One 2nd place list (control oriented build) played 4x Boomerang. Have people tried this out? Seems like it could be good against Tron and Valakut (and also just generally a solid card).
It's less combo focused and plays more like mono blue control/tempo that can make use of the Narset/Days Undoing combo. I based it off of a UW deck that went 5-0 recently online, and used a similar game-plan. Hopefully Thing in the Ice and Spellstutter Sprite will shore up the game vs aggro somewhat. All thoughts welcome!
This may have already come up in this thread, but what would people think about sideboarding in an Unburial Rites package (for Gifts Ungiven) as an alternate win condition? I feel like it might take opponents by surprise, and could be a bit of a toolbox as well.
Assault Loam seems to have a hard time beating Tron, Bogles, Amulet Titan, and probably TitanShift.
What one card totally ****s with all of these decks, while also fitting really well into our RG shell? Blood Moon. It's an enchantment that can be found with Commune with the Gods and Vessel of Nascency. In RG it really won't mess with us that much as long as we make sure to run some basic forests. It comes out so strong in tons of random matchups. I think I'm going to try an Assault Loam build with 3-4 of them maindeck.
The only bad matchup (I can think of) where blood moon doesn't do much is Storm...
Ayula's Influence is a clear reference to Seizmic Assault. Anyone feel like brewing Bear Assault? If you replace Seizmic Assault with Ayula's Influence, the archetype could drop red - which might be useful if you want to brew a BG or UG list that's robust to mana screw.
I'm planning to play some games with a list running 2-3 Magus of the Moon. I think that if your deck CAN support moon effects in modern, it should be playing them (with a few exceptions). The idea behind Magus instead of Blood Moon is that Magus interacts with living end. i.e, he can be cast to slow down the opponent, block, or force removal, and then come right back with a living end. He can also be discarded to a Faithless Looting, or Cathartic Reunion, and then come back later. I'm hoping that it will be a bit like Fullminator Mage, but with more capacity to be an "oops, I win" condition against some decks.
I'd be curious to try out Judith, the Scourge Diva (hilarious name) in a black splash version of this deck. Essentially acts as a whacker (+1/+0) and adds some reach.
Oh good point about Dentention Sphere, I had definitely assumed you could toolbox it.
I've played some more matches online with the white splash BtL build, and have a few more thoughts/questions. Hunting Wilds has not impressed me, I never tutor for it, and when it's in my hand I usually wish it was something else. Remand has also been surprisingly not great.
A matchup that has wrecked me both times I've played it is Grixis Death Shadow. My hand always gets taken apart by Thoughtseize and IoK, they have countermagic, and they board in Surgical Extraction which can be pretty devastating especially after a thoughtseize. I've never even felt like I had a chance. Any thoughts on cards to improve this matchup? I already board in the Madcap Experiment package against them to get redundancy against Surgical, but maybe more creatures from the board would be good? Huntmaster of the Fells? I assume they'd board out creature removal on average. Maybe I should be bringing in grave hate against them? It checks Gurmag Angler and Snapcaster Mage to some extent.
I'm looking into picking up this deck-- seems like a lot of fun. One thing I don't understand is why black splash versions are having all the tournament success right now. Seems to me like white has analogues for all of the maindeck cards:
A few thoughts:
1) Bomat Courier is a beast. He either draws removal that would otherwise be slowing down my clock, or provides the gas I need to push through lethal late in the game. He pretty much won me two matches against UW control.
2) I could use something to help me in matches where my opponents go wide fast. I lost a match against some kind of GW Collective Consciousness deck that just plays ramp, coco, and good cards (Ooze, KotR, etc). I would get in some damage, but by turn four the field would be cluttered with creatures that are better than mine. Scavenging Ooze is the worst. Maybe Seismic Stomp or something like that?
Related question: If they play first, and drop a mana dork, should I burn it as my T1 play? (Assuming I have alternatives like Guide, or Denizen).
3) Goblin Grenade is busted. I went up to four from three in the top-8 list.
Perhaps this has been discussed, but what would people think about sideboarding or mainboarding a few copies of Eldrazi Monument? When standard elves were a thing (a while ago at this point) it was good sweeper protection and a win-con in one card, and with Dwynen's elite it should be easy to feed.
Let's say my opening hand is:
2x Island, Serum Visions, Disrupting Shoal, Narset, End of Days, Remand
I'm on the draw. On my opponent's T1, they play Inquisition of Kozilek. Do I counter it with Shoal?
What if my opening hand is:
2x Island, Serum Visions, Disrupting Shoal, Remand, Snapback, Field-Mist Borderpost
Again, I'm on the draw. On my opponent's T1, they play Inquisition of Kozilek. Do I counter it with Shoal?
4 Fieldmist Borderpost
\\8 Creature:
1 Vendilion Clique
3 Thing in the Ice
4 Spellstutter Sprite
\\18 Instant:
1 Commandeer
2 Cryptic Command
4 Disrupting Shoal
1 Gigadrowse
2 Remand
2 Snapback
2 Spell Pierce
2 Spell Snare
1 Unsubstantiate
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Blast Zone
2 Geier Reach Sanitarium
13 Island
1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
1 Faerie Conclave
\\4 Planeswalker:
4 Narset, Parter of Veils
\\8 Sorcery:
4 Day's Undoing
4 Serum Visions
1 Batterskull
2 Dragon's Claw
1 Search for Azcanta
4 Ceremonious Rejection
1 Commandeer
3 Engulf the Shore
2 Negate
1 Surgical Extraction
It's less combo focused and plays more like mono blue control/tempo that can make use of the Narset/Days Undoing combo. I based it off of a UW deck that went 5-0 recently online, and used a similar game-plan. Hopefully Thing in the Ice and Spellstutter Sprite will shore up the game vs aggro somewhat. All thoughts welcome!
For reference, that would only require:
1x Unburial Rites
1x Graveyard-able Threat (Iona, Shield of Emeria, Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite, Griselbrand, etc)
(And a few white sources).
Might want to play a few Faithless Looting MD in this build, just for synergy.
What one card totally ****s with all of these decks, while also fitting really well into our RG shell? Blood Moon. It's an enchantment that can be found with Commune with the Gods and Vessel of Nascency. In RG it really won't mess with us that much as long as we make sure to run some basic forests. It comes out so strong in tons of random matchups. I think I'm going to try an Assault Loam build with 3-4 of them maindeck.
The only bad matchup (I can think of) where blood moon doesn't do much is Storm...
I've played some more matches online with the white splash BtL build, and have a few more thoughts/questions. Hunting Wilds has not impressed me, I never tutor for it, and when it's in my hand I usually wish it was something else. Remand has also been surprisingly not great.
Search for Azcanta has been fantastic, and I went up to two mainboard.
A matchup that has wrecked me both times I've played it is Grixis Death Shadow. My hand always gets taken apart by Thoughtseize and IoK, they have countermagic, and they board in Surgical Extraction which can be pretty devastating especially after a thoughtseize. I've never even felt like I had a chance. Any thoughts on cards to improve this matchup? I already board in the Madcap Experiment package against them to get redundancy against Surgical, but maybe more creatures from the board would be good? Huntmaster of the Fells? I assume they'd board out creature removal on average. Maybe I should be bringing in grave hate against them? It checks Gurmag Angler and Snapcaster Mage to some extent.
My deck, for reference:
1 Eternal Witness
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
2 Search for Azcanta
4 Cryptic Command
2 Izzet Charm
3 Path to Exile
3 Remand
1 Supreme Will
1 Breeding Pool
1 Canopy Vista
1 Cinder Glade
2 Forest
1 Hallowed Fountain
3 Island
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Mountain
1 Plains
4 Steam Vents
3 Stomping Ground
2 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
1 Sacred Foundry
4 Bring to Light
1 Farseek
1 Hunting Wilds
2 Scapeshift
4 Search for Tomorrow
1 Supreme Verdict
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Obstinate Baloth
1 Platinum Emperion
2 Huntmaster of the Fells
1 Detention Sphere
3 Stony Silence
2 Rest in Peace
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Madcap Experiment
Damnation | Supreme Verdict or Wrath of God
Fatal Push | Path to Exile
Maelstrom Pulse | Detention Sphere
And white also has better sideboard hate like Stony Silence and Rest in Peace.
On another note, I've seen Supreme Will in a couple of builds, but I'm surprised it's not played more given what it does.
Finally, thoughts on filter lands? I know they have Valakut anti-synergy Cascade Bluffs looks good for hitting both Anger of the Gods and Cryptic Command.
A few thoughts:
1) Bomat Courier is a beast. He either draws removal that would otherwise be slowing down my clock, or provides the gas I need to push through lethal late in the game. He pretty much won me two matches against UW control.
2) I could use something to help me in matches where my opponents go wide fast. I lost a match against some kind of GW Collective Consciousness deck that just plays ramp, coco, and good cards (Ooze, KotR, etc). I would get in some damage, but by turn four the field would be cluttered with creatures that are better than mine. Scavenging Ooze is the worst. Maybe Seismic Stomp or something like that?
Related question: If they play first, and drop a mana dork, should I burn it as my T1 play? (Assuming I have alternatives like Guide, or Denizen).
3) Goblin Grenade is busted. I went up to four from three in the top-8 list.