Comments on: Kicking Ass and Hugging Mom: Kaladesh Chandra in GRx Moon

By: Tanner Chase

Tanner Chase — Sun, 09 Oct 2016 17:11:34 +0000

I definitely prefer the first list, I’m a sucker for Boom//Bust, but these are both sweet. Too many writers jam new cards (for better or worse) just because they are new cards. You are revisiting your brews because they may actually be improved by the new cards. Really good stuff

By: Jordan Boisvert

Jordan Boisvert — Sat, 08 Oct 2016 00:52:28 +0000

In reply to Felicia Doan.

This article has nothing to do with “format health,” but I think this is such a problematic sentiment that I’ll bite. Wizards has hard and fast rules when it comes to maintaining format health (from their perspective, which is the only one that matters) and all of them involve metagame representation. Simian Spirit Guide, Blood Moon, and Chalice are not cards that find themselves in top tier decks with any sort of frequency, so rest assured they aren’t going anywhere!

You can read more about Wizards’ goals for the format in this useful article:

http://magic.wizards.com/en/events/coverage/ptsoi/where-modern-goes-from-here-2016-04-24

By: Felicia Doan

Felicia Doan — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 22:11:38 +0000

Anything with main deck:
SSG I personally think is unhealthy for the format.
Chalice I personally think is unhealthy for the format.
Blood moon I personally just don’t like, but can be a little more understanding of.
The new Chandra, if she does anything, will weaken the formats health. A top 3 decks of affinity, infect and burn is kinda bad but they have been powerhouses since modern began. If this is what we are left to build then I’m kinda dissapointed. Not to say it’s a weak build.
Ultimately I enjoy Grixis, Jeskai or UW control. And it just feels like fast decks run the show and that’s where the innovation is. We just keep getting enablers for speed like Chandra or dredge cards. Note blossoming defense in a recent infect top 8. Eldrazi was gross, though I love the current iteration of Bant. I want to see more incentive to grind and it’s just not being printed. The solution isn’t the b and r list either.
I still love modern though.

By: Chris Striker

Chris Striker — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 21:36:58 +0000

In reply to Jordan Boisvert. You could also use traverses delirium mode to fetch utility lands like ghost quarter if you found a need for more traverse targets.

By: Kevork Agh

Kevork Agh — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 18:36:52 +0000

In reply to Jordan Boisvert. I was thinking the same in terms of toolbox for this strategy. It ended up being too cute in practice. Good to know I was on the right track.

By: Jordan Boisvert

Jordan Boisvert — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 18:21:10 +0000

In reply to Kevork Agh. I wanted the spells more. Stone Rain, Dismember, Anger, and Choke all plug critical holes in the strategy. The Traverse build above still employs a minimal toolbox of Stormbreath Dragon, Reclamation Sage, and Magus of the Moon, but most of the time we just want to search up Tarmogoyf. Cute techs like Thrun end up being superfluous. I have been going back and forth between the third Rain and Avalanche Riders, though. It's nice to have a searchable way to blow up a basic, even if it is expensive.

By: Jordan Boisvert

Jordan Boisvert — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 18:18:54 +0000

In reply to Sam Gegg. I don't. If you want to play a GRx Moon deck without Goyf, I would advise going the Ponza route. That sticks you firmly in the ramp camp, though. Goyf is necessary in the stompy lists IMO.

By: Jordan Boisvert

Jordan Boisvert — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 18:17:36 +0000

In reply to Roland F. Rivera Santiago. Not really. 5 mana is a lot to ask in the ritual decks since we stop making land drops after about three. It's more feasible in the sideboard for now. In the meantime, I really like Goblin Rabblemaster's current positioning against all the solitaire decks, especially in a deck with Chalice of the Void.

By: Jordan Boisvert

Jordan Boisvert — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 18:15:52 +0000

In reply to Gar-Rot Stone. I will say that this has not come up for me yet, but I guess it is possible!

By: Jordan Boisvert

Jordan Boisvert — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 18:14:56 +0000

In reply to Kevork Agh. I do, and I think it's actually better than the Chalice versions right now, despite how linear Modern is. Lightning Bolt is currently very strong.

By: Kevork Agh

Kevork Agh — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 17:52:26 +0000

Have you also abandoned the toolbox concept for Traverse? Before your SB was a toolbox of creatures. It seems youve gone back to a conventional build.

By: Sam Gegg

Sam Gegg — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 17:47:34 +0000

Big fan of these sort of Blood Moon Stompy lists. I’ve wanted to build one for a while, but I don’t have access to any ‘Goyfs. I’ve tried out RW Lock decks but they have such a hard time closing the game out before you opponent wiggles out from under your lock pieces. Do you think black could provide reasonable threats to fill in for green? Bitterblossom is a bit slow but hard for most decks to remove under Blood Moon, and adding Reunion to the rituals and fetchlands could make Tasigur/Gurmag Angler castable. It would also give you access to Terminate and Col Brutality (and other discard). Heck, Pack Rat could be a decent threat here.

By: Roland F. Rivera Santiago

Roland F. Rivera Santiago — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 16:39:16 +0000

Anything that has maindeck Chalice of the Void and Blood Moon certainly has my attention, especially when it’s also employing some juicy new cards like Chandra, Torch of Defiance, so I’m more interested in the ritual-based version of this deck. I am a bit worried about the deck being a bit threat-light, though. Do you think the ritual-based manabase is capable of supporting a big haymaker like Stormbreath Dragon?

By: Gar-Rot Stone

Gar-Rot Stone — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 16:25:40 +0000

With the opening hand of 1 mountain, 2 ssg, 2 rituals, 1 blood moon and 1 Chandra you can go turn one Chandra and Blood Moon.. what a way to start a game of modern lol

By: Kevork Agh

Kevork Agh — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 16:22:46 +0000

Nice. I literally just resleeved your RGx Moon list from earlier this year (the version without chalice or guide), with some minor modifications. Do you think GRx Moon without the chalice lock is viable?

Maybe slotting in new Chandra might increase the threat levels, but it might be hard with the mana base.

The Naya version looks interesting to try.