The main difference is bolt really. Without red you don't have the ability to bolt snap bolt which is so powerful, but you are able to run a lot more basics and play a more controlling game in general. Usually UW is better against other control decks, but worse against aggro decks.
For the most part I agree, but we ARE seeing a downturn in Twin right now. BG being in an uptick directly correlates to that downward trend since it's such a good matchup for BG. If BG keeps getting stronger or nothing really comes along to challenge it (fwiw, I consider Tron a "fringe" deck regardless of tier, since it just gets stomped by so many other decks) then Preordain may be necessary for Twin. And I'm a BG player.
That is the opposite if what we'd expect. We'd expect that as good matchups (twin) decrease then it, too, should decrease.
Well kind of yeah. What he is saying is that BGx is gaining in popularity which is causing the downturn in twin results since BGx is favored against them. Eventually we will probably see BGx lose some market share as the field adjusts to the downtick in Twin, but this can take quite awhile to show up. Particularly since BGx has few bad matchups in general.
I think that you overlook the board states created by a Sun Titan
that triggers multiple times- I am thinking of the opponent's lands in particular here.
To explain better, when I was winning games with S. Titans, it was because my opponents were scooping as a consequence of having rapidly dwindling lands and no basics left to search, or getting crushed by my increasing board presence. Sun Titan is no means the way to go for uw control, but if you are going to make a post that describes why you do not like the card, you should at least get its function right, which is a way to 'go over the top'.
Personally, I think that cliques, snaps and restos are very adequate wincons for uw and one of the better expensive bombs to be playing is wurmcoil. I could explain wurmcoil's awesome, but it seems pretty intuitive, do won't unless asked.
The purpose of Sun Titan is to be a hard to deal with finisher (doesn't die to dismember/bolt) who can provide additional controlling elements (or card draw through wall) even if killed. If you are attacking with Sun Titan often enough to use Ghost Quarter as a Strip Mine you've likely won a long time before.
no comments on guiltless blood? I think a 1cmc black removal spell along the power level of path and bolt is missing, but don't know that WOTC would reprint Innocent Blood for Standard. I'm also worried they consider Thoughtseize that card. An Innocent Blood effect with a slight drawback may be safe, though.
You reprinted Innocent Blood with an extremely minor drawback. Most people don't comment on card designs like that since there is nothing more to say about them. Innocent Blood in particular is a hard sell in modern since it makes Aggro (an already struggling archetype) even worse while making all the non-pod midrange extremely good. At least with Path you have to give them a land or with Bolt you can't hit a lot of goyfs.
I really don't think that Innocent Blood would go in Midrange. BGx doesn't want removal that takes out their already superior creatures too. It would go in Control.
You are absolutely right. I meant to write that it makes all the non-pod midrange matchups extremely good for control, but it looks like I left out a few words.
no comments on guiltless blood? I think a 1cmc black removal spell along the power level of path and bolt is missing, but don't know that WOTC would reprint Innocent Blood for Standard. I'm also worried they consider Thoughtseize that card. An Innocent Blood effect with a slight drawback may be safe, though.
You reprinted Innocent Blood with an extremely minor drawback. Most people don't comment on card designs like that since there is nothing more to say about them. Innocent Blood in particular is a hard sell in modern since it makes Aggro (an already struggling archetype) even worse while making all the non-pod midrange extremely good. At least with Path you have to give them a land or with Bolt you can't hit a lot of goyfs.
Tap out style is fun with blue/white, but lately I've been trying a UW list that is more permission based. The main benefit is Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir and he has been quite amazing. He is particularly fun in concert with Consecrated Sphinx, but I've since replaced the Sphinx with Aetherling.
I'd run Wurmcoil Engine or Batterskull over Aetherling.
Aetherling is just the newest one I'm testing. I also have a singleton Wurmcoil Engine in the deck, but the main benefit to Aetherling is he lets me just end the game. People can't just hole up with a few kitchen finks like they can against Sun Titan.
To piggyback onto this, what happens when you copy Birthing Pod's ability? Will you get two creatures of the same CMC, or will you get one of the sacrificed creatures CMC, and then one with CMC 1?
When you copy an ability it will resolve in essentially the exact same fashion as the original. So any modes chosen, or extra costs paid (like sacrificing a creature) will be considered the same as the original. If you sacrifice a Birds of Paradise to Birthing Pod and copy the ability you get to search for two 2 cmc creatures.
He is incorrect. In order for a creature to count towards convoke you must specifically tap it to pay for the spell. You can tap the creature to attack or you can tap the creature to pay for convoke, but you can't do both.
Whenever you have to make a choice you are required to make a legal one. There are something like 200+ creature types in magic and you have to pick one of them for Cavern of Souls. Similarly with needle/mage you must pick a card that exists and is legal in the format you are playing. Painter's Servant is one of the 5 existing colors.
Tap out style is fun with blue/white, but lately I've been trying a UW list that is more permission based. The main benefit is Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir and he has been quite amazing. He is particularly fun in concert with Consecrated Sphinx, but I've since replaced the Sphinx with Aetherling.
Correct. The entirety of Constricting Sliver's ability is set up upon being triggered so losing the ability later won't change anything. This is different from an ability like Fiend Hunter where the ETB exile ability and the LTB exile ability are completely separate.
Nothing happens. When the creatures are exiled with Constricting Sliver the game sets up a specific duration so it doesn't matter if the creature later loses the ability. Once the sliver leaves the battlefield the exiled creature will return.
I have a question on card abilities. How does priority work with cards like Wild Nacatl, Kird Ape and Loam Lion? I mean with all this talk about Sword of the Meek being bad for aggro decks, don't those three come into play as 1/1s? I mean couldn't you attach SotM to them from the graveyard before they get the bump from lands?
No. Static abilities (which are basically anything that isn't a triggered ability or an activated ability) are always in affect. A Wild Nacatl with a Plains and Mountain in play will always be considered a 3/3 from the moment it hits the battlefield for any effects that care about it. Mentor of the Meek, Sigil Captain
I've tried Condescend, but I've just like Remand better. It's always just 1U and it draws me a card when I care more about card quantity and hitting land drops where scry is more card quality. So long as I slow the opponent down a little I can almost always win by landing a Sphinx, or Sun Titan.
I'm not a huge fan of 4 Mystic Gates personally. Even with 4 hate lands (Ghost Quarter/Tec Edge) colors are not so much the restraining factor as how much mana you get. That being said a 2 Mystic Gate 2 Calciform Pools split is what I'm currently running. The Pools have been absolute all stars for me. They let me tap down to a single land and still have counter magic up (people get burned by this quite often). They let me make the most of passing the turn and not playing anything almost like drawing an extra land each turn in some cases. If control is an at all decent part of the meta they are just amazing.
I've been running a very similar list that is essentially what the last UW deck to 5-0 a premier ran. The main difference is the addition of Remand (Which has been good, but not great), main deck Wurmcoil Engine, and Snapcaster Mage at the cost of D-Spheres and walkers. The deck is cool and a lot of fun. It doesn't consistently 4-0 dailies, but that seems more because few people run it than actual power level.
Well kind of yeah. What he is saying is that BGx is gaining in popularity which is causing the downturn in twin results since BGx is favored against them. Eventually we will probably see BGx lose some market share as the field adjusts to the downtick in Twin, but this can take quite awhile to show up. Particularly since BGx has few bad matchups in general.
The purpose of Sun Titan is to be a hard to deal with finisher (doesn't die to dismember/bolt) who can provide additional controlling elements (or card draw through wall) even if killed. If you are attacking with Sun Titan often enough to use Ghost Quarter as a Strip Mine you've likely won a long time before.
You are absolutely right. I meant to write that it makes all the non-pod midrange matchups extremely good for control, but it looks like I left out a few words.
You reprinted Innocent Blood with an extremely minor drawback. Most people don't comment on card designs like that since there is nothing more to say about them. Innocent Blood in particular is a hard sell in modern since it makes Aggro (an already struggling archetype) even worse while making all the non-pod midrange extremely good. At least with Path you have to give them a land or with Bolt you can't hit a lot of goyfs.
Aetherling is just the newest one I'm testing. I also have a singleton Wurmcoil Engine in the deck, but the main benefit to Aetherling is he lets me just end the game. People can't just hole up with a few kitchen finks like they can against Sun Titan.
When you copy an ability it will resolve in essentially the exact same fashion as the original. So any modes chosen, or extra costs paid (like sacrificing a creature) will be considered the same as the original. If you sacrifice a Birds of Paradise to Birthing Pod and copy the ability you get to search for two 2 cmc creatures.
No. Static abilities (which are basically anything that isn't a triggered ability or an activated ability) are always in affect. A Wild Nacatl with a Plains and Mountain in play will always be considered a 3/3 from the moment it hits the battlefield for any effects that care about it. Mentor of the Meek, Sigil Captain
I've been running a very similar list that is essentially what the last UW deck to 5-0 a premier ran. The main difference is the addition of Remand (Which has been good, but not great), main deck Wurmcoil Engine, and Snapcaster Mage at the cost of D-Spheres and walkers. The deck is cool and a lot of fun. It doesn't consistently 4-0 dailies, but that seems more because few people run it than actual power level.