Hello, and welcome back to another episode of The Brainstorm Show! In this episode we chop through all of the hot takes about the post-Deathrite format, and distill down a list of the big winners, the bad losers, and everything in between. PLUS, we unveil two patented Brainstorm Show lists: Grixis Faeries and Grixis Control. Check them out below:
The Brainstorm Show’s Grixis Faeries:
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Bitterblossom
4 Spellstutter Sprite
1 Vendilion Clique
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Daze
4 Force of Will
4 Stifle
3 Spell Pierce
1 Spell Snare
4 Lightning Bolt
1 Fatal Push
3 Underground Sea
3 Volcanic Island
4 Flooded Strand
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Wasteland
SB
1 Flusterstorm
3 Surgical Extraction
2 Thoughtseize
1 Umezawa’s Jitte
1 Gurmag Angler
3 Rough//Tumble
2 Diabolic Edict
1 Abrade
2 Pyroblast
The Brainstorm Show’s Post-Ban Grixis Control:
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
2 Thoughtseize
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Spell Pierce
1 Counterspell
4 Force of Will
2 Lightning Bolt
2 Fatal Push
1 Diabolic Edict
3 Kolaghan’s Command
1 Blood Moon
2 Bitterblossom
4 Baleful Strix
3 Snapcaster Mage
2 Gurmag Angler
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
3 Island
2 Swamp
1 Mountain
4 Polluted Delta
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Bloodstained Mire
1 Underground Sea
1 Volcanic Island
1 Badlands
SB:
2 Blood Moon
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Flusterstorm
2 Spell Snare
1 Pyroblast
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Engineered Plague
1 Painful Truths
1 Vendilion Clique
Sideboard Mapping for Grixis Control:
RUG Delver
+2 Blood Moon
+1 Pyroblast
+1 Red Elemental Blast
+1 Flusterstorm
+1 Engineered Explosives
-2 Thoughtseize
-1 Counterspell
-2 Bitterblossom
-1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
BUG Delver
+2 Blood Moon
+2 Spell Snare
+1 Toxic Deluge
+1 Vendilion Clique
-2 Thoughtseize
-4 Force of Will
Miracles
+2 Spell Snare
+1 Pyroblast
+1 Red Elemental Blast
+1 Flusterstorm
+1 Hymn to Tourach
+1 Painful Truths
+1 Vendilion Clique
-1 Blood Moon
-2 Fatal Push
-1 Diabolic Edict
-4 Baleful Strix
UWx Stoneblade
+2 Spell Snare
+1 Pyroblast
+1 Red Elemental
+1 Hymn to Tourach
+1 Painful Truths
+1 V Clique
+1 Toxic Deluge
+1 Engineered Plague
-4 Baleful Strix
-1 Blood Moon
-2 Fatal Push
-2 Gurmag Angler
Grixis Control
+2 Spell Snare
+1 Flusterstorm
+1 Pyroblast
+1 Red Elemental
+1 Hymn to Tourach
+1 Painful Truths
+1 Vendilion Clique
-2 Fatal Push
-1 Diabolic Edict
-1 Blood Moon
-4 Force of Will
If they play TNN:
+1 Toxic Deluge
+1 Engineered Plague
-2 Lightning Bolt
D+T
+2 Spell Snare
+1 Toxic Deluge
+1 Engineered Explosives
+1 Engineered Plague
+1 Painful Truths
+1 Vendilion Clique
-2 Spell Pierce
-4 Force of Will
-1 Blood Moon
Elves
+1 Toxic Deluge
+1 Engineered Explosives
+1 Engineered Plague
+1 Vendilion Clique
+1 Flusterstorm
+1 Painful Truths
-1 Blood Moon
-1 Diabolic Edict
-4 Baleful Strix
Lands
+2 Blood Moon
+2 Surgical Extraction
+1 Flusterstorm
+1 Engineered Explosives
+1 Vendilion Clique
-1 Lightning Bolt
-2 Fatal Push
-4 Baleful Strix
4c Loam
+2 Blood Moon
+2 Spell Snare
+1 Engineered Explosives
+1 Painful Truths
+1 Toxic Deluge
-2 Inquisition of Kozilek
-2 Thoughtseize
-2 Lightning Bolt
-1 Counterspell
ANT
+2 Surgical Extraction
+2 Spell Snare
+1 Flusterstorm
+1 Hymn to Tourach
+1 Pyroblast
+1 Red Elemental Blast
+1 V Clique
+1 Painful Truths
-4 Baleful Strix
-1 Blood Moon
-2 Lightning Bolt
-2 Fatal Push
-1 Diabolic Edict
TES
+2 Spell Snare
+1 Hymn to Tourach
+1 Pyroblast
+1 Red Elemental Blast
+1 Flusterstorm
+1 V Clique
+1 Painful Truths
+1 Engineered Explosives
+1 Toxic Deluge
+1 Engineered Plague
-4 Baleful Strix
-1 Blood Moon
-2 Lightning Bolt
-2 Fatal Push
-1 Diabolic Edict
-1 Kolaghan’s Command
Sneak and Show
+1 Hymn to Tourach
+1 Pyroblast
+1 Red Elemental Blast
+1 Flusterstorm
+1 V Clique
+1 Painful Truths
-1 Blood Moon
-2 Bitterblossom
-2 Fatal Push
-1 Kolaghan’s Command
UB Reanimator
+2 Surgical Extraction
+2 Spell Snare
+1 Pyroblast
+1 Red Elemental Blast
+1 Flusterstorm
+1 V Clique
-1 Blood Moon
-2 Lightning Bolt
-2 Fatal Push
-3 K Command
RB Reanimator
+2 Surgical Extraction
+2 Spell Snare
+1 Flusterstorm
+1 V Clique
+1 Painful Truths
+1 Toxic Deluge
-1 Blood Moon
-2 Lightning Bolt
-2 Fatal Push
-3 K Command
Eldrazi
+2 Blood Moon
+2 Spell Snare
+1 Engineered Explosives
+1 Toxic Deluge
-2 Bitterblossom
-2 Lightning Bolt
-2 Inquisition of Kozilek
Mono Red Stompy
+1 Engineered Explosives
+1 Toxic Deluge
+1 V Clique
+2 Spell Snare
-1 Blood Moon
-4 Baleful Strix
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I really like your analysis of the Probe. I would add two aspects which I find relevant: mulligans and Snapcaster Mage.
As regards mulligans, Probe makes the decision harder. E.g. if your opening hand consists of five lands (one or more fetchlands), Brainstorm and another relevant non-land card, it is often a keep. However, if you have Probe in such OH instead of a Brainstorm, the decision is much harder and you most likely have to mulligan. So, Probe makes borderline hands much worse than a “functioning” card. This means more mulligans and thus lower chances of winning a game.
Another aspect of why blue control decks do not like Probe might also be Snapcaster Mage. You want to have as many cards that have a “known” impact on the game (e.g. removal, top of library manipulation cards like brainstorm and ponder, also countermagic etc.) in your graveyard instead of a probe in order to make Snapcasters as effective as possible. Higher density of those cards instead of a Probe in those decks helps achieve that imo.