I don't know how relevant it is with the Eye of Ugin ban just happening and decks testing SotM and AV unbans, but I didn't see much of any graveyard hate in the top decks of the Baltimore Modern Open. Might allow the deck a big of leeway in the early weeks of Modern to at least test out consistency and builds without constantly fearing turn 0-2 deck hate.
Yeah. Always make sure to pack some number of Abrupt Decay in the 75. Sideboard might be safe for now, but I almost always bring it in post sideboarding to get rid of whatever they try to throw at me for game 2.
Now that we're getting down into the gritty details, I've noticed a few lists running 2 Life from the Loam. I agree in one to help activate recurring changes. What are everyone's opinions on a second?
Just top 8 and split at a £1000 store credit tournment with this deck. I 2-0 ever match (Tron, U/W control, Zoo, Affinity), apart from losing 2-1 to Infect and IDing the last round. Prized Amalgam has really improved this deck consistency. I love the fact I can run 4 murderous cut now gurmar angler is out of the list (FYI , I play Jund with 1 watery grave.
Hey Ricosaur, congratulations! Do you mind posting your list?
So, since the banning of the Eye of Ugin, I foresee Tron sticking at Tier 2 and Eldrazi going somewhere, but I can't see where yet. Over the past few months, I had four dedicated slots in my sideboard to this hate, including 3 Fulminator Mage and 1 Crumble to Dust. I took out the Crumble for now and replaced it with other cheaper hate for the other matchups. Fulminator is still great against a lot of decks, especially those that play manlands and Tron in general, which has always been a problematic matchup for us.
On that note, how are sideboards looking as of late? We should readjust according to the new meta.
Hey Colt, you're a year behind on that one! A few of us tested Flamewake Phoenix. It was a fun card for sure, but it got expensive. My mana was tied down elsewhere when I play tested it. I felt like I always wanted to cast another creature. Eventually it got cut. Plus, the double red casting cost is tough on our mana base.
I'm thinking of maybe picking this deck up again. I played it for a couple tourneys like a year ago. Since then Melira Company has reared it's head and it's massively popular in my local meta. How is that matchup? Seems though with all the ground dudes they produce, any tips or thoughts?
As Colt said, I agree on the sideboarding they do. I usually keep my Darkblast handy for this matchup as it hits their BoP and Hierarchs. A really good target for Darkblast is Viscera Seer, since this is one of their main sac outlets. Also, side in hand disruption to take the Collected Company or Chord of Calling. Thoughtseize is better as it takes the relevant four mana spells that IoK can't such as Scapeshift, Collected Company, Cryptic Command, and so on. With the neutering of Eldrazi and Tron, we can expect to see other combo and control coming back
A tech I use against decks like these are a singleton Firespout in the sideboard. It clears out the non-recursive pieces with ease and slows down other aggro decks without exiling our creatures such as Anger of the Gods.
Taking out darkblast seems bad. It not only answers birds and seer but also persisted finks (even if they have an anfenza out as you just respond to the bolster trigger.
Firespout seems cool but at that point I might go for Damnation sooner.
Damnation costs four mana, and that's a problem for this deck. You might be able to cast it once every two or three times. Realistically, it's a problem reaching four mana consistently. If you're keeping a fourth land more often than discarding it, you might want to rethink what you're pitching to the graveyard as a result of Grisly Salvage or similar cards.
On a side note I think there is some real potential for delerium in these decks. With the right card choices Traverse the Ulvenwald could be incredibly potent. It may be worth revisiting the nameless inversion, Haakon, Stromgald Scourge combo just because of tribal. 4x Traverse the Ulvenwald would provide amazing sideboard diversity and allow for a few key singletons. It may be worth the trouble.
12 fetches seems ballsy to say the least! I ran a five color list with only ten fetch lands and a singleton Loam, and I felt that was a bit much. I will also have to disagree on Traverse the Ulvenwald. All it's going to do is dilute the deck of its effectiveness. Our noncreature, nonland cards should only be enablers (Salvage, Looting, Loam) or removal (Decay, Darkblast, etc).
As regards to the Lantern matchup, their deck is designed to lock out opposing decks and then mill them to death. To win this matchup, you must be more aggressive than normal. For instance, I will usually drop a T1 Gravecrawler instead of Looting. It allows for more damage faster before they can drop their Bridge. Before sideboard, save your Abrupt Decay for this target. After sideboard, you'll need to hit a grudge. You will certainly lose a few games from bad luck/skilled opposing pilot, but this is a fragile deck that's heavily weighted in our favor.
I'm thinking of maybe picking this deck up again. I played it for a couple tourneys like a year ago. Since then Melira Company has reared it's head and it's massively popular in my local meta. How is that matchup? Seems though with all the ground dudes they produce, any tips or thoughts?
As Colt said, I agree on the sideboarding they do. I usually keep my Darkblast handy for this matchup as it hits their BoP and Hierarchs. A really good target for Darkblast is Viscera Seer, since this is one of their main sac outlets. Also, side in hand disruption to take the Collected Company or Chord of Calling. Thoughtseize is better as it takes the relevant four mana spells that IoK can't such as Scapeshift, Collected Company, Cryptic Command, and so on. With the neutering of Eldrazi and Tron, we can expect to see other combo and control coming back
A tech I use against decks like these are a singleton Firespout in the sideboard. It clears out the non-recursive pieces with ease and slows down other aggro decks without exiling our creatures such as Anger of the Gods.
We just go so wide with our creatures and we're resilient to removal that buffing our creatures with an equipment isn't what we should be doing. If our deck does too much, it dilutes the effectiveness of our strategy which is utilizing the graveyard to recur as many creatures as possible as often as possible. Hell, if you want to play an enchantment, why not play Batterskull?!
Yeah, that's my feeling. Don't take my comment the wrong way: I'm just looking to see if there is a good combat trick or two that might work to push through with as a one or two of. The previous comment on your testing with ghoultree kind of got me thinking about it.
I might have been a little aggressive. I was just trying to make a point. No hard feelings or anything. I'm always just trying to do constructive criticism or alternative thought processes!
We just go so wide with our creatures and we're resilient to removal that buffing our creatures with an equipment isn't what we should be doing. If our deck does too much, it dilutes the effectiveness of our strategy which is utilizing the graveyard to recur as many creatures as possible as often as possible. Hell, if you want to play an enchantment, why not play Batterskull?!
As a catch all post, what's up with all of the above posts:
a) not running the full playset of Lotleth Troll? He's our primary two drop!
b) Why the playset of Sword of the Meek? It's not a good card for this deck. The only 1/1 we play is Satyr Wayfinder, so that's a 1/20 chance of it coming back. Otherwise it's a dead card in the graveyard. It's not a creature, so it doesn't trigger Vengevine. It does nothing to progress our gameplan.
For other testing purposes, I managed to squeeze a few games in tonight at my LGS. I threw in a playset of Insolent Neonate and it way underperformed. I managed to go off with it once like I wished it would have. I topdecked it 4 out of 7 games tonight and I was not thrilled at all about drawing it!
Killer Manfred - i know you're testing the new guys, how are you getting on?
More i test, the more i want a "narrow" game 1, where I'm only interested in being as fast as i can be. So, it's about goldfishing speed. Here's a few cards I think I've settled on:
Satyr Wayfinder over Grisly Salvage. It allows Turn 3 Vengevines (cast it and a 1-drop on T3), and is still a decent set up card. I rarely pick a creature with salvage now, since Angler is gone, so this seems way better!
I tested Burning Enquiry and Tormenting Voice - both sucked.
I just wondered something... whats your manabase look like? I was on 10 fetches, but sometimes i'd have no targets for my fetches!!! What's your lands looking like? I feel like mine is rubbish at the minute! Cheers in advance
I myself would never go above eight fetches. It's too painful on the life total and you run out of targets if you draw too many. I keep 8, which can be seen in the link I posted above. 4 Verdant Catacombs and some combination of the allied fetches
On that note, how are sideboards looking as of late? We should readjust according to the new meta.
Damnation costs four mana, and that's a problem for this deck. You might be able to cast it once every two or three times. Realistically, it's a problem reaching four mana consistently. If you're keeping a fourth land more often than discarding it, you might want to rethink what you're pitching to the graveyard as a result of Grisly Salvage or similar cards.12 fetches seems ballsy to say the least! I ran a five color list with only ten fetch lands and a singleton Loam, and I felt that was a bit much. I will also have to disagree on Traverse the Ulvenwald. All it's going to do is dilute the deck of its effectiveness. Our noncreature, nonland cards should only be enablers (Salvage, Looting, Loam) or removal (Decay, Darkblast, etc).
As regards to the Lantern matchup, their deck is designed to lock out opposing decks and then mill them to death. To win this matchup, you must be more aggressive than normal. For instance, I will usually drop a T1 Gravecrawler instead of Looting. It allows for more damage faster before they can drop their Bridge. Before sideboard, save your Abrupt Decay for this target. After sideboard, you'll need to hit a grudge. You will certainly lose a few games from bad luck/skilled opposing pilot, but this is a fragile deck that's heavily weighted in our favor.
A tech I use against decks like these are a singleton Firespout in the sideboard. It clears out the non-recursive pieces with ease and slows down other aggro decks without exiling our creatures such as Anger of the Gods.
We just go so wide with our creatures and we're resilient to removal that buffing our creatures with an equipment isn't what we should be doing. If our deck does too much, it dilutes the effectiveness of our strategy which is utilizing the graveyard to recur as many creatures as possible as often as possible. Hell, if you want to play an enchantment, why not play Batterskull?!
a) not running the full playset of Lotleth Troll? He's our primary two drop!
b) Why the playset of Sword of the Meek? It's not a good card for this deck. The only 1/1 we play is Satyr Wayfinder, so that's a 1/20 chance of it coming back. Otherwise it's a dead card in the graveyard. It's not a creature, so it doesn't trigger Vengevine. It does nothing to progress our gameplan.
For other testing purposes, I managed to squeeze a few games in tonight at my LGS. I threw in a playset of Insolent Neonate and it way underperformed. I managed to go off with it once like I wished it would have. I topdecked it 4 out of 7 games tonight and I was not thrilled at all about drawing it!