Land (21)
Creature (32)
Sideboard
Creature (8)
Planeswalker (3)
Enchantment (1)
Hello, everyone! It has been a while since the deck's original inception, and I wanted to catch everyone up to speed. After GPs and FNMs galore, this deck has changed quite a lot, but it's quite near its final version. Without further delay, let's get into it.
The deck starts off with the core combo of wanting to get three specific creatures out at the same time: Viscera Seer, Vizier of Remedies, and Kitchen Finks. The combo is using Viscera Seer to sacrifice the Kitchen Finks to scry 1, then the Kitchen Finks comes back because of persist. However, due to Vizier of Remedies's ability, the Kitchen Finks comes back into play without any -1/-1 counters on it, so the combo can be activated over and over again, netting me 2 life every time. I just have to pick a finite number, like 7 trillion, and I'm basically unstoppable against most decks. Most of the time that gets the win, gaining 7 trillion life, but there's a back-up Murderous Redcap on the board to ensure I can do 7 trillion damage instead, if I need to. The other back-up I have in the main is Melira, Sylvok Outcast. She does essentially the same thing as Vizier of Remedies, however, she does not result in an "infinite" mana combo, which is the second main combo in the deck, which I will get to soon. Melira, Sylvok Outcast says my creatures can't have -1/-1 counters placed on them at all, helping out with either of the persist triggers. However, she also says creatures my opponents lose infect, which is brutal. I have won many a game by resolving her and watching my opponent's face fall. You might be thinking to yourself, so why not put it on the sideboard, and don't worry, I'll get to that, too.
The second combo in the deck is the "infinite" green mana combo. This one is just a two card combo, between Vizier of Remedies and Devoted Druid. Devoted Druid taps for mana, then wants to untap itself. To do that, Devoted Druid needs to put a -1/-1 counter on itself. However, Vizier of Remedies lets me put that many -1/-1 counters on it minus one, in this case resulting in 0. I still put the counter on it, activating the ability, but Vizier of Remedies takes away the counter before it can stick. So I can activate Devoted Druid over and over again, to infinity and beyond. Here's where it gets tricky. Technically, Melira, Sylvok Outcast cancels out that combo. She says counters can never be put on the creatures in the first place, so the combo can never even start. One might consider that a downside, but I fully disagree. Melira, Sylvok Outcast can literally win a game when she resolves versus infect, and she can help win the game with the "infinite" life or "infinite" damage combos against any other deck. She's a powerhouse. Well worth the extremely rare circumstance where she might cancel out my mana. So why is she in the mainboard and not on the side? I'm glad you asked.
The final main thing that truly sets this deck apart, and definitely sets it way apart from other Creatures Toolbox decks is Glittering Wish. I first got the idea from watching old legacy decks use either Cunning Wish
or Burning Wish to win the game. When I realized that both persist creatures I use to win the game were multicolored, I knew I was onto something. So the first goal of the sideboard is to be able to wish for whatever piece I need to win the game. Obviously, I have one of each persist creature on the side. Then, I have the multicolored version of the other pieces I would need to win. First, we have Cartel Aristocrat, the multicolored version of Viscera Seer. Like the seer, she has a sacrifice ability that has no mana cost, so can be activated over and over and over again as long as I have a creature to sacrifice. Her ability is also quite relevant, giving her protection to protect herself can often come in handy. The final game winning piece of the first combo in the sideboard is the multicolored version of Melira, Anafenza, and the Vizier. Juniper Order Ranger does the same thing, in essence, for my persist creatures coming back with -1/-1 counters. He puts a +1/+1 counter on any creature of mine entering play. So any creature that would enter play from the graveyard with a -1/-1 counter on it, gets both a -1/-1 counter and a +1/+1 counter, canceling each other out. So the persist creatures just come back fresh with no counters on them, ready to be sacrificed all over again. There's a lot more going on in the sideboard as well, but first I'm going to break down the other cards in the main, and come back to the side shortly.
In the main board, most of the cards are recognizable. 4 Birds of Paradise, 4 Chord of Calling, and 4 Collected Company are the standard for this type of deck. I can only fit in two Devoted Druids in the deck, the limited space due to fitting in Glittering Wish, silver bullets, and the fact that infinite mana itself doesn't win me the game, I still need to do more things once I have it. But with all the scooping and searching, I seem to get either one of the two when I need them no problem. Cabal Therapist is my first silver bullet. It's the same sort of effect as Cabal Therapy, which is the best hand removal spell in the game. It adds a lot to the game as well, as long as I can play smart. Having just one of each bullet can help delay the game and control until I win, but sometimes just one isn't enough. The new Cabal Therapist can help me dump out multiples of a card all at the same time. I can dump out all of infect's pump cards they have multiples of, or all the serum visions from control, or friggin Manamorphose. The card is brutal as long as you're patient. Fairgrounds Warden is the next of my silver bullets, and is back to being amazing in the current meta. It can mess with so many creatures like Thing in the Ice
or Arclight Phoenix. With Deputy of Detention or Spell Queller. The list goes on and on, creatures are back to being extremely relevant in the meta, with almost no creatureless decks left in modern. Next we have Militia Bugler. This card is do damn good. When I have nothing, it can get me to a combo piece or bullet. When I have something, it can get me to the next piece I need to win. But most hilariously, if it lands off a Collected Company, I just got to look through the top ten cards of my library, put two creatures in play, and one in my hand. Seems legit. Phyrexian Revoker is the last silver bullet. It is my Pithing Needle, Sorcerous Spyglass, or Meddling Mage. It would be on the sideboard, but it is not multicolored, so it has to stay. But most often game one it ends up being surprisingly useful, there is a reason Tezzeret Control or "Lanternless" is able to close out games with these cards. Everything is activated these days, it's crazy.
Now we get to the fancy jazz in the main board. First up is Rhonas the Indomitable. This guy is amazing to include in the deck without comboing him, he ads a pump and an evasion to any creature I've got the mana to support. Putting it on a Kitchen Finks for instance, activates the both of them as powerful tramplers. It's fun. But the main reason it's in there is for the infinite mana combo with Vizier of Remedies and Devoted Druid. With those two plus Rhonas the Indomitable, I can pump any of my normally unassuming creatures on the board into lethal damage with trample. I win a lot of games by using that exact method. Another card that does a similar thing is Shalai, Voice of Plenty. With the infinite green mana, she can pump all my creatures up as much as I want, but unfortunately without any invasion. Enough to seal the deal against some decks, but not all. She's mainly in there for her main ability, though, protecting me and my other creatures is often crucial. She has that win con as a back-up, but she most often lands on defense which is perfectly fine, and appreciated. The last card to combo off in the deck with the infinite mana is Walking Ballista. This guy can come in with "infinite" counters, and do "infinite" damage with it's activated ability, as long as I have the infinite mana combo set up. But more importantly, as I've learned by playing this deck forever, it can also be a pretty effective spot removal. With just 4 mana, it can be kept alive as a 1/1 killer, which is actually extremely valuable in the current meta. I have lost a few games in my time to a creature that I didn't think would be able to go off, but absolutely did the next turn. The lesson is to kill the opponents creature with the Walking Ballista as soon as I can, even if that means I don't get to use it for the infinite mana combo later on. It's literally always worth it.
The land pack is mostly self-explanatory. I have some bullets in the lands, like Bojuka Bog or Field of Ruin to fill in the gaps of interactive magic. Dryad Arbor is a fetchable creature that comes in handy way more than most would think, there are often times where I need a blocker for just one more turn. It can also be pumped by Gavony Township which is fun. That one's there just to give the deck the extremely important back-up win con of just attacking for the win. It's actually suprisingly effective. It turns the deck from an almost spell combo feel, to oh wait, I can just attack for two.
Finally, we have the side. Abrupt Decay, Assassin's Trophy, and Maelstrom Pulse are there when I need them. I usually leave them on the side for all matches, because they aren't creatures and not everyone plays permanents that I absolutely need to destroy very often. Tidehollow Sculler is a badass, usually comes in for Phyrexian Revoker, but is also sometimes rarely wished for game one if I really need it. Kaya's Wrath and Fracturing Gust are board sweeps for when I'm way behind, and those usually both also stay on the side and are wished for when I need them. Kambal, Consul of Allocation is really good against decks that want to play spells over and over and over again, like Burn, Phoenix, Tezzeret Control, things of that nature. It helps make them make harder decisions, and keep the game at a more even pace. He sometimes comes in the main, game two, usually for something like Melira, Sylvok Outcast or Phyrexian Revoker, depending on the matchup. Anafenza, the Foremost is finally relevant again, taking on decks like Phoenix or Dredge with ease. Between her and Bojuka Bog, I usually have no problem with grave hate. She sometimes comes in the main for game two, with those same substitutions. Impromptu Raid is next (thank you again, very much, lagotripha for the suggestion!). It is my version of Duskwatch Recruiter . My problem with including Duskwatch in the main is if I have nothing, Duskwatch does literally nothing and flips over into a useless werewolf, and usually doesn't flip back. I have tried the card out many times, and it just doesn't fit. But the potential is amazing with infinite green mana, I see why everyone's so excited. However, I realize how important that ability is, so I just put mine as a multicolored version on the side. It actually often happens that I'll have the infinite mana combo pieces, and just a Glittering Wish in my hand. Impromptu Raid is perfect because with infinite mana I can play it outright, and activate it until all the cards in my deck are in play with haste. At that point, I can win by comboing for life, damage, or even just attacking. It's pretty brutal. Privileged Position is the last regular card on the sideboard, and it should seem obvious why. So often in this meta, everything is Bolted or Shot or Pathed or Pushed or Dismembered, it's kind of hard to keep three weak creatures out long enough to win. Privileged Position protects my everything, and the decks I'm worried about don't usually have enchantment hate that I need to worry about. It also protects my lands, which is a fun bonus. The last card in the side is Athreos, God of Passage, but I will get into that card more during strategy time.
Okay, time for some strategy. This deck can be a little whacky at first, but with a little practice, you start to see the patterns. First up, it's okay not to play things. Often my strategy in the beginning turn or turns is to just play a fetch and pass. Modern is not as fast as it used to be. Mostly, though, all the creatures in the deck are so weak, you don't want to get excited the moment you have a combo and just start playing cards one by one, because they will get killed one by one. That brings me to the next strategy point: bait them. If you have multiple of a card, play it right away and pretend you're stupid. They will you their bullet and get rid of it, which means they have one less for your cards that really matter. Same with playing the Birds of Paradise. Always play them as often as you can. They have flying for defense, one can never have too much mana in this deck, and if your opponent bolts them like they've read online or seen in a video, you also have one less bullet to worry about for the real creatures. Be as deceptive as you can, play things very slowly and intentionally, never get too excited about the combo. Unless you can dump it all at once, which, of course, do. Just play slowly and patiently, and you'll be surprised with a lot of the synergy that can come out of just treating this deck like a regular ol' creature deck. There's a reason it's in the hatebear family.
Finally, the sneaky strategy. And this one's all new. Game 1 strategy: Wish for God! Athreos, God of Passage is absolutely unbelievable in this deck. Against those that want to Bolt you down, this thing shines. Every time they want to get rid of a creature for good, they have to pay 3 life or you get it back. Unreal! The best part is, it doesn't actually cancel out the persist trigger. Since both triggers happen at the same time, you, as the active player, would get to decide what you want to happen. So whichever result you want, you declare you want to happen second, because of the last in first out rule. This card makes the deck borderline unstoppable. The only reason he isn't mainboard is because technically not all decks have removal spells to mess with you. But game 1 should definitely include this guy if you need him, that's why wishing for Athreos, God of Passage asap is my usual strategy. It turns a bunch of creatures that have nothing to do with each other and barely any power or toughness (worse-case scenario) into threats that an opponent has to seriously consider, each and every time. Game 2 in this kind of match-up I have him in the main (for one of the two usual substitutes), and I usually wish for Privileged Position as soon as I can. The two of those together offer so much protection and threat at the same time, they have really turned the Glittering Company meta around.
Well, thank you everyone for reading, I really appreciate all the comments and help over the years. One last thing. I saw Leyline Prowler get spoiled, and started ruling. I really want to include it somewhere, probably on the side, I'm just not sure what to take out! What do you all think?
Suggestions
Updates Add
Hello all and welcome to the latest update! So many new cards and shifts have added to the meta over the last couple months, so I've finally updated the deck to a point where I feel like it's ready for the current landscape. Let's just get right into it! Here's all the new stuff, and why:
The first major update was to reduce both Chord of Calling and Glittering Wish by 1 each. The thinking was Collected Company is the main spell that needs to stay at 4, but the others just augment. I wondered if I could reduce the spell count in favor of more creatures, and more favorable Collected Company piles, and I was right.
Grand Abolisher is the best protection card I could have. It stops counterspells and removal on my turn, and also shuts down abilities. For just 2 mana on such a powerful card, it fits along with what I'm wanting to get out of my cards these days: something powerful that once landed, actually changes the course of the game. It's not just some single spot removal or hand disruption, it's there to shake it up until removed.
Skrelv, Defector Mite was an easy replacement for Giver of Runes. The only thing I lose is the ability to grant my creatures protection from colorless. But I now gain a further backup poison counter plan, in tandem with Ajani, Sleeper Agent.
Elvish Reclaimer is an amazing 1 drop, like Skrelv, Defector Mite, Hexdrinker, Birds of Paradise, and the combo pieces. That's great because it works so well in the current Ranger-Captain of Eos package I currently have going, for the sake of Walking Ballista. It also works amazing with the new addition discussed right below. But as a 1 for a 3/4, that can also search me lands to win the game with, it's quite the banger.
The newest combo in the deck is lead by Titania, Voice of Gaea
Meld, and Argoth, Sanctum of Nature
Meld. Working hand in hand with Elvish Reclaimer, she is another 3/4 body, like Endurance, that gets a surprising amount of work done. With just two cards, the combo can nearly end the game by just resolving. And it can definitely end it if I have infinite mana already going. The lands are made that much more reliable for both Titania, Voice of Gaea
Meld and Elvish Reclaimer by our planeswalkers of amazing power level, Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler and Grist, the Hunger Tide.
Endurance is just an amazing card overall. Can shuffle my gy back, in case of mill, removal, or counterspells. Can also be gy hate at instant speed. Super well costed, and great power and toughness stats. Way better than something like Bojuka Bog.
Grist, the Hunger Tide is my all-star removal specialist. Instead of one and done disruption things like Kitesail Freebooter or Skyclave Apparition, Grist sticks around to keep removing things as long as you balance it out with the self mill and creature creation. And in this case, that's a benefit, to maybe get lands in the gy faster, on top of going through the deck faster. I literally almost always use the +1 immediately. I used to think I couldn't handle the mill, but it actually ends up filtering my draws, like Mosswort Bridge.
That should be it for the most part, let me know if you have any questions in the comments!!
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| Top Ranked |
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| Date added | 9 years |
| Last updated | 5 days |
| Exclude colors | UR |
| Legality | This deck is Modern legal. |
| Rarity (main - side) | 20 - 5 Mythic Rares 24 - 6 Rares 8 - 4 Uncommons 4 - 0 Commons |
| Cards | 60 |
| Avg. CMC | 2.31 |
| Tokens | Eldrazi Spawn 0/1 C, Emblem Ajani, Sleeper Agent, Energy Reserve, Food, Illusion X/X U, Insect 1/1 BG, Squirrel 1/1 G |
| Folders | modern, decks, Wanna build, Modern decks, Nice Decks, Modern, Modern, Ideas, Interesting Decks, Pretty Neat |
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