Hey guys sorry for so many questions! I was wondering if without hand information, naming a color fetch that is within their deck's colors would be considered a good play? Or is it better to save them in hand and play when threats enter?
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UU"Brute force can sometimes kick down a locked door, but knowledge is a skeleton key"UU
So I had a thought. Since recently we're moving more towards having some utilitycreatures in the sideboard, what does everyone think of Doran, the Siege Tower? Now hear me out.
Obviously you'd need the correct meta for this. I'm thinking that with 1 or 2 Doran in the sideboard, against creature lite decks (Storm, Control, etc) when they've taken out any creature removal they have you bring in Tree Daddy. Not only does he clock your opponent for 5 every turn, but he gets under Ensnaring Bridge because he has 0 power! Added to the the fact that he seems relatively easy to cast (while he is 3 colours, BG are our main colours and it isn't all that hard to get a single W) he seems like it might be an interesting sideboard idea to try out.
What do you guys think? Or am I just going crazy?
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Modern Decks: UBG Lantern Control GBU BRG Bridge-Vine GRB
Commander Decks UBG Muldrotha, Value Elemental GBU BRG Windgrace Real-Estate Ltd. GRB
#PayThePros
I would be hesitant to play Doran due to his colored manna requirements. I have difficulty casting abrupt decay with all of our utility lands more often than I'd like. Doran seems likely to get stuck in hand fairly often, and I don't see an obvious problem that he fixes. If I want a win con, aether grid is easier to cast and has a wider range of applications
So I played 5 rounds of Lantern yesterday. 3-2 nothing too special.
Round 1 vs mono White hatebears: 2-0
Round 2 vs Gw hatebears: 1-2
Round 3 vs GDS: 2-0
Round 4 vs UW Tron: 2-0
Round 5 vs Titanshift: 1-2
GW was lost on a game where I didn't have time to answer his 3x noble before they killed me and a greedy 1 lander with opal + lantern, bridge, stirrings, inquisition, seal. Died with 3x bridge and 4 colored spells in hand.
GDS I had some luck G1 in landing a bridge and getting to surgical his k.commands. At 6 life I got to rebuy surgical with shredder and remove his snapcasters leavibg him with no outs as he played only 1 Bolt. Leyline in g2 made his discard obsolete and discard of my own forced a bridge through. Game ended shortly after.
Titanshift..... Oh this MU has gotten even worse. The new green Hour is horrible as they have soooo many great top decks. Must have a bridge for titan but often it will be leyline or bust. He had both rec sage and krosan grip in opener in the deciding game and I couldn't get the second leyline before he topdecked a scapeshift. The titan he cast, with me still having leyline fetched him a Valakut and a mountain, but as he was shuffling he realized his mistake and wanted to get 2x mountain instead. I let him even though I would have GQ+surgical'd his valakut the next turn. I feel like the MU now requires a leyline. List had: 4x titan, 4x pact, 4x Hour, 2x scapeshift.
was considering tormod's crypt cant decide between spellbomb and crypt, the metamorph was just for fun from adrian sullivan's list, did manage to copy leyline of sanctity one game and void in another O_O Phyrexian Revoker in the board over another needle because i want to hit pentad prism or lotus bloom or even some mana dorks
lost legacy vs gaddock teeg? i im on the fence on Padeem, Consul of Innovation might replace the metamorph or a spellskite, i dunno
Im expecting GSD, Dredge, Control, Living End, possibly tron and ad nauseam, affinity.
as for how to board, if i picked up game 1, and opponent is playing colors that support artifact hate/stony silence, do i premptively side in my jars, spellskite, and seal of primordiums?
Not sure how you managed to metamorph leylines since they are neither creatures nor artifacts.
like i said i played it for fun, i dont own a legacy deck, so i just played lantern, and surprisingly enough, the guy was playing opalescence leylines, finally an interesting use lol i thought for metamorph, i actually never really found it that much usefull, if it had flash tho, it would be another story.
Jar is better against green in general than red. If someone is heavy red (Storm, Skred, some burn decks, Grishoalbrand decks) they often go with Shattering Spree or sometimes Shatterstorm as their artifact hate of choice. Decay, Grudge, Claim, Reclamation Sage, Seal of Primordium are all green.
I'd say it's about even on whether Jar is better VS red or green. I mean sure on the one hand red has Shatterstorm, but green also has Krosan Grip which I have come across a few times. At the end of the day the best way to protect your artifacts I find happens to be Padeem.
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Modern Decks: UBG Lantern Control GBU BRG Bridge-Vine GRB
Commander Decks UBG Muldrotha, Value Elemental GBU BRG Windgrace Real-Estate Ltd. GRB
#PayThePros
Guys I have two questions. Im playing kanister's decklist (without maelstrom pulse) Hope you can help me:
1) Do you side in against storm welding jar and leyline of sanctity? Im having problems with them: jar usually does nothing since they are playing shatering spree and/or shatterstorm. Leyline is good against gifts, but im not finding more reasons...
2) Im not facing titanshift and Gx tron anymore. Since im playing 4 ghost quarter and 4 surgical extraction; how do you see those pairings? Good, bad or even?
Thanks for the help!
1) Against Storm, I'd bring in Leylines, but I wouldn't bother with Jars. Maybe some Collective Brutality if you have some in the board. Storm is going to kill you by pointing Grapeshot at your face so Leyline is extremely useful. Storm is also one of those match ups where you can take out almost all your bridges because they don't really do anything.
2) I know if i was running 4 GQ and 4 Surgical I would like the Tron match up a lot better. But even with those numbers I still think it's a draw dependent match up. Whoever gets the better opening 7 usually wins in most cases I find.
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Modern Decks: UBG Lantern Control GBU BRG Bridge-Vine GRB
Commander Decks UBG Muldrotha, Value Elemental GBU BRG Windgrace Real-Estate Ltd. GRB
#PayThePros
I am realy curious about the boardplans in the current meta.
Kanister is doing realy well on mtgo, but the primer does not include the top tier decks right now. The comments on how to board are scattered around the forum. Does anyone have a decent sideboardsheet or plan? I am planning to make one when I get home from vacation tho, so all the intell is welcome!
Just updated to include GDS, and will try to get some more added throughout the weekend. Any specific ones you are interested in? I'm love to hear some input as well, for anyone else's ideas/tech for the sideboard plans in the current meta
Thanks! I plan to write a tournament report this week. I went 7-2 in the team event (sadly, my team ended at 5-4), and 6-2 in the classic. Losses were to counters company x2, GB midrange, and affinity.
How did you like having Magus of the Moat in your sideboard? Do you think there are other utility creatures (like Gaddock Teeg for example) you'd consider putting in your board now that you've played with the Magus?
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Modern Decks: UBG Lantern Control GBU BRG Bridge-Vine GRB
Commander Decks UBG Muldrotha, Value Elemental GBU BRG Windgrace Real-Estate Ltd. GRB
#PayThePros
How did you like having Magus of the Moat in your sideboard? Do you think there are other utility creatures (like Gaddock Teeg for example) you'd consider putting in your board now that you've played with the Magus?
I boarded in magus in one match and didn't see it. I'm not sold but will continue testing on MODO. Teeg seems like it would be good vs tron but redundant elsewhere (I already have plenty of hate for ad nauseam and storm. It's essentially the same as cage vs company, I suppose it stops chalice and karn out of eldrazi tron, but that is usually a solid matchup anyway.) So no, I haven't felt like I want teeg.
I paired up with two local friends for this tournament, one on Legacy Elves, one on Standard Temur Delirium. I got to be the modern specialist. You can watch us get wrecked by some old hats on camera here.
I'd had a "fight" with lantern the previous weekend going 0-2/0-4 in a local PPTQ and tilting worse than I have in years (dropped after the second match) and went on a run to blow off steam. I was almost reluctant to play it but I still haven't found a more rewarding deck to pilot so I registered it and hoped we were over our spat.
I lost every dice roll of the day until the last round, when after remarking to my opponent that I had yet to win a dice roll, I rolled a 12. Lol.
Match 3
2-0
Grixis Shadow
On the Draw Game 1: I don't recall too many details of this game, but I somehow stick a bridge and protect it. Surgical on Kolaghan's Command may have been involved, but I don't remember too well. Game 2: I believe my opponent leads with a Serum Visions with a scry to top and bottom, leaving me with the choice between milling his scry and Thoughtseizeing him on turn 1. I opt for the discard spell and see Ceremonious Rejection, Stubborn Denial, Inquisition of Kozilek, and Gurmag Angler with some lands. After tanking for a bit i take the IoK, and try to figure out how I'm going to win this game. I manage to bait him into Ceremonious Rejection on either lantern or a mill rock the next turn (i'm not sure which) which in conjunction with a pair of welding jars and a mox opal threaten 4 mana for a Bridge through Stubborn denial on my subsequent turn. This entices him to tap out for the Angler to turn on ferocious, but i'm able to take advantage of his tap-down to stick my Ensnaring Bridge, which functionally ends the game on the spot with the help of the jars. IN: 3x Leyline of Sanctity, 2x Welding Jar, 1x Magus of the Moat, 2x Grafdigger's Cage OUT: 2x Abrupt Decay, 3x Pithing Needle, 2x Collective Brutality, 1x Forest?
Match 4
0-2
GB Midrange
On the Draw Game 1: My opponent is a very experienced player with what I later learned to be 4 Abrupt Decay and 2 Maelstrom Pulse maindeck (more than Jund or Abzan). I keep a hand with two lanterns and a Bridge, and his turn 1 decision to discard a Lantern tells me he probably has an answer to the Bridge. He Abrupt Decay's my second lantern on turn two, and then sets about eating both with a Scavenging Ooze. I flounder on a third mana for a while, and when i finally stick my Bridge, he has another decay. He eats my Bridge with with his Scooze (turning off my ability to us my Academy Ruins) and attacks me with a few creatures, and then does the same with a Hissing Quagmirethe next turn to drop me to two (but tapping him out.) my only out is to try to hit a bridge in this window with 2 mill rocks, which I'm fortunate to do, but I'm unable to get the two cards out of my hand when I play it, allowing him to kill me with the Quagmire. Game 2: I mulligan a pair of do-nothing hands into to a pretty bad 5 (Thoughseize, Brutality, Bridge, Glimmervoid, Decay IIRC) and scry A Codex Shredder on top hoping that he doesn't have an Abrupt Decay. I pass the turn playing nothing, and get Duressed into Surgical Extractioned. After a couple of Abrupt Decay's that became Stone Rain's (my second land was also a glimmervoid into artifact that got destroyed) I get beaten to death with a Bloodghast. It was a disappointing series (and I didn't even get my pretty cards on camera!). IN: 3x Leyline of Sanctity, 2x Welding Jar, 1x Abrupt Decay OUT: 3x Surgical Extraction, 1x Mox Opal, 1x Ghoulcaller's Bell, 1x Infernal Tutor
I sideboarded it a lot like i do Jund, which involves cutting surgicals, but with the opportunity to tag a 4-of Abrupt Decay, i think keeping 2 in is probably correct. I would cut a Brutality and maybe another land instead.
Match 5
0-2
Counters Company
On the Draw Game 1: I don't recall the specifics. I think I established a soft lock but get beaten to death before i can find Bridge. A last-ditch Surgical shows a pretty stock list with Walking Ballista for the wincon and a singleton Qasali Pridemage in the main. Game 2: My turn 1 discard shows Kataki, War's Wage, and 2 Eternal Witness. I take the Kataki to give myself setup time, and by the time he gets it back and plays it, have 2 bridges, a lantern, and a Grafdigger's Cage. I let a bridge die on my upkeep only to find out that his single draw step between my turn 1 discard and turn 2 lantern was a Qasali Pridemage. I was a little annoyed. OUT: 3x Grafdigger's Cage, 2x Welding Jar IN: 3x Surgical Extraction, 1x Mox Opal, 1x Ghoulcaller's Bell
I think cutting Surgicals is incorrect against a deck with 4x Eternal witness because it makes it difficult to actually deny them of cards. I sideboarded the second match differently. This matchup was still 2 of my losses on the weekend so i'd welcome other perspectives on how to approach and sideboard it.
Match 7
2-1
Death and Taxes
On the Draw Game 1: I struggle a little to find a 3rd mana and have a lot of colored utility cards in hand. I can't quite get hellbent before getting beaten to death under my Bridge (or getting dropped to 2 which would keep me from casting the Thoughtseize in my hand.) Game 2: My turn 1 Lantern shows a Stony Silence on top of her library. Every time. fortunately, my turn 2 Codex Shredder mills a dead card on my library to reveal an Abrupt Decay underneath. I'm able to stick a bridge and keep her off of Flickerwisp and that was that. Game 3: This was a slog. She finds a Stony Silence to shut down a Mox Opal after taxing me starting turn 2 with a Thalia, Guardian of Thraben. Fortunately, my deck is kind to me and gives me the 4th land to play Ensnaring Bridge with me at 5 life. Another bridge a few turns later makes her Flickerwisp "out" more difficult to assemble. The subsequent 20+ turns consist of me playing dead mill rocks, discarding a Flickerwisp and Restoration Angel (both with Thoughseize, which left me terrified of drawing the 3rd until i found fair), and playing Bridges 3 and 4 while she found another Stony Silence. Eventually i'm able to find a decay with the help of some Inventors' Fair shuffles on the back of Crucible of Worlds, and a few turns later a second one, which unlocked all of my mill rocks and let me mill her out in extra turns. IN: 1x Abrupt Decay, 1x Seal of Primordium, +2 Spellskite, 1x Seal of Primordium OUT: 3x Surgical Extraction, 1x Infernal Tutor, 1x Ghoulcaller's Bell
Match 8
2-0
Jeskai Kiki
On the Draw Game 1: This proves to be the usual close grindfest, but once i'm able to needle his Nahiri the Harbinger and fight over some instant-speed cantrips I'm able to lock him out. Game 2: Another Slog. I can't find a Pithing Needle for his Nahiri which starts exiling pieces of my soft lock. It takes forever for me to find a second piece through his card selection and counterspells, but I am able to stick a Bridge and exile his Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker. He scoops with about 4 cards left in his library. I didn't really have a hard lock even then, but I think he would have struggled to kill me through my two bridges before he got decked. this was a nail-biter the whole time (I had a Grafdigger's Cage, but was terrified of a Nahiri ult for Engineered Explosives. Fortunately he either missed this line or didn't have it.) IN: 2x Grafdigger's Cage, 2x Spellskite, 1x Abrupt Decay, 1x Seal of Primordium, 2x Welding Jar IN: 3x Surgical Extraction, 1x Mox Opal, 1x Ensnaring Bridge, 1x Infernal Tutor, 1x Ghoulcaller's Bell, 1x Swamp
I'm not entirely sure this is what I did. I was fairly mentally fatigued and Stony Silence may not have been on my radar. It was close to this though.
Match 9
2-1
Counters Company
On the Play (finally!) Game 1: A fairly straighforward ordeal where I dicarded his one business card and locked him out. Fun fact: Devoted Druid plus Gavony Township do a pretty passable Noble Hierarch impression until you find a Ghost Quarter or Pithing Needle. Game 2: I land a bridge and start blind milling with a pair of Pyxis of Pandemonium, but refrain from using a Codex Shredder for fear of turning on Eternal Witness. Unfortunately, he finds a Qasali Pridemage before I find a Lantern of Insight. Game 2:Grafdigger's Cage turns off a spell-heavy hand and I'm able to keep him under a somewhat tenuous soft lock and a Bridge. In the later turns he's able to fight hard using those spells as shuffles to try to keep a Kataki, War's Wage in his library, but I have too many mill rocks at this point and the game ends despite his best efforts (even Kataki would not have been sufficient at this point.) OUT: 3x Grafdigger's Cage, 2x Welding Jar IN: 1x Ghoulcaller's Bell, 1x Infernal Tutor, 1x Mox Opal, 1x Surgical Extraction, 1x[c]Inquisition of Kozilek[c] (should probably be Crucible), still not sure.
How good is crucible? Looks like we now have 2 variation of deck. With 4 laylines or with crucible + internal tutor + some. So, with laylines I'm understand why it is good and bad in certain games, but with crucible, why it is good? Don't it looks too slow with fair? Is it so good with quarters?
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EDH
Purphoros, God of the Forge
Azusa, Lost but Seeking
Narset, Enlightened Master
I am going to be travelling for a while and I want to have maybe two or three modern decks with me while I travel. I want one of them to be lantern, and I want the other one or two to be very close match-ups, so that anyone I play against doesn't get too salty Does anyone have reccomendations for the closest match-ups, both before and after side-boarding? Would be much appreciated!
Of note, the decks that I own are: Burn, Dredge, B/W Eldrazi and Taxes, U/R Gifts Storm, Counters Company, Elves, and Knightfall.
I win several games a tournament due to crucible. I beat a Jund player in the classic by ghost quartering all of his lands. I clinched a win vs boggles the last round the same way. It's also good for closing games quickly with inventors fair
hi everyone
Kanister, nice job bro you are doing great on MTGO. I have a question for you, you might have said it already but I can't find where in the topic.
So 4 Mishra's Bauble hmmmm. I plaid the card in 2 but did not quite like it. But I might reconsider my thoughts. I would like you to give me some good arguments for me to play it.
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Obviously you'd need the correct meta for this. I'm thinking that with 1 or 2 Doran in the sideboard, against creature lite decks (Storm, Control, etc) when they've taken out any creature removal they have you bring in Tree Daddy. Not only does he clock your opponent for 5 every turn, but he gets under Ensnaring Bridge because he has 0 power! Added to the the fact that he seems relatively easy to cast (while he is 3 colours, BG are our main colours and it isn't all that hard to get a single W) he seems like it might be an interesting sideboard idea to try out.
What do you guys think? Or am I just going crazy?
Modern Decks:
UBG Lantern Control GBU
BRG Bridge-Vine GRB
Commander Decks
UBG Muldrotha, Value Elemental GBU
BRG Windgrace Real-Estate Ltd. GRB
#PayThePros
Round 1 vs mono White hatebears: 2-0
Round 2 vs Gw hatebears: 1-2
Round 3 vs GDS: 2-0
Round 4 vs UW Tron: 2-0
Round 5 vs Titanshift: 1-2
GW was lost on a game where I didn't have time to answer his 3x noble before they killed me and a greedy 1 lander with opal + lantern, bridge, stirrings, inquisition, seal. Died with 3x bridge and 4 colored spells in hand.
GDS I had some luck G1 in landing a bridge and getting to surgical his k.commands. At 6 life I got to rebuy surgical with shredder and remove his snapcasters leavibg him with no outs as he played only 1 Bolt. Leyline in g2 made his discard obsolete and discard of my own forced a bridge through. Game ended shortly after.
Titanshift..... Oh this MU has gotten even worse. The new green Hour is horrible as they have soooo many great top decks. Must have a bridge for titan but often it will be leyline or bust. He had both rec sage and krosan grip in opener in the deciding game and I couldn't get the second leyline before he topdecked a scapeshift. The titan he cast, with me still having leyline fetched him a Valakut and a mountain, but as he was shuffling he realized his mistake and wanted to get 2x mountain instead. I let him even though I would have GQ+surgical'd his valakut the next turn. I feel like the MU now requires a leyline. List had: 4x titan, 4x pact, 4x Hour, 2x scapeshift.
i dunno either i just gave my opinion on why i don't like crucible that much.
aside from that, gonna take this to a pptq on saturday, anything to change?
4 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Lantern of Insight
4 Codex Shredder
2 Pyxis of Pandemonium
2 Ghoulcaller's Bell
Discard/Other
4 Ancient Stirrings
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Thoughtseize
2 Collective Brutality
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Abrupt Decay
2 Pithing Needle
2 Leyline of Sanctity
1 Infernal Tutor
1 Ghirapur Æther Grid
1 Mechanized Production
1 Noxious Revival
4 Mox Opal
1 Spire of Industry
1 Snow-Covered Swamp
1 Snow-Covered Forest
2 Academy Ruins
2 Inventors' Fair
2 Ghost Quarter
4 Glimmervoid
4 Blooming Marsh
2 Welding Jar
2 Spellskite
2 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Seal of Primordium
1 Leyline of Sanctity
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Collective Brutality
1 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Magus of the Moat
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Lost Legacy
was considering tormod's crypt cant decide between spellbomb and crypt, the metamorph was just for fun from adrian sullivan's list, did manage to copy leyline of sanctity one game and void in another O_O Phyrexian Revoker in the board over another needle because i want to hit pentad prism or lotus bloom or even some mana dorks
lost legacy vs gaddock teeg? i im on the fence on Padeem, Consul of Innovation might replace the metamorph or a spellskite, i dunno
Im expecting GSD, Dredge, Control, Living End, possibly tron and ad nauseam, affinity.
as for how to board, if i picked up game 1, and opponent is playing colors that support artifact hate/stony silence, do i premptively side in my jars, spellskite, and seal of primordiums?
I'd say it's about even on whether Jar is better VS red or green. I mean sure on the one hand red has Shatterstorm, but green also has Krosan Grip which I have come across a few times. At the end of the day the best way to protect your artifacts I find happens to be Padeem.
Modern Decks:
UBG Lantern Control GBU
BRG Bridge-Vine GRB
Commander Decks
UBG Muldrotha, Value Elemental GBU
BRG Windgrace Real-Estate Ltd. GRB
#PayThePros
1) Against Storm, I'd bring in Leylines, but I wouldn't bother with Jars. Maybe some Collective Brutality if you have some in the board. Storm is going to kill you by pointing Grapeshot at your face so Leyline is extremely useful. Storm is also one of those match ups where you can take out almost all your bridges because they don't really do anything.
2) I know if i was running 4 GQ and 4 Surgical I would like the Tron match up a lot better. But even with those numbers I still think it's a draw dependent match up. Whoever gets the better opening 7 usually wins in most cases I find.
Modern Decks:
UBG Lantern Control GBU
BRG Bridge-Vine GRB
Commander Decks
UBG Muldrotha, Value Elemental GBU
BRG Windgrace Real-Estate Ltd. GRB
#PayThePros
Kanister is doing realy well on mtgo, but the primer does not include the top tier decks right now. The comments on how to board are scattered around the forum. Does anyone have a decent sideboardsheet or plan? I am planning to make one when I get home from vacation tho, so all the intell is welcome!
Lantern Control
(with videos)
Uc Tron
Netdecking explained
Netdecking explained, Part 2
On speculators and counterfeits
On Interaction
Every single competitive deck in existence is designed to limit the opponent's ability to interact in a meaningful way.
Record number of exclamation points on SCG homepage: 71 (6 January, 2018)
"I don't want to believe, I want to know."
-Carl Sagan
Decklist
4x Blooming Marsh
4x Glimmervoid
2x Academy Ruins
2x Ghost Quarter
2x Inventors' Fair
2x Spire of Industry
1x Forest
1x Swamp
Artifacts - 24
4x Codex Shredder
4x Ensnaring Bridge
4x Lantern of Insight
4x Mox Opal
3x Pithing Needle
2x Ghoulcaller's Bell
2x Pyxis of Pandemonium
1x Crucible of Worlds
4x Ancient Stirrings
3x Inquisition of Kozilek
3x Surgical Extraction
3x Thoughtseize
2x Abrupt Decay
2x Collective Brutality
1x Infernal Tutor
3x Grafdigger's Cage
3x Leyline of Sanctity
2x Spellskite
2x Welding Jar
1x Magus of the Moat
1x Quiet Disrepair
1x Seal of Primordium
1x Abrupt Decay
1x Lost Legacy
Modern Decks:
UBG Lantern Control GBU
BRG Bridge-Vine GRB
Commander Decks
UBG Muldrotha, Value Elemental GBU
BRG Windgrace Real-Estate Ltd. GRB
#PayThePros
Modern Decks:
UBG Lantern Control GBU
BRG Bridge-Vine GRB
Commander Decks
UBG Muldrotha, Value Elemental GBU
BRG Windgrace Real-Estate Ltd. GRB
#PayThePros
I boarded in magus in one match and didn't see it. I'm not sold but will continue testing on MODO. Teeg seems like it would be good vs tron but redundant elsewhere (I already have plenty of hate for ad nauseam and storm. It's essentially the same as cage vs company, I suppose it stops chalice and karn out of eldrazi tron, but that is usually a solid matchup anyway.) So no, I haven't felt like I want teeg.
7-2 at SCG Atlanta
I paired up with two local friends for this tournament, one on Legacy Elves, one on Standard Temur Delirium. I got to be the modern specialist. You can watch us get wrecked by some old hats on camera here.
4 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Lantern of Insight
4 Codex Shredder
2 Ghoulcaller's Bell
2 Pyxis of Pandemonium
Hand Control (8)
3 Thoughtseize
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Collective Brutality
Utility (8)
2 Abrupt Decay
3 Pithing Needle
3 Surgical Extraction
4 Ancient Stirrings
1 Infernal Tutor
1 Crucible of Worlds
Mana Sources (22)
4 Mox Opal
4 Glimmervoid
4 Blooming Marsh
2 Spire of Industry
1 Swamp
1 Forest
2 Inventors' Fair
2 Academy Ruins
2 Ghost Quarter
2 Welding Jar
2 Spellskite
3 Leyline of Sanctity
3 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Lost Legacy
1 Abrupt Decay
1 Seal of Primodium
1 Quiet Disrepair
1 Magus of the Moat
I'd had a "fight" with lantern the previous weekend going 0-2/0-4 in a local PPTQ and tilting worse than I have in years (dropped after the second match) and went on a run to blow off steam. I was almost reluctant to play it but I still haven't found a more rewarding deck to pilot so I registered it and hoped we were over our spat.
I lost every dice roll of the day until the last round, when after remarking to my opponent that I had yet to win a dice roll, I rolled a 12. Lol.
Match 1
2-0
Esper Whir (w/ Gifts-Rites Package)
On the Draw
Game 1: I establish Lantern of Insight with some mill rocks and an Ensnaring Bridge. At some point I Surgical Extraction his Sword of the Meek's, turning off his ability to lock me with Time Sieve and it was elementary from there.
Game 2: My turn 1 Lantern of Insight is met with Ceremonious Rejection and an opposing Surgical Extraction, leaving me on the blind mill plan. I'm somewhat fortunate to mill several of his outs and am able to play Pithing Needle on both Engineered Explosives and Thopter Foundry (and later Time Sieve too). By the time he manages to assemble all three components (sword, foundry, sieve) his library is very small. I Thoughseize him off the top of my library, prompting a Hurkyll's Recall. I'm able to mill him/recast my rocks/mill him to end the game.
IN: 1x Ensnaring Bridge, 2x Collective Brutality, 1x Mox Opal
OUT: 2x Welding Jar, 1x Abrupt Decay, 1x Seal of Primordium
Match 2
2-0
Titanshift
On the Draw
Game 1: I keep a hand with lantern-mill rock-Inquisition, which reveals a Scapeshift and Primeval Titan. As the game progresses, my opponent does a good job of playing around my attempts to Surgical Extraction his two Primeval Titans out of his hand. Unfortunately, in the process a Stomping Ground ends up in his graveyard which meets said extraction. I count that he only has 6 or so mountains left in his deck at this point so I set about trying to mill them away. It's a drawn-out affair, but after some milling and Ghost Quarter activations, I manage to turn off Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle and Ensnaring Bridge turns off his other ways to win.
Game 2: I keep another lantern-based hand and strip a Beast Within with a discard spell leaving him with only primeval titan. A turn or so later, I Ghost Quarter into Surgical Extraction his Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle's, and the game is elementary from there.
IN: 3x Leyline of Sanctity, 1x Lost Legacy, 2x Spellskite, 2x Welding Jar
OUT: 2x Pithing Needle(i leave one in for planeswalker/Engineered Explosives shenanigans.), 2x Abrupt Decay, 1x Ghoulcaller's Bell, 1x Forest, 1x Mox Opal, 1x Infernal Tutor
Match 3
2-0
Grixis Shadow
On the Draw
Game 1: I don't recall too many details of this game, but I somehow stick a bridge and protect it. Surgical on Kolaghan's Command may have been involved, but I don't remember too well.
Game 2: I believe my opponent leads with a Serum Visions with a scry to top and bottom, leaving me with the choice between milling his scry and Thoughtseizeing him on turn 1. I opt for the discard spell and see Ceremonious Rejection, Stubborn Denial, Inquisition of Kozilek, and Gurmag Angler with some lands. After tanking for a bit i take the IoK, and try to figure out how I'm going to win this game. I manage to bait him into Ceremonious Rejection on either lantern or a mill rock the next turn (i'm not sure which) which in conjunction with a pair of welding jars and a mox opal threaten 4 mana for a Bridge through Stubborn denial on my subsequent turn. This entices him to tap out for the Angler to turn on ferocious, but i'm able to take advantage of his tap-down to stick my Ensnaring Bridge, which functionally ends the game on the spot with the help of the jars.
IN: 3x Leyline of Sanctity, 2x Welding Jar, 1x Magus of the Moat, 2x Grafdigger's Cage
OUT: 2x Abrupt Decay, 3x Pithing Needle, 2x Collective Brutality, 1x Forest?
Match 4
0-2
GB Midrange
On the Draw
Game 1: My opponent is a very experienced player with what I later learned to be 4 Abrupt Decay and 2 Maelstrom Pulse maindeck (more than Jund or Abzan). I keep a hand with two lanterns and a Bridge, and his turn 1 decision to discard a Lantern tells me he probably has an answer to the Bridge. He Abrupt Decay's my second lantern on turn two, and then sets about eating both with a Scavenging Ooze. I flounder on a third mana for a while, and when i finally stick my Bridge, he has another decay. He eats my Bridge with with his Scooze (turning off my ability to us my Academy Ruins) and attacks me with a few creatures, and then does the same with a Hissing Quagmirethe next turn to drop me to two (but tapping him out.) my only out is to try to hit a bridge in this window with 2 mill rocks, which I'm fortunate to do, but I'm unable to get the two cards out of my hand when I play it, allowing him to kill me with the Quagmire.
Game 2: I mulligan a pair of do-nothing hands into to a pretty bad 5 (Thoughseize, Brutality, Bridge, Glimmervoid, Decay IIRC) and scry A Codex Shredder on top hoping that he doesn't have an Abrupt Decay. I pass the turn playing nothing, and get Duressed into Surgical Extractioned. After a couple of Abrupt Decay's that became Stone Rain's (my second land was also a glimmervoid into artifact that got destroyed) I get beaten to death with a Bloodghast. It was a disappointing series (and I didn't even get my pretty cards on camera!).
IN: 3x Leyline of Sanctity, 2x Welding Jar, 1x Abrupt Decay
OUT: 3x Surgical Extraction, 1x Mox Opal, 1x Ghoulcaller's Bell, 1x Infernal Tutor
I sideboarded it a lot like i do Jund, which involves cutting surgicals, but with the opportunity to tag a 4-of Abrupt Decay, i think keeping 2 in is probably correct. I would cut a Brutality and maybe another land instead.
Match 5
0-2
Counters Company
On the Draw
Game 1: I don't recall the specifics. I think I established a soft lock but get beaten to death before i can find Bridge. A last-ditch Surgical shows a pretty stock list with Walking Ballista for the wincon and a singleton Qasali Pridemage in the main.
Game 2: My turn 1 discard shows Kataki, War's Wage, and 2 Eternal Witness. I take the Kataki to give myself setup time, and by the time he gets it back and plays it, have 2 bridges, a lantern, and a Grafdigger's Cage. I let a bridge die on my upkeep only to find out that his single draw step between my turn 1 discard and turn 2 lantern was a Qasali Pridemage. I was a little annoyed.
OUT: 3x Grafdigger's Cage, 2x Welding Jar
IN: 3x Surgical Extraction, 1x Mox Opal, 1x Ghoulcaller's Bell
I think cutting Surgicals is incorrect against a deck with 4x Eternal witness because it makes it difficult to actually deny them of cards. I sideboarded the second match differently. This matchup was still 2 of my losses on the weekend so i'd welcome other perspectives on how to approach and sideboard it.
Match 6
2-0
Jund
On the Draw
Game 1: My turn 1 Thoughtseize shows a pair of Bob's, an Abrupt Decay, Kolaghan's Command, and a Liliana of the Veil. Fortunately, he doesn't commit the second Bob until fairly late in the game, which gave me the breathing room to control his draw steps and find a dicard spell for his Decay and a Pithing Needle for his Liliana. He scoops a tad early (i only had two rocks at the time) but he was pretty low on outs (i may have tagged the Kommand with a Surgical, not sure.)
Game 2: I keep a 1-lander with Leyline of Sanctity, some random artifacts, an Ancient Stirrings, discard spell and a Blooming Marsh. I tag his only relevant spell with the discard and am able to lock him out in fairly short order when a land off the top lets me look for business instead of mana with my Ancient Stirrings.
OUT: 3x Leyline of Sanctity, 2x Welding Jar, 1x Grafdigger's Cage, 1x Abrupt Decay
IN: 3x Surgical Extraction, 1x Mox Opal, 1x Ghoulcaller's Bell, 1x Collective Brutality, 1x Swamp
Match 7
2-1
Death and Taxes
On the Draw
Game 1: I struggle a little to find a 3rd mana and have a lot of colored utility cards in hand. I can't quite get hellbent before getting beaten to death under my Bridge (or getting dropped to 2 which would keep me from casting the Thoughtseize in my hand.)
Game 2: My turn 1 Lantern shows a Stony Silence on top of her library. Every time. fortunately, my turn 2 Codex Shredder mills a dead card on my library to reveal an Abrupt Decay underneath. I'm able to stick a bridge and keep her off of Flickerwisp and that was that.
Game 3: This was a slog. She finds a Stony Silence to shut down a Mox Opal after taxing me starting turn 2 with a Thalia, Guardian of Thraben. Fortunately, my deck is kind to me and gives me the 4th land to play Ensnaring Bridge with me at 5 life. Another bridge a few turns later makes her Flickerwisp "out" more difficult to assemble. The subsequent 20+ turns consist of me playing dead mill rocks, discarding a Flickerwisp and Restoration Angel (both with Thoughseize, which left me terrified of drawing the 3rd until i found fair), and playing Bridges 3 and 4 while she found another Stony Silence. Eventually i'm able to find a decay with the help of some Inventors' Fair shuffles on the back of Crucible of Worlds, and a few turns later a second one, which unlocked all of my mill rocks and let me mill her out in extra turns.
IN: 1x Abrupt Decay, 1x Seal of Primordium, +2 Spellskite, 1x Seal of Primordium
OUT: 3x Surgical Extraction, 1x Infernal Tutor, 1x Ghoulcaller's Bell
Match 8
2-0
Jeskai Kiki
On the Draw
Game 1: This proves to be the usual close grindfest, but once i'm able to needle his Nahiri the Harbinger and fight over some instant-speed cantrips I'm able to lock him out.
Game 2: Another Slog. I can't find a Pithing Needle for his Nahiri which starts exiling pieces of my soft lock. It takes forever for me to find a second piece through his card selection and counterspells, but I am able to stick a Bridge and exile his Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker. He scoops with about 4 cards left in his library. I didn't really have a hard lock even then, but I think he would have struggled to kill me through my two bridges before he got decked. this was a nail-biter the whole time (I had a Grafdigger's Cage, but was terrified of a Nahiri ult for Engineered Explosives. Fortunately he either missed this line or didn't have it.)
IN: 2x Grafdigger's Cage, 2x Spellskite, 1x Abrupt Decay, 1x Seal of Primordium, 2x Welding Jar
IN: 3x Surgical Extraction, 1x Mox Opal, 1x Ensnaring Bridge, 1x Infernal Tutor, 1x Ghoulcaller's Bell, 1x Swamp
I'm not entirely sure this is what I did. I was fairly mentally fatigued and Stony Silence may not have been on my radar. It was close to this though.
Match 9
2-1
Counters Company
On the Play (finally!)
Game 1: A fairly straighforward ordeal where I dicarded his one business card and locked him out. Fun fact: Devoted Druid plus Gavony Township do a pretty passable Noble Hierarch impression until you find a Ghost Quarter or Pithing Needle.
Game 2: I land a bridge and start blind milling with a pair of Pyxis of Pandemonium, but refrain from using a Codex Shredder for fear of turning on Eternal Witness. Unfortunately, he finds a Qasali Pridemage before I find a Lantern of Insight.
Game 2: Grafdigger's Cage turns off a spell-heavy hand and I'm able to keep him under a somewhat tenuous soft lock and a Bridge. In the later turns he's able to fight hard using those spells as shuffles to try to keep a Kataki, War's Wage in his library, but I have too many mill rocks at this point and the game ends despite his best efforts (even Kataki would not have been sufficient at this point.)
OUT: 3x Grafdigger's Cage, 2x Welding Jar
IN: 1x Ghoulcaller's Bell, 1x Infernal Tutor, 1x Mox Opal, 1x Surgical Extraction, 1x[c]Inquisition of Kozilek[c] (should probably be Crucible), still not sure.
Purphoros, God of the Forge
Azusa, Lost but Seeking
Narset, Enlightened Master
Modern
Twin
I am going to be travelling for a while and I want to have maybe two or three modern decks with me while I travel. I want one of them to be lantern, and I want the other one or two to be very close match-ups, so that anyone I play against doesn't get too salty Does anyone have reccomendations for the closest match-ups, both before and after side-boarding? Would be much appreciated!
Of note, the decks that I own are: Burn, Dredge, B/W Eldrazi and Taxes, U/R Gifts Storm, Counters Company, Elves, and Knightfall.
Thanks folks!
Kanister, nice job bro you are doing great on MTGO. I have a question for you, you might have said it already but I can't find where in the topic.
So 4 Mishra's Bauble hmmmm. I plaid the card in 2 but did not quite like it. But I might reconsider my thoughts. I would like you to give me some good arguments for me to play it.