I can buy that Delver will get a lot of free wins in the match up with them stumbling all over their inconsistent manabase. Mezzel's build is better against them than the average Delver build because he does use Exclude main deck and has additional card draw with the Oona's Grace.
I noticed what a lot of the good Affinity players used to do was just build up artifact count and then flood the board on a single turn with all the creatures. Short of the flipped T1 Delver I don't think the average Delver deck really has a great clock and actually not a ton of counters. Maybe you can counter them 1:1 if they're only playing 1 threat a turn but that approach seems to be the right way to overwhelm Delver which is short on mana and counters.
I think the key is probably focusing on the 4/4s and Atog. Everything else is secondary and not a huge deal. Not having Daze and using Exclude is also huge. Every Delver player really should consider that.
That's pretty much what I do. The Frogmites can be blocked by Bears or Quicksanded, and aren't a big deal on their own of course. But Delver can definitely provide a very fast clock such that opponents can't wait for that critical mass of Frogmites and Enforcers in one turn or they just risk dying in 2 turns in the air.
Also I'm never Snapping an Atog into open Fling mana unless I have Counterspell backup ready or I just risk losing to Fling on the spot. Post board they remove Fling so I'll be a little more aggressive with my Snaps, but not overly so. I have Hydroblasts to deal with the Atog.
I never feel like I need Daze to win games, and Daze is so easy to play around that I'm okay just not playing it.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Occasionally streaming Pauper. Stop by Here for chatting and viewing pleasure!
I would expect a good Affinity player to hold Atog until they can get critical with DOTV on the board. Just playing a naked Atog especially post sideboard with Hydroblast as a threat seems really bad.
You play Atog post sideboard but take out Fling I believe is correct. Atog + 1 or more DOTV can burn anyone out of nowhere.
Though I have to say this is a good point, more Delver players really should do this as it often messes with Affinity a lot even though it might not look like it on the surface. I always found many Delver players I faced were too proud to "waste" their Sprites on a Chromatic Star or a Prophetic Prism when really these are the nuts and bolts of what makes Affinity work. Disrupting Affinity early and establishing a clock is the most reliable way for Delver to win. All that being said the matchup is still in Affinity's favor but a good Delver player can certainly gain percentage points in this way.
I do this against Mono U Fissure Post and FiendCyclops too - denying your opponent ways to filter through their deck is super important for controlling the board long enough to beat them with flipped Delvers and Faeries. I think it's an often overlooked aspect, and many Fissure/Cyclops players will willingly cast Preordains into open mana thinking it's safe from counterspells(who is gonna counter a 1 mana cantrip?), but the answer is that if they're trying to manipulate their deck into a way to beat anything you do, isn't it better to deny them that resource? You get a guaranteed 2-for-1 this way too, and with 4 Snaps to rebuy the Spellstutter counters I never feel like I've "wasted" a Faerie countering a Preordain or Chromatic Star because the Spellstutter loses it's usefulness against Mulldrifter and Myr Enforcers, so it's better to deny them the ability to filter and cantrip through to those cards, while developing a board they have to just cast those big cards into open mana when I have Exclude in my hand and just wreck their day with epic 2-for-1s.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Occasionally streaming Pauper. Stop by Here for chatting and viewing pleasure!
It depends. Sometimes they really need that filter, sometimes its bait to get Apostle's Blessing off.
Denying them a card though I think is the important part. When you are trying to combo you need all the cards you can get.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Out of the blackness and stench of the engulfing swamp emerged a shimmering figure. Only the splattered armor and ichor-stained sword hinted at the unfathomable evil the knight had just laid waste.
I'm not sure cutting the Husk and Terrarion is a great idea, I'm beginning to think cutting Carapace Forger is the better call since you need the affinity numbers to recover from fissure.
Note: this will be my last Magic Game for a little while, hopefully other players will post more (but I don't see that happening).
I havn't been playing pauper for awhile but I decided to pick up my old list to give it a whirl going 3-1 (Daily Event 5738644)
Click the links to watch the videos
G1: Tortured Existence (0-2)
G2: MBC (2-0) - this is a usually a very bad MU so I'm glad I won it
G3: GW Slivers (2-0) - Is Sliver a deck now? I'm not sure but my opp. conceded really early both matches
G4: UR Post (2-0) - Another 60-40 MU, always nice to win against post
overall the experience was a nice change in pace from playing my usual Modern format.
I havn't been playing pauper for awhile but I decided to pick up my old list to give it a whirl going 3-1 (Daily Event 5738644)
Click the links to watch the videos
G1: Tortured Existence (0-2)
G2: MBC (2-0) - this is a usually a very bad MU so I'm glad I won it
G3: GW Slivers (2-0) - Is Sliver a deck now? I'm not sure but my opp. conceded really early both matches
G4: UR Post (2-0) - Another 60-40 MU, always nice to win against post
overall the experience was a nice change in pace from playing my usual Modern format.
There appears to be a "missing" link / video.
Welcome back and congratulations on your 3-1 performance. Those first rounds of daily events can be so random. People insist on playing Tier 2 decks with no chance of prizing. It must have made you feel like that time the Great DeluxeIcoff ran into MBC with his clearly Tier 1 deck.
To quote the Master's Face Space:
Deluxeicoff
July 4
Playing Death Deluxe today - and of course...I run into MBC first round Seriously felt like telling the guy, "...look, you can't finish 'in the money' with that deck right now...I can...here's some money to scoop." I lost 1-2
More seriously, magicdownunder demonstrated good sportsmanship, sufficient skill and I appreciate the effort of documenting matches.
Oh, you think the losers' bracket is your ally, but you merely adopted the scrub tier. I was born in it, molded by it. I didn’t 4-0 an FNM until I was already a man; by then, it was nothing to me but an extra pack to sell for store credit!
Welcome back and congratulations on your 3-1 performance. Those first rounds of daily events can be so random. People insist on playing Tier 2 decks with no chance of prizing. It must have made you feel like that time the Great DeluxeIcoff ran into MBC with his clearly Tier 1 deck.
To quote the Master's Face Space:
Deluxeicoff
July 4
Playing Death Deluxe today - and of course...I run into MBC first round Seriously felt like telling the guy, "...look, you can't finish 'in the money' with that deck right now...I can...here's some money to scoop." I lost 1-2
More seriously, magicdownunder demonstrated good sportsmanship, sufficient skill and I appreciate the effort of documenting matches.
... and yes all my posts will include jabs at D.
One of the more quality, underrated posts I've seen on here in awhile.
If you're going to give a report on a Daily Event no one has a problem with that. But don't go and just decide to show only matches where you did well and choose to selectively "forget" to record the rounds where you get wrecked. If you're that embarrassed about what happened then don't post it at all and wait until you go 4-0 so you can show us how awesome you are.
I havn't been playing pauper for awhile but I decided to pick up my old list to give it a whirl going 3-1 (Daily Event 5738644)
Click the links to watch the videos
G1: Tortured Existence (0-2)
G2: MBC (2-0) - this is a usually a very bad MU so I'm glad I won it
G3: GW Slivers (2-0) - Is Sliver a deck now? I'm not sure but my opp. conceded really early both matches
G4: UR Post (2-0) - Another 60-40 MU, always nice to win against post
overall the experience was a nice change in pace from playing my usual Modern format.
Thanks for posting these common daily match-ups. Perhaps showing losing round 1 would be more helpful to a Pauper researcher than round 2 concessions, but at least we know that Slivers will be a common encounter for the near future. Seeing an abbreviated glimpse of it is somewhat helpful.
Fiend should finally be pushed out by having equal match-ups with other fast decks and terrible match-ups against the decks that were bad against fissure.
I really struggle against all the uprising Fiend-Combo decks -.-
Does anybody have advice on how to beat them with Affinity?
Every time I face them, their Fiend is 10/2 double strike and can not be blocked and I do not have any removal at hand.
Also, how should the sideboard look like, after the new bannings?
Don't spend your removal spells on Delver pretty much ever. You can normally race Delver out of their deck, the Fiend/Cyclops are what usually kill you so you need to save your removal for them as much as possible. Don't be too proud to use Fling as a removal spell if you need to - better to 2-for-1 yourself than to die. Game 1 will probably be tough assuming your removal is just 4 Galvanic Blast and 2 Fling. Putting more removal in your sideboard should help (Doom Blade probably being the best option), as well as Pyroblast which kills the Cyclops and can disrupt a lot of their spells.
Fiend should finally be pushed out by having equal match-ups with other fast decks and terrible match-ups against the decks that were bad against fissure.
And yeah also this. B/U Trinket Mage and MBC in particular are horrendous matchups for Fiend decks and those are already seeing a lot more play with Post gone.
So I've been having a hell of a time with the various MBC decks. Any advice? They just overwhelm with removal and tempo (Chittering Rats) and graveyard shenanigans. The Madness castable zombie in particular is a pain.
I often feel that DotV is a bit win-more and sometimes I lose because I run out of gas, but I really don't know in which kind of matchups this version is better at.
I often feel that DotV is a bit win-more and sometimes I lose because I run out of gas, but I really don't know in which kind of matchups this version is better at.
DotV is best in the matchups where you're in a race and neither side is trying to interact. It can lead to t3- t4 kills and can provide a chump block in a pinch. DotV is less good against control decks that have a counterspell for your giant fling (since DotV is turning each artifact into 3 damage instead of 2). And of course, DotV is probably the most important maindeck card in the mirror (with gorrila shaman and ancient grudge being super insane from the sideboard)
Why aren't Ornithopter and Ardent Recruit being run? Ardent Recruit can be a 3/3 on turn 2 and Ornithopter makes turn 2 Myr Enforcers possible.
Ornithopter doesn't do anything for the deck beyond being a free artifact. There's no equipment being run so it's always just an 0/2 flyer and you don't really want to be throwing away a card for that purpose. Affinity decks that would want Ardent Recruit usually opt to run Auriok Sunchaser instead due to its evasion, though it might be conceivable that there's an Affinity list wanting both.
Oh, you think the losers' bracket is your ally, but you merely adopted the scrub tier. I was born in it, molded by it. I didn’t 4-0 an FNM until I was already a man; by then, it was nothing to me but an extra pack to sell for store credit!
That's pretty much what I do. The Frogmites can be blocked by Bears or Quicksanded, and aren't a big deal on their own of course. But Delver can definitely provide a very fast clock such that opponents can't wait for that critical mass of Frogmites and Enforcers in one turn or they just risk dying in 2 turns in the air.
Also I'm never Snapping an Atog into open Fling mana unless I have Counterspell backup ready or I just risk losing to Fling on the spot. Post board they remove Fling so I'll be a little more aggressive with my Snaps, but not overly so. I have Hydroblasts to deal with the Atog.
I never feel like I need Daze to win games, and Daze is so easy to play around that I'm okay just not playing it.
Fires :symr:f Salvation
You play Atog post sideboard but take out Fling I believe is correct. Atog + 1 or more DOTV can burn anyone out of nowhere.
I do this against Mono U Fissure Post and FiendCyclops too - denying your opponent ways to filter through their deck is super important for controlling the board long enough to beat them with flipped Delvers and Faeries. I think it's an often overlooked aspect, and many Fissure/Cyclops players will willingly cast Preordains into open mana thinking it's safe from counterspells(who is gonna counter a 1 mana cantrip?), but the answer is that if they're trying to manipulate their deck into a way to beat anything you do, isn't it better to deny them that resource? You get a guaranteed 2-for-1 this way too, and with 4 Snaps to rebuy the Spellstutter counters I never feel like I've "wasted" a Faerie countering a Preordain or Chromatic Star because the Spellstutter loses it's usefulness against Mulldrifter and Myr Enforcers, so it's better to deny them the ability to filter and cantrip through to those cards, while developing a board they have to just cast those big cards into open mana when I have Exclude in my hand and just wreck their day with epic 2-for-1s.
Fires :symr:f Salvation
Denying them a card though I think is the important part. When you are trying to combo you need all the cards you can get.
4 Tree of Tales
4 Great Furnance
4 Seat of the Synod
4 Frogmite
4 Myr Enforcer
4 Porcelain Leggionnaire
4 Carapace Forger
4 Somber Hoverguard
4 Auriok Sunchaser
4 Chromatic Sphere
4 Thoughtcast
4 Galvanic Blast
4 Flayer Husk
That looks like a big drop in power level for an even shakier 5 color mana base. What's wrong w/ Atog/Fling/DOTV and what's the upside to this list?
I havn't been playing pauper for awhile but I decided to pick up my old list to give it a whirl going 3-1 (Daily Event 5738644)
Click the links to watch the videos
G1: Tortured Existence (0-2)
G2: MBC (2-0) - this is a usually a very bad MU so I'm glad I won it
G3: GW Slivers (2-0) - Is Sliver a deck now? I'm not sure but my opp. conceded really early both matches
G4: UR Post (2-0) - Another 60-40 MU, always nice to win against post
overall the experience was a nice change in pace from playing my usual Modern format.
Enjoy Standard, Modern and Music (also some Pauper, Momir, Gaming, Animations and Legacy)? Then visit my channel:Here
There appears to be a "missing" link / video.
Welcome back and congratulations on your 3-1 performance. Those first rounds of daily events can be so random. People insist on playing Tier 2 decks with no chance of prizing. It must have made you feel like that time the Great DeluxeIcoff ran into MBC with his clearly Tier 1 deck.
To quote the Master's Face Space:
Deluxeicoff
July 4
Playing Death Deluxe today - and of course...I run into MBC first round Seriously felt like telling the guy, "...look, you can't finish 'in the money' with that deck right now...I can...here's some money to scoop." I lost 1-2
More seriously, magicdownunder demonstrated good sportsmanship, sufficient skill and I appreciate the effort of documenting matches.
... and yes all my posts will include jabs at D.
So is this like an East Coast/West Coast thing?
One of the more quality, underrated posts I've seen on here in awhile.
If you're going to give a report on a Daily Event no one has a problem with that. But don't go and just decide to show only matches where you did well and choose to selectively "forget" to record the rounds where you get wrecked. If you're that embarrassed about what happened then don't post it at all and wait until you go 4-0 so you can show us how awesome you are.
Thanks for posting these common daily match-ups. Perhaps showing losing round 1 would be more helpful to a Pauper researcher than round 2 concessions, but at least we know that Slivers will be a common encounter for the near future. Seeing an abbreviated glimpse of it is somewhat helpful.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=496372
4 Vault of Whispers
4 Great Furnace
4 Seat of the Synod
4 Tree of Tales
4 Thoughtcast
4 Atog
4 Disciple of the Vault
4 Chromatic Star
1 Doom Blade
4 Galvanic Blast
2 Fling
4 Myr Enforcer
4 Frogmite
4 Springleaf Drum
2 Prophetic Prism
4 Carapace Forger
2 Somber Hoverguard
4 Pyroblast
3 Krark-Clan Shaman
1 Dispel
2 Standard Bearer
3 Gorilla Shaman
2 Serene Heart
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=496372
Don't spend your removal spells on Delver pretty much ever. You can normally race Delver out of their deck, the Fiend/Cyclops are what usually kill you so you need to save your removal for them as much as possible. Don't be too proud to use Fling as a removal spell if you need to - better to 2-for-1 yourself than to die. Game 1 will probably be tough assuming your removal is just 4 Galvanic Blast and 2 Fling. Putting more removal in your sideboard should help (Doom Blade probably being the best option), as well as Pyroblast which kills the Cyclops and can disrupt a lot of their spells.
And yeah also this. B/U Trinket Mage and MBC in particular are horrendous matchups for Fiend decks and those are already seeing a lot more play with Post gone.
I often feel that DotV is a bit win-more and sometimes I lose because I run out of gas, but I really don't know in which kind of matchups this version is better at.
DotV is best in the matchups where you're in a race and neither side is trying to interact. It can lead to t3- t4 kills and can provide a chump block in a pinch. DotV is less good against control decks that have a counterspell for your giant fling (since DotV is turning each artifact into 3 damage instead of 2). And of course, DotV is probably the most important maindeck card in the mirror (with gorrila shaman and ancient grudge being super insane from the sideboard)
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.
Ornithopter doesn't do anything for the deck beyond being a free artifact. There's no equipment being run so it's always just an 0/2 flyer and you don't really want to be throwing away a card for that purpose. Affinity decks that would want Ardent Recruit usually opt to run Auriok Sunchaser instead due to its evasion, though it might be conceivable that there's an Affinity list wanting both.
That would be another valid reason
Old Affinity Archetype Page
New Affinity Archetype Page
The new builds have a really disturbingly low creature count, but I guess it's boiled down to just the creatures that matter...
I have to say I like the research version, the one thing affinity always struggled with was card draw even with Thoughtcast
Deck List:
BMBCB
UBUB Control/TeachingsBU
Ha! My Pauper UG Post Deck Showed!
Classic
BPoxB
Legacy
GB Eva Depths (Primer By Me) BG
Monthly Academy Showcase!
An Introduction to Competitive Pauper! *Updated*
Pauper Meta Analysis & What Wizards Left Out!
Found at MTGO Academy!! Same Great Series, Same Great Content, Great New Home!! (yes that is me shamelessly trolling for more readers :))
Check me out on Twitter & Get a little MTGO Therapy