Went to my first modern FNM, would like to improve my deck for future matchups
Modern Deck Help forum
Posted on Aug. 30, 2015, 10:53 p.m. by nobodygaming
Rat Removal Playtest
Modern
SCORE: 0 | 0 COMMENTS | 36 VIEWS
So I went 2-2 with this deck at my first modern night, which completely surprised me because I was always led to believe modern was far more scary with its high valued decks.
Game 1 was against my girlfriend (using the deck I made for her and I won 2-1 after sideboarding in more spot removal.
Game 2 was 1-2 against Splinter Twin. I didn't realise what I was up against in game 1 because I gutted my opponents hand quickly, and lost game 2 once he combo'd into Splinter Twin and the last match was lost due to some dead draws.
Game 3 was 0-2 against a weird 4 colour reanimator deck, which pretty much outclassed me because he wanted his cards in his graveyard.
And the final match was 2-0 against red burn. I consider this a lucky win because the deck was weirdly splashing white (for Lightning Helix) and green (possibly for Atarka's Command?) and I was focused on removing the right cards until he was top decking land.
So after playing against some modern staple decks for the first time ever and getting a ton of positive feedback I want to do 2 things
1) Optimize hand removal cards. I don't want to just heavily invest into playsets Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek without considering any cheaper alternatives. Honestly I would be fine with just replacing Despise since Duress pulled its weight in every game.
2) Make a decent sideboard. My board really only has Throat Slitter as a serious option, the rest is just junk removal from my spares that I didn't even bother putting on the online decklist. Cards that would effectively help me against decks that regularly see modern play are what I really want to look for.
Cheers
It sounds like your deck isn't bad in its own right. I suggest based on your synopsis to research the meta. This will let you know which cards are better to remove from your opponent and make better decisions. If you're playing a deck based on dismantling the other deck, learn what makes their decks function so you can attack it more efficiently. Read mtgtop8.com and watch deck tech videos. This will also give you a more sound decision on your sideboard based on what you have seen at your specific fnm. Good luck!
August 31, 2015 12:26 a.m.
nobodygaming says... #4
I certainly went into the Splinter Twin match up not knowing what I was doing. Pretty sure I could have taken that round 2-0 if I had played my removal more efficiently, but it was very spur of the moment to even attend a modern event and I've had never even seen cards like Snapcaster Mage and Tarmogoyf in person. Also I don't get a chance to 1v1 decks like those with my friends. I have gotten some pretty good suggestions so far for removal cards on the deck page that have given me some things to test with.
I'm also considering switching out Altar's Reap for another card draw spell. A few times the card was dead in hand with no creatures to sac. Would Sign in Blood be the best option or is there something else I could try?
August 31, 2015 12:54 a.m.
idk much about the burn deck u played against but white and green are common colors to play for things like lightning helix and boros charm so I would actually expect that if u play against more burn
August 31, 2015 1:37 a.m.
Ok, so quick summary of what I thought after viewing the deck:
there are a lot of moving parts that do not necessarily jam together. Gnat Miser is not the card you want with all that discard unless you draw and play 3 of them by turn 2. + 2 Nezumi Shortfang and + 2 Go for the Throat in their place.
discard suite would ideally be 3-4 Thoughtseize (all-time low price now) and 2-3 Inquisition of Kozilek. Barring that, I would keep the discard almost as is - drop one of each one mana discard spell and add two Wrench Mind.
-2 affliction (as you now have shortfang), which is kind of a lousy win con anyways and add 2 Phyrexian Arena. This will give you a constant draw for minimal mana investment.
In the same vein - 4 altar's reap and + 2 Sign in Blood and + 1 Dismember + 1 Murderous Cut.
I think this will help alleviate some of the problems of the deck.
August 31, 2015 3:13 a.m.
nobodygaming says... #8
You'd be surprised how often Gnat Miser has worked as an opening play for most match ups. Only one it proved unhelpful for was red burn because that hand dumps itself by turn 4 (and I suppose affinity would do that too?). After losing 1 (or 2 if lucky) cards, they tend to get saced for tokens or used to help ninjitsu in Okiba-Gang Shinobi
But thanks for the suggestions everyone, I am gonna start proxying and play testing some new combinations. Ideally I want to keep a non-Thoughtseize/Inquisition upgrade to about $50, so I should have room for a few new playsets of cards
August 31, 2015 3:42 a.m.
Your deck would be bananas with a single Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth backed up by Mutavaults. Everything else looks fine for your budget if you go with Boza's suggestions.
The sideboard needs work. I'd probably use something like:
- 2x Crypt Incursion/Bloodchief Ascension
- 1x Dismember
- 1x Slaughter Pact
- 3x Fulminator Mage / Rain of Tears
- 2x Darkblast
- 4x Surgical Extraction/Grafdigger's Cage
- 1x Throat Slitter
- 1x Pithing Needle
This probably needs some fine-tuning and adjustments, but
August 31, 2015 6:21 a.m.
ducttapedeckbox says... #10
Since this is a brew, it'll be hard to find gameplay videos to help you learn which cards to discard when. 8 Rack is a deck that follows a similar play style, so watching videos and reading about that deck could help you become a better pilot of your own deck.
August 31, 2015 9:39 a.m.
Wizard_of_the_Broke says... #11
I agree that Boza hit the mark pretty well. Looking at the list after it's been tinkered with, I would add the following thoughts.
Gnat Miser is pretty bad except in the opening hand. I think you're underrating Ravenous Rats, especially as they work well with Okiba-Gang Shinobi.
I would consider mainboarding Bojuka Bog to supplement your Leylines, and have game 1 access to graveyard hate.
Lastly, I agree you don't need Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek. They're awesome, but they're power is actually diluted by a discard deck that is constantly whittling down the opponent's hand, so replacing them with other stuff isn't the end of the world. That being said, Raven's Crime and Dakmor Salvage (which also works nicely with Pack Rat) can pair up to be a very potent and consistent hand-destroying machine. You may consider slotting it in.
August 31, 2015 1:37 p.m.
nobodygaming says... #12
The tinkering I did in the main deck last night was just obvious cards I had from my spares (Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth and Sign in Blood) and I'll update the rest once I acquire the final cards I decide on. The problem I had trying to make decisions from playtesting against other decklists is that I lack an opponent who knows how to pilot the decks I want to practice against. So this will probably be something I test out at my local stores over the next few weekends in some more casual games
August 31, 2015 6:19 p.m.
nobodygaming says... #13
Reviving this thread to get feedback on most recent updates that I'm currently playtesting
Vakama says... #2
I don't know if Appetite for Brains does anything for you but just leaving this here.
August 30, 2015 11:56 p.m.