[Deck] ANT (Ad Nauseam Tendrils) Storm Combo

[mistercakes]

had a weird one on the MKM, I hate the ban and dont really enjoy the game atm, my MUs offered 0 challenges, either the deck worked or not, might have won G1Rr1 had I played more conservative.. played ADMD list with a lot of combo hate

1-2 Dredge
1-2 D+T
2-0 Aggroloam
2-0'Elves
2-0 Elves
1-2 Merfolk
2-0 Elves
2-0 Lands
2-0 Eldrazi
2-0 Elves

Congrats to CT!, hard earned and well deserved top 8, tnx for bringing GT back to the spotlight...

To be fair, you only played vs one blue deck and I don't have the context of what happened, but you went 1-2 vs it. I'm sure if you played a few delver decks you would have had more "challenges".

:)

[CabalTherapy]

Thanks guys. I will start writing a report later today.
My MUs were:
2-0 Manaless
2-0 RUG Delver
2-0 Jund
2-0 BUG Control
2-1 Esperdeathblade
1-2 Foodchain
2-1 DarkBantBlade
2-0 Foodchain
2-1 SneakShow
ID
Top8
1-2 Grixis Delver

[JPA]

Thanks guys. I will start writing a report later today.

Congrats, great performance!

[Sloshthedark]

To be fair, you only played vs one blue deck and I don't have the context of what happened, but you went 1-2 vs it. I'm sure if you played a few delver decks you would have had more "challenges".

:)

That's the point... absolutely random, hardly enjoyable, I'd gladly play against U decks, the applause after announcement of SDT being banned at the players meeting still echoes in my ears...my presence was not required at all this weekend, only thing I found out is I beat elves with the worst setup against Elves in the room by far...

[meffeo]

Thanks guys. I will start writing a report later today.

Congratulations! Can't wait to read it (Y)

[CabalTherapy]

Congratulations! Can't wait to read it (Y)

Thank you.

Here is my report:
http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/s...05#post1005405

[Misetings]

A visit from an old magic playing friend coupled with the bannings gave me the bug to play a little magic after a long hiatus (~3-5 years). Went with the following list to Face to Face Games in Toronto for the Legacy FNM. I believe there were 42 players in total.

4 Misty Rainforest
4 Polluted Delta
2 Underground Sea
1 Volcanic Island
1 Tropical Island
1 Island
1 Swamp

4 Dark Ritual
4 Cabal Ritual
4 Lion's Eye Diamond
4 Lotus Petal

4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Preordain

3 Cabal Therapy
3 Duress

4 Infernal Tutor
1 Ad Nauseam
2 Past in Flames
1 Tendrils of Agony

Sideboard

1 Surgical Extraction
2 Flusterstorm
2 Abrupt Decay
1 Fatal Push
2 Xantid Swarm
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Massacre
1 Tendrils of Agony
2 Echoing Truth
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Burning Wish

Record:

1-2 (Grixis Delver)
2-1 (Sneak and Show)
2-0 (BUG Delver)
2-0 (Burn)

Just wanted to share some thoughts from playing the deck. Playing Storm is just like riding a bicycle - You are a little wobbly at the start but don't ever really forget it. The list I played felt incredibly smooth with the full 16 cantrips. The full package probably acted as training wheels to some extent as I was able to dig a ton. When I run the deck back the next chance I get I will likely cut down to 15 to trial using something like RiF, Grim Tutor, or MD 2nd Tendrils or EtW.

Regarding the sideboard, I probably under sideboarded in quite a few matches. Against both delver decks i left the fatal push and ADs in the board, which was likely a mistake. I'd love to know what the experts here think. The Flusters and Swarms did an admirable job in my match-up against Sneak and Show, although I'm not sure if my cuts (AN, PiF, Preordain, Probe) were corrected. I find AN the first card I like to cut in most match-ups as I rarely see myself needing to set up for it. Do you guys think this is a result of the 16 trips where I sculpt my hand to such an extent that I don't need to AN cause I am already set up for a fast mana/PiF/Tutor loop?

If anyone knows of a comprehensive guide of sideboard options / their application that would be great. I find that is the biggest question mark for me right now.

[Morden]

Sideboard

1 Surgical Extraction
2 Flusterstorm
2 Abrupt Decay
1 Fatal Push
2 Xantid Swarm
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Massacre
1 Tendrils of Agony
2 Echoing Truth
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Burning Wish

Record:

1-2 (Grixis Delver)
2-1 (Sneak and Show)
2-0 (BUG Delver)
2-0 (Burn)

I really like your sideboard, basically is 95% equal to mine. I'll do a sideboard guide to myself when I'll start playing again, now I wanna see how the meta evolves after this ban (by the way I'm in Toronto mee to right now, temporary, but I left my deck home XD).
About AN: personally I'm far from removing it md. You had a bit of bad luck with the matchups, AN doesn't shine on those ones (burn, delvers). But there are TONS of mu where it's gold: D&T, mirror, S&T, elves, reanimator, BUG variants, eldrazi and basically anything doesn't push you too much with a clock/damage, or when you want a fast closure.

[Misetings]

I really like your sideboard, basically is 95% equal to mine. I'll do a sideboard guide to myself when I'll start playing again, now I wanna see how the meta evolves after this ban (by the way I'm in Toronto mee to right now, temporary, but I left my deck home XD).
About AN: personally I'm far from removing it md. You had a bit of bad luck with the matchups, AN doesn't shine on those ones (burn, delvers). But there are TONS of mu where it's gold: D&T, mirror, S&T, elves, reanimator, BUG variants, eldrazi and basically anything doesn't push you too much with a clock/damage, or when you want a fast closure.

Welcome to Toronto!

Thanks for the thought on AN. I definitely wouldn't cut it. My gut feeling was that I was probably misusing it and over relying on the additional sculpting the extra preordains provided.

I'll keep my eyes out for your sideboard notes.

Cheers!

[Surfinbird]

Sneak & Show and BR Reanimator are, with Grixis Delver, the most played decks in MTGO after the top ban. I'm considering splashing white and run this sideboard:

3 Surgical Extraction
3 Containment Priest
3 Serenity
2 Dread of Night
2 Pyroclasm
1 Echoing Truth
1 Empty the Warrens

I know S&S is not a bad pairing for us, but now we've got a lot of space in th sideboard and i think CP is a good way to turn the MU to very favourable. CP +SE are nice against reanimator too aand serenity is the best answer possible against multiple spheres against Eldrazis, Stompys and Loam but they are also nice against burn. I'd like to discuss a bit about it before wasting 75 tix in 3 Priests on MTGO

[ScottW]

Thank you.

Here is my report:
http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/s...05#post1005405

Thanks for the report and congrats! It's funny how everybody is scrambling to get a grip on the new meta and you just make a top 8 with a 2015 list.

For the SB, I'm curious why you decided not to run any Pyroclasm or Massacre. Do you think Push / AD is sufficient plus the Thoughtseize for DnT? Also, is 1 Crypt and 1 Swarm just hopeful or are you preparing to delay these MUs with discard and Fluster to have the time to find these single cards?

played ADMD list with a lot of combo hate

What replaced your 2 tops? Just took mine out last night

[CabalTherapy]

Thanks for the report and congrats! It's funny how everybody is scrambling to get a grip on the new meta and you just make a top 8 with a 2015 list.

For the SB, I'm curious why you decided not to run any Pyroclasm or Massacre. Do you think Push / AD is sufficient plus the Thoughtseize for DnT? Also, is 1 Crypt and 1 Swarm just hopeful or are you preparing to delay these MUs with discard and Fluster to have the time to find these single cards?

Yeah, other storm lists with Rite of Flames, Burning Wishes, and Surgicals just didn't seem right for me; especially since I need to have a feeling for the set up.

I always found Pyroclasm to be to weak against DnT and I am generally not fond of Massacre. In my experience I try to race them having on-colour cc1 answers for their hatebears. 1 for 1 trades are ok since we have the cantrips to
create card quality.

Crypt and Swarm filled the few flex slots in my board. I don't want to see more than one Crypt in a game and it never comes in alone but usually accompanies Flusterstorms, Chain of Vapor, and Swarm (for UB) in the Reanimator MU. Xantid isn't mandatory and I decided to play one because if I draw it timely, it can do some work but if I don't draw it at all it's fine as well. That way I stay flexible and don't commit myself to one specific strategy.

[alionamongstmen]

stuff

Ive thought about that before as well, but to run mentor, priest, and wear/tear. How would you build the manabase?

[PirateKing]

So I'm revisiting my Storm deck after the Top ban because 1) I had a single copy maindeck myself and 2) I won't have to worry about my soul being crushed by 3 Miracle matchups in a 4 round event.

My list was pretty stock, 1 Dark Petition as the 5th tutor, typical cantrip, mana, fluff, etc. Taking the deck out of the box, I also had put in two copies of Collective Brutality which I remember I wanted to test in the main in place of some number of Duress or Cabal Therapy. My thinking was being able to Escalate cards away to guarantee Hellbent without always needing LEDs in play would be really nice, after experiencing some hands where I'm locked into a minimum turn count before combo because of lands in hand until I either play them all or draw a LED. I searched the thread and saw some posts discussing it as a sideboard card but I'm surprised there wasn't more talk about pushing a few copies in the main.

I'll be testing it out in the next few weeks, but I wanted to hear if anybody else had some experience with it in ANT?

[Ronald Deuce]

My thinking was being able to Escalate cards away to guarantee Hellbent without always needing LEDs in play would be really nice, after experiencing some hands where I'm locked into a minimum turn count before combo because of lands in hand until I either play them all or draw a LED.

Sorry I won't be able to answer your question, but this really resonated with my experience. It's a big reason I'm only going with 14 lands maindeck, though I'm wondering what the best mana setup is in this brave new world.

[ScottW]

So I'm revisiting my Storm deck after the Top ban because 1) I had a single copy maindeck myself and 2) I won't have to worry about my soul being crushed by 3 Miracle matchups in a 4 round event.

My list was pretty stock, 1 Dark Petition as the 5th tutor, typical cantrip, mana, fluff, etc. Taking the deck out of the box, I also had put in two copies of Collective Brutality which I remember I wanted to test in the main in place of some number of Duress or Cabal Therapy. My thinking was being able to Escalate cards away to guarantee Hellbent without always needing LEDs in play would be really nice, after experiencing some hands where I'm locked into a minimum turn count before combo because of lands in hand until I either play them all or draw a LED. I searched the thread and saw some posts discussing it as a sideboard card but I'm surprised there wasn't more talk about pushing a few copies in the main.

I'll be testing it out in the next few weeks, but I wanted to hear if anybody else had some experience with it in ANT?

I really can't imagine paying more than 1cmc for discard unless the additional effect had more utility. Discard at 1 allows for both t1 discard, which is often critical otp and then also having BB in combo turn: B for discard and B to start up your rituals. I usually don't have trouble getting hellbent.

I'm curious how often players cast a non-hellbent tutor on or before the combo turn. I do this often enough but am usually too unwilling to do so in g2 and 3 in fear of SE. Sometimes I almost like when somebody plays a Leyline becuasue I don't have to worry about this

[UseLess]

I completely forgot about brutality when thinking about a maindeck replacement for Abrupt Decay. I still like that it can target chalice, but I suppose between Decay, Brutality and possibly Fatal Push, that are the most likely cards to complement the protection package of Duress and Cabal Therapy the best. I'm looking forward to hear your test results. If maindeck Chalices won't be played much, it starts to become very attractive to replace Decay with Brutality or Push. Keep us posted!

[Ronald Deuce]

I completely forgot about brutality when thinking about a maindeck replacement for Abrupt Decay. I still like that it can target chalice, but I suppose between Decay, Brutality and possibly Fatal Push, that are the most likely cards to complement the protection package of Duress and Cabal Therapy the best. I'm looking forward to hear your test results. If maindeck Chalices won't be played much, it starts to become very attractive to replace Decay with Brutality or Push. Keep us posted!

If, as you're hoping, there's not a lot in the way of Chalices, why not use Chain of Vapor?

[ScottW]

I completely forgot about brutality when thinking about a maindeck replacement for Abrupt Decay. I still like that it can target chalice, but I suppose between Decay, Brutality and possibly Fatal Push, that are the most likely cards to complement the protection package of Duress and Cabal Therapy the best. I'm looking forward to hear your test results. If maindeck Chalices won't be played much, it starts to become very attractive to replace Decay with Brutality or Push. Keep us posted!

MD? Not sure what I'm missing. Is this to discard + kill a bear + discard land? Genuinely curious.

[Lormador]

Yeah, other storm lists with Rite of Flames, Burning Wishes, and Surgicals just didn't seem right for me; especially since I need to have a feeling for the set up.

I always found Pyroclasm to be to weak against DnT and I am generally not fond of Massacre. In my experience I try to race them having on-colour cc1 answers for their hatebears. 1 for 1 trades are ok since we have the cantrips to
create card quality.

Crypt and Swarm filled the few flex slots in my board. I don't want to see more than one Crypt in a game and it never comes in alone but usually accompanies Flusterstorms, Chain of Vapor, and Swarm (for UB) in the Reanimator MU. Xantid isn't mandatory and I decided to play one because if I draw it timely, it can do some work but if I don't draw it at all it's fine as well. That way I stay flexible and don't commit myself to one specific strategy.

I've got to say, I like the look of this "spread out" sideboard strategy of 1-ofs. Must make counterhate really hard to do, I mean who wants to be playing with 2-3 removal cards vs. a lonely Xantid Swarm?

Personally I've been having a lot of trouble against the Pyromancer + Therapy decks that now seem on an increase. What have you guys been doing against them?