Hey everybody! I've been lurking these forums for a while,and have most of the deck put together (as my hope for fastlands in horizons dwindles it looks to stay that way). Look forward to contributing!
Also on that note, I can't help but feel like the new Kaya's Guile is almost perfectly made for this deck?
So ignoring it as a hose to us for a second, is this our answer to Gx tron? It'e never been a good matchup because they just go bigger than us faster and don't fold to our combo. Imagine a scenario where t2 instead of signeting we just play this. Then they can't play karn t3 and we get to do our thing, ramping out a fatty and killing them before they can do anything. Honestly, I feel like this is better for our deck than it is against our deck.
So I played this deck years back in paper, but lost it when this and a few other decks got stolen and hadn't rebuilt it yet. I decided to pick it up for mtgo a few days ago and have been having a blast playing the most recent list. The only differences are that I swapped three serum visions for three Gaea's blessing since I remembered having those in way back when (playing with them now I definitely don't enjoy having three, it's a worse dreams now that that's been printed), and no fetchlands since it's slightly out of budget and I don't have a mtgo collection at all. I've actually been having relative success with it, once I got used to it again I've managed to have about a 50% win rate and only three or so of those were due to whiffing mid combo. I was wondering though, how do we end up beating the faster creature decks? The games that I struggled with have been with tempo decks that land big threats early and just kill me while I'm ramping. Is the plan there just bringing in the pollen and fogging until we have a chance to go off? Or is there something I'm missing? I know it's not the most popular thread, but until I manage to get an online copy of my paper deck I'll mostly just be jamming this when I get the chance.
I'm planning on putting one in the main, swapping it for either engineered explosives or sundering titan depending on the meta at my shop per night. Just glad I got one years ago and didn't trade it when I had the chance.
That's true, and what I figured was the downside to the choice after all. I was considering it since there's RW enchantment prison decks in my meta, and with leyline of sanctity turning off gifts, as well as graveyard stuff. So I was considering running one or two copies to swap out for gifts in case they get a hand with sanctities, but I feel like that's a big edge case for a deck that's not too popular.
I just saw it in the much abrew article, but what do we think about including thalias lancers as a maindeck tutor for Iona/elesh/elspeth/ugin/emrakul for the games that bring in sideboard hate against the reanimation? I feel like if they slow down a turn to play grave hate, it wouldn't be the worst to spend a turn tutoring. Especially since it curves out nice with t4 gifts/wrath, t5 lancers, t6 elspeth, elesh, iona (ramp dependent on mana etc.) To me it feels like it has viability.
Thanks! Yeah I started playing around with scepter after seeing your list, hoping that silence would shut off the local RG tron player since 99% of their spells are played on their turn, but I couldn't justify to do it main. Then I realized that it did a great job at combatting graveyard hate that people brought in after game 1. So against decks that bring in graveyard interaction, I can board out Rites and use scepter to help stall longer, and while I need to keep playing with the number of silence and scepter, it's felt really good as a sideboard strategy.
Noxious is amazing. Every time I sideboard it out it feels bad, it lets you bring back threats, make gifts piles, react to surgical extraction, it's just fantastic.
I haven't been able to find Blessed Alliances, but in theory it would do good. Sometimes the tokens are invaluable though, and can be a clock with elesh norn, which is why I'm not completely sold on it. Against DS it's way better, but against general aggro I still think Timely has an edge for general use. Against death shadow, I haven't brought in scepter so I don't really know I would need to test that.
Hey Guys! Just got back from GP Vegas where I finished the day 4-4 drop. I wasn't sure what the meta would be like, except for a lot of Death's shadow(Unfortunately I was right) and Eldrazi tron so I pretty much kept the deck mostly standard:
Game 1: We both kept seven, and I was on the play. I kept a fairly standard hand, with plant, mine, Shrine, plains, path, gifts, and thirst. Turn 2 he leads with Bitterblossom and just swings in until I manage a natural Titan, followed by giftsing for elesh norn the next turn and he scoops that game.
Game 2: I keep a hand with both gifts and noxious, hwich was good since he leads with a thoughtseize and takes the gifts. He plays a blossom, and I save a counter for his liliana next turn. A couple lingering souls get wrathed and I rites for Elesh and manage to take that game. (2-0)
I've never had a problem with tokens, as long as they don't discard twice in a row then lili it's extremely favorable it seems.
(1 - 0)
Round 2: G/R/B Scapeshift
Game 1: I keep a fairly standard hand again, but it has thirst, lands and a path so I'm feeling good. He leads with a Search and I don't manage to hit a gifts. He starts beating in with a courser, holding back and I have a couple poor draws into rites and S. Rev.. Eventually I manage to clear his board, and gifts into Iona on green. I got him down to 7, but he managed to ramp so much he just kept pinging me with valakut before I could finish him off.
In: 2 Leyline. Out: wrath, day
Game 2: I have a poorer than average hand, no blue source and no gifts just a thirst, but I start with both of my leylines out so I pretty much have to keep it. Eventually I manage to get a sundering titan out and slow him down. I have him at 9, and animate colonnade to go for lethal with Titan but it was a mistake and I played into a push and he got through with I think a prime time to finish me off before I could win. (2 - 2)
These games felt extremely close, and very winnable. There were a few sequencing mistakes which cost me both games, but overall I'm feeling good going into round 3.
(1 - 1)
Round 3: Grixis D. Shadow
Game 1: Fetch, shock, thoughtseize, with a turn two fetch shock tells me he's on shadow, confirmed when he tarfires himself. I gifts on his turn 3 but played into a denial and lost game 1. Not much choice but to go for it, I was dead next turn anyway.
Game 2: I board in 2 Purge, and timely, boarding out Elesh, a wrath, and Titan. He damaged himself down to 12 over a few turns, and I wrathed followed by rites for Iona on black and swept that game.
Game 3: about the same story, He made a misplay and bolted himself instead of bolting me and snap bolting next turn to clear my board, but I manage to gifts for Iona on black again and take the game. (6 - 5)
This was my first time playing against the deck, and it felt scary, but definitely something the deck felt like it should be able to deal with.
(2 - 1)
Round 4: Eldrazi Tron
Game 1: I keep a hand with wrath, path, and gifts. I then follow up to draw into a gifts before his TKS lands turn 3. I gifts for Elesh and shrink his field, followed up by Ugin to ping his few remaining creatures and out value him to end the game.
Game 2: I board out my reanimation, and Iona and Sundering titan. Bringing in Scepters, silence, and elspeth. He gets a faster start but spends time playing relics and chalice letting me build up to another elesh norn, eventually getting a scepter on path and slowly clearing his board, followed by a scepter on remand, basically locking him out of the game. (8 - 5)
Game 1 felt like if I didn't press my advantage then I would have lost, and Ugin is just absolutely amazing. Game 2 I really do think scepters in reanimation out might be the best plan, it just feels so incredibly solid and ridiculous card advantage, since most of my main deck stalling works including the sideboard cards.
(3 - 1)
Round 5: Affinity
My opponent was ten minutes late so I got a free win game 1.
Game 2: He leads with two overseers that I D. Sphere, followed by reanimating elesh for the win fairly quickly.
Not exactly how I want to win, but we take those. (10 - 5)
(4 - 1)
Round 6: Grixis Shadow (Or when things start going poorly)
Game 1: I have a mull to five with a terrible hand, but it has shrine and a tron land so It's not hopeless. But I never draw into a single piece of removal or blue lands and his shadow takes the game easily.
Game 2: Same board as last time, and while I only mull to 6 a poorly sequenced remand leads to me missing the proper sequence to take the game and I go down to Angler and shadow. (10 - 7)
This is about when I started realizing tiredness was setting in, and I was playing a bit sloppy. I oculd've taken it to game three, so it doesn't feel unwinnable, but it's evident why this is one of the best decks in the format right now. Also, Timely reinforcement is terrible in this matchup, definitely not bringing it in for them since lifegain is never turned on against them.
(4 - 2)
Round 7: Guess who's back, Shadow's back. Jund Shadow
Game 1: I open with a thirst, timely, and a remand. But I never see removal and Shadow plus angler closes the game out.
Game 2: I don't remember this one too well, but I manage to wrath his board and counter a shadow, but I don't manage to get there in time. (10 - 9)
(4 - 3)
Round 8: RW Prison
Game 1: I keep a great hand with a gifts and some removal and thirst. He goes turn two Blood moon, turn 3 New gideon, turn 4 Nahiri and there's nothing I can do.
Game 2 I bring in pithing needle, grafdiggers cage, purge, and scepter package. Boarding out my creature removal suite and Titan. I manage to counter his blood moon and manage to rites an Iona on White and swing in for lethal over the next few turns.
Game 3: I open on cage, needle, map and gifts. This plan goes terribly when he leads with a chalice on 1 followed by blood moon. The game goes to turn 6 where I manage to D. Sphere the moon, but forget to crack my fetch to get a basic which ends up costing me when he plays another. I end up playing a signet but a bad gifts seals the game for him ending my day at 11 - 11, and 4 - 4.
The first half of the day went great, but I made too many mistakes at the second half to get to day 2.
Overall, the deck felt great. It had game against almost every deck, with the only game lost that felt unwinnable was against Jund Shadow, otherwise I felt it only lost games due to my own errors or just mulliganing. But for the first time going to a GP it ended up going way better than expected. And I managed to pick up an engineered explosives to slot in going forward, but for now I like how the deck is fitting in the meta.
It's been a while since I posted, but I attended my local weekly this week after not playing for a couple months and figured I'd post a summary. Here's the current list i'm experimenting with.
So, I posted my old list a while back here, but it's gone through a decent overhaul after reading these pages recently:
Finally picked up an Ugin so relegated Karn to the sideboard until he'll probably be replaced by something more relevant
The Plat Angel definitely didn't work out, there was never a use for it so it got replaced with the sundering titan
TKS's were just too slow, so they got kicked out to make room for more interaction and mana fixing
Went up to 3 Azorious Signet, but one of those is going to be a talisman of progress once it arrives, I can't see myself going up to 4 mana rocks, but I like the idea of the split in testing
Got rid of buried ruin for a snow covered island, planning on getting the snow plains soon, also Trying out godless shrine after reading up on that, so we'll see.
Went back up to 4 paths, and it's performing much better
The Sideboard is all over the place, the isochron sceptre is supposed to be a two of but one was late this week, but the games I got it out, it felt really really good
So, time to shake off the rust and get on to the report. There was about 23 people there, so we played five rounds. I forgot my notepad so it'll be a bit brief.
Round 1: Mono-G Tron
Game 1: We both mulled to six, and neither of us actually played a spell until turn 3. I didn't know he was on tron beforehand, and our meta is so aggro heavy I just kept a bad hand and never drew interaction. Game 2 was a great hand with two lands and decent amount of spells, I just didn't see any more land. I was on two lands for a few turns too many, and ended up with an iona on green late in the game, but missed a line to winning before he played emrakul and got there.
Definitely winnable, his deck was running primeval titan and was ramping lands with it, I just didn't have the right setup to take care of it
Round 2: Bant Eldrazi
Game 1: Again I didn't know what he was on beforehand, but I get to keep a decent 7 with some counters, a path, draw, and land so it was good for a range of things at least. Well pretty quick I'm at about 5 with no counters used on creatures thanks to his Cavern, and had been drawing very land light, thankfully I was able to hit a very close wrath followed up the timely, and stabilize and chump. Thankfully he proceeded to draw no creatures I couldn't answer, and couldn't find his 5/5 haste eldrazi in time. This went on long enough to where I was able to topdeck emrakul and take the game. Game 2 was fairly similar, I stabilized a bit early, with better draws, and once again topped emmy just before I would be overrun.
Both games we both had periods where we drew poorly, but overrall it feels like it's winnable, just difficult. Definitely a lot of luck involved with these wins, so I'll have to get more games in to see.
Round 3: Grixis Delver
I don't fully remember this series, game 1 he flipped two delvers by turn three, and double bolt snap to finish it up, remand only holding it back and no path drawn. Game two I started with a leyline in play he landed a blood moon fairly early, but thankfully I already had a signet and a map so I fought through it and it actually hurt him more than it did me and I took that game. Game 3 I was too tentative in playing around blood moon that never showed, and he managed to take the game.
Definitely winnable, a couple too many misplays onmy part, and good play by him was just a bit too much.
Round 4: Junk Midrange
Game 1: I keep a pretty good seven, with dsphere, removal and gifts. He leads on temple gardens and birds, and I just get on the gifts path. I manage to land iona on black before he can get a lili out, dsphereing 6 lingering souls tokens, and take game one. Game two goes almost to time, with isochron sceptre pulling it's weight heavily with a path under it before a stony silence landed, after that sundering titan managed to keep him off land for a while. Unfortunately I got out grinded, and he managed to have enough removal to get through two collonades before my iona could connect one last time. then with 30 seconds for our third game, starting on turns, neither of us could finish it up in time, so it ended in a draw.
Round 5: Bye
Sadly we had a few people drop so I didn't get to play my last round.
Overrall, with having been back for the first time in months with a changed decklist, I am very happy with mine and the decks performance. Aside from the games I drew poorly, it never felt unwinnable. I made a few mistakes that cost me games which I'll be tightening up but it felt powerful, especially comparing it too the last list I published here. The sideboard is a bit of a mess, and I'm never sure what to cut in matchups, but that'll improve. Especially in a meta with an immensely aggro favored meta, it was good to see this still has a good chance at it.
I didn't have elesh, I debated getting it but I figured naming green cuts him off every pump spell and everything but the blue and black infect creatures. Probably the worse play, but I had countermagic in hand for anything else so I figured this was just as solid. Next time I'll probably just stick with elesh though. What's the consensus on the RG tron matchup? Is it just hope you dodge it, or is relegating a ton of sideboard the answer?
And while I've managed to dodge our local lantern player that definitely doesn't seem like an enjoyable matchup. Is it basically just luck of the draw?
Round 1: Vs. Infect
This one was a UGB build that I hadn't played against before, overall it either wasn't too strong or just some bad keeps.
Game 1 he had a fistful of burst but no infect creature, gifts for iona managed to lock him out and I took that pretty easily.
No board, don't have much for infect in the board anyways.
Game 2 I managed to counter his early infect creature, he didn't draw another one so I ended up taking 15 from a BoP but managed to clean it up after that.
Round 2: Smallpox
He had just beat the RG tron player in the room, so I wasn't feeling great about this one.
Game 1 I had removal for most of his guys, and managed to counter the lili he played. Eventually I landed a wrath followed up by Iona, but he was able to landfall a couple guys from his grave with haste and I wasn't able to block enough; so he managed to take that one.
Boarded in the purges, D. sphere, and a relic.
Game 2 I drew all of my removal. Almost every purge, exile, and counter was played. Then I proceeded to draw no threats and he just rebuilt his board and took the game.
Just a bad draw unfortunately, I had tron and everything up, just never saw gifts or a threat.
Round 3: Jeskai Nahiri
Game 1: I wasn't sure what he was, so I countered a threat on my turn three, followed up by allowing him to get a nahiri through. I wasn't able to get a creature up in time to damage Nahiri and ended up getting emrakuld'.
Boarded in purges, D. Sphere(Really considering these mainboard), and the leylines.
Game 2 he ended up on the burn plan, I was put down to nine before I rites'd Iona and named blue since I had counters for whatever removal/burn that he had. I managed to close that one out pretty quick after that.
Game 3 I don't remember this game that well, but I was keeping even with him until I misplayed a couple times, faltered, and wasn't able to recover.
These games felt winnable, just a few misplays too many. But it definitely feels like a tough matchup.
Round 3: Zur the Enchanter
I had seen him earlier in the day, so I knew what he was playing and dreading dealing with enchantments.
Game 1 I was in control most of the game, he ended up spreading seas a colonnade instead of a tron land. So I was able to thirst next turn drawing my final tron land and an iona that I dumped along with the rites that was stuck in hand. Ended up Tronning and rites'd and was able to close out the game.
Game 2 he had me pretty low, but again I gifts'd into iona and rites. I run kamigawa gifts so we spent a bit while he checked gatherer to make sure I wasn't lying, then Iona closed out the game.
I didn't see Zur either game, so I don't really know how this game goes when he draws properly but it didn't feel terrible.
Overrall I went 2-2, pretty happy with the games overrall. I need to tighten up my plan against the nahiri and smallpox deck, but felt that it went okay!
Yeah I've been feeling the same about Karn too. Eventually I plan on replacing it with an Ugin, but I haven't been able to afford one yet so the Karn I had is filling in as a slightly similarly costed/colorless walker. I'm not sure about plat angel either, I know it's good when you can protect it, which we just can't do effectively so I can't really do anything with it. I figured I might as well test it for a week, so we'll see how it goes but it'll probably be replaced eventually with something else. I actually took out the fourth path in order to put the contortion in; I wanted too test it and figured id just make a one for one swap, but once i take plat angel out I'll probably put the fourth path back in. The mana leak does work with the amount of low land aggro decks in my meta, but I do agree it oculd probablyu be a different counterspell like condescend or something else.
Unfortunately I only have the two leylines, I do plan on going up to 3 eventually once I get another one. Hushwing gryff has been interesting for me. The gryff is a relic of splinter twin days when I brought it in for that, as well as some creature based combo decks that are running around my shop; specifically a melira combo deck, as well as an infinite damage combo that relies on etb effects that I can't remember precisely how it works right now.
Thanks! I'm pretty happy with it overall, and in testing it feels stronger than it did with the sword combo for sure.
So this is my first time posting on this forum, I've been playing this deck for a few years but just went through a major overhaul after not doing much since the thopter sword combo became a thing. Hoping to get your guys' opinion on the deck!
A few of the cards are ones I'm experimenting with. Noxious revival is a new pickup that I'm hoping to make better gift piles with. Platinum angel keeps getting recommended to me, I'm not sold on it but I figured I would test it out and see what happens. The spatial contortion is also a test, I keep getting burned by path from our low land count zoo player, and wanted to see if it made the matchup any more manageable. The counterspell suite keeps changing as well, I used to run a negate but took it out this change.
I also used to run thopter sword main deck, but didn't feel like I was accomplishing enough with it so I relegated it to the sideboard for now. It's also my first time running less than 26 lands, having taken out mine and plant after seeing everyone here recommend that path.
Any help you guys have would be awesome, and I'm looking forward to developing this awesome deck here!
(Also my first time formatting a deck list here, this was the best I could figure out.)
Hey, so this is the first time I've posted on this deck (or at all really) but I've been following this deck because it looks really cool. I haven't seen much about a black splash for this deck, how do we feel about damnable pact as a new win condition? http://i.imgur.com/QI7pddg.png
Also on that note, I can't help but feel like the new Kaya's Guile is almost perfectly made for this deck?
Noxious is amazing. Every time I sideboard it out it feels bad, it lets you bring back threats, make gifts piles, react to surgical extraction, it's just fantastic.
I haven't been able to find Blessed Alliances, but in theory it would do good. Sometimes the tokens are invaluable though, and can be a clock with elesh norn, which is why I'm not completely sold on it. Against DS it's way better, but against general aggro I still think Timely has an edge for general use. Against death shadow, I haven't brought in scepter so I don't really know I would need to test that.
4 Urzas Tower
3 Urzas Mine
3 Urzas Power Plant
1 Flooded Strand
2 Seachrome Coast
3 Hallowed Fountain
3 Celestial Colonnade
1 Godless Shrine
1 Plains
1 Island
1 Snow-Covered Island
1 Ghost Quarter
Spells
4 Thirst for Knowledge
4 Path to Exile
4 Gifts Ungiven
3 Remand
1 Mana Leak
1 Negate
1 Noxious Revival
1 Sphinx's Revelation
1 Timely Reinforcements
1 Condescend
1 Unburial Rites
1 Day of Judgment
1 Supreme Judgement
1 Wrath of God
Creatures
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
1 Sundering Titan
1 Snapcaster Mage
Planeswalkers
1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
Artifacts
2 Expedition map
2 Azorius Signet
1 Talisman of Progress
Enchantment
1 Detention Sphere
2 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Celestial Purge
1 Timely Reinforcements
1 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Pithing Needle
2 Isochron Scepter
1 Silence
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Ghostly Prison
Round 1: BW Tokens
Game 1: We both kept seven, and I was on the play. I kept a fairly standard hand, with plant, mine, Shrine, plains, path, gifts, and thirst. Turn 2 he leads with Bitterblossom and just swings in until I manage a natural Titan, followed by giftsing for elesh norn the next turn and he scoops that game.
Game 2: I keep a hand with both gifts and noxious, hwich was good since he leads with a thoughtseize and takes the gifts. He plays a blossom, and I save a counter for his liliana next turn. A couple lingering souls get wrathed and I rites for Elesh and manage to take that game. (2-0)
I've never had a problem with tokens, as long as they don't discard twice in a row then lili it's extremely favorable it seems.
(1 - 0)
Round 2: G/R/B Scapeshift
Game 1: I keep a fairly standard hand again, but it has thirst, lands and a path so I'm feeling good. He leads with a Search and I don't manage to hit a gifts. He starts beating in with a courser, holding back and I have a couple poor draws into rites and S. Rev.. Eventually I manage to clear his board, and gifts into Iona on green. I got him down to 7, but he managed to ramp so much he just kept pinging me with valakut before I could finish him off.
In: 2 Leyline. Out: wrath, day
Game 2: I have a poorer than average hand, no blue source and no gifts just a thirst, but I start with both of my leylines out so I pretty much have to keep it. Eventually I manage to get a sundering titan out and slow him down. I have him at 9, and animate colonnade to go for lethal with Titan but it was a mistake and I played into a push and he got through with I think a prime time to finish me off before I could win. (2 - 2)
These games felt extremely close, and very winnable. There were a few sequencing mistakes which cost me both games, but overall I'm feeling good going into round 3.
(1 - 1)
Round 3: Grixis D. Shadow
Game 1: Fetch, shock, thoughtseize, with a turn two fetch shock tells me he's on shadow, confirmed when he tarfires himself. I gifts on his turn 3 but played into a denial and lost game 1. Not much choice but to go for it, I was dead next turn anyway.
Game 2: I board in 2 Purge, and timely, boarding out Elesh, a wrath, and Titan. He damaged himself down to 12 over a few turns, and I wrathed followed by rites for Iona on black and swept that game.
Game 3: about the same story, He made a misplay and bolted himself instead of bolting me and snap bolting next turn to clear my board, but I manage to gifts for Iona on black again and take the game. (6 - 5)
This was my first time playing against the deck, and it felt scary, but definitely something the deck felt like it should be able to deal with.
(2 - 1)
Round 4: Eldrazi Tron
Game 1: I keep a hand with wrath, path, and gifts. I then follow up to draw into a gifts before his TKS lands turn 3. I gifts for Elesh and shrink his field, followed up by Ugin to ping his few remaining creatures and out value him to end the game.
Game 2: I board out my reanimation, and Iona and Sundering titan. Bringing in Scepters, silence, and elspeth. He gets a faster start but spends time playing relics and chalice letting me build up to another elesh norn, eventually getting a scepter on path and slowly clearing his board, followed by a scepter on remand, basically locking him out of the game. (8 - 5)
Game 1 felt like if I didn't press my advantage then I would have lost, and Ugin is just absolutely amazing. Game 2 I really do think scepters in reanimation out might be the best plan, it just feels so incredibly solid and ridiculous card advantage, since most of my main deck stalling works including the sideboard cards.
(3 - 1)
Round 5: Affinity
My opponent was ten minutes late so I got a free win game 1.
Game 2: He leads with two overseers that I D. Sphere, followed by reanimating elesh for the win fairly quickly.
Not exactly how I want to win, but we take those. (10 - 5)
(4 - 1)
Round 6: Grixis Shadow (Or when things start going poorly)
Game 1: I have a mull to five with a terrible hand, but it has shrine and a tron land so It's not hopeless. But I never draw into a single piece of removal or blue lands and his shadow takes the game easily.
Game 2: Same board as last time, and while I only mull to 6 a poorly sequenced remand leads to me missing the proper sequence to take the game and I go down to Angler and shadow. (10 - 7)
This is about when I started realizing tiredness was setting in, and I was playing a bit sloppy. I oculd've taken it to game three, so it doesn't feel unwinnable, but it's evident why this is one of the best decks in the format right now. Also, Timely reinforcement is terrible in this matchup, definitely not bringing it in for them since lifegain is never turned on against them.
(4 - 2)
Round 7: Guess who's back, Shadow's back. Jund Shadow
Game 1: I open with a thirst, timely, and a remand. But I never see removal and Shadow plus angler closes the game out.
Game 2: I don't remember this one too well, but I manage to wrath his board and counter a shadow, but I don't manage to get there in time. (10 - 9)
(4 - 3)
Round 8: RW Prison
Game 1: I keep a great hand with a gifts and some removal and thirst. He goes turn two Blood moon, turn 3 New gideon, turn 4 Nahiri and there's nothing I can do.
Game 2 I bring in pithing needle, grafdiggers cage, purge, and scepter package. Boarding out my creature removal suite and Titan. I manage to counter his blood moon and manage to rites an Iona on White and swing in for lethal over the next few turns.
Game 3: I open on cage, needle, map and gifts. This plan goes terribly when he leads with a chalice on 1 followed by blood moon. The game goes to turn 6 where I manage to D. Sphere the moon, but forget to crack my fetch to get a basic which ends up costing me when he plays another. I end up playing a signet but a bad gifts seals the game for him ending my day at 11 - 11, and 4 - 4.
The first half of the day went great, but I made too many mistakes at the second half to get to day 2.
Overall, the deck felt great. It had game against almost every deck, with the only game lost that felt unwinnable was against Jund Shadow, otherwise I felt it only lost games due to my own errors or just mulliganing. But for the first time going to a GP it ended up going way better than expected. And I managed to pick up an engineered explosives to slot in going forward, but for now I like how the deck is fitting in the meta.
4 Urzas Tower
3 Urzas Mine
3 Urzas Power Plant
1 Flooded Strand
2 Seachrome Coast
3 Hallowed Fountain
3 Celestial Colonnade
1 Godless Shrine
1 Plains
1 Island
1 Snow-Covered Island
1 Ghost Quarter
Spells
4 Thirst for Knowledge
4 Path to Exile
4 Gifts Ungiven
3 Remand
1 Mana Leak
1 Negate
1 Noxious Revival
1 Sphinx's Revelation
1 Timely Reinforcements
1 Condescend
1 Unburial Rites
1 Day of Judgment
1 Supreme Judgement
1 Wrath of God
Creatures
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
1 Sundering Titan
1 Snapcaster Mage
Planeswalkers
1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
Artifacts
2 Expedition map
3 Azorius Signet
Enchantment
1 Detention Sphere
2 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Celestial Purge
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Timely Reinforcements
1 Terastodon
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Into the Roil
1 Pithing Needle
1 Isochron Scepter
1 Silence
1 Karn Liberated
1 Ghostly Prison
So, I posted my old list a while back here, but it's gone through a decent overhaul after reading these pages recently:
So, time to shake off the rust and get on to the report. There was about 23 people there, so we played five rounds. I forgot my notepad so it'll be a bit brief.
Round 1: Mono-G Tron
Game 1: We both mulled to six, and neither of us actually played a spell until turn 3. I didn't know he was on tron beforehand, and our meta is so aggro heavy I just kept a bad hand and never drew interaction. Game 2 was a great hand with two lands and decent amount of spells, I just didn't see any more land. I was on two lands for a few turns too many, and ended up with an iona on green late in the game, but missed a line to winning before he played emrakul and got there.
Definitely winnable, his deck was running primeval titan and was ramping lands with it, I just didn't have the right setup to take care of it
Round 2: Bant Eldrazi
Game 1: Again I didn't know what he was on beforehand, but I get to keep a decent 7 with some counters, a path, draw, and land so it was good for a range of things at least. Well pretty quick I'm at about 5 with no counters used on creatures thanks to his Cavern, and had been drawing very land light, thankfully I was able to hit a very close wrath followed up the timely, and stabilize and chump. Thankfully he proceeded to draw no creatures I couldn't answer, and couldn't find his 5/5 haste eldrazi in time. This went on long enough to where I was able to topdeck emrakul and take the game. Game 2 was fairly similar, I stabilized a bit early, with better draws, and once again topped emmy just before I would be overrun.
Both games we both had periods where we drew poorly, but overrall it feels like it's winnable, just difficult. Definitely a lot of luck involved with these wins, so I'll have to get more games in to see.
Round 3: Grixis Delver
I don't fully remember this series, game 1 he flipped two delvers by turn three, and double bolt snap to finish it up, remand only holding it back and no path drawn. Game two I started with a leyline in play he landed a blood moon fairly early, but thankfully I already had a signet and a map so I fought through it and it actually hurt him more than it did me and I took that game. Game 3 I was too tentative in playing around blood moon that never showed, and he managed to take the game.
Definitely winnable, a couple too many misplays onmy part, and good play by him was just a bit too much.
Round 4: Junk Midrange
Game 1: I keep a pretty good seven, with dsphere, removal and gifts. He leads on temple gardens and birds, and I just get on the gifts path. I manage to land iona on black before he can get a lili out, dsphereing 6 lingering souls tokens, and take game one. Game two goes almost to time, with isochron sceptre pulling it's weight heavily with a path under it before a stony silence landed, after that sundering titan managed to keep him off land for a while. Unfortunately I got out grinded, and he managed to have enough removal to get through two collonades before my iona could connect one last time. then with 30 seconds for our third game, starting on turns, neither of us could finish it up in time, so it ended in a draw.
Round 5: Bye
Sadly we had a few people drop so I didn't get to play my last round.
Overrall, with having been back for the first time in months with a changed decklist, I am very happy with mine and the decks performance. Aside from the games I drew poorly, it never felt unwinnable. I made a few mistakes that cost me games which I'll be tightening up but it felt powerful, especially comparing it too the last list I published here. The sideboard is a bit of a mess, and I'm never sure what to cut in matchups, but that'll improve. Especially in a meta with an immensely aggro favored meta, it was good to see this still has a good chance at it.
And while I've managed to dodge our local lantern player that definitely doesn't seem like an enjoyable matchup. Is it basically just luck of the draw?
Round 1: Vs. Infect
This one was a UGB build that I hadn't played against before, overall it either wasn't too strong or just some bad keeps.
Game 1 he had a fistful of burst but no infect creature, gifts for iona managed to lock him out and I took that pretty easily.
No board, don't have much for infect in the board anyways.
Game 2 I managed to counter his early infect creature, he didn't draw another one so I ended up taking 15 from a BoP but managed to clean it up after that.
Round 2: Smallpox
He had just beat the RG tron player in the room, so I wasn't feeling great about this one.
Game 1 I had removal for most of his guys, and managed to counter the lili he played. Eventually I landed a wrath followed up by Iona, but he was able to landfall a couple guys from his grave with haste and I wasn't able to block enough; so he managed to take that one.
Boarded in the purges, D. sphere, and a relic.
Game 2 I drew all of my removal. Almost every purge, exile, and counter was played. Then I proceeded to draw no threats and he just rebuilt his board and took the game.
Just a bad draw unfortunately, I had tron and everything up, just never saw gifts or a threat.
Round 3: Jeskai Nahiri
Game 1: I wasn't sure what he was, so I countered a threat on my turn three, followed up by allowing him to get a nahiri through. I wasn't able to get a creature up in time to damage Nahiri and ended up getting emrakuld'.
Boarded in purges, D. Sphere(Really considering these mainboard), and the leylines.
Game 2 he ended up on the burn plan, I was put down to nine before I rites'd Iona and named blue since I had counters for whatever removal/burn that he had. I managed to close that one out pretty quick after that.
Game 3 I don't remember this game that well, but I was keeping even with him until I misplayed a couple times, faltered, and wasn't able to recover.
These games felt winnable, just a few misplays too many. But it definitely feels like a tough matchup.
Round 3: Zur the Enchanter
I had seen him earlier in the day, so I knew what he was playing and dreading dealing with enchantments.
Game 1 I was in control most of the game, he ended up spreading seas a colonnade instead of a tron land. So I was able to thirst next turn drawing my final tron land and an iona that I dumped along with the rites that was stuck in hand. Ended up Tronning and rites'd and was able to close out the game.
Game 2 he had me pretty low, but again I gifts'd into iona and rites. I run kamigawa gifts so we spent a bit while he checked gatherer to make sure I wasn't lying, then Iona closed out the game.
I didn't see Zur either game, so I don't really know how this game goes when he draws properly but it didn't feel terrible.
Overrall I went 2-2, pretty happy with the games overrall. I need to tighten up my plan against the nahiri and smallpox deck, but felt that it went okay!
Unfortunately I only have the two leylines, I do plan on going up to 3 eventually once I get another one. Hushwing gryff has been interesting for me. The gryff is a relic of splinter twin days when I brought it in for that, as well as some creature based combo decks that are running around my shop; specifically a melira combo deck, as well as an infinite damage combo that relies on etb effects that I can't remember precisely how it works right now.
Thanks! I'm pretty happy with it overall, and in testing it feels stronger than it did with the sword combo for sure.
4 Urza's Tower
3 Urza's Mine
3 Urza's Power Plant
4 Celestial Colonnade
3 Hallowed Fountain
2 Seachrome Coast
1 Flooded Strand
1 Plains
1 Island
1 Buried Ruin
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
1 Platinum Angel
2 Thought-Knot Seer
1 Karn, Liberated
1 Unburial Rites
4 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Sphinx's Revelation
3 Remand
1 Condescend
1 Mana Leak
3 Path to Exile
1 Spatial Contortion
1 Wrath of God
1 Day of Judgement
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Timely Reinforcement
1 Noxious Revival
2 Expedition Map
2 Azorious Signet
2 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Celestial Purge
2 Relic of Progenitus
1 Hushwing Gryff
1 Disenchant
1 Detention Sphere
1 Thopter Foundry
1 Sword of the Meek
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Batterskull
1 Ghostly Prison
1 Timely Reinforcements
A few of the cards are ones I'm experimenting with. Noxious revival is a new pickup that I'm hoping to make better gift piles with. Platinum angel keeps getting recommended to me, I'm not sold on it but I figured I would test it out and see what happens. The spatial contortion is also a test, I keep getting burned by path from our low land count zoo player, and wanted to see if it made the matchup any more manageable. The counterspell suite keeps changing as well, I used to run a negate but took it out this change.
I also used to run thopter sword main deck, but didn't feel like I was accomplishing enough with it so I relegated it to the sideboard for now. It's also my first time running less than 26 lands, having taken out mine and plant after seeing everyone here recommend that path.
Any help you guys have would be awesome, and I'm looking forward to developing this awesome deck here!
(Also my first time formatting a deck list here, this was the best I could figure out.)
http://i.imgur.com/QI7pddg.png