I got first tonight, splitting with eldrazi Tron in the final matchup. I won't go into a lot of detail as I have an early morning tomorrow. My decklist was as it was posted earlier except the kor fire Walkers were grim instead.
2-1 Living End. Deflecting Palm was the big play of the matchup. I steam rolled him the first game, lost the second, and palmed for the win the third.
2-0 GB infect. Just had a lot of hate for him. The black variant feels easier to go against than the blue. The play of the evening was using Shard Volley to kill his land that he tried to nature's claim to desperately gain life which allowed me to win on the turn after.
2-1 affinity
I got rolled the first game. So many creatures in his build. I boarded in a lot of stuff from my side. Second game I out sped him and the third game I used back to back atarkas commands to keep him off life gain. I pathed a lethal attacking creature and at 1 life I double bolted him from 5 on up keep.
Deflecting Palm went in all three March ups. First for the 6/4s, second for the pumped infect creatures, and third for the possibility of a cranial plated creature. In my play testing it went in again death shadow and Tron. It's the best sideboard card we have right now however since it's reactive it's hard to main. Searing blaze went out against everything except affinity and I reduced copies against infect as their pro red white is the deck all Star.
Shard Volley was fantastic. Wouldnt want more than two but two feels right. I'm considering going to 4 helix and 2 blaze. I'll be playing this deck more in preparation for the Louisville open in September.
You don't want to go above 16 creatures as that typically goes into zoo range.
It seems there are too many ground troops recently to go creature build. Past turn 1 and 2 creatures are going to get clustered into theirs and in the end theirs are going to start to get bigger or have tricks like persist.
Grim dies without effecting the board state on the turn that it is laid. I dropped it back when I would play it turn 1 and they collective brutality me to kill it, make me discard a card and gained 2 life. Essentially I lost before I ever got to turn 2.
A lot of people seem overly shy to run Shard Volley. I remember when you ran 4 copies. It's a finishing card, or it at least hits both the player or creature when you have to. 2 may be too much but I'm sure 1 is right. Running 2 doesn't bother any of my games. I can also honestly say Shard Volley has won me top deck games where as grim lavamancer would have been a game loss which is the slot it replaced.
So with the new spoiled wrath and how relevant push has been im thinking of running 12 creature burn again for awhile. My question is with delving, and cycling, and other graveyard matters decks is there a reason to not run rest in peace over other choices if I don't use grim? Rest in peace deals with a lot of stuff and I think it's well worth to sideboard slots. Only consideration is it's a turn 2 card where as relic is turn one but costs an additional Mana to activate and only works once.
Alright so I've been loving the deck. I've also been finding that while I side in rest in peace most matches it has really poor interaction with Knight, ooze, and voice no longer dying. It's really great against grixis, Jund, and storm though which has been the bulk of what I play against. Is it just something I'll need to deal with it are there other strategies I should be thinking about?
What would your sideboard look like if your were 100% sure you would face the following:
Grixis death shadow
Jund death shadow
Eldrazi Tron
Gw Tron
Gr Tron
I've thought about a single bojuka bog on side to fetch with the Knight however the decks I would play against would probably be well established, kill the Knight, or force me to discard the Knight.
Also it's really fun to play courser of kruphix again. It was one of my favorite cards of standard past. Is just 2 the usual or does anyone get spicy with 3?
So the deck has definitely been shifting to be more like the "stock" list of Bant after repeatedly playing online. I think I've finally found a deck I'd like to grind for a few weeks at my local tournament after bouncing from deck to deck with no avail. Here is what I've changed it up to:
I noticed some don't have rest in peace in their sideboard. I've been bringing it in against storm. I know they can still cantrip a few rituals off and get a decent size Empty the Warrens, but it stops the grapeshot win condition cold. In these situations I go on the defensive and if I can pump my creatures with Gavony Township so even my dorks can be blocks for the goblins. Obviously, Eidolon of Play Fair is the go to for this situation, however Rest In Peace has been working out for me for Grixis based decks, etc. as well. Thoughts?
I'll be working on getting mistys for my deck as well.
I've been messing around with the deck online and I'm going ahead and trying it with the Knight combo in it. I don't have all the lands in it to make the one shot kill because I'd still like to have the go wide strategy with Gavony Township however if I want to change it I might put Temple Garden in place of the Razorverge Thicket or I might cut the Gavony Township. Here is my adjusted list:
There is a lot of control and tron at my tournament place so I'm focusing on value creatures that have a hard time being removed or mess up your overall gameplan. As always, thoughts are appreciated!
Everyone is focusing on 5 color, however I'm over hear thinking this is what Wizards was hinting at back in the day when they said they wouldn't be oppossed to making a colorless commander deck if the time was right.
So here is the chance for even Karn, Silver Golem artifact tribal, or my personal guess: Eldrazi Tribal.
A couple reasons to play pull. Life gain isn't as relevant since helix provides that outlet. It's one Mana less. The discard isn't as bad as you'll usually throw the extra land. If not what you pitch can be a snap target. I think it's worth the slots. In an end game top draw it can definitely fuel the win and has for me.
I'm not much for not running a cantrip. One land hands are plenty keepable if it's a blue source. If you are on the draw that's 4 cards you get to go through. Five if you count the card under the scry. I'd much rather be shy on land than run 25. 3-4 can be the sweet spot and you can still snap a helix or leak. 25 allows you to blink snap and cast something but I'd rather have more spells in general then extra land steps. If it's working for you then that's fine.
No, I play at Empire in New Albany IN.
2-1 Living End. Deflecting Palm was the big play of the matchup. I steam rolled him the first game, lost the second, and palmed for the win the third.
2-0 GB infect. Just had a lot of hate for him. The black variant feels easier to go against than the blue. The play of the evening was using Shard Volley to kill his land that he tried to nature's claim to desperately gain life which allowed me to win on the turn after.
2-1 affinity
I got rolled the first game. So many creatures in his build. I boarded in a lot of stuff from my side. Second game I out sped him and the third game I used back to back atarkas commands to keep him off life gain. I pathed a lethal attacking creature and at 1 life I double bolted him from 5 on up keep.
Deflecting Palm went in all three March ups. First for the 6/4s, second for the pumped infect creatures, and third for the possibility of a cranial plated creature. In my play testing it went in again death shadow and Tron. It's the best sideboard card we have right now however since it's reactive it's hard to main. Searing blaze went out against everything except affinity and I reduced copies against infect as their pro red white is the deck all Star.
Shard Volley was fantastic. Wouldnt want more than two but two feels right. I'm considering going to 4 helix and 2 blaze. I'll be playing this deck more in preparation for the Louisville open in September.
It seems there are too many ground troops recently to go creature build. Past turn 1 and 2 creatures are going to get clustered into theirs and in the end theirs are going to start to get bigger or have tricks like persist.
A lot of people seem overly shy to run Shard Volley. I remember when you ran 4 copies. It's a finishing card, or it at least hits both the player or creature when you have to. 2 may be too much but I'm sure 1 is right. Running 2 doesn't bother any of my games. I can also honestly say Shard Volley has won me top deck games where as grim lavamancer would have been a game loss which is the slot it replaced.
For reference, here is my current decklist
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Shard Volley
4 Searing Blaze
4 Boros Charm
4 Atarka's Command
2 Lightning Helix
4 Rift Bolt
4 Bloodstained Mire
3 Wooded Foothills
4 Arid Mesa
1 Scalding Tarn
2 Stomping Ground
2 Sacred Foundry
2 Mountain
2 Inspiring Vantage
4 Path to Exile
4 Destructive Revelry
3 Deflecting Palm
2 Rest in Peace
What would your sideboard look like if your were 100% sure you would face the following:
Grixis death shadow
Jund death shadow
Eldrazi Tron
Gw Tron
Gr Tron
I've thought about a single bojuka bog on side to fetch with the Knight however the decks I would play against would probably be well established, kill the Knight, or force me to discard the Knight.
Also it's really fun to play courser of kruphix again. It was one of my favorite cards of standard past. Is just 2 the usual or does anyone get spicy with 3?
4 Spell Queller
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Voice of Resurgence
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Qasali Pridemage
2 Eternal Witness
4 Knight of the Reliquary
3 Birds of Paradise
2 Courser of Kruphix
1 Selfless Spirit
// 2 Enchantment
2 Retreat to Coralhelm
4 Path to Exile
4 Collected Company
// 22 Land
1 Hallowed Fountain
2 Temple Garden
2 Breeding Pool
2 Forest
1 Island
1 Plains
4 Flooded Strand
4 Windswept Heath
2 Razorverge Thicket
1 Gavony Township
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Eidolon of Rhetoric
2 Reflector Mage
2 Rest in Peace
2 Stony Silence
2 Dispel
3 Ceremonious Rejection
I noticed some don't have rest in peace in their sideboard. I've been bringing it in against storm. I know they can still cantrip a few rituals off and get a decent size Empty the Warrens, but it stops the grapeshot win condition cold. In these situations I go on the defensive and if I can pump my creatures with Gavony Township so even my dorks can be blocks for the goblins. Obviously, Eidolon of Play Fair is the go to for this situation, however Rest In Peace has been working out for me for Grixis based decks, etc. as well. Thoughts?
I'll be working on getting mistys for my deck as well.
2 Geist of Saint Traft
4 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Spell Queller
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Kitchen Finks
4 Voice of Resurgence
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Qasali Pridemage
2 Eternal Witness
// 2 Enchantment
2 Retreat to Coralhelm
4 Path to Exile
4 Collected Company
// 22 Land
2 Celestial Colonnade
1 Hallowed Fountain
2 Temple Garden
1 Breeding Pool
2 Forest
1 Island
1 Plains
4 Flooded Strand
4 Windswept Heath
2 Razorverge Thicket
2 Gavony Township
1 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Eidolon of Rhetoric
1 Sigarda, Host of Herons
1 Renegade Rallier
2 Rest in Peace
2 Stony Silence
2 Dispel
3 Ceremonious Rejection
Thoughts: Qasali Pridemage and Noble Hierarch make Geist of Saint Traft super playable. Gavony Township also helps in this regard. Nothing like attacking with a 5/5 angel in the air.
3 Geist of Saint Traft
4 Spell Queller
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Kitchen Finks
4 Voice of Resurgence
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Qasali Pridemage
2 Eternal Witness
2 Fauna Shaman
1 Selfless Spirit
2 Restoration Angel
4 Path to Exile
4 Collected Company
// 22 Land
2 Celestial Colonnade
1 Hallowed Fountain
2 Temple Garden
1 Breeding Pool
2 Forest
1 Island
1 Plains
4 Flooded Strand
4 Windswept Heath
2 Razorverge Thicket
2 Gavony Township
1 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Eidolon of Rhetoric
2 Reflector Mage
2 Rest in Peace
2 Stony Silence
2 Dispel
3 Ceremonious Rejection
There is a lot of control and tron at my tournament place so I'm focusing on value creatures that have a hard time being removed or mess up your overall gameplan. As always, thoughts are appreciated!
So here is the chance for even Karn, Silver Golem artifact tribal, or my personal guess: Eldrazi Tribal.
I'm not much for not running a cantrip. One land hands are plenty keepable if it's a blue source. If you are on the draw that's 4 cards you get to go through. Five if you count the card under the scry. I'd much rather be shy on land than run 25. 3-4 can be the sweet spot and you can still snap a helix or leak. 25 allows you to blink snap and cast something but I'd rather have more spells in general then extra land steps. If it's working for you then that's fine.