MD deck cards to improve swans matchup (Jund Ramp)

Eldar · Joined: 27 Nov 2006 Posts: 416 Location: Rochester

Wickerbough Elder is probably your best answer maindeck even as a 1 of.

Also saying thought hemorage is bad in other matchups is a load of crap. That is the same as saying that cranial extraction was bad in kami constructed. Just because you can't splash it in any deck doesn't make it worse in the ones that already play those colors.

You essentially have a few options:
1) Play 1 Elder main deck to tutor for with primal which is fine in a lot of matchups since they will almost always have a target for it.

2) Board more thought hemorage and just try to mull into it.

3) Board better cards for this matchup such as pithing needle/thoughtseize. Swans has a hard time boarding against needle seeing as it can come from any deck and they probably won't board against it in game 2 since they won't have seen it game 1.

4) Board worse cards for this matchup such as naturalize.

5) Accept it as a bad matchup and plan to lose to it if you face it and board for other matchups.

6) Come up with more innovative ways to capitalize on cards that are already main deck by adding cards that are slightly worse that others in your deck that can/can't be tutored for with primal. (Ex. Hag Hedge Mage to bring back pulse). The problem with this is that you will have to run more basics than before and this would effect your main deck. You may be able to get around this by adding cards like rampant growth.

If you have any questions in the future feel free to ask.

Vedrfolner · Joined: 04 Apr 2006 Posts: 2147

If they start, drop a Seismic Assault turn 3, then Swans turn 4, Thought Hemorrhage won't help unless you have acceleration.

You need to have 3cc or less answers to Seismic Assault in hand in order to stop them for sure.

Counterspells helps.

Pithing Needle helps. It won't stop them forever, but it can buy you time.

Discard helps, both targeted (like Thoughtseize which removes one of very few non-land cards in their hand before they get to play it, thus slowing them down), and non-targeted.

varno345 · Joined: 14 Feb 2007 Posts: 116

4 thought hem, 3 pithing needle, and 4 anathemancer are the only cards in those colors that will improve the swans combo matchup.

DoomBring3r · Joined: 30 Apr 2009 Posts: 436

I kinda like Fulminator Mage.

It slows them down, kills their manlands aswell.

Dunno, everyone already pointed out Thought Hemorrage and i couldn't agree more.

What i don't agree with is: you shouldn't play mana ramp decks, because they're not really good right now i believe...

SugarShark · Joined: 22 Mar 2009 Posts: 457

I'm liking maindeck pithing needle more and more

Panimu · Joined: 04 Oct 2006 Posts: 43

I can't believe multiple people have advocated ld vs a 40 land dec ..

DoomBring3r · Joined: 30 Apr 2009 Posts: 436

Vedrfolner · Joined: 04 Apr 2006 Posts: 2147

flames2002 · Joined: 10 Jun 2009 Posts: 2

what about puncture blasts, it puts 3 -1/-1 counters on them so its effective kill for swans and burn is nice in general and if ur not facing a swans deck, it shrinks those chameleon's that everyone seem to be running to 1/1's and hitting the dome for extra reach helps win sometimes.

Vedrfolner · Joined: 04 Apr 2006 Posts: 2147

Madstrike · Joined: 21 May 2008 Posts: 60

Maindeck material, there is just no better answer than 4 maelstron pulse, if u decide to use somethingelse ur gonna hurst your other game 1 match ups. The pulses are good against almost everything in todays meta.

Also if u manage to stall(Im not sure how you will do that) the game and then start gaining life with finks and commands then u might be out of his combo reach, forcing him to primal command his graveyard. In that case jund charms will steal the game for you.