Board: T6 This, Glaze Fiend, you Ad Nausum'd last turn into a load of 0 cost artifacts. (or 5 is all thats needed, ironicly) Play 5 artifacts, sac them, play Soul's Might, giving Glaze Fiend 10 +1 counters.
There are lots of ways to make it work. Will it be the next cryptic? Hell no, but its still an interesting card that many will experiment with and have fun doing so. I know i'll be looking to break it in standard a few ways, and thats worth the price of admission for me. Some of you need to step the F off your high horse and realize that Wizards doesn't revolve around 1 type of player. Does this impact T2? no. Does every Card? NO. In fact, every card previewed this week has a practical appeal to many of magics' followers. I would like to see some NON-RARES preivewed this week, as it seems we'll know them all by weeks end at this rate.
There is only a lack of creativity because our current format is so open. Everyone knows the best cards in this format, and can construct a mana base to play all of them they want to.
But seriously, creativity isn't dead. Dark Bant was reletivly new to PT: Kyoto and did smashing good. PT (or GP) Berlin saw the basicly unknown elves extended deck rip through the field. Boat Brew showed up in force at Worlds.
Yes, this creativity is at a global level. That doesn't stop you from breaking Flickerwhips for t4 victories. I'm an avid deckbuilder, and i usually dont netdeck unless i see something that looks fun to play. (Zur was one of these) I currently run an elemental deck that has 4/6 favorable matchups with t1, that i have never netdecked a list for, and have constantly tweaked since lorwyn. Its won its share, and i get great pride in people's comments about the deck.
Yes, people who print a list and shuffle it up because its "t1" do ruin the creative aspect of magic. They most likely don't playtest it too much, and will almost never win a tournament. Why? Metas are always changing, so they may not have the most up to date board. Nassif made a great meta choice by using the wall, where as previously it was knocked as a jank rare by most. It may not have been his idea in whole, but i bet most players who saw it that weekend didn't see it coming or had a good answer for it.
Done rather well with this build. Capable of a T4 kill, with lots of lasting power with lark and plenty of targets. Won FNM 3 times, all over 5 rounds. Won a few other 4 round tournaments.
Turn 1: Forest: Any 1 drop mana producer (elves, heirarch, birds)
Turn 2: Mountain: Incadecent Soulstoke
Turn 3: Land: Play Nova Chaser with Soulstoke. Double Cleave it.
so i put the deck together and i think it is way better than any bant build ive played and tested so far.
so without further adue...
from pro tour kyoto...
dark bant
4 noble heirarch
4 birds of paradise
4 rhox warmonk
4 wilt-leaf leige
4 doran, the siege tower
4 tidehollow sculler
3 gaddok teeg
3 rafiq of the many
2 kitchen finks
1 loxodon warhammer
2 path to exile
3 nameless inversion
4 ancient ziggeraut
4 murmuring bosk
3 treetop village
2 forest
2 brushland
2 yavimaya coast
1 swamp
1 plains
1 cave o koilos
1 adakar waste
here it is i think it has rediculous potential. and i ran it solo ant thought it handeled very well... we'll see this friday.
This is more of a Doran-Rock list than a bant list.
Here is the Bant-Aggro List i ran both Friday and Saturday. Went 5-0 at FNM and 0-2 at the Saturday Black Lotus event.
FNM Matchups:
Round 1: Naya Planeswalker Ramp. Game 1 kept an ok hand, but never got off the ground. Scooped to Elspeth's 4/4 tokens. Game 2 +3 teeg -3 path. Played a turn 2 teeg and he scooped turn 4 without much more improvement. Stated he removed Firesprout for Shusher. Game 3: Turn 2 teeg again, with a turn 3 mimic and a turn 4 Rafiq. Turn 5 win after he failed to cast anything to rid of the teeg. 1-0
Round 2: Tezzerator: This was a friend of mine, and we both knew how the match would turn out. Turn 6-7 Mimic with Rafiq each game, snakeforming his Eperzoa each time to trample enough through. 2-0
Round 3: B/W Tokens: Game 1 a turn 6 Mimic/rafiq kill. Negated his Spectral and Broken'd his Cloudgoat. Game 2: +2 Stoic +2 Cloudthresher -3 Path -1 Bant Charm He got a turn 3 spectral through, and then got 2 turn 5 cloudgoats out with a windbrisk. Game 3 was a long game with lots of twists, but i hit for leathal around turn 12 or so. 3-0
Round 4: Mirror of sorts: His deck was a lot slower, almost no duals/siphons to get his threats out. won easily turn 6 both games. 4-0
Round 5: Mono-White Chroma: Very interesting deck that utilized the chroma white enchantment and 2 drop 1st strikers. Still, rafiq's doublestrike easily trampled him both games by turn 7. 5-0.
Saturday:
Round 1: Doran Rock (similar to the above list): Never got off the ground game 1. Game 2 he went to 50 early with a loxodon'd War Monk, which got path'd asap, then i got 3 monks online. He responded with a loxed' bird. We traded 5 life for 10 turns or so, till he might of oaks'd the bird to gain enough to last him till the end of the round. Very frustrating game all around. 0-1
Round 2: Esper Lark. Was not prepared for this matchup at all. Game 1 he never got off the ground. Game 2 i got an early teeg online, but i couldn't hit him for the fatal 2 damage while Lark hit me in the air without removal in sight. Had to bant charm 3 times to rid of his sower, taking my war monk. Game 3: Very similar to game 2, except i got to bant charm his sower 4 times, which was very frustrating. I got him to 2 again, but couldn't reach the last 2. 0-2 and drop.
Changes: -3 Path +2 Negate. I ran 61 cards all weekend (23 land) and i sided out path almost every game. Also, once i get them, +3 cryptic -3 broken. But, if your landbase isn't perfect, brokens are a suitable replacement.
[/html]Matchups that week were in order
1. 5cc Progenitus 2-1
2. Master Transmuter.dec 2-0
3. B/W Tokens (without Murderous Redcap) 2-0
4. Sigil of the White Throne.dec 2-0
The obvious core of the deck is the 16 elementals listed first. A turn 4 attacking Chaser, ether soulstoked or hardcast t3, is very hard for the current meta to deal with. However, the white elemental splash gives it an alt-win condition in both the lark and entity. It also gives good protection from a single story circle naming red/runed halo naming chaser.
Here is an ideal starting hand:
Mountain
Mountain
Smokebraider
Soulstoke
Chaser
Double Cleave
ANY
I have made one change to this deck, and it is -4 Nameless Inversion, +4 Spitebellows. The nameless were left overs from the decks transition to R/W base, over its previous R/B base. Because of this change, i am also going -1 Graven Carins, +1 R/W siphon/pain.
Top Deck Matchups:
Fae: I honestly don't play many fae decks, because they are sparce in my current meta. Volcanic and Wispmare are my likely board, but i have yet to do much testing against Fae
5cc: Easy Matchup with a good hand. After SB, + Gutteral and Cloudthresher. Most 5cc wins are not won with Chaser, instead with a lark or Entity
Vengent R/W: Probably of all T2 decks the worst matchup. Forge-tender + redcap means lots of disruption coming our way. I need a better board for this.
Kithkin: Easy matchup before and after board. May switch ricocett for pithing needle just to take out the tender?
B/W Tokens: Really depends on the decklist. VC is a must for the sideboard just for this deck alone.
This deck can win plenty, as i have seen over the last year or so. (with obvious changes in the deck mind you) The current meta can deal with this deck, but most are not prepared for it. I have a big tournament next week and i'll be taking this deck once again.
p.s. Pithing needle over Wild ric seems like an excelent idea.
That is the base for my version of B/R Devour, and it does rather well. Torrent is really only played for the +2/+0 ability, but that can hit hard later in the game when you've got 5 BB tokens and 3 GA tokens protected by the dolmen gate.
Rise of the Hobgoblins is a nice 2 of in this deck also, for instant token creation and first strike.
Coat of Arms isn't bad ether as a win condition along side devour.
I've been playing Nova Chaser Elementals, casually, since Lorwyn was released. I've recently started playing it at tournaments and FNM's and it has done rather well for me. I've seen 5c Elemental decks before do well, but none with the Nova Chaser. Some other decks in this forum us them, but not in the manner i currently am.
This deck wins against quite a few top decks currently, with its worst matchup now being B/W aggro Tokens.
The main way the deck works is to keep a hand which you can safely cast Nova Chaser, ether through a Soulstoke, or 2-3 elementals on board, then swinging for lethal next turn with a soul's fire in hand. Since Alara, i have moved the deck from R/B to 4C with the Revilaiark and MullDrifters. Fullminator Mage is a great recent addition to this deck, since many decks user >50% non-basic lands in my meta. Turn 4 kills are common with this deck, although turn 5 is the safest route 90% of the time.
As for improvement, i recently cut 2x Rite of Consumpsion for the Fullminators, because Rite wasn't doing what i needed it to like soul's fire was.
3x Double Cleave over Fullminators might be a better idea.
3x Painters Servant might be good in the board to protect from terror.
2x Wild Riccochet are definate adds once they get here from ebay
-3 Chandra: Was a good side in VS a heavy 5CC format a few weeks ago
+x Chaotic Backlash: Was in the board a few weeks ago against a white weenie heavy tournament. Might make a comeback against B/W tokens.
P.S. I read the stickies about dual posting, did not see any decks resembling this enough to pose a post within that thread.
There are lots of ways to make it work. Will it be the next cryptic? Hell no, but its still an interesting card that many will experiment with and have fun doing so. I know i'll be looking to break it in standard a few ways, and thats worth the price of admission for me. Some of you need to step the F off your high horse and realize that Wizards doesn't revolve around 1 type of player. Does this impact T2? no. Does every Card? NO. In fact, every card previewed this week has a practical appeal to many of magics' followers. I would like to see some NON-RARES preivewed this week, as it seems we'll know them all by weeks end at this rate.
5 : 6
Greater : 6
Since i hadn't seen it and the previous post with the shards mechanics missed this one.
But seriously, creativity isn't dead. Dark Bant was reletivly new to PT: Kyoto and did smashing good. PT (or GP) Berlin saw the basicly unknown elves extended deck rip through the field. Boat Brew showed up in force at Worlds.
Yes, this creativity is at a global level. That doesn't stop you from breaking Flickerwhips for t4 victories. I'm an avid deckbuilder, and i usually dont netdeck unless i see something that looks fun to play. (Zur was one of these) I currently run an elemental deck that has 4/6 favorable matchups with t1, that i have never netdecked a list for, and have constantly tweaked since lorwyn. Its won its share, and i get great pride in people's comments about the deck.
Yes, people who print a list and shuffle it up because its "t1" do ruin the creative aspect of magic. They most likely don't playtest it too much, and will almost never win a tournament. Why? Metas are always changing, so they may not have the most up to date board. Nassif made a great meta choice by using the wall, where as previously it was knocked as a jank rare by most. It may not have been his idea in whole, but i bet most players who saw it that weekend didn't see it coming or had a good answer for it.
1 Doomgape
4 Flamekin Harbinger
4 Incandescent Soulstoke
4 Mulldrifter
4 Nova Chaser
4 Smokebraider
3 Reveilark
2 Mirror Entity
4 Spitebellows
1 Horde of Notions
4 Double Cleave
3 Soul's Fire
Lands: 22
4 Reflecting Pool
2 R/W filter
1 Graven Cairins
1 R/B filter
1 R/G filter
4 Primal Beyond
2 Ancient Ziggarat
7 Mountain
4x Wispmare
2x Wild Ricochett
4x Gutteral Response
2x Cloudthresher
3x Volcanic Fallout
Done rather well with this build. Capable of a T4 kill, with lots of lasting power with lark and plenty of targets. Won FNM 3 times, all over 5 rounds. Won a few other 4 round tournaments.
Turn 2: Mountain: Incadecent Soulstoke
Turn 3: Land: Play Nova Chaser with Soulstoke. Double Cleave it.
And Bant is Bant. Not to mention as others have, there are other threads with a more accurate scope for that list.
This is more of a Doran-Rock list than a bant list.
Here is the Bant-Aggro List i ran both Friday and Saturday. Went 5-0 at FNM and 0-2 at the Saturday Black Lotus event.
4x Shorecrasher Mimic
4x Jhessian Infiltrator
4x Rhox War Monk
4x Rafiq of the Many
3x Broken Ambitions
3x Path to Exile
2x Negate
2x Elspeth, Knight-Errant
4x Snakeform
3x Gaddock Teeg
3x Wispmare
3x Gutteral Response
2x Cloudthresher
2x Stoic Angel
2x Sower of Temptation
FNM Matchups:
Round 1: Naya Planeswalker Ramp. Game 1 kept an ok hand, but never got off the ground. Scooped to Elspeth's 4/4 tokens. Game 2 +3 teeg -3 path. Played a turn 2 teeg and he scooped turn 4 without much more improvement. Stated he removed Firesprout for Shusher. Game 3: Turn 2 teeg again, with a turn 3 mimic and a turn 4 Rafiq. Turn 5 win after he failed to cast anything to rid of the teeg. 1-0
Round 2: Tezzerator: This was a friend of mine, and we both knew how the match would turn out. Turn 6-7 Mimic with Rafiq each game, snakeforming his Eperzoa each time to trample enough through. 2-0
Round 3: B/W Tokens: Game 1 a turn 6 Mimic/rafiq kill. Negated his Spectral and Broken'd his Cloudgoat. Game 2: +2 Stoic +2 Cloudthresher -3 Path -1 Bant Charm He got a turn 3 spectral through, and then got 2 turn 5 cloudgoats out with a windbrisk. Game 3 was a long game with lots of twists, but i hit for leathal around turn 12 or so. 3-0
Round 4: Mirror of sorts: His deck was a lot slower, almost no duals/siphons to get his threats out. won easily turn 6 both games. 4-0
Round 5: Mono-White Chroma: Very interesting deck that utilized the chroma white enchantment and 2 drop 1st strikers. Still, rafiq's doublestrike easily trampled him both games by turn 7. 5-0.
Saturday:
Round 1: Doran Rock (similar to the above list): Never got off the ground game 1. Game 2 he went to 50 early with a loxodon'd War Monk, which got path'd asap, then i got 3 monks online. He responded with a loxed' bird. We traded 5 life for 10 turns or so, till he might of oaks'd the bird to gain enough to last him till the end of the round. Very frustrating game all around. 0-1
Round 2: Esper Lark. Was not prepared for this matchup at all. Game 1 he never got off the ground. Game 2 i got an early teeg online, but i couldn't hit him for the fatal 2 damage while Lark hit me in the air without removal in sight. Had to bant charm 3 times to rid of his sower, taking my war monk. Game 3: Very similar to game 2, except i got to bant charm his sower 4 times, which was very frustrating. I got him to 2 again, but couldn't reach the last 2. 0-2 and drop.
Changes: -3 Path +2 Negate. I ran 61 cards all weekend (23 land) and i sided out path almost every game. Also, once i get them, +3 cryptic -3 broken. But, if your landbase isn't perfect, brokens are a suitable replacement.
[html]
4 Reflecting Pool Spells: 11
4 Primal Beyond 4x Nameless Inversion
2 Graven Carins 4x Double Cleave
2 R/W Siphon 3x Soul's Fire
1 Fire-Lit Thicket
8 Mountain
4x Flamekin Harbinger 4x Wispmare
4x Smokebraider 4x Gutteral Response
4x Incandecent Soulstoke 3x Wild Riochett
4x Nova Chaser 3x Volcanic Fallout
3x Reveilark 1x Cloudthreasher
2x Mirror Entity
1x Horde of Notions
1x Doomgape
4x Mulldrifter
1. 5cc Progenitus 2-1
2. Master Transmuter.dec 2-0
3. B/W Tokens (without Murderous Redcap) 2-0
4. Sigil of the White Throne.dec 2-0
The obvious core of the deck is the 16 elementals listed first. A turn 4 attacking Chaser, ether soulstoked or hardcast t3, is very hard for the current meta to deal with. However, the white elemental splash gives it an alt-win condition in both the lark and entity. It also gives good protection from a single story circle naming red/runed halo naming chaser.
Here is an ideal starting hand:
Mountain
Mountain
Smokebraider
Soulstoke
Chaser
Double Cleave
ANY
I have made one change to this deck, and it is -4 Nameless Inversion, +4 Spitebellows. The nameless were left overs from the decks transition to R/W base, over its previous R/B base. Because of this change, i am also going -1 Graven Carins, +1 R/W siphon/pain.
Top Deck Matchups:
Fae: I honestly don't play many fae decks, because they are sparce in my current meta. Volcanic and Wispmare are my likely board, but i have yet to do much testing against Fae
5cc: Easy Matchup with a good hand. After SB, + Gutteral and Cloudthresher. Most 5cc wins are not won with Chaser, instead with a lark or Entity
Vengent R/W: Probably of all T2 decks the worst matchup. Forge-tender + redcap means lots of disruption coming our way. I need a better board for this.
Kithkin: Easy matchup before and after board. May switch ricocett for pithing needle just to take out the tender?
B/W Tokens: Really depends on the decklist. VC is a must for the sideboard just for this deck alone.
This deck can win plenty, as i have seen over the last year or so. (with obvious changes in the deck mind you) The current meta can deal with this deck, but most are not prepared for it. I have a big tournament next week and i'll be taking this deck once again.
p.s. Pithing needle over Wild ric seems like an excelent idea.
4x Goblin Assault
3x Dolmen Gate
3x Torrent of Souls
3x Predator Dragon
That is the base for my version of B/R Devour, and it does rather well. Torrent is really only played for the +2/+0 ability, but that can hit hard later in the game when you've got 5 BB tokens and 3 GA tokens protected by the dolmen gate.
Rise of the Hobgoblins is a nice 2 of in this deck also, for instant token creation and first strike.
Coat of Arms isn't bad ether as a win condition along side devour.
4x Flamekin Harbinger
4x Smokebraider
4x Incandecant Soulstoke
4x Nova Chaser
4x Mulldrifter
2x Reviliark
1x Doomgape
2x Fullminator Mage
4x Makeshift Mannequinn
2x Flame Javalin
4x Nameless Inversion
4x Primal Beyond
4x Reflecting Pool
4x Graven Carins
1x Rugged Praire
1x Fire-lit Thicket
7x Mountain
1x Cloudthreasher
3x Chandra Nalaar
4x Gutteral Response
1x Reviliairk
2x Fullminator Mage
This deck wins against quite a few top decks currently, with its worst matchup now being B/W aggro Tokens.
The main way the deck works is to keep a hand which you can safely cast Nova Chaser, ether through a Soulstoke, or 2-3 elementals on board, then swinging for lethal next turn with a soul's fire in hand. Since Alara, i have moved the deck from R/B to 4C with the Revilaiark and MullDrifters. Fullminator Mage is a great recent addition to this deck, since many decks user >50% non-basic lands in my meta. Turn 4 kills are common with this deck, although turn 5 is the safest route 90% of the time.
As for improvement, i recently cut 2x Rite of Consumpsion for the Fullminators, because Rite wasn't doing what i needed it to like soul's fire was.
3x Double Cleave over Fullminators might be a better idea.
3x Painters Servant might be good in the board to protect from terror.
2x Wild Riccochet are definate adds once they get here from ebay
-3 Chandra: Was a good side in VS a heavy 5CC format a few weeks ago
+x Chaotic Backlash: Was in the board a few weeks ago against a white weenie heavy tournament. Might make a comeback against B/W tokens.
P.S. I read the stickies about dual posting, did not see any decks resembling this enough to pose a post within that thread.