diffy
02-16-2009, 09:53 AM
More, non-SPOD centric information can be found here (http://mtgthesource.com/forums/showpost.php?p=319874&postcount=765).
Photos taken during the event can be found here (http://www.magic-speyer.de/zen/index.php?page=2).
Preamble
Business as usual: Highlander + Being Awesome = Awesome = Best possible lead up to bad formats.
True story.
This is what Team SPOD ended up playing:
Harrald Locutus Herrlich – Fiery Pandaburst
Stefan SpiritoftheWretch Czolk – Not Quite Balanced /r
Daniel Adan Scherer - Not Quite Balanced /w
Clemens Der_imaginäre_Freund Wolff - Not Quite Balanced /w
Here's what I sleeved up:
/// Maindeck (60 cards)
// Lands (17)
4 Flooded Strand (http://magiccards.info/on/en/316.html)
4 Windswept Heath (http://magiccards.info/on/en/328.html)
2 Tropical Island (http://magiccards.info/be/en/299.html)
2 Tundra (http://magiccards.info/be/en/300.html)
3 Island (http://magiccards.info/apac/en/12.html)
1 Forest (http://magiccards.info/apac/en/11.html)
1 Plains (http://magiccards.info/apac/en/4.html)
// Beaters (14)
4 Werebear (http://magiccards.info/od/en/282.html)
4 Tarmogoyf (http://magiccards.info/fut/en/153.html)
2 Trygon Predator (http://magiccards.info/di/en/133.html)
3 Rhox War Monk (”http://magiccards.info/ala/en/188.html”)
1 Mystic Enforcer (http://magiccards.info/od/en/290.html)
// Card Advantage (11)
4 Brainstorm (http://magiccards.info/mm/en/61.html)
4 Ponder (http://magiccards.info/lw/en/79.html)
3 Sensei's Divining Top (http://magiccards.info/chk/en/268.html)
// Permission (12)
4 Counterbalance (http://magiccards.info/cs/en/31.html)
3 Daze (http://magiccards.info/ne/en/30.html)
1 Counterspell (”http://magiccards.info/be/en/55.html”)
4 Force of Will (http://magiccards.info/ai/en/42.html)
// Removal (6)
4 Swords to Plowshares (http://magiccards.info/ia/en/278.html)
2 Oblivion Ring (http://magiccards.info/lw/en/34.html)
/// Sideboard (15 cards)
4 Hydroblast (http://magiccards.info/ia/en/72.html)
3 Gaddock Teeg (http://magiccards.info/lw/en/248.html)
2 Krosan Grip (http://magiccards.info/ts/en/202.html)
3 Engineered Explosives (http://magiccards.info/5dn/en/118.html)
3 Pithing Needle (”http://magiccards.info/sok/en/158.html”)
This (http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=dgbs8px8_4hcj6v6g7&hl=en) page will be kept updated with the newest list.
Explanation of some choices:
Werebear: included because the white splashed build is getting more and more clunky – cc3 stuff is awesome do dodge opposing Counterbalances and to improve your own, however, especially if you additionally play Daze, the deck turns into hell of a slow pile. Werebear fixes this to some extent as he assures to hit 3 mana more consistently. The additional meat is also nice, especially since this beater doesn't suck in the earlygame. You could play 18 lands in order to be able to support 3 mana stuff more reliably, however, the 18th land doesn't fix the tempo/Daze issues and doesn't come in handy as solid beater. Basically Werebear is a better Nimble Mongoose in this list: it doesn't suck as much early due to tapping for green mana, and is of similar strength later (the loss of shroud being made up for by the additional +1/+1 which is often really useful).
Rhox War Monk: included because he's solid in your bad matchups (i.e. anything aggressive or swarmish). He's also good overall, racing most creatures out there single-handedly, not dying against burn etc.
3 Daze/1 Counterspell: split played due to the deck getting more clunky (i.e. you reach the lategame more often → Daze gets worse) and due to people finally starting to play around Daze as they should (making Daze's value diminish even further)
Short Report:
Round 1 vs. Andreas Pish with Death & Taxes
I'm on the draw.
I force his first turn Aether Vial, get some early cantrips and a Werebear – everything looks just fine until he drops a Flickerwisp and starts racing my beats. After dropping to 14, he gets a little greedy and plays a Stonecloaker on my end of turn. Obviously his Flickerwisp eats a Swords to Plowshares in response to his dude which cuts off his entire clock. I drop a Rhox War Monk on the next turn and he proceeds to loose from there on.
-1 Counterspell
-1 Counterbalance
+2 Engineered Explosives
I get an early Counterbalance and Tarmogoyf going – he can't do anything from there as I am able to hold onto some spare lands to dodge his Cataclysm and can circumvent his removal by countering a first Oblivion Ring and by playing my own Ring on his second.
2:0
1-0-0 (2:0)
Round 2 vs. Sven Götze with UBR Aggro Control
I'm on the draw.
I have to mulligan a no-lander and then keep another shaky hand with only 1 cantrip and 1 land (due to the hand having too much power: Counterbalance + Top + Goyf = too good to ship back). I don't find any lands with my cantrip and he wastes my lone land. When he then proceeds to drop a Counterbalance + Top, it looks very bad for me. After finding some lands, I try to land some cc3 spells, however, he's able to float a 2 and 3 mana spell on top of his library until a Tombstalker finishes me off.
-3 Daze
+2 Krosan Grip
+1 Engineered Explosives
Counterbalance wins. True story.
This time, on the right side of the board, though.
Game 3: see game 2.
2:1
2-0-0 (4:1)
Round 3 vs. Stefan Ball with BW Pox feat. Helm Combo
I'm on the play.
He starts with Leyline of the Void in play. I get a very aggressive start which he disrupts due to having the only good card in that entire pile: Smallpox. Twice. However, due to Counterbalance + Top + fetchlands, I am able to recuperate and keep him off playing anything for a while. I get some Tarmogoyf beats going when he finally finds a solution to my Counterbalance in the form of Vindicate. He then proceeds to drop a Bitterblossom which does nothing but stall my at that point inevitable victory: he's at 10 life and I have found a second Tarmogoyf plus Force of Will against any possible nastiness. After countering his Helm of Obedience, we're on to game 2.
-3 Daze
-1 Swords to Plowshares
+2 Krosan Grip
+2 Gaddock Teeg
Turn 2 Werebear, turn 3 Trygon Predator against his t0 Leyline of the Void, turn 4 Mystic Enforcer, turn 6 Threshold + some moderate disruption (i.e. 1 Force of Will) = gg.
2:0
3-0-0 (6:1)
Round 4 vs. Stefan Benisch with UBw ANT
I'm on the draw.
We get deck-checked.
He mulligans twice and still isn't quite satisfied with his hand. He's even less content when I get a Counterbalance + some moderate beats (i.e. turn 3, 4, 5 Werebear, turn 6 Threshold for the win).
-2 Oblivion Ring
-1 Mystic Enforcer
+3 Gaddock Teeg
He gets a first turn Dark Confidant which I send farming. He drops another Dark Confidant on his second turn which I Daze. I drop a Gaddock Teeg, he drops another Dark Confidant for which I only find a sword after it draws him a Dark Ritual. I drop a Tarmogoyf and start beating down. When he drops to eleven, he comboes off partially in order to gain some time: he Slaughter Pacts my Gaddock Teeg, Counterbalance reveals for 2, he plays some stuff, including Brainstorm and Duress (revealing him my hand of 2 more Gaddock Teegs) and plays Tendrils for 12. I drop another Gaddock and a Trygon Predator. As his resources are totally depleted after this first attempt to combo off, there's not much he can do in the 2 turns he has.
2:0
4-0-0 (8:1)
Round 5 vs. Stefan Czolk with Not Quite Balanced /r
I draw with my team mate as the mirror is really silly – it just comes down to who draws Counterbalance first, nothing else.
Also, since Stefan has already played 4 mirrors so far and is extremely likely to play a mirror last round too, he really needs a break.
0:0
4-0-1 (8:1)
Round 6 vs. Christopher Wilhelm with UGr Counterbalance Threshold
I'm on the play.
I have to keep another risky hand: 1 land + 1 cantrip are totally justified by 3 Tarmogoyfs + 1 Counterbalance. However, it didn't work out as my cantrip didn't find any lands and because he had a Wasteland for my turn 1 land. By the time I find more lands he assembled Counterbalance + Top which he was able to force through my lone Force of Will.
-3 Daze
-1 Counterspell
+2 Krosan Grip
+2 Engineered Explosives
Game 2: I have a Counterbalance before he has. That simple.
The third game, on the other hand, was really frustrating. I have to keep another one of these 1 land + 1 cantrip + loads of stuff that just wins hands – and again, the cantrip doesn't find any lands and he has the Wasteland. However, despite having to draw-discard for 3 turns and him having a Counterbalance, I'm still able to come back – he resolves a Tarmogoyf at some point for which I have 2 Swords to Plowshares. He counters one with Counterbalance, revealing SdT, for the second one, played in response to this Top, he reveals Force which is terrible as I wanted to force his Top. Nevertheless, I am able to savagely resolve 2 Tarmogoyfs through his Counterbalance and play my Krosan Grip around the cc3 card he has on top of his library. By the time he finds a blocker, I have an Oblivion Ring for it. It all looks excellent until he finds a second Wasteland for my other Tropical Island, a Krosan Grip for my Oblivion Ring and another blocker. I proceed to draw a Tarmogoyf and a Werebear which would have instantly tilted the balance back into my favour, however I can't find a green source for the rest of the game (the one land I am able to find is a Flooded Strand which sadly can't get me a Forest – the only green source left in the deck).
1:2
4-1-1 (9:3)
Other Tournament Stuff
I come in fourth. Harrald David, whom I spoiled my list on the previous day, came in 6th with some minor modifications (2 cards in total).
The prices were: (in order of pick from the price-pool)
1st – 1 Savannah (German Limited)
2nd – 1 Tropical Island
3rd – 1 Force of Will
4th - 1 Force of Will
5th – 1 Badlands
6th - 1 Plateau
7th - 1 Plateau
8th - 1 Bitterblossom
Postlude
Performance of the rest of Team SPOD :
5-0-1 Stefan *1st*
2-3-0 Adan
4-2-0 Harrald *7th*
Changes to the list:
-1 Island
+1 Tropical Island
5 Basics probably is a little excessive after all, and the 2 of each dual manabase somewhat was a relic of times when the deck was less colour and mana hungry anyway.
Props:
The deck for being something like the most consistent deck in the format
Pandaburst
Werebear - he's solid. Additionally, playing him is further proof that there's no such things as evolution, just cycles.
Stefan fucking Czolk
Slops:
Adan for sucking with Threshold, seriously.
The Metagame. Screw people getting that Counterbalance is uber: the mirror is just so annoying... as in no playskill or decisions involved at all.
Photos taken during the event can be found here (http://www.magic-speyer.de/zen/index.php?page=2).
Preamble
Business as usual: Highlander + Being Awesome = Awesome = Best possible lead up to bad formats.
True story.
This is what Team SPOD ended up playing:
Harrald Locutus Herrlich – Fiery Pandaburst
Stefan SpiritoftheWretch Czolk – Not Quite Balanced /r
Daniel Adan Scherer - Not Quite Balanced /w
Clemens Der_imaginäre_Freund Wolff - Not Quite Balanced /w
Here's what I sleeved up:
/// Maindeck (60 cards)
// Lands (17)
4 Flooded Strand (http://magiccards.info/on/en/316.html)
4 Windswept Heath (http://magiccards.info/on/en/328.html)
2 Tropical Island (http://magiccards.info/be/en/299.html)
2 Tundra (http://magiccards.info/be/en/300.html)
3 Island (http://magiccards.info/apac/en/12.html)
1 Forest (http://magiccards.info/apac/en/11.html)
1 Plains (http://magiccards.info/apac/en/4.html)
// Beaters (14)
4 Werebear (http://magiccards.info/od/en/282.html)
4 Tarmogoyf (http://magiccards.info/fut/en/153.html)
2 Trygon Predator (http://magiccards.info/di/en/133.html)
3 Rhox War Monk (”http://magiccards.info/ala/en/188.html”)
1 Mystic Enforcer (http://magiccards.info/od/en/290.html)
// Card Advantage (11)
4 Brainstorm (http://magiccards.info/mm/en/61.html)
4 Ponder (http://magiccards.info/lw/en/79.html)
3 Sensei's Divining Top (http://magiccards.info/chk/en/268.html)
// Permission (12)
4 Counterbalance (http://magiccards.info/cs/en/31.html)
3 Daze (http://magiccards.info/ne/en/30.html)
1 Counterspell (”http://magiccards.info/be/en/55.html”)
4 Force of Will (http://magiccards.info/ai/en/42.html)
// Removal (6)
4 Swords to Plowshares (http://magiccards.info/ia/en/278.html)
2 Oblivion Ring (http://magiccards.info/lw/en/34.html)
/// Sideboard (15 cards)
4 Hydroblast (http://magiccards.info/ia/en/72.html)
3 Gaddock Teeg (http://magiccards.info/lw/en/248.html)
2 Krosan Grip (http://magiccards.info/ts/en/202.html)
3 Engineered Explosives (http://magiccards.info/5dn/en/118.html)
3 Pithing Needle (”http://magiccards.info/sok/en/158.html”)
This (http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=dgbs8px8_4hcj6v6g7&hl=en) page will be kept updated with the newest list.
Explanation of some choices:
Werebear: included because the white splashed build is getting more and more clunky – cc3 stuff is awesome do dodge opposing Counterbalances and to improve your own, however, especially if you additionally play Daze, the deck turns into hell of a slow pile. Werebear fixes this to some extent as he assures to hit 3 mana more consistently. The additional meat is also nice, especially since this beater doesn't suck in the earlygame. You could play 18 lands in order to be able to support 3 mana stuff more reliably, however, the 18th land doesn't fix the tempo/Daze issues and doesn't come in handy as solid beater. Basically Werebear is a better Nimble Mongoose in this list: it doesn't suck as much early due to tapping for green mana, and is of similar strength later (the loss of shroud being made up for by the additional +1/+1 which is often really useful).
Rhox War Monk: included because he's solid in your bad matchups (i.e. anything aggressive or swarmish). He's also good overall, racing most creatures out there single-handedly, not dying against burn etc.
3 Daze/1 Counterspell: split played due to the deck getting more clunky (i.e. you reach the lategame more often → Daze gets worse) and due to people finally starting to play around Daze as they should (making Daze's value diminish even further)
Short Report:
Round 1 vs. Andreas Pish with Death & Taxes
I'm on the draw.
I force his first turn Aether Vial, get some early cantrips and a Werebear – everything looks just fine until he drops a Flickerwisp and starts racing my beats. After dropping to 14, he gets a little greedy and plays a Stonecloaker on my end of turn. Obviously his Flickerwisp eats a Swords to Plowshares in response to his dude which cuts off his entire clock. I drop a Rhox War Monk on the next turn and he proceeds to loose from there on.
-1 Counterspell
-1 Counterbalance
+2 Engineered Explosives
I get an early Counterbalance and Tarmogoyf going – he can't do anything from there as I am able to hold onto some spare lands to dodge his Cataclysm and can circumvent his removal by countering a first Oblivion Ring and by playing my own Ring on his second.
2:0
1-0-0 (2:0)
Round 2 vs. Sven Götze with UBR Aggro Control
I'm on the draw.
I have to mulligan a no-lander and then keep another shaky hand with only 1 cantrip and 1 land (due to the hand having too much power: Counterbalance + Top + Goyf = too good to ship back). I don't find any lands with my cantrip and he wastes my lone land. When he then proceeds to drop a Counterbalance + Top, it looks very bad for me. After finding some lands, I try to land some cc3 spells, however, he's able to float a 2 and 3 mana spell on top of his library until a Tombstalker finishes me off.
-3 Daze
+2 Krosan Grip
+1 Engineered Explosives
Counterbalance wins. True story.
This time, on the right side of the board, though.
Game 3: see game 2.
2:1
2-0-0 (4:1)
Round 3 vs. Stefan Ball with BW Pox feat. Helm Combo
I'm on the play.
He starts with Leyline of the Void in play. I get a very aggressive start which he disrupts due to having the only good card in that entire pile: Smallpox. Twice. However, due to Counterbalance + Top + fetchlands, I am able to recuperate and keep him off playing anything for a while. I get some Tarmogoyf beats going when he finally finds a solution to my Counterbalance in the form of Vindicate. He then proceeds to drop a Bitterblossom which does nothing but stall my at that point inevitable victory: he's at 10 life and I have found a second Tarmogoyf plus Force of Will against any possible nastiness. After countering his Helm of Obedience, we're on to game 2.
-3 Daze
-1 Swords to Plowshares
+2 Krosan Grip
+2 Gaddock Teeg
Turn 2 Werebear, turn 3 Trygon Predator against his t0 Leyline of the Void, turn 4 Mystic Enforcer, turn 6 Threshold + some moderate disruption (i.e. 1 Force of Will) = gg.
2:0
3-0-0 (6:1)
Round 4 vs. Stefan Benisch with UBw ANT
I'm on the draw.
We get deck-checked.
He mulligans twice and still isn't quite satisfied with his hand. He's even less content when I get a Counterbalance + some moderate beats (i.e. turn 3, 4, 5 Werebear, turn 6 Threshold for the win).
-2 Oblivion Ring
-1 Mystic Enforcer
+3 Gaddock Teeg
He gets a first turn Dark Confidant which I send farming. He drops another Dark Confidant on his second turn which I Daze. I drop a Gaddock Teeg, he drops another Dark Confidant for which I only find a sword after it draws him a Dark Ritual. I drop a Tarmogoyf and start beating down. When he drops to eleven, he comboes off partially in order to gain some time: he Slaughter Pacts my Gaddock Teeg, Counterbalance reveals for 2, he plays some stuff, including Brainstorm and Duress (revealing him my hand of 2 more Gaddock Teegs) and plays Tendrils for 12. I drop another Gaddock and a Trygon Predator. As his resources are totally depleted after this first attempt to combo off, there's not much he can do in the 2 turns he has.
2:0
4-0-0 (8:1)
Round 5 vs. Stefan Czolk with Not Quite Balanced /r
I draw with my team mate as the mirror is really silly – it just comes down to who draws Counterbalance first, nothing else.
Also, since Stefan has already played 4 mirrors so far and is extremely likely to play a mirror last round too, he really needs a break.
0:0
4-0-1 (8:1)
Round 6 vs. Christopher Wilhelm with UGr Counterbalance Threshold
I'm on the play.
I have to keep another risky hand: 1 land + 1 cantrip are totally justified by 3 Tarmogoyfs + 1 Counterbalance. However, it didn't work out as my cantrip didn't find any lands and because he had a Wasteland for my turn 1 land. By the time I find more lands he assembled Counterbalance + Top which he was able to force through my lone Force of Will.
-3 Daze
-1 Counterspell
+2 Krosan Grip
+2 Engineered Explosives
Game 2: I have a Counterbalance before he has. That simple.
The third game, on the other hand, was really frustrating. I have to keep another one of these 1 land + 1 cantrip + loads of stuff that just wins hands – and again, the cantrip doesn't find any lands and he has the Wasteland. However, despite having to draw-discard for 3 turns and him having a Counterbalance, I'm still able to come back – he resolves a Tarmogoyf at some point for which I have 2 Swords to Plowshares. He counters one with Counterbalance, revealing SdT, for the second one, played in response to this Top, he reveals Force which is terrible as I wanted to force his Top. Nevertheless, I am able to savagely resolve 2 Tarmogoyfs through his Counterbalance and play my Krosan Grip around the cc3 card he has on top of his library. By the time he finds a blocker, I have an Oblivion Ring for it. It all looks excellent until he finds a second Wasteland for my other Tropical Island, a Krosan Grip for my Oblivion Ring and another blocker. I proceed to draw a Tarmogoyf and a Werebear which would have instantly tilted the balance back into my favour, however I can't find a green source for the rest of the game (the one land I am able to find is a Flooded Strand which sadly can't get me a Forest – the only green source left in the deck).
1:2
4-1-1 (9:3)
Other Tournament Stuff
I come in fourth. Harrald David, whom I spoiled my list on the previous day, came in 6th with some minor modifications (2 cards in total).
The prices were: (in order of pick from the price-pool)
1st – 1 Savannah (German Limited)
2nd – 1 Tropical Island
3rd – 1 Force of Will
4th - 1 Force of Will
5th – 1 Badlands
6th - 1 Plateau
7th - 1 Plateau
8th - 1 Bitterblossom
Postlude
Performance of the rest of Team SPOD :
5-0-1 Stefan *1st*
2-3-0 Adan
4-2-0 Harrald *7th*
Changes to the list:
-1 Island
+1 Tropical Island
5 Basics probably is a little excessive after all, and the 2 of each dual manabase somewhat was a relic of times when the deck was less colour and mana hungry anyway.
Props:
The deck for being something like the most consistent deck in the format
Pandaburst
Werebear - he's solid. Additionally, playing him is further proof that there's no such things as evolution, just cycles.
Stefan fucking Czolk
Slops:
Adan for sucking with Threshold, seriously.
The Metagame. Screw people getting that Counterbalance is uber: the mirror is just so annoying... as in no playskill or decisions involved at all.