[Discussion] Storm-hate cards.

[DragoFireheart]

My meta is running a couple of storm-based decks and I would like to know what the best counters for those would be.

Here is my current deck that I run:

>Smashy <

Creatures:

4 Kird Ape
3 Skarrgan Pit-Skulk
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Mogg Fanatic
2 Scab-Clan Mauler
4 Troll Ascetic


Non-Creatures:
4 Chain Lightning
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Rancor
4 Magma Jet
3 FireBlast

Lands:
6 Mountains
6 Forest
4 Taiga
4 Wooded Foothills

My top storm-combo decks that I face are a High-Tide and a CRET Belcher.

[Phantom]

The best one for you appears to be Pyrostatic Pillar. Hate for belcher usually comes in the form of needles and sweepers (Explosives or Clasm for you probably).

[nitewolf9]

Pyrostatic pillar would help you against high tide, where your plan is to pretty much race them. It would do nothing really against CRET belcher though. You might want to pack pyroclasm in the board for etw tokens, or even sandstorm if you wanted a more narrow solution that didn't effect you at all. Clasm would help the goblins matchup as well (although you probably smash goblins already).
Pithing needle could pre-emptively stop the belcher plan but it's still not the best solution as if they go off turn one you're screwed on the draw. That just happens with belcher though if you're not packing countermagic.
Null rod could be interesting. (shuts off artifact mana and decks that abuse equipment like jitte)

Proposed board:
4 pyrostatic pillar
4 pyroclasm (maybe sandstorm, although most of your creatures live through clasm)
4 null rod ( you would need to draw them early )
3 krosan grip

edit: You may also want to consider running chrome mox in the main, it looks like your list would benefit from it.

You also have to realize that storm combo will be a pretty poor matchup, although you should still be able to race solidarity with pillar. Once again though mox helps you to not loose to remand.

[DragoFireheart]

I almost never have a problem with gobbos, what with Goyf and Troll being able to smash their faces in.

How is this for a sideboard?

4 Pyrostatic Pillar
4 Sandstorm [Just to make people LuLz]
4 Pithing Needle
3 Krosan Grip

Also is it a good idea to not have any Pyroblasts or Red Elemental Blasts for control decks? Or is my deck just fine VS control-based decks?

Will my deck be potent enough to race graveyard decks?

[APriestOfGix]

run Cave-In over snadstorm, so you can wipe the board starting turn 1...

you don't want to see turn 1 ETM for 12, you play land, they swing, and you start the game at 8 life...

[DragoFireheart]

run Cave-In over snadstorm, so you can wipe the board starting turn 1...

you don't want to see turn 1 ETM for 12, you play land, they swing, and you start the game at 8 life...

I do not have Cave-Ins as of now so SandStorms will have to do.

Besides I can just wait for them to attack and then cast the storm. It would more than likely be game at that point anyhow.

[nitewolf9]

I almost never have a problem with gobbos, what with Goyf and Troll being able to smash their faces in.

How is this for a sideboard?

4 Pyrostatic Pillar
4 Sandstorm [Just to make people LuLz]
4 Pithing Needle
3 Krosan Grip

Also is it a good idea to not have any Pyroblasts or Red Elemental Blasts for control decks? Or is my deck just fine VS control-based decks?

Will my deck be potent enough to race graveyard decks?

Your game vs. control should be more than fine with all that reach. You just go aggro on them and then when your creatures are stopped you burn them out. That board seems good. I wouldn't worry about graveyard decks, except maybe iggy pop or tes (which you lose to, not much to be done about that). You should be able to stomp on ichorid with sandstorm and mogg fanatic (to remove bridges and also 2 for 1 them).

[Jaynel]

Sandstorm doesn't really help out that much against 2/2 (or 3/3) Zombies.

[Barook]

Sandstorm doesn't really help out that much against 2/2 (or 3/3) Zombies.

The only thing that's playable AND can be used at instant speed to fight tokens in general is Engineered Explosives which also happens to destroy CotV, something that should give the deck headaches as well.

[DragoFireheart]

The only thing that's playable AND can be used at instant speed to fight tokens in general is Engineered Explosives which also happens to destroy CotV, something that should give the deck headaches as well.

Sadly I do not have EE. :(

[Jak]

Well get it. I would also tell you to run Null Rod because that is a great card, but sadly it has savage dissynergy with EE. Maybe Null Rod and Cave-In. Just because you don't have the cards, doesn't mean we shouldn't use them.

[DragoFireheart]

Well get it. I would also tell you to run Null Rod because that is a great card, but sadly it has savage dissynergy with EE. Maybe Null Rod and Cave-In. Just because you don't have the cards, doesn't mean we shouldn't use them.

Oh no of course not! I wasn't implying to not use a card simply because I don't own it. For the time being though I will need a "filler" and sandstorm will do fine for now.

[Jak]

Okay. Just making sure because I have done that in the past. I would love for RG Beats to be competative, so keep working on the hate.

[DragoFireheart]

I made a minor adjustment to my deck to allow to better compete with my meta-game control decks. [Counter-Balance for example]

>Smashy <

Creatures:

4 Kird Ape
3 Rogue Elephants
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Mogg Fanatic
2 Scab-Clan Mauler
4 Troll Ascetic


Non-Creatures:
4 Chain Lightning
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Rancor
4 Magma Jet
3 Ather Vial

Lands:
5 Mountains
7 Forest
4 Taiga
4 Wooded Foothills


Sideboard:

1 Tomand's Crypt
3 Pyrostatic Pillar
2 Pithing Needles
1 Leyline of the Void
4 Red Elemental Blast
4 Krosan Grip

I took out the Pit-Skulks for Elephants. I also took out the Fireblast as they conflict with the Elephants too much. Made a mana adjustment for more forest and less mountains to allow my Elephants and Trolls to be more easily castable. I am still tinkering with the Elephants to see how many is a good number. 1 is too few and 4 is too many. I'll need to test to see whether 2 or 3 is the right number.

One other nice thing about the Elephants is that I can smash Silver Knights face in, who is normally a problem for R/G beats decks. With Goyf and Rogue I should have enough answers for that damn knight.

I also tested out Aether Vials and have had great success with them. They really make the control match-ups to be cake. There is a Counter-Top deck in my meta so they are a live saver VS it.

The Scab-Clan Maulers... seem subpar. They are good in an opening hand but suck if I top deck them and lack any burn for them. I'd throw in Seals but seals do crap damage and I'm not sure what to take out. I REALLY REALLY like my Jets as Scry is just too important and has saved me countless games with it's deck fixing ability.

[Barook]

Rogue Elephant? :confused: I'd say it has delicious anti-synergy with Troll Ascetic's "high" cc. Additionally, it isn't Kird Ape's best friend.

Sacrificing Fireblast for it sounds like a bad plan because Fireblast doesn't cause card disadvantage until you go for the kill when it doesn't matter anymore. I love Fireblast for being such an awesome finisher, simply because it can take your opponent by suprise or it forces them to play around it. Rogue Elephant, on the other hand, not so much.

Seal is debateable. Sure, its damage seems subpar, but besides boosting Maulers, it also pumps Gofy.

[DragoFireheart]

Rogue Elephant? :confused: I'd say it has delicious anti-synergy with Troll Ascetic's "high" cc. Additionally, it isn't Kird Ape's best friend.

Sacrificing Fireblast for it sounds like a bad plan because Fireblast doesn't cause card disadvantage until you go for the kill when it doesn't matter anymore. I love Fireblast for being such an awesome finisher, simply because it can take your opponent by suprise or it forces them to play around it. Rogue Elephant, on the other hand, not so much.

Seal is debateable. Sure, its damage seems subpar, but besides boosting Maulers, it also pumps Gofy.

Yeah, I know about the Elephants. However Aether Vial leviates this problem and still lets me bring out creatures regardless of my mana. The Elephant is quite good though and greatly speeds up the decks kill ability. I've had games where I got mana screwed but because of the Vial I was still able to cast spells and pump out creatures.

[Jaynel]

I'm not sure how much a single Leyline in the board will help you.

[DragoFireheart]

I'm not sure how much a single Leyline in the board will help you.

Oh, my sideboard?

Yeah it is crap atm and I intend to fix it up.

4 Pyrostatic Pillar
4 Pyroclasm/ Cave-In / Tomords' Crypt
4 Pithing Needle
3 Krosan Grip

I need to figure out if I can race graveyard decks or if I need the mass damage removal for Empty the Warrens. MAYBE goblins... LOL!

My biggest problems are Combo and Silver Knight. Thank the lord I have not seen the knight.

[DragoFireheart]

I have also thought of another way to play R/B beats.

>Smashy <

Creatures:

4 Kird Ape
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Elvish Spirit Guide
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Burning Tree Shaman
4 Troll Ascetic


Non-Creatures:
4 Chain Lightning
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Rancor
4 Magma Jet

Lands:
5 Mountains
7 Forest
4 Taiga
4 Wooded Foothills