Let's go over my pool first.
What I didn't use:
1 Akroan Hoplie
1 Ashen Rider
1 Chronicler of Heroes
1 Pharika's Mender
1 Sentry of The Underworld
1 Steam Augury
1 Tyramet The Murder King
1 Bronze Sable
1 Burnished Hart
1 Opaline Unicorn
1 Traveler's Amulet
1 Ephara's Warden
1 Glare Of Heresy
1 Ray of Dissolution
1 Silent Artisan
2 Mnemonic Wall
2 Asphodel Wanderer
1 Baleful Eidolon
1 Boon of Erebos
1 Cavern Lamplad
1 Felhide Minotaur
1 Loathsome Catoblepas
1 March of the Returned
1 Returned Centaur
1 Returned Phalanx
2 Sip of Hemlock
1 Viper's Kiss
1 Whip Of Erebos
1 Demolish
1 Dragon Mantle
1 Titan Of Eternal Fire
1 Wild Celebrants
1 Commune With The Gods
1 Nylea's Presence
1 Karametra's Acolyte
1 Voyaging Satyr
Deck Type: Red and Green/Monstrous
1 Fleetfeather Sandals
1 Akroan Crusader
1 Deathbellow Radier
1 Ill-Tempered Cyclops
1 Lightning Strike
1 Ordeal of Puphoros
2 Portent Of Betrayal
1 Puphoros's Emmisary
2 Titan's Strength
1 Two-Headed Cerebus
1 Leafcrown Dryad
1 Nessian Asp
1 Nessian Courser
1 Nylea's Emissary
1 Pheres-Band Centaurs
2 Savage Surge
1 Sedge Scorpion
1 Time To Feed
1 Voyaging Saytr
The thinking behind this deck was to use mana ramp to make my creatures monstorous and bestow a bunch of stuff on to them.
Deck Type: Blue/White Counterspell/Bestow
1 Daxos of Meletis
1 Benthic Giant
1 Breaching Hippocamp
2 Dissolve
1 Fate Foretold
1 Lost In A Labrynth
1 Sea God' Revenge
1 Sealock Monster
1 Stymied Hopes
1 Thassa's Emissary
2 Triton Shoretheif
1 Triton Tactics
1 Chosen by Heliod
1 Decorated Griffin
1 Ephara's Warden
1 Heliod's Emissary
1 Hopeful Eidolon
1 Lagonna-Band Elder
1 Observant Alseid
1 Setessan Griffin
1 Wingsteed Rider
This deck was supposed to be all about counterspells and bestow, but not so good on the creatures themselves.
Record: 3-5
Match 1- vs. Black/Red (2-1)- My opponent was also running a Deathbellow Raider in his deck, however, I was running 2 Portent Of Betryals, which let me take some of his creatures before they got too dangerous, and get in some more hits
Match 2- vs.Green/Blue (0-2)- I could not have kept anything on the field, and the Savage Surges I was running just weren't coming up. I misplayed a Portent of Betrayal, using it on one of his flying creatures and not on the Wavecrash Triton with Aqueuos Form and Ordeals equipped.
Match 3- vs. Blue/Red (1-2)- This match I played against Mark Nestico, who's a writer for Star City Games. The fact that I was able to win a game against him is an accomplishment in itself. Game 2 however, he sided into a G/W/U deck, and with Daxos Of Meletis leading the charge, my big beefy dudes were rendered useless, as he was Bestowed with a shitton of creatures.
Match 4- vs. Green/Black (2-0)- Fleetfeather Sandals are super good in limited. Also, NEVER underestimate the power of a well timed Alpha Swing.
Match 5 vs. W/U Flyers (2-0)- Fleetfeather Sandals plus Sedge Scorpion made for a smooter tempo than I would have liked to admit. Nothing gave me trouble, but it was a harsh reminder that I was lacking in the flyers department.
Match 6 vs. BUG (0-2) Abhorrent Overlord and Arbor Colossus. I was out of removal and upperend power, so this one was mine to lose unfortunately. At least I helped someone from my store's record, even if he didn't make Top 8.
Matches 7 and 8- Eh, I was drunk and on tilt by this point, so I didn't really play that well, AND I didn't write it down.
Deck MVP: Portent Of Betrayal, I guess? Nessian Asp also did a lot of work.
Good Pulls: Ehhhh... Some good utility stuff, but other than Ashen Rider and Tyramet The Murder King, nothing too impressive.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Drive Back Home Episode 7- Horizons, Agent Of Horizons
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SHOW NOTES
Wooo!!!
Deck Type: Green and Blue
Green is always a good color to draft (if you can get the right cards, of course), blue is for big flyers, and I'm starting to get the hang of sideboarding.
Record: 3-1
Match 1- vs. White/Green/Red (1-2)- This guy went on to win the whole thing, and thanks to Aqueous Form, I managed to get one game off of him. However, between Favored Hoplite and Ordeal of Heliod, I was soundly defeated by a misplay:
I had a Voyage's End in my hand, he had a Favored Hoplite with two counters, and an ordeal of Heliod, if I hit him then, he wouldn't have put out an Ordeal of Nylea, they wouldn't have triggered, and could have won the game.
Match 2- vs. Green/Black/Red (2-1) I don't remember this one very well.
Match 3- vs. Red/White (2-0)- Ehh... This one I almost went to a 3rd game. I had a Staunch Hearted Warrior with 2 +1/+1 counters on it, he used Portent of Betrayal to swing at me for 12 damage, leaving me with one life.
Match 4- vs. Green/Black (2-1)- Between a Guardian of Meletis and TWO Sedge Scorpions, I was screwed, but I sideboarded in flyers for my third round and barely pulled it off. I was even able to come back from a Gray Merchant attack. First match, he won 1 with one life.
Deck MVP: Aqueous Form, Staunch Hearted Warrior and Agent of Horizons!
Good Pulls: Got away with no rares in my deck, but in my prize pack FUCK YEAH ELSPETH SUNS CHAMPION!!!
SHOW NOTES
Wooo!!!
Deck Type: Green and Blue
Green is always a good color to draft (if you can get the right cards, of course), blue is for big flyers, and I'm starting to get the hang of sideboarding.
Record: 3-1
Match 1- vs. White/Green/Red (1-2)- This guy went on to win the whole thing, and thanks to Aqueous Form, I managed to get one game off of him. However, between Favored Hoplite and Ordeal of Heliod, I was soundly defeated by a misplay:
I had a Voyage's End in my hand, he had a Favored Hoplite with two counters, and an ordeal of Heliod, if I hit him then, he wouldn't have put out an Ordeal of Nylea, they wouldn't have triggered, and could have won the game.
Match 2- vs. Green/Black/Red (2-1) I don't remember this one very well.
Match 3- vs. Red/White (2-0)- Ehh... This one I almost went to a 3rd game. I had a Staunch Hearted Warrior with 2 +1/+1 counters on it, he used Portent of Betrayal to swing at me for 12 damage, leaving me with one life.
Match 4- vs. Green/Black (2-1)- Between a Guardian of Meletis and TWO Sedge Scorpions, I was screwed, but I sideboarded in flyers for my third round and barely pulled it off. I was even able to come back from a Gray Merchant attack. First match, he won 1 with one life.
Deck MVP: Aqueous Form, Staunch Hearted Warrior and Agent of Horizons!
Good Pulls: Got away with no rares in my deck, but in my prize pack FUCK YEAH ELSPETH SUNS CHAMPION!!!
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Drive Back Home Episode 6- Draft It Forward
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SHOW NOTES
Came out of my slump, but still working on it.
Deck Type: Green and Black Heroic
I'm starting to see the value of Green in this format: a lot of big beaters, enchantment creatures, heroic creatures, monstrous creatures... This week I splashed in some black.
Record: 2-2
Match 1- vs. Black/Blue- Flyers. Damn Flyers. It was at this point my curve was looking a little weak, so I swapped out smaller creatures for my later games, just so I had something to play.
Match 2- vs. Red/Black- We were both playing slow decks, but his had better defense. Keepsake Gorgon and the Red Monstrous Creatures, kept my comparatively smaller creatures at bay, and did enough damage that I couldn't wait for Heroic to kick in.
Match 3- BYE
Match 4- vs. Green/Black- Never underestimate the power of an Alpha Swing. I had this guy beat, but I kept getting out more creatures, hoping that I'd be able to get him down to 0. Also showing the importance of knowing your board state.
Deck MVP: Boon of Erebos and Scourgemark did a lot of the heavy lifting... Unfortunately. Vulpine Goliath?
Good Pulls: Fabled Hero and Mistcutter Hydra.I didn't use the former, and the latter never saw play, so this was a very good example of things just not working out.
SHOW NOTES
Came out of my slump, but still working on it.
Deck Type: Green and Black Heroic
I'm starting to see the value of Green in this format: a lot of big beaters, enchantment creatures, heroic creatures, monstrous creatures... This week I splashed in some black.
Record: 2-2
Match 1- vs. Black/Blue- Flyers. Damn Flyers. It was at this point my curve was looking a little weak, so I swapped out smaller creatures for my later games, just so I had something to play.
Match 2- vs. Red/Black- We were both playing slow decks, but his had better defense. Keepsake Gorgon and the Red Monstrous Creatures, kept my comparatively smaller creatures at bay, and did enough damage that I couldn't wait for Heroic to kick in.
Match 3- BYE
Match 4- vs. Green/Black- Never underestimate the power of an Alpha Swing. I had this guy beat, but I kept getting out more creatures, hoping that I'd be able to get him down to 0. Also showing the importance of knowing your board state.
Deck MVP: Boon of Erebos and Scourgemark did a lot of the heavy lifting... Unfortunately. Vulpine Goliath?
Good Pulls: Fabled Hero and Mistcutter Hydra.I didn't use the former, and the latter never saw play, so this was a very good example of things just not working out.
Friday, November 1, 2013
Drive Back Home Episode 5- Back(to)Draft(ing)
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SHOW NOTES
Not so good this week, but got a lot of good cards!
Deck Type: Green and White
I went into the draft with a plan... Unfortunately the plan didn't work out. I had a lot of Heroic creatures, but not much to activate it with, just some enchantment creatures, Ordeals, Gods Willing and Battlewise Valor. Not bad, but could be better.
Record: 1-3... I'm gettin' worse :(
Match 1- vs. Green/White (0-2) Mirror match. He had the flyers, I did not.
Match 2- vs. Black/White (1-2) Now, what screwed me over was the flying, BUT he had Fleetfooted Sandals, which grants creatures haste and flying. Combine that with my lack of big beaters, and you have a fairly easy win for him. If I didn't get mana screwed the third game, this would have been a lot closer, but it was not meant to be :(
Match 3- vs. Gruul (1-2) Hopeful Eidolon and Favored Hoplite drove me to a Game 1 win, and for a while, I had him beat by equipping said Hoplite with Gift of Immortality and Ordeals, BUT, he had Portent of Betrayal, taking control of him, and sealing the win.
Match 4- vs. Radkos (2-0) While the Keepsake Gorgon kept me at bay, Gift of Immortality combined with Nemesis of Mortals allowed me to beat down his defenses. Voyaging Satyr came in handy A LOT here.
Deck MVP: Hopeful Eidolon and Leafcrown Dryad share this one.
Good Pulls: Gift of Immortality for sure, Abhorrent Overlord I guess, Steam Augury, two Chronicler of Heros and Anthoussa. Not bad, but not enough.
So what did I learn? When in doubt, draft flyers.
SHOW NOTES
Not so good this week, but got a lot of good cards!
Deck Type: Green and White
I went into the draft with a plan... Unfortunately the plan didn't work out. I had a lot of Heroic creatures, but not much to activate it with, just some enchantment creatures, Ordeals, Gods Willing and Battlewise Valor. Not bad, but could be better.
Record: 1-3... I'm gettin' worse :(
Match 1- vs. Green/White (0-2) Mirror match. He had the flyers, I did not.
Match 2- vs. Black/White (1-2) Now, what screwed me over was the flying, BUT he had Fleetfooted Sandals, which grants creatures haste and flying. Combine that with my lack of big beaters, and you have a fairly easy win for him. If I didn't get mana screwed the third game, this would have been a lot closer, but it was not meant to be :(
Match 3- vs. Gruul (1-2) Hopeful Eidolon and Favored Hoplite drove me to a Game 1 win, and for a while, I had him beat by equipping said Hoplite with Gift of Immortality and Ordeals, BUT, he had Portent of Betrayal, taking control of him, and sealing the win.
Match 4- vs. Radkos (2-0) While the Keepsake Gorgon kept me at bay, Gift of Immortality combined with Nemesis of Mortals allowed me to beat down his defenses. Voyaging Satyr came in handy A LOT here.
Deck MVP: Hopeful Eidolon and Leafcrown Dryad share this one.
Good Pulls: Gift of Immortality for sure, Abhorrent Overlord I guess, Steam Augury, two Chronicler of Heros and Anthoussa. Not bad, but not enough.
So what did I learn? When in doubt, draft flyers.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Drive Back Home Episode 4- Setting The Standard
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First Standard Magic episode!
DECK LIST
Deck: Life Wasted- BUG
//Lands
2 Overgrown Tomb
1 Golgari Guildgate
4 Breeding Pool
15 Swamp
//Spells
1 Vraska the Unseen
4 Doom Blade
1 Grisly Spectacle
1 Hero's Downfall
2 Pharika's Cure
3 Sanguine Bond
2 Thoughtseize
1 Whip of Erebos
2 Putrefy
//Creatures
3 Experiment One
2 Gyre Sage
4 Desecration Demon
4 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
4 Nightveil Specter
4 Returned Phalanx
//Sideboard
3 Duress
3 Burst of Strength
3 Dark Betrayal
1 Ultimate Price
3 Crypt Incursion
2 Mark of the Vampire
Display deck statistics
SHOW NOTES
Deck Type: Black Devotion, splashing Green, with Blue mana sources
Record: 1-3... Eh... The deck at least fared well.
Match 1 vs. RDW (0-2): Still figuring out my Mana Curve, I wasn't able to get a lot of bodies on the field. But, I still had a lot of low cost removal, so I was able to stall him for at least a little while.
Match 2 vs. MonoBlack Devotion (1-2): He was packing Pack Rats, and while I was able to get one with my Nightveil Specter, his Erebos, God Of The Dead held me back quite a bit, so I should also sideboard in some Fade Into Antiquity, but thankfully I had some Dark Betrayal as well.
Match 3 vs. Mono Green Devotion (1-2): I lost due to a major misplay: I forgot that Scavenging Ooze gains a life for every creature it exiles, so I had him at way less life than I thought.
So my combo worked as intended: Sanguine Bond -> Crypt Incursion, gained 6 life, he lost 6 and I thought I had him, but I should have Crypt Incursioned his graveyard instead.
Match 4 vs. ???: I thought this guy just got super mana screwed with this Sliver Deck he played with, but turns out his guy he was new to Standard and had no idea what he was doing, so I tried to help him out as much as possible, and let him take some of my Boros Guildgates, but for the second game, I let him play with the BR M14 Intro Deck, and gave him the stack of commons and uncommons that someone had left for the taking.
My B/G plan seemed to work as intended, I just need to overhaul the mana A LOT.
Deck MVP: Honestly? Putrefy. Keep it on the side for those pesky God Weapons that HEY GUESS WHAT AIN'T INDESTURCTIBLE HAHAHAHA
Good Pulls: N/A, it was Standard.
First Standard Magic episode!
DECK LIST
Deck: Life Wasted- BUG
//Lands
2 Overgrown Tomb
1 Golgari Guildgate
4 Breeding Pool
15 Swamp
//Spells
1 Vraska the Unseen
4 Doom Blade
1 Grisly Spectacle
1 Hero's Downfall
2 Pharika's Cure
3 Sanguine Bond
2 Thoughtseize
1 Whip of Erebos
2 Putrefy
//Creatures
3 Experiment One
2 Gyre Sage
4 Desecration Demon
4 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
4 Nightveil Specter
4 Returned Phalanx
//Sideboard
3 Duress
3 Burst of Strength
3 Dark Betrayal
1 Ultimate Price
3 Crypt Incursion
2 Mark of the Vampire
Display deck statistics SHOW NOTES
Deck Type: Black Devotion, splashing Green, with Blue mana sources
Record: 1-3... Eh... The deck at least fared well.
Match 1 vs. RDW (0-2): Still figuring out my Mana Curve, I wasn't able to get a lot of bodies on the field. But, I still had a lot of low cost removal, so I was able to stall him for at least a little while.
Match 2 vs. MonoBlack Devotion (1-2): He was packing Pack Rats, and while I was able to get one with my Nightveil Specter, his Erebos, God Of The Dead held me back quite a bit, so I should also sideboard in some Fade Into Antiquity, but thankfully I had some Dark Betrayal as well.
Match 3 vs. Mono Green Devotion (1-2): I lost due to a major misplay: I forgot that Scavenging Ooze gains a life for every creature it exiles, so I had him at way less life than I thought.
So my combo worked as intended: Sanguine Bond -> Crypt Incursion, gained 6 life, he lost 6 and I thought I had him, but I should have Crypt Incursioned his graveyard instead.
Match 4 vs. ???: I thought this guy just got super mana screwed with this Sliver Deck he played with, but turns out his guy he was new to Standard and had no idea what he was doing, so I tried to help him out as much as possible, and let him take some of my Boros Guildgates, but for the second game, I let him play with the BR M14 Intro Deck, and gave him the stack of commons and uncommons that someone had left for the taking.
My B/G plan seemed to work as intended, I just need to overhaul the mana A LOT.
Deck MVP: Honestly? Putrefy. Keep it on the side for those pesky God Weapons that HEY GUESS WHAT AIN'T INDESTURCTIBLE HAHAHAHA
Good Pulls: N/A, it was Standard.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Drive Back Home Episode 3- The Roads Less Traveled
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SHOW NOTES
Not so good this week, but got a lot of good cards!
Deck Type: Green and Red, splashing White
Drafted both Bow of Nylea and Hammer of Puphoros, AND Temple of Abandon. PRETTY luck if you ask me...
Record: 1-2-1... Eh...
Match 1- vs. Green/Blue/Red with Prophet of Kruphix (2-0). PoK is one of my star players in my Simic Deck for Game Day tomorrow. While it did give me some trouple enabling my opponent to play some counterspells, Hammer Of Puphoros and his ability to create a golem from 3 mana and sac a land kept me on the offensive.
Match 2- vs. Green/Blue (1-1) I could have won this game on Game 2, but he had 2 Vulpine Goliaths out, and I only had one blocker when he went full tilt to strike. 18 Lands seems to be the new rule of thumb for Theros Limited.
Match 3- vs. Radkos (0-2) This is the same guy who I face with R and B in Episode 1.
Match 4- vs. Blue/White (0-2) Another U/W Fliers Deck, another Prescient Chimera all up in my business. So when I get to the Hatedrafting stage of the pack, I know what to take, much like Shiv's Embrace in M14.
Deck MVP: No one really, I guess Hammer of Puphoros? I was never in a strong position board-wise, so Haste and Deathtouch couldn't really do much for me.
Good Pulls: Drafted both Bow of Nylea and Hammer of Puphoros, AND Temple of Abandon, and one of the guys there was giving out his commons and uncommons from his prize packs.
SHOW NOTES
Not so good this week, but got a lot of good cards!
Deck Type: Green and Red, splashing White
Drafted both Bow of Nylea and Hammer of Puphoros, AND Temple of Abandon. PRETTY luck if you ask me...
Record: 1-2-1... Eh...
Match 1- vs. Green/Blue/Red with Prophet of Kruphix (2-0). PoK is one of my star players in my Simic Deck for Game Day tomorrow. While it did give me some trouple enabling my opponent to play some counterspells, Hammer Of Puphoros and his ability to create a golem from 3 mana and sac a land kept me on the offensive.
Match 2- vs. Green/Blue (1-1) I could have won this game on Game 2, but he had 2 Vulpine Goliaths out, and I only had one blocker when he went full tilt to strike. 18 Lands seems to be the new rule of thumb for Theros Limited.
Match 3- vs. Radkos (0-2) This is the same guy who I face with R and B in Episode 1.
Match 4- vs. Blue/White (0-2) Another U/W Fliers Deck, another Prescient Chimera all up in my business. So when I get to the Hatedrafting stage of the pack, I know what to take, much like Shiv's Embrace in M14.
Deck MVP: No one really, I guess Hammer of Puphoros? I was never in a strong position board-wise, so Haste and Deathtouch couldn't really do much for me.
Good Pulls: Drafted both Bow of Nylea and Hammer of Puphoros, AND Temple of Abandon, and one of the guys there was giving out his commons and uncommons from his prize packs.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Drive Back Home Episode 2- Returned To Sendered
Back for Week 2!
SHOW NOTES
I'm getting better at remembering stuff off the cuff, so I'm still new to all this. Consider it "practice"
Deck Type: Blue and Black, representing House Dimir.
Drafted a lot of fliers with Nimbus Naiad, Insatiable Harpy, Vaporkin and Shipwrecked Singer.
Record: 3-0-1, UNDEFEATED!!!
Match 1- vs. Black/White, with Pyrex of Pandemonium (2-0)
Pandemoninum worked for me ONLY because I had more creature exiled that he had. It's an AWESOME card for limited, just for how much havoc it could wreak. Might see use in a mill deck.
Match 2- vs. Grull (2-0).
Match 3- vs. Izzet (2-0). Spellheart Chimera is a wicked bad card, and my normal standbys of Thassa's Bounty and Returned Phalanx couldn't come out to play. Might play well with Tome Scour and Archaeomancer.
Match 4- vs. Green/Blue (DRAW DECLARED). But I lost horribly, as his Agent of Fates and Aqueous Form made it hard for me to recover.
Deck MVP: Returned Phalanax, ABSOLUETLY. A 3/3 blocker on turn 2, and if you get stuck with only 2 mana, you still have a viable 3/3 creature.
Good Pulls: Bident of Thassa, and Thassa's Emmisary both worked well in my deck.As far as prize packs go, since I won 5(!!!) I'm just going to list all the good stuff:
-Spellheart Chimera
-2 Stoneshock Giants
-One pack where I pulled 2 Commune with the Gods
-Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
-Temple Of Deciet
-3 Sentry Of The Underworlds
-Lots Of Ordeals
-Spear of Heliod
SHOW NOTES
I'm getting better at remembering stuff off the cuff, so I'm still new to all this. Consider it "practice"
Deck Type: Blue and Black, representing House Dimir.
Drafted a lot of fliers with Nimbus Naiad, Insatiable Harpy, Vaporkin and Shipwrecked Singer.
Record: 3-0-1, UNDEFEATED!!!
Match 1- vs. Black/White, with Pyrex of Pandemonium (2-0)
Pandemoninum worked for me ONLY because I had more creature exiled that he had. It's an AWESOME card for limited, just for how much havoc it could wreak. Might see use in a mill deck.
Match 2- vs. Grull (2-0).
Match 3- vs. Izzet (2-0). Spellheart Chimera is a wicked bad card, and my normal standbys of Thassa's Bounty and Returned Phalanx couldn't come out to play. Might play well with Tome Scour and Archaeomancer.
Match 4- vs. Green/Blue (DRAW DECLARED). But I lost horribly, as his Agent of Fates and Aqueous Form made it hard for me to recover.
Deck MVP: Returned Phalanax, ABSOLUETLY. A 3/3 blocker on turn 2, and if you get stuck with only 2 mana, you still have a viable 3/3 creature.
Good Pulls: Bident of Thassa, and Thassa's Emmisary both worked well in my deck.As far as prize packs go, since I won 5(!!!) I'm just going to list all the good stuff:
-Spellheart Chimera
-2 Stoneshock Giants
-One pack where I pulled 2 Commune with the Gods
-Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
-Temple Of Deciet
-3 Sentry Of The Underworlds
-Lots Of Ordeals
-Spear of Heliod
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