art138
05-30-2013, 06:41 AM
In my quest to find/develop unfair decks post-Seething Song ban, I have arrived at a list that very much wants to be the Modern format equivalent of Legacy Sneak and Show. This deck is based off of an Owen Turtenwald list from 2011 (here (http://www.channelfireball.com/home/owens-a-win-channeling-my-inner-conley)), with changes made to increase speed and efficiency. Below is my most recent build:
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4 Misty Rainforest (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Misty%20Rainforest)
4 Scalding Tarn (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Scalding%20Tarn)
1 Breeding Pool (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Breeding%20Pool)
1 Temple Garden (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Temple%20Garden)
1 Steam Vents (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Steam%20Vents)
1 Watery Grave (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Watery%20Grave)
1 Stomping Ground (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Stomping%20Ground)
1 Hallowed Fountain (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Hallowed%20Fountain)
1 Overgrown Tomb (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Overgrown%20Tomb)
1 Forest (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Forest)
1 Island (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Island)
1 Mountain (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Mountain)
4 Fist of Suns (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Fist%20of%20Suns)
4 Pentad Prism (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Pentad%20Prism)
4 Deathrite Shaman (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Deathrite%20Shaman)
4 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Emrakul,%20the%20Aeons%20Torn)
4 Simian Spirit Guide (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Simian%20Spirit%20Guide)
2 Worldspine Wurm (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Worldspine%20Wurm)
4 Ancient Stirrings (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Ancient%20Stirrings)
4 Channel the Suns (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Channel%20the%20Suns)
4 Gitaxian Probe (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Gitaxian%20Probe)
4 Serum Visions (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Serum%20Visions)
4 Through the Breach
(http://deckbox.org/mtg/Through%20the%20Breach)
Sideboard:
2 Boseiju, Who Shelters All (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Boseiju,%20Who%20Shelters%20All)
2 Defense Grid (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Defense%20Grid)
4 Leyline of Sanctity (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Leyline%20of%20Sanctity)
4 Lightning Bolt (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Lightning%20Bolt)
3 Pyroclasm (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Pyroclasm)
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First off, the 'must haves' of the deck:
Fist of Suns - This card, paired with Emrakul, is the primary win condition of the deck. An ideal sequence is turn two Pentad Prism, turn three Fist of Suns, followed by turn four hard-cast Emrakul.
Pentad Prism - Probably the best mana accelerant in the format. Pentad Prism enables turn three Through the Breach and along with Fist of Suns, turn four Emrakul.
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn - If you could hard-cast any card on turn four, what card would that be? Omniscience is what first comes to mind, but Emrakul is pretty good, too, and thus it is this deck's win condition of choice. This deck can CAST Emrakul as early as turn four, and with an extra turn after, there are not many answers in the format for an attacking Emrakul before your opponent's fourth or fifth turn.
Simian Spirit Guide - This card could arguably not be a must-include, but if we want to cast Through the Breach on turn three, we need fast mana. As an uncounterable, free ritual, Simian Spirit Guide works quite nicely for forcing combo pieces through Spell Pierce and Mana Leak. Also, Emrakul only hits for 15; a 2/2 beater is sometimes necessary to finish the job.
Channel the Suns - An otherwise bad, four mana ritual that nets one extra mana is actually pretty good when all your deck wants to do is count to five. Obviously good for accelerating out a turn three Through the Breach, Channel the Suns also provides the one-of-each-color mana fixing we need to abuse Fist of Suns.
Serum Visions - All combo decks need some form of dig. Serum Visions is the best that we have available to us, so we play four.
Through the Breach - Last, but certainly not least, our secondary win condition. Should it resolve, Through the Breach (putting in Emrakul), on turn three or four is absolutely devastating and usually enough to win.
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Everything else:
Deathrite Shaman - Our dual purpose mana accelerator and post-Through the Breach killer. Owen chose Lightning Bolt as his means of finishing off opponents and buying time against aggro, but a lot has changed since 2011, and I think the unrivaled versatility of Deathrite Shaman is perfect for this deck. I think if he were to revisit the deck, he would agree.
Worldspine Wurm - If we could play more Emrakuls, we would, but Worldspine Wurm hits just as hard and has neat synergy with Through the Breach's end-of-turn sacrifice requirement. It's worth noting that Path to Exile is a blow-out to this line of play, but there's only so much we can do. Play around it if you can.
Ancient Stirrings - Owen chose Time of Need as a means of finding Emrakul, but the fact of the matter is that it's slow and a bit narrow in terms of application. What if we already have Emrakul in hand? Combo decks never want dead cards and Ancient Stirrings is never dead as it can find all major combo pieces (Pentad Prism, Fist of Suns, Emrakul). Worst case scenario, it hits a land (this build plays less lands than Owen's, so it can be relevant).
Gitaxian Probe - A deck as all-in as this one needs some way of knowing whether or not it is safe to cast its key spells. Duress and/or Thoughtseize are possible replacements, but we are going for speed, so a free cantrip that provides perfect information is what I have chosen to play. Provides a very easy slot for sideboard cards in matchups where we are not worried about what the opponent might have in hand.
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Sideboard:
Boseiju, Who Shelters All - There are two things that give this deck fits: hand disruption and countermagic. For the latter, Boseiju provides a free, uncounterable solution. Nothing is more satisfying than sneaking Through the Breach past an opponent's hand full of countermagic. It is very easy for this deck to operate off of three lands in matchups where the opponent is planning on relying on countermagic vs a fast clock as a means of interacting with us, and thus, playing around Tectonic Edge shouldn't be an issue. I usually board out the Forest and Mountain for the two of these.
Defense Grid - Another answer for countermagic, Defense Grid demands that the opponent burn a counter immediately or have an exorbitant amount of mana available to henceforth counter our spells. Along with Boseiju, we can also find this with Ancient Stirrings, should we need it.
Leyline of Sanctity - Needless to say, we do NOT want our opponent tearing apart our hand. This can also provide a free win against some burn builds (we can race burn otherwise, but we definitely don't need Gitaxian Probe against them, so bringing this in is painless).
Lightning Bolt - Added reach, should we need it post-Through the Breach. Also kills relevant hatebears (Thalia, Gaddock Teeg) pesky flying blockers, and things that should generally be killed right away (planeswalkers, Deathrite Shaman, Dark Confidant, etc.).
Pyroclasm - We don't play many creatures, so Pyroclasm is a convenient answer to general turn-creatures-sideways aggro decks.
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I've tested this deck quite a bit and I'm pleased with it enough to share it with you all. Any comments/questions/suggestions are welcome :)
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4 Misty Rainforest (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Misty%20Rainforest)
4 Scalding Tarn (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Scalding%20Tarn)
1 Breeding Pool (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Breeding%20Pool)
1 Temple Garden (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Temple%20Garden)
1 Steam Vents (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Steam%20Vents)
1 Watery Grave (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Watery%20Grave)
1 Stomping Ground (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Stomping%20Ground)
1 Hallowed Fountain (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Hallowed%20Fountain)
1 Overgrown Tomb (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Overgrown%20Tomb)
1 Forest (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Forest)
1 Island (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Island)
1 Mountain (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Mountain)
4 Fist of Suns (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Fist%20of%20Suns)
4 Pentad Prism (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Pentad%20Prism)
4 Deathrite Shaman (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Deathrite%20Shaman)
4 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Emrakul,%20the%20Aeons%20Torn)
4 Simian Spirit Guide (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Simian%20Spirit%20Guide)
2 Worldspine Wurm (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Worldspine%20Wurm)
4 Ancient Stirrings (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Ancient%20Stirrings)
4 Channel the Suns (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Channel%20the%20Suns)
4 Gitaxian Probe (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Gitaxian%20Probe)
4 Serum Visions (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Serum%20Visions)
4 Through the Breach
(http://deckbox.org/mtg/Through%20the%20Breach)
Sideboard:
2 Boseiju, Who Shelters All (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Boseiju,%20Who%20Shelters%20All)
2 Defense Grid (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Defense%20Grid)
4 Leyline of Sanctity (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Leyline%20of%20Sanctity)
4 Lightning Bolt (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Lightning%20Bolt)
3 Pyroclasm (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Pyroclasm)
--------------------------
First off, the 'must haves' of the deck:
Fist of Suns - This card, paired with Emrakul, is the primary win condition of the deck. An ideal sequence is turn two Pentad Prism, turn three Fist of Suns, followed by turn four hard-cast Emrakul.
Pentad Prism - Probably the best mana accelerant in the format. Pentad Prism enables turn three Through the Breach and along with Fist of Suns, turn four Emrakul.
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn - If you could hard-cast any card on turn four, what card would that be? Omniscience is what first comes to mind, but Emrakul is pretty good, too, and thus it is this deck's win condition of choice. This deck can CAST Emrakul as early as turn four, and with an extra turn after, there are not many answers in the format for an attacking Emrakul before your opponent's fourth or fifth turn.
Simian Spirit Guide - This card could arguably not be a must-include, but if we want to cast Through the Breach on turn three, we need fast mana. As an uncounterable, free ritual, Simian Spirit Guide works quite nicely for forcing combo pieces through Spell Pierce and Mana Leak. Also, Emrakul only hits for 15; a 2/2 beater is sometimes necessary to finish the job.
Channel the Suns - An otherwise bad, four mana ritual that nets one extra mana is actually pretty good when all your deck wants to do is count to five. Obviously good for accelerating out a turn three Through the Breach, Channel the Suns also provides the one-of-each-color mana fixing we need to abuse Fist of Suns.
Serum Visions - All combo decks need some form of dig. Serum Visions is the best that we have available to us, so we play four.
Through the Breach - Last, but certainly not least, our secondary win condition. Should it resolve, Through the Breach (putting in Emrakul), on turn three or four is absolutely devastating and usually enough to win.
--------------------------
Everything else:
Deathrite Shaman - Our dual purpose mana accelerator and post-Through the Breach killer. Owen chose Lightning Bolt as his means of finishing off opponents and buying time against aggro, but a lot has changed since 2011, and I think the unrivaled versatility of Deathrite Shaman is perfect for this deck. I think if he were to revisit the deck, he would agree.
Worldspine Wurm - If we could play more Emrakuls, we would, but Worldspine Wurm hits just as hard and has neat synergy with Through the Breach's end-of-turn sacrifice requirement. It's worth noting that Path to Exile is a blow-out to this line of play, but there's only so much we can do. Play around it if you can.
Ancient Stirrings - Owen chose Time of Need as a means of finding Emrakul, but the fact of the matter is that it's slow and a bit narrow in terms of application. What if we already have Emrakul in hand? Combo decks never want dead cards and Ancient Stirrings is never dead as it can find all major combo pieces (Pentad Prism, Fist of Suns, Emrakul). Worst case scenario, it hits a land (this build plays less lands than Owen's, so it can be relevant).
Gitaxian Probe - A deck as all-in as this one needs some way of knowing whether or not it is safe to cast its key spells. Duress and/or Thoughtseize are possible replacements, but we are going for speed, so a free cantrip that provides perfect information is what I have chosen to play. Provides a very easy slot for sideboard cards in matchups where we are not worried about what the opponent might have in hand.
--------------------------
Sideboard:
Boseiju, Who Shelters All - There are two things that give this deck fits: hand disruption and countermagic. For the latter, Boseiju provides a free, uncounterable solution. Nothing is more satisfying than sneaking Through the Breach past an opponent's hand full of countermagic. It is very easy for this deck to operate off of three lands in matchups where the opponent is planning on relying on countermagic vs a fast clock as a means of interacting with us, and thus, playing around Tectonic Edge shouldn't be an issue. I usually board out the Forest and Mountain for the two of these.
Defense Grid - Another answer for countermagic, Defense Grid demands that the opponent burn a counter immediately or have an exorbitant amount of mana available to henceforth counter our spells. Along with Boseiju, we can also find this with Ancient Stirrings, should we need it.
Leyline of Sanctity - Needless to say, we do NOT want our opponent tearing apart our hand. This can also provide a free win against some burn builds (we can race burn otherwise, but we definitely don't need Gitaxian Probe against them, so bringing this in is painless).
Lightning Bolt - Added reach, should we need it post-Through the Breach. Also kills relevant hatebears (Thalia, Gaddock Teeg) pesky flying blockers, and things that should generally be killed right away (planeswalkers, Deathrite Shaman, Dark Confidant, etc.).
Pyroclasm - We don't play many creatures, so Pyroclasm is a convenient answer to general turn-creatures-sideways aggro decks.
--------------------------
I've tested this deck quite a bit and I'm pleased with it enough to share it with you all. Any comments/questions/suggestions are welcome :)