It was funny to read comments on stream every time Amulet got on the screen. “Broken”, “stupid combo” and trash-talk like this. Well, when on the opposing side is Jund, it can be viewed as “totally OP”. It’s fine, guys!

The guy that pìloted that deck has been posting a lot on Reddit about it, found the answer to that particular question:

https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/3u6tmh/hi_im_thien_nguyen_im_the_guy_that_top_8d_gp/cxcs7jy

“The 2 damage from Stomping Grounds matter a lot in many matchups. It’s usual the difference between barely making it and death. Basic forests are huge because it lets you play around Blood Moon. Also having a less painful mana base was a big goal of mine. Being able to fetch Cinder Glades untapped was a huge step up from having to fetch Stomping Grounds especially when I needed green sources that were also Mountains.”

Agreed. It’s healthy because it lets you play a lot of diverse decks and that’s the whole point. In fact, we can explore the format and get some insight on sweet/new decks. I respect what you’re doing and hope you get to the correct split.

However, if by “under the radar brews” you mean Tier3 and lower, there’s plenty of good finishes for them on the internet. What I mean is that those brews’ players may feel let down if pro-submitted lists are the go-to for your videos, because that random guy who actually won that random IQ/Open probably knows the deck better.

I’m glad you like the series! You make great points, that T16 lists carry more weight, but I think the split between winning lists/under the radar brews is healthy, as long as it remains a solid mix of both. I mean, look at Lantern Control’s history pre-Charlotte, at Charlotte, and then at GP Oklahoma City. Should we only pay attention to the deck once it wins a GP? I’m not so sure.

What do you guys think? Definitely interested in as much feedback on this as possible!

Thanks for the tip! I definitely intend on taking Faeries for a spin

You’re right, it’s not that big of a deal as the list only plays one of each, but you are completely correct. Don’t apologize, thanks for catching me!

It totally sucks, but design is inherenty making counters mediocre. Time to roll with the punches and recast super efficient spells until the opponent dies. Hitch your grixis wagons to flipjace, grixirinos.

Both winning and cool decks are great options! But it is kinda weird once we start seing 64th places (Chapin) and no-event brews (LSV). Maybe you should focus on T16 lists. Don’t get me wrong, any good player can come up with a good list, but then you’ve got people complaining about card choices for their pet deck (WB Tokens) and feeling they were let down.

Your video series is awesome and really helpful too. I’m sure we all here want to the see the best in action and you deliver. But I believe it would be interesting if you just focused on lists with top finishes (T8/16 maybe). Give them a spin and then post your own take based on what you learnt and how it played out.

In multiple articles across multiple sites and comment sections I have heard that the consensus is that the Amulet Bloom matchup is good/great/bad/terrible for Jund, with data supporting all conclusions. I’m inclined at this point to think that the matchup is in fact pretty even and experience and sideboarding plans are the difference makers rather than either side having a clear advantage.

Yeah, sounds like they are lumping them together. A quote from their Day 2 Metagame Breakdown:

“The return of Zoo has been a recurring story at Modern Grand Prix, thanks to the various Commands added with Dragon’s of Tarkir. Atarka’s Command, alongside Wild Nacatl and sometimes Become Immense, shifted Boros Burn into a distinctly more creature-based strategy while Dromoka’s Command helped buff the Voice of Resurgence-Loxodon Smiter-Lightning Bolt creature approachs.”

Kind of annoying to lump them together as Zoo because sticking Wild Nacatl into Burn doesn’t really change the deck on a fundamental level, where as most versions of Zoo have a very different feel.

There are probably some basic theoretical questions we could ask when clarifying a deck as Zoo or Burn, but as a basic rule, I think if a deck runs Lava Spike or Rift Bolt, it’s probably Burn.

Not really sure what to make of Become Immense. Is that a thing now? Seems risky.

Ah, the tough decisions. Winning list or cool deck? Maybe I do Jeskai first and U/B Faeries after? Who knows what’s right…

I agree completely with you, which means I probably didn’t do a great job explaining my stance on that matchup. I view it through the lens of “Amulet is a better matchup for Jund than R/G Tron, but still unfavorable”. Thanks for keeping me honest!

This is possible, I’m not sure how to approach this moving forward. Some distinction has to be made, possibly the number of Burn spells in the list is a better determining factor for “Zoo vs. Burn”. I’m not sure where the WoTC coverage team draws the line for their naming conventions. Good point!