I think we should at least think about it and perhaps test it, even if it doesn't end up making the cut in the end. Draw 2 from the land spot is powerful.
The card isn't remotely comparable to Tolaria West. You wouldn't play Blighted Cataract, and you wouldn't play this.
Congrats on the good finish. Interesting tech in Coax from the Blind Eternities. Would it be possible for you to describe situations when you used it or when you would use it?
I'm not the original poster, but I guess that card works like "draw target eldrazi from your sideboard" so you can tutor anything from there. Feels like a toolbox card since it lets you get any eldrazi for every situation (TKS, Emrakul...)
This is correct. It gives you some very interesting options for gifts piles, and usually Emrakul cost around 9 or 8 mana.
Newmrakul is ok, costs 11 most of the time, if you resolve multiple thirst for knowledge you should be able to cast it for 9. That's not bad, and a 13/13 with evasion that takes away 2 or more cards is 100% playable.
It's 9 on average, 8 if you're playing Coax maindeck. Emrakul has the advantage of being a cast trigger, whereas you actually have to resolve Mindslaver.
@derFeind: Talismans are the worst card in the deck. I'd rather play the 24th land. It's also worth noting 25 lands is too many. The curve of the deck wants to Condescend or Remand on turns 2 and 3. Playing TKS on turn 4 fits our plan better. Never been a fan of making the choice of tapping out for Talisman on turn 2 when we want to keep up permission. So eliminating that decision process entirely has been better.
Bant Eldrazi is a pretty easy matchup if you're playing Dismember. I usually run 2-3. Against Jund, you board out 2 TKS on the play. You can board out up to all 4 on the draw. TKS is insane against Affinity. It blocks everything on the ground and takes their best card. Also, kills Etched Champion.
And to people saying cutting Talisman makes Thirst for Knowledge worse -- just no. You're trying to dig for a win condition with Thirst. Discarding one more card never matters unless you're losing to a Liliana. But you were probably never winning that game anyway.
I'll be playing Filigree Familiar in some number. Probably with Elder-Deep Fiend and Solemn Simulacrum. I'll be running Blue Tron again at a PPTQ this upcoming weekend.
@DerFeind: There were 26 people in Sunday's PPTQ, which resulted in 5 rounds. TKS did the lord's work all day. Best card in the deck, not close. Being on the play and exiling your opponent's best card on T4 is very strong. It's also OK to keep up permission and cast TKS off 2 Tron lands.
Coax was great. Cast Emrakul and Ulamog several times throughout the tournament. Average cmc for Emrakul is 8 (land, sorcery, instant, artifact, creature). Lost to Living End because he activated Fulminator Mage 7 times. He also played Beast Within and Avalanche Riders.
Ran Blue Tron the day before in another PPTQ. Finished a poor 3-4 in the swiss. In that tournament, I beat Affinity, Big Zoo and Burn. Other losses were bad beats.
So I'm still a few pieces away from my main deck being operational but still looking into sideboard options. I'm seeing a lot of lists with Darkness and some advocating for Ethereal Haze... can someone tell me why you'd want one over the other? They seem pretty much the same to me.
Also what is the thought on Grave Titan?
As it has been said earlier, Ethereal Haze is strictly better than Darkness or Holy Days. It prevents all damage dealt by creatures, including everything than Darkness or Holy day would prevent, PLUS fringe cases like Borborygmos, or Grim Lavamancer. Yes, it will almost never be relevant, but why would you play a card that is strictly inferior?
Ethereal Haze also has an interesting interaction with Eidolon of the Great Revel. Also 3-1'd a modo daily last week with this deck.
The card isn't remotely comparable to Tolaria West. You wouldn't play Blighted Cataract, and you wouldn't play this.
I'll be playing Blue Tron at SCG Milwaukee.
This is correct. It gives you some very interesting options for gifts piles, and usually Emrakul cost around 9 or 8 mana.
2-0, UW Thopter Foundry
2-0, RW Blood Moon/Walkers
1-2, Grixis Control (4 main deck Fulminator Mage)
2-0, Grixis Death's Shadow
2-0, CoCo Counters
4 Urza's Power Plant
4 Urza's Mine
3 Celestial Colonnade
2 Flooded Strand
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Godless Shrine
1 Snow-Covered Island
1 Island
1 Plains
1 Academy Ruins
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Emrakul, the Promised End
4 Gifts Ungiven
3 Remand
3 Condescend
3 Thirst for Knowledge
3 Azorius Signet
3 Expedition Map
1 Anticipate
1 Repeal
1 Sphinx's Revelation
1 Coax from the Blind Eternities
1 Wrath of God
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Day of Judgement
1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Unburial Rites
2 Thought-Knot Seer
1 Emrakul, the Promised End
1 Celestial Purge
1 Time Reinforcements
1 Ceremonious Rejection
1 Dispel
1 Ethersworn Canonist
1 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Disenchant
1 Ghostly Prison
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Tormod's Crypt
It's 9 on average, 8 if you're playing Coax maindeck. Emrakul has the advantage of being a cast trigger, whereas you actually have to resolve Mindslaver.
In the quarterfinals, I cast new Emrakul to make my Amulet Combo opponent fail to pay for his Summoner's Pact trigger on his upkeep to win the match.
The foxes were solid in bridging the early game to mid game against creature and midrange decks. I boarded them out against control and combo.
I typically don't play maindeck removal in Blue Tron because it's bad in so many match ups.
Monastery Siege has been a clutch sideboard card against control and BG/x decks.
R1: 2-0, UWR Nahiri
R2: 2-1, RG Titan Shift
R3: 2-0, RUG Midrange
R4: 2-0, Burn
R5: ID
R6: ID
QF: 2-1, Amulet Combo
SF: 0-2, Jund
4 Urza's Tower
4 Urza's Mine
4 Urza's Powerplant
9 Island
1 Academy Ruins
1 Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
1 Tectonic Edge
Creatures
2 Thought-Knot Seer
2 Treasure Mage
2 Filigree Familiar
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Sundering Titan
1 Platinum Angel
1 Elder Deep-Fiend
1 Emrakul, the Promised End
4 Remand
4 Condescend
4 Thirst for Knowledge
3 Repeal
2 Anticipate
1 Epiphany at the Drownyard
3 Expedition Map
1 Mindslaver
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
3 Dismember
1 Spatial Contortion
1 Coax from the Blind Eternities
2 Dispel
2 Negate
1 Spell Pierce
2 Ceremonious Rejection
1 Filigree Familiar
1 Monastery Siege
1 Sphinx of the Final Word
Bant Eldrazi is a pretty easy matchup if you're playing Dismember. I usually run 2-3. Against Jund, you board out 2 TKS on the play. You can board out up to all 4 on the draw. TKS is insane against Affinity. It blocks everything on the ground and takes their best card. Also, kills Etched Champion.
And to people saying cutting Talisman makes Thirst for Knowledge worse -- just no. You're trying to dig for a win condition with Thirst. Discarding one more card never matters unless you're losing to a Liliana. But you were probably never winning that game anyway.
It's worse than Treasure Mage.
Coax was great. Cast Emrakul and Ulamog several times throughout the tournament. Average cmc for Emrakul is 8 (land, sorcery, instant, artifact, creature). Lost to Living End because he activated Fulminator Mage 7 times. He also played Beast Within and Avalanche Riders.
Ran Blue Tron the day before in another PPTQ. Finished a poor 3-4 in the swiss. In that tournament, I beat Affinity, Big Zoo and Burn. Other losses were bad beats.
R1: 2-0, Bant Eldrazi
R2: 2-1, Grixis Delver
R3: 0-2, Living End
R4: 2-1, UR Storm
R5: ID, Flayer Jund
QF: 2-0, Affinity
SF: 2-1, Living End
FN: 1-2, UW Midrange
24 Land
9 Island
4 Urza's Tower
4 Urza's Powerplant
4 Urza's Mine
1 Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
1 Academy Ruins
1 Tectonic Edge
8 Creatures
4 Thought-Knot Seer
1 Treasure Mage
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Sundering Titan
1 Platinum Angel
28 Spells
4 Remand
4 Condescend
4 Thirst for Knowledge
4 Repeal
2 Anticipate
2 Coax from the Blind Eternities
4 Expedition Map
2 Mindslaver
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
15 Sideboard
2 Spell Pierce
2 Dispel
1 Negate
1 Flashfreeze
2 Dismember
2 Spatial Contortion
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Aetherize
1 Monastery Siege
1 Emrakul, the Promised End
1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
Ethereal Haze also has an interesting interaction with Eidolon of the Great Revel. Also 3-1'd a modo daily last week with this deck.
It's way too slow. For 3cc, it doesn't do enough.