[Deck] RUG Lands

[blubberpompnao]

I would actually prefer if the name was changed to RUG Lands

[Crimhead]

RUG Lands is what everyone calls the deck nowadays. And when we just say "Lands" everyone assumes RGCL. I say go for it.

[Anen]

As long as we don't go back to the old "43 Lands".

[kravkenov]

Another strike against vortex in this build is the presence of ee. Especially now that delvers die to an ee on 1, we will be setting up 1 sunburst ees a lot. The fact that vortex gets swept up by that is really unacceptable to me.

Ok, after a whole night of tests with my friends, here is my impressions :

- Molten Vortex dosent work as expected. It's actually more susceptible to be disrupted than Punishing-Grove, and as you said, it really conflict with the Explosives plan.

- Gamble is really strong. It enable a more reliable waste-lock and sometimes can tutor a silverbullet like a champion.
But I want say I mainly used it to Gamble into Loam or land when I already have loam.

Conclusion, Punishing-Grove is back !

[n0ct3m89]

Nice, always good to have more data. What matches did you play? Also, were you using the list you posted a page or so back? How did that many tutors feel (did you ever feel like you drew too much air, not enough business)?

[Dice_Box]

But I want say I mainly used it to Gamble into Loam or land when I already have Loam.

That's is normal. The thing I normally go for is Exploration if I don't have one, but I have gone for things like Glacial Chasm and Tabernacle before in a pinch. Also I have grabbed removal and other sideboard cards. It's very versatile.

Edit:
Thread title changed.

[blubberpompnao]

Ok, after a whole night of tests with my friends, here is my impressions :

- Molten Vortex dosent work as expected. It's actually more susceptible to be disrupted than Punishing-Grove, and as you said, it really conflict with the Explosives plan.

- Gamble is really strong. It enable a more reliable waste-lock and sometimes can tutor a silverbullet like a champion.
But I want say I mainly used it to Gamble into Loam or land when I already have loam.

Conclusion, Punishing-Grove is back !

So P Fire and Grove making it back into the deck makes sense. But are you keeping the Gambles in? What's your updated list look like? I've been super interested in playing Gamble in my RUG List

[Dice_Box]

http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/s...l=1#post945698

[blubberpompnao]

http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/s...l=1#post945698

He very clearly just made changes though.

[kravkenov]

Nice, always good to have more data. What matches did you play? Also, were you using the list you posted a page or so back? How did that many tutors feel (did you ever feel like you drew too much air, not enough business)?

I played this exact list (one page back) against my friends Legacy decks, such as Miracle, Elves, Stoneblade (UWx), RUG Delver, Nic Fit (yes, it not really a dominant legacy deck haha) and Eldrazy. There where no combo, but against combo your burn spells (Punishing Fire or Molten Vortex) are usually useless and get sided out for Chalice/Trinisphere. Mid-night I changed a Thicket for a Ghost quarter because I really dont like drawing Thicket.

I didnt feel drawing too much air because Crop, Intuition, Tolaria and Gamble are not casted at the same stage of the game, and the targets are also not the same. But the "acceptable target" changed if I tutor with Gamble, Intuition or Crop. With Gamble, it's not a problem (personnal feelings) to tutor for certains cards where it is with Intuition or Crop. I feel good by casting Gamble into Ghost Quarter, Port or Trinisphere. But I dont feel good casting Crop into Ghost Quarter. So basicly, Gamble (for me) opens new way to exploit the tools the deck has.

With the list posted one page back, what I missed the most was the ability to Intuition into Loam-Punishing-Grove. What I liked the most was to Gamble into Loam/Wasteland or even Stage/Depths to win one minute later.

To be clear, I have made from my original list
-1 Explosive
-1 Intuition
-3 Punishing
-3 Grove
-1 Tropical
+4 Vortex
+2 Gamble
+2 Thicket
+1 Fetch

And now returning to Punishing (keeping 2 Gamble) :
3 Engineered Explosives
4 Mox Diamond
4 Exploration
3 Punishing Fire
4 Life from the Loam
4 Crop Rotation
2 Gamble
2 Intuition
1 Academy Ruins
1 Karakas
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 Bojuka Bog
3 Maze of Ith
3 Grove of the Burnwillows
3 Thespian's Stage
2 Dark Depths
2 Tolaria West
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Windswept Heath
1 Forest
3 Tropical Island
2 Taiga
4 Rishadan Port
4 Wasteland

4 Chalice of the Void
4 Krosan Grip
2 Phyrexian Revoker
3 Trinisphere
1 Zuran Orb
1 Glacial Chasm

[Pilhas]

Hey guys

Started testing this deck and I find it really hard to decide which hands to keep against unknown opponents.

Any guidelines or general cards we look in a starting hand?

[kravkenov]

Hey guys

Started testing this deck and I find it really hard to decide which hands to keep against unknown opponents.

Any guidelines or general cards we look in a starting hand?

Against an unknown opponent, so it's really about knowing your deck list, to answer few things
- Do I have access to green mana source ? (if I have access to only one green mana source, then it should be Forest)
- Do I have a kind of control on the board ? (i.e. Punishing, Explosives, early wasteland-lock)
- Is this hand capable of advancing into the game plan (resolving the Token) -> Loam, Intuition, Crop, etc...

The first question is the most important. Having a green mana source is really the most important thing.
Then it's just about feeling your deck. By playing it again and again, you will know when a hand is good or not.

In general, your hand should let you control the board, then have access to a line-play ending by resolving the token. I always play in this order, except the very few times when there is possible 20/20 in turn 2 because the hand was something like Mox, Mox, Exploration, Lands, Land, Thespian, Depth. In this case, I keep my hand.

[Crimhead]

Against an unkwn opponent, most hands with a Loam (plus green mana) are keepable, while most hands without a Loam are tossers. Loamless hands I like tend to have one of the following:

• Port (especially with acceleration).
• Grove + PF.
• Fast combo.
• Intuition + Exploration.

I suppose EE + Academy Ruins is good too, but I can't recall this coming up very often.

[Pilhas]

Thanks for the tips. Tested a bit yesterday against RUG, Miracles and Dredge.
Deck seems really consistent but intuition get weird some times(cmc 3 is a lot).
Halfway through the testing went for a 2/2 intuition - gamble split which was not noticeable in the small sample of games, but I hope increases a bit of consistency.

[kravkenov]

Hey, any of you are comming in Legacy GP Prague next month ?
I'm not yet sure if I will play my loved RUG Lands or Miracle Mentor (UWR). Because Eldrazy will surelly be a thing and Mentor is more geared to face it.

[Pilhas]

I will, still debating between RUG Lands(very low experience with the deck), TES(moderate experience) or 4Color Loam(Main deck for over a year).

TES is probably a no for me since I haven't played it in a while and I cannot play it optimal.

RUG is an option, If all pieces arrive till friday I am gonna rock the deck in the TOPSeries Lisbon, if not I probably won't take it to Prague.

[snorlaxcom]

I will, still debating between RUG Lands(very low experience with the deck), TES(moderate experience) or 4Color Loam(Main deck for over a year).

TES is probably a no for me since I haven't played it in a while and I cannot play it optimal.

RUG is an option, If all pieces arrive till friday I am gonna rock the deck in the TOPSeries Lisbon, if not I probably won't take it to Prague.

Sweet. Have fun stomping them Eldrazy n00bs.

[Rockman000]

Played the following at GP NY Legacy Showdown to a 4-3 record, overall 26th.

//Lands
1 Academy Ruins
1 Bayou
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Dark Depths
1 Forest
3 Grove of the Burnwillows
1 Karakas
3 Maze of Ith
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Rishadan Port
1 Savannah
1 Taiga
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 Thespian's Stage
2 Tolaria West
2 Tranquil Thicket
2 Tropical Island
4 Wasteland

//Spells
3 Abrupt Decay
3 Crop Rotation
2 Engineered Explosives
4 Exploration
2 Intuition
4 Life from the Loam
4 Mox Diamond
3 Punishing Fire
1 Sylvan Library
1 Worm Harvest

//Sideboard
SB: 1 Containment Priest
SB: 2 Chalice of the Void
SB: 3 Krosan Grip
SB: 3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
SB: 3 Dark Confidant
SB: 1 Smokestack
SB: 1 Zuran Orb
SB: 1 Ethersworn Canonist

My four wins were against Grixis Delver, Shardless BUG, ANT, and Mono-black Pox. My three losses were against Imperial Taxes, Mono-red Werewolf Stompy, and R/G Lands.

I credit my loss against Imperial Taxes to a misplay. I had an Engineered Explosives in play to deal with his Magus of the Moon but I did not use my Thespian's Stage to copy his basic plains for the third colored source.

Against mono-red, I failed to draw any punishing fires against the mono-red deck even after a mulligan to 4 and lost to his turn 1 Magus of the Moon in both of our games.

Against R/G Lands, we were Wasteland-ing each other but he managed to draw his 3rd loam and a molten vortex off the top. This match could have probably been won if I changed some of my decisions. They have a lot more ways of finding loam in their deck and its crucial to eliminate their Bojuka Bog as soon as possible.

[kravkenov]

Played the following at GP NY Legacy Showdown to a 4-3 record, overall 26th.

//Lands
2 Tranquil Thicket

//Spells
3 Crop Rotation
1 Sylvan Library
1 Worm Harvest

Against R/G Lands, we were Wasteland-ing each other but he managed to draw his 3rd loam and a molten vortex off the top. This match could have probably been won if I changed some of my decisions. They have a lot more ways of finding loam in their deck and its crucial to eliminate their Bojuka Bog as soon as possible.

This is why I now play 2 Gamble main. It opens the waste-lock line so fast...
I don't know how 4 colors works for you, but I never feel the need of running black for Abrupt Decay since Explosive can do the job as well plus it can be recured with Academy and tutored off a Tolaria. Sur, it's a bit slow, but the job is done. I encourage everyone to test 1-2 Gamble main, just to see how much games are stolen with a fast waste-lock ;)

[Rockman000]

This is why I now play 2 Gamble main. It opens the waste-lock line so fast...
I don't know how 4 colors works for you, but I never feel the need of running black for Abrupt Decay since Explosive can do the job as well plus it can be recured with Academy and tutored off a Tolaria. Sur, it's a bit slow, but the job is done. I encourage everyone to test 1-2 Gamble main, just to see how much games are stolen with a fast waste-lock ;)

My personal meta is full of Knight of the Reliquary and Chalice of the Void. Abrupt Decay helps me "catch up" in a lot of match ups, giving me the time to setup an explosives lock or kill.