I like the takes so far, here is the list that I've been bumping around with to some success, took down 2 local evenst *Fnm* *Monday night magic* so it's got some legs. Tell me what you think. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79Tu9aHE-9E
R1 vs. 4c Approach (Fog deck) 2-0
In game 1 I played an early Gideon of the Trials, activated his +1 once and created his emblem after a couple of turns trying to beat down. He played an early Fevered Visions, which concerned me at first, but once I had the "I can't lose" emblem I was pretty sure I was good. I still ended up playing Cast Out on it a few turns later to keep him from drawing more cards. I was able to get him to 8 then he played his win-con Approach of the Second Sun. For a second I was concerned, but then remembered I had the emblem in play. When he re-read the emblem again a couple of turns later, he thought for a moment and realized that he didn't have anything to remove Gideon and conceded.
Game 2 I had no doubt he was waiting for me to play Gideon again. On his turn 3 he played a cycle land and left 2 lands open (He did admit afterwards that he had the Negate). So on my turn 3 I played Kefnet the Mindful with 6 cards in hand. He knew he was in trouble (he sided out some of his fog effects). I went on the beatdown plan for 6 turns and got him after a couple of fog spells he did keep and Spell Queller'd the final one to win the match.
R2 vs. BG sacrifice 2-0
I played this deck when Collected Company was in standard and loved it. Unfortunately without that and a few other cards it's decent, but doesn't have that same type of reach as it once did. He added in Bontu the Glorified and Oketra's Monument for more critters (I had a version with Rhonas the Indomitable as well).
Unfortunately for him I am familiar with how the deck works. Shutting down the appropriate cards (Catacomb Sifter, Duskwatch Recruiter, and any sacrifice effects) will stall them out with a bunch of little creatures that you can Fumigate (of course, destroy any Zulaport Cutthroats first).
So, both games were very similar. I countered or exiled whatever was threatening, took some beats, wiped the board, and gave the Gideon and Gearhulk beatdown. I believe both games he barely got me into the single digits.
A couple of interesting situations came up in both games concerning Westvale Abbey. In the first game he started gaining ground with 2 to 3 small creatures where he'd sent them all in at me, I would then beat down with a Gearhulk and he'd make a token from Westvale Abbey and block. So in that interaction I was losing the war, but then I played 'MY' Westvale Abbey and surprised him. He could no longer attack and gain advantage. Once I played a Gideon of the Trials and started the bigger beatdown the writing was on the wall. In game 2 we got into the same staring match with my Gearhulk and his Westvale token blocking. The difference was he had a Zulaport Cutthroat out as well and was causing me to lose a life each time. I drew into one of my Confiscation Coups, stole his Cutthroat, played Gideon and commenced on the Gideon/Gearhulk beatdown.
R3 vs. GW humans with planeswalker support 1-2
He was playing Thalia's Lieutenant, Thraben Inspector, Thalia, Heretic Cathar, and various other humans with Gideon, Ally of Zendikar and Nissa, Voice of Zendikar for support. In the first game I stumbled on mana a little bit and he was able to get enough on board with support from Gideon and Nissa to get me after a good fight. I removed the first Gideon and Nissa with Cast Outs, but he played a 2nd Nissa and I didn't have the counter. In the second game he sided in Cast Out for my enchantment-based removal, but fortunately a timely Fumigate and Gearhulk beats took the game. The final game was quite a let down on my side. I was stuck on 2 lands after a mull to 6 for too long and by the time I got to 4 lands he already had 4 creatures, Gideon, AOZ, and Ajani Unyielding in play. I wasn't coming back from that.
R4 vs. R/B mid-range ID
The top 4 players in the swiss were already set for the top 8, so we ID'd. My son faced this guy the round before (playing Grixis Control)and just beat him. He was at 2 and his opponent was still at 20. My son casts Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh and used his +2. He snagged a Chandra, Torch of Defiance and killed the one creature his opponent had on board. He stabilized and won.
Top 8:
The decks were:
2 Grixis Control
1 UW Control*
1 GW Humans
1 Temur Energy
1 GW Energy
1 RB Mid-range
1 BG sacrifice
Pairings were: Quarters:
UW Control vs. BG Sacrifice (UW Control; 2-0)
Grixis Control vs. GW Energy (GW Energy)
Temur Energy vs. Grixis Control (Temur Energy)
GW Humans vs. RB mid-range (GW Humans)
I must admit, I was pretty happy to facing the BG sacrifice deck again. Things went pretty much the same. He did get Ormendahl, Profane Prince in play as a last ditch effort in the second game, but I had the Stasis Snare for him and that was that.
Just as a note: My son, Jarod, played Grixis Control against Jared playing Temur Energy, so this was the Battle of the Jarods! He ended up with a couple of unfortunate games though. After he was able to remove everything his opponent played Jared then top-decks a Glorybringer to beat for 3 turns and steal the first game while he was drawing lands. He then drew very few lands in the second game and couldn't keep up. He was still generally happy though since he 3-0-1'd in the swiss.
Semis:
UW Control vs. Temur Energy (UW Control; 2-0)
GW Humans vs. GW Energy (GW Energy)
Fortunately, I was able to avenge my son and win against Jared, but unfortunately for game play there isn't much to say. He mulled to 5 both games, was stuck on 2 lands for too long. I Negated his second Attune with Aether in the first game and he had a somewhat slow start in the second where I Essence Scattered his two attempts with Rogue Refiners, so I easily controlled him. The only thing I actually forgot to do is side in Solemnity, but I don't know if it would've helped anyway.
Finals:
UW Control vs. GW Energy (UW Control; 2-0)
I was happy to see the GW Energy defeat the GW Humans deck (he did it with a surprise Appeal // Authority for just enough). Not so much that I didn't think I couldn't beat the GW humans deck, but that I wanted to try against the GW Energy and see how I fared, since I saw him play Bristling Hydras and Blossoming Defenses which I knew I would have to be careful with.
The first game I was able to Essence Scatter, Cast Out, and Stasis Snare as needed. This was also the only time I played Dovin Baan. He was ok, but yea, he needs to go. When he went to attack with his one Hydra for the win I cast Blessed Alliance to turn the game around and beat down with Gideon and Gearhulk. He did generate a mad amount of energy, so of course, I forgot to side in the Solemnity again.
The second game was very close. He had a Electrostatic Pummeler and Hydra out with about 12 energy with me around 12. I just played Gideon, AoZ and made 2/2 blocker. I had Fumigate in hand, but was missing the fifth land. He attacks, I block the pummuler since pumping all that energy into it would've definitely killed me and pumping it into the Hydra would've just gotten me close to dead. I was waiting for the pump spell, but he didn't have it. I then rip an Island, cast Fumigate, make a token, and breathe a lot easier. From there I kept generating 2/2 tokens and played whatever I needed to keep his creatures down (A timely Spell Queller was helpful as well). I was then able to swing in with 4 tokens and the spirit, wait for his draw, and receive the handshake.
Definitely a deck that you need to think through what removal/counter you're going to use. Will have to test against Zombies and Mono-Red to see how they play out. For the future, I'll probably take out these cards:
I'm guessing Solemnity is probably just too slow to affect the board. Probably replace them with more counters and card draw (the 4th Glimmer; the scry was more worth it and the energy helps the Confiscation Coups. I still like the one-of Kefnet and mix of 4 Gideons. Playing only 2 colors I almost never had a color-screw problem. The 2 Blighted Cataracts and one-of Westvale Abbey were great.
"What kind of ability would say "counters black spells" on it? "If a Rigger you control would assemble a Contraption, it counters black spells instead"? "
-Mark Gottlieb
I'm trying it out myself this weekend and it just won a last chance qualifier this past weekend at a larger LGS near me. Being able to turn Fatal Push, Magma Spray and even board wipes into dead cards seems good.
It certainly seems to be picking up steam, doesn't it? I never felt too comfortable playing U/R control and have been tooling around with U/W for a while now, so it's satisfying to see a similar build coming-good in competitive play.
The list I settled on is similar to your MTG Goldfish link; the only difference for me (and it's a strict downgrade) is that I have a few Farm/Market and Desert's Hold. Somehow, I don't seem to own a single copy of Blessed Alliance so I'm sticking with what I have for now, considering imminent rotation.
It certainly seems to be picking up steam, doesn't it? I never felt too comfortable playing U/R control and have been tooling around with U/W for a while now, so it's satisfying to see a similar build coming-good in competitive play.
The list I settled on is similar to your MTG Goldfish link; the only difference for me (and it's a strict downgrade) is that I have a few Farm/Market and Desert's Hold. Somehow, I don't seem to own a single copy of Blessed Alliance so I'm sticking with what I have for now, considering imminent rotation.
[First post, hi all]
I know this will come up more and more, so I'll say my peace on the matter:
A playset of Blessed Alliance would run about $6. The card also sees play in modern, in fact it sees more play there than in standard. There isn't this grave financial risk.
I know this will come up more and more, so I'll say my peace on the matter:
A playset of Blessed Alliance would run about $6. The card also sees play in modern, in fact it sees more play there than in standard. There isn't this grave financial risk.
It's a fair point - I don't really play Modern so I hadn't taken that into account (there isn't much of a scene here) but with that in mind, maybe I'll buy a playset if the value likely won't plummet too much. I have about £10 in store credit on one online store from trade-ins so I'll see if they're in stock. Thanks
Somehow, I don't seem to own a single copy of Blessed Alliance so I'm sticking with what I have for now, considering imminent rotation.]
Immolating Glare although not nearly as versatile is often substituted for Blessed. If you're in an aggro meta, you need the life gain aspect. If you're in a big creature meta, then Glare is better usually.
I'm also curious as to when the Caracals are boarded in. I assume when life gain is needed but don't honestly know as they're pretty slow.
"What kind of ability would say "counters black spells" on it? "If a Rigger you control would assemble a Contraption, it counters black spells instead"? "
-Mark Gottlieb
I like the Immolating Glare in place of the Aether Meltdowns. They feel out of sorts with the rest of the deck. At the moment I am trying revolutionary rebuff in its place as a card against more matchups including control and ramp. I also like having one planeswalker main such as Gideon or Jace as a backup wincon. The deck feels amazing but against UR control it can be rough. Mono red is also very 50/50 dependant on your draws. Some people have been running 2 Authorities main to combat this.
I like the Immolating Glare in place of the Aether Meltdowns. They feel out of sorts with the rest of the deck. At the moment I am trying revolutionary rebuff in its place as a card against more matchups including control and ramp. I also like having one planeswalker main such as Gideon or Jace as a backup win-con. The deck feels amazing but against UR control it can be rough. Mono red is also very 50/50 dependant on your draws. Some people have been running 2 Authorities main to combat this.
I like the idea of Immolating Glare instead of Aether Meltdown or some combination of the 2. It is nice to be able to slow down the various gods that are played with meltdowns so still would run at least 2 or a couple of Stasis Snare. And I have been running 2 Authorities main instead of 2 Unsummons because most of my meta is aggro. It really seems to help. Even if the enter tapped effect is not relevant, the life gain is always nice since almost every deck runs a ton of creatures, 5-10 extra life is pretty easy to get before the game is over.
I see some list running 4 Gideons in the side. Same question about him as I have about the cats, when do you want to bring him in? The idea of running one main seems solid and will try it out.
Im relatively new to this game but this deck really interests me. I must ask, though... is the goldfish list based on the sole wincon of SecondSun?
Correct, the only way to beat it is to outrace it or to counter the 2nd copy of Second Sun, so it needs no other win con. However, there are multiple options to bring in for Game 2 so we don't just straight out lose to something like Lost Legacy. I'm considering running a single Sphinx of the Final Word both as a guaranteed win vs control and an alternate win-con.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
How can we truly be free, if we are held in the bondage of clothing?
"What kind of ability would say "counters black spells" on it? "If a Rigger you control would assemble a Contraption, it counters black spells instead"? "
-Mark Gottlieb
Correct, the only way to beat it is to outrace it or to counter the 2nd copy of Second Sun, so it needs no other win con. However, there are multiple options to bring in for Game 2 so we don't just straight out lose to something like Lost Legacy. I'm considering running a single Sphinx of the Final Word both as a guaranteed win vs control and an alternate win-con.
If they counter the 2nd Approach, does that not count or do we still win? The card says if you cast it, so if it was countered it was still cast. Or am I wrong on this?
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Modern
Currently Playing UW UW Control/Miracles R Skred Red
I wonder if the manabase could support a couple of hostile deserts as a maindeck alt win con? I feel like relying on resolving one of two second suns in control mirrors could be an issue.
Correct, the only way to beat it is to outrace it or to counter the 2nd copy of Second Sun, so it needs no other win con. However, there are multiple options to bring in for Game 2 so we don't just straight out lose to something like Lost Legacy. I'm considering running a single Sphinx of the Final Word both as a guaranteed win vs control and an alternate win-con.
If they counter the 2nd Approach, does that not count or do we still win? The card says if you cast it, so if it was countered it was still cast. Or am I wrong on this?
Think of it like this:
The first time you CAST Approach of the Second Sun it essentially reads: "Gain 7 life. Put this card in your library 7 down."
The second time you CAST Approach, it reads: "You win the game."
An opponent can counter it when it's in either one of the "modes" and it simply is countered and goes to grave as all spells do. A spell has to resolve in order for it's effect to occur, so if the 2nd Second Sun is countered, you don't get the effect of "you win the game".
One thing to note, is that it doesn't matter what happens with the first one. In order to activate the "you win the game" effect on your future copies, it only cares about a previous one being cast and doesn't matter if the first one resolves nor where it was cast from.
"What kind of ability would say "counters black spells" on it? "If a Rigger you control would assemble a Contraption, it counters black spells instead"? "
-Mark Gottlieb
I wonder if the manabase could support a couple of hostile deserts as a maindeck alt win con? I feel like relying on resolving one of two second suns in control mirrors could be an issue.
It would work but would need to change up your draw spells to push more cards into your graveyard instead of the bottom of the library. The only thing I can think of off the top of my head is Strategic Planning which really doesn't fit very well.
I have been trying one Gideon of the Trials main and 3 sideboard and really like him. His +1 means that one big dude that you can't deal with can't touch you the next turn. And funny enough, I won a game against a mirror with the 'You can't lose the game' token. He couldn't draw anything to remove my Gideon and it gave me a few turns to find my 2nd Approach.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Modern
Currently Playing UW UW Control/Miracles R Skred Red
I've been running one mainboard Trials Gideon for a while and he's been pretty good. He gets sided out in most matchups, but he's a good surprise for game 1.
Played at Thursday night Standard and went 3-0. Beat BW Mid-range, Ramunap Red, BG Snek. i am playing the 2 Authority main and it feels good. MVP all night was the one of Gideon of the Trials. It buys you tons of time. The rebuffs did a ton of work but upon reflection I think that negate might be better here. All decks are running a target that is counter worthy. That also frees up slots in the side. With which im thinking of upping the cat count and adding a summary dismissal or two for big ramp decks.
So in that case one would be woefully mistaken to counter the first Approach of the Second Sun (as you should save the counter spell for the second one)
I was thinking about added 2 Pull from tomorrow and 2 Anticipate in place of 2 Glimmer and 2 Illusion. Has anyone else played with the draw package much? The longer the game goes, the better pull feels and anticipate dig deeper than illusion, especially since most of the time I just cycle it.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Modern
Currently Playing UW UW Control/Miracles R Skred Red
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79Tu9aHE-9E
3 Gideon of the Trials
1 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1 Dovin Baan
1 Kefnet the Mindful
2 Blessed Alliance
2 Fumigate
4 Cast Out
3 Stasis Snare
2 Disallow
2 Anticipate
3 Essence Scatter
3 Negate
1 Hieroglyphic Illumination
3 Glimmer of Genius
2 Torrential Gearhulk
1 Immolating Glare
4 Irrigated Farmland
4 Prairie Stream
4 Port Town
2 Blighted Cataract
1 Westvale Abbey
6 Island
5 Plains
2 Authority of the Consuls
4 Spell Queller
2 Forsake the Worldly
2 Confiscation Coup
1 Declaration in Stone
1 Quarantine Field
1 Negate
1 Solemnity
1 Descend Upon the Sinful
4 rounds then top 8:
R1 vs. 4c Approach (Fog deck) 2-0
In game 1 I played an early Gideon of the Trials, activated his +1 once and created his emblem after a couple of turns trying to beat down. He played an early Fevered Visions, which concerned me at first, but once I had the "I can't lose" emblem I was pretty sure I was good. I still ended up playing Cast Out on it a few turns later to keep him from drawing more cards. I was able to get him to 8 then he played his win-con Approach of the Second Sun. For a second I was concerned, but then remembered I had the emblem in play. When he re-read the emblem again a couple of turns later, he thought for a moment and realized that he didn't have anything to remove Gideon and conceded.
Game 2 I had no doubt he was waiting for me to play Gideon again. On his turn 3 he played a cycle land and left 2 lands open (He did admit afterwards that he had the Negate). So on my turn 3 I played Kefnet the Mindful with 6 cards in hand. He knew he was in trouble (he sided out some of his fog effects). I went on the beatdown plan for 6 turns and got him after a couple of fog spells he did keep and Spell Queller'd the final one to win the match.
Sided out/in:
- 1 Dovin Baan
- 2 Fumigate
- 1 Immolating Glare
- 1 Stasis Snare
+ 4 Spell Queller
+ 1 Negate
R2 vs. BG sacrifice 2-0
I played this deck when Collected Company was in standard and loved it. Unfortunately without that and a few other cards it's decent, but doesn't have that same type of reach as it once did. He added in Bontu the Glorified and Oketra's Monument for more critters (I had a version with Rhonas the Indomitable as well).
Unfortunately for him I am familiar with how the deck works. Shutting down the appropriate cards (Catacomb Sifter, Duskwatch Recruiter, and any sacrifice effects) will stall them out with a bunch of little creatures that you can Fumigate (of course, destroy any Zulaport Cutthroats first).
So, both games were very similar. I countered or exiled whatever was threatening, took some beats, wiped the board, and gave the Gideon and Gearhulk beatdown. I believe both games he barely got me into the single digits.
A couple of interesting situations came up in both games concerning Westvale Abbey. In the first game he started gaining ground with 2 to 3 small creatures where he'd sent them all in at me, I would then beat down with a Gearhulk and he'd make a token from Westvale Abbey and block. So in that interaction I was losing the war, but then I played 'MY' Westvale Abbey and surprised him. He could no longer attack and gain advantage. Once I played a Gideon of the Trials and started the bigger beatdown the writing was on the wall. In game 2 we got into the same staring match with my Gearhulk and his Westvale token blocking. The difference was he had a Zulaport Cutthroat out as well and was causing me to lose a life each time. I drew into one of my Confiscation Coups, stole his Cutthroat, played Gideon and commenced on the Gideon/Gearhulk beatdown.
Sided out/in:
- 1 Dovin Baan
- 1 Kefnet the Mindful
- 1 Hieroglyphic Illumination
+ 1 Descend Upon the Sinful
+ 2 Confiscation Coup
R3 vs. GW humans with planeswalker support 1-2
He was playing Thalia's Lieutenant, Thraben Inspector, Thalia, Heretic Cathar, and various other humans with Gideon, Ally of Zendikar and Nissa, Voice of Zendikar for support. In the first game I stumbled on mana a little bit and he was able to get enough on board with support from Gideon and Nissa to get me after a good fight. I removed the first Gideon and Nissa with Cast Outs, but he played a 2nd Nissa and I didn't have the counter. In the second game he sided in Cast Out for my enchantment-based removal, but fortunately a timely Fumigate and Gearhulk beats took the game. The final game was quite a let down on my side. I was stuck on 2 lands after a mull to 6 for too long and by the time I got to 4 lands he already had 4 creatures, Gideon, AOZ, and Ajani Unyielding in play. I wasn't coming back from that.
Sided out/in:
- 1 Dovin Baan
- 1 Kefnet the Mindful
- 1 Hieroglyphic Illumination
- 1 Gideon of the Trials
- 1 Negate
- 1 Stasis Snare (I think..)
+ 1 Descend Upon the Sinful
+ 1 Declaration in Stone
+ 4 Spell Queller
R4 vs. R/B mid-range ID
The top 4 players in the swiss were already set for the top 8, so we ID'd. My son faced this guy the round before (playing Grixis Control)and just beat him. He was at 2 and his opponent was still at 20. My son casts Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh and used his +2. He snagged a Chandra, Torch of Defiance and killed the one creature his opponent had on board. He stabilized and won.
Top 8:
The decks were:
2 Grixis Control
1 UW Control*
1 GW Humans
1 Temur Energy
1 GW Energy
1 RB Mid-range
1 BG sacrifice
Pairings were:
Quarters:
UW Control vs. BG Sacrifice (UW Control; 2-0)
Grixis Control vs. GW Energy (GW Energy)
Temur Energy vs. Grixis Control (Temur Energy)
GW Humans vs. RB mid-range (GW Humans)
I must admit, I was pretty happy to facing the BG sacrifice deck again. Things went pretty much the same. He did get Ormendahl, Profane Prince in play as a last ditch effort in the second game, but I had the Stasis Snare for him and that was that.
Just as a note: My son, Jarod, played Grixis Control against Jared playing Temur Energy, so this was the Battle of the Jarods! He ended up with a couple of unfortunate games though. After he was able to remove everything his opponent played Jared then top-decks a Glorybringer to beat for 3 turns and steal the first game while he was drawing lands. He then drew very few lands in the second game and couldn't keep up. He was still generally happy though since he 3-0-1'd in the swiss.
Semis:
UW Control vs. Temur Energy (UW Control; 2-0)
GW Humans vs. GW Energy (GW Energy)
Fortunately, I was able to avenge my son and win against Jared, but unfortunately for game play there isn't much to say. He mulled to 5 both games, was stuck on 2 lands for too long. I Negated his second Attune with Aether in the first game and he had a somewhat slow start in the second where I Essence Scattered his two attempts with Rogue Refiners, so I easily controlled him. The only thing I actually forgot to do is side in Solemnity, but I don't know if it would've helped anyway.
Finals:
UW Control vs. GW Energy (UW Control; 2-0)
I was happy to see the GW Energy defeat the GW Humans deck (he did it with a surprise Appeal // Authority for just enough). Not so much that I didn't think I couldn't beat the GW humans deck, but that I wanted to try against the GW Energy and see how I fared, since I saw him play Bristling Hydras and Blossoming Defenses which I knew I would have to be careful with.
The first game I was able to Essence Scatter, Cast Out, and Stasis Snare as needed. This was also the only time I played Dovin Baan. He was ok, but yea, he needs to go. When he went to attack with his one Hydra for the win I cast Blessed Alliance to turn the game around and beat down with Gideon and Gearhulk. He did generate a mad amount of energy, so of course, I forgot to side in the Solemnity again.
The second game was very close. He had a Electrostatic Pummeler and Hydra out with about 12 energy with me around 12. I just played Gideon, AoZ and made 2/2 blocker. I had Fumigate in hand, but was missing the fifth land. He attacks, I block the pummuler since pumping all that energy into it would've definitely killed me and pumping it into the Hydra would've just gotten me close to dead. I was waiting for the pump spell, but he didn't have it. I then rip an Island, cast Fumigate, make a token, and breathe a lot easier. From there I kept generating 2/2 tokens and played whatever I needed to keep his creatures down (A timely Spell Queller was helpful as well). I was then able to swing in with 4 tokens and the spirit, wait for his draw, and receive the handshake.
Definitely a deck that you need to think through what removal/counter you're going to use. Will have to test against Zombies and Mono-Red to see how they play out. For the future, I'll probably take out these cards:
- Dovin Baan
- Immolating Glare
- Hieroglyphic Illumination
- Solemnity
I'm guessing Solemnity is probably just too slow to affect the board. Probably replace them with more counters and card draw (the 4th Glimmer; the scry was more worth it and the energy helps the Confiscation Coups. I still like the one-of Kefnet and mix of 4 Gideons. Playing only 2 colors I almost never had a color-screw problem. The 2 Blighted Cataracts and one-of Westvale Abbey were great.Have fun!
At my LGS, I'm just walking through easily with no competition but no one there likes to play control so it's not a real meta.
http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=115372
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/729562#paper
Current Decks
Standard / Type 2
BRMidrange
"What kind of ability would say "counters black spells" on it? "If a Rigger you control would assemble a Contraption, it counters black spells instead"? "
-Mark Gottlieb
I'm trying it out myself this weekend and it just won a last chance qualifier this past weekend at a larger LGS near me. Being able to turn Fatal Push, Magma Spray and even board wipes into dead cards seems good.
The list I settled on is similar to your MTG Goldfish link; the only difference for me (and it's a strict downgrade) is that I have a few Farm/Market and Desert's Hold. Somehow, I don't seem to own a single copy of Blessed Alliance so I'm sticking with what I have for now, considering imminent rotation.
[First post, hi all]
I know this will come up more and more, so I'll say my peace on the matter:
A playset of Blessed Alliance would run about $6. The card also sees play in modern, in fact it sees more play there than in standard. There isn't this grave financial risk.
It's a fair point - I don't really play Modern so I hadn't taken that into account (there isn't much of a scene here) but with that in mind, maybe I'll buy a playset if the value likely won't plummet too much. I have about £10 in store credit on one online store from trade-ins so I'll see if they're in stock. Thanks
http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=115372
Question, what match ups do you bring in the cats for? They seem really strong just not sure what is the best use of them.
Modern
Currently Playing
UW UW Control/Miracles
R Skred Red
Retired
BU Faeries
RGW Naya Burn
BW B/W Tokens
Immolating Glare although not nearly as versatile is often substituted for Blessed. If you're in an aggro meta, you need the life gain aspect. If you're in a big creature meta, then Glare is better usually.
I'm also curious as to when the Caracals are boarded in. I assume when life gain is needed but don't honestly know as they're pretty slow.
Current Decks
Standard / Type 2
BRMidrange
"What kind of ability would say "counters black spells" on it? "If a Rigger you control would assemble a Contraption, it counters black spells instead"? "
-Mark Gottlieb
I like the idea of Immolating Glare instead of Aether Meltdown or some combination of the 2. It is nice to be able to slow down the various gods that are played with meltdowns so still would run at least 2 or a couple of Stasis Snare. And I have been running 2 Authorities main instead of 2 Unsummons because most of my meta is aggro. It really seems to help. Even if the enter tapped effect is not relevant, the life gain is always nice since almost every deck runs a ton of creatures, 5-10 extra life is pretty easy to get before the game is over.
I see some list running 4 Gideons in the side. Same question about him as I have about the cats, when do you want to bring him in? The idea of running one main seems solid and will try it out.
Modern
Currently Playing
UW UW Control/Miracles
R Skred Red
Retired
BU Faeries
RGW Naya Burn
BW B/W Tokens
Yes, you win-con is casting Second Sun twice. The rest of your deck is there to stale the game until you can.
Modern
Currently Playing
UW UW Control/Miracles
R Skred Red
Retired
BU Faeries
RGW Naya Burn
BW B/W Tokens
Correct, the only way to beat it is to outrace it or to counter the 2nd copy of Second Sun, so it needs no other win con. However, there are multiple options to bring in for Game 2 so we don't just straight out lose to something like Lost Legacy. I'm considering running a single Sphinx of the Final Word both as a guaranteed win vs control and an alternate win-con.
Current Decks
Standard / Type 2
BRMidrange
"What kind of ability would say "counters black spells" on it? "If a Rigger you control would assemble a Contraption, it counters black spells instead"? "
-Mark Gottlieb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWR3w6sYsOM&t=4532s
He brings in the Gideons to fight walkers. Makes a lot of sense.
Modern
Currently Playing
UW UW Control/Miracles
R Skred Red
Retired
BU Faeries
RGW Naya Burn
BW B/W Tokens
If they counter the 2nd Approach, does that not count or do we still win? The card says if you cast it, so if it was countered it was still cast. Or am I wrong on this?
Modern
Currently Playing
UW UW Control/Miracles
R Skred Red
Retired
BU Faeries
RGW Naya Burn
BW B/W Tokens
Think of it like this:
The first time you CAST Approach of the Second Sun it essentially reads: "Gain 7 life. Put this card in your library 7 down."
The second time you CAST Approach, it reads: "You win the game."
An opponent can counter it when it's in either one of the "modes" and it simply is countered and goes to grave as all spells do. A spell has to resolve in order for it's effect to occur, so if the 2nd Second Sun is countered, you don't get the effect of "you win the game".
One thing to note, is that it doesn't matter what happens with the first one. In order to activate the "you win the game" effect on your future copies, it only cares about a previous one being cast and doesn't matter if the first one resolves nor where it was cast from.
Current Decks
Standard / Type 2
BRMidrange
"What kind of ability would say "counters black spells" on it? "If a Rigger you control would assemble a Contraption, it counters black spells instead"? "
-Mark Gottlieb
Modern
Currently Playing
UW UW Control/Miracles
R Skred Red
Retired
BU Faeries
RGW Naya Burn
BW B/W Tokens
It would work but would need to change up your draw spells to push more cards into your graveyard instead of the bottom of the library. The only thing I can think of off the top of my head is Strategic Planning which really doesn't fit very well.
I have been trying one Gideon of the Trials main and 3 sideboard and really like him. His +1 means that one big dude that you can't deal with can't touch you the next turn. And funny enough, I won a game against a mirror with the 'You can't lose the game' token. He couldn't draw anything to remove my Gideon and it gave me a few turns to find my 2nd Approach.
Modern
Currently Playing
UW UW Control/Miracles
R Skred Red
Retired
BU Faeries
RGW Naya Burn
BW B/W Tokens
Modern
Currently Playing
UW UW Control/Miracles
R Skred Red
Retired
BU Faeries
RGW Naya Burn
BW B/W Tokens
4x Glimmer of Genius and 2x Pull from Tomorrow is a good draw set
C Long Live Eldrazi C