Modern and the Deck You Could be Playing
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bman5604
4 August 2013
2901 views
Modern and the Deck You Could be Playing
4 August 2013
2901 views
Modern and the Deck You Could be Playing
deck-large:typical-jund-1
In this article I am going to cover the breakdown of typical-jund-1 for popular matches. I am also going to point out its best and worst matches and sideboard options against those matchups. This is all based off of my experience and opinion for this deck and feedback or suggestions are welcome.
The Breakdown
typical-jund-1 is generally not considered to be an easy deck to play. Through many countless hours of play-testing, I have ascertained the following breakdown.
The Walkers
Liliana of the Veil: is one of the most powerful planeswalkers ever printed. Her edict ability as well as her hand disruption ability can bring nightmares to your opponent. If you’re not familiar with her, GET FAMILIAR WITH HER!
Ajani Vengeant: A 4 drop Lightning Helix is okay, but many people also appreciate his +1 ability (target permanent does not untap during its controller’s next untap step). The fact that you can keep your opponent off of the third islandunh for Cryptic Command or just keep them off the mana needed to cast spells for a few turns is huge in modern. Also, keeping a creature tapped is pretty amazing.
The Creatures
Dark Confidant: I know I have personally been in many debates on this site of how good he is. The fact that he gives a fair deck like typical-jund-1 card draw (if unanswered) is Nucking Futs. The loss of life isn’t something to get too excited about, but drawing an extra card per turn can swing the game in your favor quickly. Need a Lightning Bolt or maybe a Path to Exile to push through for some needed damage….. Dark Confidant can get you there. Although he is a 2/1 creature, making him vulnerable, he is also a huge threat. Your opponent will often try and take care of him as soon as he hits the battlefield, making your next threat less likely to have an answer and potentially more problematic for them.
Tarmogoyf: The little/big Lhurgoyf that could. He really has opportunity to shine in this deck because when you cast him he is usually at least a 3/4. This is surprisingly good in this format. Although there are counters that are geared to him in the form of Spell Snare and Path to Exile like his buddy Dark Confidant if unanswered, he is a threat for days. And remember what doesn't grow, dies. And what dies grows the Tarmogoyf.
Deathrite Shaman: Is an incredibly powerful card. The simple fact that they made her a 1/2 body puts her head and shoulders above any and all accelerators ever printed. She demands attention as soon as she enters the battlefield like her partners in crime before her. Untapping with her is to me like a Fat Kid eating cake, I absolutely love it. Never underestimate her!! She is a threat and must be dealt with because Deathrite Shaman alone can and will win you a game. Trust me I have been on both sides of this creature and she is legit. Would not be surprised if she eventually gets the ban hammer in modern if she continues to get splashed into more and more modern decks.
Olivia Voldaren: While most versions of typical-jund-1 run Huntmaster of the Fells Flip over her, for this particular build she fits the bill quite nicely. Even though she isn’t a work horse creature like others you have in this deck, she is exactly what this deck needs: a serious finisher. Her evasiveness is really good in a format that spends the majority of its matches in the trenches. Generally you won’t cast her on turn 4, unless you’re facing a deck that doesn’t have Lightning Bolt or Lightning Helix. Since she is vulnerable to burn, I try to cast her with six mana available to have the ping-and-save option. What makes her amazing in this deck is her ability to grow quickly. With half the meta having creatures that die to her ping ability, she can grow large quickly. Also don’t every underestimate stealing an opponent’s creature with her second ability it can and will be back breaking for them. We don’t have to piggy back on her or rely on her to win. But not giving her the chance to try and turn the game in our favor is downright silly.
Instants/Sorceries
Abrupt Decay: Is a premier magic card that is very versatile in this format. You can easily run more in this deck if needed, but going with one is a meta call on my part since I play Magic the Gathering online. Abrupt Decay can kill Liliana of the Veil and most of the format's creatures which makes it amazing and then some. Throw in the fact that it can’t be countered and holy card, Batman, you have an amazing spell. I’m kind of wondering why I only run 1.
Lightning Bolt: Is the most commonly used spell in modern. It is so diverse and well liked that not using it seems silly. I honestly can’t think of another one drop in the history of magic (in Red) that has had been as good and often splashed for as Lightning Bolt. Your opponent has 3 life left and you're top decking. Guess what?! You “miracle” a Lightning Bolt for the win. It takes care of so many creatures in the format that it's unreal. It would honestly be easier to type up a list of cards it doesn’t hit then to type out the ones it does.
Path to Exile: Can make an argument for the best kill spell in the format. Path to Exile kills what your Lightning Bolt and other spells can’t. With such an introduction only running two seems a little light, but we are splashing white here. Path to Exile is really good against our combo matchups (which are probably our worst matchups), hitting cards like Kitchen Finks and Deceiver Exarch that Lightning Bolt just can’t seem to kill. You can always run more in your board, or make room for more in main board; once again, it’s a meta call on my part for the set number being 2.
Inquisition of Kozilek: Is easily the second best discard spell in Modern. The list for things it doesn’t hit is shorter than the things it does hit. This is a very powerful card and in this deck it shines brighter than a bald man that just had his head waxed. This is a key card for your combo and control matchups. It's able to rip apart their hand early and often and thus can be crucial for you getting the win or a loss.
Thoughtseize: Can easily make the argument of being the best discard spell ever printed. The fact that this card hits every non-land card in your opponents hand makes it beyond amazing in this deck. Thoughtseize takes away cards that are problematic for us (once resolved). This card can easily be a four-of main board if Combo is still running amuck but it’s a meta call again on my part.
Lingering Souls: Is a fantastic card with a lot of potential. The little spirits might not seem like much, but against creature-heavy decks they are fantastic. And they can outright win you a game or two. Most control players have started running play sets of Electrolyze because of this card and the emergence of all the accelerators in the format. The evasiveness of the little 1/1 spirits is super relevant considering most of modern is fought and won in the trenches. This card can not only give your opponents fits but seeing your opponent’s reaction to you discarding Lingering Souls to Liliana of the Veil’s +1 is hilarious. It’s like you kicked their dog or something.
THE SIDEBOARD
Aven Mindcensor: Is a fair card at best. We are really just looking to capitalize on our matchups against Birthing Pod and Scapeshift matchups with him. With that said having a 2/1 flyer isn’t horrible. I am not a fan of the body behind the ability; I personally would rather have Shadow of Doubt over Aven Mindcensor. But the fact that we only run 14 creatures main board kind of means his presence is needed.
Batterskull: Is easily arguable for the best equipment of all time. Slapping down a Batterskull for us is a huge swing in our favor. We really only bring in Batterskull against our creature heavy matchups and if we are facing a creature heavy burn list. Batterskull gives us a solid 4/4 body with lifelink and vigilance which is downright amazing for us. Does it make me a bad person that I get an opportunity to equip it to Tarmogoyf or [[Olivia Voldaren]? I’d like to think it does.
Damnation: best black wrath of all time! We only bring this card in against our creature-heavy matchups. And not allowing their creature to regenerate can indeed be relevant.
Lightning Helix: Again we are really only bringing this card in against our creature-heavy matchups. We can also bring in this card for our combo matchups as well but it’s really a matter of our opponent.
Obstinate Baloth: Yet again another good card to bring in against creature heavy and burn decks as well. I feel that we mainly use him for his life gain ability more than anything else. The fact that he is a 4/4 body is a big plus. Plus he is a Godsend in the mirror match as well as any deck that is running Raven's Crime.
Stony Silence: Is pretty self explanatory. If they run heavy artifacts it comes in, basically against the robot matchups and sometimes Tron matchups.
Slaughter Games: Is Memoricide on crack. The fact that you can remove quite possibly your opponent’s best card is amazing. And the fact that it is uncounterable is flat out bonkers. With that said Slaughter Games can easily be 2 or 3 copies in board; once again it comes down to Meta call. I feel that lack of Scapeshift, Tron and Control makes this card not as good if there were a ton more of those decks being played.
Sowing Salt: Is strictly a niche card. It only comes into matchups that are rough for us: control, Scapeshift and Tron. Don’t ever underestimate a card that takes Tron off, well, Tron. Not to mention Sowing Salt shuts down certain decks’ win conditions in Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle (Scapeshift) and Celestial Colonnade in Control.
Thrun, the Last Troll: can be very versatile and be brought into more matchups than you may think. He is a hell of a body against agro matchups as well as the obvious control matchup favorite. Thrun, the Last Troll is a creature that can be a problem for most opponents. And with the new legend rule it just became a whole lot worse.
Torpor Orb: is pretty self explanatory. This card comes against: you guessed it…. any decks that rely on cards for their enter-the-battlefield mechanic. Mainly we bring this card in against Splinter Twin and Melira Pod based decks. It can make Snapcaster Mage and Restoration Angel one trick ponies. So bring it on your judgment like I do.
Matchup breakdown and Side boarding
Will eat our lunch nine times out of ten. They have plenty of disruption when it comes to counters as well as cards we don’t have answers for even after sideboard. The best thing we can do is disrupt our opponents hand with Liliana of the Veiland Thoughtseize. Inquisition of Kozilek can also be big for taking away problematic cards. Don’t be afraid to lose some life against them early (Thoughtseize) because it can be a while before they have a board presence outside of their lands. As far as side boarding goes it is really going to be off of what you see. Slaughter Games can easily come in but not really knowing what to name can be a problem. They usually only run one, maybe two Karn Liberated and one maybe two Mindslaver as well. So pinpointing the best card to hit against them can be tricky. I usually just name Karn Liberated. Sowing Salt is a must to bring in. Cutting them off of Tron early and often gives us a fighting chance. The next card would be Thrun, the Last Troll. We only bring in Thrun, the Last Troll if they have a lot of counter. And trust me they usually do in Remand and Condescend. So bringing in the uncounterable Troll with hexproof will be amazing for us. Stony Silence can also be brought in if they are artifact heavy. But the card that should really work well here is Aven Mindcensor. Most Tron lists run a minimum of 8 cards that let them search their libraries in the form of Expedition Map and Treasure Mage. I really only like bringing him in if I see a Treasure Mage, if not, I don’t even look at him.
Take out
4 Lightning Bolt (Only if artifact Heavy and cut before souls).
3 Lingering Souls (Only if artifact heavy)
Bring in
2 Stony Silence (Only if artifact heavy)
2 Aven Mindcensor (only if running Treasure Mage)
This version of Tron can be a nightmare for us as well. Fortunately we know what this deck is running. A lot of the G/R Tron lists primarily run 4-of’s so pinpointing what we see can make it a lot easier for side boarding. Once again we need to rely on ripping our opponents hand apart with Liliana of the Veil; Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek. Again, don’t be afraid to lose life early (Thoughtseize). Side boarding is pretty straight forward here. We bring in all of our hate cards as well as bringing in Aven Mindcensor. I know what you’re thinking, why Aven Mindcensor? Simple, they use a total of 8 cards in Expedition Map and Sylvan Scrying to search for Tron pieces. The chances of us blanking them are slim, but with that said, I still like to take our chances. I usually take out Tarmogoyf in this matchup. My reasoning is that their creatures are far superior to our goyf, not to mention that they run Relic of Progenitus main board which blanks our Tarmogoyf. I generally approach boarding like this.
Take out
Bring in
This is a straight forward combo based deck that wins off of two cards Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle and Scapeshift. It has another win condition in Primeval Titan but it’s still winning off of Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle. This matchup is tedious for us. I know I have had out both Ajani Vengeant and Liliana of the Veil against them and still lost to a top deck Scapeshift. Their deck has such raw power and is my favorite modern deck (one which I personally own). Even though I know their deck list in and out, it doesn’t change the fact that we just flat out lose to this deck. Ripping apart their hand is a must; aggressive mulliganing to a discard spell or two is needed for us to be successful in this matchup. We might just flat out lose in game one, but rest assured our matchup does get better after side boarding. Aven Mindcensor is a must to bring in against this matchup. They will always resolve their spells against Scapeshift, so being able to blank them after they sacrifice their lands is fantastic. Slaughter Games should be a no-brainer for you here. There is only one card we name, can you guess it….. Scapeshift!! Sowing Salt is fantastic here! Don’t be hesitant to take them off of their Stomping Ground or Steam Vents. Taking away their mountains is a good thing. Their lucky number is seven. They often win off Scapeshift, so stripping them of their mountains can add up in our favor. Fewer mountains for them to find is a good thing for us. But ideally we want to hit Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle; that shuts them off of win condition number one. And their win condition number 2 isn’t that good against our deck. Torpor Orb is another card that can be pretty good here. Blanking their Primeval Titan as it enters the battlefield is a lot better than you think. I generally approach boarding like this:
Take out
4 Lightning Bolt (hits nothing besides your opponent not that good)
2 Lingering Souls (can be okay at best we don’t need okay at this point)
Bring in
Is a combo deck that doesn’t have to be a combo deck to win? The fact that this deck has combos in it, such as Melira, Sylvok Outcast + Viscera Seer + Kitchen Finks (infinite life) and Melira, Sylvok Outcast + Viscera Seer + Murderous Redcap (infinite damage) makes it a nightmare for most opponents. But what puts this deck over the top is the fact that it doesn’t have to combo to win. That’s right, there are plenty of creatures that can flood the board and put enough pressure where their combo kills can be an afterthought for them. This is a tricky matchup for us; ripping apart their hand early and often is something we need to do, but we need to be cautious of doing so. With them having access to cards like Reveillark and Eternal Witness they can punish us over and over again. We can easily shut down their combo by activating Deathrite Shaman and Lightning Bolt and Path to Exile can break up combo possibilities as well. What we need to do is disrupt their hand and kill their early plays in Birds of Paradise and Deathrite Shaman. We also need to be able to handle these creatures on turns three and four to go long game with them. Side boarding is pretty straight forward here. Aven Mindcensor is an easy choice for us. They run Birthing Pod and fetch lands, what other reasons do you need? Lightning Helix is also a swell card for us here. Lightning Helix gives us another option for bringing down creatures as well as gaining life. Damnation is a hell of a card that is a snap bring in. Wrathing a board full of creatures always feels good. Slaughter Games can come in as well; naming Melira, Sylvok Outcast is always a good strategy. A lot of people say Stony Silence is a good option here. I disagree. I feel that it only shuts down one card Birthing Pod. Are we so scared of Birthing Pod that we need to bring it in for just one card? The last card we bring in is a no-brainer Torpor Orb. Shutting down their combo is amazing, but they can win without a combo. I generally take this approach to side boarding.
Take out
3 Ajani Vengeant (while Ajani is an amazing card he isn’t as good as we need him to be with all the creatures this deck is capable of having.)
3 Lingering Souls (while this card can add pressure and block for days I don’t really expect us to be piggy backing on souls when it’s all said and done).
1 Dark Confidant (taking a one out isn’t horrible. We need to preserve our life total considering they don’t need to combo to win.
Bring in
Choosing not to bring in Stony Silence is my choice it easily can be brought in though.
Is straight forward combo with many win conditions, all consisting of infinite creature combos. They generally dig on their first two turns with Serum Visions and interrupt our turns 2 and three by either countering our spells with Remand or by casting a creature in Deceiver Exarch or Pestermite by keeping us off of mana. They can combo on turn four with either Deceiver Exarch or Pestermite and a Splinter Twin, giving them infinite exarch’s or Pestermite’s with haste, swinging for lethal and then some. To say that this deck has our number is an understatement. Just like any other combo, we need to disrupt their hand early and often. Life total is something that isn’t as precious to us in this matchup because most opponents will treat this matchup as combo or bust. Feel free to Thoughtseize away early and often. Path to Exile and Abrupt Decay is all we have to interrupt infinite creature combo when they go on the Deceiver Exarch route. We need to be able to hit Deceiver Exarch off of Inquisition of Kozilek or Thoughtseize in order to win against this deck. We are really limited in what we bring in against Splinter Twin combo decks. Lightning Helix Is a must bring in for us. Granted it doesn’t hit Deceiver Exarch but it hits plenty of other cards. Slaughter Games should be a duh card for us. We generally target Splinter Twin but hitting Deceiver Exarch isn’t horrible either. Last but not least, Torpor Orb is yet another duh card that shuts down their infinite creature combo and makes them kill us outright. I generally approach side board for this matchup like this.
Take out
3 Lingering Souls (while this is a good card we need to rely on disrupting their hand and interrupting their combo with kill spells.
1 Ajani Vengeant (while he is a hell of a card he is a little clunky here. He can help us late game so cutting one is just fine).
Bring in
Having broken down the deck and given guidance when facing popular matchups, I can hopefully show the power of this deck and how well it can do. I bring you this week’s match Play by Play.
typical-jund-1 vs. Primal Shift
Game 1
We lose the die roll opponent chooses to go first My opponent mulligans as do I. I mulligan a hand of
If there was one more land to this hand I would snap keep that hand in a heartbeat.
My opponent keeps his six card hand as do I. Keeping a hand that consist of
Not a bad mulligan another land and we are golden.
Turn 1
Opponent plays forestunh suspends Search for Tomorrow passes turn. Well I think we are in trouble. Scapeshift decks have such raw power and can win as early as turn 4 with the right cards. We really need to hit lands and hand disruption spells in Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek to stay in this game.
(M:20,O:20)
Turn 2
I draw Deathrite Shaman. Not a bad draw, but I would rather it have been a land or a hand disruption spell.
I lay down a Stomping Ground losing 2 life then cast Deathrite Shaman then pass turn.
(M:18, O:20)
Turn 3
Opponent lays down a mountainunh and casts Farseek getting Steam Vents passing turn. At this pace on turn 3 for them they will have 5 lands. Hmm looks like we are losing the race here.
(M:18,O:20)
Turn 4
I draw Abrupt Decay. This card can help us if our opponent lays down a Prismatic Omen for a turn 4 combo win. Outside of that we are looking in a tight spot.
I Lay down a Godless Shrine. I play Tarmogoyf and then attack with Deathrite Shaman and pass turn.
(M:16, O:19)
Turn 5
During upkeep opponent removes last time counter from Search for Tomorrow and cast it and gets a forestunh.
During turn Opponent cast Sakura-Tribe Elder and Farseek getting a Breeding Pool and passing the turn.
(M:16,O:19)
Turn 6
I draw Path to Exile. This is looking horrible. We are a Scapeshift away from going to game 2.
Then I attack with Tarmogoyf for 1, I then pass my turn. I decide to not attack with Deathrite Shaman here since draining them for 2 life, is better than dealing 1 damage to them.
End of my turn opponent sacs Sakura-Tribe Elder getting a mountainunh
(M:16,O:18)
Turn 7
Opponent Draws their card and passes turn.
At end of opponents turn I exile Farseek with Deathrite Shamans ability and drain them for 2 life.
(M:16,O:16)
Turn 8
I draw Dark Confidant. This can be a good draw for us. Our opponent not casting anything last turn or dropping a land can pull us out of this quickly.
I cast Dark Confidant and attack for 2 with Tarmogoyf. Then I pass turn.
End of turn opponent cast Izzet Charm using the Faithless Looting mode and discards Misty Rainforest and Lightning Bolt. I smell Scapeshift
(M:16,O:14)
Turn 9
My Opponent draws his card. And lays down their 7th land and then cast Scapeshift’s for the win.
Like I have said before this is a bad matchup for us unless we rip apart our opponents hand with Liliana of the Veil; Inquisition of Kozilek or Thoughtseize. Struggling with mana is something this deck usually doesn’t have issue with. Not saying being land light was the reason for our loss but it didn’t help.
Sideboard
Take out
Bring in
Game 2
I choose to be on the play for this game.
I keep a hand that looks like this
2 verdant catacomb
This is a fantastic hand for us to keep. Our opponent keeps as well.
Turn 1
I lay down a verdant catacomb crack it for a Blood Crypt decide to shock myself and cast Deathrite Shaman and pass turn.
(M:17,O:20)
Turn 2
Opponent lays down a Breeding Pool paying 2 life, then suspends Search for Tomorrow and passes turn.
(M:17,O:18)
Turn 3
I draw Ajani Vengeant which can be a good card for us late game against them.
I lay down verdant catacomb and crack it getting a swampunh. I then use Deathrite Shaman mana ability and cast Liliana of the Veil. I use Liliana of the Veil +1 ability and discard Lingering Souls my opponent discards Obstinate Baloth (ouch!). Opponent gains 4 life off of their Obstinate Baloth trigger and making my life hell!
(M:16,O:22)
Turn 3
Opponent lays down Cavern of Souls naming giant and attacks Liliana of the Veil with Obstinate Baloth killing my poor Liliana of the Veil. On opponents second main phase they cast Farseek getting Steam Vents and then pass turn.
(M:16,O:22)
Turn 4
I draw yet another Ajani Vengeant. Well late game was looking good for us until the Obstinate Baloth came and starting wrecking my day.
I lay down Stirring Wildwood and flash back Lingering Souls. I then attack for 1 with my Deathrite Shaman and pass turn.
(M:16,O:21)
Turn 5
Opponent removes last time counter from Search for Tomorrow on upkeep and then casts Search for Tomorrow getting a forestunh.
During opponent’s main phase they lay down Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle. Opponent then goes to attack phase attacking with Obstinate Baloth. I chump block with a spirit token. Opponent then passes turn.
(M:16,O: 21)
Turn 6
I draw Tarmogoyf which will help us in the trenches.
On my main phase I activate Deathrite Shaman mana ability and cast Sowing Salt. My opponent counters it with Izzet Charm using Spell Pierce mode. I then pass my turn.
(M:16,O:21)
Turn 7
My opponent lays a land and cast Pyroclasm killing my remaining spirit and Deathrite Shaman and attacks with Obstinate Baloth. Then they pass turn.
(M:12,O:21)
Turn 8
I draw Thoughtseize. Well here we go into ripping their hand apart.
I Cast Thoughtseize seeing Izzet Charm and 2 Primeval Titan. Well crap!! I choose to remove Izzet Charm for the reason being I don’t want them to kill off creatures or counter my Ajani Vengeant if I draw a land. I then cast Tarmogoyf and pass the turn.
(M:10, O:21)
Turn 9
Opponent lays down a forestunh and cast Primeval Titan. Trigger from Primeval Titan get my opponent Stomping Ground and mountainunh. Opponent thinks about attacking but chooses not to since my Tarmogoyf is bigger than their Obstinate Baloth. They then pass turn.
(M:10,O:21)
Turn 10
I draw yet another Thoughtseize. Well at least we know what they have in hand.
I cast Thoughtseize and took the other Primeval Titan. I then pass turn.
(M:8,O:21)
Turn 11
Opponent draws and lays down Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle. My opponent then attacks with Obstinate Baloth and Primeval Titan. Triggers from Primeval Titan gets opponent a Steam Vents and Stomping Ground I block Obstinate Baloth with Tarmogoyf killing it since goyf is a 4/5. Opponent then passes turn.
(M:2,O:21)
Turn 12
I draw Aven Mindcensor
Decide to hold onto aven until he attacks with Primeval Titan reason is I’m trying to not die to Primeval Titan triggers. So I pass the turn.
(M:2,O:21)
Turn 13
Opponent draws and cast a Lightning Bolt for lethal damage. Well that went horrible.
(M:-1,O:21)
That’s not how I drew it up. With that said Scapeshift is one of our roughest matchups. I feel that we could have been better off if we had had hand disruption spells on our first two turns. But we kept a fair hand game one since we didn’t know our opponent yet. In game two he drew all the cards he needed to keep us behind. Playing from behind is something this deck has trouble with.
Now I realize I did not cover all the decks out there. If there is a deck you would like a break down for, let me know. I don’t know if this is the deck I would sleeve up for a tournament. With Scavenging Ooze in the modern format we could easily find room for him over Tarmogoyf. While I feel that it is a little too extreme to say ooze will push out Tarmogoyf from the format, it can make Tarmogoyf bad in some cases. If this particular list will do in the future only time will tell. I think this list is currently one of the fairest magic decks out there. We don’t play Jund because it’s simply good or the best. We play it because we have a passion for hating on everything.
Thanks for reading,
Umm yea my bad I linked the wrong one meant to link this. U Tron. Was linking in a hurry.
August 4, 2013 2:03 p.m.
Congrats, you certainly made quite the article! Makes me look bad for the one I wrote a while back haha. I need to find some more time to keep writing those :/. Very thorough, I'm impressed.
August 4, 2013 6:25 p.m.
thats what i was aiming for. If people like it ill continue to do one every other week or so.
August 4, 2013 7:14 p.m.
pumpkinsword says... #7
Nice article! Keep up the good work. Really liked how you explained what to sideboard, and why, as that can be one of the more difficult parts.
August 4, 2013 8:22 p.m.
Grimgrinner says... #9
I always loved the flavor text of Blightning :P
That Aside, while I thought it was a great article, It kinda made me how stupidly overpriced goyf and bob are. I liked your meta analysis a lot, and thought the play-by-play was well done. Guess the luck of the draw screws over even $1500 decks sometimes. This kinda convinced me to stay with budget decks, lol.
August 5, 2013 1:29 a.m.
@ Grimgrinner budget............ ummm no. i would never recommend budget in an external format. Now with that said this deck has its troublesome matches just like any other deck but its not like I dont recommend it. And no I wouldn't recommend Blightning at all. Unless it was cascaded off of Bloodbraid Elf but its banned so no. Main reason why is because it has a lot of downside right now. In the match-ups you would actual want to use it its slow. And there are better cards to help you in these match-ups.
@ pumpkinsword I will but I am only choosing to do tier 1 decks. Not budget. I linked my list because it is a tier 1 deck. With that said is there a certain deck you would like to see next time?
August 5, 2013 3:49 a.m.
ohh also Grimgrinner there are way cheaper list out there.
August 5, 2013 4:02 a.m.
pumpkinsword says... #12
@bman5604 Whhat are you talking about? XD I think you have me confused with someone else.
August 5, 2013 9:34 a.m.
Grimgrinner says... #13
Well, budget was a poorly selected word. What I meant was top-tier expensive cards. Like you said, there are less expensive lists out there, like that how that manaless dredge was huge in legacy for a while, and that was like a $150 deck. I'm not saying that the top cards don't have the best chance of success, but it seems you can achieve similar (even if a bit lesser) results with much less of a cost. Note though, I know this wasn't the point of the article, in fact, the opposite. It was a tier 1 deck with tier 1 costs. I believe however, that a thoroughly creative deck can succeed without resorting to spending a used car's worth of money.
August 5, 2013 3:09 p.m.
i feel it can as well. but depending on what ur building you cant skip on price.
August 5, 2013 3:42 p.m.
Glad you liked it APPLE01DOJ. Ill try and have another one in a week or so.
August 6, 2013 3:42 a.m.
Yes, so far the best look at the modern meta game with one of the more popular decks right now. Thanks.
August 7, 2013 7:49 a.m.
No problem gufymike glad you like it. I will do another shortly most likely around melira Pod or Scapeshift
August 7, 2013 11:57 a.m.
I guess it can be a lil bit at times. But it's still a good deck. What deck do u not consider boring that you would prefer to see next time KaraZorEl?
August 7, 2013 5:29 p.m.
I've always been a fan of Melira Pod decks...they're resilient and exciting to play. But since everyone knows about those, I guess I'd go with mono black 8-rack.
August 7, 2013 6:01 p.m.
Everyone knows about Jund. And melira pod is losing steam might be a good time to spotlight it. Idk check back in a couple of weeks to ind out
August 7, 2013 7:20 p.m.
APPLE01DOJ says... #23
personally id like to see something on W/B token or mono-black in some form.
August 7, 2013 7:33 p.m.
If you can find a tier 1 Mbc deck ill do it if not wont consider it. Also tokens would be interesting. But kinda hated pretty hard right now. Hitch makes me stay away from it.
August 7, 2013 7:37 p.m.
APPLE01DOJ says... #25
lol if I could find a tier 1 black deck I wouldn't be trying to figure out what one consists of.
August 7, 2013 8:21 p.m.
Lol because there isn't one. Mbc is over powered by decks that are multi colored and even mono colored list in rdw and merfolk
August 7, 2013 10:56 p.m.
Ohthenoises says... #27
Honestly U, W, and R are the only three colors capable of being mono colored in tier 1. Mono G MIGHT be possible but I've never seen one get in there without the assistance of at least one of those colors.
August 7, 2013 10:59 p.m.
APPLE01DOJ says... #28
that kinda sucks, ur saying mono-black is pretty much the worst to play? lol i'm not discouraged, I do fairly well with low tier in other types of gaming. that being said, i'm still super scrub at this game.
August 8, 2013 2:15 a.m.
yousquiddinme says... #29
Mono black has historically not been good enough to get there, which is a shame because it's loads of fun to play.
August 8, 2013 11:48 a.m.
like Ohthenoises said it needs a supporting color or two to be decent.
August 8, 2013 12:05 p.m.
APPLE01DOJ says... #31
is G/B viable? I know B/W is. have no interest in U or R
August 8, 2013 8:03 p.m.
Ohthenoises says... #32
G/B is usually Rock control. Looks a bit like this: Rock Control
August 8, 2013 8:34 p.m.
APPLE01DOJ says... #33
thanks, checking it out now.
EDIT: checked it out, but I don't get the "Rock" reference. Can u elaborate on what that term means? I think that's a badass deck and would be a worthy investment, as it already kinda fits my style and a lot of those cards are already on my to buy list.
If u could do the breakdown on that deck for your next article, that would be kick ass.
August 8, 2013 9:28 p.m.
Ohthenoises says... #34
From wikipedia:
"The RockA term to describe most Black/Green control decks. Short for "The Rock and His Millions," a term referencing WWE wrestler The Rock, who always spoke of his millions of fans. The original version of the deck abused the combo of Phyrexian Plaguelord and Deranged Hermit ."
August 8, 2013 9:32 p.m.
APPLE01DOJ says... #37
what do u guys think about this deck. BLΔCK I've been working at it for a while, trying to figure out what could make it the best it possibly can be. I understand now that black just isn't capable of rolling solo to the finish lien but I think playing at a disadvantage makes things more fun. so any advice from people that actually understand and play modern competitively would be very appreciated.
August 8, 2013 11:50 p.m.
KayeTheWild says... #38
I feel like Affinity should've been listed, but it was mysteriously absent. Otherwise, good article, and very informative!
Ohthenoises says... #1
I Fight For the Users! is a more common incarnation of UTron. The one you linked is pretty different than the typical lists.
August 4, 2013 1:41 p.m.