Bizarro Stormy (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Griselbrand)

[Acclimation]

[Acclimation]

Did some testing last night with 3 Unmask in the Therapy/Seize slots, and I wasn't too big on it. Played against Aluren, Lands, and a BR Shops deck (so it would have been decent against the chalice decks in the room). I will say that I mulliganed to 5 almost every game, with 2 7s kept and 1 4, so Unmask loses a lot of value when you start off low on cards. 3 matches isn't a lot of data, but it felt much worse in this deck than it did with stock Tinfins.

Unburial Rites also never came up, so I'm withholding judgment on that card.

Next build I run will probably be 3 Therapy and 4 Probe, but that might be due to the non-english ones I have coming in the mail next week.

[.dk]

lol somehow i totally missed that you even posted that...

I ran a small 3 round event tonight, going 2-1. I tried a green splash and was testing out Unburial Rites as well. This was my list:

1 Badlands
4 Polluted Delta
1 Swamp
1 Tropical Island
3 Underground Sea
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Brainstorm
2 Cabal Ritual
2 Cabal Therapy
3 Collective Brutality
1 Corpse Dance
4 Dark Ritual
4 Entomb
4 Gitaxian Probe
3 Griselbrand
3 Lion's Eye Diamond
4 Lotus Petal
1 Magus of the Mind
1 Past in Flames
3 Ponder
4 Shallow Grave
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Thoughtseize
1 Unburial Rites
Sideboard:

2 Abrupt Decay
1 Bayou
2 Carpet of Flowers
2 Chain of Vapor
2 Flusterstorm
1 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Massacre
3 Silent Gravestone

I went 2-1 on the night.

Maverick - Game 1 Mom into top deck Teeg (after I probe-therapied away Thalia) was pretty brutal. Got there by just making Griselbrands 3 turns in a row and attacking. Overall though, this felt fine.

Deathblade - Green splash was good here. Decay was able to deal with Leovold, which I saw was relevant after this scenario in game 2: he has Canonist + Leovold. I Massacre away Canonist, then CoBru Leovold, which then got Flusterstormed. Couldn't quite dig out with Leovold on the table.

UR Delver - Think I made some poor mulligan decisions here - kept swingy hands when I shouldn't have. Carpet of Flowers was very good, but wasn't enough to win the match. Mulled to 5 twice (winning one) and 6. The losses both should have been mulligans again. Oh well - was still close regardless.

I really didn't like that I had to board out Unburial Rites when I brought in Gravestone, with Rites as the 6th reanimation spell. Going to 5 felt way too light sometimes. I think if I were to test it again, I'd find a way to fit in Rites as the 7th reanimation spell. The effect itself was good, but I'm not sure that it's better than the 2nd Corpse Dance.

/edit: I also really hated drawing Unburial Rites with Teeg on the board. That felt awful. But probably happens rarely enough that it's not really worth considering

[Kobra_D]

Magus of the Will is a lame, pedantic boy that puts things into exile after we cast them, and can't win the game on his own.

Magus of the Mind comes in with his leather jacket, restored 60s Stingray, and brings a cooler full of beer to the party.

Or in more serious terms, as I wrote in the Primer:

Thanks for the imagery, I could definitely see the appeal of one versus the other, it just seemed will comes off as a little more deterministic.

Also, my bad for not reading through the full primer, it is exactly there so people don't ask the same questions again and again .

[Acclimation]

Thanks for the imagery, I could definitely see the appeal of one versus the other, it just seemed will comes off as a little more deterministic.

Also, my bad for not reading through the full primer, it is exactly there so people don't ask the same questions again and again .

I think when we were writing the primer, we were making jokes that nobody was going to read it beyond the first posted deck list, so we could put literally anything in it and nobody would catch it.

In fact, I specifically wrote that section of Will vs Mind because I knew somebody was going to ask why we aren't playing Will.

[.dk]

Also, my bad for not reading through the full primer, it is exactly there so people don't ask the same questions again and again .

25 demerits

[Acclimation]

Now that .dk finally posted the banner after a week, we can now put the car discussion to rest: Magus drives a '71 Impala, the Red Shark.

And Tinfins was a movie about a mechanical shark. Therefore, it's all connected and fits, man.

[.dk]

Now that .dk finally posted the banner after a week, we can now put the car discussion to rest: Magus drives a '71 Impala, the Red Shark.

And Tinfins was a movie about a mechanical shark. Therefore, it's all connected and fits, man.

Look dude, some of us have other things to do than remembering to post a picture that Richard Cheese hacked together.

I mean, I don't... I just forgot. But SOME OF US DO

[Kobra_D]

As an aside, I'm also taking the banner due to it being awesome. Who can I credit for this?

[.dk]

As an aside, I'm also taking the banner due to it being awesome. Who can I credit for this?

:D

That was allllll Richard Cheese, of course (I added a credit at the end of the Primer)

[.dk]

FYI, small updates to the Primer for the decklist, Thoughtseize explanation, removed Gitaxian Probe from cards to consider, and added an Unburial Rites note:

4 B/x Fetchland
1 U/x Dual Land
1 B/x Dual Land

4 Polluted Delta
1 Swamp
3 Underground Sea

4 Brainstorm
3-4 Gitaxian Probe
3-4 Ponder

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

4 Shallow Grave
2 Corpse Dance

3 Griselbrand
1 Magus of the Mind

4 Entomb
0-2 Mastermind's Acquisition / 0-1 Dark Petition / 0-1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Past in Flames

3 Collective Brutality
2 Cabal Therapy
1 Thoughtseize



Unburial Rites - Super interesting card. It’s a great entomb target for additional reanimation, providing more flexibility for the deck. However, this does have dis-synergy with Silent Gravestone out of the sideboard, essentially forcing you to board this card out whenever Gravestone comes in. Due to this, if Rites is included, it likely needs to be in addition to the standard Shallow Grave and Corpse Dance reanimation slots rather than replacing one of those cards.

Thoughtseize Even though we're running Probe, Thoughtseize still has value in a Death and Taxes/Chalice/Blood Moon meta when you're on the play to be able to always nab one of their many lock pieces. Thoughtseize still warrants inclusion based on this, depending on the expected metagame.

[.dk]

More updates to the primer - started a Video/Article/Reports section with a link to Card Kingdom's stream archive from last night:


4 straight rounds of Bizarro Stormy on Card Kingdom's Stream: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/256382614

[jugglervr]

4 straight rounds of Bizarro Stormy on Card Kingdom's Stream: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/256382614

The deck really took CK by... storm.

(too bad 2 of the matches seemed to be less skilled)

[JackaBo]

The deck really took CK by... storm.

(too bad 2 of the matches seemed to be less skilled)

Awesome how a fringe deck got so much attention. I agree that many of the games seemed suboptimally played. Was fun to watch anyhow.

[Acclimation]

Since I've been slowly buying up non-English cards for Tinfins over the last year, here's where I'm at with my Bizarro Deck:

https://imgur.com/gallery/18ZkHGW


I'm still sitting at 61 cards main deck, and I'm considering dropping Dark Petition or swapping to 1 MA, Tendrils in the side to get down to 60. Scrubland should optimally be Badlands, but I don't own one and can usually borrow one to make it work.

SB, I'm probably going to work Hurkyl's into the side, I just haven't felt the need to make the swap yet since I don't have any plans to play in the next week or two.

After much discussion, I'm not super keen on Rites. It's a good card, but I think in our style of deck it doesn't gel as well, and we're super dependent on Rituals/LED to make it work early on. I would almost rather run Reanimate in the slot, or a 3rd Corpse Dance, but I think that it's probably unnecessary at this time.

I wasn't too big on Unmask, so I'm currently trying 3 Therapy. I might swap the Ponder and Probe numbers around to decrease the odds of blind shots. After watching Greg play in the CK event the other night, having more Therapy so we can utilize the flashback to sac Griselbrand and just continually beat in seems worth the slots.

I'm also considering dropping 2 Defense Grid into the SB in the Silence slots, as it should perform the same function (lock out countermagic and surgical), and be a bit more of a permanent solution. I think it would be good in a more Grixis version of the deck (- Tundra + Volc; +Red SB cards), as green splashes have Carpet of Flowers to help with taxing countermagic.

[8bit9mm]

Well, if this is what we're doing now...

Here's where I am with the deck:
https://imgur.com/gallery/KNLAAsN

I've not found Mastermind's Acquisition to be necessary. Same for Dank Petition.
I find that if you get to draw 14-21 cards, you can set up Magus/Past in Flames/Natural Tendrils fairly easily.
The verdict is still out on the white splash for me. I need to do some testing with Burning Wish.
Serenity has been amazing though. I don't know if I can give it up.
Silences have been hit or miss. Either they win you the game or do nothing.
Grid may be worth testing, as Acclimation suggests. I just haven't been a fan of it in traditional Storm decks in the past.

[Acclimation]

I've not found Mastermind's Acquisition to be necessary. Same for Dank Petition.
I find that if you get to draw 14-21 cards, you can set up Magus/Past in Flames/Natural Tendrils fairly easily.

My thought on this is that Tendrils is a card that I don't want to see until I want it, as it's a dead card 90% of the time.

With the 1 MA, Tendrils side, MA plays out like a wild card for the deck, where if we draw it early we can use it to tutor up any card within the 75 and still have the option to flash it back with PiF later on in the combo.

Dark Petition has been playing out pretty well, as it helps in games where I'm sitting on one piece of the combo, and can use it to search up the other half and go off that turn. The only draw back is that it costs 5 mana and that it requires Tendrils to be run in the main, or 1 MA over Tendrils- but either way you need to run a 4 mana spell with the 5 mana spell, and that can make for some awkward draws.

Early versions of the deck ran 2 MA, as we really liked the Wild Card aspect (it can be anything, EVEN A TENDRILS). I think we ended up moving more towards DP+ToA main, as it was awkward to cast, and some people have had decent luck with 1 MA main.

It's probably correct to run Tendrils and cut the tutors, but it's such a dead card 90% of the time that it feels so bad to draw.

[8bit9mm]

My thought on this is that Tendrils is a card that I don't want to see until I want it, as it's a dead card 90% of the time.

With the 1 MA, Tendrils side, MA plays out like a wild card for the deck, where if we draw it early we can use it to tutor up any card within the 75 and still have the option to flash it back with PiF later on in the combo.

Dark Petition has been playing out pretty well, as it helps in games where I'm sitting on one piece of the combo, and can use it to search up the other half and go off that turn. The only draw back is that it costs 5 mana and that it requires Tendrils to be run in the main, or 1 MA over Tendrils- but either way you need to run a 4 mana spell with the 5 mana spell, and that can make for some awkward draws.

Early versions of the deck ran 2 MA, as we really liked the Wild Card aspect (it can be anything, EVEN A TENDRILS). I think we ended up moving more towards DP+ToA main, as it was awkward to cast, and some people have had decent luck with 1 MA main.

It's probably correct to run Tendrils and cut the tutors, but it's such a dead card 90% of the time that it feels so bad to draw.

I wholeheartedly agree that Tendrils is an awkward draw early on and a virtual mulligan when you see it in your opener, but I'm willing to live with that. It's like drawing your Lab Man in DDFT. You just hope to be able to Brainstorm it away.

I may give Acquisition another go. It's a busted effect, I just wish it cost BBB instead. Although, then it would probably be too busted to exist.

Nothing is set in stone for Bizarro right now, so I'm not opposed to testing things again. I've just been fairly happy with my current configuration.

[Acclimation]

After this discussion, I'm leaning more toward 1 MA and tossing Tendrils back in the side. Not sure how I'm going to configure the sideboard, but I'll figure it out (probably dropping Arena since it's just there as a fun-of).

[.dk]

After this discussion, I'm leaning more toward 1 MA and tossing Tendrils back in the side. Not sure how I'm going to configure the sideboard, but I'll figure it out (probably dropping Arena since it's just there as a fun-of).

At least with my current sideboard in the green splash:

2 Abrupt Decay
1 Bayou
2 Carpet of Flowers
2 Chain of Vapor
2 Flusterstorm
1 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Massacre
3 Silent Gravestone

I have no idea what I would cut if I were to run Acquisition maindeck again. I wish had had 1 more board slot as it is.

And yes, while Dark Petition does require 5 mana starting off, it's still a 2 mana tutor effectively. If you're worried about that initial 5 mana investment, it could also easily be Grim Tutor to ease that concern as well, as this deck isn't super life total dependent.