I would like to start by saying I really enjoyed the Prerelease of Mirrodin Besieged, it was different and fun. I had mediocre success with going 2-1 in swiss draft and 4-2 in sealed but I will take it (much better than losing a bunch of points).
The Positives
- Great idea to do Mirran vs. Phyrexia all around. (diff promos and diff packs)
- Renewal of old cards (Blightsteel Colossus. Inkmoth Nexus etc.)
- New planeswalker to get.
- Nice flow from set to set.
The Negatives
- Too much infect (cards you would love to fit in a deck you can't because its infect only)
- Too much infect (did i mention there was too much infect)
- Drafts were awkward due to the different pack types.
Overall It was a nice step forward in the development of MTG as a whole. They played to the masses with the ability to "Make your own decision". It will be really interesting to see how they follow it up with the 3rd set. I believe that Phrexia probably wins the war based on my local stores choices, but we will see. I am rooting for the good guys!!!
If you read this, leave me a note and tell me about your experience and what you chose! Until next time, have fun!!!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
WHATS NEW
Hello everyone,
I would like to start by saying I am in the process of re-committing myself to Magic as a whole. I have been spending a lot of time getting into proper practices (or what I think are proper practices). I am tight on time with a full time job, a wife, and a child but I am doing my best to stay focused. My primary focus has been extended since that will be what the PTQ season and and Grand Prix will be. Now I know that the format will change because there is a new set coming out but that does not mean that it is too early to get to work. In fact i believe that the new set (a small set) will only make a marginal difference in the overall meta. I think that it may drag down a few decks from one tier to another and vice versa. i would even go as far as saying there could be one brand new deck that is created and competitive right away but not much more than that.
The biggest thing I have had to do is test, test, test. It is the only way to make sure you are prepared for what will come your way. With PTQ's you sometimes have the opportunity to steal games you should not win just simply because you are more prepared than your opponent. If I were to make a list off the top of my head of the primary factors that determine a match they would be.....
- The deck you are playing (including meta gaming)
- Play skill (including rules knowledge)
- Preparation
- Luck
I think if you are exceptional at one of these you can make up for some lack in one of the other categories. Luck obviously is out of your control but if you build a consistent and balanced deck and prepare it can seem to others that you have exceptional luck. You can create the perception of luck by playing the match based on what you anticipate because you have played these scenarios out time and time again through practice. It is a wonderful feeling when things come together that way.
Play skill is the hardest of these four to change. In a way it comes from years of playing and practicing. Some are much quicker students of the game and can pick up on some of the smallest details and use it to their advantage. I personally am still working on my rules knowledge and learn quite often from other players things I either didn't know or didn't catch previously, its exciting!
I am trying my best to keep an open mind about what deck I will play and what my game plan will be for the up coming events but I can't help to find myself drifting towards the deck I was originally planning to play. Thankfully I have been surprised that it is doing well against most of the current meta-game. Again though I can't get my hopes up to much until I have adequately tested and seen what changes will happen with Mirrodin Besieged.
In case you are wondering the deck I was referring to is Doran. To me it has a lot of game against not only a lot of decks maindeck answers but also most of their sideboards as well. Aside from Day of Judgement most of the other board sweepers don't hurt me too much since they only deal 2 damage or give everything -2/-2. All the hand destruction I pack helps me against control and combo, and typically my creatures are going to be bigger than most of the other agro decks. I did not plan on posting the list today but if anyone is interested send a message and I will be happy to post it.
Thanks guys, and for the original bloggers Nicki and Justin I will be at Area 51 tonight to get on you for not keeping up with your posts, lol
Until next time....Happy building.
I would like to start by saying I am in the process of re-committing myself to Magic as a whole. I have been spending a lot of time getting into proper practices (or what I think are proper practices). I am tight on time with a full time job, a wife, and a child but I am doing my best to stay focused. My primary focus has been extended since that will be what the PTQ season and and Grand Prix will be. Now I know that the format will change because there is a new set coming out but that does not mean that it is too early to get to work. In fact i believe that the new set (a small set) will only make a marginal difference in the overall meta. I think that it may drag down a few decks from one tier to another and vice versa. i would even go as far as saying there could be one brand new deck that is created and competitive right away but not much more than that.
The biggest thing I have had to do is test, test, test. It is the only way to make sure you are prepared for what will come your way. With PTQ's you sometimes have the opportunity to steal games you should not win just simply because you are more prepared than your opponent. If I were to make a list off the top of my head of the primary factors that determine a match they would be.....
- The deck you are playing (including meta gaming)
- Play skill (including rules knowledge)
- Preparation
- Luck
I think if you are exceptional at one of these you can make up for some lack in one of the other categories. Luck obviously is out of your control but if you build a consistent and balanced deck and prepare it can seem to others that you have exceptional luck. You can create the perception of luck by playing the match based on what you anticipate because you have played these scenarios out time and time again through practice. It is a wonderful feeling when things come together that way.
Play skill is the hardest of these four to change. In a way it comes from years of playing and practicing. Some are much quicker students of the game and can pick up on some of the smallest details and use it to their advantage. I personally am still working on my rules knowledge and learn quite often from other players things I either didn't know or didn't catch previously, its exciting!
I am trying my best to keep an open mind about what deck I will play and what my game plan will be for the up coming events but I can't help to find myself drifting towards the deck I was originally planning to play. Thankfully I have been surprised that it is doing well against most of the current meta-game. Again though I can't get my hopes up to much until I have adequately tested and seen what changes will happen with Mirrodin Besieged.
In case you are wondering the deck I was referring to is Doran. To me it has a lot of game against not only a lot of decks maindeck answers but also most of their sideboards as well. Aside from Day of Judgement most of the other board sweepers don't hurt me too much since they only deal 2 damage or give everything -2/-2. All the hand destruction I pack helps me against control and combo, and typically my creatures are going to be bigger than most of the other agro decks. I did not plan on posting the list today but if anyone is interested send a message and I will be happy to post it.
Thanks guys, and for the original bloggers Nicki and Justin I will be at Area 51 tonight to get on you for not keeping up with your posts, lol
Until next time....Happy building.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Alternatives in Standard
Hello everyone,
The interesting thing is, the deck is not made specifically for vengevine, but I do have lots of ways to help it out.
Here is the list.
CREATURES (28)
4x Birds of Paradise
4x Fauna Shaman
4x Vengevine
4x Squadron Hawk
2x Kor Skyfisher
2x Baneslayer Angel
2x Sun Titan
1x Acidic Slime
1x Kor Sanctifiers
1x Stoneforge Mystic
1x Obstinate Baloth
1x Sunblast Angel
1x Linvala, Keeper of Silence
SPELLS (7)
3x Day of Judgement
3x Journey to Nowhere
1x Sword of Body and Mind
LANDS (25)
4x Sunpetal Grove
4x Stirring Wildwood
2x Razorverge Thicket
2x Misty Rainforest
1x Marsh Flats
3x Tectonic Edge
5x Forest
4x Plains
The deck is primarily made to just be highly cohesive and interactive. To me it makes the games more fun! (but also slower). The most know combination is Fauna Shaman with Squadron Hawk and Vengevine. It gives you extra creatures to pitch to get what you need. The Sun Titans and Skyfishers are there to help recycle cards but the Skyfisher is also very helpfull in a pinch to activate Vengevine.
SIDEBOARD (15)
2x Obstinate Baloth
1x Kor Sanctifier
1x Acidic Slime
1x Basilisk Collar
3x Leyline of Sanctity
3x Condemn
1x Mold Shambler
2x ?
I can't quite remember the two cards i am missing out of the sideboard, in fact I'm lucky i remembered what was in the deck at all with out having it on hand. I have a great respect for deck building because you never know how it comes out. I will tell you a quick rundown from memory of my 5 rounds.
NOTE: Don't have my book with me so sorry if the recounts are extremely rough. If you have any questions leave a post and I will give you better details later.
Round 1 (RUW Control)
Yea this was an interesting deck to play against because I wasn't quite sure what to get when I went searching with Shaman.
Game 1: To make a long story short I lost after he landed Jace, Frost Titan and Sun Titan.
Game 2: Held him off of 6 mana for a little while and was getting board advantage until he landed Jace #2, Sun Titan and Inferno Titan. Somehow went to time.....
Lost 0-1 (0-1)
Round 2 (RUG)
Cant remember exactly what happened but i do remember seeing more Jaces and more Titans. Managed to bring it to time 1-1.
Tied 1-1 (0-1-1)
Round 3 (UB Control)
This was a tough and fun match up. I was glad to get a chance to play against one of the best decks in the format. The best part about the match up was that I knew the guy was playing the deck how it was supposed to be played. For the 3rd straight match i had to deal with Jace.
Game 1: He stuck a 3rd turn Jace and I was lucky enough to get a Vengevine in immediately to deal with it. Shortly thereafter he played another one, but I was able to keep him off of 6 mana long enough with 2 tectonic edges and was able to play around a few counterspells and pull out the win.
Game 2: this game went much the same way, it honestly could have gone both ways but It went to time.
Won 1-0 (1-1-1)
Round 4 (White Artifact)
Played against my co-worker Mandi, it was like her 2nd ever FNM playing a mono white artifact build. It was a far better deck than I played my second FNM, but Vengevines just came out too fast and I was able to blow up a couple Tempered steels when i needed to.
Won 2-0 (2-1-1)
Round 5 (Pyromancers Ascension)
Kind of a bad match up pre-board because of my useless removal spells but I at least have a couple ways to blow up ascension main deck.
Game 1: Got a little lucky here, he had only 1 burn spell opening hand and only one counterspell by turn 4. I stuck an early vengevine and he didn't rip a bounce spell or lightning bolt in time to deal with it before he died.
Game 2: Sided out my Day's and Journeys and added a slime and sanctifier. Again I got a little lucky, on turn 4 he had 3 mana open and one counter on ascension, i played a kicked Kor Sanctifier expecting a counter and he had none. I then got vengevines going again for the win
Won 2-0 (3-1-1)
I was happy to end up in 6th place out of 30 people considering I had only played the deck once or twice and had a thrown together SB. The only thing I know for sure is that it is really tough to play around Jace especially 3 times in a row. So it makes me happy that I only lost 1 game considering.
I have a few ideas about possible changes to make, one of them would be adding 2 Gideon's main deck in place of a Baloth and a Sunblast Angel. In closing though I really enjoyed the deck, it was very "toolboxy" which is something me and my friend Eloy both like. The deck still has some weaknesses but is very fun. Overall I think this will be my deck of choice for a while.
P.S. for those of you who have taken the time to read this please take just a couple more seconds and leave me a message either to just say hello or give me some input on the deck. Thanks!
Tony Derbigny
I have to apologize, my plan was to play this last FNM with the deck that I highlighted in my last blog, but I didn't. I did something I usually never do, I went with something untested that I liked and just had to try. I made a deck that has one of my favorite cards in it.
VENGEVINE!!!!
The interesting thing is, the deck is not made specifically for vengevine, but I do have lots of ways to help it out.
Here is the list.
CREATURES (28)
4x Birds of Paradise
4x Fauna Shaman
4x Vengevine
4x Squadron Hawk
2x Kor Skyfisher
2x Baneslayer Angel
2x Sun Titan
1x Acidic Slime
1x Kor Sanctifiers
1x Stoneforge Mystic
1x Obstinate Baloth
1x Sunblast Angel
1x Linvala, Keeper of Silence
SPELLS (7)
3x Day of Judgement
3x Journey to Nowhere
1x Sword of Body and Mind
LANDS (25)
4x Sunpetal Grove
4x Stirring Wildwood
2x Razorverge Thicket
2x Misty Rainforest
1x Marsh Flats
3x Tectonic Edge
5x Forest
4x Plains
The deck is primarily made to just be highly cohesive and interactive. To me it makes the games more fun! (but also slower). The most know combination is Fauna Shaman with Squadron Hawk and Vengevine. It gives you extra creatures to pitch to get what you need. The Sun Titans and Skyfishers are there to help recycle cards but the Skyfisher is also very helpfull in a pinch to activate Vengevine.
SIDEBOARD (15)
2x Obstinate Baloth
1x Kor Sanctifier
1x Acidic Slime
1x Basilisk Collar
3x Leyline of Sanctity
3x Condemn
1x Mold Shambler
2x ?
I can't quite remember the two cards i am missing out of the sideboard, in fact I'm lucky i remembered what was in the deck at all with out having it on hand. I have a great respect for deck building because you never know how it comes out. I will tell you a quick rundown from memory of my 5 rounds.
NOTE: Don't have my book with me so sorry if the recounts are extremely rough. If you have any questions leave a post and I will give you better details later.
Round 1 (RUW Control)
Yea this was an interesting deck to play against because I wasn't quite sure what to get when I went searching with Shaman.
Game 1: To make a long story short I lost after he landed Jace, Frost Titan and Sun Titan.
Game 2: Held him off of 6 mana for a little while and was getting board advantage until he landed Jace #2, Sun Titan and Inferno Titan. Somehow went to time.....
Lost 0-1 (0-1)
Round 2 (RUG)
Cant remember exactly what happened but i do remember seeing more Jaces and more Titans. Managed to bring it to time 1-1.
Tied 1-1 (0-1-1)
Round 3 (UB Control)
This was a tough and fun match up. I was glad to get a chance to play against one of the best decks in the format. The best part about the match up was that I knew the guy was playing the deck how it was supposed to be played. For the 3rd straight match i had to deal with Jace.
Game 1: He stuck a 3rd turn Jace and I was lucky enough to get a Vengevine in immediately to deal with it. Shortly thereafter he played another one, but I was able to keep him off of 6 mana long enough with 2 tectonic edges and was able to play around a few counterspells and pull out the win.
Game 2: this game went much the same way, it honestly could have gone both ways but It went to time.
Won 1-0 (1-1-1)
Round 4 (White Artifact)
Played against my co-worker Mandi, it was like her 2nd ever FNM playing a mono white artifact build. It was a far better deck than I played my second FNM, but Vengevines just came out too fast and I was able to blow up a couple Tempered steels when i needed to.
Won 2-0 (2-1-1)
Round 5 (Pyromancers Ascension)
Kind of a bad match up pre-board because of my useless removal spells but I at least have a couple ways to blow up ascension main deck.
Game 1: Got a little lucky here, he had only 1 burn spell opening hand and only one counterspell by turn 4. I stuck an early vengevine and he didn't rip a bounce spell or lightning bolt in time to deal with it before he died.
Game 2: Sided out my Day's and Journeys and added a slime and sanctifier. Again I got a little lucky, on turn 4 he had 3 mana open and one counter on ascension, i played a kicked Kor Sanctifier expecting a counter and he had none. I then got vengevines going again for the win
Won 2-0 (3-1-1)
I was happy to end up in 6th place out of 30 people considering I had only played the deck once or twice and had a thrown together SB. The only thing I know for sure is that it is really tough to play around Jace especially 3 times in a row. So it makes me happy that I only lost 1 game considering.
I have a few ideas about possible changes to make, one of them would be adding 2 Gideon's main deck in place of a Baloth and a Sunblast Angel. In closing though I really enjoyed the deck, it was very "toolboxy" which is something me and my friend Eloy both like. The deck still has some weaknesses but is very fun. Overall I think this will be my deck of choice for a while.
P.S. for those of you who have taken the time to read this please take just a couple more seconds and leave me a message either to just say hello or give me some input on the deck. Thanks!
Tony Derbigny
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Time for Change
As you may already have read a few articles ago I have been playing a really kool goblin build. I built it before the artifact goblins made headlines with a few top 8 finishes. My version uses rebirth but also uses far less artifacts. I have really enjoyed playing the deck, in fact I have been very successful with it. Over the last 6 or so FNM's I believe I have a record along the lines of 25-4. Which is solid in my opinion. But........
Its time to update my deck that I have been playing. Its time for a change. Why, you ask? Because I am in a position to where hate is flowing my way and other people are making versions of my deck and I want to be different. With the FNM (my local shop) metagame changing to where everyone is either running a pyroclasm or marsh casualties or tons of spot removal, I want to flip the script.
Now, at first thought with this picture, your saying to yourself...... everyone plays with trinket mage. It's in UB control, its in UBR, its in URG. Yea but here is where I went different. I went with a UW Artifact build. WHAT????? Yea that's what I was saying at first too but I have been working on the list and its seems to win in some very strange ways, it is not really a control deck by design but it has surprising resiliency. Check out the list.
CREATURES
3 Wall of Omens
3 Sea Gate Oracle
4 Trinket Mage
3 Etched Champion
2 Molten Tail Masticore
2 Wurmcoil Engine
SPELLS
3 Everflowing Chalice
2 Darksteel Axe
1 Chimeric Mass
1 Elixir of Immortality
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Brittle Effigy
2 Ratchet Bomb
2 Journey to Nowhere
2 Into the Roil
3 Day of Judgement
LANDS
6 Plains
6 Island
4 Celestial Colonnade
4 Glacial Fortress
2 Seachrome Coast
3 Tectonic Edge
The sideboard is yet to be finalized, I have a lot more play testing to do to get it where i need it. In fact the same can be said for the main deck. But here is a rough draft of where it would be.
SIDEBOARD
3 Leyline of Sanctity
3 Spell Pierce
1 Devout Lightcaster
2 Condemn
1 Ratchet Bomb
3 Kor Firewalker
2 Kor Sanctifiers
Ok so you may see already where this is going but just in case let me explain. When i build decks I typically have a few goals in mind.
-Synergy
-Multiple win conditions
-Answers for everything (Main and SB)
The deck meets all these goals to a degree and I will try to give a quick explanation for each.
SYNERGY
There are several things that I think attribute to synergy here but some of them are obvious and others not so much. Trinket mage and all the 1 or 0 drop artifacts is one. Well known due to UB control is all the recursion from elixir of immortality. You get to recur all sorts of fun toys like killed man lands, ratchet bombs, into the roils, day of judgement and all the creatures that help u draw cards etc. Molten Tail Masticore with all of my creatures (and yes I do know that he butts heads with elixir, which is why i cut him from 3 to 2) but when he is good he is great.
WIN CONDITIONS
One obvious win condition is Wurmcoil Engine and Masticore, but there are a few others. I can actually deal damage with my small guys thanks to some equipment. But one of the most fun ones is Etched Champion because of his great interaction with Darksteel Axe. He basically becomes a 4/2 that cant be blocked or killed by most anything. An unblockable guy with 4 power can end games fairly quickly.
ANSWERS
There are lots of answers in here as well. My early drop creatures and Day of judgements are my answers for early agro like Goblins, RDW, Infect and Elves. For Other control decks I have into the roil, tectonic edge, brittle effigy, ratchet bomb etc. For Mid range decks its just kind of a mixed bag, a little bit of everything.
In conclusion I really like this deck but I still have some work to do and testing to see if it is really as good as i hope, let me know what you think and hope you like it. Thanks.
Tony Derbigny
Monday, November 15, 2010
Alternatives In Standard
Hello everyone and if you are reading this I am appreciative of your support and hope you enjoy the articles. I have to get the original blogsters back on so I'm not the only one on but its still fun. I have a special treat for you today, I have a buddy who I am featuring in todays article. He recently won his first FNM with a very fun and even more importantly, very original deck. I have seen this thing in action and it is very kool! I asked him to send me the decklist and a quick write up on how it is supposed to work and he took it seriously and sent me a full article. I will share that with you today and hope you enjoy.
Here it is!!!
___________________________________________________________
MONO BLACK
Creatures
4 Nantuko Shade
4 Vampire Hexmage
4 Vampire Nighthawk
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
4 Skinrender
3 Moriok Replica
Spells
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Duress
3 Mind Sludge
3 Grim Discovery
Land
20 Swamp
4 Tectonic Edge
SB
2 Disfigure
3 Memoricide
3 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Ratchet Bomb
1 Duress
3 Black Night
1 Royal Assassin
Strategy:
This version of a Mono-Black deck tries to take advantage of all the creature decks in the meta with decent game against control decks. Many of creatures are two-for-ones in the form of:
· Gatekeeper of Malikir
· Skinrender
· Moriok Replica
Vampire Hexmage and Vampre Nighthawk serve two roles. While Hexmage is good at fighting planewalkers, Nighthawks allow the deck to race other aggro decks. Many times, Nighthawk is just another removal spell when the opponent is the beatdown deck. Other times, Hexmage is able to swing a couple times against opposing control decks and take down their plansewalkers. Duress is there for redundancy.
The main beater is Nantuko Shade. If he is able to slip under early counter magic, he can end games quickly if not answered.
The discard package can be strong if used in conjunction with an early beater. Against creature decks, I use the Inquisition of Koziilks as another removal spell and treat it as a cheaper Smother. The Mind Sludges are in there against ramp and control decks.
Tectonic Edges are in there to punish the 2-3 color decks that rely heavily on the dual lands for mana fixing. The ability to kill multiple lands early on, followed up by a Mind Sludge can be devastating for the opponent.
But what makes the deck “pop” are the Grim Discoverys. The ability to recycle Tectonic Edges and all of the two-for-one creatures is what helps the deck win attrition wars. Often, I am able to play Gatekeeper early on to make them sac a creature and then destroy a land. Rinse and repeat a few turns later and then eventually play a Mind Sludge to take out their hand. Often, the best play might only constitute getting back either a creature spell or a Tectonic edge. However, getting both back is awesome sauce.
So far at my FNMs, I have done well against all the creature decks from RDW, WW Quest, Poison and Allies. I have not faced Elves so I am not able to comment on this match up. Against creature decks, I board in the following:
OUT:
3 Mind Sludge
2 Vampire Hexmage
IN:
2 Disfigure
2 Ratchet Bomb
1 Royal Assassin
I wish I talk could more regarding the U/x control match ups. Not very many people are playing control at my local FNM but I tested against a U/B control list and I seemed to have a good match up since their Doom Blades were dead and I would attack the manabase. If I was able to get an early Nantuko Shade on board, then the game was over fairly quickly. I have also tested against U/W control and that match up is more challenging since many of their cards are also two for ones. Against U/W control, I board in the following:
OUT:
4 Skinrender
1 Gatekeeper of Malikir
2 Moriok Replica
IN:
1 Duress
3 Memoricide
3 Black Knight
Against U/B:
OUT:
4 Skinrender
1 Gatekeeper of Malikir
2 Moriok Replica
IN:
1 Duress
3 Memoricide
3 Nihil Spellbomb – Use this to foil their Elixir of Immortality plan
Since many control decks use big bombs as their finishers, I use the Memoricides to take them out if Jace the Mind Sculptor is not already on board.
I treat the ramp deck similar to the control decks. Board in a Duress, 3 Memoricides, the Royal Assassin and 2 Ratchet Bombs. If you get a Memoricide name Avenger of Zendikar since this deck is a dog against it. If not, then there is the hope to kill all the tokens with a Ratchet Bomb. Keep them off multiple Valakuts with Tectonic Edges and use Grim Discoverys to get them back. Even though many of your spells are not as powerful as the Valakut deck’s, you need to play the match up as if you are the control deck. Try to land a Mind Sludge as early as possible. Game two they will side in Obstinate Baloth. If I had to choose which creature I would rather fight between a Baloth or Avenger of Zendikar or Primeval Titan, I would choose the Baloth any day of the week. The life gain is negligible since you are the control deck in the match up.
This deck has also difficulties against Mimic Vat decks. If possible, make them discard the Mimic Vat or Memoricide it away games two and three. I try and combat Mimic Vat decks similar to ramp decks. Many times once you have the game under control, a couple swings from a Nantuko Shade will usually end the game.
I know there are other match ups I did not mention but at the moment, these are the decks I have played against at my local FNM. I imagine if Elves was a bigger deck in my meta, I would consider Marsh Causalities in the board as well.
Eloy Hernandez
___________________________________________________________
P.S. Eloy I would just like to thank you for your contribution and hope that we can talk about some more victories and new fresh ideas in the future. Great Job!!!!
Here it is!!!
___________________________________________________________
MONO BLACK
Creatures
4 Nantuko Shade
4 Vampire Hexmage
4 Vampire Nighthawk
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
4 Skinrender
3 Moriok Replica
Spells
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Duress
3 Mind Sludge
3 Grim Discovery
Land
20 Swamp
4 Tectonic Edge
SB
2 Disfigure
3 Memoricide
3 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Ratchet Bomb
1 Duress
3 Black Night
1 Royal Assassin
Strategy:
This version of a Mono-Black deck tries to take advantage of all the creature decks in the meta with decent game against control decks. Many of creatures are two-for-ones in the form of:
· Gatekeeper of Malikir
· Skinrender
· Moriok Replica
Vampire Hexmage and Vampre Nighthawk serve two roles. While Hexmage is good at fighting planewalkers, Nighthawks allow the deck to race other aggro decks. Many times, Nighthawk is just another removal spell when the opponent is the beatdown deck. Other times, Hexmage is able to swing a couple times against opposing control decks and take down their plansewalkers. Duress is there for redundancy.
The main beater is Nantuko Shade. If he is able to slip under early counter magic, he can end games quickly if not answered.
The discard package can be strong if used in conjunction with an early beater. Against creature decks, I use the Inquisition of Koziilks as another removal spell and treat it as a cheaper Smother. The Mind Sludges are in there against ramp and control decks.
Tectonic Edges are in there to punish the 2-3 color decks that rely heavily on the dual lands for mana fixing. The ability to kill multiple lands early on, followed up by a Mind Sludge can be devastating for the opponent.
But what makes the deck “pop” are the Grim Discoverys. The ability to recycle Tectonic Edges and all of the two-for-one creatures is what helps the deck win attrition wars. Often, I am able to play Gatekeeper early on to make them sac a creature and then destroy a land. Rinse and repeat a few turns later and then eventually play a Mind Sludge to take out their hand. Often, the best play might only constitute getting back either a creature spell or a Tectonic edge. However, getting both back is awesome sauce.
So far at my FNMs, I have done well against all the creature decks from RDW, WW Quest, Poison and Allies. I have not faced Elves so I am not able to comment on this match up. Against creature decks, I board in the following:
OUT:
3 Mind Sludge
2 Vampire Hexmage
IN:
2 Disfigure
2 Ratchet Bomb
1 Royal Assassin
I wish I talk could more regarding the U/x control match ups. Not very many people are playing control at my local FNM but I tested against a U/B control list and I seemed to have a good match up since their Doom Blades were dead and I would attack the manabase. If I was able to get an early Nantuko Shade on board, then the game was over fairly quickly. I have also tested against U/W control and that match up is more challenging since many of their cards are also two for ones. Against U/W control, I board in the following:
OUT:
4 Skinrender
1 Gatekeeper of Malikir
2 Moriok Replica
IN:
1 Duress
3 Memoricide
3 Black Knight
Against U/B:
OUT:
4 Skinrender
1 Gatekeeper of Malikir
2 Moriok Replica
IN:
1 Duress
3 Memoricide
3 Nihil Spellbomb – Use this to foil their Elixir of Immortality plan
Since many control decks use big bombs as their finishers, I use the Memoricides to take them out if Jace the Mind Sculptor is not already on board.
I treat the ramp deck similar to the control decks. Board in a Duress, 3 Memoricides, the Royal Assassin and 2 Ratchet Bombs. If you get a Memoricide name Avenger of Zendikar since this deck is a dog against it. If not, then there is the hope to kill all the tokens with a Ratchet Bomb. Keep them off multiple Valakuts with Tectonic Edges and use Grim Discoverys to get them back. Even though many of your spells are not as powerful as the Valakut deck’s, you need to play the match up as if you are the control deck. Try to land a Mind Sludge as early as possible. Game two they will side in Obstinate Baloth. If I had to choose which creature I would rather fight between a Baloth or Avenger of Zendikar or Primeval Titan, I would choose the Baloth any day of the week. The life gain is negligible since you are the control deck in the match up.
This deck has also difficulties against Mimic Vat decks. If possible, make them discard the Mimic Vat or Memoricide it away games two and three. I try and combat Mimic Vat decks similar to ramp decks. Many times once you have the game under control, a couple swings from a Nantuko Shade will usually end the game.
I know there are other match ups I did not mention but at the moment, these are the decks I have played against at my local FNM. I imagine if Elves was a bigger deck in my meta, I would consider Marsh Causalities in the board as well.
Eloy Hernandez
___________________________________________________________
P.S. Eloy I would just like to thank you for your contribution and hope that we can talk about some more victories and new fresh ideas in the future. Great Job!!!!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Current Standard
Its interesting to start out a blog with a picture but at this time it seems to be relevent. Im not one to always jump on bandwagons, but this is the most powerfull card in standard right now next to Jace 2.0. As you may know Valakut Ramp has been the strongest deck with the rotation, thanks to the fact that it lost almost nothing. Also in the same category is Eldrazi Green, it is a very strong deck and whats best is that it can win from nowhere (Also runs Primeval Titan). Luckily there have been a couple new emergences with States. Thats what I would like to talk about today.
Here is a list.
MAIN DECK
7 Island
2 Swamp
Lands [26]
SIDEBOARD
3 Negate
1 Skinrender
The most interesting one to me has been UB control. I actually built the deck last night for an opportunity to try to test against it. I think the deck is really good due to its versatility and ability to adapt to different situations. Here is my list of reasons why it has been strong over the last few weeks.
- Good removal (mass + spot)
- Countermagic
- Plays Jace 2.0 (lol)
- Multiple ways to win (flexibility)
I actually prefer the version that runs the tringet mage - elixir shenanigans, but just like UW control, there are several effective builds.
Next up is UR, the interesting thing about UR is that there are several different builds available that work differently. You have UR control/UR Force and Pyromancers Ascension. The only major difference between the normal UR and Force is obvious, other than that they are very close. Pyromancers Ascension is another carry over from pre-rotation with just some minor adjustments. I actually built that deck wayyyyy before it made top 8 anywhere but i thought it wasn't that great and I gave up on it too early. I think my mistake was that i ran double negative, lol.
There is also a deck out there called Mono white Quest. It is by far the most explosive deck available in that it can cause a turn 2 scoop. The problem is that it too heavily relies on you getting the right cards. I played against it during an FNM and saw it at its best and worst. Luckily for me I saw it mostly at its worst. If you are a super agro/combo player this is definately a good choice for you.
There are also several different decks that still run Fauna Shaman and Vengevine, but they are mixed into so many decks and have so many random builds that I wouldn't dare to try to properly categorize it all so therefore I'm just going to skip it. I know that I also skipped over UW control and some other decks but it just seems to me that the UW players are switching to UB due to the meta. I could be wrong but thats just me.
Last but not least i have RED. Now there are probably 4 red decks right now and they are all solid.
Boros
RDW
Big Red
Goblins
I actually use the lesser know of these 4 which is goblins for a couple of reasons. One, I thought it would be different, two it seems to be the most consistent. Here is the list.
22 CREATURES
3 Memnite
4 Goblin Guide
4 Goblin Bushwacker
3 Perilous Myr
4 Ember Hauler
4 Goblin Chieftan
16 SPELLS
3 Kuldotha Rebirth
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Searing Blaze
3 Staggershock
3 Burst Lightning
22 LANDS
3 Arid Mesa
3 Scalding Tarn
2 Teetering Peeks
14 Mountains
SIDEBOARD
3 Manic Vandal
2 Shatter
3 Mark of Mutiny
3 Combust
2 Tuk-Tuk
2 Forked Bolt
I fell in love with this deck just because of its versatility, speed and consistency. The things that hurt me the most don't completely handicap me. For instance pyroclasm is really good against me but with a lot of haste in the deck i can continue to apply preasure even immediatly and still have burn for backup. The second biggest threat is Kor Firewalker, who has recently fallen out of grace since UW control has lost followers. The great thing is that having Perilous Myr maindeck gives me a way to deal with it either through rebirth or burning him myself to get rid of the firewalker.
Well thats all I have for now, please comment and let me know of your ideas or if you have any comments for me. Let me know what your favorite deck is.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Next Level?
Well I would like to start by appologizing in advance for the crudeness of my first blog. My intention is just to share some of my ideas and just some random information. I guess I would start by telling you a little about me. I am 29 years old married with a beautiful wife and daughter and am working full time at Chase Bank. I have been playing Magic for about 14 years off and on. I am a huge fan of the game and love to spend my spare time playing it. In this acticle I plan to share my evolution as a person and player and how they relate.
I guess I should start by talking a little about my progression as a player. I started playing in Highschool when I saw some kids in the back of class trading cards and it got my attention. I started getting a few packs here and there and just built some decks and taught my step brother how to play. We really enjoyed it until my Aunt saw them and told my mother they were bad and convinced her to throw them away. I was really bummed but was happy I learned.
As a freshman in college, 3 years later I saw some guys playing in my dorm and decided to get back into the game. I was still purely a novice but started caring more about rarity since they added colored set symbols around this time. I began to learn from players better than me, but we were still crude in our deck building and play methods. I had no idea about type 2, extended etc. We just enjoyed the game and tried our best to beat each other.
Again as I transfered to another school a couple years later I found myself not playing. One day I found a local hobby shop near school and I began to meet more players and play FNM. Thats where my game really began to evolve. I learned how to build more competative decks and really grasp the rules and play against some solid competition. At this point I had my first taste of success, I attribute it to really having the time to focus on testing and having good test partners. I got 3rd place at a block PTQ in Houston for Los Angeles(2005). I played there for several years until I graduated and moved away.
Once I moved to DFW and got married I had to find another place to play, luckily there were several and I get to bounce around. I finally got to play regularly for a few years and have had the opportunity to tune up my game. I still have alot of work to do but I have gotten better thanks to some great competition and some skilled friends. I had my second taste of success as I got 3rd place at another PTQ Amsterdam here in Fort Worth (2010). Its a little tough to get to top 4 twice and never get that 1st place finish, but its hard to complain when I have only gone to 6 ptq's ever and have made top 8 twice. My plan is to go to more events but only if I am properly prepared. I asked myself what was different on those two top 8's and the answer I kept coming up with is that I had a deck I was comfortable with and had tested alot during FNM's etc. So my plan now is to only go if I have had proper testing.
Whats really interesting is I get my first shot at a sealed PTQ this weekend! And that is different from what I have ever done on this level but I am hoping for the best. I did get one good taste of it during the release event a few weeks ago and was very successfull 6-0 (100% MWP). But this is going to be far tougher with a higher grade of players. In fact what makes me nervous is that since then I have not had any practice with sealed or draft and I know the best players have been grinding and testing with friends and Magic Online. My only hope is that I run hot and play close to mistake free magic. But I am so excited and can't wait to try it out.
I will let you guys know how it go's and explain my experience and the reasons for eather my success or failure. Please comment if you have any questions etc. Thanks for listening to my story and I wish you "good gaming".
I guess I should start by talking a little about my progression as a player. I started playing in Highschool when I saw some kids in the back of class trading cards and it got my attention. I started getting a few packs here and there and just built some decks and taught my step brother how to play. We really enjoyed it until my Aunt saw them and told my mother they were bad and convinced her to throw them away. I was really bummed but was happy I learned.
As a freshman in college, 3 years later I saw some guys playing in my dorm and decided to get back into the game. I was still purely a novice but started caring more about rarity since they added colored set symbols around this time. I began to learn from players better than me, but we were still crude in our deck building and play methods. I had no idea about type 2, extended etc. We just enjoyed the game and tried our best to beat each other.
Again as I transfered to another school a couple years later I found myself not playing. One day I found a local hobby shop near school and I began to meet more players and play FNM. Thats where my game really began to evolve. I learned how to build more competative decks and really grasp the rules and play against some solid competition. At this point I had my first taste of success, I attribute it to really having the time to focus on testing and having good test partners. I got 3rd place at a block PTQ in Houston for Los Angeles(2005). I played there for several years until I graduated and moved away.
Once I moved to DFW and got married I had to find another place to play, luckily there were several and I get to bounce around. I finally got to play regularly for a few years and have had the opportunity to tune up my game. I still have alot of work to do but I have gotten better thanks to some great competition and some skilled friends. I had my second taste of success as I got 3rd place at another PTQ Amsterdam here in Fort Worth (2010). Its a little tough to get to top 4 twice and never get that 1st place finish, but its hard to complain when I have only gone to 6 ptq's ever and have made top 8 twice. My plan is to go to more events but only if I am properly prepared. I asked myself what was different on those two top 8's and the answer I kept coming up with is that I had a deck I was comfortable with and had tested alot during FNM's etc. So my plan now is to only go if I have had proper testing.
Whats really interesting is I get my first shot at a sealed PTQ this weekend! And that is different from what I have ever done on this level but I am hoping for the best. I did get one good taste of it during the release event a few weeks ago and was very successfull 6-0 (100% MWP). But this is going to be far tougher with a higher grade of players. In fact what makes me nervous is that since then I have not had any practice with sealed or draft and I know the best players have been grinding and testing with friends and Magic Online. My only hope is that I run hot and play close to mistake free magic. But I am so excited and can't wait to try it out.
I will let you guys know how it go's and explain my experience and the reasons for eather my success or failure. Please comment if you have any questions etc. Thanks for listening to my story and I wish you "good gaming".
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)