Matchup History
Burn Variant 0-4 - this is my worst matchup so far. If I'm not able to play my Kor Firewalker on the 2nd turn, It's all downhill from there. And once they find our that I have a Siege Rhino, they hold on to their Skull cracks
Affinity 0-1 - I could have won this matchup, had I blocked the inkmoth. or counter the number of artifacts he had in play. Kataki is a good SB for this matchup
Living End 5-0 - I love this matchup, especially if I can cast a 2nd turn Geist of Saint Traft, and then on the 3rd turn, I leave my mana untapped to cast Spell Queller on his Living End. If that didn't happen I just play Siege Rhino, which is bigger than most of his creatures.
UW Control 3-1-1 - That one draw was when I played around with him. GST to Queller and another Queller is the usual headache for the UW Control player. Stormbreath dragon too.
BG/x Variant 4-0 - Keranos is great in this matchup as they have no means of killing it AFAIK. and it gives me a pseudo-one sided Howling mine. Reflector mage is hilarious against Tarmogoyfs
Infect 0-3 - Inkmoth is my main problem as I have no instant speed removal, which is why I now have Acidic Slime on my SB.
Mono U Tron 1-1 - I didn't have a sower of temptation when I lost to this deck to take care of his ulamog, ceaseless hunger. I don't have that problem now.
BW Tokens 1-2 - I didn't have blood baron of vizkopa then, so he can chump block my Stormbreath Dragon with tokens from his Bitterblossoms.
Merfolk 0-1 - Need to find a way to stop Aether Vial early.
UB Mill 0-2 - Hence the Inverter of truth
Dredge 1-0 - they apparently don't have anything to deal with a Siege Rhino or anything attacking from the air.
Ad Nauseam 1-0 - Tidehollow Sculler and Spell Quellers are beautiful annoyance to their combo
with Eldritch Evolution, i can get into play,creatures that the opponent doesn't like to see. For Example against PTE decks, we put down Stormbreath Dragons, against BW variants, we search for Blood Baron of Vizkopa. Annoying stalemate, find the restoration/Kiki jiki combo.
Toolbox doesn't have to just be on the defensive end.
I don't like how the 5C aggro deck just loses to blood moon. Mine doesn't automatically loses to blood moon because I can still win with the Stormbreath Dragon and delay with Kiki jiki and even combo with it and Zealous Conscript.
Why would I want to Eldritch Evolution a wall of omens, seems like a bad idea to get a 0/4 just to draw a card. Rather than Voice of Resurgence, I'd rather go for a Scavenging Ooze, which can deal with graveyard strategies.
Siege Rhino can provide you a tank, instead of a chump blocker like finks.
Creatures like Voice of Resurgence and Kitchen Finks, provide something for you even after you sacrifice them, letting you leap from 2cc -> 4 cc with almost no loss. Imagine sacrificing Kitchen Finks to Eldritch Evolution, getting your Restoration Angel to blink the Kitchen Finks. Suddenly Burn isnt such a problem for you anymore... Wall of Omens was suggested not as a creature you would tutor FOR, but as a value creature you can sacrifice. It enters the battlefield, cantrips, and provides a good 0/4 blocker against more aggressive decks! Then you sac it later to tutor up a Siege Rhino! The value of that play is insane!
Some suggestions I would make are:
1. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben and Tidehollow Sculler seem to be a non-bo with Eldritch Evolution. Does it feel good to take a card with Tidehollow Sculler, then sacrifice it to Eldritch Evolution?? or does it sound good to have Thalia, Guardian of Thraben make your most valuable card (Eldritch Evolution) cost more?? Yes, these can be good creatures to have out in certain matchups, but maybe that makes them more sideboard. Or maybe Sin Collector is just straightup better?
2. Renegade Rallier is a great card to use in collaboration with Eldritch Evolution. Sacrificing one of your 2cc creatures, tutoring up Renegade Rallier to return the 2cc back to the field is just an amazing value play! I have been playing this type of deck for awhile now and I have to say that utilizing cards like Voice of Resurgence and Wall of Omens generates enough value to push your opponent right out of the game.
3. Chord of Calling. Since you are a creature based deck, looking to play "silver bullets" against your opponent, this card can let you grab exactly what you need and at instant speed! Now, this is not a replacement for Eldritch Evolution, but more of an additional utility. Just to keep in mind.
1. You make excellent point regarding Tidehollow Sculler but I don't take a card with it and then sacrifice it afterwards the very next turn, I sacrifice it at the opportune moment. Having an Eldritch Evolution in hand should not mean that you play it at the first possible moment.
Thalia, GOT, I'm thinking of replacing it with Meddling Mage or Voice of Resurgence, whichever ones I get my hands on first.
2. I've wanted to play Renegade Rallier before but since I'm only playing Thalia and Tidehollow as my 2cc, I opted not to.
3. Chord of Calling seems like an obvious choice. I might put 1-2 copies
I checked your deck out and it seems to be more deserving of the name Eldritch Evolution deck, I may have made a mistake of naming mine that as I am not overly dependent on Eldritch Evolution. In fact, I've won games holding 2 copies of Eldritch Evolution in my hand without ever playing them.
Of course, Eldritch Evolution is at it's best when it is well timed and the possible paths forward must be weighted out. I would not say that a deck should be reliant on any particular card tho. It is a sign of a well constructed deck when the individual pieces can stand on their own. The great part is when the pieces can start working together to take advantage of each others strengths (flicker/revolt, sac/persist).
When placed in a deck that is not built to embrace the sacrifice part of Eldritch Evolution, it ends up behaving sort of like a cheaper, sorcery speed Chord of Calling and it can feel bad when you have to sac something that isn't coming back or didn't end up providing much value in it's short stint on the battlefield. Building around the card however, grants the same large toolbox of possibilities that Chord of Calling provides, but combining with cards like Renegade Rallier, Restoration Angel, and even Order of Whiteclay (admittedly slow), gives your "silver bullet" / hate cards a sustainability that frustrates your opponents to no end.
This deck can consistently interact on turn 2 by either sacking a dork or a BTE. It has a main board answer for just about everything. It plays so many of my favorite cards. This deck operates great with just 3 mana, so less chance of getting mana screwed with uncastable fatties in your hand. Lots of creatures with pump abilities, to pour in all of our mana. A few notable cuts recently: Avaricious Dragon, Eternal Witness, Thrun, the Last Troll, Nylea, God of the Hunt. These are all cards that did well in testing, and might keep testing with later on.
Here is the deck
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Tidehollow Sculler
2 Geist of Saint Traft
4 Reflector Mage
4 Spell Queller
3 Restoration Angel
3 Siege Rhino
1 Blood Baron of Vizkopa
1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
1 Stormbreath Dragon
1 Zealous Conscripts
4 Eldritch Evolution
4 Ancient Ziggurat
4 City of Brass
4 Forest
4 Gemstone Mine
4 Mana Confluence
4 Reflecting Pool
4 Kor Firewalker
2 Eidolon of Rhetoric
1 Izzet Staticaster
1 Inverter of Truth
1 Sower of Temptation
1 Acidic Slime
1 Caldera Hellion
1 Cataclysmic Gearhulk
1 Keranos, God of Storms
Matchup History
Burn Variant 0-4 - this is my worst matchup so far. If I'm not able to play my Kor Firewalker on the 2nd turn, It's all downhill from there. And once they find our that I have a Siege Rhino, they hold on to their Skull cracks
Affinity 0-1 - I could have won this matchup, had I blocked the inkmoth. or counter the number of artifacts he had in play. Kataki is a good SB for this matchup
Living End 5-0 - I love this matchup, especially if I can cast a 2nd turn Geist of Saint Traft, and then on the 3rd turn, I leave my mana untapped to cast Spell Queller on his Living End. If that didn't happen I just play Siege Rhino, which is bigger than most of his creatures.
UW Control 3-1-1 - That one draw was when I played around with him. GST to Queller and another Queller is the usual headache for the UW Control player. Stormbreath dragon too.
BG/x Variant 4-0 - Keranos is great in this matchup as they have no means of killing it AFAIK. and it gives me a pseudo-one sided Howling mine. Reflector mage is hilarious against Tarmogoyfs
Infect 0-3 - Inkmoth is my main problem as I have no instant speed removal, which is why I now have Acidic Slime on my SB.
Mono U Tron 1-1 - I didn't have a sower of temptation when I lost to this deck to take care of his ulamog, ceaseless hunger. I don't have that problem now.
BW Tokens 1-2 - I didn't have blood baron of vizkopa then, so he can chump block my Stormbreath Dragon with tokens from his Bitterblossoms.
Merfolk 0-1 - Need to find a way to stop Aether Vial early.
UB Mill 0-2 - Hence the Inverter of truth
Dredge 1-0 - they apparently don't have anything to deal with a Siege Rhino or anything attacking from the air.
Ad Nauseam 1-0 - Tidehollow Sculler and Spell Quellers are beautiful annoyance to their combo
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I don't need the deck to be Tier 1 powerful, I just want it to be able to have a fighting chance with my bad matchups like infect and burn.
I like the deck because it has a decent chance against most deck, and it's heck of fun to play since it can play like an Aggro, Control, Combo.
Voice of Resurgence, Wall of Omens, Coiling Oracle or Kitchen Finks.
It seems more in line of the "5c Aggro" deck - http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/deck-creation-modern/750970-five-color-aggro
If you want a Chord/E.E toolbox-combo deck then "Kiki-Chord" is a good option to look at - http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/developing-competitive-modern/598381-kiki-chord-kiki-company-kiki-evolution
Overall if you're not an all-in combo deck you need to have at least some amount of removal in your deck.
with Eldritch Evolution, i can get into play,creatures that the opponent doesn't like to see. For Example against PTE decks, we put down Stormbreath Dragons, against BW variants, we search for Blood Baron of Vizkopa. Annoying stalemate, find the restoration/Kiki jiki combo.
Toolbox doesn't have to just be on the defensive end.
I don't like how the 5C aggro deck just loses to blood moon. Mine doesn't automatically loses to blood moon because I can still win with the Stormbreath Dragon and delay with Kiki jiki and even combo with it and Zealous Conscript.
Why would I want to Eldritch Evolution a wall of omens, seems like a bad idea to get a 0/4 just to draw a card. Rather than Voice of Resurgence, I'd rather go for a Scavenging Ooze, which can deal with graveyard strategies.
Siege Rhino can provide you a tank, instead of a chump blocker like finks.
Creatures like Voice of Resurgence and Kitchen Finks, provide something for you even after you sacrifice them, letting you leap from 2cc -> 4 cc with almost no loss. Imagine sacrificing Kitchen Finks to Eldritch Evolution, getting your Restoration Angel to blink the Kitchen Finks. Suddenly Burn isnt such a problem for you anymore... Wall of Omens was suggested not as a creature you would tutor FOR, but as a value creature you can sacrifice. It enters the battlefield, cantrips, and provides a good 0/4 blocker against more aggressive decks! Then you sac it later to tutor up a Siege Rhino! The value of that play is insane!
Some suggestions I would make are:
1. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben and Tidehollow Sculler seem to be a non-bo with Eldritch Evolution. Does it feel good to take a card with Tidehollow Sculler, then sacrifice it to Eldritch Evolution?? or does it sound good to have Thalia, Guardian of Thraben make your most valuable card (Eldritch Evolution) cost more?? Yes, these can be good creatures to have out in certain matchups, but maybe that makes them more sideboard. Or maybe Sin Collector is just straightup better?
2. Renegade Rallier is a great card to use in collaboration with Eldritch Evolution. Sacrificing one of your 2cc creatures, tutoring up Renegade Rallier to return the 2cc back to the field is just an amazing value play! I have been playing this type of deck for awhile now and I have to say that utilizing cards like Voice of Resurgence and Wall of Omens generates enough value to push your opponent right out of the game.
3. Chord of Calling. Since you are a creature based deck, looking to play "silver bullets" against your opponent, this card can let you grab exactly what you need and at instant speed! Now, this is not a replacement for Eldritch Evolution, but more of an additional utility. Just to keep in mind.
If your interested, here is the current Eldritch Evolution deck I have been playing around with. Its pretty powerful and generates insane value while still giving your opponent an insane headache:
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/value-city-rallier/
Thalia, GOT, I'm thinking of replacing it with Meddling Mage or Voice of Resurgence, whichever ones I get my hands on first.
2. I've wanted to play Renegade Rallier before but since I'm only playing Thalia and Tidehollow as my 2cc, I opted not to.
3. Chord of Calling seems like an obvious choice. I might put 1-2 copies
I checked your deck out and it seems to be more deserving of the name Eldritch Evolution deck, I may have made a mistake of naming mine that as I am not overly dependent on Eldritch Evolution. In fact, I've won games holding 2 copies of Eldritch Evolution in my hand without ever playing them.
When placed in a deck that is not built to embrace the sacrifice part of Eldritch Evolution, it ends up behaving sort of like a cheaper, sorcery speed Chord of Calling and it can feel bad when you have to sac something that isn't coming back or didn't end up providing much value in it's short stint on the battlefield. Building around the card however, grants the same large toolbox of possibilities that Chord of Calling provides, but combining with cards like Renegade Rallier, Restoration Angel, and even Order of Whiteclay (admittedly slow), gives your "silver bullet" / hate cards a sustainability that frustrates your opponents to no end.
31x creatures-
4x Arbor Elf
4x Birds of Paradise
4x Burning-Tree Emmissary
3x Strangleroot Geist
3x Kitchen Finks
3x Tireless Tracker
1x Scavenging Ooze
1x Magus of the Moon
1x Reclamation Sage
1x Rhonas the Indomitable
1x Hazoret the Fervent
1x Avalanche Riders
1x Obstinate Baloth
1x Chameleon Colossus
1x Polukranos, World Eater
1x Stormbreath Dragon
8x Spells
4x Utopia Sprawl
4x Eldritch Evolution
21x Lands
6x Forest
4x wooded foothills
4x windsweapt Heath
4x Nykthos
2x Stomping Ground
1x Temple Garden
Sb
1x Nihil Spellbomb (I had a game where storm bounced three of my Relics at once... never again.
1x Relic of Progenitus
1x Phyrexian Revoker
1x Katati, War’s Wage
1x Ethersworn Canonist
1x Eidolon Rhetoric
1x Sigarda, Host of Herons
1x Reclamation Sage
3x Blood Moon
3x Bonfire of the Damned
This deck can consistently interact on turn 2 by either sacking a dork or a BTE. It has a main board answer for just about everything. It plays so many of my favorite cards. This deck operates great with just 3 mana, so less chance of getting mana screwed with uncastable fatties in your hand. Lots of creatures with pump abilities, to pour in all of our mana. A few notable cuts recently: Avaricious Dragon, Eternal Witness, Thrun, the Last Troll, Nylea, God of the Hunt. These are all cards that did well in testing, and might keep testing with later on.