I play Jhoira of the Ghitu (the suspend Obliterate and Eldrazi kind). My opponent plays Azusa, Lost But Seeking. I have problem dealing with Azusa.
WAIT, you may think that I have it easy since I play a lot of MLD. Problem is Azusa is still too fast for me. Before I can cast any MLD, Azusa goes
T1: Forest, Mana Elf
T2: Forest, Azusa, lay additional two forests
T3: Forest, Forest then 7 mana fatty.
In my first three turns, I am only setting up (mana rocks, lay a land, then cast Jhoira etc).
If I blow lands, it cripples me and the 7 mana fatty comes thundering to my face. If I blow creatures, red has problems dealing with fatties because it deals damage and how many damage can 3 or 4 mana deals?
Help.
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GMR21=OYS, I know you.
Salt is part of the game. Deal with it.
I would want to be running 2-3 of those regardless of anything else. Depending on the rest of your decklist, you may want to consider some pillowfort elements (like Propaganda, Web of Inertia, Maze of Ith, &c.) to help you hold the line. Perhaps a Phyrexian Metamorph for an early chance at cloning the fatty?
Snap is so good. That card is crucially underplayed. Submerge is excellent if you play enough Islands. There are numerous options that blue has to deal with all types of creatures. Unsummon and Curfew haven't been mentioned yet either. Red has far fewer and is the least versatile color in the format but it has spells like Lightning Bolt that can answer mana dorks like Arbor Elf easily in the early game..
Snap is so good. That card is crucially underplayed. Submerge is excellent if you play enough Islands. There are numerous options that blue has to deal with all types of creatures. Unsummon and Curfew haven't been mentioned yet either. Red has far fewer and is the least versatile color in the format but it has spells like Lightning Bolt that can answer mana dorks like Arbor Elf easily in the early game..
Bolting Azusa herself is also a not terrible way of slowing the deck down a turn or two.
You are playing a slow combo deck. This will lose to fast decks unless you change your deck. Instead of playing a bunch of ramp and not interacting, you should be playing control until you cast Jhoira.
Snap is so good. That card is crucially underplayed. Submerge is excellent if you play enough Islands. There are numerous options that blue has to deal with all types of creatures. Unsummon and Curfew haven't been mentioned yet either. Red has far fewer and is the least versatile color in the format but it has spells like Lightning Bolt that can answer mana dorks like Arbor Elf easily in the early game..
Bolting Azusa herself is also a not terrible way of slowing the deck down a turn or two.
Getting rid of Azusa's CA engines (Horn of Greed, etc.) will also slow her down considerably if she doesn't already have her fatty in-hand.
And Pardic Miner!
Sacrificing him once in response to casting Azusa is practically a time walk. Sticking him under a Mimic Vat will make the Azusa player cry.
Fast mana commander that doesn't create card advantage large threats. So lots of card on table not many in hand play lots of counterspell counter draw and threats hope she doesn't lay t1-2 s library underneath your counters.
Manabarbs is fantastic for hating out top-heavy decks, especially mono-green fatties
I must mention Ankh of Mishra and Tunnel Ignus here, if we're going that route. Both do 6 damage to an Azusa player who optimizes her ability every turn, and they both cost half of what Manabarbs does. They're also pretty effective against fetchlands and criminally underplayed IMO.
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Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
WAIT, you may think that I have it easy since I play a lot of MLD. Problem is Azusa is still too fast for me. Before I can cast any MLD, Azusa goes
T1: Forest, Mana Elf
T2: Forest, Azusa, lay additional two forests
T3: Forest, Forest then 7 mana fatty.
In my first three turns, I am only setting up (mana rocks, lay a land, then cast Jhoira etc).
If I blow lands, it cripples me and the 7 mana fatty comes thundering to my face. If I blow creatures, red has problems dealing with fatties because it deals damage and how many damage can 3 or 4 mana deals?
Help.
Salt is part of the game. Deal with it.
R.I.P. Sundering Titan (6/20/12) and Braids, Cabal Minion (9/12/14)
- Reality Shift
- Pongify
- Rapid Hybridization
- Capsize
- Boomerang
- Cyclonic Rift
- Chaos Warp
I would want to be running 2-3 of those regardless of anything else. Depending on the rest of your decklist, you may want to consider some pillowfort elements (like Propaganda, Web of Inertia, Maze of Ith, &c.) to help you hold the line. Perhaps a Phyrexian Metamorph for an early chance at cloning the fatty?Thassa &
Shu Yun &
Jarad &
Animar
Vapor Snag 1 mana catch critters.
Void Snare sorcery speed but ANY permanent
Remove Soul and its variants
Overburden would be a hilarious way to slow Azusa Fatties down.
UBRKess, Dissident MageUBR - Controlling Dissidents
GRhonas the IndomitableG - Indomitable Four Drops
WUBOloro, Ageless AsceticWUB - Loot & Renanimate
Bolting Azusa herself is also a not terrible way of slowing the deck down a turn or two.
R.I.P. Sundering Titan (6/20/12) and Braids, Cabal Minion (9/12/14)
8.RG Green Devotion Ramp/Combo 9.UR Draw Triggers 10.WUR Group stalling 11.WUR Voltron Spellslinger 12.WB Sacrificial Shenanigans
13.BR Creatureless Panharmonicon 14.BR Pingers and Eldrazi 15.URG Untapped Cascading
16.Reyhan, last of the Abzan's WUBG +1/+1 Counter Craziness 17.WUBRG Dragons aka Why did I make this?
Building: The Gitrog Monster lands, Glissa the Traitor stax, Muldrotha, the Gravetide Planeswalker Combo, Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix + Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa Clues, and Tribal Scarecrow Planeswalkers
And Pardic Miner!
Sacrificing him once in response to casting Azusa is practically a time walk. Sticking him under a Mimic Vat will make the Azusa player cry.
Two Score, Minus Two or: A Stargate Tail
(Image by totallynotabrony)
Manabarbs is fantastic for hating out top-heavy decks, especially mono-green fatties
UR [PRIMER] Flash of the Firemind (Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind) RU
BG Death and Staxes: FireStorm4056's Competitive Meren Stax List GB
W Avacyn Angel of Hope W
R Akroma, Angel of (Your Opponent's) Fury R
R 99-Mountain Ashling R
Damia http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=410191
DDFT Legacyhttp://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=505247
Domain Zoo http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?p=10212429#post10212429
I must mention Ankh of Mishra and Tunnel Ignus here, if we're going that route. Both do 6 damage to an Azusa player who optimizes her ability every turn, and they both cost half of what Manabarbs does. They're also pretty effective against fetchlands and criminally underplayed IMO.
On phasing: