How are you guys comming along with the sideboard guide?
I am leaving for Lille towmorrow and would like to compare your findings to mine. In some matchups I am still a bit unshure how to board of if I should bring in the Reveler package.
Thanks for all the work you are putting into the guide and the deck itself.
Are 3 Thought Scour enough to power out 4 Hooting Mandrills?
I tested it this way and found that you get stuck with uncastable Mandrills in your hand some amount of the time.
Ashton, do you mind posting your sideboard plans for the popular matchups?
I plan to take this deck to GP Lille next week and am currently doing the last of the fine tuning and thinking about SB plans. Any insight would be helpfull.
Whats your current list?
I have been working on the deck for the last weeks and taken it to 1-2 tournaments each week with about 10-30 players.
This is where I was at yesterday for WNM. Went 3-1 with the only loss to Jund, where I won game 1 and he just junded me 2 games in a row... MUs were Jund (1-2), Infect (2-0), bwDrazi (2-0) and RUG Kiki-Midrange (2-0).
My current thoughts are: Arlinn Kord vs Huntmaster of the Fells
Arlinn is more resilient, has more utility (+1 on day and Lightning Bolt every other turn is nice) and you have more control over her. (testing her atm)
Huntmaster has bigger immediate impact and the 2 life is nice. This deck is one of the best to control his flips with all the instants and counters + Snapcaster Mage.
4 AV + 3 SV vs 3 AV + 4 SV
In my oppinion thats a total metacall. My meta is slow enough to make use of the 4 AV atm.
Flame Slash vs Roast vs Dismember
Flame Slash is R and hits most important targets and often enough an early Tarmogoyf. Downside is that it does not hit later Goyfs (4/5). Most decks playing Goyf have the opportunity getting Planeswalkers into the yard making him 5/6 however. Tasigur is mostly cut for Kalitas in my experiance.
Roast costs 2 mana and gets hit by Spell Snare. It does hit 4/5 Goyfs. Does not hit flyers like Restoration Angel etc.
Dismember hits everyhing that Roast hits and flyers. Also is a 1 mana instant which is not unimportant. It does always cost 4 life though, which is a major drawback without Huntmaster Main.
-> Right now I am sticking with Flame Slash since it has always worked out so far.
Negate vs Forked Bolt in the main/side
Negate counters AV and lategame spells.
Forked Bolt wrecks "small creature" MUs and can go to the dome.
-> Purely a metacall and I highly recommend playing both in the 75. IF you find your 1-off you can mostly snap it back.
Kitchen Finks vs other anti-aggro cards
I tryed Finks for the last 2 tournaments but was not really convinced. Mainly because of the double green mana cost.
Still looking here. Possible candidates are Feed the Clan, Huntmaster, more Dispel, Batterskull. Still on the lookout here. The ideal card would be castable with max 1 G, cmc<=3 and be good vs burn and creature aggro (maybe even midrange).
Thragtusk vs Keranos, God of Storms
Thragtusk is gaining 5 life and presents 2 bodys. Costs a single green and can be cast under Blood Moon when you have the time to fetch for Forest. Also good vs creature aggro as the top end.
Keranos can be cast very easy under Blood Moon and is hard to interact with by midrange and control oppontens if you resolve it. Also is a creature on the stack so no Negate
3 Blood Moon in the SB
Since I play the deck a lot players in my area mostly know I have BM in the side by now. Also higher skill opponents will play around the moon if they can when they see 3+ basic Island. I am considdering cutting one so you can still bring it in vs Junk/UWR/Tron/Grixis etc. but free 1 Slot. In those MUs you also have the time to look for it with Serum Visions. But maybe I am wrong here.
If you have any questions or input to the questions I posed let me know.
I think the tech vs. Ancestral Vision would be Swerve - can also save our permanents against Abrupt Decay.
You'r welcome. Swerve came to mind but has two downsides I can think about. It is 2cmc which lets it get hit by Spell Snare which has a huge uptick in popuraity right now and is also very narrow in the MU's you want to board it in against. Thats why I was thinking about Invasive Surgery which also counters Scapeshift, Sweepers and other haymaker sorcerys for just U.
The Meta was:
5 UWR
3 Titan Shift
3 Kiki Chord
3 Merfolk
3 Naya Zoo 1 1drop, 1 Big 1 4C
3 Latern
3 Infekt
3 Blue Moon
3 D &T
3 Junk
3 Jund
2 Affinity
2 GW 1 leap 1 aggro
2 Burn
2 Rug Kiki 1 RUG
1 Melira
1 Scapeshift
1 UR Shape Anew
1 RW Nahiri Stacks
1 4C Wish
1 4c Gifts
1 UR Aggro
1 Grixis Control
1 Death Fiend
1 Elfen
1 Jeskai Ascendancy
1 Dredge
1 Mardu
1 Boggles
1 Valakut Breach
1 UB Tezzeret
In total there were 7 decks using Ancestral Vision, 3 with the Thopter/sword combo and one utilizing Thing in the Ice.
(Here is a link to the tournament report of the TO on a german MTG site with top 16 decklist etc:
I did not take notes so I will try to recrate the matches from my mind.
My matchups were: Round 1: low-drop Zoo (2-1) lost die roll
This is where the 4th Tarmogoyf payed off a lot.
Game 1 I was able to stall the bord with removal and Goyf until Huntmaster of the Fells could take over.
Game 2 I mulled to 5 and his start was way to fast. His Wild Nacatl, Kird Apes and Burning-Tree Emessary just ran me over.
Game 3 We both mulled to 6 and Goyf plus Bolt plus Firespout into Shackles finished him off.
SB:
- 4 Ancestral Vision, 2 Electrolyze, 1 Cryptic Command
+ Lavamancer, Spellskite, Thragtusk, Pyroclasm, Firespout, 2 Dispel (maybe Negate)
Round 2: Meerfolk (2-1) lost die roll
Game 1 I got overrun by 2 Master of Waves on a stalled bord
Game 2 and 3 I just remember Stalling with removal and sweepers until Goyf of Huntmaster could take over. Shackles was awesome here to deal with Master of Waves. Also Spreading Seas and Seas Claim stalled the game from his side.
SB:
- 2 AV, 1 Cryptic, 2 Leak
+ Lavamancer, Staticaster, Tragtusk, Pyroclasm, Firespout
Round 3: UWR Control (2-1) lost die roll
This MU was all about resolving AV. At one point we had 7 AV suspended among us and the fights on upkeep were hard. The countersuite was adequately equipped for the fight but could be improved if this type of deck gains more prevailance. Here also the weakness to 4 toughness manlands showed itself. Shackles, Bloodmoon and Dispel were a house in this MU.
SB:
- 3 Serum Visons (very debatable but my thought was that the effect in the long and grindy MU was negligible),1 Huntmaster, 1 ElectrolyzeFlameshlash (no Resto), 3/2 Bolt
+ Grim Lavamancer (for incidental damage and to deal with Colonade with bolt), Glen Elendra Archmage, Thragtusk, 2 Dispel, Negate and 3/2 Blood Moon (only 2 in game 3 b/c he lost to it game 2)
Round 4: Wb D&T (2-0) lost die roll
He had Wasteland Strangler to process AV main deck. Other than that he lost to my removal and 2/3 for ones. All the basics helped a lot to avoid getting mana denialed.
SB:
- 3 Spell Snare (did not see any important 2 drop game 1), 2 Mana Leak (b/c of Vial)
+ Grim Lavamancer, Staticaster, Thragtusk, Pyroclasm, Firespout
Round 5: UWR Midrange (2-0) won die roll
He was much more agressive than my previous UWR opponent (Finks, Blade Splicer) so I treated this MU more as an aggro MU and the control mirror and he fell victim to my removal and good blockers. Huntmaster of the Fells was a house in this particular match
SB:
- 1 AV, 3 Mana Leak (maybe bring them in on the play?), 1 Cryptic
+ Grim Lavamancer, Thragtusk, 2 Dispel, Pyroclasm, Firespout
Round 6: Kiki-Chord (2-0) lost die roll (I conceded b/c he wanted the Byes but we played non the less)
We played two games after I concided and I won both. The MU feels grindy and AV brings you ahead if you can keep close to parity until its resolution. Also Huntmaster and Shackles are (again) very good here.
SB:
- 3 Spell Snare (just hits Walls and Voice which they play 2 off), 3 Mana Leak (I wanted to become more of a bord control deck)
+ Grim Lavamancer, Thragtusk, Pyroclasm, Firespout, 2 Dispel
All in all the deck felt really good and fluent. Some of my SB decisions might be attributed to my lack of sleep (about 4-5h) and a long work day on saturday.
I would like to find room for Huntmaster of the Fells number 3 and some tech against Ancestral Visions like maybe Invasive Surgery.
Also the 3rd Ancienct Grude or a Nature's Claim in the bord might be good especaially with the rise of blue decks and the incuision of Choke ins peoples side boards.
Another question on my mind is the matchup with Thopter/Sword decks.
If you have any questions about my experiance with the deck let me know and I'll try to answer you.
This is a crosspost from the Eternal Ruse Thread. Tought you might find it interesting
@Tinfoilhat: Do you mind posting your thoughts/lists on/for the new meta?
I tried a UGw list today and I continue to have problems with Burn and Lingering Souls. Does anyone have any tips here?
I am currently experimenting with cutting the Æther Vial for Noble Hierarch. The list and an short report will be editied into this post shortly.
Round 1: Burn 1-2
Game 1 I never got into the game, game 2 I totally stomped him after boarding 11 cards and both of us mull to 5.
In game 3 he opened with 3 Goblin Guide into Monestary Swiftspear and Eidolon of the Great Revel and has some burn to finish me.
Overall the games were not that intresting but at fridays FNM I also played against burn for 7 games and only managed to win 2 of them. I never really get to stabilize even if I gain 5 or 6 life off of Timely Reinforcements or Feed the Clan.
Round 2: Junk 2-1 (a friend from our car)
Game 1 on the draw he mulls to 5 and me to 3 and never find my 2nd manasource before getting beat down in the air by Spirits.
Game 2 I can grind him out after he resolves a turn 4 Thrun, the Last Troll with a 3/4 Tarmogoyf that hits as a 4/5 thanks to Noble Hierarch and a Sower of Temptation that I can blink once with Restoration Angel to steal his chumpblockers for my Goyf and chump his Troll.
Game 3 I resolve a turn 1 Noble Hierarch into turn 2 Tarmogoyf and Serum Visions into some removal and turn 4 Batterskull that gets to play with my Goyf and later Restoration Angel.
This is the MU I build the deck for.
Round 3: Junk 1-2 (another friend from our car)
Game 1 I keep a questionable hand and get wrecked by Thoughtseize -> Tarmogoyf -> Loxodon Smiter -> Siege Rhino -> Restoration Angel in response to my Path to Exile on the Rhino after talking him into running the Angel in the first place during our ride to the site.
Game 2 I get to implement my plan of outvalueing the Junk deck and finishing him with the Cryptic Command lock after a 16 turn slugfest.
We notice that we don't have that much time left in the round and both mull to 6 to find an agressive hand. He starts with one Goyf which I can remove and then burries me in Spirits from 3 Lingering Souls while I struggle to race him on the ground with Goyf and Mirran Crusader. In the end I am 2 life short which I lost to a mistake on turn 2 when I played a Flooded Strand instead of the Plains I had in hand.
First thoughts about the deck and tournament:
Pros:
- the deck beat Junk as it was intended to to
- all creature matchups look good
- Noble Hierarch have overperformed (acceleration and Exalted)
- I did not really miss the Æther Vials
- Mirran Crusader was a house
- 21 lands, 4 Noble and 4 Serum Visions lets you curve out well
Cons:
- I need to get more reps in with the deck to reduce the amount of mistakes and mental taxation (I was quite exausted mentally after 5 rounds)
- Lingering Souls and swarms of small creatures are a problem
- fliers are some sort of a problem
- I think I have the wrong angle on the Burn-MU
- some MUs seem overboarded
- the Bant Charms have underperformed and will get cut in the future
In the Future I would like to keep testing the deck without Æther Vial and move more to a Midrange-Control-Deck maybe testing out Worship for the Burn- and Aggo-MUs and Serra Avenger for defence in the air and a good flying clock. I will keep working on the deck and feel like I am on to something that I will like in the end.
I am looking forward to your comments and questions.
@Tinfoilhat: Do you mind posting your thoughts/lists on/for the new meta?
I tried a UGw list today and I continue to have problems with Burn and Lingering Souls. Does anyone have any tips here?
I am currently experimenting with cutting the Æther Vial for Noble Hierarch. The list and an short report will be editied into this post shortly.
Round 1: Burn 1-2
Game 1 I never got into the game, game 2 I totally stomped him after boarding 11 cards and both of us mull to 5.
In game 3 he opened with 3 Goblin Guide into Monestary Swiftspear and Eidolon of the Great Revel and has some burn to finish me.
Overall the games were not that intresting but at fridays FNM I also played against burn for 7 games and only managed to win 2 of them. I never really get to stabilize even if I gain 5 or 6 life off of Timely Reinforcements or Feed the Clan.
Round 2: Junk 2-1 (a friend from our car)
Game 1 on the draw he mulls to 5 and me to 3 and never find my 2nd manasource before getting beat down in the air by Spirits.
Game 2 I can grind him out after he resolves a turn 4 Thrun, the Last Troll with a 3/4 Tarmogoyf that hits as a 4/5 thanks to Noble Hierarch and a Sower of Temptation that I can blink once with Restoration Angel to steal his chumpblockers for my Goyf and chump his Troll.
Game 3 I resolve a turn 1 Noble Hierarch into turn 2 Tarmogoyf and Serum Visions into some removal and turn 4 Batterskull that gets to play with my Goyf and later Restoration Angel.
This is the MU I build the deck for.
Round 3: Junk 1-2 (another friend from our car)
Game 1 I keep a questionable hand and get wrecked by Thoughtseize -> Tarmogoyf -> Loxodon Smiter -> Siege Rhino -> Restoration Angel in response to my Path to Exile on the Rhino after talking him into running the Angel in the first place during our ride to the site.
Game 2 I get to implement my plan of outvalueing the Junk deck and finishing him with the Cryptic Command lock after a 16 turn slugfest.
We notice that we don't have that much time left in the round and both mull to 6 to find an agressive hand. He starts with one Goyf which I can remove and then burries me in Spirits from 3 Lingering Souls while I struggle to race him on the ground with Goyf and Mirran Crusader. In the end I am 2 life short which I lost to a mistake on turn 2 when I played a Flooded Strand instead of the Plains I had in hand.
First thoughts about the deck and tournament:
Pros:
- the deck beat Junk as it was intended to to
- all creature matchups look good
- Noble Hierarch have overperformed (acceleration and Exalted)
- I did not really miss the Æther Vials
- Mirran Crusader was a house
- 21 lands, 4 Noble and 4 Serum Visions lets you curve out well
Cons:
- I need to get more reps in with the deck to reduce the amount of mistakes and mental taxation (I was quite exausted mentally after 5 rounds)
- Lingering Souls and swarms of small creatures are a problem
- fliers are some sort of a problem
- I think I have the wrong angle on the Burn-MU
- some MUs seem overboarded
- the Bant Charms have underperformed and will get cut in the future
In the Future I would like to keep testing the deck without Æther Vial and move more to a Midrange-Control-Deck maybe testing out Worship for the Burn- and Aggo-MUs and Serra Avenger for defence in the air and a good flying clock. I will keep working on the deck and feel like I am on to something that I will like in the end.
I am looking forward to your comments and questions.
The sideboard is just an assortment of cards I was thinking about. Please tell me if I forgot something good.
The flow of the deck in my test matches (about 20) was really good.
I skipped Kitschen Finks for its manacost and low impact in other MUs than Delver or Burn (which is not so prevailant in my local Meta).
My meta:
Junk 3
Junk without Liliana with Hierarch and Smiter
Twin 2
Delver
Mono Green Devotion
Grixis Control 2 (Cruel Control)
Merfolk 2
Tokens
Dead Guy Ale
2-3 Acendancy Combo (expected)
Zoo
Also there are some number of Scapeshift/RG Ramp (with Through the Breach and Summoning Trap -> Primetime and Emrakuhl)
Due to the high amount of junk and Merfolk I am looking at the Bant version for Path and Suppreme Verdict. I own Goyfs but do not want to be dead to GY hate like Eternal Command is.
I'm expectin an uptick in Storm due to it's good MU against Ascendancy.
I have played RUG Eternal Command for some time now and getting unsatisfied with it. Thats why I am looking in Eternal Ruse. I am preparing for a PreTQ on january 3rd and want to get some reps in during the hollydays.
I´m new to SI and was wondering what list to play in my local Meta (some Tempo, UW Control, GW Maverick, Dredge, Reanimator, very few combo).
I never played combo before in a tournament, just some Zoo, Dredge and WhiteLifegain.
I´m testing this list atm:
4 Cruel Bargain
4 Infernal Contract
4 Infernal Tutor
2 Past in Flames
1 Goblin Charbelcher
2 Tendrils of Agony
3 Culling the Weak
4 Cabal Ritual
4 Dark Ritual
4 Lion's Eye Diamond
4 Chrome Mox
4 Lotus Petal
4 Summoner's Pact
4 Elvish Spirit Guide
1 Wild Cantor
3 Land Grant
1 Bayou
1 Dryad Arbor
1 Tinder Wall
1 Odious Trow
4 Manamorphose
Side is just an idea but I think I'm going with EtW against Control and Tempo (take out pacts)
SB: x Rebuild
SB: 1 Goblin Charbelcher
SB: 4 Empty the Warrens
SB: x Reverent Silence
SB: (x Autumn's Veil)
SB: x Wipe Away
SB: x Deathmark
What do you guys think about this list?
I´m currently thinking about the "Burning Wish"-idea. would it be good in my Meta?
Also what list would you guys take to a bigger tournament at the moment?
I am leaving for Lille towmorrow and would like to compare your findings to mine. In some matchups I am still a bit unshure how to board of if I should bring in the Reveler package.
Thanks for all the work you are putting into the guide and the deck itself.
I tested it this way and found that you get stuck with uncastable Mandrills in your hand some amount of the time.
I plan to take this deck to GP Lille next week and am currently doing the last of the fine tuning and thinking about SB plans. Any insight would be helpfull.
Whats your current list?
My current iterration is:
4 Delver of Secrets
2 Snapcaster Mage
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Hooting Mandrills
Spells:30
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Serum Visions
3 Stubborn Denial
3 Tarfire
4 Thought Scour
2 Vapor Snag
3 Disrupting Shoal
3 Mana Leak
1 Breeding Pool
1 Forest
2 Island
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Mountain
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
1 Wooded Foothills
3 Bedlam Reveler
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Natural State
3 Traverse the Ulvenwald
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Destructive Revelry
2 Anger of the Gods
3 Blood Moon
This is where I was at yesterday for WNM. Went 3-1 with the only loss to Jund, where I won game 1 and he just junded me 2 games in a row... MUs were Jund (1-2), Infect (2-0), bwDrazi (2-0) and RUG Kiki-Midrange (2-0).
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Vendilion Clique
Spells:27
4 Ancestral Vision
1 Flame Slash
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Serum Visions
3 Spell Snare
2 Mana Leak
1 Negate
2 Electrolyze
2 Vedalken Shackles
2 Arlinn Kord
3 Cryptic Command
1 Breeding Pool
1 Desolate Lighthouse
1 Forest
7 Island
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Mountain
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Izzet Staticaster
2 Kitchen Finks
1 Thragtusk
2 Dispel
1 Forked Bolt
2 Nature's Claim
1 Pyroclasm
1 Redirect
3 Blood Moon
1 Firespout
My current thoughts are:
Arlinn Kord vs Huntmaster of the Fells
Arlinn is more resilient, has more utility (+1 on day and Lightning Bolt every other turn is nice) and you have more control over her. (testing her atm)
Huntmaster has bigger immediate impact and the 2 life is nice. This deck is one of the best to control his flips with all the instants and counters + Snapcaster Mage.
4 AV + 3 SV vs 3 AV + 4 SV
In my oppinion thats a total metacall. My meta is slow enough to make use of the 4 AV atm.
Flame Slash vs Roast vs Dismember
Flame Slash is R and hits most important targets and often enough an early Tarmogoyf. Downside is that it does not hit later Goyfs (4/5). Most decks playing Goyf have the opportunity getting Planeswalkers into the yard making him 5/6 however. Tasigur is mostly cut for Kalitas in my experiance.
Roast costs 2 mana and gets hit by Spell Snare. It does hit 4/5 Goyfs. Does not hit flyers like Restoration Angel etc.
Dismember hits everyhing that Roast hits and flyers. Also is a 1 mana instant which is not unimportant. It does always cost 4 life though, which is a major drawback without Huntmaster Main.
-> Right now I am sticking with Flame Slash since it has always worked out so far.
Negate vs Forked Bolt in the main/side
Negate counters AV and lategame spells.
Forked Bolt wrecks "small creature" MUs and can go to the dome.
-> Purely a metacall and I highly recommend playing both in the 75. IF you find your 1-off you can mostly snap it back.
Kitchen Finks vs other anti-aggro cards
I tryed Finks for the last 2 tournaments but was not really convinced. Mainly because of the double green mana cost.
Still looking here. Possible candidates are Feed the Clan, Huntmaster, more Dispel, Batterskull. Still on the lookout here. The ideal card would be castable with max 1 G, cmc<=3 and be good vs burn and creature aggro (maybe even midrange).
Thragtusk vs Keranos, God of Storms
Thragtusk is gaining 5 life and presents 2 bodys. Costs a single green and can be cast under Blood Moon when you have the time to fetch for Forest. Also good vs creature aggro as the top end.
Keranos can be cast very easy under Blood Moon and is hard to interact with by midrange and control oppontens if you resolve it. Also is a creature on the stack so no Negate
3 Blood Moon in the SB
Since I play the deck a lot players in my area mostly know I have BM in the side by now. Also higher skill opponents will play around the moon if they can when they see 3+ basic Island. I am considdering cutting one so you can still bring it in vs Junk/UWR/Tron/Grixis etc. but free 1 Slot. In those MUs you also have the time to look for it with Serum Visions. But maybe I am wrong here.
If you have any questions or input to the questions I posed let me know.
You'r welcome.
Swerve came to mind but has two downsides I can think about. It is 2cmc which lets it get hit by Spell Snare which has a huge uptick in popuraity right now and is also very narrow in the MU's you want to board it in against. Thats why I was thinking about Invasive Surgery which also counters Scapeshift, Sweepers and other haymaker sorcerys for just U.
Yesterday I played and won a 60 person Trial for the MKM Series using a slightly modified version of Reid Dukes list.
//Maindeck
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Vendilion Clique
2 Huntmaster of the Fells
2 Vedalken Shackles
4 Ancestral Vision
1 Flame Slash
3 Serum Visions
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Spell Snare
3 Mana Leak
2 Electrolyze
3 Cryptic Command
1 Breeding Pool
1 Flooded Strand
1 Forest
7 Island
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Mountain
1 Polluted Delta
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Spellskite
1 Izzet Staticaster
1 Glen Elendra Archmage
1 Thragtusk
1 Pyroclasm
1 Firespout
2 Dispel
2 Ancient Grudge
1 Negate
3 Blood Moon
The Meta was:
5 UWR
3 Titan Shift
3 Kiki Chord
3 Merfolk
3 Naya Zoo 1 1drop, 1 Big 1 4C
3 Latern
3 Infekt
3 Blue Moon
3 D &T
3 Junk
3 Jund
2 Affinity
2 GW 1 leap 1 aggro
2 Burn
2 Rug Kiki
1 RUG
1 Melira
1 Scapeshift
1 UR Shape Anew
1 RW Nahiri Stacks
1 4C Wish
1 4c Gifts
1 UR Aggro
1 Grixis Control
1 Death Fiend
1 Elfen
1 Jeskai Ascendancy
1 Dredge
1 Mardu
1 Boggles
1 Valakut Breach
1 UB Tezzeret
In total there were 7 decks using Ancestral Vision, 3 with the Thopter/sword combo and one utilizing Thing in the Ice.
(Here is a link to the tournament report of the TO on a german MTG site with top 16 decklist etc:
I did not take notes so I will try to recrate the matches from my mind.
My matchups were:
Round 1: low-drop Zoo (2-1) lost die roll
This is where the 4th Tarmogoyf payed off a lot.
Game 1 I was able to stall the bord with removal and Goyf until Huntmaster of the Fells could take over.
Game 2 I mulled to 5 and his start was way to fast. His Wild Nacatl, Kird Apes and Burning-Tree Emessary just ran me over.
Game 3 We both mulled to 6 and Goyf plus Bolt plus Firespout into Shackles finished him off.
SB:
- 4 Ancestral Vision, 2 Electrolyze, 1 Cryptic Command
+ Lavamancer, Spellskite, Thragtusk, Pyroclasm, Firespout, 2 Dispel (maybe Negate)
Round 2: Meerfolk (2-1) lost die roll
Game 1 I got overrun by 2 Master of Waves on a stalled bord
Game 2 and 3 I just remember Stalling with removal and sweepers until Goyf of Huntmaster could take over. Shackles was awesome here to deal with Master of Waves. Also Spreading Seas and Seas Claim stalled the game from his side.
SB:
- 2 AV, 1 Cryptic, 2 Leak
+ Lavamancer, Staticaster, Tragtusk, Pyroclasm, Firespout
Round 3: UWR Control (2-1) lost die roll
This MU was all about resolving AV. At one point we had 7 AV suspended among us and the fights on upkeep were hard. The countersuite was adequately equipped for the fight but could be improved if this type of deck gains more prevailance. Here also the weakness to 4 toughness manlands showed itself. Shackles, Bloodmoon and Dispel were a house in this MU.
SB:
- 3 Serum Visons (very debatable but my thought was that the effect in the long and grindy MU was negligible),1 Huntmaster, 1 Electrolyze Flameshlash (no Resto), 3/2 Bolt
+ Grim Lavamancer (for incidental damage and to deal with Colonade with bolt), Glen Elendra Archmage, Thragtusk, 2 Dispel, Negate and 3/2 Blood Moon (only 2 in game 3 b/c he lost to it game 2)
Round 4: Wb D&T (2-0) lost die roll
He had Wasteland Strangler to process AV main deck. Other than that he lost to my removal and 2/3 for ones. All the basics helped a lot to avoid getting mana denialed.
SB:
- 3 Spell Snare (did not see any important 2 drop game 1), 2 Mana Leak (b/c of Vial)
+ Grim Lavamancer, Staticaster, Thragtusk, Pyroclasm, Firespout
Round 5: UWR Midrange (2-0) won die roll
He was much more agressive than my previous UWR opponent (Finks, Blade Splicer) so I treated this MU more as an aggro MU and the control mirror and he fell victim to my removal and good blockers. Huntmaster of the Fells was a house in this particular match
SB:
- 1 AV, 3 Mana Leak (maybe bring them in on the play?), 1 Cryptic
+ Grim Lavamancer, Thragtusk, 2 Dispel, Pyroclasm, Firespout
Round 6: Kiki-Chord (2-0) lost die roll (I conceded b/c he wanted the Byes but we played non the less)
We played two games after I concided and I won both. The MU feels grindy and AV brings you ahead if you can keep close to parity until its resolution. Also Huntmaster and Shackles are (again) very good here.
SB:
- 3 Spell Snare (just hits Walls and Voice which they play 2 off), 3 Mana Leak (I wanted to become more of a bord control deck)
+ Grim Lavamancer, Thragtusk, Pyroclasm, Firespout, 2 Dispel
All in all the deck felt really good and fluent. Some of my SB decisions might be attributed to my lack of sleep (about 4-5h) and a long work day on saturday.
I would like to find room for Huntmaster of the Fells number 3 and some tech against Ancestral Visions like maybe Invasive Surgery.
Also the 3rd Ancienct Grude or a Nature's Claim in the bord might be good especaially with the rise of blue decks and the incuision of Choke ins peoples side boards.
Another question on my mind is the matchup with Thopter/Sword decks.
If you have any questions about my experiance with the deck let me know and I'll try to answer you.
@Tinfoilhat: Do you mind posting your thoughts/lists on/for the new meta?
I tried a UGw list today and I continue to have problems with Burn and Lingering Souls. Does anyone have any tips here?
I am currently experimenting with cutting the Æther Vial for Noble Hierarch. The list and an short report will be editied into this post shortly.
First the list:
4 Noble Hierarch
1 Qasali Pridemage
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Snapcaster Mage
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Eternal Witness
1 Mirran Crusader
2 Restoration Angel
Artifacts:3
2 Vedalken Shackles
1 Batterskull
Sorceries:4
4 Serum Visions
Instants:13
4 Path to Exile
2 Spell Snare
1 Valorous Stance
2 Bant Charm
1 Thirst for Knowledge
3 Cryptic Command
3 Breeding Pool
1 Flooded Grove
4 Flooded Strand
1 Forest
3 Hallowed Fountain
3 Island
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Plains
1 Temple Garden
2 Condemn
1 Dispel
2 Nature's Claim
1 Celestial Purge
1 Feed the Clan
1 Flashfreeze
1 Negate
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Spellskite
2 Aven Mindcensor
1 Timely Reinforcements
1 Sower of Temptation
Final record: 3-2
Round 1: Burn 1-2
Game 1 I never got into the game, game 2 I totally stomped him after boarding 11 cards and both of us mull to 5.
In game 3 he opened with 3 Goblin Guide into Monestary Swiftspear and Eidolon of the Great Revel and has some burn to finish me.
Overall the games were not that intresting but at fridays FNM I also played against burn for 7 games and only managed to win 2 of them. I never really get to stabilize even if I gain 5 or 6 life off of Timely Reinforcements or Feed the Clan.
2 Condemn
1 Dispel
1 Nature's Claim
1 Celestial Purge
1 Feed the Clan
1 Flashfreeze
1 Negate
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Spellskite
1 Timely Reinforcements
2 Eternal Witness
1 Mirran Crusader
2 Vedalken Shackles
1 Valorous Stance
2 Bant Charm
1 Thirst for Knowledge
2 Cryptic Command
Round 2: Junk 2-1 (a friend from our car)
Game 1 on the draw he mulls to 5 and me to 3 and never find my 2nd manasource before getting beat down in the air by Spirits.
Game 2 I can grind him out after he resolves a turn 4 Thrun, the Last Troll with a 3/4 Tarmogoyf that hits as a 4/5 thanks to Noble Hierarch and a Sower of Temptation that I can blink once with Restoration Angel to steal his chumpblockers for my Goyf and chump his Troll.
Game 3 I resolve a turn 1 Noble Hierarch into turn 2 Tarmogoyf and Serum Visions into some removal and turn 4 Batterskull that gets to play with my Goyf and later Restoration Angel.
This is the MU I build the deck for.
1 Celestial Purge
1 Flashfreeze
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Sower of Temptation
1 Noble Hierarch
1 Qasali Pridemage
2 Spell Snare
Round 3: Junk 1-2 (another friend from our car)
Game 1 I keep a questionable hand and get wrecked by Thoughtseize -> Tarmogoyf -> Loxodon Smiter -> Siege Rhino -> Restoration Angel in response to my Path to Exile on the Rhino after talking him into running the Angel in the first place during our ride to the site.
Game 2 I get to implement my plan of outvalueing the Junk deck and finishing him with the Cryptic Command lock after a 16 turn slugfest.
We notice that we don't have that much time left in the round and both mull to 6 to find an agressive hand. He starts with one Goyf which I can remove and then burries me in Spirits from 3 Lingering Souls while I struggle to race him on the ground with Goyf and Mirran Crusader. In the end I am 2 life short which I lost to a mistake on turn 2 when I played a Flooded Strand instead of the Plains I had in hand.
Same SB plan as Round 2.
Round 4: UW Tron 2-1
This was a MU I was very unsure of. Game 1 we grind it out and I get to steal his Batterskull token with Vedalken Shackes and later a Wurmcoilengine after bouncing his Detention Sphere with Cryptic Command while racing with Tarmogoyf and Scavenging Ooze.
Game 2 I overextend a bit and get destroyed by turn 3 Supreme Verdict and turn 4 Tron into counter and later a Sphinx' Revelation into Sundering Titan while not really finding anything.
Game 3 he keeps a questionable hand while I go to 6 and open on Noble Hierarch -> Tarmogoyf + Serum Visions -> Crpytic Command -> while he assembles Tron turn 4 but has only one big spell (Karn Liberated).
2 Nature's Claim
1 Negate
2 Aven Mindcensor
1 Timely Reinforcements
1 Eternal Witness
1 Mirran Crusader
1 Path to Exile
2 Spell Snare
1 Valorous Stance
Round 5: Tribal Zoo 2-1
Game 1 I start with a good mix of of removal, creatures and a Spell Snare and can manage his board until I stabilize a 5 and get to land a Batterskull to close out the game.
Game 2 he lands a turn 2 Geist of Saint Traft and turn 3 Elspeth, Knight-Errant with the help on Noble Hierarch and the turn after used Ghor-Clan Rampager and Mutagenic Growth and some Burn to close out the game after I resolved Timely Reinforcements and a Restoration Angel.
Game 3 we traded recources until at turn 10 or 11 I get to resolve a Batterskull and equip it to a Snapcaster Mage to put the game out of his reach.
2 Condemn
1 Dispel
1 Feed the Clan
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Spellskite
1 Timely Reinforcements
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Eternal Witness
1 Restoration Angel
1 Valorous Stance
2 Bant Charm
1 Cryptic Command
First thoughts about the deck and tournament:
Pros:
- the deck beat Junk as it was intended to to
- all creature matchups look good
- Noble Hierarch have overperformed (acceleration and Exalted)
- I did not really miss the Æther Vials
- Mirran Crusader was a house
- 21 lands, 4 Noble and 4 Serum Visions lets you curve out well
Cons:
- I need to get more reps in with the deck to reduce the amount of mistakes and mental taxation (I was quite exausted mentally after 5 rounds)
- Lingering Souls and swarms of small creatures are a problem
- fliers are some sort of a problem
- I think I have the wrong angle on the Burn-MU
- some MUs seem overboarded
- the Bant Charms have underperformed and will get cut in the future
In the Future I would like to keep testing the deck without Æther Vial and move more to a Midrange-Control-Deck maybe testing out Worship for the Burn- and Aggo-MUs and Serra Avenger for defence in the air and a good flying clock. I will keep working on the deck and feel like I am on to something that I will like in the end.
I am looking forward to your comments and questions.
I tried a UGw list today and I continue to have problems with Burn and Lingering Souls. Does anyone have any tips here?
I am currently experimenting with cutting the Æther Vial for Noble Hierarch. The list and an short report will be editied into this post shortly.
First the list:
4 Noble Hierarch
1 Qasali Pridemage
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Snapcaster Mage
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Eternal Witness
1 Mirran Crusader
2 Restoration Angel
Artifacts:3
2 Vedalken Shackles
1 Batterskull
Sorceries:4
4 Serum Visions
Instants:13
4 Path to Exile
2 Spell Snare
1 Valorous Stance
2 Bant Charm
1 Thirst for Knowledge
3 Cryptic Command
3 Breeding Pool
1 Flooded Grove
4 Flooded Strand
1 Forest
3 Hallowed Fountain
3 Island
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Plains
1 Temple Garden
2 Condemn
1 Dispel
2 Nature's Claim
1 Celestial Purge
1 Feed the Clan
1 Flashfreeze
1 Negate
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Spellskite
2 Aven Mindcensor
1 Timely Reinforcements
1 Sower of Temptation
Final record: 3-2
Round 1: Burn 1-2
Game 1 I never got into the game, game 2 I totally stomped him after boarding 11 cards and both of us mull to 5.
In game 3 he opened with 3 Goblin Guide into Monestary Swiftspear and Eidolon of the Great Revel and has some burn to finish me.
Overall the games were not that intresting but at fridays FNM I also played against burn for 7 games and only managed to win 2 of them. I never really get to stabilize even if I gain 5 or 6 life off of Timely Reinforcements or Feed the Clan.
2 Condemn
1 Dispel
1 Nature's Claim
1 Celestial Purge
1 Feed the Clan
1 Flashfreeze
1 Negate
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Spellskite
1 Timely Reinforcements
2 Eternal Witness
1 Mirran Crusader
2 Vedalken Shackles
1 Valorous Stance
2 Bant Charm
1 Thirst for Knowledge
2 Cryptic Command
Round 2: Junk 2-1 (a friend from our car)
Game 1 on the draw he mulls to 5 and me to 3 and never find my 2nd manasource before getting beat down in the air by Spirits.
Game 2 I can grind him out after he resolves a turn 4 Thrun, the Last Troll with a 3/4 Tarmogoyf that hits as a 4/5 thanks to Noble Hierarch and a Sower of Temptation that I can blink once with Restoration Angel to steal his chumpblockers for my Goyf and chump his Troll.
Game 3 I resolve a turn 1 Noble Hierarch into turn 2 Tarmogoyf and Serum Visions into some removal and turn 4 Batterskull that gets to play with my Goyf and later Restoration Angel.
This is the MU I build the deck for.
1 Celestial Purge
1 Flashfreeze
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Sower of Temptation
1 Noble Hierarch
1 Qasali Pridemage
2 Spell Snare
Round 3: Junk 1-2 (another friend from our car)
Game 1 I keep a questionable hand and get wrecked by Thoughtseize -> Tarmogoyf -> Loxodon Smiter -> Siege Rhino -> Restoration Angel in response to my Path to Exile on the Rhino after talking him into running the Angel in the first place during our ride to the site.
Game 2 I get to implement my plan of outvalueing the Junk deck and finishing him with the Cryptic Command lock after a 16 turn slugfest.
We notice that we don't have that much time left in the round and both mull to 6 to find an agressive hand. He starts with one Goyf which I can remove and then burries me in Spirits from 3 Lingering Souls while I struggle to race him on the ground with Goyf and Mirran Crusader. In the end I am 2 life short which I lost to a mistake on turn 2 when I played a Flooded Strand instead of the Plains I had in hand.
Same SB plan as Round 2.
Round 4: UW Tron 2-1
This was a MU I was very unsure of. Game 1 we grind it out and I get to steal his Batterskull token with Vedalken Shackes and later a Wurmcoilengine after bouncing his Detention Sphere with Cryptic Command while racing with Tarmogoyf and Scavenging Ooze.
Game 2 I overextend a bit and get destroyed by turn 3 Supreme Verdict and turn 4 Tron into counter and later a Sphinx' Revelation into Sundering Titan while not really finding anything.
Game 3 he keeps a questionable hand while I go to 6 and open on Noble Hierarch -> Tarmogoyf + Serum Visions -> Crpytic Command -> while he assembles Tron turn 4 but has only one big spell (Karn Liberated).
2 Nature's Claim
1 Negate
2 Aven Mindcensor
1 Timely Reinforcements
1 Eternal Witness
1 Mirran Crusader
1 Path to Exile
2 Spell Snare
1 Valorous Stance
Round 5: Tribal Zoo 2-1
Game 1 I start with a good mix of of removal, creatures and a Spell Snare and can manage his board until I stabilize a 5 and get to land a Batterskull to close out the game.
Game 2 he lands a turn 2 Geist of Saint Traft and turn 3 Elspeth, Knight-Errant with the help on Noble Hierarch and the turn after used Ghor-Clan Rampager and Mutagenic Growth and some Burn to close out the game after I resolved Timely Reinforcements and a Restoration Angel.
Game 3 we traded recources until at turn 10 or 11 I get to resolve a Batterskull and equip it to a Snapcaster Mage to put the game out of his reach.
2 Condemn
1 Dispel
1 Feed the Clan
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Spellskite
1 Timely Reinforcements
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Eternal Witness
1 Restoration Angel
1 Valorous Stance
2 Bant Charm
1 Cryptic Command
First thoughts about the deck and tournament:
Pros:
- the deck beat Junk as it was intended to to
- all creature matchups look good
- Noble Hierarch have overperformed (acceleration and Exalted)
- I did not really miss the Æther Vials
- Mirran Crusader was a house
- 21 lands, 4 Noble and 4 Serum Visions lets you curve out well
Cons:
- I need to get more reps in with the deck to reduce the amount of mistakes and mental taxation (I was quite exausted mentally after 5 rounds)
- Lingering Souls and swarms of small creatures are a problem
- fliers are some sort of a problem
- I think I have the wrong angle on the Burn-MU
- some MUs seem overboarded
- the Bant Charms have underperformed and will get cut in the future
In the Future I would like to keep testing the deck without Æther Vial and move more to a Midrange-Control-Deck maybe testing out Worship for the Burn- and Aggo-MUs and Serra Avenger for defence in the air and a good flying clock. I will keep working on the deck and feel like I am on to something that I will like in the end.
I am looking forward to your comments and questions.
4 Misty Rainforest
3 Scalding Tarn
2 Breeding Pool
2 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
4 Island
1 Forest
2 Hinterland Harbor
2 Flooded Grove
2 Sage of Epityr
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Snapcaster Mage
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Coiling Oracle
1 Vendilion Clique
3 Eternal Witness
1 Savage Knuckleblade
Spells: 17
4 Serum Visions
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Familiar's Ruse
2 Izzet Charm
3 Cryptic Command
1 Dig Through Time
The sideboard is just an assortment of cards I was thinking about. Please tell me if I forgot something good.
The flow of the deck in my test matches (about 20) was really good.
I skipped Kitschen Finks for its manacost and low impact in other MUs than Delver or Burn (which is not so prevailant in my local Meta).
Junk 3
Junk without Liliana with Hierarch and Smiter
Twin 2
Delver
Mono Green Devotion
Grixis Control 2 (Cruel Control)
Merfolk 2
Tokens
Dead Guy Ale
2-3 Acendancy Combo (expected)
Zoo
Also there are some number of Scapeshift/RG Ramp (with Through the Breach and Summoning Trap -> Primetime and Emrakuhl)
Due to the high amount of junk and Merfolk I am looking at the Bant version for Path and Suppreme Verdict. I own Goyfs but do not want to be dead to GY hate like Eternal Command is.
I'm expectin an uptick in Storm due to it's good MU against Ascendancy.
I have played RUG Eternal Command for some time now and getting unsatisfied with it. Thats why I am looking in Eternal Ruse. I am preparing for a PreTQ on january 3rd and want to get some reps in during the hollydays.
I am building the deck right now.
I never played combo before in a tournament, just some Zoo, Dredge and WhiteLifegain.
I´m testing this list atm:
4 Cruel Bargain
4 Infernal Contract
4 Infernal Tutor
2 Past in Flames
1 Goblin Charbelcher
2 Tendrils of Agony
3 Culling the Weak
4 Cabal Ritual
4 Dark Ritual
4 Lion's Eye Diamond
4 Chrome Mox
4 Lotus Petal
4 Summoner's Pact
4 Elvish Spirit Guide
1 Wild Cantor
3 Land Grant
1 Bayou
1 Dryad Arbor
1 Tinder Wall
1 Odious Trow
4 Manamorphose
Side is just an idea but I think I'm going with EtW against Control and Tempo (take out pacts)
SB: x Rebuild
SB: 1 Goblin Charbelcher
SB: 4 Empty the Warrens
SB: x Reverent Silence
SB: (x Autumn's Veil)
SB: x Wipe Away
SB: x Deathmark
What do you guys think about this list?
I´m currently thinking about the "Burning Wish"-idea. would it be good in my Meta?
Also what list would you guys take to a bigger tournament at the moment?