You played JESUS?!?! I heard none of his guys stay in the graveyard, and once you think you have him beat he ALWAYS comes back to win within three turns. I like...WORSHIP him.
Sorin/emblem/tokens. And souls is amazing. I love swinging over them with 3/1 spirit tokens(2 sorin emblems), then wiping the board, only to flashback the tokens. I also added one copy of entreat the angels. I think I want to run one more. It is so good. Maybe cut Jace #4, for a 3rd Sorin? And Sphinx's Revelation is just awesome. I almost want to run 3 of them.(2 currently)
Slowly figuring out how to pilot the deck to its potential, and I love it!
Sorin/emblem/tokens. And souls is amazing. I love swinging over them with 3/1 spirit tokens(2 sorin emblems), then wiping the board, only to flashback the tokens. I also added one copy of entreat the angels. I think I want to run one more. It is so good. Maybe cut Jace #4, for a 3rd Sorin? And Sphinx's Revelation is just awesome. I almost want to run 3 of them.(2 currently)
Slowly figuring out how to pilot the deck to its potential, and I love it!
You played JESUS?!?! I heard none of his guys stay in the graveyard, and once you think you have him beat he ALWAYS comes back to win within three turns. I like...WORSHIP him.
The combo is fiend hunter, Falkenrath and the angel, sac the hunter to falkenrath bring back the hunter exile the angel sac again. Add in the huntmaster and it gives you inf life and tokens as well. Someone piloted it in block. They did quite well.
As for cutting a Jace, don't do it. Sorin is great, but the card advantage from Jace is absurd, plus if they know you run 4 they always side in a needle or similar to deal with him, which is when you side some copies out. I always find in game 1 I want to see a jace, and flipping a copy off of himself is hialrious as they never try and deal with him if they know you have another.
A second entreat is the best number in my opinion. You don't get flooded with it and it wins games out of the blue. As for revelation, you never want more than 2. Drawing your terminus and entreats from it sucks.
You played JESUS?!?! I heard none of his guys stay in the graveyard, and once you think you have him beat he ALWAYS comes back to win within three turns. I like...WORSHIP him.
Angel of Glory's Rise will bring back all humans when it enters the battlefield. You bring back a Fiend Hunter. At that point, the Fiend Hunter can exile the Angel. You then sacrifice the Fiend Hunter to your Friendly Sac Outlet(tm), namely Falkenrath Aristocrat. That makes the Angel come back to the battlefield, so it brings back the Fiend Hunter, which exiles it again. You've got infinity right here. Add to that another Fiend Hunter, and you exile all the creatures you want. Add a Huntmaster of the Fells, and you'll get infinite life and tokens off its ETB effect. Add any human with an ETB effect, and you get infinite of its ETB effect.
Angel of Glory's Rise will bring back all humans when it enters the battlefield. You bring back a Fiend Hunter. At that point, the Fiend Hunter can exile the Angel. You then sacrifice the Fiend Hunter to your Friendly Sac Outlet(tm), namely Falkenrath Aristocrat. That makes the Angel come back to the battlefield, so it brings back the Fiend Hunter, which exiles it again. You've got infinity right here. Add to that another Fiend Hunter, and you exile all the creatures you want. Add a Huntmaster of the Fells, and you'll get infinite life and tokens off its ETB effect. Add any human with an ETB effect, and you get infinite of its ETB effect.
You played JESUS?!?! I heard none of his guys stay in the graveyard, and once you think you have him beat he ALWAYS comes back to win within three turns. I like...WORSHIP him.
You played JESUS?!?! I heard none of his guys stay in the graveyard, and once you think you have him beat he ALWAYS comes back to win within three turns. I like...WORSHIP him.
Note :
1. Maybe 3-4 Seraph of Dawn in aggro matchup is quite nice.
2. 1-2 Temporal mastery wins you game (with JMA on the table).
3. I don't own any snapcaster, nor available in my LGS. So sadly, i can't use it.
You played JESUS?!?! I heard none of his guys stay in the graveyard, and once you think you have him beat he ALWAYS comes back to win within three turns. I like...WORSHIP him.
This time I couldn't get the first place, but still finished 3-1, which is a great score. I'm satisfied of how the deck panned out.
Match 1 : Grixis Control
The deck : a quite standard durdley Grixis Control, with Synco, Niv-Mizzy, Bonfire, Mizzium Mortar, etc. Aims to control you until it can bury you under fatties.
Game 1 : The first game went pretty well. I was able to chain Doomed Traveler into Keyrune into Sorin into Lingering, and he just couldn't keep up with the pressure. Emblems + 1/1 flyers = I sure hope you have a bunch of sweepers.
Sideboard : In Duress x2, Withcbane Orb x2, Syncopate x2, Sphinx's Revelation x1. Out Doomed Traveler x3, Angel of Serenity x1, Curse x2, Terminus x1.
Game 2 : I'm in a more durdley mode now. We drop lands for a few turns, then Sorin come into play and starts making token. Searing Spear + Brimstone Volley deal with both. I then drop a Witchbane Orb, much to his dismay. A duress shows me that he has a Duress, two Searing Spears and a Snappy in hand, and he can't target me. Later one, he spends Cylconic Rift + Duress to deal with the Orb and open me to burn again. A lot of it goes to Sorin again, and a lot of card advantage come my way. I always keep two mana open and had already played a Syncopate, so he keeps Niv-Mizzy to his hand in fear of being countered, much to my pleasure. He just can't deal with everything I play and my token eat him alive.
The lesson : Play with your opponent. Bluff can help a lot. Also, remember to get durdley against durdley decks. Most of them can be beat in the long run, but if you try to race them, they'll burn you out.
2-0.
Match 2 : Naya Midrange
The deck : Again, pretty standard Naya deck, with Sigarda, Huntmaster, Thraggy, Centaur, a bit of burn to complement.
Game 1 : I mulligan a one lander to get another one lander. Since I have two Doomed Travelers, I decide to keep it. In retrospect, that was a very bad idea, I should've gone to five. That was a mistake. You see me coming : I stay stuck on a plains and two Doomed Traveler and get roasted soon enough. I still get to see his deck while he can't, though. Remember to play your deck to the end even if you're screwed, but when you see there's no outs, stop dropping any spells. You'll get to see your opponent's deck a bit more while revealing nothing yourself.
Sideboard : In Curse x1, Synco x2, Revelation x1. Out Doomed Traveler x3, Army x1.
Game 2 : The game could be resumed to a single misplay on my part : I never saw Sigarda coming. Had I, I wouldn't have spent my sweeper on Huntmaster while I had other removal in hand. I cost me the game. We fought for five turns, then Sigarda came in, and I had to chump-block her for four turns, then watch as she hit me in chunks of four (I had a Curse) as I drew two cards a turn off Staff and couldn't hit a sweeper.
The lesson : Play correctly? I really lost that one because of myself. I didn't really offer my best. Ah, well. We learn from our mistakes.
0-2, 2-0.
Match 3 : Jund Midrange.
The deck : A crapload of burn (Mortar, Bonfire, Devil's Play, Searing Spear, Rakdos's Return), value creatures (Thraggy and Geralf's Messenger) and Garruk Relentless to complement.
Game 1 : I keep a five-landers with Terminus and a Doomed Traveler. I proceed to draw another Terminus and six other lands, but my opponent stays stuck at three lands, which gives me a bit of time. He plays like crap (seriously), spending his Mortars and Spears and Dreadbore on the token I make with a Lingering, spending four cards to deal with one. 4-for-1ing yourself can make you lose, kids. Don't try that at home. At some point, he plays a Thraggy and a Garruk. Now, you'll understand that he flipped Garruk with one of my tokens and sacrificed Thraggy to fetch another damn Thraggy. Cool. I drew a Curse and played it. Next turn, he +1'ed and realized that he just put a 0/0 on the battlefield (that was funny). I traded with Thraggy, but still got hit by the Beast token from the other one. My life is going down fast and I'm well aware of this. With the amount of burn he has in the deck, I expect to die at any moment now. A second Curse buys me time, but he fetches another Thraggy with Garruk (yes, a third one). That's how I finally can't keep up with the pressure and dies. He says something like "I'll side in for a token deck, then", which makes me happy to hear.
Sideboard : In Curse x1, Intangible Virtue x2 (in case he has some Curse), Revelation x1, Syncopate x2. Out Army x2, Angel of Serenity x1, Doomed Traveler x3, Keyrune x1.
Game the first four turns are "land, go" on both part. He starts to freak out because he realizes that he really messed up his sideboarding. Two Curse follow suit, along with a Staff of Nin. He Rakdos Charms the Staff, but his creatures are now very small. Now, he played on the fourth turn a Geralf's Messenger. The problem is that I intended to chump-block multiple times with Lingering and its flashback to kill the Messenger by double-blocks and Curses. However, he had multiple removal in hand, so his Messenger got four hits before I O-Ringed him. I'm at ten and he's playing a burn deck. Sure thing's sure, between the two Thragtusks I deal with, I get burned down to four again. With two Curses on the battlefield, any burn spell of Messenger can do me in. I have a second Staff out, so I'm drawing double for an answer. Two turns before he could draw a finisher, I finally get a Revelation for seven, followed by Drogskol Reaver who does him in while drawing me a crapload of cards.
Sideboard : Out Intangible x2 (he doesn't have any Curse), In Syncopate x2.
Game 3 : This game sees him play two Huntmaster and three Thragtusks, but two Curses, two Staff and a Witchbane Orb completely dominate the board. I can kill his creatures as soon as they enter the battlefield, he can't target me and I'm drawing three cards a turn. The game is sealed, IIRC, by Sorin's emblems and tokens.
The lesson : Take advantage of the misplays of your opponent. Also, don't plan to chump block instead of removing if he's playing a deck full of removal.
2-1, 0-2, 2-0
Match 4 : Bant Control
The deck : the most unoriginal Bant Control you can imagine. Really. Resto, Thraggy, Centaur, Jace, Synco, Farseek, Garruk Relentless, value town. Before the game starts, I realize he borrowed the deck, as he asks the other guy if a given card was in the maindeck or the sideboard.
Game 1 : Well, he stays stuck on two lands with no Farseek. I ping him with Doomed Traveler multiple times, then drop Sorin and goldfish for the win. Not a very exciting game.
Sideboard : In Revelation x1, Synco x2, Duress 2x. Out Curse x2, Doomed Traveler x3.
Game 2 : A second-turn Duress shows a hand of two lands, Garruk, Syncopate and Tragtusk. I think a bit, then remove the Syncopate. I have a Sorin and Staff in hand and want them to hit the battlefield. I have O-Ring anyway for Garruk. I proceed to chain Keyrune into Sorin. He then drops a Jace on his fourth turn and FoF two lands and a Thragtusk. Of course, he ends up with two lands on the bottom of his library. I kill Jace with Keyrune and drop another token. Then, most of the game is played around his Thragtusk (he drew three) and Centaurs (he drew four) trying to gut Sorin, while my vampires trade every turn with them (I had a Staff and an emblem out). I'm not worried; I'm drawing twice as many cards and will win eventually. He meets a second Staff with Detention Sphere on both, which I follow with another Staff. Two more Detention Spheres deal with the Keyrune (trying to save his Jace) and the other Staff, which means Sorin is still free to pop vamps and emblems. At one point, he plays a second Jace and flips Sigarda, Resto and Centaur from the top of his library. Now, I know I have a Terminus in hand and a good enough board position that I can sweep, which means I really want him to take Sigarda over the two others. I say "I'll take a look at my hand", look at it, then make a "of course" face and separate Sigarda from the two others. Sure thing's sure, he takes Sigarda, convinced it's the better card, and she meets Terminus the very next turn. Jace meets a second Keyrune and dies. By the end of the game, I have three emblems out and am attacking him with 5/2 Keyrunes. He just can't keep up the lifegain at that point and scoops.
The lesson : You have to understand Bant Control. It's a deck designed to gain so much life you can't beat them in and they finally attack with Thraggy. They aim to win via card advantage and stalling. If you don't care about their life total, though, they're much less intimidating. Concentrate on getting a better board position and card advantage. Staff staying for a couple of turns on the battlefield often seals the game. Play on the defensive. Three or four damage to you is much more than six to him. If you kill his 'walkers without spending a card, you're up the card advantage. It's really the heart of the matchups. And keep a sweeper somewhere for you don't get hit by Geist of Saint Traft.
2-0, 2-1, 0-2, 2-0
That was a good evening. I'm happy that my skill won me multiple games over my opponents. It's always fun to see! I'm also pretty satisfied in the deck itself, who can run against many different matchups and emerge victorious. Current score : 7-1.
-----------------------------
I'll make more tournament reports (every four weeks or so) I you guys tell me you read them and appreciate them. It's a bit of work and I can't know if it's worth it, now that the decks are pretty settled, so give me a sign if you're interested in my reports.
You played JESUS?!?! I heard none of his guys stay in the graveyard, and once you think you have him beat he ALWAYS comes back to win within three turns. I like...WORSHIP him.
I understand there isn't much interest in my tournament reports?
Not really, i read that actually, but since it isn't a new list you have, then honestly there wasn't much to say. I also prefer to comment on a deckbuilding strategy rather than on a tournament report.
You played JESUS?!?! I heard none of his guys stay in the graveyard, and once you think you have him beat he ALWAYS comes back to win within three turns. I like...WORSHIP him.
Played in a Standard tournament tonight, I went 3-1. I should have been 4-0, but I made one bad play, that lost me game 3. Biggest Changes in my list are running dissipate, instead of syncopate in the main deck. I am 100% happy with this choice so far. I took out 1 azorius charm, and one detention sphere, to fit in the 2 copies of Entreat the angels, and I love it.
I had a game where I was down to 4 life against a rites deck(He was at 30ish life). No planeswalkers. No Spirits, nothing, just a land in my hand. I miracled an Entreat the Angels for 8. And I had a Vault of the Archangel on the board. 2 turns later, GG. I love entreat in this deck.
Sorry, I don't have the best memory of my games, but I know the decks I played against.
Deck 1: RUG Aggro. Good Deck and player! 2-0
Deck 2: American Midrange. I made a stupid stupid play, and didn't use my Supreme Verdict against his Geist of Saint Traft. And he beat me next turn.(I was very tired today, and just had a brain fart about the angel that comes attacking with Geist.) 1-2....I should have won.
Deck 3: Another American Midrange type deck. 2-0.
Deck 4: Four Color frites. Very close match. I won 2-1.
I am possibly thinking about adding one more Sorin, Lord of Innistrad I have never really been upset to see him, and would like to see him more, since he is a pretty big target. Idk what I want to cut though, the only thing I can think of is either a Jace or a terminus. But I like having 6 sweepers in the deck.
But overall, I am happy with the list for now, and I enjoying playing it!
Dilleux, I really appreciate your tournament reports because I'm trying to build your deck. I like the idea of tap-out control (not to mention that your list has the cheaper of the Esper walkers and zero Entreat the Angels). I don't know how soon I'll get any Sorins, but I am drawing a lot of inspiration from your deck.
I did have a few questions, though.
How do you feel about the 4 keyrunes? It seems like a durdley turn 3 play, and I'm wondering why you want 4 of them.
With Thragtusk and all those other big beater cards out there, why not Appetite for Brains over Duress? I see a lot of decks opting for Duress.
And why just a single Angel of Serenity? I feel like if you're going to use them, they're better in multiples. And I saw someone else say that Drogskol Reaver is better to use than Angel in a control deck for some reason.
My biggest wonder is Staff of Nin. You attribute several victories to it and I'm wondering if it isn't too durdley. It's only 1 damage and 1 card an entire turn after you play it, and I imagine that's just not enough midgame advantage against something midrange, but that's just how I'm feeling. Is the Staff really that good?
The keyrunes are a must. Our win conditions (or things to get there) are Sorin, Staff, Curse, Drogskol, Angel... You catch the drift. Keyrune with 24 lands is approximately like 26 lands, but you get that extra mana to get to six and seven faster. Another big point for them is that they're attackers that survive sweepers. Against a deck with few instant-speed removal, you can ping them for 2 again and again. With Emblems, it's even better! You can sweep and attack the same turn, even. So yes, the Keyrunes are very important, especially against 'walkers unprotected against flyers.
As for Appetite/Duress, that's because Thragtusk is not at all a problem in this deck. You can chump him all day long, sweep two times, he isn't such a threat. Last FNM, I had two games where I killed four and three, respectively. On the other hand, Duress will hit Jace, O-Ring, Detention Sphere, Dissipate, Syncopate, Slaughter Games, all kind of burn including Rakdos's Return and Brimstone Volley and Bonfire, other Duresses, Cyclonic Rift... That's a whole bunch of difficult to deal with cards that you need an answer to in a deck without counterspells. It's a sideboard card. You side it in against decks with many of those, and it's never dead. Dealing with counters is also a big thing, with our top-of-the-curve must answer cards.
Angel wouldn't even be there if I wasn't on a budget. I prefer Drogskol in decks with few creatures such as this one, Angel in more populous decks. Still, I had an Angel I opened at the prerelease, so I put it there. I often side it out, though. It would be good against deck with a lot of tokens, I guess. With no real creature to recur, Drogskol would be better in this list.
Staff does two things. First, it doubles your cards. It may not look like much, but four turns later, that's an entire Tidings you've got there. This format is very slow, and we have a control deck. Staff makes sure we'll draw into Revelation, Drogskol, more Sorin... It makes games. It's surprising, but really, really good. As for the ping, it's relevant for the lockdown. Have one out, you can kill all X/1s. Have two or one and a Curse, all X/2s. Have two Curse and a Staff out, or a Curse and two Staff, and there are very few creatures who will survive for a full turn to attack. That lockdown can really be complete if your opponent doesn't play a lot of enchantment/artifact removal. Against Jund, for instance, if he doesn't draw his Charms, two Curse and a Staff means he can't attack you. Also note that the ping can hit 'walkers, which is a considerably interesting thing to do each turn.
So yes, Staff is really, really good. You'll side some out against aggro decks, but against anything slower, it's a game breaker.
I understand there isn't much interest in my tournament reports?
congrats dude...nice list btw...
been busy these days in school and kinda felt down when i went 1-3 in my fnm 2 weeks ago...
i felt down when the shop owner of the store i played told me that esper control in this current meta would not be competitive.. and i felt really down when he said that bec i lost then he said that...
anyways im happy for you guys who still having fun and winning...im still fixing my deck to be competitive and have my revenge...
here's my fnm 2 weeks ago...
1st round: mirror match esper
went 0-1-1
he won against me by milling me using adept...and on the 2nd game we draw because of time limit
2nd round: v/r vamp without falken
i won this round on my first game against this deck milled her out by nephalia...
2nd game won by entreat she scooped when i miracled for 14 angels...
witchbane saved my ass bec she has many cheese spells and she cant use it...
3rd round: b/g zombies
lost to it 0-2 it was just too fast for me to be able to setup
1st game lost to him for 5 turns terminus and verdict with no avail...
2nd game still within 5 turns gravecrawler keeps popping up and unluckily terminus is in my hand but couldnt cast it T_T...
4th round: 4c rites
i forgot on how i lost to him but i could remember he murdered me with behemoth...
thats my fnm report feel free to laugh at me T_T...
Relatively new player, started half way between M13 and RTR, that being said i've only just found a deck i really like playing (no prizes for guessing what). my current list is below but i want to test out the Keyrunes and am after some input as to what to take out.
26 land
4 Hallowed Fountain
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Drowned Catacomb
4 Isolated Chapel
3 Island
3 Plains
1 Swamp
2 Drownyard
1 Vault of the Archangel
8 Walkers
4 Jace, Architect of thought
2 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
2 Tamiyo, the moon sage
1 Jace for another Sorin
2 snapcasters for something, i feel i need some instant speed removal (ultimate price) and theres just not enough targets for him to be fully utilized.
1 counterspell. Not sure which though, Syncopate is amazing early game but Dissipate excels late game, which is where we want to be.
I also really like the Idea of Staff of Nin, seems broken late game
Sideboard is still up in the Air but this is what i have right now
2 Tormunds Crypt (i cant seem to find any purify the grave's )
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Ultimate Price (at least one going to the main)
2 Vampire Nighthawk
1 Fiend hunter
3 Seraph of Dawn
1 Angel of Serenity
2 Jace, Memory Adept
Im pretty happy with the Main deck (apart from the tweaks mentioned above) but fell im lacking quite severely with the sideboard
Also, i was wondering if siding LilianaOTV would be a good idea?
All comments appreciated
Edit: How do i make my deck list look all fancy and arranged like all you pro's ?
Your list looks a lot like mine, minus the snaps! So needless to say, I like it.
I run one ultimate price in the deck, and 2 copies of entreat the angels. I have also thought about cutting a jace for one for sorin. I have yet to be unhappy to see him.
I also was in the debate between syncopate and dissipate. I am now running 3 dissipates, and am 100% happy with the choice. And lasty, I run feeling of dread in the main deck. It helps us stall to the late game or to get sweepers. And late game is where this deck shines!
You played JESUS?!?! I heard none of his guys stay in the graveyard, and once you think you have him beat he ALWAYS comes back to win within three turns. I like...WORSHIP him.
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No. Yes. I love it so far.
Reanimator is in fact the good matchup other than control mirror, since it also mills itself.
My meta is mostly control, with Thragtusk.
Mill, imo, is one of the best wincon control deck has.
My 180 Modern Bordered Only Cube
Sorin/emblem/tokens. And souls is amazing. I love swinging over them with 3/1 spirit tokens(2 sorin emblems), then wiping the board, only to flashback the tokens. I also added one copy of entreat the angels. I think I want to run one more. It is so good. Maybe cut Jace #4, for a 3rd Sorin? And Sphinx's Revelation is just awesome. I almost want to run 3 of them.(2 currently)
Slowly figuring out how to pilot the deck to its potential, and I love it!
combo? what combo?
2 is the best max number of sphinx MB.
My 180 Modern Bordered Only Cube
still a bit confused. but it's ok.
My 180 Modern Bordered Only Cube
Hope it's clearer that way
thank you. i thought the angel is the resto one.
My 180 Modern Bordered Only Cube
I admit, it was pretty cool to see happen, even though I lost. Haha
what a deck @_@ too imba...why do few people do it?
anyways ive just brought two entreats problem is what will happen with my drogskol reaver ~_~ here's my current list...
4x Drowned Catacomb
2x Evolving Wilds
4x Glacial Fortress
3x Hallowed Fountain
4x Island
4x Isolated Chapel
4x Plains
1x Vault of the Archangel
Planeswalker (5)
2x Jace, architect of thought
2x Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
1x Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
4x Azorius Charm
2x Feeling of Dread
1x Forbidden Alchemy
1x Sphinx's Revelation
4x Think Twice
Sorcery (13)
2x Entreat the Angels
4x Lingering Souls
3x Supreme Verdict
4x Terminus
Enchantment (3)
3x Detention Sphere
Creature (2)
2x Snapcaster Mage
2x Ultimate Price
2x Dissipate
2x Sever the Bloodline
1x Witchbane Orb
1x Negate
2x Tragic Slip
2x Curse of Death's Hold
3x Syncopate
2x Drogskol Reaver
DECKS
STANDARD:
R/RAMP AGGRO
RRDW
LEGACY:
RGOBLIN SWARMR
CAFFINATOGSC
R//LAND DESTROYER
Azorius Charm, Unsummon, Cyclonic Rift
My 180 Modern Bordered Only Cube
Only chance would have been to mill him.
DECKS
STANDARD:
R/RAMP AGGRO
RRDW
LEGACY:
RGOBLIN SWARMR
CAFFINATOGSC
R//LAND DESTROYER
Yes. That's why i play control mill. because in this meta, life increased like crazy
EDIT : This is my list if you want to know :
3 Jace, Memory Adept
2 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
4 Azorius Charm
4 Vanishment
3 Supreme Verdict
2 Think Twice
4 Thought Scour
4 Island
2 Plains
2 Swamp
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Hallowed Fountain
4 Drowned Catacomb
1 Ghost Quarter
3 Nephalia Drownyard
2 Evolving Wilds
2 Essence Scatter
2 Dissipate
3 Syncopate
1 Sphinx's Revelation
1 Sever the Bloodline
1 Detention Sphere
2 Tribute to Hunger
2 Purify the Grave
Note :
1. Maybe 3-4 Seraph of Dawn in aggro matchup is quite nice.
2. 1-2 Temporal mastery wins you game (with JMA on the table).
3. I don't own any snapcaster, nor available in my LGS. So sadly, i can't use it.
My 180 Modern Bordered Only Cube
Here's the list, unchanged from last time :
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Isolated Chapel
4 Drowned Catacomb
3 Island
4 Plains
3 Swamp
2 Nephalia Drownyard
Creatures
1 Drogskol Reaver
1 Angel of Serenity
3 Doomed Traveler
Other spells
2 Terminus
3 Supreme Verdict
3 Oblivion Ring
1 Detention Sphere
2 Sever the Bloodline
4 Azorius Keyrune
1 Sphinx's Revelation
2 Army of the Damned
4 Sorin, Lord of Innistad
4 Lingering Souls
2 Curse of Death's Hold
3 Staff of Nin
1 Sphinx's Revelation
1 Curse of Death's Hold
3 Witchbane Orb
4 Feeling of Dread
2 Syncopate
2 Duress
2 intangible Virtue
This time I couldn't get the first place, but still finished 3-1, which is a great score. I'm satisfied of how the deck panned out.
Match 1 : Grixis Control
The deck : a quite standard durdley Grixis Control, with Synco, Niv-Mizzy, Bonfire, Mizzium Mortar, etc. Aims to control you until it can bury you under fatties.
Game 1 : The first game went pretty well. I was able to chain Doomed Traveler into Keyrune into Sorin into Lingering, and he just couldn't keep up with the pressure. Emblems + 1/1 flyers = I sure hope you have a bunch of sweepers.
Sideboard : In Duress x2, Withcbane Orb x2, Syncopate x2, Sphinx's Revelation x1. Out Doomed Traveler x3, Angel of Serenity x1, Curse x2, Terminus x1.
Game 2 : I'm in a more durdley mode now. We drop lands for a few turns, then Sorin come into play and starts making token. Searing Spear + Brimstone Volley deal with both. I then drop a Witchbane Orb, much to his dismay. A duress shows me that he has a Duress, two Searing Spears and a Snappy in hand, and he can't target me. Later one, he spends Cylconic Rift + Duress to deal with the Orb and open me to burn again. A lot of it goes to Sorin again, and a lot of card advantage come my way. I always keep two mana open and had already played a Syncopate, so he keeps Niv-Mizzy to his hand in fear of being countered, much to my pleasure. He just can't deal with everything I play and my token eat him alive.
The lesson : Play with your opponent. Bluff can help a lot. Also, remember to get durdley against durdley decks. Most of them can be beat in the long run, but if you try to race them, they'll burn you out.
2-0.
Match 2 : Naya Midrange
The deck : Again, pretty standard Naya deck, with Sigarda, Huntmaster, Thraggy, Centaur, a bit of burn to complement.
Game 1 : I mulligan a one lander to get another one lander. Since I have two Doomed Travelers, I decide to keep it. In retrospect, that was a very bad idea, I should've gone to five. That was a mistake. You see me coming : I stay stuck on a plains and two Doomed Traveler and get roasted soon enough. I still get to see his deck while he can't, though. Remember to play your deck to the end even if you're screwed, but when you see there's no outs, stop dropping any spells. You'll get to see your opponent's deck a bit more while revealing nothing yourself.
Sideboard : In Curse x1, Synco x2, Revelation x1. Out Doomed Traveler x3, Army x1.
Game 2 : The game could be resumed to a single misplay on my part : I never saw Sigarda coming. Had I, I wouldn't have spent my sweeper on Huntmaster while I had other removal in hand. I cost me the game. We fought for five turns, then Sigarda came in, and I had to chump-block her for four turns, then watch as she hit me in chunks of four (I had a Curse) as I drew two cards a turn off Staff and couldn't hit a sweeper.
The lesson : Play correctly? I really lost that one because of myself. I didn't really offer my best. Ah, well. We learn from our mistakes.
0-2, 2-0.
Match 3 : Jund Midrange.
The deck : A crapload of burn (Mortar, Bonfire, Devil's Play, Searing Spear, Rakdos's Return), value creatures (Thraggy and Geralf's Messenger) and Garruk Relentless to complement.
Game 1 : I keep a five-landers with Terminus and a Doomed Traveler. I proceed to draw another Terminus and six other lands, but my opponent stays stuck at three lands, which gives me a bit of time. He plays like crap (seriously), spending his Mortars and Spears and Dreadbore on the token I make with a Lingering, spending four cards to deal with one. 4-for-1ing yourself can make you lose, kids. Don't try that at home. At some point, he plays a Thraggy and a Garruk. Now, you'll understand that he flipped Garruk with one of my tokens and sacrificed Thraggy to fetch another damn Thraggy. Cool. I drew a Curse and played it. Next turn, he +1'ed and realized that he just put a 0/0 on the battlefield (that was funny). I traded with Thraggy, but still got hit by the Beast token from the other one. My life is going down fast and I'm well aware of this. With the amount of burn he has in the deck, I expect to die at any moment now. A second Curse buys me time, but he fetches another Thraggy with Garruk (yes, a third one). That's how I finally can't keep up with the pressure and dies. He says something like "I'll side in for a token deck, then", which makes me happy to hear.
Sideboard : In Curse x1, Intangible Virtue x2 (in case he has some Curse), Revelation x1, Syncopate x2. Out Army x2, Angel of Serenity x1, Doomed Traveler x3, Keyrune x1.
Game the first four turns are "land, go" on both part. He starts to freak out because he realizes that he really messed up his sideboarding. Two Curse follow suit, along with a Staff of Nin. He Rakdos Charms the Staff, but his creatures are now very small. Now, he played on the fourth turn a Geralf's Messenger. The problem is that I intended to chump-block multiple times with Lingering and its flashback to kill the Messenger by double-blocks and Curses. However, he had multiple removal in hand, so his Messenger got four hits before I O-Ringed him. I'm at ten and he's playing a burn deck. Sure thing's sure, between the two Thragtusks I deal with, I get burned down to four again. With two Curses on the battlefield, any burn spell of Messenger can do me in. I have a second Staff out, so I'm drawing double for an answer. Two turns before he could draw a finisher, I finally get a Revelation for seven, followed by Drogskol Reaver who does him in while drawing me a crapload of cards.
Sideboard : Out Intangible x2 (he doesn't have any Curse), In Syncopate x2.
Game 3 : This game sees him play two Huntmaster and three Thragtusks, but two Curses, two Staff and a Witchbane Orb completely dominate the board. I can kill his creatures as soon as they enter the battlefield, he can't target me and I'm drawing three cards a turn. The game is sealed, IIRC, by Sorin's emblems and tokens.
The lesson : Take advantage of the misplays of your opponent. Also, don't plan to chump block instead of removing if he's playing a deck full of removal.
2-1, 0-2, 2-0
Match 4 : Bant Control
The deck : the most unoriginal Bant Control you can imagine. Really. Resto, Thraggy, Centaur, Jace, Synco, Farseek, Garruk Relentless, value town. Before the game starts, I realize he borrowed the deck, as he asks the other guy if a given card was in the maindeck or the sideboard.
Game 1 : Well, he stays stuck on two lands with no Farseek. I ping him with Doomed Traveler multiple times, then drop Sorin and goldfish for the win. Not a very exciting game.
Sideboard : In Revelation x1, Synco x2, Duress 2x. Out Curse x2, Doomed Traveler x3.
Game 2 : A second-turn Duress shows a hand of two lands, Garruk, Syncopate and Tragtusk. I think a bit, then remove the Syncopate. I have a Sorin and Staff in hand and want them to hit the battlefield. I have O-Ring anyway for Garruk. I proceed to chain Keyrune into Sorin. He then drops a Jace on his fourth turn and FoF two lands and a Thragtusk. Of course, he ends up with two lands on the bottom of his library. I kill Jace with Keyrune and drop another token. Then, most of the game is played around his Thragtusk (he drew three) and Centaurs (he drew four) trying to gut Sorin, while my vampires trade every turn with them (I had a Staff and an emblem out). I'm not worried; I'm drawing twice as many cards and will win eventually. He meets a second Staff with Detention Sphere on both, which I follow with another Staff. Two more Detention Spheres deal with the Keyrune (trying to save his Jace) and the other Staff, which means Sorin is still free to pop vamps and emblems. At one point, he plays a second Jace and flips Sigarda, Resto and Centaur from the top of his library. Now, I know I have a Terminus in hand and a good enough board position that I can sweep, which means I really want him to take Sigarda over the two others. I say "I'll take a look at my hand", look at it, then make a "of course" face and separate Sigarda from the two others. Sure thing's sure, he takes Sigarda, convinced it's the better card, and she meets Terminus the very next turn. Jace meets a second Keyrune and dies. By the end of the game, I have three emblems out and am attacking him with 5/2 Keyrunes. He just can't keep up the lifegain at that point and scoops.
The lesson : You have to understand Bant Control. It's a deck designed to gain so much life you can't beat them in and they finally attack with Thraggy. They aim to win via card advantage and stalling. If you don't care about their life total, though, they're much less intimidating. Concentrate on getting a better board position and card advantage. Staff staying for a couple of turns on the battlefield often seals the game. Play on the defensive. Three or four damage to you is much more than six to him. If you kill his 'walkers without spending a card, you're up the card advantage. It's really the heart of the matchups. And keep a sweeper somewhere for you don't get hit by Geist of Saint Traft.
2-0, 2-1, 0-2, 2-0
That was a good evening. I'm happy that my skill won me multiple games over my opponents. It's always fun to see! I'm also pretty satisfied in the deck itself, who can run against many different matchups and emerge victorious. Current score : 7-1.
-----------------------------
I'll make more tournament reports (every four weeks or so) I you guys tell me you read them and appreciate them. It's a bit of work and I can't know if it's worth it, now that the decks are pretty settled, so give me a sign if you're interested in my reports.
Congrats on the winning!
My 180 Modern Bordered Only Cube
Not really, i read that actually, but since it isn't a new list you have, then honestly there wasn't much to say. I also prefer to comment on a deckbuilding strategy rather than on a tournament report.
My 180 Modern Bordered Only Cube
If a couple of people are reading them, I'll continue reading them, I just want to know if there is.
4 Hallowed Fountain
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Drowned Catacomb
4 Isolated Chapel
3 Island
3 Plains
1 Swamp
1 Vault of the Archangel
2 Nephalia Drownyard
26 Lands
Creatures:
0 Creatures
Spells:
3 Dissipate
3 Azorius Charm
4 Lingering Souls
2 Entreat the Angels
1 Ultimate Price
2 Feeling of Dread
3 Detention Sphere
3 Supreme Verdict
3 Terminus
2 Sphinx's Revelation
4 Jace, Architect of Thought
2 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
2 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
34 Spells
3 Seraph of Dawn
1 Drogskol Reaver
4 Purify the Grave
1 Supreme Verdict
2 Jace, Memory Adept
2 Negate
2 Essence Scatter
Played in a Standard tournament tonight, I went 3-1. I should have been 4-0, but I made one bad play, that lost me game 3. Biggest Changes in my list are running dissipate, instead of syncopate in the main deck. I am 100% happy with this choice so far. I took out 1 azorius charm, and one detention sphere, to fit in the 2 copies of Entreat the angels, and I love it.
I had a game where I was down to 4 life against a rites deck(He was at 30ish life). No planeswalkers. No Spirits, nothing, just a land in my hand. I miracled an Entreat the Angels for 8. And I had a Vault of the Archangel on the board. 2 turns later, GG. I love entreat in this deck.
Sorry, I don't have the best memory of my games, but I know the decks I played against.
Deck 1: RUG Aggro. Good Deck and player! 2-0
Deck 2: American Midrange. I made a stupid stupid play, and didn't use my Supreme Verdict against his Geist of Saint Traft. And he beat me next turn.(I was very tired today, and just had a brain fart about the angel that comes attacking with Geist.) 1-2....I should have won.
Deck 3: Another American Midrange type deck. 2-0.
Deck 4: Four Color frites. Very close match. I won 2-1.
I am possibly thinking about adding one more Sorin, Lord of Innistrad I have never really been upset to see him, and would like to see him more, since he is a pretty big target. Idk what I want to cut though, the only thing I can think of is either a Jace or a terminus. But I like having 6 sweepers in the deck.
But overall, I am happy with the list for now, and I enjoying playing it!
Inappropriate Language Warning.
I did have a few questions, though.
How do you feel about the 4 keyrunes? It seems like a durdley turn 3 play, and I'm wondering why you want 4 of them.
With Thragtusk and all those other big beater cards out there, why not Appetite for Brains over Duress? I see a lot of decks opting for Duress.
And why just a single Angel of Serenity? I feel like if you're going to use them, they're better in multiples. And I saw someone else say that Drogskol Reaver is better to use than Angel in a control deck for some reason.
My biggest wonder is Staff of Nin. You attribute several victories to it and I'm wondering if it isn't too durdley. It's only 1 damage and 1 card an entire turn after you play it, and I imagine that's just not enough midgame advantage against something midrange, but that's just how I'm feeling. Is the Staff really that good?
Thanks!
The keyrunes are a must. Our win conditions (or things to get there) are Sorin, Staff, Curse, Drogskol, Angel... You catch the drift. Keyrune with 24 lands is approximately like 26 lands, but you get that extra mana to get to six and seven faster. Another big point for them is that they're attackers that survive sweepers. Against a deck with few instant-speed removal, you can ping them for 2 again and again. With Emblems, it's even better! You can sweep and attack the same turn, even. So yes, the Keyrunes are very important, especially against 'walkers unprotected against flyers.
As for Appetite/Duress, that's because Thragtusk is not at all a problem in this deck. You can chump him all day long, sweep two times, he isn't such a threat. Last FNM, I had two games where I killed four and three, respectively. On the other hand, Duress will hit Jace, O-Ring, Detention Sphere, Dissipate, Syncopate, Slaughter Games, all kind of burn including Rakdos's Return and Brimstone Volley and Bonfire, other Duresses, Cyclonic Rift... That's a whole bunch of difficult to deal with cards that you need an answer to in a deck without counterspells. It's a sideboard card. You side it in against decks with many of those, and it's never dead. Dealing with counters is also a big thing, with our top-of-the-curve must answer cards.
Angel wouldn't even be there if I wasn't on a budget. I prefer Drogskol in decks with few creatures such as this one, Angel in more populous decks. Still, I had an Angel I opened at the prerelease, so I put it there. I often side it out, though. It would be good against deck with a lot of tokens, I guess. With no real creature to recur, Drogskol would be better in this list.
Staff does two things. First, it doubles your cards. It may not look like much, but four turns later, that's an entire Tidings you've got there. This format is very slow, and we have a control deck. Staff makes sure we'll draw into Revelation, Drogskol, more Sorin... It makes games. It's surprising, but really, really good. As for the ping, it's relevant for the lockdown. Have one out, you can kill all X/1s. Have two or one and a Curse, all X/2s. Have two Curse and a Staff out, or a Curse and two Staff, and there are very few creatures who will survive for a full turn to attack. That lockdown can really be complete if your opponent doesn't play a lot of enchantment/artifact removal. Against Jund, for instance, if he doesn't draw his Charms, two Curse and a Staff means he can't attack you. Also note that the ping can hit 'walkers, which is a considerably interesting thing to do each turn.
So yes, Staff is really, really good. You'll side some out against aggro decks, but against anything slower, it's a game breaker.
congrats dude...nice list btw...
been busy these days in school and kinda felt down when i went 1-3 in my fnm 2 weeks ago...
i felt down when the shop owner of the store i played told me that esper control in this current meta would not be competitive.. and i felt really down when he said that bec i lost then he said that...
anyways im happy for you guys who still having fun and winning...im still fixing my deck to be competitive and have my revenge...
here's my fnm 2 weeks ago...
1st round: mirror match esper
went 0-1-1
he won against me by milling me using adept...and on the 2nd game we draw because of time limit
2nd round: v/r vamp without falken
i won this round on my first game against this deck milled her out by nephalia...
2nd game won by entreat she scooped when i miracled for 14 angels...
witchbane saved my ass bec she has many cheese spells and she cant use it...
3rd round: b/g zombies
lost to it 0-2 it was just too fast for me to be able to setup
1st game lost to him for 5 turns terminus and verdict with no avail...
2nd game still within 5 turns gravecrawler keeps popping up and unluckily terminus is in my hand but couldnt cast it T_T...
4th round: 4c rites
i forgot on how i lost to him but i could remember he murdered me with behemoth...
thats my fnm report feel free to laugh at me T_T...
DECKS
STANDARD:
R/RAMP AGGRO
RRDW
LEGACY:
RGOBLIN SWARMR
CAFFINATOGSC
R//LAND DESTROYER
Relatively new player, started half way between M13 and RTR, that being said i've only just found a deck i really like playing (no prizes for guessing what). my current list is below but i want to test out the Keyrunes and am after some input as to what to take out.
26 land
4 Hallowed Fountain
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Drowned Catacomb
4 Isolated Chapel
3 Island
3 Plains
1 Swamp
2 Drownyard
1 Vault of the Archangel
8 Walkers
4 Jace, Architect of thought
2 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
2 Tamiyo, the moon sage
26 The rest
4 Lingering Souls
4 Azorius Charm
3 Supreme Verdict
3 Terminus
2 Detention Spheres
2 Sphinx's revelation
2 Forbidden Alchemy
2 Syncopate
2 Snapcaster
1 Dissipate
1 Entreat the Angels
Alterations im thinking about making
1 Jace for another Sorin
2 snapcasters for something, i feel i need some instant speed removal (ultimate price) and theres just not enough targets for him to be fully utilized.
1 counterspell. Not sure which though, Syncopate is amazing early game but Dissipate excels late game, which is where we want to be.
I also really like the Idea of Staff of Nin, seems broken late game
Sideboard is still up in the Air but this is what i have right now
2 Tormunds Crypt (i cant seem to find any purify the grave's )
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Ultimate Price (at least one going to the main)
2 Vampire Nighthawk
1 Fiend hunter
3 Seraph of Dawn
1 Angel of Serenity
2 Jace, Memory Adept
Im pretty happy with the Main deck (apart from the tweaks mentioned above) but fell im lacking quite severely with the sideboard
Also, i was wondering if siding LilianaOTV would be a good idea?
All comments appreciated
Edit: How do i make my deck list look all fancy and arranged like all you pro's ?
I run one ultimate price in the deck, and 2 copies of entreat the angels. I have also thought about cutting a jace for one for sorin. I have yet to be unhappy to see him.
I also was in the debate between syncopate and dissipate. I am now running 3 dissipates, and am 100% happy with the choice. And lasty, I run feeling of dread in the main deck. It helps us stall to the late game or to get sweepers. And late game is where this deck shines!
4 Island
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Hallowed Fountain
4 Drowned Catacomb
1 Ghost Quarter
3 Nephalia Drownyard
3 Plains
1 Swamp
2 Evolving Wilds
Planeswalker
3 Jace, Memory Adept
2 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
3 Thought Scour
4 Azorius Charm
3 Faith's Shield
4 Dissipate
2 Sphinx's Revelation
4 Vanishment
1 Cyclonic Rift
4 Forbidden Alchemy
Sorcery
3 Supreme Verdict
Artifact
1 Elixir of Immortality
1 Sever the Bloodline
2 Detention Sphere
1 Purify the Grave
2 Essence Scatter
2 Tormod's Crypt
3 Feeling of Dread
2 Witchbane Orb
1 Sundering Growth
1 Supreme Verdict
Comment?
My 180 Modern Bordered Only Cube