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  • 1

    posted a message on Current Modern Banlist Discussion (1/18/2016 update - Summer Bloom/Splinter Twin Banned)
    Quote from Spsiegel1987 »

    Also, I'm about to throw my computer if I keep hearing these Wizard commentaries praise Eldrazi one more time


    Well in all fairness a brand new deck type in a format like modern dominate so completely is a very rare occurrence. Commentators watch a lot of magic so the novelty is enhanced.

    I agree with your opinion otherwise and support the wait-n-see approach combined with a series of unbans.
    Posted in: Modern Archives
  • 1

    posted a message on Pro Tour Oath of the Gatewatch Modern Discussion
    Well wotc has surely come away from this PT with egg on their face. Ban two decks out of the format to promote diversity and instead we see a slew of non-interactivity and a top 8 dominated by a single archetype.

    The coverage suffered accordingly as well. Outside of rare moments the games were very one sided most of the time, with each player doing their own thing. Not to mention the fast games forced the coverage team to hop between matches frequently which created dissonance.

    I dont know about bans or unbans, and I'll admit that the PT is not the best judge of metagame because of the limited portion; however I was very disappointed by this PT.
    Posted in: Modern Archives
  • 1

    posted a message on Post Bloom/Twin Ban Modern Metagame thread- Keep the talk here please
    -RW midrange/control has been a fringe deck for a while, and it can prey heavily on creature/aggro and ramp decks.

    -Jund will have to re-assess and retool, but I think it will remain a contender. the base of cards is just too powerful to fall by the wayside.

    -People will prepare for a rise of Affinity, and pack hate accordingly. I expect robots to stay around the same place it is now (which is still tier 1).

    -Zoo, burn, and infect will be the defacto fallback decks of lazy pros looking to take advantage of proactive strategies to steal wins.

    -Scapeshift will make a resurgence, both the cryptic command and prime time versions.

    -URx delver strategies will be a tier 1.5-2 strategy. I have high hopes for Stormchaser Mage.

    -Grixis midrange/control will be a popular conversion for many twin players.

    -Tron and Bx Eldrazi become solid tier 1 decks.

    -GW hatebears moves up as a solid disruptive beatdown deck. This is my vote as the dark horse to steal a tier 1 spot.

    Posted in: Modern Archives
  • 2

    posted a message on Current Modern Banlist Discussion (9/28/2015 update - No changes!)
    Quote from izzetmage »
    Forest, Glistener Elf, go.
    Scalding Tarn, go.

    Forest, mainphase Might of Old Krosa.
    Response, crack Tarn, Bolt.
    Response, Might of Old Krosa/Groundswell.
    Pass.
    Elf becomes 9/9 with 3 damage marked on it. Mutagenic Growth, GG.

    Awesomer!!


    That is a misplay. Should crack scalding tarn right away and bolt on your turn. Trying to play against pump spells during their turn/combat phase is asking to get punked out.
    Posted in: Modern Archives
  • 3

    posted a message on Oath of the Gatewatch in Modern - Spoiler Discussion
    well...an entirely new mana source.

    this set is either going to be busted beyond belief or doomed to fade into irrelevant obscurity.
    Posted in: Modern
  • 1

    posted a message on [Primer] Collected Company Elves
    Quote from Retswerd »
    Hello, been a long while since I have posted here. I pop on a bit to read a little and there has been a lot of really helpful opinions, suggestions, and information. Really like the number of players in favor of Shaman of the Pack that have spoken up. Card is what will make us deadly. I love it.

    So I was hoping I could post my current 75 that I will be playing at GP Pittsburgh and I could get suggestions what you guys would side in and out with my 75 when playing Grixis Twin. Not changing a single card. Just would like to know what you would do if you had my 75.

    Currently, Grixis Twin sideboard plan is always different. It's a rough match for obvious reasons but the addition to Splintertwin makes the sideboarding frustrating. Here's what I would bring in and why. Also some thoughts.
    Edit: Wanted to add, it's frustrating cause with no twin in sight, siding out Chords are perfect for Lead.

    +2 Chameleon Colossus - Pro black is huge but do i need him as much a Grixis Delve/Control? 5-7 of their flash creatures can just tap him down.

    +1 Spellskite - Because more is good. Plus stops them from casting twin. Chord for 2 in response to Twin cast is good too.

    +3 Lead the Stampede - Grixis will 1 for 1 and 2 for 1 all game. Elves need a way to keep up. Plus I expect Damnation or Anger of Gods.

    So I wanna bring in 5-6 cards in. Problem is, Bringing in 3 Spells and 1-2 creatures that do not get hit by Collected Company. I don't want to effect the value I may get with a resolving Collected Company to much but at the same time, don't want to side out Chords for them since the best response for Splintertwin is Chord for 2 to get spellskite. If its not, then i don't really need a second spellskite. I don't know. Feels like a catch 22. Please understand I am not changing any cards in the 75. Just really looking to see what someone else would do. It would be a HUGE help if you would share what you would bring in for the match and take out for the match.


    You could go a couple of ways depending on what you think their sideboard looks like (how much they are siding in sweepers, or if they are moving away from the twin combo). I personally play grixis twin as well and I know that I would keep in most of the combo game 2, even in the face of sideboard disruption. Elves is still a linear aggro/combo deck.

    That being said I believe it was NewModern who brought up a couple of pages ago that against decks with interaction that also threaten a combo finish that it might be right to side out Collected Company for Leads. This lets you keep up card density while also having the toolbox option to get your power cards in the matchup. So:

    -4 Coco
    -3 Elvish Visionary (sort of the go to option to side out for hatebears)
    +1 Spellskite (obvious)
    +1 Chameleon (good top end beater)
    +1 Scavenging Ooze (useful to start controlling their GY)
    +1 Rec Sage (chord target)
    +3 Lead the Stampede (card advantage)

    Phyrexian Revoker might be if you see any weird tech, and you can name splinter twin creatures. However Spellskite and Rec sage are probably just stronger chord targets.
    Posted in: Modern Archives
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    posted a message on Current Modern Banlist Discussion (9/28/2015 update - No changes!)
    When talking about SFM I think it is important to remember that SFM is searching up Swords (Fire/Ice, Feast/Famine, etc) as well as Batterskull.

    Just sayin...if you are going through the process of testing. Pro colors with busted abilities is a real beating in modern.

    Edit: I just imagined various Swords with Lingering Souls and threw up in my mouth a little.
    Posted in: Modern Archives
  • 1

    posted a message on [Primer] Collected Company Elves
    @JakrTheLate

    Mind providing a sample decklist? I am confused to whether you are playing these cards main deck or what.

    I have no doubt that you can make the elves deck more resilient and grindy. However by going down that path you lose the explosiveness of a more streamlined build.

    At the end of the day you start to convert your deck more and more into this midrange machine. The problem with this is that you are just a worse version of other midrange decks since your cards by themselves are very weak, and at that point you might as well just be playing Abzan Company or Abzan Rally.

    When you draw out the game you have to play more reactive cards, or else you just get punked out the game because your opponents are doing powerful things too. This means more spells, meaning your CoCos and Leads are worse, etc, etc.

    I'd rather be on the agressive combo side, with options in the SB for resiliency; rather than a resilient aggressive deck with SB options for speed.
    Posted in: Modern Archives
  • 1

    posted a message on [Primer] Collected Company Elves
    I forgot Magus of the Moon was even modern legal. That being said it is an interesting option if you REALLY want to hate out amulet bloom. Magus doesn't do much against GR Tron since they are running 4 Pyroclasms maindeck, and giving them red mana is counter productive.

    However I do like the idea of it as a chord target to basically catch people with their pants down. Thats the kind of tech steals games, and could be useful in a large tournament. Nobody would be fetching basics against elves, not even 2 color decks.

    That being said red sideboard options are severely limited. There are no utility creatures that we would want (that I could think of), and Rending Volley a very narrow removal spell. Twin is the only occasion that it is really useful.

    @CrimsonVision

    I would ask myself what you are trying to kill/remove with abrupt decay. A 2 CMC spell with color requirements can be tough to cast, and can interfere with your curve. If you are just trying to remove a troublesome permanent then I personally prefer Beast Within (or just Rec Sage); with the added upside of tagging a land in those dire situations (ie. Tron).

    Dismember just seems like the better all around creature removal spell.

    As for Visionaries I think people undervalue them. They are often the first target for cutting because when things are going optimally, and you are on course for a turn 3/4 kill; then Visionaries are often useless and D. Elites or even a mana dork is preferable. However, when we aren't in magical christmas land, and our draws are sub-optimal, Elvish Visionary digs us deeper to our value cards.

    Cutting Nettles makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. The card enables broken interactions with heritage and chord, and provides steady beats. It is pretty much all upside in my book, and epitomizes what elves wants out of a 1-drop.

    Also I think Lead builds should go up to 20 lands. If you are on the grind plan, then getting to 3 mana manually is more important.

    Edit: I am also not a fan of thoughtseize. Its something that you really only want to play on: turn 1 or the turn before sweepers come online (usually turn 1-2). So you are basically bringing in up to 4 cards that you want in your opening hand, along with a black mana source. That is a tall order. If you are mulliganing aggressively for it, then you are probably losing the game anyways since you won't have the elf density to do anything productive.

    Though I haven't tested them so I could be off base entirely. I just don't like them in theory.

    I think if you are playing any non-creature spells out of the sideboard, they should be swinging the game firmly in your favor when you play them. Rest in Peace is an ideal example.
    Posted in: Modern Archives
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    posted a message on Current Modern Banlist Discussion (9/28/2015 update - No changes!)
    @ktkenshinx

    I think you are expecting too much out of what is obviously an opinion piece. Literally the first sentence lets you know this. Stating an opinion is just that--a statement. You don't have to qualify your opinions with data, or even logic. The problem is when other people use his opinions as proof in their own arguments.

    Either way I wouldn't be too worried. At the end of the day Wotc has a vested interest in keeping the format as diverse as possible. It improves coverage, which in turn promotes the game. Not to mention diluting the deck pool means more people will join the format, for multiple reasons.
    Posted in: Modern Archives
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