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Thread: [Report] Return of the Living Dead: 3rd @ Jupiter Games NELC w/ Manaless Dredge!

  1. #1

    [Report] Return of the Living Dead: 3rd @ Jupiter Games NELC w/ Manaless Dredge!


    For this month's Dual Land event at Jupiter Games, I decided to run the gauntlet again by chomping on brains to win some games. Picking up exactly where I left off a month ago when I Top 8'ed the NELC with Manaless Dredge (winning some Bayous in the process), I began to wonder if playing it again might reap the same benefits in an unprepared meta. Turns out this line of thinking was spot on, and ultimately propelled me into the elimination rounds of this month's NELC event.

    There weren't many changes as far as card choices go with the deck as I've been fairly comfortable with the seventy-five I've been running. Most of the cards remain the same, with the minor exception of a slot in the sideboard shifted out for strictly novelty purposes...

    For reference, the list(s) and some more coverage can be found here.

    Manaless Dredge

    //Main
    [4x] Golgari Grave-Troll
    [4x] Stinkweed Imp
    [4x] Golgari Thug
    [3x] Shambling Shell

    [4x] Ichorid
    [4x] Nether Shadow

    [4x] Street Wraith
    [4x] Cabal Therapy
    [4x] Phantasmagorian
    [3x] Contagion
    [1x] Sickening Shoal

    [4x] Narcomoeba
    [4x] Bridge from Below

    [4x] Dread Return
    [3x] Griselbrand
    [2x] Flayer of the Hatebound

    [4x] Dryad Arbor

    //Sideboard
    [4x] Nature's Claim
    [4x] Reverent Silence
    [3x] Sickening Shoal
    [2x] Verdant Catacombs
    [1x] Forest
    [1x] Ali from Cairo


    That's right...Ali from frikkin' Cairo. No reason, no purpose, just straight-up novelty. Unfortunately, Ali never made an appearance in battle and probably won't ever again. Still, I like adding old, useless cards sporadically in my sideboards because I feel so comfortable with my sixty that there are times I figure I can burn a slot for funsies.

    At any rate, round one is announced and there are a total of sixty-eight (68) players for this event! It's time to do battle with my flannel sleeves, which I received some pretty cool feedback from throughout the day.

    Round One versus Mark Quackenbush with R/b Goblins

    Live coverage for this match can be found here at 29:33. Mark and I unfortunately have to play round one, and he is pretty perturbed with the idea of playing against me to start the day off. Mark even predicted it before the event began, but he came prepared.

    After proceeding to mulligan relentlessly game one to find something keepable, he manages to go down to five cards. It's not a bad start though, as he drops a Vial on turn one. After I discard Phantasmagorian for my turn, I manage to discard a set of three cards - holding priority - and cycling Street Wraith. From here I am able to just blow the game wide open and Mark just can't recover with a strained hand and no business. Griselbrand hit play shortly thereafter and the game was over.

    The second game was an interesting affair. I was putting Mark on the Leyline plan, because I have a sneaking suspicion he is playing Nick Patnode's patented Goblins list that utilizes Leyline of the Void in the sideboard.

    Mark starts the game off on the draw and goes down to a paltry three cards - failing to find what was a potential Leyline of the Void. His start isn't too bad, plucking a Lackey and getting him down on the table. I discard Stinkweed Imp for the turn, and pass. Mark plays a land and attempts a ruthless connect with the Saga legend, but it meets an abrupt fate at the hands of a Contagion - impeding his game tremendously. After he fails to find a third land, I bury some undead threats into my graveyard from my library by dredging a Golgari Thug. I play a fetch and find a second Dryad Arbor - followed up by a swing with a Narcomoeba and the other Arbor. I flashback a Therapy to get a Bridge in my graveyard in the event he gets Pyrokinesis or Sharpshooter online, and additionally I just wanted to make some tokens. Unfortunately, he finds a third land and eventually a Sharpshooter which is able to wipe out my board - including all of my zombies.

    After the second Sharpshooter miraculously hits the table, I am out of answers and he is able to stabilize and win the game.

    Going into game three, I was being cautious to see if Mark was actually on the Leyline plan, or if he was just trying to find a playable hand that he could compete with. After starting off with some War Marshals, I kept a Contagion in my hand in the event he dropped Sharpshooter. After trying to accumulate three creatures in play, I am finally able to wipe out a sneaky Sharpshooter that hit the table unexpectedly, while blocking a potentially lethal Piledriver with a sacrificial Shadow. I piled three dead bodies on top of the Shadow with the Phantasmagorian and from there I recurred three creatures, hit a Bridge and Narcomoeba, and double Dread Returned into Flayer into Troll to seal the deal.

    A handshake and deep breath later, and I start off undefeated.

    1-0, 2-1-0

    Round Two versus Steven Thompson with Nic Fit

    I've played against Steve before at a Mythic Games event in Elmira, NY and he was a really cool guy. I manage to start off really fast and Street Wraith a Troll back to my hand, which gives me a Narcomoeba and two Bridges. I then dredge a Troll next turn and hit a Therapy and Narcomoeba, while dumping a Dread Return and Griselbrand into the graveyard via Phantasmagorian. This enables me to turn my deck sideways on turn two, while Steve was sitting on a Bayou and Sensei's Top.

    Game two was a drawn out affair, as I fully expected it to be. Steve starts the game off on the play(?) with a Veteran Explorer. My hand is a little slower, but that's fine because I put him on something like Extirpate anyhow. After attempting to blow the game open during my turn, Steve Surgicals my Dread Returns to disrupt me from insta-winning. I swing in with some beaters and see his hand with a Therapy, which isn't too impressive. Steve manages to top-deck a Moat and plays it, which basically shuts me down for the rest of the game unless I draw out a green source to match the Claim in my hand. I top-deck a basic Forest and blow up his Moat, swinging in for almost lethal. Steve follows the game up next turn with a GSZ into Witness, recurring Moat, and dropping Moat into play. This effectively ends the game as he was able to beat me down with a Baneslayer Angel for the win.

    Game three was going to be a tough match, as I knew Steve was well prepared for this match. He manages to Surgical my Bridges out of the game early on, but I am able to recover and bring a large number of creatures into play with a Street Wraith-Troll hand. I Dread Return a Griselbrand into play, turn my deck sideways and kill him with a Flayer into Troll. This occurred on about turn four, as Steve durdled for a few turns with a Top trying to find answers to deal with my onslaught of undead threats. In the end, Extraction proved its lack of effectiveness against the threat dense Manaless Dredge.

    2-0, 4-2-0

    I go and grab some Chinese in between rounds for the lunch break with some friends and we talk about our previous match ups and how they turned out. Turns out I was the only 2-0 among us, but that's fine because there's plenty of Magic left to be played.

    Round Three versus Tom Leger with Junk

    Tom Leger is but a name to me up until this point, as I have only heard of him by his name at Jupiter events. This is our first encounter, and it's obvious he has no fear against my deck with his Junk deck - but the feeling is equally mutual. I came prepared as well against Deathrite Shaman, which to be honest really isn't even an issue with Manaless when you run Contagion, Shoal and Street Wraith to counter-act its effectiveness.

    Tom is on the play and decided to keep. He drops the Shaman. I don't have a hand with any removal or a Wraith, so needless to say I lose this game. I gave myself a chance with the outs I played, but I couldn't pluck them in time. I still played it out for information and made Tom kill me.

    Game two was similar, except Tom was able to mulligan to five and started his first turn with a Shaman. I kill it during my turn.

    His second turn is Shaman and Top. Right. I kill it again.

    His third turn is Goyf, which is followed up by another Goyf, which is followed up by Knight, which then gets a Bog.

    Nice...deck. Apparently double-removal isn't enough against a five card hand into the nuts. I congratulate Tom on his win and shake it off for the next round, which fixes to be a part of my "revenge tour" for the players I needed to beat to Top Eight.

    2-1, 4-4-0

    Round Four versus Nick Patnode with Goblins


    Nick is one of the best Goblin players in the world, and I've seen the evolution of his play growing up in Syracuse. I owed Nick a beating from a while back after he beat me at a Jupiter event in early 2011. I was dedicated to moving on from this match the winner, and while I respect Nick, he was going to feel the wrath of my undead army. Nick comments on the fact I beat Mark using pretty much his same list, so I fully expect Leyline of the Void to come in post-board. I prepare accordingly, and begin the match undaunted.

    Game one was a relatively quick affair. Nick mulligans to five and starts off with a land and Lackey. I manage to go balls-crazy with a Street Wraith into double Narcomoeba and Ichorid. I had killed Nick's Lackey before it connected with a Sickening Shoal. From there I was able to just blow the game open by turning my deck sideways by Dread Returning a Griselbrand and killed him with a Flayer of the Hatebound into a Golgari Grave-Troll for a lot of damage.

    In game two, I start off with a Reverent Silence in hand, but no Forest. Nick mulligans to four and hits a Leyline, while also ripping into lands. I continue discarding and hope to hit a Forest of some sorts, and eventually I hit a Dryad Arbor. I also have removal in my hand, so I am able to slow Nick down some. It was too little, too late and I lose a tight one the turn before I can go crazy and stabilize. I was just fine with forcing Nick to mulligan into oblivion, which he did. His search for Leyline set him back immensely, which made me feel better about my theory against decks running Leyline.

    Game three was a relatively tight match up with a lot of folks watching us play. Nick mulligans once, but keeps without a Leyline. My hand is prepared for it with a Dryad Arbor and Reverent Silence just in case. After Nick passes for a few turns without any real action, I am putting him on Pyrokinesis. For this I bait him out with the two Bridges in my hand. I recur a Nether Shadow and Ichorid during my upkeep with a Dryad Arbor and he pauses for a moment. I have a Phantasmagorian in my graveyard, so I am prepared in the event he tries something - which he does.

    Nick proceeds to exile a red card and casts Pyrokinesis, targeting my three creatures. In response, I dump two Bridges and make six creatures to go perfectly with my double Dread Return in my graveyard. Nick pouts for a minute about my slow-roll and I proceed to follow up his play by dredging a Troll and winning the game the same way I did game one.

    I exact my revenge of yesteryear's past by defeating last month's NELC runner up, and prepare for the next round.

    3-1, 6-4-0

    After hanging around for a few minutes and grabbing some drinks, the next round is announced and I'm ready to go - hydrated and feeling good.

    Round Five versus Ben Green with High Tide

    This is a match up that, while I haven't tested in a long time, I was able to test extensively against the Hatfield's while in Virginia in the service. I suspect Ben might be on some blue variant as I thought I saw him flash me a Brainstorm while shuffling. We get deck-checked this round by our head judge Mike Caffrey (mcchainmail). I turn to my neighbors playing and oversee some games in progress. Meanwhile, Mike comes back and we get a small extension. Everything checks out good and we're ready to play.

    I win the roll and put Ben on the play. He starts off with an Island and plays a Candelabra of Tawnos. Great. Well, I discarded a Phantasmagorian so I was able to get some gas going the second turn. I have one Therapy in the graveyard already, so I am content with my abilities in being able to knock a card or two out of his hand - possibly. I recur a few creatures and proceed to dredge a Troll, which hits two more Therapies and a Narcomoeba. In response to a Therapy, he Brainstorms. I name High Tide and hit one. I see a Cunning Wish and flashback a Therapy taking that out of his hand immediately. The other rips a Turnabout and I am able to beat him down and Dread Return the following turn into Griselbrand.

    Game two was more about information for me. I am aware that most Tide boards run Ravenous Trap, so I am looking to see if my perception was accurate. I reach a point in this game where I have no dredgers in my graveyard, but I have threats in play and get him down to six life. I Therapy him and miss, but I see a Wish after naming Force to protect my Dread Return. I go for it all and need the information; I attempt the Dread Return. Ben sits for a minute and ponders, because he can kill me next turn anyhow - and me Returning a Flayer would only bring him to two life.

    Little did he realize, I was waiting with a Sickening Shoal in my hand to kill him in the event Flayer resolved. I had kept it in for this reason exclusively, because I don't have any hate for Tide except for Therapies - which are generally always enough. I play it off like I don't have anything, but Ben doesn't take the bait. He Wishes for the Trap and cleans me out. Next turn, he goes off and I scoop to save time when he goes to Zenith for something like twenty cards with thirty mana floating.

    In game three, I was prepared to do what I had to to prevent him from getting to three mana - or anything relevant otherwise. I get the beaters on the table and smash Ben with some serious damage early on. Ben has no plays until his turn three, but I already know his hand after whiffing on a Therapy on High Tide (I had tons of zombies in play, so Wish was situationally irrelevant). Ben has three lands in play - one of which is a fetch - and four cards in hand: Brainstorm, Force, Turnabout and Wish. So, he Brainstorms at the end of my turn - staring lethal on board the following turn and hoping to at least hit a land so he can stall with Turnabouts and follow it up with a winning turn. Ben does not hit the land he wants and desperately looks for the fourth land by fetching during my EOT.

    He draws and does not find the land, and I go to my turn. I recur Ichorid(s) and simply draw a card for my turn - avoiding any Wish shenanigans. I attack him out and he concedes.

    Tough one to sweat out, but I'll take the win at this point. So round five is the first time I am able to run against Islands, and at this point I'm a solid 4-1 and a win away from a consecutive Top Eight berth at Jupiter's NELC events. However, in getting there, you can imagine how difficult that task would be against my next opponent...

    4-1, 8-5-0

    Round Six versus Eli Kassis with G/w/b Junk

    So, in order for me to make consecutive Top Eights, I have to play a close friend and great player in Eli. I suppose it was only fitting to conclude my "revenge tour" against Eli, as we were both dead set to make the Top Eight. We're both methodical players and neither of us can afford to make a mistake in this match up. Unfortunately for me, Eli's deck was loaded with hate. We're talking Deathrite Shamans, Surgical Extractions, two or three Bojuka Bog, Engineered Plague and probably something else I cannot even begin to imagine. So, after we shuffle up and get ready to do battle, I win the die roll and put Eli on the play.

    Game one was a relatively interesting game. Eli mulligans to six trying to find a Shaman, which he cannot find. He starts off with a land and a Top. I take my turn and discard Phantasmagorian. Eli takes his second turn and plays out a Dark Confidant. I dump three cards during his EOT, hold priority and cycle a SW. This enables a broken turn two, which snatches me a turn two Griselbrand (off double Shadow and a Dryad Arbor hiding out in my hand) into turning my entire deck sideways. I rip Eli's hand apart, and needless to say, Eli was taken down in relatively short order in our first encounter.

    Game two was interesting, because to be honest I didn't expect to be in this one at all with all of the hate Eli was bringing in. We had talked about this prior to our encounter, but I knew I still had a chance if I can start off fast enough. I needed the information on his deck, so it was off to the races. I start off relatively slow, and Eli starts the same. Eventually, he has a Bitterblossom out, an E. Plague on "Horror" and an Explosives on zero. He also has a Top out with a tapped Karakas.

    During my turn, I am able to recur a Nether Shadow with Narcomoebas in play- but Eli Plows the Shadow at the end of my upkeep. I dredge six and hit a Narcomoeba. I play a Dryad Arbor. I am finally able to Dread Return a Griselbrand, and Eli is stunned at this turn of events. Something peculiar happens in this match, however. I am able to get a Flayer into play and deal four damage to Eli. In response to me attempting a Therapy, Eli activates his Top and Plows my Flayer. With Griselbrand on the table, I have six cards left in my deck and three Dread Returns down. I cannot pay the life to effectively kill myself, being one card short. My second Flayer is buried in those six cards somewhere, so I cannot find it to kill Eli. Astoundingly, I have to pass the turn. Eli is able to wipe out my tokens with E.E., bounce my Griselbrand with Karakas, and attack me out with his threats for the win.



    Eli slumps in his chair, realizing how fortunate he is to be going to game three.

    In the third and deciding game, I am dead-set on ending the match as humanly fast as I can; hoping to hit something big to start the game off with. Eli is on the play. He drops a Swamp and passes. I discard a Phantasmagorian. Eli takes his turn and plays Bob. I discard three cards, hold priority and cycle a Street Wraith into multiple Ichorids and Narcomoebas. With Phantasmagorian's ability on the stack, I cycle ANOTHER Street Wraith and go crazy again. Eli tilts his head in disbelief.


    I take my turn, and dredge away - but not before recurring all of my threats during my upkeep. I go for the Dread Return on Griselbrand...but Eli has the Surgical Extraction! At this point, there are six Bridge triggers on the stack, and a Griselbrand wanting to enter play. It's a very tough choice, but eventually Eli settles on my Bridges. I am fine with this and pay the fourteen (14) life to plow through my deck. I get enough creatures in play to double Dread Return into Flayer into Troll. A crowd looks on.

    Eli extends the hand...and the game is over.


    A big win that catapults me into my second consecutive Top Eight berth.

    5-1, 10-6-0

    Round Seven versus Paolo Cesari with RUG

    Paolo and I agree to draw our way into the Top Eight.

    5-1-1, 10-6-1

    I decide to sit down near the top tables and evaluate potential match ups. There were just Goblins and BUG all over the place at this event, and it was ironic that with all of the blue decks I faced last month on my way to the Top Eight, I only faced one blue deck in the swiss all day long.

    Quarterfinals versus Greg Komar with BUG

    Live coverage of the match can be found here at 8:07:23. I wound up as the third (3rd) overall seed, and I put my opponents on the play in each of my games.

    To sum this match up: Game one was a blowout, as Greg could only muster a Delver to start - which didn't flip until it was far too late. I was able to get recursive beats online with Phantasmagorian shenanigans. Being able to stack your dredges and stack your discarded cards with 'Gorian is just disgusting with Nether Shadow and Ichorid. This game was a microcosm of that concept. I saw his hand off Therapy, tapped Arbor to pay for Daze, and flashed back a Dread Return hitting Griselbrand to win the game.

    Game two I just stalled out and didn't really get anything going - missing my dredgers completely at one point. This was foreshadowing at its worst.

    In the third and final game, I was able to beat down relatively early and keep Greg on his toes. The coverage for the third game can be found here, right at the beginning of the video. I was able to overwhelm Greg with a multitude of threats. Greg got a 'Goyf down, and on his last turn he played a Sylvan Library. It was too late, as his deck betrayed him this time and his lack of green mana sources early on cost him and I was able to destroy him with a barrage of recursive threats.

    6-1-1, 12-7-1

    After this match, I go out and hang out for a while. Everyone is talking about how I have a clear path to winning the whole event, but I don't get ahead of myself. This is where I have to keep a level head and hope my deck doesn't turn on me when I need good hands most.

    Unfortunately, it didn't work that way.

    Semifinals versus David Cha with Bant-Blade

    Coverage can be found here at 0:39:49.

    In short, I lost both games on the heels of no dredgers. For those curious, a deck containing fifteen (15) dredgers has a 94.01% chance of drawing into a dredger by turn two. I failed these percentages by clocking within the 5.99%, which cost me the first game as my opponent fetched up Ooze with GSZ. Happens sometimes.

    Game two was more of the same, except with my only dredger - a Golgari Grave-Troll - got Crypted (his one-of, no less) on his turn one. This odd line of play actually cost me the game, as I did not expect him to pull the trigger turn one. He slowed me down enough to win, and just like that my run was over.

    6-2-1, 12-9-1

    I wind up 3rd overall and took home a set of Tropical Islands. I was able to make consecutive Top 8's/4's in the NELC since my return home, and I felt good about improving upon my performance. I'll go over sideboard options and such in the Manaless forum later on and go more in depth on card choices and such.

    I look forward to the challenge in a few weeks to try for a third Top Eight in a row, and hopefully - the chance to take it all down.


    Some notes from the event:

    1. Nether Shadow was amazing. The card is incredibly good with Phantasmagorian and fueling Dread Return. A true all-star.
    2. Dryad Arbor as usual came up big when it needed to. The card unexpectedly helps you win games out of nowhere, which is key. Its utility goes without saying.
    3. The sideboard needs a little bit of work, but overall I'm pretty happy with it. Obviously, Ali will be gone - much like Titan. At this point, my board is in flux and I'm still open to trying new options. Reverent Silence is still awesome.
    4. Flayer into Troll is the deck's primary win engine, and you can see how many rounds it won me.
    5. Maxing out on Dread Return is the right call. This is a combo deck and wants to win fast.

    Thanks for reading and I look forward to comments, concerns and suggestions!
    Last edited by Michael Keller; 10-24-2012 at 02:59 PM.

  2. #2
    What Would Ravenous Baloth Do?
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    Re: [Report] Return of the Living Dead: 3rd @ Jupiter Games NELC w/ Manaless Dredge!

    Nice report.

    Phantasmagorian seems nasty. I don't see why anyone would even want to play regular mana dredge after reading this.

    Where did you get the flannel sleeves from? Do they shuffle OK?
    Fools dig for water, corpses or gold
    The ice in my teeth keep the Cristal cold
    I be shoot'n lava around like an uzi
    Watch me turn this glacier into a jacuzzi
    I'm so hot people standing around me, just to stay warm
    Castin' so many spells looks like I'm playin' Storm
    I fuck all your creatures without any lotion
    Skeet in yo face, Erratic Explosion
    Every time you look I'm doing 2 to your dome!
    So scoop up your cards and take your broke ass home

    -G.L.M.

  3. #3

    Re: [Report] Return of the Living Dead: 3rd @ Jupiter Games NELC w/ Manaless Dredge!

    Quote Originally Posted by Holiday View Post
    Nice report.

    Phantasmagorian seems nasty. I don't see why anyone would even want to play regular mana dredge after reading this.

    Where did you get the flannel sleeves from? Do they shuffle OK?
    I actually got the flannel sleeves from our loal gaming store here in Syracuse, New York. They shuffle incredibly well - and are, in fact, some of the best sleeves I've ever used. Kind of weird because I picked them up just to see how they worked.

    I had played LED/Non-LED Dredge for quite some time before switching back to Manaless. Right now, it's prime to take on the meta, which is part of the reason it is doing so well. I can't see myself switching back to LED Dredge for a very long time. I love Manaless.

  4. #4
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    Re: [Report] Return of the Living Dead: 3rd @ Jupiter Games NELC w/ Manaless Dredge!

    Nice read + congratz to the finish.

    Eventually, he has a Bitterblossom out, an E. Plague on "Horror" and an Explosives on zero. He also has a Top out with a tapped Karakas.

    During my turn, I am able to recur a Nether Shadow and Ichorid - but Eli Plows the Ichorid at the end of my upkeep
    Shouldn't the Ichorid be dead befor Elli gets priority to plow him away?
    Our music means nothing, except for what it means to
    you.

  5. #5

    Re: [Report] Return of the Living Dead: 3rd @ Jupiter Games NELC w/ Manaless Dredge!

    Quote Originally Posted by Felidae View Post
    Nice read + congratz to the finish.



    Shouldn't the Ichorid be dead befor Elli gets priority to plow him away?
    Apologies, it was a Nether Shadow. Trying to remember the details of an intense Top 8 berth match is incredibly hard. It was a Nether Shadow with a few Narcomoebas in play.

    Thanks!

  6. #6
    What Would Ravenous Baloth Do?
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    Re: [Report] Return of the Living Dead: 3rd @ Jupiter Games NELC w/ Manaless Dredge!

    Quote Originally Posted by Hollywood View Post
    I actually got the flannel sleeves from our loal gaming store here in Syracuse, New York. They shuffle incredibly well - and are, in fact, some of the best sleeves I've ever used. Kind of weird because I picked them up just to see how they worked.
    Cool, unfortunately Syracuse is wicked far from me, but I've been looking for some new sleeves, something different. Do you know which brand they were? Maybe I can find them online.
    Fools dig for water, corpses or gold
    The ice in my teeth keep the Cristal cold
    I be shoot'n lava around like an uzi
    Watch me turn this glacier into a jacuzzi
    I'm so hot people standing around me, just to stay warm
    Castin' so many spells looks like I'm playin' Storm
    I fuck all your creatures without any lotion
    Skeet in yo face, Erratic Explosion
    Every time you look I'm doing 2 to your dome!
    So scoop up your cards and take your broke ass home

    -G.L.M.

  7. #7

    Re: [Report] Return of the Living Dead: 3rd @ Jupiter Games NELC w/ Manaless Dredge!

    I'm not too sure as I bought them on a whim, but I'll ask our local shop guy which brand they are.

  8. #8
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    Re: [Report] Return of the Living Dead: 3rd @ Jupiter Games NELC w/ Manaless Dredge!

    Great report. Thanks for taking te time.

  9. #9

    Re: [Report] Return of the Living Dead: 3rd @ Jupiter Games NELC w/ Manaless Dredge!

    Thanks, man.

    I think for this weekend's NELC I will update the sideboard with some new additions and give it a semi-overhaul, because while it works, it actually does need some assessing. Nature's Claim has been good, for instance, but you just outplay a Crypt or Relic and can hop over something like Propaganda, Moat and Elephant Grass with Flayer of the Hatebound and possibly Griselbrand.

    Reverent Silence is just simply better - right now - because it doesn't necessitate having to wait a turn for Arbor to go active. I'm not proposing against Claim, I'm just saying I haven't really used it a whole lot in the last two months. Silence just blows out Leyline and Rest in Peace, which is really all you care about.

    Grafdigger's Cage is a different story, but it isn't seeing a whole lot of play in my meta. Neither is Relic. To be honest, and this is going to sound ludicrous, but people are just mulliganing into oblivion against me to find their small sample of hate-cards and haven't been able to do it. But when they do, it's either too late or ineffective - and this is why having answers to Leyline/Rest is important, even if they aren't seeing a lot of play.

    And obviously, Silence hits all the Leylines that might come into play, which in some ways can be a two or three for one against a weak hand.

  10. #10
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    Re: [Report] Return of the Living Dead: 3rd @ Jupiter Games NELC w/ Manaless Dredge!

    Taking both Leyline of the Void and Sanctity (it does shutdown Flayer win and Therapies) out is good.

    Whenever you are boarding in, do you always go for both Nature's Claim and Reverent Silence (+ Land package) going in or have you had matchups where only one of the two would be good enough? If that is the case then what gets sided in more often?
    I am convinced that WotC is "dumbing" the game because of all the stupid posts they come across on MTG-related forums
    Quote Originally Posted by Kyle View Post
    13NoVa plays Force of Will from his hand.
    Finglonger plays Spell Pierce from his hand.
    [10:22:43]  13NoVa: lol
    sure
    Finglonger points from his Dack Fayden to 13NoVa's Sol Ring.
    [10:23:04]  13NoVa: lol dumb ******; nice draws with retard.dec
    stupid cocksucker
    You have been kicked out of the game.

  11. #11

    Re: [Report] Return of the Living Dead: 3rd @ Jupiter Games NELC w/ Manaless Dredge!

    Quote Originally Posted by (nameless one) View Post
    Taking both Leyline of the Void and Sanctity (it does shutdown Flayer win and Therapies) out is good.

    Whenever you are boarding in, do you always go for both Nature's Claim and Reverent Silence (+ Land package) going in or have you had matchups where only one of the two would be good enough? If that is the case then what gets sided in more often?
    It depends on the match up. If an opponent is running a heavy mix of hate that uses both artifacts and enchantments, I'll bring both in. If an opponent is on one more than the other, I'll bring either in or a small mix - depending on what build they're running. Sometimes you don't even have to board in anything to beat Crypt and Extraction.

    The land package is specifically tailored to beat Wasteland. If the circumstance arises against, say, Mono White Stax, I'll want to have access to a basic Forest so that I don't get blown out and I have the ability to play my anti-hate. It's also useful against removal-heavy decks, which is key when you don't want to lose your mana (in this case, Arbors).

    Again, it all depends. Sometimes, like against RUG, you don't need anything. Unless that version runs Cage, which some do. However, no one here plays it so it's not a big deal.

  12. #12
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    KobeBryan's Avatar
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    Re: [Report] Return of the Living Dead: 3rd @ Jupiter Games NELC w/ Manaless Dredge!

    Hollywood. - Against that bant blade player. I think him using a tormod's crypt with 1 dredger in the yard was one of the worst plays ever.

    How far did he go in the tournament?

    You have his decklist?

  13. #13
    Lets be freaks...
    NecroYawgmoth's Avatar
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    Re: [Report] Return of the Living Dead: 3rd @ Jupiter Games NELC w/ Manaless Dredge!

    Quote Originally Posted by Hollywood View Post
    Thanks, man.

    I think for this weekend's NELC I will update the sideboard with some new additions and give it a semi-overhaul, because while it works, it actually does need some assessing.
    I am quite interested in this.

    I can't see any relevant things played in the board nowadays except for the Claim/Silence/Lands package or more removal AKA Contagion/Shoal, or DR-Targets/Alis.

    I hope that the new additions will blow my mind. =P
    Quote Originally Posted by Tacosnape View Post
    Kenjawn, Mutator of Cells
    :16: - (See, now Erratic Explosion's a deck)
    Legendary Creature - Horror
    Haste, Hexproof, Double Strike, Trample
    Kenjawn, Mutator of Cells is indestructible.
    Permanents you control can't be sacrificed or copied.
    Whenever Kenjawn, Mutator of Cells attacks, defending player gets liver cancer (This effect doesn't end at end of turn.)
    13/13

  14. #14

    Re: [Report] Return of the Living Dead: 3rd @ Jupiter Games NELC w/ Manaless Dredge!

    Quote Originally Posted by Avatar of Shadow View Post
    Hollywood. - Against that bant blade player. I think him using a tormod's crypt with 1 dredger in the yard was one of the worst plays ever.

    How far did he go in the tournament?

    You have his decklist?
    He made Finals against Paolo with RUG. He did not win the event. You can find his list on jupitergamesonline.com.

    As far as his Crypt play went, that was a really bad play, but it won him the game. Kind of like taking a hit against a face card with a hard nineteen and pulling a deuce. Not exactly the safest line of play, but sometimes it's enough.

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