Regarding a Red/Black Black Rack Construction, I noticed that the top 16 finish by Pete Casella at a Starcitygames Premier IQ in Indianapolis on February 1st of this year never had a deck listing properly formatted in our forum (there is just a link in the primer page, but it hasn't appeared in the thread). As you know, I've taken a shine to it, and made it my own with a number of changes (last night's testing was very positive, and the tinkering continues). But, for posterity's sake, and perhaps the chance to get some fresh sparks of ideas, here it is. Again, he said himself that he didn't feel as though it was a fully developed creation. So, you know it can only get better!
That's a spicy brew alright, Raystack. Obliterator is awesome; the fact that he doesn't die to Abrupt Decay is nice as well. Since you have included him, though, don't you feel some number of Urborg, ToY should find their way back into your mana base?
Thanks Thenarus, you're right. I just updated the list to include two Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth. This is to Blackify the Mutavault for assistance in casting my tanks, Phyrexian Obliterator. I was slow to adopt them earlier, because they do assist in swampifying an opponent's fetchland - so, they don't have to crack it, and it makes me more vulnerable to an opponent's Blood Moon. But, ultimately, 2 colorless lands do call for 2 Urborg.
I was talking with a playtest bud - the guy who has played against my bridge decks since it was printed in Stronghold - yes, it's one of my favorite cards since Pox decks were the rage, and one of the main reasons why I was drawn to 8rack which I have been trying to improve with any number of iterations beyond the stock list in the last, nearly 2 years. We're talking hundreds and hundreds of hours of testing between us on the bridge.
It was some fractured IMing, but he wrote, "bridge also forces you to build your deck around needing to drop your hand and go in to top deck mode…for nothing (edit: just more racks)
GBx makes both players go in to top deck and then wins because of the card quality being so off the charts on all of its' top decks"
He's right. Once we go to top deck mode on a bridge plan, the only thing we want to see is more racks. So, He directed me back to a card which I introduced in my first recasting of Pete Casella's Blightning/Nyxathid deck, and suggested that I up the count and have it define the creature base. I think he's onto something, and for those of you who hold onto Ensnaring Bridge with a death grip, this may just free you from your burden.
What If......
You could still play Ensnaring Bridge, but it cost 4 instead of 3? The advantage: You can keep as many cards in your hand as you want. The disadvantage: You can still be attacked from the air, and from unblockable creatures. Not good enough? O.K. What if you can also attack with this new bridge, and it's a 5/5. Interested? Not there yet? I'll add trample. Getting Closer? Fine, for every point of damage that this new bridge receives from an opponent, that opponent must sac that number of permanents...Terrific, just sign here, and you can take it home today!
Phyrexian Obliterator is featured in this new iteration known as Lightning War. It rains lightning from the air in the beginning, and then rolls in the tanks. Some may better know it as,
Since my curve increased, I've upped the land count by one to 23, and the deck now features 6 scrying cards. Nyxathid is strong, but doesn't always get as big and strong as I want him to - as ktkenshinx observed. I had to drop the Pyroclasm and Anger of the Gods components as they will hit my Tanks which then get very cross with me.
This all seems very intuitive, and I believe the 'bridgers' will agree with me as well. There is this misconception that the opponent will start putting out this ever increasing army that can only be stopped with Damnation or Ensnaring Bridge <I play neither in my 75>. That just isn't the case when you are in the race as well. Remember, you both are only drawing one card per turn. You are packing (7) two-for-1 discard spells and (4) Liliana of the Veil, (8) first turn discard spells to identify and neutralize the biggest threat, (8) dedicated creature kill cards, (2) sweepers, and (4) of the toughest motherhumpers to every get printed by Wizards. You can do this. Pete put us on the right track, and a full twenty-nine (29) card changes later, we have this House with a huge back porch.
This is the specific breakdown that I was looking for from hardKOrr. Insightful stuff. I'm going to compare this write-up against the new iteration. The meta has changed, so that's noteworthy. As for suggestions to the deck, I'm not ready to offer much beyond the obvious: Ichor Wellspring seems narrow. Spellskite andCranial Plating seem like they're worth looking at.
Why is that? When I was playing the non-aggro version, I always thought to myself how the deck lacked early game power and/or disruption. The cards you named provide all that, not sure what could be bad about it. Could you explain further?
All the cards synergize well with Tezz, and some well with each other. The fact that the curve starts really kicking at 3 is just a touch too slow. Its just in time to get hit by Remand and Mana Leak, if you attempt to drop the curve the powerlevel of the cards reduce drastically as well.
This is because you end up with hands that have all 3 and 4 drops with no early interaction that also DO NOT flow well into a curve. You need to land early artifacts to make sure Etched Champion and Master of Etherium survive. Not every hand ends up like that, but adding extra mulligans to the deck solely based on that is not good.
The other options for early artifacts arent creatures. There could be a combination that works and just needs fleshed out to try and be more disruptive to use, but its unclear whether that is better than just sticking to other tezzeret versions. These cards would include : Thorn of Amethyst (like Mana Leak this card is bad in the late game, this also makes mana rocks very bad) Chalice of the Void (can have the same issue as Thorn) Mox Opal (relies on other early artifacts to be truly useful, also gets caught by Thorn where paying 1 to get 1 can be useless) Engineered Explosives Pithing Needle (can compete with Chalice, but also runs into issues with laying it early against an unknown opponent (or having it against a deck its useless)) Torpor Orb
But what does that deck really do? There isnt really any permissions to stop your opponent, you just slow them down. Chalice on 1 (And maybe 2) can stop lots of things and thorn just slows things down even more. Again you're looking for a very disruptive hand to later land a Champion and/or Master into. Its possible this could be better than having Mana Leak and Remand instead of Chalice of the Void and Thorn of Amethyst but it just doesnt feel right.
The cost for Thorn of Amethyst grows with each one laid out, as well there are only 13 creatures in the deck. Can't run mana rocks because they end up at best breaking you even on mana... the next turn. You can trade out EE, Cranial, Opals out for creatures... but what creatures? Back at Arcbound Ravager and Steel Overseer and Vault Skirge... which leans back to, why not just affinity?
/e : And just mashing Master of Etherium and Etched Champion into a shell of just 20ish artifacts makes them less effective than what you're really wanting them to be.
/e : Corrected deck to include Phyrexian Metamorphs as they dont get hit by Thorn of Amethyst. This allows for a bit more "robust" element to the deck, where you can just copy a Master or Thorn as needed, but those are about the only good targets (Etched maybe too). Also to note Thoughtcast is in over Thirst for Knowledge because it can still cost 1 mana if you have 8 thorns (theoretical max) out + 4 other artifacts (cost addition is applied before reduction)
Phone is correct when he writes about the 'engine'. He's correct when he makes mention that 'the win-cons don't work on their own'. This is the fundamental failing of a classic 8rack deck. The assemblage needs to hum along together with all the fragility of a teetering pile of crockery. The racks are the sharpened sticks at the bottom of the pit, and the discard drives your prey towards them. But:
- Discard does no damage and doesn't advance a win-con
- Ensnaring bridge does no damage and doesn't advance a win-con
(we're already through 24 cards of 38 spells)
- Liliana of the Veil does no damage and doesn't advance a win-con
- Racks. What about them? Well, the days of placing thin stick framing and leaf litter over the opening to hide the racks at the bottom of the pit are over. The tiger has grown wise.
Alright, I'm babbling. Back to Phone's comment, take Scapeshift. That deck has 4 totally useless cards, namely scapeshift. That's it. Man, that's so unfair! So, let's re-examine what Phone proposes: create a deck where the cards aren't just cogs of an archaic machine.
Lightning Bolt - does damage
Blightning - does damage
(5) Creatures and (2) Manlands - does damage
I know it seems like a bridge is needed, but it's simply not. Believe me. Heck, don't. Believe the results of Pete Casella. Believe the results of the 100th placed player at the Boston (worcester) Grand Prix this Summer. They didn't play bridges. Why? Because Ensnaring Bridge doesn't win games. Discard alone doesn't win games. Doing damage wins games! Be aggressive. Be, Be Aggressive. When you're ahead, you press for the win. Don't drop a bridge, and start throwing your drawn cards into the wind to create rats that can't attack. Good gawd, man.
When you play 8 targeted removal spells, you can take out the most apparent threat immediately. Then you go for 2-for-1 discard or further targeted removal. Then you drop a fattie. You eliminate whatever fattie or mid-ranger that eked out with your removal. Drop a rack to keep 'em conflicted and a liliana to command the direction of assault. But, the bottom line is assault. To arms! To arms, motherbit**ers! We don't have a Keranos, God of Storms, and Mogis is too meek. But, The opponent's don't have draw engines. You can win this attrition war, and deliver tiger uppercuts. You just have to leave the nest, get in the pit, and start swinging.
I know you get what I'm saying DM - ;-). Ensnaring bridge is a 0/0 defender. Again, it does not win games.
Well written, ktkenshinx. Accordingly, it was the 4th bolt that was getting traded for the 3rd Pyroclasm. Like I wrote: Lingering Souls is a true *****er - all day. I'm continuing to cater the build to its dominating force, but it's results against other decks has been promising. The prospect of creature count for the win is very real. It already worked!! Criminy. Don't slip back into turtling tendencies that can't execute dynamic wins so fast, there fellas.
Just today I was talking with a friend about your masterful write up about your previously failed attempt to mate Tezz and Affinity into a single deck, hardKOrr.
Looks like you cracked a code. I'm enthusiastic. Can you do us a favor?? Please, re-post your original synopsis of your testing trials. It was a 2-3 posting thread, but it's worth the virtual space for comparative analysis.
PLEASE REPOST YOUR ORIGINAL TESTING REPORTS AND THESIS ON HOW TEZZERET STRUGGLES TO MELD WITH AFFINITY.
Ktkenshinx and Destroyermaker....shoosh, we've all been doing this a long time. Losing the bridge was a big step, and a real leap of faith. I wrote to Pete Casella, smashpacman about his build, and asked:
"No Bridge in first game? And, Then you do a transition sideboard into bridges while swapping out your three creatures? It seems like it would make sense to do the process the other way around....bridges first, and then swap them out."
He answered that he thought the same in the beginning and found that it didn't work. I've discovered the same thing. First and foremost, I discovered a severe design flaw in his system (in my opinion). He can't play ensnaring bridge in his black/red deck. Subsequently, I did not pursue its usage in my development. His only 'real' win conditions are as follows: 4 racks, 2 lavaclaw reaches, and 3 nyxathid. That's it. SO: if you remove the nyxathid for the bridges, you're left with very little to 'close the deal'.
Now, it should be noted that I am (24) cards different from his (75), but the overall theme is still similar: overwhelming volume discard, 1-for-1 removal, liliana of the win, a few creatures, and a few racks. Can this work? Recent testing has been positive. A lot of the causality comes down to draw engines. As I wrote about before, they don't exist in this post-ban meta. The reason why Junk/Abzan is so competitive is that it's so wonderfully balanced, but it's major attrition wins come from Liliana of the Veil {we know that song} and Lingering Souls {we have ways of getting around that}. Lightning Rack succeeds on gaining card advantage and dropping a bigger threat than the one the opponent was able to fire off.
Guys, no one has ever won a game from dropping an ensnaring bridge, and you can't win on discard alone. Bomb the hand with 2-for-1 spells. Surgically strike the creatures and hand with 1-for-1. Drop fatty beasts and Liliana and racks to close it out. You'll be surprised how very viable this strategy is.
@Destroyermaker: Let's compare Tasigur, the Golden Fang and Gurmag Angler. Out of the gate, Tasigur is a rare and all the rage these days while Gurmag is common, so I'm skeptical, but let's look further...Originally, I was considering Tombstalker, did some math, and quickly realized he is out of the question. Gurmag's extra delver cost is indeed the cost of approximately a 1/2-turn to get him out. Mathing: I don't cantrip or fetch or cast anything that causes self discard except Liliana of the Veil. So, when can I first cast Tasigur or Gurmag? Easy:
Turn 1: Spell
Turn 2: Spell (maybe an additional spell, as I do run 16 1-cmc spells - but, I also run four scry lands which come into play tapped)
Turn 3: Spell, OR.....
= at this point, I have either 2 or 3 cards in the graveyard =
Can I cast Gurmag on turn 3? Nope. Mathematically, it can't happen unless my opponent makes me discard a card prior to this point.
Can I cast Tasigur on turn 3? Perhaps. If I cast 1 spell on turn (1) and 2 spells on turn (2) and I drop a third land which doesn't come into play tapped, then Yes. Yes. He can come out. What is the likelihood? I'm not going to hazard a guess.
Turn 4: Who Knows? It's hard to extrapolate at this point. But, it is clear that the in order to land Gurmag, it's a measure harder than tasigur. I need to be emptying my hand at full clip. I need to dropping lands on schedule. I believe that it's more statistically prevalent to drop a B5 than a B6 dredge in the type of construction that I made to enough of a degree that +1/+0 doesn't add up. I want that creature out early and I want that extra land open for one of my 16 1-cmc spells to get fired off. So, this gets into some serious math-crafting, but I'd estimate that Tasigur has an effective casting cost of 4.25 and Gurmag has an effective casting cost of 4.75. Math is not my specialty, but it's a rough estimation according to my specific deck construction. On a coin flip, I'd rather have a 4/5 before a 5/5 with these odds.
But, this opens the door to the following question: Is there a better creature for 4 mana? So, we're looking for a Fatty, in a very creature-light deck that is a reliable 4/5 or 5/5 for 4. Well, there is Yukora, the Prisoner. Ha!
As for the scry lands - Temple of Malice. It's a spicy topic. I was on one side of the argument - firmly entrenched, and I switched. This is simply a card that must be played to be understood. Similar to the recent debate on Darksteel Pendant, it's a very nuanced offering.....but, this card offers up the power of a dual land with no damage and a scry at the cost of a come-into-play penalty. Luckily, I play a very, very low curve deck that can avoid a major speed bump, and, further, benefit by avoiding useless draws.
@Esperino: Olivia Voldaren is a new entry with little testing. There is a lot going on in a game that affords her avenues to excel. Firstly, folks will be voluntarily ditching their creature kill cards. Secondly, she's a terrific mana sink for mid/late game. Thirdly, she can target: Manlands, Infect, Affinity, and so much more. That's, as you observed, if she survives. If I'm able to gain card advantage (I should be), then she should be able to live....if not, then she is a one-shot raven's crime at the opponent. Man can't survive on discard alone.
Overwhelming Disagreement to Follow: As for diversifying the sideboard with several different cards in varying numbers, it's a trait that is common amongst nearly every single competitive deck in Modern. Nearly every single successful, competitive deck in Modern. I can't stress enough how much I disagree with the theory that running a 4-4-4-3 designed Sideboard is successful. I say 'theory' as its trial-testing (premier tournaments) has never yielded a high finish. Never. Opposing decks, unlike us, run multiple win conditions. They also run multiple threats to disrupt our win conditions. To believe that we can effectively best these obstacles with a sideboard arsenal of 4 different cards is, well, lunacy. Sorry, but like I said, I just can't disagree more on this topic. All due respect.
@Nazradin: I choose to run Tasigur, the golden fang because it is just that much faster than the other creatures you suggested. Gurmag Angler would be a runner up, but I don't want to wait that extra turn/delver card to get him out as a +1/+0. Tombstalker is just too pricey. That extra cost really does come into play in my deck as I do not run cantrips or fetchlands, so I'm not filling up my graveyard very fast with those mechanics or spells like smallpox.
@phone: The doulbe red of Anger of the Gods can be prohibitive in a deck that runs only 12 red sources (4 of which can scry away extra red land that is forthcoming - temple of Malice). The three-cmc slot is very crowded as it is. And, I thought hard about removal. I do have the 3 toughness killer already in (4) Lightning Bolt. If it gets bigger, I can terminate or liliana of the veil. Of course there are 15 discard spells to keep it from even hitting the board. So, that leaves Pyroclasm reasonably well situated to perform some sweeping operations on turn 2. That sort of quick reaction to things like mana dorks or multiple goblin guide/monastery swiftspear or an affinity horde in the early game can mean the difference between maintaining control, and trying to catch up. That said, I will toss a couple in the sideboard because of Abzan/Junk since the prevalence of Voice of Resurgence and Kitchen Finks is so high.
@aeonsz: It's possible. If it's bob and early creature threats that you are seeking, I wouldn't look at bloodghast. Way too slow. You could consider Gravecrawler with Mutavault combo along with your dark confidant. I did it with some success in the past. Smallpox is a thought, and pairs well with Gurmag Angler {also a zombie}, but you'd have to drop dark confidant. Ultimately, I think you're simply better off running Burn for an aggro-linear kill.
New Tech Mainboard: (2) Pyroclasm and (1) Olivia Voldaren. With a little board stability, she will help you sail into the mid-late game win. Weenies get smoked, and large guys get stolen. New Tech Sideboard: (1) Batterskull. It's pretty much there for the Burn matchup.
1/2 way down page 66, I posted up Lightning Rack, a R/B Rack Deck that is based upon a top 16 finishing deck at a StarCityGames, Modern IQ - the highest finish by a Black Rack deck in a premier event. The most encouraging item, to me, was that the builder freely admitted that he hadn't truly refined his deck yet. So, it can only get better?! Well, how good is it? Did he just get lucky? Was it blue-deck and control combo decks throughout most of the day? I don't know, but this is certainly a deck that deserves some more attention than it's getting.
As I said, I changed only 3 of the 38 spells in the main deck, and made significant changes to the land base and sideboard. The testing has been hot and cold which falls in line with the types of matchups that I'm facing. Put simply, I don't like Jank/Azban....to put it plainly, I don't like Lingering Souls. I can see now why Pete put 3 Pyroclasm in the Sideboard. Wise.
It does well against staggered, larger creature threats, but suffers against small/mid-level swarm. Burn is a race that makes me wish for a little card draw or life gain but, that is not really in the cards. I haven't faced Affinity. Tasigur, the Golden Fang did replace a Nyxathid, and I like this swap very much. The overall deck concept is sound, and I'm eager for more battle.
@speedgrapher: thank you for pointing out that Mutavault does not and can not effectively 'swing under a bridge'. What creatures are on the other side of your bridge? Storm Crow? If you bridged up, there's a reason, and it is probably not for creatures that....ugh. Never Mind.
I've kicked around Phyrexian Metamorph in the past. But, consider if you are casting it on turn 4 or 3 (zap or rock assist) you are copying a card that has a lower casting cost than it - thus, a lesser card. Plus, it's a card that you already have in play. Sometimes multiples count, but not often. Now, if it's an opponent's card, then again, it probably cost less than 4, so it is ostensibly worse, but, hey tarmogoofy is cool. But, there will be a lot/lot/lot of misses in that respect. For consistency's sake, I'd run what you really need more than what you want to wish for.
Many thanks to Radouf for thoughts on mana base, and Stuhl chimed in as well. Indeed, I was running too high in the count. Plus, I'm the guy who runs a scry land of each in my grixis build which mediates floods/screws. So, I'll be doing a redux of one land and one signet which puts me at 22 land, 4 signet, 1 mox -- seems good, but I feel the call to do a further reduction:
Blackcleave Cliffs === Terminate
Why bother with debates about Smother or Go for the throat when you can have it all? Also, I'm just not a fan of murderous cut. I don't know why folks are piling on with this card, but when there is Affinity, Infect, and a turn 4 Twin to deal with, I'll take a guaranteed 2 cmc spell all day.
Dimir Signet === Rakdos Charm
The thing that really gets my goat are those manlands and a tronned out oblivion stone or affinity or a gy recursion deck.
Those are things I can not stop.
mono blue tron goes for mindslaver
buried alive decks. dredge/vine decks. Loam decks. snapcaster mage to grab a cryptic command. Or, again, they go off for twin, and suddenly I win. And, for those that say Relic of P, remember that I run (4) chalice of the void, so all 1-cmcs are out....besides, I think that Rakdos Charm is actually better. I'm kind of surprised other folks haven't mentioned it.
Wurmcoil Engine === Karn Liberated
If I run three Ensnaring Bridge, it's safe to say that it's out before this guy is. The turtle approach hasn't lent to him being useful in attack. I like him, but for one mana more, it's karn. I mean, c'mon. He's back, baby!
EDIT: Tezzeret the Seeker just became Ashiok. A little mascara, some flowing Stevie Nicks frocks, and 3 scarves later it was done. Makes sense - should have removed the Seeker a while ago as his principle point of inclusion was Proteus Staff, later bolstered by Grafdigger's cage, Torpor Orb, and Spellskite....but, those items aren't included used or buttressed up the way they used to be.
Further Edit: Rakdos charm was suggested without testing. Apologies. It's out. It's worth is without question, but it's simply not a maindeck option. I'm in the midst of a lot of changes. Most of which follow the idea that these mana rocks are clogging up the works, so it's mind stone and prophetic prism for options.
@cyn1ck: if you're mono-black, your only real answer is ratchet bomb. I used to run that to good effect. If you're splashing red, then rakdos charm is the axe blow to end that nonsense.
@esperino: Cheers for the sentiments. The Mind Rot mechanic is the way to go with today's meta. When you look at the four horsemen of discard, Thoughtseize, Inquistion of Kozilek, Wrench Mind, and Raven's Crime, it used to be that it was hard to really rate one above the other - Pre-Ban. If pressed, I'd say the least effective card was Wrench Mind. Not anymore - now it's Raven's Crime. This is a sweeping statement, but I believe it's true for most Black Rack builds. It has to do with two principles:
- The meta-presence of Card Drawing engines of the opponent
- Our need for persistent discard versus volume discard: 2-for-1.
These pillars are tied together. Card drawing is at an all time low for our opponents. Treasure Cruise is gone which was a splash card is so many decks. Birthing Pod was an on-board card drawing engine unto itself. Scapeshift lost Dig through Time. The rise of Infect and Burn and Affinity keeps the blue-control decks which feature cards like Thirst for Knowledge, Think Twice, and Sphinx's Revelation down. Although, blue control decks don't generally cause trouble for us. So, most draw engines are gone. The new draw engine on the block is Ladyboy, the Hidden Wang. No, it's Tasigur the Golden Fang, yeah, that's it. He will present serious problems for us, so that's why I'm packing (4) terminate.
What does it mean to deck construction when draw engines are not available? It means that the opponent has to build with redundancies. The build must be consistent with a lot of 4-ofs, since they can't count on digging/drawing into fanciful answers. This reduces the power of raven's crime. For us to force an opponent to discard any one card of their choosing isn't that big of a deal for them, as their deck is more resilient to both non-specific discard and a less than optimal draw of 7 cards at the game start. Therefore, we need to bomb their hand. When you force an opponent to lose two cards to your one card, then you are gaining in the attrition war. You might even say that you've got an inverse draw engine working in your favor, but that sounds a bit dippy.
Wrench Mind and a follow-up Blightning will wreck a person's hand and their gameplan. A good example of this is seen in a match up against a deck which is on the rise: splinter twin. They laugh at Raven's Crime as they position themselves to go off, but if you hit them with a couple wrench or blightning, then they have to choose between the twin in their hand or the land needed to cast it. So, the overall approach in defeating your opponent is a.) specified discard up front and b.) fat discard to follow and c.).....
c.): Big Creatures and The Rack. Nyxathid obviously benefits from big discard, and he will most likely not be met with anti-creature cards when he lands. This is because 8rack is so well known, not unknown. The first cards ditched from non-targeted discard: Wrench Mind, Blightning or Liliana of the Veil will be the dedicated creature-kill spells. Point of Note: there are not a lot of these types of cards which render a person's hand useless - that myth has to be dispelled, but I've written about that enough. So, anyway, the path is now clear for Nyxathid, Phyrexian Obliterator, and Tasigur, the Golden Fang ((I think I'm swapping a Nyxathid for a Tasigur as it's an easy cast, and I like the idea of a permanent 4/5....hmmmm, Undecided - it's just that 4/5 is so well situated in this meta right now.)). As for the rack: simple - it's a lighting bolt that can drive home a win. Speaking of Lightning Bolt, Lightning Rack runs 8 - so devilishly fun. This delivery of damage provides a 3rd win condition.
@berk4823: Fulminator Mage could have a place here, but I try my best to not open a 2nd front in waging a war. You can only point your guns in so many directions. For me, I'll grant an opponent his land, and attack elsewhere. But, there are applications where fulminator can do some real damage. As for my land count, I'm good with 22 land. Like you said, I'm laying every land I draw, and like Esperino observed, my mana curve is pretty textbook with a starting point of 16 1-CMC spells.
Version 3.0
4 Liliana of the Veil
4 The Rack
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Terminate
1 Damnation
4 Thoughtseize
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Blightning
4 Wrench Mind
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
4 Temple of Malice
2 Blood Crypt
2 Lavaclaw Reaches
1 Graven Cairns
1 Dragonskull Summit
1 Rix Maadi, Dungeon Palace
1 Batterskull
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Consume the Meek
2 Rakdos Charm
2 Boil
2 Slaughter Games
1 Olivia Voldaren
1 Night of Souls' Betrayal
1 Sowing Salt
2 Shatterstorm
1 Drown in Sorrow
FNM Report, 2-21-15, to follow.
4 Liliana of the Veil
4 The Rack
1 Liliana's Caress (weakest addition, he stated)
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Murderous Cut
4 Terminate
4 Blightning
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Thoughtseize
4 Wrench Mind
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
4 Blood Crypt
1 Godless Shrine
2 Graven Cairns
2 Lavaclaw Reaches
4 Marsh Flats
1 Verdant Catacombs
4 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Dismember
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Wear/Tear
3 Duress
3 Pyroclasm
Thanks Thenarus, you're right. I just updated the list to include two Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth. This is to Blackify the Mutavault for assistance in casting my tanks, Phyrexian Obliterator. I was slow to adopt them earlier, because they do assist in swampifying an opponent's fetchland - so, they don't have to crack it, and it makes me more vulnerable to an opponent's Blood Moon. But, ultimately, 2 colorless lands do call for 2 Urborg.
It was some fractured IMing, but he wrote,
"bridge also forces you to build your deck around needing to drop your hand and go in to top deck mode…for nothing (edit: just more racks)
GBx makes both players go in to top deck and then wins because of the card quality being so off the charts on all of its' top decks"
He's right. Once we go to top deck mode on a bridge plan, the only thing we want to see is more racks. So, He directed me back to a card which I introduced in my first recasting of Pete Casella's Blightning/Nyxathid deck, and suggested that I up the count and have it define the creature base. I think he's onto something, and for those of you who hold onto Ensnaring Bridge with a death grip, this may just free you from your burden.
What If......
You could still play Ensnaring Bridge, but it cost 4 instead of 3? The advantage: You can keep as many cards in your hand as you want. The disadvantage: You can still be attacked from the air, and from unblockable creatures. Not good enough? O.K. What if you can also attack with this new bridge, and it's a 5/5. Interested? Not there yet? I'll add trample. Getting Closer? Fine, for every point of damage that this new bridge receives from an opponent, that opponent must sac that number of permanents...Terrific, just sign here, and you can take it home today!
Phyrexian Obliterator is featured in this new iteration known as Lightning War. It rains lightning from the air in the beginning, and then rolls in the tanks. Some may better know it as,
Blitzkrieg
4 Liliana of the Veil
4 The Rack
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Terminate
2 Drown in Sorrow
4 Thoughtseize
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Blightning
3 Wrench Mind
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
4 Bloodcrypt
4 Temple of Malice
2 Mutavault
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Dragonskull Summit
2 Shatterstorm
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Consume the Meek
2 Rakdos Charm
2 Boil
2 Slaughter Games
1 Olivia Voldaren
1 Duress
1 Sowing Salt
1 Batterskull
1 Drown in Sorrow
Since my curve increased, I've upped the land count by one to 23, and the deck now features 6 scrying cards. Nyxathid is strong, but doesn't always get as big and strong as I want him to - as ktkenshinx observed. I had to drop the Pyroclasm and Anger of the Gods components as they will hit my Tanks which then get very cross with me.
This all seems very intuitive, and I believe the 'bridgers' will agree with me as well. There is this misconception that the opponent will start putting out this ever increasing army that can only be stopped with Damnation or Ensnaring Bridge <I play neither in my 75>. That just isn't the case when you are in the race as well. Remember, you both are only drawing one card per turn. You are packing (7) two-for-1 discard spells and (4) Liliana of the Veil, (8) first turn discard spells to identify and neutralize the biggest threat, (8) dedicated creature kill cards, (2) sweepers, and (4) of the toughest motherhumpers to every get printed by Wizards. You can do this. Pete put us on the right track, and a full twenty-nine (29) card changes later, we have this House with a huge back porch.
- Discard does no damage and doesn't advance a win-con
- Ensnaring bridge does no damage and doesn't advance a win-con
(we're already through 24 cards of 38 spells)
- Liliana of the Veil does no damage and doesn't advance a win-con
- Racks. What about them? Well, the days of placing thin stick framing and leaf litter over the opening to hide the racks at the bottom of the pit are over. The tiger has grown wise.
Alright, I'm babbling. Back to Phone's comment, take Scapeshift. That deck has 4 totally useless cards, namely scapeshift. That's it. Man, that's so unfair! So, let's re-examine what Phone proposes: create a deck where the cards aren't just cogs of an archaic machine.
Lightning Bolt - does damage
Blightning - does damage
(5) Creatures and (2) Manlands - does damage
I know it seems like a bridge is needed, but it's simply not. Believe me. Heck, don't. Believe the results of Pete Casella. Believe the results of the 100th placed player at the Boston (worcester) Grand Prix this Summer. They didn't play bridges. Why? Because Ensnaring Bridge doesn't win games. Discard alone doesn't win games. Doing damage wins games! Be aggressive. Be, Be Aggressive. When you're ahead, you press for the win. Don't drop a bridge, and start throwing your drawn cards into the wind to create rats that can't attack. Good gawd, man.
When you play 8 targeted removal spells, you can take out the most apparent threat immediately. Then you go for 2-for-1 discard or further targeted removal. Then you drop a fattie. You eliminate whatever fattie or mid-ranger that eked out with your removal. Drop a rack to keep 'em conflicted and a liliana to command the direction of assault. But, the bottom line is assault. To arms! To arms, motherbit**ers! We don't have a Keranos, God of Storms, and Mogis is too meek. But, The opponent's don't have draw engines. You can win this attrition war, and deliver tiger uppercuts. You just have to leave the nest, get in the pit, and start swinging.
Well written, ktkenshinx. Accordingly, it was the 4th bolt that was getting traded for the 3rd Pyroclasm. Like I wrote: Lingering Souls is a true *****er - all day. I'm continuing to cater the build to its dominating force, but it's results against other decks has been promising. The prospect of creature count for the win is very real. It already worked!! Criminy. Don't slip back into turtling tendencies that can't execute dynamic wins so fast, there fellas.
Looks like you cracked a code. I'm enthusiastic. Can you do us a favor?? Please, re-post your original synopsis of your testing trials. It was a 2-3 posting thread, but it's worth the virtual space for comparative analysis.
PLEASE REPOST YOUR ORIGINAL TESTING REPORTS AND THESIS ON HOW TEZZERET STRUGGLES TO MELD WITH AFFINITY.
"No Bridge in first game? And, Then you do a transition sideboard into bridges while swapping out your three creatures? It seems like it would make sense to do the process the other way around....bridges first, and then swap them out."
He answered that he thought the same in the beginning and found that it didn't work. I've discovered the same thing. First and foremost, I discovered a severe design flaw in his system (in my opinion). He can't play ensnaring bridge in his black/red deck. Subsequently, I did not pursue its usage in my development. His only 'real' win conditions are as follows: 4 racks, 2 lavaclaw reaches, and 3 nyxathid. That's it. SO: if you remove the nyxathid for the bridges, you're left with very little to 'close the deal'.
Now, it should be noted that I am (24) cards different from his (75), but the overall theme is still similar: overwhelming volume discard, 1-for-1 removal, liliana of the win, a few creatures, and a few racks. Can this work? Recent testing has been positive. A lot of the causality comes down to draw engines. As I wrote about before, they don't exist in this post-ban meta. The reason why Junk/Abzan is so competitive is that it's so wonderfully balanced, but it's major attrition wins come from Liliana of the Veil {we know that song} and Lingering Souls {we have ways of getting around that}. Lightning Rack succeeds on gaining card advantage and dropping a bigger threat than the one the opponent was able to fire off.
Guys, no one has ever won a game from dropping an ensnaring bridge, and you can't win on discard alone. Bomb the hand with 2-for-1 spells. Surgically strike the creatures and hand with 1-for-1. Drop fatty beasts and Liliana and racks to close it out. You'll be surprised how very viable this strategy is.
Current Thoughts and Loose Brainstorming: (3) pyroclasm and switch to Yukora, the Prisoner in some count....the return of Juzam Djinn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Turn 1: Spell
Turn 2: Spell (maybe an additional spell, as I do run 16 1-cmc spells - but, I also run four scry lands which come into play tapped)
Turn 3: Spell, OR.....
= at this point, I have either 2 or 3 cards in the graveyard =
Can I cast Gurmag on turn 3? Nope. Mathematically, it can't happen unless my opponent makes me discard a card prior to this point.
Can I cast Tasigur on turn 3? Perhaps. If I cast 1 spell on turn (1) and 2 spells on turn (2) and I drop a third land which doesn't come into play tapped, then Yes. Yes. He can come out. What is the likelihood? I'm not going to hazard a guess.
Turn 4: Who Knows? It's hard to extrapolate at this point. But, it is clear that the in order to land Gurmag, it's a measure harder than tasigur. I need to be emptying my hand at full clip. I need to dropping lands on schedule. I believe that it's more statistically prevalent to drop a B5 than a B6 dredge in the type of construction that I made to enough of a degree that +1/+0 doesn't add up. I want that creature out early and I want that extra land open for one of my 16 1-cmc spells to get fired off. So, this gets into some serious math-crafting, but I'd estimate that Tasigur has an effective casting cost of 4.25 and Gurmag has an effective casting cost of 4.75. Math is not my specialty, but it's a rough estimation according to my specific deck construction. On a coin flip, I'd rather have a 4/5 before a 5/5 with these odds.
But, this opens the door to the following question: Is there a better creature for 4 mana? So, we're looking for a Fatty, in a very creature-light deck that is a reliable 4/5 or 5/5 for 4. Well, there is Yukora, the Prisoner. Ha!
As for the scry lands - Temple of Malice. It's a spicy topic. I was on one side of the argument - firmly entrenched, and I switched. This is simply a card that must be played to be understood. Similar to the recent debate on Darksteel Pendant, it's a very nuanced offering.....but, this card offers up the power of a dual land with no damage and a scry at the cost of a come-into-play penalty. Luckily, I play a very, very low curve deck that can avoid a major speed bump, and, further, benefit by avoiding useless draws.
@Esperino: Olivia Voldaren is a new entry with little testing. There is a lot going on in a game that affords her avenues to excel. Firstly, folks will be voluntarily ditching their creature kill cards. Secondly, she's a terrific mana sink for mid/late game. Thirdly, she can target: Manlands, Infect, Affinity, and so much more. That's, as you observed, if she survives. If I'm able to gain card advantage (I should be), then she should be able to live....if not, then she is a one-shot raven's crime at the opponent. Man can't survive on discard alone.
Overwhelming Disagreement to Follow: As for diversifying the sideboard with several different cards in varying numbers, it's a trait that is common amongst nearly every single competitive deck in Modern. Nearly every single successful, competitive deck in Modern. I can't stress enough how much I disagree with the theory that running a 4-4-4-3 designed Sideboard is successful. I say 'theory' as its trial-testing (premier tournaments) has never yielded a high finish. Never. Opposing decks, unlike us, run multiple win conditions. They also run multiple threats to disrupt our win conditions. To believe that we can effectively best these obstacles with a sideboard arsenal of 4 different cards is, well, lunacy. Sorry, but like I said, I just can't disagree more on this topic. All due respect.
Version 2.0
1 Olivia Voldaren
1 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
4 Liliana of the Veil
4 The Rack
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Terminate
2 Pyroclasm
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Blightning
3 Wrench Mind
8 Swamp
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
4 Bloodcrypt
4 Temple of Malice
2 Mutavault
1 Damnation
1 Surgical Extraction
2 Blood Moon
2 Rakdos Charm
2 Boil
2 Slaughter Games
1 Duress
1 Sowing Salt
1 Batterskull
2 Anger of the Gods
@phone: The doulbe red of Anger of the Gods can be prohibitive in a deck that runs only 12 red sources (4 of which can scry away extra red land that is forthcoming - temple of Malice). The three-cmc slot is very crowded as it is. And, I thought hard about removal. I do have the 3 toughness killer already in (4) Lightning Bolt. If it gets bigger, I can terminate or liliana of the veil. Of course there are 15 discard spells to keep it from even hitting the board. So, that leaves Pyroclasm reasonably well situated to perform some sweeping operations on turn 2. That sort of quick reaction to things like mana dorks or multiple goblin guide/monastery swiftspear or an affinity horde in the early game can mean the difference between maintaining control, and trying to catch up. That said, I will toss a couple in the sideboard because of Abzan/Junk since the prevalence of Voice of Resurgence and Kitchen Finks is so high.
@aeonsz: It's possible. If it's bob and early creature threats that you are seeking, I wouldn't look at bloodghast. Way too slow. You could consider Gravecrawler with Mutavault combo along with your dark confidant. I did it with some success in the past. Smallpox is a thought, and pairs well with Gurmag Angler {also a zombie}, but you'd have to drop dark confidant. Ultimately, I think you're simply better off running Burn for an aggro-linear kill.
New Tech Mainboard: (2) Pyroclasm and (1) Olivia Voldaren. With a little board stability, she will help you sail into the mid-late game win. Weenies get smoked, and large guys get stolen.
New Tech Sideboard: (1) Batterskull. It's pretty much there for the Burn matchup.
As I said, I changed only 3 of the 38 spells in the main deck, and made significant changes to the land base and sideboard. The testing has been hot and cold which falls in line with the types of matchups that I'm facing. Put simply, I don't like Jank/Azban....to put it plainly, I don't like Lingering Souls. I can see now why Pete put 3 Pyroclasm in the Sideboard. Wise.
It does well against staggered, larger creature threats, but suffers against small/mid-level swarm. Burn is a race that makes me wish for a little card draw or life gain but, that is not really in the cards. I haven't faced Affinity. Tasigur, the Golden Fang did replace a Nyxathid, and I like this swap very much. The overall deck concept is sound, and I'm eager for more battle.
@speedgrapher: thank you for pointing out that Mutavault does not and can not effectively 'swing under a bridge'. What creatures are on the other side of your bridge? Storm Crow? If you bridged up, there's a reason, and it is probably not for creatures that....ugh. Never Mind.
Many thanks to Radouf for thoughts on mana base, and Stuhl chimed in as well. Indeed, I was running too high in the count. Plus, I'm the guy who runs a scry land of each in my grixis build which mediates floods/screws. So, I'll be doing a redux of one land and one signet which puts me at 22 land, 4 signet, 1 mox -- seems good, but I feel the call to do a further reduction:
Blackcleave Cliffs === Terminate
Why bother with debates about Smother or Go for the throat when you can have it all? Also, I'm just not a fan of murderous cut. I don't know why folks are piling on with this card, but when there is Affinity, Infect, and a turn 4 Twin to deal with, I'll take a guaranteed 2 cmc spell all day.
Dimir Signet === Rakdos Charm
The thing that really gets my goat are those manlands and a tronned out oblivion stone or affinity or a gy recursion deck.
Those are things I can not stop.
mono blue tron goes for mindslaver
buried alive decks. dredge/vine decks. Loam decks. snapcaster mage to grab a cryptic command. Or, again, they go off for twin, and suddenly I win. And, for those that say Relic of P, remember that I run (4) chalice of the void, so all 1-cmcs are out....besides, I think that Rakdos Charm is actually better. I'm kind of surprised other folks haven't mentioned it.
Wurmcoil Engine === Karn Liberated
If I run three Ensnaring Bridge, it's safe to say that it's out before this guy is. The turtle approach hasn't lent to him being useful in attack. I like him, but for one mana more, it's karn. I mean, c'mon. He's back, baby!
61st Card = Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver.....trade mox opal for the he/she veiled wonder?
EDIT: Tezzeret the Seeker just became Ashiok. A little mascara, some flowing Stevie Nicks frocks, and 3 scarves later it was done. Makes sense - should have removed the Seeker a while ago as his principle point of inclusion was Proteus Staff, later bolstered by Grafdigger's cage, Torpor Orb, and Spellskite....but, those items aren't included used or buttressed up the way they used to be.
Further Edit: Rakdos charm was suggested without testing. Apologies. It's out. It's worth is without question, but it's simply not a maindeck option. I'm in the midst of a lot of changes. Most of which follow the idea that these mana rocks are clogging up the works, so it's mind stone and prophetic prism for options.
@esperino: Cheers for the sentiments. The Mind Rot mechanic is the way to go with today's meta. When you look at the four horsemen of discard, Thoughtseize, Inquistion of Kozilek, Wrench Mind, and Raven's Crime, it used to be that it was hard to really rate one above the other - Pre-Ban. If pressed, I'd say the least effective card was Wrench Mind. Not anymore - now it's Raven's Crime. This is a sweeping statement, but I believe it's true for most Black Rack builds. It has to do with two principles:
- The meta-presence of Card Drawing engines of the opponent
- Our need for persistent discard versus volume discard: 2-for-1.
These pillars are tied together. Card drawing is at an all time low for our opponents. Treasure Cruise is gone which was a splash card is so many decks. Birthing Pod was an on-board card drawing engine unto itself. Scapeshift lost Dig through Time. The rise of Infect and Burn and Affinity keeps the blue-control decks which feature cards like Thirst for Knowledge, Think Twice, and Sphinx's Revelation down. Although, blue control decks don't generally cause trouble for us. So, most draw engines are gone. The new draw engine on the block is Ladyboy, the Hidden Wang. No, it's Tasigur the Golden Fang, yeah, that's it. He will present serious problems for us, so that's why I'm packing (4) terminate.
What does it mean to deck construction when draw engines are not available? It means that the opponent has to build with redundancies. The build must be consistent with a lot of 4-ofs, since they can't count on digging/drawing into fanciful answers. This reduces the power of raven's crime. For us to force an opponent to discard any one card of their choosing isn't that big of a deal for them, as their deck is more resilient to both non-specific discard and a less than optimal draw of 7 cards at the game start. Therefore, we need to bomb their hand. When you force an opponent to lose two cards to your one card, then you are gaining in the attrition war. You might even say that you've got an inverse draw engine working in your favor, but that sounds a bit dippy.
Wrench Mind and a follow-up Blightning will wreck a person's hand and their gameplan. A good example of this is seen in a match up against a deck which is on the rise: splinter twin. They laugh at Raven's Crime as they position themselves to go off, but if you hit them with a couple wrench or blightning, then they have to choose between the twin in their hand or the land needed to cast it. So, the overall approach in defeating your opponent is a.) specified discard up front and b.) fat discard to follow and c.).....
c.): Big Creatures and The Rack. Nyxathid obviously benefits from big discard, and he will most likely not be met with anti-creature cards when he lands. This is because 8rack is so well known, not unknown. The first cards ditched from non-targeted discard: Wrench Mind, Blightning or Liliana of the Veil will be the dedicated creature-kill spells. Point of Note: there are not a lot of these types of cards which render a person's hand useless - that myth has to be dispelled, but I've written about that enough. So, anyway, the path is now clear for Nyxathid, Phyrexian Obliterator, and Tasigur, the Golden Fang ((I think I'm swapping a Nyxathid for a Tasigur as it's an easy cast, and I like the idea of a permanent 4/5....hmmmm, Undecided - it's just that 4/5 is so well situated in this meta right now.)). As for the rack: simple - it's a lighting bolt that can drive home a win. Speaking of Lightning Bolt, Lightning Rack runs 8 - so devilishly fun. This delivery of damage provides a 3rd win condition.
@berk4823: Fulminator Mage could have a place here, but I try my best to not open a 2nd front in waging a war. You can only point your guns in so many directions. For me, I'll grant an opponent his land, and attack elsewhere. But, there are applications where fulminator can do some real damage. As for my land count, I'm good with 22 land. Like you said, I'm laying every land I draw, and like Esperino observed, my mana curve is pretty textbook with a starting point of 16 1-CMC spells.
Back to more testing......