Anyone thought anything about Vivien's Arkbow? Seem's like recursive searches that can turn extra lands or dorks into bigger things. Not sure if there's room, though.
Vivien's Arkbow: I think it's too bad. X has to be 4 at least, for having a decent change hitting some action.
Yes, you can dump your mana surplus into it. But I prefer dumping my mana in Elvish Clancaller.
Soon I will draft War of the Spark. If I get a copy out of it, I will try it for fun. But I think it will be disappointing.
It's a bit quiet over here. But I'd like to share my deck list, because I have a lot of fun with it!
May it be inspirational for some.
Overall:
* I'm really happy with the Kalitas maindeck. For me, it's a no-brainer in the current meta.
* 3x gray merchant & 3x obliterator is enough. Especially with the card draw engine Phyrexian Arena in de deck. You will find those monsters anyway and don't need a playset.
* Yahenni's expertise is amazing! It really is!
Possible improvements / considerations:
* The deck lacks some good 2cmc cards. Relentless dead is more a turn 3 card. Therefore, the mana curve isn't perfect yet.
* I'm considering extra spot removal (collective brutality) or discard (inquisition of kozilek), but that will weaken the devotion count. And don't know what to cut.
* Maybee cutting a Nykthos? Sometimes it's clunky, sometimes it's amazing.
* Thinking about Leyline of the void in the sideboard, because it's devotion. But Spellbomb feels good too.
Questions, suggestions, feedback is always welcome ;-)
I suggest you have a look at my list. I don't know, if it's budget enough for you. But this list plays very well in my experience.
I'm currently on a 50% win rate, in a competitive modern environment. My only concern is my sideboard, which isn't perfect yet.
I really like the mana curve of this list. Combined with the consistency the combo goes off.
The protection cards also really pay off. Especially Lightning Greaves on a Pili-Pala is extremely powerfull to get around summoning sickness.
Emeria, for me, is still one of the most fun decks ever played. Maybee I can contribute to the primer as a mardu player:
Mardy Pyromancer matchup:
Overall: mardu has a hard time creating a fast clock. The long game could be competitive, but should be ours.
Be aware of the mulitple discard spells. Therefore, don't mulligan too heavy. Otherwise they will try out-resource you and stay ahead.
Also, they could play a potential bloodmoon. Therefore, fetch an island game 1. Most likely they will board out the bloodmoon on the draw and substitute it for a Molten rain as Emeria hate.
Sideboard - bring in:
- Graveyard hate for Bedlam Reveler and Lingering Souls
- Negate, to disrupt their game plan en their SB cards.
- Celestial Purge (for the Young Pyromancer or a potential Liliana)
What to cut:
- Gideon of the Trials
- Lone Missionary (only trades for 1/1 tokens)
- Don’t shave your Detention Spheres. They do catch tokens very well Moreover, they high probably will bring in leylines.
And, in general, I miss 2 important sideboard options:
- Kami of False hope; against the aggro creature matchups. I play 3 of them in the sideboard.
- Remorseful Cleric; as graveyard hate. I play 2 of them in the sideboard.
Those cards could be returned from the graveyard by both Emeria and Sun Titan. Because of the self-sacrifice, it could generate the same 'loop' each turn. Won me multiple matches.
It's mainly the same list Jeff Hoogland plays. With some minor tweaks.
Tested it against a wide variety of decks. Would like to share my opinion on some specific cards and the overall deck:
Crackling drake: This card is insane! If this resolves and can swing at least once, it's game over. This deck plays so many spells, it's an easy 10+ power creature. In my opinion much better than Bedlam Reveler (which I tested in the past) Sleight of hand: While its a great cantrip ofcourse, I sometimes doubt whether this should be a Peek. Because our threats are scarce, I feel we need to know the removal the opponent has. So we can play out our ascension or thing in the ice more effectively. Like to know your opinion about this. Ravenous Trap: with so many Faithless looting and Thought scour in the current meta, this card is fantastic. Modern is playing more and more graveyard-strategy. This card >> surgical extraction in my opinion. Negate: for me an easy playset in the SB. Won me multiple matches. Can replace a full playset of the MB and therefore still fuel the Pyromancer Ascension.
Deck overall:
My win rate is about 60% at this moment. Besides this is great obivously, this deck is a hell lot of fun! Semi-control, semi-combo. Really a blast to play!
Are you're video's already online? Can you link them?
Great to hear some good results with the deck. Interesting you're playing with a playset of Magma Jet. I like that
@ idutra: I see you're playing 3xKoth and 2xChandra. How do you feel about this split? I'm playing 4xKoth, 1xChandra. But I'm feeling Chandra is such a great card in this deck (Eternal Skred).
Do you miss the 4th Koth? Or should we cut a Stormbreath Dragon?
@ CedricCZ: I like the idea of Heart of Kiran. It's synergy with planeswalkers is pretty cool! Although is vulnerable to fatal push. And that's exactly the strenght of this deck. 'Protection' from the most played removal in modern (bolt, push and path). That said, it's an early blocker out of bolt-range. Maybee I'll give it a try sometimes.
But I'm not sure on the 'agressive' theme of this deck. A possible turn 5 kill is a bit slow in the current meta. In my opinion, you have to be able to kill by turn 4. And otherwise switch to a more control based strategy. The blood moon and chandra in your deck, doesn't fit the aggro theme.
But if you have any results: please share them with us
Thanks for the report J3sterhd! Always good to share results.
Good to hear the Crucible/FoR/Ghost Quarter combo worked out. I really like that part of the deck
I run practical the same list. But I prefer a Phantasmal image over the 4th Lone Missionary. That card really won me some games
By the way, you run 61 cards. Maybee -1 sweeper?
@Fincown: good you point that out. Because of Assassin's Trophy we maybee need the full playset of Emeria in the future? (because of the land destruction). I think that card will a blast in modern. And it's not working in our favor...
Thanks Tim. I'm still tweaking sideboard for GB. Not enough spots. Lifegain, GY hate, Combo hate, anti control, artifact/enchantment removal and Tron/Valulut hate....what would you prioritize?
Also, Clancaller has been great in testing for me...It's such a good card!
It will do some work at least! And they lose some tempo play.
I'm a bit more fan of Contaminated Ground than Evil Presenceor, because of the drain effect. That's a good thing in GB Elves. Moreover, the CMC of 2 is fine I think. You don't need this type of card on turn 1. You better play out your dorks T1.
Just going to casually post this list that took 9th at scg classics with 4 clancallers.
I had a hunch, but my confidence is growing in this card.
Congrats on that result! Great job! I have the same feeling about elvish clancaller. Powers the whole team. It's a great hit for coco too. And even his ability is relative easy to cast (I have to admit I play this deck with 2 Nykthos, shrine to nyx)
How did you feel about the chords? They feel a bit clunky to me. I prefer lead > chord in this GB version. Especially without elvish visionary
Hey folks, I just wanted to let you all know I recently recorded some MTGO gameplay videos with Mardu Pyromancer. I recorded 4 matches that you can find here: Mardu Pyromancer Mini-Series (Deck Tech + Matches).
This isn't the first time I've recorded with it, so if you're interested in more content, you can check out my channel for many more videos. I can't claim to be anything special when it comes to piloting the deck, but if you're new to the deck and want to see someone else run through a bunch of matches and trying different things, then my videos may be helpful.
For those who are wondering if Liliana of the Veil is worth it, after testing 8 or so matches with her in the main, she has overperformed. I don't think I'm playing less than 1 of her moving forward, but I really have been enjoying her as a 2-of. I'm also not too keen on the basic Plains, but can understand why some run it. Lastly, I'm on 0 Manamorphose, but am interested in starting to experiment with 1 in the maindeck. Anyways, if you watch the videos, I appreciate it! Cheers
Thanks for the great video! Enjoyed it and will watch the other mardu video's soon. I play 3 manamorphose (I did cut a land and 2 Blood Moons). Works pretty well for me!
I'm glad Liliana of the Veil performmed so well for you. I'm also playing 2 of her and she's really fantastic in this deck. In my opinion: Liliana of the Veil > Blood Moon. When Blood Moon is good, it's game winning good. But when it's bad, it's a dead card. Liliana is somewhere in the middle. And therefore, in my opinion, Blood Moon is the perfect sideboard material. I play 2 LotV mainboard, 2 Blood Moons sideboard.
Moreover, I play magic for fun. Liliana of the Veil is so much more interactive than Blood Moon
Great primer. Thanks a lot. Although I’m a modern player, still like to ask a question. I’m still confused about the usefulness of pact of negation.
Mana abilities don’t use the stack, so when the combo is on the table, pact isn’t usefull anymore. “You want to kill a como piece opponent? That’s fine! In response I make infinite mana”.
In the primer you say:
Often times, you will play Architect and then immediately tap Architect to play Pili-Pala, and this is the situation you should go for if you don't think you can win turn 2. Because of this, you either will have infinite mana at you upkeep to pay for this, or you aren't planning to untap.
This feels so risky. Opponent gets an opportunity to respond during your turn by destroying a combo piece. You will pact that of course. But then, it’s the opponent turn and you are tapped out. He destroys a combo piece. You loose at the beginning of your upkeep..
Why not saving up some mana to cast 1 mana counters like dispell or something. Is that really to slow?
Sorry if it’s a dumb question. Pretty new to this combo deck.
New here, but long time lurker
I did some friendly modern testing with skred last night. Like to share a small report. And moreover the problems I faced. So everybody can discuss and learn.
Match 1: Grixis death shadow
G1: I flooded big time. None game. Lost it.
G2: Locked him up with relic and blood moon. Finished it off with Hazoret and Koth.
G3: Even without relic or blood moon in hand, the match felt good. With PnKN and Koth on the table, I got him 1 point from lethal. But ran out of time. Next turn he would be dead. I count it as a win ;-)
Match 2: Living end / As foretold combo deck
G1: Got 1 mountain and 3 relics in openingshand (I knew he played this deck). Easy keep, easy match. The relic is an all star here. Opponent took a lot of damage through pain lands and cycling. PnKN + bolt finished the match.
G2: Long game. I had triple bolt and koth in hand. He played Leyline of Sanctity and countered my koth. Without a relic, I tried stalling the game by molton rain his only land. But didn't draw into threats. A few turns later, his double Ancestral Vision went off. A quick Living end finished the game with 30 power on the table.
G3: Without the relic again, I tried the beat down plan. Worked well. Quick koth emblem finished the game.
Match 3: Solemnity / Phyrexian unlife combo
G1: I was far ahead. Koth emblem on the table. Then he slammed down the double enchantment combo. I don't have enchantment removal maindeck. Had to concede. Never lost with Koth emblem before
G2: Boarded in 2 Ratchet bomb for enchantment removal. And tried to go aggro. Realizing, halfway through the match, ratchet bomb does nothing with solemnity. Oops Started the beat down with Hazoret, but got pathed with opponent at 7 life. Then I lost to an infinite Geralf's messenger sacrifice combo.
Overall, very happy with the deck. Good games vs GDS and Living end. Losing to a weird combo is acceptable for me (pretty cool deck by the way!!)
Frustrating point of this skred list, is it's lack of enchantment removal. Really would have like to destroy as foretold in match 2 and the combo pieces of match 3. But skred doens't have anything for that.
How do you handle this problem? Considering the other enchantment sideboard cards in modern these days (leylines, worship etc.). Ratchet bomb is way too slow for that.
Thanks, will consider Wrath of God. Although, Meddling Mage didn't feel like a problem (with the all the removal we play). But thanks!
Did you guys ever cast Settle the wreckage on yourself to put Emeria online? Feels like a suicide action, with the exile trigger. But maybee...
The rule of thump is definitely a thing, I will keep in mind Fincown!
Vivien's Arkbow: I think it's too bad. X has to be 4 at least, for having a decent change hitting some action.
Yes, you can dump your mana surplus into it. But I prefer dumping my mana in Elvish Clancaller.
Soon I will draft War of the Spark. If I get a copy out of it, I will try it for fun. But I think it will be disappointing.
May it be inspirational for some.
Overall:
* I'm really happy with the Kalitas maindeck. For me, it's a no-brainer in the current meta.
* 3x gray merchant & 3x obliterator is enough. Especially with the card draw engine Phyrexian Arena in de deck. You will find those monsters anyway and don't need a playset.
* Yahenni's expertise is amazing! It really is!
2 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
4 Polluted Delta
17 Swamp
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Interaction (10)
4 Fatal Push
4 Thoughtseize
2 Liliana of the Veil
3 Phyrexian Arena
Creatures (23)
4 Geralf's Messenger
4 Gifted Aetherborn
3 Gravecrawler
3 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
2 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
3 Phyrexian Obliterator
4 Relentless Dead
3 Contaminated Ground
2 Dismember
1 Liliana, the Last Hope
3 Nihil Spellbomb
3 Pithing Needle
3 Yahenni's Expertise
Possible improvements / considerations:
* The deck lacks some good 2cmc cards. Relentless dead is more a turn 3 card. Therefore, the mana curve isn't perfect yet.
* I'm considering extra spot removal (collective brutality) or discard (inquisition of kozilek), but that will weaken the devotion count. And don't know what to cut.
* Maybee cutting a Nykthos? Sometimes it's clunky, sometimes it's amazing.
* Thinking about Leyline of the void in the sideboard, because it's devotion. But Spellbomb feels good too.
Questions, suggestions, feedback is always welcome ;-)
I'm currently on a 50% win rate, in a competitive modern environment. My only concern is my sideboard, which isn't perfect yet.
I really like the mana curve of this list. Combined with the consistency the combo goes off.
The protection cards also really pay off. Especially Lightning Greaves on a Pili-Pala is extremely powerfull to get around summoning sickness.
1 Academy Ruins
3 Halimar Depths
18 Island
Combo:
1 Banefire
1 Blue Sun's Zenith
4 Grand Architect
4 Pili-Pala
Protection:
2 Lightning Greaves
3 Pact of Negation
4 Remand
4 Spellskite
4 Serum Visions
4 Sleight of Hand
3 Drift of Phantasms
1 Azure Mage
3 Muddle the Mixture
2 Blink of an Eye
2 Dispel
2 Engulf the Shore
2 Postmortem Lunge
3 Relic of Progenitus
2 Vapor Snag
I like it very much. I hope it will help you!
Emeria, for me, is still one of the most fun decks ever played. Maybee I can contribute to the primer as a mardu player:
Mardy Pyromancer matchup:
Overall: mardu has a hard time creating a fast clock. The long game could be competitive, but should be ours.
Be aware of the mulitple discard spells. Therefore, don't mulligan too heavy. Otherwise they will try out-resource you and stay ahead.
Also, they could play a potential bloodmoon. Therefore, fetch an island game 1. Most likely they will board out the bloodmoon on the draw and substitute it for a Molten rain as Emeria hate.
Sideboard - bring in:
- Graveyard hate for Bedlam Reveler and Lingering Souls
- Negate, to disrupt their game plan en their SB cards.
- Celestial Purge (for the Young Pyromancer or a potential Liliana)
What to cut:
- Gideon of the Trials
- Lone Missionary (only trades for 1/1 tokens)
- Don’t shave your Detention Spheres. They do catch tokens very well Moreover, they high probably will bring in leylines.
Don't forget: Mardu plays a vulnerable 3-color deck. Emeria is very well capable of controlling that (Spreading Seas, Crucible of Worlds, Field of Ruin, Ghost Quarter. They usually play 4 - 5 basics by the way.
And, in general, I miss 2 important sideboard options:
- Kami of False hope; against the aggro creature matchups. I play 3 of them in the sideboard.
- Remorseful Cleric; as graveyard hate. I play 2 of them in the sideboard.
Those cards could be returned from the graveyard by both Emeria and Sun Titan. Because of the self-sacrifice, it could generate the same 'loop' each turn. Won me multiple matches.
Hope it will/can improve the primer!
4 Flooded Strand
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
2 Scalding Tarn
4 Spirebluff Canal
3 Steam Vents
Threats:
2 Crackling Drake
4 Pyromancer Ascension
4 Thing in the Ice
4 Faithless Looting
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
4 Manamorphose
4 Opt
4 Path to Exile
4 Serum Visions
4 Sleight of Hand
3 Alpine Moon
2 Anger of the Gods
1 Firemind's Research
4 Negate
2 Ravenous Trap
3 Wear // Tear
It's mainly the same list Jeff Hoogland plays. With some minor tweaks.
Tested it against a wide variety of decks. Would like to share my opinion on some specific cards and the overall deck:
Crackling drake: This card is insane! If this resolves and can swing at least once, it's game over. This deck plays so many spells, it's an easy 10+ power creature. In my opinion much better than Bedlam Reveler (which I tested in the past)
Sleight of hand: While its a great cantrip ofcourse, I sometimes doubt whether this should be a Peek. Because our threats are scarce, I feel we need to know the removal the opponent has. So we can play out our ascension or thing in the ice more effectively. Like to know your opinion about this.
Ravenous Trap: with so many Faithless looting and Thought scour in the current meta, this card is fantastic. Modern is playing more and more graveyard-strategy. This card >> surgical extraction in my opinion.
Negate: for me an easy playset in the SB. Won me multiple matches. Can replace a full playset of the MB and therefore still fuel the Pyromancer Ascension.
Deck overall:
My win rate is about 60% at this moment. Besides this is great obivously, this deck is a hell lot of fun! Semi-control, semi-combo. Really a blast to play!
Great to hear some good results with the deck. Interesting you're playing with a playset of Magma Jet. I like that
Do you miss the 4th Koth? Or should we cut a Stormbreath Dragon?
@ CedricCZ: I like the idea of Heart of Kiran. It's synergy with planeswalkers is pretty cool! Although is vulnerable to fatal push. And that's exactly the strenght of this deck. 'Protection' from the most played removal in modern (bolt, push and path). That said, it's an early blocker out of bolt-range. Maybee I'll give it a try sometimes.
But I'm not sure on the 'agressive' theme of this deck. A possible turn 5 kill is a bit slow in the current meta. In my opinion, you have to be able to kill by turn 4. And otherwise switch to a more control based strategy. The blood moon and chandra in your deck, doesn't fit the aggro theme.
But if you have any results: please share them with us
Good to hear the Crucible/FoR/Ghost Quarter combo worked out. I really like that part of the deck
I run practical the same list. But I prefer a Phantasmal image over the 4th Lone Missionary. That card really won me some games
By the way, you run 61 cards. Maybee -1 sweeper?
@Fincown: good you point that out. Because of Assassin's Trophy we maybee need the full playset of Emeria in the future? (because of the land destruction). I think that card will a blast in modern. And it's not working in our favor...
Therefore for me the next cards ar no brainers (in no particularly order): Essence Warden, Reclamation Sage, Scavenging Ooze, Stain the Mind, Shapers' Sanctuary
I don't play any specific Tron hate. I simply race them But I could be wrong about that.
I'm a bit more fan of Contaminated Ground than Evil Presenceor, because of the drain effect. That's a good thing in GB Elves. Moreover, the CMC of 2 is fine I think. You don't need this type of card on turn 1. You better play out your dorks T1.
By the way, Jack Kendall ran 2 leagues with Elvish Clancaller and posted them on Youtube. Results seems pretty good
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJuoZPY-YSOLXTntn_DRowDgwwKYtyAZ-
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJuoZPY-YSOJhQtbonKlVT7O3rOA1Y6kE
Congrats on that result! Great job! I have the same feeling about elvish clancaller. Powers the whole team. It's a great hit for coco too. And even his ability is relative easy to cast (I have to admit I play this deck with 2 Nykthos, shrine to nyx)
How did you feel about the chords? They feel a bit clunky to me. I prefer lead > chord in this GB version. Especially without elvish visionary
Thanks for the great video! Enjoyed it and will watch the other mardu video's soon. I play 3 manamorphose (I did cut a land and 2 Blood Moons). Works pretty well for me!
I'm glad Liliana of the Veil performmed so well for you. I'm also playing 2 of her and she's really fantastic in this deck. In my opinion: Liliana of the Veil > Blood Moon. When Blood Moon is good, it's game winning good. But when it's bad, it's a dead card. Liliana is somewhere in the middle. And therefore, in my opinion, Blood Moon is the perfect sideboard material. I play 2 LotV mainboard, 2 Blood Moons sideboard.
Moreover, I play magic for fun. Liliana of the Veil is so much more interactive than Blood Moon
Mana abilities don’t use the stack, so when the combo is on the table, pact isn’t usefull anymore. “You want to kill a como piece opponent? That’s fine! In response I make infinite mana”.
In the primer you say:
This feels so risky. Opponent gets an opportunity to respond during your turn by destroying a combo piece. You will pact that of course. But then, it’s the opponent turn and you are tapped out. He destroys a combo piece. You loose at the beginning of your upkeep..
Why not saving up some mana to cast 1 mana counters like dispell or something. Is that really to slow?
Sorry if it’s a dumb question. Pretty new to this combo deck.
I did some friendly modern testing with skred last night. Like to share a small report. And moreover the problems I faced. So everybody can discuss and learn.
Played 3 matched with this list:
20 Snow-Covered Mountain
3 Anger of the Gods
3 Blood Moon
1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2 Eternal Scourge
1 Hazoret the Fervent
4 Koth of the Hammer
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Magma Jet
4 Mind Stone
3 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
4 Relic of Progenitus
4 Skred
3 Stormbreath Dragon
4 Boros Reckoner
2 Dragon's Claw
3 Molten Rain
2 Ratchet Bomb
1 Ricochet Trap
2 Vandalblast
1 Crumble to dust
Match 1: Grixis death shadow
G1: I flooded big time. None game. Lost it.
G2: Locked him up with relic and blood moon. Finished it off with Hazoret and Koth.
G3: Even without relic or blood moon in hand, the match felt good. With PnKN and Koth on the table, I got him 1 point from lethal. But ran out of time. Next turn he would be dead. I count it as a win ;-)
Match 2: Living end / As foretold combo deck
G1: Got 1 mountain and 3 relics in openingshand (I knew he played this deck). Easy keep, easy match. The relic is an all star here. Opponent took a lot of damage through pain lands and cycling. PnKN + bolt finished the match.
G2: Long game. I had triple bolt and koth in hand. He played Leyline of Sanctity and countered my koth. Without a relic, I tried stalling the game by molton rain his only land. But didn't draw into threats. A few turns later, his double Ancestral Vision went off. A quick Living end finished the game with 30 power on the table.
G3: Without the relic again, I tried the beat down plan. Worked well. Quick koth emblem finished the game.
Match 3: Solemnity / Phyrexian unlife combo
G1: I was far ahead. Koth emblem on the table. Then he slammed down the double enchantment combo. I don't have enchantment removal maindeck. Had to concede. Never lost with Koth emblem before
G2: Boarded in 2 Ratchet bomb for enchantment removal. And tried to go aggro. Realizing, halfway through the match, ratchet bomb does nothing with solemnity. Oops Started the beat down with Hazoret, but got pathed with opponent at 7 life. Then I lost to an infinite Geralf's messenger sacrifice combo.
Overall, very happy with the deck. Good games vs GDS and Living end. Losing to a weird combo is acceptable for me (pretty cool deck by the way!!)
Frustrating point of this skred list, is it's lack of enchantment removal. Really would have like to destroy as foretold in match 2 and the combo pieces of match 3. But skred doens't have anything for that.
How do you handle this problem? Considering the other enchantment sideboard cards in modern these days (leylines, worship etc.). Ratchet bomb is way too slow for that.
Did you guys ever cast Settle the wreckage on yourself to put Emeria online? Feels like a suicide action, with the exile trigger. But maybee...
The rule of thump is definitely a thing, I will keep in mind Fincown!