I've tried many variatons of this deck, and this is what I keep coming back to. I really like this against the field, as Terminus, Dread, and Sphere are good against the removal-resilent creatures that zombies are running. Dread I feel like is perfect for this meta, buying you multiple turns to set up. Syncopate has been doing work since decks have been moving away from caverns or they don't have enough similiar creature types, and it does work against other control decks and reanimator.
I opt for the full set of think twice here mostly as a way to dig on 2, I often want to save azorius charm for thier actual creatures. Gameplay is mostly cantripping, tapping, and countering the first 3 turns and setting up a Jace or thragtusk into angel or sphinx.
The one thing I don't like about this version is having only 7 cards to actually kill my opponent, but sphinx's goes a long way towards digging for them and you only have to set up an angel loop to lock the game up. I had augur of bolas in previous versions but he missed too often. Restoration angel has hovered between 0-3, it lacks targets for cmc 3 or less so you're hitting mostly thragtusk on 6 if you happen to have both cards. I do like them against walkers but it doesn't kill a +1'ed jace either. I'm not too fond of entreat either but it might deserve a look.
The maindeck is tuned for zombies, but I really like the sideboard, as you can morph into an aggressive midrange deck against control and expand your options against other decks.
Vs u/w based control
-4 terminus
-3 dread
-4 azorius charm
+4 geist
+2 sigarda
+2 tamiyo
+2 ray
+1 o ring
Here you morph into more of an aggro deck, with them likely boarding out sweepers. Ray is for opposing o rings / spheres. Most control decks seem to rely on single thragtusks/angels to hold the fort, which tamiyo does a great job at locking down. If playing against an entreat deck, I might keep in some number of verdicts.
VS zombies
No real changes, I built the maindeck with zombies in mind. If they are playing 3/4 maindeck caverns I would consider sb out Syncopates for some mix of O ring, tamiyo, and sigarda.
VS g/w
-1 think twice
+1 supreme verdict
We max out on wraths heres, as we have to get their early board under control. Feeling of dread is excellent at slowing them down and also tapping mana creatures in a pinch. Only real problem I've had is with thalia as she slows us down a bit.
VS reanimator
-4 terminus
-3 feeling of dread
+3 purify the grave
+2 tamiyo
+1 verdict
+1 O ring
Terminus goes out in favor of the quicker wraths here to deal with early rites, however between purify and syncopate I rarely have issues. Most single fatties can be kept locked down with tamiyo.
I like purify over cage and RIP as it doesn't hose your own flashback spells.
Notable changes:
I felt comfortable enough with the mana to play tectonic edge. It allows me to kill manlands, (colonade being a problem at times), and deny mana. Several times people leave a nonbasic up to counter a polymorph and I just drop the edge and get them on my turn.
8 Counterspells in the main is nuts. I've also considered Spell pierce over negate, but I haven't tried it. It's obviously great early game to protect a morph, but the negate effects are best against control decks, where the games go long and I'd feel uncomfortable not having a hard counter in a critical situation.
Triple Roil was also great, its both effective at fogging, bouncing planeswalkers, conscripted guys, orings, etc.
Eldrazi Monument was originally tech for the UW(r) control matchups. They have so many outs to a fast emurakul, so you play the long game with awakening zones and basically build your own bitterblossom. Sometimes you eventually get there and just hardcast a 15/15 and win.
SB:
Fog is for the red decks and mythic.
Mind control effects were great, esp. vs Jund and Mythic. I went with a 2/2 split since often there's enough things in that matchup to nab with domestication, it helps lower the curve a bit and makes a possible pulse less of a blowout if it happens. However there were a couple situations where domestication was pretty awkward, so I might just go with the full 4 of.
Reality spasm was tested as a gigadrowse. I'd use it to force eot tapout to clear the way for a morph, or fog a red or mythic deck for a turn. I liked it, it was okay but not amazing.
Tournament report, from memory however so I might miss some things.
In the swiss I went 5-0-2.
First 3 matches were 2 jund and 1 RDW with blightning. Did not drop a game. Nothing too remarkable about these games, spreading seas and an unanswerable 15/15 destroy jund. In one game he had sarkhan which made me unable to polymorph. I just stalled until he played creatures which I mind controlled and killed his own sarkhan with, and won.
Rd 4 I was playing Soorani with UW. G1 I believe I countered anything relevant, got an early awakening zone and eventually cast eldrazi monument and won. G2 he casts a t2 luminarch which goes the distance as I'm unable to stick an emurakul before it becomes live. G3 was a long drawn out affair, I recall keeping a hard with several counters and just sat on them while building up mana with awakening zones. He managed to stick a luminarch when I was tapped out, but I bounced it eventually and kept counters up for it. He didn't seem to draw much business for a while and cast a big mind spring hitting stone nothing, while I eventually just hardcast a 15/15.
Rd 5 I faced mythic. G1 I get crushed under mutiple cobras and war monks as I an unable to find a polymorph. G2 I mind control a early knight, which he orings. He later drops soverigns and conscripts the knight, and I bounce the oring, take it, and crack back at him with counters up to win. G3 He goes for an early baneslayer, but I combo out and he's unable to counter the 15/15.
Top8 I face a different mythic guy. In G1 and G2 we both respectively have our nut draws and win. G3 was super long and went to time. He was running both negate and deprive, so getting things resolved was difficult. We warred over Jaces for a while. I mind controlled a baneslayer, but he resolved a gideon and killed it. I tried to bounce the MC but met the counter. I basically had a couple awakening zones active chumping his lotus cobra and kotr. He got a 2nd collonade active after I seas'ed his first one and started beating in. I drew nothing relevant for a long time, while he beat me down with the colonade and had an active gideon and jace and eventually won in sudden death. I'm sure I boarded incorrectly in this matchup though and could have won with the right cards.
I really like this deck, it crushes Jund and UW variants. Bad matchups are RDW and Vampires. Mythic is probably 50/50. I do have a couple notes though.
VS UW the only thing you really fear is luminarch ascension. Try to sandbag a roil or counterspell for it. Going for an early morph is almost always bad as they have so many outs to it, I usually just go with the awakening zone plan and win with a hardcast 15/15 or monument.
Mythic can be a hard matchup and I'm still figuring it out. I boarded out some of my seas , negates, and monuments for fogs and mind control. However the matchup can go one of two ways:
Early beats with cobras, knights, etc. Getting a zone out to forcefield is best here, while sandbagging a roil or counter for the conscription.
The long sideboard games where they concentrate on manlands and PWs, while also having counters. I should probably keep in my seas and at least 1 monument, as they have trouble beating it. I'd board out 4 negate for 4 fog for sure, but I'm not sure exactly what to cut to fit the mind control effects in.
Reality spasm was okay, but I could probably cut it and add more bounce (regress, whiplash trap, or unsummon) in the board or maybe all is dust.
Hi, I am Randy.
The deck runs only 24 lands.
I tried all combinations of ramping, and the growths were the best. I did not like explore as this deck is hungry for islands and I'd rather be guarunteed the extra land drop in the color I need.
8 counters were awesome all day.
I never casted Mind Spring in the tournament. It was good in testing vs UW but its probably not necessary and I might cut it.
Eldrazi Monument was awesome, it shines vs the various UW variants but also makes your spawn indestructible blockers in the other matchups.
One Iona, I only bring it in vs Mono Red and Vamps.
Reality spasm was okay, but not great.
I went 5-0-2 undefeated in swiss, beating 2 jund, RDW with blightning, UW, and Mythi conscription.
Top8 was against Foster who eventually won the ptq, also playing mythic. Games 1 and 2 we pretty much respectively get our nut draws and win. Game 3 was super long and went to sudden death actually. A lot of back and forth, trading jaces and negates, I was never able to find a polymorph, so I was just trying to live by Mind controlling and chumping with spawn. In the end though he ends up with the final jace, gideon, and a colonnade that eventually finished me off. I made an error boarding, taking out most of the spreading seas since he has so much creature mana, but that left me vulnerable to the manland I couldn't bounce or block. It was kind of a rough beat as I never drew relevance in the last couple turns but it was well played on both sides.
I've been having some good success with this deck preboard -but I'm having trouble deciding the correct sideboard strategy. I'm using i-never-smile's list, with -1 fatesticher and +1 corpse conissuer, with this sideboard:
Its kind of loose, because the problem I'm having is I'm not sure what to side out . Against most decks I want to sb in 3-5 cards but cutting too much out of the maindeck hurts the combo too much. Currently I'm just shaving off dregscapes and draggers. I know some cut the leviathan combo but I find it useful in almost every matchup.
My current thoughts:
RDW
-1 leviathan, -1 corpse
+2 immortal coil
Boros/Koros
-1 leviathan, -1 corpse - 4 dragger?
+3 blister, +3 deathmark
This one is tough, as if you suspect purge or sanctifiers out of the board, coil becomes a big disadvantage.
Jund
+2 negate
-2 dragger
This is only if I suspect a jund charm or thought hemoragge.
Naya
+2 needle, +3 deathmark
-2 dregscape, -3 dragger
This is another tough one. I feel like I'm sb'ing out too many creatures here. I feel like I need the needles vs edge and deathmarks for kotrs with sledge or baneslayers.
UW
+2 needle
-2 dragger
This matchup is practically a bye.
Check out Outpost Games in Gainesville VA. Free standard FNM and $10 Draft FNMs. Usually get between 16-32 people. Also some pickup drafts are done during the weeknights. There is PTQ and PT level talent there as well if you're interested in competitive magic.
I know there's a casual magic playing group that meets in the SUB I cafeteria on GMU, but I don't know if they draft.
@ mightygerm - What did you lose to in either of those semi-finals?
First one was lost to UBr fae. One of the harder matchups, kept a semi-loose hand G2 that got thoughtsiezed into nothing.
Second one was kithkin, which I had no business losing but I made a braindead play with harm's way, which let him get 4 wizened cenns on the board. Also I drew no wraths which sucked, but I deserved that one.
2 Plains
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Hallowed Fountain
4 Temple Garden
4 Hinterland Harbor
4 Sunpetal Grove
1 Cavern of Souls
4 Thragtusk
3 Angel of Serenity
4 Syncopate
4 Azorius Charm
2 Sphinx's Revelation
4 Terminus
2 Detention Sphere
3 Feeling of Dread
4 Think Twice
1 Supreme Verdict
2 Ray of Revelation
3 Purify the Grave
4 Geist of Saint Traft
2 Sigarda, Host of Herons
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Supreme Verdict
2 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
I've tried many variatons of this deck, and this is what I keep coming back to. I really like this against the field, as Terminus, Dread, and Sphere are good against the removal-resilent creatures that zombies are running. Dread I feel like is perfect for this meta, buying you multiple turns to set up. Syncopate has been doing work since decks have been moving away from caverns or they don't have enough similiar creature types, and it does work against other control decks and reanimator.
I opt for the full set of think twice here mostly as a way to dig on 2, I often want to save azorius charm for thier actual creatures. Gameplay is mostly cantripping, tapping, and countering the first 3 turns and setting up a Jace or thragtusk into angel or sphinx.
The one thing I don't like about this version is having only 7 cards to actually kill my opponent, but sphinx's goes a long way towards digging for them and you only have to set up an angel loop to lock the game up. I had augur of bolas in previous versions but he missed too often. Restoration angel has hovered between 0-3, it lacks targets for cmc 3 or less so you're hitting mostly thragtusk on 6 if you happen to have both cards. I do like them against walkers but it doesn't kill a +1'ed jace either. I'm not too fond of entreat either but it might deserve a look.
The maindeck is tuned for zombies, but I really like the sideboard, as you can morph into an aggressive midrange deck against control and expand your options against other decks.
Vs u/w based control
-4 terminus
-3 dread
-4 azorius charm
+4 geist
+2 sigarda
+2 tamiyo
+2 ray
+1 o ring
Here you morph into more of an aggro deck, with them likely boarding out sweepers. Ray is for opposing o rings / spheres. Most control decks seem to rely on single thragtusks/angels to hold the fort, which tamiyo does a great job at locking down. If playing against an entreat deck, I might keep in some number of verdicts.
VS zombies
No real changes, I built the maindeck with zombies in mind. If they are playing 3/4 maindeck caverns I would consider sb out Syncopates for some mix of O ring, tamiyo, and sigarda.
VS g/w
-1 think twice
+1 supreme verdict
We max out on wraths heres, as we have to get their early board under control. Feeling of dread is excellent at slowing them down and also tapping mana creatures in a pinch. Only real problem I've had is with thalia as she slows us down a bit.
VS reanimator
-4 terminus
-3 feeling of dread
+3 purify the grave
+2 tamiyo
+1 verdict
+1 O ring
Terminus goes out in favor of the quicker wraths here to deal with early rites, however between purify and syncopate I rarely have issues. Most single fatties can be kept locked down with tamiyo.
I like purify over cage and RIP as it doesn't hose your own flashback spells.
Notable changes:
I felt comfortable enough with the mana to play tectonic edge. It allows me to kill manlands, (colonade being a problem at times), and deny mana. Several times people leave a nonbasic up to counter a polymorph and I just drop the edge and get them on my turn.
8 Counterspells in the main is nuts. I've also considered Spell pierce over negate, but I haven't tried it. It's obviously great early game to protect a morph, but the negate effects are best against control decks, where the games go long and I'd feel uncomfortable not having a hard counter in a critical situation.
Triple Roil was also great, its both effective at fogging, bouncing planeswalkers, conscripted guys, orings, etc.
Eldrazi Monument was originally tech for the UW(r) control matchups. They have so many outs to a fast emurakul, so you play the long game with awakening zones and basically build your own bitterblossom. Sometimes you eventually get there and just hardcast a 15/15 and win.
SB:
Fog is for the red decks and mythic.
Mind control effects were great, esp. vs Jund and Mythic. I went with a 2/2 split since often there's enough things in that matchup to nab with domestication, it helps lower the curve a bit and makes a possible pulse less of a blowout if it happens. However there were a couple situations where domestication was pretty awkward, so I might just go with the full 4 of.
Reality spasm was tested as a gigadrowse. I'd use it to force eot tapout to clear the way for a morph, or fog a red or mythic deck for a turn. I liked it, it was okay but not amazing.
Tournament report, from memory however so I might miss some things.
In the swiss I went 5-0-2.
First 3 matches were 2 jund and 1 RDW with blightning. Did not drop a game. Nothing too remarkable about these games, spreading seas and an unanswerable 15/15 destroy jund. In one game he had sarkhan which made me unable to polymorph. I just stalled until he played creatures which I mind controlled and killed his own sarkhan with, and won.
Rd 4 I was playing Soorani with UW. G1 I believe I countered anything relevant, got an early awakening zone and eventually cast eldrazi monument and won. G2 he casts a t2 luminarch which goes the distance as I'm unable to stick an emurakul before it becomes live. G3 was a long drawn out affair, I recall keeping a hard with several counters and just sat on them while building up mana with awakening zones. He managed to stick a luminarch when I was tapped out, but I bounced it eventually and kept counters up for it. He didn't seem to draw much business for a while and cast a big mind spring hitting stone nothing, while I eventually just hardcast a 15/15.
Rd 5 I faced mythic. G1 I get crushed under mutiple cobras and war monks as I an unable to find a polymorph. G2 I mind control a early knight, which he orings. He later drops soverigns and conscripts the knight, and I bounce the oring, take it, and crack back at him with counters up to win. G3 He goes for an early baneslayer, but I combo out and he's unable to counter the 15/15.
Top8 I face a different mythic guy. In G1 and G2 we both respectively have our nut draws and win. G3 was super long and went to time. He was running both negate and deprive, so getting things resolved was difficult. We warred over Jaces for a while. I mind controlled a baneslayer, but he resolved a gideon and killed it. I tried to bounce the MC but met the counter. I basically had a couple awakening zones active chumping his lotus cobra and kotr. He got a 2nd collonade active after I seas'ed his first one and started beating in. I drew nothing relevant for a long time, while he beat me down with the colonade and had an active gideon and jace and eventually won in sudden death. I'm sure I boarded incorrectly in this matchup though and could have won with the right cards.
I really like this deck, it crushes Jund and UW variants. Bad matchups are RDW and Vampires. Mythic is probably 50/50. I do have a couple notes though.
VS UW the only thing you really fear is luminarch ascension. Try to sandbag a roil or counterspell for it. Going for an early morph is almost always bad as they have so many outs to it, I usually just go with the awakening zone plan and win with a hardcast 15/15 or monument.
Mythic can be a hard matchup and I'm still figuring it out. I boarded out some of my seas , negates, and monuments for fogs and mind control. However the matchup can go one of two ways:
Early beats with cobras, knights, etc. Getting a zone out to forcefield is best here, while sandbagging a roil or counter for the conscription.
The long sideboard games where they concentrate on manlands and PWs, while also having counters. I should probably keep in my seas and at least 1 monument, as they have trouble beating it. I'd board out 4 negate for 4 fog for sure, but I'm not sure exactly what to cut to fit the mind control effects in.
Reality spasm was okay, but I could probably cut it and add more bounce (regress, whiplash trap, or unsummon) in the board or maybe all is dust.
The deck runs only 24 lands.
I tried all combinations of ramping, and the growths were the best. I did not like explore as this deck is hungry for islands and I'd rather be guarunteed the extra land drop in the color I need.
8 counters were awesome all day.
I never casted Mind Spring in the tournament. It was good in testing vs UW but its probably not necessary and I might cut it.
Eldrazi Monument was awesome, it shines vs the various UW variants but also makes your spawn indestructible blockers in the other matchups.
One Iona, I only bring it in vs Mono Red and Vamps.
Reality spasm was okay, but not great.
I went 5-0-2 undefeated in swiss, beating 2 jund, RDW with blightning, UW, and Mythi conscription.
Top8 was against Foster who eventually won the ptq, also playing mythic. Games 1 and 2 we pretty much respectively get our nut draws and win. Game 3 was super long and went to sudden death actually. A lot of back and forth, trading jaces and negates, I was never able to find a polymorph, so I was just trying to live by Mind controlling and chumping with spawn. In the end though he ends up with the final jace, gideon, and a colonnade that eventually finished me off. I made an error boarding, taking out most of the spreading seas since he has so much creature mana, but that left me vulnerable to the manland I couldn't bounce or block. It was kind of a rough beat as I never drew relevance in the last couple turns but it was well played on both sides.
6 Island
4 Rampant Growth
4 Polymorph
1 Mind Spring
4 Negate
4 Awakening Zone
4 Deprive
2 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
4 Halimar Depths
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Khalni Garden
2 Tectonic Edge
2 Eldrazi Monument
3 Into the Roil
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Spreading Seas
4 Fog
4 Flashfreeze
2 Mind Control
2 Domestication
2 Reality Spasm
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
Non-legacy american gps are usually around 600-1500 players, depending on format and location.
3 Deathmark
3 Blister beetle
2 Immortal coil
2 Pithing Needle
2 Negate
3 Spreading Seas
Its kind of loose, because the problem I'm having is I'm not sure what to side out . Against most decks I want to sb in 3-5 cards but cutting too much out of the maindeck hurts the combo too much. Currently I'm just shaving off dregscapes and draggers. I know some cut the leviathan combo but I find it useful in almost every matchup.
My current thoughts:
RDW
-1 leviathan, -1 corpse
+2 immortal coil
Boros/Koros
-1 leviathan, -1 corpse - 4 dragger?
+3 blister, +3 deathmark
This one is tough, as if you suspect purge or sanctifiers out of the board, coil becomes a big disadvantage.
Jund
+2 negate
-2 dragger
This is only if I suspect a jund charm or thought hemoragge.
Naya
+2 needle, +3 deathmark
-2 dregscape, -3 dragger
This is another tough one. I feel like I'm sb'ing out too many creatures here. I feel like I need the needles vs edge and deathmarks for kotrs with sledge or baneslayers.
UW
+2 needle
-2 dragger
This matchup is practically a bye.
Outpost
I know there's a casual magic playing group that meets in the SUB I cafeteria on GMU, but I don't know if they draft.
First one was lost to UBr fae. One of the harder matchups, kept a semi-loose hand G2 that got thoughtsiezed into nothing.
Second one was kithkin, which I had no business losing but I made a braindead play with harm's way, which let him get 4 wizened cenns on the board. Also I drew no wraths which sucked, but I deserved that one.