Ashiok, Dream Render only stops search effects controlled by the opponent, not ones controlled by you. Scheming Symmetry and Ghost Quarter still turn on Trap.
Ashiok only stops the "natural" traps, when they fetch or tutor. In my playtesting people play around Archive Trap (e.g. don't crack their fetchlands, or wait and crack them the same turn you use GQ/Scheming, or wait and crack multiple fetches all in one turn). They can afford to play slow since I have very little clock without Archive Trap. Most Trapping happens when I turn it on, not when they turn it on, so Ashiok doesn't change much. If they are forced to crack a fetch, it's usually turns 1 and 2 before Ashiok would land.
Archive Trap is still the most explosive tool and worth building around. But because they can play around it, I need alternate angles of attack. Ashiok helps with that. It's a single card that can take out a lot of library, disrupts the opponent, distracts attackers, and acts as MD gravehate. Its biggest drawback is shutting down Visions, but that beats losing the game to graveyard threats.
Testing these changes:
-4 Hedron Crab (moved to SB)
+2 Force of Negation (from SB)
+1 Ravenous Trap (from SB)
+1 Toxic Deluge (from SB)
Hedron Crab eats removal too easily, while the maindeck lacks ways to interact with the opponent. This gives me more game 1 interaction and blanks their creature removal. Then G2/3 when they board out removal and start playing around Archive Trap, I can board in Crabs to get another angle of attack.
Cool to see that you are still testing the deck!
Has anyone tried the list that I posted on the first page?
What do you guys think about Narset's Reversal?
scheming into trap into narsets into trap into Mission briefing into trap. mill 39 for 5 mana.
After seeing Tyler Marklyn's lists, this is where I want to be
https://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=18376&d=314083&f=LE
//Spells: 42
4 Archive Trap
4 Force of Will
4 Daze
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Visions of Beyond
4 Scheming Symmetry
4 Surgical Extraction
4 Brain Freeze
4 Glimpse the Unthinkable
1 Dead of Winter
1 Murderous Cut
//Lands: 18
2 Ghost Quarter
4 Polluted Delta
3 Flooded Strand
2 Prismatic Vista
2 Underground Sea
2 Snow-Covered Swamp
3 Snow-Covered Island
//Sideboard: 15
4 Hedron Crab
2 Brazen Borrower
2 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Force of Negation
1 Fatal Push
1 Liliana's Triumph
1 Flusterstorm
1 Spell Pierce
1 Ashiok, Dream Render
The reactive free spells FoW, Daze and Surgical help set up storm turns for Brain Freeze on top of interacting with the opponent.
I still think Hedron Crab eats removal too easily and is a better as a postboard surprise, but maybe you need it main to increase the G1 win%.
I kept 2 Ghost Quarter because I find players play around Archive Trap and Tyler's videos show him stuck with Traps he can't cast.
Sideboard is still up in the air. Brazen Borrower helps answer problem permanents UB struggles with while doubling as a win condition/PW killer.
Last edited by FTW; 11-21-2019 at 11:01 PM.
Not sold on it. It's just a weird Twincast.
Trapmaker's Snare does the exact same thing for the same mana in that situation, but it can also help when you don't have any Traps in hand. Narset's Reversal only does something when there's a spell on the stack.
If they FoW/Pierce the original Trap, both Narset's Reversal AND Trap get countered (nothing gets copied, nothing goes back to your hand). That's awkward.
I am still testing this deck, but I have next to no time for big events and tournaments.
I found a singleton Bitter Ordeal to be a deadly Card against permanent heavy decks and Combo decks. Sadly, it is 1 Mana too expensive to stay in the deck :/ Itīs just a good Feeling to Play Archive + Ordeal and mill 13 and then another 13 specific Cards.
Is this deck viable?
I lost interest when Breach was a strictly better mill deck and then Companions took over, but maybe this is worth exploring again.
Scheming Symmetry is a 1-sided tutor with mill effects, and even better with cantrips to get the card immediately. It also turns on Archive Trap.
Between that and Visions of Beyond and Brainstorm, the deck has a lot of ability to dig into relevant cards.
There's also Vantress Gargoyle and Jace's Phantasm for a SB man plan.
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