[Deck] Aggro Loam

[apocolyps6]

Your opening hand was Chalice, Wasteland, Arbor, Bob, Loam, Cycle, Grove.
Bob is uncastable, Loam with just 1 cycle land I don't like (in the early game, but especially as a gameplan) , Arbor is not a magic card. So you have Grove for colors, Wasteland as a second mana source and chalice. I'd keep this some of the time but I'd be very concerned about not not having a game plan if Chalice does not do it.
Also, I'm sure you did this just to F6 but cycling in response to therapy is never correct. Worst case scenario you draw a copy of what your opponent is going to name, best case you give him extra info.

G2 you are all in on Pfire being good, which it usually is. Your wastelands are probably weak given the lack of acceleration in your hand, and how mana-intensive Pfire is. Surgical is usually trash against the deck, but happens to blow you out there. I'm not sure what the lesson here is. There was also an opportunity to use Verdant catacombs as a removal spell against an X/1, which might have bought you a turn.

I really like Maelstrom Pule in the matchup. It answers their strongest plays against you.

I would suggest you try mulling more aggressively to acceleration + threat in this matchup. Don't keep 7s without a Mox, Zenith, or DRS for the sake of testing. Being ahead on mana is really strong for the deck. Once that happens, your Wastelands, Zeniths, Pfires, 3drops etc get better while their Dazes and Wastelands get worse.

I also like proactively getting Scavenging Ooze when possible to turn off Angler and DRS as well as gaining life to keep you out of burn range.

[btm10]

I'm not in love with either keep (any hand with Arbor is basically a mulligan anyway, so I ship any seven with it that doesn't have Diamond and a two drop), but the only play error I can see is that you cast a Punishing Fire at Sorcery speed in game 2 and gave him a free shot with a token. The biggest problem in these games, especially game 2, was your opponent's draw lining up well with yours, especially with the Surgical and you flooding out.

EDIT: I'm maindecking a Maelstrom Pulse that Niklas isn't, and definitely see the appeal of a 7th non-Liliana removal spell if you aren't running one already.

[ironclad8690]

Sweet, thanks guys. Going to try again tonight and we will see if i can finally win against grixis delver.

[apocolyps6]

This list just top 16ed a SCG Legacy Classic. 2 Lili 4 Decay

[kungfugeek]

That is really hard. I don't have any specific rules. What you can't do is keeping a hand without Turn One interaction against Fast-Combo OTD. Even you have like double Thalia, Teeg, Bob and Lands.
I tried to think about your concerns about the manabase and the missing cycle lands. I think I managed to get to enough Black, White and Green sources, while still playing two cycle lands, the DD Combo and all the other utility lands. I am now short a red source, but I also tried to reduce the red mana symbols:

34 spell stay the same (1 DRS, 3 Loam, 1 Library)
1 Dryad Arbor
1 Karakas
1 Maze of Ith
3 Grove of the Burnwillows
4 Wasteland
1 Secluded Steppe
1 Barren Moor
1 Forest
2 Bayou
1 Taiga
2 Scrubland
1 Savannah
3 Windswept Heath
3 Verdant Catacombs
1 Thespian Stage
1 Dark Depths

Sideboard

1 Reclamation Sage
1 Golgari Charm
1 Garruk Relentless
3 Swords to Plowshares
2 Thoughtseize
1 Crop Rotation
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Containment Priest
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Pyroclasm
1 Slaughter Games

Is this what you played in Prague? How did you like it? Any changes you recommend?

[ironclad8690]

Here is an epic match I played against Miracles. I ended up winning, though I played sloppily enough that perhaps I shouldn't have.

https://youtu.be/2cy0908J-m4

Specifically, in g2 when I am p firing him to death at the end of the match, I fetch a Savannah instead of a forest, colding myself to Blood Moon. Post Blood Moon, I also play a "Mountain" Wasteland from my hand instead of sandbagging it for Mox Diamond, which I draw the next turn. Luckily my bob was alive for infinite turns, so I ended up drawing into more creatures and lands and stuff.

Game 3 is super epic, with very swingy back and forth plays. He put up way more of a fight than I thought he would have been able to after Chalice @ 1 turn 1, and Punishing Fire did some gnarly work in this game, for example I would not have beaten that Entreat the Angels after the C Priest and Clique. My opponent misplayed here I think, trading the c priest for a Wolf makes it so that I can -2 without having to use a p fire on the C Priest first, which allows me to kill 1 more Angel (I think? this matchup can get complicated :P).

Anyhow, let me know what you guys think, misplays, strong plays, keeps, etc.

I am playing a list of my own for this league, it is same main deck as Butakov but SB is:

3 Leyline of the Void
3 Swords to Plowshares
2 Thoughtseize
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Golgari Charm
1 Garruk Relentless
1 Choke

[ironclad8690]

2nd match of the league, vs Bant Stoneblade, 2-1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxx8...1iVrotezLt_m0t

Probably could have won g2 if I go for Knight over Garruk, stage comes online before I get lethal'ed if I go that route. Dunno why I played Garruk, just kind of wanted to do the "fun" thing when I should have been trying to win.

[rlesko]

I tend to agree that grixis delver is not favorable. Pyro can easily get out of control, angler is extremely hard to handle, deathrite can mess with loams / p fires, they can force our business spells, and nothing in the hand is safe. Not saying I haven't beaten this MU before, but I dread facing it. If you think you are anything more than 55% against this deck I can promise you thats not true. If the grixis pilot is skilled its bad news.

EDIT:
Example 1- Board is empty except for a chalice on 1. He casts a pyromancer and spams 4-5 spells into my chalice. I don't miss a single trigger but 6 bodies and 7 power is pretty darn good.
Example 2- I have a nut hand, T1 bob, T2 sylvan, wasteland. He bolts bob and forces my library (after wasting him down to 0 lands to play around daze). I easily flood after that and he pulls away.

Grixis is the real deal, guys.

[ironclad8690]

Match #3 vs Lands:

https://youtu.be/k0v_JdT2UGM

Kind of just a "do you have it?" back and forth in the first couple of turns. Somewhat uneventful match.

[ironclad8690]

Match 4 vs Miracles

https://youtu.be/KRZhe3L6jn8

I lose to mzfroste. Probably made some mistakes, though they are getting less and less.

[ironclad8690]

Last but not least BUG Delver:

https://youtu.be/Lzc3AJvICcY

Finished 4-1 :D

I like this build and sideboard.

[Pilhas]

Is this what you played in Prague? How did you like it? Any changes you recommend?

Niklas was in the same 75 than me, except for a Chandra instead of the containment priest.

@rlesko To be fair your 2nd scenario can happen against any delver

@ironclad8690 will try to watch the vods during this week. Maybe I learn something or can give some feedback

[kungfugeek]

Niklas was in the same 75 than me, except for a Chandra instead of the containment priest.

@rlesko To be fair your 2nd scenario can happen against any delver

@ironclad8690 will try to watch the vods during this week. Maybe I learn something or can give some feedback

Just found your report, thanks!

[ironclad8690]

Lost to Goblins

https://youtu.be/PIIwRhXwAoI

g1 didn't have any removal in hand, get punished by t1 lackey on the draw.

G2 I keep a slightly sketchy hand, but it pays off.

g3, I have to pitch Depths to mox diamond early in the game, and I never find loam. Meanwhile my opponent plays 3 Aether Vials and proceeds to draw all 4 Goblins Ringleaders. I mess up by forgetting I pitched Depths early in the game, so instead of attacking/fetching better things with Knight, I float two random mana and try to search out Depths and Stage (only way I would have won this game I think, mana was too choked after he Tin Streets my Mox Diamond).

Really frustrating losing to swarm decks. Had him down to Matron, Piledriver 3 aether vials on board, then ringleader into ringleader x infinite.

[apocolyps6]

Jim Davis was your Goblins opponent and was streaming the match. It is probably worth it to watch the recording when it becomes available here

[Claymore]

Would Tabernacle have helped at that point? I did some testing the past day or two and found it helps slow down 4c Delver.

[ironclad8690]

Just watched the match from his side.

I am not sure if Tabernacle really helps, because he had 3 Vials and I was very choked on mana. I think the main turning point of the game was when he Tin Street'ed my Diamond. That was enough to slow me down for the rest of the game and give him enough time to draw all of his cards. If I have that Diamond, the Punishing Fire in my yard comes online 1 turn sooner and I start mowing down his dudes (after searching up Grove with Knight). Once I do that, I can start attacking with knight and pressuring him while keeping up p fire mana each turn/casting multiple spells per turn.

His draw was also quite insane though, where mine was just average. Don't underestimate the Gobs, they can still get there.

[kungfugeek]

Just watched the match from his side.

I am not sure if Tabernacle really helps, because he had 3 Vials and I was very choked on mana. I think the main turning point of the game was when he Tin Street'ed my Diamond. That was enough to slow me down for the rest of the game and give him enough time to draw all of his cards. If I have that Diamond, the Punishing Fire in my yard comes online 1 turn sooner and I start mowing down his dudes (after searching up Grove with Knight). Once I do that, I can start attacking with knight and pressuring him while keeping up p fire mana each turn/casting multiple spells per turn.

His draw was also quite insane though, where mine was just average. Don't underestimate the Gobs, they can still get there.

This is a perfect example of why main deck depths is so good. You could have just played D with knights and found the pieces at the end of turn. He had no way to deal with that.

[Pilhas]

This is a perfect example of why main deck depths is so good. You could have just played D with knights and found the pieces at the end of turn. He had no way to deal with that.

Stingscourger Would like a word with you. And don't think it is a one of, with the matrons + ringleader he will appear. But Lage is a good way to close out the games, just don't go all in if you don't need it.

[apocolyps6]

I played some games against miracles. Hopefully I'll be able to do the same for Grixis Delver in a couple of days.