Myr Cruelty (TURN 2 WIN)

Modern* Quail

SCORE: 369 | 553 COMMENTS | 110545 VIEWS | IN 224 FOLDERS


lemmingllama says... #1

@Prophetnation You are correct, you need two Myr Retrievers to go off on turn 2. That's why it's one of those magical Christmasland kind of opening hands, turn 3-5 is much more likely.

June 24, 2015 4:16 p.m.

CloakedEclipse says... #2

I like this and I think you're on to something. It's versatile, cheap, and has a few win conditions that come from different directions that can make it hard for opponents to anticipate.

That said, the current deck list doesn't hold the potential for what this deck can truly do.

For instance, a few of the combos can lock you into the infinite loop without a way out. Without the text "may",you don't get to choose for the combo to end, so you need to have an outside source to disrupt the continuous resolving loop. For the infinite draw this would make laboratory maniac main board and mandatory to cast before activating the loop. A few of the draws are good but given the combo hinges entirely around heartless summoning, there needs to be more ways to tutor it otherwise a lot of the cards are pretty much dead draws or will be too vulnerable to removal for the times you need them.

Some control could help keep heartless or the creatures alive long enough for te combo to resolve.

For all my input I don't have an alternative deck list yet but I'm reviewing it.

July 7, 2015 1:40 p.m.

lemmingllama says... #3

@CloakedEclipse Actually none of the combos will start an infinite loop. Myr Retriever returns them to your hand, so you can simply choose to not play the card. Similarly, you don't have to activate Havengul Lichs ability, thus stopping the combo.

Also I hate to post a link to my own deck on another person's decklist, but I have a more controlling version that has a more proactive sideboard plan against hate like Rest in Peace. Feel free to check it out and tell me what you think. Heartless Myrs of the Brood

July 7, 2015 4:27 p.m.

Quail says... #4

@CloakedEclipse Pretty much what lemmingllama said.

But you're also not wrong about a few things. This deck isn't the best right now and lemmingllama's list is probably a lot better than mine. I plan on eventually changing it up to more of a control/value/tempo deck with the core combos still in there, with ways to win without Heartless Summoning. But yeah, until then, his deck is probably the best to look at.

I just don't think the deck is able to stay consistent enough to warrant the hyperspeed variant that this one is trying to do.

July 8, 2015 7:56 p.m.

lemmingllama says... #5

@Quail Your decklist is much better so long as your local meta doesn't run a lot of interaction. The speed allows it to race and beat less interactive decks like Burn, Zoo, Affinity, etc. My meta has a lot of Twin and Scapeshift, so it needs the earlier disruption. Still, I do plan on altering my mana base a little to become closer to yours, the extra fetchlands really help when I did online testing.

July 8, 2015 10:37 p.m.

Oxman_451 says... #6

Go for turn two all the time! 4 Gitaxian Probe & 4 Street Wraith! Of course it's just a joke, but really test it and see how many turn two wins a 52 card deck yields.

August 19, 2015 10:13 a.m.

Quail says... #7

I used to run Gitaxian Probes but decided to take them out. I've found that you need to run cards that actually give you card advantage or better card consistency rather than 'running less cards'.

August 19, 2015 3:53 p.m.

Silverboy101 says... #8

I think that as a modern deck it would be very strong against aggro decks. My friend recently built a turn 4 win combo deck with elusive spellfist, but this can easily beat that sort of deck. +1

August 26, 2015 3:40 a.m.

-Akhlys- says... #9

So I built a similar deck to this (not posted on here) and I found that Anticipate works better than Court Hussar because you don't nee the Grim haru and it is cheaper

September 17, 2015 7:30 p.m.

Khaosknight says... #10

Anticipate costs for the same effect that Hussar does, but Hussar costs with Heartless Summoning out, and has better synergy with Grim Haruspex

September 18, 2015 12:20 p.m.

Khaosknight says... #11

Not sure if this thread/deck is still active, but have you considered a BUG version, so we could use Jarad's Orders as a wincon to search out 2x myr retreiver?

September 21, 2015 1:02 p.m.

lemmingllama says... #12

@Khaosknight Splashing a third color for a card that can't be reliably cast until turns 5-6 seems fairly weak. It's a bit too slow, and it also makes all aggressive match-ups worse due to the extra damage from the Breeding Pools/Overgrown Tombs that would be required.

September 21, 2015 4:12 p.m.

Quail says... #13

@Khaosknight The deck is still active, I just tend to take breaks from focusing on it from time to time. The times I really pay attention to it are when a new set comes out and there's potential for new tech with the deck (like Altar of the Brood).

I wanted to try out Jarad's Orders in the deck for awhile along with Gifts Ungiven, but I don't really have the means to test reliably.

I ultimately want to try out a midrange build for this deck, because I don't think the hyperspeed strategy of this build is going to get any better and it's not that good. In a midrange build, if it's constucted well, would probably ideally want one of those tutors, probably as a 2 of. Turn 4 is pretty late in Modern though and HS or an Altar have probably already been dealt with by that point. It's a demanding deck that's pretty fragile.

I want to figure out a build that utilizes Thoughtscour and Tasigur, the Golden Fang/Gurmag Angler. But I'm not quite sure yet how to do it. I also think Dredge could potentially be an untapped utility the deck can use.

September 21, 2015 5:33 p.m.

Quail says... #14

There's also the crazy idea that a deck like this could break into Legacy somehow. There's a lot more support for shenanigans in the format and better protection (Force of Will), but also better disruptions (Force of Will). I don't really know what DOESN'T work in Legacy, so I don't actually know the viability of it.

September 21, 2015 5:38 p.m.

tlud27 says... #15

Hello there!

Really sweet deck premise, I really quite like it.

Have you considered Thirst for Knowledge? In a deck like this, it allows you to dig for your combo and even set up for it by throwing a moonvessel or retriever into your graveyard. Heck, you could even toss in an altar of the brood for later retrieval when you do combo off. I just like that in this deck it is an instant-speed draw three.

Granted, it does not give you a death trigger, nor can it be returned, and it can't be reduced in cost. Still, there are few enough decks that can profitably run it so I thought I would bring it up :)

November 19, 2015 2 p.m.

Quail says... #16

Thirst For Knowledge is a great card and I used to run a playset in an old version of this deck.

The build prior to me messing around focused on speed and 1 drops (after HS is played). For that reason Thirst For Knowledge is slightly too expensive for the amount of tempo you get.

I think the basic premise for getting a deck like this to work is either focusing on speed and playing cantrips like Serum Visions or dropping a tutor with tech like Gifts Ungiven or Jarad's Orders.

November 19, 2015 2:39 p.m.

tlud27 says... #17

That seems very fair- good answer.

Not as a suggestion, but asking your opinion: What would you think of a slower, more control-oriented build that used the retriever/summoning combo as one of the wincons? Is speed necessary for the deck, or could a slower variation work as well?

November 20, 2015 10:10 a.m.

Quail says... #18

That's pretty much what I would like to develop the deck into. The hyperspeed strategy works a little bit, but is just too inconsistent to be viable.

The control-type build is probably the best option competively in the long run (at least right now). Overall the biggest weakness of the deck is not getting HS out early and the rest of the deck having mediocre synergy. I think something like Gifts Ungiven is probably the best strategy since it allows you to go for alternate win-cons if you don't have a HS out, such as Unburial Rites and a Reanimation target (I'm thinking Void Winnower is the best for this deck since it is reasonably cast-able).

November 21, 2015 1:46 a.m.

gingebabehh says... #19

do you not find it hard to get two myr retrievers out at the same time?

December 18, 2015 1:08 p.m.

Quail says... #21

Originally the deck had an issue with that but I've found that it doesn't become too much of a problem if you use Graveyard strategies (testing out Golgari Thug specifically). This build doesn't feature it anymore but Havengul Lich + Myr Moonvessel also works. Jarad's Orders also grabs both of them for you or one and another creature. Again I'm not currently running that, but it's an option.

I think I'll actually switch up the description a bit soon to include a Primer for the deck and the options people can take depending on how they want to play.

Honestly the biggest flaw to the deck is not getting Heartless Summoning out. Which is why I'm experimenting with Serum Powder. Results have been mixed.

December 18, 2015 3:28 p.m.

seanfireball2 says... #22

I highly recommend adding 4x Viscera Seer since this card aids in finding the combo and can be used to help stay alive in grindy situations. One important note is that you need more 1 CMC cards due to your low number of lands-- especially one that can be sacrificed itself to secure another land and get the combo.

December 21, 2015 12:47 p.m.

Quail says... #23

Viscera Seer dies under Heartless Summoning and wouldn't be cohesive with the deck.

December 21, 2015 6:28 p.m.

Would you consider running Myr Superion?

January 8, 2016 2:57 p.m.

Quail says... #25

I've pretty much decided on making this deck a dedicated combo deck. Myr Superion doesn't contribute to the goal of the deck so it's a wasted slot.

January 8, 2016 7:03 p.m.

Please login to comment