Unfortunately, I missed the last two weeks of PTQs and lost out on the new action of Predator and UBr Teachings due to being on vacation (I guess it's at least better than missing Nats). Since Predator is probably going to be big at Edison this week, and UBr Teachings being heavily tested around here, I'm thinking about making a few minor changes to Ravitz' Predator list.
Basically, assuming many of the former Mono-Blue and UG Goyf players will give up their decks due to the rise of Predator, I'm looking into pulling the otherwise useless Riftsweepers for the better-against Teachings Enforcer. Enforcer also normally comes in against the mirror, and being that having more flyers than your opponent is a big advantage in the mirror and against GW, this change doesn't seem so bad.
A new SB built more to hate on the mirror, plus aforementioned Riftsweeper which is fantastic against Pickles and UG. Not sure if I want to try to fit Stonewoods in the SB, but they seem like a bad SB card. Still, they are great against Teachings and even Pickles.
Thoughts? Nothing radical, but Ravitz' list might be a little outmoded for the competitive NJ region, which has most definitely caught on.
You're overestimating the metagame. All of the people who have played mono blue will still play mono blue because of the Damnation sideboard. Keep the Riftsweepers MD and add a 4th Fiery Justice MD. You will just lose to Mono Blue without these cards.
Save the sideboard swap for post board. It's far better to tune your deck to win against game 1 Mono Blue and aggro, as you will see them both more than Teachings. This is rather easy because some of the cards overlap.
So anyways run this:
Lands
4 Flagstones of Trokair
4 Horizon Canopy
4 Terramorphic Expanse
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
3 Plains
1 Mountain
1 Forest
2 Gemstone Mine
Spells
4 Edge of Autumn
4 Dead/Gone
4 Fiery Justice
Sideboard
2 Mystic Enforcer
4 Duskrider Peregrine or Whirling Dervish
4 Rebuff the Wicked
2 Disenchant or Ancient Grudge
3 Temporal Isolation
About the Maindeck:
I took out the 2 Llanowar Reborns for 2 Gemstone Mines. This makes the deck a lot more consistent; it shouldn't be running those Reborns.
The 1 Vesuva can be nice, but when you pick up this deck and test it for a while, you realize it gets manaflooded fairly easily. I have never got manascrewed without it.
4 Stonecloaker is simply too many. 3 is the better number; you don't want to draw it as many times, as say, Tarmogoyf (which is a four-of). You want to draw 1, and eventually another.
Had room for 2 Mystic Enforcer. For maindeck enforcers, this is the correct amount, as against aggro you want to draw them only when you have Threshold, and the maindeck is designed to beat aggro.
About the Sideboard:
I'm not sure if Ancient Grudge is better than Disenchant, becuase some idiots actually still run Take Possesion.
Whirling Dervish is better than Duskrider Peregrine, but it is almost immpossible to cast on Turn 2. Duskrider, however, will always be suspended on turn 2. See, even if the Duskrider seems junky, the idea is to fit in as many random pro black dorks as possible (yes, flying AND pro black). Probably will end up useing Duskrider due to consistently.
Playing Mono Blue against Predator isn't too bad really. Tarmogoyf(Via Shapeshifter) Always blocks Tarmogoyf. And five damage from a Calciderm is alright when next turn you can counterattack with two, both of them lasting longer. As for a potentially large kavu, Snapback and Cloudskates are the answer to that. If youp lan to see a lot of mono blue, expect to be facing a lot of your own creatures.
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Thanks for the help guys, especially Towel, as that list looks really solid. The only thing I'm not sold on is the Gemstone Mines. Llanowar Reborn is really good against the mirror, and is solid against UG and Pickles, mainly beating opposing Tarmogoyfs and Shapeshifter all day. Mine seems okay, but going down to 23 means you'll have less hands where you have enough lands that you don't have to take damage from Canopy, or get screwed losing a turn to Expanse. Of course, that could be a reason not to run Reborn as well, but I just like it more.
I love that predator list. Like it looks really really good. Prob the best list of the deck that I've seen so far. However I'm sticking to my guns and playing dragons.
SB
4x Peregrine
4x Dawn Charm
2x Ancient Grudge
3x Isolation
2x Enforcer
Played well all day, going 6-0 and then drawing into top 8. I played against Matt Boccio round 1, and made the terrible play of dropping a second Flagstones after having 2 Plains in my hand. It really didn't matter, as he had drawn a better hand then mine anyway, but I really tilted after that. Due to that frustration and overall tired-ness, I misplayed once in game 2 by Expansing for not a forest, then (luck-)sacked the canopy next turn, and twice in game 3 where I didn't alpha strike once where I should've, and then not ending the game with a Stonecloaker/Isolation trick I pulled exactly two turns before. I still won, but only because Boccio couldn't draw the fourth land. I felt pretty bad, but unfortunately Magic is a game of luck as well. Hopefully he won in Rochester today.
Then I lost in the top 4 to the mirror again (Boccio was WGr as well), due to him having a better hand game 1, and then not drawing a 4th land in game 2.
Fortunately, my misplays were overshadowed at least a bit by the Rob, a teachings player in the top 8 who forgot to pay a Pact after putting a pen on top of his library. He had to pick it up to change lift totals after his opponent Psionic Blasted him, and never put it back on top Not sure who won as I had to catch the train before it ended.
Fortunately, my misplays were overshadowed at least a bit by the Rob, a teachings player in the top 8 who forgot to pay a Pact after putting a pen on top of his library. He had to pick it up to change lift totals after his opponent Psionic Blasted him, and never put it back on top Not sure who won as I had to catch the train before it ended.
John actually psi blasted an infiltrator. Either way the play is brilliant. John was pretty much def not going to win that game, so he played outside of the game. Price is a good friend of mine and my foremr mentor (he taught me how to be good at the game) so it's great to see him back in action (he used to be 2030 in constructed).
Congratz on the T8. You ddin't win, but hey, you went far.
4 Flagstones of Trokair
4 Horizon Canopy
4 Terramorphic Expanse
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
2 Llanowar Reborn
3 Plains
1 Mountain
1 Forest
1 Vesuva
24 lands
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Stonecloaker
4 Kavu Predator
4 Calciderm
1 Saffi Eriksdotter
4 Riftsweeper
4 Serra Avenger
25 creatures4 Edge of Autumn
4 Dead // Gone
3 Fiery Justice
11 other spells
That's his list. First...
-4 Riftsweeper
+4 Mystic Enforcer
Basically, assuming many of the former Mono-Blue and UG Goyf players will give up their decks due to the rise of Predator, I'm looking into pulling the otherwise useless Riftsweepers for the better-against Teachings Enforcer. Enforcer also normally comes in against the mirror, and being that having more flyers than your opponent is a big advantage in the mirror and against GW, this change doesn't seem so bad.
This is what my SB would look like
4 Riftsweeper
3 Cloudchaser Kestrel
4 Rebuff the Wicked
4 Temporal Isolation
A new SB built more to hate on the mirror, plus aforementioned Riftsweeper which is fantastic against Pickles and UG. Not sure if I want to try to fit Stonewoods in the SB, but they seem like a bad SB card. Still, they are great against Teachings and even Pickles.
Thoughts? Nothing radical, but Ravitz' list might be a little outmoded for the competitive NJ region, which has most definitely caught on.
Sideboard
1 Vesuva
1 Fiery Justice
2 Disenchant
4 Mystic Enforcer
4 Rebuff the Wicked
3 Temporal Isolation
15 sideboard cards
Save the sideboard swap for post board. It's far better to tune your deck to win against game 1 Mono Blue and aggro, as you will see them both more than Teachings. This is rather easy because some of the cards overlap.
So anyways run this:
Lands
4 Flagstones of Trokair
4 Horizon Canopy
4 Terramorphic Expanse
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
3 Plains
1 Mountain
1 Forest
2 Gemstone Mine
Creatures
4 Kavu Predator
4 Calciderm
3 Stonecloaker
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Riftsweeper
4 Serra Avenger
2 Mystic Enforcer
Spells
4 Edge of Autumn
4 Dead/Gone
4 Fiery Justice
Sideboard
2 Mystic Enforcer
4 Duskrider Peregrine or Whirling Dervish
4 Rebuff the Wicked
2 Disenchant or Ancient Grudge
3 Temporal Isolation
About the Maindeck:
I took out the 2 Llanowar Reborns for 2 Gemstone Mines. This makes the deck a lot more consistent; it shouldn't be running those Reborns.
The 1 Vesuva can be nice, but when you pick up this deck and test it for a while, you realize it gets manaflooded fairly easily. I have never got manascrewed without it.
4 Stonecloaker is simply too many. 3 is the better number; you don't want to draw it as many times, as say, Tarmogoyf (which is a four-of). You want to draw 1, and eventually another.
Had room for 2 Mystic Enforcer. For maindeck enforcers, this is the correct amount, as against aggro you want to draw them only when you have Threshold, and the maindeck is designed to beat aggro.
About the Sideboard:
I'm not sure if Ancient Grudge is better than Disenchant, becuase some idiots actually still run Take Possesion.
Whirling Dervish is better than Duskrider Peregrine, but it is almost immpossible to cast on Turn 2. Duskrider, however, will always be suspended on turn 2. See, even if the Duskrider seems junky, the idea is to fit in as many random pro black dorks as possible (yes, flying AND pro black). Probably will end up useing Duskrider due to consistently.
EDIT: Playing Dervish anyways.
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Modern:
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2 Mystic Enforcer
3 Ancient Grudge
4 Rebuff the Wicked
3 Whirling Dervish or Heartwood Storyteller
3 Temporal Isolation
I'm not sure how good the Storyteller is, but in theory he must be insane against Teachings. I'll go test it a bit.
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Playing Rune Snags post-Lorwyn is like voting Democrat
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Playing Rune Snags post-Lorwyn is like voting Democrat
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4x Expanse
4x Canopy
4x Grove
4x Flagstones
2x Reborn
3x Plains
1x Forest
1x Mountain
4x Tarmogoyf
4x Predator
4x Serra Avenger
4x Calciderm
3x Stonecloaker
2x Enforcer
4x Fiery Justice
4x D//G
4x Edge
SB
4x Peregrine
4x Dawn Charm
2x Ancient Grudge
3x Isolation
2x Enforcer
Played well all day, going 6-0 and then drawing into top 8. I played against Matt Boccio round 1, and made the terrible play of dropping a second Flagstones after having 2 Plains in my hand. It really didn't matter, as he had drawn a better hand then mine anyway, but I really tilted after that. Due to that frustration and overall tired-ness, I misplayed once in game 2 by Expansing for not a forest, then (luck-)sacked the canopy next turn, and twice in game 3 where I didn't alpha strike once where I should've, and then not ending the game with a Stonecloaker/Isolation trick I pulled exactly two turns before. I still won, but only because Boccio couldn't draw the fourth land. I felt pretty bad, but unfortunately Magic is a game of luck as well. Hopefully he won in Rochester today.
Then I lost in the top 4 to the mirror again (Boccio was WGr as well), due to him having a better hand game 1, and then not drawing a 4th land in game 2.
Fortunately, my misplays were overshadowed at least a bit by the Rob, a teachings player in the top 8 who forgot to pay a Pact after putting a pen on top of his library. He had to pick it up to change lift totals after his opponent Psionic Blasted him, and never put it back on top Not sure who won as I had to catch the train before it ended.
John actually psi blasted an infiltrator. Either way the play is brilliant. John was pretty much def not going to win that game, so he played outside of the game. Price is a good friend of mine and my foremr mentor (he taught me how to be good at the game) so it's great to see him back in action (he used to be 2030 in constructed).
Congratz on the T8. You ddin't win, but hey, you went far.