You really only need 1-2 white sources in a turn thanks to the colourless activation of Rebel tutors. Expedition Map can always get a plains in a pinch if you're only on tron, but with 12 sources, you're very likely to get one in your opening hand (about 81%).
You could also not play a full playset of the Tron Lands. I am not a tron specialist by any means, so this might be considered heresy.
if i tried your suggestion, i think it'd look something like this:
one thing i don't like is the idea of less consistent turn 1 ramosian sergeant.
this maybe a win more build. as in i have the search engine going and 1 plains/3 other land in play to fetch what i want already. in that scenario, i'm ramping up to 8 mana to double fetch?
when i faced vs Utron in the past, he ran Ghostly Flicker to protect urzatron from Spreading Seas (and other land disruption.) i think tron-ing my mana base is a major commitment, rather than a minor tweak.
Another thing I just thought of: If you want to stay mono-White, why not play the tron lands? It seems to me like you could really benefit from them, and fitting in a couple Expedition Maps would be really easy.
i don't want to go under 16 plains. maybe it'll work?
Cool deck! It's nice to occasionally see rebels making an appearance in Pauper.
ty. rebels OWN counterspell decks. 1 searcher (i main 14) is all you need. you never have to cast anything else!
Especially with 4 Bojuka Bogs, splashing black for Blightspeaker andRathi Trapper, which are both quite good.
i considered blightspeaker. i prefer the white rebels tbh. defiant falcon carries equipment better. lieutenant having toughness over 1 is quite useful (i forgot to mention i lost 2 rebels to Fire//Ice vs URfae.) amrou scout can emergency block a ninja of the deep hours/kiln fiend (i may not have time to go up the rebel chain.) rebels being a defensive/control deck, blightspeaker doesn't help me survive compared to the white searchers.
trapper i don't like b/c black would be a splash color and trapper ties up black mana. if you're serious tho, my mana base would be:
People also splash Blue to play a more traditional Rebel "draw-go" gameplan, which is quite effective in pauper. Condescend, Mana Leak, Counterspell... Seems like a great thing to do while holding up instant speed fetch for board presence.[/quote]
"CounterRebels" was a legit deck back in the day. the synergy between searchers, counterspell mana and cantrips (Brainstorm, Ponder) is quite awesome. i considered this too but idk what to cut. my mana base would be something like:
r1 vs elves, 2-1.
SB +4 gut shot, +2 disenchant. -4 bonesplitter, -2 gliders.
g1, i took control w/multiple zealot il-vec killing his 1 toughness army.
g2, he got Spidersilk Armor. that ended my zealot lock.
g3, similar to g1.
r2 vs affinity, 2-0.
SB +2 disenchant, +1 amrou, +1 law, +1 thermal. -4 bonesplitter, -1 nightwind.
g1, i played defense to survive the early threats. bound in silence fetching was good vs his 4/4’s.
g2, he applied little pressure while my engine got going. thermals and the law were good vs his Atogs.
r3 vs URfae, 2-0.
SB +1 amrou (vs counters), +1 thermal. -1 bonesplitter, -1 nightwind.
g1, i resolved an early searcher. fetched a second searcher for removal insurance. then blocked flipped delvers w/riftwatchers (gain 4 life + trade!)
g2, i out attrition’d him by having more searchers (15 total) than he had counters/removal. i even ran out of fliers to find (he revealed a red earthquake-type board wipe off Augur of Bolas) so i elected to "fail to find" instead of thinning my last ground guys out.
conclusion - the other 3-0 player (1st place) ran burn. going forward, i would -4 bojuka bog and +4 Radiant Fountain.
- w/out bonesplitter, all games go long. prepare for having no downtime between rounds.
arrived early to test. test 1 vs one opponent and test 2-4 vs one other opponent.
test 1 vs burn, 3-1.
no SB.
batterskull ftw.
test 2 vs elves, 1-0.
TNN + Jitte wiped out his team.
test 3 vs RBspells, 1-0.
mostly burn but i saw murder.
test 4 vs URguttersnipe, 1-0.
cantrips n' burn.
round 1 vs gates, 2-1.
no SB.
his deck was upgraded standard (duals, bolt, swords, FOW?, etc.)
games 1&3, early batterskulls + permission.
game 2, he grinded me out.
round 2 vs burn, 2-0.
SB +2 BFT, +1 manriki-gusari (extra stoneforge value), +1 containment priest (1 more body.) -4 thoughtseize (burns myself.)
this was my test 1 opponent.
both games: survived, stabilized, then rode batterskull ftw.
amusing in game 2 how i flashed a containment priest and a manriki during his end step, then swung for exacties next turn. def not an optimal SB plan tho.
round 3 vs DNT, 1-2.
SB +4 dread of night, +1 manriki-gusari (DNT equipment.) -4 thoughtseize (expendable), -1 batterskull.
i never got to cast a single dread of night =(
game 1, his steady stream of threats ran out my resources.
game 2, opponent made a misplay this game, which led to me winning it:
first, i d.sphered his "x mana spells can't be played guy" (on 1.) he forgot to use his active mother of runes. then i swords'd his phyrexian revoker calling jitte. TNN + Jitte wiped out his team. i didn't deserve to win game 2... that game was a fluke.
game 3, he had too many threats again.
match summary: i deserved to be swept 0-2. then again, i deserved to cast dread of night at least once.
it may be correct to SB +4 dread, +4 plague (humans.) -4 thoughtseize, -4 FOW. DNT doesn't have a specific bomb; it feels like a resource grind imo.
top 4 got prizes, along some consolation prizes. i'm guessing i finished 5-6th place?
my elves and DNT opponents both commented how unfair TNN + Jitte was. great feedback!
summary: surprised Izzet worked. fliers and unblockables are a great way to kill opposing planeswalkers w/out spending resources. surprised proliferate didn't make more of an impact. maybe as time goes on...
both my Jund opponents had mana issues. both missed early drops from Gateway Plaza. after pointing this out to my r1 Jund opponent, he took out his splash color. the loss of gates really hurts 3 color decks...
unfortunately, i got no coverage tonight )': mebbe next time!
r1 vs Orhzov, 2-0 games.
after our match, i pointed out to him how splashing a third color was relatively easy w/guildgates. he rebuilt his deck immediately.
r2 vs Selesnya, 2-0 games.
opponent complained about mana screw and was a downer. he comes from a competitive LGS and probably feels entitled to win here.
r3 vs Esper, 2-0 games.
his build was slow tempo'd. surprised he made it this far.
despite sweeping all 3 opponents 2-0, i got second on tiebreaks to... MTGNERDGIRL! arrgh, lol.
i got a chance to chat w/her and asked for advice on Fate/Fate/Khans draft (LGS FNM before midnight prerelease.) she apologized and said she didn't remember the sets. confirmed w/others that Mardu is the wedge to go for and to force white first, then splash red/black. i also asked her opinion of legacy pauper (LGS 4/20/19 format) but she doesn't play.
after FNM, i went to the bar and had a few beers. on a buzz, i saw a sign that read "island" and interpreted as "is land." kind of like that "therapist" and "the rapist" joke.
my "Painter's Tax" list runs 2 enlightened tutor. as long as i have half a tax/rack or painter's/stone, i'll immediately tutor for the missing piece.
i've tried trinket mage in "Painter's Tax" before:
1. it's blue (force of will)
2. it fetches grindstone and relic of progenitus/tormod's crypt (replaces RIP.)
3. it ruins land tax by brining my mana curve ceiling from 2 lands to 3 lands.
not going to lie, i'm disappointed by how durdley my lists are. if half of the combo dies, all my cantrips have to be spent finding the other piece. but i'm going to keep them as is until i'm convinced of a better plan.
my plan for both lists is to go off reasonably fast, while still being consistent. the removal is there to buy time. you'd be surprised how difficult it can be to assemble a 2-piece combo, even w/all the cantrips in the world.
i had the tax/rack combo since extended or 1.x was a thing. it can be hard to use vs land light builds, like elves or burn.
Great! I see you are also playing copycat! Why you didn't post here? Maybe there are more people interested (like me) that don´t know about the other "Reality Acid Deck" threat. I didn't see your videos yet but I will do it soon.
Thanks!
i explained in post #25 that the original Copycat thread was gone before i started posting Copycat discussion in Reality Acid. up until now, this new Copycat thread had basically no support, so i decided to just keep posting in Reality Acid (for fear that this thread would disappear too.) but if i continue to get good results (i have 2 modern tourneys this weekend!) i'll be sure to continue here.
Neoform may be a finder in another shell (4cc Saheeli). I see that, when previous Jeskay Copycat thread was deleted, this is pretty dead. Nobody is playing this deck now?. Really??
if i tried your suggestion, i think it'd look something like this:
4 aven riftwatcher
4 bound in silence
4 defiant falcon
4 ramosian lieutenant
4 ramosian sergeant
4 zealot il-vec
2 amrou scout
1 nightwind glider
1 thermal glider
4 expedition map
4 faith’s fetters
(24) lands
12 plains
12 urza tron
one thing i don't like is the idea of less consistent turn 1 ramosian sergeant.
this maybe a win more build. as in i have the search engine going and 1 plains/3 other land in play to fetch what i want already. in that scenario, i'm ramping up to 8 mana to double fetch?
when i faced vs Utron in the past, he ran Ghostly Flicker to protect urzatron from Spreading Seas (and other land disruption.) i think tron-ing my mana base is a major commitment, rather than a minor tweak.
i don't want to go under 16 plains. maybe it'll work?
ty. rebels OWN counterspell decks. 1 searcher (i main 14) is all you need. you never have to cast anything else!
Especially with 4 Bojuka Bogs, splashing black for Blightspeaker andRathi Trapper, which are both quite good.
i considered blightspeaker. i prefer the white rebels tbh. defiant falcon carries equipment better. lieutenant having toughness over 1 is quite useful (i forgot to mention i lost 2 rebels to Fire//Ice vs URfae.) amrou scout can emergency block a ninja of the deep hours/kiln fiend (i may not have time to go up the rebel chain.) rebels being a defensive/control deck, blightspeaker doesn't help me survive compared to the white searchers.
trapper i don't like b/c black would be a splash color and trapper ties up black mana. if you're serious tho, my mana base would be:
4 bojuka bog
4 swamp
2 scoured barrens
People also splash Blue to play a more traditional Rebel "draw-go" gameplan, which is quite effective in pauper. Condescend, Mana Leak, Counterspell... Seems like a great thing to do while holding up instant speed fetch for board presence.[/quote]
"CounterRebels" was a legit deck back in the day. the synergy between searchers, counterspell mana and cantrips (Brainstorm, Ponder) is quite awesome. i considered this too but idk what to cut. my mana base would be something like:
6 island
4 sejiri refuge
since white is more important than blue, i'd adjust the mana by cutting the early and low impact blue spells (Brainstorm, Ponder, Mana Leak...)
Holy Light can be a good side vs. goblins/elves/ non-white weenies.
i lean on gut shot for 0 mana and zealot il-vec later on.
10 players, 3-0 matches, 2nd place.
“Rebels"
4 aven riftwatcher
4 bound in silence
4 defiant falcon (equips Bonesplitter as a flier)
4 ramosian lieutenant (blocks Auger of Bolas, survives Gut Shot)
4 ramosian sergeant
4 zealot il-vec (controls the board)
2 amrou scout (trades w/Ninja of the Deep Hours/Kiln Fiend)
1 nightwind glider
1 thermal glider
4 bonesplitter
4 faith’s fetters
(24) lands
16 plains
4 bojuka bog (main deck grave hate)
4 quicksand
4 gut shot
4 relic of progenitus
2 disenchant
1 amrou scout
1 lawbringer
1 lightbrinder
1 nightwind glider
1 thermal glider
r1 vs elves, 2-1.
SB +4 gut shot, +2 disenchant. -4 bonesplitter, -2 gliders.
g1, i took control w/multiple zealot il-vec killing his 1 toughness army.
g2, he got Spidersilk Armor. that ended my zealot lock.
g3, similar to g1.
r2 vs affinity, 2-0.
SB +2 disenchant, +1 amrou, +1 law, +1 thermal. -4 bonesplitter, -1 nightwind.
g1, i played defense to survive the early threats. bound in silence fetching was good vs his 4/4’s.
g2, he applied little pressure while my engine got going. thermals and the law were good vs his Atogs.
r3 vs URfae, 2-0.
SB +1 amrou (vs counters), +1 thermal. -1 bonesplitter, -1 nightwind.
g1, i resolved an early searcher. fetched a second searcher for removal insurance. then blocked flipped delvers w/riftwatchers (gain 4 life + trade!)
g2, i out attrition’d him by having more searchers (15 total) than he had counters/removal. i even ran out of fliers to find (he revealed a red earthquake-type board wipe off Augur of Bolas) so i elected to "fail to find" instead of thinning my last ground guys out.
conclusion - the other 3-0 player (1st place) ran burn. going forward, i would -4 bojuka bog and +4 Radiant Fountain.
- w/out bonesplitter, all games go long. prepare for having no downtime between rounds.
3 rounds, 2-1 matches.
Esperblade:
4 brainstorm
4 detention sphere (extras pitch to FOW)
4 force of will
4 jace, TMS (extras pitch to FOW)
4 ponder
4 true-name nemesis
(15) other
4 stoneforge mystic
4 swords to plowshares
4 thoughtseize (vs Stoneforge: take their equipment)
2 batterskull (1 extra, just in case)
1 umezawa’s jitte
4 flooded strand
4 polluted delta
4 island
3 tundra
2 scrubland
1 marsh flats
1 plains
1 swamp
1 underground sea
4 dread of night (stacks in multiples)
4 engineered plague (stacks in multiples)
2 burrenton forge-tender
2 containment priest
2 RIP
1 manriki-gusari
arrived early to test. test 1 vs one opponent and test 2-4 vs one other opponent.
test 1 vs burn, 3-1.
no SB.
batterskull ftw.
test 2 vs elves, 1-0.
TNN + Jitte wiped out his team.
test 3 vs RBspells, 1-0.
mostly burn but i saw murder.
test 4 vs URguttersnipe, 1-0.
cantrips n' burn.
round 1 vs gates, 2-1.
no SB.
his deck was upgraded standard (duals, bolt, swords, FOW?, etc.)
games 1&3, early batterskulls + permission.
game 2, he grinded me out.
round 2 vs burn, 2-0.
SB +2 BFT, +1 manriki-gusari (extra stoneforge value), +1 containment priest (1 more body.) -4 thoughtseize (burns myself.)
this was my test 1 opponent.
both games: survived, stabilized, then rode batterskull ftw.
amusing in game 2 how i flashed a containment priest and a manriki during his end step, then swung for exacties next turn. def not an optimal SB plan tho.
round 3 vs DNT, 1-2.
SB +4 dread of night, +1 manriki-gusari (DNT equipment.) -4 thoughtseize (expendable), -1 batterskull.
i never got to cast a single dread of night =(
game 1, his steady stream of threats ran out my resources.
game 2, opponent made a misplay this game, which led to me winning it:
first, i d.sphered his "x mana spells can't be played guy" (on 1.) he forgot to use his active mother of runes. then i swords'd his phyrexian revoker calling jitte. TNN + Jitte wiped out his team. i didn't deserve to win game 2... that game was a fluke.
game 3, he had too many threats again.
match summary: i deserved to be swept 0-2. then again, i deserved to cast dread of night at least once.
it may be correct to SB +4 dread, +4 plague (humans.) -4 thoughtseize, -4 FOW. DNT doesn't have a specific bomb; it feels like a resource grind imo.
top 4 got prizes, along some consolation prizes. i'm guessing i finished 5-6th place?
my elves and DNT opponents both commented how unfair TNN + Jitte was. great feedback!
6 players/3 rounds/3-0 match record/1st place.
(40) Izzet-no rares
2 aven eternal
2 ashiok's skulker (planeswalka-killa)
2 grim initiate
1 burning prophet
1 chainwhip cyclops (< ashiok's skulker)
1 invading manticore (never cast)
1 koira's dambreaker
1 sky theater strix
1 spellkeeper weird (never activated)
1 thunder drake
1 ugin's conjurant (for standoffs)
2 chandra's pyrohelix
2 jaya's greeting
1 blindblast (better than it looks)
1 chandra's triumph
1 honor the god-pharorah
(2) planeswalkers
1 kasmina, ebugmatic mentor (play before Samut to make removal harder)
1 samut, tyrant smasher
10 mountain
7 island
r1 vs Jund, 2-0.
he was too slow.
r2 vs Azorious, 2-1.
g1, he turn 4'd Jace, Wielder of Mysteries. took me several turns to kill it. he drew tons of cards and almost decked me. after i finally killed Jace, Weilder of Mysteries via Ashiok's Skulker, he dropped Teferi, Time Raveler. after killing Teferi, Time Raveler, i walked into the Single Combat he no doubt set up. turn after, he dropped 2 fatties and i just scooped to save time.
g2&3. i started fast while he stumbled on mana.
r3 vs Jund, 2-0.
like r1 Jund, too slow.
summary: surprised Izzet worked. fliers and unblockables are a great way to kill opposing planeswalkers w/out spending resources. surprised proliferate didn't make more of an impact. maybe as time goes on...
both my Jund opponents had mana issues. both missed early drops from Gateway Plaza. after pointing this out to my r1 Jund opponent, he took out his splash color. the loss of gates really hurts 3 color decks...
8 players, 3-0 matches, 1st place.
4 Faerie Miscreant
4 Ninja of the Deep Hours (deck name)
4 Omenspeaker (gains value off ninjitsu, never whiffs unlike Augur of Bolas.)
4 Spellstutter Sprite
2 Spire Golem (always 4+ islands so you have 2+ mana open)
(24) Spells:
4 Counterspell
4 Gush (banned 5/24/19)
4 Mutagenic Growth (force ninjas thru)
4 Ponder
4 Preordain
4 Snap
18 Island
4 Gut Shot (elves)
4 Relic of Progenitus (recur)
4 Spreading eas (tron)
1 Echoing Truth (catch all)
1 Blue Elemental Blast
1 Hydroblast
I replaced Delver of Secrets w/Omenspeakers. I hate Delver of Secrets, it's inconsistent unless paired w/a Brainstorm. But for the decks that run Evolving Wilds/Terramorphic Expanse, I understand that Brainstorm adds a lot of synergy.
My game plan is "Forbidian" by forcing ninjas in. The Mutagenic Growths give me a 0 cost way to remove blockers.
test vs standard MonoR 3-2.
no SB allowed.
Lost first 2, won the last 3. Learned the match up.
r1 vs UGtron, 2-1.
SB +4 Spreading Seas. -4 Omenspeaker (Sea Gate Oracle/Mnemonic Wall blockers.)
g2 his Ghostly Flicker removed 2 Spreading Seas from his 2 Urza's Towers. He assembled tron and won.
g1 and g3 he didn't assemble tron and lost.
r2 vs UBdelver, 2-1.
SB +1 Echoing Truth (for flipped Delver of Secrets and Gurmag Anglers), -1 Omenspeaker.
He splashed black and ran Gush, Daze and Foil.
r3 vs AcidTrip, 2-0.
SB +1 Echoing Truth (fizzle Reality Acid), -1 Omenspeaker.
If you allow no value off Reality Acid, the synergy cards are weak.
I used Mutagenic Growth vs his Quicksands.
10/15/19 Update:
4 Faerie Miscreant
4 Faerie Seer (Omenspeaker replacement)
4 Fathom Seer (Gush replacement)
4 Ninja of the Deep Hours
4 Spellstutter Sprite
2 Spire Golem
4 Counterspell
4 Mutagenic Growth
4 Ponder
4 Preordain
4 Snap
(18) Land:
18 Island
4 Gut Shot
4 Relic of Progenitus
3 Blue Elemental Blast
3 Hydroblast
1 Echoing Truth
3 rounds/3-0 match record/2nd place.
40 card Jund:
2 carrion imp
2 rafter demon
1 feral maaka
1 ghor-clan wrecker
1 gravel-hide goblin
1 noxious groodion
1 plague wight
1 rakdos roustabout
1 rakdos trumpeteer
1 rix maadi reveler
1 rubble slinger
1 spikewheel acrobat
2 skewer the critics
1 get the point
1 grotesque demise
1 ill-gotten inheritance
1 storm strike
1 undercity's embrace
(2) green splash
1 domri, chaos bringer
1 rhythm of the wild
6 mountain
6 swamp
3 forest
2 rakdos guildgate
i had a low mana curve, good removal and quality splash cards. the only thing i was worried about were my puny creatures.
tonight's special guest was MTGNERDGIRL, from the last Mythic Invitational:
https://www.mtgesports.com/news/capturing-magic-at-the-mythic-invitational
MTGNERDGIRL's advertisement:
https://www.other-realms.com/home.html
MTGNERDGIRL's coverage:
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/413707939
unfortunately, i got no coverage tonight )': mebbe next time!
r1 vs Orhzov, 2-0 games.
after our match, i pointed out to him how splashing a third color was relatively easy w/guildgates. he rebuilt his deck immediately.
r2 vs Selesnya, 2-0 games.
opponent complained about mana screw and was a downer. he comes from a competitive LGS and probably feels entitled to win here.
r3 vs Esper, 2-0 games.
his build was slow tempo'd. surprised he made it this far.
despite sweeping all 3 opponents 2-0, i got second on tiebreaks to... MTGNERDGIRL! arrgh, lol.
i got a chance to chat w/her and asked for advice on Fate/Fate/Khans draft (LGS FNM before midnight prerelease.) she apologized and said she didn't remember the sets. confirmed w/others that Mardu is the wedge to go for and to force white first, then splash red/black. i also asked her opinion of legacy pauper (LGS 4/20/19 format) but she doesn't play.
after FNM, i went to the bar and had a few beers. on a buzz, i saw a sign that read "island" and interpreted as "is land." kind of like that "therapist" and "the rapist" joke.
i've tried trinket mage in "Painter's Tax" before:
1. it's blue (force of will)
2. it fetches grindstone and relic of progenitus/tormod's crypt (replaces RIP.)
3. it ruins land tax by brining my mana curve ceiling from 2 lands to 3 lands.
not going to lie, i'm disappointed by how durdley my lists are. if half of the combo dies, all my cantrips have to be spent finding the other piece. but i'm going to keep them as is until i'm convinced of a better plan.
nah, i sparingly get to test legacy. my interest had only peaked recently.
my plan for both lists is to go off reasonably fast, while still being consistent. the removal is there to buy time. you'd be surprised how difficult it can be to assemble a 2-piece combo, even w/all the cantrips in the world.
i had the tax/rack combo since extended or 1.x was a thing. it can be hard to use vs land light builds, like elves or burn.
ethersworn canonist would hamper my own cantrips.
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Master of the Pearl Trident
4 Merfolk Trickster
4 Mistcaller
4 Silvergill Adept
4 Tide Shaper
4 True-Name Nemesis
4 Force of Will
4 Preordain
(5) Artifacts:
3 Null Rod
2 Grafdigger's Cage
(19) Land:
15 Island
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Submerge
4 Tidebinder Mage
2 Blue Elemental Blast
2 Hydroblast
2 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Null Rod
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/c3QFuDPK-Uu6S4XvR9qHnA
i explained in post #25 that the original Copycat thread was gone before i started posting Copycat discussion in Reality Acid. up until now, this new Copycat thread had basically no support, so i decided to just keep posting in Reality Acid (for fear that this thread would disappear too.) but if i continue to get good results (i have 2 modern tourneys this weekend!) i'll be sure to continue here.
all my old twitch vids get deleted after 2 weeks. on youtube, i'm "Byron."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8MyVNLVYNw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-M5ffoArnY&t=28s
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/deck-creation-modern/791877-reality-acid-deck
read post #25 onward...