Dies to Removal

I'd advise against sticking it in someone in your apt. complex unless you plan on getting srs bsnz with them. It's like workplace flings. When it's over, they're still there. No bueno.

^ not that I would know anything about it, but yeah, avoid office flings. Unless they're only temporary staff.

That's my free lesson for the day

Quoth Kamahl: "If I like the board save for reckoners, I would probably fit in a single worldspire just so I do not get milled out, bit I don't think milling will be an issue with the added pressure to the control mat h from burn and spirits, so it may just be an Obzedat, Slaughter Games and Cavern if I am soft in control and need the boost."

cause an uncastable green fatty that no one plays is a good sideboard card? Mind-boggling

He just needs more Purge the Profane. Card is awesome in every matchup. I can't believe he's using trash like Rakdos's Return in his deck.

So, this is a thing that's going to be happening. Content incoming!

viewtopic.php?f=34&t=1181&p=83706#p83706

Ermegerd! I actually have cell reception. I haven't found Sasquatch yet, but I'm still looking.

Love it Alex.

Buying into a MTGO account and building a Modern deck now, all thanks to Alex.

Late to the party, but when facebook becomes an issue, the bitch is crazy. That's the extent of my life advice.

I'd advise against sticking it in someone in your apt. complex unless you plan on getting srs bsnz with them. It's like workplace flings. When it's over, they're still there. No bueno.

Or maybe It's fate? Not FoS's Fate. the other kind. Although it will be awkward if she finds out you fucked her sister.

Nice job on the article, Alex. Where are you going to take it from here? Is it going to be about other decks, or strategy, or just making profit?

Khaos, your related story and last few posts sound all too familiar...welcome back from Oz and into a new fraternity: The Brotherhood of Borderline Survivors. The best thing you can do right now is not "feed" her by reacting to her shit...just move forward and take the high road whenever possible. As she continues to blow filth in all directions and you take the sane and rational line on things, it will become obvious to others what the truth of things are. Do, however, do anything you can to minimize your exposure to malicious acts...if she had a key to your place, get the lock changed like yesterday. And so on...

That is a very good article, Alex. Thank you for that. It makes Modern a lot less intimidating to get into.

Buying into a MTGO account and building a Modern deck now, all thanks to Alex.

I apologize in advance, Fate.

I'd advise against sticking it in someone in your apt. complex unless you plan on getting srs bsnz with them. It's like workplace flings. When it's over, they're still there. No bueno.

Or maybe It's fate? Not FoS's Fate. the other kind. Although it will be awkward if she finds out you fucked her sister.

If he fucked her sister well, this can only help him. It's counterintuitive, granted.

So, a few new lists worth discussing:

Mono-Red Aggro
Eric Cieszynski
6th Place at StarCityGames.com Standard Open on 7/28/2013

[deck]
Creatures (28)
3 Ash Zealot
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Chandra's Phoenix
4 Hellrider
2 Lightning Mauler
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Stromkirk Noble
3 Young Pyromancer

Lands (21)
18 Mountain
3 Mutavault

Spells (11)
2 Brimstone Volley
4 Searing Spear
2 Shock
3 Pillar of Flame

Sideboard (15)
2 Legion Loyalist
3 Burning Earth
1 Magmaquake
3 Skullcrack
2 Thunderbolt
2 Flames of the Firebrand
2 Rolling Temblor[/deck]

Brady Boychuk
GP Calgary 2013 - Top 8 Decklist
[deck]
Land (23)
7 Forest
1 Kessig Wolf Run
7 Mountain
4 Rootbound Crag
4 Stomping Ground

Creatures (30)
4 Arbor Elf
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Flinthoof Boar
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
2 Gyre Sage
4 Hellrider
1 Scavenging Ooze
3
Strangleroot Geist
4 Thundermaw Hellkite

Spells (7)
3 Mizzium Mortars
4 Domri Rade

Sideboard (15)
1 Electrickery
2 Huntmaster of the Fells
3 Pillar of Flame
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Skullcrack
1 Thragtusk
2 Zealous Conscripts
15 sideboard cards[/deck]

Adam Laforest
GP Calgary 2013 - Top 8 Decklist
[deck]
Lands (25)
21 Mountain
4 Mutavault

Creatures (16)
4 Boros Reckoner
4 Chandra's Phoenix
4 Hellrider
4 Thundermaw Hellkite

Spells (19)
4 Bonfire of the Damned
3 Brimstone Volley
4 Burning Earth
4 Pillar of Flame
4 Searing Spear

Sideboard (15)
1 Blasphemous Act
3 Curse of the Pierced Heart
3 Mark of Mutiny
3 Skullcrack
3 Volcanic Strength
2 Wild Ricochet
15 sideboard cards[/deck]

The third list also did well at the #scginvi.

What do you guys think he was trying to do with Wild Ricochet?

Apparently from the coverage, Laforest probably just played badly and lost to one of his best matchups(and whiffing on the third land drop for infinite turns doesn't help).

I don't like his sideboard, but the maindeck looks sweet.

Wild Rickochet seems almost playable as it's definitely a sphinx's hoser, and most of the cards are good, but I don't really like it either. The boarding plans don't really look coherent.

I don't get what you'd board in Wild Ricochet for. Sphinx's Revelation? Because you can't redirect Revelation, you would simply copy it...might as well just be Reverberate.

Wild Rickochet seems almost playable as it's definitely a sphinx's hoser, and most of the cards are good, but I don't really like it either. The boarding plans don't really look coherent.

In what way is it a Sphinx's hoser? It doesn't stop their Revelation, so they're probably still drawing better cards than you.

Oh hey, Alex is smarter then me. The only other big target is Bonfire which you definitely can redirect, but I'm not sure if you want to be playing that game vs. jund.

There's also a fictional universe where you turn someone's Rakdos's Return Traitor, but again, seems too narrow.

Deck seems way to tapout oriented to be playing cute tricks like this, but maybe I'm an idiot.

I have Reverberated my fair share of Bonfires.

"What? I don't get a board? Neither do you."

I've covered these sort of effects in an article. They're not good.

It always feels so good, though.

True. I must acknowledge that Reverberating into a Skullcrack to cancel their life gain would be the sweetest thing ever.

With all the mana dorks running around I would think some number of FotF would make sense somewhere in that midrange list.

Agree. I like them more than Volley, since you're trying to control the board state then resolve Burning Earth anyway. Also, 'kill your guy, get back Phoenix' is sweet.

FotF has been getting more attractive for the past few days in general.

Yeah, the only thing I like about Phoenix and Volley in the same list is that you can kamikaze Phoenix into something to turn on Morbid then get it back when you cast Volley, but that's a little narrow given the list doesn't have many other ways to max out the Volley.

I'd much rather have volley then flames. You already have bonfire doing what you want flames to do and volley helps you actually kill people. In this format, it's important for your midrange deck to be able to "turn the corner" quickly and volley combined with hellrider's often suicidal charges does that well. That and it gives you a way to kill x/5 creatures if ever that's important.

With all the quality removal running around and this deck not having creatures that generate value outside of haste(tempo being a sort of "value" of you feel like stretching definitions), I greatly appreciate the ability to chuck damage at some noobs. This deck has REAL reach.

I'm also gonna go out on a limb and say unless your playing the ALL IN red decks, you should probably stay away from the low curve red decks and play something more agro-midrange instead. I'm strongly considering shelving the stromkirk nobles
for good and kissing that sweet prince goodnight. This does not look like his format.

I'd much rather have volley then flames. You already have bonfire doing what you want flames to do and volley helps you actually kill people. In this format, it's important for your midrange deck to be able to "turn the corner" quickly and volley combined with hellrider's often suicidal charges does that well. That and it gives you a way to kill x/5 creatures if ever that's important.

With all the quality removal running around and this deck not having creatures that generate value outside of haste(tempo being a sort of "value" of you feel like stretching definitions), I greatly appreciate the ability to chuck damage at some noobs. This deck has REAL reach.

I'm also gonna go out on a limb and say unless your playing the ALL
IN red decks, you should probably stay away from the low curve red decks and play something more agro-midrange instead. I'm strongly considering shelving the stromkirk nobles for good and kissing that sweet prince goodnight. This does not look like his format.

In a 60% Jund meta, I'm inclined to agree with you. I guess you just throw all the burn in their face? lol I don't know.

I don't like his sideboard, but the maindeck looks sweet.

The scginvi list (which I can no longer find) played 4x Ratchet Bomb, which is probably better. Ratchet Bomb is nice against token strategies, Aristocrats, BTE strategies etc. I think it played Zealous Conscripts too. These effects are / have always been strong against jund.

How does this look?

Sideboard (15)
[cards]4 Ratchet Bomb
3 Mark of Mutiny
3 Skullcrack
3 Volcanic Strength
2 Zealous Conscripts[/cards]

Point, LK; on reflection, FotF can't be cast until T3, which gives the dorks a chance to do their damage and put you behind against one of the ramp lists. Electrickery in the side likely makes more sense given that it can sweep a turn earlier and still deliver that tempo hit. The downside of course is that trickery can't go to the dome and is a horrible topdeck against anything other than a Souls deck.

Good point about Ratchet Bomb, Johnny...I need to get my head wrapped around the fact that we have it back. It can do the job just as well as Electrickery and faster than FotF if you have it in your opener and it's not necessarily dead in the later game.

I'd much rather have volley then flames. You already have bonfire doing what you want flames to do and volley helps you actually kill people. In this format, it's important for your midrange deck to be able to "turn the corner" quickly and volley combined with hellrider's often suicidal charges does that well. That and it gives you a way to kill x/5 creatures if ever that's important.

With all the quality removal running around and this deck not having creatures that generate value outside of haste(tempo being a sort of "value" of you feel like stretching
definitions), I greatly appreciate the ability to chuck damage at some noobs. This deck has REAL reach.

I'm also gonna go out on a limb and say unless your playing the ALL IN red decks, you should probably stay away from the low curve red decks and play something more agro-midrange instead. I'm strongly considering shelving the stromkirk nobles for good and kissing that sweet prince goodnight. This does not look like his format.

In a 60% Jund meta, I'm inclined to agree with you. I guess you just throw all the burn in their face? lol I don't know.

The other R/x deck in the GP Calgary top 8 (very diverse top 8 btw, only 2 Jund deck which is lower than the total Jund deck percentage) was a bit more midrangey as well, so this is probably true.

Ok, so can someone explain Mark of Mutiny to me? Do you really expect to win the turn you use it, because you give back the creature with the counter on it? Or is the power/toughness boost just too important, so it's worth it despite giving a bigger creature back? What am I missing here?

They want the extra point of damage. That's it. The damage coming back is irrelevant most of the time. Mark is 2R; Traitorous is 1RR; when you're running 4 Mutavault that can be relevant sometimes.

Ok, perhaps I'm worrying too much about that counter going back to the opponent. In reality, the threatens are usually used to help getting those final damage through, so a power boost is of course good.

That's essentially what PSully said in his deck tech about the Threatens as well, James. My question though was whether the trample of Traitorous might be more often relevant than the +1 counter of Mark. I recognize that the casting color cost is still a concern worth considering, but that aside, what are your thoughts?

BTW, here's the sideboard from the other midrange red deck--totally different:

[deck]
Sideboard
4 Ratchet Bomb
3 Possibility Storm
3 Shock
2 Mizzium Mortars
3 Rolling Temblor
[/deck]


Some of the cards make more sense than the other sideboard list, but Possibility Storm?