Modern Cascade Swans

[Thomas David Baker]

I'm 8-0 in games on MTGO in the notoriously not-tournament-standard Tournament Practice area.

Someone please beat me before I start thinking about playing this deck at the London PTQ ...

4 Swans of Bryn Argoll

4 Bloodbraid Elf

4 Captured Sunlight

4 Treasure Hunt

4 Seismic Assault

40 Multicolored lands of various sorts

(The version I copied runs 2 Dakmor Salvage for reasons I don't understand and an Emrakul as the 61st card (!) for reasons that I do.)

[Thomas David Baker]

Ok wow.  I just kept 6 land and Treasure Hunt and had the Treasure Hunt Inquisitioned on Turn 1 and very very nearly won (and did win the match).  Also I beat an opponent with Witchbane Orb in play who Maelstrom Pulsed double Bloodbraid.  (I killed him with Raging Ravine after killing all his blockers with Seismic Assault.

Treasure Hunt for 17 lands with Seismic Assault in play is pretty funny.  Treasure Hunt for 7 cards when your opponent just spent two turns Raven's Criming your entire hand away also pretty funny.

Probably loses hard to any counterspell ...

[Thomas David Baker]

Oh dear.  Double Inquisition is the wrong disruption for Swans, Captured Sunlight and Lands ...

BW tokens appears to be a bye.  I imagine all aggro decks are really.

14-1 in games so far?  Hm.

[Louis Mackie]

I am watching you kill people in the Tournament Practice room -.-

Have you played against a counterspell?

[Thomas David Baker]

I've played against blue mana :)

Just lost to Affinity although I misplayed all over the shop and it went long.

Definitely a hard matchup when you don't do anything til turn 4 though.  Turn 3 Seismic Assault on the play is almost impossible for them though.  He had 2 Etched Champion in the second game which was awkward.

What's your mtgo username Louis?

[Paul Hodgson]

Salvage is there to guarantee you can always have a land from a swans draw. Dredge back on your turn, pitch to swans and hope to hit more lands so you can dredge again

[Thomas David Baker]

OK I got beat pretty bad by Tron, so I finally played a deck that looked like it wasn't a favorable matchup.  Phew.  Hopefully some more folks can beat me and cure me :)

[Charlie Grover]

Was talking to Pete about this yday, we decided if you havent played much modern its actually a good deck, and the tron matchup is one of the strong points :S

[Thomas David Baker]

Oh really?  The Tron player I was playing against resolved an early Pithing Needle on Seismic Assault in g2 and made Iona the cheaty way both games so it may not have been representative.

The list is from the top 8 of a 125 man PTQ for Barcelona in Barcelona: http://mtgpulse.com/event/6467#87342

Louis kindly clued me in what Dakmor Salvage is for on modo :)  Useful when you only have one land in hand when you start to go off but not a very good land.

Not sure Tectonic Edge is ever very useful.  I need Cascade Bluffs - having Sulfur Falls instead (fail) cost me a game against Affnity.

I need a sideboard.  Would it be good to cascade into Ancient Grudges against Affinity?  Probably not.  Things like Ingot Chewer are a possibility versus hate like Pithing Needle if I want to get cute.

Edit: some other lists here - http://bit.ly/zKT2Fv

[Thomas David Baker]

Still finding it hard to lose.  Opponent made double Leyline of Sanctity so I killed all his creatures and beat him to death with elves and ravines.  Affinity is hard without the turn 3 assault on the draw, although easy with it.  A Captured Sunlight or two can make a difference.

[Paul Hodgson]

Do you have the cards to build this for the PTQ?

[Thomas David Baker]

Sadly (?) no.  Probably not wise to play a deck based on the Tournament Practice room, anyway.