MTG Salvation

Howdy all,

With the ever-increasing amount of graveyard hate that modern has thrown at us storm players lately (UW/Jeskai running mainboard RIP...RIP us,etc), I have made some larger changes to my list...here it is:

Creatures
4 Baral, Chief of Compliance
3 Goblin Electromancer

Card Draw
4 Opt
4 Serum Visions
4 Sleight of Hand
2 Pieces of the Puzzle
4 Gifts Ungiven

Storm Spells
2 Grapeshot
1 Empty the Warrens

The Rest
4 Pyretic Ritual
4 Desperate Ritual
4 Manamorphose
1 Noxious Rivival
2 Past in Flames

Lands
4 Sprirebluff Canal
4 Steam Vents
4 Shivan Reef
2 Snow-Covered Island
2 Island
1 Mountain

Sideboard
2 Abrade
1 Echoing Truth
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Ignite Memories
3 Lightning Bolt
2 Pieces of the Puzzle
1 Shattering Spree
2 Thing in the Ice
1 Wipe Away


So, the reason I have made these changes are primarily because it gives us a much better game 1 against go-wide decks, or decks that are packing maindeck graveyard hate (like I mentioned above, RIP, Relic of Progenitus, etc). It also gives us the out of going Pieces into an empty game 1, which has won me quite a few matches. So far in testing (GP Milwaukee side events for 19 rounds, various FNM events) my record is 25-4 in matches. I went 15-4 in the 19 rounds played at the GP, and have 5-0'd 2 FNMs with it (my meta is heavy on Tron and UW control, which run lots of maindeck hate)

Would love a dialogue/conversation on this.

More and more I wish that the Golgari Charm has a Disfigure effect as one of the modes.

Thought so. Thanks gang!

If I control a 5/5 with Trample and my opponent blocks it with a 5/3, when I regenerate 2 damage will still trample correct? I just wanna make sure because I remember reading that regen shields only work the next time a creature would be destroyed (by lethal damage or effects that say destroy). Since damage happens simultaneously I assume that 2 damage hits the player then the. Feature is regenerated?

I 100% agree with OP. This could be a sick game-ending combo. Leave a black in your pool for regen, and sac away those lands to end it.

Been testing a build in the "Developing BG Zombies" thread, and there have been a few games where it catches them off guard. Troll is so good.

I'm waiting on the charm too. I've done some preliminary testing with my build (see page 1) and Sign in Blood doesn't seem to fit well.

Grisly Salvage could definitely be more beneficial than Sign in Blood, but digging 5 cards deep for only 1 can kinda suck if they're all good cards. Especially since Jarad is the only card (2-3 of) benefitting from creatures in the yard.

After fish-bowling my current build (on page 1) I've noticed some insane mid-late game synergy with Jarad/Troll

Discard jarad to troll, sac forest/swamp to return Jarad. Rinse, repeat. Reminds me of Psychatog cause of how big it could get. Now you wouldn't do this obviously if there is a risk of a counterspell or an unsummon effect, but with Phyrexian mana leaving the format an opponent being tapped out means you can go all in!

I don't agree with Abrupt Decay in the main, it seems like much more of a SB card. I do agree that Geist is not going to work well. I do think the list would benefit more from Slitherhead than diegraf ghoul though simply because of his synergy with Lotleth troll.
Highborn is quite good though, very good point with rancor.

Updated the list to account for mana fixing. I still really think that having 4 forests and hoping for a T2 Geist is worth it. If you drop him T2 you can swing for 3-4 (With a turn 1 Slitherhead/Gravecrawler, respectively) then T3 drop a Messenger assuming Cemetary/Tomb T1/T2

Yeah I suppose you could do Diegraf Ghoul instead of Strangleroot, Strangleroot is just such a better body...it'll be hard to pry me away from him lol

Scavenge is really only great when the creature already died or on the Lotleth Troll, but I think it'll still be viable with the undying guys.

That's a good point. I'll have to try it both ways.

Geist is just so good right now, but I could cut it for a few guildmages/ additional removal.


Also: Anfarius, I agree it would be tough to do Geist and Messenger, but it is possible. He's just so good right now that it's hard for me not to want to play him! lol

Very true, it will. Hadn't even thought about that. Hopefully it's not as powerful as I was inferring with that made-up charm.

This is the final build of BG Zombies that I will be trying after the RTR pre-release.

(Any input is welcome, also pardon the no card tags, as I wrote this on my phone) FINALIZED THIS

The board looks like this so far:

Thanks gang! Appreciate it.

Mindslaver
Sorin Markov

I know when taking an opponent's turn you can look at their sideboard in addition to their face-down exiled cards and hand, but I can't remember the exact ruling on it.

Thanks!