After the recent unbannings I can play again a deck that gave me lot of fun and success in the past. Since new sets have been released, the deck should be changed to use the new cards available, although the old version is there.
The goal of the deck is to finish the game as soon as possible while keeping the pressure in the middle and lategame thanks to recurring dudes and the power of card advantage in Collected Company, Bloodbraid Elf and Hazoret the Fervent.
The idea of the deck is pressure the opponent since the begining of the game and using the druids to make all your hasty creatures really big and unblockable.
I tested the old version of the deck (which I can link if needed ) when BBE was legal against Merfolks, UW control and some other decks but I have to test it against current meta to know how good or bad it can be nowdays.
I've been testing the deck and after some looses and hard testing I've found that the current version was not good enough so I begin to brew new lists and coming back to the past plus new techs I've found a list that is working really fine to me righ now. I've tested it against Blue steel, Merfolks, White devotion, Stompy, and all the matches went really good.
With this list I often goldfish a lot and the evolution is insane with all the recurring creatures the deck has. Also hazoret's favor is the primal forcemage 5-7 while helping our deck to push through for damage with one shot creatures.
Eldritch evolution is ridiculous in this deck. You can sacrify a geist to search for a broodbraid and cascade then getting a 3/2 geist, a 3/2 elf and another creatures that beat for 3 or more.
Hazoret's Favor is also awesome and having a phoenix in the table and other in the grave let you have a 4/2 fying hasty creature each turn to beat with.
On the other side I also would like to find a "finisher" to be searched with evolution that can swarm the table with haste creatures or finish the game in another way that costs 4, 5 or 6 as max. Any advice here is really welcome!!!
What is Hazoret's Favor for ? Just boosting a single creature +2/+0 for one turn isn't worth a 3-mana for an enchantment which also kills the creature.
A creature like Ogre Battledriver seems like a better alternative, Surrak, the Hunt Caller is also pretty good.
As for a 5-mana option there is Regisaur Alpha which isn't too bad putting 2-bodies on the battlefield.
for 6-mana there is Broodmate Dragon but it requires a balck splash, a different option is Flayer of the Hatebound which can burn out the opponent with EtB triggers.
Eldritch evolution is ridiculous in this deck. You can sacrify a geist to search for a broodbraid and cascade then getting a 3/2 geist, a 3/2 elf and another creatures that beat for 3 or more.
Sorry mate, Evolution doesn't trigger BBE's cascade as the BBE is put into play, not cast :/
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"I can call an army to my side in the blink of an eye. Best not blink."
- Yeva, Nature's Herald
Because of that the favor is here and believe me, it works really good here because being able to attack for 5 trampling damage for two mana is the nuts and more if you can do it multiple times. Also works really good with Phoenixes making any of your creatures big enough to trigger ferocious each turn.
About the finishers I appreciate all your suggestions but none of them really excites me. I mean:
Regisaur Alpha : Both bodies are not imppresive and the deck has not more dinos to exploit them
Broodmate Dragon : good but having to splash another color is not something I would like to do, anyways the better of the options
Flayer of the Hatebound : Relies on our creatures coming back from the grave but sometimes you can't do that and also is slow.
Kalonian Hydra : we have not lot of creatures with counters to maximize the effect
Verdurous Gearhulk: Same than above and also doesn't grow much more although can pump our birds ftw.
I've been testing my list against some decks and found nice additions to it and have cut some other cards so right now I like a lot how it is and how it works. My current list is:
The Riders are great against tron and strategies based on special lands So having one of maindeck that can be tutored with evolutions is great. It has won me some games against Nikhtos decks and even tron giving me enough time to finish them of before they assemble Tron.
The Rekindling Phoenix has been a great discovery. It works really good in the deck, combo with hazoret favor (because it attacks for 6 in the air the turn that comes into play, and come back the next turn with haste again and triggering forcemages as well or beating for six again with favor). Also opponent has to waste 2 removal to get rid of it (or one in the 0/1 token that is also good for as again).
The Sideboard is still in progress and I'm not sure about the actual configuration. I've included the lightning bolts because although this deck is super fast, it kills consistently in turn four, and there are some decks like infect or viziers (devoted druid decks) that have crucial creatures that let them combo before we can beat for the win.
Any suggestion or advice is welcome but I suggest you to test this deck because is very funny and competitive at the same time.
Yesterday I could test the deck against Jund, WU Miracles and Burn.
The games against Jund and Miracles were a joke ;). Needless to say that I was able to win all the games here because the deck is really fast, has lot of consistency and is not worried about 1x1 removal or walkers because almost all our creatures are 2x1 anyways and have haste which gives them a HUGE advantage against waalkers and the so. I killed lot of Lilianas and Jaces and feel very pleased
Against Burn, as expected, I lost lot of games and only was able to win a couple of them. This deck is fast and usually can burn the face a turn before we get lethal. I would have to do some changes in SDB to fight against this deck but I'm not sure what to include without diluting our gameplan. Also thje SDB I has was horrible against burn and can't use none of the side cards so I'm thinking how to improve this match up. Playing kitchen finks could be an option and they are also a 2x1 creature but it has no haste so not sure about them.
Another idea could be Spark Trooper which seems a very strange option, but could work?
The card is good against Burn but I think there are few other matchups where it can shine so I'm not sure if using sideboard slots with it does worthwhile?
The ideal thing should be something that could also help against other decks.
Yesterday I was testing the deck against a friend of mine that have a 8 whacks deck and found that my deck is terrible in this match because 8 whacks can kill me a turn before I can lethal him. Most of games he won with 3 life or less killing me in the next turn.
Also perhaps I could include some mass removal like pyroclasm in sideboard but I don't want to kill my own creatures and cascading into it is poor so perhaps there is a mass removal that would cost 4 or more (so we won't cascade into it) but could be played with an alternate cost. Something like blasphemous act but cheaper??
I'm also going to change Hazoret's favor for grafted wargear. The creatures in the deck already have haste anyways and +3 power and +2 thoughness is much better than +2/+0 although the gear can be easily removed by kholaghan's command the boost deserves the risk.
Finally I've swaped all the 4 strange CMC creatures beside BBE (I mean timbermare (are useless lot of time and can be removed easily making you being tapped for nothing if it's removed, Avalanche riders (which are moved to the side) and rekindling phoenix (although I like it a lot and I'm thinking to keep a copy) for 4 vengevine that already have haste, can be searched with evolution, can be recurred easily and are good enough.
Also thinking if demigod of revenge could fit in the deck. They can be searched with evolution but to recur them you need to "cast" them and they are slow so probably they doesn't worthwhile.
I also would like something to replace Hellspark elemental because although it's good and have evasion in trample and haste, the fact that dies ATEOT and doesn't serve to keep the pressure or used as fodder with evolution is something I don't like. I'm thinking if Earthshaker Khenra could replace them profitably.
Also perhaps I could include some mass removal like pyroclasm in sideboard but I don't want to kill my own creatures and cascading into it is poor so perhaps there is a mass removal that would cost 4 or more (so we won't cascade into it) but could be played with an alternate cost. Something like blasphemous act but cheaper??
I'd probably just play Lightning Bolt in the maindeck though.
As far as 2-drops go Khenra seems like a good option. Ash Zealot is another haste-creature to consider.
In the SB, Goblin Ruinblaster does a decent Avalanche Riders impression but trades the ability to destroy basics for not having the "echo cost" and the option to just cast it as 2/1 haste beater for 3-mana.
Lot of thanks Dennis, Rough // Tumble seems to be perfect ;). The other options are not bad either but bomb seems bit slow and explosives can be slow too. The only problem with Rough // Tumble is that not hit the flyers of affinity (ornithopter and Vault Skirge), but anyways is probable that there is not the perfect answer so I would test them and see how they work.
The problem with ash zealot is that it wil punish me for recurring geist and phoenixes so Khenra seems the best option available right now.
The problem with goblin ruinblaster is that if you use eldritch evolution to search them you are not going to destroy the land (because you are not casting them so you can't pay the kicker cost). I think avalanche riders are better although they usually are a one turn beater only
Anyways lot of thanks for your comments. I would try the split card because it also let my flyers survive (birds and flamewakes) so is not bada either.
Lot of thanks!!
Any more ideas or suggestions are welcome. I'll continue posting my results for those that are interested
Ash Zealot doesn't actually punish Geist or Flamewake as those are triggered abilities.
It does punish spells cast from the GY which are mostly flashback spells in modern so it is good against Snapcaster Mage decks.
Still testing the deck and again return a bit to my original deck to get more speed, although there are new additions that are performing really well.
Again I tested against 8 whacks, and surprisingly I could win some matches (I think I was able to win the half of them which is really nice )
Alsso tested against other friend of miine which plays monowhite devotion (with nikhtos) (could only play 3 games without sideboard but I won 2 of them and the other was close till he put 9 1/1 tokens on the table buffed with honor of the pure and leyline of the meek. I'm sure that blood moon and avalanche riders will destroy those pesky nikhtos ;).
Hellrider provides a burst of damage that make the deck even faster (also manadorks deal damage although their 0 power) so you can attack with 4-5 creatures and deal 5 damage plus all the creatures damage also.
The recursion and unblock ability of Earthshaker Khenra is also great to finish the game when the board is clogged so they are a nice addition too.
Also I'm still trying to find 1 "Finisher" to play one of that change the game when you are ahead. The options I'm considering are:
I think the purpose of your deck is very different than mine. I was also trying to break the haste creatures with primal forcemage while you are using a toolbox to accomodate to each game.
Anyways I can see lot of very intensive mana creatures (cmc4 or >) and I think you are going to struggle to much with that expensive costs (14 cards) and although you are using some ramp, the problem is that you can draw the wrong half of the deck when not needed.
Anyways test it and post your results. EE is a really good card to exploit
At least in paper seems interesting because I can cast it and beat (so renown her) in second turn easily asn after that she is going to drain the opponent life like a champ.
Also if primal forcemage is out she is going to be renowned usually and th cmc3 is not an issue with 7 mana dorks for t1.
Finally I can see her shining in combo matchups and control ones and even against tron she can be useful. what do you think? does she worthwhile?? And if the answer is affirmative, what would you remove from my last list to include it?
I've tested a version of the decks in previous iterations close to the one he is talking about and my latest version works much better that the one he played.
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After the recent unbannings I can play again a deck that gave me lot of fun and success in the past. Since new sets have been released, the deck should be changed to use the new cards available, although the old version is there.
Right now My list should be something like:
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Earthshaker Khenra
4 Strangleroot Geist
4 Primal Forcemage
2 Ambuscade Shaman
4 Ahn-Crop Crasher
4 Boggart Ram-Gang
2 Giantbaiting
4 Collected Company
4 Bloodbraid Elf
2 Hazoret the Fervent
2 Cavern of Souls
3 Fire-Lit Thicket
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Verdant Catacombs
1 Stomping Grounds
1 Overgrown Tomb
2 Forest
1 Mountain
By the way there are lots of cards that were in old versions and has been tested and removed in one step or another. They are:
The best of them were Hellspark Elemental and Hell's Thunder and hellrider which have been removed by Earthshaker Khenra and Ahn-Crop Crasher which seems to be more durable and have some kind of evasion also.
The goal of the deck is to finish the game as soon as possible while keeping the pressure in the middle and lategame thanks to recurring dudes and the power of card advantage in Collected Company, Bloodbraid Elf and Hazoret the Fervent.
In the sideboard we have the usual suspects Blood moon, ancient grudge, lightning bolt and relic of progenitus but we could include something more spicy like kari zev's Expertise (although BBE + Blood moon sometimes is gross ).
The idea of the deck is pressure the opponent since the begining of the game and using the druids to make all your hasty creatures really big and unblockable.
I tested the old version of the deck (which I can link if needed ) when BBE was legal against Merfolks, UW control and some other decks but I have to test it against current meta to know how good or bad it can be nowdays.
Any idea os suggestion is welcome.
My current list is:
4 Noble Hierarch
3 Birds of Paradise
4 Hellspark Elemental
4 Strangleroot Geist
4 Primal Forcemage
4 Flamewake Phoenix
4 Bloodbraid Elf
1 Hazoret the Fervent
2 Timbermare
2 Giantbaiting
4 Eldritch Evolution
3 Hazoret's Favor
4 Copperline Gorge
2 Cavern of Souls
4 Fire-Lit Thicket
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Verdant Catacombs
1 Stomping Grounds
2 Forest
1 Mountain
With this list I often goldfish a lot and the evolution is insane with all the recurring creatures the deck has. Also hazoret's favor is the primal forcemage 5-7 while helping our deck to push through for damage with one shot creatures.
Eldritch evolution is ridiculous in this deck. You can sacrify a geist to search for a broodbraid and cascade then getting a 3/2 geist, a 3/2 elf and another creatures that beat for 3 or more.
Hazoret's Favor is also awesome and having a phoenix in the table and other in the grave let you have a 4/2 fying hasty creature each turn to beat with.
On the other side I also would like to find a "finisher" to be searched with evolution that can swarm the table with haste creatures or finish the game in another way that costs 4, 5 or 6 as max. Any advice here is really welcome!!!
A creature like Ogre Battledriver seems like a better alternative, Surrak, the Hunt Caller is also pretty good.
Rakka Mar can produce some hasty tokens.
As for a 5-mana option there is Regisaur Alpha which isn't too bad putting 2-bodies on the battlefield.
for 6-mana there is Broodmate Dragon but it requires a balck splash, a different option is Flayer of the Hatebound which can burn out the opponent with EtB triggers.
A hasty Kalonian Hydra (or Verdurous Gearhulk) can be pretty scary as well.
Sorry mate, Evolution doesn't trigger BBE's cascade as the BBE is put into play, not cast :/
- Yeva, Nature's Herald
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The Hazoret's favor is good because:
1) It can be cascaded with BBE, while Ogre Battledriver and Surrak, the Hunt Caller. This is very important
2) It's an enchantment which is harder to remove so it's important too
3) There are creatures in this deck that want to die ( Strangleroot Geist), that doesn't matter if dies ( Flamewake Phoenix) or that are going to die anyways (Hellspark Elemental, Timbermare) so having to sac them is not a problem anytime.
Because of that the favor is here and believe me, it works really good here because being able to attack for 5 trampling damage for two mana is the nuts and more if you can do it multiple times. Also works really good with Phoenixes making any of your creatures big enough to trigger ferocious each turn.
About the finishers I appreciate all your suggestions but none of them really excites me. I mean:
I was thinking on Carnage tyrant, Ghalta, Primal Hunger (this can't be searched with evolution ), Samut, Voice of Dissent (very weak) and even Chancellor of the forge (again out of evolution range although with a primal forcemage out if we can put 4 or 5 hasty creatures on a turn that becomes lethal)
Any other ideas??
Lot of thanks for everything and all your help is welcome!!!
4 Noble Hierarch
3 Birds of Paradise
4 Hellspark Elemental
4 Strangleroot Geist
4 Primal Forcemage
4 Flamewake Phoenix
4 Bloodbraid Elf
1 Hazoret the Fervent
1 Timbermare
2 Rekindling Phoenix
1 Avalanche Riders
2 Giantbaiting
4 Eldritch Evolution
3 Hazoret's Favor
4 Copperline Gorge
2 Cavern of Souls
4 Fire-Lit Thicket
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Verdant Catacombs
1 Stomping Grounds
2 Forest
1 Mountain
3 Ancient Grudge
2 Avalanche Riders
3 Tormod's Crypt
4 Lightning Bolt
The Riders are great against tron and strategies based on special lands So having one of maindeck that can be tutored with evolutions is great. It has won me some games against Nikhtos decks and even tron giving me enough time to finish them of before they assemble Tron.
The Rekindling Phoenix has been a great discovery. It works really good in the deck, combo with hazoret favor (because it attacks for 6 in the air the turn that comes into play, and come back the next turn with haste again and triggering forcemages as well or beating for six again with favor). Also opponent has to waste 2 removal to get rid of it (or one in the 0/1 token that is also good for as again).
The Sideboard is still in progress and I'm not sure about the actual configuration. I've included the lightning bolts because although this deck is super fast, it kills consistently in turn four, and there are some decks like infect or viziers (devoted druid decks) that have crucial creatures that let them combo before we can beat for the win.
Any suggestion or advice is welcome but I suggest you to test this deck because is very funny and competitive at the same time.
Hope hearing your advices and suggestions
The games against Jund and Miracles were a joke ;). Needless to say that I was able to win all the games here because the deck is really fast, has lot of consistency and is not worried about 1x1 removal or walkers because almost all our creatures are 2x1 anyways and have haste which gives them a HUGE advantage against waalkers and the so. I killed lot of Lilianas and Jaces and feel very pleased
Against Burn, as expected, I lost lot of games and only was able to win a couple of them. This deck is fast and usually can burn the face a turn before we get lethal. I would have to do some changes in SDB to fight against this deck but I'm not sure what to include without diluting our gameplan. Also thje SDB I has was horrible against burn and can't use none of the side cards so I'm thinking how to improve this match up. Playing kitchen finks could be an option and they are also a 2x1 creature but it has no haste so not sure about them.
Another idea could be Spark Trooper which seems a very strange option, but could work?
Also thinking if including any man-lands (1-2) like treetop village or raging ravine would worthwhile?
Any suggestion?
Has anybody tested my deck or is interested in it too?
The card is good against Burn but I think there are few other matchups where it can shine so I'm not sure if using sideboard slots with it does worthwhile?
The ideal thing should be something that could also help against other decks.
More ideas?
Yesterday I was testing the deck against a friend of mine that have a 8 whacks deck and found that my deck is terrible in this match because 8 whacks can kill me a turn before I can lethal him. Most of games he won with 3 life or less killing me in the next turn.
Anyways his deck is super explosive and having goblin grenade and lightning bolt give him lot of reach.
Also perhaps I could include some mass removal like pyroclasm in sideboard but I don't want to kill my own creatures and cascading into it is poor so perhaps there is a mass removal that would cost 4 or more (so we won't cascade into it) but could be played with an alternate cost. Something like blasphemous act but cheaper??
I'm also going to change Hazoret's favor for grafted wargear. The creatures in the deck already have haste anyways and +3 power and +2 thoughness is much better than +2/+0 although the gear can be easily removed by kholaghan's command the boost deserves the risk.
Finally I've swaped all the 4 strange CMC creatures beside BBE (I mean timbermare (are useless lot of time and can be removed easily making you being tapped for nothing if it's removed, Avalanche riders (which are moved to the side) and rekindling phoenix (although I like it a lot and I'm thinking to keep a copy) for 4 vengevine that already have haste, can be searched with evolution, can be recurred easily and are good enough.
Also thinking if demigod of revenge could fit in the deck. They can be searched with evolution but to recur them you need to "cast" them and they are slow so probably they doesn't worthwhile.
So the deck right now is:
4 Noble Hierarch
3 Birds of Paradise
4 Hellspark Elemental
4 Strangleroot Geist
4 Primal Forcemage
4 Flamewake Phoenix
4 Bloodbraid Elf
1 Hazoret the Fervent
4 Vengevine
2 Giantbaiting
4 Eldritch Evolution
3 grafted wargear
4 Copperline Gorge
2 Cavern of Souls
4 Fire-Lit Thicket
4 Wooded Foothills
1 Stomping Grounds
4 Forest
1 Mountain
3 Ancient Grudge
2 Avalanche Riders
3 Tormod's Crypt
4 Lightning Bolt
I also would like something to replace Hellspark elemental because although it's good and have evasion in trample and haste, the fact that dies ATEOT and doesn't serve to keep the pressure or used as fodder with evolution is something I don't like. I'm thinking if Earthshaker Khenra could replace them profitably.
Also Crocodile of the Crossing could be an option and is Strangleroot Geist Best Friend
Any help or advice here is really welcome!!
Maybe Rough // Tumble ?
Ratchet Bomb/Engineered Explosives can deal with tokens and 1-drops pretty well too but can be cascaded into (which isn't that bad with Bomb).
I'd probably just play Lightning Bolt in the maindeck though.
As far as 2-drops go Khenra seems like a good option.
Ash Zealot is another haste-creature to consider.
In the SB, Goblin Ruinblaster does a decent Avalanche Riders impression but trades the ability to destroy basics for not having the "echo cost" and the option to just cast it as 2/1 haste beater for 3-mana.
The problem with ash zealot is that it wil punish me for recurring geist and phoenixes so Khenra seems the best option available right now.
The problem with goblin ruinblaster is that if you use eldritch evolution to search them you are not going to destroy the land (because you are not casting them so you can't pay the kicker cost). I think avalanche riders are better although they usually are a one turn beater only
Anyways lot of thanks for your comments. I would try the split card because it also let my flyers survive (birds and flamewakes) so is not bada either.
Lot of thanks!!
Any more ideas or suggestions are welcome. I'll continue posting my results for those that are interested
It does punish spells cast from the GY which are mostly flashback spells in modern so it is good against Snapcaster Mage decks.
Still testing the deck and again return a bit to my original deck to get more speed, although there are new additions that are performing really well.
Again I tested against 8 whacks, and surprisingly I could win some matches (I think I was able to win the half of them which is really nice )
Alsso tested against other friend of miine which plays monowhite devotion (with nikhtos) (could only play 3 games without sideboard but I won 2 of them and the other was close till he put 9 1/1 tokens on the table buffed with honor of the pure and leyline of the meek. I'm sure that blood moon and avalanche riders will destroy those pesky nikhtos ;).
My deck right now is:
4 Noble Hierarch
3 Birds of Paradise
4 Earthshaker Khenra
4 Strangleroot Geist
4 Primal Forcemage
4 Flamewake Phoenix
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Hellrider
2 Giantbaiting
4 Eldritch Evolution
3 grafted wargear
Lands (20)
4 Copperline Gorge
2 Cavern of Souls
4 Fire-Lit Thicket
4 Wooded Foothills
1 Stomping Grounds
4 Forest
1 Mountain
3 Ancient Grudge
2 Avalanche Riders
3 Tormod's Crypt
4 Lightning Bolt
Hellrider provides a burst of damage that make the deck even faster (also manadorks deal damage although their 0 power) so you can attack with 4-5 creatures and deal 5 damage plus all the creatures damage also.
The recursion and unblock ability of Earthshaker Khenra is also great to finish the game when the board is clogged so they are a nice addition too.
Also I'm still trying to find 1 "Finisher" to play one of that change the game when you are ahead. The options I'm considering are:
What do you think?? Which would be the better option to play as a singleton as a finisher?
Anyways I can see lot of very intensive mana creatures (cmc4 or >) and I think you are going to struggle to much with that expensive costs (14 cards) and although you are using some ramp, the problem is that you can draw the wrong half of the deck when not needed.
Anyways test it and post your results. EE is a really good card to exploit
At least in paper seems interesting because I can cast it and beat (so renown her) in second turn easily asn after that she is going to drain the opponent life like a champ.
Also if primal forcemage is out she is going to be renowned usually and th cmc3 is not an issue with 7 mana dorks for t1.
Finally I can see her shining in combo matchups and control ones and even against tron she can be useful. what do you think? does she worthwhile?? And if the answer is affirmative, what would you remove from my last list to include it?
Lot of thanks
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/articles/budget-magic-100-44-tix-gr-hastebraid-modern
It is more in line of RG Zoo but a pretty similar deck nonetheless.
Also I don't understand why Seth doesn't use :
Primal Forcemage, Hellrider, Vengevine, Giantbaiting, Eldritch Evolution, grafted wargear, ....
I've tested a version of the decks in previous iterations close to the one he is talking about and my latest version works much better that the one he played.