[Modern] Wait who has a counter?

[Chad_Ellis]

Wait who has a counter?

I was thinking of making a modern deck since a bunch of people at the card shop recently started playing the format instead of commander.  I was wondering if anyone could help me make some improvements to a deck centered around moving +1+1 counters as a creature dies to another creature.  I thought of making this idea into a commander or standard deck ever since I saw the Ozolith artifact.

[Akira Foxmind]

First, I want to say I really like the synergy between The Ozolith and Lightning Serpent.
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If the guys/girls in your lgs are playing "real" modern decks with improved manabase and only the best cards, I don't really think you have a chance of winning with this deck.
If it's "playing budget decks but only using modern legal cards" you could add some of the following:

Hardened Scales
- costs a little more than your other cards but will be worth it.

Lightning Bolt (or other burn spells)
- your list is lacking removal. Lightning Bolt is nice since it can also finish of your opponent if needed.

Rishkar, Peema Renegade
- ramps and provides counters

Pelt Collector

Pridemalkin / Crowned Ceratok
- Trample for your creatures

Other Wincon:

Synergy with Grumgully, the Generous:

he combos with persist-creatures like Murderous Redcap or Kitchen Finks (it dies, returns due to persist and the -1/-1 and the +1/+1 counters  canceling each other, so that you have a returned creature without counter that can die and return again). With a sac outlet you have an infinite combo.

Tbh I would drop Rampant Growth and maybe the Hydras too, and add creatures that are more efficient and faster to cast to go a more stompy-ish route. I'm thinking of cards like Yorvo, Lord of Garenbrig or Wildborn Preserver.
As for Curse of stalked Prey I'm not sure whether this will do much. If you're opponent already has bigger creatures than you, you can't damage him and so your creatures can't become bigger than theirs. On the other hand, if you're creatures are big enough to deal damage you might not need them to get even bigger.

So far, much input to begin with

If you have specific questions feel free to ask.

[Chad_Ellis]

thank you for the input I knew I would have needed to taken out the hydras especially when I remembered a card like stonecoil serpent would be faster, but I totally forgot about yorvo, Lord of Garenbrig and Wildborn Preserver.   I don't think I'll go down the route with persist creatures, but that is a interesting combo I've never thought about before. 

[Akira Foxmind]

The list looks a lot better now. Nice

Maybe it is worth to build the deck first with proxys of The Ozolith test it and after that doing the same with Hardened Scales. This way you could test which card you like more or feels better to play.
In theory Ozolith should provide value in the long run, while Scales makes for a more aggro play. Just an idea if you are not sure what to do, though

The next step would be to add (budget) dual lands. You'll need mana fixing for at least Yorvo.
Kazandu Refuge or Rugged Highlands should cost nearly nothing to have a start. Later you could add Game Trail, Rootbound Crag or the Karplusan Forest you had in your first version.

For utility 1 or 2 Kessig Wolf Run could be nice, too. But that's fine tuning.

[Grulman]

As a sidebord option, you can play Bioshift if The Ozolith is not in play

[Ev3nt1ne]

I think Hardened Scales is a must. If you don't add it, think about 4x llanower elves
As budget options, I would like to recommend some new cards:
- Wildwood Scourge
- Voracious Hydra
- Renata, Called to the Hunt

also some old reprinted cards:
- Vastwood Hydra
- Genesis Hydra
- experiment One
- Hungering Hydra

+ Some possible sideboard option
Mistcutter Hydra
Protean Hydra

P.s. I don't know about the bolt. Are they really necessary in the main?

[Ev3nt1ne]

Oh, and also have come to mind:
- Stonecoil Serpent

- Gruul Spellbreaker

and as sideboard option
Rhythm of the Wild

and if you want a planeswalker:
- Domri, Chaos Bringer
- (a lot less budgetter Vivien, Arkbow Ranger )

[Chad_Ellis]

Took out lighting bolt for hardened scales because it is better and I’ve played with this deck a couple times now.   The only thing  I would change about this deck now is wild born since early game when you are getting out creatures you might use all the mana and won’t be able to activate it’s ability.  It’s really great in mid to late game I think once I got 4 1/1 counters and another from hardened scales to end the game with it, but early game I don’t want to see it.


Revision 3

Added/removed cards:
-4 Lightning Bolt
+4 Hardened Scales

[Zareck]

Hola!

Gracias por el Deck!

Personalmente cambiaría algunas cosas...

Lightning Serpent, no funciona bien con Hardened Scales ni con yorvo, Lord of Garenbrig, porque no es contador +1/+1 ni criatura verde. Puedes plantear sustituirla por Experiment One, es del estilo a Pelt Collector, y funciona muy bien. También tienes Stonecoil Serpent que es muy buena carta y encaja de maravilla en el Deck, aunque no con yorvo, Lord of Garenbrig. Barkhide Troll, puede ser también buena opcion por el hexproof.

Me gusta mucho Domri's Ambush, pero si quieres mas removals, tienes cartas muy interesantes como Mutant's Prey que va muy bien en tu deck, despues tienes prey upon, Primal Might, etc... todas ellas ideales para destruir algunas criaturas del oponente. En turnos iniciales puedes usar Wildborn Preserver, que me encanta, como removal de criaturas gracias al flash.

Me decantaría por algun planeswalker, para contadores +1/+1 eligiria a Vivien, Arkbow Ranger, contadores y arrollar y por otro lado matar criaturas y planeswalkers... también encaja muy bien Nissa, Who Shakes the World, pones contadores en tierras, estas dan doble mana, y Wildborn Preserver puede crecer deprisa.

Para el sideboard... Heroic Intervention, fundamental para el sideboard para proteger tus permanentes. Puedes incluir Savage Summoning contra azul sobre todo. Contra azul y negro, Witchstalker funciona bien. Contra cementerios, Scavenging Ooze es perfecto.

Tienes cartas interesantes de siempre y muy famosas en modern y muy buenas, pero subirán el precio del Deck bastante, como son Predator Ooze, Walking Ballista y Mistcutter Hydra (con esta última, por ejemplo, puedes sustituir Hydra's Growth).

Un saludo y muchas gracias!