The RG occasionally gets talked about on here. I might do that though since the discussion on this thread is pretty stretched between whichever variant.
I played the RG Titan Scapeshift version this friday modern tourney at my local. Run quite well, went 5-0:
I've been playing the RG version as well. I played in the Atlanta Classic this past weekend and did a small writeup. Much of my experience is the same (opponent does nothing meaningful, dies on turn 4). I'm liking the deck a lot, and will probably keep with it.
So is BTL now in every scapeshift deck? I still play "the old" RUG version, and it works just fine.
Tried on BTL when Hoogland wrote about it and didn't care for it so I'm still on RUG and plan to play either it or RG at the upcoming SCG Atlanta Classic. This is my hot mess before I set it down for the holidays to play RG.
I've been playing Titanshift lately and wondering if there is some happy medium between RUG and it. I made it to the finals of a GPT this past weekend with this list (could have won too, but had a dumb misplay in G3 with assigning Valakut triggers).
This looks like a die hard control deck. I just bought myself the deck. It feels great! The list i play is the scapeshift list of last weekend SCG. It went 13th, so I think it is oke.
As a hard control deck, I think this is a really great list. You can probably stand to goto 3 Snaps and 3 CC, like traditional modern control lists. Also digging the Spreading Seas in the board.
I have been very interessted in this deck. Since a couple of weeks I have been looking in this deck, but I have come to some troubles. Why don't we run any Lightning Bolt in the lists with the Bring to Light? And is the Bring to Light a good build of the Scapeshift deck?
I have played numerous modern decks, but I keep comming back to combo. Straight forward. So I was looking into this deck. But I do not see the value of Bring to Light version. Why no bolt?
I don't post a lot here, but I'll try an add some value to this answer. There are 3 main versions of the Scapeshift deck right now (arguably 4).
1. Bring to Light: 4-5 colors with 4 copies of BTL, 2-3 copies of Scapeshift. These lists run 1 or so Snapcaster Mage, and a few maindeck tutor targets. The decks here are arguably more "tappout" control themed since BTL can find pretty much anything from a boardwipe to an unanswerable creature. It's the most grindy deck, not the most combo oriented. To answer your question, Bolts aren't played here because they aren't good as a one of, and aren't as good without multiple snapcasters (in the way that you want them). The BTL version is mainly what this thread has become about (even though the title says RUG), so there is a lot of information here.
2. RUG with Cryptic Command: 3 colors with 4 copies Scapeshift. Basically a ramp control deck, and it the most popular version in modern given it's consistency. I wrote a "Intro to RUG" article on my blog, so feel free to check it out. In terms of Combo, you can occasional turn 4 but most of your deck is dedicated to stalling and digging (4 Cryptic Commands). https://fetchshockblog.wordpress.com/2015/09/23/rug-scapeshift-moderns-8-card-combo-an-introduction/
3. RG Titanshift: 2 Colors, 4 Valakuts, 4 Scapehshift, 4 Titans. A spin on an old standard deck with Khalni Heart Garden and Explores. It's had a few MTGO results recently and a GP Top 8 appearance. Of any iteration, it is the most combo-centric focused version of the deck, aiming to kill on turn 4 every game. It's also the easiest version to play. The guy wrote a tournament report on Reddit, and somewhere in there he has a SB guide (it's really straightfoward). It's a different type of deck than the other two, but the only expensive cards at this point are the fetches and Scapeshift, so you could play it in the meantime. https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/3u6tmh/hi_im_thien_nguyen_im_the_guy_that_top_8d_gp/
4. (Arguable) RUG without Cryptic: I mention this for completeness but some people have been playing around with a RUG version without CC. It's more of a hybrid between the Titanshift and traditional RUG lists, focusing more on combo while having some interaction. These aren't fully established but once such example from the last Modern PTQs is below: http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/rptq-top-8-decklists/oath-of-the-gatewatch-rptq-lenexa-2015-10-31
Remands are a bad card in the BGx matchup (against certain Junk decks, it can be ok). You hit the reason for this in your post: they are just a bad topdeck, play or draw (I played Fish for some time, and Aether Vial was the same deal). You want all your cards to do something/advance your gameplan if you have no cards in hand. Most of their spells are also cheap because of Bob.
Remand doesn't fit this.
Your modal spells (Izzet Charm/CC) offer enough utility to be fine. Izzet Charm is probably the next worst card, but is still useful.
And you are typically bringing in 4 Baloths (if T1 discard revels a Baloth, they can't play Lili without protecting it) and Relics if you play them.
Thank you @leondal! I've been considering a follow up since Scapeshift seems to be gaining more popularity (I supposed due to BTL). Maybe something on the topic "Playing around hate cards" because that was a section in the main article I wanted to expand upon, but didn't to avoid being lengthy.
You're basically right. There isn't too much of a rules discussion in here, and would be a nice to have since new people are jumping on the deck. I wrote an "Intro to Scapeshift" article you might find helpful. It goes over some of those situations.
For the one you asked about specifically: You go off with Scapeshift (7 lands) and your opponent has an active Ghost Quarter. So you grab a Valakut, 3 Steam Vents, a basic mountain, and 2 Stomping Grounds and 6 triggers go on the stack. Your opponent then Ghost quarters one of the Steam Vents. If you left a basic mountain in your deck, you can go and grab it and all the Valakut triggers can resolve as normal (on resolution, they check if there are 5 OTHER mountains). FMage and Tec Edge scenarios would be the same. The trigger of the land that is destroyed would still resolve because that trigger still sees 5 OTHER mountains, but the others would fizzle. If you need to push all the triggers through, then plan ahead to go off with 8 lands (Valakut + 7 lands).
I played in the SCG Classic this past weekend with RG and did a small writeup:
https://fetchshockblog.wordpress.com/2016/01/27/scg-atlanta-modern-classic-report-rg-scapeshift/
I also did a small report on a GPT earlier this month:
https://fetchshockblog.wordpress.com/2016/01/11/gpt-detroit-rg-scapeshift-report/
I'm enjoying the deck at the moment and plan to take it to several upcoming large events, so I look forward to discussion.
I've been playing the RG version as well. I played in the Atlanta Classic this past weekend and did a small writeup. Much of my experience is the same (opponent does nothing meaningful, dies on turn 4). I'm liking the deck a lot, and will probably keep with it.
https://fetchshockblog.wordpress.com/2016/01/27/scg-atlanta-modern-classic-report-rg-scapeshift/
Welcome to like 70% of this entire thread. It's been theorycrafted to death but only a few people provide any test results.
Tried on BTL when Hoogland wrote about it and didn't care for it so I'm still on RUG and plan to play either it or RG at the upcoming SCG Atlanta Classic. This is my hot mess before I set it down for the holidays to play RG.
I've been playing Titanshift lately and wondering if there is some happy medium between RUG and it. I made it to the finals of a GPT this past weekend with this list (could have won too, but had a dumb misplay in G3 with assigning Valakut triggers).
Welcome to the brotherhood.
As a hard control deck, I think this is a really great list. You can probably stand to goto 3 Snaps and 3 CC, like traditional modern control lists. Also digging the Spreading Seas in the board.
I don't post a lot here, but I'll try an add some value to this answer. There are 3 main versions of the Scapeshift deck right now (arguably 4).
1. Bring to Light: 4-5 colors with 4 copies of BTL, 2-3 copies of Scapeshift. These lists run 1 or so Snapcaster Mage, and a few maindeck tutor targets. The decks here are arguably more "tappout" control themed since BTL can find pretty much anything from a boardwipe to an unanswerable creature. It's the most grindy deck, not the most combo oriented. To answer your question, Bolts aren't played here because they aren't good as a one of, and aren't as good without multiple snapcasters (in the way that you want them). The BTL version is mainly what this thread has become about (even though the title says RUG), so there is a lot of information here.
2. RUG with Cryptic Command: 3 colors with 4 copies Scapeshift. Basically a ramp control deck, and it the most popular version in modern given it's consistency. I wrote a "Intro to RUG" article on my blog, so feel free to check it out. In terms of Combo, you can occasional turn 4 but most of your deck is dedicated to stalling and digging (4 Cryptic Commands).
https://fetchshockblog.wordpress.com/2015/09/23/rug-scapeshift-moderns-8-card-combo-an-introduction/
3. RG Titanshift: 2 Colors, 4 Valakuts, 4 Scapehshift, 4 Titans. A spin on an old standard deck with Khalni Heart Garden and Explores. It's had a few MTGO results recently and a GP Top 8 appearance. Of any iteration, it is the most combo-centric focused version of the deck, aiming to kill on turn 4 every game. It's also the easiest version to play. The guy wrote a tournament report on Reddit, and somewhere in there he has a SB guide (it's really straightfoward). It's a different type of deck than the other two, but the only expensive cards at this point are the fetches and Scapeshift, so you could play it in the meantime.
https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/3u6tmh/hi_im_thien_nguyen_im_the_guy_that_top_8d_gp/
4. (Arguable) RUG without Cryptic: I mention this for completeness but some people have been playing around with a RUG version without CC. It's more of a hybrid between the Titanshift and traditional RUG lists, focusing more on combo while having some interaction. These aren't fully established but once such example from the last Modern PTQs is below:
http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/rptq-top-8-decklists/oath-of-the-gatewatch-rptq-lenexa-2015-10-31
Remands are a bad card in the BGx matchup (against certain Junk decks, it can be ok). You hit the reason for this in your post: they are just a bad topdeck, play or draw (I played Fish for some time, and Aether Vial was the same deal). You want all your cards to do something/advance your gameplan if you have no cards in hand. Most of their spells are also cheap because of Bob.
Remand doesn't fit this.
Your modal spells (Izzet Charm/CC) offer enough utility to be fine. Izzet Charm is probably the next worst card, but is still useful.
And you are typically bringing in 4 Baloths (if T1 discard revels a Baloth, they can't play Lili without protecting it) and Relics if you play them.
You're basically right. There isn't too much of a rules discussion in here, and would be a nice to have since new people are jumping on the deck. I wrote an "Intro to Scapeshift" article you might find helpful. It goes over some of those situations.
https://fetchshockblog.wordpress.com/2015/09/23/rug-scapeshift-moderns-8-card-combo-an-introduction/
This is also a good read
http://blogs.magicjudges.org/articles/2013/10/01/modern-rules-problems-valakut-the-molten-pinnacle/
For the one you asked about specifically: You go off with Scapeshift (7 lands) and your opponent has an active Ghost Quarter. So you grab a Valakut, 3 Steam Vents, a basic mountain, and 2 Stomping Grounds and 6 triggers go on the stack. Your opponent then Ghost quarters one of the Steam Vents. If you left a basic mountain in your deck, you can go and grab it and all the Valakut triggers can resolve as normal (on resolution, they check if there are 5 OTHER mountains). FMage and Tec Edge scenarios would be the same. The trigger of the land that is destroyed would still resolve because that trigger still sees 5 OTHER mountains, but the others would fizzle. If you need to push all the triggers through, then plan ahead to go off with 8 lands (Valakut + 7 lands).
Hope that helps