MTG Salvation

GOD DAMN IT
I WROTE A WHOLE NEW THING FOR LIKE AN HOUR
THEN I WAS ALMOST DONE
AND THEN
I CLICKED THE BACK BUTTON ON MY BROWSER
AAAAAAAAAGH
Update coming tomorrow when I stop shaking in rage.

At last, I have returned from the distant lands of Europe! So much to change... Well, there will be a big update going up tomorrow on Tuesday because I'm lazy I have a ton of work to do.

Quote from shadowstalker98

with the ramp in this deck, I would rather see an inferno out sitting there and smiling at the burning crusader

Obviously, but the g/r version of this deck (i.e. the version that runs inferno) has way better answers to Crusader than Tumble magnet. Still, it's good in the mirror and vs infect.

With the rise of Mirran Crusader, mono-green versions of the deck need an answer. I am actually playtesting with a g/r version that tries to gain some play vs control (Thrun is in the mainboard, for starters), but for now, something needs to be done. Tumble Magnet is a potential answer to Crusader. It would also have plenty of play in the mirror match.

The good: Stops Crusader, stops random dudes with swords, stops Primeval Titans
The bad: You need to spend a turn playing it and it doesn't advance your board, does not stop Geist of Saint Traft, does little against control

What do you guys think? It might be a 2-3 of in the SB.

Quote from NotoriousBIG_PJ

The original wolf run ramp had virridian emmisarys plus 3 slagstorms main decked. Then the deck changed to more forest heavy with dungrove elder ramp and no slagstorm. Now its getting slaughtered by mirran crusaders. What was wrong with the original list?

Biggie.

The original list slaughtered aggro but had trouble with control. Control became a bigger part of the metagame in result. The Dungrove list slaughters control, but has trouble with aggro. Aggro is becoming a bigger part of the metagame as a result. There is no perfect Wolf Run deck.

I like Ancient Grudge in this matchup - if not all of them, maybe 1 or 2. It can be a dead card on occasion, but you'd rather it be a dead card than they get going with Lashwrithe. In other words, if it's a dead card, that's not so bad for you because it means they don't have a Lashwrithe or an Inkmoth Nexus out, which is good news for you.

Also, Daybreak Ranger is a beast in this matchup but should soak up removal.

How to beat control with WRR:

Step 1. Play Inkmoth Nexus
Step 2. If step 1 doesn't work, switch decks

Quote from shadowstalker98

Hey, can you guys help me?
I haven't played yet but from a report from a friend, my local meta is full of Solar Flare. What's the way to deal with Solar Flare...? I got surgical extractions in my sideboard already and I'm not sure what else I'd require

The best way to beat Solar Flare, in particular with Wolf Run decks, is to start the match. Honestly, that matchup is so good for us, especially the Dungrove version, that I actually have exactly NO sideboard cards for them (except for my cards for control in general i.e. swords and Thrun). The deck isn't great anyway, and we're especially good against them. If you have a problem with it, I'd reccomend Nihil Spellbomb over Surgical Extraction.

Quote from Lampmode

Would a 1 of Liege of the Tangle in the SB be a good late game bomb to fetch with your Zenith?

Nah. He doesn't do a lot. Rather just have a Titan. If you REALLY need something like that, I'd go Vorclinex, Voice of Hunger.

Game Day didn't go so well for me. To be fair, my luck was atrocious. Here's the list I took:



Match 1: vs Wolf Run Green (almost exact mirror, and played by a much more experienced player than myself)

Game 1: I won the roll and chose to play. I got the first Primeval Titan, which he followed with an Acidic Slime to kill my Kessig Wolf Run. Here was where the pivotal play occured - I had a Beast Within in my hand, but decided to save it and let his slime trade with my Titan. He proceeded to get a Titan (who got beasted) but ended up winning off of huge board position with Garruk, Primal Hunter and a ton of land.

SB: -2 Beast Within -1 Batterskull +2 Sword of Feast and Famine +1 Acidic Slime

Game 2: I ramped out a quick titan, he never seemed to get it going, and I took it quickly.

Game 3: I had to mull down to 5 and could never get it really going. He was faster and while I was able to put up a fight (surprisingly) he eventually overwhelmed me.

Total: 0-1, 1-2

Match 2: vs Wolf Run Naya

Game 1: This was a long, back and forth game. He Oblivion Ring'd Wurmcoil Engine twice, and at one point I drew 12 cards in one turn off of 2 Garruks. I ended up winning with my 11/1 Inkmoth Nexus barely trampling past his Birds of Paradise.

SB: +2 Daybreak Ranger, +1 Acidic Slime, -2 Wurmcoil Engine, -1 Beast Within

Game 2: I ramped into a turn 3 Titan, then a turn 4 Titan (and I had enough for a turn 5 Titan). It didn't get there, though, as he scooped quickly.

Total: 1-1, 3-2

Match 3: vs Blue White Aggro

Before this match, my opponent admitted to me that he was on a budget, so I felt pretty confident going into this game. He also said that he had been very lucky up to that point.

Game 1: I mulled to 6, but he went to 5. He was stuck on one land, and though I wasn't doing great either, an Acidic Slime on his land ended things.

SB: +3 Ratchet Bomb, +1 Batterskull, +2 Daybreak Ranger, -3 Solemn Simulacrum, -2 Garruk, Primal Hunter, -1 Acidic Slime

Game 2: I mulled to 5. This was another long back and forth game. Because of my mulligan, I needed to use Green Sun's Zenith to find a Birds of Paradise, which will become important. I managed to clear his board of a ton of 1 drops with an early Ratchet Bomb (before I found birds), but he started using Moorland Haunt to make a ton of 2/2 Spirits (thanks to an Honor of the Pure). I couldn't find a Daybreak Ranger or Green Sun's Zenith to stop his onslaught, and he took it. I also never saw a Primeval Titan or any life gain whatsoever in this game. Ridiculous.

Game 3: I mulled to 5 again (sound familiar yet?). I never got it going, at all - nothing more than a Solemn Simulacrum. He won pretty quickly with Hero of Bladehold.

Total: 1-2, 4-4

At this point, I decided to drop because I was out of top 8 and there was a draft starting, which I decided to join. That decision worked out very well for me - I got a first pack first pick Olivia Voldaren, which won me the draft and packs which turned into a Snapcaster Mage (and some junk).

Thoughts: I got very unlucky, not only in the games but in matchups as well - I never got one of the matchups this deck is built for (UB Control, Wolf Run Ramp). As well, this is an extremely competitive store (Channel Fireball San Jose, home of Team Fireball). Still, this doesn't absolve me of blame - I made some bad plays, especially in the first game. I don't think I'd make any change for the deck (except for +1 Thrun, the Last Troll in the SB and -1 Batterskull, something I wanted to do before the tournament but they were out of Thruns.

This actually seems sweet. Fliers are a big part of the meta atm and he's good in the mirror match or against infect. Also, he's very solid vs tokens (he picks off their fliers while their ground forces can't get past your defense).

Seems fun, but this card is the very definition of win-more - it does nothing for you if you're behind, and if you're ahead, it helps you get more ahead. Add to the fact that it costs the same amount of mana as things such as Primeval Titan and Wurmcoil Engine - all of which impact the field immediately - and you have a card that's not worth running (Though I will admit, it seems very nice with Garruk, Primal Hunter).

How to beat mono red -

Wurmcoil Engine.
Batterskull.
Sweepers.
Tree of Redemption.
Garruk, Primal Hunter and make an army of beasts.
Garruk Relentless and make an army of wolves.

Honestly, this is not the matchup we should focus on since we have a ton of worse matchups. U/B control, Infect, WW, GW tokens, and Geistblade are all worse - in honesty, the only matchup for us that's better is probably Birthing Pod, but maybe not even that.

I'd much rather run Devil's Play or Red Sun's Zenith over Fling. Those are better finishers and don't necessarily 2-for-1 you. Also, those don't hurt as much if they're countered.

It might be solid as a 1-of to fetch with Primeval in Sondag lists and even a 2 or 3 of in Woo style lists. In Dungrove lists, I wouldn't run it, because the weakening of Dungrove isn't worth it. We have Acidic Slime and Beast Within for mana destruction already.