Hello again, back with another update. My last two events have been underwhelming and the meta has shifted far and away from what the deck was built to beat, and it is struggling. I have decided it is time for a major overhaul to match the changing meta. I won’t go into much detail on the actual event results but will rather detail specific card changes related to the results. I finished those events 2-1-1 and 2-2 with my losses coming from either Thoughtseize decks or Atraxa, Grand Unifier decks. Without further ado, here are the changes being made and why.
NEW:
Three Steps Ahead – Absorb has been underperforming lately and this new card from OTJ fills the three-mana value counter spell slot while also serving other functions at the same time. It is somewhat mana hungry so only one copy is being played currently.
Hallowed Moonlight – Best tech available against Atraxa, Grand Unifier decks and it replaces itself.
Sunfall – While Supreme Verdict is still a premium sweeper, Sunfall brings along a threat to replace itself and point the gun back at the opponent. In this new meta, two-for-one’s are all the rage and if you’re not gaining incremental value with each card, it’s not good enough.
Restless Anchorage - This manland flies and creates card advantage on attack. Its cheaper to activate than Restless Reef and has evasion over Shambling Vent.
RETURNING:
Tainted Indulgence – This card has previously been in the main deck but was cut due to the incredible amount of graveyard hate at the time. It was made abundantly clear these past couple of weeks the deck is desperate for more card advantage and with the return of Leyline of Sanctity to the sideboard, this card slots back in nicely giving card advantage and a discard outlet for redundant leyline copies. It is ultimately replacing Reckoner Bankbuster in the main deck.
Leyline of Sanctity – This has become a necessity due the rampant black decks running 8-10 targeted discard spells. Thoughtseize, Duress, and Go Blank are back breaking for control.
SAYING FAREWELL:
Reckoner Bankbuster – I love this card, it has been great for me, and I have only lost one game ever that I have cast it in. However, this last two weeks have shown me it is too slow for the current meta. Not because I’ve lost when I cast it, but because I never really had time to cast it. It competes too hard within the two-mana value slot and must be played at sorcery speed. I’ve lost games with this card in hand, and I’ve lost it to discard spells.
Absorb – The life gain from this card has been nice, but its casting cost is rough and three-mana counters have fallen from grace with the addition of No More Lies. This card is also just worse that Three Steps Ahead, a new tech piece from OTJ that is making its way into the list.
Narset, Parter of Veils – A powerful card she is, but unfortunately, she has not really found much of a home in the sideboard plans for the deck. I rarely board her in and when I do and cast her, she’s been underwhelming.
Saw it Coming – Another card that was a tech against discard decks and was fine, but ultimately not much of an impact was made.
Behold the Multiverse – This was a tech card against discard decks. It did fine but is ultimately worse than Memory Deluge.
Sheoldred, the Apocalypse – I love this card, it is amazingly powerful, maybe one of the most format warping standard legal cards of all time, but it has not found a place within the game plan of the deck and the removal in the format is too good and too efficient for this card to be playable in a control sideboard.
Dream Trawler – Another great card that I love that has been a game winner numerous times for me when the format was dominated by combat decks. However, I find myself almost never boarding it in now and when I do it’s not the game-ender it used to be. This card has encountered the same shortcoming as Shelly in that removal has become too good for even its built-in defense mechanic to be useful. Sweepers and edicts galore mean that this card gets cleaned up too easily.
Shambling Vent - Has been a great card that I love but it is worse than Anchorage and it is time to upgrade to newer tech.
Restless Reef - This card is cool and I love the borderless art but it did not make the impact I was hoping for so it will be going away for a second copy of Anchorage.
The remaining changes are just shifts to and from the main deck to the sideboard and vice versa as well as changes in numbers. The mana base also saw some changes in numbers to adjust to the more Azorius centric gameplan to make casting our spells a lot easier and reducing the number of tapped lands to be able to cast our spells on time more consistently.
That about wraps it up for today, as always feedback is appreciated! Let me know if you have any card suggestions with reasons why they would be good in the deck. Thanks for reading.
