as the deck is a control build with lots of instants and soc Pteramander is probably the best creature for the deck along with [c]Murmuring Mystic
/c]. id drop the tempest djinn and 1 omenspeaker and go
4 Murmuring Mystic
4 Pteramander
3 omenspeaker
I hadn't considered witness, thanks I'll try it out
As for mana sink
Evacuation is the biggest mana sink, by bouncing all the etb cretures you can hard lock the opponent by playing back when they try to cast out there threats again.
Search is the second main mana sink of the deck and the fact you can activate it before and after your end step makes it pretty powerful.
I considered the gearhulk and am still on the fence about him. The question comes down to what to i cut, as 6 mana is alot and even with the ramp spell there a good chance I won't get to activate it until it's turn 6 which is a long time to have a dead card in hand in a tempo deck.
if your having issues with burn have you tried kitchen finks? maybe on mb over beloth and 2 more sb. i also personally like a single pulse of murasa in the sb as its solid lifegain and card advantage to bring back stranglroots, scoze, finks against burn, or your hexproof things against control.
those changes should help.
heroic intervention is great against board wipes but does nothing vs ensnaring bridge. so if there are any bridge players then haz will probably be the safe bet. my other personal take out would be Goblin Rabblemaster, as they dot have haste and only swing with 3 power a turn later, they are very good in midrange builds but i feel the lack a little in aggro. in there place i would stick in +1 spell breaker, +2 pelt collectors +1 goblin bushwhacker. which should lower your cuve and allow you to play even more aggressively
vengevine builds are considered hyper aggro (similar to hollow one) but a little less consistent than normal zoo (but the do stand a better chance at winning fnm level events) as the idea is to discard vengevine turn 1 or 2 with neonate or looting then in an ideal work turn 2 burning tree into Reckless Bushwhacker bringing back vengevine before bushwhackers pump activate then swing in for 11 turn 2.
I like the deck, seem pretty strong. It's a smart about not having a shock/fetch landbase as not having the means narnam renegades and curd apes are not viable.
The weakest slots in the deck look to be
Burning-Tree Shaman and Voltaic Brawler. I would also say that your running to many legion loyalist mb as they are good. Against some decks they are ok and against others they are amazing. So I would move 2 SB
Personally I would go all in with the bushwhackers, as they are basically a 2 drop but are also really strong at helping close out a game.
Experiment One or pelt collector would be a part lid addion (1 of them not both) as they are very solid aggressive cretures with vey little down side.
Reckless Bushwhacker could also be a solid addion as a 2 of as buy you need to have a around 20 one drops spells and burning tree to make it consistant.
I would consider 2 mb Scavenging Ooze, as they are ok body's but the do provide, lifegain against burn and other aggro stratergys, a big creture against midrange, and a mana sink against control post boardwipe. And with are solid hate against any gy decks.
Flinthoof Boar is ok but I'm not shore if it's a upgrade on what your running
I would add 2 copy's of hazorate into the SB as they are amazing against control, as they are difficult to deal with and can be used to deal damage to your opponent past things like ensuring bridge.
Mana lands.
As your not running kird apes that and are running some tap lands you may as well add some mana lands in there slot (they are great against midrange and control decks)
The ones I would consider are
Treetop village (2 mana to activate, native trample, can only make g)
Raging Ravine (requires 4 to activate, gets bigger the more you attack with it, no trample, can make either r or g mana)
I would also be tempted to add 1 copy of kessig wolfrun
In the future unless the price of fetchlands drop I would go with vengevines. About $14 a copy.
Paired with insolent neonate, faithless Looting hooting mandrills
Cathartic Reunion and flamewake phoenix. Apart from the vengevines themselves it's a pretty budget build with what you already have. ( Burning tree, bushwhackers, bloodbraids ect)
i've found Jace, Vryn's Prodigy to be a solid addition over normal planeswalkers, due to the looting effect which can help fill the gy for azcanta and the -2 ability is just better than the other jacses (except jms)
i've also found that Mystic Snake tends to be a more consistent counter creature than frilled, as the that extra colored mana requirement dose mattar, (although the 3 power on frilled is very nice)
i've played mnon b midrange for w while, some additions i would recommend Plaguecrafter works well with afterlife, kills carnage tyrant, knight of grace, vinemare, drakes (as gets past dive) and hit tef and other planeswalkers. Graveyard Marshal in long grindy games this will create an army with very little effort (alos its a solid body for 2 mana) (recommend no more than 2 mb) Blood Operative is good against golgari, phoenix and aggro also works well with Price of Fame
card neutral cards 2 drops Burglar RatDusk Legion Zealot
both have done there job by the time they hit the field so sacing them or chump blocking with them is just extra value
your weakest slots current are
1 Syndicate Guildmage (to slow for too little)
1 Knight of the Last Breath (again to slow for too little value i would run either Champion of Dusk or Demon of Catastrophes in this slot )
4 Sky tether (there is so much better removal options)
1 Mortify (mortify is good but three cmc is a lot and there's alot of good 2 cmc available so i recommend dropping 1 for something cheaper)
2 Revival //Revenge ( value is good buts its soc speed, better to run plague crafter or Ravenous Chupacabra ij this slot
chain wirler can be an issue but afterlife should hopefully make it difficult enough for your opponent that it won't matter
i've been brewing around and playing arktype on a budget for a while.
so points to add to and flesh out the primer (specifically looking towards more budget constrained builds)
Caves of Koilos and is pretty interchangeable with Concealed Courtyard (its almost 50/50 in these ) and is the most serviceable none standard dual lands
fetch lands, either plains+ or swamp+ fetches work absolutely fine and cna be a solid budget alternative to marsh flats
path to exile is a solid option for the deck, as against things like deathshadow, ur birdy and humans, there not necessarily going to have many basics and the exile clause can be extremely relevant
board wipes 1 is fine but most build of this deck i've seen run 2 mb at least.
other board wipes that are just as viable as damnation (and a lot cheaper) Day of Judgment (regenerate only matters against elves and this is less lightly to be named against humans) Wrath of God (+ $25 = Damnation)
the new board wipe Kaya's Wrath may be a solid option if your not running mutavaults and field of ruins
i also recommend running different board wipes instead of 3 damnations as Meddling Mage is still a thing
i've also seen Bontu's Last Reckoning make appearances in top 8 list in sb slots as it gets under teeg, and can kill of the hyper aggro decks that currently dominate modern
be very careful running Dark Confidant! as he generally means you need to lower the cmc significantly (sorins become very risky) (he also tops you running delve cards like murderous cut ect)
speaking of which murderous cut a solid 1 of with very little downside.
mb Nihil Spellbomb are generally very viable in the mb (similar to how a fair amount of prison/control decks run relic in GY heavy metas)
planeswalkers
are all solid addions for the deck Gideon of the Trials (wincon, and solid damage reducer) Ob Nixilis Reignited (best budget option) Sorin, Grim Nemesis (solid wincon generally only a 1-2 of)
c[]Sorin, Lord of Innistrad[/c] (the tokens and the emblems are all surprising effective and in a build with a solid token plan b its really is a solid option over 4 solem visitors) Elspeth, Knight-Errant (seen her played not bad but im not in love either) Gideon Jura ( is also solid as sees a little play in builds with strong gideon subthemes )
Legion's Landing early life gain or stall solid against things like burn, also a source of ramp and value in the late game (generally 1 of) Secure the Wastes instant speed is great, normally a solid option if already stuck a board wipe or can clog the board against creature decks for a turn or 2. (generally a 1-2 of and made redundant bitterblossoms)
start//finish is a strong card if you go all in on the smallpox plan (adding 2 death clouds as backup ect) also a good budget alternative fo a lot of cards in the deck.
in more land destruction based builds (more fields of ruin, ghost quarters and maybe Rain of Tears )
both Aven Mindcensor and Fulminator Mage can do a lot (turn two pox followed by turn three mage/ well timed mindcensor can be very hard to beat)
Westvale Abbey is a solid one of in sorin/token builds, as its survives wipes and is also just a fun way to win (normally works about as well as vault of the archangel) Isolated Chapel and Temple of Silence can work as 1-2 ofs in budget builds over fetches if need be
single creature wincons Baneslayer Angel/lyra, Batterskull, Tombstalker, Angel of Grace (currently testing as a 2 of as its useful from the gy and flash is super relevant, also being push/bolt proof while also being a good card both when ahead and behind makes it seems like a new posible mb option), Obzedat, Ghost Council, Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet have seen play in versiouse decks with in the decks (normally as 1 of the 75)
this becomes a auto SB include in you don't run lily for budget reasons Blessed Alliance bogles, burn, hollow one, spirits, humans, phoenix Timely Reinforcements in sb its just so good against a lot of deck aggressive deck
Smuggler's Copter, lootings almost always card advantage with souls, blood, never and/or start to choose from
hope you find some of this useful to add to the primer
The problem with tempest is it a three mana creture in modern and it's only ok. If you play it you need to be able to defend it. So if you run djinn I'd run disruption shoal as well. Also curious obsession is not good in the deck as there just isn't many cretures and it doesn't work with delver or pteramander.
Also this is modern you need remval. There are going to be hollow ones, vengevines and phoenixs out and dealing damadge turn 2 and if you don't run remval you'll play djinn turn 3 and loose before you get to your 4th turn.
I've also been playing around with hiroglific illumination as a cantrip as its card advantage late game and can be pitched to shoal to counter 4cmcs (Coco, board wipes and jaces ect)
i'm glad to see im not the only alone in finding Gideon of the Trials a solid addition, im almost tempted to add a third as he been doing so well.
i currently agonising over the cantrip slot, i've ended up going for 2 hieroglyphic illumination and one cast down, i've been unimpressed with Supreme will.
i've found 1-2 copies of response//resurgence in the sb to be a solid addition as they deal with gurmag anglers and hollow ones in early game.
my findings in the recent meta for cascade, post based restore balance, i've only included decks of particular note or one that have changed a lot recently
coco spirits: almost always lose game one. but if you sb in lots of removal and have gideons also in the board this becomes somewhat more viable, but it does need 3-4 dead/gones, and oblivion rings/detention sphere/dismembers and wears and tears for edilon and stony and some perfect timing and a little luck, but it becomes slightly in our favour.
phoenix:, is a solid matchup with dead and trap, just beware the spell peairces and abrades game 2 and 3
kci, i think if the decks played well no one has much of a chance against it. but this is much more of a matchup where you need to take care with the hate and try and out play your opponent rather than the deck.
ponza: this has become a surprisingly hard matchup with the addition of knights of autumn mb with the stone rains means its almost impossible for us to reach the third land drop.
i would drop tezz from sb, instead i would run 2 sleeps as they basically give you a couple of extra turns to sort stuff out
a few upgrades
Essence Capture > Essence Scatter
as the deck is a control build with lots of instants and soc Pteramander is probably the best creature for the deck along with [c]Murmuring Mystic
/c]. id drop the tempest djinn and 1 omenspeaker and go
4 Murmuring Mystic
4 Pteramander
3 omenspeaker
Blink of an Eye will generally run better than unexplained
i would also run a play set of Wizard's Retort or Sinister Sabotage
1 or 2 copies of Precognitive Perception are probably worth running
1-2 copys of Memorial to Genius
Nezahal, Primal Tide is solid against control matchups and is probably worth a sb slot
1-2 copies of The Mirari Conjecture in the mb could also add some more staying power to the deck
i would add 2-3 copies of mission briefing as they are superbe dig spells and utility to get the right counterspell ect
finally if you have some spare money Entrancing Melody would be a solid upgrade, as it provides some solid permanent removal
Kytheon, Hero of Akros
id also add both
Anafenza, the Foremost
Gaddock Teeg
to the abzan list, having mb aggressive hatebears never hurts
Rhonas the Indomitable is a wincon so long as you have another creature ( he also stomps hard on deathshadow decks)
would help smooth out the curve into a more aggro plan
Hope of Ghirapur
Rhys the Redeemed
Isamaru, Hound of Konda
are all solid one drop
Reki, the History of Kamigawa, as a draw engine
Saffi Eriksdotter as a protection
and Shanna, Sisay's Legacy and day of destiny acts as another payoff
having both anafenza and Melira, Sylvok Outcast in a deck allows you to effectively also run a counter combo plan
Thalia's Lancers is also a decent tutor if you have some ramp
As for mana sink
Evacuation is the biggest mana sink, by bouncing all the etb cretures you can hard lock the opponent by playing back when they try to cast out there threats again.
Search is the second main mana sink of the deck and the fact you can activate it before and after your end step makes it pretty powerful.
I considered the gearhulk and am still on the fence about him. The question comes down to what to i cut, as 6 mana is alot and even with the ramp spell there a good chance I won't get to activate it until it's turn 6 which is a long time to have a dead card in hand in a tempo deck.
heroic intervention is great against board wipes but does nothing vs ensnaring bridge. so if there are any bridge players then haz will probably be the safe bet. my other personal take out would be Goblin Rabblemaster, as they dot have haste and only swing with 3 power a turn later, they are very good in midrange builds but i feel the lack a little in aggro. in there place i would stick in +1 spell breaker, +2 pelt collectors +1 goblin bushwhacker. which should lower your cuve and allow you to play even more aggressively
vengevine builds are considered hyper aggro (similar to hollow one) but a little less consistent than normal zoo (but the do stand a better chance at winning fnm level events) as the idea is to discard vengevine turn 1 or 2 with neonate or looting then in an ideal work turn 2 burning tree into Reckless Bushwhacker bringing back vengevine before bushwhackers pump activate then swing in for 11 turn 2.
The weakest slots in the deck look to be
Burning-Tree Shaman and Voltaic Brawler. I would also say that your running to many legion loyalist mb as they are good. Against some decks they are ok and against others they are amazing. So I would move 2 SB
Personally I would go all in with the bushwhackers, as they are basically a 2 drop but are also really strong at helping close out a game.
Experiment One or pelt collector would be a part lid addion (1 of them not both) as they are very solid aggressive cretures with vey little down side.
Reckless Bushwhacker could also be a solid addion as a 2 of as buy you need to have a around 20 one drops spells and burning tree to make it consistant.
I would consider 2 mb Scavenging Ooze, as they are ok body's but the do provide, lifegain against burn and other aggro stratergys, a big creture against midrange, and a mana sink against control post boardwipe. And with are solid hate against any gy decks.
Flinthoof Boar is ok but I'm not shore if it's a upgrade on what your running
I would add 2 copy's of hazorate into the SB as they are amazing against control, as they are difficult to deal with and can be used to deal damage to your opponent past things like ensuring bridge.
Mana lands.
As your not running kird apes that and are running some tap lands you may as well add some mana lands in there slot (they are great against midrange and control decks)
The ones I would consider are
Treetop village (2 mana to activate, native trample, can only make g)
Raging Ravine (requires 4 to activate, gets bigger the more you attack with it, no trample, can make either r or g mana)
I would also be tempted to add 1 copy of kessig wolfrun
In the future unless the price of fetchlands drop I would go with vengevines. About $14 a copy.
Paired with insolent neonate, faithless Looting hooting mandrills
Cathartic Reunion and flamewake phoenix. Apart from the vengevines themselves it's a pretty budget build with what you already have. ( Burning tree, bushwhackers, bloodbraids ect)
I would have a read of this thread (it's a little out of date but pretty good) as it outlines alot of the cards you could run
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/established-modern/aggro-tempo/565682-zoo-video-primer
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/simic-control-v1/
i've found Jace, Vryn's Prodigy to be a solid addition over normal planeswalkers, due to the looting effect which can help fill the gy for azcanta and the -2 ability is just better than the other jacses (except jms)
i've also found that Mystic Snake tends to be a more consistent counter creature than frilled, as the that extra colored mana requirement dose mattar, (although the 3 power on frilled is very nice)
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/deck-creation-modern/563145-grand-architect
user: AmicDeep
Plaguecrafter works well with afterlife, kills carnage tyrant, knight of grace, vinemare, drakes (as gets past dive) and hit tef and other planeswalkers.
Graveyard Marshal in long grindy games this will create an army with very little effort (alos its a solid body for 2 mana) (recommend no more than 2 mb)
Blood Operative is good against golgari, phoenix and aggro also works well with Price of Fame
Memorial to Folly (recommend 2 of
1 copy of Arguel's Blood Fast and 2 Mausoleum Secrets can create a strong and consistent card advantage package
card neutral cards 2 drops Burglar Rat Dusk Legion Zealot
both have done there job by the time they hit the field so sacing them or chump blocking with them is just extra value
The Eldest Reborn is a solid value engin
solid budget friendly removal options
Moment of Craving
walk the plank
Price of Fame
cast down
Consecrate // Consume
Final Payment
conclave tribunal
your weakest slots current are
1 Syndicate Guildmage (to slow for too little)
1 Knight of the Last Breath (again to slow for too little value i would run either Champion of Dusk or Demon of Catastrophes in this slot )
4 Sky tether (there is so much better removal options)
1 Mortify (mortify is good but three cmc is a lot and there's alot of good 2 cmc available so i recommend dropping 1 for something cheaper)
2 Revival //Revenge ( value is good buts its soc speed, better to run plague crafter or Ravenous Chupacabra ij this slot
chain wirler can be an issue but afterlife should hopefully make it difficult enough for your opponent that it won't matter
so points to add to and flesh out the primer (specifically looking towards more budget constrained builds)
Caves of Koilos and is pretty interchangeable with Concealed Courtyard (its almost 50/50 in these ) and is the most serviceable none standard dual lands
fetch lands, either plains+ or swamp+ fetches work absolutely fine and cna be a solid budget alternative to marsh flats
path to exile is a solid option for the deck, as against things like deathshadow, ur birdy and humans, there not necessarily going to have many basics and the exile clause can be extremely relevant
board wipes 1 is fine but most build of this deck i've seen run 2 mb at least.
other board wipes that are just as viable as damnation (and a lot cheaper)
Day of Judgment (regenerate only matters against elves and this is less lightly to be named against humans) Wrath of God (+ $25 = Damnation)
the new board wipe Kaya's Wrath may be a solid option if your not running mutavaults and field of ruins
i also recommend running different board wipes instead of 3 damnations as Meddling Mage is still a thing
i've also seen Bontu's Last Reckoning make appearances in top 8 list in sb slots as it gets under teeg, and can kill of the hyper aggro decks that currently dominate modern
be very careful running Dark Confidant! as he generally means you need to lower the cmc significantly (sorins become very risky) (he also tops you running delve cards like murderous cut ect)
speaking of which murderous cut a solid 1 of with very little downside.
mb Nihil Spellbomb are generally very viable in the mb (similar to how a fair amount of prison/control decks run relic in GY heavy metas)
planeswalkers
are all solid addions for the deck
Gideon of the Trials (wincon, and solid damage reducer)
Ob Nixilis Reignited (best budget option)
Sorin, Grim Nemesis (solid wincon generally only a 1-2 of)
c[]Sorin, Lord of Innistrad[/c] (the tokens and the emblems are all surprising effective and in a build with a solid token plan b its really is a solid option over 4 solem visitors)
Elspeth, Knight-Errant (seen her played not bad but im not in love either)
Gideon Jura ( is also solid as sees a little play in builds with strong gideon subthemes )
Legion's Landing early life gain or stall solid against things like burn, also a source of ramp and value in the late game (generally 1 of)
Secure the Wastes instant speed is great, normally a solid option if already stuck a board wipe or can clog the board against creature decks for a turn or 2. (generally a 1-2 of and made redundant bitterblossoms)
Phyrexian Arena and Night's Whisper are both solid sources of card advantage
start//finish is a strong card if you go all in on the smallpox plan (adding 2 death clouds as backup ect) also a good budget alternative fo a lot of cards in the deck.
in more land destruction based builds (more fields of ruin, ghost quarters and maybe Rain of Tears )
both Aven Mindcensor and Fulminator Mage can do a lot (turn two pox followed by turn three mage/ well timed mindcensor can be very hard to beat)
Westvale Abbey is a solid one of in sorin/token builds, as its survives wipes and is also just a fun way to win (normally works about as well as vault of the archangel)
Isolated Chapel and Temple of Silence can work as 1-2 ofs in budget builds over fetches if need be
single creature wincons
Baneslayer Angel/lyra, Batterskull, Tombstalker, Angel of Grace (currently testing as a 2 of as its useful from the gy and flash is super relevant, also being push/bolt proof while also being a good card both when ahead and behind makes it seems like a new posible mb option), Obzedat, Ghost Council, Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet have seen play in versiouse decks with in the decks (normally as 1 of the 75)
this becomes a auto SB include in you don't run lily for budget reasons Blessed Alliance bogles, burn, hollow one, spirits, humans, phoenix
Timely Reinforcements in sb its just so good against a lot of deck aggressive deck
Smuggler's Copter, lootings almost always card advantage with souls, blood, never and/or start to choose from
hope you find some of this useful to add to the primer
what sort of budget are you looking at and where are you looking to play?
Also this is modern you need remval. There are going to be hollow ones, vengevines and phoenixs out and dealing damadge turn 2 and if you don't run remval you'll play djinn turn 3 and loose before you get to your 4th turn.
This is my current brew I've been testing
1x Dismember
3x Disrupting Shoal
1x Logic Knot
2x Mission Briefing
2x Opt
2x Psionic Blast
4x Remand
4x Rune Snag
4x Thought Scour
3x Vapor Snag
3x Cryptic Serpent
4x Delver of Secrets Flip
4x Pteramander
2x Vendilion Clique
Land (18)
1x Faerie Conclave
2x Field of Ruin
13x Island
2x Underground River
4x Serum Visions
I've also been playing around with hiroglific illumination as a cantrip as its card advantage late game and can be pitched to shoal to counter 4cmcs (Coco, board wipes and jaces ect)
i currently agonising over the cantrip slot, i've ended up going for 2 hieroglyphic illumination and one cast down, i've been unimpressed with Supreme will.
i've found 1-2 copies of response//resurgence in the sb to be a solid addition as they deal with gurmag anglers and hollow ones in early game.
my findings in the recent meta for cascade, post based restore balance, i've only included decks of particular note or one that have changed a lot recently
coco spirits: almost always lose game one. but if you sb in lots of removal and have gideons also in the board this becomes somewhat more viable, but it does need 3-4 dead/gones, and oblivion rings/detention sphere/dismembers and wears and tears for edilon and stony and some perfect timing and a little luck, but it becomes slightly in our favour.
phoenix:, is a solid matchup with dead and trap, just beware the spell peairces and abrades game 2 and 3
kci, i think if the decks played well no one has much of a chance against it. but this is much more of a matchup where you need to take care with the hate and try and out play your opponent rather than the deck.
ponza: this has become a surprisingly hard matchup with the addition of knights of autumn mb with the stone rains means its almost impossible for us to reach the third land drop.