Would anyone help with some general advice?
Modern Deck Help forum
Posted on June 10, 2015, 8:04 p.m. by L0ckd0wn
Hey all,
If I make a red/black deck, what's a good amount of individual red and individual black mana to have? Also, can anyone suggest some good smalls (1-3 mana each) to just help block until I have enough mana to summon something like Utvara Hellkite, Siege Dragon, or maybe even Blightsteel Colossus? I love the heavy hitters, but I I realize I need some type of defense until I can pull them out.
Is that even a legit strategy? Stall with small until I can hit with the heavies?
thanks all!
Something you could try is Through the Breach. Some big fatty on turn 5, like Emrakul, the Aeons Torn or whatever, will almost win the game instantly. Additionally, you could run stuff like Summoner's Pact to search up whatever you'd like, you'd just have to win that same turn. Or play Gruul. If you want to take that route, Blightsteel Colossus is probably your best bet because it can win as soon as you cheat it in.
June 10, 2015 8:12 p.m.
NoPantsParade says... #4
You're going to need some ramp like Birds of Paradise if you're going to want to put stuff like Utvara Hellkite and friends down. And even then, they can be Path to Exiled. You're better off with Stormbreath Dragon and Thundermaw Hellkite since they do something upon hitting the battlefield whereas Utvara Hellkite and co. just durdle for a turn. Additionally, if you're casting those big creatures and have 7+ lands in play, you're probably already winning.
But if you're committed to something like this, Jund with some hand disruption and ramp would be your best bet. But consider dragons like Thundermaw Hellkite, Stormbreath Dragon, and Thunderbreak Regent.
June 10, 2015 8:14 p.m.
BloodoftheBloodMoon says... #5
The kind of deck you're trying to make won't include those cards without cheating them in (in modern) either you want to make a "cheat a fatty in on an early turn" or a super fast rdw deck. If you want to make a rdw deck, you won't need big drops. If you want to cheat something in, go with blightsteel. Give him haste and win
June 10, 2015 8:54 p.m.
Hey guys/gals,
Loving all your ideas :D Let me just add I'm not looking to be competitive. I've never played a single game, I'm just looking up and researching because I'm just about ready to start picking out monsters/instants/sorceries.
UndeadHorde - that card DOES look fun, I think I may pick it up :) Thanks for the idea!
JDMCRIB Interesting ideas - I want to pick up all those cards because I'm just a casual player, albeit a massive fan of the game. Not sure what is meant by "cheat it in".
NoPantsParade I think I'll take your advice and switch to the cards you've suggested - better effect cards win games. I'm not hugely competitive but I don't want to lose EVERY game heh! Thanks!
ryanjoha A second mention of "cheat it in" - I don't know exactly what that, or rdw mean.
I'll have to research what "modern" is - educated guess tells me there's a ban list, which includes cards from the currently tournament legal sets.
June 10, 2015 9:09 p.m.
For reference "cheat it in" means finding ways to play the big fatties without paying their mana costs. Things like Through the Breach, which was already mentioned, and Quicksilver Amulet. Also Master Transmuter (only works with the Blightsteel Colossus of the fatties you listed though) is fun... There are others, I'm sure.
RDW = red deck wins. It's an archetype of deck that is red and very aggressive, utilizing a multitude of bUrn spells and low cost aggressive creatures.
Modern is a format that uses all cards printed from 8th edition on, except those on the ban list
June 10, 2015 9:34 p.m. Edited.
Forgot about the budget, my bad. Anyway, didn't think about Master Transmuter later, that could be fun. Only thing about that is that the creature you put on doesn't have haste, which is negative to the Blightsteel Colossus plan (you don't want it getting Path to Exiled). But on a budget, that will suffice; I know a playset of Through the Breach is a bit much, but that could be the difference between a casual brew and a competitive list.
And it always makes me happy to see newer players experiment with Modern before Standard. :D
June 10, 2015 10:30 p.m.
saj0219 Thanks for the info, learning more about this game by the moment. I'm eager to find out what happens when knowledge gained meets the time for application of said knowledge. Apparently I still have a lot of cards to go through to find the best ones. Believe it or not, remembering all the different abilities, costs, etc., is semi tiring. Still fun though!
JDMCRIB My budgets limit is, I basically can't buy a fat pack at the moment. I can buy boosters, individual cards, and even an event deck if I need some starter stuff. I'm not the financially strapped young child I used to be XD 10 fat packs is out of the question, but, buying exactly what I need, while compiling a pool of cards is definitely something I can do.
P.s. thank you guys for showing me Path to Exile - had no idea it existed, and I realize more and more I've seen only a fraction of the cards this game has to offer.
June 10, 2015 10:40 p.m.
Oh yeah; there are thousands of cards in Magic, and only a fraction of those are legal in Modern. I'd recommend looking at some top-tier decks, just to get a good idea of the staples of the format and see what you're up against. This way, you can test your deck against them and see how it stands up to the competition.
As for buying fat packs, I'd recommend not buying them. Only buy single boosters and, if you're feeling lucky, a booster box. But, above all else, buy singles. Singles are the best way to create a deck you want, and for the best price (usually).
June 10, 2015 10:51 p.m.
BloodoftheBloodMoon says... #11
What are your play settings? Who are you playing against and how good/competitive are their decks? It would help out a lot if we knew what kind of decks you'd be playing against so you don't make a tier one deck and all of a sudden you start losing friends.
June 10, 2015 10:52 p.m.
What I meant by looking at top tier decks isn't to copy them card-for-card, but rather get a better look at what the Modern meta looks like at the moment (the meta being the common decks that are currently winning tournaments). By no means should you copy-paste decks; it's really expensive and generally frowned upon.
June 10, 2015 10:55 p.m.
jackanukealty says... #13
A great utility spell for that kind of deck is Terminate
June 10, 2015 11:11 p.m.
JDMCRIB I agree, I used to buy a booster pack now and then and pulled nothing of use at all. This was back when buying a booster pack was still kind of a big deal. Just looking at individual cards, and maybe a fat pack just to build the pool of cards at my disposal. I like change. "copy-paste" decks were a big problem in YGO in my opinion because everyone had the exact same deck.
ryanjoha Those factors are unknown to me as well at the moment. To start off, i won't be aiming to win tournaments, just have fun. Eventually I can see myself doing tournaments, but I have a lot to learn about the game until then.
jackanukealty I like that card - but what does regenerate mean as a card ability? You can't use the M:tG equivalent of Monster Reborn?
June 11, 2015 4:49 p.m.
@L0ckd0wn: If your area hosts free Modern tournaments, I'd suggest going with whatever cards you have. One of the fastest ways to learn and get better is by playing more experienced people, even if you do lose a lot.
"Regenerate" is an ability usually found on creatures, but not always. You can read more about it here. To summarize, regeneration means "The next time this permanent would be destroyed this turn, it isn't. Instead tap it, remove all damage from it, and remove it from combat."
So for example, if you block my attacking Clay Statue with your Axegrinder Giant, normally my Clay Statue would just die. Instead, however, I pay 2 mana of any color to remove my Clay Statue from the combat and stop it from being sent to the graveyard. Let's say instead you decide to cast Divine Verdict on my attacking Clay Statue. I can, again, pay 2 mana and remove it from the combat and stop it from dying.
With Terminate, I can still pay 2 mana to regenerate, but it won't do anything. Instead, my mana is wasted and it just dies outright.
Here's an example deck built around Through the Breach. There's a couple different versions floating around, but this is the type of list made popular by Travis Woo and one that often sees play, so you can find lots of information about it.
Searching for "Through the Breach combo" or "Goryo's Vengeance deck" will come up with a variety of results, including more budget-friendly versions. The most expensive part of the deck is going to be the land cards, because everyone needs them (but not everyone needs four copies of Griselbrand). Lands are still the most important cards in your deck because they provide consistency. Most decks, however, are still playable if they're 1 or 2 colors and don't have a bunch of colored mana symbols in their casting cost.
Here is another interesting list that takes advantage of Necrotic Ooze. Without the sideboard and lands, it's only 178.46, most of which comes from the Griselbrands. That's less than the price of two booster boxes or 6 fat packs.
UndeadHorde says... #2
Rakdos, Lord of Riots.
It won't be competitive by a long shot, but it's fun as hell
June 10, 2015 8:12 p.m.