Bant Blink in Modern, Looking for Suggestions!
Deck Help forum
Posted on Feb. 22, 2015, 10:01 p.m. by Femme_Fatale
This is a Bant Blink Control deck, that utilizes ETB triggers of my creatures to generate extra value beyond a single spell for any situation.
I'm just looking for a little bit of general deck help and suggestions. I've been doing lots of playtesting and believe I have made this deck to be as powerful as it can be, but there will always be things that I've missed that others will notice. Perhaps weaknesses against certain match ups or hidden silver bullets, things like that. So me asking for general help is just basically me hoping that someone will notice a drastic improvement to this deck that I've missed (which is unlikely, but it does happen).
Please keep in mind that I'll shoot down suggestions if they don't have a good enough explanation as to why. Things like, the best method to play the card in and which cards should be best removed for them etc etc, are all good explanations.
Oh, and please read the deck description before you go and suggestion something or say to take something out. I listening to reasoning and evidence more than anything else. But other than that, thanks for the suggestions in advance~
notamardybum says... #3
can be abused with blink effects, and is a big body against guys like Siege Rhino
February 22, 2015 10:16 p.m.
Femme_Fatale says... #4
I used to run Thragtusk notamardybum, but I removed him for Akroma, Angel of Fury. Thragtusk doesn't actually stop Abzan at all, and falls completely flat to anything with red. As a finisher, it just doesn't cut it.
February 22, 2015 10:20 p.m.
Femme_Fatale says... #5
It is either Sphinx's Revelation or Harmonize bigguy99. And I didn't like Harmonize because I couldn't EOT with it. This deck needs some form of control match-up draw.
And the reason I don't like Remand or Mana Leak is that the potential for them to be a Time Walk or a Counterspell respectively doesn't outshine the fact that they just do not work very well in this deck. Games go on for quite a while, and Path to Exile 2-5 times in a game guarantees that both have limited impact in this deck. The thing is, this deck can't afford to just stall the opponent for a turn or two. It needs to have a HARD answer, because the amount of hard answers that are in this deck are limited. If I'm stalling the opponent for a turn, then I'm almost guaranteed to not have answer to it after I stalled for that turn. And this is coming from experience in playing this deck. I'm siding out Remand time and time again because it just doesn't work as a hard counter, and becomes wasted space against the decks that I need hard counters for. The reason why I still run Remand is because of the card draw and its interaction with Eternal Witness. I can essentially draw 2-3 cards out of one Remand.There's no other reason why I'm still keeping it.
As for more Restoration Angels, she doesn't stop abzan. Unless you know of a better finisher that can deal with abzan soon enough, I'll be keeping Akroma, Angel of Fury in the main. So far I've been able to flip her early in all the games I've used her, so I'm not too terribly worried. And she's wonderful to put the clock on combo and Utron after dropping Blood Moon.
February 22, 2015 11:07 p.m.
You could always run a fourth Mystic Snake for more control. I'm also not liking Finks main. It doesn't really do enough. Seems like nothing more than a staller, which doesn't seem like much.
February 22, 2015 11:27 p.m.
VampireArmy says... #7
I mean this with no disrespect at all but to me it seems like you're not very good at playing counterspells. Again I'm not saying this to be mean or degrade you but there are a plethora of control decks that pack leak and remand with path to exile. The trick is only prioritizing spells in a way that makes it less of a problem. I think you're making a huge mistake playing 3 mana counters where others will be paying 2. It's a huge disadvantage no matter what since turn 2 is huge for aggro decks while the control decks will just out counter you
February 22, 2015 11:28 p.m.
with all the spells available I could see Snapcaster Mage being a great blink target
February 22, 2015 11:32 p.m.
Femme_Fatale says... #9
Read the deck description hisoka.
You are probably right on the counterspell thing VampireArmy, I'm more used to playing against them in combo and aggressive decks rather than using them. Here's what I'm thinking: Removing Dissolve entirely for Remand, Momentary Blink and Restoration Angel/Ghostly Flicker/Mystic Snake. It would ease bigguy99's worries a little.
I'm also kinda of thinking of removing Sylvan Caryatid for a one drop like Noble Hierarch, but I really need that Blood Moon in the sideboard :x
I had nbarry223 suggest Worship to me. And now my mind is flying in too many directions. If I put in Worship (replacing Supreme Verdict), I'd no longer have the need for Kitchen Finks main nor 2 Sphinx's Revelation main. Sylvan Caryatid would have to stay though. This would allow me to put in 2x Bant Charm/Negate and either a third Worship for consistency or something else. Like a 4th Eternal Witness or a 4th Mystic Snake or another finisher like Sigarda, Host of Herons/Armada Wurm.
The sideboard would completely change too. Kitchen Finks would have to stay in the side thanks to its resiliency against control's wraths, or I could swap it for Twilight Shepherd. Fracturing Gust would no longer be needed. Wilt-Leaf Liege would no longer be needed. Polymorphist's Jest would no longer be needed. I could put in proper sideboard cards like Vendilion Clique as a two of and ... I don't even know what else I should put in the side! Some proper hate against targetable discard spells. Perhaps Leyline of Sanctity. Hmm, this is what I'm thinking for my sideboard: 3x Blood Moon, 2x Kitchen Finks, 1x Twilight Shepherd, 3x Leyline of Sanctity, 2x Sigarda, Host of Herons, 2x Thrun, the Last Troll and 1x Worship.
Course, this is all speculation. I just realized that Worship seems really good right now, no one is really running much enchantment removal since pod got banned.
February 23, 2015 4:19 a.m.
Femme_Fatale says... #12
Kay. What are your thoughts on the changes? With something to look forward to, tempo counterspells are much more appealing. I appreciate knowing that I could draw into Worship with my Remands now.
February 23, 2015 6:15 p.m.
What are you trying to do with Bant Charm? It's flexible but doesn't seem that great overall.
February 23, 2015 7:17 p.m.
Femme_Fatale says... #14
I use it because it would still have value after plopping down Worship or to plop it down. It can counter a counterspell or enchantment removal during the Worship play or remove early game Wurmcoil Engines/Splinter Twin targets/Bloom Titan pieces. Flexibility is the main reason.
February 23, 2015 9:31 p.m.
It's probably your weakest link. I don't think some Snapcaster Mages or Vendilion Cliques would be that bad.
February 23, 2015 9:35 p.m.
Femme_Fatale says... #16
Bant Charm has been replaced for Mangara of Corondor, bigguy99!
Now what does everyone think of the list so far?
February 25, 2015 5:37 p.m.
Femme_Fatale says... #18
BE MORE CONFIDANT MAN! SAY IT WITH PRIDE AND POWER!
February 25, 2015 5:54 p.m.
Femme_Fatale says... #20
Okay, someone suggested Mulldrifter to me and I'm liking it better than Sphinx's Revelation. Now running this may be enough cause for me to run Ghostway. If I do, both would have to be at 3, and I'd have to put in a 4th Mystic Snake to make up for the loss of instant speed etb effects (Ghostway does not provide instant speed etb effects). That means, besides Sphinx's Revelation going, I'd need to remove 5 other cards. I could perhaps only put in 2 Ghostways and put one in the sideboard to deal with wraths (replacing Twilight Shepherd). However I'd still need to remove 4 cards. I was thinking 2 Ghostly Flickers, 1 Cloudshift and 1 Momentary Blink however Ghostly Flicker is quite potent with the more creatures I have in this deck.
bigguy99 says... #2
I would try to get more effects that give you advantage without relying on the creatures. Maybe another Remand as more tempo? Against the Abzan decks churning out one threat a turn it's basically a Time Walk. I also don't think Sphinx's Revelation deserves to be at two since it just costs so much mana. And you know I don't agree with Dissolve. Shufflers giving you late Mana Leaks shouldn't be a reason to not run them when they have the potential to be Counterspell. They're really only bad against hard control (which you sort of lose to anyway) since they can get countered back. I would also like to see more Restoration Angel despite the fact that it costs 4 mana. Maybe cut an Akroma, Angel of Fury? It does require something to flip it, after all.
February 22, 2015 10:13 p.m.