MTG Salvation

Hey Everyone! I just wanted to thank everyone involved in this Forum. I only started playing back in December after not playing in 15 years (high school) where I only played a small amount of time and only silly Lunch table games. Fast forward to now and me and a group of friends try to go to FNM every chance we get and play at my place a couple times a week. We all went our different ways according to play style and continue to experiment with different decks. I came across this after looking up Tezzeret Agent of Bolas because I thought the card looked awesome and wanted to build around it. Since then I have been lurking for a couple of months. I have been able to create my own build of the shell minus a couple pieces that I have been working on for two months now. And all I can say is this is one of the most fun decks I have played with. It fits my play style perfectly being able to lock out unprepared players is great and this deck does it so good! Thank you agin to everyone for your wealth of knowledge. I hope to experiment more and eventually bring something to the table for you all as well!
Respect!
Madmartig0n

Hey Mad, nice to have you hear!
There's not a lot of buzz around Eternal Command anymore since it hasn't put up any big results in a while and also didn't really receive substantial upgrades in a long time.
IMO it's still a solid deck, especially for FNM level where you can plan your metagame a little better. More importantly though, it's a blast to play!

The traditional version is RUG, although people have been brewing with BUG quite a bit as well recently. I personally still prefer the RUG version, thanks to Bolt it has a way better tempo game, BUG offers actual hard removal for big creatures though.

I suggest you just read over the primer and like last 2 pages of this thread and then feel welcome to ask any further questions you might have!

Hey all, reporting in after a pptq today of 25 people.

My deck list is:
Round one I match up agains R affinity: Game one I push his only threat, assemble my combo, and win. Game two I get a bridge down after he already has a master of etherium out and has pumped with steel overseer, can't attack and has no outs. Affinly feels like a good match up. 2-0
1-0 overall

Round 2 I match up against affinity again(blue this time): He wins game after I tap out at 4 life to assemble the combo and he galvanic blasts me. This possibly could have been avoided, but it is my fault. Game 2 I get down a bridge early and win with the combo (nothing to note). Game 3 I turn one inquisition him and take his only non blue threat and take his only non blue threat, win with the combo. 2-1
2-0 overall

Round 3 is Blue Red Control with jace and thing in the ice: Game one I get out the combo quick and he scoops. Game two I have to fight through a lot of counters and after all of that his third blood moon (I decay the first two) when I have 2 whir and 1 tez in hand, rough, I loose to jace ultimate. Game 3 three I am able to assemble the combo and whir for a KCI to go infinite and he scoops. 2-1
3-0 overall

Round 4 is evolve agro deck: Top table. I actually feel like this is a good match up for me, but I end up loosing in two games because he kills me in 4 turns both games and I have poor draws. 0-2 have like 40 minutes left, I get some pizza
3-1 overall

Round 5: Burn: We are ranked 3 and 4, draw into top 8
3-1-1 overall, make cut to top 8.

First round of top 8: on the draw: I am up agains hallow one: I think this is another good match up. Game one I am able to fatal push his threats and keep the combo though lots of burning inquiry. I turn the corner and win at like 5 life. Game two I toss down two bridges and a welding jar after turn one grafdiggers cage, he has no outs(only two ancient grudge and used one to hit a foundry) I win several turns later. 2-0

Top 4: Against Grixis control: on the play: I think this match is neutral to bad, but my best friend plays the deck and am super familiar with the match up. Game one he tries to get value off of young pyromancer, thopter sword is more value, I win after a war of attrition. Game two he just keeps casting K command and snap caster, wins with 2 big fish. Game 3 is a grind again but I am able to stabilize with the combo, he taps out to cast snap K command, I whir for KCI and win by going infinite. 2-1

Finals: Up against Evolve again on the draw: game one he is just a little faster than me again and with the help of burn spells and lots of threats takes it. Game 2 he keeps a hand with low aggression but a lot of interaction on 6. I have a killer hand and assemble the combo to win, took a little long though because I sided out KCI for witchbane orb to keep my curve down for bridge but I can no longer go infinite. Game 3 he turn two stony's me, I have a polluted delta and a bauble on the board. I respond by fetching for a breeding pool and cracking the bauble. Draw exactly a polluted delta and a abrupt decay off the two draws, decay the stony, assemble the combo that I had in hand, win after a drawn out game of creating thopters. I was for sure lucky to get an out in that game 3. 2-1

So yeah won my first PPTQ that I ever attend going 6-1-1! I am pretty happy with the deck list overall, I think that I will continue tweaking the side to adjust to the meta. I like the plane walkers in the main because it give the deck a second angle and helps against control. Also with combo running around there is a lot of surgical extractions in decks and without the walkers that hurts when you get surprised with it out the side. I am super happy with the battle at the bridge, mainly for the mass life gain.

Sorry that the report isn't super detailed, I am ex hosted after today. Feel free to ask questions about my deck and such, always looking to improve. I don't own this deck on MTGO though so I am not well versed in more fringe match ups.

Thanks for all the support from this thread, I could not have tuned my deck this much without it. I am stoked to keep playing my favorite deck at RPTQ season in december!

Hey all!

(quick note before i start so people dont eat me alive - Yes, i know i need more opals, im working on it. theyre expensive. Second, yes I know the manabase is wonky and it needs a fix. maybe more green sources. Yes, I know witchbane orb main is strange but it helps against my local meta a lot. Yes, i know the sideboard is janky and it was more for testing than anything else really (except the polymorph tech, thats the spiciest ***** on here). Yes I know I need more swords, 2 more are coming sometime this/next week. Theyre rare as f*ck here in australia)

Decklist: https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/modern-sultai-tezzerator/?cb=1532434815




Posting again with some results of my newest venture, sultai tezzerator. I decided I was losing badly to opposing permanent-based decks so I splashed green for some of the most powerful spells in modern - Ancient stirrings, abrupt decay, and maelstrom pulse. This means I play a lot more reactively (I entirely cut any sort of hand disruption as it just honestly felt weak and a waste of mana, and was ALWAYS a feelsbadman when grinding out with ensnaring bridge/thopters) and can fight through a lot tougher matchups. Being able to abrupt decay/maelstrom key tron pieces (maps/spheres/ostone/ballista, and the big threats like karn and ugin), or remove an opposing blood moon (pentads are godly for allowing this), or removing detention spheres/opposing planeswalkers against control. Ultimately i feel so much stronger adding green and I dont feel i lose any sort of consistency with 3c.

The highlight is obviously ancient stirrings - this card is busted and i guarantee it will be banned soon, so im having my fun with it before it goes. It hits almost all artifacts (just not thopter foundry but I often have this in hand with 3x in deck) and most importantly can fix mana in a greedy hand by grabbing a land, mox or other cheap artifact, or later on digging for a sword/other answer. I have never whiffed on a stirrings so far and it never feels bad seeing one. I can easily enough get the G through fetches, shocks, opal or pentad (same goes for the decay and maelstrom). Maelstrom, on a side note, acts as a pseudo boardwipe against token strategies or repetitive tribal decks like humans, elves or merfolk.

However, the downside to this splash is we often play greedier hands and rely on fetch-shocking much more in the early game, which can put us at risk against burn or other hyperaggressive strategies. Often its not enough to kill me though and the removal/digging it provides means we can stabilize so much more easily and overwhelm with thopters.

Ultimately I feel great about this - and its put up results. After going sultai, I immediately saw improvements in my results and much better games - it is harder for us to get blown out and they provide so many outs that I really only lose to bad draws/hands or excessive discard effects (jund/mardu/8rack can be very tricky matchups) since im not running the ideas unbound package.

Dont diss the damn time sieve. that card has won me so many games where thopters just arent enough (especially other wincons that dont involve life or attacking). It also prevents durdling and attacking, giving the opponent time to find an answer. Definitely always keep 1 mainboard, never more or less though.

That said, 2 weeks ago I went 3-0-1 at my local FNM and came second, only behind a 4-0 affinity(?) player. I dont have a full report for that night but I know I went against Tron round 1, and tied by going to time on game 3 (was lucky, i was probably going to lose). I also went against UW control (abrupt decaying blood moons/detention spheres feels so GOOD), went against affinity and pulled a win thanks to abrupt decay hitting key stuff. I also played jund that night and was able to beat the tempo. Felt good being able to remove so many of their threats. Overall it was an excellent night, unwinnable without green splash.

Now the interesting part: just tonight I went 3-0 at a local modern tournament, and came first out of some 26 people. The report is as follows:

Round 1: R/G Tron

Game 1: I went into this fully expecting to go 0-2, as it was a good friend who is very experienced with tron. I get wiped out game 1 with a slow hand and simply not enough interaction, he gets turn 3 tron and goes to town. I whiff by maesltrom pulsing a world breaker, forgetting its return to hand text was from GY not battlefield, i could have won had I not have done that. Tron does its thing and he casts ulamog. Im done.

Sideboard: Out slow/irrelevant stuff (-1 tezz, -1 ratchet bomb, -2 push, -2 abrupt), In removal and 2xdamping spheres/padeem/pithing/herald/maelstrom.

Game 2: I draw a pretty fast hand with 2x welding jar and go to work spamming my hand down. He gets tron turn 3 but im able to whir for a damping sphere (after him reminding me damping sphere really isnt that good. I didnt buy it.) He then proceeds to never be able to remove the damping sphere and tries some O-stone shenanigans, but i pithing it. he starts playing other threats and I eventually assemble thoptersword after durdling behind bridge. I topdeck a whir and grab a time sieve, and go infinite. he concedes after seeing sieve and proving that i win.

No change to sideboard.

Game 3: Im nervous since hes first and I have a less explosive hand. It, however, has a natural damping sphere and a sword, which is perfect. I do some digging and durdling, sitting behind damping sphere to protect me. I land a tezz and a bridge and he gets a walking ballista. He starts pinging tezz so he cant ult, and then proceeds to natures claim my thopter foundry, and then kills tezz. I get another foundry and eventually go infinite again, with removal here and there. Pretty tense and pretty close.

Result: 2-1 to me. 1-0 record. Did pretty well considering i had no tron hate besides damping spheres and another pithing, but he whiffed a bit here and there (natures claimed the wrong things, didnt see enough sideboard hate) but i just outplayed him in the end.

Round 2: R/W Burn

Game 1: I again went in with a heavy heart assuming it would be an easy 0-2 loss, considering I have never won a game against burn properly. He was also a good friend and we were joking about how he was playing ape magic (his favourite kind of magic). Game 1 I get annihilated by swiftspears and eidolons, he baited out an abrupt on the swiftspear and slammed an eidolon i had no reponse to. I basically killed myself after that and going to his turn with 8 life, no protection and an eidolon on the field, he flashes 2 bolts and thats game. Ouchies. Bad matchup.

Sideboard: Out slow stuff, out pithing and stuff, in fast stuff and removal/padeem

Game 2: I had a ridiculously explosive 7-card hand. I have a mishras, an opal, a breeding pool, ancient stirrings, foundry and some other bits and pieces. I turn 1 dump my hand, dig with stirrings, find a 2nd mishras, activate metalcraft and pass the turn. He plays a swiftspear for 1 dmg. My turn i play some stuff and slam a foundry. It then goes back and forth with typical burn stuff, but i eventually topdeck a battle at the bridge while on about 6 life, and nuke his eidolon into the shadow realm, gaining some 6-7 health. he concedes there as the lifegain was too strong. Whew, close one.

No sideboard changes.

Game 3: I had a not-as-fast 6 card hand and was on the draw, so was expecting a blowout. He has an explosive hand but then starts going into topdeck mode. He removes a foundry early on but i simply replace it with a second one in my hand. im stuck at 3 lands and hes getting flooded so its a race to see who can get the impactful cards. I eventually whir with the help of a stored pentad prism and with a witchbane orb on the table its kind of hard for him to kill me. soon my lifegain is too much and he concedes. I cant believe i did it, i beat burn! Hooray for fast hands and early thoptersword!

Result: 2-1 to me, with a 2-0 record. Battle at the bridge was an mvp here, as well as good old thoptersword. Stabilizing hyper-early is key.

Round 3: U/B Zombie Hunt

Game 1: I was scared going into this match. I was expecting a very good player playing either tron, affinity, or some midrange (mardu,jund) as thats what dominates our meta. Turns out, it was zombie hunt. He had managed to go 2-0 against elves and against control (?) and was now against me. Much to my delight this deck is a hard counter to zombie hunt. Game 1 I have an average unexplosive start and he lands treasure hunt. Bad luck for him, he topdecks zombie infestation and thus gets basically nothing in hand. the next turn i slam a bridge and empty my hand. He says he'll wait a few more turns before conceding as he has some zombies on board. he cant do anything. He concedes.

Lul. Sideboard: Basically boarded in the abrupt and second pithing, and removed the slower stuff. It didnt really matter, he had a 1 card sideboard (a single collective brutality)

Game 2: I draw a perfect 7 with a turn 1 pithing needle. Even on the play his COBru cant hit me so I slam the t1 needle and thats game. I felt bad.

Results: 2-0 to me. 3-0 record. I felt so bad for taking away the 3-0 from the spiciest, best meme deck there that night. It wouldve been glorious. But i like winning more. Tezzerator unfortunately is just a hard counter to that deck.

Players:

1 - Tezzerator (me)
2 - Reveille (5C Bugle)
3 - Burn
4 - UW Eldrazi Taxes
5 - Burn (R2 Opp)
6 - Elves
7 - Zombie Hunt (R3 Opp)
8 - Grixis Shadow
9 - UW Spirits
10 - BG Elf Stompy
11 - Storm
12 - Hollow One
13 - GR Knight of the Reliquary
14 - Bad UW (No Teferi)
15 - Mardu Pyromancer
16 - Tron (R1 Opp)
16 - UR Enigma
18 - Grixis Delver
19 - Bant Knightfall
20 - UW Control
21 - Burn
22 - Titanshift
23 - Titanshift
24 - Bogles (Slippery)
25 - BR Madness
26 - Icy Moon

overall it was a great night, awesome fun and won overall. Felt good and again sultai just feels natural. i highly advocate some others to try my list or some sort of variation and tell me what they think. Honestly it makes the deck so much more resistant and dynamic. If only there was a way to tutor for the removal.

Thanks Everyone!

-Deleno.

Hello all, I played UB Fae to a 3-1 record at FNM this past Friday. Here is the list I ran:



I beat Elves, Infect and Junk Unburial Rites. I lost to "Eldrazi and Taxes". I really liked the list, but I'll likely make a few changes. Azcantas should be Snapcaster Mages, and I'd like another removal spell in the sideboard, probably another Cast Down.

Thanks for the support and very glad y'all got to see the deck on camera! Wish I played better for ya, I didn't know the matchup very well. I'll refrain from commenting on that one until I get to watch it so I can explain my thought process (this is usually the most helpful)

1) Bye

2) Burn: G1 he gets me to 1 life before I go infinite in response to his end step. G2 he helix's me instead of Tezz so I assume he has enough burn to kill me next turn so I battle at the bridge my own Tezz animation to stay above 7 life and win the following turn. 2/0

3) Bye: Technical difficulties resulted in many people getting refunds and avoiding the wait.

4) Hollow One: G1 He gets me to 1 life before I stabilize with thopters. G2 Cage and Nihil lock him out. 2/0

5) Storm: G1 I get cage and get out of range with thopter life gain. G2 TS/Push/CB buy me time into thopters. I whir for Nihil in response to his PIF ftw. 2/0

6) Burn: G1 he gets me to 1 life before thopters are online. I get to 7 life but he spikes spike and Boros charm. G2 I needle a fetch and hit leaving him at 1 land. Thopters stop his 2x Guide/Swift draw 1 lander. G3 double CB lock him out. 2/1

7) Mardu Pyro: G1 I fight through 2 commands and 4 discard in his top 15 cards to still win with thopters. G2 Triple Leyline opener into discard is enough for him. G3 Leyline opener again. This is a long grind where he eventually topdecks a Hazoret swing me to 4 life. I know my outs are limited here but topdeck a Battle. Eventually get there with a few thopters without the combo. Mardu does a lot of damage to themselves the combo isn't as necessary except to match their lingering souls.

8) Burn: G1 He runs me over with 2x GG plus Swift. G2 Thopter sword online turn 3 with jar backup. G3 Mox Bauble Jar 2x Foundry Fair is too fast and resilient. 2/1

8-0 Day 1 is by far the best I've ever done. Lots of Red which I expected.

9) Mardu Pyro: G1 His 3 discard and 2 Commands isn't enough and combo gets there. G2 he plays like 5 discard but I get there without the combo and just 4-5 thopters. This is a common theme against Pyro, their clock is just so slow. 2/0

10) KCI (Matt Nass): I will first admit I've never played the matchup. G1 he gets the combo while I stare at 3 bridges. G2 Damp spher0e with jar/needle backup wrecks him while I combo gets there. G3 I brutality his nature claim seeing another in hand and surgical Pyrite instead of Nature. This was a huge misplay and I learned the hard way about Aether Grid backup plan. I had Damp sphere and would have locked him out with a needle the following turn. 1/2

11) Bring/Shift: 1/2, I'll comment again after I watch it sipping beer and crying.

12) Hollow One: G1 Combo gets there. I don't show bridge (and never do if I can help it g1). G2 his turn 2 Tasigur into Ancient grudges is too fast. G3 Cage into bridge slows him. Maelstrom + Surgical take care of Leylines and I eventually draw the combo.

13) Affinity: G1 thopters and needle do their thing. G2 we draw as he can't answer bridge. He decides to spend 15 min of our time giving his creatures counters each turn and was definitely on tilt. I don't think I've ever lost this match. 2/0

14) Humans: Finally, the deck I've been looking for. G1 Combo is unbeatable, but he kept a slow hand. G2 He turn 2's a Kataki and I play T2 Torpor Orb instead of Battle, sacing an opal or something. Always just play Torpor it wins the game. 2/0

15) KCI (Eli Cassis): Whelp, here it is again. G1 I needle EE and whir for needle naming Pyrite during his combo. He eventually plays emrakul (I didn't know people still played this, he said he added it last second to his deck). I stare at the bridge I didn't prioritize playing in my hand (could have played it instead of foundry I think). G2 kept a mediocre 6 and he turn 3's me. 0/2

12-3 overall losing to 2 pros that eventually made top 8.

Unfortunately didn't get there, and definitely punished for not playing as much lately (3 times a month?). That said I had a blast and getting on camera was the highlight of my magic career so I can't complain at all. Even got asked to sign a playmat. Also as the_nobody's shared my list was shared in a wizard article which is super cool:

https://magic.wizards.com/en/events/coverage/gplv18-modern/day-2-highlights-2018-06-16

I'll share deckbuilding, sideboarding, and future deckbuilding decisions when I get another chance. I still haven't unpacked my bags as life goes on. Cheers!

Just wanted to remind everyone that we should have a new tezzeret to play with soon! Here is to hoping it is 3cmc. HYPE!

@boomforest: I simply didn't understand what problem Ideas Unbound was solving for us. In the early turns it is card disadvantage, parity if you get lucky and loot away a Sword of the Meek. It also competes for an already very crowded 2 CMC slot. In the late I see the advantages but then I would much rather have Reverse Engineer. If the purpose of the card was to filter our draws Serum Visions does about 90% of the job while only costing 50% of the mana. Now I understand you started playing Lingering Souls to get additional value out of Ideas of Unbound but you shouldn't need to change the deck to support the card, and at that I believe Lingering Souls was even cut from the final form of the Ideas Unbound list.

It just seems like someone wants to be casting Faithless Looting but couldn't swing the red in my opinion. For those of you that are committing to Ideas Unbound, why not go all the way? Main deck a Crucible of Worlds and utility lands so you can ditch lands and get them back. Play 2x Academy Ruins to get things back. I saw someone mention trying out a Gifts build which is cool because you can bin reanimator targets now as well.

Actual Real Dinosaur of a list (pre-dates Thopter/Sword unbanning): https://www.channelfireball.com/articles/the-quintessential-modern-tezz-gifts-faq/

Just looking on some input here. Really been liking this list and wonder if people have had success with similar lists. Thanks!