Ugh. Just couldn't do creature or player. Just couldn't make it actually worth the slot. Nope, they thought "Overrule could be the beginning of a cycle. That card got so much play and was so loved and eternally remembered that we should just make an EVEN better one for UR. Uh oh, too powerful. Better make it a rare to balance that"
If no one has said it, reminds me a lot of Sun Droplet... Which wasn't that terrible, especially in multiples. The ability to say every thing you play gains you life could be quite annoying for aggro opponents. Depending on how the meta begins to look, I might include these in the board... Cause the opponent to over extend. Not as good as Pristine Talisman, but it has potential.
I don't understand why people are confused about how powerful this card is. They reprinted the Abyss... for your opponent. Tokens isn't crazy powerful. They'll make a couple 1/1's in the early turns (unless triple Champion draw shenanigans) but this will crush it. They would have to be continuously playing threats to keep up... What about the potential T3 Demon, T4 demon? There aren't enough bodies to throw under the bus... He gets two during his first round about (or staves off an attack) and just grows and grows.
I'll be playing four... And petting my Disciples of Bolas in eager anticipation.
its almost like 1 deck = 1 thread is a terrible way to develop an archetype or something crazy like that.
i looked for a while and i really didnt find any meaningful information about ravings vs think twice, at all. as much as i'd like to continue to mindlessly search for these GOOD posts (involving math apparently?), i'd rather not waste my time searching for 'ravings' for hours on end, especially when someone could just answer my ****ing question in .5 seconds. seriously. you talk about wasting time, but what, exactly, did your post even accomplish? nothing. if anything YOU have wasted not only more of YOUR OWN time, but also the time of other people who stopped to read your post that doesnt benefit anyone past your oh so astute advice of 'dont be lazy'.
Start there you ****ing moron and read down. Took me 30 seconds to find it. If that's too much for you, I'm sure someone else can take over holding your hand.
There's no reason to be a jackass dude, and reading 33 pages is kind of a pain in the ass for some people. Some just don't have the time etc. Overall, lighten up man
How long have you been involved in this? I'm sure you would absolutely love to talk about same ****, over and over. If that's the case, go ahead and enjoy asking the same stupid questions that have been completely analyzed (in this case, ****ing recently). Yeah, real progression there. "Come on BRAH, some people just don't have the time to read man! It's a bit too tough"... Yet they're involved in a forum about progression in a game that requires patience and testing? Good luck with that.
There's absolutely no reason to condone that kind of tom****ery. Then again, this forum has basically dried up to people posting random lists and asking the same questions. Enjoy chasing your tail. Or pull your head out of your ass and direct the lazy tards to the thoughtful, insightful, and even mathematical posts not more than a GASP! few pages back.
desperate ravings vs think twice? what do you guys think?
Please, please, please don't bring this up again. Why don't you actually read this forum as opposed to going to the last page and posting something that has been discussed LITERALLY for the last 5-10 pages.
can someone please tell me if this mana base looks correct? also i see men running time reversal in the board. what is this for, what match up? Is this an adequate number of win conditions? should i change any of them? Also if someone would point out a general sb strat for this deck i'd be much obliged.
... There just has to be a better way of going about this. Posting a random pile of cards and saying "duuurrr plz anyone tell me what to change, what to play, how to play it, and how to sideboard" is obnoxious. I suggested Time Reversal as an out to Drownyard back when UB was king as it could reset the game and is Snapcaster friendly. Now a days, UB is hit and miss but has a fairly weak matchup against competent Ux aggro players. Why don't you actually playtest the deck and see how it works. You analyze the manabase as you go, determining what works, what doesn't, and what you need. The threats and sideboard delve into the category of "metagaming". Ooooo metagaming. This is the fine art of playing the ****ing deck, looking at results, and altering slots to better fit the Magic world you specifically want to beat. If you want to succeed, you need to actually think and test. Make Darwin proud.
Anywhoo, as usual been testing and tuning the list. The biggest thing I've noticed (as I'm sure everyone has by the results of last weekend) is once again the resurgence of Tempered Steel. I went back to the clanky "random green sources to butcher mana base further" route to prep for Ancient Grudge in the board and haven't had too much of an issues since. The current list:
The sideboard has shuffled around a bit but shouldn't be anything new. I like the thought of siding in a land against the control matchups (as I have much to side out) as well as more counterspells. Most of the choices are pretty obvious. From what I've seen, as long as the manabase doesn't hate us, we have a pretty good matchup against the top decks in the meta. I haven't had issue with anything really. It's nice to have a decent shot against every deck though I would say Ramp is where I have to play my tightest. I dropped the Flashfreezes as Autumn's Veil has been popping up more and more.
I kinda feel like I want to cut Vengeance for a threat but to be honest I couldn't find one that passed the Vapor Snag test. Inferno Titan is definitely the best but I was just never happy to see it. I may give it another try but for every time where I draw Vengeance early and hate it, I Snap it back for a victory I had no business claiming.
Also gave Red Sun's Zenith a try over Devil's Play. They are essentially the same card (with the minor exception of the cute Doomed Traveler interaction). You will theoretically replay them both at some point in the future but I personally prefer to have control over when I replay the card. Devil's Play gives me that control. It may ask a couple red in exchange but I haven't had issue yet (Snapcaster actually bailed me out of that requirement for the win a time or two).
Not much beyond that. I did notice that last weekend's tourney had a Grixis list come in 21st. It was more along the lines of the Chapin "critter threats > counterspells" logic but I really hate that line of play with the Vapor Snag recursion.
EDIT:
GAH I can't take it. I'm not going to butcher my mana base further with the green nonsense. I'm doing -1 Copperline Gorge, -1 Shimmering Grotto, -1 Island, +1 Dragonskull Summit, +1 Mountain, +1 Swamp. Makes it a pretty even manabase. I'll probably drop the Grudges for Doom Blade #4 and either a Flashfreeze or a Victim of Night. I'd like the Grudges but I just cant bring myself to be greedier with an already ambitious manabase.
I use Devil's Play as a removal spell for critters and Planeswalkers, with the controlled ability to potentially kill someone later on. Not to mention synergy with Liliana should you run her. Red Sun's Zenith has it's perks as well. How many would you run? I only run the single Devil's Play and don't think I would ever want another. Zenith maybe. Well, actually not really sure. Even with the examples, that is a pretty expensive answer. Red Sun's Zenith could honestly work if you wanted, I prefer the Devil's Play due to the fact that I still see Drownyard from time to time and it actually has won me a handful of games by zapping them from the grave.
Personal preference really. If you like Zenith, go with Zenith. They serve the same purpose, the question is- do you want to be drawing it at a random point later on or just know you have it readily available, albeit at a stricter mana cost (barring Snapcaster shenanigans)
Cool deal. Also, I think you're correct that Desperate Ravings, Forbidden Alchemy, and Think Twice should all play together. There's another Grixis contributor that I really trust over that the Wizards forum and he's currently testing this:
It isn't a bad list. Definitely leaning uber hard to be control. I'd worry about leaning too hard on counters/ card draw without a finisher. Also, as much as I had originally loved Geistflame, I would make those Galvanic Blasts. Geistflame's flashback is nice, but so often I would find myself wishing I had the extra damage without paying four more mana on the spot for it. Not to mention Snapcaster loves zapping things with Blast. I would also try to fit in another finisher. Probably Sorin's Vengeance to be honest. I had a list very similar to it during the early days of evolution but I definitely wanted more threats and answers/ Planeswalkers. Once you seize control you're in good shape, but too often you find yourself without a Geistflame or Leak in the crucial early turns and just fall behind. Slagstorm would work a lot better if aggro wasn't countering but the times have changed. I usually don't Slag until they tap out or I can protect it.
I'm currently testing the proposed plan of -1 Forbidden Alchemy, -1 Think Twice, +2 Desperate Ravings. Not sure how I feel about losing that fourth Alchemy as I feel it is quite crucial in this deck. Might put the Alchemy back in and take out something else, though not sure what just yet.
twistednic, I count 59/60 cards in the maindeck. What's your number 60?
Oh snap. My bad, the slot was for testing Karn Liberated but I ended up just running Forbidden Alchemy #4. Still unsure if I want Karn in there as I really feel like only 6x card draw is waay too little. I'm actually trying to find a way to test the 4x Alchemy, 3x Think Twice, 2x Ravings as I feel like Ravings could be a good support/ late game option but who knows. Can't quite find the slots just yet. If control resumes dominance I can trim some of the Slagstorm/ Galvanic Blast options for more card draw but with Moorland aggro/ mono red everywhere, I'm liking the list as is. Went back and updated the original post as well. Thanks for the heads up.
EDIT: I should also note that in the Think Twice slot I am continuously testing Desperate Ravings. Kind of an every other match type deal. I do believe that there is a right number (although at the moment I don't believe it to be 4, probably 2-3 for my tastes) due to the salvaging potential, but you just can't help but hate those games where casting Ravings with a pointless hand and it somehow still hits the one card you would've wanted. I'd say about one quarter of the time when I cast that card, it will hit something I was hoping to end up with. It isn't the timing of the cast, just that luck factor. Very irritating to have to factor in more luck in a topdecking situation, but whaddya gonna do. I swap it back out for Think Twice and play another match, always making note the card number difference had the spells been swapped (usually at the end of the game, drawing that many more cards to get an idea of what could have been... maybe). I'm not going to lie, I absolutely hate the luck factor. I'll acknowledge that you can put yourself in a position where you may be replacing dead cards, but just remember it can and will burn you. I guess the knowledge that I'm still a card deeper towards a replacement threat for the replacement threat is comforting (and it being later in the game, it will usually always get immediately flashed back) but man is that frustrating. Think Twice doesn't care whats going on, it just wants to replace itself and then later on give you something more. Ah well, that's what testing is for.
Sorin's Vengeance is the perfect finisher for the deck. There was a time where I ran two (although I've only dabbled with Chandra, didn't care for her) but Vengeance has always been my favorite way to end the game. It's so easy to spend those early turns controlling and just pecking away. It's also amazing against control as they will try for a bomb and even if you can't counter it, you can tap them out... Game over. It's rare to find something that can end the game in a turn and even if it doesn't, it puts them in a position where Stensia Bloodhall/ Snapcaster are very scary.
UW humans is a favorable matchup as long as you mulligan aggressively. Game one can obviously be tricky if you don't know what you're up against, but when you take out the excessive counterspells for more sweepers/ answers you should be in good shape for 2/3. It's not a bye or anything, but with aggressive mulliganing/ strategic planning it isn't too tough.
My sideboarding was
-2 Dissipate, -1 Negate, -1 Olivia Voldaren
+2 Ratchet Bomb, +1 Dismember, +1 Batterskull
The Olivia may seem counter intuitive but the guy was playing a list very similar to the second place list from SCG St Louis, sporting a full compliment of Fiend Hunters in addition to the Oblivion Rings he brought in. The Batterskull definitely saved my ass game one but you really have to be careful as to not walk into the Oblivion Ring.
As for improving it, I feel it's just a matter of tuning and testing. I test a ****load on MTGO as well. Post your list and I'll try to help you tune it towards that meta. Still a lot of control in mine otherwise I could probably shift out some of the counterspells for more spot removal. Debating Life's Finale but it just sucks so hard against Mana Leak. The list is solid for now, but that could change by tomorrow. Just have to keep metagaming, trying things, and adjusting.
Went 4-0 beating UW humans (2-1), UR Delver burn (2-0), Wolf Run (2-1), and UW overcontrol (2-1). I consider overcontrol a different breed than typical control as the typical lists have around 4-6 threats where as overcontrol has 2-4 after board. Lots of counters and sweepers. I really was missing that second Bloodhall in those games as my victories definitely revolved around it.
I have been trying to rework the manabase like the guy's that got t8 in the SCG tourney, incorporating more basics and less SoM lands. The list isn't too terribly different but I was able to come to a pretty decent balance of the colors and it definitely paid off throughout the tourney. The one thing I was really missing was Karn Liberated but just couldn't make up my mind what to cut. Originally I was testing with only three Forbidden Alchemy for it but found myself needing the card draw.
Nothing of true note with regards to the individual games (hence why I didn't bother typing them all out). The games I lost were very close. The one against UW I had essentially stopped every threat until he was in topdeck mode. He ripped a Mikaes and equipped Sword of War and Peace to it. I had 3 turns and two Forbidden Alchemy casts to find a Liliana but did not succeed. Against Wolf Run I sided out my Galvanic Blasts, completely forgetting about Inkmoth. Gah. Not sure what I was thinking but game three went a lot smoother.
Overall I feel like the deck really wants Titans to combat the aggro element but they're evolving to either beat it, counter it, or bounce it. With Vapor Snag becoming the tempo staple for them I can't help but wonder if something else is the answer. Olivia was pretty solid but I would avoid casting her in the early game at all costs. Sometimes she drug down my hand with this tactic but it felt like a necessary evil to play around their shenanigans.
I had also tested Black Sun's Zenith over Slagstorm but the counterspells the newer aggro decks were playing made it pretty damn difficult to have BSZ be anywhere near as good. I understand the logic of the UB shell and trying to avoid having to rely on both RR and BB in the early game but I definitely feel like it is possible. Definitely didn't feel like I was being too terribly greedy wanting both Liliana and Slag early on.
Brings nothing to this thread? What did your post bring to the thread? Did you post results? A decklist? Anything? I'm glad the second time around you actually elaborated on your issues as opposed to the nonsensical first post about not liking red. You literally posted that you weren't happy with the deck this very thread is here to expand on. You believe that was necessary without something backing it? You played it in a four round tourney-- AWESOME. How's about you go over the matches to really give insight into what went right/ wrong. Your original post advocated the switch to UB control, which ofcourse, is not this ****ing forum. The point is not that I didn't like what you "had to say" it's that it was absolutely pointless to say it. In order to share findings, why don't you actually give some of the experiences that led to said findings... Then you would have actually contributed to the thread as opposed to merely QQing and advocating a different deck.
On to the second post, which at least gave something to work with, your list is definitely a bit clunky. Did you find that you were short on counterspells? Why Incinerate over Galvanic Blast/ 1 dmg spells? Did you find the lack of a critter finisher to be problematic? Brimstone Volley seems a bit weak without the cheap/ free burn spells, was it any good for you? UB is decent but at the same time the UR based aggro decks really pray on it as well as the UW control/ aggro control lists. I'd definitely check out the decklist that got t8 at last weekend's Star City. It's got a bit of a smoother manabase with less emphasis on red and more focus on the UB shell.
Feel free to elaborate on your matchups/ decisions/ decklist/ conclusions. It will actually end a lot better that way.
After playing a Grixis control deck in a 4 round Standard event this weekend I am left with the feeling that a straight U/B control list might be a better way to go. I enjoyed having access to the burn but most often it was just being used as early removal, no different than adding in more Doom Blades or GFTT. Slagstorm is a great card right now but BSZ could be an acceptable replacement trading one form of flexibility for another. Chandra’s Phoenix was also disappointing because I was so busy controlling the early game that I never did have the safe opportunity to cast it early. A big finisher would have worked out better after I had the board under control.
I really like the idea of running red but after a real try out it was not very impressive. I think a U/B main list that focuses on holding down agro and a sideboard focusing on control decks might be the direction that I head in next. I also saw Nephalia Drownyard in action in some U/B lists that day and let me tell you, that card is so good in a control game. We all know why, and U/B can run a full set to help in the control match-ups if the main deck is focused on agro.
It just seems to me that there is no real convincing reason to add red. It weakens the mana base more than the additional answers help the deck imo. I think even U/B/W would be better, DOJ, O-ring, Timely over what red brings to the table. I would really like to keep the red but I am out of reasons to justify it.
You will be missed?
It's bizarre that people would get on the forums dedicated to a deck only to say "duurrrr this deck sucks. i want to drop the splash the others are trying or replace it with one that involves enemy colors cuz it seems better". When I lose interest in a deck, I don't bother going to the forum and announcing it. No one cares if you just you know, move on. So move on. Go post your thoughts in the UB control thread. That's what its there for believe it or not. This thread is for Grixis- promoting and discussing. If you don't agree/ want to try something else, go somewhere else.
I'll be playing four... And petting my Disciples of Bolas in eager anticipation.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?p=7616335#post7616335
Start there you ****ing moron and read down. Took me 30 seconds to find it. If that's too much for you, I'm sure someone else can take over holding your hand.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?p=7622163#post7622163
LOOK. MATH. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW
There is no need for this kind of post. Flame Infraction.
How long have you been involved in this? I'm sure you would absolutely love to talk about same ****, over and over. If that's the case, go ahead and enjoy asking the same stupid questions that have been completely analyzed (in this case, ****ing recently). Yeah, real progression there. "Come on BRAH, some people just don't have the time to read man! It's a bit too tough"... Yet they're involved in a forum about progression in a game that requires patience and testing? Good luck with that.
There's absolutely no reason to condone that kind of tom****ery. Then again, this forum has basically dried up to people posting random lists and asking the same questions. Enjoy chasing your tail. Or pull your head out of your ass and direct the lazy tards to the thoughtful, insightful, and even mathematical posts not more than a GASP! few pages back.
Infraction for flaming issued.
-Sene
Please, please, please don't bring this up again. Why don't you actually read this forum as opposed to going to the last page and posting something that has been discussed LITERALLY for the last 5-10 pages.
... There just has to be a better way of going about this. Posting a random pile of cards and saying "duuurrr plz anyone tell me what to change, what to play, how to play it, and how to sideboard" is obnoxious. I suggested Time Reversal as an out to Drownyard back when UB was king as it could reset the game and is Snapcaster friendly. Now a days, UB is hit and miss but has a fairly weak matchup against competent Ux aggro players. Why don't you actually playtest the deck and see how it works. You analyze the manabase as you go, determining what works, what doesn't, and what you need. The threats and sideboard delve into the category of "metagaming". Ooooo metagaming. This is the fine art of playing the ****ing deck, looking at results, and altering slots to better fit the Magic world you specifically want to beat. If you want to succeed, you need to actually think and test. Make Darwin proud.
Anywhoo, as usual been testing and tuning the list. The biggest thing I've noticed (as I'm sure everyone has by the results of last weekend) is once again the resurgence of Tempered Steel. I went back to the clanky "random green sources to butcher mana base further" route to prep for Ancient Grudge in the board and haven't had too much of an issues since. The current list:
2 Olivia Voldaren
1 Batterskull
3 Liliana of the Veil
4 Mana Leak
4 Forbidden Alchemy
3 Desperate Ravings
3 Doom Blade
3 Galvanic Blast
3 Slagstorm
2 Dissipate
1 Devil's Play
1 Sorin's Vengeance
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
4 Drowned Catacomb
1 Dragonskull Summit
1 Shimmering Grotto
1 Copperline Gorge
1 Stensia Bloodhall
5 Island
3 Mountain
2 Swamp
1 Batterskull
1 Negate
1 Dissipate
1 Stensia Bloodhall
1 Slagstorm
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Dismember
2 Phantasmal Image
2 Ratchet Bomb
The sideboard has shuffled around a bit but shouldn't be anything new. I like the thought of siding in a land against the control matchups (as I have much to side out) as well as more counterspells. Most of the choices are pretty obvious. From what I've seen, as long as the manabase doesn't hate us, we have a pretty good matchup against the top decks in the meta. I haven't had issue with anything really. It's nice to have a decent shot against every deck though I would say Ramp is where I have to play my tightest. I dropped the Flashfreezes as Autumn's Veil has been popping up more and more.
I kinda feel like I want to cut Vengeance for a threat but to be honest I couldn't find one that passed the Vapor Snag test. Inferno Titan is definitely the best but I was just never happy to see it. I may give it another try but for every time where I draw Vengeance early and hate it, I Snap it back for a victory I had no business claiming.
Also gave Red Sun's Zenith a try over Devil's Play. They are essentially the same card (with the minor exception of the cute Doomed Traveler interaction). You will theoretically replay them both at some point in the future but I personally prefer to have control over when I replay the card. Devil's Play gives me that control. It may ask a couple red in exchange but I haven't had issue yet (Snapcaster actually bailed me out of that requirement for the win a time or two).
Not much beyond that. I did notice that last weekend's tourney had a Grixis list come in 21st. It was more along the lines of the Chapin "critter threats > counterspells" logic but I really hate that line of play with the Vapor Snag recursion.
The list for reference:
http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=42643
EDIT:
GAH I can't take it. I'm not going to butcher my mana base further with the green nonsense. I'm doing -1 Copperline Gorge, -1 Shimmering Grotto, -1 Island, +1 Dragonskull Summit, +1 Mountain, +1 Swamp. Makes it a pretty even manabase. I'll probably drop the Grudges for Doom Blade #4 and either a Flashfreeze or a Victim of Night. I'd like the Grudges but I just cant bring myself to be greedier with an already ambitious manabase.
Personal preference really. If you like Zenith, go with Zenith. They serve the same purpose, the question is- do you want to be drawing it at a random point later on or just know you have it readily available, albeit at a stricter mana cost (barring Snapcaster shenanigans)
It isn't a bad list. Definitely leaning uber hard to be control. I'd worry about leaning too hard on counters/ card draw without a finisher. Also, as much as I had originally loved Geistflame, I would make those Galvanic Blasts. Geistflame's flashback is nice, but so often I would find myself wishing I had the extra damage without paying four more mana on the spot for it. Not to mention Snapcaster loves zapping things with Blast. I would also try to fit in another finisher. Probably Sorin's Vengeance to be honest. I had a list very similar to it during the early days of evolution but I definitely wanted more threats and answers/ Planeswalkers. Once you seize control you're in good shape, but too often you find yourself without a Geistflame or Leak in the crucial early turns and just fall behind. Slagstorm would work a lot better if aggro wasn't countering but the times have changed. I usually don't Slag until they tap out or I can protect it.
I'm currently testing the proposed plan of -1 Forbidden Alchemy, -1 Think Twice, +2 Desperate Ravings. Not sure how I feel about losing that fourth Alchemy as I feel it is quite crucial in this deck. Might put the Alchemy back in and take out something else, though not sure what just yet.
Oh snap. My bad, the slot was for testing Karn Liberated but I ended up just running Forbidden Alchemy #4. Still unsure if I want Karn in there as I really feel like only 6x card draw is waay too little. I'm actually trying to find a way to test the 4x Alchemy, 3x Think Twice, 2x Ravings as I feel like Ravings could be a good support/ late game option but who knows. Can't quite find the slots just yet. If control resumes dominance I can trim some of the Slagstorm/ Galvanic Blast options for more card draw but with Moorland aggro/ mono red everywhere, I'm liking the list as is. Went back and updated the original post as well. Thanks for the heads up.
EDIT: I should also note that in the Think Twice slot I am continuously testing Desperate Ravings. Kind of an every other match type deal. I do believe that there is a right number (although at the moment I don't believe it to be 4, probably 2-3 for my tastes) due to the salvaging potential, but you just can't help but hate those games where casting Ravings with a pointless hand and it somehow still hits the one card you would've wanted. I'd say about one quarter of the time when I cast that card, it will hit something I was hoping to end up with. It isn't the timing of the cast, just that luck factor. Very irritating to have to factor in more luck in a topdecking situation, but whaddya gonna do. I swap it back out for Think Twice and play another match, always making note the card number difference had the spells been swapped (usually at the end of the game, drawing that many more cards to get an idea of what could have been... maybe). I'm not going to lie, I absolutely hate the luck factor. I'll acknowledge that you can put yourself in a position where you may be replacing dead cards, but just remember it can and will burn you. I guess the knowledge that I'm still a card deeper towards a replacement threat for the replacement threat is comforting (and it being later in the game, it will usually always get immediately flashed back) but man is that frustrating. Think Twice doesn't care whats going on, it just wants to replace itself and then later on give you something more. Ah well, that's what testing is for.
UW humans is a favorable matchup as long as you mulligan aggressively. Game one can obviously be tricky if you don't know what you're up against, but when you take out the excessive counterspells for more sweepers/ answers you should be in good shape for 2/3. It's not a bye or anything, but with aggressive mulliganing/ strategic planning it isn't too tough.
My sideboarding was
-2 Dissipate, -1 Negate, -1 Olivia Voldaren
+2 Ratchet Bomb, +1 Dismember, +1 Batterskull
The Olivia may seem counter intuitive but the guy was playing a list very similar to the second place list from SCG St Louis, sporting a full compliment of Fiend Hunters in addition to the Oblivion Rings he brought in. The Batterskull definitely saved my ass game one but you really have to be careful as to not walk into the Oblivion Ring.
As for improving it, I feel it's just a matter of tuning and testing. I test a ****load on MTGO as well. Post your list and I'll try to help you tune it towards that meta. Still a lot of control in mine otherwise I could probably shift out some of the counterspells for more spot removal. Debating Life's Finale but it just sucks so hard against Mana Leak. The list is solid for now, but that could change by tomorrow. Just have to keep metagaming, trying things, and adjusting.
2 Olivia Voldaren
1 Batterskull
3 Liliana of the Veil
4 Mana Leak
4 Forbidden Alchemy
3 Think Twice
3 Galvanic Blast
3 Slagstorm
2 Dissipate
2 Doom Blade
1 Negate
1 Devil's Play
1 Sorin's Vengeance
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
4 Drowned Catacomb
2 DragonSkull Summit
1 Darkslick Shores
1 Stensia Bloodhall
5 Island
3 Mountain
2 Swamp
1 Volition Reins
1 Flashfreeze
1 Batterskull
2 Dismember
2 Tribute to Hunger
2 Ratchet Bomb
2 Phantasmal Image
2 Negate
2 Surgical Extraction
Went 4-0 beating UW humans (2-1), UR Delver burn (2-0), Wolf Run (2-1), and UW overcontrol (2-1). I consider overcontrol a different breed than typical control as the typical lists have around 4-6 threats where as overcontrol has 2-4 after board. Lots of counters and sweepers. I really was missing that second Bloodhall in those games as my victories definitely revolved around it.
I have been trying to rework the manabase like the guy's that got t8 in the SCG tourney, incorporating more basics and less SoM lands. The list isn't too terribly different but I was able to come to a pretty decent balance of the colors and it definitely paid off throughout the tourney. The one thing I was really missing was Karn Liberated but just couldn't make up my mind what to cut. Originally I was testing with only three Forbidden Alchemy for it but found myself needing the card draw.
Nothing of true note with regards to the individual games (hence why I didn't bother typing them all out). The games I lost were very close. The one against UW I had essentially stopped every threat until he was in topdeck mode. He ripped a Mikaes and equipped Sword of War and Peace to it. I had 3 turns and two Forbidden Alchemy casts to find a Liliana but did not succeed. Against Wolf Run I sided out my Galvanic Blasts, completely forgetting about Inkmoth. Gah. Not sure what I was thinking but game three went a lot smoother.
Overall I feel like the deck really wants Titans to combat the aggro element but they're evolving to either beat it, counter it, or bounce it. With Vapor Snag becoming the tempo staple for them I can't help but wonder if something else is the answer. Olivia was pretty solid but I would avoid casting her in the early game at all costs. Sometimes she drug down my hand with this tactic but it felt like a necessary evil to play around their shenanigans.
I had also tested Black Sun's Zenith over Slagstorm but the counterspells the newer aggro decks were playing made it pretty damn difficult to have BSZ be anywhere near as good. I understand the logic of the UB shell and trying to avoid having to rely on both RR and BB in the early game but I definitely feel like it is possible. Definitely didn't feel like I was being too terribly greedy wanting both Liliana and Slag early on.
Brings nothing to this thread? What did your post bring to the thread? Did you post results? A decklist? Anything? I'm glad the second time around you actually elaborated on your issues as opposed to the nonsensical first post about not liking red. You literally posted that you weren't happy with the deck this very thread is here to expand on. You believe that was necessary without something backing it? You played it in a four round tourney-- AWESOME. How's about you go over the matches to really give insight into what went right/ wrong. Your original post advocated the switch to UB control, which ofcourse, is not this ****ing forum. The point is not that I didn't like what you "had to say" it's that it was absolutely pointless to say it. In order to share findings, why don't you actually give some of the experiences that led to said findings... Then you would have actually contributed to the thread as opposed to merely QQing and advocating a different deck.
On to the second post, which at least gave something to work with, your list is definitely a bit clunky. Did you find that you were short on counterspells? Why Incinerate over Galvanic Blast/ 1 dmg spells? Did you find the lack of a critter finisher to be problematic? Brimstone Volley seems a bit weak without the cheap/ free burn spells, was it any good for you? UB is decent but at the same time the UR based aggro decks really pray on it as well as the UW control/ aggro control lists. I'd definitely check out the decklist that got t8 at last weekend's Star City. It's got a bit of a smoother manabase with less emphasis on red and more focus on the UB shell.
Feel free to elaborate on your matchups/ decisions/ decklist/ conclusions. It will actually end a lot better that way.
You will be missed?
It's bizarre that people would get on the forums dedicated to a deck only to say "duurrrr this deck sucks. i want to drop the splash the others are trying or replace it with one that involves enemy colors cuz it seems better". When I lose interest in a deck, I don't bother going to the forum and announcing it. No one cares if you just you know, move on. So move on. Go post your thoughts in the UB control thread. That's what its there for believe it or not. This thread is for Grixis- promoting and discussing. If you don't agree/ want to try something else, go somewhere else.