Argent Control
Modern
SCORE: 43 | 59 COMMENTS | 5421 VIEWS | IN 11 FOLDERS
2nd FNM (12/14/18) —Dec. 17, 2018
Took the newest version of the deck to FNM, and did much better.
1st Round - BW Control (1-1-Concede)
These games took a very long time as we both had a lot of interaction, and he mainboarded several board wipes. I'm consistently getting to my Thing in the Ice Flip, but going up against Path to Exile is rough. He pitched a few card with Thoughtseize and Collective Brutality and eventually won this game off of a Gideon's Intervention naming Abrade and another naming Smash to Smithereens.
I sided in Shrapnel Blast, 2nd Surgical Extraction, 2x Spellskite, and the Vendilion Clique. He starts the game with Leyline of Sanctity which really slowed me done, but now all my removal could focus on his various Gideons. I won off a Thing in the Ice Flip I was able to flip the turn after it came out.
At this point we have 3 minutes before games go to turns, and we haven't even started the 3rd game yet, so I just conceded.
2nd Round - Cheerios? (No Opals) (2-0)
This went really well for me as I have so much mainboard artifact hate and a good amount of creature bounce, and the mainboard Surgical was able to remove all of the Puresteel Paladins right away, and then I have all my bolts for Sram, Senior Edificer. Won off of Thing and Crackling Drake swinging for combined 12+ each turn.
2nd game went even better because I brought in the other Surgical, Shrapnel Blast, and Shattering Spree.
2nd Round - Death and Taxes (0-2)
This is my first time up against tax effects outside of just Thalia. I did alright considering, but this matchup definitely stressed the 3-4 slots that I'm unsure about.
First game went back and forth quite a bit, but after a Ghost Quarter plus Leonin Arbiter losing me a land it was hard to recover. Multiple paths is definitely the hardest thing I've had to fight through today.
2nd game is much of the same, I actually stick a Drake and flip a Thing and get a few hits in, but he wins the war of attrition.
Thoughts
I'm still really happy with the decision to drop the mainboard counterspells, and make the deck more proactive. That being said, not having access to them at all I think is the wrong move, and I am going to work 4+ back into the sideboard.
A number of the people I have played so far commented on my mainboard Surgical, and how they weren't sure mainboarding it was the right move. I mention paying the phyrexian is a good way to flip Thing or get another power onto Drake, while also removing a threat, but they still felt I could either have waited longer for a better target, or just not have it for G1 and have something like Gut Shot instead. Not sure about this, as I've had a problem deciding whether it and Shrapnel Blast need to be mainboard, or if they could be SB.
I also had several comments that I should be running Serum Visions instead of Opt if I am trying to dig. My first thought was "but it's a sorcery and I need to be able to take counters off Thing at instant speed!" but I'm not actually saving any of my Opts. Then I thought about how much I like scrying before the draw, but seeing two cards down similar to Surveil has been immensely helpful getting either to, or past, lands and combo pieces. Gonna test it with Opt swapped for Visions or Sleight of Hand and see how I like it.
I'm still up in the air on Faithless Looting, and I think I am going to test something else in its place. I love re-casting it from the GY, but at least half the times I could have cast it I had no, or 1, cards in hand, making it only good for Thing/Drake. Maybe this becomes a 2-of Opt if I do the playset of SV?
Added another Manamorphose to hit the playset, as I was always happy to see it, makes flipping Thing easier, buffs Drake, and also makes Drake easier to cast under a Blood Moon, and I can sometimes use it to make black for Surgical. Also thinking about moving Echoing Truth to the sideboard, as that seems like the easiest slot to bring in more offensive spells, as the bounce has been a mix of amazing and meh.
All in all I'm very happy with how the deck is running. I won half the games I played, and the games I lost I made them work for the wins, none of them were a steamroll. It is also such a fun deck to play, and playing on my turn instead of the opponent's (like when I had 7+ counterspells and no manamorphose/burst lightning) is a lot more fun.
Pheardemons says... #2
I think they are. Unless you wanted to go a more proactive "prowess" route in which Monastery Swiftspear may come into play. Early damage in the form of Goblin Guide could be beneficial, but then you're closing in close to burn or some blue/red jank stuff (which you already kind of are). I'm not sure, but I would think Opts and Serum Visions is probably the best bet in a deck like this.
November 8, 2018 10:19 p.m.
SynergyBuild says... #3
Dude, look at the more underrated of the cantrips... Sleight of Hand, it is like opt, except sorcery speed, and like Serum Visions, but you know what you are drawing, kind of a mix if you are on the fence about it.
November 9, 2018 8:39 a.m.
Liquidbeaver says... #4
Pheardemons I tried Prowess a few times before, and it always felt like it really needed a significant overhaul to do that ability justice. I wouldn't mind leaning a bit more into the burn aspect, but I agree I think a bit more topdeck manipulation is something I should add before I do anything else. I have virtually none as it is.
SynergyBuild Great suggestion, I am definitely going to add that to my playtests for tonight.
November 9, 2018 12:01 p.m.
Liquidbeaver says... #5
After playtesting I settled on Opt in place of 2x Electrolyze and 2x MB counterspells. While Serum Visions and Sleight of Hand worked great, being instant speed ended up being imperative for Thing in the Ice Flip and buffing Crackling Drake just a bit more during combat.
Dropped another Mission Briefing, and I'm liking it as a 2-of. The requirement can be detrimental in the very early game, and I think Briefing would just be better period if I had more burn spells. However, I don't think I will ever take it out, as I don't think Snapcaster Mage as a 2-of would be better in this case.
Switching to a more proactive build definitely helped the speed of the deck quite a bit, but it made the exact MB counterspells I chose much more important. Playtesting again on Friday, and going to switch the Mana Leaks out for Remands and try that again. Going to try to get a 4th in, but I'm not sure what to cut. Maybe the Unsubstantiate?
Ral, Izzet Viceroy as a 1-of in the MB, and Keranos, God of Storms as a 1-of in the side has been working well so far. For games where I need the big creature removal and a finisher I leave Ral in, when Ral gets removed too easily I switch him for Keranos, and in longer games I have both in the MB.
18-19 lands seems to be the sweet spot. I tried 20 and felt flooded almost every single game. This is a lot of the reason behind just the 2x Drake, and a 1-of Ral/Keranos at a time, because any more of them and they would be stranded in my hand. With the pace the deck forces the game to play at, casting Drakes around T6 and Ral/Keranos around 7 or 8 has worked just fine.
Wandering Fumarole got cut. If I had 22 lands or something ETBT would be fine, but not at 18-19.
November 13, 2018 3:35 p.m.
Liquidbeaver says... #6
Sideboard is looking much better. I'd still like to get some Damping Spheres in, and I miss my extra Shrapnel Blast, but overall I am very happy with it.
The Expel from Orazca is probably the weakest card left. I really like that if I imprint it it is hard control if I have 10 permanents, but needing to fulfill two steep requirements before it becomes "better" than Echoing Truth is probably just code for it needs to go next.
November 15, 2018 12:57 p.m.
Liquidbeaver says... #7
Gonna try testing a March of the Machines in the mainboard again. I think the deck is in a place where I can get the most possible use out of it without it being a detriment at a 1-of, and it will also sideboard out to a Ral/Keranos in most cases.
November 21, 2018 1:07 p.m.
TheNumbers says... #8
Hello, just a bit of fun have you considered trying Saheeli Rai and Altar of the Brood? its a combo with liquimetal coating, as it allows saheeli to target herself to be copied infinitely, triggering altar of the brood each time milling your opponent out
November 22, 2018 3:13 p.m.
Liquidbeaver says... #9
TheNumbers: That combo actually used to be in the mainboard, with Reckless Fireweaver as backup. Eventually it moved to the sideboard as a transformative gameplan, but I ended up taking it out completely when I started to run Isochron Scepter and changed the instants around.
I still think the combo is really fun, and still have all the pieces, so maybe if I can get the mainboard solid enough to run pretty well on it's own I can add it back to the sideboard.
November 28, 2018 11:48 a.m.
Liquidbeaver says... #10
Considering adding a 3-4x Manamorphose to the deck to get some more cantrips, and to flip Thing in the Ice Flip a bit faster.
Dropping some counterspells for Opt made the draws smoother, but I lost interaction and didn't gain any speed, making the deck durdle more than it used to.
November 28, 2018 4:54 p.m.
Liquidbeaver says... #11
Upped the land count, switched back to Remand, and going to playtest some Cryptic Commands to see how I like it.
November 29, 2018 11:35 a.m.
Liquidbeaver says... #12
Gonna experiment with an Arclight Phoenix version of the deck and see how I like it. I am happy with the core of my deck right now, but it just seems like 4-8 cards could be switched around to improve it significantly.
December 4, 2018 3:02 p.m.
Liquidbeaver says... #15
Ended up not liking Arclight itself (really hard to get 3 casts in a turn without 2-3x as many cantrips, and a lot more 1 cost spells), but what I did like is more of the aggressive shell it has. Switched out the mainboard counterspells for some more proactive spells, and it has been playtesting MUCH better Game 1.
Not only is it much easier to flip Thing in the Ice Flip, it's also easier to keep the opposing board clear, and Crackling Drake is 3+ power bigger on average.
I wasn't originally too keen on the Faithless Looting, but being able to pitch extra lands or parts of the Liquimetal package I don't need has been fantastic, plus re-casting from the GY to get that last counter off of TiTi has been crucial.
Very, very happy with this current build.
Liquidbeaver says... #1
I keep having this nagging feeling that I need a few more T1 plays. Are my only options Opt/Serum Visions in a deck like this?
November 8, 2018 5:50 p.m.