Which Sweeper?
Modern Deck Help forum
Posted on June 23, 2015, 10:04 a.m. by ToolmasterOfBrainerd
I want to run a sweeper in my sideboard to handle decks such as Elves, BW tokens, Naya Zoo, Bogles, Affinity to some extent, Collected Company, and other swarming strategies. Which sweeper is best to run and why? My options are Slagstorm, Anger of the Gods, Pyroclasm, and Languish. I will be running 2 sweepers sideboard. They don't have to be the same card.
So I guess I'm wondering if 2 damage is enough, if 3 mana is too much, and if exiling is relevant. The exiling bit especially - which cards are relevant for exile? I currently run Slagstorm and use the player damage more than you'd think, so please don't say that it's bad. I'm just wondering if the other options are better and why.
Thanks!
ToolmasterOfBrainerd says... #3
Ok, thanks! I have yet to see a greaveyard strategy at my LGS, so I guess I'll stick to Slagstorm. Thank you!
June 23, 2015 10:13 a.m.
ToolmasterOfBrainerd says... #5
Ooh, wait - just saw Languish in the origins spoilers. Man, that is tempting...
Although now that I think about it, It doesn't kill Siege Rhino, so probably not.
June 23, 2015 10:18 a.m.
ToolmasterOfBrainerd says... #7
Grixis, but more of a UB splash R than straight Grixis.
June 23, 2015 10:22 a.m.
JexInfinite says... #9
Anger of the Gods beats Zoo and CoCo the best. The mana cost is slightly restrictive, making it hard for some decks to cast it T3. Pyroclasm is cheaper, and smaller. It's better generally against weenie decks, and can wipe the board reasonably well. Anger has the better effect, but Clasm is easier to cast, and hurts a turn earlier.
June 24, 2015 3:23 a.m.
ToolmasterOfBrainerd says... #10
CheeseBro, Damnation is too expensive. Waaaay out of my budget.
JexInfinite, thanks for the input; I will take it into consideration. In my meta, I have seen soul sisters several times and a mono-green ramp (not elves combo) deck frequently. I have faced affinity a few times as well. I have not seen a lot of zoo, coco, elves, BW tokens, or other tier 1.5-2 decks. That said, I recently discovered another game shop that I am going to start attending and I don't know the meta yet. My LGS meta is also constantly changing so I want to be prepared for anything. My main use for Slagstorm currently is against Jund's assorted small things and Abzan's Lingering Souls tokens, as both decks dominate my meta. LotV is really relevant as well.
At the moment I'm liking pyroclasm because it's faster, meaning much cheaper to play against Hatebears in particular, but it also can come down fast enough to hurt infect. Against elves I don't have any clue how relevant it would be so I guess I need to look at some lists. I guess I biggest problem is that most of the relevant decks have 30+ creatures, meaning there is a lot of creature variance making deciding on a card much harder.
Thanks for the input guys!
June 24, 2015 7:05 p.m.
Pyroclasm is the best bang for the buck if you're not facing "big aggro" or graveyard strategies (and it doesn't seem like you are, from the posts I've read).
June 26, 2015 1:44 p.m.
ToolmasterOfBrainerd says... #12
Sweet, thanks! I've finally settled on Pyroclasm for its speed and because my Vampire Nighthawks can survive it, which is important against aggro strategies.
CheeseBro says... #2
i would use Anger of the Gods if graveyards are a strategy in your meta. If not, use Slagstorm
June 23, 2015 10:08 a.m.