Long time no post. Really looking forward to GP Brisbane this weekend - flying up from Melbourne and it's going to be interesting to see the new paper metagame in action. I think Elves is really well positioned at the moment. I will be playing the following 75 at the event:
I played GB at the last GP, but ever since I've been very successful with GW - making PTQs, winning GPTs and generally 4-0ing or 3-1ing local modern events. I firmly believe the consistency and sideboard versatility of GW outpositions the GB list. Trust me, I loved draining people for Shaman as well - but having MB access to Rec/Scooze/Skite/Ewit allows for a more robust game 1. I've basically just been following Liam Lonergan's success with the deck, and I've mainly moved my deck choices with him.
I've never been a fan of Lead the Stampede. My philosophy is, if they have the G1 Wrath - so be it. Game two, hold up Chord just incase an anger/verdict comes down and you need to chord for a spirit/forge tender in response. Otherwise, get Ezuri and win. GW plays very formulaic game styles and each match more or less follows the same recipe.
My only two changes I would make to the deck are:
1. Potentially swapping Skite to the SB in favour of Spirit. Depending on how popular Valakut/Tron decks are. Which is likely very much.
2. Potentially ditching Melira - but I would rather be safe than sorry.
Gl to all attending either of the two events this weekend. May your cocos consistenly rip Archdruid and Ezuri.
P.S. All my elves are foil now
I heard you are doing pretty well in Brisbane, did you changed anything or are you playing this list? And after the event, what are the cards you would like to change?
Long time no post. Really looking forward to GP Brisbane this weekend - flying up from Melbourne and it's going to be interesting to see the new paper metagame in action. I think Elves is really well positioned at the moment. I will be playing the following 75 at the event:
I firmly believe the consistency and sideboard versatility of GW outpositions the GB list. Trust me, I loved draining people for Shaman as well - but having MB access to Rec/Scooze/Skite/Ewit allows for a more robust game 1.
I love the list. No doubt with a few tweaks here or there that's where I'd settle with a GW list with this weekend in mind.
I'll hopefully see you at the top tables at Brisbane this weekend, but unlike you I am a disciple of the GB deck and am going to be packing this for the weekend:
Why GB you might ask? Raw power. I'm eshewing the main deck toolbox for raw power in what might be my most streamlined list in years. This list does one thing and one thing well: Smorc
Post board, the grind duo of Kitchen Finks and Lead the Stampede should be enough to stretch Paths, Sweepers and Living Ends to the brink while Thoughtseize hopefully picks apart the combo decks. Affinity has a spot in hell reserved in my sideboard.
As for some peculiar main deck choices - Cavern got moved to the folder for this weekend as I highly doubt many people will bring Grixis or Jeskai (and even then at times, you'd wish they counter a dude instead of a spell!), and I wanted 13 black sources for consistent T2-3 Thoughtseize.
This is about as stock and as linear the GB list can get - and I aim to replicate my performance last year in Melbourne this year in a slightly more hostile meta.
Good luck to everyone at GPs this weekend. Do us proud.
P.S. you know what they say VIPOwl, once you go Black you never go back...also mostly foiled my list too so high five!
Same question to you, is this the list you are working in Brisbane?
Round 1: vs GW Tron
Game 1: I just put enough damage on the board to finish him turn 4
Game 2: He has natural Tron into O-Stone into another Tower into Ugin which eventually fixed the deal. He was on 7 life by then
Game 3: I took a mulligan to 4, so game is pretty over. I was able to bring him down to 1 life but then he plays Ugin and wipes the board so I have just 4 Shamans in my list to win. Did draw a land and he plays Wurmcoil Engine.
Round 2: vs GR Tron
Game 1: He had just unlucky draws and I was fast enough to finish him and had a CoCo for 2 lords when he played Pyroclasm.
Game 2: He had Tron turn 4, but just a forest and no red mana. He played a Wurmcoil Engine and I CoCo into Elvish Champion to forestwalk him down.
Round 3: vs U Tron
Game 1 and 2: This opponent his known for playing bad and having luck. I mulliganed to 4 both games and he had natural Tron both games
SIDEBOARDING:
I took out the 3 Elvish Visionary to board in Revoker, Elvish Champion and Reclamation Sage to be faster than him. Added the 2 Fracturing Gust on the play as well and took out 1 Lead the Stampede and 1 Pokedex. Vs Tron you want the extra Lord in Elvish Champion to be as fast as possible. I did not play any Pokedex during my Tron games
Round 4: vs W DnT
Game 1:He taxed me the first few turns and got me down to 9 but I was able to stick a Archdruid with a Nettle Sentinel so he couldn't attack into my 3/3 and needed to fly over with his 1 Judges Familiar. At turn 7 or 8 I was able to put 2 Lifecrafters Bestiaries onto the battlefield when he was at 20 and started to Elfstorm him. Had 1 untapped Cavern of Souls, my whole lands and spells and 4 Shaman in my hand, the rest of my deck on the battlefield and about 11 floating green mana when I played 1 Shaman to instantly win.
Game 2: I was able to just beat him down with Lords and going wide.
So overall I might change the decklist a bit. I was goldfishing and trying to stick a Craterhoof Behemoth into my deck, but sometimes the storming stops and you just have 5 mana. That's why I played the Joraga Warcaller. But I think I am going to cut the Warcaller and the Lead the Stampede to add 2 Collected Company. Being able to draw half of your deck, generate some mana with untapped dudes and then Chording into a Shaman and hardcasting another is games most of the times, plus it makes me play a more creatures oriented sideboard. I will stick with the Fetchland Manabase because I think Blood Moon might become stronger since Infect is "banned" and Tron is on the rise. This is the new decklist I will play:
@ChiisaiRamen You boarded out all leonin arbiters against a deck with only 2 basics. Also, Wisp can be really great against inkmoth and to speed up the game in your favor. Eldrazi displacer is better than TKS, imo. I wouldn't ever board displacer out against any creature decks (except bogles for obvious reasons).
That's my point, but I'm not saying you were wrong with your decisions, but I'd do differently than you did.
I'm not an expert in D&T, so i'll just give you my 2 cents! Since infect runs only 20~ lands and 8~ fetches, i don't usually side out arbiters against them on the play. If we can choke them on mana, we usually have enough time to seal the deal. On that last game, i'm pretty sure you could have easily won if that spirit was a cat, as your opponent didn't play around it and would be locked out of the game by a path on the dork. That second game, however, i don't really know what to say other than it was pretty bad luck to get one shotted after a TKS... Good luck!
Will do next time, seems to be leonin arbiter cut was wrong. Probably need to find a different cut since i like the Selfless Spirits still as air blockers. I think i changed my mind in the end and kept the displacers since they can tap down creatures. Cut would probably be a combination of TKS and displacers then? My line of thought was to cut the most mana taxing creatures
Appreciate the replies from both of you btw
Cutting TKS is fine because he is too slow in this matchup.
Main plan of the deck is:
Get down some manadorks, a Minister of Inquieries, a Pokedex (Lifecrafter's Bestiary) and a Paradox Engine. You now just play creatures and draw cards and untap your manadorks until you find a Greenbelt Rampager which goes infinite mill and carddraw with 2 mana dorks and the 2 artifacts. You just use the Energy for milling so the elephant returns to your hand. Have played against UG Ramp and milled my opponent game one and just killed him with Caravan and beatdown game 2. For everything too strong just bounce it with the Expertise, you can add in Counterspells at this slot, too
So at many SEALED events I like to be on the draw if I do not have a hyper aggressive deck. What is your opinion on AER Sealed. The format seems faster than KLD. Would you like to play or to draw first?
I think you would get a better response if you weren't posting six pools at once. That tends to feel a bit overwhelming. But I will give it a shot:
Pool #1: Seems like you got pulled to Red for the Dragon, but I don't think it's worth it for what's basically just a splash. I would probably dump the 4 red cards, the Renegade Map + the singleton Self-Assembler, and play the Bastion Inventors + Aether Inspector + Shielded Aether Thief + Irontread Crusher + another artifact (Cogworker's Puzzleknot or maybe Filigree Crawler).
Pool #2: Worst cards seem to be Authority of the Consuls, Universal Solvent and Weldfast Monitor. Everything else looks pretty good. Maybe replace with Fretwork Colony, Barricade Breaker and Sly Requisitioner.
Pool #3: This one is hard, but I think the three color/16 land build is not going to work well. I make it more a R/Gdeck with just a black splash for the Winding Constrictor + activation on the Scrounger. I'm adding more aggressive red, built to smash, invigorated rampage and Aether Chaser, also Aether Herder and Sailback to fill out the top end.
Pool #4: I'm pretty sure I play Call for Unity 100% of the time. Maybe cut singleton Self-Assembler or Ally Evasion.
Pool #5: Only questionable cards for me are the Mobile Garrison and 2nd Impeccable Timing. I would definitely play the Animation Module, and maybe Highspire Artisan. I also like the Irontread Crusher more than most people, but I'm not sure there's anything I'd rather cut for it.
Pool #6: There's that Universal Solvent again. I really think it's bad. I'd run dorky guys like Bastion Enforcer over it almost all the time. I probably play Aegis Automaton in this deck too.
Hope that helps some.
Thank you for taking your time I thought posting all pools in one thread makes it look less like spam
Pool #1: I can definatelly see cutting the Veteran Motorist and the Spontaneous Artist for Bastion Inventor and Aether Thief, but don't you think splashing for the Shock (removal, direct damage, "combat trick" and a super good bomb) aren't worth the splash?
Pool #2: Universal happens to be a good removal spell in all my 3 prereleases because it can deal with anything. Weldfast Monitor is a cut for Fretwork Colony but with Authority of the Consuls my thought was to keep the tempo going because my opponent just can't play a blockerand needs to wait a turn for his creatures to affect combat.
Pool #3: yeah going RG aggro seems the right thing to do
Pool #4: That's what I thought too, but everytime Call for Unity was on the battlefield it did absolutely nothing, I never had at least 1 counter on it. Self Assembler helps me to get my Cogwork Assembler and Ally Evasion was awesome in being a combat trick or getting rid of prison-effects-enchantments (as well as triggering revolt)
Pool #5: Cutting Garrison for Module seems fine
Pool #6: I still think Universal Solvent is a fine removal for the lategame when the opponent plays big creatures or planeswalkers or Pacificm Array.
Why do you want to cast an artifact just to remove it? Seems like having the minimum amount of permanent types would be the best way to play it since that means it will hurt them more than you. Just run the red and or white expertise card instead of jar?
I guess that he does not want to sacrifice his Brain in a Jar so he needs other artefacts to target
I have designed a custom playmat for our playgroup where I have written the phases of a turn on top of the playmat. Can I use such a playmat or is this illegal information?
Also this playmat is for personal use only, at events such as GPs can WOTC sue me for using their symbols (mana, phyrexian, experience, energy)?
If you are playing tempo Leave in the Dust is really awesome because an opponent might crew a vehicle and before he can declare blockers you can bounce it. I would have gone GW as well, something like this would have been worked for me I guess:
Honestly, I wouldn't give up on sealed because of a bad pre-release. I missed this one due to having the office flu, but from what I gathered across the web from people who attended, it was a very swingy. By comparison, Kaladesh pre-release went really well for the most part and very few walked away feeling let down. The issue seemed to be stemming from not enough removal in the packs, resulting in a lot of people just flopping out because they had nothing to really work with. Heck, the Aether Revolt box openings have been like that as well, which is kind of funny considering this is the set giving us Disallow and Fatal Push. There were some boxes that only had what amounted to 2-3 Caught in the Brights, a single Fatal Push, and if they were lucky a Disallow or Unleash the Gremlins. This is from an entire booster box of Aether Revolt.
I played 3 Pre-Releases and got about 15 price packs. So in those 27 AER booster packs I cracked 3 Disallow and no single Fatal Push
I heard you are doing pretty well in Brisbane, did you changed anything or are you playing this list? And after the event, what are the cards you would like to change?
Same question to you, is this the list you are working in Brisbane?
Congratulations to both of you
4x Elvish Mystic
4x Heritage Druid
4x Llanowar Elve
4x Nettle Sentinel
4x Dwynen's Elite
3x Elvish Visionary
1x Joraga War Caller
4x Elvish Archdruid
2x Ezuri, Renegade Leader
4x Shaman of the pack
1x Lead the Stampede
3x Lifecrafter's Bestiary
4x Collected Company
Land (18)
2x Forest
3x Windswept Heights
3x Wooded Foothills
1x Temple Garden
1x Overgrown Tomb
3x Cavern of Souls
4x Horizon Canopy
1x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
3x Essence Warden
1x Worship
1x Reclamation Sage
1x Phyrexian Revoker
2x Mark of Asylum
2x Chameleon Colossus
1x Elvish Champion
2x Fracturing Gust
2x Rest in Peace
We were 14 players so it was 4 rounds.
Round 1: vs GW Tron
Game 1: I just put enough damage on the board to finish him turn 4
Game 2: He has natural Tron into O-Stone into another Tower into Ugin which eventually fixed the deal. He was on 7 life by then
Game 3: I took a mulligan to 4, so game is pretty over. I was able to bring him down to 1 life but then he plays Ugin and wipes the board so I have just 4 Shamans in my list to win. Did draw a land and he plays Wurmcoil Engine.
Round 2: vs GR Tron
Game 1: He had just unlucky draws and I was fast enough to finish him and had a CoCo for 2 lords when he played Pyroclasm.
Game 2: He had Tron turn 4, but just a forest and no red mana. He played a Wurmcoil Engine and I CoCo into Elvish Champion to forestwalk him down.
Round 3: vs U Tron
Game 1 and 2: This opponent his known for playing bad and having luck. I mulliganed to 4 both games and he had natural Tron both games
SIDEBOARDING:
I took out the 3 Elvish Visionary to board in Revoker, Elvish Champion and Reclamation Sage to be faster than him. Added the 2 Fracturing Gust on the play as well and took out 1 Lead the Stampede and 1 Pokedex. Vs Tron you want the extra Lord in Elvish Champion to be as fast as possible. I did not play any Pokedex during my Tron games
Round 4: vs W DnT
Game 1:He taxed me the first few turns and got me down to 9 but I was able to stick a Archdruid with a Nettle Sentinel so he couldn't attack into my 3/3 and needed to fly over with his 1 Judges Familiar. At turn 7 or 8 I was able to put 2 Lifecrafters Bestiaries onto the battlefield when he was at 20 and started to Elfstorm him. Had 1 untapped Cavern of Souls, my whole lands and spells and 4 Shaman in my hand, the rest of my deck on the battlefield and about 11 floating green mana when I played 1 Shaman to instantly win.
Game 2: I was able to just beat him down with Lords and going wide.
So overall I might change the decklist a bit. I was goldfishing and trying to stick a Craterhoof Behemoth into my deck, but sometimes the storming stops and you just have 5 mana. That's why I played the Joraga Warcaller. But I think I am going to cut the Warcaller and the Lead the Stampede to add 2 Collected Company. Being able to draw half of your deck, generate some mana with untapped dudes and then Chording into a Shaman and hardcasting another is games most of the times, plus it makes me play a more creatures oriented sideboard. I will stick with the Fetchland Manabase because I think Blood Moon might become stronger since Infect is "banned" and Tron is on the rise. This is the new decklist I will play:
4x Elvish Mystic
4x Heritage Druid
4x Llanowar Elve
4x Nettle Sentinel
4x Dwynen's Elite
3x Elvish Visionary
4x Elvish Archdruid
2x Ezuri, Renegade Leader
4x Shaman of the pack
Noncreature (9)
2x Chord of Calling
3x Lifecrafter's Bestiary
4x Collected Company
2x Forest
3x Windswept Heights
3x Wooded Foothills
1x Temple Garden
1x Overgrown Tomb
3x Cavern of Souls
4x Horizon Canopy
1x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
3x Essence Warden
1x Worship
1x Reclamation Sage
1x Phyrexian Revoker
2x Mark of Asylum
2x Chameleon Colossus
1x Elvish Champion
2x Fracturing Gust
1x Gaddock Teeg
1x Scavenging Ooze
Cutting TKS is fine because he is too slow in this matchup.
4 Greenbelt Rampager
4 Loam Dryad
4 Servant of the Conduit
4 Minister of Inquiries
4 Druid of the Cowl
2 Quicksmith Spy
4 Cultivator's Caravan
1 Aetherflux Reservoir
3 Paradox Engine
4 Lifecrafter's Bestiary
//Sorcery 2
2 Baral's Expertise
4 Botanical Sanctum
4 Lumbering Falls
4 Aether Hub
6 Island
6 Forest
Main plan of the deck is:
Get down some manadorks, a Minister of Inquieries, a Pokedex (Lifecrafter's Bestiary) and a Paradox Engine. You now just play creatures and draw cards and untap your manadorks until you find a Greenbelt Rampager which goes infinite mill and carddraw with 2 mana dorks and the 2 artifacts. You just use the Energy for milling so the elephant returns to your hand. Have played against UG Ramp and milled my opponent game one and just killed him with Caravan and beatdown game 2. For everything too strong just bounce it with the Expertise, you can add in Counterspells at this slot, too
For example Filigree Crawler and Verdant Automaton seem to be better than the 1.0 rating you gave them
Thank you for taking your time
Pool #1: I can definatelly see cutting the Veteran Motorist and the Spontaneous Artist for Bastion Inventor and Aether Thief, but don't you think splashing for the Shock (removal, direct damage, "combat trick" and a super good bomb) aren't worth the splash?
Pool #2: Universal happens to be a good removal spell in all my 3 prereleases because it can deal with anything. Weldfast Monitor is a cut for Fretwork Colony but with Authority of the Consuls my thought was to keep the tempo going because my opponent just can't play a blockerand needs to wait a turn for his creatures to affect combat.
Pool #3: yeah going RG aggro seems the right thing to do
Pool #4: That's what I thought too, but everytime Call for Unity was on the battlefield it did absolutely nothing, I never had at least 1 counter on it. Self Assembler helps me to get my Cogwork Assembler and Ally Evasion was awesome in being a combat trick or getting rid of prison-effects-enchantments (as well as triggering revolt)
Pool #5: Cutting Garrison for Module seems fine
Pool #6: I still think Universal Solvent is a fine removal for the lategame when the opponent plays big creatures or planeswalkers or Pacificm Array.
Thank you for your thoughts on my pools
I guess that he does not want to sacrifice his Brain in a Jar so he needs other artefacts to target
Also this playmat is for personal use only, at events such as GPs can WOTC sue me for using their symbols (mana, phyrexian, experience, energy)?
1 Prey Upon
1 Renegade Map
1 Universal Solvent
1 Audacious Infiltrator
1 Countless Gears Renegade
1 Restoration Specialist
1 Sage of Shaila's Claim
1 Scrounging Bandar
1 Trusty Companion
1 Deadeye Harpooner
1 Highspire Artisan
1 Lifecrafter's Bestiary
1 Renegade Freighter
2 Renegade Rallier
1 Thriving Ibex
1 Treasure Keeper
1 Dawnfeather Eagle
1 Lifecraft Cavalry
1 Ridgescale Tusker
1 Riparian Tiger
1 Aetherwind Basker
8 Plains
9 Forest
I don't quiet like Aether Herder, how do you guys evaluate that card?
1 Thriving Turtle
1 Aether Swooper
1 Eager Construct
2 Skyship Plunderer
1 Thriving Grubs
1 Daredevil Dragster
1 Destructive Tampering
1 Embraal Gear-Smasher
1 Frontline Rebel
1 Quicksmith Genius
1 Renegade Freighter
1 Watchful Automaton
1 Welding Sparks
1 Dukhara Peafowl
1 Furious Reprisal
1 Gremlin Infestation
1 Scrapper Champion
1 Baral's Expertise
1 Experimental Aviator
1 Combustible Gearhulk
1 Wind-Kin Raiders
8 Island
9 Mountain
I played 3 Pre-Releases and got about 15 price packs. So in those 27 AER booster packs I cracked 3 Disallow and no single Fatal Push