Came second at game day with izzit soul blade, my buddy came third with that mono red list from a while back... only he couldn't find hammer hands so it was extra garbage can special.
I've been trying to piece together stuff to run some abzan agro (and I opened a sorin today off my prize) but I'm not sure I want to do anything in standard right now other than ensoul on turn 2 and beat face.
I should have run sligh instead of getting cute with heroes
Winning fnm last night was actually super bad for me, it convinced me my heroic list was rad, and it isnt rad its basically a theros block constructed deck with swiftspears and hammerhands shoved in because I apparently think interfering with blocking is extra important in a deck that goes 10 dudes wide
Yeah my last round in top four I had the worst fuckin luck on draws, I drew twelve land out of twenty, every mana creature, and one commune with the gods... which pulled me a mana guy. I just... kept playing guys and blocking. I could have gone off with literally every other spell in the deck.
I'm not salty about it, I've been playing way too fucking long to get upset about the random factors of the game, just man this deck either draws its shit to combo off or it doesn't and you lose, there's no come from behind resiliency
I run followers, but only because I don't run twinflame. In the cantrip enchantment engine they let you win without going infinite, but this version doesn't start partying until you hit the mantle/helix loop, and then you do whatever you want, so I can see throwing them out for extra draw.
Tormenting voice only digs 2 deep as opposed to 3 from cruise, but it also fuels dig through time and filters crap. How many situations are you going to be able to either dig or cruise but not both, compared to how many times you can drop voice to create just enough delve material to immediately play dig.
Voice > dig is a believable play, cruise > dig isn't going to happen
Man, I played 3 drafts on MTGO today, and in two of them my first round opponent was playing Jeskai and had Jeskai Ascendency. That card is ridiculous even in draft. I could never get an advantage over it.
But I did run a U/G deck to a 3-0 victory on the back of Icewing Avens and combat tricks so that felt pretty good. The final game if the final match had me winning at 3 life to -1 with my opponent having a 7/8 Siege Rhino and 5 other dudes on the board.
T bonk that is actually really good advice, I will probably do that instead, though the lure of basically-ancestral-recall is calling me if only because I wasn't playing when actual recall (started playing in ice age) or vision (took a break for a couple years right when time spiral came out) were legal. Wish tv was an instant though.
Do you think Twinflame isn't needed in the purse/helix combo? It definitely felt like the weakest card while I was playing.
I really like that it basically becomes a hasty mana creature. Sometimes I have all the pieces except the opponent keeps killing my guys so having that slight element of surprise lets me either piecemeal the combo together over a couple turns or try to do it all at once without summoning sickness or giving them a whole turn to react.
I absolutely agree that Voice should be in. My final list will probably be 4 Dig and 2-3 Voice and no cruise.
As for the Dorks, I'm not comfortable going down to a mere 8, but I don't think you need 12. I'm not a fan of Voyaging Sartyr due to all the Pain Lands and fact that Follower just fixes your mana better (ie if your pinched on W and R, about have a Caryatid, Follower can let you go off, Satyr can't). I could be wrong about that.
I'm gonna have to jigger with my mana base no matter what I do; I don't have enough white sources. I actually played (and went off) an astral cornucopia for 3 today just to get down an ascendancy. I only have two mana confluences which I'm kinda peeved about. And I might be playing too many temples? I think I'm running 11. Scrying is really really nice in this deck. I would probably play 20 if I could.
...shit. that's not the worst idea. The only important thing is finding your combo pieces right? EVERYTHING MUST DIG
Tynnanseldom correct, never unsureRegistered Userregular
edited October 2014
I'm tempted to convert my current R/W Fireworks deck (Brad Nelson PT list) into Mardu, but I like how streamlined the current list is. I've found the two-color version to be very consistent and it really doesn't have any terrible matchups. I'll probably just leave the list as-is and get some practice in this week before SCG Minneapolis next weekend.
Been wondering if there's room for Ensoul arti at all in the Jeskai combo, not sure what moves for it tho, but the cornucopia being a 5/5 when combo isn't ready would sure help with the whole holding off til you can combo.
Any cards that don't find you combo pieces or operate the engine are cards that make an already kind of rickety deck even less stable
Ya basically my thought too, just, I dunno like a smidgen more dig or defense could prevent that reverse smash it sets itself up for sometimes, but /shrug at what's gonna provide it.
Edit: Gamble keeps popping into head and then I remember that's just cause I saw tons of it in Vintage Masters and it's not actually in standard. Vintage Masters messed with my standard memories.
So that's how this store works. Whatever won last weekend literally everyone plays.
So I don't play what I want, I build whatever smokes that one deck specifically no matter how silly or crippled against any other deck and roll face.
Yeah, those sorts of stores tend to be super flavour of the week so you can just reverse engineer them to build something that can beat them.
Also woo! Space Jam'd my way to 4-0-1 to make top eight and then swept a RG aggro, Abzan midrange and Abzan aggro to win the playmat. (Though they're still waiting on prizes to arrive)
Okay, I have a binder full of valuable cards and winnings now
Cards I can convert into a decent manabase, which is the only thing stopping me from playing a deck I love that handles abzan rhino shit better that anything else
Which means, its time to slam and welcome to the jam
Posts
She lost first round of top 8, but dang she was kicking faces
I've been trying to piece together stuff to run some abzan agro (and I opened a sorin today off my prize) but I'm not sure I want to do anything in standard right now other than ensoul on turn 2 and beat face.
Winning fnm last night was actually super bad for me, it convinced me my heroic list was rad, and it isnt rad its basically a theros block constructed deck with swiftspears and hammerhands shoved in because I apparently think interfering with blocking is extra important in a deck that goes 10 dudes wide
i love the stupidity of turn 1 swiftspear/denizen, turn 2 akroan crusader + hammerhand
... and some mana dorks and blue cards and a particular ascendancy
I'm not salty about it, I've been playing way too fucking long to get upset about the random factors of the game, just man this deck either draws its shit to combo off or it doesn't and you lose, there's no come from behind resiliency
I'm running 4 caryatid, 4 rattleclaw, 3 kiora's follower, 2 twinflame
I'm thinking of cutting the followers for treasure cruises
My deck right now is
2 twinflame
3 followers
4 caryatid
4 rattleclaw
3 taigam's scheming
4 dig through time
4 commune with the gods
4 retraction helix
4 dragon mantle
4 jeskai ascendancy
2 astral cornucopia
1 burning anger
1 altar of the brood
20 land
Take out the followers, go up to four scheming and add two treasure cruise
I just felt like I always had enough dorks with rattleclaw and caryatid, I can go off with twinflame too, sometimes easier
Whereas I never had enough digging to actually get me to my business spells
Also I hear ancestral recall is pretty good guys I don't know
Tormenting voice only digs 2 deep as opposed to 3 from cruise, but it also fuels dig through time and filters crap. How many situations are you going to be able to either dig or cruise but not both, compared to how many times you can drop voice to create just enough delve material to immediately play dig.
Voice > dig is a believable play, cruise > dig isn't going to happen
My 2 cents
But I did run a U/G deck to a 3-0 victory on the back of Icewing Avens and combat tricks so that felt pretty good. The final game if the final match had me winning at 3 life to -1 with my opponent having a 7/8 Siege Rhino and 5 other dudes on the board.
I really like that it basically becomes a hasty mana creature. Sometimes I have all the pieces except the opponent keeps killing my guys so having that slight element of surprise lets me either piecemeal the combo together over a couple turns or try to do it all at once without summoning sickness or giving them a whole turn to react.
As for the Dorks, I'm not comfortable going down to a mere 8, but I don't think you need 12. I'm not a fan of Voyaging Sartyr due to all the Pain Lands and fact that Follower just fixes your mana better (ie if your pinched on W and R, about have a Caryatid, Follower can let you go off, Satyr can't). I could be wrong about that.
...shit. that's not the worst idea. The only important thing is finding your combo pieces right? EVERYTHING MUST DIG
If confluence is your worry, I don't run it and I'm fine. Just design your curve right.
but I did have a keranos on board, at 3 life with 7 lands, go to reveal the top of my deck to my opponent
Resolute Archangel, cast archangel, i go to 20?
he was just like 'uh what the hell does that card do???'
ineedmayo.com Eidolon Journal Updated
ineedmayo.com Eidolon Journal Updated
*Only in quotes because I find it ironic that it's way more of a tempo deck then Jeskai ever was.
Ya basically my thought too, just, I dunno like a smidgen more dig or defense could prevent that reverse smash it sets itself up for sometimes, but /shrug at what's gonna provide it.
Edit: Gamble keeps popping into head and then I remember that's just cause I saw tons of it in Vintage Masters and it's not actually in standard. Vintage Masters messed with my standard memories.
this makes me really happy because that is the deck I'm running a budget version of
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Yeah, those sorts of stores tend to be super flavour of the week so you can just reverse engineer them to build something that can beat them.
Also woo! Space Jam'd my way to 4-0-1 to make top eight and then swept a RG aggro, Abzan midrange and Abzan aggro to win the playmat. (Though they're still waiting on prizes to arrive)
Cards I can convert into a decent manabase, which is the only thing stopping me from playing a deck I love that handles abzan rhino shit better that anything else
Which means, its time to slam and welcome to the jam
lost to abzan in top 8. that deck is so free until it sees sorin, then it is me that is the free one
which is kinda frustrating but i got my 4 promo heirs and thats all i cared about
now only 11 cards in my main are not promo or foil or both someone send help i have a problem
liliana of the veil
it was almost reprinted in m15, close enough!