[Article] Unlocking Legacy - Blue-Based Control: Don't

[AnwarA101]

Nah, I'm not impressed with Red Death.

Maybe you weren't really impressed with success anyway.

[Anusien]

Maybe you weren't really impressed with success anyway.

If I was, I'd just play Goblins in the first place.

Red Death is solid, and I respect that it can do what so many decks can't... you know, beat Goblins. I just think there's something stronger out there.

[JACO]

One thing that was brought up over in TMD is the true secret to how the modern Psychatog builds, like Kyle's, actually won. The late game draw was almost never part of it (and I hated to cast Fact or Fiction, even when it got me ridiculous splits). The trick is to just have insane board-control components. As Kyle put it, he beat Threshold by just playing an insane 3-drop. Vedalken Shackles and Pernicious Deed can flat-out win games against Threshold. Is there somethign similar (aside from maindeck Plague) that beats on Goblins similarly?

This is why those builds of Psychatog would suck at a Grand Prix level tournament. What do you need to spend 4 mana, all at once, for to draw 2-3 cards? Fact or Fiction is totally unneccessary in Psychatog with the advent of Life From the Loam, and the fact that Intuition is legal. Accumulated Knowledge, Deep Analysis, and Life From the Loam mean you can spread your draws out over the course of turns and when you have free mana, and further your board/graveyard position, pushing you closer towards inevitability.

The card that beats on Goblins in Dredge-A-Tog, aside from Engineered Plague, is Darkblast. If your opponent leads with AEther Vial, that is usually going to provide you enough time to get into the game. The way they put pressure on the 'Tog player is with the Lackey + expensive guys draw. And you know what? If you play 3 Darkblast + 4 Force of Will main, you have more answers to Goblin Lackey on the first turn than they have chances to drop a first turn Lackey. Dorgan's version of 'Tog could never reliably answer Goblins in a large tournament where it's 30% of the field, because he doesn't have the speed, or the right answers, to those kind of threats. His deck was built for a combo and Threshold laced (read: non Goblins) tournament, and that's why he succeeded, so more power to him for properly building his deck for what he was going to play against.