So I've spent some time looking at the decks I might want to build in Vintage. The two I've tentatively decided on are TPS and Dredge. I'm a combo player at heart, but before I invest, I need some info from people who are currently in the Vintage scene.
I hear that Dredge has a lot of hate it has to slug through. Initially, I like the deck idea more, but if I'm playing Dredge Mirrors all the time, or constantly getting hated out, I'd get bored. This makes me lean to TPS. Then again, I don't know if TPS performs well enough, so I'm feeling underinformed.
Can I get some opinions from the Vintage players here?
Dredge is the most "Cost effective" competitive deck in type one, it's easy to make (especially with 4+ proxies) usually takes game 1 and is very fast. Problems you'll face with dredge is the absurd amount of hate everyone has to deal with it: Leyline of the Void, Ravenous Trap, Tormod's Crypt, Relic of Progenitus, Propaganda, Ghostly Prison and Planar Void to name a few. In addition to the listed cards, you will also be dealing with wastelands and disruption from other decks.
TPS is good, I'd go with it if these were my only choices. It's a more welcoming option for someone getting into the format as the deck runs just about every U/B control staple, goldfishing is pretty close to playing the real thing (aside from obvious disruption) and it's not as straightforward as dredge and you need to be able to see all of your options in order to win. Like Dredge, TPS has it's weaknesses: Stax decks, decks running a lot of duress effects, trinisphere etc.
That's my $0.02
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
T1
Vault+Key
T2
:symu:/:symw: Control
EDH
Eight and a Half Tails
I'm a TPS pilot, have been for about six months, and I'm loving it (haven't yet taken it to a large event though...). It is a very expensive deck, as it runs a full set of power (if you play only proxy events, like me, this isn't a big deal).
Steve Menendian wrote some fantastic articles about TPS, which you can find links to in the official thread. He calls the deck the most powerful in the format, but also the most difficult to pilot.
I love playing it because every hand is like trying to build a jigsaw puzzle while someone tries to stop you. It's a great workout for the mind; very fun.
I've never played dredge...
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.
first off. dredge is not played nearly as much as it should.
secondly, almost 75% of decks in a given tourney are not running enough cards in their SB to really want to play dredge (either run 7+ for dredge or run zero). of course, they can still draw their hate games 2 and 3.
TPS i feel like is not really a good enough choice for format where every deck either runs blue, runs trinishpere, or runs bridge from below to make it safe to run a combo deck.
i would suggest playing dredge, and after you play about 5-10 preboard games to figure out how to make the optimal play all the time (espcially with cabal therapy). only play postboard games, it is really difficult to play postboard games and make optimal plays not only in playing, but also SBing. i would suggest before any tourney to scout heavily to see what people are packing for hate (and there are a lot pithing needle, yixlid jailer, extirpateravenous trap, leyline of the void, tormod's crypt, relic of progenitous, wheel of sun and moon, children of korlis, etc.)
also, if during scouting you see a lot of dark times, a monoblack deck running leyline+helm of obedience and hexmage depths, supported by bobs and the like. i would suggest running something other than dredge or TPS. as the deck crushes both pretty soundly (4x leyline and 9 discard effects MD).
if you would like my opinion, there is no reason to play anything but bant fish, unless there is a massive amount of bant fish in the room. as its "bad" MUs (oath... yeah, oath) really are no worse than 50/50 and require the most difficult options for your opponent to even get it that high. it is also relatively cheap, and if you get 6 proxies the most expensive cards are goyfs, fows, and duals.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Josh "War" Monks
Seattle, WA
Team Still Had All These (ofc)
swerv'in your blighnin's since 2009
I strongly advise you *against* TPS, not only because it is one of the hardest decks to pilot, but because it will be hard for you to go back and try and figure out where you went wrong when you fizzle / crap out (and believe me, you will). The decision tree is so deep that you can never be sure you've made the optimal play.
As some have already mentioned, Dredge is the most hated out deck in the format, and I have the feeling that for a new player, getting hated out after the first few games is a recipe for frustration, and it could easily end in dropping the format altogether after a few bad beats.
I think picking a deck for a newcomer is based on two aspects: affordability and contribution to learning the format.
The deck that strikes a good balance of the two is definitely Fish. To play Fish effectively, you have to learn what makes other decks tick, what you can let resolve, what you have to counter, how to work the stack effectively in your favor, how to work card advantage, planning ahead, etc etc. On top of that, it runs a good amount of staples that will follow you throughout your Vintage experience, mixed with niche cards that shouldn't be hard to obtain. Moving on, you can easily turn a Fish deck into a storm or tezz build (TPS included, if you were so inclined) while holding onto the Force + Bombs shell. If this last aspect isn't a concern, two decks I suggest you take a look at are Christmas Beats and GW Beats. They have a fishy approach while not running blue, and besides the ever present Goyf can be put together with ease.
In conclusion, I suggest you pick up a deck that is highly interactive but not overly complicated, this will help you get a feel of the format, break some misconceptions you might have, and ultimately compete with almost any deck that you will be facing.
Good luck!
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Dying with good cards in your hand is the surest sign that you did something wrong, somewhere." -Caleb Durward
I strongly advise you *against* TPS, not only because it is one of the hardest decks to pilot, but because it will be hard for you to go back and try and figure out where you went wrong when you fizzle / crap out (and believe me, you will). The decision tree is so deep that you can never be sure you've made the optimal play.
As some have already mentioned, Dredge is the most hated out deck in the format, and I have the feeling that for a new player, getting hated out after the first few games is a recipe for frustration, and it could easily end in dropping the format altogether after a few bad beats.
I think picking a deck for a newcomer is based on two aspects: affordability and contribution to learning the format.
The deck that strikes a good balance of the two is definitely Fish. To play Fish effectively, you have to learn what makes other decks tick, what you can let resolve, what you have to counter, how to work the stack effectively in your favor, how to work card advantage, planning ahead, etc etc. On top of that, it runs a good amount of staples that will follow you throughout your Vintage experience, mixed with niche cards that shouldn't be hard to obtain. Moving on, you can easily turn a Fish deck into a storm or tezz build (TPS included, if you were so inclined) while holding onto the Force + Bombs shell. If this last aspect isn't a concern, two decks I suggest you take a look at are Christmas Beats and GW Beats. They have a fishy approach while not running blue, and besides the ever present Goyf can be put together with ease.
In conclusion, I suggest you pick up a deck that is highly interactive but not overly complicated, this will help you get a feel of the format, break some misconceptions you might have, and ultimately compete with almost any deck that you will be facing.
Good luck!
I really like what you had to say here.
A couple of things that I think should be noted:
I started playing vintage with GW beats, then moved to Fish, then to The Deck and Oath.
Fish is a VERY good deck, but don't think that it is foolproof in any way. It takes a very good understanding of the metagame to be effective (think meddling mage) and many times needs to be piloted near perfectly (though the deck is nowhere NEAR as unforgiving as The Deck or TPS).
That being said, I do believe that this deck will give you the best feel for the format and will help your understanding of different decks. Your disruption skills will sharpen very quickly compared to playing other decks, and you will learn what to look for in terms of particular deck weaknesses, and essential spells.
If you really are a combo player, try Oath combo (after playing fish. Trust me, you will be better at baiting counters and the like). It is very bomby/combo-ey (which seems to be your goal) and has a lot of 'oops I win' moments. The only cards that MAY not see play in other decks (if you start with fish) are your meddling mages, stifles, dazes, and perhaps Tarmos (though they are run in the SB in most decks just to combat aggro). The rest of the cards that you will end up not using are fairly cheap, so I'm all thumbs to the fish idea.
If you question the viability of an aggro deck such as this (it has a TON of disruption too) just check out recent top 8 lists. You will see noble fish sprayed all over the top 8.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Currently Playing: Type I:
:symu::symb::symr: Remora Control
dredge really isn't hated as much as everyone here is saying it is, at most, decks have about 4 pieces on average of hate, and if you are a decent dredge player, 4 is really not that much (it usually adds up to about 7 after tutors etc.) but considering you can still kill someone on turn 2 or 3 relatively reliably, you shouldn't have too much of a problem if you do decide to play it. however, i would strongly suggest running selkie fish if you were given a random meta to battle in.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Josh "War" Monks
Seattle, WA
Team Still Had All These (ofc)
swerv'in your blighnin's since 2009
dredge really isn't hated as much as everyone here is saying it is, at most, decks have about 4 pieces on average of hate
That number is actually closer to 7 or 8. From my experience, Tezz is the only deck that runs little Ichorid hate. Everyone else will be packing Leylines, Crypts, Needles, Thorns, Ravenous Trap, Jailer (although it's starting to see less play) etc etc.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Dying with good cards in your hand is the surest sign that you did something wrong, somewhere." -Caleb Durward
1 Duress
1 Sphinx Of The Steel Wind
1 Sower Of Temptation
3 Oath Of Druids
4 Leyline Of The Void
1 Shattering Spree
1 Chainer's Edict
1 Imperial Seal
1 Timetwister
1 Helm Of Obedience
5 Cards
3 Deathmark
2 Extirpate
2 Yixlid Jailer
3 Energy Flux
1 Hurkyl's Recall
4 Leyline Of The Void
dredge really isn't hated as much as everyone here is saying it is, at most, decks have about 4 pieces on average of hate, and if you are a decent dredge player, 4 is really not that much (it usually adds up to about 7 after tutors etc.) but considering you can still kill someone on turn 2 or 3 relatively reliably, you shouldn't have too much of a problem if you do decide to play it. however, i would strongly suggest running selkie fish if you were given a random meta to battle in.
The problem being, is if you are new to the meta, you will have a lot of problems trying to deal with cards like leyline and ravenous trap.
Dredge is a fantastic deck in the right hands, but honestly, not being able to do anything until you find a nature's claim and make sure the opponent isn't holding counter is the opposite of fun - and often times, not very easy.
The deck is bomby for sure, but if you don't know how to mulligan correctly (especially post board) or how to board, you are toast.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Currently Playing: Type I:
:symu::symb::symr: Remora Control
The problem being, is if you are new to the meta, you will have a lot of problems trying to deal with cards like leyline and ravenous trap.
Dredge is a fantastic deck in the right hands, but honestly, not being able to do anything until you find a nature's claim and make sure the opponent isn't holding counter is the opposite of fun - and often times, not very easy.
The deck is bomby for sure, but if you don't know how to mulligan correctly (especially post board) or how to board, you are toast.
I think you are giving dredge too much credit; its the least stimulating deck in the format, and while it sucks to try to get a nature's claim and have an opponent with no counters .. it doesn't even begin to resemble something that requires skill. It requires you to draw nature's claim in 2 turns or you are dead. That isn't hard for the player: its hard to stand because its frustrating. There is no particular skill in drawing for the turn and then, if you still didn't get a claim, activating Bazaar and discarding your least-important cards hoping you will find a claim. Dredge is almost completely linear. TPS has 4-5 paths that get it to killing you. Dredge has one, its just a very resilient one.
The hardest part of piloting dredge is making sure you understand the rules properly so that you don't mess it up. Its a combo deck that is very sensitive to interruption and has no alternate win condition, but that also functions in such a way as to be almost completely immune to standard control tactics. If people don't have hate specifically for it, it will usually tear them up (honestly, I find TPS decks often perform well against dredge pre-board, compared to others, because its one of the few decks that can go off as quickly). Since its completely immune to counterspells and duress effects, it is extremely resilient against normal format decks.
Play Shops or Play Dredge
These two decks are the most assrapiest decks in the format as I know it. Tezz fell off the charts a little, uwg fish is around a little, tps is really non existant,
Go to the manadrain. Vintage is actually very territorial, if you look at it from the perspective of regions. Mainly because a lot of vintage players don't travel out side of their zone. Which generally can be referred to the Midatlantic, Up near Boston, Out west; then of course you have the europeans, which I don't know much about. Just that there are a lot of fishy decks... idk... I'm not european. And the japanese, they are always doing all the crazy things. Like that dude who won a 32 person with lich's mirror combo, where he only had one channel and zero personal tutors. I didn't understand it.
Go there, find players like you, BE A CHAMPION!
I personally gamble on which deck I play. The night before, I play dice. Based on the amount I win or lose in Islands... Is the number of the deck i chose from the two. I simply count like eeny-meenie-miney-moe. Then I pick. If the next day, I get a gut feeling, I switch decks. However, if I see black birds flying the morning of, I keep because I know that I will bring death to the tournament. I have only seen blackbirds flying once and that tournament, I won with Control Slaver. I got me a Workshop. So idk. Have fun figuring out your meta.
yeah - obviously I disagree with you, John. Spam Warning!.....Amazing - even in a forum where posts don't count, there's spam. That proves that getting rid of the post-count won't help getting rid of spam! Thans for this excellent example! - Craven
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
I hear that Dredge has a lot of hate it has to slug through. Initially, I like the deck idea more, but if I'm playing Dredge Mirrors all the time, or constantly getting hated out, I'd get bored. This makes me lean to TPS. Then again, I don't know if TPS performs well enough, so I'm feeling underinformed.
Can I get some opinions from the Vintage players here?
TPS is good, I'd go with it if these were my only choices. It's a more welcoming option for someone getting into the format as the deck runs just about every U/B control staple, goldfishing is pretty close to playing the real thing (aside from obvious disruption) and it's not as straightforward as dredge and you need to be able to see all of your options in order to win. Like Dredge, TPS has it's weaknesses: Stax decks, decks running a lot of duress effects, trinisphere etc.
That's my $0.02
Vault+Key
T2
:symu:/:symw: Control
EDH
Eight and a Half Tails
I'm a TPS pilot, have been for about six months, and I'm loving it (haven't yet taken it to a large event though...). It is a very expensive deck, as it runs a full set of power (if you play only proxy events, like me, this isn't a big deal).
Steve Menendian wrote some fantastic articles about TPS, which you can find links to in the official thread. He calls the deck the most powerful in the format, but also the most difficult to pilot.
I love playing it because every hand is like trying to build a jigsaw puzzle while someone tries to stop you. It's a great workout for the mind; very fun.
I've never played dredge...
I am John Galt.
secondly, almost 75% of decks in a given tourney are not running enough cards in their SB to really want to play dredge (either run 7+ for dredge or run zero). of course, they can still draw their hate games 2 and 3.
TPS i feel like is not really a good enough choice for format where every deck either runs blue, runs trinishpere, or runs bridge from below to make it safe to run a combo deck.
i would suggest playing dredge, and after you play about 5-10 preboard games to figure out how to make the optimal play all the time (espcially with cabal therapy). only play postboard games, it is really difficult to play postboard games and make optimal plays not only in playing, but also SBing. i would suggest before any tourney to scout heavily to see what people are packing for hate (and there are a lot pithing needle, yixlid jailer, extirpate ravenous trap, leyline of the void, tormod's crypt, relic of progenitous, wheel of sun and moon, children of korlis, etc.)
also, if during scouting you see a lot of dark times, a monoblack deck running leyline+helm of obedience and hexmage depths, supported by bobs and the like. i would suggest running something other than dredge or TPS. as the deck crushes both pretty soundly (4x leyline and 9 discard effects MD).
if you would like my opinion, there is no reason to play anything but bant fish, unless there is a massive amount of bant fish in the room. as its "bad" MUs (oath... yeah, oath) really are no worse than 50/50 and require the most difficult options for your opponent to even get it that high. it is also relatively cheap, and if you get 6 proxies the most expensive cards are goyfs, fows, and duals.
Seattle, WA
Team Still Had All These (ofc)
swerv'in your blighnin's since 2009
As some have already mentioned, Dredge is the most hated out deck in the format, and I have the feeling that for a new player, getting hated out after the first few games is a recipe for frustration, and it could easily end in dropping the format altogether after a few bad beats.
I think picking a deck for a newcomer is based on two aspects: affordability and contribution to learning the format.
The deck that strikes a good balance of the two is definitely Fish. To play Fish effectively, you have to learn what makes other decks tick, what you can let resolve, what you have to counter, how to work the stack effectively in your favor, how to work card advantage, planning ahead, etc etc. On top of that, it runs a good amount of staples that will follow you throughout your Vintage experience, mixed with niche cards that shouldn't be hard to obtain. Moving on, you can easily turn a Fish deck into a storm or tezz build (TPS included, if you were so inclined) while holding onto the Force + Bombs shell. If this last aspect isn't a concern, two decks I suggest you take a look at are Christmas Beats and GW Beats. They have a fishy approach while not running blue, and besides the ever present Goyf can be put together with ease.
In conclusion, I suggest you pick up a deck that is highly interactive but not overly complicated, this will help you get a feel of the format, break some misconceptions you might have, and ultimately compete with almost any deck that you will be facing.
Good luck!
Modern
Mono-U Tron
Zombie Loam
Infect
Legacy
Delver
TES
I really like what you had to say here.
A couple of things that I think should be noted:
I started playing vintage with GW beats, then moved to Fish, then to The Deck and Oath.
Fish is a VERY good deck, but don't think that it is foolproof in any way. It takes a very good understanding of the metagame to be effective (think meddling mage) and many times needs to be piloted near perfectly (though the deck is nowhere NEAR as unforgiving as The Deck or TPS).
That being said, I do believe that this deck will give you the best feel for the format and will help your understanding of different decks. Your disruption skills will sharpen very quickly compared to playing other decks, and you will learn what to look for in terms of particular deck weaknesses, and essential spells.
If you really are a combo player, try Oath combo (after playing fish. Trust me, you will be better at baiting counters and the like). It is very bomby/combo-ey (which seems to be your goal) and has a lot of 'oops I win' moments. The only cards that MAY not see play in other decks (if you start with fish) are your meddling mages, stifles, dazes, and perhaps Tarmos (though they are run in the SB in most decks just to combat aggro). The rest of the cards that you will end up not using are fairly cheap, so I'm all thumbs to the fish idea.
If you question the viability of an aggro deck such as this (it has a TON of disruption too) just check out recent top 8 lists. You will see noble fish sprayed all over the top 8.
Type I:
:symu::symb::symr: Remora Control
Type 1.5
:symw::symu::symg: NO CounterTop
Type II:
Standard is AIDS
Seattle, WA
Team Still Had All These (ofc)
swerv'in your blighnin's since 2009
That number is actually closer to 7 or 8. From my experience, Tezz is the only deck that runs little Ichorid hate. Everyone else will be packing Leylines, Crypts, Needles, Thorns, Ravenous Trap, Jailer (although it's starting to see less play) etc etc.
Modern
Mono-U Tron
Zombie Loam
Infect
Legacy
Delver
TES
Meandeck Open
Sideboard:
2 Razormane Masticore
2 Duplicant
2 Sculting Steel
2 Crucible of Worlds
4 Relic of Progenitus
4 Cards
Sideboard:
2 Mindbreak Trap
3 Ravenous Trap
1 Rebuild
3 Nature's Claim
2 Pithing Needle
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
1 Slaughter Pact
1 Darkblast
1 Claws of Gix
5 Cards
Sideboard:
4 Leyline of the Void
1 Yixlid Jailer
2 Sadistic Sacrament
2 Bojuka Bog
1 Slaughter Pact
2 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Rebuild
1 Island
1 Chain of Vapor
7 Cards
Sideboard:
3 Eon Hub
3 Duplicant
3 Jester's Cap
4 Relic of Progenitus
4 Tormod's Crypt
8 Cards
Sideboard:
4 Duplicant
4 Triskelion
4 Bojuka Bog
2 Eon Hub
1 Sculpting Steel
4 Cards
Sideboard:
1 Tormod’s Crypt
2 Pithing Needle
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
1 Show and Tell
1 Bribery
1 Tinker
3 Yixlid Jailer
1 Massacre
1 Ravenous Trap
2 Pyroblast
1 Ancient Grudge
7 Cards
Sideboard:
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
2 Claws of Gix
3 Ravenous Trap
1 Slaughter Pact
1 Darkblast
1 Rebuild
1 Mindbreak Trap
2 Pithing Needle
2 Nature's Claim
5 Cards
2 Pithing Needle
3 Ravenous Trap
1 Darkblast
1 Diabolic Edict
2 Hurkyl’s Recall
2 Sower of Temptation
1 Thada Adel, Acquisitor
3 Nature’s Claim
5 Cards
NSC Vintage
2 Tormod's Crypt
4 Leyline Of The Void
1 Pithing Needle
2 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Trygon Predator
2 Swords To Plowshares
1 Null Rod
1 Ethersworn Canonist
1 Sower Of Temptation
7 Cards
3 Sword To Plowshares
4 Leyline Of The Void
2 Kataki, War's Wage
2 Trygon Predator
2 Serum Powder
1 Nature's Claim
1 Tarmogoyf
4 Cards
3 Tormod's Crypt
3 Ravenous Trap
2 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Sower Of Temptation
1 Pithing Needle
1 Null Rod
2 Swords To Plowshares
1 Trygon Predator
7 Cards
1 Scroll Rack
1 Sword To Plowshares
1 Tezzeret, The Seeker
4 Leyline Of The Void
1 Spell Snare
2 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Pithing Needle
1 Volcanic Island
3 Greater Gargadon
5 Cards
2 Shattering Spree
2 Goblin Vandal
1 Mogg Fanatic
1 Ib Halfheart, Goblin Tactician
2 Warren Weirding
1 Wort, Boggart Auntie
2 Planar Void
4 Leyline Of The Void
7 Cards
1 Duress
1 Sphinx Of The Steel Wind
1 Sower Of Temptation
3 Oath Of Druids
4 Leyline Of The Void
1 Shattering Spree
1 Chainer's Edict
1 Imperial Seal
1 Timetwister
1 Helm Of Obedience
5 Cards
3 Deathmark
2 Extirpate
2 Yixlid Jailer
3 Energy Flux
1 Hurkyl's Recall
4 Leyline Of The Void
6-8 Cards
Trade Thread
Modern
RWGBurnGWR
GUInfectUG
GRTronRG
UWGifts TronWU
URBGrixis DelverBRU
RGWZooWGR
Legacy
BUWTinFinsWUB
UROmniTellRU
BURTESRUB
GElves!G
GBPSIBG
RGBelcherGR
UBRGWDredgeWGRBU
UBAffinityBU
RBurnR
Vintage
UBGDoomsdayGBU
0Martello Shops0
GElves!G
UBTPSBU
UBelcherU
0Dredge0
The problem being, is if you are new to the meta, you will have a lot of problems trying to deal with cards like leyline and ravenous trap.
Dredge is a fantastic deck in the right hands, but honestly, not being able to do anything until you find a nature's claim and make sure the opponent isn't holding counter is the opposite of fun - and often times, not very easy.
The deck is bomby for sure, but if you don't know how to mulligan correctly (especially post board) or how to board, you are toast.
Type I:
:symu::symb::symr: Remora Control
Type 1.5
:symw::symu::symg: NO CounterTop
Type II:
Standard is AIDS
I think you are giving dredge too much credit; its the least stimulating deck in the format, and while it sucks to try to get a nature's claim and have an opponent with no counters .. it doesn't even begin to resemble something that requires skill. It requires you to draw nature's claim in 2 turns or you are dead. That isn't hard for the player: its hard to stand because its frustrating. There is no particular skill in drawing for the turn and then, if you still didn't get a claim, activating Bazaar and discarding your least-important cards hoping you will find a claim. Dredge is almost completely linear. TPS has 4-5 paths that get it to killing you. Dredge has one, its just a very resilient one.
The hardest part of piloting dredge is making sure you understand the rules properly so that you don't mess it up. Its a combo deck that is very sensitive to interruption and has no alternate win condition, but that also functions in such a way as to be almost completely immune to standard control tactics. If people don't have hate specifically for it, it will usually tear them up (honestly, I find TPS decks often perform well against dredge pre-board, compared to others, because its one of the few decks that can go off as quickly). Since its completely immune to counterspells and duress effects, it is extremely resilient against normal format decks.
These two decks are the most assrapiest decks in the format as I know it. Tezz fell off the charts a little, uwg fish is around a little, tps is really non existant,
Go to the manadrain. Vintage is actually very territorial, if you look at it from the perspective of regions. Mainly because a lot of vintage players don't travel out side of their zone. Which generally can be referred to the Midatlantic, Up near Boston, Out west; then of course you have the europeans, which I don't know much about. Just that there are a lot of fishy decks... idk... I'm not european. And the japanese, they are always doing all the crazy things. Like that dude who won a 32 person with lich's mirror combo, where he only had one channel and zero personal tutors. I didn't understand it.
Go there, find players like you, BE A CHAMPION!
I personally gamble on which deck I play. The night before, I play dice. Based on the amount I win or lose in Islands... Is the number of the deck i chose from the two. I simply count like eeny-meenie-miney-moe. Then I pick. If the next day, I get a gut feeling, I switch decks. However, if I see black birds flying the morning of, I keep because I know that I will bring death to the tournament. I have only seen blackbirds flying once and that tournament, I won with Control Slaver. I got me a Workshop. So idk. Have fun figuring out your meta.