Mountain-men, heed my call!
I’m prepping for a PPTQ tomorrow, and I’m 80% sure I want to go with Russ’ tried-and-true tournament build, but I have a handful of concerns. Advice and reassurance appreciated:
Concern 1) Will 2 Abrades in the main be enough? Fluffy swears by 4, but Russ packs Ballista to pick up the slack. Maybe 3?
Concern 2) Are we sold on Sarkhan over Chainwhirler in the main? If so, what gets chopped in the side for Whirlers?
Concern 3) E.Tron: can it be beat? Do I want dragons?
Concern 1- I can't get myself to run less than 3 Abrade. It's a safety valve in so many situations, including some like Baral or (steadily increasing numbers of) Devoted Druid that are out of Ballista range. I run 3 Abrade and 1 sweeper, Russ runs 2 and 2. It all depends on what you expect to see, so if you have a good idea of the meta, adjust accordingly. If you don't, the 2-2 split is probably safer. I also wouldn't cut Ballista unless your meta gives you a good reason to.
Concern 2- I'll leave this to those with more experience with Sarkhan.. my jury is still out, but my initial impression of him is good.
Concern 3- Sure it's beatable. I've beaten it plenty of times.. I've just lost 3 times as many lol. You want an early Moon and a clock fast enough to race All is Dust, while staying alive against TKS and Smasher and pals.. That's all you gotta do. Easy enough right? Dragons won't help much either. The good news is, E-Tron is reaaaalllly not in a good spot in the general meta right now, so unless you know someone that will be playing it, chances are you'll have a perfect 0-0 record against it.
Hey Russ, are you putting Sarkhan in the board, or moving your MD whirlers/sweepers to the board? I'm trying him in place of the Whirlers in the main right now, but Whirler feels kinda important in this meta, and I never shave Ballista. I'm curious to see where everybody else is fitting him.
Oh, and shoutouts to Ray with the 5-0 with Trash Dragons!
Sorry for double post, but I did have one question come out of last night's stream (bear in mind it was only a handful of rounds but it struck my attention nonetheless):
What's the deal with Ramunap Ruins and the singleton Mutavault? How often are they relevant and not just Mountains? Obviously they're more impactful in matchups where Moon isn't great, but I never saw that side of their application.
The Ruins have actually been good for me, they're great for those last couple clutch points of damage.. Mutavault is there mainly because of Rabble and the possible turn 3 kill.. or just a random blocker. I run Scavenger Grounds in that spot and I love it.
You have a whole team of people behind you too, GPash. Any questions you have will happily be answered here, and I'm sure you'll have the whole community yelling at you like the audience on 'The Price is Right' while you stream lol. One big tip. The most important thing about piloting this deck is knowing the meta. You mentioned you're new to the format, and that's going to make it tough to make the right plays at the right time. Really get to know the meta, pre and post side. That will make things alot easier for you.
Russ, I'm disappointed. Here I am running 2 Ballista, and you promise me 10 reasons why it's a good idea. Imagine my shock when I see you've only provided 9! Fine. No, it's fine. I'll come up with the other one on my own I guess.
I'm guessing #4 a,b,c doesn't coubt?
Those were sub-sections of #4 sir. #10 could've been the most important one, and now I'm left wanting.
Russ, I'm disappointed. Here I am running 2 Ballista, and you promise me 10 reasons why it's a good idea. Imagine my shock when I see you've only provided 9! Fine. No, it's fine. I'll come up with the other one on my own I guess.
Lol Ray you make it sound like we're moonshinin'. I'm liking the ability to dig though. I want to try your Dragon friend out but I'm clenching onto my 2nd P&K, and I don't want a 7th 4-drop. I don't break my own rules, even for Dragons! I guess I could drop a Chandra.. but that's 1 less Chandra.. I know you run 3, but let's face it, you're a madman! Lol
Great stats, Araguel. Your numbers really speak to me. You've convinced me to try 2 Sarkhans while moving 2 Chainwhirlers to the board tonight. Thanks for the breakdown!
...he hit 6 lands?? they only run like 18! Jfc.. That's so brutal to lose that game. At least you know there's nothing you could've done lol.
I guess you're right about Spree, it makes sense to plan for Affinity. I may be wrong, but I feel like we have a very solid game plan for KCI even without the Sprees. It's a great deck with tons of resiliency, but I feel like we have about the best tools to deal with them in the format. I don't know what they consider their worst matchups (probably blue stuff), but I doubt they like playing our deck.
Hey Russ, I'm curious about Spree. You really feel like 2 is the right number? I completely cut it for a while now and I haven't missed it. Other than tagging a Map t1 I feel like we're fine with Abrade (I run 3 md). Couldn't 1 be your 4th Eidolon?
You mentioned how Spirits didn't side in anything to deal with Bridge.. for anyone who hasn't noticed, THEY DONT RUN ANY! a few lists have a 1-of EE, but not many.
Also, if it wasn't for a little variance we would be talking about your top 8. I imagine you're pretty confident against GB Elves. Tough luck :/
Wow lmao.. That's crazy. I did not see that one coming. Btw I'm interested about your thoughts on Shattering Spree, but I'm sure you'll talk about it tomorrow.
I was done posting for the day.. but you said Ball Lightning. Ball Lightning is my favorite card from my childhood lol. I've always been a red guy. I could get behind testing a couple in the side for control matchups. I don't think they're a great fit, but I'll run some tonight for fun.
Concern 1- I can't get myself to run less than 3 Abrade. It's a safety valve in so many situations, including some like Baral or (steadily increasing numbers of) Devoted Druid that are out of Ballista range. I run 3 Abrade and 1 sweeper, Russ runs 2 and 2. It all depends on what you expect to see, so if you have a good idea of the meta, adjust accordingly. If you don't, the 2-2 split is probably safer. I also wouldn't cut Ballista unless your meta gives you a good reason to.
Concern 2- I'll leave this to those with more experience with Sarkhan.. my jury is still out, but my initial impression of him is good.
Concern 3- Sure it's beatable. I've beaten it plenty of times.. I've just lost 3 times as many lol. You want an early Moon and a clock fast enough to race All is Dust, while staying alive against TKS and Smasher and pals.. That's all you gotta do. Easy enough right? Dragons won't help much either. The good news is, E-Tron is reaaaalllly not in a good spot in the general meta right now, so unless you know someone that will be playing it, chances are you'll have a perfect 0-0 record against it.
Oh, and shoutouts to Ray with the 5-0 with Trash Dragons!
The Ruins have actually been good for me, they're great for those last couple clutch points of damage.. Mutavault is there mainly because of Rabble and the possible turn 3 kill.. or just a random blocker. I run Scavenger Grounds in that spot and I love it.
Those were sub-sections of #4 sir. #10 could've been the most important one, and now I'm left wanting.
I guess you're right about Spree, it makes sense to plan for Affinity. I may be wrong, but I feel like we have a very solid game plan for KCI even without the Sprees. It's a great deck with tons of resiliency, but I feel like we have about the best tools to deal with them in the format. I don't know what they consider their worst matchups (probably blue stuff), but I doubt they like playing our deck.
You mentioned how Spirits didn't side in anything to deal with Bridge.. for anyone who hasn't noticed, THEY DONT RUN ANY! a few lists have a 1-of EE, but not many.
Also, if it wasn't for a little variance we would be talking about your top 8. I imagine you're pretty confident against GB Elves. Tough luck :/