@NoobKing, until you back up your rhetoric regarding birds with figures (such as the decrease in % opening hands without a mana dork), i will not be paying too much heed to what you say.
Almost every hand without a t1 mana dork or sprawl is a mulligan, so to decrease the number of t1 plays will logically increase the amount of mulligans you make, which decreases consistency. Arbor elf and utopia sprawl are very often bad topdecks as well, should we therefore run fewer of those? Do you see where the nonsense logic goes without some analysis?
Yes, both those cards are bad to horrible top decks and if i didnt need to run them, i wouldn't. The difference between birds and elf is that at least, the elf can attack (it can also produce twice as much mana as a birds).
I'm not in love with tracker either as i find it too durdly. I run the single wurmcoil for one matchup : tron. Its your best creature against them.
Providing empirical data would require thousands of games and keep track. Or you could just used frank kastran's mathematics to determine. What i can tell you u is that since I've started playing this deck last year, my changes have only increased my win rate. Sure, some of that could be attributed to an increase in skill. But I've not had an issue with consistency at all (luck?) since cutting the birds. When i used to play them, i had a lot of frustrations with them. Ending up cutting them and increasing the land count by one made a huge difference.
And those saying tracker and hazoret are a nonbo, u don't have to draw cards you know? And the cards you do draw can be pitched to her. So id say they synergize.
Bonfire is unplayable in this version of ponza. Like i explained earlier, the deck wants to end the game as quickly as possible. Casting bonfire for 3 is about the average. What does that really do for the game plan? Id rather play anger since i don't consider that 3 dmg to face all that relevant.
I still run tusks because of the inherent bad g1. But if something better came in at the five drop slot,id switch it.
I run the foundry strictly for stony silence for gr tron and affinity. Those are the two matchups ive struggled the most vs.
Noob king you are literally switching Huntmaster for Lightning Bolts otherwise you would also have pretty close to a “monster build” list. You aren’t that far off from other lists and I can promise you that 2 Lightning Bolts vs 2 Huntmasters doesn’t make you so much faster than the rest of us.
Monster lists play courser and the list that was posted previously? Didn't even run stone rains main (or acid-moss). That's not a ponza list. All ponza lists are like this:
4 moons, 4 stone rains, 3-4 acid moss, 4 arbor elf, 4 utopia sprawls. The rest is a mix and match.
I used to run abrade instead of bolt BECAUSE of affinity. But it was mediocre outside of it so i just decided to switch to bolt. Huntmaster is ok, but having 3 chandras and 3 hazoret (hazoret is way better at ending the game quickly. Huntmaster is way too grindy and even encourages you to stop casting spells), i wouldn't want to over load my 4 slot.
@NoobKing, until you back up your rhetoric regarding birds with figures (such as the decrease in % opening hands without a mana dork), i will not be paying too much heed to what you say.
Almost every hand without a t1 mana dork or sprawl is a mulligan, so to decrease the number of t1 plays will logically increase the amount of mulligans you make, which decreases consistency. Arbor elf and utopia sprawl are very often bad topdecks as well, should we therefore run fewer of those? Do you see where the nonsense logic goes without some analysis?
Yes, both those cards are bad to horrible top decks and if i didnt need to run them, i wouldn't. The difference between birds and elf is that at least, the elf can attack (it can also produce twice as much mana as a birds).
I'm not in love with tracker either as i find it too durdly. I run the single wurmcoil for one matchup : tron. Its your best creature against them.
Providing empirical data would require thousands of games and keep track. Or you could just used frank kastran's mathematics to determine. What i can tell you u is that since I've started playing this deck last year, my changes have only increased my win rate. Sure, some of that could be attributed to an increase in skill. But I've not had an issue with consistency at all (luck?) since cutting the birds. When i used to play them, i had a lot of frustrations with them. Ending up cutting them and increasing the land count by one made a huge difference.
And those saying tracker and hazoret are a nonbo, u don't have to draw cards you know? And the cards you do draw can be pitched to her. So id say they synergize.
Bonfire is unplayable in this version of ponza. Like i explained earlier, the deck wants to end the game as quickly as possible. Casting bonfire for 3 is about the average. What does that really do for the game plan? Id rather play anger since i don't consider that 3 dmg to face all that relevant.
I'm not questioning the legitimacy of Inferno or Bonfire; in fact, I wholeheartedly agree with your stance on those two as well as playing Wurmcoil & Trinisphere. However, I do question the evidence that suggests Birds are the single worst cards in the deck and make draws "a hundred times worse". I'm not sure if there's a single competitive Modern deck that can claim it runs zero cards which aren't great top-decks. When BoP functions as intended, we get mana fixing and ramp that allows for more consistent T2 Moons/LD, T3 Mosses, T4 Stormbreaths...I'm not sure what you're getting at with the turn 10 win comment.
While it's true that a handful of lists, which have posted favorable tourney results, include cute tech like Emperion/Madcap or Eldritch Evo + random critters with EtB effects, the majority adhere to the Ponza game plan. I'm not saying a bird-less build is bat ***** crazy or anything, but empirical data from numerous tournament results is always more reliable than anecdotal evidence. Yes, you've advocated for cutting BoP on numerous occasions, but here we are today and the decks putting up results are still running them in some capacity or another. It's foolish to claim people are wrong for playing BoP when the data overwhelmingly suggests otherwise.
Death shadow used to run a lot of bad cards that were considered sacred cows and after they didn't...the deck was insane.
What I'm saying is that simply because that's how it's always been done doesn't mean it can't be better.
Birds is the worst card in the deck because you only want to see it in your opener or on the draw but never in any other point in the game as it's actually worse than a land.
Again, the results have not been put up by traditional ponza lists but closer to the monster versions.
Cut birds, add a land. Birds are far and away the worst cards (tied with bonfire) in the deck. Make a truly awful draw outside your opener. Can't even attack. Pff.
Sarcasm? Looking at tournament results from the last two months, I've yet to find one bird-less Ponza build that's placed top 8.
If you look at most of those lists, they aren't really ponza. Mostly monster lists.
Ponza is T2 blood moon/stone rain, T3 Acid moss, T4 Stormbreath.
What you're seeing are lists full of Huntmasters and weird one-two offs like coursers.
It's not sarcasm. I'm genuinely advocating cutting the single worst card in the deck, which is birds. Because it's awful. It doesn't add consistency, it makes your draws a hundred times worse. If you look at the previous entries on my part in this thread, you'll see that i've done nothing but advocate cutting birds. I've won 2 pptqs (of 50+ players), several modern local events etc without it (unfortunately i live in Asia so stuff doesn't get reported as much). You could never convince me to go back because you would be wrong. I've also cut the bonfires as these are also quite terrible. I'm also not a big fan of Tracker but that's but that's not because it's not good, but more because it's too slow. I've been tinkering with the idea of running The merfolk (jadelight ranger) in its place since it can actually become a threat with a payoff immediately but haven't gotten any testing in with it yet. I also advocate to cut the titan and replace it with hazorets as this closes out the game much faster and more consistently (plus doesn't get brick walled by a bridge since you can pitch cards to kill your opponent). It also costs 2 less mana and the sweet spot for the deck is 5 mana (not 6).
Best cards as win conditions that end the game faster than your opponent has time to recover:
- Chandra, Torch of Defiance
- Hazoret the fervent
- Stormbreath dragon
- Honourable mention goes to Chameleon on non-evolved GDS builds who still don't know to sb YP.
Sure, titan has won games, but frankly, not enough to warrant it's spot in the list. Additionally, i had never wanted to fetch a titan with primal command (that honour goes to Wurmcoil Engine).
I also run 3 trinispheres in the sb and that card has single handedly won me more matches than all the matches i've ever played where titan was still present.
I think a lot of people misunderstand what the deck is trying to achieve. We're not a mid-range deck trying to grind out victories.
The goal of this deck is to prevent your opponent from ever playing any significant spells while you kill them quickly.
If your version takes like 10 turns to win the game, it's not ponza.
Cut birds, add a land. Birds are far and away the worst cards (tied with bonfire) in the deck. Make a truly awful draw outside your opener. Can't even attack. Pff.
I'm popping by here again to remind everyone that Birds of Paradise, Bonfire and Inferno Titan are bad. If you are still playing them, you are wrong and are the reasons why your deck doesn't perform as well as it can. That is all.
1. It makes me wish blood moon cantriped
2. It's bad and not worth playing in our deck, it's too narrow.
3. It turns Karoo lands into Sol lands. So maybe it will see some sneaky play in amulet decks.
2) Do you think it might have a place in the SB? It can strand fetchlands in peoples' hands as effectively than Blood Moon can, and makes them even more worthless since it doesn't give them t: Add R to your mana pool., and draws you a card. So in fetchland-heavy matchups, it can be pretty good; against Valakut, it's clearly very good; elsewhere it's not great but might see some accidental value. The fact that it cantrips is big - it's never ever going to be a 3-mana do nothing.
3) Amulet player here. I highly doubt it. The bounce part of Karoo lands is highly exploitable in those decks - playing the same Simic Growth Chamber 2-3 times in a turn and making lots of mana that way is hard to pass up. Also, if your first combo enabler is coming down on t3, you're in trouble - ideally you want to go t1-2 get an Amulet, t3 ramp (e.g. Azusa), t4 Titan, smash your face in. Planning out a combo that goes off on t5 or later is somewhat defeatist.
I don't think 'more blood moons' is going in the board. I do like the cantrip, and yes it hammers fetches and Valakut, but so does moon. And do we need moon 5-8? I don't think so.
I agree about the current amulet deck, but maybe some other deck. Lands that etb untapped and tap for 2 mana is pretty rad.
The problem with the deck already is it is somewhat inconsistent. SSG doesn’t help it in any way. If there was another 1 mana land enchantment that would be the best but there aren’t any in modern other than Sprawl.
If you are having success with Riders cool but there are way better 4CMC cards we use currently. You can mull over the last 2 pages and see which cards are doing well for Ponza in general.
sorry i do not get it...SSG is a free uncounterable mana dork...how is not better than BOP? why is BOP played instead of SSG? because gives green mana? because can be used more than once rather than only once?
to me SSG>BOP
T1 sprawl + T2 land + SSG = 4 mana
with BOP we have only T1 elf + t2 land + sprawl = 4 mana (assuming elf will not dye)
I faced situations where i played forest + sprawl t1...my opponent played fetch and pass...t2 I had my land destruction spell for cmc3 in hand doing nothing and a BOP...play land BOP and pass...SSG + chandra or SSG + any CMC4 spell of the deck would be hard to recover for any deck...
I will keep testing SSG and let you know but is unclear to me why BOP is played instead of SSG
Both are equally bad top decks. The problem isn't when you draw them, it's when you don't. If you read my posts you'll see that I've advocated cutting birds entirely a long time ago. I've had a ton of success with my list and the best 4 drop is hazoret, no questions about it imo.
You have to strike a balance between ways to play the game if you don't have a t3 blood moon/land d. Over loading on land leads to not being able to muster much of an offense. It's nice to blow up your opps lands and all but not when it's all you do while they beat u down with a 1/1.
Haxorz and chandra are the two best ways to end the game quickly in my opinion.
Here's my report for the 5 round big prize modern.
R1 vs uw gideon control
Lose die roll
G1: had t2 moon but it was countered. I managed to resolve a few spells but eventually too many cryptics and gideons took over the game.
G2: t3 thragtusk into t4 path and i land choke. Opp had 3 tapped blue sources. Gg.
G3: we both mull to 4 and i keep a hand of land, land, sprawl and command. Top card is hazoret. T3 hazoret (drew land) into the red zone. He's down to 9, taps outto cast detention sphere, i draw second hazoret, put him down to 4. Next turn i draw (command and tracker) try to attack, remember that i have 2 cards, punt but luckily, 6 mana. Discard both cards for the win.
1-0.
R2 vs burn
Lose die roll
G1: no acceleration but 4 lands, blood moon, tracker, stone rain. Its a decent hand to keep blind. T1 Goblin guide and i knew i was toast. I did manage to make it a game but double skull cracks while wurm was in play was too much.
G2: Good exchange of ressources but wurm tokens, hazoret (discarding cards) and a beast get there when I'm at 2.
G3: mull to five, keep a decent hand. Utopia sprawl on forest, which gets revelried. Being attacked by 2 goblin guides who are giving me lands (which i needed). I stone rain him and acid moss his only 2 lands, drop thragtusk to go bavk to 7, followed by a command to get wurm and gain 7. Play wurm then hazoret swing for lethal. Never saw a sinlge trinisphere. Would def have swung g2 if i had.
2-0 (hazoret is for real)
R3 vs gr tron
Win die roll
G1: Timely land d after a t3 chandra (which leads to an ultimate) takes g1.
G2: t2 blood moon into t3 chandra into t4 tracker plus hazoret seals the deal quickly.
Notes: gr tron us the toughest of the trons because you cant prevent them from having access to green mana. So the plan here is just to slow them down long enough to kill them before they reach 6 mana.
3-0
R4 vs affinity
Win die roll
G1: affinity does affinity stuff. I die.
G2: bring in: 3 ancient grudge, 3 anger of the gods, 1 beast within, 1 creeping corrosion.
I see only one ancient grudge and 1 beast within. Not enough. I die.
Note: on t3 i debated fetching eot for a land. I did. Top card was creeping corrosion. Sigh. Affinity is the worst matchup and it's not even close.
3-1
R5 vs gr tron
Win die roll
G1: i had the nuts. T2 moon into land d land, hazoret, stormbreath.
G2: my opp states how incredibly lucky he needs to get to win. Guess what? That's exactly what happens. Multiple mulligans, no land d orblood moons. I don't get there.
G3: mukl to five on the play again. I then make a dumb mistake. I have a 1/1 and a 3/3 in play plus a blood moon. I draw chandra. Attack him down to 8. Then i tank. I can play chandra and draw one of the following: abrade, moon, ancient grudge, stone rain. My opp played an o stone and he has enough mana to activate it. It'll take his whole turn to do it.
I should have just held it. He has to blow it anyways on his turn and i can chance winning if i keep it. Instead i get greedy and play it, flip a land and basically lost. I drew land and double utopia sprawl while he ulamogged and world breaker. I didnt give myself the best chances to win.
I drew zero land d in that second game. Was brutal.
Anyways, hazoret is amazing and i would increase him to 3.
Affinity still sucks. I think i might have to run some sweepers main going forward.
So for example, if I were to drop 1 huntmaster of the fells, and add 1 Garruk Wildspeaker, would my deck be weaker for it? I would never drop Chandra and I am not comparing 4-drops to 5-drops.
I think Garruk Primal Hunter is much stronger than Wildspeaker too - but Garruk PH competes with Stormbreath and Primal Command for a spot whereas the 4-drop slot is more flexible.
As i mentioned above, 5 mana is the sweet spot. I run 1 PH and am happy with that. I only run 2 SB anyways. Chandra, in my experience does s exactly what u want in this deck. It's a mistake not to play her imo.
Im playing a big prize modern event soon. I'll report my results.
Can somebody please outline why Garruk Wildspeaker is considered "bad"? In the early days while building the deck I used him as a budget placeholder for Chandra, and he always did good things, from creating crazy turns where you have enough mana to stormbreath+monstrous or giving a team of elves and birds overrun.
Just thought about him again since the topic of birds being bad topdecks was mentioned.
Doest do enough. Chandra essentially does the same but can actually win u the game.
Looks something like this. I made some changes and cut the titans since i feel like they are just too slow. Essentially, by the time i cast them, any other reasonable thread (that cost less) would win me the game.
I'm missing 1 SB card (doing this from memory) but it's unlikely to really matter here. Tracker/Hazoret are kind of at odds with each other though. But i think ultimately, having a creature that's very tough to kill and can also burn your opponent is pretty good. I've cut the birds from my list a long time ago and really don't miss them. That's one of the bigger difference with my list vs others.
Actually there is a card that i bring in for both Storm and Burn and it usually results in a scoop: Trinisphere. It's particularly important against storm as it's an auto loss for them if you land it on T2. Burn can try to play through but it's usually too difficult if they are perpetually stuck on 2 lands. That's the best way to beat them both.
I wish I owned some, and I agree it is great in both those matchups, and others.
But any Storm player that scoops to Trin is pants on head retarded. They play echoing truth for just these sort of situations.
Actually there is a card that i bring in for both Storm and Burn and it usually results in a scoop: Trinisphere. It's particularly important against storm as it's an auto loss for them if you land it on T2. Burn can try to play through but it's usually too difficult if they are perpetually stuck on 2 lands. That's the best way to beat them both.
My epic match against burn had my opponent play a T1 Goblin, T2 Goblin + Swiftspear and me play a T3 Trinisphere. He never drew a 3rd land, i managed to kill all 3 of his guys and faded him drawing a 3rd land for the kill to me stone raining him and getting a scoop. I was at 1 life. Was amazeballs.
In regards to Titan: 6 mana is a lot and it doesn't REALLY swing any matches that often. For that much mana, I do feel like something else can take it's place. Plus there will be some games where it just rots in your hand cuz you're stuck at 5. I think the sweet spot is 5 mana.
@Moonbreaker: I see that Hazoret is resurfacing! YOu cut the chandras entirely? I've won way too many games with that card to ever consider taking her out.
I played a 1k this weekend and i ended up playing my latest list of ponza since i couldn't put the missing pieces of another deck together.
My main changes was to put the trackers in, cut 1 stone rain to fit them.
Deck list looks a bit like this:
2 Abrade
3 Trackers
2 Stormbreath
2 Inferno (and i'm coming around to the idea of cutting them as well)
4 Elves
4 Sprawls
4 Moons
4 Mwunvolis
3 Chandras
1 Bonfire
1 Wurmcoil
2 Primal commands
I played: Affinity x 2, Boggles, Burn (in an epic 3 games match where i won at 1 life), Esper Goryo (we drew to top 8 in the 6th round) and 1 more deck i can't remember.
I won all the other matches except: Affinity. I got crushed 2-0 in the swiss and 2-0 in the top 8.
My biggest regret going forward is not playing Ancient Grudges in the sideboard. It would have single handedly flip what i consider a practically unwinnable matchup into a favorable one. Top decked Cranial platings are brutal....
All in all, i'm constantly having success with the deck on paper magic but had a 2-3 drop online RPTQ...i just can't win with the deck online for some reason.
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Monster lists play courser and the list that was posted previously? Didn't even run stone rains main (or acid-moss). That's not a ponza list. All ponza lists are like this:
4 moons, 4 stone rains, 3-4 acid moss, 4 arbor elf, 4 utopia sprawls. The rest is a mix and match.
I used to run abrade instead of bolt BECAUSE of affinity. But it was mediocre outside of it so i just decided to switch to bolt. Huntmaster is ok, but having 3 chandras and 3 hazoret (hazoret is way better at ending the game quickly. Huntmaster is way too grindy and even encourages you to stop casting spells), i wouldn't want to over load my 4 slot.
Yes, both those cards are bad to horrible top decks and if i didnt need to run them, i wouldn't. The difference between birds and elf is that at least, the elf can attack (it can also produce twice as much mana as a birds).
I'm not in love with tracker either as i find it too durdly. I run the single wurmcoil for one matchup : tron. Its your best creature against them.
Providing empirical data would require thousands of games and keep track. Or you could just used frank kastran's mathematics to determine. What i can tell you u is that since I've started playing this deck last year, my changes have only increased my win rate. Sure, some of that could be attributed to an increase in skill. But I've not had an issue with consistency at all (luck?) since cutting the birds. When i used to play them, i had a lot of frustrations with them. Ending up cutting them and increasing the land count by one made a huge difference.
And those saying tracker and hazoret are a nonbo, u don't have to draw cards you know? And the cards you do draw can be pitched to her. So id say they synergize.
Bonfire is unplayable in this version of ponza. Like i explained earlier, the deck wants to end the game as quickly as possible. Casting bonfire for 3 is about the average. What does that really do for the game plan? Id rather play anger since i don't consider that 3 dmg to face all that relevant.
My list looks like this :
4 arbor elf
2 lightning bolt
3 chandra, torch of defiance
3 tireless tracker
3 hazoret, the fervent
2 stormbreath dragon
2 thragtusk
1 wurmoil engine
2 primal command
4 blood moon
4 stone rain
3 mwuvoli's acid-moss
4 windswept heath
4 wooded foothills
1 mountain
2 stomping ground
1 sacred foundry
11 forest
I still run tusks because of the inherent bad g1. But if something better came in at the five drop slot,id switch it.
I run the foundry strictly for stony silence for gr tron and affinity. Those are the two matchups ive struggled the most vs.
Death shadow used to run a lot of bad cards that were considered sacred cows and after they didn't...the deck was insane.
What I'm saying is that simply because that's how it's always been done doesn't mean it can't be better.
Birds is the worst card in the deck because you only want to see it in your opener or on the draw but never in any other point in the game as it's actually worse than a land.
Again, the results have not been put up by traditional ponza lists but closer to the monster versions.
If you look at most of those lists, they aren't really ponza. Mostly monster lists.
Ponza is T2 blood moon/stone rain, T3 Acid moss, T4 Stormbreath.
What you're seeing are lists full of Huntmasters and weird one-two offs like coursers.
It's not sarcasm. I'm genuinely advocating cutting the single worst card in the deck, which is birds. Because it's awful. It doesn't add consistency, it makes your draws a hundred times worse. If you look at the previous entries on my part in this thread, you'll see that i've done nothing but advocate cutting birds. I've won 2 pptqs (of 50+ players), several modern local events etc without it (unfortunately i live in Asia so stuff doesn't get reported as much). You could never convince me to go back because you would be wrong. I've also cut the bonfires as these are also quite terrible. I'm also not a big fan of Tracker but that's but that's not because it's not good, but more because it's too slow. I've been tinkering with the idea of running The merfolk (jadelight ranger) in its place since it can actually become a threat with a payoff immediately but haven't gotten any testing in with it yet. I also advocate to cut the titan and replace it with hazorets as this closes out the game much faster and more consistently (plus doesn't get brick walled by a bridge since you can pitch cards to kill your opponent). It also costs 2 less mana and the sweet spot for the deck is 5 mana (not 6).
Best cards as win conditions that end the game faster than your opponent has time to recover:
- Chandra, Torch of Defiance
- Hazoret the fervent
- Stormbreath dragon
- Honourable mention goes to Chameleon on non-evolved GDS builds who still don't know to sb YP.
Sure, titan has won games, but frankly, not enough to warrant it's spot in the list. Additionally, i had never wanted to fetch a titan with primal command (that honour goes to Wurmcoil Engine).
I also run 3 trinispheres in the sb and that card has single handedly won me more matches than all the matches i've ever played where titan was still present.
I think a lot of people misunderstand what the deck is trying to achieve. We're not a mid-range deck trying to grind out victories.
The goal of this deck is to prevent your opponent from ever playing any significant spells while you kill them quickly.
If your version takes like 10 turns to win the game, it's not ponza.
Makes me wish Lotus Vale, Scorched Ruins and Lake of the dead were modern legal!
Both are equally bad top decks. The problem isn't when you draw them, it's when you don't. If you read my posts you'll see that I've advocated cutting birds entirely a long time ago. I've had a ton of success with my list and the best 4 drop is hazoret, no questions about it imo.
You have to strike a balance between ways to play the game if you don't have a t3 blood moon/land d. Over loading on land leads to not being able to muster much of an offense. It's nice to blow up your opps lands and all but not when it's all you do while they beat u down with a 1/1.
Haxorz and chandra are the two best ways to end the game quickly in my opinion.
R1 vs uw gideon control
Lose die roll
G1: had t2 moon but it was countered. I managed to resolve a few spells but eventually too many cryptics and gideons took over the game.
G2: t3 thragtusk into t4 path and i land choke. Opp had 3 tapped blue sources. Gg.
G3: we both mull to 4 and i keep a hand of land, land, sprawl and command. Top card is hazoret. T3 hazoret (drew land) into the red zone. He's down to 9, taps outto cast detention sphere, i draw second hazoret, put him down to 4. Next turn i draw (command and tracker) try to attack, remember that i have 2 cards, punt but luckily, 6 mana. Discard both cards for the win.
1-0.
R2 vs burn
Lose die roll
G1: no acceleration but 4 lands, blood moon, tracker, stone rain. Its a decent hand to keep blind. T1 Goblin guide and i knew i was toast. I did manage to make it a game but double skull cracks while wurm was in play was too much.
G2: Good exchange of ressources but wurm tokens, hazoret (discarding cards) and a beast get there when I'm at 2.
G3: mull to five, keep a decent hand. Utopia sprawl on forest, which gets revelried. Being attacked by 2 goblin guides who are giving me lands (which i needed). I stone rain him and acid moss his only 2 lands, drop thragtusk to go bavk to 7, followed by a command to get wurm and gain 7. Play wurm then hazoret swing for lethal. Never saw a sinlge trinisphere. Would def have swung g2 if i had.
2-0 (hazoret is for real)
R3 vs gr tron
Win die roll
G1: Timely land d after a t3 chandra (which leads to an ultimate) takes g1.
G2: t2 blood moon into t3 chandra into t4 tracker plus hazoret seals the deal quickly.
Notes: gr tron us the toughest of the trons because you cant prevent them from having access to green mana. So the plan here is just to slow them down long enough to kill them before they reach 6 mana.
3-0
R4 vs affinity
Win die roll
G1: affinity does affinity stuff. I die.
G2: bring in: 3 ancient grudge, 3 anger of the gods, 1 beast within, 1 creeping corrosion.
I see only one ancient grudge and 1 beast within. Not enough. I die.
Note: on t3 i debated fetching eot for a land. I did. Top card was creeping corrosion. Sigh. Affinity is the worst matchup and it's not even close.
3-1
R5 vs gr tron
Win die roll
G1: i had the nuts. T2 moon into land d land, hazoret, stormbreath.
G2: my opp states how incredibly lucky he needs to get to win. Guess what? That's exactly what happens. Multiple mulligans, no land d orblood moons. I don't get there.
G3: mukl to five on the play again. I then make a dumb mistake. I have a 1/1 and a 3/3 in play plus a blood moon. I draw chandra. Attack him down to 8. Then i tank. I can play chandra and draw one of the following: abrade, moon, ancient grudge, stone rain. My opp played an o stone and he has enough mana to activate it. It'll take his whole turn to do it.
I should have just held it. He has to blow it anyways on his turn and i can chance winning if i keep it. Instead i get greedy and play it, flip a land and basically lost. I drew land and double utopia sprawl while he ulamogged and world breaker. I didnt give myself the best chances to win.
I drew zero land d in that second game. Was brutal.
Anyways, hazoret is amazing and i would increase him to 3.
Affinity still sucks. I think i might have to run some sweepers main going forward.
As i mentioned above, 5 mana is the sweet spot. I run 1 PH and am happy with that. I only run 2 SB anyways. Chandra, in my experience does s exactly what u want in this deck. It's a mistake not to play her imo.
Im playing a big prize modern event soon. I'll report my results.
Doest do enough. Chandra essentially does the same but can actually win u the game.
Looks something like this. I made some changes and cut the titans since i feel like they are just too slow. Essentially, by the time i cast them, any other reasonable thread (that cost less) would win me the game.
4 Utopia Sprawl
4 Stone Rain
3 Mwuonvuli Acid-Moss
2 Abrade
3 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2 Primal Command
2 Stormbreath Dragon
3 Tireless Tracker
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Bonfire of the Damned
4 Blood Moon
2 Hazoret the Fervent
1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
2 Thragtusk
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Stomping Ground
1 Sheltered Thicket
1 Mountain
10 Forest
3 Trinisphere
3 Anger of the Gods
3 Ancient Grudge
1 Thrun, the last troll
2 Chameleon Colossus
1 Creeping Corrosion
1 Beast Within
I'm missing 1 SB card (doing this from memory) but it's unlikely to really matter here. Tracker/Hazoret are kind of at odds with each other though. But i think ultimately, having a creature that's very tough to kill and can also burn your opponent is pretty good. I've cut the birds from my list a long time ago and really don't miss them. That's one of the bigger difference with my list vs others.
Can't cast it with just two lands
My epic match against burn had my opponent play a T1 Goblin, T2 Goblin + Swiftspear and me play a T3 Trinisphere. He never drew a 3rd land, i managed to kill all 3 of his guys and faded him drawing a 3rd land for the kill to me stone raining him and getting a scoop. I was at 1 life. Was amazeballs.
In regards to Titan: 6 mana is a lot and it doesn't REALLY swing any matches that often. For that much mana, I do feel like something else can take it's place. Plus there will be some games where it just rots in your hand cuz you're stuck at 5. I think the sweet spot is 5 mana.
I played a 1k this weekend and i ended up playing my latest list of ponza since i couldn't put the missing pieces of another deck together.
My main changes was to put the trackers in, cut 1 stone rain to fit them.
Deck list looks a bit like this:
2 Abrade
3 Trackers
2 Stormbreath
2 Inferno (and i'm coming around to the idea of cutting them as well)
4 Elves
4 Sprawls
4 Moons
4 Mwunvolis
3 Chandras
1 Bonfire
1 Wurmcoil
2 Primal commands
I played: Affinity x 2, Boggles, Burn (in an epic 3 games match where i won at 1 life), Esper Goryo (we drew to top 8 in the 6th round) and 1 more deck i can't remember.
I won all the other matches except: Affinity. I got crushed 2-0 in the swiss and 2-0 in the top 8.
My biggest regret going forward is not playing Ancient Grudges in the sideboard. It would have single handedly flip what i consider a practically unwinnable matchup into a favorable one. Top decked Cranial platings are brutal....
All in all, i'm constantly having success with the deck on paper magic but had a 2-3 drop online RPTQ...i just can't win with the deck online for some reason.