Went 1-2-1 Drop at the PTQ today. 119 Players, so 7 rounds. Was able to get 2 Remands, so I ran 3 remands and 1 spell snare in the spot of the 4th.
Round 1: Some weird RUG deck with Greater Gargadon,Fauna Shaman, Thalia, etc.
Game 1: He gets some early beats in while I stabilize. He suspends a Gargadon, next turn I treasure mage for a slaver, having the mana to cast/activate it, he scoops in response to me saccing his board.
Game 2: Keep a hand of two tron pieces, triple condescend, repeal, island. He drops T2 Gaddock Teeg. I try to keep playing out, I end up being able to get a wurmcoil and stabilize, but he's able to barely push through the last two damage.
Game 3: Game starts with about 90 seconds left on the clock, with G1 taking 20 minutes and G2 taking the rest (Though I should have scooped earlier in G2). Opening hand is Tron, Island, Titan, Talisman, I'm able to get a T3 titan, but about 2-3 turns too slow to take out before time and the five turns wore out.
0-0-1
Round 2: Soul Sisters (Sort of, focus on Spectral Possession/Lingering Souls and pump effects like Honor of the Pure).
Game 1: Didn't have any notes for this, I remember a T2 squadron Hawk, and then being one repeal short of losing to exactly lethal from Flying tokens.
Game 2: Again, No real notes, I believe I got double Wurmcoil out in response to his Stony Silence, as my life is going up 12 a turn. It ends with me at 59.
Game 3: He gets T2 silence, I get T3 tron->Wurmcoil. Force him to Ghost Quarter out my tron, he never gets a third land again.
1-0-1
Round 3: Pod
Game 1: He's on the play, Able to squeak out a T3 Magus of the Moon in the MD. I can't get anywhere.
Game 2: I'm able to counter most of the threats, he does get a Restoration Angel to stick with triple Noble Hierarch, and I miscount the mana I need to counter his Chord + kill angel with Dismember, and lose to the 5/6 angel beats.
1-1-1
Round 4: RG Tron
Game 1: I keep a hand of Tron, Tower, PP, Map, Repeal. End up popping map for a blue source, repeal his Karn as he drops it, but can't draw into a counter.
Game 2: I'm able to get again an early tron, but he gets it T4 as well. Remand delays Karn a bit, I have Wurmcoil and a Treasure Mage beating in as long as I can, he sticks a Karn and I can't get Tron again. I kill it the next turn, he pops Oblivion Stone and follows it up with a third Karn. This is where I wish I had the 4th Remand, as the Spell Snare was sitting in hand and could have bought me the turn if it was Karn. Emrakuel comes down a couple turns later, and my Wurm tokens can't really do anything.
1-2-1
Overall, not bad. I punted the game 2 against Pod (as I've done several times online too),Round 1 maybe could have been a better start if I scooped earlier to the Teeg, as I clearly had G3. I like the deck, I just really don't like having a bunch of X counters like Condescend and soft counters like Remand, because without Tron (as we'll usually be early game) any ramp that can get off one extra mana can usually be out of the condescend range. I see why UWR is so popular right now, and honestly there's many times I wish I could play that instead. With Snapcaster, they have more counters than us, and the removal is so critical.
Top tables were tons of Pod and UWR, with an affinity and eggs scattered about. I left after watching the 5th round, after the TO decided not to do side drafts.
Edit: Also of Note: First PTQ ever with every decklist submitted being valid (prior to deck checks). Tarmogoyfs seen today = 0.
Right now I have in spot of the 3 missing remands, 2 Snare and a Leak. Or maybe the Squelch, I still feel like Remand is something I want to just essentially get a free turn facing most decks, because it hits everything, which is why I keep the leak in there over a third snare - it hits everything, but it sucks in the late game. I guess I'll try to get the Remands, if not I'll go something weird and do a Squelch-Snare-Leak-Remand 1 of for each, which will either be the best or worst thing I could do in that case.
So, PTQ tomorrow, and it's come to my attention that my Remands are nowhere to be found, same with the rest of my group. I have a single one, but I'm not sure if I can get my hands on them before tomorrow.
If you had 3 flex slots, which counter would you replace them with? Dispel? Pierce? Negate? I know this was mentioned recently with discussion about even maybe Squelch in place of them.
Still expecting lots of Pod/Twin/UWR as the main three tomorrow.
Maindeck is same as the original list, SB is most likely:
Easy level up for 0/6 and with tron assembled it becomes a threat on it's own. Hardly a dead card.
What do you guys think?
Interesting, and a nice mana sink. Main issue I have is the U in the cost - we have enough issues getting that early and still keeping up another U for permission. I could definitely see running it in place of a solemn maybe? Don't want to go below 2 solemns though.
Watching his archive now. Interesting take. I really like the Dreadships - I am going to try to run a couple of them to allow ramps as needed without tron. Not too sold on trading to a RG splash yet - I'm not expecting too much aggro this weekend, just tons of UWR (both midrange and pure control) and Combo.
This version has always been alright with aggro, usually slightly sided in their favor. Repeals are probably the best thing we can use in this. Post board is pretty good, with both Ratchet Bombs and Spellskites.
Also - just an FYI for those who are like me and don't understand every single detail - you can steal auras with Skites too.
Edit - I'll have to test against it and see for more info. Also, what is our way around Delver / UWR / etc? They always have too many counters for me to handle, plus Cryptic Command is both a counter and a bounce for Tron. This has been my worst matchup testing this week. I know it was suggested to board out Remands for Pierces ...but I don't see them enough to do much, I find myself wanting remand way too often.
Wow, can't believe I didnt think to put in the Skites. That would probably be best, and then maybe a chalice for 1. I feel like I can't fit both Chalice and Bomb in, and right now I like Bomb over Chalice. The only deck I feel that Chalice may be better against is Affinity?
So I've had some interesting testing versus Infect tonight....
Overall Results - 3 Matches, all 2-1,2 in testing one in a tournament., I lost one, won two. One of the wins was due to him misplaying in G3. I won none of the G1s.
Notes:
Remand, Repeal, Condescend are all almost always time walks in the format with how little lands they run, if you can keep dropping them on the creatures. Inkmoth proves a bit of issue with how we don't have anything to do against that. Is Needle worth boarding in just for that? I did it once and it got me a game, but I'm not fully sold on it.
The bad matchup against this format makes me want to run the 3rd and 4th Ratchet Bombs in the board.
What do you like to board out? Right now I'm going:
-1 Burst
-1 Titan
-1 Mindslaver
-2 Condescend
+2 Ratchet Bomb (Want more)
+3 Dismember
This is running same MD from first post, and Board is:
Started testing this today, probably bringing it to a PTQ in a few weeks. Expecting a lot of Jund, Pod, and Delver, making me think this would be a good call for the first two, and that's what I focused the testing on.
As stated, I love the main deck (the one from the 2/18 daily). Only change is Eye of Ugin over Oboro.
Staff of Nin was something I put in as well, sure the draw is nice, but it was very few times that I actually needed to look for it. If I needed to stabilize, I would get a wurmcoil. If I did grab it, I almost always had control of the game.
My SB would be decided at the last minute of course, but what I definitely want:
3 Dismember
3 Needle
3 Trickbind/Squelch
2 Spellskite
Just because of how strong planeswalkers and fetches are. I'd also put in a singleton Emrakuel, but I'm starting to think its just a win more card as well.
Curious as to what exactly I should be countering when facing Twin or Control, I'm horrible with control mirrors and always mis-counter or discard (through thirst in this case).
I'm likely to try UW first, especially with another possible PTQ next week, I may try to get that together. Path and Sweepers are too key to give up.
Edit: I even think some better bounce would be better. Repeal is nice, especially the cantrip, but it's usually a temporary solution to the problem.
Round 1: Some weird RUG deck with Greater Gargadon,Fauna Shaman, Thalia, etc.
Game 1: He gets some early beats in while I stabilize. He suspends a Gargadon, next turn I treasure mage for a slaver, having the mana to cast/activate it, he scoops in response to me saccing his board.
Game 2: Keep a hand of two tron pieces, triple condescend, repeal, island. He drops T2 Gaddock Teeg. I try to keep playing out, I end up being able to get a wurmcoil and stabilize, but he's able to barely push through the last two damage.
Game 3: Game starts with about 90 seconds left on the clock, with G1 taking 20 minutes and G2 taking the rest (Though I should have scooped earlier in G2). Opening hand is Tron, Island, Titan, Talisman, I'm able to get a T3 titan, but about 2-3 turns too slow to take out before time and the five turns wore out.
0-0-1
Round 2: Soul Sisters (Sort of, focus on Spectral Possession/Lingering Souls and pump effects like Honor of the Pure).
Game 1: Didn't have any notes for this, I remember a T2 squadron Hawk, and then being one repeal short of losing to exactly lethal from Flying tokens.
Game 2: Again, No real notes, I believe I got double Wurmcoil out in response to his Stony Silence, as my life is going up 12 a turn. It ends with me at 59.
Game 3: He gets T2 silence, I get T3 tron->Wurmcoil. Force him to Ghost Quarter out my tron, he never gets a third land again.
1-0-1
Round 3: Pod
Game 1: He's on the play, Able to squeak out a T3 Magus of the Moon in the MD. I can't get anywhere.
Game 2: I'm able to counter most of the threats, he does get a Restoration Angel to stick with triple Noble Hierarch, and I miscount the mana I need to counter his Chord + kill angel with Dismember, and lose to the 5/6 angel beats.
1-1-1
Round 4: RG Tron
Game 1: I keep a hand of Tron, Tower, PP, Map, Repeal. End up popping map for a blue source, repeal his Karn as he drops it, but can't draw into a counter.
Game 2: I'm able to get again an early tron, but he gets it T4 as well. Remand delays Karn a bit, I have Wurmcoil and a Treasure Mage beating in as long as I can, he sticks a Karn and I can't get Tron again. I kill it the next turn, he pops Oblivion Stone and follows it up with a third Karn. This is where I wish I had the 4th Remand, as the Spell Snare was sitting in hand and could have bought me the turn if it was Karn. Emrakuel comes down a couple turns later, and my Wurm tokens can't really do anything.
1-2-1
Overall, not bad. I punted the game 2 against Pod (as I've done several times online too),Round 1 maybe could have been a better start if I scooped earlier to the Teeg, as I clearly had G3. I like the deck, I just really don't like having a bunch of X counters like Condescend and soft counters like Remand, because without Tron (as we'll usually be early game) any ramp that can get off one extra mana can usually be out of the condescend range. I see why UWR is so popular right now, and honestly there's many times I wish I could play that instead. With Snapcaster, they have more counters than us, and the removal is so critical.
Top tables were tons of Pod and UWR, with an affinity and eggs scattered about. I left after watching the 5th round, after the TO decided not to do side drafts.
Edit: Also of Note: First PTQ ever with every decklist submitted being valid (prior to deck checks). Tarmogoyfs seen today = 0.
If you had 3 flex slots, which counter would you replace them with? Dispel? Pierce? Negate? I know this was mentioned recently with discussion about even maybe Squelch in place of them.
Still expecting lots of Pod/Twin/UWR as the main three tomorrow.
Maindeck is same as the original list, SB is most likely:
3 Trickbind
2 Ratchet Bomb
2 Pithing Needle
3 Dismember
3 Spell Pierce
yea, i don't see it sticking around at all with the decks we want it against having so much removal.
Interesting, and a nice mana sink. Main issue I have is the U in the cost - we have enough issues getting that early and still keeping up another U for permission. I could definitely see running it in place of a solemn maybe? Don't want to go below 2 solemns though.
Also - just an FYI for those who are like me and don't understand every single detail - you can steal auras with Skites too.
Edit - I'll have to test against it and see for more info. Also, what is our way around Delver / UWR / etc? They always have too many counters for me to handle, plus Cryptic Command is both a counter and a bounce for Tron. This has been my worst matchup testing this week. I know it was suggested to board out Remands for Pierces ...but I don't see them enough to do much, I find myself wanting remand way too often.
Overall Results - 3 Matches, all 2-1,2 in testing one in a tournament., I lost one, won two. One of the wins was due to him misplaying in G3. I won none of the G1s.
Notes:
Remand, Repeal, Condescend are all almost always time walks in the format with how little lands they run, if you can keep dropping them on the creatures. Inkmoth proves a bit of issue with how we don't have anything to do against that. Is Needle worth boarding in just for that? I did it once and it got me a game, but I'm not fully sold on it.
The bad matchup against this format makes me want to run the 3rd and 4th Ratchet Bombs in the board.
What do you like to board out? Right now I'm going:
-1 Burst
-1 Titan
-1 Mindslaver
-2 Condescend
+2 Ratchet Bomb (Want more)
+3 Dismember
This is running same MD from first post, and Board is:
3 Trickbind
3 Spell Pierce
2 Spellskite
2 Pithing Needle
2 Ratchet Bomb
As stated, I love the main deck (the one from the 2/18 daily). Only change is Eye of Ugin over Oboro.
Staff of Nin was something I put in as well, sure the draw is nice, but it was very few times that I actually needed to look for it. If I needed to stabilize, I would get a wurmcoil. If I did grab it, I almost always had control of the game.
My SB would be decided at the last minute of course, but what I definitely want:
3 Dismember
3 Needle
3 Trickbind/Squelch
2 Spellskite
Just because of how strong planeswalkers and fetches are. I'd also put in a singleton Emrakuel, but I'm starting to think its just a win more card as well.
Curious as to what exactly I should be countering when facing Twin or Control, I'm horrible with control mirrors and always mis-counter or discard (through thirst in this case).