Colossus is great vs faeries. His large size threatens their dwindling life total, and his pro black keeps them from just endlessly chumping him with faerie tokens. Their best answer to him is to counter him (which isn't a point against him since this is an answer to every one of your spells) or steal him with Sower, which isn't an issue due to your Skreds, Incinerates, and Sulf Blasts.
He is just a strong mainboard card in general. He's difficult to kill and just the threat of becoming very large is often enough to make combat difficult for your opponent.
I drove down with 6 other guys from the Bay Area to play in the PTQ that weekend.
The Meta:
Going in I expected a lot of RDW/Domain Zoo, with sizable representations from goblins, dredge and affinity. After last weeks results I was also worried about Deathcloud and Burn Decks. As soon as I got there we realized that there was a ton of goblins and RDW (not so much zoo). Dredge was also very well represented with not very much NLB. This ended up with me going back to an older sideboard with Engineered plagues.
The TOP 8:
3 Goblins (At least one with bidding and one without. 2 of them used Earwig Squad)
RDW
NiNjA Fish
Ideal
U/W Tron
and I belive the last was Deathcloud
Goblins beat Goblins
RDW beat Deathcloud?
Ninja Fish beat Tron
Goblins beat Ideal
Ninja FIsh beats RDW
Goblins beat Goblins
I left before the finals concluded but the Goblins looked in good shape.
What I played:
4 Counterspell
4 Counterbalance
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Vedalken Shackles
2 Threads
2 Cryptic Command
2 Spell Snare
1 Force Spike
1 Tormod's Crypt
3 Trinket Mage
4 SDT
4 Chrome Mox
2 Engineered Exsplosives
2 Thirst for Knowledge
21 Land Including Mirren and 1 of each blue dual
SB:
1 Academy Ruins
2 Ancient Grudge
1 Krosan Grip
2 Sphere of Law
2 Engineered PLague
3 Sower of Temptation
3 Tormod's Crypt
1 Pithing Needle
The Plagues and Watery grave were literally last minute additions over global ruin (good against deathcloud) and an Island. Overall the board was great for me though I probably could of done with another 1-2 Force Spike/Spell Snare in for TFK or Cryptics. The mix of spell snare and force spike was relevant once when I showed force spike game 1 and then spell snared him when he waited for 3 mana to cranial plating. Cryptics weren't very good all day, I never really found I had enough mana for them in the tight matches having too much else to do. However in testing they were great so maybe it was just that day.
My Rounds:
1. TurboFog
He shuffled face up, so I knew what I was against. Game 1 was a beating where I just stuck an early goyf and floated 2 on top with CB to prevent fogs. He then reveals that his plan is to martyr of sands + enduring renewal + proclamation. Which my only out to is pithing needle and TC. So I bring plagues to kill his clerics. In the end he keeps a ****** hand and i win handily.
1-0
2. RDW /w Bob
He plays super slow game 1 when he has turn 2 bob through my keep of:
2 Blue Spells
1 CB
1 Top
2 Chrome Mox
eventually he almost dies to his own bob but I cant draw land or creatures.
Game 2, I blow him out with EE on a 3 for 1, though he misplayed. I call a judge to watch for slow play but they were really understaffed with 2 judges for 186 people tourney.
Game 3, I was probably going to lose but it ended as a draw.
1-0-1
Round 3. v/ Gifts rock
There were tons of draws at this point and the draw bracket was pretty diverse.
Game 1 he doesnt really do anything except cabal therapy me and sakura tribe elder because i have early CB and top. He eventually tries to stick 2 x Collective restraint and I counter them. I thought he was Tooth and Nail so I boarded in correctly.
Game 2, is drawn out as I face double collective restraint and have to dig for an EE. He gifts for Living Wish, Genesis, Witness and Indrik. I give him wish/genesis. With shackles in hand and spell snare. He lands another restraint so I pay 5 for a few turns to attack.
2-0-1
Round 4 v U/G Tron
game 1, I know the top 2 cards and need to find trinket mage or crypt to stop mindslaver knowing he has blanks in hand. I manage to get 2 counterspells in a row (how lucky!).
Game 2 He misplays focusing on preventing the CB lock after I crypt his academy ruins and loam. He slavers me for a turn but it isnt enough.
3-0-1
Round 5 v Affinitty
Game 1, I turn 1 CB. blind flipping mox when he plays worker. He then tries to play TC and frogmite. I think when the people around him started laughing he went on tilt. I proceed to shackles one of his 2 frogmites and he cant decide when to fatal frenzy or not in response. Then he flooded.
Game 2, I drew 2 sowers and a needle for plating.
Round 6 v NLB ( friend of mine)
I win game 1 after he makes a slight misplay.
Game 2 I punt when i dont grudge his tree of tales which means I couldnt spike his CS on my top when I had balance. I had even planned to do it but screwed up.
Game 3, I am winning but time is called and he wont scoop to me. So I scoop to him cause a draw is just idiotic at that point.
4-1-1 (Need to win two more)
Round 7 paired down against Affinity.
He won't scoop to me and has awful draws in game 2/3. He had cabal therapies which were good but the matchup is defnitely in our favor.
5-1-1
Round 8 against Ninja Fish.
He was playing mothdust changeling, ornithopters, man lands, standstill and blue ninjas. WIth spell stutters (really good) and Jitte. At this point my breakers are **** and I cant even win and make it in, and I have huge headache, so I almost jsut concede since he was paired down. But if I win my friend can draw in so I try to play it out.
Game 1, is about attrition but I eventually get there even though he mistblade shinoning some dudes.
Game 2, He has a blistering draw with Standstill on turn 2 which I am forced to break.
Game 3, I might have misplated but he beats me down while having multiple vensers to shutdown shackles and cryptic command.
5-2-1
----------------------------
Though I liked my deck and I think I play it well, I am not sure it is good choice for the current Meta. I was pretty lucky to dodge Goblins all day and only faced RDW once.
Nice list lucas. =p
It sucks morgan wouldn't scoop to you.
Ty for playing the last round out for me, i appreciated it.
I went 8-2 on the day. I originally had Seals over Rusalkas and Vortexes over Plagues. Rusalkas got added early in testing and have been amazing. They stop heartbeat from being able to drop heartbeat, turn off jitte, turn on lavamancer/barbarian ring, and act as nerfed Disciples of the Vault in general.
I cut Vortexes for Plague because i realized that Goblin Bidding was not an amazing matchup and that it was everywhere at the PTQ. I only played against Doran once, and I played against goblins 3 times so it was definitely the right call.
Keldon Marauders are simply the best big burn spell available for the deck. Crusher is weak, as others have mentioned. Firecat costs too much. Marauders not only gets in there for 5 in the matchups where it counts, but it also holds off smaller creatures for 1-2 turns, which is enough to develop a tempo advantage and win.
The rest of the sideboard was great. It sucked not having anything for the Tarmogoyf mirror, but it was very nice having 6 hate cards for ideal as well as hate for the random tron deck i played against. Grudge is just too flexible not to use imo. Grip is the best sb card available for countertop in this deck: I only run 20 lands so boil is just too much mana to cast.
Speaking of the land base, there should probably be a 21st land in here, but make sure it does damage. Treetop Village/Mutavault is most likely the right call.
The burn suite was just about perfect. Firebolt/Lava Dart were individually good and I'm not sure id go for 2 of one and 0 of the other. Tarfire was amazing. It kills birds/elves/warchief/piledriver, pumps goyf, and is a killer combat trick. The rest of the deck is standard.
Skullscorch is weak because it's a terrible topdeck and disruptive to yoru tempo in the early game. You'd rather play a bear then Skullscorch on turn 2 because the bear is going to hit for at least 2 points more over the course of the game. Turn three, you'd rather ld, time walking them and hitting for four, then just get in there for damage. Any later on than that, and the discard portion has no effect. Even in control matchups, its not so good because they invest their resources into a winnning board position, be it urza tron/tog/isochron scepter/genesis. They can take the two cards on the chin because they have you trumped on board position. It might be ok vs. heartbeat, but it seems like you'd rather be playing dudes or blowing up lands then attempting a hymn.
Lava Blister is pretty interesting. Maybe you should test it out a little bit? I would, but whenever its been cast against me it always seems underwhelming.
Tooth is waaay favored in the heartbeat matchup. They can't just tap out for a heartbeat like they can in other matchups, and you run md ld. Your fundamental turn is turn 4, and theirs drops to turn 5 if they can't tap out for heartbeat. Post board is even worse for them: you bring in plow and they have nothing that compares.
I don't actually watch replays. I just say i do to establish credibility.
Fixed.
P.S. Funkymonkeyman has played against Sky Hussar in the t8 of two diff modo 2xs in the last two weeks, so check again. OBV OBV OBV Troll warning. -Kijin
@Equinox, wouldn't Silhana Ledgewalkers be better than Dryad Sophisticate, I know its' 2/1 but the Ledgewalker's untargetability is a big factor, specially if you want to cloak or jitte it up
Not unless he moves the cloaks mainboard. You need roughly twice as many enhancers as Ledgewalkers to make that card worth it.
@ Kijin: FYI, Kiki/Hussar has been featured in about half of the tooth decks that t8 on modo. I wouldn't lambast it anymore if i was you. Go ahead and see for yourself.
Skred and Incinerate are always easy to counter with spell stutter, that doesn't mean they are bad removal spells.
Nice try.
He is just a strong mainboard card in general. He's difficult to kill and just the threat of becoming very large is often enough to make combat difficult for your opponent.
Nice list lucas. =p
It sucks morgan wouldn't scoop to you.
Ty for playing the last round out for me, i appreciated it.
4 Kird Ape
4 Grim Lavamancer
4 Mogg Fanatic
3 Scorched Rusalka
4 Keldon Marauders
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Incinerate
4 Rift Bolt
4 Molten Rain
3 Tarfire
1 Lava Dart
1 Firebolt
4 Barbarian Ring
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Stomping Ground
2 Blood Crypt
2 Mountain
4 Engineered Plague
4 Ancient Grudge
4 Extirpate
3 Krosan Grip
I went 8-2 on the day. I originally had Seals over Rusalkas and Vortexes over Plagues. Rusalkas got added early in testing and have been amazing. They stop heartbeat from being able to drop heartbeat, turn off jitte, turn on lavamancer/barbarian ring, and act as nerfed Disciples of the Vault in general.
I cut Vortexes for Plague because i realized that Goblin Bidding was not an amazing matchup and that it was everywhere at the PTQ. I only played against Doran once, and I played against goblins 3 times so it was definitely the right call.
Keldon Marauders are simply the best big burn spell available for the deck. Crusher is weak, as others have mentioned. Firecat costs too much. Marauders not only gets in there for 5 in the matchups where it counts, but it also holds off smaller creatures for 1-2 turns, which is enough to develop a tempo advantage and win.
The rest of the sideboard was great. It sucked not having anything for the Tarmogoyf mirror, but it was very nice having 6 hate cards for ideal as well as hate for the random tron deck i played against. Grudge is just too flexible not to use imo. Grip is the best sb card available for countertop in this deck: I only run 20 lands so boil is just too much mana to cast.
Speaking of the land base, there should probably be a 21st land in here, but make sure it does damage. Treetop Village/Mutavault is most likely the right call.
The burn suite was just about perfect. Firebolt/Lava Dart were individually good and I'm not sure id go for 2 of one and 0 of the other. Tarfire was amazing. It kills birds/elves/warchief/piledriver, pumps goyf, and is a killer combat trick. The rest of the deck is standard.
Lava Blister is pretty interesting. Maybe you should test it out a little bit? I would, but whenever its been cast against me it always seems underwhelming.
Remand is the number 1/2 card in the format. You don't cut it.
Fixed.
P.S. Funkymonkeyman has played against Sky Hussar in the t8 of two diff modo 2xs in the last two weeks, so check again. OBV OBV OBV
Troll warning. -Kijin
Not unless he moves the cloaks mainboard. You need roughly twice as many enhancers as Ledgewalkers to make that card worth it.