You literally just said to me run 3 Wear // Tear and just take cards out that dont serve the same purpose. This is why I asked you this. I dont care what you run but dont tell me to cut Grudge and Pierce for a card that doesnt accomplish the same thing...?
Do as you wish, I'm not coming where you live at night to introduce Wear//Tears in your sideboard while you sleep.
So, you found the definitive answer against Stony Silence. Ok. It is amazing how no other pro-player ever thought of that. But ok.
Yupp, on the draw they went turn 2 Stony Silence I went turn 3 Tempered Steel with my plains, glimmervoid and Darksteel citadel. Rolled over him because he thought the same thing every player thinks playing against affinity. I have a hate card, I win this game.
You hardly did that since your Darksteel Citadel couldn't have been tapped with Stony Silence in play.
Sarcasm aside: if your opponent only plays a Stony Silence and then just stares at you for the rest of the match, you might very well win. Otherwise, if you don't destroy it/counter it, it's gonna be a mountain to climb for you. Half of your mana sources don't work, including most of your colored mana sources. Ravager doesn't work. Cranial Plating doesn't work. Welding Jar doesn't work. Steel Overseer doesn't work. Concerning Tempered Steel, since numbers matter, most of the times you won't have 2x white mana to even cast it after a Stony Silence.
So guess what? No, you haven't found the definitive answer to Stony. No, playing 3x Tempered Steel doesn't prevent Stony silence from hurting you and stifling you. Yes, you still need to answer that card and yes, you should still be afraid of it.
Like, when you build sideboards. Do you just pick matchups and just throw cards in?
I just throw cards in. Because I don't play the same cards you play, that must be the reason. I just throw cards in.
You literally just said to me run 3 Wear // Tear and just take cards out that dont serve the same purpose. This is why I asked you this. I dont care what you run but dont tell me to cut Grudge and Pierce for a card that doesnt accomplish the same thing...?
Besides have you looked at my mainboard? Im not scared of Stony Silence, I have Tempered Steel!
I guess all Affinity players will be happy to know you found the definitive answer to maybe the best hate card available against Affinity. Yes. They will be.
I'm just curious about one thing: when was it the last time someone played a Stony Silence against you? Yupp, on the draw they went turn 2 Stony Silence I went turn 3 Tempered Steel with my plains, glimmervoid and Darksteel citadel. Rolled over him because he thought the same thing every player thinks playing against affinity. I have a hate card, I win this game.
That being said, run the cards you prefere in the sideboard, I couldn't care less. I was just sharing my opinion on a couple of things. Me I will never run 3x Grudge, especially now since Affinity's presence is going to decline tremendously (it already started).
Spell Pierce isnt FOR Stony Silence, why would you cut Pierce for it?
I want good cards in the Mirror. Ancient Grudge > Wear // Tear against Affinity. This is just a fact.
I want cards that are good vs. Shatterstorm/Wraths. Spell Pierce > Wear // Tear, since Wear // Tear doesnt counter removal.
I DONT WANT WEAR // TEAR FOR THE MIRROR. I run Wear // Tear because its good against the mirror and other decks. I want Ancient grudge because its good vs AFfinity, and I didnt need sideboard slots for other matchups.
Like, when you build sideboards. Do you just pick matchups and just throw cards in? Because when I build them, I make sure I like my 60 first and once its "closed" I start looking at what I dont want in matchups and write down how many slots I can have for each deck. I dont want more cards vs Control that arent good vs Jund/Other grindy decks, hence why I run a Wear // Tear Spell Pierce mix.
@DXI-Edge: don't you think 3 Grudges are too many?
I have to take out 6 cards in the matchup, as Etched champion might as well read grey ogre. So I have to compensate the fact that since I'm preboarded vs a lot of decks, I have to help fix the other matchups.
I lost 4 games all day, both to Jund and my only losses were to Jund. Going into this tournament I knew that I would win all my games vs non-grixis decks, and all game 1's vs jund. And the grixis matchup isnt impossible, its just difficult.
What sucks is my game 2 vs Jund I think I misplayed and could have won if I was more aggerssive with my inkmoths, as my opponent was on 9 poison when he won. Game 3, I turn 1 Ornitopter-Ornithopter-Springleaf-Vault Skirge'd and turn 2 Tempered Steel, got my opponent to 1 and he just removal spelled back while I drew 7 mana sources over the course of 7 turns. My draws were, in order, plains-blinkmoth-darksteel-springleaf-mox opal-glimmervoid-darksteel citadel, and my opponent won on 5 life (scavenging ooze beat downs). Was hard to lose that one, but i guess it happens.
Would definitely recommend it, if not this mainboard:
But of the 150 matches I played this week, 2 games I couldnt cast Tempered Steel where if it was a Galvanic Blast or an Ensoul Artifact, I would have won. Every other game either I won without it, I lost and nothing would have done it there, or I cast it. And very rarely could I not cast it.
I would highly recommend tempered steel moving forward.
Why would you cut a springleaf drum for a Thoughtcast....
Well, I've noticed over the years of playing and continuosly changing the decklist, that Thoughtcast is a card you want to see pretty much in every single match, just maybe not in multiples. Sometimes when my deck was running less smoothly I noticed it was because I had taken out my Thoughtcast or I had reduced them to 2 and as a consequence I wasn't drawing them most of the time.
As far as for Springleaf Drum, I never really missed the fourth. It's a card that usually gets bad when seen in multiples. Of course it's not totally useless, but I would rather draw pretty much anything else. I feel like 23 mana sources are more than enough for this deck.
If your running 17 land, I could see cutting one Springleaf Drum but IMO the 4th drum is better than the 17th land.
Also, Thoughtcast is not as good as you think it is. Drawing them is fine, but in my experience 1 is enough, and most often your hand gets clogged with them.
Realistically in Affinity you have to ask yourself, if you have 4, are you ok seeing 2 in a game, if not even in your opening hand. With Affinity, 1 Thoughtcast is enough. We arent looking to bury opponents in card advantage, we are looking to bury them in field presence and early pressure. Thoughtcast doesnt do that.
As for my list, this is what I'm running with right now. It may change a bit after testing tonight:
I am very much advocate for 16 lands in Affinity, but for this list the 17th is necessary in order to cast Tempered Steel easier. IMO if you dont have this card in your list, 16 land is fine.
Potential changes to occur:
-1 Memnite, +1 Welding Jar
-1 Etched Champion, -1 Memnite, +2 Frogmite
Potential Sideboard cards:
Tomb of the Spirit Dragon
Grafdigger's Cage
What do you guys think of Tempered Steel in this meta? To combat the increase of Kolaghan's command, it allows our threats to stay threats one at a time, rather than having to swarm? Also if we get the white splash, we can play Dispatch to fight Tasigurs now
Whatever dude. Get lost
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Responses in Bold
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I want good cards in the Mirror. Ancient Grudge > Wear // Tear against Affinity. This is just a fact.
I want cards that are good vs. Shatterstorm/Wraths. Spell Pierce > Wear // Tear, since Wear // Tear doesnt counter removal.
I DONT WANT WEAR // TEAR FOR THE MIRROR. I run Wear // Tear because its good against the mirror and other decks. I want Ancient grudge because its good vs AFfinity, and I didnt need sideboard slots for other matchups.
Like, when you build sideboards. Do you just pick matchups and just throw cards in? Because when I build them, I make sure I like my 60 first and once its "closed" I start looking at what I dont want in matchups and write down how many slots I can have for each deck. I dont want more cards vs Control that arent good vs Jund/Other grindy decks, hence why I run a Wear // Tear Spell Pierce mix.
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With Tron winning 2 major events that will change this week.
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I have to take out 6 cards in the matchup, as Etched champion might as well read grey ogre. So I have to compensate the fact that since I'm preboarded vs a lot of decks, I have to help fix the other matchups.
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My list:
4 Ornithopter
4 Signal Pest
4 Arcbound Ravager
2 Steel Overseer
4 Vault Skirge
4 Etched Champion
4 Mox Opal
1 Welding Jar
2 Galvanic Blast
4 Springleaf Drum
4 Cranial Plating
3 Tempered Steel
3 Darksteel Citadel
4 Glimmervoid
4 Inkmoth Nexus
2 Plains
1 Dispatch
1 Duress
1 Thoughtseize
1 Spell Pierce
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Wear // Tear
3 Ancient Grudge
2 Spellskite
2 Whipflare
2 Blood Moon
I lost 4 games all day, both to Jund and my only losses were to Jund. Going into this tournament I knew that I would win all my games vs non-grixis decks, and all game 1's vs jund. And the grixis matchup isnt impossible, its just difficult.
What sucks is my game 2 vs Jund I think I misplayed and could have won if I was more aggerssive with my inkmoths, as my opponent was on 9 poison when he won. Game 3, I turn 1 Ornitopter-Ornithopter-Springleaf-Vault Skirge'd and turn 2 Tempered Steel, got my opponent to 1 and he just removal spelled back while I drew 7 mana sources over the course of 7 turns. My draws were, in order, plains-blinkmoth-darksteel-springleaf-mox opal-glimmervoid-darksteel citadel, and my opponent won on 5 life (scavenging ooze beat downs). Was hard to lose that one, but i guess it happens.
Would definitely recommend it, if not this mainboard:
4 Ornithopter
4 Signal Pest
4 Arcbound Ravager
2 Steel Overseer
4 Vault Skirge
3 Etched Champion
1 Master of Etherium
1 Welding Jar
4 Springleaf Drum
2 Stubborn Denial
4 Cranial Plating
2 Ensoul Artifact
2 Thoughtcast
4 Darksteel Citadel
3 Glimmervoid
4 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Island
But of the 150 matches I played this week, 2 games I couldnt cast Tempered Steel where if it was a Galvanic Blast or an Ensoul Artifact, I would have won. Every other game either I won without it, I lost and nothing would have done it there, or I cast it. And very rarely could I not cast it.
I would highly recommend tempered steel moving forward.
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4 Ornithopter
4 Signal Pest
4 Arcbound Ravager
2 Steel Overseer
4 Vault Skirge
4 Etched Champion
4 Mox Opal
1 Welding Jar
2 Galvanic Blast
4 Springleaf Drum
4 Cranial Plating
3 Tempered Steel
4 Blinkmoth Nexus
3 Darksteel Citadel
2 Plains
4 Glimmervoid
2 Dispatch
1 Relic of Progenitus
2 Thoughtseize
1 Wear // Tear
3 Ancient Grudge
2 Spellskite
2 Whipflare
2 Blood Moon
Considering cutting one of the Blood Moon's for another Relic for the Abzan CoCo and the Delver matchup.
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If your running 17 land, I could see cutting one Springleaf Drum but IMO the 4th drum is better than the 17th land.
Also, Thoughtcast is not as good as you think it is. Drawing them is fine, but in my experience 1 is enough, and most often your hand gets clogged with them.
Realistically in Affinity you have to ask yourself, if you have 4, are you ok seeing 2 in a game, if not even in your opening hand. With Affinity, 1 Thoughtcast is enough. We arent looking to bury opponents in card advantage, we are looking to bury them in field presence and early pressure. Thoughtcast doesnt do that.
As for my list, this is what I'm running with right now. It may change a bit after testing tonight:
4 Ornithopter
4 Signal Pest
4 Vault Skirge
4 Arcbound Ravager
2 Steel Overseer
4 Etched Champion
4 Mox Opal
4 Springleaf Drum
4 Cranial Plating
2 Dispatch
3 Tempered Steel
4 Inkmoth Nexus
4 Darksteel Citadel
4 Glimmervoid
1 Plains
2 Dispatch
2 Whipflare
1 Relic of Progenitus
2 Blood Moon
2 Spellskite
3 Ancient Grudge
2 Thoughtseize
1 Wear // Tear
I am very much advocate for 16 lands in Affinity, but for this list the 17th is necessary in order to cast Tempered Steel easier. IMO if you dont have this card in your list, 16 land is fine.
Potential changes to occur:
-1 Memnite, +1 Welding Jar
-1 Etched Champion, -1 Memnite, +2 Frogmite
Potential Sideboard cards:
Tomb of the Spirit Dragon
Grafdigger's Cage
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I board it in vs delver and burn so far, also storm and ascendancy combo
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