T-101
04-07-2014, 05:01 PM
Ah, it's good to be back in the world of Magic.
Yesterday, I went to a weekly Modern tournament at my LGS after a short break from Magic. Being that they banned Deathrite (for good reason), and I wasn't quite ready to revert back to Junk with mere Birds of Paradise, I decided it was time to brew. The deck below is not a brand new idea (I remember murmurings of Grixis in Modern, possibly even Wizards, from many months ago), but since the list never put up GP/Pro Tour results, the archetype kind of drifted into obscurity, and an agreed upon list never really materialized.
That doesn't matter though! More excuses to brew and throw in random numbers of pet cards/personal favorites! The idea for the deck is along the lines of a typical Delver deck; cheap creatures that can attack reasonably, disruptive elements in discard and counter magic, add burn to season.
Here's the list:
4x Delver of Secrets
3x Grim Lavamancer
4x Dark Confidant
2x Snapcaster Mage
2x Vendilion Clique
1x Venser, Shaper Savant
4x Lightning Bolt
2x Thoughtseize
3x Inquisition of Kozilek
2x Vapor Snag
3x Spell Pierce
2x Remand
3x Mana Leak
2x Shadow of Doubt
2x Liliana of the Veil
4x Scalding Tarn
2x Marsh Flats
1x Verdant Catacombs
2x Watery Grave
2x Steam Vents
1x Badlands
1x Island
1x Swamp
1x Mountain
2x Darkslick Shores
2x Cavern of Souls
1x Sunken Ruins
1x Creeping Tar Pit
Board:
2x Torpor Orb
2x Threads of Disloyalty
3x Fulminator Mage
2x Steel Sabotage
1x Flashfreeze
1x Slaughter Pact
1x Nihil Spellbomb
1x Repeal
1x Dispel
1x Cranial Extraction
A bit of context as to why I landed on this build. I didn't have a whole lot of time to end up with this list. There are a couple cards that have easy upgrades now that the tournament is over. Cranial should be Slaughter Games, Venser is likely too slow, and the deck certainly needs at least 1 more land (easy swap, Venser = Fetch/Watery Grave). I was expecting a lot of UWr and Affinity, after talking to some friends after FNM, and I have a personal Vendetta against Tron. That's why there's Sabotage and Fulminator. Like nearly every deck, this could use some work.
The Wizard theme is more coincidence than anything else; the good grixis flavored creatures happen to be Wizards. This gives us access to Cavern of Souls basically for free. Sometimes your creatures being uncounterable matters, while getting screwed by Cavern not casting spells also sometimes happens. It's a personal choice on whether to play it. The amount of spells in the deck make anything more than 2 pretty risky, and if there came to be a solid non-Wizard creature on color, I'd gladly ditch the Cavern.
Card choices
Creatures
1 CMC
Delver - One of the most aggressive creatures in the format. Costs 1, attacks for 3, is evasive. This deck does not want to go long, it wants to end quickly and disrupt. It's a Delver deck.
Lavamancer - If you're perusing TheSource, you already know this guy is awesome. Murders creatures, planeswalkers, and opponents alike. Incidental value against random Scavenging Oozes, as the exiling of cards is part of the cost of the ability.
2 CMC
Dark Confidant - "Draws" cards, and fights reasonably well for 2 mana. With a curve that ends at 3 or 4, he's not going to deal you much damage. Worth noting that you can stack his trigger and Delver's with Fetch lands in play for bonus tricksiness. Example: You need to flip Delver, but that Spell Pierce is not going to help with the current board state. Reveal to Delver, fetch, then resolve Bob.
Snapcaster - Delver's old partner in crime. Delver likes spells and disruption elements in your deck, and Snapcaster is happy to recycle them. Doubling up a bolt to the face while adding 2 power to the board can end games faster than your opponent thought, while re-using a discard/counter can spell doom for your combo opponent.
3 CMC
Vendilion - One of the best 3-mana creatures ever. More disruption, with a decent clock, and Flash to force action at the end of your opponent's turn. Also good for cashing in random spells in your own hand that have lost value (think Thoughtseize vs. Burn, Spell Pierce on turn 12).
4 CMC
Venser - A very nice ability, albeit for a lot of mana. Can act like a Counterspell, or a removal spell, and can even hold a planeswalker or other problem permanent at bay for a turn, with a Grizzly Bear stapled on top. I'll admit; I did kind of force this 1 copy into the list. His value in Legacy pushed me towards including him, and the fact that he happened to be a Wizard helped. I also like running at least 1 spell that can "answer anything" in the main. It makes you feel like there's always an out you can draw. However, as mentioned above, 4 mana is a freaking LOT. Either he needs to go, or land needs to be more than 21.
Spells
1 CMC
Bolt - It's the best removal spell. Kills most everything outside of Goyf, including opposing players. Even though Bolt might not be able to solo a Goyf, Lavamancer is there help out. Snapcaster is here to make Bolt even better.
Thoughtseize/Inquisition - 1 CMC disruption is very strong in Modern, and Thoughtseize is the king. Inquisition is also very solid, as the life loss of 'Seize can end up hurting. A 3/2 or 2/3 mix is what I and many other folks recommend.
Vapor Snag - Believe it or not, there exist creatures that don't die to Lightning Bolt, and protection from Red does show up from time to time. I was debating between Snag and defacto removal like Doom Blade, but I settled on Snag. They both answer most creatures for at least a turn, blue is the main color of this deck, and Snag has less restrictions that black removal.
Spell Pierce - Just might be the best counterspell in Modern. Being that we have plenty of ways to deal with creatures, the non-creature restriction is less painful. Costing 1 and hitting so many of the important cards in the format makes Pierce a very natural fit for this deck.
2 CMC
Mana Leak - If you doubted me saying that Pierce might be the best counter in Modern, its because Mana Leak is also legal. It can counter everything within the first 4-5 turns and even plays well slightly beyond that.
Remand - Another reasonable counter in Modern. Many folks loved this card when it was Standard legal. "Remand IS Time Walk," was a line often utter in the days of Ravnica standard. I think its a better fit for combo decks than aggro tempo decks like this, as you are not really digging for critical pieces, and lots of spells that you want to counter only cost 1 or 2. Drawing a card is sweet though. I could easily see replacing the 2 copies with your choice of 1 Mana Leak, 1 removal spell, or more Shadow of Doubt.
Shadow of Doubt - The closest analog of Stifle if you're playing Modern in my opinion. Costing 2 instead of 1 is a big difference, but that isn't the end of the world. People will often crack Fetches at the end of their opponent's turn in hopes of saving that 2 life, especially against Delver/Bolt decks that want to attack your life total quickly. Shadowing their Fetch is straight-up dirty, as you get the Stifle effect, and you aren't even down a card. There's also a good amount of library searching outside of Fetches in Modern; Tron using Map/Sylvan, Pod using Pod, and the random Teachings decks you might play against.
3 CMC
Liliana - The best Planeswalker in Modern that doesn't cost 7. Your counters and Bolts keep all but their biggest creatures at bay, and Liliana eats the rest. Or just murders their hand. Assuming you have a threat on the board, I'd recommend ulting at 6, rather than getting greedy and trying to keep her around afterwards.
Land
I felt pretty comfortable with the choices of land, though I think the deck certainly needs a 22nd, possibly a 23rd. The colors and numbers seemed pretty damn close to correct, and Cavern being an untapped Tri-land for creatures was usually very strong. I knew that I was running the chance of Cavern screwing me (which it did once in 10 games), and that Creeping Tar Pit could end up being awkward (which I only drew once, after I had the game locked up).
I'm sure there's room to optimize based on curve and color.
The Tournament Report
Round 1 vs. Storm with Electromancer
Game 1 I kept a sketchy hand, that had only Swamp and Cavern of Souls for land. I never draw another land, and die with 5 counterspells in hand, plus a Vendilion. So sad, as I was really excited to play this, and thought I'd have a reasonable match-up against Storm.
Game 2 I get better lands and spells, but get a little flooded, and can't stop the Ascension.
0-1-0 So sad :(
Round 2 vs. U/B Mill
Game 1 I keep 2 lands, Delver, Lavamancer, Bob, 2 counters. The game went longer than I wanted, and I got hit with a bunch of mill, and a couple Black Sun's Zenith, but I end up pulling it out with Flash creatures. Snapcaster gains value vs. Mill :D
Game 2 I keep a slower hand, and eventually my countermagic gets out-moded by my opponent's wealth of land. I scoop with 12 cards left in my library that included a single Delver.
Game 3 Lavamancer and Bob get aggressive early, and counterspells hold off a few sweepers. Eventually I do get Damnation'd, but I have EOT Vendilion plus 2 Bolts in hand to end the game.
Round 3 vs. Mono Red Goblins
Game 1 I lose the die roll, and subsequently the game vs a rush of early Goblins. I scoop before Goblin Guide's activation on the last turn because the 2 damage plus a known Goblin Grenade will kill me for exactsies.
Game 2 I side in anything that will fight creatures; Pact, Threads, Repeal and Flashfreeze, and take out Spell Pierce, Venser, Thougthseize. He gets aggressive early, but has to Grenade my Lavamancer or else automatically lose. That 2 for 1, plus a Bolt, and Snapped Bolt put him on the back foot, and eventually Vendilion and Snapcaster beat him down.
Game 3 I keep only a Bob as far as creatures go, so he's on chump duty. I get another Bolt+Snapcaster, and I'm able to kill and chump all his early guys. I get a Liliana which kills 2 guys, and he floods out. Vendilion shows up and kills him over 7 turns while I build up removal and back up creatures in hand.
Round 4 vs. RUG Tarmo/Twin
Game 1 I win the die roll, and deploy Delver and Bob. Bob gets snagged a couple times, and I'm able to actually kill his Tarmogoyf with a Lightning Bolt. My discard reveals that he's on double Twin, double Pestermite, and so Vapor Snags and another Bolt tear that plan apart. He scoops with a low life total before Delvers kill him.
Game 2 My opponent mulligans and I feel safe keeping a 1 lander. Its a Steam Vents, and I have Delver, Lavamancer, Pierce, Bolt. I draw 2 more lands over the course of the game, while my opponent gets stuck on 1 for a few turns. He gets a turn 3 Goyf, but I Threads it, and he dies.
Payout is based on record, and I ended up turning my $10 credit into $22.50 credit.
After thoughts
All of the creatures except Venser were superb all day long.
A 4th Lavamancer and/or 3rd Snapcaster will get tested at some point, while Venser will go to the Board, or get cut entirely.
Bolt, Snag, Pierce, Thoughtseize, Leak, Shadow and Liliana all felt great throughout the tournament as well.
There were a couple times when I wished Inquisition was Thoughtsize, so the 3rd Inquisition will become a 3rd Seize. There are plenty of 4+ CMC things to worry about in Modern.
Remand was hit or miss. When it works in your favor, it feels great. But there are so many spells that can be cast again on the same turn that it often feels like a conditional cycling card, which is unacceptable in this deck. They will be cut.
All in all, a very fun deck. Definitely merits more play time from myself, and optimization will hopefully make this deck a contender, at least tier 1.5ish I'm hoping. I can't say I recommend this for a GP/PT right now, but if you just play modern for fun, or at small tournies, give it a chance, it's awesome!
Yesterday, I went to a weekly Modern tournament at my LGS after a short break from Magic. Being that they banned Deathrite (for good reason), and I wasn't quite ready to revert back to Junk with mere Birds of Paradise, I decided it was time to brew. The deck below is not a brand new idea (I remember murmurings of Grixis in Modern, possibly even Wizards, from many months ago), but since the list never put up GP/Pro Tour results, the archetype kind of drifted into obscurity, and an agreed upon list never really materialized.
That doesn't matter though! More excuses to brew and throw in random numbers of pet cards/personal favorites! The idea for the deck is along the lines of a typical Delver deck; cheap creatures that can attack reasonably, disruptive elements in discard and counter magic, add burn to season.
Here's the list:
4x Delver of Secrets
3x Grim Lavamancer
4x Dark Confidant
2x Snapcaster Mage
2x Vendilion Clique
1x Venser, Shaper Savant
4x Lightning Bolt
2x Thoughtseize
3x Inquisition of Kozilek
2x Vapor Snag
3x Spell Pierce
2x Remand
3x Mana Leak
2x Shadow of Doubt
2x Liliana of the Veil
4x Scalding Tarn
2x Marsh Flats
1x Verdant Catacombs
2x Watery Grave
2x Steam Vents
1x Badlands
1x Island
1x Swamp
1x Mountain
2x Darkslick Shores
2x Cavern of Souls
1x Sunken Ruins
1x Creeping Tar Pit
Board:
2x Torpor Orb
2x Threads of Disloyalty
3x Fulminator Mage
2x Steel Sabotage
1x Flashfreeze
1x Slaughter Pact
1x Nihil Spellbomb
1x Repeal
1x Dispel
1x Cranial Extraction
A bit of context as to why I landed on this build. I didn't have a whole lot of time to end up with this list. There are a couple cards that have easy upgrades now that the tournament is over. Cranial should be Slaughter Games, Venser is likely too slow, and the deck certainly needs at least 1 more land (easy swap, Venser = Fetch/Watery Grave). I was expecting a lot of UWr and Affinity, after talking to some friends after FNM, and I have a personal Vendetta against Tron. That's why there's Sabotage and Fulminator. Like nearly every deck, this could use some work.
The Wizard theme is more coincidence than anything else; the good grixis flavored creatures happen to be Wizards. This gives us access to Cavern of Souls basically for free. Sometimes your creatures being uncounterable matters, while getting screwed by Cavern not casting spells also sometimes happens. It's a personal choice on whether to play it. The amount of spells in the deck make anything more than 2 pretty risky, and if there came to be a solid non-Wizard creature on color, I'd gladly ditch the Cavern.
Card choices
Creatures
1 CMC
Delver - One of the most aggressive creatures in the format. Costs 1, attacks for 3, is evasive. This deck does not want to go long, it wants to end quickly and disrupt. It's a Delver deck.
Lavamancer - If you're perusing TheSource, you already know this guy is awesome. Murders creatures, planeswalkers, and opponents alike. Incidental value against random Scavenging Oozes, as the exiling of cards is part of the cost of the ability.
2 CMC
Dark Confidant - "Draws" cards, and fights reasonably well for 2 mana. With a curve that ends at 3 or 4, he's not going to deal you much damage. Worth noting that you can stack his trigger and Delver's with Fetch lands in play for bonus tricksiness. Example: You need to flip Delver, but that Spell Pierce is not going to help with the current board state. Reveal to Delver, fetch, then resolve Bob.
Snapcaster - Delver's old partner in crime. Delver likes spells and disruption elements in your deck, and Snapcaster is happy to recycle them. Doubling up a bolt to the face while adding 2 power to the board can end games faster than your opponent thought, while re-using a discard/counter can spell doom for your combo opponent.
3 CMC
Vendilion - One of the best 3-mana creatures ever. More disruption, with a decent clock, and Flash to force action at the end of your opponent's turn. Also good for cashing in random spells in your own hand that have lost value (think Thoughtseize vs. Burn, Spell Pierce on turn 12).
4 CMC
Venser - A very nice ability, albeit for a lot of mana. Can act like a Counterspell, or a removal spell, and can even hold a planeswalker or other problem permanent at bay for a turn, with a Grizzly Bear stapled on top. I'll admit; I did kind of force this 1 copy into the list. His value in Legacy pushed me towards including him, and the fact that he happened to be a Wizard helped. I also like running at least 1 spell that can "answer anything" in the main. It makes you feel like there's always an out you can draw. However, as mentioned above, 4 mana is a freaking LOT. Either he needs to go, or land needs to be more than 21.
Spells
1 CMC
Bolt - It's the best removal spell. Kills most everything outside of Goyf, including opposing players. Even though Bolt might not be able to solo a Goyf, Lavamancer is there help out. Snapcaster is here to make Bolt even better.
Thoughtseize/Inquisition - 1 CMC disruption is very strong in Modern, and Thoughtseize is the king. Inquisition is also very solid, as the life loss of 'Seize can end up hurting. A 3/2 or 2/3 mix is what I and many other folks recommend.
Vapor Snag - Believe it or not, there exist creatures that don't die to Lightning Bolt, and protection from Red does show up from time to time. I was debating between Snag and defacto removal like Doom Blade, but I settled on Snag. They both answer most creatures for at least a turn, blue is the main color of this deck, and Snag has less restrictions that black removal.
Spell Pierce - Just might be the best counterspell in Modern. Being that we have plenty of ways to deal with creatures, the non-creature restriction is less painful. Costing 1 and hitting so many of the important cards in the format makes Pierce a very natural fit for this deck.
2 CMC
Mana Leak - If you doubted me saying that Pierce might be the best counter in Modern, its because Mana Leak is also legal. It can counter everything within the first 4-5 turns and even plays well slightly beyond that.
Remand - Another reasonable counter in Modern. Many folks loved this card when it was Standard legal. "Remand IS Time Walk," was a line often utter in the days of Ravnica standard. I think its a better fit for combo decks than aggro tempo decks like this, as you are not really digging for critical pieces, and lots of spells that you want to counter only cost 1 or 2. Drawing a card is sweet though. I could easily see replacing the 2 copies with your choice of 1 Mana Leak, 1 removal spell, or more Shadow of Doubt.
Shadow of Doubt - The closest analog of Stifle if you're playing Modern in my opinion. Costing 2 instead of 1 is a big difference, but that isn't the end of the world. People will often crack Fetches at the end of their opponent's turn in hopes of saving that 2 life, especially against Delver/Bolt decks that want to attack your life total quickly. Shadowing their Fetch is straight-up dirty, as you get the Stifle effect, and you aren't even down a card. There's also a good amount of library searching outside of Fetches in Modern; Tron using Map/Sylvan, Pod using Pod, and the random Teachings decks you might play against.
3 CMC
Liliana - The best Planeswalker in Modern that doesn't cost 7. Your counters and Bolts keep all but their biggest creatures at bay, and Liliana eats the rest. Or just murders their hand. Assuming you have a threat on the board, I'd recommend ulting at 6, rather than getting greedy and trying to keep her around afterwards.
Land
I felt pretty comfortable with the choices of land, though I think the deck certainly needs a 22nd, possibly a 23rd. The colors and numbers seemed pretty damn close to correct, and Cavern being an untapped Tri-land for creatures was usually very strong. I knew that I was running the chance of Cavern screwing me (which it did once in 10 games), and that Creeping Tar Pit could end up being awkward (which I only drew once, after I had the game locked up).
I'm sure there's room to optimize based on curve and color.
The Tournament Report
Round 1 vs. Storm with Electromancer
Game 1 I kept a sketchy hand, that had only Swamp and Cavern of Souls for land. I never draw another land, and die with 5 counterspells in hand, plus a Vendilion. So sad, as I was really excited to play this, and thought I'd have a reasonable match-up against Storm.
Game 2 I get better lands and spells, but get a little flooded, and can't stop the Ascension.
0-1-0 So sad :(
Round 2 vs. U/B Mill
Game 1 I keep 2 lands, Delver, Lavamancer, Bob, 2 counters. The game went longer than I wanted, and I got hit with a bunch of mill, and a couple Black Sun's Zenith, but I end up pulling it out with Flash creatures. Snapcaster gains value vs. Mill :D
Game 2 I keep a slower hand, and eventually my countermagic gets out-moded by my opponent's wealth of land. I scoop with 12 cards left in my library that included a single Delver.
Game 3 Lavamancer and Bob get aggressive early, and counterspells hold off a few sweepers. Eventually I do get Damnation'd, but I have EOT Vendilion plus 2 Bolts in hand to end the game.
Round 3 vs. Mono Red Goblins
Game 1 I lose the die roll, and subsequently the game vs a rush of early Goblins. I scoop before Goblin Guide's activation on the last turn because the 2 damage plus a known Goblin Grenade will kill me for exactsies.
Game 2 I side in anything that will fight creatures; Pact, Threads, Repeal and Flashfreeze, and take out Spell Pierce, Venser, Thougthseize. He gets aggressive early, but has to Grenade my Lavamancer or else automatically lose. That 2 for 1, plus a Bolt, and Snapped Bolt put him on the back foot, and eventually Vendilion and Snapcaster beat him down.
Game 3 I keep only a Bob as far as creatures go, so he's on chump duty. I get another Bolt+Snapcaster, and I'm able to kill and chump all his early guys. I get a Liliana which kills 2 guys, and he floods out. Vendilion shows up and kills him over 7 turns while I build up removal and back up creatures in hand.
Round 4 vs. RUG Tarmo/Twin
Game 1 I win the die roll, and deploy Delver and Bob. Bob gets snagged a couple times, and I'm able to actually kill his Tarmogoyf with a Lightning Bolt. My discard reveals that he's on double Twin, double Pestermite, and so Vapor Snags and another Bolt tear that plan apart. He scoops with a low life total before Delvers kill him.
Game 2 My opponent mulligans and I feel safe keeping a 1 lander. Its a Steam Vents, and I have Delver, Lavamancer, Pierce, Bolt. I draw 2 more lands over the course of the game, while my opponent gets stuck on 1 for a few turns. He gets a turn 3 Goyf, but I Threads it, and he dies.
Payout is based on record, and I ended up turning my $10 credit into $22.50 credit.
After thoughts
All of the creatures except Venser were superb all day long.
A 4th Lavamancer and/or 3rd Snapcaster will get tested at some point, while Venser will go to the Board, or get cut entirely.
Bolt, Snag, Pierce, Thoughtseize, Leak, Shadow and Liliana all felt great throughout the tournament as well.
There were a couple times when I wished Inquisition was Thoughtsize, so the 3rd Inquisition will become a 3rd Seize. There are plenty of 4+ CMC things to worry about in Modern.
Remand was hit or miss. When it works in your favor, it feels great. But there are so many spells that can be cast again on the same turn that it often feels like a conditional cycling card, which is unacceptable in this deck. They will be cut.
All in all, a very fun deck. Definitely merits more play time from myself, and optimization will hopefully make this deck a contender, at least tier 1.5ish I'm hoping. I can't say I recommend this for a GP/PT right now, but if you just play modern for fun, or at small tournies, give it a chance, it's awesome!