Modern +1/+1 Counters

*clears cobwebs off blog*

*looks at the tumbleweed blowing past*

So, not many updates lately.  Eh, what are you going to do?

I can only post something really when I have a new idea or actually have a report...the latter unfortunately doesn't happen that often anymore.

There's an idea I've been kicking around for a long time.  Oona's Blackguard was always a staple of the standard rogue deck, but didn't see much traction after that.  Since I've been messing around with modern shamans, I wondered what could be done with the Blackguard.  A 1/1 for 2 is pretty low-impact in modern and having other rogues come into play with a counter is that great.  But what about the creatures you already have in play becoming specters? (i.e. opponent has to discard a card with damage)

My first thought was Rakdos Cackler into Blackguard.  Cool, a 2/2 for one mana that makes your opponent discard a card.  Not bad.  Other than that, the shell was nonexistent.  I mean, Arcbound Worker?  What else could there be?  So:

Jund Counters

4 Bloodhall Ooze
4 Scab-Clan Mauler
4 Stromkirk Noble
4 Stormblood Berserker
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Oona's Blackguard
4 Skarrgan Pit-skulk
4 War-Name Aspirant
4 Hardened Scales
4 Inspiring Call
20 Lands

This is one of the weirder decks I've come up with.  The list is kind of rough right now, there's thing I'm trying out that I'm not sure on.  I write "20 lands" because the manabase I have on mtgo is just awful and it's too embarrassing to be written down.

The deck is straightforward.  You have a bunch of cheap creatures that come into play with +1/+1 counters and get boosted by Hardened Scales and Oona's Blackguard.  Usually, the Blackguard dies before any of my team connects, but I once got an opponent to discard two cards and he then put two Wilt-Leaf Lieges in play.  =/ =/ =/ cool.

Inspiring Call is just insane in this deck.  It usually reads "draw three cards, creatures you control are indestructible until end of turn."  If this had an actual boost effect, I would say that this deck could be viable.  (There's a white card that does the boost effect, but it costs 4)

There are some other things I'd like to try out - Solidarity of Heroes seemed crazy until I read that you had to pay for additional targets.  Servant of the Scales / Gore-House Chainwalker / and Experiment One are always possible inclusions.  Strangleroot Geist is another possibility, but that would require some adjustments of the manabase.

Are you interested in writing for us?  Any tournament reports or crazy brews you'd like to share with the world?  Let us know!