Why would you waste an entire sideboard slot just for mill?
If in your meta mill is so popular and u dont play Gp or events with more 100+ players u can use a single Emrakul... idk why no....
First, if you need something against mill use Kozilek instead. It costs less money and it costs less mana in case if you can ever actually cast it. Second, is mill really popular enough to devote an entire sideboard slot just to mill?
1. Against mill? Laugh because they are slow and outrace them?
2. Leyline of Sanctity
3. Seriously though? You lose to mill?
4. Have you lost like... sets of a game? Or a single game here or there? My brother ran a pretty streamlined mill deck for a little bit and they're just too inconsistent. I always won with around 5-10 cards in my library.
I just played the flash version with my friend yesterday and it seems SO MUCH BETTER. Geist and hellkite were so clunky, and my win percentage jumped versus my friend's scapeshift, storm and affinity decks and a few tested games with pod and other decks. It works so nicely to be able to play at instant speed to apply some amount of pressure and still answer things. I like playing without geist and hellkite. In so many matchups they just do nothing and cutting them for cards that are better against the aggro decks and combo decks has been better for me.
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Currently Playing:
Modern: RUGScapeshift[RUG...Occasionally with goyfs RUGTarmotwinRUG(RIP)
Legacy: UWxuwr miracles and stonebladeUWx
Commander: UWRShu Yun/Ruhan SmashUWR
I just played the flash version with my friend yesterday and it seems SO MUCH BETTER. Geist and hellkite were so clunky, and my win percentage jumped versus my friend's scapeshift, storm and affinity decks and a few tested games with pod and other decks. It works so nicely to be able to play at instant speed to apply some amount of pressure and still answer things. I like playing without geist and hellkite. In so many matchups they just do nothing and cutting them for cards that are better against the aggro decks and combo decks has been better for me.
I've been trying to convince you guys! Glad you liked it. What was your list? (:
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Current Decks:
Modern Modern Warp / UR Control / UR Storm / Naya Breachshift / ElectroBalance
Legacy Solidarity / Lands / Sneak and Show / Grixis Delver / Reanimator / Belcher / Storm / Dredge
It also runs 4 tec edges as opposed to 2. The spell snares and mana leaks could basically be meta calls. If you take those out it is basically Ajani + Sphinx's versus Resto + Clique. The way I see it, the flash deck still doesn't win very quickly. Due to it not winning very quickly, I would much rather have Ajani/Sphinx's in those later scenarios than flyers that can be blocked and only hit for 3 a turn. Obviously the ETB effects are strong, but if you get to mid/late game, the control still overtakes you.
While Geist could be seen as weak in the current meta (which I don't necessarily agree with), he still presents a fast clock to the opponent. Control keeps them from playing the game. The flash version just seems like an awkwardly placed middle man to me. If there were flash creatures that either presented a faster clock or were more resilient, I would be a fan of running those, but in the current meta, Clique is very weak to removal and a 1/1 flyer blocks it (think BB, Lingering Souls, etc.). Resto Angel costs 4 mana for 3 damage, or at best can give you an extra snap on turn 6. I'm just not buying the midrange/control hybrid that is flash atm, but I will start testing it more and see.
The only way I see the flash variety becoming truly successful is if it becomes a good idea to run Aven Mindcensor mainboard. This card is already a great sideboard card, is a 2 power flyer, and can shut off pretty much any deck. As it stands, having 10 flash creatures just isn't enough to me when they beat so slow. If you up that count to 12/13 without losing much of the rest of the deck, then you have something that can kill a bit quicker.
Shadow of Doubt is really bad. It looks good and we think "oh yeah, we're gonna Snapcast that thing" but:
-half the games we play, our opponent is going first and will get two fetchland activations before we get Shadow off
-a crucial part of the early game is fetch into either Steam Vents + Plains or Sacred Foundry + Island, which gets even more important with Blood Moon out.
-UU requires you to get two blue sources on turn 2, which can cost a lot of life.
-it's low-down, no good, terrible off the top of the deck
-even if you catch someone with it, it's typically at your end step so you have to tap down low
-it doesn't strategically do much, since you aren't able to land a heater and Stone Rain/Vapor Snag someone for four turns like UW Delver did in Standard.
-in general, sideboard cards are best when they are either permanents or are good whenever you draw them. So things like Mindcensor are good and Wear/Tear is going to be fine whenever you draw it.
3 Spellskite is weird, do you fear Bogles that much? Twin is not really an issue.
1 Leyline is weird, too.
No Batterskull means you've got a weaker game vs. aggro and long-game control.
No Wear/Tear means you're giving up a really good answer to Blood Moon.
In general, Vendilion Clique is just so much better than Delver. Both lose hard to Electrolyze, so you might as well run the better card.
For what it's worth by the way, I've grudgingly tried Eiganjo Castle and it's fine. I cut an Edge for it since mana is already an issue. It stops flashed Snapcasters, which is more important than stopping Kird Apes.
thank you so much for the help i did cut 2 Shadow of Doubt for 2 wear/tear and
1 Spellskite for 1 wrath of god
i went 4-3 then dropped i needed to go 7-2 to advance to day 2 i beat rock 2x 2-0, infect 2-1, lost to jund 1-2, didnt see 1 path the entire time and drew way to many lands all the games. lost to a twiddle storm deck 1-2 we went off on turn 3 and was on the play the one game i couldn't do much about that i beat him the first game after he did make 18 goblins (thank you cryptic and delver) second game he went off again and i couldn't draw any counter magic maybe should of mulled to 5 idk, lost to zoo 1-2, beat living end 2-1 very easily he just had 2 instant speed cascades 1 at eot and 1 in main of turn 4 and i was on the draw. so could only counter 1. tat might have been my fault for having a creature out. as for the whole delver in modern thing im still not convinced but i can see why you say it some games it was lousy. but in others i owe the game to it.
So as a long time lurker, I figured I would contribute some to the discussion by posting my gp Richmond report. I really wish I had written down my Sideboard changes each game afterwords though. I finished 6-3 losing my day 2 win and in. I'd consider this reasonably successful for my first GP ever. I honestly hhink it was a bad deck for the meta, but played it anyway because I enjoy playing it, and having played long enough felt I could steal some wins (which definitely happened). Biggest mistake I made was not writing down my sidebaord changes after each match, even though I had a general play I made adjustments on the fly.
Maindeck continues to win me games, I stole games off living end and merfolk. It was especially relevant against living end blanking monstrous carabids. Flame slash also performed will, killing a goyf, multiple germ tokens to clear the way, and as general removal. Played Ajani as Helix #4, didnt make a huge difference, as I saw very few of them, and when I did, it was against burn. Thundermaw felt too late, and usually had to play defense, and easily could have been a 2nd angel. Cryptics were really hit and miss all weekend. Sometimes they felt great, and sometimes they were awful. I was reasonably happy with my Sideboard, and echoing truth continues to be a house, wish I had opted to cut an anger instead of echoing for my hallowed burial. I chose burial because I wanted an out for thrun and living end. I managed to dodge combo outside of living end, but going forward, I would swap timely for a 2nd counterflux.
Rounds 1-3 were all Living End 2-1
I lost games when they saw their land destruction package, won when they didn’t. I won rounds 1 and 2 both 2-1 and lost round 3 2-0. Getting paired into living end 3 times was incredibly demoralizing, and I really didn't take many notes against them because I play living end so regularly. My game plan in g1 is to show countermagic long enough to force them to have 2 cascade spells in game 1, and burn the dome. Games 2 and 3 I try and protect rest in peace with a clock on the board. Batterskull frequently will complete a win, and did so in 3 of 4 games I won.
Round 4 Blue Moon 3-1
This match was actually really fun, probably because my opponent was so pleasant. I lost a grindy game 1 full of snapcaster on snapcaster action to a late topdecked vedalken shackles. I spent the early game behind to 3 remands G2 I open colonnade into island, representing a color short, he bites and puts spreading seas on colonnade. Untap, shock myself with hallowed fountain and slam Geist, and the rest was history. Game 3 a turn 3 geist forces through 10 points of damage before dying to a snapcaster mage. He turn 3ed a bloodmoon to follow my geist. bloodmoon and turns on my Thundermaw which closes out the game.
Round 5 Esper control 4-1
Game 1 I was on the, he tapped for a thoughtsieze, I topdeck geist which clears through for 12 before dying to a verdict off the top. Burn and snapcaster close out game 1. I had only seen Serum visions, thoughtsieze and verdict as spells and really had no idea exactly what he was on. I thought he might have had a gifts package, so I boarded in runed halo for game 2 (it wasn’t there). G2 was long highlighted by an interesting batterskull/germ war. I cast mine after he tapped out for verdict, it gets detention sphere. He responds 2 turns later with his own, I bounce sphere with echoing truth and path his token, he paths mine. Eventually they both wind up beneath a sphere. I was not aggressive enough in response to his Gideon after a snapcaster ambush vipered my geist getting him to 7 He sees a 2nd batterskull and the token fight continues. I get him to 4 from burn but am at 2 myself. He keeps bouncing his batterskull instead of equipping his snapcasters. I run out of answers and he has a batterskull token threatening my plan to snapcaster bolt + helix to finish the game. I topdeck counterflux, he has 3 cards in hand (which I assume is verdict), 8 mana up. I lead with Helix, he casts shadow of doubt, I respond with snapcaster mage he casts remand. I overload counter flux and he reveals a hand of supreme verdict. Win with 3 minutes on the clock, Whew.
Round 6 Merfolk 5-1
I really like this opponent as well, but what was more astonishing was the game next to us. The guy to my right, before the round started, calls a judge complaining about how his opponent was riffle shuffling his cards. The players were both from the same area, and got into a running argument for the next five minutes. We call a judge to shut them up.
Merfolk is a war of keeping lords off the board. He was aggressive with spreading seas to keep me off red (lost both vents and falls), but I had answers for all the early lords in time. A path off my only white (he had 4 spreading seas!) for a lord + 2 mutavaults let me ambush viper with snapcaster to trade. I stabilize at 4 life with Batterskull and close it out. G2 I lose the spreading seas war, but win the war over the lords. I eventually lose to a bunch of mutavaults and silvergill adepts. His key play was phantasmal imaging my clique to take my hallowed burial. G3 he opens mutavault into vial and misses his 2nd land drop, and my removal is 2 path to exile. At end of turn 2 he does not vial in cursecatcher, so I go for an upkeep a topdecked Wear on the vial and get it through. T3 I drop a clique, see no land, and leave it. Clique and snapcaster plus spell snare close it out.
Round 7 Jund 5-2
I didn’t take many notes here, but the short version is courser of Kruphix is an absolute pain and singlehandedly beat me both games (backed by some timely thoughsiezes). Game 2 I got close by landstalling him using tec edge and a cryptic bouncing a raging ravine, but a Courser into overgrown tomb on the top into lili into bob was the nail in the coffin. Colonnade did just fine clearing lili, but I lost both to a slaughter pact into terminate after.
Round 8 RWb Burn 6-2
Game 1 my opener has double helix ajani Tarn, sulfur falls, colonnade and remand, which is just about as good as it gets. I’m on the play. Opens suspend rift bolt, fetch for hallowed fountain tapped, play sulfur falls, remand the rift bolt, draw remand. He suspends 2 rift bolts, colonnade tapped, pass turn. Remand a rift bolt, take 3 go to 16. he burns me, leaving 2 mana up, I helix him. T4 I helix again following his burn and he casts vexing devil. I let it stay, untap cast ajani, -2 into vexing devil, he boros charms it. He attacks ajani, I path vexing devil. +1 ajani, cast geist. He’s holding cards now, I swing with geist, he fetches, using searing blaze to clear ajani. Geist still closes out the game. Game 3 is Highlighted by his turn 2 suspend rift bolt, I untap, tarn into sacred foundry, use foundry and colonnade to cast runed halo naming rift bolt. He untaps, suspend happens Judge call, does he have to rift bolt himself. The 3 damage he did to himself was crucial to ending it in 3 swings with geist. I had 1 turn where I was vulnerable to a boros charm for lethal (when I cast geist), but he never saw white.
Round 9 Zoo
Game 1 I have the nut hand, 3 bolts, helix, remand 2 lands. I kill 3 nacatls, missing land drop #3, find it turn 4. Remand goyf into spell snare. Goyf #2 gets hit by cryptic, and I proceed to see lands for the rest of the game, 19 of 25, as he paths paths my colonnades and I die to a Knight of the Reilquary and scavenging ooze. Game 2 I again have answers to the 3 nacatls, get to 9 lands in play after wiping the board of 3 hierarchs + ooze with hallowed burial. I start swinging with colonnade. He drops me to 6 off burn and 2 cards in hand, I go to swing again, planning to cast timely reinforcements after, one of the cards is path. He untaps draws and goes bolt-helix off the top. That turn I should have tec edged his only white (which I missed it was the only one), cast timely and held for cryptic. Lesson in never looking, top of the deck was batterskull and ajani.
I’m happy to answer Questions about what I played and why if you have any.
Is it me Or are there only pod twin Storm and some Zoo Decks around in Richmond?
5,pods in top8 - so boring. You can say what u want but with drs threre was much more diversity around.
It just takes time for people to adjust, and gravehate doesn't beat pod. It's a GoodStuff.dec with an infinite backup. You need grave hate OR library searching hate with a strong aggro control/thwarting idea. It'll take more than just a single big modern event for that to pop-up, but it'll come. Pod is a fantastic deck, but not unbeatable. People will beat it back down.
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Current Decks:
Modern Modern Warp / UR Control / UR Storm / Naya Breachshift / ElectroBalance
Legacy Solidarity / Lands / Sneak and Show / Grixis Delver / Reanimator / Belcher / Storm / Dredge
Is it me Or are there only pod twin Storm and some Zoo Decks around in Richmond?
5,pods in top8 - so boring. You can say what u want but with drs threre was much more diversity around.
It just takes time for people to adjust, and gravehate doesn't beat pod. It's a GoodStuff.dec with an infinite backup. You need grave hate OR library searching hate with a strong aggro control/thwarting idea. It'll take more than just a single big modern event for that to pop-up, but it'll come. Pod is a fantastic deck, but not unbeatable. People will beat it back down.
even thought pod top 8ed alot affinity was killing everything i think they just all got matched against each other right before the top 8 i seen multiple affinity mirrors playing against each other and not many people were running it.
Is it me Or are there only pod twin Storm and some Zoo Decks around in Richmond?
5,pods in top8 - so boring. You can say what u want but with drs threre was much more diversity around.
It just takes time for people to adjust, and gravehate doesn't beat pod. It's a GoodStuff.dec with an infinite backup. You need grave hate OR library searching hate with a strong aggro control/thwarting idea. It'll take more than just a single big modern event for that to pop-up, but it'll come. Pod is a fantastic deck, but not unbeatable. People will beat it back down.
even thought pod top 8ed alot affinity was killing everything i think they just all got matched against each other right before the top 8 i seen multiple affinity mirrors playing against each other and not many people were running it.
Haha, you're making a funny? Making a joke, right? It was the most popular archetype on the field with almost 14% of the field day 2.
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Current Decks:
Modern Modern Warp / UR Control / UR Storm / Naya Breachshift / ElectroBalance
Legacy Solidarity / Lands / Sneak and Show / Grixis Delver / Reanimator / Belcher / Storm / Dredge
Is it me Or are there only pod twin Storm and some Zoo Decks around in Richmond?
5,pods in top8 - so boring. You can say what u want but with drs threre was much more diversity around.
It just takes time for people to adjust, and gravehate doesn't beat pod. It's a GoodStuff.dec with an infinite backup. You need grave hate OR library searching hate with a strong aggro control/thwarting idea. It'll take more than just a single big modern event for that to pop-up, but it'll come. Pod is a fantastic deck, but not unbeatable. People will beat it back down.
even thought pod top 8ed alot affinity was killing everything i think they just all got matched against each other right before the top 8 i seen multiple affinity mirrors playing against each other and not many people were running it.
Haha, you're making a funny? Making a joke, right? It was the most popular archetype on the field with almost 14% of the field day 2.
day 2 not day 1 when the field was very open there were lots of different archtypes at least from what i saw walking around. i didn't see as much of day 2 seeing how i wasn't good enough. i havent looked at any stats this is just what i saw. so i maybe incorrect.
UWRMiraclesRWU
Modern
UWRControlRWU
Standard
Ummm no...
Trade Thread
He uses surgical extraction
Why would you waste an entire sideboard slot just for mill?
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.
First, if you need something against mill use Kozilek instead. It costs less money and it costs less mana in case if you can ever actually cast it. Second, is mill really popular enough to devote an entire sideboard slot just to mill?
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.
1. Against mill? Laugh because they are slow and outrace them?
2. Leyline of Sanctity
3. Seriously though? You lose to mill?
4. Have you lost like... sets of a game? Or a single game here or there? My brother ran a pretty streamlined mill deck for a little bit and they're just too inconsistent. I always won with around 5-10 cards in my library.
Modern:
RUGScapeshift[RUG...Occasionally with goyfs
RUGTarmotwinRUG(RIP)
Legacy:
UWxuwr miracles and stonebladeUWx
Commander:
UWRShu Yun/Ruhan SmashUWR
I've been trying to convince you guys! Glad you liked it. What was your list? (:
3 Arid Mesa
4 Celestial Colonnade
1 Glacial Fortress
2 Hallowed Fountain
3 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Sacred Foundry
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Steam Vents
1 Sulfur Falls
2 Tectonic Edge
3 Electrolyze
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
2 Mana Leak
3 Path to Exile
3 Remand
3 Spell Snare
3 Restoration Angel
4 Snapcaster Mage
3 Vendilion Clique
1 Batterskull
1 Celestial Purge
2 Counterflux
1 Dispel
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Stony Silence
2 Supreme Verdict
1 Wear / Tear
This is the list I was playing.
Modern:
RUGScapeshift[RUG...Occasionally with goyfs
RUGTarmotwinRUG(RIP)
Legacy:
UWxuwr miracles and stonebladeUWx
Commander:
UWRShu Yun/Ruhan SmashUWR
3x Restoration Angel
2x Vendillion Clique
2x Spell Snare
1x Remand
for:
2x Mana Leak
2x Sphinx's Revelation
1x Anger of the Gods
2x Ajani Vengeant
1 extra land
It also runs 4 tec edges as opposed to 2. The spell snares and mana leaks could basically be meta calls. If you take those out it is basically Ajani + Sphinx's versus Resto + Clique. The way I see it, the flash deck still doesn't win very quickly. Due to it not winning very quickly, I would much rather have Ajani/Sphinx's in those later scenarios than flyers that can be blocked and only hit for 3 a turn. Obviously the ETB effects are strong, but if you get to mid/late game, the control still overtakes you.
While Geist could be seen as weak in the current meta (which I don't necessarily agree with), he still presents a fast clock to the opponent. Control keeps them from playing the game. The flash version just seems like an awkwardly placed middle man to me. If there were flash creatures that either presented a faster clock or were more resilient, I would be a fan of running those, but in the current meta, Clique is very weak to removal and a 1/1 flyer blocks it (think BB, Lingering Souls, etc.). Resto Angel costs 4 mana for 3 damage, or at best can give you an extra snap on turn 6. I'm just not buying the midrange/control hybrid that is flash atm, but I will start testing it more and see.
The only way I see the flash variety becoming truly successful is if it becomes a good idea to run Aven Mindcensor mainboard. This card is already a great sideboard card, is a 2 power flyer, and can shut off pretty much any deck. As it stands, having 10 flash creatures just isn't enough to me when they beat so slow. If you up that count to 12/13 without losing much of the rest of the deck, then you have something that can kill a bit quicker.
As for people that are playing the flash version, how does a one-of revelation sound?
Modern:
RUGScapeshift[RUG...Occasionally with goyfs
RUGTarmotwinRUG(RIP)
Legacy:
UWxuwr miracles and stonebladeUWx
Commander:
UWRShu Yun/Ruhan SmashUWR
What would you replace?
Modern:
RUGScapeshift[RUG...Occasionally with goyfs
RUGTarmotwinRUG(RIP)
Legacy:
UWxuwr miracles and stonebladeUWx
Commander:
UWRShu Yun/Ruhan SmashUWR
thank you so much for the help i did cut 2 Shadow of Doubt for 2 wear/tear and
1 Spellskite for 1 wrath of god
i went 4-3 then dropped i needed to go 7-2 to advance to day 2 i beat rock 2x 2-0, infect 2-1, lost to jund 1-2, didnt see 1 path the entire time and drew way to many lands all the games. lost to a twiddle storm deck 1-2 we went off on turn 3 and was on the play the one game i couldn't do much about that i beat him the first game after he did make 18 goblins (thank you cryptic and delver) second game he went off again and i couldn't draw any counter magic maybe should of mulled to 5 idk, lost to zoo 1-2, beat living end 2-1 very easily he just had 2 instant speed cascades 1 at eot and 1 in main of turn 4 and i was on the draw. so could only counter 1. tat might have been my fault for having a creature out. as for the whole delver in modern thing im still not convinced but i can see why you say it some games it was lousy. but in others i owe the game to it.
4 Snapcaster Mage
3 Geist of St. Traft
2 Vendilion Clique
1 Restoration Angle
1 Thundermaw Hellkite
Spells
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Path to Exile
2 Spell Snare
1 Flame Slash
2 Mana Leak
3 Remand
3 Lightning Helix
1 Electrolyze
2 Cryptic Command
1 Ajani Vengeant
1 Batterskull
4 arid mesa
4 celestial colonnade
2 hallowed fountain
2 steam vents
1 sacred foundry
1 sulfur falls
1 eiganjo castle
2 tectonic edge
2 island
1 plains
1 mountain
1 timely reinforcements
2 wear//tear
2 anger of the gods
2 stony silence
2 rest in peace
1 Teferi Mage of Zhalfir
2 Runed Halo
1 Counterflux
1 Hallowed Burial
1 Echoing Truth
Maindeck continues to win me games, I stole games off living end and merfolk. It was especially relevant against living end blanking monstrous carabids. Flame slash also performed will, killing a goyf, multiple germ tokens to clear the way, and as general removal. Played Ajani as Helix #4, didnt make a huge difference, as I saw very few of them, and when I did, it was against burn. Thundermaw felt too late, and usually had to play defense, and easily could have been a 2nd angel. Cryptics were really hit and miss all weekend. Sometimes they felt great, and sometimes they were awful. I was reasonably happy with my Sideboard, and echoing truth continues to be a house, wish I had opted to cut an anger instead of echoing for my hallowed burial. I chose burial because I wanted an out for thrun and living end. I managed to dodge combo outside of living end, but going forward, I would swap timely for a 2nd counterflux.
Rounds 1-3 were all Living End 2-1
I lost games when they saw their land destruction package, won when they didn’t. I won rounds 1 and 2 both 2-1 and lost round 3 2-0. Getting paired into living end 3 times was incredibly demoralizing, and I really didn't take many notes against them because I play living end so regularly. My game plan in g1 is to show countermagic long enough to force them to have 2 cascade spells in game 1, and burn the dome. Games 2 and 3 I try and protect rest in peace with a clock on the board. Batterskull frequently will complete a win, and did so in 3 of 4 games I won.
Round 4 Blue Moon 3-1
This match was actually really fun, probably because my opponent was so pleasant. I lost a grindy game 1 full of snapcaster on snapcaster action to a late topdecked vedalken shackles. I spent the early game behind to 3 remands G2 I open colonnade into island, representing a color short, he bites and puts spreading seas on colonnade. Untap, shock myself with hallowed fountain and slam Geist, and the rest was history. Game 3 a turn 3 geist forces through 10 points of damage before dying to a snapcaster mage. He turn 3ed a bloodmoon to follow my geist. bloodmoon and turns on my Thundermaw which closes out the game.
Round 5 Esper control 4-1
Game 1 I was on the, he tapped for a thoughtsieze, I topdeck geist which clears through for 12 before dying to a verdict off the top. Burn and snapcaster close out game 1. I had only seen Serum visions, thoughtsieze and verdict as spells and really had no idea exactly what he was on. I thought he might have had a gifts package, so I boarded in runed halo for game 2 (it wasn’t there). G2 was long highlighted by an interesting batterskull/germ war. I cast mine after he tapped out for verdict, it gets detention sphere. He responds 2 turns later with his own, I bounce sphere with echoing truth and path his token, he paths mine. Eventually they both wind up beneath a sphere. I was not aggressive enough in response to his Gideon after a snapcaster ambush vipered my geist getting him to 7 He sees a 2nd batterskull and the token fight continues. I get him to 4 from burn but am at 2 myself. He keeps bouncing his batterskull instead of equipping his snapcasters. I run out of answers and he has a batterskull token threatening my plan to snapcaster bolt + helix to finish the game. I topdeck counterflux, he has 3 cards in hand (which I assume is verdict), 8 mana up. I lead with Helix, he casts shadow of doubt, I respond with snapcaster mage he casts remand. I overload counter flux and he reveals a hand of supreme verdict. Win with 3 minutes on the clock, Whew.
Round 6 Merfolk 5-1
I really like this opponent as well, but what was more astonishing was the game next to us. The guy to my right, before the round started, calls a judge complaining about how his opponent was riffle shuffling his cards. The players were both from the same area, and got into a running argument for the next five minutes. We call a judge to shut them up.
Merfolk is a war of keeping lords off the board. He was aggressive with spreading seas to keep me off red (lost both vents and falls), but I had answers for all the early lords in time. A path off my only white (he had 4 spreading seas!) for a lord + 2 mutavaults let me ambush viper with snapcaster to trade. I stabilize at 4 life with Batterskull and close it out. G2 I lose the spreading seas war, but win the war over the lords. I eventually lose to a bunch of mutavaults and silvergill adepts. His key play was phantasmal imaging my clique to take my hallowed burial. G3 he opens mutavault into vial and misses his 2nd land drop, and my removal is 2 path to exile. At end of turn 2 he does not vial in cursecatcher, so I go for an upkeep a topdecked Wear on the vial and get it through. T3 I drop a clique, see no land, and leave it. Clique and snapcaster plus spell snare close it out.
Round 7 Jund 5-2
I didn’t take many notes here, but the short version is courser of Kruphix is an absolute pain and singlehandedly beat me both games (backed by some timely thoughsiezes). Game 2 I got close by landstalling him using tec edge and a cryptic bouncing a raging ravine, but a Courser into overgrown tomb on the top into lili into bob was the nail in the coffin. Colonnade did just fine clearing lili, but I lost both to a slaughter pact into terminate after.
Round 8 RWb Burn 6-2
Game 1 my opener has double helix ajani Tarn, sulfur falls, colonnade and remand, which is just about as good as it gets. I’m on the play. Opens suspend rift bolt, fetch for hallowed fountain tapped, play sulfur falls, remand the rift bolt, draw remand. He suspends 2 rift bolts, colonnade tapped, pass turn. Remand a rift bolt, take 3 go to 16. he burns me, leaving 2 mana up, I helix him. T4 I helix again following his burn and he casts vexing devil. I let it stay, untap cast ajani, -2 into vexing devil, he boros charms it. He attacks ajani, I path vexing devil. +1 ajani, cast geist. He’s holding cards now, I swing with geist, he fetches, using searing blaze to clear ajani. Geist still closes out the game. Game 3 is Highlighted by his turn 2 suspend rift bolt, I untap, tarn into sacred foundry, use foundry and colonnade to cast runed halo naming rift bolt. He untaps, suspend happens Judge call, does he have to rift bolt himself. The 3 damage he did to himself was crucial to ending it in 3 swings with geist. I had 1 turn where I was vulnerable to a boros charm for lethal (when I cast geist), but he never saw white.
Round 9 Zoo
Game 1 I have the nut hand, 3 bolts, helix, remand 2 lands. I kill 3 nacatls, missing land drop #3, find it turn 4. Remand goyf into spell snare. Goyf #2 gets hit by cryptic, and I proceed to see lands for the rest of the game, 19 of 25, as he paths paths my colonnades and I die to a Knight of the Reilquary and scavenging ooze. Game 2 I again have answers to the 3 nacatls, get to 9 lands in play after wiping the board of 3 hierarchs + ooze with hallowed burial. I start swinging with colonnade. He drops me to 6 off burn and 2 cards in hand, I go to swing again, planning to cast timely reinforcements after, one of the cards is path. He untaps draws and goes bolt-helix off the top. That turn I should have tec edged his only white (which I missed it was the only one), cast timely and held for cryptic. Lesson in never looking, top of the deck was batterskull and ajani.
I’m happy to answer Questions about what I played and why if you have any.
It just takes time for people to adjust, and gravehate doesn't beat pod. It's a GoodStuff.dec with an infinite backup. You need grave hate OR library searching hate with a strong aggro control/thwarting idea. It'll take more than just a single big modern event for that to pop-up, but it'll come. Pod is a fantastic deck, but not unbeatable. People will beat it back down.
even thought pod top 8ed alot affinity was killing everything i think they just all got matched against each other right before the top 8 i seen multiple affinity mirrors playing against each other and not many people were running it.
Haha, you're making a funny? Making a joke, right? It was the most popular archetype on the field with almost 14% of the field day 2.
day 2 not day 1 when the field was very open there were lots of different archtypes at least from what i saw walking around. i didn't see as much of day 2 seeing how i wasn't good enough. i havent looked at any stats this is just what i saw. so i maybe incorrect.