Even though it's a four card combo, the deck is very resilient. If it finds a crack through opponent's counters/removal, this deck can literary assemble the combo out of nowhere. It just finds pieces of combo as it goes along, and every piece except one (Denizen) helps the engine going, and not useless. There is reason why this deck is placing several 4-0s lately although it is much too hesitant to say how the deck would fare months down the road.
There are two of my frequent traders I visit. Pauper cards are usually so cheap anyway so I don't really bother going around comparing prices unless the card I'm looking for is worth more than few tix like Cloud of Faeries, or something.
It's such a great Pod-hate card, but that double red...damn that really hurts it. I would certainly try it out, but I doubt whether it can effectively replace Pyroclasm. I am going to say this would be a meta call to include this card in 75.
And if you guys want to keep it very casual and still have a ton of flavorful fun, I would actually suggest you and your friends to try out EDH or pauper.
They not only have great board wipes, and hand disruption, but they can hate on your lands really hard. To me either I get the Pod out turn 3, and start beating right away, or lose. The long game is definitely not in our favor unless they brick out.
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With whole hate theme, I would think that it is almost a mistake not to play some number of Chord of Calling. GSZ would have been amazing...but chord is next best hate creature fetch
There is nothing really to add to this. This is pretty much a vanilla UWR control deck. If you want to know what are some other cards to consider, check this thread: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=474558.
If that was a problem for control, Scapeshift wouldn't see play (I know, its combo but it still functions as a control deck) and American control wouldn't be able to run stuff like Sphinx's Revelation. And it doesn't have to be reliant on the graveyard. Gifts Ungiven is instant speed, so you could just leave up the mana to counter something and then cast it. It seems like everything a control deck could want.
But most often that is not the case. Let's put it this way; instead of including 4 Gifts, you play some combination of counters/removals. In early game what would you rather draw? The control decks can stabilize after an early game. Instead of drawing the answers right away, you want to draw a Gift? Or even see a gift in your opening hand instead of another counter?
You do realize Gifts Ungiven decks play tons of disruption, right?
If turn 3 & 4 combos were the issue, Sphinx's Revelation would be the worst card in the format, but it's clearly not because those decks play disruption, just like Gifts decks do.
First-able, Gift is not Sphinx's Revelation. They are different cards that serve different purposes. If Gift was so great as to everyone makes out to be, it would be played as 4 of in UWR. But even Sphinx's gets played 2-3 of, not an automatic 4.
The second part of your comment is exactly why I want more disruptions in my control deck, not a card to go search for it so I can answer a turn later. Sphinx is there to help me stabilize in late games.
However having said that, if you are playing a 'dedicated' Gifts deck, then you have a potential win-off a resolved Gift. Now, that is totally different discussion all together. But like many people said, graveyard is easy to hate out.
...You mean a format where turn 3,4 combos are rampaging, and crazy 2 mana cost creatures are getting dropped? I would rather pack my control deck with another counter or burn card rather than fetch.
It's the same reason why Glittering Wish does not see much play - Modern is fast format. Other than dedicated Gift decks that can potentially win-off a Gift, you want to rather draw the answer right away. Not a turn after. In control format, we got teachings and even mystical teachings do not get to see much play.
I guess I'm still wondering why play the Kuldotha Forgemaster if we basically have to play a Tron list to use it. Should we just play Tron?
Tron is just an alternative way to get the fatties out of your hand by hard casting it. Still the main focus of the deck revolves around Kuldotha Forgemaster.
Tezzerator plays somewhat prison style-like. There used to be R/W lockdown deck but it got taken down because of meta. But the deck list should be still around here.
If you like to play many different type of decks, then I would focus on getting these two decks: UWR and BWGr.
The core cards in both of these decks can be used to build so many other decks with relatively cheap investments. Many people suggests Affinity but the deck is really narrow - most of the cards would not build into other decks. But Affinity does deliver in the right meta where people forget to side artifact hate cards.
Cardbot
There are two of my frequent traders I visit. Pauper cards are usually so cheap anyway so I don't really bother going around comparing prices unless the card I'm looking for is worth more than few tix like Cloud of Faeries, or something.
And if you guys want to keep it very casual and still have a ton of flavorful fun, I would actually suggest you and your friends to try out EDH or pauper.
GB Rock is pretty hard match-up for 4C Pod.
They not only have great board wipes, and hand disruption, but they can hate on your lands really hard. To me either I get the Pod out turn 3, and start beating right away, or lose. The long game is definitely not in our favor unless they brick out.
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With whole hate theme, I would think that it is almost a mistake not to play some number of Chord of Calling. GSZ would have been amazing...but chord is next best hate creature fetch
But most often that is not the case. Let's put it this way; instead of including 4 Gifts, you play some combination of counters/removals. In early game what would you rather draw? The control decks can stabilize after an early game. Instead of drawing the answers right away, you want to draw a Gift? Or even see a gift in your opening hand instead of another counter?
First-able, Gift is not Sphinx's Revelation. They are different cards that serve different purposes. If Gift was so great as to everyone makes out to be, it would be played as 4 of in UWR. But even Sphinx's gets played 2-3 of, not an automatic 4.
The second part of your comment is exactly why I want more disruptions in my control deck, not a card to go search for it so I can answer a turn later. Sphinx is there to help me stabilize in late games.
However having said that, if you are playing a 'dedicated' Gifts deck, then you have a potential win-off a resolved Gift. Now, that is totally different discussion all together. But like many people said, graveyard is easy to hate out.
Here's the link: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=534244
Tron is just an alternative way to get the fatties out of your hand by hard casting it. Still the main focus of the deck revolves around Kuldotha Forgemaster.
1 Academy Ruins
4 Darksteel Citadel
1 Island
1 Plains
1 Tectonic Edge
4 Urza's Mine
4 Urza's Power Plant
4 Urza's Tower
Creatures 21:
4 Palladium Myr
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
2 Master Transmuter
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Kuldotha Forgemaster
2 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Platinum Angel
1 Myr Battlesphere
1 Sundering Titan
1 Blightsteel Colossus
4 Expedition Map
3 Relic of Progenitus
4 Azorius Signet
4 Lightning Greaves
4 Trinisphere
3 Ethersworn Canonist
1 Master Transmuter
1 Tormod's Crypt
2 Pithing Needle
1 Relic of Progenitus
4 Ratchet Bomb
1 Contagion Engine
1 Mindslaver
1 Spine of Ish Sah
The core cards in both of these decks can be used to build so many other decks with relatively cheap investments. Many people suggests Affinity but the deck is really narrow - most of the cards would not build into other decks. But Affinity does deliver in the right meta where people forget to side artifact hate cards.