Played G-brand in Indy and didnt run so hot. Also went to a hookah bar one night and was playing mtgo with some friends and my cards got stolen out of the trunk of my car(broke back window). Lost a lot and prob won be able to play Grishoalbrand for a while but a friend gifted me storm so going that route for a bit.
Here's another edition of What's the Play, now with 100% more video coverage! I've been thinking about this game for a while so I'm curious to hear what you guys think is the solution.
Situation: G3 vs Jon Stern on Burn OTD. Jon has brought in and just resolved Ensnaring Bridge. The board is now 2 lands and 18 life for me, 3 lands, Eidolon of the Great Revel and Ensnaring Bridge with 17 life. My hand is land, 2 SSG, Breach, Worldspine wurm.
1) What should my approach be now to win the game?
2) We play draw/go for the next bit. I draw a Lightning Axe down the road. Jon has made sure to always have 4 or less cards in hand. I have a 1 point life lead. Should I Lightning Axe the Eidolon? If so/if not, what is your revised approach to winning the game? Does your answer change if you draw a Borborygmos Enraged?
3) Around the 10:00:00 mark, I'm down to 8 and Leyline of Sanctity is now in play for Jon. Jon has passed the turn. I have a Breach, Griselbrand and a Manamorphose. What should I do?
Relevant information not available to the commentators:
I bottomed my only Manamorphose in the first few turns of the game
1) This is such an awkward spot..... EE and/or griseldad to kill with Boryb are the only real outs at this point. To get to this point it may take time, which against burn may not be much. Here are my relevant lines to get to that point
Part A TTB WSW and put up blockers as you will have a 0% chance of attacking the rest of the game unless you can fine an EE and Manamorphose(which has to be a super low %). This Obv buys you time and the opp will do dmg to himself throughout the game until he deals with Eidolon or you block it.
Part B Find a way to get griselbrand into play. If you have used a TTB already u have 3 additional and 4 goryos. The risk with goryos is the RIP he has in his deck. So Im def not dropping grisel in the yard unless i can animate the same turn. Grisel can draw us card but the main fear here is that he prob has a skull crack in hand and its going to be difficult to Shoal since I think he boarded in all 4 skull cracks
2) I dont know that I pop his Eidolon as we dont have a clear path to win. Eidolon creating a stalemate but her has inevitability at this point so very hard spot since we will take a lot of dmg flashing back the lootings. I think I keep drawing hoping to find a cathartic/final looting then pop it.
3) At this point I think you played to your only win condition because going below 8 pretty much loses us the game unless we can top deck a 1 outer.
As played I think you saw your clear win condition(TTB WSW) and he had the bridge.
we've all been there FCG. Modern itself is a high variance format and the deck's nature just complicates that. It'll even out in the long run, and you can use this to our advantage if you want to spike a big tournament. Power level is there, and hopefully the prevalence of fair decks in the PT will shift sideboard resources towards sweepers and removal (and our good friend big mana, of course).
That being said, I will be at Toronto next week to try and take one down for the Church of Griselbrand. Anyone else from this thread going to be there? Would be up for meeting up if you are.
In preparation, I've been working of somewhat of a sideboard guide for myself. I'll hope to share with the thread this week..
Lastly, work's been a ***** but I'm hoping to start doing some video recordings for the deck. Thinking about doing a bit of a primer, then a game-by-game commentary on the modern challenge I took down as well as the various modern challenges I've done well in, and go from there in the next few months.
I am looking at taking grishoalbrand or Gerry T Mardu list to SCG Indy. Interested to see how you do and how the graveyard hate in the field is
It just really sucks because I've done terribly recently and punting 2 matches doesn't relieve that. If I felt I played 100% like I know I'm capable of, I would feel a bit better.
Meanwhile I've seen the other grishoalbrand player win nearly 90% of his matches since restarting, including 3-0 vs me. The most sad part is that I've tried to predict what I'll draw (imagining the worst) and my predictions have been terrifyingly close. I've also tried to predict my opponents draws (imagining the worst for me) and it's been super close. Against bw tokens, in which I drew what I needed to win, the only card I did not predict, short of exactly which land would be played, was secure the wastes.
I know I'm doing many things wrong. The most important starts with mulligans. I often assume that looting and flashback will get me 1 missing piece or a single land. Or I assume I'll draw some good cards with multiple draw 2s or draw 3s, discard 2.
I feel u man the deck is super swingy from what i have seen but the small plays all add up. I feel like if I never mis play I can win like 70%
I was always reluctant to cast Hugs (didn't know what to throw away) so the biggest difference has been that I actually did cast Signs. Didn't really feel a great difference though. One game I would've needed a way to discard (down to hand size was too slow) and in one game against Jund we were in top deck mode and Signs was way better draw (ended up losing that game though). I sided the Signs out just as often as Hugs.
Ive been testing tormenting voice over hugs and it seems fine. Im sure there will come times when i wish i had an extra card, but sometimes I just dont want to discard 2.
I completely forgot the rituals. But i play with 2 and 1 Manamorphose on maindeck.
I'm really in doubt about the sideboard. I'm new at competitive Magic and have a lot of difficult to siboard.
do you thing
As cantrip, i'm playing 4 Whisper, 4 Looting and 3 Voice. It's a good number?
I have 2 flex slot on deck and testing somethings. do you think it's better 2 brutality, 1 brutality and 1 axe, 2 axe or maybe a 4th voice?
I like Emrakul in side because some leylines. Unfortunately, our deck can't deal with that.
In wich cases or against decks we sideout the goryo's vengeance? and how much?
I'm gonna play a important tournament here in Brazil called CLM. I got my spot on tournament playing with Storm (wich is my pet deck). But i'm thinking play Grishoalbrand on the tournament. Do you think that still a competitive deck?
And wich version is better? Grixis or BR?
Do you know any article with some sideboard tips/guide?
Thanks a lot for the help! It's really usefull and helps me a lot ^^
I really like 1 Brutality and 1 Lightning axe. Lightning axe is a bit faster when discarding and kills Angler/Tasigur and pmuch anything else. Brutality can help clear the way to go off the following turn.
I honestly have never boarded out Goryos but boarding is one of the weaker parts of my game currently
I dont think we are in a bad spot right now with Grishoalbrand but in a larger tournament GDS will flood the scene and that is not an easy match up I think Im around 30-40% win rate against it.
I prefer the BR version currently since the meta seems to have a greedy landbase currently and blood moon wins games.
If someone brings in a leyline against me and has it on turn 0 I feel like I have a clear plan on WSW kill
One tip I would give is if the deck you are playing against dosent have Snaps or graveyard interaction(Blood Gast,Snap,dredge Etc.)Always board in shattering spree for the Grafdiggers cage they will 100% bring in. Shattering spree seems to be quite a bit worst against spellbomb and relic for obvious reason
How do you board vs GDS? I know chalice is a must but do you add in the blood moons since they are greedy? I feel like I struggle with sidboarding in general
Round 1 vs. Dredge. Game 1, I go off with a Wurm on turn 3. The tokens get there. In the next game, his hand is more explosive. Despite a turn 3 Anger of the Gods top decked by me to kill triple Prized Amalgam, double Bloodghast, and 1 Narcomoeba, he reloads with Prize Amalgam and Bloodghast with Conflagrate to kill me. I Shoal to gain life and survive a turn, but couldn't find Griselbrand. In the final game, I get there with a turn 3 Breached Griselbrand. I had planned to do Wurm, but drew Griselbrand on turn 3. 2-1.
Round 2 vs. Grishoalbrand mirror. In game 1, he Loots, discarding double Griselbrand. He passes the turn to me, but EoT Goryo's Vengeance Griselbrand and goes for the Wurm kill, but I Shoal to stay alive. He kills me a few turns later. In the next one, I get the hand to go off quickly and win with Borborygmos Enraged. The last game is interesting. My opponent has Noxious Revival for my Griselbrand on turn 2 to stop my Goryo's Vengeance. I keep doing draw spells, but can't find Goryo's Vengeance. He goes for Borborygmos Enraged twice on some of these turns, but I have Shoul and Wurm each time to stay alive. He eventually goes off, but can't kill me because Bobo is gone and all SSGs are gone too. I keep trying to find Goryo's Vengeance and finally find one to get Griselbrand out. I use a bunch of draw spells, going all-in to try to get Goryo's Vengeance for Bobo to try to kill him through all Nourishing Shoals. It is not enough and because I used the draw spells, I have 0 cards in library when he has 1. If I had looked at the lands, I could come to the conclusion that his last land was Blackcleave Cliffs and his last card in library, so he can't get the 5th mana source to Breach a Wurm that I knew he had (also there were 3 Breaches left, so he obviously had 2-3 of them). I mill myself out on accident. I probably should have taken the time to look in all zones, as the damage that was done to him by Bobo still had him at least at 10 life, so not close to dead. Big mistake... 1-2.
Round 3 vs. Grixis Shadow. In the first game, he discards me and does Serum Visions and Thought Scour. He does a turn 3 Shadow at 2/2 leaving up Blue. I go for the Through the Breach Worldspine Wurm, using Desperate Ritual and SSG because I don't see things getting better from here on out. He doesn't have Stubborn Denial and I win. In the next game, he makes me discard Goryo's Vengeance. He gets double Shadow down, but they're not too big. On the final turn, I need a mana source to Breach a Worldspine Wurm for lethal (he's at 7), but I draw ... Temple of Malice. Ouch! In the final game, he makes me discard Through the Breach, I do turn 2 Sign in Blood. I do turn 3 Sign in Blood after Manamorphose and exile SSG another Sign in Blood, finding another Through the Breach. He taps out on the final turn to put 2 lethal attackers on the field (we're both at 4 and he put Gurmag Angler to join a Shadow). I need to draw an untapped source to Breach Griselbrand, but I draw Temple of Malice. OUUUUCH! The other Griselbrand player says that he would have kept Manamorphose in hand since I originally had Nourishing Shoal. My thought at the time was that it gave me 2 draws to draw Chalice of the Void or Blood Moon on turn 2 to slow him down. From there, my Sign in Bloods could get me there. Huge punt and mistake, but well, you learn. In the past, I had trouble saving Manamorphose in my hand, but then saved it quite a bit. I decided to take a chance that I get Chalice of the Void, which makes it much more safe, although he did do Disdainful Stroke on my first Breach in game 2. 1-2.
Round 4 vs. GW Devoted Elves. In the first game, it is close. I have to Breach a Wurm on turn 3. She has enough blockers to kill 2 of them and survive at 1 life, but she can only put 2 more power the next turn to add to the 2 previously tapped 1/1s, so she scoops. In the next game, she gets some pressure and I go off late with Breach Griselbrand, but it barely gets there. I only Shoal once, but I find the SSGs to Breach Borborgymos Enraged after combat to discard 5 lands. 2-0.
I finish 2-2 and out of money, but I learned a few things tonight. After playing a lot of tournaments recently where play skill didn't seem to matter, I actually punted both losses in super interesting ways.
Thanks for the match history. It takes a ton of time to figure out the perfect plays but its always nice to feel like youre one step closer!
What would you done different?
1) This is such an awkward spot..... EE and/or griseldad to kill with Boryb are the only real outs at this point. To get to this point it may take time, which against burn may not be much. Here are my relevant lines to get to that point
Part A TTB WSW and put up blockers as you will have a 0% chance of attacking the rest of the game unless you can fine an EE and Manamorphose(which has to be a super low %). This Obv buys you time and the opp will do dmg to himself throughout the game until he deals with Eidolon or you block it.
Part B Find a way to get griselbrand into play. If you have used a TTB already u have 3 additional and 4 goryos. The risk with goryos is the RIP he has in his deck. So Im def not dropping grisel in the yard unless i can animate the same turn. Grisel can draw us card but the main fear here is that he prob has a skull crack in hand and its going to be difficult to Shoal since I think he boarded in all 4 skull cracks
2) I dont know that I pop his Eidolon as we dont have a clear path to win. Eidolon creating a stalemate but her has inevitability at this point so very hard spot since we will take a lot of dmg flashing back the lootings. I think I keep drawing hoping to find a cathartic/final looting then pop it.
3) At this point I think you played to your only win condition because going below 8 pretty much loses us the game unless we can top deck a 1 outer.
As played I think you saw your clear win condition(TTB WSW) and he had the bridge.
Interested to hear more thoughts
Been keeping up with it man nice top 8. Cheering u on to wreck this affinity player
I am looking at taking grishoalbrand or Gerry T Mardu list to SCG Indy. Interested to see how you do and how the graveyard hate in the field is
I feel u man the deck is super swingy from what i have seen but the small plays all add up. I feel like if I never mis play I can win like 70%
Hoogland just put up a video on it.... This deck looks fun AF but didnt perform well for him
I can only imagine playing a living end mirror LOL
Ive been testing tormenting voice over hugs and it seems fine. Im sure there will come times when i wish i had an extra card, but sometimes I just dont want to discard 2.
Great article as always homie
I really like 1 Brutality and 1 Lightning axe. Lightning axe is a bit faster when discarding and kills Angler/Tasigur and pmuch anything else. Brutality can help clear the way to go off the following turn.
I honestly have never boarded out Goryos but boarding is one of the weaker parts of my game currently
I dont think we are in a bad spot right now with Grishoalbrand but in a larger tournament GDS will flood the scene and that is not an easy match up I think Im around 30-40% win rate against it.
I prefer the BR version currently since the meta seems to have a greedy landbase currently and blood moon wins games.
If someone brings in a leyline against me and has it on turn 0 I feel like I have a clear plan on WSW kill
One tip I would give is if the deck you are playing against dosent have Snaps or graveyard interaction(Blood Gast,Snap,dredge Etc.)Always board in shattering spree for the Grafdiggers cage they will 100% bring in. Shattering spree seems to be quite a bit worst against spellbomb and relic for obvious reason
Thanks for the match history. It takes a ton of time to figure out the perfect plays but its always nice to feel like youre one step closer!