Guy who laughed at me 2 weeks ago for playing a Modern card in Pioneer showed up today for tomorrows tournament and even tried to pay $5 for entry fee! He even went 0-1 drop last week. Karma's a balding *****, LOL.
Round 1 vs Mono Black Devotion. 1-2 games.
SB +3 Nightwind Glider, -3 Zealot il-Vec.
Can't seem to win this matchup no matter what I try.
Round 2 vs Mono Green Stompy. 2-0 games.
No SB.
Round 3 vs Red Black Direct Damage. 2-1 games.
SB +4 Lone Missionary, -4 Journey to Nowhere.
-In game one, my opponent thought he could pay RR on Chain Lightning to "fork it," even tho I didn't return it to him. The judge on duty even agreed w/him! I wasn't satisfied so I asked another store employee who explained the card text to the judge…
-I won the next 2 games via massive life gain.
-After our match my opponent asked to play for fun. I agreed. Then he asked if he could play first. I asked him if he was using the same deck. He said he wasn't so I opted for a dice roll instead. When the store closed, I had total board control and my opponent had zero cards in hand. He says, "I guess it's a draw." Whatever dude /rolleyes
Conclusion: I gotta figure out a way to beat Mono Black Devotion. I'm open to suggestions…
Test vs Boggles, 2-0
No SB (both of us were lazy)
-Game 1, he didn't know what "attach" was and I explained to him how it doesn't "target" his hexproof creatures.
-Game 2, he played around attach and offered no offense.
Round 1 vs BR Direct Damage, 2-0.
SB +4 Lone Missionary, -4 Unmake (his creatures were small.)
-Both games, I got the rebel chain going and gained max life off all 4 Aven Riftwatcher.
-Game 2, I resolved a Lone Missionary on turn 2, Zealot il-Vec turn 3 and 2 searchers turn 4. It went downhill for him after that.
Round 3 vs Mono Black Control, 1-2.
SB +1 Patrician's Scorn (Pestilence), -1 Thermal Glider.
-Game 1, I est. rebel chain and won.
-Games 2 & 3, he used early removal on my creatures and prevented me from searching.
-Idk if I should've boarded out more Gut Shot for more Patrician's Scorn. Depends how many Pestilence he boards in and if my Zealot il-Vec can use Gut Shot to speed up board control. Then again, his Chittering Rats could keep Patrician's Scorn on the top of my library and he could play around it. Gut Shot can always leave my hand in response to Chittering Rats. I think I made the right call.
-Note: There were 2 Mono Black Control players tonight. Tonight's winner knocked off the other MBC player out of title contention in round 1.
-Note 2: Tonight's winner was officially crowned, "The King of Pauper" after our match.
I know I said in post #28 that I was only worried about aggro and mana screw:
Test vs 4c Superfriends, 1-1.
No SB (we mutually agreed not to board.)
Round 1 vs *bye* 2-0 games.
Round 2 vs White Heroic, 2-1 games.
SB +4 Annul, +3 Brazen Borrower. -4 Spell Pierce, -3 Force of Negation.
-Game 1, my specialized counters weren't effective as he drew cards just for casting auras.
-Games 2 & 3, I Annul'd threatening auras and bounced heavily aura'd creatures w/Brazen Borrower.
-Witness Protection shut down his few card draw and tutoring creatures.
Round 3 vs Bant Spirits, 0-2 games.
SB +3 Brazen Borrower, +1 Annul (going first vs Aether Vial.) -4 Spell Pierce.
-My specialized counters weren't effective vs his heavy creature base.
-He seems to grind out long games better than me.
Conclusion: It's weird how I boarded out Brazen Borrower 2/3 matches in Pioneer but I boarded it in 2/3 matches in Modern. I should actually study the meta if I want to win...
Of the cards I had access to (I added no cards from the outside, just swapped main and SB cards around) I should've main'd +2 Geistlight Snare, -1 Brazen Borrower, -1 Otawara, Soaring City. I only got mana screwed once the entire night. I never needed Brazen Borrower but it's flexible and I was paranoid about removing all copies (idk the meta.) I also felt uncomfortable having redundant mana counters. If the opponent plays around mana counters, ALL of my counters are dead cards.
First off, I'd like to thank judge Matt again for lending me his deck!
Round 1 vs BR Madness, 2-0.
SB: none
Round 2 vs GU Ramp Combo, 1-2.
SB +4 Mystical Dispute, +2 Geistlight Snare. -4 Witness Protection, -1 Brazen Borrower, -1 Otawara, Soaring City.
-I moved the legendary land from the main to the board b/c there's no late game.
-Game 1, I got combo'd out. I didn't know what he was running and my Witness Protection had no targets.
-Game 2, My early Curious Obsession + counterspells and more creatures got me the "W."
-Game 3, I aggressively mulliganed to 5. I decided I needed at least 1 Curious Obsession and 1 counterspell to have a chance. Not enough.
-There were 3 ppl running this deck tonight but this opponent was the best pilot so he deservingly won the event.
Summary: I suggested to judge Matt to change his SB counters, based off my round 2 opponent. He ramped a lot, so my mana-based counterspells were worthless mid-late game. I suggested making space for 2 Negate, 2 Essence Capture and 2 Dissipate.
To clarify a few things, in my test match vs Elves, we mutually agreed to not SB (we were waiting for the event to start and didn't want to go thru the effort of de-boarding.) If I were to SB, I would've +2 Erase (for Spidersilk Armor. Armor defeats Zealot il-Vec and Gut Shot) and -1 Nightwind Glider, -1 Thermal Glider. But now since I've replaced Erase w/Dust to Dust, I'd substitute the 2 Gliders for 2 Patrician's Scorn.
And do not underestimate how powerful tempo'd a 0 mana Gut Shot is on most turn 1 mana dorks! More ppl should be running Gut Shot, as least in the 'board. Love that card, fits every deck!
In game 1 vs Boggles, I "attached" a Bound in Silence onto a heavily aura'd, hexproof creature by fetching it via rebel searcher. For those who don't know, "attaching" is technically different from "targeting" (attaching is a confusing, unintuitive loophole in the rules.) It was in game 2 where my Patrician's Scorn completely wiped his board.
I used to main Ramosian Sergeant but found the tempo loss was too great. I prefer a consistent 2-drop searcher on turn 2 (I have 12 searchers.) Then turn 3, hardcast Zealot il-Vec (begin the control game) or remove an early threat (Unmake/Bound in Silence) or even play Aven Riftwatcher on defense, rather than using my 1 drop Ramosian Sergeant to fetch my 2 drop searchers (who can't block, obviously) on turn 3. Gotta stabilize ASAP b/c early aggression is this deck's only real downfall (the other downfall is not reaching 4 mana - run 26 lands, not 24.) Rebels tend to win the long game.
Notes: I have a higher land count b/c I absolutely need to hit 4 mana for the deck to work.
Test vs Elves, 3-1-1.
No SB
Round 1 vs RDW: 1-0 match, 2-1 games.
SB: +4 Lone Missionary, -4 Gut Shot.
Game 1, he burned me out quick.
Games 2 & 3, I resolved a single Lone Missionary early on, then searched out multiple Aven Riftwatcher to stay healthy.
Round 3 vs Mono White Heroic: 1-0 match, 2-1 games.
SB: +4 Patrician's Scorn, +2 Erase. -4 Gut Shot, -1 Nightwind Glider, -1 Thermal Glider.
Game 1 was controversial. He casted Benevolent Blessing naming "white." In response, I searched out Bound in Silence. This play was legal but both of us missed that Benevolent Blessing removes my Bound in Silence since it isn't his aura. My round 2 opponent informed us of this at the start of game 3.
Game 2 he was just too fast.
Game 3 I Bound in Silence his biggest creature but didn't dare attack into it via Amrou Scout on 3 land. I feared instant speed Bound in Silence removal and an untimely block for my searcher. I don't race anyway, I only stabilize so this plan was just fine. I eventually got my rebel chain going while he failed to produce more creatures so I won.
Conclusion: I can't believe my last update to his deck was Dec 24, 2020! I think I'll listen to my round 2 opponent and SB +3 Dust to Dust, -3 Erase.
I usually have no problems vs Boros. If I had to blame my loss on something, I can think of 3:
1) I missed land drops w/my 16 cantrips!
2) He drew early Eidolon of the Great Revel and got value off of him. I never cast a single Nahiri, the Harbinger, which would've helped.
3) My deck is public knowledge. I've played and discussed my deck too much. It's only natural for ppl to adapt.
I'm going to retire this deck for now. I'll come up w/something fresh!
Playtest vs RDW, 2-0.
SB +3 Feed the Clan, +1 Natural State. -4 Gut Shot.
I told my opponent, "This is my dream match up." And I wasn't wrong, the life gain was too much.
Round 1 vs Elf Ball, 0-2.
SB none.
I moved Gut Shot into the main and that was the best I could do. Lost cause really.
Other players were speculating on how to defeat Elf Ball. I suggested Mono Black (Cuombajj Witches, Crypt Rats.)
Round 2 vs RDW (test opponent), 2-1.
SB +3 Feed the Clan, +1 Natural State. -4 Gut Shot.
This time I told him, "I wish you got paired up vs Elf Ball last round and won so I wouldn't play him!"
Conclusion: Since I cannot defeat Elf Ball w/this deck and since the same player always plays Elf Ball, imma hafta retire this deck. When Mono Black dominated our old meta, I was forced to retire my Rebel build. Going fwd, I believe Mono Black will be tier 1.
10 players, 3 rounds, 2-1 matches, 5-3 games, 5th place.
4 Aven Riftwatcher
4 Bound in Silence
4 Defiant Falcon
4 Ramosian Lieutenant
4 Ramosian Sergeant*
4 Zealot il-Vec
4 Journey to Nowhere
4 Venomous Changeling (credit to Upkeep, post #21)
(28) Mana:
20 Plains
4 Cave of Temptation
4 Mind Stone (ramp)
4 Gut Shot (my LGS metas vs Gut Shot)
4 Lone Missionary
4 Patrician's Scorn (-4 Journey to Nowhere)
3 Nightwind Glider
*Mind Stone compensates for Ramosian Sergeant slow tempo.
Guy who laughed at me 2 weeks ago for playing a Modern card in Pioneer showed up today for tomorrows tournament and even tried to pay $5 for entry fee! He even went 0-1 drop last week. Karma's a balding *****, LOL.
Round 1 vs Mono Black Devotion. 1-2 games.
SB +3 Nightwind Glider, -3 Zealot il-Vec.
Can't seem to win this matchup no matter what I try.
Round 2 vs Mono Green Stompy. 2-0 games.
No SB.
Round 3 vs Red Black Direct Damage. 2-1 games.
SB +4 Lone Missionary, -4 Journey to Nowhere.
-In game one, my opponent thought he could pay RR on Chain Lightning to "fork it," even tho I didn't return it to him. The judge on duty even agreed w/him! I wasn't satisfied so I asked another store employee who explained the card text to the judge…
-I won the next 2 games via massive life gain.
-After our match my opponent asked to play for fun. I agreed. Then he asked if he could play first. I asked him if he was using the same deck. He said he wasn't so I opted for a dice roll instead. When the store closed, I had total board control and my opponent had zero cards in hand. He says, "I guess it's a draw." Whatever dude /rolleyes
Conclusion: I gotta figure out a way to beat Mono Black Devotion. I'm open to suggestions…
20 players, 3 rounds, 2-1 matches, 5-3 games, 8th place.
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Master of the Pearl Trident
4 Merfolk Mistbinder
4 Merfolk Sovereign
4 Merrow Reejerey
(20) Non-Lords:
4 Aether Vial
4 Force of Negation
4 Silvergill Adept
4 Spreading Seas
4 Tide Shaper
4 Breeding Pool
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Mutavault
3 Island
1 Forest
4 Brazen Borrower
4 Masked Vandal (synergy w/lords and Aether Vial)
4 Serum Visions (when Spreading Seas isn't necessary)
3 Grafdigger's Cage
Round 1 vs Humans, 1-2 games.
No SB
Aether Vial seemed to determine games.
Round 2 vs Living End 2-1 games.
Game 1, my opponent resolved Living End and won.
SB +3 Grafdigger's Cage, -3 Merfolk Sovereign (game 2.)
Game 2, my opponent explained how Grafdigger's Cage doesn't affect Living End. He couldn't cascade tho so I won.
SB, revert to default (+3 Merfolk Sovereign, -3 Grafdigger's Cage.)
Game 3, I Force of Negation his Living End and won.
Test vs legacy Death & Taxes, 2-1.
SB +4 Masked Vandal (Stoneforge Mystic), -4 Force of Negation.
My modern Merfolk deck fared better vs his legacy Death & Taxes, than my legacy Splinter Twin:
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/legacy-type-1-5/developing-legacy/827174-lava-twin
Afterward, he recommended Soul-Guide Lantern for graveyard hate.
Round 3 vs UW Phasing/Connive 2-0 games.
No SB
We played a game 3 for fun and he got me.
4 Masked Vandal
4 Relic of Progenitus (prefer over Soul-Guide Lantern b/c in multiples, you can keep opponent's graveyard empty.)
4 Serum Visions
3 Spellskite (boggles/connive/infect)
4 Deceiver Exarch
4 Grim Lavamancer (vs Death & Taxes)
4 Spellskite (protect Exarch, vs Infect)
(28) Spells:
4 Brainstorm
4 Consider
4 Force of Negation
4 Force of Will
4 Ponder
4 Preordain
4 Splinter Twin
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Polluted Delta
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Volcanic Island
3 Island
1 Mountain (credit to Ben)
4 Submerge
4 Surgical Extraction
3 Blood Moon
3 Null Rod
1 Swan Song
Ben helped out my mana base by Wastelanding me.
15 players, 3 rounds, 2-1 matches, 5-3 games, 7th place.
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Master of the Pearl Trident
4 Merfolk Mistbinder
4 Merfolk Sovereign
4 Merrow Reejerey
(20) Non-Lords:
4 Aether Vial
4 Force of Negation
4 Serum Visions
4 Silvergill Adept
4 Tide Shaper
4 Botanical Sanctum
4 Breeding Pool
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Island
4 Lumbering Falls
4 Master of Waves
4 Mistcaller
4 Tidebinder Mage
3 Brazen Borrower
"Oops, All Lords" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOFaveogbag
Test 1 vs Mono White Equip, 1-2 games.
No SB
Round 1 vs Tron, 1-2 games.
No SB
Test 2 vs UB Mill, 1-1 games.
No SB
Round 2 vs UW Standard 2-0 games.
No SB
Test 3 vs UW Standard 1-0 games.
No SB
Round 3 vs Death & Taxes, 2-1 games.
SB +3 Brazen Borrower, -3 Force of Negation.
Conclusion:
-Stoneforge Mystic was a popular card tonight.
-My merfolk themed board was useless.
New build:
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Master of the Pearl Trident
4 Merfolk Mistbinder
4 Silvergill Adept
4 Svyelun of Sea and Sky
4 Tide Shaper
(16) Non-Merfolk:
4 Aether Vial
4 Force of Negation
4 Serum Visions
4 Spreading Seas
4 Botanical Sanctum
4 Breeding Pool
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Island
4 Lumbering Falls
4 Ceremonious Rejection (Tron)
4 Masked Vandal (Stoneforge Mystic)
4 Witness Protection
3 Brazen Borrower
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Fauna Shaman (discard Progenitus)
4 Reclamation Sage
4 Steel Leaf Champion (credit to Ernest)
2 Elvish Mystic
2 Llanowar Elves
(17) Other:
4 Green Sun’s Zenith
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Natural Order
4 Punishing Fire
1 Progenitus
4 Forest
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
4 Taiga
4 Raging Ravine
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Verdant Catacombs
2 Windswept Heath
1 Dryad Arbor (Green Sun for 0)
4 Feed the Clan
4 Pyroblast
4 Red Elemental Blast
3 Scavenging Ooze
-Fun brew but too "clunky" and not as smooth as Pioneer Spirits.
-The deck I actually used is here - https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/pioneer/826834-mono-blue-spirits
8 players, 3 rounds, 3-0 matches, 6-2 games, 1st place.
4 Ascendant Spirit
4 Mausoleum Wanderer
4 Rattlechains
4 Spectral Sailor
4 Supreme Phantom
4 Curious Obsession (pioneer)
4 Force of Negation (pioneer)
4 Force of Will (legacy)
4 Preordain (legacy)
4 Witness Protection (pioneer)
20 Snow-Covered Island
4 Brazen Borrower (pioneer)
4 Ceremonious Rejection (pioneer)
4 Submerge (legacy)
3 Llawan, Cephalid Empress (legacy)
Test vs U/W Spirits, 1-0-1 games.
SB: none (no time.)
Round 1 vs Elf Boggles, 2-1 games.
SB +4 Brazen Borrower (for auras.) -4 Witness Protection (hexproof creatures.)
Round 2 vs U/W Spirits, 2-1 games.
SB: +3 Llawan, Cephalid Empress, -3 Force of Negation.
Game 1, I mulled to 5 but Curious Obsession kept me competitive. When he played blockers, my Curious Obsession fell off and that was my end.
Game 2, 4 Ascendant Spirit showed up during a stalemate and they grew too big for his blockers.
Game 3, He tapped out so Llawan, Cephalid Empress cinched me the game and match.
Round 3 vs Mono Black Zombies, 2-0 games.
No SB: I was unprepared. Grave hate seems appropriate tho.
Conclusion: Basically judge Matt's pioneer list w/legacy upgrades. Ceremonious Rejection was for Eldrazi.
8 Island
4 Ash Barrens
4 Forest
4 Thornwood Falls
(24) U Spells:
4 Careful Study
4 Deep Analysis
4 Force of Will
4 Quiet Speculation
4 Witness Protection
4 Wonder
4 Roar of the Wurm
4 Werebear
4 Wild Mongrel
(4) R/W Spells:
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Ray of Revelation
4 Compost
4 Feed the Clan
4 Submerge
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Nature’s Claim
1 Ray of Revelation
Notes:
-Witness Protection improved this deck's removal over Pongify and Rapid Hybridization.
-I main artifact/enchantment hate now so I don't get caught naked game 1.
-Careful Study and Wild Mongrel need chaff to discard.
-I like late Quiet Speculation still having targets.
SB vs Black:
+4 Compost. -2 Ancient Grudge, -2 Ray of Revelation.
SB vs Red:
+4 Feed the Clan. -2 Ancient Grudge, -2 Ray of Revelation.
SB vs Green:
+4 Submerge. -2 Ancient Grudge, -2 Ray of Revelation.
SB vs Artifacts:
+1 Ancient Grudge, +1 Nature's Claim. -2 Ray of Revelation.
SB vs Enchantments:
+1 Ray of Revelation, +1 Nature's Claim. -2 Ancient Grudge.
8 players, 3 rounds, 2-1 matches, 5-3 games, 3rd place.
4 Amrou Scout
4 Aven Riftwatcher
4 Bound in Silence
4 Defiant Falcon
4 Ramosian Lieutenant
4 Zealot il-Vec
1 Nightwind Glider
1 Thermal Glider
4 Gut Shot
4 Unmake
(26) Lands:
18 Plains
4 Cave of Temptation
4 Idyllic Grange
4 Lone Missionary
4 Patrician's Scorn
4 Ramosian Sergeant
3 Dust to Dust
Test vs Boggles, 2-0
No SB (both of us were lazy)
-Game 1, he didn't know what "attach" was and I explained to him how it doesn't "target" his hexproof creatures.
-Game 2, he played around attach and offered no offense.
Round 1 vs BR Direct Damage, 2-0.
SB +4 Lone Missionary, -4 Unmake (his creatures were small.)
-Both games, I got the rebel chain going and gained max life off all 4 Aven Riftwatcher.
-Game 2, I resolved a Lone Missionary on turn 2, Zealot il-Vec turn 3 and 2 searchers turn 4. It went downhill for him after that.
Round 2 vs White Heroic, 2-1.
SB +4 Patrician's Scorn. -2 Unmake (Benevolent Blessing - pro white), -2 Gliders.
-Games 1 & 3 were textbook rebel chain control.
-Game 2, his Benevolent Blessing on a heroic creature outraced me.
Round 3 vs Mono Black Control, 1-2.
SB +1 Patrician's Scorn (Pestilence), -1 Thermal Glider.
-Game 1, I est. rebel chain and won.
-Games 2 & 3, he used early removal on my creatures and prevented me from searching.
-Idk if I should've boarded out more Gut Shot for more Patrician's Scorn. Depends how many Pestilence he boards in and if my Zealot il-Vec can use Gut Shot to speed up board control. Then again, his Chittering Rats could keep Patrician's Scorn on the top of my library and he could play around it. Gut Shot can always leave my hand in response to Chittering Rats. I think I made the right call.
-Note: There were 2 Mono Black Control players tonight. Tonight's winner knocked off the other MBC player out of title contention in round 1.
-Note 2: Tonight's winner was officially crowned, "The King of Pauper" after our match.
I know I said in post #28 that I was only worried about aggro and mana screw:
But I also said in post #18:
So I only half-lied. Idk how to beat Mono Black Control so I'll just retire Rebels for now and wait for the appropriate meta again.
"Pioneer Legal Spirits" (my version)
4 Ascendant Spirit
4 Mausoleum Wanderer
4 Rattlechains
4 Spectral Sailor
4 Supreme Phantom
4 Curious Obsession
4 Force of Negation
4 Opt
4 Spell Pierce
4 Witness Protection
20 Snow-Covered Island
4 Aether Gust
4 Annul
4 Ceremonious Rejection (no Eldrazi Tron tonight)
3 Brazen Borrower
Test vs 4c Superfriends, 1-1.
No SB (we mutually agreed not to board.)
Round 1 vs *bye* 2-0 games.
Round 2 vs White Heroic, 2-1 games.
SB +4 Annul, +3 Brazen Borrower. -4 Spell Pierce, -3 Force of Negation.
-Game 1, my specialized counters weren't effective as he drew cards just for casting auras.
-Games 2 & 3, I Annul'd threatening auras and bounced heavily aura'd creatures w/Brazen Borrower.
-Witness Protection shut down his few card draw and tutoring creatures.
Round 3 vs Bant Spirits, 0-2 games.
SB +3 Brazen Borrower, +1 Annul (going first vs Aether Vial.) -4 Spell Pierce.
-My specialized counters weren't effective vs his heavy creature base.
-He seems to grind out long games better than me.
Conclusion: It's weird how I boarded out Brazen Borrower 2/3 matches in Pioneer but I boarded it in 2/3 matches in Modern. I should actually study the meta if I want to win...
Of the cards I had access to (I added no cards from the outside, just swapped main and SB cards around) I should've main'd +2 Geistlight Snare, -1 Brazen Borrower, -1 Otawara, Soaring City. I only got mana screwed once the entire night. I never needed Brazen Borrower but it's flexible and I was paranoid about removing all copies (idk the meta.) I also felt uncomfortable having redundant mana counters. If the opponent plays around mana counters, ALL of my counters are dead cards.
Also, Lofty Denial > Geistlight Snare imo. Forcing 1 extra mana out of the opponent is a big deal.
Mono Blue Spirits
18 Snow-Covered Island
4 Faceless Haven
1 Otawara, Soaring City (moved from SB to main b/c I worry about mana screw)
(24) Spirits:
4 Ascendant Spirit
4 Mausoleum Wanderer
4 Rattlechains
4 Shacklegeist
4 Spectral Sailor
4 Supreme Phantom
4 Curious Obsession
4 Witness Protection (expected aggro)
3 Lofty Denial
1 Brazen Borrower
1 Geistlight Snare
4 Mystical Dispute
3 Aether Gust
3 Dive Down
3 Geistlight Snare
2 Brazen Borrower
First off, I'd like to thank judge Matt again for lending me his deck!
Round 1 vs BR Madness, 2-0.
SB: none
Round 2 vs GU Ramp Combo, 1-2.
SB +4 Mystical Dispute, +2 Geistlight Snare. -4 Witness Protection, -1 Brazen Borrower, -1 Otawara, Soaring City.
-I moved the legendary land from the main to the board b/c there's no late game.
-Game 1, I got combo'd out. I didn't know what he was running and my Witness Protection had no targets.
-Game 2, My early Curious Obsession + counterspells and more creatures got me the "W."
-Game 3, I aggressively mulliganed to 5. I decided I needed at least 1 Curious Obsession and 1 counterspell to have a chance. Not enough.
-There were 3 ppl running this deck tonight but this opponent was the best pilot so he deservingly won the event.
Round 3 vs UR Spells, 2-0.
SB +1 Geistlight Snare, -1 Brazen Borrower.
-Witness Protection shut down Guttersnipe and Thermo-Alchemist.
Summary: I suggested to judge Matt to change his SB counters, based off my round 2 opponent. He ramped a lot, so my mana-based counterspells were worthless mid-late game. I suggested making space for 2 Negate, 2 Essence Capture and 2 Dissipate.
And do not underestimate how powerful tempo'd a 0 mana Gut Shot is on most turn 1 mana dorks! More ppl should be running Gut Shot, as least in the 'board. Love that card, fits every deck!
In game 1 vs Boggles, I "attached" a Bound in Silence onto a heavily aura'd, hexproof creature by fetching it via rebel searcher. For those who don't know, "attaching" is technically different from "targeting" (attaching is a confusing, unintuitive loophole in the rules.) It was in game 2 where my Patrician's Scorn completely wiped his board.
I used to main Ramosian Sergeant but found the tempo loss was too great. I prefer a consistent 2-drop searcher on turn 2 (I have 12 searchers.) Then turn 3, hardcast Zealot il-Vec (begin the control game) or remove an early threat (Unmake/Bound in Silence) or even play Aven Riftwatcher on defense, rather than using my 1 drop Ramosian Sergeant to fetch my 2 drop searchers (who can't block, obviously) on turn 3. Gotta stabilize ASAP b/c early aggression is this deck's only real downfall (the other downfall is not reaching 4 mana - run 26 lands, not 24.) Rebels tend to win the long game.
8 players, 3 rounds, 3-0 matches, 6-2 games, 1st place
4 Amrou Scout
4 Aven Riftwatcher
4 Bound in Silence
4 Defiant Falcon
4 Ramosian Lieutenant
4 Zealot il-Vec
1 Nightwind Glider
1 Thermal Glider
4 Gut Shot
4 Unmake
(26) Lands:
18 Plains
4 Cave of Temptation (cast Gut Shot )
4 Idyllic Grange
4 Lone Missionary (vs RDW)
4 Patrician's Scorn (vs Boggles)
4 Ramosian Sergeant (vs Counterspells)
3 Erase (excessive, I know)
Notes: I have a higher land count b/c I absolutely need to hit 4 mana for the deck to work.
Test vs Elves, 3-1-1.
No SB
Round 1 vs RDW: 1-0 match, 2-1 games.
SB: +4 Lone Missionary, -4 Gut Shot.
Game 1, he burned me out quick.
Games 2 & 3, I resolved a single Lone Missionary early on, then searched out multiple Aven Riftwatcher to stay healthy.
Round 2 vs Boggles: 1-0 match, 2-0 games.
SB: +4 Patrician's Scorn, +2 Erase. -4 Gut Shot, -1 Nightwind Glider, -1 Thermal Glider.
My aura hate was too strong.
After the match, he recommended SB cards to replace Erase:
-Dust to Dust (Affinity.)
-Holy Light (Elves.)
-Dawnbringer Cleric (flex slot.)
Round 3 vs Mono White Heroic: 1-0 match, 2-1 games.
SB: +4 Patrician's Scorn, +2 Erase. -4 Gut Shot, -1 Nightwind Glider, -1 Thermal Glider.
Game 1 was controversial. He casted Benevolent Blessing naming "white." In response, I searched out Bound in Silence. This play was legal but both of us missed that Benevolent Blessing removes my Bound in Silence since it isn't his aura. My round 2 opponent informed us of this at the start of game 3.
Game 2 he was just too fast.
Game 3 I Bound in Silence his biggest creature but didn't dare attack into it via Amrou Scout on 3 land. I feared instant speed Bound in Silence removal and an untimely block for my searcher. I don't race anyway, I only stabilize so this plan was just fine. I eventually got my rebel chain going while he failed to produce more creatures so I won.
Conclusion: I can't believe my last update to his deck was Dec 24, 2020! I think I'll listen to my round 2 opponent and SB +3 Dust to Dust, -3 Erase.
16ish players, 3 rounds, 0-1 drop.
4 Thing in the Ice
4 Wall of Omens
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
(31) Spells:
4 Consider
4 Deafening Clarion
4 Nahiri, the Harbinger
4 Opt
4 Path to Exile
4 Serum Visions
4 Sleight of Hand
3 Prismatic Ending
4 Flooded Strand
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Seachrome Coast
3 Island
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Steam Vents
4 Burrenton Forge-Tender
4 Relic of Progenitus
4 Spellskite
3 Blood Moon (Tron)
Round 1 vs Boros Aggro, 0-2.
SB +4 Burrenton Forge-Tender , -3 Prismatic Ending, -1 Deafening Clarion.
I usually have no problems vs Boros. If I had to blame my loss on something, I can think of 3:
1) I missed land drops w/my 16 cantrips!
2) He drew early Eidolon of the Great Revel and got value off of him. I never cast a single Nahiri, the Harbinger, which would've helped.
3) My deck is public knowledge. I've played and discussed my deck too much. It's only natural for ppl to adapt.
I'm going to retire this deck for now. I'll come up w/something fresh!
4 Players, 2 Rounds, 1-1 matches, 2-3 games, 2nd-3rd place.
4 Bayou Groff
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Llanowar Visionary
4 Owlbear
4 Ravenous Lindwurm
4 Sanrulf's Packmate
4 Gut Shot
4 Struggle for Skemfar
(24) Land:
16 Forest
4 Cave of Temptation
4 Radiant Fountain
3 Faerie Macabre
3 Feed the Clan
3 Natural State
3 Raven Wings
3 Reverent Silence
Playtest vs RDW, 2-0.
SB +3 Feed the Clan, +1 Natural State. -4 Gut Shot.
I told my opponent, "This is my dream match up." And I wasn't wrong, the life gain was too much.
Round 1 vs Elf Ball, 0-2.
SB none.
I moved Gut Shot into the main and that was the best I could do. Lost cause really.
Other players were speculating on how to defeat Elf Ball. I suggested Mono Black (Cuombajj Witches, Crypt Rats.)
Round 2 vs RDW (test opponent), 2-1.
SB +3 Feed the Clan, +1 Natural State. -4 Gut Shot.
This time I told him, "I wish you got paired up vs Elf Ball last round and won so I wouldn't play him!"
Conclusion: Since I cannot defeat Elf Ball w/this deck and since the same player always plays Elf Ball, imma hafta retire this deck. When Mono Black dominated our old meta, I was forced to retire my Rebel build. Going fwd, I believe Mono Black will be tier 1.
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/pauper/paper-pauper-and-peasant/811699-rebels?page=2