MTG Salvation

12/14/19 Modern.
10 players, 4 rounds, 3-1, 4th place.

see the origins of this deck here - https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/pioneer/815286-monouleyline

round 1 vs *bye* (opponent no-show.)
tested vs Valakut, 2-1, no SB.
i seemed 1 turn too fast for him.

round 2 vs Valakut guy, 1-2.
SB +4 negate, +4 tidebender mage. -4 dive down, -4 merfolk trickster.
i tilted after primeval titan finished me game 2. so in game 3, after mulling once, i saw 2 island, 1 mutavault, 2 tidebender mage, 1 tempest djinn, 1 smuggler's copter. the lands are a must keep and so is my clock (tempest djinn.) the decision was between 1 of 2 tidebender mage (SB for primeval titan) and smuggler's copter. as i had no 1 drop, i sent smuggler's copter to the bottom. in hindsight, i believe this to be a mistake b/c i eventually lost to a scapeshift i could've negated had i "looted" for it. this also meant i held dead tidebender mages in hand, when if i played smuggler's copter, i could've hit on turn 3 and 4, dealing 6 extra dmg (he won at 7 life.) i forgot how powerful "looting" is!

round 3 vs RDW, 2-0.
SB +4 tidebender mage, -4 merfolk trickster.
he complained about his bad draws after our match. while true, idk how consistent his deck really is (his cantrips were red, not blue.)
after our match he challenged me for more games. we went 2-2 for my grand total of 4-2 vs him. after my 4th win, he settled down

round 4 vs RDW 2-0.
SB +4 tidebender mage, -4 merfolk trickster.
opponent was brand new and made some basic errors.

I wholly endorse 4 sphinx of foresight, if your mana base already supports it. Leyline scrye3 was powerful all night!
Boggles pilot took 1st! he's relatively new but always the nicest gamer here. it was def a feel good moment seeing him win
there were 3 total RDW players, making it the most represented deck. no RDW placed high so i wouldn't recommend it for my current LGS meta.
moving fwd, i'd main 4 negate and 'board 4 dive down.

You're a little land heavy for a deck with so much card selection and a generally low curve. Even with 4 Mutavault, id expect this list to flood a little more than you'd like.
Some number of Deprive + Mystic Sanctuary could make sense if you want to spice up the manabase a little and still stay budget.
Archmage's Charm is also a strong card thats at a reasonable price point right now.
Id reccomend some number of "hard" counterspells in the main, and possibly move some of the Dive Downs to the board.

Curious Obsession also just seems like a card this list is lacking in a big way.

Best of luck at your next event!

You're a little land heavy for a deck with so much card selection and a generally low curve. Even with 4 Mutavault, id expect this list to flood a little more than you'd like.
Smuggler's Copter loots away excess land. Spectral Sailor's a fine mana dump!

Id reccomend some number of "hard" counterspells in the main, and possibly move some of the Dive Downs to the board.
"moving fwd, i'd main 4 negate and 'board 4 dive down."

Curious Obsession also just seems like a card this list is lacking in a big way.
I run Smuggler's Copter instead of Curious Obsession.
In my Pioneer variant thread, we discussed how i'd have to drastically adjust the creature base to accommodate CO (lots of 1 drop unblockables.)

Best of luck at your next event!
Thanks, I appreciate your feedback.

01/04/2020 modern
4 rounds, 2-2 drop.

test vs MarduKnights, 0-1.
opponent got a fast start and i couldn't catch up.

round 1 vs UGevolve, 2-0.
SB +4 ratchet bomb, -4 siren stormtamer.
he had many 1 drops so i brought in ratchets (intended for boggles!)
sided out stormtamers so i wouldn't kill my own team.

round 2 vs Affinity (no Scales), 0-2.
SB +4 ceremonial rejection, +4 ratchet bomb. -4 deprive, -4 siren stormtamer.
game 1 he killed me aggressively. game 2 was grindier but i was still a step behind.

round 3 vs E.Tron, 1-2.
SB +4 ceremonial rejection, -4 siren stormtamer.
games 1 and 3, he assembled tron quickly and won.
game 2, 1-for-1'd him a few times and won our resource war.

round 4 vs RakdosBurn, 2-0.
SB +3 tidebender mage, -3 deprive.
veteran player's son. his dad played for him when possible.

i predicted: "going 2-2 but wanting 3-1." at least my prediction's correct!
after my 3rd event finishing mediocre w/this deck, i'm going to shelf it.

ProTip: if you run Sphinx of Foresight - always elect to draw over play.
on the draw, you can keep a 0 land/Sphinx hand and scrye 3 into your first land drop.
on the play, keeping a 0 land/Sphinx hand will cause you miss your first land drop.
this happens rarely but it did happen to me so i suggest making the safer play.