So I've been testing this deck against Mardu Green, and it seems like a pretty bad match-up for Abzan Blue.
Mardu can play a comical amount of two-for-ones, and has very powerful removal across all stages of the game. Add in things like Kolaghan's Command returning Siege Rhino, and the using Goblin Dark-Dwellers to do it again, and the amount of value they produce gives them a significantly better grind game. Plenty of life gain makes racing them hard.
If you expected to place against Mardu Green, what would you do to improve the match-up? My gut tells me adding more card advantage to the sideboard would be a good place to start, as it's important to keep up with them rather than just drawing lands and 1 for 1 cards (Negate, Valorous Stance), so maybe Plansewalkers, Ob Nixilis Reignited specifically, could be strong choices.
EDIT: If you're expecting a game to go very late (past turn 10 or 15), can the deck support a single copy of Treasure Cruise in the sideboard? Getting even a single "1 mana, draw 3" is extremely powerful against those types of fair decks.
What sets apart the people who look back on this and laugh, from the people who look back on it and say - I was wrong, is that the latter is going to be the one who ends up next leveling you at every turn and who is going to have a more technical game than you more often than not.
That is simply not true. One's ability to evaluate a card's potential playability has nothing to do with their play skill. Just because someone can say if a card is going to be good or not has absolutely no effect on there ability to sequence lands and spells, read their opponent, sideboard effectively, figure out whose trying to end the game faster, ect. In terms of "next leveling", if you mean trying out different cards and making more brews, you're correct. Although being able to say "I was wrong before" doesn't mean someone is a good deckbuilder; I suppose it stops them from falling into the same trap twice, but it doesn't mean they'll be making meta-shacking builds.
As for looking back to laugh, I always enjoy looking back and seeing what people were wrong about. It's kinda fun, in a pretty childish way. Nothing against people for being wrong, mind you, it doesn't make them bad at the game. But I like to see people who adamantly defend things be wrong.
I really don't think the Black splash and cards like Painful Truths are what we're looking for in this deck.
...
Can't say I disagree, though its definitely a different approach that I think is worth trying. What would you suggest as a non-splash sideboard for the Bushwhacker Tokens shell that we saw at SCG Atlanta?
An exact 15 is tough for me to suggest in a vacuum. In general, there are a few good options IMO:
A) Dragons - a few Thunderbreaks and a few Draconic Roars could be a viable option. This is strong against other creature based decks with small creatures or decks that gum up the board to the point you need to fly over them.
B) The Combo - It might be reasonable to put in the rest of the combo for the side for matches you're just not winning without it.
C) Monkies - I enjoy Hooting Mandrills in Attarka Red, and putting a few copies in the side to switch with Become Immense could be reasonable, although I feel like their better with Thunderbreak Regent, as it stretches the opponents removal further.
All that said, if I was running the exact list McDuffie ran, I'd probably sideboard this;
I really don't think the Black splash and cards like Painful Truths are what we're looking for in this deck. I really don't like sideboarding up to 24 lands for sure. In the last format, I remember seeing people side out green for a 6 cards splash; 2 lands to replace the Green Lands and 4 copies of Self-Inflicted Wound.
I'm not a fan of switching in for Truths and Transgress because they don't help us count to 20 any faster. People are going to have reasonable sideboard cards for us; board wipes, efficient removal, and some of the playable lifegain that is in the format. I don't think us seeing more cards is worth slowing down, as their cards are generally significantly more high impact than ours.
In the past, when I've seen Red decks slow down, they've sideboarded into Big Red decks; if you did that with the black splash you'd be bringing in Thunderbreak Regent, Chandra's Parents, and maybe even some of the slower burn cards. With those in the deck, Painful Truth starts drawing into high impact cards, although our Abbots become somewhat worse early on.
In the end, I'm really thinking that slowing down isn't what the deck wants to be doing. Against ramp decks, letting them get to the late game is bad. Against Abzan, they'll just drop more value cards, 2-1s, and start gaining life. Jeskai decks, and the mirror, could potentially race us, and letting Dig Through Time/Treasure Cruise decks go late game so seems like a losing game. Overall, I just don't think there's too much value in us dragging them game out rather than trying to blitz the other decks of the format.
top 32 decklists are up I think This was the version we saw on camera
Also this is the worst named deck yet (in case they fix it, the deck was called U/R dragons)
Thank you so much! <3
Also Uuuuuugh I don't like how McDuffie sided. Bringing in Black for Self-Inflicted Wound was fine. More than that was unneeded, specifically Arc Lightning seems pretty damn bad.
I'm upset at McDuffie for the missplay... but if there is justice in the world, RDW will win. If it can't be Mardu Green (which I REALLY want the list for), then I want it to be good old honest red!
Oh god McDuffie just missed lethal on his turn and let his opponent untap for literally no reason. Lethal was right there, no possible interaction in the format, and he lets it go. He won the game, but it's frustrating to see the missplay like that.
I came to this thread in hopes of finding written coverage on what is actually happening in the tournament. Instead it's the same old boring useless format rant again. I guess I have to go to reddit to find some meaningful discussion.
Looking at all the magic reddits, I can't find any good discussion on the events. I'm not saying it isn't there, but I can't find it.
You have 4 Thunderbreak Regents and only 19 lands?
Yep. Haven't fun into significant problems. I've lost a few games due to drawing 2-3 Tbreak without drawing enough lands, but in general I have no problems.
Mardu can play a comical amount of two-for-ones, and has very powerful removal across all stages of the game. Add in things like Kolaghan's Command returning Siege Rhino, and the using Goblin Dark-Dwellers to do it again, and the amount of value they produce gives them a significantly better grind game. Plenty of life gain makes racing them hard.
If you expected to place against Mardu Green, what would you do to improve the match-up? My gut tells me adding more card advantage to the sideboard would be a good place to start, as it's important to keep up with them rather than just drawing lands and 1 for 1 cards (Negate, Valorous Stance), so maybe Plansewalkers, Ob Nixilis Reignited specifically, could be strong choices.
EDIT: If you're expecting a game to go very late (past turn 10 or 15), can the deck support a single copy of Treasure Cruise in the sideboard? Getting even a single "1 mana, draw 3" is extremely powerful against those types of fair decks.
And card evaluation has nothing to do with "technical play skill".
It is somewhat relevant to deckbuilding, in that people generally don't try to next level other people with bad cards.
Sorry your plans fell through.
Happy Birthday. <3
That is simply not true. One's ability to evaluate a card's potential playability has nothing to do with their play skill. Just because someone can say if a card is going to be good or not has absolutely no effect on there ability to sequence lands and spells, read their opponent, sideboard effectively, figure out whose trying to end the game faster, ect. In terms of "next leveling", if you mean trying out different cards and making more brews, you're correct. Although being able to say "I was wrong before" doesn't mean someone is a good deckbuilder; I suppose it stops them from falling into the same trap twice, but it doesn't mean they'll be making meta-shacking builds.
As for looking back to laugh, I always enjoy looking back and seeing what people were wrong about. It's kinda fun, in a pretty childish way. Nothing against people for being wrong, mind you, it doesn't make them bad at the game. But I like to see people who adamantly defend things be wrong.
An exact 15 is tough for me to suggest in a vacuum. In general, there are a few good options IMO:
A) Dragons - a few Thunderbreaks and a few Draconic Roars could be a viable option. This is strong against other creature based decks with small creatures or decks that gum up the board to the point you need to fly over them.
B) The Combo - It might be reasonable to put in the rest of the combo for the side for matches you're just not winning without it.
C) Monkies - I enjoy Hooting Mandrills in Attarka Red, and putting a few copies in the side to switch with Become Immense could be reasonable, although I feel like their better with Thunderbreak Regent, as it stretches the opponents removal further.
All that said, if I was running the exact list McDuffie ran, I'd probably sideboard this;
3 Rending Volley
2 Arc Lightning
4 Thunderbreak Regent
2 Exquisite Firecraft
I'm not a fan of switching in for Truths and Transgress because they don't help us count to 20 any faster. People are going to have reasonable sideboard cards for us; board wipes, efficient removal, and some of the playable lifegain that is in the format. I don't think us seeing more cards is worth slowing down, as their cards are generally significantly more high impact than ours.
In the past, when I've seen Red decks slow down, they've sideboarded into Big Red decks; if you did that with the black splash you'd be bringing in Thunderbreak Regent, Chandra's Parents, and maybe even some of the slower burn cards. With those in the deck, Painful Truth starts drawing into high impact cards, although our Abbots become somewhat worse early on.
In the end, I'm really thinking that slowing down isn't what the deck wants to be doing. Against ramp decks, letting them get to the late game is bad. Against Abzan, they'll just drop more value cards, 2-1s, and start gaining life. Jeskai decks, and the mirror, could potentially race us, and letting Dig Through Time/Treasure Cruise decks go late game so seems like a losing game. Overall, I just don't think there's too much value in us dragging them game out rather than trying to blitz the other decks of the format.
McDuffie, I hated your sideboard and I thought you didn't play perfectly, but still congratulations are in order.
Thank you so much! <3
Also Uuuuuugh I don't like how McDuffie sided. Bringing in Black for Self-Inflicted Wound was fine. More than that was unneeded, specifically Arc Lightning seems pretty damn bad.
Looking at all the magic reddits, I can't find any good discussion on the events. I'm not saying it isn't there, but I can't find it.
EDIT: I have got to see a deck list for that, I own the vast majority of the cards he had so I'm really hyped to play it.
That sounds absolutely absurd. Any specific insane value plays with it?
Yep. Haven't fun into significant problems. I've lost a few games due to drawing 2-3 Tbreak without drawing enough lands, but in general I have no problems.