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Thread: GP Seatac: 4th with Reanimator

  1. #1

    GP Seatac: 4th with Reanimator

    So, a few months ago I was unsure of whether I’d be able to compete in the GP, and indeed it was possible that I would have been unable to attend had my school schedule lined up a bit differently. I played in a GPT about a month ago to get some byes, but other than that, I hadn’t been able to play much magic in the past few months. As an aside, I really miss the Seattle Legacy scene. I flew out on Friday night because I had obligations at the university until five and was picked up by my friend Zach, who is the person I have gone to all 3 of my GPs with, we talked a bit about magic and I decided to switch up my deck a bit the night before the tournament, moving Iona to the mainboard over Jin and cutting an echoing truth for a Golgari Charm (I really wish I just had two ETs).
    I’m not going to go into all the details of the list, but if anyone has any questions on card choices I’d be glad to answer them. This is what I sleeved up:

    3 Griselbrand
    1 Tidespout Tyrant
    1 Elesh Norn
    1 Iona
    1 Archetype of Endurance
    4 Hapless Researcher
    1 Jace, Vryn's Prodigy

    4 Brainstorm
    4 Careful Study
    4 Entomb
    4 Reanimate
    4 Exhume
    2 Animate Dead
    2 Misdirection
    3 Izzet Charm
    4 Force of Will

    1 Swamp
    2 Tropical Island
    2 Badlands
    4 Underground Sea
    4 Verdant Catacombs
    4 Polluted Delta

    SB:
    3 Abrupt Decay
    2 Thoughtseize
    2 Duress
    1 Echoing Truth
    1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
    1 Jin-Gitaxias
    1 Golgari Charm
    1 Darkblast
    2 Pithing Needle
    1 Snapcaster

    I’ve been playing this deck nearly exclusively for a very long time, and I have (up until a few months ago) put a ton of testing into the deck. I still put a lot of thought into things even when I can’t play in events. I really like this build of the deck and think that it was within a few cards of being optimal for me. Anyways, onto the report:
    Round 1: Bye YAY, I watched some friends do battle, one of which was playing a list very close to mine, much victory.

    Round 2: WHEEEEE another bye, actually it’s kinda boring not being able to play the first few rounds, but hey, free wins are free wins I guess.

    Round 3: Zac Forshee on ANT.
    I win the die roll and keep a mediocre 7, something like brainstorm izzet charm, jace, reanimate, 3 lands. I lay underground and my opponent leads on duress. I brainstorm in response and find the entomb, I put back entomb and reanimate and show my opponent Jace, Izzet charm and lands. He takes the izzet charm. I draw and cast Jace. He cantrips and passes back. I cast entomb into reanimate on iona and he concedes.
    Game 2 I keep a very strong hand, it ended up being a turn 2 or three with force backup. I careful study into a second force and put griselbrand into play, this earns the concession.

    Round 4: Nathan Band on Miracles:
    I don’t remember who won the roll, but I remember keeping a sketchy 6 with only a trop. My opponent plays an early top and on turn four runs out counterbalance with double force of will backup. I lose.
    Game 2 my opponent makes a mistake with clique and I end up winning through surgical snap surgical.
    Game 3 he drops an early containment priest and clique, I am unable to find an izzet charm or a green source for the decay and I die quickly to the two creatures. After the match he showed me he had 12 cards for the matchup in his sideboard. Sometimes magic cards is hard guys.

    Round 5: Sergio Ferry on 4c Delver:
    This guy was fun to play against, we were chatting for most of the match and it was refreshing for me, as I like to talk a bit when I play. I don’t remember games one or two, but we take one a piece, with me taking game 1.
    Game 3 I am on the play and lead Hapless. He probes me seeing a hand with some reanimation, anti-hate, and some cantrips but no big creature. He taps his mana for something (maybe a DRS?). I draw and hit sphinx, I discard it to hapless and cast reanimate to play around daze, the sphinx comes into play and I am quite far ahead for the rest of the game.

    Round 6: James Erickson on Aggro Loam:
    Another guy who was fun to talk to! This is shaping up to be a fun tournament. He drops a karakas on turn two, not yet knowing what I’m on. When I EOT entomb I have to tank for a bit because I have to decide between drawing more cards or putting something like Tidespout into play. I decide Griselbrand is the better line, because I suspected STP. I draw a bunch of cards and eventually get Griselbrand back into play alongside the archepig. I am surprised so many people think of this card as winmore, it’s like a tutorable pithing needle on karakas that attacks and blocks! IT WAS GREAT ALL WEEKEND. He can’t quite deal enough damage before I start lifelinking things back.
    Game 2 he gets me with a containment priest, ouch.
    Game 3 I consider bringing in my golgari charm, which I didn’t bring in for G2 just in case of Leyline. I decided against it and wouldn’t you know it? My opponent lead Turn 0 Leyline. Such fun. Anyways, my initial plan was to battle it out with hapless, because his hand seemed to be leyline and a bunch of mana. He lands a chalice which I decay and a lili at some point, forcing me to sac researcher. I hit an echoing truth at this time and next time he ticks up lili I ET the leyline and he is forced to discard it. I get Iona in the bin and bide my time for a few turns, while he puts a knight onto the board, which I decay. I was waiting to draw a second reanimation spell or a hapless researcher. He starts loaming and I draw a reanimate, which let me reanimate his knight and then animate dead my Iona, naming green to prevent him from loaming into karakas and/or depths. I kill lili and start attacking him until he dies. This game felt incredibly tight and I felt from the start as though my tournament was going to end sooner than I had hoped.

    Round 7: Nick Loiacano on Sneak and Show.
    Game 1 I have a solid hand and dump a griselbrand into the bin early off of either entomb or careful study, I forget which. My opponent led probe, island, petal, which I felt was a bit weird for a storm player, but I had forgotten about Sneak and Show, since I haven’t played in a while. He saw archetype and a bunch of other unimportant stuff. I draw a tidespout tyrant. On his next turn he plays ancient tomb and casts show and tell and realize I had misjudged my opponent’s deck. At this point I am hoping he puts in something that isn’t sneak attack. I drop Tidespout and he puts in a silly red enchantment, next thing I know I have 5 life and no permanents. But I like to live by Galaxy Quest, NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER SURRENDER. So I draw my card, it’s an underground that I play out and cast a researcher. On his next turn he draws and passes; sweet, not dead yet! We go to my turn and he ices my land, which turns out to be a likely game changing play. I draw another land and cast a second researcher, attacking for 1. We play draw go for a bunch of turns while I try to eat his counterspells with exhumes and animate deads, dealing two points a turn with the little researchers that could. Eventually he gets down to two life and draws a brainstorm. But my hand has 6 blue cards, 2 of which were force of will, and one of which was a misdirection. My opponent dies to the hapless beats. Chalk one up for the researchers.
    Game 2 He once again drops a sneak attack but this time has griselbrand, he makes short work of me.
    Game 3 I keep a hand with a badlands as the only land, but I have 2x animate dead, entomb, duress, and thoughtseize, which is pretty solid. He mulligans and I duress him on turn 1. I see 3x ponder, 2 lands, and a brainstorm, taking the brainstorm. He ponders and I entomb on the upkeep. Missing a land drop. He ponders again and I untap and miss another land drop, thoughtseizing him. I see a sneak, a REB, a force, a ponder, and a Griselbrand, I take the Griselbrand. And pass. He draws and casts a sneak. I untap, finally draw a land and try to animate dead his Griselbrand. It meets a force. Next turn I run the same play and it resolves. I immediately draw 7 and hit a needle for Sneak Attack. The game ends shortly after.

    Man, I might be able to do this thing with luck like this!

    Round 8: Zachary Wong on RUG Lands:
    Game one I get an early griselbrand, but he has a maze, so I need another creature. I get the pig into play and start attacking. At some point he makes Marit lage and I have to chump it with griselbrand. I bring it back and drop a jace, chumping again. Jace flips and flashes back entomb in order to get tidespout into play. This ends the game.
    Game 2 my opponent had a slow start, and I got to cast careful study or entomb on turn one, putting griselbrand away. He drops a chalice which I let resolve and I cast exhume, effectively ending the game.

    SWEET MADE IT TO DAY 2

    Round 9: Samuel Friedman on Shardless BUG:
    Game one he keeps a slow hand with a nunch of grindy cards and dies to turn 3 Griselbrand.
    Game 2 He keeps a hand of bayou, force, cage and nonsense. I decay the cage on turn two, thoughtseize one of the two forces he had, and overload the second one, all the while he was not drawing lands or adding to the board.

    Awesome start, 8-1, and my friend Dylan who was on a similar list went 7-2, which puts 4c reanimator at 15-3 in Day 1 (13-3 if you take into account my byes)

    Day 2:

    Round 10: Eddie Caudill on Death and Taxes.
    Game 1: We are both pretty tired and sit down and get immediately deck checked, yuck. Unfortunately for my opponent, he wrote serra angel on his decklist rather than serra avenger and received a Game 1 loss, which would turn out to be incredibly fortuitous for me. He chooses to play and I mulligan a bad 7 into a no land 6, my opponent also went to and kept 6. I keep the six however because I am very greedy. I scry to see basic swamp on top, NICE. He plays a plains and passes. I draw the swamp, play it, and pass back, he drops karakas into stoneforge, boooo. I entomb for griselbrand, draw a second land and cast exhume, drawing cards to play around mana taxing effects. I dump the archepig into the yard during cleanup. He untaps, lays a land and passes. On my turn he bounces griselbrand and drops in a batterskull while I put an archetype into play and replace the griselbrand in the yard with careful study. He untaps and activates SFM, putting in a SoFaI which he then equips, gross. I take 8 and am quite low, but I don’t think trading with the archepig was the right play. I play a land and get griselbrand back into play, passing. He just plays a wingmare and passes, I entomb for elesh on the upkeep, knowing my top card is not a land from an earlier brainstorm, and draw the land for the turn to cast animate dead on elesh, wiping his board and letting me attack for 9 lifelink. He trades a flickerwisp for 8 damage (blinking the animate dead on elesh) and then concedes after his SoFaI draw wasn’t enough.

    Round 11: Xin Sui on Shardless BUG:
    Game 1 wasn’t interesting, he mulled to five and died to a fast griselbrand.
    Game 2 was a bit weird, I remember killing his DRS and reanimating it at one point, and getting hit by strix and clique for a few turns. Later he played a sower which I countered. I eventually drew exhume and used deathrite to eat the sower, when I put elesh into play he was unable to draw out of it.

    Round 12: Gary Wong on 4c Delver:
    I don’t remember these games very well, since we played twice in the tournament. I remember playing around cards that I later learned he didn’t have in his 75. I also remember winning.

    Round 13: Paolo Cesari on 4c Delver:
    This guy’s deck was pretty nice, lots of those fancy new fetches and foils. I remember losing game one to getting stifled and wasted out, then dying to delver.
    I don’t really remember what happened in Game 2, but I was able to take it down.
    Game 3 I manage to put an iona into play using all of my resources, he has a pyro with a few tokens in play. I name blue and he attacks with tokens for a few turns while I do nothing, he is missing lands and not casting spells though, so I’m fine. I eventually put elesh into play and the white chicks get the job done.

    Round 14: Adrejs Prost on Shardless BUG (Who we found out was my only loss Day 1 of Denver):
    We each keep 7 and he lays a deathrite and passes, I have izzet charm so I let it go. I play lands and nothing else for a few turns waiting for my spot and he lays a second DRS and a goyf. I see about 20 cards without seeing entomb or a creature and die.
    He gets me pretty dead in game 2 with early DRS and a mediocre keep from me.

    Damn, x-2 now, and the pressure is on. What’s worse is that my friend Russ and I are now at the same record, we are hoping not to get paired because neither really wants to play the other.

    Round 15: Russ Martin on Aggro Loam: Damn

    This match is here, at about 3:30: http://www.twitch.tv/channelfireball/v/24751578
    I got lucky, for sure, but I made the top 8.


    Top 8: Gary Wong on 4c Delver:
    Game 1: I lead hapless and he leads delver. I attack on turn 2 and he blocks, I snap off the trade because my hand isn’t doing anything yet. We both durdle for a few more turns until I draw a way to get a guy into play, he loses the turn after he found his DRS.
    Game 2: I get a griselbrand into play and he responds by dumping a ton of creatures into play. I attack and am forced to draw cards twice, the first time because I needed action, the second to find a nonfetchland. I end up finding both in the top 14 (weird huh?) and put elesh into play. He the bolts me but I have the force, bringing me to 1, and he concedes.

    Top 4: Christian Calcano on 4c Delver:
    This match can be found here, at about 4:49: http://www.twitch.tv/channelfireball/v/24751578

    Jeez his hands were good, my keep game 1 was playing around every card in his deck except DRS. My keep in Game 2 was I think generically good, but just not good enough to beat what he had. They kept talking about double DRS as if it mattered much, the only difference was that I had to kill both to get rid of the effect, he couldn’t actually activate both for creatures in a single turn because he only had one trop.

    Well, I tried, but in the end came up short. I had to run out to catch my plane back to California, but I made my flight and had a great weekend. Thanks to all the players out there that made the event a blast, and thanks to Zach and Dylan for driving me around and giving me a place to crash.

  2. #2
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    Re: GP Seatac: 4th with Reanimator

    Congratulations of the finish!
    Quote Originally Posted by GreatWhale View Post
    Gross, other formats. I puked in my mouth a little.

  3. #3

    Re: GP Seatac: 4th with Reanimator

    Thanks for the write up. Do you remember how you side-boarded in your miracles matchup? I tend to have the most difficulty against miracles, any advice for that matchup is appreciated.

  4. #4

    Re: GP Seatac: 4th with Reanimator

    Yeah, I did something like:

    -1 Elesh
    -1 Tidespout
    -2 Careful Study
    -2 Reanimate
    -1 Exhume
    -2 Misdirection
    -1 Swamp (This is dangerous if they bring in moons though, so be careful)

    +3 Decay
    +2 Needle
    +1 Jin
    +1 Snapcaster
    +2 Thoughtseize
    +1 Duress

  5. #5
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    Re: GP Seatac: 4th with Reanimator

    Hey Stryfo, congrats on your finish, again.

    Did you miss lotus petals at all during the Tournament?

  6. #6

    Re: GP Seatac: 4th with Reanimator

    No, I'm not a fan of lotus petals in my version of the deck, they seem to induce a play style that I'm not a huge fan of.

  7. #7
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    Re: GP Seatac: 4th with Reanimator

    Could you explain the archetype of endurance a bit? I'm so confused by why it's there.

  8. #8

    Re: GP Seatac: 4th with Reanimator

    It's a tutorable out to Karakas/Jace/STP. Also attacks for 6.

  9. #9

    Re: GP Seatac: 4th with Reanimator

    Wouldn't Inkwel leviathan be just superior in this case? Bigger body (butt), also islandwalk and trample. Or is it so important to give your second reanimation target shroud as well? Is this really what you're aiming for by using Archetype over Inkwel?

    I'm really looking forward to your reasoning regarding Archetype vs Inkwell.

    Congratz on the awesome finish

  10. #10

    Re: GP Seatac: 4th with Reanimator

    The problem with Inkwell (and I LOVE Inkwell) is that it can be raced by DnT if it doesn't come down fast enough or if you have to cast reanimate. I think that people are evaluating Archetype in the wrong way. There is a discussion about it being win-more, but having played it for a short while I can tell you that it has won many games where no other creature could. The idea that a creature wins a game by itself is not that important in a deck where your primary threat draws 7+ cards.

    It's very common that I stick a Griselbrand, draw 7, they answer it, and then I stick Archetype followed by another matchup relevant threat, which is exactly how I won my DnT matchup in round 10 and my lands matchup in round 8.

  11. #11

    Re: GP Seatac: 4th with Reanimator

    Congratulations. Nice list !
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  12. #12
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    Re: GP Seatac: 4th with Reanimator


  13. #13

    Re: GP Seatac: 4th with Reanimator

    Round Six opponent here, thanks once more for such an enjoyable match! Turned out to be the beginning of the end for me, but the whole event was an absolute blast. Was glad to tune in from home only to see you do so well, even at the expense of both myself and my friend Sam!

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    Re: GP Seatac: 4th with Reanimator

    How important was the jace in your build? I love legacy and have all of the other staples except a second badlands, but i just cannot justify spending so much on a standard card that will drop in price when the set rotates out!

  15. #15

    Re: GP Seatac: 4th with Reanimator

    @ Aberosh, it was nice playing you!

    @ryscott: It's not necessary at all, if you replace it, I recommend another blue card in that slot, maybe Izzet Charm #4.

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    Re: GP Seatac: 4th with Reanimator

    Thanks for the reply! Also, I was just wondering: did you miss having two or so show and tells in the board as an added angel of attack or do you not feel as though they are necessary since they require that you have a monster in your hand? Any thoughts on firestorm? I'm really excited to play test your build! I put reanimator down for a while, as I prefer mid-rang type decks like death blade, however; as far as combo goes i'd like to play with this deck more!

  17. #17

    Re: GP Seatac: 4th with Reanimator

    I do not care for firestorm or show and tell in this deck, firestorm just doesn't do enough in too many situations. Show and tell costs a lot of mana and doesn't always win the game. It also makes you hold guys in your hand when you might not want to.

  18. #18
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    Re: GP Seatac: 4th with Reanimator

    Hi and congratulations.

    I can see that Jin in the board is better when griselbrand is extirpated or when there is a needle effect on him (though grisel's body will often be enough), but I don't see these events enough to make me prioritize it over the 4th griselbrand. It's much weaker in itself and much weaker to removal spells, including reb effects that you dodge decently by not playing any show and tell. You have other grisels to entomb for but your deck uses so many looting spells that it will be your only target often enough. Is your mind fixed on that choice ?

    I see the value of dredging in this deck and the ability to tutor darkblast with entomb but I still question this one. Creatures you really want to answer are 2 toughness (DRS, ooze and containment priest). Is it here solely because you are afraid of D&T's mana denial ? I can see the situation of having two wastable manas and a turn two thalia happening often enough, especially with wingmare in their deck now so I'm half convinced. I just want to be sure about that choice that looks like the 15th sideboard card and if it could be another tutorable slot for fringe situations like coffin purge.

    You are less all in and a bit slower with choices like 3 grisel main, izzet charms and baby jace so I understand the choice of 0 Lotus petal. However did you test running a single (possibly 2) chrome mox. The less artifact acceleration you have the more valuable they are and the less damageable they are to draw. Being a permanent mana means you still get to play your izzet charms or baby jace with it profitably, and you have lots of looting effects to get rid of it when in topdeck mode. I would see the singleton in the slot of a spell because 17 lands is ok but still on the low side. Probably instead of 4th hapless, but you probably know better than me which spell to cut. Also chrome mox is obviously at its best on griselbrand activations even if this is an already favourable situation.

    With red mana in the deck did you test faithless looting ? I see the wasteland issue and the blue count issue, but the first one is tutorable with entomb when you only look for a reanimation spell. The entomb play is marginal but the card is definitely what the decks likes. Is the blue count the only thing that prevents playing several ?
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  19. #19

    Re: GP Seatac: 4th with Reanimator

    Darkblast is better than you think. You cast it on your upkeep on their deathrite, then you dredge it back into your hand, then you darkblast the deathrite again. So you can kill 2 toughness creatures.

  20. #20

    Re: GP Seatac: 4th with Reanimator

    The thing about Jin being in the board is that you just get to bring it in for the matchups where it really shines: The various BUG decks and other combo decks.

    Darkblast allows for a tutorable way to blow up Thalia, sure, but more (maybe equally?) relevant, it is insane against infect. I don't think that infect is a bad matchup with this build, but darkblast makes it extremely easy.

    I haven't tried chrome mox, but that is an idea I like a lot better than lotus petal for sure. I'm not sure what I would cut for it, but I might pick one up at some point and try it as a one of.

    I don't care for faithless looting in this build, the deck already has 16 discard outlets, and the reanimation spell count is high enough that missing one is not usually an issue. Also, as you speculate on, blue count is important in a deck with 6 pitch spells.

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