Izzet Staticaster can be dealt with by Lightning Axe. It doesn't repeatedly untap, so you can still get around it. Plus, even if it wipes your Nacromobae or something, your Bloodghasts and such still stick around. It targets creature name, not type. Creatures should recur faster than the 1 of Izzet can deal with them (usually only a one of in the sideboard). You can get a -3/-3 out of Darkblast in one turn too, depending on enablers. (e.g., If you have Darkblast and Faithless Looting in hand at start of turn you can get -4/-4).
Orzhov Pontiff is a problem too if Abzan/CoCo is popular, but dealt with by Darkblast.
Jund Charm may be worth considering depending how many Izzet's you find in the meta (Darkblast + Jund), plus it's good vs. mirror and helpful vs. tokens. Grixis Charm could also be useful, and also possibly deal with some X4s (and replace Rally the Peasants). I know the color base is an issue for either, but could be arguable if Staticasters are an issue.
However, Grixis seems to be in a bad place right now (I'm a Grixis player), although UWR control is always around. So I'm wondering whether we'll see as many Izzet Staticasters around.
I agree with this. I'm on the 4/3/2 split myself. I always felt 4 chord too much, and Linvala, Sigarda, and Redcap are easier to get out with a couple Evo. Your list is close to mine main, I just do a 2/1 Seer/Cartel split. Some differences in the board, but that's probably just meta.
Problem with Ghost Quarter as a one of is it doesn't help us advance much, it's hard to tutor, and it sets us back mana as well. Burn isn't too worried about waiting a turn, and if you grab your one GQ after turn four vs Tron and you aren't racing, we are in trouble. Best thing to do is not cover all bases but build to our strengths, with a SB focused on our biggest threats (graveyard hate and mirror). We run a low land count, so that one colorless land going to the graveyard can be crippling. Even with Loam.
What about Mulch? I would think filling hand with lands and filling the graveyard would be good? Although it's random graveyard filling, could put non dredge/flashback cards in the yard. Yes, the cards that let you select specific cards to discard are probably better.
I was using ground seal. But see a few pages back a discussion about it. It's a little narrow, and I think I want to destroy their hate. Plus I like life from the loam.
In a meta with lots of small zoo and bushwhacker zoo, and 3/3s but not 4/4s early, does Souls of the Faultless have a SB slot and become modern relevant? I realize wall of roots and spellskite are core cards, but Redcap is our only source of reach? Since Blood Artist and Zullaport were too weak. 0/4 passes bolt test.
You can see my current decks in my signature. Enjoying Mardu Burn. Reason I was a Grixis Twin and Mardu Dragons (standard) player are evident. After Twin ban and trying to retool, I'm quite happy now. Went through several months of Boros and Naya Twin, alternating with CoCo given Eldrazi, but have given my daughter the components for Gruul and Bushwhacker Zoo. Going Mardu Burn I'm not missing Naya. Players aren't happy to see Bump in the Night. Calling it spicy.
I really want to leave this hexmage thing behind. A year ago it was brought up in the CoCo forum, along with Hex Parasite. For one day. We stuck with Phyrexian Revoker. I know just because a card isn't usually played, doesn't mean it can't find a place... it can even work in MTGO. But I've never seen a Hexmage hit the board in any modern paper meta I've played in. I see Basilisk Collars more. And those are incredibly rare to be played in modern and cause a raised eyebrow.
It was asked earlier what I do to play two Dreadbores. I play only 1 Terminate and one cut 75. Im hoping kalitas, bolts, dark dwellers, and tas coupled with snappy, k command, and pkn thopters keep me in the game. Walkers are more an issue right now. But only one extra slot. You can always attack Nahiri or Lily.
So I don't see a lot of decklist with Ground Seal. Im not a dredge player, but my teen daughter likes Stompy,Dredgevine, Zoo, Slivers. Im a Burn, Delver, CoCo player. I usually don't sideboard against her because she gets mad!! It's easy to cut her off. But helping her with Dredgevine because she wants to try it again, im thinking Ground Seal could be spicy tech game 2.
Here's how I tweaked hers. It seems good against my decks, or keeps me thinking.
Relatively few lists don't have a couple of 4 CMC+ cards to chord for or hardcast. These include Linvala, Redcap, Archangel of Thune. I argued against spells and 4 CMC+ creatures, but in playtesting, having Linvala SB and Redcap MB has been better than without them. Coco will whiff on them, but I think it's worth having 3-4 closers like this. If they get sent to the bottom of the library, I just fetch to shuffle the library at that point.
I don't really understand how Vampire Hexmage is better than Dreadbore. Molten Rain is a defensible alternative to Fulminator, but Fulminator is a 2/2. That extra 1 toughness does matter with a number of -1/-1 effects in Modern. Is Hexmage then an equivalent alternative to Dreadbore? Dreadbore also grabs a creature as not every modern deck plays walkers. Once Jeskai hate ramps up I don't think Nahiri is going to be quite as worrisome as she seems these past GPs. How is casting a creature, then sacing it better than sorcery that you can Snap back? I only play one Rise/Fall sideboard and 2 K-Command main so bringing back Hexmage or Fulminator is not as reliable as using Snappy, then using K-Command to bring back Snappy.
With venser, if you have 4 plus mana untapped, playing blue, they are saving up for when you tap out. If it was 3cmc, maybe, or if it left a blocker (1/4) or flyer (3/1) it would be more modernrelevant.
Orzhov Pontiff is a problem too if Abzan/CoCo is popular, but dealt with by Darkblast.
Jund Charm may be worth considering depending how many Izzet's you find in the meta (Darkblast + Jund), plus it's good vs. mirror and helpful vs. tokens. Grixis Charm could also be useful, and also possibly deal with some X4s (and replace Rally the Peasants). I know the color base is an issue for either, but could be arguable if Staticasters are an issue.
However, Grixis seems to be in a bad place right now (I'm a Grixis player), although UWR control is always around. So I'm wondering whether we'll see as many Izzet Staticasters around.
Only in certain metas. I don't think you need 8. If you are going naya or gruul, then go 4 atarkas and 2 skullcrack at most IMHO.
It was asked earlier what I do to play two Dreadbores. I play only 1 Terminate and one cut 75. Im hoping kalitas, bolts, dark dwellers, and tas coupled with snappy, k command, and pkn thopters keep me in the game. Walkers are more an issue right now. But only one extra slot. You can always attack Nahiri or Lily.
Here's how I tweaked hers. It seems good against my decks, or keeps me thinking.
1 Blood Crypt
4 Bloodstained Mire
2 Dakmor Salvage
2 Forest
2 Overgrown Tomb
2 Stomping Ground
1 Swamp
1 Mountain
1 Verdant Catacombs
2 Wooded Foothills
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Watery Grave
Spells
1 Darkblast
4 Faithless Looting
2 Lightning Axe
1 Life from the Loam
4 Gravecrawler
4 Lotleth Troll
1 Rotting Rats
1 Tymaret, the Murder King
3 Stinkweed Imp
4 Vengevine
4 Prized Amalgam
4 Insolent Neonate
3 Golgari Grave-Troll
4 Bloodghast
2 Golgari Charm
2 Gnaw to the Bone
1 Darkblast
3 Ancient Grudge
1 Murderous Cut
3 Ground Seal
1 Life from the Loam
2 Abrupt Decay