Team America or RUG

[KobeBryan]

which would would you play and why?

[testing32]

Right now, RUG. The list is tuned better. In a few months it might be TA.

[Megadeus]

I like Tombstalker. So. I also like getting Abrupt Decay. Losing Bolt sucks, but DRS makes up for the loss of Bolt a bit

[twndomn]

Neither, both TA and RUG are not combo decks. Since you are not considering combo decks, play True-Name-Nemesis decks.

[lavafrogg]

RUG is still the best deck in the format, and will be for the foreseeable future, but BUG has tombstalker. The deathrite lists give the deck a little more grindyness at the sake of speed.

Nimble mongoose is also broken.

I would vote rug, but I play BUG due to the randomness of legacy tourneys and abrupt decay/DRS being broken.

[KobeBryan]

RUG is still the best deck in the format, and will be for the foreseeable future, but BUG has tombstalker. The deathrite lists give the deck a little more grindyness at the sake of speed.

Nimble mongoose is also broken.

I would vote rug, but I play BUG due to the randomness of legacy tourneys and abrupt decay/DRS being broken.

But rest in peace completely hoses BUG, moreso than RUG

[lavafrogg]

But rest in peace completely hoses BUG, moreso than RUG

RIP hoses RUG just as hard. BUG has abrupt decay to kill a pre emptive RIP and if you can get a tombstalker on the board first then you are gravy. They both play counters and delvers but RUG can burn over the top and BUG can discard the card before it comes down.

[Jonathan Alexander]

Team America is better at dealing with True-Name Nemesis, better against combo decks and also the best deck in the Delver mirror. Seems pretty obvious to me which is better positioned right now.
Also, Tombstalker.

[lavafrogg]

Team America is better at dealing with True-Name Nemesis, better against combo decks and also the best deck in the Delver mirror. Seems pretty obvious to me which is better positioned right now.
Also, Tombstalker.

RUG is better against elves, blue decks, tribal aggro and death and taxes.... I don't see your point.

[Jonathan Alexander]

What blue decks are you referring to? There's only Delver and Stoneblade variants. Miracles (against which TA is way, way better) is practically nonexistent. Neither deck is very good against Elves, but I know I prefer Golgari Charm and Engineered Plague to Rough // Tumble. Dread of Night is also an option if you're really worried about Death and Taxes.
Does tribal aggro still exist?

[Einherjer]

Jona, did you just claim BUG has a better MU against Miracles than RUG does? Or am I mistaking something here...? Because if so I have to disagree on about 100 different levels, as a Miracleplayer...

Greetings

[Jonathan Alexander]

My tournament record against Miracles is much worse with RUG, which is the deck I'm way more experienced with. Also, it depends a lot on the Team America list. Without Jaces and Library, yeah, it's pretty hard, but if you have them, what exactly can go wrong?

[Julian23]

Regarding Elves, I'd much rather play against Team America than against RUG. I feel favored against TA but at best 50/50 vs. Rug.

[Griselpuff]

I have hundreds of games of experience playing both decks.

TA is better vs. tempo (Tombstalker, Liliana, DRS, Abrupt Decay)

RUG is better vs. combo. (Burn, cheap threats and counterspells > Hymn and DRS)

Other than that, they are close. Both are a bit soft to Aether Vial/Midrange decks. TA has better nut draws and a better SB, so that's why I play it, as well as more people being unfamiliar/unprepared for the match-up. TA is also better vs. TNN.

I would agree with Julian that RUG is better vs. Elves. I think TA is better vs. Miracles, but I only have a dozen games of experience from each side so maybe I'm wrong. It seems like Abrupt Decay, Liliana + Sylvan are better than Stifle and Goose.

[lavafrogg]

I have hundreds of games of experience playing both decks.

TA is better vs. tempo (Tombstalker, Liliana, DRS, Abrupt Decay)

RUG is better vs. combo. (Burn, cheap threats and counterspells > Hymn and DRS)

Other than that, they are close. Both are a bit soft to Aether Vial/Midrange decks. TA has better nut draws and a better SB, so that's why I play it, as well as more people being unfamiliar/unprepared for the match-up. TA is also better vs. TNN.

I would agree with Julian that RUG is better vs. Elves. I think TA is better vs. Miracles, but I only have a dozen games of experience from each side so maybe I'm wrong. It seems like Abrupt Decay, Liliana + Sylvan are better than Stifle and Goose.

Why do you feel BUG has a better sideboard?

I feel like red gives the best sideboard options with the metagame being so blue based.

[Griselpuff]

RUG sideboards don't really address their bad match-ups (midrange/tribal) all that well, while TA sb's do a good job of addressing its bad matchups (control/tribal).

[lavafrogg]

RUG sideboards don't really address their bad match-ups (midrange/tribal) all that well, while TA sb's do a good job of addressing its bad matchups (control/tribal).

I find that really interesting and am now thinking about the sideboards and the match ups they improve….

BUG Sideboard:

1 Creeping Tar Pit
3 Disfigure
1 Engineered Plague
3 Golgari Charm
1 Liliana of the Veil
2 Spell Pierce
3 Stifle
1 Vendilion Clique

RUG Sideboard:

1 Ancient Grudge
2 Flusterstorm
1 Forked Bolt
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Pithing Needle
3 Pyroblast
3 Submerge
1 Sylvan Library
2 True-Name Nemesis

Both not these are from the top 16 of GP DC… They sen on equal footing to me except the lack of rough//tumble from RUG. They both can play more removal with forked bolt generally being better than disfigure. Additional discard i.e. Inquisition vs pyroblasts are also just meta game dependent. Charms and engineered plauges are most likely the kicker in the black lists but rough and pyroclasm variants are just as strong in some match ups and not helpful at all vs nemesis.

So with the new nemesis metagame that should be appearing, BUG has a better chance if the nemesis (or two) resolves and RUG has a better chance of just not giving a shit and either blasting it on the stack of burning/flying over the top.

[Megadeus]

I find that really interesting and am now thinking about the sideboards and the match ups they improve….

BUG Sideboard:

1 Creeping Tar Pit
3 Disfigure
1 Engineered Plague
3 Golgari Charm
1 Liliana of the Veil
2 Spell Pierce
3 Stifle
1 Vendilion Clique

RUG Sideboard:

1 Ancient Grudge
2 Flusterstorm
1 Forked Bolt
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Pithing Needle
3 Pyroblast
3 Submerge
1 Sylvan Library
2 True-Name Nemesis

Both not these are from the top 16 of GP DC… They sen on equal footing to me except the lack of rough//tumble from RUG. They both can play more removal with forked bolt generally being better than disfigure. Additional discard i.e. Inquisition vs pyroblasts are also just meta game dependent. Charms and engineered plauges are most likely the kicker in the black lists but rough and pyroclasm variants are just as strong in some match ups and not helpful at all vs nemesis.

So with the new nemesis metagame that should be appearing, BUG has a better chance if the nemesis (or two) resolves and RUG has a better chance of just not giving a shit and either blasting it on the stack of burning/flying over the top.

Alternatively BUG has tombstalker and their own TNN as well as deathrites to beat opposing TNN

[Final Fortune]

BUG, because RUG has no MD answers vs Rest In Peace, no SB answers vs True Name Nemesis, no Tombstalker as an asymetrical threat vs Tarmogoyf, Batterskull and True Name Nemesis and RUG is a match loss vs Dredge.

Whatever RUG is better against than BUG, it's not better by much, and the cards and decks that crush RUG aren't nearly as devestating vs BUG.