I posted another league report to Reddit that includes links to all the videos, this time running a Boros list with Chained to the Rocks (although I didn't have to bring them in). I had a few loose plays that probably contributed to a 3-2 result, but it was a free roll and the experience in prep for Toronto is really what I'm after. The last report I did took up a lot of space on the page, so I'm just going to the link to the Reddit post:
I've gone between 19 and 20 depending on the number of fetchlands, and have been reasonably happy with both. The frequency I'd lose to mulliganing with 19 lands is probably pretty close to the frequency I topdecked a land in the deck with 20 lands.
If you want to send me a list, I'd be happy to check it out. I've tried Rakdos in the past, in an effort to have as low of a curve as possible with Bump in the Night. I think I did all right with it, but missed some of the white sideboard cards especially.
Sorry if the formatting of this post is off, it’s copied from a Reddit post I made. With GP Toronto looming around the corner with a modern main event, I decided to play a little less vintage on MTGO and instead get some reps in with modern Naya Burn, one of the decks I’ve had the most practice with. I started playing the deck not long after Eidolon was printed, so I’ve been around long enough to remember the rise to tier 1, Nacatls and Atarka’s Commands coming into and out of popularity, and recently the printing of Inspiring Vantage to smooth out the mana base. One thing that I love about the deck, though, is that it really hasn’t changed much over the last few years, making it somewhat easy to dust off and pick up where I left off. I saw what I consider to be a pretty standard list make 9th place at the SCG open over the weekend, so I ‘sleeved’ it up on MTGO last night and joined a friendly league. I ended up going 5-0 (10-3). I have a YouTube channel that I like to post my matches to and I love talking about gameplay decisions, matchups, sideboarding, etc., so I figured I’d write up a small report to talk about the games and link the videos in case anyone was interested.
One note I’ll make is that I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to keep the Grim Lavamancer in the mainboard or swap it out for a Shard Volley. I like cards that I can top deck and win with, and I’ve usually played a single Shard Volley over Grim Lavamancer in the past for that reason. However, with the popularity of Jeskai, Storm, Humans, Affinity, and Infect, I figured it might be nice to have a source of repeatable, uncounterable damage that can also be used to control the battlefield.
Game 1 (Play) – No creatures but 2 lands and 5 “deal 3” spells. My opponent mulligans to 6. I start firing off my spells and my opponent plays Tarmogoyf into Liliana of the Veil. I get the opponent to 2 life while not drawing more land and have to discard a Rift Bolt and Searing Blaze to Liliana. They start crashing in and play Scavenging Ooze. My last two draws are Searing Blaze to get them to 1, then Sacred Foundry to concede the game.
Sideboard: +2 Rest in Peace, -2 Searing Blaze. Event though they play large creatures like Tarmogoyf and potentially delve creatures, I often find myself discarding Deflecting Palm to Liliana of the Veil before I can catch the opponent during combat, not to mention it’s hard to catch them off guard with Inquisition and Thoughtsieze, so I’d rather have cards that can reliably be cast for damage in topdeck mode.
Game 2 (Play) – Another 2 land, 5 spell hand, but this time creature heavy with Goblin Guide, Swiftspear, and 2 Eidolon. On the play Eidolon seems very strong with an aggressive Goblin Guide start, so I keep and play Goblin Guide into Goblin Guide (that I drew) and Swiftspear while my opponent finds basics to Thoughtsieze an Eidolon away and play another turn 2 Tarmogoyf. On turn 3 I draw a land, play Lava Spike and Eidolon, then swing in with the team to put the opponent down to 2 and lock them out of the game.
Sideboard: No Change
Game 3 (Draw) – Opponent mulligans to 5 and I keep a risky one-lander with double Goblin Guide and Rest in Peace that I can cast with Inspiring Vantage once I draw my second land. Opponent leads basic forest into Field of Ruin and a 0/1 Tarmogoyf while I run out a Goblin Guide and bolt the Goyf from the battlefield since I don’t draw my second land, instead finding a third Goblin Guide. My opponent plays another Field of Ruin and I find my second Inspiring Vantage to cast both Goblin Guides and swing in. My opponent uses a Field of Ruin on one of my lands to find a black source, but ultimately concedes to the threat of my three Guides and a full grip against their low life total and zero board presence.
Game 1 (Play) – I keep 3 lands and a solid hand of Lavamancer, Goblin Guide, Searing Blaze, and Rift Bolt while the opponent mulligans to 6. I start swinging with Goblin Guide while casting Grim Lavamancer and suspending Rift Bolt while my opponent Serum Visions in to Thoughtsieze with an upright fetch available for my turn. I play another Goblin Guide I drew and hold up a Searing Blaze with a fetchland onboard. The opponent concedes on their 3rd turn with 7 cards in hand.
Sideboard: +2 Rest in Peace, +2 Deflecting Palm, -4 Searing Blaze. Rest in Peace helps suppress delve creatures and value from Snapcaster Mage while Deflecting Palm can be a blowout if they go for a kill with Death’s Shadow. Unfortunately, the card is a little weaker vs Shadow since they often get a few good looks and your hand and can sideboard into Liliana of the Veil, but I felt it was better than the Searing Blazes which often become a conditional Lightning Bolt that costs 2 mana against their large creatures.
Game 2 (Draw) – I begrudgingly keep a hand with Goblin Guide, Swiftspear, and Lightning Bolt with 4 land since 1) I can bank on them doing damage to themselves to grow their Shadows, 2) it leaves me with blockers after a few attacks, 3) Lightning Bolt is a strong card to hold up for closing the game at instant speed, and 4) I can reasonable assume I’ll draw a burn spell or two. The opponent leads with two tapped shocklands while I run out my creatures and hold up bolt mana. I’ve seen a Death’s Shadow and Stubborn Denial from Guide triggers so far, so I know that I will likely have at least one spell countered in the near future. By the fourth turn I’ve drawn 2 more lands (when it rains it pours), a lightning helix, and finally a second Goblin Guide while my opponent has Street Wraithed into a 7/7 Shadow at 6 life. This is where these games get fun, since any attack at their life total that does not kill them could ultimately lead to a lethal Death’s Shadow if they have Temur Battle Rage. I decide to play the Goblin Guide and attack in banking on them not having a Temur Battle Rage, which works out since they Pyroclasm on their next turn. With only two mana up, they cannot Battle Rage and still hold up Stubborn Denial, so I take 11 damage to go down to 7. With my opponent at two life me with only a Lightning Helix and two lands in hand, I really just need to draw anything that can deal damage on my turn. I find Goblin Guide and with their only upright lands being Breeding Pool and a Misty Rainforest, there is no way that they can fetch into an upright shock to Bolt or Push to answer the Guide.
Game 1 (Draw) – I lose the die roll and decide to keep a one land hand since 1) I’m going to see a draw step, 2) I have a Goblin guide and Swiftspear I can run out, 3) the land is an Inspiring Vantage so no matter what land I draw I can cast the pair of Lightning Helix in my hand. I immediately regret my decision when I see my opponent lead off with basic mountain into Foundry Street Denizen. Goblins can be very explosive, and with only a single land in my hand I don’t think I’ll be able to race on the draw. I draw a Rift Bolt, not land, and run my Goblin Guide out, while they follow up with a Mountain and Mogg Warmarshal. Fortunately I draw a mountain on my second turn. I run out my Swiftspear , they block the Goblin Guide with Warmarshal to get a token and save 2 damage, and I bolt the Foundry Street Denizen before damage to gain prowess and try to keep their board somewhat clear and buy some time to cast the Lightning Helixes. Fortunately, the opponent can’t find a third land and has to run out another Warmarshal. I draw my second Skullcrack in a row and fire off a Helix to put them to 8 during combat while they chump with Warmarshal. The opponent continues to miss land drops, but is able to kick a Bushwhacker and attack with everyone but a single blocker to put me to 4 life. I draw a Rift Bolt instead of a land and have to leave my team back to block while holding up Lightning Helix. Now, I’ve seen a Reckless Bushwhacker off a Goblin Guide trigger, so I have to hope that they don’t rip a land to surge. I luck out and all they can do is swing with the team and play a Mogg Fanatic. I untap to find my third land, a shock that I can’t play upright. It does, however, give me landfall to Searing Blaze the Mogg Fanatic, their only blocker, and get in for lethal with the Guide and Swiftspear. I really felt like I stole that game.
Sideboard: +2 Kor Firewalker, -2 Skullcrack. Kor Firewalker is an obvious house against a mono-red creature strategy and with very few ways for my opponent to gain life except through something like Dragon’s Claw, I felt that Skullcrack was the weakest card.
Game 2 (Draw) – My opening hand is 4 land with no turn 1 play but includes Kor Firewalker, so it’s a keep. My opponent leads with Legion Loyalist into a kicked Bushwhacker, an odd turn 2 play that tells me that they either have a hand loaded with Bushwhackers or direct damage spells like Goblin Grenade. I run out the Kor Firewalker and my opponent doesn’t play another spell for the rest of the match despite finding their third land. They scoop on my third turn, presumably unable to beat Kor Firewalker.
Game 1 (Draw) – I mulligan 5 lands away to find two land, two Lightning Helix, a Goblin Guide, and a Lava Spike. The opponent leads with Bloodstained Mire and passes while I run out a Goblin Guide. I see a Tormenting Voice off the Guide trigger, so I realize that I’m not playing Grixis Shadow but some kind of graveyard strategy. The opponent discards Griselbrand off the Tormenting Voice and now I know that I’m playing a Goryo’s Vengeance, Through the Breach style deck. I’ve drawn a Skullcrack by this point, so I begin to hold mana up during the opponent’s turn and play my spells at the opponent’s end step. They miss their 3rd land drop even with casting Faithless Looting, so I hold the Goblin Guide back on my turn to try and prevent them from gaining a land off the trigger and a draw off the Neonate they’ll sac after blocks. I work the opponent down to 3 life, but I get greedy and decide to fire off the Skullcrack during my turn. I neglected to notice Obdezat in the grayeyard from the Faithless Looting, and the opponent plays Goryo’s Vengeance targeting the Ghost Council to go to 5 life, then to 2. When they untap, they Goyro’s the Griselbrand into play and attack to go to 9. However, they can’t follow up over the next few turns and I’m able to recover and burn them out with some good top decks.
Sideboard: +2 Path to Exile, +2 Rest in Peace, +2 Deflecting Palm, -4 Searing Blazes, -2 Lightning Helix. Path to Exile can get rid of Obdezat or Griselbrand while Deflecting Palm can prevent lifegain from Griselbrand and deal an extensive amount of damage depending on if Griselbrand or Emrakul are attacking, and Rest in Peace shuts of any Goyro’s Vengeance lines. Bringing in a bunch of 2 CMC spells means I’m more likely to cut 2 CMC spells, especially with competing white sources. Searing Blaze is usually a 2 CMC conditional Lightning Bolt in this matchup and Lightning Helix competes for white mana, and the life gain seemed irrelevant against a possible Emrakul.
Game 2 (Draw) – The opponent mulligans to 5 and I see a solid 7 including 2 land with access to white mana, two Swiftspears, and some other business spells. No silver bullets, but an aggressive hand nonetheless and a solid start against a mulligan to 5. The opponent plays land and passes, while I draw a Skullcrack and play Swiftspear. Over the next few turns I hold up Skullcrack mana while the opponent plays Pentad Prism into a Neonate, sacrificing and discarding Emrakul followed by Goryo’s Vengeance in response to the shuffle trigger. I fire off a lightning bolt before I need to sacrifice my board and do not fetch to improve my odds of drawing land. Down to 3 life. I draw a Bloodstained Mire and fetch for a Mountain since I can’t bring a shock in upright, then cast Monastery Swiftspear to begin applying pressure again while the opponent only has one card in hand. The opponent untaps, plays Through the Breach using the mana from Pentad Prism to put a hasty Simian Spirit Guide into play and finish me off. Sometimes the opponent just has everything they need, even on a mulligan to 5.
Sideboard: No Changes
Game 3 (Play) – I keep an opening 7 with 3 lands, Swiftspear, Eidolon, Deflecting Palm, and Boros Charm. Eidolon should put a lot of pressure on them if they need to dig for the combo and Deflecting Palm could be a silver bullet on Emrakul and a Skullcrack, deal 7 on Griselbrand. The opponent mulligans to 6 and I lead off with Swiftspear. The opponent Loots on their turn, putting Obdezat in the yard. I decide to take the less aggressive route and leave Skullcrack mana up, and my opponent untaps to play Neonate. It appeared they missed a land drop, since they sacrificed the Neonate without saving it for a blocker and played a Boseiju that they presumably drew off the Neonate. I Boros Charm at the end of the turn, untap and play my third land, Lava Spike, and continue to hold up Skullcrack. They pass through their turn with only their two lands, and I Skullcrack at end step. The opponent plays Goyro’s Vengeance on Obdezat, gains two life, but doesn’t exile it at their end step. They messaged me and stated MODO might not have given them the option, so it might have been a MODO bug. I draw a Rest in Peace and decide to play it. With only two land, one that produces colored mana, the opponent is pretty far away from playing Through the Breach. At 6 life and Obdezat exiled at my end step from the Goryo’s trigger, the opponent concedes on their turn.
Game 1 (Draw) – On the draw again, I keep a hand with 3 lands and Goblin Guide, Swiftspear, Skullcrack, and Boros Charm. A solid hand against an unknown deck. The opponent leads basic forest and passes. I put them on some sort of ramp deck and I’m happy that I drew a 2nd Goblin Guide. I play one of the Guides and attack, revealing Glistener Elf. Infect. I look at my hand with no targeted burn spells and really hope I start drawing bolts. The opponent untaps and plays an Inkmoth Nexus and Spellskite. I follow up with an Eidolon that I drew the turn before and am forced to pass. The opponent swings in for 5 with Inkmoth Nexus pumped up by the Might of Old Krosa, and I’m at 5 poison. Grim Lavamancer shows up late to the party on my draw step and without any removal and the Spellskite in play, the opponent is free to hit me again with a Mighty Nexus.
Sideboard: +2 Path to Exile, +2 Deflecting Palm, +3 Destructive Revelry, -3 Lava Spike, -4 Boros Charm. The strategy here is to take out cards that can’t interact with their creatures and replace them with more removal. I could have taken out the Skullcrack instead of Boros Charm, but Boros Charm competes with white mana with Deflecting Palm and Path to Exile.
Game 2 (Play) – We are very much the control deck in this matchup. It’s impossible to lose if you can keep the board clear, so the best hand is one that can put a creature or two on the board to apply pressure and then a ton of removal. Fortunately, I start with a hand with 2 land, Goblin Guide, Path to Exile, Searing Blaze, Rift Bolt, and Skullcrack. I play the mountain to keep the chance of drawing another land higher and get in with the Goblin Guide. The opponent plays Glistener Elf and passes. I draw an Eidolon, fetch for a Sacred Foundry, and Searing Blaze it, getting into the red zone with the Goblin Guide again. The opponent plays Inkmoth Nexus and passes. This gives me the perfect opportunity to untap and play Eidolon. An Inkmoth is slow, requiring a lot of mana to activate and pump, so I’m confident I will not die the next turn. The opponent follows up with Pendelhaven and gets in with the Inkmoth, pumping it to a 2/3 with the Pendelhaven. I untap, draw a third land, and hold up Path to Exile while suspending Rift Bolt. I get in for 4 more on the ground and put the opponent to 7. The opponent untaps, doesn’t play a land, and concedes.
Sideboard: +3 Lavaspike, -3 Skullcrack. I decide that I’d rather have the velocity of Lavaspike than the instant speed of Skullcrack. I’m not sure that this is correct or not, but I figure most of my removal will be cast on my turn so holding up removal on theirs might not be that important.
Game 3 (Draw) - My opening hand is 2 fetchlands, 2 Lightning Bolt, Searing Blaze, Skullcrack, and Lavaspike. With 3 removal spells including one that I can cast turn 1, I keep. The opponent leads with Pendelhaven into Noble Hierarch, and on my turn I draw a Lava Spike, fetch for a Sacred Foundry, and Bolt the bird. The opponent fetches for a Breeding Pool and plays Blighted Agent. I draw an Inspiring Vantage, fetch for a Stomping Ground, and Searing Blaze the Agent. Both my opponent and I are at 14 life now. My opponent plays a Forest and another Blighted Agent, holding up Pendelhaven. I untap and draw Lightning Helix, a perfect draw to get me back to two removal spells. I use the Lightning Bolt and Helix to remove the Agent through a Vines of Vastwood. The opponent untaps and plays a Glistener Elf. I am out of removal now, but the opponent only has one card and I still have 3 “deal 3” spells. However, with Pendelhaven, it would only take two pump spells for the Glistener to be lethal. Fortunately, I draw a Path to Exile, clear the Elf away, and hold up Skullcrack. The opponent plays a land and passes, one card in hand. I Skullcrack them to 11, untap, and draw a Rift Bolt. I use my 3 mana to cast both Lava Spike (glad I sided those back in!) and suspend Rift Bolt. The opponent topdecks Kitchen Finks and goes back to 7, now with a threat on the board. I cast the suspended Rift Bolt, draw another and cast it to put the opponent to 1. At 14 life, I begin to worry that the opponent could win through traditional damage if I don’t draw well the next turn or maybe two. Fortunately I draw a Searing Blaze to close out the last point of damage.
5-0 (10-3)
The list felt really well tuned. It's a small sample size in the friendly leagues, but a good start to my GP testing.
I played in a league on my stream on Sunday night, Naya Burn with MB Atarka's Command. I beat Sultai Midrange, Ad Nauseam, and Affinity (close match!) and lost twice to Abzan lists running Noble Hierarch, Lingering Souls and Siege Rhino. Less painful manabases with Blooming Marsh and I never saw a Dark Confidant or a Thoughtsieze if I remember correctly. I used to consider Abzan a decent matchup, so it was a bummer to lose to it twice. Both matches did go to 3 games and I had to mulligan 2 or 3 times, games I lost, which contributed to the match losses. But it seems like the deck has changed quite a bit from when I used to play modern more regularly, dealing itself a lot less damage to even up the matchup. Is this everyone else's experience? I mean, I'm basing this off of only two matches, but it seems like they were pretty representative lists. It's also possible that I didn't play the matches correctly, and I know that I sideboarded differently between the two matches. In general, they weren't the walk in the park that I seem to remember them being. Any thoughts on the current matchup would be great!
Hi, new to this thread, just started playing Ad Nauseam. I've been playing a lot online, and like it enough that I'm trading my Mono-U Tron deck in paper to get it in paper, too. Anyway, I have a specific interaction question. Sorry if it's been covered in this thread before. Here's the hypothetical situation: I have a Phyrexian Unlife in play, a suspended Lotus Bloom coming into play next turn, and both Ad Nauseam and Pact of Negation in hand. If I were to Pact something on my opponent's turn, am I able to play the Lotus Bloom and go off the next turn before I have to pay for my pact? My gut feeling is that I can order my upkeep triggers how I want, so it can go like:
Put Pact trigger on stack, then put Lotus Bloom trigger on stack
Remove time counter from Lotus BLoom, Lotus Bloom trigger goes on stack. Pact still on stack
Lotus Bloom trigger resolves, cast Lotus Bloom. Pact still on stack
Cast Ad Nauseam and combo out while Pact is still on the stack
Is there any reason this scenario doesn't work? Thanks!
I saw this in the DE results and had to play it. I played it as is, and agree that the mana base could use some work. I've had to ship some decent two-land hands because of mana issues. It's a bit of glass cannon, but it's fun as heck to deal lethal out of nowhere!
I've run 2 Dungrove mainboard for at least the last 4 months, and made a few posts about it 6 or 7 pages back. Even with the devotion aspect, I prefer running dungroves to give me some late game viability against other fair decks. Good against control, and with Jund on the rise dodges a bolt. I'm only happier to see him compared with seeing a leatherback only if it's later in the game or if I'm playing against a deck with a lot of removal. Both cards have their advantages. Dungrove won't block a rhino without dying before turn 5. Leatherback does it on turn 3.
How common is Deflecting Palm actually? I playtest quite often with a burn-wielding friend who has a presence in the Polish competitive scene, and it usually comes down to whether he drew it or not.
I play Naya burn as well as stompy, and I've recently moved from 2 SB Deflecting Palm to 3. How common it is probably just depends on the meta. It's especially good against Tron, since using on a wurmcoil not only prevents lifegain, but also hits for six. I bring it in against decks I expect to be running lifelinkers (affinity, tron) or big creatures (amulet bloom, Junk, etc). I'll even sometimes replace my MB lightning helix with it if I see my opponent sided in a few spellskites game 2. I would say probably less than half of the burn decks I see on mtggoldfish run them, but it's not uncommon and when they do it's usually 2-3.
Anyone has news on Avatar? Like game reports or the way the card fits in the deck? I'm thinking that maybe my 4 Kalonian Tusker might become 4 Avatar, but I'm waiting for more information on it.
I recommend the new primer list. I'll be doing some dailies this week with that list and recording them for an article, so expect that soon.
Just wanted to say that I'm loving your site, it's my go-to website for modern material for sure (besides reddit, but they serve different purposes). My friend is actually trying to make some playtest videos for collected company elves for you guys, I think. We played a few matches last night. Burn was a close loss and mono-u tron came out on top, but (relevant to this thread) stompy just gets murdered by it (at least is has the two times we've played). Stompy is just much too fair, with very few ways to interact and disrupt the combo aspect of the deck.
Picked up my 4 avatar of the resolute on MTGO last night for about 1.5 tix each (I'm sure they'll drop, but I don't mind paying a premium to play with them now). Swapped out my 4 Tuskers and got a few matches in. Luckily, first match was affinity, one of the main reasons I want Avatar in my 75. I lost the match 1-2 on the draw twice and flooding out really bad game 3 (I should have mulled, 4 land hand with an oxidize and 2 drop creature). I was able to get an early avatar each game, and it traded with vault skirges and signal pests like a champ. Game 2 it bought me enough time to creeping corrosion for the win. First impressions, avatar makes the matchup a lot better.
What trader/bot did you use? I went through all my bots and none of them had them OR Collected Company
I use mtgowikiprice.com. I see like 50 copies available right now from various bots, starting at 1.220 tix each.
***EDITED post, was accidentaly looking at collected company earlier***
Picked up my 4 avatar of the resolute on MTGO last night for about 1.5 tix each (I'm sure they'll drop, but I don't mind paying a premium to play with them now). Swapped out my 4 Tuskers and got a few matches in. Luckily, first match was affinity, one of the main reasons I want Avatar in my 75. I lost the match 1-2 on the draw twice and flooding out really bad game 3 (I should have mulled, 4 land hand with an oxidize and 2 drop creature). I was able to get an early avatar each game, and it traded with vault skirges and signal pests like a champ. Game 2 it bought me enough time to creeping corrosion for the win. First impressions, avatar makes the matchup a lot better.
If the trade off is between: no treetop + dungrove elder and 2/3 treetop + something hexproof... I prefer to buy 2/3 troll ascetic with any doubt
treetop is a very strong card in this deck, a wincon and a 3/3 trample beater.
2 or 3 treetop comes with the trade off of frequently missing an early land drop, providing a target for tectonic edge, isn't great if you get stuck on mana, etc. I'm not saying treetop is bad (it's obviously not), but it's not without its downsides. As far as wincons go, rancor+dungrove elder has won me many games.
https://www.reddit.com/r/LavaSpike/comments/7qxxe8/mtgo_league_report_with_videos_20180114/
Is there a policy about league/tournament reports on this thread? Would anyone prefer I write them out here, or just link to the reddit page?
Here’s the list from the SCG Open: [Burn by Mario Torres - 9th Place SCG Colombus](http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=118051)
One note I’ll make is that I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to keep the Grim Lavamancer in the mainboard or swap it out for a Shard Volley. I like cards that I can top deck and win with, and I’ve usually played a single Shard Volley over Grim Lavamancer in the past for that reason. However, with the popularity of Jeskai, Storm, Humans, Affinity, and Infect, I figured it might be nice to have a source of repeatable, uncounterable damage that can also be used to control the battlefield.
On to the matches.
**Match 1: BG “The Rock”**
[Video Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1HpuHJ9kRw)
Game 1 (Play) – No creatures but 2 lands and 5 “deal 3” spells. My opponent mulligans to 6. I start firing off my spells and my opponent plays Tarmogoyf into Liliana of the Veil. I get the opponent to 2 life while not drawing more land and have to discard a Rift Bolt and Searing Blaze to Liliana. They start crashing in and play Scavenging Ooze. My last two draws are Searing Blaze to get them to 1, then Sacred Foundry to concede the game.
Sideboard: +2 Rest in Peace, -2 Searing Blaze. Event though they play large creatures like Tarmogoyf and potentially delve creatures, I often find myself discarding Deflecting Palm to Liliana of the Veil before I can catch the opponent during combat, not to mention it’s hard to catch them off guard with Inquisition and Thoughtsieze, so I’d rather have cards that can reliably be cast for damage in topdeck mode.
Game 2 (Play) – Another 2 land, 5 spell hand, but this time creature heavy with Goblin Guide, Swiftspear, and 2 Eidolon. On the play Eidolon seems very strong with an aggressive Goblin Guide start, so I keep and play Goblin Guide into Goblin Guide (that I drew) and Swiftspear while my opponent finds basics to Thoughtsieze an Eidolon away and play another turn 2 Tarmogoyf. On turn 3 I draw a land, play Lava Spike and Eidolon, then swing in with the team to put the opponent down to 2 and lock them out of the game.
Sideboard: No Change
Game 3 (Draw) – Opponent mulligans to 5 and I keep a risky one-lander with double Goblin Guide and Rest in Peace that I can cast with Inspiring Vantage once I draw my second land. Opponent leads basic forest into Field of Ruin and a 0/1 Tarmogoyf while I run out a Goblin Guide and bolt the Goyf from the battlefield since I don’t draw my second land, instead finding a third Goblin Guide. My opponent plays another Field of Ruin and I find my second Inspiring Vantage to cast both Goblin Guides and swing in. My opponent uses a Field of Ruin on one of my lands to find a black source, but ultimately concedes to the threat of my three Guides and a full grip against their low life total and zero board presence.
1-0 (2-1)
**Match 2: 4-Color Death’s Shadow**
[Video Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGAFXYZ1Hxc)
Game 1 (Play) – I keep 3 lands and a solid hand of Lavamancer, Goblin Guide, Searing Blaze, and Rift Bolt while the opponent mulligans to 6. I start swinging with Goblin Guide while casting Grim Lavamancer and suspending Rift Bolt while my opponent Serum Visions in to Thoughtsieze with an upright fetch available for my turn. I play another Goblin Guide I drew and hold up a Searing Blaze with a fetchland onboard. The opponent concedes on their 3rd turn with 7 cards in hand.
Sideboard: +2 Rest in Peace, +2 Deflecting Palm, -4 Searing Blaze. Rest in Peace helps suppress delve creatures and value from Snapcaster Mage while Deflecting Palm can be a blowout if they go for a kill with Death’s Shadow. Unfortunately, the card is a little weaker vs Shadow since they often get a few good looks and your hand and can sideboard into Liliana of the Veil, but I felt it was better than the Searing Blazes which often become a conditional Lightning Bolt that costs 2 mana against their large creatures.
Game 2 (Draw) – I begrudgingly keep a hand with Goblin Guide, Swiftspear, and Lightning Bolt with 4 land since 1) I can bank on them doing damage to themselves to grow their Shadows, 2) it leaves me with blockers after a few attacks, 3) Lightning Bolt is a strong card to hold up for closing the game at instant speed, and 4) I can reasonable assume I’ll draw a burn spell or two. The opponent leads with two tapped shocklands while I run out my creatures and hold up bolt mana. I’ve seen a Death’s Shadow and Stubborn Denial from Guide triggers so far, so I know that I will likely have at least one spell countered in the near future. By the fourth turn I’ve drawn 2 more lands (when it rains it pours), a lightning helix, and finally a second Goblin Guide while my opponent has Street Wraithed into a 7/7 Shadow at 6 life. This is where these games get fun, since any attack at their life total that does not kill them could ultimately lead to a lethal Death’s Shadow if they have Temur Battle Rage. I decide to play the Goblin Guide and attack in banking on them not having a Temur Battle Rage, which works out since they Pyroclasm on their next turn. With only two mana up, they cannot Battle Rage and still hold up Stubborn Denial, so I take 11 damage to go down to 7. With my opponent at two life me with only a Lightning Helix and two lands in hand, I really just need to draw anything that can deal damage on my turn. I find Goblin Guide and with their only upright lands being Breeding Pool and a Misty Rainforest, there is no way that they can fetch into an upright shock to Bolt or Push to answer the Guide.
2-0 (4-1)
**Match 3: 8-Whack Goblins**
[Video Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sUjaKrm0UM)
Game 1 (Draw) – I lose the die roll and decide to keep a one land hand since 1) I’m going to see a draw step, 2) I have a Goblin guide and Swiftspear I can run out, 3) the land is an Inspiring Vantage so no matter what land I draw I can cast the pair of Lightning Helix in my hand. I immediately regret my decision when I see my opponent lead off with basic mountain into Foundry Street Denizen. Goblins can be very explosive, and with only a single land in my hand I don’t think I’ll be able to race on the draw. I draw a Rift Bolt, not land, and run my Goblin Guide out, while they follow up with a Mountain and Mogg Warmarshal. Fortunately I draw a mountain on my second turn. I run out my Swiftspear , they block the Goblin Guide with Warmarshal to get a token and save 2 damage, and I bolt the Foundry Street Denizen before damage to gain prowess and try to keep their board somewhat clear and buy some time to cast the Lightning Helixes. Fortunately, the opponent can’t find a third land and has to run out another Warmarshal. I draw my second Skullcrack in a row and fire off a Helix to put them to 8 during combat while they chump with Warmarshal. The opponent continues to miss land drops, but is able to kick a Bushwhacker and attack with everyone but a single blocker to put me to 4 life. I draw a Rift Bolt instead of a land and have to leave my team back to block while holding up Lightning Helix. Now, I’ve seen a Reckless Bushwhacker off a Goblin Guide trigger, so I have to hope that they don’t rip a land to surge. I luck out and all they can do is swing with the team and play a Mogg Fanatic. I untap to find my third land, a shock that I can’t play upright. It does, however, give me landfall to Searing Blaze the Mogg Fanatic, their only blocker, and get in for lethal with the Guide and Swiftspear. I really felt like I stole that game.
Sideboard: +2 Kor Firewalker, -2 Skullcrack. Kor Firewalker is an obvious house against a mono-red creature strategy and with very few ways for my opponent to gain life except through something like Dragon’s Claw, I felt that Skullcrack was the weakest card.
Game 2 (Draw) – My opening hand is 4 land with no turn 1 play but includes Kor Firewalker, so it’s a keep. My opponent leads with Legion Loyalist into a kicked Bushwhacker, an odd turn 2 play that tells me that they either have a hand loaded with Bushwhackers or direct damage spells like Goblin Grenade. I run out the Kor Firewalker and my opponent doesn’t play another spell for the rest of the match despite finding their third land. They scoop on my third turn, presumably unable to beat Kor Firewalker.
3-0 (6-1)
**Match 4: BR Reanimator**
[Video Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5o26bW1da4)
Game 1 (Draw) – I mulligan 5 lands away to find two land, two Lightning Helix, a Goblin Guide, and a Lava Spike. The opponent leads with Bloodstained Mire and passes while I run out a Goblin Guide. I see a Tormenting Voice off the Guide trigger, so I realize that I’m not playing Grixis Shadow but some kind of graveyard strategy. The opponent discards Griselbrand off the Tormenting Voice and now I know that I’m playing a Goryo’s Vengeance, Through the Breach style deck. I’ve drawn a Skullcrack by this point, so I begin to hold mana up during the opponent’s turn and play my spells at the opponent’s end step. They miss their 3rd land drop even with casting Faithless Looting, so I hold the Goblin Guide back on my turn to try and prevent them from gaining a land off the trigger and a draw off the Neonate they’ll sac after blocks. I work the opponent down to 3 life, but I get greedy and decide to fire off the Skullcrack during my turn. I neglected to notice Obdezat in the grayeyard from the Faithless Looting, and the opponent plays Goryo’s Vengeance targeting the Ghost Council to go to 5 life, then to 2. When they untap, they Goyro’s the Griselbrand into play and attack to go to 9. However, they can’t follow up over the next few turns and I’m able to recover and burn them out with some good top decks.
Sideboard: +2 Path to Exile, +2 Rest in Peace, +2 Deflecting Palm, -4 Searing Blazes, -2 Lightning Helix. Path to Exile can get rid of Obdezat or Griselbrand while Deflecting Palm can prevent lifegain from Griselbrand and deal an extensive amount of damage depending on if Griselbrand or Emrakul are attacking, and Rest in Peace shuts of any Goyro’s Vengeance lines. Bringing in a bunch of 2 CMC spells means I’m more likely to cut 2 CMC spells, especially with competing white sources. Searing Blaze is usually a 2 CMC conditional Lightning Bolt in this matchup and Lightning Helix competes for white mana, and the life gain seemed irrelevant against a possible Emrakul.
Game 2 (Draw) – The opponent mulligans to 5 and I see a solid 7 including 2 land with access to white mana, two Swiftspears, and some other business spells. No silver bullets, but an aggressive hand nonetheless and a solid start against a mulligan to 5. The opponent plays land and passes, while I draw a Skullcrack and play Swiftspear. Over the next few turns I hold up Skullcrack mana while the opponent plays Pentad Prism into a Neonate, sacrificing and discarding Emrakul followed by Goryo’s Vengeance in response to the shuffle trigger. I fire off a lightning bolt before I need to sacrifice my board and do not fetch to improve my odds of drawing land. Down to 3 life. I draw a Bloodstained Mire and fetch for a Mountain since I can’t bring a shock in upright, then cast Monastery Swiftspear to begin applying pressure again while the opponent only has one card in hand. The opponent untaps, plays Through the Breach using the mana from Pentad Prism to put a hasty Simian Spirit Guide into play and finish me off. Sometimes the opponent just has everything they need, even on a mulligan to 5.
Sideboard: No Changes
Game 3 (Play) – I keep an opening 7 with 3 lands, Swiftspear, Eidolon, Deflecting Palm, and Boros Charm. Eidolon should put a lot of pressure on them if they need to dig for the combo and Deflecting Palm could be a silver bullet on Emrakul and a Skullcrack, deal 7 on Griselbrand. The opponent mulligans to 6 and I lead off with Swiftspear. The opponent Loots on their turn, putting Obdezat in the yard. I decide to take the less aggressive route and leave Skullcrack mana up, and my opponent untaps to play Neonate. It appeared they missed a land drop, since they sacrificed the Neonate without saving it for a blocker and played a Boseiju that they presumably drew off the Neonate. I Boros Charm at the end of the turn, untap and play my third land, Lava Spike, and continue to hold up Skullcrack. They pass through their turn with only their two lands, and I Skullcrack at end step. The opponent plays Goyro’s Vengeance on Obdezat, gains two life, but doesn’t exile it at their end step. They messaged me and stated MODO might not have given them the option, so it might have been a MODO bug. I draw a Rest in Peace and decide to play it. With only two land, one that produces colored mana, the opponent is pretty far away from playing Through the Breach. At 6 life and Obdezat exiled at my end step from the Goryo’s trigger, the opponent concedes on their turn.
4-0 (8-2)
**Match 5: UG Infect**
[Video Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_IP42wZeck)
Game 1 (Draw) – On the draw again, I keep a hand with 3 lands and Goblin Guide, Swiftspear, Skullcrack, and Boros Charm. A solid hand against an unknown deck. The opponent leads basic forest and passes. I put them on some sort of ramp deck and I’m happy that I drew a 2nd Goblin Guide. I play one of the Guides and attack, revealing Glistener Elf. Infect. I look at my hand with no targeted burn spells and really hope I start drawing bolts. The opponent untaps and plays an Inkmoth Nexus and Spellskite. I follow up with an Eidolon that I drew the turn before and am forced to pass. The opponent swings in for 5 with Inkmoth Nexus pumped up by the Might of Old Krosa, and I’m at 5 poison. Grim Lavamancer shows up late to the party on my draw step and without any removal and the Spellskite in play, the opponent is free to hit me again with a Mighty Nexus.
Sideboard: +2 Path to Exile, +2 Deflecting Palm, +3 Destructive Revelry, -3 Lava Spike, -4 Boros Charm. The strategy here is to take out cards that can’t interact with their creatures and replace them with more removal. I could have taken out the Skullcrack instead of Boros Charm, but Boros Charm competes with white mana with Deflecting Palm and Path to Exile.
Game 2 (Play) – We are very much the control deck in this matchup. It’s impossible to lose if you can keep the board clear, so the best hand is one that can put a creature or two on the board to apply pressure and then a ton of removal. Fortunately, I start with a hand with 2 land, Goblin Guide, Path to Exile, Searing Blaze, Rift Bolt, and Skullcrack. I play the mountain to keep the chance of drawing another land higher and get in with the Goblin Guide. The opponent plays Glistener Elf and passes. I draw an Eidolon, fetch for a Sacred Foundry, and Searing Blaze it, getting into the red zone with the Goblin Guide again. The opponent plays Inkmoth Nexus and passes. This gives me the perfect opportunity to untap and play Eidolon. An Inkmoth is slow, requiring a lot of mana to activate and pump, so I’m confident I will not die the next turn. The opponent follows up with Pendelhaven and gets in with the Inkmoth, pumping it to a 2/3 with the Pendelhaven. I untap, draw a third land, and hold up Path to Exile while suspending Rift Bolt. I get in for 4 more on the ground and put the opponent to 7. The opponent untaps, doesn’t play a land, and concedes.
Sideboard: +3 Lavaspike, -3 Skullcrack. I decide that I’d rather have the velocity of Lavaspike than the instant speed of Skullcrack. I’m not sure that this is correct or not, but I figure most of my removal will be cast on my turn so holding up removal on theirs might not be that important.
Game 3 (Draw) - My opening hand is 2 fetchlands, 2 Lightning Bolt, Searing Blaze, Skullcrack, and Lavaspike. With 3 removal spells including one that I can cast turn 1, I keep. The opponent leads with Pendelhaven into Noble Hierarch, and on my turn I draw a Lava Spike, fetch for a Sacred Foundry, and Bolt the bird. The opponent fetches for a Breeding Pool and plays Blighted Agent. I draw an Inspiring Vantage, fetch for a Stomping Ground, and Searing Blaze the Agent. Both my opponent and I are at 14 life now. My opponent plays a Forest and another Blighted Agent, holding up Pendelhaven. I untap and draw Lightning Helix, a perfect draw to get me back to two removal spells. I use the Lightning Bolt and Helix to remove the Agent through a Vines of Vastwood. The opponent untaps and plays a Glistener Elf. I am out of removal now, but the opponent only has one card and I still have 3 “deal 3” spells. However, with Pendelhaven, it would only take two pump spells for the Glistener to be lethal. Fortunately, I draw a Path to Exile, clear the Elf away, and hold up Skullcrack. The opponent plays a land and passes, one card in hand. I Skullcrack them to 11, untap, and draw a Rift Bolt. I use my 3 mana to cast both Lava Spike (glad I sided those back in!) and suspend Rift Bolt. The opponent topdecks Kitchen Finks and goes back to 7, now with a threat on the board. I cast the suspended Rift Bolt, draw another and cast it to put the opponent to 1. At 14 life, I begin to worry that the opponent could win through traditional damage if I don’t draw well the next turn or maybe two. Fortunately I draw a Searing Blaze to close out the last point of damage.
5-0 (10-3)
The list felt really well tuned. It's a small sample size in the friendly leagues, but a good start to my GP testing.
If anyone wants to watch the games with my thoughts I recorded the matches while streaming and they're on my YouTube page found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIKBv0FL7p4&list=PL8Zoz6jxHDBHeUtqVpVdmdkKc3-2R0Mgc. I'm always open for critical feedback on my play, so if you watch and see any mistakes I'd love to hear them. My decklist is here: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/626259#paper
- Put Pact trigger on stack, then put Lotus Bloom trigger on stack
- Remove time counter from Lotus BLoom, Lotus Bloom trigger goes on stack. Pact still on stack
- Lotus Bloom trigger resolves, cast Lotus Bloom. Pact still on stack
- Cast Ad Nauseam and combo out while Pact is still on the stack
Is there any reason this scenario doesn't work? Thanks!http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=84974
I use mtgowikiprice.com. I see like 50 copies available right now from various bots, starting at 1.220 tix each.
***EDITED post, was accidentaly looking at collected company earlier***