Master Shake, is the Tidespout Tyrant only for the ANT matchup? Or is it only for troublesome, non-graveyard hate permanents like Worship (not that it would usually be a problem, just thinking of an example).
You made the point! That's why it is so hard to drop the studies. it will be never countered and when it allows you to discard a creature, you're golden!Ponder is a very good card to replace study, but it will set your average turn going off a turn slower. At that point every counterspell thrown at your entomb will be one you'll have to fight very hard for, where in most cases they do allow a careful study to happen.
But the chance it happens has decreased now with the numbers of creatures going down to 5.
Yes, ponder is slower but has great advantages that we all know.
This is the dilemma.
But the biggest reason I want to drop the studies is because I really dislike discarding cards that could help me and it often happens. It is a complete card-disadvantage.
@Intuition : I'd rather play the 4th Mystical Tutor over Intuition, as it does the same job.
The differences are intuition costs 3 manas but get you the cards instantly, mystical costs 1 mana but you have to draw. Anyway, Mystical is better.
Mystical can search you every cards in the deck but creatures. However, playing Intuition for creatures doesn't seem good because you will never get the one you need (except for Iona which is played in multiple copies)
Furthermore, although Intuition get you the cards instantly, you won't have enough opened mana to play antoher spell in the same turn. It is not faster than Mystical Tutor...
You shouldn't play less than 4 Mysticalin my humble opinion
My list is fairly close to the list Di runs. We have been working on things together since the unbanning. I don't know all of the exact differences off the top of my head but it's only about 5 cards. I do run a 3rd copy of Buried Alive that he is still trying to fit in.Originally Posted by arebennian
Team Pandora
Team Disqualified Poster
Tidespout Tyrant really shines against Stax and other Chalice Aggro decks. Its also solid in the mirror. I have described this slot in the past as the Tidespout Tyrant/Angel of Despair/Woodfall Primus slot. Everyone wants to play one of them, I like Tyrant the most.
I agree on the above. nothing I need to add here.
Chalice aggro and staxx are good match-ups already, so it's not really needed there, but I can see your point, and it's absolutely true.
I plan to play this deck for a tournament coming up - I was wondering what kind of creature suite I should run. I run a ~8 creature build with PImp/Cabal Therapys. My meta is mainly control with the rest being either aggro or combo (it seems only one type likes to show up at a time).
It's currently 3 Iona, 1 Inkwell Leviathan, 1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind, 1 Blazing Archon, 1 Akroma Angel of Wrath, and 1 Sundering Titan (just a personal fatty pet card).
Last edited by andiibooo; 12-15-2009 at 06:56 PM.
You should fit in an empyrial archangel, control has no clue what to do with that one.
The sundering titan isn't that great and if you don't have a huge aggro meta you can put either akroma or sphinx to SB, and board it in when needed.
Also sundering titan isn't a very great card nowadays. The only threat it gives is that you remove a few lands. I do wonder if it's worth playing in a 2-color build ( I play tricolor, and I can assure you, it's no good in there)
Control nothing. I love Burn's face when they see this come down. . .
B/U Reanimator came in 9th at the Starcitygames St. Louis event.
9th Aaron Brodzinski
1 Empyrial Archangel
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
2 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Akroma, Angel of Wrath
4 Exhume
4 Lotus Petal
4 Brainstorm
4 Reanimate
4 Force of Will
3 Daze
4 Entomb
4 Careful Study
3 Thoughtseize
1 Show and Tell
3 Mystical Tutor
4 Underground Sea
4 Polluted Delta
2 Swamp
3 Verdant Catacombs
2 Bayou
1 Island
Sideboard
3 Krosan Grip
3 Engineered Explosives
1 Bogardan Hellkite
1 Blazing Archon
2 Show and Tell
4 Extirpate
1 Echoing Truth
Another solid performance, though, not top 8. And a shame, Reanimator has a solid to fantastic matchup against most of the top 8.
Tusk up.
Reanimator really should have made the top 8, according to the official reports. Here is how Aaron Brodzinski (or Bradinski as it is spelled on another place in the tournament report) performed throughout the day.
Round 1: Merfolk, 1-2 Loss
Round 2: Armageddon Stax, 2-1 Win
Round 3: Scepter Chant, 2-0 Win
Round 4: Evagreen, 2-0 Win
Round 5: Dredge, 2-1 Win
Round 6: Evagreen, 2-0 Win
Round 7: Zoo, 0-0-0 Draw
For reference, here is his decklist.
Reanimator by Aaron Brodzinski
Artifact Creatures
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Sphinx Of The Steel Wind
Creatures
1 Empyrial Archangel
Instants
4 Brainstorm
3 Daze
4 Entomb
4 Force Of Will
3 Mystical Tutor
Legendary Creatures
1 Akroma, Angel Of Wrath
2 Iona, Shield Of Emeria
Sorceries
4 Careful Study
4 Exhume
4 Reanimate
1 Show And Tell
3 Thoughtseize
Basic Lands
1 Island
2 Swamp
Lands
2 Bayou
4 Polluted Delta
4 Underground Sea
3 Verdant Catacombs
Sideboard:
3 Engineered Explosives
1 Blazing Archon
1 Bogardan Hellkite
1 Echoing Truth
4 Extirpate
3 Krosan Grip
2 Show And Tell
We can learn two interesting things about this particular Reanimator just based on how it performed at the tournament.
1. I cannot imagine that this deck would have lost the Zoo matchup. Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems that they voluntarily agreed to accept the draw without even playing a game. If Bradinski had played this match and won, the tiebreakers would almost assuredly have worked in his favor (with his three 2-0 wins), and he would have been in the top 8. Fortune is a cruel mistress.
2. Reanimator lost to one deck all day in a close 1-2 matchup. It was a Merfolk deck, but not just any Merfolk deck. He lost to Sam Cocchiarella's Merfolk deck, a deck that we actually have the list for (unlike the vast majority of decks in this tournament). Here is Cocchiarella's decklist.
Merfolk by Samuel Cocchiarella
Artifacts
4 Aether Vial
Creatures
4 Cursecatcher
4 Lord Of Atlantis
3 Merfolk Sovereign
4 Merrow Reejerey
4 Silvergill Adept
Enchantments
4 Standstill
Instants
3 Daze
2 Echoing Truth
4 Force Of Will
3 Stifle
Legendary Creatures
2 Kira, Great Glass-spinner
Basic Lands
12 Island
Lands
3 Mutavault
4 Wasteland
Sideboard:
4 Relic Of Progenitus
2 Back To Basics
2 Propaganda
3 Divergent Growth
4 Spell Pierce
(Before we start, I have no idea what that Divergent Growth in the sideboard is for, so if someone can tell me, I would be greatly appreciative).
I am not really sure how Reanimator lost to this deck. That is not to say that I am incredulous because the matchup is supposed to be so good. Rather, there is no obvious weakness that Reanimator has to Merfolk based off of these two lists. Here are some possible explanations:
1. Game 2 and 3 Counters
I imagine that Cocchiarella boarded in Spell Pierce for games 2 and 3, increasing his countermagic arsenal. Perhaps he increased it to beyond what Brodzinski could handle; 4 Pierce, 4 Cursecatcher, 3 Daze, and 4 FoW.
2. Relic of Progenitus
The only way that this deck can beat a Relic is with Krosan Grip, of which it only runs 3 copies. This could seriously slow Reanimator down, trying to deal with the Relic instead of trying to win. Unlike Dredge, which is more resilient to graveyard hate, losing one of your 4 creatures to a Relic can be crippling, especially when backed up with countermagic.
3. Fast Clock
Merfolk was not only able to disrupt Reanimator. I bet it simultaneously put it on a quick clock. It was basically like the old analogy goes. Brodzinski was frantically trying to start his car while the trident wielding fishmen lurched towards him.
4. Aether Vial
In all likelihood, Iona did not spell game over for the monoblue Merfolk deck. With a single Aether Vial out, Cocchiarella could continue to crank out men. Lord of Atlantis would have made them unblockable if Reanimator had an island in play (highly likely), which could have made Brodzinski unable to outrace the deck.
5. Maindeck Bounce
If Brodzinski went for a faster kill by not using Iona, he would have opened himself up to Bounce and further countermagic. This would have been a serious problem, and could have set him back two turns.
These are just some possible explanations to explain this particular loss in this particular tournament. Can they be extrapolated to other Merfolk/Reanimator matchups? Maybe, but it is hard to say for sure. These are, however, reasonable explanations for how Brodinzski lost to Cocchiarella at the SCG 10K. Pure speculation, but informed speculation.
-ktkenshinx
Merfolk is a shitty match-up for reanimate.
Unblockable creatures, fast clock, can't be blocked and plays counters + vials.
wastelands, standstills and stifles.
It has about everything you don't want to face as a reanimate player.
Anyways nice performance, was about time another person was getting a very good result.
It's normal that you lose from merfolk, but it can become a close call
About the zoo match-up, you will win it. ( naya zoo or tribal?) if naya, easy easy easy easy win.
if tribal, it can become tricky, but with akroma ( since they hardly have non-black removal) she seals the game quite quickly.
( he didn't made it into the Top8, due to his early loss, that way he was in the lower resistance group, and unfortunately missed it out.)
I split the top 4 of 33 tonight with Reanimator. Report to come.
Tusk up.
It's divert.
And I talked to him right after this match, I think Iona got out at least one game but Spell Pierce absolutely rocked for the game 3 win.
Your main problem is that Merfolk's clock is fast, has evasion(!!!) and can pretty much ignore your 3 turn Iona win after you take 8 life to put her out, unless they have a crappy hand. Echoing truth as well. I'll agree with merfolk being one of the worst matchups for this deck.
As promised, a short report. My notes aren't that good, so I apologize if some things are vague.
33 Players, Supergames Alpharetta, GA
Here's the list:
4x Force of Will
3x Daze
4x Thoughtseize
4x Brainstorm
4x Careful Study
4x Entomb
4x Reanimate
4x Exhume
3x Mystical Tutor
4x Lotus Petal
2x Iona, Shield of Emeria
1x Akroma, Angel of Wrath
1x Sphinx of the Steel Wind
1x Inkwell Leviathan
1x Empyrial Archangel
4x Underground Sea
4x Polluted Delta
1x Verdant Catacombs
1x Marsh Flats
1x Bloodstained Mire
2x Bayou
2x Swamp
1x Island
Sideboard
3x Krosan Grip
2x Hurkyl's Recall
2x Engineered Explosives
2x Show and Tell
3x Extirpate
1x Reverent Silence
1x Blazing Archon
1x Bogardan Hellkite
R1 - Tempo Faeries Ugr
Game 1: I get a turn 3 Sphinx of the Steel wind off of Careful Study + Exhume. He manages to chump it for several turns. I win at 48 life.
Game 2: He plays a turn 2 Goyf that gets FoW'd, then gets Reanimated and commence beatdown. Goyf is joined with an Entomb/Exhume fueled Inkwell 2 turns later after my Daze on his Spellstutter wins the counterwar.
Rd 2 - Pitch World (Pulp_Fiction) 2-0
Yes, pitch world. What a fun deck to see played. Check his tournament report here. He did in fact get a Reaper King into play once on the night....
Game 1: Turn 3 Careful Study into Sphinx/Reanimate. His removal is all red (Cave-In, Pyrokinesis)
Game 2: See game 1.
Rd 3 - Merfolk (Boo) 1-2
Game 1: He mulls to 5. I'm on the play. I lead with Fetch -> Island, go. Brainstorm eot. I was one card from being able to combo turn 2 with counter back up. I pass the turn. He has nothing also. Turn 3 Entomb -> Iona, Reanimate. I have Force backup as well as a second Reanimate. It resolves and we go to game 2.
Game 2: His draw is nutty. I see Cursecatcher, FoW, Spell Pierce, Tormod's Crypt and Relic.... He told me he had a second Force. Not much to say. I get beated down with little blue men.
Game 3: I mull and keep a mediocre hand. He leads with Wasteland x2 and could never get in this one.
Rd 4 Hex/Depths B/g with Smallpox/Bloodghast 2-0
Game 1: Turn 2 Iona on Black, win.
Game 2: Turn 3 Show and Tell -> Iona, Black. He Living Wishes (I have a FoW, but let it resolve) for Maze of Ith. Awesome, note taken. But, since he could play his deck, an Exhumed Empyrial Archangel takes it home.
Rd 5 - Enchantress 2-1
We're good friends and we both know how this match is supposed to go.
Game 1: Turn 3 Iona on White, gets there.
Game 2: I drop a turn 1 Empyrial Archangel off of Lotus Petal, Careful Study, Reanimte. Enchantress is supposed to be slow right?? He follows up with the nuts. I can Mystical for Reverent Silence, but he has the Replenish.
Game 3: Turn 2 Iona on White. Win.
Top 8: DDFT 2-1
Game 1: I win the roll, mull to 6. He mulls to 5. I Thoughtseize turn 1 seeing B. Mire x2, L. Petal, Cabal Ritual, Doomsday. Take Doomsday. Turn 3 Careful Study, Exhume on Sphinx, and I get out of range.
Game 2: He leads with Xantid Swarm. I fetch -> U. Sea, Thoughtseize seeing LED, C. Ritual, Dark Rit, Fetch, and a Tutor. Take the Tutor, pass. He top decks Internal and goes off with Ad Nauseam.
Game 3: Keep a hand with with 3x Thoughtseize, FoW, Careful Study, U. Sea, Reanimate. I seize seeing Fetch, Bayou, Island, Ad Nauseam, I. Tutor x2 and LED. I take LED. He draws, plays Bayou, pass. I draw Brainstorm, play Brainstorm (Entomb, Iona, Land). Next turn I Careful Study -> Iona + random card, Reanimate on Black. Get there.
Top 4 split.
The main deck perfomed well for me. I'm still not sold on Akroma, but wanted to give her a shot, since others are convinced she deserves a slot. The sideboard is atrocious. I usually play 3 Grip, 3 Spell Pierce, 3 P. Needle, 2 E. Truth, 2 H. Recall, 1 R. Silence and 1 Blazing Archon, but wanted to give other cards a change. EE is versatile and is sound in theory, but I never used it. I missed Pithing Needle and Spell Pierce.
Tusk up.
If Merfolk is that bad, why not sideboard some Llewan, Cephalid Empress? It's expected to be all over the upcoming SCG $5ks.
Also, I'm surprised somebody chose to draw after starting the day 0-1. It makes your tiebreakers terrible.
Magic Level 3 Judge
Southern USA Regional Coordinator
I do not play ET SB anymore since Grip and Recall are much better alongside 2 Needle and 2 EE (especially against Vials, Crypts, Relics). The only thing you get with ET is a removed GY and the 2nd Relic or Crypt still in play (if your opponent is smart enough to sac the targeted one by ET). It is really weak imho. I still play Blazing Archon main because of Dredge (huge Metagame factor here) and it is also good for Mono U Merfolk since they usually play max 2 or no bounce (mostly ET) maindeck and not much more in the SB. You still can counter it when it shows up.
My list however ist almost identical to the one above except I just play one Iona. I never felt the need to play two since you try to Entomb smart. The only nuisance here is Extirpate which can come as a surprise and ruin your plans no matter how many Ionas you play.. but in how many games a 2nd is needed ???
SB is also very similar: Except for Extirpate and RSilence. In that slots I play 2 Needle, 2 Relic of P and since I play 1 Iona less, Blazing Archon is main and Hellkit is a Tidespout Tyrant.
Iona is the best reanimation target in "most" matches. Running multiples increases your chance of being able to use Careful Study or Show & Tell to get her in the grave or the battlefield and not be so reliant on Entomb. I used to run the third in the Akroma slot, but wanted to try out Akroma since others have had success with her.
Tusk up.
Is Empyrial Archangel really that good against zoo and burn? I figured they could just - you know - burn her out. Something like a swing with wild nacatl and any 2 burn spells.
That's nine or ten damage that you didn't take, though. Sligh and Zoo have absolutely no problem dealing those first 20 damage, but they have problems dealing you 30 or 40.
On that note, has anyone considered Phantom Nishoba? I seem to remember those being pretty good against burn/Goblins once upon a time.
Sphinx of the Steel Wind.
SummenSaugen: well, I use Chaos Orb, Animate Artifact, and Dance of Many to make the table we're playing on my chaos orb token
SummenSaugen: then I flip it over and crush my opponent
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