What are your plans vs storm? It feels almost unwinnable if they have Baral/Electromancer, Gifts and one Remand. I am playing very un-interactive version of the deck with playset of Hours but I have also played with two Angers and set of Bolts and it has always felt a nightmare matchup. Is it just bad luck or is the matchup really that abysmal?
It's easy to pick apart things when you add qualifiers like "shadowless." Actually though the most successful "shadowless" URx deck runs no maindeck big mana hate cards and wins via grapeshot.
Calling storm a blue red deck is like calling infect "blue green stompy" or dredge a grixis aggro. Storm is another weirdo that only abuses one keyword 'storm', it doesn't care color identity almost at all.
Except it does care about color identity. A combo deck like storm greatly benefits from cheap cantrips (found in blue), mana rituals (in red), spell-matters enablers such as cost reduction (in blue and red), not to mention the finishers themselves (in red). Storm is undeniably a UR deck, and arguably the most successful URx deck not running Shadow.
Well I do realize that Storm cares blue as a color since it gives you decent amount of cantrips and library manipulation but also Bloom Titan fetched for creatures and played ramping spells but no one didn't call it having the identity of green deck even tho it had playset of Primeval Titans.
It only happens to abuse cantrips because of the keyword 'storm' which doesn't have any actual color related identity. Blue as a color isn't just cantrip, cantrip, cantrip into win by some degenerate interaction created by cantrips (storm, ad nauseam, ascendancy). Storm has some aspects of a blue but it is no way a blue deck.
It's easy to pick apart things when you add qualifiers like "shadowless." Actually though the most successful "shadowless" URx deck runs no maindeck big mana hate cards and wins via grapeshot.
Calling storm a blue red deck is like calling infect "blue green stompy" or dredge a grixis aggro. Storm is another weirdo that only abuses one keyword 'storm', it doesn't care color identity almost at all.
Why don't more Titanshift lists run the third summoners pact? It seems like such a good card to draw for both finding threats and grabbing sideboard cards.
It is strong card indeed but sometimes you just get handful of game ending cards when you need more ramp cards. With two Pacts I find myself sometimes in those situations where I have three lands in play and hand is Titan, Scapeshift, Pact, Pact, land (very awkward). I don't personally feel that the deck needs more win conditions or at least I don't personally have any issues to find them enough consistently.
Merfolk is a deck again, which is the truest blue deck Modern will ever see, and which I expect will continue to be good as they print more relevant cards for it.
I would not bother to call Merfolk as a blue deck. It is more like hatebear elves that just happens to have random color identity. Linear aggro isn't something blue should do in modern.
How are you open-handing DR and then piling it too?
LED in opening hand and in pile? What am I missing? It looks like Mana Crypt would work in the first example, I have no idea how the second example would have happened. Can you help me understand?
Hello friend! This is possible because Doomsday is a such a fair card and says "Search your library and graveyard for five cards...."
Also a fun fact about the card; What is the only tutor (so far) in magic that doesn't tell you to shuffle your library? - Doomsday
Smuggler's Copter offers much needed evasive attack against some matchups. I purposely upped my Endless One count in order to crew one up, if I have to as a 1/1. Also, hand dependent, I don't mind dropping a T1 Endless one as a 2/2 off of Eldrazi Temple on the first turn. It's a Isamaru, Hound of Konda: 2/2 for 1!
As for the Titanium Plus event where Jordan cited his 9th place finish, I was there. There were just over 200 players. I didn't compete in the main event (had to work), but showed up later to sell standard chaff to the vendors and compete in side events. Anyway, that's 3 premier events with monstrously strong finishes. Where's the buzz? This thread should be exploding. Baffling. I guess word of innovative, winning decks travels slow when folks are busy mushing eldrazi temples and urza's power plants together.
As for my continued online testing, I'm settled on deck design - just working out sideboarding strategies. I wish we had a sweeper, but ratchet bomb will have to do. The 4 mutavault approach, over the sea gate wreckage, continues to clock in with positive results. I guess I would just reiterate my affection for grafdigger's cage. The meta is changing pretty fast these days, so I'm holding at 1. For now...
I understand this, it just feels very awkward that in other matches were deck needs to put out some raw and serious power very fast (like a skipped draw phase). I definitely need to test more with it but so far it feels that it boosts some matchups those are already decent but shrinks the better ones downward.
This guy just keeps up the good work with the deck congrats on strong finish again! I haven't been playing so much lately but the Copter haven't convinced me (at least not yet). Copter often feels just kind of bad draw when I am light on threats and it just eats all removal like a boss.
I had an opportunity to play against my friend's Four color Kiki Chord and I must say that matchup is miserable. He plays Eldritch Evolutions and Reflector Mages but I guess that any deck with Restoration Angels and Reflector Mages is a bad matchup. Just a thing I noticed - that little 2/3 feels back breaking.
I played lot of test games vs Affinity today and must say that the game one feels very bad. Chalice for zero does like nothing if I can't draw even a semi blazing hand and without Chalice I need multiple Dismembers and a blazing fast start ( almost like the nut draw). I guess game two and threw are much better with Bombs, Gut Shots and Needles. How do you guys auggest to board in this matchup?
Is it like -4 Scourges, -4 Powders, -1 Reshaper +3 Bombs, + 2 Gut Shots, + 2 Spatials, +2 Needles
Is Needle even good because at the time you land it they are most likely going to all in with Ravager or Plating anyway? It stops Overseers and manlands tho.
I guess you have to shave some Chalices also when on the draw.
Well I do realize that Storm cares blue as a color since it gives you decent amount of cantrips and library manipulation but also Bloom Titan fetched for creatures and played ramping spells but no one didn't call it having the identity of green deck even tho it had playset of Primeval Titans.
It only happens to abuse cantrips because of the keyword 'storm' which doesn't have any actual color related identity. Blue as a color isn't just cantrip, cantrip, cantrip into win by some degenerate interaction created by cantrips (storm, ad nauseam, ascendancy). Storm has some aspects of a blue but it is no way a blue deck.
Calling storm a blue red deck is like calling infect "blue green stompy" or dredge a grixis aggro. Storm is another weirdo that only abuses one keyword 'storm', it doesn't care color identity almost at all.
Both of you are correct but glurman with little time advantage takes this one !
It is great how this deck is like the legacy Canadian Threshold; insanely tight maindeck that rewards right descission making.
How on earth you pulled this one ? Isn't their whole deck like one mana 1:1 removal, Cryptic Commands, sweepers and insane card advantage engines?
It is strong card indeed but sometimes you just get handful of game ending cards when you need more ramp cards. With two Pacts I find myself sometimes in those situations where I have three lands in play and hand is Titan, Scapeshift, Pact, Pact, land (very awkward). I don't personally feel that the deck needs more win conditions or at least I don't personally have any issues to find them enough consistently.
I would not bother to call Merfolk as a blue deck. It is more like hatebear elves that just happens to have random color identity. Linear aggro isn't something blue should do in modern.
Hello friend! This is possible because Doomsday is a such a fair card and says "Search your library and graveyard for five cards...."
Also a fun fact about the card; What is the only tutor (so far) in magic that doesn't tell you to shuffle your library? - Doomsday
I understand this, it just feels very awkward that in other matches were deck needs to put out some raw and serious power very fast (like a skipped draw phase). I definitely need to test more with it but so far it feels that it boosts some matchups those are already decent but shrinks the better ones downward.
Is it like -4 Scourges, -4 Powders, -1 Reshaper +3 Bombs, + 2 Gut Shots, + 2 Spatials, +2 Needles
Is Needle even good because at the time you land it they are most likely going to all in with Ravager or Plating anyway? It stops Overseers and manlands tho.
I guess you have to shave some Chalices also when on the draw.