I've tested R version for some time and didn't like it. Obligator is a good threat, but being unable to cast it off 2 temples (paying for it's ability from temple mana) is an important downside, as with London mulligan we are much more likely to mulligan into 2 temple hand. Then, losing manlands is a very important downside - they effectively give you the option to sneakily add additional 1 or 2 power to the board every turn for zero mana.
With London mulligan this deck is a secret beast. My record for the last leagues / tournaments is 37-3-5. some remarkable wins were: beating Mardu Pyro on the draw with a mulligan to 4, getting thoughtseized 2 times on the first two turns and beating Burn with a mulliagan to 3(!) on the draw as well. Most of the people who play it don't understand how to play it (i've yet to lose a mirror match), that's why it is not putting results, which is great.
I'm convinced that Karn TCG does not belong to this deck. With a london mulligan this is a deck to put 4/4 with disruption or 5/5 on turn 2, not the deck to get to 6 mana and install a lattice lock.
Blast zone is a Blast. It's one of the best additions to Stompy for a long time. Depending on meta, I would play 2-4. It's not that useful vs aggro matchups as it may seem, as often you are not fast enought to crack it, but it's very good vs midrange opponents - and a great tool to remove non-creature permanents, our old enemy.
Depends on UW build (opponent's playstyle) and play/draw.
Normally I would try smth like:
-2 Dismember (keep 2 to fight Lira / Resto)
-1/2 Chalice
-2/3 SSG
+3/4 Relics
+1 Needle / Spyglass
+0/1 Surgical
The cards you are looking for in post-board configuration: Scourge+Relic, manlands, Karn, fast TKS.
On the draw the grindy hand could be better than a fast hand (as long as it's not T2 TKS / Smasher)
Overall, the match-up is rather good, but always somewhat emotionally taxing due to its playpatterns (e.g. my SF match lasted 90 minutes).
Intentional draw. I was the one of 2 players with 15 points after round 5 and had #1 standings after rounds 5 and 6, so top (and a good seed) was guaranteed and there was no need to play these rounds.
I've recently had some good results with the deck (19-3-2 winrate for the last 6 FNMs). Keep in mind that I can't play this game properly, so it must mean that this deck is great.
Matches were:
R1 2-1 Burn
R2 2-1 Restore Balance
R3 2-1 Burn
R4 2-0 UB Faeries
R5 2-1 Storm
R6 id (Copycat)
R7 id (Hogaak)
Q: 2-0 Hogaak (featured on camera)
S: 2-1 UW Control
F: 2-1 Hollow One (piloted by reigning national champion, featured on camera)
I plan to write a report, but likely will do it in Russian, so here are some random thoughts:
1) I must admit I don't like Karn, TGC after tests - I really like the concept of the card and wanted it to be playable, but I don't think it belongs to this deck anymore. Logic is simple: when we are ahead Karn is a classic winmore. When we are behind, Karn is 4-mana tutor with an option to soak in 3 damage. Then yes, there are 10% of cases when Karn actually changes course of the game. Can't say it's bad, but also don't think it's good enough.
2) Karn, SoU is a great grind card. I've played with one in SB and was impressed. Now trying it MB. Don't think we need 2, though. If you don't want to play it I would play Relic MB as an occasional gravehate / grind option. I never liked copter and don't want to return to it. Looks like we've yet to find a bullet for this flex slot.
3) Hogaak is a good matchup - I've never lost a match against it.
4) SB Torpor Orb is a tool to fix atrocious Human matchup. I won't play it unless you have a high share of Humans in your meta.
5) I don't like LotV in this deck. Nobody cares about single Leyline anymore. There are a million of matches for which relic would come in, but Leyline won't (e.g. UW / Jund).
Let me know if anybody wants a link to top-8 VODs - coverage is in Russian, but could be interesting for somebody, I guess.
I've just received my foil Mycosynth Lattice which was ordered from ebay. Just by holding the card in my hands I had a feeling that something is off, however, struggled to name what exactly is wrong. However, card seemed to pass lightning test and had no problems with paper look, feel and quality, which is a usual problem for fakes. It's also a foil from an old set with some authentic wear, which speaks to it's legibility a bit.
A bit later, by comparing the card to my other foil other cards of this era I recalled my experience with my friend's proxy Gaea's Cradle and have (as at seems to me) figured out that this is, unfortunately, a fake.
Before sending a message to a seller I have decided to consult with community. What to you think? Would appreciate your opinion. I will share my thoughts a bit later if needed.
Been testing a new Kard for some time now and so far it felt underwhelming. Important note thought is that I don't have Lattice. I've ordered a foil version, but it would take at least a few weeks to arrive. Othewise bullet-searching was fun, but did not felt powerful enough in most matchups. Other abilities often felt irrelevant (let's face it, playing a 4 mana planeswalker to turn a 3-mana mana-rock intro a 3/3 is hardly a broken thing. Yes, it has some utility, but the real question is "does this card have more utility than the card it competes with for a slot").
On a side note Scion of Urza was a powerhouse in grindy matchups and single-handedly destroyed UW.
If they covered the flight, no matter the cost, it would be an even playing field. Now, it's pretty unfair.
Well, that's ok. Say, Moscow, where I spend must of my time, has a bunch of great old-school players who would never visit a GP, since Wizards don't do GPs in Russia, and going to Europe just to play GP is a losing value proposition. Yet this is all right - you can not make it fair for everyone.
A friend of mine, who I consider to be a respectable player, has yesterday top-eighted a 120-player Modern tournament in Moscow with my deck, going undefeated in 7 rounds of Swiss.
The only thing that is ridiculous regarding this set is the comments and attempts to justify intellectual property price based on costs. I will remind you that any personal copy of music you listen or game you play costs literally zero to be delivered to you; yet you pay for it.
If you think that $300 is too much - well, guess what, just don't buy it. Whining about that is like going to Lamborghini forum and spending a day complaining that you cannot afford one.
Good point. Time to print some proxies then. hell i heard the cinese counterfeits are looknig great these days. They will be quite cheap.
Sure, you are free to do this.
But don't be surprised if one day your favorite author stops to write books, your favorite artist stops to produce music, and Wizards stop to support Magic.
You know, WotC is not a non-profit charity, and game designers want to eat as well. At least until we teach AI to design new MTG sets and lore.
The only thing that is ridiculous regarding this set is the comments and attempts to justify intellectual property price based on costs. I will remind you that any personal copy of music you listen or game you play costs literally zero to be delivered to you; yet you pay for it.
If you think that $300 is too much - well, guess what, just don't buy it. Whining about that is like going to Lamborghini forum and spending a day complaining that you cannot afford one.
Probably MB-1/2 Gemstone caverns, -0/1 Mountain, +2/3 Cavern of Souls SB-Sudden shock, -Relic/Leyline, + Kozilek's Return/Gut shot/Anger of the Gods + Cavern of Souls
could be a way to go.
Interesting take. The downside is that, I assume, without manlands this deck is just stone-cold to UW. This could be possibly solved by Cavern of souls, thought, which, however, will reduce our ability to cast red spells.
I've had good results with this deck overall, but match vs. humans seemed just dead (unless an opponent is totally unaware of what's going on) until I started to play 2 Torpor Orbs. Now my winrate is ~40%, but match still seems very and very tough (games they win are one-sided, games I win are very long and grindy, with several life points left on my side at the end). Still, 40% is quite a progress - pre-Torpor Orb it was around 10%, and Jordan's article did not help at all. Note that I mainly play in an average to above average fields (e.g., GPs, competitive leagues, or experienced players of my LGS).
Opinions are polarized, and I'm just not convinced that humans could be a good matchup. There's only one way to prove this or otherwise - by doing a series of matches vs. decent humans player. Everything else is just a theory.
With London mulligan this deck is a secret beast. My record for the last leagues / tournaments is 37-3-5. some remarkable wins were: beating Mardu Pyro on the draw with a mulligan to 4, getting thoughtseized 2 times on the first two turns and beating Burn with a mulliagan to 3(!) on the draw as well. Most of the people who play it don't understand how to play it (i've yet to lose a mirror match), that's why it is not putting results, which is great.
I'm convinced that Karn TCG does not belong to this deck. With a london mulligan this is a deck to put 4/4 with disruption or 5/5 on turn 2, not the deck to get to 6 mana and install a lattice lock.
Normally I would try smth like:
-2 Dismember (keep 2 to fight Lira / Resto)
-1/2 Chalice
-2/3 SSG
+3/4 Relics
+1 Needle / Spyglass
+0/1 Surgical
The cards you are looking for in post-board configuration: Scourge+Relic, manlands, Karn, fast TKS.
On the draw the grindy hand could be better than a fast hand (as long as it's not T2 TKS / Smasher)
Overall, the match-up is rather good, but always somewhat emotionally taxing due to its playpatterns (e.g. my SF match lasted 90 minutes).
I've recently had some good results with the deck (19-3-2 winrate for the last 6 FNMs). Keep in mind that I can't play this game properly, so it must mean that this deck is great.
Then yesterday I've won a 120-players premium modern tournament without dropping a match with the following list:
https://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=22368&f=MO
Matches were:
R1 2-1 Burn
R2 2-1 Restore Balance
R3 2-1 Burn
R4 2-0 UB Faeries
R5 2-1 Storm
R6 id (Copycat)
R7 id (Hogaak)
Q: 2-0 Hogaak (featured on camera)
S: 2-1 UW Control
F: 2-1 Hollow One (piloted by reigning national champion, featured on camera)
I plan to write a report, but likely will do it in Russian, so here are some random thoughts:
1) I must admit I don't like Karn, TGC after tests - I really like the concept of the card and wanted it to be playable, but I don't think it belongs to this deck anymore. Logic is simple: when we are ahead Karn is a classic winmore. When we are behind, Karn is 4-mana tutor with an option to soak in 3 damage. Then yes, there are 10% of cases when Karn actually changes course of the game. Can't say it's bad, but also don't think it's good enough.
2) Karn, SoU is a great grind card. I've played with one in SB and was impressed. Now trying it MB. Don't think we need 2, though. If you don't want to play it I would play Relic MB as an occasional gravehate / grind option. I never liked copter and don't want to return to it. Looks like we've yet to find a bullet for this flex slot.
3) Hogaak is a good matchup - I've never lost a match against it.
4) SB Torpor Orb is a tool to fix atrocious Human matchup. I won't play it unless you have a high share of Humans in your meta.
5) I don't like LotV in this deck. Nobody cares about single Leyline anymore. There are a million of matches for which relic would come in, but Leyline won't (e.g. UW / Jund).
Let me know if anybody wants a link to top-8 VODs - coverage is in Russian, but could be interesting for somebody, I guess.
And keep playing Stompy!
I've just received my foil Mycosynth Lattice which was ordered from ebay. Just by holding the card in my hands I had a feeling that something is off, however, struggled to name what exactly is wrong. However, card seemed to pass lightning test and had no problems with paper look, feel and quality, which is a usual problem for fakes. It's also a foil from an old set with some authentic wear, which speaks to it's legibility a bit.
A bit later, by comparing the card to my other foil other cards of this era I recalled my experience with my friend's proxy Gaea's Cradle and have (as at seems to me) figured out that this is, unfortunately, a fake.
Before sending a message to a seller I have decided to consult with community. What to you think? Would appreciate your opinion. I will share my thoughts a bit later if needed.
On a side note Scion of Urza was a powerhouse in grindy matchups and single-handedly destroyed UW.
Well, that's ok. Say, Moscow, where I spend must of my time, has a bunch of great old-school players who would never visit a GP, since Wizards don't do GPs in Russia, and going to Europe just to play GP is a losing value proposition. Yet this is all right - you can not make it fair for everyone.
List can be found here: https://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=20764&d=337155&f=MO
Sure, you are free to do this.
But don't be surprised if one day your favorite author stops to write books, your favorite artist stops to produce music, and Wizards stop to support Magic.
You know, WotC is not a non-profit charity, and game designers want to eat as well. At least until we teach AI to design new MTG sets and lore.
If you think that $300 is too much - well, guess what, just don't buy it. Whining about that is like going to Lamborghini forum and spending a day complaining that you cannot afford one.
MB -1/2 Gemstone caverns, -0/1 Mountain, +2/3 Cavern of Souls
SB -Sudden shock, -Relic/Leyline, + Kozilek's Return/Gut shot/Anger of the Gods + Cavern of Souls
could be a way to go.
Will definitely test this version.
Opinions are polarized, and I'm just not convinced that humans could be a good matchup. There's only one way to prove this or otherwise - by doing a series of matches vs. decent humans player. Everything else is just a theory.