After a long time playing Death and Taxes, I intend to come back to BW processors. The metagame seems good for us, with lots of creature decks we can prey on. Also, our worst matchups, tron, valakut and perhaps storm, are now more manageable with the printing of damping sphere and the new Mana tithe artifact. Could this be the time for BW to shine?
How do you guys fight blood moon? I normally go 5-1 at my local, and my only loss is ALWAYS from a blood moon being sided on me.
Ratchet bomb is your answer.
Once you realize pathing a spirit token will ramp you into smasher/TKS, you're good.
This works amazingly well IF you run a Wastes in the 75, which can be difficult in a Sculler build.
Sure, forgot that some builds drifted away from wastes because of sculler. Which reminds me why I changed from sculler to Kitesail Freebooter in my Taxes list and will be testing the pirate in processors as well. I'll report as soon as i get some results!
I've got GP Toronto this weekend so I'm going to give it a spin. The mutavaults are the only cards I don't own. I wonder how this deck would play out with ghost quarter instead of the vaults. I don't really understand the surgical in the deck without GQ's as there's not many times I'd bring in surgical where I wasn't wanting to target lands. Can anyone think of what matchups surgical are coming in against? I'm guessing fulminator comes in on those same matchups but seems kind of weak without the GQ's but would love to hear why mutavault is overall a better card in the deck as obviously the lists that have done well have 4 mutavaults. for reference here is the decklist
How do you guys fight blood moon? I normally go 5-1 at my local, and my only loss is ALWAYS from a blood moon being sided on me.
Ratchet bomb is your answer.
Play a couple disenchants (which hits moon and boggles auras, lantern, coralhelm...) instead of stony silence, beside the anguished unmaking. If you're on ghost quarter, go slow and GQ a shock or dual land for a plains. Playing 3 to 4 Marsh flats is a must also. then path your own token/drazi for a waste. Blood moon is often played by decks that can't compete with us in power, so if they spend time setting up a moon, probably their hand is weak enough so we can also set up an out to the moon. Once you realize pathing a spirit token will ramp you into smasher/TKS, you're good.
Hi. Not sure if this question is geared to processor decks rather than taxes decks. If taxes u may wish to post in that forum. For processors I play the Herder version of the deck, rather than Smasher. I went back to Sculler from Kitesail after some, but not a lot of testng. I am comfortable with the mana base to deal with the WB cmc for Sculler and prefer its ability to also hit creatures. By all means play it and let us know your results!
yeah, the question was intended for processors. I originally was a processor player (smasher version with 4 scullers) and migrated to taxes last season... But I am always tinkering the processor.dec. I feel Kitesail would be more interesting because I really want to run 4 mutavaults, which is a turn 1 card that really slows down sculler. It I was in blight herder more controllish plan, I would go sculler and five 1cmc discards. With smasher I play only 3 seizes and no inquisitions.
Have anyone tried Kitesail Freebooter instead of sculler? I'm playing it in eldrazi and taxes and pretty happy with it. Of course it is a card that can be pushed in response to its trigger without drawback, but the fat it is a 1/2 fly is a good upside overall. And 1B is really easier to cast...
He would get the card from Cryptic and the Thought-Knot Seer, but since putting the card from exile into an opponents graveyard is the way to activate the 2nd condition of the trigger, his Ancestral Vision would still be in his graveyard.
Not sure what the official rules lingo is on that, but that's how it works.
But the second hability have a target upon trigger. I have to choose the target before starting the resolution. When the TKS is bounced, the entire hability is countered. Had a lvl2 judge at the time watching the match... But it sure is a strange situation.
Guys, if the deck is going a more aggressive path with mutavaults and increased creature density, why not running 4 of eldrazi mimic? I know he is a lightning rod, but i'd rather have a push or path aimed at him than my opponent saving it for TKS/smasher. What do you think?
I am playing the smasher version with 2/2/2 scullers, reshapers, eternal scourge. Liking it overall, sculler Is a great card against all combos we have around. Although you can side him out on the draw.
Yesterday I lost to a taking turns deck where I was processing an ancestrall vision to -3-3 my TKS, and he just bounced the TKS with cryptic, drew a card from TKS, a card from cryptic, a card on the draw and 3 from vision by fizzling the strangler... Felt awkward... U.u
I don't think scullers need to be cast on curve... Generally you play discard/relic turn 1, and turn 2 reshapers, brutality, mind stone... I like sometimes to hold my scullers to be played after the TKS and obliterate their chances to comeback to the game...
My thoughts after the matches:
- I need a better sideboard against fast creature aggro. Are there any better board wipes in white/black than Drown in Sorrow / Toxic Deluge / Flaying Tendrils for 3 mana or less? I want to have one for the sideboard. Wrath of God would probably have been a turn too late even had I drawn it
What do you think of the new board wipe that was spoiled today? 3 Mana damnation and a turn offline... Seems a fair drawback if we can follow with a land for path/push/IoK
Also switching from thoughtseize to IoK. Metagame is flooding with burn decks!
I REALLY don't like his build... With 4 scullers, ghost quarter is also a mana fix. No fetches mean he will often draw the wrong basic land, and mutavault does eat resources to be useful in a deck that is extremely Mana hungry.
I myself turned back from herders to smashers, but kept 2-3 tidehollows and feel they are extremely strong, even outside of curve. Death shadow, breach and Tron hate to see this guy, knowing he will be followed by TKS and smasher and they NEED the removals for them. He is a tempo play, but a strong one.
I can't see me playing 4 stranglers also, and 3 smashers. Last, but no less important... Shriekmaw? Why not just play go for the throat or doom blade or a third push?
I think he got really lucky instead of having a goood build, and will wait if anyone here can test further his choices to see if it is really that powerful.
What do you guys think about Angel of Sanctions? Seems powerful to me as a 1 off in versions that run Blight Herder over Reality Smasher as we aim more for control and processing. Maybe a 2-2 or a 3-1 Herder/Angel split could be good.
I am playing a 1-of smasher in my herder version and considering 1 more on the SB. He is just too good to pass. The angel seems good too, but double white hurts a little when you are prepared for double black Mana, or holding a path. Dunno, it dodges push and decay and bolt, can be a nice trick!
Regarding enchantments, I play a 1/1 split of mb/SB anguished unmaking and 2 ratchet bombs to deal with them. Blood moon, bitterblossom and mainly Intangible virtue (can't win with that card on the table, ever!) All fold to the bomb with a little setup.
Last two tournaments lost all matches, although were about to win when they topdecked a kill. Sad but I will tweak my sideboard to better answer my metagame. Tomorrow I will switch from smashers to Herders and let you know how it goes.
Topdeck's happen. That is one of the main problems with discard spells when compared to counter-magic --- you cannot stop a top-deck. With all the affinity, merfolk, junk running around your meta game you might want to up the sweepers to 2. Maybe try an engineered explosives if you have it. Or just put in an additional damnation, wrath of god, or day of judgment.
You could put a sweeper mainboard to have better game 1 matchups. I wouldn't recommend this for an unknown meta though.
I don't know if sweepers are the thing I am missing. I am more inclined to drop something for another fatal push (I play with a wrath, an expertise and two ratchet bombs already at SB, and 4/1/1 split on path, push, anguished).
Today I played the sculler/herder and LOVED it! Herder is not as explosive as smasher, but while smashers give opponents hand trouble, herder gives then battlefield trouble and is hard to deal with his mess. This is really interesting, as it changes the deck lines of play (although I played with 3 Herders and a single smasher, which won me a game against Naya zoo). Scullers however are really, really strong, and even if they get killed, they already generated value (I like to take strong cards, leaving then with removal in hand, so they spend the removal on him). Got a draw with valakut after surgical on valakut and won against burn to 3-0-1. Will keep the Herders for a while and see where it goes!
Last two tournaments lost all matches, although were about to win when they topdecked a kill. Sad but I will tweak my sideboard to better answer my metagame. Tomorrow I will switch from smashers to Herders and let you know how it goes.
Glad to hear you are liking it and starting to get results!
Valakut decks are a nightmare - it is our worst matchup if we don't draw very good. However, I have lost several valakut matches to a top decked scapeshift or Bring to Light. My meta is already aware of my surgical extraction maindecks and they are cautious on dropping a valakut early. Fulminator helps to destroy their shocks and with Liliana we can land lock them. Even though, simian Spirit guide into through the breach is real and can finish games as well...
Don't be shy int bringing out your results and what you feel about the cards. I am also playing this deck for only five months and it is always good to see this thread movimented!
I like Blight Herder myself (as 2x-of SB card for midrange match-ups) but I'd never replace Reality Smasher with it as it is just a much better creature and a legitimate closer for the deck.
Hi Dennis, I like the idea of running Elspeth, Knight-errant mainboard (don't have access to any of the Sorins yet) Is she legitimately good in this deck though? Suppose I'll have to find out tonight I also what to try Blight Herder SB but what would we sb out for it in the midrange games? Sorry if these are dumb questions, I'm a complete novice with this deck.
Hi etcherik! I am glad also to see new BW Eldrazi players around. This deck is a blast!
My best suggestion to you is to read the last 20 or so pages of discussion. There is soooo much useful Info, different builds and angles of attacks that choosing your playstile will be easy after that. This deck is not easy to pilot, you have many many choices to make, from which land to lay down turn 1, and what you are expecting to play three turns ahead to all the discards+removals decisions (do I take this kalithas now or take the k-command and hope to draw a path/push/unmaking to deal with him?). You need to study well your meta and each possibility of what the deck can do.
Also, I sincerely suggests you go after Marsh flats. They are what makes the deck playable. Polluted deltas or windswept Heath's are not enough.
Regarding your sideboard, I would cut stony to 2, extractions to 1 and the duress. Pithing needle is a must, and I like to play a couple fulminator mages to have an out to valakut/tron. Yahenni expertise is also a good card, and I like to play a 1/1 split of expertise and wrath.
And cut the eternal scourge... It will be a dead card 90% of time, as the modern meta today will rarely let you attack with it.
Anyway, have fun with the orzhov aliens!
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Play a couple disenchants (which hits moon and boggles auras, lantern, coralhelm...) instead of stony silence, beside the anguished unmaking. If you're on ghost quarter, go slow and GQ a shock or dual land for a plains. Playing 3 to 4 Marsh flats is a must also. then path your own token/drazi for a waste. Blood moon is often played by decks that can't compete with us in power, so if they spend time setting up a moon, probably their hand is weak enough so we can also set up an out to the moon. Once you realize pathing a spirit token will ramp you into smasher/TKS, you're good.
But the second hability have a target upon trigger. I have to choose the target before starting the resolution. When the TKS is bounced, the entire hability is countered. Had a lvl2 judge at the time watching the match... But it sure is a strange situation.
Guys, if the deck is going a more aggressive path with mutavaults and increased creature density, why not running 4 of eldrazi mimic? I know he is a lightning rod, but i'd rather have a push or path aimed at him than my opponent saving it for TKS/smasher. What do you think?
Yesterday I lost to a taking turns deck where I was processing an ancestrall vision to -3-3 my TKS, and he just bounced the TKS with cryptic, drew a card from TKS, a card from cryptic, a card on the draw and 3 from vision by fizzling the strangler... Felt awkward... U.u
What do you think of the new board wipe that was spoiled today? 3 Mana damnation and a turn offline... Seems a fair drawback if we can follow with a land for path/push/IoK
Also switching from thoughtseize to IoK. Metagame is flooding with burn decks!
I myself turned back from herders to smashers, but kept 2-3 tidehollows and feel they are extremely strong, even outside of curve. Death shadow, breach and Tron hate to see this guy, knowing he will be followed by TKS and smasher and they NEED the removals for them. He is a tempo play, but a strong one.
I can't see me playing 4 stranglers also, and 3 smashers. Last, but no less important... Shriekmaw? Why not just play go for the throat or doom blade or a third push?
I think he got really lucky instead of having a goood build, and will wait if anyone here can test further his choices to see if it is really that powerful.
I am playing a 1-of smasher in my herder version and considering 1 more on the SB. He is just too good to pass. The angel seems good too, but double white hurts a little when you are prepared for double black Mana, or holding a path. Dunno, it dodges push and decay and bolt, can be a nice trick!
Regarding enchantments, I play a 1/1 split of mb/SB anguished unmaking and 2 ratchet bombs to deal with them. Blood moon, bitterblossom and mainly Intangible virtue (can't win with that card on the table, ever!) All fold to the bomb with a little setup.
I don't know if sweepers are the thing I am missing. I am more inclined to drop something for another fatal push (I play with a wrath, an expertise and two ratchet bombs already at SB, and 4/1/1 split on path, push, anguished).
Today I played the sculler/herder and LOVED it! Herder is not as explosive as smasher, but while smashers give opponents hand trouble, herder gives then battlefield trouble and is hard to deal with his mess. This is really interesting, as it changes the deck lines of play (although I played with 3 Herders and a single smasher, which won me a game against Naya zoo). Scullers however are really, really strong, and even if they get killed, they already generated value (I like to take strong cards, leaving then with removal in hand, so they spend the removal on him). Got a draw with valakut after surgical on valakut and won against burn to 3-0-1. Will keep the Herders for a while and see where it goes!
Valakut decks are a nightmare - it is our worst matchup if we don't draw very good. However, I have lost several valakut matches to a top decked scapeshift or Bring to Light. My meta is already aware of my surgical extraction maindecks and they are cautious on dropping a valakut early. Fulminator helps to destroy their shocks and with Liliana we can land lock them. Even though, simian Spirit guide into through the breach is real and can finish games as well...
Don't be shy int bringing out your results and what you feel about the cards. I am also playing this deck for only five months and it is always good to see this thread movimented!
Hi etcherik! I am glad also to see new BW Eldrazi players around. This deck is a blast!
My best suggestion to you is to read the last 20 or so pages of discussion. There is soooo much useful Info, different builds and angles of attacks that choosing your playstile will be easy after that. This deck is not easy to pilot, you have many many choices to make, from which land to lay down turn 1, and what you are expecting to play three turns ahead to all the discards+removals decisions (do I take this kalithas now or take the k-command and hope to draw a path/push/unmaking to deal with him?). You need to study well your meta and each possibility of what the deck can do.
Also, I sincerely suggests you go after Marsh flats. They are what makes the deck playable. Polluted deltas or windswept Heath's are not enough.
Regarding your sideboard, I would cut stony to 2, extractions to 1 and the duress. Pithing needle is a must, and I like to play a couple fulminator mages to have an out to valakut/tron. Yahenni expertise is also a good card, and I like to play a 1/1 split of expertise and wrath.
And cut the eternal scourge... It will be a dead card 90% of time, as the modern meta today will rarely let you attack with it.
Anyway, have fun with the orzhov aliens!