Mox opal replacement
Modern forum
Posted on Sept. 14, 2019, 11:20 a.m. by LukeEffe
Hi,
I'm trying to build an hardened scales deck. Sadly I can't and I'll never be able to afford any Mox Opal . I already own almost all of the cards and I'm looking for a budget replacement for MO. I know it will never be the same power level, so please avoi comments like "don't play the deck without it" or "there is no replcement". One thing I was thinking is Mox Tantalite .
Thanks :)
Mox Amber might be useful if you have a lot of legendary perms
September 14, 2019 12:08 p.m.
Mox Tantalite seems like a bad replacement; it just can't produce explosive openings like Mox Opal does and it gets even worse if you draw it later on.
I'm afraid I don't have anything constructive to add beyond what SynergyBuild said.
September 14, 2019 1:02 p.m.
multimedia says... #5
Springleaf Drum suggested by SynergyBuild could be a good replacement. You need the replacement to make colored mana so you can keep the land count lower why still having enough green sources for Scales. Drum can be used to make mana if you have a creature the turn it's played which is important.
I don't think you need 4x of Drum though. It's not as efficient like Mox where you can tap it to make mana and then play another one and make more mana. I guess technically you could with Drum if you have more creatures, but that's asking a lot.
Ornithopter since it costs zero and modular as well as Overseer can put a counter on it could work well with Drum.
September 14, 2019 7:26 p.m.
RNR_Gaming says... #6
It's really hard to make suggestions on replacements for such a central piece of the deck. If you're not playing tournments I'd say just proxy the 4 up and if you're trying to play in bigger tournments maybe skip a few and save up for some moxs or join into like a card sharing pool. Some lgs's have em or you're just gunna end up having to slot in tech cards from your board to take their place.
September 14, 2019 7:33 p.m.
wallisface says... #7
I wouldn't be too worried to be honest. Opal isn't as important in Hardened-Scales as it has been in other Affinity decks. Despite having a playset of them, i'm only running 2 in my current scales deck. They tend to take longer to activate than old-affinity, and there's generally less of a big payoff. If you don't have the cash for opals, i wouldn't be rushing to find some other mana ramp... just use more of the other goodstuff the deck runs
September 15, 2019 2:26 a.m.
Thanks everybody for the advices, I think Ornithopter + Springleaf Drum is a nice patch. Given I don't play tournament but only with friends I don't really need any high powerlevel. We don't allow proxies and don't even sideboard. I just want to be "competitive" against their most aggressive decks: a canopy-less bogles, a fetch-less burn, tron without 2 karns and titanshift. The other decks are just some wacky dekcs. Mox Amber sadly would be a dead permanent on the field since I don't have any legendary.
September 15, 2019 4:56 a.m.
I was thinking of some totally different roles like more creatures with x counter sinergies like: Chimeric Mass Endless One The upcoming stonecoil serpent Vastwood Hydra which is kinda cast-able and has a sort of modular effect or just Cranial Plating .
What you all think?
September 15, 2019 5:18 a.m.
wallisface says... #10
LukeEffe well you might just need to add in some more lands for some of those mox slots, depending what your current land count is.
I can recommend Scavenging Ooze as probably the best non-artifact creature that could fit - but that does mean you’ll end up playing slower, grindier games. Ornithopter would be the best “i’m going to sac this to ravager anyway” replacement - which is oftentimes Mox’s role anyway
September 17, 2019 5:24 p.m.
wallisface for sure I won't be as fast as I would be opals. I like your suggestions, I think I'll try both(alternated f course). Ooze seems nice if I have already sac'ed something to ravager or if something gets removed. An thopter is a chump blocker or fodder for the ravager
September 18, 2019 3:12 a.m.
dingusdingo says... #12
While not ideal for the of a Hardened Scales deck, in SOME lists a Simian Spirit Guide can be a strong accelerator, and is worth checking out.
September 21, 2019 2:52 a.m.
Jeweled amulet from ice age works well if you pull it turn 1 with a land.
SynergyBuild says... #2
Lands, otherwise you can use Springleaf Drum , more Welding Jar s, etc. What is your list so I can see?
September 14, 2019 11:29 a.m.