MTG Salvation

Is anyone using Fatal Push?
I decided it was better to stick with 4 path, 2 abrupt decay, because usually the creatures I really need removal for are bombs like wormcoil and primeval titan.
Curious what you-all think, though.

Keeping the curve low is key to dealing with the problem of having your turn 1 dork bolted... devotion decks with lots of two and three drops and a top end of scalable mana sinks will fare way better against midrange.... If you play a ton of ramp with high cmc payoffs like Tooth and Nail the early disruption doesn't just slow you down, it strands your payoff cards in your hand.

I've been thinking that Renegade Rallier is worth using in stompy devotion shells. He can ramp and provide a reasonable body, though he doesn't put many green symbols in play.

I think this sets a great precedent. Wizards can reprint the various masters sets with zero development costs, so this gives them an easy way to profit from the popularity of non-rotating formats.

As long as they are careful with the size of the print runs and don't completely tank singles prices I don't see any downside. Here's hoping for MM1 next.

What do you-all think of the Abzan list in BBD's latest:

Http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/my-modern-life/

It's sort of a split between a liege rhino list and traditional abzan midrange. Full playsets of thoughtseize and Goyf maindeck, but no liliana and a generous helping of beaters. Any thoughts on Grim Flayer in the two-drop slot? I'm guessing that the two main deck Zealous Persecution are there to help flayer get through early.

I'm trying out 4 blossoming defense, 4 vines, 2 rancor and 2 aspect. I'm liking it so far, but I'm only a few matches in.
I do really like having more inexpensive ways to save a creature from removal.

How about using Not of this World to protect Emperion once it's cheated out?
I'm thinking the 'combo' could fit in skred or ponza, but I share the concern that Emperion is too easy to remove.

blasphemous act?
You can either cast, or pitch to Nahiri's wrath.

So I've been fooling around with this deck online, where I don't have much $$ invested in cards. It plays a lot like Stompy (see the thread in the developing competitive section), but it lets me scratch my ramp -> big creatures itch. I think the Utopia Sprawls are the most expensive bit, and they are only $2.15 online, 3-something in paper.

I have a 50% match win percentage in friendly leagues, and haven't lost a match 0-2 yet, so it has some game against the field.



Anyhow, I thought I'd share in case anyone is looking for an inexpensive way to play this style, or if anyone has ideas for how to make it better without breaking the bank.

Have Hooting Mandrils been tried and rejected? We don't really fill our own grave, but the stats and trample are attractive.

Maybe with fetches? I love starting from 20, but an early 4/4 calls to me too.

In all I'm thinking it's likely not a good idea, but wondering if it's already been tried.

Wave is better than Wolfbriar when you can make X big enough hit your win cons, but wolfbriar is decent at 4 mana, good at 5 or 6, and great at anything more. I know that a small wave for value is possible, but it's usually a feel-bad play unless you have a backup wave in hand.
Being a creature also means that you can tutor Wolfbriar with pact/command, and dig for it with Oath of Nissa. That's what finally pushed me away from wave and into Wolfbriar and Genesis Hydra as my curve-toppers.
Edit to add - having to untap with the wolf army is a drag. I've tried lots of different haste enablers, but it's hard to fit them in without diluting the primary game plan. I haven't given up :). I wish Sarkhan Vol could create a token creature instead of stealing things with his -2.

Cool stuff all around.

@lord_darkview, we have similar tastes in decks, for sure. I play Skred as my 2nd modern deck too. Thanks for filling out the matchups... I think you are pretty right on.

On Unravel vs Nature's Claim, I like Unravel because it cleanly answers wormcoil engine. Nature's claim on your own Oath of Nissa can be a clutch play against burn, though :).

Cyclonic Rift could be really good... I hadn't thought of that.

Speaking of two drops, I've been messing around with Duskwatch Recruiter. In a list where the payoff spells are creatures it's really good in the late game. If you have a ton of mana and are top decking looking for gas it doesn't get much better. He's not super strong early, but he can come down on those turn-twos where we've lost a dork.

Okay, here's my thinking about the top tier. I haven't been playing a ton lately, so expect a mix of experience and theory-craft.
Everyone please chime in to put me back on course, and hopefully we can boil down to something we can use in the primer.

Jeskai Control / UWR Control:
Matchup - unfavorable. They tend to remove our dorks and counter our bombs. They are pretty slow to get going, though, and we can sometimes pull back into the game. Sideboard picks - Thrun, the last Troll is awesome here. I also bring in Relic of progenitus because it cycles and hurts the value of snapcaster. Threats that are hasty, uncounterable, or hexproof are good here. Gaea's revenge and Mistcutter Hydra are worth considering, but Thrun is the king of resilient threats, imo.

Affinity:
Matchup - game 1 is usually rough, depending on your build. With enough board slots we can be quite good post board. If splashing white, especially in a toolbox list, Kataki, war's wage is usually enough to take the game on its own. If you're in red Ancient Grudge is best of breed here. Creeping corrosion, Shatterstorm, and Fracturing gust are game-enders, but they are often a turn too slow.
Spot removal (especially Sudden shock), reach, and fliers are all good here. Hornet Queen shines, if you make it to your haymakers.

Jund:
Matchup - favorable. They slow us way down with removal and hand disruption, and often pull ahead in the early/midgame. We go bigger than they do, though, and can often stabilize before they can close it out.

Infect:
Burn:
GR and Gx Tron:
Abzan Company:

Have to run, I'll edit to include more later. Everyone please chime in, or shout of there's a better way to drive the conversation.

Great reading the thoughts and lists here, as always. I've been doing some tinkering, but my experiments really haven't taken me anywhere... still trying to consistently ramp out and win with beaters. It's a struggle to find the curve that's big enough to go over the top, but small enough to have early game and cast through disruption. I'm definitely sold on Wolfbriar Elemental as a four of for this strategy. I'll share a list when I come to something I like. I just got Kitchen Finks for Father's day, and I have some ideas.

I've also been playing some stompy, and am remembering how awesome Vines of Vastwood and Aspect of Hydra are.

Sideboarding/Matchups... should we start with Tier 1? I can kick off with my thoughts a bit later if nobody beats me to it.

Kiora, Master of the Depths is almost as surely game-ending as Jace with doubling season (you get double the octopus tokens in addition to being able to ult right away), and she can help dig or ramp when cast early. Seems like she'd be a good fit.

I'd suggest that you check out the Stompy and Nykthos Green Devotion threads in Developing Competitive. Stompy is a low-curve aggressive mono green deck with pump spells to punch through the last bits of damage.

The Nykthos decks are a wide variety of green ramp decks that generate tons of mana with Arbor Elf, Utopia Sprawl, Garruk Wildspeaker and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx and then win in various ways leveraging that mana.

Edited to add:
If I were to build a deck from just the cards here, here's what I would do:



No guarantees, of course, just my .02. My thinking is that you want inexpensive acceleration so that you can start on turn 1 (the first upgrade I would make is replacing the 2-drop ramp spells with Arbor Elf and Utopia Sprawl).

I picked the beaters that fare well against 1-1 removal spells, and tried to keep the curve low as well.