I also have a really diverse and i run 2 EE and 2 Chalices in my side.
More with the new metagame, I don't know how the meta will evolve in my store but it remained very diverse.
I really like x4 explore, card advantage is alway great. (I do not count the number of times I've done explore > draw scapeshift/titan > oops, i win)
The problem with anger or kruphix, It really depends on meta, And I don't know what is going to be the meta after ban at my store.
Anger is great vs aggro (obvious), dredge, abzan coco, kiki kord and merfolk.
kruphix (card advantage) is great vs midrange, jund, junk, burn and also aggro (gain life, good block) (problem : feed goyf (2 type) and feed abrupt decay) + since you know exactly what you are going to draw next. It's basically like a free scry every turn with fecths.
I will probably make a split between anger and kruphix.
I really like x4 explore, card advantage is alway great. (I do not count the number of times I've done explore > draw scapeshift/titan > oops, i win)
Explore is not CA, Ancestral Vision , Lingering Souls, and other cards all CA, Dark Confidant offers the possibility of CA, Tasigur as well. Explore is a 1x1 effect, with the possibility of giving you a tempo edge, but it doesn't provides extra cards: you spend 1 card and you get 1 card.
Explore is also the worst ramp spell in the deck, as it requires you to have the second land in hand, whereas all others go and get one from the library. When Explore is good it's just great, but when it's bad it's just the worst. It has the potential of giving you another draw to get a win con like you say, but in mid game it kinda sucks if you draw all gas and no extra lands to keep in hand.
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In Lorwyn's brief evenings, the sun pauses at the horizon long enough for a certain species of violet to bloom with the fragrance of mischief.
Hey guys any advice on playing against Delver decks in general (and what to sideboard in)? Been having a bit of trouble with them (both Grixis and Temur variants). Essentially they resolve a Delver of Secrets or Tasigur, the Golden Fang or Young Pyromancer or Tarmogoyf really early and then sit back with countermagic denying me all my spells and I can't get going. Have managed to stabilize a few times but they had Bolt - Snap - Bolt to finish me off. Usually I can deal with insectile aberration or young pyromancer but tasigur and goyfs get too big too quickly
Hey guys any advice on playing against Delver decks in general (and what to sideboard in)? Been having a bit of trouble with them (both Grixis and Temur variants). Essentially they resolve a Delver of Secrets or Tasigur, the Golden Fang or Young Pyromancer or Tarmogoyf really early and then sit back with countermagic denying me all my spells and I can't get going. Have managed to stabilize a few times but they had Bolt - Snap - Bolt to finish me off. Usually I can deal with insectile aberration or young pyromancer but tasigur and goyfs get too big too quickly
Lightning Bolt and Sudden Shock are key to fight cards like Young Pyromancer, Snapcaster Mage and Delver of Secrets. Anger is good if they are trying to go wide with Pyromancer or delvers. Goyf needs to be taken care of like we do against BGx, combining Valakut triggers with Bolts, the same is true for Tasigur. Just try to ramp while they setup on serum visions finding lands and casting delver or a threat, then you sit back and start dropping lands and aim everything to their creatures until you find your window to resolve your Shift or Titan. From the board cards like Pulse of Murasa, Fog and Obstinate Baloth are great to buy time, the pulse also is good to fight against surgical extraction. If you're on the Chalice of the Void plan setting at 1 is very good.
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In Lorwyn's brief evenings, the sun pauses at the horizon long enough for a certain species of violet to bloom with the fragrance of mischief.
Thanks for the reply. I am generally able to deal with the pyros, snaps and delvers. A Turn 2 Goyf and Delver though is a nightmare, I couldn't ramp up fast enough to Valukut-bolt them and just got beat down. I'll try out the Pulse of Murasa suggestion, sounds like it would be helpful. I'm also trying to get a few Engineered Explosives at the moment.
What's your take on Thrun, the Last Troll? I've been running him as a one-of in my SB and he's a star at chump-blocking and against blue decks in general. Just wondering if there are replacements which would do his job better.
Got an interesting play against Eldrazi Tron.
I had 9 lands on the field and KHE active while he had 3 GQs. I Scapeshifted saccing the 9 lands (should have counted before and only sacc'd 6 lands) and saw that I only had 4 RG Duals and 4 Basics still on the deck.
So I got 3 Valakut, 4 duals and 2 basics and waited for him to use the first GQ.
When he did, I respondend by using KHE to grab the 2 remaining basics triggering both Valakuts again. No matter how he targets with the remaining GQs, he wouldn't be able to stop those 6 new triggers and would go down to 2, then first GQ resolves and I have nothing to search, but that mountain's triggers would still resolve dealing 9 more to him.
Got an interesting play against Eldrazi Tron.
I had 9 lands on the field and KHE active while he had 3 GQs. I Scapeshifted saccing the 9 lands (should have counted before and only sacc'd 6 lands) and saw that I only had 4 RG Duals and 4 Basics still on the deck.
So I got 3 Valakut, 4 duals and 2 basics and waited for him to use the first GQ.
When he did, I respondend by using KHE to grab the 2 remaining basics triggering both Valakuts again. No matter how he targets with the remaining GQs, he wouldn't be able to stop those 6 new triggers and would go down to 2, then first GQ resolves and I have nothing to search, but that mountain's triggers would still resolve dealing 9 more to him.
The best play there is to fetch 3 Valakuts and 5 mountains (8 lands total) leving 1 mountain on the battlefield, then searching 5 mountains and leaving 3 basic mountains in the deck. This way, you trigger 45 damage to the face, leaving 3 basics in your deck for his GQs. if he decides to GQ you, simply add 9 damage to the deal for each time he attempts to disrupt you.
The KHE is redundant and doesn't really do anything in this scenario, it's better left aside and not complicate yourself opening windows for your opp to win.
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In Lorwyn's brief evenings, the sun pauses at the horizon long enough for a certain species of violet to bloom with the fragrance of mischief.
Yeah, I could have lethal even sacrificing only 6 lands (grab 2 Valakuts, 4 nonbasic mountains for 8 triggers), but I only saw that I didn't have more basics after sacrificing everything, when I was looking at the deck.
That was the best way I could find to go around the previous punt.
0-2 against Scapeshift
Poor match up. He just had all the answers. Died to Prismatic Omen shift in G1. G2 I had a Primeval Titan remanded twice in a row, and the third time I cast it he had a snap - remand. Fourth time I tried to cast it he had cryptic. Then he scapeshifted me.
2-1 against Cheerios
I feel that G1 is in their favour but G2 and 3 are much better. G1 he got there with a storm count of 30~ and I could only look at the sorcery-speed Anger of the Gods in hand. One turn earlier I had a lethal Scapeshift turned in to a swan. Sided in 3 Sudden Shock and felt much better. G2 I kept a hand with no ramp but 2 bolts and 1 Sudden Shock. Eventually shifted him for 18 after Steve poked him twice. G3 he mull'ed to 4 looking for a good hand (in his words "we mulligan aggressively for cheerios") while I mull'ed to 6 for a Sudden Shock and a bolt in hand. Eventually got there with Prime Time. Cheerios is very beatable post-board, just need to mull for answers. Srams and Paladins die easily enough.
2-0 against UW Control
Uneventful. G1 he flashed in Spell Queller on my Scapeshift but I bolted it and shifted for 18 damage. G2 I sided in Reverberate, Thrun and Baloths. I had a suspended S4T spell-quelled. I then casted a Thrun, the Last Troll and he flashed in Restoration Angel, blinking the Spell Queller (I then get to cast my S4T for free) which then exiled my Thrun on the stack. That interaction was rather interesting to me. But he was left with 1 open mana for his theatrics. Shifted him for 36.
2-0 against Grixis Delver
Rather straight forward. G1 I had a good hand into turn 4 Primeval Titan while he durdled. Ended the game next turn. G2 I had a Sudden Shock for his Young Pyromancer. Built my board and shifted for 18. He only had Mana Leak which I was able to pay for.
Thoughts
After tonight, I am considering Fracturing Gust in the SB as a catch-all. Maybe I'll take out a Nature's Claim for it. Very happy with 3 Sudden Shocks in the SB which have just overperformed all night. I'm not sold on Reverberate at the moment, seeing as the control matchups are easy and if we face the mirror/other Scapeshift variants, it's just a race to 7 lands. Any input on how to improve mirror matchups?
May be testing RG Breach soon, with 1 or 2 copies of Scapeshift.
Rounds 3-1-1 :
Round 1 : 2-1 vs Abzan Sac/New Aristocrats
Round 2 : 2-1 vs Esper Control
Round 3 : 2-0 vs Naya Burn
Round 4 : 0-2 vs U Tron
Round 5 : Draw vs Lantern
Top 8 : (Merfolk, Skred Red, Jeskaï Nahiri, UW Spirit, U Tron, Lantern, Naya Burn, + me)
1/4 : 2-0 vs Skred Red
1/2 : 2-0 vs Jeskaï Nahiri
Final : 0-2 vs U Tron (same player as round 4)
Rounds 3-1-1 :
Round 1 : 2-1 vs Abzan Sac/New Aristocrats
Round 2 : 2-1 vs Esper Control
Round 3 : 2-0 vs Naya Burn
Round 4 : 0-2 vs U Tron
Round 5 : Draw vs Lantern
Top 8 : (Merfolk, Skred Red, Jeskaï Nahiri, UW Spirit, U Tron, Lantern, Naya Burn, + me)
1/4 : 2-0 vs Skred Red
1/2 : 2-0 vs Jeskaï Nahiri
Final : 0-2 vs U Tron (same player as round 4)
I will post the list tonight.
In your experience, is Skred a good MU? Seems like a hard one to me since they have Blood Moon. Also, is the blue Tron a bad MU? Or Tron generally?
Skreed is a Ok match up (50/50), because he was very slow and no particular pressure even with a blood moon, post side I have a strong plan vs blood moon (3 Obstinate Baloth and 2 Thragtusk + 3 enchantment hate (2 Nature's claim, 1 Back to nature).
Blue Tron is bad MU because of the heavy counterspells, 3 time I lose to Mindslaver lock ! Last lose is to Ugin -10.
Conversely, Gx Tron is good MU because he doesn't disturbe our goldfish.
I also have a really diverse and i run 2 EE and 2 Chalices in my side.
More with the new metagame, I don't know how the meta will evolve in my store but it remained very diverse.
Here is my sideboard for this week's tournament :
2 Chalice of the Void
2 Crumble to Dust (not sure, may be one will suffice ?)
2 Engineered Explosives
2 Nature's Claim
3 Obstinate Baloth
2 Sudden Shock
I will try again 2 Courser of Kruphix maindeck in place of 2 Anger of the Gods.
Or maybe 1 Courser of Kruphix, i don't know yet...
RG Titan Scapeshift GR
UBWAd Nauseam WBU
CEldrazi TronC
WGUBR 5c Humans
GWR Naya Zoo
Legacy:
GW GW Maverick
R Goblins
The problem with anger or kruphix, It really depends on meta, And I don't know what is going to be the meta after ban at my store.
Anger is great vs aggro (obvious), dredge, abzan coco, kiki kord and merfolk.
kruphix (card advantage) is great vs midrange, jund, junk, burn and also aggro (gain life, good block) (problem : feed goyf (2 type) and feed abrupt decay) + since you know exactly what you are going to draw next. It's basically like a free scry every turn with fecths.
I will probably make a split between anger and kruphix.
RG Titan Scapeshift GR
UBWAd Nauseam WBU
CEldrazi TronC
BWBAthreos, God of PassageBWB (Shadowborn Clerics)
Explore is not CA, Ancestral Vision , Lingering Souls, and other cards all CA, Dark Confidant offers the possibility of CA, Tasigur as well. Explore is a 1x1 effect, with the possibility of giving you a tempo edge, but it doesn't provides extra cards: you spend 1 card and you get 1 card.
Explore is also the worst ramp spell in the deck, as it requires you to have the second land in hand, whereas all others go and get one from the library. When Explore is good it's just great, but when it's bad it's just the worst. It has the potential of giving you another draw to get a win con like you say, but in mid game it kinda sucks if you draw all gas and no extra lands to keep in hand.
Lightning Bolt and Sudden Shock are key to fight cards like Young Pyromancer, Snapcaster Mage and Delver of Secrets. Anger is good if they are trying to go wide with Pyromancer or delvers. Goyf needs to be taken care of like we do against BGx, combining Valakut triggers with Bolts, the same is true for Tasigur. Just try to ramp while they setup on serum visions finding lands and casting delver or a threat, then you sit back and start dropping lands and aim everything to their creatures until you find your window to resolve your Shift or Titan. From the board cards like Pulse of Murasa, Fog and Obstinate Baloth are great to buy time, the pulse also is good to fight against surgical extraction. If you're on the Chalice of the Void plan setting at 1 is very good.
Thanks for the reply. I am generally able to deal with the pyros, snaps and delvers. A Turn 2 Goyf and Delver though is a nightmare, I couldn't ramp up fast enough to Valukut-bolt them and just got beat down. I'll try out the Pulse of Murasa suggestion, sounds like it would be helpful. I'm also trying to get a few Engineered Explosives at the moment.
What's your take on Thrun, the Last Troll? I've been running him as a one-of in my SB and he's a star at chump-blocking and against blue decks in general. Just wondering if there are replacements which would do his job better.
I will cut 1 Explore and 1 Anger for 2 Kruphix.
RG Titan Scapeshift GR
UBWAd Nauseam WBU
CEldrazi TronC
Got an interesting play against Eldrazi Tron.
I had 9 lands on the field and KHE active while he had 3 GQs. I Scapeshifted saccing the 9 lands (should have counted before and only sacc'd 6 lands) and saw that I only had 4 RG Duals and 4 Basics still on the deck.
So I got 3 Valakut, 4 duals and 2 basics and waited for him to use the first GQ.
When he did, I respondend by using KHE to grab the 2 remaining basics triggering both Valakuts again. No matter how he targets with the remaining GQs, he wouldn't be able to stop those 6 new triggers and would go down to 2, then first GQ resolves and I have nothing to search, but that mountain's triggers would still resolve dealing 9 more to him.
WGUBR 5c Humans
GWR Naya Zoo
Legacy:
GW GW Maverick
R Goblins
The best play there is to fetch 3 Valakuts and 5 mountains (8 lands total) leving 1 mountain on the battlefield, then searching 5 mountains and leaving 3 basic mountains in the deck. This way, you trigger 45 damage to the face, leaving 3 basics in your deck for his GQs. if he decides to GQ you, simply add 9 damage to the deal for each time he attempts to disrupt you.
The KHE is redundant and doesn't really do anything in this scenario, it's better left aside and not complicate yourself opening windows for your opp to win.
That was the best way I could find to go around the previous punt.
WGUBR 5c Humans
GWR Naya Zoo
Legacy:
GW GW Maverick
R Goblins
Rd1 vs Tron 2-0
Rd2 vs UW Hatebears 0-2
Rd3 vs Jund 2-0
Rd4 vs Revolt Zoo (Naya colors) 2-1
Still very unsure of the -1 Bolt, +1 Beast Within main.
2-0 vs Eldrazi Tron
2-1 vs Melira CoCo
2-0 vs RG TitanShift
2-1 vs Jund
WGUBR 5c Humans
GWR Naya Zoo
Legacy:
GW GW Maverick
R Goblins
1-2 against Affinity
G1 he has a good hand and beats me down with Cranial Plating. G2 I had Engineered Explosives, Anger of the Gods, Nature's Claim, Sudden Shock for him and took the game with a Titan. G3 went to the very late game and I was one turn away from killing him when he peeled an Arcbound Ravager off the top, sacced his entire board to it, then sacced it to a lone Ornithopter to take the win in the air. This game I killed 2 Master of Etherium, 3 Arcbound Ravager, 1 Etched Champion (man was that a ***** to kill) but couldn't get there in the end.
0-2 against Scapeshift
Poor match up. He just had all the answers. Died to Prismatic Omen shift in G1. G2 I had a Primeval Titan remanded twice in a row, and the third time I cast it he had a snap - remand. Fourth time I tried to cast it he had cryptic. Then he scapeshifted me.
2-1 against Cheerios
I feel that G1 is in their favour but G2 and 3 are much better. G1 he got there with a storm count of 30~ and I could only look at the sorcery-speed Anger of the Gods in hand. One turn earlier I had a lethal Scapeshift turned in to a swan. Sided in 3 Sudden Shock and felt much better. G2 I kept a hand with no ramp but 2 bolts and 1 Sudden Shock. Eventually shifted him for 18 after Steve poked him twice. G3 he mull'ed to 4 looking for a good hand (in his words "we mulligan aggressively for cheerios") while I mull'ed to 6 for a Sudden Shock and a bolt in hand. Eventually got there with Prime Time. Cheerios is very beatable post-board, just need to mull for answers. Srams and Paladins die easily enough.
2-0 against UW Control
Uneventful. G1 he flashed in Spell Queller on my Scapeshift but I bolted it and shifted for 18 damage. G2 I sided in Reverberate, Thrun and Baloths. I had a suspended S4T spell-quelled. I then casted a Thrun, the Last Troll and he flashed in Restoration Angel, blinking the Spell Queller (I then get to cast my S4T for free) which then exiled my Thrun on the stack. That interaction was rather interesting to me. But he was left with 1 open mana for his theatrics. Shifted him for 36.
2-0 against Grixis Delver
Rather straight forward. G1 I had a good hand into turn 4 Primeval Titan while he durdled. Ended the game next turn. G2 I had a Sudden Shock for his Young Pyromancer. Built my board and shifted for 18. He only had Mana Leak which I was able to pay for.
Thoughts
After tonight, I am considering Fracturing Gust in the SB as a catch-all. Maybe I'll take out a Nature's Claim for it. Very happy with 3 Sudden Shocks in the SB which have just overperformed all night. I'm not sold on Reverberate at the moment, seeing as the control matchups are easy and if we face the mirror/other Scapeshift variants, it's just a race to 7 lands. Any input on how to improve mirror matchups?
May be testing RG Breach soon, with 1 or 2 copies of Scapeshift.
Rounds 3-1-1 :
Round 1 : 2-1 vs Abzan Sac/New Aristocrats
Round 2 : 2-1 vs Esper Control
Round 3 : 2-0 vs Naya Burn
Round 4 : 0-2 vs U Tron
Round 5 : Draw vs Lantern
Top 8 : (Merfolk, Skred Red, Jeskaï Nahiri, UW Spirit, U Tron, Lantern, Naya Burn, + me)
1/4 : 2-0 vs Skred Red
1/2 : 2-0 vs Jeskaï Nahiri
Final : 0-2 vs U Tron (same player as round 4)
I will post the list tonight.
RG Titan Scapeshift GR
UBWAd Nauseam WBU
CEldrazi TronC
In your experience, is Skred a good MU? Seems like a hard one to me since they have Blood Moon. Also, is the blue Tron a bad MU? Or Tron generally?
Blue Tron is bad MU because of the heavy counterspells, 3 time I lose to Mindslaver lock ! Last lose is to Ugin -10.
Conversely, Gx Tron is good MU because he doesn't disturbe our goldfish.
My list :
// 8 Creature
4 Primeval Titan
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
// 3 Enchantment
3 Khalni Heart Expedition
// 6 Instant
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Summoner's Pact
// 27 Land
3 Cinder Glade
3 Forest
7 Mountain
3 Stomping Ground
4 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
3 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Anger of the Gods
4 Explore
2 Farseek
4 Scapeshift
4 Search for Tomorrow
3 Obstinate Baloth
2 Thragtusk
2 Nature's Claim
3 Sudden Shock
1 Back to Nature
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Crumble to Dust
Thragtusk is the MVP, I took it in 6 of my 8 matches. (Esper, Burn, Tron x2, Skred, Jeskai)
RG Titan Scapeshift GR
UBWAd Nauseam WBU
CEldrazi TronC