Is the rack a thing?
Modern forum
Posted on Jan. 20, 2015, 11:58 a.m. by InnerFlame
Hey guys, I'm looking into a new deck to build and am thinking about building the rack deck. You know, this one: Liliana's Impressive Rack. Well, not that exact one, but something very similar.
My question is, is this deck actually a thing in modern? Does anyone know this deck to win and be competitive on a consistent basis?
Servo_Token says... #3
Is it a card? Certainly. Is it a viable competitive archetype? Not reliably.
IF you've been playing the deck for a long time and know all the nuances, then you might have a shot at getting a couple of small tourney wins, but realistically it just doesn't have enough reach to beat all of the different decks that people play.
January 20, 2015 12:06 p.m.
InnerFlame says... #4
Thanks guys! That's the feedback I was looking for.
January 20, 2015 12:14 p.m.
Ohthenoises says... #5
I think a lot of the reason that 8 rack doesn't see more play is that the key parts of it are expensive and it requires a lot of knowledge of the modern meta. The more you know the easier it is to rip the right things at the right times.
Another detriment to 8rack is you can't really fishbowl it to test it. Everything is so subjective to what your opponent is playing that it's nearly impossible to play it by yourself to get a feel for this.
I try to get as much testing as I can but honestly it's really hard to find a willing participant. I mean, who wants to constantly have their hand stripped?
Honestly I think it's a good deck but it requires so much out of the pilot that people go with easier decks to play.
January 20, 2015 12:22 p.m.
It's definitely not a good deck. I'm fairly sure it's never put up actual results in a GP or higher event ever.
January 20, 2015 2:36 p.m.
I can see that playtesting problem. Before I went on hiatus back in the days of masques, one of my friends regularly played the back then equivalent of black hand control. Those could be super frustrating games. That said I still squeezed in about one out of three wins piloting a casual deck that wasn't competitive by any means. Not sure how it all works out in the current state of things, but I feel that most hand control decks always have the pitfall of relying a bit too much on you drawing into the right things or your opponent drawing poorly. You're either unstoppable, or crushed. Kinda lacks the consistency to make T1. But boatloads of fun if you want to seriously aggravate opponents without even playing blue :p
January 20, 2015 2:40 p.m.
Ohthenoises says... #8
Good deck =/= putting up results. The downfalls to 8 rack are the fact that you have to know your opponent's deck better than your own.
The player portion of playing the deck is so much higher than most other things that it makes it a hard deck to play. This means that there are far more chances for you, as the player, to screw it up.
It's a good deck in the right hands. Not something for the masses.
January 20, 2015 2:41 p.m.
lemmingllama says... #9
It might not be the best deck to play, but it is strong. The larger problem with 8rack is that you need to know just about every deck that you will be playing against, how that deck works, and how to cripple the deck so you can stabilize. One mistake can lead to a game loss.
It certainly isn't a great deck to play if you are just starting out Modern, but if you have been playing for a while and already own a playset of Liliana of the Veils and Thoughtseizes, then you are good to go.
January 20, 2015 2:44 p.m.
Good deck = putting up results. If the deck was good it would have done well at some point. It's a bad uninteractive deck that only has a good matchup against a few combo decks and rarely beats most other decks.
January 20, 2015 3:04 p.m.
Ohthenoises says... #11
No, a good deck does NOT mean to put up results, a good deck means a solid deck that is well constructed. A competitively VIABLE deck means to put up results and that's not what I said.
For a reminder I said "Honestly I think it's a good deck but it requires so much out of the pilot that people go with easier decks to play."
8 rack is a very hard deck to play. Thus, poor performance is usually laid at the feet of the pilot rather than construction.
Also, I don't know how you can say it's "uninteractive". All you DO is interact with the other player. You are constantly raiding their hand, killing their threats via Liliana of the Veil, Murderous Cut, or Smallpox (depending on the build). That is HIGHLY interactive. Storm is an uninteractive deck.
January 20, 2015 4:24 p.m.
APPLE01DOJ says... #12
As some one who has a good amount of experience with the deck I'd it's downfall isn't that's it's hard to pilot. It's downfall is that it's inconsistent getting a good hand of discard racks bridges and lands when u need them just doesn't happen. Infernal Tutor makes it better but not enough. Another problem is that u need less 1for1 Thoughtseizes and more Wrench Mind Blightning 2for1s.
January 20, 2015 9:46 p.m.
InnerFlame says... #13
Yeah, I've noticed inconsistency being a common theme.
The deck runs off the discard so if you burn through it too quickly or don't draw that much, it's game over. Then on top of the discard, the pilot needs to draw Ensnaring Bridge and The Rack. I especially get what your saying about the 1 for 1s APPLE01DOJ
January 20, 2015 10:17 p.m.
Ohthenoises says... #14
That's actually why I'm looking at Tasigur's Cruelty for mine in addition to the Wrench Mind. The potential to delve and cast it for 
is strong. It can also be cast for 
-
with relative ease since in most cases you want to be in topdeck mode, what are you doing with your mana? Activating a Mutavault or Blinkmoth Nexus? (depending on the build) That kind of thing only takes 2 mana from your pool. The rest is going to waste.
January 20, 2015 10:31 p.m.
APPLE01DOJ says... #15
I find that Damnation also works milestones for 8rack but u need to up the land count to 24.
Mono Black Control (traditional) in modern is exceptionally strong and underplayed. U can use infect creatures obliterators or whatever u want to make it work. Here's a recent list http://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=8917&d=250876&f=MO and my main deck on my profile is another alternative.
January 21, 2015 12:18 a.m.
The deck hasn't been putting results up because of Treasure Cruise. You can't control your opponent's topdecks. You can get them down to no cards in hand, but then they would just rip a Treasure Cruise and play multiple threats in a single turn or blow up your Ensnaring Bridge/The Rack.
Now that Treasure Cruise has been banned, the archetype will return to its place in the Modern meta pre-Khans. It was doing moderately well in Modern Dailies prior to Khan's release, putting up the occasional top 8 finish.
Still, expect to run into problems where your opponent just manages to draw an out before you can kill them with artifacts and enchantments. The best versions (in my opinion) are the ones playing Mutavault and Pack Rat, since they offer multiple ways of winning, while blocking threats.
January 21, 2015 12:36 a.m.
Ohthenoises says... #17
Give the rack a turn! is my preliminary build. Probably going to cut to 3 Tasigur's Crueltys but I haven't decided for sure.
GoldGhost012 says... #2
8Rack is a Tier 1.5/2 deck. It'll sometimes put up results like Top 8's, but those are pretty rare. I wouldn't be surprised if it did well at FNMs, but generally in the competitive environment it doesn't put up results.
January 20, 2015 12:01 p.m.