What changes would you make to Ari Lax's list?
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Posted on Oct. 19, 2014, 6:08 p.m. by He_Who_Seizes_Thoughtseize
As I've been playing and editing my Abzan Midrange deck more and more, I've started moving my deck from Thiago Saporito's list into a more controlly and grindy variant with more Planeswalkers and less Lions and Rocs. I think I want to try a variant on Ari's list, but I don't think everything is necessary. Would any fellow Abzan players have any recommendations for replacing Elspeth and Utter End in the main? I feel like those are better situated as Sideboard cards for the current meta, but I don't know what to replace them with. Also, are there any other swaps you would try out?
Thanks!
After play testing a board state based Mardu Dictate against his deck 3 times I think Ari may be using to many tapped lands. In 2 out of 3 games I spent the first 3 turns to play one caryatid, the next to either kill something or play a courser and the fifth "maybe" finally casting a P-Walker. Aside from that sideboard should have something to exile enchantments.
Yes I realize hardly anybody is using Athreos, God of Passage right now. Still having another card to work in concert with Unravel the Aether , maybe a single Deicide or just another Unravel the Aether can net multiple extra turns. Also I don't really care if he bile blights my stuff because in most cases it either goes back to my hand or draws me cards, sometimes both.
The only game where I felt like my deck wasn't up to that level were the games when I realized I needed to buy that last Caves of Koilos after all.
Alternatively he could use Erebos, God of the Dead
himself to have shut down the life gain when I swung for 8-11 with Eidolon of Countless Battles
/ Ajani. While I would still be replaying creatures over and over for card advantage at least his Rhinos might have actually finished me off.
October 19, 2014 7:12 p.m.
I definitely think he should have included Rakshasa Deathdealer . This is a card that showed up in one deck in the Pro Tour- Abzan aggro. However, I firmly believe that it is not an aggro card. This card is almost built to be a midrange wincon. I tested it in an abzan deck, and I realized that it can be played on turns 8-12 effectively.
My thought process was this- Play it, leave a lot of lands up. Now, you have a blocker if you need one, but in a removal-heavy midrange stalemate, you have something much more powerful. All you have to do is play your land for turn and swing with the death dealer. Then, either your opponent lets it through, in which case you pump for a TON of damage and your opponent won't try that twice. Should your opponent block with something like Sylvan Caryatid or Courser of Kruphix , you just pump until you can hit the blocker for enough to kill it. While doing this, all you really need to do is play a land, which means you are free to hold back whatever you need to in hand. This pseudo-card advantage effect is huge in midrange games as well.
Also, it is great against control.
If I were Lax, I would have dropped at least some of the mystics for at least two or three Rakshasa Deathdealer
October 19, 2014 7:59 p.m.
I just finished making the #2 jeskai deck from pro tour to test against and I can already say it's looking pretty sick. I think I also agree with fluffybunnypants.
Slycne says... #2
With the Abzan mirror likely to represent at least 1/4th of match-ups, if not more going forward, I'm never cutting those cards from the main deck - especially if you're playing the more controlling variety.
Utter End is just Hero's Downfall 4-5, exchanging a little efficiency for better color requirements, and Elspeth, Sun's Champion despite being more awkward to other cards these days is still just Elspeth, Sun's Champion . Nothing stabilizes better and demands answers quicker.
The only card I'd be interested in having more of is Wingmate Roc , but that list isn't designed to reliably put that on the board with raid. I've also thought of shaving some of the Thoughtseize for a decent 2 drop spell, maybe some Rakshasa Deathdealer or Bile Blight .
Maybe if your local metagame is really flush with mono-red you swap the sideboard and maindeck around for Drown in Sorrow s, but it'd have to be extremely lopsided.
October 19, 2014 6:48 p.m.