Just wanted to point out that this shouldn't factor into the judge's decision. It is a nice gesture but in the end it doesn't effect the ruling.
I see this floating around a lot and I disagree wholeheartedly. In a place like the top 8 of a pro tour there is plenty of room for discretion. It's not about upholding the letter of the rules, it's about upholding the spirit of them, and since he called himself out and Finkle just wanted to play it out, it's easy to see where the judges were coming from. It's like when the refs in a pro sports game go easy on foul calls because both teams just want to play the game. A judgement call, but nothing to be bemoaned later.
Have I gotten game losses for less? Sure. Am I so bitter and jaded about that that I need to call out the judges at a pro tour for letting them play it out, when that's what they both wanted to do?
Not to take anything away from Alexander Hayne(he's certainly a better player than I), but all 3 of his top 8 matches got punted pretty hard by the other guy. Finkle kept a rather lackluster opening that had no pressure in game 5(after refusing to take a free win, like a true pro.) Joshua Cho in game 5 elected to do a flashy double zealous conscript play instead of the much safer play of bonfiring Hayne's board and putting him on lethal with nothing in play. Vidugiris kept a hand that relied entirely on a pilgrim and lost to feeling of dread time walking him for 4 turns.
I don't see this deck being something you want to play at any big block event, The variance is too high and it's easily hateable if it gets popular.
Been working out some builds for a block gauntlet and I've found a lot of these lists to be really threat light, and kinda clunky. The mana dorks(and random dudes like elk and ambush viper) seem so extraneous and not playing a full 12 of the money dudes seems very wrong to me. Also Cagebreakers has proven to be the nut low. He's just too slow and too easy to kill.
Not 100% on the mana base or sideboard, but the maindeck seems solid. Wingcrafter steals games, end of turn refuge in ghoultree is beyond silly and the threat of spider spawning makes control play differently. Kinda concidering cutting the cagebreakers for a maindeck unburial rights but that kinda removes the best target for it.
No burn deck wants a card that can be a 100% dead draw later in the game. after turn 3 or so devil will always come in as a 4/3 and ram headlong into a goyf or removal spell or whatever.
If burn decks wanted a card like this lava blister would see a lot more play than it does.
a very big problem with tron is mindslaver being really weak in the metagame right now(on it's own). couple this with losing decree of justice and you don't really have a lot to do with all that mana when you get it.
Of course, Everlasting Torment has the unfortunate extra ability to make all damage into wither, so the Deus will probably start shrinking. It might still be ok, but should precious SB space be used for such a narrow card? The combination of Chalice (even though Chalice won't stop Martyr from being returned to play rather than cast) and Needle could suffice, while still being useful against other decks. But if your meta has a lot of Martyr, ET might work out.
i think you're only real game against martyr is gonna be a big empty the warrens early, or an unanswered deus. you are probably just better off writing the matchup off as a loss instead of wasting board slots on it, since they'll likely be bringing in dchant effects for chalice and such anyway.
blindly guess? barring a turn 1 needle you are never guessing totally in the dark. the important thing about needle is that it is always castable, ups your affinity count, and can be thrown to ravager at the very worst. thoughtsieze is stronger, but a needle set to a random fetchland on turn one is honestly more useful than a thoughtsieze that sits in your hand all game because you never found a black source for it.
What relevant cards could you possibly hope to stop with Pithing Needle?
vampire hexmage? martyr of sands? quasali pridemage? thopter foundry?
i think thoughtsieze is better overall but in the right meta maindeck needle could be strong, as could maindeck relic or crypt.
the mana base isn't really the main cost of decks this extended season, it's more the colors. goyf, baneslayer, depths(i hate that this card costs real money) go along with your mana base to make your deck cost too much.
as to cheep decks all in all, burn and affinity are the extent of your options really, all in red isn't that expensive but definitely more than those too. after that maybe martyr proc since it plays mostly cheep rares, but it does play a lot of em.
we are getting off track here. if you want to discuss the resilience or lack thereof of tezz vs hate, do it in the tezz thread. if you want to beat zoo, play burn or scapeshift, or a deck with blood moon.
if you are looking for a deck without a 200$ mana base mono red burn rolls over zoo without trying. if you don't wanna bother learning the format tho just play dredge and learn how to play against the hate.
I see this floating around a lot and I disagree wholeheartedly. In a place like the top 8 of a pro tour there is plenty of room for discretion. It's not about upholding the letter of the rules, it's about upholding the spirit of them, and since he called himself out and Finkle just wanted to play it out, it's easy to see where the judges were coming from. It's like when the refs in a pro sports game go easy on foul calls because both teams just want to play the game. A judgement call, but nothing to be bemoaned later.
Have I gotten game losses for less? Sure. Am I so bitter and jaded about that that I need to call out the judges at a pro tour for letting them play it out, when that's what they both wanted to do?
I don't see this deck being something you want to play at any big block event, The variance is too high and it's easily hateable if it gets popular.
This is the list I've settled on:
3 ulvenwald tracker
4 screaching skaab
4 boneyard wurm
4 armored skaab
4 splinterfright
4 ghoultree
1 kessig cagebreakers
4 mulch
3 tracker's instincts
2 gnaw to the bone
1 spider spawning
4 shimmering grotto
3 woodland cemetery
1 sulfur falls
1 alchemist's refuge
7 forest
4 island
3 undead alchemist
2 ray of revalation
1 alchemist's refuge
2 unburial rites
3 blasphemous act
1 increasing confusion
1 ancient grudge
1 gnaw to the bone
1 craterhoof behemoth
Not 100% on the mana base or sideboard, but the maindeck seems solid. Wingcrafter steals games, end of turn refuge in ghoultree is beyond silly and the threat of spider spawning makes control play differently. Kinda concidering cutting the cagebreakers for a maindeck unburial rights but that kinda removes the best target for it.
If burn decks wanted a card like this lava blister would see a lot more play than it does.
i think you're only real game against martyr is gonna be a big empty the warrens early, or an unanswered deus. you are probably just better off writing the matchup off as a loss instead of wasting board slots on it, since they'll likely be bringing in dchant effects for chalice and such anyway.
not really gonna do anything but make the inevitable smash to smithereens cost 1 more.
vampire hexmage? martyr of sands? quasali pridemage? thopter foundry?
i think thoughtsieze is better overall but in the right meta maindeck needle could be strong, as could maindeck relic or crypt.
as to cheep decks all in all, burn and affinity are the extent of your options really, all in red isn't that expensive but definitely more than those too. after that maybe martyr proc since it plays mostly cheep rares, but it does play a lot of em.