I love this deck! I've been working on something similar for our new Niv, and this list gave me some great ideas. I had no idea about the Lasav combo, definitely sweet. I've been considering adding some infinite draw combos Horizon Chimera to either ping the table to death with Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind, fuel a giant Debt to the Deathless with Cadaverous Bloom, or just be boring and flavorless with Lab Man. Ultimately, I feel I'm more spell-based then you at this point, are there benefits/disadvantages going one way or the other?
I'm pretty sure Hostage Taker and two clones gives you infinite ETB triggers, right? Not sure what the payoff would be there barring adding something like Vela the Night-Clad, which while it would help the with making Niv-Mizzet unblockable for Voltron beats, as well as helping make sure your Lasav combo connects, I'm not sure if that alone makes it worthwhile.
When I was working on Jhoira a while ago, I thought of going either with a "Historic Matters" theme or "Funny Alternate Win Cons" (like Mechanized Production). The former seems like it would be more enjoyable and fit more into your value and card-drawing desire. Instead of Paradox Engine and the Reservoir (because including those I feel like will inevitably just lead to degeneracy, which your group apparently dislikes), use those 8 cards you listed as a basis. You have a lot of options for historic between legendaries and planeswalkers. Cards like Search for Azcanta are on-theme and even provide you with ramp when you flip them. Cards like Weatherlight keep the gas flowing. If you're running The Locust God, Skullclamp seems like a natural inclusion, not to mention that most of your Planeswalkers will be generating x/1 tokens that can be used as fodder.
Also, Psychosis Crawler. Definitely run Psychosis Crawler. Other win conditions include token beatdown or just grinding people out of the game with your planeswalkers. The Nik dragons too, I suppose.
Eternal Witness can rebuy the 'walkers that hit the bin. Being in green, I feel like you don't have as many ways to protect them as other Superfriends lists do, so they'll probably die often. Greenwarden of Murasa fills a similar role.
40 lands feels like a couple too many, I could see trimming a couple for additional ramp spells like Explosive Vegetation. I'd also like to see some utility lands, like Karn's Bastion.
Karn, the Great Creator does shut off opposing mana rocks and artifact shenanigans, but would require some maneuvering to have his other abilities to be worthwhile
So this may just be confirmation bias rearing it's ugly head, but has anyone else struggled versus tron as of late? I'm on your traditional vial list with a 1/1 split between Resto and Whirler Rogue, and have dropped my last three matches to Tron. What are your thoughts on the matchup, and what have been some sideboard cards that have helped you?
I'm considering shaving the four drops in favor of Kessig Malcontents as to go a little lower to the ground, and possibly go under decks like Tron better.
Main take away is that I feel like CoCo is a little better than Vial at this point in the meta. Or at least, for the meta I saw in Worcester.
Why do you think CoCo is better than Vial in this meta?
The big thing for me is that, if Jund/UWx stays super prevalent, Vial decks don't tend to grind well. I keep looking back to watching the deck play against Mardu Mancer and getting torn apart by removal. CoCo puts two threats on board and provides card advantage, and is a much better top deck in the late game, which is where you'll find yourself being more often than not in a Jund meta. You sacrifice early-game explosiveness, but you gain long-term stability. The only concern I have regarding CoCo lists is the mana base, as beating Blood Moon become incredibly difficult. Burn also gets worse, due to the 6 painlands the deck runs to make the mana work.
Just got back from SCG Worcester. Did a last-minute audible to Humans instead of UW because I feared a hostile anti-control meta due to Jace unbans. Went 6-3, losing my win-and-in for Top 32.
In a rush this morning, so I'll post a full report/explanation a little later. Main take away is that I feel like CoCo is a little better than Vial at this point in the meta. Or at least, for the meta I saw in Worcester.
Anyone consider dire fleet daredevil as a sideboard card? Against a deck with heavy removal (like death's shadow), it's an interesting play, as its still a creature but has a mana fixing component. It's also nice to get rid of snapcaster mage targets.
I'm currently testing 3 in my 75: 1 main and 2 side. Even against a deck like storm playing it to play Serum Visions isn't terrible. Obviously it shines a little more in the fairer matchups. It being a 2/1 first striker isn't irrelevant either.
Over the course of the day I beat GB Tron, Burn, Rakdos Reanimator, Infect, Hollow One.dec, and The Rack. I only lost to Knightfall and Grixis Shadow. I unintentionally drew with Jeskai Flash/Geist/Queller/whatever you want to call it, after Game 2 took up most of the round because my opponent went on the luckiest streak of top decks I've ever seen.
Some quick notes and impressions:
--I need to move away from the Reflecting Pool mana base. In my last two rounds I constantly got stuck with the shockland-Pools opener, which forced mulligans. Going forward I'm going to go towards Ancient Ziggurats, probably a 2-1 split to start with.
--The Razorverge Thicket is going to become a second Horizon Canopy once I get my hands on one.
--I only cast Collected Company 3 or 4 times total the entire tournament. It's entirely possible that the card is just not needed, and the early velocity of Aether Vial is strictly better. Company did shine versus Jeskai and Shadow, however, so it's not as if it's a bad card, but being able to put our disruptive creatures into play at instant speed earlier than Turn 3-4 is something to be looked at. Switching to Vials also makes running Ziggurats less painful.
--Kitesail Freebooter is the real deal. It is absolutely gross when you can go T2 Freebooter into T3 double Freebooter to completely strip someone's hand away.
--The Big Game Hunter in my board was a flex slot that I had no idea how to fill. Hilariously, I got to cast it for the Madness cost when the Hollow One player Burning Inquiry'd it from my hand to kill his namesake card.
--I did miss Path to Exile in the 75. The deck struggles with heavy creature decks. But if your opponent wants to play boring non-interactive Magic, oh boy, do you love the matchup.
Going forward, I'm going to keep the Company shell intact, until I can collect the 4 Vials I need. Probably going to re-design my sideboard, beginning with 3-4 Paths so I can just do an easy swap between them and my Thalia-Medding Mage package when it comes to the creature matchups. Eternal Witness will probably get the axe for the fourth Reflector Mage. I may look into something like Fiendslayer Paladin or Mirran Crusader for the board too, I'm getting a little tired of my stuff getting Fatal Pushed and Lightning Bolted
Is playing only 2 copies is a consideration for you ? That's where I am with the land right now.
It's possible shaving a copy or two is correct to limit inconsistency as much as possible. Although, I tested out the original template for a five color mana base a few pages back, and sometimes found that my colors would come in the wrong sequence. Reflecting Pool is draw-reliant, but gives me 12 total rainbow lands and can still cast CoCo. If anything, I'd cut one for a second Horizon Canopy
You didn't encounter creature decks, that's why. It can be very awkward to play 4 PtE and 4 Ref Mages in a meta with few creature decks. Burn, Affi, Merf, Elves, Drazi, Coco and Chord decks, etc... the format is full of decks where you want to be prepared G1. That said, cutting a couple PtE doesn't sound ridiculous, that's actually what I did for 2 Hostage Takers.
It's true, there's a little bit of selective reason on my part. There were creature decks in the room that night--I saw Burn, Affinity, Spirits, Knightfall, and Counters Company--but I just dodged them all. It's most likely correct to have some number of Paths in the 75, especially since I'm thinking of taking this to Regionals this weekend. Although I wonder how Vial Humans is able to avoid including them in the list. Is it just another instance of dodging the creature matchups?
How are you liking Hostage Taker? Are you on Vial or CoCo? If the latter, has the 4cmc been irksome at all?
Done some tinkering with the list, and this is where I'm currently at:
Round 1 I 2-0'd The Rack, Round 2 I swept Grixis Shadow, and Round 3 I beat UR Breach 2-1. I split with a guy on Cheerios of all things. We played a match for fun and he absolutely destroyed me.
Some quick thoughts:
--Mana base felt smooth, colors weren't too big of an issue. Reflecting Pool really only messed me up once, when I had to mull to five versus UR Breach because Pool kept being the only land in hand (still managed to win that game). I think that this configuration for the mana base allows for an easier casting of Collected Company, and makes mana smoother for all the color requirements
--I didn't really miss Path in the 75. Cutting it made my CoCos a little more consistent. It's possible I would want them in the board at some point though.
--Company shone today, namely in the Grixis Shadow matchup, letting me grind through his Fatal Pushes and the like. Didn't get to live the Eternal Witness dream though.
--This list really misses Thalia, Guardian of Thraben. It's absence was certainly felt versus Cheerios. I'd probably want to fit 2 in the main and 1 in the side. It's a non-bo with Company, but worth it to slow things down.
The first list a 5-color CoCo list running a very similar creature base to the Vial list Mullen ran, though I think there's a better way to construct that mana base than 4 City of Brass. Thoughts?
I've been testing 4 Cavern, 4 Territory, and 4 Reflecting Pool and the mana base has been fairly consistent.
As someone who's picking up the deck and possibly playing it at Regionals in a couple weeks, I'm curious about peoples thoughts on Aether Vial vs. Collected Company. Is the former really so much better than the latter? It's so weird to me to see an undefeated Humans listed without CoCo because of the explosiveness it brings to the table. Did he ever explain why he decided to cut Company from his list?
I'm pretty sure Hostage Taker and two clones gives you infinite ETB triggers, right? Not sure what the payoff would be there barring adding something like Vela the Night-Clad, which while it would help the with making Niv-Mizzet unblockable for Voltron beats, as well as helping make sure your Lasav combo connects, I'm not sure if that alone makes it worthwhile.
Also, Psychosis Crawler. Definitely run Psychosis Crawler. Other win conditions include token beatdown or just grinding people out of the game with your planeswalkers. The Nik dragons too, I suppose.
40 lands feels like a couple too many, I could see trimming a couple for additional ramp spells like Explosive Vegetation. I'd also like to see some utility lands, like Karn's Bastion.
Karn, the Great Creator does shut off opposing mana rocks and artifact shenanigans, but would require some maneuvering to have his other abilities to be worthwhile
I'm considering shaving the four drops in favor of Kessig Malcontents as to go a little lower to the ground, and possibly go under decks like Tron better.
The big thing for me is that, if Jund/UWx stays super prevalent, Vial decks don't tend to grind well. I keep looking back to watching the deck play against Mardu Mancer and getting torn apart by removal. CoCo puts two threats on board and provides card advantage, and is a much better top deck in the late game, which is where you'll find yourself being more often than not in a Jund meta. You sacrifice early-game explosiveness, but you gain long-term stability. The only concern I have regarding CoCo lists is the mana base, as beating Blood Moon become incredibly difficult. Burn also gets worse, due to the 6 painlands the deck runs to make the mana work.
4 Noble Hierarch
2 Avacyn's Pilgrim
4 Kitesail Freebooter
4 Thalia's Lieutenant
4 Meddling Mage
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Phantasmal Image
4 Mantis Rider
3 Reflector Mage
2 Kessig Malcontents
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Unclaimed Territory
4 Horizon Canopy
2 Mana Confluence
2 Razorverge Thicket
2 Botanical Sanctum
1 Inspiring Vantage
1 Plains
2 Kataki, War's Wage
2 Anafenza, the Foremost
1 Mirran Crusader
1 Ethersworn Canonist
2 Kambal, Consul of Allocation
1 Dire Fleet Daredevil
1 Izzet Staticaster
1 Tireless Tracker
1 Vithian Renegades
1 War Priest of Thune
2 Auriok Champion
In a rush this morning, so I'll post a full report/explanation a little later. Main take away is that I feel like CoCo is a little better than Vial at this point in the meta. Or at least, for the meta I saw in Worcester.
I'm currently testing 3 in my 75: 1 main and 2 side. Even against a deck like storm playing it to play Serum Visions isn't terrible. Obviously it shines a little more in the fairer matchups. It being a 2/1 first striker isn't irrelevant either.
You're a monster. I like you.
4 Champion of the Parish
2 Avacyn's Pilgrim
4 Thalia's Lieutenant
4 Kitesail Freebooter
3 Mayor of Avabruck
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Meddling Mage
4 Mantis Rider
3 Reflector Mage
2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
1 Eternal Witness
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Unclaimed Territory
3 Reflecting Pool
3 Arid Mesa
1 Marsh Flats
1 Blood Crypt
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Temple Garden
1 Razorverge Thicket
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Plains
2 Vithian Renegades
2 Meddling Mage
2 Tireless Tracker
2 Kambal, Consul of Allocation
1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Big Game Hunter
1 Fiend Hunter
1 Anafenza, the Foremost
1 Reflector Mage
2 Izzet Staticaster
Over the course of the day I beat GB Tron, Burn, Rakdos Reanimator, Infect, Hollow One.dec, and The Rack. I only lost to Knightfall and Grixis Shadow. I unintentionally drew with Jeskai Flash/Geist/Queller/whatever you want to call it, after Game 2 took up most of the round because my opponent went on the luckiest streak of top decks I've ever seen.
Some quick notes and impressions:
--I need to move away from the Reflecting Pool mana base. In my last two rounds I constantly got stuck with the shockland-Pools opener, which forced mulligans. Going forward I'm going to go towards Ancient Ziggurats, probably a 2-1 split to start with.
--The Razorverge Thicket is going to become a second Horizon Canopy once I get my hands on one.
--I only cast Collected Company 3 or 4 times total the entire tournament. It's entirely possible that the card is just not needed, and the early velocity of Aether Vial is strictly better. Company did shine versus Jeskai and Shadow, however, so it's not as if it's a bad card, but being able to put our disruptive creatures into play at instant speed earlier than Turn 3-4 is something to be looked at. Switching to Vials also makes running Ziggurats less painful.
--Kitesail Freebooter is the real deal. It is absolutely gross when you can go T2 Freebooter into T3 double Freebooter to completely strip someone's hand away.
--The Big Game Hunter in my board was a flex slot that I had no idea how to fill. Hilariously, I got to cast it for the Madness cost when the Hollow One player Burning Inquiry'd it from my hand to kill his namesake card.
--I did miss Path to Exile in the 75. The deck struggles with heavy creature decks. But if your opponent wants to play boring non-interactive Magic, oh boy, do you love the matchup.
Going forward, I'm going to keep the Company shell intact, until I can collect the 4 Vials I need. Probably going to re-design my sideboard, beginning with 3-4 Paths so I can just do an easy swap between them and my Thalia-Medding Mage package when it comes to the creature matchups. Eternal Witness will probably get the axe for the fourth Reflector Mage. I may look into something like Fiendslayer Paladin or Mirran Crusader for the board too, I'm getting a little tired of my stuff getting Fatal Pushed and Lightning Bolted
A Vial list Top 8'd the same event, for what it's worth. Looked similar to the one that won the Classic last weekend.
It's possible shaving a copy or two is correct to limit inconsistency as much as possible. Although, I tested out the original template for a five color mana base a few pages back, and sometimes found that my colors would come in the wrong sequence. Reflecting Pool is draw-reliant, but gives me 12 total rainbow lands and can still cast CoCo. If anything, I'd cut one for a second Horizon Canopy
It's true, there's a little bit of selective reason on my part. There were creature decks in the room that night--I saw Burn, Affinity, Spirits, Knightfall, and Counters Company--but I just dodged them all. It's most likely correct to have some number of Paths in the 75, especially since I'm thinking of taking this to Regionals this weekend. Although I wonder how Vial Humans is able to avoid including them in the list. Is it just another instance of dodging the creature matchups?
How are you liking Hostage Taker? Are you on Vial or CoCo? If the latter, has the 4cmc been irksome at all?
Done some tinkering with the list, and this is where I'm currently at:
4 Champion of the Parish
2 Avacyn's Pilgrim
4 Thalia's Lieutenant
4 Kitesail Freebooter
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Meddling Mage
3 Mayor of Avabruck
4 Mantis Rider
3 Reflector Mage
1 Eternal Witness
2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Uncharted Territory
4 Reflecting Pool
3 Arid Mesa
1 Marsh Flats
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Temple Garden
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Blood Crypt
1 Plains
2 Vithian Renegades
2 Izzet Staticaster
2 Kambal, Consul of Allocation
2 Tireless Tracker
2 Meddling Mage
1 Fiend Hunter
1 Reflector Mage
1 Anafenza, the Foremost
1 War Priest of Thune
1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Champion of the Parish
2 Avacyn's Pilgrim
4 Kitesail Freebooter
4 Thalia's Lieutenant
3 Mayor of Avabruck
2 Meddling Mage
4 Mantis Rider
4 Reflector Mage
2 Eternal Witness
2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Reflecting Pool
4 Uncharted Territory
3 Arid Mesa
1 Marsh Flats
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Temple Garden
1 Blood Crypt
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Plains
3 Arashin Cleric
3 Sin Collector
1 Fiend Hunter
1 Tireless Tracker
1 Ethersworn Canonist
2 Vithian Renegades
1 Izzet Staticaster
2 Anafenza, the Foremost
1 Kambal, Consul of Allocation
Round 1 I 2-0'd The Rack, Round 2 I swept Grixis Shadow, and Round 3 I beat UR Breach 2-1. I split with a guy on Cheerios of all things. We played a match for fun and he absolutely destroyed me.
Some quick thoughts:
--Mana base felt smooth, colors weren't too big of an issue. Reflecting Pool really only messed me up once, when I had to mull to five versus UR Breach because Pool kept being the only land in hand (still managed to win that game). I think that this configuration for the mana base allows for an easier casting of Collected Company, and makes mana smoother for all the color requirements
--I didn't really miss Path in the 75. Cutting it made my CoCos a little more consistent. It's possible I would want them in the board at some point though.
--Company shone today, namely in the Grixis Shadow matchup, letting me grind through his Fatal Pushes and the like. Didn't get to live the Eternal Witness dream though.
--This list really misses Thalia, Guardian of Thraben. It's absence was certainly felt versus Cheerios. I'd probably want to fit 2 in the main and 1 in the side. It's a non-bo with Company, but worth it to slow things down.
I've been testing 4 Cavern, 4 Territory, and 4 Reflecting Pool and the mana base has been fairly consistent.