I don’t think so. If we’re going to 2-cost discarders less efficient than Goblin Lore, I’m inclined to think the answer is to splash blue and go Izzet Charm. It draws 2 then discards 2 at resolution time in its faithless mode (compare reunion which discards two at casting time to draw 3 at resolution - one more card, but sequencing hurts) and also has two other modes (small critter removal or noncreature countering) that can situationally help us in a pinch.
Don’t like 3 drops in this deck, full stop. I like everything in this deck being castable on a 2 land keep.
And I’m more than a little worried that Force of Despair completely and utterly destroys this deck. We can get our ‘perfect draw’ (mountain wraith looting pitch vengevines cast hollow ones) ... and our opponent gets a zero-mana wrath immediately after that?
I've been haunting both this thread and the Soulflayer thread recently, some some Soulflayer decks have recently started to use Bomat Courier and/or Hollow One. It's beginning to make me consider putting Soulflayer into a Roulette build in place of Gurmag Angler / Tasigur. Soak up some haste from a Bomat (or if the deck is still running them, Bushwhacker) or Haste+Flying from Flamewake Phoenix. Would make for a smashing turn 2, to have a 4/4 haster attacking.
Just gonna requote this here. Me in March. Post 161 here.
@Pizzap; I noticed in the past you ran Become Immense in the main board. Are you still running that and do you feel it is an improvement over Ghor-clan?
I don't know which one is better, because I never tested the Rampager. It depends how much space you have for Delve. Become Immense has I think a higher Oomph-factor and may get opponents tilted. I often side it out though, but I like if my opponents see it, because they will try to play around my singleton BI.
Funny, I thought Rampager was the tiltier card. Sure BI is bigger, but between trample blowing through a chump and Rampager being immune to counterspells that’s two real ways to tilt someone that BI doesn’t offer.
I can’t imagine mass bounce for 3. I wonder about mass tap though - you can win a slugfest race if you can tap all your opponent creatures at instant speed, especially if they gets a ‘skip next untap’ rider. Icy Blast is the right idea but that sort of effect in a way that doesn’t need to scale mana with go wide opponents.
Any potential for fogs? Something like Angelsong can turn their alpha strike against you as their own death (or if fogging is inopportune can just be cycled for replacement or cycling-matters side benefits).
I would love to see a statistical breakdown of how often using Gemstone Mine would actually hurt. Like Blackleave Cliffs it’s a card that is best in the fastest of decks, like this one. If we have a keepable opening hand, either we’ve got the 1-mana god hand or we have 2+ land, in which case we could defer Gemstone Mine play to T2 and its drawback wouldn’t even begin to stunt our mana available until T5 (we’d get one mana of any color out of it in t2, 3, and 4 - on 4 it even becomes delve fuel). And with this deck - the outcome one way or another is almost always a foregone conclusion by t5.
I think the only card that even raised an eyebrow was The Flame of Keld... but discarding and drawing on *separate* turns is really a non-starter. Bomat Courier is more viable and even it doesn't generally get used.
A lot of decks might want to use Damping Sphere in sideboard, and some of our boards might consider it. But the bigger impact is that a lot of people will be boarding it against us! Particularly Vengevine and Bushwhacker variants, that by definition count on casting multiple spells in a turn.
Your deck is getting incredibly close to my mono-red-manabase version. I run Burning-Tree Emissary over Hooting Mandrills but otherwise our creature lineup is identical and, like you, I don't play any of the random discards. The only real difference in our approaches is the answer to the question "Is playing Izzet Charm and Hooting Mandrills worth the much-more-expensive-and-much-more-Moon-vulnerable manabase?" For me, for the time being, I've gone no, and as much as I'd love to play Izzet Charm and one of the Delve fatties, it's never passed my budget-and-vulnerability test and I stay Mountains-only.
When playing 3+ color aggro or fastcombo, I do love Gemstone Mines (I opt against on control, midrange, and slower combo). I'd stick with them in your build, and maybe even up their count a bit. Better reliable access to off-color mana could even open you up to better off-color sideboard bullets, like Blessed Alliance as a bullet-against-Bogles.
I continue to run Vengevines in a build that virtually can’t even hardcast them (technically with two BTEs I could, but if that’s where things are going I’ve already lost). As far as I’m concerned Vengevine might as well cost a million mana - I’m not hardcasting it, I’m pitching it at first opportunity and there’s plenty of opportunity. I don’t feel beholden to playing forests just because I have Vengevines.
But this makes me wonder; should a fatal push in the side turn into an abrupt decay/M-pulse? Would give me more artifact removal, does the same thing as push mostly, gives a way to deal with RIP, trinisphere, LOTV,enchantments Bogles play, ghostly prison, ect. Thoughts?
As primary RG Hollow One player I am very fond of my Destructive Revelry sideboard cards.
Unfortunate that it's about to lose the bonus utility of being able to sting planeswalkers.
Per mtgstocks, the darksteel aether vial, which was uncommon, is $37.88 average.
I think I crossed up tolaria west with a different $25 card, lemme see what card I miscrossed.
(Edit) mtgtop8 tricked me. Their buy links and shown prices usually link to nonfoil by default but their link to TW was linking to a foil (maybe that store was sold out of nonfoil?).
Fast forward 3 months, and now Goblin Lores are going for about 25 bucks a pop... Making me wonder, is Goblin Lore the most expensive "uncommon" currently being played in Modern? Seems like it's on the top end of that list for sure.
And I’m more than a little worried that Force of Despair completely and utterly destroys this deck. We can get our ‘perfect draw’ (mountain wraith looting pitch vengevines cast hollow ones) ... and our opponent gets a zero-mana wrath immediately after that?
Just gonna requote this here. Me in March. Post 161 here.
Funny, I thought Rampager was the tiltier card. Sure BI is bigger, but between trample blowing through a chump and Rampager being immune to counterspells that’s two real ways to tilt someone that BI doesn’t offer.
Any potential for fogs? Something like Angelsong can turn their alpha strike against you as their own death (or if fogging is inopportune can just be cycled for replacement or cycling-matters side benefits).
What Warcry Phoenix does, Flamewake Phoenix already does better.
A lot of decks might want to use Damping Sphere in sideboard, and some of our boards might consider it. But the bigger impact is that a lot of people will be boarding it against us! Particularly Vengevine and Bushwhacker variants, that by definition count on casting multiple spells in a turn.
When playing 3+ color aggro or fastcombo, I do love Gemstone Mines (I opt against on control, midrange, and slower combo). I'd stick with them in your build, and maybe even up their count a bit. Better reliable access to off-color mana could even open you up to better off-color sideboard bullets, like Blessed Alliance as a bullet-against-Bogles.
Unfortunate that it's about to lose the bonus utility of being able to sting planeswalkers.
I think I crossed up tolaria west with a different $25 card, lemme see what card I miscrossed.
(Edit) mtgtop8 tricked me. Their buy links and shown prices usually link to nonfoil by default but their link to TW was linking to a foil (maybe that store was sold out of nonfoil?).
I think Aether Vial is still the champ there. Tolaria West is a little ahead, too.
Mishra's Bauble was off the charts before its masters reprint announce. It breached $50.