[Deck] Solidarity

[kombatkiwi]

Frantic search would have been better but is also impacted by fluster.

CMC 3 for non creature spells is a bummer.
The lack of built-in cantrip might be the "no go" but only tests will tell (fizzling during the ombo turn as the card cannot be recycled).

However it adds a line of play against opposite counter decks if you have at least 4 islands in play:

1) Play HT. Tap all your mana. (6 mana in pool)
2) Play Reset -> this is the first counter attempt (4 mana in pool)
3) Play Unwind to counter (1 mana in pool tap again all the untapped island before resolving Reset -> 9 mana in pool) then play Meditate
or
3) Reset was not countered -> Play Meditate (1 mana in pool 4 island untapped)-> this is usually another counter attempt
4) Play Unwind to protect your Meditate


If someone wants to include this card, I think he has to get rid of the Snapcaster engine but I might be wrong at this point.

Here again this is pure theory crafting...

In both of the spots you are talking about Rewind also works.
3 mana vs 4 does make it a better card in non-combo turns but I don't know if it's a big enough improvement.

[Ralf]

In both of the spots you are talking about Rewind also works.
3 mana vs 4 does make it a better card in non-combo turns but I don't know if it's a big enough improvement.

Rewind hits every spells and it was not even played...
Anyway for the sake of it, I tried to put kind of a list together.

More to come after some testing.

[Technics]

@ Ricardio: I'm afraid Silent Requiem is totally correct. The more "tanking" pieces you add, the more you'll drive up your fizzle rate. Which is kind of really sad.

This is why I'm not suggesting to change the MD (which is settled down for me at the moment).

I did a lot of testing against the meta last christmas and here is where I am.
Sideboard is still under brewing as unfortunately I didn't find the correct 15 to be able to fight back G2 or G3.

My G1 win rate is still very good, though (except against tempo decks where it is pretty even).

2 Misty Rainforest
2 Polluted Delta
3 Flooded Strand
11 Island

3 Snapcaster Mage

1 Blue Sun's Zenith
1 Brain Freeze
2 Snap
2 Remand
2 Repeal
3 Spell Pierce
4 Brainstorm
4 Force of Will
4 High Tide
4 Impulse
4 Meditate
4 Opt
4 Reset

SB: 1 Flusterstorm
SB: 2 Vedalken Shackles
SB: 2 Ratchet Bomb
SB: 2 Relic of Progenitus
SB: 4 Daze
SB: 4 Thing in the Ice


The major 2 changes MD were cutting 2 flusterstorm and turnabout for 3 spell pierce. I also cut an Island for another fetch.
There are too many cards not hit by fluster right now, whereas spell pierce is a real contender.
Eventually, playing 3 spell pierce helped me to delay the combo turn even further so that turnabout is no longer needed.

G2 and G3 the plan is to cut the following (depending on the MU):

- 4 High Tide
- 4 Reset
- 1 Brain Freeze
- 1 BSZ
- 0/2 Remand
- 2/3 Meditate
- 1/2 Impulse

So you take out 15 cards for 15 cards in.

I'm not totally happy with the sideboard. Titi is amazing but gets hit by REB, Decay (G3) and very often surgical extracted (G2/G3) which leaves me with very few wincons.
If I play less than 4 you'll end up not having enough spells to play sometimes to transform him in a timely fashion.

My next step is to try to include 4 Delver along with Titi.

Regards,

Ralf

I tried your main deck last night -1 Repeal, -2 Island, +1 Snapcaster, +2 Volc and a SB of 4 Delver, 4 Titi, 4 Lightning Bolt, 3 Price of Progress. Went 2-1 beating Burn and Grixis Delver, and losing to Grixis Delver. With a red splash Titi might want to be pyromancer as Titi bouncing my own delver was a real issue and at one point I just let my Titi die to an angler instead of flipping cause I needed the Delver to hit for lethal.

[Ralf]

I tried your main deck last night -1 Repeal, -2 Island, +1 Snapcaster, +2 Volc and a SB of 4 Delver, 4 Titi, 4 Lightning Bolt, 3 Price of Progress. Went 2-1 beating Burn and Grixis Delver, and losing to Grixis Delver. With a red splash Titi might want to be pyromancer as Titi bouncing my own delver was a real issue and at one point I just let my Titi die to an angler instead of flipping cause I needed the Delver to hit for lethal.

Hello,

Nice.
Not sure how a transformed Titi could not be lethal on an empty board or I missed something in your report.
If Titi flips there is usually no other creature on the board and a 7/8 is hard to be dealt with (save the pyroblast).

Splashing for another color was considered but this is a high risk/high reward option. With two duals in your deck there will be games (both MD and SB) where you are screwed by a single wasteland:
1) MD: screwed because you lost a land to a wasteland delaying your combo turn or your ability to dig further
2) SB: screwed because your hand is full of red spells and you cannot cast them

The more you add red spells in your SB, the more you'll end up facing 2)

You can add a basic moutain to your SB plan if it is the path you've chosen to go.

Anyway, thank for buying into the idea of a "transforming SB plan". This will catch-up by surprise numerous opponents.

The more interesting matches will always be the ones where you lost G1 and won G2. The amount of "bluff" required for G3 is really really high: should you stay combo or aggro or even spiciest 50/50 !!!

Looking forward to reading more of your reports !

Regards,

Ralf

[Technics]

Hello,

Nice.
Not sure how a transformed Titi could not be lethal on an empty board or I missed something in your report.
If Titi flips there is usually no other creature on the board and a 7/8 is hard to be dealt with (save the pyroblast).

Splashing for another color was considered but this is a high risk/high reward option. With two duals in your deck there will be games (both MD and SB) where you are screwed by a single wasteland:
1) MD: screwed because you lost a land to a wasteland delaying your combo turn or your ability to dig further
2) SB: screwed because your hand is full of red spells and you cannot cast them

The more you add red spells in your SB, the more you'll end up facing 2)

You can add a basic moutain to your SB plan if it is the path you've chosen to go.

Anyway, thank for buying into the idea of a "transforming SB plan". This will catch-up by surprise numerous opponents.

The more interesting matches will always be the ones where you lost G1 and won G2. The amount of "bluff" required for G3 is really really high: should you stay combo or aggro or even spiciest 50/50 !!!

Looking forward to reading more of your reports !

Regards,

Ralf

He was swinging for lethal, so bouncing his board in combat would have let him replay and kill me the next turn.

I'm not worried about the Volc's main I played Tropical Island back in the day for Grip/Autumn's Veil circa 2008 and never had a major issue (in an even more wasteland infested meta than we have now). The splash is usually worth it in my experience, though I agree, Pyromancer is too big a risk on only 2 Duals, and I don't like going past two in this deck.

Probably not going to be pulling this back out again soon as the SB plan really has to be unexpected so you can't jam it every week.

[l33twash0r]

So anybody gonna try once again winning on opponents turn now that DRS and Probe are gone?

[JDK]

Not until we get Frantic Search, unfortunately.

[GoldenCid]

So anybody gonna try once again winning on opponents turn now that DRS and Probe are gone?

I´ll do so in a couple of weeks. But with traditional built.
Suggestions are welcomed

[Ralf]

With DRS ban and an expected slowing down of the format, I would play something really straight forward such as:

2 Brain Freeze
2 Snap
2 Polluted Delta
4 Force of Will
2 Misty Rainforest
4 Flooded Strand
4 High Tide
4 Impulse
3 Snapcaster Mage
3 Meditate
4 Opt
3 Remand
4 Brainstorm
4 Reset
3 Cunning Wish
11 Island
1 Turnabout

SB: 1 Sapphire Medallion
SB: 3 Disrupt
SB: 1 Brain Freeze
SB: 1 Snap
SB: 1 Flusterstorm
SB: 1 Meditate
SB: 1 Blue Sun's Zenith
SB: 1 Rebuild
SB: 1 Echoing Truth
SB: 1 Hurkyl's Recall
SB: 1 Evacuation
SB: 2 Ravenous Trap

[GoldenCid]

I.d runturnabout instead of saphire inside.

Disrupt is so sweet. Maybe i will give it a try md.

What about unwind instead of remand?

[Ralf]

I.d runturnabout instead of saphire inside.

Disrupt is so sweet. Maybe i will give it a try md.

What about unwind instead of remand?

Sapphire is a tech against drazi/stompy and D&T. It earned its slot.
It tried unwind-> not good enough.
Disrupt is for tempo decks, not really a MD material TBH.

[jiazhouhuaqiao]

Predict being reprinted in Commander 2018 has me wondering if it's time to revisit this classic Solidarity card? Since the last time it saw play there's been a damn lot of Scry effects printed. This and Thirst for Knowledge are the two cards that I keep looking to find a way to use.

[MDHackbert]

Any chance we want Mission Briefing from GRN? It is instant speed.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

[Poron]

Counterbalance and black are everywhere.. anyway Mission Briefing is totally a piece for this deck

It just duplicate Resets and Snap into Snapcaster Mage into more storm sweetness

[GoldenCid]

Maybe as a 1 of?

Recurssion could be sweet.

[jiazhouhuaqiao]

yes, so far its the only GRN card that's caught my eye for Solidarity. Same as Snapcaster, but Surveil 2 instead of a 2/1 creature. Casting from graveyard is on paper superior to flashback since you can cast by alternative costs (i.e. Force of Will).

If only the jump start cards were more competitively costed.

[8bit9mm]

Sapphire is a tech against drazi/stompy and D&T. It earned its slot.
It tried unwind-> not good enough.
Disrupt is for tempo decks, not really a MD material TBH.

Why not Baral instead of Medalion?
Cost-reduces everything you'd care about.
It's not like Eldrazi or DnT will have removal against you.
It blocks in a pinch.
It's another Snap target.

Also, Briefing is real. I took the list that recently 5-0'd for a spin on MtGO and the deck felt stronk.

For the unawares:

[Ralf]

Why not Baral instead of Medalion?
Cost-reduces everything you'd care about. I
t's not like Eldrazi or DnT will have removal against you.
It blocks in a pinch.
It's another Snap target.

Also, Briefing is real. I took the list that recently 5-0'd for a spin on MtGO and the deck felt stronk.

For the unawares:

Baral can be considered.

I dislike that he fears Karakas / REB effect / removal (even though they are cutting some removal, interacting with Snapcaster + Snap is a very good way to stop us).

Up to you after all.

[8bit9mm]

Baral can be considered.

I dislike that he fears Karakas / REB effect / removal (even though they are cutting some removal, interacting with Snapcaster + Snap is a very good way to stop us).

Up to you after all.

It was just a thought.
Karakas is something i didn't think about.
I don't think I'd bring him in against anything with REB effects.

[Kanti]

Why not Baral instead of Medalion?
Cost-reduces everything you'd care about.
It's not like Eldrazi or DnT will have removal against you.
It blocks in a pinch.
It's another Snap target.

Also, Briefing is real. I took the list that recently 5-0'd for a spin on MtGO and the deck felt stronk.

For the unawares:

Nice, definitely gonna comment for just having the balls to run this online. List has some interesting choices, but it looks like 99% close to the latest list I played some years ago. You cut the Brain Freeze's from the main-deck which can be good or bad, and slapped in 4 Opts and 1 Peek. You run 19 lands, which is great, I've been on 19 lands for what feels like forever with this deck, never liked how 18 felt. How was Mission Briefing? Any time you liked it more than Snapcaster Mage, or do you wish you had gone 4/1 split, rather than 2/3 split? It looks very good, but scry2 is not THAT much better, it can't chump block, cant put a clock on your opponent, and has no play with Snap. Would have been a nice effect to have with DRS around, and is probably very nice with dealing with Surgicals coming out of the sideboard, but I'm not sure the effect is better than a 2/1 body. Opt has gotten a lot more credit in Modern over these last couple of years. Crazy to think a foil is now like $35. I fell in love with VoB a little, but if you aren't running BF main then Opt it is. I might lean towards a 3/2 split with Peek since we all know how strong Gitaxian Probe was for it's effect, but scry 1 is scry 1.

Last list I ran was -3 Briefing, -4 Peek, -1 Opt, -1 Meditate, -1 Search, +4 VoB, +2 Brain Freeze, +2 Snapcaster Mage, +1 Snap, +1 FoW. Not really that different at all, just running Brain Freeze main-deck since I first started playing and feel the printing of Snapcaster Mage made it a lot more powerful to MD. A lot of games that go long that a Mage->Freeze->Mage let you win without trying to go too big.

How was it like having no Meditate to wish for? Been running #4 in the SB for a long time, but maybe it's time to bring it back in the MD. Zenith is sometimes a tad bit expensive. Also, was Azcanta any good? Seems saucy, but like every other non-instant a dead draw mid-combo, which alongisde 19 lands, 3 FoW, and 3 Flusters can make you fizzle.