I m on the play and I have a hand like 5 cyclers, 1 fulmi/beast and 1 land. Before, I would have kept this hand but it isn't that great and I sometimes lose due to it, do I have to mulligan ? :/
Depends on what cyclers we're talking about. If your one land can cycle all of them, or if there are some number of Street Wraiths, then keep it all day. Otherwise, toss it back.
This, but also is one of them a landcycler. If you've got a BR land and something like 2 minotaur, 1 carabid, 1 street wraith, 1 pale recluse? On the draw, that's a keep every time for me. On the play, its a little bit of a tougher decision, but going in blind without knowing the matchup I'll still keep. On the play, that's 3 extra draw steps to get your 2nd land and be able to use the landcycler to have 3 mana available turn 3. If you don't get it, you can still use a 1-mana cycler again on turn 2 for another chance to hit the land. Do you get screwed with this hand? Sometimes, but I find that it usually works out well.
You should have 3-4 Ricochet Trap in your SB, would help against both the blue decks. You get around cards like Wrath of God by using Violent Outburst at EOT, sometimes have to force the LE through a counter. Shriekmaw could also help, especially against the UW deck (doesn't help against manlands). Dismember is another good targeted kill spell that can be played for only 1 mana if necessary. Skred is just a bad matchup. They do run MB relic, plus Blood Moon, and Fulminators are no good. Bring in Ingot Chewer plus Shriekmaw or Dismember to deal with Reckoners, and be sure to fetch for basics in case of a Moon.
While I agree that this deck would be better equipped to run more than 60 than most decks due to all of the cycling, I refuse to believe that a 66 card deck is optimal. I understand sometimes you may run 61 or 62 to get the land/spells ratio perfect, but in a 66 card deck there are some cards that are clearly the worst card, and should have no problem finding cards to cut out.
If I was to run Architects and spiders both, then it would be at the expense of mainboard utility cards. No Shriekmaw, no Faerie Macncheese, no Avalanche Riders, and maybe cut some Beast Within or Kommand. Just the core of cyclers, cascaders, and LEs.
What is better depends on your meta. Black focus is faster and can go for a bigger LE because of more cheap cyclers. Green focus goes bigger, and if you face a lot of Blood Moon a basic forest gives you your answers (Beast Within, plus Outburst is a 4x vs 3x DD). Black version usually only has 1-2 Twisted Aboms max, whereas you'll run 4 Pale Recluse - this means the green version can get big mana (slightly) easier and is better at playing the long grindy game. That all being said, I've actually never tested the Architects version. I can state the benefits and say which is better in a specific meta, but in a vacuum I don't know which is the better version.
I'm 50/50 on running dryad arbor. I can see it's mostly there to enable quick plays of Demonic Dread, which seems like it's worth it. what are the counter arguments for Arbor? drawing it and messing up your opening hand?
You pretty much hit the nail on the head.
Pros: fetchable, painless, green mana source, provides a Dread target, can turn an untapped fetchland into a surprise blocker. I have won games where I had no other Dread target. I have won games where I draw a fetch when I needed another creature to push through damage. I have won games where I needed an emergency blocker (surprisingly good against fast matchups like Burn, Infect, and Affinity; especially since you get it back post LE).
Cons: cannot tap for mana the turn it enters, only gives one color of mana, not a basic so it turns red with Blood Moon (it actually becomes a 1/1 green Land Creature – Mountain Dryad that taps for red mana), can be killed when you are wanting it for mana, dies to LE if its on the battlefield. I have lost games or had to mulligan where I needed mana and Dryad is basically an ETB tapped land. It can also be awkward to have it in your opener and need to use it as one of your three lands, only to have it be bolted. Dying to LE isn't a huge deal most of the time, but it is something you'll have to note if you play the land as a Dread target.
Are the pros worth the cons? Is it worthwhile to run it? I think so, especially in the spiders version where you have extra ways to fetch it. Is it better than other utility lands? That's a matter of personal preference. Personally, I prefer it to Raging Ravine (both are boltable, Dryad takes no mana to activate and gives Dread target) and Kessig Wolf Run (taps for colored mana, and have rarely needed the trample to push damage through). Your mileage may vary.
Kommand also works since they usually only have mana for one counterspell. Often you have Demonic Dread instead of Outburst, if you Kommand at EOT you force the issue - let them kill a creature/artifact and bring back a Shriekmaw, holding the counterspell for the potential LE? Or blank the Kommand and be risk letting a LE resolve?
Reckless Bushwhacker seems alllllmost good enough but not quite good enough as an interesting one-of. If the ETB was always instead of just on Surge cast, it makes the second Living End of the game a potentially hasty lethal attacking force, and if the Surge cost was a single R it could potentially be a more reliable follow-up to a Living End. The best case is a suspended LE into this guy, but how relevant is that?
well, goblin bushwhacker is already legal, so i'm not sure he works. nice idea though.
Goblin Bushwhacker costs 1, which doesn't work with LE. This deck thrives on cards that can be played for less than their casting cost and "strictly worse" versions of existing cards. Unfortunately, the Surge mechanic doesn't work too well with us, other than LE we aren't often casting multiple spells a turn (too bad cycling doesn't count as casting a spell). I'm not expecting any Surge spells to be playable in this deck.
Just one problem with your post, Lantern - Domain zoo is NOT that good against Living End. A standard LE list packs 8-10 land destruction cards, those being Fulminator Mage, Beast Within, and Avalanche Riders. The creatures even come back after LE. It may have more answers than traditional zoo, but the manabase is pretty soft to these guys.
There is no reason to need Emrakul at the top of your library unless you add in more creatures - that's the whole point of him being the only creature in your deck, you'll find him eventually. And, with his shuffle ability, when you sac him at end of turn (assuming you don't get the kill), he'll shuffle your GY back into your library so you've got no risk of decking yourself. The only way that could happen is if you draw into both of them.
Green gives you access to ramp. Search for Tomorrow or Utopia Sprawl would probably be your best bet, since they can be played on turn 1. You want to be able to win on turn 4, so you need reliable ramp on turns 1-2 - in order to do this, you reliably need 4 mana on turn 3. Rampant Growth may help also, or you can use Pentad Prism with any two+ color combination.
I did a turn 2 cycle once with SSG against Affinity in order to wipe their board. I brought back 1x Faerie Macabre (exiling his Arcbound Ravager) and 2x Street Wraith. Proceeded to ride them for the win. Not always the best play, but its nice to have as an option.
This card works because when you cascade into it, you can cast either side. Unfortunately, it means sometimes when you cascade you can only bring back one guy instead of the whole team (although he does have haste, which is a plus). Thirst for Knowledge and Compulsive Research round out the ways to dump cards into the gy. Its generally considered worse than regular LE. You often don't go off until turn 4, you trade your 1-mana cyclers for 3-mana draw/discard, and you may only be able to bring back one creature so you need them to be really high-impact. The secondary gameplan of "hardcast big dudes" doesn't work because your big dudes are 7+ cmc, instead of 5-7. Since you need 5 colors, your manabase will be a wreck. Still, playing a turn 3 Elesh Norn is pretty beast and the deck is a blast to play. I find it more fun than regular LE, but not as good.
I've found that the decks that Gnaw to the Bone is good against are generally not interested in attacking your graveyard in the first place.
Very true, although I did play a Skred Red that used Relic of Progenitus, which would have made Gnaw useless. I just find that even 4 life gained is often insurmountable by burn, and when you LE you can use him as a beater if you don't need 4 more. I also don't find Gnaw as useful in multiples, since it has Flashback. Either way, both cards work and I've used Gnaw in the past; most recently I had a 2/1 split of Boar/Gnaw and I kinda liked that.
Cons:
Kitchen Finks will only ever gain you 4 life, where a boar can get you 8.
Finks can be exiled, only gaining you 2.
You can't choose when to gain the life, so it can be countered with a Skullcrack.
After LE, Finks comes back as a 2/1, whereas Boar will be 2/2.
Since we run white as a splash color, the mana requirement is more difficult, but slightly easier than Spike Feeder.
Pros:
When you cast it, Finks is a 3/2 rather than a 2/2.
No need to sac to gain life, so you can be aggressive with it and/or block with it.
When hardcasting guys, Finks survives a board wipe, so you retain a board presence.
Overall, the Pros do not outweigh the Cons. Spike Feeder and Brindle Boar are approximately equal (more spread-out life-gain and a marginally useful ability vs easier casting cost), and Finks is significantly worse than either. Gnaw to the Bone is a life-gain option as well, although one that seems to have fallen out of favor (IMO worse because it requires the graveyard, so its blown out by the same hate as LE, but it can gain significantly more life if it works).
If you have Shriekmaw in the side, you may want that against creature-heavy burn. Obviously, Leyline of Sanctity if you're playing it. Otherwise, Boar/Gnaw/Spike Feeder are the best bets.
Be careful trying to be cute with Boar and block/sac. With Skullcrack and Atarka's Command, just pop him for the life whenever they tap out. If they are attacking with a Goblin Guide and they 'crack in response to your sac, then you are -3 health from the Skullcrack. If you take the hit and sac when they are tapped out (or in response to 'crack), you take 2 from the attack and 3 from the bolt, and gain 4; you end up only -1 health.
How does it work against Infect? I guess if you have T1 Dismember, T2 Dismember and/or Shriekmaw, Turn 3 Cascade or Beast Within...but you're probably winning that game anyways. Maybe turn 2 with double SSG? Again, you'll probably win that game with whatever else you have. I would never ever bring a 4cmc (non-cycler) into the deck against Infect, and you've probably got better options against Affinity. It would be okay against Twin if it had Flash, but paying 4 for this (without a Ricochet Trap) is a bad idea, and if you have Ricochet Trap then there are still much better cards to be playing.
This, but also is one of them a landcycler. If you've got a BR land and something like 2 minotaur, 1 carabid, 1 street wraith, 1 pale recluse? On the draw, that's a keep every time for me. On the play, its a little bit of a tougher decision, but going in blind without knowing the matchup I'll still keep. On the play, that's 3 extra draw steps to get your 2nd land and be able to use the landcycler to have 3 mana available turn 3. If you don't get it, you can still use a 1-mana cycler again on turn 2 for another chance to hit the land. Do you get screwed with this hand? Sometimes, but I find that it usually works out well.
If I was to run Architects and spiders both, then it would be at the expense of mainboard utility cards. No Shriekmaw, no Faerie Macncheese, no Avalanche Riders, and maybe cut some Beast Within or Kommand. Just the core of cyclers, cascaders, and LEs.
You pretty much hit the nail on the head.
Pros: fetchable, painless, green mana source, provides a Dread target, can turn an untapped fetchland into a surprise blocker. I have won games where I had no other Dread target. I have won games where I draw a fetch when I needed another creature to push through damage. I have won games where I needed an emergency blocker (surprisingly good against fast matchups like Burn, Infect, and Affinity; especially since you get it back post LE).
Cons: cannot tap for mana the turn it enters, only gives one color of mana, not a basic so it turns red with Blood Moon (it actually becomes a 1/1 green Land Creature – Mountain Dryad that taps for red mana), can be killed when you are wanting it for mana, dies to LE if its on the battlefield. I have lost games or had to mulligan where I needed mana and Dryad is basically an ETB tapped land. It can also be awkward to have it in your opener and need to use it as one of your three lands, only to have it be bolted. Dying to LE isn't a huge deal most of the time, but it is something you'll have to note if you play the land as a Dread target.
Are the pros worth the cons? Is it worthwhile to run it? I think so, especially in the spiders version where you have extra ways to fetch it. Is it better than other utility lands? That's a matter of personal preference. Personally, I prefer it to Raging Ravine (both are boltable, Dryad takes no mana to activate and gives Dread target) and Kessig Wolf Run (taps for colored mana, and have rarely needed the trample to push damage through). Your mileage may vary.
Goblin Bushwhacker costs 1, which doesn't work with LE. This deck thrives on cards that can be played for less than their casting cost and "strictly worse" versions of existing cards. Unfortunately, the Surge mechanic doesn't work too well with us, other than LE we aren't often casting multiple spells a turn (too bad cycling doesn't count as casting a spell). I'm not expecting any Surge spells to be playable in this deck.
Green gives you access to ramp. Search for Tomorrow or Utopia Sprawl would probably be your best bet, since they can be played on turn 1. You want to be able to win on turn 4, so you need reliable ramp on turns 1-2 - in order to do this, you reliably need 4 mana on turn 3. Rampant Growth may help also, or you can use Pentad Prism with any two+ color combination.
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/deck-creation-modern/221414-living-end-reanimator
This card works because when you cascade into it, you can cast either side. Unfortunately, it means sometimes when you cascade you can only bring back one guy instead of the whole team (although he does have haste, which is a plus). Thirst for Knowledge and Compulsive Research round out the ways to dump cards into the gy. Its generally considered worse than regular LE. You often don't go off until turn 4, you trade your 1-mana cyclers for 3-mana draw/discard, and you may only be able to bring back one creature so you need them to be really high-impact. The secondary gameplan of "hardcast big dudes" doesn't work because your big dudes are 7+ cmc, instead of 5-7. Since you need 5 colors, your manabase will be a wreck. Still, playing a turn 3 Elesh Norn is pretty beast and the deck is a blast to play. I find it more fun than regular LE, but not as good.
Very true, although I did play a Skred Red that used Relic of Progenitus, which would have made Gnaw useless. I just find that even 4 life gained is often insurmountable by burn, and when you LE you can use him as a beater if you don't need 4 more. I also don't find Gnaw as useful in multiples, since it has Flashback. Either way, both cards work and I've used Gnaw in the past; most recently I had a 2/1 split of Boar/Gnaw and I kinda liked that.
Kitchen Finks will only ever gain you 4 life, where a boar can get you 8.
Finks can be exiled, only gaining you 2.
You can't choose when to gain the life, so it can be countered with a Skullcrack.
After LE, Finks comes back as a 2/1, whereas Boar will be 2/2.
Since we run white as a splash color, the mana requirement is more difficult, but slightly easier than Spike Feeder.
Pros:
When you cast it, Finks is a 3/2 rather than a 2/2.
No need to sac to gain life, so you can be aggressive with it and/or block with it.
When hardcasting guys, Finks survives a board wipe, so you retain a board presence.
Overall, the Pros do not outweigh the Cons. Spike Feeder and Brindle Boar are approximately equal (more spread-out life-gain and a marginally useful ability vs easier casting cost), and Finks is significantly worse than either. Gnaw to the Bone is a life-gain option as well, although one that seems to have fallen out of favor (IMO worse because it requires the graveyard, so its blown out by the same hate as LE, but it can gain significantly more life if it works).
Be careful trying to be cute with Boar and block/sac. With Skullcrack and Atarka's Command, just pop him for the life whenever they tap out. If they are attacking with a Goblin Guide and they 'crack in response to your sac, then you are -3 health from the Skullcrack. If you take the hit and sac when they are tapped out (or in response to 'crack), you take 2 from the attack and 3 from the bolt, and gain 4; you end up only -1 health.