For the Jeskai Control match up, as you said the only creature that survive the Supreme Verdict is Inkmoth Nexus. Yes they can destroy it with tectonic edge, but they probably can't deal with 3 or 4 Inkmoth. Hence, adding Sylvan Scrying to fetch for Inkmoth as a sideboard option might do the trick.
You can also hold on to lands and never play your 4th land to get around tech edge.
Hey all, new infect player still... a question on sequencing.
Say your opening hand has Inkmoth Nexus as the only Infect creature,and Noble Hierarch with land to play the Hierarch on T1.
Is the appropriate turn Inkmoth and pass? Or is it Land, Hierarch, pass, and T2 inkmoth?
I would play hierarch first.
1) inkmoth first lets you attack for 1 infect on turn 2 with no protection, getting you barely closer to winning. I wouldn't even attack with a naked inkmoth into open mana.
2) 3 mana on turn 2 enables something like drawing two +4+4 pumps on t2/t3 to swing for the win or even just drawing a wild defiance/monastery siege
3) it hides what you're playing and it will likely eat a removal spell if they have one
Vryn Wingmare might see play but I'm skeptical on Archangel of Tithes. 3 white is not trivial for GW hatebears and her tax doesn't seem that great. It notably does not stop Twin since their last copy can tap her down.
# Counterspells - Anywhere from 4-6 could be correct.
# Removal - 2 or 3 Paths?
# Wild Defiance - I have been liking 2, but 3 seems pretty nice to have access to.
I'm not completely sold on path. You essentially only have 9 lands (and 4 hierarchs) that can give white mana to cast it. There will be many hands where you don't have white mana at all and you'll be stuck with a path. Alternatively, dismember (although costs life) can be cast with even inkmoth nexus.
It's funny, on MTGO most people just don't know how Arbiter works and think they get a trigger notification if they want to pay but then it's already too late and the fetch is gone. I really win a lot of games due to that.
But indeed it's a bit strange as it is a special action and can be paid at ANY time but as things with priority are very exact on MTGO it is really a thing one can forget. In paper magic you just pay it before somehow, it is more or less just clear. So, if someone in paper magic says "fetch" passing priority and you say "ok" is it then too late for him to pay the cost? Did he already miss it as there no chance of getting priority again before the fetch resolves?
Yes that's right. At competitive REL any judge will back you up that the opponent missed their opportunity to pay for Arbiter. The action of picking up the deck is also sufficient for missing payment. At fnm probably not.
I think Collected Company can be useful only in SB to improve the deck against control/combos, when the right hatebear can change the game. In MD I prefer wilt leaf liege, restoration angel, linvala or baneslayer, that have a good impact too.
Additionally, in decks with Collected Company I suggest 1-2 Burrenton Forge-Tender or Dauntless Escort in SB to avoid sweepers.
Can't say I agree with this. Coco is probably better to play post sweeper than to potentially whiff on your sb creatures
Hold onto a mutagenic growth or pendalhaven to save your creatures if you see/suspect Orzhov Pontiff.
If you're not killing them that turn you don't always have to use all your pump for offense.
My experience has been that land management can get very awkward with groundswell in your list since you want to save your fetches just in case you draw one but then you end up taking too much damage from fetching a shockland on your turn. Especially if you are running Dryad Arbors main, there's a lot of tension with your fetchlands. If the allure is to pump in response to a bolt or anger, then Giant Growth is actually playable in that sense.
While I'm here, if someone blows up my Wild Defiance in response to a targeted spell, do I still get the +3, +3 once the Defiance is gone? I would say I do, since the creature has already been targeted and the trigger is on the stack, but I'm a little iffy with the specific rules regarding a trigger's source while on the stack, etc. Does a trigger check for a source only when that source is explicitly referenced by the trigger?
You still get the +3/+3 since the trigger is already on the stack.
For next time:
Considering switching to BUG. Something like -1 Probe, +1 Sleight of Hand, -1 Ichorclaw Myr, -2 Distortion Strike, +3 Plague Stinger, -1 Breeding Pool, +1 Overgrown Tomb, -2 Dispel, -1 Carrion Call, +2 Inquisition of Kozilek, +1 Duress as that's what I have for now. Thoughts?
Have you considered a white splash instead?
Advantages: noble hierarch taps for white, path to exile is way better removal than dismember, the best sideboard cards.
Disadvantages: no discard and plague stinger. But you do get Lost Leonin which I think is much better than Ichorclaw Myr.
Has anyone else been underwhelmed by the wild defiance's in the MD? I feel like if I don't have it turn 2 (off hierarch), its often too slow. And I only want it in the attrition matchups as a way to make my hierarch's/skites lethal by regular dmg or when they've discarded my entire hand. Anyone try replacing the Defiances MD with more pump/infect guys/protection spells?
Along the same lines, has anyone tried thought scour as a 1/2-of in the MD as a way to enable Become Immense and further smoothe out draws?
Wild Defiance is a meta call in my opinion. Good if there's a lot of red decks in your meta. There isn't in mine so I've moved them to the side and replaced them with two Monastery Siege maindeck which I find good both early and late game. Dragons mode has utility against discard and random things like Gifts Ungiven.
I don't think Thought Scour smooths out draws. It fuels become immense but it doesn't give you any card selection as it merely replaces itself. This is why Sleight of Hand and sometimes Serum Visions is played instead for a slight increase in consistency. I personally don't have room for either.
I've noticed some infect decks running Dismember either in the maindeck or sideboard (e.g., Tyler Hill's PT Fate Reforged deck). I think this is a great card since it gets rid of the likes of spellskite and grim lavamancer while removing any potential blockers. Has anyone try running Vapor Snag in this slot? To me it seems like an end-of-turn snag is just as good as a Dismember in most cases where you are setting up for the kill. Vapor snags also allows you to save your creature from removal, return a source that has been named via deflecting palm and even return inkmoth or dryad arbor to activate landfall for groundswell. Any thoughts?
Edit: You also save 4 life
I think the main draw to dismember is that it can be cast with green or colorless mana from inkmoth nexus. It isn't always trivial to leave up blue in this deck. Also, infect is probably the one deck that would much rather run unsummon over vapor snag.
Has anyone ever considered artful dodge instead of Distortion strike? I know it doesn't give pump but it is instant speed and reusable when you need it.
It's not instant speed and it requires reinvestment of mana as well. It also doesn't stick around in the graveyard to feed become immense if you want to use it twice.
You can also hold on to lands and never play your 4th land to get around tech edge.
I would play hierarch first.
1) inkmoth first lets you attack for 1 infect on turn 2 with no protection, getting you barely closer to winning. I wouldn't even attack with a naked inkmoth into open mana.
2) 3 mana on turn 2 enables something like drawing two +4+4 pumps on t2/t3 to swing for the win or even just drawing a wild defiance/monastery siege
3) it hides what you're playing and it will likely eat a removal spell if they have one
I'm not completely sold on path. You essentially only have 9 lands (and 4 hierarchs) that can give white mana to cast it. There will be many hands where you don't have white mana at all and you'll be stuck with a path. Alternatively, dismember (although costs life) can be cast with even inkmoth nexus.
Path is also a bit of a nonbo with spell pierce.
Maindeck divide between regular damage and infect just seems like a bad idea.
Yes that's right. At competitive REL any judge will back you up that the opponent missed their opportunity to pay for Arbiter. The action of picking up the deck is also sufficient for missing payment. At fnm probably not.
Can't say I agree with this. Coco is probably better to play post sweeper than to potentially whiff on your sb creatures
If you're not killing them that turn you don't always have to use all your pump for offense.
You still get the +3/+3 since the trigger is already on the stack.
Have you considered a white splash instead?
Advantages: noble hierarch taps for white, path to exile is way better removal than dismember, the best sideboard cards.
Disadvantages: no discard and plague stinger. But you do get Lost Leonin which I think is much better than Ichorclaw Myr.
Wild Defiance is a meta call in my opinion. Good if there's a lot of red decks in your meta. There isn't in mine so I've moved them to the side and replaced them with two Monastery Siege maindeck which I find good both early and late game. Dragons mode has utility against discard and random things like Gifts Ungiven.
I don't think Thought Scour smooths out draws. It fuels become immense but it doesn't give you any card selection as it merely replaces itself. This is why Sleight of Hand and sometimes Serum Visions is played instead for a slight increase in consistency. I personally don't have room for either.
I think the main draw to dismember is that it can be cast with green or colorless mana from inkmoth nexus. It isn't always trivial to leave up blue in this deck. Also, infect is probably the one deck that would much rather run unsummon over vapor snag.
It's not instant speed and it requires reinvestment of mana as well. It also doesn't stick around in the graveyard to feed become immense if you want to use it twice.