Help with budget midrange needed
Modern Deck Help forum
Posted on May 19, 2018, 3:22 p.m. by SeekerofSecrets
So I'm taking the plunge and investing in my first modern deck, Im in college so i have a $400 budget. Ive decided to go with an esper midrange built around Glory-Bound Initiate and Painful Truths (I know this isn't an original idea but its a blast to play, has plenty of room to brew and most importantly its the only 3 color mana base in my price range)
This is my current list Glory to Esper
The core spell package and mana base feel pretty solid but im struggling to decide on what creatures to play. I wish i could afford snap then the decision would be simple.
I've played delve threats with Tombstalker and 4 Thought Scour
And I've played utility with Spellskite and Tidehollow Sculler
I haven't tested the current set up (I don't own the deck yet and mostly test on untap.in) i just want to hear the community's thoughts on it and the best set up to combat the current metta. Ill play moving to Atlanta in the fall so im not sure what metta will look like so I'll tune the sideboard as well when i get there.
As always thanks for any advice on the build!!!
SeekerofSecrets says... #3
Xica I don't really see the synergy..... in the current set up we don't have a reliable enough way to untap with Intruder Alarm online. We could definitely go the combo rout if we wanted to but unfortunately the pieces arnt strong on there own and they just don't pack the same punch as twin. It could be worth testing though as it would give us a possible turn 4 win!
I'm pretty set on building midrange or agro/control initially though
May 19, 2018 5:34 p.m.
It untaps all creatures on any creature entering the field, and without new creatures entering the field, nothing will untap, makind decks like infect or boggles do nothing & enable you to swing each turn with initiate against go wide decks.
May 19, 2018 5:51 p.m.
DankStompy says... #5
Xica i don't think you're understanding what hes saying. how are you attacking each turn with Glory-Bound Initiate if you're not able to untap it?
May 19, 2018 5:54 p.m.
DankStompy says... #6
Xica did you not realize that both effects of Intruder Alarm affect all players equally?
May 19, 2018 5:58 p.m.
SeekerofSecrets says... #7
Xica right but we play the same amount of threats as boggles and infect. Thanks for the thoughts though! Ive actually tested UR pyro with the alarm combo, it was fun but it's to cute to be competitive. Its better for us to win by depleting our opponents resources and card advantage vs stalling
May 19, 2018 6:03 p.m.
If the opponent plays a creatuere Intruder Alarm will untap your own card (not only theirs), thus as long as they make their creature drops, you can mke an 8 point life swing each turn.
Its very so so with Glory-Bound Initiate which would be much better alongside stuff like Always Watching , Brave the Sands.
Intruder Alarm is great because it has two additional benefits beside makeing initiate mroe powerful. It is a great tool to stall against deck like jund or death's shadow variants in all colors of the rainbow, that play a few very strong creatures (if you can pair up with counterspells, it an even choke stuff like eldrazi tron). AND it gives the deck a combo that produces infinite 1/1 tokens at turn 3!
(yeah they can't swing till turn 4, still beside boardwipes, there is not much that is gonna save your opponent, as these tokens won't sacrifice themselves like the ones from Splinter Twin - and they have vigilance just in case some random card like Fog would screw up the combat math, and you still need blokers next turn to prevent lethal backswing)
May 22, 2018 6:47 a.m.
DankStompy says... #9
Xica: why would anyone use Intruder Alarm for the sole purpose of relying on the opponent to make their creature drops? if that keeps up, the "8 point life swing" won't matter because eventually the opponents creatures would surpass it. Intruder Alarm just simply doesnt belong in a deck whose main win condition is creatures
May 22, 2018 8:10 p.m.
"why would anyone use Intruder Alarm for the sole purpose of relying on the opponent to make their creature drops? if that keeps up, the "8 point life swing" won't matter because eventually the opponents creatures would surpass it."
Well if you can win by creating infinite creature tokens, then you only have to stall till you can create those creatures, and then suddenly those lifegains are a lot more helpful.
May 23, 2018 4:07 a.m.
SeekerofSecrets says... #11
Xica look im not saying it's not viable, I'm saying that it simply does not fit my current shell or strategy. A combo like that needs to be in a traditional control shell. What im brewing is midrange, it doesn't fit what im currently working on. If i was going to brew the combo (and budget was not a factor) i would put it in a jeskai control deck. The problem is that there are simply better combos out there. This one takes 3 turns to set up and is easily disrupted by every piece of spot removal currently available.
I also don't enjoy combo decks, sitting back and simply waiting to combo off is very boring to me but i also think that without a combo of this nature that is as strong as twin a proavtive strategy is simply better.
Xica says... #2
Well, for me Obzedat reanimator is the true esper midrange.
For this deck you might want to consider Intruder Alarm for its obvious synergy with Glory-Bound Initiate. (And its also great alongside Steward of Solidarity & Thraben Doomsayer)
May 19, 2018 5:19 p.m.