Saheeli Rai
Modern Deck Help forum
Posted on June 13, 2017, 9:25 p.m. by InnerFlame
Is it just me or is saheeli Rae screaming to be jammed into a modern control deck? Something with Ensnaring Bridge, or Blood Moon? Maybe something similar to skred red? Just a quick thought, and I'm probably way off on type of deck, but just an idea.
TBH, she wouldn't be bad, just not with blood moon, since you'll be playing at least 2 colors. you'd be much better off by playing jeskai with bridge.
June 13, 2017 9:34 p.m.
InnerFlame says... #4
I'm thinking run a lot of fetches and a decent amount of islands and play one before you play her, Wurmlover. I'm not sure. You'll have to protect her that's for sure that's why I was thinking run moon and bridge.
June 13, 2017 9:53 p.m.
MindAblaze says... #6
I really want to find a way to make Saheeli + Sun Titan viable. She's so combo-y.
June 13, 2017 10:58 p.m.
InnerFlame says... #8
Yeah that's kind of what I was looking for, EpicFreddi
June 14, 2017 6:06 a.m.
Is the cat really the most mana effective flicker in Modern for a Saheeli combo?
June 14, 2017 11:40 a.m.
TMBRLZ Yes. It needs to flicker and return instantly and flicker any perm.
June 14, 2017 12:36 p.m.
@EpicFreddi: I'm surprised that list doesn't have Heart of Kiran, a way to sac permanents, or some other way to remove a loyalty counter from a planeswalker. Heart of Kiran + Sun Titan + Saheeli Rai. You remove a loyalty counter to animate Heart of Kiran, -2 Saheeli Rai to copy Sun Titan, then bring Saheeli Rai back to the battlefield and repeat. That's a cool deck! One of the better Modern versions I've seen.
Part of the issue with the Saheeli Rai + Felidar Guardian combo in Modern is that it doesn't operate at instant speed like Splinter Twin + Deceiver Exarch/Pestermite. That was what made Splinter Twin so brutal was the fact you can just lose at any moment your opponent has access to and .
When trying to go off at sorcery speed, you have to cast Felidar Guardian/Saheeli Rai during your main phase, pass the turn, and hope you untap with one of them in order to go off. That gives your opponent an opportunity to play Abrupt Decay, Maelstrom Pulse, Path to Exile, fetchland + Fatal Push, a couple of Lightning Bolt(s), and so on.
In other words, all of the removal Splinter Twin would face, and then more removal on top of that. Not to mention, you have to tap out on your turn, so your opponent is free to laugh at you when they combo off and kill you when you pinged for damage and scry'd once.
June 15, 2017 1:03 a.m.
ModernMage says... #12
The issue with this combo has never been that it is bad, only that people keep making the false twin equivalency. As sylvannos said, twin was effectively an instant speed combo. Part of the reason that it was instant speed is that the primary counters to the deck were instant speed i.e. removal or counters. Both felidar guardian and the cat are sorcery speed cards that are quite fragile, so the combo has to be protected for 3 times as long (your turn, your opponents turn, and then your turn again). Alternatively, the deck needs 6 mana. Because of this, saheeli combo needs to be played in a primarily permanent oriented and sorcery speed deck, like emeria titan, or else the combo is too fragile. Another reason that the emeria control shell is better is that it fully utilizes the combo pieces outside the combo. Twin was able to use instant speed tap down shenanigans, but saheeli combo has the possibility for crazy etb shenanigans. Overall, this combo will not work in anything like a twin shell, but it could work quite well in a creature control etb shell such as emeria. This is just my 2 cents and I would love to hear other input on the matter because saheeli is fun, combo-y and deserving of a higher position in the modern meta. Just not sure exactly how yet.
June 30, 2017 3:16 a.m.
ModernMage says... #13
Cards like glory bound initiate and other exert creatures coupd also be abused in a saheeli combo deck. Flickerwisp, saheeli rai, and felidar guardian mean that you could get around exert quite aggressively. In theory, this deck needs to play the aggressive control role less like twin, and more like some weird jeskai eternal command list with a combo win. Not sure if aether vial is any good here though.
InnerFlame says... #2
Maybe even twin isn't dead? It's just going to look a lot different.
June 13, 2017 9:30 p.m.