Thanks so much for the useful tips .. I think I need to fix my sideboard somehow and your right ShatterStorm x 3 and Lighting bolt x 4 against affinity make my combo a lot slow... but to be honest I think the sideboard of all U/R storm are the same since is not really transformation sideboard. I was really thinking in get some counter spells on sideboard but not sure if really useful.
Anybody have any tips or suggestions for the Affinity match-up? Most people I've spoken with say it's even-ish to favorable, but I've found it to be tough. I'm also not sure what I could be doing differently as it often feels like a strictly uninteractive race in game 1, and then dependent on me drawing Shatterstorm in game 2 and 3, which even that isn't always even enough.
Dig for Shatterstorm with your draw spells and hold it until they're low on cards or you're forced to play it. That's basically how you beat Affinity postboard. Rituals can accelerate it out, and we'll usually dig at least 10-11 cards deep by turn 3, so you'll have a Shatterstorm over half the time. Alternatively, you can combo the turn before they kill you. They don't interact with you that much, so if you play around Spell Pierce, you should be fine.
I had a go at calculating some opening hand probabilities, and I was quite surprised at how often you will have to mulligan with this deck. One of the main reasons I would mulligan an opening hand is if it lacked any blue sources. Taking what appears to be the standard manabase, 45 of the 60 cards in the deck are not blue sources. And so the probability of drawing 7 not-blue-sources in a row should be (45/60)*(44/59)*(43/58)*(42/57)*(41/56)*(40/55)*(39/54) = 11.75%. So even before taking into account hands with too many lands, hands with too many engines, etc, you will mulligan your opening hand about 12% of the time. Furthermore, in a 2 game match you will mulligan at least one opening hand at least 22% of the time, and in a 3 game match you will mulligan at least one opening hand at least 30% of the time!
So yeah, I just thought that was surprising. One thing I thought I'd ask is, what criteria do you have to keep a hand? Generally I will keep hands with only one land (not a basic Mountain obviously) if I have at least one blue cantrip on the draw, and on the play I would keep if I had at least one Serum Visions or Sleight of Hand, Gitaxian Probe and Thought Scour don't seem quite as reliable at finding land.
Opinions on Scour + Peer? I really like Peer, and I don't really like Ravings, but I'm willing to give up Looting. My only concern is the extra blue mana is hard to come by occasionally, and I might have to change up my manabase.
Here's hoping for another Manamorphose type effect eventually...
So I have been playing storm for a while now, and I am wondering what peoples opinion of wear // tear off a singleton hollowed fountain is. It gives a decent out to eidolon of rhetoric, Rule of Law and ethersworn canonist, even if they are both in play at the same time. It works with echoing truth against leyline of sanctity/void, and could even come in versus some of the artifact matchups. I am planning on taking storm to a ptq in about a month so I have been playing around with the sideboard a bit, and would be interested to hear some thoughts. Thanks.
In my very limited experience against the mill deck you just want to empty as soon as possible for a two turn clock. Merfolk is a bad matchup because they can present a clock and have plenty of disruption to back it up.generally board empty and bolts in thatatchup. Don't know if its correct. I only played against it twice.
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UBR ANT UBR TES UBR TNT GB Dredge
(does it have led? then I probably have played it.)
Against Mill, board in all of your copies of Empty and Bolt. You need to diversify your wincons to protect against Surgical Extraction and Extirpate. Against Merfolk, just board in all your Bolts. They're great at killing Cursecatcher and slowing them down. I'd board in Blood Moon as well against UW Merfolk, due to their high concentration of spells with two colored mana in the casting cost.
perhaps more consistent, but it seems like it'd take much longer. you can't really threaten to just go off in one turn because your only way to net mana is to play a manamorphse with an active ascension. what your average kill turn?
Just a question, yesterday I played a modern GPT, and did pretty well. Went 4-1-1 in the swiss to make top 8. Both my loss in the swiss and in the top8 were to junk midrange. How do you guys deal with the constant assualt on the hand with inquisition, Thoughtseize and good Liliana?
Just a question, yesterday I played a modern GPT, and did pretty well. Went 4-1-1 in the swiss to make top 8. Both my loss in the swiss and in the top8 were to junk midrange. How do you guys deal with the constant assualt on the hand with inquisition, Thoughtseize and good Liliana?
It's not a great matchup on paper, but I think Empty the Warrens helps a lot. It's very easy to go T2, Probe/Manamorphose, Ritual, Ritual, Empty for 8 Goblins and win with that. Grapeshot does a good Plague Wind In Garruk's Wake impression too (hey, it can hit Planewalkers, who needs regenerate?).
The issue I have with the NR infinite storm wincon is you are relient on having an active ascension. Which turns you into more of a pyromancer control list. You have no natural way to go off, and while you can get a turn three win. It looks much more easily disruted than the current main list. Also if the opponent realizes you are in need of ascension, they will keep their permenet removal, which makes the twin package out of the board a lot worse.
I agree that empty also helps our G/B/x matchup, its still pretty bad sometimes though.
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(does it have led? then I probably have played it.)
for tournaments its best to write everything down, probably in your score book. that way you have hard numbers to go back in time and recreate sequencing in the event of a judge call. i usually have 2 columns for R and U floating, as well as a tally for storm
Personally I use three colored spin down dice to keep track of mana and spells. I have also used my life total pad but that is generally slower than the dice in my experience.
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UBR ANT UBR TES UBR TNT GB Dredge
(does it have led? then I probably have played it.)
I also write everything down. As nwrobinson says, it's better for judge calls or if there's any confusion. I also just happen to find it easier than constantly trying to find numbers on a 20-sided die. Plus it's not prone to random table shaking and other nonsense that often happens in a crowded tournament.
so how many people are looking to storm at GP Worcester this weekend?
i plan on running back Finkel's list with a few changes, most notably 3 blood moons in the sideboard, given the number of games you can just win off of t2 rit blood moon.
I sadly can't go to Worcester due to other commitments, but I will (barring an unexpected change of plans) be piloting Storm at the PTQ in Houston. I'm running Finkel's 75 from his article a few months ago, which has been working really well for me in testing.
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Thanks so much again help me a lot =)
So yeah, I just thought that was surprising. One thing I thought I'd ask is, what criteria do you have to keep a hand? Generally I will keep hands with only one land (not a basic Mountain obviously) if I have at least one blue cantrip on the draw, and on the play I would keep if I had at least one Serum Visions or Sleight of Hand, Gitaxian Probe and Thought Scour don't seem quite as reliable at finding land.
Here's hoping for another Manamorphose type effect eventually...
URStorm
URBDelver
RWNorin Sisters
BWTokens
UBR TES
UBR TNT
GB Dredge
(does it have led? then I probably have played it.)
UBWR Ad nauseam
GW Hatebears
UBR TES
UBR TNT
GB Dredge
(does it have led? then I probably have played it.)
UBWR Ad nauseam
GW Hatebears
It's not a great matchup on paper, but I think Empty the Warrens helps a lot. It's very easy to go T2, Probe/Manamorphose, Ritual, Ritual, Empty for 8 Goblins and win with that. Grapeshot does a good
Plague WindIn Garruk's Wake impression too (hey, it can hit Planewalkers, who needs regenerate?).I agree that empty also helps our G/B/x matchup, its still pretty bad sometimes though.
UBR TES
UBR TNT
GB Dredge
(does it have led? then I probably have played it.)
UBWR Ad nauseam
GW Hatebears
UBR TES
UBR TNT
GB Dredge
(does it have led? then I probably have played it.)
UBWR Ad nauseam
GW Hatebears
i plan on running back Finkel's list with a few changes, most notably 3 blood moons in the sideboard, given the number of games you can just win off of t2 rit blood moon.
UBR TES
UBR TNT
GB Dredge
(does it have led? then I probably have played it.)
UBWR Ad nauseam
GW Hatebears