[Deck] Solidarity

[JDK]

Increase your odds if you know your opponent has more countermagic than you can beat? Peek does a lot of things but that isn't one of them. Let's say they have triple force of will and triple blue card. Knowing they have that means jack shit. Knowing if you can go for it? You're playing the deck wrong on a fundamental level if you're trying to kill your opponent before they can kill you short of them having little to no cards in hand/giving them more time to draw into countermagic/hatebears/relevant stuff. Peek helps none of that. Peek is pure training wheels. Finkel played it in standard wow so revolutionary. It *really* doesn't matter what Finkel plays or doesn't play because he has more talent than everyone in this thread combined. I'd heavily suggest that people learn to read their opponents if they think peek is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

The same ignorance has been shown when people started playing Probe (not that Peek in Solidarity is new ^^). You can only cover a limited amount of possibilities and at the end of the day, knowledge weighs more than "I think" or "let's try". I don't think Peek is a crucial piece in Solidarity, but it certainly helps making the correct choices - regardless of which level you play at. If you want to tell me you always make the correct decision based on your "reading of opponents", then go ahead. I call bullshit and will fail to find the results of your superiority.

Cunning wish doesn't exile for DTT unless they counter it and they virtually always do if they can. Bad with snapcaster? Last I looked you grab an instant that you can snapcaster back unless it's ravenous trap/I haven't the faintest idea as to why you'd want to snapcaster that anyways. Slow? Maybe a little bit but 3 mana really isn't much when you're getting a tutor for anything out of the deal. The card is the greatest tool we have to fight surgical extraction as well since extracting high tide before we've resolved one is a very real way to lose the game if we have all 4 in the exile zone. The flexibility it offers is unparalleled in this combo control deck and is completely necessary short of some revolutionary list coming about that doesn't utilize it as a 3 of or more let me know when that happens because the lists that are putting up any results run 3 cunning wish and not this 0, 1, or 2 bullshit that people seem to think is a good move deckbuilding wise.

Results? Go check tcdecks.net or mtgtop8.com.

DRS is "virtually nonexistant" but you argue with Discard+Extraction? If you check the lists you will see a ton more DRS than Extractions. If you feel confident improving your opponent's cards, go ahead.

SFM was an example. You can replace SFM with delver, young pyro, or any significant clock. Sure you don't always want to counter SFM/significant clock and I wouldn't fault you if you didn't but the more time we have the stronger our chances of winning the game are just like a control deck. Giving up some cards for that is worth it if it ultimately wins us the game. Aggressively FoWing can be the correct line regardless of what you think FoW is not some last resort type of card that is cast only in dire need especially with dig in the picture to recoup the card disadvantage associated with forces pitch cost.

Yes, I have jammed my list against the URx meta. I have had success with it. Snap maindeck may be correct or it might not be hard to know. The worst part about the card is that it can turn the opponents removal on when normally swords to plowshares does nothing against us. Turnabout is guaranteed mana upon resolution whether the opponent has plow or not. For snap to be a more efficient card in mana production with tide than turnabout means that we have 3 or less lands in play/why are we trying to combo. Bouncing a dude to buy time can be great no doubt but turnabout does that exact same thing in terms of fogging an incoming army of pyromancer tokens, TNN, or multiple large threats to buy time as snapping something to buy a turn is virtually the same short of it being a batterskull germ token that snap is targeting/yay that one case. We're far more likely to care about stopping an army of elemental tokens as people play a lot of instants/sorceries against the combo deck who knew.

I am not sure you have actually played (= tournament) in the abomination of what the URx meta has made out of Legacy. Let alone having success. If you wait too long you will play against a hand full of FoWs, Flusterstorms, Pierces, REB/Pyroblast, etc. Yes, even maindeck nowadays. Often you cannot wait anyway. You regularly face lethal before you actually want to go off or even made your 4th/5th landdrop and Repeal/Snap is better to buy you time than using FoW (early on).

Look, we all know DTT is good. Hell, I would want to play 4 DTT in my maindeck too - but I don't, for good reasons. DTT needs fuel and comparing it to Treasure Cruise is pretty shortsighted. Why? Decks with Cruise have a lower curve and play Gitaxian Probe and Daze. Resources matter and free spells do too, when it comes to DTT. Another point is that they can play more fetchlands. We want landdrops, they just want 2-3. With that in mind DTT sucks as setup early on, so it produces awkward hands and isn't that good against fast MUs (unless it's during the combo). Your list doesn't cope with these issues, does it?

[benthetenor]

Increase your odds if you know your opponent has more countermagic than you can beat? Peek does a lot of things but that isn't one of them. Let's say they have triple force of will and triple blue card. Knowing they have that means jack shit. Knowing if you can go for it? You're playing the deck wrong on a fundamental level if you're trying to kill your opponent before they can kill you short of them having little to no cards in hand/giving them more time to draw into countermagic/hatebears/relevant stuff. Peek helps none of that. Peek is pure training wheels. Finkel played it in standard wow so revolutionary. It *really* doesn't matter what Finkel plays or doesn't play because he has more talent than everyone in this thread combined. I'd heavily suggest that people learn to read their opponents if they think peek is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

This is exactly what I was talking about. If a player who has more talent than everyone here combined did something that you consider "pure training wheels", that doesn't give you at least a little pause to think that maybe you're misevaluating the situation? Also, if you think that this deck is solely about waiting to go off until you have to, then you are playing the deck wrong on a fundamental level. The best time to go off is the best time to go off. Waiting until you're forced to go off is a great way to lose to an opponent who has been sculpting their hand throughout the game. It's much easier to, for instance, go off against two counterspells with four lands than four counterspells with six lands. Or to try to go off on four lands when they have only two lands untapped vs waiting until they have all of their lands untapped and you're in a position where it's win or die. In those situations, waiting until the last minute just lost you the game.

This is to say nothing of the times when it's correct to "go off" before you can actually kill them to drain their hands of counterspells, untap, make a land drop, and go off again the next turn. That's a play that's impossible if you're always waiting until the last minute.

If you have trouble understanding that, I think perhaps you need more games.

[Kanti]

Gotta say Seraphus I don't know what the hell you are talking about. I almost never do, your posts are incomprehensible. Doesn't help much when you post a list literally every 3 posts. Anyhow...

Don't see where that says you don't know anything about the deck, or that you've never made a contribution. What it does say though is that your grammar is terrible, and that you post a list every. single. post. You somehow misinterpreted that to mean something else, but hey, that's on you.

I'm also not seeing where JDK or Benthetenor made any points regarding that topic. JDK spoke about Dark Rit's list not being meta'd for the UR Delver metagame- which I agree with as with 0 Snaps, and 0 Repeals main you are going to get wrecked by UR Delver. Benthetenor spoke about Peek, and how due to the recent additions to the deck in the vein of Snapcaster Mage and Dig through Time, Solidarity has reached a level of consistency where it's better for your cantrips to have an effect, rather than add stability by filtering draws. Once again, neither of those have anything to do with my quote above, with just mentions your terrible grammar (I know you are foreign but there is a thing called spell check) and the fact that you post a list every other post, almost literally. I'm sure you're going to infer this all to be an insult again, but I'm not sure why.

On Peek, I think you gotta change your assesment Dark Ritual. Calling anything "training wheels" is dangerous from the get go. I want to know what's in my opponents hand, not deduce it. Throwing your deck against the wall is cool, but if I have the option of knowing exactly what I'm throwing my hand into, without costing me stability, well then I'll take it.

Yes this is Solidarity, yes we can go off at instant speed to everything. Yes, it's fun to go off in the pre-combat phase when our opponent is about to attack us for letahl. That's the flavor of our deck. With that said if I can kill you now, I'm going to kill you now. I'm not going to wait until the last second because "Hey, I'm Solidarity damnit. I don't function like other combo decks, I don't calculate if I have to go off now, I can just go off in response to what they do!". No thank you. If I see an opening, I will take it, like any other combo deck in the format. It's easy to get in the habit of waiting and waiting with this deck, until you are forced to go off, but I've learned that as in life, you have to be pragmatic in Magic, to take your opening when they come, and not let them pass you by. So I will continue to cast a seemingly harmless Peek against opponents holding 5 cards in hand that I think read Fluster, Fluster, Force, Pierce, Daze, only to find out they are holding onto Bolt, Scalding Tarn, Daze, Treasure Cruise, Forked Bolt. And then I'll kill my opponents, while you wait until they draw into a counter they didn't have in the first place.

as to not clog the board, I'm basically on Felines list with -3 Fluster, -1 Meditate, -1 Impulse +1 Force, +2 Repeal, +2 Brain Freeze. Really just a normal list list with 3 DTT in the main, and 2 Repeals to help deal with the two most popular decks in the format, UR Delver and UW Miracles. My idea being that I have 4 md bounce vs Delver (2 Snaps, 2 Repeals), and 5 bounce spells vs Miracles (2 Repeals main, 3 Wishes to fetch for bounce). Can't really wish for bounce vs Delver since their cards will have done their damage, but Wishing for bounce/KGrip vs Miracles is obviously legit as their clock sucks.

Is cutting Flusterstorms right? Is cutting Brain Freeze right? Iunno, that's why Im testing. I can say that this deck needs some Repeals or Flusters in the main though, as we just need some way to interact with our opponent so they don't just goldfish us. That's our job.

[Ralf]

Another tournament report.

Here is the list I played:

1 [ZEN] Scalding Tarn
2 [KTK] Flooded Strand
2 [ZEN] Misty Rainforest
2 [KTK] Polluted Delta
11 [UNH] Island
2 [ISD] Snapcaster Mage
1 [C13] Blue Sun's Zenith
1 [SC] Brain Freeze
2 [KTK] Dig Through Time
2 [CMD] Flusterstorm
2 [AL] Force of Will
2 [FUT] Pact of Negation
2 [UL] Snap
3 [IN] Opt
3 [10E] Peek
3 [RAV] Remand
3 [GP] Repeal
4 [CNS] Brainstorm
4 [FE] High Tide
4 [TE] Meditate
4 [LG] Reset

SB: 1 [10E] Hurkyl's Recall
SB: 1 [NPH] Surgical Extraction
SB: 2 [DS] Echoing Truth
SB: 2 [ZEN] Ravenous Trap
SB: 2 [ZEN] Mindbreak Trap
SB: 2 [TSP] Wipe Away
SB: 2 [THS] Annul
SB: 1 [SC] Brain Freeze
SB: 1 [AL] Force of Will
SB: 1 [UL] Rebuild

4 rounds. I ended 2nd and lost in the final.

1) Reanimator 2/0 (without Iona). Lost the dice roll

I got lucky both games as I managed to prevent him from reanimating anything I could not deal with.

Peek was MVP as I could see my opponent coming.

Flusterstorm & bouncing effects (snap, echoing truth, wipe away) were very helpful.


2) Affinity 2/0. Lost the dice roll

G1 -> I stabilized at 1 and I'm forced to combo with a fling on the stack and 3 lands. I failed but I have drawn enough gas to counter the fling and I'm able to bounce anything relevant until I could try to combo again.

G2-> Uneventful as I drew into Hurkyl's recall and Rebuild...


3) U/R Delver 2/1. Won the dice roll

G1 -> A T1 Delver blind flip got repealed and I'm able to dig my way to victory with lethal on board and 6 lands in play a few turns later.
G2 -> I kept a one land opening hand with 2 cantrips (opt/BS). Both were pyroblasted... I got crushed by YP and his fellow elementals.
G3 -> Delver got repealed and I'm able to MB all his counters on the Big turn.


4) Maverick 1/2. Lost the dice roll

G1 -> I fluster a GSZ @2 suspecting a Gaddock MD. Few turns later, I dig my way to victory in response to another GSZ@2
G2 -> Mulligan to 5. T1 MoM followed by T2 Gaddock was backbreaking as I had 1 DTT and 1 Repeal in hand. I got crush by a 7/7 KOTR.
G3 -> Same story. T1 Mom T2 Gaddock...Soon followed by an Ooze eating my yard...

My wipe away were nowhere to be seen :-(

@Seraphus: I tried some of your choices.

1) Annul was bad against Maverick (no target, the Maverick player was not playing Cannonist)
2) I might go for +1 wipe away -1 Echoing truth to better deal with MoM + hatebear. BUT, I'm a bit reluctant because of the strain it puts on your mana.
3) Having no wish MB was weird but in those games I didn't feel once I need one. So I guess we could stick with a "no wish" version.
4) PoN is all or nothing. This makes me feel sick about this card... I dunno what to think about it. I'll lose games because PoN is not a FOW and I'll win games because PoN is PoN.
5) However I'm pretty sure we do not need DTT n°3. The card is great if you can cast it, which is not always the case...

[Pelikanudo]

That's not true. 3 fetchlands + 2 spells cast by turn three lets you cast a dig through time by paying 3 and delving 5. This is, in my opinion, one of the reasons one should run a large number of fetchlands. Turn 3 dig is the best way to set up a turn 4 combo if you can manage it.

You're ritght I noticed this when goldfishing...
That's why I finally put up the number of Fetches to 10 playing total 19 Lands.

Well finally played the tournament:

1st game was vs TES... 0-2 I couldn't do anything in here vs a 1st turn 12 Gobs and in second game the 2nd Xantid landed...
The second game was ANT... I was able to win the 1st game because I handle a heavy Counterspell hand, but again the second and 3rd games were dictated by Xantids and no Land drops...
The 3rd match up was a bye so I finally dropped...

Well I coudn't reach many conclusions but I have some ideas that want to test, I think we are in a development era of this deck

This is the List I finally played:


3 Snapcaster Mage

9 Island
4 Flooded Strand
4 Polluted Delta
2 Scalding Tarn

4 Brainstorm
3 Cunning Wish
4 Dig Through Time
3 Flusterstorm
3 Force of Will
4 High Tide
4 Impulse
3 Meditate
4 Mental Note
4 Reset
1 Snap
1 Turnabout (The guy from the shop didn't have Snap so I needed to move the Turnabout from side to the Base....)

Sideboard

1 Blue Sun's Zenith
1 Brain Freeze
1 Meditate
1 Flusterstorm
1 Force of Will
2 Pact of Negation
1 Rebuild
1 Surgical Extraction
2 Swang Song
2 Wipe Away
1 Chain Of Vapor

Well my conclusions after the brief torunament and goldfishing:
a) Decks like ANT and TES which are inherently faster seem a nightmare for this deck, sure I finally moved the 4th FoW to the side because I felt I needed 19 lands playing 10 fetches, but this is something in my opinion wrong, in my meta there are tons of different flavours of combo which are faster than us so playing less than 4 FoWs seem nonsense for me.

b) when goldfishing digging +1 card from Opt vs ability to put +2 cards in G.Y. from M.Note really affected very litle, I didn't face any mana issues - only the game I played vs ANT - but this was my fault for not doing mull. I also felt that Impulse is less relevant if you play DTT with the idea of using it on 2nd or 3rd turn - I'm not saying I will cut it, but maybe I would prefer Opt plus M.Note over this.

c) Cunning Wish is a need in this deck, but I'm starting to question if I can play 2 instead of 3 as it is a card that rarely I use unless I need to combo or put up some permanent hate - notice that for a landed thalia you just need another tide.

Also when talking with other friends which also want to try the DTT in Solidarity they also thought on Thotghscour so we are trying list by there...

This is my new testing list:

8 Island
4 Flooded Strand
4 Polluted Delta
4 Scalding Tarn

4 Brainstorm
4 Dig Through Time
4 Force of Will
4 High Tide

4 Meditate
4 Mental Note
4 Reset
2 Snap
2 Cunning Wish
2 Impulse
3 Flusterstorm
3 Snapcaster Mage

Sideboard

1 Blue Sun's Zenith
1 Brain Freeze
1 Flusterstorm
2 Pact of Negation
1 Rebuild
1 Surgical Extraction
2 Swang Song
2 Wipe Away
1 Chain Of Vapor
1 Turnabout
X cards

Well I'll finally try 20 lands 12 of them fetches. maybe I test next 18 lands 10 fetches and 0 impulse and 4 opt, what do you think about this?
I reduced drastically the number of impulse, sure I'd like to play 4 but prefer other cards.
For me snap is ok, a difference from Turnabout which I like is its ability to untap 2 lands for only 2 mana, I found scenarios in which I needed to Tide > Meditate and find reset OR snap NOT Turnabout to next just simply DTT into reset!
I don't think B.F. is needed in the main as there are tons of Emrakul decks by there which frustates our WinCon, for me is in deed a dead card, I also reduced its number in side to just 1.

About Peek vs Opt:
For me it is 100 % clear: Opt is far superior than Peek, Peek doesn't dig, Opt does dig and looking at Opp. Hand is not relevant, if you look at David Gearherat list evlution you'll notice that thecreator started tro play 2 next 1 and next 0 Peek, they're just training wheels, and also please do not compare Peek and G.P. it is an offense.

[JDK]

Especially someone who plays Mental Note over Thought Scour should think about "training wheels". ;)

Also, how does your list do against UR Delver? The additional lifeloss from the fetchlands is relevant and you lack bounce.
Plus Opt & Impulse are necessary to get some kind of early selection other than Brainstorm.

[Pelikanudo]

Especially someone who plays Mental Note over Thought Scour should think about "training wheels". ;)

Well, I'm at testing stage and I don't currently own T.Scour but I agree that T.Scour is superior than M.Note... in my testing context there is not that much the difference between one and other...

Also, how does your list do against UR Delver?

Don't know, I didn't test that match up.

The additional lifeloss from the fetchlands is relevant and you lack bounce.

you're right, but having 3 FoWs instead of 4 is worse vs this archetype also, I also intend to play 20 lands which is relevant vs tempo archetypes. Related to bouncers, well I have snaps, but I don't think the goal of snap is to bounce some creature so that I do not die... I prefer to have a solid base, I have PoN in side for this archetype
Related to Repeal, well it can be good for this match up, but vs Combo decks is just shit as you don't have target and the unique target is your own spacasters.

Plus Opt & Impulse are necessary to get some kind of early selection other than Brainstorm.
I need to agree but my goal is to use DTT for this purpose. that is why I proposed to just use 18 lands 4 opt 4 M.Note 4 DTT and 0 impulse.

All this is theory, I need to do a lot of testing with this...

After testing I need to conclude if finally DTT makes the deck a tier 1.5 again or likes or I'll abandon again this deck to go back to my other flavours of Combo...

[JDK]

Of course Snap is also there to bounce opposing creatures. Not only hatebears, but also to buy you turns. As you experienced, bounce versus a Xantid Swarm is still valid. ;)

Oh, and DTT is not "early selection".

How do you determine if a deck is Tier X, when you don't test against the DTBs?

[Pelikanudo]

Of course Snap is also there to bounce opposing creatures. Not only hatebears, but also to buy you turns. As you experienced, bounce versus a Xantid Swarm is still valid. ;)

Well bouncing a Turn 1 or even a turn 2 Xantid can gain you an extra turn, however you are still in a position in which you'll loose the game in 2nd or 3rd turn..., we are a 4th turn win

Oh, and DTT is not "early selection".

Well, my idea about this is to clearly make it an "early selection"

How do you determine if a deck is Tier X, when you don't test against the DTBs?

it is simple, I'm the best storm player by here, If I take the deck and after tunning it and I loose more match ups than I win during n+15 decks for example, then it is not a tier 1.5 deck.

EDIT: Didn't intend to be prepotent.
As said still need to test vs UR and miracles, I was a D.Gerheart Old Era pilot of this deck and now I feel like I'm trying to make this deck a Tier 1 or 1.5 deck as My Parfait Build... Of course I wasn't able to make my Parfait build win most of the games. snif..

[JDK]

You being the "best" storm player and "tuning" your list in your local group doesn't mean anything at all in terms of viability. Plus you cannot make DTT work on Turn 1 or 2.

You bounce Swarm to make your counters active, which buy you more time. If you have any, that is. I don't know why you want to argue about this. What other options do you have to not die?
Besides, Solidarity can go off on turn 3, especially when hijacking opposing Storm counts.

[PetesMcskeets]

Plus you cannot make DTT work on Turn 1 or 2.

Turn 1 fetch, mental note. Turn 2 fetch, snap, DTT.

[Seraphus]

Turn 1 fetch, mental note. Turn 2 fetch, snap, DTT.

metal note into HT+Brain freeze plus daze on the other side hum... Wait I love these random assigned dudes coming here and say shit that everyone knows... Man he is referring himself to the viability of the play...

In case your that reply was going to be "not all decks play Daze": only DnT/Maverick doesn't play daze (in the lot of decks to be concern with) but they play mother, so invalid point again...

[JDK]

Turn 1 fetch, mental note. Turn 2 fetch, snap, DTT.

Cool, you play DTT for zero card advantage and only if a creature is on the battlefield. Instead you could just go land, Brainstorm, fetch, Impulse. This play also doesn't make you cry if one of them gets countered.

[astormbrewing]

Went 2-1 at Legacy FNM tonight. List is as follows:

1 Brain Freeze
4 Brainstorm
2 Cunning Wish
3 Dig Through Time
2 Flusterstorm
3 Force of Will
4 High Tide
4 Impulse
4 Meditate
4 Opt
1 Pact of Negation
4 Reset
2 Snap
3 Snapcaster Mage
1 Turnabout

10 Island
4 Flooded Strand
4 Polluted Delta

1 Blue Sun's Zenith
1 Brain Freeze
1 Dig Through Time
1 Echoing Truth
1 Flusterstorm
1 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Pact of Negation
1 Polymorphist's Jest
1 Ravenous Trap
1 Snap
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Turnabout
2 Wipe Away

Round 1 vs Pox (2-1)
Game 1: He made me discard via 2 Inquisition of Kozileks, and I FoW'd a Hymn and Liliana. He puts on the beats with Nether Spirit. During his draw step, I have 5 lands and Strand in play, attempt to crack it, and he tries to Cursed Scroll in response to kill me. I proceed to combo with 5 lands in play.

High Tide - Opt - Meditate - Brainstorm - Reset - Meditate - High Tide - Dig Through Time - Meditate - High Tide - Reset - Impulse - Cunning Wish (USZ) - Reset - Brain Freeze - USZ

Game 2: He puts on the early beats with Nether Spirit and Mishra's Factory, and I draw very poorly.

Game 3: He stalls on 2 lands for a while, and I sculpt a great hand. He eventually tries to cast Hymn to Tourach, and I combo in response.

(o)Hymn to Tourach - High Tide - Meditate - High Tide - Dig Through Time - Reset - Snapcaster Mage - Meditate - Snap - Snapcaster Mage - Impulse - Meditate - Impulse - Reset - Snapcaster Mage - Impulse - Cunning Wish (USZ) - Brain Freeze - USZ

Round 2 vs 4-color Delver (1-2)
Game 1: He puts me on a fast clock and miss a land drop or two. I attempt to combo on 3 lands and fail.

High Tide - (o)Lightning Bolt - (o)Lightning Bolt - High Tide - Reset - Meditate - Opt

Game 2: I have a pretty solid hand with 3 lands in play, and he taps out with 1 card in hand to cast Treasure Cruise. Seems like a good time.

(o)Treasure Cruise - High Tide - Reset - Meditate - High Tide - Snap - Opt - Dig Through Time - Reset - Snapcaster Mage - Meditate - Impulse - Impulse - High Tide - Reset - Brain Freeze

Game 3: Again, miss a couple land drops against a fast clock (also 2 Deathrite Shaman). My attempt to go off is cut very short.

High Tide - (o) Daze (pay 1) - (o) Daze - High Tide - Pyroblast

Round 3 vs Burn (2-1)
Game 1: I have a Force of Will for the first Eidolon, but not for the second.

Game 2: They have a Grim Lavamancer in play, and I'm on 3 lands. I end up casting way too many spells to the find the 2nd Cunning Wish I need for USZ to avoid death.

(o)Rift Bolt - High Tide - High Tide - Brainstorm - Reset - Opt - Meditate - Snapcaster Mage - High Tide - Turnabout - Meditate - High Tide - Impulse - Meditate - Cunning Wish (Snap) - Snap* - Meditate - Impulse - Snapcaster Mage - Reset - Brainstorm - Snap* - Snapcaster Mage - Meditate - Dig Through Time - Dig Through Time - Impulse - Brain Freeze - Cunning Wish (USZ) - USZ

*I relied on both of these Snaps targeting Snapcaster Mage to resolve or else I fizzle. Despite them having an active Grim Lavamancer, they choose not to use it. I should have lost this game.

Game 3: Yet again I go off on 3 lands to avoid death on the next turn.

(o)Rift Bolt - High Tide - Snap (target Grim, they activate in response) - Reset - (o)Fireblast - Dig Through Time - Flusterstorm (on Fireblast) - Impulse - High Tide - Reset - Cunning Wish (Dig Through Time) - Dig Through Time* - Opt - Turnabout - Snapcaster Mage - Dig Through Time* - Brain Freeze**

*Both of these Dig Through Times were cast with no cards in hand and no cards in the graveyard post-Delve.

**I was at 4 life, and Vortex was in play. They had two cards in hand (Grim and land). They could have played Grim, passed, Vortex puts me to 2, and then they activate Grim on upkeep to kill me, but they didn't see it. Again, this match was given to me by my opponent.

[Parcher]

Went 8-5 for the weekend at Philly. Not thrilled, but it was the second time I'd played the deck in the past 5 years. Beat Miracles twice, Patriot Delver, Patriot w/TNN and Pyromacer, U/W Blade w/CTop, Deadguy, Ascendancy, and TES. Lost to no-creature Miracles, Sneak, Infect, Grixis Delver, and that deck Rudy won with running 4 Counterspell, 4 Dig, etc.

Sneak won turn one on the play, and turn two on the draw. Can't afford to mull to Force against them. Grixis Delver with MD Therapies would have been winnable still if I had found any draw spells in both games I lost. The 4 Ponder, 4 Pyro version of Miracles is very tough. He won 1-0, but had a god-hand game two to stop me. I believe I can still win post-board. Infect you just have to be lucky to beat. The deck with 4 hard Counterspells+ was my fault. I didn't understand what he was playing for too long, and just played the land drop game. He allowed both Tides to resolve, which let him get under my Fstorms with hardcasting Force, Counterspell and REBs.

4 Opt
4 Brainstorm
4 Impulse
3 Dig through Time
2 Cunning Wish
3 Meditate
3 Snapcaster Mage
4 Force of Will
2 Flusterstorm
4 High Tide
4 Reset
2 Turnabout
1 Brain Freeze
2 Repeal

4 Scalding Tarn
4 Misty Rainforest
8 Island
2 Volcanic Island


1 Brain Freeze
1 Turnabout
1 Blue Sun's Zenith
1 Meditate
1 Flusterstorm
2 Sudden Shock
2 Hydroblast
1 Wipe Away
2 Pyroblast
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Rebuild

Prolly going to cut the Meditate in the board for the 3rd Pyro. I never Wished for it once, and only boarded it in against Deadguy. Might feel different if there was more discard in the format. And there were multiple times that I boarded in both Pyros, and had moments where Wishing for the 3rd would have changed the game, if not won it.

Beat both Patriot decks with combat damage, though needed the Red spells to do it. One was Snap attacks+Shock and flashback, the other was Snap attacks, plus killing two of his Mages with Pyros. Only got Wasted once the entire time. No one is playing it, and it's easy to see coming. The one game it happened, he went turn one Delver, and I Forced. He went turn two Delver, and on turn three I Repealed it. He replayed it post-combat, and I Pyro'ed it turn four after his third straight blind filp. He then Wasted my Volc, but had no more threats to play that turn. So I was still at like 16 on turn five when he dropped a Stoneforge. Basically lost a land and a card for a double timewalk, and won easily. Only really used Shock against MMage, and Infect, but I just never saw any other Hatebears.

[JDK]

Lost the last round in my first v4 DE due to MODO not recognizing my Ctrl-Key. Played SCM (pressing Ctrl) for a double Brain Freeze (lethal), but oh well. At least I got a 2-land kill against UWR.

The current meta is fucked up anyway...played UWR Blade, UWR Miracles, UWR Blade and Storm.

[Kanti]

Parcher, you list made me laugh out loud. Everyone is going to run Pyroblasts? Fine, I'll run some Hydroblasts to deal with those Pyros, and I'll run some damn Pyroblasts myself while I'm at it. Eat that. Think Electrolyze deserves a shout out for that list. Looks amazing if it can get past Daze and Pierce.

Somehow the meta is just as bad as the Team America Delver meta for us, if not worse. Counters+discard rotates out, main-deck REBs and Wasteland.dec rotates in (I think a meta with Wasteland is good for us). I mean really, md Pyro's? Damn you format.

edit: er meant to say Wasteland.dec rotated out. Meaning almost every deck has an easy access to their splash. I won't ever face a mana-screwed opponent again it seems. No more akward basic+basic draws.

[lexluthor]

Treasure Cruise is banned!!

How much will be that it improves our deck?

[eostby]

Treasure Cruise is banned!!

How much will be that it improves our deck?

Best case scenario: Pyroblasts and REBs see a sharp decline in play, and for whatever reason, discard decks don't make a substantial comeback. Solidarity becomes a very, very good choice.

Worst case scenario: People continue to maindeck Pyroblast and occasionally REB, and discard decks become a reasonable metagame choice again. Solidarity stays about where it is, or becomes slightly worse.

The likely answer is somewhere in between, but my (slightly optimistic) guess is that we maybe get back a few percentage points against some decks, and stay about where we were against most of the rest of the field, ie still a decent T2 choice.

[feline]

Leaning towards Solidarity this weekend for DC, but sshh, it's a secret. 8-)