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Magic: the GAFering |OT2|

So I thought about it, and instead of spend all that money on a new modern deck, I'm gonna beef up my current one. So it should look something like this when I order the cards that I can afford(spending most of it on the Nobles):

4 Slippery Bogle
4 Birds of Paradise
3 Noble Hierarch

4 Mana Leak
3 Favor of the Overbeing
3 Explore
2 Qasali Pridemage

4 Supply // Demand
2 Giltspire Avenger
2 Unflinching Courage

2 Rafiq of the Many
1 Holy Mantle

1 Sovereigns of Lost Alara

1 Eldrazi Conscription

4 Seaside Citadel
2 Temple Garden
2 Breeding Pool
1 Hallowed Fountain
5 Forests
5 Plains
5 Islands

Any relatively low-cost adjustments I can make? I'm considering dropping something to put my nature's spirals back in. Maybe some explores?
 

alternade

Member
So I decided for fun to make a creature-less Jund deck and the results were surprisingly good. It basically relies on thoughtseize, distress, rakdos return and slaughter games to dismantle their deck. Volcanic geyser put in work too. I think with a little more playtesting I might have something for my local meta which is usually net deck central.
 
This is the first time I've caught SCG Live for a tourney right after rotation. How indicative of the format is something like today's Open usually? As far as anyone could see, there were 2.5 archetypes in the entire room. Hopefully PT Dublin brings some more creative decks to light because that was awful.
 

y2dvd

Member
Your bound to see some diversity. Wasn't B/G zombies dominating early rotation before this? They were nowhere to be seen late rotation. RDW and U/W/x are just safe archetypes to start out with.
 

Lucario

Member
IQ? Or free entry voucher open trial.

The latter. Splitting means I only got packs and the playmat, but I'd probably lose the voucher anyway :p

Going 7-1-1 in side events isn't bad. I should probably start getting up in time for main events.

Oh, the white list only did well against other aggro builds. It did really well against them, admittedly, but they weren't as prevalent as you'd assume.

I saw very few copies of Anger of the Gods. Might build a Tymaret deck for the next major event.

RDW seemed to be closer to 50/50 against U/W than I would have imagined. You really need to go all-in with your burn to stand a chance, and maindeck copies of cards like Firefist Striker become utter garbage -- they have no creatures for you to stop from blocking.

Bringing in (two) sideboarded young pyromancers did a lot of work, but that was a little bit too cute. I think I should've been playing Chainwalkers in the main.

My sideboard was:

3 Burning Earth (I only ran three 4-drops in the main, but I did so well against 3-color lists that I didn't even need these)
3 Peak Eruption (never played against a Chained to the Rocks build. Not once. As a result, these were wasted slots.)
2 Act of Treason (won me a few matches against B/G/x midrange lists -- was generally insane.)
2 Young Pyromancer (I need the value against control. It's so much better than Firefist Striker in those matchups, and it's also pretty crazy to shock an attacker and block a 2/1 with a token in the mirror.)
2 Boros Reckoner (Aggro matchups weren't that common, sadly.)
1 Flames of the Firebrand (Reckoner is better against aggro most of the time, but I figure there's a corner case where I'll see a ton of X/1s.)
1 Skullcrack (against rev decks. probably should've had two.)
1 Hammer of Purphoros (never drew it once.)

I've been away. Haven't forgotten the avatar bet. Still think BR is better!

Bring on the goofy avatar

do you really want a furry avatar for a month?
 

OnPoint

Member
In other news, the YMTC 4 is finished: http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/267ymtc

I expect this card to be a strong roleplayer in many powerful, competitive decks.........
rollseyes

I actually think that card looks like a ton of fun. Almost makes Mind Rot playab... OK I can't finish that sentence lol

I've been away. Haven't forgotten the avatar bet. Still think BR is better!

Bring on the goofy avatar

You are an honorable man. Wow.
 

Lucario

Member
1st place list for SCG worcester is... mono red!

http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=59589

Was thinking about a list with fanatic and reckoner in addition to phoenix, but I didn't want to not run mutavaults and chandras in order to play the 4/2. I guess I was wrong, though!

Also, he's running zero firedrinker satyrs. Only 4 1-drops. Interesting list.

2nd place list has three maindeck divinations. Get dat value!

I need to shuffle up both of these.
 

WanderingWind

Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
1st place list for SCG worcester is... mono red!

http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=59589

Was thinking about a list with fanatic and reckoner in addition to phoenix, but I didn't want to not run mutavaults and chandras in order to play the 4/2. I guess I was wrong, though!

Also, he's running zero firedrinker satyrs. Only 4 1-drops. Interesting list.

2nd place list has three maindeck divinations. Get dat value!

I need to shuffle up both of these.

Wow. I guess mono colored decks are just better positioned at rotation because of mana bases still being in flux.

Oh and number of BR in top 32 decks? 40. Phoenix had 24. Top deck had both.

Interesting.
 

Lucario

Member
Wow. I guess mono colored decks are just better positioned at rotation because of mana bases still being in flux.

Oh and number of BR in top 32 decks? 40. Phoenix had 24. Top deck had both.

Interesting.

You know the bet was never BR vs Phoenix. Reckoner is a midrange spell. He goes in midrange decks.

Bet was if phoenix was playable in aggro (you said it was limited playable only) -- then, because that was too easy, it was modified to reckoner vs phoenix in red aggro.

Reckoners in red-based aggro (top 32): 8, both ran full sets of phoenix as well
Phoenixes in red aggro (top 32): 20

The rest of the reckoners were all in sideboards or midrange decks.
 

WanderingWind

Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
You know the bet was never BR vs Phoenix. Reckoner is a midrange spell. He goes in midrange decks.

Bet was if phoenix was playable in aggro (you said it was limited playable only) -- then, because that was too easy, it was modified to reckoner vs phoenix in red aggro.

Reckoners in red-based aggro (top 32): 8, both ran full sets of phoenix as well
Phoenixes in red aggro (top 32): 20

The rest of the reckoners were all in sideboards or midrange decks.

Calm down. I feel as of this thing is getting too serious for some of you. This is just cards and it's a friendly "bet."

I just pointed out some interesting facts. If everytime I decide to talk about MtG this is going to be the sort of reaction I can expect, I'll change the avatar for a month and then never post here again. Easy day.
 

Lucario

Member
Calm down. I feel as of this thing is getting too serious for some of you. This is just cards and it's a friendly "bet."

I just pointed out some interesting facts. If everytime I decide to talk about MtG this is going to be the sort of reaction I can expect, I'll change the avatar for a month and then never post here again. Easy day.

Let's just call this off completely, if you're fine with that. I didn't bring the bet up because I didn't want to restart the drama that happened last time, and only responded because I didn't think the terms were clear. Not angry, not serious, and don't care about the bet at all.

Magic thread doesn't need this.
 

Lucario

Member
Well, enjoy the thread guys.

I think you took my post as more serious than I intended it to be -- I thought you were fuckin' with me, and I actually am genuinely interested in how many reckoners saw play in aggro lists. Most were sideboarded for mirrors -- I did the same, and wanted four whenever I playtested said mirror -- but it's still a legit card in the main of Fanatic of Mogis lists.

It doesn't matter if it's better or worse than phoenix at all. Just ignore the bet, it was never established anyway.
 

WanderingWind

Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
I think you took my post as more serious than I intended it to be -- I thought you were fuckin' with me, and I actually am genuinely interested in how many reckoners saw play in aggro lists. Most were sideboarded for mirrors -- I did the same, and wanted four whenever I playtested said mirror -- but it's still a legit card in the main of Fanatic of Mogis lists.

It doesn't matter if it's better or worse than phoenix at all. Just ignore the bet, it was never established anyway.

Man, I misunderstood. My bad. Dick move on my part, I apologize. For the record, I'm cool with the thing. For the further record, I was just honestly posting something I found interesting. I mean come on, both BR and Phoenix in the top deck? Lol.
 

Lucario

Member
Man, I misunderstood. My bad. Dick move on my part, I apologize. For the record, I'm cool with the thing. For the further record, I was just honestly posting something I found interesting. I mean come on, both BR and Phoenix in the top deck? Lol.

Don't worry about it. My post read as super rigid and serious anyway.

I was super confused by his list too. I thought the aggro lists with Reckoner would all be running Hammer of Purphoros to go to town with him as quickly as possible -- the card is obscene with Fanatic of Mogis as well.


... But those are the sorts of decks I'd expect to run, what, 6-8 instants and sorceries? And maybe a few Pyromasters to guarantee they'll get through? Seems like some pretty sparse support for Phoenix, but he clearly made it work.

Not running chainwalkers or something else instead of Young Pyromancers (in the main) was a pretty big mistake on my part, I'm quickly realizing.
 
So Young Pyromancer wasn't working out for you? I have a mono-red deck that I whipped up a couple of weeks ago but I still haven't updated it after this weekend's haul. Have 4 Pyromancers in there right now but I'm also thinking of having 1 Purphoros in there instead of a 4th Mogis Fanatic, though I haven't playtested it and I'm just trying to think of tweaking decklists here at work :p
 
Think this is a playable combo? Might add some juice back into my vampire deck idea after all.

mjEHuIm.jpg
7vFlly3.jpg


fake edit, oh guess this is already a thing lol
 
[QUOTE="God's Beard!";84105437]Think this is a playable combo? Might add some juice back into my vampire deck idea after all.

mjEHuIm.jpg
7vFlly3.jpg


fake edit, oh guess this is already a thing lol[/QUOTE]

yup, sees some fringe legacy play
 

JulianImp

Member
So Young Pyromancer wasn't working out for you? I have a mono-red deck that I whipped up a couple of weeks ago but I still haven't updated it after this weekend's haul. Have 4 Pyromancers in there right now but I'm also thinking of having 1 Purphoros in there instead of a 4th Mogis Fanatic, though I haven't playtested it and I'm just trying to think of tweaking decklists here at work :p

My brain keeps refusing to read that card's name right and auto-replacing it for "Mogg Fanatic" instead.

I didn't get to test my deck this weekend, since there wasn't enough people to play the FNM... I want to try it out and see how it performs at once, dammit!
 

Bonethug

Member
During the SCG Open I noticed that once Elspeth dropped in the Mono Red vs U/W Control matchup that it was game over for Mono Red. Owen ran into this in the 2 matches that he lost on camera.

Is a couple of copies of Electrickery worth it in the SB to clear away the tokens?

Here is the (budget) Mono-Red list that I whipped up on Saturday. http://deckbox.org/sets/485701?v=l
 

OnPoint

Member
During the SCG Open I noticed that once Elspeth dropped in the Mono Red vs U/W Control matchup that it was game over for Mono Red. Owen ran into this in the 2 matches that he lost on camera.

Is a couple of copies of Electrickery worth it in the SB to clear away the tokens?

Yeah probably. It definitely bogged the board down something fierce.
 
[QUOTE="God's Beard!";84105437]Think this is a playable combo? Might add some juice back into my vampire deck idea after all.

mjEHuIm.jpg
7vFlly3.jpg


fake edit, oh guess this is already a thing lol[/QUOTE]

Even better is Thespian's Stage + Dark Depths. Not sure if any Modern decks run it but it works pretty well in Legacy with Crop Rotation.
 

JulianImp

Member
Agreed that they should be dead before Turn 6, but they do have lots of ways to slow down mono red.

Turn 1 Ox
Can't overextend with multiple same named creatures due to Sphere
Turn 4 Supreme Justice

Wait... you're saying the 0/4 ox thing is seeing constructed play?! Somewhere, poor Kraken Hatchling must be crying in a corner.
 

y2dvd

Member
Ha I'm not surprised RDW and U/W went top 2 as those were the decks I was playtesting the most. Funny that SCG had that U/W/R article up because I agree that it's better than U/W; Burning Earth alone shouldn't dissuade adding R. I'll post my own version of the deck I've been using but it's mainly to combat RDW as I thought it was the toughest matchup.

I removed Omenspeaker from the deck and I don't really miss it so far. Replaced it with Frostburn Weird which has been awesome. Stops a lot of red creatures in their tracks and blocks a lot of G/W creatures except for Loxidon Smiter, but I have a single Mizzium Mortar to answer that along with Chain to the Rocks and D-Sphere. I thought there was going to be more Stormbreath Dragons out there, so Mortar was an answer for that too since it has protection from almost every other card in our deck. Frostburn Weird also survives your own Anger of Gods.

There's 3 burn spells that are fighting for spots - Shock, Lightning Strike, and Magma Jet. Shock is super mana efficient, but I'm liking Magma Jet. Magma Jet maybe a turn too slow to answer T1 Elvish Mystic, but I think it's worth it for the scry 2. It still hits a lot of the T2 two toughness red creatures. Lightning Strike mainly hits Fleecemane Lion but I we have Frostburn Weird to block it until we can get to Anger of Gods or Supreme Verdict.

I don't like the 3 Dissolves in the SCG deck. It's too slow vs aggressive decks that can establish their boards at T2. I would mainboard two at most, though I'm mainboarding 1 currently. Needs more Syncopates.
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Been thinking about a comedic deck that uses that, Assemble the Legion and Purphurous. Can't quite get myself ready to spend the $120 for a mostly-joke deck though.

Add an Elspeth and you need a whole deck of tokens
 

Haly

One day I realized that sadness is just another word for not enough coffee.
And splash blue for Jace, Rev, Detention Sphere, Verdict, and some permission and and wait--
 

Lucario

Member
Gods will crash hard soon. They just aren't good in constructed.

I kind of like Heliod in midrangey white-heavy builds -- possibly even in the main, but more than likely in the sideboard. Fiendslayer, Boros Reckoner, etc are just best friends with him, and he's impossible for control to deal with (short of the 'exile target white permanent' thing) unless he's active. He's also sweet in control mirrors as a difficult to deal with win condition -- likely one of the fastest you have.

In which case you've probably already swung with him, gotten some value from the second mechanic, etc.

The rest... naw.
 
I've already seen Nylea be pretty useful and I think Thassa could have a home in some decks too. I think they will drop in price for sure though because even if they do get played they will be 1-2 offs in decks, so the demand will surely decrease.
 

bigkrev

Member
Gods will crash hard soon. They just aren't good in constructed.

Red god saw zero play in the top RDW decks, the deck that was most likely to take advantage of a God.

I think Thassa has a shot at being played because of its powerful Scry effect and low CMC, but yeah, they aren't playable otherwise.
 

OnPoint

Member
Red god saw zero play in the top RDW decks, the deck that was most likely to take advantage of a God.

I think Thassa has a shot at being played because of its powerful Scry effect and low CMC, but yeah, they aren't playable otherwise.
I don't think RDW is the path for success with that card honestly. I really believe in my token strategy haha
 
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