[Modern]RG Vengevine (Modern)

Deck based from MTGS Deck Creation Thread:
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/deck-creation-modern/767281-rg-super-vengevine
(*I strongly suggest to read the 1st page of this thread, credits to mtgs user: izzetmage)

Description

RG Vengevine is an aggro deck that focuses on triggering Vengevine using cheap creatures. It’s like an 8-whack (BTE into Bushwhacker) style of play but with bigger and recursive creatures aka “Big Whack”. If you like 8-whack then you might like this one too.

Major Revision

Rev.11: Faithless Looting Ban
Rev.16: Once Upon a Time Ban
Rev.26: The Wonder Package

Card Choices

Enablers

• Insolent Neonate / Merchant of the Vale // Haggle: The primary discard engine for Vengevine and Ox of Agonas.
• Satyr Wayfinder: Self mill that can help find our 3rd land.
• Gather the Pack / Commune with the Gods: The primary turn-2 play, helps mill Vengevine and Ox. Both cards can be cast off a BTE.

Payoffs

• Vengevine: 4/3 hasty recurring threat. It's super easy to trigger with the low CMC creature package specially with BTE.
• Ox of Agonas: The current state of modern is very interactive thus a need for a card draw engine to refill our hands to keep triggering Vengevine. The ability to cast from graveyard is also a plus. One good line is to escape Ox of Agonas into Madness Blazing Rootwalla then trigger Vengevine.
• The Wonder Package: This is the package of Wonder and Steam Vents which gives evasion to all our creature. Make sure to fetch for Steam Vents as soon as possible to avoid self-milling it.

Other Cards

• Lightning Bolt: Cheap removal and also reach for the last needed damage.
• Burning-Tree Emissary: Almost a free spell, this helps a lot in casting multiple spells specially creatures for Vengevine. (Take note that it can’t be used to escape Ox of Agonas (RR), also the reason why we don't run Goblin Bushwhacker.)
• Reckless Bushwhacker: The surprise card in the deck, this can turn around games because of it's surge ability. (Take note that triggered Vengevine through a surged Reckless Bushwhacker also gets buffed.)
• Fury: Free creature spell for Vengevine. Use to clear path for our attackers.
• Blazing Rootwalla: Cheap creature for Vengevine. The madness cost of this creature provides a lot of tricks when combined with discard spell (Haggle, Insolent Neonate, Ox of Agonas).
• Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance: Better than a basic mountain, comes into play untapped and mana sink late game, note that the tokens have haste for some surprise attackers/blockers.
• Boseiju, Who Endures: Mainboard answer to some problematic cards.

Sideboard
Most of our sideboard choice are in the form of creature or something that can work from the graveyard (Flashback) to take advantage of Gather the Pack and Commune with the Gods, digging 5 cards deep will increase the chance of getting the sideboard.

• Alpine Moon: Primarily against Tron and Urza's Saga.
• Ancient Grudge: Against artifacts, faster access from our self-mill. (This can also be Ingot Chewer or Shenanigans.)
• Foundation Breaker: Against enchantments and artifacts. The evoke cost is cheap enough to trigger Vengevine.
• Force of Vigor: Same with Foundation Breaker but faster thus board-in when on the draw.
• Pyrite Spellbomb: Primarily for Sanctifier En-Vec and General Ferrous Rokiric. Advantage of Pyrite Spellbomb is the cost and that it can be cast earlier to avoid getting discarded by Ox of Agonas.
• Unholy Heat: Removal for Planeswalkers and other big creature. (Never go down x5 sorcery spells for Delirium.)
• Life Goes On: Respect for Burn, they are always present in tournament events.
• Turn the Earth: Flexible sideboard card that can be milled safely because of flashback.
  • Graveyard hate and anti-hate at the same time.
  • Shuffles back used cards or accidentally milled cards like Steam Vents.
  • Forces shuffle which is relevant against Endurance, Conspicuous Snoop and Recross the Paths.
  • Doesn't target the player thus can bypass Leyline of Sanctity

What and When to Board Out

Usual Boarded Out Cards

• Commune with the Gods (-1)
• Blazing Rootwalla (-1)
• Reckless Bushwhacker (-1) when on the draw
• Fury: Board out against big creatures (Goyf, Eldrazi) and non-creature based combo decks.
• Ox of Agonas: Board out against counterspells and non-artifact permanent based graveyard hate. (Dauthi Voidwalker, Sanctifier En-Vec and Leyline of the Void). It's fine to keep a few copies against Artifact based hate or Endurance.
• Wonder: Board out when evasion is not needed example are UW Control and Burn decks.
• Satyr Wayfinder (-1): Board out when still in need of extra slot, extra slot is a sign that we are in desperate need for that sideboard thus less self-mill is better.

Weaknesses

• Discard: Deck needs to cast 2 creature spells to trigger Vengevine and discard spells disrupts that.
• Combo: Deck can’t interrupt them specially ETB effects.
• Toughness 5 and above creature like Archon of Cruelties, Murktide and Domain Zoo. Unholy Heat is our only 6 dmg removal but the deck can’t reliably achieve delirium.
• Creatures with protection from red: Auriok Champion, Kor Firewalker and Sanctifier en-Vec to name a few.

General Tips

• Triggered Vengevine through a surged Reckless Bushwhacker also gets buffed.
• Blazing Rootwalla can be used as a surprise blocker using Haggle and Insolent Neonate.
• An escaped Ox of Agonas with Blazing Rootwalla in hand will trigger Vengevine thus it’s recommended to keep Blazing Rootwalla in hand.
• Remember the Madness Rule:
  • If you discard a card with madness to pay the cost of a spell or activated ability (Insolent Neonate), that card’s madness triggered ability (and the spell that card becomes, if you choose to cast it) will resolve before the spell or ability the discard paid for.
  • If you discard a card with madness while a spell or ability is resolving (Ox of Agonas), it moves immediately to exile. Continue resolving that spell or ability, noting that the card you discarded is not in your graveyard at this time. Its madness triggered ability will be placed onto the stack once that spell or ability has completely resolved.
  • You can choose not to cast a card with madness when the madness triggered ability resolves, it’s put into the graveyard afterwards. This can come up in situation when we are 1 card short to escaping Ox of Agonas.
• Given a choice at turn-2 between (1) Commune with the Gods/Gather the Pack or (2) Satyr Wayfinder, choose:
  • (1) If there's no immediate threat, this will also increase our chance of having 2 creatures for Vengevine.
  • (2) If there's a need to have board presence.
• Cast Satyr Wayfinder first before playing a land. This is to hide information about an extra land in hand this can also come up at turn-3 wherein we might get a Copperline Gorge of a wayfinder.
• If expecting an Endurance from opponent:
  • Keep a fetchland to shuffle the library.
  • It’s common to fetch for deck thin purpose before escaping Ox of Agonas but hold it off against match-ups with Endurance.

Note: Consistency has suffered a lot after the ban of Faithless Looting and Once Upon a Time.

>Tested Cards

Stonecoil Serpent - Bad against Archmage's Charm and CMC removal (Fatal Push / Prismatic Ending).
Noose Constrictor - Good but I've played alot of games without it and didn't miss. Consider it when your meta has alot of bounce effect (Brazen Barrower, T3feri, etc).
Dragon's Rage Channeler - Nonbo with Ox, needs alot of tweaking in order to achieve delirium consistently.
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer - Good Card but too expensive.
Hooting Mandrills - It’s good and aggressive, T3 Mandrills > Surge Bushwhacker > Trigger Vengevine and atk for 12 power is always a surprise for opponent, current version plays Ox of Agonas over Mandrills to refuel cards, meta atm has a lot of removal where we find a need to draw more in order to recur vengevine. I’ll gladly bring back Mandrills if ever there’s a good card draw option out.
Hidden Herbalists - Can be considered if using Hooting Mandrills or other spells that can use the revolt ETB mana.
Bonecrusher Giant // Stomp - The idea is to have an answer for Sanctifier En-Vec and other pro-red creature depending with the fact that opponent usually do lousy blocks with them when facing red creatures. This trick works but can only work by surprise, playing regularly in LGS makes opponent aware with this trick.