The role of vehicles
Modern forum
Posted on Oct. 18, 2017, 6:15 a.m. by IlGuale
Hello everybody.
Vehicles are powerful cards, this is a matter of fact. Not busted, undefeatable, metagame-warping cards, just powerful. So i decided to start brewing with them (particularly Smuggler's Copter and Aethersphere Harvester) and i asked myself "what is their role in a deck?". That is also my question for you. Do you think that they are strong enough to deserve a build around list or, in your opinion, being vulnerable to both instant speed removals and artifact hate puts them in a role similar to Lightning Bolt in creature decks as a way to reach for your opponent's last life points when the ground is clogged?
IlGuale,
I don't think they're strong enough to build-around. I suspect there's a deck out there that could win a TON of Game 1s, but everyone packs Artifact hate for Affinity, and a Vehicle deck would just get caught in the crossfire.
Still though, it's VERY fun to think about. I'd add Consulate Dreadnought and Heart of Kiran to your list of Vehicles with serious potential.
If you haven't already, you might check with the Merfolk community too, for lessons-learned from addition of Smuggler's Copter to Flying Fish.
Please keep us posted on your brew(s)!
October 18, 2017 7:35 a.m.
Trying to build around them seems like a risky proposition; in a lot of ways they function like Equipment and, if you put too many in your deck, you'll end up with hands with multiple Vehicles and not enough regular creatures to make use of them. Also, they get completely shut down by Stony Silence, which is always something you need to be aware of in Modern.
October 18, 2017 7:41 a.m.
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/articles/budget-magic-84-50-tix-mono-black-vehicles-modern
I forgot to link it in the opening, but this article is quite interesting. The list isn't much more than a prototype, but those matches show how competitive vehicles can be. I agree that Seth was lucky during various games, but the deck didn't struggle. I agree with the "powerful, but frail" line of thought myself. So even if the sinergy with Night Market Lookout and Pain Seer is sweet, i am trying to incorporate vehicles in a shell, instead of building one around them.
October 18, 2017 8:32 a.m.
I don't think they're good enough to build around, but I think you can sneak a few copies into some decks here and there. In the way of providing examples, mono- Death and Taxes and mono- Merfolk have messed around with Smuggler's Copter, and Brian DeMars (of ChannelFireball fame) just put up an article where he hawks Skysovereign, Consul Flagship as a useful card in Eldrazi Tron.
October 18, 2017 10:33 a.m.
ToolmasterOfBrainerd says... #7
In modern so far, the use of vehicles has been turn low-power utility creatures into much more dangerous attackers. I'm thinking of Death and Taxes and Merfolk at the moment, because those are the 2 decks that have been playing Smuggler's Copter. Thraben Inspector (in D&T) and Cursecatcher (in Fish) are awful attackers. But opening with vial turn 1, then Smuggler's Copter plus vialing in one of these turn 2 turns the nearly useless 1 power creature into a relevant threat.
In my opinion, the most effective way to play vehicles is along this same line of thinking - taking utility creatures with 1 power and using them to crew.
October 18, 2017 10:34 a.m.
Cheap vehicles (below 3 mana), with added utility do see play in modern.
They make use of summoning sick creatures, which would otherwise just sit and do nothing for a turn in most decks.
Smuggler's Copter is the most played, due to extreme value from the loot effect.
Heart of Kiran sees some play, and Aethersphere Harvester is real fringe (due to its energy requirement)
The subtype has some potential, but it lack cards that have power to build a deck around them - and as such only the ones with the most utility are played.
And in such a role they are good as long as multiple mode cards like Kolaghan's Command don't see much play.
As against a deck that has only a single playset (or less) of vheichles, its actively bad to sideboard stuff like Stony Silence
October 18, 2017 12:47 p.m.
Tyrant-Thanatos says... #9
Unfortunately building entirely around Vehicles would fail hard against commonplace sideboard artifact hate, especially since Crew is an activated ability, so cards like Stony Silence would shut a Vehicle deck down hard, and it's very commonly sideboarded as a counter to Affinity.
I think they're viable in EDH though, with commanders like Sram, Senior Edificer and the like. There's not enough strong vehicles to really build an entire EDH deck around imo, but they can still be a very powerful central piece, alongside other artifact-centric cards.
October 18, 2017 5:47 p.m.
I saw this list Initial D(epala): Aether Stage a while ago, if you are interested in Commander. Don't know how fun or competitive can be, but the Initial-D reference is love.
Now back to modern.
October 19, 2017 5:10 a.m.
i have created a pretty quick vehicle deck for modern. here it is: Super Fast Vehicles!!. you could check it out to give you some ideas.
Snivy__ says... #2
I think modern vehicles is great! I think if it's aggro, it could win
October 18, 2017 6:51 a.m.