Hand Size: 3 cards.
Land Rule: Basic Land Rule.
Format Rule:
Each player starts the game with an emblem with "Whenever you cast a spell, create X 1/1 green Squirrel creature tokens, where X is that spell's converted mana cost.
Be sure to review the rules and banned list(s) by clicking below.
Cards on the PHM Banned List are always banned, and cards on the Land Rule Banned List are banned as well when the round uses a Land Rule.
Contents
1. Overview
2. Game Rules
3. Hand Construction Rules
4. Entry
5. Perfect Hand Magic League (PHML)
6. Scoring
7. Variant Format Rules
1. Overview
Perfect Hand Magic (PHM) is a competitive strategy game for two or more players. It can be played using pencil and paper; however, it's most commonly played via an online forum. To play the game, each player secretly chooses a specified number of Magic cards which form his or her hand. Once all players have chosen hands, the hands are revealed and scored.
The object of the game is to choose the hand that will score the most points. The score for each hand is determined by the result that it would achieve if it were used to play two games of Magic – one match – against each competing hand; the rules for these theoretical games are covered in Section 2 – Game Rules. During each theoretical game, the player of each hand employs the strategy that maximizes the score for his or her hand, taking into account the strategy of his or her opponent.
A hand scores 3 points for each game that it would win, 0 points for each game that it would lose, and 1 point for each game that would end in a draw. However, a hand scores only 2 points for any match that would have a symmetrical result, regardless of whether the result would be two drawn games or a win for each hand.
The composition of a hand is limited only by a short banned list and a few restrictions on the game states that it can enable; these restrictions are covered in Section 3 – Hand Construction Rules.
2. Game Rules
2.1. Except for the changes described in these rules, games follow the rules for a normal game of Magic.
2.1a. Changes to the Comprehensive Rules or the Oracle text of a card take effect at the following times:
i. Changes that would take effect during the prerelease for a set take effect during the first round for which cards from that set may be submitted instead.
ii. Changes that would take effect at any other time take effect during the first round for which those rules have been in effect since the start of the round instead.
2.1b. Ignore any part of an instruction that isn't covered by these rules or by the rules of Magic.
2.2. A player's opening hand contains that player's chosen cards.
2.3. Players' libraries begin the game empty.
2.3a. A player doesn't lose the game as a result of being unable to draw a card.
2.4. An effect that would produce a random result produces the result that least benefits the owner of the source of that effect instead.
2.5. Each player is the starting player for one game in each match.
2.6. Players know the identities of all face-down cards and all cards in hidden zones, and players know which decisions have been made by other players.
2.7. If a game would continue indefinitely, then the game is a draw.
2.8. If a loop containing at least one optional action would be repeated indefinitely during a turn, then any player may propose a number of times for that loop to repeat instead. If a player does, then each other player may propose a different number and the loop is repeated for the greatest number of times proposed instead. No player is required to make a choice that would end a loop that crosses multiple turns.
2.9. Cards can't be brought into the game from outside the game.
3. Hand Construction Rules
3.1. A player may not choose an opening hand that would enable him or her to achieve any of the following results before an opponent's second turn would begin, such that that opponent could make no sequence of decisions that would not result in at least one of these results:
i. Win the game.
ii. Take an infinite number of turns.
iii. Cause a card to leave an opponent's hand.
Ignore this rule in the following cases:
3.1a. That player's hand would be legal if that player's opponents' cards had no rules text.
3.1b. That player's hand would be legal if that player's opponents had no maximum hand size.
3.1c. That player could achieve one of these results only during a game that was restarted after an opponent's second turn had begun.
3.1d. All cards that would leave an opponent's hand during the resolution of an effect would be put onto the battlefield by that effect.
3.1e. All cards that would leave an opponent's hand during the resolution of an effect would be in that opponent's hand once that effect resolved.
3.2. A hand may contain any number of copies of any card legal in Vintage.
3.2a. An unreleased card is treated as though it's legal in Vintage if it will become legal in Vintage upon release and if the release notes for the set that contains that card were published prior to the start of the round (See rule 4.1).
3.3. A hand may not contain any cards on the PHM Banned List.
4. Entry
4.1. A player plays a round of PHM by submitting a list of his or her chosen cards to the PHM moderator.
4.2. A player may change his or her hand until the posted deadline.
4.2a. If a player submits an illegal hand, then the moderator will try to notify that player to change his or her hand prior to the deadline. If the hand is discovered to be illegal after the deadline has passed – or if the player does not submit a new hand – then the moderator may either disqualify that hand or replace it with a similar hand, in which any cards causing that hand to be illegal have been removed or replaced.
4.2b. The moderator also will try to notify a player if that player's hand doesn't enable that player to win the game against any possible hand.
4.3. A player may name his or her hand. If he or she doesn't, then the moderator may name it. The moderator may also rename a player's hand at his or her discretion.
5. Perfect Hand Magic League (PHML)
5.1. PHM League play consists of four rounds of PHM.
5.2. Each round, a player earns League points according to the following formula:
League Points = Points Scored / Number of Opponents x 100 (rounded to the nearest integer)
5.3. The player with the most League points at the end of League play is the PHM League winner.
5.3a. If multiple players have the most League points at the end of the League, then the PHM moderator may allow those players to play additional rounds until only one of those players has the most League points or until a specified number of additional rounds has been played.
6. Scoring
6.1. A table of match results is posted at the end of each round. Each row lists one player's result against each other player. A player's points and League points are tallied at the end of his or her row.
6.2. A player may earn bonus League points as specified by the PHM moderator.
6.3. Each player is responsible for determining the match results for his or her hand.
6.3a. Players are encouraged to determine or verify additional match results.
6.3b. An undetermined match result is counted as a loss for both players in that match.
6.3c. A player may challenge any result until the moderator announces that the result is final.
7. Variant Format Rules
7.1. Perfect Hand Magic has been played with hands typically containing between one and seven cards. Additionally, the Game Rules and Hand Construction Rules have been adapted to create hundreds of variant formats. Five commonly-played variants are described in Sections 7.3-7.7.
7.2. The rules of a variant format overwrite any other applicable rules.
7.2a. Some variant formats generate continuous effects. A continuous effect generated by a variant format is treated as having the earliest timestamp within a layer or sublayer. If continuous effects generated by multiple variant formats would apply in the same layer or sublayer, assign timestamps to those effects in the order that the variant formats are listed in the rules or name of the round.
7.2b. Some variant formats require a player to make some number of decisions in addition to or instead of submitting a hand. A player's submission must comply with the Hand Construction Rules, taking into account any decisions made at this time.
7.2c. Some variant formats require players to make decisions "before the start of each game". For these decisions, follow the "Active Player, Nonactive Player order" rule, replacing "active player" with "starting player".
7.3. Land Rule Variant.
7.3a. This is the basic land rule (LR). Any player may play a basic land of his or her choice from outside the game any time he or she could normally play a land. A hand may not contain any cards on the Land Rule Banned List.
7.3b. This is the extra land rule (ELR). Any player may play a basic land of his or her choice from outside the game any time he or she could normally play a land. Any player may play an additional land on each of his or her turns from his or her hand. A hand may not contain any cards on the Land Rule Banned List.
7.3c. This is the draw land rule (DLR). If a player would draw a card from an empty library, that player puts a basic land of his or her choice from outside the game into his or her hand instead. The starting player doesn't skip the draw step of his or her first turn. A hand may not contain any cards on the Land Rule Banned List.
7.4a. Only cards contained in sets legal in the named format may be submitted.
7.5. Life Rule (LF).
7.5a. If neither player would win otherwise, then the player who maintains the higher life total wins the game.
7.5b. Irrespective of rule 7.5a, a player must choose an opening hand that enables him or her to win both games of a match against at least one hand, such that the player of the losing hand could make no sequence of decisions that would not result in that player losing the game. The losing hand must conform with the Hand Construction Rules but need not consider this rule.
7.6. Backbuild.
7.6a. Players exchange hands before the start of each match. Each player must choose an opening hand that enables him or her to win both games of a match against a specified hand or specified hands, such that the player of any specified hand could make no sequence of decisions that would not result in the player of that specified hand losing the game. Ignore rule 3.1.
7.7. (Bonus).
7.7a. A player earns bonus points if his or her hand meets specified requirements.
PHM Banned List_________________Land Rule Banned List
I know this is silly, but I really want this format rule to have the usual (Zero is even.) reminder text that appears on all cards that mention odd/even.
1. xx
2. 6-0 : Norn prevents the tokens before they happen
3. 6-0 : Norn is first turn, before Denial. Stops all.
4. 3-3
5. 6-0 : Needle doesn't stop LED. Norn clears field.
6. 6-0 : Norn beats stops even 16 2/2 tokens
X| 1 2 3 4 5 6
1| X 6 6 3 6 6 | 24 | 520
I'm going to call 1v4 as 3-3 for now, but I'm going to come back to it and see if there's any way for me to win. I definitely get it on my play (I'm swinging 19 on my turn 2; declaration can't hit norn and tokens). I think he gets it on his play, but I might have some nonstandard play? If I can force declaration to target the tokens I win. Hardcasting Norn might work; need to play out a few ways.
1. 0-6, T1 norn gets me. 2. 6-0. I combo off before he does his thing.
3. xx 4. 6-0. I wait until turn 4 to cast earthcraft with counterspell backup. If he blows either removal spell, I float mana with squirrels and restart the chain right after. 5. 3-3. Oh come on! On my play he has to drop needle T1. I play Forest/Island first, holding countermagic for his drain spell. He has 12 squirrels on his first mass attack and I'm at 25 life w/ 4 squirrels (counterspell + a lion). I take 8,6,4,2 damage from each attack, which is only 20. On the draw, he can play his bigger spells first turn and I die. 6. 6-0. he can't stop combo.
X| 1 2 3 4 5 6
3| 0 6 X 6 3 6 | 21 |
I was debating between Swan Song and standard Counterspell, should've gone with the former.
I think he gets it on his play, but I might have some nonstandard play? If I can force declaration to target the tokens I win. Hardcasting Norn might work; need to play out a few ways.
You only have two turns to attack into a suspended festering marsh (one turn summoning sickness), the 7 squirrels only do 14 before they're wiped.
Also you have 27 points by my count, 4 6-0s and a 3-3.
Well, I didn't think my hand is good, but when I found this combo, I knew I want to use it
Generally, plan is Forest, Needle naming Earthcraft (or Camel, depending on matchup). Second turn: Swamp, Reverent Silence for 6 life, Needlebite Trap for B.
Effect: 12 squirells in second turn with some utility.
1) Feyd_Ruin
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite / Lion's Eye Diamond / Unburial Rites
0. Well, Lion's Eye Diamond is still mana ability. No luck for me with Needle.
2) Magus of the Aesthetic :: Now I Have a Glass Cannon, Ho Ho Ho!
Beacon of Tomorrows / Earthcraft / Impact Tremors
6. Needle Earthcraft, I kill you before Beacon comes out.
3) ManyCookies :: CatCraft
Arcane Denial / Earthcraft / Whitemane Lion
2. Needle for Earthcraft. OTP, you can't stop any spell. My 12 squirrels are faster than yours 2 or 4 squirells per turn. OTD, it makes sense to counter Trap, and you are faster.
4) MyNameIsFourteen :: It's Christmas Eve, Here's the First Deck I Though Of
Declaration in Stone / Festering March / Nature's Claim
I'm going to say 0. I don't see a way to beat two mass removals. I could name March with Needle to prevent Suspend, but you can Claim it either way
1) Feyd_Ruin Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite / Lion's Eye Diamond / Unburial Rites Good news - you can have your perfect week.
If you don't LED for norn when I'm on the play, the game is nothing until my t5, when I hardcast march and put 3 counters on it. There are two interesting cases from there:
A) You unburial for norn when I have 3 counters on march and 5 tokens. This still leads to me winning.
or
B) you wait and hardcast norn, but I've hit you a few times with the tokens from the first time I marched.
You play land #5
I attack you down to 15, march ticks to 2
You play land #6
I attack you to 10, march ticks to 1
You play land #7 and cast norn for 7 tokens, wiping mine
March ticks to zero, doing effectively nothing because norn is in play, but resetting itself to 3. I declaration in stone norn on my main phase. EDIT: which kills your tokens due to march's effect lasting all turn. GG. You hit me for 7 down to 13
March ticks to 2 You hit me for 7 down to 6
March ticks to 1 You kill me. GG.
2) Magus of the Aesthetic :: Now I Have a Glass Cannon, Ho Ho Ho! Beacon of Tomorrows / Earthcraft / Impact Tremors I cant interact with your combo so I have to beat you before you get to 8 mana (or 4 mana plus earthcraft and 4 squirrels)
When you're on the play:
T2 you play tremors (2 sq)
T3 you attack me down to 18, then cast earthcraft (4 sq), and tremor me down to 16
t3 I declaration on the squirrels
t4 I attack you down to 18
t5 I hardcast march, going up to 6 squirrels
t6 I attack you down to 12
t7 I attack you down to 6
t8 you combo off.
When I'm on the play this race flips in my favor.
3-3 0-6 per your writeup below.
5) Superbajt Needlebite Trap / Pithing Needle / Reverent Silence
6-0 I agree with your writeup - though it may surprise you to learn that Suspend is a special action like morph, not an activated ability. So Pithing needle does nothing other than make a squirell.
6) WhammeWhamme Blinkmoth Infusion / Disrupting Shoal / Intangible Virtue
Cool deck. Lots of lines.
If you sit there and wait for me to move, I hardcast march. You could make 16 tokens in response, but they'd all die when it resolves and then I win. So instead our match is a big fight over intagible virtue, which I want to claim and you want to protect.
With you on the play -
Nothing happens until your t5. You cast virtue, and I try to claim it on end step. You Shoal for 1. Now I have 1 squirrel and you have 5 2/2 squirrels.
On my t5, I untap, cast declaration on your tokens, and start attacking. on my t6 I hardcast march so I end up with 8 attacking squirells. This finishes you off before you can Hardcast Infusion many turns later.
6-0
vs. 01: Feyd_Norn: He got Norn. 0-6
vs. 02 Magus of the Aesthetic: I swing for 32 before their 3rd turn win, play or draw. 6-0
vs. 03 ManyCookies: OTP, swing for 32 against infinite tapped tokens. 3-3
vs. 04 MyNameIsFourteen: Get picked apart. 0-6
vs. 05 Superbajt: Swing for 32 turn 3. 6-0
Dispute is with ManyCookies, who forgets that I swing for lethal past the three blockers (inc. lion) they can actually muster because all the tokens are tapped...
Agree with ManyCookies that in MTG, the March will kill Elesh-less tokens.
Dispute is with ManyCookies, who forgets that I swing for lethal past the three blockers (inc. lion) they can actually muster because all the tokens are tapped...
Ah, I concur (Another matchup where swan song would've been better!)
1) 0-6 - I can't beat Elesh Norn and her squirrel posse.
3) 0-6 - My hand is one turn slower on the play and presumably even slower on the draw.
4) 6-0 - DISAGREE (see below)
5) 0-6 - I can't beat needle + a ton of squirrels.
6) 0-6 - Style points for using Disrupting Shoal just as a token maker.
I'm never going to cast Earthcraft as long as you have Nature's Claim in hand, unless it enables me to cast Beacon that turn (activating Earthcraft in response to Claim). This incentivizes me to not cast any spells until I can cast Beacon of Tomorrows, since I don't want to turn on Nature's Claim or Declaration in Stone and give you squirrels. The best you can do is cast Festering March on turn 5, but even if you're on the play it's too late to kill me before I go off.
I have a general question. I see people marking matches as 3-3 and giving themselves 3 points for it. Aren't all symmetrical results 2 points?
So anyway, I regret not going with Authochton Wurm/Nourishing Shoal + some kind of counterspell.
Less stylish, more practical.
Ah whale.
As for 3-3 results ; it's just to denote that it's win/win, not draw/draw. Many of us having been doing this for ever and are stuck in our ways on that point.
3CH LR Squirrelscape
Land Rule: Basic Land Rule.
Format Rule:
Hands:
1) Feyd_Ruin
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite / Lion's Eye Diamond / Unburial Rites
2) Magus of the Aesthetic :: Now I Have a Glass Cannon, Ho Ho Ho!
Beacon of Tomorrows / Earthcraft / Impact Tremors
3) ManyCookies :: CatCraft
Arcane Denial / Earthcraft / Whitemane Lion
4) MyNameIsFourteen :: It's Christmas Eve, Here's the First Deck I Though Of
Declaration in Stone / Festering March / Nature's Claim
5) Superbajt
Needlebite Trap / Pithing Needle / Reverent Silence
6) WhammeWhamme
Blinkmoth Infusion / Disrupting Shoal / Intangible Virtue
Results:
X| 1 2 3 4 5 6 |
1| X 6 6 3 6 6 | 26 | 520
2| 0 X 0 6 0 0 | 06 | 120
3| 0 6 X 6 3 3 | 16 | 320
4| 3 0 0 X 6 6 | 14 | 280
5| 0 6 3 0 X 0 | 08 | 160
6| 0 6 3 0 6 X | 14 | 280
Feyd_Ruin wins!
Rules and Banned List
Cards on the PHM Banned List are always banned, and cards on the Land Rule Banned List are banned as well when the round uses a Land Rule.
1. Overview
2. Game Rules
3. Hand Construction Rules
4. Entry
5. Perfect Hand Magic League (PHML)
6. Scoring
7. Variant Format Rules
1. Overview
Perfect Hand Magic (PHM) is a competitive strategy game for two or more players. It can be played using pencil and paper; however, it's most commonly played via an online forum. To play the game, each player secretly chooses a specified number of Magic cards which form his or her hand. Once all players have chosen hands, the hands are revealed and scored.
The object of the game is to choose the hand that will score the most points. The score for each hand is determined by the result that it would achieve if it were used to play two games of Magic – one match – against each competing hand; the rules for these theoretical games are covered in Section 2 – Game Rules. During each theoretical game, the player of each hand employs the strategy that maximizes the score for his or her hand, taking into account the strategy of his or her opponent.
A hand scores 3 points for each game that it would win, 0 points for each game that it would lose, and 1 point for each game that would end in a draw. However, a hand scores only 2 points for any match that would have a symmetrical result, regardless of whether the result would be two drawn games or a win for each hand.
The composition of a hand is limited only by a short banned list and a few restrictions on the game states that it can enable; these restrictions are covered in Section 3 – Hand Construction Rules.
2. Game Rules
2.1. Except for the changes described in these rules, games follow the rules for a normal game of Magic.
ii. Changes that would take effect at any other time take effect during the first round for which those rules have been in effect since the start of the round instead.
2.1b. Ignore any part of an instruction that isn't covered by these rules or by the rules of Magic.
2.2. A player's opening hand contains that player's chosen cards.
2.3. Players' libraries begin the game empty.
2.4. An effect that would produce a random result produces the result that least benefits the owner of the source of that effect instead.
2.5. Each player is the starting player for one game in each match.
2.6. Players know the identities of all face-down cards and all cards in hidden zones, and players know which decisions have been made by other players.
2.7. If a game would continue indefinitely, then the game is a draw.
2.8. If a loop containing at least one optional action would be repeated indefinitely during a turn, then any player may propose a number of times for that loop to repeat instead. If a player does, then each other player may propose a different number and the loop is repeated for the greatest number of times proposed instead. No player is required to make a choice that would end a loop that crosses multiple turns.
2.9. Cards can't be brought into the game from outside the game.
3. Hand Construction Rules
3.1. A player may not choose an opening hand that would enable him or her to achieve any of the following results before an opponent's second turn would begin, such that that opponent could make no sequence of decisions that would not result in at least one of these results:
ii. Take an infinite number of turns.
iii. Cause a card to leave an opponent's hand.
Ignore this rule in the following cases:
3.1b. That player's hand would be legal if that player's opponents had no maximum hand size.
3.1c. That player could achieve one of these results only during a game that was restarted after an opponent's second turn had begun.
3.1d. All cards that would leave an opponent's hand during the resolution of an effect would be put onto the battlefield by that effect.
3.1e. All cards that would leave an opponent's hand during the resolution of an effect would be in that opponent's hand once that effect resolved.
3.2. A hand may contain any number of copies of any card legal in Vintage.
3.3. A hand may not contain any cards on the PHM Banned List.
4. Entry
4.1. A player plays a round of PHM by submitting a list of his or her chosen cards to the PHM moderator.
4.2. A player may change his or her hand until the posted deadline.
4.2b. The moderator also will try to notify a player if that player's hand doesn't enable that player to win the game against any possible hand.
4.3. A player may name his or her hand. If he or she doesn't, then the moderator may name it. The moderator may also rename a player's hand at his or her discretion.
5. Perfect Hand Magic League (PHML)
5.1. PHM League play consists of four rounds of PHM.
5.2. Each round, a player earns League points according to the following formula:
5.3. The player with the most League points at the end of League play is the PHM League winner.
6. Scoring
6.1. A table of match results is posted at the end of each round. Each row lists one player's result against each other player. A player's points and League points are tallied at the end of his or her row.
6.2. A player may earn bonus League points as specified by the PHM moderator.
6.3. Each player is responsible for determining the match results for his or her hand.
6.3b. An undetermined match result is counted as a loss for both players in that match.
6.3c. A player may challenge any result until the moderator announces that the result is final.
7. Variant Format Rules
7.1. Perfect Hand Magic has been played with hands typically containing between one and seven cards. Additionally, the Game Rules and Hand Construction Rules have been adapted to create hundreds of variant formats. Five commonly-played variants are described in Sections 7.3-7.7.
7.2. The rules of a variant format overwrite any other applicable rules.
7.2b. Some variant formats require a player to make some number of decisions in addition to or instead of submitting a hand. A player's submission must comply with the Hand Construction Rules, taking into account any decisions made at this time.
7.2c. Some variant formats require players to make decisions "before the start of each game". For these decisions, follow the "Active Player, Nonactive Player order" rule, replacing "active player" with "starting player".
7.3. Land Rule Variant.
7.3b. This is the extra land rule (ELR). Any player may play a basic land of his or her choice from outside the game any time he or she could normally play a land. Any player may play an additional land on each of his or her turns from his or her hand. A hand may not contain any cards on the Land Rule Banned List.
7.3c. This is the draw land rule (DLR). If a player would draw a card from an empty library, that player puts a basic land of his or her choice from outside the game into his or her hand instead. The starting player doesn't skip the draw step of his or her first turn. A hand may not contain any cards on the Land Rule Banned List.
7.4. Sanctioned Magic Format Variant.
7.5. Life Rule (LF).
7.5b. Irrespective of rule 7.5a, a player must choose an opening hand that enables him or her to win both games of a match against at least one hand, such that the player of the losing hand could make no sequence of decisions that would not result in that player losing the game. The losing hand must conform with the Hand Construction Rules but need not consider this rule.
7.6. Backbuild.
7.7. (Bonus).
Beast Within________________________Beacon of Creation
Chancellor of the Annex_____________Black Lotus
Channel_____________________________Energy Field
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn_____________Maralen of the Mornsong
Fastbond____________________________Nezumi Shortfang
Flash_______________________________Red Sun's Zenith
Force of Will_______________________White Sun's Zenith
Ghost Quarter
Laboratory Maniac
Leyline of Anticipation
Leyline of Singularity
Leyline of the Meek
Magus of the Moon
Meddling Mage
Pact of Negation
Show and Tell
Strip Mine
The Rack
Trinisphere
Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
Vampire Hexmage
Wasteland
Channel_____________________________Black Lotus
Fastbond
Flash
Show and Tell
Disruption
Beast Within________________________Balancing Act
Chancellor of the Annex_____________Energy Field
Force of Will
Leyline of Anticipation
Leyline of Singularity
Pact of Negation
Trinisphere
Lands
Ghost Quarter
Strip Mine
Wasteland
Win Conditions
Barren Glory________________________Beacon of Creation
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn_____________Maralen of the Mornsong
Laboratory Maniac___________________Nezumi Shortfang
Leyline of the Meek_________________Red Sun's Zenith
Magus of the Moon___________________White Sun's Zenith
Meddling Mage
The Rack
Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
Vampire Hexmage
Format Ideas?
Additional Resources
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3CH LR VW
Land Rule: Basic Land Rule.
Format Rule:
Creatures with even converted mana costs can't block.
Please post if you have any comments or suggestions!
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Please take a look and score your row.
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2. 6-0 : Norn prevents the tokens before they happen
3. 6-0 : Norn is first turn, before Denial. Stops all.
4. 3-3
5. 6-0 : Needle doesn't stop LED. Norn clears field.
6. 6-0 : Norn beats stops even 16 2/2 tokens
X| 1 2 3 4 5 6
1| X 6 6 3 6 6 | 24 | 520
I'm going to call 1v4 as 3-3 for now, but I'm going to come back to it and see if there's any way for me to win. I definitely get it on my play (I'm swinging 19 on my turn 2; declaration can't hit norn and tokens). I think he gets it on his play, but I might have some nonstandard play? If I can force declaration to target the tokens I win. Hardcasting Norn might work; need to play out a few ways.
No longer staff here.
2. 6-0. I combo off before he does his thing.
3. xx
4. 6-0. I wait until turn 4 to cast earthcraft with counterspell backup. If he blows either removal spell, I float mana with squirrels and restart the chain right after.
5. 3-3. Oh come on! On my play he has to drop needle T1. I play Forest/Island first, holding countermagic for his drain spell. He has 12 squirrels on his first mass attack and I'm at 25 life w/ 4 squirrels (counterspell + a lion). I take 8,6,4,2 damage from each attack, which is only 20. On the draw, he can play his bigger spells first turn and I die.
6. 6-0. he can't stop combo.
X| 1 2 3 4 5 6
3| 0 6 X 6 3 6 | 21 |
I was debating between Swan Song and standard Counterspell, should've gone with the former.
You only have two turns to attack into a suspended festering marsh (one turn summoning sickness), the 7 squirrels only do 14 before they're wiped.
Also you have 27 points by my count, 4 6-0s and a 3-3.
Generally, plan is Forest, Needle naming Earthcraft (or Camel, depending on matchup). Second turn: Swamp, Reverent Silence for 6 life, Needlebite Trap for B.
Effect: 12 squirells in second turn with some utility.
1) Feyd_Ruin
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite / Lion's Eye Diamond / Unburial Rites
0. Well, Lion's Eye Diamond is still mana ability. No luck for me with Needle.
2) Magus of the Aesthetic :: Now I Have a Glass Cannon, Ho Ho Ho!
Beacon of Tomorrows / Earthcraft / Impact Tremors
6. Needle Earthcraft, I kill you before Beacon comes out.
3) ManyCookies :: CatCraft
Arcane Denial / Earthcraft / Whitemane Lion
2. Needle for Earthcraft. OTP, you can't stop any spell. My 12 squirrels are faster than yours 2 or 4 squirells per turn. OTD, it makes sense to counter Trap, and you are faster.
4) MyNameIsFourteen :: It's Christmas Eve, Here's the First Deck I Though Of
Declaration in Stone / Festering March / Nature's Claim
I'm going to say 0. I don't see a way to beat two mass removals. I could name March with Needle to prevent Suspend, but you can Claim it either way
6) WhammeWhamme
Blinkmoth Infusion / Disrupting Shoal / Intangible Virtue
0. 16>12.
Declaration in Stone / Festering March / Nature's Claim
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite / Lion's Eye Diamond / Unburial Rites
Good news - you can have your perfect week.If you don't LED for norn when I'm on the play, the game is nothing until my t5, when I hardcast march and put 3 counters on it. There are two interesting cases from there:
A) You unburial for norn when I have 3 counters on march and 5 tokens. This still leads to me winning.
or
B) you wait and hardcast norn, but I've hit you a few times with the tokens from the first time I marched.
You play land #5
I attack you down to 15, march ticks to 2
You play land #6
I attack you to 10, march ticks to 1
You play land #7 and cast norn for 7 tokens, wiping mine
March ticks to zero, doing effectively nothing because norn is in play, but resetting itself to 3. I declaration in stone norn on my main phase. EDIT: which kills your tokens due to march's effect lasting all turn. GG.
You hit me for 7 down to 13March ticks to 2
You hit me for 7 down to 6March ticks to 1
You kill me.GG.2) Magus of the Aesthetic :: Now I Have a Glass Cannon, Ho Ho Ho!
Beacon of Tomorrows / Earthcraft / Impact Tremors
I cant interact with your combo so I have to beat you before you get to 8 mana (or 4 mana plus earthcraft and 4 squirrels)
0-6 per your writeup below.When you're on the play:
T2 you play tremors (2 sq)
T3 you attack me down to 18, then cast earthcraft (4 sq), and tremor me down to 16
t3 I declaration on the squirrels
t4 I attack you down to 18
t5 I hardcast march, going up to 6 squirrels
t6 I attack you down to 12
t7 I attack you down to 6
t8 you combo off.
When I'm on the play this race flips in my favor.
3-3
3) ManyCookies :: CatCraft
Arcane Denial / Earthcraft / Whitemane Lion
0-6 I agree with your writup.
5) Superbajt
Needlebite Trap / Pithing Needle / Reverent Silence
6-0 I agree with your writeup - though it may surprise you to learn that Suspend is a special action like morph, not an activated ability. So Pithing needle does nothing other than make a squirell.
6) WhammeWhamme
Blinkmoth Infusion / Disrupting Shoal / Intangible Virtue
Cool deck. Lots of lines.
If you sit there and wait for me to move, I hardcast march. You could make 16 tokens in response, but they'd all die when it resolves and then I win. So instead our match is a big fight over intagible virtue, which I want to claim and you want to protect.
With you on the play -
Nothing happens until your t5. You cast virtue, and I try to claim it on end step. You Shoal for 1. Now I have 1 squirrel and you have 5 2/2 squirrels.
On my t5, I untap, cast declaration on your tokens, and start attacking. on my t6 I hardcast march so I end up with 8 attacking squirells. This finishes you off before you can Hardcast Infusion many turns later.
6-0
4| 2 0 0 X 6 6 | 14 | 280
You're thinking of hearthstone rules, the tokens would still die after Norn leaves the field.
vs. 02 Magus of the Aesthetic: I swing for 32 before their 3rd turn win, play or draw. 6-0
vs. 03 ManyCookies: OTP, swing for 32 against infinite tapped tokens. 3-3
vs. 04 MyNameIsFourteen: Get picked apart. 0-6
vs. 05 Superbajt: Swing for 32 turn 3. 6-0
Dispute is with ManyCookies, who forgets that I swing for lethal past the three blockers (inc. lion) they can actually muster because all the tokens are tapped...
Agree with ManyCookies that in MTG, the March will kill Elesh-less tokens.
Ah, I concur (Another matchup where swan song would've been better!)
1) 0-6 - I can't beat Elesh Norn and her squirrel posse.
3) 0-6 - My hand is one turn slower on the play and presumably even slower on the draw.
4) 6-0 - DISAGREE (see below)
5) 0-6 - I can't beat needle + a ton of squirrels.
6) 0-6 - Style points for using Disrupting Shoal just as a token maker.
Less stylish, more practical.
Ah whale.
As for 3-3 results ; it's just to denote that it's win/win, not draw/draw. Many of us having been doing this for ever and are stuck in our ways on that point.
Illness in the Ranks was my second thought.
I came very close to submitting Illness / Arcane Denial / noncreature kill
No longer staff here.