The best place for Ramunap Excavator atm is in Abzan Company or GW company, those 2 decks runs Horizon Canopy which is the best card to abuse with Excavator, even better with Azusa. RG Ponza doesn't run utility lands like Canopy or Ghost Quarter so Excavator might not be a good fit.
Hey guys recently just got back from GP Toronto, my record was 3-0-1 at the side event, in the end my price was a Kaladash box so it is pretty great.
My tournament report:
Round 1: Grixis Shadow
I played this matchup many times, I think it is not a easy win, but still very challenging.
Game 1 - He is on the play, thoughtseize out my Outburst, I cycled few times and I got another Outburst. Then during his turn his Deathshadow was already big, next turn I cast another Outburst, he hard countered with Subborn Denial, swing to me with Shadow and Tasigur, put down me to 7. After that which is my turn now, I topdecked the 3rd copy of the Outburst in my deck, then during his turn I Outbursted out the Living End and sac his creature, my life was at 7, I realized that he could Bolt - Snap - Bolt me, ao I didn't cycled the Street Wraith, then his life was way too low and I just swing for the win.
Out - 4 Fulminator Mages , In 2 Richochet Trap 1 Leyline of the Void, 1 Beast Within.
Game 2 - This one is just in a normal phase, except his Death Shadow was very big, I Beast Within his Death Shadow, then next turn I casted Demonic Dread, used my Faerie Macabree to remove his Angler and Tasigur in the yard. Now he can't deal with my big board.
(Beast Within did a lot of work in this matchup, it can kill a big Death Shadow during combat, or bait their counterspell, or if they have Leyline of the Void it can stop it.)
Round 2: Esper Geist Midrange/Control
Kind of a interesting rogue deck, probably simiar to UWR Control except now it is black with discard, removal.
Game 1 - He Inquisition my Demonic Dread away, I cycle, then he played Jace, Vyrn Priodgy turn 2. I keep cycle my dudes but I can't seem to find a cascade card, turn 3 he landed a GoST and killed me very fast, his Jace also flipped.
Game 2 - Now I am on the play, basically he cannot find his Geist and anwsers, I used Fulminator Mages/Blood Moon to force him have a awkward manabase, now he cannot cast Supreme Verdit and stunk on 3 land.
Game 3 - He had a Nihil Spellbomb turn 1, now I need to becareful on which creatures I need to cycle, I cycled the Street Wraith, Architect so I can find my cascade cards or other things to beat him. He didn't drop a turn 3 geist which is the thing I cannot beat, it was pretty grindy and now we are on turn 5. At this point of the game I can hardcast my creatures, the creatures I kept in my hand are the Carabid/Wraith/Cerodon/Horror. He have a Geist but cannot deal with my big creatures. Now I just beat down with my big creatures, even he had 2 Path was still not enough.
Round 3: Merfolk
Game 1 - I just combo out and win.
Out 4 Fulminator Mage, 3 Faeries Macabree , In 3 Ingot Chewer, 2 Shriekmaw, 2 Ricochet Trap.
Game 2 - I made a extremely big misplay, could've won the game, it was he had some creatures and drop me down to 7, during my turn I can cast my Outburst, my graveyard only have 3 creatures and he is at 20, he also used spreading seas on one of my green lands, I used Bloodstained Mire fetch into a swamp (mainly reason is that he only have cursecatcher/silvergill, so I can survive for a turn), the correct play was I need to fetch for Stomping Ground and cast the outburst Immiedietly, instead I dropped the Blooming Marsh tapped. Next turn he top decked a lord and killed me.
Game 3 - He mulliganed to 6, turn 1 he dropped a Relic, but during my turn I used Chewer to stop his Relics. Then he have Cursecatcher, I responded with a Shriekmaw on my turn. He used 3 Spreading Seas to stop my manabase, but however it was too late since I already have too many creature in the yard, he tapped out with 3 lands, cursecatcher/silvergill. I found a fetchland that can get me the black source for Demonic Dread (I also had Simian Spirit Guide in hand) , now he cannot deal with all the creatures on my board.
On 4th Round my opponent and me just split the price.
The changes I want to make is cut 2 Blood Moon and add more hates for other decks, since I found not a lot of Tron players showing up so far. I would still keep the Fulminator Mages since they can slow down greedy manabase decks. Living End takes a lot of practice to play well tho, better not make mistake again.
Living End have 2 biggest weakness, counter magic heavy deck (jeskai/grixis/uw control etc), and strong graveyard hates (Relics, Leyline of the Void, Rest in Peace, Ooze)
If one graveyard hate resolve in a good timing, it is hard to comeback as Living End, play around graveyard hate is key to victory.
And there are other situation like combat step, your Living End triggers, need to master those things to play this deck well.
Also, wouldn't Obstinate Baloth (also good against discard) be a more efficient stabilization creature against aggro/burn over Thragtusk ?
The 5-drop slot is also rather cloged with the 2x Stormbreath, 2x Garruk and 1x Primal Command already.
Strangely enough the deck runs only 8x turn-1 acceleration pieces (no 2x Birds of Paradise) and 22x lands instead of 21x.
Garruk, Primal Hunter allows you to have permnant threats against other midrange decks (the continuously 3/3 beasts)
His draw power is more than Nissa , if you have a Titan, or Strombreath on the field, he draws you more cards, but Nissa can only help you draw 1-2 each turn if you have emblem.
My idea is I think I will change the deck with add some Thrun or birds. I feel the deck is not fast without the mana acclerators.
(what are the reason not running 1-2 copy of Choke those days? It is so good vs blue control decks)
Went 3-1 today, last time was 0-2, this time got better, only lost was against Eldrazi Tron.
It is an okay matchup, game 1 you have advantage, but game 2 when Eldrazi Tron have all those hates like Chalice on 0, Warping Wail, Relics, kind of tough to deal with, what would you do in this situation? Add 2 Blood Moon in the side to fully lock them out?
Game 1 I cannot find a cascade, so I lost.
Game 2 I lose to Eternal Witness bring back Rest and Piece, even 1 enchantment removal is not enough.
Round 2:
VS Eldrazi Tron
Game 1, He goes first, lost to his fast turn 3/ turn 4 eldrazi things, then follow up with a huge Walking Balista.
Game 2, Now I go first, I won due to 2 early Fulminator Mage.
Game 3, He goes first, now it is a fast turn 3 Smasher, I stopped it, but he drop a turn 4 Ugin, then a turn 5 huge Walking Balista, I didn't draw a single LD and Simian Spirit Guide to go faster.
(maybe just some badluck but will try get better next week, 1st time playing the deck tho)
I think if you want to seriously playing Living End you must maindeck 4 Fulminator Mage, this card is the must have in the deck since the meta is full of Tron/Grixis, trio-colored deck.
Hey guys, I kinda want to get back to Modern after the Infect/Dredge banning.
The one deck I am kinda interested is Tron.
Should I play G/W or G/B for Collective Brutality?
I am also interested in the Bushwacker Zoo, but I feel that deck is like if you fall behind after few turns you are in big trouble, and against Kitchen Finks decks is just not great when you don't draw Path.
You never know if enemy counter spell decks is packing up Spell Pierce or Negate, so it is a good insure.
My tournament report:
Round 1: Grixis Shadow
I played this matchup many times, I think it is not a easy win, but still very challenging.
Game 1 - He is on the play, thoughtseize out my Outburst, I cycled few times and I got another Outburst. Then during his turn his Deathshadow was already big, next turn I cast another Outburst, he hard countered with Subborn Denial, swing to me with Shadow and Tasigur, put down me to 7. After that which is my turn now, I topdecked the 3rd copy of the Outburst in my deck, then during his turn I Outbursted out the Living End and sac his creature, my life was at 7, I realized that he could Bolt - Snap - Bolt me, ao I didn't cycled the Street Wraith, then his life was way too low and I just swing for the win.
Out - 4 Fulminator Mages , In 2 Richochet Trap 1 Leyline of the Void, 1 Beast Within.
Game 2 - This one is just in a normal phase, except his Death Shadow was very big, I Beast Within his Death Shadow, then next turn I casted Demonic Dread, used my Faerie Macabree to remove his Angler and Tasigur in the yard. Now he can't deal with my big board.
(Beast Within did a lot of work in this matchup, it can kill a big Death Shadow during combat, or bait their counterspell, or if they have Leyline of the Void it can stop it.)
Round 2: Esper Geist Midrange/Control
Kind of a interesting rogue deck, probably simiar to UWR Control except now it is black with discard, removal.
Game 1 - He Inquisition my Demonic Dread away, I cycle, then he played Jace, Vyrn Priodgy turn 2. I keep cycle my dudes but I can't seem to find a cascade card, turn 3 he landed a GoST and killed me very fast, his Jace also flipped.
Out: 3 Faerie Macabre 1 Fulminator Mage, In - 2 Blood Moon 2 Ricochet Trap
Game 2 - Now I am on the play, basically he cannot find his Geist and anwsers, I used Fulminator Mages/Blood Moon to force him have a awkward manabase, now he cannot cast Supreme Verdit and stunk on 3 land.
Game 3 - He had a Nihil Spellbomb turn 1, now I need to becareful on which creatures I need to cycle, I cycled the Street Wraith, Architect so I can find my cascade cards or other things to beat him. He didn't drop a turn 3 geist which is the thing I cannot beat, it was pretty grindy and now we are on turn 5. At this point of the game I can hardcast my creatures, the creatures I kept in my hand are the Carabid/Wraith/Cerodon/Horror. He have a Geist but cannot deal with my big creatures. Now I just beat down with my big creatures, even he had 2 Path was still not enough.
Round 3: Merfolk
Game 1 - I just combo out and win.
Out 4 Fulminator Mage, 3 Faeries Macabree , In 3 Ingot Chewer, 2 Shriekmaw, 2 Ricochet Trap.
Game 2 - I made a extremely big misplay, could've won the game, it was he had some creatures and drop me down to 7, during my turn I can cast my Outburst, my graveyard only have 3 creatures and he is at 20, he also used spreading seas on one of my green lands, I used Bloodstained Mire fetch into a swamp (mainly reason is that he only have cursecatcher/silvergill, so I can survive for a turn), the correct play was I need to fetch for Stomping Ground and cast the outburst Immiedietly, instead I dropped the Blooming Marsh tapped. Next turn he top decked a lord and killed me.
Game 3 - He mulliganed to 6, turn 1 he dropped a Relic, but during my turn I used Chewer to stop his Relics. Then he have Cursecatcher, I responded with a Shriekmaw on my turn. He used 3 Spreading Seas to stop my manabase, but however it was too late since I already have too many creature in the yard, he tapped out with 3 lands, cursecatcher/silvergill. I found a fetchland that can get me the black source for Demonic Dread (I also had Simian Spirit Guide in hand) , now he cannot deal with all the creatures on my board.
On 4th Round my opponent and me just split the price.
The changes I want to make is cut 2 Blood Moon and add more hates for other decks, since I found not a lot of Tron players showing up so far. I would still keep the Fulminator Mages since they can slow down greedy manabase decks. Living End takes a lot of practice to play well tho, better not make mistake again.
3-1 won some prices at the prerelease and this is the card that beats me sigh...
If one graveyard hate resolve in a good timing, it is hard to comeback as Living End, play around graveyard hate is key to victory.
And there are other situation like combat step, your Living End triggers, need to master those things to play this deck well.
Garruk, Primal Hunter allows you to have permnant threats against other midrange decks (the continuously 3/3 beasts)
His draw power is more than Nissa , if you have a Titan, or Strombreath on the field, he draws you more cards, but Nissa can only help you draw 1-2 each turn if you have emblem.
My idea is I think I will change the deck with add some Thrun or birds. I feel the deck is not fast without the mana acclerators.
(what are the reason not running 1-2 copy of Choke those days? It is so good vs blue control decks)
Hmm , I like how this invitational deck is built, no faerie macabre in the maindeck, more cyclers and 4 Leyline of Void in the side.
It is an okay matchup, game 1 you have advantage, but game 2 when Eldrazi Tron have all those hates like Chalice on 0, Warping Wail, Relics, kind of tough to deal with, what would you do in this situation? Add 2 Blood Moon in the side to fully lock them out?
Round 1:
VS G/W hatebear deck,
Game 1 I cannot find a cascade, so I lost.
Game 2 I lose to Eternal Witness bring back Rest and Piece, even 1 enchantment removal is not enough.
Round 2:
VS Eldrazi Tron
Game 1, He goes first, lost to his fast turn 3/ turn 4 eldrazi things, then follow up with a huge Walking Balista.
Game 2, Now I go first, I won due to 2 early Fulminator Mage.
Game 3, He goes first, now it is a fast turn 3 Smasher, I stopped it, but he drop a turn 4 Ugin, then a turn 5 huge Walking Balista, I didn't draw a single LD and Simian Spirit Guide to go faster.
(maybe just some badluck but will try get better next week, 1st time playing the deck tho)
I think if you want to seriously playing Living End you must maindeck 4 Fulminator Mage, this card is the must have in the deck since the meta is full of Tron/Grixis, trio-colored deck.
Sensei's Divining Top
Lightning Helix
Path to Exile
Eternal Witness
Yeah, thats it, my all uncommon cube
(Fow, Ancient Tomb, Wasteland are proxies)
I still think you should run 3-4 hierarch tho... the exalted bonus is huge. You can make your smiter swing over a 4/5 goyf.
I haven't touched the deck for a while now, I want to start building it again.
So what you guys think of new metagame changes? Do you think Abzan Liege is still competitive? Would you want 3 Patal Push in your maindeck?
The one deck I am kinda interested is Tron.
Should I play G/W or G/B for Collective Brutality?
I am also interested in the Bushwacker Zoo, but I feel that deck is like if you fall behind after few turns you are in big trouble, and against Kitchen Finks decks is just not great when you don't draw Path.
I only been to 2 prerlease tho.
Man if you are rich and have a job just buy them.