Took the following 75 to a GPT today, finished in 11th place at 4-2 (feelsbadman). Notes below.
I tried out a Fauna Shaman package because I love the card, and was not satisfied with Goyf because it and Knight suck vs graveyard hate. It allowed me to run a more toolbox-style board.
Round 1: Human tribal blitz (Loss, 1-2)
G1(L): Got run over by a swarm of midgets that turned into 5/5s
G2(W): Managed to not die and won a grind-fest
G3(L): See G1, got stuck on 2 lands
Good Stuff: Path, Queller, Wolf Run
Stuff to work on: Eelevant 2-drops, manabase, wanted more removal
Round 2: Abzan (Win, 2-0)
G1(W): Combo'd off after some grinding
G2(W): Kept a questionable 1-lander with a dork, got lucky and won the grind fair and square.
Good Stuff: Path, Courser, Knight, Wolf Run
Stuff to Work On: manabase
Round 3: Death's Shadow zoo (Win, 2-1)
G1(W): Killed/quelled relevant cards, stabilized at 1 and won from there.
G2(L): Got stuck on 2 lands, got smacked
G2(W): Won an easy grindy game
Good Stuff: Alliance, Path, Queller, Spellskite
Stuff to Work On: manabase, wanted more removal
Round 4: Affinity (2-0)
G1(W): Won a grindy game
G2(W): See G1
Good Stuff: Queller, Pridemage, ghost quarter, Clique and fliers in general
Stuff to Work On: Wanted more Pridemage/Staticaster
At this point, I wasn't able to take 2 draws into Top 8 so I had to play the rest of the rounds out. Got paired up Round 5 vs a 4-0
Round 5: Human tribal blitz (Loss, 1-2)
G1(L): Got run over by a swarm of midgets that turned into 5/5s (this seems to be a trend vs this deck)
G2(W): Stabilized and won the grind
G3(L): See G1
Good Stuff: Queller, Path
Stuff to Work On: Wanted more removal, maybe sweepers
Round 6: Burn (Win, 2-0)
G1(W): Combo'd him out and won with exactsies thanks to Wolf Run
G2(W): Won a grindy game
Good Stuff: Queller (surprisingly), Path
Stuff to Work On: Wanted more lifegain creatures in the board (Finks, War Monk)
Notes:
-Fauna Shaman did not perform. I used it once to tutor up an Ewitness for Path (which was good), but wasn't helpful otherwise. I cut Voice for Shaman after I had trouble casting Voice last week, but will probably try fitting it back in.
-Manabase was decent (basic Island was actually good), but I got stuck on lands more than I like. Will maybe try and fit the 23rd land in, and a Botanical Sanctum over the Island.
-I'm considering cutting red. Wolf Run is good, as is Staticaster, but the strain on the mana is pretty rough. Would maybe look something like this
-The Humans matchup apparently sucks. I'd never heard of the deck, then meet both people in the room running it and get smacked. Makes me want EE or something.
-Staticaster was ok. Was decent vs Affinity (by the time I found it, I was already winning) and surprisingly terrible vs Humans (too slow). Worth a slot or 2 for sure.
As for Kelvin's list, I'm surprised by the 4x Scooze main. I've been looking to settle on some my last two 2-drops (been trying Voice/Shaman), but I'm surprised by his choice. Clearly it worked out.
I'd say so. Cashing in a land for a bomb seems great late game, and the card reminds me of Academy Ruins which is great. Life gain seems like a fringe benefit, but nice to have.
If this is any indicator of the direction Wizards went with Kaladesh then I'm excited.
Everytime I've casted epiphany it has been game changing. The least amount of cards I ever did it for was 5 and it still helps even if you only get a land, a thirst and maybe something else for value. I run 2 in my deck dont plan to cut it down to 1 any time soon.
My matchups were pretty fast (Affinity, Jund, Fish, Abzan), so I was firing it off for X = 2||3 mostly, where it did a poor TfK impression. Drawing cards was still nice, even if my opponents got to pick which ones. My other consideration in this slot would be Gifts, which I'll probably try next time.
I played in a small event this weekend, first time with Epiphany. It was usually underwhelming, usually getting me 1-2 mediocre cards. I was really impressed with it once, when I was able to cast it for X = 13, which lead to an easy win. I'm not entirely sold, but the upside is huge.
So I'm gonna try running 25 lands no tallies. I was wondering if it would better to run Ghost Quarter over Tectonic Edge. I see people doing that or is it just budget reasons? Also might switch to Engineered Explosives instead of bomb.
I run GQ mostly for infect. TEdge just doesn't cut it in that matchup
After reading up on the Protect the Queen list's i just had to try a version with the Hivemind Combo. I have played the deck a few times vs Robots and Faeries and I must say it is a blast to play! Here is my list. I am looking for improvements, so please critique!
Land (23)
1x Academy Ruins
7x Island
1x Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
1x Tolaria West
1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4x Urza's Mine
4x Urza's Power Plant
4x Urza's Tower
Artifact (10)
1x Chalice of the Void
4x Expedition Map
1x Mindslaver
1x Oblivion Stone
3x Talisman of Dominance
Enchantment (3)
3x Hive Mind
Sideboard (15)
2x Chalice of the Void
3x Dismember
2x Dispel
1x Grafdigger's Cage
2x Hurkyl's Recall
1x Relic of Progenitus
3x Spell Snare
1x Sundering Titan
That's a really cool idea; I hadn't thought about a Hive Mind hybrid before (if someone suggested it recently, I'm sorry I didn't notice ;_; kudos to you).
How have those talismans been working for you? In my experience, they're at their best when you're ramping into t3 Solemn Simulacrum or pitching to a Thirst in the late game. Your list doesn't have any Solemns, and only 2 Thirsts (which is one of our best cards). I would consider cutting 3x Talisman for 2x Thist and maybe 1 land (Ghost Quarter?)
However, I don't think the lands would stable to draw when needed. Also, the issue comes when you fetch and shock yourself for the lands you need.
There's been some discussion about this, and one guy has had decent results with just Pyroclasm. Apparently the mana wasn't too bad either. I think you might be going too heavy red though; and I don't know if Izzet Charm is what we want. Versatility is great, but I want my splashes to be high impact where Charm is all-around meh. Pyroclasm is in for sure, and I'm thinking maybe Roast for big creatures. Electolyze is interesting; I'll have to think more on that.
And while the shocks are painful, Dismembering that t1 Goblin Guide is even worse, which is what I've been resorting to lately. I think red has a lot of potential as a splash.
For burn, I'm a fan of 1-2 Bottle Gnomes (and CotV, of course). It's such an annoying card; block Guides, Eidolons and most Swiftspears. And you can always crack it if it's going to die in combat or if you're critically low
My local meta is saturated with aggro decks, especially Merfolk and Affinity, so in an attempt to improve my game against them in our small weekly tournaments I came up with this build which is sure to get me excommunicated.
I've actually thought about pyroclasm in Utron for a while, but never tried it out because I really like the painless, moon-resistant Island manabase. Like plenty of us have stated, our options in terms sweepers is pretty pitiful. It sounds like pyroclasm did some work for you; did the mana supporting it give you any grief?
I dont really like the wave just cause of double blue mana
Me neither, but I haven't been impressed with Aetherize so far and I'm exploring other options that are more generic than Hibernation.
Also, I forgot to mention Ugin. He is a monster vs creature heavy decks, and usually goes the distance on his own...But getting to 8 mana, apart from a fast Tron, takes too long to be a reliable way of stabilizing
Has anyone tested hibernate? Im interested in your thoughts before i begin my own testing
With elves on the rise (and getting new toys in Origins), I've been thinking a lot about ways to stall vs swarm decks. Hibernation seems the best vs specifically elves, but I've also been considering Whelming Wave lol. The problem with bounce vs elves is that Heritage Druid lets them replay their board almost instantly. O-stone is a more permanent solution, but that takes too long to set up...I'm still working on this problem
I'm mostly satisfied with this 75; it's certainly impressive when it gets rolling. My main concern is the aggro decks, hence the maindeck AEtherize. I'm also considering swapping it out for a Cyclonic Rift, or maybe even a Perilous Vault. Does anybody have any advice on the aggro matchups? Should I even be devoting a maindeck spot to a second sweeper, or is O-Stone usually enough?
one problem with DT is that you can lose an irritating amount of life. this happened to my friend, who DTed into a DoDG. -facepalm- admittedly this was a misplay, but its food for thought
I've been toying around with this deck for the last 3 weeks and I am starting to get quite happy with it. How did it start? I like caw/blade and I like the Jund style zenith... So I did try to mix them a little. Here's the current list; I am looking for some welcome ideas
I am not quite happy atm on Baneslayer, Red already had to face baloth so I should be high enough on the life, and I am not sold on Vampire Hexmages. I do like the memoricides on the Valakut mu's (maybe throw in leylines of sanctitys extra?). I did start out with the good old stirring manlands but changed to the Nexus as it's a faster and cheaper to equip wincon...
The 3th Black Sun's Zenith that was in the sideboard at first for the K-red and the caw/blade mu's got removed for the mortarpod, cause hey, I got the Stoneforger package and it's one hell of a target for it.
One thing I still would like to see in the main is some discard, but I don't know what to cut anymore
id take out the emissaries and maybe a SFM for lotus cobras. he. is. INSANE.
I tried out a Fauna Shaman package because I love the card, and was not satisfied with Goyf because it and Knight suck vs graveyard hate. It allowed me to run a more toolbox-style board.
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Selfless Spirit
2 Spellskite
2 Fauana Shaman
2 Vendilion Clique
3 Birds of Paradise
4 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Noble Hierarch
3 Spell Queller
1 Eternal Witness
4 Collected Company
4 Path to Exile
3 Retreat to Coralhelm
1 Flooded Strand
1 Gavony Township
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Island
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Plains
1 Stomping Ground
3 Forest
1 Temple Garden
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Windswept Heath
2 Blessed Alliance
2 Courser of Kruphix
2 Worship
2 Negate
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Izzet Staticaster
1 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Intrepid Hero
1 Obstinate Baloth
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Loaming Shaman
Round 1: Human tribal blitz (Loss, 1-2)
G1(L): Got run over by a swarm of midgets that turned into 5/5s
G2(W): Managed to not die and won a grind-fest
G3(L): See G1, got stuck on 2 lands
Good Stuff: Path, Queller, Wolf Run
Stuff to work on: Eelevant 2-drops, manabase, wanted more removal
Round 2: Abzan (Win, 2-0)
G1(W): Combo'd off after some grinding
G2(W): Kept a questionable 1-lander with a dork, got lucky and won the grind fair and square.
Good Stuff: Path, Courser, Knight, Wolf Run
Stuff to Work On: manabase
Round 3: Death's Shadow zoo (Win, 2-1)
G1(W): Killed/quelled relevant cards, stabilized at 1 and won from there.
G2(L): Got stuck on 2 lands, got smacked
G2(W): Won an easy grindy game
Good Stuff: Alliance, Path, Queller, Spellskite
Stuff to Work On: manabase, wanted more removal
Round 4: Affinity (2-0)
G1(W): Won a grindy game
G2(W): See G1
Good Stuff: Queller, Pridemage, ghost quarter, Clique and fliers in general
Stuff to Work On: Wanted more Pridemage/Staticaster
At this point, I wasn't able to take 2 draws into Top 8 so I had to play the rest of the rounds out. Got paired up Round 5 vs a 4-0
Round 5: Human tribal blitz (Loss, 1-2)
G1(L): Got run over by a swarm of midgets that turned into 5/5s (this seems to be a trend vs this deck)
G2(W): Stabilized and won the grind
G3(L): See G1
Good Stuff: Queller, Path
Stuff to Work On: Wanted more removal, maybe sweepers
Round 6: Burn (Win, 2-0)
G1(W): Combo'd him out and won with exactsies thanks to Wolf Run
G2(W): Won a grindy game
Good Stuff: Queller (surprisingly), Path
Stuff to Work On: Wanted more lifegain creatures in the board (Finks, War Monk)
Notes:
-Fauna Shaman did not perform. I used it once to tutor up an Ewitness for Path (which was good), but wasn't helpful otherwise. I cut Voice for Shaman after I had trouble casting Voice last week, but will probably try fitting it back in.
-Manabase was decent (basic Island was actually good), but I got stuck on lands more than I like. Will maybe try and fit the 23rd land in, and a Botanical Sanctum over the Island.
-I'm considering cutting red. Wolf Run is good, as is Staticaster, but the strain on the mana is pretty rough. Would maybe look something like this
-The Humans matchup apparently sucks. I'd never heard of the deck, then meet both people in the room running it and get smacked. Makes me want EE or something.
-Staticaster was ok. Was decent vs Affinity (by the time I found it, I was already winning) and surprisingly terrible vs Humans (too slow). Worth a slot or 2 for sure.
As for Kelvin's list, I'm surprised by the 4x Scooze main. I've been looking to settle on some my last two 2-drops (been trying Voice/Shaman), but I'm surprised by his choice. Clearly it worked out.
I'd say so. Cashing in a land for a bomb seems great late game, and the card reminds me of Academy Ruins which is great. Life gain seems like a fringe benefit, but nice to have.
If this is any indicator of the direction Wizards went with Kaladesh then I'm excited.
My matchups were pretty fast (Affinity, Jund, Fish, Abzan), so I was firing it off for X = 2||3 mostly, where it did a poor TfK impression. Drawing cards was still nice, even if my opponents got to pick which ones. My other consideration in this slot would be Gifts, which I'll probably try next time.
I run GQ mostly for infect. TEdge just doesn't cut it in that matchup
That's a really cool idea; I hadn't thought about a Hive Mind hybrid before (if someone suggested it recently, I'm sorry I didn't notice ;_; kudos to you).
How have those talismans been working for you? In my experience, they're at their best when you're ramping into t3 Solemn Simulacrum or pitching to a Thirst in the late game. Your list doesn't have any Solemns, and only 2 Thirsts (which is one of our best cards). I would consider cutting 3x Talisman for 2x Thist and maybe 1 land (Ghost Quarter?)
There's been some discussion about this, and one guy has had decent results with just Pyroclasm. Apparently the mana wasn't too bad either. I think you might be going too heavy red though; and I don't know if Izzet Charm is what we want. Versatility is great, but I want my splashes to be high impact where Charm is all-around meh. Pyroclasm is in for sure, and I'm thinking maybe Roast for big creatures. Electolyze is interesting; I'll have to think more on that.
And while the shocks are painful, Dismembering that t1 Goblin Guide is even worse, which is what I've been resorting to lately. I think red has a lot of potential as a splash.
I've actually thought about pyroclasm in Utron for a while, but never tried it out because I really like the painless, moon-resistant Island manabase. Like plenty of us have stated, our options in terms sweepers is pretty pitiful. It sounds like pyroclasm did some work for you; did the mana supporting it give you any grief?
Me neither, but I haven't been impressed with Aetherize so far and I'm exploring other options that are more generic than Hibernation.
Also, I forgot to mention Ugin. He is a monster vs creature heavy decks, and usually goes the distance on his own...But getting to 8 mana, apart from a fast Tron, takes too long to be a reliable way of stabilizing
With elves on the rise (and getting new toys in Origins), I've been thinking a lot about ways to stall vs swarm decks. Hibernation seems the best vs specifically elves, but I've also been considering Whelming Wave lol. The problem with bounce vs elves is that Heritage Druid lets them replay their board almost instantly. O-stone is a more permanent solution, but that takes too long to set up...I'm still working on this problem
1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
1 Platinum Angel
1 Treasure Mage
2 Wurmcoil Engine
1 AEtherize
1 Batterskull
4 Condescend
4 Expedition Map
1 Fabricate
4 Mana Leak
1 Mindslaver
1 Oblivion Stone
4 Remand
4 Repeal
1 Spell Burst
4 Thirst For Knowledge
1 Eye of Ugin
1 Ghost Quarter
9 Island
1 Tolaria West
12 Tron Lands
1 AEtherize
1 AEtherspouts
2 Chalice of the Void
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Perilous Vault
1 Phyrexian Revoker
2 Pithing Needle
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Squelch
1 Sundering Titan
1 Torpor Orb
1 Wurmcoil Engine
I'm mostly satisfied with this 75; it's certainly impressive when it gets rolling. My main concern is the aggro decks, hence the maindeck AEtherize. I'm also considering swapping it out for a Cyclonic Rift, or maybe even a Perilous Vault. Does anybody have any advice on the aggro matchups? Should I even be devoting a maindeck spot to a second sweeper, or is O-Stone usually enough?
darnit ben i was gonna do that
id take out the emissaries and maybe a SFM for lotus cobras. he. is. INSANE.