[Discussion] Tournament Prep

[Frenger]

Before I moved to France 2 months ago, I played legacy every week. However due to various circumstances i haven't been able to play seriously since I moved. My only experience has been a few casual games and about 2 hours total on MWS on my brothers PC (I have a mac).

Anyways, anyone who reads up on European tournament announcements knows that there's the Bazaar of Moxen coming up on the 20th of September. This event has insane prizes for legacy, with 4 duals to first and other prizes including FBB blue duals going down to 16th. Needles to say, I'm already registered.

My deck is already chosen, as I just have the cards for one deck: 4 Color Landstill. My list isn't set in stone and I've been continually tweaking it; the last change was made this morning. Regardless I'm fairly confident with the deck, and the few casual matches resulted in me beating Goblins, Aluren, MBC, Thresh, among others while losing terribly to aggro loam.

So how would you recommend preparing for this event? I want to be in it to win, but I haven't played much in a while, and don't have many testing resources available.

[Peter_Rotten]

That's a tough situation. If you can't get a bunch of real tourney or game experience in before that date, I'd switch to a mindless agro/burn deck.

However, since you don't want to switch your deck, I'd get in as many casual matches as possible. Landstill, and control decks like it, need a ton of practice sessions.

[thefreakaccident]

If you can, find a reasonable approximation of the metagame. Once you can do that, I usually will gear my MD/sb accordingly...


Without knowing the exact meta, I cannot go into specifics...


If you are expecting lots of agro-loam, I would not play landstill, but I guess that's just me...

[Frenger]

If you can, find a reasonable approximation of the metagame. Once you can do that, I usually will gear my MD/sb accordingly...


Without knowing the exact meta, I cannot go into specifics...


If you are expecting lots of agro-loam, I would not play landstill, but I guess that's just me...

I'm expecting it to be a very varied meta. I've heard that people are coming from germany (to eastern france) to play in this one, and i personally know some Parisians who are going, so I'm expecting to see a lot of everything.

Unfortunately, unlike the San Diego meta, people actually play aggro loam. I dont think I saw one aggro loam deck at Game Empire ever.

I wish I could change my deck to something simpler, but i think the only thing I could do is buy some WoGs and play UWb. It might be a better choice since it's more stable, but I've never played with it, ever.

Before the big tournament I'll be able to play in 2 FNM's and one tournament for some duals. I guess I'll take P_R's advice and just try to play as many games as I can in between rounds.

[morgan_coke]

If you're worried about loam, i'd recommend trying to alter your build for CB/Top. something like 80% of loam's deck runs at 2cc, and the rest is at 3cc. CB/Top is what kept loam in check in extended last season because it was nearly an auto-loss for them if top and CB ever hit the board at the same time.

[Mister Agent]

Since your playing 4c landstill and expecting a ton of aggro loam. I would suggest a sideboard something like this if you still have cunning wish in the main.

Sideboard Suggestion:

3 Tormod's Crypt
4 Hydroblast
1 Enlightened Tutor
2 Extirpate
1 Pulse of the fields
1 Dismantling Blow/Krosan Grip/Seed Spark(whatever fits your fancy)
3 Meddling Mage

With a sideboard like this you actually have multiple of ways to attack the essential core of aggro loam. Permanently cutting off their land resources that they can recur with crucible/life from the loam with Tormod's Crypt. Also the fact that blue blasts become essential in this matchup considering they just counter some of the most threatening spells that the loam player utilizes.

Meddling mage can also be good in the aggro loam matchup as well considering proactively they function as the next set of blue blasts. Although, I don't always find them necassary but on tight ropes mages can actually be quite utilizing.

I would also like to note if your not running academy ruins(due to mana color restraints) in the main. Fitting two crucible of worlds between the sideboard and the main would seem like a logical idea.

I also agree with Matt P. here without lots of practice with control you could lose to anything even if your playing good matchups throughout the tournament.

[FoolofaTook]

Playing 4c Landstill doesn't Planar Void in the sideboard just blow Aggro-Loam and Ichorid out of the building?

[Mister Agent]

Playing 4c Landstill doesn't Planar Void in the sideboard just blow Aggro-Loam and Ichorid out of the building?

Planar Void could work if the aggro loam or sexual vanilla deck wins player(ichorid) has no outs against it. But I seriously doubt it, they can just dispose of planar void before it wrecks them. Tormod's Crypt on the other hand is just much easier to use against those two matchups in comparison.

[diffy]

So how would you recommend preparing for this event? I want to be in it to win, but I haven't played much in a while, and don't have many testing resources available.


Try to get a group of people which whom you can test on a semi-regular basis. Since you live in Paris this shouldn't be too hard, just make friends with some of the people who always hang around the Magic Corporation Store, spot the 'good' players and organise some test-sessions. Try to get as many as possible done of these as they are really the best way to increase both your confidence with a certain deck and the deck in itself as you can get feedback on choices/plays directly.
If that's not an option then try to get MWS to work on your machine (can't you emulate some Windows versions on Macs?) and use that for your playtest sessions. Try to get as many competent players as possible into your Instant Messenger to always have someone good to play with when you feel like testing... just don't bother with the randoms - they are a waste of time and a source for frustration in nine cases out of ten.



Losing terribly to aggro loam.


Your best tools for beating Aggro Loam are Leyline of the Void and Ajani Goldmane. If you have some room in your sideboard for Blue Elemental Blasts, even the better.
Leyline of the Void, unlike Tormod's Crypt, Extirpate or Planar Void shuts down Aggro Loam completely as when it's out they're basically left with a bunch of Goyfs (quite easy to handle), 3/3s (Crusher doesn't get counters under Leyline but he does under Planar Void) and mediocre-sized Terravores which aren't really that frightening. Now all you have to do is watch out for Devastating Dreams and Burning Wish (easily done by playing Spell Snares main and Blue Blasts side) and you're golden.
If you don't have a Leyline in your opening grip, that's when Ajani comes in - just play the tempo role using your removal and counters to stall until Ajani can make an Avatar and live (since most builds play Terminate and/or Explosives) and proceed to win from there on.
With above measures you should be able to win most of your postboard games - if you want to have a fighting chance preboard, you should switch over to playing UWb Cunning Landstill instead of 4c: the basics and easier colour requirements as well as the faster removal go a long way to not completely scoop the first game.

I'd recommend playing this (http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dgbs8px8_0grhzd6dg) list and tweak the sideboard against Loam. A possible sideboard (used my Marius Hausmann during the German Champs) could look like this:

4 Leyline of the Void (http://magiccards.info/gp/en/52.html)
1 Crucible of Worlds (http://magiccards.info/5dn/en/114.html)
2 Ajani Goldmane (http://magiccards.info/lw/en/1.html)
2 Blue Elemental Blast (http://magiccards.info/be/en/50.html)
2 Hydroblast (http://magiccards.info/ia/en/72.html)
1 Extirpate (http://magiccards.info/pc/en/71.html)
1 Return to Dust (http://magiccards.info/ts/en/39.html)
1 Pulse of the Fields (http://magiccards.info/ds/en/11.html)
1 Enlightened Tutor (http://magiccards.info/mr/en/218.html)

If you don't feel confident enough in your 'draw'/mulligan skills to play Leyline, Wheel of Sun and Moon (http://magiccards.info/shm/en/243.html) works too: it is worse against Ichorid but better against the non-black builds of Aggro Loam (the black builds play Thoughtseize and Duress which makes it hard to protect it until turn2) because you can cantrip into it. It's not really an option in 4c builds because you don't want everything to start going completely wrong after activating the first Pernicious Deed, same is true for Planar Void.
Obviously this sideboard is slightly weaker against the broad/unknown metagame due to the lack of additional Extirpates and Meddling Mages which hurts especially in the combo matchups (the control mirrors are actually slightly improved by the addition of Ajani), but you could get away with it if you predict the metagame correctly and/or if you are confident enough in the deck to beat most of the decks out there without much sideboarding (which certainly is doable with any Cunning Landstill brand).