Hello everyone, and welcome to the final Zendikar Decks. Rather than talk a new deck, we're going to analyse the results of the ratings. So here we go!
Salivanth's Rating:
1st: Time Sieve Combo (4.5 / 5)
1st: Soldiers (4.5 / 5)
3rd: Jund (4 / 5)
4th: Warp World (3.5 / 5)
4th: Bloodchief Ascension (3.5 / 5)
6th: Vampire Aggro (2 / 5)
7th: W/B/R Control (1.5 / 5)
Match Rating:
1st: Jund (6 / 8)
1st: Soldiers (6 / 8)
3rd: Bloodchief Ascension (4 / 8)
3rd: Vampire Aggro (4 / 8)
3rd: Time Sieve Combo (4 / 8)
3rd: Warp World (4 / 8)
7th: W/B/R Control (2 / 8)
Total Ranking:
1st: Soldiers (10.5 / 13)
2nd: Jund (10 / 13)
3rd: Time Sieve (8.5 / 13)
4th: Bloodchief Ascension (7.5 / 13)
4th: Warp World (7.5 / 13)
6th: Vampire Aggro (6 / 13)
7th: W/B/R Control (3.5 / 13)
And there you have it! The winner of my analysis is Soldiers!
One must note however, that it was pretty foolish of me to do this analysis so soon. Since then, many new decks have popped up which I hadn't tested. I'll be analysing them over the next few weeks, when I deign to. So in the meantime, if there's one thing I've taught you:
Time Sieve is not dead. Remember that.
Good luck in your testing!
Showing posts with label zen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label zen. Show all posts
Monday, October 19, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Zendikar Decks Part VII: Time Sieve
Welcome to the final deck in the Zendikar Decks series: Time Sieve. This potent combo deck doesn't lose too much from the rotation, and can still be a competitor. It seems to have fallen out of favor...which is the perfect time for combo decks to strike.
Here's the list I used:
Lands (17)
4 Glacial Fortress
5 Island
3 Marsh Flats
3 Plains
2 Swamp
Creatures (4)
4 Architects of Will
Spells (39)
4 Angelsong
4 Fieldmist Borderpost
1 Font of Mythos
4 Howling Mine
3 Jace Beleren
4 Kaleidostone
4 Mistvein Borderpost
4 Open the Vaults
3 Tezzeret the Seeker
4 Time Sieve
4 Time Warp
Sideboard:
4 Baneslayer Angel
4 Wall of Denial
4 Day of Judgement
3 Path to Exile
I hopped on to MWS to do battle.
Round 1 vs. Boros Bushwhacker
He gets Goblin Guide, then Goblin Guide, then Steppe Lynx, a fetchland, and Bushwhacker. I exclaim disbelief over his Turn 3 kill. Jesus Christ.
Game 2 he gets Goblin Guide and Steppe Lynx, but I get Wall of Denial. He tries a swarm. I go for Day of Judgement. I get Howling Mine and Font. I set up my hand while using fogs to keep him at bay, then go off.
Game 3 he drops me down to 2 before I attempt to go off. I get numerous extra turns, but can't get 6 artifacts to let my Font stick. I eventually run out of Time Warps and Open the Vaults' and lose.
0-1
Round 2 vs. Landfall Ramp
He Pulses my double Howling Mine draw, and I play another Howling Mine. He gets Ob Nixilis and Empyrial Archangel, I get Tezzeret and go for Time Sieve -> Open the Vaults. With the Mines and Architects in the graveyard, I easily assemble enough artifacts to go lethal.
Game 2 he doesn't do much til he gets a Baneslayer. He plays Pithing Needle and names Time Sieve, then Identity Crisis blows me out.
Game 3 I whiff on an attempt to go off. He casts Baneslayer, and I get Open the Vaults to try again. I then spend a difficult 8 minutes comboing off. He quits halfway through, claiming I'm too slow, but he's tapped out, so I simply combo off anyway, since he couldn't do anything. I call that a win, since I eventually reach critical mass and would kill him.
1-1
Round 3 vs. Boros Bushwhacker
He gets some early beats. I lay Tezz and Jace, and he kills Tezz with his guys. I manage to stall him long enough to combo off.
Game 2 he gets 2 Steppe Lynxes and some fetchlands, knocking me down to 2 in short order. Luckily I manage to go off (there's not much details in these logs for a reason. It's a pretty consistent deck: either it goes infinite and wins, or it doesn't.)
2-1
Round 4 vs. Goblins
Game 1 he gets Goblin Guide and Warren Instigator, which brings in Siege-Gang Commander. I'm on 6 and trying to go off when I totally punt this: with 7 mana and 1 black source, I use my black source to play a Kaleidostone and then play another artifact before realising that I needed that black for Time Sieve, to combo off, and win. I deserve to lose this game.
Game 2 he gets Goblin Chieftain and assorted goblins. In 20 cards, I see one Time Warp and zero Time Sieves. I can't go off, and therefore cannot win. He beats me to death.
2-2
Salivanth's Rating: 4.5/5
Match Rating: 4/8
Total Rating: 8.5
Unlike some decks in this series, Time Sieve is a deck that takes some time to master. If my performance was the sole indicator of it's strength, I'd rate it a 3.5, but as it is, I know if I took the time to master the deck, I could do far better with it.
The next post will be an analysis of the decks' scores and attributes, and I'll make some recommendations, and then we'll move on to other things again! It only took about a month to do the series...
See you next time!
Here's the list I used:
Lands (17)
4 Glacial Fortress
5 Island
3 Marsh Flats
3 Plains
2 Swamp
Creatures (4)
4 Architects of Will
Spells (39)
4 Angelsong
4 Fieldmist Borderpost
1 Font of Mythos
4 Howling Mine
3 Jace Beleren
4 Kaleidostone
4 Mistvein Borderpost
4 Open the Vaults
3 Tezzeret the Seeker
4 Time Sieve
4 Time Warp
Sideboard:
4 Baneslayer Angel
4 Wall of Denial
4 Day of Judgement
3 Path to Exile
I hopped on to MWS to do battle.
Round 1 vs. Boros Bushwhacker
He gets Goblin Guide, then Goblin Guide, then Steppe Lynx, a fetchland, and Bushwhacker. I exclaim disbelief over his Turn 3 kill. Jesus Christ.
Game 2 he gets Goblin Guide and Steppe Lynx, but I get Wall of Denial. He tries a swarm. I go for Day of Judgement. I get Howling Mine and Font. I set up my hand while using fogs to keep him at bay, then go off.
Game 3 he drops me down to 2 before I attempt to go off. I get numerous extra turns, but can't get 6 artifacts to let my Font stick. I eventually run out of Time Warps and Open the Vaults' and lose.
0-1
Round 2 vs. Landfall Ramp
He Pulses my double Howling Mine draw, and I play another Howling Mine. He gets Ob Nixilis and Empyrial Archangel, I get Tezzeret and go for Time Sieve -> Open the Vaults. With the Mines and Architects in the graveyard, I easily assemble enough artifacts to go lethal.
Game 2 he doesn't do much til he gets a Baneslayer. He plays Pithing Needle and names Time Sieve, then Identity Crisis blows me out.
Game 3 I whiff on an attempt to go off. He casts Baneslayer, and I get Open the Vaults to try again. I then spend a difficult 8 minutes comboing off. He quits halfway through, claiming I'm too slow, but he's tapped out, so I simply combo off anyway, since he couldn't do anything. I call that a win, since I eventually reach critical mass and would kill him.
1-1
Round 3 vs. Boros Bushwhacker
He gets some early beats. I lay Tezz and Jace, and he kills Tezz with his guys. I manage to stall him long enough to combo off.
Game 2 he gets 2 Steppe Lynxes and some fetchlands, knocking me down to 2 in short order. Luckily I manage to go off (there's not much details in these logs for a reason. It's a pretty consistent deck: either it goes infinite and wins, or it doesn't.)
2-1
Round 4 vs. Goblins
Game 1 he gets Goblin Guide and Warren Instigator, which brings in Siege-Gang Commander. I'm on 6 and trying to go off when I totally punt this: with 7 mana and 1 black source, I use my black source to play a Kaleidostone and then play another artifact before realising that I needed that black for Time Sieve, to combo off, and win. I deserve to lose this game.
Game 2 he gets Goblin Chieftain and assorted goblins. In 20 cards, I see one Time Warp and zero Time Sieves. I can't go off, and therefore cannot win. He beats me to death.
2-2
Salivanth's Rating: 4.5/5
Match Rating: 4/8
Total Rating: 8.5
Unlike some decks in this series, Time Sieve is a deck that takes some time to master. If my performance was the sole indicator of it's strength, I'd rate it a 3.5, but as it is, I know if I took the time to master the deck, I could do far better with it.
The next post will be an analysis of the decks' scores and attributes, and I'll make some recommendations, and then we'll move on to other things again! It only took about a month to do the series...
See you next time!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Zendikar Decks Part VI: Soldiers
Welcome, people, to the penultimate article in the Zendikar Decks series. The series is almost over, and I'm quite glad for it. 4 matches can take as many hours in MWS due to the amount of people who don't play a full match.
Anyway, let's get to the deck: Soldiers.
Lands (23)
23 Plains
Creatures (20)
4 Elite Vanguard
4 Kazandu Blademaster
4 Kor Aeronaut
4 Kor Skyfisher
4 Veteran Armorsmith
Spells (17)
3 Ajani Goldmane
2 Brave the Elements
4 Conqueror's Pledge
2 Harm's Way
4 Honor of the Pure
2 Path to Exile
Sideboard:
2 Brave the Elements
4 Celestial Purge
3 Devout Lightcaster
2 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
2 Harm's Way
2 Path to Exile
I couldn't decide between the three awesome one-mana tricks, Brave the Elements, Harm's Way, and Path to Exile. However, having all 3 makes it impossible for my opponents to play around them all.
I hopped on to MWS. ThatDamnAussie from Twitter graciously took the first battle.
Round 1 vs. Bushwhacker Aggro
He plays Goblin Guide, which I trump with Kor Skyfisher. He plays a Geopede and a Teetering Peaks next turn. I keep playing Soldiers, but his fetchlands are going well with his Geopede and Lynx. I drop to 5, then get my fifth land and play Conqueror's Pledge. I play a SECOND Pledge and start trying to kill his dudes: not an easy proposition. Eventually he gets Ranger of Eos for 2 Goblin Guides and swarms me to death after I lose most of my Soldiers.
Game 2 I play Kazandu Blademaster, and he, Steppe Lynx. I play a second one, and he Paths the 3/3. He smashes me down at an alarming rate. I cast a Pledge at 6 life, but this time I have a trump. With 4 tokens still in play, I drop double Honor of the Pure! I crush him in short order.
Game 3 he gets out 3 Steppe Lynxes but misses his second land drop. He plays Goblin Guide and swings. When I block with my 2/3, he Paths his own Guide to landfall his Lynxes. Pretty clever. I manage to stabilise however, then play Conqueror's Pledge, then Ajani Goldmane! I win.
1-0
Round 2 vs. Bant
I get turn 2 Blademaster, he gets turn 2 War Monk. I Path it, he gets Dauntless Escort. He then plays Rafiq and Baneslayer. I concede pretty quickly.
Game 2 I have 3 3/5's in play by Turn 4, and I crush him to death.
Game 3 I get some early beats, he gets Elspeth and War Monk. He uses the combo to bring me to 7 while his life skyrockets. I get an Ajani and beat Elspeth to death. I then get a Conqueror's Pledge, he plays Day of Judgement. So what do I play? Another Pledge. With Ajani. What could possibly beat that? ANOTHER DAY OF JUDGEMENT! Talk about nut draws for both sides!
I get an Elspeth and start climbing loyalty with my two 'walkers. He plays a Baneslayer, and I topdeck another Pledge. He kills Ajani with Baneslayer. I play Honor of the Pure and attack for 24! I then play an Aeronaut to block with next turn, and then succeed in the impossible: winning a race against a Baneslayer Angel.
2-0
Round 3 vs. Grixis Megrim
I get a Vanguard, he Doom Blades it. He then plays Megrim, and Duresses my hand: of lands and Conqueror's Pledge. GAH! I play an Armorsmith with Honor of the Pure, and he Blades it, too. I play Aeronaut, he Twincasts a Blightning. Luckily I only have 2 cards to discard. I go to 7. I then teach him the finer points of the problem of discard by playing every card I draw: the first being a Pledge. Remembering I still have Honor of the Pure out. I win in 2 turns.
Game 2 he plays a Howling Mine, and I play an Armorsmith. I Devout Lightcaster his Megrim, he Terminates my Armorsmith. I use Skyfisher to bounce the Lightcaster. He concedes after his next draw. I presume he got mana flooded.
I think he conceded too quickly, but still...
3-0.
Round 4 vs. Cruel Control
Unfortunately I lost the notes, but here's what I remember:
Game 1 he gets Wall of Denial and Kathari Remnant. His powerful cascades win while I fail to break through his guys.
Game 2 he doesn't get much, and I knock him to 8 before he plays his first spell. I'm able to defeat him with massive Soldiers.
Game 3 goes pretty long, and he Cruels me after I Pledge. I'm hoping I can win with my double Honor of the Pure, but he plays a second Cruel, and manages to Pulse the Honors of the Pure. It takes a long time, but he eventually wins with 18 cards left in his library (and 36 in mine. He drew a LOT of cards).
3-1
Salivanth's Rating: 4.5/5
Match Rating: 6/8
Total Score: 10.5
Overall, I'm quite satisfied with most of the Soldier deck. If I could do it over again, I'd cut the Harm's Ways and go up to 3 Paths and 3 BtE's, and also try to find a replacement for Kor Aeronaut, which didn't quite cut it. It was the weakest card in the deck and I was consistently siding him out. Perhaps Veteran Swordsmith would do better there.
Thanks for reading!
Anyway, let's get to the deck: Soldiers.
Lands (23)
23 Plains
Creatures (20)
4 Elite Vanguard
4 Kazandu Blademaster
4 Kor Aeronaut
4 Kor Skyfisher
4 Veteran Armorsmith
Spells (17)
3 Ajani Goldmane
2 Brave the Elements
4 Conqueror's Pledge
2 Harm's Way
4 Honor of the Pure
2 Path to Exile
Sideboard:
2 Brave the Elements
4 Celestial Purge
3 Devout Lightcaster
2 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
2 Harm's Way
2 Path to Exile
I couldn't decide between the three awesome one-mana tricks, Brave the Elements, Harm's Way, and Path to Exile. However, having all 3 makes it impossible for my opponents to play around them all.
I hopped on to MWS. ThatDamnAussie from Twitter graciously took the first battle.
Round 1 vs. Bushwhacker Aggro
He plays Goblin Guide, which I trump with Kor Skyfisher. He plays a Geopede and a Teetering Peaks next turn. I keep playing Soldiers, but his fetchlands are going well with his Geopede and Lynx. I drop to 5, then get my fifth land and play Conqueror's Pledge. I play a SECOND Pledge and start trying to kill his dudes: not an easy proposition. Eventually he gets Ranger of Eos for 2 Goblin Guides and swarms me to death after I lose most of my Soldiers.
Game 2 I play Kazandu Blademaster, and he, Steppe Lynx. I play a second one, and he Paths the 3/3. He smashes me down at an alarming rate. I cast a Pledge at 6 life, but this time I have a trump. With 4 tokens still in play, I drop double Honor of the Pure! I crush him in short order.
Game 3 he gets out 3 Steppe Lynxes but misses his second land drop. He plays Goblin Guide and swings. When I block with my 2/3, he Paths his own Guide to landfall his Lynxes. Pretty clever. I manage to stabilise however, then play Conqueror's Pledge, then Ajani Goldmane! I win.
1-0
Round 2 vs. Bant
I get turn 2 Blademaster, he gets turn 2 War Monk. I Path it, he gets Dauntless Escort. He then plays Rafiq and Baneslayer. I concede pretty quickly.
Game 2 I have 3 3/5's in play by Turn 4, and I crush him to death.
Game 3 I get some early beats, he gets Elspeth and War Monk. He uses the combo to bring me to 7 while his life skyrockets. I get an Ajani and beat Elspeth to death. I then get a Conqueror's Pledge, he plays Day of Judgement. So what do I play? Another Pledge. With Ajani. What could possibly beat that? ANOTHER DAY OF JUDGEMENT! Talk about nut draws for both sides!
I get an Elspeth and start climbing loyalty with my two 'walkers. He plays a Baneslayer, and I topdeck another Pledge. He kills Ajani with Baneslayer. I play Honor of the Pure and attack for 24! I then play an Aeronaut to block with next turn, and then succeed in the impossible: winning a race against a Baneslayer Angel.
2-0
Round 3 vs. Grixis Megrim
I get a Vanguard, he Doom Blades it. He then plays Megrim, and Duresses my hand: of lands and Conqueror's Pledge. GAH! I play an Armorsmith with Honor of the Pure, and he Blades it, too. I play Aeronaut, he Twincasts a Blightning. Luckily I only have 2 cards to discard. I go to 7. I then teach him the finer points of the problem of discard by playing every card I draw: the first being a Pledge. Remembering I still have Honor of the Pure out. I win in 2 turns.
Game 2 he plays a Howling Mine, and I play an Armorsmith. I Devout Lightcaster his Megrim, he Terminates my Armorsmith. I use Skyfisher to bounce the Lightcaster. He concedes after his next draw. I presume he got mana flooded.
I think he conceded too quickly, but still...
3-0.
Round 4 vs. Cruel Control
Unfortunately I lost the notes, but here's what I remember:
Game 1 he gets Wall of Denial and Kathari Remnant. His powerful cascades win while I fail to break through his guys.
Game 2 he doesn't get much, and I knock him to 8 before he plays his first spell. I'm able to defeat him with massive Soldiers.
Game 3 goes pretty long, and he Cruels me after I Pledge. I'm hoping I can win with my double Honor of the Pure, but he plays a second Cruel, and manages to Pulse the Honors of the Pure. It takes a long time, but he eventually wins with 18 cards left in his library (and 36 in mine. He drew a LOT of cards).
3-1
Salivanth's Rating: 4.5/5
Match Rating: 6/8
Total Score: 10.5
Overall, I'm quite satisfied with most of the Soldier deck. If I could do it over again, I'd cut the Harm's Ways and go up to 3 Paths and 3 BtE's, and also try to find a replacement for Kor Aeronaut, which didn't quite cut it. It was the weakest card in the deck and I was consistently siding him out. Perhaps Veteran Swordsmith would do better there.
Thanks for reading!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Zendikar Decks Part V: Jund Aggro
Well, with a combo of parties, too much World of Warcraft, and just plain laziness, it's been 3 days since I last posted. This is unacceptable, and hopefully will not happen in the near future. As soon as this Zendikar Decks series is finished I hope to move back to my regular 6-a-week update schedule. (The day I don't post is 'whenever the hell I feel like it')
Meanwhile, let's move on to my Jund list.
Here's the list I decided to use:
Lands (24)
4 Dragonskull Summit
2 Forest
4 Mountain
3 Rootbound Crag
4 Savage Lands
3 Swamp
4 Verdant Catacombs
Creatures (17)
4 Bloodbraid Elf
2 Broodmate Dragon
3 Great Sable Stag
4 Putrid Leech
4 Sprouting Thrinax
Spells (19)
4 Bituminous Blast
4 Jund Charm
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Maelstrom Pulse
3 Sign in Blood
Sideboard (15)
3 Blightning
4 Deathmark
1 Great Sable Stag
4 Pyroclasm
3 Terminate
Jund Charm is my pet card, but it's so good. People almost never see it coming because it doesn't see play. It's a maindeck sweeper or combat trick: what's not to love? I also don't like Blightning in Jund that much. Yeah it's card advantage, but I prefer to win by affecting the board.
I just realised as I said that. That would mean Sign in Blood isn't good, but it is.
Dear god, what have I done?
We interrupt this revelation to bring you our actual article. (BTW, I'm totally trying out Blightning soon.)
I hopped on to MWS to do battle. (Forgetting all about Oran-Rief, no less).
Match 1 vs. BGW Rock
He Duresses my Jund Charm, and I lay Sprouting Thrinax. He plays Scute Mob, and I Jund Charm to kill it. I play Putrid Leech and knock him to 7 life. He makes a beast with Garruk, and I draw Pulse. I Pulse the token and ignore Garruk, swinging for exactly lethal.
Game 2 I play a Putrid Leech. When I swing and pump, he Purges it. He plays a Scute Mob, and I Bit Blast into a Leech to kill it. He plays a second Scute Mob, and I play Jund Charm. He plays Baneslayer Angel. I play Broodmate Dragon. He Paths my Putrid Leech (???), and attacks. I topdeck, and play, a Maelstrom Pulse, then swing. He Pulses BMD. I play Putrid Leech, and 2 Thrinaxes. He casts Day of Judgement, and I win with my army of Saprolings.
1-0
Match 2 vs. Armament Master WW
He plays Kor Duelist and Spidersilk Net. I play Putrid Leech. He passes and I swing with it, then play Great Sable Stag. He plays Quietus Spike, so I Jund Charm. He plays a Hookmaster, but I Bit Blast it and beat him to death with Sable Stag and Putrid Leech.
Game 2 He gets out Armament Master. I let him equip the Machete, then Deathmark the Master. He plays Skyfisher and equips it, I Pulse it. He plays another Skyfisher, I Bit Blast it. My Leech gets Pathed, but I Bloodbraid into Sign in Blood. I play Putrid Leech, swing him for 7, then win with Sign In Blood.
Achievement gotten: Here Have Some Cards.
Turns out killing every dude they play is a good strategy. Who knew?
2-0
Match 3 vs. Jund Landfall
I play fetches and Sign in Blood, he plays Khalni Heart and a fetchland. I Bloodbraid Elf into a Maelstrom Pulse to kill his Khalni Heart Expedition. A quick note: so many people keep hands assuming their mana accelerator will survive. If you kill it, you can throw their plans out of whack.
I start beating him, but he kills my guys. He then Bloodbraid Elfs into Birds. I topdeck Broodmate Dragon. He BE's into Zektar Shrine Expedition. I BE into Great Sable Stag. I then sac a fetchland before I beat him to death to take 1 more damage for:
Achievement gotten: Suicide Indeed.
(I also got this achievement in an FNM game on Saturday)
Game 2 he plays and unearths Hellspark Elemental. I play Sprouting Thrinax. He plays Bloodbraid Elf into Earthquake. I double block with my Saprolings. I kill his two new Hellsparks with LB and Terminate, then the unearthed ones by Bit Blasting into Maelstrom Pulse. I love this deck.
He gets a Zektar Shrine and activates it next turn. I Bit Blast into Bloodbraid Elf into Great Sable Stag, untap, and play Broodmate Dragon.
Yeah, I won that game.
3-0
Match 4 vs. Sphinx Control
The first play is a Jace. We both draw, and my draw is ironically a Pulse, which I use next turn. Irony is sweet. I play Great Sable Stag, which gets Bolted. He plays (unkicked) Sphinx of Lost Truths. I play another Stag, and he bashes with the Sphinx. He bolts my GSS, so I play a Thrinax.
I swing, then he blocks. I Jund Charm. He Negates, so I Jund Charm again. He plays Pyroclasm and Lightning Bolt to kill my 5/5 Thrinax. I BE into LB, and beat him to death over the next couple of turns.
Game 2 I get stuck on 2 land. He plays Jace and helps me draw my third land. How kind. I play GSS. He Cruels me. I discard, then play a second GSS. He Cruels me for the rest of my hand and board, and I concede.
Game 3 he plays Jace, I play Thrinax. He plays Wretched Banquet. I kill Jace with Lightning Bolt and play another Thrinax. He kills it too, then Cruels me. I play another Thrinax. I begin to hope I might actually win this. He Cruels me again, however, and Pyroclasms my Saproling army. He plays a Sphinx with me at 4 life. I play a Pulse, and he Negates it. That ends up being game.
3-1
Salivanth's Score: 4/5
Match Score: 6/8
Total Score: 10
Overall, the deck needs a bit of tuning. It's not the best it can be yet, but it's still one of the strongest decks in the new format. I'm looking forward to testing more ideas in it.
Notes: Broodmate Dragon and Sprouting Thrinax are friggin' nuts. I want to go up to 3 Broodmates.
Thanks for reading!
Meanwhile, let's move on to my Jund list.
Here's the list I decided to use:
Lands (24)
4 Dragonskull Summit
2 Forest
4 Mountain
3 Rootbound Crag
4 Savage Lands
3 Swamp
4 Verdant Catacombs
Creatures (17)
4 Bloodbraid Elf
2 Broodmate Dragon
3 Great Sable Stag
4 Putrid Leech
4 Sprouting Thrinax
Spells (19)
4 Bituminous Blast
4 Jund Charm
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Maelstrom Pulse
3 Sign in Blood
Sideboard (15)
3 Blightning
4 Deathmark
1 Great Sable Stag
4 Pyroclasm
3 Terminate
Jund Charm is my pet card, but it's so good. People almost never see it coming because it doesn't see play. It's a maindeck sweeper or combat trick: what's not to love? I also don't like Blightning in Jund that much. Yeah it's card advantage, but I prefer to win by affecting the board.
I just realised as I said that. That would mean Sign in Blood isn't good, but it is.
Dear god, what have I done?
We interrupt this revelation to bring you our actual article. (BTW, I'm totally trying out Blightning soon.)
I hopped on to MWS to do battle. (Forgetting all about Oran-Rief, no less).
Match 1 vs. BGW Rock
He Duresses my Jund Charm, and I lay Sprouting Thrinax. He plays Scute Mob, and I Jund Charm to kill it. I play Putrid Leech and knock him to 7 life. He makes a beast with Garruk, and I draw Pulse. I Pulse the token and ignore Garruk, swinging for exactly lethal.
Game 2 I play a Putrid Leech. When I swing and pump, he Purges it. He plays a Scute Mob, and I Bit Blast into a Leech to kill it. He plays a second Scute Mob, and I play Jund Charm. He plays Baneslayer Angel. I play Broodmate Dragon. He Paths my Putrid Leech (???), and attacks. I topdeck, and play, a Maelstrom Pulse, then swing. He Pulses BMD. I play Putrid Leech, and 2 Thrinaxes. He casts Day of Judgement, and I win with my army of Saprolings.
1-0
Match 2 vs. Armament Master WW
He plays Kor Duelist and Spidersilk Net. I play Putrid Leech. He passes and I swing with it, then play Great Sable Stag. He plays Quietus Spike, so I Jund Charm. He plays a Hookmaster, but I Bit Blast it and beat him to death with Sable Stag and Putrid Leech.
Game 2 He gets out Armament Master. I let him equip the Machete, then Deathmark the Master. He plays Skyfisher and equips it, I Pulse it. He plays another Skyfisher, I Bit Blast it. My Leech gets Pathed, but I Bloodbraid into Sign in Blood. I play Putrid Leech, swing him for 7, then win with Sign In Blood.
Achievement gotten: Here Have Some Cards.
Turns out killing every dude they play is a good strategy. Who knew?
2-0
Match 3 vs. Jund Landfall
I play fetches and Sign in Blood, he plays Khalni Heart and a fetchland. I Bloodbraid Elf into a Maelstrom Pulse to kill his Khalni Heart Expedition. A quick note: so many people keep hands assuming their mana accelerator will survive. If you kill it, you can throw their plans out of whack.
I start beating him, but he kills my guys. He then Bloodbraid Elfs into Birds. I topdeck Broodmate Dragon. He BE's into Zektar Shrine Expedition. I BE into Great Sable Stag. I then sac a fetchland before I beat him to death to take 1 more damage for:
Achievement gotten: Suicide Indeed.
(I also got this achievement in an FNM game on Saturday)
Game 2 he plays and unearths Hellspark Elemental. I play Sprouting Thrinax. He plays Bloodbraid Elf into Earthquake. I double block with my Saprolings. I kill his two new Hellsparks with LB and Terminate, then the unearthed ones by Bit Blasting into Maelstrom Pulse. I love this deck.
He gets a Zektar Shrine and activates it next turn. I Bit Blast into Bloodbraid Elf into Great Sable Stag, untap, and play Broodmate Dragon.
Yeah, I won that game.
3-0
Match 4 vs. Sphinx Control
The first play is a Jace. We both draw, and my draw is ironically a Pulse, which I use next turn. Irony is sweet. I play Great Sable Stag, which gets Bolted. He plays (unkicked) Sphinx of Lost Truths. I play another Stag, and he bashes with the Sphinx. He bolts my GSS, so I play a Thrinax.
I swing, then he blocks. I Jund Charm. He Negates, so I Jund Charm again. He plays Pyroclasm and Lightning Bolt to kill my 5/5 Thrinax. I BE into LB, and beat him to death over the next couple of turns.
Game 2 I get stuck on 2 land. He plays Jace and helps me draw my third land. How kind. I play GSS. He Cruels me. I discard, then play a second GSS. He Cruels me for the rest of my hand and board, and I concede.
Game 3 he plays Jace, I play Thrinax. He plays Wretched Banquet. I kill Jace with Lightning Bolt and play another Thrinax. He kills it too, then Cruels me. I play another Thrinax. I begin to hope I might actually win this. He Cruels me again, however, and Pyroclasms my Saproling army. He plays a Sphinx with me at 4 life. I play a Pulse, and he Negates it. That ends up being game.
3-1
Salivanth's Score: 4/5
Match Score: 6/8
Total Score: 10
Overall, the deck needs a bit of tuning. It's not the best it can be yet, but it's still one of the strongest decks in the new format. I'm looking forward to testing more ideas in it.
Notes: Broodmate Dragon and Sprouting Thrinax are friggin' nuts. I want to go up to 3 Broodmates.
Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Zendikar Decks Part III: W/B/R Control
Hello everyone and welcome to Zendikar Decks Part III! Today's deck is W/B/R Control. Here's the decklist I chose to run:
Lands (26)
4 Arid Mesa
4 Dragonskull Summit
4 Marsh Flats
4 Mountain
5 Plains
5 Swamp
Creatures (4)
4 Baneslayer Angel
Spells (30)
3 Ajani Vengeant
3 Chandra Nalaar
4 Day of Judgement
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Martial Coup
3 Path to Exile
4 Sign in Blood
3 Terminate
4 Volcanic Fallout
Sideboard:
3 Blightning
4 Celestial Purge
4 Deathmark
1 Martial Coup
2 Ob Nixilis, the Fallen
1 Path to Exile
I hopped on MWS to do battle.
Round 1 vs. Naya
Unfortunately I lost the notes for this match. I lost, but it went to 3 games. It was his bombs vs. my removal, and in Games 1 and 3 he drew better, and in Game 2 I drew better.
0-1
Round 2 vs. Jund Landfall Ramp
He plays a Turn 2 Lotus Cobra, which I Terminate. I lay a Chandra, and he gets a Harrow / Khalni Heart combo to put loads of land in play. I bolt an Ob Nixilis, and lay Ajani. I then have a fully charged Chandra. The game is over quickly as my planeswalkers burn him out.
Game 2 we play land-go for a while until I drop Ajani. He drops Ob Nixilis. I bolt it and start building up Ajani. He plays Broodmate Dragon. I Day of Judgement and get to 7 counters on Ajani. He Earthquakes for 7. Must be nice...
I drop Chandra and start building THAT up. He plays Baloths and Harrow for 14 power of dudes. I Day of Judgement again and build up to 8 counters on Chandra. I win next turn.
1-1
Round 3 vs. Mill.dec
He plays Birds of Paradise, I play Sign in Blood. He plays Grazing Gladehart. I'm confused. When in doubt, kill it. So I Volcanic Fallout. I drop Ajani, he drops Lotus Cobra and a fetch. Damn it. He plays a Khalni Gem. It could be worse. He kills Ajani next turn. I drop another one to kill Lotus Cobra. He Traumatizes me. Ow. I start building up Ajani, but he Archive Traps me, and then Trapmaker's Snares for Archive Trap #2. I lose.
Game 2 I manage to get stuck on 2 land and he gets a Lotus Cobra. He Mind Funerals me, and plays Grazing Gladehart before I draw into red and manage to bolt the Cobra. He Traumatizes me. I Blightning him but he's gaining lots of life off Gladehart. He Traumatizes me again, and then searches for an Archive Trap a few turns later, still sittin' pretty at over 15 life.
1-2
Round 4 vs. Valakut Burn
He starts out with a Goblin Guide, revealing no lands several times. I Sign In Blood to find more land, but my life's plummeting. I manage to Path the Guide and play a Baneslayer, and he Lightning Bolts + Fallouts it. He lays Valakut and Bolts me to single-digits. This is NOT good. I fail to draw any stabilising cards, and die quickly.
This game made me want to kill myself painfully. He starts out with double Quest for Pure Flame and starts dropping burn creatures like Hellspark and Ball Lightning. I Path, Purge or Terminate each one of them. This continues for a LONG time but I can't draw a finisher, despite siding more in. Eventually he drops a Valakut and burns me to death. I didn't have any way of dealing with burn besides attacking with Baneslayer. Number of finishers in the deck: 8. Number of cards I drew in that game: 20ish.
1-3
Salivanth's Rating: 1.5/5
Matches Won x2: 2/8
Score: 3.5
This deck is terrible. I don't give it a one because when it did get the mana right, against a creature deck, it was hard to beat. All control decks should be though. The deck has several flaws:
Lack of ability to close the game. I should have added Luminarch Ascension.
Bad mana. This is a 2-color or shard based format. Even 4 colors are better than 3 enemy colors. Seriously. Don't play with an arc deck. It WILL FAIL.
Total inability to deal with non-permanents. This is not good in a deck that needs to be able to answer everything the opponent plays.
Do not play this deck, for the love of god. If you're desperate for a control deck I'll make another one, but don't play this one!
See you tomorrow with Warp World!
Lands (26)
4 Arid Mesa
4 Dragonskull Summit
4 Marsh Flats
4 Mountain
5 Plains
5 Swamp
Creatures (4)
4 Baneslayer Angel
Spells (30)
3 Ajani Vengeant
3 Chandra Nalaar
4 Day of Judgement
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Martial Coup
3 Path to Exile
4 Sign in Blood
3 Terminate
4 Volcanic Fallout
Sideboard:
3 Blightning
4 Celestial Purge
4 Deathmark
1 Martial Coup
2 Ob Nixilis, the Fallen
1 Path to Exile
I hopped on MWS to do battle.
Round 1 vs. Naya
Unfortunately I lost the notes for this match. I lost, but it went to 3 games. It was his bombs vs. my removal, and in Games 1 and 3 he drew better, and in Game 2 I drew better.
0-1
Round 2 vs. Jund Landfall Ramp
He plays a Turn 2 Lotus Cobra, which I Terminate. I lay a Chandra, and he gets a Harrow / Khalni Heart combo to put loads of land in play. I bolt an Ob Nixilis, and lay Ajani. I then have a fully charged Chandra. The game is over quickly as my planeswalkers burn him out.
Game 2 we play land-go for a while until I drop Ajani. He drops Ob Nixilis. I bolt it and start building up Ajani. He plays Broodmate Dragon. I Day of Judgement and get to 7 counters on Ajani. He Earthquakes for 7. Must be nice...
I drop Chandra and start building THAT up. He plays Baloths and Harrow for 14 power of dudes. I Day of Judgement again and build up to 8 counters on Chandra. I win next turn.
1-1
Round 3 vs. Mill.dec
He plays Birds of Paradise, I play Sign in Blood. He plays Grazing Gladehart. I'm confused. When in doubt, kill it. So I Volcanic Fallout. I drop Ajani, he drops Lotus Cobra and a fetch. Damn it. He plays a Khalni Gem. It could be worse. He kills Ajani next turn. I drop another one to kill Lotus Cobra. He Traumatizes me. Ow. I start building up Ajani, but he Archive Traps me, and then Trapmaker's Snares for Archive Trap #2. I lose.
Game 2 I manage to get stuck on 2 land and he gets a Lotus Cobra. He Mind Funerals me, and plays Grazing Gladehart before I draw into red and manage to bolt the Cobra. He Traumatizes me. I Blightning him but he's gaining lots of life off Gladehart. He Traumatizes me again, and then searches for an Archive Trap a few turns later, still sittin' pretty at over 15 life.
1-2
Round 4 vs. Valakut Burn
He starts out with a Goblin Guide, revealing no lands several times. I Sign In Blood to find more land, but my life's plummeting. I manage to Path the Guide and play a Baneslayer, and he Lightning Bolts + Fallouts it. He lays Valakut and Bolts me to single-digits. This is NOT good. I fail to draw any stabilising cards, and die quickly.
This game made me want to kill myself painfully. He starts out with double Quest for Pure Flame and starts dropping burn creatures like Hellspark and Ball Lightning. I Path, Purge or Terminate each one of them. This continues for a LONG time but I can't draw a finisher, despite siding more in. Eventually he drops a Valakut and burns me to death. I didn't have any way of dealing with burn besides attacking with Baneslayer. Number of finishers in the deck: 8. Number of cards I drew in that game: 20ish.
1-3
Salivanth's Rating: 1.5/5
Matches Won x2: 2/8
Score: 3.5
This deck is terrible. I don't give it a one because when it did get the mana right, against a creature deck, it was hard to beat. All control decks should be though. The deck has several flaws:
Lack of ability to close the game. I should have added Luminarch Ascension.
Bad mana. This is a 2-color or shard based format. Even 4 colors are better than 3 enemy colors. Seriously. Don't play with an arc deck. It WILL FAIL.
Total inability to deal with non-permanents. This is not good in a deck that needs to be able to answer everything the opponent plays.
Do not play this deck, for the love of god. If you're desperate for a control deck I'll make another one, but don't play this one!
See you tomorrow with Warp World!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Zendikar Decks Part II: B/R Bloodchief
Hello readers, and welcome to part two of my Zendikar decks series. Today's post will be about B/R Bloodchief. This deck focuses on playing a Bloodchief Ascension and activating it as quickly as possible. It then uses cards such as Blightning and sweepers to put cards in the opponent's graveyard and deal lots of damage.
Here's the decklist I used:
Lands (20)
4 Akoum Refuge
4 Dragonskull Summit
8 Mountain
8 Swamp
Creatures (16)
4 Goblin Guide
4 Hell's Thunder
4 Hellspark Elemental
4 Vampire Lacerator
Spells (24)
4 Blightning
4 Bloodchief Ascension
4 Burst Lightning
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Volcanic Fallout
4 Earthquake
Sideboard:
4 Deathmark
3 Duress
4 Goblin Outlander
4 Hideous End
I hopped onto MWS to do battle.
Round 1 vs. Four-Color Control
We start off with ETBT lands. I play Vampire Lacerator, which he Agony Warps. He Esper Charms, and I counter with Blightning and another Lacerator. He plays Baneslayer Angel, then another a couple of turns later, and beats me to death with them.
Game 2 he mulligans to 5. I use Hellspark Elemental, and get some early Goblin Guide action. He gets rid of it already at 10 life. We pass for a couple of turns, then he Time Warps twice. I drop a Lacerator, and hit him a couple of times. Lightning Bolt and Earthquake are enough to end it.
Game 3 he Spell Pierces a Bloodchief Ascension and Burst Lightning. He Blightnings me, and Pierces another Ascension. I play a third Ascension and beat down with a Lacerator. I activate it and he Esper Charms it. I knock him to 8 with double Lacerator before he Day of Judgements them. I Goblin Guide him to 6, and he plays Baneslayer Angel. I Hideous End it and he scoops it up.
1-0
Round 2 vs. BGW Landfall
He plays a Turn 2 Lotus Cobra. I Bolt it. I swing with a Hellspark, he plays another Cobra and Cobras into a Bloodghast. I kill the Cobra again. He hits with Bloodghast, and then drops a Knight of the Reliquary. He plays an Ob Nixilis a turn or two later and when he plays another fetchland I scoop.
Game 2 I kill a Lotus Cobra, but he plays a second and third one. I don't find enough removal. He plays double Steppe Lynx and landfalls his way to victory over a few turns. I barely get him to 10.
1-1
Round 3 vs. Naya
He opens with a Nacatl. I Bolt it and play Goblin Guide. With the aid of his fetchlands I start beating him down. He plays a 5/5 Reliquary. He plays a Behemoth Sledge, but I trick him into a block and then double Burst Lightning it. I get him down to 5, but he equips a Nacatl with Behemoth Sledge and manages to outrace me.
Game 2 I open with a Goblin Guide, and he opens with a Birds. He plays a Nacatl and a Ranger of Eos. When he plays Behemoth Sledge, I Fallout the board, leaving him at 11. He plays a Nacatl and equips it, but I quake for 5. I Deathmark his next Nacatl. He plays 2 Hierarchs and equips Behemoth Sledge. I pray for a quake off the top, and I get it.
Game 3 I mulligan to 6 and play a Turn 2 Bloodchief Ascension. He plays Behemoth Sledge. I Hellspark him. He plays a Nacatl and I Bolt him at EOT. I play Fallout leaving him at 12 life. He Purges my active Ascension. I swing him to 8, but he gets a 5/5 lifelink Nacatl, and I never draw another Deathmark.
1-2
Round 4 vs. Soldiers
I play a Turn 1 Bloodchief Ascension, and he plays Elite Vanguard. I pass, he plays Honor and attacks. I ho-hum, and take 3. I Burst Lightning him at EOT, then Goblin Guide him. He plays Kor Aeronaut. I swing, he Paths the Guide. I Earthquake for 3 to activate my Ascension. He attacks. Next turn I Blightning him, then I manage to Blightning + Hellspark for exactly lethal the turn after that.
Game 2 He passes. I play Goblin Guide and attack, and he plays White Knight. I Bolt it. He plays Honor of the Pure, I play Bloodchief Ascension and swing. He plays a second Honor and Sigilled Paladin, which I Deathmark. I swing. He Paths my Guide, so I Fallout an empty board to activate Ascension. He plays Kor Aeronaut. I Blightning him to 3 life and 0 cards in hand, then Deathmark his one creature. I win shortly after.
2-2
Salivanth's Rating: 3.5/5
Matches Won x2: 4/8
Total Score: 7.5
I like B/R Bloodchief, but I think B/R Blightning is better. The Bloodchief often gets killed or doesn't activate and it warps your game too much. Goblin Guide is awesome, I don't know about Lacerator. I'd recommend upping the curve by removing the Bloodchief Ascensions and the Lacerators and adding in some strong 3-4 mana cards.
Make sure to vote for tomorrow's deck in the polls!
See you tomorrow!
Here's the decklist I used:
Lands (20)
4 Akoum Refuge
4 Dragonskull Summit
8 Mountain
8 Swamp
Creatures (16)
4 Goblin Guide
4 Hell's Thunder
4 Hellspark Elemental
4 Vampire Lacerator
Spells (24)
4 Blightning
4 Bloodchief Ascension
4 Burst Lightning
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Volcanic Fallout
4 Earthquake
Sideboard:
4 Deathmark
3 Duress
4 Goblin Outlander
4 Hideous End
I hopped onto MWS to do battle.
Round 1 vs. Four-Color Control
We start off with ETBT lands. I play Vampire Lacerator, which he Agony Warps. He Esper Charms, and I counter with Blightning and another Lacerator. He plays Baneslayer Angel, then another a couple of turns later, and beats me to death with them.
Game 2 he mulligans to 5. I use Hellspark Elemental, and get some early Goblin Guide action. He gets rid of it already at 10 life. We pass for a couple of turns, then he Time Warps twice. I drop a Lacerator, and hit him a couple of times. Lightning Bolt and Earthquake are enough to end it.
Game 3 he Spell Pierces a Bloodchief Ascension and Burst Lightning. He Blightnings me, and Pierces another Ascension. I play a third Ascension and beat down with a Lacerator. I activate it and he Esper Charms it. I knock him to 8 with double Lacerator before he Day of Judgements them. I Goblin Guide him to 6, and he plays Baneslayer Angel. I Hideous End it and he scoops it up.
1-0
Round 2 vs. BGW Landfall
He plays a Turn 2 Lotus Cobra. I Bolt it. I swing with a Hellspark, he plays another Cobra and Cobras into a Bloodghast. I kill the Cobra again. He hits with Bloodghast, and then drops a Knight of the Reliquary. He plays an Ob Nixilis a turn or two later and when he plays another fetchland I scoop.
Game 2 I kill a Lotus Cobra, but he plays a second and third one. I don't find enough removal. He plays double Steppe Lynx and landfalls his way to victory over a few turns. I barely get him to 10.
1-1
Round 3 vs. Naya
He opens with a Nacatl. I Bolt it and play Goblin Guide. With the aid of his fetchlands I start beating him down. He plays a 5/5 Reliquary. He plays a Behemoth Sledge, but I trick him into a block and then double Burst Lightning it. I get him down to 5, but he equips a Nacatl with Behemoth Sledge and manages to outrace me.
Game 2 I open with a Goblin Guide, and he opens with a Birds. He plays a Nacatl and a Ranger of Eos. When he plays Behemoth Sledge, I Fallout the board, leaving him at 11. He plays a Nacatl and equips it, but I quake for 5. I Deathmark his next Nacatl. He plays 2 Hierarchs and equips Behemoth Sledge. I pray for a quake off the top, and I get it.
Game 3 I mulligan to 6 and play a Turn 2 Bloodchief Ascension. He plays Behemoth Sledge. I Hellspark him. He plays a Nacatl and I Bolt him at EOT. I play Fallout leaving him at 12 life. He Purges my active Ascension. I swing him to 8, but he gets a 5/5 lifelink Nacatl, and I never draw another Deathmark.
1-2
Round 4 vs. Soldiers
I play a Turn 1 Bloodchief Ascension, and he plays Elite Vanguard. I pass, he plays Honor and attacks. I ho-hum, and take 3. I Burst Lightning him at EOT, then Goblin Guide him. He plays Kor Aeronaut. I swing, he Paths the Guide. I Earthquake for 3 to activate my Ascension. He attacks. Next turn I Blightning him, then I manage to Blightning + Hellspark for exactly lethal the turn after that.
Game 2 He passes. I play Goblin Guide and attack, and he plays White Knight. I Bolt it. He plays Honor of the Pure, I play Bloodchief Ascension and swing. He plays a second Honor and Sigilled Paladin, which I Deathmark. I swing. He Paths my Guide, so I Fallout an empty board to activate Ascension. He plays Kor Aeronaut. I Blightning him to 3 life and 0 cards in hand, then Deathmark his one creature. I win shortly after.
2-2
Salivanth's Rating: 3.5/5
Matches Won x2: 4/8
Total Score: 7.5
I like B/R Bloodchief, but I think B/R Blightning is better. The Bloodchief often gets killed or doesn't activate and it warps your game too much. Goblin Guide is awesome, I don't know about Lacerator. I'd recommend upping the curve by removing the Bloodchief Ascensions and the Lacerators and adding in some strong 3-4 mana cards.
Make sure to vote for tomorrow's deck in the polls!
See you tomorrow!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Zendikar Decks Part I: Vampire Aggro
Welcome to the first article in my series on Zendikar decks. Polls will be running through the week to determine the next deck in the series, and the first one you guys picked was Vampire Aggro. Don't forget to vote for tomorrow's article!
Here's the deck I ended up using:
Lands (24)
24 Swamp
Creatures (26)
4 Bloodghast
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
4 Guul Draz Vampire
2 Malakir Bloodwitch
4 Vampire Lacerator
4 Vampire Nighthawk
4 Vampire Nocturnus
Spells (10)
4 Doom Blade
2 Duress
4 Sign in Blood
Sideboard:
4 Vampire Hexmage
2 Malakir Bloodwitch
3 Bloodchief Ascension
4 Deathmark
2 Duress
I hopped on MWS to do battle.
Round 1 vs. Mono-Red Burn
He wins the die roll, and we both mulligan to 6.
He plays a land and passes. I play Guul Draz Vampire. At EOT, he Burst Lightnings me. (18, 20) He plays Hellspark Elemental and swings. I take it. (15, 20). I untap, and swing. (15, 19). I play Bloodghast.
He passes, and I swing for 3. (15, 16). I play Vampire Nighthawk. He Bolts it. He plays Hell's Thunder and attacks. (11, 16). I swing back. (11, 13). I play another Bloodghast. He plays a second Hellspark and swings. (8, 13).
I attack with everything. (8, 8) and then play a Vampire Lacerator. He untaps, and unearths both Hellsparks. I Doom Blade one, and take 3. (5, 8). I attack with my Bloodghasts. (5, 4). He plays Goblin Ruinblaster and passes. I untap, and swing for the win.
Game 2 he elects to play. He keeps, and I mulligan to 6. He plays a land and passes, I play Guul Draz Vampire. Turn 2, he plays a land and passes. I Duress. I take Fallout, and attack. (20, 19). I then play a second Guul Draz Vampire.
He untaps, and Earthquakes for 1. (19, 18). He passes. I play Vampire Nighthawk. He plays double Burst Lightning to kill it. I untap, and play Bloodchief Ascension. He plays Hell's Thunder, and swings. (15, 18). I pass. He unearths Hell's Thunder and attacks. I Doom Blade it.
I untap and play another Bloodchief Ascension. Not the best topdecks. He plays Elemental Appeal and attacks. I Doom Blade it. I pass. Another land. He plays Quest for Pure Flame and Elemental Appeal. He swings. (8, 18). I draw nothing but lands for the next two turns and he plays and unearths Hell's Thunder to kill me.
Game 3 I choose to play, and we both mulligan to 6. Turn 1 I play Guul Draz Vampire. He plays a land and passes. I play Turn 2 Duress, and he aims a Bolt at me in response. (17, 20). I take Elemental Appeal, and swing. (17, 19). He plays a land and passes. I swing (17, 18) and play Vampire Lacerator.
He plays a land and passes. I swing (16, 15) and pass. He passes yet again. I swing, and he plays Fallout (13, 13). I play Guul Draz Vampire and Bloodghast. He lays a land and passes. I swing, he plays another Fallout. (11, 11). I play another Bloodghast. He plays Elemental Appeal and swings. (4, 11).
I play a land, returning Bloodghast, then play Vampire Nocturnus. I swing with a 4/2 flying Bloodghast. (4, 7). I pass. He draws, plays Earthquake for 2 (2, 5) then Burst Lightnings me for the win.
0-1
Round 2 vs. Vampire Aggro
Note: My computer crashed while writing these, so the rest of the post will be fairly short.
Game 1 I keep a slow hand. He curves out basically perfectly and beats me before I put up much resistance.
Game 2 we trade for a while until I manage to get out multiple Bloodwitches and win that way.
Game 3 he gets the advantage, then I play Nocturnus. Unfortunately I then draw 3 swamps in a row and die.
0-2
Round 3 vs. Bant
Game 1 he plays Great Sable Stag with Rafiq of the Many. I die about as horribly as you'd expect.
Game 2 I play lots of guys, and by the time he stabilises I have 3/2's with fear to seal the deal.
Game 3 we play a long game. I eventually stick a Gatekeeper of Malakir with FOUR removal spells in hand. I then bash him to death over six turns killing everything he plays.
1-2
Round 4 vs. B/R Bloodchief
Game 1 his deck works perfectly, getting 3 counters on Bloodchief Ascension and Blightninging me to death.
Game 2 he stalls for a bit and I end up winning with Vampire Nocturnus's buff.
Game 3 we race. He eventually sticks an Ascension and Earthquakes my guys to activate it, but he's at 2 and I manage to kill him even with his active Ascension.
2-2
My Ranking: 2/5
Matches Won x2: 4/8
The ranking system will work as follows. I will rank the deck by consistency and power out of 5, then the amount of matches out of 4 won, x2, will be the rest of the score. At the end, I'll rank them all up.
Frankly, I don't think Vampire Aggro is that great, and B/R hate will keep it down. I rate it Tier 2.
See you soon with the next deck!
Here's the deck I ended up using:
Lands (24)
24 Swamp
Creatures (26)
4 Bloodghast
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
4 Guul Draz Vampire
2 Malakir Bloodwitch
4 Vampire Lacerator
4 Vampire Nighthawk
4 Vampire Nocturnus
Spells (10)
4 Doom Blade
2 Duress
4 Sign in Blood
Sideboard:
4 Vampire Hexmage
2 Malakir Bloodwitch
3 Bloodchief Ascension
4 Deathmark
2 Duress
I hopped on MWS to do battle.
Round 1 vs. Mono-Red Burn
He wins the die roll, and we both mulligan to 6.
He plays a land and passes. I play Guul Draz Vampire. At EOT, he Burst Lightnings me. (18, 20) He plays Hellspark Elemental and swings. I take it. (15, 20). I untap, and swing. (15, 19). I play Bloodghast.
He passes, and I swing for 3. (15, 16). I play Vampire Nighthawk. He Bolts it. He plays Hell's Thunder and attacks. (11, 16). I swing back. (11, 13). I play another Bloodghast. He plays a second Hellspark and swings. (8, 13).
I attack with everything. (8, 8) and then play a Vampire Lacerator. He untaps, and unearths both Hellsparks. I Doom Blade one, and take 3. (5, 8). I attack with my Bloodghasts. (5, 4). He plays Goblin Ruinblaster and passes. I untap, and swing for the win.
Game 2 he elects to play. He keeps, and I mulligan to 6. He plays a land and passes, I play Guul Draz Vampire. Turn 2, he plays a land and passes. I Duress. I take Fallout, and attack. (20, 19). I then play a second Guul Draz Vampire.
He untaps, and Earthquakes for 1. (19, 18). He passes. I play Vampire Nighthawk. He plays double Burst Lightning to kill it. I untap, and play Bloodchief Ascension. He plays Hell's Thunder, and swings. (15, 18). I pass. He unearths Hell's Thunder and attacks. I Doom Blade it.
I untap and play another Bloodchief Ascension. Not the best topdecks. He plays Elemental Appeal and attacks. I Doom Blade it. I pass. Another land. He plays Quest for Pure Flame and Elemental Appeal. He swings. (8, 18). I draw nothing but lands for the next two turns and he plays and unearths Hell's Thunder to kill me.
Game 3 I choose to play, and we both mulligan to 6. Turn 1 I play Guul Draz Vampire. He plays a land and passes. I play Turn 2 Duress, and he aims a Bolt at me in response. (17, 20). I take Elemental Appeal, and swing. (17, 19). He plays a land and passes. I swing (17, 18) and play Vampire Lacerator.
He plays a land and passes. I swing (16, 15) and pass. He passes yet again. I swing, and he plays Fallout (13, 13). I play Guul Draz Vampire and Bloodghast. He lays a land and passes. I swing, he plays another Fallout. (11, 11). I play another Bloodghast. He plays Elemental Appeal and swings. (4, 11).
I play a land, returning Bloodghast, then play Vampire Nocturnus. I swing with a 4/2 flying Bloodghast. (4, 7). I pass. He draws, plays Earthquake for 2 (2, 5) then Burst Lightnings me for the win.
0-1
Round 2 vs. Vampire Aggro
Note: My computer crashed while writing these, so the rest of the post will be fairly short.
Game 1 I keep a slow hand. He curves out basically perfectly and beats me before I put up much resistance.
Game 2 we trade for a while until I manage to get out multiple Bloodwitches and win that way.
Game 3 he gets the advantage, then I play Nocturnus. Unfortunately I then draw 3 swamps in a row and die.
0-2
Round 3 vs. Bant
Game 1 he plays Great Sable Stag with Rafiq of the Many. I die about as horribly as you'd expect.
Game 2 I play lots of guys, and by the time he stabilises I have 3/2's with fear to seal the deal.
Game 3 we play a long game. I eventually stick a Gatekeeper of Malakir with FOUR removal spells in hand. I then bash him to death over six turns killing everything he plays.
1-2
Round 4 vs. B/R Bloodchief
Game 1 his deck works perfectly, getting 3 counters on Bloodchief Ascension and Blightninging me to death.
Game 2 he stalls for a bit and I end up winning with Vampire Nocturnus's buff.
Game 3 we race. He eventually sticks an Ascension and Earthquakes my guys to activate it, but he's at 2 and I manage to kill him even with his active Ascension.
2-2
My Ranking: 2/5
Matches Won x2: 4/8
The ranking system will work as follows. I will rank the deck by consistency and power out of 5, then the amount of matches out of 4 won, x2, will be the rest of the score. At the end, I'll rank them all up.
Frankly, I don't think Vampire Aggro is that great, and B/R hate will keep it down. I rate it Tier 2.
See you soon with the next deck!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Zendikar Decks Part II
I promised in my original Zendikar Decks article here that I'd eventually flesh out these decks. Now is the time for me to do that. I'll propose 7 decks, and I intend to test them, one per day, (except for Saturday) for a week. I'll allow people to vote on their choice. Here are the decks:
W/B/R Control.
Lands (26)
4 Arid Mesa
4 Dragonskull Summit
4 Marsh Flats
4 Mountain
5 Plains
5 Swamp
Creatures (4)
4 Baneslayer Angel
Spells (30)
3 Ajani Vengeant
3 Chandra Nalaar
4 Day of Judgement
3 Lightning Bolt
3 Luminarch Ascension
3 Martial Coup
4 Path to Exile
4 Sign in Blood
3 Terminate
Sideboard:
4 Celestial Purge
4 Oblivion Ring
3 Solemn Offering
4 Volcanic Fallout
The deck has 7 Wraths, and ample finishers. It can finish from several angles. It has card draw in Sign in Blood, and plenty of spot removal. It's a rough draft, but could turn into quite a deck.
New Time Sieve
Lands (18)
7 Island
5 Plains
6 Swamp
Creatures (0)
Spells ()
4 Day of Judgement
4 Fieldmist Borderpost
3 Font of Mythos
4 Howling Mine
4 Kaleidoscope
4 Mistvein Borderpost
4 Obelisk of Esper
4 Open the Vaults
3 Tezzeret the Seeker
4 Time Sieve
4 Time Warp
Sideboard:
4 Celestial Purge
4 Ethersworn Canonist
3 Meddling Mage
4 Path to Exile
The deck loses a bit, and doesn't gain much, but the deck still has Tier 1 potential. An extra Tezzeret has been added for the non-combo finish. Obelisk of Esper acts as Borderposts 9-12, and the Day of Judgement is there to stop Vampires.
Vampire Aggro
Lands (24)
24 Swamp
Creatures (26)
4 Bloodghast
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
4 Guul Draz Vampire
2 Malakir Bloodwitch
4 Vampire Lacerator
4 Vampire Nighthawk
4 Vampire Nocturnus
Spells (10)
4 Doom Blade
2 Duress
4 Sign in Blood
Sideboard:
2 Bloodchief Ascension
4 Deathmark
2 Duress
2 Malakir Bloodwitch
3 Ravenous Trap
The deck is fast, has some late-game plans, light disruption, removal and card draw, and it's VAMPIRES. Who doesn't like Vampires? The Ravenous Trap in the sideboard is against Time Sieve. Absolutely destroys them.
B/R Bloodchief Blightning
Lands (24)
4 Akoum Refuge
4 Dragonskull Summit
8 Mountain
8 Swamp
Creatures (18)
2 Ball Lightning
4 Goblin Guide
4 Hellspark Elemental
4 Goblin Outlander
4 Vampire Lacerator
Spells (18)
4 Blightning
4 Bloodchief Ascension
4 Burst Lightning
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Volcanic Fallout
Sideboard:
3 Banefire
4 Deathmark
4 Duress
2 Terminate
2 Volcanic Fallout
This deck is a fairly simple B/R deck. The idea is to beat the opponent to death, either with or without a Bloodchief Ascension.
New Jund
Lands (25)
4 Dragonskull Summit
3 Forest
3 Mountain
4 Rootbound Crag
4 Savage Lands
3 Swamp
4 Verdant Catacombs
Creatures (16)
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Lotus Cobra
4 Putrid Leech
4 Vampire Nighthawk
Spells (19)
4 Bituminous Blast
4 Jund Charm
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Maelstrom Pulse
3 Sign in Blood
Sideboard:
4 Deathmark
4 Great Sable Stag
3 Jund Hackblade
4 Volcanic Fallout
A Jund list with many of the same traits as pre-Zendikar Jund: the ability to play as aggro or control, a malleable sideboard, and a lot of sheer power, and Cascade.
New Warp World
Lands (23)
7 Forest
9 Mountain
3 Swamp
4 Verdant Catacombs
Creatures (29)
4 Birds of Paradise
2 Bogardan Hellkite
4 Elvish Visionary
4 Keeper of Progenitus
4 Lotus Cobra
4 Noble Hierarch
3 Ob Nixilis, the Fallen
4 Siege-Gang Commander
Spells (8)
4 Trace of Abundance
4 Warp World
Sideboard:
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Thought Hemorrhage
4 Vithian Renegades
3 Volcanic Fallout
W/B/R Control.
Lands (26)
4 Arid Mesa
4 Dragonskull Summit
4 Marsh Flats
4 Mountain
5 Plains
5 Swamp
Creatures (4)
4 Baneslayer Angel
Spells (30)
3 Ajani Vengeant
3 Chandra Nalaar
4 Day of Judgement
3 Lightning Bolt
3 Luminarch Ascension
3 Martial Coup
4 Path to Exile
4 Sign in Blood
3 Terminate
Sideboard:
4 Celestial Purge
4 Oblivion Ring
3 Solemn Offering
4 Volcanic Fallout
The deck has 7 Wraths, and ample finishers. It can finish from several angles. It has card draw in Sign in Blood, and plenty of spot removal. It's a rough draft, but could turn into quite a deck.
New Time Sieve
Lands (18)
7 Island
5 Plains
6 Swamp
Creatures (0)
Spells ()
4 Day of Judgement
4 Fieldmist Borderpost
3 Font of Mythos
4 Howling Mine
4 Kaleidoscope
4 Mistvein Borderpost
4 Obelisk of Esper
4 Open the Vaults
3 Tezzeret the Seeker
4 Time Sieve
4 Time Warp
Sideboard:
4 Celestial Purge
4 Ethersworn Canonist
3 Meddling Mage
4 Path to Exile
The deck loses a bit, and doesn't gain much, but the deck still has Tier 1 potential. An extra Tezzeret has been added for the non-combo finish. Obelisk of Esper acts as Borderposts 9-12, and the Day of Judgement is there to stop Vampires.
Vampire Aggro
Lands (24)
24 Swamp
Creatures (26)
4 Bloodghast
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
4 Guul Draz Vampire
2 Malakir Bloodwitch
4 Vampire Lacerator
4 Vampire Nighthawk
4 Vampire Nocturnus
Spells (10)
4 Doom Blade
2 Duress
4 Sign in Blood
Sideboard:
2 Bloodchief Ascension
4 Deathmark
2 Duress
2 Malakir Bloodwitch
3 Ravenous Trap
The deck is fast, has some late-game plans, light disruption, removal and card draw, and it's VAMPIRES. Who doesn't like Vampires? The Ravenous Trap in the sideboard is against Time Sieve. Absolutely destroys them.
B/R Bloodchief Blightning
Lands (24)
4 Akoum Refuge
4 Dragonskull Summit
8 Mountain
8 Swamp
Creatures (18)
2 Ball Lightning
4 Goblin Guide
4 Hellspark Elemental
4 Goblin Outlander
4 Vampire Lacerator
Spells (18)
4 Blightning
4 Bloodchief Ascension
4 Burst Lightning
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Volcanic Fallout
Sideboard:
3 Banefire
4 Deathmark
4 Duress
2 Terminate
2 Volcanic Fallout
This deck is a fairly simple B/R deck. The idea is to beat the opponent to death, either with or without a Bloodchief Ascension.
New Jund
Lands (25)
4 Dragonskull Summit
3 Forest
3 Mountain
4 Rootbound Crag
4 Savage Lands
3 Swamp
4 Verdant Catacombs
Creatures (16)
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Lotus Cobra
4 Putrid Leech
4 Vampire Nighthawk
Spells (19)
4 Bituminous Blast
4 Jund Charm
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Maelstrom Pulse
3 Sign in Blood
Sideboard:
4 Deathmark
4 Great Sable Stag
3 Jund Hackblade
4 Volcanic Fallout
A Jund list with many of the same traits as pre-Zendikar Jund: the ability to play as aggro or control, a malleable sideboard, and a lot of sheer power, and Cascade.
New Warp World
Lands (23)
7 Forest
9 Mountain
3 Swamp
4 Verdant Catacombs
Creatures (29)
4 Birds of Paradise
2 Bogardan Hellkite
4 Elvish Visionary
4 Keeper of Progenitus
4 Lotus Cobra
4 Noble Hierarch
3 Ob Nixilis, the Fallen
4 Siege-Gang Commander
Spells (8)
4 Trace of Abundance
4 Warp World
Sideboard:
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Thought Hemorrhage
4 Vithian Renegades
3 Volcanic Fallout
Most of the deck remains the same. The main additions are Ob Nixilis, who is a BEATING if you get 3-4 lands off Warp World, and Lotus Cobra to power out more fast starts.
Soldiers
Lands (24)
23 Plains
Creatures ()
4 Captain of the Watch
4 Elite Vanguard
4 Kazandu Blademaster
4 Kor Aeronaut
4 Veteran Armorsmith
4 Veteran Swordsmith
Spells ()
2 Conqueror's Pledge
4 Honor of the Pure
4 Path to Exile
3 Brave the Elements
Sideboard:
3 Baneslayer Angel
1 Brave the Elements
4 Celestial Purge
3 Devout Lightcaster
4 Harm's Way
This is an archetypal White Weenie deck: plenty of guys, some modern token-producers, and the Anthem of choice, Honor of the Pure. Also features the anti-removal Brave the Elements as a new addition.
So those are our seven. Be sure to vote for which one should be tested first in the poll!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Zendikar Prerelease: A Gamer's Tale.
After finishing yesterday's blog post at 3 am, I then proceeded to fall asleep until 8 am. I got more sleep than half the players at the Prerelease. (We're GAMERS. It happens) I headed in, and the atmosphere was absolutely, positively...dull. This continued on in that vein, until...
WAIT A MINUTE. This isn't "How My Day Went", this is the Zendikar Prerelease report! So let's just skip right to the cards, shall we? Any objections?
...
...
...
*crickets chirp*
...
I thought not.
We got passed our cards and deck registration sheets, and I started sorting. It took a bit of time, since I had to open a kid's boosters for him (he broke his arm a few weeks ago and still hasn't missed a week. That's just awesome.) but I immediately realised, while I didn't have any bombs, I had a very solid pool. Here's what I opened.
Basic Land:
2 Island
2 Mountain
2 Swamp
Non-Basic Land:
1 Kazandu Refuge
1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
1 Piranha Marsh
1 Soaring Seacliff
1 Teetering Peaks
1 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
Artifact:
1 Adventuring Gear
1 Carnage Altar
2 Expedition Map
1 Stonework Puma
1 Trusty Machete
White:
1 Brave the Elements
2 Caravan Hurda
1 Journey to Nowhere
1 Kazandu Blademaster
1 Kor Skyfisher
1 Nimbus Wings
1 Noble Vestige
1 Ondu Cleric
1 Shieldmate's Blessing
1 Steppe Lynx
1 Sunspring Expedition
Blue:
1 Archive Trap
1 Caller of Gales
1 Gomazoa
1 Into the Roil
1 Ior Ruin Expedition
1 Kraken Hatchling
1 Quest for Ancient Secrets
1 Reckless Scholar
1 Sea Gate Loremaster
1 Sky Ruin Drake
1 Summoner's Bane
2 Tempest Owl
1 Trapfinder's Trick
2 Welkin Tern
1 Whiplash Trap
Black:
4 Crypt Ripper
1 Desecrated Earth
1 Feast of Blood
1 Giant Scorpion
2 Hideous End
2 Mindless Null
1 Ravenous Trap
2 Sadistic Sacrament
2 Soul Stair Expedition
1 Vampire Hexmage
Red:
1 Geyser Glider
1 Goblin War Paint
1 Murasa Pyromancer
1 Plated Geopede
1 Quest for Pure Flame
1 Ruinous Minotaur
1 Seismic Shudder
1 Shatterskull Giant
1 Spire Barrage
1 Torch Slinger
1 Zektar Shrine Expedition
Green:
2 Grazing Gladehart
1 Joraga Bard
1 Khalni Heart Expedition
1 Nissa's Chosen
2 Oran-Rief Survivalist
1 Savage Silhouette
2 Tajuru Archer
1 Turntimber Basilisk
1 Vastwood Gorger
Now, since you may not know all the cards in Zendikar yet (shame on you for not memorising the entire Visual Spoiler already!) here are some of the more interesting ones.
Crypt Ripper
2BB
Haste
2/2
B: +1/+1 til EOT.
I opened FOUR of these. Yeah. FOUR. As I mentioned in my own post, this card is actually pretty damn good. Combined with the two Hideous End, I knew instantly I would play black. We didn't end up deck swapping (we have a fairly lenient prerelease) so we got to brewin'!
The biggest problem I had was in deciding a second color. I could have made arguments for all of them. Red had some solid creatures and Zektar Shrine. Green had some great creatures. White had a Piece of removal and some combat tricks, and blue has a lot of decent playables, including two (Reckless Scholar and Sea Gate Loremaster) that can just win the game if left unchecked.
After much agonizing, I went with a blue-black build. I chose to add the Seacliff, but not the Piranha Marsh. Here's the build I ended up with:
Lands (17)
7 Island
1 Soaring Seacluff
9 Swamp
Creatures (13)
1 Caller of Gales
4 Crypt Ripper
1 Giant Scorpion
1 Gomozoa
1 Reckless Scholar
1 Sea Gate Loremaster
1 Sky Ruin Drake
1 Vampire Hexmage
2 Welkin Tern
Spells (10)
1 Carnage Altar
2 Hideous End
1 Into the Roil
1 Ior Ruin Expedition
2 Soul Stair Expedition
1 Summoner's Bane
1 Trusty Machete
1 Whiplash Trap
I added Carnage Altar as an experiment. Cards like this can occasionally turn out uber-powerful, and if I was right, I'd look awesome and have a great edge.
It wasn't. It was terrible, and I should have taken it out after Round 1. Somehow I forgot about the 'Change your deck between rounds' rule at the Prerelease.
Trusty Machete, however, was bloody awesome.
Crypt Ripper, however, was my MVP. So good to have 4 of them. Let's move on to the games though, lest I wax about every card in my deck.
Round 1 vs. Heath
I lose the die roll. Both of us elect to keep. He leads with a Sunspring Expedition. I match it with a Soul Stair Expedition. He plays Kor Skyfisher, bouncing his Plains, and I pass. He plays Turntimber Grove and bashes me for 3. (17,20)
I pass. He swings again, and I give his Skyfisher a rather Hideous End. (17,18) He plays a Shieldmate. A 1/4 defender. Scary. I play Crypt Ripper, he plays Greenweaver Druid. I drop an Ior Ruin, then a land (I almost, out of habit, do it the other way round) and swing. He lets it through, and I triple-pump. (17, 13). He activates his Expedition. (17, 21). He plays Harrow and swings. I take 1. (16, 21). I attack with Crypt Ripper. His 1/4 blocks, and I pump the Ripper to kill it. At the end of my turn, he plays Baloth Cage Trap.
Next turn, he plays Celestial Mantle and swings with a 7/7 that will double his life total if it hits. Yeah, I chump block. Next turn I kick Into The Roil to bounce his token, then swing, and pump +4. (16, 11). He plays Kor Hookmaster and Explorer's Scope. He swings for 1. (15, 11). I play Sky Ruin Drake and another Soul Stair Expedition, then pass.
He plays Stonework Puma, then Brave the Elements naming blue. He swings. (13, 11). I swing. He blocks with the Puma. I pump to kill it, and hit for 2 with my Drake. (13, 9). I then play Sea Gate Loremaster and Giant Scorpion. He untaps and plays Landbind Ritual. (13, 21). He swings. Giant Scorpion blocks. The Hookmaster dies. I swing. (13, 18). He blocks my Crypt Ripper with Greenweaver Druid. He passes.
I play Gomazoa and Trusty Machete. I equip it, and swing. (13, 8) He plays Kor Sanctifiers. I Summoner's Bane it. Next turn, I play Soaring Seacliff, pump my Ripper, and beat him to death in the air.
Game 2 he chooses to play. He keeps, and I mull to 6. His first play is Kor Outfitters. I draw Soul Stair Expedition, play it, then lay a land. He plays Greenweaver Druid, and swings. (20, 18). I play Giant Scorpion, and he kicks Kor Aeronaut. He swings. (20, 16). I play Crypt Ripper and swing. (18, 16). He plays Turntimber Larva. He swings again. (18, 14). I respond in kind, with a 5/5 Crypt Ripper. (13, 14). He swings (13, 10) and I block Turntimber Larva with Giant Scorpion. I get it back with the Expedition at EOT.
I play it, then swing, pumping twice. (9, 10). He plays another Kor Outfitters and swings. (9, 5). I play Gomozoa and pass. He plays Stonework Puma and knocks me to two. I play Carnage Alter and sacrifice Gomozoa. I fail to draw an answer, and concede.
On to Game 3!
I play, and we both keep. I play a Trusty Machete, he plays Sunspring Expedition. I play Vampire Hexmage, he plays Expedition Map. I swing, then play Welkin Tern. He plays Kor Hookmaster, targeting the Hexmage. I equip Trusty Machete to Welkin Tern. (This happens several times throughout the day. It becomes a running gag of mine about the homocidal bird carrying a machete in it's mouth.)
I swing. (14, 20). He uses Expedition Map to find Turntimber Grove, plays it, and hits me for 3. (14, 17). I play Sky Ruin Drake (or as I start calling it, Race Ruin Drake) and swing. (8, 17). He sacs the Expedition. (16, 17). He plays Territorial Baloth. I play Crypt Ripper. He swings. (10, 11). We have a race on our hands! I oblige. He then plays Kor Outfitters, attaching the Expedition Scope to the Basilisk. I play Crypt Ripper. I swing. He Pitfall Traps my 4/4 Ripper and blocks the other. (2, 11). He then plays Puma, and Harrow (making the Baloth an 8/8.) He swings. I go to 3. I win next turn.
1-0
Round 2 vs. Luke
I play first. I play a Swamp, he plays the R/G Refuge. (20, 21)
I play a land, he plays Zektar Shrine Expedition.
I play Reckless Scholar, he passes. I play Crypt Ripper, he uses Punishing Fire. He passes. I play a Sky Ruin Drake. He passes again. I play Ior Ruin Expedition and attack. He Harrows and Hideous Ends my Drake. (18, 19). He plays Tuktuk Grunts and swings. I block. I play Gomazoa, then Welkin Tern. I swing. (18, 17).
He plays Marsh Casualties. I play Trusty Machete and Crypt Ripper. I swing. (18, 15). He swings with the Zektar and a 4/4. I block the 7/1 and Gomazoa-shuffle it into oblivion, and take 4. (14, 15). I equip Crypt Ripper with my Machete, and attack. (14, 9). He plays Mark of Mutiny on it, and attacks. (6, 9). I swing, he blocks. I play Sea Gate Loremaster.
He plays Giant Scorpion. He passes. I swing and he blocks and uses Slaughter Cry to kill my guy. He plays a Shrine, and a land. He swings. (5, 9). I equip the Machete to the Loremaster. I pass. He swings. (4, 9). I Hideous End his blocker next turn, and swing. (4, 4). He kicks Mold Shambler. I use Summoner's Bane. I play a Crypt Ripper next turn and swing for the win.
Game 2 he chooses to draw. I play a Turn 2 Ior Ruin, and he passes. I play Reckless Scholar. He plays Vampire Nighthawk. (The sheer IMPOSSIBILITY of this card to be dealt with profitably says that I want this as my Jund 3-drop.) I play a Crypt Ripper and pass. He swings. (18, 22). I play a land and sac the Expedition. I pass. He swings. (16, 24). He then plays Spidersilk Net and attaches it to the Nighthawk. He kicks Gatekeeper of Malakir, and I sacrifice my Reckless Scholar.
I play my combo: Caller of Gales plus Giant Scorpion. He swings. (12, 28). I play a Crypt Ripper. He plays Malakir Bloodwitch. (9, 31). He swings. I use my combo and block. (9, 33). I swing, and +3. He goes to 28. He Spidersilk Nets onto the Bloodwitch. I Whiplash Trap it at end of turn, since the only card I have to kill it is Summoner's Bane (in hand, too!)
I then swing. (9, 22). He plays Malakir Bloodwitch, I Summoner's Bane it. I swing. (9, 11). He plays Hagra Diabolist. (8, 11). I kick Into the Roil and swing for the win.
2-0.
Round 3 vs. Brian.
I mulligan, and he keeps. He plays the G/W refuge. (20, 21). I lay a land and pass. We both play lands, then I play Giant Scorpion. He passes. I play Crypt Ripper, and swing. (20, 18). He passes. I swing, pump the Ripper to a 4/4. He Burst Lightnings it (with Kicker). (20, 17). He passes. I play a Crypt Ripper and swing. (20, 12). Next turn I play Trusty Machete and Welkin Tarn and swing. (20, 3). He concedes.
Game 2 he plays Kor Duelist. I play Soul Stair Expedition. He plays Turntimber Grove and swings. (20, 18). I play Welkin Tern. He swings. (20, 17). He plays Nissa's Chosen. I play Trusty Machete, and equip it to the Tern. I swing. (16, 17). We both swing for a few turns. Here's how it goes:
16, 14.
12, 14.
12, 11.
8, 11.
He then plays an end of turn Baloth Cage Trap. He swings, and I Whiplash Trap his token and Chosen. (8. 9) He plays Oracle of Mul Daya. I swing. (4, 9). He plays Kor Hookmaster. I Summoner's Bane it. He Magma Rifts. I get it back with Soul Stair at EOT.
I equip the machete to my token and swing. He blocks. I play Sky Ruin Drake. He kicks Kor Sanctifiers and kills my Machete. I swing. (9, 2). I play Welkin Tern and Sea Gate Loremaster. He draws and concedes.
3-0.
Round 4 vs. Jarred
I've been hearing tales of Jarred's amazing deck all day. Let's see if it lives up to the hype.
He keeps, I mulligan. I play a land, he plays Piranha Marsh. (20, 19). Turn 3 he plays Quest for the Gemblades. I play Crypt Ripper and swing. (18, 19). He kicks Gatekeeper of Malakir. I play Sky Ruin Drake. He plays Territorial Baloth. I pass. He swings. I block the Gatekeeper. (18, 13). He plays some guys, and I Whiplash Trap them for U.
Aside: I totally punted this. For some reason I thought Whiplash Trap's U cost was only meant to bounce the creatures that were played. I should have gone for the Baloth instead. It probably wouldn't have helped though. See below.
He swings. (18, 7).
Next turn he plays Sorin Markov. He drains my life and beats me to death shortly after.
Game 2 I play Caller of Gales. He plays Piranha Marsh. (20, 19). I swing, and play Welkin Tarn. He plays Quest of the Gemblades. I swing. (16, 19). He plays Vampire Nighthawk. So much for out-aggroing him.
I play a Soul Stair and pass. He swings. (18, 17). I swing. (16, 17). He plays Crypt Ripper and swings. (18, 12)
I play Sea Gate Loremaster and swing. (16, 12).
He swings. (18, 4).
I draw, and concede.
3-1.
Ow...the pain...
Round 5 vs. Nicholas
He wins the roll. I mulligan. Turn 1, he plays Guul Draz Vampire. I play Caller of Gales. He swings, and I block. He plays a second Guul Draz Vampire. I play Welkin Tern. He plays Kor Hookmaster and swings. (20, 19). I pass. He swings (20, 18) then plays Kor Cartographer.
I swing. (18, 18). He swings. (18, 15). He plays Kazandu Blademaster and Adventuring Geat. I swing. (16, 15) I play Carnage Altar, again cursing it's very existence.
He swings. (16, 10). I pass. He swings (16, 4). I kick Into The Roil, fail to find something next turn, and concede.
Game 2 I choose to play. I play Soul Stair, he plays Vampire Lacerator and Spidersilk Net. I pass. He swings (19, 18) and plays Bloodghast. I play Gomazoa. He swings. I block Bloodghast. (18, 16)
I play Reckless Scholar. He swings. I block Bloodghast and shuffle them away. (17,14). he swings next turn. (16, 12). I play Crypt Ripper, and swing. (14, 12).
He swings, I block, and he casts Disfigure. (13, 12). I swing, and he casts Hideous End. (13, 10). I remark that now I'm at 10, I'm basically screwed. He agrees. I play Hexmage. He swings. After double-checking for a combat trick, I blow him out with my guys. He forgot Hexmage had first strike. a Hideous End was also involved. (He played a Hookmaster at one point. My notes suck.) (11, 10).
I swing. (6, 10). I win quite quickly, and we're on to Game 3.
Game 3 I keep, and my heart turns to ice. How could I forget that his deck was so fast, and I have so little early action!?
He plays Vampire Lacerator. I play Carnage Altar. He swings. (19, 18). I pass. He swings. (18, 16). He plays Kor Sanctifiers.
I play Gomazoa, acting as if I had it all along. Don't know if I fooled him. He swings. (17, 14) then plays Heartstabber Mosquito. I play Ior Ruin Expedition, lay a land, and pass. he swings. (16, 10). Once again, past the 10 mark. I play Sky Ruin Drake. He swings, I block Lacerator. (16, 6) He plays another couple of guys next turn and swings. (16, 2). I have nothing off the top, and that's the tournament.
3-2.
Well, in the end thanks to high resistances, I come 8th out of 33, so I'm happy. I get some Zendikar packs for my troubles, and had a cool day of Magic. I'll need to play at the Launch Party and participate in some Zendikar draft before I make a formal conclusion as to the format, but here's my view:
As spoken by someone who's name I don't know at the Prerelease: Games in Zendikar go really fast or really long. There's not really a middle ground. I totally agree. Zendikar's early drops and bombs are so good that midrange decks get flanked on either side. Either play aggro or play late-game: but make a choice. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. Thank you, nameless guy.
Quests are very useful. They're also a big part of Limited.
Black is the best color in Zendikar. Most of the top 8 played with it. I advise trying to play it in Sealed. I don't know about Draft yet.
Thanks for reading!
WAIT A MINUTE. This isn't "How My Day Went", this is the Zendikar Prerelease report! So let's just skip right to the cards, shall we? Any objections?
...
...
...
*crickets chirp*
...
I thought not.
We got passed our cards and deck registration sheets, and I started sorting. It took a bit of time, since I had to open a kid's boosters for him (he broke his arm a few weeks ago and still hasn't missed a week. That's just awesome.) but I immediately realised, while I didn't have any bombs, I had a very solid pool. Here's what I opened.
Basic Land:
2 Island
2 Mountain
2 Swamp
Non-Basic Land:
1 Kazandu Refuge
1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
1 Piranha Marsh
1 Soaring Seacliff
1 Teetering Peaks
1 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
Artifact:
1 Adventuring Gear
1 Carnage Altar
2 Expedition Map
1 Stonework Puma
1 Trusty Machete
White:
1 Brave the Elements
2 Caravan Hurda
1 Journey to Nowhere
1 Kazandu Blademaster
1 Kor Skyfisher
1 Nimbus Wings
1 Noble Vestige
1 Ondu Cleric
1 Shieldmate's Blessing
1 Steppe Lynx
1 Sunspring Expedition
Blue:
1 Archive Trap
1 Caller of Gales
1 Gomazoa
1 Into the Roil
1 Ior Ruin Expedition
1 Kraken Hatchling
1 Quest for Ancient Secrets
1 Reckless Scholar
1 Sea Gate Loremaster
1 Sky Ruin Drake
1 Summoner's Bane
2 Tempest Owl
1 Trapfinder's Trick
2 Welkin Tern
1 Whiplash Trap
Black:
4 Crypt Ripper
1 Desecrated Earth
1 Feast of Blood
1 Giant Scorpion
2 Hideous End
2 Mindless Null
1 Ravenous Trap
2 Sadistic Sacrament
2 Soul Stair Expedition
1 Vampire Hexmage
Red:
1 Geyser Glider
1 Goblin War Paint
1 Murasa Pyromancer
1 Plated Geopede
1 Quest for Pure Flame
1 Ruinous Minotaur
1 Seismic Shudder
1 Shatterskull Giant
1 Spire Barrage
1 Torch Slinger
1 Zektar Shrine Expedition
Green:
2 Grazing Gladehart
1 Joraga Bard
1 Khalni Heart Expedition
1 Nissa's Chosen
2 Oran-Rief Survivalist
1 Savage Silhouette
2 Tajuru Archer
1 Turntimber Basilisk
1 Vastwood Gorger
Now, since you may not know all the cards in Zendikar yet (shame on you for not memorising the entire Visual Spoiler already!) here are some of the more interesting ones.
Crypt Ripper
2BB
Haste
2/2
B: +1/+1 til EOT.
I opened FOUR of these. Yeah. FOUR. As I mentioned in my own post, this card is actually pretty damn good. Combined with the two Hideous End, I knew instantly I would play black. We didn't end up deck swapping (we have a fairly lenient prerelease) so we got to brewin'!
The biggest problem I had was in deciding a second color. I could have made arguments for all of them. Red had some solid creatures and Zektar Shrine. Green had some great creatures. White had a Piece of removal and some combat tricks, and blue has a lot of decent playables, including two (Reckless Scholar and Sea Gate Loremaster) that can just win the game if left unchecked.
After much agonizing, I went with a blue-black build. I chose to add the Seacliff, but not the Piranha Marsh. Here's the build I ended up with:
Lands (17)
7 Island
1 Soaring Seacluff
9 Swamp
Creatures (13)
1 Caller of Gales
4 Crypt Ripper
1 Giant Scorpion
1 Gomozoa
1 Reckless Scholar
1 Sea Gate Loremaster
1 Sky Ruin Drake
1 Vampire Hexmage
2 Welkin Tern
Spells (10)
1 Carnage Altar
2 Hideous End
1 Into the Roil
1 Ior Ruin Expedition
2 Soul Stair Expedition
1 Summoner's Bane
1 Trusty Machete
1 Whiplash Trap
I added Carnage Altar as an experiment. Cards like this can occasionally turn out uber-powerful, and if I was right, I'd look awesome and have a great edge.
It wasn't. It was terrible, and I should have taken it out after Round 1. Somehow I forgot about the 'Change your deck between rounds' rule at the Prerelease.
Trusty Machete, however, was bloody awesome.
Crypt Ripper, however, was my MVP. So good to have 4 of them. Let's move on to the games though, lest I wax about every card in my deck.
Round 1 vs. Heath
I lose the die roll. Both of us elect to keep. He leads with a Sunspring Expedition. I match it with a Soul Stair Expedition. He plays Kor Skyfisher, bouncing his Plains, and I pass. He plays Turntimber Grove and bashes me for 3. (17,20)
I pass. He swings again, and I give his Skyfisher a rather Hideous End. (17,18) He plays a Shieldmate. A 1/4 defender. Scary. I play Crypt Ripper, he plays Greenweaver Druid. I drop an Ior Ruin, then a land (I almost, out of habit, do it the other way round) and swing. He lets it through, and I triple-pump. (17, 13). He activates his Expedition. (17, 21). He plays Harrow and swings. I take 1. (16, 21). I attack with Crypt Ripper. His 1/4 blocks, and I pump the Ripper to kill it. At the end of my turn, he plays Baloth Cage Trap.
Next turn, he plays Celestial Mantle and swings with a 7/7 that will double his life total if it hits. Yeah, I chump block. Next turn I kick Into The Roil to bounce his token, then swing, and pump +4. (16, 11). He plays Kor Hookmaster and Explorer's Scope. He swings for 1. (15, 11). I play Sky Ruin Drake and another Soul Stair Expedition, then pass.
He plays Stonework Puma, then Brave the Elements naming blue. He swings. (13, 11). I swing. He blocks with the Puma. I pump to kill it, and hit for 2 with my Drake. (13, 9). I then play Sea Gate Loremaster and Giant Scorpion. He untaps and plays Landbind Ritual. (13, 21). He swings. Giant Scorpion blocks. The Hookmaster dies. I swing. (13, 18). He blocks my Crypt Ripper with Greenweaver Druid. He passes.
I play Gomazoa and Trusty Machete. I equip it, and swing. (13, 8) He plays Kor Sanctifiers. I Summoner's Bane it. Next turn, I play Soaring Seacliff, pump my Ripper, and beat him to death in the air.
Game 2 he chooses to play. He keeps, and I mull to 6. His first play is Kor Outfitters. I draw Soul Stair Expedition, play it, then lay a land. He plays Greenweaver Druid, and swings. (20, 18). I play Giant Scorpion, and he kicks Kor Aeronaut. He swings. (20, 16). I play Crypt Ripper and swing. (18, 16). He plays Turntimber Larva. He swings again. (18, 14). I respond in kind, with a 5/5 Crypt Ripper. (13, 14). He swings (13, 10) and I block Turntimber Larva with Giant Scorpion. I get it back with the Expedition at EOT.
I play it, then swing, pumping twice. (9, 10). He plays another Kor Outfitters and swings. (9, 5). I play Gomozoa and pass. He plays Stonework Puma and knocks me to two. I play Carnage Alter and sacrifice Gomozoa. I fail to draw an answer, and concede.
On to Game 3!
I play, and we both keep. I play a Trusty Machete, he plays Sunspring Expedition. I play Vampire Hexmage, he plays Expedition Map. I swing, then play Welkin Tern. He plays Kor Hookmaster, targeting the Hexmage. I equip Trusty Machete to Welkin Tern. (This happens several times throughout the day. It becomes a running gag of mine about the homocidal bird carrying a machete in it's mouth.)
I swing. (14, 20). He uses Expedition Map to find Turntimber Grove, plays it, and hits me for 3. (14, 17). I play Sky Ruin Drake (or as I start calling it, Race Ruin Drake) and swing. (8, 17). He sacs the Expedition. (16, 17). He plays Territorial Baloth. I play Crypt Ripper. He swings. (10, 11). We have a race on our hands! I oblige. He then plays Kor Outfitters, attaching the Expedition Scope to the Basilisk. I play Crypt Ripper. I swing. He Pitfall Traps my 4/4 Ripper and blocks the other. (2, 11). He then plays Puma, and Harrow (making the Baloth an 8/8.) He swings. I go to 3. I win next turn.
1-0
Round 2 vs. Luke
I play first. I play a Swamp, he plays the R/G Refuge. (20, 21)
I play a land, he plays Zektar Shrine Expedition.
I play Reckless Scholar, he passes. I play Crypt Ripper, he uses Punishing Fire. He passes. I play a Sky Ruin Drake. He passes again. I play Ior Ruin Expedition and attack. He Harrows and Hideous Ends my Drake. (18, 19). He plays Tuktuk Grunts and swings. I block. I play Gomazoa, then Welkin Tern. I swing. (18, 17).
He plays Marsh Casualties. I play Trusty Machete and Crypt Ripper. I swing. (18, 15). He swings with the Zektar and a 4/4. I block the 7/1 and Gomazoa-shuffle it into oblivion, and take 4. (14, 15). I equip Crypt Ripper with my Machete, and attack. (14, 9). He plays Mark of Mutiny on it, and attacks. (6, 9). I swing, he blocks. I play Sea Gate Loremaster.
He plays Giant Scorpion. He passes. I swing and he blocks and uses Slaughter Cry to kill my guy. He plays a Shrine, and a land. He swings. (5, 9). I equip the Machete to the Loremaster. I pass. He swings. (4, 9). I Hideous End his blocker next turn, and swing. (4, 4). He kicks Mold Shambler. I use Summoner's Bane. I play a Crypt Ripper next turn and swing for the win.
Game 2 he chooses to draw. I play a Turn 2 Ior Ruin, and he passes. I play Reckless Scholar. He plays Vampire Nighthawk. (The sheer IMPOSSIBILITY of this card to be dealt with profitably says that I want this as my Jund 3-drop.) I play a Crypt Ripper and pass. He swings. (18, 22). I play a land and sac the Expedition. I pass. He swings. (16, 24). He then plays Spidersilk Net and attaches it to the Nighthawk. He kicks Gatekeeper of Malakir, and I sacrifice my Reckless Scholar.
I play my combo: Caller of Gales plus Giant Scorpion. He swings. (12, 28). I play a Crypt Ripper. He plays Malakir Bloodwitch. (9, 31). He swings. I use my combo and block. (9, 33). I swing, and +3. He goes to 28. He Spidersilk Nets onto the Bloodwitch. I Whiplash Trap it at end of turn, since the only card I have to kill it is Summoner's Bane (in hand, too!)
I then swing. (9, 22). He plays Malakir Bloodwitch, I Summoner's Bane it. I swing. (9, 11). He plays Hagra Diabolist. (8, 11). I kick Into the Roil and swing for the win.
2-0.
Round 3 vs. Brian.
I mulligan, and he keeps. He plays the G/W refuge. (20, 21). I lay a land and pass. We both play lands, then I play Giant Scorpion. He passes. I play Crypt Ripper, and swing. (20, 18). He passes. I swing, pump the Ripper to a 4/4. He Burst Lightnings it (with Kicker). (20, 17). He passes. I play a Crypt Ripper and swing. (20, 12). Next turn I play Trusty Machete and Welkin Tarn and swing. (20, 3). He concedes.
Game 2 he plays Kor Duelist. I play Soul Stair Expedition. He plays Turntimber Grove and swings. (20, 18). I play Welkin Tern. He swings. (20, 17). He plays Nissa's Chosen. I play Trusty Machete, and equip it to the Tern. I swing. (16, 17). We both swing for a few turns. Here's how it goes:
16, 14.
12, 14.
12, 11.
8, 11.
He then plays an end of turn Baloth Cage Trap. He swings, and I Whiplash Trap his token and Chosen. (8. 9) He plays Oracle of Mul Daya. I swing. (4, 9). He plays Kor Hookmaster. I Summoner's Bane it. He Magma Rifts. I get it back with Soul Stair at EOT.
I equip the machete to my token and swing. He blocks. I play Sky Ruin Drake. He kicks Kor Sanctifiers and kills my Machete. I swing. (9, 2). I play Welkin Tern and Sea Gate Loremaster. He draws and concedes.
3-0.
Round 4 vs. Jarred
I've been hearing tales of Jarred's amazing deck all day. Let's see if it lives up to the hype.
He keeps, I mulligan. I play a land, he plays Piranha Marsh. (20, 19). Turn 3 he plays Quest for the Gemblades. I play Crypt Ripper and swing. (18, 19). He kicks Gatekeeper of Malakir. I play Sky Ruin Drake. He plays Territorial Baloth. I pass. He swings. I block the Gatekeeper. (18, 13). He plays some guys, and I Whiplash Trap them for U.
Aside: I totally punted this. For some reason I thought Whiplash Trap's U cost was only meant to bounce the creatures that were played. I should have gone for the Baloth instead. It probably wouldn't have helped though. See below.
He swings. (18, 7).
Next turn he plays Sorin Markov. He drains my life and beats me to death shortly after.
Game 2 I play Caller of Gales. He plays Piranha Marsh. (20, 19). I swing, and play Welkin Tarn. He plays Quest of the Gemblades. I swing. (16, 19). He plays Vampire Nighthawk. So much for out-aggroing him.
I play a Soul Stair and pass. He swings. (18, 17). I swing. (16, 17). He plays Crypt Ripper and swings. (18, 12)
I play Sea Gate Loremaster and swing. (16, 12).
He swings. (18, 4).
I draw, and concede.
3-1.
Ow...the pain...
Round 5 vs. Nicholas
He wins the roll. I mulligan. Turn 1, he plays Guul Draz Vampire. I play Caller of Gales. He swings, and I block. He plays a second Guul Draz Vampire. I play Welkin Tern. He plays Kor Hookmaster and swings. (20, 19). I pass. He swings (20, 18) then plays Kor Cartographer.
I swing. (18, 18). He swings. (18, 15). He plays Kazandu Blademaster and Adventuring Geat. I swing. (16, 15) I play Carnage Altar, again cursing it's very existence.
He swings. (16, 10). I pass. He swings (16, 4). I kick Into The Roil, fail to find something next turn, and concede.
Game 2 I choose to play. I play Soul Stair, he plays Vampire Lacerator and Spidersilk Net. I pass. He swings (19, 18) and plays Bloodghast. I play Gomazoa. He swings. I block Bloodghast. (18, 16)
I play Reckless Scholar. He swings. I block Bloodghast and shuffle them away. (17,14). he swings next turn. (16, 12). I play Crypt Ripper, and swing. (14, 12).
He swings, I block, and he casts Disfigure. (13, 12). I swing, and he casts Hideous End. (13, 10). I remark that now I'm at 10, I'm basically screwed. He agrees. I play Hexmage. He swings. After double-checking for a combat trick, I blow him out with my guys. He forgot Hexmage had first strike. a Hideous End was also involved. (He played a Hookmaster at one point. My notes suck.) (11, 10).
I swing. (6, 10). I win quite quickly, and we're on to Game 3.
Game 3 I keep, and my heart turns to ice. How could I forget that his deck was so fast, and I have so little early action!?
He plays Vampire Lacerator. I play Carnage Altar. He swings. (19, 18). I pass. He swings. (18, 16). He plays Kor Sanctifiers.
I play Gomazoa, acting as if I had it all along. Don't know if I fooled him. He swings. (17, 14) then plays Heartstabber Mosquito. I play Ior Ruin Expedition, lay a land, and pass. he swings. (16, 10). Once again, past the 10 mark. I play Sky Ruin Drake. He swings, I block Lacerator. (16, 6) He plays another couple of guys next turn and swings. (16, 2). I have nothing off the top, and that's the tournament.
3-2.
Well, in the end thanks to high resistances, I come 8th out of 33, so I'm happy. I get some Zendikar packs for my troubles, and had a cool day of Magic. I'll need to play at the Launch Party and participate in some Zendikar draft before I make a formal conclusion as to the format, but here's my view:
As spoken by someone who's name I don't know at the Prerelease: Games in Zendikar go really fast or really long. There's not really a middle ground. I totally agree. Zendikar's early drops and bombs are so good that midrange decks get flanked on either side. Either play aggro or play late-game: but make a choice. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. Thank you, nameless guy.
Quests are very useful. They're also a big part of Limited.
Black is the best color in Zendikar. Most of the top 8 played with it. I advise trying to play it in Sealed. I don't know about Draft yet.
Thanks for reading!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Final Zendikar Spoilers
The prerelease approaches here in Melbourne: it'll be here in 10 hours, and I'll be there competing (and writing a tournament report). I have close to a dozen articles planned already, so it's time to analyse the last Zendikar cards in the set. All 49 of them. This is the first time I have ever disliked spoiler season. Remind me to keep up better in Worldwake and Prosper (rumoured to be 'Rise of the Eldrazi' as in Eldrazi Monument, which'd be freakin' sweet. The Eldrazi are the ancient race that created the hedrons.)
Now, let's move into the home stretch! WARNING: SERIOUSLY LONG ARTICLE.
WARNING: No really, this'll take like, 15 minutes to read.
Or more.
Let's go!
Very flavorful for the Kor. I don't know if this'll see play, but if it is, it'll almost certainly trigger eventually, and there are a few good equipment cards in Zendikar. I guess it depends on what you open.
Since in Constructed, it's too weak, and in Limited, it'll rarely trigger, we need to debate this on it's full-mana merits in Sealed and Draft. 5 mana for 5 damage divided is good: but only among attacking creatures. This card is a lot like Divine Verdict, so I'd value it similarly. It's about a fourth to sixth pick, simply because removal, even bad removal, is so damn good.
Awesome staple for Draft and Sealed. I'd like a couple of these in any Draft deck with blue as a main color. Effectively, you're paying for Essence Scatter, plus a Grizzly Bears Runeclaw Bears in blue. I find it worth it, even though keeping 4 mana up is hard. Probably a fifth-to-seventh pick, middle of the road card.
Difficult to evaluate, as so much of this card is conditional. I compare this mostly to Rampant Growth, but it's repeatable, if at a condition. If you're attacking, this card is good, if not, it's bad. I would play this: if I had a deck with evasion. I might play this in a midrange deck, too, for the ability to look at your library. I reserve judgement here.
Useful to aid Landfall and also as manafixing. Khalni Gem allows you to play a land twice without losing a mana investment except for the investment to play the land. This is useful for Landfall decks.
A sideboard card, but a good one. Try to pick one or two of these up late if you don't have many fliers.
If you open and play a fetchland, this is quite useful. Sac the fetchland, get it back, next turn sac it again. Double Landfall for 2 turns and great deck-thinning. That said, this card won't see too much play. If you want it though, you can pick it up tenth pick or later.
Only should be played to reach a critical mass of Allies. Other than that, it's not too great.
Vampire Aggro now has one-drops 5-8. I think Vampire Aggro should look at splashing Red to get it's opponent to the 10 life that really drives it over the top. I'll be doing a post or two on Vampire Aggro in the next few weeks, so stay tuned (I have a heap of posts I want to write about the new metagame).
4 mana for a 2/2 flier, or 7 mana for a 2/2 flier plus a Terminate. Hmm...Removal is good, but this is a bit much. I reserve judgement, once again.
Try Vines of the Vastwood if you want a combat trick. Dear god, this card is terrible.
Useful in specific situations: not in others. Another 'critical mass' Ally. Not one you'd play under it's own merits.
See above. Though with all these common Allies, an Ally deck might just work here...
Kindled Fury in overdrive. This is a seventh-to-ninth pick. Not spectacular, but it'll make the cut about as often as not.
I wouldn't play this if I could help it. It's a 5/3 that can't block at best. (Maybe a 7/5, but not too likely). No thanks.
This card is a lot better than you think. It'll probably take out at least 2-3 life before it goes, and added to the fact that it's a 2/1, I'd pick this a lot higher than people will. This card can really make a difference.
This card, like Siege Mastodon, is a defender. Also like Siege Mastodon, you'll play it, but you'll be kind of 'meh' about it as you do.
Wow. Equip THIS guy with Trusty Machete. This card could see play in Limited. It all depends on how many pieces of Equipment you have. Mostly though, it's not too great.
This is a good wall. I would play this card. Excellent at holding attackers back. Dromar Purebred saw play, and this card is better.
This. At common. Wow. In the late-game, this is just an AMAZING topdeck. A 6/6 haste from nowhere just tips the scales. This is a great card. I would play 3 of them if I got them in Limited.
Solid: not spectacular. Still, about as good as Dread Warlock, and he saw play, so go ahead and draft him seventh pick or so.
Finally, a half-decent serpent. A 5/5 in Limited is always good, and this one can attack reasonably regularly. Go ahead and play this guy. Not quite a bomb, but no slouch either.
Better than Canyon Minotaur. This guy's big enough to play with the big-boys. One of the best vanilla creatures in the set.
Red seems to be getting some creature love in Zendikar. A 3/2 with red fear? Count me in! Fourth pick, definitely.
Too bad this can't hit players. Nevertheless, this is a fine card, especially since you're likely to play extra lands for Landfall. Third pick, or around that area. Good removal is hard to find in Limited.
Not that great. 5 mana is too overpriced, AND it's a sorcery. I wouldn't play this.
Act of Treason is always good. The +1/+1 counter is interesting, as it benefits both of you. This bears further examination.
Glorious Charge sucked: this is worse. At 3 mana I want to do more than this, and at 7, I want a LOT more than the kicked version of this.
A good tempo card. Lifegain alone is usually terrible, but one mana for EIGHT life is a huge bargain. I'd play it if I opened it.
Wow. A Grey Ogre. Wait, wait, a CONDITIONAL Gray Ogre. This gets my vote for one of the worst cards in Zendikar. If you are forced to play this, may God or any other deity have mercy on your soul.
At 4 mana, this guy might be half-decent. At 5 mana, he's pretty terrible, actually. Tenth to twelfth pick.
This might see Limited play. It'd be good if it was an Instant, but as a Sorcery, it's relegated to 23rd-card purgatory.
A Limited utility creature, if a bit expensive. This guy'll see play though, due to the 2-for-1 ability of this card. A good Sealed and Draft roleplayer.
Vigilance is very good in Limited, which is all about creature combat. This is actually a pretty good Limited ally.
A worse Healing Salve. Just what we needed. This card may see play as a combat trick, but certainly not beyond a Limited trick: and not too great either, since it'll almost never be a 2-for-1.
This card seems weak, but can really shine in the late-game where it can tap multiple creatures. This is better than most people think.
A good combat trick, which can foil an alpha strike and/or make combat suddenly work in your favor instead of more or less even. Very reactive though, which drives it's value down.
This is a decent card. People play cyclers after all. The ability to slightly mess up your opponent's mana and draw a card is worth it. Probably an eighth pick or so.
Another common draft-winner. If there isn't any other good cards in the pack, like removal or a bomb, and you're in Green, you basically always take a card like this.
A good offensive card, since it should be at least a 4/4 when attacking when you play it, and just gets bigger. Probably around sixth pick.
Very narrow application. Not even a sideboard card in Limited. NEXT!
Another firebreathing card, and this one simply isn't very good. More chaff.
See above. Chaff.
More crap. Hasn't Wizards heard of saving the best til last?
Potentially a sideboard card, but even then, it's simply not that good.
This could prevent a bit of damage over a game, but I don't think it's worth playing, even with that potential.
Now this is a good Limited card. It'll be picked very highly, since even in it's non-trap form, it's a very good piece of removal. This is a second pick card. Maybe first in a weak pack.
Not a great card. Maybe it'd be okay with reach.
And that, at last, is all the cards in Zendikar analysed. Now I can rest. Oh wait, I have to be up in 4 hours to get ready to go to the Prerelease. Bugger.
Such is the life of a Magic blogger! I can sleep when I'm dead. Night, everybody!
Also, bonus question, and I compel everyone to respond:
What did you think of this series? Would you like me to analyse every card in Worldwake? What should I have done differently? Your feedback makes this a better blog for evertone, so don't keep your opinions to yourself. Tell me what you think, either by e-mail (Salivanth@live.com), Twitter (mtgsalivanth) or the comments on this blog. I read it all.
See you tomorrow, with a Prerelease tournament report!
Now, let's move into the home stretch! WARNING: SERIOUSLY LONG ARTICLE.
WARNING: No really, this'll take like, 15 minutes to read.
Or more.
Let's go!
Quest for the Holy Relic |  |
| Enchantment |  |
| Whenever you cast a creature spell, you may put a quest counter on Quest for the Holy Relic. Remove five quest counters from Quest for the Holy Relic and sacrifice it: Search your library for an Equipment card, put it onto the battlefield, and attach it to a creature you control. Then shuffle your library. | |
| #33/249 | |
Quest for the Holy Relic | |
| Enchantment | |
| Whenever you cast a creature spell, you may put a quest counter on Quest for the Holy Relic. Remove five quest counters from Quest for the Holy Relic and sacrifice it: Search your library for an Equipment card, put it onto the battlefield, and attach it to a creature you control. Then shuffle your library. | |
| #33/249 | |
Very flavorful for the Kor. I don't know if this'll see play, but if it is, it'll almost certainly trigger eventually, and there are a few good equipment cards in Zendikar. I guess it depends on what you open.
Arrow Volley Trap |  |
| Instant - Trap | |
If four or more creatures are attacking, you may pay  rather than pay Arrow Volley Trap's mana cost.Arrow Volley Trap deals 5 damage divided as you choose among any number of target attacking creatures. | |
| #2/249 | |
Since in Constructed, it's too weak, and in Limited, it'll rarely trigger, we need to debate this on it's full-mana merits in Sealed and Draft. 5 mana for 5 damage divided is good: but only among attacking creatures. This card is a lot like Divine Verdict, so I'd value it similarly. It's about a fourth to sixth pick, simply because removal, even bad removal, is so damn good.
Summoner's Bane |   |
| Instant |  |
| Counter target creature spell. Put a 2/2 blue Illusion creature token onto the battlefield under your control. | |
Awesome staple for Draft and Sealed. I'd like a couple of these in any Draft deck with blue as a main color. Effectively, you're paying for Essence Scatter, plus a Grizzly Bears Runeclaw Bears in blue. I find it worth it, even though keeping 4 mana up is hard. Probably a fifth-to-seventh pick, middle of the road card.
Explorer's Scope | |
| Artifact - Equipment | |
| When equipped creature attacks, you may look at the top card of your library. If it is a land card, you may put it onto the battlefield tapped. Equip | |
Difficult to evaluate, as so much of this card is conditional. I compare this mostly to Rampant Growth, but it's repeatable, if at a condition. If you're attacking, this card is good, if not, it's bad. I would play this: if I had a deck with evasion. I might play this in a midrange deck, too, for the ability to look at your library. I reserve judgement here.
Khalni Gem |  |
| Artifact | |
When Khalni Gem enters the battlefield, return two lands you control to their owner's hand. : Add two mana of any one color to your mana pool. | |
Useful to aid Landfall and also as manafixing. Khalni Gem allows you to play a land twice without losing a mana investment except for the investment to play the land. This is useful for Landfall decks.
Spidersilk Net |  |
| Artifact - Equipment | |
| Equipped creature gets +0/+2 and reach. Equip | |
A sideboard card, but a good one. Try to pick one or two of these up late if you don't have many fliers.
Grim Discovery |  |
| Sorcery | |
| Choose one or both - Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand; and/or return target land card from your graveyard to your hand. | |
If you open and play a fetchland, this is quite useful. Sac the fetchland, get it back, next turn sac it again. Double Landfall for 2 turns and great deck-thinning. That said, this card won't see too much play. If you want it though, you can pick it up tenth pick or later.
Makindi Shieldmate | |
| Creature - Kor Soldier Ally | |
| Defender Whenever Makindi Shieldmate or another Ally enters the battlefield under your control, you may put a +1/+1 counter on Makindi Shieldmate. | |
| 0/3 | |
Only should be played to reach a critical mass of Allies. Other than that, it's not too great.
Guul Draz Vampire | |
| Creature - Vampire Rogue | |
| As long as an opponent has 10 or less life, Gull Draz Vampire gets +2/+1 and has intimidate. (It can't be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or creatures that share a color with it.) | |
| 1/1 | |
Vampire Aggro now has one-drops 5-8. I think Vampire Aggro should look at splashing Red to get it's opponent to the 10 life that really drives it over the top. I'll be doing a post or two on Vampire Aggro in the next few weeks, so stay tuned (I have a heap of posts I want to write about the new metagame).
Heartstabber Mosquito | |
| Creature - Insect | |
| Kicker (You may pay an additional as you cast this spell.) Flying When Heartstabber Mosquito enters the battlefield, if it was kicked, destroy target creature. | |
| 2/2 | |
4 mana for a 2/2 flier, or 7 mana for a 2/2 flier plus a Terminate. Hmm...Removal is good, but this is a bit much. I reserve judgement, once again.
Tanglesap |  |
| Instant | |
| Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn by creatures without trample. | |
Try Vines of the Vastwood if you want a combat trick. Dear god, this card is terrible.
Highland Berserker |  |
| Creature - Human Berserker Ally | |
| Whenever Highland Berserker or another Ally enters the battlefield under your control, you may have Ally creatures you control gain first strike until end of turn. | |
| 2/1 | |
Useful in specific situations: not in others. Another 'critical mass' Ally. Not one you'd play under it's own merits.
Nimana Sell-Sword | | |
| Creature - Human Warrior Ally | | |
| Whenever Nimana Sell-Sword or another Ally enters the battlefield under your control, you may put a +1/+1 counter on Nimana Sell-Sword. | ||
| "He asked if I had work for him. No wasn't the right answer." - Samila, Murasa Expeditionary House | ||
| 2/2 | ||
See above. Though with all these common Allies, an Ally deck might just work here...
Slaughter Cry | | |
| Instant | | |
| Target creature gets +3/+0 and gains first strike until end of turn. | ||
| "Since when did 'AIIIEEEE!' become a negotiation tactic?" - Nikou, Joraga bard | ||
Kindled Fury in overdrive. This is a seventh-to-ninth pick. Not spectacular, but it'll make the cut about as often as not.
Hagra Crocodile | | |
| Creature - Crocodile | | |
| Hagra Crocodile can't block. Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, Hagra Crocodile gets +2/+2 until end of turn. | ||
| The creatures of Zendikar are opportunists, eating whatever is available to them. Like goblins. Or boats. | ||
| 3/1 | ||
I wouldn't play this if I could help it. It's a 5/3 that can't block at best. (Maybe a 7/5, but not too likely). No thanks.
Blood Seeker | |
| Creature - Vampire Shaman | |
| Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under an opponent's control, you may have that player lose 1 life. | |
| 2/1 | |
This card is a lot better than you think. It'll probably take out at least 2-3 life before it goes, and added to the fact that it's a 2/1, I'd pick this a lot higher than people will. This card can really make a difference.
Pillarfield Ox | | |
| Creature - Ox | | |
| hurf durf | ||
| 2/4 | ||
This card, like Siege Mastodon, is a defender. Also like Siege Mastodon, you'll play it, but you'll be kind of 'meh' about it as you do.
Kor Duelist | |
| Creature - Kor Soldier | |
| As long as Kor Duelist is equipped, it has double strike. | |
| 1/1 | |
Wow. Equip THIS guy with Trusty Machete. This card could see play in Limited. It all depends on how many pieces of Equipment you have. Mostly though, it's not too great.
Caravan Hurda | |
| Creature - Beast | |
| Lifelink | |
| 1/5 | |
This is a good wall. I would play this card. Excellent at holding attackers back. Dromar Purebred saw play, and this card is better.
Crypt Ripper | |
| Creature - Shade | |
| Haste: Crypt Ripper gets +1/+1 until end of turn. | |
| 2/2 | |
This. At common. Wow. In the late-game, this is just an AMAZING topdeck. A 6/6 haste from nowhere just tips the scales. This is a great card. I would play 3 of them if I got them in Limited.
Surrakar Maurader | |
| Creature - Surrakar | |
| Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, Surrakar Maurader gains intimidate until end of turn. | |
| 2/1 | |
Solid: not spectacular. Still, about as good as Dread Warlock, and he saw play, so go ahead and draft him seventh pick or so.
Shoal Serpent |  |
| Creature - Serpent | |
| Defender Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, Shoal Serpent loses defender until end of turn. | |
| 5/5 | |
Finally, a half-decent serpent. A 5/5 in Limited is always good, and this one can attack reasonably regularly. Go ahead and play this guy. Not quite a bomb, but no slouch either.
Shatterskull Giant | | |
| Creature - Giant | | |
| When he puts the boots to you, it won't be medium-style. | ||
| 4/3 | ||
Better than Canyon Minotaur. This guy's big enough to play with the big-boys. One of the best vanilla creatures in the set.
Bladetusk Boar | |
| Creature - Boar | |
| Intimidate | |
| 3/2 | |
Red seems to be getting some creature love in Zendikar. A 3/2 with red fear? Count me in! Fourth pick, definitely.
Magma Rift | |
| Sorcery | |
| As an additional cost to cast Magma Rift, sacrifice a land. Magma Rift deals 5 damage to target creature. | |
Too bad this can't hit players. Nevertheless, this is a fine card, especially since you're likely to play extra lands for Landfall. Third pick, or around that area. Good removal is hard to find in Limited.
Spire Barrage | |
| Sorcery | |
| Spire Barrage deals damage to target creature or player equal to the number of Mountains you control. | |
Not that great. 5 mana is too overpriced, AND it's a sorcery. I wouldn't play this.
Mark of Mutiny | |
| Sorcery | |
| Gain control of target creature until end of turn. Put a +1/+1 counter on it and untap it. It gains haste until end of turn. | |
Act of Treason is always good. The +1/+1 counter is interesting, as it benefits both of you. This bears further examination.
Bold Defense | |
| Instant | |
| Kicker Creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn. If Bold Defense was kicked, those creatures get +2/+2 and first strike instead. | |
Glorious Charge sucked: this is worse. At 3 mana I want to do more than this, and at 7, I want a LOT more than the kicked version of this.
Sunspring Expedition | |
| Enchantment | |
| Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, you may put a quest counter on Sunspring Expedition. Remove three quest counters from Sunspring Expedition and sacrifice it: Gain 8 life. | |
A good tempo card. Lifegain alone is usually terrible, but one mana for EIGHT life is a huge bargain. I'd play it if I opened it.
Mindless Null | | |
| Creature - Zombie | | |
| Mindless Null can't block unless you control a Vampire. | ||
| "Call me Mr. 15" | ||
| 2/2 | ||
Wow. A Grey Ogre. Wait, wait, a CONDITIONAL Gray Ogre. This gets my vote for one of the worst cards in Zendikar. If you are forced to play this, may God or any other deity have mercy on your soul.
Bog Tatters | |
| Creature - Wraith | |
| Swampwalk | |
| 4/2 | |
At 4 mana, this guy might be half-decent. At 5 mana, he's pretty terrible, actually. Tenth to twelfth pick.
Marsh Casualties | |
| Sorcery | |
| Kicker Creatures target player controls get -1/-1 until end of turn. If Marsh Casualties was kicked, those creatures get -2/-2 instead | |
This might see Limited play. It'd be good if it was an Instant, but as a Sorcery, it's relegated to 23rd-card purgatory.
Torch Slinger | |
| Creature - Goblin | |
| Kicker - When Torch Slinger enters the battlefield, if it was kicked, it deals 2 damage to target creature. | |
| 2/2 | |
A Limited utility creature, if a bit expensive. This guy'll see play though, due to the 2-for-1 ability of this card. A good Sealed and Draft roleplayer.
Joraga Bard | |
| Creature - Elf Rogue Ally | |
| Whenever Joraga Bard or another Ally enters the battlefield under your control, all Allies you control gain vigilance until end of turn. | |
| 1/4 | |
Vigilance is very good in Limited, which is all about creature combat. This is actually a pretty good Limited ally.
Shieldmate's Blessing | |
| Instant | |
| Prevent the next 3 damage that would be dealt to target creature or player this turn. | |
A worse Healing Salve. Just what we needed. This card may see play as a combat trick, but certainly not beyond a Limited trick: and not too great either, since it'll almost never be a 2-for-1.
Merfolk Seastalkers | |
| Creature - Merfolk Wizard | |
| Islandwalk: Tap target creature without flying. | |
| 2/3 | |
This card seems weak, but can really shine in the late-game where it can tap multiple creatures. This is better than most people think.
Lethargy Trap | |
| Instant - Trap | |
| If three or more creatures are attacking you, you may pay rather than pay Lethargy Trap's mana cost. Attacking creatures get -3/-0 until end of turn. | |
A good combat trick, which can foil an alpha strike and/or make combat suddenly work in your favor instead of more or less even. Very reactive though, which drives it's value down.
Spreading Seas | |
| Enchantment - Aura | |
| Enchant land When Spreading Seas enters the battlefield, draw a card. Enchanted land is an Island. | |
This is a decent card. People play cyclers after all. The ability to slightly mess up your opponent's mana and draw a card is worth it. Probably an eighth pick or so.
Vastwood Gorger | |
| Creature - Wurm | |
| 5/6 | |
Another common draft-winner. If there isn't any other good cards in the pack, like removal or a bomb, and you're in Green, you basically always take a card like this.
Timbermaw Larva | |
| Creature - Beast | |
| Whenever Timbermaw Larva attacks, it gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each Forest you control. | |
| 2/2 | |
A good offensive card, since it should be at least a 4/4 when attacking when you play it, and just gets bigger. Probably around sixth pick.
Seismic Shudder | |
| Instant | |
| Seismic Shudder deals 1 damage to each creature without flying. | |
Very narrow application. Not even a sideboard card in Limited. NEXT!
Molten Ravager | |
| Creature - Elemental | |
| : Molten Ravager gets +1/+0 until end of turn. | |
| 0/4 | |
Another firebreathing card, and this one simply isn't very good. More chaff.
Goblin Shortcutter | |
| Creature - Goblin Scout | |
| When Goblin Shortcutter enters the battlefield, target creature can't block this turn. | |
| 2/1 | |
See above. Chaff.
Landbind Ritual | |
| Sorcery | |
| You gain 2 life for each Plains you control. | |
More crap. Hasn't Wizards heard of saving the best til last?
Cliff Treader | |
| Creature - Kor Scout | |
| Mountainwalk | |
| 2/1 | |
Potentially a sideboard card, but even then, it's simply not that good.
Noble Vestige | |
| Creature - Spirit | |
| Flying: Prevent the next 1 damage that would be dealt to target player this turn. | |
| 1/2 | |
This could prevent a bit of damage over a game, but I don't think it's worth playing, even with that potential.
Inferno Trap | |
| Instant - Trap | |
| If you've been dealt damage by two or more creatures this turn, you may pay rather than pay Inferno Trap's mana cost. Inferno Trap deals 4 damage to target creature. | |
Now this is a good Limited card. It'll be picked very highly, since even in it's non-trap form, it's a very good piece of removal. This is a second pick card. Maybe first in a weak pack.
Tajuru Archer | |
| Creature - Elf Archer Ally | |
| When Tajuru Archer or another Ally enters the battlefield under your control, Tajuru Archer deals damage equal to the number of Ally creatures you control to target creature with flying. | |
| 1/2 | |
Not a great card. Maybe it'd be okay with reach.
And that, at last, is all the cards in Zendikar analysed. Now I can rest. Oh wait, I have to be up in 4 hours to get ready to go to the Prerelease. Bugger.
Such is the life of a Magic blogger! I can sleep when I'm dead. Night, everybody!
Also, bonus question, and I compel everyone to respond:
What did you think of this series? Would you like me to analyse every card in Worldwake? What should I have done differently? Your feedback makes this a better blog for evertone, so don't keep your opinions to yourself. Tell me what you think, either by e-mail (Salivanth@live.com), Twitter (mtgsalivanth) or the comments on this blog. I read it all.
See you tomorrow, with a Prerelease tournament report!
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