Time away

I swear, I haven't just been ignoring the blog.  I've literally played no Magic in like a month.  I've been SUPER busy with my Masters degree, work, etc.  As soon as I get some play in, I'll be sure to report on it, but for now, you'll have to bear with me.

This is, coincidentally, why I wanted more writers on the blog, but of course that would require my staff to contribute.  We've seen how well that's progressed.

Alara Reborn Spoiler

So the new set is insane.  It's so good that it makes me nervous.  I'm not going to like seeing all of these cards staring me in the face when I'm playing limited against them, and its going to be a bitch playing around them in Standard.  As if the format wasn't already overpowered enough, now we have to deal with the absurdedly broken.

But on the other hand, I can't wait.

Ratings Jump

Sorry to all the people I beat in Rochester!  I gained over 110 points on my constructed rating on the day!  (I haven't ever really played constructed with any regularity)  I'm positive I got at least 4 of them for full K-value.  Sucks to be you guys!

PTQ Rochester - the Aftermath

Well, I almost got there.  Almost.  Which counts for exactly dick, in the long run.  Here's the dig:

I played Elves at the PTQ, for two reasons.  1) It is an absolute blast to play, and I've been itching to play it since LSV won with it months ago.  Unfortunately, Extended is a format wholely unsupported in Syracuse, and its been impossible for me to do more than test with it, so I knew no matter how bad a choice it was, I was playing this fucking deck.  2) It was actually a pretty excellent metagame choice, since its kinda fallen off everyone's radar, since Fae has sprung up and become the top dog of the format.  Plus, I had a sick sideboard.

the list - Extended Elves (By Adam Barnello)

4 Nettle Sentinel

4 Heritage Druid

4 Birchlore Ranger

4 Llanowar Elves

4 Elvish Visionary

4 Wirewood Hivemaster

4 Wirewood Symbiote

4 Glimpse of Nature

3 Chord of Calling

3 Summoner's Pact

2 Thoughtseize

1 Mirror Entity

1 Viridian Shaman

1 Regal Force

3 Windswept Heath

2 Wooded Foothills

3 Gilt-Leaf Palace

3 Horizon Canopy

3 Forest

1 Temple Garden

1 Overgrown Tomb

1 Pendelhaven

Sideboard:

4 Elvish Champion

3 Imperious Perfect

2 Patriarch's Bidding

2 Burrenton Forge-Tender

2 Choke

1 Harmonic Sliver

1 Kataki, War's Wage

There you have it.  It's pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.  The PTQ was 8 rounds, and I went 6-2, for a disappointing 9th place finish - mere tiebreaks away from making top 8.  A real heartbreaker.  All in all, the deck ran solid.  I lost two matchups (one to BG Aggro, one to Naya), both of which were when my opponent got an early active Jitte, and I had no answer availible in time.  That's the biggest weakness the deck has, I believe.  If not for that card, the rest of the matchups were pretty easy wins.  It helped that I managed to dodge Fae the entire tournament, of course.  Still, I firmly believe that extended, perhaps even moreso than Legacy, is a format completely defined by what you can and can't dodge in your matchups in the swiss.  If you simply get paired against unfavorable matchups all day, even the most powerful of decks can put up poor numbers.  Meanwhile, TEPS could be playing against Slide all day, and skate to the top 8 with barely any resistance at all.  I'm not blaming that, of course, but it is an observation I've made on the format in general as I've been prepping for this event.

Speaking of which:

Round 1 - Bant Aggro

Game 1 finds us in a stalemate, as he has a few guys in play, but I've got double Hivemaster and a pair of Symbiotes, so I can nullify his attacks with both Jitte and War Monk.  We match threats for a few turns until I finally get to the point where an Alpha Strike is lethal.  I swing, he blocks correctly, and goes for a Bant Charm on one of my (11!) tokens.  This would put him to one, but the Pendelhaven wins it for me.

Game 2, I muster the nutty Turn 1 Llanowar, turn 2 Choke, Turn 3 Lord plan, and he's never even in the game.

1-0

Round 2 - TEPS

Game 1 - I have an inkling on what he's playing before the match begins, because he's a Rochester local that I've played in Legacy a few times, and his style is most definitely combo.  He opens with a tapped Steam Vents to confirm my suspicions.  We both manage to combo early in the game, to little success.  He Desires for 4 into garbage, and I make some mana and tutor up a Regal Force and play it, drawing six, but emptying my mana.  He attempts another Desire for 3, hitting garbage, and we move to game 2.

Game 2, he manages to go off successfully, well before I've established any kind of pressure.  Eventually he hits Tendrils on Desire, and I scoop.

Game 3, I come out of the gates much faster than previously, along with a Thoughtseize on a Desire.  He Magma Jets a Symbiote that I was planning to break open with, which sets me back.  He desparately Desires for 2, into a Rite and second Desire, but the second one whiffs, and we sign the slip.

2-0

Round 3 - Affinity

This poor bastard.  Another Rochester player whom I've had plenty of great matches with across a number of formats, I'm always pleased to play the RIT guys.  However, today was not his day.

Game 1, after a bit of talk on how I didn't really expect much Affinity (savage mental play, Mike), he mulls to 5 on the play and opens with land, Springleaf Drum.  I play land, Llanowar.  He drops land, Worker, Frog, Ravager.  Nice mull, dude!  I go infinite on turn 2, and win Turn 3, after attacking and killing his Frog with Llanowar.  Whoops.

Game 2, he mulls his opener again, with land, Chrome Star, go; followed again by my land, Llanowar opener.  His turn two is Plating, triple Ornithopter, go.  I play Kataki, and pass.  He saves his Plating and a Thopter, and rips a land to equip and hit for three.  Next turn he loses his board, and the match.

I actually kinda felt bad about that one, but shit, my plan came together.

3-0

Round 4 - BG Aggro Rock

Game 1, my opponent leads with birds, while I lead with some non-Llanowar elf.  Turn two, he plays a Troll Ascetic.  I play some more guys.  Turn 3, he plays and equips Jitte.  That's fun.  He uses the counters to kill men, and I lose.

Game 2, my opponent leads with Darkblast on my one drop.  I play Pendelhaven turn 2, and it slows the killing somewhat, but he eventually gets more removal than I can deal with, and I never see the Bidding that would have saved me the game, and likely the match (three lords were in the yard).

3-1

So, I can't beat the turn 3 active Jitte.  Noted.

Round 5 - BWG Loam control

This match, I expect much of the same crap I saw from last round, but it wasn't quite the same.  Apparently this deck is much more focused on the Loam engine with Raven's Crime, which I expected to be a beating, but wasn't.

Game 1 - He leads with a Crime, and I pitch a Chord.  I play an elf.  He Crimes me twice, and I pitch an extra land and an elf.  Turn 2 I play Visionary, and play Symbiote.  From then on, his Crimes took the worst cards in my hand, while I drew cards with bounced Visionaries.  I eventually made some dudes and attacked, while he played with Loam.  It wasn't really pretty, but the 1/1 beatdown plan was super effective against him.

Game 2, he again opened with Raven's Crime, and I again opened with 1/1s.  This time, Elvish Champion entered the fray, and my unblockable army trounced all over his Overgrown Tombs.

4-1

Round 6 - BWG Loam control

Rematch?

Game 1, he leads with Overgrown Tomb and Raven's Crime, when I expected to see Stomping Grounds, Wild Nacatl.  Well, I do a happy dance in my head, and discard some crap.  It goes a lot like the last round, where I make guys with varied mana costs, and attack, while he tears my irrelevant hand apart and tries to find Damnation.  He doesn't, and I win.

Game 2, I do the same thing that I did in game 2 of the last match, only this time, after he casts Punishment for 1 (see: Crime//Punishment), I get to go "Patriarch's Bidding?"  He moves to call the judge to see if the card is legal (OMG! so BROKEN!), but I remind him that the expansion symbol is the same as the fetchlands in his yard, and he takes his football and goes home.

Round 7 - Naya Aggro

This round I'm playing Chris Trembly, another RIT guy.  Chris and I have a long history of shit matches, where one of us gets blown out by the other.  In all the times we've played, I don't think we've played two actual games of Magic in a row, ever.  And we've never seen game three.

Game 1 - Chris opens three removal spells, and a couple of Thoctars that are far too much for me to handle.  My deck got the "I'm a 1/1 that doesn't do anything" draw, which was not the draw I needed from it here.  I crap out.

Game 2 - I mull to 5 before I see a single land.  He plays Jitte on turn 4, and equips, while I have a board of Nettle Sentinel.  The streak of shitty magic between us continues.

5-2

At this point, I'm resolved to basically be out of contention, but there's some disparity in the rumor mills on how the tournament will end up.  The undefeated player in first played round 7 out, to help out teammates on the fence.  If that keeps up, one X-2 may sneak into the top 8.  I figure I've come this far, I may as well secure a top 16 slot (half a box), and maybe get lucky and make it.

Round 8 - BWG Loam Control

We chit chat idly, and he tells me he was higher in the standings than me.  That's a good sign if I win, but who knows.  It's all about where the tiebreakers end after this round, so either of us can potentially make it.  He lets me know the guy in first is his teammate, and is dream crushing this round, too, to help him out.  I say 'thank him for me if I beat you' and we play.

Game 1 - He opens with tapped Godless Shrine, and I can barely contain my excitement.  How lucky, I get paired against a basically unloseable matchup THREE TIMES in the swiss!  My deck does its thing, and I make a shit-ton of men and swarm him.

Game 2 - He Thoughtseizes me on turn 1, and takes Glimpse.  On turn 2, he hits me with two Raven's Crimes.  He continues to Crime me, until he Punishments me (hahahaha, get it?), and I manage to draw Bidding with no guys and 4 lands in play.  If he only knew...

Game 3 - I open the nuts.  Turn 1 Llanowar, Turn 2 Lord, Turn 3 Lord, Turn 4 Lord...

6-2

So, that's how it went.  After the match, I sat around and chatted with some people, waited for the frigging Slide mirror to get done (paint dries), and then nervously watched as they printed the final standings... to be disappointed as my name stood in the only single digit standing that doesn't matter.  The kid that made eighth was playing RGW Aggro Loam, and his two losses were to both the TEPS players in the Top 8.  While one of my losses made top 8, the other managed to go X-2-1.  Thanks for the help there, bud.

I got half a box for my efforts, and I got to eat a Garbage Plate (google it) while the top 8 was grinding it out all night.  I went home and passed the hell out.

I can't decide if it would have been more disappointing to make the top 8 and lose, or to miss out like I did.  I think either would have sucked, but at least I'd be able to say I made top 8, you know?  Oh well.  Better luck next time.

Before I sign off, I just want to let you guys know - the board wasn't a fluke.  It was amazingly strong all day, and I think it solves a lot of the problems the deck has anyway.  It's a super strong backup plan, and if you elf players out there test it, I know you're gonna find it's as good as I've been saying.  Let me know if you test it, and what your thoughts are on it!

Sisay is broken

So, I guess I didn't realize it at first glance, but Captain Sisay is pretty powerful.  She's subtly powerful though, in a way that may allow you to fly under the radar in a multiplayer game, and the longer she's in play, the more steam she picks up, and the more insane she gets.  I've been having a TON of fun playing her, and I suppose its a good time to share the list - I've actually gotten a request to do exactly that!  Who knew people were reading, right?

Alright, without further ado, I present the EDH deck with more commas than any other - "Captain's Maneuver."

General:

Captiain Sisay (of the Skyship Weatherlight)

Legendary Permanents:

Akroma, Angel of Wrath

Asmira, Holy Avenger

Azusa, Lost but Seeking

Akroma's Memorial

Brigid, Hero of Kinsbale

Commander Eesha

Crovax, Ascendant Hero

Darien, King of Kjeldor

Day of Destiny

Eight-and-a-Half-Tails

Gaddok Teeg

Glissa Sunseeker

Helm of Kaldra

Honden of Cleansing Fire

Honden of Life's Web

Hua Tuo, honored Physician

Isamaru, Hound of Konda

Isao, Enlightened Bushi

Kentaro, the Smiling Cat

Konda, Lord of Eiganjo

Konda's Banner

Kongming, "Sleeping Dragon"

Mangara of Corondor

Masako the Humorless

Michiko Konda, Truth Seeker

Mindslaver

Myojin of Cleansing Fire

Nagao, Bound by Honor

Oathkeeper, Takeno's Daisho

Opal-Eye, Konda's Yojimbo

Pianna, Nomad Captain

Reki, the History of Kamigawa

Rhys the Redeemed

Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant

Saffi Eriksdotter

Sensei Golden-Tail

Shield of Kaldra

Sword of Kaldra

Takeno, Samurai General

Tenza, Godo's Maul

That Which Was Taken

Tolsimir Wolfblood

Umezawa's Jitte

Yomiji, Who Bars the Way

Yosei, the Morning Star

Eiganjo Castle

Flagstones of Trokair

Gaea's Cradle

Kor Haven

Mikokoro, Center of the Sea

Miren, the Moaning Well

Pendelhaven

Yavimaya Hollow

Non-Legends:

Willow Satyr

Loyal Retainers

Crown of Convergence

Loxodon Hierarch

Priviledged Position

Thousand-Year Elixir

Lightning Greaves

Ajani Goldmane

Elspeth, Knight Errant

Mirror Entity

Eladamri's Call

Cauldron of Souls

Sol Ring

Mana Crypt

Darksteel Ingot

Gilded Lotus

Mox Diamond

Chrome Mox

Selesnya Signet

Talisman of Unity

Mutavault

Arctic Flats

Brushland

Elfhame Palace

Horizon Canopy

Nantuko Monastery

Riftstone Portal

Windswept Heath

Sungrass Prairie

Temple Garden

Vitu-Ghazi, the City Tree

Wooded Bastion

Savannah

Some Forests

Some Plains

Extended PTQing

There's an extended PTQ this weekend in Rochester, that I'll be attending with Alex Artese and Carl Dillahay.  While I think Alex is probably playing the best deck, and Carl is bringing a brew of his own that kicks the shit out of the best deck, I'll be playing Elves.

I've been in love with the deck since it hit the scene when LSV wrecked face, and I've been itching for a chance to play with it.  Since Syracuse, for some stupid reason, is completely devoid of interest in Extended altogether, this seems like it will be the only chance I get to make it happen.

I'm not convinced the Mirror Entity kill is ideal, since it's open to disruption at sorcery speed - you need guys without summoning sickness in play to attack, or else you need to wait a turn.  If they have blockers, its even more of a problem.  Still, the deck is much more resilient to hate than I expected it to be, so it should be fine.

We'll be testing this week more, and hopefully it all goes to plan.

EDH Banned List Update

So Tinker got the axe, and Crucible comes back.  I've gotta say, I'm unimpressed by this change.  While I'm bummed to lose Tinker - and realistically, that hurts my Azami deck pretty bad - I think Crucible-Strip is retarded, and green decks that run it, LftL, and Fastbond are going to go apeshit.  It kinda makes me wish I hadn't given up on the Turboland deck, but no one was having fun playing with or against that deck anyway.

Do we realistically need to autoinclude Crucible now, as protection from FastbondStriplock?  It's unclear as of yet, and I may pose that we ban it in the local area to prevent that rediculousness from occuring.

On the other hand, now that I've put the samurai deck together, I think its funny that Tinker gets banned.  The card is straight unfair.  Like, even the most inoccuous play (Tinker-Gilded Lotus) puts you so damned far ahead on mana for turn 4 (or earlier) that it becomes tough to lose.  In a deck that features bombs like Oona (my roommate's General), it's far past borderline unfair, into the unfun territory.

So it is what it is.  It's a bomb to end all bombs, and I'm not really that broken up to see it go.

By the way, in the interest of continuing the unfair accelleration, I plan to replace tinker with Mishra's Workshop.

Sketch is complete

The Sisay Samurai deck came together pretty nicely, I must say.  I played a few games last night, both multiplayer and one-on-one, and it performed admirably.

It's not broken in the way Azami is, but it does get to do some fun stuff.  I especially liked combinations like Myojin of Cleansing Fire plus That Which Was Taken (putting a Divinity Counter on Sisay, of course); or Yomiji, Who Bars the Way plus Mindslaver.  I also happened to get out TWWT with Priviledged Position - that put a target on my head pretty quick.

As for the general herself, she's pretty strong.  I've been happy with making my first tutor target Gaea's Cradle, which has gone on to make some pretty broken plays.  In addition, I added Jitte, more as a way to deal with other ones.

Loyal Retainers has been one of the best cards in my deck, by the way.

The samurai theme is actually much better than I had originally anticipated, and between Sensei Golden-Tail and Mirror Entity, the bonuses just keep coming, even for guys who didn't know they could learn Bushido.

I'll throw the list up once I have a little more work put into it.  There are some slots I'm not convinced on, and there are a bunch of non-legendary cards I want to fit into the deck.  For a first pass, though, I'm excited!  Who knew you could make a fair deck that was fun to play?

Back to the Drawing Board

So the Turboland list didn't work out.  As it turns out, the idea was a cool one, but there are so many cards you need to assemble to get the engine running, that it's almost impossible to do while your opponents are stopping you - and if you don't get them together, your deck is a pile of garbage.  It's also another Solitaire deck - you aren't playing with your opponent as much as trying to get to the point where you play alone.  My friends are pretty bored with that type of deck - the "let me know when you win" kind.  Since I've already got the Azami deck for that, I figure its time to make one where I play dudes and attack.  So, my next attempt will be to make a W/G Samurai/Spirit deck featuring almost 60 Legendary Permanents, with Captain Sisay as my General.  We'll see how that goes.

By the way, I've been meaning to mention how I crank out so many decks without much effort.  If you use Magiccards.info to copy and paste card images into a 3x3 matrix in MSPaint, it's a pretty quick way to make accurate proxies.  For casual formats like EDH, it's worthwhile to do this before you buy cards.  You don't want to be sixty cards into a deck and find out it sucks.

In Extended news, Elves is retarded.  We were testing a GWR Slide deck, which should have had plenty of game against it, since it plays 1/1s, but Elves is so frigging good that we couldn't beat it anyway.  I'm pretty amazed at the resiliancy of the deck in the face of hate.  It can go from no board to winning in a single turn.  Impressive, to say the least.

New EDH deck in the works

Well, Chicago allowed me to finish pimping my EDH deck completely - minus a single Asian Voltaic Key.  Now its time to start a new one, hopefully a little less broken (but still fun).

I'm gonna play Vorosh, the Hunted as my general.

The deck is going to be TurboLand.  And I'm fucking stoked.

List to come when I feel like the kinks are worked out.