Out of the sideboard, Immortal Servitude is better after sweepers. While Reveillark can return 2, Servitude returns your entire graveyard. Stack the triggers right and you gain a whole lot of life. Imagine coming back after a sweeper by gaining absurd life and 3 active Serra Ascendants.
Why not add Deck Titles and Subtitles? Make it look special. You don't need rounded corners or code based gradients like I have in mine but a little something to set the list apart from the article other than a single pixel border is all I would like to see. The white background is a little glaring with all those blue links.
As for Jam's code you can alter that however you like with a little css magic (Take a look at Blippy's articles for an idea of what I mean.)
I don't think I'll be visiting Apocalypse any time soon though its just too much of a time sink for me to play in an event. I'm also put off by all the different formats and rules etc, just too much to read through and with only a small collection at the moment its an additional point of entry that I don't have much time for unless I was doing a tribal article.
It's good to see it still going strong though.
Not sure what you mean by the deck list formatting issues, looks fine on my pc with Chrome. What browser/device are you using to view Pure as my deck lists are just a few tables put together.
An interesting possible addition to the list for modern is Reveillark. The elemental adds some resilience vs mass removal and provides a large evasive body for a reasonable cost. You can also turn all that life gain into direct damage by adding red in the form of Searing Meditation. This card may seem a bit expensive as you have to pay to get the trigger but 2 damage for 2 mana is nothing to sneeze at. And while you are on that riff you can try the white extort cards for added value.
The Soul Sisters archetype has been around a long, long time with quite an interesting history. There is a lot to explore when tinkering with the concept. (See my recent article "Summertime Blues (& Greens)" concerning Genesis Chamber in Vintage which was based on Oliver Law's article just prior to my own. here: http://puremtgo.com/articles/becoming-modern-man-wr-genesis-chamber)
Depriving combo of its key pieces and control of counters IS why Thoughtseize is glue in Modern and any other legal format. Also getting information (scouting) early on as to what your opponent's game is, seems pretty vital, particularly if your deck cares about that sort of thing. Not so much if you are on splinter-twin or even zoo but fairly important if you are on any kind of midrange or control deck yourself. 1 mana IS awesome precisely for the reasons above whereas Duress at the same cost blanks hard occasionally. It is not impossible to blank with Thoughtseize but its a lot tougher.
Counters aren't glue for the format? So is that true because Force of Will isn't in it to stop the degenerate starts? I think rather that counter decks are the necessary evil keeping combo in check. That seems very glue-like to me. However, Modern is a fairly wide-open format so perhaps call these things weak glues. Because the format isn't very together. Every week its a different deck being tweaked for top place amongst the top tier.
I suspect the lack of a strong cohesive card in Modern is not by accident.
Also "Loam Assault" is probably better known as "Swans". (Even if some iterations may have removed the birds.)
As for Urza Tron I wouldn't call it glue-like. It does mean stuff, no matter what the rest of the deck consists of, because colorless mana x 9 = Karn, AID, etc. That doesn't seem as much glue as a huge warp in the format because you have to be prepared for a turn 3 of any of those things happening. Imho Tron warps Modern the way Dredge does every format it is playable in. People will prepare for it even if there is very little likelihood of seeing it in the meta.
I also think this is a hard topic to tackle and I agree with some of your assessments, though Frankie may have a point regarding there being no glue. You could have done more with it in terms of deck lists and games, perhaps demonstrating why some cards are essential in their decks.
You could argue that there is no glue card holding the format together, but where is the fun in that? : ) The Banned List and the "Turn 4 Rule" do police the format, but in a way, they are what keeps "nothing but counter spells" from being a thing. Just because the format is less "broken" then Vintage or Legacy doesn't mean it couldn't get out of hand in its own right. In the end, available cards are what interact with each other and at some point something keeps it all in check.
Lightning Bolt by itself does not "hold back" fair decks. By itself, it is 1 for 1 removal. The oppressive interaction is Snapcaster + Bolt since it helps generate card advantage that "fairer decks" could have trouble overcoming. Bolt does interact with Storm and Reanimator by throwing damage at their face in a desperate attempt to kill them. 3 Damage can never be underestimated.
Here was the reasoning on some of the cards NOT mentioned that came up in the comment on Reddit:
Path to Exile - Path is very good at what it does, but I didn't think it offered as much as the other removal spells. Outside of a few cases, Dismember can eliminate all of the same threats and ANY deck can use it.
Mana Leak and Remand - Some of the best counters in the format, but some Blue strategies don't even use counters. Counters don't hold this format together.
Scavenging Ooze vs. Relic - Ooze is very good and will see more MD use than Relic, it's true. However, Relic can be used by any color, completely nukes all graveyards and cantrips. The format wasn't overrun with Graveyard decks before Ooze (or RiP or Deathrite) thanks to cards like Relic.
Supreme Verdict - Sweepers are important for formats, but the 4 mana ones aren't quite holding it together either. I did consider Pyroclasm or Anger of the Gods because they seem to be the sweepers that are doing the most work in Modern. I probably should have included them as dual option since it's hard to say if one is better than the other.
Thoughtseize - It was supposed to be the last card in the Conventional Section. Every time I tried to write about it, all I could put together was 2 sentences about snatching cards away and 1 mana being awesome. I was really having trouble describing why it was "Glue" and not just very good. In the end I wasn't sure it was balancing the format out. I could be wrong though...
Will do.
The Milk Man is back!
Do you think this could find a spot in the deck?
Fair question, probably in the Dryad Militant's slot.
Quick question then. Where would you fit Reveillark into the Soul Sister's shell?
I am not going to argue against the merits of Immortal Servitude one of my pet cards. But Reveillark serves a different purpose.
Out of the sideboard, Immortal Servitude is better after sweepers. While Reveillark can return 2, Servitude returns your entire graveyard. Stack the triggers right and you gain a whole lot of life. Imagine coming back after a sweeper by gaining absurd life and 3 active Serra Ascendants.
Why not add Deck Titles and Subtitles? Make it look special. You don't need rounded corners or code based gradients like I have in mine but a little something to set the list apart from the article other than a single pixel border is all I would like to see. The white background is a little glaring with all those blue links.
As for Jam's code you can alter that however you like with a little css magic (Take a look at Blippy's articles for an idea of what I mean.)
Yeah I used to use that but don't like all the grey.
It's essentially the same html that I use but with a header block for the deck name. I have more control in my version so I can add extra sections.
I'll have a play and see if I can make it more pretty for when I do my next article (not the one I submitted today).
I think this is the formatting tool that most of the people on here use, it's a little fancier than what you are doing, but similar.
http://jamuraa.com/pure/deck_new.php
Cheers Paul it feels good to be back.
I don't think I'll be visiting Apocalypse any time soon though its just too much of a time sink for me to play in an event. I'm also put off by all the different formats and rules etc, just too much to read through and with only a small collection at the moment its an additional point of entry that I don't have much time for unless I was doing a tribal article.
It's good to see it still going strong though.
Not sure what you mean by the deck list formatting issues, looks fine on my pc with Chrome. What browser/device are you using to view Pure as my deck lists are just a few tables put together.
I realised this some time after the show. It necessitates Pull from Eternity on an Isochron Scepter to work.
The extra turn artifact exiles itself so won't work with W Bringer.
Welcome back flips! Any plans to visit the Apocalypse? Anyway your deck lists could use a little more formating but otherwise nice article. :)
Id love to see a new (less broken) Tiyamo. Vraska and Ashiok could use reprinting in new sets, and Tez (1 & 2) in nonstandard.
An interesting possible addition to the list for modern is Reveillark. The elemental adds some resilience vs mass removal and provides a large evasive body for a reasonable cost. You can also turn all that life gain into direct damage by adding red in the form of Searing Meditation. This card may seem a bit expensive as you have to pay to get the trigger but 2 damage for 2 mana is nothing to sneeze at. And while you are on that riff you can try the white extort cards for added value.
The Soul Sisters archetype has been around a long, long time with quite an interesting history. There is a lot to explore when tinkering with the concept. (See my recent article "Summertime Blues (& Greens)" concerning Genesis Chamber in Vintage which was based on Oliver Law's article just prior to my own. here: http://puremtgo.com/articles/becoming-modern-man-wr-genesis-chamber)
Concur.
Maybe Oversoul of Dusk should be restricted to its respective tribals (Spirit or Avatar) only.
Are we doing anything about the Kscope meta?
Yep. Check at the bottom of the article, where it says TRIBAL CALENDAR FOR 2014, you'll find all of them.
Depriving combo of its key pieces and control of counters IS why Thoughtseize is glue in Modern and any other legal format. Also getting information (scouting) early on as to what your opponent's game is, seems pretty vital, particularly if your deck cares about that sort of thing. Not so much if you are on splinter-twin or even zoo but fairly important if you are on any kind of midrange or control deck yourself. 1 mana IS awesome precisely for the reasons above whereas Duress at the same cost blanks hard occasionally. It is not impossible to blank with Thoughtseize but its a lot tougher.
Counters aren't glue for the format? So is that true because Force of Will isn't in it to stop the degenerate starts? I think rather that counter decks are the necessary evil keeping combo in check. That seems very glue-like to me. However, Modern is a fairly wide-open format so perhaps call these things weak glues. Because the format isn't very together. Every week its a different deck being tweaked for top place amongst the top tier.
I suspect the lack of a strong cohesive card in Modern is not by accident.
Also "Loam Assault" is probably better known as "Swans". (Even if some iterations may have removed the birds.)
As for Urza Tron I wouldn't call it glue-like. It does mean stuff, no matter what the rest of the deck consists of, because colorless mana x 9 = Karn, AID, etc. That doesn't seem as much glue as a huge warp in the format because you have to be prepared for a turn 3 of any of those things happening. Imho Tron warps Modern the way Dredge does every format it is playable in. People will prepare for it even if there is very little likelihood of seeing it in the meta.
I also think this is a hard topic to tackle and I agree with some of your assessments, though Frankie may have a point regarding there being no glue. You could have done more with it in terms of deck lists and games, perhaps demonstrating why some cards are essential in their decks.
You could argue that there is no glue card holding the format together, but where is the fun in that? : ) The Banned List and the "Turn 4 Rule" do police the format, but in a way, they are what keeps "nothing but counter spells" from being a thing. Just because the format is less "broken" then Vintage or Legacy doesn't mean it couldn't get out of hand in its own right. In the end, available cards are what interact with each other and at some point something keeps it all in check.
Lightning Bolt by itself does not "hold back" fair decks. By itself, it is 1 for 1 removal. The oppressive interaction is Snapcaster + Bolt since it helps generate card advantage that "fairer decks" could have trouble overcoming. Bolt does interact with Storm and Reanimator by throwing damage at their face in a desperate attempt to kill them. 3 Damage can never be underestimated.
- Gio
Here was the reasoning on some of the cards NOT mentioned that came up in the comment on Reddit:
Path to Exile - Path is very good at what it does, but I didn't think it offered as much as the other removal spells. Outside of a few cases, Dismember can eliminate all of the same threats and ANY deck can use it.
Mana Leak and Remand - Some of the best counters in the format, but some Blue strategies don't even use counters. Counters don't hold this format together.
Scavenging Ooze vs. Relic - Ooze is very good and will see more MD use than Relic, it's true. However, Relic can be used by any color, completely nukes all graveyards and cantrips. The format wasn't overrun with Graveyard decks before Ooze (or RiP or Deathrite) thanks to cards like Relic.
Supreme Verdict - Sweepers are important for formats, but the 4 mana ones aren't quite holding it together either. I did consider Pyroclasm or Anger of the Gods because they seem to be the sweepers that are doing the most work in Modern. I probably should have included them as dual option since it's hard to say if one is better than the other.
Thoughtseize - It was supposed to be the last card in the Conventional Section. Every time I tried to write about it, all I could put together was 2 sentences about snatching cards away and 1 mana being awesome. I was really having trouble describing why it was "Glue" and not just very good. In the end I wasn't sure it was balancing the format out. I could be wrong though...
So we're doing Kaleidoscope on the 20th? How often will we be doing that event?
You can still refine it, if you want. But an easy achievement isn't a bad thing.