Hi all - its been a while. Not sure how many of us remain playing the deck; I've been on relative online silence as I compile a bunch of testing results.
I played something like 100 matches in-person with my last posted build on this forum (the one with the Simian Spirit Guides and Chalices mainboard). I'll have to compile the rest of the results and the matchup percentages, but I had something like a 60% winrate in matches with the deck when I was about halfway through my notes. Keep in mind that my build has been changed for about a 4-6 weeks, so meta may have varied at that time.
Which brings me to now (and the last couple months). I've been experimenting with both the white and black splashes, and have been more happy with the white splash. I've been mixed on Path - my opinion is that its generally felt mediocre. YMMV obviously, but that's just been my own general feeling.
My current list has 3 flex spots in it right now (I'll post later), all of which are going towards testing Wall of Omens as a cycling blocker that buys us time to "go off", while also coming back to draw us more cards later. I've been theorizing about some cool sideboard tech in white like Worship or Ghostly Prison to beat aggressive decks (Prison in particular is probably pretty good against Humans, which appears to be one of the consensus worst matchups).
I've also thought about replacing the Wall of Omens with Meddling Mages mainboard, to give us some extra game against combo decks and removal-light midrange decks (GW valuetown, etc.). Getting it Path'd is completely fine, and there's a higher incentive for an opponent to Path a Meddling Mage than a Wall of Omens.
First thoughts?
Where have you been testing the deck for the numbers you posted?
I have also tested both white and black splash and I prefer white. White has a lot of good SB options and I found that Glassdust Hulk
and path have both been performing well. One main board Engineered explosives has been really great for me. In the human match up they do not name it with meddling mage often and and they can not take tolaria west with free booters so you can always tutor for it.
I have not tried spirit guides or chalice. I'm not really sold on either but it sounds like its worth testing. Wall of Omens seems like it could be alright. Cards like thalia and ooze make me think path is pretty important.
I think it is easy to over sideboard with this deck. The most reliable way to win the game is to get the combo and making the deck too reactive slows that down. I like wall of omen because it draws but are we really going to have enough time for ghostly prison to be worth it. Cards like cryptic and remand buy us time while still digging for the combo.
Hello everyone, I am still insisting on the monoU version, and I have always obtained excellent results.
I'm seriously thinking about playing the next GP SP (BR) with her.
However, I need to get more bad-match so I can get a better view of how to deal with them.
In the last FNM I made 4-0 with no problem in the following match:
Ponza (2-1)
Jeskai Control (2-0)
Ponza (2-0)
U/W Control (2-0)
I found two of the worse match ups to be humans and hollow one. Not great because they are very popular decks. Have you faced either of those? Jund or really any green deck can be difficult if they get a turn two ooze. Ponza hasn't been that much trouble for me, but one was running choke in the side board and that really screwed me up.
Green?
I have been testing a green splash. It offers a few useful tools.
Bring to light might be the biggest advantage of green. I believe getting the turn 3 or 4 as foretold combo will always be the main priority, but many games I can't find a combo piece and chaining cryptic commands tap/draw in to bring to light has helped. It can also double as a 5 mana draw 3.
Lignify is interesting. It is definitely not as strong as path to exile but could have some advantages over reality shift. Either way I don't think we can rely on just remand for ooze and Thalia.
Alchemist's Refuge is very cute but i'm not sure if it is worth it. I would have to test more but so far it has felt pretty bad in opening hands, and I think I've only used it once in the 5 or so games I've had it. The one time I did get an instant speed as foretold did feel really good.
I plan on testing a one of Rampaging Hippo or Greater Sandwurm in the Architects of Will slot. The back up plan of hard casting our creatures comes up enough where I think having another big threat that we can cast with out as foretold is pretty relevant.
Beyond that I have found Engineered Explosives to be a great interactive card that is tutor-able with tolaria west. Although any splash gets us here so it doesn't speak to much to the green splash.
Green also adds some interesting side board cards. Overall I think I like the green splash better than mono blue but a lot of that might just be Engineered Explosive. I haven't tested white yet but path to exile seems great and white has some pretty good side board options as well. Another idea is going bant for both path to exile and bring to light. That could also allow us to Engineered Explosives for 3 and bring to light at 3, but that might end up being too clunky. As I said before, I think getting the as foretold combo quickly should be the main goal of the deck so I think any change should preserve that. I plan on testing green more since it seems more unexplored than white.
I would love to here some thoughts on this list. Let me know what you think!
I like this deck a lot. I went 3-0 the first and only time I brought it to FNM last week. I ran mono blue but I think a white splash will be best (I dont got the lands right now) and I agree with people saying it needs early interaction and I plan on making some changes from what I ran the other night. I ran it with 14 cycle guys (no mb Nimble Obstructionist), 4 cryptics, 4 remands, 2 spell pierce, 2 search for azcanta and 4 of the combo pieces. Ill give a little tournament report.
Match 1 - b/w planeswalkers
This deck was playing wall of omens, lingering souls, Gideons, and Lilianas. Game one I was able to combo on turn 3 with two curator of mysteries in the yard. He had a wall of omens and tried to resolve a liliana on his turn 3 but i was able to spell pierce it. Game 2 he brought inrest in piece and was able to thought sieze/ surgical extraction my as foretold and I couldnt really get anything going. Game three I was also able to living end quickly and beat him down pretty fast.
Match 2 - 4 color Solemnity
They had a lot of ways to combo with solemnity but the deck wasnt very consistence and a few well time counters shut down what he was trying to do both matches. Was able to get a decent living end off pretty quickly both games killing devoted druids and didnt have much trouble.
Match 3 - storm
First game just kind of cycled things as he durdled on mana. By the time he got a goblin out I was able to living end while holding counter magic up and that was pretty much game. Second game went very similar. Not really sure how the storm match up is but these games were pretty simple.
Enduring Scalelord + mirror mockery + ordeal of thassa = infinite large dragon when you attack with scalelord
Where have you been testing the deck for the numbers you posted?
I have also tested both white and black splash and I prefer white. White has a lot of good SB options and I found that Glassdust Hulk
and path have both been performing well. One main board Engineered explosives has been really great for me. In the human match up they do not name it with meddling mage often and and they can not take tolaria west with free booters so you can always tutor for it.
I have not tried spirit guides or chalice. I'm not really sold on either but it sounds like its worth testing. Wall of Omens seems like it could be alright. Cards like thalia and ooze make me think path is pretty important.
I think it is easy to over sideboard with this deck. The most reliable way to win the game is to get the combo and making the deck too reactive slows that down. I like wall of omen because it draws but are we really going to have enough time for ghostly prison to be worth it. Cards like cryptic and remand buy us time while still digging for the combo.
I found two of the worse match ups to be humans and hollow one. Not great because they are very popular decks. Have you faced either of those? Jund or really any green deck can be difficult if they get a turn two ooze. Ponza hasn't been that much trouble for me, but one was running choke in the side board and that really screwed me up.
1x Alchemist's Refuge
4x Botanical Sanctum
2x Field of Ruin
1x Forest
10x Island
3x Tolaria West
Sorcery (9)
4x Ancestral Vision
2x Bring to Light
3x Living End
Creature (13)
1x Architects of Will
4x Curator of Mysteries
4x Street Wraith
4x Striped Riverwinder
3x Cryptic Command
4x Remand
2x Spell Pierce
Enchantment (7)
4x As Foretold
2x Lignify
1x Search for Azcanta
Artifact (1)
1x Engineered Explosives
2x Ceremonious Rejection
2x Dispel
1x Engineered Explosives
1x Gnaw to the Bone
4x Nature's Claim
2x Noxious Revival
1x Pithing Needle
2x Tormod's Crypt
Green?
I have been testing a green splash. It offers a few useful tools.
Green also adds some interesting side board cards. Overall I think I like the green splash better than mono blue but a lot of that might just be Engineered Explosive. I haven't tested white yet but path to exile seems great and white has some pretty good side board options as well. Another idea is going bant for both path to exile and bring to light. That could also allow us to Engineered Explosives for 3 and bring to light at 3, but that might end up being too clunky. As I said before, I think getting the as foretold combo quickly should be the main goal of the deck so I think any change should preserve that. I plan on testing green more since it seems more unexplored than white.
I would love to here some thoughts on this list. Let me know what you think!
I like this deck a lot. I went 3-0 the first and only time I brought it to FNM last week. I ran mono blue but I think a white splash will be best (I dont got the lands right now) and I agree with people saying it needs early interaction and I plan on making some changes from what I ran the other night. I ran it with 14 cycle guys (no mb Nimble Obstructionist), 4 cryptics, 4 remands, 2 spell pierce, 2 search for azcanta and 4 of the combo pieces. Ill give a little tournament report.
Match 1 - b/w planeswalkers
This deck was playing wall of omens, lingering souls, Gideons, and Lilianas. Game one I was able to combo on turn 3 with two curator of mysteries in the yard. He had a wall of omens and tried to resolve a liliana on his turn 3 but i was able to spell pierce it. Game 2 he brought inrest in piece and was able to thought sieze/ surgical extraction my as foretold and I couldnt really get anything going. Game three I was also able to living end quickly and beat him down pretty fast.
Match 2 - 4 color Solemnity
They had a lot of ways to combo with solemnity but the deck wasnt very consistence and a few well time counters shut down what he was trying to do both matches. Was able to get a decent living end off pretty quickly both games killing devoted druids and didnt have much trouble.
Match 3 - storm
First game just kind of cycled things as he durdled on mana. By the time he got a goblin out I was able to living end while holding counter magic up and that was pretty much game. Second game went very similar. Not really sure how the storm match up is but these games were pretty simple.