I went 5-0 at my local FNM this past week with this list.
Round 1 vs Elves (win 2-1)
Game 1 a turn 3 branchwalker allows me to find my third land (a treetop village) and stay on curve to win. It is worth noting that the 2/1 body got outclassed by my opponents pendelhaven. Game 2 is mostly irrelevant I was on the draw and a turn to slow to stabilize. Game 3 I have damnation in hand the entire game and never have to use it to win.
Round 2 vs Ad Naseum (win 2-0)
From the standpoint of the new cards this was uneventful. Game 1 I discarded his Lightning Storm and then he milled past his laboratory maniac. Game 2 I went up the curve with him discarding everything before he could play it when he did not have a leyline.
Round 3 vs Sultai Reclamation (win 2-0)
Both games pressure backed with discard got there. In game 2 my Ashiok locked him off of his mystical teachings and won me the game.
Round 4 vs Burn (win 2-0)
I think we are already very good against burn as I rarely lose this matchup. Having the surprise angle of Branchwalker allowed me to have more pressure quickly and also made the sideboard rest in peace he brought in look bad. (For the record I am already not in favor of siding that card in vs Rock as I would rather have a damage spell)
Round 5 vs Azorius Taking Turns (win 2-0)
Once again pressure plus discard got me there. I weathered his extra turn cards and focused on denying him card advantage in the matchup. Another 2 drop to begin the pressure helped as Scavenging ooze is not great in the matchup.
Final Thoughts
I was quite pleased with the Branchwalkers throughout the event. I never found myself wishing it was another card and several times it was helpful smoothing out my draws. It also gave me interesting lines in the removal heavy matchups where I could run him out into removal and save my better creatures for later. I will definitely be testing more with this card.
1
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Merfolk Branchwalker
4 Tireless Tracker
3 Scavenging Ooze
2 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
Non-Creatures
3 Thoughtseize
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Fatal Push
3 Assassin's Trophy
3 Liliana of the Veil
1 Maelstrom Pulse
2 Collective Brutality
4 Verdant Catacomb
2 Bloodstained Mire
2 Overgrown Tomb
3 Blooming Marsh
3 Hissing Quagmire
1 Treetop Village
5 swamp
2 Forest
3 Field of Ruin
2 Duress
2 Nissa, Vital Force
1 Gaze of Granite
1 Damnation
3 Fulminator Mage
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Ashiok, Dream Render
1 Collective Brutality
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Liliana, the Last Hope
I went 5-0 at my local FNM this past week with this list.
Round 1 vs Elves (win 2-1)
Game 1 a turn 3 branchwalker allows me to find my third land (a treetop village) and stay on curve to win. It is worth noting that the 2/1 body got outclassed by my opponents pendelhaven. Game 2 is mostly irrelevant I was on the draw and a turn to slow to stabilize. Game 3 I have damnation in hand the entire game and never have to use it to win.
Round 2 vs Ad Naseum (win 2-0)
From the standpoint of the new cards this was uneventful. Game 1 I discarded his Lightning Storm and then he milled past his laboratory maniac. Game 2 I went up the curve with him discarding everything before he could play it when he did not have a leyline.
Round 3 vs Sultai Reclamation (win 2-0)
Both games pressure backed with discard got there. In game 2 my Ashiok locked him off of his mystical teachings and won me the game.
Round 4 vs Burn (win 2-0)
I think we are already very good against burn as I rarely lose this matchup. Having the surprise angle of Branchwalker allowed me to have more pressure quickly and also made the sideboard rest in peace he brought in look bad. (For the record I am already not in favor of siding that card in vs Rock as I would rather have a damage spell)
Round 5 vs Azorius Taking Turns (win 2-0)
Once again pressure plus discard got me there. I weathered his extra turn cards and focused on denying him card advantage in the matchup. Another 2 drop to begin the pressure helped as Scavenging ooze is not great in the matchup.
Final Thoughts
I was quite pleased with the Branchwalkers throughout the event. I never found myself wishing it was another card and several times it was helpful smoothing out my draws. It also gave me interesting lines in the removal heavy matchups where I could run him out into removal and save my better creatures for later. I will definitely be testing more with this card.