My LGS is under the impression that for the BtG prerelease, a non-playing L1 is required. I was under the impression that any/all judges at the event could also play, regardless of if there was a dedicated judge.
Overall, I enjoyed the black splash. Bump in the Night did good work as Lava Spike 5-8, and Dark Confidant did a great job of drawing away removal from Grim Lavamancer, who in each matchup turned out to be more important anyway. I put 21 lands in the main deck because I felt that having more lands would allow me to take greater advantage of Dark Confidant.
ROUND 1:
EsperBlade
I start on the draw. My turn 1 mountain -> Grim Lavamancer lets the secret out pretty quickly. GL #1 and Dark Confidant eat removal, clearing the way for the second GL to keep his board clear of dudes that try to pick up Umezawa's Jitte. On turn 7, I send the final 6 to his head with two lava spikes. He was on the back foot for the entire game, which I was pretty happy about.
Sideboard:
My opponent had been very diligent at fetching up basic lands, so I cut out 4x Price of Progress for Smash to Smithereens. I figure the card that will really beat is Jitte/Batterskull.
My Turn 1 Goblin Guide goes to till fields, my turn two dark confidant runs into force of will. He gets stuck on two lands for a long time while I flood. I slowly deal damage, and he eventually tries to vial in a Jitte. I use the Smash that had been in my hand forever. He laughs and concedes.
ROUND 2:
RUG Tempo/Thresh (with a twist)
Game 1 was pretty simple. He beat me my lands up badly with a stifle and wasteland, but walked right into a 10 point price of progress. I'll take it.
Sideboard:
I didn't think I had much in the board for him, so no changes
Game 2: More of Game 1, except he keeps himself at a safe 3 non basics. Eventually his 2x Wild Mongoose gets me, after running through a couple delvers and several counters.
Sideboard:
I decide to be a tad clever and bring in Ensnaring Bridge at the expense of Bump in the Night.
Game 3: Turn 2 Phyrexian Dreadnaught + Stifle. Derp. He ends the game at 4 on turn 4. I ironically boarded correctly, but did not see the bridge.
ROUND 3:
NO Bant
I lose the dieroll.
Game 1: I know something is up after my opponent goes T1 Noble Heirarch -> turn 2Green Sun's Zenith for Dryad Arbor. I go on a creature killing spree, but to no avail. He gets his Progenitus a few turns later, and ends the game at 1. If I had won the dieroll, he'd be highly dead.
Sideboard:
C'mere Ensnaring Bridge. Get out, Lava Spike.
Game 2: I flood out HARD. He gets his entire playset of Deathrite Shaman. I try my best, hiding behind my ensnaring bridge, until he finally gets rid of it and kills me. Fair enough.
Round 4:
Goblins
Game 1: One of the derpiest games of magic I've ever been a part of. My opening hand has 1 PoP, and I proceed to draw the remaining three in a row. Luckily, my opponent is stuck on one land (non basic!) not doing anything. I eventually win.
Sideboard:
Get the hell out of here, Price of Progress. Ensnaring Bridge is pretty good here. One Smash to Smithereens comes in.
Game 2: More flooding on my part, but luckily I get to sit behind an ensnaring bridge. My opponent realizes he boarded out his 1x Tin Street Hooligan and therefore has no outs. I eventually win by flashing back 2x Bump in the Night.
Final record: 2-2.
Overall, I liked the deck, but was not too fond of the sideboard. I liked the bridges, and I suppose the Mindbreak Traps are necessary, but I feel like I need more/different options against other kinds of combos. I would love recommendations.
The black splash opens me up to wasteland, but overall I think its worth it to cast Confidant and Bump.
So I'm playing the Wish Elves version of combo elves. I am doing this because Living Wish is totally sweet. At the recent SCG Charlotte Open, I went 3-1 in the Legacy Challenge, and then went 1-2 in the Legacy Open due to being a complete idiot.
I strongly disliked about 8 of my sideboard cards, and I am looking for advice from the fellows here. So here is a new sideboard for potential review
The Thorn of Amythists are there for my worst matchup: actual combo. I ran into a Hatfield in the Open and he did all this High Tide stuff at me and it was terrible and I felt bad. I had 0 sideboard against it, but that will now change. If anyone knows a wish target or other good option instead of the Amythists, I would love to know.
The ooze is there for my second worst matchup: Reanimator (put the ooze in the main as a GSZ target, have Faerie in the board as a wish target). Ulamog is there to blow up the otherwise unbeatable Blazing Archon. Duplicant and Stingerfling Spider have also been suggested, but those can get countered and that would feel bad. Suggestions for dealing with that card would be appreciated.
As for the main deck, it all felt great, but I think I want 1 more Elvish Archdruid. Where would it go?
So a while ago there were these cards called Time Sieve and Open the Vaults and you could put them in a deck together to have some fun times. The deck was always a solid Tier 2 deck that was kind of hard to prepare for.
Then it faded away.
Then they printed Ichor Wellspring and that card made me want to play the deck again. But I couldn't because it had rotated away.
UNTIL NOW
So the way this deck works is you play a bunch of bad artifacts like Prophetic Prism, Ichor Wellspring, Howling Mine, Temple Bell, etc., and draw a bunch of cards. Then you play Time Seive, sacrafice them all, and take another turn. Then you cast Open the Vaults and draw a bunch more cards and do it all again. You eventually kill the oponent with 20x Thopter Tokens from Thopter Foundry, or a bunch of 5/5 artifacts creatures courtesy of Tezzeret the Seeker.
This deck can move very quickly. Against an opponent who has no interaction, we can hit 88 miles per hour on turn 4/5.
Mistvein Borderpost? Really? Yes really. We need more artifacts. We need them so bad. These are essentially EtB tapped lands that are a little scary to play because they might get countered. RISKS MUST BE TAKEN FOR SCIENCE.
UR D-Force showed up for a bit about a year ago. It looked like a lot of fun at the time. It hade Jace tMS back then, but now we have Solemn Simulacrum! And he's almost as good. Plus I have a playset of old art ones and have been looking for an excuse to play them.
The idea is to ramp to d-force before they can kill you. Ideally, you will have either a titan or mana artifacts or both in play afterwards. Then you clean up.
This deck will move slowly at first, no two ways about it. I'm scared of Tempered Steel and Valakut.
I thought of a potential way to fix Autumn's Veil, but I'm not sure how to get the wording for it on the card:
Fixed AV 1G
Instant
For the rest of the turn, green spells you control can't be countered by blue spells or abilities.
For the rest of the turn, green creatures you control can't be destroyed by black spells or abilities and black spells or ablities can't cause you to sacrafice green permanants.
For the rest of the turn, whenever a blue or black spell or ability resolves, draw a card.
As previously stated, the concept of Autumn's Veil is one level more reactive than the other 4 uncommons in the cycle. This proposed card keeps that level of or reactivity, but also provides a significant reward. When you cast this, you will be drawing at least one card.
As a complete alternative:
Surprise Mans! 2G
Instant
Choose one:
Put a 2/2 wolf token onto the battelfield for each blue spell and black spell an opponent cast this turn;
or, put two 1/1 snake tokens onto the battlefield for each blue spell and black spell an opponent cast this turn;
or, until the end of your next turn, green creatures you contrl get +1/+1 and trample for each blue spell and each black spell an opponent cast this turn.
This spell will undo cards lost due to counters and doomblades, as well as punish players for playing their hand fixing cards like Ponder or Sign in Blood.
I think it being a 0/8 is just a temporary state and copy effects copy the actual card. I think you're right that he'd be his normal Skinshifter-ness?
Copy effects are applied before anything else. Therefore, your metamorph will ETB as a 1/1 skinshifter. It can activate its ability regardless of whether the original had or not.
I don't understand why do you have 2x Birchlore rangers in your sb. Maybe you can pack some Grave hate instead because cards like Iona, shield of emeria (dredge, reanimator) will destroy you
Birchlore Rangers lets you pay for pacts in the Hive Mind matchup.
I wish I could find space for a concordant crossroads, but I just can't. I would also like more Archdruid effects, but can't find room. Furthermore, I have 0 graveyard hate, because I think this deck can just beat graveyard decks anyway.
Havoc Demon is just fine. He's a solid politics card, and a reasonable beater at that.
Abyssal Persecutor has a very useful (if niche) ability that stops effects like Helix Pinnacle (one opponent can't win the game because that means that your other opponents would lose, and they can't). Plus he's an aggressive beater.
Defilier of Souls. Woooow I had completely forgotten about that card until someone mentioned him. He's good.
Demonic Hordes is a very mean card, but I'd play it anyway.
You are right that there are not a lot of good demons, as compared to angels or dragons (dragons especially). But you at least have some solid playable ones.
Do you know the answer? Thanks for your help.
The list:
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Chain Lightning
4x Lava Spike
4x Bump in the Night
4x Rift Bolt
4x Price of Progress
3x Skullcrack
4x Dark Confidant
4x Goblin Guide
4x Grim Lavamancer
4x Scalding Tarn
4x Arid Mesa
1x Bloodstained Mire
1x Wooded Foothills
1x Badlands
3x Blood Crypt (GROSS)
7x Mountain
3x Ensnaring Bridge
4x Smash to Smithereens
4x Tormod's Crypt
4x Mindbreak Trap
(Ideally, the land base would be:)
4x Bloodstained Mire
6x Other Fetchlands
4x Badlands
1x Swamp
6x Mountain
Overall, I enjoyed the black splash. Bump in the Night did good work as Lava Spike 5-8, and Dark Confidant did a great job of drawing away removal from Grim Lavamancer, who in each matchup turned out to be more important anyway. I put 21 lands in the main deck because I felt that having more lands would allow me to take greater advantage of Dark Confidant.
ROUND 1:
EsperBlade
I start on the draw. My turn 1 mountain -> Grim Lavamancer lets the secret out pretty quickly. GL #1 and Dark Confidant eat removal, clearing the way for the second GL to keep his board clear of dudes that try to pick up Umezawa's Jitte. On turn 7, I send the final 6 to his head with two lava spikes. He was on the back foot for the entire game, which I was pretty happy about.
Sideboard:
My opponent had been very diligent at fetching up basic lands, so I cut out 4x Price of Progress for Smash to Smithereens. I figure the card that will really beat is Jitte/Batterskull.
My Turn 1 Goblin Guide goes to till fields, my turn two dark confidant runs into force of will. He gets stuck on two lands for a long time while I flood. I slowly deal damage, and he eventually tries to vial in a Jitte. I use the Smash that had been in my hand forever. He laughs and concedes.
ROUND 2:
RUG Tempo/Thresh (with a twist)
Game 1 was pretty simple. He beat me my lands up badly with a stifle and wasteland, but walked right into a 10 point price of progress. I'll take it.
Sideboard:
I didn't think I had much in the board for him, so no changes
Game 2: More of Game 1, except he keeps himself at a safe 3 non basics. Eventually his 2x Wild Mongoose gets me, after running through a couple delvers and several counters.
Sideboard:
I decide to be a tad clever and bring in Ensnaring Bridge at the expense of Bump in the Night.
Game 3: Turn 2 Phyrexian Dreadnaught + Stifle. Derp. He ends the game at 4 on turn 4. I ironically boarded correctly, but did not see the bridge.
ROUND 3:
NO Bant
I lose the dieroll.
Game 1: I know something is up after my opponent goes T1 Noble Heirarch -> turn 2 Green Sun's Zenith for Dryad Arbor. I go on a creature killing spree, but to no avail. He gets his Progenitus a few turns later, and ends the game at 1. If I had won the dieroll, he'd be highly dead.
Sideboard:
C'mere Ensnaring Bridge. Get out, Lava Spike.
Game 2: I flood out HARD. He gets his entire playset of Deathrite Shaman. I try my best, hiding behind my ensnaring bridge, until he finally gets rid of it and kills me. Fair enough.
Round 4:
Goblins
Game 1: One of the derpiest games of magic I've ever been a part of. My opening hand has 1 PoP, and I proceed to draw the remaining three in a row. Luckily, my opponent is stuck on one land (non basic!) not doing anything. I eventually win.
Sideboard:
Get the hell out of here, Price of Progress. Ensnaring Bridge is pretty good here. One Smash to Smithereens comes in.
Game 2: More flooding on my part, but luckily I get to sit behind an ensnaring bridge. My opponent realizes he boarded out his 1x Tin Street Hooligan and therefore has no outs. I eventually win by flashing back 2x Bump in the Night.
Final record: 2-2.
Overall, I liked the deck, but was not too fond of the sideboard. I liked the bridges, and I suppose the Mindbreak Traps are necessary, but I feel like I need more/different options against other kinds of combos. I would love recommendations.
The black splash opens me up to wasteland, but overall I think its worth it to cast Confidant and Bump.
I strongly disliked about 8 of my sideboard cards, and I am looking for advice from the fellows here. So here is a new sideboard for potential review
THE LIST
3x Nettle Sentinel
3x Wirewood Symbiote
3x Heritage Druid
4x Llanowar Elves
4x Fyndhorn Elves
4x Priest of Titania
2x Elvish Archdruid
4x Elvish Visionary
1x Regal Force
1x Viridian Shaman
1x EMRAKUL, THE WARGLE BARGLE
4x Living Wish
4x Green Sun's Zenith
1x Dryad Arbor
1x Gaea's Cradle
13x Forest
1x EMARKAL, THE HERBLE DERBLE
1x Ulamog, the kills target Blazing Archon
1x Nettle Sentinel
1x Wirewood Symbiote
1x Heritage Druid
1x Elvish Archdruid
1x Faerie Macabre
1x Gaea's Cradle
1x Karakas
1x Regal Force
1x Scavenging Ooze
1x Elvish Archdruid
3x Thorn of Amythist
In the sideboard, I think I want 1 ofs Phyrexian Metamorth, Viridian Zealot, and Phyrexian Revoker, but I can't find the room.
The Thorn of Amythists are there for my worst matchup: actual combo. I ran into a Hatfield in the Open and he did all this High Tide stuff at me and it was terrible and I felt bad. I had 0 sideboard against it, but that will now change. If anyone knows a wish target or other good option instead of the Amythists, I would love to know.
The ooze is there for my second worst matchup: Reanimator (put the ooze in the main as a GSZ target, have Faerie in the board as a wish target). Ulamog is there to blow up the otherwise unbeatable Blazing Archon. Duplicant and Stingerfling Spider have also been suggested, but those can get countered and that would feel bad. Suggestions for dealing with that card would be appreciated.
As for the main deck, it all felt great, but I think I want 1 more Elvish Archdruid. Where would it go?
Thanks for your help.
I may consider a 3/2 split between them though.
Then it faded away.
Then they printed Ichor Wellspring and that card made me want to play the deck again. But I couldn't because it had rotated away.
UNTIL NOW
So the way this deck works is you play a bunch of bad artifacts like Prophetic Prism, Ichor Wellspring, Howling Mine, Temple Bell, etc., and draw a bunch of cards. Then you play Time Seive, sacrafice them all, and take another turn. Then you cast Open the Vaults and draw a bunch more cards and do it all again. You eventually kill the oponent with 20x Thopter Tokens from Thopter Foundry, or a bunch of 5/5 artifacts creatures courtesy of Tezzeret the Seeker.
This deck can move very quickly. Against an opponent who has no interaction, we can hit 88 miles per hour on turn 4/5.
My potential deck list:
4x Ichor Wellspring
4x Prophetic Prism
4x Howling Mine
3x Temple Bell
More turns:
4x Time Warp
3x Time Seive
4x Open the Vaults
2x Tezzeret the Seeker
1x Arcbound Ravager
1x Glassdust Hulk
1x Thopter Foundry
Anti-Disruption:
4x Spell Peirce
1x Wrath of God
Mana:
4x Mistvein Borderpost
4x Fieldmist Borderpost
2x Mox Opal
2x Darksteel Citadel
2x Marsh Flats
5x Islands
4x Plains
1x Swamp
One side point:
Mistvein Borderpost? Really? Yes really. We need more artifacts. We need them so bad. These are essentially EtB tapped lands that are a little scary to play because they might get countered. RISKS MUST BE TAKEN FOR SCIENCE.
4x Solemn Simulacrum
2x Inferno Titan
2x Frost Titan
2x Wurmcoil Engine
More mana ramp:
4x Everflowing Chalice
4x Manalith
Spells:
3x Destructive Force
4x Mana Leak
4x Preordain
2x Ponder
4x Lightning Bolt
1x Into the Roil
4x Teramorphic Expanse
2x Evolving Wilds
4x Scalding Tarn
4x Halimar Depths
3x Island
7x Mountain
4x Shatter
3x Slagstorm
2x Flashfreeze
4x Combust
The idea is to ramp to d-force before they can kill you. Ideally, you will have either a titan or mana artifacts or both in play afterwards. Then you clean up.
This deck will move slowly at first, no two ways about it. I'm scared of Tempered Steel and Valakut.
Any suggestions?
Fixed AV
1G
Instant
For the rest of the turn, green spells you control can't be countered by blue spells or abilities.
For the rest of the turn, green creatures you control can't be destroyed by black spells or abilities and black spells or ablities can't cause you to sacrafice green permanants.
For the rest of the turn, whenever a blue or black spell or ability resolves, draw a card.
As previously stated, the concept of Autumn's Veil is one level more reactive than the other 4 uncommons in the cycle. This proposed card keeps that level of or reactivity, but also provides a significant reward. When you cast this, you will be drawing at least one card.
As a complete alternative:
Surprise Mans!
2G
Instant
Choose one:
Put a 2/2 wolf token onto the battelfield for each blue spell and black spell an opponent cast this turn;
or, put two 1/1 snake tokens onto the battlefield for each blue spell and black spell an opponent cast this turn;
or, until the end of your next turn, green creatures you contrl get +1/+1 and trample for each blue spell and each black spell an opponent cast this turn.
This spell will undo cards lost due to counters and doomblades, as well as punish players for playing their hand fixing cards like Ponder or Sign in Blood.
Copy effects are applied before anything else. Therefore, your metamorph will ETB as a 1/1 skinshifter. It can activate its ability regardless of whether the original had or not.
Birchlore Rangers lets you pay for pacts in the Hive Mind matchup.
4x Llanowar Elves
3x Fyndhorn Elves
4x Nettle Sentinel
4x Heritage Druid
2x Quirion Ranger
4x Elvish Visionary
4x Wirewood Symbiote
3x Priest of Titania
2x Elvish Archdruid
1x Elvish Spirit Guide
1x Regal Force
1x Emrakul, the Eons Torn
1x Viridian Zealot
4x Glimpse of Nature
3x Green Sun's Zenith
3x Summoner's Pact
Lands:
15x Forest
1x Gaea's Cradle
3x Thorn of Amethyst
3x Vexing Shusher
2x Choke
1x Back to Nature
2x Nature's Claim
2x Krosan Grip
2x Birchlore Ranger
I wish I could find space for a concordant crossroads, but I just can't. I would also like more Archdruid effects, but can't find room. Furthermore, I have 0 graveyard hate, because I think this deck can just beat graveyard decks anyway.
I have seen decks that run between 13-19 lands, and 4-8 mana elves. What is the justification for different numbers of these cards?
Havoc Demon is just fine. He's a solid politics card, and a reasonable beater at that.
Abyssal Persecutor has a very useful (if niche) ability that stops effects like Helix Pinnacle (one opponent can't win the game because that means that your other opponents would lose, and they can't). Plus he's an aggressive beater.
Reiver Demon is just fine.
Defilier of Souls. Woooow I had completely forgotten about that card until someone mentioned him. He's good.
Demonic Hordes is a very mean card, but I'd play it anyway.
You are right that there are not a lot of good demons, as compared to angels or dragons (dragons especially). But you at least have some solid playable ones.
4x Tarmogoyf
4x Knight of the Reliquary
4x Dark Confidant
1x Qasali Pridemage
2x Green Sun's Zenith
Hand attacK;
4x Hymn to Tourach
4x Thoughtseize
Removal:
4x Swords to Plowshares
2x Engineered Explosives
2x Vindicate
1x Maze of Ith
Other Stuff:
3x Mox Diamond
2x Sensei's Divining Top
Lands:
1x Volrath's Stronghold
1x Karakas
1x Dryad Arbor
1x Plains
1x Forest
1x Swamp
1x Savannah
1x Horizon Canopy
1x Windswept Heath
1x Bojuka Bog
2x Bayou
2x Scrubland
3x Verdant Catacombs
2x Marsh Flats
4x Wasteland
2x Kitchen Finks
1x Duress
3x Extirpate
3x Ethersworn Cannonist
1x Engineered Explosives
2x Kataki, War's Wage
1x The Tabernacle at Pendrel Vale
1x Elspeth, Knight-Errant
I'd like one more fetchland in the deck, but where?
In other news, I have a scenario for the thread:
Game 3 vs NO/show and tell. He goes first and has played tropical island and noble heirarch.
Your 8 cards are:
Mox diamond, plains, wasteland, marsh flats, knight, hymn, thoughtseize, vindicate (drawn for turn).
Do you hymn or thoughtseize + wasteland?
hovermyr isn't very good. Almost any other myr is better. steel overseer might be better. alt: phyrexian metamorph would probably do you better.