Thoughts
Teddyjunior11, 7 years ago
Leaning towards Young Pyromancer in the board. Replacing Engineered Explosives and Liliana the Last Hope. Need some opinions
FNM
Teddyjunior11, 7 years ago
4-2 including Top 8 split Top 4 Round 1 Naya Burning Zoo (1-2) a horrible matchup game one so many dead cards being street wraith and dismember. G2 opponent drew 7 out of 18 lands. Game three opponent had explosive draw. Sideboard plan: Add 1 temur battle rage, 2 collective brutality 2 kozilek’s return. Removed 4 street wraith 1 thoughtsieze Round 2 Storm (2-1) explosive draw Game one. Game 2 had seen two discard spells and snapcaster stubborn denial. Game 3 played around Blood Moon paid off opponent kept a loose hand had Turn 2 Blood Moon nothing else. Sideboard Plan: 2 collective brutality, 1 stubborn denial, 2 liliana of the veil, 1 engineered explosives 1 disdainful stroke. Removed: 2 Terminate, 2 street wraith, 1 kolaghan’s command 2 thought scour Round 3 Storm (2-0) Same plan. Opponent had seen two many cost reducers being Baral, Chief of Compliance or Goblin Electromancer and not enough “Ritual” effects. Round 4 Humans (0-2) Mulligan to 4 was not helpful 7 had one land but it was basic island 1 street wraith 2 push 1 thoughtseize 1 kolaghan’s command 1 death shadow. Clearly not a keep. Mulliganed 6 no lands. 5 had one street wraith and no lands. 4 was Death Shadow, Opt, Scalding Tarn, Snapcaster. Sideboard Plan: engineered explosives, 2 kozilek’s return, 2 collective brutality 1 Temur Battle Rage... Removed 3 Stubborn Denial, 2 street wraith, 1 thought scour Round 5 Soul Sisters (2-0) Easy matchup Top 8 Elves (2-0) Snagged Game one with a Turn 2 Death Shadow. G2 opponent had a good hand needed a second land forced to overcommit got blown back by engineered explosives. In other words explosives removed 5 permanents. Following turn was Liliana last Hope. Opponent scooped. Sideboard Plan: 2 Kozilek’s Return 2 collective brutality 1 temur battle rage. 1 engineered explosives 1 liliana last hope Removed: 1 stubborn denial, 4 street wraith, 1 kolaghan’s command 1 thought scour
Deck is finished waiting on cards
Teddyjunior11, 7 years ago
Store is having a Legacy tourney tomorrow. Sideboard is adjusted to win at the store. We have 2 copies of Dredge. 1 manaless and 1 dredge. 2 Infect Myself and 1 Mono Red Sneak Attack. Sideboard adjusted accordingly not playing Defense Grid switched for 2 anger of the gods exiling away a dredge board seems good. Would play Leyline of the Void but could not find them. Since no death and taxes or delver removed kozilek’s return for 2 spell pierces.
First update!
QGandalf, 7 years ago
So I have played 5 matches with the deck in this iteration, and it has performed wonderfully. This is the first of what I imagine will be many tune ups.
-1 Savage Ventmaw +1 Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
Needing to cut down on cards in the 5 mana slot, and though I thoroughly enjoy the Ventmaw, it was the weakest on the pile. (remember all dragons cost 1 less so their CMC is deceptive). Selvala I recently traded for and I have high hopes for her efficacy in not only ramp, but card draw.
I have also changed the mana base slightly:
-1 Terramorphic Expanse +1 Unclaimed Territory
Searching for basics is fine, but I feel I'm happy with just the Evolving Wilds + ramp at this point.
PatrickProchaska, 7 years ago
Updates #1
xantm70, 7 years ago
In accordance with the observations below:
Out:
- Burgeoning
- Farhaven Elf
- Forest x1
- Nature's Claim
- Sadistic Hypnotist
- Spawning Pit *list*
- Spore Frog
- Swamp x1
- Titania, Protector of Argoth
- Tormod's Crypt
In:
- Altar of Dementia
- Autumn's Veil
- Bottomless Pit
- Dakmor Salvage
- Darkblast
- Fatal Push
- Necrogen Mists
- Oppression
- Praetor's Grasp
- Stinkweed Imp
The deck is now dealing with tension along the axes of sacrifice matters, discard matters, and lands matter, but hopefully this early shift towards hand attack will give me a better sense of direction.
Considering reduction to 60 cards and some changes
Cereal_Killer, 7 years ago
Considering a deck reduction to 60 cards (now is 67).Also considering adding 1x Temple Garden
, 3x Silence, 2x Secure the Wastes or Gather the Townsfolk and a 1x Temporal Mastery. Considering also a reduction for:
- Plains from 3 to 2.
- Elspeth, Knight-Errant from 1 to 0.
- Talent of the Telepath from 3 to 2 or even 1.
- Not Forgotten from 3 to 2.
Hidden Strings
Cereal_Killer, 7 years ago
Removed the 3x Hidden Strings cause it wasn't synergic with the rest of the deck.
added two more cards
Cereal_Killer, 7 years ago
Added Gifts Given and Entirely Normal Armchair. Reduced lands too 36x each type (Swamp and Island)
X
by Cereal_Killer
Ezuri Elf Tribal
Bobby4261789, 7 years ago
Mono Green Elf Infinite Mana Overrun
nalyd721, 7 years ago
Out: Kamahl, Fist of Krosa, Masked Admirers, Oran-Rief Hydra, Seedborn Muse In: Birds of Paradise, Expedition Map, Reclamation Sage, Summoner's Pact
Observations preceding changes
xantm70, 7 years ago
I was able to play three games in pods of 3, 3, and 4 respectively. Matchups are listed below along with winners, key misplays, and specific thoughts, but my general observations were as follows:
- My deck currently needs more spot removal, in no small part because I struggle against Blood Artist effects. Despite my choice to avoid them, they are prevalent in the local meta and need answers--without tutors to fetch Grave Pact effects, I can't rely on establishing my creature lock in as timely a fashion as I'd like. I'd prefer a mix of creature-based and instant-speed removal, but there are no efficient creatures that are able to kill black creatures. My inclination is to include Darkblast and one or two of Putrefy, Fatal Push, Dismember, and Go for the Throat. Abrupt Decay fails to hit Falkenrath Noble, which is relevant to this issue.
- Hard control/draw-go decks present an issue for me as well. Without heavy-hitting creatures to put into the red-zone, I struggle to pressure the life total of a deck that wants to sandbag a god-hand and wait for an opportune moment to drop it all on the board. Adding some array of symmetrical discard effects, or perhaps a Mind Twist, seems like a potential solution to that issue. This would also suggest a greater utility in dredge cards more broadly, which could lead me to include Dakmor Salvage and Stinkweed Imp. (I do not own a Golgari Grave-Troll, and I am unwilling to buy one without further testing Dredge lines in actual gameplay.)
- There are also a few decks in the meta that have very specific cards that must be answered preëmptively, including the aforementioned Blood Artists, but also spells that are harder to address in Golgari, such as Time Stretch. Hand attack and/or Jester's Cap effects seem like good inclusions in a small number, with no more than Praetor's Grasp and one or two of Thoughtseize, Duress, Unmask, Despise, and Inquisition of Kozilek
- Lastly, with scant protection from wraths and spot removal, Warping Wail and/or Autumn's Veil seem like reasonable defensive slots; while consciously avoiding overextending can mitigate against Wraths, a well-timed Dismember looks like it could present me with issues.
No changes have been made to the list as of yet, but I anticipate changing 5-10 slots within the next day or two. However, of the flex spots I am testing, I began to warm to both Spore Frog and Thorn of the Black Rose--though key issues with Spore Frog include that it only locks one opponent out of combat per turn cycle, it is vulnerable to spot removal during windows where sacrificing it wouldn't be desired, and reanimating it with Meren comes at the opportunity cost of not reanimating other options.
Match notes:
- Meren vs. Kaalia of the Vast vs. Ob Nixilis of the Black Oath: Ob won, though Kaalia threw the game. Ob was on a black control shell that seemed to emphasize Planeswalkers and fat blockers; Kaalia was on a fairly standard plan. This matchup was key to illuminating my softness to Blood Artist et al. Ob controlled a Blood Artist and had been pointing every trigger at me since it resolved, and Kaalia cast a Damnation into a board with the potential for lethal such triggers towards me. As soon as Ob bled me dry, Kaalia conceded the game to Ob. Consequently, I have to consider the game inconclusive in terms of both deck match-ups and pilot skill, but it is fair to say the odds had shifted heavily against me winning the match regardless of that specific choice.
- Meren vs. Alesha, Who Smiles at Death vs. Reaper King: Reaper King won by resolving Soulscour. Alesha was on a standard hatebears plan with a Kiki-combo finish; Reaper King was on Esper artifacts with RG splash for goodstuff. Falkenrath Noble came out early from Alesha and again posed a problem for me, though less so this time. Though I played it out after Soulscour's resolution, Alesha scooped, and the match would likely have been a foregone conclusion regardless. Beyond a reaffirmation that I am weak to Blood Artist effects, this match offered no specific lessons for my deck's composition--the key way to slow down an effect like Soulscour would be to focus on mana denial, which I am currently keen to avoid.
- Meren vs. Prossh, Skyraider of Kher *f-etch* vs. Riku of Two Reflections vs. Inalla, Archmage Ritualist: Inalla won. Riku's power level was arguably too low for the pod, and Inalla's power level was arguably too high. I spent too much early removal on Prossh, thus removing my backstop against activity from Inalla, who spent most of the game sandbagging good cards and letting me cripple Prossh. I lost to a well-timed piece of removal from Inalla breaking my Spore Frog lock against Prossh. Riku lost to himself, realizing one step too late that he had an infinite combo which could have allowed him to survive an attack from Prossh for lethal. After Inalla assembled a soft lock of Archaeomancer, Dissolve, and Sunken Hope, Prossh conceded--though notably not out of a belief that he had necessarily lost, but out of concerns for time constraints (the evening was growing long). This match led me to conclude that a more concerted effort at symmetrical discard would benefit me, especially as Meren plays out of her graveyard better than most. I also realized the benefits in potentially having one or two pieces of hand attack or Cap-type effects, as Inalla has approximately four cards that often enable it to spiral out of control: Bloodline Necromancer, Time Stretch, Arcanis the Ominpotent, and Galecaster Colossus
Cutting white
halfling632, 7 years ago
I have made several tweaks and edits since publishing this deck but I feel this one is the first worth mentioning. I have completely removed white from the deck.
I had removed several white cards in the past until only Adanto Vangaurd, Cast Out, and Ixalan's Binding remained.
Then I remembered that Vraska's Contempt exists. Cast Out was immediately cut and it did not make sense to dilute the mana base for just Adanto Vanguard. I added some more copies of Scrapheap Scrounger and I'm going to run it like this for a while.
The deck should be far more consistent now and there is now room for some mana positive damage in the form of Sunscorched Desert.
Rework
CapitalPunishment, 7 years ago
I’ve changed the deck to be modern after multiple play through from its original state I learned a lot from its previous incarnation. Planning to continue to learn more in the future.
Tweaks after initial play
Citridon, 7 years ago
After playing a few Olivia games and 1 Grusilda game, I have a few quick tweaks:
-1 Call to the Netherworld, +1 Never / Return - Missed initially that this only gets back black creaturrs, making it too narrow to convert properly. If I just end up pitching return, I get a body and remove a key card as Olivia. The front half will get more value for Grusilda.
-1 Fateful Showdown, +1 Insult / Injury - By the time I wanted to cast it, I rarely had much hand left to wheel giving it little damage and little velocity. Injury is a removal spell on the back half, which is good for Olivia, and Grusilda is happy to have a swingy turn with the giant combined monsters.
-1 Mountain, +1 Drownyard Temple - Just missed it during deck building. It's close to a "Madness land" for Olivia, and I can wheel it away as Grusilda without losing access.
V.6
wegotdahooch, 7 years ago
In = Reckless Charge, Mark of Sakiko, Rugged Highlands, Enigma Drake, Hurricane, Overmaster, Curse of Echoes, Quest for Renewal, Sakura-Tribe Elder Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs, 2 Island, Mountain
Out = Grappling Hook, Mindswipe, Mountain, Malevolent Whispers, Traitorous Instinct, Grab the Reins, Hungry Flames, Naturalize, Nature's Claim, Squall Line, Starstorm, Temporary Insanity, Lay Claim, Vandalblast
V.2
wegotdahooch, 7 years ago
In = Young Wolf, Solarion, Hydra Broodmaster, Seething Song
Out = Curse of Stalked Prey, Harrow, Consign to Dust, Predator Dragon
V.1
wegotdahooch, 7 years ago
The first round of adjustments. Out = Contagion Clasp, Harmonize, Abzan Advantage, Map the Wastes, Curse of Predation, Hydra Broodmaster, Plains, Solidarity of Heroes,
In = Vivid Meadow, Tezzeret's Gambit, Erase, Naturalize Farseek, Rampant Growth, Vorel of the Hull Clade
May keep a permanent Maybeboard
Darthagnon, 7 years ago
I may keep a permanent maybeboard of Fervor, Conqueror's Galleon Flip and Ride Down, as I can't make up my mind about the sideboard. Fervor actually fits really well with the deck, as it enables an infinite combat damage combo with Breath of Fury and an on-combat token generator (Mardu Ascendancy, Mardu Strike Leader), plus surviving attackers (not that difficult, given this deck's abundance of indestructible-enablers, Brutal Hordechief and Iroas, God of Victory *list*).
Possible Additions, Notes
blgy, 7 years ago
Some two mana creatures for drawing more stuff and building a better devotion:
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?sort=mana-&action=advanced&format=%20[%22modern%22]&color=|[G]|[C]&power=%20=[3]&cmc=%20=[2]
First thing on the to-do list is grab 3 Manaplasms. Next is 3 Primal Rages. Maybe then some Beastmaster Ascensions, otherwise it'll be the Karametra's Acolytes.
Trayvo, 7 years ago
