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Modern Pheardemons

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Started with replacing Sundering Titan... —Feb. 6, 2018

So CheeseTheGunslinger made a solid argument about Sundering Titan becoming worst in the meta with aggressive decks using fast lands and less shocks. This update started with simply finding a replacement for him, and then turned into a whole update with analyzing playtest cards and seeing some things other people are trying.

First, I decided to take out Minamo, School at Water's Edge and Oboro, Palace in the Clouds for two basic Islands. Since Sundering Titan is no longer mainboard, I don't need to worry about needing blue sources that don't get hit by him. Since I'll only side him in against midranged decks anyway, I should have enough blue sources by that time to not worry, plus I don't lose nearly as much with the absolute most two lands (enters and leaves), and my opponent a potential 6 (3 when he enters, 3 when he leaves assuming it is a 3-color deck. I don't see me siding him in against a two colored or less deck). I also chose to add in more basics because I'm going to playtest Field of Ruin over Ghost Quarter. I lose a little utility with Crucible of Worlds and Ghost Quarter to just take them out of lands completely, but I've never gotten to do that anyway.

I've taken out one Fabricate, one Supreme Will, and then the Sundering Titan for three Thirst for Knowledges. I was playtesting Supreme Will over them, but I want them back. I like the cross of 3-2, so we'll see how it goes. I believe I still play enough artifacts to discard irrelevant ones in whatever matchup.

I feel Remand has become so much worst in this meta. I've taken one out to bring Oblivion Stone back into the mainboard to deal with things I don't like. Having just Ugin, the Spirit Dragon as a board wipe (while extremely efficient) just wasn't enough.

Jester's Cap was in the sideboard, but just didn't do enough. I have replaced it with Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. Helps against other control matchups, as well as mill even though that archtype hasn't really been seen lately. I'll probably exchange it for something else later, but for now it'll stay to playtest.

TheLivingCME says... #1

Hey bro, nice to see another deck from you! And U-Tron is a great deck to build! :)

I'm curious about the addition of Kozilek, the Great Distortion: how does it work in here? I have usually seen most lists running Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger instead.

Have you tried Thought-Knot Seer? It's great hand-disruption and a nice body that comes without the need of assembling the three Urza lands!

Last but not least, depending if it gets banned in some days, try to add Eye of Ugin too, since it's a great tutor to have!

March 30, 2016 3:29 a.m.

Pheardemons says... #2

Hey TheLivingCME! Thanks for the comment! Honestly I just put this deck up to see how much it costs haha. I actually hated counter decks, but a friend of mine had basically the entire deck and I traded for it. It's actually quite fun, but I have had to adjust my playstyle as I'm usually an aggressive player.

Kozilek, the Great Distortion was a choice because Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger was at 30 bucks and I already had Kozilek. I usually hold Kozilek until my hand is low, and I've always been able to draw counters to protect him later on. Not to mention his menace ability has put in a lot more work than you'd think. As of right now I don't plan on switching.

Thought-Knot Seer is one I had not considered. Very interesting suggestion. One thing I don't like is giving my opponent a card. The only card I see worth taking out is Solemn Simulacrum and I believe the sad robot has more advantage overall. However I will absolutely keep that as a possibility. Again interesting idea.

I believe Eye of Ugin will get banned at some point, but I'm also not sure if it is worth it in the mono-u version of tron. I have so many cantrips and draw engines that I've yet to have a problem getting the creatures I need. If Eye of Ugin survives the banning, and goes down from over 40 dollars, I might consider it.

Thanks for the suggestions man! Hope all is going well for you too.

March 30, 2016 8:06 p.m.

ComboCrazy says... #3

My Myr deck uses Tron. It's great. Very nice take on the idea, using Kozilek.

March 31, 2016 8:54 p.m.

Pheardemons says... #4

Thanks ComboCrazy! Hope everything is going great with you man.

I actually believed this was a standard version of this deck. Didn't realize it was something different. I DON'T CONFORM!!

April 2, 2016 6:38 a.m.

Pheardemons says... #5

TheLivingCME and RedJokr (Also ComboCrazy, but I'm not sure how much you play competitively) I was wondering what yal could tell me about how this deck would be in a match-up with the new control deck Sword of the Meek + Thopter Foundry . Do you think Mono-U Tron would be a decent matchup? Good Match-up? Maybe need to change my deck around a bit to deal with artifacts mainboard? I am planning on going to a Grand Prix that will be near me in about a month, and that's the new control deck that I haven't been able to playtest against yet.

April 21, 2016 2:56 p.m.

Pheardemons says... #6

I've also seen some mono-u tron decks play Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, I'm assuming it is to help with Dismember. Any thoughts?

April 21, 2016 3:21 p.m.

Oddyst says... #7

Because of the Sword of the Meek + Thopter Foundry combo,it would be slightly hard to say.I haven't seen Mono-U Tron played before,but you would need to win at least before Turn 4 or 5 because that's when the combo starts going off. You may want to sideboard artifact hate to be safe.About the Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, I can't possibly see why it would be played in this type of deck. Maybe it is for Dismember to prevent the life loss?

April 21, 2016 5:21 p.m.

TheLivingCME says... #8

Hey bro! I don't think Thopter decks will give you too much trouble, you can counter/bounce their pieces, or use Oblivion Stone, or stabilize with Platinum Angel, and then going for one of your killer cards or just doing the Mindslaver combo. I think you're just fine!

I think Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth is there for Dismember and maybe Sundering Titan shenanigans ... Who knows?

April 21, 2016 5:46 p.m.

Pheardemons says... #9

Didn't even think about Sundering Titan shenanigans with Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth TheLivingCME. And RedJokr yea it does help against life loss with Dismember I was just wondering if it was possibly worth it. Thanks guys!

April 21, 2016 9:16 p.m.

Oddyst says... #10

I wish I could've helped more XD.

April 21, 2016 10:33 p.m.

ComboCrazy says... #11

Dude if you want to deal with combo decks like that just get Karn Liberated or Scour from Existence or something. I actually think that match -up with Sword of the Meek + Thopter Foundry would be good for you, because of AEtherspouts and your Cyclonic Rift. add more of those and token decks wouldn't be able to touch you. I would still recommend Karn or Scour though because they don't require color.

April 21, 2016 10:38 p.m.

Pheardemons says... #12

RedJokr all good man. Thanks for commenting!

ComboCrazy Thanks for the suggestions. I'm not sure about Scour from Existence but Karn Liberated could be an interesting idea. Thanks man I'll think about it.

April 22, 2016 3:08 a.m.

Pheardemons says... #13

TheLivingCME, ComboCrazy, and RedJokr. Forgive me, I know I've called on all of you once already with this deck, but I do have another question for yal. In the meta as it is now, how do you feel this deck would face in a Grand Prix? Anything I need to possibly change in the sideboard? Any cards or decks I should look into or worry about?

April 24, 2016 1:44 a.m.

Oddyst says... #14

It's really no problem XD.I know you're getting tired of seeing my decks constantly being added/deleted.Either way,I enjoy trying to help.It doesn't make me feel useless.

Looking into the Tier 1 decks is a good idea.I would expect to see some variants of Bant Company,Mill,RDW,etc.I've never seen a Mono-U Tron deck played before,so it's definitely hard for me to say what it's good against.You have ways of dealing with combo decks in the mainboard,so I can't really see what to change in the sideboard.What I'm going to say is the obvious,but of course you have to worry about artifact hate.

April 24, 2016 2:33 a.m.

Pheardemons says... #15

RedJokr - Actually mill is no longer top tier. It's still around, but not as much as you might think. The main weaknesses of the deck are aggressive decks. Infect, zoo, and burn all get under and around my counter spells. Not to mention this deck is a little slow, so if my life total is 5 after burn spells or creatures attacking before I can even get my deck started then I will most likely lose.

And actually artifact hate is helped by Academy Ruins being that I can put it back on my library. Granted a little slow, and Ghost Quarter is a serious thing now so it is definitely possible for land AND artifact hate at the same time.

April 24, 2016 3:19 a.m.

Oddyst says... #16

Oh!I thought Mill decks were still a thing.Quite sad.I must have forgotten about Academy Ruins,but I just woke up too.Ghost Quarter is such a great card.It's a staple at this point.

April 24, 2016 10:03 a.m.

ComboCrazy says... #17

Pheardemons Would be crushed in a grand prix. Everybody runs anti-tron and anti-artifact, so you'd be debilitated... I've seen it happen. :/

April 24, 2016 1:42 p.m.

Oddyst says... #18

Yowch.

April 24, 2016 2:02 p.m.

Pheardemons says... #19

ComboCrazy You are right. Especially after the banning of Splinter Twin a lot of people ran to tron. Meaning that everyone else started carrying hate. However, Mono-U tron has the luxury of counters. I may not win, I am just looking to have a good time and hone my skills. Do you have any thoughts for this deck to make it more consistent, and resistant to all of the hate?

April 24, 2016 3:36 p.m.

ComboCrazy says... #20

Yeah, actually. Either Trickbind or Squelch, probably Squelch, in sideboard. Also, maybe a Soul of New Phyrexia mainboarded since it protects your urzatrons from Ghost Quarter, and a Mizzium Skin sideboarded. Especially that last one, it's freaking ridiculous in competitive play! Everything I control is now hexproof! :)

April 24, 2016 7:46 p.m.

Pheardemons says... #21

I understand the potential behind Soul of New Phyrexia, but at 6 mana I'd want to be playing my Wurmcoil Engines or holding my counter spells. Mizzium Skin is an interesting idea and I will definitely play test and consider. By the way I do play Trickbind in the sideboard. I like it better than Squelch because it hits both triggered and activated abilities. Thanks for the comments ComboCrazy!

April 24, 2016 11:38 p.m.

Pheardemons says... #22

maddoxmtg I am taking you up on your offer. I was wondering if you could look at this list for me and tell me what you think overall. How well do you think it will fit in the aggressive meta we have?

Things I am considering.

Karn Liberated and Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger. I put them together because, in my mind, if I add one I'd want to add the other. They both are there to exile permanents I don't like, once I get to that level of mana. Karn is a little more consistent, wheres newlamog just recks upon cast. I don't know why I associate them together, but I just don't see a reason for one without the other. To me it seems like I'm not putting the full force of the exile effect without them both, as they both benefit if needed. A lot of people tell me to take out Kozilek, the Great Distortion, but I don't know if I want to make that switch. The card draw is insane usually, not to mention the menace ability is nothing to laugh at. Even if I tap out to cast him I still have counters with him. Condescend, Repeal, Expedition Map at one for Path to Exile. Spellskite, Remand, Spatial Contortion at two for Terminate and ect. 4 may suck if they have a board wipe, but can't win them all. For Karn Liberated I'd probably take out Sundering Titan. As a friend pointed out Sundering Titan may not always destroy mana bases if they are mono colored, or in the case of my friend's Gifts Ungiven plays an insane amount of buddy lands. Therefore he could be sideboarded against decks where I know he recks. I haven't had a problem with the set up I have now (regarding these two specific cards), but if it could be improved upon I'm all ears. I'm just looing for someone else's opinion because I know I can get tunnel vision.

Chalice of the Void mainboard. I'm not sure about this. Granted, yes, it can be helpful. But drawing it late game is almost worthless, and the way this deck is I don't usually have a problem late game as that is usually where I am strongest. However, I cannot deny this on turn 2 destroys A LOT of decks. Burn, zoo, ect, and once the game gets going I can adjust accordingly. I was thinking of taking out one Batterskull or one Wurmcoil Engine (as they essentially do the same thing) and one Fabricate or Treasure Mage (as I'll still have three tutors). If I do take out Sundering Titan and sideboard him I'd probably take out Treasure Mage here (If I decided to go that route). Otherwise it'd be Fabricate.

A card I have been considering is Trinisphere. Great against ALL decks believe it or not, and only slightly slows me down. Problem is by turn 3, especially if I'm on the draw, my opponent would probably have a decent setup already. Also, if it is sideboarded, my opponent has already sided in artifact hate, making this drastically less effective. Mainboard...I'm not sure it is worth the card slot. Because if I go that route I am leaving my theme of "big things" for control (with chalice and whatnot). And going half on any two themes is never as good as going full on one. Thoughts?

Where do you stand on the Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth addition here? I've seen some decks do it and play Dismember in the mainboard instead of Spatial Contortion. I am more than willing to say that it isn't the worst idea, plus Dismember hits more creatures. cons is I would need to use a map, most of the time, in order to get the land. This is slowing me down in acquiring tron lands, plus if I decide to keep Sundering Titan it is possible I could destroy that one extra land my opponent controls. Another problem for me is that Dismember is really the only card that seems that viable to be in the deck. Hand disruption would just slow my deck down and go off theme. Other kill spells seem trivial being that I could just play 4 Dismembers instead of a lot of the others.

Also if you could take a look at my sideboard. I have changed it multiple times, and still feel dissatisfied overall. I don't know if I need to add more counters (in the form of Spell Pierce or Negate, and possibly even Pact of Negation), or if the artifacts mentioned above already hit those spots. Need more creature removal? (Dismember?) Is it universal overall against enough decks? Am I missing cards or combos?

Let me know what you think when you get the time. Hope you don't think you're in over your head with all of these questions. And I may have a lot more later once I can sit down and think of more things. These are the ones I've kept thinking about within the past couple of weeks.

September 14, 2016 5:20 p.m.

maddoxmtg says... #23

Ok, so I will start by addressing the deck as a whole.

Mono Blue tron struggle greatly in this meta. It lacks the ramp and search capability of R/G Tron and due to the land base, is often too slow for fast matchups like burn zoo, and affinity. That being said, you do handle decks like Jund and and Esper control very well because just gets better and better the longer the game goes. If I were you, I would look into going Simic Tron or just into R/G tron entirely. These decks have a much better basis for their decks due to the filter. Cards like Sylvan Scrying and Ancient Stirrings are a big help to Tron decks as a whole. Red also gets the benefit of running Anger of the Gods and Pyroclasm.

Onto your concerns. Karn is a must as a 4-of to even bother playing tron. My usual base for Tron is 4 karn, 2 newlamog, 1 wurmcoil, 1 batterskull and honestly, 1 Worldbreaker, such an amazing card. Tron is an interesting deck for new Kozilek and really isn't worth it in your current state because you lack the clutch spot at 4 drops with cards like Nahiri, COCO and resto angel. I would actually start by cutting 1 wurmcoil, 1 treasure mage, the talismans, spacial contortions, platinum angel and sundering titan. add in 3 o-stones, 4 karns and an ulamog. dismember into the main for a fabricate and a condescend. maybe an urborg for an island. if you move the ulamog from sideboard to main, add the titan to sideboard.

that is what i have for now. Let me know if you have any questions.

September 14, 2016 5:53 p.m.

Pheardemons says... #24

maddoxmtg

I do agree that blue tron has some problems in this meta, but to let you know at the last PPTQ I went to I beat two burn decks, a third burn deck I was one turn away from controlling him but he topdecked a Lightning Bolt for the win (yes three burn matchups) and beat zoo and a blue tron mirror. And that was with the previous build I had that wasn't truly built for aggressive matchups, I was simply able to win the matches (always going to game three) with some amazing topdecks and opening hands. I wanted to eliminate some of the "luck" factor and actually build a list that could last against those matchups without having god hands. Granted R/G tron is a great deck, and has the track record to prove it, but blue tron can be just as competitive as it and any other deck. As a matter of fact I've beaten R/G tron players simply by countering their enablers and tutors for lands (and repealing one guys Expedition Map twice, he wasn't happy). By the time they get to the land count they want I have enough lands to keep countering, or play my big stuff. Karn Liberated was a small problem when I ran out of counters, but overall not the imminent threat he would've been on turn three. And this build is simply a counter deck that runs the capabilities of tron as well. I am considering Karn Liberated, but absolutely not more than one.

Thank you for your opinions on what decks I should be playing in this meta, but that's not what I was looking for. I was looking for critique on THIS deck and THIS particular build. Whether you had an opinions on THESE CARDS in particular and whether you had any thoughts or suggestions for other things to put in, or themes to think about that revolve around THIS DECK. If you could take another look for me, and specifically suggest, critique, or analyze any particular cards or themes that revolve around THIS DECK that would be greatly appreciated. Also maybe look back at some of my questions above and see what you think of them for THIS build?

I hope you don't think me as rude for saying the things above, but I'm not looking to go to any other decks. I have had a lot of fun piloting this deck, and when I learned the deck in and out, realized its potential for being extremely competitive. Especially after beating two burn players and a zookeeper, which are supposed to be some of my worst matchups.

September 14, 2016 6:40 p.m.

maddoxmtg says... #25

I will need some data then. What are your matchups like against kiki, infect, affinity, esper control, soul sisters, and hatebears?

September 14, 2016 7:05 p.m.