hungryLIKEALION
08-30-2009, 10:20 PM
Today I won a 17 man tournament for a copy of FTV:Exiled. The tournament went very smoothly, and I figured since it was 5 rounds/top 8 I'd go ahead and write a report. 8 rounds seems worth it to me...
4x Nacatl
2x Kird ape
2x Figure
4x Goyf
4x Pridemage
3x Grim Lavamancer
2x Knight of the Reliquary
-21 creatures-
4x Lightning Helix
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Swords to Plowshares
2x Price of Progress
2x Jitte
2x Sylvan Library
-18 spells-
3x Plateau
2x Savannah
2x Stomping Ground
4x Windswept Heath
3x Wooded Foothills
3x Bloodstained Mire
1x Horizon Canopy
1x SCPlains
1x SCForest
1x SCMountain
-21 land-
SB:
1x Duergar Hedgemage
3x Gaddock Teeg
1x Ethersworn Canonist
4x Volcanic Fallout
2x Krosan Grip
4x Pithing Needle
This is my list. I've been working on this list for a long time, as I've been playing this deck forever.
So, to give a quick overview of my card choices... Obviously the creature base is pretty standard. 2/2 split on ape/figure because I like ape better, but acknowledge that the extra power of figure has its uses. Today on the whole ape was better, but I still liked having access to figure regardless. I play KoTR as my three drop (As opposed to Wooly Thoctar or nothing), and I truly believe with all my heart that if he is not in your zoo deck, you are doing it wrong. I've already given enough arguments for him in the zoo thread though, so I'm not gonna continue that here. 3x Lavamancer, he's great vs. the format but you don't wanna draw 2.
Spell selection is a little more interesting. 4x bolt and helix is pretty standard. Both are basically auto-includes. 4x Swords. If you've read my posts in the zoo thread, you know I prefer path over swords, but I scouted out the field before the tournament today and was shocked to see a LOT of goblins and elves, and comparatively few tarmogoyfs. Knowing that I'd rather be giving up 1 life for their lackeys than a mountain, I made the swap before the tournament started. Price is pretty standard for recent zoo lists, and the meta looked developed enough to make it good. 2x Jitte because you can't lose to aggro or aggro-control with it and it's a headache for most control decks. 2x Library, it's just good.
Mana base is also pretty standard. 1x Horizon Canopy for my knight to get when he needs a P/T injection... I like it. Stomping Grounds because my life sucks and I don't have taigas...
SB was decent, but probably could have been better. I think fallout should have been pyroclasm.
Matchups:
Round 1 vs. Mark playing BW Resource Denial
Mark says that this is his first competitive tournament, and he's borrowing his friend's deck. I'm not sure if this is a ruse to throw me off or if he's being serious, but it turns out he's being serious. He's actually the friend of one of my friends there.
Game 1 I play Nacatl->Pridemage while he makes me discard some STPs with Gerrard's Verdict. I get there with Pridemage beatdown after he plays Ensnaring Bridge and has 2 cards in hand. Woo hoo for triggered abilities!
I don't remember how I sideboarded for this game, but I don't think it was much, nor was it relevant.
Game 2 is very similar, and I win with some burn I think.
1-0, 2-0
Round 2 vs. Justin playing Doran Rock
Bad matchup for me. Justin's my friend and we play a lot, but I'm not excited to do this.
Game 1 I play a nacatl and a goyf and beat down pretty quickly. He blows up all my guys when he's at 5 and I say "Come on Price of Progress" and flip the top card of my library onto the table. It's Price of Progress.
SBing:-1 STP, -3 Lavamancer, +4 Pithing Needle (Needle's very good against Factory, Wasteland, and Deed, while Lavamancer doesn't do much. I think the version he ran today didn't have a lot of creatures so I felt safe taking out one swords.)
Game 2 I have the choice of leading on Figure or Needle naming wasteland. I play the figure. He wastelands me. I play a new land and pump figure and swing. He wastelands again. I play needle naming deed. he sinkholes me. I miss land drops. I make one and he vindicates it. We go to game 3. If I had led on Needle naming wasteland I would have won the game.
Game 3 I play some early beaters and a needle naming deed, then a needle naming factory as he has two of them for his first 3 land drops. I beat down but get cut short and he gains life with kitchen finks. Eventually he vindicates my needle and blows up everything with deed. I draw no action and lose.
1-1, 3-2
Round 3 vs. Julian playing Soldiers
He's basically playing Goblins in white form. Preeminent captain and all.
Game 1 I play nacatl->Pridemage and blow his guys up with burn and swords. I win.
SBing:I don't remember exactly, but I think it was -2 pridemage, +2 fallout. I didn't really want all four fallouts, and I knew he was playing honor of the pure, so I decided to leave it 2/2.
Game 2 he keeps 1 land. He doesn't draw another.
2-1, 5-2
Round 4 vs. Fraction Jackson! playing Elf Natural Order.
My friend Jackson. I've played against him alot, though he hasn't been around much lately.
Game 1 he mulls to 6 and keeps, playing a few elves while I beat down with a nacatl or something... I don't really remember. I just remember that he has a lot of mana but no action and I have a lot of dudes.
SBing: -4 Qasali Pridemage, -2 Knight of the Reliquary, -2 Sylvan Library, +4 Volcanic Fallout +3 Gaddock Teeg, +1 Ethersworn Canonist (I wanted to side out the slower parts of my deck and bring in the fallouts and teegs.)
Game 2 we both mull, but my hand has a lot of removal and not a lot of creatures. I end up playing a tarmogoyf and just burning all his guys so he can't natural order while beating down.
3-1, 7-2
Round 5 vs. Todd playing Goblins
Todd's a player who used to play at the store a lot but hasn't been around as much lately.
Game 1 I play nacatl and beat face while killing his lackey and winning the game.
SBing:-2 Price of Progress, -2 Qasali Pridemage, +4 Volcanic Fallout
Game 2 He plays like 578932841 sting scourgers and 38189741 waste lands. I lose when I let him untap with 2 goblins when I'm at ten and he double goblin grenades me.
Game 3 I fetch basic lands, play a 2/2 nacatl since I lack a plains, and bolt a lackey in response to an incinerator cycle for 2. we have to call a judge since he believes the nacatl still dies, but the ruling is in my favor. The game goes long, but I eventually get there after xforx-1ing him enough times with my instant speed removal.
4-1, 9-3.
Cut to top 8.
Quarters vs. Jim playing Goblins
More goblins, and in the hands of a skilled player.
Game 1 I play t1 nacatl, t2 Jitte, t3 equip. He scoops.
SBing:-2 Price of Progress, +2 Volcanic Fallout. I decided not to bring in all four Fallouts this game because I wanted my Pridemages in since I didn't know if he'd bring in jitte or not.
Game 2 I lead on ape, he plays lackey, I play a goyf not realizing it's a 0/1 cuz I didn't play a fetch land when I really should have. He cycles and incinerator to kill my goyf but I point out it becomes a 1/2 when the incinerator hits the yard. He asks if we can back up and I decide to be a nice guy and let him. He plays a second lackey and a vial and passes. I plays some dudes and make sure to get a few card types in the yard. I run out of gas unfortunately and he plays a lot of goblins.
Game 3 I play three nacatls and he's only able to kill one. when I put him to 1 with nacatl beats he asks if I have a burn spell and I say "not this turn" and play a library. On my next draw step he says "Just flip them over." And I do, flipping a lightning helix.
5-1, 11-4
Semis vs. Randy playing Geddon Stax
I haven't seen Randy in a while so I'm happy to see him again, but I'm also displeased because I know this matchup is horrible for me.
Game 1 Stax does what Stax does and what I did really isn't worth talking about.
SBing:-4 Swords to Plowshares, -2 Grim Lavamancer, +2 Krosan Grip, +1 Duergar Hedgemage(Live the dream!), +3 Gaddock Teeg (Lets face it, swords is dead and lavamancer doesn't do much here. At least Teeg is kinda useful, and the hedgemage 3-for-1 would taste so sweet...)
Game 2 I play a nacatl and a goyf or something and try to beat down but he lands his disruption. I sandbag a few lands after he blows up my creatures and geddons and get back in the game with a nacatl and a jitte. Jitte speeds up my clock just enough to win after he geddons again.
Game 3 I draw a lot of lands. At turn x he is at 12 and I have goyf as a 3/4, and he has tabernacle, Trini, and smoke stack with 2 counters. I have library, and know there's a lightning helix on top of my deck. I have PoP and K. Grip in hand. I have to choose between K. Gripping his Smokestack, which is the long-game option, since I'll be able to keep my goyf around and beat down for more turns, but gives him more time to draw an answer, or his trini, in which case as long as he doesn't armageddon on his turn I can untap, let goyf die to tabernacle, price for 6, draw the lightning helix and cast it off the last land in my hand and the remaining one after the smoke stack trigger for lethal. I choose to go for the win next turn plan and he geddons. This was wrong for a long list of reasons, but what's even worse than my choice to go with the riskier plan is that I didn't have the intelligence to wait to see what he did on his turn to cast the K. Grip. Seriously, there's no excuse for forgetting something is an instant. I guess I wanted to give goyf the +1/+1, but there was no purpose to since I would be able to burn him out from 8 or 9 the same no matter what. Anyway, after he blows me out on that geddon, I get him to 4. He uses tomb to cast a spell and goes to 2. I draw two more lands and leave them as fetches. Eventually I draw a third and use it to cast PoP for lethal.
to say I did not expect to win that matchup is an understatement.
6-1, 13-5
Finals vs. Tony playing Zoo
The finals is the mirror match! I saw this guy playing earlier so I knew he was playing zoo, and I had asked him to see his list before. He said I could after the tournament, for which I don't blame him. I wasn't trying to get a jump on his tech or anything, but I can't blame him for being careful.
Anyway, Game one he plays two tarmogoyfs while I play 0 and don't have any swords. Figure that one out.
SBing: -2 Price of Progress, +2 Gaddock Teeg. Price is useless when behind, and at least Teeg can attack, block, and wear a jitte. In retrospect I possibly should have brought in fallout, here's why...
Game two I lead on nacatl into pridemage into goyf into kird ape. he plays Four (4) Figures of destiny by his third turn, commenting that he's not sure if it's the right play. I look at the teeg in my hand and frown. :( I x-for-1 him on my removal several turns in a row and eventually win with goyf and nacatl beats.
Game three he opens on savannah->Nacatl. I mirror the play. He then attacks with his nacatl, and I go to mark my life down before realizing he only has one land. I feel bad for a moment before trading nacatls with him. He plays a figure. I make a goyf and he makes his own with a topdecked land. I make a KoTR. We get in a stand off for a turn. On the end of his 5th turn, since my KoTR no longer has summoning sickness, I pop a fetch land to put him to 5/5, sac a plateau to get my horizon canopy, and sac the canopy, suddenly resulting in a 7/7 knight. I then topdeck another fetch, make knight an 8/8, and play and equip jitte to my tarmogoyf. He oxidizes the jitte after I equip. I swing with Knight and he chumps. He chumps the knight a few times while my army grows, but his lack of a third land is hurting him. Eventually he kills knight by saccing a seal of fire to kill my gaddock teeg and trading a 5/6 goyf and a lightning helix for my knight, but I still have my own 5/6 goyf at that point to his nothing. I drop ape and lavamancer and pass the turn. He O-rings my goyf and kills my creatures, leaving me at 12 and him at 5. I have a helix in hand and he plays gaddock teeg. I topdeck lightning bolt and finish him off.
7-1, 15-6
Tony extended his hand and we shook, and Jared, the TO, handed me my sniny new FTV:Exiled! :D I really just wanted the kird ape, but this worked out pretty well.
The entire deck worked so smoothly today, I couldn't have been happier with it. I'm pretty sure this build is like 95% optimal, and highly recommend it to anyone looking to play this deck. The biggest departure for me today was swords over path, but I actually liked the way that worked out today. I think I might stick with playing swords for a little while, see how it continues to go. The creature base was great, and I'm still 100% certain that those are the exact 21 creatures everyone should play. Library actually kinda sucked today, but I never seemed to draw it when it would have been really useful.
Thanks for reading!
4x Nacatl
2x Kird ape
2x Figure
4x Goyf
4x Pridemage
3x Grim Lavamancer
2x Knight of the Reliquary
-21 creatures-
4x Lightning Helix
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Swords to Plowshares
2x Price of Progress
2x Jitte
2x Sylvan Library
-18 spells-
3x Plateau
2x Savannah
2x Stomping Ground
4x Windswept Heath
3x Wooded Foothills
3x Bloodstained Mire
1x Horizon Canopy
1x SCPlains
1x SCForest
1x SCMountain
-21 land-
SB:
1x Duergar Hedgemage
3x Gaddock Teeg
1x Ethersworn Canonist
4x Volcanic Fallout
2x Krosan Grip
4x Pithing Needle
This is my list. I've been working on this list for a long time, as I've been playing this deck forever.
So, to give a quick overview of my card choices... Obviously the creature base is pretty standard. 2/2 split on ape/figure because I like ape better, but acknowledge that the extra power of figure has its uses. Today on the whole ape was better, but I still liked having access to figure regardless. I play KoTR as my three drop (As opposed to Wooly Thoctar or nothing), and I truly believe with all my heart that if he is not in your zoo deck, you are doing it wrong. I've already given enough arguments for him in the zoo thread though, so I'm not gonna continue that here. 3x Lavamancer, he's great vs. the format but you don't wanna draw 2.
Spell selection is a little more interesting. 4x bolt and helix is pretty standard. Both are basically auto-includes. 4x Swords. If you've read my posts in the zoo thread, you know I prefer path over swords, but I scouted out the field before the tournament today and was shocked to see a LOT of goblins and elves, and comparatively few tarmogoyfs. Knowing that I'd rather be giving up 1 life for their lackeys than a mountain, I made the swap before the tournament started. Price is pretty standard for recent zoo lists, and the meta looked developed enough to make it good. 2x Jitte because you can't lose to aggro or aggro-control with it and it's a headache for most control decks. 2x Library, it's just good.
Mana base is also pretty standard. 1x Horizon Canopy for my knight to get when he needs a P/T injection... I like it. Stomping Grounds because my life sucks and I don't have taigas...
SB was decent, but probably could have been better. I think fallout should have been pyroclasm.
Matchups:
Round 1 vs. Mark playing BW Resource Denial
Mark says that this is his first competitive tournament, and he's borrowing his friend's deck. I'm not sure if this is a ruse to throw me off or if he's being serious, but it turns out he's being serious. He's actually the friend of one of my friends there.
Game 1 I play Nacatl->Pridemage while he makes me discard some STPs with Gerrard's Verdict. I get there with Pridemage beatdown after he plays Ensnaring Bridge and has 2 cards in hand. Woo hoo for triggered abilities!
I don't remember how I sideboarded for this game, but I don't think it was much, nor was it relevant.
Game 2 is very similar, and I win with some burn I think.
1-0, 2-0
Round 2 vs. Justin playing Doran Rock
Bad matchup for me. Justin's my friend and we play a lot, but I'm not excited to do this.
Game 1 I play a nacatl and a goyf and beat down pretty quickly. He blows up all my guys when he's at 5 and I say "Come on Price of Progress" and flip the top card of my library onto the table. It's Price of Progress.
SBing:-1 STP, -3 Lavamancer, +4 Pithing Needle (Needle's very good against Factory, Wasteland, and Deed, while Lavamancer doesn't do much. I think the version he ran today didn't have a lot of creatures so I felt safe taking out one swords.)
Game 2 I have the choice of leading on Figure or Needle naming wasteland. I play the figure. He wastelands me. I play a new land and pump figure and swing. He wastelands again. I play needle naming deed. he sinkholes me. I miss land drops. I make one and he vindicates it. We go to game 3. If I had led on Needle naming wasteland I would have won the game.
Game 3 I play some early beaters and a needle naming deed, then a needle naming factory as he has two of them for his first 3 land drops. I beat down but get cut short and he gains life with kitchen finks. Eventually he vindicates my needle and blows up everything with deed. I draw no action and lose.
1-1, 3-2
Round 3 vs. Julian playing Soldiers
He's basically playing Goblins in white form. Preeminent captain and all.
Game 1 I play nacatl->Pridemage and blow his guys up with burn and swords. I win.
SBing:I don't remember exactly, but I think it was -2 pridemage, +2 fallout. I didn't really want all four fallouts, and I knew he was playing honor of the pure, so I decided to leave it 2/2.
Game 2 he keeps 1 land. He doesn't draw another.
2-1, 5-2
Round 4 vs. Fraction Jackson! playing Elf Natural Order.
My friend Jackson. I've played against him alot, though he hasn't been around much lately.
Game 1 he mulls to 6 and keeps, playing a few elves while I beat down with a nacatl or something... I don't really remember. I just remember that he has a lot of mana but no action and I have a lot of dudes.
SBing: -4 Qasali Pridemage, -2 Knight of the Reliquary, -2 Sylvan Library, +4 Volcanic Fallout +3 Gaddock Teeg, +1 Ethersworn Canonist (I wanted to side out the slower parts of my deck and bring in the fallouts and teegs.)
Game 2 we both mull, but my hand has a lot of removal and not a lot of creatures. I end up playing a tarmogoyf and just burning all his guys so he can't natural order while beating down.
3-1, 7-2
Round 5 vs. Todd playing Goblins
Todd's a player who used to play at the store a lot but hasn't been around as much lately.
Game 1 I play nacatl and beat face while killing his lackey and winning the game.
SBing:-2 Price of Progress, -2 Qasali Pridemage, +4 Volcanic Fallout
Game 2 He plays like 578932841 sting scourgers and 38189741 waste lands. I lose when I let him untap with 2 goblins when I'm at ten and he double goblin grenades me.
Game 3 I fetch basic lands, play a 2/2 nacatl since I lack a plains, and bolt a lackey in response to an incinerator cycle for 2. we have to call a judge since he believes the nacatl still dies, but the ruling is in my favor. The game goes long, but I eventually get there after xforx-1ing him enough times with my instant speed removal.
4-1, 9-3.
Cut to top 8.
Quarters vs. Jim playing Goblins
More goblins, and in the hands of a skilled player.
Game 1 I play t1 nacatl, t2 Jitte, t3 equip. He scoops.
SBing:-2 Price of Progress, +2 Volcanic Fallout. I decided not to bring in all four Fallouts this game because I wanted my Pridemages in since I didn't know if he'd bring in jitte or not.
Game 2 I lead on ape, he plays lackey, I play a goyf not realizing it's a 0/1 cuz I didn't play a fetch land when I really should have. He cycles and incinerator to kill my goyf but I point out it becomes a 1/2 when the incinerator hits the yard. He asks if we can back up and I decide to be a nice guy and let him. He plays a second lackey and a vial and passes. I plays some dudes and make sure to get a few card types in the yard. I run out of gas unfortunately and he plays a lot of goblins.
Game 3 I play three nacatls and he's only able to kill one. when I put him to 1 with nacatl beats he asks if I have a burn spell and I say "not this turn" and play a library. On my next draw step he says "Just flip them over." And I do, flipping a lightning helix.
5-1, 11-4
Semis vs. Randy playing Geddon Stax
I haven't seen Randy in a while so I'm happy to see him again, but I'm also displeased because I know this matchup is horrible for me.
Game 1 Stax does what Stax does and what I did really isn't worth talking about.
SBing:-4 Swords to Plowshares, -2 Grim Lavamancer, +2 Krosan Grip, +1 Duergar Hedgemage(Live the dream!), +3 Gaddock Teeg (Lets face it, swords is dead and lavamancer doesn't do much here. At least Teeg is kinda useful, and the hedgemage 3-for-1 would taste so sweet...)
Game 2 I play a nacatl and a goyf or something and try to beat down but he lands his disruption. I sandbag a few lands after he blows up my creatures and geddons and get back in the game with a nacatl and a jitte. Jitte speeds up my clock just enough to win after he geddons again.
Game 3 I draw a lot of lands. At turn x he is at 12 and I have goyf as a 3/4, and he has tabernacle, Trini, and smoke stack with 2 counters. I have library, and know there's a lightning helix on top of my deck. I have PoP and K. Grip in hand. I have to choose between K. Gripping his Smokestack, which is the long-game option, since I'll be able to keep my goyf around and beat down for more turns, but gives him more time to draw an answer, or his trini, in which case as long as he doesn't armageddon on his turn I can untap, let goyf die to tabernacle, price for 6, draw the lightning helix and cast it off the last land in my hand and the remaining one after the smoke stack trigger for lethal. I choose to go for the win next turn plan and he geddons. This was wrong for a long list of reasons, but what's even worse than my choice to go with the riskier plan is that I didn't have the intelligence to wait to see what he did on his turn to cast the K. Grip. Seriously, there's no excuse for forgetting something is an instant. I guess I wanted to give goyf the +1/+1, but there was no purpose to since I would be able to burn him out from 8 or 9 the same no matter what. Anyway, after he blows me out on that geddon, I get him to 4. He uses tomb to cast a spell and goes to 2. I draw two more lands and leave them as fetches. Eventually I draw a third and use it to cast PoP for lethal.
to say I did not expect to win that matchup is an understatement.
6-1, 13-5
Finals vs. Tony playing Zoo
The finals is the mirror match! I saw this guy playing earlier so I knew he was playing zoo, and I had asked him to see his list before. He said I could after the tournament, for which I don't blame him. I wasn't trying to get a jump on his tech or anything, but I can't blame him for being careful.
Anyway, Game one he plays two tarmogoyfs while I play 0 and don't have any swords. Figure that one out.
SBing: -2 Price of Progress, +2 Gaddock Teeg. Price is useless when behind, and at least Teeg can attack, block, and wear a jitte. In retrospect I possibly should have brought in fallout, here's why...
Game two I lead on nacatl into pridemage into goyf into kird ape. he plays Four (4) Figures of destiny by his third turn, commenting that he's not sure if it's the right play. I look at the teeg in my hand and frown. :( I x-for-1 him on my removal several turns in a row and eventually win with goyf and nacatl beats.
Game three he opens on savannah->Nacatl. I mirror the play. He then attacks with his nacatl, and I go to mark my life down before realizing he only has one land. I feel bad for a moment before trading nacatls with him. He plays a figure. I make a goyf and he makes his own with a topdecked land. I make a KoTR. We get in a stand off for a turn. On the end of his 5th turn, since my KoTR no longer has summoning sickness, I pop a fetch land to put him to 5/5, sac a plateau to get my horizon canopy, and sac the canopy, suddenly resulting in a 7/7 knight. I then topdeck another fetch, make knight an 8/8, and play and equip jitte to my tarmogoyf. He oxidizes the jitte after I equip. I swing with Knight and he chumps. He chumps the knight a few times while my army grows, but his lack of a third land is hurting him. Eventually he kills knight by saccing a seal of fire to kill my gaddock teeg and trading a 5/6 goyf and a lightning helix for my knight, but I still have my own 5/6 goyf at that point to his nothing. I drop ape and lavamancer and pass the turn. He O-rings my goyf and kills my creatures, leaving me at 12 and him at 5. I have a helix in hand and he plays gaddock teeg. I topdeck lightning bolt and finish him off.
7-1, 15-6
Tony extended his hand and we shook, and Jared, the TO, handed me my sniny new FTV:Exiled! :D I really just wanted the kird ape, but this worked out pretty well.
The entire deck worked so smoothly today, I couldn't have been happier with it. I'm pretty sure this build is like 95% optimal, and highly recommend it to anyone looking to play this deck. The biggest departure for me today was swords over path, but I actually liked the way that worked out today. I think I might stick with playing swords for a little while, see how it continues to go. The creature base was great, and I'm still 100% certain that those are the exact 21 creatures everyone should play. Library actually kinda sucked today, but I never seemed to draw it when it would have been really useful.
Thanks for reading!