Cheers nobodys, good to be back. Spyglass is a good idea, I'll give it a go.
@ContraEgo: Shackles are back on my radar, yes. I wonder if it isn't just a bit too slow in the matchups where it actually matters, though. Definitely worth trying, it's a sweet card I'd love to see return.
Hey guys; been a while but I have time to play again so picking up my thoptersword (or, as I'm calling it now with Urza, SwordLord) deck again. Glad to see The Nobody's still slaying it out there, nice work!
This is just off the top of my head as a starting point. I know it looks a bit nutty, but I really like Chalice as it hoses so hard and it's not really on people's radar at the moment. Modern is just a format where people expect to do a lot of things for 1 mana. The more I play it the more I like it. Have you seen a Phoenix player's face when you land chalice for 1? Or an infect player? It can even stumble Tron. With Chalice, you don't have to lean quite so hard on your hate suite to carry you when you can't combo off immediately, and since most decks are slowed by a chalice on 1, you have more time to combo out. It's also a 0 cost artifact so synergises with Sai (not included in the list above but could be), Mox and bridge. I've never found it a problem that it blocks some of our spells because we can still operate and win, wheras a lot of the time the other deck just can't (read: so we win).
The other nice thing about SSG is he lets you get accelerate a t1 Goblin Engineer more of the time, which is pretty scary, and also accelerates into urza earlier.
I'm increasingly cutting and even (as above) thinking about abandoning Whir; I know it sounds like heresy and I need to play more to fully understand how cutting whir and relying on Goblin affects everything, but the more I play with Goblin, the more I feel I don't need whir and it's UUU restrictions.
8 Cantrips is decent too (astrolabes and baubles). Could play 2 Faithless looting in the list if it doesn't get banned on the 8th.
EDIT: Why is my post count 2 and my avatar gone? *sigh*
I see a lot of concern over the buff to combo decks in older formats, which is justified. I think it's worth saying that this change also allows other decks to find their hate and sideboard cards a lot more consistently. I think we probably need to play and experience this rule a bit before we reach conclusions.
@ContraEgo: Shackles are back on my radar, yes. I wonder if it isn't just a bit too slow in the matchups where it actually matters, though. Definitely worth trying, it's a sweet card I'd love to see return.
So has anyone tested a Simian Spirit Guide list? Something like this:
4 Mox Opal
4 Mishra's Bauble
4 Arcum's Astrolabe
4 Thopter Foundry
2 Sword of the Meek
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Pithing Needle
1 Damping Sphere
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Pyrite Spellbomb
4 Simian Spirit Guide
3 Urza, Lord High Artificer
1 Ghirapur Aether Grid
4 Prismatic Vista
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Polluted Delta
6 Snow-Covered Island
1 Snow-Covered Mountain
1 Snow-Covered Swamp
1 Snow-Covered Plains
1 Watery Grave
1 Steam Vents
1 Hallowed Fountain
3 Blood Moon
2 Teferi, Time Raveller
2 Dead of Winter
2 Unmoored Ego
1 Pithing Needle
2 Wear // Tear
3 Battle at the Bridge
This is just off the top of my head as a starting point. I know it looks a bit nutty, but I really like Chalice as it hoses so hard and it's not really on people's radar at the moment. Modern is just a format where people expect to do a lot of things for 1 mana. The more I play it the more I like it. Have you seen a Phoenix player's face when you land chalice for 1? Or an infect player? It can even stumble Tron. With Chalice, you don't have to lean quite so hard on your hate suite to carry you when you can't combo off immediately, and since most decks are slowed by a chalice on 1, you have more time to combo out. It's also a 0 cost artifact so synergises with Sai (not included in the list above but could be), Mox and bridge. I've never found it a problem that it blocks some of our spells because we can still operate and win, wheras a lot of the time the other deck just can't (read: so we win).
The other nice thing about SSG is he lets you get accelerate a t1 Goblin Engineer more of the time, which is pretty scary, and also accelerates into urza earlier.
I'm increasingly cutting and even (as above) thinking about abandoning Whir; I know it sounds like heresy and I need to play more to fully understand how cutting whir and relying on Goblin affects everything, but the more I play with Goblin, the more I feel I don't need whir and it's UUU restrictions.
8 Cantrips is decent too (astrolabes and baubles). Could play 2 Faithless looting in the list if it doesn't get banned on the 8th.
EDIT: Why is my post count 2 and my avatar gone? *sigh*