Yo yo yo . Shok here. Trinisphere in the side is good against Phoenix decks. Storm. If you get to 7 mana Karn plus 3ball is a good little roadblock. Hits and stalls more than Chalice.
Revoker is in their for all the random useless planeswalkers. It having wheels and turns sideways is the plus side over spyglass or needle.
Leylines just win games. Blatantly steal and end games on the spot.
I don’t see how bridge and cloister can be playable. It’s not. Abort that.
The sideboard can have anything you want in there really. I tried to use targets that gave me the option to remove things from the board quickly(e.e. And ballista). Cards that can stall when I have clear board .(cotv, 3ball, revoker actually is a blocker quite often. ) and then win conditions when we have ample mana. Everything in the sideboard should be cheap cmcs. Is it right? I don’t know .
Hey man I'm always trying new cards and I'm always getting ridiculed. I suppose I need to start making appearances in the real world. But you guys definitely get all worked on up on the "2" kinds of lists. I have always ran talisman and or 1x gemstone cavern. Well the caverns came on board when the format picked up pace by a turn. But anyways, I would love for someone like Pierakor to play "competitive leagues" and I would like him to play a modern challenge here or there. Lord knows i've only played 2 challenges in the last 3 months. Life has been a little hectic as of late. But here is a worthy discussion and ignore any previous thoughts on this card... Silent Arbiter.
Can / is it good right now?
I am not sure. I have not played it in a very very long time. However I have been told that it is very good in todays meta. I can be on board with running him however we must delve into the logic behind it deeper. If we run 1x Silent Arbiter, I have these questions for you.
1. Are we running any sort of "tutor" effect for him?
2. Silent Arbiter is dead vs control, combo (i realize its great v Empty the Warrens), scapeshift, and some others. Is he a turn late and a dollar short on the draw game 1 v the aggressive decks?
3. Leads me to another concern, are we running any sort of acceleration in our list to speed up the process of getting this dude into play?
4. Is Silent Arbiter worth a "flex" slot over other great 4 drops like gifts ungiven, solemn, karn scion hookeydo thingamajig whatchamacallit guy, or whatever random powerful cards you can think of. Maindeck relics, spellskites, platinum angels.
5. Does this one slot really make the deck that much better or that much worse? I'll help answer this one. There is no right or wrong answer its just like anything else. It all hinges on your interpretation of "powerful" or "gamebreaking" in whatever scenarios or situations you run through in your brain prior to playing a tournament of any kind.
And a closing sentiment regarding the "2" styles of this deck. I, being shoktroopa, have always played magic the gathering with the concept of wanting to keep my opponent guessing at all times. Predictability and straight forwardness( Like this UR phoenix deck and burn) take away a very important aspect of spell slinging. The lists that I tend to play always have the ability to win games on the play or on the draw. The talismans, gemstone cavern, spell snares or pierces, are there for me to be able sideboard in our out depending on being on the play or draw. I believe we have to be able to cast reactive spells (removal, bounce, counterspells) as early and as effectively as possible in 75% of the games you play in modern. When I don't have caverns or talismans i feel like there is no way for me to dig myself out of an early hole against these aggro decks. Island - Talismans slots can't be compared because the ability to be a turn faster and have a colored source is insane sometimes. Do you always need or want the talismans?? absolutely not. Hence why they get boarded out all the time. But when you do need that extra speed boost having them in your list can be "game changing". There is no right or wrong reason to run any card and its your interpretation of the format and what you feel people will be playing on that given day. There is logic and reason behind many of the random ass card choices or decisions I make but does that make them right or wrong? Who knows.
I need some real convincing on whether or not Silent Arbiter is playable. I'm trying to get people to buy into Trading Post as playable. =)
You must know when to pump the brakes and play draw go. When to grab a beer and put her in cruise control. And when to have them "smell the glove" and drop that bomb like its hot. That is the jist of how to play this deck in my humble opinion
1x each talisman of black and white variety is a lifestyle choice. There is no right or wrong. You want blue sources though. "the car ran real good. I"m not sure what to do with my hands."
U tron may or may not have won the modern challenge this week on the mtgo. Hopefully the guy will write a brief report. Name was Shoktroopa I think. No clue who he is.
No doubt I drop a few leagues. Hell, I drop at 0-1 if i get frustrated with the series of events that transpired. That being said, I'm like Maverick in Top Gun with this deck. I'm always running random things and maintain a really good success rate. I do not play outside of what is on stream, occasional league or two , and my reputation speaks for itself. I bring a knife to a gun fight online game 1 and we hold our own. I am not claiming unstoppable status. I will claim I win a hell of a lot more than I lose and an average 3-2 finish league is well below the set standards. I've always said "play what cards you like to play and that fit your style". There is no right right or wrong. The "core" of the deck has remained the same it seems since it's inception. I am not the end of the be all of what to play, but I am usually on point on how to keep this thing competitive. I am very glad that everyone can interpret the base of this deck and put whatever cards they want to win with and make it competitive. I say keep winning and keep trying out new cards as it can only expand your knowledge and the communities.
Talisman help me out game 1 quite a bit.. Gives us some acceleration and also extra blue. Running cards like gifts and even the aetherspouts, those talismans speed us up a turn. In an environment where lots of creatures are running around talismans can only help us game 1. Supreme will is out in favor of the gifts ungiven. I haven't played in a while, and I also have not looked at what is the most popular at this time. I added the spouts to help combat hollow one.dec. We are running hot right now.
is someone trying to dethrone me? =) nice. keep winning win this deck.... i've been running well too.. haven't played much but still getting 4-1's. couple 3-2's with a list that had trade routes, crucible, and trading post =).
Hey dudes... Mono U tron got 3rd in the modern challenge on magic online this past weekend. (could have been someone we know. cough cough). I think darkx a few posts ago hit the nail on the head. It is very hard to replace 90% of the slots because they really are giving you the absolute maximum value possible in many situations throughout magical games. Not to inflate my ego but I can safely say that this deck hasn't changed a whole lot over the past 5 years and yet we've withstood the test of time. I still manage to win a LOT more than I lose with numerous variants of this masterpiece. But cutting cards in the main is gonna be very hard to due because every card has it's reason for being there. Remands are bad right now on the draw game 1 against the fast decks in modern right now. Understandable. My counter argument is this: Remand is really good against any form of control, tron, and combo. Remand is also pretty good against most of the aggro decks when we are on the play. So to cut remand completely from the main is absolutely ridiculous. You don't know what you're playing against game 1 anyway so I'll take my chances that I am a superior thrower of the dice, or that you might know what your opponent is on before you even start.
You can't run cards like lotus bloom. I mean it's cool to think about but in reality look at what you do to yourself. In a format where the first 3 turns can dictate 90% of the matches I really don't want to toss a card away turn 1 and hope turn 4 the 3 Blue mana puts me over the top (best case scenario you have tron when bloom comes in). Losing that card and telling your opponent "hey this is what i'm doing" isn't how I like to roll. Pitch to TFK i can't argue with but other cards can do that as well. And how many do you run? gotta be 4x if you want it turn 1 suspended. Otherwise its unplayable. Then when you mulligan on the play or draw and have bloom in hand with the other random cards in our deck... Its gonna get ugly really fast. Ya can't run cards like blooms. You want cards that will accel you before turn 4 , replace themselves, stall your opponent while we continue to move onward, or game winners and back breakers.
There are about 5 slots that can tuned to your liking but messing with more is often going to lead you astray and to bad results. I built this thing from card 1 to 75 and have created several other decks back in my standard heyday and I'm not one to tell you what to actually do at the end of the day but this deck and slight variants can win at an insane clip / rate.
Quick note on consistency: I agree, some games we look like noobs and get destroyed, obliterated, dump trucked, demolished, bent over, whatever you want to say. But I win more games because there are so many lines and options in this deck that you don't even realize at first glance. And the tide can turn very quickly with this thing. Can blow peoples minds sometimes how we manage to steal games. But like I said when we lose sometimes we look really bad. I've always like talismans for consistency. Then i get told a blue source for 2 colorless mana isn't adding consistency because it "jacks up" your mulligan decisions. "Can't keep a hand with no blue lands and a talisman"... Why the hell not I always say. Gamblers gonna gamble. Spell snares Spell Pierces I use when the formats gets hyper aggro. The manabase is as smooth as we will ever get. But we've got enough colored sources to go with tron . Solemn helps as well. I guess my suggestion is to change a few slots in the main however you deem necessary and or try cards that will help early game or mulliganing issues.
Went 7-2 in the modern challenge. 3rd place.
Rd 1: G tron 2-1
Rd 2: Lantern 2-0
Rd 3: UWR control 2-0
Rd 4: Affinity 1-2
Rd 5: UW control 2-1
Rd 6: Eldrazi Tron 2-0
Rd 7: RG Through the Breach 2-0
Top8: G tron 2-1
Top4: Storm 0-2
3rd place.
Only had 3 dismember in the 75.. Wish i had 4 and a spatial along with 2 Engineered Explosives in the 75. I had two aetherspouts and they are useless.
4 Thirst for knowledge
4 Condescend
3 Remand
1 Supreme Will
1 Gifts Ungiven
3 Repeal
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Trinket Mage
1 Treasure Mage
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Sundering Titan
1 Platinum Angel
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Walking Ballista
2 Mindslaver
1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
1 Talisman of Dominance
1 Oblivion Stone
4 Expedition Map
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Chalice of the Void
12 tron
1 oboro
4 island
2 snow covered island
1 academy ruins
1 tectonic edge
1 gemstone caverns
1 tolaria west
SIDEBOARD
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Chalice of the Void
2 Spreading Seas
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Relic of Progenitis
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Hangarback Walker
1 Field of Ruins
3 Dismember
2 Aetherspouts
Revoker is in their for all the random useless planeswalkers. It having wheels and turns sideways is the plus side over spyglass or needle.
Leylines just win games. Blatantly steal and end games on the spot.
I don’t see how bridge and cloister can be playable. It’s not. Abort that.
The sideboard can have anything you want in there really. I tried to use targets that gave me the option to remove things from the board quickly(e.e. And ballista). Cards that can stall when I have clear board .(cotv, 3ball, revoker actually is a blocker quite often. ) and then win conditions when we have ample mana. Everything in the sideboard should be cheap cmcs. Is it right? I don’t know .
Can / is it good right now?
I am not sure. I have not played it in a very very long time. However I have been told that it is very good in todays meta. I can be on board with running him however we must delve into the logic behind it deeper. If we run 1x Silent Arbiter, I have these questions for you.
1. Are we running any sort of "tutor" effect for him?
2. Silent Arbiter is dead vs control, combo (i realize its great v Empty the Warrens), scapeshift, and some others. Is he a turn late and a dollar short on the draw game 1 v the aggressive decks?
3. Leads me to another concern, are we running any sort of acceleration in our list to speed up the process of getting this dude into play?
4. Is Silent Arbiter worth a "flex" slot over other great 4 drops like gifts ungiven, solemn, karn scion hookeydo thingamajig whatchamacallit guy, or whatever random powerful cards you can think of. Maindeck relics, spellskites, platinum angels.
5. Does this one slot really make the deck that much better or that much worse? I'll help answer this one. There is no right or wrong answer its just like anything else. It all hinges on your interpretation of "powerful" or "gamebreaking" in whatever scenarios or situations you run through in your brain prior to playing a tournament of any kind.
And a closing sentiment regarding the "2" styles of this deck. I, being shoktroopa, have always played magic the gathering with the concept of wanting to keep my opponent guessing at all times. Predictability and straight forwardness( Like this UR phoenix deck and burn) take away a very important aspect of spell slinging. The lists that I tend to play always have the ability to win games on the play or on the draw. The talismans, gemstone cavern, spell snares or pierces, are there for me to be able sideboard in our out depending on being on the play or draw. I believe we have to be able to cast reactive spells (removal, bounce, counterspells) as early and as effectively as possible in 75% of the games you play in modern. When I don't have caverns or talismans i feel like there is no way for me to dig myself out of an early hole against these aggro decks. Island - Talismans slots can't be compared because the ability to be a turn faster and have a colored source is insane sometimes. Do you always need or want the talismans?? absolutely not. Hence why they get boarded out all the time. But when you do need that extra speed boost having them in your list can be "game changing". There is no right or wrong reason to run any card and its your interpretation of the format and what you feel people will be playing on that given day. There is logic and reason behind many of the random ass card choices or decisions I make but does that make them right or wrong? Who knows.
I need some real convincing on whether or not Silent Arbiter is playable. I'm trying to get people to buy into Trading Post as playable. =)
You can't run cards like lotus bloom. I mean it's cool to think about but in reality look at what you do to yourself. In a format where the first 3 turns can dictate 90% of the matches I really don't want to toss a card away turn 1 and hope turn 4 the 3 Blue mana puts me over the top (best case scenario you have tron when bloom comes in). Losing that card and telling your opponent "hey this is what i'm doing" isn't how I like to roll. Pitch to TFK i can't argue with but other cards can do that as well. And how many do you run? gotta be 4x if you want it turn 1 suspended. Otherwise its unplayable. Then when you mulligan on the play or draw and have bloom in hand with the other random cards in our deck... Its gonna get ugly really fast. Ya can't run cards like blooms. You want cards that will accel you before turn 4 , replace themselves, stall your opponent while we continue to move onward, or game winners and back breakers.
There are about 5 slots that can tuned to your liking but messing with more is often going to lead you astray and to bad results. I built this thing from card 1 to 75 and have created several other decks back in my standard heyday and I'm not one to tell you what to actually do at the end of the day but this deck and slight variants can win at an insane clip / rate.
Quick note on consistency: I agree, some games we look like noobs and get destroyed, obliterated, dump trucked, demolished, bent over, whatever you want to say. But I win more games because there are so many lines and options in this deck that you don't even realize at first glance. And the tide can turn very quickly with this thing. Can blow peoples minds sometimes how we manage to steal games. But like I said when we lose sometimes we look really bad. I've always like talismans for consistency. Then i get told a blue source for 2 colorless mana isn't adding consistency because it "jacks up" your mulligan decisions. "Can't keep a hand with no blue lands and a talisman"... Why the hell not I always say. Gamblers gonna gamble. Spell snares Spell Pierces I use when the formats gets hyper aggro. The manabase is as smooth as we will ever get. But we've got enough colored sources to go with tron . Solemn helps as well. I guess my suggestion is to change a few slots in the main however you deem necessary and or try cards that will help early game or mulliganing issues.
Rd 1: G tron 2-1
Rd 2: Lantern 2-0
Rd 3: UWR control 2-0
Rd 4: Affinity 1-2
Rd 5: UW control 2-1
Rd 6: Eldrazi Tron 2-0
Rd 7: RG Through the Breach 2-0
Top8: G tron 2-1
Top4: Storm 0-2
3rd place.
Only had 3 dismember in the 75.. Wish i had 4 and a spatial along with 2 Engineered Explosives in the 75. I had two aetherspouts and they are useless.
4 Thirst for knowledge
4 Condescend
3 Remand
1 Supreme Will
1 Gifts Ungiven
3 Repeal
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Trinket Mage
1 Treasure Mage
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Sundering Titan
1 Platinum Angel
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Walking Ballista
2 Mindslaver
1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
1 Talisman of Dominance
1 Oblivion Stone
4 Expedition Map
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Chalice of the Void
12 tron
1 oboro
4 island
2 snow covered island
1 academy ruins
1 tectonic edge
1 gemstone caverns
1 tolaria west
SIDEBOARD
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Chalice of the Void
2 Spreading Seas
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Relic of Progenitis
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Hangarback Walker
1 Field of Ruins
3 Dismember
2 Aetherspouts