Hi everyone! I know I have been away for a while and it was end of this past semester is what kept me away. Suffice it to say that I made it through unscathed and learned a lot about many things. Now I am back and ready to post regularly again. There has been a lot happening in the MTG world since my last post! Rules changes, bannings (both cards and people), big tournaments, metagame changes...that's a lot to talk about! I will likely tackle most of these topics in one way or another in the coming weeks.
As for today, I would like to start with the newest bannings in Modern. Now I believe that 1/2 of these bannings were correct. Putting a fork in Punishing Fire was the right call. That combo seriously was stifling the format. Infinite 2 damage removal makes decks like Merfolk mostly unplayable. I support the banning of Punishing Fire, though I wish they had banned Grove of the Burnwillows instead...Punishing Fires is a nice weapon for mono-red decks against something like Batterskull.
Now, as far as the other card banned on Dec. 20th... What a sad strange world we have fallen into where a green creature that does nothing but turn sideways gets banned. Banning Wild Nacatl was completely pointless. Every other banning I have seen has been to ban the problem cards of a deck. This usually means banning cards which are part of a combo or ones which warp a format. In the past I have been understanding, and mostly happy, about the decisions that WotC makes when banning cards.
When they banned Survival of the Fittest, I understood, as Gerry Thompson once wrote: "The best aggro deck in legacy is G/W Survival, the best combo deck is G/B Survival, and the best control deck is G/U survival..." When they banned Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Stoneforge Mystic, I understood. Those cards WERE that standard format, there was no point in playing anything else. When they banned the first set of cards in Modern, I understood. WotC have a set vision for what Modern should be and they intent to actively shape the format until it is the best version of what they want.
Now, the argument that most made when calling for Nacatls head was that it was "oppressive" and was in fact warping the format. I have a few issues with that, five to be exact. So, now, I give you the Top 5 Reasons Banning Wild Nacatl was Pointless:
1) "Young format" is an understatement.
This format has exactly TWO high profile tournaments under it's belt. This isn't even close to enough time for us to know what this format really is. Zoo is straightforward to pilot and relatively easy to build. These facts are going to make it a solid fallback and an easy starting point for anyone getting into the format. We need a few weeks of PTQ season at least before we what is and is not warping a format. Not only does the deck have to be present as large percentages of the field, but it needs to have enough success to make people build their decks differently to combat it. It's pretty easy to hate on creature decks, and there are enough elitist blue mages out there to make a deck that can't lose to Zoo but retain a good matchup against the rest of the field.
2) Removal makes the deck.
If you know how Zoo operates, then you know that Nacatl is just a cog in the efficiency machine that is a 4-6 turn clock. What makes that deck so consistent is the best removal package in the format. The deck has answers to your blockers to keep pushing through creature damage and those answers double as instant speed finishers. So, now the deck changes Nacatl out for a near-identical creature with one less power and keeps the rest of the deck in tact. Changing one power on one 4 of in the deck doesn't seem like a change with enough impact to fix this "problem."
3) It dies to removal (all of it!)
Lightning Bolt and Lightning Helix are dead as removal spells against most of the potential decks in the field. But, as it turns out Nacatl will ALWAYS die to either of these spells. You don't even have to blow a Path to Exile or a Dismember...
4) The deck's other threats dodge all but the best removal.
To follow that point, the other threats in the deck require that premium removal (mostly just Path) to deal with. Dismember even becomes dead against this deck in the late game. So, without touching the harder to deal with threats, what kind of impact is this banning really going to have on Zoo?
5) Shorter clock against combo
Finally, when you remove an early game piece from one of the most consistent decks in the format, all you are doing is opening up the field to more combo. The combo decks in this format can and will go off on turns 3 or 4 (depending on the deck) with the right hand. Without the early pressure you get from something like Nacatl these decks can take their sweet time setting their hand up. This is the one matchup where that one power difference between Nacatl and Loam Lion can make a big difference. This is especially true against a deck like Splinter Twin, where you can make them waste resources to try and go off as quickly as possible.
These are the biggest reasons why the banning of Wild Nacatl was completely pointless. I don't think this banning helped the format in the very least. The banning of Punishing Fire helped, especially since Zoo could run that combo easily. I believe we should have let the format play out without Punishing Fire before bringing on any other bans.
I am interested to see what WotC bans next. I like the idea of actively shaping the format, but this most recent duo feels like they were pandering to the complaining blue mages a bit too much. Am I a bit biased? Green and white are where my loyalties lie, so yea, probably. But should we be banning cards in a relatively untested format just because a bunch of pros complain about them? Probably not. If I had to guess the next 2 cards to get the axe, I would say Bloodbraid Elf and Splinter Twin. These will be the 2 most complained about cards in the format this season. And if this banning is any indication, complaining gets cards banned in this format.
Until next time, Dear Readers, you can find me on twitter (@CapnTopDeck) or just reply here. I appreciate any and all constructive feedback! Make sure to let me know what I can do better or what you would like to see. Also, be sure to check our our local podcast for all your MTG pop-culture needs! We are Planeswalker Asylum over on Couch Pirate Radio.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
The joys of an Un-Cracked Standard
Greetings Dear Readers! You are the beneficiaries of my need to fill the time until Skyrim releases in 10 hours. That game is going to consume my life and provide a bit of a break from Magic. But you didn't come here to read about my Dragon-Slaying Warrior-Mage Werewolf, you came to read about collectible cardboard pieces. So, as long as we are here I might as well talk about the Standard metagame and a "new" brew to beat it.
I don't mean to brag (that's a lie) but I was on the cutting edge of G/W technology a couple of weeks ago. Juza won a GP and I came up just short in KC with similar decks (mine being built for single threats rather than tokens). Since then G/W has taken over our local metagame at Wizards Asylum in Norman and I believe it is the best deck in Standard if tuned properly.
The archetype has come up short at recent SCG Opens but I believe that is due to incorrect tuning. Juza's build was designed to beat U/W Humans (which it does, VERY well) but it has little game against U/B control. That problem is rectified by one card, Thrun, the Last Troll. The card is very powerful in any matchup, I have no idea why he hasn't been picked up in the main by people playing G/W. He give you an early and unstoppable beater against control while also providing insurance against Day of Judgment. Bottom line: if you are playing green, play Thrun...in the main.
So, what else is happening with this meta? Everyone remembered Mirran Crusader was a card and Wolf Run died. The only viable version of the ramp deck now is Wolf Run Robots, which folds in half to board wipes and counter spells. For the record, I really like the Robots build, it looks fun! The other previous champion, U/B control, had some success this weekend. I believe his success was due to good match ups and a lack of Dungrove Elders in the field. The build that took down SCG Vegas is completely underwhelming. It didn't have enough threats or enough counter spells. I seriously have no idea how he won that tournament.
What about new and fringe decks? One of the break-out decks of the weekend was U/W Illusions. The deck looks cool and different, it's just early beatdown and counter magic. But let's get one thing straight: this deck is not Fish. The counterspells are not free which means you can either tap out early and get beat by better 2 and 3 drops or leave mana up early and play incredibly mediocre cards late. This deck does not do what you want it to do...don't kid yourself. Oh yea, and guess what every G/W deck is playing now: That's right, Mortarpod. Do you have any idea how hard Mortarpod and Garruk Relentless wreck Illusions? Hint: pretty damn hard.
Another new archetype is R/B Counter-Burn. I can see the merits of this deck, and I think Snapcaster Mage is at his best in these lists. I can also see a LOT of awkward hands full of the wrong answer at the wrong time. This deck loses hard to Thrun and any amount of life gain. Wow, I didn't realize that this article was just going to be about how ever other deck loses to G/W, but if the shoe fits... These lists do have red in them though, and that color is your best answer to the Crusader.
Bringing up the rear are Mono Red, U/W Humans, Mono Black Infect, Birthing Pod (any flavor), and the new U/W Blade decks. These all have their own strengths and weaknesses but are either too linear, too slow, or have too few answers. Decks in the current metagame need diverse answers, a fast and reliable clock, or overwhelmingly powerful cards on a curve. These decks simply don't offer any or enough of those traits to truly compete.
At the beginning of the post I said something about a "new" brew. That brew is one that Brian Kibler will adore. It is basically just adding red to the G/W shell to help break the mirror.
The biggest concern I have for this list is the mana base. It seems stable enough, but a few test hands I have seen a bit of wonkiness. One thing that I would love to add is Gavony Township, but I am not sure the 3 color mana base can handle more than 1 or 2 colorless lands. Either way, I think this deck has an edge on a lot of the field. If Juza's G/W build is running the show in your meta I suggest this deck as an answer. If your meta is still Wolf Run, Solar Flare, and U/B then just add 3 Thruns to the main deck of Juza's build and roflstomp your way to some packs.
As always I am looking for feedback! If you think I could have done something better, or would like me to talk about something specific please leave me a comment. You can also get my attention via twitter (@CapnTopDeck). And be sure to check out Planeswalker Asylum (on couchpirates.com), our podcast of rising stars in the Southwest. Thanks for reading!
"When your pack 1, pick 1 is Bloodline Keeper the deck pretty much builds itself..."
I don't mean to brag (that's a lie) but I was on the cutting edge of G/W technology a couple of weeks ago. Juza won a GP and I came up just short in KC with similar decks (mine being built for single threats rather than tokens). Since then G/W has taken over our local metagame at Wizards Asylum in Norman and I believe it is the best deck in Standard if tuned properly.
The archetype has come up short at recent SCG Opens but I believe that is due to incorrect tuning. Juza's build was designed to beat U/W Humans (which it does, VERY well) but it has little game against U/B control. That problem is rectified by one card, Thrun, the Last Troll. The card is very powerful in any matchup, I have no idea why he hasn't been picked up in the main by people playing G/W. He give you an early and unstoppable beater against control while also providing insurance against Day of Judgment. Bottom line: if you are playing green, play Thrun...in the main.
So, what else is happening with this meta? Everyone remembered Mirran Crusader was a card and Wolf Run died. The only viable version of the ramp deck now is Wolf Run Robots, which folds in half to board wipes and counter spells. For the record, I really like the Robots build, it looks fun! The other previous champion, U/B control, had some success this weekend. I believe his success was due to good match ups and a lack of Dungrove Elders in the field. The build that took down SCG Vegas is completely underwhelming. It didn't have enough threats or enough counter spells. I seriously have no idea how he won that tournament.
What about new and fringe decks? One of the break-out decks of the weekend was U/W Illusions. The deck looks cool and different, it's just early beatdown and counter magic. But let's get one thing straight: this deck is not Fish. The counterspells are not free which means you can either tap out early and get beat by better 2 and 3 drops or leave mana up early and play incredibly mediocre cards late. This deck does not do what you want it to do...don't kid yourself. Oh yea, and guess what every G/W deck is playing now: That's right, Mortarpod. Do you have any idea how hard Mortarpod and Garruk Relentless wreck Illusions? Hint: pretty damn hard.
Another new archetype is R/B Counter-Burn. I can see the merits of this deck, and I think Snapcaster Mage is at his best in these lists. I can also see a LOT of awkward hands full of the wrong answer at the wrong time. This deck loses hard to Thrun and any amount of life gain. Wow, I didn't realize that this article was just going to be about how ever other deck loses to G/W, but if the shoe fits... These lists do have red in them though, and that color is your best answer to the Crusader.
Bringing up the rear are Mono Red, U/W Humans, Mono Black Infect, Birthing Pod (any flavor), and the new U/W Blade decks. These all have their own strengths and weaknesses but are either too linear, too slow, or have too few answers. Decks in the current metagame need diverse answers, a fast and reliable clock, or overwhelmingly powerful cards on a curve. These decks simply don't offer any or enough of those traits to truly compete.
At the beginning of the post I said something about a "new" brew. That brew is one that Brian Kibler will adore. It is basically just adding red to the G/W shell to help break the mirror.
Artifacts
Creatures
Land
3 Plains
4 Mountain
4 Forest
Planeswalkers
Spells
Sideboard
The biggest concern I have for this list is the mana base. It seems stable enough, but a few test hands I have seen a bit of wonkiness. One thing that I would love to add is Gavony Township, but I am not sure the 3 color mana base can handle more than 1 or 2 colorless lands. Either way, I think this deck has an edge on a lot of the field. If Juza's G/W build is running the show in your meta I suggest this deck as an answer. If your meta is still Wolf Run, Solar Flare, and U/B then just add 3 Thruns to the main deck of Juza's build and roflstomp your way to some packs.
As always I am looking for feedback! If you think I could have done something better, or would like me to talk about something specific please leave me a comment. You can also get my attention via twitter (@CapnTopDeck). And be sure to check out Planeswalker Asylum (on couchpirates.com), our podcast of rising stars in the Southwest. Thanks for reading!
"When your pack 1, pick 1 is Bloodline Keeper the deck pretty much builds itself..."
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Tournamant Report #1: 11th at SCGKC Sandard Open
Hello, Dear Reader, and welcome to my first tournament report. These things can be pretty bland when done poorly, so I am going to take a slightly different approach. I don’t want to focus on the wins/losses and plays alone. Instead I want to use the plays to tell you when the deck performed well or poorly and how it did so. This deck was a bit of a brew, so I had a few ideas of how it should play out in my head, but I was also pleasantly surprised by how some cards worked in different match ups during the day. My 11th place finish in Standard came on the back of a literal last-second audible.
I played Wolf Run Green the night before at FNM and won, but the deck choice still wasn’t sitting right with me. I had mentioned to my follow Okies how I wished I had been able to test a G/W Destiny list, since I knew it was poised to demolish the expected meta. Most of my friends told me now to audible (which is sound advice…I already knew how to play Wolf Run) and I stuck with it and filled out my deck registration with 18 forests. With 30 minutes before the player meeting I heard Ari Lax talking about Mirran Crusader at the next table. Between that chatter and my friend Kyle telling me to simply play the most fun deck I grabbed a new registration sheet and started scouring everyone’s binders for the rares I needed.
I built the deck loosely off the list posted by Valeriy Shunkov in this SCG article last week. I loved the idea of main deck Crusaders and Thruns but I felt that his list was off by a few cards. After playing Wolf Run I knew exactly how powerful Sword of Feast and Famine and Garruk Relentless were, so I knew that I wanted to draw those cards almost every game. So, with no testing and 30 minutes worth of thought, here is the 75 that I sleeved up in Kansas City last weekend:
Maindeck:
Artifacts
2 Mortarpod
3 Sword of Feast and Famine
Creatures
3 Avacyn's Pilgrim
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Hero of Bladehold
2 Jade Mage
4 Mirran Crusader
Legendary Creatures
3 Thrun, the Last Troll
Enchantments
3 Angelic Destiny
3 Oblivion Ring
Planeswalkers
3 Garruk Relentless
2 Garruk, Primal Hunter
Basic Lands
9 Forest
4 Plains
Lands
3 Gavony Township
4 Razorverge Thicket
4 Sunpetal Grove
Sideboard:
2 Sword of War and Peace
2 Spellskite
3 Leonin Arbiter
3 Celestial Purge
2 Naturalize
3 Timely Reinforcements
As you can see this wasn’t really a Township Tokens list, as SCG was kind enough to label it. This thing brought the beats and it did so in a way that Wolf Run and U/B couldn’t interact with. I figured my control match-up was pretty good, but I really built this to slaughter Wolf Run. Unfortunately for me I only got to play that match once (in the last round). Enough jibber-jabber, how did the deck actually perform? Read on my friends:
Round 1: Eddie with G/B Pod
I have 4 main deck Crusaders that I can play on turn 2…this was not a close match. I hooked the Knight up with Angelic Destiny both games. He Slimed the enchantment away in game 2, but he was at 4 with only green and black blockers…
Pod is the only match up where Leonin Arbiter is actually desirable off the board. I didn’t even board that card in against ramp…I just didn’t need it. This board slot is the first change I wanted to make to the deck.
Record: 1-0 (2-0)
Round 2: Eddie #2 with U/W Control
Game 1 was where I discovered just how insane Garruk Relentless is. I snuck Garruk in after baiting a counter with Hero of Bladehold and proceeded to make a wolf every turn until the game ended. His life total after Garruk landed: 15, 11, 7, dead. Having a steady stream of creatures is super-important vs Day of Judgment decks. Especially since our creatures can get big with enchantments, Township, and swords.
Game 2 I boarded in the Swords and not much else. He countered my first 4 threats on consecutive turns (2-Crusader, 3-Garruk, 4-Destiny on my Birds, 5-Hero). I then landed a Sword of War and Peace and made him Day away single threats until I drew a Thrun.
This match made me realize that Garruk Relentless might just be the best card in the deck. I feel like his ability to make sword-carriers for free every turn is vastly underrated. Is he as good as Primal Hunter? Probably not. But he comes down a turn before his beefier version, which can lock your opponents out a win condition in certain matches. He also kills mana-dorks in those same matches. He is a house against both green and blue decks right now, which makes him one of the best cards you can be playing in the current meta.
Record: 2-0 (4-0)
Round 3: Jerrod with U/B Control
Game 1 I am on the play and have to mulligan away a do-nothing hand. As I shuffle Jerrod and I chit-chat about how he won his last round when his opponent mulliganed to 4. I proceed to mulligan to 4. As I shuffle for the last time we both mention how we have seen those odd come-backs from a 4 card hand and how it really takes drawing perfectly to pull off. I proceed to open a hand of Grove, Forest, Plains, Thrun; Snap-keep. I draw Birds of Paradise for turn 2 and slam Papa-Troll home on turn 3. Jerrod loses 5 turns later.
Game 2 I keep my opener and have a turn 2 Crusader queued. Wring Flesh for my Birds makes sure that doesn’t happen, but he still resolves turn 3. I then get him to tap out to kill my Crusader (Tribute to Hunger) during combat. This left me open to slam Garruk Relentless 2nd main phase. I drew a Thrun soon after and buried him in value. He had to start doom blading wolf tokens after a turn or two.
After that game 1 I cannot deny the power of Thrun. Having that card in your main deck gives you a ridiculous win percentage increase against control. I don’t think a deck like this could take control without him. (This theory is supported by Kibler’s videos which were posted today. No Thrun main = lose to U/B game 1, twice in 4 rounds.)
Record: 3-0 (6-0)
Round 4: Kyle with Tempered Steel
I already knew what Kyle was playing and I already knew I was in for a world of hurt. I didn’t expect to see Tempered Steel since A) No one had done well with it recently and B) the deck is terrible. But he played the enchantment on me 2 games in a row and I had no answer, so I got face-rolled.
If playing 3 artifacts on turn 1 becomes a thing again the sideboard definitely need 3 copies of Creeping Corrosion. You should also have a 3rd Mortarpod in the board for sure. I missed this and it cost me a bit. Before they land Tempered Steel Mortarpod simply wrecks them.
Record: 3-1 (6-2)
Round 5: (Forgotten Name) with Tempered Steel…Again.
This match was HARD. It did, however, show me that the match wasn’t un-winnable. He never found a Tempered Steel game 1 and I got a Township online to bury him in 4/5 Birds of Paradises.
Game 2 I finally drew and Oblivion Ring (2 in fact). I O-ringed his Hero of Bladehold and the Tempered Steel he played the turn after that. I was behind most of the game, but I couldn’t block his fliers so I had to just keep attacking. After the 2nd O-ring he left blockers back for my board of Spellskite, Thrun, Hero. I proceed to rip Mortarpod off the top and gun down his 2 blockers to swing for lethal with Thrun and the Hero.
Mortarpod is really good here, but would be better as a reliable turn 2 play. I still wanted Creeping Corrosion…there is just something about a one-sided Wrath effect… Another card that can be very good in this match is (go figure) Garruk Relentless. If they don’t have a Steel or a Spellskite Garruk can pick off multiple Signal Pests or a single Spined Thopter/Valut Skirge.
Record: 4-1 (8-2)
Round 6: AJ Sacher with Solar Flare
I had never been paired up against a SCG Pseudo-Pro before and was a bit nervous. My opening draws didn’t help that much, as I mulled to 4 in game 1. AJ countered 3 Garruks (after I was stuck on lands for 3 turns) and killed a 4th before we moved to game 2. I brought in Swords for the Sun Titans and Spellskites for the Doom Blades.
Game 2 my opener is 5 lands, Avacyn’s Pilgrim, and Mirran Crusader; Snap-keep. I proceed to play turn 2 Crusader followed by turn 3 Sword of Feast and Famine. I won that game. AJ now had a chance to sideboard correctly after finding out that I wasn’t, in fact, a Mono-Garruk Control deck.
Game 3 AJ got stuck on two lands and I played a turn 3 Thrun into Mirran Crusader into Gavony Township. I don’t think that game would have been close even if he DID have lands.
This was an odd match to gauge my deck’s power level with. He never played a Day of Judgment or a Liliana. I wouldn’t have changed anything based on these games; the deck ran exactly the way it was supposed to in games 2 and 3.
Record: 5-1 (10-3)
Record: 5-1 (10-3)
Round 7: (Forgotten name) with Esper Control
The first thing that I find out about my round 7 opponent is that his friends gambled away all their gas/hotel money and they have no way of getting home if he doesn’t cash that day. I tell him “that sucks man” and proceed to crush him in game 1. His main plan seemed to be winning with Midnight Haunting tokens with Sword of Feast and Famine. Without the sword he couldn’t beat a resolved Garruk Relentless.
In game 2 his plan worked perfectly, and he demolished me with flying sword carriers. Game 3 was not so close either. My curve was Turn 1 Birds, turn 2 Sword of War and Peace, turn 3 smash you for 8. He ended up having to Day away single threats, which allowed me to resolve a Garruk. He did have the O-ring for my first Garruk, but not for the 2nd. I was too far ahead at this point to even punt the match away (which I tried to do by letting him live an extra turn).
For this match I was very happy to have War and Peace in my board. Garruk was an all-star again for killing tokens and making sword carriers. I did really want a 3rd Mortarpod again though…
Record: 6-1 (12-4)
Record: 6-1 (12-4)
Round 8: Win-and-In against (Forgotten name) with Solar Flare
This match wasn’t fun or interesting. I got stuck on two lands while he Dayed away my mana-dorks both games. He resolved 7 Day of Judgment and 5 Liliana in 2 games in this match. His draws aside, I found some fundamental flaws with the deck and sideboard:
I needed Elspeth Tirel for this match. I also needed graveyard hate…badly. The Elspeth addition was not a realization from this match alone. There were at least half-a-dozen times during the tournament that I stared at a dead Garruk, Primal Hunter in my hand with an active Garruk Relentless on table. Relentless was enough for this deck, and I should have thought about that when building it. Elspeth adds so much resilience to both Day and Lilly, I have no idea why I wasn’t playing her. As for the graveyard hate, I should have had Nihil Spellbomb in my board. I have been personally touting Surgical Extraction for it’s versatility, but Spellbomb would have been the better card against the Lilly heavy version of Flare.
Record: 6-2 (12-6)
Record: 6-2 (12-6)
Consolation Round 9: Win-and-Top-16 against (Forgotten name) with Wolf Run Green.
I was pretty mad about hos that last match had gone, but I did my best not to go on tilt. I found out that I had the best tie-breaks of all the X-2s and that, depending on who played or drew, I had an outside chance at Top 8. So, I made sure to compose myself and finish strong.
I opened a hand with turn 2 Crusader into turn 3 Destiny and my opponent played a Birds of Paradise on the play followed by a Dungrove Elder. That game ended shortly thereafter. I was pretty happy to finally be playing the match up I had built the deck for. There had been Wolf Run players all around me all day, but they all dodged me.
Game 2 had a bit more play to it. He had a turn 2 Dungrove again and I had a turn 3 Garruk. I killed his birds to keep him off 6 on the next turn, which effectively took away 2 possible win conditions on the next turn, since he wouldn’t throw a Primal Hunter away to get rid of a Relentless. So, instead he played and equipped a Sword of Body and Mind and bashed me for 5 damage, 10 cards, and a wolf token. My next 2 plays were Mirran Crusader followed by Sword of Feast and Famine, equip, bash you for 8 and 2 cards. I found a Gavory Township for my Crusader and deathtouch wolves (I flipped Garruk to start making blockers for the sworded Elder) and he scooped it up.
I don’t think I would change anything about the deck for that match-up. Those 2 games were the exact face-rolling that I expected.
Final Record: 7-2 (14-6)
Final Record: 7-2 (14-6)
So, there you have it. I came just short due to a bad-matchup and a poor sideboard. I am still pleased with my finish (any time you get your name on the internet and $100 for playing Magic it’s a good day) but I would have liked to have had a more tuned version of the deck. I was pleasantly surprised to see Martin Juza take a similar list all the way to the top of a GP. One note on his build: it was designed to crush Wolf Run and WU-Tang Humans. That deck gets rolled by control from what I have seen. Feast and Famine and Thrun main are a much better pair than Geist-Honored Monk and Overrun.
So, I talked a lot about the changes I would make, and here they are:
Artifacts
2 Mortarpod
3 Sword of Feast and Famine
Creatures
2 Hero of Bladehold
4 Mirran Crusader
3 Thrun, the Last Troll
4 Birds of Paradise
1 Fiend Hunter
2 Mikaeus, the Lunarch
4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
Enchantments
2 Angelic Destiny
3 Oblivion Ring
Planeswalkers
3 Elspeth Tirel
3 Garruk Relentless
Land
4 Razorverge Thicket
4 Sunpetal Grove
4 Plains
9 Forest
3 Gavony Township
Sideboard
3 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
2 Sword of War and Peace
3 Celestial Purge
2 Timely Reinforcements
3 Naturalize
1 Mortarpod
Quick notes on the changes:
Hero of Blade Hold underperformed all day (as usual) so she got the axe, except as a tutor target for Garruk. Elspeth replaces Primal Hunter for planeswalker synergy. I cut an Angelic Destiny because the deck was a bit heavy on 4 drops. The replacement for that and a Hero was Mikaeus. He seems like an excellent card for turn 2 or 3 and has a large impact on the game if he isn’t answered. Finally, I added a Fiend Hunter to the main as a tutor target for Garruk.
As for the board, I like the changes I have made here most of all. The Miser’s Elesh Norn will be fun to tutor/top deck and the new graveyard hate should be pretty functional as well. I am happy to find room for the Mortarpod, but I’m not sure if Timely is the right cut. The life gain should be fine with 3 Elspeth, 2 Timely and 2 Swords after boarding.
Wow, this thing is really 3000 words long…That is nuts! I hope you learned something if you made it this far without dying of boredom. I welcome and appreciate your comments, please help me to get better at this writing thing. You can contact me via twitter (@CapnTopDeck). One more thing, I am on a pod cast too! Head over to couchpirates.com and listen to Planeswalker Asylum. We do a decent job of making the information relevant and we make them pretty entertaining.
Thanks for reading!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
My initial take on Post-States Standard
So, States 2011 has come and gone (and good riddance) and I have learned my lesson. I am never going to States again. This year's Oklahoma tournament was a full blown joke. More than half the field was from Texas, the PWP multiplier was 1x, and to top it all off the prize support wasn't even Innistrad. That's right, AussieFox brought Scars Block packs as prize support... We need to do something about that ass-hat and his horrific "organizing" of tournaments. I urge everyone to contact our DCI Regional Coordinator and try to oust AussieFox.
Anyway, enough ranting, on to what we should all be playing in standard. I looked through the results from multiple states and it seems like there are a hand full of decks which have potential. I think the deck at the top of the heap is Dungrove/Wolfrun. Cutting red sources and adding a turn 2 beatstick with hexproof seems really good in a ramp deck (especially when your ramp spells pump the beatstick). I do think that cutting Viridian Emmisary is a mistake, at least in the short term. Emmisary is a very versatile card. It can hold back aggressive decks or get through for a minimum 6 damage against control decks. I also think you should be running 2 Mountains instead of 1, just in case people actually start using Ghost Quarter.
In 2nd place I have U/X "counter-all-your-spells" control decks. I have seen lists with red and black as the 2nd color. When given that choice I think it's best to play black, as the red variants have no easy ways of killing the few threats that do resolve. Being able to play the first 7 turns at instant speed is pretty solid. I am not a control player myself, but for those that are I suggest U/B Snapcaster with Frost Titans, maindeck Surgical Extraction, and Black Sun's Zenith. The biggest problem for the deck is how bad Think Twice really is. You need much better card selection, and more cheap card-draw. If the next set provides that I might just have to sleeve up some counter spells...
Those decks are the cream of the crop, but there are several tier 2 decks around that might just need a bit of tweeking to get there. Mono-Red, Mono-Black Infect, W/U Blade/Humans, Solar Flare (which I will contend is on the way out), and W/x Tokens. W/G Tokens is what I have run at the start of new standard so I will focus on that from here.
My list was a few cards off but if I am playing standard tomorrow then this is the list I will run:
Creature:
2 Doomed Traveler
3 Blade Splicer
2 Hero of Bladehold
Enchantment:
4 Intangible Virtue
3 Honor of the Pure
3 Oblivion Ring
Artifact:
3 Shrine of Loyal Legions
Planeswalker:
4 Elspeth Tirel
2 Garruk Relentless
Instant:
3 Beast Within
4 Midnight Haunting
Sorcery:
3 Day of Judgment
Land:
3 Forest
10 Plains
4 Razorverge Thicket
4 Sunpetal Grove
3 Gavony Township
Sideboard:
3 Timely Reinforcements
3 Celestial Purge
3 Leonin Arbiter
3 Dismember
3 Surgical Extraction
I feel like this list is powerful enough to beat any deck game one. It has the raw power to swing for 24 on turn 5 but enough control elements to maneuver around a lot of varied threats. In most matches you take the roll of control after game 1. Thus, the sideboard is packed with various forms of control for different match ups. Purges and Reinforcements are for mono-red, Arbiter and Dismember are for Wolfrun and Pod, and Surgical Extraction is for control.
I'm sure I just heard some of you say "Wait, what? Extraction for control?" That's right, I bring these babies in against anything with counterspells. For a deck that relies on point control and countering any kind of mass creature generation this card is pretty brutal. You run your first threat headlong into a Mana Leak/Dissipate then Extract the counter once it resolves. For a deck that makes 5 creatures a turn the only think you fear is permission. Once you strip them of their control and look at their hand you can make your real line of play for the next few turns. Extraction is very underrated right now.
Well, there you go Dear Readers. I hope this helps you figure out what to play at FNM or a Star City event. Speaking of which, you should all plan on going to SCG Kansas City next weekend! Many of us from the shop are going and I guarantee we will have a good time! Until next week kids, I have some Planeswalker Points waiting for me in a Lenexa, Kansas PTQ this weekend.
"This is the third time I have had Kurin Outlaw in a draft or sealed deck...I have still never sleeved it up" :-(
Anyway, enough ranting, on to what we should all be playing in standard. I looked through the results from multiple states and it seems like there are a hand full of decks which have potential. I think the deck at the top of the heap is Dungrove/Wolfrun. Cutting red sources and adding a turn 2 beatstick with hexproof seems really good in a ramp deck (especially when your ramp spells pump the beatstick). I do think that cutting Viridian Emmisary is a mistake, at least in the short term. Emmisary is a very versatile card. It can hold back aggressive decks or get through for a minimum 6 damage against control decks. I also think you should be running 2 Mountains instead of 1, just in case people actually start using Ghost Quarter.
In 2nd place I have U/X "counter-all-your-spells" control decks. I have seen lists with red and black as the 2nd color. When given that choice I think it's best to play black, as the red variants have no easy ways of killing the few threats that do resolve. Being able to play the first 7 turns at instant speed is pretty solid. I am not a control player myself, but for those that are I suggest U/B Snapcaster with Frost Titans, maindeck Surgical Extraction, and Black Sun's Zenith. The biggest problem for the deck is how bad Think Twice really is. You need much better card selection, and more cheap card-draw. If the next set provides that I might just have to sleeve up some counter spells...
Those decks are the cream of the crop, but there are several tier 2 decks around that might just need a bit of tweeking to get there. Mono-Red, Mono-Black Infect, W/U Blade/Humans, Solar Flare (which I will contend is on the way out), and W/x Tokens. W/G Tokens is what I have run at the start of new standard so I will focus on that from here.
My list was a few cards off but if I am playing standard tomorrow then this is the list I will run:
Creature:
2 Doomed Traveler
3 Blade Splicer
2 Hero of Bladehold
Enchantment:
4 Intangible Virtue
3 Honor of the Pure
3 Oblivion Ring
Artifact:
3 Shrine of Loyal Legions
Planeswalker:
4 Elspeth Tirel
2 Garruk Relentless
Instant:
3 Beast Within
4 Midnight Haunting
Sorcery:
3 Day of Judgment
Land:
3 Forest
10 Plains
4 Razorverge Thicket
4 Sunpetal Grove
3 Gavony Township
Sideboard:
3 Timely Reinforcements
3 Celestial Purge
3 Leonin Arbiter
3 Dismember
3 Surgical Extraction
I feel like this list is powerful enough to beat any deck game one. It has the raw power to swing for 24 on turn 5 but enough control elements to maneuver around a lot of varied threats. In most matches you take the roll of control after game 1. Thus, the sideboard is packed with various forms of control for different match ups. Purges and Reinforcements are for mono-red, Arbiter and Dismember are for Wolfrun and Pod, and Surgical Extraction is for control.
I'm sure I just heard some of you say "Wait, what? Extraction for control?" That's right, I bring these babies in against anything with counterspells. For a deck that relies on point control and countering any kind of mass creature generation this card is pretty brutal. You run your first threat headlong into a Mana Leak/Dissipate then Extract the counter once it resolves. For a deck that makes 5 creatures a turn the only think you fear is permission. Once you strip them of their control and look at their hand you can make your real line of play for the next few turns. Extraction is very underrated right now.
Well, there you go Dear Readers. I hope this helps you figure out what to play at FNM or a Star City event. Speaking of which, you should all plan on going to SCG Kansas City next weekend! Many of us from the shop are going and I guarantee we will have a good time! Until next week kids, I have some Planeswalker Points waiting for me in a Lenexa, Kansas PTQ this weekend.
"This is the third time I have had Kurin Outlaw in a draft or sealed deck...I have still never sleeved it up" :-(
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Early Strides
Welcome, Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts! By reading this you are witnessing one more voice being added to the MTG blogosphere. I would like to make these articles entertaining as well as insightful, so I would like to hear your feedback (good or bad). Let me know what you did and did not like about anything you read here and you will have my thanks.
I suppose I should give a bit of background before I get into today's topic. My name is Daniel Dusang and I am playing Magic out of Norman, Oklahoma, at the University of Oklahoma specifically. I have been playing Magic competitively for about a year and a half (I started right at RoE release). In that time my greatest accomplishment is Top 8ing a PTQ in Oklahoma City at the beginning of this year. That was my first constructed PTQ and proved to me that sometime the 12 year old kitchen-table player in your head is right; You should just play the funnest deck possible (I played Soul Sisters, that little kid in me just loves life-gain...).
Since then I have been slowly improving my skills in both constructed and limited at Wizards Asylum in Norman. The atmosphere in that store is both competitive and friendly, which drives us all to become better while not hating one another. In my time in that store I have discovered that I feel most at home playing a borderline aggressive/midrange deck. This fact holds true in every format so far. I hate how quickly you can run out of cards as a pure aggro deck, and I always draw my counterspells the turn after they resolve a big threat. So, midrange (typically beatdown) it is.
This preference lends well to today's topic: Innistrad sealed deck. When I play limited I always craft the best beatdown deck possible. Innistrad gives you plenty of chances to do exactly that (but don't go overboard and take werewolves higher than removal in draft...that was an experiment that didn't go so well >_>). White is easily my favorite color in this format. It has the ability to be super-aggressive but also packs the most diverse removal suite of any color. In the 4 sealed-deck events that I have played, my decks have been W/B, W/G, W/R, and W/B. I have gone X-2 at most of these events (losing to misplays, mostly) so the main color can't be too bad.
One thing that I have discovered (and this might just be a personal thing) is that I cannot play 17 lands in this format...not with my style of deck. My curve has invariably stopped at 5 (only playing 2-3 5-drops) and I cannot stand losing to land flood. I understand that variance is a part of the game, and everyone has to take their lumps because of it. In those first 2 events I felt like I was getting flooded in at least 1 game every match (which I contest to be more than my fair share). Since then I have been cutting the 17th land and adding a 1 or 2-drop and I couldn't be more pleased.
Do I miss a land-drop every few games? Yes, but in a removal heavy deck this can actually be to your advantage. Every limited player ever sees land-screw as a sign to press their advantage. This typically means playing out their hand in a mostly care-free manner. This can easily allow you to pick off their bigger threats with cheap removal until you have the lands to play your mid-to-end-game cards. Am I advocating intentional land-screw as a strategy? No. What I am advocating is disciplined play, even when your opponent is stuck on 2 lands. Is there really a good reason to put them on any faster than a 3-turn clock when they have an empty board and 2-3 lands? Don't play your juicy threats before you make them deal with your mediocre ones.
This sealed-deck format is pretty good, and I don't hate playing it (like I did with all of Scars block...). Good thing too, as this current PTQ season is Sealed-deck. Now, I have played in PTQs in the past, but I have never been a "grinder" by any means. That changes this year with the advent of Planeswalker Points (You mean and schlub like me can get on the Pro Tour??? Just by playing a bunch of Magic?!?!). Myself and a core group from the store just got back from a weekend trip to San Antonio. This PTQ trip comes as the first leg of a month and a half tournament-a-weekend grindfest. This weekend we have States, followed by a trip to Lenexa, KS, and finishing out the month with SCG Kansas City. Next month we have PTQ Forth Worth followed by PTQ Springfield, MO. I have also heard tell of a possible trip to San Diego for a Grand Prix...
In any PTQ season you should make sure to take something away from any event that you didn't win. What did I learn from not winning in San Antonio? That sometimes you just need to leave an indestructible, flying, hexproof mythic creature home to block. I lost 3 matches last Saturday and Angelic Overseer resolved in each one. Each of those losses came from getting too aggressive with my endboss. My advice to you, dear reader, is to make sure you have the combat math right. There is no need to race if the board is stalled and you have outs to the situation. You definitely need to know what outs you have in your pool though.
I learned the value of a few underestimated cards this weekend. Feeling of Dread, Rally the Peasants, and Spare from Evil can all break a stalled board pretty well. Even without playing the flashback colors for the first two these cards can all break a game open. If you don't maindeck these cards (and you probably should maindeck Rally the Peasants) make sure you know if they are in your sideboard or not. Aggressive decks tend to simply clutter the ground in the mirror, and if you're playing white these cards can win you the game if played at the right time.
This first entry was mostly introduction, but I hope it wasn't a bore. Again, please leave me comments about what I could do better or even a topic you would like to hear about.
You can reach me on twitter, @CapnTopDeck, and if you want to hear me and a few guys from the shop ramble like this in person make sure to listen to our podcast, Planeswalker Asylum over on Couch Pirate Radio!
Thanks for reading!
"You know what I will remember most about San Antonio? That Haibing Hu laughed at me for doing combat math wrong..."
I suppose I should give a bit of background before I get into today's topic. My name is Daniel Dusang and I am playing Magic out of Norman, Oklahoma, at the University of Oklahoma specifically. I have been playing Magic competitively for about a year and a half (I started right at RoE release). In that time my greatest accomplishment is Top 8ing a PTQ in Oklahoma City at the beginning of this year. That was my first constructed PTQ and proved to me that sometime the 12 year old kitchen-table player in your head is right; You should just play the funnest deck possible (I played Soul Sisters, that little kid in me just loves life-gain...).
Since then I have been slowly improving my skills in both constructed and limited at Wizards Asylum in Norman. The atmosphere in that store is both competitive and friendly, which drives us all to become better while not hating one another. In my time in that store I have discovered that I feel most at home playing a borderline aggressive/midrange deck. This fact holds true in every format so far. I hate how quickly you can run out of cards as a pure aggro deck, and I always draw my counterspells the turn after they resolve a big threat. So, midrange (typically beatdown) it is.
This preference lends well to today's topic: Innistrad sealed deck. When I play limited I always craft the best beatdown deck possible. Innistrad gives you plenty of chances to do exactly that (but don't go overboard and take werewolves higher than removal in draft...that was an experiment that didn't go so well >_>). White is easily my favorite color in this format. It has the ability to be super-aggressive but also packs the most diverse removal suite of any color. In the 4 sealed-deck events that I have played, my decks have been W/B, W/G, W/R, and W/B. I have gone X-2 at most of these events (losing to misplays, mostly) so the main color can't be too bad.
One thing that I have discovered (and this might just be a personal thing) is that I cannot play 17 lands in this format...not with my style of deck. My curve has invariably stopped at 5 (only playing 2-3 5-drops) and I cannot stand losing to land flood. I understand that variance is a part of the game, and everyone has to take their lumps because of it. In those first 2 events I felt like I was getting flooded in at least 1 game every match (which I contest to be more than my fair share). Since then I have been cutting the 17th land and adding a 1 or 2-drop and I couldn't be more pleased.
Do I miss a land-drop every few games? Yes, but in a removal heavy deck this can actually be to your advantage. Every limited player ever sees land-screw as a sign to press their advantage. This typically means playing out their hand in a mostly care-free manner. This can easily allow you to pick off their bigger threats with cheap removal until you have the lands to play your mid-to-end-game cards. Am I advocating intentional land-screw as a strategy? No. What I am advocating is disciplined play, even when your opponent is stuck on 2 lands. Is there really a good reason to put them on any faster than a 3-turn clock when they have an empty board and 2-3 lands? Don't play your juicy threats before you make them deal with your mediocre ones.
This sealed-deck format is pretty good, and I don't hate playing it (like I did with all of Scars block...). Good thing too, as this current PTQ season is Sealed-deck. Now, I have played in PTQs in the past, but I have never been a "grinder" by any means. That changes this year with the advent of Planeswalker Points (You mean and schlub like me can get on the Pro Tour??? Just by playing a bunch of Magic?!?!). Myself and a core group from the store just got back from a weekend trip to San Antonio. This PTQ trip comes as the first leg of a month and a half tournament-a-weekend grindfest. This weekend we have States, followed by a trip to Lenexa, KS, and finishing out the month with SCG Kansas City. Next month we have PTQ Forth Worth followed by PTQ Springfield, MO. I have also heard tell of a possible trip to San Diego for a Grand Prix...
In any PTQ season you should make sure to take something away from any event that you didn't win. What did I learn from not winning in San Antonio? That sometimes you just need to leave an indestructible, flying, hexproof mythic creature home to block. I lost 3 matches last Saturday and Angelic Overseer resolved in each one. Each of those losses came from getting too aggressive with my endboss. My advice to you, dear reader, is to make sure you have the combat math right. There is no need to race if the board is stalled and you have outs to the situation. You definitely need to know what outs you have in your pool though.
I learned the value of a few underestimated cards this weekend. Feeling of Dread, Rally the Peasants, and Spare from Evil can all break a stalled board pretty well. Even without playing the flashback colors for the first two these cards can all break a game open. If you don't maindeck these cards (and you probably should maindeck Rally the Peasants) make sure you know if they are in your sideboard or not. Aggressive decks tend to simply clutter the ground in the mirror, and if you're playing white these cards can win you the game if played at the right time.
This first entry was mostly introduction, but I hope it wasn't a bore. Again, please leave me comments about what I could do better or even a topic you would like to hear about.
You can reach me on twitter, @CapnTopDeck, and if you want to hear me and a few guys from the shop ramble like this in person make sure to listen to our podcast, Planeswalker Asylum over on Couch Pirate Radio!
Thanks for reading!
"You know what I will remember most about San Antonio? That Haibing Hu laughed at me for doing combat math wrong..."
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