Last saturday I had a qualifier for the Dutch Masters tournament. I finished in 17th place out of 40 participants.
Shame on me. Here's what happened:
The evening before a friend of mine who just moved gave a goodbye party in her old house. After a bit too much beer,
I go get 3 and a half hours of sleep. I surpisingly wake up without a hangover, take a quick shower, grab my bag, and
head to the trainstation. I meet my friend in the train, and we play some games on the way there, destroying his Aggro Loam
5-0, at which point he decides Fetchland Tendrils is the next deck he's going to build.
When we arrive in Amsterdam, we take the subway in the wrong direction, but luckily found out soon enough. We head back,
and arrive at the tourney with 15 minutes until registration closes. I trade for a FNM foil Tendrils with my favorite dealer, and ask
him to keep an eye open for a second one. We walk around to scout a bit, and see a shitload of ******** being goldfished everywhere.
During the seatings, the judge tells everyone we will be playing 6 rounds of swiss, followed by top8. I'm pretty confidant at this point
that I'm going to make it in.
Here's the list I played:
Fetchland Tendrils
Lands (14)
4 Polluted Delta
3 Flooded Strand
1 Underground Sea
1 Tundra
1 Scrubland
1 Volcanic Island
2 Island
1 Swamp
Mana (16)
4 Lotus Petal
4 Lions Eye Diamond
4 Dark Ritual
4 Cabal Ritual
Cantrips (11)
4 Brainstorm
3 Ponder
4 Street Wraith
Tutors (9)
4 Mystical Tutor
4 Infernal Tutor
1 Grim Tutor
Protection (4)
3 Orims Chant
1 Wipe Away
Bombs (6)
1 Cruel Bargain
2 Ill-gotten Gains
2 Tendrils of Agony
1 Empty the Warrens
Sideboard (15)
1 Orims Chant
2 Abeyance
4 Serenity
1 Wipe Away
1 Rushing River
1 Echoing Truth
1 Rebuild
3 Dark Confidant
1 Empty the Warrens
Pairings are up, and the tournament begins.
Round 1 vs Eva Green
Game 1:
He's taking quite some time thinking about his hand before he keeps, and I put him on a combo mirror. I keep a reasonable
hand, and easily combo him out without any disruption or clock.
Game 2:
He opens swamp, nothing. I open with Island, Petal, Confidant, go. He just plays some Thoughtseizes without any pressure,
while I can't draw into a second land / petal. I have 2 LED in play because Confidant was drawing me so much cards and i didn't want to discard. He then plays Null Rod. After a while, he's at 9 life from Confidant beats, and plays a Hippy. My deck decides that shouldn't be allowed, and I draw fetch, dark ritual. I play fetch -> swamp, Rit, Rit, Cabal (treshed), Cabal, Grim Tutor, Tendrils for 12 life.
We chat a bit after the match, and I trade him for an Unhinged foil Swamp.
Matches: 1-0 ; Games: 2-0
Round 2 vs Stifle-Naught
Game 1:
He's sitting there playing Islands and doing nothing, I don't have a very good hand but decide to test him, and play Rit, Draw4. It resolves, but my hand still sucks.
He puts me down to 4 life with Factory beats, then I play Chant, and it resolves. I didn't expect that, but to thank him, I put his lifetotal way below zero.
Game 2:
He get's down Counterbalance, blindly hitting my cards 5 times before he finds Top, after which he beats me down with Factory. I can't find Wipe Away, or resolve a tutor for it.
Game 3:
He get's down Counterbalance again, this time with Top. When I'm at 2 life from Goyf beats, I eot Wipe Away his Counterbalance. I untap, play Chant (Fow). At this point, I knew he had a Stifle in hand because he revealed one off CB. I play fetch, crack, baiting him to Stifle it. He bites, and I play some mana, Infernal Tutor, and he Spell Snares. I burn to death because of my own LED mana.
Matches: 1-1 ; Games: 3-2
Round 3 vs GWB Loam Control
Game 1:
We chat a bit, and before the match starts this guy thinks I'm still playing Wild Zombies. After some of his Confidant beats, I play Chant and Tendrils him to death.
Game 2:
I fan open a hand of 7 containing 4 Cabal Rituals. At some point in, I could have easily comboed, but he was bluffing Extirpate and I didn't have Chant. Not comboing gave him time to destroy my lands which kept me from winning. Terravore beats finish the job.
Game 3:
Im extremely pissed for losing to Loam, and I really want to get my revenge. I have a slow hand, and for some reason Im topdecking crap like Empty the Warrens, Iggy, and both of my Tendrils. When he puts me down to 5 life, I'm going to have to combo, Extirpate or not. He's still at 19 life, I do the math, and I'm not going to make it.
I can however play Empty for a shitload if I play the Iggy in my hand. I only have 1 land, and no rituals. I play Petal, Petal, Petal, LED, Iggy, crack LED. He's looking at my graveyard, and I see his Extirpate coming. He fetches, going down to 18, and plays Extirpate on my Cruel Bargain. I'm like WTF, sure, and return Petal, Petal, Tendrils and combo him for exactly 18 lifeloss.
Matches: 2-1 ; Games: 5-3
Round 4 vs UB Control
Game 1:
Im cantripping a bit, he's doing nothing much. During the match he was constantly saying I was playing combo, while all I did was playing cantrips and fetches. After saying again that "You really do play combo", he puts down Engineered Explosives @ 2. I shrug, play Chant, and it just resolves. I combo him out easily. With his lifetotal below zero, he tells me that I'm playing a very bad deck, and he hasnt seen anyone playing Iggy Pop in the last year or so. I inform him that this is more like an evolution of Iggy Pop, but he still thinks it sucks. I decide to teach him a lesson.
Game 2:
Duress, double Hymn to Tourach, Extirpate, and Tombstalker turn 4 where a bit too much for me. He informs me that he was right about my deck sucking.
Game 3:
I'm obviously on the play. He mulligans down to 6, saying something along the lines of "WTF, yeah I'm going to keep this hand for sure!". He then dares me to combo on turn 1. I call his bluff, playing Island, LED. He then says "Oh crap, you really are going to do it.". I play Petal, Cabal Rit, Infernal Tutor, crack LED, Empty for 10 tokens. He plays Island, Brainstorm, and picks up his cards. It turned out that he boarded out Explosives. After this match, he's constantly walking around the tournament being cranky and ignoring me.
Matches: 3-1 ; Games: 7-4
At this point, all I have to do is win the next match, and I can draw into top8. Having just played against control all day, I hope to finally see an aggro opponent.
Round 5 vs MUC
When I see my opponents name on the pairings list, I'm like "Oh fuck!", as I knew he played MUC, since we've been sitting side by side for 2 matches. I install myself, and when he sits down, I tell him that I've been playing against control all day, and I'm currently 3-1. He's very nervous as he shuffles up.
Game 1:
I start with an early Mystical for Chant, hoping to draw into another tutor quickly. I draw another Chant after that, but can't find a tutor. I lose to MUC beatdown.
Game 2:
He's getting beatdown again, while I draw lots of Chants and Abeyance's. I try playing Chants a bit, but everything gets countered. With 1 Abeyance left, him with 2 cards in hand, and me dying next turn, I have to do it. I play Abeyance, to which he responds with Brainstorm. He puts back two cards, and plays Spell Snare. He has 1 card in hand, I play my mana, and play Infernal Tutor which would get Tendrils for lethal. In response, he plays Impulse, having 2 cards to find a counter. He looks at the four cards, returns 3 to the top of his deck, and plays Counterspell on my Infernal. Wait, did you get that? He returns 3 cards to the top of his deck. I think about what to do for a minute, but decide to be an asshole and call the judge, since I really want to make top8. I inform the judge of what happened, but he decides to just return the 3 cards to the bottom, give my opponent a Warning, and continue from there. He untaps, swings, and I'm out of top8.
After the match, we chat for a bit, and he tells me that just this morning he decided to reconfigure his deck and just play 17 counters. I thank him for doing that, and go get a beer.
Matches: 3-2 ; Games: 7-6
I really hope that 4-2 might still get me a spot in top8, but I'm not counting on it. I hope to finally play against an aggro opponent, but it was not meant to be.
Round 6 vs Scepter-Chant
Game 1:
My opponent was being very happy, but every turn saying "Untap, upkeep, draw", which was really annoying. He plays turn 2 Scepter, imprinting Chant. Lucky for me I had Wipe Away in hand. During my turn, I unload all my artifact mana so I won't have to discard. I'm just chilling there for a bit, while he beats with Factory. I play eot Wipe Away, and during my turn I play Orim's Chant, which he Fows. I then play some rituals, Tendrils with 1 black floating and Island untapped. He takes the lifeloss, and I cast Cabal Ritual, which resolves again, and I cast the second Tendrils in hand FTW. He shakes my hand, congratulating me on my way of playing it.
Game 2:
We have Chant/Abeyance battles, but he finds all four of his Chants (without any tutors). Multiple Factory beats got there.
Game 3:
Again, we have Chant/Abeyance battles. He beats down with Factory, and with me on 6 life, I have to do it. With 3 duals, 1 fetch and 1 LED in play, 2x Cabal Rit, Grim Tutor, Abeyance in hand, I'm getting in. I tap 2 lands, cast Abeyance, which he Dazes. In response, I fetch, going down to 5, and cast Cabal Ritual. He responds to ritual by casting Orim's Chant. I manaburn out of the tournament.
Matches: 3-3 ; Games: 9-8
So, I take combo to a tournament, and to recap my matches: Eva Green, Stifle-Naught, Loam Control, UB Control, Mono-Blue Control, Scepter-Chant. Yeah...
Props:
-My deck, for not crapping out on me too much.
-The tournament being held in a bar, so I could smoke and drink beer all day. Note I didnt touch any beer until I was X-2.
-Grim Tutor, for being insane all day.
-2x FNM Foil Tendrils.
Slops:
-Playing against control all day.
-Topdecking Empty the Warrens for the lose.
-Finishing 3-3 while you know both you and your deck deserve better.
If any of my opponents spot errors in this report, please say so and I will gladly change them.
Could we get a definitive list of must-have slots, list of meta slots, a primer, etc? I feel this deck is being neglected due to New and Developmental status.
This deck really should be in the DTB/DTW forum. It's got about 80% of the meta beat off the draw and it's very tough for most of the rest of the field.
The guy is working on that. Follow the thread.
Meanwhile, enjoy being "under the radar".
After the primer is up and a few (big) tournament top8's have happened, the *****-bluff is long gone.
(I predict this to be a dtb in two months after the primer by the way..)
I don't play the deck and I hate playing against it. I think it's the most likely deck to make Orim's Chant an inclusion in many control based decks. What's the best answer to them popping Orim's Chant in your face during their turn? Chant back.Originally Posted by deviant
scepter chant will never be viable in legacy again... there are too many threats in the format, stifle, needle, grip, wipe away... need I say more?
There already is a primer. Not here though. And besides, the deck is a bit complicated just to pick up and play because it's very non-linear. Some players might not be able to squeeze out its full potential.
He never mentioned anything about Scepter. However, in control, Chant is weak in Legacy outside of combo because time walk effects aren't too hot in slow control decks. And if as an SB card, it can't do it alone.
The Source: Your Source for "The Source: Your Source for..." cliche.
I don't think Scepter-Chant is where people would go if they felt the need to put Orim's Chant in the deck as protection against the combination of Orim's Chant and storm. They might put one scepter in as a potential feature but as you point out that's a 2 for 1 waiting to happen.
I think they'd put 4 Orim's Chant in and figure they either had a semi-Timewalk to use when they needed it or the answer at hand when somebody popped the chant in their face preparatory to going off. It wouldn't be a fool-proof defense but it would be a lot better than sitting on an FoW that couldn't stop a second chant or a Stifle that became dead in hand.
It's too easy for Fetchland Tendrils to beat dedicated counter control at this point. If CounterTop became a viable solution for counter control then you'd see Trickbind go into Fetchland Tendrils to shut it down.
I think semi-permission based control is going to mutate towards combinational win conditions itself as the meta picks up speed and as combo becomes more resilient. Orim's Chant would double as protection against combo and as the enabler of the win con in that scenario. In some ways Fetchland Tendrils is already the reverse progression of combo mutating more towards control and permission. The current permission based combo, which is primarily StifleNought on the one hand and Crucible of Worlds/Life from the Loam/nasty lands on the other, does not really work effectively with Orim's Chant because it does not kill in the course of a single turn. Something else is going to have fulfill the combo win condition in order for Orim's Chant to become a killer in permission based control in the same way it is in Fetchland Tendrils.
The primer at stormboards is not quite finished I think.
Well, I wasn't expecting the deck to get into DtB this early, but I guess it just speaks of the how good the deck is. It also puts up results, not just hypothetical tesing data.
Now that I've dropped EtW, the deck functions smoother. You're right emidln... EtW is just bad when the deck takes 2-3 turns to set up. However, I'm still searching for a back-up win condition outside of Confidant/Wraith beats. I'm hoping something comes out of Shadowmoor. (I was a bit intrigued by Din of the Fireherd, but figured it was too slow. Besides, if I find room for it, I'd play Promise of Power over it)
The Source: Your Source for "The Source: Your Source for..." cliche.
Along with some people, I am now running 1 Death Wish in the maindeck. This exiles ETW to the sideboard, which is the nearest it can get to the deck.
Since many times I hate to topdeck Wipe Away as much as ETW, I have taken it to the sideboard. Another advantage Death Wish brought me. There are 2 Wipe Aways in my SB, though, since I can maindeck one in the matches that matter for both tutoring and wishing, raising the amount of Wipe Aways from 1 to 8. I'm using 2 LDVs, by the way. It is amazing for setting up a hate card followed by something you need to win. Add this to the synergy with Draw4s, all those 8 cantrips (4 Ponders here) and 4 Wraiths.
Keep moon-walking.
How'd you find space for Death Wishe, full sets of the 2 cantrips, Draw4's, and Vaults?
As much as I hate topdecking Wipe Away when it's not needed, I think it's crucial to have at least one in the MD. Death Wishing for it takes too much time, especially for a deck that takes advantage of all the little intricacies of the game.
On that note... I might try out a single Death Wish in the MD to see how it goes. I don't like the fact that I'll have to dilute the SB for just one card in the MD, but I'll see how it goes.
The Source: Your Source for "The Source: Your Source for..." cliche.
My guess would be no basic plains (14 lands), no draw4, no Wipe Away MD, and either -1 IGG or -1 Tendrils. I played Death Wish over the weekend and, while it's really strong, I'm not sure if its strength is enough to justify the two slots I had in my sideboard to make it not worthless game 1. (I hated it just being utility so I added 1 Tendrils, 1 ETW to be useful w/ Wish and to protect against Earwig Squad.)
Also, I'll post what parts of the primer I have finished so far tonight, although I don't intend to cross-post much between here and the storm boards.
BZK! - Storm Boards
Been there, tried that, still casting Doomsday.
Drawing my deck for 0 mana since 2013.
I'm trying this list:
14 lands (7 fetches, -Volcanic, +Plains)
16 Default Accel
8 Default Tutors
1 Tendrils
2 IGG
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
2 LDV
1 Draw 4
1 DW
3 Chant
I'm trying to decide on the best SB for a meta with a considerable amount of Suicide/Deadguy, with some Thresh, Dredge, TES and Faerie Stompy. I'm trying this:
1 Tendrils
1 Chant
1 Abeyance
2 Wipe Away
4 Bob
1 Echoing Truth
1 Rushing River
1 Extirpate
3 Serenity
No room for ETW, though.
I'll be taking down some matches in the next days to see if the indirection for Wipe Away is sucking or not. Also, since I can fetch any other hate, I get a better g1 against Stax-like decks, which already get owned post-SB. Serenity g1? Nice.
You don't dillute the SB. It's a card for fetching answers -- it doesn't work entirely as Burning Wish in TES. Your wishboard is gonna keep all those answer cards unworthy of topdecking, which are already in your sideboard. When you need to side them in, you gotta balance wishability with tutorability, so you run the maximum amount of answers taking into account the tempo and life loss of DW compared to maindeck tutors.
Keep moon-walking.
Wow, a great amount of combo in the DTB forum! I love that! I wonder how's IggyPop's thread back, if people isn't writing in it since 2nd February.
However, has Lim Dul's Vault been extensively tested? seems like a nice set-up card, if the deck needs more of those (does it?). Its "combo" with brainstorm shouldn't be overlooked though.
Currently Playing: Nourishing Lich.Deck
Current Record: 1-83-2
Or the fact that nobody has top8'd with that list in a very long time. The top8s were all without Intuition and Leyline, hence this thread.
BZK! - Storm Boards
Been there, tried that, still casting Doomsday.
Drawing my deck for 0 mana since 2013.
Grats on the DtB forums guys. Currently assembling this deck IRL, minus the red splash because I never, ever, ever cast it in testing. like, ever.
If I were MDing Death Wish, I would SB Massacre for Meddling Mage removal and Reverent Silence for Counterbalance removal with a /g splash. The tutor is expensive, so your answers may as well be free.
Also, I'd be all over Death Wish -> Slithermuse.
Wondering if Oona, Queen of the Fae could possibly be a replacement for EtW. I know it's not like we can mill ftw, but the idea of a bunch of critters could be an exceptable outcome. 6cc plus (x)U/B for tokens might be too much of an investment, though. But, you can get multiple Rits and LEDs, and even IGG for them for a decent amount of tokens.
This is for discussion, and simply an idea. I'm not strictly advocating this, so don't bash. It's good to think. Innovation is what's put this deck on the map. Just trying to further it's development.
It keeps this deck UBw while still giving an alternate win-con and/or chump-blockers.
I think the fundamental problem with the Fae is that it will be the only creature you have on the board, so anything that can kill a creature -smother or makes you sacrafice a creature will take it down. On the turn Fae is played you probably will not have enough mana to pump out babies as if you did you would have won the game with other cards.
Essentially, I think, it would end out 4 for 1ing you.
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