[Deck] Amulet Titan

Community RulesModern Forum Rules
Read Before Posting
User avatar
FoodChainGoblins
Level 47
Posts: 900
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Riverside

Post by FoodChainGoblins » 4 years ago

Good points. So, I can still run Sakura-Tribe Scout or Arboreal Grazer? That sounds good because I want some early plays other than just Amulet or search cards.

I kind of did the SB for the Valakut version of Amulet, but didn't actually switch the deck yet, lol. Went up to 3 Beast Within, 2 Dismember, 2 Engineered Explosives, 2 Mystical Dispute...
Standard - Will pick up what's good when paper starts
Pre Modern - Do not own anymore
Pioneer - DEAD
Modern - Jund Sacrifice, Amulet, Elementals, Trollementals, BR Asmo/Goryo's, Yawmoth Chord
Legacy - No more cards, will rebuy Sneak Show when I can
Limited - Will start when paper starts
Commander - Nope

User avatar
TheAnnihilator
Posts: 222
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: US
Contact:

Post by TheAnnihilator » 4 years ago

FoodChainGoblins wrote:
4 years ago
Good points. So, I can still run Sakura-Tribe Scout or Arboreal Grazer? That sounds good because I want some early plays other than just Amulet or search cards.

I kind of did the SB for the Valakut version of Amulet, but didn't actually switch the deck yet, lol. Went up to 3 Beast Within, 2 Dismember, 2 Engineered Explosives, 2 Mystical Dispute...
Yeah, most lists I see on mtggoldfish are on 4 Scout, 4 Azusa, 4 Dryad, and no Explores.

As for the sb, I'd still play pretty much the same thing in a traditional Amulet list anyways. Beast within still killing everything, you know.

I also edited my older comment with how to win t2 with the double amulet nut draw in the new version, but I'll just put it here instead:

Hand: 2 Amulet, Dryad, Azusa, Titan, untapped land, Bounceland

T1 land, amulet
T2 amulet #2, bounceland, Azusa (G floating), bouncelandx2 (4U, 5G), dryad (4U 2G), bounceland (6U 4G, still only one land in play)
Play Titan (2U 2G), get TWest+Simic (6U 4G), bounce TWest (now 2 lands in play), transmute for 2nd titan and play it
Get Hanweir and Valakut (4 lands in play) and haste both titans
swing both and get Valakut+Vesuva copying Valakut (6 lands, 18 damage) and then two random lands

Net result: 36 damage without combat damage, 52 with. It still kills even if you only play 1 mainboard Valakut too.

User avatar
TheAnnihilator
Posts: 222
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: US
Contact:

Post by TheAnnihilator » 4 years ago

Played Amulet last night to a saddening 2-2 record. I'll update with the 75 later.
Match 1: Sultai Urza
G1 I ran over him by waiting until the right moment to start casting Titans. I played one into a cryptic after he ACharmed a Dryad, and he gambled I wouldn't have a second Titan and tapped out. I killed him after my untap.
G2 we played some back and forth until we were both top decking. I made a fatal error — I grabbed a Valakut and a TWest off a Titan trigger thinking I had a bounceland in hand. I though about getting Field instead of TWest, but because I could transmute immediately, I went for the TWest line. No bounceland in hand. :( He Aether Gusted my boi, and Thought Scoured him away, and I proceeded to draw FOUR lands in a row that weren't bouncelands. He lands an Ashiok, and I Beast Within my land thinking I can pressure the walker. I immediately untap and topdeck the Growth Chamber to transmute the TWest from earlier, but can't as he answers my Beast and keeps Ashiok in play. >:( Gross.
G3 is a slog, but I topdeck lands and Scouts while he rips Whir (I Pact of Negation), Thop Foundry, Sword, Urza. I guess I'm not good enough at magic yet to topdeck like that.

0-1

R2 Infect,
G1 he kills me on t2.
G2 on the play, I keep a 5 of 2 Amulet, Dismember, Dryad, Titan hoping to topdeck land and bounceland. I pass with no land. He leads on Inkmoth, I draw and play Forest Amulet. He plays land and gets in for 1. I draw and play a colorless land (Radiant Fountain?), play amulet 2 and pass. He plays land, fires up, Scale Up. OK, attacks? He swings and I dismember. If I rip Bounceland I win! Topdeck?... Garenbrig. I end up dying to never finding Bouncland. :(

0-2

R3 Bye. Sad

1-2

R4 Grixis Control
G1 I get some extra land drops, but ramp runs out at exactly 6 mana with Titan and SPact in hand and his Snapcaster tag team tempoing me out. I bait with a Dryad, he takes it, I go for the Titan — he has the counter. Next turn, with nothing else going on and no good draws, I decide to pact and slam, he answers again and I die.
G2 I Titan on T3-4 with amulet and some freshly killed ramp dudes into 4 open mana with Negation backup and a second and third Titan already lined up for future turns. He Gusts, and I pact it. He lets the Pact go and counters the Titan again. Two turns later, I slam again and he's out of answers. Game.
G3 I patiently beat down with a quick 2 Dryad opening. I Titan, he counters. I pact and Titan again, he counters. Two turns later, I TWest for Cavern, play it, and jam Titan #3. He gusts, and I do it again the next turn. We go into turns, but he's dead on T3 of Turns anyways.

2-2
Last edited by TheAnnihilator 4 years ago, edited 2 times in total.

User avatar
FoodChainGoblins
Level 47
Posts: 900
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Riverside

Post by FoodChainGoblins » 4 years ago

I wouldn't sweat it too much. Infect is a PAIN for Amulet. I've noticed a lot of Devoted Druid/Heliod players recently as well, which I think our only out to infinite life is Hive Mind, but they can often pay for any of our Pacts.

I put together the Dryad/Valakut version and am going to jam it tomorrow at FNM. It's really not much play testing, as our FNM has been reduced to less than 16, but it will be interesting anyway.
Standard - Will pick up what's good when paper starts
Pre Modern - Do not own anymore
Pioneer - DEAD
Modern - Jund Sacrifice, Amulet, Elementals, Trollementals, BR Asmo/Goryo's, Yawmoth Chord
Legacy - No more cards, will rebuy Sneak Show when I can
Limited - Will start when paper starts
Commander - Nope

User avatar
TheAnnihilator
Posts: 222
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: US
Contact:

Post by TheAnnihilator » 4 years ago

FoodChainGoblins wrote:
4 years ago
I put together the Dryad/Valakut version and am going to jam it tomorrow at FNM. It's really not much play testing, as our FNM has been reduced to less than 16, but it will be interesting anyway.
I'm actually most likely playing again tomorrow as well, since my schedule has been pretty freed up this week. I edited my previous tournament report with the 75 I played, and I'll probably play something very similar.

User avatar
FoodChainGoblins
Level 47
Posts: 900
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Riverside

Post by FoodChainGoblins » 4 years ago

TheAnnihilator wrote:
4 years ago
FoodChainGoblins wrote:
4 years ago
I put together the Dryad/Valakut version and am going to jam it tomorrow at FNM. It's really not much play testing, as our FNM has been reduced to less than 16, but it will be interesting anyway.
I'm actually most likely playing again tomorrow as well, since my schedule has been pretty freed up this week. I edited my previous tournament report with the 75 I played, and I'll probably play something very similar.
How do you feel about Aether Gust vs. Mystical Dispute? Aether Gust is better against Red Prowess and Green based decks, possibly the mirror as well. Dispute is more for Control and Urza. I guess it's probably a meta call and my meta has about 1 of each of those decks.
Standard - Will pick up what's good when paper starts
Pre Modern - Do not own anymore
Pioneer - DEAD
Modern - Jund Sacrifice, Amulet, Elementals, Trollementals, BR Asmo/Goryo's, Yawmoth Chord
Legacy - No more cards, will rebuy Sneak Show when I can
Limited - Will start when paper starts
Commander - Nope

User avatar
TheAnnihilator
Posts: 222
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: US
Contact:

Post by TheAnnihilator » 4 years ago

I personally play neither. I'm on Negate. Between the 2, I'd play Dispute, as Gust does nothing versus Tron, Control, Storm, Ad Naus, etc. The only reason Gust sees play is because of the mirror. However, I like Negate over either since it hits all of the above.

How do you feel about playing a 2nd Vesuva over the 2nd Valakut/Field?

I'm looking into spicy extra threats to have better topdecks against the grindy control/midrange decks in my meta, and I'm not sure if any of these are playable: Cavalier of Thorns, Terastodon, Dragonlord Dromoka, Thrun, the Last Troll, Questing Beast, Woodfall Primus. What do you think?

I've also been considering cutting the EE and Negation from the main 60 entirely, since neither ever honestly feels relevant in G1. Is that crazy? Recently, I'm feeling more inclined to keep the Negation main since I can realistically envision myself tutoring for it. Even with EE, most the times it's irrelevant if you have a Dryad in play anyways.

User avatar
FoodChainGoblins
Level 47
Posts: 900
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Riverside

Post by FoodChainGoblins » 4 years ago

12 person FNM.

Round 1 vs. Humans. He won the die roll. Killed me on turn 4 after I drew 3 lands for my turns. Still had a Titan in hand. In the next game, he got stuck on 1 land. Triple Aether Vial is too slow. I got some creatures this game. In the next one, I keep on 4 lands and draw 3 lands and die. I do Engineered Explosives on 1 to destroy an Aether Vial, but he goes Champ, Champ, Noble Hierarch X 3. I lose to that, Engineered Explosives being my only out. 1-2.

Round 2 vs. Humans. I don't draw a Titan, but Dryad and bounceland with Valakut get it done. In the next one, he mulls deep and puts me to 4 life by turn 3. I play EE and get out of it. 2-0.

Round 3 vs. Humans. I get some stuff and Titan with Dryad out. Valakut triggers get him before he can do the last 7. In the next game on the play, he goes Aether Vial, into triple Champion of the Parish into Thalia's Lieutenants. GGs. In the next game, I get stuck on 5 land with Dryad in play. He turn 2 Meddling Mage Prime Time and then Gaddock Teeg the next turn. So I can't EE, so I need Dismember. But after he played those, he played Champs, Lieutenants, and Mantis Riders. GGs. 1-2.

Round 4 vs. UWr Blade. I thought for sure I'd play against the 4th Humans player tonight. I had never seen 2 of them before and the 3rd was playing Titanshift before. :thinking: But he plays Stoneforge Mystic into Spell Queller. I made a mistake of playing Dryad of Ilysian Grove into Queller instead of Summoner's Pact. I didn't know he had Queller. I guess he can Cryptic the land and I can't pay. My son was getting into something (I had to bring him because I'm the only one to watch him now), so I scooped up the match. I'm pretty sure that I can win unless I draw 4 Prime Times and 5 mana like in game 1, but oh well. Scoopity scoop. 0-2.

I go 1-3, getting thoroughly wrecked.
Standard - Will pick up what's good when paper starts
Pre Modern - Do not own anymore
Pioneer - DEAD
Modern - Jund Sacrifice, Amulet, Elementals, Trollementals, BR Asmo/Goryo's, Yawmoth Chord
Legacy - No more cards, will rebuy Sneak Show when I can
Limited - Will start when paper starts
Commander - Nope

User avatar
TheAnnihilator
Posts: 222
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: US
Contact:

Post by TheAnnihilator » 4 years ago

FoodChainGoblins wrote:
4 years ago
12 person FNM.

Round 1 vs. Humans. He won the die roll. Killed me on turn 4 after I drew 3 lands for my turns. Still had a Titan in hand. In the next game, he got stuck on 1 land. Triple Aether Vial is too slow. I got some creatures this game. In the next one, I keep on 4 lands and draw 3 lands and die. I do Engineered Explosives on 1 to destroy an Aether Vial, but he goes Champ, Champ, Noble Hierarch X 3. I lose to that, Engineered Explosives being my only out. 1-2.

Round 2 vs. Humans. I don't draw a Titan, but Dryad and bounceland with Valakut get it done. In the next one, he mulls deep and puts me to 4 life by turn 3. I play EE and get out of it. 2-0.

Round 3 vs. Humans. I get some stuff and Titan with Dryad out. Valakut triggers get him before he can do the last 7. In the next game on the play, he goes Aether Vial, into triple Champion of the Parish into Thalia's Lieutenants. GGs. In the next game, I get stuck on 5 land with Dryad in play. He turn 2 Meddling Mage Prime Time and then Gaddock Teeg the next turn. So I can't EE, so I need Dismember. But after he played those, he played Champs, Lieutenants, and Mantis Riders. GGs. 1-2.

Round 4 vs. UWr Blade. I thought for sure I'd play against the 4th Humans player tonight. I had never seen 2 of them before and the 3rd was playing Titanshift before. :thinking: But he plays Stoneforge Mystic into Spell Queller. I made a mistake of playing Dryad of Ilysian Grove into Queller instead of Summoner's Pact. I didn't know he had Queller. I guess he can Cryptic the land and I can't pay. My son was getting into something (I had to bring him because I'm the only one to watch him now), so I scooped up the match. I'm pretty sure that I can win unless I draw 4 Prime Times and 5 mana like in game 1, but oh well. Scoopity scoop. 0-2.

I go 1-3, getting thoroughly wrecked.
You'd think there wouldn't be that many humans at a magic event. :smirk:

But seriously, that's a beating. I've been having the whole "drawing 4 lands and losing" issue a bit too. I cut to 30 for last night, and it felt great, never really flooded, though there was a game or two that I just straight up didn't find a titan. I ended up 2-1 after losing r1 to Urza by being a fricking idiot. I didn't realize that the Simic Growth I topped with Azusa in play would let me transmute for and cast Titan on a turn where he was completely tapped out (really, it should have been immediately obvious *facepalm*). I ended up waiting for 4 turns to play around countermagic, but it was just way too late by then. I then beat up on Jund and Sultai Snow fairly easily, tho I should likely have lost to Jund -- in G1 he upticked a Lili instead of edicting my Scout, and I just untapped and played a Titan he should have known I could cast immediately. I grabbed 2 Fields, then attacked and got Vesvuva+bounceland. :crazy:

As I mentioned, 30 lands felt great. I might even try 29 next. The Tracker was INSANE every time I played it -- it singlehandedly won a game vs. Jund, even as I got hit by THREE Fulminators, hitting two bouncelands and a Garenbrig. Very happy with Tracker's inclusion, especially main just as an extra threat/cantrip. Didn't really miss Explore, but it felt amazing every time I drew the one. Maybe less is more for that effect.

Moving forward, I want fewer Baloths in the board, as 2 should be more than enough. My thought was that I wanted something to pressure Ashiok, but Baloth gets outclassed easily by Goyf and Thop-Sword, so it's not really what I wanted. Perhaps Nullhide Ferox is an option? I'm also really hurting for the 2nd Cavern, so I may bite the bullet and buy a 2nd one. I definitely prefer the mainboard Pact over the EE. I might also try to squeeze a 3rd TWest in, possibly over a Turf, as it's pretty monumental in finding Cavern or Titans in these grindy matchups. Maybe I should just play a 3rd TWest in the side?

User avatar
FoodChainGoblins
Level 47
Posts: 900
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Riverside

Post by FoodChainGoblins » 4 years ago

Yeah, you wouldn't know this, but there have been 0 Humans players at our LGS for quite a while. The first round was a regular Humans player, but he hadn't played here in a month. I'd never seen the guy in the 2nd round, although I think he was a friend of some of the newer regulars. Then there was a guy I'd never seen before in round 3. The last guy (who I didn't play) had been playing Titanshift for the past month - doing pretty well too.

That mistake you made seemed pretty costly. In round 1, game 3, I made a costly mistake as well. I used the bounceland instead of Tolaria West (I actually had Breeding Pool in play, so I could have Transmuted for Engineered Explosives on 1 to destroy the board that he played next turn. Yes, I don't know about the plethora of 1 drops that were coming next turn, but leaving myself open to Transmuting just gives more options. I was pretty unsure about the turn, playing the Gruul Turf, then taking it back, then playing it, lol. I'm not sure what I was thinking. FWIW, there's 3 Engineered Explosives after SB.

As for lands, I did do this 30 land list, but I'm fine with cutting out lands after SB quite often. I've done fine with 28 plenty of times. You should definitely get the 2nd Cavern. I got mine years ago during Standard for $18 each I think. I haven't had a chance to see if not having the 3rd Tolaria West can be rough or not. I assume that the hope is to Valakut them out, so you won't care. But that could be an issue in certain situations, like Blood Moon in play or Valakuts dying quickly.

*Regarding Obstinate Baloth, Pro Player Ari Lax said that it's not necessary in Amulet at the GP level. There are plenty of other ways to beat Burn or Midrange type decks and those may not come up that often at a GP. But at a local level, Baloth can be a beating. So, I always keep that in mind and am trying to get off that crutch. I can't quite yet, but I am working toward it and I am definitely missing Tireless Tracker. Love that card!
Standard - Will pick up what's good when paper starts
Pre Modern - Do not own anymore
Pioneer - DEAD
Modern - Jund Sacrifice, Amulet, Elementals, Trollementals, BR Asmo/Goryo's, Yawmoth Chord
Legacy - No more cards, will rebuy Sneak Show when I can
Limited - Will start when paper starts
Commander - Nope

User avatar
FoodChainGoblins
Level 47
Posts: 900
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Riverside

Post by FoodChainGoblins » 4 years ago

8 person Sunday tournament.

Round 1 vs. Jund (budget or with spice, not sure). This game is fairly close. I land Titan, but he has Bloodbraid Elf and Tireless Tracker, so it's not smart to attack. He keeps ticking up Wrenn and Six, but finally I draw a Summoner's Pact. I am a bit on tilt from picking up the 2nd copy of Tolaria West mistakenly earlier and having to discard it to Liliana of the Veil. I use the Pact for another Titan and he scoops, although I should have just gotten Dryad and killed him. In the next game, he doesn't have much and I go off with Titan, then Dryad off Summoner's Pact next turn and a land drop with Ghost Quarter. GGs. 2-0.

Round 2 vs. Combo Goblins. In the first game, he wins the die roll and combos me on turn 4. He had Goblin Ringleader in hand and an unknown. The unknown was Skirk Prospector and he found Grumgully, the Generous and Murderous Redcap in the 4 cards that he put in his hand from Vial Ringleader. I had a Titan next turn and my hand was fine, only slowed down to Transmute Tolaria West for a Summoner's Pact to get a Titan. I side in 2 Reclamation Sage, 2 Force of Vigor, Beast Withins, and the 2nd copy of Field of the Dead. I keep on Azusa, Snow-Covered Forest + other lands, and Sakura-Tribe Scout. My first 3 draws are 2 more Tribe Scout and another Azusa. He Blood Moons me (to be expected) and I draw a Titan and lands from there out. Kinda wish I had drawn Dryad so I would have mana of all colors. Would have been funny if I Pacted for Dryad and then he killed Dryad with Munitions Expert so I couldn't pay the Pact. 0-2.

Round 3 vs. GB Yawgmoth. I lose the 3rd die roll and am about to be comboed on turn 4, but he doesn't go for it. He miscalculated the life total and then I land Dryad, Valakut triggers, and a Prime Time to kill him. In the next game, I have a lot of answers in EE, Beast Within, and Dismember. I Dismember the Yawgmoth and he just draws a few cards in response. I end up getting there, landing Titan and still having Beast Within and Pact of Negation in hand in the end. He drew 4 lands and 3 Wall of Roots. I play this deck as well and have tested against Amulet a lot. That right there was a terrible draw that he can do nothing about. 2-0.

I go 2-1 and got 2nd on breakers, lol. The Combo Goblins player got 1st, despite losing Round 1.
Last edited by FoodChainGoblins 4 years ago, edited 3 times in total.
Standard - Will pick up what's good when paper starts
Pre Modern - Do not own anymore
Pioneer - DEAD
Modern - Jund Sacrifice, Amulet, Elementals, Trollementals, BR Asmo/Goryo's, Yawmoth Chord
Legacy - No more cards, will rebuy Sneak Show when I can
Limited - Will start when paper starts
Commander - Nope

User avatar
TheAnnihilator
Posts: 222
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: US
Contact:

Post by TheAnnihilator » 4 years ago

I use the Pact for another Titan and he scoops, although I should have just gotten Dryad and killed him.
Unless he was tapped out, this plays around removal as well. Could have been the right line tbh. A secure win is better than a fast one.

User avatar
FoodChainGoblins
Level 47
Posts: 900
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Riverside

Post by FoodChainGoblins » 4 years ago

TheAnnihilator wrote:
4 years ago
I use the Pact for another Titan and he scoops, although I should have just gotten Dryad and killed him.
Unless he was tapped out, this plays around removal as well. Could have been the right line tbh. A secure win is better than a fast one.
That is true. I should have specified that we were both in top deck mode. I couldn't attack because he had a Bloodbraid Elf and a Tireless Tracker and I would be left with nothing since my Tolaria Wests were gone (2). He couldn't attack because my life total was too low for him to bluff that he drew Lightning Bolt.

But then he made a crucial mistake when he actually drew Bolt. He should have immediately attacked. He attacks. I block Tireless Tracker. I take 3 from the Bloodbraid Elf and fall to 4 life. He Bolts the Prime Time and he has a Bloodbraid Elf in play while I have nothing. I draw Titan next turn and most likely attack, but I'm not sure if I am going to take lethal damage on the way back. I feel like Field of the Dead was gone at that point.
Standard - Will pick up what's good when paper starts
Pre Modern - Do not own anymore
Pioneer - DEAD
Modern - Jund Sacrifice, Amulet, Elementals, Trollementals, BR Asmo/Goryo's, Yawmoth Chord
Legacy - No more cards, will rebuy Sneak Show when I can
Limited - Will start when paper starts
Commander - Nope

User avatar
FoodChainGoblins
Level 47
Posts: 900
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Riverside

Post by FoodChainGoblins » 4 years ago

I played Amulet in a 150 person Starcity Games Regional in San Diego, CA.

Round 1 vs. 4 Color Breach. I recognize this dude as the guy who won a big Pioneer event recently. I have some hate to stem some of the busted cards that he has in play after 2 Thoughtseize, and then land a Titan off Castle Garenbrig. I was able to draw Bojuka Bog at the right time to exile a BUUUUNCH of stuff. I get there this game. I also said "Zombies" from the Field of the Dead triggers, but he told me that I didn't say it when I passed the turn, reaching in my box for Zombie tokens. Immediately another player watching (his friend) said that I didn't. It's odd, but I honestly don't care what the other player thinks he heard or saw in the game. I just need to put the tokens into play after saying "Zombies" and THEN pass the turn. There was no reason for me to lie about it. I had overkill on board anyway. I had another Titan in hand and I don't think he had enough cards in hand to combo me next turn. In the next game, I get Thoughtseized 3 times and he eventually is able to go off and combo me. The next game is similar, but he has double Thoughtseize and I cannot draw a land in time to get the Titan chain going. No Amulets in these fairly long games. 1-2.

Round 2 vs. Mono Red Prowess. This round is where the Amulets were, as I drew 1 in each game. He got stuck on 2 mana in game 1 and I chained Radiant Fountain and ramp into Titan. In the next game, he is stuck on 2 lands and flashes back Lava Dart to get a 3rd counter on Runaway Steam-Kin to Abrade my Amulet. But he is now stuck on 1 land and showed me both Blood Moons later on. I kept the hand because I had fetch for Forest and Summoner's Pact for Reclamation Sage if I needed. Got there. 2-0.

Round 3 vs. Eldrazi Tron. This guy was a cool opponent, like all of my opponents this tournament. In the first game, I have the nuts and kill him on turn 3. I had it all except Dryad and drew that on turn 2. In the next game, he Once Upon a Time for a Tron piece and turn 3 Reality Smashers me. I have a slow hand and don't draw accelerants. But when I'm at 5, I get Titan into play with Zombies. Then I am able to get Dryad and kill almost his whole board. I made a crucial mistake of not playing a land before playing Dryad, so I miss the extra Valakut trigger, but can leave up Ghost Quarter to get his Tron land. He had 2 Tower, 2 Mine, and only 1 Power Plant, so he can kill me with a top decked Walking Ballista. Plus, he had a 2/2 creature from Ugin, the Ineffable to draw another card after a chump block. Alas, he did NOT draw Walking Ballista, the out that I gave him (even thought technically he could draw Power Plant and Walking Ballista (one from the 2/2 creature dying and putting the card in his hand). I feel this was my biggest mistake of the tournament, outside of not putting Zombies into play when I said the triggers too quietly in Round 1. 2-0.

Round 4 vs. BR Undeath. I stomp him badly in game 1 after he mulls to 5. He was my only opponent to mull to less than 6 today. Then game 2 is drawn out, but I find Pact for Titan and it's fairly over by then. 2-0.

Round 5 vs. GB Titan Field. In the first game, we both accelerate. Problem? He has Titan. I have a 2nd copy of Azusa in hand. Rough. In the next game, I don't find anything to accelerate me and I transmute for Summoner's Pact. I am ready for next turn and he missed a land drop and Ghost Quartered a land of mine. But he draws Memoricide, naming Primeval Titan. Then he does another one next turn for Dryad, but I got one out with Pact for Dryad last turn. The he even did Cranial Extraction on Beast Within. But I kept swinging with Dryad and Azusa, found Valakut, fetched for damage. Attacked again and then Ghost Quartered myself for Valakut triggers and death. In the last game, his hand is fairly slow and I goldfish a Titan with everything I needed, just no Amulet. Got there and we talked. His deck is actually very good vs. Amulet Titan. I got lucky. 2-1.

Round 6 vs. Tron. I have a somewhat slow hand. Maybe I should have mulliganed, but I find no way to ramp. Lucky for me I was on the play and he had only turn 4 Tron with nothing else. He gets out Oblivion Stone and he's dead. In the next game, I keep a similar derpy hand. He finds Tron by turn 3 or 4 and eventually gets too much out Ugin, Karn then it dies, and everything. In the final game, he does Tower into Star into Stirrings for Tower. I know I won there. I get Titan, Vesuva on Ghost Quarter that was in my opener, bounce Ghost Quarter, Quarter him and still have Pact of Negation AND Beast Within in hand. Him going Tower, Tower, Forest basically sealed my victory in an already strong hand. He asked if he should have mulliganed to 5. Yep, he should have. 2-1.

Round 7 vs. Jund. This is my win-and-in to ID into the top 8. This guy made top 8. He doesn't Thoughtseize until turn 2 and I basically goldfish him. In the next game, he gets Ashiok after double discard. He also gets to see Obstinate Baloth in hand. He Fulminator Mages me and I cannot find land in time. I die with Titan (from my opener) and 2 Summoner's Pacts that I drew. In the last game, the guy has everything and my draws are terrible. He discards me to oblivion and then Surgical Extraction my Prime Time. Then he Fulminator Mages my Field of the Dead. I have another and I'm waiting. But I need to get out pressure, so I play it. The last card in his hand with 3 land in play for him? Assassin's Trophy. From there he literally won by milling ONLY HIMSELF and then exiling my graveyard. At the end, I had nearly 20 cards left. I lost to double Goyf when I had 2 Baloth and a Zombie in play and he was at 10. I was at 24. In the 20 cards were 3 Engineered Explosives, Bojuka Bog, Tolaria West for Bojuka Bog, 3 Beast Within, 2 Dryad of Ilysian Grove (I had 1 Valakut in play). The guy literally won because he didn't mill me. I would have drawn to those cards and killed him easily. I showed him what was on the bottom of the deck and how his choice to not mill me won him the game. He said that he drew "poorly too" because he didn't have pressure early on. I kept thinking I'd rather have him draw 15 Tarmogoyf then his Surgical of 2 copies hitting my Titan the turn before I was gonna play it because I drew nothing to accelerate (everything I played to accelerate immediately died). I mean he had 3 land for the longest time. What is he doing with 3 land other than discard, Ashiok Surgical, Fulminator Mage, etc? Not even a minute later, his friend asked him how he did and he said he drew really well in this round, lol. I'm assuming there was a language barrier because his name was Italian. :thinking: I don't mean anything racist; I'm just saying that English is not his first language and I think he's lived in Italy most of his life (or possibly all). 1-2.

Round 8 vs. BR Undeath. I cruuush him in game 1 after having a pretty sick hand, without Amulet. In the next game, I miss a land drop 2 turns in a row, can't play Titan, and he puts Kroxa, Seasoned Pyromancer with a million tokens into play with a Red Castle that can pump them. The land for Titan came too late and I died on the swingback because I only had Titan and 2 Zombies to block. In the final game, I have a solid hand, but he turn 3s Magus of the Moon. Lol. I drew 3 Summoner's Pact in a row after he played that. I have Dryad and Sakura-Tribe Scout. Eventually he draws Swamp, Terminate on Dryad, and then a pair of Seasoned Pyromancers. I guess this card is really good? 1-2.

I finish 5-3 after losing the win-and-in and then dropping the final match as well. I got 36th place and they paid to Top 32. It was a rough ending. I saw myself very close to the top 8, but the Jund player singlehandedly won the game and match by not activating his Ashiok, Dream Render on me a single time (no mill on me).

*Something odd as well is that Round 5 was the only round where I lost game 1. I know I could have done a better job sideboarding. In some of the matchups, I usually sided out a bunch of Azusa. I wonder if I could have sided out some Summoner's Pacts because I drew triple Summoner's Pacts in 3 games today. I won one against Tron because the rest of my hand was gas, but it cost me against the other matchups. :x
Standard - Will pick up what's good when paper starts
Pre Modern - Do not own anymore
Pioneer - DEAD
Modern - Jund Sacrifice, Amulet, Elementals, Trollementals, BR Asmo/Goryo's, Yawmoth Chord
Legacy - No more cards, will rebuy Sneak Show when I can
Limited - Will start when paper starts
Commander - Nope

User avatar
TheAnnihilator
Posts: 222
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: US
Contact:

Post by TheAnnihilator » 4 years ago

So Once is banned. Tbh I don't think this changes anything. XD I guess just play Explore in its place and Stirrings in the 2 slots Explore used to occupy.

User avatar
The Fluff
Le fou, c'est moi
Posts: 2398
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted
Location: Gradius Home World
Contact:

Post by The Fluff » 4 years ago

FoodChainGoblins wrote:
4 years ago
I played Amulet in a 150 person Starcity Games Regional in San Diego, CA.

<snip>

I finish 5-3 after losing the win-and-in and then dropping the final match as well. I got 36th place and they paid to Top 32. It was a rough ending. I saw myself very close to the top 8, but the Jund player singlehandedly won the game and match by not activating his Ashiok, Dream Render on me a single time (no mill on me).

*Something odd as well is that Round 5 was the only round where I lost game 1. I know I could have done a better job sideboarding. In some of the matchups, I usually sided out a bunch of Azusa. I wonder if I could have sided out some Summoner's Pacts because I drew triple Summoner's Pacts in 3 games today. I won one against Tron because the rest of my hand was gas, but it cost me against the other matchups. :x
that's not a bad performance and some lessons learned. :)
Maybe try sideboarding out pacts in the the next tournament you would go to?
Image
AnimEVO 2020 - EFZ Tournament (english commentary) // Clearing 4 domain with Qiqi
want to play a uw control deck in modern, but don't have Jace or snapcaster? please come visit us at the Emeria thread

User avatar
TheAnnihilator
Posts: 222
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: US
Contact:

Post by TheAnnihilator » 4 years ago

You should generally be siding out at least one SPact every game, if not 2. People bring in hosers like Ashiok, Damping Sphere, Fulminator, etc. If they aren't doing that, then it's likely a single Titan is good enough to win and you should side out a SPact or two so you don't Titan flood.

User avatar
FoodChainGoblins
Level 47
Posts: 900
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Riverside

Post by FoodChainGoblins » 4 years ago

TheAnnihilator wrote:
4 years ago
You should generally be siding out at least one SPact every game, if not 2. People bring in hosers like Ashiok, Damping Sphere, Fulminator, etc. If they aren't doing that, then it's likely a single Titan is good enough to win and you should side out a SPact or two so you don't Titan flood.
I'm just so scared to not draw Titan and lose. There are games where this happens, although admittedly they're games that are super quick or Titan gets Thoughtseized and I don't draw another because there's a big Tarmogoyf clock. When I played Titanshift, I know for sure that you never side out Summoner's Pact, which is only a 2 of in that deck. Also I'm pretty sure you don't side out and Summoner's Pact in RG Through the Breach as well, in which the deck has 4 of them. But I haven't played that deck in quite a while. Amulet is a different animal and super hard to follow all the lines, including building the SB and preparing for anything that an opponent can draw and not trying to play around something you can't beat in a certain situation as well.

I think the main reason I didn't side out Pacts is player's bias. Before Once Upon a Time, I had that theory, to side out 1-2 Pacts. But then I'd play games that went super long (when Modern wasn't super broken) and never find Titan, Pact, or Tolaria West. So I decided to never do that again. With OUaT, I definitely think it makes more sense to side out some. Now that OUaT is banned, we have to be a bit more careful how many we side out. I think 1 would be the max vs. most deck types.

I played a 6 person Sunday Noon Magic and could have gotten 1st place, but SUPER PUNTED it away on an easy line.

Round 1 vs. Heliod Combo. He can't find Vizier of Remedies. I can't find Titan. He finds infinite life with Heliod and Spike Feeder off his 2nd Company of the game. Two turns later, he does Finale of Devastation after finding Vizier off a 3rd Company. I keep a 1 land hand with Sakura-Tribe Scout, Once Upon a Time, double Dismember, Forest, Engineered Explosives, and some other stuff. The Once Upon a Time doesn't do much, but he Thoughtseizes a Dismember. I Dismember a turn 2 Devoted Druid and still don't find land. But then I find Simic Growth Chamber and gain some mana with Scout. Then I have EE on 2. He plays a Vizier of Remedies and Companies into a Devoted Druid and Noble Hierarch. I crack the EE immediately. I end up getting another Simic Growth Chamber, which is what the doctor ordered after missing 2 land drops early on, then I play the Titan from my hand and draw Summoner's Pact the next turn. In the final game, I kill Devoted Druid from his turn 2. Then I EE some of his board (had sided in the other 2 EE). But I can't find Titan to attempt to put him away and he finds Collected Company into Heliod and Spike Feeder again. I have 1 Forest up, but he goes for it. I then land a Titan and clear his board. I have Sakura-Tribe Scout and am able to get Valakut triggers from a bounceland in hand and Dryad in play. We both keep drawing. I have 4 more cards in my library than him, so I technically "win" this game. After talking to the Judge (this was his first time playing the deck), he goes for Walking Ballista on 3, then attempts to give it lifelink. I respond by blowing up Engineered Explosives. I also had Dismember and Beast Within in hand. In fact, I think I was supposed to just Scout in Cavern of Souls to do 6 to the Ballista. Whoops, just realized another mistake. It didn't matter much though, as I can't force him to scoop because he decks first and has no way to actually kill me. So we agree to draw. I tell him I would scoop to him if I had fewer cards than he did. 1-1-1.

Round 2 vs. Mono Red Prowess. Not much to say here. I was on the play for one of the few times ever vs. Burn or Prowess (almost 0% vs. Burn). I take some damage, but get out Dryad of Ilysian Grove. It stops some of his attacks since he has only 2 land. Then I land Titan next turn after he taps out for 2nd and 3rd Soul-Scar Mage and a Kiln Fiend. He had the "creature hand," which was terrible vs. a Titan that landed and killed him, but could have wiped his board with Valakut triggers. In the next game, he gets Monastery Swiftspear and Bolt every turn, but he misses land drop number 2. I kept because I had Forest, lands, Beast Within and Summoner's Pact for potential Blood Moon. I land Titan and he scoops, still on 1 land. He shows me both Blood Moons in hand. I show him that I actually had the answer(s) and kept because of that. 2-0.

Round 3 vs. Big Zoo. This guy is a dedicated Zoo player and one of the best there is. He's played it for at least 5 years in Modern. For reference, I've played only 2 decks for a year or more. In the first game, he gets some pressure, but I land Titan and get there with some key draws to make it safe. His last card is Path to Exile, but his board is wiped and I get Valakut triggers each turn while swinging with a 2/4 and a 1/1 Scout. In the next game, I probably should have mulliganed, but Nacatl put me on a quick clock while Stomp from Bonecrusher Giant on the play hit my Tribe Scout. This slowed me down enough for Titan to not be enough. In the final game is where I make the hugest punt. He put pressure with Nacatl into Noble Hierarch into Bloodbraid Elf with Goyf. I make a huge punt here because I kept trying to play around Blood Moon by leaving open Ghost Quarter and not playing Dryad the turn I could so that Dryad will come into play after Moon when Ghost Quarter hits my land and gives me a Forest. I think that play is not going to win with the pressure he had anyway. I didn't know he had Bloodbraid Elf in hand. I assumed he drew his 1 copy of Blood Moon and 1 copy of Magus of the Moon and was playing the Elf first because it affected his mana and I was purposely playing no bouncelands yet because he also had his 1 Ghost Quarter in play. Well, I draw Amulet and land Titan with Summoner's Pact after tanking and tanking about which lands to get and thinking that I can't play Dryad and I can't Haste Titan because Hanweir Battlements was in my hand. After a while, I realized that I can't beat Blood Moon, so there's no point in getting double Forest to pay for the Pact next turn. So I have to try to play around paying Pact when a bounceland gets Ghost Quartered and my dude gets Path to Exiled (which is a 4 of, while Moons are a 1 of each). So I just Titan and get Radiant Fountain and Field of the Dead. He untaps, Ghost Quarters his own land after floating mana, Path to Exile on Titan, Dromoka's Command putting a +1/+1 on any of his creatures, and swings for lethal. My mistake? I could have gotten double bounceland with the Titan triggers, use 3 of that mana and the Red from Gruul Turf to play Dryad of Ilysian Grove, then play my extra land, the Hanweir Battlements to give my Titan haste, then swing getting Valakut triggers on the stack killing him after the Titan tramples his 1/2 (at the time before he Quartered his land on the final turn of the game) Goyf for exactly lethal damage - getting through for 4. It was a huge mistake, but in my tanking, I forgot that I had Amulet out. I even put the lands into play and didn't untap them. I had drawn Amulet that turn and didn't adjust for it. I was stuck thinking of every way to lose the game and iddn't realize the way to just WIN the game. I was a bit on tilt because 1st gets a Foil Promo pack and 2-0-1 is better than 2-1. I get 1-1-1 instead and 3rd place for my stupid, stupid play. The deck is called Amulet. I drew Amulet. I played Amulet. Then I forgot that I had Amulet. Lol. 1-2.

I go 1-1-1. The deck is good. You need to just not be a bonehead. My mind was a bit fried from Regionals yesterday and I didn't eat lunch that day. I ate at 7:30 a.m. and 9 p.m., which isn't the best thing to do, lol. Also it's just excuses because it's nothing new, but I got a lot of %$#% going on at home, which is another reason why I'm trying to escape and go play Magic so often. It gives me an escape where I feel in control - then I do bonehead stuff like that which puts me tilted. SMH.
Last edited by FoodChainGoblins 4 years ago, edited 2 times in total.
Standard - Will pick up what's good when paper starts
Pre Modern - Do not own anymore
Pioneer - DEAD
Modern - Jund Sacrifice, Amulet, Elementals, Trollementals, BR Asmo/Goryo's, Yawmoth Chord
Legacy - No more cards, will rebuy Sneak Show when I can
Limited - Will start when paper starts
Commander - Nope

User avatar
TheAnnihilator
Posts: 222
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: US
Contact:

Post by TheAnnihilator » 4 years ago

Yep, usually when you lose with Amulet, it's absolutely your fault or it's an opponent you had no chance against. Otherwise, the deck should deliver. It's just a hard truth to playing it haha. I wouldn't beat yourself up over that.

User avatar
FoodChainGoblins
Level 47
Posts: 900
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Riverside

Post by FoodChainGoblins » 4 years ago

TheAnnihilator wrote:
4 years ago
Yep, usually when you lose with Amulet, it's absolutely your fault or it's an opponent you had no chance against. Otherwise, the deck should deliver. It's just a hard truth to playing it haha. I wouldn't beat yourself up over that.
Yeah, it really sucked at the time. But I'm mostly over it now.

The players that play at that store live within 10 mi. of the store. I live 55 mi. from there, so I have more pressure to get high prizing. Or else it's not really worth it. But mostly, I am just playing there to be able to play Magic, Modern, and escape my daily life. So I am willing to pay $20 or in gas, even if it's getting tougher to afford it each day. I may have to take some time off Magic for this or sell a bunch of cards.
Standard - Will pick up what's good when paper starts
Pre Modern - Do not own anymore
Pioneer - DEAD
Modern - Jund Sacrifice, Amulet, Elementals, Trollementals, BR Asmo/Goryo's, Yawmoth Chord
Legacy - No more cards, will rebuy Sneak Show when I can
Limited - Will start when paper starts
Commander - Nope

User avatar
TheAnnihilator
Posts: 222
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: US
Contact:

Post by TheAnnihilator » 3 years ago

So I've been playing a LOT online since Corona started and I wanted to post what I'm at now:

First, to touch on some card choices:
- 2 Vesuva. This was initially my fix for not having a 2nd Field of the Dead (budget), but I'll NEVER cut back to one now. It's been amazing how good the 2nd Vesuva is. With Amulet in play, you can tap both the Boros and the Stronghold to cast a Titan and still haste it. If you only have one of the 2 in play, you can still double strike a Titan on either single or double amulet draws. You can make as many as 3 Fields in the control/midrange/eldrazi mirrors, and your Titans frequently kill your opponent the turn they attack with a dryad in play because you have up to 3 Valakuts without playing more than 1 of the awful etb tapped red land. I'm 100% sold on 2 Vesuvas, and in fact my opponents have complained to me that Amulet is only supposed to run 1 Vesuva and they lost to the 2nd one. It's amazing.
- 4 Abroreal Grazer, 0 Tribe Scout. I've been loving this change too, though I had always been a hater of this card. It doubles the number of draws that play a T2 Dryad/Azusa: Forest, Bounce, amulet (or now Grazer), 3drop. Grazer also ramps through Bolt/Push, and blocks a significant number of threats without dying. Especially in this meta, with tons of Burn and midrangey Lurrus decks, I'm completely off of Scout. Grazer also lets you play fast titans if you save them for the right turn, since they're +1 mana with Bounce+Amulet, but that's really niche. I did win a game by pacting for Grazer with 2 Amulets in play though. :)
- Only 3 Stirrings. I've played 4 as well, and it's just my most frequently sided out card. It isn't as necessary when Grazer ramps out a 3drop like Amulet does. The way I see it, Stirrings only really digs for 3 things: Bounceland, Amulet, and Garenbrig. If you have 2 of those things, Stirrings isn't really necessary, and I wanted the 2nd Azusa instead to maximize Grazer draws.
- Mainboard Tracker. I've been messing around with this slot, and I think Tracker is as good as it gets. It's an extra topdeck against the midrangey Lurrus decks, and keeps up with the various card advantage engines around.
- Negate in the board. This is because of the uptick in Ad Naus, since Mystical Dispute is awkward against Ad Naus and Urza has almost entirely disappeared (and it's not a bad matchup imo). Negate also plays vs. Tron and Control decks nicely.
- 2 Beast Within. Ashiok is pretty much gone, but I've found Beast Within to be invaluable against ETron (for hitting KarnGC and Bridge mainly), Tron, Ad Naus (blowing up a Pentad Prism is amazing and has won me most of my matches), etc. Beast is still a very relevant card.
- Veil of Summer in the board. Not a usual suspect in the Amulet sideboard, this card is my attempt at a fix for the awful Lurrus tempo matchups like Delver and Jund, since the discard is backbreaking in these matchups. I've tried more Baloths, but they usually don't really do anything. I've also tried Tolsimir, Friend to Wolves, but it was too unreliable. Any suggestions are welcome.
- Baloth in the board. Card's amazing versus Lurrus Burn (will play Boros Charm), less so versus the more Prowess-style Burn stategies (will play Soul-Scar Mage and sometimes Abbot of Keral Keep). Sometimes they can win through a Baloth, so I've flipped between 1 and 2, but for now I've settled on 2.

Some comments:
- Ketria Triome. I tried a copy, and it was alright, but 3 mana to cycle isn't impressive in theory OR in practice, sadly. I'd be more interested in a Naya triome as a land that taps for W for activating Stronghold without having to bounce a land (this is why I'm playing a Gemstone Mine). But the Temur one is redundant, since Valakut is already our non-bounce R source, among other things.
- Firespout -- This card is actually very amazingly positioned right now, and in testing it won me tons of games. However, it stretches the mana really thin. You have to cut at least one Garenbrig, you're forced to run Triome over Breeding Pool, and you split favoring Turf over Sanctuary. Even then, getting a R source in play isn't easy. Firespout plays much better with Grazer over Tribe-Scout, but you still often end up with hands that can't cast Firespout. It always kills Magus of the Moon though, which was very nice, but the RG matchups is still so bad that it's not worth it. In a Hanweir Battlements build, I could see playing Firespouts again, but in Stronghold builds, I think Engineered Explosives is the next-best thing.
- The Lurrus Burn/Prowess matchup is favorable, in my experience, especially if you're on Grazer and not Scout. Lurrus Jund Midrange is even to unfavorable, and the Lurrus Jund Shadow and Delver matchups are awful.
- Yorion decks are generally unfavorable as well, but it depends. Some play Avalanche Riders, some Venser, Shaper Savant, some Eldritch Evolution+Magus of the Moon. Firespout really fixes this MU in any case, and you can also play around cards like Knight of Autumn by sandbagging Amulet until you need it. EE is variable, as the versions that rely on Arbor Elf and Utopia Sprawl or Noble Hierarch and Birds of Paradise are weak to it, but some play more cards like Arcum's Astrolabe and the 2 mana Snake whose name evades me right now.

User avatar
FoodChainGoblins
Level 47
Posts: 900
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Riverside

Post by FoodChainGoblins » 3 years ago

Your list looks very good. Everything that you said looks up to par. I just have a few questions.

What is your screen name on MTGO? I'm curious because during this quarantine, I have gotten a new addiction to watching streamers and I watch Modern 90% of the time.

With the Vesuva, it just can be awkward if you have it in your opener. Occasionally when you draw it, it actually is an amazing draw, but the hands where you play it on turn 1 as a nothing land, ready to bounce it on turn 2, slows you down a bit. But perhaps the upside to it is much greater? I don't know.

I am also an Arboreal Grazer hater, but this meta demands it over STE. Burn being the highest played deck is reason enough. No need to go further.

3 Stirrings is odd. I couldn't imagine doing that, but I like to lean on Amulet a bit more. At least that's what my draws have been lending me to do... I also have never sided out Stirrings. What is your reasoning for it? (just curious; trying to get some insight)

I will rarely talk badly about Tracker. It is my 2nd favorite Modern creature after Griselbrand (nope, not Titan, although that is top 3). It's cool to have access to it with Pact.

Negates, Beast, Baloth, they all seem solid. I may want to try another life gain card, even if it is mostly for Burn and Prowess. Those decks are played #1 and #3 right now.

I haven't tried the Triome, but it makes sense what you said. I am a bit curious why Selesnya Sanctuary is all that important, especially as a 2 of. I feel like you really only need 1. Firespout is a must in the meta, I believe.

I agree with all of your matchup analyses. They seem spot on. I watch a lot of FPawlusz, so that's where I get a lot of my ideas from. :D
Standard - Will pick up what's good when paper starts
Pre Modern - Do not own anymore
Pioneer - DEAD
Modern - Jund Sacrifice, Amulet, Elementals, Trollementals, BR Asmo/Goryo's, Yawmoth Chord
Legacy - No more cards, will rebuy Sneak Show when I can
Limited - Will start when paper starts
Commander - Nope

User avatar
TheAnnihilator
Posts: 222
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: US
Contact:

Post by TheAnnihilator » 3 years ago

I'm Red_Faced_Menace on MTGO. TheAnnihilator was taken. T_T I know for a fact I played Jim Davis on stream, and I just played vs Sodeq and lost to Ad Naus, but idk if he streams.

There are many matchups in which I board our Stirrings, frequently in matchups where there's no time to play it (similar to Explore), like Devoted Druid and Storm, in which case I board down to 1 or 2 left in deck (they do find Amulet after all). I also board them out vs midrange because you don't want redundant amulets and bounce lands can be a liability versus Damping Sphere, Pillage, Fulminator, etc.

As for Vesuva, I've found copying tour opponents lands to be fine, and I've played it as a blank land on 1 to enable a bounceland maybe once or twice in the last month or two. The upside is incredible tho, imo.

I like favoring Sanctuary because there are situations where you will have a red source like Valakut and a Sanctuary already in play, and you can haste/Sunhome off of it. If you have a Stronghold in play already, searching up Sanctuary and Valakut is nice to have access to. With the 2nd Valakut and the Gemstone, it's a little less important, but I prefer it to a random black source (Rot Farm).

User avatar
TheAnnihilator
Posts: 222
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: US
Contact:

Post by TheAnnihilator » 3 years ago

Just 4-1'd a league with my list from above: 2-0 Grixis Lutri, the Spellchaser, 2-0 Boros Lurrus Prowess, 1-2 Jund Lurrus Shadow, 2-1 Slivers, 2-0 Titanshift.

Edit: make that 2 leagues haha. My only loss was... you guessed it, Grixis Lurrus Shadow. The Shadow decks are hard to fix, and that's assuming they DON'T play Pillage or Damping Sphere. :/ I've cast a Veil of Summer exactly once despite playing it all this time, and it wasn't even that good. I'm definitely looking for a fix for this MU. Maybe a few Grove of the Burnwillows?

User avatar
FoodChainGoblins
Level 47
Posts: 900
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Riverside

Post by FoodChainGoblins » 3 years ago

TheAnnihilator wrote:
3 years ago
I'm Red_Faced_Menace on MTGO. TheAnnihilator was taken. T_T I know for a fact I played Jim Davis on stream, and I just played vs Sodeq and lost to Ad Naus, but idk if he streams.

There are many matchups in which I board our Stirrings, frequently in matchups where there's no time to play it (similar to Explore), like Devoted Druid and Storm, in which case I board down to 1 or 2 left in deck (they do find Amulet after all). I also board them out vs midrange because you don't want redundant amulets and bounce lands can be a liability versus Damping Sphere, Pillage, Fulminator, etc.

As for Vesuva, I've found copying tour opponents lands to be fine, and I've played it as a blank land on 1 to enable a bounceland maybe once or twice in the last month or two. The upside is incredible tho, imo.

I like favoring Sanctuary because there are situations where you will have a red source like Valakut and a Sanctuary already in play, and you can haste/Sunhome off of it. If you have a Stronghold in play already, searching up Sanctuary and Valakut is nice to have access to. With the 2nd Valakut and the Gemstone, it's a little less important, but I prefer it to a random black source (Rot Farm).
TheAnnihilator wrote:
3 years ago
Just 4-1'd a league with my list from above: 2-0 Grixis Lutri, the Spellchaser, 2-0 Boros Lurrus Prowess, 1-2 Jund Lurrus Shadow, 2-1 Slivers, 2-0 Titanshift.

Edit: make that 2 leagues haha. My only loss was... you guessed it, Grixis Lurrus Shadow. The Shadow decks are hard to fix, and that's assuming they DON'T play Pillage or Damping Sphere. :/ I've cast a Veil of Summer exactly once despite playing it all this time, and it wasn't even that good. I'm definitely looking for a fix for this MU. Maybe a few Grove of the Burnwillows?
Sodek does stream. I actually am a follower of his (haven't subscribed to anyone quite yet, but fpawlusz would be first). Was it the Prelim that you played Sodek in because that's where I saw him running Ad Naus?

With Stirrings, I feel that those possible bad situations could be helped. It shouldn't slow you down too much and I'd rather filter my draws a bit if I can. Previously against Druid, I also wanted to find Engineered Explosives (up to 3 copies at one time), but I know they're not in the deck anymore. But if you have Grafdigger's Cage, it is another way to find it against those decks.

Yeah, I've copied an opponent's land or just had it as a blank before, but those never feel that good.

I understand with the Sanctuary, but it seems like you only need 1 copy to easily search up to do so. I play 1 copy and 1 Golgari Rot Farm as well.

Good job on the leagues. The things you're doing in the deck are definitely working, so there's proof in the pudding. I wonder if your Lutri opponent was squachief or just someone copying his recent list. He's a streamer as well.

You could try Grove of the Burnwillows. I suggested it before IKO because even though the deck was rarely played at that time, I would see it more often at different stores I went to. Everyone told me that it's not worth it, but I honestly don't see the downside of much. I hated Shadow so much that I wanted to run 2 Grove of the Burnwillows and 1 Chameleon Colossus SB. I've lost a couple of times way back when Shadow had removal for my other creatures, then Liliana of the Veil, but this card has usually been GG for me in the past. (and Lily can't be played in Lurrus)
Standard - Will pick up what's good when paper starts
Pre Modern - Do not own anymore
Pioneer - DEAD
Modern - Jund Sacrifice, Amulet, Elementals, Trollementals, BR Asmo/Goryo's, Yawmoth Chord
Legacy - No more cards, will rebuy Sneak Show when I can
Limited - Will start when paper starts
Commander - Nope

Post Reply Previous topicNext topic

Return to “Big Mana”