I think that a discord fits well, I took the liberty of creating it https://discord.gg/9xJqwpN, it's still very raw and I don't have the time to manage it and add bots and information for a couple of weeks (Exams).
But if some you want to mod it, write me! maybe you @Zulander ?
For now just join and we'll get it up and running in it's own pace
I think if you're playing mongoose you probably want 4 faithless lootings, 11-12 fetch lands, some amount of horizon lands, and that's a lot of work just for a 1 mana 3/3 with shroud that gets outclasses pretty fast.
I ran this deck back again last week to 2 different 3-1 finishes. Faithless Looting definitely feels very strong in the list when you're digging for specific cards in such a crazy random un-interactive format right now. It won be about 3-4 games alone by digging for what I needed. When/if the meta goes back to being a grind/midrange oriented format then they'll get cut, but for the foreseeable future I think they're necessary at finding the hate cards.
So I've been pretty quiet here recently, these next few weeks/months are going to be a bit busy for me, however I have been trying to really pivot some of the decks functions in the current meta. My personal meta is infested with Titans (breach and amulet), Phoenix decks (both UR and Mono R), and burn. So the most recent lists I've been playing have included Faithless Looting while cutting on the extra fluff the deck has been carrying. It's been pretty promising, but nothing too back breaking. Here's the list:
Has this list been discussed? It has 5-0'd on MTGO at least 3 times that I've seen: http://tcdecks.net/deck.php?id=29703&iddeck=249508
I'm not really sure what it is or what its doing, but it seems to be beating people left and right. Anyone want to weigh in?
It's been pretty flexible so far. This past week I've also cut my Bloodbraid Elfs for a set of Huntmaster of the Fells. It's much better in the Burn matchup and is still 2 bodies for 1 card against control/midrange. Still testing it out though so far.
This place has been pretty quiet recently, which is a bit surprising considering all the new cards we got in RNA as well as the banning of KCI. Anywho, here's the most recent list I'll be trying out:
I'm excited for Gruul Spellbreaker, I think it'll be great. I do have some thoughts on Zoo in the current and post-Grull Spellbreaker meta.
Current Meta Zoo
In it's larger form, it currently is pretty bad as it seems most, if not all midrange strategies are too far behind. This is primarily due to the pushed power levels of other decks that force midrange strategies to be too inherently weak by comparison. This type of metagame forces us to either play a weaker deck against the field, or adapt. In the past it's either been small zoo via Bushwhackers or more naya burn-ish style variants with Kird Ape/Ataraka's Command. There was something recently that caught my eye, Domain Zoo. I think this is the best Zoo deck in the current meta for a few primary reasons:
It is actually fast enough to beat the combo decks, especially after you slow them down post-board.
There aren't a lot of cards that punish it. Blood Moon and Anger of the Gods are some of the best cards currently, but post-board you get answers in the form of Dromoka's Command and other cards.
Going forward
I firmly believe there are 2-3 cards that will be banned in the upcoming modern ban-cycle. Those cards are Ancient Stirrings, Faithless Looting, and Mox Opal; with the latter having less of a backing to be banned in modern. While I do not believe Stoneforge Mystic should be unbanned, and not due to it's power level but due to the deck building impact, that is a card that realistically has a chance of coming off the ban list. I think GSZ also has a chance, but I'm not sure that would be a smart move either. In the past however, Wizards has shown a preference of banning engines instead of the cards that make them powerful, ala banning Survival of the Fittest in legacy as opposed to banning Vengevine. This helps make the case of keeping GSZ/Stoneforge banned as opposed to unbanning them and then banning the card that makes them "oppressive", so I don't think we'll see them come off the banlist and then ban Dryad Arbor and Batterskull. Let's break these possible changes down.
Bannings:
Ancient Stirrings decks:
1. Tron
2. KCI
3. Eldrazi variants
4. Amulet Titan
5. Hardened Scales Affinity
I think Zoo has a legitimate weakness to 4 of these 5, with the exception being midrange Eldrazi variants. Overall, seeing this card go would be very beneficial for Zoo decks.
The decks that this card enables are less problematic as a whole for Zoo, but can are not necessarily the "good" matchups for the deck.
Having these two cards leave the format open the metagame up drastically, as almost every single one of these decks is considered in the top 1 - 2 tiers of the current meta.
Assuming these changes, with zero unbans, and with the printing of Gruul Spellbreaker, Naya Zoo (larger variants) as we know it would become an incredibly viable strategy again. However, with the possibility of unbanning two cards on-color, it would behoove us to shift strategies again as GSZ would be the best card in the deck, essentially allowing us to play 8 of our best creature in any given matchup with a silver-bullets for added flexibility. I think this would lend Zoo to a much more midrange deck, if not even push these naya strategies into a completely different archtype.
Stoneforge Mystic would be a completely different subject. It's inclusion in the format would lend UW decks a much faster finisher, while also powering up Abzan builds even more than Jund. This is of course as long as it's power level is as insane as it's original inclusion to the banlist would make it seem to be. This would be a large inconvenience for Zoo decks, as one of the best ways we beat these style decks is doing so in a quick and efficient manner. Batterskull forces us to either show up with an answer in the main or be behind. I would not want this card to be unbanned.
Grull Spellbreaker
This card seems to be the other three drop that larger Naya variants have always wanted. Even in a Liliana of the Veil meta, I still think that this card is more powerful than Smiter. It's ability to stress the opponents Path to Exiles is an added feature to the clock that this can add to the battlefield, especially when combined with a more aggro-control package including Bloodbraid Elf, Dromoka's Command, and Domri Rade's into the maindeck. I've already brewed up a list that would love to facemidrangedeck.meta, presuming the bannings of Stirrings, Opal, and/or Looting actually take place:
While this entire post is hypothetical, I think it's definitely not too far off from what is actually on the horizon for Modern. Thanks for reading this giant block of text.
I still don't have a strong SB worked out. I hate playing Gaddock Teeg and 4cmc walkers in the same deck but maybe they're necessary. It makes me wonder if History of Benalia would just be as effective against UW as Gideon, despite being obviously less powerful.
Naya is good, but again in an open meta it can be a bit too slow if you're board isn't prepared. I've actually cut a tracker in my list for Brimaz, he's great in all the same matchups but doesn't die to bolt and has an immediate clock. I've also put Elspeth in my board along with Teegs, but if you've got a Teeg on the board and a walker in your hand you're already locking the game down until Teeg is answered, so it's not so bad.
Sounds good, I just joined.
I ran this deck back again last week to 2 different 3-1 finishes. Faithless Looting definitely feels very strong in the list when you're digging for specific cards in such a crazy random un-interactive format right now. It won be about 3-4 games alone by digging for what I needed. When/if the meta goes back to being a grind/midrange oriented format then they'll get cut, but for the foreseeable future I think they're necessary at finding the hate cards.
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Wild Nacatl
1 Grim lavamancer
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Knight of the Reliquary
3 Gruul Spell Breaker
2 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Path to Exile
2 Dromoka's Command
1 Domri Rade
4 Windswept Heath
3 Arid Mesa
2 Stomping Ground
2 Sacred Foundry
1 Temple Garden
1 Horizon Canopy
2 Forest
1 Plains
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
3 Gaddock Teeg
1 Remorseful Cleric
1 Blood Moon
2 Alpine Moon
1 Stony Silence
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Dromoka's Command
3 Knight of Autumn
Let us know how it goes. This seems way more of a maverick style card than Zoo, it also seems a bit over costed even for the bigger decks.
What the hell is that thing.
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Scavenging Ooze
4 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Gruul Spellbreaker
4 Bloodbraid Elf
3 Path to Exile
3 Thrash/Threat
2 Domri Rade
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath
2 Arid Mesa
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Horizon Canopy
2 Stomping Ground
2 Sacred Foundry
1 Temple Garden
2 Forest
1 Plains
1 Kessig Wolf Run
Current Meta Zoo
In it's larger form, it currently is pretty bad as it seems most, if not all midrange strategies are too far behind. This is primarily due to the pushed power levels of other decks that force midrange strategies to be too inherently weak by comparison. This type of metagame forces us to either play a weaker deck against the field, or adapt. In the past it's either been small zoo via Bushwhackers or more naya burn-ish style variants with Kird Ape/Ataraka's Command. There was something recently that caught my eye, Domain Zoo. I think this is the best Zoo deck in the current meta for a few primary reasons:
Here's a list that recently 5-0'ed
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Mantis Rider
4 Noble Hierarch
2 Qasali Pridemage
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Tribal Flames
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
2 Risk Factor
1 Blood Crypt
1 Breeding Pool
1 Forest
1 Godless Shrine
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Plains
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
Going forward
I firmly believe there are 2-3 cards that will be banned in the upcoming modern ban-cycle. Those cards are Ancient Stirrings, Faithless Looting, and Mox Opal; with the latter having less of a backing to be banned in modern. While I do not believe Stoneforge Mystic should be unbanned, and not due to it's power level but due to the deck building impact, that is a card that realistically has a chance of coming off the ban list. I think GSZ also has a chance, but I'm not sure that would be a smart move either. In the past however, Wizards has shown a preference of banning engines instead of the cards that make them powerful, ala banning Survival of the Fittest in legacy as opposed to banning Vengevine. This helps make the case of keeping GSZ/Stoneforge banned as opposed to unbanning them and then banning the card that makes them "oppressive", so I don't think we'll see them come off the banlist and then ban Dryad Arbor and Batterskull. Let's break these possible changes down.
Bannings:
Ancient Stirrings decks:
1. Tron
2. KCI
3. Eldrazi variants
4. Amulet Titan
5. Hardened Scales Affinity
I think Zoo has a legitimate weakness to 4 of these 5, with the exception being midrange Eldrazi variants. Overall, seeing this card go would be very beneficial for Zoo decks.
Faithless Looting decks:
1. Dredge
2. Arclight Phoenix decks
3. Mardu Pyromancer
4. Grishoalbrand
5. Hollow One
The decks that this card enables are less problematic as a whole for Zoo, but can are not necessarily the "good" matchups for the deck.
Having these two cards leave the format open the metagame up drastically, as almost every single one of these decks is considered in the top 1 - 2 tiers of the current meta.
Assuming these changes, with zero unbans, and with the printing of Gruul Spellbreaker, Naya Zoo (larger variants) as we know it would become an incredibly viable strategy again. However, with the possibility of unbanning two cards on-color, it would behoove us to shift strategies again as GSZ would be the best card in the deck, essentially allowing us to play 8 of our best creature in any given matchup with a silver-bullets for added flexibility. I think this would lend Zoo to a much more midrange deck, if not even push these naya strategies into a completely different archtype.
Stoneforge Mystic would be a completely different subject. It's inclusion in the format would lend UW decks a much faster finisher, while also powering up Abzan builds even more than Jund. This is of course as long as it's power level is as insane as it's original inclusion to the banlist would make it seem to be. This would be a large inconvenience for Zoo decks, as one of the best ways we beat these style decks is doing so in a quick and efficient manner. Batterskull forces us to either show up with an answer in the main or be behind. I would not want this card to be unbanned.
Grull Spellbreaker
This card seems to be the other three drop that larger Naya variants have always wanted. Even in a Liliana of the Veil meta, I still think that this card is more powerful than Smiter. It's ability to stress the opponents Path to Exiles is an added feature to the clock that this can add to the battlefield, especially when combined with a more aggro-control package including Bloodbraid Elf, Dromoka's Command, and Domri Rade's into the maindeck. I've already brewed up a list that would love to facemidrangedeck.meta, presuming the bannings of Stirrings, Opal, and/or Looting actually take place:
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Qasali Pridemage
4 Tithe Taker (testing out in place of voice of resurgence)
4 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Gruul Spellbreaker
3 Path to Exile
2 Dromoka's Command
2 Domri Rade
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath
3 Arid Mesa
2 Stomping Ground
2 Sacred Foundry
1 Temple Garden
2 Forest
1 Plains
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Ghost Quarter
While this entire post is hypothetical, I think it's definitely not too far off from what is actually on the horizon for Modern. Thanks for reading this giant block of text.
This card is nuts! Voice + Thalia.
Naya is good, but again in an open meta it can be a bit too slow if you're board isn't prepared. I've actually cut a tracker in my list for Brimaz, he's great in all the same matchups but doesn't die to bolt and has an immediate clock. I've also put Elspeth in my board along with Teegs, but if you've got a Teeg on the board and a walker in your hand you're already locking the game down until Teeg is answered, so it's not so bad.