I went to two prereleases this weekend. In the first (midnight), I went Temur and despite a mediocre pool, built a U/G deck splashing R and went 4-0, effectively "winning" the event.
I was stoked and vowed to do just as well in the second prerelease, going Jeskai this time. When I saw my pool I thought I was sure to go 5-0. Sage-Eye Avengers was my promo, but it only got better from there - Monastery Mentor, Citadel Siege, Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest, Cloudform, and 3x Sandsteppe Outcast were just some of the highlights.
I went with an agressive U/W deck, going for consistency, but lost my first match to a horrendous misplay. Opponent was attacking with a Rageform manifest and hit it with Ruthless Instincts to make it 4/4 and trampling. I untapped my Wandering Champion with Refocus, then cast Feat of Resistance to give it pro red. Turns out Manifest tokens are colorless - whoops! I did alright after that until match 4, when I overextended into a Crux of Fate and proceeded to go 3-2 for the event.
Though I'm sure part of my record was due to bad play compounded by tilt, I can't shake the feeling that I could have done a better job building my deck. I sometimes found it hard to use my amazing cards. I therefore have two questions. Within the U/W framework that I had, could I have built my deck better? And with the pool I had, could I have chosen my colors better?
Deck is organized by Creature/Noncreature, then CMC. Pool is organized by color, rarity, then notability (Sandsteppe Outcast above Aven Skirmisher).
Curve:
1
2 CCCSSSS
3 CCCCCCSS
4 CCCSS
5 S
6 CS
(this counts Will of the Naga as a 4-mana spell)
The biggest problems I noticed after the fact was that I really should have been playing Pressure Point (perhaps cutting a Refocus) and that my three-drop slot was a litle overloaded (though with all the awesome three-drops in my pool, it was hard not to play them all).
In the games, I often had trouble curving out and often found myself with five great cards in hand but playing one a turn thanks to a lack of mana. Maybe an extra land would have helped?
Black looks great with Brutal Hordechief, and Green had some good cards, but I figured I wanted to be consistent on mana so I could always play my awesome spells. Maybe not the best approach?
You're a bit light on creatures, which can hurt in getting run over. The easy thing to do is cut runemark for either weaponmaster or scion. I wouldn't be against cutting channel harm in order to get the other in as well. I'm not against going a bit more into red for warden/master the way but I understand the appeal of being two colors. Your deck isn't exactly how I'd build it since I would go a bit creature heavier. TBH you almost have the free splash for horde chief who is gross and you could do that and eschew red entirely. Point being I think you need more than 13 creatures considering almost none of your spells are hard removal. Sometimes you just get bad beats too
Yeah I agree with merls changes. Although if you're adding two more red sources I'd consider adding in master the way. Really solid card. Although you do want to have the mana for it to use it before you dump your hand. I'd also drop runemark before a second refocus.
I would cut a land for a Pressure Point. I went 3-1 with a 16 land list with a higher curve than you and I was running 3 cheap cantrips instead of my 17th land. I also think that you were unlucky to open a small amount of removal. A Sandblast would have helped your deck a lot.
I think Avengers is a bomb and is too good to cut in a base blue deck. How your mana is makes the black pretty free if you add red (nomad, etc) so I'd add brutal and the red cards and just play all your bombs.
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I was stoked and vowed to do just as well in the second prerelease, going Jeskai this time. When I saw my pool I thought I was sure to go 5-0. Sage-Eye Avengers was my promo, but it only got better from there - Monastery Mentor, Citadel Siege, Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest, Cloudform, and 3x Sandsteppe Outcast were just some of the highlights.
I went with an agressive U/W deck, going for consistency, but lost my first match to a horrendous misplay. Opponent was attacking with a Rageform manifest and hit it with Ruthless Instincts to make it 4/4 and trampling. I untapped my Wandering Champion with Refocus, then cast Feat of Resistance to give it pro red. Turns out Manifest tokens are colorless - whoops! I did alright after that until match 4, when I overextended into a Crux of Fate and proceeded to go 3-2 for the event.
Though I'm sure part of my record was due to bad play compounded by tilt, I can't shake the feeling that I could have done a better job building my deck. I sometimes found it hard to use my amazing cards. I therefore have two questions. Within the U/W framework that I had, could I have built my deck better? And with the pool I had, could I have chosen my colors better?
Deck is organized by Creature/Noncreature, then CMC. Pool is organized by color, rarity, then notability (Sandsteppe Outcast above Aven Skirmisher).
The Deck
1 Soul Summons
2 Wandering Champion
1 Cloudform
1 Monastery Mentor
3 Sandsteppe Outcast
1 Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest
2 Abzan Skycaptain
1 Lotus Path Djinn
1 Sage-Eye Avengers
Noncreatures
1 Feat of Resistance
2 Refocus
1 Valorous Stance
1 Crippling Chill
1 Jeskai Runemark
1 Citadel Siege
1 Enhanced Awareness
1 Channel Harm
1 Will of the Naga
1 Mystic Monastery
2 Tranquil Cove
8 Plains
6 Island
1 Abzan Advantage
1 Pressure Point
1 Cancel
1 Marang River Prowler
1 Scion of Glaciers
1 Enhanced Awareness
1 Great-Horn Krushok
2 Will of the Naga
Curve:
1
2 CCCSSSS
3 CCCCCCSS
4 CCCSS
5 S
6 CS
(this counts Will of the Naga as a 4-mana spell)
The biggest problems I noticed after the fact was that I really should have been playing Pressure Point (perhaps cutting a Refocus) and that my three-drop slot was a litle overloaded (though with all the awesome three-drops in my pool, it was hard not to play them all).
In the games, I often had trouble curving out and often found myself with five great cards in hand but playing one a turn thanks to a lack of mana. Maybe an extra land would have helped?
The Pool
1 Monastery Mentor
1 Citadel Siege
1 Valorous Stance
1 Channel Harm
2 Wandering Champion
3 Sandsteppe Outcast
1 Feat of Resistance
1 Soul Summons
1 Pressure Point
2 Abzan Skycaptain
1 Great-Horn Krushok
1 Abzan Advantage
2 Aven Skirmisher
Blue
1 Sage-Eye Avengers
1 Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest
1 Cloudform
1 Marang River Prowler
1 Scion of Glaciers
1 Lotus Path Djinn
2 Refocus
1 Crippling Chill
3 Will of the Naga
2 Enhanced Awareness
1 Jeskai Runemark
1 Cancel
1 Renowned Weaponsmith
1 Rakshasa's Disdain
1 Brutal Hordechief
1 Ruthless Ripper
2 Douse in Gloom
1 Gurmag Angler
1 Typhoid Rats
1 Ancestral Vengeance
1 Rite of the Serpent
1 Hooded Assassin
1 Shambling Attendants
1 Sultai Runemark
1 Tasigur's Cruelty
Red
1 Monastery Swiftspear
1 Break Through the Line
1 Goblin Heelcutter
1 Mardu Scout
1 Trumpet Blast
1 Temur Battle Rage
1 Swift Kick
1 Fierce Invocation
1 Ainok Tracker
1 Collateral Damage
1 Smouldering Efreet
Green
1 Hardened Scales
1 Temur Sabertooth
1 Destructor Dragon
1 Abzan Beastmaster
1 Winds of Qal Sisma
1 Fruit of the First Tree
1 Hunt the Weak
1 Dragonscale Boon
1 Formless Nurturing
1 Return to the Earth
1 Highland Game
1 Map the Wastes
2 Temur Runemark
1 Warden of the Eye
1 Master the Way
1 War Flare
1 Efreet Weaponmaster
1 Ethereal Ambush
1 Abzan Guide
1 Grim Contest
Artifacts
1 Jeskai Banner
Lands
1 Mystic Monastery
1 Nomad Outpost
2 Tranquil Cove
1 Scoured Barrens
2 Thornwood Falls
1 Bloodfell Caves
1 Jungle Hollow
Black looks great with Brutal Hordechief, and Green had some good cards, but I figured I wanted to be consistent on mana so I could always play my awesome spells. Maybe not the best approach?
1 Brutal Hordechief
1 Efreet Weaponmaster
1 Bloodfell Caves
1 Scoured Barrens
1 Nomad Outpost
2 Refocus
1 Island
2 Plains
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.