HOLLOW ONE PRIMER
Introduction
Hollow One is a recent card that is often a turn 1 play of a Burning Inquiry or Street Wraith+Faithless Looting, when you simply cast it for . Alternatively you can play it for on turn 2 from a Faithless Looting or from a Goblin Lore for . Anyway, you will get an early 4/4 Bolt-proof/Push-proof creature for nearly no effort. Next to Hollow One Flameblade Adept and Flamewake Phoenix are played, which synergize with discard and with each other. With this and some graveyard support you can turn it into a very fast and very resilient deck.
History
There is not that much history yet, but Hollow One decks are on the rise recently. To my knowledge the first record of Hollow One in Modern is from Julian Grace-Martin, who finished 35th in an SCG Open and later 5-0ed a MTGO Competitive League with a Vengevine version in August 2017. People were not familiar with Hollow One at that time and simply named the deck "Dredge" despite it had literally 0 dredge cards. Not much later, Peter Hollman was experimenting in a Rakdos setting, and discovered you don't strictly need Vengevine to make the deck work. Many finishes followed in several tournaments and since the PT it is a widely known deck.
Decklists
There are many ways you can use your Hollow Ones. All styles play pretty different.
1) Gruul Hyperaggro.
This was the first iteration of the deck. It probably has the most maximum power, with perhaps a tradeoff with consistency. Vengevine can make your draws unbeatable, but it is sometimes hard to find the trigger. Anyway, if you want to experience potential turn 1's like THIS, then this deck may be something for you.
5-0 Competitive Modern League 6 Nov 2018 by DepianMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
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CREATURES 4 Flameblade Adept 4 Flamewake Phoenix 3 Grim Lavamancer 4 Insolent Neonate 4 Noose Constrictor 2 Squee, Goblin Nabob 4 Hollow One 4 Vengevine OTHER 2 Lightning Axe 4 Fiery Temper 4 Faithless Looting 1 Forest 4 Street Wraith | LANDS 2 Mountain 3 Stomping Ground 3 Copperline Gorge 4 Bloodstained Mire 4 Wooded Foothills | SIDEBOARD 2 Ancient Grudge 1 Barrage of Boulders 1 Damping Sphere 3 Destructive Revelry 2 Gnaw to the Bone 4 Leyline of the Void 2 Pithing Needle |
This deck is perhaps a little slower than the version above. However, the cards in the deck are a little less situational. Bloodghast is lot easier to trigger than Vengevine, but it makes a lot less impact. In addition, unline most Vengevine decks, these decks capitalize on discard. This makes Flameblade Adept an excellent and reliable 1-drop. Whereas the Gruul deck was the first appearance of Hollow One, the Rakdos deck is thus far the most succesful version with good PT finishes.
This is the deck that finished 4th at the PT. The other 3 decks that I saw at the PT have an identical 60 and near-identical sideboard, so, this is the deck where you should start. Actually in about a year's time (it's Dec 2018 now), the maindeck didn't change at all. Most variation will be in the sideboard.
Ken Yukuhiro 4th place PT BilbaoMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
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CREATURES (24) 4 Bloodghast 4 Flameblade Adept 4 Flamewake Phoenix 3 Gurmag Angler 4 Hollow One 4 Street Wraith 1 Tasigur, the Golden Fang SPELLS (18) 4 Burning Inquiry 2 Collective Brutality 4 Faithless Looting 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Goblin Lore | LANDS (18) 2 Mountain 1 Scalding Tarn 1 Stomping Ground 1 Swamp 4 Bloodstained Mire 2 Wooded Foothills 1 Arid Mesa 3 Blackcleave Cliffs 3 Blood Crypt | SIDEBOARD 2 Ancient Grudge 2 Big Game Hunter 2 Blood Moon 1 Collective Brutality 2 Fatal Push 3 Grim Lavamancer 3 Leyline of the Void |
Other versions
_goblinlackey (4th Place) Modern Challenge #11104098 on 01/13/2018Magic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
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CREATURES 4 Bloodghast 4 Flameblade Adept 3 Flamewake Phoenix 4 Gurmag Angler 4 Hollow One 4 Street Wraith SPELLS 4 Burning Inquiry 2 Collective Brutality 4 Faithless Looting 4 Goblin Lore 4 Lightning Bolt | LANDS 3 Arid Mesa 3 Blackcleave Cliffs 2 Blood Crypt 4 Bloodstained Mire 4 Mountain 1 Stomping Ground 2 Swamp | SIDEBOARD 3 Ancient Grudge 1 Big Game Hunter 2 Blood Moon 2 Fatal Push 1 Grim Lavamancer 4 Leyline of the Void 2 Thoughtseize |
NuBlkAu (7th Place) Modern Challenge #11104098 on 01/13/2018Magic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
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CREATURES 1 Bedlam Reveler 4 Bloodghast 4 Flameblade Adept 3 Flamewake Phoenix 3 Gurmag Angler 4 Hollow One 4 Street Wraith SPELLS 4 Burning Inquiry 3 Edge of Autumn 4 Faithless Looting 3 Goblin Lore 1 Fiery Temper 4 Lightning Bolt | LANDS 4 Blackcleave Cliffs 2 Blood Crypt 4 Bloodstained Mire 3 Mountain 1 Stomping Ground 1 Swamp 3 Wooded Foothills | SIDEBOARD 2 Ancient Grudge 2 Big Game Hunter 2 Blood Moon 1 Engineered Explosives 1 Hazoret the Fervent 2 Lightning Axe 3 Nihil Spellbomb 2 Thoughtseize |
jdmflcl's deck (a player with >70% win rate in MTGO Competitive LeaguesMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
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CREATURES 4 Bloodghast 4 Flameblade Adept 4 Flamewake Phoenix 3 Gurmag Angler 4 Hollow One 4 Street Wraith SPELLS 4 Burning Inquiry 4 Faithless Looting 4 Goblin Lore 4 Lightning Bolt 2 Fiery Temper 2 Edge of Autumn | LANDS 3 Scalding Tarn 2 Blackcleave Cliffs 3 Blood Crypt 4 Bloodstained Mire 3 Mountain 1 Stomping Ground 1 Swamp | SIDEBOARD 2 Blood Moon 2 Big Game Hunter 2 Ancient Grudge 2 Grim Lavamancer 4 Leyline of the Void 1 Lightning Axe 2 Collective Brutality |
This direction of the deck is very spell focused. Phoenix is like an inverted Vengevine, so they are totally not compatible with each other. For the rest this deck blends elements from the Rakdos version together with extra spells. It is recently consistently placing results in the MTGO Competitive Leagues and perhaps paper will follow.
Jund. In case you want to mix all the best cards together. Gurmag Angler is usually better than Hooting Mandrils. Also you can play both Vengevine and Bloodghast, with the footnote that together they aren't the best pair as they don't trigger each other. Also I have observed people playing Death's Shadow in Hollow One Jund lists. But then, which Modern deck doesn't have a Death's Shadow variant? Then there is now also a Temur variant. Blue has some looting spells and it has useful cards such as Stubborn Denial, so you can also experiment with that.
Competitive Modern League 2018-01-04, (5-0) by Warren138Magic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
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CREATURES 4 Bloodghast 4 Flameblade Adept 1 Flamewake Phoenix 2 Goblin Bushwhacker 2 Grim Lavamancer 2 Gurmag Angler 4 Hollow One 4 Insolent Neonate 4 Street Wraith 4 Vengevine SPELLS 2 Cathartic Reunion 4 Faithless Looting 2 Goblin Lore 3 Lightning Bolt | LAND 2 Blackcleave Cliffs 2 Blood Crypt 4 Bloodstained Mire 2 Copperline Gorge 2 Mountain 2 Stomping Ground 1 Swamp 3 Wooded Foothills | SIDEBOARD 1 Ancient Grudge 2 Blood Moon 2 Collective Brutality 2 Destructive Revelry 1 Electrickery 1 Fatal Push 4 Leyline of the Void 1 Terminate 1 Thoughtseize |
Julian Grace-MartinMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
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CREATURES (27) 3 Flamewake Phoenix 4 Hollow One 4 Hooting Mandrills 4 Insolent Neonate 4 Monastery Swiftspear 4 Street Wraith 4 Vengevine SPELLS (15) 2 Cathartic Reunion 2 Chart a Course 4 Faithless Looting 4 Lightning Bolt 3 Thought Scour | LANDS (18) 3 Bloodstained Mire 1 Copperline Gorge 3 Scalding Tarn 3 Snow-Covered Mountain 1 Spirebluff Canal 2 Steam Vents 2 Stomping Ground 3 Wooded Foothills | SIDEBOARD 2 Ancient Grudge 1 Become Immense 2 Feed the Clan 1 Grim Lavamancer 2 Hazoret the Fervent 3 Leyline of the Void 2 Roast 2 Stubborn Denial |
Card choices
Hollow One
Are you really going to play a Hollow One deck without 4 of these?!?!
Faithless Looting
Faithless Looting = best Looting. Draws cards, discards cards of your choice, and even has flashback. The enabler of the deck. Solid 4-of.
Street Wraith
1) Draws 2) Discards 3) Is delve fuel all for 0 mana and at instant speed. This is the spice that makes Hollow One playable turn 1 of Looting + this. Although it is not castable in Gruul decks, even there it is a solid 4-of.
Vengevine / Bloodghast
The first real choice while building the deck. Are you going for the nuts (Vengevine) or for the more reliable Bloodghast? Sadly these creatures don't synergize with each other, so most people can play only one of them. If you play them, play all 4-of.
- Vengevine has way more impact than Bloodghast. Stats is a clear win for Vengevine: p/t is way higher, it has always haste, it can block, and it triggers Flamewake Phoenix.
- Bloodghast is way more easy to get into play. Playing a land is a lot easier than playing two creatures. Vengevine often requires a lot of planning/timing or just having good luck, while Bloodghast will be activated in most cases without too much hassle. This way Vengevine will dictate how you build your deck and asks you to add a lot of creatures, while Bloodghast doesn't demand any deckbuilding sacrifices. You will see it reflected in the ratings below: Rakdos can simply afford to play better cards than Gruul.
Flameblade Adept (Gruul) / (Rakdos)
A must for Rakdos decks as they capitalize on discard. They also don't have Vengevine, so it is nice to have another potential 4-power trigger for Flamewake Phoenix. This card will deliver a lot of damage for a 1-drop, and it is hard to deal with as it has Menace. It has menace guys! I mean, I just repeat it, as nobody reads this freaking card. I am glad MTGO gives a popup when somebody tried to block it again with 1 creature, so I don't need to explain it every time.
For Gruul decks this is also good, but less ideal. The 1-mana cost is a plus as it is easy to trigger Vengevine with it. However, Flameblade requires timing and Vengevine also requires timing. This clashes on a regular basis. Basically, you want to loot Vengevine turn 1 and trigger it turn 2, but with Adept you want to play Adept turn 1 and loot turn 2 to trigger it. Tough choices...
Flamewake Phoenix (Gruul) / (Rakdos)
This card combines well with discard and the big creatures the deck has. Note that also Flameblade Adept triggers Phoenix after discarding 3 or more cards (which happens often). I rate it higher for Rakdos than Gruul, as Gruul often doesn't have the space for this and Phoenix is awkward in triggering Vengevine. Other way around goes well as Vengevine has 4 power. Phoenix is a common 2-of in Gruul and 3-4-of in Rakdos.
Burning Inquiry (Gruul) / (Rakdos)
People are often scared by the random nature. Don't be scared and just let it go, the deck is built to handle it. You might discard Hollow One with it, but remember you couldn't have cast Hollow One anyway without this card, so if you discard it, nothing is lost. This card generates a lot of Delve material, pumps Flameblade Adept to Ferocious, is a graveyard enabler and a Hollow One enabler. Why not 5 stars? Because you go down a card. Also you give your opponent graveyard value. Sometimes this is not relevant, but against Dredge this will cost you the game.
Rakdos likes this as it discards many cards. Gruul less, because it is a non-creature spell and doesn't like to go down too many cards.
Goblin Lore (Gruul) / (Rakdos)
Like Inquiry, but this doesn't give your opponents value. Also this is handsize-neutral. This is why I rate it a bit higher than Inquiry, especially for Gruul decks.
Cathartic Reunion (Gruul) / (Rakdos)
This is no Dredge, so no high rating. Unlike Burning Inquiry or Goblin Lore this doesn't enable a turn 2 Hollow One or makes Flameblade Adept Ferocious. It is often not castable and a bad topdeck. On top of that, if this gets countered, you are very close to losing the game.
I rate this card a little higher for Gruul than Rakdos, because Gruul decks like to sculpt their hand more for Vengevine than Rakdos decks.
Insolent Neonate (Gruul) / (Rakdos)
This is a near must for Gruul decks and a fringe option for Rakdos. It is good for Gruul because it discards and easily triggers Vengevine. You go down a card, but you get back Vengevine. This card is unimpressive in combat, but it is the glue that holds the deck together. With this, a hand containing Street Wraith, Vengevine, Neonate and Hollow One can get a turn 2 Vengevine + Hollow One. I specifically mention this as I see in streams that many players miss this (Cycle Wraith, Cast Neonate, Discard Vengevine, Cast Hollow One ( - = ), Trigger Vengevine). Another common turn 2 scenario is Faithless Looting Vengevine, play Neonate, sac Neonate, cast Hollow One for free and trigger Vengevine. For Rakdos, however, this card is not that exciting, only 1 card to discard isn't that great.
Lightning Bolt (Gruul) / (Rakdos)
Modern all-star. Automatic 4-of in Rakdos. Not automatic 4-of in Gruul as it doesn't trigger Vengevine.
Grim Lavamancer (Gruul) / (Rakdos)
A solid interaction card for both deck versions as there is usually enough graveyard fuel for it. For Gruul this is an extra attractive option as it is a 1-mana creature, so it is good with Vengevine. It is also playable for Rakdos and often sees play in the sideboard. This card completely wrecks small creature decks and this is when to side it in.
Fiery Temper (Gruul) / (Rakdos)
Sees some play in Rakdos decks. Discarding it and casting it is great value. Timing is hard though.
Hooting Mandrils / Gurmag Angler / Tasigur, the Golden Fang
A lot of Delve material, so you can play the delve creatures. Don't play too many though, as you don't want to delve Bloodghasts and such. Therefore I also listed Tasigur, as he is a bit milder for the graveyard.
Collective Brutality (Gruul) / (Rakdos)
Was not in the original primer, but in the past months this card went from sideboard to main deck. Most people playing Rakdos run 2 of these in the main nowadays. It is excellent interaction and the discard clause fits the discard theme well.
And there is further some spice. As with all spices, handle with care!
Arclight Phoenix: HOT NEW CARD. This is probably more than just spice. The place to brew right now.
Bedlam Reveler: castable in Rakdos as it has many spells and a great way to loot a lot. It sees a lot of play in Arclight Phoenix decks.
Burning-Tree Emissary / Reckless Bushwhacker: powerful combo which triggers Vengevine. Nowadays (= end of March) this sees a lot of play in Gruul decks.
Become Immense: can make any creature deadly, works well with the big graveyards.
Goblin Bushwhacker: enables going wide.
Faerie Macabre: that extra discard effect for Hollow One.
Edge of Autumn: that extra cycling effect for when you really need it. It tough with the low land count though.
Goblin Guide/Monastery Swiftspear: hyper aggro option.
Temur Battle Rage: for when you want to win more instead of less.
Call to the Netherworld: recover a cycled Street Wraith or randomly discarded Gurmag Angler.
Bomat Courier: high risk, high reward! Spin the wheel!
Death's Shadow: it actually appeared in some lists because this is Modern!
Noose Constrictor: enables a turn 2 Vengevine + Hollow One. Your hand won't like it though.
Sideboarding and matchups
For Rakdos Hollow One see HERE (by Gabriel Nassif) or HERE (by Mike Sigrist).
Stock sideboard cards
-Blood Moon: for both Gruul and Rakdos there is enough red in the deck to run this without too many sacrifices. And, even if you end up with something uncastable, you can just loot it away. Nearly every deck has it in the sideboard except if you want to next-level your opponent. They will play around Moon game 2/3 anyway, so you might as well leave it out of your deck. Myself I find it too good to not play it.
-Ancient Grudge: Perfect with the graveyard theme. Rakdos decks splash a Stomping Ground to play this.
-Big Game Hunter: For Rakdos decks this is a stock card to deal with the big creatures.
-Grim Lavamancer: Good against little creatures. I also shrink Goyfs with it and let Scavenging Ooze fizzle.
-Collective Brutality: Maindeckable, but you may need more game 2/3.
-Leyline of the Void: Most played graveyard hate. In Rakdos Nihil Spellbomb also sees some play and Faerie Macabre fits in the theme, although it doesn't hate that much. For Gruul decks Tormod's Crypt is actually an option. For Gruul I like Dryad Militant as proactive GY hate.
-Fatal Push: Good removal for Rakdos decks.
More info
A primer of the Rakdos deck made by jdmflcl/Char_Aznable and Nublkau, you can find HERE. HERE is an old version of that primer.
Another primer of the Rakdos deck (by Gabriel Nassif) you can find HERE.
The most recent primer of the Rakdos deck (by Mike Sigrist) you can find HERE.
More discussion about Vengevine-based Hollow One on Reddit HERE (=my deck), and HERE (=most recent thread, not my deck). You can also stay on this forum and go to the Dredgevine thread which nowadays contains as much dredge as the Affinity thread contains affinity.
Here is an interview with Julian Grace-Martin about the Vengevine version.
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