Flaying tendrils
Modern forum
Posted on Dec. 28, 2017, 1:22 p.m. by Entrei
So I was going over my sideboard for my sultai combo list, and was mourning the fact that I could not run Anger of the Gods as a secondary answer to affinity/dredge/go wide decks.
Lo and behold, a FNM Flaying Tendrils caught my eye. Not quite as efficient as anger, but nonetheless efficient if red isn't in your deck. This brings me to my question: is Flaying Tendrils a useable boardwipe in modern when Damnation is also a thing?
Listing the benefits and drawbacks of each:
Pros: Kills everything,they can't be regenerated
Cons: 4 mana
Pros: exiles everything it kills, 3 mana, gets around the rare indestructible creature
Cons: fails to kill larger creatures without pre-existing combat damage
Thoughts?
It really depends on the match ups that you are worried about. Damnation, coming from an abzan players perspective, is worse against almost everything except for eldrazi tron, 5 color humans, and merfolk. Tendrils is better against, most company decks, dredge, affinity, and even burn. Tendrils is definitely worse than anger of the gods but is still a very playable card.
December 28, 2017 5:48 p.m.
@Snapdisastermage I already own a playset of damnation. My primary reason I'm looking at tendrils is the fact it can be dropped on turn 3, which is about when affinity/counters company and dredge hit critical mass.
@EmblemMan: yeah I used to run damnation primarily as an answer to eldrazi tron and titanshift, as Fatal Push and Abrupt Decay simply didn't hit most of their creatures. I recently opened some space in sideboard, and found that Basilisk Collar worked great against those decks, as well as against burn (the deck uses growing artifact creatures and Walking Ballista, making collar extremely effective for gaining life and picking off creatures). Seeing as collar helps me deal with those decks (not to mention I can race those decks and win 60% of the time) I decided to try and switch out damnation for a cheaper wipe.
December 28, 2017 7:14 p.m.
APPLE01DOJ says... #5
In my opinion Damnation is the better card. You should have enough interaction between Fatal Push, Thoughtseize, and Abrupt Decay to survive those go wide decks until you get Damnation/Creeping Corrosion online. I never found Drown in Sorrow to be much use ever. ...but Bile Blight is a completely different story.
December 28, 2017 9:32 p.m.
APPLE01DOJ sort of but its nice to have the extra card. MOSTLY tendrils is for counters company and dredge. Its really difficult to 1 for 1 these decks especially with eternal witness getting back eternal witnesses and what not.
December 28, 2017 10:25 p.m.
Yeah the primary reason I'm considering tendrils is the fact that it deals with recursion decks. My deck already has ways to deal with eldrazi creatures in the form of Basilisk Collar, and can often straight up match their creatures in size with Hangarback Walker
December 28, 2017 10:50 p.m.
APPLE01DOJ says... #8
Have you considered going up to 3 on ScOoze or running Leyline of the Void in place of a few of your 5 grave hate SB spells?
December 28, 2017 11:34 p.m.
Just a random note: I have had quite a bit of success from leyline of the void. I run them in my sideboard usually 4 sometimes 3 never less than that though. It's a hoser against dredge and can be great against shadow decks and storm but doesnt completely shut them down obviously. Surgical can be enough usually for certain combo decks but just mentioning that leyline is also a solid option.
Snapdisastermage says... #2
If you don't want to buy damnation, Tendrils works great against the go wide decks. I used to run it. Though damnation is better.
December 28, 2017 4:27 p.m.