He talks about the deck being largely synergy based and that the removal can be awkward if you try to include too much of it. Cast Out was where he was transitioning because it was removal when he needed or it replaced itself if not. Could start with that idea?
I'm personally going to try out his second list as a jumping off point, but with an Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim as a sac outlet instead of the main deck Cast Out.
thx for the GP list. i was really wondering about it. i did my best to reconstruct it based on the PT list and what i saw from the GP coverage.
I have been following Samuel Black's Abzan Token deck since he first played it at Protour Amonkhet. He hasn't released his most recent list that he played at Omaha so i had to make my own. i am enjoying it a lot but i am finding that i am struggling to stabilize and win games. i played at my local last night and all my matches went to time. the deck does an amazing job at staying alive, but i just couldn't seem to get the things i need to get the engine going and push for the win.
I agree with most of these except for the one cmc mana dork. Elvish Mystic and the like helped midrange decks too much and hampered Wizards' ability to make 3 and 4 cmc creatures b/c they could come out a turn early. The one drops did not support true ramp, they pushed midrange too much. I'd vote to see green get something different than the mana dork, though I'm not sure what. Since the other colors are getting spells back as opposed to creatures, is there a green spell we can bring back?
Rampant growth? like seriously why did putting a basic from library into play tapped move to 3 CMC
i typically liked to play aggro or mid range decks. after the banning of cat my local meta has massively swung to B/x control decks, and i am having an extremely hard time being a threat. Blacks efficient removal combined with sweepers and/or counters from other colors is making it really hard for me to get a threatening board presence on the table. any recommendations on decks to combat this control heavy meta
@residualshade
Heads up, Llanowar Wastes is no longer in standard. Not sure if it was a typo, supposed to be something else, etc., but thought I'd let you know.
ya almost found out the hard way yesterday. luckily i played some casuals before the tournament started and my opponent pointed it out.
another pertinent questions is what do we consider core to the deck?
for me so far me that only seems to be Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons. I can't in good faith say Nest of Scarabs until i verify it isn't a liability due to its potential to be a dead card.
Opinions on cards: Defiant Greatma - i find myself hard pressed to make this guy good. most of the stuff that comes in with multiple -1/-1 counters have mechanisms for removing them. most of the other cards only have 1 making him less impressive
Blisterpod - while the early ramp is nice i think we are better off with something that isnt such a poor drop after Turn 1
I am looking for a competitive recursion heavy Midrange or Control deck that doesn't buckle to graveyard hate.
What do you mean by "recursion heavy"? Does it need to be central to the deck or just a nice bonus? Grixis Delver or Grixis Control operate in the Mid/Control spheres and have Snapcaster and K-Command and Tasigur and don't buckle too hard to grave hate. Grixis Delver sounds like it's an aggro deck but the most recent builds play like control decks with a low costed win con.
Grixis Control with snap and k command is along what i am looking for. i want something that is consistently pulling/playing cards from the graveyard, but i don't want something all in like dredge.
I remember that this card used to be good in standard and extended. i ran a search on the forums and was shocked to see nothing. so whats the deal? to slow for modern?
I am looking to buy into modern by focusing on blue and white staples. what would be a good deck in these colors? i am fine with a third color as long as it wont cost me much. i like everything but combo, and i am looking for something to play at a high competitive level as i have a SCG Open coming up.
hmmm, if I were you I just wouldn't worry about changing my manabase to be less affected by GQ. eldrazi needs to have lots of nonbasics just to function. land destruction is a 'weak point' but if they don't have it then you just do your thing with nothing really to worry about. is there a lot of hatebears or death and taxes where you are or something? I am trying to think of decks that run high numbers of ghost quarter.
no there are only 2 D&T out of like 30 people. i only recently started playing again so i don't know why, but for some reason decks that have no business running LD are running it. there are ghost quarter, encroaching wastes, and tectonic edge everywhere.
what deck are you playing OP? honestly I wouldn't dilute my deck with ways to recover from land destruction if I were playing something like tron for example. land destruction is just an inherent weakness of that deck, you can't really do anything about it. it's best to just ignore it and focus on your own gameplan.
the best counter to ghost quarter is to play more basics in your deck, the same is true for blood moon. but as I said, if you are playing certain decks you don't want to strain your mana so much so you sort of just need to take your lumps and fight through the land destruction.
i am playing UW Eldrazi atm. losing my eldrazi temple is an annoyance, but what is really killing me is the loss of my sea gate wreckage. without them i lose the ability to grind out the end game. i am trying to work around this right now by putting more CA in my sideboard.
thx for the GP list. i was really wondering about it. i did my best to reconstruct it based on the PT list and what i saw from the GP coverage.
Did he mention what the one of Dread Wanderer is for? i am assuming its for shenanigans with Ulvenwald Mysteries.
3 Blisterpod
4 Thraben Inspector
4 Annointer Priest
3 Zulaport Cutthroat
Spells(4):
2 Grasp of Darkness
1 Declaration in Stone
1 Anguished Unmaking
Planeswalkers(2):
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
Enchantments(14):
3 Cryptolith Rite
4 Hidden Stockpile
4 Ulvenwald Mysteries
4 Anointed Procession
4 Terramorphic Expanse
4 Blooming Marsh
4 Concealed Courtyard
1 Fortified Village
2 Shambling Vent
2 Scattered Groves
2 Westvale Abbey
4 Plains
1 Swamp
1 Forest
2 Grasp of Darkness
2 Declaration in Stone
3 Anguished Unmaking
3 Dusk // Dawn
3 Lost Legacy
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
Rampant growth? like seriously why did putting a basic from library into play tapped move to 3 CMC
ya almost found out the hard way yesterday. luckily i played some casuals before the tournament started and my opponent pointed it out.
bad magiccardinfo searches for the DQ
for me so far me that only seems to be Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons. I can't in good faith say Nest of Scarabs until i verify it isn't a liability due to its potential to be a dead card.
4 Soul-Scar Mage
4 Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons
4 Channeler Initiate
4 Exemplar of Strength
4 Baleful Ammit
3 Soulstinger
2 Decimator Beetle
4 Incendiary Flow
4 Cut // Ribbons
Other(4):
4 Nest of Scarabs
Lands(23):
4 Game Trail
4 Cinder Glade
4 Smoldering Marsh
4 Llanowar Wastes
4 Blooming Marsh
1 Mountain
1 Swamp
1 Forest
Opinions on cards:
Defiant Greatma - i find myself hard pressed to make this guy good. most of the stuff that comes in with multiple -1/-1 counters have mechanisms for removing them. most of the other cards only have 1 making him less impressive
Blisterpod - while the early ramp is nice i think we are better off with something that isnt such a poor drop after Turn 1
Grixis Control with snap and k command is along what i am looking for. i want something that is consistently pulling/playing cards from the graveyard, but i don't want something all in like dredge.
I remember that this card used to be good in standard and extended. i ran a search on the forums and was shocked to see nothing. so whats the deal? to slow for modern?
no there are only 2 D&T out of like 30 people. i only recently started playing again so i don't know why, but for some reason decks that have no business running LD are running it. there are ghost quarter, encroaching wastes, and tectonic edge everywhere.
i am playing UW Eldrazi atm. losing my eldrazi temple is an annoyance, but what is really killing me is the loss of my sea gate wreckage. without them i lose the ability to grind out the end game. i am trying to work around this right now by putting more CA in my sideboard.