1) There is not other U/B aggro deck on the first page, much less this style. The other Fae decks are all control, including yours.
2) I already have 4 Thoughtseize in the deck, it's the first spell listed. I was convinced to use it in the Block version of the deck (thread is up near the top of the Block Constructed decks for Critique), and maintained it here.
3) I only have 4 creatures main with CIP effects, my Spellstutter Sprites. I believe that it won't be worth using a UU in a multicolor deck for only that. Yes, the Sowers are CIP, but I lose the effect if they leave, so I'm not counting them.
It's a bit rough at the moment, but thus far it has been fairly good in the (admittedly limited) testing I have done. It's fairly quick, full of tricks, and having 10 creatures that can come in at EOT tends to give control decks (which my meta is full of) twitchy fits.
I know the lists are close, Clarity, but running the same theme from the same set will inevitably produce similar decks. My biggest thing with your deck was Ringskipper, which I am personally not that big a fan of (especially considering that the deck is supposed to be lower to the ground than most others in the format). Anyway, this archetype seems to be a solid one, so I'm thinking a thread on it will be a good thing. With that, here's V2. Taking into account the suggestions:
I will be doing some testing tonight and tomorrow, but the deck seems to be a bit smoother and lower to the ground. Due to color balance, I took the two extra land out of the swamps.
Thanks for the quick responses. A Quick question for you, Nim, what do you suggest dropping for them? One of the big reasons I am not using them is because I simply could not find space to do so. Right now the choice would pretty much have to be over my Stingers... but losing the 1-drop from a very tempo-based deck kinda hurts.
Anyway, I'll do some testing on MWS and proxied live.
This is copied from my own post in the Lorwyn thread. Yes, it's very creature-heavy, but all of my guys tend to be quite tricky. All 26 of them fly, 16 have Flash. Every card in the deck, save only Jace and my lands, can be tutored for. In testing so far (limited I'll grant, but testing nonetheless) the deck seems oddly mutable in its tactics, taking the aggro stance against control and the control stance against aggro.
26 fliers main, and everything other than the lands and Jace tutorable. The only spell that can really give me trouble is Hurley Burley... for which I have 8 tutorable counters. 16 of my guys can and will come in at instant speed, on top of that. Before you ask, no I will not be using Thoughtseize. To be honest, the effect is simply not in line with what the deck is doing, and so I don't want to blow four slots when I already had to cut way too many good cards.
There is another major thing about this set that I was lucky enuogh to notice from the spoiler lists before my drafts on Sunday: There is almost no flying outside of faeries. So long as you have a couple of removal spells to deal with Plover Knights, the fae will be unopposed in the air if you can manage to cut them off.
Oh, and Goatrevolt, I agree with your color asessment for the most part. In fact, I agree in whole for primary color. However, if you want to talk about support, then I think it goes Black, White/Red, Blue, Green. I saw so many Stinkdrinker Daredevils played to insane effect, right next to Lash Out and Tarfire...
Ok, so I think we can agree about the Merfolk, especially Douser. So, now, to shift the topic onto other tracks...
One other major star player I saw going around at common was Stinkdrinker Daredevil. I was thankfully not in the same pod with the guy who picked up 3 of them and assembled R/W Giant-Changeling. Dropping turn 3 Daredevils meant that turn 4 could be, say, Hilcomber Giant + Blind-Spot Giant + Avian Changeling. It's insanely fast aggro and in two of the three best removal colors.
Destrius, your comment about Silvergill Douser is probably the most true statement ever. People were MASSIVELY underestimating those things all weekend, and I never lost a game in which I kept one on the field for more than a couple of turns.
Big tip from my draft is that, even more than card draw, Flying is a very rare and precious thing in this set. If you can manage to hog Blue for merfolk/fairy, prepare to win. Period.
Sentinels of Glen Elendra is going to net you 2-for-1 most games by flashing in for combat, and in a worst-case scenario will have pseudo-haste. Pick it high.
Though not anywhere near the same priority, Spellstutter Sprite can and will swing iffy games in your direction. Even assuming you only have one other fairy, it can stop Hurley Burley, Lash Out, opposing Dousers, Gaddok Teeg, and many more. This is just stuff that I've done personally. 1/1 Flash Flying for 1U is good on its own, the counterspell just happens to be a nice side effect.
I have to say that some constructive paranoia is good. Someone at my prerelease (Charlotte, NC) was running 8 rares (from Bomb to Good) among their 2HG pool, one was foil. Because this was theoretically possible (7 rares + foil rare), a lot of people bowed under and died to them. Opponent team #4 called for a deck check, and half of the bombs were not supposed to be there.
In addition, watch mana tapping closely. One mistake is happenstance, especially with a new set. Twice is coincidence, and I can let it slide. You mis-tap 3 times in the same match, I assume it's intentional and call a judge. When people don't know all of the cards perfectly well, it is absurdly easy to sneak plays through like this.
First day I tried out a few things. R/G/w in sealed and R/B aggro in the draft. Neither worked out all that well, earning me no packs over the course of the day. I managed to learn that Hurley Burley is VERY overestimated, the darned thing is not worth maindecking in most situations. 1 damage is simply not enough to kill most of the stuff that matters, and hoping for 2 is just not a good idea.
Second day I skipped out on Sealed so that I could sleep well and get 2 Draft pods in, ended up winning both. My decks were U/B Merfolk/Fairy aggro and mono-U Merfolk/Fairy aggro. See a pattern here?
People were underestimating the stopping power of Silvergill Douser all day long, until I pointed out that it counted Merfolk AND Fairies. There is precious little flying in the set other that the Fairies, so me hogging a good chunk of them meant that I went unopposed in the sky for most of my matches. Forced Fruition is an incredibly nasty limited bomb, but if you play it and your opponent boards, send it to your own sidelines.
So, I end up with about 35 playables that draft, and needless to say I did some serious stomping of my poor, poor opposition. Among all 6 games I played, I took maybe 15 points of damage combined.
Scrying sheets and turn all my mountains Snowy? it has potential, though I'd only have the 20 snow cards out of 60, and 33% chance is a bit lower than I'd like. As for the Goyfs, well, I honestly can't afford them. It's one reason I went with this deck, it was about $150 cheaper to build than Hasty Green or R/G aggro (due mostly to the mana base). It just turned out happy that it ended up significantly more able to deal with control than other plans, as well. I can afford to do SOME pimping, but unfortunately going G/R is beyond me at the moment.
1) There is not other U/B aggro deck on the first page, much less this style. The other Fae decks are all control, including yours.
2) I already have 4 Thoughtseize in the deck, it's the first spell listed. I was convinced to use it in the Block version of the deck (thread is up near the top of the Block Constructed decks for Critique), and maintained it here.
3) I only have 4 creatures main with CIP effects, my Spellstutter Sprites. I believe that it won't be worth using a UU in a multicolor deck for only that. Yes, the Sowers are CIP, but I lose the effect if they leave, so I'm not counting them.
4x Cloud Sprite
4x Spellstutter Sprite
4x Oona's Prowler
4x Scion of Oona
4x Sower of Temptation
2x Wydwen, the Biting Gale
Spells (16):
4x Thoughtseize
4x Whirlpool Whelm
4x Runesnag
4x Nameless Inversion
4x Secluded Glen
4x Underground River
8x Island
6x Swamp
4x Silvergill Douser
4x Faerie Trickery
4x Peppersmoke
3x Cruel Edict
It's a bit rough at the moment, but thus far it has been fairly good in the (admittedly limited) testing I have done. It's fairly quick, full of tricks, and having 10 creatures that can come in at EOT tends to give control decks (which my meta is full of) twitchy fits.
4x Nightshade Stinger
4x Spellstutter Sprite
4x Oona's Prowler
4x Scion of Oona
4x Sower of Temptation
2x Wydwen, the Biting Gale
4x Thoughtseize
4x Whirlpool Whelm
4x Nameless Inversion
4x Faerie Trickery
Land (22):
4x Secluded Glen
8x Swamp
10x Island
4x Silvergill Douser
4x Broken Ambitions
4x Peppersmoke
3x Ego Erasure
I will be doing some testing tonight and tomorrow, but the deck seems to be a bit smoother and lower to the ground. Due to color balance, I took the two extra land out of the swamps.
Anyway, I'll do some testing on MWS and proxied live.
4x Nightshade Stinger
4x Spellstutter Sprite
4x Oona's Prowler
4x Scion of Oona
4x Faerie Harbinger
4x Sower of Temptation
2x Wydwen, the Biting Gale
4x Faerie Trickery
4x Nameless Inversion
2x Jace Beleren
Land (24):
4x Secluded Glen
10x Swamp
10x Island
4x Silvergill Douser
4x Broken Ambitions
4x Peppersmoke
3x Whirlpool Whelm
This is copied from my own post in the Lorwyn thread. Yes, it's very creature-heavy, but all of my guys tend to be quite tricky. All 26 of them fly, 16 have Flash. Every card in the deck, save only Jace and my lands, can be tutored for. In testing so far (limited I'll grant, but testing nonetheless) the deck seems oddly mutable in its tactics, taking the aggro stance against control and the control stance against aggro.
4x Nightshade Stinger
4x Spellstutter Sprite
4x Oona's Prowler
4x Scion of Oona
4x Faerie Harbinger
4x Sower of Temptation
2x Wydwen, the Biting Gale
4x Faerie Trickery
4x Nameless Inversion
2x Jace Beleren
Land (24):
4x Secluded Glen
10x Swamp
10x Island
4x Silvergill Douser
4x Peppersmoke
4x Broken Ambitions
3x Whirlpool Whelm
26 fliers main, and everything other than the lands and Jace tutorable. The only spell that can really give me trouble is Hurley Burley... for which I have 8 tutorable counters. 16 of my guys can and will come in at instant speed, on top of that. Before you ask, no I will not be using Thoughtseize. To be honest, the effect is simply not in line with what the deck is doing, and so I don't want to blow four slots when I already had to cut way too many good cards.
Oh, and Goatrevolt, I agree with your color asessment for the most part. In fact, I agree in whole for primary color. However, if you want to talk about support, then I think it goes Black, White/Red, Blue, Green. I saw so many Stinkdrinker Daredevils played to insane effect, right next to Lash Out and Tarfire...
One other major star player I saw going around at common was Stinkdrinker Daredevil. I was thankfully not in the same pod with the guy who picked up 3 of them and assembled R/W Giant-Changeling. Dropping turn 3 Daredevils meant that turn 4 could be, say, Hilcomber Giant + Blind-Spot Giant + Avian Changeling. It's insanely fast aggro and in two of the three best removal colors.
Big tip from my draft is that, even more than card draw, Flying is a very rare and precious thing in this set. If you can manage to hog Blue for merfolk/fairy, prepare to win. Period.
Sentinels of Glen Elendra is going to net you 2-for-1 most games by flashing in for combat, and in a worst-case scenario will have pseudo-haste. Pick it high.
Though not anywhere near the same priority, Spellstutter Sprite can and will swing iffy games in your direction. Even assuming you only have one other fairy, it can stop Hurley Burley, Lash Out, opposing Dousers, Gaddok Teeg, and many more. This is just stuff that I've done personally. 1/1 Flash Flying for 1U is good on its own, the counterspell just happens to be a nice side effect.
In addition, watch mana tapping closely. One mistake is happenstance, especially with a new set. Twice is coincidence, and I can let it slide. You mis-tap 3 times in the same match, I assume it's intentional and call a judge. When people don't know all of the cards perfectly well, it is absurdly easy to sneak plays through like this.
Second day I skipped out on Sealed so that I could sleep well and get 2 Draft pods in, ended up winning both. My decks were U/B Merfolk/Fairy aggro and mono-U Merfolk/Fairy aggro. See a pattern here?
People were underestimating the stopping power of Silvergill Douser all day long, until I pointed out that it counted Merfolk AND Fairies. There is precious little flying in the set other that the Fairies, so me hogging a good chunk of them meant that I went unopposed in the sky for most of my matches. Forced Fruition is an incredibly nasty limited bomb, but if you play it and your opponent boards, send it to your own sidelines.
Oh, and a brief tip: if you see someone Lignifying his own critters, hold a counter for a Doran. It WILL show up in the next couple of turns.
Pack 1: Pick 5 and 7 Mulldrifter, 13th pick Pestermite
Pack 2: 3rd pick Forced Fruition, 6th and 7th pick Silvergill Douser(!)
(It's at pick 7 of pack 2 that I shift from Black-blue to blue-black)
Pack 3: 3rd pick Douser, 4th pick Nameless Inversion(!)
So, I end up with about 35 playables that draft, and needless to say I did some serious stomping of my poor, poor opposition. Among all 6 games I played, I took maybe 15 points of damage combined.