ideas to deal with Hazoret the Fervent easier, maybe just more Vraska's Contempt in SB
* Went to 2 Nissa, Steward of Elements for hitting Walking Ballista's too often
* Longtusk Cub is so sick in the sideboard after they cut their Fatal Push's, most people shake their head in disapproving
Again thanks for reading and let me know your thoughts, as this is so similar to regular Sultai energy I would like to hear how I could make it drastically different and maybe better for Rivals. SB guide is basically the same as Sultai so I'll just keep updating the Win-Rate, the Game Notes and reply asap.
- TupaCuba
* Going to 3 HoD's in 75
* Chandra is going back in MD, not sure why I ever took that out
* No more 1 0f's in the mana base, trying to make Endless Sands work and keeping 2 Hostile Desert, everything else is colored
* Utility lands going in SB
Would love more feedback on the new list. I've play 20 games for majority wins so far with it.
I'd definitely cut/test:
2 Enigma Drake - 2 Curator of Mysteries * 8 Drakes with different graveyard buffs is inconsistent but 6 seems fair so upping cycling with Curator and using Enigma as the late game win-con seems more appealing with Manifestation as the play-set
3 Harnessed Lightning - 2 Curator of Mysteries 1 Sweltering Suns * same thing as above really, Lightning seems like a bunk draw against decks that run Blossoming Defense Dive Down The Scarab God
2 Faith of the Devoted - 2 Riddleform * lowers your curve, its ability = Faith's cmc, works better with Enigma and Sniper, more resilient to disruption
2 Key to the City - 2 Riddleform * Key to the City is great but is so much slower than Riddleform or just running Glint-Sleeve Siphoner and Champion of Wits
3 Countervailing Winds - 3 Supreme Will * gotta do it, leaving 1 Countervailing Winds is good way to only see it late game when it counts, Supreme Will to find it
2 Abrade - Lightning Strike * Abrade is great but also can be in SB for the MD to focus on player damage
1 Abrade - Blazing Volley * Same as above, 1 damage to each is reassurance in the MD for a number of token decks or if they stick multiple Glint-Sleeves
Fling would be a tight 1-of Grapeshot kinda mid-range jank in the MD or SB.
4 Ruthless Sniper
4 Vile Manifestation
4 Curator of Mysteries
2 Enigma Drake
1 Champion of Wits
17 Instants
4 Censor
3 Supreme Will
3 Hieroglyphic Illumination
3 Lightning Strike
2 Perilous Voyage
1 Countervailing Winds
1 Fling
3 Sorceries
3 Sweltering Suns
4 Enchantments
4 Riddleform
15 SB
4 Hollow One
3 Warfire Javelineer
3 Abandoned Sarcophagus
2 Saheeli Rai
2 Glorybringer
Desert SpellsHello everyone! This UR home-brew plays pretty well against the Sultai meta-game with Harsh Mentor Saheeli Rai Sand Strangler Combustible Gearhulk Glorybringer in the main-deck and Censor Abandoned Sarcophagus Curator of Mysteries in the side-board for a recursion style tempo against control match ups. Mentor in MD is MVP at keeping most decks from going off too soon. Censor + Sarcophagus helps with the rest of combo/jank.
Suggestions are greatly appreciated on Desert Spells as there's a lot of weaknesses in turning the corner and can be easily destroyed with Ixalan's Binding Carnage Tyrant God-Pharao's Gift decks and I love any drastic idea to handle them like cutting double devotions G cards Ramunap Excavator and Hour of Promise as I frequently test different 75's.
Does well against Hostage Taker Winding Constrictor Walking Ballista
Could be good one day maybe
3 Harsh Mentor
4 Sand Strangler
4 Combustible Gearhulk
2 Glory Bringer
3 Enchantments
3 Riddleform
14 Instants
4 Lightning Strike
3 Abrade
3 Hieroglyphic Illumination
2 Disallow
2 Supreme Will
2 Hour of Devastation
1 River's Rebuke
4 Planeswalkers
2 Saheeli Rai
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
23 Lands
4 Spirebluff Canal
3 Endless Sands
3 Ramunap Ruins
2 Ipnu Rivlet
2 Dunes of the Dead
2 Hostile Desert
1 Evolving Wilds
3 Mountains
3 Islands
3 Curator of Mysteries
3 Censor
3 Search for Azcanta
2 Rampaging Ferocidon
2 Abandoned Sarcophagus
1 River's Rebuke
1 Hour of Devastation
36 Non-Lands 12 Deserts
* Half of your lands being Deserts almost assures a T4 Sand Strangler
* Harsh Mentor has to pull a lot of weight for a R bear and can be vanilla but is still T2 MVP most matches
* MD Saheeli Rai + Sand Strangler + Combustible 9/10
* MD Chandra + T5 Combustible + Rivers Rebuke 7/10
* SB Censor + Sarcophagus + Curator of Mysteries 6/10
Sultai Energy
OUT
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2 Riddleform
IN
2 Rampaging Ferocidon
1 Hour of Devastation
1 Rivers Rebuke
* Rampaging Ferocidon works well with Mentor and is the answer for Aethersphere Harvester and Gifted Aetherborn
* Pretty strong against Sultai MD and SB with majority of my wins against Sultai, Temur and 4 Color Energy decks
* Saheeli is much more playable than Chandra against aggro-synergy decks in my experience
GPG
OUT
- 4 Sand Strangler
- 3 Harsh Mentor
- 3 Riddleform
- 2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
IN* Curator is a great recursive threat with Sarcophagus but cards like Cast Out Sorceress Spyglass and Ixalan's Binding usually kill me on board
* Rampaging Ferocidon helps a lot with Angel of Invention and other recursive creatures sacred cat
* If you can flip Azcanta or find Dowsing Dagger with Mentor and Saheeli you can usually curve into a T4-T5 Combustible
* Even though the sideboard is made to help with control and engine-decks most of my losses come from UB Control, GPG, Approach with U or R and the surprisingly explosive Concoction Improv decks I've been tuning with people
Thanks again for reading!
- TupaCuba
I'd consider 4 Sand Strangler and 2 Walking Ballista, cutting/sideboarding 3 Hour of Devastation and 3 Nissa's.
Hard to suggest for this list as it's pretty air tight and well thought out. I can see those choices being wrong MB against a lot of the control meta but Strangler + Ballista is really good at dealing with Whirler Virtuoso, Hostage Taker, The Scarab God, Unblockable creatures and Ballista in a pure ramp deck is 2sick.
It makes it harder on Gifted Aethorborn, Longtusk Cub, Aethersphere Harvester and Heart of Kiran to act aggressive as they won't expect after safely chump blocking or gettting blocked for you to cast Strangler main phase two to finish off a body and have a 3/3 which only comes to mind because you won't draw Abrade every time you need it which seems to be the only artifact hate MD.
MB:
Walking Ballista
Sand Strangler
Vizier of the Menagerie
Ranging Raptors (Works decent as a 5th-8th of Spring to Mind, really good with Walking Ballista)
Vizier of Many Faces (SB card, ramp makes embalming easier too)
Sick deck!
InstaKnightMentAll eyes on these Hot Soup Knights. T3 Indestructible 0 cost Insta-Quips possibly Unblockable with the 2chill Puresteel Paladin and Shikari Leonin for crazy jank combos. Knight Exemplar's and Selfless Spirit for longevity. Enjoy and thank you for reading!
4 Kor Duelist
4 Puresteel Paladin
3 Leonin Shikari
2 Knight of the White Orchid
2 Spellskite
2 Auriok Steelshaper
2 Knight Exemplar
1 Selfless Spirit
4 Instants
4 Path to Exile
20 Artifacts
4 Bone Saw
4 Paradise Mantle
3 Lightning Greaves
3 Aether Vial
2 Hot Soup
2 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Mortarpod
1 Mox Opal
3 Ghost Quarter
3 Flagstones of Trokair
2 Mutavault
2 Darksteel Citadel
2 Sejiri Steppe
4 Plains
15 SB
3 Steelshaper's Gift
2 Mirran Crusader
2 Fiendslayer Paladin
2 Fragmentize
1 Viridian Longbow
1 Godsend
1 Rest in Peace
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Kusari-Gama
1 Scythe of the Wretched
* More consistent Mana than Cheeri0s and mid-range game
* First-striker bears like Knight of the White Orchid MD over soldiers or Flayer Husk Vault Skirge
* Consistent at my LGS and Magic circle
* Fun SB - half toolbox utility for Steelshaper's Gift which gives you a lot more relevant interactions with Shikari Leonin
* I'm completely open for any changes, cool SB options or better bodies in general. I've tested most of the "replacer" type creatures in White but if you see any glaring weaknesses let me know as I'm constantly changing the whole 75 and building up a way too huge maybe board.
* The only reason I'm not running four Aether Vial's is because it's expensive but I will eventually run four AETHER VIAL's
* Playing the sickest knights
* 4 Ghost Quarters MD
* Instant speed permanents like Kusari-Gama and Mortarpod on the battlefield feels like you're playing with no maximum hand-size, it's just mostly on the field
* Feels very flavorful
* T1 Flagstones of Trokair, Kor Duelist T2 Ghost Quarter value, Lightning Grieves, equip T3 Puresteel Paladin, Hot Soup, Darksteel Citadel 9/10
* T1 Plains, Mox Opal, 2x Bone Saw, Puresteel Paladin T2 Lightning Greaves Aether Vial 9/10 - won't happen again probably ever
11/30/17
* went to 2 - Knight of the White Orchid, 2 - Hot Soup, 0 - Fiendish Paladin MD, 2 -
Knight Exemplar, 3 - Aether Vial, 4 - Paradise Mantle
* Testing Paradise Mantle feels good, you can InstaQuip 1 Mantle to your whole team end of turn to cast multiple Path to Exile's and acts as back up equip/casting costs if you don't have Auriok Steelshaper Aether Vial or Puresteel Paladin on the field
* Now that I'm running the Mantle I was thinking of going up to 3 Mox Opal 4 Aether Vial and running 4 Collected Company with 4 Champion of the Parish replacing 4 Kor Duelist and throwing 2 Kambal in the SB, thought?
* I only include decks that I've had enough experience against
* New card suggestions would be tight, examples against specific decks even tighter
Red Goblins With Simian Spirit Guide
Out
In
* Cut card advantage and spot removal for most aggro match ups like Allies, Affinity or Red
*Kusari-Gama is the way to go.
* Surprisingly easy to get Mortarpod + Kusari or Basilisk Collar + Viridian Longbow on the field, gets overkill if Scythe of the Wretched sticks
* Deathtouch ping their biggest creature with sacrificing tokens and germs, Kusari can deal 1 damage to each of their creature if you force a block, gain control of the biggest creature you killed, equip Mortarpod to that creature and rinse the salt
* Handles Emrakul, the Aeons Torn Lingering Souls and opposing Selfless Spirit
* Look out for Infect fliers, Release the Gremlins, grindy mono W matches with Ghostly Prison stuff
* Does exceptionally well against mid-range creature decks like Delver, Jund and Abzan Company
Grixis Deaths and Taxes With Snapcaster
Out
In
So Fatal Push destroys most this deck early without Selfless Spirit and Steelshaper's to find Lightning Greaves in MD. Something early to give me hexproof instead would be good against Inquisition and Thought Seize but I don't run many 3cmc cards so I went with Rest in Peace and Hot Soup to dodge Death's Shadow and Snapcaster-chump-blocks. The creatures are easier to deal with in this match and something like Whispersilk Cloak could be fast enough as a second target for Steelshaper's.
Without evasion Liliana will wreck you. Counter spells will wreck you too. If they play any counters maybe try Strength of Arms G3 instead of Godsend, Fiendslayer and Selfless Spirit.
Storm With the T1 win
Out
In
Probably my worst match up as it is with most players. If they don't get the T1 win your only shot is getting through with Duelist for maximum aggro damage before they find the combo. With very little ways to interact with your opponents stack it's important to identify the combo pieces and what they may have in their SB to protect those pieces. Now Spellskite is your best card in this match up and hopefully soon I can work with four Aether Vial's and maybe Grand Abolisher's. Finding extra room for more Spellskites is probably a good thing all around.
Thanks again for reading and please leave a comment with your thoughts. I'll continue to track my win-rate and update the list and reply as often as possible.
- TupaCuba