This deck is already going to evolve. I want to drop the Llanowar Wastes for 4 Overgrown Tomb, but I'm not wanting to spend so much on this deck since it is only casual, so it might not happen. An oxymoron, however, is that I am wanting a playset of Twilight Mire. The reason I don't have a problem with it, is that lands have a hard time dropping in value, and it mana ramps, giving that extra 1 mana can really help.
The Exhume will be traded for Victimize, and Overrun with Creakwood Liege will be traded for 3 Garruk Wildspeaker, and Phyrexian Rager will be traded to Vampire Nighthawk.
That leaves me with 2 slots open. They might become more spells that I already have in the deck, or they might become land. I haven't had trouble with mana, so far. I stress "so far," because this deck morphed from the last time I played it, and I dropped 4 spells of mana ramp so I don't know how it will do the next time I play it.
As for my sideboard choices, Grasp will become Doom Blade, Blightwidow will become Plummet.
With everything being said and done, the deck will look like:
Hopefully this will work for me. I don't think I've figured out it's power curve yet. Win-con is getting a sword attached to Glissa, Thrun, or dropping the two wurms on turn 3, or Overrun via Garruk.
EDIT
My comment about twlight mire and mana accelerating was wrong. Still, another dual isn't bad, and I stand by my comment about it not losing value easily.
Any combat tricks I could do? Anything I should be aware of in their combat tricks? How do they board?
My list for this tournament. I haven't been here in awhile, but I knew of two Miracles players, some BUG colored gents, and the rest was generally unknown to me.
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
4 Lava Spike
3 Searing Blaze
4 Price of Progress
4 Rift Bolt
2 Exquisite Firecraft
3 Fireblast
8 Mountain
1 Barbarian Ring
1 Tormod's Crypt
2 Pithing Needle
1 Shattering Spree
2 Vexing Shusher
1 Searing Blaze
4 Smash to Smithereens
2 Faerie Macabre
2 Exquisite Firecraft
I know you made top eight, how did you do? Did you take first place, again? I know ExpiredRascals on Aluren was there as well, but I think he scrubbed out. I didn't see him after maybe fourth round? Poor bastard.
List:
3 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
1 Sensei's Divining Top
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lava Spike
4 Chain Lightning
3 Searing Blaze
4 Price of Progress
4 Rift Bolt
2 Exquisite Firecraft
3 Fireblast
4 Bloodstained Mire
2 Scalding Tarn
1 Arid Mesa
1 Barbarian Ring
8 Mountain
1 Tormod's Crypt
2 Pithing Needle
2 Pyrostatic Pillar
1 Searing Blaze
4 Smash to Smithereens
2 Faerie Macabre
2 Exquisite Firecraft
1 Mindbreak Trap
Grixis Delver - Win 2-1
Sideboard: I put in two Firecrafts and the extra Blaze, I removed three Goblin Guides.
Only note to take from this was that he decided to counter my Top in game three. I didn't play a land when I cast it, making him believe I needed land. Played a land after and proceeded to beat with spells. Two Firecraft, a Barbarian Ring, and Fireblast destroyed him. He was a solid player though. If he suspected the Barbarian Ring, I'm sure he would have played a little differently. In game one he had all the counterspells and ran with Gurmag Angler. I can't really remember game two, but I suspect I just ran him over with nothing to note.
Shardless BUG - Loss 2-1
Sideboard: I side boarded just like the previous match in our game one, but in game three I put in two Smash and two Pithing Needle and removed the three Swiftspear and the last Guide
Regarding my sideboard, I usually put in some number of Smash against this deck, but I have been sideboarding incorrectly for this match up, which explains why I keep losing to this deck. I'll get into this further at a later match up from today
Game one he ran with Deathrite Shaman and had three Forces for all of my kill spells. Game two I ran him over fairly easily with creature beats and some Firecrafts. Game three I mulled down to five and kept a single land hand. He ran away with the game with Goyf, Lili, and Agent. Really wish I wasn't mana screwed here. I know my first hand was no land, second hand too much land. That's probably something I should have kept because I faintly remember Eidolon hanging out there. I just didn't want to chance it with drawing duds in the form of more lands. I also sideboarded incorrectly. I didn't know what he was after game one and suspected he was Grixis Delver. After finding out what he was, I re-boarded.
Grixis Delver - Win 2-0
Sideboard: Same as match one.
Nothing special here, move along. I don't even remember this match in its entirety, but apparently it happened according to my match notes.
Lands - Win 2-1
Sideboard: I put in Pithing Needle and two Firecraft. I thought about using some grave hate, but quickly dismissed it. There's such a small chance that it will matter since the problem will be on the table already. I took out Blaze and a Mountain.
Nothing special to note here. I put Needle here to combat a possible Zuran Orb and stop the combo. Neither mattered and nothing really noted here, other than my stupidity that I waited for him to tap out of green for fear of Crop Rotation, but he had a Chalice out on one. I face palmed myself pretty readily after I decided to go for it when he tapped out green. I asked why did he tap out for green when he didn't need it. Pointed to the Chalice. Boy, this is what happens when you don't play Magic in awhile.
Shardless BUG - Win 2-1
Sideboard: In two Firecraft and the singleton Blaze, and removed three Guides. I decided to go this route for once because I felt like I kept having artifact hate in hand and dying. I hesitated taking out Guides and bringing in Firecraft. Reason being is Hymn kills my hand sometimes before I get Firecraft. I am thinking maybe I take out Fireblast for the extra Firecraft and keep the Guides? I know I want to race, but I know Guide isn't a great top deck. Neither is Swiftspear, but I considered removing Guide because Brainstorming a land onto the top of the deck in reponse to the Guide trigger and I can grow Swiftspear above an Agent and keep the beats the following turn.
Nothing to note about this game, other than I roll him over in games two and three after a Deathrite and Goyf beat in game one. The deck felt more streamlined in this form and the greed was gone from wanting to two for one the opponent.
Miracles - Loss 2-1
Sideboard: I took out Prices and two Blaze, for two Needle, two Smash, and two Firecraft.
He was paired up and a very good pilot because he was paired up all day as told by him. He looks tired and I know what he's on and saw how well he played the round before. I'm hoping he makes mistakes and he doesn't. *****. I hate this match up and I've only beaten it once in my life. Game one I beat in with Swiftspear a couple of times off of countered spells, and get there with four Rift Bolts that were never countered and finished him with Firecraft. Game two he has early Counter-Top lock and I have a slow death from Clique beats. Game three I have single land for two turns and I open up with Needle and Smash in hand. I keep playing this cat and mouse game with this two card combo and this is the final time I play it. Just going to bring in Needle and Firecraft next time. I feel like this deck needs more higher costing spells that Miracles can't really answer in the Counter-Top lock.
Eldrazi - Loss 2-1
Sideboard: I took out Guide and Eidolon for four Smash, two Firecraft, and two Needle.
I've never played against this deck a day in my life, but he has a nut draw with that 5/5 trample haste, and Jitte. GG one. Game two I kill on turn three with a pair of Swiftspears, Lava Spike, and Smash. Game three he drops a Basilisk Collar and I have Needle in hand. I keep thinking I'll have time to drop Needle to surprise him, but that bites me in the ass as I didn't realize how explosive Eldrazi is. Also, I kept a one land hand with a variety of spell costs. Probably going to be the last time I keep a sketch hand like that as well. He beats my face in, needless to say.
What to take away from this tournament? I don't like Top in this deck. At the very least, it doesn't fit my playstyle for the deck in the slightest. Everytime I had it, I was disappointed by it. There's probably a learning curve to playing it in the deck, but I'm not going to take the time to find it while I have other iterations to play with and test, plus I don't play nearly enough to care about it. Swiftspear is a lot better than I thought and I take back alot of the bad stuff I've said about it. Would I replace Guide with it? Hell no! This deck needs hasty aggressive beaters, but I do think in different circumstances the deck can survive with one or the other. I don't think Grim is a card for the deck right now. Maybe if Elves comes back, but Delver and D&T probably just don't care for it. I didn't miss him all day. I do like Ring. Didn't hamper me at all. Plenty of other lands I played while sandbagging it in hand. I don't believe I would go beyond a singleton though. I don't like my chances of having two and the bad that can come along with it.
Once again, my worry about Storm variants goes checked. Didn't see it and many people I've talked to about it say that very few play it if they even show up to tournaments. I can think of maybe three players total I've seen play it over my course of two and a half years of playing locally. Of course, I always come across the same Storm player whenever he's attending the same tournament as me. Never fails, plus he hasn't failed to combo out on me at most turn two every time we play against each other. I think if I don't see these players, I will gladly forego the Storm hate out of my side for other spells I could use. Cards I never sided in all tournament: Crypt, Macabre, Pillar, and Trap, though there were at least two Dredge players there. Dredge always seems to wade at the tournaments, so I see you Dredgers.
Kind of. :/
Sensei's Divining Top
I play Notion Thief in response to a Sensei's Divining Top activation on my end step. My opponent hasn't drawn any other cards on my turn, this activation would be the first card he draws. Will he be denied the drawn card and I draw a card, or no?
I can't really remember how long the jump is. I want to say six minutes, but I could be wrong. All I know was nine thousand feet wasn't high enough. I need to double check that this one is thirteen thousand. I also want to see if they offer pics instead of a vid. I got vid last time.
Sky diving is super fun. The scenery, the rush of excitement as you go up, even as you're sucked out of the plane. It's quite the experience!