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Thread: Arclight Dega

  1. #1
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    Arclight Dega

    I really like Arclight Phoenix, but didn't feel like playing it in a blue deck. Here's a deck I just took through a league:

    Creatures (12)
    3 Young Pyromancer
    4 Arclight Phoenix
    1 Scourge of Nel Toth
    4 Bedlam Reveler

    Planeswalkers (1)
    1 Liliana, the Last Hope

    Spells (27)
    4 Cabal Therapy
    2 Entomb
    4 Faithless Looting
    3 Fatal Push
    4 Lightning Bolt
    3 Thoughtseize
    1 Dreadbore
    2 Kolaghan's Command
    4 Lingering Souls

    Enchantments (1)
    1 Blood Moon

    Lands (19)
    1 Arid Mesa
    3 Badlands
    4 Bloodstained Mire
    4 Marsh Flats
    2 Mountain
    1 Plateau
    1 Scrubland
    3 Swamp

    Sideboard (15)
    2 Pyroblast
    3 Surgical Extraction
    2 Bitterblossom
    2 Diabolic Edict
    2 Ethersworn Canonist
    2 Marsh Casualties
    1 Null Rod
    1 Blood Moon

    L Goblins
    W Eureka Rector Fit
    L Grixis
    W Grixis
    L Elves

    As you can see it's just a variation on the various Faithless/Pyromancer/Reveler decks. Arclight is nice though. The small entomb package is there because 1) Entomb counts as a spell for Arclight if you need it (and you can grab one with it) and 2) gets Therapy and Souls in a pinch and 3) makes Scourge a nice finisher if tokens aren't going to do it. It's bigger than Tombstalker!

    I don't think I want to play spot removal side -- gotta find room for those Edicts. And probably will go for Echoing Calm in the side as well, gotta watch out for Leyline of the Void Null Rod is intriguing and I want to test it a bit more. The MB blood moon doesn't seem as great these days, but it's a nice SB card for lands etc. There are so many Last Hopes around that Bitterblossom is probably ot playable, at least as a two of -- will try to find some other way to harass Miracles. (Probably just more Last Hopes of my own)

    Other than that, open to suggestions.

  2. #2
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    Re: Arclight Dega

    It might be terrible and too all in, but I really want to like dark ritual into buried alive for 3 Phoenix. I know it's not super constructive to your exact list, but it's a "powerful" thing to think about
    Quote Originally Posted by Richard Cheese View Post
    I've been taking shitty brews and tier 2 decks to tournaments and losing with them for years now. Welcome to the club. We meet for cocktails after round 6.
    Quote Originally Posted by Stevestamopz View Post
    Top quality german restraint there.

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  3. #3
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    Re: Arclight Dega

    Lol I actually thought about that too. I guess you could max unmask for free spell to make 3. And the backup plan could be bloodghast and scourge.

  4. #4

    Re: Arclight Dega

    Quote Originally Posted by Megadeus View Post
    It might be terrible and too all in, but I really want to like dark ritual into buried alive for 3 Phoenix. I know it's not super constructive to your exact list, but it's a "powerful" thing to think about
    Good God, that is so hot. What is the best third spell to do after that?

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    Re: Arclight Dega

    Quote Originally Posted by Zllig View Post
    Good God, that is so hot. What is the best third spell to do after that?
    Like he said, unmask to clear the way for your buried alive probably. It must certainly would've been probe before. Gut shot isn't the worst card in the world iI guess? Especially in a deck that feels like it would get super hosed by Thalia. Ritual is also nice to cast before a reveler as it basically adds 4 to revelers cost, or allows you to have a lot of mana post reveler to unload what you draw.
    Quote Originally Posted by Richard Cheese View Post
    I've been taking shitty brews and tier 2 decks to tournaments and losing with them for years now. Welcome to the club. We meet for cocktails after round 6.
    Quote Originally Posted by Stevestamopz View Post
    Top quality german restraint there.

    If I'm at the point where I'm rage quitting, you can bet your kransky that I'm calling everyone involved a cunt.

  6. #6
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    Re: Arclight Dega

    I sketched this out yesterday for the Buried Alive idea:

    4 Bloodghast
    4 Arclight Phoenix
    2 Scourge of Nel Toth

    4 Dark Ritual
    4 Buried Alive
    4 Faithless Looting
    4 Thoughtseize
    4 Unmask
    4 Lingering Souls
    4 Cabal Therapy

    That's 38 cards. Figure 19-20 lands so probably room for a 2-of or a couple fun-ofs. Also may not need 4 of everything that's a 4 of. (Likely that the card Entomb should be in here in some number)

    The deck I played is more of a fair deck and this is more of an all in combo type deck. Question is whether or not the payoff is good enough. There's also splash hate from reanimator etc to deal with. Of course, Arclight Phoenix does have an alternate casting cost: Tap 4 lands and attack.

  7. #7
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    Re: Arclight Dega

    Quote Originally Posted by maharis View Post
    I sketched this out yesterday for the Buried Alive idea:

    4 Bloodghast
    4 Arclight Phoenix
    2 Scourge of Nel Toth

    4 Dark Ritual
    4 Buried Alive
    4 Faithless Looting
    4 Thoughtseize
    4 Unmask
    4 Lingering Souls
    4 Cabal Therapy

    That's 38 cards. Figure 19-20 lands so probably room for a 2-of or a couple fun-ofs. Also may not need 4 of everything that's a 4 of. (Likely that the card Entomb should be in here in some number)

    The deck I played is more of a fair deck and this is more of an all in combo type deck. Question is whether or not the payoff is good enough. There's also splash hate from reanimator etc to deal with. Of course, Arclight Phoenix does have an alternate casting cost: Tap 4 lands and attack.
    You're right. Sorry to hijack. Your original list seems like it could have potential though in a way Zombardment is decent. Especially in a world of Hymns and shit.
    Quote Originally Posted by Richard Cheese View Post
    I've been taking shitty brews and tier 2 decks to tournaments and losing with them for years now. Welcome to the club. We meet for cocktails after round 6.
    Quote Originally Posted by Stevestamopz View Post
    Top quality german restraint there.

    If I'm at the point where I'm rage quitting, you can bet your kransky that I'm calling everyone involved a cunt.

  8. #8
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    Re: Arclight Dega

    I know a lot of the Mardu lists in modern lean on a couple of Manamorphose, might be reasonable to fit a couple in for getting your spell count up on the crucial turn without using mana.

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    Re: Arclight Dega

    Quote Originally Posted by Megadeus View Post
    You're right. Sorry to hijack. Your original list seems like it could have potential though in a way Zombardment is decent. Especially in a world of Hymns and shit.
    lol no problem I'm happy to explore any options for this card. My real goal is to stick it to my fellow podcasters who thought I was crazy for wanting to review this card. But I'm pretty sure spell vengevine that flies is good.

    This deck seems solid vs. Grixis. I lost the first match I played 2-1 but then 2-0'd immediately after once I figured out the deck a bit. My opponent definitely hymned me and hit Souls-Therapy which was pretty funny.

    And honestly, I lost game 3 of the first MU because my opponent played a Last Hope and I drew running Bitterblossoms. Going to have to figure out something for white decks that isn't BB, even though I love it, because last hope is such a banger against it. Lingering Souls is probably enough to beat spot removal.

    Quote Originally Posted by ReAnimator View Post
    I know a lot of the Mardu lists in modern lean on a couple of Manamorphose, might be reasonable to fit a couple in for getting your spell count up on the crucial turn without using mana.
    Definitely has crossed my mind. Just being a cantrip/redraw is good as well, but it's hard to cut business in this deck and you can't cut lands since it's 2 mana. I will try to find some room to test though. Actually, probably a good card in the all-in version now that I think about it.

    Another card I'm curious about now that I don't think MD moon is as good is Punishing Fire. Like I could go down to 1 mountain, cut 1-2 fetches and/or some other card for 3-4 Groves, then change up the removal suite a bit to get PF in. The reach from Bolt is really nice when you're coming in for 6-9 out of nowhere though. Might make us too soft to Wasteland?

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    Re: Arclight Dega

    OK i gotta get to work but here is the punishing version

    4 Cabal Therapy
    2 Entomb
    4 Faithless Looting
    3 Fatal Push
    4 Thoughtseize
    2 Diabolic Edict
    3 Punishing Fire
    2 Kolaghan's Command
    1 Liliana, the Last Hope
    3 Lingering Souls

    3 Young Pyromancer
    4 Arclight Phoenix
    1 Scourge of Nel Toth
    4 Bedlam Reveler

    3 Badlands
    4 Bloodstained Mire
    3 Grove of the Burnwillows
    4 Marsh Flats
    1 Mountain
    1 Plateau
    1 Scrubland
    3 Swamp

    SIDEBOARD
    1 Engineered Explosives
    1 Pithing Needle
    2 Pyroblast
    3 Surgical Extraction
    1 Abrade
    2 Echoing Calm
    2 Ethersworn Canonist
    1 Marsh Casualties
    2 Blood Moon

  11. #11
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    Re: Arclight Dega

    In an all in version Demigod of Revenge might be something, with enough rituals.

    Also what is the sideboard plan to beat Surgicals? Might need Silent Gravestone or some specific plan since Surgical is the most played graveyard hate right now.

  12. #12

    Re: Arclight Dega

    Good God, that is so hot. What is the best third spell to do after that?
    The answer is "Gitaxian Probe" but as we know it got banned and made Pyromancer (and Phoenix) substantially much worse.

  13. #13

    Re: Arclight Dega

    Quote Originally Posted by maharis View Post
    I really like Arclight Phoenix, but didn't feel like playing it in a blue deck. Here's a deck I just took through a league:

    Creatures (12)
    3 Young Pyromancer
    4 Arclight Phoenix
    1 Scourge of Nel Toth
    4 Bedlam Reveler

    Planeswalkers (1)
    1 Liliana, the Last Hope

    Spells (27)
    4 Cabal Therapy
    2 Entomb
    4 Faithless Looting
    3 Fatal Push
    4 Lightning Bolt
    3 Thoughtseize
    1 Dreadbore
    2 Kolaghan's Command
    4 Lingering Souls

    Enchantments (1)
    1 Blood Moon

    Lands (19)
    1 Arid Mesa
    3 Badlands
    4 Bloodstained Mire
    4 Marsh Flats
    2 Mountain
    1 Plateau
    1 Scrubland
    3 Swamp

    Sideboard (15)
    2 Pyroblast
    3 Surgical Extraction
    2 Bitterblossom
    2 Diabolic Edict
    2 Ethersworn Canonist
    2 Marsh Casualties
    1 Null Rod
    1 Blood Moon

    L Goblins
    W Eureka Rector Fit
    L Grixis
    W Grixis
    L Elves

    As you can see it's just a variation on the various Faithless/Pyromancer/Reveler decks. Arclight is nice though. The small entomb package is there because 1) Entomb counts as a spell for Arclight if you need it (and you can grab one with it) and 2) gets Therapy and Souls in a pinch and 3) makes Scourge a nice finisher if tokens aren't going to do it. It's bigger than Tombstalker!

    I don't think I want to play spot removal side -- gotta find room for those Edicts. And probably will go for Echoing Calm in the side as well, gotta watch out for Leyline of the Void Null Rod is intriguing and I want to test it a bit more. The MB blood moon doesn't seem as great these days, but it's a nice SB card for lands etc. There are so many Last Hopes around that Bitterblossom is probably ot playable, at least as a two of -- will try to find some other way to harass Miracles. (Probably just more Last Hopes of my own)

    Other than that, open to suggestions.
    List is sweet, just a couple of suggestions. Zealous persecutions seems significantly better than marsh casualties with all the tokens. I'd also run some number of wear//tear in the board. I'd also jam 4 manamorphose in the main to help recur arlight phoenix, the opportunity cost is pretty low imo.

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    Re: Arclight Dega

    Not having ZP is because it's easy to get wasted off of white in games where you want the -1/-1 effect. (And in the original draft of the deck, there was MD blood moon to cut you off white anyway, which you want against decks where you also want the -1/-1 effect like Delver and some greedier YP/TNN fair decks). Now, I think it's even less dependable because of the groves. But it is one of my favorite cards so it may be worth a shot. Some people have tested Profit/Loss to sort of middle it out (you get the boost if you really need it and can use it, but always have access to instant speed -1/-1 effect)

    Manamorphose has to be tested in a new draft. I did a league with the punishing fire version that went like this:

    L food chain
    L ANT (this was extremely frustrating, I won game 1 with a flurry of discard and then in games 2 and 3 the deck stalled out and my opponent had time to get back into it)
    W Miracles (won game 1, game 2 i mulled to 3 and just scooped, then won game 3, beating active Mentor and Counterbalance in both games)
    W Grixis Delver
    L Grixis Delver (same opponent who restarted league and got revenge)

    So another 2-3, but I really do think the deck can be good. Arclight gives it a bit of an unfair aspect that can get you out of some jams. Killing planeswalkers out of nowhere is good, and relevant against Spell Pierces and such. And sometimes you just get a lot of pressure out fast. Punishing Fire did very little. But this deck is goign to burn a lot of tickets before the right build is found. May even use Acorn Harvest (the green lingering souls) and cut the white from a PF version. Ethersworn Canonist hasn't made much of a difference, and can always run Back to Nature over Echoing Calm.

    I do want to try the more all-in version, potentially with Demigod because that sounds awesome. Keeping going...

  15. #15
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    Re: Arclight Dega

    HowHow often do you find yourself not being able to trigger the Phoenix? Obviously blue shell cantrips are the best way to chain together a bunch of spells to trigger such things. Any thought to retrace spells? Ravens crime? I guess therapy does well in this role though.
    Quote Originally Posted by Richard Cheese View Post
    I've been taking shitty brews and tier 2 decks to tournaments and losing with them for years now. Welcome to the club. We meet for cocktails after round 6.
    Quote Originally Posted by Stevestamopz View Post
    Top quality german restraint there.

    If I'm at the point where I'm rage quitting, you can bet your kransky that I'm calling everyone involved a cunt.

  16. #16

    Re: Arclight Dega

    Lava Dart

    You either go all-in or don't go at all. Playing a modern deck in Legacy, with a somewhat underwhelming value creature, seems like a losing proposition.

  17. #17
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    Re: Arclight Dega

    Quote Originally Posted by Megadeus View Post
    HowHow often do you find yourself not being able to trigger the Phoenix? Obviously blue shell cantrips are the best way to chain together a bunch of spells to trigger such things. Any thought to retrace spells? Ravens crime? I guess therapy does well in this role though.
    Honestly it's been harder to get it into the GY than to chain three spells in a turn. The thing about the blue spells is that unless you play stuff like Careful Study or Chart a Course, they don't actually help you get Phoenix in the GY. Or Thought Scour I guess but that doesn't really give you certainty.

    I have thought about loam/crime or similar in that sort of Punishing Fire slot. Another thing I should consider is Collective Brutality which gets them into the GY and then you just need to cast two more spells.

    I anticipate burning a lot of tix trying to get this deck to work. Lots of different mixes and testing engines etc.

  18. #18

    Re: Arclight Dega

    Step 1 - Land, Dark Ritual
    Step 2 - Buried Alive for 3 Arclight Phoenix
    Step 3 - ???
    Step 4 - Profit!

  19. #19

    Re: Arclight Dega

    Is there a version of this that runs Hollow One and loot effects?

    WotC just put too many of the good cards in blue.

  20. #20
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    Re: Arclight Dega

    Quote Originally Posted by alderon666 View Post
    Step 1 - Land, Dark Ritual
    Step 2 - Buried Alive for 3 Arclight Phoenix
    Step 3 - ???
    Step 4 - Profit!
    Step 0 is Unmask. Now BA is the 3rd spell. Phoenixes will trigger on BoC now.

    Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

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