Hello.
I thought I'd take some time to write about my new deck while I'm bored with nothing to do at work. As many of my friends know, Warp World is possibly one of the best cards ever. Oh wait, I meant my favorite card ever. Ever since I read it for the first time in my friend's binder long before I started buying cards myself, I thought that it was insane. The chaos, the randness, and the fact that resolving it almost always puts the nail in a control player's coffin. Counterspells, wraths, and planeswalkers get you nowhere against Warp when you reveal cards.
I have played 3 distinct builds of Warp World decks in my time as a MTG player. The first used Tangleroot, a bunch of one cost mana producers, and Glimpse of Nature to go crazy in very short order. The hunted tokens from Ravnica were owned by you prior to M10, which lead to many lolls and grief.
The second was a great deck. Before M10 came out, I started playing a version with Redcaps, Finks, Mulldrifters, Trace and Fertile Ground. It played 4x Broodmate and a few Hellkite Overlords with singleton Karrthus to make shenanigans abound. This version did fairly well, running all the way through Zendikar release with a respectable amount of wins. Sadly, the crazy aggression in Zendikar hated the deck out of the format.
An now we come full circle. M11 is on the horizon and the format has settled down. Midrange and control once again dominate the format. These are always the situations ripe for Warp to reemmerge. In addition RoE gave us many tools to increase the permanent count rapidly while also increasing potential mana ramp in the form of Spawn tokens.
Last week I played this list at FNM:
4 Trace of Abundance
3 Nest Invader
4 Growth Spasm
4 Awakening Zone
4 Kozileks Predator
4 Emrakuls Hatcher
3 Siege-gang Commander
3 Eldrazi Monument
4 Warp World
1 Ob Nixilis
1 Kozilek
1 Emrakul
24 Lands
SB:
4 Thought Hemmorage
4 Summoning Trap
4 Acidic Slime
3 Anathemancer
I was really pleased with it. I playtested for hours before and grew confident, then screwed my first round on a terrible missplay. It's usually not an issue for me to resist misplays but I wasn't paying attention to the fact that I should have know. What card was in his hand because he revealed it with Nocturnus seeral turns before.
I also played against lifegain.dec with rebound soldiers. Not something I could have anticipated. We drew although he would have killed me the next turn so next time I need a pyroclasm effect in the sb for sure.
Won next two against UW Control and Lifegain.dek. Summoning Trap for extra chances to get Emrakul and Kozilek was genius. I threw them in the sb cause I couldn't think of amything else and it won me the game against UW on turn 4.
Overall I'm glad the deck isn't terrible and loom forward to what it can do in the coming weeks. Forgive any bad spelling above, it was written on my phone.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Monday, October 19, 2009
Beach House 2.0
Hello again friends, I decided to do my writeup from Friday while I had some free time. I'm gonna start with the new updated list that I played at FNM to put the rest of the week and the new awesomeness in perspective. So without any delay I present:
Beach House v.2.0
BWG:
4 Tidehollow Sculler
3 Dauntless Escort
3 Kor Hookmaster
4 Emeria Angel
4 Baneslayer Angel
4 Honor of the Pure
4Maelstrom Pulse
4 Journey to Nowhere
2 Behemoth Sledge
4 Day of Judgment
1 Path to Exile
4 Swamp
4 Forest
6 Plains
4 Marsh Flats
2 Verdant Catacombs
4 Sunpetal Grove
SB:
3 Relic of Progenitus
4 Celestial Purge
4 Oblivion Ring
4 Lapse of Certainty
The revamped sideboard was put together about 10 minutes before starting time, and it had a lot of goodness. I didn't want to use the prevention effects like Harm's Way and Brave the Elements in this deck because now it's playing like a control deck and the creature count is way down. It's better for me to spend that slot on removal and deal with their creatures until I can get one to stick.
One obvious strange quirk is the singleton Path in the mainboard. It was basically crunch time and I had already committed to playing Journey to Nowhere since it does the same thing without rewarding my opponent. I forgot that the list was 61 cards, or else I probably would have cut this, but hey, maybe I'll leave it in.
Mainboard DoJ and Baneslayer won lots of games in testing so I felt pretty good.
Round 1: Finest Hour Bant
Game one is strange game. He drops Hierarch, passes, then he drop Hierarch and a Bird of Paradise. He then proceeds to play finest hour turn 3 and swing with the Bird for 9. Holy crap that's some bird damage! I am able to Journey the bird and run out sacrificial creatures until he gets another bird. I go to 1 life and topdeck the Baneslayer nutsface. 30 dollar card steals the game.
Game two he gets Rafiq, then after I kill it plays Rafiq, then after I kill it gets a Rafiq to stick. The eventual topdecked Baneslayer shuts him down again.
Round 2: Mono Red Burn
Playing against Kyle's mono-red concoction. He gets early damage in with burn and hasty elementals. Tidehollow Sculler is tech when he runs out of burn and Maelstrom Pulse makes sure that his enchantment to get a 7/1 with haste never gets online.
Second game I am able to keep myself above 10 life for the whole game and an eventual 7/7 Baneslayer off of dual Honor of the Pure is good enough to kill most people.
Round 3: Black Control
Playing against Rob, I'm pretty sure he was mana screwed the first game. Duress was painful but I got the removal when I needed it. He Haunting Echoes my graveyard to get rid of some good stuff, but no Baneslayers or DoJ's. Some creatures pushed through and I barely got there.
Game two I get two Tidehollows online and that shuts things down fairly well. Timing is good from my cards and Hookmasters tempo out the few creatures he is able to get down after the hand disruption.
Round 4: Soldiers
I played against Adam and we couldn't draw because it was going to 5 rounds and there were several undefeated people. I really don't remember how this match went, but we decided that we would split the winnings from the night regardless of how things turned out.
Either he won the first and I won two in a row or he won the middle game, I can't remember. I do remember that he had to mull down to 5 in the last game and still couldn't find the mana he needed, so tough breaks for the solders.
Round 5: Soldiers
I love playing against soldiers! Given the amount of complaining I did when Kithkin were around, my absolute hatred for these white guys is probably unmatched. I get ready for a tough game, Isaiah is the pilot.
The defining moment for this match was game three when I was freaking out because he had about 8 guys on the board, and I had 2 Tidehollow Scullers and a Dauntless Escort. I draw a DoJ, wipe his side, equip a Behemoth Sledge and turn the tide. Next card is another Sledge and soon its ridiculous. It was all luck and topdeck at that point, but hey DoJ is totally worth it.
1st place 5-0, I was on top of the world. I really needed this, I was really feeling down about MTG after the PTQ and evaluating my financial status. We went to Dennys afterwords and shenanigans were had. And our first server was creepy.
So my question to you is this: should I take out the maindeck path? Should I put Path back in? Also any commentary on other cards is appreciated.
Beach House v.2.0
BWG:
4 Tidehollow Sculler
3 Dauntless Escort
3 Kor Hookmaster
4 Emeria Angel
4 Baneslayer Angel
4 Honor of the Pure
4Maelstrom Pulse
4 Journey to Nowhere
2 Behemoth Sledge
4 Day of Judgment
1 Path to Exile
4 Swamp
4 Forest
6 Plains
4 Marsh Flats
2 Verdant Catacombs
4 Sunpetal Grove
SB:
3 Relic of Progenitus
4 Celestial Purge
4 Oblivion Ring
4 Lapse of Certainty
The revamped sideboard was put together about 10 minutes before starting time, and it had a lot of goodness. I didn't want to use the prevention effects like Harm's Way and Brave the Elements in this deck because now it's playing like a control deck and the creature count is way down. It's better for me to spend that slot on removal and deal with their creatures until I can get one to stick.
One obvious strange quirk is the singleton Path in the mainboard. It was basically crunch time and I had already committed to playing Journey to Nowhere since it does the same thing without rewarding my opponent. I forgot that the list was 61 cards, or else I probably would have cut this, but hey, maybe I'll leave it in.
Mainboard DoJ and Baneslayer won lots of games in testing so I felt pretty good.
Round 1: Finest Hour Bant
Game one is strange game. He drops Hierarch, passes, then he drop Hierarch and a Bird of Paradise. He then proceeds to play finest hour turn 3 and swing with the Bird for 9. Holy crap that's some bird damage! I am able to Journey the bird and run out sacrificial creatures until he gets another bird. I go to 1 life and topdeck the Baneslayer nutsface. 30 dollar card steals the game.
Game two he gets Rafiq, then after I kill it plays Rafiq, then after I kill it gets a Rafiq to stick. The eventual topdecked Baneslayer shuts him down again.
Round 2: Mono Red Burn
Playing against Kyle's mono-red concoction. He gets early damage in with burn and hasty elementals. Tidehollow Sculler is tech when he runs out of burn and Maelstrom Pulse makes sure that his enchantment to get a 7/1 with haste never gets online.
Second game I am able to keep myself above 10 life for the whole game and an eventual 7/7 Baneslayer off of dual Honor of the Pure is good enough to kill most people.
Round 3: Black Control
Playing against Rob, I'm pretty sure he was mana screwed the first game. Duress was painful but I got the removal when I needed it. He Haunting Echoes my graveyard to get rid of some good stuff, but no Baneslayers or DoJ's. Some creatures pushed through and I barely got there.
Game two I get two Tidehollows online and that shuts things down fairly well. Timing is good from my cards and Hookmasters tempo out the few creatures he is able to get down after the hand disruption.
Round 4: Soldiers
I played against Adam and we couldn't draw because it was going to 5 rounds and there were several undefeated people. I really don't remember how this match went, but we decided that we would split the winnings from the night regardless of how things turned out.
Either he won the first and I won two in a row or he won the middle game, I can't remember. I do remember that he had to mull down to 5 in the last game and still couldn't find the mana he needed, so tough breaks for the solders.
Round 5: Soldiers
I love playing against soldiers! Given the amount of complaining I did when Kithkin were around, my absolute hatred for these white guys is probably unmatched. I get ready for a tough game, Isaiah is the pilot.
The defining moment for this match was game three when I was freaking out because he had about 8 guys on the board, and I had 2 Tidehollow Scullers and a Dauntless Escort. I draw a DoJ, wipe his side, equip a Behemoth Sledge and turn the tide. Next card is another Sledge and soon its ridiculous. It was all luck and topdeck at that point, but hey DoJ is totally worth it.
1st place 5-0, I was on top of the world. I really needed this, I was really feeling down about MTG after the PTQ and evaluating my financial status. We went to Dennys afterwords and shenanigans were had. And our first server was creepy.
So my question to you is this: should I take out the maindeck path? Should I put Path back in? Also any commentary on other cards is appreciated.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The New Doran
Hello there internet,
Sorry for not updating the past couple weeks. Since I last wrote, there was a format rotation, and lots of crazy things have happened in the Magic world. I ran some crazy decks, including a grixis unearth aggro deck that I actually went 3-1 with, and some weeks were less stellar at 2-2.
Tim K. pointed out that I stopped blogging about Magic soon after I faced his Faerie monstrosity. This thing was crazy- classic Fae shenanigans with white for Baneslayer! I was shocked and quickly murdered in round 2 in back to back weeks by this deck, only to be saved by Faerie rotation. Sorry Tim, and I won't let it happen again next time!
Last week I was going to play Vampires but grabbed one of Kyle's decks about an hour beforehand and fell in love. I don't know what else to call this deck, it's BGW landfall/goodstuff. Kyle wanted to call it "The New Beach House Aggro", but I don't know if it's quite ready for that title yet. Here's the list I played Friday:
BWG:
4 Steppe Lynx
4 Knight of the White Orchid
4 Tidehollow Sculler
3 Dauntless Escort
3 Kor Hookmaster
4 Emeria Angel
4 Honor of the Pure
2 Maelstrom Pulse
2 Behemoth Sledge
3 Harm's Way
4 Path to Exile
4 Swamp
4 Forest
6 Plains
4 Marsh Flats
2 Verdant Catacombs
4 Sunpetal Grove
SB:
2 Maelstrom Pulse
4 Day of Judgment
3 Baneslayer Angel
3 Brave the Elements
3 Kor Sanctifiers
The SB has last minute changes that I made, namely adding a 4th Day of Judgment and the Baneslayers. Kyle didn't have any Baneslayers so he didn't have them in the original list.
I ended up 3-1, I don't remember matches anymore since it's been almost a week and there was a PTQ messing up my memory from Sunday. I'll keep track this week and write it up.
What I do remember from Friday is sideboarding and card choices. I sided Baneslayer and Day of Judgment in for every matchup. Both of these cards belong in the mainboard for sure. I sided Knight of the White Orchid and Harm's Way out in all but one. Why? Double white mana is a bitch to get on turn 2 consistently in this deck and the card is not very good when you're on the draw. Harm's way didn't really do anything except shock my opponent one game.
The secret MVP's of this deck are the Kor Hookmaster and Dauntless Escort. Hookmaster is an excellent tempo card that people have really overlooked in Zendikar. In a format where everyone wants to turn guys sideways, this guy is so nuts on the play if you've got a 1 or 2 drop online. While he is not a permanent removal option, he buys you an extra turn or two to get control/flying dudes. Dauntless protects the most important part of the deck: the flying guys.
Emeria Angel is almost always best to play on turn 5. Emeria, play fetch, fetch land, 5 power flying for 4. If I get the Honor of the Pure down before this, 8 power for 4. At one point on Friday I had a 7/7 Baneslayer. Take that red decks! At the very least I want to try this deck again next week without Harm's Way and the Knight and with Baneslayer and DoJ.
If anyone has thoughts on this deck or improvements feel free to leave feedback in the coments.
Until next time
Sorry for not updating the past couple weeks. Since I last wrote, there was a format rotation, and lots of crazy things have happened in the Magic world. I ran some crazy decks, including a grixis unearth aggro deck that I actually went 3-1 with, and some weeks were less stellar at 2-2.
Tim K. pointed out that I stopped blogging about Magic soon after I faced his Faerie monstrosity. This thing was crazy- classic Fae shenanigans with white for Baneslayer! I was shocked and quickly murdered in round 2 in back to back weeks by this deck, only to be saved by Faerie rotation. Sorry Tim, and I won't let it happen again next time!
Last week I was going to play Vampires but grabbed one of Kyle's decks about an hour beforehand and fell in love. I don't know what else to call this deck, it's BGW landfall/goodstuff. Kyle wanted to call it "The New Beach House Aggro", but I don't know if it's quite ready for that title yet. Here's the list I played Friday:
BWG:
4 Steppe Lynx
4 Knight of the White Orchid
4 Tidehollow Sculler
3 Dauntless Escort
3 Kor Hookmaster
4 Emeria Angel
4 Honor of the Pure
2 Maelstrom Pulse
2 Behemoth Sledge
3 Harm's Way
4 Path to Exile
4 Swamp
4 Forest
6 Plains
4 Marsh Flats
2 Verdant Catacombs
4 Sunpetal Grove
SB:
2 Maelstrom Pulse
4 Day of Judgment
3 Baneslayer Angel
3 Brave the Elements
3 Kor Sanctifiers
The SB has last minute changes that I made, namely adding a 4th Day of Judgment and the Baneslayers. Kyle didn't have any Baneslayers so he didn't have them in the original list.
I ended up 3-1, I don't remember matches anymore since it's been almost a week and there was a PTQ messing up my memory from Sunday. I'll keep track this week and write it up.
What I do remember from Friday is sideboarding and card choices. I sided Baneslayer and Day of Judgment in for every matchup. Both of these cards belong in the mainboard for sure. I sided Knight of the White Orchid and Harm's Way out in all but one. Why? Double white mana is a bitch to get on turn 2 consistently in this deck and the card is not very good when you're on the draw. Harm's way didn't really do anything except shock my opponent one game.
The secret MVP's of this deck are the Kor Hookmaster and Dauntless Escort. Hookmaster is an excellent tempo card that people have really overlooked in Zendikar. In a format where everyone wants to turn guys sideways, this guy is so nuts on the play if you've got a 1 or 2 drop online. While he is not a permanent removal option, he buys you an extra turn or two to get control/flying dudes. Dauntless protects the most important part of the deck: the flying guys.
Emeria Angel is almost always best to play on turn 5. Emeria, play fetch, fetch land, 5 power flying for 4. If I get the Honor of the Pure down before this, 8 power for 4. At one point on Friday I had a 7/7 Baneslayer. Take that red decks! At the very least I want to try this deck again next week without Harm's Way and the Knight and with Baneslayer and DoJ.
If anyone has thoughts on this deck or improvements feel free to leave feedback in the coments.
Until next time
Sunday, August 30, 2009
FNM Again
I wanted to start this post with a thought I had at Magic this week :
My decks don't want me to take first place.
After the last month I began to wonder if my decks conspire against me when I'm not around.
I played Classic 5cc this week, (I also played it last week but didn't bother with a writeup) and I was pretty confident with my chances for a top spot. I used Charles Gindy's list from nationals as the base and then made changes for my meta (ie lots of creatures/no faeries). I'll post the list up here later as an update.
First Round: U/W Angels
My first opponent is Aaron, and I know his deck from previous weeks. I do what my deck does, counter or kill his early drops and cast Cruel and Broodmate for the win. His angels come down too late to make a difference, although he had my life down in one game because my first removal was Hallowed at 5 mana.
Second Round: Treefolk
I'm paired against Nelson running Treefolk. He beat me with this deck two weeks ago, so I was looking for some sweet revenge.
I let him play a bunch of dudes in the first game, letting Leaf Crowned Elder come in and kinship the next turn so I can hallowed burial all of them and gain board advantage.
The second game is depressing for him when he keeps a two land hand and I proceed to counter every card he plays that produces or searches for mana. I win keeping him down and casting Cruel.
Third Round: Red Burn
Mike is my opponent thIs round with a ton of hasty damage. I'm able to keep his damage down with Essense Scatter vs Ball Lightning. He starts drawing into land, allowing me to Cryptic-fog until I find an answer.
Game two Ajani goes the distance with good timing and counterspell backup. I Cruel a few times after Ajani goes ultimate and get the W.
By this point I was 6-0 on game wins and feeling good. It was going to be Tim and me in the finals battling it out for first, and I was feeling positive about the kithkn matchup.
Fourth Round: Kithkin
I know that Tim has lapse of certainty in the sideboard to mess me up after the first game, so winning is crucial here.
I get stuck on 4 lands with one Hallowed and one Broodmate in hand. He runs me over when I have no answer to super pumped Figure of Destiny.
Game two I get stuck on 5 mana when he plays back-to-back Lapse of Certainty on Hallowed Burial and I die.
I'm pretty bummed at this point because kithkin has been my bane for about a month, no matter what I bring out against it. Sigh
If anyone has any new ideas feel free to post them in the comments or on FB. I really like the deck but I'm tired of banging my head against the X-1 door.
My decks don't want me to take first place.
After the last month I began to wonder if my decks conspire against me when I'm not around.
I played Classic 5cc this week, (I also played it last week but didn't bother with a writeup) and I was pretty confident with my chances for a top spot. I used Charles Gindy's list from nationals as the base and then made changes for my meta (ie lots of creatures/no faeries). I'll post the list up here later as an update.
First Round: U/W Angels
My first opponent is Aaron, and I know his deck from previous weeks. I do what my deck does, counter or kill his early drops and cast Cruel and Broodmate for the win. His angels come down too late to make a difference, although he had my life down in one game because my first removal was Hallowed at 5 mana.
Second Round: Treefolk
I'm paired against Nelson running Treefolk. He beat me with this deck two weeks ago, so I was looking for some sweet revenge.
I let him play a bunch of dudes in the first game, letting Leaf Crowned Elder come in and kinship the next turn so I can hallowed burial all of them and gain board advantage.
The second game is depressing for him when he keeps a two land hand and I proceed to counter every card he plays that produces or searches for mana. I win keeping him down and casting Cruel.
Third Round: Red Burn
Mike is my opponent thIs round with a ton of hasty damage. I'm able to keep his damage down with Essense Scatter vs Ball Lightning. He starts drawing into land, allowing me to Cryptic-fog until I find an answer.
Game two Ajani goes the distance with good timing and counterspell backup. I Cruel a few times after Ajani goes ultimate and get the W.
By this point I was 6-0 on game wins and feeling good. It was going to be Tim and me in the finals battling it out for first, and I was feeling positive about the kithkn matchup.
Fourth Round: Kithkin
I know that Tim has lapse of certainty in the sideboard to mess me up after the first game, so winning is crucial here.
I get stuck on 4 lands with one Hallowed and one Broodmate in hand. He runs me over when I have no answer to super pumped Figure of Destiny.
Game two I get stuck on 5 mana when he plays back-to-back Lapse of Certainty on Hallowed Burial and I die.
I'm pretty bummed at this point because kithkin has been my bane for about a month, no matter what I bring out against it. Sigh
If anyone has any new ideas feel free to post them in the comments or on FB. I really like the deck but I'm tired of banging my head against the X-1 door.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
The Tim Trainwreck Special
This week I want to discuss a new deck that my friend Tim built recently. Tim is one of those people that is a genius at deckbuilding and always plays strong lists that have innovation and power.
I playtested with Tim piloting it against all of my other decks: Calderaquin, Merfolk, and Warp World. All of these are solid, if not strong, so it seemed like a decent challenge. I got blown out. It was a slaughter, with the exception that if I could Warp in time I could steal a win once in a while.
After playtesting, I decided to try out the Tim special for myself the list is as follows:
4 Putrid Leech
4 Rhox War Monk
4 Kitchen Finks
4 Bloodbraid Elf
2 Chameleon Colossus
1 Lord of Extinction
2 Path to Exile
4 Doom Blade
4 Maelstrom Pulse
3 Captured Sunlight
2 Behemoth Sledge
3 Garruk Wildspeaker
The land base for this deck looks like a typical 5 color control deck, so I don't think I'll post it. After testing the deck all afternoon, we started FNM feeling good
Round One:
I lose the roll and keep a hand that is a bit removal heavy, but has good mana and a Leech. My opponent drops Island and passes.
I drop the Leech next turn and swing a few until he hits 5 mana and Traumatizes me. That's about it, Leech literally gets in for 20 damage.
Game two was more interesting. My opponent gets Traumatize into Haunting Echoes and gets every card except one Path, two Lords of Extinction, and 7 lands. I still get the win with Lord and the Finks from the previous turn since he fails to draw mill.
Round Two;
I get blown out by Treefolk of all things! He gets unanswered Leaf Crowned Elder both games and I lose to kinship triggers firing every turn. Crazy matchup where I'm probably favored, but lack removal. This is important later on in the night.
Round Three:
I'm playing against my friend Kyle who was 2-0 at this point. My tiebreaks must be amazing.
I know his deck well, 4 color blood. This is very winnable for me because my lifegain is superior and some of his cards are less effective against me.
He gets there in game one after I draw 5 straight lands, and I get him in game two after he draw 5 straight lands. Strange times in magicville.
Game three takes forever. I play something, he answers. He plays something, I answer. We finally get close to time and I pull ahead off of Captured Sunlight into Putrid Leech. We go to 5 turns, and just as it looks like I might get the win, he topdecks Finks to gain life and block. I was dissappointed since I probably could have taken it eventually, but oh well.
Standing at 1-1-1 was not optimal.
Round Four:
Paired against one of my best friends Adam. I don't have much trouble as he gets mana screwed to hell and dies. Fin
I talk to Tim at this point and find that he's gone 4-0, beating the treefolk deck in the finals. I was a little bummed that I didn't perform as well, but I was glad the deck took first anyway. It's a potent little burrito and I look forward to playing more with it soon.
Comments on the list welcome!
- Ken
I playtested with Tim piloting it against all of my other decks: Calderaquin, Merfolk, and Warp World. All of these are solid, if not strong, so it seemed like a decent challenge. I got blown out. It was a slaughter, with the exception that if I could Warp in time I could steal a win once in a while.
After playtesting, I decided to try out the Tim special for myself the list is as follows:
4 Putrid Leech
4 Rhox War Monk
4 Kitchen Finks
4 Bloodbraid Elf
2 Chameleon Colossus
1 Lord of Extinction
2 Path to Exile
4 Doom Blade
4 Maelstrom Pulse
3 Captured Sunlight
2 Behemoth Sledge
3 Garruk Wildspeaker
The land base for this deck looks like a typical 5 color control deck, so I don't think I'll post it. After testing the deck all afternoon, we started FNM feeling good
Round One:
I lose the roll and keep a hand that is a bit removal heavy, but has good mana and a Leech. My opponent drops Island and passes.
I drop the Leech next turn and swing a few until he hits 5 mana and Traumatizes me. That's about it, Leech literally gets in for 20 damage.
Game two was more interesting. My opponent gets Traumatize into Haunting Echoes and gets every card except one Path, two Lords of Extinction, and 7 lands. I still get the win with Lord and the Finks from the previous turn since he fails to draw mill.
Round Two;
I get blown out by Treefolk of all things! He gets unanswered Leaf Crowned Elder both games and I lose to kinship triggers firing every turn. Crazy matchup where I'm probably favored, but lack removal. This is important later on in the night.
Round Three:
I'm playing against my friend Kyle who was 2-0 at this point. My tiebreaks must be amazing.
I know his deck well, 4 color blood. This is very winnable for me because my lifegain is superior and some of his cards are less effective against me.
He gets there in game one after I draw 5 straight lands, and I get him in game two after he draw 5 straight lands. Strange times in magicville.
Game three takes forever. I play something, he answers. He plays something, I answer. We finally get close to time and I pull ahead off of Captured Sunlight into Putrid Leech. We go to 5 turns, and just as it looks like I might get the win, he topdecks Finks to gain life and block. I was dissappointed since I probably could have taken it eventually, but oh well.
Standing at 1-1-1 was not optimal.
Round Four:
Paired against one of my best friends Adam. I don't have much trouble as he gets mana screwed to hell and dies. Fin
I talk to Tim at this point and find that he's gone 4-0, beating the treefolk deck in the finals. I was a little bummed that I didn't perform as well, but I was glad the deck took first anyway. It's a potent little burrito and I look forward to playing more with it soon.
Comments on the list welcome!
- Ken
Saturday, August 08, 2009
Hello again internet,
Ken here again motivated and ready to post some content relevant to whats going on with me so here we go:
I went to our Friday Night Magic tournament this week with a deck that has been doing well since the US Nationals: Makeshift Mannequin Redux is what I have been calling it. One of the first decks I played when I first started taking Magic seriously was the original Mannequin deck that revolved around evoke and controlling the board with blue bounce cards, counterspells, and unfair advantage generated by the interaction. This new deck uses red for control instead of the old blue and plays similarly, if not better. I had pretty good testing matches and read a ton about the deck before I built it.
Last week was the first time I tried it out, and I took it to a 3-0-1 finish, which was high enough to net me second place out of a number in the high twenties, so I figured I would play it this week.
I felt good about the matchups in my meta, which are generally aggro decks, with a few strange (and powerful) control decks trying to keep everyone in check. About 32 people show up and we have to put up extra tables. This is always a great start: more rounds equals more fun!
1st Round:
I'm paired up against someone who looks like he's about 10? Definitely on the younger side, but I've learned in the past to never underestimate a younger player after getting blown out once by a youngling playing an excellent red/black deck.
I keep a decent hand, 2 Fallouts, 2 Shriekmaws, 2 Lands and a Putrid Leech. I'm gonna control the first couple turns for sure, and hopefully he's playing something fast and aggro-ish. 25 lands in the deck so one more should not be hard to draw.
He wins the roll: drops turn one Goldmeadow Stalwart. Excellent, I think. This should be one of the better matchups for me, and I'm packing 2 Fallouts in hand. I draw and Exotic Orchard, play a Vivid, and pass.
I drop my Forest, a Leech, and pass it over. At this point I realize that between the lands in play and my hand, I have one red mana producer. Sad face. He drops Spectral Procession. Sadder face.
I draw a couple turns and get another Vivid, which doesn't go the distance when he drops Ajani.
I go to the sideboard and put in Deathmark. Excellent card in the matchup and I can take out the Anathamancer! Dead cards for good cards seems good.
Game two I make a horrific error: I decide to Maelstrom Pulse his Spirit tokens because he had double Honor of the Pure out and 9 damage next turn. This is a failure because chances are with my deck, I can get a Fallout or Caldera Hellion out more often than I can Pulse. I die when he plays Cloudgoat Ranger and the Fallout I draw is now a dead card.
I take a couple minutes after this match and realize I am an idiot. I've lost the first round against a good matchup by failing to play well. But there's always the next match...
2nd Round:
My opponent plays 2 cards during this entire match: Akrasan Squire and Stoic Angel. I run this dude over (aparently mana screwed) with Bloodbraid Elf. Yeehaw.
3rd Round:
My opponent opens with the Merfolk dual land. I think this may be a good thing for me since I love to kill everything. I soon find out that my deck hates me terribly, drawing into 3 lands and then another Anathamancer that can hit him for... one damage? He gets Soverigns, I get no Pulse, and thats all she wrote for that one.
Second game can be summed up in two words: Harm's Way. This card is a headache and a half. He redirects damage by playing TWO Harm's Way in a turn to redirect Putrid Leech damage back to me. Thats a 6 point life swing back to myself.
After killing myself with my own Leech, I took a minute to think about life. Things were looking grim to me. My deck should be punishing people, but instead I'm punishing myself with play mistakes and terrible luck all rolled into one. I've gotta stay focused and give my deck a pep talk at this point.
4th Round:
This match was pretty good overall for me but I did have one moment where things looked grim: he played 3 Battlegrace Angels. Without a Pulse or a tricky two-for-one, I was gonna be out of it. A timely topdecked Cloudthresher fixed this problem when coupled with a Fallout. Score one for the alliance.
5th Round:
This round was definitely a blowout. Its funny how I remember very little from the rounds like this. My deck played the curve like it should, and I was rewarded with the big W. He played blue/white and the hardest decision this game was whether to Fallout or Pulse at one point. Whenever I find myself in this position, it seems the best decision is always wait for the Pulse.
*end games*
3-2 Record and some disappointment from misplaying a great deck.
I rip a couple packs of Alara Reborn because M10 is sold out everwhere. A Deathbringer Thoctor and a Fight to the Death. "This is a bummer day" I think to myself and push back the rare to reveal..... a Foil Uril the Miststalker! This card is not Standard playable, but is one of my favorite Generals in Elder Dragon Highlander! So my general has been upgraded to Foil!
This made me smile, and even though I really didn't gain much from the day (except for the time when I thought about how terribly I played) it was overall a positive experience.
Thanks to everyone who made this Friday a great day and hope to see as many people or more next week!
~Ken
Ken here again motivated and ready to post some content relevant to whats going on with me so here we go:
I went to our Friday Night Magic tournament this week with a deck that has been doing well since the US Nationals: Makeshift Mannequin Redux is what I have been calling it. One of the first decks I played when I first started taking Magic seriously was the original Mannequin deck that revolved around evoke and controlling the board with blue bounce cards, counterspells, and unfair advantage generated by the interaction. This new deck uses red for control instead of the old blue and plays similarly, if not better. I had pretty good testing matches and read a ton about the deck before I built it.
Last week was the first time I tried it out, and I took it to a 3-0-1 finish, which was high enough to net me second place out of a number in the high twenties, so I figured I would play it this week.
I felt good about the matchups in my meta, which are generally aggro decks, with a few strange (and powerful) control decks trying to keep everyone in check. About 32 people show up and we have to put up extra tables. This is always a great start: more rounds equals more fun!
1st Round:
I'm paired up against someone who looks like he's about 10? Definitely on the younger side, but I've learned in the past to never underestimate a younger player after getting blown out once by a youngling playing an excellent red/black deck.
I keep a decent hand, 2 Fallouts, 2 Shriekmaws, 2 Lands and a Putrid Leech. I'm gonna control the first couple turns for sure, and hopefully he's playing something fast and aggro-ish. 25 lands in the deck so one more should not be hard to draw.
He wins the roll: drops turn one Goldmeadow Stalwart. Excellent, I think. This should be one of the better matchups for me, and I'm packing 2 Fallouts in hand. I draw and Exotic Orchard, play a Vivid, and pass.
I drop my Forest, a Leech, and pass it over. At this point I realize that between the lands in play and my hand, I have one red mana producer. Sad face. He drops Spectral Procession. Sadder face.
I draw a couple turns and get another Vivid, which doesn't go the distance when he drops Ajani.
I go to the sideboard and put in Deathmark. Excellent card in the matchup and I can take out the Anathamancer! Dead cards for good cards seems good.
Game two I make a horrific error: I decide to Maelstrom Pulse his Spirit tokens because he had double Honor of the Pure out and 9 damage next turn. This is a failure because chances are with my deck, I can get a Fallout or Caldera Hellion out more often than I can Pulse. I die when he plays Cloudgoat Ranger and the Fallout I draw is now a dead card.
I take a couple minutes after this match and realize I am an idiot. I've lost the first round against a good matchup by failing to play well. But there's always the next match...
2nd Round:
My opponent plays 2 cards during this entire match: Akrasan Squire and Stoic Angel. I run this dude over (aparently mana screwed) with Bloodbraid Elf. Yeehaw.
3rd Round:
My opponent opens with the Merfolk dual land. I think this may be a good thing for me since I love to kill everything. I soon find out that my deck hates me terribly, drawing into 3 lands and then another Anathamancer that can hit him for... one damage? He gets Soverigns, I get no Pulse, and thats all she wrote for that one.
Second game can be summed up in two words: Harm's Way. This card is a headache and a half. He redirects damage by playing TWO Harm's Way in a turn to redirect Putrid Leech damage back to me. Thats a 6 point life swing back to myself.
After killing myself with my own Leech, I took a minute to think about life. Things were looking grim to me. My deck should be punishing people, but instead I'm punishing myself with play mistakes and terrible luck all rolled into one. I've gotta stay focused and give my deck a pep talk at this point.
4th Round:
This match was pretty good overall for me but I did have one moment where things looked grim: he played 3 Battlegrace Angels. Without a Pulse or a tricky two-for-one, I was gonna be out of it. A timely topdecked Cloudthresher fixed this problem when coupled with a Fallout. Score one for the alliance.
5th Round:
This round was definitely a blowout. Its funny how I remember very little from the rounds like this. My deck played the curve like it should, and I was rewarded with the big W. He played blue/white and the hardest decision this game was whether to Fallout or Pulse at one point. Whenever I find myself in this position, it seems the best decision is always wait for the Pulse.
*end games*
3-2 Record and some disappointment from misplaying a great deck.
I rip a couple packs of Alara Reborn because M10 is sold out everwhere. A Deathbringer Thoctor and a Fight to the Death. "This is a bummer day" I think to myself and push back the rare to reveal..... a Foil Uril the Miststalker! This card is not Standard playable, but is one of my favorite Generals in Elder Dragon Highlander! So my general has been upgraded to Foil!
This made me smile, and even though I really didn't gain much from the day (except for the time when I thought about how terribly I played) it was overall a positive experience.
Thanks to everyone who made this Friday a great day and hope to see as many people or more next week!
~Ken
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Hey there Internet user...
I don't know where you've come from to get to this point, I don't know if I know you or not, but I want you to know what has been given to me.
I have some great friends. To say great friends is actually kind of an understatement. I have had the best friends that a person could ask for. People who would keep me on a path of goodness, people who always challenge me to succeed and to see what truly takes place in my life. I don't know who else to thank but God. No matter what position I am in, these people minister to me with their lives and with what is most important to people in our culture.
Not to be vague, but I am most thankful for those who have really ministered to me with their life stories, their theology, and their philosophy. Even if none of the people who have given to me read this post, hopefully they will know that I keep them in my deepest prayers. All those who have ministered to me give me the greatest hope. They keep me on the path to knowing that there is a higher power than me, and that this power is all encompassing love. Even though we may need faith and hope in this mortal life, the love that others has shown me has led me to this point.
I want to express my sincerest gratitude to all those who have kept me in their hopes and prayers. Although I am a sinner, I am graced to have such powerful intercession. I know that I don't deserve the caliber of friends that God has given to me.
I love all of you so much and would give what little I have learned in this life back to you as best as I can. I pray that my life from here foreword will glorify the God that has given me these people to strengthen me and assuage my doubts. I will be always in debt because of the great things He has done in my life.
Thank you to the Sorrowful Mother's ministry who took me in like family without even a moment's hesitation. I don't deserve the graces that visiting your beautiful home has bestowed on me. I feel that the deep conviction that I felt on your blessed grounds resonates deep within me. I don't know if I can ever repay your kindness. The little time I spent with you strengthened me deeply.
To my parents: you are awesome! From your everyday encouragement, I realize what it truly is to love. You have selflessly promoted me throughout your lives. You not only fulfill my daily needs, but encourage me to be a better person. You always challenge me to live the life I should be living, and I love you so much!
To Mel: You have been with me through thick and thin. Even when I am a terrible brother, or when I forget who I am, I can always remember who I want to be when I am with you. You have been a great sister, and I pray that our relationship will only strengthen through the coming years. I guess sometimes I takes a great distance to know how much of a great thing you are missing. I miss you smile and enthusiasm for sharing your love of God in all aspects of life. Your tenacity of doing God's will when it is hard is such a beacon of hope to me. You are very selfless and I know that you are doing God's will with your children in PSR, your workers at Target, and with everyone you meet. People don't easily forget you because everyone who truly knows you knows how much you love your faith. Thank you! I don't know how much you have shaped my life and personal faith experience, but I can safely say that without you my life would be pretty darn boring!
To the friends at home: You encourage me with your acts of faith. Some have been with me through some very tough times. I have always been able to count on you to pull me through and tell me that everything will be all right. God has blessed me in his infinite wisdom to place reminders of who I am and what I want to be throughout my life. Without you I would still be very lost. Thank you.
This whole thing might seem rather abrupt, but it is only in certain times that I relize how blessed I am. I will pray for all of you thoughout my semester and I hope that you will keep me in your prayers too. May God always show His plans through the little things in life!
I don't know where you've come from to get to this point, I don't know if I know you or not, but I want you to know what has been given to me.
I have some great friends. To say great friends is actually kind of an understatement. I have had the best friends that a person could ask for. People who would keep me on a path of goodness, people who always challenge me to succeed and to see what truly takes place in my life. I don't know who else to thank but God. No matter what position I am in, these people minister to me with their lives and with what is most important to people in our culture.
Not to be vague, but I am most thankful for those who have really ministered to me with their life stories, their theology, and their philosophy. Even if none of the people who have given to me read this post, hopefully they will know that I keep them in my deepest prayers. All those who have ministered to me give me the greatest hope. They keep me on the path to knowing that there is a higher power than me, and that this power is all encompassing love. Even though we may need faith and hope in this mortal life, the love that others has shown me has led me to this point.
I want to express my sincerest gratitude to all those who have kept me in their hopes and prayers. Although I am a sinner, I am graced to have such powerful intercession. I know that I don't deserve the caliber of friends that God has given to me.
I love all of you so much and would give what little I have learned in this life back to you as best as I can. I pray that my life from here foreword will glorify the God that has given me these people to strengthen me and assuage my doubts. I will be always in debt because of the great things He has done in my life.
Thank you to the Sorrowful Mother's ministry who took me in like family without even a moment's hesitation. I don't deserve the graces that visiting your beautiful home has bestowed on me. I feel that the deep conviction that I felt on your blessed grounds resonates deep within me. I don't know if I can ever repay your kindness. The little time I spent with you strengthened me deeply.
To my parents: you are awesome! From your everyday encouragement, I realize what it truly is to love. You have selflessly promoted me throughout your lives. You not only fulfill my daily needs, but encourage me to be a better person. You always challenge me to live the life I should be living, and I love you so much!
To Mel: You have been with me through thick and thin. Even when I am a terrible brother, or when I forget who I am, I can always remember who I want to be when I am with you. You have been a great sister, and I pray that our relationship will only strengthen through the coming years. I guess sometimes I takes a great distance to know how much of a great thing you are missing. I miss you smile and enthusiasm for sharing your love of God in all aspects of life. Your tenacity of doing God's will when it is hard is such a beacon of hope to me. You are very selfless and I know that you are doing God's will with your children in PSR, your workers at Target, and with everyone you meet. People don't easily forget you because everyone who truly knows you knows how much you love your faith. Thank you! I don't know how much you have shaped my life and personal faith experience, but I can safely say that without you my life would be pretty darn boring!
To the friends at home: You encourage me with your acts of faith. Some have been with me through some very tough times. I have always been able to count on you to pull me through and tell me that everything will be all right. God has blessed me in his infinite wisdom to place reminders of who I am and what I want to be throughout my life. Without you I would still be very lost. Thank you.
This whole thing might seem rather abrupt, but it is only in certain times that I relize how blessed I am. I will pray for all of you thoughout my semester and I hope that you will keep me in your prayers too. May God always show His plans through the little things in life!
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