[Deck] Sneak and Show

[J-Funk]

Loving this conversation about Jace, top, and moon. Here's another somewhat contentious issue: how do people feel about two Ashen Rider in the side? Where are the match ups that this really shines? Is it worth it?

Death and Taxes, Junk/Maverick, and anything playing Karakas. It's a good card with a powerful ability, and I have certainly ridden it to victory against a few DnT decks. There was a brief period of time when Death and Taxes was everywhere that I was actually mainboarding one and only running three Emrakuls. I wasn't totally sold on it, but it's certainly an option. I'd say it's definitely meta dependent. If you're running into a lot of the junk, maverick, and D&T decks in your area I could see putting two in the sideboard (or one in the mainboard).

For fun, try sneak attacking your Ashen Rider for MAXIMUM VALUE!

[Unassigned]

Loving this conversation about Jace, top, and moon. Here's another somewhat contentious issue: how do people feel about two Ashen Rider in the side? Where are the match ups that this really shines? Is it worth it?

Ashen Rider has been a little pet of mine. I have a lot of 12 Post, Depths and D&T in my Meta. Karakas can be a pain, so this is a reliable answer and viable threat against these decks. It's also a strong card against Painter. I could see 1 or 2 being thrown into the main deck in a meta that is heavy against large bodies. I've been stopped Game 1 more than once to an Ensnaring Bridge and have considered a spot in the main, but as J-Funk said, it's a definite metagame call there. I don't think that I would have it in the main if I were heading to an Open, but who knows.

[GoblinZ]

Actually, that match seems weird for me... Even when I play painter against reanimator, I think moon is not good at all, especially on the draw. Unless I resolve a fast moon effect, moon could be really really bad if you topdeck one.

As Menace said above, a fast moon might lock yourself up instead of your opponent, while a later moon just does nothing.

And you need more counters, graveyard hates, TTB and bounces postboard, I don't think you have room for moon, which is much less efficient than other cards.

[Aggro_zombies]

This is a friendly reminder: when you see forum flames, report, don't reply! Pissing on each other derails the thread and generates more work for the mods.

[GoblinZ]

Todd Anderson lost to Bryant Cook with turn one Griselbrand...I cannot understand why he activated griselbrand's ability that turn...

[JPA]

Todd Anderson lost to Bryant Cook with turn one Griselbrand...I cannot understand why he activated griselbrand's ability that turn...

Because he didn't read the "How to use Griselbrand"-section in the primer.

[Unassigned]

Todd Anderson lost to Bryant Cook with turn one Griselbrand...I cannot understand why he activated griselbrand's ability that turn...

I'm really not sure. Maybe he was looking for a Lotus Petal? Still don't agree with that line though.

[GoblinZ]

I'm really not sure. Maybe he was looking for a Lotus Petal? Still don't agree with that line though.

I also saw he activate Griselbrand too early in game two, because he obviously was searching for a fast sneak kill, but he forgot he already cast three(maybe two?) petals before... When Cook cast Cabal Therapy, he hided two Fow on the top of the library. If I were Cook, I would blindly name Emrakul, which he did have one in hand. Then two fow would be shuffled away, and there was a chance that Todd could not draw any fow with one more activating.

[Unassigned]

I also saw he activate Griselbrand too early in game two, because he obviously was searching for a fast sneak kill, but he forgot he already cast three(maybe two?) petals before... When Cook cast Cabal Therapy, he hided two Fow on the top of the library. If I were Cook, I would blindly name Emrakul, which he did have one in hand. Then two fow would be shuffled away, and there was a chance that Todd could not draw any fow with one more activating.

Exactly. All he needed to do was pump the brakes and he could have easily coasted, but he didn't. G3, all he needed to do was sit back. If he sits back and doesn't draw, he makes his opponent go all in on a Wish or Tutor, that's when you dig for Force and wreck their day. I'm sure Todd has been reamed for this line of play already by friends/fellow players. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if he just had a "brain fart" and lost his focus. Happens to all of us once in a while.

[TheRandomGuy]

---

Hi there! I'm a long time lurker here at The Source and started being active in Legacy since March 2014. I played Jund as my "return" deck from a long hiatus, then switched to "demons n' tentacles" aka Sneak Show last month. I had a 3-0 in my weekly using the deck for the first time before joining a big local legacy event the week after.
Here are my tournament reports on two events where I finished both at the Top 8 (also the first couple of major events that I played the deck :P). I apologize if it's gonna be a long read. Enjoy. :)

DISCLAIMER: Most of the round-by-round reports are from memory. This is my first time writing a report, so please spare me. :D

PART I

06/29/2014: Cerberus Legacy Open 8

Lands:
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Volcanic Island
3 Ancient Tomb
2 City of Traitors
3 island
1 Mountain

Creatures:
4 Griselbrand
4 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn

Spells:
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Lotus Petal
4 Sneak Attack
4 Show and Tell
4 Force of Will
3 Spell Pierce
3 Gitaxian Probe
1 Intuition
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Misdirection

Sideboard:
3 Blood Moon
3 Pyroclasm
2 Through the Breach
2 Swan Song
2 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Wipe Away
1 Pyroblast
1 Shattering Spree

Round 1: Esper Stoneblade w/ Deathrite Shaman (not DeathBlade, as per the deck's owner)

Game 1:
I went first and kept a hand with Probe, Lands, Show and Tell, Griselbrand, Force of Will, Ponder. I pondered to setup my next two turns and drew a Brainstorm. He went with Underground Sea and Deathrite Shaman. I probed him next turn to see if the coast is clear, and put Griselbrand into play via Show and Tell while he put another land in play. I drew 7 and win three turns later.

SB:
-1 Intuition -1 Force of Will -1 Spell Pierce -1 Gitaxian Probe -2 Lotus Petal -2 Show And Tell
+3 blood moon +2 Pyroclasm +1 Wipe Away +2 Through the Breach

Game 2:
He goes first with Deathrite Shaman. I dig my deck for any protection to a second turn Liliana of the Veil but didn't find anything. Lucky for me, he didn't have a Liliana on his second turn. I kill his shaman with pyroclasm and attempted to cast Blood Moon but he countered it. I probed his hand and saw a Liliana and a Vendilion Clique. Lucky for me he got himself color screwed to not cast any of those threats (1). I dropped a sneak attack that turn and killed him with Griselbrand and Emrakul next turn.

1-0-0 (2-0)

Round 2: GW Maverick

Game 1:
He goes first with Fetch, Savannah, Noble Hierach. I went with the usual business spell openers, but then he played Thalia. He didn't have any wastelands so I risked playing my sol lands to have me cast expensive business spells (casting a 1U Ponder sucks T_T). He continues to build his board state with Dryad Arbor and a Sylvan Library, then two turns and a handful of beatings from Thalia and Arbor later, I managed to put Sneak Attack into play via Show and Tell, and he put a Knight of the Reliquary in play, then passed the turn. I have two red sources open and a Scalding Tarn then dropped Griselbrand, drew 7 and proceeded to the combat phase. I played Emrakul via Sneak Attack during the beginning of combat step, then he put Karakas into play via Knight of the Reliquary's activation. He bounced Emrakul during that step, I let it resolve and put Emrakul back into play by cracking Scalding Tarn for a Volcanic Island to put Emrakul into play again (we are still in the beginning of combat step). He calls a judge to ask if it's still legal, in which it is, since it is our play around Karakas anyway. The judge explains to him the rules and I proceed to annihilate him with Griselbrand and Emrakul that turn.

SB:
-1 Misdirection -1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor -2 Show and Tell -1 Spell Pierce -3 Gitaxian Probe -2 Lotus Petal -1 Intuition
+2 Through the Breach +3 Blood Moon +3 Pyroclasm +2 Grafdigger's cage +1 Wipe Away

Game 2:
I keep a hand of Ponder, 3 Lands, Pyroclasm, Show and Tell and a Spell Pierce. He mulligans to 6 and opens up with Noble Hierarch. I Pondered to Pyroclasm, Griselbrand, Fetch and drew the Pyroclasm. Next turn he plays a qasali pridemage and attacked me for 2. I killed both with Pyroclasm and passed the turn. He then pushed back by playing both Thalia and Mother of Runes and passed the turn. I kill both of them again with Pyroclasm. He plays a lone Dryad Arbor on his turn while I play a Griselbrand via Show and Tell on mine. Good thing he dropped a land and is on top deck mode. I lock him up with Blood Moon as he extends his hand.

2-0-0 (4-0)

Round 3: URW Patriot (He's also in the Top 8 too)

Game 1:
He goes first and plays Volcanic Island, Ponder, go (I have a feeling that this is going to be the mirror x_x). I played an open Island and passed the turn. He then cracked a fetch to a Tundra and played a Delver of Secrets. I played a fetchland and played ponder to set up my next turns, he then plays a Stoneforge Mystic searching for a Batterskull. I probe him next turn to check if the coast is clear, and cast Show and Tell dropping Emrakul. I attacked the following turn and we're on to game 2.

SB:
-1 Intuition -1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor -1 Misdirection -1 Gitaxian Probe -2 Lotus Petal -2 Spell Pierce
+3 Blood Moon +3 Pyroclasm +1 Pyroblast +1 Wipe Away

Game 2:
This game was a really close. He had me at 6 life due to delver beats but survived thanks to Pyroblast. Lucky for me he didn't have red mana to finish me off with Lightning Bolt. All he had was a wasteland and a Tundra and a lone Lightning Bolt in his hand after we went to a counter-war for my Show and Tell (As I had a Griselbrand in my hand). I played a Blood Moon to lock him out of blue mana (for Ponder and Brainstorm to dig for another Lightning Bolt). He then rips another Lightning Bolt from the top of his deck and kills me on the spot. (2)

No changes in the SB

Game 3:
I'll keep this short. He established his tempo with Delver and locked me out with Meddling Mage naming Show and Tell. I tried to fight back with Pyroclasm but ended up losing the counter war. I die a few turns later.

2-1-0 (5-2)

Round 4: UG Berserk Infect

Game 1:
I go first by playing Island and passing the turn. He goes first with a Tropical Island to a Glistener Elf. I probe him to drop Emrakul on the second turn as he puts an Inkmoth Nexus. I attack next turn and he doesn't recover from Emrakul's annihilating tentacles and went on to game 2.

SB:
-1 Intuition -1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor -2 Lotus Petal
+3 Pyroclasm +1 Wipe Away

Game 2:
He starts with an Inkmoth Nexus. I did the deck's usual openers and he played a Blighted Agent. I endure his poisonous attacks with the agent and an animated Inkmoth Nexus and then drops a Glistener Elf. I kill his creatures with Pyroclasm and stabilized by countering pump spells targetting the Inkmoth Nexus. A few turns later, I play Sneak Attack and annihilate him with Emrakul, he takes 15 and concedes.

3-1-0 (7-2)

Round 5: MUD

Game 1:
I go first with Island, Ponder and Petal. He mulls to 5 and goes Ancient Tomb, Lightning Greaves. I then play a land and cast Show and Tell putting Emrakul into play while he puts a Blightsteel Colossus. He equipped Blightsteel Colossus with Lightning Greaves and attacked. I blocked with Emrakul and reduced to a mere 4/4. I attack next turn and he concedes.

SB:
-1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor -1 Misdirection -2 Show and Tell -1 Gitaxian Probe -2 Lotus Petal
+3 Blood Moon +1 Wipe Away +1 Shattering Spree +2 Through the Breach


Game 2:
I have a Ponder, Petal, Lands ( an Ancient Tomb, a volcanic island a fetchland), Show and Tell, Griselbrand as my starting had. He opens up with Ancient Tomb to Metalworker. I set up with fetchland to Volcanic Island then Ponder (which has a land, a Shattering Spree and another petal in it) I took Shattering Spree and played Lotus Petal then passed the turn. He then plays Grim Monolith to Trinisphere while I did nothing and just played a land. He then plays another Grim Monolith by tapping Metalworker revealing a Lodestone Golem and passed. I drew the Lotus Petal, played my Sol Land and Passed. An uncounterable Lodestone Golem comes into play thanks to a Cavern of Souls and the untapped Grim Monolith. I drew the petal, then cast Shattering Spree targetting the Trinisphere and Lodestone Golem using 2 volcanic islands and Ancient Tomb to pay for the spell with replicate(3). I play my Lotus Petal and cast Show and Tell to Griselbrand as he puts another Metalworker into Play. I drew 7 and a few attacks and counterspells later, I'm in the Top 8. :D

4-1-0 (9-2)

Round 6: ID to Top 8

4-1-1 (9-2)

***Playoff Rounds***

Quarterfinals: Burn

Game 1:
My opponent as higher seed went first as he beats me with Goblin Guide and burns me off to 8 life. He has a couple of cards in his hand land as I cast Show and Tell to an Emrakul as he drops a land. I attack and annihilate him and we move on to game two.

SB:
-1 intuition -1 Jace, the Mind Scultpor -1 force of will -1 gitaxian probe -2 lotus petal
+1 shattering spree +1 wipe away +3 pyroclasm

Game 2:
He went first with Goblin Guide, then follows up with Grim Lavamancer, then Vexing Shusher. I killed them all with Pyroclasm. After he passes his turn, I cast a Sneak Attack and pass the turn back to him. He tries to burn me but my counters save me, I drop Griselbrand and Emrakul and attack for the win.

(11-2)

Sadly, I got beaten by Miracles on the semi-finals with a really close match. He has all the answers and just beats me up with Vendilion Clique and Snapcaster Mage. Sensei's Divining Top is just bonkers. I scooped up my cards, wished my opponent the best of luck and thanked him for the experience (as he is one of the veteran players here). Good for him that he won the tournament. :P

(1)Well he could have cast Liliana on his last turn to have me discard since I only have like three cards in hand, but he thought that I didn't have anything and opted to wait instead. I got lucky that I drew an Emrakul from my Griseldraw. He wasn't able to get another blue source to cast his vendilion clique. :(
(2) Was playing Blood Moon in this situation right here? I didn't have anything and all I needed was to lock him out of blue mana for him not to ponder or brainstorm for me to have enough time to dig for a Sneak Attack or Show and Tell to turn the tide.
(3) I dunno if what I did was legal, but I confirmed from my opponent himself that the replicate cost will still be the same even if Trinisphere is in play. He also clarified that it'll still cost me 3 mana to cast Shattering Spree even if it's taxed by Lodestone Golem as long as Trinisphere is in play. Clear me up on this guys. :)

*I know, I board in more than what is necessary for every matchup. If you have any sideboarding tips or a sideboard configuration, that would be much helpful!

Stay tuned for Part II guys!

Any comments or suggestions are welcome!

[blindspotxxx]

---

Hi there! I'm a long time lurker here at The Source and started being active in Legacy since March 2014. I played Jund as my "return" deck from a long hiatus, then switched to "demons n' tentacles" aka Sneak Show last month. I had a 3-0 in my weekly using the deck for the first time before joining a big local legacy event the week after.
Here are my tournament reports on two events where I finished both at the Top 8 (also the first couple of major events that I played the deck :P). I apologize if it's gonna be a long read. Enjoy. :)

DISCLAIMER: Most of the round-by-round reports are from memory. This is my first time writing a report, so please spare me. :D

PART I

06/29/2014: Cerberus Legacy Open 8

Lands:
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Volcanic Island
3 Ancient Tomb
2 City of Traitors
3 island
1 Mountain

Creatures:
4 Griselbrand
4 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn

Spells:
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Lotus Petal
4 Sneak Attack
4 Show and Tell
4 Force of Will
3 Spell Pierce
3 Gitaxian Probe
1 Intuition
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Misdirection

Sideboard:
3 Blood Moon
3 Pyroclasm
2 Through the Breach
2 Swan Song
2 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Wipe Away
1 Pyroblast
1 Shattering Spree

Round 1: Esper Stoneblade w/ Deathrite Shaman (not DeathBlade, as per the deck's owner)

Game 1:
I went first and kept a hand with Probe, Lands, Show and Tell, Griselbrand, Force of Will, Ponder. I pondered to setup my next two turns and drew a Brainstorm. He went with Underground Sea and Deathrite Shaman. I probed him next turn to see if the coast is clear, and put Griselbrand into play via Show and Tell while he put another land in play. I drew 7 and win three turns later.

SB:
-1 Intuition -1 Force of Will -1 Spell Pierce -1 Gitaxian Probe -2 Lotus Petal -2 Show And Tell
+3 blood moon +2 Pyroclasm +1 Wipe Away +2 Through the Breach

Game 2:
He goes first with Deathrite Shaman. I dig my deck for any protection to a second turn Liliana of the Veil but didn't find anything. Lucky for me, he didn't have a Liliana on his second turn. I kill his shaman with pyroclasm and attempted to cast Blood Moon but he countered it. I probed his hand and saw a Liliana and a Vendilion Clique. Lucky for me he got himself color screwed to not cast any of those threats (1). I dropped a sneak attack that turn and killed him with Griselbrand and Emrakul next turn.

1-0-0 (2-0)

Round 2: GW Maverick

Game 1:
He goes first with Fetch, Savannah, Noble Hierach. I went with the usual business spell openers, but then he played Thalia. He didn't have any wastelands so I risked playing my sol lands to have me cast expensive business spells (casting a 1U Ponder sucks T_T). He continues to build his board state with Dryad Arbor and a Sylvan Library, then two turns and a handful of beatings from Thalia and Arbor later, I managed to put Sneak Attack into play via Show and Tell, and he put a Knight of the Reliquary in play, then passed the turn. I have two red sources open and a Scalding Tarn then dropped Griselbrand, drew 7 and proceeded to the combat phase. I played Emrakul via Sneak Attack during the beginning of combat step, then he put Karakas into play via Knight of the Reliquary's activation. He bounced Emrakul during that step, I let it resolve and put Emrakul back into play by cracking Scalding Tarn for a Volcanic Island to put Emrakul into play again (we are still in the beginning of combat step). He calls a judge to ask if it's still legal, in which it is, since it is our play around Karakas anyway. The judge explains to him the rules and I proceed to annihilate him with Griselbrand and Emrakul that turn.

SB:
-1 Misdirection -1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor -2 Show and Tell -1 Spell Pierce -3 Gitaxian Probe -2 Lotus Petal -1 Intuition
+2 Through the Breach +3 Blood Moon +3 Pyroclasm +2 Grafdigger's cage +1 Wipe Away

Game 2:
I keep a hand of Ponder, 3 Lands, Pyroclasm, Show and Tell and a Spell Pierce. He mulligans to 6 and opens up with Noble Hierarch. I Pondered to Pyroclasm, Griselbrand, Fetch and drew the Pyroclasm. Next turn he plays a qasali pridemage and attacked me for 2. I killed both with Pyroclasm and passed the turn. He then pushed back by playing both Thalia and Mother of Runes and passed the turn. I kill both of them again with Pyroclasm. He plays a lone Dryad Arbor on his turn while I play a Griselbrand via Show and Tell on mine. Good thing he dropped a land and is on top deck mode. I lock him up with Blood Moon as he extends his hand.

2-0-0 (4-0)

Round 3: URW Patriot (He's also in the Top 8 too)

Game 1:
He goes first and plays Volcanic Island, Ponder, go (I have a feeling that this is going to be the mirror x_x). I played an open Island and passed the turn. He then cracked a fetch to a Tundra and played a Delver of Secrets. I played a fetchland and played ponder to set up my next turns, he then plays a Stoneforge Mystic searching for a Batterskull. I probe him next turn to check if the coast is clear, and cast Show and Tell dropping Emrakul. I attacked the following turn and we're on to game 2.

SB:
-1 Intuition -1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor -1 Misdirection -1 Gitaxian Probe -2 Lotus Petal -2 Spell Pierce
+3 Blood Moon +3 Pyroclasm +1 Pyroblast +1 Wipe Away

Game 2:
This game was a really close. He had me at 6 life due to delver beats but survived thanks to Pyroblast. Lucky for me he didn't have red mana to finish me off with Lightning Bolt. All he had was a wasteland and a Tundra and a lone Lightning Bolt in his hand after we went to a counter-war for my Show and Tell (As I had a Griselbrand in my hand). I played a Blood Moon to lock him out of blue mana (for Ponder and Brainstorm to dig for another Lightning Bolt). He then rips another Lightning Bolt from the top of his deck and kills me on the spot. (2)

No changes in the SB

Game 3:
I'll keep this short. He established his tempo with Delver and locked me out with Meddling Mage naming Show and Tell. I tried to fight back with Pyroclasm but ended up losing the counter war. I die a few turns later.

2-1-0 (5-2)

Round 4: UG Berserk Infect

Game 1:
I go first by playing Island and passing the turn. He goes first with a Tropical Island to a Glistener Elf. I probe him to drop Emrakul on the second turn as he puts an Inkmoth Nexus. I attack next turn and he doesn't recover from Emrakul's annihilating tentacles and went on to game 2.

SB:
-1 Intuition -1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor -2 Lotus Petal
+3 Pyroclasm +1 Wipe Away

Game 2:
He starts with an Inkmoth Nexus. I did the deck's usual openers and he played a Blighted Agent. I endure his poisonous attacks with the agent and an animated Inkmoth Nexus and then drops a Glistener Elf. I kill his creatures with Pyroclasm and stabilized by countering pump spells targetting the Inkmoth Nexus. A few turns later, I play Sneak Attack and annihilate him with Emrakul, he takes 15 and concedes.

3-1-0 (7-2)

Round 5: MUD

Game 1:
I go first with Island, Ponder and Petal. He mulls to 5 and goes Ancient Tomb, Lightning Greaves. I then play a land and cast Show and Tell putting Emrakul into play while he puts a Blightsteel Colossus. He equipped Blightsteel Colossus with Lightning Greaves and attacked. I blocked with Emrakul and reduced to a mere 4/4. I attack next turn and he concedes.

SB:
-1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor -1 Misdirection -2 Show and Tell -1 Gitaxian Probe -2 Lotus Petal
+3 Blood Moon +1 Wipe Away +1 Shattering Spree +2 Through the Breach


Game 2:
I have a Ponder, Petal, Lands ( an Ancient Tomb, a volcanic island a fetchland), Show and Tell, Griselbrand as my starting had. He opens up with Ancient Tomb to Metalworker. I set up with fetchland to Volcanic Island then Ponder (which has a land, a Shattering Spree and another petal in it) I took Shattering Spree and played Lotus Petal then passed the turn. He then plays Grim Monolith to Trinisphere while I did nothing and just played a land. He then plays another Grim Monolith by tapping Metalworker revealing a Lodestone Golem and passed. I drew the Lotus Petal, played my Sol Land and Passed. An uncounterable Lodestone Golem comes into play thanks to a Cavern of Souls and the untapped Grim Monolith. I drew the petal, then cast Shattering Spree targetting the Trinisphere and Lodestone Golem using 2 volcanic islands and Ancient Tomb to pay for the spell with replicate(3). I play my Lotus Petal and cast Show and Tell to Griselbrand as he puts another Metalworker into Play. I drew 7 and a few attacks and counterspells later, I'm in the Top 8. :D

4-1-0 (9-2)

Round 6: ID to Top 8

4-1-1 (9-2)

***Playoff Rounds***

Quarterfinals: Burn

Game 1:
My opponent as higher seed went first as he beats me with Goblin Guide and burns me off to 8 life. He has a couple of cards in his hand land as I cast Show and Tell to an Emrakul as he drops a land. I attack and annihilate him and we move on to game two.

SB:
-1 intuition -1 Jace, the Mind Scultpor -1 force of will -1 gitaxian probe -2 lotus petal
+1 shattering spree +1 wipe away +3 pyroclasm

Game 2:
He went first with Goblin Guide, then follows up with Grim Lavamancer, then Vexing Shusher. I killed them all with Pyroclasm. After he passes his turn, I cast a Sneak Attack and pass the turn back to him. He tries to burn me but my counters save me, I drop Griselbrand and Emrakul and attack for the win.

(11-2)

Sadly, I got beaten by Miracles on the semi-finals with a really close match. He has all the answers and just beats me up with Vendilion Clique and Snapcaster Mage. Sensei's Divining Top is just bonkers. I scooped up my cards, wished my opponent the best of luck and thanked him for the experience (as he is one of the veteran players here). Good for him that he won the tournament. :P

(1)Well he could have cast Liliana on his last turn to have me discard since I only have like three cards in hand, but he thought that I didn't have anything and opted to wait instead. I got lucky that I drew an Emrakul from my Griseldraw. He wasn't able to get another blue source to cast his vendilion clique. :(
(2) Was playing Blood Moon in this situation right here? I didn't have anything and all I needed was to lock him out of blue mana for him not to ponder or brainstorm for me to have enough time to dig for a Sneak Attack or Show and Tell to turn the tide.
(3) I dunno if what I did was legal, but I confirmed from my opponent himself that the replicate cost will still be the same even if Trinisphere is in play. He also clarified that it'll still cost me 3 mana to cast Shattering Spree even if it's taxed by Lodestone Golem as long as Trinisphere is in play. Clear me up on this guys. :)

*I know, I board in more than what is necessary for every matchup. If you have any sideboarding tips or a sideboard configuration, that would be much helpful!

Stay tuned for Part II guys!

Any comments or suggestions are welcome!

These are what I would board out.

Against Burn I would cut the Gitaxian Probes and not the Petals.

Against Maverick I wouldn't cut the Petals for Grafdigger's.

Against Deathblade I would cut all Petals as the game will become an attrition war.

[Hank Zhong]

---

Hi there! I'm a long time lurker here at The Source and started being active in Legacy since March 2014. I played Jund as my "return" deck from a long hiatus, then switched to "demons n' tentacles" aka Sneak Show last month. I had a 3-0 in my weekly using the deck for the first time before joining a big local legacy event the week after.
Here are my tournament reports on two events where I finished both at the Top 8 (also the first couple of major events that I played the deck :P). I apologize if it's gonna be a long read. Enjoy. :)

DISCLAIMER: Most of the round-by-round reports are from memory. This is my first time writing a report, so please spare me. :D

PART I

06/29/2014: Cerberus Legacy Open 8

Lands:
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Volcanic Island
3 Ancient Tomb
2 City of Traitors
3 island
1 Mountain

Creatures:
4 Griselbrand
4 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn

Spells:
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Lotus Petal
4 Sneak Attack
4 Show and Tell
4 Force of Will
3 Spell Pierce
3 Gitaxian Probe
1 Intuition
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Misdirection

Sideboard:
3 Blood Moon
3 Pyroclasm
2 Through the Breach
2 Swan Song
2 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Wipe Away
1 Pyroblast
1 Shattering Spree

Round 1: Esper Stoneblade w/ Deathrite Shaman (not DeathBlade, as per the deck's owner)

Game 1:
I went first and kept a hand with Probe, Lands, Show and Tell, Griselbrand, Force of Will, Ponder. I pondered to setup my next two turns and drew a Brainstorm. He went with Underground Sea and Deathrite Shaman. I probed him next turn to see if the coast is clear, and put Griselbrand into play via Show and Tell while he put another land in play. I drew 7 and win three turns later.

SB:
-1 Intuition -1 Force of Will -1 Spell Pierce -1 Gitaxian Probe -2 Lotus Petal -2 Show And Tell
+3 blood moon +2 Pyroclasm +1 Wipe Away +2 Through the Breach

Game 2:
He goes first with Deathrite Shaman. I dig my deck for any protection to a second turn Liliana of the Veil but didn't find anything. Lucky for me, he didn't have a Liliana on his second turn. I kill his shaman with pyroclasm and attempted to cast Blood Moon but he countered it. I probed his hand and saw a Liliana and a Vendilion Clique. Lucky for me he got himself color screwed to not cast any of those threats (1). I dropped a sneak attack that turn and killed him with Griselbrand and Emrakul next turn.

1-0-0 (2-0)

Round 2: GW Maverick

Game 1:
He goes first with Fetch, Savannah, Noble Hierach. I went with the usual business spell openers, but then he played Thalia. He didn't have any wastelands so I risked playing my sol lands to have me cast expensive business spells (casting a 1U Ponder sucks T_T). He continues to build his board state with Dryad Arbor and a Sylvan Library, then two turns and a handful of beatings from Thalia and Arbor later, I managed to put Sneak Attack into play via Show and Tell, and he put a Knight of the Reliquary in play, then passed the turn. I have two red sources open and a Scalding Tarn then dropped Griselbrand, drew 7 and proceeded to the combat phase. I played Emrakul via Sneak Attack during the beginning of combat step, then he put Karakas into play via Knight of the Reliquary's activation. He bounced Emrakul during that step, I let it resolve and put Emrakul back into play by cracking Scalding Tarn for a Volcanic Island to put Emrakul into play again (we are still in the beginning of combat step). He calls a judge to ask if it's still legal, in which it is, since it is our play around Karakas anyway. The judge explains to him the rules and I proceed to annihilate him with Griselbrand and Emrakul that turn.

SB:
-1 Misdirection -1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor -2 Show and Tell -1 Spell Pierce -3 Gitaxian Probe -2 Lotus Petal -1 Intuition
+2 Through the Breach +3 Blood Moon +3 Pyroclasm +2 Grafdigger's cage +1 Wipe Away

Game 2:
I keep a hand of Ponder, 3 Lands, Pyroclasm, Show and Tell and a Spell Pierce. He mulligans to 6 and opens up with Noble Hierarch. I Pondered to Pyroclasm, Griselbrand, Fetch and drew the Pyroclasm. Next turn he plays a qasali pridemage and attacked me for 2. I killed both with Pyroclasm and passed the turn. He then pushed back by playing both Thalia and Mother of Runes and passed the turn. I kill both of them again with Pyroclasm. He plays a lone Dryad Arbor on his turn while I play a Griselbrand via Show and Tell on mine. Good thing he dropped a land and is on top deck mode. I lock him up with Blood Moon as he extends his hand.

2-0-0 (4-0)

Round 3: URW Patriot (He's also in the Top 8 too)

Game 1:
He goes first and plays Volcanic Island, Ponder, go (I have a feeling that this is going to be the mirror x_x). I played an open Island and passed the turn. He then cracked a fetch to a Tundra and played a Delver of Secrets. I played a fetchland and played ponder to set up my next turns, he then plays a Stoneforge Mystic searching for a Batterskull. I probe him next turn to check if the coast is clear, and cast Show and Tell dropping Emrakul. I attacked the following turn and we're on to game 2.

SB:
-1 Intuition -1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor -1 Misdirection -1 Gitaxian Probe -2 Lotus Petal -2 Spell Pierce
+3 Blood Moon +3 Pyroclasm +1 Pyroblast +1 Wipe Away

Game 2:
This game was a really close. He had me at 6 life due to delver beats but survived thanks to Pyroblast. Lucky for me he didn't have red mana to finish me off with Lightning Bolt. All he had was a wasteland and a Tundra and a lone Lightning Bolt in his hand after we went to a counter-war for my Show and Tell (As I had a Griselbrand in my hand). I played a Blood Moon to lock him out of blue mana (for Ponder and Brainstorm to dig for another Lightning Bolt). He then rips another Lightning Bolt from the top of his deck and kills me on the spot. (2)

No changes in the SB

Game 3:
I'll keep this short. He established his tempo with Delver and locked me out with Meddling Mage naming Show and Tell. I tried to fight back with Pyroclasm but ended up losing the counter war. I die a few turns later.

2-1-0 (5-2)

Round 4: UG Berserk Infect

Game 1:
I go first by playing Island and passing the turn. He goes first with a Tropical Island to a Glistener Elf. I probe him to drop Emrakul on the second turn as he puts an Inkmoth Nexus. I attack next turn and he doesn't recover from Emrakul's annihilating tentacles and went on to game 2.

SB:
-1 Intuition -1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor -2 Lotus Petal
+3 Pyroclasm +1 Wipe Away

Game 2:
He starts with an Inkmoth Nexus. I did the deck's usual openers and he played a Blighted Agent. I endure his poisonous attacks with the agent and an animated Inkmoth Nexus and then drops a Glistener Elf. I kill his creatures with Pyroclasm and stabilized by countering pump spells targetting the Inkmoth Nexus. A few turns later, I play Sneak Attack and annihilate him with Emrakul, he takes 15 and concedes.

3-1-0 (7-2)

Round 5: MUD

Game 1:
I go first with Island, Ponder and Petal. He mulls to 5 and goes Ancient Tomb, Lightning Greaves. I then play a land and cast Show and Tell putting Emrakul into play while he puts a Blightsteel Colossus. He equipped Blightsteel Colossus with Lightning Greaves and attacked. I blocked with Emrakul and reduced to a mere 4/4. I attack next turn and he concedes.

SB:
-1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor -1 Misdirection -2 Show and Tell -1 Gitaxian Probe -2 Lotus Petal
+3 Blood Moon +1 Wipe Away +1 Shattering Spree +2 Through the Breach


Game 2:
I have a Ponder, Petal, Lands ( an Ancient Tomb, a volcanic island a fetchland), Show and Tell, Griselbrand as my starting had. He opens up with Ancient Tomb to Metalworker. I set up with fetchland to Volcanic Island then Ponder (which has a land, a Shattering Spree and another petal in it) I took Shattering Spree and played Lotus Petal then passed the turn. He then plays Grim Monolith to Trinisphere while I did nothing and just played a land. He then plays another Grim Monolith by tapping Metalworker revealing a Lodestone Golem and passed. I drew the Lotus Petal, played my Sol Land and Passed. An uncounterable Lodestone Golem comes into play thanks to a Cavern of Souls and the untapped Grim Monolith. I drew the petal, then cast Shattering Spree targetting the Trinisphere and Lodestone Golem using 2 volcanic islands and Ancient Tomb to pay for the spell with replicate(3). I play my Lotus Petal and cast Show and Tell to Griselbrand as he puts another Metalworker into Play. I drew 7 and a few attacks and counterspells later, I'm in the Top 8. :D

4-1-0 (9-2)

Round 6: ID to Top 8

4-1-1 (9-2)

***Playoff Rounds***

Quarterfinals: Burn

Game 1:
My opponent as higher seed went first as he beats me with Goblin Guide and burns me off to 8 life. He has a couple of cards in his hand land as I cast Show and Tell to an Emrakul as he drops a land. I attack and annihilate him and we move on to game two.

SB:
-1 intuition -1 Jace, the Mind Scultpor -1 force of will -1 gitaxian probe -2 lotus petal
+1 shattering spree +1 wipe away +3 pyroclasm

Game 2:
He went first with Goblin Guide, then follows up with Grim Lavamancer, then Vexing Shusher. I killed them all with Pyroclasm. After he passes his turn, I cast a Sneak Attack and pass the turn back to him. He tries to burn me but my counters save me, I drop Griselbrand and Emrakul and attack for the win.

(11-2)

Sadly, I got beaten by Miracles on the semi-finals with a really close match. He has all the answers and just beats me up with Vendilion Clique and Snapcaster Mage. Sensei's Divining Top is just bonkers. I scooped up my cards, wished my opponent the best of luck and thanked him for the experience (as he is one of the veteran players here). Good for him that he won the tournament. :P

(1)Well he could have cast Liliana on his last turn to have me discard since I only have like three cards in hand, but he thought that I didn't have anything and opted to wait instead. I got lucky that I drew an Emrakul from my Griseldraw. He wasn't able to get another blue source to cast his vendilion clique. :(
(2) Was playing Blood Moon in this situation right here? I didn't have anything and all I needed was to lock him out of blue mana for him not to ponder or brainstorm for me to have enough time to dig for a Sneak Attack or Show and Tell to turn the tide.
(3) I dunno if what I did was legal, but I confirmed from my opponent himself that the replicate cost will still be the same even if Trinisphere is in play. He also clarified that it'll still cost me 3 mana to cast Shattering Spree even if it's taxed by Lodestone Golem as long as Trinisphere is in play. Clear me up on this guys. :)

*I know, I board in more than what is necessary for every matchup. If you have any sideboarding tips or a sideboard configuration, that would be much helpful!

Stay tuned for Part II guys!

Any comments or suggestions are welcome!

Sweet report and congrats on the finish!

I've recently crossed over to Sneak and Show from Reanimators and have been loving the deck so far. One thing I've been trying out in the sideboard is 3-4 red elemental blasts / pyroblasts. It may seem like a lot but when 9 out 10 top decks play blue (the only non-blue decks being D&T and Elves), it's almost never bad. Most importantly though, it kills delvers. I realized that blue deck are all fairly manageable as long as they don't have a delver pressuring us.

In your report, it looks like if you had more blasts, you could've won alot more counter wars and killed more delvers. Speaking of blue, another card I like out of the sideboard right now is defense grid. It is great against all the blue decks not playing black for discard, i.e. rug delver, miracles, uwr delver. I like it over boseiju, which is slow, gets wasted, costs life, and doesn't protect your sneak attacks. I have also been unimpressed with blood moon lately, mostly due to being bad against a resolved delver. It seems great on paper, but definitely worse in practice. A couple in the SB might still be correct, in conjunction with REBs to kill resolved delvers.

With 3 SB blasts, the decks I'm most afraid of playing are BUG delver and D&T, and I've been trying out different cards. MD Fire and Ice seems like a sweet against D&T so that's definitely an option. For BUG, maybe divert could be a good SB option.

[Unassigned]

Sweet report and congrats on the finish!

I've recently crossed over to Sneak and Show from Reanimators and have been loving the deck so far. One thing I've been trying out in the sideboard is 3-4 red elemental blasts / pyroblasts. It may seem like a lot but when 9 out 10 top decks play blue (the only non-blue decks being D&T and Elves), it's almost never bad. Most importantly though, it kills delvers. I realized that blue deck are all fairly manageable as long as they don't have a delver pressuring us.

In your report, it looks like if you had more blasts, you could've won alot more counter wars and killed more delvers. Speaking of blue, another card I like out of the sideboard right now is defense grid. It is great against all the blue decks not playing black for discard, i.e. rug delver, miracles, uwr delver. I like it over boseiju, which is slow, gets wasted, costs life, and doesn't protect your sneak attacks. I have also been unimpressed with blood moon lately, mostly due to being bad against a resolved delver. It seems great on paper, but definitely worse in practice. A couple in the SB might still be correct, in conjunction with REBs to kill resolved delvers.

With 3 SB blasts, the decks I'm most afraid of playing are BUG delver and D&T, and I've been trying out different cards. MD Fire and Ice seems like a sweet against D&T so that's definitely an option. For BUG, maybe divert could be a good SB option.

Welcome to the Dark Side. :)

Blasts are hardly ever a bad call to include in your sideboard. I think that the number is completely dependent upon your metagame.

Fire // Ice was discussed back on Page 15. It's been doing pretty decent work in our main decks. This is also a complete meta call. I ended up taking them out this week in favor of 2 main deck Ashen Riders to see how they tested against a heavy Miracles meta at my local store. I hardly ever drew them, so I didn't get much feedback. Still Top 4'd for some prize money. :)

As for Blood Moon, it seems to be falling out of favor to more people lately. If you had to take it out, what would you replace it with to compensate?

[nodahero]

I think the replacment for blood moon is very dpenendent on your meta. I think common alternatives in boards (as in cards I rarely see along side blood moon) include Leyline and Defense grid.

[i_b_TRUE]

So I got some testing in today vs Burn, Jund, Elves, DnT and Miracles. I cut the x3 Blood Moon for x3 Leyline of Sanctity... I was very dissapointed with Leyline as Burn played around it with their creatures and Eidilon is still very annoying since it doesnt target. And vs Jund it was decent at best. (I think Blood Moon is still going to keep its spot there as its an Auto Win usually in alot of matchups.)

vs Burn
The matchup is fairly easy G1 as they cannot disrupt the combo but make sure you kill them before they kill you. SB games, you just need to be leery of Ensnaring Bridge and Pyroblasts. I usually bring in the 1 Echoing Truth for another out to Bridge with Shattering Spree. All of the games I lost was when i had to mulligan and had terrible starts.

7-5 Win

vs Jund

This is another easy one... since that don't have FoW its pretty easy to beat them... Just hold your FoWs for Liliana and Discard if necessary. I tried Misdirection but I dont like being down so many cards along with FoW. There was discussion with Divert, but I am not sure if its good or not. Can anyone give some feedback on the BUG Delver matchup? (Since it plays closely to Jund style with discard spells)

5-1 Win

vs Elves

Another easy G1, just hold FoW or Spell Pierce for their NO or GSZ... or sometimes Glimpse depending the situation but usually its an auto counter since they are trying to go off. SB games get a little tricky since they bring in Progentius, Ruricthar etc... I usually board out 2 Show and Tell for 2 TTB. Grafdiggers Cage is also really good vs them.

5-1 Win

vs DnT

Our worst matchup by far... I did test Fire/Ice vs them and it was pretty good. Karakas is just so annoying but there is not much we can do. G1 games I was getting stomped (without Fire/Ice) SB games, I bring in Needle for Karakas and it seems to do the job. Thalia is also an issue, but nothing that just beats us. Anyone have other suggestions vs DnT? I also feel that this deck is terrible unless its against us, lol.

1-3 Loss

vs Miracles

This is one of the most grindy matchups for us. We did not get to test any SB games today unfortunately. But we played 3 MB games and they matchups were very tight. My plan was to counter all of his Tops or Counterbalances which destorys their gameplan. I am not to sure how to SB vs them, but Pithing Needle is very good vs Top and our MB Jace's are also very good in the MU... Also assuming Swan Song is a house vs them.

2-1 Win

My Current Decklist...

MB
4 Griselbrand
4 Emrakul

4 Lotus Petal
4 Brainstorm
3 Gitaxian Probe
4 Ponder
3 Spell Pierce
1 Intuition
4 Show and Tell
2 Jace, TMS
4 Sneak Attack
4 FoW

3 Ancient Tomb
2 City of Traitors
2 Flooded Strand
2 Scalding Tarn
4 Polluted Delta
3 Island
3 Volcanic Island

SB
1 Boseiju
1 Grafdiggers Cage
1 Pithing Needle (might want 2)
1 Shattering Spree (might cut)
2 Swan Song
1 Echoing Truth
3 Pyroclasm
3 Blood Moon (cut Leyline as it underperformed)
2 TTB (might want 3)

Let me know any feedback... I would also like some advice on the RUG/BUG/UWR Delver matchups as no one at my LGS plays these.

[mulder]

---

Game 2:
I have a Ponder, Petal, Lands ( an Ancient Tomb, a volcanic island a fetchland), Show and Tell, Griselbrand as my starting had. He opens up with Ancient Tomb to Metalworker. I set up with fetchland to Volcanic Island then Ponder (which has a land, a Shattering Spree and another petal in it) I took Shattering Spree and played Lotus Petal then passed the turn. He then plays Grim Monolith to Trinisphere while I did nothing and just played a land. He then plays another Grim Monolith by tapping Metalworker revealing a Lodestone Golem and passed. I drew the Lotus Petal, played my Sol Land and Passed. An uncounterable Lodestone Golem comes into play thanks to a Cavern of Souls and the untapped Grim Monolith. I drew the petal, then cast Shattering Spree targetting the Trinisphere and Lodestone Golem using 2 volcanic islands and Ancient Tomb to pay for the spell with replicate(3). I play my Lotus Petal and cast Show and Tell to Griselbrand as he puts another Metalworker into Play. I drew 7 and a few attacks and counterspells later, I'm in the Top 8. :D

Why not simply play turn 1 Show and Tell into Griselbrand?

[TheRandomGuy]

Why not simply play turn 1 Show and Tell into Griselbrand?

Well Game 1 he had a Blighsteel Colossus in his hand, which means he's on Forgemaster MUD. I didn't want to risk a blind SnT to Griselbrand against a Blightsteel Colossus or an impending Forgemaster setup.

[JPA]

---

Hi there! I'm a long time lurker here at The Source and started being active in Legacy since March 2014. I played Jund as my "return" deck from a long hiatus, then switched to "demons n' tentacles" aka Sneak Show last month. I had a 3-0 in my weekly using the deck for the first time before joining a big local legacy event the week after.
Here are my tournament reports on two events where I finished both at the Top 8 (also the first couple of major events that I played the deck :P). I apologize if it's gonna be a long read. Enjoy. :)

DISCLAIMER: Most of the round-by-round reports are from memory. This is my first time writing a report, so please spare me. :D

PART I

06/29/2014: Cerberus Legacy Open 8

Lands:
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Volcanic Island
3 Ancient Tomb
2 City of Traitors
3 island
1 Mountain

Creatures:
4 Griselbrand
4 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn

Spells:
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Lotus Petal
4 Sneak Attack
4 Show and Tell
4 Force of Will
3 Spell Pierce
3 Gitaxian Probe
1 Intuition
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Misdirection

Sideboard:
3 Blood Moon
3 Pyroclasm
2 Through the Breach
2 Swan Song
2 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Wipe Away
1 Pyroblast
1 Shattering Spree

Round 1: Esper Stoneblade w/ Deathrite Shaman (not DeathBlade, as per the deck's owner)

Game 1:
I went first and kept a hand with Probe, Lands, Show and Tell, Griselbrand, Force of Will, Ponder. I pondered to setup my next two turns and drew a Brainstorm. He went with Underground Sea and Deathrite Shaman. I probed him next turn to see if the coast is clear, and put Griselbrand into play via Show and Tell while he put another land in play. I drew 7 and win three turns later.

SB:
-1 Intuition -1 Force of Will -1 Spell Pierce -1 Gitaxian Probe -2 Lotus Petal -2 Show And Tell
+3 blood moon +2 Pyroclasm +1 Wipe Away +2 Through the Breach

Game 2:
He goes first with Deathrite Shaman. I dig my deck for any protection to a second turn Liliana of the Veil but didn't find anything. Lucky for me, he didn't have a Liliana on his second turn. I kill his shaman with pyroclasm and attempted to cast Blood Moon but he countered it. I probed his hand and saw a Liliana and a Vendilion Clique. Lucky for me he got himself color screwed to not cast any of those threats (1). I dropped a sneak attack that turn and killed him with Griselbrand and Emrakul next turn.

1-0-0 (2-0)

Round 2: GW Maverick

Game 1:
He goes first with Fetch, Savannah, Noble Hierach. I went with the usual business spell openers, but then he played Thalia. He didn't have any wastelands so I risked playing my sol lands to have me cast expensive business spells (casting a 1U Ponder sucks T_T). He continues to build his board state with Dryad Arbor and a Sylvan Library, then two turns and a handful of beatings from Thalia and Arbor later, I managed to put Sneak Attack into play via Show and Tell, and he put a Knight of the Reliquary in play, then passed the turn. I have two red sources open and a Scalding Tarn then dropped Griselbrand, drew 7 and proceeded to the combat phase. I played Emrakul via Sneak Attack during the beginning of combat step, then he put Karakas into play via Knight of the Reliquary's activation. He bounced Emrakul during that step, I let it resolve and put Emrakul back into play by cracking Scalding Tarn for a Volcanic Island to put Emrakul into play again (we are still in the beginning of combat step). He calls a judge to ask if it's still legal, in which it is, since it is our play around Karakas anyway. The judge explains to him the rules and I proceed to annihilate him with Griselbrand and Emrakul that turn.

SB:
-1 Misdirection -1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor -2 Show and Tell -1 Spell Pierce -3 Gitaxian Probe -2 Lotus Petal -1 Intuition
+2 Through the Breach +3 Blood Moon +3 Pyroclasm +2 Grafdigger's cage +1 Wipe Away

Game 2:
I keep a hand of Ponder, 3 Lands, Pyroclasm, Show and Tell and a Spell Pierce. He mulligans to 6 and opens up with Noble Hierarch. I Pondered to Pyroclasm, Griselbrand, Fetch and drew the Pyroclasm. Next turn he plays a qasali pridemage and attacked me for 2. I killed both with Pyroclasm and passed the turn. He then pushed back by playing both Thalia and Mother of Runes and passed the turn. I kill both of them again with Pyroclasm. He plays a lone Dryad Arbor on his turn while I play a Griselbrand via Show and Tell on mine. Good thing he dropped a land and is on top deck mode. I lock him up with Blood Moon as he extends his hand.

2-0-0 (4-0)

Round 3: URW Patriot (He's also in the Top 8 too)

Game 1:
He goes first and plays Volcanic Island, Ponder, go (I have a feeling that this is going to be the mirror x_x). I played an open Island and passed the turn. He then cracked a fetch to a Tundra and played a Delver of Secrets. I played a fetchland and played ponder to set up my next turns, he then plays a Stoneforge Mystic searching for a Batterskull. I probe him next turn to check if the coast is clear, and cast Show and Tell dropping Emrakul. I attacked the following turn and we're on to game 2.

SB:
-1 Intuition -1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor -1 Misdirection -1 Gitaxian Probe -2 Lotus Petal -2 Spell Pierce
+3 Blood Moon +3 Pyroclasm +1 Pyroblast +1 Wipe Away

Game 2:
This game was a really close. He had me at 6 life due to delver beats but survived thanks to Pyroblast. Lucky for me he didn't have red mana to finish me off with Lightning Bolt. All he had was a wasteland and a Tundra and a lone Lightning Bolt in his hand after we went to a counter-war for my Show and Tell (As I had a Griselbrand in my hand). I played a Blood Moon to lock him out of blue mana (for Ponder and Brainstorm to dig for another Lightning Bolt). He then rips another Lightning Bolt from the top of his deck and kills me on the spot. (2)

No changes in the SB

Game 3:
I'll keep this short. He established his tempo with Delver and locked me out with Meddling Mage naming Show and Tell. I tried to fight back with Pyroclasm but ended up losing the counter war. I die a few turns later.

2-1-0 (5-2)

Round 4: UG Berserk Infect

Game 1:
I go first by playing Island and passing the turn. He goes first with a Tropical Island to a Glistener Elf. I probe him to drop Emrakul on the second turn as he puts an Inkmoth Nexus. I attack next turn and he doesn't recover from Emrakul's annihilating tentacles and went on to game 2.

SB:
-1 Intuition -1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor -2 Lotus Petal
+3 Pyroclasm +1 Wipe Away

Game 2:
He starts with an Inkmoth Nexus. I did the deck's usual openers and he played a Blighted Agent. I endure his poisonous attacks with the agent and an animated Inkmoth Nexus and then drops a Glistener Elf. I kill his creatures with Pyroclasm and stabilized by countering pump spells targetting the Inkmoth Nexus. A few turns later, I play Sneak Attack and annihilate him with Emrakul, he takes 15 and concedes.

3-1-0 (7-2)

Round 5: MUD

Game 1:
I go first with Island, Ponder and Petal. He mulls to 5 and goes Ancient Tomb, Lightning Greaves. I then play a land and cast Show and Tell putting Emrakul into play while he puts a Blightsteel Colossus. He equipped Blightsteel Colossus with Lightning Greaves and attacked. I blocked with Emrakul and reduced to a mere 4/4. I attack next turn and he concedes.

SB:
-1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor -1 Misdirection -2 Show and Tell -1 Gitaxian Probe -2 Lotus Petal
+3 Blood Moon +1 Wipe Away +1 Shattering Spree +2 Through the Breach


Game 2:
I have a Ponder, Petal, Lands ( an Ancient Tomb, a volcanic island a fetchland), Show and Tell, Griselbrand as my starting had. He opens up with Ancient Tomb to Metalworker. I set up with fetchland to Volcanic Island then Ponder (which has a land, a Shattering Spree and another petal in it) I took Shattering Spree and played Lotus Petal then passed the turn. He then plays Grim Monolith to Trinisphere while I did nothing and just played a land. He then plays another Grim Monolith by tapping Metalworker revealing a Lodestone Golem and passed. I drew the Lotus Petal, played my Sol Land and Passed. An uncounterable Lodestone Golem comes into play thanks to a Cavern of Souls and the untapped Grim Monolith. I drew the petal, then cast Shattering Spree targetting the Trinisphere and Lodestone Golem using 2 volcanic islands and Ancient Tomb to pay for the spell with replicate(3). I play my Lotus Petal and cast Show and Tell to Griselbrand as he puts another Metalworker into Play. I drew 7 and a few attacks and counterspells later, I'm in the Top 8. :D

4-1-0 (9-2)

Round 6: ID to Top 8

4-1-1 (9-2)

***Playoff Rounds***

Quarterfinals: Burn

Game 1:
My opponent as higher seed went first as he beats me with Goblin Guide and burns me off to 8 life. He has a couple of cards in his hand land as I cast Show and Tell to an Emrakul as he drops a land. I attack and annihilate him and we move on to game two.

SB:
-1 intuition -1 Jace, the Mind Scultpor -1 force of will -1 gitaxian probe -2 lotus petal
+1 shattering spree +1 wipe away +3 pyroclasm

Game 2:
He went first with Goblin Guide, then follows up with Grim Lavamancer, then Vexing Shusher. I killed them all with Pyroclasm. After he passes his turn, I cast a Sneak Attack and pass the turn back to him. He tries to burn me but my counters save me, I drop Griselbrand and Emrakul and attack for the win.

(11-2)

Sadly, I got beaten by Miracles on the semi-finals with a really close match. He has all the answers and just beats me up with Vendilion Clique and Snapcaster Mage. Sensei's Divining Top is just bonkers. I scooped up my cards, wished my opponent the best of luck and thanked him for the experience (as he is one of the veteran players here). Good for him that he won the tournament. :P

(1)Well he could have cast Liliana on his last turn to have me discard since I only have like three cards in hand, but he thought that I didn't have anything and opted to wait instead. I got lucky that I drew an Emrakul from my Griseldraw. He wasn't able to get another blue source to cast his vendilion clique. :(
(2) Was playing Blood Moon in this situation right here? I didn't have anything and all I needed was to lock him out of blue mana for him not to ponder or brainstorm for me to have enough time to dig for a Sneak Attack or Show and Tell to turn the tide.
(3) I dunno if what I did was legal, but I confirmed from my opponent himself that the replicate cost will still be the same even if Trinisphere is in play. He also clarified that it'll still cost me 3 mana to cast Shattering Spree even if it's taxed by Lodestone Golem as long as Trinisphere is in play. Clear me up on this guys. :)

*I know, I board in more than what is necessary for every matchup. If you have any sideboarding tips or a sideboard configuration, that would be much helpful!

Stay tuned for Part II guys!

Any comments or suggestions are welcome!

Congrats on your finish and thanks for the write-up.

I like your sideboarding for the most part, except:

vs Deathblade: I would not board out any Spell Pierces against them, it hits discard, counters and Planeswalkers, which are the things you care about (except Meddling Mage / Vendilion Clique). Pyroblast is also pretty good (Meddling Mage, V-Clique, Jace, FoW).

vs Maverick you can definitely board out all of the Spell Pierces and should bring in Shattering Spree (Needle/Revoker, other hate-cards, random equipment). I would leave in some Probes and the Petals.

vs MUD: I'm not so sure about that matchup, Blood Moon only seems worth against the Post-version to me.. Spell Pierce doesn't do much in my opinion either. I would probably board out Spell Pierces, leave the Moons in the sideboard and not board out any Petals/Probes/Show and Tells.

I think the replacment for blood moon is very dpenendent on your meta. I think common alternatives in boards (as in cards I rarely see along side blood moon) include Leyline and Defense grid.

Leyline does nothing against Tempo decks or Karakas-strategies without heavy discard. The replacement for Blood Moon against Tempo is Defense Grid, which is even better than BM against Tempo, but far less versatile. The replacement against Karakas-decks could be Needle, I guess..

However, I wouldn't cut the 3 Blood Moons from the sideboard at the moment.


On another note, all 4 Sneak&Show lists in the Top 32 of SCGKC play 1 Mountain. It's good to see that negative trend started by Todd come to an end. I couldn't ever imagine cutting the Mountain.

[TheRandomGuy]

These are what I would board out.

Against Burn I would cut the Gitaxian Probes and not the Petals.

Against Maverick I wouldn't cut the Petals for Grafdigger's.

Against Deathblade I would cut all Petals as the game will become an attrition war.

Congrats on your finish and thanks for the write-up.

I like your sideboarding for the most part, except:

vs Deathblade: I would not board out any Spell Pierces against them, it hits discard, counters and Planeswalkers, which are the things you care about (except Meddling Mage / Vendilion Clique). Pyroblast is also pretty good (Meddling Mage, V-Clique, Jace, FoW).

vs Maverick you can definitely board out all of the Spell Pierces and should bring in Shattering Spree (Needle/Revoker, other hate-cards, random equipment). I would leave in some Probes and the Petals.

vs MUD: I'm not so sure about that matchup, Blood Moon only seems worth against the Post-version to me.. Spell Pierce doesn't do much in my opinion either. I would probably board out Spell Pierces, leave the Moons in the sideboard and not board out any Petals/Probes/Show and Tells.

Thanks for the input guys! Definitely gonna put those in mind the next time I'll play the deck. As for Part II, I'll work on it this week.

[Hank Zhong]

Been testing this deck alot lately, going to a big tourney this weekend, but haven't settled on a SB yet. There are so many sideboard options available, and sideboard space is really tight. For a large tournament representative of the DTB metagame, which 15 cards would provide the best coverage?

Here are the candidates:

3 pyroclasm - elves, D&T, UWR delver, BUG delver, deathblade
3 pyroblast/REB - All blue decks =)
3 blood moon - All delver variants and deathblade/shardless bug
2 defense grid - UWR delver, RUG delver, miracles
2 through the breach - mirror, reanimator, D&T?
2 grafdigger's cage - reanimator, dredge, elves
2 vendilion cliques - All fast combo decks, and probably all blue decks in general. Seems great during post board games, where game play slows down, and sometimes you just beat with the clique 6-7 times ftw, I can even see mainboarding it instead of the 2 jaces in some lists because it complements the S&T plan so perfectly
2 divert - shardless bug and bug delver
2 swan song - all fast combo decks and miracles
1 flusterstorm - all fast combo decks and probably all blue decks
1 pithing needle - D&T, miracles, bug delver, shardless
1 shattering spree / vandalblast - D&T mostly + another out to random permanent hate like chalice, bridge and needle from other decks
1 wipe away / echoing truth - D&T, miracles, mirror, reanimator, any deck packing random permanent hate

25 cards total, need to pick 15, any thoughts/suggestions?