LogFAQs > #881787898

trdl23 posted...

I love me some transformational sideboards.

Let me tell you about my favorite modern deck that I almost won a PTQ with once.

It was a Pyromancer Ascension brew that was a control/combo deck. Blue, white, red. It wasn't a fast storm deck like most Pyromancer decks (I played this deck before storm was really ever played, I think [it was before Deathrite Shaman came out and broke the deck in half]).

4 Bolt, 4 Lightning Helix, 4 Path, 4 Snapcaster. Every single one mana blue cantrip. 4 Manamorphose. 8 counterspells, including Remand. Possibly some Cryptic Commands? The deck would get counters on Pyromancer Ascension in a hurry while grinding opponents out with the 12 maindeck removal spells. It was great against creature decks and pretty good against combo decks with the counter suite. After you get an active Pyromancer Ascension, you chain cantrips and Manamorphose into killing people with bolts, sort of like U/R storm but you were a lot slower with a lot more resilience. Isochron Sceptor x2 as a backup plan because it could just beat decks on Helix or Path, or draw you cards forever.

It was really fun and really pretty bad against a lot of decks in game 2 and 3 after they boarded in their hate. BUT! I boarded in 4 Delver, 4 Kiln Fiend and 3 V. Cliques (Cliques may have actually been maindeck, on second thought) against most opponents and changed into a weird sort of aggro-combo creature deck after they'd take out every removal spell they had and beat face in game 2. This deck was the most fun I ever had boarding in a magic tournament.

I ended up drawing in the very last round of swiss against a U/B/W Gifts control deck. I showed him my hand during extra turns and explain that I would win if we had more time, since I knew what his hand was and I had some kind of counterspells to stop him from casting his threats to put a clock on me, and I had some creatures in play. He tutored for some white spell on the first turn of time to gain like 8 or 11 life, which made it so I wouldn't be able to finish him off before our 5 turns of time, but assured that he would not be able to beat me since he was playing to not lose instead of playing to kill me. We ended up drawing out of top cut, lol, still a little salty about that. We both ended up in like 12th and 13th place, a win would have put one of us in.


How do you feel about that deck? Would a deck like this be playable in modern today?
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Virtue - "You don't need a reason to Boko United."