No. Randy couldn't make it because his promotion out of R & D to head of Digital Gaming at Wizards prevented him from doing so, since he had too much work.
But in my opinion, Bill Stark and Rich Hagon are doing a much better job. You can just tell that they are better at presenting than Randy and BDM.
Super clunky, but it's gotten at least 4 top 8's, one finals appearance, and one win in the last 3 PTQ weeks.
I don't play Thoughtseize though..don't think it's optimal either.
I think Doran is too slow in Zoo. If you do enough math, you'll learn that you're giving yourself a better midgame, but the goal of this deck is to win in the early game, and you've already got a pretty good midgame with bob and whatnot, and you can usually burn most opponents out. Doesn't work, imo.
Rogues is a horrible matchup any way you slice it. All they need to do is prowl an Earwig Squad and you can scoop 'em up. Warrior Aggro puts a quick clock on, and you can't deal with a resolved colossus to well, you have to play that game depending on if your opener can control the game or go off quickly.
Mana Ramp is fine post-board, they are using Acid-Moss less these days so you should do fine. Oftentimes you don't even need to board in this matchup, maybe just Ignites.
Mannequin is bad. Kithkin is bad. Doran is unfavorable, but I still think it can be winnable if you play well and sideboard correctly. But you MUST win game 1.
So in short, we have a solid matchup against the best deck in the format (Mana Ramp), okay matchups Game one against several decks (Doran, Warriors, Kithkin) and then negative matchups against the rest. The outlook for this deck is simply not good because the way decks play-Rogues, Faeries, Doran, etc.-are simply ways that Dragonstorm cannot deal with, such as not having Hellkites when an Earwig comes down, or having to face down a 4-turn clock without the best card in your hand (Say, a turn 2 Doran and turn 3 Garruk into Thoughtseize). Still fun, tho.
The B/u deck I've listed has both Blackguard and Prowler. "Cute tricks" like Pestermite can swing the momentum in a game, especially when they play first. Where does the blue mess up the synergy? Pestermite is a Faerie Rogue, and Psionic Blast is basically a more potent nameless inversion.
Nameless Inversion is a card you side, and you already have anti-Colossus technology in Mouth of Ronom. It is a detriment to the strategy, I'm telling you...you have to cut something for the blue cards. Pestermite is weaker than most of the cards in this deck. Tell me when a defensive tap effect is going to swing the game. All the cards in the deck right now are pretty much a perfect fit. There's no sense making cuts for subpar cards!
Cutting the Blackguards, if that's what you're getting at, is madness. It turns every creature into a Specter, leaves counters on after death, and is GG for any deck when combined with Bitterblossom. It's just nuts to consider that in any way, shape, or form.
With blue, as I've said, you lose blackguard and all that insane synergy that the mono-black deck has, because you're going to get distracted trying to fit in too many cute tricks-take Pestermite. You can do infinitely better with Oona's Prowler, who has one more power, costs one less mana, and has just as relevant an ability and is a more aggressive and threatening creature.
At some point today, I came up with some interesting rationale on why blue is bad in this deck.
First, you lose consistency. Period. No one can argue that.
Second, upon deckbuilding, you risk going overboard with blue. Frankly, I think you should never go anything past Psi Blast, Looter, and Latchkey if you're going blue.
Third, I think the synergy in the mono black deck is just ridiculously good. Bad Moon works well with Bitterblossom and Marsh Flitter, and those two are also nuts with Blackguard, as is everything else. You just lose all those inner workings if you add blue, because you've gotta cut something. This comes to my first discrediting...of Psi Blast. You're going to spend 3 mana for 4 damage. But with those enchantments, which you'd probably cut for blast, you're spending 2 for what will be usually much more. This deck also does not need reach. Period.
Next, the fact that looter is a 1/1 for 2 that only gets pumped by blackguard makes it pretty low. I know it may get you some card selection, but is a random card on turn 3, 4, or 5 really going to be better than what you already have set up? Honestly, you might just discard what you draw most of the time. Looter, while having shadow, is much less efficient and there are no dead cards to discard. Prowler, having 2 more power and a relevant ability (that will usually net you more advantage than Looter's ability) is much better in this scenario.
Lastly, we get to Latchkey Faerie. In stark contrast, it's strictly worse than Oona's Prowler. You get the same body for one more mana, and chances are, the abilities on each are going to net you +1 CA in the game. Latchkey will get you a card, and most games an opponent may try to stop a prowler at least once.
Morsel Theft is bad because it doesn't do enough. This deck doesn't need reach or life swings.
Frankly, the list Shin and I are at right now is the most synergistic and the best, no questions asked.
For sideboarding: generally you start by going for the Swaths. Against Green decks, you typically also go for Rift Bolts and Lotus Blooms since you should anticipate Riftsweepers. Against these Green decks (Doran in particular) you can expect to see at least 6 post-board discard spells, so bring in those Howling Mines. In the mirror matchup, the Mannequin matchup, and the Mana Ramp matchup, you bring in Ignites. For control matchups and sometimes Doran, bring in the Emptys. When necessary, bring in Grip.
The order of cards you go for:
Swath
Suspend cards
Shocks (not many, though. Leave in at least 3)/Dragonstorms.
Didn't he say that Shard Volleys are no good in his article? and he doesn't have any in his decklist that he posted today...
At the guy above 0ChibiCloud: Since they play Riftsweepers, Wheel of Fate=not teh leet haxorz.
Chapin sort of suggested that one might be replacing Shocks for Volleys. We replace Incinerates, and I frankly think it's much better and disagree with him on one part here. At FNM Friday, I played Rogues against a guy playing Dragonstorm since before Worlds, and he was able to use Shard Volley in every place necessary with no backlash from losing a land. You always sac a mountain to it, and you don't get hurt by it, and it's better when you're going off. The subtlety of costing a mana less is just killer.
4 Damnations, no questions asked, with Elves, Rogues, Faeries, and all other such nonsense running around.
Wow, black lotus, I had almost quit playing this deck, but that success renewed my faith in it. Also because I don't have the monies (which I prefer at this point in time to spend on members, or should I say a member, of the opposite sex ) anyway, the Blossoms look pretty stupid (good) and plain dumb with Warhammer. Props!
But in my opinion, Bill Stark and Rich Hagon are doing a much better job. You can just tell that they are better at presenting than Randy and BDM.
Not much testing to be heard from U/B camp. Seriously, what do you guys have?
I don't play Thoughtseize though..don't think it's optimal either.
I think Doran is too slow in Zoo. If you do enough math, you'll learn that you're giving yourself a better midgame, but the goal of this deck is to win in the early game, and you've already got a pretty good midgame with bob and whatnot, and you can usually burn most opponents out. Doesn't work, imo.
Mana Ramp is fine post-board, they are using Acid-Moss less these days so you should do fine. Oftentimes you don't even need to board in this matchup, maybe just Ignites.
Mannequin is bad. Kithkin is bad. Doran is unfavorable, but I still think it can be winnable if you play well and sideboard correctly. But you MUST win game 1.
So in short, we have a solid matchup against the best deck in the format (Mana Ramp), okay matchups Game one against several decks (Doran, Warriors, Kithkin) and then negative matchups against the rest. The outlook for this deck is simply not good because the way decks play-Rogues, Faeries, Doran, etc.-are simply ways that Dragonstorm cannot deal with, such as not having Hellkites when an Earwig comes down, or having to face down a 4-turn clock without the best card in your hand (Say, a turn 2 Doran and turn 3 Garruk into Thoughtseize). Still fun, tho.
Blackguard slows the deck down? Is that what you're saying? Um, okay...that is, every creature you play after it is bigger.
If that's what you're saying. And anyway, "good enough" is usually not what you want to go for in this game.
Nameless Inversion is a card you side, and you already have anti-Colossus technology in Mouth of Ronom. It is a detriment to the strategy, I'm telling you...you have to cut something for the blue cards. Pestermite is weaker than most of the cards in this deck. Tell me when a defensive tap effect is going to swing the game. All the cards in the deck right now are pretty much a perfect fit. There's no sense making cuts for subpar cards!
With blue, as I've said, you lose blackguard and all that insane synergy that the mono-black deck has, because you're going to get distracted trying to fit in too many cute tricks-take Pestermite. You can do infinitely better with Oona's Prowler, who has one more power, costs one less mana, and has just as relevant an ability and is a more aggressive and threatening creature.
Extirpate is also completely invulnerable to hate and is useful against a multitude of decks.
First, you lose consistency. Period. No one can argue that.
Second, upon deckbuilding, you risk going overboard with blue. Frankly, I think you should never go anything past Psi Blast, Looter, and Latchkey if you're going blue.
Third, I think the synergy in the mono black deck is just ridiculously good. Bad Moon works well with Bitterblossom and Marsh Flitter, and those two are also nuts with Blackguard, as is everything else. You just lose all those inner workings if you add blue, because you've gotta cut something. This comes to my first discrediting...of Psi Blast. You're going to spend 3 mana for 4 damage. But with those enchantments, which you'd probably cut for blast, you're spending 2 for what will be usually much more. This deck also does not need reach. Period.
Next, the fact that looter is a 1/1 for 2 that only gets pumped by blackguard makes it pretty low. I know it may get you some card selection, but is a random card on turn 3, 4, or 5 really going to be better than what you already have set up? Honestly, you might just discard what you draw most of the time. Looter, while having shadow, is much less efficient and there are no dead cards to discard. Prowler, having 2 more power and a relevant ability (that will usually net you more advantage than Looter's ability) is much better in this scenario.
Lastly, we get to Latchkey Faerie. In stark contrast, it's strictly worse than Oona's Prowler. You get the same body for one more mana, and chances are, the abilities on each are going to net you +1 CA in the game. Latchkey will get you a card, and most games an opponent may try to stop a prowler at least once.
Morsel Theft is bad because it doesn't do enough. This deck doesn't need reach or life swings.
Frankly, the list Shin and I are at right now is the most synergistic and the best, no questions asked.
Also, play 4 Bitterblossom.
The order of cards you go for:
Swath
Suspend cards
Shocks (not many, though. Leave in at least 3)/Dragonstorms.
At the guy above 0ChibiCloud: Since they play Riftsweepers, Wheel of Fate=not teh leet haxorz.
Chapin sort of suggested that one might be replacing Shocks for Volleys. We replace Incinerates, and I frankly think it's much better and disagree with him on one part here. At FNM Friday, I played Rogues against a guy playing Dragonstorm since before Worlds, and he was able to use Shard Volley in every place necessary with no backlash from losing a land. You always sac a mountain to it, and you don't get hurt by it, and it's better when you're going off. The subtlety of costing a mana less is just killer.
The list is still Chapin's exact maindeck, except:
-4 Incinerate
+4 Shard Volley
-3 Mountain
+2 Karplusan Forest
+1 Saltcrusted Steppe
Sideboard:
4 Howling Mine
4 Sulfurous Blast
3 Krosan Grip
2 Ignite Memories
2 Empty the Warrens OR Siege-Gang Commander
Wow, black lotus, I had almost quit playing this deck, but that success renewed my faith in it. Also because I don't have the monies (which I prefer at this point in time to spend on members, or should I say a member, of the opposite sex