I'm not so sure Bloodbraid is good here, the cascade a bit too unpredictable, imo. Using your current list:Things you want to hit: Stone Rain, Molten Rain, Blood Moon (only if you don't already have one). That's 10 good targets. Things that ate OK to hit: Utopia Sprawl, Abrade, Tireless Tracker, Courser of Kruphix. That's 11 mediocre targets. Things you don't want to hit: Arbor Elf, Birds of Paradise. 6 bad targets. While a decent number of good and halfway good targets, hitting those mana dorks is going to suck. And if you don't play your free card, you've just paid 4 for a 3/2 haster that moved a decent chunk of your deck to the bottom of the library. And you have to skew your spells to fit the card, making the two best Ponza board wipes almost non playable. The up side is obviously good, but is it worth it if you can hit so many not-so-great cards?The problem with Ponza, despite the versatility of card choices, is that cards that are excellent in other decks are not always good for us.
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Swords isn't Modern legal
Moon mainboard is the main turn 2 card in most Ponza decks. I run 7 dedicated LD cards + 4 Moon + 2 Beast Within mainboard (+ 3 Goblin Dark-Dwellers) and only 2 Crumble to Dust sideboard vs Tron. Moon is the main lock with LD just being a delaying tactic while building up your threats / win. As for Trinisphere, unfortunately I haven't got any yet, so I haven't got experience with them, but I have seen that on average it is run as 3 of across the 75, often with 1 main and 2 side, the split I'd start with while testing them.
Vigor fills a similar role.
Looking at it again, it looks like an attempt to "fix" Blood Moon, but creating another potentially problematic card (especially with the bounce lands) just in the opposite direction. Both Moon and Sun warp your mana base for you to take advantage of it. For example, Ponza runs about 8-10 Basic Forest, depending on the variation, with 8 fetches and 3 duals, minimizing the down side of Moon. Sun on the other hand would make you including lanfs with the ability to produce at least 1 mana, ie little to no utility lands. Doesn't change its spot on my land hate list, but does raise its usability (I now want to abuse those bounce lands).Interestingly enough, most strategies that would abuse Sun are shut down by Moon.
If you go the land animate route, Sylvan Advocate is another good card. Additionally, Skarrg Guildmage and Koth of the Hammer can also animate lands repeatedly.
Here's a primer I used when starting to play Ponza. It's updated regularly and the people commenting on it speak (mostly) from experience.http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/developing-competitive-modern/220790-rg-ponza-modern-land-destructionMy favourite part about Ponza is how many flexible slots the deck has. Beyond the core pieces (Moons, LD, Ramp, etc), you can customize it to fit your playstyle and playgroup.
Goblin Dark-Dwellers can help get extra value out of your spells, plus it's a sizable beat stick with Menace.
Proof that the "fixed" Blood Moon isn't helping all that much. Also why I rate Blood Sun lower than Magus of the Moon on the mana land hate scale.
Ghost Quarter also combo's well with Crucible. Ramunap Excavator is a backup Crucible, and is also another Gift target.
Other than equipping it, there's no mana cost. Use Marrow-Gnawer's tap ability to sacrifice a rat to get two rat tokens, and because a creature died (your own rat), the staff untaps Marrow-Gnawer. The untap trigger is a second ability that the staff grants.
Thornbite Staff + Marrow-Gnawer + any other Rat = infinite Rat tokens :P
Two words: Sprout Swarm
Archangel of Thune + Spike Feeder = Infinite life gain and life gain triggers.Behemoth Sledge is a little more resilient to removal in game 1 than Unflinching Courage.Chalice of Life / Chalice of Death is an excellent win condition.Scavenging Ooze is another great sideboard card vs graveyard strategies. Also can gain you life, triggering Ajani's Pridemate and Archangel of Thune.
The curve plus Devoted Druid, which can be fetched with Commune with the Gods, can add mana too. I had 23 lands before, but went down to 21 after much playtesting to include more combo pieces to support the Sprout Swarm sub combo.Evolving Wilds actually lessens the lands hit when casting Commune with the Gods. This may sound trivial, but even the smallest % increased chance of drawing combo pieces goes a long way.
Again, those feel more as sideboard options. Not everyone has that much removal in game 1, especially with the slower Sprout Swarm "combo" in the main deck.
Maybe as a Sideboard option to close some games quicker as the production is fast enough to not warrant such an effect in the main deck. Plus Sigil of the Nayan Gods can make a creature HUGE, if not used as part of the Devoted Druid combo.
It's a feature that is there to use, I wish more people would use it. Not everyone automatically understands or has the game knowledge to work out what a deck is trying to do. I could rant on, but I'll stop here.
Haven't had many games, what with the holidays and all. Will let you know once I've had a few games with her.
I'm glad you have a list you're happy with. Good luck at the Grand Prixi recently bought From the Vault: Transformed, so I finally have my own Huntmaster and Arlinn to test with :)
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