Faestill

[Mirrislegend]

This deck concept has intrigued me for a very long time, ever since the deck T8ed GenCon Legacy 2008. Fae-still is Faerie based Landstill that is getting no attention at all. I wanted to throw it out there for everyone to take another look at.

This is a fairly standard list:
http://www.deckcheck.net/deck.php?id=19276

Bitterblossom + Spellstutter Sprite = a growing army under Standstill plus extra counterspelling power. Trygon Predator dodges Chalice, Trinisphere, CB lock, and being another easy kill for Jitte, then proceeds to answer all of them. Goyf really holds down the fort and allows for all the Goyf-associated brokeness we all know and love.

Changes to the existing list that I'm considering are as follows:
*More removal: Smother is awesome, but doesn't hit Tombstalker
*Add some discard: Personally, I want Thoughtseize just because it hits creatures, but it may not be viable due to the life loss alongside Bitterblossom
*Re-evaluate Aether Vial: Yes, non-counterable critters that appear without breaking Standstill are good. But there's only 12, and 4 are 3cmc. I feel like Landstill, of all decks, has to have something better to do with those slots
*Tighten up the mana base: Team America, Canadian Thresh, and Dreadstill are everywhere, punishing flimsy mana bases left and right. 6 Fetches, 2 Basics, 2 manlands and 3 Wastelands is begging to get mauled in the modern meta. Especially since the deck lacks:
*Crucible of Worlds: Seriously, is Landstill even possible without it? I understand that it starts to overload the 3cmc slot, but it's a house in Landstill, amirite?

Thoughts? Comments? Specific suggestions or revamped decklists?

[rockout]

I don't think you really need to run aether vial with only 12 creatures. That slot would best be used as stifle/thoughtseize/spellsnare. All around it's pretty solid.

If you want to up your creature count a good idea would be Vendilion Clique. He's good at their draw step getting rid of counterbalance, ee and whatever else hoses this deck. He also makes sprite a little better.

[Mirrislegend]

I don't think you really need to run aether vial with only 12 creatures. That slot would best be used as stifle/thoughtseize/spellsnare. All around it's pretty solid.

If you want to up your creature count a good idea would be Vendilion Clique. He's good at their draw step getting rid of counterbalance, ee and whatever else hoses this deck. He also makes sprite a little better.

Reading the opening post is svg tech. It mentions how Vial seems weak, yet it must be played for a reason, so the verdict is still out. Also, I don't think Clique is necessary with 4x MD Trygon Predator to handle those troublesome cards.

[rockout]

This is what I just threw together. You run free counters besides sprite so stifle is better than aether vial.
// Lands
3 [B] Tropical Island
3 [B] Underground Sea
3 [REW] Wasteland
3 [MOR] Mutavault
3 [ON] Polluted Delta
1 [UNH] Island
3 [ON] Flooded Strand

// Creatures
4 [LRW] Spellstutter Sprite
4 [FUT] Tarmogoyf
2 [DIS] Trygon Predator
2 [MOR] Vendilion Clique

// Spells
3 [SC] Stifle
4 [AL] Force of Will
4 [MM] Brainstorm
4 [NE] Daze
4 [ON] Smother
4 [MOR] Bitterblossom
4 [OD] Standstill
2 [BOK] Umezawa's Jitte

// Sideboard
SB: 3 [FNM] Engineered Plague
SB: 3 [BOK] Threads of Disloyalty
SB: 3 [ALA] Relic of Progenitus
SB: 2 [TSP] Krosan Grip
SB: 2 [IA] Hydroblast
SB: 2 [B] Blue Elemental Blast

[thefreakaccident]

This is what I just threw together. You run free counters besides sprite so stifle is better than aether vial.
// Lands
3 [B] Tropical Island
3 [B] Underground Sea
3 [REW] Wasteland
3 [MOR] Mutavault
3 [ON] Polluted Delta
1 [UNH] Island
3 [ON] Flooded Strand

// Creatures
4 [LRW] Spellstutter Sprite
4 [FUT] Tarmogoyf
2 [DIS] Trygon Predator
2 [MOR] Vendilion Clique

// Spells
3 [SC] Stifle
4 [AL] Force of Will
4 [MM] Brainstorm
4 [NE] Daze
4 [ON] Smother
4 [MOR] Bitterblossom
4 [OD] Standstill
2 [BOK] Umezawa's Jitte

// Sideboard
SB: 3 [FNM] Engineered Plague
SB: 3 [BOK] Threads of Disloyalty
SB: 3 [ALA] Relic of Progenitus
SB: 2 [TSP] Krosan Grip
SB: 2 [IA] Hydroblast
SB: 2 [B] Blue Elemental Blast



I like that list a lot...

I think spellstutte is played too little, especially since its' so good in the metagame.

That said, blossom and clique need to be played too, as they can be just as good.


Good luck w/ the deck, looks strong.

[Blitzbold]

I played my variant of the quoted list last weekend. Since I didn't find a appropriate thread about it, I posted my answer, alterations & reasonings as well as my first impression in the "Fearies" thread @ Established Decks.

http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showpost.php?p=317504&postcount=131

[Mirrislegend]

Clique, while appealing at first glance, is too slow to handle CB or anything else that threatens this deck. Trygon Predator takes care of any troublesome, non-critter permanents. The only things Clique deals with that Predator does not should be handled easily by discard and removal. The problem is just how to fit those in.

[thefreakaccident]

I will be playing this list this weekend if I can get bitterblossoms:

lands//19
4 mutavault
4 polluted delta
2 flooded strand
3 tropical island
1 swamp
2 underground sea
3 island


creatures//12
4 spellstutter sprite
4 tarmogoyf
2 vendilion clique
2 trygon predator

spells//29
4 force of will
4 bitterblossom
4 standstill
3 ponder
4 brainstorm
4 thoughtseize
3 smother
3 spell snare


sideboard// (still in progress)
4 extirpate
3 krosan grip
2 pernicious deed
3 blue elemental blast
3 propaganda (maybe)


I will write a report when I win on saturday :wink: .

[thefreakaccident]

I wasn't able to go to the tournament like I'd hoped...

I did however play a few games on MWS, and was pretty surprised as to how the deck was doing...

I played a match against: Countersliver, survival, and GW beatz (IDK what its' called, its' got karracks???)...

Anyways, I lost to the survival deck, and beat the other two...

Basically, against slivers, I dug up a goyf, and played a standstill (he had two creatures, and goyf was only a 3/4)... He let it resolve, but I was sandbagging a mutavault... Eventually I get a second mutavault down, and I started pounding w/ goyf...
He breaks standstill and I counter two things w/ sprites... my turn I play thoughtseize to hit a creature, smother another, and pound w/ my goyf and two sprites... my next turn I leave fow up and clique him in his upkeep... Game!

Game 2 was totally different: I get a first turn seize, second turn blossom, after he had played nothing but a vial (I had taken his only daze, and he had two creatures)... I smother the first creature, and cantrip until I get my predator... I then proceed to get my two standstills spell snared, and I don't care, as I am beating him to death in the air.



Survival was on the play... he gets a first turn bird, on his second turn he therapies naming snare (how lucky!!), I had two.. then he plays the survival, and flashes back naming ponder (I had two)... my hand is destroyed, and goes crazy w/ the survival.

Game 2, he baits my snares w/ goyfs and burning wishes, then he seizes me, and witnesses it back... this then led to another survival, which should have been countered, but he was also playing swords (WTF?! ... Wish, seize, swords, therapy, AND survival... how many creatures does he run?!)... anyways, he keeps me low on faeries in repsonse to my sprite, then he wins...


I only saw a handful of creatures on his behalf this game (goyf, witness, birds, squee, genesis, anger, and a fe utility crits... that's all I saw!).



Against the GW deck, I played a bitterblossom, and sprite all of his stuff while getting in in the air... goyf was eating his ground pounders in the meantime.


He is on the play, but plays nothing... my turn 1 I play an island and pass... I snare a 2/2, and on my turn I thoughtseize and ponder... then next turn I play a mutavault and pass for the sprite, this leads to a standstill, and I win.


Game 2 was seize ---> dub goyf get there.



Overall, although I lost to survival w/ infinite spells... the deck did pretty well...


Hopefully, this weekend, I will be able to get an actual tournament in again.