I was thinking you probably brought it in against grixis delve and this is why I think (in my personal opinion) that it's overkill. Postboard you have 4 path and 2 purge as exiling effects. If they delve away their graveyard only to have the creature get removed for 1 mana it's perfectly fine. Their snapcaster becomes far less exciting when this is happening and their command is never able to actually rebuy a fatty. On top of this with all the delving going on relic is actually able to keep the graveyard small and forces them to go after it with a command rather than your hand.
Obviously it's all down to decklists and preference (and for me I'm running 4 snapcasters 2 think twice). But I'd not like RiP against say UR Twin or UWx control however having relic in doesn't hurt since you'll get your card back from it still and there are games where you land an early relic and keep their snapcaster turned off the entire time.
I'm curious how people are finding rest in peace in the board. To me it feels like a double edged sword when you're running snapcaster, think twice and logic knot. Relic feels like it does a solid job in the graveyard slot for me. Sure it gets blown up easier but at least it can cycle and you're able to keep your opponents graveyard in check without nuking yourself unless you have to.
I was very tempted by the shoal version when I saw it but it seemed so broken that it felt like something had to give with the bans and I didn't want to lose a bunch of money. That being said the deck is still here so I have now built the deck and been goldfishing on modo. Holy crap the deck just outright wins on turn 3 or earlier an awful lot. I can't believe the deck isn't played more. I realise with an actual opponent things are not as straightforward but even when goldfishing storm turn 3 doesn't happen as much as with this deck. Despite the whole griselbrand theme it actually has a lot more game to it than I originally assumed. The wurm interaction with breach is great especially as your opponent can easily come back from you hitting them for 15 and destroying 2 lands with emrakul.
I played my first ever game against a real person just now and it was against tron. We both didn't do much and then in response to his ugin on turn 5 I just killed instant speed killed him. Game 2 on the draw his first 2 turns were relic map and 2 tron pieces. My first two turns were 2 lands and on turn 2 spirit guide, ritual (4 mana) shoal exiling manamorphose splicing breach for a wurm hit him to 5 and put 15 power of dudes on the table. He went turn 3 tron piece karn scope. I mean damn this deck is degenerate.
(I realised after that if he'd played wurmcoil I'd have only been able to get him to 1 then we'd have a stalemate but my hand had no other lines of play or draw + he had my graveyard in check and threatening tron on turn 3)
I'm looking forward to further learning the play to this deck but I'm in love so far. It reminds me of the kind of broken stuff storm does in legacy but with the bonus of no force of will to play around!
I really hope something does change. Modern might be considered healthy but on modo 16% of the meta is grixis (they've lumped all twin in as grixis but 38% of the twin decks have tasigur so are actually grixis which is where that % comes from)
Even if the exact cards are different they're all running 4 snapcasters, 4 bolts, 4 serum visions some delve fatties, terminate, command, countermagic etc. Not sure what changes could actually change this though.
An argument in favour of unbanning SFM would be that the chance of playing it on turn 2 and getting to put equipment into play on turn 3 and then actually using it on turn 4 is very slim.
You have to get through countermagic, infinite removal, discard and decks that simply don't care about getting attacked by a turn 4 batterskull.
I'd say that with Kolaghan's Command and fast/goldfish decks being all over the place batterskull is currently a very underwhelming card in most matchups.
For dedicated UWx control decks in the right meta Hallowed Moonlight will be a must have maindeck card.
2 mana hard counter and replaces itself against goryo, through the breach, every token making card, chord, company, unburial rites, genesis wave. Buys you a turn against twin combo, buys you time against vial, vengevine and the like. Stops anafenza/melira combo, stops living end, stops empty the warrens. Other niche applications where even though it's 'dead' can stop huntmaster/blade splicer getting an extra dude, can stop resto getting value, can stop finks/voice coming back after a wrath.
Sounds pretty varied to me and that's just what comes off the top of my head.
Card seems pretty poor. Useless against any vigilance effects and limits when you can use it. Not to mention the rare cases where it's only usable as a sorcery and that it's 2 mana.
Voted for visions, dig, dread return and seething song
The way I see it visions will help boost UWx control. It doesn't seem so good in these delve based grixis decks that are looking to put a turn 2/3 fatty in to play and win quickly.
Dig is a card I feel got unfairly banned because wizards panicked when treasure cruise was so broken so should be given a chance to run without cruise to see how it works.
Dread return because reanimating fatties on turn 2-3 doesn't seem bad when we're getting turn 2 griselshoal, primetime and the delve guys. Without cards like cabal therapy, bazaar or led etc the deck is far less potent than the legacy/vintage versions.
Seething Song because I love me some storm and unless wizards bans griselshoal, amulet and infect I see no reason why we can't have another deck that can on very rare occasions go off on turn 2.
I would also consider BBE. I was originally against unbanning after Jund rose up to be big player in the meta but it seems to have gone off again. From my limited playing it just feels like the deck runs out of gas against grixis and has a miserable match against tron and burn.
The deck obviously has something going for it managing to 8-0. I suspect it's more to do with the maindeck empty meaning he's able to surprise people with turn 2 empty for 8-10 goblins and decks just don't have a maindeck answer to that unless you come up against a UWx deck with wrath.
Removing ascension feels very dangerous though. Grixis twin/delver/control make up almost 22% of the meta by themselves and other than cryptic bounce ascension they have zero answers to a resolved ascension even out the board only 30% of the decks run EE. At the same time they're all packing 4 bolts and a lot of removal in terminate, command, electrolyse and the like that kill mr electromancer. So why you'd want to remove your trump card and play (only 3) of your worst option I don't know.
Bolt is literally in more than half the decks in modern right now, terminate in 22% and path in 23% so to my mind Goblin Electromancer is about as poorly positioned as he'll ever be. Your chance of resolving him through counter magic then having him live just seems so low.
If you're at 3BB floating with PA active you're going to win without needing a card that gives you a bunch of off colour mana. People are not using gifts and that's on colour and pretty busted when you can tutor 4 cards then 4 more just needing to get 1 PiF to get access to all of them..
Not being able to control the top of the deck is not a barrier for bob in BGx. If you take the deck reid played recently the CMC of an average draw off bob is 1.25 (not counting things like fetching etc). On top of this he has a finks, 2 huntmaster and 2 ooze in the maindeck as life gain. Apart from the single tasigur the worst you can flip is a huntermaster which gains 2 life when it comes into play making it like a 2 CMC off bob so really your 'big' hits are things like liliana and pulse. If you've had a bob in play from turn 2 and been unable to win before you die from the flips something has gone hugely wrong.
I'm utterly shocked not to see serum visions on there. I do hope that's not a sign wizards want to get rid of the last 1 mana cantrip. They said it wouldn't get printed in standard again so where else would it come...?
Also goblin guide and blood moon missing is a big question mark. I can't see either in standard anytime soon since red has so many powerful 1 drops already that are not about to rotate out and blood moon is a huge killjoy for standard.
I suppose from a limited point of view they didn't want to include path and helix when there is already bolt and electrolyse, not that I'm happy with that.
Obviously it's all down to decklists and preference (and for me I'm running 4 snapcasters 2 think twice). But I'd not like RiP against say UR Twin or UWx control however having relic in doesn't hurt since you'll get your card back from it still and there are games where you land an early relic and keep their snapcaster turned off the entire time.
I played my first ever game against a real person just now and it was against tron. We both didn't do much and then in response to his ugin on turn 5 I just killed instant speed killed him. Game 2 on the draw his first 2 turns were relic map and 2 tron pieces. My first two turns were 2 lands and on turn 2 spirit guide, ritual (4 mana) shoal exiling manamorphose splicing breach for a wurm hit him to 5 and put 15 power of dudes on the table. He went turn 3 tron piece karn scope. I mean damn this deck is degenerate.
(I realised after that if he'd played wurmcoil I'd have only been able to get him to 1 then we'd have a stalemate but my hand had no other lines of play or draw + he had my graveyard in check and threatening tron on turn 3)
I'm looking forward to further learning the play to this deck but I'm in love so far. It reminds me of the kind of broken stuff storm does in legacy but with the bonus of no force of will to play around!
Even if the exact cards are different they're all running 4 snapcasters, 4 bolts, 4 serum visions some delve fatties, terminate, command, countermagic etc. Not sure what changes could actually change this though.
You have to get through countermagic, infinite removal, discard and decks that simply don't care about getting attacked by a turn 4 batterskull.
I'd say that with Kolaghan's Command and fast/goldfish decks being all over the place batterskull is currently a very underwhelming card in most matchups.
2 mana hard counter and replaces itself against goryo, through the breach, every token making card, chord, company, unburial rites, genesis wave. Buys you a turn against twin combo, buys you time against vial, vengevine and the like. Stops anafenza/melira combo, stops living end, stops empty the warrens. Other niche applications where even though it's 'dead' can stop huntmaster/blade splicer getting an extra dude, can stop resto getting value, can stop finks/voice coming back after a wrath.
Sounds pretty varied to me and that's just what comes off the top of my head.
The way I see it visions will help boost UWx control. It doesn't seem so good in these delve based grixis decks that are looking to put a turn 2/3 fatty in to play and win quickly.
Dig is a card I feel got unfairly banned because wizards panicked when treasure cruise was so broken so should be given a chance to run without cruise to see how it works.
Dread return because reanimating fatties on turn 2-3 doesn't seem bad when we're getting turn 2 griselshoal, primetime and the delve guys. Without cards like cabal therapy, bazaar or led etc the deck is far less potent than the legacy/vintage versions.
Seething Song because I love me some storm and unless wizards bans griselshoal, amulet and infect I see no reason why we can't have another deck that can on very rare occasions go off on turn 2.
I would also consider BBE. I was originally against unbanning after Jund rose up to be big player in the meta but it seems to have gone off again. From my limited playing it just feels like the deck runs out of gas against grixis and has a miserable match against tron and burn.
Removing ascension feels very dangerous though. Grixis twin/delver/control make up almost 22% of the meta by themselves and other than cryptic bounce ascension they have zero answers to a resolved ascension even out the board only 30% of the decks run EE. At the same time they're all packing 4 bolts and a lot of removal in terminate, command, electrolyse and the like that kill mr electromancer. So why you'd want to remove your trump card and play (only 3) of your worst option I don't know.
Bolt is literally in more than half the decks in modern right now, terminate in 22% and path in 23% so to my mind Goblin Electromancer is about as poorly positioned as he'll ever be. Your chance of resolving him through counter magic then having him live just seems so low.
If you're at 3BB floating with PA active you're going to win without needing a card that gives you a bunch of off colour mana. People are not using gifts and that's on colour and pretty busted when you can tutor 4 cards then 4 more just needing to get 1 PiF to get access to all of them..
Second attempt - Karn, foil Leyline, Hurkyl's, Hierach
Final attempt - Literally nothing perhaps $15 of junk
Feels like I'm more likely to get what I did on my last attempt than first two if I actually did a sealed event. No way I'm gambling $60 on this.
Also goblin guide and blood moon missing is a big question mark. I can't see either in standard anytime soon since red has so many powerful 1 drops already that are not about to rotate out and blood moon is a huge killjoy for standard.
I suppose from a limited point of view they didn't want to include path and helix when there is already bolt and electrolyse, not that I'm happy with that.