[Deck] RUG Lands [Archive]

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snorlaxcom

05-28-2014, 01:25 AM

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Disclaimer:
This thread is for the RUGx Control version of Lands. The previous 8 years of discussion can be found here (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?4020-Deck-43-Lands)
For the RG Combo Lands thread, go here (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?29193-R-G-Combo-Lands).
For the Jund Depths (aka Loam Pox + red) thread, go here (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?27346-Jund-Depths/).

Table of contents:
I. History
II. Strategy
III. Main Deck
a) Manabase
b) Loam Engine
c) Tutors
d) Mana Disruption
e) Removal (creature and non-creature permanents)
f) Utility (life gain, gy hate, Academy, etc.)
g) Core list
IV. Sideboard
a) White
b) Blue
c) Black
d) Red
e) Green
f) Colorless
g) Lands
h) Bad cards
V. Into the Arena
a) Matchup Analysis
b) Tips and Tricks
VI. Links
a) Sample Deck lists
b) Reports
c) Videos
d) Pimped Decks
VII. Credits

I. History

Lands was developed in 2006 and first earned mainstream recognition when it went 7-0-1 at German Nationals. The earliest versions of the deck ran 43 lands (hence the name of the deck for many years) and ran a unique card advantage engine powered by Life From the Loam and Mulch and driven by the accelerants Exploration and Manabond. The deck ran a mana denial plan with Wasteland and Rishadan Port, which could easily take over a game combined with the Loam engine. The kill? Nantuko Monastery, or even Roar of the Wurm, at least in the first lists.

/Note by Tao:
The deck was initially developed in my small student flat back then. A friend of mine (S. Thomsen, the guy who went 7-0-1 and is an exceptional player with this deck with consistent X-1 or X-0 finishes) came to me and showed me a list on a German site (mercadia.de). It was quite close to what he later played but very unrefined. It had no SB and used Standstill as card draw but it already had the main engine of Exploration, Manabond, Maze, Tabernacle, Wastelands, Ports, Cycle Lands, Factories and Loam. We tinkered around with it a bit and were surprised because it performed extremely well, playing good against most things and auto-winning against the deck to beat Landstill. We refined the list (adding Barbarian Ring, Mulch, Nantuko Monestary, a SB, getting rid of Standstill and a few bad lands) and the deck was heavily favored against everything with the exception of the bad matchups Solidarity and Burn with PoP. /end Note

From there Lands shifted from primarily mono-green into a red-green deck that capitalized on the power of Gamble and Burning Wish as versatile tutors. Players soon realized the potential in Tolaria West and began testing builds of the deck that used blue instead of red. Tolaria West's flexibility proved to be a great fit for the deck, and the equally flexible tutor Intuition joined the deck. Decks dropped the number of Lands down below 40, as the deck began to use a greater number of artifacts such as Mox Diamond with Academy Ruins. These decks also began to run a "big finisher" artifact, usually Oblivion Stone or Mindslaver.
Soon after Intuition was developed, certain players began to see Enlightened Tutor as a card that could potentially give the deck even more flexibility. Michael Caffrey Top 32ed with the deck at a Star City Games Open and wrote a primer for Enlightened Tutor Lands, found here (http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/legacy/21390_Enlightened_Tutor_Lands_A_Complete_Primer.html). Mental Misstep was then printed, and, like many other decks, Lands was hated out and drifted out of the meta. Now that Misstep is long gone of the meta, it's a great place for Lands, overrun by tempo decks and unstable manabases. Most players now use either Intuition or Enlightened Tutor as the main engine for the deck alongside Life From the Loam.

Due to this deck’s usage of obscure cards, high learning curve, being an acquired taste, and ever increasing monetary value, Lands isn’t really a format staple. However, when wielded by a competent pilot Lands has the tools to dispatch of every non-combo deck in the format. Its résumé includes top 8’s at multiple Star City Games opens and placing in the top 16-64’s at various Grands Prix.

II. Strategy

Ideally, each game should go something a bit like this-
1. Resolve an accelerant (Manabond, Exploration, Mox Diamond to a lesser extent).
2. Disrupt your opponent’s mana with the use of Rishadan Port, Wasteland, and Ghost Quarter (the Quarter usually needs to be recurred several times to have any real effect, however, against decks with the mono-nonbasic manabase it’s a fifth wasteland).
3. Tutor for or naturally have a Life from the Loam or Crucible of Worlds to recur Wasteland and Ghost Quarter to further decimate your opponent’s manabase.
4. Play a Maze of Ith or Glacial Chasm to stall any threats your opponents have resolved.
5. Get Tolaria West with Life from the Loam, transmuting for answers to threats that are still presenting a problem. Search for Zuran Orb if you fear burn.
6. Transmute Tolaria West for a manland and win the game.
If every game was as cut and dry as this, Lands would easily be the best deck in the format and people would be crying for the banning of Life from the Loam. In actuality, quite a few games can go awry depending on the level of interaction your opponent can force. Let’s go through the steps again, but see what happens when our opponent can interact, and when the lands player plays sub optimally. For this example, the Lands player is playing against a build of RUG Delver that has eschewed Stifle for Spell Pierce-
1. Get Exploration off of Tropical Island Daze’d.
2. Wasteland the opponent once, they draw four fetches afterwards. Complain about how lucky the opponent is.
3. Get your Intuition, Enlightened Tutor, Entomb, Gamble, etc. Spell Pierced.
4. Play a Glacial Chasm to your opponent’s board of four threats, they Wasteland it and put you to six life.
5. Transmute Tolaria West for Zuran Orb in a desperate attempt to stay alive.
6. They turn you into a Phyrexian Negator for a turn and Spell Snare the Life from the Loam you draw on turn 8. You die to a board of creatures.
7. Dismiss Lands as a clunky, terrible deck reserved for petdecking Legacy scrubs. After all, you couldn’t possibly have misplayed or missed some subtle interactions, right?

In this sequence of events, the Lands player made a series of mediocre plays that spiraled out of control as the game progressed. Let’s go through these plays-
1. The Lands player ran the Exploration into an island without a mana open. It’s usually unwise to do this, although if the island in question is Tundra, the chance of your opponent running Daze is significantly less.
2. Wasteland was fired off with no intent of recurring it. Wasteland can be used strategically to cut your opponent off of mana on a turn where you want to resolve a spell, such as the one that was Spell Pierced in step three. If instead of Wastelanding the first land that was seen, the Lands player had waited until the opponent tapped low for a threat and had only one available mana source, the Lands player could have Wastelanded their mana source at the end of a phase so the mana the opponent would float would empty and then cast their tutor effect when they receive priority in the next phase, leaving Force of Will to be the opponent’s only answer.
3. The opponent shouldn’t have had mana to Spell Pierce the tutor effect in the first place if Wasteland was utilized correctly.
4. If the tutor effect had resolved, you would likely have a more elegant answer to the board of attacking creatures, such as Ensnaring Bridge, Academy Ruins with Engineered Explosives, or a Life from the Loam to recur the Glacial Chasm if it was indeed you’re only out.
5. If the game had stabilized in step 4, the Tolaria West could search for the Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, ensuring that the opponent couldn’t commit any more threats to the board.
6. The Zuran Orb would be unnecessary as well, outside of adding insurance against runner-runner burn effects from the opponent.

Your playstyle should change based on the matchup. Against slow control decks, resolving an accelerant isn’t as high a priority, as simply making a land drop each turn is often enough to keep up with them. Against fast aggro decks, stabilizing the board with Maze of Ith and Engineered Explosives until you can resolve Zuran Orb is often the best strategy. Against combo, this decks Achilles’ heel, the best plan is to disrupt their mana and gain enough life to make winning for them impossible, or to tutor for a silver bullet that helps the matchup. Against aggro control, keeping the impact of their Knight of the Reliquary to a minimum by tutoring for redundant lands and keeping them off four mana for Jace, the Mind Sculptor are crucial.

When playing this deck, keep in mind that stabilizing and locking up the board is priority number one, and that winning the game afterwards is elementary. Don’t bother tutoring for a way to win until you are very comfortable with the board state. If anything, if your opponent isn’t scooping, make the first game go longer than it has to. After all, a 1-0 win is still a win. Recur Mox Diamond every turn with Academy Ruins to deck your opponent if they won’t concede (each turn, stack and play the Mox Diamond, don’t discard a land so it dies, rinse and repeat). Starting game two with five minutes on the clock with the match in your favor is something you’ll get used to as a Lands player, and it feels great.

Doing things for the most time value is a very crucial aspect of playing this deck. If you’re Rishadan Porting your opponent at upkeep with multiple Ports, announce and resolve them individually. If you’re recurring Ghost Quarter, resolve the activations individually and cut your opponent’s deck after each search. If you transmute Tolaria West knowing what you want to search, look through your entire deck to make sure you aren’t overlooking anything, and count it up to see how many more times you can dredge. If you have a Manabond in play and don’t wish to use it, announce the trigger and declare that you aren’t resolving it. Things like this don’t add too much time separately, but doing many of them per game often leads to forty-minute game ones, which is exactly where this deck wants to be. This may sound like borderline cheating, but it’s actually playing in a fashion that allows for no confusion on the events of the game, while also being beneficial to this deck’s strategy.

III. Main Deck

III.a) Manabase

*Forest
Yes, a basic Forest. It helps you do things under Blood Moon and allows you to capitalize on mutual search effects and to play around Wasteland. You only need one.

*Duals
4-6 green duals. Depends on 4th/5th color splash and sb plan.

*Fetchlands
Run 3-5. Diversify names to minimize effects from Surgical Extraction/Extirpate/Pithing Needle.

*Grove of the Burnwillows
Leave as the last used green/red source when life totals matter, ie vs Storm. A crappy Taiga at face value, but when paired with Punishing Fire it has the potential to completely invalidate creature strategies, thus leaving life totals trivial. Green source that invalidates opposing Submerge, a card that may see play postboard vs. Marit Lage and friends.

*Mox Diamond
Mini accelerant that synergizes incredibly with the deck. Enables a T1 Loam in order to start dredging immediately and T1 sb hate.

III.b) Loam Engine

*Life from the Loam
Core of the deck that circumvents most strategies in Legacy. This is a one card engine that feeds itself with the dredge mechanic after being cast into an empty yard. Difficult for the opponent to interact with in G1 and combats discard and countermagic very well. Protect this card above all others. Priority target for our tutors.

*Exploration
Primary accelerant that translates CA from Loam into board position.

*Manabond
Secondary accelerant, it can potentially provide explosive starts. Harder to work with than Exploration. Run 1-3 and board them out to play around gy hate.

*Crucible of Worlds
Loam #5. Run 1 MD/SB for metas with Snapcaster/Surgical. Allowing draw steps while still having access to the yard's lands is strong vs counterbalance. Pair with waste/ghost q to decimate manabases or play along smokestack to out attrition grindy scenarios.

*Tranquil Thicket and Horizon Canopy
A way to leverage the CA from Loaming and can be used to dredge multiple times in one turn. Both can "save" Loam from targeted gy hate Horizon Canopy helps with the White splash, but the life loss is not irrelevant. Canopy synergy with Crucible is can run away with games.

*Sylvan Library
On color library manipulation that can translate to ridiculous CA when paired with Loam and Zuran Orb. Not a replacement, but still a compliment to the Loam engine and avoids using the graveyard. With dredging and shuffle effects this can help dig for sb cards.

*Sensei's Divining Top
Allows for optimal information when deciding to dredge vs draw, saves us from our Bobs, and saves Loam from targeted gy hate. However, it is a huge mana sink and some players usually have something else to do when maximizing their mana each turn. Has benefit over Sylvan Library by being recurred with academy and has more potential to find sb cards.

*Dark Tutelage
An alternate CA engine. The black commitment may be a stretch in some builds and it may be weak as a T3 play vs non-control decks. If not hit with Abrupt Decay this can overwhelm the board even without a Loam.

III.c) Tutors

Know what you are tutoring for when searching your deck. Stay attentive during each game and constantly evaluate the board state and graveyards to best utilize each tutor. These tutors all have the ability to cause judge warnings for slow play during resolution and the amount of searching and shuffling can eat much of the clock for an already slow deck, so practice. A lot.

*Tolaria West
Gets any land, recurs, and can also find things with CMC 0 (EE/chalice). You can also use it to find Mox Diamonds if there's not really anything else to do. If you have to play around choke you can Twest for Twest. 3 is optimal, but no less than 2.

*Intuition
Offers more flexibility than any of our other tutors, but it comes at a great price - it is very slow. It costs 2 mana more than any of the other tutors and it often takes a couple turns to fully set up after an Intuition. However, resolving one should lead to winning the game and being instant speed allows you to cast it at the most opportune instance. Your own deck construction and sideboard plan will dictate if you are able use this as a Demonic tutor (at least 3 copies of a card). Most difficult tutor to correctly use, but the sheer power of it can overlook a suboptimal pile. Experience is the best training tool here. These can often be boarded out vs countermagic or RiP/LoTV.

*Crop Rotation
An on-color tutor at instant speed that plays well around soft counters and can act as a pseudo Stifle against an opposing Wasteland. Running it into a Force of Will is still an even trade card wise, but they lose 2 spells and we can Loam back the sac’d land. Run with a basic forest and you'll always have a land to cast this. Not a deck staple because of inability to fetch Loam, but has become more present since the Dark Depths/Stage combo.

*Gamble
Despite the card name, this card isn’t often a gamble. Either a), you’re searching for Loam and you don’t really care what you discard, or b), you’re searching for an accelerant and your hand is likely already padded with lands/Pfire. More playable in Lands than before with the increase in red mana sources. Much easier to resolve around soft counters than Intuition.

*Enlightened Tutor
Need to recur Wasteland? Search Crucible of Worlds. Have Loam, but you can only play one land a turn? Search for Exploration/Manabond. Scavenging Ooze threatening to destroy your graveyard? Search Cursed Totem/EE. RUG Delver putting a bunch of dudes on the board? Search Ensnaring Bridge. Gets better postboard, unlike many of this deck’s tutors. However, its inclusion may stress the manabase if you go 5 colors and not as impactful with metas full of Abrupt Decay and Golgari Charm.

*Entomb
Instantly finds dredge spells, retrace, flashback, Pfire, and silver bullet lands if your land recursion is online. Can be an easy cut after boarding because gy hate invalidates this card fast.

III.d) Mana Disruption

*Wasteland
Main mana denial plan. Can also force opponents to take suboptimal actions when targeting his or her own fetches/wastes.

*Rishadan Port
Primary way for denying basic lands. Tapping an opponent down on upkeep or during combat can make or break many games. Combined with Wasteland, Port can also force crack fetches making brainstorms less powerful and having opponents choose a land prematurely. They usually fetch a basic and this speeds up Ghost Quarter's Strip Mine function. Porting a Wasteland will cause the opponent to sub optimally pick a target or lose it to our own Wasteland. Good strategy for protecting our other utility lands before we deploy them.

*The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
Completes the main mana disruption plan vs creature decks and slows down the output of spells.

*Ghost Quarter
Strip mine #5 vs greedy manabases. Serves as an alternate Wasteland if Waste is Extirpated, Extracted, or Needled and can also be used to Quarter lock someone - recurring Ghost Quarter enough times to entirely lock your opponents out of mana. Extra utility vs cantrip setups, Counterbalance/Top, and Etutor targets.

III.e) Removal

*Maze of Ith
Aggro decks primarily target this with Wastelands and Ports to edge in damage, so put more in play to not get blown out. Compliments Tabernacle in locking down mana, while Ports and Wastes will complete the mana denial. After recurred a few times you may find your opponent uninterested in playing, perfect! Recognize when you need to develop a board early vs saving yourself from damage.

*The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
A sweeper if the opponent controls less lands than creatures and an out to shroud creatures when combined with LD. It may seem to be a luxury to own, but no other card in Magic can duplicate this effect. A must for Lands.

*Karakas
Too strong in Legacy not to be main decked. It also provides white in E-Tutor builds and allows sb legends to be saved.

*Punishing Fire
CA engine when paired with Grove of the Burnwillows. Some decks auto-lose between this and Maze of Ith. Great vs countermaigic, discard, and planeswalkers. Serves as another wincon.

*Engineered Explosives
Most versatile answer to permanents that is recurred with Academy and tutorable with Twest. Access to 5 colors allows most permanents to be answered md. At least 1 in the 75. Multiple EE in metas with many Miracles, TNN, and mongeese.

*Oblivion Stone
Much slower than EE, but has the upside of being able to save our stuff and blowing up their entire board. Easier to activate in lists with Urborg/Riftstone Portal. Strong vs Miracles, shroud creatures, and MUD.

*Smokestack
Used to out grind and perfect for "land, go" style matches and an out to a resolved blood moon or leyline. Pair with Worm Harvest to sac an opponent’s whole board while you chump block.

*Barbarian Ring
Delayed removal that is uncounterable and another wincon. Reasonable answer vs Meddling Mage that has named Pfire or EE and great against colored protection effects since it is colorless damage. Takes a few turns to turn on, so not the ideal solution for DRS metas and less likely to be active postboard, but still another way to manage Planeswalkers. Strong with Crucible and adds another red source for Pfire.

*Cabal Pit
Can only hit creatures and provides no relevant mana otherwise. Same drawbacks as Barbarian Ring. Performs better in BUG control decks.

*Blighted Fen
Edict effect that increases the power of tutors. It doesn't rely on threshold and can be tutored and then deployed in the face of countermagic to kill TNN, nimble mongoose, and more shroud creatures.

III.f) Utility

*Academy Ruins
A powerful recursion engine for artifacts like Engineered Explosives or Tormod’s Crypt. Once the board is locked, it can be an alternate win condition by recurring a Mox Diamond (cast Mox, don’t pitch a land, Mox goes to graveyard, repeat). Can keep us “alive” after a Jace ultimate, but you will need a good board presence to win this one. Good vs. artifact removal as it allows us to recur our lock pieces.

*Glacial Chasm
Our best "Oh, shit!" button. It has many drawbacks, but most of them mean nothing to the deck when your opponents cannot deal damage and when you're recurring lands every turn. It easy-wins against decks without Wasteland that seek to kill through ground damage (Elves, Dredge) since it results in an infinite loop with Life From the Loam + Zuran Orb/Exploration. Be very aware that you can get blown out by Wasteland when using it. Often times when you have to play this card, it implies that you’ve misplayed at some point to back yourself into a corner where Chasm is your only out. In games where you’re forced to go for Chasm, evaluate what you could’ve done differently that game and where things went wrong. It can also give you time to find an answer against True-Name Nemesis. You only need one.

*Zuran Orb
A good card in a deck that runs more than half lands. It should see a place somewhere in your 75, though it is often a meta call whether it should be md or sb and can singlehandedly win against some decks. Allows you to recur Glacial Chasm indefinitely without an active Exploration.

*Thespian’s stage
Unlike the single shot copy effect and entering tapped like Vesuva, Stage can add to board redundancy and gives utility lands insurance against Wasteland. So you think you can win by EOT wasting my Tabernacle? Nope. You can also establish a lock from all damage with Glacial Chasm and never give an opportunity for Burn when the shields are down (mainly Price of Progress). The ability to adapt to a changing board state makes the deck better equipped to control the game. It can also protect itself from Wasteland by copying a basic land and can then copy any other land in the future. You will find many more clever plays in each match as you gain experience. Serves as part of the wincon, so the opponent will be on tilt if they see this one out. Use 1-4.

*Dark Depths
Lands is well known for being that one deck in the room that always goes to time and then struggles not to draw after turns are completed. Then come Summer 2013 and the following rules change addressing the Legend Rule (http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/248e).
704.5k If a player controls two or more legendary permanents with the same name, that player chooses one of them, and the rest are put into their owners' graveyards. This is called the "legend rule".
This has enabled a combo between Thespian's Stage + Dark Depths. Thespian's Stage targets and successfully copies Dark Depths. Legend Rule rule says you have to sacrifice one, so the original Dark Depths goes to the grave. The Dark Depths copy now in play has no Ice Counters and immediately triggers. Marit Lage hits the field when this trigger resolves. This instant speed activation can end games in one turn since few decks are above 20 life and we have removal for most fliers in the format. Both combo pieces can be reclaimed by Loam, so a Karakas or Swords on your token doesn't stop the inevitable end and the life gained only fuels the time you have to lock the board and reset the combo pieces. Aside from pitching to a Mox, the land provides no utility to the board. The numbers on these depends on how fast you want to combo kill, but having at least one can still end games quickly and conclude your rounds.

*Bojuka Bog
Can be either MD or SB as a meta call. Until Encroach becomes a thing, Bog avoids selective discard spells/abilities and can be safely tutored for with Twest to be deployed when needed.

*Ensnaring Bridge
Longtime staple in the 75 as the deck often drops its hand quite quickly. Bridge shuts down tons of decks for good if it resolves. Has been seeing less use since the Dark Depths combo and printing of Abrupt Decay.

*Mindslaver
Creates a lock when recurred with Academy Ruins, but costing 13 mana for the loop and being vulnerable to gy hate makes it an unreliable wincon. Builds with this run Riftstone Portal or Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth.

*Worm Harvest
Makes a horde and can easily attack under an Ensnaring Bridge. Presence of lands in the graveyard is a drawback since we want lands in play. It deals with planeswalkers and provides a fast clock, but bad with Tabernacle.

*Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Huge in a deck that runs 6-8 lands that don't produce mana. Is in big-mana build with Oblivion Stone, Mindslaver, and Manabond. You can consistently Port the opponent and attack with 2 Tarpits, but it allows your opponents' fetches to tap for mana.

*Riftstone Portal
Urborg is preferred for big mana builds and in Deathrite Shaman metas, but this is on color, one sided, and avoids Wasteland. Great option to beat Blood Moon when combined with Entomb or Etutor for a Mox Diamond.

*Creeping Tar Pit
Keeps the board clear of planeswalkers when combined with Pfire. A wincon and taps for relevant colors. 1-2 were used before Marit Lage.

*Mishra's Factory
It is an effective blocker, can answer Planeswalkers on a clear board, and can be a win condition. It doesn't help the manabase and has quickly become outclassed. Many lists ran 2-4 before Tarpit was printed.

*Treetop Village
Benefit of being on-color and only 2 to activate. Is not as reliable in answering planeswalkers compared to the Tarpit and is still outclassed by many legacy board states; Tarmogoyf, equipped creature, True Name Nemesis, etc.

*Inkmoth Nexus
The -1/-1 counters can accumulate and kill Tarmogoyf and Nimble Mongoose. Sneaks under an Ensnaring Bridge, too. Not a good choice as your only wincon as it can never deal with Jace, but a fine inclusion if you want a way to win vs Life.

*Nantuko Monastery
Has generally fallen out of favor and Threshold should not be relied on with Deathrite Shaman metas. Doesn't add relevant colors and is even less reliable in G2/3.

III.g) Core list

1 Forest
2 Tropical Island
1 Taiga
3 Fetchlands
3 Grove of the Burnwillows

4 Wasteland
4 Rishadan Port
3 Maze of Ith

2 Tolaria West
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 Academy Ruins

4 Life from the Loam
4 Mox Diamond
4 Exploration
3 Punishing Fire
2 Intuition
1 Engineered Explosives

43 fixed spots.

Wincons are plentiful and flexible and we don't need many. Tailor to your meta/playstyle.

IV. Sideboard

The Man Plan: Because in Games 2 and 3 your opponents will bring in graveyard hate and because they will most likely be boarding out much of their removal, bringing in creatures that act as alternative engines or lock pieces can be huge.
The general rule in Lands is to play permanent based hate with huge impact in the game.
Do not oversideboard especially by removing “useless” lands. You need a decent number of them to power Mox and Exploration. Postboard, Intuition is a very easy cut and so is Punishing Fire against combo.

IV.a) White

*Knight of the Reliquary
Has been used as a postboard creature, but not usually recommended. Crop Rotation on a beatstick, but a 3 drop is poor early game and does not provide us card advantage. Knight is still vulnerable to gy hate, something we are trying to not to rely on G2/3. Also needs white + Forests consistently.

*Geist of Saint Traft
Needs a consistent white source in the manabase, but a sizeable clock that invalidates removal. Not many sb have space for 3-4 slots as white builds most often devote board space for Etutor or Thalia. Good vs control decks that plan around having many turns to setup. Maze can still protect Geist on the ground if a surprise blocker ever shows up, while the Angel can still connect.

*Aven Mindcensor
Supplements LD plan by disrupting fetches/ghost quarter, but also helps vs decks that revolve around toolbox game plans.

*Ethersworn Canonist
Stops Storm (Elves to a degree) from doing their thing while also presenting a clock. Multiple can be in play and not only limited to Etutor lists. Can be recurred with Academy Ruins.

*Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
A reasonable factor to add white in your build, Thalia can be deployed T1 and makes Port and Waste extremely hard to fight through. Can be saved with Karakas. Pair it with Canonist to establish a lock vs Storm Combo and see their life total plummet.

*Circle of Protection: Red
Insurance vs Burn and goblins. Effective with Etutor.

*Ray of Revelation
If you really hate enchantments. A good answer to Leyline of the Void if already in hand and a Leyline casted later in the game. A fine answer to Rest in Peace because destroying it with Ray’s first casting will remove RiP from play and Ray will then go to the yard to blow a future RiP. However, RiP's trigger will exile all yards similar to Relic of Progenitus. A more versatile answer is preferred.

IV.b) Blue

*Swan Song
Good vs Sneak and Show style combos.

*Flusterstorm
Vs Storm Combo that compliments chalice. Not strong vs A+B style combos.

*Mana Maze
For that guy that tries to roll over you with high tide, suck it.

*Meddling Mage
Namely for show and tell or matches where certain cards can't be addressed once played.

IV.c) Black

*Dark Confidant
A phenomenal creature in a deck whose total CMC often equals 30. Spinning him T1 off a Mox is a very good way to put a start in your favor. He also puts in a sizeable clock against combo decks and can serve as a blocker if necessary. He is the primary choice for the man plan.

*Extirpate
Generally better than Surgical Extraction is because we have access to black and don't like getting our spells countered, but being able to cast the latter for free isn't irrelevant. It's the best hate for other Loam decks and generally good. Extirpate has utility in most MUs since they can hit fetches at worst and real problem cards at best.

*Leyline of the Void
Obviously the best graveyard hate card, but it's the hardest to get into play and having to mull into it really sucks since it loses a ton of its effectiveness after the first turns, even if we do manage to draw and play it. That, and the fact that you need a set means that 1 Leyline usually isn't good enough. Best vs Dredge, one of our best matchups…

*Abrupt Decay
Answers many problem permanents early in the game like a Blood Moon and Counterbalance, but with the added benefit of removing creatures like Deathrite Shaman, Meddling Mage, and Magus of the Moon through countermagic. The black requirement may be an issue against an early Blood Moon effect and this can’t hit Sneak Attack, Omniscience, Helm of Obedience and Leyline of the Void. Suboptimal at answering artifact gy hate and can be targeted by Misdirection, Divert, or similar options and protection effects can still be activated in response.

*Raven’s Crime
In conjunction with Urborg/Loam you can set up a powerful discard engine. Great against control decks. A little light versus combo as the setup is not as streamlined early in the game. Alongside Chalice for 1 is a nombo.

IV.d) Green

*Krosan Grip
Uncounterable artifact/enchantment removal. An underrated way to deal with artifact gy hate because they must be activated at sorcery speed or it gets blasted when we get priority. We can wait for 3 mana to answer the yard hate and resume operations as usual. There is extra value in dodging Misdirection and Flickerwisp interactions. Use on Rest in Peace to preserve EE for future lock as blowing RiP with EE leads to an exiled EE. Good vs Miracles and Painter and if you hate Batterskull.

*Primeval Titan
Good versus Show and Tell decks. Can also be sided in against control decks as it gets the two parts of the DD/Stage combo and more mana disruption.

*Choke
Vs heavy blue basic manabases and compliments port. Symmetrical effect can be softened by only using 2 Trops and playing a Twest early if blue mana is needed.

IV.e) Red

*Ancient Grudge
Ray of Revelation’s friend. Only if you really hate artifact/equipment or decks with Aether Vial, but usually a good matchup anyway. You can make a case if MUD is giving you trouble.

*Red Elemental Blast/Pyroblast
Similar stack interaction to Swan Song, but can catch Meddling Mage, TNN, and Jace.

IV.f) Colorless

*Tormod's Crypt
The quintessential one-shot GY hate. It is super strong in our deck since we can a) transmute for it with Twest and b) recur it infinitely with Academy Ruins. Run at least one SB, and maybe even 1 MD in E-Tutor builds with GY-heavy metas.

*Grafdigger's Cage
GY hate that doesn't hinder us and may deserve a maindeck slot alongside E-Tutor in metas with lots of Green Sun’s Zenith, Reanimator and another angle to combat Past in Flames.

*Chalice of the Void
Meant for Storm combo, but Chalice for 1 on turn one is very strong in Legacy. Good inclusion that can be tutored up via Twest.

*Trinisphere
Most crippling Storm hate card and good vs. Omniscience, but slow to deploy.

*Mindbreak Trap
Good against Storm, although it is best when paired with another piece of hate, preferably one that provides a clock. Not a good inclusion because of its lack of versatility and increased appearance of Sneak and Show style combo decks.

*Pithing Needle
Stops problematic activated abilities like Scavenging Ooze, Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Relic of Progenitus and Sneak Attack. A fine inclusion if Chalice isn’t out for 1.

*Phyrexian Revoker
Does the same thing as Needle, but with a clock. Can name Lion Eye’s Diamond against Storm. Extra perk over Needle in ability to dodge Spell Pierce and playable around Chalice for 1. Use Pfire and Academy to reset named card if needed.

*Phyrexian Metamorph
A decent inclusion to kill other Legends before rules change, but narrow uses since then.

*Null Rod
Good against Storm, Affinity, Painter, and Helm combo, but it does shut down more of your own cards. A weak slot.

*Cursed Totem
Great against GW creature spamming strategies like D&T and Elves. It can stop Deathrite Shaman and Scavenging Ooze. Extra utility in preemptively handling Griselbrand's ability. If you expect large numbers of Elves and Maverick style decks, then it can be maindecked.

*Sphere of Resistance
Another taxing effect that can be played T1 with Mox. Unlike Thalia, it taxes everything (Elves). Plays very well with Ports and Wastelands. However, it provides no clock against Storm.

*Sylvok Replica
An E-tutorable and Academy-recurable enchantment/artifact killer that can attack.

*Helm of Obedience
“Nice Rest in Peace you have there.” A hate card that works great versus another single hate card. You might prefer something more versatile.

IV.g) Lands

*Boseiju, Who Shelters All
For counter heavy decks, Counterbalance, and Chalice. Allows you to freely resolve Loam, Pfire, and Intuition at the cost of some life.

*Tower of the Magistrate
An pseudo Maze against Stoneblade. Giving the equipped creature protection from artifacts will cause equipment to fall off. Against Batterskull, it makes the germ token a 0/0 creature. Against Swords of X and Y, it makes the sword fall off, allowing us to PFire or Abrupt Decay the creature. It also has fringe applications against Affinity and MUD.

V. Into the Arena

V.a) Match-ups analysis

Very Positive

Affinity
It is hard to imagine losing this one, ever. They don’t have Wasteland for any meaningful interaction to hit a Maze and we have insane CA with EE, Pfire, and Tabernacle/Waste. They can do nothing once locked by Chasm, but Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas needs to be dealt with.

B(g) Pox
We are both Attrition decks, but Lands has superior CA engines making Smallpox and all of their control cards quite terrible against us. Their Cursed Scrolls get Explosives’d, while their Nether Spirit and Tombstalker get lost in a Maze of Ith. Pfire answers everything else they can dump and Tabernacle can manage their Worm Harvest or Pack Rat. They have the occasional Bojuka Bog and Abrupt Decay for some meager interaction. Leyline of the Void is always a possibility from them, but don't overthink this one. Play Chalice for one and pick your favorite wincon to seal the deal.

Dredge
Almost a bye. Their discard can't touch our game changing lands and many lists don’t have outs to Glacial Chasm or Ensnaring Bridge. Tabernacle + Waste is huge here and playing Mazes saves Ichorid damage. Their Dread Return target is usually Legendary, go Karakas! Waste/Zuran Orb your own manland exiles their Bridges or Orb +Loam + Bog is good enough. Postboard, you can recur Tormod’s Crypt with Academy Ruins. You can get blown out by slow hands and their T1 land, LED, Faithless Looting. Chalice and taxing effects do real work.

Positive

Death and Taxes
Has slow starts allowing us to find Pfire, EE lock, or amass a huge field with Exploration and Maze. However, don’t rely on Maze/Chasm. Their mana denial is the best for a non-Loam deck and can buy time for Aether Vial to tick up for an alpha strike. Lookout for Flickerwisp and scumbag bird Aven Mindcensor. With no source of CA without an equipped Sword, EE lock is important to maintain. Postboard, be prepared to fight against Rest in Peace.

G/W/x Maverick
They have Green Sun Zenith to fetch Scavenging Ooze, Knight of the Reliquary, and Deathrite Shaman all of which are very good against us. This is just another creature spamming tactic and EE + Pfire will blow them out. Their threats give us a life total to setup properly. If you’re concerned about this matchup, Cursed Totem turns this matchup into very positive.

Merfolk
Tabernacle is very good against their jam a bunch of lords plan, and they can’t beat Ensnaring Bridge. On occasion, they can bury you in permission and sideboard back to basics, but it’s rare that they have permission with a formidable clock. EE lock = gg.

Reanimator
We have Maze, Karakas, and Glacial Chasm main. Tidespout Tyrant will be the main creature to address G1. G2 will bring a shroudy guy like Inkwell Leviathan to the party and his plus 1 is Ashen Rider. Zuran Orb will save utility lands from Rider. Marit is bigger than anything they can bring to the table. Taxing effects and mana disruption will be most effective here to prevent a fast combo and managing Tidespout’s triggered ability.

RUG Delver (Canadian Threshold)
They are an aggro deck with a bad manabase and mostly taxing and conditional counters. RUG can sometimes ride a Nimble Mongoose for 21 with heavy permission backup, but often you’ll just resolve an Engineered Explosives or Ensnaring Bridge and win. Tabernacle acts as another sweeper and Zuran Orb has to be answered.

Shardless BUG
They have no fast tempo plays like delver/daze that blow us out as Shardless usually wants to fight in the mid/late game. Aside from Deathrite Shaman and Force of Will, this matchup brings little resistance. They do indeed pack Liliana of the Veil, Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Ancestral Visions, and 23-24 lands, so going the LD plan may not work here. Focus on a Pfire loop or EE lock and things should be gravy. G2/3 be ready for Nihil Spellbomb/extractions and the occasional Scavenging Ooze.

UWR American Delver (Patriot)
Pfire shines against yet another delver deck, but this one plays 1/2 "threats" for 2 mana. They do have Delver/Daze tempo openings, but have little to back it up past turn 3. Keep them off True-Name Nemesis mana because she can get out of hand in multiples. EE can remove anything here faster than Tabernacle (if it resolves) because they don't carry Stifle. Stay out of burn range. Marit Lage is nice way to gain 20 life if Zuran Orb is not available. G2/3 has the usual suspects of Rest in Peace and Meddling Mage.

Slightly Positive

BUG Delver
The BUG shell loses Nimble Mongoose and burn, but gains some interaction; Deathrite Shaman, Abrupt Decay, and planeswalkers that demand answers. Pfire delivers here, but be aware that each build may vary in the number of Dark Confidant/True-Name Nemesis/Tombstalker/Vendilion Clique. Their discard plays may prompt us to run into a Daze/Spell Pierce more often than the RUG variant. The longer you can play around their soft permission the more impact your CA engines will have. Expect Surgical Extraction, Nihil Spellbomb, and Golgari Charm from their board. Some even pack Null Rod now.

Goblins
This matchup is tricky because of their heavy basic manabase and their incredible lategame thanks to Goblin Ringleader. If you have mana available, PFire as much as you can. You should not let their board extend. Your Mazes are generally useless vs. 4 Wasteland + 4 Ports + a swarm of 1/1 and 2/2. Tabernacle is the all-star for this matchup and the only reason it’s slightly positive, it’ll win you most of your games if you keep them off hasty dudes. Be careful of Goblin Warchief + Goblin Piledriver, that can be a fatal alpha-strike.

Jund
A deck with permanents all vulnerable to Maze, EE, or Pfire with a poor CA strategy vs us topped off with no countermagic. However, Jund also plays answers to all your cards in the name of Deathrite Shaman, Abrupt Decay, Liliana of the Veil, Wasteland, timely discard, and burn to just kill you. Do not expect to stick an Exploration. Postboard, you should plan around Surgical Extraction and possibly Scavenging Ooze. Things can come apart fast if they hit the right cards.

Rock
This MU is extremely dependent on the Rock lists. Some resemble G/W/B Maverick more closely, and can be problematic, while others opt for no utility creatures and are very bad against Maze. Watch out for postboard Extirpate.

U/W/x Stoneblade
Their primary win con of five Batterskull attacks is very bad against us, but their Jace, the Mind Sculptor plan is very good. Keep them off four mana at all costs, and if they do resolve Jace, Punishing Fire him to death. You can Port them on your turn to take them off white if they have more sources than you have Ports to enable Tarpit beats upon Jace's face. Vendilion Clique and True-Name Nemesis are irritating. Oblivion Stone out of the board is very good against them as often their converted mana costs vary too much to make Explosives reliable. Postboard, be prepared to face Rest in Peace and Meddling Mage.

Coin Flip

UWx Miracles
Heavy basic manabase, so your denial is not very effective and all your creature removal cards that are nearly dead G1 may force you to mulligan otherwise strong hands. The Academy Ruins + EE lock is good at killing Jace and Counterbalance. If you go for the combo, waste/port their white sources/Karakas during combat and make the token at end step, but beware of Vensor or a surprise Clique blocker. You can also try to Ghost Quarter their Plains as they usually run only 2. Postboard, you will certainly face Rest in Peace and potentially Blood Moon and Meddling Mage. These matches usually go to time unless somebody has a fast combo kill.

Other Loam decks
Guess what? We actually get to race in this matchup! Really comes down to who draws Waste-lock first supported by Exploration and Crucible.

Slightly Negative

Elves!
Like Dredge, Elves doesn’t run Wasteland and thus has a hard time beating a Glacial Chasm lock. Be careful of Deathrite Shaman that can interact with your lock. If your plan is to rely on Tabernacle to slow them down, keep your Wasteland for their Gaea’s Cradle as they run a full playset. Elves can have very fast kills. As soon as they hit the critical point of 3 creatures without summoning sickness, you must be able to survive a Natural Order into Craterhoof Behemoth.

MUD
A Chalice of the Void/Trinisphere deck. Chalice will usually be preemptively set on 1, but there is a high chance it resolves on 2 to stop your Loam. A combination of Ancient Tomb/City of Traitors/Glimmerpost/Cloudpost/Grim Monolith can bypass your denial and is enough for them to power out something big. Lodestone Golem can be a huge threat if backed by Wastelands. Kuldotha Forgemaster can tutor for their bombs like Blightsteel Colossus or Spine of Ish Sah. Postboard, you may have to deal with Ensnaring Bridge and Tormod’s Crypt. Grip key pieces and EE away the most cards possible. Pfire should still be present to answer metalworker.

Nic Fit
More basics than usual. We only care about Scavenging Ooze and Deathrite Shaman, so set EE for 2 and have Pfire ready. Have a board established before Primeval Titan comes down because he will fetch Bojuka Bog/Karakas and the extra mana will increase their output. They have little game vs an instant 20/20 backed up by Wastes. SB Chalice and Revoker are really good here and Kgrip has uses vs Tops/Libraries and Pernicious Deed.

Sneak & Show
Karakas is good against Show and Tell, but sucks against Sneak Attack if they have RR open. Mana denial on their Sol lands helps us develop and Maze/Glacial Chasm can deal with Griselbrand. Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is not easily stopped because of the annihilator trigger, so Ensnaring Bridge is the best card here. G2/3 they have bounce and even bring in Blood Moon. It’s winnable, but Lands is the clear underdog.

U/R Delver

Another list that has a lot of basic lands. If you can resolve Zuran Orb before you die you’re often in good shape, however that is no easy feat. The fewer Price of Progress they run, the better the matchup is. Blood Moon will come in postboard.

Negative

TES / ANT / Other Storm Combo
TES manabase is awful, but ANT usually plays some basics. With an active Zuran Orb, each land you drop means they have to generate more storm to kill you. Crop Rotation into Bojuka Bog can mess their Past in Flames plan. If they storm into Empty the Warrens, Tabernacle or Chasm usual seals the deal. Dark Depths increases our win chances with a fast kill. Postboard we usually have the tools to slow them down with Chalice/Sphere. The man plan with Thalia/Dark Confidant/Canonist is very effective to put pressure on their life total.

Aluren
A slow combo deck that works well against our MD anti-creature tools if played well. They have discard and/or counters for your Crop Rotation, so don’t expect to fight with a fast Marit Lage. Minus Krosan Grip, you can’t disrupt them once the combo is in motion. Your only hope is a heavy mana denial strategy to prevent them from ever reaching 4 mana. If you have mana don’t hesitate to Port/Waste their fetches. G2/3 bring all the taxing you have to support your mana denial strategy.

12 Post
Most lists are playing MD Pithing Needle to protect their Cloudpost and Glimmerpost from Wasteland and a single resolved Primeval Titan is enough to cancel all your mana denial. Their lategame allow them to play Eldrazi each turns; you don’t want to fight here. They usually do not play Force of Will, but instead rely on Repeal, Flusterstorm and Swan Song so try to resolve a Crop Rotation into Marit Lage through these cards.

Burn
You should rush to assemble Glacial Chasm and Zuran Orb. Crop Rotation can negate the first Price of Progress thanks to Glacial Chasm. Thespian’s Stage allows you to copy Chasm during your upkeep to have a constant burn shield. Take advantage of the fact that most Burn opponents are inexperienced and ask them if they can actually beat the Chasm (get one in German \o/). Often times they don’t realize that they can and you’re off to game 2. Against an experienced pilot, don’t expect to win too many.

Very Negative

Imperial Painter
Do not expect to win a lot of games against this match-up. It has access to a fast combo kill with Grindstone + Painter’s Servant and it is disrupting our lands with MD Blood Moon. Sometimes a Wasteland and a Port will get there, you just need a good amount of luck. Chalice for 1 if you got it.

Show and Tell decks (Hive Mind / Omnitell)
Both usually are mono-U decks. Hive Mind can just chain a bunch of Pacts together which we can’t really interact with. You best hope here is to accumulate a lot of mana to pay for the Pacts, or to kill them before with Marit Lage. Omniscience negates all your denial and wins out of nowhere. A devoted sb can change this to slightly positive.

High Tide
Another mono-U combo deck. We have many dead cards G1, so mulligan aggressively to get an accelerant out and have a clear plan for attacking with Marit Lage. EE for one is important for hitting Candelabra of Tawnos and having effective Port activations in their upkeep. G2 we have the hate to put us back in the match. Lookout for Cunning Wish target, Rebuild.

V.b) Tips and Tricks

*Intuition piles 101:
Life from the Loam + any 2 lands = gives you the lands in hand
Life from the Loam + Academy Ruins + any artifact = gives you the artifact in hand
Life from the Loam + Grove of the Burnwillows + Pfire = removal for most creature decks
Life from the Loam + Urborg + Raven’s Crime = vs control/combo decks and keeps hand size low for Ensnaring Bridge
Life from the Loam + Urborg + Worm Harvest = Worm Army for defense/wincon
3 Exploration/3X of any card = Exploration in hand/Demonic Tutor

*Often times, lategame Rishadan Ports shouldn’t be used to tap lands at upkeep when it doesn’t realistically matter, but left open in case some trick presents itself.

*If you have Life from the Loam in graveyard and Tranquil Thicket in hand and you suspect your opponent has Vendilion Clique in hand, don’t dredge if you want the Loam. Instead, wait until your main phase, cycle the thicket, and dredge for the draw. This way, you can cast the Loam before your opponent gets priority to Clique it away.

*If you have Loam + Tolaria West and you’re not really doing anything, transmuting for Mox Diamond to speed you up is a fine option.

*Let your Tabernacle triggers resolve in your opponent’s upkeep before Porting them.

*Manabond triggers whether or not you want to put your hand into play; if you want to bait an opponent’s stifle, announce the Manabond trigger at cleanup. If they stifle it, it gets countered, and if it resolves you can choose not to put lands into play if you wish.

*You can Ghost Quarter your own land to search up a Forest if you need green. Similarly, if you have a land in play that you wish to recur with Loam (Tolaria West, Tranquil Thicket, Bojuka Bog), you can Waste it to get it back with Loam.

*You can put more mana into Engineered Explosives to increase its converted mana cost while on the stack. For example, if you want to play Explosives for two around a Spell Snare, you can pay 1UG to make its converted mana cost three while on the stack but still resolve with two sunburst counters. This is also useful for beating Counterbalance and playing around Chalice of the Void.

*The converted mana costs of Engineered Explosives and Chalice of the Void that are in play are always zero, despite the number of counters on them or their converted mana cost while they were on the stack.

*If you can avoid it, don’t activate your manlands into open white mana. If you can’t avoid it, at least try to have Ghost Quarter, Wasteland, Zuran Orb, or Pfire at the ready in case they do try to Swords to plowshares it.

*If your opponent is running taxing counters, they are very easy to play around by just waiting a turn or two. Try not to run your Exploration into Daze or Spell Pierce

*You can Maze your own attacking creatures. This is relevant with Mishra’s Factories and against opposing creatures with flash. If you have two attacking factories and a Maze of Ith against their one blocker, you can animate and attack with both, Maze whichever one they block, and then use its pump ability to pump the unblocked one. If your opponent flashes in something and blocks a relevant creature such as a postboard Dark Confidant, you can simply Maze your creature before damage.

*You can Maze your own creature post combat damage step at the "end of combat step" (it is still an attacking creature) if Maze is going to be wasted next turn and you want a blocker up or to get the mana back from the manland.

*Be cautious of what land you sacrifice to Crop Rotation or when transmuting because an Extirpate/Extraction can throw a wrench in your plans for the card you were intending to tutor for. Have a plan B target.

snorlaxcom

05-28-2014, 01:26 AM

VI. Links

If you want your link added to the following list, send me a PM :smile:

VI.a) Sample Decklists

The following list are from the StarCityGames circuit. Please do not restrict your deck building to the these lists.

*08/12/2012 SCG Kansas City, Alex Olson, 2nd (http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=48607)
*10/28/2012 SCG New Orleans, Jody Keith, 10th (http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=50382)
*12/16/2012 SCG Los Angeles, Jody Keith, 8th (http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=51707)
*03/24/2013 SCG Kansas City, Tom McLeod, 6th (http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=54223)
*04/21/2013 SCG Seattle, Dan Mortensen, 10th (http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=55309)
*06/16/2013 SCG Colombus, Bobby Kovacs, 3rd (http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=56676)
*10/06/2013 SCG Cleveland, Shane Kelley, 13th (http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=59751)
*12/15/2013 SCG LasVegas, Sammy Trueman 16th (http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=61509)
*02/09/2014 SCG Nashville, Eric Yu, 7th (http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=63426)
*04/06/2014 SCG Milwaukee, Alex Daily, 13th (http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=65903)

More lists on TC Decks (http://www.tcdecks.net/tipo.php?archetype=Lands&format=Legacy) and mtgtop8.com (http://www.mtgtop8.com/archetype?a=36&meta=39&f=LE).

VI.b) Reports

*01/2012, Malacoda, SCG Los Angeles, 5-3 (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?4020-Deck-43-Lands&p=613883&viewfull=1#post613883)
*02/2012, Malacoda, SCG Cincinnati, 5-3-1 (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?23207-Playing-Lands-at-SCG-Cincinnati)
*03/2012, Cuthbertthecat, GP Indianapolis, Top 64 (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?23337-Top-64-GP-Indy-with-Lands)
*07/2012, Phelix, GP Ghent, 16th (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?24313-GP-Ghent-16th-with-Lands-dec-(part-1)) (part 1)
*07/2012, Phelix, GP Ghent, 16th (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?24434-GP-Ghent-16th-with-Lands-dec-Part-2)) (part 2)
*08/2012, Cuthbertthecat, SCG Kansas City, 2nd (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?24461-2nd-Place-at-SCG-KC-With-Lands)
*02/2013, Go_Gaels, SCG Atlanta, 21th (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?4020-Deck-43-Lands&p=702220&viewfull=1#post702220)
*02/2013, TBryant23, 5-3-1 (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?4020-Deck-43-Lands&p=702722&viewfull=1#post702722)
*03/2013, Corrosion, SCG Kansas City, 6th (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?25770-SCG-Open-Kansas-City-Top-8-Report-For-Lands)
*04/2013, LegoEgo, GP Strasbourg, Day 2 (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?4020-Deck-43-Lands&p=719205&viewfull=1#post719205)
*05/2013, Zynque, Bazaar of Moxen, 10th (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?4020-Deck-43-Lands&p=724667&viewfull=1#post724667)
*07/2013, OneBigSquirrelGod, SCG Colombus, 3rd (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?26332-3rd-Place-SCG-Columbus-with-Lands)
*11/2013, Anen, Eternal Weekend Side Event, Top 8 (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?4020-Deck-43-Lands&p=763063&viewfull=1#post763063)
*03/2014, markkugel, Bourgoin-Jallieu France, 2-2-1 (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?4020-Deck-43-Lands&p=796811&viewfull=1#post796811)
*04/2014, Sonofmogh, SCG Milwaukee, Top 16 (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?4020-Deck-43-Lands&p=806764&viewfull=1#post806764)
*05/2014, Tyrio, SCG Knoxville, 19th (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?4020-Deck-43-Lands&p=811634&viewfull=1#post811634)
*11/2014, Snorlaxcom, GP NJ, 212th (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?28107-Deck-Lands&p=852117&viewfull=1#post852117)
*3/2015, BillyButtons, SCG PIQ, 19th (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?29378-19th-SCG-Richmond-Premier-IQ!-3-29-15)

VI.c) Videos
* 08/2010, Eli Kassis, Deck Tech (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WakfXWvcWn8)
* 04/2011, Michael Caffrey, MTGO (http://www.starcitygames.com/article/21671_MTGO-Video-With-Lands--Legacy-.html)
* 05/2014, Bahra, MTGO Legacy Daily, 2-1 (http://www.twitch.tv/bahra_/b/529989453)
* 01/2016, Snorlaxcom's Youtube channel for Lands (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf0hIneYQwLk_-86niAGUtA)

VI.d) Pimped Decks!

*03/2012: Cuthbertthecat’s deck. Theme: Foil (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?4607-DO-NOT-TRY-TO-SELL-IN-HERE-Pimp-Legacy-Decks&p=623048&viewfull=1#post623048)
*10/2012: Anen’s deck. Theme: Japanese non-foil. (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?4607-DO-NOT-TRY-TO-SELL-IN-HERE-Pimp-Legacy-Decks&p=682458&viewfull=1#post682458)
*01/2014: Phelix’s foil Jap Ports. (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?4607-DO-NOT-TRY-TO-SELL-IN-HERE-Pimp-Legacy-Decks&p=785246&viewfull=1#post785246)
*3/2014: Sparkii's deck. Theme: Foil (http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/magic-general/334931-what-is-the-most-pimp-card-deck-youve-seen-or?page=184#c4674)
*11/2014: Snorlaxcom’s deck. Theme:Cultured Lands (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?4607-DO-NOT-TRY-TO-SELL-IN-HERE-Pimp-Legacy-Decks&p=851695&viewfull=1#post851695)

VII. Credits
08/2006: Tao for initially creating the 43 Lands thread.
03/2012: Cuthbertthecat and Malacoda for rewriting the whole primer.
05/2014: Snorlaxcom, Anen, and OneBigSquirrelGod for updating the primer and providing the sweet banner.

amalek0

05-28-2014, 05:36 PM

great job on the new primer. So, what's everyone's thoughts on the new exploration art in conspiracy?

Sparkii

05-28-2014, 11:12 PM

Nice work, I especially like the Reports section of the primer. It's helpful to others to see lines of play and other interactions between decks. :)

Aesir

05-29-2014, 01:17 AM

Nice thread! If I ever get some more card spending money I may find myself visiting this primer more...

snorlaxcom

05-29-2014, 11:58 AM

great job on the new primer. So, what's everyone's thoughts on the new exploration art in conspiracy?

Not a fan. The little hand is the only way the name relates to the art. Pretty loose to me.

bryanzoll

05-29-2014, 12:59 PM

amalek0

05-29-2014, 02:22 PM

Nice updated thread!

How do you feel about creating another section that addresses common areas of hate against the deck (blood moon, extractions, RiP, etc) and use it as a way to share tip, tricks, and techniques players use to combat that hate?

Bryan

how you play around hate depends a ton on your configuration. If you have white, usually there's cannonists and thalias backed up by ray of revelation. if that's the case, you can hold the ray/kgrip/EE at 2/3 to blow RIP/Bloodmoon respectively, they're permanent based hate. Be mindful with RIP and leyline of the void that you won't get your EE back, but with ray it will end up in the graveyard. For extraction, you can hold tranquil thicket to cycle in response to the extraction to protect your loam. Good opponents won't try to extract your loams, they'll go for your punishing fires, wastelands, or some part of the depths combo. In the case of that, the only out you really have is to board appropriately--don't go all in on punishing fire, or engineered explosives. It's why I never board out my tarpit, because it's the third line of defense against problematic planeswalkers, particularly liliana. Obviously, if you suspect blood moons or it's a deck with tons of wastelands (jund, U/x/x delver, death and taxes) fetch a basic forest early.

Megadeus

05-29-2014, 03:27 PM

great job on the new primer. So, what's everyone's thoughts on the new exploration art in conspiracy?

Art isn't terrible, but OG art and border are too sweet to pass up

Phelix

05-29-2014, 03:45 PM

i think ill stick w. my korean ones.

if it was old border... i might go foil japanese.

also, will upload full scanned deck soon - and its nice ;)

bryanzoll

05-30-2014, 10:33 AM

So I went 2-1-1 last night with the following list:

4 Exploration
1 Manabond

1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Zuran Orb
4 Mox Diamond

2 Crop Rotation
3 Intuition
3 Punishing Fire

4 Life from the Loam

1 Forest
1 Bayou
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Glacial Chasm
3 Grove of the Burnwillows
3 Maze of Ith
1 Misty Rainforest
4 Rishadon Port
1 Taiga
1 Thespian's Stage
3 Tolaria West
2 Tranquil Thicket
3 Tropical Island
1 Verdant Catacombs
4 Wasteland
1 Wooded Foothills
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 Dark Depths
1 Academy Ruins
1 Karakas

Sideboard:
2 Chalice of the Void
2 Krosan Grip
2 Sphere of Resistance
3 Dark Confidant
1 Riftstone portal (way too many blood moon effects in my meta)
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Abrupt Decay

(P) = on the play
(D) = on the draw

Match 1 - Elves
G1(P): Opened with a hand that had grove of the burnwillows, mox diamond, exploration and punishing fire...snap keep against any unknown deck (right?). In any case..it was clearly a brutal game 1 for my opponent. Controlled it with PFire the early game, then just locked him out and went for the kill with DD & Stage.

Out: 3x intuition 1x Bojuka Bog
In: 2x Chalice, 1x EE, 1x Ensnaring Bridge

G2(D): Opened with turn 1 exploration, mox diamond, and chalice on 1 to his turn 1 nettle sentinel. I didn't have any CA going, but clearly he wasn't doing much besides swinging sideways for 2 a turn. I get a maze in play at 12 life to stop the sentinel, his next turn is GSZ for 3 getting viridian shaman blowing up chalice and playing a bunch of 1 drops. I top deck an EE and blow up the board for 1 and maze can keep shaman at bay. 2 turns later I get PFire to kill his 2 doods on board, and with 1 card in hand he just scoops...the devastating affects of PFire I guess?? O_o

2-0

Match 2 - Food Chain Combo
This was against a long time friend of mine and we both knew what each other was playing but never playtested the matchup before. I felt going into it I had the stronger deck and he felt the same.

G1(P): I keep a hand with 2 PFires (no grove), a mox diamond, and a Life from the Loam. I'm pretty sure the only reason I got excited was the 2 PFires, reflecting on it, it might have been the wrong decision as I didn't have exploration or manabond to compliment the Loam (let me know what you guys think). First couple of turns went exactly how I thought they would, turn 1 I play mox, land, and pass. His turn 1 his DRS met its fate with PFire #1. I play land go, his turn 2 DRS met its fate with PFire #2. I draw another land and decide to try to get something going now, casting loam, and passing the turn. A few turns later I loamed away every non-land card in my deck it seemed while he got a food chain and griffin in play. A few turns later Tidespout Tyrant appeared and my board-state disappeared.

Out: 1x Bojuka Bog, 3x Intuition, 1x Ensnaring Bridge, 1x Tabernacle, 1x Glacial Chasm
In: 2x Sphere of Resistance (NOTE: It is important to note that mana generated from Food Chain cannot be used to pay for extra costs to cast creature cards), 2x Phyrexian Revoker, 1x Abrupt Decay, 2x Krosan Grip

G2(P): I mulliganed to 5 this game as my first 2 hands were all lands and no business. I settled for a hand with 1 PFire and a Mox Diamond. Game starts real slow as I PFire his Hierarch keeping him at 2 mana. Mid-game I still have no CA engine going but had a Krosan Grip for his 1st Food Chain....next turn food chain #2 hits and so does an Emrakul.

For this matchup, I'm not sure what I would have done differently. Reflecting on it, I would want to bring in Dark Confidants just to try to avoid their GY hate as they run Relic of Progenitus so they can exile their GYs as well. I am working on getting 4 Sphere of Resistance in the SB, so the extra 2 would come in as well.

2-2

Match 3 - Sneak and Show
I know my opponent is on Sneak and Show as I saw their last match.

G1(D): Opened with Exploration, Mox Diamond, Loam, tolaria west, fetch, and trop. Good enough for me. Tolaria was transmuted for a karakas which stayed in hand until he show and telled. Down came sneak attack and down came karakas. Next loam for me was real good has it had a pair of wastelands which took out his untapped red source and his tapped red source (woot woot). He durdles and finds 1 red source but without a second karakas has him locked down still, 2x transmutes from west finds DD & Stage, and he found out a 20/20 is larger than a 15/15.

Out: 1x EE, 1x Tabernacle, 1x Glacial Chasm, 1x Zuran Orb, 2x Inutition
In: 2x Revoker, 1x Riftstone Portal, 2x Krosan Grip, 1x Ensnaring Bridge

G2(D): I am able to start with a turn 1 Revoker on Sneak Attack with a karakas in hand. His turn 2 blood moon hurts =( ...in retrospect I knew he had blood moons in the deck and should have kept a stronger hand than what I did. Regardless of the board state...we both durdle for what seemed like ages until he lands a show and tell with emrakul. Since there is all of 1 minute left of the clock I run down the time a bit and there is no game 3 once emrakul swings a 2nd time.

3-3

Match 4 - Manaless Dredge

G1(P): I open a hand with forest, loam, crop rotate, and zuran orb, and diamond. I play forest, diamond, orb and pass. He moves to discard discarding phantasmagorian. I play land go. He winds up getting half his GY in his bin on his turn...EoT Crop Rotation into Bojuka Bog makes him sad...as does me sacrificing bog to orb and recurring it next turn with loam...GG

G2(P): Not the same hand as game 1...but it had exploration, loam, bog, and wasteland. GG

5-3

All in all I felt like my play skills were moderate at best last night. I was second guessing myself a lot and questioning my lines of play. I felt like crop rotations were sub-par (minus the 1 game against dredge) and will turn them into other cards (open to suggestions). My sideboard is a work in progress at the moment.

Let me know if you guys have any comments.

amalek0

05-30-2014, 03:02 PM

mainboard looks solid. I don't like crop rotations main, and I like the second manabond better than the third intuition main, but that's personal preference as both generally come out g2/g3. I'd dump the rotations from the mainboard for a second explosives and another flex slot, maybe the second stage or the third thicket? Maybe mainboard riftstone portal if there's a heavy blood-moon presence locally (painter's/stompey variants etc).

dafrk3in

05-30-2014, 03:45 PM

cuthbertthecat

05-30-2014, 04:29 PM

I have some complaints about the primer.

From the primer: "Doing things for the most time value is a very crucial aspect of playing this deck... This may sound like borderline cheating, but it’s actually playing in a fashion that allows for no confusion on the events of the game, while also being beneficial to this deck’s strategy."

First of all, I think that advice like this has no place in a primer like this. I think that the goal of a primer like this should be to give people information to win with a deck on its own merits (by winning games of Magic) rather than using the maximum allowed amount of time possible to complete every action. People use shortcuts all of the time, because most members of the community have decided that the best way to decide a Magic match is to finish three games of Magic. Advising people to spend the maximum amount of time possible on each action makes is seem like the deck is not good enough on it's own and that it's constructive to focus efforts towards increasing the amount of time spent on actions during games instead of improving your deck or your ability to pilot it. Finally, this advice is completely useless for people that play the deck online.

From the primer: " Take advantage of the fact that most Burn opponents are inexperienced and ask them if they can actually beat the Chasm (get one in German \o/). Often times they don’t realize that they can and you’re off to game 2. Against an experienced pilot, don’t expect to win too many."

You're advising people to take advantage of new players. This is terrible for the community as a whole, and I don't think that advice like this has any place in this primer. This advice also makes it seem like the deck is not good enough on its own merits, and that it's constructive to figure out new ways to mislead new players instead of improving your deck or your ability to pilot it. Finally, it also seems like you're implicitly advising people to misrepresent their cards to inexperienced players. That is cheating.

I wrote the first quote and it's just good advice for any slow control deck in general, and even more so for how the deck was configured at the time. The deck wasn't heavily played, so people didn't know what half of your cards did. In addition, you had to win games with creeping tar pit rather than a 20/20 in a format where RUG Delver and Miracles were the top dogs, both of which played loads of spot removal. In such a format, games are going to go long as is, so playing slowly to avoid any confusion is really just for the best and can avoid game losses and such by acting too fast without giving your opponent proper time to respond. The fact that playing slowly and deliberately when you're up a game is beneficial to your odds to win the match is pretty negligible, because playing like that in general with any deck will usually lead to increased odds at winning a match, time constraints or not. I mean, if you're hellbent on finishing a match in 3 games, 2 of which you had to rush yourself through, you should probably steer clear of slow control decks in any format. As for playing the deck online, obviously it doesn't matter for that. Just ignore advice about non-chess clock management if you're playing online. Online and paper are quite different, and I'm sure every MTGO player realizes this when it comes to discussions of time management in Magic.

As for the second quote, I didn't write that one, and I agree that its pretty scummy. I think that it's mostly for humor though.

dafrk3in

05-30-2014, 04:37 PM

I wrote the first quote and it's just good advice for any slow control deck in general, and even more so for how the deck was configured at the time. The deck wasn't heavily played, so people didn't know what half of your cards did. In addition, you had to win games with creeping tar pit rather than a 20/20 in a format where RUG Delver and Miracles were the top dogs, both of which played loads of spot removal. In such a format, games are going to go long as is, so playing slowly to avoid any confusion is really just for the best and can avoid game losses and such by acting too fast without giving your opponent proper time to respond. The fact that playing slowly and deliberately when you're up a game is beneficial to your odds to win the match is pretty negligible, because playing like that in general with any deck will usually lead to increased odds at winning a match, time constraints or not. I mean, if you're hellbent on finishing a match in 3 games, 2 of which you had to rush yourself through, you should probably steer clear of slow control decks in any format. As for playing the deck online, obviously it doesn't matter for that. Just ignore advice about non-chess clock management if you're playing online. Online and paper are quite different, and I'm sure every MTGO player realizes this when it comes to discussions of time management in Magic.

As for the second quote, I didn't write that one, and I agree that its pretty scummy. I think that it's mostly for humor though.

You say that "doing things for the most time value is a very crucial aspect of playing this deck." There is a big difference between doing that and playing carefully to avoid confusion. For example, asking your opponent to shuffle and present his deck after one Ghost Quarter activation only to use Ghost Quarter again immediately, which you advocate, goes well above and beyond playing carefully to avoid confusion.

Anen

05-30-2014, 04:57 PM

From the primer: " Take advantage of the fact that most Burn opponents are inexperienced and ask them if they can actually beat the Chasm (get one in German \o/). Often times they don’t realize that they can and you’re off to game 2. Against an experienced pilot, don’t expect to win too many."

You're advising people to take advantage of new players. This is terrible for the community as a whole, and I don't think that advice like this has any place in this primer. This advice also makes it seem like the deck is not good enough on its own merits, and that it's constructive to figure out new ways to mislead new players instead of improving your deck or your ability to pilot it. Finally, it also seems like you're implicitly advising people to misrepresent their cards to inexperienced players. That is cheating.

Have you ever played against Burn with Lands? Personally I find the Burn matchup very uninteresting. Guide, Bolt, Bolt, Price, you're dead.. WoW that was entertaining.
The german note is not about misrepresenting the card because guess what, you can play cards in any language at Magic. If my opponent asks me what Chasm do, I will tell him the exact Oracle text, no less, no more. I am not going to shoot myself in the foot by telling him "Hey look, during my upkeep I am going to be vulnerable to instant burn, so please unload your hand now." That would be pretty stupid..

cuthbertthecat

05-30-2014, 05:11 PM

You say that "doing things for the most time value is a very crucial aspect of playing this deck." There is a big difference between doing that and playing carefully to avoid confusion. For example, asking your opponent to shuffle and present his deck after one Ghost Quarter activation only to use Ghost Quarter again immediately, which you advocate, goes well above and beyond playing carefully to avoid confusion.

Well, your opponent could well have a response between ghost quarters, such as brainstorm, which I'm sure they would love a chance to cast between your activations if they so desire. There's also the issue of letting the mana they likely floated empty out of their mana pool between phases, which you can't do if you're shortcutting. Those 2 reasons alone are reasons to never shortcut on stuff like ghost quarter, way too much can go wrong and the only real upside is placating your opponent, which is not why I tend to play Magic.

amalek0

05-30-2014, 05:26 PM

Well, your opponent could well have a response between ghost quarters, such as brainstorm, which I'm sure they would love a chance to cast between your activations if they so desire. There's also the issue of letting the mana they likely floated empty out of their mana pool between phases, which you can't do if you're shortcutting. Those 2 reasons alone are reasons to never shortcut on stuff like ghost quarter, way too much can go wrong and the only real upside is placating your opponent, which is not why I tend to play Magic.

not only that, but for back to back ghost quarter activations, you have to replay your ghost quarter, which can trigger things etc... there's plenty of reasons not to shortcut any interaction that gives your opponents chances for a free shuffle, particularly in legacy where brainstorm is ubiquitous and one of the top decks to beat runs 4x sensei's divining top. As to having a german copy of glacial chasm, isn't the original text on it different than the strict oracle text anyway? I don't own an original copy anymore to compare, all mine are FTV's. Also, it's always fair to ask your burn opponent if they can beat it, the same way I ask my opponents in standard if they can beat my resolved aetherling or in modern if they can beat my resolved knowledge pool + teferi mage, or like asking if your opponent can break out of smokestack + trinisphere with no permanents in play. It's a valid way to save yourself the agony of finishing a game that's already over.

snorlaxcom

05-30-2014, 06:11 PM

So I went 2-1-1 last night with the following list:...

I would have boarded out more; -Orb, Chasm, 2Crop, Manabond, E.bridge

Replacing with; +3bob, 2chalice, 1ee

Keep them off dork mana and discard with chalice@1. Bridge/chasm does nothing vs tidespout and ee will already be in for 3 for insurance vs Food chain. Bob will drawz all da hate.

That should help a bit with the current list, but get more spheres if this deck becomes more of an issue. Canonist may have value here.

dafrk3in

05-30-2014, 06:23 PM

cuthbertthecat

05-30-2014, 06:46 PM

Tyrio

05-30-2014, 08:44 PM

I don't know if I would advocate a dragging out game 1 policy, since games 2 and 3 are obviously harder post-board and you may require more time for game 3. Game 1 Deathrite Shaman is pretty much the only card we care about game 1 and once he's dealt with winning should be pretty trivial; there's no need to pointlessly drag the game out when you can just send Momma Lage their way.

If you were to drag out game 1 against Jund to some 35 minutes PFiring them to death instead of killing them with Marit Lage, and in game 2 they nut draw you with something like t1 DRS, t2 Goyf, t3 Lili, t4 BBE while Extracting and Wasting relevant targets it's very easy for you to just lose in 10 minutes; then you're in a terrible position of having to win game 3 in the 5 or so minutes that remain. Basically I think it's more common for other decks to win quickly against Lands than it is the other way around, so you should end game 1 quickly to give yourself more time/room in case you punt or they draw triple Surgical against you game 2.

Re: clock there's obviously a big difference between playing methodically and optimally and simply burning clock time. I think you can probably just reword that part of the primer and instead of talking about "time value" just talk about playing optimally. Mention that they could have an instant they'd be more willing to play (say PFire in Jund) if you port 2 of their lands during upkeep instead of porting 1 land on upkeep and another on their draw.

amalek0

05-31-2014, 01:17 PM

To those responding to my comments, reread the sections of the primer that I pointed out. Based on reading them, what do you think those sections advocate? I am all for careful play. For example, resolving Rishadan Ports individually is obviously important. This shouldn't be something that's done to take as much time off of the clock as possible. It should be done because it improves the Lands player's chance of winning the game. I think that the sections should be rephrased so it's clear what you're advising players to do.

Time management is a part of competitive paper magic as in MTGO. Doing things for time value that also prevent misunderstandings is a perfectly valid way to play the game. Your opponent always has the option of conceding a game one that's going bad for them in the interest of preserving their own chances of winning the match. I'll point you to an open last year where Huey Jensen won a game 1 something like 250 life to like 16, with an Elspeth on the field, opting not to use its +1, instead sphinx'ing his entire deck every turn to gain life, to avoid a very poor game 2 matchup. He got that match because his opponent was too dumb to concede until the clock had run too far for him to have a chance at picking up games 2 and three. Plenty of pro's have advocated boarding out win-cons in a control mirror after a long game 2 if they win, in the interest of making sure they don't lose a quick game 2 AND that they have a much better defensive position to draw the second game out even from a poor start. Stalling the game to prevent your opponent from winning (1 minute on the clock, opponent slams a JTMS, you have no outs other than his not ulting it) and playing deliberately are different things. Is it stalling if a control player in standard scry's his only win con, an aetherling, to the bottom of his library? How can you enforce that? Time management has been a part of competitive magic since they introduced the round timer to tournaments.

baboontilt

06-02-2014, 02:26 AM

Took lands to SCG Indy this weekend, it was my 3rd tournament playing the deck, and the first that wasn't a 4-rounder: ended up 6-2-1, finishing 36th. I made a few boneheaded mistakes throughout the day, but it was a good learning opportunity. My list:

4 Exploration
4 Life From the Loam
4 Mox Diamond
3 Punishing Fire
3 Intuition
2 Crop Rotation
2 Engineered Explosives
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Zuran Orb

4 Wasteland
4 Rishadan Port
3 Grove of the Burnwillows
3 Maze of Ith
3 Fetch
3 Tropical Island
2 Tolaria West
2 Thespian's Stage
2 Dark Depths
1 Taiga
1 Bayou
1 Karakas
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Tranquil Thicket
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Forest
1 Academy Ruins
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 Glacial Chasm

SB
4 Dark Confidant
4 Chalice of the Void
3 Krosan Grip
2 Sphere of Resistance
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Phyrexian Revoker

My rounds went something like this (super abridged version):

Round 1 vs. G/W Humans (LOSS)
G1 he accelerated out double Hero of Bladehold and quickly crushed me. At one point G2 his board consisted of 2x Supression Field, 2x Rest in Peace, and 3x Noble Hierarch. He cast Armageddon :(, then Pridemages my Mox Diamond and casts Thalia. This wasn't even close.

Round 2 vs. BUG Delver (WIN)
I make a huge error Mazing his Delver instead of his Scavenging Ooze giving him a blocker for my Marit Lage, forcing a g3 after he draws a Liliana. I have the nuts and combo him T2 game three, but resolve to not make any more grievous errors.

Round 3 vs. UR Delver (WIN)
Game 1 he has triple Price of Progress, but I weather the storm the next two with Zuran Orb.

Round 4 vs. UR Delver (LOSS)
He takes games 2 and 3 with a flurry of burn after I combo him game 1, countering Zuran Orb and untapping to triple Bolt me g3.

Round 5 vs. Dredge (WIN)
As he is shuffling he flips up a Gemstone Mine. I keep a slow hand with access to Crop Rotation and Bog him out of the game. G2 goes the same way after a bit of grinding on both sides.

Round 6 vs. Elves (WIN)
3 long, drawn-out games. G3 I am grinding him down and have a Chalice on 1, he draws Natural Order, but apparently sided out Progenitus! He gets Craterhoof and hits me down to one after I Maze the behemoth, then I EE/P-fire the rest of his team away and slowly lock him out entirely.

Round 7 vs. Dark Maverick (DRAW)
Game 1 I get to a point where he has double Deathrite and a Liliana on 6 with one card in hand. He Ultimates, and I make Marit Lage in response. He splits Exploration, Chasm (on 3 counters) and Marit vs everything else. I go for it, and he has neither Liliana nor Swords to punish me. My major misplay here was not scooping early enough game 2 when he had it locked up. On turn 5 of turns, he has 1 Forest, a Thalia, and a Revoker at 16 life, I have Double Maze, the combo, and Grove/Pfire. Unfortunately I don't get another turn, and he doesn't want to concede. I should have scooped earlier, and would have easily won the match.

Round 8 vs. UW Control (WIN)
He was on a homebrew, as he put it:"U/W Stuff that was in my binder last night." I see only normal fare: FOWs, Counterspells, Brainstorms, and Tops. After the match he shows such spice as Prognostic Sphinx, Future Sight, and Jace Beleren. Both games went fairly long, but I assemble the combo with Port Protection each time.

Round 9 vs UWR Miracles (WIN)
This final round was a long, drawn-out grindfest. Game 1 he assembles turn 2 Countertop, and after a bit of slogging it out I scoop to his full grip to ensure time for 2 more games. Game 2 I use a couple ports to get a Marit Lage into play. Game 3 accounts for most of the time in the round, and Dark Confidant really pulls his weight against a RiP and Counterbalance. I have triple Port for most of the game, and use it to shut down his Venser/Karakas shenanigans. As we go to time I beat him down with 2 Bobs and a Revoker, and have Fire/Grove backup (having EEd the RiP after he Vensered my Bob).

All in all I had a blast and learned a lot, mainly from my own mistakes. I played in the Legacy Challenge Saturday night and beat Jund + Dredge before falling to High Tide and a UW deck that mained 4 Back to Basics- two rather rough matchups. I'm considering cutting the Crucible for a Manabond, and would also potentially like some number of Abrupt Decays in the board. Any input on the list or general advice is welcome.

Sparkii

06-02-2014, 03:49 AM

Phelix

06-02-2014, 04:42 AM

very nice result.

how do you feel about the chalice vs spheres? also crop rotation vs chalice seems annoying, do you board out rotations or just take that minor risk? My list is very close to identical, well chosen :)

baboontilt

06-03-2014, 02:12 AM

Nice report!

I like the list, as it's the same as mine except:

- Bojuka Bog
+ Savannah

What did you think of your sideboard? Any cards that seemed useless during the day? Cards you wish you had sideboarded?

I used everything except the Spheres, but I like having a lot for the combo matchups. I would possibly like another Ensnaring Bridge for SnS/Elves, and as mentioned earlier wouldn't mind Abrupt Decays.

very nice result.

how do you feel about the chalice vs spheres? also crop rotation vs chalice seems annoying, do you board out rotations or just take that minor risk? My list is very close to identical, well chosen :)

I do like to have a fighting chance against Storm decks, so I devoted a large portion of my board to them. I like to take the risk as Chalice is generally very powerful in the matchups where you bring it in, but when you don't have it a quick combo is often your next best alternative. I did board them in against elves, which I am not 100% sure is correct. In that match a Rotation did indeed rot in my hand, but overall if I have a Chalice in play I generally have more time to sculpt.

bryanzoll

06-03-2014, 09:15 AM

Does anyone have an example of a deck that runs Enlightened Tutors that is fairly consistent and has decent results? Since I feel Crop Rotation is pretty lack luster (especially because I find myself transmuting for most of my lands anyways) I want to address an issue I find myself having. Not having Exploration / Manabond in play.

Here is a list I can come up with that runs Enlightened Tutors but just want other peoples opinions:

4 Exploration
1 Manabond

1 Crucible of Worlds
2 Engineered Explosives
1 Zuran Orb
4 Mox Diamond

2 Enlightened Tutors
3 Intuition
3 Punishing Fire

4 Life from the Loam

1 Forest
1 Savannah
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Glacial Chasm
3 Grove of the Burnwillows
3 Maze of Ith
1 Misty Rainforest
4 Rishadon Port
1 Taiga
1 Thespian's Stage
3 Tolaria West
2 Tranquil Thicket
3 Tropical Island
1 Verdant Catacombs
4 Wasteland
1 Wooded Foothills
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 Dark Depths
1 Academy Ruins
1 Karakas

Sideboard:
2 Krosan Grip
4 Sphere of Resistance
3 Dark Confidant
1 Riftstone portal (way too many blood moon effects in my meta)
2 Ensnaring Bridge
3 Phyrexian Revoker

snorlaxcom

06-03-2014, 09:58 AM

Going 5 color is ballsy and you need a really good reason to do it. You still have bob in the side, but that's a nombo if you can't fit in a bayou since you want him t2 the latest. Are white hatebears needed in your meta? Thalia usually gets the bob slot if so. Aside from that it looks ok. Only other criticism I have is I'd rather not have a manabond. I don't like having conditional fastbonds especially t1, but you have enough cycle lands to take advantage of it. Just lookout for an AD because it can blow it before trigger goes on the stack, thus wasting your whole turn and the mana invested into loaming/cycling.

bryanzoll

06-03-2014, 10:44 AM

Phelix

06-03-2014, 02:13 PM

if i were playing E tutor today, id be playing sylvan library in the main.

amalek0

06-04-2014, 07:12 AM

I'm fine trimming which ever colors I need to if white is going to make getting Exploration / digging for non-cmc = 0 artifacts easier. My meta has a bunch of creature decks in it so thalia isn't that great. My meta has: Sneak and Show, Elves, DnT, 12post (Jeremiah Rudolph), random scrub creature decks, shardless, and not a lot of combo (ANT/TES). There are a few delver decks for larger tournaments, but nothing in my local meta.

I also have to admit that I don't know when to side in bob's. I understand they are great for when I expect to face GY hate, but I just naturally assume every game 2&3 (90% of the time) I am going to face GY hate...so would I side them in every G2 / G3???

It could just be that I am not piloting the deck correctly and that the issue I find with not having Exploration / Manabond is because I am keeping hands I shouldn't keep or dredging when I should draw instead?

There's a really good primer on Enlightened Tutor lands, I think the primer links to it. Check the first page. As far as Bob's, The game plan is generally to board them in every g2/g3 if you're on that plan. Your opponents cut removal for graveyard hate and die to being buried in CA from BoB. Alternatively, if they leave in removal and bring in graveyard hate, they're generally slowing down their overall plan and so even if bob doesn't generate any CA, they've slowed down enough you can just grind them out normally. The reason to play E-tutor lands over Bobs is to find bullets for the combo MU's, like sneak and show.

Phelix

06-04-2014, 09:40 AM

against stuff like jund, UR delver, burn, elves, blecher i dont bring in confidants.

snorlaxcom

06-04-2014, 09:54 AM

amalek0

06-04-2014, 02:34 PM

^This. Lots of decks also don't have a lot to board in. Some removal stays g2/3 if it at least overlaps to handle Marit/tarpit or an art/ench. Bob can feed into this and is not always snap boarded in.

I mean, obviously. But if you're on the Bob plan, it's usually "justify why you don't bring it in g2/g3" versus "why should I bring it in?"

Fuzzy

06-08-2014, 05:00 PM

Hey guys, the RGx Lands deck belongs to this thread or should I seek information about that at some other place?

Tyrio

06-08-2014, 10:24 PM

Hey guys, the RGx Lands deck belongs to this thread or should I seek information about that at some other place?

The old closed 43 Lands thread has some info about the RG list. This thread is supposedly only for the RUGx Control shell. Eventually someone may get around to writing a primer for the RG Combo list though.

Personally I don't think there's much to say :p Maybe some Gamble and dredge vs. draw spreadsheet percentages that may be useful.

tewatate

06-09-2014, 02:39 AM

The old closed 43 Lands thread has some info about the RG list. This thread is supposedly only for the RUGx Control shell. Eventually someone may get around to writing a primer for the RG Combo list though.

Personally I don't think there's much to say :p Maybe some Gamble and dredge vs. draw spreadsheet percentages that may be useful.

You can discuss decklists, matchups to be discussed, tournamentreports, etc, just like any other deck. Kinda sucks its not possible anymore, and therefore shouldn't it be better to keep posting here, until an RG thread is written?

Anen

06-09-2014, 06:27 AM

Hey guys, the RGx Lands deck belongs to this thread or should I seek information about that at some other place?

I am a good guy, I made you a thread in developmental -> http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?28158-RG-Combo-Lands

Please stop talking about the RG combo version here, the primer is exclusively about the RUG version with Intuition.

Barsoom

06-09-2014, 06:48 AM

Anen

06-09-2014, 06:50 AM

It's a nonsense imho to split the discussion (and why the new thread in developmental? the RG version got way more top8 than the RUG version these days).

This thread should be for all versions of Lands, expecially now that the RG version is, numbers in hand, the most succefully and played one (according to TCDecks data).

Feel free to create a primer for the RG version :) According to most of us, the two deck plays different enough to have their own thread. If you don't realize that, you need to play more one of them.

bryanzoll

06-09-2014, 07:13 AM

It's a nonsense imho to split the discussion (and why the new thread in developmental? the RG version got more top8 than the RUG version these days).

This thread should be for all versions of Lands, expecially now that the RG version is, numbers in hand, the most succefully and played one (according to TCDecks data).

Regardless of top 8 appearances...RG Lands is a combo deck while RUGx Lands is a pure control deck and both and played extremely differently.

sarahiscute

06-09-2014, 07:38 AM

RG combo lands?

i am playing BG combo lands but with creatures. LOL. and its fun. below is the list.

//lands (37)
1 Forest
1 Glacial Chasm
4 Maze of Ith
4 Rishadan Port
1 Cabal Pit
2 Bayou
4 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Thespian's Stage
1 Sejiri Steppe
4 Wasteland
1 Windswept Heath
2 Wooded Foothills
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Karakas
4 Dark Depths
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale

//spells (16)
4 Mox Diamond
4 Exploration
2 Manabond
3 Crop Rotation
2 Life from the Loam
1 Crucible of Worlds

//creature (8)
4 Dark Confidant
4 Vampire Hexmage

Total: 61 cards

//Sideboard
SB: 3 Pithing Needle
SB: 3 Defense Grid
SB: 2 Raven's Crime
SB: 1 Crop Rotation
SB: 3 Krosan Grip
SB: 1 Bojuka Bog
SB: 1 Tower of the Magistrate
SB: 1 Cabal Pit

tewatate

06-09-2014, 08:37 AM

Regardless of top 8 appearances...RG Lands is a combo deck while RUGx Lands is a pure control deck and both and played extremely differently.

That's not true at all. In fact, 90% of a new primer would be exactly the same, where 10% could focus on the differences.
They even play exactly the same cards (or at least the same cards listed in this primers cardlist). If gamble is the keycard which defines the difference between both decks (as I read in the developmental thread from Anen), why is gamble even mentioned in this primer? Same goes for Thespian's Stage ("1-4 copies"), or Dark Depths ("The numbers on these depends on how fast you want to combo kill").
Stating that RUGx is a pure control deck isn't true, since each deck nowadays features at least 1 copy of each combopiece, some splitting Thespian's Stage / Dark Depths up to 3-1, or 2-2, along with some crop rotations. Differences between RUGx and RG lands are exaggerated.

I am not saying both threads shouldn't have a different primer, but if there would be a separated thread for RG, it should be because it deserves its own thread. And not like this, by cutting off an entire group of lands-players and referring to a dead link (don't like it? Write your own primer). That's not a respectful way to treat fellow landsplayers.

snorlaxcom

06-09-2014, 11:50 AM

That's not true at all. In fact, 90% of a new primer would be exactly the same, where 10% could focus on the differences. They even play exactly the same cards (or at least the same cards listed in this primers cardlist). I am not saying they shouldn't have a different primer, but stating that both are extremely different and that RG Lands is a combodeck, is totally off.

The differences are enough to warrant their own thread. Yes card choices overlap, but they are two completely different decks with diverting goals. Decks with the blue tempo shell of fetches/waste/daze/brainstorm/force/delver/pierce/ponder/git probe can still have great diversity whether monoblue or even 4 color and all deserve their own thread for players interested in those decks.

The last thread was litered with unanswered questions and people not interested in RG. The deck indeed has generated enough interest to be played on the scg open series, so it shouldn't be hard to support its own thread. I started this thread because the op needed an update in the current meta and not because I wanted to introduce another deck. If you are passionate enough about it then start a new thread and I will provide a link in the op.

tewatate

06-10-2014, 03:32 PM

The differences are enough to warrant their own thread. Yes card choices overlap, but they are two completely different decks with diverting goals. Decks with the blue tempo shell of fetches/waste/daze/brainstorm/force/delver/pierce/ponder/git probe can still have great diversity whether monoblue or even 4 color and all deserve their own thread for players interested in those decks.

The last thread was litered with unanswered questions and people not interested in RG. The deck indeed has generated enough interest to be played on the scg open series, so it shouldn't be hard to support its own thread. I started this thread because the op needed an update in the current meta and not because I wanted to introduce another deck. If you are passionate enough about it then start a new thread and I will provide a link in the op.

I have no issues with good arguments why there should be a separate primer, thats what a forum is for.

But youre responsible for this new thread, and you should have foreseen a decent solution if you really dont want RG players posting in a RUGx thread. For example, ask in advance if someone would write another RG-primer, and renew RUGx simultaneously. Acting this way pisses people off, can you blame them?

Anen

06-10-2014, 03:54 PM

I have no issues with good arguments why there should be a separate primer, thats what a forum is for.

But youre responsible for this new thread, and you should have foreseen a decent solution if you really dont want RG players posting in a RUGx thread. For example, ask in advance if someone would write another RG-primer, and renew RUGx simultaneously. Acting this way pisses people off, can you blame them?

Did you read the disclaimer? Snorlaxcom just forgot to update the link.

Disclaimer:
This thread is for the RUGx Control version of Lands. The previous 8 years of discussion can be found here (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?4020-Deck-43-Lands)
For the RG Combo Lands thread, go if it ever gets around to being written.
For the Jund Depths (aka Loam Pox + red) thread, go [url=http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?27346-Jund-Depths/]here (]here[/url).

If people are interested in the RG deck, they can post here => http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?28158-RG-Combo-Lands
If people are very interested in the RG deck, they can write an extensive primer for the RG version in order for it to be in the Established section.

People posting here about the RG deck are in the wrong thread, that's all. Canadian's pilots don't post into the BUG Delver thread because they share 30+ cards, do they?

snorlaxcom

06-10-2014, 04:12 PM

Link in op has Anen's updated link. I will provide a link to RG primers in op if people message me, but nothing more.

This isn't meant to have a feud between the camps. I just have no interest nor insight on RG sequences. Kurt Speiss would ideally be the source for this, but unsure if he even goes on the Source.

amalek0

06-11-2014, 08:22 AM

I wouldn't worry much about the ravings by someone with three posts--He obviously hasn't bothered to read the old primer/thread anyway, where some of this was put to rest. That being said, there were some great articles on Jund Depths and the RG combolands builds up on Star City Games website, if you care enough to complain here, go look those up for yourself. *teach a man to fish...*

Tyrio

06-12-2014, 01:01 AM

Brewed a slight variant tonight and spliced together some Landstill with Lands.

4 Brainstorm
3 Standstill
3 Punishing Fire
3 Life from the Loam
2 Intuition
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Crucible of Worlds
2 Engineered Explosives
4 Mox Diamond
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Forbid
3 Force of Will

1 Misty Rainforest
4 Wooded Foothills
3 Tropical Island
1 Volcanic Island
1 Taiga
3 Grove of the Burnwillows
3 Maze of Ith
1 Academy Ruins
1 Karakas
2 Tolaria West
1 Thespian Stage
1 Dark Depths
3 Mishra's Factory
4 Wasteland
1 Barbarian Ring

61 Cards

SB:
2 Swan Song
1 Negate
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Pyroblast
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Krosan Grip
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Hull Breach
1 Pyroclasm
1 Pithing Needle
1 Chalice of the Void
1 Bojuka Bog
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale

So the addition of some counterspells and Standstill was intended to trade some of our good match-up points (fair decks) for some game 1 interaction against combo. Standstill has obviously gotten a lot worse with Delver, SFM, Aether Vial and DRS in 80% of decks, but the possibility of t1ing it with Mox Diamond or even resolving it mid-game on a mostly empty board seems okay. I mostly wanted to live the dream of Forbidding someone from playing Magic, and it kind of came true? Being able to still make land drops with Loam while providing food for Forbid was decent, but I imagine if you can spend 5 mana a turn Forbidding you can probably do something similar with Loaming Tolaria West. Brainstorms and Jace were obviously pretty strong; there is low number of fetches, but Loam, Tolaria West and Intuition can kind of act as shuffle effects. I think you only ever want to Brainstorm early for DRS removal anyway; I held my Brainstorms until eot t4-t5 and untapping into Jace felt super good. The 61st card could also probably be shaved (4th Diamond?). It's nice to be somewhat less reliant on the graveyard since you have Jaces and Factories as kills, but it didn't really come up.

The sideboard is a mish-mash of random things I owned that seemed okay. No idea what the proper sideboard should be. There seems to be a lot of disynergy with Chalice and all the 1-mana counters so maybe that should be different. Could also probably make room for Bog and Tabernacle maindeck.

Split top 4 tonight with 16 players. Went:
2-0 Edric Bant (actually got the bye, but my friend's opponent never showed and we durdled two game 1s.
2-1 Edric Bant (got paired against him right after obvs)

He had KotRs in his deck so his graveyard hate consisted of GSZ'ed Scavenging Ooze. He wasn't running DRS so the only card I really cared about from him was his KotR and Jace spent most of his time unsummoning her. Academy Ruin'ed EE and PFire handled most of his deck. Standard Lands fare. I achieved the Forbid lock against him in one super long game, but it was mostly irrelevant since I already had recurring EE and PFire.

0-2 Patriot Delver

I was able to deal with his Stoneforge, Batterskull and Delver normally, but my Intuition pile was a turn too late against his TNN and he had a Force anyway to stop Bridge or EE. In our game 2 I couldn't find a Loam, PFire, Grove, Maze or EE to deal with his Meddling Mage that did 10 damage to me while I held back my REB and Pyroblast. When I finally Blast the Mage and a Delver he plays a TNN with me at 8 life and I can't find anything. I suppose if I was on a normal Lands build I could have attempted Glacial Chasm shenanigans to live.

2-0 Bant Fish

Not Merfolk, but Mother of Runes, SFM, Brainstorm, FoW, TNN, etc. Normal Lands stuff, Wasted him off white and turned his SFM into cantrip squire. He couldn't deal with EE and PFire and I eventually win with Marit Lage and a Jace. Game 2 he keeps a greedy hand 1-Tundra hand with Mom, Etutor and Brainstorm. He whiffs on a land and Brainstorm locks himself and I easily deal with his Tutored Rest in Peace several turns later with a Grip.

2-1 Jund

Game 1 he Thoughtseizes away a Brainstorm (from a 2 Brainstorm, Mox, Bridge, 3 land hand) and I promptly turn 1 Standstill him anyway. We keep Standstill around for a few turns when he eventually breaks it with another Thoughtseize. I draw 3 lands of it and Brainstorm to protect my Bridge and a drawn Crucible but he Decays them both over the next few turns anyway. Maze keeps a Tarmogoyf at bay while I durdle around with Loam. Barbarian Ring takes care of all his non-Goyf creatures and he can't stop me from assembling Marit Lage.

Game 2 I keep a similar game 1 hand after he mulls to 5. The game actually plays out pretty similarly except he has a DRS this time that eats my lands and Loam. I transmute for an EE to kill the DRS but he has a 2nd 6/7 Goyf right after to get around my 1 Maze. I draw my Academy Ruins 1 turn too late to recur EE and die to Goyfs.

Game 3 he Thoughtseizes away my Forbid (I could have potentially Forbid locked him out t2 otherwise) and Extirpates my Loams after I open with Fetch-Mox-Loam. He doesn't have a DRS or some 2 drop after Wasting me with 2 other lands in play so I figured I might be able to live the dream and proceed to Pithing Needle his onboard Verdant Catacombs. He of course draws his Bloodstained Mire and Wooded Foothills and makes me look silly, but an EE takes care of Tarmogoyf and a Fire kills a Bob. I land a Jace and promptly build him up to ultimate for the win. I want to say that the Needle play turned out to be decent, since it stopped him from getting to 4 mana for a potential BBE, but I assembled PFire in the last 2 turns anyway.

In the end Standstill and Factory underperformed, but that may honestly be due to the lack of games. Jace and Brainstorm were awesome, so if this experiment doesn't pan out I can always just jam Jaces back into the more traditional RUG list like the other gentleman in the old thread did.

Admiral_Arzar

06-13-2014, 11:11 AM

Top-4'd my local with a pretty traditional RUG list.

4 Mox Diamond
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Zuran Orb
4 Exploration
2 Manabond
2 Crop Rotation
4 Life from the Loam
3 Punishing Fire
3 Intuition
1 Ensnaring Bridge

3 Tropical Island
1 Taiga
1 Forest
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Verdant Catacombs
4 Wasteland
4 Rishadan Port
4 Maze of Ith
3 Grove of the Burnwillows
3 Tolaria West
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 Glacial Chasm
1 Karakas
1 Bukkake Bog
1 Dark Depths
1 Thespian's Stage
1 Academy Ruins
1 Ghost Quarter
2 Tranquil Thicket

Sideboard
4 Chalice of the Void
3 Sphere of Resistance
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Smokestack
3 Krosan Grip

Round one I had the bye. Round two I drew with Miracles. I lost game one to a fast counter-top, game went forever and I found my maindeck EE too late. Game two he mulliganned and was short on lands, not a good place to be against this deck. Game three I locked up the game with Crucible, Ruins, and EE although I lacked acceleration. We went to time with me needing 2-3 more turns to pull off the Stage/Depths win through his STP. Round 3 I drew with a R/B Sneak/Reanimator build. I locked him out game one, and then got blown out by double Ashen Rider game 2 (the exile clause on the card is a steaming pile of bullshit). Still almost came back, staying alive with Chasm/Orb shenanigans until I got Blood Mooned. We ended up with only a minute for game 3, needless to say that went to time. I could have won game one much more quickly if I had played my lands in the correct order (got my one-of Stage exiled by Ashen Rider, should have played out a Wasteland first to prevent that). Round 4 I won (!) in three against mono-red Burn. Lost horribly in game one despite Wasting my own lands versus Price of Progress and then locked him out with Crucible/Chasm/Orb/Chalice at one in both games 2 and 3. Chalice is a house in this matchup, but you still need Orb or Chasm to not die to Price. My opponent admitted to not having artifact hate in the board as he was waiting on it to show up in the mail, not sure I could have pulled this off if he had Smash to Smithereens postboard.

Overall the deck performed well, I feel like I could have won both draws if I had played faster/better. I still think the R/G version is probably better positioned because you can just win rather than giving your opponent a chance to rip Moon, Price, Ashen Rider, or other nonsense and break up your lock. Despite that, I will always love prison Lands, locking your opponent out of ever doing anything is just fun in a sadistic kind of way.

Jay_Gatz

06-13-2014, 11:28 AM

1 Bukkake Bog

I certainly hope you have an altered copy to make the name fit

Lt. Quattro

06-13-2014, 07:39 PM

R/G a.k.a. best lands is on camera played by Gerry Thompson at the scg invitational. GO LANDS!

Sparkii

06-13-2014, 07:56 PM

R/G a.k.a. best lands is on camera played by Gerry Thompson at the scg invitational. GO LANDS!

Courser of Kruphix makes an appearance. ;)

bryanzoll

06-27-2014, 10:14 AM

Went 3-1 last night with the following list (hasn't changed since last post except sb):

4 Exploration
1 Manabond

1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Zuran Orb
4 Mox Diamond

2 Crop Rotation
3 Intuition
3 Punishing Fire

4 Life from the Loam

1 Forest
1 Bayou
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Glacial Chasm
3 Grove of the Burnwillows
3 Maze of Ith
1 Misty Rainforest
4 Rishadon Port
1 Taiga
1 Thespian's Stage
3 Tolaria West
2 Tranquil Thicket
3 Tropical Island
1 Verdant Catacombs
4 Wasteland
1 Wooded Foothills
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 Dark Depths
1 Academy Ruins
1 Karakas

Sideboard:
2 Chalice of the Void
2 Krosan Grip
3 Sphere of Resistance
3 Dark Confidant
1 Riftstone portal
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Phyrexian Revoker

(P) = on the play
(D) = on the draw

Match 1 - Burn
G1(D): Opponent goes turn 1 basic mountain pass. I kept a hand with Exploration, LftL, Mox Diamond, fetch, and Pfire. I for the most part play my hand and pass the turn. Opponent plays Eidolon who quickly met a Pfire. I transmute out a tolaria west for Zuran Orb. Orb keeps me alive the next few turns (through 1 Price of Progress too) and I can transmute up DD + Stage.

Out: 1x Ensnaring Bridge, 1x Bojuka Bog, 1x Maze of Ith, 1x Tabernalce, Engineered Explosives
In: 2x Chalice, 3x Sphere of Resistance

G2(D): I think I kept a poor hand this game, I can't remember exactly what it was, just that it wasn't fast enough to win. My opponent had me dead turn 4.

G3(P): Turn 1 chalice on 1 (after playing exploration), turn 2 sphere of resistance, turn 3 sphere of resistance, I had 3 rishadon ports in play....My opponent didn't play magic while I durdled for 15 turns finding the combo.

1-0 (2-1)

Match 2 - Mono U OmniTell

G1(D): No idea what my opponent is on, I keep a hand that can pump out a really quick 20/20. I had a fetch land stifled turn 1 which set me back a turn, but I eventually assemble the combo before my opponent plays anything besides a Jace, TMS. I also saw an Ancient Tomb and some Lotus Petals and put him on some sort of Sneak and Show variant.

Out: 1x Tabernacle, 1x Glacial Chasm, 1x Zuran Orb, 1x Manabond, 3x Intuition
In: 2x Revoker, 3x Dark Confidant, 2x Krosan Grip

G2(D): He played a turn 1 emrakul...SnT into Omniscience

Out: 1x Engineered Explosives
In: 1x Ensnaring Bridge

G3(P): I keep a hand with Ensnaring Bridge and Exploration. Exploration got forced turn 1. His turn he plays SnT, I put in Bridge, he puts in Omniscience casting Emrakul. He takes his extra turn and pass. The next 25 minutes was the most grueling game ever. He eventually brought himself down to 2 life with a Griselbrand that joined the party. I was eventually able to get Karakas to stick (he ran out of ghost quarters) bounced his Grisel EoT, bounced Emrakul my turn, swung with a Revoker for 2.

2-0 (4-2)

Match 3 - Reanimator

G1(D): My opponent turn 1 careful studies and pitches Iona. My turn I play exploration, mox, some lands, and Loam and pass. To my surprise, my opponent didn't have the reanimate spell. Next few turns he does nothing but casts cantrips. I am dredging away everything besides lands but eventually get a tolaria west for a bojuka bog and exile his GY. He scooped after I wasted both his duals.

Out: 1x Zuran Orb, 1x Tabernacle, 1x EE, 3x Intuition
In: 1x Ensnaring Bridge, 3 Sphere of Resistance, 2x Revoker

G2(D): My opponent gets a turn 1 Empyreal Archangel, I die 4 turns later not being able to get a Bridge or Chasm.

G3(P): I keep a really strong hand of Bridge, Loam, Mox, Mox, and some lands. My opponent kept a hand with Leyline of the Void...womp womp. Tidespout Tyrant joined his party turn 3 and took the game from there.

2-1 (5-4)

Match 4 - Old Elves (No natural order, but mana dorks and emrakuls)

G1(P): Recurring EE early stopped all his threats.

Out: 1x Bojuka Bog, 3x Intuition, 1x Manabond, 1x Cruicble
In: 1x Ensnaring Bridge, 3x Sphere, 2x Chalice

G2(D): I kept a bad hand. No Pfire, chalice, or Bridges..lost to a turn 4 emrakul.

G3(P): I have EE and PFire recursion. My opponent eventually scoops

3-1 (7-5)

I felt a lot strong this week with the same MB and the slight change made to the SB. I am going to still rework the SB as SCG Worcester is next weekend.

Please let me know if anyone has any suggestions on the desk list and on the reanimator matchup.

Thanks,

Bryan

bryanzoll

06-27-2014, 12:58 PM

Also, has anyone done any sort of play testing with Chromatic Lantern for any reason? If so, what were your thoughts on it?

Anen

06-27-2014, 02:20 PM

Also, has anyone done any sort of play testing with Chromatic Lantern for any reason? If so, what were your thoughts on it?

Why would you need Chromatic Lantern and why would you play it over Urborg for example?

bryanzoll

06-27-2014, 02:22 PM

Why would you need Chromatic Lantern and why would you play it over Urborg for example?

Blood Moon

Anen

06-27-2014, 02:29 PM

Blood Moon

Against Lands, Blood Moon doesn't contrain your mana like in UWR, or RUG because basic Forest and Moxen say hi. The problem of Bood Moon is that it fucks abilities of your lands (Maze, Stage, Wasteland, Tabernacle, etc..) and Lantern doesn't solve that. If you really want to produce green under Blood Moon, you can consider Riftstone Portal.

Phelix

06-28-2014, 01:17 AM

4-0ed modo daily with -traditional build. Note bridge, stax and worms

http://www.mtgpulse.com/event/17077#241742

bryanzoll

06-30-2014, 10:31 AM

4-0ed modo daily with -traditional build. Note bridge, stax and worms

http://www.mtgpulse.com/event/17077#241742

Phelix, how did you like Smokestack in the main? What matchups did you find it useful in and how often were you siding it out?

Phelix

06-30-2014, 11:41 AM

Phelix

06-30-2014, 11:43 AM

if i was playing straight up combo version, i wouldnt play this. but the combo version cannot control the lategame as well as this build. Im not saying that comboland is bad, just that smokestack is better in the slower build.

I guess you could test stack in the sideboard vs tricky matchups.

bryanzoll

06-30-2014, 12:13 PM

if i was playing straight up combo version, i would play this. but the combo version cannot control the lategame as well as this build. Im not saying that comboland is bad, just that smokestack is better in the slower build.

I guess you could test stack in the sideboard vs tricky matchups.

I'm with you in playing control, my current list was posted on this page a few comments up. I wanted to put Smokestack in for a while, and I am going to try and work in Smokestack and Worm Harvest. I like Worm Harvest because it gives you a way to attack if you have Ensnaring Bridge up against an Emrakul or some large Tarmogoyfs.

justfortherecord

07-02-2014, 11:34 AM

I mentioned stacks in the old thread.. I like this idea since we have so much recursion.

I have been reading about the Gerry Thompson lands list from the SCG Invitational but cannot find a deck list.. I believe it is the deck being played here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG1ICUvCMvY

Can anyone point me to a list of this deck? Curious of the build, thanks.

Tyrio

07-02-2014, 12:06 PM

fdiv_bug

07-03-2014, 10:16 AM

I've been fooling around with 12-Post lately, and the idea occurred to me to see if I could craft a transformational sideboard to put Lands on that plan for game 2+, so I tossed this together:

// Artifacts
4 Mox Diamond
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Smokestack
1 Zuran Orb
// Enchantments
4 Exploration
// Instants
3 Punishing Fire
3 Crop Rotation
3 Intuition
// Sorceries
4 Life from the Loam
2 Gamble
1 Worm Harvest
// Lands
4 Rishadan Port
4 Wasteland
3 Tropical Island
3 Maze of Ith
2 Grove of the Burnwillows
2 Tolaria West
2 Tranquil Thicket
1 Academy Ruins
1 Thespian's Stage
1 Dark Depths
1 Taiga
1 Karakas
1 Forest
1 Glacial Chasm
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Misty Rainforest

// Sideboard
SB: 4 Cloudpost
SB: 4 Glimmerpost
SB: 1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
SB: 1 Eye of Ugin
SB: 1 Crop Rotation
SB: 4 Primeval Titan

My theory was that after taking down game 1, board out some of the more controllish pieces and replace them with ramp-into-Emrakul. Maybe something like taking out 1 Ensnaring Bridge, 1 Smokestack, 1 Worm Harvest, 2 Gamble, 3 Maze of Ith, 4 Rishadan Port, 1 Tranquil Thicket, and 2 Wasteland for all 15 cards in the board. You don't really lose any of your win conditions other than Worm Harvest, and bring in a ramp combo that has no overarching concern for the graveyard, hopefully invalidating some of the hate the opponent brought in. I want to clearly state that I have no idea how well this would work, and it's a list I threw together on the fly and have done zero testing with. I wanted to put the idea forward, though, and that's always easier with a decklist. :smile:

Thoughts?

Anen

07-03-2014, 02:24 PM

I've been fooling around with 12-Post lately, and the idea occurred to me to see if I could craft a transformational sideboard to put Lands on that plan for game 2+, so I tossed this together:
[...]
My theory was that after taking down game 1, board out some of the more controllish pieces and replace them with ramp-into-Emrakul. Maybe something like taking out 1 Ensnaring Bridge, 1 Smokestack, 1 Worm Harvest, 2 Gamble, 3 Maze of Ith, 4 Rishadan Port, 1 Tranquil Thicket, and 2 Wasteland for all 15 cards in the board. You don't really lose any of your win conditions other than Worm Harvest, and bring in a ramp combo that has no overarching concern for the graveyard, hopefully invalidating some of the hate the opponent brought in. I want to clearly state that I have no idea how well this would work, and it's a list I threw together on the fly and have done zero testing with. I wanted to put the idea forward, though, and that's always easier with a decklist. :smile:

Thoughts?

That doesn't improve our bad MUs, namely combo.

Sockosensei

07-05-2014, 12:49 PM

smokestack is the nuts. im currently contemplating playing two in the board as well.

It shines vs miracles and any non-combo deck that plays abrupt decay = no answers. (disregard goblins and death n taxes here)

Im always happy to Draw it i feel. turn two as a huge bomb, or later to clean up on basics or block their entire gameplan.

Its rarly paired w. Worm havest, but is obvious the nuts when that happens.

I just finished a stretch of 50 matches in the MTGO tournament practice room, the last 13 of those using your exact 75. The good news is that I've been winning far more than I've lost, including a positive record overall vs ANT :D The 'bad' news is that I haven't cast Smokestack or Worm Harvest once in those 13 matches.

My experience so far is that G1 is either a fight for my life where there's just no time to cast them, or I'm up against a deck that's not ready to fight Lands and the cards end up as win-more. The match-ups were ANT x3, U/R Delver x2, UWr Delver, UW Stoneblade, UW Land Tax control, Junk Depths, Burn, Goblins, Elves, Dredge. I side out Worm Harvest when it's too slow or I'm expecting GY hate.

Could you elaborate a bit more on how/when you've been using them?

cuthbertthecat

07-05-2014, 03:49 PM

CptHaddock

07-05-2014, 07:29 PM

So what are your guy's thoughts on aggressive mining (http://mythicspoiler.com/m15/cards/aggressivemining.html)? It's quite expensive and a little clunky but having an ability like that is very useful.

Anen

07-05-2014, 09:17 PM

snorlaxcom

07-06-2014, 06:17 AM

I think you are missing the "You can't play lands." part..

^This. Prob works better in a deck that actually plays ramp cards like veteran explorer or primeval titan.

amalek0

07-06-2014, 07:08 AM

I think you are missing the "You can't play lands." part..

The first thing I did when I saw that was to double check that this works with manabond. THIS WORKS WITH MANABOND. *goes back to brewing and waiting for preordered jappanese foils of aggressive mining ($4 shipped, yo!)*

Phelix

07-06-2014, 09:48 AM

Finished 6-2 at Prague Eternal yesterday, with almost identical build to the 4-0 modo.

Flying home soon, decklist comming. Lost to eureka (!) And a lucky bug guy. Was good event. Had second stax in board. Beat miracles twice 2-0

snorlaxcom

07-07-2014, 06:43 AM

6-2-1 for 28th at scg yesterday. Two top 32s in a month are nice, but punting a match each open vs our favorable mu is frustrating. Soon...

Anen

07-07-2014, 09:25 PM

6-2-1 for 28th at scg yesterday. Two top 32s in a month are nice, but punting a match each open vs our favorable mu is frustrating. Soon...

Stop teasing us :p

big_ticket

07-07-2014, 10:15 PM

6-2-1 for 28th at scg yesterday. Two top 32s in a month are nice, but punting a match each open vs our favorable mu is frustrating. Soon...

decklist please?thanks how many players attended?

snorlaxcom

07-08-2014, 12:56 AM

decklist please?thanks how many players attended?

List for both
27th out of 426 Scg somerset, nj
28th out of 290 scg worchester, ma

3 fetch
3 trop
1 taiga
1 bayou
1 forest
3 grove
4 mox

4 waste
4 port
1 ghost quarter
1 tabernacle

3 twest
3 maze
1 academy ruins
1 bog
1 tarpit
1 karakas
1 chasm
1 stage
1 depths

3 intuition
1 crucible
4 loam
3 pfire
4 exploration
3 crop rotation
3 ee
1 zuran orb

Sb
3 grip
3 trinisphere (only came in vs ANT but worth the 3 slots I lost for other mu)
2 revoker
3 bob
4 chalice

Haven't played legacy much between opens, but gets more fun to play each time.

Won vs ANT, GU infect, d&t, patriot, shardless bug, and bug delver <<<last rnd, this 40 minute g1 needed to be recorded for the ages and my tightest play ever. Got lili ultimated twice down to one permanent both times vs a live goyf (5/6+) and drs at 7. Was a hair away from scooping but kept a straight face and stuck it out. Bogging his decay and land t3 ended up saving the needed life at the end. Zuran Orb = op.

Losses vs sneak and show and bg loam. Drew vs miracles with lethal on board (make faster g1 next time vs newer miracles players bc they tank vs us).

Sparkii

07-10-2014, 03:25 AM

Phelix

07-10-2014, 06:56 AM

snorlaxcom

07-10-2014, 08:02 AM

Nice finishes! My list is very close to yours, I've been running a 3/3 intuition/crop rotation split too and have been loving it. Im playing almost the same list except:

-1 Tolaria West
-1 Engineered Explosives
-1 Creeping Tar Pit

+1 Tranquil Thicket
+1 Dark Depths
+1 Thespian's Stage

I personally love the 2/2 split stage/depths, I've played too many games where DRS eats one, and they think I can't combo, only to crop rotate into the second copy and win. It also helps to be able to rotate with a copy in hand.

I've always recently thought thicket was the weakest card in the deck. I don't usually want to loam that often, and usually it's just a "G:Draw a card" for me. Sure, it saves loam from extractions and you get some card advantage off of it, but I really haven't liked it. Have you missed it very much? I'm debating cutting mine for a third T-west or tarpit, I miss that guy. :)

Haven't had thicket since gp dc and I don't miss it much. You need at least 2 thicket to make loam draw you cards otherwise you spend 3 mana just to get your draw step back. Loam engine is limited by green sources and we actually don't have that many compared to an aggro loam list that wants to draw spells.

Tarpit is a nice tutorable (via twest) way at controlling planeswalkers through countermagic because I don't always have pfire and this is the other reasoning for the third ee. I may up the stage count to have more combo pieces but I don't like having a dummy land in 2 depths. I have had depths exitrpated and then beatdown with double tarpit thanks to stage.

I like Library in the sb because it goes around yard hate and being on color is easier to cast than a bob. Also pretty funny when they have to swords marit and you can draw 5 extra cards.

Sparkii

07-10-2014, 03:56 PM

Haven't had thicket since gp dc and I don't miss it much. You need at least 2 thicket to make loam draw you cards otherwise you spend 3 mana just to get your draw step back. Loam engine is limited by green sources and we actually don't have that many compared to an aggro loam list that wants to draw spells.

Tarpit is a nice tutorable (via twest) way at controlling planeswalkers through countermagic because I don't always have pfire and this is the other reasoning for the third ee. I may up the stage count to have more combo pieces but I don't like having a dummy land in 2 depths. I have had depths exitrpated and then beatdown with double tarpit thanks to stage.

I like Library in the sb because it goes around yard hate and being on color is easier to cast than a bob. Also pretty funny when they have to swords marit and you can draw 5 extra cards.

I felt the same way about thicket, but I always kept the singleton copy. But it's gone now! I really missed tarpit.

maritlage

07-14-2014, 09:37 PM

Has any one thought of using lotus vale as a way to win if some how we can not find thespian stage or as a way to power out further shenanigians?

Tyrio

07-14-2014, 11:17 PM

How exactly is a land that cannibalizes your own land base serve as a Thespian Stage replacement? What exactly is there to power out?

Anen

07-15-2014, 05:30 AM

How exactly is a land that cannibalizes your own land base serve as a Thespian Stage replacement? What exactly is there to power out?

If you play Lotus Vale, your opponent will waste his Wasteland on the Vale, and thus your Depths will be more protected. That was easy to see, wasn't it? :p

Sparkii

07-15-2014, 02:03 PM

Lotus vale...? What? No.

Phelix

07-16-2014, 06:23 PM

If you play Lotus Vale, your opponent will waste his Wasteland on the Vale, and thus your Depths will be more protected. That was easy to see, wasn't it? :p

Its almost as good as producing infinite mana with two seeker of skybreak and a llanowar elf.

Megadeus

07-16-2014, 06:30 PM

Probably was thinking of another card. Though I have no clue what it would be.

JonahGaynor

07-22-2014, 05:59 PM

snorlaxcom

07-22-2014, 06:54 PM

Hey guys, thought I should give a quick report of my experience at SCG Baltimore. It was my first time playing Lands and I played Snorlaxcom's 76 and was extremely happy with it.

I finished 4-4-1. Here were my matchups:
D&T x3 (1-2. I screwed up more than once in each match, easily felt I could have won all of these matches)
Painter x2 (2-0. Once I figured out how to play this matchup I felt that it was totally fine)
Maverick x1 (0-1. This matchup seems a little worse than D&T but I definitely felt it was very winnable)
Shardless BRUG x1 (0-0-1. Our matchup took forever since we were both trying to outvalue each other but I think with unlimited time I would have won)
8 Rack x1 (1-0. The matchup felt actually unlosable.)
UW Back to Basics x1 (0-1. Lost game 1 when I put him on miracles and then he jammed Back to Basics after I ported him down to 3 lands. Game 2 he had Back to Basics, Jace, and Clique in consecutive turns and I didn't have enough time to stabilize.)

I had an absolute blast playing the deck and I feel that if I was a more experienced pilot I would have had a much easier time with matchups like D&T and Maverick. A note about my day: I drew round 1 which put me into the draw bracket where I didn't play any combo decks like Storm and Show and Tell and I knew I wasn't going to have to face them, so I never had to worry about keeping hands that would be loose against those decks. Does anyone have any thoughts about intentionally drawing round 1 to avoid all of the subpar combo matchups?

Big thanks to:
Phil Sagnay for helping me get access to the cards I was missing.
Chris Hawker for the Bobs.
Jason Choe for the Trop.

If you realize you truely cannot win in time (marit lage is a real out) then you can get the draw handily. However, this does not allow you to get any better with the deck. You are playing a different game and you will be matched vs other control decks that tank vs us and are more likely to get another draw in this bracket (ie miracles or mirror, even painter). You want to be in a position where a draw is allowed in the last 2 rnds and not earlier. S&t and storm are not my highest picks, but I am ok taking my chances vs them.

Find your seat and keep pregame formalities brief. Have muligans resolved and be ready to cast t1 exploration when the clock starts. Don't sit back g1 because you will need that time to close the show if it goes to g3 as the opponent may realize they can't win and will play for the draw. I find myself having the most difficult game play decisions g3. Remember boarding takes time as well. The quicker you are at managing time and knowing what to board between games the better shape you are in. It's really funny when judges call my opponents for slow play, but is very distracting when we get called.

Phelix

07-23-2014, 07:50 AM

and the more you prep and play, the quicker you CAN get to the next game, and next interaction.

Then you can choose to give it an extra think, when you have the time.

Sonofmogh

07-28-2014, 12:39 AM

Hey guys,

Top 16'd another SCG Open, this time it was Kansas City. I might write a tournament report later, but I need to get to bed so I'll just post the link to my decklist:

http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=70526

I was running functionally the same 75 as my buddy Tom McLeod who top 8'd this tournament as well. His decklist is here:

http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=70515

7-2, my losses were to Merfolk which I drew poorly against, and Belcher which I kept a greedy hand against. Enjoy!

Sparkii

07-28-2014, 01:58 AM

Nice finishes to both of you! Looks like a pretty stock list. Seems like most of us are playing 3/3 Intuition/Rotation split nowadays.

I do note your lack of Ghost Quarter however.

Sonofmogh

07-30-2014, 10:55 AM

Nice finishes to both of you! Looks like a pretty stock list. Seems like most of us are playing 3/3 Intuition/Rotation split nowadays.

I do note your lack of Ghost Quarter however.

Thanks!

Yeah, I don't see ghost quarter being good right now. The majority of decks in the field are playing either a ton of basics or no basics, and GQ is either way too slow or just a 5th wasteland in those circumstances. It's fine, but I'd rather have space for something else. If somebody gets a couple basics out, I still think I'll be doing just fine with Rishadan Port and Tabernacle.

Karakas moved to the sideboard also because it's just not great right now. I don't think it can be cut from the 75 because it is a unique effect and a land that taps for mana, but the only thing it is good against is Emrakul. It can bounce Thalia and that's decent, but usually Punishing Fire and E.E. is enough against Thalia. You can bounce Griselbrand, but if they draw 14 anyway, you're not winning that game so it's a moot point.

I'm loving Revoker, I still love Sphere, Thicket and the 4th crop in the board just speeds the deck up a smidge and Crop Rotation just beats so many decks flat out that it's really strong. Belcher, Dredge, Oops all Spells, and Burn for sure don't want you to have Crop Rotation, and storm is even at risk from a mid-combo Bojuka Bog.

JonahGaynor

08-12-2014, 02:31 AM

snorlaxcom

08-12-2014, 11:41 AM

Hey guys I played Snorlaxcom's 76 to a top 64 finish at SCG Syracuse this past weekend. My losses were: UW Stoneblade (I put him on miracles after only seeing miracles cards game 1 (top, jace, snapcaster, counterspell) and got wrecked when game 2 he went Stoneforge into TNN into Batterskull after I sided out all of my Mazes), Miracles, and Burn (lost a close game 3 after I decided to prioritize Chalice on 1 over Crop Rotating into a Glacial Chasm and got punished). The one thing I noticed throughout the day is that I really don't understand the Miracles matchup well at all. Could someone give me the tips and tricks of the matchup? I'm expecting a lot of Miracles at the Invi later this month and don't want to be caught flat-footed.

Miracles: Going in blind can be rough since they can fix g1 hands with top/bs, but you can overpower their manabase quickly with wastes/ports since they only have 13 mana producing lands. Preventing them from playing anything but free spells is ideal. They have many dead cards g1, but the cards of concern are:
Counterbalance(Top) 3-4 copies
Jace 3-4 copies
Entreat the Angels 2-3 copies
Blue dorks 3-6 dudes + sometimes 2-3 squire

Expect them to aggressively brainstorm to establish a CB soft lock, since that is the cheapest way to get back in the game vs port/wastes. Fortunately, EE lock answers all the wincons. If you fear an early CB lock will end you, then preemptively set EE for two and then find an answer for jace either by securing a pfire loop or keeping them from casting him. As the game progresses and they make land drops, a miracled Entreat will become a threat. EE for 0 can counter this plan, but be sure to keep them off Counterbalance mana in Mainphase II if you blow EE vs angels as this will destroy any other EE in play. They don't actually have many cmc 2 cards, so try to jam profitable loams vs CB anyway and draw a card when you have a land drop for the turn and are not desparate to find a pfire. I use Crops to establish early mana denial or EE lock and hardly ever assemble 20 power here.

Pfire is also a great supplemental control card that picks off dorks, reduces the life expectancey of jace, and can go to the face while you tap them down. I only take one out g2/3 because it is not needed early, but still available mid-late game. I always leave in one maze to counter their creature plan after testing and seeing many squires and cliques try to get fast beats.

Out:
3 Intuition
3 Crop
2 Maze
Pfire
Orb
Chasm
Tab

In:
12 relevant cards

Choirgirl Hotel

08-13-2014, 05:38 AM

Lands

1 Academy Ruins
1 Bayou
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Dark Depths
1 Forest
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Glacial Chasm
3 Grove of the Burnwillows
3 Maze of Ith
1 Misty Rainforest
4 Rishadan Port
1 Taiga
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
3 Thespian's Stage
3 Tolaria West
1 Tranquil Thicket
3 Tropical Island
1 Verdant Catacombs
4 Wasteland
1 Wooded Foothills

3 Crop Rotation
1 Engineered Explosives
4 Exploration
2 Intuition
4 Life from the Loam
4 Mox Diamond
3 Punishing Fire
3 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Zuran Orb

SB
3 Abrupt Decay
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
1 Crop Rotation
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Karakas
2 Krosan Grip
4 Sphere of Resistance
1 Thorn of Amethyst

This is the list I'm testing for the next SCG Open I attend. I've played in and done alright 5 wins, 3 losses, and a probably avoidable draw. I'm sure some of the losses were borderline also on play skill and practice. I don't play as much as I need to against opponents. (I'm in Boise, ID). I'm traveling some distance to get some events of decent size. I play test against my teammates (my significant other is on Miracles.), most of which are on combo, so I get to play test some uphill combo match ups as well. I love my archetype, and try to get as much testing as I can given local resources.

I have a love affair with Top smoothing draws. All of snorlax's advice is golden match-up wise, but I at least recommend trying out Boseiju.

caesar

08-13-2014, 07:04 AM

Painter x2 (2-0. Once I figured out how to play this matchup I felt that it was totally fine)

Can you elaborate this a bit?
I constantly struggle with the matchup, 4-7 moon effects is to much to handle from my pov. I tried setting explosives preemptively on 3 because after a moon effect its not possible anymore (without mox + forest), but than again their wincondition parts cost 1 and 2 cmc and i lose straight to them. The other problems i have besides their moons is that my only interaction with their kill is e.e. preboard + abrupt decay/kgrip postboard, but the numbers of said cards are way to small in costrast to painters threats. On top of that most of our disruption (wasteland, port, maze, tabernacle, pfire) feels pretty useless in the matchup.

Fast Marit Lage works the most for me, but you need a really good hand for this ;)

Michael Keller

08-13-2014, 12:33 PM

JonahGaynor

08-13-2014, 07:26 PM

Can you elaborate this a bit?
I constantly struggle with the matchup, 4-7 moon effects is to much to handle from my pov. I tried setting explosives preemptively on 3 because after a moon effect its not possible anymore (without mox + forest), but than again their wincondition parts cost 1 and 2 cmc and i lose straight to them. The other problems i have besides their moons is that my only interaction with their kill is e.e. preboard + abrupt decay/kgrip postboard, but the numbers of said cards are way to small in costrast to painters threats. On top of that most of our disruption (wasteland, port, maze, tabernacle, pfire) feels pretty useless in the matchup.

Fast Marit Lage works the most for me, but you need a really good hand for this ;)

Their deck is filled with awkward durdly cards that don't do much when Blood Moon isn't online. My general rule of thumb in the matchup is to never keep a hand that doesn't have a fetch or a way to get a green source. Preboard they're not gonna beat you unless they combo off and setting EE on 1 or 2 can disrupt that enough that you can have enough time to draw into a Mox Diamond with your Forest in play so you can set EE on 3 to blow up Blood Moon and once your deck isn't disrupted, you can go completely ham. Punishing Fire deals with all of their other creatures (and Magus). Postboard we get access to Krosan Grip, Revoker, and Chalice, each of which is a major problem for them (they can't combo if you land a Chalice on 1). I also bring in Dark Confidants b/c they draw you to your Krosan Grips etc.

amalek0

08-15-2014, 07:34 AM

Miracles: Going in blind can be rough since they can fix g1 hands with top/bs, but you can overpower their manabase quickly with wastes/ports since they only have 13 mana producing lands. Preventing them from playing anything but free spells is ideal. They have many dead cards g1, but the cards of concern are:
Counterbalance(Top) 3-4 copies
Jace 3-4 copies
Entreat the Angels 2-3 copies
Blue dorks 3-6 dudes + sometimes 2-3 squire

Expect them to aggressively brainstorm to establish a CB soft lock, since that is the cheapest way to get back in the game vs port/wastes. Fortunately, EE lock answers all the wincons. If you fear an early CB lock will end you, then preemptively set EE for two and then find an answer for jace either by securing a pfire loop or keeping them from casting him. As the game progresses and they make land drops, a miracled Entreat will become a threat. EE for 0 can counter this plan, but be sure to keep them off Counterbalance mana in Mainphase II if you blow EE vs angels as this will destroy any other EE in play. They don't actually have many cmc 2 cards, so try to jam profitable loams vs CB anyway and draw a card when you have a land drop for the turn and are not desparate to find a pfire. I use Crops to establish early mana denial or EE lock and hardly ever assemble 20 power here.

Pfire is also a great supplemental control card that picks off dorks, reduces the life expectancey of jace, and can go to the face while you tap them down. I only take one out g2/3 because it is not needed early, but still available mid-late game. I always leave in one maze to counter their creature plan after testing and seeing many squires and cliques try to get fast beats.

Out:
3 Intuition
3 Crop
2 Maze
Pfire
Orb
Chasm
Tab

In:
12 relevant cards

The only thing I'd add here is that against inexperienced miracles players, Bob can come in as a quick clock with chalice at 1 if they board out terminus and try to rely on swords against marit. Well, that and that a quarters lock is a real threat to miracles--they can't fight if they can't tap mana, and if you take out two of their plains with quarters, you can generally lock them off of ever casting an entreat, making their endgame outs all weak to punishing fire lock.

Phelix

08-15-2014, 02:53 PM

also smokestack, and to a (way) lesser extent Worm harvest, is your salvation here.

it basically Wastes fetchlands, Dodges counterbalance and leaves with w. less mana, making everything you want to see happen, a more likely scenario.

amalek0

08-19-2014, 09:25 PM

played a small event tonight. went 4-0. beat manaless round one, g1 I went forest->diamond pitching bog->exploration->trop pass. He went draw-discard golgari grave-troll go. I was sad for a second, then untapped, intuitioned for crucible, loam, academy ruins, he gave me loam, played some lands, loamed back ruins. he dredged and hit a narcomoeba and a bunch of dredgers and passed. I played ruins, put crucible on top, and pfired his narcomoeba. he dredged. I drew crucible, played it, and cast another intuition pile to force through zuran orb and he scooped. Game two I crop rotated into bog after his first dredge, then a turn or two later secured a lock with loam, wasteland, bog, exploration.

Round two I died to 13 storm on the play game one, sideboarded in 12 cards, and led off game two with mox, land, chalice on zero, chalice on one-->turn two trinisphere and he scooped. Apparently only sideboarding in one decay and one chain of vapor doesn't do it to win through three hate pieces. Game three he keeps a cantrip heavy hand and I draw the nuts-->fetch, manabond, stage, depths, and some random irrelevant cards. he ponders and passes, I drop the manabond and dump my hand, he probes-->preordains and doesn't find a land, I untap and make marit + a wasteland off the top for his volc, and he's just dead.

Round three: "Bug Delver". Sure, it had delvers, but it also didn't have bob, did have liliana and tombstalker, and didn't have stifle. So basically some kind of team America variant. Game one, early pfire lock + he didn't draw DRS + triple wastelands locked it away. Game two, I spend a few turns dropping lands while he durdles with cantrips and obvious countermagic, then turn three he taps out for liliana and I try to resolve intuition with a stage already on the table. He forces the intuition and ups lili. I drop a mox diamond and EE on 3 with 2 mana open, leaving me hellbent. He draws, +1's lili and pitches a stifle, then drops a tombstalker. I rotate into a depths EOT since he tapped out, I untap, pop EE then make marit and he's basically done for.

Round Four: Miracles. Game one is kinda grindy, but when he plays turn one top, I play a turn one EE on two to lock out counterbalance pre-emptively. we spend a few turns dropping lands back and forth, then he screws up and leaves entreat on top, draws it, and decides to miracle it for x = 2 leaving up a tundra and an island. big mistake. I untap, drop a waste and blow his tundra, then drop a crucible and intuition up three mazes, and turn his clock off. He spends his turn cantripping like mad trying to find an answer, and on my turn I loam into ghost quarters and he realizes he can't actually race the impending destruction of his mana base. Game two, I keep the following: mox, mox, waste, crucible, fetch, forest, crop rotation. Needless to say, he opens on island-top, I drop my forest, make two diamonds, drop a crucible, and pass. He tops on his upkeep, plays a fetchland, and passes. I rotate into ghost quarters playing around his represented spell pierce, and proceed to strip him of basics before he can really mount a solid offense, and I'm able to keep him off of 4 lands in play until he scoops it up. I knew in advance that he wasn't packing rest in peace, only a pair of surgicals, a graffdigger's cage, and a relic of progenitus for graveyard hate, so I kept in crucible and it paid off.

Philipp2293

08-20-2014, 01:45 AM

Rampart

08-20-2014, 07:49 AM

Why isn't your first Intuition Loam/Wasteland/Tabernacle? Shouldn't this be pretty much lights out for him?

By getting the crucible it gives him the option to get his draw step back. Tabernacle is really good but not the end all be all. It stops creatures for hanging around but they can still combo you depending on what build they are on.

Congrats on your finish

amalek0

08-20-2014, 02:33 PM

By getting the crucible it gives him the option to get his draw step back. Tabernacle is really good but not the end all be all. It stops creatures for hanging around but they can still combo you depending on what build they are on.

Congrats on your finish

pretty much this. Intuition for a tabernacle and a loam makes sense in a vacuum, but if he's on the dread return/flashback combo kill plan, then a tabernacle won't lock him out of the game for sure. Tabernacle is generally a bit better against the mana versions of dredge than it is against the manaless ones, since mana versions tend to make more tokens to stick around and beat in while the manaless versions are more prone to combo kills and repeatedly bashing your face in with ichorids and use tokens to chain cabal therapy to disrupt you or to power out more dread returns on shit like grave-troll. Getting crucible at worst means I'm re-playing bog just as quickly as the intuition for tabernacle/loam line, and at best he makes a poor life choice and I get bog sooner (not likely). Regardless, I would never intuition for a wasteland against manaless, it would probably be something like tabernacle-loam-academy ruins/chasm. Early chasm-lock is lights out for ichorid as they run zero interaction with it in any 75 I've ever seen.

amalek0

08-20-2014, 02:48 PM

as a Further note, I want to point something out strategically that I think many people don't point out to newer lands players and that is sort of an organic-learning process for the most part--Most people when picking up lands for the first time, or playing against it without a ton of experience in the matchup, tend to overvalue life from the loam. Yes, the card is a house, it's a repeatable ancestral recall, etc etc etc. Great. Awesome. We know how good it is. However, this isn't one-land belcher. We don't lose games where we don't have life from the loam by default. Many more experienced players cut one or more loams post-board when they expect either nuclear graveyard hate (RIP or Leyline of the Void) or an opponent to reflex surgical loams on sight, particularly in lists that have already cut down or eliminated tranquil thicket. For years we've played dark confidants as a standard sideboard package to replace the lost card-advantage engine that extirpated loams or nuclear graveyard hate shut down. How many match reports do you hear that go something along the lines of "exploration-->something something wastelands + ports -->make marit lage and win" or "something something crop rotation karakas against S&T emrakul or bojuka bog against reanimator"? Lands has changed a lot from 2008/9 when I started playing it. One of the things that has changed is that this is no-longer a graveyard dependent deck. Sure, we abuse it, nobody will argue that graveyard hate is bad against lands, but we don't lose to graveyard hate by default. The rise of crop rotation and thespian's stage and the fall of Mishra's Factory has continued to reduce the dependence we have on life from the loam, to the point where it is often correct to take natural draw steps over dredging back loam. When I was first learning lands, the correct action, especially in game one, was ALWAYS to keep digging as deep into your library as fast as possible in order to set up that backbreaking endgame of graveyard recursion. Fast forward to today--I use the same mentality for dredging as I do for activating sensei's divining top--Only do it if you know which card you are looking for, otherwise I'll just take what the top of my library gives me, and save my mana for interacting via intuition, punishing fire, engineered explosives, etc.

snorlaxcom

08-21-2014, 09:32 AM

Round Four: Miracles. Game one is kinda grindy, but when he plays turn one top, I play a turn one EE on two to lock out counterbalance pre-emptively. we spend a few turns dropping lands back and forth, then he screws up and leaves entreat on top, draws it, and decides to miracle it for x = 2 leaving up a tundra and an island. big mistake. I untap, drop a waste and blow his tundra, then drop a crucible and intuition up three mazes, and turn his clock off. He spends his turn cantripping like mad trying to find an answer, and on my turn I loam into ghost quarters and he realizes he can't actually race the impending destruction of his mana base. Game two, I keep the following: mox, mox, waste, crucible, fetch, forest, crop rotation. Needless to say, he opens on island-top, I drop my forest, make two diamonds, drop a crucible, and pass. He tops on his upkeep, plays a fetchland, and passes. I rotate into ghost quarters playing around his represented spell pierce, and proceed to strip him of basics before he can really mount a solid offense, and I'm able to keep him off of 4 lands in play until he scoops it up. I knew in advance that he wasn't packing rest in peace, only a pair of surgicals, a graffdigger's cage, and a relic of progenitus for graveyard hate, so I kept in crucible and it paid off.

Why go triple maze? Did you really intend to play all three? I would think 2maze + ruins would seal it here or instead go for the mana with port/quarter and then not worry about countermagic possibly stopping a rotation.

I side out rotation vs miracles by default. It is most easily hit by CB and I want to minimize dead draws g2 when I aggressively chalice for 1. I also don't like the loss of a land if forced. It doesn't bother me as much vs creature decks, but vs control I lose games where I miss land drops and stumble to establish a board and rotation gives them even more interaction. A quick combo kill has never worked for me. Do you keep in all rotations?

Rampart

08-21-2014, 09:48 AM

Why go triple maze? Did you really intend to play all three? I would think 2maze + ruins would seal it here or instead go for the mana with port/quarter and then not worry about countermagic possibly stopping a rotation.

I side out rotation vs miracles by default. It is most easily hit by CB and I want to minimize dead draws g2 when I aggressively chalice for 1. I also don't like the loss of a land if forced. It doesn't bother me as much vs creature decks, but vs control I lose games where I miss land drops and stumble to establish a board and rotation gives them even more interaction. A quick combo kill has never worked for me. Do you keep in all rotations?

Do you sideboard in Chalice against Miracles? Do you like that card and do you find it something you can resolve? I am kind of torn with playing it against Miracles. I side in 8 other cards before the COTV. About crop rotation, I cut a single crop rotation but still keep in 2 Crop Rotations, but that has more to do with my configuration.

snorlaxcom

08-21-2014, 10:10 AM

Do you sideboard in Chalice against Miracles? Do you like that card and do you find it something you can resolve? I am kind of torn with playing it against Miracles. I side in 8 other cards before the COTV. About crop rotation, I cut a single crop rotation but still keep in 2 Crop Rotations, but that has more to do with my configuration.
First 4 cards I side in actually along with 3grips, 3bobs, and 2revokers (cutting 3intuition, 3crop, glacial, 2maze, 1pfire, tab, orb). Stops cards they use to setup because Miracles without library manipulation is laughable vs lands. CB is nulled with the removal of tops and cantrips, miracle spells are sporadic and not played optimally, removal for dudes is no longer an option (keeping in a sweeper is very uncommon), and is a plus at stoping taxing counters. Also hits snapcaster's relevant targets and etutors averaging to ~%50 of their spells. In general I go with chalice if it hits ~%40 vs any deck. Yes grip gets top, but I like saving it for a brutal RiP or a CB/moon. Hitting their setup cards also makes ld and ports more effective at cutting off larger spells because they will continue to miss land drops.

I resolve it quite often since they go t1 top. This may seem useless, but ee with one counter, revoker, or a grip stops top and future tops (and needles) from ever being effective. If they do counter a chalice early then Academy can pull extra utility.

Rampart

08-21-2014, 10:31 AM

First 4 cards I side in actually along with 3grips, 3bobs, and 2revokers (cutting 3intuition, 3crop, glacial, 2maze, 1pfire, tab, orb). Stops cards they use to setup because Miracles without library manipulation is laughable vs lands. CB is nulled with the removal of tops and cantrips, miracle spells are sporadic and not played optimally, removal for dudes is no longer an option (keeping in a sweeper is very uncommon), and is a plus at stoping taxing counters. Yes grip gets top, but I like saving it for a brutal RiP or a CB/moon. Hitting their setup cards also makes ld and ports more effective at cutting off larger spells because they will continue to miss land drops.

I resolve it quite often since they go t1 top. This may seem useless, but ee with one counter, revoker, or a grip stops top and future tops (and needles) from ever being effective. If they do counter a chalice early then Academy can pull extra utility.

So you side in a full 12 cards, if you don't mind me asking what do you normally take out then? I ended up having a pretty lengthy conversation with an established Miracles player last night at our LGS tourny about COTV in the matchup. He stated it was nuts, and I wasn't sure. I kind of have a love hate relationship with COTV so I probably don't give it the respect it deserves.

snorlaxcom

08-21-2014, 10:34 AM

^ Editted* In first sentence.

I'm sure he has experienced much durdle with his deck when he can't play 1cmc cards. 1drops ties the whole deck together.

Rampart

08-21-2014, 10:43 AM

^ Editted* In first sentence.

I'm sure he has experienced much durdle with his deck when he can't play 1cmc cards. 1drops ties the whole deck together.

Thank you.

To be fair the lands/miracle matchup is like a contest to find out who is the king of durdle mountain.

Vandalize

08-21-2014, 11:08 AM

Thank you.

To be fair the lands/miracle matchup is like a contest to find out who is the king of durdle mountain.

I lol'd so hard.

@thread

Manabond and Crucible of Worlds don't make the cut anymore? Crucible is pretty good paired with Zuran Orb against many decks.

snorlaxcom

08-21-2014, 12:27 PM

I lol'd so hard.

@thread

Manabond and Crucible of Worlds don't make the cut anymore? Crucible is pretty good paired with Zuran Orb against many decks.

They both see play. Read this page.

Vandalize

08-25-2014, 10:51 AM

They both see play. Read this page.

Both lists that placed well in SGC are skipping it. I don't really know why.

snorlaxcom

08-25-2014, 11:23 AM

I t32 twice this summer with crucible. They are both minute differences really. Is a player preference thing. I see more with multiple stages and depths.

amalek0

08-26-2014, 10:03 AM

I board in chalice over rotations on the play, and keep in rotations on the draw. I've found rotations is better for turning the corner, while chalice is much better early on. I also have a singleton null rod and winter orb in my board. Like I said, I knew he was on surgicals/graffdiggers/relic, and those are far easier to play around than a rest in peace.

Anen

08-26-2014, 07:55 PM

Phelix

08-27-2014, 08:54 AM

it goes well with tsabos web i hear.

amalek0

08-27-2014, 02:11 PM

Is Orb here to combo with Ports or Mazes?

So for local events, I have a funky sideboarding strategy. I bring in winter orb, chalices on the play over rotations, k-grips, and sphere of resistance. I don't board out manabonds for this matchup, and try to lock them under winter orb/zuran orb/manabond/loam for the "thou shalt not have mana" plan. Note that rest in peace is not only criminally underplayed in my local meta, it's almost nonexistent. People play leyline of the void, and mulligan hard for it, but that doesn't do much when they go to four, and I keep 7 and just punish them for it.

Phelix

08-27-2014, 04:40 PM

So for local events, I have a funky sideboarding strategy. I bring in winter orb, chalices on the play over rotations, k-grips, and sphere of resistance. I don't board out manabonds for this matchup, and try to lock them under winter orb/zuran orb/manabond/loam for the "thou shalt not have mana" plan. Note that rest in peace is not only criminally underplayed in my local meta, it's almost nonexistent. People play leyline of the void, and mulligan hard for it, but that doesn't do much when they go to four, and I keep 7 and just punish them for it.

How do you not lose to the land/creature combo? Winter orb sounds horrible

Anen

08-27-2014, 06:46 PM

amalek0

08-28-2014, 04:12 PM

How do you not lose to the land/creature combo? Winter orb sounds horrible

I have 3 maze of ith, 3 punishing fire, 3 grove of the burnwillows, 3 engineered explosives, a tarpit that can block and be rebought if necessary, and a mainboard ensnaring bridge. I don't need to sideboard against creature decks. There's a couple of D&T players in my meta, but there's far more miracles, durdleblade, sneak and show, etc. going around. So, decks that I can afford to have a silly sideboard to crush. For a serious event, I'd be on a mainboard crucible, but otherwise pretty standard list (no manabonds in particular) with a real sideboard (combo hate over winter orb and the like).

snorlaxcom

08-28-2014, 06:10 PM

Orb is actually good vs swarms and d&t. Tab then mops them up or keeps the board managable with one ore two threats, which is perfect for a maze/fire. Crucible + orb seems better than having to always pay for loam. Mox is a thing and orb over geddon I assume because we have academy.

Anen

08-28-2014, 07:05 PM

Phelix

08-29-2014, 09:48 AM

Im very much w. anen here.

amalek0

08-29-2014, 10:29 AM

Im very much w. anen here.

Let's be really clear here--I do NOT advocate what I'm doing for any reasonable metagame or large event. I'm trolling a local metagame full of decks/pilots that includes very little non-creature based combo and a somewhat inane refusal to play rest in peace, so I'm having my time reliving the old icy manipulator/winter orb days against decks that are individually weak to the card winter orb. Uxx Blade decks are weak to winter orb when they can't start casting multiple spells and generating snapcaster value, and playing through a winter orb just shuts down their development wholesale. Were I to play in a serious event or an unknown meta, I'd run the following:

mana base (16)
4x Mox Diamond
3x Tropical Island
1x Taiga
1x Bayou
3x Green Fetch
1x Forest
3x Grove of the Burnwillows

engine (26)
4x exploration
4x life from the loam
3x Intuition
3x Punishing Fire
3x Engineered Explosives
3x Tolaria West
3x Crop Rotation
3x Maze of Ith

Bullets and Business Lands (19)
1x Academy Ruins
1x Bojuka Bog
1x Karakas
1x Thespian's Stage
1x Dark Depths
4x Wasteland
4x Rishadan Port
1x Ghost Quarter
1x Creeping Tarpit
1x Crucible of Worlds
1x Glacial Chasm
1x Zuran Orb
1x Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale

with a sideboard of chalices, k-grips, trinisphere, bobs, and sphere of resistances.

Loxmatii

09-06-2014, 04:46 AM

hello, friends! (=

what do you think about Primeval Titan in sb in rg_lands? against what matchups you will side in him? very interesting to hear your thoughts

Phelix

09-06-2014, 05:33 AM

I think its viable, especially vs blade, jund and miracles where they havent won first. It gives you both the tutor ability(getting combo on the table, a viable threat and a very nice blocker versus tarmogoyf.

Id play at least two. If you have the colors for it, you may even consider volraths stronghold for silly shenanigans.

Phelix

09-06-2014, 05:38 AM

For a while i played three green and two red titans in the board, but im not sure how well the reds fit now (was a while ago). They are quite handy and stops all races.

iostreamer

09-08-2014, 01:43 PM

Has anyone ever considered playing a Volcanic Island? I find myself wanting the double blue for Tolaria West but also extra red for punishing fires. Though I suppose getting Trop in this case is probably fine since you can just recur T-west to get groves and such. Also do you find Ghost Quarter is necessary, hasn't really done anything for me yet but I do see the value in being able to kill basics.

Thank you all for your posts on this deck, just took first place in a local tournament (27 players) where I won an Underground Sea my second time playing the deck.

Cheers,

Bahra

09-09-2014, 05:27 PM

Played this lands deck in 3 Legacy dailies today and went 4-0 3-1 and 4-0 for a total record of 11-1.

Phelix build the list, I asked for something that beat burn and miracles, I didn't face burn but faced miracles thrice and won all matches. My only loss was to BUG Delver. Very happy with the list.

First daily:

R1: RUG Delver 2-0
R2: Elves 2-1
R3: Miracles 2-1
R4: Miracles 2-0

Second daily:

R1: Elves 2-1
R2: Shardless BUG 2-0
R3: BUG Delver 1-2
R4: UR Delver 2-0

Third daily:

R1: Shardless BUG 2-1
R2: Belcher 2-1
R3: Elves 2-0
R4: BUG Delver 2-0

EDIT: I decided to play the last daily event before downtime as well.

Fourth daily:

R1: Miracles 2-0
R2: Elves 2-0
R3: Miracles 0-2
R4: Miracles 2-1

http://i.imgur.com/UqcB6qv.png
http://i.imgur.com/UqcB6qv.png

cab0747

09-09-2014, 05:30 PM

Played this lands deck in 3 Legacy dailies today and went 4-0 3-1 and 4-0 for a total record of 11-1.

Phelix build the list, I asked for something that beat burn and miracles, I didn't face burn but faced miracles thrice and won all matches. My only loss was to BUG Delver. Very happy with the list.

First daily:

R1: RUG Delver 2-0
R2: Elves 2-1
R3: Miracles 2-1
R4: Miracles 2-0

Second daily:

R1: Elves 2-1
R2: Shardless BUG 2-0
R3: BUG Delver 1-2
R4: UR Delver 2-0

Third daily:

R1: Shardless BUG 2-1
R2: Belcher 2-1
R3: Elves 2-0
R4: BUG Delver 2-0

http://i.imgur.com/UqcB6qv.png
http://i.imgur.com/UqcB6qv.png

Thanks for the list. I was half watching at work and I was hoping I could find the list somewhere.

Phelix

09-10-2014, 08:51 AM

Bahra went 3-1 again for a total deck score of 14-2.

Phelix

09-11-2014, 01:30 PM

Ill be joining Bahras Stream in 30 minutes for the daily, talking about Lands in general and this build in particular.

Join!

http://www.twitch.tv/bahra_

Phelix

09-11-2014, 08:11 PM

Bahra went 0-2 alone, then 3-1 with me on stream (coulda been 4-0) for a total of 17-5 score over the last three days.

I guess thats something.

iostreamer

09-12-2014, 07:20 AM

Bahra went 0-2 alone, then 3-1 with me on stream (coulda been 4-0) for a total of 17-5 score over the last three days.

I guess thats something.

I watched the archives and I hope you guys can do more in the future, very informative!

You mentioned the list is geared towards beating burn and miracles. For a more open metagame such as SCG opens or the upcoming GP New Jersey, would you still play 2 smokestacks as well as the chalice main? Or would your list change in this case.

amalek0

09-24-2014, 11:26 AM

nearly two weeks and no life in the thread? What's everyone here planning on doing for GPNJ, if you're going, or what would you be on?

Megadeus

09-24-2014, 12:32 PM

I really like the list above with the smokestack and such. Seems sweet.

Phelix

09-24-2014, 07:02 PM

Well, i played lands today IRl, tweaking to beat miracles and storm (no burn in sight locally)

The last few days on modo ive been playing 2 stacks main and 1 in the board - and in the last daily i faced the amazing:
Mono red sneak attack, with maindeck moons
Omnitell
Painter

(0-3 drop like a boss)

Well, i played lands today IRl, tweaking to beat miracles and storm (no burn in sight locally)

The list :

Like the previous maindeck, except:
+1 Karakas (there is a bit more reanimator now)
+1 Savannah

-1 tranquil thicket
-1 chalice of the void

Enabling the follow very different board:
3 Abrupt decay
4 dark confidant
4 sphere of resistance
2 Thalia, guardian of theben
1 Ethersworn canonist
1 Sylvan library

I 5-0ed the event:

Round 1: NicFit without Burning Wish - I just make reltive quick 20/20s in two games, and he has 0 outs. 2-0
Roundt 2: ANT: I lose game one, obivously. He cant handle the hate 2-1
Round 3: ANT: I lose game one, obivously. He cant handle the hate 2-1
Round 4: EsperBlade: Smokestacks are indestructable planeswalkers that kill basic lands. Game two i added spheres. 2-0
Round 5: ANT: I lose game one, obivously. He cant handle the hate 2-1

Felt freaking awesome. Not so much the 5-0 but the 3-0 vs AnT was great fun ;)

Image from finals:
http://imgur.com/QAi2hza
http://i.imgur.com/QAi2hza.jpg

Phelix

09-24-2014, 07:03 PM

Semi related, just posted scans of my pimped deck in the bragthread.

Anen

09-24-2014, 10:23 PM

Image from finals:

One mana short from playing Hurkyl's Recall !

Your deck is beautiful Phelix. (I have the same in non foil ^^)

Sparkii

09-24-2014, 11:23 PM

Beautiful deck. Now you just need a pimp playmat to play on!

gigapatrick

10-13-2014, 06:49 PM

Hello all. I've posted a tournament report. I piloted RG Lands, not RUG Lands, but I thought some of you might still be interested. Enjoy.

http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?28679-RG-Lands-1-Epic-Loot

amalek0

10-27-2014, 03:00 PM

oof. two weeks of silence. did everyone else here die or something?

Dice_Box

10-27-2014, 03:02 PM

No, I think everyone talking about lands is on Salvation.

Anen

10-27-2014, 07:35 PM

oof. two weeks of silence. did everyone else here die or something?

What about renaming that thread "Temur splash-B splash-W Lands" or "Cromat Lands" ?

Phelix

10-28-2014, 08:06 AM

Also, This build is no good in the current meta.

Sockosensei

10-29-2014, 05:35 PM

Also, This build is no good in the current meta.

Which build, specifically?

Dice_Box

10-30-2014, 07:43 AM

If I had to hazard a guess, I would think he is talking about the RUG control version not being as string as the R/G combo one.

Phelix

10-30-2014, 01:10 PM

im not comparing the two, but im saying that control lands seems to be a very poor metagame choice right now. Or specifically, i do not currently have a version thats good in this meta.

snorlaxcom

10-30-2014, 06:07 PM

Cought between miracles and ur metas, the hands can be vastly different. Pfire is very good vs ur but poor vs miracles and smokestack builds wreck miracles but are too slow for ur. Trying to find a balance myself. You guys should be packing at least a set of chalice and add in at least two other taxing lock pieces to the sb if you plan on taking this to any event from now on. The only legacy barrier cards to ur are forces and duals and little play experience is needed to pilot these lists effectively.

amalek0

11-02-2014, 04:06 AM

about half my local meta has switched to the flavor of the month, UR delver, but there's still a trio of REALLY good miracles players locally. I've been having success pre-boarding chalices and a zuran orb, and just having 3 smokestacks, 4 sphere of resistance + a null rod in the board to just crush miracles g2/g3. Seems to have worked out so far. I admit it's sometimes awkward wanting to chalice for 1 but not having manabond/exploration in play.

snorlaxcom

11-03-2014, 07:38 AM

I'm still confident in the build for today's meta. After doing another trial, gy hate was weak and the delver mu were easy pickings. I md a chalice and it has paid off. I may cut a taxing sb slot for another grip since my loss to multiple rip really stung and Miracles needs to be addressed more than elves. Pfire just controls the game, but I was able to lock bug delver out after getting mine extracted thanks to a slew of mazes and an active loam.

It sucks to draw one drops after chalicing, but you need to know that it has been powerful enough to do so for a while now. I usually side out rotations to help my top decks since I aggressively set it at one.

iostreamer

11-03-2014, 07:27 PM

snorlaxcom

11-03-2014, 08:08 PM

Hasn't changed much. The scg t8 list this past weekend was pretty similar so that should be motivating to stay on rug.

Sockosensei

11-03-2014, 11:18 PM

Hasn't changed much. The scg t8 list this past weekend was pretty similar so that should be motivating to stay on rug.That was Sparki, restoring faith in the RUG build. His tournament report is in the MTGS thread.

What you said earlier about the hands being vastly different vs Miracles and U/R is true. I've been devoting three slots to SDT and Sylvan Library to smooth these things out. So far they've been excellent in the rounds I've played but I don't have any large tournament data yet.

Phelix

11-04-2014, 03:57 AM

well done sparkii

if Bug was huge, id be playing titania in the board. the is like an awesome planeswalker there. and just silly when paired w. smokestack. and unlike worm harvest, actually kills creatures and is not GY dependant.

Nikolai004

11-06-2014, 03:29 PM

I'm not sure what you meant to say there Phelix. Titania? Titan? But the is like an awesome planeswalker I don't even have a guess on.

Dice_Box

11-06-2014, 03:33 PM

http://mythicspoiler.com/c14/cards/titaniaprotectorofargoth.html

Nikolai004

11-06-2014, 03:50 PM

That I had not seen before, way to go commander products. If only they'd reprint rishadan port.
So I guess there's no planeswalker, just that she's similar to a planeswalker then.

snorlaxcom

11-13-2014, 12:12 PM

Who else is fighting with me this weekend?

iostreamer

11-13-2014, 02:23 PM

I'll be sleeving up Tabernacle for this one also. RUGb version without stax.

fdiv_bug

11-13-2014, 02:32 PM

Who else is fighting with me this weekend?

I'm gonna be there with R/G Combo Lands. I don't think I'll have the patience to slog through a GP with full-on Control Lands, but I've been happy with how R/G Combo has performed for me, and I still get to use my `nacle. :cool:

amalek0

11-14-2014, 01:24 AM

I have an exam Saturday unfortunately, so I won't be able to make the drive up from school to get to the GP. Best wishes to the lands pilots, make sure that those SCG commentators are FORCED into feature matching the most grueling of legacy control decks.

I fully expect that, should any of you be up a game in an actual streamed feature match, you do your civic duty and seek a ghost-quarters-their-manabase win. Because we play for the title of the King of Durdle Mountain and no miracles player can dethrone us from that.

Phelix

11-14-2014, 06:12 AM

I'm here, but I'll be playing something else for the main event. I will however be playing. Lands in the grinders, trying shock and amaze with my tricked out 75 (now featuring foil Japanese dark confidants)

snorlaxcom

11-14-2014, 07:53 AM

fdiv_bug

11-14-2014, 09:55 AM

Because we play for the title of the King of Durdle Mountain and no miracles player can dethrone us from that.

:laugh:

Good luck on your exams!

Tyrio

11-15-2014, 12:18 AM

Do you think lands is too slow or not positioned well?

I think Lands is pretty well positioned right now actually. Non-Elves combo is less prevalent and the most popular decks are Delver variants, Elves, XBlade and Miracles and our match up vs all of them is pretty good. Almost all creature decks fold to Punishing Fire and Miracles generally can't beat recurring EE/our long game. Some Miracles pilots are actually moving to a Top/Counterbalance/Miracle-less straight UW Dig control deck which I believe is even better for us. UR Delver obviously has some number of Price of Progress but if their early pressure is dealt with Marit Lage or Zuran Orb can beat it.

I actually think Elves can be pretty tough, esp if they have a maindeck SCooze. Often times you can't Punish them fast enough (esp if they have Symbiote) before they power out a critical mass of dudes and then they just Natural Derp you out of the game. They can even power through Tabernacle if your pressure is lacking. I haven't tested it, but Containment Priest seems pretty good against them as well as shoring up our other terrible match ups. I wonder if Containment Priest is worth rocking the full 5 color manabase for; something like

3 Containment Priest
4 Chalice of the Void
3 Dark Confidant
2 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Golgari Charm
2 Krosan Grip

snorlaxcom

11-15-2014, 06:12 AM

Yea priest would really help, but can't find any. Sphere hasn't been as much help tbh. Only vs ANT.

snorlaxcom

11-15-2014, 07:44 PM

4 lands variants next to me at 5-0. Lost to kurt in rnd six. Hard muls and seismic assault.

Sockosensei

11-16-2014, 12:05 AM

4 lands variants next to me at 5-0. Lost to kurt in rnd six. Hard muls and seismic assault.

Lands mirror? <squirms in seat>
Good start at 5-0 though! Best of luck for the remaining rounds.

Who are the lands players you mentioned?

snorlaxcom

11-16-2014, 12:08 AM

Played vs iosrtreamer rnd 8 and maritocracey rnd 9. Going to day 2 at 7-2. Losses to rg and ANT.

Sockosensei

11-16-2014, 12:13 AM

Played vs iosrtreamer rnd 8 and maritocracey rnd 9. Going to day 2 at 7-2. Losses to rg and ANT.

Congratulations! Best news I've heard today.
Maybe we'll even catch Lands on camera.... :wink:

Dosferra

11-16-2014, 04:34 AM

Played vs iosrtreamer rnd 8 and maritocracey rnd 9. Going to day 2 at 7-2. Losses to rg and ANT.

That's great, good work, I'll be rooting for you and all other Land/Loam pilots!

I see that Kurt made day 2 and is confirmed to be on Lands. Anyone see/know what Jody Keith and Daryl Ayers are piloting? They both made day 2 and have played Lands in the past.

Rampart

11-16-2014, 06:01 AM

That's great, good work, I'll be rooting for you and all other Land/Loam pilots!

I see that Kurt made day 2 and is confirmed to be on Lands. Anyone see/know what Jody Keith and Daryl Ayers are piloting? They both made day 2 and have played Lands in the past.

Daryl is playing RUG pyromancer and Jody is playing R/G lands

Sockosensei

11-16-2014, 06:13 AM

Daryl is playing RUG pyromancer and Jody is playing R/G lands

If I'm not mistaken, RUGx poster Paul Reusink made the cut as well.

Rampart, are you at the GP?

Rampart

11-16-2014, 06:21 AM

If I'm not mistaken, RUGx poster Paul Reusink made the cut as well.

Rampart, are you at the GP?

I don't know him, but there is a small contingent of lands players here.

Yeah, I am at the GP and made day two with R/G lands

Dice_Box

11-16-2014, 06:38 AM

Good to hear, now just win all of day two and force those morons to put you on camera.

Good luck.

Anen

11-16-2014, 07:31 AM

Good luck to all Lands players at GP :)

Kap'n Cook

11-16-2014, 07:41 AM

Lol crispin. The casual 'I made day two, not gonna mention I 5-0d a grinder and 9-0d day one'

Sockosensei

11-16-2014, 07:42 AM

I don't know him, but there is a small contingent of lands players here.

Yeah, I am at the GP and made day two with R/G lands

Brilliant! May you not face any mirror matches until top 16.

* * * * * * * * * *

Our Legacy GP (Kyoto) isn't until April so I've been testing every possible RUGx configuration I can think of to find out which builds work better in which matchups and which suit my play-style. I'm often held back by my intense desire to Crucible-Ghost Quarter all mana producing lands before making a 20/20 :tongue:

Intuition + Crop Rotation
Intuition + Enlightened Tutor (+1x Manabond)
Jace
Ajani Vengeant
Smokestack / Worm Harvest in combination with the above
Mindslaver
...

Sadly, I just don't have the time to play as many matches as I would like because of family commitments and my crazy work schedule. I appreciate all of the tournament reports, build suggestions, and sideboarding tips posted by the Lands veterans.

Looking forward to following everyone's progress tomorrow.
Best wishes,

Socko

Dosferra

11-16-2014, 09:23 AM

Daryl is playing RUG pyromancer and Jody is playing R/G lands

Yeah, I am at the GP and made day two with R/G lands

Lol crispin. The casual 'I made day two, not gonna mention I 5-0d a grinder and 9-0d day one'

That's amazing, good luck today, already looking forward to the reports :)

Dice_Box

11-16-2014, 02:25 PM

At this point we still have 2 undefeated players from what I have been told playing Combo. Its round 14, I think we will have 2 Lands decks in the finals. Yea.

Phelix

11-16-2014, 11:47 PM

I played 5color lands in the sunday super series with 450 players, finishing 22nd with 7-2-1.

I lost round one, because I was so sleepy ;)

Didn't play lands at the main event.

snorlaxcom

11-17-2014, 12:50 AM

Finished the main event 10-4-1 for 212th place. So many great games with fellow Sourcers. Could have made better decisions in the moment to up my win column, but happy to catch mistakes and continue to learn. Great meta choice overall. Only change I would make is a fourth pfire in the list. Wouldn't have changed the wins or contributed to losses, but 4 seemed to be the correct number for this gp.

iostreamer

11-18-2014, 08:30 AM

snorlaxcom

11-18-2014, 05:27 PM

Ended up going 5-4 on day 1 losing to Snorlaxcom in the mirror (good learning experience for me ha!) as well as Elves twice and UR delver once. The first elves player I lost to felt un-winnable but he was VERY skilled with the deck. My first loss was to UR delver against a very slow player and I made some mistakes as I was playing very fast to avoid going to time. Had I spent one of my turns fetching Zuran orb when I had chasm out I think I would have beat him in 2 but alas.

I did manage to beat Oops all spells in about 8 minutes. There's something about beating down with a revoker (naming LED) with 2 spheres and a chalice on 1 out that just brings joy to my heart.

My other wins were vs delver and stoneblade variants (mostly UR/UWR). I will likely play the deck again in an upcoming team tournament at my local store as the legacy player on the team. I get the sense that there is a pretty low number of wastelands and Rest in Peace in the meta right now which makes the chasm lock seem so good to me. Thank you all for the good advice, very useful as a new player to the deck!

Cheers,

EDIT: My list

Lands: 36
3 Trop
1 Bayou
1 Taiga
3 Green fetch
1 Forest
3 Grove
2 Tolaria West
4 Wasteland
4 Port
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Urborg
3 Maze
1 Tabernacle
1 Chasm
2 Depths
2 Stage
1 Academy Ruins
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Karakas

Spells: 25
4 Mox diamond
4 Loam
4 Exploration
1 Zuran Orb
3 Punishing Fire
2 Explosives
3 Crop Rotation
3 Intuition
1 Crucible of Worlds

Sideboard:
4 Sphere of Resistance
4 Chalice of the Void
2 Phyrexian Revoker
2 Krosan Grip
2 Abrupt Decay
1 Golgari Charm

Nice playing against you, too! The last game you blinked for a second and I pounced. Your md is 3 cards off mine, but how did you come to your sb and will you alter it for your next event?

Taxing sphere effects have recently been low impact in testing vs young pyromancer or flipped delver on the draw and it feels like crap when elves just NO anyway, but I kept them as a hail Mary and couldn't find Slaughter games. They won me games vs omnitell and reanimator in day2 and contributed to slowing down burn enough to lock them out day 1.

I feel that Pfire is critical enough in this UR meta to the point where I want access to 4. I was fortunate enough to have my Intuitions resolve a higher than normal percentage of the time at the GP, but having openers or dredging into one more often fells assuring.

Sparkii

11-18-2014, 05:40 PM

That maindeck 61 looks familiar... :p

Congrats to everyone who played at the GP! Seems like we had some real good contenders.

Anen

11-19-2014, 05:37 AM

Waiting for reports. It is always nice to read them. :)

iostreamer

11-19-2014, 07:11 AM

Nice playing against you, too! The last game you blinked for a second and I pounced. Your md is 3 cards off mine, but how did you come to your sb and will you alter it for your next event?

Taxing sphere effects have recently been low impact in testing vs young pyromancer or flipped delver on the draw and it feels like crap when elves just NO anyway, but I kept them as a hail Mary and couldn't find Slaughter games. They won me games vs omnitell and reanimator in day2 and contributed to slowing down burn enough to lock them out day 1.

I feel that Pfire is critical enough in this UR meta to the point where I want access to 4. I was fortunate enough to have my Intuitions resolve a higher than normal percentage of the time at the GP, but having openers or dredging into one more often fells assuring.

I think I am pretty happy with the 76. I am definitely happy with the 61, though I know what you mean about the spheres. I lost to elves twice, even with sphere in play they just NO or kill me with Deathrite Shaman. I am not sure what would be better in this situation. Perhaps more Revokers to stop key elves? Though I guess that doesn't do much to stop NO. I do not want to lose points to fast combo decks like Storm, Belcher, even Dredge by not having those spheres handy. Sphere definitely won me the game vs Oops all spells which I would have probably lost otherwise.

I definitely see the value in always having Pfire but I'm not sure if you really need 4. Dredging loam and having Intuition usually did a pretty good job of finding it for me. Though it's true that I was almost always happy to see the card in the match-ups I played.

I think I am pretty happy not playing Bob right now, lack of Rest in Peace and lots of burn doesn't seem to favor him but I could be wrong here. I do really quite like the chalices as some versions of delver only have access to like 12 spells if you land a chalice on 1 (Force, Cruise, Fireblast, price...). I think decks that can afford to run chalice bring a lot to the table right now.

Sparkii: This was actually my first time trying your MD list. I was previously on the smokestack version for a while and I did like that but with treasure cruise meta we have now I think this version is better.

jake556

11-26-2014, 12:32 PM

No reports yet :(

snorlaxcom

11-26-2014, 12:45 PM

No reports yet :(

Omw

jake556

11-26-2014, 12:49 PM

Also seen you deck in the PIMP thread very nice :cool: Just picked up the last few cards I needed for lands as well big ticket items 4 sphere, 2 Manabond.....

Phelix

11-26-2014, 03:05 PM

Just failed at SCG Richmond, for the first unimpressive performance. missed money on tiebreakers to end it at 72nd place.

I was on control lands as usual. Lost to aggroloam and ANT. (close games, lost game 3 in turn 10 with 2 ethersworn as GGs on top of my deck)

Funny experience at that event.

A match went to time. and my opponent suggest that whoever has the best position should get a scoop when time is up.

When time is up, i have 19 life, exploration, maze, loam and glacial chasm recursion. 6 lands in play.

My opponent has 3 lands, two of them non basic and a true name nemesis (perhaps a stoneforge as well)

He then insists to be the overwhelming favourite at this point, despite having no way to interact with my board and actions. His reasoning was that he would eventually counter a loam and that would instantly let him win.

I kinda laughed.

snorlaxcom

11-27-2014, 01:16 AM

GP NJ Report

Got smashed in 4 GPT on Friday. Only made it to round 2 twice. Beat a n00b Elves! player (reminding him to draw for every spell felt horrible when I had no outs besides judge warnings) and Shardless BUG. Lost to UR delver, 2 X burn, and Miracles. Was not feeling good about the next day's meta after looking around at how much red and UR there was. In testing that same week I got in some helpful reps vs ur and burn to formulate sb plans of play vs draw but it seemed to fall apart that Friday. Really regretted missing two open weekends in my area in August that would have pushed my 600 pwp to well over 750...:frown:

I registered for the main event with 15 minutes to spare and felt like I threw some dollars away (later remembered the door prizes), but I was loads better as a pilot now than at last year's event so what the hell I'll jam these 76 again.

1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Verdant Catacombs
3 Tropical Island
1 Taiga
1 Bayou
1 Forest
3 Grove of the Burnwillows
3 Tolaria West
3 Maze of Ith
1 Tranquil Thicket
1 Karakas
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Academy Ruins
1 Thespian's Stage
1 Ghost Quarter
4 Wasteland
4 Rishadan Port
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 Glacial Chasm
1 Dark Depths

3 Intuition
1 Crucible of Worlds
3 Punishing Fire
4 Life from the Loam
4 Exploration
3 Crop Rotation
1 Zuran Orb
3 Engineered Explosives
4 Mox Diamond

SB
3 Krosan Grip
3 Dark Confidant
3 Trinisphere
2 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Chalice of the Void

Wake up and enjoy a rnd 1 bye. I scope out the action a bit after a jamming a few games with friend. Not so much for the confidence boost, but I haven't played the deck much since August and need to get some iterations polished.

1-0

After making the pilgrimage to my rnd 2 opponent I now have a some empathy for the crowded chicken coops PETA demonizes.

Round 2: Nice Esper Deathblade Gentleman w/Delva
G1 I resolve Intuiton

G2 I mul to 5 and he T1 seizes my removal. :cry: I get another piece of removal for his Deathrite dork. He gets some offense with TNN, but then I start to lock him out of mana after resolving an Exploration and successive Loam. I go for Tab-ing the TNN out since that is the only threat I can't readily handle. I could EE it away now, but I am at >15 life and I'd rather stick to playing more mana sources/denial first since he so can't stick any other TNN or Meddling Mage to stop the Loam engine. Also want to get the value off Loam before he finds an extraction effect. He never gets more than 2 lands and casts Containment Priest on my endstep when I am sitting at single digits. On his draw step he has no permanents.

2-0

**Hopefully we can hit greedy/ambitious manabases all day

Round 3: UR Delvaaaa
G1 During shuffle phase guy flashes a Volc and a tarn so could be Sneak or UR. Leads with a ponder so could still be either (maybe even painter). I keep a hand with Pfire and toast any dorks he pays Tabernacle for. Chasm lock makes it fancy and he submits when Orb tables.

G2 Get chalice @1

3-0

Round 4: Burn
G1 I get maze out too late and die to red cards

G2 side in stax effects and stick a chalice at one and Maze the threat in play. Flame Rifts me for 4 on t3 and i draw another chalice. I now if he untaps I can die to a PoP/fireblast or he will just eot smash the chalice at one. I consider chalice for 1 again but he would have smashed the chalice at 1 already. I also consider gripping my own chalice, playing exploration, and then playing another chalice at 1 but there were too many holes there and not enough mana to do in one turn safely. I chalice for 2 sitting at 9 hit points. He needs to rip aces to get through through this setup and I like my chances even if I can't Loam or Pfire ftw. There is now a series of draw/land/go which I am unsure how to win out of now. I draw an Intuition and sit on it for a turn. I can't sit on it any longer and make an eot pile of Crucible, twest, ee. I goofed and he gives me EE. Should have made it Crucible +2xtwest to get Academy ruins and then cast my Loams in hand to dig for win cons while playing lands with Crucible to safely hide behind chasm. Yes Loams are countered but with Crucible in play I just want to dredge to find win con or Orb. So I topdeck DD and slam it down. I start thawing the glacier down a few turns and then rip another Intuition. Yes! Finally I can make up for that last foul up. He then casts rift bolt. 6 life left, but he passes the turn. I think a bit and eot get 2x twest + stage. He's predictable and gives me twest. I tutor for Academy and recover the binned Crucible next turn. EE is out on 3 to answer a bloodmoon and I play stage from the yard and summon Marit. He shows me one fireblast. Whew!

G3 Only stax effect out is 3sphere. Eidolon is Pfire'd and I am forced to Chasm early. I hold off on chalice in hand and play exploration. I find one and start to gain some traction with Loam running and an Orb in play, but he sticks vortex next turn. I port him to only play one spell per 1 turn cycle. He jams 2 bridges in play over the next turns. Meh. I tutor for Academy when I find a twest. Pretty dumb. Needed to have gotten stage to maintain chasm lock at all times. I am at 4 so I have one turn to get it right. I pay life and go to 2 the next turn, tutor for stage, and copy it in my upkeep now able to let original chasm go to then Loam it back. I grip his vortex before my next untap step so Orb comes back online. Time is called and I demonstrate I will always have chasm in play and 12 lands to sac to orb. I show EE loop for bridges and he gives me the match.

4-0

Round 5 BGw Nic Fit
G1 I see Explorer early and try to shape a hand to deal with the deck, basically wait for Ooze to table. Intuition resolves and I maze his bskull and pfire all other threats. Hasn't hit fatties yet? Game takes a while and he scoops up when I thaw the glacier.

G2 stax effects are sided in but I'm dumb and don't play lead with chalice for 1 because I ported instead. Derp. He extracts Loam and extirpates my single thicket?? I then Chalice for 1 to stop DRS, yard hate, swords, and discard at least. I port him off green the next 6-8 turns to prevent a GSZ from getting anything of relevance and EE lock is primed to handle anything that might slip through the stranglehold. Loam digs through my deck and I make a witch to finish him off.

5-0

Round 6 Kurt Speiss on RG Lands
G1 we play in the same local events and we mulligan for wastelock hands, but he wins the roll. He opens on exploration and I slow roll mine a turn. He plays another one and I EE them both away and play my own Exploration. He is able to get a third Exploration and pulls away as I don't have meaningful dredges at this point and has cycle lands already going with a waste. I prep for g2 (we never draw these games).

G2 He keeps 7 and I mull to 5: taiga, mox, 2 bob, exploration. I play mox, exploration, and pass on the slight chance he has t1 sphere. The next time I see a land I play bob, but he already has loam digging for several turns and just played seismic assault. My 5 outs here are to top deck a revoker or grip+land in the next two turns. I don't and sign the slip before I get fisted by the earth. (He ends up 10-4-1)

5-1

Round 7 Royce Walter on ANT
G1 we played each other at an SCG trial so we know what to expect. I keep a hand with interaction and he has a slowww hand. I make a field of recurring bog and an Orb with 6 lands out. He then combos me out seeing that he can't wait another turn for me to gain more life.

G2 feeling okay that I didn't take out trusty 3sphere today. Don't remember if I had 3sphere and it was discarded, but I keep a hand with t2 bob and die the next turn.

5-2

Round 8 Iostreamer mirror
G1 he has interesting lands out and notice they are all the ones i am playing, mmmm. There is hope he is on a BUG planeswalker build, but cat is out of the bag when loam comes to the party. He gets summons a witch that I dismiss. I crop into bog at some point and slap for 20.

G2 I get an exploration + waste + loam out and he has no loam going. In turns he ticks down DD at eot, but taps out. I respond with a crop for stage to copy his iceberg (he had an untapped Ghost Quarter preventing me from doing this earlier). With karakas rfg he could only buy a time with a maze because I had karakas ready for his token.

6-2

Round 9 Maritocracey
G1 see into the north and call DD, but he gets a swamp. I now what's coming and face down a traitor Marit Lage faster than I expected. I loam back lands and mul over whether to play maze, karakas, or chasm. I go with karakas to bounce it while he's tapped out because chasm is vulnerable to waste and maze is also hit by pithing needle. He has Not of this World as one of the two cards in hand and I die.

G2 he makes an early marit, but I resolve Karakas' main ability on it. Whew! I get my waste on and make my Marit fight for me once more.

G3 chalice@1 X 2

7-2

Day 2!!

Just wanted to play more legacy cause I dropped $80 on Friday for some shitty games. Starting to get my money's worth.

Round 10 Dude on Manaless
G1 I am overconfident that I start day 2 with a bye and didn't play bog from hand to ensure shit didn't happen. Shit happened and I died.

G2 Trinisphere

G3 keep hand with grip and exploration. He leads off with leyline and I grip it t2. I don't draw lock pieces or lands to keep up with perfect dredging and free creatures and die a slow death when Marit arrives fashionably late.

7-3

Round 11 Omnitell Ur
G1 he probes and sees lands and Intuition. I play exploration and raise my eyebrows when it gets forced. He brings spaghetti to class and I come with a bayou. With once card in his hand I can safely play Intuition and get 3x crop to then get karakas. I port his manas and waste his topdecked tombs. He scoops them up as he sees how much time has passed since he last remembers playing a spell.

G2 Bob shows me the way to manipulate all the mana and also likes smacking the other guy. I Land Trinisphere and revoker gets in on the action too.

8-3

Round 12 Jake Maldowsky Reanimator
G1 he was on fair decks every time we've been previously paired, but I should have been up to date on my scg coverage since he just played in the finals with this. I keep a pfire, Intuiton, and maybe a loam? He knows what he's dealing with and Tyrants me to zero hp.

G2 t1 bob starts things off and he has early reanimation for grizzlybran. I like flipping all my 3 drops at this point and get to a low life total where I need to setup a turn to kill bobs with an EE and waste all of Jake's mana to kingdom come. I end up flipping Orb and continue to draw mana crads and could just kill him with 2/1s, but he scoops when I make a creature with perfect eyesight.

G3 chalice@1. We end up in turn 5 and he has exhume as his out for Tyrant, but needs to hit a mana source in his next draw step. I need to hit a land to twest for bog and nuke his yard. He realizes the odds and extends the hand.

9-3

Round 13 D&T
G1 He waits for me to dredge my deck away and then finish him.

G2 He gets some aggro on and I can't keep up when my mazes are meddled with.

G3 I demonstrate a marit lage every turn with pfire for blockers, but he plays for the draw. Pevent this by starting g1 at 50 on the clock and not 47.

9-3-1

Round 14 Rock Lee, aka Jerimiah Rudolph, Post
G1 LOL! We realize we were just conversing two rounds earlier about his deck. I keep a hand to make mana an issue for him, but he seeps through the cracks and resolves S&T to ritual in a titan. Eldrazi soon follow after I take 6.

G2 He gets some manas and I try to make that life difficult for him. I see a point where he is tapped out of colored mana and eot make a witch my bitch. I hit him down to 1. He plays Titania retrieving a Misty and passes. I swing with my biatch and know that I'm running into a --- yup, repeal... I pass the turn and he sacs Misty eot. We found the 21st point of life loss.

G3 This is a gift and I keep a meh control hand of grip, exploration and lands. Pretty dumb because no need to relearn how important chalice at 1 is. Was preoccupied about nyxing top and lost handily. I'm sorry Hollywooooood!!!

9-4-1

Round 15 Patriot
G1 He was on Sneak and Show at Eternal Weekend and played a ponder off a Volc so thought about the sb plan already. I do my lands thang and am relieved to find his T2 stoneforge dork play. I fire it faster than Donald Trump and start the stranglehold of his tierras.

G2 I get chalice out I think and he gets dudes in play that die cause they don't got back. A rogue merfolk doesn't play that so he smacks me around for 3 turns. I'm holding Tab since turn 0 and just amass wastelands in play and once I resolve an Exploration I claim his land faster than the US government.

10-4-1

I have played this deck tighter before and I don't believe I am eligibly to get prize for my performance, but I do and it's sweet.
Placed 212th for $200.

Shoutout to all my opposing mages. I was worried about shuffle cheats and bogus judge calls, but we came to kill based on skill so thanks for the intense games. I'll still be rocking this deck for a while since nothing else comes remotely close to what I want to be doing in Magic. 1 year down and many more to go.

Phelix

11-27-2014, 02:20 AM

I notice three EE and just one stage. Could you elaborate a little on these choices and how they worked out for you?

Phelix

11-27-2014, 02:22 AM

Also, losing to post is a sin :really:

snorlaxcom

11-27-2014, 03:39 AM

3 has been great since last year's gp when I always ended up siding it in. There have been different threats since then, but it has the most versatility even now since Khans' release and demise of the 'goose'. This versatility sways my decision in a GP environment. It helps lock many lower curve decks at 3 EE and gives early game vs drs, miracles, and a fast delver draw. I hated transmuting for EE and Ostone kept getting blown up by decay or was too slow to matter. Stax was definitely too slow and no way to tutor it. Stax also can't fabricate a lock as specific as EE when dealing with the opponent's draw step and resolved threats. I stuck with 3 EE for the event because I was preparing for fast delver decks because it supplements Pfire nicely (cleans up tokens and delver) and vs md RiP Miracles decks. Having it set for 2 is just insurance to not get combo'd out of nowhere and to have control when I want to resume loaming and/or EE lock. I run into many situations where I don't want to expose my yard to gy hate and have to draw my way out of it. Having more EE lets you draw to more outs more often in sided games as well. Opponents also don't expect 3 and often get blown out by the third. I keep more hands of 7 with this setup and the deck still muligans very well if you need to find one. The main downside I need to note is that Needle and Revoker are more powerful, but I haven't faced many revokers in the meta and decks with needle usually name Waste.

One stage because the lands I copy were mostly a fetch or dual just to get colors to cast my spells. It made extra mana denial lands way too late in the game to matter most of the time. Yes it makes DD faster, but I never play DD unless I am killing you that turn. I was very careful to protect Depths all day. I had stage rfg some instances but opponents still scooped when they saw just depths ticking down. I wouldn't add another depths though because that is the weakest card in the prison game plan. I was able to switch to the kill mode very fast with only one of each.

Losing to Ichorid is a sin. A resolved Titan is the huge problem.

Coming back to Lands for other major events though, Phelix?

jake556

11-27-2014, 11:15 AM

Nice write up Snorlax Thanks

Nikolai004

11-27-2014, 02:05 PM

Why Trinisphere over Sphere of Resistence? I understand why not both but the difference between a 2 drop and a 3 drop can mean the game against the faster combo decks.

snorlaxcom

11-27-2014, 03:01 PM

A hard lock vs ANT. They can still play magic with little sphere out and and is better vs Omnitell/High Tide, too. I was needing mutiples to lock out storm combo and having to draw two or 3 for the same effect was frustrating. They can still pay for Petals and Diamonds and drits still function. ANT isn't the most consistent t2 deck and this has allowed me to stick many a Trini in play t2/3. If they get a t1 discard then sphere didn't matter anyway. For cmc2 I usually plopped a Chalice anyway and then followed up with 3sphere. Better with Intuition (virtual 6 copies!) as you can eot dt for 3sphere and have a huge impact on the game. Of course just like with little sphere you don't keep a hand with one piece of interaction, so these Intuition hands should have an early game to them.

Great vs infect and dodging cmc2 is important here since I need to set EE for 2 to tag some threats or a Library. Solid vs Elves! backed by some mana denial.

Be warned if you do register them you may never end up using them. Having them for a GP was something I could endorse in such a mixed bag, but I have been thinking of other options for locals and scg series. Ebridge or an extra grip/revoker come to mind. Haven't tested Slaughter Games but seems great vs Miracles.

ESG

11-27-2014, 03:48 PM

Haven't tested Slaughter Games but seems great vs Miracles.

I can confirm that it is very strong against Miracles, as is EE.

Sparkii

11-28-2014, 01:02 AM

Against Post.. I thought you can't fetch if you're at one life because you physically can't pay the "cost" of activation.

I'd definitely play at least a second stage so you can play around with Needle tricks and whatnot. :) Also helps having an extra to crop rotate into if you have a copy in hand or something.

Great job though, and congrats on the money finish.

iostreamer

11-28-2014, 08:33 AM

GP NJ Report

Round 8 Iostreamer mirror
G1 he has interesting lands out and notice they are all the ones i am playing, mmmm. There is hope he is on a BUG planeswalker build, but cat is out of the bag when loam comes to the party. He gets summons a witch that I dismiss. I crop into bog at some point and slap for 20.

G2 I get an exploration + waste + loam out and he has no loam going. In turns he ticks down DD at eot, but taps out. I respond with a crop for stage to copy his iceberg (he had an untapped Ghost Quarter preventing me from doing this earlier). With karakas rfg he could only buy a time with a maze because I had karakas ready for his token.

6-2

You forgot about game 2 where I got a Marit Lage out on turn 2 :P

snorlaxcom

11-28-2014, 09:24 AM

He pays one life because he has 1 life to pay the cost and dies before I get priority. He couldn't pay for chasm upkeep at one because he doesn't have two life to pay, but could if he was at two. Once we noted he paid the cost, the game ended. A judge was watching and shook his head in disappointment how I won that game. I was laughing my ass off and gave Rock some shit for it.

Needle hasn't been an issue when decks, max, play two of them. Needle comes down t1/2, so having a stage change before then is too rare. It's been great that decks rely on needle effects to stop stage and I end up blowing it with grip/EE or when they have a chalice at 1 in their face like in my Nic Fit match. I usually see needle on Port, Maze, or Karakas tbh. If they have to needle stage then their hand is crap or, more often, they are inexperienced at the mu. Threatening to slow thaw has been good enough to get concessions out of opponents when stage has been taken out. I would like to add that multiple stages are certainly useful vs miracles to port them down and forcecrack fetches.

Ah ok. Then I remember that now. I bounced it g2 not g1. Was a littled worried then, but had the tutor for your play.

Yara

12-01-2014, 12:08 PM

Lands (26)

2 Flooded Strand
1 Glacial Chasm
1 Maze of Ith
3 Misty Rainforest
2 Savannah
3 Thespian's Stage
4 Tropical Island
2 Tundra
1 Wasteland
2 Windswept Heath
1 Academy Ruins
3 Flagstones of Trokair
1 Dark Depths

Spells (34)

1 Crucible Of Worlds
1 Engineered Explosives
4 Exploration
4 Brainstorm
4 Crop Rotation
4 Force of Will
4 Intuition
2 Life from the Loam
4 Living Wish
3 Ponder
3 Supreme Verdict
Sideboard

2 Engineered Explosives
1 Pithing Needle
1 Meddling Mage
1 Peacekeeper
1 Reclamation Sage
3 Spell Pierce
1 Sigarda, Host of Herons
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Thespian's Stage
1 Karakas
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 Dark Depths

I played this to a 6-1-2 Record in Atlanta this past weekend I took draws with miracles round 2/3 the first opponent wouldn't concede though given a extra turn they were dead with counter back up :(
I played against
Merfolk: 1 2-0
Miracles: 4
1-1-1
1-1-1
2-0
1-0-0
Jund:1 2-1
Mono Red :1 0-2
Junk:1 2-0
Reset High Tide: 1 2-1

This was my first run at any land strategy and loved it, it was much more fun then playing with Miracles.

Random Highlight of the event- Played a 58 Minute game one against miracles Made my token 9 or more times, Was on the receiving end of JTMS Ult Twice (I really don't understand why he did this) It allowed me another activation dredge from Life from the loam, but I had crucible - Ruins - EE to recur explosives every turn and crucible to get Dark Depths - Stage every other turn.

I plan to stay to this type of strategy as the turbo depths build.

I really wanted more EE main deck, possible 1/2 Grips in the SB or a disk like effect to be able to wrath the bored if needed. Beauty of this was many people still actively played around waste land aggressively fetching basics and constraining there mana.

Any one else have any experience with this style of the lands deck?

snorlaxcom

12-01-2014, 01:21 PM

I remember the gw maverick lands that played md knights as the closest resemblance of a good finish. I think it was last year's gp dc. Ahh Farmland it was.

Yara

12-01-2014, 02:36 PM

This deck or version originated from a Gp in Paris in March of this year and top 16d a open 3/4 months ago my list is a bit different then the ones they were playing I couldn't justify not having a intuition package for explosives - Loam - Academy ruins. As it also gives you out to jace.

Sparkii

12-01-2014, 04:14 PM

Yara

12-01-2014, 11:00 PM

Yeah, they were calling the deck FarmVille.

It's a depths deck, but I'm still unsure it can be considered the same archetype. It plays no ports, one wasteland, 2 loam, etc.

Exploration seems a bit weird with 26 lands too, I guess you can tutor the waste or fetch faster? How's the deck against early aggro strategies? Wish for tabernacle or ramp into verdict?

Ideally you exploration T1, into ponder/Brain storm to get 3/4th land to intuition for loam package, with 4 Crop rotation you easily just fetch it generally sacrificing the Flagstones.

The "aggro" Decks are permissible byes against this version if they don't waste land they are cold to the combo if they do we try to sit back and EE over and and over and establish loam or verdict.

I never felt out of control of any of the games I lost except for being fairly unlucky, against mono red G1/G2 my opening hands were Tropical Island, Misty, Windswept heath, Exploration, Brain Storm, Ponder, Crop Rotation both games. This is the best opening the deck can have unfortunately I was unable to locate Intuition, Living Wish, either piece of the combo and eventually had to rotation out for Chasm. Which I just died when I let it sacrifice. Bolt - Bolt - Fireblast is a good 10 damage regardless of how its counted when your life total is 10 you die. XD

snorlaxcom

12-02-2014, 02:01 PM

Yara

12-02-2014, 09:04 PM

^Interesting, but bant I would never play in Lands or Red Stompy metas. Chalice and Moon even stronger vs this, but I do like the countermagic being proactive while you are doing your Loam game, even if the blue count md is only 18. I can see the early play now. This seems to account for the mana needed for porting down in the early game, so I guess that is smoothing out t2-4 getting a fastbond in play. 2 extra EE in the side? I would think about replacing one with a twest so wish grants you access to EE lock via Academy(or wasteland if needed) or tutoring for EE itself. I'd rather have Revoker for G1 purposes than Needle, which isn't even a wish option.

Needle was proactice SB card for Miracles, wasteland, and any annoying walkers or Vials.

The blood moon match ups can be iffy the perk we have against them is the force and spell pierces as well if the make the mistake of tapping out when we have 4 mana and a combo piece just rotation out out last piece and make our 20/20 Cards I'd be interest in adding are 2 K / Grip / Disenchant effects to the SB, Sylvan Safe Keeper (I couldn't find at the event) and new commander card

Titania, Protector of Argoth
3GG
Legendary Creature - Elemental
When Titania, Protector of Argoth enters the battlefield, return target land card from your graveyard to the battlefield.

Whenever a land you control is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, put a 5/3 green Elemental creature token onto the battlefield.

She seems to be a sicking secondary Win con!

I can see dropping one of the Flag stones for a Twest/Tranquil Thicket so you can still draw cards while loaming as well. Its pretty great feeling when you get to brain storm but two lands on top then draw step loam the lands away literally makes our brainstorms into Acall.

snorlaxcom

12-15-2014, 03:00 AM

Legacy champs Trial at GP Baltimore

Round 1 Jund

G1 pfire his board

G2 pfire drs/bob, maze goof as I brush off my extracted loams. EE lock presented.

1-0-0

Round 2 Deadguy Ale

G1 hit with 3 discard spells that miss on targets twice. Pfire and ghost quarter board.

G2 port op. Never plays a spell of relevance. Marit kills as I tap white source.

2-0-0

Round 3 D&T

G1 I thought I saw a Sea while he was shuffling. Kept a hand with Crop and was good here too. Pfire board and maze the remains. He makes me kill him after he can no longer play Magic.

G2 I have ports keeping him off RiP mana I let him go for a turn and eot Intuition for pfire, loam, and port. I get pfire and next turn he RiP. I could have gotten bob or kgrip with Intuition to hit his Vial that was already in play or have a plan for impending RiP. I should have gotten twest, thicket, and loam to get ee lock and have a safety for loam. I die after I can't loop pfire.

G3 pretty sure I may have stumbled in development, but he had a relevant Kor Firewalker against Pfire in my opener. I played for the draw with Zuran orb + Exploration + 2x Maze once I heard time called. He had too much pressure to devote mana tutoring and Deploying Marit.

2-0-1

Round 4 D&T

G1 I know what he is on. Pfire in opener.

G2 T1 bob backed by port and kgrip in opener. I draw another bob + grip and a revoker. Revoke his vial and spin another bob. He gets mana and I float off Mox and grip his dude eot to get 2 more swings of 6 in.

3-0-1

Round 5 Elves!

G1 fail deck check. I only have "Phyrexian" listed in sb and have to add "Revoker".

G2 we have seen each other play in the rounds before so we keep hands that can survive the other. Mine came out on top as I Crop for an early Tab to stave off NO. He later plays Cradle and in one turn plays dorks and hoofs with 3 dudes +5/+5. I maze a beast and fall to 8. I tutor for EE, blow team up, and waste Cradle. I waste next turn and he has no permanents.

G3 Chalice T1.

4-0-1

At this point I'm pretty satisfied with the day until I go to put my deck away and can't find my bag that was sitting on my leg. FUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!! (http://i.imgur.com/pbbn8RI.gifv):mad: Over 2k stolen from me during an intense match with a judge sitting next to me and my friend watching the game opposite from me. This shit has to stop.

Round 6 ID

Spent this time talking to vendors and event staff about missing bag and unique contents.

4-0-2

T8

One mage voiced no split, so we battle.

Roland Chang MUD

After some chatting about what just happened we exchange information and don't start our match for a few minutes as he tells me he once lost alpha/beta power before and hates the kind of people that would do that to the Magic community. Cool dude and champ.

G1 I am 3 seed and we both know what opp is on. I have t1 fastbond and t2 crucible waste lock. His Metal Worker reveals Staff t2.

G2 fetch. Pass. I waste his next two lands. my second mana source is a grove now ready to hit a metal worker as means of interaction. I have a loam and bob chilling in hand. Didn't cast here because he had a waste up. Bob/Loam pass gives him a window to plop a metal worker down and dodge pfire as he had Greaves out. I leave fetch and grove up as I pass. He casts 3Shpere with stompy land and waste. I rip a mana and have one turn to play loam for 2 strip or Bob. I go with bob figuring I would draw land anyway and have better shot to draw grip/revoker as well. I don't flip the mana needed to cast loam he wastes my land to put me to 2 mana. He gets Metalworker out 2 turns later and equips to get reveal all aritfacts now able to cast Forgemaster for Blightsteel. 11 Infect. Should have done Loam to get 2 more LD that I indeed had time to play out. Bob totally incorrect if I would have put his sequencing into my decisions as he was just throwing down soft lock pieces and he would have played more aggressive if he had better cards in hand. He wasn't ripping any more lands so the 2 extra Strips would have been G3. Pretty sure I was on tilt from previous round, but this was my game to lose.

After the match he signs his Japanese foil MBS Mindslaver and gives it to me as good faith to keep keeping on at Magic. I ask him to sign my 3Spheres, too.

Got 20 Kahns packs I cracked for mad value for my $25 entry, but years behind on value.

Lands players, please look for one another and other Magic players. During the day 2 at the top tables there were bags that were too easy to walk away with if I was scum. Let other players know to have their bag in their site because if you can do something to prevent loss I would be so grateful. We all know how rare and hard to assemble Lands can be, so please be vigilant in notifying players, even strangers, because this shit causes people to stop playing the game altogether.

Still rocking this list until people run RW Painter and Sneak. It helps to stay stress free and well rested.

Phelix

12-15-2014, 03:33 AM

Well done representing snorlax!

Played lands Saturday in my first daily after the U.S. trip. Went 4 color and 4-0ed.

Played vs elves, dredge, UR delver and something I have since forgotten. Lost just a single duel.

Teched double torpor orb in the board :)

Got me the wtf win vs a bunch of green 1\1s with no abilities.

snorlaxcom

12-15-2014, 04:05 AM

Orb is nice vs NO/GSZ into Hoof plan actually. If Elves! see that much play I may try it out. In my experience Cursed Totem is the bees knees vs Elves! and the Maverick uptick, but nixing flickerwisp with Orb is a huge plus. Leaning towards Containment Priest if you do have space for white.

Phelix

12-15-2014, 04:08 AM

I played the double priest bord at the sunday super series, never really came up that they were good, but I did well.

Orb was the choice due to going nonwhite, non karakas.

Randomly also ok vs stone forge, but we don't care about that card, you are right about wisp, it's very important.

snorlaxcom

12-23-2014, 10:22 AM

MTG First.com presents: Diamonds for Christmas

Rnd 1 Miracles

G1 we know what hands to keep and after a long game of roundabout interaction I edge in Loams past counter magic and make a token.

G2 stacked hand of double grip and a revoker. Revoked t1 gets forced to protect his top in play. He tops in upkeep and misses land t2. I then grip the next two tops and he fails to find another land to escape my port. He falls too far behind and I hit loam to put him out of his misery.

1-0

Rnd 2 Aggro Loam

G1 we both know what we are up against. I keep a powerful hand of Intuition, Crop, MOX + lands. He plays t1 chalice and I draw Exploration... He then resolves Sylvan Library after a Loaming and my Intuition pile got an EE lock + Loam. Blew Chalice and then bogged his yard while he forgot to leave a cycle land up. Back in the game I resolved Exploration and found a waste. He resolves Titania. I Loam back Karakas and can manage his token with Maze. Marit gets made asap here. Interesting he never found any wastes or Karakas.

G2 get Exploration down before his t2 chalice and I get a t2 Bob. The card advantage from Bob is real and when I hit Loam several turns later his board is decimated and the motion to assemble the combo prompts him to extend the hand.

2-0

Rnd 3 UG Infect

G1 I keep like he is on rg Lands, his usual deck for some time now. He leads with hierarch off a trop which prompts a waste for my t1. I waste two more times, but I get hit with infect over several turns. Daze catches two of my spells and he is able to find a pump before I can stabilize.

G2 keep with a t2 chalice and ee. I blow up his one drop with ee and chalice stops all but he sticks an Agent. I get hit for a few points and pfire on my turn, but he pumps to save agent. I don't hit another removal or grove and die two turns later when he finds a pump.

2-1

Rnd 4 Esper Stoneblade

G1 keep loam hand that finds me infinite ways to control his mana and board.

G2 he lands RiP and I stalls my Loam game until I remove it. I don't come back in time and die.

G3 he removes my t2 Bob and he applies pressure each turn after landing tnn. I establish ee lock and clean the table starting with tnn and then wipe out spirits/germ. I stabilize at 1 and he sticks a Jace, but time has been called and I work to present a Marit Large. He sticks a meddling Mage naming pfire on t5 intead of naming EE. I give the match to him since he goofed here and have was ticking up with fistful of cards in hand.

2-2

Rnd 5 Miracles

G1we know what opp is on. I get Exploration + Loam going while he strokes his top and finds CB. I resolve an Intuition with EE in hand to gauge his top 3 cards since he has CB on top. Academy has been is in the yard so CB has to removed with what's left in the deck. I present 2x twest and EE. He gives me twest and I setup a turn to play multiple ee and 3 then at 4 mana. The first one resolves and I blow up 3 CB in th next series of turns. I then leave ee for 0 to lock out a wincon. I recur crucible until it sticks and fire off ghost quarters. Time is called and I dispose of his white man a to clear the way for my witch.

3-2

I make eighth based on breakers as the only 9 pointer, whew!

T8 UB Tezzerator

G1I lose the die roll and keep a strong loam hand with port. He opens with City chalice and t2 mana rock. My turn t2 I am looking at 3 Loams and start to flip the deck over. He plays sea and Leyline. Messed up and forgot you could actually cast the leyline in that deck. I resort to porting his sea and buy time to ee for 4. I need to rip 4 colors and the port is not helping. Turn before I get to 4 colors and blow ee he finds helm.

G2 I keep hand with revoker and grip. He opens with leyline and I name Helm with revoker since I can't keep him off 4 mana this game. He throws down 2 strix full of bale and a UB Tezz. I already gripped leyline before he came out in hope to dredge a Loam, but I find no control cards in the next turns and am beaten down by large birds.

3-3

I am awarded with some new friends and $10 store credit(free roll the tourney is nb). Esper opp that made t4 also throws me $10 of credit.

Next month is for seas and forces, so I need to clean up some mid game decisions by then. Opposition here is diverse and competitive. Report could have been better if I had brought a notebook, but I was satisfied with Intuition piles and boarding choices. Muligans were okay, but felt I could have had fished for a better g1 hand vs tezz.

Jay_Gatz

12-27-2014, 09:18 AM

Phil, your inbox is full. And yeah I played you round 3

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dosferra

12-28-2014, 01:50 PM

Am I the only one who thinks that this is more or less the best deck in the current meta?

I’m 3-1 or 4-0 in 5/7 weeklies at my LGS and and I just bought it on MTGO as christmas present to myself and 4-0 a daily with it after going 13-2 with it the practice room.
I saw Bahra/Marc 4-0 a daily quite easily with Phelix’ stax build yesterday, even though he did a number of non-optimal plays (most of of which he noted himself).
I feel slightly to very favored against pretty much everything except very fast combo, bloodmoon.dec and RIP/LotV.dec.

Here is my 76, it’s sort of a RUG Combo list, it’s been working smashingly for me.

Land (36)
1x Academy Ruins
2x Dark Depths
1x Forest
1x Ghost Quarter
1x Glacial Chasm
4x Grove of the Burnwillows
3x Maze of Ith
4x Rishadan Port
2x Taiga
1x The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
4x Thespian's Stage
2x Tolaria West
3x Tropical Island
1x Verdant Catacombs
4x Wasteland
1x Windswept Heath
1x Wooded Foothills

Instant (9)
3x Crop Rotation
3x Intuition
3x Punishing Fire

Artifact (7)
1x Chalice of the Void
2x Engineered Explosives
4x Mox Diamond

Enchantment (5)
4x Exploration
1x Manabond

Sorcery (4)
4x Life from the Loam

Sideboard (15)
1x Bojuka Bog
2x Chalice of the Void
1x Crucible of Worlds
1x Engineered Explosives
3x Krosan Grip
3x Phyrexian Revoker
1x Punishing Fire
3x Sphere of Resistance

I’ve been tweaking/changing 1-2 cards about once a week and I’d appreciate any input.

I’m considering switching 1 Taiga into a Savannah and 1 Tropical into a fetch, so I can change the Spheres into Thalias. Perhaps even add a Canonist. Does that make sense? I kind of like that you can dredge into the Spheres and get them back with Ruins, even though it doesn’t come up particularly often.

It would be nice with the Bojuka Bog main, as there are a lot of game 1’s against ANT and Reanimator that I would have won if it was in my main, but as you all know, it’s really hard to fit everything into the main deck.

My last change was removing a Karakas and a 3rd Dark Depths from the sideboard to add 2 more Revokers, as my singleton has been overperforming to say the least, and the Revokers will be boarded into the same matchups as I would bring in the Karakas and/or Depths, in addition to being good in a whole host of other matchups.

I could see myself removing the (3rd) Explosives from the sideboard as I rarely board it in, primarily against CounterTop and ThopterSword is what comes to mind.. but then again, all good things come in threes (Intuition).

Ooh, and a special thanks to Phelix. I only picked up Lands a couple of months ago, after you were on Bahra’s stream and spoke rather intricately and impassionately about the deck.
I absolutely love piloting the deck and can’t see myself changing to anything else as my main deck of choice.

snorlaxcom

12-28-2014, 04:47 PM

I've been liking it in the meta the past year, but get comfortable vs UR and watch out vs burn. Missing Orb could cost you here and reanimator can roll over you g1.

Phelix

12-29-2014, 03:37 PM

I've been liking it in the meta the past year, but get comfortable vs UR and watch out vs burn. Missing Orb could cost you here and reanimator can roll over you g1.

Chasm locking is also easier/better with orb.

Anen

12-29-2014, 03:47 PM

Yeah, I don't imagine going out without Zuran Orb in this UR meta.

Dosferra

12-30-2014, 05:41 AM

Yes, that is definitely correct.
I’d forgotten to update my list, or rather, I don’t use Zuran Orb in paper but I rather quickly added it (to my sideboard) on MTGO after about 20% of my opponents were on UR Delver.

I’ve reasoned that my 4xThespian’s sort of fills the role of Zuran Orb (referring to the chasm->stage->stage->loam lock), but with the overwhelming presence of UR on MTGO it’s very hard to justify not playing Zuran Orb.

With that said, I usually go directly for the combo if that’s possible, as they pretty much just fold to it, especially if you have any sort of disruption, Punishing, Maze, Tabernacle or whatever, to slow them a bit.

Still, sometimes you stumble with your draws/dredges and they get the nut, so having one more way to survive/win is undoubtedly the right thing, considering their numbers.

Anen

01-02-2015, 04:30 AM

Have you seen the new Monastery Monk? Sounds like we're gonna need the 4th P-Fire and maybe even a second Tabernacle..

Phelix

01-02-2015, 06:10 AM

Have you seen the new Monastery Monk? Sounds like we're gonna need the 4th P-Fire and maybe even a second Tabernacle..

im not too concerned

snorlaxcom

01-03-2015, 12:37 PM

Have you seen the new Monastery Monk? Sounds like we're gonna need the 4th P-Fire and maybe even a second Tabernacle..

Not in d&t so shouldn't be an issue. UWR has crap manabase. I can see a junk deck or esper deck playing this. Paired with discard it can make a nice board or paired with top they will always have a spell each mainphase to trigger off of. If I played those strategies I would love to add Intuition or Lingering Souls. They may up the basic count, but their late game is pretty low in power compared to ours.

snorlaxcom

01-08-2015, 07:30 PM

Any you mages coming out to Philly? Looking forward to seeing us stack up in the meta.

Nikolai004

01-09-2015, 02:04 AM

Any you mages coming out to Philly? Looking forward to seeing us stack up in the meta.

I'll be there, but running RG combo lands this time instead of RUG.

Anen

01-09-2015, 05:29 PM

Any you mages coming out to Philly? Looking forward to seeing us stack up in the meta.

Unfortunately, I moved out of this area :(

Anen

01-19-2015, 06:08 PM

Welcome back Loam as the only playable "Draw 3" of the format !

snorlaxcom

01-20-2015, 08:53 PM

Does this change anyone's take on the deck? ur will still be a thing since it's cheap and easy to pickup for scg grinders, but them losing cruise is pretty unattractive with miracles around. I had md changes due to the speed of the format, but may go back to how I had it if ur is not as fast. Cruise wasn't the issue, but with the sheer number of people playing it had to be addressed.

Interesting to note: if gy hate was crap with cruise, will it be the same without? Specifically less RiP before banning.

Sockosensei

01-21-2015, 03:05 AM

I played RUG Lands in GP Shizuoka side events recently and wanted to share one moment:
Round 1 on the Draw my hand was slowish but had Punishing Fire & Grove. Having seen a room full of DnT and Dark Maverick the previous day, I felt it was a reasonable keep.

Opp's T1: Treetop Village. (Huh?)
My T1: Wooded Foothills.
Opp T2: Land, Burgeoning.
W.T.F.

My first ever Lands mirror, and what a maindeck trump card! :-D
(I took the round win by the slightest margin after an intense game 3 of cat and mouse.)
Does anyone play this card? Is there a Lands-heavy meta where this makes more sense than Manabond?

7-4-1 over two events weren't amazing results, but I was pleased with how well I kept my concentration over the 12 rounds despite little sleep and picking up the deck cold for the first time in a bit. I'm now confident in my mental fortitude as I prepare for GP Kyoto in April.

----------------------------------------------------

Since Shizuoka I've been testing Dosferra's RUG Combo list from a few posts up and am loving it. ((Quoted below with my changes in bold)) Other than my Smokestack moving to the sideboard, I don't feel like I've sacrificed many control elements but have gained a significant amount of explosive combo potential with the 4 Stages.

Land (36)
1x Academy Ruins
2x Dark Depths
1x Forest
1x Ghost Quarter
1x Glacial Chasm
4x Grove of the Burnwillows
3x Maze of Ith
4x Rishadan Port
2x Taiga
1x The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
4x Thespian's Stage
2x Tolaria West
3x Tropical Island
1x Verdant Catacombs
4x Wasteland
1x Windswept Heath
1x Wooded Foothills

Instant (9)
3x Crop Rotation
3x Intuition
3x Punishing Fire

Artifact (7)
1x Chalice of the Void ((Flex slot))
2x Engineered Explosives
4x Mox Diamond

Enchantment (5)
4x Exploration
1x Manabond ((Crucible of Worlds))

Sorcery (4)
4x Life from the Loam

Sideboard (15)
1x Bojuka Bog
2x Chalice of the Void
1x Crucible of Worlds ((Smokestack))
1x Engineered Explosives
3x Krosan Grip
3x Phyrexian Revoker
1x Punishing Fire
3x Sphere of Resistance

I've tested 10 matches so far. Losses to Painter. Wins vs Elves, Dredge, Affinity, Monowhite control.

The cards I'm considering for the maindeck flex slot are Chalice, Bojuka Bog, Karakas, and the 3rd EE.
Chalice has been excellent when naturally drawn but slow to tutor for. Bojuka Bog, with the 3x Crop Rotation, gives us critical T1-T2 interaction vs Reanimaror, Dredge, and ANT. Are we expecting an increase of Sneak & Show? (karakas)

I'd love to hear other suggestions, especially re: sideboard construction or meta shifts.

Does this change anyone's take on the deck? ur will still be a thing since it's cheap and easy to pickup for scg grinders, but them losing cruise is pretty unattractive with miracles around. I had md changes due to the speed of the format, but may go back to how I had it if ur is not as fast. Cruise wasn't the issue, but with the sheer number of people playing it had to be addressed.

Interesting to note: if gy hate was crap with cruise, will it be the same without? Specifically less RiP before banning.What were your changes since you posted your previous list?

snorlaxcom

01-21-2015, 11:04 PM

What were your changes since you posted your previous list?

I have been going with md Chalice for the past 2 weeks. I have a higher percentage of fast combo kills like infect, storm, elves, and ur in my meta. Explorations were cut for this change as I favored the disruption over enabling Loam/Zuran Orb. Controlling the mana didn't do the job when their curves were so low anyway and a hand with Exploration turned out to be an auto mulligan. I'll be sticking with it for a while and I like the freed up slots for Sneak.

ZeinVoncy

01-24-2015, 12:26 PM

Just curious as to why lands player do not Sylvan Scrying or Realms Uncharted?

Anen

01-24-2015, 01:15 PM

Just curious as to why lands player do not Sylvan Scrying or Realms Uncharted?

Because Crop Rotation and Intuition do the job better.

snorlaxcom

01-24-2015, 01:32 PM

Just curious as to why lands player do not Sylvan Scrying or Realms Uncharted?

Tolaria West is miles better than a spell. Tried Realms, but another Intuition is strictly better. However, they could be options if you don't run blue.

Dosferra

01-25-2015, 11:37 AM

Bleh.

Played in a 37 people tournament yesterday (so post-TC), 6 round swiss with top8.
I used the same list as a few posts back, except the maindeck Manabond is a Crucible now, which felt like a upgrade, and the maindeck Chalice changed places with the sb Bojuka Bog.
Ended up 10th, while not catastrophic, not reaching top8 was definitely below my expectations, considering how the deck has performed for me at the weeklies and dailies.

Faced 2x DnT, 1x Miracles, 1x Junk Nic-Fit, 1x ANT, 1x Esperblade. While not bad matchups by any stretch, other than the ANT (which I beat 2-0), neither mana denial nor Marit panned out, as both Basics and Swords were abound.

There was plenty of Patriots and BUGs there, but they all eluded me somehow.

And while I know it’s not kosher to blame bad luck, I had several games pretty much locked up and felt like I was 90%+ to win and then I didn’t draw/dredge anything of value for an inordinate amount of time. If just one of those games had gone my way, I’d been in the top8.

Anyway, I guess a positive to take from all this is that the deck is so resilient that it still performs reasonably well even on a “bad day”.

Any suggestions on good sideboard alternatives against DnT, preferably something that’s good against other control decks as well?
RiP and Cataclysm in conjunction with their normal game plan isn’t particularly enjoyable to say the least.

Sockosensei

01-25-2015, 04:07 PM

Any suggestions on good sideboard alternatives against DnT, preferably something that’s good against other control decks as well?
RiP and Cataclysm in conjunction with their normal game plan isn’t particularly enjoyable to say the least.

We have a combination of cards that are impactful against them. I don't know of any auto-win card outside of (arguably) Dread of Night, which is limited in scope. Ensnaring Bridge isn't a secure lock, but it could buy some time. Propaganda/Ghostly Prison are cards I've considered for various match-ups, except that they don't recur from the graveyard. The janky card I've always wanted to test is Magus of the Tabernacle :D
An early Smokestack can do serious work here as well.

We have solid weapons against them in
Early Punishing Fire lock.
EE on 2 (RIP, Serra Avenger, SFM, Jitte, some sideboard cards)
Tabernacle
Threaten to Port white mana and combo if they tap low early in the game.

There's little we can do vs Cataclysm except to tax their mana, hope they don't draw their one-of out of the board, or win before it's relevant.

The thing to remember is that D&T has no deck manipulation pre-board to dig for hate, and even post-board you're looking at 1-2 Enlightened Tutor plus singleton targets. Assume they'll hit their first RIP by turn two (or sandbag it to lure you in) and plan to win without the graveyard.

Phelix

01-25-2015, 06:02 PM

played lands again in a smallish 69 Player international event, travelling to flensburg Germany to play with teammate Marc König.

I played a version that I tuned to the imaginary post ban meta, but i faced a really strange meta of 69 decks, ONE miracles among them, and perhaps 2-3 storm combo decks. (WTF) While scouting prior to the event, i made som last minute changes and put the second Engineered explosives back in, there was loads of tribal, maverick, and other mid rangy decks.

I expected more storm combo, and more miracles, than pre-bannings.

The list:

3 intuition
2 punishing fire
4 exploration
1 worm harvest
1 sylvan library
1 abrupt decay
3 crop rotation
4 life from the loam

4 mox diamond
2 engineered explosives
1 smokestack
1 ensnaring bridge

3 maze of ith
4 rishadan port
4 wasteland
1 glacial chasm
1 dark depths
1 ghost quarter
1 academy ruins
2 thespians stage
1 the tabernacle at pendrell vale
3 different fetches
2 tolaria west
3 tropical island
1 savannah
1 bayou
1 forest
2 grove of the burnwillows
1 karakas
1 urborg, tomb of yagwmoth
1 bojuka bog.

Notable maindeck changes:
-2 punishing fire
-1 taiga
-1 zuran orb

+ 1 ensnaring bridge
+ 1 abrupt decay
+ 1 karakas
+ 1 worm harvest

Sideboard:
4 Dark confidant
4 sphere of resistance
2 chalice of the void
2 ethersworn canonist
1 abrupt decay
1 containment priest
1 thrun the last troll

Changes to sideboard, almost too many to mention. Containment priest could have been decay, or thrun coulda been 2x containment priest, but seeing so little miracles, i cut a decay before the event and added the random priest vs alot of DnT, and some elves mainly.

Round 1:
Vs Villads.

Game1
He is playing deathblade/whatever UBW and curses his luck before we start :)
I win the die roll and introduce him to Marit Lage, avatar on turn 3, as he has a board of island, island. (won die roll like boss)
He swords it, and i reintroduce him to it, two turns later. He has a batterskull attacking me, and liliana in play, so im forced to kill lilly first. This gives him time to get the second swords and im stuck at 55 life.
Two turns later, Marit lage says hello again, and is forced yet again, to kill a lilliana. I found a maze, stopping his batterskull-timewalking, and after untapping for the 6th turn with a Marit lage on the board, i finall win, while at 46 life.

Game2:
Cannot remember what i boarded, but my guess would be that it included confidants and chalices vs bojuka bog, intuition, 1 life from the loam and worm harvest.
He starts, so i go unfair with a turn one of: Exploration, mox, loam and started wastelocking him. two turns later tabernacle shows up. He never draws more than 2-3 lands and its quickly over.

Round two: Arne on Maverick
As he shuffles my deck, he flips over two cards face up on the table, and i call the judge over. First the judge says its fine and nothing happens. I tell the judge that i bet he is wrong, he talks to the other judge and correctly issues Arne a warning (sorry arne, you are a good guy, and we played the games in a friendly manner).

Game1:
I again apply all my mental ability and win the die roll!
This leads to a turn one Sylvan Library, turn 3 smokestack, that sticks around with two counters on it for a while, untill arne finally scoops, to zero permanents.

Game 2:
My notes say i bring in: 4 Black dudes, 1 green dude, 1 white dude and abrupt decay.
Since Arne is starting, i better do something awesome. He has a turn two thalia, but by then i have a board of: Exploration, Exploration, Maze of Ith, Maze of ith, 2 lands. I even find a confidant to join my side, but he instantly has the swords for it. Tabernacle +his own thalia keeps him from casting stuff. As wastelands start showing up, he quickly ends up with zero permanents again, and concedes.

Round 3: Steffen/Stefan/Something Möller, the token Miracles player
I know him from other events, and he usually play quite well, mostly control decks, so im already looking forward to some challening games.

Game 1:
He has the audacity to win the die roll.
He starts with island, ponder, island... so im thinking it might be omni.
So i make turn 3 marit lage. He untaps and plows it. (fml)
It now becomes clear that he is on miracles, but having counterbalance, with no top, for a while, lets me develop my board. He then gets jace online, and things are looking grim, vs my board of lands and nothing. I dredge ever turn for a few turns, getting my loam countered. Until finally worm harvest comes along. I end up ghost quartering my tabernacle, and waiting a few turns for my 3rd green source untill i can cast my wor He counters it once showing force on top, jaces and im now sure that force is on top again, so i ghost quarter him before casting harvest, forcing the shuffle. and it resolves, leaving me with 24 worms in total, half of them killing jace.

He untaps and makes 11 angels, enough for me to not be able to swing for lethal. I get ensnaring bridge to stop him from counterswinging, and its a looong game. I get a smokestack online, with both of us having roughly 40 permanents :) He has bout 12 cards left in his library, when he realises he cannot stop me from worm harvesting, even if i wait to naturally draw a land to pitch, after i kill a second jace, he concedes. Nice comeback, and time is at 15 minutes.

Game 2:
I struggle a bit on the mana as he gets counterbalance and jace again. I try to punishing fire jace, but its not working and jace is ticking up. I see where this is going, and stop casting spells and lands. Time is called and he ulties jace. My library now becomes the cards from my hand, just enough to not lose to decking in the extra rounds and i win the match!

Round 4 vs Ingo on Grixis delver, ala treasure cruise
I apply superior mental capacity and win the die roll.

Game 1:
He starts out strong with delver, that meets punishing fire. Another of the same joins. and he develops a board of:
1 flipped delver, 1 unflipped delver, 1 deathrite shaman, 1 young pyromancer and 3 pyrotokens.

He has 3 lands.

Vs
My 6 lands, including tabernacle. 1 card in my hand and 6 life.

I then win the game. EoT i return punishing fire. Play EE for 0, pass the turn.
He tanks so long, that in the end i ask for the judge. He finally makes a move and uses deathrite to get me to 4 life. Then pays to keep flipped delver and young pyromancer. I Use explosives to kill delver, and punishing fire to kil pyro. Leaving him with 3 tapped lands and nothing.

Two turns later he has 0 permanents and scoops.

Game 2:
I quickly introduce him to Marit Lage, and its deadly experience for him.

This leaves me at 4-0 of the 7 rounds tournament.

Round 5: Vs Mads(from my car) with infect
Like the champ i am, i win the die roll.
My notes are kinda fuzzy, this is the win and in for both of us.
Game one: i EE two creatues and lock him out of the game w. wastes,

game two, i get chalice 1, chalice two. He, eventually finds a krosan grip and kills chalice 1, then kills me.

Game three goes long, i copy his inkmoth nexus, while keeping his tapped, and swing into him for 7 infect :) This was quite hilarious, but too slow, and we play a natural draw.

Round 6: vs Thore on BUG
I am apprently something close to 25-2 in paper magic playing this matchup (you know who you are).
I obviously banter with him, he tells me he hasnt lost a boarded game all day, i tell him i always beat his deck.

Game 1 :
My note pad has me taking damage twice, him fetching twice and conceding to 0 permanents.

Game 2: Turn 5 Marit Lage wants to get personal, Thore isnt ready for the commitment and quickly scoops.
Im now locked for top 8, and wait arounds for Mads and Marc, who arent quite at fast (Lands.dec, fast etc, jokes go here) they both win, and we can all draw into top 8.

Round 7: ID

Quarter Final vs Steffen, another danish guy in germany with MUD
We talk about the matchups before seating for the top8 is announced, and no one remembers what my opponent is playing. At first it looks like 12post, and i do an internal fistpump. He then plays ancient tomb, and its clearly mud, and make a smaller internal fistpump and hope to doge metalworker.

Game 1:
He opens and wastes my land early, and again i fistpump. He then plays chalice 0, then chalice 2, into my board of rishadan port, 2x duals. I have EE in hand, so i just waste him in return, relax, untap. When ready i tap port for colorless, drop CC 1 EE for 0, and kills his stuff, then loam and wastelock him ftw.

Game two:
My turn one is exploration, mox, land, Dark confidant.
He plays crucible, and i cleverly topdeck decay for it. He tries to race for a cuple of turns, even getting a forgemaster into play, but with no artifacts. Im holding the lone confinement priest and eventually just play it for beats. Soon his board is all gone and he if forced to scoop it up. My best matchup, his worst, in t he top 8. Two bug decks also made it, and im hoping to face either of those.

Semi Finals:
My opponen is on rug, and basically beats me in 3 games. The key point was during game 3, where i have 4 turns to draw a manasource to win it w. Marit lage, but it doesnt happen.

Marc also wins his semi, and i rig the prizes by suggesting the best card be given to the 2. place finisher. Alle agree and Marcs finals opponent concedes so we can all get in the car and go home :)

All in all very succesfull trip, all of us top8ing.

Slops to me for not figuring out the meta correctly.
Props to all 3 of us for kicking butt!
Props to the organizers for creating this sweet event for us, and for chosing a location right next to Otto Duborg, providing me w. 4kgs of cando at 1/4th the price!

Updated list of Lands.dec ive played outside of my native Denmark(no events omitted):

GP Amsterdam 2011: #109 th of 1879. 10-3-3
GP Ghent 2012: #16th of 1345. 12-2-2
Bazaar of Moxen 2014 secondary event: #7th of 93. 5-1-1
Prague Eternal 2014: #21 of 148. 6-2-0
super sunday series GP NJ: 22 nd of 450. 7-2-1
SCG: Richmond 72 nd of 225. 4-2-3
Eternal clash 2015 : 3/4th of 69. 5-0-2

Anen

01-25-2015, 09:48 PM

Nice read Phelix :)

Dosferra

01-26-2015, 04:40 PM

Great showing and entertaining report Phelix.
I can see I have a long way to go before reaching your die rolling skills.

We have a combination of cards that are impactful against them.
Yes definitely, I think the pre-sideboard game is quite heavily in our favor, 65-35 or so and post board maybe 55-45 in their favor.

I went 2-0 and 1-1 against them during the last tournament. The game I lost, I had 2x Exploration and a Crucible.. with Chasm.. and Stage+Wasteland to protect it against Flickerwisp, Mangara and Wasteland, but I kept drawing blanks for several turns while he did basic land drops and then a cataclysmic event occurred.

Guess I’m just irked that a ‘fair’ deck can beat us even after we’ve established a dominant position.

cuthbertthecat

01-26-2015, 07:01 PM

Hey all!

I've been having an itch to pick this version of lands up again. However, I can't seem to let Enlightened Tutor go, which will result in me playing the shakiest manabase I think I've ever played. Here's the list I think I'm gonna start with:

1 Zuran Orb
1 Engineered Explosives
4 Life from the Loam
1 Manabond
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Mox Diamond
2 Punishing Fire
3 Intuition
3 Enlightened Tutor
4 Exploration
1 Ghost Quarter
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 Forest
1 Academy Ruins
3 Maze of Ith
2 Tolaria West
1 Tranquil Thicket
1 Karakas
2 Grove of the Burnwillows
1 Dark Depths
4 Windswept Heath
4 Rishadan Port
1 Glacial Chasm
2 Thespian's Stage
4 Wasteland
1 Bayou
3 Tropical Island
1 Savannah
1 Taiga

Sideboard

4 Dark Confidant
4 Chalice of the Void
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Ethersworn Canonist
3 Abrupt Decay

snorlaxcom

01-26-2015, 07:13 PM

I went 2-0 and 1-1 against them during the last tournament. The game I lost, I had 2x Exploration and a Crucible.. with Chasm.. and Stage+Wasteland to protect it against Flickerwisp, Mangara and Wasteland, but I kept drawing blanks for several turns while he did basic land drops and then a cataclysmic event occured.

Drawing blanks happen. Try to keep them off 4 mana or have a plan in case they resolve a Cataclysm. Keep some Land in hand to cast Loam if shit happens and it could help you that they go down to one land so Tabernacle and Maze will lock them out. We can rebuild faster than them. Revokers have done a lot of work vs them turning off Vial and Moms. You should be good from here with ee lock.

snorlaxcom

01-28-2015, 09:07 AM

cuthbertthecat

01-29-2015, 02:53 AM

Don't expect to see Sneak and Show?

Eh, I've got some Enlightened Tutors, an Ensnaring Bridge, and a dream. Also, I don't really expect to beat them with any configuration of lands.

Dosferra

01-29-2015, 02:49 PM

Drawing blanks happen. Try to keep them off 4 mana or have a plan in case they resolve a Cataclysm. Keep some Land in hand to cast Loam if shit happens and it could help you that they go down to one land so Tabernacle and Maze will lock them out. We can rebuild faster than them. Revokers have done a lot of work vs them turning off Vial and Moms. You should be good from here with ee lock.

Simply planning ahead for life after a Cataclysm is good advice, I’ll keep it in mind.

The game which I recounted, I was sadly at 2 life so I was forced to replay land -> chasm each turn, drawing another Exploration or a Maze of Ith being my only route for rebuilding, my opponent drew an Enlightened Tutor for his second RiP however.

I’ve been on the fence on sideboarding in my Revokers against D&T.
Turning off Vial is obviously alluring, but my counter argument has been that it turns on their otherwise dead Swords (I usually don’t combo off against them unless I’m in an extremely favored or pressured position) as well as often wanting to EE for 2.
How do you sideboard against them?

Phelix, you play at the same LGS as Marc yes? Would be interesting to hear your view on the matchup and sideboarding as well.

Phelix

01-29-2015, 03:10 PM

Phelix, you play at the same LGS as Marc yes? Would be interesting to hear your view on the matchup and sideboarding as well.

I do.

What do you mean? The DnT matchuP?

I think is fine and definitly winning for us.

The list with 2x Rip is a little harder, but game 1 we are in a sweet spot.

The 2x engineered explosives are boss. we are much much better than R/G.