[Deck] BUG "Shardless" Control

[Whitefaces]

Say what? They can't wasteland it once it's active and has hexproof.

Lumbering Falls is a lot less susceptible to Wasteland than Creeping Tar Pit.

So they just waste in response to the activation. If you want to hold up 4 mana to play around their waste, sure...but you'll lose the game.

[matunos]

So they just waste in response to the activation. If you want to hold up 4 mana to play around their waste, sure...but you'll lose the game.

Well clearly you don't bother activating it with a live wasteland unless you have a ton of mana. As long as you do have 4 mana up, they can't really go for the wasteland. It's awkward for sure, but again, it's a little less vulnerable than CTP.

[ironclad8690]

Well clearly you don't bother activating it with a live wasteland unless you have a ton of mana. As long as you do have 4 mana up, they can't really go for the wasteland. It's awkward for sure, but again, it's a little less vulnerable than CTP.

Not trying to stifle creativity, but 1 more mana + can be blocked just doesn't feel good enough.

In other news, looks like many people defaulted to this deck for the legacy open, and it looks like it performed pretty well (Pendelhavens aside).

Put 4 people into the top 32 of the SCG open, and 14 people into day 2, more than any other archetype.

[btm10]

Not trying to stifle creativity, but 1 more mana + can be blocked just doesn't feel good enough.

In other news, looks like many people defaulted to this deck for the legacy open, and it looks like it performed pretty well (Pendelhavens aside).

Put 4 people into the top 32 of the SCG open, and 14 people into day 2, more than any other archetype.

I'm not sure what day 1 looked like for Shardless, but day 2 wasn't that good - it put 4 players into the top 32, which basically matches its metagame penetration. Three of those four were in the top 16, and two of the three were in the Top 8, but apparently there were some odd breakers going into the last round of Swiss, so I'm going to refrain from commenting on its enrichment in the Top 8/Top 16.

I still think the deck is very well positioned, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. And I'd definitely expect more Blood Moons soon.

[matunos]

Not trying to stifle creativity, but 1 more mana + can be blocked just doesn't feel good enough.

I agree, although it is probably better against (non-Mentor) Miracles.

[Whitefaces]

I'm not sure what day 1 looked like for Shardless, but day 2 wasn't that good - it put 4 players into the top 32, which basically matches its metagame penetration. Three of those four were in the top 16, and two of the three were in the Top 8, but apparently there were some odd breakers going into the last round of Swiss, so I'm going to refrain from commenting on its enrichment in the Top 8/Top 16.

I still think the deck is very well positioned, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. And I'd definitely expect more Blood Moons soon.

14 copies for day two with 8 copies being the second highest archetype is a good showing, the deck is very well positioned.

[matunos]

FWIW, I've just started testing with Volrath's Stronghold and it seems promising so far for those grindy matchups. I extracted value even against Miracles tonight when my opponent did things like red blast or block my attacking agent with a Snapcaster Mage.

Recycling Strixes and Agents is just so much value.

[Whitefaces]

FWIW, I've just started testing with Volrath's Stronghold and it seems promising so far for those grindy matchups. I extracted value even against Miracles tonight when my opponent did things like red blast or block my attacking agent with a Snapcaster Mage.

Recycling Strixes and Agents is just so much value.

It's certainly a strong card, but have you had much of a problem with it only producing colourless mana? Not casting Strix or Hymn on curve is a problem.

[wnorris]

Hey guys, I had a local tournament yesterday and did pretty well. I really love this deck right now, it feels really capable; coming from BUG Delver I never feel the deck peter out like delver can.

Heres the list I played:

Creatures: 14
2x Strix
4x Goyf
4x DRS
4x Agent

I/S: 20
4x Brainstorm
3x Ancestral Vision
2x Hymn
1x Maelstrom Pulse
1x Toxic Deluge
2x thoughtseize
4x Decay
3x Force of will

Walkers: 4
2x Liliana of the veil
2x Jace the mind sculptor

Land: 22
1x Bayou
2x Tar-Pit
1x forest
1x swamp
2x tropical island
3x underground sea
4x polluted delta
4x verdant catacombs
2x misty rainforest
2x wasteland

Side:
1x Scrubland
3x Meddling mage
1x nihil spellbomb
2x disfigure
1x thoughtseize
1x pithing needle
1x null rod
2x golgari charm
1x sylvan library
1x force
1x grafs cage

R1: Grixis Delver (0-2)
- I really think I could have won this game. They were super grindy and I mulliganed both games to still not awesome hands.Stifle hit me hard once or twice, and was great against agent. Overall I think this mathcup should be a win.

R2: UR Delver (2-0)
- I played a lot of big tarmogoyfs and he just couldn't deal with them. Toxic deluge was a house here.

R3: Shardless BUG (1-1)
- I'm bummed we went to time before the end of the third game, because this was a great match. We both suspended at least 2 visions in each game and cast them both. He forced one of my visions in game 1 right after his own had popped and I couldn't catch up. Game 2 was a grind fest, but both jace and liliana were amazing!!

R4: Nic Fit (2-1)
- These were very grindy games. He ultimately has better bombs in the late game, so I tried to keep his resources low with Hymn, wasteland, and decay. Ancestral visions is what separates these 2 decks, it is so good.

[Ralf]

How do you guys board against Jund ?

[Whitefaces]

How do you guys board against Jund ?

Depends on the SB.

Mine is simply (list below)
-2 FoW
+2 Leyline of the Void

Shardless generally needs to be the aggressor here as Punishing Fire is a trump in the MU. I have a Loam in the MD that mitigates this though as I can waste them off Groves.

If you don't have access to this plan then I'd remove any discard and try and win with tempo. Keeping FoW in vs Jund is wrong for every other U deck, but in this case the CA from visions, agent, strix etc makes up for it and FoWing an early DRS, goyf, bob or lili can set you up nicely.

But as I said, it's really dependent on the build. I also don't play discard MD for example.

----------------------------------

4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Baleful Strix
4 Shardless Agent

4 Ancestral Visions
2 Toxic Deluge
1 Life from the Loam

4 Brainstorm
4 Force of Will
4 Abrupt Decay

2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Liliana of the Veil

4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
3 Underground Sea
3 Tropical Island
1 Bayou
4 Wasteland
1 Swamp
1 Forest

SB
4 Meddling Mage
1 Containment Priest
1 Scrubland
2 Duress
2 Thoughtseize
1 Null Rod
1 Engineered Plague
2 Leyline of the Void
1 Notion Thief

[btm10]

14 copies for day two with 8 copies being the second highest archetype is a good showing, the deck is very well positioned.

I said that it was well positioned, and its my primary deck right now. But it only did as well as expected on day 2 (it was about an eigth of the field and took an eigth of the Top 32) and we can't say anything about how Shardless did on day one to put 14 people into day 2. Just trying to properly assess the data.

How do you guys board against Jund ?

It varies a lot build to build. Obviously Force comes out. I tend to leave somed iscard in on the play, bring in whatever removal I have in the board, Golgari Charm, and some graveyard hate to deal with Punishing Fire. If you're running Loam in the board, this is a good matchup for it.

[tescrin]

Well clearly you don't bother activating it with a live wasteland unless you have a ton of mana. As long as you do have 4 mana up, they can't really go for the wasteland. It's awkward for sure, but again, it's a little less vulnerable than CTP.

Please no. Lumbering falls is a garbage pile of garbage by comparison to CTP. They have a goyf/goose/TNN etc..? You can't attack. Tapping for black/blue is also more important for a deck running UU and BB spells. Your green spells are all single green.

[AustinP]

how did this deck drop from DTB? the decks in there are whack right now....

[Fox]

Lumbering Falls is a lot less susceptible to Wasteland than Creeping Tar Pit.

I think lumbering falls is probably better used coming in from the sideboard, to supplement CTP against miracles (only?). Might be too narrow outside a small, miracles-heavy meta.

[matunos]

It's certainly a strong card, but have you had much of a problem with it only producing colourless mana? Not casting Strix or Hymn on curve is a problem.

Only when I go a stretch of drawing it and only one other land in my opener and first few draws.

It hasn't been any worse really than having a third Wasteland or for that matter much worse than a Creeping Tar Pit (which sure you can play tapped T1, but then you're off curve for Deathrite or Visions).

[matunos]

It varies a lot build to build. Obviously Force comes out. I tend to leave somed iscard in on the play, bring in whatever removal I have in the board, Golgari Charm, and some graveyard hate to deal with Punishing Fire. If you're running Loam in the board, this is a good matchup for it.

JTMS is also terrible against Jund. I'm not even sure about Liliana, they seem to like discarding to her more than we do.

[matunos]

Please no. Lumbering falls is a garbage pile of garbage by comparison to CTP. They have a goyf/goose/TNN etc..? You can't attack. Tapping for black/blue is also more important for a deck running UU and BB spells. Your green spells are all single green.

I didn't say it was good, just less susceptible to Wasteland.

[matunos]

I think lumbering falls is probably better used coming in from the sideboard, to supplement CTP against miracles (only?). Might be too narrow outside a small, miracles-heavy meta.

My favorite SB cards for Miracles are Pithing Needle and Null Rod. That's probably enough SB hate for them, but I do bring in Golgari Charm too (Blood Moon or sometimes Counterbalance, the occasional Supreme Verdict, or maybe once in a while clear out their wizards), and if you have a Maelstrom Pulse in the board, might as bring that in.

[Tantarus]

how did this deck drop from DTB? the decks in there are whack right now....

No doubt, Omnitell is still there...