London mulligan rule doesn't affect us a ton in my opinion. We need a critical mass of spells and we can't just mulligan hoping to get 4 archive traps etc... If the 7 is a winning 7 keep it, if not mull it.
The only time I could see it helping us is if Hollow One and Death Shadow make a big rise and make us want to sideboard a few copies of Leyline of the Void because those matchups go from hard to very easy if you are able to draw the Leyline in your opening hand.
How the hell did you lose to Amulet AND Tron?!?!?! The amulet matchup has been a landslide every time I played it. Damn, I'd be so mad too. Especially after beating both shadow and humans... You must have felt like it was your tournament. Pretty *****ty to run into the super low meta Sultai Reclamation.
Just read all the amulet matches... Sounds like you would have played it the same way I would have lol. A pact trigger is not something an opponent just forgets. I wonder how many other times this has happened to people. I think I remember an Amulet player missing a pact trigger on camera. Maybe it was the same guy you played?
I like adding the 3rd push to the main and was only different from you with playing the 3rd bridge in the side and a couple different sideboard cards but I'm sure it was essential to beating shadow and humans so maybe I'm wrong with that. Nice report.
Did the extra Echoing Truth pay off for you? I've always felt comfortable with 2 sideboard slots devoted to non creature permanent removal in the sideboard, especially with Mission Briefing in the deck.
I think now that mill is a thing people are playing better against it. The fact we haven't seen a 5-0 MTGO list in a while is rather concerning. I always thought the phoenix matchup was easy. Dredge is a lot trickier though.
I was just about to post about how awful the metagame is for mill lately... Being modern, it will probably shift into a decent metagame in a few weeks when your tournament starts. Good luck! Jund with ancient grudge sideboard has been too much for me lately.
Thorn of Amethyst would come out of the sideboard. I just noticed I failed to mention that. Again, it all comes down to what decks you want to beat. I think the only 3 flex spots in the main deck from Shea's list are:
After watching the Challenge and several competitive leagues from Shea and playing a few matches of the deck myself I think the Wretched Gryff is a waste of a card slot.
Cards I'm going to test: any feedback for prior testing would be appreciated to save time
Sea Gate Wreckage (great mana sink at the low cost of being a land. I'd replace Sanctum of Ugin copy #3 to test it. Maybe cut the 3rd Gemstone Cavern? I don't have enough reps with the deck to understand how important getting the cavern into play on T0.)
Eldrazi Displacer (how bad is it in a deck with 8-11 lands to produce white, maybe as a 1x or 2x for tutor target. Combos as an alternate win condition with Thought-Knot Seer. A great mana sink, which the deck sorely needs)
Thorn of Amethyst (this card seems great in a deck that plays around 30 creatures. I guess it depends on what you want to beat. Seems great against our harder matchups)
I think you need to test it against aggressive decks that don't care about their graveyard. Emeria just sits around and durdles. It seems like a dream matchup.
Humans
Spirits
Elves
Burn
Affinity
Tron (without surgical this matchup is probably a lot worse)
The whole reason to play mill is so you get access to Surgical Game 1 in a combo heavy metagame. If KCI gets banned I think mill gets worse going forward.
Watch the most recent sqlut video on twitch.tv where he 4-2'd the PTQ. He 2-0s spirits in like round 2. The game plan against spirits when watching him play is to resolve crypt incursion or bridge. He's not afraid to have an Archive Trap or Glimpse get countered by Mausleum Wanderer if he can't kill it. If the opponent is holding 3 mana up for Spell Queller he doesn't cast spells into him until you can play on his turn to create an opening for bridge/crypt incursion. When you don't cast spells the spirits player doesn't advance their board and their clock becomes really slow. If you watch the GP Liverpool Sqlut (Jason Chung) also plays against spirits on camera for a match in round 8 or 9 I think. After watching him play the matchup and never losing to it (I've witnessed him as like 7-0 vs spirits), it has helped me in the matchup. I used to think Brutality was a good card vs Spirits but boarding them out has helped me a lot.
From personal experience, I think Geist of Saint Traft is the most dangerous card against us so if you have a chance to get rid of it via IoK then I would do it.
The cards he doesn't board in are: Ensnaring Bridge, Crypt Incursion, Night of Souls Betrayl, and I think Damnation. His deck has zero permanents and he basically plays as a surgical deck and just removes all the win conditions. "They board in more counterspells than you have mill spells. Even though the Orbs are good vs control I have had more success taking them out and leaving dead cards stranded in their hand. If you remove all their win conditions you can take your time milling them out." <-(his words)
Languish! I see Selfless Spirit has pissed you off one too many times...
I don't doubt it. This Jason Chung guy was a platinum pro a year or two ago but lost it because he lives in NZ and doesn't have the opportunity to play enough. He's very respected though and it seems like all the pros are testing his build.
The only time I could see it helping us is if Hollow One and Death Shadow make a big rise and make us want to sideboard a few copies of Leyline of the Void because those matchups go from hard to very easy if you are able to draw the Leyline in your opening hand.
Just read all the amulet matches... Sounds like you would have played it the same way I would have lol. A pact trigger is not something an opponent just forgets. I wonder how many other times this has happened to people. I think I remember an Amulet player missing a pact trigger on camera. Maybe it was the same guy you played?
I like adding the 3rd push to the main and was only different from you with playing the 3rd bridge in the side and a couple different sideboard cards but I'm sure it was essential to beating shadow and humans so maybe I'm wrong with that. Nice report.
Did the extra Echoing Truth pay off for you? I've always felt comfortable with 2 sideboard slots devoted to non creature permanent removal in the sideboard, especially with Mission Briefing in the deck.
Distended Mindbender
Warping Wail
Wretched Gryff
Cards I'm going to test: any feedback for prior testing would be appreciated to save time
Sea Gate Wreckage (great mana sink at the low cost of being a land. I'd replace Sanctum of Ugin copy #3 to test it. Maybe cut the 3rd Gemstone Cavern? I don't have enough reps with the deck to understand how important getting the cavern into play on T0.)
Eldrazi Displacer (how bad is it in a deck with 8-11 lands to produce white, maybe as a 1x or 2x for tutor target. Combos as an alternate win condition with Thought-Knot Seer. A great mana sink, which the deck sorely needs)
Thorn of Amethyst (this card seems great in a deck that plays around 30 creatures. I guess it depends on what you want to beat. Seems great against our harder matchups)
Humans
Spirits
Elves
Burn
Affinity
Tron (without surgical this matchup is probably a lot worse)
The whole reason to play mill is so you get access to Surgical Game 1 in a combo heavy metagame. If KCI gets banned I think mill gets worse going forward.
Also, I think Chalice is really good right now.
From personal experience, I think Geist of Saint Traft is the most dangerous card against us so if you have a chance to get rid of it via IoK then I would do it.
He boards like this:
Out: 2 Collective Brutality, 2 Mesmeric Orb, 3 Surgical Extraction
In: 1 Crypt Incursion, 1 Dismember, 1 Damnation, 1 Ensnaring Bridge, 1 Fatal Push, 1 Inquisition of Kozilek, 1 Night of Souls Betrayl
-3 Mesmeric Orb
-4 Hedron Crab
-2 Ensnaring Bridge
-2 Crypt Incursion
The cards he doesn't board in are: Ensnaring Bridge, Crypt Incursion, Night of Souls Betrayl, and I think Damnation. His deck has zero permanents and he basically plays as a surgical deck and just removes all the win conditions. "They board in more counterspells than you have mill spells. Even though the Orbs are good vs control I have had more success taking them out and leaving dead cards stranded in their hand. If you remove all their win conditions you can take your time milling them out." <-(his words)
Languish! I see Selfless Spirit has pissed you off one too many times...
His record is quite insane for MTGO comp leagues