I went to a couple of KTK sealed events over the weekend. Based on the two pools below, would you have built them differently? If so, how? Thanks in advance.
Mana sources (counting Embodiment of Spring as a B/R source)
U 8 sources for 7 blue cards
G 8 sources for 7 green cards
B 4 sources for 2 black cards
R 5 sources for 1 red card
Deck #2
This cardpool is pulled in two directions. On the one hand your RUG deck has some bombs, on the other hand, you have a strong outlast theme.
Let's see what Azban looks like. Last cuts:1 Shambling Attendants, 1 Rakshasa's Secret
B 8 sources for 9 black cards
G 6 sources for 4 green cards
W 6 sources for 5 white cards
That's not an incredibly deck (or manabase), but it has a decent curve if you can ignore the fact that it wants to cast early drops in all 3 colours. It does have a great lategame in terms of outlast / Retribution of the Ancients. You have to be quite disciplined to actually be able to win games with this list, since games could stall out.
R 7 sources for 6 red cards
G 7 sources for 6 green cards
U 4 sources for 4 blue cards
That's a fairly sketchy manabase, but it does have the upside of being a much more aggressive deck with a fairly clear game-plan.
I think this one comes down to playstyle. If you like to play grindy knife-edge decks, take the Azban one. If you want a more aggressive build, go for Temur. Probably Temur is better since it has more flyers.
Mana sources (counting Embodiment of Spring as a B/R source)
U 8 sources for 7 blue cards
G 8 sources for 7 green cards
B 4 sources for 2 black cards
R 5 sources for 1 red card
Deck #2
This cardpool is pulled in two directions. On the one hand your RUG deck has some bombs, on the other hand, you have a strong outlast theme.
Let's see what Azban looks like. Last cuts:1 Shambling Attendants, 1 Rakshasa's Secret
B 8 sources for 9 black cards
G 6 sources for 4 green cards
W 6 sources for 5 white cards
That's not an incredibly deck (or manabase), but it has a decent curve if you can ignore the fact that it wants to cast early drops in all 3 colours. It does have a great lategame in terms of outlast / Retribution of the Ancients. You have to be quite disciplined to actually be able to win games with this list, since games could stall out.
R 7 sources for 6 red cards
G 7 sources for 6 green cards
U 4 sources for 4 blue cards
That's a fairly sketchy manabase, but it does have the upside of being a much more aggressive deck with a fairly clear game-plan.
I think this one comes down to playstyle. If you like to play grindy knife-edge decks, take the Azban one. If you want a more aggressive build, go for Temur. Probably Temur is better since it has more flyers.
Edit: not bad for 52 minutes after OP.
Thanks again for the feedback Magicmerl! You are awesome.
With the first (and second) deck I think I tend to overvalue black removal spells in this format. Debilitating Injury seems fine, but Throttle and Rite of the Serpent are agonizingly slow. I think I need to focus on prioritizing morphs/big threats.
I definitely noticed that my second deck had a problem closing out games. Relying on double Archer's Parapet is not enough.
I was wondering about Retribution of the Ancients. I had five outlast guys in my deck, so I felt like it wasn't worth playing, but perhaps I should have tried it out. Being able to remove counters for 1 black mana seems like value.
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Focused on limited for now. Occasionally play some standard/modern as well.
With the first (and second) deck I think I tend to overvalue black removal spells in this format. Debilitating Injury seems fine, but Throttle and Rite of the Serpent are agonizingly slow. I think I need to focus on prioritizing morphs/big threats.
I definitely noticed that my second deck had a problem closing out games. Relying on double Archer's Parapet is not enough.
I was wondering about Retribution of the Ancients. I had five outlast guys in my deck, so I felt like it wasn't worth playing, but perhaps I should have tried it out. Being able to remove counters for 1 black mana seems like value.
Completely agree with everything in your first two paras. Regarding Retribution of the Ancients, I'm not actually sure whether it's a good card or not. However, if it *ever* is going to be good, it will be in a deck like this one. So occasionally I make potentially sub-par decisions in order to learn more about cards.
I don't think Retribution of the Ancients is a good card. Perhaps in draft one might be able to make it work?
I took a quick glance at the first pool and have just a couple of general comments with the deck you submitted. If you're playing UG, I think it was a mistake for leaving out Icefeather Aven. If you're playing U, I think Glacial Stalker is a strong card and if you're playing G you should at least play Woolly Loxodon before you play both Tusked Colossodon (easier to cast and is more flexible as a morph). Also Shambling Attendants is pretty strong if you can support it.
And no matter what, you got to splash for Crater's Claws.
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First event pool:
White: 9
1 Jeskai Student
1 Master of Pearls
1 Salt Road Patrol
2 Erase
1 Rush of Battle
2 Smite the Monstrous
1 End Hostilities
Blue: 11
1 Embodiment of Spring
1 Wetland Sambar
1 Glacial Stalker
1 Kheru Spellsnatcher
1 Riverwheel Aerialists
1 Disdainful Stroke
1 Singing Bell Strike
1 Taigam's Scheming
1 Cancel
2 Weave Fate
Black: 16
1 Kheru Bloodsucker
1 Mer-ek Nightblade
1 Krumar Bond-kin
2 Sultai Scavenger
2 Shambling Attendants
1 Retribution of the Ancients
2 Debilitating Injury
1 Rakshasa's Secret
1 Dutiful Return
1 Raiders' Spoils
1 Throttle
1 Murderous Cut
1 Dead Drop
2 Valley Dasher
1 Horde Ambusher
1 War-Name Aspirant
1 Bloodfire Mentor
1 Bloodfire Expert
1 Mardu Blazebringer
1 Canyon Lurkers
1 Tormenting Voices
2 Trumpet Blast
1 Dragon Grip
1 Swift Kick
1 Crater's Claws
Green: 13
1 Smoke Teller
1 Temur Charger
1 Alpine Grizzly
1 Longshot Squad
1 Hooting Mandrills
2 Tusked Colossodon
1 Wooly Loxodon
1 Savage Punch
1 Feed the Clan
1 Scout the Borders
1 Incremental Growth
1 Become Immense
1 Death Frenzy
Green/blue: 2
1 Icefeather Aven
1 Secret Plans
Green/blue/red: 1
1 Avalanche Tusker
White/black/green 1
1 Abzan Guide
Black/green/blue: 1
1 Abomination of Gudul
Blue/red/white: 2
1 Efreet Weaponmaster
1 Jeskai Ascendancy
Artifact: 1
1 Witness of the Ages
1 Lens of Clarity
1 Abzan Banner
1 Jeskai Banner
2 Mardu Banner
Lands: 7
1 Mystic Monastery
2 Swiftwater Cliffs
2 Tranquil Cove
2 Dismal Backwater
This is what I thought about building:
1 Jeskai Student
1 Master of Pearls
1 Salt Road Patrol
1 Rush of Battle
2 Smite the Monstrous
Blue: 9
1 Wetland Sambar
1 Glacial Stalker
1 Kheru Spellsnatcher
1 Riverwheel Aerialists
1 Singing Bell Strike
2 Valley Dasher
1 Horde Ambusher
1 War-Name Aspirant
1 Bloodfire Expert
1 Canyon Lurkers
1 Dragon Grip
1 Crater's Claws
Red/white/blue: 2
1 Efreet Weaponmaster
1 Jeskai Ascendancy
6 Mountain
6 Island
1 Mystic Monastery
2 Swiftwater Cliffs
2 Tranquil Cove
Deck I built:
1 Smoke Teller
1 Temur Charger
1 Alpine Grizzly
1 Longshot Squad
1 Hooting Mandrills
2 Tusked Colossodon
1 Savage Punch
1 Scout the Borders
1 Incremental Growth
1 Become Immense
1 Mer-ek Nightblade
2 Sultai Scavenger
2 Debilitating Injury
1 Throttle
1 Murderous Cut
1 Dead Drop
Blue: 2
1 Riverwheel Aerialists
1 Weave Fate
1 Abomination of Gudul
Lands: 18
7 Swamp
8 Forest
1 Island
2 Dismal Backwater
Result:
I ended up going 0-2 drop. Maybe I should have forced the Jeskai pool.
Second event I went to, I opened this pool:
2 Firehoof Cavalry
1 Mardu Hateblade
2 Mardu Hordechief
1 Abzan Falconer
2 Alabaster Kirin
1 Dazzling Rampart
1 Rush of Battle
1 Take Up Arms
Blue: 12
1 Jeskai Elder
2 Monastery Flock
1 Jeskai Windscout
1 Mistfire Weaver
1 Mystic of the Hidden Way
2 Glacial Stalker
1 Disdainful Stroke
1 Cancel
1 Weave Fate
1 Blinding Spray
Black: 15
2 Disowned Ancestor
1 Gurmag Swiftwing
2 Kheru Bloodsucker
1 Sidisi's Pet
1 Kheru Dreadmaw
1 Sultai Scavenger
1 Shambling Attendants
1 Retribution of the Ancients
1 Debilitating Injury
1 Rakshasa's Secret
1 Throttle
2 Rite of the Serpent
2 Leaping Master
1 Valley Dasher
1 War-Name Aspirant
1 Bloodfire Expert
1 Summit Prowler
1 Dragon-Style Twins
2 Shatter
1 Tormenting Voice
1 Barrage of Boulders
1 Dragon Grip
1 Swift Kick
1 Crater's Claw
Green: 11
2 Archer's Parapet
2 Tuskguard Captain
1 Sagu Archer
1 Hooting Mandrills
1 Tusked Colossodon
1 Awaken the Bear
1 Scout the Borders
1 Dragonscale Boon
1 Seek the Horizon
Black/Green: 2
1 Death Frenzy (foil)
1 Kin-Tree Invocation
1 Chief of the Scale
1 Utter End
Red/White/Black: 2
2 Ponyback Brigade
Black/Green/Blue: 1
1 Abomination of Gudul
Green/Blue/Red: 1
1 Surrak Dragonclaw
White/Black/Green: 1
1 Abzan Guide
Artifact: 4
1 Cranial Archive
1 Abzan Banner
1 Sultai Banner
1 Mardu Banner
Lands: 8
1 Tranquil Cove
1 Swiftwater Cliffs
2 Blossoming Sands
2 Bloodfell Caves
1 Tomb of the Spirit Dragon
1 Polluted Delta
Deck I built:
2 Disowned Ancestor
1 Sidisi's Pet
1 Sultai Scavenger
1 Debilitating Injury
1 Throttle
2 Rite of the Serpent
Green: 9
2 Archer's Parapet
2 Tuskguard Captain
1 Sagu Archer
1 Hooting Mandrills
1 Tusked Colossodon
1 Dragonscale Boon
1 Seek the Horizon
1 Abzan Falconer
Red: 1
1 Crater's Claw
White/Black: 1
1 Utter End
Black/Green: 1
1 Kin-Tree Invocation
White/Black/Green: 1
1 Abzan Guide
Land: 18
2 Blossoming Sands
2 Bloodfell Caves
1 Plains
1 Mountain
6 Swamp
6 Forest
Result:
I ended up going 1-2. It was a three round event.
Your UG cards seem obvious, and I'd be inclined to look at splashing both black and red into the deck. Here's how UGrb looks:
1 Smoke Teller
1 Wetland Sambar
1 Glacial Stalker
1 Kheru Spellsnatcher
1 Icefeather Aven
1 Temur Charger
1 Alpine Grizzly
1 Wooly Loxodon
1 Abomination of Gudul (B)
1 Krumar Bond-kin (B)
1 Longshot Squad
1 Avalanche Tusker (R)
1 Singing Bell Strike
1 Secret Plans
2 Weave Fate
1 Murderous Cut (B)
1 Incremental Growth
1 Death Frenzy (B)
1 Crater's Claws (R)
1 Mystic Monastery
2 Swiftwater Cliffs
2 Dismal Backwater
8 Forest
3 Island
1 Mountain
1 Swamp
Curve
1 c
2 ccsss
3 cccccccc
4 csss
5 css
6 s
Mana sources (counting Embodiment of Spring as a B/R source)
U 8 sources for 7 blue cards
G 8 sources for 7 green cards
B 4 sources for 2 black cards
R 5 sources for 1 red card
Deck #2
This cardpool is pulled in two directions. On the one hand your RUG deck has some bombs, on the other hand, you have a strong outlast theme.
Let's see what Azban looks like. Last cuts:1 Shambling Attendants, 1 Rakshasa's Secret
1 Mardu Hateblade
2 Archer's Parapet
1 Kin-Tree Invocation
1 Abzan Falconer
2 Tuskguard Captain
1 Sidisi's Pet
1 Sagu Archer
1 Abzan Guide
2 Alabaster Kirin
1 Sultai Scavenger
1 Debilitating Injury
1 Dragonscale Boon
1 Utter End
1 Throttle
2 Rite of the Serpent
2 Blossoming Sands
8 Swamp
4 Plains
4 Forest
curve
1 cccs
2 cccs
3 cccccc
4 ccss
5 cs
6 ss
B 8 sources for 9 black cards
G 6 sources for 4 green cards
W 6 sources for 5 white cards
That's not an incredibly deck (or manabase), but it has a decent curve if you can ignore the fact that it wants to cast early drops in all 3 colours. It does have a great lategame in terms of outlast / Retribution of the Ancients. You have to be quite disciplined to actually be able to win games with this list, since games could stall out.
Now for the RUG version
1 War-Name Aspirant
2 Monastery Flock
1 Jeskai Windscout
1 Bloodfire Expert
1 Mistfire Weaver
1 Mystic of the Hidden Way
2 Glacial Stalker
2 Tuskguard Captain
1 Sagu Archer
1 Summit Prowler
1 Surrak Dragonclaw
1 Hooting Mandrills
1 Awaken the Bear
1 Dragonscale Boon
1 Weave Fate
1 Crater's Claw
1 Tranquil Cove
1 Swiftwater Cliffs
2 Blossoming Sands
5 Forest
6 Mountain
3 Island
curve
1
2 cccs
3 cccccccccs
4 css
5 ccs
R 7 sources for 6 red cards
G 7 sources for 6 green cards
U 4 sources for 4 blue cards
That's a fairly sketchy manabase, but it does have the upside of being a much more aggressive deck with a fairly clear game-plan.
I think this one comes down to playstyle. If you like to play grindy knife-edge decks, take the Azban one. If you want a more aggressive build, go for Temur. Probably Temur is better since it has more flyers.
Edit: not bad for 52 minutes after OP.
Thanks again for the feedback Magicmerl! You are awesome.
With the first (and second) deck I think I tend to overvalue black removal spells in this format. Debilitating Injury seems fine, but Throttle and Rite of the Serpent are agonizingly slow. I think I need to focus on prioritizing morphs/big threats.
I definitely noticed that my second deck had a problem closing out games. Relying on double Archer's Parapet is not enough.
I was wondering about Retribution of the Ancients. I had five outlast guys in my deck, so I felt like it wasn't worth playing, but perhaps I should have tried it out. Being able to remove counters for 1 black mana seems like value.
Completely agree with everything in your first two paras. Regarding Retribution of the Ancients, I'm not actually sure whether it's a good card or not. However, if it *ever* is going to be good, it will be in a deck like this one. So occasionally I make potentially sub-par decisions in order to learn more about cards.
I took a quick glance at the first pool and have just a couple of general comments with the deck you submitted. If you're playing UG, I think it was a mistake for leaving out Icefeather Aven. If you're playing U, I think Glacial Stalker is a strong card and if you're playing G you should at least play Woolly Loxodon before you play both Tusked Colossodon (easier to cast and is more flexible as a morph). Also Shambling Attendants is pretty strong if you can support it.
And no matter what, you got to splash for Crater's Claws.