BG Rock Thread
Modern forum
Posted on Jan. 11, 2016, 10:07 p.m. by APPLE01DOJ
Let's talk about all things 
Attrition. If you regularly participate in this thread feel free to post your decks in here as often as you want.
If you're new to modern and have only heard of Abzan and Jund, Rock is essentially the core of both those decks. Creature consist of Dark Confidant, Scavenging Ooze, Tarmogoyf, and Treetop Village. Save Tarmogoyf each offers an additional utility beyond just attacking. Rock has been dubbed "The Answer Deck" because its removal package is capable of answering practically everything. Abrupt Decay Maelstrom Pulse and Liliana of the Veil, one of the strongest planeswalkers in modern. Beyond removal you have an initial disruption package the opponent must play through. Inquisition of Kozilek and Thoughtseize.
So for the first topic of discussion, Which do you feel is stronger, with or without Phyrexian Obliterator?
How about the addition of Bitterblossom?
This is why Jund is worth playing because it is 50/50 across the board and it's actually quite easy to beat Tron, Affinity and BW Eldrazi.
February 2, 2016 9:58 a.m.
I totally agree, I just like Junk more. Lingering Souls is one of my favorite cards.
February 2, 2016 5:56 p.m.
Okay guys, Real-talk: How the hell do we beat Eldrazi decks? I'm seriously beginning to think it's impossible
February 10, 2016 1:20 a.m.
Could we just start going with loam-pox versions? Would that end up working?
February 10, 2016 9:45 a.m.
I think we just have to attrition the fuck out of them. Might end up playing a full playset of Tectonic Edge and siding Loxodon Smiters as janktech against Reality Smasher.
February 10, 2016 4:31 p.m.
vault HOLY SHIT SMITER VS SMASHER. Sorry for the caps, how the hell did I miss that?! Obstinate Baloth works too!
February 10, 2016 4:33 p.m. Edited.
FAMOUSWATERMELON says... #9
Lili will pretty much win the game alone given some support. T1 discard, T2 removal, T3 Lili/wipe, and you're good.
February 10, 2016 4:33 p.m.
APPLE01DOJ says... #10
Only downside of the Lilly plan is when they top deck a Reality Smasher. Liliana of the Veil puts in work. Getting a Dark Confidant to stick with Lilly I online can be game over for most decks.
I've been running this Obliterator Rock 2016
Just wish I had more space for Ghost Quarters.
Golgari Charm can be a dead draw or an all star. Capable of clearing out early game Eldrazi Mimics or desimating Affinity's board.
February 10, 2016 5:49 p.m. Edited.
APPLE01DOJ As someone pointed out today, Obstinate Baloth could be an all-star with the Reality Smasher trigger. It's also good against Aggro in general. I'm playing 2 for sure.
February 10, 2016 5:53 p.m.
I almost feel like Abrupt Decay is going to end up being a sideboard card, if not excluded entirely from the deck. I could be totally wrong in that thinking, but to me it just doesn't look like it does enough in this meta.. we're not dealing with twin's counterspells, or any form of control for that matter..
it's extremely disheartening to be quite honest.
February 11, 2016 3:08 a.m.
Nah, it'll still be mainboard. I'm not sure if it's a full playset mainboard anymore, but it's still good against Affinity and other aggro decks.
February 11, 2016 4:17 a.m.
Scouty Why would you say that? It kills tons of creatures in Modern. Just because it's not very relevant to Eldrazi, doesn't mean it won't be played. It's still a 2 of in most BGx decks.
February 11, 2016 10:54 a.m.
APPLE01DOJ says... #15
I disagree Scouty, Abrupt Decay offers so much important utility beyond creature removal.
I plan to keep it as a 4 of and 1 deck (which it still has plenty of targets in) isn't going to change that.
February 11, 2016 11:58 a.m. Edited.
I just find it doesn't do enough vs the top decks in the format: vs Eldrazi, it just doesn't hit enough threats, and Affinity just has way too much out by the time you're able to cast it, that it virtually doesn't matter if you cast it.
I would say 1-2 in mainboard, the rest in the sideboard, imo
February 11, 2016 12:19 p.m.
TheLitchKing says... #17
Abrupt Decay is really only slightly worse with Eldrazi being so big. It's still great in that it hits Chalice of the Void which can be problematic if on 1 and it's solid against the U/R version with Vile Aggregate and friends. Hitting Cranial Plating is no joke either (and Ghirapur AEther Grid out of their board) and for that, plus the utility against Blood Moon and other enchantments (specifically auras), warrants no fewer than 2 copies main. As APPLE01DOJ said, the utility it provides is too good to discount.
February 11, 2016 1:26 p.m.
FAMOUSWATERMELON says... #19
Link doesn't seem to work, but it's really easy to find anyways. link
And that looks pretty nasty, if a bit tight on the mana. And expensive.
February 11, 2016 3:45 p.m.
Yeah, this website sucks on mobile. Bottom line is a GB Eldrazi build was published on SCG today.
February 11, 2016 3:47 p.m. Edited.
APPLE01DOJ says... #22
That deck looks pretty weak to be honest. You need certain pieces to be good early and if you don't get a Sol land you're stuck with a bunch of Sub par options. Clearly there's some consistency to it but still... Not impressed :/
February 11, 2016 5:40 p.m.
APPLE01DOJ I don't think it's strong either, but I was pointing out that they are dabbling in every color now. Nothing is safe. lol It's not that hard to get a Sol land in your opening hand though. I don't think that version is good, but it has a lot of potential. Could you imagine using Matter Reshaper into Tarmogoyf, Lili or Scooze? Bad beats.
February 11, 2016 6:38 p.m. Edited.
Gross. The Golgari Overlords are not impressed with the triflings of these measly Eldrazi. Get your own deck.
February 11, 2016 6:59 p.m.
FAMOUSWATERMELON says... #25
I do think that it could be made into something. Reality Smasher is exactly what Rock loves, a big fatty that's resistant to removal and puts immediate pressure on the opponent. With Lili, you can get the opponent quickly into topdeck mode, where they won't be able to remove it permanently. Endbringer looks very clunky though.
February 11, 2016 7:13 p.m.
FAMOUSWATERMELON I agree. Honestly, when I first saw Reshaper, I immediately thought of Bloodbraid Elf I'm honestly thinking of playing it in Jund, using 2 Twilight Mire, 2 Llanowar Waste and 2 Ghost Quarter. Thoughts?
February 11, 2016 7:17 p.m.
FAMOUSWATERMELON says... #27
You know, strangely, Reshaper has never been good for me. If it was ETB, then it would be fantastic, but as is, it usually just ends up being a 3/2 for 
that occasionally cantrips and rarely has a better effect.
February 11, 2016 7:22 p.m.
FAMOUSWATERMELON Probably true unfortunately. I wish we could have Elf back...
February 11, 2016 7:31 p.m.
Okay, I need a second/third/eighth opinion on this:
Rocking the Competition
Modern*
SCORE: 1 | 2 COMMENTS | 132 VIEWS
So far it's been actually doing pretty well vs most decks I've played it against (Namely Eldrazi, Tron, and Infect), and the constant recursion of land destruction is proving seriously good vs Eldrazi so far.
February 14, 2016 12:20 p.m.
Sceadugenga says... #30
the other option, now that bolt is becoming a less common card since it doesn't do much to Eldrazi, is going for the deathtouch plan. Also, have you guys tried out Big Game Hunter yet? Seems like a sweet 2 for 1 off of a Dismember or other removal spell. Here's my thought: http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/anti-eldrazi-rock/
February 17, 2016 1:18 a.m.
Ooh, I like Big Game Hunter, especially with Lili. I don't play red, so Bolt has never been a thing for me, but Hissing Quagmire is now my manland of choice.
February 17, 2016 1:26 a.m.
Sceadugenga says... #32
there's also probably a fantastic Glissa, the Traitor deck in the Rock shell somewhere. I haven't quite figured it out yet, but first strike deathtouch says Eldrazi can just go home. Not sure if it's better or worse than the LoamPox plan.
February 17, 2016 1:58 a.m.
Speaking to everyone here, what are your thoughts on Creakwood Liege? It's always been a bit of a pet card of mine, giving decks the ability to go wide with 3/3s similar to a Young Pyromancer, but I've never known if it was worth putting the copies in.
February 22, 2016 10:21 a.m.
APPLE01DOJ says... #34
Might be really good since Lightning Bolt is falling out of favor.
February 22, 2016 10:30 a.m.
That's exactly what I was thinking, too. Since more and more decks are cutting bolt, it seems like the Liege would fair quite well, since the only removal that would hit it is hard removal and Path, both of which are also on the rarer side.
In my case, the tokens are also smallpox fodder in the event that Liege dies, so either way, it would be kinda neat to play around with. I'm gonna playtest it later today.
February 22, 2016 10:49 a.m.
I'm a fan of using Glissa, the Traitor with Executioner's Capsule, Hangarback Walker, Relic of Progenitus and maybe 1-2 swords.
February 22, 2016 11:12 a.m.
TheLitchKing says... #37
Don't forget Engineered Explosives with Glissa, the Traitor.
February 22, 2016 3:03 p.m.
APPLE01DOJ says... #38
Bitterblossom has been an all star for me lately.
February 28, 2016 12:29 a.m.
I've been playing around with bitterblossom lately (Got a good deal on a playset of 'em). I'm still not totally sold on 'em. That's 100% my personal preference there though. I know it's definitely good, but it's just not my cup o' tea.
February 28, 2016 1:33 a.m.
Scouty I've never liked Bitterblossom in BG Rock decks.
February 28, 2016 1:44 a.m.
I'm the same. Might have to give it another shot though if I ever do straight BG again.
February 28, 2016 12:48 p.m.
incarceratedGeneticist says... #43
I think I found the answer to Eldrazi: using Glissa. Glissa Obliterator. The list is a bit basic right now but I'm still testing.
March 1, 2016 12:34 p.m.
incarceratedGeneticist That really looks jank. Alot of the cards you have in there are simply too slow to have any sort of impact, especially vs Eldrazi.
March 1, 2016 4:35 p.m.
incarceratedGeneticist says... #46
Yeah I'm still working on it. At the time I kinda thought it was a better idea than it is... Added Ensnaring Bridge and a bunch of other stuff now. In theory it seems fine but on paper its pretty awful to be honest.
March 1, 2016 10:09 p.m.
Yeah, I wont lie, the big problem with it is that everything it's trying to do is 2 or 3 turns too slow.. Ensnaring Bridge is good in the decks that are made for it (8-rack, dredge and the like where you're throwing your hand away fast), but in your deck, you're just not emptying your hand fast enough for it to be super good.
I also HATE using the "Dies to Removal" bullshit markup for creatures, but nothing in your deck dodges removal in any way. Your lack of manlands is highly disturbing, and the fact that you're literally just running Glissa and 3 copies for Glissa that will kill a Glissa right away is just not going to win you games. Even with Batterskull jammed in there, there's just not enough of a solid plan going on in the deck you're trying to make
March 1, 2016 11:42 p.m.
incarceratedGeneticist says... #48
Yeah the main problem is the deck being too slow. Ensnaring Bridge was one of the things I was using to counteract that but it isn't very good either. What exactly do you mean by 'dodges removal'? Abilities like hexproof or indestructible, or regeneration? Because I don't see an awful lot of that in traditional B/G either. Unless you mean resistance to Lightning Bolt, which is a fair point. The multiple copies of Glissa are in the case of the opponent running the aforementioned removal. Manlands: I honestly just forgot about those.
Tl;dr: You're probably right. This deck seemed like a good idea at the time. It now appears it was not a good idea.
Does anyone have any ideas on how you could build an actual good Glissa? Btw the idea for my list in the first place came from this deck here.
March 2, 2016 2:04 a.m.
Sceadugenga says... #49
I'm also working on an Glissa Rock deck and it isn't bad. Much less Glissa focus, really for a recursion splash stapled to the basic Rock shell. It really requires two things against Eldrazi: not a turn 2 swing for 20, and the ability to claw back from a bad early game unless the 'drazi draw moderate to slower hands. Here's my take, which tries to capitalize on X cost artifacts flipping for 0 from Bob and sideboarding into a Loam/Pox/Obliterator plan vs. Eldrazi, so it really has two distinct angles of attack within the same shell, and LoamPox is a pretty resilient shell against most of the meta. Here's the list that has done well vs. Colorless Eldrazi, no UR players in the local meta. It laughs at Processor Eldrazi because it's faster. Glissa Rock
March 2, 2016 4:36 p.m.
incarceratedGeneticist says... #50
Yeah I think the Glissa itself may have been a good idea in theory but my deckbuilding skills are terrible. Hangerback Walker is genius. My main reason for Glissa in the first place was the current meta's lack of removal, specifically Bolt, and the predominance of creature decks, which a Glissa based strategy does well against.
-Fulcrum says... #1
I don't think Affinity is as hard for three color Rock variants, and the ability to Abrupt Decay an artifact creature helps boost Goyf for defensive blocking. As you said, we can run up to 4 Ghost Quarter so Inkmoth Nexus doesn't completely roflstomp us. Tron, on the other hand, is really tough. Discard is absolutely crucial there, and landing a Lili is almost required. I don't play red, so I can't even Sowing Salt a Tron land.
February 2, 2016 3:55 a.m.