Spotlight on Modern with guest deck designer Tom Ellis
Spotlight on Modern with guest deck designer Tom Ellis
Today we have a deck designed by Tom for the upcoming Modern format PTQ season. It is a Jund list featuring serious beats with Tarmogoyf, Kitchen Finks, Bloodbraid Elf, and Dark Confidants.
Tom: Modern Constructed is the format for the next PTQ season, so of course I am up to my old brewing ways. I’ve been coming up with some pretty whacky ideas, and some more conservative ones. One of the more conservative ones decks I have built recently is Jund. This list is very aggressive while still able to combat the control lists floating around. So far, this is my list:
Rogue Insight: So, Tom, Let's talk about the deck. I have a few questions. Why do you think that Jund colors, RGB, are the colors to be in?
Tom: Right now the format kind of needs you to do it all. There are so many variations of decks and various choices posed during any given game that you need to have a wide variety of weapons at your disposal. I think that Jund has a very nice mix of speed, disruption, and power. Jund is one of the more disruptive decks out there, and it backs it up with a very strong, aggressive plan.
Rogue Insight: How does the deck work?
Tom: You usually want to play a Goblin Guide or Thoughtseize on turn 1. Either one sets the pace of your game nicely. If you have both, I think that Thoughtseize is a better turn 1 play, just because it gives you a lot of information and makes them start without the best card in their hand. From there you are going to play a mixture of disruption spells and creatures until either they are dead or they stabilize. Then you drop Garruk or Bloodbraid Elf to refuel or finish them off. I think that many times it is a big mistake to drop these guys on turn 4, unless you absolutely have to or your start is just that good. They are extremely good at turning a questionable situation into a good one for you. Raging Ravine, Lavaclaw Reaches, and Kessig also help you close out the game. It is a fairly straightforward strategy that still allows you to outplay your opponent.
Rogue Insight: What is your plan to deal with the Dark Confidant life loss?
Tom: Dark Confidant Life-Loss is counteracted nicely by Kitchen Finks. It's also why the deck has such a low curve. You're hoping to kill them before it becomes too much of an issue. It's also possible to terminate your own Confidant when needed.
Rogue Insight: What match-up are the Abyssal Persecutors in the board for?
Tom: Abyssal Persecutor is to help fight against aggro matchups. I am boarding in extra removal anyway, so I figured, “Why not have a giant flying 6/6 that they can’t kill?” They have to remove that guy, since he is way bigger than any of the creatures in most aggro decks. If they don’t, you at least have inevitability. Garruk can also act as a way to get rid of Persecutor because when he is flipped his -1 ability involves sacrificing a creature.
Rogueinsight: Explain the board choices and side boarding plans.
Tom: My sideboards are always in constant flux, it is a skill that I am still working on as a player. It is possible that, by the time this is posted, my sideboard might be a little bit different.
1 Maelstrom Pulse
2 Dismember
2 Terminate: Sometimes you just need to kill more things. I wanted to include a mixture of spells to be able to adapt to various situations. I think that the Dismembers might become Go For the Throats simply because it allows me to kill my own Abyssal Persecutors if necessary.
4 Rise//Fall: I like this card as a way to fight control decks. Fall is a really good discard spell against combo/control. I also included a Watery Grave as a way to play the Rise portion of the spell. It can be really good if you bounce their guy and get back a Bloodbraid Elf.
Today we have a deck designed by Tom for the upcoming Modern format PTQ season. It is a Jund list featuring serious beats with Tarmogoyf, Kitchen Finks, Bloodbraid Elf, and Dark Confidants.
Tom: Modern Constructed is the format for the next PTQ season, so of course I am up to my old brewing ways. I’ve been coming up with some pretty whacky ideas, and some more conservative ones. One of the more conservative ones decks I have built recently is Jund. This list is very aggressive while still able to combat the control lists floating around. So far, this is my list:
Jund - Modern Decklist designed by Tom Ellis - 12/16/11
Lands
4 [ZEN] Verdant Catacombs
4 [RAV] Overgrown Tomb
1 [8E] Forest (3)
1 [ZEN] Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
4 [GP] Stomping Ground
1 [RAV] Watery Grave
1 [M11] Swamp (2)
2 [WWK] Lavaclaw Reaches
4 [WWK] Raging Ravine
2 [ISD] Kessig Wolf Run
Creatures
4 [ARB] Bloodbraid Elf
4 [SHM] Kitchen Finks
4 [FUT] Tarmogoyf
4 [ZEN] Goblin Guide
4 [RAV] Dark Confidant
4 [ZEN] Verdant Catacombs
4 [RAV] Overgrown Tomb
1 [8E] Forest (3)
1 [ZEN] Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
4 [GP] Stomping Ground
1 [RAV] Watery Grave
1 [M11] Swamp (2)
2 [WWK] Lavaclaw Reaches
4 [WWK] Raging Ravine
2 [ISD] Kessig Wolf Run
Creatures
4 [ARB] Bloodbraid Elf
4 [SHM] Kitchen Finks
4 [FUT] Tarmogoyf
4 [ZEN] Goblin Guide
4 [RAV] Dark Confidant
Spells
4 [B] Lightning Bolt
3 [ALA] Blightning
2 [ARB] Maelstrom Pulse
3 [ISD] Garruk Relentless
4 [LRW] Thoughtseize
4 [B] Lightning Bolt
3 [ALA] Blightning
2 [ARB] Maelstrom Pulse
3 [ISD] Garruk Relentless
4 [LRW] Thoughtseize
SB: 1 [ARB] Maelstrom Pulse
SB: 2 [NPH] Dismember
SB: 3 [WWK] Abyssal Persecutor
SB: 4 [DIS] Rise/Fall
SB: 2 [ARB] Terminate
SB: 3 [MR] Molten Rain
SB: 2 [NPH] Dismember
SB: 3 [WWK] Abyssal Persecutor
SB: 4 [DIS] Rise/Fall
SB: 2 [ARB] Terminate
SB: 3 [MR] Molten Rain
Rogue Insight: So, Tom, Let's talk about the deck. I have a few questions. Why do you think that Jund colors, RGB, are the colors to be in?
Tom: Right now the format kind of needs you to do it all. There are so many variations of decks and various choices posed during any given game that you need to have a wide variety of weapons at your disposal. I think that Jund has a very nice mix of speed, disruption, and power. Jund is one of the more disruptive decks out there, and it backs it up with a very strong, aggressive plan.
Rogue Insight: How does the deck work?
Tom: You usually want to play a Goblin Guide or Thoughtseize on turn 1. Either one sets the pace of your game nicely. If you have both, I think that Thoughtseize is a better turn 1 play, just because it gives you a lot of information and makes them start without the best card in their hand. From there you are going to play a mixture of disruption spells and creatures until either they are dead or they stabilize. Then you drop Garruk or Bloodbraid Elf to refuel or finish them off. I think that many times it is a big mistake to drop these guys on turn 4, unless you absolutely have to or your start is just that good. They are extremely good at turning a questionable situation into a good one for you. Raging Ravine, Lavaclaw Reaches, and Kessig also help you close out the game. It is a fairly straightforward strategy that still allows you to outplay your opponent.
Rogue Insight: What is your plan to deal with the Dark Confidant life loss?
Tom: Dark Confidant Life-Loss is counteracted nicely by Kitchen Finks. It's also why the deck has such a low curve. You're hoping to kill them before it becomes too much of an issue. It's also possible to terminate your own Confidant when needed.
Rogue Insight: What match-up are the Abyssal Persecutors in the board for?
Tom: Abyssal Persecutor is to help fight against aggro matchups. I am boarding in extra removal anyway, so I figured, “Why not have a giant flying 6/6 that they can’t kill?” They have to remove that guy, since he is way bigger than any of the creatures in most aggro decks. If they don’t, you at least have inevitability. Garruk can also act as a way to get rid of Persecutor because when he is flipped his -1 ability involves sacrificing a creature.
Rogueinsight: Explain the board choices and side boarding plans.
Tom: My sideboards are always in constant flux, it is a skill that I am still working on as a player. It is possible that, by the time this is posted, my sideboard might be a little bit different.
1 Maelstrom Pulse
2 Dismember
2 Terminate: Sometimes you just need to kill more things. I wanted to include a mixture of spells to be able to adapt to various situations. I think that the Dismembers might become Go For the Throats simply because it allows me to kill my own Abyssal Persecutors if necessary.
4 Rise//Fall: I like this card as a way to fight control decks. Fall is a really good discard spell against combo/control. I also included a Watery Grave as a way to play the Rise portion of the spell. It can be really good if you bounce their guy and get back a Bloodbraid Elf.
3 Molten Rain: This is definitely a nod to the fact that there are so many important non-basics in the format. This card is for against decks that use the Urza lands or need 4 or 5 colors to operate. Taking away a land plus dealing damage is also a welcome combination of abilities in those matchups.
3 Abyssal Persecutor: See above. Also, four mana flying 6/6 creatures sometimes just get there.
So I suppose that is my Jund deck. It will be difficult to tell how strong this list will be for PTQ’s until we get a little bit closer to the season, and until Dark Ascension comes out.
Oran-Rief, the Vastwood: This is one of those small things that can really help a deck out. Oran-Rief allows me to keep my Kitchen Finks on constant refresh while also giving me the ability to pump my other creatures. This can really make the difference when playing against another aggro deck.
Thoughtseize: Thoughtseize was the only choice of one mana discard for a while, but now we have Inquisition of Kozilek to compete with it. I have thought about using Inquisition, but there are too many times when I’ll want to take a Cryptic Command, a planeswalker, or Bloodbraid Elf to justify Inquisition in the main deck.
Garruk Relentless: This guy is just spectacular. He can be removal, a continuous source of creatures, and a search engine once his is flipped. He is a good top of the curve at 4 and gives amazing reach.
Rogue Insight: Thanks for talking with me today!
Tom: My pleasure.
So if you're interested in a strong aggressive choice for the upcoming Modern PTQ season, I think this list is a very strong starting point.
3 Abyssal Persecutor: See above. Also, four mana flying 6/6 creatures sometimes just get there.
So I suppose that is my Jund deck. It will be difficult to tell how strong this list will be for PTQ’s until we get a little bit closer to the season, and until Dark Ascension comes out.
Oran-Rief, the Vastwood: This is one of those small things that can really help a deck out. Oran-Rief allows me to keep my Kitchen Finks on constant refresh while also giving me the ability to pump my other creatures. This can really make the difference when playing against another aggro deck.
Thoughtseize: Thoughtseize was the only choice of one mana discard for a while, but now we have Inquisition of Kozilek to compete with it. I have thought about using Inquisition, but there are too many times when I’ll want to take a Cryptic Command, a planeswalker, or Bloodbraid Elf to justify Inquisition in the main deck.
Garruk Relentless: This guy is just spectacular. He can be removal, a continuous source of creatures, and a search engine once his is flipped. He is a good top of the curve at 4 and gives amazing reach.
Rogue Insight: Thanks for talking with me today!
Tom: My pleasure.
So if you're interested in a strong aggressive choice for the upcoming Modern PTQ season, I think this list is a very strong starting point.
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