4-1'd the league I played this morning. The new mulligan rule is interesting. I like it for the sake of playing more "real" games. I beat a burn opponent while I was on a mull to 4 the other day, that was neat. If the new ruling in someway breaks a deck like Goryo's Vengeance or other combos, might have to re-evaluate our sideboards.
Round 1 against Mono Blue Tron 2-1
Game 1 they have natural Tron on T3 but only plays a Duplicant exiling one of my creatures. I Dismember it and smash for two more turns.
Game 2 they have natural Tron and a Walking Ballista to control the board until I'm out of gas.
Game 3 I lose to critters to removal spells and then smash out while they fumble with Expedition Map and whiff off of Thirst For Knowledge.
Round 2 against Infect 1-2
Games 1 & 2 we are both going threat for threat, super close interactive games. I cast all 3 spells I had in hand on the fifth turn to snag game 1. I put him on 1 life and he was able to save his Blighted Agent and crack back for lethal in the second game.
Game 1 there was not much fight put up, so much so that I sideboarded rather blindly it felt. Could've been tokens or Eldrazi or hate bears.
Game 2 I had to fight through a Kaya, Orzhov Usurper, a Gideon, Ally Of Zendikar, and a Lyra Dawnbringer. The game went long and I felt a bit overextended by the end of it but I hadn't seen any sweepers throughout the match and there weren't any to be found before the game was over.
Game 3 I got 5 power on the board and road it home with an Oxidize, Vines Of Vastwood, and Repudiate // Replicate in hand. The latter two countered his land searching trigger and killed his Primeval Titan when I attacked on my following turn. The Oxidize was joined by a second copy and rotted in my hand while I beat them to 0 life that next turn.
Not sure if the Amulet opponents board out the artifact against us? Seems reasonable for them to go for a more traditional ramp strategy imo.
I think I might change up my list to the following...
I used to rock Garruk Relentless in my sideboard all the time when Infect and Affinity were super popular. He seems great against Humans/Spirits etc, while also being a great threat that can be cast on-time against decks using Assassin's Trophy or Path To Exile. He also can kill Eidolon Of The Great Revel without triggering it.
@ WLeohy: I think my first priority building a sideboard for this deck is having an out to Ensnaring Bridge. Without one we can't beat that card or the decks that build around it. Beyond that any mixture of graveyard hate, life gain, and "5th copies" of our main deck spells like Blossoming Defense if you want more pseudo-Vines Of Vastwood will do totally fine.
I haven't used Rhonas The Indomitable at all. Is he worth a look? Would the first copy be better than the 4th copy of Steel Leaf Champion? Even drawing two 3CMC cards feels clunky at times, and without one a Treetop Village or Scavenging Ooze plays the part. I don't think I want five 3CMC. I'll have to give it a try, though. Seems good in stalemates, and against the decks that play one big dumb thing.
Nothing new impressing me, yet. Green has the fewest spoiled cards thus far, though. I'm more interested in seeing what old-style analogs are reprinted within Modern Horizons.
Haven't made any real changes to my deck and it still feels concrete. The Arclight Phoenix and Death's Shadow match-ups feel favored, and I feel practiced in them. Everything else feels super medium. I don't feel like a landslide favorite but feel like I have game against everything, which is where I prefer to be in a given meta.
Absolutely cold to Auras deck, but that seems fine. I've only faced it once in over 100 matches on MTGO Leagues. Would require overhauling the sideboard to Natural State/Back To Nature which would leave me cold to the popular new Whir Of Invention prison artifact variants.
Still have one random flex spot in my SB that I've tried all kinds of things in. Am taking the deck to a paper 1k on April 20th, so we'll see how that goes. I suspect a more refined meta as opposed to the wild west of MTGO, perhaps softer local pilots than the online grinders as well.
My tentative sideboard for the function bar any newly discovered technology will be;
Ensnaring Bridge is the hate card against us. I've tried all kinds of answers from Fracturing Gust + an extra land to Unyaro Bees in the board. Hoping to interact early while maintaining our usual clock is still the best bet, imo. Whir Prison and Lantern are the real worst match-ups. I bring in Unravel The Aether against burn as well. They board in bridge sometimes and it's a non-Dismember removal against Eidolon Of The Great Revel.
Scavenging Ooze is one of our best cards when it's good but can be a bit mana-intensive. Deathgorge Scavenger let's the deck keep attacking. He's meant for the burn and Dredge match-ups. It's like...half Scavenging Ooze/half Kitchen Finks. I've considered 3 dino/1 Scooze split in the board, though.
Repudiate has been sweet! It's won a couple games against Amulet Titan. I even countered the bounce-a-land effect to keep his Tolaria West on the field that would have otherwise got a Summoner's Pact -> threat/blocker. It counters the first Ugin, The Spirit Dragon activation, Oblivion Stone, Wurmcoil Engine tokens, Primeval Titan search, Master Of Waves tokens, Slayers' Stronghold, Terminus miracle, etc. It's won a few games against opponents who tap out for a Planeswalker like Teferi, Hero Of Dominaria and I just counter the first activation and attack back for lethal. It counters Thing In The Ice flip, but the card doesn't feel otherwise relevant in those match-ups so I leave it out. The Phoenix match-up has felt pretty favorable.
Pendelhaven has absolutely pulled it's weight and the legend rule has never broke my mana. I've drawn two in a game a couple times but being able to float a mana and play the other is enough to curve out. Pendelhaven activation -> Rancor -> attack with a 4/3 on turn two when they left up Spell Snare mana feels good.
No match-ups feel truly lopsided. Feel like I have game against about every deck. A bit soft to Bogles/Auras but I haven't ran into it on MtGO or IRL yet. Have pretty close to 50/50 record against any given deck in the Competitive Leagues.
I am very rusty at the game, and have made a few misplays with the newer cards. Still remember all the sweet old interactions, though.
These splash-color lists I'm seeing are getting wild. I don't think I'd ever want to change anything about my main 60. I haven't cast Garruk Wildspeaker, yet. He's a flex spot trial against Path To Exile decks, UW specifically.
I'll be substituting one of the Unravel The Aether for a copy of Deglamer just because Nevermore exists and there is zero downside.
Round 1 against Mono Blue Tron 2-1
Game 1 they have natural Tron on T3 but only plays a Duplicant exiling one of my creatures. I Dismember it and smash for two more turns.
Game 2 they have natural Tron and a Walking Ballista to control the board until I'm out of gas.
Game 3 I lose to critters to removal spells and then smash out while they fumble with Expedition Map and whiff off of Thirst For Knowledge.
Round 2 against Infect 1-2
Games 1 & 2 we are both going threat for threat, super close interactive games. I cast all 3 spells I had in hand on the fifth turn to snag game 1. I put him on 1 life and he was able to save his Blighted Agent and crack back for lethal in the second game.
Game 3 I mulligained to 4 and they had T3 kill.
Round 3 against B/G Midrange 2-0
Games 1 & 2 they had creature heavy draws both games, and I had double Dismember/double Strangleroot Geist both games. He got a Liliana, The Last Hope down in game 2 but I attacked it dead and played a Garruk Relentless who took over the game.
Round 4 against B/W Midrange 2-0
Game 1 there was not much fight put up, so much so that I sideboarded rather blindly it felt. Could've been tokens or Eldrazi or hate bears.
Game 2 I had to fight through a Kaya, Orzhov Usurper, a Gideon, Ally Of Zendikar, and a Lyra Dawnbringer. The game went long and I felt a bit overextended by the end of it but I hadn't seen any sweepers throughout the match and there weren't any to be found before the game was over.
Round 5 against Amulet Titan 2-1
Game 1 I get a fast clock on the table setting up a pinnacle turn where they are obligated to play Primeval Titan defensively and I Dismember it, Aspect Of Hydra, and Vines Of Vastwood to go over the top.
Game 2 I don't present enough power. I get to use a Vines Of Vastwood to stop his Slayers' Stronghold. They played a second Primeval Titan and searched for a Summoner's Pact that same turn and I scooped it.
Game 3 I got 5 power on the board and road it home with an Oxidize, Vines Of Vastwood, and Repudiate // Replicate in hand. The latter two countered his land searching trigger and killed his Primeval Titan when I attacked on my following turn. The Oxidize was joined by a second copy and rotted in my hand while I beat them to 0 life that next turn.
Not sure if the Amulet opponents board out the artifact against us? Seems reasonable for them to go for a more traditional ramp strategy imo.
I think I might change up my list to the following...
4 Dryad Militant
4 Experiment One
3 Scavenging Ooze
3 Steel Leaf Champion
4 Strangleroot Geist
4 Dismember
4 Rancor
4 Vines Of Vastwood
17 Forest
2 Pendelhaven
3 Treetop Village
2 Deathgorge Scavenger
1 Deglamer
3 Garruk Relentless
4 Oxidize
4 Repudiate // Replicate
1 Unravel The Aether
I used to rock Garruk Relentless in my sideboard all the time when Infect and Affinity were super popular. He seems great against Humans/Spirits etc, while also being a great threat that can be cast on-time against decks using Assassin's Trophy or Path To Exile. He also can kill Eidolon Of The Great Revel without triggering it.
I haven't used Rhonas The Indomitable at all. Is he worth a look? Would the first copy be better than the 4th copy of Steel Leaf Champion? Even drawing two 3CMC cards feels clunky at times, and without one a Treetop Village or Scavenging Ooze plays the part. I don't think I want five 3CMC. I'll have to give it a try, though. Seems good in stalemates, and against the decks that play one big dumb thing.
Both of your lists seem fine except I'd shave down to four or five 3CMC creatures or play closer to 22 lands. Probably try and work a copy of Unravel The Aether or Deglamer into your sideboards for opposing Wurmcoil Engine or Ensnaring Bridge + Welding Jar.
Welcome aboard/happy hunting.
@MagicYio fully agree with Dryad Militant being a core 4-of. Feels like the "best card" in so many match-ups.
Haven't made any real changes to my deck and it still feels concrete. The Arclight Phoenix and Death's Shadow match-ups feel favored, and I feel practiced in them. Everything else feels super medium. I don't feel like a landslide favorite but feel like I have game against everything, which is where I prefer to be in a given meta.
Absolutely cold to Auras deck, but that seems fine. I've only faced it once in over 100 matches on MTGO Leagues. Would require overhauling the sideboard to Natural State/Back To Nature which would leave me cold to the popular new Whir Of Invention prison artifact variants.
Still have one random flex spot in my SB that I've tried all kinds of things in. Am taking the deck to a paper 1k on April 20th, so we'll see how that goes. I suspect a more refined meta as opposed to the wild west of MTGO, perhaps softer local pilots than the online grinders as well.
My tentative sideboard for the function bar any newly discovered technology will be;
4 Deathgorge Scavenger
1 Deglamer
4 Oxidize
4 Repudiate // Replicate
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Unravel The Aether
3 Deathgorge Scavenger
1 Deglamer
4 Oxidize
4 Repudiate // Replicate
2 Scavenging Ooze
1 Unravel The Aether
Currently practicing my mulligan discipline with the deck as much as possible, and still working out some sequencing based on various opening hands.
Scavenging Ooze is one of our best cards when it's good but can be a bit mana-intensive. Deathgorge Scavenger let's the deck keep attacking. He's meant for the burn and Dredge match-ups. It's like...half Scavenging Ooze/half Kitchen Finks. I've considered 3 dino/1 Scooze split in the board, though.
Repudiate has been sweet! It's won a couple games against Amulet Titan. I even countered the bounce-a-land effect to keep his Tolaria West on the field that would have otherwise got a Summoner's Pact -> threat/blocker. It counters the first Ugin, The Spirit Dragon activation, Oblivion Stone, Wurmcoil Engine tokens, Primeval Titan search, Master Of Waves tokens, Slayers' Stronghold, Terminus miracle, etc. It's won a few games against opponents who tap out for a Planeswalker like Teferi, Hero Of Dominaria and I just counter the first activation and attack back for lethal. It counters Thing In The Ice flip, but the card doesn't feel otherwise relevant in those match-ups so I leave it out. The Phoenix match-up has felt pretty favorable.
Pendelhaven has absolutely pulled it's weight and the legend rule has never broke my mana. I've drawn two in a game a couple times but being able to float a mana and play the other is enough to curve out. Pendelhaven activation -> Rancor -> attack with a 4/3 on turn two when they left up Spell Snare mana feels good.
Here's my list
4 Dryad Militant
4 Experiment One
1 Pelt Collector
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Steel Leaf Champion
4 Strangleroot Geist
4 Dismember
4 Rancor
4 Vines Of Vastwood
17 Forest
2 Pendelhaven
2 Treetop Village
4 Deathgorge Scavenger
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
4 Oxidize
4 Repudiate // Replicate
2 Unravel The Aether
No match-ups feel truly lopsided. Feel like I have game against about every deck. A bit soft to Bogles/Auras but I haven't ran into it on MtGO or IRL yet. Have pretty close to 50/50 record against any given deck in the Competitive Leagues.
I am very rusty at the game, and have made a few misplays with the newer cards. Still remember all the sweet old interactions, though.
These splash-color lists I'm seeing are getting wild. I don't think I'd ever want to change anything about my main 60. I haven't cast Garruk Wildspeaker, yet. He's a flex spot trial against Path To Exile decks, UW specifically.
I'll be substituting one of the Unravel The Aether for a copy of Deglamer just because Nevermore exists and there is zero downside.