
Deck tech
Pioneer: Grixis Lurrus and Deckbuilding Process
In today's article, I present some deckbuilding process and card choices exercise through the lens of Grixis Lurrus, a list I came up the past week and managed to get some results with it.
By Humberto, 01/18/22, translated by Humberto - 0 comments
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A local Metagame's context
Izzet Phoenix
, as I consider it the most efficient archetype in the format, and because it fits a strategy that I am already widely used to piloting in all competitive formats: Tempo decks. However, with a week when most players were playing Izzet Phoenix, I expected players to try to take advantage of this to catch up with the archetype, with a significant increase in answers to the deck and possibly an increase in the number of Burn and Azorius Control. I don't tend to tweak with my decks that often for weekly tournaments, and I had an idea that the most sensible option would probably be to switch to a Jeskai version with Sunset Revelry, Wear // Tear and Monastery Mentor, or keep the Izzet version and increase the number of Aether Gust and Mystical Dispute and/or Negate and accept that there are matchups that I just can't beat.Ad
bored
with playing Phoenix and wanted to try something different that Ihad fun
playing with, or even not play that week just because I was bored. It's not like I lose a lot by not going to play, nor like I gain a lot by participating: I currently play Magic because I like to enjoy the games. But I would have to go to the store anyway: I was selling some cards and I would sell them to someone who would be there, the trip was inevitable, so at least I would enjoy my trip and play cards and enjoy my games and, if the idea was to just have fun, at least I should try something fun. Which brings us, ironically, to Modern. Honestly, I really like where Modern is currently. While the format is unrecognizable compared to the pre-Modern Horizons II era, it feels so “Legacy-lite” and so geared towards mana efficiency that the games are exciting to watch and play, and I miss having that touch with it on in-person events. It is common knowledge that my favorite Magic deck and the one that has given me the most good results over the years has been Death's Shadow, and I miss playing Death's Shadow, but the fact that the lists already starts with a Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer playset (and there is no viable replacement for this card, which is precisely the main reason for its current price tag) simply take me away from the archetype and the tabletop format, where there are no Loan Programs, as in Magic Online. Obviously, there's no Death's Shadow in Pioneer (and Scourge of the Skyclaves isn't nearly enough), and we also don't have super efficient creatures like Dragon's Rage Channeler, but I also have great admiration for the spell base of Modern's Tempo and Control decks, which commonly involves Thoughtseize, Expressive Iteration and low-cost removals/disruptions. So, why not try to take advantage of spells that have a power level worthy of Modern, coupled with cards that fit the Pioneer context? Now, we all know that homebrew decks are statistically more unlikely to get good results because they don't have the refinement of a huge community and collective mind working to improve the list as the format adapts, and I wouldn't recommend anyone if your goal is to win (I always say that if you want to win, there are three options: Play with the best deck, or play with the one that beats the best deck, or play with the archetype that has the best “free-win” engine), but there's no reason to want to play so focused on winning at a local store event where you've paid a symbolic entry fee. I don't think I would do the same in a bigger tournament like a Grand Prix or even a Challenge, as they require much more preparation and investment than a local tournament, but I chose toenjoy
playing Magic over instead ofcompete
, do my best and improve my game without having to always be worried about the best result. My relationship with the game is much healthier this way, and when/if major events return, it will be much better for me on a personal level if I'm there to improve my content and game experience and interact with the community than to pursue the dream of winning a huge tournament.Ad
The Decklist

Maindeck



too greedy
. You preferably want to have black mana on turn 1 for Thoughtseize, a blue mana on turn 2 for Thing in the Ice, and preferably blue and red mana on turn 3 without needing a third land drop to play Expressive Iteration, find black mana, and cast Fatal Push or Bloodchief's Thirst in the same turn. Because of this, the fact that we don't have Triomes in the Grixis colors (which I hope Streets of New Capenna can change), and because I didn't have Clearwater Pathway in the binder, I opted for a classic Manabase from the Innistrad-Ravnica Standard, where three-color decks were very common: Shocklands + Checklands, and supplemented with a set of Spirebluff Canal to increase the chances of having UR on turn 3 without the third land drop. The amount of each was based on the mana requirements of the first few turns, though I think I'd like a fourth Blood Crypt in place of a Checkland.Ad



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Sideboard
As can be seen, the Sideboard was built with an experimental purpose, with several one-ofs and trying to cover as many situations in the most diverse ways as possible, but with cards whose usefulness is not limited to just a few specific occasions, but can be used in several different games.



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Performance Analysis
Possible Additions

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complementary threat
to the ones already used in the deck, and I feel that archetypes like Rakdos Arcanist are better to use it.

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