What Allied-Color Fetchlands Will Do to Modern (And Why You Shouldn't Care)
Modern forum
Posted on Aug. 31, 2014, 9:46 a.m. by GlistenerAgent
As many of you have heard, when Khans of Tarkir sees print in the fall the Modern format will gain access to the fetchlands from Onslaught alongside those from Zendikar: Flooded Strand , Polluted Delta , Bloodstained Mire , Wooded Foothills , Windswept Heath . What this does is give Modern the same exact wild manabase options as Legacy, with shocklands simply replacing ABUR duals. What I'm here to tell you is that this does not matter.
How much can the printing of lands change a format? Unless a land has a considerably different function from making mana (which, in the end, is all these fetchlands do), one cannot expect it to affect things too much in an eternal format as far as deck archetype shifts are concerned.
You may claim that, with the printing of these fetchlands, Grixis/Esper Control decks will see more play. This is fundamentally incorrect in that better mana does not contribute too much to a deck's actual power level. Even if the control decks can afford to take less damage from their off-color fetchlands, this does not mean that their Dismember is suddenly a Lightning Bolt or that their Slaughter Pact is suddenly Path to Exile . UWR Control will remain the best control deck, because it too gained access to Flooded Strand and simply has access to the best cards to combat the format.
Similarly, Naya gets access to two fetchlands in Wooded Foothills and Windswept Heath , but this doesn't change the fact that Wild Nacatl isn't well-positioned in the format. Unless we see a strong aggressive creature in these colors from Khans of Tarkir, excpect this archetype to remain in the shadows.
Jund and Junk decks have access to better mana should they want it, but know that the mana for these decks specifically is so black-heavy that Marsh Flats works just fine for Jund, while Junk already has 8 on-color fetches.
Birthing Pod strategies, specifically Kiki-Pod, will be the most affected by the allied fetchlands. One of the strikes against Kiki-Pod is that it's mana is fairly inconsistent, but with access to any fetchland they want, these decks can have considerably more stable mana. I do not think this will affect the comparison of the deck to Melira Pod (which gains Windswept Heath to replace Misty Rainforest ), because the decks operate on different axes, but know that Kiki-Pod players will have an easier time making mana.
Finally, RUG decks. This includes Tarmo-Twin, Scapeshift and occasionally RUG Delver. Tarmo-Twin is a heavy-blue deck, meaning that it's pilots will likely still stick to the Misty Rainforest -Scalding Tarn manabase. Scapeshift is a deck that splashes red and plays very few fetchlands, meaning that if pilots want as many as four fetchlands (which is more than the deck usually plays), those will all be Misty Rainforest s. RUG Delver is another heavy-blue deck, and I expect it to stay just like Twin.
Overall, landbases may change to include more than the standard eight fetchlands (perhaps going up to ten on-color for three-color decks, just like Legacy), but don't expect this to drastically change the format.
Do you disagree with me? Why?
I both agree and disagree.
I don't think the meta is going to suddenly shift massively with the printing of more fetches. So in many respects I do agree.
However I do think that it really matters for the manabase of certain colour combinations. Beter mana bases DOES impact on a decks power level. To say it doesn't is really stupid. Fetchlands make you more likely to have the shocks you need, sooner in the game. Essentially they're like shocklands number 5-8 in the deck. Previously the chance of having access to GGG and WWW on T3 in a GW deck was pretty slim because you can only have 4 shocklands. You're unlikely to draw them on time. Now that you sort of have 8 shocklands your statistical likelihood of meeting those crazy mana requirements rises. Obviously that example is ridiculous but its common to want something like GG, BB, and RR on T3 in a deck (jund wants this for Liliana, anger, and perhaps courser all on T3 - which is hard to do). With these fetches a player is more likely to be able to have WW, GG and UU on T3, and many other combinations. This DOES matter because it means you can safely lots of mana intensive 3 drops. We could see Mirran Crusader being played alongside Boon Satyr without any problem hitting it on T3. That's why it really does matter and it does contribute to power level. The ability to have flexibility in the plays you can make earlier in the game is very important. Fetchlands help you by acting like more copies of shocklands.
August 31, 2014 10:41 a.m.
GlistenerAgent says... #4
That's a fair assessment, but that doesn't change the fact that the best cards in the format are the best cards in the format, if you know what I mean. Grixis doesn't have to kill itself to cast Cryptic Command , but that doesn't change the fact that it's removal isn't the best.
If you can, I'd like an example of a deck that can now play a card that it couldn't before, and how that will significantly change things.
August 31, 2014 10:45 a.m.
ItchiUchiha117 says... #5
It's not that they now have access to new spells, they can just more easily do so. It's just fixing a lack of consistency. There were a lot of things in modern I'd like to play that I couldn't because of an inconsistent mana base. They are now much more possible because the mana base will be more easily consistent.
August 31, 2014 10:55 a.m.
I play UWR Control.Should I sell my 4 Arid Mesa and take the money to buy 4 Flooded Strand and other staples cards now? I mean... Flooded > Arid Mesa because the blue and the Cryptic Command, right?
August 31, 2014 10:56 a.m.
GlistenerAgent says... #7
If there were synergies more powerful than those that already exist, people would play them even if the mana was bad. People still played Grixis even though the mana was horrendous, and if there was a combo deck as good as Splinter Twin that just diidn't have fetchland support, people would have still played it. What I'm saying is that just because you can play different cards together that you could do less consistently before, it doesn't change what cards actually are good together.
August 31, 2014 10:58 a.m.
ItchiUchiha117 says... #8
Lord, no. Sell them after the set drops and has settled for a while. Only sell one or two, though. The market is likely to be flooded and you may be able to get four for the price of one of them.
August 31, 2014 10:58 a.m.
GlistenerAgent says... #9
@tinchomey Hold on to at least a couple of your Arid Mesa . I expect manabases to play around 10 fetchlands, possibly less, so you want access to that land in case you end up needing it. I'm not a huge finance person, but I do recommend you hold on to some of them. You are correct that Flooded Strand is a strict upgrade, but there is a likelihood that decks will play both in addition to Scalding Tarn .
August 31, 2014 11 a.m.
CommanderOfBolas says... #10
Mana bases are HUGELY important to a decks functionality. Grixis decks can be very powerful, but they lack the fetches to support their color intensive spells. Allied fetches fixes the problem of the mana base, making the deck more consistent and therefore viable
August 31, 2014 11 a.m.
Yeh I know what you mean about the number of cast able cards not changing and the best spells in the format continuing to the best spells in the format.
But yeh I mean it really does and does not matter.
And yes if playing UWR I would opt for UW and UR primarily.
August 31, 2014 11:01 a.m.
Yeah I don't really see much changing besides them being more readily available for those who can't afford them now. Not sure what all the hype is about.
August 31, 2014 11:09 a.m.
GlistenerAgent says... #13
The hype is really more for the price drop that will come, and people can get into formats much easier, especially Legacy.
August 31, 2014 11:12 a.m.
VampireArmy says... #14
Funny enough. One of the reasons grixis fails at control where uwr succeeds is actually a lot to do with manlands. Celestial collonade is a faster clock and that really matters. Grixis and esper are fine control decks but i don't think fetches are the main issue
August 31, 2014 11:13 a.m.
I dont think it'll effect the already made decks. But underestimating how this will effect color combinations that do not see play is wrong too.
Esper had zero fetches, same with Naya. Decks like GW hatebears and boggles getting their fetches will help them immensely since they don't want more than 2-3 mana anyhow. etc.
August 31, 2014 11:13 a.m.
GlistenerAgent says... #16
Esper had Marsh Flats , Naya had Arid Mesa . Getting more consistent mana does not change the fact that the cards you cast with your mana are less powerful.
For every Tier 2 deck that gets a fetchland and better mana, there is a tier 1 deck that also has access to it.
August 31, 2014 11:33 a.m.
aeonstoremyliver says... #17
I'm in concurrence with much of these posts. Allied colored fetches can more aptly fix mana bases, thereby improving upon consistency. I see good decks getting better. Perhaps this will open up the viability of a tempo deck like Faeries, or even improve Esper control decks. Mayhap we will see more fringe decks like were mentioned played more often. If that's the case, it could diversify the meta.
As far as the power level of cards, that remains a constant. I do like that the entry level for mana bases in Modern and Legacy has decreased. I hope that this encourages more people into playing Legacy...
August 31, 2014 11:51 a.m.
VampireArmy says... #18
Abur duals need to be cheaper before people flock to legacy
August 31, 2014 11:57 a.m.
fluffybunnypants says... #20
I think that Jund will become infinitely more stable than it is now with the new fetches. B/R, B/G and G/R fetches will make a world of difference when attempting to cast Lili or Anger on time.
Other than that, I don't really see this having a whole ton of impact on the meta game. It will probably lead to more players though as one of the main reasons people don't play Modern (at least from my understanding) was the price of fetch lands.
August 31, 2014 12:44 p.m.
APPLE01DOJ says... #21
I still can't wait to pick up some fetch playsets. Like stated above it just gives other options. I like the fact that I can pick up different playsets for the same function to build more decks...
August 31, 2014 1:50 p.m.
ChiefWannaHacka says... #23
fluffybunnypants Hit the nail on the head, good decks will get better, and ok decks will now have a chance. Jund "suffered" by having to play 2x Marsh Flats and a Misty Rainforest . I mean now I get 2x Bloodstained Mire and a Wooded Foothills . Beyond that, now that I have more on color Fetches it might even change how I build my mana base via non basics such as Blackcleave Cliffs . I could easily replace the 4x of them with more fetches and shocks or basics or Tec Edges.
August 31, 2014 2:49 p.m.
So you guys think that enemy colored decks are simply more powerful then allied colored decks? That seems short sighted. All of the 5 colors have powerful cards open to them, and most color combinations have powerful multicolor cards available to them. I think for the first few weeks the meta won't change much because people will be figuring out their manabases, but after that it's gonna balance out quite a bit. if you look at the top 8 decks from mtgo last week you'll see that 4 decks had their fetches, and that only jund was able to survive on 1 correct fetch. (the other 3 didn't use fetches) that says to me that saving some life at absolutely no cost probably helps win a game. I don't think the decks that are good now will necessarily stop begin good, I just think other decks are gonna get a lot better. And also, zoo has come up a lot in this discussion, picture this: A zoo player opens up a hand with a windswept heat and a wooded foothills. Congrats mr. zoo player, you just beat blood moon, one of the cards you hate the most. Can't say the same if you open up a hand with arid mesa.
September 29, 2014 9:51 a.m.
The best cards in format, top 1%, are fetchlands. Modern is a "one turn off" format where winning often comes down to who got to do their thing first, or who made the mistake first or who just hiccuped i.e. missed the proper colors to do the things they want. Winning often boils down to one key turn where everything went right... or wrong. The mana base does matter quite a bit, it is not true that good synergies would be played with bad mana since mana is part of the synergy. I don't understand how one could say that esper and grixis don't have access to good spells, I mean they both have blue and black lol. I believe that esper control will now be a thing to deal with, as will grixis "cruel" control. In the hands of a good control pilot.. watch out, these will git'cha. Will they rise to the level of Pod, Twin and Jund? Mostly not, good control players will though. The rest will have a shot since Twin is so omnipresent in the format, you just can't afford to have a hiccup in your game. My answer is Yes and no, more emphasis on yes.
September 29, 2014 1:51 p.m.
From LSV:
Fetchlands are in the top 1% of Magic cards as a whole, so its no surprise that they are going to have a huge impact on every format where they werent already legal. For Standard, it means we now get to choose how we want our mana: painful or tapped. Most decks will have a mix of both, with fetchlands showing up basically any time both colors are played enough that basics are worth it. For Modern, they make a few different color combinations better, and actually reduce the damage taken by decks that now get to search for the appropriate basics. For Vintage and Legacy, they make Polluted Delta and Flooded Strand more affordable, which is never a bad thing. I cant say Im looking forward to more shuffling, but if thats the price of good mana, Im willing to pay it.
September 29, 2014 1:56 p.m.
VampireArmy says... #28
At least it's meaningful and relevant this time.
VampireArmy says... #2
You pretty much nailed it. I still think bug tempo will arise soon Though .
August 31, 2014 9:54 a.m.