How does this deck stack up against control decks like Jeskai Control? I'm thinking of dusting off my old Martyr-proc deck and giving it a go at my next FNM.
It depends pretty heavily on the build and how many Planeswalker answers you have, but it can be 50/50. Field and Ghost Quarter answer Colonnade neatly and they don't pressure our life totals, so we can get under them. They typically get their game-ending state online quicker and faster than us, though. I find the BW list does the best, as it has a hard to deal with threat in Blood Baron of Vizkopa and more main deck answers.
Hey guys! What about ajani's welcome? It's a one-sided sister but it's an enchantment...so it's bit less vulnerable to removals. What do you think?
One-sided Sisters usually don't trigger enough to be relevant. The fact that it won't trigger other sisters on casts also hurts it. Probably not worth running.
As for Isolate, it's a neatly designed card. Getting rid of Vial slows down a ton of decks - it also kills Cranial Plating while giving us a way to kill a turn 1 Bird or Noble. Probably worth a look for the sideboard.
@BoBoCTiberius - how necessary have you found T1 TS/IOK to be to make the discard package effective? No Marsh Flats so thinking of running Isolated Chapels/godless shrines with Windswept Heaths in the meantime. Running my usual list this week but I wana give that idea a swing for sure next week.
The play has to be turn 1 Sister/Discard, turn 2 the other part of that coin. Turn 1 Discard makes turn 2 Auriok easier, but it's also not incredibly necessary against the decks where you want it. There will be games where you turn 1 fire it off and take Goyf or other 2-drop threat that you're less likely to nab if you don't play the discard spell turn 1, but against the decks where you need it (combo or Lantern), I think it's still fine to do it turn 2.
We're not bad against Ponza as long as our manabase isn't too greedy. Most of our spells only have 1-white Pip, and we can operate from a very low curve to get faster than them. If they keep a hate-heavy hand or resolve a Titan, it can be rough. As for Jund, their overreliance on Bloodbraid makes them better for us, provided you run the Aurioks to chump it. We're still weak to discard into Goyf into Lili, though.
I scrubbed out with Martyr at GP Phoenix, so I took this version of our ladies for a spin at side events and had an incredible time. I did win the matchup lottery, so grain of salt, but I went 6-0 against Merfolk, Goblins, Burn, Taxes, Living End, and Hollow One. I know it's a budget buster, but I legitimately think the discard package solves so many problems (if I didn't have shocklands, I'd probably main 4 Leylines - Bogles is doing it and we attack the game very similarly.) I think it'll be my play for a few weeks while I recover from being a control player for a bit.
Weathered Wayfarer is a really tough cut. I might go down to one in my main, one in the side, but it's too good against Tron to really be considered a major cut target for me.
I run 2 Eidolon of Rhetoric, so I definitely think a second Rule of Law makes sense.
Not seeing a ton for us in the new Dominaria leak, but these might crack some lists. (Spoiler tagged in case you don't like leaks.)
Urza's Ruinous Blast
4W
Legendary Sorcery
(You may cast a legendary sorcery only if you control a legendary creature or planeswalker.)
Exile all nonland permanents that aren't legendary.
Seems excellent against a deck like Lantern or Bogles if you're in a Gideon-heavy build.
Damping Sphere
2
Artifact
If a land is tapped for two or more mana, it produces C instead of any other type and amount.
Each spell a player casts costs 1 more to cast for each other spell that player has cast this turn.
This can stop Tron while also neutering Storm, Ad Naseum and Ponza. Seems like a worthy sideboard card.
Dusk also has the benefit of being very unlikely to hit your tokens. If you don't have a Pridemate in play, it's completely one-sided and virtually maindeck-able. I'd also be interested in the Bitterblossom play, but where to cut is difficult. My gut says the Freebooter, but that actually seems very good against combo decks, which are our mortal enemies.
It's an awesome looking list and I'm excited to see how you do with it. My big thought would be how necessary are 23 lands with 3 Landings, as I've been able to cheat down to as low as 21 with them, which would open up two more slots.
That's my instinct, too. Needle on Vial is very strong against Humans or D&T, but there's a solid chance we'll be on the play against Humans, so Spyglass does functionally the same thing on time. Knowing what Jund/Junk has and being able to name the right thing (Lili vs. Ooze) seems very good.
Speaking of Needle vs. Spyglass, what do you guys think is the better move? Spyglass seems fantastic against UW, but there are a lot of games where we need to hit certain things on turn 2, but not on turn 1.
My worry about that infinite life combo is that even though it's able to go off without a sister (which our other infinite combo, Leonin Relic-Warder and Phyrexian Metamorph, can't do), the two pieces aren't amazing without the other.
My favorite card is Serra Ascendant. It's so limited and restrictive in the decks you play it, but getting it online just excites my inner timmy so much.
It depends pretty heavily on the build and how many Planeswalker answers you have, but it can be 50/50. Field and Ghost Quarter answer Colonnade neatly and they don't pressure our life totals, so we can get under them. They typically get their game-ending state online quicker and faster than us, though. I find the BW list does the best, as it has a hard to deal with threat in Blood Baron of Vizkopa and more main deck answers.
One-sided Sisters usually don't trigger enough to be relevant. The fact that it won't trigger other sisters on casts also hurts it. Probably not worth running.
As for Isolate, it's a neatly designed card. Getting rid of Vial slows down a ton of decks - it also kills Cranial Plating while giving us a way to kill a turn 1 Bird or Noble. Probably worth a look for the sideboard.
If we're playing things for Terese, splash green for Essence Warden.
As for the new card, I got pumped for it to throw into Karlov EDH, but it won't do much in modern. We get enough lifegain triggers.
The play has to be turn 1 Sister/Discard, turn 2 the other part of that coin. Turn 1 Discard makes turn 2 Auriok easier, but it's also not incredibly necessary against the decks where you want it. There will be games where you turn 1 fire it off and take Goyf or other 2-drop threat that you're less likely to nab if you don't play the discard spell turn 1, but against the decks where you need it (combo or Lantern), I think it's still fine to do it turn 2.
I scrubbed out with Martyr at GP Phoenix, so I took this version of our ladies for a spin at side events and had an incredible time. I did win the matchup lottery, so grain of salt, but I went 6-0 against Merfolk, Goblins, Burn, Taxes, Living End, and Hollow One. I know it's a budget buster, but I legitimately think the discard package solves so many problems (if I didn't have shocklands, I'd probably main 4 Leylines - Bogles is doing it and we attack the game very similarly.) I think it'll be my play for a few weeks while I recover from being a control player for a bit.
3 Soul Warden
3 Soul's Attendant
3 Auriok Champion
2 Archangel of Thune
4 Spectral Procession
4 Lingering Souls
4 Path to Exile
4 Honor of the Pure
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Thoughtseize
1 Dusk//Dawn
1 Brave The Elements
4 Marsh Flats
4 Godless Shrines
3 Ghost Quarter
2 Shambling Vent
2 Windbrisk Heights
1 Swamp
I run 2 Eidolon of Rhetoric, so I definitely think a second Rule of Law makes sense.
4W
Legendary Sorcery
(You may cast a legendary sorcery only if you control a legendary creature or planeswalker.)
Exile all nonland permanents that aren't legendary.
Seems excellent against a deck like Lantern or Bogles if you're in a Gideon-heavy build.
Damping Sphere
2
Artifact
If a land is tapped for two or more mana, it produces C instead of any other type and amount.
Each spell a player casts costs 1 more to cast for each other spell that player has cast this turn.
This can stop Tron while also neutering Storm, Ad Naseum and Ponza. Seems like a worthy sideboard card.
It's an awesome looking list and I'm excited to see how you do with it. My big thought would be how necessary are 23 lands with 3 Landings, as I've been able to cheat down to as low as 21 with them, which would open up two more slots.