Cerebral vortex isn't a bad card in and of itself, but in a format where lightning bolt rules all, shocks+fetches will hurt you, and snapcaster mage goes along with those lightning bolts, I would have serious reservations playing it. I might consider it in red/white/blue because of the existence of cards like lightning helix to offset, but in R/B/U? There are safer options. Mostly, it would be better to get card advantage from cards like electrolyze rather than straight up card draw.
That. And if I may add, it seems overcosted for what it does. I'd happily include some Baubles and run Thirst for knowledge over it if I really wanted to dig (and you can still benefit from stuff thrown out from thirst) but, you know what, there's a Tezzeret home for that. In all seriousness: Anticipate is just great. Run it if you want more library interaction. This deck benefits from low CMCs.
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MODERN Blue Lantern, UBx Tezzerator. OLD SCHOOL 93/94 «The Pain Train» Black Sligh, Esper «Machine Gun» Artifacts, Jund «Psycho» Ponza-Disko.
I do really like Anticipate, and imo Compulsive Research is a better draw option than Thirst. It's sorcery speed but way more likely to let you keep 2 cards (and even then, I don't think I would play it).
He claims he's done lots of testing and playing of both Grixis Delver and Grixis Control and found this list to be his favorite/best. He is literally hybridizing the two, here. Noteworthy: In his opinion (and I tend to agree) low-CMC threats are as good here as they are in a Delver shell; Delver of Secrets being the most unreliable card. And the Counterspell suite with Anticipate just do so much work. Food for thought.
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MODERN Blue Lantern, UBx Tezzerator. OLD SCHOOL 93/94 «The Pain Train» Black Sligh, Esper «Machine Gun» Artifacts, Jund «Psycho» Ponza-Disko.
As a current Ultimatum player looking to make a change, I'm intrigued by the Blood Moon plan. But Scalding Tarn is currently not an option for me, and it looks like the Tarn is pretty critical in getting enough basic Islands to Cryptic post-moon. Can I afford to just run Flooded Strands, or should I cut back on Cryptics?
On that note, can anyone give me a play-by-play on when Blood Moon is effective in this sort of deck? Frankly, as somebody who typically fears the Moon, it intimidates me to run it myself, but I definitely recognize that the value is there, and my local meta is infested with Tron decks. I assume we aren't typically jamming it on turn 3 in most matchups, but maybe I'm totally misreading this deck.
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Formerly Angrypossum over at the now-defunct WotC forums.
Good question. I started playing Grixis Delve a month ago maybe, and was wondering the exact same thing. So here's what I found out:
- Moon slows down Tron big time (they will still eventually cast their CMC 6-7-8 stuff if you don't have an effective clock), but it's a major pain for them;
- Moon 100% wrecks Bloom Titan, which is a thing;
- Moon is also very hard on Abzan, which is very relevant too.
It hurts you too, yes, but less than them since you are fetching knowingly.
Flooded strands are the same as Scalding tarn as long as you're not fetching a basic mountain. Hint: you shouldn't fetch a basic mountain, since any red producing nonbasic will become a mountain under Blood moon; and if you sequence your fetching correctly [t1 basic, t2 red nonbasic, t3 basic into Moon], they won't see it coming much.
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MODERN Blue Lantern, UBx Tezzerator. OLD SCHOOL 93/94 «The Pain Train» Black Sligh, Esper «Machine Gun» Artifacts, Jund «Psycho» Ponza-Disko.
Going a much less aggressive route. Yet Ashiok is an oddly aggressive card and plays well with Damnation. Very pleased with Jace as well. Both force over commitments to the board.
Good question. I started playing Grixis Delve a month ago maybe, and was wondering the exact same thing. So here's what I found out:
- Moon slows down Tron big time (they will still eventually cast their CMC 6-7-8 stuff if you don't have an effective clock), but it's a major pain for them;
- Moon 100% wrecks Bloom Titan, which is a thing;
- Moon is also very hard on Abzan, which is very relevant too.
It hurts you too, yes, but less than them since you are fetching knowingly.
Flooded strands are the same as Scalding tarn as long as you're not fetching a basic mountain. Hint: you shouldn't fetch a basic mountain, since any red producing nonbasic will become a mountain under Blood moon; and if you sequence your fetching correctly [t1 basic, t2 red nonbasic, t3 basic into Moon], they won't see it coming much.
Thanks for that! I've been playing Standard almost exclusively recently, so I wasn't considering the versatility of fetches correctly. You're right, Strands will do the trick. And thanks for the insight into proper fetching into Moons.
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Formerly Angrypossum over at the now-defunct WotC forums.
Has anyone tried Cerebral Vortex for card draw? I am going to try it as burn is kinda low in my meta currently
Maybe it's just me, but I'd prefer using something like Read the Bones, you still lose life but you have the benefit of filtering your draw, not to mention it'd be easier on the mana base. Then again you can use Cerebral Vortex to burn your opponent for the win, but I'm not sure how often that would be relevant
Hey guys it's been a long time since I've been into magic but I'm coming back in and I've spent a while playing around with this deck idea, Grixis seems like a really fun control deck to play.
I haven't actually gotten to playtest it at all, I'm still sorting out getting the cards I need, particularly the more expensive ones like Cryptic and Snapcaster.
I'm considering putting Batterskull in the main deck for life gain, as I think that could be a problem.
I also think I'll be needing some enchantment and artifact removal, but I'm having a seriously tough time trying to work out what to cut for it.
Cryptic you could probably skip on, though it won't be as good as it would be with it. Snapcaster, unfortunately, has almost no replacement for it. It has a unique and extremely powerful effect.
I would personally try to get them as soon as I could. The price is only going to keep going up, as they aren't in MMA2015 and likely won't be reprinted any time soon. Cryptic you could probably wait a bit, as after GP Vegas the price on it might drop a bit.
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Modern URW Control WBG Abzan GRW Burn
EDH GR Rosheen Meanderer
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Decks I'm playing in Modern right now:
URB Grixis Reveler (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/modern-grixis-reveler/)
UB Faeries (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/ub-fae-2/)
UW Azorious Control (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/modern-ojutai-control-2/)
Credit to DolZero for this awesome sig!
OLD SCHOOL 93/94 «The Pain Train» Black Sligh, Esper «Machine Gun» Artifacts, Jund «Psycho» Ponza-Disko.
URW Control
WBG Abzan
GRW Burn
EDH
GR Rosheen Meanderer
2 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
4 Snapcaster Mage
3 Young Pyromancer
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Gurmag Angler
Removal
2 Kolaghan's Command
1 Electrolyze
1 Dismember
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Terminate
Cantrips / Enablers
4 Thought Scour
3 Anticipate
4 Serum Visions
2 Spell Snare
3 Mana Leak
2 Remand
Lands
1 Blood Crypt
2 Island
4 Polluted Delta
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Watery Grave
2 Steam Vents
1 Swamp
1 Mountain
1 Desolate Lighthouse
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Spellskite
2 Flashfreeze
1 Negate
1 Rending Volley
2 Blood Moon
2 Dispel
1 Shatterstorm
1 Illness in the Ranks
1 Izzet Staticaster
2 Terminate
1 Kolaghan's Command
He claims he's done lots of testing and playing of both Grixis Delver and Grixis Control and found this list to be his favorite/best. He is literally hybridizing the two, here. Noteworthy: In his opinion (and I tend to agree) low-CMC threats are as good here as they are in a Delver shell; Delver of Secrets being the most unreliable card. And the Counterspell suite with Anticipate just do so much work. Food for thought.
OLD SCHOOL 93/94 «The Pain Train» Black Sligh, Esper «Machine Gun» Artifacts, Jund «Psycho» Ponza-Disko.
4x Lightning Bolt
2x Spell Snare
4x Serum Visions
CMC2:
4x Snapcaster Mage
3x Terminate
3x Mana Leak
3x Remand
2x Anticipate
CMC3:
2x Electrolyze
1x Kolaghan's Command
1x Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
CMC4:
1x Damnation
1x Olivia Voldaren
CMC5:
1x Thundermaw Hellkite
1x Batterskull
1x Keranos, God of Storms
2x Tasigur, the GOlden Fang
Lands:
2x Creeping Tar Pit
2x Darkslick Shores
2x Watery Grave
2x Steam Vents
1x Blood Crypt
4x Pollued Delta
4x Scalding Tarn
1x Tectonic Edge
4x Island
1x Mountain
1x Swamp
1x Batterskull
2x Counterflux
1x Negate
1x Dispel
1x Anger of the Gods
1x Volcanic Fallout
1x Pyroclasm
3x Elixir of Life
1x Darkblast
1x Slaughter Pact
1x Engineered Explosives
1x Slaughter Games
On that note, can anyone give me a play-by-play on when Blood Moon is effective in this sort of deck? Frankly, as somebody who typically fears the Moon, it intimidates me to run it myself, but I definitely recognize that the value is there, and my local meta is infested with Tron decks. I assume we aren't typically jamming it on turn 3 in most matchups, but maybe I'm totally misreading this deck.
- Moon slows down Tron big time (they will still eventually cast their CMC 6-7-8 stuff if you don't have an effective clock), but it's a major pain for them;
- Moon 100% wrecks Bloom Titan, which is a thing;
- Moon is also very hard on Abzan, which is very relevant too.
It hurts you too, yes, but less than them since you are fetching knowingly.
Flooded strands are the same as Scalding tarn as long as you're not fetching a basic mountain. Hint: you shouldn't fetch a basic mountain, since any red producing nonbasic will become a mountain under Blood moon; and if you sequence your fetching correctly [t1 basic, t2 red nonbasic, t3 basic into Moon], they won't see it coming much.
OLD SCHOOL 93/94 «The Pain Train» Black Sligh, Esper «Machine Gun» Artifacts, Jund «Psycho» Ponza-Disko.
4x Polluted Delta
3x Scalding Tarn
2x Watery Grave
1x Steam Vents
1x Blood Crypt
2x Darkslick Shores
2x Creeping Tar Pit
1x Tectonic Edge
1x Academy Ruins
2x Swamp
5x Island
Creatures (8)
4x Snapcaster Mage
1x Vendilion Clique
2x Tasigur, the Golden Fang
1x Tombstalker
2x Jace, Architect of Thought
2x Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
Artifacts (2)
1x Engineered Explosives
1x Batterskull
Instants and Sorceries (21)
2x Mana Leak
3x Victim of Night
2x Spell Snare
3x Cryptic Command
2x Damnation
1x Thought Scour
3x Inquisition of Kozilek
4x Serum Visions
1x Thoughtseize
1x Jace's Ingenuity
2x Slaughter Games
1x Clever Impersonator
1x Curse of Death's Hold
1x Dispel
1x Negate
1x Pearl Lake Ancient
2x Jorubai Murk Lurker
1x Vandalblast
1x Rakdos Charm
1x Vedalken Shackles
1x Engineered Explosives
2x Blood Moon
Going a much less aggressive route. Yet Ashiok is an oddly aggressive card and plays well with Damnation. Very pleased with Jace as well. Both force over commitments to the board.
Thanks for that! I've been playing Standard almost exclusively recently, so I wasn't considering the versatility of fetches correctly. You're right, Strands will do the trick. And thanks for the insight into proper fetching into Moons.
http://i.imgur.com/INx6kY0.jpg
OLD SCHOOL 93/94 «The Pain Train» Black Sligh, Esper «Machine Gun» Artifacts, Jund «Psycho» Ponza-Disko.
URW Control
WBG Abzan
GRW Burn
EDH
GR Rosheen Meanderer
Decks I'm playing in Modern right now:
URB Grixis Reveler (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/modern-grixis-reveler/)
UB Faeries (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/ub-fae-2/)
UW Azorious Control (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/modern-ojutai-control-2/)
URW Control
WBG Abzan
GRW Burn
EDH
GR Rosheen Meanderer
Maybe it's just me, but I'd prefer using something like Read the Bones, you still lose life but you have the benefit of filtering your draw, not to mention it'd be easier on the mana base. Then again you can use Cerebral Vortex to burn your opponent for the win, but I'm not sure how often that would be relevant
3 Young Pyromancer
2 Snapcaster Mage
2 Grave Titan
Planeswalkers (1)
1 Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
Instants/Sorceries (27)
4 Mana Leak
3 Duress
4 Think Twice
1 Counterflux
2 Cruel Ultimatum
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Dreadbore
1 Go for the Throat
2 Electrolyze
2 Cryptic Command
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Island
1 Mountain
1 Swamp
2 Steam Vents
3 Sulfur Falls
3 Dragonskull Summit
2 Blood Crypt
2 Watery Grave
3 Drowned Catacombs
2 Bloodstained Mire
2 Polluted Delta
3 Creeping Tar Pit
And my sideboard is as follows:
2 Spellskite
3 Appetite for Brains
3 Anger of the Gods
1 Consume the Meek
1 Counterflux
1 Dispel
2 Slaughter Games
1 Illness in the Ranks
I haven't actually gotten to playtest it at all, I'm still sorting out getting the cards I need, particularly the more expensive ones like Cryptic and Snapcaster.
I'm considering putting Batterskull in the main deck for life gain, as I think that could be a problem.
I also think I'll be needing some enchantment and artifact removal, but I'm having a seriously tough time trying to work out what to cut for it.
If anybody's got any advice that would be great
URW Control
WBG Abzan
GRW Burn
EDH
GR Rosheen Meanderer
I would personally try to get them as soon as I could. The price is only going to keep going up, as they aren't in MMA2015 and likely won't be reprinted any time soon. Cryptic you could probably wait a bit, as after GP Vegas the price on it might drop a bit.
URW Control
WBG Abzan
GRW Burn
EDH
GR Rosheen Meanderer