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Deck Reviews / UR Splinter Twin [Modern] Just some SB/Maindeck card choices + tournament report

« on: June 03, 2013, 04:20:38 pm »

Here's the list.

Splinter Twin


23 lands

4 Scalding Tarn
3 Steam Vents
3 Sulfur Falls
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Island
2 Mountain
1 Academy Ruins
1 Stomping Grounds
1 Shivan Reef
1 Desolate Lighthouse
1 Arid Mesa

12 Creatures

2 Spellskite
4 Pestermite
4 Deceiver Exarch
2 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror-breaker

25 Other spells

2 Echoing Truth
4 Splinter Twin
4 Serum Visions
4 Sleight of Hand
4 Remand
2 Spell Pierce
2 Izzet Charm
3 Dispel

Sideboard
3 Pyroclasm
2 Engineered Explosives
2 Blood Moon
2 Counterflux
2 Ancient Grudge
1 Spell Pierce
1 Batterskull
1 Pithing Needle

Card choices:
The biggest question mark in the deck might be the lack of Lightning Bolts. In testing, I didn't really have much use for the card. I would win before most aggro decks could kill me and I found that I'd rather have counterspells and card draw against control decks. Izzet Charms and Spell Pierce went in, Lightning Bolts and Flame Sash went out.

I realize this leaves me vulnerable to RG blitz and opposing Spellskites (which Flame Sash deals with), but I thought what I gained in terms of power and flexibility was worth it.

Desolate Lighthouse - with 8 fetches, I wasn't really afraid of running out of colored mana. Desolate Lighthouse gave me a way to dig for combo pieces during the mid-late game.

Academy Ruins - Ideally, I could recurse Engineered Explosives against tokens, wiping out tokens, and then their anthems + Auriok Champions. Didn't get a chance to pull it off, and I'm glad I didn't need to.

Sideboard choices:

Pyroclasm - early sweeper of choice. Not much to say. This card performed well for me.
Engineered Explosives - Sweepers four to five. Best against tokens.
Blood Moon - Tron/Domain/UWR control/Scapeshift. Modern's a greedy format and this old enchantment punishes greedy decks.
Counterflux - On the off-chance you face a hardcore control deck, it's nice having the final word.
Ancient Grudge - Against affinity and torpor orb. Getting two uses out of one card is good in my book.
Spell Pierce - Additional counterspells to protect the combo.
Batterskull - I netdecked this. I assume it's good against something or is a credible back-up plan if you get Slaughter Game'd. I kept it in on the off-chance I needed it.
Pithing Needle - Just because. Shuts down mutavaults, vials, planeswalkers for the low, low price of one mana.

Here were my match-ups for the day:
Round 1: Domain Zoo: 0-2
Round 2: Melira Pod: 2-0
Round 3: Paired up against my brother who was running burn. We decide to draw and get some food.
Round 4: Melira Pod: 2-0
Round 5: Blue Tron: 2-1
Round 6: Kiki-Jiki Pod: 2-0

Round 1: Charles with Domain Zoo 0-2
Game 1: He wins the die roll and plays first. First turn Arid Mesa into an untapped Hallowed Fountain, Steppe Lynx go. I shock myself and play Sleight of Hand/Serum Visions. He plays a fetch, hits me for 4 damage with the lynx, plays a Goyf and passes. I die before reaching 4 mana.

SB: -2 Remand, -3 Dispel, -2 Spell Pierce +3 Pyroclasm, +2 Engineered Explosives, +2 Blood Moon

Game 2: Steppe Lynx-go is the name of the game. I blow up the board with Engineered Explosives on one while he has a Kird Ape and the Lynx. Geist and Goyf take it all the way. My attempt to combo out is met with a Path to Exile. Guess I shouldn't have removed all those counterspells.

Round 2: Ron with Melira Pod 2-0
Game 1: He establishes his board presence while I durdle. I manage to go infinite at 9 life. I also manage to Spell Pierce a Chord of Calling for 2.

SB: +2 Ancient Grudge, +3 Pyroclasm, -3 Dispel, -2 Remand

Game 2: We both mull to six. He opens with a fetchland-shockland-thoughtseize opening. I show him 2 Pestermites, a Pyroclasm, a Splinter Twin and a Deceiver Exarch. He takes the Splinter Twin. I manage to Pyroclasm his board, Remand his Birthing Pod and counter another Chord of Calling. Pestermite beats take him down to five before Kiki-Jiki shows up and creates infinite tokens.

Round 3: I get paired with my little brother. We decide to call it a draw and eat.

At this point, I knew I had to win all my remaining games to have a shot at top 8. I decide to play it out anyway.

Round 4: Martin with Melira Pod 2-0
Game 1: He manages to pull off the infinite combo with Viscera Seer, Melira and Kitchen Finks. He goes up to 5 million life and asks if I concede. I tell him I can deal infinite damage and we keep playing. He mistakenly uses a Fetchland after scrying his whole deck and his attempt to gain more life was met with an Echoing Truth on his Melira, stopping Kitchen Finks from coming back without a -1/-1 counter. I proceed to Desolate Lighthouse my deck and pull off the combo while down at 3 life.

Out: -3 Dispel, -1 Remand, +3 Pyroclasm, + 1 Spell Pierce

Game 2: Game 2 was a textbook Splinter Twin combo opening. I remember Izzet Charm-ing a Chord of Calling for 2 here. I manage to pull off the combo on turn 6 with Kiki-Jiki while leaving open 1 blue for Spell Pierce.

I seem to be boarding out Remand a lot, but I remain convinced that it deserves its place in the deck.

Round 5: Ralph with Blue Tron 2-1
Game 1: We both mull to 6. I pull off the combo on turn 4. He played some Urza Lands, so I assume he's running RG Tron

Out: Counterspells, In: 2 Blood Moon, 1 Pithing Needle, 2 Ancient Grudge

Game 2: He plays an Island and resolves both a Spellskite and a Sundering Titan. I had a chance to win it, but I get mana-locked.

Counterspells go back in.

Game 3: I combo off on turn 5 with counter back-up.

Round 6: Maynard with Jiki Pod 2-0
Game 1: He plays some creatures, I counter a chord of calling and combo out at 14 life.

At this point, I'm unsure if he's running Melira Pod or Jiki Pod. Both decks can seem indistinguishable during the early turns.
Out: 2 remand, 1 dispel, In: 3 Pyroclasm

Game 2: Inquisition removes a Pestermite/Exarch from my hand. He plays a Birds of Paradise and a Deathrite Shaman which runs into Pyroclasm. I manage to combo out with Kiki Jiki.

In hindsight, I might remove a Counterflux in favor of one more Ancient Grudge since it's a more flexible sideboard card. Batterskull still hasn't proven his worth, but I feel comfortable having it in the board. Lightning Bolt might also find its way back in the maindeck as a means of protecting myself against hyper-aggressive decks such as Zoo or Gruul aggro. I finished 5th overall in a tournament with a pretty big turnout.

I guess I just need to polish my maindeck card choices (Lightning bolt, do I need it?) and my sideboard as well as my boarding vs. certain matchups. I mean, I'm not sure how to deal with fast decks aside from pyroclasm. Is the engineered explosives engine worth the SB slot and 1 maindeck colorless mana?

Thanks in advance!