Always open for thoughts and suggestions, especially in the sideboard since it seems like it's gonna be a wide open meta.
1) You can replace the Firespouts with Anger of the Gods. I've played literally maybe more than a hundred games since Anger of the Gods has been printed with this deck and I can't remember ever struggling with coming up with the double-red. Straight up upgrade that just absolutely demolishes Pod.
2) 4 Baloth is a must in the sideboard. That card is simply bonkers in this current midrangey meta and can even be considered maindeckable.
3) There should be some number of enchantment removal in your sideboard, especially since you have cut 2 counterspells for the Peer Through Depths. Blood Moon is a card. Destructive Revelry has proven great in my games and is a straight up upgrade over Nature's Claim.
How this deck came to be:
I spent a few months testing the usual aggro D&T decks found in this thread and found a few problems with it. I felt that if you don't draw an Aether Vial the deck becomes awkward. The land destruction plan can't really be executed because that would deprive you of your own lands to cast your drops. Many times, I can't even find the 3rd land drop to cast a Mindcensor. This is unlike the Legacy D&T deck which I also love because in Legacy, all you need to do to execute your aggro plan is 2 lands - Stoneforge Mystic into equipment, done. We don't have SFM in Modern, and thus require other, much less efficient means to close the game.
After lots of test games vs Melira and Kiki Pod, Twin, Jund and Scapeshift with various aggro D&T versions, I realized that the anti-search plan isn't great on its own. A deck like Pod frequently has great creatures to block ours (Voice of Resurgence, Kitchen Finks, Loxodon Smiter) and because we don't have that much removal, don't have that much reach, and our creatures being so small, we can't exactly race either. Scapeshift packs 4 Obstinate Baloths which do the same kind of wall-like effect. Jund has big Goyfs. Sometimes, any one of those creatures becomes a huge problem for the deck as we pack too little removal, temporary or permanent, to deal with them.
So I started thinking... which creature would go over the top of all these, and win any creature race when the game slows down and stalls. Baneslayer Angel! So I added more lands, tested it against my friend's Melira Pod for a few hours, and to my surprise, I didn't lose any more to that Pod deck.
After a few more weeks of tweaking and testing, I read up on GW hatebears and found a very similar deck to mine that played 4 Baneslayer Angel too that top 8 an event (can't remember which). It also had maindeck Spellskite, Crucible of Worlds and Linvala, which i'm currently testing out (and is listed in the deck above).
So far, i've had a pretty good matchup against pre-Deathrite Shaman-ban Jund and Pod with the deck. I've also tested a few matches against Affinity and it's about 50/50 (Flickerwisp'ing away the Cranial Plating and doing it again and again with Restoration Angel and other Flickerwisps was crucial in game 1). Then when you land the Baneslayer Angel, it's all over. I tested a few matches against Scapeshift too and the games were usually close and came down to who drew better.
I'm currently testing some new additions to the deck, Cavern of Souls (which will normally name Angel), Crucible of Worlds and Spellskite. So far, the worst performer has been Crucible as without Knight of the Reliquary around to tutor up Tec Edges/Ghost Quarters, the combo is unreliable. When it does work though, it's hilariously fun. Before I added Crucible in, the slot was taken up by an additional Plains, and that may be better.
The sideboard I guess is pretty standard and self-explanatory except for a few so I guess i'll explain those.
Wrath of God - This came up in a discussion with an opponent today at an event where he noticed that my deck could actually play Wrath of God. There's a tendency for opponents to overcommit against this deck, and that's when a Wrath will turn the tide, and I can then spit out my hand or land the Baneslayer. I have yet to put in any testing time with Wrath in the side, but I will be doing so shortly.
Brave the Elements - Many tier 1 decks pack damage based board wipes (Firespout, Pyroclasm, Anger of the Gods) and this card will stop them. Also, I board in against other creature decks as an alpha-strike enabler. Usually, you can name a color and effectively have all your creatures become unblockable, winning the game.
I'll be testing this deck more and also testing more copies of Linvala maindeck, it really shores up our matchups against Twin and Pod. I'll also be testing Honor of the Pure soon, as I expect the meta to hate Faeries heavily and people will be packing loads of Izzet Staticasters, Orzhov Pontiff, Electrolyze, etc.
I hope someone would also test out this deck and provide some feedback and we can improve this midrangey version of D&T together.
I think the Bitterblossom unban will hit this deck hard. People will now main or side all kinds of cards that hose small creatures (Orzhov Pontiff, Izzet Staticaster). These kinds of cards are already seeing play pre-Blossom-unban, but now we will see a lot more of it.
Would it be useful to discuss on a Modern deck construction check list? The idea is to have a short list (less than 7 points) that all deck brewers should go through by themselves before seeking wider opinion from others.
I have 3 points so far.
Modern deck construction checklist:
- Does it goldfish a turn 4 winning board state or win? No - play maindeck counterspells, hand disruption or resource denial. Consider cheap board wipes.
- Does it heavily rely on the graveyard? What's the deck's plan against Deathrite Shaman and Scavenging Ooze?
- Does it beat Liliana of the Veil? No - consider counterspells or hand disruption.
Which deck uses "5 double-sided tokens"? Could this be a Pod deck? Pod is a deck full of one-of's, seems perfect for an event deck. Also uses lots of tokens.
Don't some affinity lists SB bloodmoon too anyway? I have seen it a couple of times just not sure if its a regular thing.
Totally regular. The GP Brisbane winning Affinity list has 3 Blood Moons in the side. That's why I don't even bother with Ancient Grudge these days, Destructive Revelry all the way to kill off those Blood Moons.
the only thing is, if a trump resolves and isnt promptly delt with, then the game is almost immediately over
Totally. That's why I've been considering maindecking at least one 3 cmc card. Sometimes, those Lilianas do slip by, and then you are screwed.
I just had an extensive test session against Melira Pod for a few hours. Games pre-board were not even close, I won all of them. Post-board the matchup became closer but still, this deck beats the crap out of Melira Pod.
It seems crazy, but this 20 land deck frequently ends up with 6-8 lands in the late game. The card draw is insane. I bring in Wurmcoil against fair decks (e.g., Jund, UWR control) and when I expect games to go long (e.g., Soul Sisters).
FWIW, I may be the world's worst Delver player and I managed to do well with this deck on my first outing with it, beating Soul Sisters, Melira Pod and Scapeshift. It's surprisingly forgiving to mistakes because of the sheer consistency and the insane card draw and value you get. Many other decks I've played in Modern are less forgiving.
This deck is a beast when it draws well. You feel totally unstoppable. But this is the definition of a pure tempo deck, if you fall behind or key cards are resolved (e.g., Liliana), there's no coming back.
Another surprising thing about this deck is how well it deals with creature based aggro. My friend and I have beaten Soul Sisters from insane board states. I beat Soul Sisters when they were at 34 life and it felt easy. My friend beat them with 2 6/6 Ascendents in play.
The deck doesn't do well against burn. Maybe Spellskites in the sideboard can fix that.
I think this deck should do about as well as UR Delver. I'm currently testing 3 Snapcaster Mages main instead of 4, and adding 1 Vendilion Clique instead. Having no 3cmc cards in the main deck has hurt me in my tests and with so many DRS and Oozes around, 4 Snaps does seem too much. Ninjutsu on Snaps feels downright dirty, but Ninjitsu on Clique isn't too bad either, trading a point of damage for another card from their hand.
Imagine if you had to play with your hand face up the entire Grand Prix. Which Modern deck performs the best even when your opponent could always see your hand?
I used to play Standard until I realized that the value of the cards I bought for just a year tanked so much that I could have bought a Modern deck with the difference. Like seriously, my Standard cards dropped $700, I could have gotten a tier 1 Modern deck with that lost money.
Since I switched to Modern, my card values have only risen and risen. When I'm sick of a deck I can sell it to switch to another, and I did.
But i really dont want to pay all that money for the cliques. I know Baloth and ooze are vs Jund. Batterskull is against decks that can take out scapeshift. I need to make room for shadow of doubt (slaughter games), grudge is against affinity, fallout is against affinity and other aggro, flux is against storm and control.
EDIT:
So i did some more adjusting and heres where im at:
Batter is for slaughter games decks. baloth for jund/ discard. ooze for jund/ anything that uses graveyards. orb is for soul sisters and forms of pod. also good against flash control. shadow is for slaughter games decks. grudge is for affinity or decks that have artifacts i dont like. pyroclasm is for pod/ aggro decks. flux is for control/ storm.
I like orb and clasm vs clique because i dont need to worry about their hand, i have enough things to stop the combo. shadow definitely needed to come in because of slaughter games. clasm is better than volcanic fallout because i dont want to cast double red spells and i dont need instant/ uncounterable.
Anger of the Gods is killer against Pod. I currently have one copy of Mizzium Mortars in the sideboard too to deal with Spellskite, Restoration Angel, Loxodon Smiter, etc.
1) You can replace the Firespouts with Anger of the Gods. I've played literally maybe more than a hundred games since Anger of the Gods has been printed with this deck and I can't remember ever struggling with coming up with the double-red. Straight up upgrade that just absolutely demolishes Pod.
2) 4 Baloth is a must in the sideboard. That card is simply bonkers in this current midrangey meta and can even be considered maindeckable.
3) There should be some number of enchantment removal in your sideboard, especially since you have cut 2 counterspells for the Peer Through Depths. Blood Moon is a card. Destructive Revelry has proven great in my games and is a straight up upgrade over Nature's Claim.
4 Leonin Arbiter
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Spellskite
2 Aven Mindcensor
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
FLICKER EFFECTS
3 Flickerwisp
4 Restoration Angel
AGGRO
4 Blade Splicer
4 Baneslayer Angel
4 Æther Vial
4 Path to Exile
1 Crucible of Worlds
LANDS
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Eiganjo Castle
4 Ghost Quarter
15 Plains
4 Tectonic Edge
1 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Wrath of God
1 Brave the Elements
1 Spellskite
1 Ethersworn Canonist
2 Rest in Peace
1 Aven Mindcensor
2 Suppression Field
2 Ghostly Prison
3 Leyline of Sanctity
How this deck came to be:
I spent a few months testing the usual aggro D&T decks found in this thread and found a few problems with it. I felt that if you don't draw an Aether Vial the deck becomes awkward. The land destruction plan can't really be executed because that would deprive you of your own lands to cast your drops. Many times, I can't even find the 3rd land drop to cast a Mindcensor. This is unlike the Legacy D&T deck which I also love because in Legacy, all you need to do to execute your aggro plan is 2 lands - Stoneforge Mystic into equipment, done. We don't have SFM in Modern, and thus require other, much less efficient means to close the game.
After lots of test games vs Melira and Kiki Pod, Twin, Jund and Scapeshift with various aggro D&T versions, I realized that the anti-search plan isn't great on its own. A deck like Pod frequently has great creatures to block ours (Voice of Resurgence, Kitchen Finks, Loxodon Smiter) and because we don't have that much removal, don't have that much reach, and our creatures being so small, we can't exactly race either. Scapeshift packs 4 Obstinate Baloths which do the same kind of wall-like effect. Jund has big Goyfs. Sometimes, any one of those creatures becomes a huge problem for the deck as we pack too little removal, temporary or permanent, to deal with them.
So I started thinking... which creature would go over the top of all these, and win any creature race when the game slows down and stalls. Baneslayer Angel! So I added more lands, tested it against my friend's Melira Pod for a few hours, and to my surprise, I didn't lose any more to that Pod deck.
After a few more weeks of tweaking and testing, I read up on GW hatebears and found a very similar deck to mine that played 4 Baneslayer Angel too that top 8 an event (can't remember which). It also had maindeck Spellskite, Crucible of Worlds and Linvala, which i'm currently testing out (and is listed in the deck above).
So far, i've had a pretty good matchup against pre-Deathrite Shaman-ban Jund and Pod with the deck. I've also tested a few matches against Affinity and it's about 50/50 (Flickerwisp'ing away the Cranial Plating and doing it again and again with Restoration Angel and other Flickerwisps was crucial in game 1). Then when you land the Baneslayer Angel, it's all over. I tested a few matches against Scapeshift too and the games were usually close and came down to who drew better.
I'm currently testing some new additions to the deck, Cavern of Souls (which will normally name Angel), Crucible of Worlds and Spellskite. So far, the worst performer has been Crucible as without Knight of the Reliquary around to tutor up Tec Edges/Ghost Quarters, the combo is unreliable. When it does work though, it's hilariously fun. Before I added Crucible in, the slot was taken up by an additional Plains, and that may be better.
The sideboard I guess is pretty standard and self-explanatory except for a few so I guess i'll explain those.
Wrath of God - This came up in a discussion with an opponent today at an event where he noticed that my deck could actually play Wrath of God. There's a tendency for opponents to overcommit against this deck, and that's when a Wrath will turn the tide, and I can then spit out my hand or land the Baneslayer. I have yet to put in any testing time with Wrath in the side, but I will be doing so shortly.
Brave the Elements - Many tier 1 decks pack damage based board wipes (Firespout, Pyroclasm, Anger of the Gods) and this card will stop them. Also, I board in against other creature decks as an alpha-strike enabler. Usually, you can name a color and effectively have all your creatures become unblockable, winning the game.
I'll be testing this deck more and also testing more copies of Linvala maindeck, it really shores up our matchups against Twin and Pod. I'll also be testing Honor of the Pure soon, as I expect the meta to hate Faeries heavily and people will be packing loads of Izzet Staticasters, Orzhov Pontiff, Electrolyze, etc.
I hope someone would also test out this deck and provide some feedback and we can improve this midrangey version of D&T together.
Don't we have a separate thread for GW hatebears? This thread is for mono-white hatebears. You can find the GW hatebears thread here: http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/established-modern/220191-gw-hatebears
Is maindeck Honor of the Pure a thing?
I have 3 points so far.
Modern deck construction checklist:
- Does it goldfish a turn 4 winning board state or win? No - play maindeck counterspells, hand disruption or resource denial. Consider cheap board wipes.
- Does it heavily rely on the graveyard? What's the deck's plan against Deathrite Shaman and Scavenging Ooze?
- Does it beat Liliana of the Veil? No - consider counterspells or hand disruption.
Which deck uses "5 double-sided tokens"? Could this be a Pod deck? Pod is a deck full of one-of's, seems perfect for an event deck. Also uses lots of tokens.
Totally regular. The GP Brisbane winning Affinity list has 3 Blood Moons in the side. That's why I don't even bother with Ancient Grudge these days, Destructive Revelry all the way to kill off those Blood Moons.
And all that risk just to run Explore? Pass.
Totally. That's why I've been considering maindecking at least one 3 cmc card. Sometimes, those Lilianas do slip by, and then you are screwed.
I just had an extensive test session against Melira Pod for a few hours. Games pre-board were not even close, I won all of them. Post-board the matchup became closer but still, this deck beats the crap out of Melira Pod.
This deck is a beast when it draws well. You feel totally unstoppable. But this is the definition of a pure tempo deck, if you fall behind or key cards are resolved (e.g., Liliana), there's no coming back.
Another surprising thing about this deck is how well it deals with creature based aggro. My friend and I have beaten Soul Sisters from insane board states. I beat Soul Sisters when they were at 34 life and it felt easy. My friend beat them with 2 6/6 Ascendents in play.
The deck doesn't do well against burn. Maybe Spellskites in the sideboard can fix that.
I think this deck should do about as well as UR Delver. I'm currently testing 3 Snapcaster Mages main instead of 4, and adding 1 Vendilion Clique instead. Having no 3cmc cards in the main deck has hurt me in my tests and with so many DRS and Oozes around, 4 Snaps does seem too much. Ninjutsu on Snaps feels downright dirty, but Ninjitsu on Clique isn't too bad either, trading a point of damage for another card from their hand.
Since I switched to Modern, my card values have only risen and risen. When I'm sick of a deck I can sell it to switch to another, and I did.
Anger of the Gods is killer against Pod. I currently have one copy of Mizzium Mortars in the sideboard too to deal with Spellskite, Restoration Angel, Loxodon Smiter, etc.