The story goes like this: a friend (always a friend) has a bunch of MM2 cards lying around from two boxes which we opened and drafted, and wanted to buy another because he likes the draft. I asked "if you like playing this set so much, why don't you put together a set cube?"
However, spending a bunch of money on mythics that are bad for drafting and playing MM2 as released is not cost-efficient. If we cut most mythics the environment is better and the cube gets significantly cheaper. After you’ve done this, why stop there? How much can MM2 be improved by adding new tech from recent sets and removing the need to pack reprints and enough value to justify a $10 MSRP?
There's a lot of room for balancing archetypes. WU Artifacts and WG Tokens were really strong. UR Elementals, BG Sacrifice/Eldrazi were lacking. UG +1/+1 Counters and UB Proliferate sort of merged into UGb Counters because neither was thick enough. WB Spirits could either be incredible or a trainwreck, depending on whether you got passed those Nameless Inversions. Many drafts felt on rails, and sharing an archetype with someone else was a terrible situation to be in.
The list initially contains 3 of each common, 2 of each uncommon, 1 of each rare, with some cards already cut due to their prices/relevance. The only mythics are the cheap Comet Storm and the reasonably priced but fun draft-around Tezzeret the Seeker.
Mythics cut:
Rares cut:
Then, over this list, we start promoting changes. The archetypes that bothers me the most is Spirits, so let's start with it.
IN:
OUT:
In stock MM2, Spirits falls apart when it doesn't get enough Nameless Inversions. To fix this, I added more removal that synergizes with Soulshift and helps it withstand pressure. The individual quality of the key cards of this archetype is so low that I was pretty liberal adding premium removal. It's actually a bit concerning because Rend Flesh is another Nameless Inversion, in the sense that any black deck will want it, but at least there are now twice as many.
Morkrut Banshee is something to fill the 5cc slot, as this is really a control deck and wants expensive, table impacting Spirits. It synergizes well with BG Sacrifice too. Apothecary Geist fits the bill as well: decent blocker, life gain with payoff that doesn't require a big commitment on Spirits, right out of the Shadows of Innistrad design guidelines.
The color hate cards are awkward for casual drafts, since if one maindecks them it feels like pre-sideboarding, and people often can't be bothered taking to time to sideboard between games. They are cool for spiky drafts (giving you another dimension to think of rather than just the best main deck that can be made), but between the token hate and the artifact hate, caring about color sideboard and dedicating that many slots to it looks kind of excessive and very detached from the set’s design.
As for the other cuts, Instill Infection is just terrible, while Otherworldly Journey is marginal and a lot of things have to go right for it to be effective.
IN:
OUT:
Some rare slot changes for Spirits: Mirror Entity is such a bomby bomb that I don't think I want this in my environment, so in come Bygone Bishop, which overlaps with WU artifacts and Eidolon of Countless Battles, which overlaps with WG tokens and WR voltron. I also considered Shining Shoal (which is a 2CC sweet Arcane, you don't get many of those).
IN:
OUT:
This is all I've changed in WR Voltron. I think it's a decently balanced archetype already. Taj-Nar Swordsmith is really a miserable thing to cast on curve, and while cute, there's usually not enough time in this environment to fetch an equip and feels underpowered by the time you do it. The brand-new Avacynian Missionaries have the con of being the only flip card, but the card plays better.
IN:
OUT:
Improving UG +1/+1 Counters with evolvers! We need more things to proliferate and I'm giving it the best: our beloved Cloudfin Raptor, Crocanura, which is a fine creature filling the 3 mana slot that doesn't have much love in this deck, and Experiment One, which is one sweet 1-drop.
About the cards coming out: so what does Telling Time do in the grand scheme of things? Does anyone know? I honestly don't. Simic Initiate is borderline unplayable, and Karplusan Strider is not really an interesting SB card either.
IN:
UG Counters lacked rares, so I added: Woodland Wanderer, overlapping mainly with RG Domain, but a solid card in any green deck; Scourge of Skola Vale, overlapping with BG Sacrifice, which really needs more sac outlets; and Chasm Skulker, because it makes Squids and Squids are cool.
IN:
This works in BR Bloodthirst, WB Spirits and BG Sacrifice. Such a find.
IN:
OUT:
We now take on a problem deck: URwbg Elementals. One neat thing I found was that BFZ's awakened lands are elementals, so in came Clutch of Currents in place of Vapor Snag. Looking for anything that had synergy with elementals, I found Flamekin Harbinger, which can fetch changelings as well.
Hurkyl's Recall was sort of a premium SB spell that randomly wrecked Artifacts, so I swapped it out for the coolest Elemental synergy card I found: Master of Waves. Another cool rare elemental I found was Hound of Griselbrand, which works well in WR Voltron. Wolfbriar Elemental was that feelbad card that you cast for 2GG feeling cheated out of your rare, and wasn't exactly fun when it took the game. Avenger of Zendikar, on the other hand, is real pay-off for running Smokebraider, while also working well in BG Sacrifice (Eldrazi Spawn can accelerate it) and RG Domain.
I bet you had to read what Soulbright Flamekin does. Then you had to read it again to make sure you didn't miss anything. It's a complex and weird effect with no cohesion whatsoever that eventually ramps 6 to 8 mana on a deck that does not need this, converting all the mana to red when we wanted to filter it to other colors and cast off-color elementals. No, Ingot Chewer is a much better reason to play your Smokebraider and pulls a lot of weight in this set.
IN:
OUT:
Blinkmoth Nexus is so marginal that I don't think it's worth a slot. I wanted a generic tribal card that could go in Elementals, Spirits, Eldrazi, Mutants, Vampires, Squids tribal. Or simply in WG tokens.
IN:
For Fulminator Mage's Spot, the options were Wort, Boggart Auntie and Rakdos, Lord of Riots. Since Rakdos is such a miss for decks other than BR Bloodthirst and not splashable, Wort got the spot as a more fun and versatile card. It enables Bloodthirst with fear and can sometimes be an engine returning Blades of Velis Vel and Nameless Inversions.
IN:
OUT:
Overwhelm is playable exclusively in the tokens deck, and even then not that good. Tromp the Domains gives trample, encourages splashing, and can be a finisher in tokens and domain, so in it goes. This is a swap I have to keep an eye on, because the tokens deck was already strong.
IN:
OUT:
Daggerclaw Imp is a fine card, but the format is already fast and only the Bloodthirst deck really wants it. Corrosive Mentor is a decent blocker and increases the value of proliferate, with the nice bonus of being an elemental. Oh, and Germs are black.
IN:
OUT:
Domain lacked early plays, and Viridian Emissary fills this hole, while also being a fine card for any green deck, and especially so for Sacrifice. Gnarlid Pack is versatile but weak, and even in the Counters deck it's not great.
Matca Rioters for Tajuru Stalwart is a swap that's hard to evaluate. While Rioters is way better once you have all basic land types, Tajuru Stalwart works much better with bouncelands and artifact mana. For the sake of Domain's early game, and given there is already a lot of payoff for getting all colors, I chose to get a more reliable 3/4 than a potential 5/5. Bonus points for being usable in the +1/+1 Counters deck as well.
IN:
OUT:
When the three mythic Eldrazi are removed, those Eldrazi Spawn tokens and Eldrazi Temples become respectively unexciting and unplayable. To replace the titans and keep the archetype alive, there aren't many options that are budget and do not require ingestors. Desolation Twin is beatable but scary. Endless One is skill intensive, generically good, overlaps with counters and proliferate and a good curve filler when the eldrazi deck whiffs (that awkward ramp to 7 and cannot cast Ulamog's Crusher).
Horde of Notions looks like overlap between Elementals and Domain, but is the wrong kind of overlap - it’s a intersection, not an union. It only works on a deck that’s both Elementals AND Domain. All is Dust is sort of underwhelming in an environment with so many artifacts, and not cheap enough to play in Artifacts.
IN:
OUT:
The last color hate card comes out for Wing Splicer, creating a marginal Golem tribal, which ties right into WU artifacts. I'm a bit worried blue has too much flying at this point, though.
IN:
OUT:
Just like Overwhelm, Root-Kin Ally is not essential for tokens and quite bad in other decks, eating up valuable slots. Explosive Vegetation aims to strengthen Domain and Eldrazi Ramp.
Satisfied with the commons and uncommons, I now move to filling in the rare slots. MM2 has 53 rares and 15 mythics, so 60 rares sounds about right to keep the odds to open a certain rare virtually unaffected. The goal to be symmetrical is 8 slots on each color, 1 slot on each guild and 10 colorless slots.
IN:
OUT:
White had 3 rare slots open, plus Mirran Crusader’s. Blade Splicer works in tokens, artifacts and the new golems archetype (not sure I should create a minor archetype, but I guess drafting depth is a good thing). Eternal Dragon is a Spirit and a finisher for any white control deck, at a good power level. Phyrexian Rebirth is here because since I removed All is Dust as a board wipe, I feel like I should compensate for this somehow. The token is an artifact, but that's really marginal. Oh, and it's tokens hate.
Mirran Crusader has the dreaded double protection, and this kind of non-interactivity creates very negavite games. Kinsbaile Cavalier is way weaker, but has potential to set up Velis Vel blowouts and breathes new life into Dragonsoul Knight by making it more desirable in Voltron.
IN:
For blue's only open slot, I'll run Simic Manipulator. There are not many good +1/+1 counter options in blue. He's slow, but could work well in an environment with so many 1/1s.
IN:
Black proliferate really needs payoff, and Dusk Urchins helps. To a minor extent, so does Bloodlord of Vaasgoth despite being mostly a Bloodthirst card which enables a Vampires twist on this deck.
IN:
Domain needed more Savage Twisters. I think this is adequate, as it can be a sideboard card for any deck against tokens and spirits.
IN:
I thought long about Mycoloth, but it's too strong even for this format. I opted for Skullmulcher as the last green rare, which is at a much more acceptable power level, but is still good enough for Sacrifice and Tokens.
OUT:
At 11 colorless rares, we are one about the goal. Etched Champion is a payoff card for an archetype that is already good. A pro is the slight overlap with Voltron, but it's not too interesting and often downright annoying.
Finally, the list: http://www.cubetutor.com/viewcube/53012
Edit: the link above is to a frozen version after the initial post. The current cube is at http://www.cubetutor.com/viewcube/53501 and contains further changes.
Some numbers:
- Grand total of 523 cards
- The rarity distribution of MM2 was kept, considering that 15 mythics became 7 rares: 303 commons (101 unique ones), 160 uncommons (80 unique ones) and 60 rares (60 unique ones)
- 87.8% of the cards are from MM2
- Current price estimate from Cube Tutor: $212.95, of which $53.70 are the worth of cards from outside of MM2.
If you read this far, congrats. If you skipped to here, good on you too for efficient time management. The most important aspect of the final list is that we've kept all the archetypes, the feel and the spirit of MM2 intact, while patching up problems and weaving more depth into the environment. It's hard to say it's superior for sure, but is at least a healthy new take on an environment that got stale fairly quickly.
There is always room for improvement. Some unexciting cards still bother me, for example Somber Hoverguard, Vigean Graftmage, Frogmite and Goblin War Paint. There are also cards I’ve found during my research - eg. Frost Lynx, World Breaker - that could fit very well, but before going further with changes more playtesting is necessary.
What would be your take on Modern Masters 2015?
However, spending a bunch of money on mythics that are bad for drafting and playing MM2 as released is not cost-efficient. If we cut most mythics the environment is better and the cube gets significantly cheaper. After you’ve done this, why stop there? How much can MM2 be improved by adding new tech from recent sets and removing the need to pack reprints and enough value to justify a $10 MSRP?
There's a lot of room for balancing archetypes. WU Artifacts and WG Tokens were really strong. UR Elementals, BG Sacrifice/Eldrazi were lacking. UG +1/+1 Counters and UB Proliferate sort of merged into UGb Counters because neither was thick enough. WB Spirits could either be incredible or a trainwreck, depending on whether you got passed those Nameless Inversions. Many drafts felt on rails, and sharing an archetype with someone else was a terrible situation to be in.
The list initially contains 3 of each common, 2 of each uncommon, 1 of each rare, with some cards already cut due to their prices/relevance. The only mythics are the cheap Comet Storm and the reasonably priced but fun draft-around Tezzeret the Seeker.
Mythics cut:
Rares cut:
Then, over this list, we start promoting changes. The archetypes that bothers me the most is Spirits, so let's start with it.
IN:
OUT:
In stock MM2, Spirits falls apart when it doesn't get enough Nameless Inversions. To fix this, I added more removal that synergizes with Soulshift and helps it withstand pressure. The individual quality of the key cards of this archetype is so low that I was pretty liberal adding premium removal. It's actually a bit concerning because Rend Flesh is another Nameless Inversion, in the sense that any black deck will want it, but at least there are now twice as many.
Morkrut Banshee is something to fill the 5cc slot, as this is really a control deck and wants expensive, table impacting Spirits. It synergizes well with BG Sacrifice too. Apothecary Geist fits the bill as well: decent blocker, life gain with payoff that doesn't require a big commitment on Spirits, right out of the Shadows of Innistrad design guidelines.
The color hate cards are awkward for casual drafts, since if one maindecks them it feels like pre-sideboarding, and people often can't be bothered taking to time to sideboard between games. They are cool for spiky drafts (giving you another dimension to think of rather than just the best main deck that can be made), but between the token hate and the artifact hate, caring about color sideboard and dedicating that many slots to it looks kind of excessive and very detached from the set’s design.
As for the other cuts, Instill Infection is just terrible, while Otherworldly Journey is marginal and a lot of things have to go right for it to be effective.
IN:
OUT:
Some rare slot changes for Spirits: Mirror Entity is such a bomby bomb that I don't think I want this in my environment, so in come Bygone Bishop, which overlaps with WU artifacts and Eidolon of Countless Battles, which overlaps with WG tokens and WR voltron. I also considered Shining Shoal (which is a 2CC sweet Arcane, you don't get many of those).
IN:
OUT:
This is all I've changed in WR Voltron. I think it's a decently balanced archetype already. Taj-Nar Swordsmith is really a miserable thing to cast on curve, and while cute, there's usually not enough time in this environment to fetch an equip and feels underpowered by the time you do it. The brand-new Avacynian Missionaries have the con of being the only flip card, but the card plays better.
IN:
OUT:
Improving UG +1/+1 Counters with evolvers! We need more things to proliferate and I'm giving it the best: our beloved Cloudfin Raptor, Crocanura, which is a fine creature filling the 3 mana slot that doesn't have much love in this deck, and Experiment One, which is one sweet 1-drop.
About the cards coming out: so what does Telling Time do in the grand scheme of things? Does anyone know? I honestly don't. Simic Initiate is borderline unplayable, and Karplusan Strider is not really an interesting SB card either.
IN:
UG Counters lacked rares, so I added: Woodland Wanderer, overlapping mainly with RG Domain, but a solid card in any green deck; Scourge of Skola Vale, overlapping with BG Sacrifice, which really needs more sac outlets; and Chasm Skulker, because it makes Squids and Squids are cool.
IN:
This works in BR Bloodthirst, WB Spirits and BG Sacrifice. Such a find.
IN:
OUT:
We now take on a problem deck: URwbg Elementals. One neat thing I found was that BFZ's awakened lands are elementals, so in came Clutch of Currents in place of Vapor Snag. Looking for anything that had synergy with elementals, I found Flamekin Harbinger, which can fetch changelings as well.
Hurkyl's Recall was sort of a premium SB spell that randomly wrecked Artifacts, so I swapped it out for the coolest Elemental synergy card I found: Master of Waves. Another cool rare elemental I found was Hound of Griselbrand, which works well in WR Voltron. Wolfbriar Elemental was that feelbad card that you cast for 2GG feeling cheated out of your rare, and wasn't exactly fun when it took the game. Avenger of Zendikar, on the other hand, is real pay-off for running Smokebraider, while also working well in BG Sacrifice (Eldrazi Spawn can accelerate it) and RG Domain.
I bet you had to read what Soulbright Flamekin does. Then you had to read it again to make sure you didn't miss anything. It's a complex and weird effect with no cohesion whatsoever that eventually ramps 6 to 8 mana on a deck that does not need this, converting all the mana to red when we wanted to filter it to other colors and cast off-color elementals. No, Ingot Chewer is a much better reason to play your Smokebraider and pulls a lot of weight in this set.
IN:
OUT:
Blinkmoth Nexus is so marginal that I don't think it's worth a slot. I wanted a generic tribal card that could go in Elementals, Spirits, Eldrazi, Mutants, Vampires, Squids tribal. Or simply in WG tokens.
IN:
For Fulminator Mage's Spot, the options were Wort, Boggart Auntie and Rakdos, Lord of Riots. Since Rakdos is such a miss for decks other than BR Bloodthirst and not splashable, Wort got the spot as a more fun and versatile card. It enables Bloodthirst with fear and can sometimes be an engine returning Blades of Velis Vel and Nameless Inversions.
IN:
OUT:
Overwhelm is playable exclusively in the tokens deck, and even then not that good. Tromp the Domains gives trample, encourages splashing, and can be a finisher in tokens and domain, so in it goes. This is a swap I have to keep an eye on, because the tokens deck was already strong.
IN:
OUT:
Daggerclaw Imp is a fine card, but the format is already fast and only the Bloodthirst deck really wants it. Corrosive Mentor is a decent blocker and increases the value of proliferate, with the nice bonus of being an elemental. Oh, and Germs are black.
IN:
OUT:
Domain lacked early plays, and Viridian Emissary fills this hole, while also being a fine card for any green deck, and especially so for Sacrifice. Gnarlid Pack is versatile but weak, and even in the Counters deck it's not great.
Matca Rioters for Tajuru Stalwart is a swap that's hard to evaluate. While Rioters is way better once you have all basic land types, Tajuru Stalwart works much better with bouncelands and artifact mana. For the sake of Domain's early game, and given there is already a lot of payoff for getting all colors, I chose to get a more reliable 3/4 than a potential 5/5. Bonus points for being usable in the +1/+1 Counters deck as well.
IN:
OUT:
When the three mythic Eldrazi are removed, those Eldrazi Spawn tokens and Eldrazi Temples become respectively unexciting and unplayable. To replace the titans and keep the archetype alive, there aren't many options that are budget and do not require ingestors. Desolation Twin is beatable but scary. Endless One is skill intensive, generically good, overlaps with counters and proliferate and a good curve filler when the eldrazi deck whiffs (that awkward ramp to 7 and cannot cast Ulamog's Crusher).
Horde of Notions looks like overlap between Elementals and Domain, but is the wrong kind of overlap - it’s a intersection, not an union. It only works on a deck that’s both Elementals AND Domain. All is Dust is sort of underwhelming in an environment with so many artifacts, and not cheap enough to play in Artifacts.
IN:
OUT:
The last color hate card comes out for Wing Splicer, creating a marginal Golem tribal, which ties right into WU artifacts. I'm a bit worried blue has too much flying at this point, though.
IN:
OUT:
Just like Overwhelm, Root-Kin Ally is not essential for tokens and quite bad in other decks, eating up valuable slots. Explosive Vegetation aims to strengthen Domain and Eldrazi Ramp.
Satisfied with the commons and uncommons, I now move to filling in the rare slots. MM2 has 53 rares and 15 mythics, so 60 rares sounds about right to keep the odds to open a certain rare virtually unaffected. The goal to be symmetrical is 8 slots on each color, 1 slot on each guild and 10 colorless slots.
IN:
OUT:
White had 3 rare slots open, plus Mirran Crusader’s. Blade Splicer works in tokens, artifacts and the new golems archetype (not sure I should create a minor archetype, but I guess drafting depth is a good thing). Eternal Dragon is a Spirit and a finisher for any white control deck, at a good power level. Phyrexian Rebirth is here because since I removed All is Dust as a board wipe, I feel like I should compensate for this somehow. The token is an artifact, but that's really marginal. Oh, and it's tokens hate.
Mirran Crusader has the dreaded double protection, and this kind of non-interactivity creates very negavite games. Kinsbaile Cavalier is way weaker, but has potential to set up Velis Vel blowouts and breathes new life into Dragonsoul Knight by making it more desirable in Voltron.
IN:
For blue's only open slot, I'll run Simic Manipulator. There are not many good +1/+1 counter options in blue. He's slow, but could work well in an environment with so many 1/1s.
IN:
Black proliferate really needs payoff, and Dusk Urchins helps. To a minor extent, so does Bloodlord of Vaasgoth despite being mostly a Bloodthirst card which enables a Vampires twist on this deck.
IN:
Domain needed more Savage Twisters. I think this is adequate, as it can be a sideboard card for any deck against tokens and spirits.
IN:
I thought long about Mycoloth, but it's too strong even for this format. I opted for Skullmulcher as the last green rare, which is at a much more acceptable power level, but is still good enough for Sacrifice and Tokens.
OUT:
At 11 colorless rares, we are one about the goal. Etched Champion is a payoff card for an archetype that is already good. A pro is the slight overlap with Voltron, but it's not too interesting and often downright annoying.
Finally, the list: http://www.cubetutor.com/viewcube/53012
Edit: the link above is to a frozen version after the initial post. The current cube is at http://www.cubetutor.com/viewcube/53501 and contains further changes.
Some numbers:
- Grand total of 523 cards
- The rarity distribution of MM2 was kept, considering that 15 mythics became 7 rares: 303 commons (101 unique ones), 160 uncommons (80 unique ones) and 60 rares (60 unique ones)
- 87.8% of the cards are from MM2
- Current price estimate from Cube Tutor: $212.95, of which $53.70 are the worth of cards from outside of MM2.
If you read this far, congrats. If you skipped to here, good on you too for efficient time management. The most important aspect of the final list is that we've kept all the archetypes, the feel and the spirit of MM2 intact, while patching up problems and weaving more depth into the environment. It's hard to say it's superior for sure, but is at least a healthy new take on an environment that got stale fairly quickly.
There is always room for improvement. Some unexciting cards still bother me, for example Somber Hoverguard, Vigean Graftmage, Frogmite and Goblin War Paint. There are also cards I’ve found during my research - eg. Frost Lynx, World Breaker - that could fit very well, but before going further with changes more playtesting is necessary.
What would be your take on Modern Masters 2015?
