BGx Midrange:Discard is evil, and most of your removal does little against them. Creature Pressure is good until you draw scapeshift
In: the 7 creatures
Out: Pyroclasm, 4x Bolt, 2x Elctrolyze if no bob, 2x Izzet charm if bob
Blue Control: Need more ways to get past counters and add some alt Wincons
Out: Pyroclasm, 4x Bolt, 1 Repeal
In: Counterflux, 2x Negate, 1 Clique, 1 Inferno Titan, 1 Swagtusk
Twin:You need to outtempo them. you win control wards because you have more lands, but need to get past tassigur for that to happen. Always try to remand him
Out: Pyroclasm, 3 Bolt
In:2 Negate, Counterflux, Clique
Creature Aggro (CoCo decks, Zoo, etc): So there are a lot of different builds, so this is just kinda a general rule of thumb, you want out slow stuff in removal and lifegain. Vs. Collected company you may want to bring in an extra counter.
Out: Repeal, 4 Remand,
In: Anger of the Gods, Explostives, and some combo of Baloths or Swagtusk
Affinity: More Removal
Out: Repeal, 4 Remand
In: Anger, Explosives, Ancient Grudge, Creeping Corrosion, Inferno Titan or Lifegain dude
These are probably the main decks to pay attention to. Card by card you have
Grudge and Corrosion: Artifact decks
Anger and EE: Kills lots of stuff at the same time like creatures
Back to nature: Wrecks boggles
Counter flux and Negate: combo decks and blue control
Clique: Steals a counter or a combo piece out of their hand
Creatures: Good topdecks vs discard and have an immediate impact, plus can gain life.
I would run at least some artifact removal just to get rid of Spellskite, which is probably one of the most annoying cards against this deck. Normally I rarely have been using the flashback on it so I just started running Destructive Revelry instead
The thing I must point out about Geist is that he does nothing to help you defensively. That is why Brimaz is better in a tempo shell because he can both stabilize the board against your opponents creatures while also put pressure on. Geist is too fragile to block anything but you're right, he does hit harder and makes a better choice for an aggro shell (or some sort of end game control deck bomb but that could realistically be any scary card).
Which would be better for WUR Delver?
For WUR Delver, I would certainly say Geist of Saint Traft because the deck is very aggressive with enough creature removal to protect it from combat. I think Brimaz could be justified as sideboard material in the right meta.
I'd have to agree, The double white is also really hard to play in UWR delver, which is why geist tends to see more play. If you are looking for sideboard cards strictly for the JUNK matchup you should try Hibernation or Sower of Temptation, a few decks have also been trying Valorous Stance.
I am currently running 3 goblin guide and 4 swiftspear (i used to run the 3 lynx instead). and in your scenario with gg you should have also hit for 2 the first turn cause it has haste, so it would be 10 vs 12 in a lot of cases. Also goblin guide is easier to protect cause 1 mutagenic growth puts him out of bolt range, but lynx just dies to it.
Also unless I missed it, what is the verdict on boros charm, either in the main or the board? It has a really similiar function to battle rage, but you give up trample for a few extra modes such as the 4 to the face, or making your creatures indestructible to wrath. I've been testing the deck locally along with a few other people and they seem to like a 2-2 split between the two (I'm currently running 3-1, with 1 boros charm) and on a similiar note, ive been running an singleton tainted strike because it works with both combo pieces fairly well and we have a few soul sister decks running around near me.
So out of curiosity, what are everyone's thoughts on Goblin Guide over Steppe Lynx, Lynx is more explosive for a turn, but I have been having problems triggering it. I tried going up to 18 lands and it still wasnt consistent enough. Also having hasty guys so you can combo the same turn you play them is super helpful. What wound up happening was that I consistently was doing 4 damage with either lynx or GG turn two (GG turn 1 and turn 2)but goblin guide was better if not in the opening hand. So mostly playing a landfall cat in a deck that doesnt want to have that many lands was giving me problems.
The main reason I have found is that it has a terrible BGx Matchup, so it really becomes a meta call. I have taken the deck to many tournaments and but miss top 16/8 because I run into BGx my last two rounds. If your meta doesnt have much BGx its great, but as far as competitive tournaments you really have to judge if you want to take it based on the meta and Jund seems to be on a resurgence right now.
Today on TCGPlayer Frank Lepore gives a try to a last iteration of Craig Wescoe's Deadguy Ale. 4x Fulminator Mages maindeck seems very narrow, but videos are very clear: They are awesome.
I think the main problem with running it as a control deck (I have previously tried) is that it takes waaay to many dead slots to combo. of those 16-19 slots you are also taking out cantrips that help find both parts to the combo. The reason why scapeshift works is because its a 1 card combo and only costs 4 mana. You get enough lands, cast scapeshift and win. We need a lot more cards and for the most part they are dead without the combo.
I saw an interesting Dredge/Vengevine deck on a stream that used Shambling Shell and Necromancer's Stockpile as a way to get value and mill fairly far though your deck. I'm not sure how good the deck is, but it was a pretty cool take on the strategy.
The point of sword of Feast and Famine is that it allows you to cast spells to advance your board and after attacking still have mana open to counter spells on your opponents turn by untapping your lands, the discard is just a small bonus plus it has relevant protection against bgx. But I agree that this deck is starting to push out of the tempo category but it still holds a lot of interactions that tempo decks also have, its kind of a tempo midrange hybrid. I'm sure if you read the faeries thread a bit someone there might give you better insight into the deck and what makes it tempo or not.
I am glad people are starting to understand what Abrupt Decay did to the format when it came on board. Its very efficient at holding back certain types of decks. Especially decks that use counters to protect their threats.
Yeah they printed abrupt decay as a police card for the format to help prevent combo's from occurring turn 3. And though it is annoying (and a little oppressive) It does do to the format what wizards wants it to and stop turn 3 kills. Oddly enough though, it did force all-in-twin/boomerang-twin to pick up more tempo aspects. Snapcaster Mage pushed the decks to that direction, but abrupt decay really sealed the deal.
For the most part tempo involves sticking an evasive threat (delver, a fae, or bitterblossom) and protecting it through value cards to keep yourself ahead of the opponent until you can win. The fae deck that placed leans more towards a control/midrange deck, but it does have some tempo elements. The main reason why I dont like calling it tempo is because the list really looks like it want to win in the long hall with a few small threats beating down every turn. I personally think it's clock is too slow to be called tempo.
As for the banlist. I think unbanning something that will help tempo will really help twin and other combo decks that can durdle a bit early turns (storm and ad naus) more than it will help tempo. In order for tempo to do well it really needs a way to better protect its threats because abrupt decay just destroys them and can't easily be prevented.
So I made day 2 at the GP entering at 8-1, and finished x-5 (Pros are hard, especially when they are on BGx). I'll post my list and do a report later when I have time, but if you look at Alex Bartoncini's interview, I was the ad nauseam player he talked about! and I finished 144 so I barely scraped in top 150 for prize support.
All the rest tend to only get played in 1 specific deck, but those get played across multiple. You could maybe add Delver of Secrets and Young Pyromancer too
@IxidorVersionTwo: any tips on keeping hands against BG decks postboard? I think mulligan for Leyline is a necessary evil, but you can't really go below 6 cause the odds of finding the combo decrease drastically.
On the other hand, keeping hands that are the nuts against any other decks lose to Thoughtseize, but I have always a bad feeling of mulliganing, like, a turn 3 kill hand away.
Let's say, it's the second game against BG, and your hand is AdNaus, Grace, SSG, Pentad and 3 lands, would you mulligan?
If I won the first game I'd risk it, if I didnt I would not. Its way to risky of a keep to hope they have no discard when you are already down a game.
Posting this question in the Primer will help for more opinions, but I play the deck a lot (in fact im taking it to GP Boston). Vs aggro normally just dropping Unlife buys you enough time to complete the combo. and your sideboard should destroy them further with drown in sorrow and echoing truth to give u the turns you need to win and vs affinity we have so much more fun stuff (hurkyl's recall, steel sabotage, disenchant, etc.). My advice on your mana base would be to play 2 marsh flats, 1 scalding tarn, and 1 swamp. You really want to be able to hard cast ad nauseam through bloodmoon with your basics. Also think about putting tolaria west somewhere in your 75.
Also on a side note, I personally really dislike gemstone caverns in this deck, I have my tolaria west in the main over it.
BGx Midrange:Discard is evil, and most of your removal does little against them. Creature Pressure is good until you draw scapeshift
In: the 7 creatures
Out: Pyroclasm, 4x Bolt, 2x Elctrolyze if no bob, 2x Izzet charm if bob
Blue Control: Need more ways to get past counters and add some alt Wincons
Out: Pyroclasm, 4x Bolt, 1 Repeal
In: Counterflux, 2x Negate, 1 Clique, 1 Inferno Titan, 1 Swagtusk
Twin:You need to outtempo them. you win control wards because you have more lands, but need to get past tassigur for that to happen. Always try to remand him
Out: Pyroclasm, 3 Bolt
In:2 Negate, Counterflux, Clique
Creature Aggro (CoCo decks, Zoo, etc): So there are a lot of different builds, so this is just kinda a general rule of thumb, you want out slow stuff in removal and lifegain. Vs. Collected company you may want to bring in an extra counter.
Out: Repeal, 4 Remand,
In: Anger of the Gods, Explostives, and some combo of Baloths or Swagtusk
Affinity: More Removal
Out: Repeal, 4 Remand
In: Anger, Explosives, Ancient Grudge, Creeping Corrosion, Inferno Titan or Lifegain dude
These are probably the main decks to pay attention to. Card by card you have
Grudge and Corrosion: Artifact decks
Anger and EE: Kills lots of stuff at the same time like creatures
Back to nature: Wrecks boggles
Counter flux and Negate: combo decks and blue control
Clique: Steals a counter or a combo piece out of their hand
Creatures: Good topdecks vs discard and have an immediate impact, plus can gain life.
I'd have to agree, The double white is also really hard to play in UWR delver, which is why geist tends to see more play. If you are looking for sideboard cards strictly for the JUNK matchup you should try Hibernation or Sower of Temptation, a few decks have also been trying Valorous Stance.
Also unless I missed it, what is the verdict on boros charm, either in the main or the board? It has a really similiar function to battle rage, but you give up trample for a few extra modes such as the 4 to the face, or making your creatures indestructible to wrath. I've been testing the deck locally along with a few other people and they seem to like a 2-2 split between the two (I'm currently running 3-1, with 1 boros charm) and on a similiar note, ive been running an singleton tainted strike because it works with both combo pieces fairly well and we have a few soul sister decks running around near me.
How did your results go? Ive been slowly trying to build this deck and if this version is good, I wont need to pick Lili's as fast
Between the two versions it seems more like a metagame call
Yeah they printed abrupt decay as a police card for the format to help prevent combo's from occurring turn 3. And though it is annoying (and a little oppressive) It does do to the format what wizards wants it to and stop turn 3 kills. Oddly enough though, it did force all-in-twin/boomerang-twin to pick up more tempo aspects. Snapcaster Mage pushed the decks to that direction, but abrupt decay really sealed the deal.
As for the banlist. I think unbanning something that will help tempo will really help twin and other combo decks that can durdle a bit early turns (storm and ad naus) more than it will help tempo. In order for tempo to do well it really needs a way to better protect its threats because abrupt decay just destroys them and can't easily be prevented.
All the rest tend to only get played in 1 specific deck, but those get played across multiple. You could maybe add Delver of Secrets and Young Pyromancer too
If I won the first game I'd risk it, if I didnt I would not. Its way to risky of a keep to hope they have no discard when you are already down a game.
Also on a side note, I personally really dislike gemstone caverns in this deck, I have my tolaria west in the main over it.