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| Avg. CMC 2.93 |
| Card Color Breakdown |
| Card Type Breakdown |
Main Deck - 61 cards, 26 distinct
Sideboard - 87 cards, 50 distinct
Notes
Mill, Walkers, and Ensnaring bridge. All these things coalesce. The new Kaya is the crux of a viable strategy this way.
Saw some work being done at regionals. Could build a big hand approach, but we sacrifice bridge and visions of beyond, but that could be fine. If vindicate get's printed in modern horizons, ooh buddy.
The core of this deck is Archive trap, Glimpse the unthinkable, bond of insight, scheming symmetry, and Teferi, Time Reveler for a package of 19-20 cards. I have to really do some thinking about what this package means...let me break it down card by card, then synergies, then general observations.
Archive trap is a huge free mill spell if they search, but also an instant for 5. Right off the bat we are incentivised to have other mill spells, things that take advantage and control our opponents graveyard. Glimpse has the same riders, and the additional of being a 2 mana sorcery, which means we need to either let the shields down sometimes or break that parity. The two together also mean we have the ability to chain 4-5 copies to victory, but also they take up deck space, don't replace themselves, and mean we need some sort of card advantage to be competitive. Bond of insight is the new revelation. It also mills four cards for each player, so can act as the final point, but also mills us, which can be exploited. It recurs two instants or sorceries, so acts like a snapcaster/card draw spells of sorts, and introduces some reliance on the graveyard. With double trap and a search we can mill 30 for free, or cast two glimpse for 20 following casting it. It is also sorcery speed, and has the same caveats as above, with the additional that four drops in modern need to be extremely powerful to matter. Scheming symetery is a one mana tutor, which reduces variance and offers more silver bullet options, encouraging a build with some angle outs (toolbox). Sorcery speed, same caveats as above, but now with a confirmed 12 in the list, means a lot of shields down. Additionally, is symmetrical, so needs to be broken for the most part to ensure effectiveness. Mill spells do this. Forced search triggers archive trap, is easily grabbed by bond, and leads to the best chain in the deck, which bond for five mana getting double archive trap, symmetry to trigger them, getting another bond. Teferi ties the room together. He offers protection to "combo off" on our turn, makes playing control easier, negates all the downsides of sorcery speed effects (including the parity of Symmetry) and makes deck effectively counterburn, and also offers the kicker of tempoing tricky permanents and cantriping. Teferi really might what makes the deck turn the corner, as all of our effects at sorcery speed is fine, but at instant speed is bang bang. Prior to writing this, I was at 3, but I think four is the better number, as we always want it, and subsequent copies either replace fallen ones or net value, and having more deal with planeswalkers gain some life. Teferi also poses the question of Rule of law.
Damn that 4-3-2-1: How many do you run article by Andrew Elebogen is so useful. In thinking about what i have room for in the deck, what is essential, and what is trimmable, it is clear from this approach that I am really trying incidentally hit one of the mill spells, particularly archive trap, and then combo finish with bond of insight at some point. Bond is very clunky if in our opener, especially in multiples, and searches in a manner, so I want to trim down to 3. Also, Glimpse is good but generally not a card I'm happy to cast early, especially if I need to go into the later rounds. This is not the the fast mill deck unless I have multiple archive traps. So, trimming down to 3, or even 2, is correct, with symetery being an option to get that going. Symetery is a card I'm happy to draw a ton of, but can be bad without a symetery breaking effect. None the less, I want the full four, to have access to all my needs. Then again, redundant copies can be very difficult to maneuver, and added velocity might just serve me better and also ensure I have access to this effect when wanted. I'm going to try 3.This gives me at least three slots, maybe four, to add to my sixteen below.
24 lands seems right for wanting 4-5 mana, as we are likely going to put a good amount of velocity in as we are hungry for raw cards. We also at this stage need to build around having a clean sweep against Hogaak, as that will be around in force. Better than fine, needs to auto win. Leyline of the Void main is the full stop, but I think I can accomplish the same amount of dominance with Kaya's Guile, Surgical, crypt incursion, and a grafdigger's cage to tutor up main and have more game against the rest of the format as well, as long as my control elements are adequate.
The remaining slots are to be used to facilitate a control strategy, hopefully encompassing enough cards to play true control. I would like to model these options after Wafo-Tapa's excellent modal esper control list that was just shy of top 8ing MC IV. I think this pairs well with the mill deck as each control card has to carry a bunch of weight. His concept of control in this deck encompasses a "be like water" style, with top end planeswalker finishers. As I'm playing a comb control deck, I don't need those kind of finishers, and I'm also incentivized to play some amount of more proactive cards to ensure the combo. Also, of interest to me is is his curve and manabase, as modern is highly predicated on casting spells on time and having action, so I'm sure his numbers are by no means incidental. As a dedicated control deck, he has 26 slots for velocity and control spells, where in my build I have 16 remaining slots! Those sixteen slots have to do a lot of work, and I think I have to squeeze more velocity in as well. This is where having modal spells will really shine, but I might not have enough of the sheer deck space to do this. Symetery can be anything, but we can't always symetery, especially if we can't break the parity. For example if we use 6 slots for graveyard hate, and 4 slots for velocity, we are left with 6 answer spots! We probably need at least 12 meaningful pieces of interaction to contend with board states in general, not to mention optimizing our tutor targets.
Well we created a little more room with well thought cuts to the engine, and if there's enough velocity we might even be able to do one more glimpse. For graveyard hate, my first attempt is to do 3 Kaya's Guile, 1 Crypt Incursion, 1 Kaya, and 1 Cage. This entails 6 maindeck pieces, plus exile based removal (and counters!). The combination of spells and permanents with some amount of sweepers should be able to easily take game 1 against Hogaak. Cage should be a soft lock as well as having incidental value against other combo decks, snapcaster mage, and flashback in general. All the one of's are verstile tutor targets. Crypt is still lights out against creature decks, kaya incidentally gains life and answers some permanents (like chalice) while also being an alternate win con. Kaya's guile is one of the key modal spells that bridge the deck, as it has game across matchups. 5 sources of incidental lifegain. This package also can leave the graveyard unmolested if that is desirable, making for more active visions. Noticeably this occludes surgical, which will probably fall in the sideboard, as it can be matchup dependant and anemic (not being worth a full card much of the time). For velocity we have visions of beyond, serum visions, opt, esper charm, and to a lesser extent fact or fiction and mission briefing. Opt and serum visions are ok but do not have the ceiling of visions of beyond, which is pretty bananas with bond, and if all four copies are in just a super free cantrip I don't have to hold back. Fact competes with bond, which is not good and redundant, and mission briefing doesn't net cards, and bond does this effect as well. The only option that splits my decision is esper charm. Esper charm overperforms, is a 4 of in the masters list, and is another modal spell that has some high ceilings. Inquisiton plus esper charm are potent weapons. However, I am glut on 3 drops, teferi plays half the role of esper charm, and I'm unsure if IoK is going to make the cut. I'm going to try visions.
This leaves with nine slots for interaction, which is at least a number to work with. Ill be able to make adjustments over time as well. Already built into the deck is some LD (light), some tempo options on creatures, artifacts, and enchantments with teferi, incidental 1 drop hate with Kaya, and three edicts with kaya's guile. I need creature spot removal, sweepers, hand disruption/counterspells, planeswalker and general disenchant options. Part of what Wafo did was make a net of veto and logic knot at the 2 drop slot. I have no such net, as doing so takes up more space than I can afford, as the 6 creature removal spells are per functionary, and logic knot is both good and bad as it is anti synergistic with bond. Also, in this set up, I see now that the anti graveyard options take up far more space that at first glance. Kaya is a luxury and should be removed. I want to play cryptic, as this will complete the modal package and cover the rest of my holes, but I fear I do not have enough disruptive pieces lower on the curve. 4 slots then for cryptic, IoK, veto, collective brutality, and/or remand. Remand cryptic's might be good, but I'm not really answering spell's or stacked based decks, so noncreature threat matchups are weakened. Veto shore's up those but can be dead in other spots. Collective brutality is another modal spell that helps with these matchups, but it doesn't help with planeswalkers.
With a little time away, some other options have come to the surface. The package of thought scour, visions, mission briefing, and bond is cohesive and exciting. Also, sun titan with 3 mana planeswalkers and snapcaster seems great, perhaps as a sideboard plan. I was toying with remand versus IoK, but it is clear to me now that neither carrys enough weight. Instead, I think I'll run a two-of logic knot, which covers way more bases and offers early interaction, stands up more robustly than the other two. I've also been searching for a super disc\enchant effect to offer me a broad out, and I've found it in Anguished unmaking. This gives me-of exile instant speed answer to any nonland problem permanent, a valuable resource. The 3 life is not trivial, but I can often trade it when I would take the damage anyway, have some incidental lifegain, and it is an all star against planeswalkers and certain combo pieces. Plus with anguished, logic knots, cryptics, and 2 manlands I have some amount of interaction for the tricky stuff. Also, Ashiok, Dream renderer is everything I want maindeck cage to be. I'm seldom getting cage down in a timely manner without tutoring anyway, so a more versatile answer deployed after dealing with their board is excellent. It also creates some subgames where turns a great number of the cards in my deck insane, especially as a control build. I also realized that the one settle is not as good as the one winds of abandon. Winds can act as a fifth path early, can be instant speed with teferi, and becomes a better settle later in the game. The last question for the maindeck is 4 visions, or 4 symmetry? Ideally I'd like both, but I'm plum out of space. 4 Visions isn't strictly necessary but has a high floor, symettery is actively awesome, but requires breaking the symmetry, which I have less effects for now. When this card gets marooned in our hand it's pretty bad, but terminus and other one of's puts the value of this card way higher.
Manabase is last. I know I want at least 24, with a full boat of fetches for logic knot and consistency. I am going to use Wafo's example, which is my next step. I do have to figure out tarpit or colonnade. I like colonade a lot, but tarpit is a little down and dirtier, and might be a more useful tool to assault planeswalkers/clock.
Saw some work being done at regionals. Could build a big hand approach, but we sacrifice bridge and visions of beyond, but that could be fine. If vindicate get's printed in modern horizons, ooh buddy.
The core of this deck is Archive trap, Glimpse the unthinkable, bond of insight, scheming symmetry, and Teferi, Time Reveler for a package of 19-20 cards. I have to really do some thinking about what this package means...let me break it down card by card, then synergies, then general observations.
Archive trap is a huge free mill spell if they search, but also an instant for 5. Right off the bat we are incentivised to have other mill spells, things that take advantage and control our opponents graveyard. Glimpse has the same riders, and the additional of being a 2 mana sorcery, which means we need to either let the shields down sometimes or break that parity. The two together also mean we have the ability to chain 4-5 copies to victory, but also they take up deck space, don't replace themselves, and mean we need some sort of card advantage to be competitive. Bond of insight is the new revelation. It also mills four cards for each player, so can act as the final point, but also mills us, which can be exploited. It recurs two instants or sorceries, so acts like a snapcaster/card draw spells of sorts, and introduces some reliance on the graveyard. With double trap and a search we can mill 30 for free, or cast two glimpse for 20 following casting it. It is also sorcery speed, and has the same caveats as above, with the additional that four drops in modern need to be extremely powerful to matter. Scheming symetery is a one mana tutor, which reduces variance and offers more silver bullet options, encouraging a build with some angle outs (toolbox). Sorcery speed, same caveats as above, but now with a confirmed 12 in the list, means a lot of shields down. Additionally, is symmetrical, so needs to be broken for the most part to ensure effectiveness. Mill spells do this. Forced search triggers archive trap, is easily grabbed by bond, and leads to the best chain in the deck, which bond for five mana getting double archive trap, symmetry to trigger them, getting another bond. Teferi ties the room together. He offers protection to "combo off" on our turn, makes playing control easier, negates all the downsides of sorcery speed effects (including the parity of Symmetry) and makes deck effectively counterburn, and also offers the kicker of tempoing tricky permanents and cantriping. Teferi really might what makes the deck turn the corner, as all of our effects at sorcery speed is fine, but at instant speed is bang bang. Prior to writing this, I was at 3, but I think four is the better number, as we always want it, and subsequent copies either replace fallen ones or net value, and having more deal with planeswalkers gain some life. Teferi also poses the question of Rule of law.
Damn that 4-3-2-1: How many do you run article by Andrew Elebogen is so useful. In thinking about what i have room for in the deck, what is essential, and what is trimmable, it is clear from this approach that I am really trying incidentally hit one of the mill spells, particularly archive trap, and then combo finish with bond of insight at some point. Bond is very clunky if in our opener, especially in multiples, and searches in a manner, so I want to trim down to 3. Also, Glimpse is good but generally not a card I'm happy to cast early, especially if I need to go into the later rounds. This is not the the fast mill deck unless I have multiple archive traps. So, trimming down to 3, or even 2, is correct, with symetery being an option to get that going. Symetery is a card I'm happy to draw a ton of, but can be bad without a symetery breaking effect. None the less, I want the full four, to have access to all my needs. Then again, redundant copies can be very difficult to maneuver, and added velocity might just serve me better and also ensure I have access to this effect when wanted. I'm going to try 3.This gives me at least three slots, maybe four, to add to my sixteen below.
24 lands seems right for wanting 4-5 mana, as we are likely going to put a good amount of velocity in as we are hungry for raw cards. We also at this stage need to build around having a clean sweep against Hogaak, as that will be around in force. Better than fine, needs to auto win. Leyline of the Void main is the full stop, but I think I can accomplish the same amount of dominance with Kaya's Guile, Surgical, crypt incursion, and a grafdigger's cage to tutor up main and have more game against the rest of the format as well, as long as my control elements are adequate.
The remaining slots are to be used to facilitate a control strategy, hopefully encompassing enough cards to play true control. I would like to model these options after Wafo-Tapa's excellent modal esper control list that was just shy of top 8ing MC IV. I think this pairs well with the mill deck as each control card has to carry a bunch of weight. His concept of control in this deck encompasses a "be like water" style, with top end planeswalker finishers. As I'm playing a comb control deck, I don't need those kind of finishers, and I'm also incentivized to play some amount of more proactive cards to ensure the combo. Also, of interest to me is is his curve and manabase, as modern is highly predicated on casting spells on time and having action, so I'm sure his numbers are by no means incidental. As a dedicated control deck, he has 26 slots for velocity and control spells, where in my build I have 16 remaining slots! Those sixteen slots have to do a lot of work, and I think I have to squeeze more velocity in as well. This is where having modal spells will really shine, but I might not have enough of the sheer deck space to do this. Symetery can be anything, but we can't always symetery, especially if we can't break the parity. For example if we use 6 slots for graveyard hate, and 4 slots for velocity, we are left with 6 answer spots! We probably need at least 12 meaningful pieces of interaction to contend with board states in general, not to mention optimizing our tutor targets.
Well we created a little more room with well thought cuts to the engine, and if there's enough velocity we might even be able to do one more glimpse. For graveyard hate, my first attempt is to do 3 Kaya's Guile, 1 Crypt Incursion, 1 Kaya, and 1 Cage. This entails 6 maindeck pieces, plus exile based removal (and counters!). The combination of spells and permanents with some amount of sweepers should be able to easily take game 1 against Hogaak. Cage should be a soft lock as well as having incidental value against other combo decks, snapcaster mage, and flashback in general. All the one of's are verstile tutor targets. Crypt is still lights out against creature decks, kaya incidentally gains life and answers some permanents (like chalice) while also being an alternate win con. Kaya's guile is one of the key modal spells that bridge the deck, as it has game across matchups. 5 sources of incidental lifegain. This package also can leave the graveyard unmolested if that is desirable, making for more active visions. Noticeably this occludes surgical, which will probably fall in the sideboard, as it can be matchup dependant and anemic (not being worth a full card much of the time). For velocity we have visions of beyond, serum visions, opt, esper charm, and to a lesser extent fact or fiction and mission briefing. Opt and serum visions are ok but do not have the ceiling of visions of beyond, which is pretty bananas with bond, and if all four copies are in just a super free cantrip I don't have to hold back. Fact competes with bond, which is not good and redundant, and mission briefing doesn't net cards, and bond does this effect as well. The only option that splits my decision is esper charm. Esper charm overperforms, is a 4 of in the masters list, and is another modal spell that has some high ceilings. Inquisiton plus esper charm are potent weapons. However, I am glut on 3 drops, teferi plays half the role of esper charm, and I'm unsure if IoK is going to make the cut. I'm going to try visions.
This leaves with nine slots for interaction, which is at least a number to work with. Ill be able to make adjustments over time as well. Already built into the deck is some LD (light), some tempo options on creatures, artifacts, and enchantments with teferi, incidental 1 drop hate with Kaya, and three edicts with kaya's guile. I need creature spot removal, sweepers, hand disruption/counterspells, planeswalker and general disenchant options. Part of what Wafo did was make a net of veto and logic knot at the 2 drop slot. I have no such net, as doing so takes up more space than I can afford, as the 6 creature removal spells are per functionary, and logic knot is both good and bad as it is anti synergistic with bond. Also, in this set up, I see now that the anti graveyard options take up far more space that at first glance. Kaya is a luxury and should be removed. I want to play cryptic, as this will complete the modal package and cover the rest of my holes, but I fear I do not have enough disruptive pieces lower on the curve. 4 slots then for cryptic, IoK, veto, collective brutality, and/or remand. Remand cryptic's might be good, but I'm not really answering spell's or stacked based decks, so noncreature threat matchups are weakened. Veto shore's up those but can be dead in other spots. Collective brutality is another modal spell that helps with these matchups, but it doesn't help with planeswalkers.
With a little time away, some other options have come to the surface. The package of thought scour, visions, mission briefing, and bond is cohesive and exciting. Also, sun titan with 3 mana planeswalkers and snapcaster seems great, perhaps as a sideboard plan. I was toying with remand versus IoK, but it is clear to me now that neither carrys enough weight. Instead, I think I'll run a two-of logic knot, which covers way more bases and offers early interaction, stands up more robustly than the other two. I've also been searching for a super disc\enchant effect to offer me a broad out, and I've found it in Anguished unmaking. This gives me-of exile instant speed answer to any nonland problem permanent, a valuable resource. The 3 life is not trivial, but I can often trade it when I would take the damage anyway, have some incidental lifegain, and it is an all star against planeswalkers and certain combo pieces. Plus with anguished, logic knots, cryptics, and 2 manlands I have some amount of interaction for the tricky stuff. Also, Ashiok, Dream renderer is everything I want maindeck cage to be. I'm seldom getting cage down in a timely manner without tutoring anyway, so a more versatile answer deployed after dealing with their board is excellent. It also creates some subgames where turns a great number of the cards in my deck insane, especially as a control build. I also realized that the one settle is not as good as the one winds of abandon. Winds can act as a fifth path early, can be instant speed with teferi, and becomes a better settle later in the game. The last question for the maindeck is 4 visions, or 4 symmetry? Ideally I'd like both, but I'm plum out of space. 4 Visions isn't strictly necessary but has a high floor, symettery is actively awesome, but requires breaking the symmetry, which I have less effects for now. When this card gets marooned in our hand it's pretty bad, but terminus and other one of's puts the value of this card way higher.
Manabase is last. I know I want at least 24, with a full boat of fetches for logic knot and consistency. I am going to use Wafo's example, which is my next step. I do have to figure out tarpit or colonnade. I like colonade a lot, but tarpit is a little down and dirtier, and might be a more useful tool to assault planeswalkers/clock.
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