I would put Melira as the picture instead of pod.

Do you really need 4 Phyrexian Unlife

kk and Phyrexian Unlife and melira together make it so that i can't die, i can't get poison counters

yeah IK but only one gets the effect

still it is good i guess and i have back ups

that's 2 dead cards

HUH?

2 wasted spots.

Its like the opposite of what a fetch land does.

Phyrexian Unlife is so broken. Especially with Melira, Sylvok Outcast or Form of the Dragon

see FangedRamen

I think what FangedRamen is saying is why put more than one or two of those in here since you only need one of each to make the combo?

The answer to that would be consistency. The more of them you have in here, the more likely you are to draw them and at an earlier point. And honestly, if you can't lose the game, a dead draw isn't a big deal haha. Another good reason to have these cards is because they can be removed. Especially the creature.

but then i probably won't draw it because i can't tutor it

Exactly. This is a case where you should probably run 4 since they each have a cheap mana cost and can be removed.

Consistency, having copies of cards or tutors, is one of the most important traits of a good deck. You don't want a deck to have 1 or 2 of every card. Especially when those are your win cons. Now if they costed more i might say only run three since you can't play it till the late game and you need another way to win. But that isn't the case. It's very easy to win early with this combo.

With that said, I suggest narrowing down the creatures to a few and having copies of them instead of 1 or 2 of each.

no look up a melira pod deck you pod the cards, you only have one because you just pod them a ton of times

NO, Invisible_Stalker. It is not consistency when it is a dead draw. Legends or cards that only work once should only be played as 1-2 ofs (unless they are KEY to the deck's strategy).

This is pretty random, but though I do know consistency is key, singleton theory (the idea that playing singletons of consistency based cards will make opponents sideboard to warp around them as if you have many copies when you only have one, causing dead draws, or even prepare their spells in a different order due to them) is not bad in small doses, especially in modern, legacy, and vintage, where wins can happen very early.

NOTE: THE Phyrexian Unlife S HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH SINGLETON THEORY.

FangedRamen: That combo is key to the strategy in this deck...not losing is a key strategy in every deck. He wants to get that combo out. And if he wants to get that combo out then he should play at least three copies. The more of a card you have in a deck, the more likely you are to draw that card early...the consistency. And honestly, if you can't lose the game, then what is the big deal about having a dead draw? What happens if the destroy one of the cards, he'll want backups.

If this conversation was about a legendary card like Xenagos, God of Revels , I would absolutely say only put one or two copies in. Because he isn't winning you the game. This is a combo deck and that is his win con. In any combo deck, the win con cards are ran at a high number of copies. Especially when they can be removed easy due to being a creature. In a combo deck, if you don;t hit your win con, you aren;t doing it right.

As far as that singleton theory goes...you will never see that in real competitive play. I promise you that. The thought of "what are the chances of me drawing this card" is very thought out. And every card that is in a deck, is there for a reason. Getting in your opponents head isn't a good strategy when you're drawing cards that you don;t want or that don;t have an impact. A pro player would never think about putting a single card of something into their deck to confuse their opponent. They would make their deck consistent, or fill the spot with a purposeful card.

I highly recommend you read the series of articles on here labeled "Pandora's Box" or something like that. They run through the seven pillars of a good deck and one of them runs through consistency.

Actually, Invisible_Stalker, many pros in legacy especially use singleton theory.

I guess it is sorta "key", but really, it's not hard to kill Melira if it's so bothersome.

The infinities with the persist should be the main focus, as they work in one turn.

I'm fine with three then.

FangedRamen Melira being so easy to kill is the reason he should run multiple lol.

Three is a decent number. It reallsy just depend son how much he wants it to appear. I run a deck with Doubling Season (not legendary), I only need one, but I want to have it in my opening hand so I run four. And in the end of the day, we have to understand this is his deck lol. Sometimes I get annoyed because people won't let me build my own deck. Even if I know it is bad, sometimes it's just nice to have it how I want it. And right now, we are probably bugging the crap out of him having this conversation like it's our deck lol.

I will say decks with a lot of singles, even though they might not be the best, tend to be a lot of fun because it will play different every game--the reason it may be bad.

chocolate101: If budget isn't a problem, I suggest running Idyllic Tutor or Enlightened Tutor . They both run a pretty steep price, though. Idyllic Tutor is the only modern legal one.

Your first statement confuses me, but lets just settle at 3.

Also, remember I said in small doses for the singleton theory.

Like 2-8 singletons, not a ton.

And tutors for unlike is just PUSHING THE LIMIT!

Just remember, chocolate101, persist combos > unlife combo.

FangedRamen I think your opinion on unlife may change once you have to play it haha. I am seeing the infinite combo here. Personally, I would fill the deck with four or melira, four of the finks, four of redcap, lots of things to sac creatures, four unlife, and a lot of one drop ramps. That way you are getting the infinite damage, and unbeatable cards in your opening hand and start playing the cards on turn 2. That way, if you don;t have one combo, the other will keep you afloat until you can get it.

Pod though.

You just pod it all.

Then Four of those haha. But again, you run into the problem of that only being four cards out of 60. So you need that other can't lose the game combo, some other things to use to sac, some tutor's like Sylvan Tutor and Worldly Tutor to find melira (I'd definitly run a playset of both since she plays a part in every combo), and some creatures that can take some hits until you get the combo going if you don;t start to get it online by turn 2 with those one drop ramps.

Be consistent, and be fast...consistently fast. That's my motto. Especially in legacy and Modern. And if you are waiting to draw a certain card, neither of those things are happening.

BIRTHING POD IS THE TUTOR!!!

TALK TO A MELIRA POD PRO AND THEY'LL SAY NONE OF WHAT YOU SAID IS NECESSARY!

ALSO MELIRA POD IS ONLY A WORKING STRATEGY IN MODERN! I THOUGHT YOU WERE A MODERN PLAYER! WHY ARE YOU GIVING THESE COMMENTS!

Consistency is a thing, but this deck already has the proper tutors.

Also, a big part of Melira Pod is that it plays out as a midrange deck if you don't get the combo.

Choco you don't need the 4 ofs of Viscera, Melira and Unlife because they're made to tutor with all your stuff and shenanigans!

I'm sorry, just trying to help.

If you'd prefer you can have your deck be weaker.

FangedRamen: You completely bypassed ny first sentence. Birthing Pod is 4 cards out of 60...1/15 of the deck...not a lot of the deck. It also requires a creature sac and you want Melira out before you sac for persist. You also want her...or just something in general out by turn 2. Therefore, you not only need more tutors, as I repeat for the third time Birthing Pod is only 4 cards out of 60, but you also need something that you can tutor her for less so that at worse she is out by turn 3. And I bring up those legacy cards because this deck will be better in legacy. With the addition of those cards, this deck will increase tenfold in efficiency. Just because Modern is my favorite format, doesn't mean I can't have knowledge about legacy...mind you my most popular deck is a legacy deck.

Now I can argue this with you all day, but until you actually listen to what I'm saying, I can't make head way with you. 4 cards out of 60...need to come online by turn 2 or 3 at the latest, backup plans (combos) if something goes wrong, speed and consistency.