Blue Moon

Marland_Moore

The new Guilds of Ravanica has added new life to the Blue Moon deck. The spicy Ral, Izzet Viceroy and game finisher Niv-Mizzet, Parun are just what this deck needed to compete. I have been testing and tweaking this deck and it does well against PO and it is solid against Shops. I am have some trouble with Dredge since I cannot "steal" a game 1 and this puts a lot of pressure on game 2 which makes game 3 a coin flip. The Jeskai match ups are a little tense. If they can get an early Monastery Mentor on the board you are toast but they cannot answer the awesome power of Niv-Mizzet, Parun. Take a look and let me know what you think.

2 Lightning Bolt
1 Mox Ruby
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Dig Through Time
2 Red Elemental Blast
4 Force of Will
1 Merchant Scroll
3 Mental Misstep
1 Gush
1 Gitaxian Probe
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Ponder
4 Preordain
1 Treasure Cruise
1 Black Lotus
1 Strip Mine
1 Library of Alexandria
4 Volcanic Island
3 Polluted Delta
3 Flooded Strand
2 Dack Fayden
5 Island
1 Time Walk
1 Ral, Izzet Viceroy
2 Blood Moon
2 Snapcaster Mage
2 Mana Drain
1 Mindbreak Trap
2 Niv-Mizzet, Parun
2 Young Pyromancer
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

Side board
2 Grafdigger's Cage
4 Tormod's Crypt
2 Shattering Spree
3 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Energy Flux
2 Flusterstorm

GutoCmtt

Sorry for my intrusion, but I really can't understand lists when they are not ordered, I think that'd help a lot for people to understand the deck. Here's my sugestion:

CREATURES (6)

2 Snapcaster Mage
2 Niv-Mizzet, Parun
2 Young Pyromancer

OTHER SPELLS (5)

2 Blood Moon
1 Time Walk
2 Lightning Bolt

COUNTERSPELLS(12)

2 Mana Drain
1 Mindbreak Trap
2 Red Elemental Blast
4 Force of Will
3 Mental Misstep

DRAW ENGINE (12)

1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Dig Through Time
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Gush
1 Gitaxian Probe
1 Ponder
4 Preordain
1 Treasure Cruise

PWs (5)

2 Dack Fayden
1 Ral, Izzet Viceroy
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

MANA SOURCES (20)

1 Strip Mine
1 Library of Alexandria
4 Volcanic Island
3 Polluted Delta
3 Flooded Strand
5 Island
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Black Lotus

SIDEBOARD

2 Grafdigger's Cage
4 Tormod's Crypt
2 Shattering Spree
3 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Energy Flux
2 Flusterstorm

BTW: I think blood moon in vintage is hugely underrated. It's good against ALL the decks in the format (against some, it's insane). I've played against BM with survival and jeskai, and with both decks blood moon was a nightmare to face.

A huge threat like Niv-Mizzet (which to me sounds like a better version of sphinx) sounds pretty fun to play. I just don't think the manabase is well suited to play it. It's not only 4UU, but it's RRRUUU. And since you have only lotus and 2 moxen, I'm not sure it would come soon enough in most games.

Marland_Moore

@gutocmtt Thank you, I just exported it from MTGO and posted it.

You are correct about Niv-Mizzet. I need to invest in Scalding Tarns and add 1 or 2 mountains. I have been able to get him on the board in a reasonable amount of time if I fetch correctly up front. If he lands I win, and he is so hard to stop.

wfain

@moorebrother1 would you consider some number of Sudden Shock and/or Sulfur Elemental to help fight Mentor in both PO and Jeskai?

Marland_Moore

@wfain That's a great Idea. I guess I don't need 2 flusterstorm, maybe just one more Mindbreak trap.

Being honest the Niv-Mizzet destroys Mentor. I played against a PO that resolved a Mentor and I played Niv-Mizzet and wiped his board.

Marland_Moore

I have gone 4-1 twice in the league with this deck. Almost got a 5-0 but a super close game with Shop did not break my way. This deck is awesome and it plays very well in the meta-game for any big blue deck players out there. I like Ral but he is hard to get out on the board when it makes a difference.

Planewalkers
2 Dack Fayden
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

Draw
4 Preordain
1 Gush
1 Gitaxian Probe
1 Ponder
1 Treasure Cruise
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Dig Through Time
1 Merchant Scroll

Other
2 Blood Moon
2 Lightning Bolt
1 Time Walk

Counterspells
4 Force of Will
3 Mental Misstep
2 Mana Drain
2 Pyroblast
1 Mindbreak Trap

Creatures
2 Niv-Mizzet, Parun
2 Young Pyromancer
2 Snapcaster Mage

Mana
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
2 Scalding Tarn
1 Mountain
1 Strip Mine
1 Library of Alexandria
4 Volcanic Island
2 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
5 Island

SB
3 Grafdigger's Cage
4 Tormod's Crypt
3 Shattering Spree
2 Energy Flux
1 Sudden Shock
2 Flusterstorm

Stuart

I love that list @moorebrother1! But Ral’s gotta be easier to cast than Niv Mizzet, right?

Megustalabanana

@stuart of course is easier to cast.... 3ur vs rrruuu.... but i think the dragon is just way better than the planeswalker here... you want a bodie and the ability to ping any target is perfect. Him plus a dack or jace is gg imo.
The main issue with the dragon imo is thatt you will be tapping out and passing the turn giving your oppo a window to do w.e they want and proly win the game .... while ral can be casted via drain mana tap 2 lands free opt and pass, feels way safer ...

Marland_Moore

@stuart Ral is awesome but he is not nearly as good as Niv-Mizzet. He just does so much work and most control decks have to spend significant resources to get rid of him. The other decks do not really fear him aside from the 5/5 body but once I start casting spells he normally clears the board.

Marland_Moore

I have been messing around with a lower to the ground version. This version appears to do better against control and I think can be tweaked to be a better meta-game deck. The round 1 Dredge match is still horrible but the Jeskai, PO and Shops matches are better. The deck struggles against Oath. This could also be made into a non-powered deck.

Draw and filter
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Dig Through Time
1 Gush
1 Ponder
3 Preordain
1 Treasure Cruise
2 Dack Fayden

Other
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Gitaxian Probe
1 Time Walk
2 Blood Moon
3 Lightning Bolt
1 Null Rod

Creatures
2 Niv-Mizzet, Parun
3 Young Pyromancer
3 Snapcaster Mage

Counters
2 Flusterstorm
2 Pyroblast
4 Force of Will
4 Mental Misstep

Mana
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Black Lotus
1 Strip Mine
1 Library of Alexandria
4 Volcanic Island
2 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
5 Island
2 Scalding Tarn

Sideboard
3 Grafdigger's Cage
4 Tormod's Crypt
3 Shattering Spree
2 Sudden Shock
3 Hurkyl's Recall

Tittliewinks22

After eternal weekend this year I have to liquidate some cards and will likely move my pearl/jet/emerald. Keeping the rest so I can start brewing with you're template. Been having alot of fun jamming variants of this in testing.

msg67183

Have you ever considered Aether Flash for the Xerox, Shops and Dredge matchups? Card seems quite absurd. Obviously it doesnt work with Pyromancer very well but maybe just play a hard control deck that wins with Niv Mizzet?

Marland_Moore

@msg67183 That card costs 4 to play. Chandra is better. The deck does not work well in the meta right now. Adding Goblin Cratermaker to sideboard helps. Maybe 1 or 2 explosion//expansion.

Honestly, I was going to try Sarkan to just have some fun with the deck. The deck is losing to dredge and survival so I have kind of shelved it right now. It is on my list to come back to.

Macdeath

You need 2-3 null rods. Also, Ancient Tomb is really good in the deck. Niv Mizzet is kind of win more (you basically should already be winning if you get to resolve it). You really want to be focussing on completely disrupting your opponent's mana, controlling the game and "incidentally" win.
I was working on a list for the current meta as well, but more oriented towards the lock.

Maindeck

Manabase:
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
3 Ancient Tomb
1 Library of Alexandria
2 Volcanic Island
4 Scalding Tarn
7 Island

Lock:
3 Null Rod
3 Blood Moon

Control Package:
3 Lightning Bolt
4 Force of Will
4 Mental Misstep
2 Mana Drain
2 Pyroblast
1 Flusterstorm

Draw engine:
2 Snapcaster Mage
1 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Dig Through Time
3 Preordain
1 Ponder
1 Treasure Cruise
1 Time Walk

Threats:
3 Young Pyromancer
2 Dack Fayden
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

Sideboard
3 Tormod's Crypt
2 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Propaganda
1 Energy Flux
1 Arcane Laboratory
1 Flusterstorm
1 Subterranean Tremors
4 By Force

Tittliewinks22

Been having pretty good success with this brew.

// Deck: Blue Moon (60)

// Lands
3 Ancient Tomb
5 Island
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Mountain
4 Scalding Tarn
1 Tolarian Academy
2 Volcanic Island

// Creatures
2 Snapcaster Mage

// Instants
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Dig Through Time
4 Force of Will
1 Lightning Bolt
2 Mana Drain
2 Mental Misstep
1 Pyroblast
3 Spell Pierce
1 Sudden Shock

// Sorceries
1 Shenanigans
1 Time Walk
1 Treasure Cruise

// Enchantments
3 Blood Moon

// Artifacts
1 Black Lotus
1 Chalice of the Void
1 Liquimetal Coating
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring

// Planeswalkers
3 Dack Fayden
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
3 Karn, the Great Creator
2 Narset, Parter of Veils

// Sideboard
SB: 1 Engineered Explosives
SB: 1 Grafdigger's Cage
SB: 1 Liquimetal Coating
SB: 1 Mycosynth Lattice
SB: 3 Pyroblast
SB: 4 Ravenous Trap
SB: 1 Shattering Spree
SB: 1 Shenanigans
SB: 2 Tormod's Crypt

Zias

@tittliewinks22

Thanks for sharing your list. I've been trying to make a Blue Moon/Karn deck work recently, too.

Any thoughts on Magus of the Moon versus Blood Moon? I've preferred Magus recently given the proliferation of Force of Vigor. But Magus does get hit by creature hate in Xerox matchups etc.

Marland_Moore

@tittliewinks22 I’m curious on a few choices. Why no Arcanist? And why not more Lightning bolts?

I started to play with a list and I actually like 4 Narset, 4 Snapcaster, and 4 Bolts. To make this work I cut Dack. I’ll play a league and post back.

Tittliewinks22

@zias
Never thought of Magus, I'll give it a test run.

@moorebrother1
I had more bolts in, but it didn't feel good to me.
I'm not sure I would want that many snapcasters in a deck without cantrips.
As for dack, I see him as one of the prime reasons to play this deck, with liquimetal and all.