The general idea here is to kill anything that moves (and most things that don't) until you can set up a win through a Worm Harvest + Life from the Loam engine, or Assassin sniper-kills through Vraska the Unseen. Garruk Wildspeaker's Overrun ultimate helps with both of these avenues of victory.
This deck plays like a traditional rock/control deck in that it has a slower start then a lot of other decks, but the sheer power level of the mid-late game cards easily makes up lost ground. It also functions well within a multiplayer environment since these types of games tend to be a turn or two slower than standard duels, and the sweepers featured affect all players rather then a targeted one.
Despite being a casual deck, with a few tweaks it can perform well in a more competitive environment with some simple adjustments, such as targeted discard (Thoughtseize, Duress, etc) and removal (Abrupt Decay). At this time I do not wish to go down this route, but if Modern begins to pick up in my area it's plausible.
First thing people will notice is the lack of Tarmogoyf and Dark Confidant in this build. This is not an issue of cost ($$$) or availability on my part; it's simply that these cards do not fit in this deck.
Despite being a deck consisting nearly half of all lands, the higher curve is toxic towards running Bob here. A single Harvest or Vraska drawn by Bob represents a quarter of my life being nixed, and when combined with shocks, fetches, Smallpox, and Death Cloud, means that Bob is an unwise choice. The risk is not worth the reward.
Goofy on the other hand could easily fit into the deck, but finding what to cut for him is not something i've yet discovered. It also puts me in a "hot seat" as a turn 2 Goyf is a surefire way to put a bullseye on my back in a multiplayer format. Finally, part of this deck's strength is it's ability to more or less blank targeted removal from my opponents and create virtual card advantage. Running Goyf would compromise that as they now would have a legit target to blow up, rather then focusing that removal on another player's threats.
Eternal Witness - I run Witness as a card advantage mechanic alongside the Loam + Volrath's Stronghold/Haunted Fengraf engine. Usually i'll recur something and use it to chump, but it's not unheard of for me to go in with him and some Beast tokens when my opponent is at low life. Overall a very versatile card, and even if it's destroyed after entering the battlefield, it's purpose has been served.
Garruk Wildspeaker - Still my favourite walker even after all these years. It has a proven track record of being outstanding with Death Cloud, and all three of his abilities benefit this deck directly. His +1 lessons the burden of the higher casting cost spells and land sacrifice, his -1 can buy time by supplying chump blockers and keeping a board presence, and his ultimate lets you force through Assassin tokens for the win, and lets you go for lethal much easier with your Worms. I'm almost tempted to run 4, but since he doesn't win the game on his own 3 will suffice.
Vraska the Unseen - One of the wincons in this deck, she is a nice fit to the rock strategy. At 5 Loyalty to start, she's not as frail as some of the other powerhouses, which means it's likely you'll get to untap with her even without much board presence. Bonus of this is that if she is attacked into right away, she'll likely take the attacking party with her due to her +1. Having a built in non-land Vindicate is another huge boon to the deck, and fits the theme perfectly. Use it sparingly however as her ultimate is always the goal to reach. Popping her ultimate and attacking the next turn with Garruk's ultimate is curtains for most decks. Yet another card that screams "deal with me right away or die". 5cc is also a hidden benefit for this deck as it allows you to sweep for 4 without losing a wincon. Usually sweeping for 3 will be the norm, but it's nice to know you can go to 4 without having to start over with her.
Liliana of the Veil - One of the best walkers to come out in recent memory, the latest incarnation of Liliana is a tier one proven competitor. Like Garruk, she won't win the game on her own but will offer some much needed assistance. Having a way to deal with creatures without spending mana is a huge bonus, and her +1 group discard effect is a great form of crowd control. This is also synergistic with the Loam engine at creating card advantage when discarding land. I can't see myself running more then 2 at a casual level, but in a competitive list I would go up to 3 in a heartbeat.
Smallpox - Global creature removal, discard, reach, and ponza in one card at 2cc. Almost a no brainer to include. Dodges shroud/hexproof creatures as well (as does much of the removal in this deck), which is not something to take lightly in casual play. The creature removal, discard, and ponza effects are almost all one sided in this build due to the lack of creatures and Loam engine, making this card one of the shining stars.
Innocent Blood - A 1cc answer to any creature played by all opponents. Never leave hope without a playset, and one of the last cards I'd cut. T1 Innocent Blood, T2 Smallpox makes aggro players cry and is probably the best probability tree this build has against a lot of decks. Again, the downside to this card is greatly reduced due to the lack of creatures in this deck.
Gaze of Granite - A pseudo-Pernicious Deed, this card is the premier sweeper for this deck. Some would criticize this card due to Deed being "cheaper" since you could cast it and sweep after you untap. I would challenge this line of thinking due to the fact that it can't be destroyed while you're waiting to untap, meaning the only answer for it is counterspells. Garruk helps lighten the load of the casting cost, and can lead to a sweep of 4 as early as turn 5, which is still on par of curve when on the play. Very strong, though i'm unsure if 2 or 3 is the correct amount due to Eternal Witness recursion trickery.
Maelstrom Pulse - Your 3-mana answer to anything that isn't a land. No drawback outside of being sorcery speed, but I'm usually tapping out every turn, so this point holds no real weight. I vastly prefer it over [card]Abrupt Decay[/card[ in this format, as I already have plenty of ways to deal with >3cc spells; Pulse is the headshot against fatties cheated into play and hits things outside of reasonable sweeping range. Like GoG, i'm unsure if 2 or 3 is correct, but 3 feels right to me.
Life from the Loam - One of the most unfair cards ever printed, the magnitude of this engine is incredible. Lets you set up Eternal Witness chains with the recursion lands, turns off negative aspects of discarded/sacrificed lands, and with the toolbox land suite is a distinct source of card advantage. It's also important to note that you can return 1-3 lands, which is important with the Worm Harvest method of victory. One of the key pieces of this deck, and 3 of them is perfect. You never really want to see more than one, but you want to see one every game. BFF's with.........
Realms Uncharted - An extremely underrated/underplayed card outside of 43lands.deck, but really turns on toolbox land packages with Loam. Offers colourfixing (ex: BBB for Death Cloud), though it's not demonstrated very well in this deck being 2 colours. Not something that will win you the game on the spot like so many cards in this deck, but it does warrant inclusion even if it's just to ensure you hit your T4 + T5 land drops. I could probably get away with running only 2 as I usually only need to play one a game, but since this deck is lacking dedicated dig/draw/instant-tutoring, I run 3 to make sure it pops up sooner rather than later. If you're not running this, there's no need to run a toolbox land base; stick to a more consistent one.
Worm Harvest - Wincon #2, this is an exercise in futility. Even with just a few lands in the graveyard, the Loam engine will eventually yield enough token to overwhelm any opponent. Also provides emergency chump blockers on an indefinite scale when you need to stall. Death Cloud/Smallpox sacs help fuel it, as well as dredging land with Loam. It's not hard to get this up to 5+ tokens per resolution. Stellar with Garruk's ultimate.
Death Cloud - Imagine Smallpox and Gaze of Granite had a love child. That child would be Death Cloud. Can be crippling when used properly, and most of it's negatives are negated by how this deck operates. Unlike Gaze of Granite, you rarely if ever want to go more than 2 or 3 for X. This deck is pretty mana intensive, even with Garruk, and losing 4+ lands is not advisable outside of super drawn out games. I only run 2, and could even go down to 1 if needed. Not something you need every game, but has a funny way of swinging the game a full 180 when it resolves at the right time. Almost a reset button. Be warned though, once it goes off you become a wanted man in most groups.
The idea behind the toolbox land base is to fully utilize the power of Realms Uncharted along with Life from the Loam. If either of these components are not being run, substitute accordingly for a more stable, playset-filled land base.
Volrath's Stronghold/Haunted Fengraf - Sets up incredible (unfair) chains with Eternal Witness. Watch how quickly you lose friends when you have an active Stronghold setting up Witness + Smallpox/Innocent Blood chains......
Bojurka Bog/Wasteland - Interactive lands, these are used to disrupt opponent's game plans. Bog hurts graveyard-based decks (Reanimator), and Wasteland can keep colour-specific decks off of their key spells all day.
The rest of the landbase is used to get around the "different name" clause of Realms Uncharted. Suppose you expect needing a lot of green coming up. You can fetch for Forest, Snow-Covered Forest, Tree of Tales, and Overgrown Tomb to ensure you land a green regardless of which pile the opponent chooses.
Constructive critique/comments are welcomed and encouraged.
How odd, was just about to start a thread about a budget RG Loam deck and I saw this one.
I had a couple Life from the Loams laying around that I never used, but never got around to trading. Here's what I came up with, and it's been performing rather well. Please keep in mind that this deck is a budget one, which explains some of the odd choices. It's just for fun as well, which explains the land base.
What kind of budget do you have for this deck? Right now it's not even at 60 cards, so you'll be adding some stuff to it for sure. Did you want to keep with the Graft mechanic? I find Simic strong enough to not need it personally.
I'm finding that I want more then the stock 15 creatures in my build (4x SSS, Scion, Mistbind, 3x Vendilion), but i'm unsure as to what to add. I have 2-3 slots open, here are the candidates:
Phantasmal Image - blows up Legends (Thrun), can protect Scion by copying it. Dies to pretty much everything counter in hand or not.
Sower of Temptation - ups the faerie count, cant be very annoying to deal with with Scion out. Dies to pretty much any non-Gut Shot removal spell otherwise.
Pestermite - actually a big fan of this card, besides being one of the less dramatic faeries. Cool tempo tricks, upps the faerie count, cheap to cast, flash. Doesn't provide a lot of board presence and dies to pretty well everything as well.
Ninja of the Deep Hours - plays really well with the tempo strategy, reusuing SSS and Cliques is awesome, dodges Scion shroud. Spot removal in response brings sadness
If I had to pick one, which should I pick and why?
Current list, not looking to change anything except for the 2-3 slot (taking out Pierce or Remand):
If you just want to play NotDH and not build around the other ninjas, Faeries is the way to go. You could even go with a "general tempo" build without resigning yourself to any one camp.
I would never disagree with someone playing four maindeck Snares, but for me, 3 is much more comfortable number. I've been in too many situations where I needed to counter a PtE/Bolt, or a Vial, or a Geist, and only having a Snare to back me up. It's also dependent on meta. True, almost every deck in the format is running good 2-drops, but in an underdeveloped meta (like mine) where you run into tier-2 and under decks, it's not a sure thing. Also, using the logic of "everybody runs good 2cc spells, run 4 snares" is the same logic as "all decks are running creatures, so run 4 Remove Soul".
Again, not saying 4 snares is wrong, i'm just saying that 4 isn't always better then 3.
In terms of MTGO, star spangled slaughter is a huge deck, so you're going to want spell pierces in that meta to handle turn 2 sceptre
We have 13-16 maindeck counters that can handle T2 Scepter on the play. Sideboard we have Pithing Needle and maindeck Spell Snare. Not disagreeing that it would help having Pierce in the roster, but we do have outs.
yeah, but you don't want them to drop a geist or a thrun (which is hard to deal with anyways) or a 5/5 knight if you tap out turn 3 for shackles. being able to trade small creatures is easily the most effective use of them though.
I don't think you would be dropping it turn 3 to combat a geist. You'd only have at Max 3 Islands meaning you couldn't steal the token anyways. If I saw a turn 3 geist and I couldn't counter it, I'd probably aim to flash in a V Clique to trade instead.
I was referring to trading with Delver. I play Haven now and then but to me that is just a utility slot. If Tron or man lands are an issue you can run a Tec Edge or 2. You just never play less than 4 Mutavault.
Spell Pierce is one of the best ways to protect your Shackles. It allows you to play them on turn 4 with a reasonable counter back up. The next turn it lets you activate and still have mana up.
If you know you will land Shackles then the early turns can be spent stopping non creature spells. I like it to each card shores up the weakness of the other. After all Fae is a deck built on synergy.
What does your counter suite look like? I always seem to cut Pierce because it seems the most fragile of the lot. Currently mine looks like this:
The reason why you play Shackles is because it lets you handle cheap beaters. Casting them with 7 mana open? I don´t follow you.
Once you resolve shackles it´s almost impossible for a creature based deck to win through it. With them on play you remove 2 creatures per combat (the one you take and the one you block) usually killing at least one of them. So leaving countermagic up is not that important. Unless, of course, you´re a playing against a deck that plays artifact removal or counterspells.
It´s also true that the format is fast, however you have lots of permission and suicidal blockers, and that buys you plenty of time. I normally stabilize a game after resolving shackles.
Also, this may not seem relevant, but shackles handles geist quite well, you just steal their angel before the damage step and that removes it from combat.
part of the reason why i only run two shackles, aside from the fact i only have two... is because they're so mana intensive. given how fast the format is, to play them turn 3 and use them turn 4 lets them drop either a 3 drop (geist, or something we similarly have trouble with) or multiple other cheap beaters that we can't necessarily handle. its fine if we can get to 6 or 7 (ideally 7) mana to cast shackles, potentially use them and have counter magic up, or cast shackles, and have cryptic up.
I don't think you want to be dropping Shackles turn 3. I think turn 5 is the ideal. That way you can cast it with the options of counter backup, or activate it if they don't try to disrupt it.
Haven can make your Scion's live when they might otherwise die. Also lets Spellstutter kill a flipped Delver. It can be just a land and as a 1 of the downside rarely comes up.
If you are counting on Shackles Spell pierce becomes way more important.
How so? A 2/3 Scion/SSS still dies to a flipped Delver, and 3 toughness will not Dodge most common played damage based removal (bolt, helix). I can accept that it's still just a land at worst, but from a tech point I don't see what's so good.
Can you elaborate on why Pierce is relevant to Shackles?
Well as someone who has been playing Mono Blue Fae for some time I say straight blue is the best choice. The only non Island's are Pendelhaven and of course Mutavault. Shackles just blanks so many aggro decks It makes playing non-islands a real question in my mind.
I guess I can't really argue with the data as mono decks are placing where as Ur decks are not. Blood Moon and Lavamancer have always been such blowouts for me that it feels weird cutting them.
Is haven really worth running? Feels kind of underwhelming to me as a 1-of. Also, what is the correct number of Skites maindeck? I've seen it at 1-3 depending on the list. Assuming you are going into an unknown Meta.
Edit: Also, as far as sweepers are concerned, is Explosives or Ratchet Bomb better for mono? I'd think you'd want to be able to sweep for 2 which is not going to happen with EE. unless you just plan to sweep at 0 for tokens. You hit sooooo much more at 2
I've been posting over at the UR thread for this deck, and I'm just wondering if the UR version is better then the Mono U version, in the opinion of the people here. While I love my red splash for Blood Moon, Earthquake, Grim Lavamancer, and Lightning Bolt, I can't help but think a more basic-central mana base along with maindeck Vedalken Shackles and Spellskite would be a valid way about doing this deck as well. Pros/cons?
3x Eternal Witness
Planeswalkers (08)
3x Garruk Wildspeaker
3x Vraska the Unseen
2x Liliana of the Veil
Support (23)
4x Smallpox
4x Innocent Blood
3x Gaze of Granite
3x Maelstrom Pulse
3x Life from the Loam
2x Realms Uncharted
2x Worm Harvest
2x Death Cloud
Lands (26)
4x Overgrown Tomb
2x Verdant Catacombs
1x Volrath's Stronghold
1x Bojuka Bog
1x Wasteland
1x Tranquil Thicket
1x Barren Moor
1x Tree of Tales
1x Vault of Whispers
1x Haunted Fengraf
1x Golgari Rot Farm
1x Snow-Covered Forest
1x Snow-Covered Swamp
5x Swamp
5x Forest
The general idea here is to kill anything that moves (and most things that don't) until you can set up a win through a Worm Harvest + Life from the Loam engine, or Assassin sniper-kills through Vraska the Unseen. Garruk Wildspeaker's Overrun ultimate helps with both of these avenues of victory.
This deck plays like a traditional rock/control deck in that it has a slower start then a lot of other decks, but the sheer power level of the mid-late game cards easily makes up lost ground. It also functions well within a multiplayer environment since these types of games tend to be a turn or two slower than standard duels, and the sweepers featured affect all players rather then a targeted one.
Despite being a casual deck, with a few tweaks it can perform well in a more competitive environment with some simple adjustments, such as targeted discard (Thoughtseize, Duress, etc) and removal (Abrupt Decay). At this time I do not wish to go down this route, but if Modern begins to pick up in my area it's plausible.
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First thing people will notice is the lack of Tarmogoyf and Dark Confidant in this build. This is not an issue of cost ($$$) or availability on my part; it's simply that these cards do not fit in this deck.
Despite being a deck consisting nearly half of all lands, the higher curve is toxic towards running Bob here. A single Harvest or Vraska drawn by Bob represents a quarter of my life being nixed, and when combined with shocks, fetches, Smallpox, and Death Cloud, means that Bob is an unwise choice. The risk is not worth the reward.
Goofy on the other hand could easily fit into the deck, but finding what to cut for him is not something i've yet discovered. It also puts me in a "hot seat" as a turn 2 Goyf is a surefire way to put a bullseye on my back in a multiplayer format. Finally, part of this deck's strength is it's ability to more or less blank targeted removal from my opponents and create virtual card advantage. Running Goyf would compromise that as they now would have a legit target to blow up, rather then focusing that removal on another player's threats.
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Eternal Witness - I run Witness as a card advantage mechanic alongside the Loam + Volrath's Stronghold/Haunted Fengraf engine. Usually i'll recur something and use it to chump, but it's not unheard of for me to go in with him and some Beast tokens when my opponent is at low life. Overall a very versatile card, and even if it's destroyed after entering the battlefield, it's purpose has been served.
Garruk Wildspeaker - Still my favourite walker even after all these years. It has a proven track record of being outstanding with Death Cloud, and all three of his abilities benefit this deck directly. His +1 lessons the burden of the higher casting cost spells and land sacrifice, his -1 can buy time by supplying chump blockers and keeping a board presence, and his ultimate lets you force through Assassin tokens for the win, and lets you go for lethal much easier with your Worms. I'm almost tempted to run 4, but since he doesn't win the game on his own 3 will suffice.
Vraska the Unseen - One of the wincons in this deck, she is a nice fit to the rock strategy. At 5 Loyalty to start, she's not as frail as some of the other powerhouses, which means it's likely you'll get to untap with her even without much board presence. Bonus of this is that if she is attacked into right away, she'll likely take the attacking party with her due to her +1. Having a built in non-land Vindicate is another huge boon to the deck, and fits the theme perfectly. Use it sparingly however as her ultimate is always the goal to reach. Popping her ultimate and attacking the next turn with Garruk's ultimate is curtains for most decks. Yet another card that screams "deal with me right away or die". 5cc is also a hidden benefit for this deck as it allows you to sweep for 4 without losing a wincon. Usually sweeping for 3 will be the norm, but it's nice to know you can go to 4 without having to start over with her.
Liliana of the Veil - One of the best walkers to come out in recent memory, the latest incarnation of Liliana is a tier one proven competitor. Like Garruk, she won't win the game on her own but will offer some much needed assistance. Having a way to deal with creatures without spending mana is a huge bonus, and her +1 group discard effect is a great form of crowd control. This is also synergistic with the Loam engine at creating card advantage when discarding land. I can't see myself running more then 2 at a casual level, but in a competitive list I would go up to 3 in a heartbeat.
Smallpox - Global creature removal, discard, reach, and ponza in one card at 2cc. Almost a no brainer to include. Dodges shroud/hexproof creatures as well (as does much of the removal in this deck), which is not something to take lightly in casual play. The creature removal, discard, and ponza effects are almost all one sided in this build due to the lack of creatures and Loam engine, making this card one of the shining stars.
Innocent Blood - A 1cc answer to any creature played by all opponents. Never leave hope without a playset, and one of the last cards I'd cut. T1 Innocent Blood, T2 Smallpox makes aggro players cry and is probably the best probability tree this build has against a lot of decks. Again, the downside to this card is greatly reduced due to the lack of creatures in this deck.
Gaze of Granite - A pseudo-Pernicious Deed, this card is the premier sweeper for this deck. Some would criticize this card due to Deed being "cheaper" since you could cast it and sweep after you untap. I would challenge this line of thinking due to the fact that it can't be destroyed while you're waiting to untap, meaning the only answer for it is counterspells. Garruk helps lighten the load of the casting cost, and can lead to a sweep of 4 as early as turn 5, which is still on par of curve when on the play. Very strong, though i'm unsure if 2 or 3 is the correct amount due to Eternal Witness recursion trickery.
Maelstrom Pulse - Your 3-mana answer to anything that isn't a land. No drawback outside of being sorcery speed, but I'm usually tapping out every turn, so this point holds no real weight. I vastly prefer it over [card]Abrupt Decay[/card[ in this format, as I already have plenty of ways to deal with >3cc spells; Pulse is the headshot against fatties cheated into play and hits things outside of reasonable sweeping range. Like GoG, i'm unsure if 2 or 3 is correct, but 3 feels right to me.
Life from the Loam - One of the most unfair cards ever printed, the magnitude of this engine is incredible. Lets you set up Eternal Witness chains with the recursion lands, turns off negative aspects of discarded/sacrificed lands, and with the toolbox land suite is a distinct source of card advantage. It's also important to note that you can return 1-3 lands, which is important with the Worm Harvest method of victory. One of the key pieces of this deck, and 3 of them is perfect. You never really want to see more than one, but you want to see one every game. BFF's with.........
Realms Uncharted - An extremely underrated/underplayed card outside of 43lands.deck, but really turns on toolbox land packages with Loam. Offers colourfixing (ex: BBB for Death Cloud), though it's not demonstrated very well in this deck being 2 colours. Not something that will win you the game on the spot like so many cards in this deck, but it does warrant inclusion even if it's just to ensure you hit your T4 + T5 land drops. I could probably get away with running only 2 as I usually only need to play one a game, but since this deck is lacking dedicated dig/draw/instant-tutoring, I run 3 to make sure it pops up sooner rather than later. If you're not running this, there's no need to run a toolbox land base; stick to a more consistent one.
Worm Harvest - Wincon #2, this is an exercise in futility. Even with just a few lands in the graveyard, the Loam engine will eventually yield enough token to overwhelm any opponent. Also provides emergency chump blockers on an indefinite scale when you need to stall. Death Cloud/Smallpox sacs help fuel it, as well as dredging land with Loam. It's not hard to get this up to 5+ tokens per resolution. Stellar with Garruk's ultimate.
Death Cloud - Imagine Smallpox and Gaze of Granite had a love child. That child would be Death Cloud. Can be crippling when used properly, and most of it's negatives are negated by how this deck operates. Unlike Gaze of Granite, you rarely if ever want to go more than 2 or 3 for X. This deck is pretty mana intensive, even with Garruk, and losing 4+ lands is not advisable outside of super drawn out games. I only run 2, and could even go down to 1 if needed. Not something you need every game, but has a funny way of swinging the game a full 180 when it resolves at the right time. Almost a reset button. Be warned though, once it goes off you become a wanted man in most groups.
The idea behind the toolbox land base is to fully utilize the power of Realms Uncharted along with Life from the Loam. If either of these components are not being run, substitute accordingly for a more stable, playset-filled land base.
Volrath's Stronghold/Haunted Fengraf - Sets up incredible (unfair) chains with Eternal Witness. Watch how quickly you lose friends when you have an active Stronghold setting up Witness + Smallpox/Innocent Blood chains......
Bojurka Bog/Wasteland - Interactive lands, these are used to disrupt opponent's game plans. Bog hurts graveyard-based decks (Reanimator), and Wasteland can keep colour-specific decks off of their key spells all day.
Tranquil Thicket/Barren Moor - Draw engine, "true" card advantage with Loam.
The rest of the landbase is used to get around the "different name" clause of Realms Uncharted. Suppose you expect needing a lot of green coming up. You can fetch for Forest, Snow-Covered Forest, Tree of Tales, and Overgrown Tomb to ensure you land a green regardless of which pile the opponent chooses.
Constructive critique/comments are welcomed and encouraged.
I had a couple Life from the Loams laying around that I never used, but never got around to trading. Here's what I came up with, and it's been performing rather well. Please keep in mind that this deck is a budget one, which explains some of the odd choices. It's just for fun as well, which explains the land base.
4x Countryside Crusher
4x Terravore
2x Eternal Witness
//Support (24)//
4x Shard Volley
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Realms Uncharted
3x Seismic Assault
3x Life from the Loam
3x Earthquake
2x Wildfire
1x Worm Harvest
//Lands (26)//
1x Savage Lands
1x Jungle Shrine
1x Forgotten Cave
1x Tranquil Thicket
1x Raging Ravine
1x Barbarian Ring
1x Gargoyle Castle
1x Great Furnace
1x Tree of Tales
1x Haunted Fengraf
1x Hellion Crucible
1x Highland Weald
1x Horizon Canopy
1x Ice Floe
1x Kher Keep
1x Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
1x Mossfire Valley
1x Petrified Field
1x Rogue's Passage
1x Shivan Oasis
1x Slippery Karst
1x Smoldering Crater
1x Stalking Stones
1x Yavimaya Hollow
1x Forest
1x Mountain
Would like to find room for Garruk Wildspeaker for synergy with Worm Harvest and help with all the EtBT lands.
Phantasmal Image - blows up Legends (Thrun), can protect Scion by copying it. Dies to pretty much everything counter in hand or not.
Sower of Temptation - ups the faerie count, cant be very annoying to deal with with Scion out. Dies to pretty much any non-Gut Shot removal spell otherwise.
Pestermite - actually a big fan of this card, besides being one of the less dramatic faeries. Cool tempo tricks, upps the faerie count, cheap to cast, flash. Doesn't provide a lot of board presence and dies to pretty well everything as well.
Venser, Shaper Savant - Remand/Boomerang on legs, can chump and flash makes it even better at doing so. Not a faerie and Legendary.
Ninja of the Deep Hours - plays really well with the tempo strategy, reusuing SSS and Cliques is awesome, dodges Scion shroud. Spot removal in response brings sadness
If I had to pick one, which should I pick and why?
Current list, not looking to change anything except for the 2-3 slot (taking out Pierce or Remand):
4x Spellstutter Sprite
4x Scion of Oona
4x Mistbind Clique
3x Vendilion Clique
3x Vedalken Shackles
// Support (17) //
4x Spell Snare
4x Mana Leak
4x Cryptic Command
3x Remand
2x Spell Pierce
4x Mutavault
2x Faerie Conclave
2x Tectonic Edge
17x Island
4x Vendilion Clique
3x Ninja of the Deep Hours
3x Pestermite
4x Spellstutter Sprite
4x Remand
3x Familair's Ruse
4x Cryptic Command
3x Vedalken Shackles
3x Faerie Conclave
17x Island
That general idea would work, Faeries with Snappy and Ruse to build more tempo. You could also tweak it to be even less reliant on Faeries:
4x Vendilion Clique
4x Ninja of the Deep Hours
3x Venser, Shaper Savant
3x Pestermite/Sage Owl
4x Mana Leak
3x Familiar's Ruse
4x Cryptic Command
3x Vedalken Shackles
3x Faerie Conclave
17x Island
No testing done, but you get the idea
I would never disagree with someone playing four maindeck Snares, but for me, 3 is much more comfortable number. I've been in too many situations where I needed to counter a PtE/Bolt, or a Vial, or a Geist, and only having a Snare to back me up. It's also dependent on meta. True, almost every deck in the format is running good 2-drops, but in an underdeveloped meta (like mine) where you run into tier-2 and under decks, it's not a sure thing. Also, using the logic of "everybody runs good 2cc spells, run 4 snares" is the same logic as "all decks are running creatures, so run 4 Remove Soul".
Again, not saying 4 snares is wrong, i'm just saying that 4 isn't always better then 3.
We have 13-16 maindeck counters that can handle T2 Scepter on the play. Sideboard we have Pithing Needle and maindeck Spell Snare. Not disagreeing that it would help having Pierce in the roster, but we do have outs.
4x Scion of Oona
3x Mistbind Clique
3x Vendilion Clique
2x Phantasmal Image
4x Cryptic Command
4x Remand
3x Mana Leak
3x Spell Snare
2x Echoing Truth
4x Mutavault
4x Tectonic Edge
17x Island
3x Hurkyl's Recall
3x Spellskite
3x Pithing Needle
2x Sword of Feast and Famine
3x Spell Pierce
1x Vendilion Clique
I don't think you would be dropping it turn 3 to combat a geist. You'd only have at Max 3 Islands meaning you couldn't steal the token anyways. If I saw a turn 3 geist and I couldn't counter it, I'd probably aim to flash in a V Clique to trade instead.
What does your counter suite look like? I always seem to cut Pierce because it seems the most fragile of the lot. Currently mine looks like this:
4x Remand
4x Mana Leak
4x Cryptic Command
3x Spell Snare
That seems like a very relevant use for Shackles!
I don't think you want to be dropping Shackles turn 3. I think turn 5 is the ideal. That way you can cast it with the options of counter backup, or activate it if they don't try to disrupt it.
How so? A 2/3 Scion/SSS still dies to a flipped Delver, and 3 toughness will not Dodge most common played damage based removal (bolt, helix). I can accept that it's still just a land at worst, but from a tech point I don't see what's so good.
Can you elaborate on why Pierce is relevant to Shackles?
I guess I can't really argue with the data as mono decks are placing where as Ur decks are not. Blood Moon and Lavamancer have always been such blowouts for me that it feels weird cutting them.
Is haven really worth running? Feels kind of underwhelming to me as a 1-of. Also, what is the correct number of Skites maindeck? I've seen it at 1-3 depending on the list. Assuming you are going into an unknown Meta.
Edit: Also, as far as sweepers are concerned, is Explosives or Ratchet Bomb better for mono? I'd think you'd want to be able to sweep for 2 which is not going to happen with EE. unless you just plan to sweep at 0 for tokens. You hit sooooo much more at 2