A couple of hott and scientific Legacy Top 8s posted over on DeckCheck.
FRENCH DRAGON STOMPY
The first is supposedly the biggest non-Wizards Legacy event, Bazaar de Moxen, with 474 players, and wouldn't you know it but Dragon Stompy took it home. The build is fairly boilerplate, with one exception.
The deck contains zero Arc-Sloggers.
In its stead, the player is running 4x Taurean Mauler.
People have complained about consistency issues and inbuilt non-bos in Dragon Stompy since its inception. Seriously, casting Arc-Slogger is hhhaaaarrrrddd when more than 20% of your lands destroy themselves as soon as you play more land.
At the same time, having Arc-Slogger trapped in your hand cold sucks when a gangster wants to get hellbent and eat face with his Pit-Dargon.
Sometimes you can't even imprint the Slogger to Chrome Mox due to your own Trinisphere. Next thing you realize, you're 24, so even if Chuck-E-Cheese wasn't bankrupt, your mom STILL wouldn't take you there to cheer your sad ass up.
What I'm saying is sometimes Dragon Stompy makes it difficult to win with Dragon Stompy.
After James Mink made Top 4 at GP: Chicago, he wrote that Jitte was largely unnecessary, except against tribal aggro. Mink played an insurance mountain (read: one extra beyond the prescribed ten) which probably helped him resolve Arc-Slogger when it mattered. So why the hell would Mink need Jitte when his library is face up and the opposing team is full of holes? No wonder he found it unnecessary.
By contrast, with no Slogger, the European version probably NEEDS Jitte, in order to sling -1/-1 counters across the board and get better mileage out of its ponderous 12 - Twelve! - gray ogres. Sixteen if you count the Raiders as 2/2 for (3), really.
Ugr Faerie Fish
Anyway, in the same event was a beautiful Ugr aggro/control deck.
12 Creatures: 2 Cloud of Faeries, 2 Ninja of the Deep Hours, 4 Tarmogoyf, 4 Spellstutter Sprite.
26 Spells: 4 Brainstorm, 3 Daze, 2 Fire/Ice, 3 Lightning Bolt, 4 Force of Will, 3 Spell Snare, 3 Stifle, 3 Standstill, 1 Crucible of Worlds.
22 Land: 3 Polluted Delta, 2 Flooded Strand, 4 Mishra's Factory, 3 Wasteland, 1 Mutavault, 3 Tropical Island, 3 Volanic Island, 2 Island, 1 Breeding Pool.
Basically this looks to me like a mix between Tempo Thresh/R and NinjaStill, except unlike NinjaStill it probably actually fucking works.
Synergies I like about this deck:
- Crucible-Wastelock.
- Cloud of Faeries into Standstill.
- Spellstutter Sprite into Ninja of the Deep, now I'm holding Spellstutter Sprite again!
- Fire + Goyf > Opposing Goyf.
And the deck boards Shackles and Threads just to be certain it drinks other Goyfs' milkshakes.
It also boards one random Misdirection, which I like to imagine spent the day puking in opponents' shoes and cancelling their credit cards while they were on the phone with their dads. That is to say, I like to imagine the Misdirection was like the gift of an unwanted cat, or a 17-year-old roommate.
Lorescale Coatl
Now we move to the other Top 8, a humble (by comparison) 42-man in Madrid.
I've been waiting patiently to start seeing Thresh variants with Lorescale Coatl, which appears similiar to Quirion Dryad, except that the Coatl is a Binford nailgun to the Dryad's Swingline stapler. Hell, even the added U in the casting cost is awesome; now it pitches to Force of Will! Hey great!
I will admit I'm a little puzzled by the inclusion of Price of Progress in the board here. I thought the opponent in this match-up would be eager to board POP in, since it likely Sixes the Coatl player, but I guess in the right situation, if one of the fetches you crack goes for a basic island, then you Eight the other guy when it matters. Get there?
Variants on the last two decks:
Much of the remainder of that Spanish Top 8 is variations on the above two ideas. Lots more decks with Tarmogoyf and Fire/Ice and either Lorescale Coatl or Spellstutter Sprite. Vendilion Clique seems to find room either way; I'm sure bottoming Fire/Ice was sauce in the semis.
I suspect if the Stifle/Wasteland tempo package is this successful in the Spanish meta, Dragon Stompy players must come out in force. But then, the red removal package shines there - Mountains/schmountains! Lightning Bolt and Fire still kill Magus of the Moon just fine.
And stuff...
omfg i wanna play wilt-leaf liege in standard even more than usual lately.
D-Po out.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
NinjaStill: Drawing Cards is Not Enough
So last night Ryan and I approximated the mono-blue ninja deck for some Legacy shenanigans.
It went about like this:
Creatures - 22 - 3 Ornithopter, 3 Mothdust Changeling, 3 Mistblade Shinobi, 3 Looter il-Kor, 4 Ninja of the Deep Hours, 4 Spellstutter Sprite, 2 Trinket Mage.
Spells - 18 - 2 Umezawa's Jitte, 1 Shuriken, 1 Relic of Progenitus, 4 Force of Will, 3 Spell Snare, 3 Stifle, 4 Standstill.
Land - 20 - 4 Mutavault, 1 Tolaria West, 1 Riptide Laboratory, 1 Wasteland, 1 Seat of Synod, 12 Islands.
We tested it about five games apiece against Team America, Aggro Loam, and Enchantress.
It was not very good. At least, after turn 5 or so it was basically shitty, on the balance.
The deck draws a lot of cards, and that is swell. However, most of the cards it draws just cause it to draw more cards.
Granted, this is not always a terrible strategy. A deck like Threshold plays 12 or so cantrips, only a handful of creatures and counters, and what would appear to be nowhere near enough land - like 17.
Threshold just uses the cantrips as a consistency engine, maximizing card quality while filling its graveyard for profit. The few creatures, counters and removal spells it plays are all top-notch - Goyf, FOW and Swords to Plowshares - and because it sculpts its hand so perfectly, the deck doesn't have to screw around with inferior filler spells.
This does not work with the ninja deck. In part I think this is because unlike Thresh, the deck has no means of filtering its draws. In part I think also it's because the creatures do not present a scary clock or even come close trading with Goyf, barring an active Jitte. Last but not least, Mistblade Shinobi is cute, but once the opponent re-plays his fatty and can block, his utility plummets.
Most games started with Ryan doing his best to keep me off Standstill. He was never happy when it resolved, and I would usually get in for 8 or 10 damage in the early turns, between Thopter-dropping Ninja of the Deep, and Spellstutter Sprite and Looter-il-Kor getting in for a few points. Somewhere in there I might Force of Will a Pernicious Deed or Spell Snare a Dark Confidant, whatever.
Once I ran out of counters, Ryan would resolve a Tarmogoyf and my ninjas would become useless. Messy combat would ensue and usually I would not draw enough threats to push through the final few points.
So. Scratch that off my list of decks to try, and file it under "danger of cool things."
In other news: Dreadstill + Elspeth = Red Bull gives this giant robotic worm from hell WIIIIIINNNGGSSSSSS..... (because the planeswalker makes the Dreadnought fly for extra win).
Still to come: Zur! The Enchanter. Plus: T2 - Dark Bant, without the dark?
It went about like this:
Creatures - 22 - 3 Ornithopter, 3 Mothdust Changeling, 3 Mistblade Shinobi, 3 Looter il-Kor, 4 Ninja of the Deep Hours, 4 Spellstutter Sprite, 2 Trinket Mage.
Spells - 18 - 2 Umezawa's Jitte, 1 Shuriken, 1 Relic of Progenitus, 4 Force of Will, 3 Spell Snare, 3 Stifle, 4 Standstill.
Land - 20 - 4 Mutavault, 1 Tolaria West, 1 Riptide Laboratory, 1 Wasteland, 1 Seat of Synod, 12 Islands.
We tested it about five games apiece against Team America, Aggro Loam, and Enchantress.
It was not very good. At least, after turn 5 or so it was basically shitty, on the balance.
The deck draws a lot of cards, and that is swell. However, most of the cards it draws just cause it to draw more cards.
Granted, this is not always a terrible strategy. A deck like Threshold plays 12 or so cantrips, only a handful of creatures and counters, and what would appear to be nowhere near enough land - like 17.
Threshold just uses the cantrips as a consistency engine, maximizing card quality while filling its graveyard for profit. The few creatures, counters and removal spells it plays are all top-notch - Goyf, FOW and Swords to Plowshares - and because it sculpts its hand so perfectly, the deck doesn't have to screw around with inferior filler spells.
This does not work with the ninja deck. In part I think this is because unlike Thresh, the deck has no means of filtering its draws. In part I think also it's because the creatures do not present a scary clock or even come close trading with Goyf, barring an active Jitte. Last but not least, Mistblade Shinobi is cute, but once the opponent re-plays his fatty and can block, his utility plummets.
Most games started with Ryan doing his best to keep me off Standstill. He was never happy when it resolved, and I would usually get in for 8 or 10 damage in the early turns, between Thopter-dropping Ninja of the Deep, and Spellstutter Sprite and Looter-il-Kor getting in for a few points. Somewhere in there I might Force of Will a Pernicious Deed or Spell Snare a Dark Confidant, whatever.
Once I ran out of counters, Ryan would resolve a Tarmogoyf and my ninjas would become useless. Messy combat would ensue and usually I would not draw enough threats to push through the final few points.
So. Scratch that off my list of decks to try, and file it under "danger of cool things."
In other news: Dreadstill + Elspeth = Red Bull gives this giant robotic worm from hell WIIIIIINNNGGSSSSSS..... (because the planeswalker makes the Dreadnought fly for extra win).
Still to come: Zur! The Enchanter. Plus: T2 - Dark Bant, without the dark?
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Eternal Daydreamzzz
by DP
As the three people that read this know, my main format is Legacy, and I plan to use this spot to arrange my thoughts on whatever decks I'm developing.
To begin, let me admit that if I hated fun and cared only about flying elbow-first through opponents like a rally car through a crowd of spectators, I'd build one of the many Threshold variants.
Let me explain:
Everyone going to Grand Prix: Chicago knew the main deck to beat would contain Tarmogoyf, Brainstorm and Force of Will.
Granted, there is a whole spectrum of such decks; Tempo Thresh with Bolts, CounterTop Thresh with Swords, Team America, Ugx Dreadstill, baseruption, Goyféd Landstill variants, It's The Fear, etc. Regardless, they all plan to kill you with unfair fat while burying your dreams of having land, resolving spells and basically playing Magic.
My point being, everyone going to Chicago knew their deck had to drop buckets of neurotic cats on said match-up's face while it slept. But ultimately, what won was simply the same deck, plus tuned for the mirror.
Tangeant on Nassif's build: If you're already running a low curve and Divining Top, it's probably a mistake Not to play Dark Confidant. And what's better than killing the other guy's Tarmogoyf? Stealing it with Sower and Shackles, that's what. Take a hint from Extended, cha!
Anyway, the reason I bring this up is, because I am the main Legacy player I know, it does not make sense to just build the established best deck, choke-slam all takers and call it a day. I would have no takers, and therefore no fun!
Instead I have to vary my repertoire, so I can attract casual interest from my friends without ruining Sunday afternoon - which is basically what you're doing when you Crucible-Wastelock a suffocating opponent already flailing under Counterbalance.
I like to think this steady churn of decks makes me a better player; it forces me to examine off-beat builds that can randomly top 4 a Grand Prix, like Dragon Stompy. And it causes wise investments: I picked up my set of Tombstalkers at $3ish because I wanted to play Pox. Now it turns out they have wider applications and their value is spiking, but I am already armed. Thank you, random jank, for steering my collection in useful directions!
Regrettably, there is a downside to all this. It is the Danger of Cool Things. That is, the allure of trying to accomplish awesome plays, but at the expense of consistency, versatility and general practicality.
It is, after all, a slippery slope from weird-but-good decks to weird-and-silly-but-ultimately-suboptimal decks. I consider this the fine line between Dreadstill, which is no joke, and Thresh variants with Natural Order for Progenitus, which is cute but not much of an improvement on the established build.
Not to say that cool, goofy builds never win - they can, especially when thrown like a grenade into an unsuspecting meta. But let's face it: While it's awesome to trap a man with a White Stax shell, then kill him with Leyline of the Void/Helm of Obedience, there is a reason I saw that deck at a low table in Chicago.
So, what you can expect from this space is my investigation into what is simply rad, and what is rad and actually wins.
Some previews of decks I'm building:
Zur the Enchanter fetching Steel of the Godhead, Oblivion Ring and Pernicious Deed. Support: FOW, Confidant, Swords.
Mono-blue Ninja Faeries. Sample, ideal opening:
Turn 1: Island, Ponder, go.
Turn 2: Island, Cloud of Faeries, Standstill, go.
Turn 3: Ninja of the Deep Hours, ¡IHATEYOU!, go.
Turn 4: Profit.
-Dan
As the three people that read this know, my main format is Legacy, and I plan to use this spot to arrange my thoughts on whatever decks I'm developing.
To begin, let me admit that if I hated fun and cared only about flying elbow-first through opponents like a rally car through a crowd of spectators, I'd build one of the many Threshold variants.
Let me explain:
Everyone going to Grand Prix: Chicago knew the main deck to beat would contain Tarmogoyf, Brainstorm and Force of Will.
Granted, there is a whole spectrum of such decks; Tempo Thresh with Bolts, CounterTop Thresh with Swords, Team America, Ugx Dreadstill, baseruption, Goyféd Landstill variants, It's The Fear, etc. Regardless, they all plan to kill you with unfair fat while burying your dreams of having land, resolving spells and basically playing Magic.
My point being, everyone going to Chicago knew their deck had to drop buckets of neurotic cats on said match-up's face while it slept. But ultimately, what won was simply the same deck, plus tuned for the mirror.
Tangeant on Nassif's build: If you're already running a low curve and Divining Top, it's probably a mistake Not to play Dark Confidant. And what's better than killing the other guy's Tarmogoyf? Stealing it with Sower and Shackles, that's what. Take a hint from Extended, cha!
Anyway, the reason I bring this up is, because I am the main Legacy player I know, it does not make sense to just build the established best deck, choke-slam all takers and call it a day. I would have no takers, and therefore no fun!
Instead I have to vary my repertoire, so I can attract casual interest from my friends without ruining Sunday afternoon - which is basically what you're doing when you Crucible-Wastelock a suffocating opponent already flailing under Counterbalance.
I like to think this steady churn of decks makes me a better player; it forces me to examine off-beat builds that can randomly top 4 a Grand Prix, like Dragon Stompy. And it causes wise investments: I picked up my set of Tombstalkers at $3ish because I wanted to play Pox. Now it turns out they have wider applications and their value is spiking, but I am already armed. Thank you, random jank, for steering my collection in useful directions!
Regrettably, there is a downside to all this. It is the Danger of Cool Things. That is, the allure of trying to accomplish awesome plays, but at the expense of consistency, versatility and general practicality.
It is, after all, a slippery slope from weird-but-good decks to weird-and-silly-but-ultimately-suboptimal decks. I consider this the fine line between Dreadstill, which is no joke, and Thresh variants with Natural Order for Progenitus, which is cute but not much of an improvement on the established build.
Not to say that cool, goofy builds never win - they can, especially when thrown like a grenade into an unsuspecting meta. But let's face it: While it's awesome to trap a man with a White Stax shell, then kill him with Leyline of the Void/Helm of Obedience, there is a reason I saw that deck at a low table in Chicago.
So, what you can expect from this space is my investigation into what is simply rad, and what is rad and actually wins.
Some previews of decks I'm building:
Zur the Enchanter fetching Steel of the Godhead, Oblivion Ring and Pernicious Deed. Support: FOW, Confidant, Swords.
Mono-blue Ninja Faeries. Sample, ideal opening:
Turn 1: Island, Ponder, go.
Turn 2: Island, Cloud of Faeries, Standstill, go.
Turn 3: Ninja of the Deep Hours, ¡IHATEYOU!, go.
Turn 4: Profit.
-Dan
Carlos Reborn; STD Posts 5-1-1 Resultsss
Hello, friends; it is DanPo.
Hear this and fear this, mothers and fuckers: I will be contributing here when the fancy strikes me, and will endeavor to baffle you with style and tech. Deal.
Saturday the Sexy Team of Dudes represented in Nashville's Alara Reborn pre-release, and Carlos savagely vanquished a month-long drought that began moments after the STD rendered Pat Chapin impotent in Chicago.
Carlos' Esper deck contained such hice as Sen Triplets and a foil Akrobot: Sphinx of the Steel Winds. It was like watching a factory machine that conveys fresh grapes beneath an unrelenting steel piston, but here the grapes were the heads of Carlos' opponents and the piston was his elbow.
-
His main brag in the early rounds occurs in game three as he's bearing down on an opponent with his Akrobot. The player tries to steal the match with Slave of Bolas (new Threaten) targeting the Sphinx. Carlos panics!
"That's enough to kill me," he blurts. His opponent nods and starts to pile his cards together in satisfaction, when, "Wait..."
Carlos riffles through his hand and counts to himself. He reads the cards. He counts again. What plan could he be hatching? He...
"Oh, nevermind!" Carlos says, revealing his ruse: "My guy is pro-red." He glares. Then his elbow slams down like a meteor. GG.
Hear this and fear this, mothers and fuckers: I will be contributing here when the fancy strikes me, and will endeavor to baffle you with style and tech. Deal.
Saturday the Sexy Team of Dudes represented in Nashville's Alara Reborn pre-release, and Carlos savagely vanquished a month-long drought that began moments after the STD rendered Pat Chapin impotent in Chicago.
Carlos' Esper deck contained such hice as Sen Triplets and a foil Akrobot: Sphinx of the Steel Winds. It was like watching a factory machine that conveys fresh grapes beneath an unrelenting steel piston, but here the grapes were the heads of Carlos' opponents and the piston was his elbow.
-
His main brag in the early rounds occurs in game three as he's bearing down on an opponent with his Akrobot. The player tries to steal the match with Slave of Bolas (new Threaten) targeting the Sphinx. Carlos panics!
"That's enough to kill me," he blurts. His opponent nods and starts to pile his cards together in satisfaction, when, "Wait..."
Carlos riffles through his hand and counts to himself. He reads the cards. He counts again. What plan could he be hatching? He...
"Oh, nevermind!" Carlos says, revealing his ruse: "My guy is pro-red." He glares. Then his elbow slams down like a meteor. GG.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
