So I've been playing BW Eldrazi Processor for a bit and realize its not the way to go. As also Jim Davis stated in an article, why am I trying to set up exile stuff so I can get full value out of Wasteland Strangler or Blight Herder? Instead I have opted for the "Deadguy Ale" style of BW build w/ the powerful Eldrazi. Here is my current list.
I chose Resto over Eldrazi Displacer as it not only survives bolts, but has evasion which is where I surprisingly win alot of my matches. Was just trying out Endbringer and liking him alot on the top end. If they can't remove him, its game over.
As a bit of a side note, gonna try to get my hands on a couple Spellskites to replace the Walls of Omens with. Will definetly help during the Burn, Bogles and Infect matchup.
Resto has been amazing. I picked her over Displacer simply because she doesnt die to bolt. Ppl just dont expect her. Also, Ive gone a more controling route. Almost like an Abzan midrange deck.
Ratchet Bomb was added as an answer for enchantments and/or artifacts. Fetches are a god send as it thins out my deck to lower the chance for flooding. Shadow of Doubt replaces Sign in Blood as great tempo and a main board answer for Scapeshift. Bojuka Bog and Leechridden Swamp are great utility lands. I'm loving this deck!
I really like Grave Titan but there is just too much removal in modern to deal with him. He really needs the protection of Blue (or even White) to be successful.
Sidisi,Undead Vizier has been great as a huge wall and allows me to search for whatever I need to get over, whether it be a sideboard card in game 2 or 3, a removal spell, or like you said, a Gray Merchant of Asphodel to win the game. Having too many Grays in my deck have clogged up my hand when I have a minimal or nonexistent board presence. There's nothing like playing Sidisi, sacking Bloodghast, searching for Mutilate against a Zoo player. But like I have stated, no more than one.
The land count is a bit lower than average but has worked quite alright with me. I chose Sign in Blood rather than Phyrexian Arena because that immediate draw is crucial. And it also won't kill me over time as Arena tends to do. Don't really care about devotion that much as this plays more like a straight up midrange deck that benefits from devotion. That singleton Sidisi, Undead Vizier has been pretty awesome. Wouldn't want more than one though. Lifebane Zombie from the side is amazing against Wilted Abzan. People just forgot about that guy it seems. The weakness of the deck I find is all stuff that hates on Pod decks. Its nice they're not around any longer.
Other options include Memoricide, Surgical Extraction and Extirpate (which when coupled with discard are pretty devastating). Unless your build is really removal-light, you shouldn't be dying to their creatures, and if you can remove their combo and other relevant stuff it's not a hard matchup.
I already have 2 Extirpate in the side. Memorcide is just to expensive to cast. Surgical can be stopped with schenanigans. My list has a more tempo-y feel. Hand and land hate. The board wipes seem relevant against alot of the aggro decks. Affinity and Pod have generally small butted creatures. I just gotta test more. Not giving up on this deck.
Seeing as how discard doesn't do much against the Pod matchup, I'd bring in more board control. Their creatures usually border on the smallish side anyway. 4 infest and a massacre wurm might be too much but I really hate that deck. The leylines didn't really do much for me as they would always kill it or I would keep drawing into them when I didn't need nor want them. And batterskull was just to slow. I was thinking grave titan or wurmcoil as a one of and went w/ the wurm as the lifelink is a very valid ability.
I've been playing this list with some moderate success. Just got into modern and wanted to play a deck that reminded me of my old Necro deck from back in the day. Lots of hand and land destruction and value creatures for the win.
Any suggestion would be appreciated. I was thinking of replacing batterskull with lashwrithe but the life gain seems very good as well as all the nonswamps I run tho I am running Urborg. The only thing I really feel it is lacking is more draw... but what to replace...
Combo has returned to standard. Purphoros, young pyromancer and beck equals win. All we need now are more supprt cards like draw and its a deck. Well this would be killer in modern for sure!
This card has been doing alot of work for me alnog with Mutavault and Demonic Rising in a Mono-B Control build. The zero activation is a blessing as I could Mutilate then activate into a creature, activate my Mutavault and then swing in. An all star for me for sure.
The plate mail/rising engine worked fantastic. People didn't see it coming. Originally I jad messenger in the list, but the last minute choice to play lifebane zombie proved better. My meta sees lots of green and white creatures being played. Both Lilys worked perfectly and I think they are at the right number for the deck.
The sideboard wasn't completely ideal. Bant hexproof was a horrible matchup. Really considering barter in blood. It would probably work too against dega midrange which I also had a problem with as my spot removal was almost rendered useless against them. Didn't see much control which I was expecting as this store usually has alot of. Sign in blood helped a little bit but I'm also considering 2 staff of nin and another corrupt to replace them but this ups my curve substancially. Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated.
3 reality smasher
3 matter reshaper
2 wall of omens
2 restoration angel
1 endbringer
4 lingering souls
4 path of exile
4 inquisition of kozilek
2 thoughtseize
3 dismember
1 sorin, solemn visitor
2 timely rienforcements
4 eldrazi temple
4 caves of kiolos
4 marsh flats
2 godless shrine
2 shambling vents
3 ghost quarter
1 vault of the archangel
2 plains
2 swamp
1 wastes
2 stony silence
1 disenchant
1 wrath of god
1 celestial purge
2 surgical extraction
2 relic of progenitus
1 phyrexian unlife
3 leyline of sanctity
I chose Resto over Eldrazi Displacer as it not only survives bolts, but has evasion which is where I surprisingly win alot of my matches. Was just trying out Endbringer and liking him alot on the top end. If they can't remove him, its game over.
As a bit of a side note, gonna try to get my hands on a couple Spellskites to replace the Walls of Omens with. Will definetly help during the Burn, Bogles and Infect matchup.
4 Thought-knot Seer
4 Reality Smasher
2 Restoration Angel
4 Lingering Souls
4 Relic of Progenitus
4 Path to Exile
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Thoughtseize
3 Dismember
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
4 Eldrazi Temple
4 Caves of Kiolos
1 Cavern of Souls
3 Marsh Flats
2 Godless Shrine
2 Shambling Vent
3 Ghost Quarter
1 Vault of the Archangel
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Wastes
1 Plains
1 Swamp
3 Timely Reinforcements
1 Wrath of God
2 Flaying Tendrils
2 Disenchant
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Stony Silence
Resto has been amazing. I picked her over Displacer simply because she doesnt die to bolt. Ppl just dont expect her. Also, Ive gone a more controling route. Almost like an Abzan midrange deck.
Deck is almost together and will start testing. Plan on taking this to GPLA.
4 Bloodghast
4 Geralf's Messenger
2 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
4 Thoughtseize
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Liliana of the Veil
4 Victim of Night
3 Dismember
1 Slaughter Pact
2 Shadow of Doubt
14 Swamp
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Polluted Delta
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Leechridden Swamp
3 Dragon's Claw
1 Damnation
2 Pithing Needle
3 Bile Blight
2 Lifebane Zombie
1 Disfigure
1 Ratchet Bomb
Ratchet Bomb was added as an answer for enchantments and/or artifacts. Fetches are a god send as it thins out my deck to lower the chance for flooding. Shadow of Doubt replaces Sign in Blood as great tempo and a main board answer for Scapeshift. Bojuka Bog and Leechridden Swamp are great utility lands. I'm loving this deck!
4 Bloodghast
4 Geralf's Messenger
2 Gray Merchant Of Asphodel
1 Sidisi, Undead Vizier
4 Victim of Night
3 Dismember
1 Slaughter Pact
4 Liliana of the Veil
4 Thoughtseize
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Sign in Blood
2 Lifebane Zombie
3 Rain of Tears
1 Mutilate
3 Dragon's Claw
1 Disfigure
2 Bile Blight
1 Ratchet Bomb
The land count is a bit lower than average but has worked quite alright with me. I chose Sign in Blood rather than Phyrexian Arena because that immediate draw is crucial. And it also won't kill me over time as Arena tends to do. Don't really care about devotion that much as this plays more like a straight up midrange deck that benefits from devotion. That singleton Sidisi, Undead Vizier has been pretty awesome. Wouldn't want more than one though. Lifebane Zombie from the side is amazing against Wilted Abzan. People just forgot about that guy it seems. The weakness of the deck I find is all stuff that hates on Pod decks. Its nice they're not around any longer.
I already have 2 Extirpate in the side. Memorcide is just to expensive to cast. Surgical can be stopped with schenanigans. My list has a more tempo-y feel. Hand and land hate. The board wipes seem relevant against alot of the aggro decks. Affinity and Pod have generally small butted creatures. I just gotta test more. Not giving up on this deck.
Out:
MB -1 batterskull
SB -4 leyline of the void
-2 pithing needle
In:
MB +1 wurmcoil engine
SB +2 shadow of doubt
+1 massacre wurm
+1infest
+2 deathmark
Seeing as how discard doesn't do much against the Pod matchup, I'd bring in more board control. Their creatures usually border on the smallish side anyway. 4 infest and a massacre wurm might be too much but I really hate that deck. The leylines didn't really do much for me as they would always kill it or I would keep drawing into them when I didn't need nor want them. And batterskull was just to slow. I was thinking grave titan or wurmcoil as a one of and went w/ the wurm as the lifelink is a very valid ability.
4 ash zealot
4 boros reckoner
4 chandra's pheonix
3 thundermaw hellkite
4 searing spear
4 pillar of flame
4 boros charm
4 warleader's helix
1 blasphamous act
4 clifftop retreat
4 sacred foundary
12 mountain
2 mutavault
4 skullcrack
3 rolling tremblor
3 mark of mutiny
3 volcanic strength
2 burning earth
We'll see how it goes. Not to sure about the single blasphamous act in the main.
4 vampire nighthawk
4 fulminator mage
4 phyrexian obliterator
1 batterskull
4 liliana of the veil
3 thoughtseize
3 inquisition of kozilek
3 abrupt decay
2 maelstrom pulse
2 dismember
3 phyrexian arena
4 verdant catacomb
4 tectonic edge
2 urborg, tomb of yawgmoth
4 overgrown tomb
1 forest
4 swamp
4 leyline of the void
2 extirpate
2 shadow of doubt
3 infest
2 maelstrom pulse
2 pithing needle
Any suggestion would be appreciated. I was thinking of replacing batterskull with lashwrithe but the life gain seems very good as well as all the nonswamps I run tho I am running Urborg. The only thing I really feel it is lacking is more draw... but what to replace...
The plate mail/rising engine worked fantastic. People didn't see it coming. Originally I jad messenger in the list, but the last minute choice to play lifebane zombie proved better. My meta sees lots of green and white creatures being played. Both Lilys worked perfectly and I think they are at the right number for the deck.
The sideboard wasn't completely ideal. Bant hexproof was a horrible matchup. Really considering barter in blood. It would probably work too against dega midrange which I also had a problem with as my spot removal was almost rendered useless against them. Didn't see much control which I was expecting as this store usually has alot of. Sign in blood helped a little bit but I'm also considering 2 staff of nin and another corrupt to replace them but this ups my curve substancially. Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated.
4 Diregraf Ghoul
4 Lotleth Troll
3 Blood Scrivener
4 Diregraf Captain
4 Geralf's Messenger
2 Evil Twin
3 Tragic Slip
3 Rancor
2 Abrupt Decay
1 Putrefy
3 Far / Away
4 Woodland Cemetery
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Watery Grave
4 Drowned Catacomb
4 Swamp
2 Cavern of Souls
1 Breeding Pool
2 Liliana of the Veil
1 Evil Twin
1 Abrupt Decay
2 Ghoulcaller's Chant
2 Sever the Bloodline
4 Cremate
I'll be playing this tonite. Details coming later.