4 Card Blind

[silkster]

I think the next-best loop engine is Soldevi Digger, which is much worse. (Trophy probably becomes unplayable because of the color requirements without Elixir looping, but that shouldn't stop people from trying.)

I really wanted to win with Soldevi Digger in the Peasant season. Somewhere around week 5, Hickory Woodlot, Hickory Woodlot, Soldevi Digger, Trumpeting Herd would have gotten over 5 round points. I thought it was only a matter of time, but meta shifts became hostile to it, and then someone else got Hickory Woodlot banned.

[Asthereal]

Alright, let's try keeping Trophy and banning:
Lion's Eye Diamond
Elixir of Immortality
Barbed Shocker

I'll update the things.

[Asthereal]

We're missing results from H and Serguei still, but based on what their opponents posted and my feeling that Bridge will always come down for the draw in their head-to-head, here's preliminary results for round 5:

Rank. Player: Score - SP
1. Wrath of Pie: 51 - 4,6
2. dte: 42 - 3,8
3. FTW: 39 - 3,5
4. Serguei: 33 - 3
4. Tylert: 33 - 3
6. silkster: 32 - 2,9
7. Asthereal (TO): 31 - 2,8
7. H: 31 - 2,8
9. jhhdk: 29 - 2,6
10. maxx!: 27 - 2,5
11. GoblinSmashmaster: 15 - 1,4
12. Reeplcheep: 12 - 1,1

Which leads to these standings in the season:
1. dte: 22,3
2. FTW: 19,4
3. Serguei: 17,6
4. Tylert: 16,9
5. Wrath of Pie: 15,4
6. Reeplcheep: 13,3
7. silkster: 12,9
8. maxx!: 12,2
9. Asthereal (TO): 12,2
10. H: 12
11. jhhdk: 11,3
12. GoblinSmashmaster: 9,1
13. alphastryk: 6,6

So dte still leads and FTW is still in pursuit, but Wrath with a second win in a row is on the way up the chart.

[Asthereal]

ROUND 6 OF SEASON 9: DEVIANT LEGACY - PART 2 has started.

This round we play Impatience: At the beginning of each player’s end step, if that player didn’t cast a spell this turn, Impatience deals 2 damage to that player. No additional bannings.
Do note though that we decided to ban Lion's Eye Diamond, Elixir of Immortality and Barbed Shocker indefinitely.

I have PM'ed myself my deck for round 6, so you can start sending me your decks.

DEADLINE: Wednesday the 24th of February at 11:00AM Central European Time.
(That's my time zone. Pacific Time it'll probably be something like Tuesday night a bit past midnight, so keep that in mind.)

PLEASE NOTE:
The way you send your deck to me matters. Please send it in the way described below, so it doesn't cost me an hour of editing before I can post all the decks.
Please send your deck as follows: Swamp, Swamp, Dauthi Slayer, Black Knight.
So with card tags around each card, and not above eachother, and with your Username and 4CB S09R06 in the topic.
Don't forget to keep an eye on the banned list. You'll find it in the second post of the thread, or in our Google Spreadsheet.

After the deadline has passed, I will post all decks on the forum here, and you can start puzzling out your scores.
If you have any questions, please read the first two posts of this thread first. If you can't find the answer there, drop a message here. We'll answer a.s.a.p.

Also, if you've been lurking on this thread and looking to join, you can step in anytime, any round. That's no problem at all. Just send me your deck before the deadline, and I'll add you to the competition.

Happy deck designing everybody!

[Wrath of Pie]

I really wanted to win with Soldevi Digger in the Peasant season. Somewhere around week 5, Hickory Woodlot, Hickory Woodlot, Soldevi Digger, Trumpeting Herd would have gotten over 5 round points. I thought it was only a matter of time, but meta shifts became hostile to it, and then someone else got Hickory Woodlot banned.

That's actually rather clever.

[jhhdk]

ROUND 6 OF SEASON 9: DEVIANT LEGACY - PART 2 has started.
This round we play Impatience: At the beginning of each player’s end step, if that player didn’t cast a spell this turn, Impatience deals 2 damage to that player. No additional bannings.
Do note though that we decided to ban Lion's Eye Diamond, Elixir of Immortality and Barbed Shocker indefinitely.

Alms of the Vein, Anje's Ravager, Kozilek, Butcher of Truth, Lion's Eye Diamond

Back to the drawing board then :-)

[FTW]

For Round 9 (Race for Life), I propose we add a rule:
If a spell, ability, or effect would prevent a player from gaining life, it instead does nothing.

Otherwise Leyline of Punishment makes the format very boring. (You don't have to reveal it, but if the opponent's deck is better you get a backup plan of T0 uncounterable draw)

[Asthereal]

For Round 9 (Race for Life), I propose we add a rule:
If a spell, ability, or effect would prevent a player from gaining life, it instead does nothing.

Otherwise Leyline of Punishment makes the format very boring. (You don't have to reveal it, but if the opponent's deck is better you get a backup plan of T0 uncounterable draw)

Excellent suggestion. That one obviously needs to go, as it just invalidates the format.

[Wrath of Pie]

For Round 9 (Race for Life), I propose we add a rule:
If a spell, ability, or effect would prevent a player from gaining life, it instead does nothing.

Otherwise Leyline of Punishment makes the format very boring. (You don't have to reveal it, but if the opponent's deck is better you get a backup plan of T0 uncounterable draw)

Doesn't stop Rain of Gore or False Cure.

[H]

H: Swamp, Cry of Contrition, Fume Spitter, Shamble Back

Me, thinking I was cute, but actually just misreading the rules.

1. Asthereal (TO): Tropical Island, Chromomaton, Durkwood Baloth, Daze
Whoops, forgot the suspend cards are legal again. 0-6

2. jhhdk: Gatekeeper of Malakir, The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth,Volrath's Stronghold
On the Play, I can't really just run the Spitter out, since then Tabernacle prevents me from keeping it and casting Cry. Casting Cry also doesn't help much, since Petal on Draw means Gatkeeper can be cast no matter what. On the Draw though, I do get to cast Cry twice, which should win with Shamble Back. 3-3

3. GoblinSmashmaster: Island, Force Spike, Force Spike, Brinebarrow Intruder
Damn, Force Spikes on me. Hmm, I thought this would be simple at first, but now I am not sure.

T1 H: Swamp, Spitter. If GS counters this, then Cry takes the second Spike and then Shamble can resolve. So, seems it must be let resolve.
T1 GS: Island and Petal up, pass.

T2 H: Cast Cry, which can be countered by Petal for U and a Force Spike. I attack, if GS takes the damage, he can't win the race. If he plays the Intruder, I put a counter on it and we Draw.

Now, when I am on the Draw.

T1 GS: Island, pass.
T1 H: Have Petal, play Swamp, Cast Spitter, if it gets Spiked, I Shamble while GS is tapped out. So it has to resolve. I cast Cry, which must be Spiked, or else GS will be left with nothing but Intruder vs. Shamble. So Spike the Cry.

T2 GS: Pass, since Spike must be held up to prevent Shamble.
T2 H: Attack with the Spitter. If Intruder is not played, I win the race. If it is played, I can Shamble avoid the Spike. I think you must then cast the Intruder EOT here and take the draw.

I guess I am doing something wrong here, I think this mght be a 2-2.

4. Reeplcheep: City of Traitors, Porcelain Legionnaire, Trinisphere, Rishadan Port
On the Play, I cast Spitter, but then I am locked under Trini, so it will be a Draw. On the Draw, I can make you discard two cards, which means you either won't have a threat, or a way to cast it. 3-3

5. Wrath of Pie: Mishra's Factory, Golgari Rot Farm, Elixir of Immortality, Assassin's Trophy
On the Play, I just cast Spitter. I think Elixer must be played here, leaving Rot Farm and Trophy in hand. The double Cry hardly does much though, since the Petal can just reshuffle it all, so I lose. On the Draw, again, I think Wrath must start on Factory into Elixer, but that means the double Cry leaves only 1 mana, which isn't enough to activate. 1-4

6. H: Bye, myself.

7. maxx!: Cavern of Souls, Oboro, Palace in the Clouds, Meddling Mage, Spell Pierce
On the Play, I play Spitter and pass. You make a Mage that I can't deal with and stops my Shamble. On the Draw, Pierce saves from the double Cry and Mage stops the Shamble. 0-6

8. Serguei: Scalding Tongs, City of Traitors, Simian Spirit Guide, Ensnaring Bridge
On the Play, I can only play Spitter and pass since a single Cry does nothing. Serguei can cast either Bridge or Tongs. Tongs can't actually race the 1 power I have, so it must be Bridge. Cry takes the rest of the cards, so this is a draw. On the Draw, well, actually it's the same result, so should be 2-2.

9. Tylert: Lion's eye diamond, Unburial Rites, Iona, shield of emeria, Karakas
Too fast for me. 0-6

10. dte: City of traitors, Hangarback Walker, Arcbound Ravager, Steel Overseer
On the Play, I just cast Spitter and wait. Then I can double Cry to hit the last two threats. On the Draw, it's essentially the same, but I can Spitter and Cry the same turn. 6-0

11. FTW: Karakas, Mishra's Factory, Path to Exile, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
I think FTW has it right, this will be a draw and a loss for me. 1-4

12. silkster: Plains, Cenn's Tactician, Pact of Negation, Angel's Grace
On the Play, I play Spitter, which you can't Pact, or else lose. You Play Tactician. I play Cry, if you Pact I can then Shamble Back, if not, I still can. I actually don't think being on the Draw changes this much. 6-0

I think I got some differing results, but also I did this before I had my coffee, so I probably made some mistakes.

[Wrath of Pie]

5. Wrath of Pie: Mishra's Factory, Golgari Rot Farm, Elixir of Immortality, Assassin's Trophy
On the Play, I just cast Spitter. I think Elixer must be played here, leaving Rot Farm and Trophy in hand. The double Cry hardly does much though, since the Petal can just reshuffle it all, so I lose. On the Draw, again, I think Wrath must start on Factory into Elixer, but that means the double Cry leaves only 1 mana, which isn't enough to activate. 3-3

I don't cast Elixir on your draw; I discard it and Trophy to double Cry, play Rot Farm, then play Factory for the draw.

[H]

I don't cast Elixir on your draw; I discard it and Trophy to double Cry, play Rot Farm, then play Factory for the draw.

Ah, yeah, good point, I missed that line.

[dte]

H: Swamp, Cry of Contrition, Fume Spitter, Shamble Back


3. GoblinSmashmaster: Island, Force Spike, Force Spike, Brinebarrow Intruder
Damn, Force Spikes on me. Hmm, I thought this would be simple at first, but now I am not sure.

T1 H: Swamp, Spitter. If GS counters this, then Cry takes the second Spike and then Shamble can resolve. So, seems it must be let resolve.
T1 GS: Island and Petal up, pass.

T2 H: Cast Cry, which can be countered by Petal for U and a Force Spike. I attack, if GS takes the damage, he can't win the race. If he plays the Intruder, I put a counter on it and we Draw.

Now, when I am on the Draw.

T1 GS: Island, pass.
T1 H: Have Petal, play Swamp, Cast Spitter, if it gets Spiked, I Shamble while GS is tapped out. So it has to resolve. I cast Cry, which must be Spiked, or else GS will be left with nothing but Intruder vs. Shamble. So Spike the Cry.

T2 GS: Pass, since Spike must be held up to prevent Shamble.
T2 H: Attack with the Spitter. If Intruder is not played, I win the race. If it is played, I can Shamble avoid the Spike. I think you must then cast the Intruder EOT here and take the draw.

I guess I am doing something wrong here, I think this mght be a 2-2.

When you are OTP, it is 3 ressources vs 3, so draw.
When you are OTD, you have the petal.
You lead with spitter, it resolves (or double spike, and shamble wins).
Next turn you play cry, it resolves or Gob double spike, and shamble wins --> double discard
Then next turn shamble wins.

Should be 4-1

4. Reeplcheep: City of Traitors, Porcelain Legionnaire, Trinisphere, Rishadan Port
On the Play, I cast Spitter, but then I am locked under Trini, so it will be a Draw. On the Draw, I can make you discard two cards, which means you either won't have a threat, or a way to cast it. 3-3

From what you write, it should be 4-1.
It should be that, but not from double discard: when Reep is otp, he can start with port. Then if you double discard him, he could just keep city and port you forever. If he discards legionnaire first, you do not make the second discard, so he discards trinisphere, and you can just win with spitter (or shamble if legionnaire is ever cast).

12. silkster: Plains, Cenn's Tactician, Pact of Negation, Angel's Grace
On the Play, I play Spitter, which you can't Pact, or else lose. You Play Tactician. I play Cry, if you Pact I can then Shamble Back, if not, I still can. I actually don't think being on the Draw changes this much. 6-0

Why couldn't silk counter your spitter when you are OTP?
He counters, play grace with the petal at his upkeep, then plains and tactician and wins from there.
But you should win by starting with cry, protecting spitter..

[silkster]

Alms of the Vein, Anje's Ravager, Kozilek, Butcher of Truth, Lion's Eye Diamond

Back to the drawing board then :-)

Yeah, I had some plans for later rounds using LED that felt really broken. I think this is good though, because I was basically on "play 2 or 3 card LED combo and then try to round out the deck in a way that beats the other LED decks", and it's no good when there's just a default tier 0.

False Cure is still underpowered in the life gain round, and I don't think Rain of Gore is an issue at 2 mana for an enchantment that hilariously doesn't even stop lifelink. There are a few other similar cards, but I think they require an investment in mana and are more easily answered than an enchantment.

[alphastryk]

Hey all, I'm back! My wife and I welcomed a son into the world last week, so this game fell off my radar. Catching up now

[Asthereal]

Hey all, I'm back! My wife and I welcomed a son into the world last week, so this game fell off my radar. Catching up now

Congrats man! All's well with the missus and junior?

[dte]

Hey all, I'm back! My wife and I welcomed a son into the world last week, so this game fell off my radar. Catching up now

Warm congratulations! All the best for you and your family.

[maxx!]

Hey all, I'm back! My wife and I welcomed a son into the world last week, so this game fell off my radar. Catching up now

Congrats! Way more important than this thread. Also, get as much sleep as you can as often as you can.

[alphastryk]

Thanks all! everyone is doing well.

[jhhdk]

Also congratulations from here. If it is your firstborn welcome to adulthood.