@coredumped Regardless of the brew I run 3-4 Glimmervoids and 2-3 Citadel are always in my manabase. It's just so useful for abrupt, double black or even the blue needed for an early whir imo.
@thenobodys great report and tough luck against Slivers and the double draw vs Tron for sure. We have a local player in our meta who runs a Sliver deck along with a very strong Human player and I find Torpor Orb is huge in both match ups. I run 1 main due to them and 1 sideboard, yes I know it kills our combo but we can always sac it to Foundry once we're confident we have a lock. @BadMcFadden agree on the game 1, I rarely ever loose a game one now even in the big events I attend.
I don't agree in feeling crippled at all in games two or three though. Depending on the build we can have just as many bullets from more discard, jars, damnation, Ashiok, Chalice, ensoul on a citadel for major beat down once their removal is out...tons of options available to us.
@thenobodys she really is, they typically cannot get rid of her on their T2 if your on the draw which = blocker up for the next turn and if you draw a kill spell it gets worse for them from there (albeit depending on the creatures she mills). All in all they'll spend time focusing on her which makes assembling our combo or whir for a bridge that much easier.
Adding for those preparing for a competitive event this weekend. Do not overlook how valuable Ashiok can be out of sideboard (I run 1 main and 1 SB usually). It's just deadly vs control and can be a win con vs other decks behind a bridge, especially if you run 3-4 Opals with Citadels, a turn two Ashiok is just crushing vs humans
@thenobodys don't overlook Metallic Rebuke as a counter option. I know it can't stifle like Disallow but it was great for me out of the sideboard as a hard counter for 1 blue. Purposely try to leave just the 1 blue open and your opponent will feel like he can safely play into anything only to be like WTF is that card? Stopped a Karn for me at a big event the other month and a Lily both of which would have been bad news had they hit the board.
Valid point I just wanted to point out that there are many versions of the deck here in the forum that can already be a dominant force in current and past meta
I haven't tested it either but Ideas Unbound just seems very awkward to me (for my play style). I just see cases where you may cast it and have to ditch a critical card that you may not want to. Even on a turn 2 I'd much rather be dropping a combo piece, discard, Ashiok, Bridge, Talisman etc...I just find people on the board are waaaaay too critical at thinking the core of the deck needs to be drastically adjusted for this to be a Tier 1 deck when honestly it already is in the right hands but just doesn't see enough volume at tournaments to be a consistent impact. Likely because the deck is so @#$@#$#@ mentally taxing to play for an entire day lol.
All, I find Metallic Rebuke in the side (or even main if you prefer) can stone cold stump both Storm or Tron. Assuming you run enough in the toolbox you should have an answer to Whir for vs storm in Tormod's Crypt, Spellbomb, Sphere or Cage in game 1. I actually find storm a fairly easy match up unless they get the nut draw in game 1. Rebuke a Karn of even an early Eldrazi vs Tron and things go downhill fast from there most time. Best part is seeing their face when you counter any $#@#$#@ thing you want with 1 blue lol
I haven't tested him yet but I think Karn could be main board material. He does not necessarily draw you cards. Yes, mid to late game he would and getting rid of the additional card at that point would / should not be an issue which makes him a vital piece in long grindy games. Early on if you need to get under a bridge simply create a Construct instead which should be an easy 3/3 even 4/4 by turn 3. He needs to be answered and chaining him with Ashiok (I run 1 MB) or Tezz would make for a VERY tough board state for our opponent while we continue to setup the thopter / swords combo.
I ran Academy Ruins in my last big event where I went 5-1-1. Number of times I used it? 0, it's a def cut for me. I think it depends on the play style as does the Tezz debate but I'm on the side of simply killing or breaking my opponents game plan ASAP.
There is no dropping Tezz for Jace imo. Tezz is a 1 turn clock once he hits behind a bridge, he needs an immediate answer or in most cases your opponent is dead from his ult
Reporting back on my 9th finish out of the 93 player Face to Face Open. 7 rounds I finished 5-1-1 and somehow managed out of top 8, no idea how the tie breakers worked it was a mess .Here is what I ran:
Lands
Darksteel Citadel 3
Spire of Industry 1
Glimmervoid 4
Polluted Delta 4
Darkslick Shores 4
Watery Grave 1
Breeding Pool 1
Island 2
Swamp 1
Spells
Tezzeret Agent of Bolas 3
Spellskite 1
Artificer's Intuition 1
Serum Visions 3
Whir of Invention 3
Mox Opal 3
Talisman of Dominance 3
Ensnaring Bridge 4
Pithing Needle 2
Engineered Explosives 1
Witchbane Orb 1
Nihil Spellbomb 1
Grafdigger's Cage 1
Mishra's Bauble 3
Welding Jar 1
Chalice of the Void 1
Thopter Foundry 4
Sword of the Meek 3
Time Seive 1
Sideboard
Padeem, Consul of Innovation 2
Ashiok Nightmare Weaver 1
Ceremonious Rejection 2
Metallic Rebuke 1
Chalice of the Void 2
Trinisphere 1
Abrupt Decay 3
Damnation 2
Welding Jar 1
It's important to note I did not loose a single game 1 all day. Rounds were as follows:
Round 1 Blue White Control: Game 1 he drops a quick Gideon for emblem, makes no difference as I have Thopter / Swords assembled on turn 4 and just start to grind him out. Game 2 I needle Jace T1, Chalice on 1 T2 then proceed to drop Tezz and move into Citadel beatdown, he had no answer once path was gone (1-0)
Round 2 Eldrazi Tron: Takes him til turn 4 to assemble any kind of mana and I have the combo online turn 3 and whir into seive on turn 5. Game 2 I ceremonious reject a Thoughtknot Seer right into Thopter / Sword again. The combo is just insane when taken the time to setup properly.
Round 3 Storm: I drop a cage turn 1 game 1 without knowing what he was playing. Needless to say combo was online by turn 4 and he scooped. Game 2 wasn't much better for him as I had Chalice on 2 turn 3 = a scoop from him several turns later once the combo was assembled via Whir (3-0)
Round 4 Mirror Match: Kind of he was running an odd Thopter / Sword with dredge. It was an odd match up but he had no infinite turn producer in his deck and I ended up winning game 1 with seive. Game 2 was just an all out grindfest with him taking it off a Jace ultimate in the final turns after time. Draw (3-0-1)
Round 5 Esper Spirits: This was an easy match up, he was running Goryo's Vengence with Obzedat which was interesting. Turn 2 in the graveyard had me worried but a bridge then assembling the combo and that was that. Game 2 I was fortunate enough to draw cage and things went downhill fast for him from there (4-0-1)
Round 6 Hollow One: We have no Hollow One players in my meta and I believe this cost me. I win game 1 behind a fast bridge and getting the combo online by turn 4. Game 2 I did not realize how many 1 drops the deck depends on and did not sideboard in Chalice, he got off a fast start and I never recovered with Phoenix and bolts just being too fast under the bridge. Game 3 I sideboard properly but he had a nut hand with a Hollow One dropped on T2 and 2 Ancient Grudges in Hand...great guy though and we had a good laugh over the match as he finished me off with a Bolt that I saw with Bauble. Had plenty of time so toyed with him pretending I had him, tapping mana before finally just flipping his top card and shaking his hand (4-1-1).
Round 7 Red / Blue Control: Very odd opponent as he was running Jace with Cliques, counters and burn. Game 1 goes much like the rest of the day with a fast mox active into Thopter followed by a sword. He just can't keep up. Game 2 I stayed patient and Metallic Rebuked his Jace (LOVED THAT CARD ALL DAY) the dropped the combo on T5. He cliqued my had 2 turns later and saw that I had Seive, Whir and Witchbane Orb. That was pretty much that. (5-1-1 excited for top 8 but $##$@@$# tie breakers).
Notes on the day:
Combo - If you cannot win game 1 off of focusing on getting this online ASAP then you should not be playing the deck
Opal - Insane when its in your opening hand I would try to 4 of next time
Metallic Rebuke - People do not see this coming ever, hard counter for 1 blue is insane. I'd sideboard 2-3
Artificer's Intuition - When it was bad it was bad but when its good ohhhh man its good getting a needle, chalice or cage off a useless mox feels good
Main thing is don't over complicate your deck list. This deck if piloted properly should be a fairly easy game 1 win. I didn't get into the land package as I did not believe I needed it. Tron was my only worry and with 2 pithing needle for Karn / Ugin and seive to combo off along with Rejection in SB I felt ready enough for that (not to mention Chalice on 1). That said my recap is basic and there was a TON of decision making all day, this is a mentally taxing deck and not for the faint of heart or for people who don't understand the meta. I think the best example of that is my loss to Hollow One, after playing it and looking it over more I don't think I ever loose to that match up again. I was pretty pissed on the tie breaker as I felt I could have taken it home vs those who made the top 8 but it is what it is....next time I'll need to 7-0 and that'll be that
I don't agree in feeling crippled at all in games two or three though. Depending on the build we can have just as many bullets from more discard, jars, damnation, Ashiok, Chalice, ensoul on a citadel for major beat down once their removal is out...tons of options available to us.
Lands
Darksteel Citadel 3
Spire of Industry 1
Glimmervoid 4
Polluted Delta 4
Darkslick Shores 4
Watery Grave 1
Breeding Pool 1
Island 2
Swamp 1
Spells
Tezzeret Agent of Bolas 3
Spellskite 1
Artificer's Intuition 1
Serum Visions 3
Whir of Invention 3
Mox Opal 3
Talisman of Dominance 3
Ensnaring Bridge 4
Pithing Needle 2
Engineered Explosives 1
Witchbane Orb 1
Nihil Spellbomb 1
Grafdigger's Cage 1
Mishra's Bauble 3
Welding Jar 1
Chalice of the Void 1
Thopter Foundry 4
Sword of the Meek 3
Time Seive 1
Sideboard
Padeem, Consul of Innovation 2
Ashiok Nightmare Weaver 1
Ceremonious Rejection 2
Metallic Rebuke 1
Chalice of the Void 2
Trinisphere 1
Abrupt Decay 3
Damnation 2
Welding Jar 1
It's important to note I did not loose a single game 1 all day. Rounds were as follows:
Round 1 Blue White Control: Game 1 he drops a quick Gideon for emblem, makes no difference as I have Thopter / Swords assembled on turn 4 and just start to grind him out. Game 2 I needle Jace T1, Chalice on 1 T2 then proceed to drop Tezz and move into Citadel beatdown, he had no answer once path was gone (1-0)
Round 2 Eldrazi Tron: Takes him til turn 4 to assemble any kind of mana and I have the combo online turn 3 and whir into seive on turn 5. Game 2 I ceremonious reject a Thoughtknot Seer right into Thopter / Sword again. The combo is just insane when taken the time to setup properly.
Round 3 Storm: I drop a cage turn 1 game 1 without knowing what he was playing. Needless to say combo was online by turn 4 and he scooped. Game 2 wasn't much better for him as I had Chalice on 2 turn 3 = a scoop from him several turns later once the combo was assembled via Whir (3-0)
Round 4 Mirror Match: Kind of he was running an odd Thopter / Sword with dredge. It was an odd match up but he had no infinite turn producer in his deck and I ended up winning game 1 with seive. Game 2 was just an all out grindfest with him taking it off a Jace ultimate in the final turns after time. Draw (3-0-1)
Round 5 Esper Spirits: This was an easy match up, he was running Goryo's Vengence with Obzedat which was interesting. Turn 2 in the graveyard had me worried but a bridge then assembling the combo and that was that. Game 2 I was fortunate enough to draw cage and things went downhill fast for him from there (4-0-1)
Round 6 Hollow One: We have no Hollow One players in my meta and I believe this cost me. I win game 1 behind a fast bridge and getting the combo online by turn 4. Game 2 I did not realize how many 1 drops the deck depends on and did not sideboard in Chalice, he got off a fast start and I never recovered with Phoenix and bolts just being too fast under the bridge. Game 3 I sideboard properly but he had a nut hand with a Hollow One dropped on T2 and 2 Ancient Grudges in Hand...great guy though and we had a good laugh over the match as he finished me off with a Bolt that I saw with Bauble. Had plenty of time so toyed with him pretending I had him, tapping mana before finally just flipping his top card and shaking his hand (4-1-1).
Round 7 Red / Blue Control: Very odd opponent as he was running Jace with Cliques, counters and burn. Game 1 goes much like the rest of the day with a fast mox active into Thopter followed by a sword. He just can't keep up. Game 2 I stayed patient and Metallic Rebuked his Jace (LOVED THAT CARD ALL DAY) the dropped the combo on T5. He cliqued my had 2 turns later and saw that I had Seive, Whir and Witchbane Orb. That was pretty much that. (5-1-1 excited for top 8 but $##$@@$# tie breakers).
Notes on the day:
Combo - If you cannot win game 1 off of focusing on getting this online ASAP then you should not be playing the deck
Opal - Insane when its in your opening hand I would try to 4 of next time
Metallic Rebuke - People do not see this coming ever, hard counter for 1 blue is insane. I'd sideboard 2-3
Artificer's Intuition - When it was bad it was bad but when its good ohhhh man its good getting a needle, chalice or cage off a useless mox feels good
Main thing is don't over complicate your deck list. This deck if piloted properly should be a fairly easy game 1 win. I didn't get into the land package as I did not believe I needed it. Tron was my only worry and with 2 pithing needle for Karn / Ugin and seive to combo off along with Rejection in SB I felt ready enough for that (not to mention Chalice on 1). That said my recap is basic and there was a TON of decision making all day, this is a mentally taxing deck and not for the faint of heart or for people who don't understand the meta. I think the best example of that is my loss to Hollow One, after playing it and looking it over more I don't think I ever loose to that match up again. I was pretty pissed on the tie breaker as I felt I could have taken it home vs those who made the top 8 but it is what it is....next time I'll need to 7-0 and that'll be that