I think I'm better off just cutting my losses. In order to make tron 50/50, I'd have to change so much of the deck that it would hurt a lot of other matchups as well as the deck's consistency as a whole. Tron is designed to have a good matchup against decks like mine, and fighting that is futile.

That's a lot of other suggestions. I wish I had more time right now to address all of them, but I don't at the moment. I'll address all of those at lunch. Thanks car!

anytime. i am testing this deck with some changes on untap. the jace has really helped. the ult never happens, but it is a big threat that needs removal. So far, it has been a good blocker, discarded bloodghast, made my graveyard larger for the casting of a t3 tasigur after it flips, been able to use dreadbore again to kill a second karn, turned a goblin guide into a useless 0/2 and attracted removal

I've tested with jace vp before and found that in perfect world, he's amazing, but there are very few prefect world matchups. The fact that he dies to bolt is terrible since the competitive version of the deck plays no nighthawks, so jace is the only bolt target in the deck, meaning that he eats a bolt or Abrupt Decay almost every time. And in the matchups where jace, in theory, ought to be the best, the opponent is packing tons of bolts and decays, making jace nowhere near as good as in theory. These matchups are the mirror, jeskai control, and bgx. Against problem decks like burn, jace is actively bad since snap can flashback a Counterspell and can surprise block. Additionally, the matchups where jace looks good, so the mirror, jeskai, and bgx, are all favored anyway, except jeskai, but against jeskai snap is much better anyway. That's a long-wined way of saying that jace worsens my good matchups and my bad matchups alike. He is miles better than snap when goldfishing and when playing against much more casual decks, but in competitive modern, I'd rather have snap.

For ancestral vision, I tested it as a 2-of instead of serum visions, and didn't like it. I bet it would be better as a 4-of since then I'll get it turn 1 more consistently and I can discard late game copies with looting, but I'm not sure. It seems like another card that helps my already good matchups and playing -1 card for a few turns gives my opponent more of an advantage than I'd like. I should probably test it again as a 4-of.

Dark-Dwellers and olivia are good grindy cards, but again, this deck can already out-grind bgx and the mirror, and Dark-Dwellers and olivia do nothing against a deck like burn, while Kalitas can immediately turn the game around. So they're fantastic grinders, but this deck doesn't need more grinders, since the ones it already has are more versatile.

Once upon a time I tried bitterblossom, but it was a long time ago when I was a much worse player. It dies to Abrupt Decay in its most relevant matchup, bgx, but that's probably fine. It looks like it'd be brutal on jeskai, and the constant tokens is also good against affinity as blockers. It's bad vs burn and vs combo decks since it causes life loss and is a slow clock. The potential for a lot of tokens over time, especially when supported by ghast and my other creatures, could make blossom worth playing.

Liliana simply wins vs boggles, something this deck needs, and discarding bloodghast to her is really good. She's not well positioned right now, so maybe she shouldn't be in the competitive version of the deck. Chandra I would almost exclusively +0 for card advantage, so the ultimate is irrelevant, but her 0 is so good that I'll have to test her out. I have never tried her before. The more I think about Chandra, the more I like her potential. I'll test her on untap later. I don't think koth would work in here; he's better in a skred deck where they play more mountains.

Thanks for all the suggestions car! Sorry it took me so long to reply. I'm on mobile, so it took awhile and auto correct probably made some of it nonsensical.

I love the arts and background on this! This looks good and another +1!

Thanks! I'm glad to hear you liked it.

It's an impressive board. I'm unfamiliar with some of the cards. But there's alot for me to learn here.

Thanks

Don't take too much from my board, although I must say I am very happy with it for this deck in this meta. The high density of counterspells is because for counters, I have just Remand in the main board, which isn't even a counter. You have a lot more counters in the main, so a few Dispel might have a place, but definitely not 4 Counterspells. Mizzium Meddler is just some cute stuff I'm trying since Spellskite is too expensive. Another thing to note is the lack of tron hate. Tron is so abysmal that I just gave up on trying to beat them. Your deck has a better matchup than mine vs tron, so I wouldn't concede that matchup if I were you.

So apparently this is happening. How many do I run and what do I cut? This card has so much potential and I want it to work so badly since it's like a 2 mana 2-for-2 that I can abuse heavily (1st and 3rd modes vs burn, anyone? Or really all 3 since they're all relevant vs burn?) Sorcery speed is sad, but it's still probably going in here for the synergy on top of an already okay card.

Assuming I can get snap number 4 soon (probably can), then I guess I cut 2 Nighthawk and 1 Remand for the 4th Snap and 2 of this?

What I really love is actually the synergy with Faithless Looting. A lone looting isn't great without symergy, but this allows me to get value off of looting in my hand without card disadvantage and then turn around and flashback looting for more value later on. This card is beautiful. I'm struggling to think of when it's a dead card. Getting more modes builds tempo if I don't think I can cast my hand quickly enough and also fuels delve, all while still gaining me advantage.

This card definitely is better vs aggro decks than vs control or midrange, but -2/-2 kills Bob and Scooze vs BGx and hand attack is playable vs control, even if it's much worse than my other options.

Discarding Bloodghast to escalate this?

surpresses erection

But seriously, I would only run 1, and cut maybe an IoK or Thoughtseize, or the random Remand. This doesn't exactly seem ideal in multiples, although discarding a creature to escalate seems fine since you're running 3x Kommand.

This is a pretty great 1 of, and I might actually even run it in my list (probably in the sideboard in place of one of my thoughtseize) but I wouldn't want this in multiples, and I don't think you do either

I mean, if you draw 2, you can just discard the second to the first, but I definitely see your point. It's not exciting enough where I'd always want to choose 2 modes. I think you're right that 1 is correct. The random Remand is good in this meta, but undoubtedly does not belong in this deck, so that's a fine cut. Nighthawk is okay in this meta (awful vs jeskai, yet absurd vs infect and affinity) but surprisingly never disappoints in this deck, so I'll probably keep them around at least for a bit. Definitely playing 1 Brutality though.

So -1 Remand +1 Collective Brutality. Then if I get a 4th snap, what do I cut? Also, do I play this in Rocket Science (Competitive)? Probably 1-of in place of 1 LOTV? Does that mean I can cut 1 Serum Visions from this deck for the 4th snap, so the only difference between the 2 decks is sideboard and 2 LOTV? Thanks guys!

I wouldn't drop any serum visions, they are too important...but I only run 2 Lilis in my list and it has been the perfect number...in fact I sometimes (though rarely) side them out! I'd just replace a lili for it in your competetive list, and as for this list, I HONESTLY think 3 snaps is perfect, I only run 2 and it's great, and I dont even run delve cards, which I imagine compete with your plans sometimes...but if you do decide to run the full 4, I'd suggest taking out the nighthawks all together, and replacing the second one with the rakdos charm from your board...hear me out! It's great against all the control decks running around and any other decks running their own snaps, it's great against any delve, dredge, reanimator...it's more main board hate against affinity etc, AND it hoses all the coco decks and other creature strategies out there right now that over extend their board presence...anyway, that's just my 2 cents :)

Visions is quite good. 2 Lili is passable. The way I summed it up on the modern chat is that Lili is the more powerful card, but Brutality makes the deck more consistent and is more synergistic. Basically, Lili raises the ceiling on my deck while Brutality brings up the floor.

2 Snaps is perfect in Esper where you don't have Lightning Bolt to flashback, but in Grixis, there is literally no card I'd rather draw vs some matchups, such as Jeskai Control. I can just tempo them out with Snap value and Bloodghast value the entire game until they just lose. I have drawn too many before, but that's usually due to getting, like, lands, 2 snaps, a nighthawk, and a kalitas, which has no spells to flashback. Or the only spells I draw are irrelevant in the matchup, like getting a Terminate vs Jeskai. If I can hit my Bolts, hand disruption, and Kommands, which I usually should be able to do, every snap I draw is a live one. I've been playing with 4 snap on untap.in for months now and it has been the perfect number.

Rakdos Charm in the main... not like I haven't been tempted before (I definitely have) but Rakdos Charm is just dead in too many matchups. What do I do with it vs burn? Infect? Scapeshift? It has so much utility against a lot of the meta, but it's dead too often to be viable in the main.

The thing I've noticed playing online is that if I have 4 Snap, I should not be playing Nighthawk. Less creatures is just better with Snap, and it is better by a relevant amount. I don't mind the random Remand. It doesn't belong, but with Ancestral Vision and Cryptic Command making a lot of appearances, it's a pretty good card to be playing right now. That allows me to cut 2 Nighthawk for 1 Snap and 1 Brutality, leaving the Remand. If the meta shifts, Remand will leave for some other 1-of meta tech, like Electrolyze. Or if something else exciting gets spoiled, Remand can leave for that.

Since that is pretty poorly organized, here's my plan: Immediately after EMN release, -1 Remand +1 Brutality. After that, if I can get a 4th Snap, -2 Nighthawk +1 Snap +1 Remand.

If someone has a better suggestion than to keep playing Remand, I'm all ears, but I do need to cut Nighthawk if I run 4 Snap and LOTV is way out of price range until a reprint.

Well boys, looks like we've got a winner to replace nighthawk. So -2 nighthawk -1 Remand +2 Lili +1 brutality.

Lotv is definitely better, but this is definitely now my budget Lili.

I agree that the +1 is much more relevant in some matchups than in others (not good vs uwr). But consider they have Goyf and I have Lili. +1 puts Lili at 4 and makes Goyf a 2/4, so the backswing is only 2, so Lili drops to 2, meaning that even vs a Goyf, Lili only loses 1 loyalty per turn. That gives me time to draw into an answer. The -2 is amazing. I really only need to do it once since if I can buyback a snap, that's a ton of value. If I can get a single good -2, it's a good chunk of a kommand.

It's not perfect, but it's definitely good enough for budget. I don't care about the ult since it will never happen, but the +1 is good vs aggro and the -2 is fantastic value. Vs midrange, I have every intention of using Lili's -2 right when she hits the field for value, unless they are Topdecking and have a single creature or if I have a decent boardstate, and I have no problem with that. Mill 2 helps delve and flashback, and getting back a snap or tasigur is amazing - well worth the card slot. It won't be more than a 2-of.

maybe Thought Scour. and if you ever get the chance lotv lotv lotv

New update on my PPTQ finish at my LGS!

great deck! looking at the list I think you might want one more red mana source? have you considered thought scour over serum? It synergizes with most of your deck, -3 serum v, +1land (u/r) +3 thought scour, -1 kolaghan?

Thanks!

I already have 14 lands that can fetch red and I never really need double red until turn 4. Although I have Kalitas and tasigur, which need 4 mana, I find that with 22 lands and 7 cantrips, I tend to get manascrewed and flooded about equally often. That said, I do have occasional mana issues, both with the colors and quantities, so any ideas on how to reduce the variance further without sacrificing too many percentage points in tempo are always appreciated.

Serum visions brings a ton of consistency and the ability to dig to an out, but with Faithless Looting and Snapcaster Mage, thought scour arguably does as well. I've never tested it, but I like the idea. My initial guess is that scour builds upon the degenerate aspect of the deck and makes the deck more explosive at the cost of some consistency, but unknown how much. Visions definitely helps reduce mana variance.

3 kommand is sometimes good, sometimes bad. Vs affinity and burn and grixis and Jund, it's awesome. Vs infect and company and dredge, it's pretty awful. If the meta shifts, I could see dropping back to 2 fairly quickly, but for now I think 3 is the right number.

Interesting. So basically using the graveyard as an extent of the hand for a combination of card advantage and card value? The potential problem is that this deck can already out-grind Jund and Abzan, which are the biggest decks around, so having more graveyard dependency would just weaken the deck to hate without gaining much from the additional card value. What this deck really needs is a way to go faster than or around tron, since beating tron and having a good sideboard for the company matchup would make that deck unstoppable.

I'm really loving a single Collective Brutality in the board...my big issue now is what to cut to have game against Dredge and the new meta decks running around...Leyline of the Void is the only grave hate card I can run that doesn't hurt my own deck, but I need to run at LEAST 3 in the board and have nothing I want to take out.

In my testing, dredge is unwinnable for me in game 1. I haven't tested post-board yet, but I have to imagine that early discard of their draw/discard cards into wiping their grave once will slow them down enough to get there with a tasigur or bolt snap bolt beats. Even better, an early Kalitas that I can untap with should be gg. A timely Anger of the Gods can be brutal on them, but isn't gg unless followed by grave hate to remove their lootings and dredgers So it's unfavorable, but winnable.

I'm a huge fan of my personal grave hate trifecta. It may not beat dredge every time, but even with Leyline dredge won't be favored enough to justify it. I love that each card of my grave hate is awesome elsewhere too - Spellbomb vs bgx, Charm vs affinity, and Incursion vs burn.

I really need to find a way to sideboard 3 grave hate (1 Spellbomb, 1 Rakdos Charm, and 1 Crypt Incursion) and 2 Spellskite. I honestly think Spellskite is the best card in modern right now.

Sadly, because of dredge, more players are playing RIP, which is a total pain, but recently I've won through it more than I've lost to it, although admittedly because Bant Eldrazi should not be boarding in RIP against me. My graveyard proactive plan is bad vs eldrazi so when they take 2 mana out and a card to cast RIP, they're losing tempo and I get a window to get ahead on controlling them.

just a thought. if you could play kalitas and destroy their creatures you could win right? maybe you just need more exile mainboard. also just a thought. what about bitterblossom to chump block?

Eh, I'm in grixis, so exile is just too inefficient. And the 2/2 token I get really puts it over the top - if they attack and I bolt something, then use the zombie and Kalitas to block another 2 creatures, I've killed 3 creatures and gained 3 life and have another 2 zombies in play, which is way better than just exiling 1 creature.

Bitterblossom is a good card. Way back when I used to play it to try and beat abzan. I dunno if it is fast enough to beat dredge and the life loss is relevant too. It probably could be used but would take some rebuilding.

I had a slight aneurysm when I saw the value of this deck...