Definitely seems we have been ***** on by the newest release from wizards. This time companions. Having only online data to go by, companion seems to be the nail in the coffin for slivers in modern. Attempting to adapt to a companion has failed and attempting to battle thru companions is also not working. I have lost all motivation to continue playing this game until companion is addressed in modern. It really sucks as I was on quite a roll during the covid quarantine until companion came out, I had accumulated 2 league 5-0's and a top 16 in a modern challenge shortly after the top 8 at SCG regionals. Even the other streamer on slivers has given up until change is made. It just feels really bad to have your one true enjoyment of the entire game lose all viability.
We had a Sorin/Morophon combo sliver deck go 5-0 this week in a league (will be posted in the next deck list dump) and we had an all-in aggro version make top 20 in the MTGO modern challenge last weekend.
Getting really excited for this weekend and SCG Regionals. Taking the Sedge Chalice list in my signature. Been testing and feeling really good about this list.
I agree with Timba, the Chalice list was built for a meta that no longer exists. I will keep the list around but its time to move on to find something for the new meta. If the meta ever goes back to phoenix type decks again, I'll be ready. I really did love that deck as it turned the corner so hard and fast to kill even taking turns off to vial and chalice.
I took both my Coco list and Chalice lists to SCG open in Dallas this weekend. Coco went 3-4 drop in the main event, Chalice went 4-4 in the classic.
Coco list:
L 0-2 vs G tron
L 1-2 vs Humans
W 2-0 vs uw spirits
W 2-0 vs infect
W 2-0 vs Naya Wrenn
L 1-2 vs G tron
L 0-2 vs living end
Chalice list:
W 2-1 vs mardu stoneblade
W 2-0 vs UW control
W 2-1 vs uw spirits
W 2-1 vs burn***
L 1-2 vs jund
L 0-2 vs gifts storm
L 1-2 vs amulet titan
L 0-2 vs jeskai stoneblade
*** In game 3 vs burn, it came down to me at 2 life, opponent at 10 life, opponent controls only lands and an eidolon of the great revel, I only control a chalice for 1, a chalice for 2, and lands including mutavault. We played the draw, discard, pass game for 8-10 turns. I built up a yard of creatures and got my lands in play up to 7. On the final turn of the game I top decked an 8th land, played it, unearthed a dregscape, 2 predatory's and a galerider to fly over for victory. Everything went to crap after that so I feel I used up all my luck in that match.
Funny thing to mention Spyglass, the night before the classic I was looking over the chalice list and made a sideboard change. I took out the grave hate I intended to run (2 ravenous traps) and replaced them with 2 Pithing Needles. I got to needle a Jace vs uw controil and a Stoneforge Mystic vs jeskai stoneblade.
Yeah, I haven't updated that list after the bans. I'll likely swap them out for ravenous traps but only 2 and jam 2 of something else in there. Thinking of going up to 3 harmonic side. Maybe a Hivelord.
I tried mariners online before deciding to go with diffusions. I am realizing now that online is a terrible indicator to how a deck will perform in paper because the shuffler is awful online. Perhaps mariner is the right call, time will tell. I am please to report the IQ went well on Sunday, I finished 4-2 and 11th out of 42. No top 8 and no deck posting but a good showing.
So the Hollowhead was actually a really good card the few times I saw it that Saturday. I used it mainly to dig for answers when stalled out, mostly discarding lands to find creatures.
The horizon lands were also very clutch, I cannot count how many times I found gas by using one to draw a card.
I have switched to Mariner for the last week over diffusion, it hasnt been great but not terrible either.
Dregscape as a 4 of was definitely a good call. I won the jund match up because I saw 3 of them in game 2.
Round 1, W 2-0 vs Mardu Death's Shadow. On the draw. Opponent started off with fetch shock thoughtseize on turn 1 so it was pretty obvious that he was on some sort of shadow strategy. His first mistake was also made. The only options he had were a Predatory sliver or a Dregscape sliver, he chose the dregscape thinking it would end the threat of unearth. We exchanged creatures for removal spells for a few turns and eventually he landed a shadow at 8/8. He had forgotten the dregscape at this point. I had cast a cloudshredder the turn before so I would have flying, I unearthed dregscape, unearthed a predatory and swung over him for the win. The only things I side boarded in were 2 Frenetic SLivers, took out 1 leeching and the hollowhead. I kept an opening 7 on the draw with 4 lands 2 vials and a chalice thinking if I can drop the chalice for 1 this game is over. He ofcouse starts off fetch shock thoughtseize and takes the chalice. My next few top decks were critical, a frenetic was next on top followed by lords. I flipped 2 coins successfully and was an easy victory once galerider joined the party.
Round 2, L 1-2 vs Lantern control. On the draw. My opponent didnt hide anything, started the game off with a land and a ghoul callers bell, immediately telling me he's on lantern. Sadly, no chalices in hand as chalice shuts lantern down hard. He got a bridge in play on turn 4 and that was pretty much it. Sided in 2 harmonic slivers, removing the dismembers. Game 2 I landed chalice for 1 on turn 2 and that was lights out. Game 3, I also landed chalice for 1 on turn 2 however my opponent cast an engineered explosives for 0 to get rid of it. He assembled 3 bridges and a spellskite behind a padeem. I found my 1 of hollowhead and started digging for a harmonic. At his end step one turn I activated 6 slivers to draw cards. I didnt realize what padeem did so I only dug to find harmonic, I should have been digging for necrotic as well. Fail on my part.
Round 3, W 2-0 vs mono red prowess. On the draw. This matchup was not very memorable, my opponent was playing the prowess version running bedlam revelers and honestly my opponent kept sketchy hand both games and ran out of gas both games. In game 2 she had to pay 5 mana for a reveler just to dump her hand to get 3 new cards. I quickly swarmed both games and didnt see chalice.
Round 4, W 2-0 vs Bant Soulherder. On the play. This was a matchup with a buddy of mine and I had never seen the deck before so I was a bit nervous. My nerves were averted though dropping chalice on 1 on turn 2's of each game which in turn shut off his paths and ephemerates. In game 1 he had a little bit of life playing several snow snakes but they didnt get him very far. Chalice was MVP this match.
Round 5, W 2-0 vs UR Phoenix. On the play. I never saw a single phoenix out of this guy in either game. In game 1 I responded to the 4th spell cast with a thing in the ice trigger on the stack and dismembered it (taking 5 by using a horizon land} was pretty much lights out after removing his only threat at the time. Sided in the leylines and warping wails but didnt see any of them. I dropped a chalice for 1 on turn 2 but a few turns later it was abraded. I soaked up 2 hits from a flipped thing in the ice only to win the next turn with a cloudshredder and sinew in play, I cast 2 leeching slivers and swung for a combined 16 while he was at 13.
Round 6, W 2-0 vs jund. I had a lot of fun in game 2 of this match. Game 1 was a non-game as my opponent kept a 1 lander on a mull and never saw land 2, his only spells were 2 hand disruption spells. I brought in warping wail and frenetics. In game 2, my opponent killed everything I played the first 5 turns. It got down to him empty handed with a tarmogoyf (4/5) and me empty handed with a yard with 9 slivers in it (3 were dregscapes). For the next 2 turns I unearthed 2-3 slivers a turn and swung them in hitting for 6 then 8 and taking him down to 5. He then started leaving the goyf back on defense. So I took a turn off and made a token with hive on his end step. My next top deck was a cloudshredder, cast it, activated my mutavault and unearthed 1 sliver for victory.
Round 7, L 1-2 vs humans f/plague engineer. I got game 1 with 3 leeching slivers and flying. Swining with 6 slivers when 3 are leeching is pretty darn lethal. In games 2 and 3 though, my opponent found his side board plague engineer and proceeded to phantasmal image it both games. This list is simply not built to handle such a threat so I scooped on spot. The only thing that could have saved there was a dismember but they were both buried deep in the deck.
I found out later that this humans player won the whole event. When we were paired in round 7, we were both 5-1 and forced to play to make top 8 because we sat 9th and 10th in standings due to poor tie breakers. I find it satisfying when the person who has to earn their spot in the top 8 ends up winning it all.
Forgot to post this here after getting it up on facebook.
Grand Prix Dallas/Fort Worth Report
Match record 5-3
Round 1: Mono Green Tron 0-2. Neither game did the tron player have natural tron but he did manage turn 4 tron each game. He also managed turn 4 Ugin both games to wipe my board and end each game. In game 2 I was able to get him 1 swing away from death before he top decked Ugin for the game, he stated this after the match. I sided in Harmonic and damping sphere and took out diffusion, dismembers, and a coco.
Round 2: Titanshift 2-1. I didnt have a good enough starting hand in game 1 to compete with the combo and being interacted with along the way, I lost a few slivers to bolts. Game 2 he found an Obstinate Baloth but it did very little for him as I found flying and countered a scapeshift with warping wail. Game 3 a Collected Company landed a Sedge and Shedder onto a field with a Dregscape and Sinew and swung 14 at his life total of 15. Sided in Syphon and Warping wails, and took out dismember, diffusion and one other card (cant remember right now).
Round 3: Merfolk 1-2. I got off to a bad start from the get go. The only damage my opponent took was self inflicted by a horizon land. Game 2 was the opposite of game 1, I only suffered damage from a fetch and shock. Game 3, here is where I error-ed. I played too aggressively during game 3 and was beaten by vial tricks. I had Sedge, Dregscape and Darkheart, I went to cast a sinew from hand and in response he casts dismember on Sedge, I responded by sacing to darkheart, after that I unearthed it and activated my vial sitting on 2 to drop another Sinew into play and then proceeded to combat. After attackers were declared, he activated his vial to drop a harbinger of the tides into play and attempted to bounce Sedge, I saced him again to Darkheart and then he blocked and attempted to kill Darkheart, I saced it. He took 4 from dregscape then on his turn he dismembered a sinew and swung lethal.
Round 4: Jund 2-0. This guy was pretty salty sitting down he'd been frustrated pretty hard already. I hid my strategy on the first turn leading on godless shrine into vial. Turn 2 I dropped the bomb on him with a cavern. That shock was the only damage I took that game. Game 2 was similar, I only suffered self-inflicted damage, a fetch, a dismember and a shock. I dont remember much of this match it was over too fast and the guy was insanely salty to lose to slivers on the mighty jund.
Round 5: Prismatic Omen Scapeshift 2-1. Game 1 was very fast as my opponent had to mulligan down. I took 3 swings to fell the tree. Game 2 I was not sure what he was on but I had an idea because of the lands he played. He played a prismatic omen and was able to interact by lightning helixing a crucial creature. He was able to scapeshift for the win with exactly 18 damage after I shocked myself to 18. Game 3, I was able to warping wail an anger of the gods to keep my predatory, sinew and gemhide in play, I followed it up the next turn by coco into more fun and into a win.
Round 6: The Rock 2-1. Game 1 I won thru 3 scavenging ooze activations. A big swing of 10+ ended game 1. In game 2 the rock did its thing, lots of cheap removal and big dudes, I dealt no damage. Game 3 was a marathon. I fought thru 7 scooze activations and flipped 4 coins from frenetic (2/4 correct, opponent insisted on flipping the coin while I called it). I errored in allowing an early galerider to die and almost gave the match away, but I finally top decked another galerider just as he took me down to 4 life.
Round 7: BW Zombies 2-1. So this guys leads on swamp gravecrawler and I immediately thought it was hogaak. I was very thankful in turn 2 when he dropped unclaimed territory naming zombie. I rolled him pretty hard in game 1, but he did get some things going, he isnt a tribal deck in the sense of lords and getting big dudes, all of his zombies had either etb or dies triggers to gain life, cause the loss of life or both. Game 2he set up a combo of sorts where he had an undying geralfs messenger saced it to carrion feeder have it undie and trigger like 4 other zombies on the ways in and out. I remembered to bring Syphon in for game 3, dumb move not bringing them in for game 2. I ended game 3 with 47 life because zombies dont fly and I was throwing 10+ damage his way each turn and gaining it all back.
Round 8: mono red prowess 0-2. I lost on turn 5 of game 1 due to a non-functional hand, a bad keep. I lost game 2 on turn 3. On said turn 3, he had 2 monastery swiftspears, cast manamorphose, cast a second, cast a third, cast a bolt targeting me, cast a lava spike targeting me, then swung for 12 and I was at exactly 18 life and had no blockers.
Looking back, there was nothing I could do about rounds 1 and 8. I really wish I could get round 3 back though. I played far too aggrssively in that game 3 and I should have backed off. I didnt see any of the top tier decks, hogaak, phoenix, humans or infect, thankfully. I spoke to Bryan Dubois on Sunday, he faced 3 infect decks on day 1, so I feel like I dodged a bullet there. I look forward to the SCG Open in August that will also be held in DFW, but until then there is a few more local IQ's and GenCon to look forward to.
https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernMagic/comments/ffdziv/scg_regionals_kansas_city_top_8_with_slivers/
We had a Sorin/Morophon combo sliver deck go 5-0 this week in a league (will be posted in the next deck list dump) and we had an all-in aggro version make top 20 in the MTGO modern challenge last weekend.
I ended up going 1-5 drop in main event, losing to grixis shadow 3 times.
I played side events though. 2-1 with pioneer slivers and 3-0 with legacy slivers.
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/28-10-19-Sjx-pioneer-slivers/
Here is a list I have been testing out online and a little in paper as well. Its a lot of fun and quite competitive.
Anyone else bringing the hive to their local Pioneer events?
Finished 4-2.
L 0-2 vs dice factory (mana screw both games)
BYE
L 1-2 vs uw stoneblade
W 2-1 vs uw stoneblade
W 2-0 vs sultai control
W 2-0 vs gw eldrazi stoneblade
The list may still have legs...
5-2 at MCQ
4-2 at IQ in KC
4-4 at SCG classic
4-2 at IQ in LR
Perhaps changing up the sideboard will help. Also considering phantasmal image for main vs leeching sliver.
Coco list:
L 0-2 vs G tron
L 1-2 vs Humans
W 2-0 vs uw spirits
W 2-0 vs infect
W 2-0 vs Naya Wrenn
L 1-2 vs G tron
L 0-2 vs living end
Chalice list:
W 2-1 vs mardu stoneblade
W 2-0 vs UW control
W 2-1 vs uw spirits
W 2-1 vs burn***
L 1-2 vs jund
L 0-2 vs gifts storm
L 1-2 vs amulet titan
L 0-2 vs jeskai stoneblade
*** In game 3 vs burn, it came down to me at 2 life, opponent at 10 life, opponent controls only lands and an eidolon of the great revel, I only control a chalice for 1, a chalice for 2, and lands including mutavault. We played the draw, discard, pass game for 8-10 turns. I built up a yard of creatures and got my lands in play up to 7. On the final turn of the game I top decked an 8th land, played it, unearthed a dregscape, 2 predatory's and a galerider to fly over for victory. Everything went to crap after that so I feel I used up all my luck in that match.
Funny thing to mention Spyglass, the night before the classic I was looking over the chalice list and made a sideboard change. I took out the grave hate I intended to run (2 ravenous traps) and replaced them with 2 Pithing Needles. I got to needle a Jace vs uw controil and a Stoneforge Mystic vs jeskai stoneblade.
The horizon lands were also very clutch, I cannot count how many times I found gas by using one to draw a card.
I have switched to Mariner for the last week over diffusion, it hasnt been great but not terrible either.
Dregscape as a 4 of was definitely a good call. I won the jund match up because I saw 3 of them in game 2.
I am not currently considering going to 21 lands.
91 players, 7 rounds of swiss.
Round 1, W 2-0 vs Mardu Death's Shadow. On the draw. Opponent started off with fetch shock thoughtseize on turn 1 so it was pretty obvious that he was on some sort of shadow strategy. His first mistake was also made. The only options he had were a Predatory sliver or a Dregscape sliver, he chose the dregscape thinking it would end the threat of unearth. We exchanged creatures for removal spells for a few turns and eventually he landed a shadow at 8/8. He had forgotten the dregscape at this point. I had cast a cloudshredder the turn before so I would have flying, I unearthed dregscape, unearthed a predatory and swung over him for the win. The only things I side boarded in were 2 Frenetic SLivers, took out 1 leeching and the hollowhead. I kept an opening 7 on the draw with 4 lands 2 vials and a chalice thinking if I can drop the chalice for 1 this game is over. He ofcouse starts off fetch shock thoughtseize and takes the chalice. My next few top decks were critical, a frenetic was next on top followed by lords. I flipped 2 coins successfully and was an easy victory once galerider joined the party.
Round 2, L 1-2 vs Lantern control. On the draw. My opponent didnt hide anything, started the game off with a land and a ghoul callers bell, immediately telling me he's on lantern. Sadly, no chalices in hand as chalice shuts lantern down hard. He got a bridge in play on turn 4 and that was pretty much it. Sided in 2 harmonic slivers, removing the dismembers. Game 2 I landed chalice for 1 on turn 2 and that was lights out. Game 3, I also landed chalice for 1 on turn 2 however my opponent cast an engineered explosives for 0 to get rid of it. He assembled 3 bridges and a spellskite behind a padeem. I found my 1 of hollowhead and started digging for a harmonic. At his end step one turn I activated 6 slivers to draw cards. I didnt realize what padeem did so I only dug to find harmonic, I should have been digging for necrotic as well. Fail on my part.
Round 3, W 2-0 vs mono red prowess. On the draw. This matchup was not very memorable, my opponent was playing the prowess version running bedlam revelers and honestly my opponent kept sketchy hand both games and ran out of gas both games. In game 2 she had to pay 5 mana for a reveler just to dump her hand to get 3 new cards. I quickly swarmed both games and didnt see chalice.
Round 4, W 2-0 vs Bant Soulherder. On the play. This was a matchup with a buddy of mine and I had never seen the deck before so I was a bit nervous. My nerves were averted though dropping chalice on 1 on turn 2's of each game which in turn shut off his paths and ephemerates. In game 1 he had a little bit of life playing several snow snakes but they didnt get him very far. Chalice was MVP this match.
Round 5, W 2-0 vs UR Phoenix. On the play. I never saw a single phoenix out of this guy in either game. In game 1 I responded to the 4th spell cast with a thing in the ice trigger on the stack and dismembered it (taking 5 by using a horizon land} was pretty much lights out after removing his only threat at the time. Sided in the leylines and warping wails but didnt see any of them. I dropped a chalice for 1 on turn 2 but a few turns later it was abraded. I soaked up 2 hits from a flipped thing in the ice only to win the next turn with a cloudshredder and sinew in play, I cast 2 leeching slivers and swung for a combined 16 while he was at 13.
Round 6, W 2-0 vs jund. I had a lot of fun in game 2 of this match. Game 1 was a non-game as my opponent kept a 1 lander on a mull and never saw land 2, his only spells were 2 hand disruption spells. I brought in warping wail and frenetics. In game 2, my opponent killed everything I played the first 5 turns. It got down to him empty handed with a tarmogoyf (4/5) and me empty handed with a yard with 9 slivers in it (3 were dregscapes). For the next 2 turns I unearthed 2-3 slivers a turn and swung them in hitting for 6 then 8 and taking him down to 5. He then started leaving the goyf back on defense. So I took a turn off and made a token with hive on his end step. My next top deck was a cloudshredder, cast it, activated my mutavault and unearthed 1 sliver for victory.
Round 7, L 1-2 vs humans f/plague engineer. I got game 1 with 3 leeching slivers and flying. Swining with 6 slivers when 3 are leeching is pretty darn lethal. In games 2 and 3 though, my opponent found his side board plague engineer and proceeded to phantasmal image it both games. This list is simply not built to handle such a threat so I scooped on spot. The only thing that could have saved there was a dismember but they were both buried deep in the deck.
I found out later that this humans player won the whole event. When we were paired in round 7, we were both 5-1 and forced to play to make top 8 because we sat 9th and 10th in standings due to poor tie breakers. I find it satisfying when the person who has to earn their spot in the top 8 ends up winning it all.
Ended up 5-2 and 15th place
Here is the list I used:
https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/12-08-19-counter-slivers/
Grand Prix Dallas/Fort Worth Report
Match record 5-3
Round 1: Mono Green Tron 0-2. Neither game did the tron player have natural tron but he did manage turn 4 tron each game. He also managed turn 4 Ugin both games to wipe my board and end each game. In game 2 I was able to get him 1 swing away from death before he top decked Ugin for the game, he stated this after the match. I sided in Harmonic and damping sphere and took out diffusion, dismembers, and a coco.
Round 2: Titanshift 2-1. I didnt have a good enough starting hand in game 1 to compete with the combo and being interacted with along the way, I lost a few slivers to bolts. Game 2 he found an Obstinate Baloth but it did very little for him as I found flying and countered a scapeshift with warping wail. Game 3 a Collected Company landed a Sedge and Shedder onto a field with a Dregscape and Sinew and swung 14 at his life total of 15. Sided in Syphon and Warping wails, and took out dismember, diffusion and one other card (cant remember right now).
Round 3: Merfolk 1-2. I got off to a bad start from the get go. The only damage my opponent took was self inflicted by a horizon land. Game 2 was the opposite of game 1, I only suffered damage from a fetch and shock. Game 3, here is where I error-ed. I played too aggressively during game 3 and was beaten by vial tricks. I had Sedge, Dregscape and Darkheart, I went to cast a sinew from hand and in response he casts dismember on Sedge, I responded by sacing to darkheart, after that I unearthed it and activated my vial sitting on 2 to drop another Sinew into play and then proceeded to combat. After attackers were declared, he activated his vial to drop a harbinger of the tides into play and attempted to bounce Sedge, I saced him again to Darkheart and then he blocked and attempted to kill Darkheart, I saced it. He took 4 from dregscape then on his turn he dismembered a sinew and swung lethal.
Round 4: Jund 2-0. This guy was pretty salty sitting down he'd been frustrated pretty hard already. I hid my strategy on the first turn leading on godless shrine into vial. Turn 2 I dropped the bomb on him with a cavern. That shock was the only damage I took that game. Game 2 was similar, I only suffered self-inflicted damage, a fetch, a dismember and a shock. I dont remember much of this match it was over too fast and the guy was insanely salty to lose to slivers on the mighty jund.
Round 5: Prismatic Omen Scapeshift 2-1. Game 1 was very fast as my opponent had to mulligan down. I took 3 swings to fell the tree. Game 2 I was not sure what he was on but I had an idea because of the lands he played. He played a prismatic omen and was able to interact by lightning helixing a crucial creature. He was able to scapeshift for the win with exactly 18 damage after I shocked myself to 18. Game 3, I was able to warping wail an anger of the gods to keep my predatory, sinew and gemhide in play, I followed it up the next turn by coco into more fun and into a win.
Round 6: The Rock 2-1. Game 1 I won thru 3 scavenging ooze activations. A big swing of 10+ ended game 1. In game 2 the rock did its thing, lots of cheap removal and big dudes, I dealt no damage. Game 3 was a marathon. I fought thru 7 scooze activations and flipped 4 coins from frenetic (2/4 correct, opponent insisted on flipping the coin while I called it). I errored in allowing an early galerider to die and almost gave the match away, but I finally top decked another galerider just as he took me down to 4 life.
Round 7: BW Zombies 2-1. So this guys leads on swamp gravecrawler and I immediately thought it was hogaak. I was very thankful in turn 2 when he dropped unclaimed territory naming zombie. I rolled him pretty hard in game 1, but he did get some things going, he isnt a tribal deck in the sense of lords and getting big dudes, all of his zombies had either etb or dies triggers to gain life, cause the loss of life or both. Game 2he set up a combo of sorts where he had an undying geralfs messenger saced it to carrion feeder have it undie and trigger like 4 other zombies on the ways in and out. I remembered to bring Syphon in for game 3, dumb move not bringing them in for game 2. I ended game 3 with 47 life because zombies dont fly and I was throwing 10+ damage his way each turn and gaining it all back.
Round 8: mono red prowess 0-2. I lost on turn 5 of game 1 due to a non-functional hand, a bad keep. I lost game 2 on turn 3. On said turn 3, he had 2 monastery swiftspears, cast manamorphose, cast a second, cast a third, cast a bolt targeting me, cast a lava spike targeting me, then swung for 12 and I was at exactly 18 life and had no blockers.
Looking back, there was nothing I could do about rounds 1 and 8. I really wish I could get round 3 back though. I played far too aggrssively in that game 3 and I should have backed off. I didnt see any of the top tier decks, hogaak, phoenix, humans or infect, thankfully. I spoke to Bryan Dubois on Sunday, he faced 3 infect decks on day 1, so I feel like I dodged a bullet there. I look forward to the SCG Open in August that will also be held in DFW, but until then there is a few more local IQ's and GenCon to look forward to.