Posts Tagged ‘Modern’
This week in Magic: Grixis Delver side board options for Modern
Friday, June 12th, 2015
It’s time for another edition of “This week in Magic.” Last week I talked about Grixis Delver and my thoughts on the deck. This week we’re going to continue the discussion and cover the side board. The side board of any deck is always a sensitive subject. There are many of you who will agree with me and there are plenty of you who will disagree. That’s okay. Side boards are a complicated thing and there is no such thing as a perfect board. Your guess is only as good as mine.
Enough of me wasting your time with an intro, here is a quick reminder of what my Grixis Delver decks looks like right now.
Grixis Delver
Main board:
4x Serum Visions
4x Thoughtscour
4x Lightning Bolt
3x Gitaxian Probe
2x Mana Leak
2x Remand
2x Vapor Snag
2x Spell Snare
2x Kolghan’s Command
2x Murderous Cut
1x Electrolyze
4x Delver of Secrets
3x Young Pyromancer
3x Snapcaster Mage
2x Tasigur, the Golden Fang
1x Gurmag Angler
4x. Polluted Delta
1x Swamp
4x Bloodstained Mire
2x Steam Vents
1x Watery Grave
4x Island
1x Mountain
1x Blood Crypt
1x Flooded Strand
Side board
3x Dragon’s Claw
2x Vandalblast
2x Spellskite
2x Dispel
1x Rending Volley
2x Blood Moon
1x Izzet Staticaster
2x Self-Inflicted Wound
vs. Mono Red Burn
+3 Dragon’s Claw, +2 Spellskite, +2 Dispel;
-3 Gitaxian Probe, -2 Remand, -2 Vapor Snag
Let’s start right from the top. Dragon’s Claw is pretty self explanatory. In the past couple of years, Mono Red Burn has become quite a popular deck to run. It (was) cheap to build and is a very efficient deck to run. As long as you can count to 20, you can play Mono Red Burn. Still, the deck is good enough to earn it’s own side board slot.
We want to mitigate the amount of damage we do to ourselves, so Gitaxian Probes are a great candidate to come out. Remands are counters that do us no good in this match especially since many of the spells can be re-cast the same turn you counter them. Finally, Vapor Snags are less efficient as compared to some of the other cards we can bring in like Spellskites and Dispels.
Dispels are a great replacement for Remand considering a majority of their deck is made up of instants, and we get the added bonus that Dispel only costs us one mana. Spellskites are the most annoying cards we can bring them in to redirect most of the burn spells to the artifact. Any way to buy time is totally worth it against a burn player. Many of my games have come down to one or two life.
As a burn player, I’ve been affected by Blood Moon before. It’s not a definite answer, but it’s annoying enough to stop us from playing some of our best spells.
vs. UR Twin or Grixis Twin
+2 Spellskite, +1 Rending Volley, +2 Dispel;
-3 Young Pyromancer, -1 Electrolyze, -1 Gurmag Angler
This is an interesting side board situation. In my experience versus Twin decks, the tend to side out the combo against decks like ours. Twin decks will then take a more control approach to the match. So here, I’ve decided to bring in Spellskites, a Volley, and two Dispels.
Spellskites are great against the combo and the changes that most Twin deck make post side board. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been burnt out by a Twin player in games two and/or three. This is the same reason we bring in Dispels. We really can’t go wrong with more hard counters especially since they cost us only one to cast! Our one Rending Volley is great and helps us if they’ve kept in part of the combo. That’s what makes these Twin decks great is how versatile they can be. Even if the combo has been taken out, they’re great at removing Exarchs that are still hanging out and Cliques which may make a sudden cameo.
So why did we take out what we took out?. Pyromancers are actually some of our weakest creatures I think in this match up. Twin decks have plenty of ways to deal with them and any tokens they may make along the way. When it comes to Electrolyze, I feel like there are better cards for this match up in our side. The same can be said for the Angler. Being that there is only one copy, we can do away with it post side boarding.
vs. Affinity
+2 Vandalblast, +2 Blood Moon;
-2 Remand, -2 Mana Leak
I think one of the best ways to deal with Affinity, is to just let things happen. They will have some silly openings and you’ll find yourself sitting there, staring at your cards wondering what to do next. If you try to control them, you’re going to lose. Let their artifacts hit the board and let your destructive spells deal with them. Thanks to Dragons of Tarkir, Grixis Delver now has one of the best spells against Affinity in Kolghan’s Command, and these are in our main board.
By taking out our counters, we’re now relying on our removal spells. Between the Bolts, Commands, Cuts, and even the Snags, it should be more than enough to deal with those pesky little robots. If that’s not enough, we’ve brought in Vandalblasts that can deal with one or multiple artifacts. Also, we’ve got Blood Moons on our side. While it may not seem like a obvious choice, let me remind you of the many times I’ve been killed by an activated Nexus with an equipped Plating.
I remember dropping a turn three Blood Moon against my opponent during a pPTQ and, while it wasn’t the answer I needed, it bought me enough time to establish a board pressence and beat my opponent.
In closing
Well we’re almost out of time, but let me leave you with something small. With the recent events and GR Tron being a big winner this weekend, I’m sure many of you are wondering what to bring in versus that match up. Obviously Blood Moon is the best card you have against Tron. Shut those lands down and you’ll find your path to victory. However another card you may not have thought of is Vandalblast. Tron relies a lot on on those artifacts. Not only do they cantrip, but they help with their mana issues. Be aware though, it’s not the end all answer, but enough to slow them down to where you can take advantage of things.
About the author
Simeon is now the Community Manager for Battleground Games & Hobbies. If you have any questions or inquiries, then you can reach him at Sims@battlegroundgames.com. He is also an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
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Tags: grixis delver, Magic the Gathering, Modern, MTG, side board, Simeon Cortezano
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This week in Magic: Grixis Delver for Modern
Friday, June 5th, 2015
Welcome back for another edition of “This week in ‘Magic.’” This week we’re going to go over one of my favorite decks in Modern right now, Grixis Delver. With the recent release of Modern Masters 2015, Modern has taken a front seat amongst the other formats and people are now wanting to play it more than ever. While the set did make a lot of cards that were once scarce very available, it left many off of the list. Due to this action, some of those cards are skyrocketing in price.
Okay, enough of my blabbing, here is what I’m playing:
Grixis Delver
Main board:
4x Serum Visions
4x Thoughtscour
4x Lightning Bolt
3x Gitaxian Probe
2x Mana Leak
2x Remand
2x Vapor Snag
2x Spell Snare
2x Kolghan’s Command
2x Murderous Cut
1x Electrolyze
4x Delver of Secrets
3x Young Pyromancer
3x Snapcaster Mage
2x Tasigur, the Golden Fang
1x Gurmag Angler
4x. Polluted Delta
1x Swamp
4x Bloodstained Mire
2x Steam Vents
1x Watery Grave
4x Island
1x Mountain
1x Blood Crypt
1x Flooded Strand
Side board
3x Dragon’s Claw
2x Vandalblast
2x Spellskite
2x Dispel
1x Rending Volley
2x Blood Moon
1x Izzet Staticaster
2x Self-Inflicted Wound
This deck has been a lot of fun to run. Surprisingly, a lot more fun than casting a fist full of burn spells at my opponent. So what is it about this deck that I like so much. Besides being super lucky and flipping a Delver with a high percentage rate on turn two, I’ve been able to cast Tasigur on turn two as well at a high rate as well.
Turn two you ask? Yes, it’s very possible and happens at a high rate thanks to spells like Thoughtscour, Serum Visions, and your fetch lands. A really good hand starts with me usually casting a Gitaxian Probe for two life. I could then do a number of things. If the coast is clear, I’ll drop a Delver on you. Otherwise there is a good chance I can just set myself up via Serum Visions. Mind you that’s two cards in my graveyard already – three if I fetched a land.
On my second turn, it could be considered a hasty move, but I’ll Thoughtscour myself during my main phase just to fill my graveyard if it means I can drop a turn two Tasigur. Kudos to you if you’re able to accomplish this because sometimes even a Tarmogoyf doesn’t get this big on turn two. If successful, your job is to protect Tasigur from here on out as it can win you the game. The same can be said for your only Gurmag.
The rest of your deck is there to support Tasigur or any other threat you may fish out on turn one. Most of the deck is self explanatory, but there are some, that I can tell, are causing you to rub your head. Let’s start with Kolghan’s Command.
This is a card that many Jund and Grixis decks in Modern have begun to take advantage of. As a side note, it sees more play in Modern than it does in Standard. So what is it about this card that makes it a popular choice? It’s first mode can be quite troublesome for many decks. There is nothing like letting your opponent think they’ve got you cornered when they kill your Tasigur only to be able to bring it back and play it the following turn.
The second mode doesn’t always play an important role in the game, but there are times when my opponent is sitting there with one card in hand, and i’ll gladly have them pitch it away. Even if it was just a land, having that kind of information can go a long way in helping you plan your own game out. Mode three is a huge mode and one that you may choose the most. Against Affinity, this huge. Combined with mode four, this become a two-for-one. This mode also works well against decks that will bring in random Batterskulls, Spellskites, and Swords.
Mode four is one of the most versatile modes the card has. Like I said before, being able to two-for-one Affinity by killing a little critter and destroying an artifact is amazing. It’s important to remember that you can also deal two points of damage to your opponent as well.
Is there a downside to this card? There are probably two. In a deck where most of your spells cost one or two mana, having a spell that costs three stinks. In addition to that, none of that mana is blue. In fact, it’s your splash color and your off-color. If you can get over those flaws, this is one of the best spells in the deck.
Lastly, I’ll touch upon my decision to run Murderous Cut over Terminate. Admittedly, I originally ran this deck with Terminates. As well, I admit that I didn’t like running the deck with Terminate. Why? Black is really just a splash and I don’t to use it as much as I can. It also is very color constraining in a deck that is very mana greedy. So why do I like Murderous Cut so much? The same reason why I like Tasigur. I found myself being able to put so many cards in my graveyard that I had to take more advantage of it. So why not use Murderous Cut? I’m either lucky, or maybe it’s a better choice for the deck, but I find myself casting it for one mana more often than none.
Well that’s it for now. Tune in next week when I’ll cover the side board and discuss the choices it provides us. Thanks for reading!
About the author
Simeon is now the Community Manager for Battleground Games & Hobbies. If you have any questions or inquiries, then you can reach him at Sims@battlegroundgames.com. He is also an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
The Extra Life 2015 campaign is underway. Donate today!
Join the Battleground Games & Hobbies community forums!
Please don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @battleground_gh!
Tags: grixis, grixis delver, Magic the Gathering, Modern, MTG, Simeon Cortezano
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This week in Magic: Re-discovering GR Tron
Thursday, May 7th, 2015
Welcome to another edition of “This week in Magic.” This week we’re going to cover a deck that is not burn. However, depending on who you are, is probably on the same level as far as the totem pole is considered. This week we’re taking a look at one of my favorite decks, GR Tron. Now we may have talked about it in the past, but this time we’re going to go over some of the changes the deck has made since we last touched upon it.
I guess on one of the first things you’re asking yourself is why GR Tron? Why not Mono-U Tron? While part of me does enjoy the strong control aspect of Mono-U Tron, you are less likely to draw your combo pieces than you are when you play GR Tron. This is one of the great strengths of GR Tron. I mean, if you’re going to play a deck called Tron, you might as well play the Tron pieces.
I’m sure you’ve had enough of my blabbering. Here is a good look at what I’ve got.
GR Tron
Main board
4 Karn Liberated
4 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Emrakul, The Aeons Torn
4 Ancient Stirrings
4 Pyroclasm
4 Sylvan Scrying
4 Chromatic Star
4 Chromatic Sphere
4 Expedition Map
4 Oblivion Stone
3 Relic of Progenitus
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
4 Urza’s Tower
4 Urza’s Power Plant
4 Urza’s Mine
2 Forest
1 Eye of Ugin
1 Ghost Quarter
Side board
2 Spellskite
3 Rending Volley
4 Nature’s Claim
3 Boil
2 Vandalblast
1 Sundering Titan
Main board selections
Your main board is very self-explanatory. Our main objective here is to build up Tron as fast as we can. This is accomplished by digging through our deck as much as possible or being as direct as possible. Sylvan Scrying is our best direct approach at gathering Tron. Expedition Map is another great example of a direct approach to thing. The spell is a little bit slower, and if played improperly, can be destroyed or returned to your hand without ever being used.
Overall, the best spell in the deck has to be Ancient Stirrings. On turn two, it’s the best spell we can play. Imagine this scenario: Turn one, we play a tron land and cast one of our numerous one casting cost artifact cantrips that cans also generate a single color. In a deck where colored mana is so sparse, this added ability is very welcomed. This leads us to our second turn. On turn two, we draw our card for the turn, then we can activate and sacrifice the artifact to draw another card and generate us one Green mana. This mana is then used to cast Ancient Stirrings where we can look at another five cards deeper.
Straight to the point
There is no greater feeling than casting a turn three Karn Liberated. I’ve played plenty of matches where my opponent has scooped at the sight of Karn. Not only that, but Wurmcoil Engine can be just as devastating to many of your opponents, especially the ones who decided to play burn that day.
Then, of course, there is always the chance where you can windmill slam an Emrakul around turn five or six with the help of an Eye of Ugin. For you beginners out there who may feel a little intimidated by this deck, don’t be. On paper it may look difficult to play, but in reality, it isn’t. Just like everything else in Magic, it takes a little bit of practice, but once you get rolling, it shouldn’t be difficult to pilot.
Weakest links of the deck
The deck is nicknamed “Tron” for reason. That’s because to play the deck you need to be able to play all three Urzatron pieces. Again, having play the deck plenty of times, I can tell you that, despite all of the cantrips and tutors, assembling Tron can still be difficult.
Also, let’s not forget the people who have a side board plan against you. As a Tron player, your worst nightmares will be Fulminator Mage and Blood Moon. Going from producing seven mana on turn 3 to producing only 3 mana hurts a lot – on the inside and outside.
Wrap up
Well, that’s it for this week. As you can see, I’ve played other decks besides Mono-R Burn, and am not as one sided as I seem to be. My advice is to try it out and give it a shot. Slam those those Tron pieces onto the battlefield and get ready to see some sad faces.
About the author
Simeon is now the Community Manager for Battleground Games & Hobbies. If you have any questions or inquiries, then you can reach him at Sims@battlegroundgames.com. He is also an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
The Extra Life 2015 campaign is underway. Donate today!
Join the Battleground Games & Hobbies community forums!
Please don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @battleground_gh!
Tags: GR Tron, Modern, Simeon Cortezano, Tron
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TODAY – Grand Prix Las Vegas Trial @ Plainville, MA
Saturday, May 2nd, 2015
Join us TODAY for our Grand Prix Trial for Grand Prix Las Vegas! Here’s your opportunity for a chance to earn a 2-round Bye at what is expected to be the largest North American Grand Prix -EVER!
We look forward to seeing you at our Plainville, MA location on May 2nd!
Format: Modern
Date: May 2nd, 2015 a Saturday
Time: Doors at 10:00 am, Round 1 pairings at 12:00 pm
Entrance Fee: $25.00 per person
Address:
25 Taunton Street
Plainville MA 02762
Parking on site
This event is being run as a Grand Prix Trial for Las Vegas:
• Deck lists required
• Cut to top 8
Prizes:
Prizes will be paid to the top finishers in Store Credit usable in store or online!
Tags: Grand Prix Las Vegas 2015, Grand Prix Trial, Magic the Gathering, Modern, Modern Masters, Modern Masters 2, MTG, Tournament
Posted in Blog, Card Games, Events, Magic: The Gathering, Store Related | No Comments »
This week in Magic: Side boarding with Naya Burn
Thursday, April 30th, 2015
Welcome back to another edition of “This week in Magic.” Last week we talked about the basics of Naya Burn and some expectations as I took it to a local GPT for Las Vegas. Sadly, I finished the day with a 3-2 record and just missed Top 8 by .5% point. I can’t be too upset considering how badly I felt I played all day. I felt that I played a little too loose and know I could have done better.
A prime example comes from my first match where I kept a hand of four lands and three spells. I was on the play, so I was already short action spells. My opponent was playing Esper and a turn one Kozilek and I was pretty much out of spells to cast by turn two. My best hands are anything with two lands and five spells or three lands and four spells. When I get the loose hands of four lands and three spells, I tend to mulligan them because there is not enough going on there. However, that first match had me keeping that exact hand. I knew I needed to play tighter if I wanted to have a chance.
My plays throughout the day is something we can save for another time. This week, I promised to tackle the options we have for side boarding. Once again, here is a quick rundown of my Naya Burn list.
Main board
4x Goblin Guide
4x Monastery Swiftspear
4x Eidolon of the Great Revel
2x Grim Lavamancer
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Lava Spike
3x Rift Bolt
2x Skullcrack
4x Boros Charm
4x Atarka’s Command
2x Lightning Helix
2x Shard Volley
2x Searing Blaze
3x Mountain
4x Scalding Tarn
4x Wooded Foothill
4x Bloodstained Mire
1x Stomping Ground
3x Sacred Foundry
Side board:
3x Destructive Revelry
1x Lightning Helix
2x Path to Exile
2x Deflecting Palm
2x Skull Crack
3x Molten Rain
2x Kor Firewalker
Versus Twin
-2 Searing Blaze, -2 Lightning Helix, -1 Shard Volley; +2 Path to Exile, +3 Destructive Revelry.
I’ve played against many twin matchups and I think this is a bit of a coin toss. Obviously during our first game, there is very little we can really do if our opponent has a Twin turn four. We either have enough burn in our hand to remove their Exarch or Mite, or we don’t. It’s as simple as that. Once we’ve boarded, the match stays a coin flip still. They tend to bring in a Spellskite or Batterskull, but the popular choice is to bring in more cheap counterspells such as Dispell or Spell Pierce.
In these situations, I like to bring in Destructive Revelry and Path to Exile. Destructive Revelry is our best defense against Batterskill and can conveniently destroy Spellskites. The one important thing they can destroy, though, are Splintertwins! There is almost no reason for a Twin player not to play Twin on turn four if they have the combo. It’s on us, the burn player to do something or lose.
Path to Exile is another great one-mana removal spell for us. More specifically, it’s there to remove the Exarch from play. One may think I’m over boarding a bit here because Destructive Revelry is good enough, but I like to have more options here. Path can also remove the insect token that Batterskull makes.
Versus Affinity
-2 Lightning Helix, -1 Shard Volley; +3 Destructive Revelry
Before I converted to Naya, this matchup was always in favor of Affinity. Some would argue it was more of a coin flip, but I tend to disagree. Since converting to Naya, we’ve gained more options and a bit more of a reach when it comes to fighting against the robot army.
One thing I’ve learned is that our creature package plays a big part in our match. Previous Mono Red builds relied more on their burn spells than anything else to do the damage. With no creatures in play, we allowed Affinity to run rampant all over us. However with almost a third of the deck being creatures, we have more defend ourselves with.
For our side board options we have the same choices we had with Twin. I like to bring in all of our copies of Destructive Revelry. If you read what the card does, then there is little explanation needed here, and we can get in two points of damage.
I also think Molten Rain is good option to run here as well. Their man-lands can do some serious damage to us if left unattended. Don’t forget, though, that Molten Rain can only hit their lands. As burn players we really need to be careful not to over board in these situations. If you feel Molten Rain is important, then go ahead and run them. Otherwise, you are still fine just running the Destructive Revelry.
Versus Naya Burn
-2 Shard Volley, -2 Lightning Helix; +2 Kor Firewalker, +2 Path to Exile
Kor Firewalker has become one of the most solid answers to anything Burn. So I like to assume that my opponent is going to be smart and bring in their copies of Kor Firewalkers. It’s because of this thinking process I like to bring in Path to Exile. The most important reason for this is because it’s our only way of dealing with the Pro Red creature.
So why did we take out the cards we took out? Out of the entire deck, I feel that Shard Volley is the weakest link. You can also see this because I’ve taken it out of every match, post-side board. As for the Lightning Helix. It’s actually one of the more “clunkier” spells in the deck. First of all, it’s one of only spells in the deck that requires us to pay two different colors in mana. Second of all, a lot of people get distracted by it’s life gaining abilities. I feel that this can cause people to be less aggressive with the spell. Playing a burn deck, you want to burn out your opponent before they can do it to you. Kor Firewalker on your side more than makes up for the fact you’re losing some life gaining abilities, but, in the end, are gaining stronger ones.
Well that’s it for now. Yes, your eyes are correct. We only covered three major opponents in this week’s article. However, if you have any questions regarding any other matchups, then feel free to leave a comment in the section below. Until next week…
About the author
Simeon is now the Community Manager for Battleground Games & Hobbies. If you have any questions or inquiries, then you can reach him at Sims@battlegroundgames.com. He is also an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
The Extra Life 2015 campaign is underway. Donate today!
Join the Battleground Games & Hobbies community forums!
Please don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @battleground_gh!
Tags: GPT, Magic the Gathering, Modern, mono red burn, MTG, naya burn, Simeon Cortezano
Posted in Blog, Card Games, Events, Featured Author, Featured Post, Magic: The Gathering, Popular Posts | 2 Comments »
May 2nd Grand Prix Las Vegas Trial – Just ONE Week Away!
Sunday, April 26th, 2015
Just ONE WEEK to go for up-coming Grand Prix Trial for Grand Prix Las Vegas! Here’s your opportunity for a chance to earn a 2-round Bye at what is expected to be the largest North American Grand Prix -EVER!
We look forward to seeing you at our Plainville, MA location on May 2nd!
Format: Modern
Date: May 2nd, 2015 a Saturday
Time: Doors at 10:00 am, Round 1 pairings at 12:00 pm
Entrance Fee: $25.00 per person
Address:
25 Taunton Street
Plainville MA 02762
Parking on site
This event is being run as a Grand Prix Trial for Las Vegas:
• Deck lists required
• Cut to top 8
Prizes:
Prizes will be paid to the top finishers in Store Credit usable in store or online!
Tags: Grand Prix Las Vegas 2015, Grand Prix Trial, Magic the Gathering, Modern, Modern Masters 2, MTG, Wizards of the Coast, WOTC
Posted in Blog, Card Games, Events, Featured Post, Magic: The Gathering, Store Related | No Comments »
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