So, did anyone try Grim Lavamancer? I stumbled over this list in a reddit thread about lavaman and obviously I was wrong about it (I still think it's not that good vs D&T though). I'd appreciate some reports, if available!
I just played ewlandon's list (with sb Grim Lavamancers) in the Legacy Classic on Sunday and placed 12th out of 111. I can confirm that Grim Lavamancer was really good! You generally side them in in matchups where Magus is also good, giving you a lot of early backbreaking plays that aren't just bin a creature and try and reanimate. GL on turn one killed several DRS and other Grixis Delver creatures. I did not play against D&T so I can't speak to that matchup.Originally Posted by splorf
Anybody tried out xantid swarm yet? Was thinking about it for a long time.
I ran ewlandon's list with a couple of differences (1-3 split of Thoughtseize and Cabal Therapy instead of 4 Therapy and Archfiend of Ifnir instead of Iona for local meta) and it worke out really well. I need to play with it more but I'm sold on the Lavamancer/Magus sideboard plan. Every single game 2/3 that I won was won off those cards. Having the option to flash back Cabal Therapy to put the nail in the coffin or to trigger Tidespout Tyrant an extra time is neat. Also it didn't come up but having the option to Entomb for Ancient Grudge was nice too.
My initial concern with Lavamancer was that the deck wouldn't have enough gas for it until after I reanimate Griselbrand but that was not the case at all. The deck's abundance of proactive disruption really helps to keep things going. It also messes with the opponent's edicts or can serve as an extra clock or as a chump blocker to win the damage race in situations where you reanimated something besides Griselbrand.
What are your thoughts of silence in the sideboard?
don't like it, since it's difficult to cast it - white - and then combo off.
Silence is very clunky and all it gets around is counters if your opponent can only cast 1 to begin with.(if they can cast 2 then they counter both your silence and your combo) It doesn't beat an active DRS, you'd have to Entomb *after* Silence in the same turn to play around Surgical since otherwise they can just Surgical in response to Silence, and Daze + another counter can make your lines very awkward unless you have a lot of mana to work with.
If the opponent multiple counters are a big problem for you I'd recommend giving Defense Grid a try.
What did you side out when you brought in the magus and the lavamancer?
biglongjohns' approach might've been a bit different, but ewlandon posted a sideboard guide for his list: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...Ro4bivonc/edit
Thank you.
I realized I linked to the printable cheat sheet I made not Eric's original deck tech (sorry, was at work in a meeting :P ). Here's the full deck tech, which is awesome: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...VtSlYScGU/edit
So I made day 2 GP Birmingham with the green splash.
Went 6-2 first day, lost first match to czech pile and one to eldrazi, beat 2x red prison, dnt, grixis delver (only post board, blood moons are strong), aggro loam and pox.
Day two I beat show and tell and then screwed up against red prison, I had grisel out, he had 2x rabblemaster, ensnaring bridge and fiery conf. in hand, I didn't exhume Iona (waited for reanimating tidespout), that mistake cost me the first game since he didn't have to attack after having 0 cards in hand, after I exhume Iona, he didn't draw a red card in 5 turns and after that had 14 goblins and I was at 1 life, this is what happens when you don't playtest a MU.. Then I promptly lost to DnT and turbo dephts, DnT had swords for my turn one chancellor and then judgment for my turn 1 archetype. Against dephts game 1 I couldn't find a reanimation spell even with two lootings and game 2 I had game one grisel but he had surgical, so game over.
Overall I am happy with the deck although it won't be an easy task to win a tournament because the top tables were flooded with DRS blue decks. Other well represented decks at the top tables were moon stompy and miracles.
Surprised no one here mentioned Jérémy "Dindon" Charles who was on the Feature Table for the Round 13 -and who was then 10-2...
Go check the Replay since it was vs Grixis, the bid bad boy of the moment.
Just as qomori suggested, I used ewlandon's sideboard guide as well. IIRC, my wins were against Grixis Delver, Grixis Delver, Burn, BUG Lands, Storm, Czech Pile. My losses were to two folks in the top 8: Grixis Delver and Miracles. Both of these losses my deck beat me more than my opponent did...mulls to five.
DRS banned, good riddance. There is a lot to be excited about.
Anybody got some thoughts on how the DRS ban will affect our strategy?
MTGO: Cucaracha_GiganteCurrently Playing:Maverick. D&T.Reanimator.
BURN.
To be honest I think the banlist changes are good news for UBx Reanimator and not so much for us. Without Deathrite Shaman to have to race, the cantrips and countermagic that the UB version provides feels more appealing than the velocity of RB. Furthermore, without Deathrite Shaman providing "free" maindeck graveyard hate, postboard graveyard hate options will likely become more robust (think more Surgicals and Leylines). I'd much rather fight that with postboard Show and Tell and bounce spells and maindeck countermagic than anything RB can provide.
I'm not switching to UBx anytime soon but I think blue-based Reanimator decks made out much better.
Yeah, I agree that the UB version benefits more from the ban. But you can't say that it doesn't make a considerable difference, especially during game one, where you usually scoop to an active DRS. Assuming you are running the Unmask version.
These bans are going to completely change the meta, so it is hard to make predictions. But I still have a hard time believing you. Especially when RB has access to Show and Tell out of the sideboard with the blue splash.
MTGO: Cucaracha_GiganteCurrently Playing:Maverick. D&T.Reanimator.
BURN.
UB is better vs Leyline and Surgical Extraction but I think we are better vs Graffdigger's Cage and Faerie Macabre. UB doesn't run a lot of hand disruption or enablers and even if they have outs to permanent-based hate the odds they can assemble it and combo off through counters and mana denial from decks like miracles, Death and Taxes and RUG are fairly slim regardless. We can board our own outs to permanent-based hate and still have the potential to just be faster than the hate that comes in against us.
Also UB's post-Griselbrand plays aren't as explosive and it's possible they can reanimate Griselbrand and not have a strong enough play to close out the game. If we get Griselbrand we're very likely to have an unbreakable board state or we're ripping out the opponent's hand, or both, within the same turn.
Short-term I'll be trying out BRu with sideboard Show and Tells, similar to this list. Just drop the Brutalities for Therapies and throw an Ashen Rider in the side. You get the game one speed of BR and the post-board answers to grave hate of UB.
I'm a bit afraid that chalice decks will get better, making UB (w/ FoW) better positioned than BR. Past that, I have no idea how the meta will change in the coming months, but it should be an interesting ride.
A post-ban 5-0 BR Reanimator list- may be of interest. I like the sb Phyrexian Crusader hedging on more taxes decks and gulag/big red/prison/whatever it's called these days. Not sure what to make of Bitterblossom. I was considering winter orb for miracles but Bitterblossom gives you a clock. 3 Chancellor is also unorthodox. Food for thought.
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