This actually shouldn't be too hard as it's a small event. I'm just bad at evaluating matchups and what decks are good or bad against what decks.
In short, we just completed a 10 week Legacy league. The top 8 players go into a final day of play for some nice prizes. I just made it into the top 8, which was a surprise itself because as I said, I'm not really good at evaluation matchups.
I'm trying to decide what to bring for the top 8 that will give me the best chance against the whole field. Unless the players who have made it in change decks (always possible) this is what I am expecting to face that day.
Delver
Burn
TES
Infect
Death and Taxes
What do you think would be a good choice to play against that field? Delver and Burn will probably be the most played as in probably 2 of each with TES, Infect and DnT rounding out the other 7 decks.
Any help will be greatly appreciated because quite honestly, I am very undecided on this one.
Over the ten weeks of the league, what did you play and feel you did best with? Miracles can do well in that field but requires a lot of playtesting. Need more info to advise, I think.
I am missing a key part of the Miracles deck (Terminus) so have been playing, on and off, a hybrid deck of that and helm/RIP with top and counterbalance. It does okay but it's been a long time since it's made top 4 on a given week so I don't think it'll take me through the whole tournament.
Also, can't put together the following decks as I don't have the cards.
Painter
Infect
Burn
12 Post
These are the decks I can put together easily without compromise on cards.
Any form of Delver
TES
ANT
Belcher
Spanish Inquisition
Oops All Spells
Dredge
Cheerios
Pox
Shardless Bug
Omni Tell
Stax
Lands
Enchantress
Stoneblade (all variations)
Reanimator
Affinity
Merfolk
Goblins
So I have a lot to choose from but some of those glass cannons are crap shoots based on whether there is a lot of blue based decks, which right now there aren't. But a bad matchup in round one and I could be out. Don't want to chance this on the luck of the pairings. And with burn and Delver being the top winners right now, with DnT being right behind it, I hesitate bringing one of the glass cannon decks. I'd rather play something with more consistency.
Hope this helps. Any specific questions you want to ask, I'll try to answer as best as I can.
In that specific field, I would want to play two things: Punishing Fire/Grove of the Burnwillows combo, and Stoneforge Mystic for Batterskull/Jitte. Punishing Maverick has a relatively poor TES matchup (somewhat salvaged by 2+ Gaddock Teegs and 4x Green Sun's Zenith in the 75, especially if you know it's coming in g1) but is definitely favored against Delver, Infect (1x Melira in the board to Zenith for?), and D&T due to the PFire engine and Mother of Runes, and Burn is an easy matchup if you use an E-Tutor board with COP: Red in it. If you have access to the deck, jam it and don't look back. Just tweak the board for the field (extra Teegs/Canonists against TES, a Melira to bullet Infect, COP Red to bullet Burn, etc.)
http://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=6923&d=239734 I kind of like this list as a starting point but I would cut a Jitte and the Mindcensors for 2 Stoneforge and a Batterskull, to boost the Burn/Delver matchup. I also kind of want Maze of Ith more than the Depths combo against the field you'll be facing. And the sideboard would need a total overhaul to include the bullets you want.
Sb recommendation for this specific field:
2 Enlightened Tutor (TES, Burn)
1 Gaddock Teeg (TES)
2 Ethersworn Canonist (TES, Burn)
1 Circle of Protection: Red (Burn)
1 Warmth (Burn)
1 Life from the Loam (Delver, D&T)
1 Melira, Sylvok Outcast (Infect)
2 Wear//Tear (TES, D&T)
2 Pyroblast (TES, Delver)
2 Gut Shot (Infect, D&T)
From the list of decks you posted I would pick Reanimator or Stoneblade. Reanimator because nobody in the field can beat a Griselbrand, and you'll be able to fight counter wars with the tempo decks that would prey on your other combo options. It's faster than OmniTell and less susceptible to Thalia. Stoneblade because Stoneforge is insane and you have game against everything if you play tight. Basically if you can't play Punishing Grove (and with Infect, D&T, and two Delver decks in the field I think you want to) you want to be playing a deck with Force of Will and a big scary lifelink threat, either Griselbrand or Batterskull.
That is true. Jund basically can't beat burn. I don't think Maverick's matchup is much better though. The only punishing fire deck that is actually any good vs burn is Jund Nic fit with punishing fire, but that is not something on most peoples radar.
Countertop and Deathblade would be best positioned, with Miracles not being an option Deathblade seems like a good way to go, and you will also have access to the best sideboard you can think of. Maverick for similar reasons also might be something to consider.
Thought I would report back to this thread and let everybody know how the tournament went.
I qualified finishing 7th for the top 8 so I knew I wouldn't have an easy time of it. Going through the entire field I finally decided that Counter Slivers was the way to go. Essentially the deck is Merfolk but just with Slivers. I decided on that over Merfolk because of the shock value. Psychologically, people hate Slivers and I was banking on that to give me an extra edge.
I faced TES in my first and ultimately last match. I lost game 1 before I even had a chance to go. But then, in game 2 sideboarding my Chalice Of The Void dropping it on turn 1 at zero essentially shut him down and I took the game easily.
Game 3 I had to make a big decision with my opening hand. It would have been nice to have had a Force of Will, other blue card and Chalice so he couldn't rip everything out of it had he had an opening Cabal Therapy, but I didn't. I had a lone Chalice and decided to run with it, figuring if he couldn't go off turn 1 and couldn't rip it out of my hand, I'd be fine. But he had a turn one Gitaxian Probe and Cabal Therapy and that was pretty much game.
I ended up 8th for the tournament and won $25 in store credit.
Next time, assuming I make top 8 again, I've decided to go with a more traditional choice. I can play Miracles now (finally got my Terminus) so that is now an option. Can also put together Death and Taxes now after getting my last Karakas and Flickerwisp, which I will be playing this Saturday in the league to test it out. Our other DnT player, who is undefeated so far, won't be there on Saturday so it'll give me a good chance to see how the deck does against the same field without having to worry about the mirror which can be a grind and a half.
In short, we just completed a 10 week Legacy league. The top 8 players go into a final day of play for some nice prizes. I just made it into the top 8, which was a surprise itself because as I said, I'm not really good at evaluation matchups.
I'm trying to decide what to bring for the top 8 that will give me the best chance against the whole field. Unless the players who have made it in change decks (always possible) this is what I am expecting to face that day.
Delver
Burn
TES
Infect
Death and Taxes
What do you think would be a good choice to play against that field? Delver and Burn will probably be the most played as in probably 2 of each with TES, Infect and DnT rounding out the other 7 decks.
Any help will be greatly appreciated because quite honestly, I am very undecided on this one.
Thanks.
Big Thanks to Xeno for sig art <3.
Also, can't put together the following decks as I don't have the cards.
Painter
Infect
Burn
12 Post
These are the decks I can put together easily without compromise on cards.
Any form of Delver
TES
ANT
Belcher
Spanish Inquisition
Oops All Spells
Dredge
Cheerios
Pox
Shardless Bug
Omni Tell
Stax
Lands
Enchantress
Stoneblade (all variations)
Reanimator
Affinity
Merfolk
Goblins
So I have a lot to choose from but some of those glass cannons are crap shoots based on whether there is a lot of blue based decks, which right now there aren't. But a bad matchup in round one and I could be out. Don't want to chance this on the luck of the pairings. And with burn and Delver being the top winners right now, with DnT being right behind it, I hesitate bringing one of the glass cannon decks. I'd rather play something with more consistency.
Hope this helps. Any specific questions you want to ask, I'll try to answer as best as I can.
http://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=6923&d=239734 I kind of like this list as a starting point but I would cut a Jitte and the Mindcensors for 2 Stoneforge and a Batterskull, to boost the Burn/Delver matchup. I also kind of want Maze of Ith more than the Depths combo against the field you'll be facing. And the sideboard would need a total overhaul to include the bullets you want.
Sb recommendation for this specific field:
2 Enlightened Tutor (TES, Burn)
1 Gaddock Teeg (TES)
2 Ethersworn Canonist (TES, Burn)
1 Circle of Protection: Red (Burn)
1 Warmth (Burn)
1 Life from the Loam (Delver, D&T)
1 Melira, Sylvok Outcast (Infect)
2 Wear//Tear (TES, D&T)
2 Pyroblast (TES, Delver)
2 Gut Shot (Infect, D&T)
From the list of decks you posted I would pick Reanimator or Stoneblade. Reanimator because nobody in the field can beat a Griselbrand, and you'll be able to fight counter wars with the tempo decks that would prey on your other combo options. It's faster than OmniTell and less susceptible to Thalia. Stoneblade because Stoneforge is insane and you have game against everything if you play tight. Basically if you can't play Punishing Grove (and with Infect, D&T, and two Delver decks in the field I think you want to) you want to be playing a deck with Force of Will and a big scary lifelink threat, either Griselbrand or Batterskull.
Thanks to Gabgabdevo for the awesome sig image!
I'm always looking for foil Madcap Skills and Ghitu Fire-Eater, [trade thread link forthcoming]
Thanks to Gabgabdevo for the awesome sig image!
I'm always looking for foil Madcap Skills and Ghitu Fire-Eater, [trade thread link forthcoming]
I qualified finishing 7th for the top 8 so I knew I wouldn't have an easy time of it. Going through the entire field I finally decided that Counter Slivers was the way to go. Essentially the deck is Merfolk but just with Slivers. I decided on that over Merfolk because of the shock value. Psychologically, people hate Slivers and I was banking on that to give me an extra edge.
I faced TES in my first and ultimately last match. I lost game 1 before I even had a chance to go. But then, in game 2 sideboarding my Chalice Of The Void dropping it on turn 1 at zero essentially shut him down and I took the game easily.
Game 3 I had to make a big decision with my opening hand. It would have been nice to have had a Force of Will, other blue card and Chalice so he couldn't rip everything out of it had he had an opening Cabal Therapy, but I didn't. I had a lone Chalice and decided to run with it, figuring if he couldn't go off turn 1 and couldn't rip it out of my hand, I'd be fine. But he had a turn one Gitaxian Probe and Cabal Therapy and that was pretty much game.
I ended up 8th for the tournament and won $25 in store credit.
Next time, assuming I make top 8 again, I've decided to go with a more traditional choice. I can play Miracles now (finally got my Terminus) so that is now an option. Can also put together Death and Taxes now after getting my last Karakas and Flickerwisp, which I will be playing this Saturday in the league to test it out. Our other DnT player, who is undefeated so far, won't be there on Saturday so it'll give me a good chance to see how the deck does against the same field without having to worry about the mirror which can be a grind and a half.
Obviously.....
UWRMiraclesRWU
Modern
UWRControlRWU
Standard
Ummm no...
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