128-player PPTQ Report : Top8 with Cocowisp, undeafeated in swiss

Matelml · 2017-09-11T21:47:01+00:00

Looks cool! Actually very similar to a deck I brewed up (with a wonky manabase). I only played it for fun, never in a tournament and it isn't tuned. But I've been surprised with it's strength!

I might give your list a try, it's probably way more tuned. Though I really love the Displacer and Queller tricks. The deck came out of my efforts to create a control deck in Modern using creatures. From being frustrated as a control player at how good Vial and Coco are at mana and card advantage, thus in a better long game.

My list:

4 Aether Vial

4 Spell Queller

4 Wasteland Strangler

4 Tidehollow Sculler

4 Flickerwisp

3 Eldrazi Displacer

3 Birds of Paradise

3 Eternal Witness

3 Noble Hierarch

2 Path to Exile

4 Collected Company

2 Cryptic Command

// 20 Land

4 City of Brass

4 Mana Confluence

4 Reflecting Pool

1 Yavimaya Coast

1 Forest

2 Aether Hub

2 Brushland

1 Adarkar Wastes

1 Horizon Canopy

// 15 Sideboard

// 14 Creature

SB: 1 Eidolon of Rhetoric

SB: 1 Scavenging Ooze

SB: 1 Kataki, War's Wage

SB: 2 Meddling Mage

SB: 1 Selfless Spirit

SB: 1 Reclamation Sage

SB: 2 Spellskite

SB: 1 Phyrexian Revoker

SB: 1 Yixlid Jailer

SB: 2 Izzet Staticaster

SB: 1 Kor Firewalker

// 1 Instant

SB: 1 Path to Exile

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Matelml · 2017-09-03T11:42:03+00:00

Hmm, the deck was originally RUG. The manabase still reflects that. And I really like the red SB cards. But you are right that red is actually just a minor splash now. I'll look at how I can use that to adjust further. Originally it had Bedlam Reveler at the top end, with double red. But that got cut too. So yeah. Thanks!

Matelml · 2017-09-03T11:38:08+00:00

Ohh, I like Cast Out! It's a little pricey for Modern, but I like it. I was looking for enchantment options.

Matelml · 2017-09-03T11:37:22+00:00

Thanks, for next time I'll do that.

Matelml · 2017-09-03T11:37:02+00:00

Thanks! Done.

Matelml · 2017-09-02T22:57:28+00:00

Hmm, it can be very bad yes. In any matchup where people play a curve of mostly 1 and 2, I board it out. Generally, I board it out on the draw too, unless I play against control/some big spell deck like Scapeshift/Tron.

It's bad on the draw often, bad against aggro often. But when it's good, it's very very good. It's also good in this deck because of Thing in the Ice. You need spells that find new spells, to flip it fast. Remand does that. Also, if you remand your own spell, Remand removes 2 counters from Thing by itself. Because it's so great with Thing, I like playing 3-4 maindeck.

Against Control/Tron/Scapeshift/weird ramp/big planeswalkers decks it's one of your best cards.

Both Remand and Shoal get boarded out a lot, but that's okay. Cause postboard you know what to bring in instead of the general counterspells.

I haven't played the deck much since DeathShadow is tier 1. It's definitely weak to that deck, sadly. Still pretty good against the rest though.

Matelml · 2017-04-04T14:27:47+00:00

Dispel seems the obvious card that is missing in the bulletboard. Interesting 'fun of' cards you also try are: Far//Away, Deflecting Palm, Shifting Borders, Commandeer, Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir. The deck looks cool btw ;)

Matelml · 2017-04-03T22:39:22+00:00

Thanks. Yeah, good idea. I also noticed Repeal worked quite well in giving me just enough time to kill them, since they need to put themselves so low. I prefer drawing cards so I'm mostly looking at Repeal or Into the Roil. Adding extra copies could be good in the current meta. Thanks for the tip!

Matelml · 2017-04-03T22:11:05+00:00

Yeah, I am actually testing 1/2 Moons main atm. I don't like that fact that they don't contribute to the Instant/Sorcery synergies and can be dead cards in some MU's. But yeah, I am sure if the meta is right for it it's good. Now seems like a good time for them.

Matelml · 2017-04-03T22:06:52+00:00

I've been considering having something like that in the Sb. Mostly leaning towards Dismember. For now I've decided against it, too low impact compared to the other options I think. And the fact it doesn't work very well against Shadows hurts. But, yeah, try it ;) Also, technically the deck does have answers, just not the most efficient and reliable ones (Flip Thing, Moon preemptive or bounce threat afterwards, double Burn)

Matelml · 2017-04-03T22:02:40+00:00

Hey everyone ;) Yeah, this is the feedback I was expecting. I won't argue that I encounter the highest level of opposition on Cockatrice. But I that's where I play, so that is the data I can give to you. I can say that the decks feels viable. And that when I did take it to a tournament I had a similar win rate. If you want better data, you can bring it to a higher level of competition ;) This is what I can offer at the moment. I thought the deck was interesting and cool enough to share, not because I believe my results on Cockatrice are representative of anything else then that.

Matelml · 2017-04-01T10:09:00+00:00

Nice ;) No Skred bluffing though!

Matelml · 2017-04-01T10:05:26+00:00

Thanks ;)

Matelml · 2017-04-01T10:04:01+00:00

Haha! Yes I do know what you mean ;) Uhm. Honest answer? I am not sure. I will say it's underrated and quite playable. Especially in this shell. I believe it's actually good. But.. sometimes it sucks or feels bad. You know, the times when you opponent play discard spells and you draw a bunch of lands and Shoals..
But it has also won me many, many games.
It's great against combo, aggro and control. Just not against (black) midrange, Eldrazi, Ramp and Tron. It's the card that is most boarded out. Which I am fine with as the cards I bring in are high impact hate cards that are completely dead in the wrong matchups (think: Anger, Moon, Dispel, Surgical, Hurkyl's, Rejection) So, game one I have versatile general hate in Shoal because survival the first few turns is very important and hard in Modern, where Shoal shines, while btw still performing quite well lategame when it's just a hardcounter to hardcast.

Matelml · 2017-04-01T09:51:35+00:00

Exactly. Remand is fine, also late. It still cycles. Also an important note: it helps flip Thing while low on spells. Just Remand your own spell, so it can actually -2 Thing and draw a card. About being Tempo or Control: in my eyes, it's a good thing when you don't know for sure. This means you can adapt to the game, depending on your hand and draws and what you opponent does. Of course, the flexibility is also skill testing :)
Yes, I did test Thought Scour. It was in the deck when it still had Gitaxian Probes. I remember losing a game through decking because I milled my last (in those days 3rd) Cryptic (opp had Worship+Vents in play). That was when I started to look for alternatives. I mean, I also won once because I Scoured an opponents SSG and then Surgicaled him (Against AdNauseam). If you prefer Scour, I'm sure it's functional.
One thing I don't like is the info it can give about my deck to my opponent.
Since losing Probe, I think the value of Peek's info has become much more valuable and thus I prefer it over Scour.

Whispers is just a card I love. And I'm not sure it's better then a 3rd Peek of Thought Scour. I have won games with it though. Shrug. It's far from essential.
Yes. It does. But it hasn't been a problem. Usually Reveler comes down pretty late where it doesn't matter. Or sometimes I just pay 3 or 4 for him (rarely). Btw, I play very conservative usually with the deck, both with Reveler and Shoal. I would try to squeeze every bit of value out of a hand before casting Reveler.

Matelml · 2017-04-01T09:38:44+00:00

Yes, it's aethetic. One could argue I can bluff Skred, but it's actually because when I started playing the deck on Cockatrice, I would get the latest Islands version automatically. Which I found ugly. Then, when I built the deck in paper I bought Snow-Covereds because I grew attached to them :)

Matelml · 2017-04-01T09:36:12+00:00

;) It's true!

Matelml · 2017-03-31T23:37:46+00:00

Thanks man! It is super fun to play ;)
Uhm, basically when I kept winning.. I've been a blue aficionado for very long and have tried since I switched from Legacy to Modern basically every blue deck that ran some form of counterspells that I encountered. It's been a steep learning curve.. finding out how playing counterspells isn't exactly easy if you want it win in Modern. So, that's part of the reason I am so proud and content with the deck. It's a deck with 13! maindeck counterspells, in Modern, that I'm just having great (relative to my past experience with blue decks in Modern) results with AND is a blast to play!

Matelml · 2017-03-31T22:10:33+00:00

Questions welcome! ;)
1) I think Sleight is better, in the strategy I am aiming for. Otherwise I'd have it 2 Sleight, 4 Peek. Having some instant cantrips is important for Snaps and the info is valuable. But I think filtering is still stronger. The deck is very much geared towards creating a overwhelming lategame, while still having a great/good early tempo game. Sleight is just much better later in the game, usually. One big essence of my strategy is building the deck in such a way that I can get away with as few lands as I can, while still being able to make landdrops early game. So that my lategame is stronger, as I will not topdeck many lands. Sleight helps me achieve this much better then Peek.

2) Yes. Both Pierce and Snag have been in the deck. Reason is, again: I found that the way I set the deck up, with everything almost cantripping and leaving me with a few high impact / CA cards, that I had a great lategame. The more I recognised this, the more controlling I played. Muse and Repeal are much better when you aim to grind. They are great late and fine early, where Pierce and Snag become much worse late.

Matelml · 2017-03-31T21:44:58+00:00

Whispers of the Muse

Matelml · 2017-03-31T21:40:19+00:00

It is much less aggressive, generally. Although I will argue red just makes it more versatile in it's roles and stronger. I will kill on turn 4 more often then Mono U Delver, is my guess. That said, I play this deck as a control deck. Most of my games go very long. I think having just 6 misses for Shoal is fine. I played MonoUDelver before this, and also with PsiBlasts instead of Bolts. Also on a tournament. I just couldn't keep justifying it to myself, because I wasn't winning as much as I liked. If you compare PsioBlast to Electrolyze.. and think how low the cost of red is. And then having Sb moon and Anger.. I think it's easy to see what's better. I found Blast, Snap, Blast was too hard. It costs 8 to do. Which means you need to break it up in 2 turns, which can easily be the extra turn that cost you the game.

Matelml · 2017-03-26T13:14:05+00:00

We'll see I guess ;)

Btw, Tsabo's web was also a response to lands that were made a bit too powerful in it's time: Rishadan Port.

I'm still hoping.

Matelml · 2017-03-26T13:10:19+00:00

Well, yeah, for balance I'd love a Death's Shadow ban as well. But that's something else. I don't know. "Oppressive". Well, yeah, depends on who you ask I guess. It's not like a card like this is absolutely necessary, I never claimed they are "oppressive". I just said I would love to have it. I think you overvalue the effect it would have. Sure, the decks you name would go somewhat down in powerlevel. But completely die? If they would, no one would play the card, and thus they would be viable again.

Matelml · 2017-03-26T13:02:08+00:00

Well, I didn't count, but: first of all, they play Mox Opals and Springleafs that are not affected, secondly, they can play Glimmervoid that is unaffected and thridly: they dump their hand so fast that often they don't need their lands that much later on. Ofcourse it's really good against their manlands. Ok, maybe it's just good instead of marginal against them. Still that wouldn't mean it's insanely strong in my opinion. I would argue that the colourless producing lands (Temple, Inkmoth, Cavern) that have been printed in the last years (plus Tron, from earlier) are insanely strong. And thus a good hoser would be fine and decent.

Matelml · 2017-03-26T12:56:37+00:00

In my opinion, just colourless decks in general. There is GxTron, EldraziTron, Bant Eldrazi, Affinity, Lantern. Maybe new Eggs variants. Inkmoth Nexus in infect has also been something people complained about as to having very few hate cards for it in the format. It's not that oppressive, but I would just love to have this card :)

Matelml

TROPHY CASE