what is everyone sideboard plans for Hollow One? The only thing I am confident on is 4 LOTV out for 2 Damnations, 2 Spellbombs. Interested what other slots people take out. For reference I am playing the centralised list.
I’m on BG Rock rn and I have 2x Flaying Tendrils and 2-3 Nihil Spellbomb and 1x Surgical Extraction.
I am currently running one sphere instead of a fulminator mage. Online I am seeing less tron. Sphere is good against combo too. I think Thrun is too slow personally. Worship is a cool idea. Atm I am trying baloth. I also like kalitas. The problem is some starts the game is effectively over by turn 3.
I don't recommend Baloth against Hollow One, the deck usually sides out some or all Burning Inquiries against fair decks. Inquiry is in the deck to enable faster starts, which isn't needed against fair decks.
Not really a fan of Shambling Vent and prefer Stirring Wildwood always, but i really wanted to have a consistent manabase. With this i have 19B/17G/15W sources.
I never liked Dark Confidant in Junk, so i went back to Grim Flayer. With Flayer i prefer Brutalities MB to hack some delirium in time. I've had very good results with a single Nameless Inversion in the past, it contains many combat tricks, but i went for consistency with the second Brutality. I never liked nor will like any baubles or spellbombs in the main to get to delirium, but that's personal preference.
Testing Shalai, Voice of Plenty in the MB. Played about 3 rounds online and already found out that it's a "must respond to" threat. People make weird choices when she's on the stack, probably partly because she's new. A resolved Lingering souls and her +1/+1 ability gives the same results as Township (which is great) and the additional flyer has been very helpful.
Trying a 2/2 split of Damping Sphere and Fulminator mage. I'm a bit sceptical of Sphere but i can see it being good against tron on the Draw (since mage probably is too late). I probably wont be able to board them in much, so tests will be limited.
Stirring Wildwood is completely useless in my opinion. The whole reason to have man lands is to get attacking. You know what ability is no good when attacking? That's right! Reach!
All sarcasm aside, I honestly used to think wildwood was fine but the more I played with vent, the more I realized how useless wildwood actually was. I was just wondering why you personally didn't like it. I understand the bolt complex and all but if their bolting my lands so they don't die, it means I'm probably in a really good position.
I agree with this completely. Treetop is better if your white costs aren't too high. I tried damping sphere last night and cast down in paper. I went 2-1. Beat elves and strom and lost to bogles. Need more testing but cast down felt good. Sphere was obviously nuts against storm.
Well, let's look at this from a step back. I play 2x Vent and 2x Village with a singular concealed courtyard. I don't think having the white mana right away is all that important. There's only a select few cards that need it early. So I don't think this hurts all that much.
So when attacking with wildwood, you're attacking for 3 damage. The reach ability is almost completely useless unless you're blocking. The land taps for G/W and we really need BB on turn 3 and this alo needs to ETB tapped on turn 1 to achieve turn 3 BBx for LotV.
Alternatively, with vents, it attacks for 2 + life link. This is a 4 point life swing opposed to 3 with wildwood. The lifelink is actually relevant especially against decks like burn. it taps for B/W allowing it to be played on turn 1 or 2 so we can achieve our turn 3 BBx mana for Lilana.
This is just my opinion on the card but I actually think vents is just better. I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm just supporting my case for the card.
Right now definitely. Its in general a hard time for Junk due to this. I can't really find arguments for running Junk over Jund at this point. Maybe its your approach more than Reid's, since Reid's approach was before the unbannings. But idk honestly.
Actually, I think Path is great in the current meta. It's an answer to the many recursive threats in BR hollow one, Zoo, Gw value town aswell as strong in the Humans matchup, who's decks only run a single Basic.
I also think, non red BGx decks will profit from the new Cast Down as the go to card, replacing GftT and even Dismember.
I'm on Sultai Delirium as my midgrange list of choise for now, but Shalai, Voice of Plenty might pull me back to Abzan (traverse, midrange or even liege, I'm not sure).
It is just that I think bigger strategies have a hard time against the linear aggro decks atm. Therefore I am not a big fan of that route, but thats just me.
I am still sceptical about that new 4 drop, but I am nevertheless curious about results. So don't hesitate to share them as soon as you got some!
Hey guys, planning on taking the following list into Baltimore for the Modern Classic this Sunday. Spent some time tweaking to the aggro/creature heavy meta and decided on this after play testing against Humans,GR Eldrazi, Elves, Burn, etc.
Sorry for linking, not sure how to post deck lists in here yet.
The only question marks my play group has right now are the side board slots for Tidehollow Sculler and Surgical Extraction. They feel like Tidehollow is shaky at best and Surgical isn't great in the current meta. I'm open to moving out 1 Surgical and upping to a second Damping Sphere, but like having one permanent answer in Surgical with all my discard routes.
As far as Sculler, I bring him in for combo matchups, aggro matchups that have low numbers of removal, and non-creature decks/control to supplement the discard package and to take problematic cards away, keep a solid pace midgame. I know it's better served in decks like Taxes and such, but wanted to give him a try this go round. If others have better ideas, I'm obviously open to them.
Ironically enough, I retired from playing Skred Red (at least benched it) in favor of Abzan because I've been building and tweaking it over the last two years and want to start becoming a competitive Abzan player. Skred is probably better (seems based on other threads I've read) for this tourney as far as meta call, but I feel like if I don't start playing Abzan now I never will.
I went 2 - 1 with it at my local shop (Guild Gaming) last Monday night, beating Elves 2 - 1, Mardu Death's Shadow 2 - 1 and losing to Humans 2 - 0. This was before tweaks though, where I added 2 more removal to main board, and another Damnation post board. I almost forced a game 3 against Humans, but just couldn't get the answers drawn midgame.
I'm not sure about Cast Down. Tasigur is one reason to run Go for the Throat or Dismember. Doesn't make sense to me to replace it with one that doesn't. As for Wurmcoil., then Tron is active and you're in a lot more trouble.
My collected thoughts from playing GP Birmingham's Modern sides this weekend:
- Damping Sphere isn't great. We can't spare 2 more sideboard slots for the Tron matchup and we don't need more help Vs Storm. With 1 in the Sb, we're not that likely to draw it in the 1 MU it comes in.
-Worship is greeaaattttt, Boggles and Affinity are everywhere in the UK right now and it shuts them down a lot of the time. It can be answered, yes, but most of the time it buys us enough turns to stabilise.
-3+ Paths in the 75 is a must in the current super aggro meta.
-Karn, Scion of Urza is good against us, kill on sight.
-Stony Silence can be really good against Skred :')
-4 Inq/2 Seize split seems best with aggro everywhere, 3rd Seize in the side is not unreasonable.
I’m on BG Rock rn and I have 2x Flaying Tendrils and 2-3 Nihil Spellbomb and 1x Surgical Extraction.
Modern.
GBW Junk
GBR Jund
UG Infect
What's your reasoning behind liking Stirring Wildwood over Shambling Vent? Is it just for the body? I personally think that Shambling Vent is a much better man-land.
All sarcasm aside, I honestly used to think wildwood was fine but the more I played with vent, the more I realized how useless wildwood actually was. I was just wondering why you personally didn't like it. I understand the bolt complex and all but if their bolting my lands so they don't die, it means I'm probably in a really good position.
So when attacking with wildwood, you're attacking for 3 damage. The reach ability is almost completely useless unless you're blocking. The land taps for G/W and we really need BB on turn 3 and this alo needs to ETB tapped on turn 1 to achieve turn 3 BBx for LotV.
Alternatively, with vents, it attacks for 2 + life link. This is a 4 point life swing opposed to 3 with wildwood. The lifelink is actually relevant especially against decks like burn. it taps for B/W allowing it to be played on turn 1 or 2 so we can achieve our turn 3 BBx mana for Lilana.
This is just my opinion on the card but I actually think vents is just better. I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm just supporting my case for the card.
I also think, non red BGx decks will profit from the new Cast Down as the go to card, replacing GftT and even Dismember.
I'm on Sultai Delirium as my midgrange list of choise for now, but Shalai, Voice of Plenty might pull me back to Abzan (traverse, midrange or even liege, I'm not sure).
Modern: WUBRG Humans - GBW Traverse - GWU Knightfall - GRW Bushwhacker Zoo -
I am still sceptical about that new 4 drop, but I am nevertheless curious about results. So don't hesitate to share them as soon as you got some!
Sorry for linking, not sure how to post deck lists in here yet.
https://www.mtgvault.com/sindrik8x/decks/abzan-junk-modern-2/
The only question marks my play group has right now are the side board slots for Tidehollow Sculler and Surgical Extraction. They feel like Tidehollow is shaky at best and Surgical isn't great in the current meta. I'm open to moving out 1 Surgical and upping to a second Damping Sphere, but like having one permanent answer in Surgical with all my discard routes.
As far as Sculler, I bring him in for combo matchups, aggro matchups that have low numbers of removal, and non-creature decks/control to supplement the discard package and to take problematic cards away, keep a solid pace midgame. I know it's better served in decks like Taxes and such, but wanted to give him a try this go round. If others have better ideas, I'm obviously open to them.
Ironically enough, I retired from playing Skred Red (at least benched it) in favor of Abzan because I've been building and tweaking it over the last two years and want to start becoming a competitive Abzan player. Skred is probably better (seems based on other threads I've read) for this tourney as far as meta call, but I feel like if I don't start playing Abzan now I never will.
I went 2 - 1 with it at my local shop (Guild Gaming) last Monday night, beating Elves 2 - 1, Mardu Death's Shadow 2 - 1 and losing to Humans 2 - 0. This was before tweaks though, where I added 2 more removal to main board, and another Damnation post board. I almost forced a game 3 against Humans, but just couldn't get the answers drawn midgame.
Decks:
Skred Red, Abzan Midrange, U/B Delver, Mono U Delver, Uril, the Miststalker
As for the Rock, Titanshift is the worst matchup, so I would not play it.
A good titanshift player won't expose Valakut to FoR in the first place when possible.
Well, Humans and Hollow One are the best decks in the format so those are great here as well.
Or try Mardu Pyromancer, but I would not play a GBx deck in a heavy Titanshift meta.
Also this list top 8'd the recent MOCS.
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1080610
2 Abrupt Decay
3 Blooming Marsh
3 Dark Confidant
3 Fatal Push
1 Forest
1 Godless Shrine
3 Grim Flayer
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Liliana of the Veil
3 Lingering Souls
2 Maelstrom Pulse
3 Marsh Flats
2 Overgrown Tomb
4 Path to Exile
1 Plains
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Shambling Vent
2 Swamp
4 Tarmogoyf
1 Temple Garden
3 Thoughtseize
1 Tireless Tracker
1 Treetop Village
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Windswept Heath
3 Collective Brutality
2 Damnation
3 Fulminator Mage
1 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
1 Liliana, the Last Hope
3 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Stony Silence
- Damping Sphere isn't great. We can't spare 2 more sideboard slots for the Tron matchup and we don't need more help Vs Storm. With 1 in the Sb, we're not that likely to draw it in the 1 MU it comes in.
-Worship is greeaaattttt, Boggles and Affinity are everywhere in the UK right now and it shuts them down a lot of the time. It can be answered, yes, but most of the time it buys us enough turns to stabilise.
-3+ Paths in the 75 is a must in the current super aggro meta.
-Karn, Scion of Urza is good against us, kill on sight.
-Stony Silence can be really good against Skred :')
-4 Inq/2 Seize split seems best with aggro everywhere, 3rd Seize in the side is not unreasonable.
If I think of anything else I'll post it up