About Preordain, I've posted this before, so I'll just copy and paste:
Preordain is really not that much better than Serum Visions if you look at each iteration of possible cases with the cards:
You want none of the top 3 cards: The same. Both draw you a card you don't want and bottom two others you don't want. Both dig 3 deep towards the card you're looking for. You want the top card, but not the next two: Serum Visions is better. You have to draw the third card next turn with Preordain, but SV bottoms it. You want the second card, but not the top or third: Preordain is better. Both draw you a card you don't want and bottom another, but Preordain gets you the card you want this turn, whereas SV gets it next turn. You want the third card, but not the top two: Preordain is better. You get to bottom both top cards and get the card you want, while SV has to draw one you don't want and get the card you want next turn. You want the top two cards, but not the third: Serum Visions is better. You get to bottom the third card, while Preordain won't see it, so you'll draw it two turns later. You want the top and third card, but not the second: Roughly the same. Both draw you the top card this turn and bottom the second card. However, you do have the added information from seeing the third card with SV, so it's very slightly better. You don't want the top card, but do want the second and third: Preordain is better. Lets you bottom the top card you don't want, while SV has to draw it. You want all three cards: Roughly the same. SV lets you pick the order you draw the second and third cards in, while Preordain lets you pick the order you draw the first and second in. Also as above, you do get the added info of seeing the third card with SV.
So Preordain is better in 3 cases, SV is better in 2 cases, and they're roughly the same in 3 cases, but SV does get you more info in two of those cases. So if you're playing Preordain over SV, it takes an average of 8 casts before you're +1 on better cases with the card. You're probably not casting more than 3 or 4 of these cantrips in even a long game, so you're maybe seeing an average of a little over 1 extra case where Preordain is better than SV in a three game match. That's really not a huge difference.
So Preordain is just a small amount better than Serum Visions. How is Serum Visions doing in the format right now? It's prevalence has dropped quite a bit. Opt actually sees more play now. With UW shifting to the Terminus build, people have progressively traded their SVs for Opts, to the point where a lot of people (including myself) play 4 Opt and 0 SV. Jeskai plays Opt because the instant speed is better with Snapcaster Mage. GDS has largely abandoned SV in favor of Faithless Looting and Baubles, although some people still play a couple copies. UR Tempo also prefers the instant speed.
The only blue decks that are really still in on SV are the combo decks (Storm, Ad Naus, blue Scapeshift), and the Blue Moon decks. None of these decks are at the top of the meta. Storm is probably the one doing the best, but Preordain doesn't really solve any problem the deck has, it's just a minor improvement. There's just no way you could formulate an argument that Preordain would damage Modern, it seems very apparent to me that it would do almost nothing in the format.
Mentality of SOME and MAYBE...maybe my feeling is wrong, so be cool. Magic is a cool game for many different Charakters, so maybe blue ones are more proud if they can trick you an feels skillfull...maybe maybe maybe, i dont know
The idea that the colors or strategy that a person plays is in any way indicative of their morality is fallacious, and an idea that you should rid yourself of. Stereotyping is not nice, even in the context of a card game.
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Then why are you complaining? If you're playing against UW, you should have Colonnade on your radar, it's your own fault you didn't look for it before swinging in with a 3 power creature. Just play better.
I've played probably 500+ matches of Hardened Scales on MTGO and you've been on the money with each of your posts. UW Control is a terrible match-up because of Terminus, SB hate, and sometimes angels. The UW Control resurgence hurt its place in the meta. Out of the other decks mentioned, Burn is fairly positive, Jeskai and Tron even. Hardened Scales is indeed looking to prey other creature decks. Bant Spirits is probably the exception, although that match-up is considerably easier against mediocre pilots.
Speaking of Spirits, I was watching Nassif's CFB video playing Bant Spirits, and he didn't bring in RiP against Hardened Scales. That felt wrong to me, but maybe they just don't want to dilute their creature count and make CoCo worse?
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I just want to share my experience here. Taking a break fro KCI, I have been testing Hardened Scales now because I'm really interesting in knowing the bad matchups and the good matchups. Against Jeskai, it is way better and so far against UW, it is definitely NOT favored. I'm not sure what it is. I know I need more testing because UW has always drawn the right things at the right time whenever on the ropes, but so far, I have it at 60/40 Scales vs. Jeskai and 60/40 (at least) UW vs. Scales.
That is a biiiig difference. Bolt and Helix do very little.
*There are still a lot of matchups for Scales that I haven't tested yet, but KCI, Company, Jeskai, UW Control, and (just starting) Humans are the ones that I have tested.
From the control side, I would say that the obvious difference between UW and Jeskai in that matchup is the sweeper package. Terminus cleans up their board, while the 4 mana wraths sometimes will not. Beyond that, our sideboard is also better. We play RiP, which shuts down all the death triggers, while Jeskai doesn't. Also, the angels just slam the door on games. If we Terminus you followed up by a Baneslayer, there's almost no way Hardened Scales is coming back from that.
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Grixis hardly sees any play, it's a tiny fraction of the overall control meta share. I could see Hardened Scales being good against the UR control decks, so that's probably true. TiTi is pretty good against what they're doing, and they've got Angers post board, but not much else. Still, UW and Jeskai are the largest portion of the blue control decks. It's a very easy matchup for UW, and I'd imagine it's a little harder for Jeskai, but probably not by a whole lot.
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Hardened Scales is not good against control, UW Miracles crushes that deck. All of our removal dodges their death triggers, and post board we get Stony, RiP, and the angels.
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They already have Amonkhet and Kaladesh programmed into the game, so whatever format they do will undoubtedly include them. I think it's just a question of if they include older sets, and how far back they go.
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It would take them a long time to implement all sets in Modern, if they even decided to do that. I think it's more likely they start a new non-rotating format that begins at Kaladesh.
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I'm not sure the Rock style decks would even want GSZ. Like, straight GB Rock just plays Tracker, Scooze, and Goyf, all three of which are powerful threats, so in most situations you won't really care which one of the three you have. In that case, you have to ask yourself whether you actually want to pay an extra mana to fetch your threat, and in a lot of cases I think the answer to that question is no. Maybe you'd play a copy or two, but I don't see GSZ being like a 4-of in GB decks.
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KCI reminds me a lot of Amulet Bloom. I think it's secretly the strongest deck in Modern, but it's underplayed because it's so complicated, so it takes a lot of practice and a skilled pilot to reach its full potential.
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Modern UBR Grixis Shadow UBR UR Izzet Phoenix UR UW UW Control UW GB GB Rock GB
Commander BG Meren of Clan Nel Toth BG BGUW Atraxa, Praetor's Voice BGUW
Humans - 11
Burn - 10
Bant Spirits - 8
UW Control - 5
Bridge Vine - 5
Storm - 4
Hardened Scales - 4
Jeskai Control - 3
Jund - 3
Blue Moon - 3
Hollow One - 2
G Tron - 2
Martyr Proc - 1
Affinity - 1
Grixis Shadow - 1
Bogles - 1
Jeskai Ascendancy Combo- 1
Counters Company - 1
Jeskai Tempo - 1
Bant Company - 1
Goblins - 1
Living End - 1
Grishoalbrand - 1
KCI - 1
Dredge - 1
Bant Midrange - 1
Traverse Shadow - 1
Abzan - 1
Some notes:
9 of the Burn finishes were from the SCG Open
4 of the UW Miracles finishes were from the top 9 of GP Stockholm
Humans is still the best deck
No one can deny that Spirits is the real deal anymore
UWx Control combines for 8 finishes, putting it among the top performers
GBx had probably the best weekend it's had in a long time, people preparing for their Trophies?
Bridge Vine outperforms Hollow One and Dredge, to claim the spot as best graveyard deck of the weekend.
Hardened Scales outperforms traditional Affinity
Spell based combo had a good weekend, between Living End winning in Syracuse and Storm's finishes, along with a good finish from JAC, KCI, and Grishoalbrand. Control being more popular is good for these decks, but Humans being the top deck is still keeping them in check.
Aggro was the super-archetype that had the best weekend, but it's Modern, so what else is new?
Big Mana had the worst weekend of the super-archetypes (WOW **** TRON)
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Mardu was good in the Humans-shaped meta, but control has shifted the meta to a spot where Mardu is less good, even though it's not bad against control itself. It'll be interesting to see how the meta shifts when Guilds comes out. If BGx rises back to prominence, Mardu could find itself well positioned again.
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So Preordain is just a small amount better than Serum Visions. How is Serum Visions doing in the format right now? It's prevalence has dropped quite a bit. Opt actually sees more play now. With UW shifting to the Terminus build, people have progressively traded their SVs for Opts, to the point where a lot of people (including myself) play 4 Opt and 0 SV. Jeskai plays Opt because the instant speed is better with Snapcaster Mage. GDS has largely abandoned SV in favor of Faithless Looting and Baubles, although some people still play a couple copies. UR Tempo also prefers the instant speed.
The only blue decks that are really still in on SV are the combo decks (Storm, Ad Naus, blue Scapeshift), and the Blue Moon decks. None of these decks are at the top of the meta. Storm is probably the one doing the best, but Preordain doesn't really solve any problem the deck has, it's just a minor improvement. There's just no way you could formulate an argument that Preordain would damage Modern, it seems very apparent to me that it would do almost nothing in the format.
UBR Grixis Shadow UBR
UR Izzet Phoenix UR
UW UW Control UW
GB GB Rock GB
Commander
BG Meren of Clan Nel Toth BG
BGUW Atraxa, Praetor's Voice BGUW
UBR Grixis Shadow UBR
UR Izzet Phoenix UR
UW UW Control UW
GB GB Rock GB
Commander
BG Meren of Clan Nel Toth BG
BGUW Atraxa, Praetor's Voice BGUW
UBR Grixis Shadow UBR
UR Izzet Phoenix UR
UW UW Control UW
GB GB Rock GB
Commander
BG Meren of Clan Nel Toth BG
BGUW Atraxa, Praetor's Voice BGUW
UBR Grixis Shadow UBR
UR Izzet Phoenix UR
UW UW Control UW
GB GB Rock GB
Commander
BG Meren of Clan Nel Toth BG
BGUW Atraxa, Praetor's Voice BGUW
UBR Grixis Shadow UBR
UR Izzet Phoenix UR
UW UW Control UW
GB GB Rock GB
Commander
BG Meren of Clan Nel Toth BG
BGUW Atraxa, Praetor's Voice BGUW
UBR Grixis Shadow UBR
UR Izzet Phoenix UR
UW UW Control UW
GB GB Rock GB
Commander
BG Meren of Clan Nel Toth BG
BGUW Atraxa, Praetor's Voice BGUW
UBR Grixis Shadow UBR
UR Izzet Phoenix UR
UW UW Control UW
GB GB Rock GB
Commander
BG Meren of Clan Nel Toth BG
BGUW Atraxa, Praetor's Voice BGUW
UBR Grixis Shadow UBR
UR Izzet Phoenix UR
UW UW Control UW
GB GB Rock GB
Commander
BG Meren of Clan Nel Toth BG
BGUW Atraxa, Praetor's Voice BGUW
UBR Grixis Shadow UBR
UR Izzet Phoenix UR
UW UW Control UW
GB GB Rock GB
Commander
BG Meren of Clan Nel Toth BG
BGUW Atraxa, Praetor's Voice BGUW
UBR Grixis Shadow UBR
UR Izzet Phoenix UR
UW UW Control UW
GB GB Rock GB
Commander
BG Meren of Clan Nel Toth BG
BGUW Atraxa, Praetor's Voice BGUW
UBR Grixis Shadow UBR
UR Izzet Phoenix UR
UW UW Control UW
GB GB Rock GB
Commander
BG Meren of Clan Nel Toth BG
BGUW Atraxa, Praetor's Voice BGUW
UBR Grixis Shadow UBR
UR Izzet Phoenix UR
UW UW Control UW
GB GB Rock GB
Commander
BG Meren of Clan Nel Toth BG
BGUW Atraxa, Praetor's Voice BGUW
Humans - 11
Burn - 10
Bant Spirits - 8
UW Control - 5
Bridge Vine - 5
Storm - 4
Hardened Scales - 4
Jeskai Control - 3
Jund - 3
Blue Moon - 3
Hollow One - 2
G Tron - 2
Martyr Proc - 1
Affinity - 1
Grixis Shadow - 1
Bogles - 1
Jeskai Ascendancy Combo- 1
Counters Company - 1
Jeskai Tempo - 1
Bant Company - 1
Goblins - 1
Living End - 1
Grishoalbrand - 1
KCI - 1
Dredge - 1
Bant Midrange - 1
Traverse Shadow - 1
Abzan - 1
Some notes:
UBR Grixis Shadow UBR
UR Izzet Phoenix UR
UW UW Control UW
GB GB Rock GB
Commander
BG Meren of Clan Nel Toth BG
BGUW Atraxa, Praetor's Voice BGUW
UBR Grixis Shadow UBR
UR Izzet Phoenix UR
UW UW Control UW
GB GB Rock GB
Commander
BG Meren of Clan Nel Toth BG
BGUW Atraxa, Praetor's Voice BGUW
UBR Grixis Shadow UBR
UR Izzet Phoenix UR
UW UW Control UW
GB GB Rock GB
Commander
BG Meren of Clan Nel Toth BG
BGUW Atraxa, Praetor's Voice BGUW