WELCOME TO PRIMETIME
Hey ya'll! I am a plucky, never-giving up boy who got his brain blasted trying to understand what the hell the modern format is. And I'm still only scratching the surface! But after watching most of GP Vegas and X~ hours of I feel like I'm ready to make a start, and I'd like to do it with Scapeshift.
Why RUG?
I had a huuuuuge amount of help by reading this article from Greg Chen (Linked here)
and also channel fireball's Level One Modern series, the Scapeshift article being this one
Now most every Scapeshift list that has seen success at the higher levels of play has been strictly G/R, but I think splashing Blue has very worthwhile payoffs in the form of Tatyova, Benthic Druid and especially Negate out of the sideboard against control and in the mirror and as a way to try and combat KCI and other combo decks (that and lantern control are things I could use advice on!)
The biggest reason to splash the blue outside of the land synergy and counterspells is the vacancy at the 5 slot in traditional Scapeshift lists. The fastest ramp even for the traditional lists took the form of Search for Tomorrow and either a Farseek or a Sakura-Tribe Elder which would create five mana on turn three with absolutely nothing to play. There isn't the critical mass of lands to go off on a Scapeshift, you're short for a Primeval Titan, and although you could drop a Khalni Heart Expedition and maybe another ramp spell to help it that is really taxing on the hand, and a Sweltering Suns or other such sweeper is mana inefficient most of the time and isn't always what you want to be doing. Urban Evolution and Tatyova, Benthic Druid, however, both sit perfectly on the curve, are easily fixed for color-wise by all of our ramp spells, and have wonderful synergies that set the deck up to simply explode. Urban Evolution Refills our hand and even has the potential to ramp us further, almost assuring requisite rock for Scapeshift to OHKO. And Tatyova, Benthic Druid stabilizes us when followed up on turn four by any number of ramp spells, and especially Primeval Titan, and enables Scapeshift to offer utility even when it would not be enough to effectively use Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle.
The Stars
Center of the deck and the reason it exists, the idea is to send at least seven lands to the graveyard to pull Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle and six Mountains onto the battlefield, dealing three damage per mountain to your opponent for a minimum of EIGHTEEN DAMAGE! Traditionally this centerpiece only had that and perhaps some ramp into a Primeval Titan if you have five lands to float one into five new basics, but now that Tatyova, Benthic Druid is in the deck; this centerpiece also draws cards and gains a ton of life.
He's the biggest boy in the deck, and one of the bigger beaters in the whole format. That on top of proctoring all of our land synergies, searching important cards like Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle and Kessig Wolf Run. In the face of land hate like Field of Ruin and Stone Rain, he is our primary means of ending the game, and does so pretty easily in combination with Kessig Wolf Run. Also, feels great following up a Tatyova, Benthic Druid.
Ramp Package
Farseek - "Oh no, it can't find Green!" -People who have Shock-Land Dementia
This is the card I want to play the most on turn two, sets up our five-drop perfectly if we lead the game with a Search for Tomorrow, and it brings out shocks at a great value, leaving us with good mana to set up a Scapeshift and leave more basic mountains to bring out with said Scapeshift
Sakura-Tribe Elder - If they are playing Thalia, Guardian of Thraben or Guttural Response, or Spell Pierce, THIS is my favorite two-drop. Functionally almost identical, with one basic island he gets the job done.
Search for Tomorrow - Essentially a two drop because the land comes in untapped, and it procs our Valakut and Tatyova, also the best card in any opening hand. Also, in a pinch, one Search for Tomorrow can search a forest to suspend a second Search for Tomorrow.
The ramp package is the heart of the deck, and although this may not be as hardcore as the older lists running Khalni Heart Expedition and Explore, I have found a slightly smaller and more Farseek dedicated ramp package to allow more room for counterpressure and interaction with other cards as well as allowing room for utility spells like Urban Evolution and Tatyova, Benthic Druid.
Removal/Interaction
Lightning Bolt - It's the only spot removal we have, although I have considered Roast out of the sideboard like in Greg Chen's List. Still, it's one of the premium removal spells in the format and will usually buy us the time against decks like pyromancer and Humans to get us through the early game by sniping a key creature. Also castable with Bloodbraid Elf.
Slagstorm - Like a Lightning Bolt, but maybe to every creature on the opponent's board. insurance against boards we just can't deal with that get out of hand, and token strategies. There is also potential between this and Lightning Bolt to punch through the extra little bit of damage we need after a few slugs from Primetime and Valakut. Also, castable off of Bloodbraid Elf (and it resolves before bloodbraid does! :)
Bloodbraid Elf - This is the card that I only saw in Chen's list, that I absolutely adore. More often than not, it cast's an incredible value spell, be it ramp or interaction, and leaves you with a 3/2 beater/blocker to either apply pressure to control or last against aggro. Also fits nicely on curve on turn three during games that we don't get a turn one Search for Tomorrow and could even find a search to catch us up.
Utility
Summoner's Pact - I'm actually not super in love with this card, it can sometimes be dead in hand, just eating up space. But then there are super important moments where I have 0 interaction in hand on turn three or four and this finds a Bloodbraid Elf that get a Slagstorm to stabilize the board and put me way ahead. Or, of course, PRIMETIME, to finish the game with Valakut triggers. It seems like it's been a staple two-of in every list forever though, so I'll trust it. (Tell me if I'm just not seeing the god interaction though.)
Tatyova, Benthic Druid - What can I say, it was one of the main reasons I wanted to go RUG and dropping this on turn three feels great. Also a fantastic target for Summoner's Pact when you have a titan out. The Scapeshift the turn after will put you so far ahead, it's insane.
Urban Evolution - Can be played on turn three to ramp and dig for Scapeshift. It feels really similar to a Tatyova that happens once, right away. a decent play on turn 5 if we're stable, a good play on turn four, a great play on turn 3 to set up a turn four Scapeshift kill.
Lands
Not much I can expound on, but here are some of the notable things. The standard for Scapeshift decks seems to be 27 lands, featuring 7 fetches and any combination of Cinder Glade Stomping Ground and basics to make for 15 Mountain lands. I've gone down to 14 Mountain lands, with roughly four basic mountains and a Valakut being converted into color fixing and utility, with two basics and a Valakut turning over into Breeding Pool and Steam Vents, one becoming a basic Island, and one becoming a game-ending Kessig Wolf Run. To compensate, I also reduce the fetch count from 7 to 4 to make room for more basic forests, as a Field of Ruin or Stone Rain can really hurt our green production if they get an early forest, and Blood Moon can end the game against us if we don't have access to green.
The manabase does complicate itself a little bit with the blue splash, and this is another area where I would really appreciate some help.
Sideboard
This is where I probably need the most help, I have not played IRL with this and I really need to work out what I need to be boarding against, I plan on taking this deck into PPTQs and such so there isn't so much an LGS meta to play against, I want the best answers to the modern format in the abilities of my deck.
Abrade - Formerly Anger of the Gods, it can have similar impact if they aren't quite developed, can usually take out a key creature early, gets cast off of Bloodbraid Elf, and really shores up our matchup with Hollow One and KCI
Damping Sphere - Keeps me alive against KCI and Storm, also remarkably strong against the odd Amulet Titan deck that might pop up.
Engineered Explosives - Unless I rip out a turn three Slagstorm, I'm pretty dead to Bogles. This also hits Pyromancer decks pretty hard by eliminating tokens for literally 0 mana, and can hit human's pretty hard by eliminating key creatures like Thalia's Lieutenant,Meddling Mage, and Kitesail Freebooter.
Negate - In both Control matchups and the mirror, Negate is the Edge we need to protect our Scapeshift and hit theirs, while also taking care of high investment noncreatures like Cryptic Command, Jace, the Mind Sculptor, and Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
Obstinate Baloth - This is an absolute powerhouse against aggro and rock decks like Humans and Jund. The lifegain and solid body make it a great stabilizer, and against any deck running Liliana of the Veil, it's a game winner.
Grafdigger's Cage - Against all of the graveyard strategies, you can't do much better, helps against KCI, Dredge, Bridgevine, Hollow One, and Death's Shadow.
Ruric Thar, the Unbowed - This is yet another safeguard against decks like Storm and KCI. I feel like alot of my worst matchups are against linear combo decks similar to me that do their stuff just a bit quicker, but if I can land ruric thar, they often can't perform their infinite loops or storm cycle long enough to kill me before they die.
Matchups
I really need help learning which decks might be very good against me and what decks I have a really good shot against as a TitanShift variant, and any of you experienced modern players and TitanShift Veterans can help me out by telling me all you can. Currently, the ones I'm really worried about are Tron, KCI, Lantern Control, and Hollow One.
Thank you all so much for any help you may be able to give! I hope to make this deck really good and try and take it a long way, it'll be a bit of a grind, but I'm looking forward to it!.
