Vial Smasher the Fierce and Kraum, Ludevic's Opus - Legendary/Superfriends

[toctheyounger]

Had a pretty great game today. Ended up as a saucy 3-way with myself, The Scorpion God and Captain Feelbads.

Landed an early Vial Smasher before the taxman came to town, but then had to wait a turn to play any further. Hit Firemind Vessel, burning Scorpion for 4, then next turn I played Neheb, the Eternal - I've been playtesting him of late. Passed turn, and by this point pretty much had everything I needed to hit the straps. Next turn played Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God, burned Scorpion for 5, drew from him, hit second phase with rrrrr and 2 lands open, so cast Ugin, the Ineffable and made a chump blocker.

Scorpion God starts flaying the board with Midnight Banshee, which affects the GAAIV far more than me. I draw into Tezzeret the Seeker with Ugin's spirit, draw Will Kenrith, land it next turn and burn GAAIV for 6, turn the Banshee and Baird, Steward of Argive into midgets and rack up some more loyalty counters. I'm going pretty easy at this point, because I have plenty of gas in hand - Ral, Izzet Viceroy, Rowan Kenrith, Command the Dreadhorde, Tezzeret the Seeker and then some. Neheb bites an evoked Shriekmaw, Grim Affliction hits the last of GAAIV's critters, and he scoops with no gas in hand.

Scorpion God scoops next turn after tutoring and realising he has nothing to manage the walkers. Pretty pleased with the win, although it did feel a bit lopsided.

Thoughts from the game:

• Neheb, the Eternal is a really solid add. I'm definitely giving him a permanent slot.
• It's surprisingly difficult to pick your action strategies with Dragon-God and other walkers in play at the same time, and I feel like I probably could've closed the game even quicker if I'd played into that a bit.
• The deck is pretty explosive, but still plays like a midrange grind. Vial Smasher is crazy value even if I'm not optimising CMC's for him, but also because of the various mana production and cost reduction options I really don't need to commit my entire hand to the field.

So, I'm going to look at making some official adds shortly:

• Neheb, the Eternal - he's great.
• Sakashima, the Impostor - this is becoming a legendary crew for sure, and being able to double up on Vial, Neheb, Sheoldred or Jhoira is crazy good, especially when I can bounce to hand and cast again.
• Vedalken Orrery - For any other deck this could be Leyline of Anticipation, but being an artifact matters to Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain, Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge and pretty much all iterations of Saheeli. It allows me make a little more impact with Vial Smasher's trigger too.
• Toothy, Imaginary Friend - Trying this out. I haven't seen a ton of my proliferate options come up(haven't desperately needed them either), but even without them I draw just fine, so this guy should dig pretty deep when he pops.

[toctheyounger]

As per above, hit the LGS this weekend and made the above changes. Here's what's coming in and out:

In:
Sakashima, the Impostor
Toothy, Imaginary Friend
Vedalken Orrery
Neheb, the Eternal

Out:
Mind Stone
Fact or Fiction
Jhoira's Familiar
Metalwork Colossus

Neheb has already proved himself, he's gonna be nuts with Vial Smasher among other things. I also checked in with some judges and he tracks damage prior to his resolution, so if I cast him for first spell with Vial Smasher on board he pays for himself in entirety. Sakashima is kind of my second Spark Double - it can copy the big impact items I cast without them dying to SBA's. It can also bounce itself for recalibration and recasting, which plays nicely with Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain. Toothy seems cool and I have plenty of feedback that it's crazy for draw, which is something I want to lean into. Being able to proliferate it up, too, makes it great value. Vedalken Orrery I've had a copy of I didn't want to use elsewhere, so in it comes. It'll play nicely into Vial Smasher, and cantrips from Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain.

I feel like mostly the removals are pretty justified - Metalwork Colossus is cheap and big, but it's a bit underwhelming in any other way. Mind Stone is alright, but this deck needs rub more than c. I actually do love Fact or Fiction, but this deck is lower than most I run on ways to use what hits my yard, so it's easily better to have things I can reuse for draw. Jhoira's Familiar I just haven't needed, more or less at all.

[toctheyounger]

Couple quick changes:

Mimic Vat > Chrome Mox
Sudden Spoiling > Mountain

Both Vat and Spoiling were sort of goodstuff value inclusions, which is fine, and I don't anticipate missing them overly. I've had a couple of games of mana screw, so I wanted to make sure I optimised this a little more. 36 lands in a tri-colour deck without a premium land mix is a little tentative, so adding another one in and a rock to help should be a good idea.

[toctheyounger]

Finally had Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain come up to see what she can do. Nice, steady even card draw. Totally easy to spam some heavy draw with Ugin the Ineffable and such. And once again, Honor-worn Shaku is totally nuts for mana pump, it's a total MVP.

[toctheyounger]

A couple of minor changes from the weekend. Firstly, somehow managed to get 2 Liliana Vesses in here - I only realised after using her -2 and seeing herself in the search....so whoops.

In	Out
Myr Battlesphere	Grave Titan
Torment of Hailfire	Liliana Vess

Reasonable changes to my mind. Torment is a nice finisher, especially with some of the really big mana the deck can produce, and it fits the nasty Grixis flavour. Titan was for chump blocking, and I sort of have better. Battlesphere is nice for damage, cantripping from Jhoira, triggering 'artifacts matter' cards, chump blocking, Vial Smasher triggers and just generally being pretty great value.

[toctheyounger]

So, Eldraine releases today (here in NZ anyway, where we're 12 hours ahead of the States), and I've picked up a bulk order for my wife and I. This deck sort of got more additions than any other I've got listed, and I've kind of gone in a little bit of a weird direction, in that I'm trying to make it a little more disruptive, a little more legendary, and a little less 'cut throat' while still being a bit explosive. There's been some cool stuff out for Grixis, so it'll be fun to try this out.

In	Out
Torbran, Thane of Red Fell	Bolas's Citadel
Castle Vantress	Blast Zone
Emry, Lurker of the Loch	Arcbound Reclaimer
The Royal Scions	Glen Elendra Archmage
Teferi's Puzzle Box	Tezzeret's Gambit
Irencrag Pyromancer	Crypt Incursion

So, Torbran is pretty heavy, but so was Citadel for , and he drops earlier too - actually he curves nicely off of Vial Smasher, so that's cool. He immediately makes Vial Smasher and a ton of my walkers into heavier hitters, as well as Kraum and Locust God/Locust tokens in combat. He gives immediate value, and generates a bit more mana with Neheb, too. Vantress is really just to help iron out my draws, and Blast Zone I'm happy to let go, being a colorless land in a color heavy list. It'll work better elsewhere. Emry I'm hoping will help with things like Solemn Simulacrum, Baleful Strix, Crystalline Crawler, and some of the higher power artifacts I run, and almost certainly it'll be a cheap cast mostly every time. Honor-Worn Shaku in particular has been heavily targeted, so easy recursion should be fun. The Scions are a nice easy walker on curve, all three abilities can be relevant, and it should pull weight just fine. Puzzle Box is sort of a thought experiment - if I had a copy of Arjun, the Shifting Flame I'd have run it instead, but nonetheless, it's a bit of disruption for my opponents in one way, and in entirely another it'll speed up games and give the feeling of seeing more cards, not missing land drops, and raising the stakes of the game, which this deck is all about anyway. It's a 'toy' add, but it ought to be a fun one. Then finally, with Citadel gone, there's less of a need to worry about life totals, hopefully. Another pet add, Irencrag I'm hoping will help keep a clear board and fling some damage about. Works well with Torbran, Kraum, our walkers, and Puzzle Box, I'm hoping it'll pull some decent weight.

[toctheyounger]

Managed to get in a game the other day, which spurred a wee change.

Thoughts from the game - versus 5c Ramos, Dragon Engine, Phenax, God of Deception mill, and Horobi, Death's Whisper.
I didn't win, but I did well. Torbran is....honestly pretty nuts for value. He really punched through for solid damage here and there, so he's a lock. Teferi's Puzzle Box was cute, but ultimately I'd prefer not to hand away that much value, and it actually lost me the game, so I'll be pulling it out. I was mana screwed most of the game, which meant I struggled through, but Vial Smasher heaped on some serious damage, so I did alright ultimately.

I don't have a ton to add about the other additions, because they literally all got milled. It was a frustrating game, but good to get at least some testing in.

At any rate, I'm switching puzzle box out for Mind's Eye. It's a nice way to keep draw up and use extra mana, and with Honor-Worn Shaku and Crystalline Crawler I can get great use from it. It's about as good as I can get for Irencrag Pyromancer, so it'll be interesting to see if that mechanic is reasonable enough to see further use. Mad Ratter and Piper of the Swarm are both pretty cool and flavourful, so...you never know I guess.

[toctheyounger]

Made some slight changes overnight:

In

• Reforge the Soul
• Mindmoil
• Possibility Storm

Out

• Torment of Hailfire
• Chrome Mox
• Firemind Vessel

Additions wise, Reforge is an easy add. It punches above weight for Vial Smasher, refills hand and disrupts opponents. Mindmoil helps me see more, not miss lands or rocks and play for a quicker board. It'll be harder to string synergistic cards together obviously, but that kind of isn't how this deck plays anyway. It'll help me get to the second draw synergy of Irencrag Pyromancer too. Possibility Storm will hopefully help me get my haymakers in for cheap. It'll also help me double up of activations of Saheeli, Sublime Artificer and Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain.

Torment of Hailfire can be a slightly underwhelming way to win the game and doesn't really fit all that well with the way the deck plays out anyway - I'll make use of it, but probably not here. Chrome Mox and Firemind Vessel reduce my mana rock options, but neither one is perfect, so I'm not too bothered with the loss of either.

[toctheyounger]

Had a pricey LGS visit this week:

In

• Bolas's Citadel
• Dack Fayden
• Cascade Bluffs
• Graven Cairns

Out

• Castle Vantress
• Spirebluff Canal
• Ral, Izzet Viceroy
• Toothy, Imaginary Friend

So it's easy to see these changes. Colour fixing is pretty crucial here, as there are quite a few colour dense drops here (looking at you, Bolas). Dack Fayden is an easy add, for extra Sol Rings and some looting and theft. Drops my walker curve a little and generally provides a pretty decent bit of value (also, with him now no longer in the lore he's not going to be reprinted any time soon and won't get any cheaper). Citadel I wanted back. It's a lot of fun here, even if it's a bit dangerous. And I like that it's sub-optimal here; it's never going to get super busted, it just helps me do what I want to do quicker and easier.

Castle Vantress was ok, if maybe a tad expensive to fit in what is quite a high curve anyway, so it's maybe not the best place for it. Spirebluff Canal and its ilk are not fantastic in this format - easy to swap this one out. Ral, Izzet Viceroy is just not ideal - I don't run enough instants and sorceries to really warrant a slot for it, and it's CMC is relatively high for a mixed effect. Toothy, Imaginary Friend I was a little disappointed with. It's been relatively ok, but nothing stunning. It's definitely better used elsewhere at this point.

Moving forward, there's not much else I've got my eye on. I'd like to pick up Nicol Bolas, the Ravager, but that's a 'when it crops up in store' sort of thing. I really like Vial Smasher the Fierce and Kraum, Ludevic's Opus at the helm, so it's not likely to replace them anytime soon.

[toctheyounger]

I've been working on some further legendary jank for this strange brew:

In

• River of Tears
• Arjun, the Shifting Flame
• Faerie Artisans
• Venser, Shaper Savant
• Sai, Master Thopterist
• Price of Progress

Out

• Swamp
• Mindmoil
• Possibility Storm
• Deliver Unto Evil
• Irencrag Pyromancer
• Reforge the Soul

Wee bit to unpack here:


River of Tears I'm ambivalent about, if it doesn't do anything good here it'll do fine elsewhere, bare minimum it can fix 2 of my colours. Arjun, the Shifting Flame is a straight swap for Mindmoil and worth the extra for a flying beater too. I like the effect to see more of my deck, and it plays well with The Locust God. Faerie Artisans should be fun, it gives me the latest creature on the board at any given time as well as an extra artifact for affinity, Emry and Sai, Master Thopterist. Speaking of whom, he's there for chump blocks and draw, both of which he can do just fine with. He also gives Emry, Lurker of the Loch things to cast. Venser, Shaper Savant is the one add I'm not overly sure about. Strong effect, no doubt. I don't have anything to get him back to my hand, so it could be a waste of time. Price of Progress is instant speed direct damage for cheap, gives me an extra Vial Smasher the Fierce trigger, and gets bigger with Torbran, Thane of Red Fell. It should be nasty. Granted, it will hurt me too, but timing is key, and I've been wanting to add a few more instant pieces to trigger Vial Smasher more*.


The swamp I removed was actually a second copy of Temple of Epiphany I had doubled up on. So, no dramas replacing it. Mindmoil is obviously better as a slightly bigger spell that's a legendary creature. Possibility Storm is cool, but generally works best in a dedicated chaos build. I felt leaning into the areas I've already committed to was a better idea. Deliver Unto Evil is a decent Bolas themed addition, but I have better recursion of walkers in other options. Reforge the Soul is a cool card, I would just prefer to keep my draw to myself. Irencrag Pyromancer is the one thing I'm not sure about removing. I've added a few more draw options, some of which fall on others' turns, so with these changes there's very chance it would trigger quite often. I'm going to keep an eye out for this and if Venser doesn't do enough to justify a slot, she's back in.

*Instant speed value cards. Vial Smasher can make use of them, and there's some cool stuff that I could add:

• Into the Story - A few turns into the game this is easy draw that gives a big trigger.
• Unlicensed Disintegration - It's unconditional removal with almost certainly a burn trigger attached, giving us 6 damage to swing about immediately, 10 if Torbran, Thane of Red Fell is around.
• Bedevil - Strong non-conditional removal. Could be good.
• Vraska's Contempt - I don't mind paying one more than Hero's Downfall to hit a walker if needed.
• Volcanic Offering - Sizable casting cost, decent value, could be good. Doesn't immediately do anything I really, really want done but could be flexible.
• Cyclonic Rift - Pretty obviously good, just a bit outside of my budget right now.

[toctheyounger]

A small update:

In

• Thryx, the Sudden Storm

Out

• Torbran, Thane of Red Fell

I'm a little reluctant to lose Torbran, truth be told - the extra damage push is pretty cool. That being said, rrr is lots to splash. And Thryx, the Sudden Storm gives me more security to cast my bombs and cast them cheaper, comes down whenever I like for an extra Vial Smasher trigger, and has flying to further protect walkers. So, not unwelcome in any respect really.

[toctheyounger]

Another quick update:

In

• Teferi, Temporal Archmage

Out

• Liliana, Death's Majesty

Teferi has a (much) stronger endgame, in that if I hit the ultimate I'm golden, and Lili has a limited amount of utility for me in this deck particularly. What really sells it though is the burst mana that Teferi's -1 allows, that can really help.

[toctheyounger]

Well, it's been a while but I've done a little more tweaking here of late, and may have a little more to add moving forward:

In

• Bedevil
• Deflecting Swat
• Whir of Invention
• Spellskite
• Master Transmuter
• Nezahal, Primal Tide
• Talisman of Indulgence
• Exotic Orchard
• Shivan Reef

Out

• Chromatic Lantern
• Mind's Eye
• Phyrexian Arena
• Necropotence
• Command the Dreadhorde
• Price of Progress
• Venser, Shaper Savant
• 2 Swamp

Mostly, these are flexibility swaps. Swat is an easy add for a deck with partner, and Bedevil is a nice flexible removal spell at instant speed. Whir should be easy enough to cast with improvise and gives me some nice flexibility for colour fixing and toolboxing. Spellskite gives me a sponge for removal spells and disruption, Transmuter helps me get neat stuff into play for virtually nothing, and Nezahal, Primal Tide is, from experience a great source of draw. The rest of the adds are purely for colours.

Lantern is a deck crutch really, and Mind's Eye I was finding not triggering almost at all. Arena is just a bit slow to help me out a ton, and Necropotence seems like a bad cut, I guess I just wanted it elsewhere and didn't feel like it belonged here well. Command the Dreadhorde at present is at least a little wasted as I don't really live out of the graveyard overly here. Price was fine but sacrificed for utility, and Venser was a lot of resource to hold up out of turn. He belongs in a heavy control list if anywhere.

Moving forward, it'd be nice to add some big bomb artifacts for Transmuter to work with, and I'm thinking off adding some more utility stuff like Expedition Map, Also, now is as good a time as any to pick up shocks, so I might just do that.