Your post really hit home for me. I'm also 34, a PhD, with a wife and a life and all that. I'm also sitting on a collection that seems to be getting more and more valuable each year, that I play with less and less. Tournaments are possible, but I just don't love it any more because of the time commitment.
It finally hit me--I really only play for fun any more. But I also like to collect. So keep collecting! Sell what you don't love and keep the rest. My play group is super casual. We play 50 card EDH with 5 rares max. It's ridiculously relaxed, cheap, creative, and the most fun I've had in magic for years. I have 8-10 of these decks, a couple boxes of my favorite legacy decks and cubes, and am in the process of selling the rest off. I think this is a sustainable state as I move into my late 30s and beyond. I love magic and it's been a part of my life since 1994 when I was 12 years old. It's the best game that's ever been invented and means different things to different people at different points in your life.
If you're going kitchen table, gotta go with Will-o'-the-Wisp. Also, competitive or not, relic of progenitus should be in there as another 1 drop (you don't have many).
Personally, I like the skies-spirits deck better, but then, I'm a huge fan of tokens in general:
Hey there, I'm new to Modern and I'm trying to find a nice niche for playing. I want to make an Esper deck and traditional control is pretty jarring to me, especially knowing that I'm just playing kitchen table Modern.
I'm a little conflicted right now with how I want the deck to play, and I'm hoping someone will be able to direct me in which direction the deck can go.
Please don't mind the mana base too much, I know I don't have the fetch lands, but I'm trying to get down the direction of the deck first.
I really like the interaction between Drokskol Reaver and Obzedat, Ghost Council, but I know it would be too slow if I don't run some control, like O-ring and such.
What I'm wondering is if it's a better idea just to focus on Spirit tokens and go straight Lingering Souls and Spectral Procession with enchantments like Intangible Virtue and Honor of the Pure, or should I run bigger guys like Ghost Dad and Reaver? I figure tokens are probably the safer bet, but I'm just curious if my deck is salvageable as is?
Definitely a different direction. I feel like red blood moon decks tend to be controll-ish, and this is a more aggro variant. A version of this has had success before (see http://mtgtop8.com/event?e=3450&d=221133). It looks like the biggest difference between yours and theirs is he has some cool koth/figure of destiny/kargan dragonlord synergy. I like the boros reckoner in there and I bet it has a place in the control version as well, especially with cards like pyroclasm.
Basically you want to wail with sturdier creatures ala Moon's Essence...the SB can give the deck more of a Moon's Essence feel if necessary. I figure Searing Blaze is really good with all the lands I am running.
It's definitely untuned. I'm going to give it a shot next time I play and I'll report back. mutavault was in there but got replaced by ghost quarter. Creeping tar pit wasn't considered because tempo tends to need all its mana right away.
Some other cards I considered: hedron crab: more mill and every now and then a ninja enabler thought scour: more mill/cantrip/something to do first turn snapcaster mage: if I go more bounce/thought scour, then this card starts to make sense invisible stalker: if I want to go more mill route, then whispering madness on this gets really good. Also, ninja enabler. Hmm...
I think you're right about the spellstutter sprite. I think I'll scrap that for the invisible stalker. It has way more synergy with the rest of the deck.
Let's find a way to make these two awesome and fun cards into a decent deck. Doesn't have to be an A+ top tier deck, but one that can win at least 40% of the time.
Interesting...looks like you're focusing on sort of a graveyard strategy. I really like the sudden shock--I hadn't thought of that one. I also like the heavy focus on land destruction. Did it work very well?
My thoughts are that while graveyard stuff is powerful, there are other decks that can do it much better. To me, that means we need to be attacking the graveyard rather than using it. In my version, I like having 4 relic of progenitus main deck (and frankly in any other deck without something interesting to do the first turn).
Finally, if you're going for basic mountains, might as well go scrying sheets/ snow lands/ skred, because, why not.
Well I sadly went 2-2 tonight after crushing my first two opponents 2-0. I still managed to win a game in each of the 3rd and 4th rounds, so it wasn't a complete blow out on my end. The deck still has some solid match ups. Round 1 was a well stocked UWR Geist of Saint Win build, which was followed by a mono red aggro deck in round 2. In round 3 I played against WB lifegain tokens and struggled to draw enough removal, or any sideboard cards really in game 3. Last round was against Living End, which I have absolutely no answers for in my current build.
It needs a little extra something to help drop my land destruction and moon effects in the early game. When on the draw, my opponent has already gotten enough time to establish a board presence by the time I get to turn 3. I might go back to Simian Spirit Guide for more of an early game push. Magnivore is also too fragile in a format where grave hate is so prevalent. Demigod is still fairly solid, but might be outclassed by Thundermaw Hellkite. Koth was also fairly good in games where I landed him.
I like the deck and I'm not surprised you had good luck with it. I've found the same. I tried out a version vs a U/W midrange deck and it absolutely shreds it. In general, I think it's strong vs anything that isn't combo. The problem is that it doesn't disrupt hands and it can't counter anything. On the other hand, it forces people to over-extend in anticipation of the blood moon, and then you can really punish them for it with pyroclasm.
Got T4 and the deck was a blast to play ensnaring bridge/koth tested + performed way better than any other of the win conditions that pop up in the thread
I think the relic over preformed and kicking it back up to 4 or 3 would be a good start. Volcanic Fallout was great all day but likely my perception is being biased by playing against Fae and clique decks multiple times. I'd really like to get ahold of the snow covered mountains/scrying sheets and skred before next weekend so I can have the option of playing that and matching the list ive been playing online with.
Its not a top tier deck by any means but it has a few things I really like about it. An early Blood Moon/ Ensnaring Bridge/ MR can really marginalize play skill. It has a ton of great game 1 matchups and winning with koth/moon can really tilt people and is entertaining. Probably the best deck in the format Jund is about 75/25 game 1, with post board still being favorable but much closer. It also is pretty great vs tron for obvious reasons. Some matchups are abysmal such as twin, storm and most combo game 1.
Why not leverage the awesomeness that is lead the stampede and just play creatures? It's got manic vandal for swords, silverchase fox, undying creatures for sweepers and hellrider for the kill. Yeah, huntmaster of the fells isn't in here, but frankly, you want to be winning with your 4cc card, not setting it up...
Just playing around, but here's where I'm thinking of taking this. Basically the idea is to loot/ramp our way into 4+cc creatures. Whipflare is amazing and is way better than slagstorm, which I always have found to be 1 mana too slow.
I'd love to hear people's thoughts, especially regarding the creature / loot / spell ratio and potential sideboards.
It finally hit me--I really only play for fun any more. But I also like to collect. So keep collecting! Sell what you don't love and keep the rest. My play group is super casual. We play 50 card EDH with 5 rares max. It's ridiculously relaxed, cheap, creative, and the most fun I've had in magic for years. I have 8-10 of these decks, a couple boxes of my favorite legacy decks and cubes, and am in the process of selling the rest off. I think this is a sustainable state as I move into my late 30s and beyond. I love magic and it's been a part of my life since 1994 when I was 12 years old. It's the best game that's ever been invented and means different things to different people at different points in your life.
Personally, I like the skies-spirits deck better, but then, I'm a huge fan of tokens in general:
3 phantasmal image
2 dungeon geist
1 midnight haunting
4 spectral procession
4 lingering souls
3 favorable winds
4 intangible virtue
4 relic of progenitus
4 path to exile
4 mana leak
4 hallowed fountain
2 godless shrine
2 watery grave
4 seachrome coast
2 island
2 plains
3 vault of the archangel
Some other cards I considered:
hedron crab: more mill and every now and then a ninja enabler
thought scour: more mill/cantrip/something to do first turn
snapcaster mage: if I go more bounce/thought scour, then this card starts to make sense
invisible stalker: if I want to go more mill route, then whispering madness on this gets really good. Also, ninja enabler. Hmm...
I think you're right about the spellstutter sprite. I think I'll scrap that for the invisible stalker. It has way more synergy with the rest of the deck.
4 jace's phantasm
4 spellstutter sprite
4 ninja of the deep hours
4 duskmantle guildmage
4 remand
4 archive trap
4 aether vial
3 whispering madness
2 misty rainforest
4 watery grave
4 scalding tarn
6 island
1 swamp
Something like:
Garruk Wildspeaker
Lotus Cobra
Verdant Catacombs
Misty Rainforest
Plow Under
etc
Or maybe just an aggro deck with Dryad Militant or something. I don't care. I just want to make a cool modern deck with those two cards.
GO.
My thoughts are that while graveyard stuff is powerful, there are other decks that can do it much better. To me, that means we need to be attacking the graveyard rather than using it. In my version, I like having 4 relic of progenitus main deck (and frankly in any other deck without something interesting to do the first turn).
Finally, if you're going for basic mountains, might as well go scrying sheets/ snow lands/ skred, because, why not.
Thanks for the report!
Thank you for the bannings, WotC, although BBE will be missed.
Does this make blood moon decks better, now that Jund will take a hit? I still think manabases will be too thin, so my thought is yes.
Here's what I've been running:
2 spellskite
4 magus of the moon
2 batterskull
2 thundermaw hellkite
2 lightning bolt
4 skred
4 pyroclasm
1 volcanic fallout
4 koth of the hammer
4 relic of progenitus
21 snow-covered mountain
Any thoughts on beating combo????
4 young wolf
4 birds of paradise
4 strangleroot geist
2 silverchase fox
3 mayor of avabruck
4 immerwolf
2 thrun, the last troll
4 hellrider
4 lead the stampede
4 rootbound crag
9 forest
3 mountain
1 razorverge thicket
I'd love to hear people's thoughts, especially regarding the creature / loot / spell ratio and potential sideboards.
2 inferno titan
2 thrun, the last troll
1 frost titan
3 viridian emmissary
2 huntmaster of the fells
1 wurmcoil engine
1 ray of revelation
2 ancient grudge
3 tracker's instinct
3 faithless looting
4 desperate ravings
4 whipflare
3 mana leak
4 hinterland harbor
4 sulfur falls
4 evolving wilds
3 forest
3 mountain
1 island