Cheerios + Emrakul = Spaghetti O's!

Greetings All! Stephen here, after starting a new job and all that jazz, I have updates for the Cheerios list that I will likely be piloting in Charlotte should I go. The joke of the title comes from the fact that I am building Food Chain in Legacy, using Emrakul as my main win con.

To get right to the point, while I loved the list that I played in States, moving forward I don't feel it to be the most optimal.  Even now, the list that I am having some degree of success with doesn't quite feel to be the most optimal, is actually EVEN MORE AGGRESSIVE, if that was possible.  Without further ado, the list. I will go over certain card choices afterwards.

Cheerios: By Stephen D

4 Kite Shield
4 Accorder's Shield
4 Bone Saw
4 Paradise Mantle
4 Spidersilk Net

4 Mox Opal
4 Retract
3 Noxious Revival

4 Myth Realized
4 Puresteel Paladin

1 Grapeshot

4 Serum Visions
2 Thoughtcast

2 Plains
1 Island
3 Hallowed Fountain
4 Flooded Strand
1 Polluted Delta
4 Seachrome Coast

Sideboard:
3 Angel's Grace
2 Gut Shot
3 Path to Exile
3 Leyline of Sanctity
1 Echoing Truth
3 Burrenton Forge Tender

First thing off the bat: no more Muddle the Mixture. I previously preached this card as the truth, and it is very good.  However, it does not pair well with the new addition of Myth Realized.  I do miss Muddle a bit here and there, but not having a spell that costs 3 mana all the time has been a blessing.  I have had a very tough time casting Mentor due to the cost of 3, and having essentially 5 Grapeshots now helps a good bit.  (a giant spell that goes to the dome)  Serum Visions has also been really good.  Being able to set up second equipment, find the retract, even protect a Paladin from Thoughtseize has been quite good.  Thoughtcast is something I tested this evening over Sleight of Hand, and I was thoroughly impressed.  At one point, I did pay 3 mana for it (haha, I know I cut the three drops) but it provides so much velocity that I'm willing to slot up 2 of them.

As far as gameplay, the strategy is still the same.  20 equipment is enough for game one, and you can shave some Bonesaws if you really need the space for game 2-3.  I wouldn't go below 18 equips at the lowest, but it's doable if you really really need it.  Myth attacks like its going out of style, and while I had some disagreements with the card at first, and sometimes still do, but some decks simply cannot stop a 6/6.  Like Twin. The worst matchup.  So, it has some merit.

Sideboard now has newcomer Forge Tender, which has been fantastic.  Path comes in to deal with things that Gut Shot can't, and Twin, lol.

Side note about the Tender.  This little Kithkin hero is obvious for the matchups that use Lightning Bolt to eat our dudes, but it is also our Golden Boy against Burn.  Choosing Eidolon and turning it off for a turn is great, but it also blocks very well too.  The biggest argument against this card I have heard is just to replace it with Kor Firewalker, and while that card is good, it simply doesn't perfom as well as our Kithkin Wizard.  Why?  Forge Tender protects Paladin, Firewalker doesn't.  Forge Tender stops Eidolon, Firewalker doesn't.  What she doesn't do is gain life, which is irrelevant against the Burn match.  They are either going to toast the Paladin, or burn us to death, and any intelligent human being that can read their cards will know that somebody is going to block with Firewalker, so they cast Skullcrack and kill the Firewalker.  This actually just causes us to lose the game outright.  I will take an additional one damage per spell and win the game, rather than pray my opponent doesn't know how "Protection from Red" and "Damage Cannot be Prevented" interact.  If you simply tell me not to block and take the lifegain, I'm going to frown at you because you can't cast Paladins anymore.  End of discussion. :)

I did play Modern this evening.  I toasted an infinite draw combo deck, Forge Tended my way through a deck that attacks for 20 on turn two (Mono Red Combo for the win... btw Firewalker would have lost me that match because it can't block two red monsters, or anything with Trample and Doublestrike, while things that big make fine choices to stop), and managed to show Abzan midrange that Myths are indeed being realized.  Forgoing match details, Thoughtcast was actually pretty good, Myth Realized does get quite large, Serum Visions is good, and holy moly Noxious Revival is the truth.  At no point did I 2-0 anyone, so these weren't clean sweeps, but the sideboard and mainboard are getting as close to optimal as possible I feel.  I'm going to keep testing new ideas prior to Charlotte to see if there are any other tricks that I can come up with, but so far, every sideboard card has a purpose, and every mainboard card has a purpose.

I'm sorry everybody for not bringing up new tech, ideas, or updates for a bit.  I just started a new job and have been pressed for time to keep up with everything going on around me.  I thank you all for simply taking the time to read the articles and talk about them to your friends and other Magic players.  If I don't post anything else prior to Charlotte, wish me luck guys.  :)

-Stephen D.