MTG Salvation

uh,silly discussions... i play 61 semi-often post board, but not MB ever... leave it at that.

another 5-0 recently. deck feels good even with the tough matches... hollow one human, and affninity are going decent enough... weirdly i keepy losing to storm cause the whole sb is going to aggro/creatures matches basically. oh well.

definitely come around to nimble obstructionist over TKS though, so versatile and cant be countered! ... love it.

Y’all crazy. Control matches have definitely gotten closer but we are still the apex predator.

Crucibl of worlds in the 75 helps both these matches. Know their strategy. The main way they win is landing an early threat and out tempo-ing us. Do the same to them. Or have spatial for their threats. UW lists have been running resto angel... be prepared. ¯\_(..)_/¯.

played a comp league with U tron just now, my first in a bit, cause i wanted to try RayFuturePro's list that posted a few 5-0s recently (with a few modifications to my liking, i cant put Solemn simulacrum in a list) ... but yeah, went 5-0 myself!
played vs:
humans, merfolk, titanshift, URcontrol, hollowone roulette
card notes:

torrential gearhulk felt good everytime i saw it (1/1 snapcaster split) first time actually trying it, lol.
supreme will also felt good everytime i had it.
buried ruin won me a game or two (the fact that it immediately puts a card, ballista in this case, into your hand, vs on draw) in the gemstone caverns slot
did not cast Committ/memory once, so i'm not sure about that one...

also, nimble obstructionist vs TKS as a postboard tempo threat , not sure which i like more.

Heres a spicy list... less toolbox. more "play good cards"

RE: rethinking U tron.

I do agree that it seems like the deck could be rethought, especially since I have been playing a lot of different archetypes recently (u tron still my favorite) I have come to really appreciate Thirst for knowledge, (and faithless looting) in modern. anyways, Remand may not be good, but stall/ cycle is important for how the deck works. thats part of the reason for playing gemstone caverns, to have 2 mana turn 1 on the draw to make remand more useful.

I do think we can learn from other modern decks... UW control, and Gx tron...

thoughts and ideas
UW tech.
spreading seas MB... the only viable option i can think of over remand. could also go up on field of ruin for mana disruption plan while we assemble the pieces.
MORE walking ballistas... did you see the G Tron pro tour list? 4x ballista. the card is great. we play tron. ive played 2.. maybe we should play more...

i think more snapcasters is also a good idea. ill follow this up with a list or two if anyone wants to test stuff out...

Well two answers: endless one is MB. We are generally the aggressor g1. Endless one fits the curve wherever we want. I haven’t played endbringer at all in a while but it’s not wrong per say.

I only attack or block with man lands if I can spare it dying or if I know the coast is clear. Smart but aggressive. Sometimes man lands eat a lili activation.

Solemn is nice cause it’s mana fixing and value. I do prefer talismans though for mana fixing because it is ramp and curves out well with non island hands when in a race situation (t2 talisman with natural tron into t3 8 mana board wipe or t4 slaver... when I value cards, talismans and solemn are the first to be cut unfortunately but they help us mulligan less....

why all the gearhulk talk? ... sure its a good card. but snapcaster is just slightly better in our deck because of turns 2-5, when we most often lose...

humans is tricky indeed. i think im in the postive w/l currently, but that is slightly because of luck. E.E is good, but by all means, dont play e.e without river of tears (+gemstone caverns) ... my main reason for e.e. is wiping tokens though... notably vs storm. and especially since we can tutor for it with trinket mage/tolaria west.
tech:
i've been playing 1 all is dust SB for humans/ other similar decks as an extra cheaper board wipe. can also be snapcaster'd back (though ive never done it) ... oh , gearhulk couldnt do that :-p
advice:
if humans doesn't have vial, the match is fair, it is similar to dnt, where whomever gets the tempo will win. they play 4 caverns, dont even worry about remand. keep fast hands, or ones with good removal only. they cant beat ugin really if youre over 3/4 life (mantis rider+hierarch/thalia's lieutenant)
they often hold up reflector mage/thalia's lieutenant for the final punch to win...

I wrote a primer for Modern Nexus, but i dont know if they will post it, so i figured i'd share it here as well...

The pinnacle of control: Mono U tron.
Mono U tron , by Andrew Grasso


There exists a world that is seldom seen on the top 8 decklists of the SCG tour, and rarely piloted by the pros. A deck that has been around for years with an ebb and flow of success. It is the lesser known stepchild of Gx tron: mono U tron.

It is a deck that many people use as their foray into modern (for its power level and price tag) Often seen at LGS’ and appearing from time to time at larger tournaments. If you play online however, you are likely familiar with the deck, or possibly its creator Shoktroopa.

For me, this was the deck that got me interested in playing modern after not touching a card since i was a child. I remember not even understanding how the deck won games the first time I looked at a decklist. Yet after countless hours practicing with it and familiarizing potential lines of play, I feel that I am one of a small pool of people who can play the deck at it's high skill ceiling.

Unlike Gx tron your main goal is not assembling tron on t3/4 and dropping a bomb to stabilize. It is a goal of the deck but your play decisions shouldn't necessarily be primarily based on the Urza lands unless you are in a control of the game, or in a straight up race situation. The deck plays roughly 11 spells with cantrips and 4 draw spells for finding tron pieces and whatever gameplay answers we may need at the time. The deck also plays a lot of spells which are based on having tempo/ mana advantage over our opponent.

That being said, U tron plays as a tempo control deck with an end-game toolbox of the biggest baddest colorless cards you can play in Modern and most importantly the not-so-instant-win combo of Mindslaver lock. (12 mana+academy ruins+Mindslaver)

The deck has a high skill ceiling, but also low skill floor. Every decision must be evaluated according to your needs at the time, and your gameplan must constantly evolve. Since U tron can win out of nowhere, it is best to think as your life total as a tool to use and abuse. You only need 1 life to win (or negative life with Platinum Angel in play) So recognizing your opponent's gameplan and catering your strategy over the next few turns based on the cards you have access to is a puzzle on its own.

Early game, turns 1-3: hitting a blue land drop, and subsequently urza lands is number one priority. There are times you keep a turn 3 tron hand if you have a payoff card though. Those are hands when mana fixers such as talismans, field of ruin, or solemn simulacrum come in hand. Perhaps you establish control early, perhaps you are digging desperately for a board wipe or Platinum Angel… it all depends!

Mid game,turns 3-5: assembling tron and taking control of the game takes priority. This is when the deck starts to shine. Usually casting one thirst for knowledge can be enough to smooth out our draws and find the cards we need. With our fast hands, the earliest U tron generally can lock a game is turn 4 by deploying either Sundering titan (aka Armageddon), or our pal Eugene (Ugin, the spirit dragon). Also, Many decks don't have an answer for Platinum Angel game 1 and untapping and having counterspell backup will likely buy you time to do whatever you need to do to win.

Late game, turns 5-? When games last this long you are most likely going to win. Counterspells, cantrips, and mana advantage pay off bigtime. This is when you are hopefully in control and trying to end the game. Finding a bomb, assembling counterspells,and buying time to assemble mindslaver lock. Not many decks play as many counterspells as U tron, especially pre-board so we are favored in control mirrors.


Let’s go over some Card choices:

12 Urza lands, duh

Academy Ruins:
Allows for Mindslaver lock, as well as recurring artifacts as needed. Try not to play this unless you NEED to make a land drop, or know that it is safe from opposing land destruction. We have only one and likey no way to get it back once its gone

Gemstone Caverns (0-2)
The deck functions best when on the play or up at least 1 mana. With a good amount of testing 2 gemstones seems to be idea for not drawing multiples and still being able to get a luck counter semi-often. When on the play side out one for a SB land (field of ruin, tectonic edge) They are good fodder for Thirst for knowledge if you draw them later in the game.

Oboro, Palace in the Clouds:
Non island blue source. Allows for several tricks as well such as: bouncing before casting thirst for knowledge for more choices to discard. Bouncing to discard to liliana of the veil. Bouncing to cast a blue spell on your turn, then playing it for land for turn to have blue up for your opponents turn.

River of Tears:
Non island blue source. Only necessary if using engineered explosives on two. Less painful dismember at times but we usually cast dismember on our opponents turn so its not great. If it is your only blue source in play and you want U on your turn, be sure to tap it for blue before playing a land!
Island (5-7)
Makes ghost quarters/fields of ruin a joke. Painless mana base.

Tectonic edge/Field of Ruin: 1-2
land hate of choice. Nets 0, where Ghost quarter often puts us down a land. Man lands are hard for us to interact with and can often steal games if unchecked.

Tolaria west:
Our tutor land. Cant be tutored for with expedition map as well! Sometimes its just a blue source but it also can find a 3rd tron piece, chalice of the void, Engineered Explosives, Walking Ballista, or Tormods Crypt. Coming into play tapped is a problem so if it is your only blue source you should play it tapped t1.

Blue Spells:
Condescend: 4
Our hard counters. Use for spells that matter or when needing to dig an extra card deeper. Can cast for 0 on your own spell or an opponent’s spell when desperate to dig or if they have a Cavern of souls in play.

Remand: 3-4
Great tempo play. Cycles through our deck and stalls opponent:

Repeal: 2-4
Great tempo play. Cycles through our deck and stall opponent also. Best used at opponent’s eot. Makes blood moon ineffective. Bounce mana dorks or Aether Vial for bonus points! Easy to cycle when dead with E.E. or Chalice on 0.

Cyclonic rift: 1
Our fourth bounce spell for when behind in mana, or for delve creatures. Overload mode can act as a win condition on its own.

Spell bust:0-1
Hard counter that has fallen out of favor but can act as a late game win condition with buyback. Also, a good counter for cmc 0/ 1 spells.

Thirst for knowledge: 4
Basically our brainstorm. Cycles through useless cards. Find tron pieces. It is often good to ditch a large artifact for more efficiency in the early game unless tron is in sight. We can always get them back with academy ruins if needed later.

Note: we don't play serum visions because it is U at sorcery speed, we often only have access to one U so this is counterintuitive to our game plan.

Artifacts/bombs:

Expedition map : 4
Finds the lands you need! Can be pitched to thirst when not needed or when chalice is on 1.

Oblivion stone:
We don't play many Permanents, so this is often a 1 sided board wipe. We can also assemble o-stone-lock with academy ruins. Usually enough to get opponents to scoop.

0-2 talismans:
Usually Talisman of Dominance. Can mana fix in natural tron hands. Provide ramp and a second blue source for Snapcaster Mage. Almost always pitch to thirst late game. Can be repealed when repeals are a dead card. Almost always boarded out.

0-1 Solemn Simulacrum
Mana fixer. Great value card. Can be recurred as a chump blocker for exceptional value and deck thinning in some situations

1-2 tutor cards: Trinket Mage, Treasure Mage, Fabricate

They are slow so I don't recommend playing more than 2 but they give us extra virtual copies of our toolbox of artifacts. Mages are typically favored because they come with a 2/2 body.Trinket Mage is a new addition since the printing of Walking Ballista, which is a house and often wins games on its own. Walking ballista +Academy Ruins is real.

Chalice of the void: 2-3
We cast it on 0-1 usually, but I've cast it as high as 6. Situationally can be cast on 2 or 3 because we can repeal it but is not recommended, except vs Burn or maybe affinity.

Engineered explosives. 0-2

Can be cast on 0-3 technically with a Gemstone Caverns (+luck counter) and a river of tears or talisman in play, but realistically 0-2.
Most effective vs tokens or affinity. Deaths shadow, Aggro creature decks, Gifts storm (empty the warrens)

Walking ballista:
A new important addition to the deck.

Mb creature removal. Also a win con on its own.

Snapcaster mage 0-2
Great card as a ambush viper or value card. Can be repealed for great value. Don't play more than two because we don't always have UU available.


Win cons:
Ugin, the Spirit Dragon:
Board wipe and win con. Ends many games once it hits the board.

Wurmcoil Engine 1-2
I play 1 main and 1 side for when sundering titan or platinum angel aren't good in the match. Obviously great vs decks that dont play Path To Exile. Common to sit back and prevent opponent from attacking while we dig for a Mindslaver.

Platinum Angel:
The “Oh, Crap!” card. Often boarded out, but many decks can not beat it. Steals games vs affinity, Burn, Dredge, Eldrazitron, and Infect commonly.

Sundering titan:
Ok vs two color decks that play U, Boarded out vs 0-1 color decks always. Great vs valakut or 3 color midrange/control decks. Can use spreading seas or field of ruin to give opponent one more targetable land. Does not hit Wastes. Oboro, River of Tears, Tolaria are protected U sources.

Mindslaver: 2
Two is important. Our main win con. In my opinion , it’s the best thing you can do in Magic: The Gathering, control your opponent’s turn. There are some tricks but too many to cover. Anything that searches your opponents library is nice, and you can always “fail to find”. Fun things include: Sacrificing all artifacts to arcbound ravager, not paying the “pact fee” vs Primeval Titan decks. Usually Instant win vs any combo decks.
The mindslaver lock is a wincon and is a mill combo. You draw mindslaver every turn, while your opponent continues to draw normally. Hopefully they just scoop.

Other Bombs sometimes played include:
Emrakul, The Promised End.
Karn, Liberated
Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger.


Anyways, thats an overview of my favorite deck in Modern. Im not going to cover sideboarding, because it is exhaustive and complicated, but I look forward to bringing you more content in the future!

-Andrea Grasso

yeah. tec edge and field of ruin keep lands even. gq puts us down one, and unless infect is big again, i cant imagine using one.

tec edge is good in control mirror, and valakut decks mainly. tron sometimes but draw dependant.
field of ruin is good vs man lands, cavern of souls, and random "Special lands" like nykthos shrine to nyx, academy ruins, etc. (writing this makes me think field is better MB and tec SB)
ghost quarter is only better turns 1-2, which only matters vs infect. i would not count ponza, cause you going down a land is basically like being stone rained anyways.


the person who asked about thought knot seer it is a good card to sb into tempo play however not optimal, because the cmc 4 vs 3, and not having flash makes it just good and not great in that position. Gx tron uses it sb sometimes cause they have less imteraction in general. we have blue. i'd pass, but its not wrong to do, i would just recommend SB not MB cause it will just die.


search for azcanta has been nice. but i think im going to the side of "helps in our good matches" ... its kinda slow, although great.
gemstone caverns although not consistent, helps in our bad matches. so i cant imagine playing without em.

Cmon guys, we need to pick up our game a bit. Shoktroopa is the only one even keeping this deck on the map in regards to statistics on things like mtg goldfish.

I believe it's shifting borders . It's an instant. And it works great with oboro.

Do you know what card is really good against burn when mono u tron is on the play? Yep. SQUELCH... We played 4 out of 5 matches last night against the nation of burnination. It was like watching poetry in motion when i t2 squelched their fetchland. crippling to their tempo / manabase and an even harder hit to their ego. Nothing better than seeing a burn player lose to a squelch. i think we went 3-1 v burn.

you can try killing them on your turn..you can also do that i think against infect if you're worried about their pump spells..

at ease men, let us all puff the purple peace pipe and simmer down..we are all working together here in this forum to improve this deck, so please chill..

OGW sure brought us a lot of new cool toys to test with but i think the one card that will make the biggest impact in U TRON is spatial contortion..

Eye of Ugin can't find Ugin.
I still run Fabricate and Batterskull and Thirst, so I really don't understand your arguments at all.
In the situation you listed, I'd rather have the Eye to fetch win cons for the rest of the game, especially as in that example we have 8 mana and can cast Newlamog and Kozilek.
Thought-Knot Seer unquestionably won me the game by taking a lethal Harbinger out of my hand when I had a Platinum Angel at -2 life and he had Merrow Reejerey in play. It has also unquestionably won me just about every game I've played him in by taking my opponent's best card. The argument about making Thirst slightly worse by cutting two artifacts isn't a good one. I'm not a fan of discarding my win conditions.

It's probably worth pointing out that a full-Tron or Eye-powered turn 3 Thought-Knot Seer is a distinct possibility. I think you are criminally underestimating this card.

Powercreep is a real thing and wizards has now printed 2 sets focused on colorless/eldrazi... So some new cards are looking very promising and might open up a new subtype of this deck. How is this a bad thing? The chalice change wasn't mandatory, you can play without Chalice. Dropping the talismans wasn't mandatory you can still play Talismans. The Eldrazi change isn't mandatory you can still play whatever you want to play. There has been a great diversity in u tron decks for years now and that's great. But I think if you want to get the most out of this deck competetively you cannot ignore the new cards. I really really hope we get a set soon which is focusing on artifacts and makes it possible to play a competetive list based on artifact synergy but for now I am going to give eldrazi-tron a try and you know what? It's way too early to say for sure where this will end up. So don't get your panties in a bunch, calm down and try some different stuff once in a while.

Quote from link670

Also I'm wondering whether I should use the M12 Goblin Grenade or Goblin Recruiter as the main art of the card, so feel free to weigh in on that as well, as I am definitely in need of a tie breaker.

I've said this before, but it bears repeating.

Please make sure you are supporting the artist who's work you are reproducing. Those guys need to eat. I'd suggest emailing them before you reproduce their work and see if they sell playmats directly, or they can give you written permission to print one (probably for a small fee). Or maybe they would give you the OK if you buy a print from them.

Remember that being an artist is difficult. It doesn't pay steady or regular, and these guys create art for our game because they love doing it. But they still need to pay rent.