I have access to most of the exspenaive cards in this deck and i wish to build it but... i dont want to necesarrily buy misty rainforest when i have scalding tarn already. I am not well versed in this deck but could i use tarns instead of misties.
You could. The most important basics to get when playing the deck are basic Forest and basic Isalnd. Misty allows for a turn 1 basic foest into Search for tomorrow. Without a Misty, this play is obviously not viable, so you just have to understand your manabase is going to hurt slightly more than normal. Also, if you aren't playing with Prismatic Omen, fetches become less appealing in general.
Izzet Charm is fantastic in this deck because all three abilities are actually relevant. The draw 2 discard 2 part is actually the one I use the least because it's so card-disadvantageous I only use it at the end of the game where I know if I don't find a Scapeshift ASAP, I'm gonna end up dead in a turn or two. Most of the time I use it to burn opposing creatures that are causing trouble like DRS or Bob or Aven Mindcensor or Meliria. It's also great at stopping Tron from rolling over you with Karn.
As for Farseek vs. Explore, I've backed off Explore. When it works properly, it's amazing, but I was just having too many times where all it did was draw me a card but I missed the extra land drop. I determined that I liked the certainty of the guaranteed ramp, especially since Farseek is the only card that can get shocklands. Explore kinda requires you to build your deck around it with cards like Serum Visions and Halimar Depths to manipulate your ability to draw into the extra lands you want to play.
With the new Temple scry lands, any chance you're going to play any of those over Halimar? I also use Explore, but cultivate as well (I play with 3-4 omens and 3 Valas) and I've also been exploring manlands as an option B as I hate Leyline of Sanctity, but I started with halimar depths like yourself.
Hi guys ive just started to play modern and as I used to love valakut in standard i thought id try Titan shift. I've got a few questions mainly but please remember I'm new to modern.
1, Why fetch lands, i understand them when utilising land fall triggers, ie lotus cobra, garden etc but just for deck thinning, is it that great?
2, Ive looked at the Titan shift decks closely but they all seem fairly slow in the ramp method, in standard i was aiming for t3 or t4 Titans all the time but here I'm struggling to see that ever happening, am I missing the point?
3, is remand here just to protect the combo?
Thanks for your help guys I'm looking forward to a new type of game.
Hey there! Welcome to modern. I've played Scapeshift for about a year now and have a decent amount of experience with Scapeshift and U/W midrange/control in modern so I'll try and answer questions as best I can.
1.) 4-6 Fetches are generally considered necessary depending on the version of scapeshift you are playing. The cryptic versions require UUU to cast cryptic, UR for izzet charms, and GG for scapeshift. Some fetches are needed to ensure you can hit these spells on time. Additionally, the Cryptic lists usually also run Flooded Grove.
Non-cryptic lists are playing Prismatic Omen. This is the biggest and best reason to play with 6+ Fetches. With an active Omen/Valakut, a fetch is 6 damage, with 3 of it being instant, meaning you can take out a pesky haste creature or interact in ways usually not available.
2.)Titan/Shift lists are about brute strength. They usually also involve Omen, but with these lists you're looking to stay alive long enough to either: a)allow them to make a mistake so that you can resolve a haymaker and win -OR- b)try and go off right before you die. This is a control/combo deck. I personally don't play with Titan, as Omen and Scapeshift are win coniditions themselves, so playing 10+ win conditions in a combo/control list will often leave you dead with pieces in hand.
3.)Remand is a jack of all trades. Because Scapeshift win's the game on the spot, often all you need is one extra turn. Whether it's delaying an Ajani, a Cranial Plating, or a Deathrite, this deck needs land drops to win and Remand is often considered a virtual time walk. It pulls double duty protecting your combo.
Pre-Ravnica, I posted that NO Bug was unviable. With Deathrite Shaman and Abrupt Decay, I have been playing the deck with a lot of success. I top 4'ed a 25 man tourney, went 6-1-1 in a team tournament, finishing in 5th (cut to top 4), and won a bunch of small 8-10 tourneys. The deck is extremely strong against any creature decks. NO package, be it BUG, RUG, or BANT is very strong right now IMO. Bant gives you access to voice of ressurgence, which could possibly be extremely strong. I like BUG personally for D shaman, decay, as well as Engineered Plague out of the board.
A couple bullet notes about the archetype:
-Shardless agent works well in the deck. Nonbo with daze so you probably need to choose one or the other.
-If playing with agent, I strongly recommend Jitte MD and 2 Arbor elves since if you hit GSZ you can still ramp.
-I will trying Ruric Thar the Unbowed against combo decks/control.
-Life from the Loam has been one of my best sideboard cards.
-I play Scavenging Ooze MD alongside Goyf. It has always been amazing. It puts you over the top in Deathrite/Goyf mirrors.
-Vendilion Clique is a house. Play it.
Hey guys...I haven't read everything in this forum, but it looks like a lot of people are confused as to which way to go with UW so I thought I would chime in. Back at GP Toronto, I went 6-3 missing day 2 losing to what at the time were only bad match-ups (UR storm, and Tokens...3rd loss was against a Jund nut draw). I put together the deck at 2 in the morning the day of, audibling from grixis control in our hotel room because I couldn't close out games. I would have liked to have some different cards in my 75 but not a bad showing all things considered.
Next I took the deck to a PTQ with some updates. I ended up 6-0-2, making top 8 and losing to mono red which was again...a bad matchup. The Finks help...but you really need to rely on drawing multiple as the deck doesn't really work until you have 4 mana. Anyhow, here's my PTQ 5th place decklist:
This version is very strong against aggro, but it loses percentages in the combo matchups (Tron, Mono Red, Eggs). You're ok against control solely on the back on Revelations, however planeswalkers are a problem. The SB is designed to shore up those weaknesses, however Burn is still a relatively tough match-up depending on the draw and the version. I think I misplayed my top 8 matchup against burn and could have won had I played better.
For the current Meta-game (Pod, Tron, Affinity, Junk, and Twin being probably the strongest decks), I'm moving to more of an esper build for the gifts/unburial rites package. Elesh norn is game over against so many decks...and terrastadon is extremely powerful against the Tron and other combo decks. Bringing in thoughtseize from the SB will shore up combo matchups, and the deck is already well suited to beat most aggro decks.
I'll post a list once I'm finished.
*unfinished...working on tags
My point before, was that this card supplied half of the engine to a mono-white control deck that could exist in a format generally considered more broken than legacy, and everyone here just ignore this and can`t see past their own narrow mindedness.
Parfait existed in many iterations, with many different colours, and combatted almost all but the fastest of decks.
The best part of all these discussions is the people arguing..."They kill your tax you lose1!1!!!"
Apparently people are either so disconnected from history or they are just completely unable to look at a card and figure out where it might be good.
Parfait was a deck that traditionally played as a control deck, and believe it or not, land tax/scroll rack were not the only cards in the deck! If you kill the land tax, that's one less answer for the impending Humility (or whatever they're actual control cards are).
May all the nay-sayers die to a turn 8 one-shot charbelcher.
I know this thread is for NO RUG, however I have a feeling that at this time, the best direction to take this take is to NO BANT.
I had been debating for a while what I wanted to do, and NO RUG seemed the better plan just because it has Lightning Bolt as removal which can obviously pressure life total, as well as Red Elemental Blast in the sideboard.
That being said, white offers the best removal in the format, and with the rise of both RUG Delver, and Sneak and Show, Blue Elemental Blast becomes a little bit better giving us access to a decent blast as well.
Recently, there was a Maverick list that ran 2 Natural Order and our 10 mana friend to I believe a tournament victory over in Europe.
I think going perhaps BANT with a Maverick-esque shell and a non-4 number of Natural Orders could be the correct way of taking this deck. I know that perhaps people will say this doesn't belong here, however I believe in it's current iteration, NO RUG simply does not have the tools to compete with the top decks.
I have somewhat of a list in mind, but I don't want to post anything if people think this would not belong here.
i have question because i really dislike net-decking. how viable could a NO BUG build be? i feel like sinkhole and bob would really add to the tempo and you have ghastly demise or go for the throat/ smother and diabolic edict couple with some snapcaster mages and you would be pretty set. i think snapcaster mage makes a NO BUG idea a lot more viable? i appreciate any input
I also really want to run NO BUG, however it isn't viable.
Black gives you access to Thoughtseize, Duress, Inquisition of Kozilek. With Thoughtseize being the best, it's usually not going to be great against all the decks running red. And the other options aren't too great either, considering they are narrow and don't necessarily advance our hand/plan. Sinkhole just does nothing for us. And finally the removal is all sub-par. Bolt and STP are > Ghastly demise and far greater than anything at 2cmc (see Spell Snare/Mother of Runes).
It sounds to me like you are just advocating Team America (BUG TEMPO) with a Progenitus finish.
I feel like 7 NO-able creatures is far too few. I'd probably cut one of the cliques for a second Arbor since it's the easiest thing to find, and I'd remove GSZ completely. Filling the slots with some mix of Ooze/goyf.
The more I think about it, the less this makes sense (not to flame). Adding a second arbor while cutting GSZ altogether makes no sense at all. You don't want it in your opening hand, but you love to GSZ it on turn 1 to ramp your mana.
All that being said, I really do understand you're argument. I think you go about answering it the wrong way however. First thing to note, is that the list I posted is Reid Duke's list. Secondly, in the video where he plays this list, he mentions cutting the Snapcaster and that he probably wants more goyf. Not as more NO targets but simply because it's a good creature.
I played a list at a local FNM, 3 rounds and cut to top 4. I split in the finals with a friend. I played against a Zombies deck that incorporated Worship which actually beat me one game when he was at 1 life due to Prog. Unfortunately prog doesn't have protection from worship.
Anyhow round 1 was against a budget U/R delver list. I crushed it, nothing to note about either game. His only threat was Delver, to which I have lightning bolts.
Round 2 was against Zombies. I lost game 2 due to not countering worship. I pulled the old, "I don't need to FoW, I'll just kill all his creatures". 3 Lingering Souls later and a butt load of flying later, such was not the case. Game 3 I just won with the aggro beats. He doombladed a goyf. I BS in response to find Bolt double land. He's at 6, and I have a Grim Lavamancer on board. He takes 5 EOT. I untap and win.
Round 3 was against my friend playing a blade variant. This is my first time really playing NO RUG. I played a homebrew NO RUG/Punishing Fires/Counter Top deck before. It was kinda random but I had some success. Anyhow, I had basically no idea how to play THIS (the real) NO RUG and so I lost due to misplaying.
I come 4th and play against the same Stoneblade deck.
I lose game 1, but game 2 Pyroblast keeps him honest. Eventually we go into top deck mode, and I play more Jaces than he does. I Jace ult and win.
Game 3 our friend playing dredge won his semi finals, so we are going to friendly 3 way split. But I make him play anyhow for fun. It was a fun game, in which I get very dominant board position by pitching prog to a FoW, which causes my opponent to Wrath (we are also both playing very loose as we already know we are all going to split). It was a really strong Wrath for him as it cleared my Dryad Arbor and Noble Hierarch, but I believe I either top-deck one of his Tarmogoyf or a Scavenging Ooze and just win (kinda :P).
*Sorry for tags in some places and in other places none, as well as for a not too in-depth report (It's not overly competitive, therefore no serious notes, but we all usually have a lot of fun).
Clique is awesome as a 4-of. I know a lot of people like 3, but Vendillion Clique usually does so much work, including trading with Delvers, Mongeese, and other creatures, as well as get's rid of opposing batterskulls or your own prog. I understand people who cut 3, but for now I am sticking with 4.
Finally, Ancient Grudge did some HEAVY lifting. It was amazing. I sided out goyfs against my friends stoneblade deck as he was siding in Threads of Disloyalty for his Spell Snare, and grudge was just plain amazing. I never had to bolt a Stoneforge Mystic as between grudge and Clique I would always basically Time walk, which inevitably led to board advantage every post sideboard game.
This deck might be able to run a semi-transformational sideboard if people wish to go the Punishing Fires route. Sideing out FoW and the NO package against control for some Counterbalances and REBS. Seems like if you can get the numbers to work, this could be very dirty. It would also mean playing the Sylvan main, probably a second one side and a top, and 3 Counterbalance, with 4 REBs side.
Other cards to consider as targets in my opinion are: Wall of Blossoms Cantrips itself and provides you with an early game ground blocker, which is relevant in MOST matchups. Also won't die to bolt, Mongoose, or an early goyf. Kitchen Finks Great card in aggro match-ups as they usually have to spend at least one whole card to deal with half of yours. Great value with Natural Order as well. Eternal Witness in grindy control match-ups this card single-handedly allows you to buyback/cast Natural Order Natural Order.
*I'm thinking of playing this list or this core rather, but I'm not sure if i want to replace the Forked Bolt with a Grim Lavamancer, if the Sylvan Library, should stay, become another goyf, or another Jace. Also I'm taking out the Snapcaster Mage for a second goyf, which Reid says he's probably doing as well.
Reid went 6-2 against against both RUG Tempo and against Esper Stoneblade with Intuition, and actually lost 6-2 against Maverick. 2 losses to Maverick were due to a mull to 5 in both games 2 and 3 in their first round of testing.
He talks about using grove combo, upping his land count but doesn't delve into too much detail.
I'll be playing this weekend against a host of B aggro type decks, including two B/W stoneforge, B/R controllish, Nic Fit, ROCK MAVERICK, and possibly another Maverick. Any advice as to changes would be greatly appreciated.
If you want to play blue black control and you want to play it on the cheap...you should be looking at a tap-out style deck...which means you use your mana on each of your turns. IMO you want to do this mostly because UB controls biggest assets are counters and discard, and counters will be more expensive than dicsard (Inquisition of kozilek and duress/cabal therapy vs FoW and Spell Snare). I would start your deck with Inquisition and from there figure out a kill condition. Perhaps one you could explore is Mindshrieker. If you could afford Tombstalker the two cards seem to have a natural synergy.
If you like this basic concept let me know as I have an idea of what else I would put in. Also, why do you want to splash? I feel as though you want to play a particular card or set of cards. I love three colour decks and grixis in general, but I am fortunate enough to have every dual. I can't imagine playing 3 colours without duals OR fetches.
So a little idea as to where you are coming from would help.
What is NORUG strong against naturally? Does it perform better against creature decks or control decks? What is the best way to shore up it's matchups in both?
Decks that specifically come to mind:
Aggro:
Merfolk, Goblins, Zoo
Aggro/Control:
U/R Delver, Rug Tempo, Maverick, Junk (maverick with black for confidants/thoughtseizes), Stoneblade (Bant, U/W, B/W)
Control:
Landstill, Some BUG lists, Any other control.
Just looking for what might be tricky match-ups, things to watch for, and the hardest archetype.
You could. The most important basics to get when playing the deck are basic Forest and basic Isalnd. Misty allows for a turn 1 basic foest into Search for tomorrow. Without a Misty, this play is obviously not viable, so you just have to understand your manabase is going to hurt slightly more than normal. Also, if you aren't playing with Prismatic Omen, fetches become less appealing in general.
With the new Temple scry lands, any chance you're going to play any of those over Halimar? I also use Explore, but cultivate as well (I play with 3-4 omens and 3 Valas) and I've also been exploring manlands as an option B as I hate Leyline of Sanctity, but I started with halimar depths like yourself.
Hey there! Welcome to modern. I've played Scapeshift for about a year now and have a decent amount of experience with Scapeshift and U/W midrange/control in modern so I'll try and answer questions as best I can.
1.) 4-6 Fetches are generally considered necessary depending on the version of scapeshift you are playing. The cryptic versions require UUU to cast cryptic, UR for izzet charms, and GG for scapeshift. Some fetches are needed to ensure you can hit these spells on time. Additionally, the Cryptic lists usually also run Flooded Grove.
Non-cryptic lists are playing Prismatic Omen. This is the biggest and best reason to play with 6+ Fetches. With an active Omen/Valakut, a fetch is 6 damage, with 3 of it being instant, meaning you can take out a pesky haste creature or interact in ways usually not available.
2.)Titan/Shift lists are about brute strength. They usually also involve Omen, but with these lists you're looking to stay alive long enough to either: a)allow them to make a mistake so that you can resolve a haymaker and win -OR- b)try and go off right before you die. This is a control/combo deck. I personally don't play with Titan, as Omen and Scapeshift are win coniditions themselves, so playing 10+ win conditions in a combo/control list will often leave you dead with pieces in hand.
3.)Remand is a jack of all trades. Because Scapeshift win's the game on the spot, often all you need is one extra turn. Whether it's delaying an Ajani, a Cranial Plating, or a Deathrite, this deck needs land drops to win and Remand is often considered a virtual time walk. It pulls double duty protecting your combo.
A couple bullet notes about the archetype:
-Shardless agent works well in the deck. Nonbo with daze so you probably need to choose one or the other.
-If playing with agent, I strongly recommend Jitte MD and 2 Arbor elves since if you hit GSZ you can still ramp.
-I will trying Ruric Thar the Unbowed against combo decks/control.
-Life from the Loam has been one of my best sideboard cards.
-I play Scavenging Ooze MD alongside Goyf. It has always been amazing. It puts you over the top in Deathrite/Goyf mirrors.
-Vendilion Clique is a house. Play it.
Next I took the deck to a PTQ with some updates. I ended up 6-0-2, making top 8 and losing to mono red which was again...a bad matchup. The Finks help...but you really need to rely on drawing multiple as the deck doesn't really work until you have 4 mana. Anyhow, here's my PTQ 5th place decklist:
1 Sun Titan
4 Kitchen Finks
3 Wall of Omens
2 Restoration Angel
2 Snapcaster Mage
1 Phantasmal Image
1 Vendilion Clique
3 Sphinx's Revelation
2 Remand
2 Mana Leak
3 Spell Snare
4 Path to Exile
1 Into the Roil
3 Cryptic Command
1 Detention Sphere
6 Island
2 Plains
2 Tectonic Edge
4 Scalding Tarn
1 Ghost Quarter
4 Seachrome Coast
4 Celestial Colonnade
2 Hallowed Fountain
2 Batterskull
1 Baneslayer Angel
2 Aven Mindcensor
1 Phantasmal Image
3 Stony Silence
1 Dispel
2 Negate
2 Vendilion Clique
1 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
This version is very strong against aggro, but it loses percentages in the combo matchups (Tron, Mono Red, Eggs). You're ok against control solely on the back on Revelations, however planeswalkers are a problem. The SB is designed to shore up those weaknesses, however Burn is still a relatively tough match-up depending on the draw and the version. I think I misplayed my top 8 matchup against burn and could have won had I played better.
For the current Meta-game (Pod, Tron, Affinity, Junk, and Twin being probably the strongest decks), I'm moving to more of an esper build for the gifts/unburial rites package. Elesh norn is game over against so many decks...and terrastadon is extremely powerful against the Tron and other combo decks. Bringing in thoughtseize from the SB will shore up combo matchups, and the deck is already well suited to beat most aggro decks.
I'll post a list once I'm finished.
*unfinished...working on tags
Parfait existed in many iterations, with many different colours, and combatted almost all but the fastest of decks.
Apparently people are either so disconnected from history or they are just completely unable to look at a card and figure out where it might be good.
Parfait was a deck that traditionally played as a control deck, and believe it or not, land tax/scroll rack were not the only cards in the deck! If you kill the land tax, that's one less answer for the impending Humility (or whatever they're actual control cards are).
May all the nay-sayers die to a turn 8 one-shot charbelcher.
I had been debating for a while what I wanted to do, and NO RUG seemed the better plan just because it has Lightning Bolt as removal which can obviously pressure life total, as well as Red Elemental Blast in the sideboard.
That being said, white offers the best removal in the format, and with the rise of both RUG Delver, and Sneak and Show, Blue Elemental Blast becomes a little bit better giving us access to a decent blast as well.
Recently, there was a Maverick list that ran 2 Natural Order and our 10 mana friend to I believe a tournament victory over in Europe.
I think going perhaps BANT with a Maverick-esque shell and a non-4 number of Natural Orders could be the correct way of taking this deck. I know that perhaps people will say this doesn't belong here, however I believe in it's current iteration, NO RUG simply does not have the tools to compete with the top decks.
I have somewhat of a list in mind, but I don't want to post anything if people think this would not belong here.
I also really want to run NO BUG, however it isn't viable.
From RUG lists you lose
Lightning Bolt
Grim Lavamancer
Fire//Ice
And most importantly from the SB
Red Elemental Blast
And from BANT you would lose
Swords to Plowshares
Knight of the Reliquary (If you choose to use him)
Qasali Pridemage
Among a whole SLEW of sideboard options.
Black gives you access to
Thoughtseize, Duress, Inquisition of Kozilek. With Thoughtseize being the best, it's usually not going to be great against all the decks running red. And the other options aren't too great either, considering they are narrow and don't necessarily advance our hand/plan. Sinkhole just does nothing for us. And finally the removal is all sub-par. Bolt and STP are > Ghastly demise and far greater than anything at 2cmc (see Spell Snare/Mother of Runes).
It sounds to me like you are just advocating Team America (BUG TEMPO) with a Progenitus finish.
Again, that's not my list. It is Reid Duke's list.
@Dyne: Are you including GSZ as green creature's?
In my list I had 11 if you count the GSZs and 9 if you don't.
The more I think about it, the less this makes sense (not to flame). Adding a second arbor while cutting GSZ altogether makes no sense at all. You don't want it in your opening hand, but you love to GSZ it on turn 1 to ramp your mana.
All that being said, I really do understand you're argument. I think you go about answering it the wrong way however. First thing to note, is that the list I posted is Reid Duke's list. Secondly, in the video where he plays this list, he mentions cutting the Snapcaster and that he probably wants more goyf. Not as more NO targets but simply because it's a good creature.
I played a list at a local FNM, 3 rounds and cut to top 4. I split in the finals with a friend. I played against a Zombies deck that incorporated Worship which actually beat me one game when he was at 1 life due to Prog. Unfortunately prog doesn't have protection from worship.
Anyhow round 1 was against a budget U/R delver list. I crushed it, nothing to note about either game. His only threat was Delver, to which I have lightning bolts.
Round 2 was against Zombies. I lost game 2 due to not countering worship. I pulled the old, "I don't need to FoW, I'll just kill all his creatures". 3 Lingering Souls later and a butt load of flying later, such was not the case. Game 3 I just won with the aggro beats. He doombladed a goyf. I BS in response to find Bolt double land. He's at 6, and I have a Grim Lavamancer on board. He takes 5 EOT. I untap and win.
Round 3 was against my friend playing a blade variant. This is my first time really playing NO RUG. I played a homebrew NO RUG/Punishing Fires/Counter Top deck before. It was kinda random but I had some success. Anyhow, I had basically no idea how to play THIS (the real) NO RUG and so I lost due to misplaying.
I come 4th and play against the same Stoneblade deck.
I lose game 1, but game 2 Pyroblast keeps him honest. Eventually we go into top deck mode, and I play more Jaces than he does. I Jace ult and win.
Game 3 our friend playing dredge won his semi finals, so we are going to friendly 3 way split. But I make him play anyhow for fun. It was a fun game, in which I get very dominant board position by pitching prog to a FoW, which causes my opponent to Wrath (we are also both playing very loose as we already know we are all going to split). It was a really strong Wrath for him as it cleared my Dryad Arbor and Noble Hierarch, but I believe I either top-deck one of his Tarmogoyf or a Scavenging Ooze and just win (kinda :P).
The list I played is very similar to Reid's. I subbed a TarmoGoyf for his Snapcaster Mage and a Grim Lavamancer for his Sylvan Library due to playing mostly semi-budget aggro decks.
*Sorry for tags in some places and in other places none, as well as for a not too in-depth report (It's not overly competitive, therefore no serious notes, but we all usually have a lot of fun).
**Thoughts
I REALLY like Grim Lavamancer in here. I think he's much better than Snapcaster. I'm also not sure you want 2x Jace, the mind sculptor and a Sylvan Library.
Clique is awesome as a 4-of. I know a lot of people like 3, but Vendillion Clique usually does so much work, including trading with Delvers, Mongeese, and other creatures, as well as get's rid of opposing batterskulls or your own prog. I understand people who cut 3, but for now I am sticking with 4.
Finally, Ancient Grudge did some HEAVY lifting. It was amazing. I sided out goyfs against my friends stoneblade deck as he was siding in Threads of Disloyalty for his Spell Snare, and grudge was just plain amazing. I never had to bolt a Stoneforge Mystic as between grudge and Clique I would always basically Time walk, which inevitably led to board advantage every post sideboard game.
This deck might be able to run a semi-transformational sideboard if people wish to go the Punishing Fires route. Sideing out FoW and the NO package against control for some Counterbalances and REBS. Seems like if you can get the numbers to work, this could be very dirty. It would also mean playing the Sylvan main, probably a second one side and a top, and 3 Counterbalance, with 4 REBs side.
I understand if you wish to argue that you need a minimum number of green creatures to sacrifice to Natural Order, however I think you need to count the Green sun's zenith as creatures 8-10 in this case. Green Sun's Zenith allows Tarmogoyf and Scavenging Ooze to get around Spell Snare, it can get you an additional Noble Hierarch exalted trigger which is very relevant, and can allow you to run 1 of's like Scavenging Ooze and Kitchen Finks.
Other cards to consider as targets in my opinion are:
Wall of Blossoms Cantrips itself and provides you with an early game ground blocker, which is relevant in MOST matchups. Also won't die to bolt, Mongoose, or an early goyf.
Kitchen Finks Great card in aggro match-ups as they usually have to spend at least one whole card to deal with half of yours. Great value with Natural Order as well.
Eternal Witness in grindy control match-ups this card single-handedly allows you to buyback/cast Natural Order
Natural Order.
4 Noble Hierarch
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Tarmogoyf
Enchantments
1 Sylvan Library
Instants
4 Brainstorm
3 Daze
4 Force of Will
4 Lightning Bolt
Legendary Creatures
1 Progenitus
4 Vendilion Clique
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Sorceries
1 Forked Bolt
3 Green Sun's Zenith
4 Natural Order
2 Ponder
Basic Lands
1 Forest
1 Island
Lands
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Taiga
4 Tropical Island
3 Volcanic Island
4 Wooded Foothills
1 Dryad Arbor
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Tormod's Crypt
1 Sylvan Library
1 Threads of Disloyalty
2 Ancient Grudge
1 Blue Elemental Blast
4 Red Elemental Blast
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Dryad Arbor
*I'm thinking of playing this list or this core rather, but I'm not sure if i want to replace the Forked Bolt with a Grim Lavamancer, if the Sylvan Library, should stay, become another goyf, or another Jace. Also I'm taking out the Snapcaster Mage for a second goyf, which Reid says he's probably doing as well.
Reid went 6-2 against against both RUG Tempo and against Esper Stoneblade with Intuition, and actually lost 6-2 against Maverick. 2 losses to Maverick were due to a mull to 5 in both games 2 and 3 in their first round of testing.
He talks about using grove combo, upping his land count but doesn't delve into too much detail.
If he did that, I would presume he would;
add:
2x Punishing Fires, 3x grove of the burnwillows
removing:
Snapcaster Mage, green sun's zenith, Forked Bolt, Scalding tarn and Taiga.
I'll be playing this weekend against a host of B aggro type decks, including two B/W stoneforge, B/R controllish, Nic Fit, ROCK MAVERICK, and possibly another Maverick. Any advice as to changes would be greatly appreciated.
If you like this basic concept let me know as I have an idea of what else I would put in. Also, why do you want to splash? I feel as though you want to play a particular card or set of cards. I love three colour decks and grixis in general, but I am fortunate enough to have every dual. I can't imagine playing 3 colours without duals OR fetches.
So a little idea as to where you are coming from would help.
Decks that specifically come to mind:
Aggro:
Merfolk, Goblins, Zoo
Aggro/Control:
U/R Delver, Rug Tempo, Maverick, Junk (maverick with black for confidants/thoughtseizes), Stoneblade (Bant, U/W, B/W)
Control:
Landstill, Some BUG lists, Any other control.
Just looking for what might be tricky match-ups, things to watch for, and the hardest archetype.
Thanks