Thanks for your work on the BR version, Exatraz! Two questions for ya: is Wild Cantor necessary to beat Leyline of Sanctity? Can't you loot with Neonate until you get a Woodfall Primus in the yard and then bring back a Body Double copying the Woodfall Primus to blow up the Leyline? Also, what do you think about Nahiri, the Harbinger as an anti-control card? She loots, can exile RiP and Leylines, and can find Hulk with her ultimate if necessary.
Would it be worth playing a singleton Unburial Rites as a reanimation spell you can dredge into? You'd just need to swap the Stomping Ground for a Sacred Foundry and the Nature's Claims for Wear // Tears.
Thanks for starting this thread, Lectrys! I played _matsugan's latest list at FNM a few weeks ago to a 2-2 record and definitely noticed some of the same problems you highlighted. Going forward I'm going to try this list:
The four Unbridled Growth (a throw-back to _matsugan's original list) do three things in the deck: they turn Hall of the Bandit Lord into a painless source of mana, they put an enchantment in the yard for Traverse the Ulvenwald, and they cantrip. One of my biggest peeves with the latest list was the inability to reliably turn on delirium, which slowed down the deck considerably. You couldn't cast most of the instants until the combo turn and you couldn't get an enchantment into the yard unless you drew two Oath of Nissa.
I’m not sure about the sideboard just yet. I know I want some number of Defense Grids or maybe Dosan the Falling Leaf. Gideon of the Trials could be good for grindier match ups where he lets you pact for value and Hope of Ghirapur could do work in the Walking Ballista build. I gotta wonder though: if the match versus Grixis Deaths Shadow is so bad, why did _matsugan devote so many narrow sideboard slots to it? Would it be better to write GDS off, and devote SB slots to the other 94% of the metagame?
Would you mind sharing sideboarding tips for some of the more common match-ups (Valakut, Shadow, E Tron, Storm, Affinity, Burn, etc.) VIPowL? I just picked up the GW build, and I'm unsure what cards can be cut without diluting the deck too much. Can you trim on Chords or Devoted Druids?
Thanks so much for the video--it was very helpful! How would you recommend sideboarding against some of the other common modern matchups (such as Affinity, Death's Shadow, Burn, Storm, UWx Contol and Company) with the proactive version of Titan Shift? It seems a little trickier because you have fewer flex slots and don't want to dilute the raw power of the deck.
There's a treasure trove of lists and videos today.
Ari Lax recorded a video series with Dan Ward's SCG Regionals list here. His comments on sideboarding and role assessment were particularly helpful.
Two different Fuse combo decks made the top 16 of the SCG Modern Classic this weekend: a Dan Ward style-list swapping Cathartic Reunion for Izzet Charm and overhauling the Sideboard got 3rd and a new version featuring Brain in a Jar and Insolent Neonate got 11th.
Felony is a sweet name. I had been calling the deck "Thief in the Night."
Base on the last two FNM's I've decided to make the following chances to my list (an updated version can be found in my signature):
MD
-2 Swan Song
-1 Sleight of Hand
+2 Spirebluff Canal
+1 Living End
Swan Song hasn't been particularly relevant in the local meta and the deck does feel a little mana light at times especially when trying to build up to Yahenni's Expertise or Breaking + Goryo's Vengeance. The lviving End is to give the deck a fifth reanimation spell to cast off the Expertises and a fourth board wipe. It also gets around Grafdigger's Cage, which is the predominant form of graveyard hate in my local meta. If it tests well, I might cut another Sleight of Hand for a second copy and swap Jin-Gitaxias for Goblin Dark-Dwellers.
I'm still not sure about the SB. Leyline and Wear // Tear have been great; everything else has been meh. I might try Thoughtseize over Defense Grid since it's a bit more proactive and can be used to bin Griselbrand.
Interestingly, a Grixis Goryo's Vengeance deck using Kari Zev's Expertise, Forbidden Orchard, and Breaking // Entering got second at an SCG regionals tournament. You can find the deck list here. I wonder if he had any problems with whiffing since he was only running eight creatures. I also wonder if two Forbidden orchards is enough. If so, maybe we should cut down, since it's really annoying to get a double orchard draw.
Jorah M: Yeah, Emrakul seems like a necessary evil at the moment. I've been looking for alternatives too.
I would consider running Wear // Tear over Fragmentize in your SB. The Tear side is strict upgrade over Fragmentize, plus you get Wear for Grafdigger's Cage and the ability to cast both sides.
I played a slightly tweaked version of the list at FNM last night and went 3-1. I beat Infect, Naya Allies, and BR Eldrazi and lost to Grixis Delver due to play error in game 1 and then miss-sideboarding in game 2. The changes to the list were MD -2 Pact of Negation +2 Swan Song, SB -2 Swan Song +2 Dispel. As JorahM pointed out, Pact of Negation is too much of a liability since the deck doesn't often win the turn it goes off. Swan Song, on the other hand, is an efficient counter and makes a creature for Kari Zev's Expertise.
The MD configuration felt pretty tight. I'm going to experiment with -4 Sleight of Hand, -1 Jin-Gitaxias, +4 Ancestral Vision, +1 Goblin Dark-Dwellers to give the deck more resilience against control and midrange and free up some SB slots.
The SB needs work. Leyline of Sanctity and Wear // Tear preformed well, but Gemstone Caverns, Dispel, Fatal Push did not. I never had a chance to play Ancestral Vision. Going forward I'm going to try -1 Gemstone Caverns, -2 Dispel, -2 Fatal Push, +1 Yahenni's Expertise, +2 Defense Grid, +2 Beck // Call (as a hedge against graveyard hate). If I do end of moving Ancestral Vision to the MD, I'll add the other two Beck // Call and either a third Defense Grid or a Living End (as a Wrath of God against creature decks and another way to beat Grafdigger's Cage).
I really like both RB versions. Beck // Call with Nourishing Shoal seems pretty sick as does Conflagrate as combination discard outlet and finisher. I'm going to work on a RB version as well and will post it in the next couple of days. How consistently have you been able to assemble the combo using Faithless Looting, Cathartic Reunion, and/or Night's Whisper?
I played a slightly tweaked version of the list at FNM last night and went 3-1. I beat Infect, Naya Allies, and BR Eldrazi and lost to Grixis Delver due to play error in game 1 and then miss-sideboarding in game 2. The changes to the list were MD -2 Pact of Negation +2 Swan Song, SB -2 Swan Song +2 Dispel. Pact of Negation seemed like too much of a liability since the deck doesn't often win the turn it goes off. Swan Song, on the other hand, is an efficient counter and makes a creature for Kari Zev's Expertise. The meta at my LGS is very fair with lots of midrange decks, so I didn't have any problems finding targets for Kari Zev's Expertise. I could definitely see swapping it for Brain in a Jar in a more controlling meta though.
The MD configuration felt pretty tight. I'm going to experiment with -4 Sleight of Hand, -1 Jin-Gitaxias, +4 Ancestral Vision, +1 Goblin Dark-Dwellers to give the deck more resilience against control and midrange and free up some SB slots.
The SB needs work. Leyline of Sanctity and Wear // Tear preformed well, but Gemstone Caverns, Dispel, Fatal Push did not. I never had a chance to play Ancestral Vision. Going forward I'm going to try -1 Gemstone Caverns, -2 Dispel, -2 Fatal Push, +1 Yahenni's Expertise, +2 Defense Grid (nice call!), +2 Beck // Call (as a hedge against graveyard hate). If I do end of moving Ancestral Vision to the MD, I'll add the other two Beck // Call and either a third Defense Grid or a Living End (as a Wrath of God against creature decks and another way to beat Grafdigger's Cage).
Nights at the Game Table has created a series of Modern videos. Here's the first one.
4 Balustrade Spy
4 Elvish Spirit Guide
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Chancellor of the Tangle
4 Undercity Informer
3 Narcomoeba
1 Wild Cantor
1 Flame-Kin Zealot
1 Progenitus
4 Cabal Ritual
4 Dark Ritual
4 Manamorphose
4 Summoner’s Pact
4 Summoning Trap
1 Cabal Therapy
1 Dread Return
4 Bridge from Below
4 Chrome Mox
4 Lotus Petal
SB://
4 Xantid Swarm
4 Tinder Wall
4 Carnage Tyrant
3 Progenitus
4 Devoted Druid
4 Street Wraith
1 Rhonas, the Indomitable
1 Wild Cantor
4 Summoner’s Pact
4 Pact of Negation
4 Manamorphose
2 Uncage the Menagerie
4 Mishra’s Bauble
1 Conjurer’s Bauble
4 Oath of Nissa
4 Unbridled Growth
4 Hall of the Bandit Lord
3 Horizon Canopy
1 Forest
2 Temple Garden
2 Verdant Catacombs
2 Windswept Heath
1 Misty Rainforest
This version emphasizes speed. The four Manamorphose increase your turn two kill rate (T1: Hall of the Bandit Lord, T2: hasty Devoted Druid, make GG, Manamorphose into GW, cast Vizier of Remedies, Summoner's Pact or Uncage the Menagerie for Rhonas, the Indomitable). You can also cast them as a cantrip to put an instant in the yard for Traverse the Ulvenwald.
The four Unbridled Growth (a throw-back to _matsugan's original list) do three things in the deck: they turn Hall of the Bandit Lord into a painless source of mana, they put an enchantment in the yard for Traverse the Ulvenwald, and they cantrip. One of my biggest peeves with the latest list was the inability to reliably turn on delirium, which slowed down the deck considerably. You couldn't cast most of the instants until the combo turn and you couldn't get an enchantment into the yard unless you drew two Oath of Nissa.
Playing Rhonas, the Indomitable over Walking Ballista and Duskwatch Recruiter frees up an extra slot in the deck. If I run into a lot of Platinum Emperion’s, I’ll switch back, but I think the it’s possible to win before your opponent casts Madcap Experiment. Ensnaring Bridge is easily beatable by attacking with Devoted Druid as an 0/2 and then pumping after attackers are declared.
I like the third Horizon Canopy or Temple Garden over Murmuring Bosk since it comes into play untapped and we never really need black mana.
I’m not sure about the sideboard just yet. I know I want some number of Defense Grids or maybe Dosan the Falling Leaf. Gideon of the Trials could be good for grindier match ups where he lets you pact for value and Hope of Ghirapur could do work in the Walking Ballista build. I gotta wonder though: if the match versus Grixis Deaths Shadow is so bad, why did _matsugan devote so many narrow sideboard slots to it? Would it be better to write GDS off, and devote SB slots to the other 94% of the metagame?
Ari Lax recorded a video series with Dan Ward's SCG Regionals list here. His comments on sideboarding and role assessment were particularly helpful.
Two different Fuse combo decks made the top 16 of the SCG Modern Classic this weekend: a Dan Ward style-list swapping Cathartic Reunion for Izzet Charm and overhauling the Sideboard got 3rd and a new version featuring Brain in a Jar and Insolent Neonate got 11th.
Base on the last two FNM's I've decided to make the following chances to my list (an updated version can be found in my signature):
MD
-2 Swan Song
-1 Sleight of Hand
+2 Spirebluff Canal
+1 Living End
Swan Song hasn't been particularly relevant in the local meta and the deck does feel a little mana light at times especially when trying to build up to Yahenni's Expertise or Breaking + Goryo's Vengeance. The lviving End is to give the deck a fifth reanimation spell to cast off the Expertises and a fourth board wipe. It also gets around Grafdigger's Cage, which is the predominant form of graveyard hate in my local meta. If it tests well, I might cut another Sleight of Hand for a second copy and swap Jin-Gitaxias for Goblin Dark-Dwellers.
I'm still not sure about the SB. Leyline and Wear // Tear have been great; everything else has been meh. I might try Thoughtseize over Defense Grid since it's a bit more proactive and can be used to bin Griselbrand.
Interestingly, a Grixis Goryo's Vengeance deck using Kari Zev's Expertise, Forbidden Orchard, and Breaking // Entering got second at an SCG regionals tournament. You can find the deck list here. I wonder if he had any problems with whiffing since he was only running eight creatures. I also wonder if two Forbidden orchards is enough. If so, maybe we should cut down, since it's really annoying to get a double orchard draw.
al_the_mighty: Did you ever cast Breaking on yourself to bin Griselbrand or Bobo?
I would consider running Wear // Tear over Fragmentize in your SB. The Tear side is strict upgrade over Fragmentize, plus you get Wear for Grafdigger's Cage and the ability to cast both sides.
I played a slightly tweaked version of the list at FNM last night and went 3-1. I beat Infect, Naya Allies, and BR Eldrazi and lost to Grixis Delver due to play error in game 1 and then miss-sideboarding in game 2. The changes to the list were MD -2 Pact of Negation +2 Swan Song, SB -2 Swan Song +2 Dispel. As JorahM pointed out, Pact of Negation is too much of a liability since the deck doesn't often win the turn it goes off. Swan Song, on the other hand, is an efficient counter and makes a creature for Kari Zev's Expertise.
The MD configuration felt pretty tight. I'm going to experiment with -4 Sleight of Hand, -1 Jin-Gitaxias, +4 Ancestral Vision, +1 Goblin Dark-Dwellers to give the deck more resilience against control and midrange and free up some SB slots.
The SB needs work. Leyline of Sanctity and Wear // Tear preformed well, but Gemstone Caverns, Dispel, Fatal Push did not. I never had a chance to play Ancestral Vision. Going forward I'm going to try -1 Gemstone Caverns, -2 Dispel, -2 Fatal Push, +1 Yahenni's Expertise, +2 Defense Grid, +2 Beck // Call (as a hedge against graveyard hate). If I do end of moving Ancestral Vision to the MD, I'll add the other two Beck // Call and either a third Defense Grid or a Living End (as a Wrath of God against creature decks and another way to beat Grafdigger's Cage).
I really like both RB versions. Beck // Call with Nourishing Shoal seems pretty sick as does Conflagrate as combination discard outlet and finisher. I'm going to work on a RB version as well and will post it in the next couple of days. How consistently have you been able to assemble the combo using Faithless Looting, Cathartic Reunion, and/or Night's Whisper?
I played a slightly tweaked version of the list at FNM last night and went 3-1. I beat Infect, Naya Allies, and BR Eldrazi and lost to Grixis Delver due to play error in game 1 and then miss-sideboarding in game 2. The changes to the list were MD -2 Pact of Negation +2 Swan Song, SB -2 Swan Song +2 Dispel. Pact of Negation seemed like too much of a liability since the deck doesn't often win the turn it goes off. Swan Song, on the other hand, is an efficient counter and makes a creature for Kari Zev's Expertise. The meta at my LGS is very fair with lots of midrange decks, so I didn't have any problems finding targets for Kari Zev's Expertise. I could definitely see swapping it for Brain in a Jar in a more controlling meta though.
The MD configuration felt pretty tight. I'm going to experiment with -4 Sleight of Hand, -1 Jin-Gitaxias, +4 Ancestral Vision, +1 Goblin Dark-Dwellers to give the deck more resilience against control and midrange and free up some SB slots.
The SB needs work. Leyline of Sanctity and Wear // Tear preformed well, but Gemstone Caverns, Dispel, Fatal Push did not. I never had a chance to play Ancestral Vision. Going forward I'm going to try -1 Gemstone Caverns, -2 Dispel, -2 Fatal Push, +1 Yahenni's Expertise, +2 Defense Grid (nice call!), +2 Beck // Call (as a hedge against graveyard hate). If I do end of moving Ancestral Vision to the MD, I'll add the other two Beck // Call and either a third Defense Grid or a Living End (as a Wrath of God against creature decks and another way to beat Grafdigger's Cage).