Just opened this pool. I'm a bit flummoxed as it feels like there are six medium decks here (every color combination not involving Blue), but nothing obvious is jumping out. Any thoughts are appreciated.
Ambush Krotiq makes me laugh so much. I keep rereading the card and it keeps not having Flash. In what sense is this an ambush again? I just have visions of this huge Krotiq poorly concealed in some bushes, feeling slightly sad that his carefully planned ambushes never seem to work.
Match 1: I started with the R/B Vampire deck. I'm not sure why I'm drawn to this one, except I love me a Heir of Falkenrath something fierce, and the deck seemed at least capable of the most explosive starts.
G1 was mulligan to 6, but I had the Heir in hand + a Twins if I could rip a land. That happened, so I lived the dream of t2 Heir, t3 flips and cast Twins. Opponent does not have immediate removal, so I get to hit him a few times. He does have ground blockers, however, with 2/2 guy that buys back from the graveyard, and Wild-Field Scarecrow, so I can't get in on the ground, and then I miss land drops. He tries to block my Heir with a flash Stormrider Spirit, but I have an uncaged fury. Then he just goes Declaration in Stone though. He bounces guys with Just the Wind and Gone Missing while I'm mana screwed and starts hitting me down. Finally hit my 5th land and can stabilize on the ground. Just in time for him to cast Geralf's Masterpiece (as a 6/6) I chump for a turn with Crow of Dark Tidings and pop the clue token looking for an answer. Find Lightning Axe. The timing is fun because to kill the Messenger I have to hit him in his draw step right when it goes down to 5/5 (get to put out another Twins as bonus). If opponent has an Instant in hand I lose on the spot, but he doesn't. So I think I have a chance, until he plays a draw two, discards his hand and brings it back, now a 7/7. Dead.
G2: I decide to switch decks to something I think may do better against flying creatures. I go for the G/R deck now, which has a couple spiders and also side in my Clip Wings. I keep a somewhat unexciting hand with a Moldgraf Scavenger into a Stoic Builder for no value. Opponent goes Pale Rider of Trostad/Just the Wind to set me back (I again miss land drop #4). Then he puts Ghostly Wings on the Pale Rider. I have to pump the Stoic Builder with a Rush of Adrenaline and Rabid Bite the Rider to kill it. Opponent just lets it die rather that putting it back in his hand, which seems like it could have been a F6 error. He also casts Asylum Visitor. He casts Stallion of Ashmouth, which I have to kill with another combat trick. Opponent doesn't have much going on either though, as he uses Murderous Compulsion on my Stoic Builder. I cast Gloomwidow. He plays Twins of Maurer Estate to empty his hand, but I have Geistblast to kill the Visitor and stop him drawing cards. Ground games are stalled. My opponent proceeds to get flooded, and draws 3 more lands, while I go Watcher in the Web into Dance with Devils, giving me 5 creatures (did I mention one of my lands was Westvale Abbey?) I need to hit a land to activate it, but I do, and decide to just go for it, saccing my entire board and then hitting him down to 2. He draws and concedes.
G3: I keep the R/G deck, but I also decide to add a Plains and the search-land for random activation of my Veteran Cathar, and side in Silverstrike while I'm at it. G3 seems like it's going to be slightly anti-climactic as opponent mulligans to 5. But he hits his land drops and hits t2 Daring Sleuth. My first play is a Gloomwidow. So he hits me down to 12 just with the Sleuth, and adds 3 more with a Stormrider Spirit. So I'm at 9. He's been taking Gloomwidow hits, however, and I finally add Thornhide Wolves. I also have a Murderer's Axe which I screw up equipping, when I think that Lightning Axe is a madness spell, so I discard it instead of using it. I still have Clip Wings, however for the Spirit. He Murderous Compulsions, but has no other threats and I follow with Gatstaf Arsonists for the win.
1-0.
There's a good chance I never win again. I got very lucky, so I'm celebrating while I can. I haven't decided if this means I should just run R/G to start or not.
Ambush Krotiq makes me laugh so much. I keep rereading the card and it keeps not having Flash. In what sense is this an ambush again? I just have visions of this huge Krotiq poorly concealed in some bushes, feeling slightly sad that his carefully planned ambushes never seem to work.
I decided to start the R/G with W splash for Silverstrike deck this time.
G1: I keep a super slow-looking opener with just a Watcher in the Web for creatures, but I have lands and a couple removal spells. I think I'm completely doomed when opponent opens on t2 Call the Bloodline. He pitches a land t3 to make a dude. When he goes t4 Inspiring Captain, I kill the token with Geistblast. I then kill the Captain with Inner Struggle. He goes Devilthorn Fox + another token. Finally I hit 5 lands and can start deploying creatures (I have all my 5-drops). Start with Thornhide Wolves. He kills it on my swing with Murderous Compulsion and makes another token. I deploy Gatstaf Arsonists and he immediately removes with Declaration in Stone, and hits for 5. Next I play freshly drawn Solitary Hunter, which is big enough to hold the ground, but he rips a Gryff's Boon and puts it on the Fox and hits for 4 more. Finally I play the Watcher, which stonewalls him. Until he plays Neglected Heirloom and equips, making the Fox 5/2. Fortunately I have Lightning Axe. Rabid Bite on his Unruly Mob and suddenly my transformed Hunter is ruling against his 3 1/1 tokens. Until he madnesses out Twins of Maurer Estate + token, and now the ground is totally stalled. I think he forgets about the Gryff's Boon for several turns which is super fortunate for me, as when he remembers it and puts it on the equipped Twins to make a 5/6 flyer I have drawn my Aim High and get him. Ground is still stalled though because he's got 4 tokens + unknown cards still in hand. I have a Westvale Abbey now, however. I wait until I don't have to sac my entire board because if his last card is removal I will just die, but it's not, and Ormendahl, Profane Prince comes calling. A few swings later and it's on to g2.
G2: I decide to bring in the Clip Wings again. My opener is 5 lands (including Abbey) Moldgraf Scavenger and Arsonists. I keep. This time opponent goes t2 Unruly Mob, t3 Call the Bloodline. Again, I am not sure I can beat this without any removal which I don't have. I have a Gloomwidow, and then plays out some werewolves (Lambholt Pacifist, Arsonists). Meanwhile opponent has madnessed out Twins + token again. Opponent also has a Kindly Stranger (with zero cards in graveyard though). He puts Gryff's Boon on Twins again and hits once, but I play Watcher again to block. This is also my 5th creature. Opponent still has two cards in hand, and I'm worried about all kinds of things --- and then he just concedes. Maybe he had nothing, maybe he just didn't want to play anymore. It was clearly premature as he definitely had outs, but I guess I'll take it?
Somehow we are 2-0, and now I'm really worried because I just need to win 1 more to actually get something back here, which would be a huge victory, I think.
Round Three:
I'm skipping the detailed play-by-play because I don't have access to it right now (and no one actually seems interested anyway :p) I've pretty much decided to keep running the R/G deck with W splash. This maximizes my removal, and still seems to give me enough early/late game.
R3 opponent was G/W with a B splash (I think). I won G1, lost G2 on my mulligan to 5, and then...my computer started acting up. Really lagging. I re-started twice trying to fix it, but the clock kept ticking down. At the end my opponent was at 4, and I had a Moldgraf Scavenger (with Delirium) equipped with Murderer's Axe. Opponent had his own Moldgraf Scavenger (no delirium), a 1/1 spirit token, and an unequipped Slayer's Plate (it's unequipped because I kind of got him with sideboarded Clip Wings. Also 1 unknown card in hand. I have like 30 seconds left. I also have a Geistblast in hand. Given the situation, the correct line is clearly shoot the spirit, swing and force the chump block, and hope he doesn't have a play next turn. Instead I was hurrying so much I just attacked in. He chumped with the spirit, and on his next turn he equipped the Plate to the plant. making it a 4/6. I swung in again, he blocked, and I finished it off with the Geistblast, but then I timed out. Man, that one smarted.
Round Four:
This guy was B/G (I think - I know he was black). With a bunch of removal spells and some fattys. What I remember is that I decided to sideboard in my Malevolent Whispers for him, and it was amazing. Basically won me both games I won. In the one case taking him from 16 down to 4 in one swing from my team, and in the other just killing him outright. I know he went t2 Call the Bloodline in the last game, and it didn't really do much of anything. Maybe that card isn't as scary as I thought, since I see to win all the games where my opponent is playing it t2....
Round Five:
This is it! The Grand Finale! The Last Stand! For all the Marbles!
Appropriately enough, I face, the mirror (R/G).
And we prevail! In some close games where I was continuously manascrewed. G1 I keep two mountains, no forest and end up having to discard (at least it was a Fiery Temper). I basically never recover from the early screw, though it takes him a long time to actually kill me. G2 I do 19 to him on one swing when he doesn't block my flipped Solitary Hunter + Gloomwidow, and I go Aim High + Uncaged Fury. G3 I'm literally stuck on 4 lands the whole game, but 2 Moldgraf Scavengers save my life early, and eventually I play my Murderer's Axe, and use it to get out Incorrigible Youths. Then I equip next turn with Fiery Temper and the 6/5 basically goes all the way. Opponent even played a Tamiyo's Journal and kept popping clue tokens, but never found an answer.
4-1 Baby. Never would have thought it with this pool, but I guess it just goes to show.
Ambush Krotiq makes me laugh so much. I keep rereading the card and it keeps not having Flash. In what sense is this an ambush again? I just have visions of this huge Krotiq poorly concealed in some bushes, feeling slightly sad that his carefully planned ambushes never seem to work.
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1 Stern Constable
1 Expose Evil
1 Moorland Drifter
2 Open the Armory
1 Cathar's Companion
2 Ethereal Guidance
2 Militant Inquisitor
1 Paranoid Parish-Blade
1 Pious Evangel
1 Survive the Night
1 Inspiring Captain
1 Silverstrike
1 Emissary of the Sleepless
1 Drogskol Cavalry
Blue
1 Invasive Surgery
1 Furtive Homunculus
2 Ghostly Wings
1 Jace's Scrutiny
1 Nagging Thoughts
2 Ongoing Investigation
1 Rattlechains
1 Catalog
1 Pieces of the Puzzle
1 Stitched Mangler
1 Drownyard Explorers
1 Startled Awake
1 Gone Missing
1 Shamble Back
1 Heir of Falkenrath
1 Rancid Rats
1 Alms of the Vein
1 Crow of Dark Tidings
1 Farbog Revenant
1 Tooth Collector
1 Stromkirk Mentor
2 Hound of the Farbogs
3 Twins of Maurer Estate
Red
1 Insolent Neonate
1 Lightning Axe
1 Rush of Adrenaline
1 Ember-Eye Wolf
1 Senseless Rage
1 Tormenting Voice
1 Vessel of Volatility
1 Geistblast
1 Harness the Storm
1 Uncaged Fury
1 Fiery Temper
1 Dance with Devils
1 Inner Struggle
1 Malevolent Whispers
1 Structural Distortion
1 Gatstaf Arsonists
1 Incorrigible Youths
1 Loam Dryad
1 Aim High
1 Clip Wings
1 Deathcap Cultivator
1 Lambholt Pacifist
2 Moldgraf Scavenger
1 Rabid Bite
1 Veteran Cathar
1 Autumnal Gloom
1 Gloomwidow
1 Stoic Builder
1 Equestrian Skill
1 Solitary Hunter
1 Thornhide Wolves
1 Watcher in the Web
Multi-Color
1 Fevered Visions
Artifact
1 Murderer's Axe
1 Tamiyo's Journal
Land
1 Forsaken Sanctuary
1 Warped Landscape
1 Westvale Abbey
Edit: Uploading the various builds I'm looking at
Editing in results! (Since no one is helping me
Match 1: I started with the R/B Vampire deck. I'm not sure why I'm drawn to this one, except I love me a Heir of Falkenrath something fierce, and the deck seemed at least capable of the most explosive starts.
G1 was mulligan to 6, but I had the Heir in hand + a Twins if I could rip a land. That happened, so I lived the dream of t2 Heir, t3 flips and cast Twins. Opponent does not have immediate removal, so I get to hit him a few times. He does have ground blockers, however, with 2/2 guy that buys back from the graveyard, and Wild-Field Scarecrow, so I can't get in on the ground, and then I miss land drops. He tries to block my Heir with a flash Stormrider Spirit, but I have an uncaged fury. Then he just goes Declaration in Stone though. He bounces guys with Just the Wind and Gone Missing while I'm mana screwed and starts hitting me down. Finally hit my 5th land and can stabilize on the ground. Just in time for him to cast Geralf's Masterpiece (as a 6/6) I chump for a turn with Crow of Dark Tidings and pop the clue token looking for an answer. Find Lightning Axe. The timing is fun because to kill the Messenger I have to hit him in his draw step right when it goes down to 5/5 (get to put out another Twins as bonus). If opponent has an Instant in hand I lose on the spot, but he doesn't. So I think I have a chance, until he plays a draw two, discards his hand and brings it back, now a 7/7. Dead.
G2: I decide to switch decks to something I think may do better against flying creatures. I go for the G/R deck now, which has a couple spiders and also side in my Clip Wings. I keep a somewhat unexciting hand with a Moldgraf Scavenger into a Stoic Builder for no value. Opponent goes Pale Rider of Trostad/Just the Wind to set me back (I again miss land drop #4). Then he puts Ghostly Wings on the Pale Rider. I have to pump the Stoic Builder with a Rush of Adrenaline and Rabid Bite the Rider to kill it. Opponent just lets it die rather that putting it back in his hand, which seems like it could have been a F6 error. He also casts Asylum Visitor. He casts Stallion of Ashmouth, which I have to kill with another combat trick. Opponent doesn't have much going on either though, as he uses Murderous Compulsion on my Stoic Builder. I cast Gloomwidow. He plays Twins of Maurer Estate to empty his hand, but I have Geistblast to kill the Visitor and stop him drawing cards. Ground games are stalled. My opponent proceeds to get flooded, and draws 3 more lands, while I go Watcher in the Web into Dance with Devils, giving me 5 creatures (did I mention one of my lands was Westvale Abbey?) I need to hit a land to activate it, but I do, and decide to just go for it, saccing my entire board and then hitting him down to 2. He draws and concedes.
G3: I keep the R/G deck, but I also decide to add a Plains and the search-land for random activation of my Veteran Cathar, and side in Silverstrike while I'm at it. G3 seems like it's going to be slightly anti-climactic as opponent mulligans to 5. But he hits his land drops and hits t2 Daring Sleuth. My first play is a Gloomwidow. So he hits me down to 12 just with the Sleuth, and adds 3 more with a Stormrider Spirit. So I'm at 9. He's been taking Gloomwidow hits, however, and I finally add Thornhide Wolves. I also have a Murderer's Axe which I screw up equipping, when I think that Lightning Axe is a madness spell, so I discard it instead of using it. I still have Clip Wings, however for the Spirit. He Murderous Compulsions, but has no other threats and I follow with Gatstaf Arsonists for the win.
1-0.
There's a good chance I never win again. I got very lucky, so I'm celebrating while I can. I haven't decided if this means I should just run R/G to start or not.
I decided to start the R/G with W splash for Silverstrike deck this time.
G1: I keep a super slow-looking opener with just a Watcher in the Web for creatures, but I have lands and a couple removal spells. I think I'm completely doomed when opponent opens on t2 Call the Bloodline. He pitches a land t3 to make a dude. When he goes t4 Inspiring Captain, I kill the token with Geistblast. I then kill the Captain with Inner Struggle. He goes Devilthorn Fox + another token. Finally I hit 5 lands and can start deploying creatures (I have all my 5-drops). Start with Thornhide Wolves. He kills it on my swing with Murderous Compulsion and makes another token. I deploy Gatstaf Arsonists and he immediately removes with Declaration in Stone, and hits for 5. Next I play freshly drawn Solitary Hunter, which is big enough to hold the ground, but he rips a Gryff's Boon and puts it on the Fox and hits for 4 more. Finally I play the Watcher, which stonewalls him. Until he plays Neglected Heirloom and equips, making the Fox 5/2. Fortunately I have Lightning Axe. Rabid Bite on his Unruly Mob and suddenly my transformed Hunter is ruling against his 3 1/1 tokens. Until he madnesses out Twins of Maurer Estate + token, and now the ground is totally stalled. I think he forgets about the Gryff's Boon for several turns which is super fortunate for me, as when he remembers it and puts it on the equipped Twins to make a 5/6 flyer I have drawn my Aim High and get him. Ground is still stalled though because he's got 4 tokens + unknown cards still in hand. I have a Westvale Abbey now, however. I wait until I don't have to sac my entire board because if his last card is removal I will just die, but it's not, and Ormendahl, Profane Prince comes calling. A few swings later and it's on to g2.
G2: I decide to bring in the Clip Wings again. My opener is 5 lands (including Abbey) Moldgraf Scavenger and Arsonists. I keep. This time opponent goes t2 Unruly Mob, t3 Call the Bloodline. Again, I am not sure I can beat this without any removal which I don't have. I have a Gloomwidow, and then plays out some werewolves (Lambholt Pacifist, Arsonists). Meanwhile opponent has madnessed out Twins + token again. Opponent also has a Kindly Stranger (with zero cards in graveyard though). He puts Gryff's Boon on Twins again and hits once, but I play Watcher again to block. This is also my 5th creature. Opponent still has two cards in hand, and I'm worried about all kinds of things --- and then he just concedes. Maybe he had nothing, maybe he just didn't want to play anymore. It was clearly premature as he definitely had outs, but I guess I'll take it?
Somehow we are 2-0, and now I'm really worried because I just need to win 1 more to actually get something back here, which would be a huge victory, I think.
Round Three:
I'm skipping the detailed play-by-play because I don't have access to it right now (and no one actually seems interested anyway :p) I've pretty much decided to keep running the R/G deck with W splash. This maximizes my removal, and still seems to give me enough early/late game.
R3 opponent was G/W with a B splash (I think). I won G1, lost G2 on my mulligan to 5, and then...my computer started acting up. Really lagging. I re-started twice trying to fix it, but the clock kept ticking down. At the end my opponent was at 4, and I had a Moldgraf Scavenger (with Delirium) equipped with Murderer's Axe. Opponent had his own Moldgraf Scavenger (no delirium), a 1/1 spirit token, and an unequipped Slayer's Plate (it's unequipped because I kind of got him with sideboarded Clip Wings. Also 1 unknown card in hand. I have like 30 seconds left. I also have a Geistblast in hand. Given the situation, the correct line is clearly shoot the spirit, swing and force the chump block, and hope he doesn't have a play next turn. Instead I was hurrying so much I just attacked in. He chumped with the spirit, and on his next turn he equipped the Plate to the plant. making it a 4/6. I swung in again, he blocked, and I finished it off with the Geistblast, but then I timed out. Man, that one smarted.
Round Four:
This guy was B/G (I think - I know he was black). With a bunch of removal spells and some fattys. What I remember is that I decided to sideboard in my Malevolent Whispers for him, and it was amazing. Basically won me both games I won. In the one case taking him from 16 down to 4 in one swing from my team, and in the other just killing him outright. I know he went t2 Call the Bloodline in the last game, and it didn't really do much of anything. Maybe that card isn't as scary as I thought, since I see to win all the games where my opponent is playing it t2....
Round Five:
This is it! The Grand Finale! The Last Stand! For all the Marbles!
Appropriately enough, I face, the mirror (R/G).
And we prevail! In some close games where I was continuously manascrewed. G1 I keep two mountains, no forest and end up having to discard (at least it was a Fiery Temper). I basically never recover from the early screw, though it takes him a long time to actually kill me. G2 I do 19 to him on one swing when he doesn't block my flipped Solitary Hunter + Gloomwidow, and I go Aim High + Uncaged Fury. G3 I'm literally stuck on 4 lands the whole game, but 2 Moldgraf Scavengers save my life early, and eventually I play my Murderer's Axe, and use it to get out Incorrigible Youths. Then I equip next turn with Fiery Temper and the 6/5 basically goes all the way. Opponent even played a Tamiyo's Journal and kept popping clue tokens, but never found an answer.
4-1 Baby. Never would have thought it with this pool, but I guess it just goes to show.