Stifle
09-20-2010, 05:29 AM
9/19/2010
It seems that most new players coming into the Legacy format plays an archetype that is somewhat easy to pilot.
Maybe burn.
Maybe zoo.
Heck, maybe even Dredge if you've played it in extended a while back.
But not me.
After getting STOMPED on at my first legacy tournament playing NO CounterTop (going 1 - 4 - 1) a month back, I realized it was time for a change. Taking some advice from a good player and pal of mine (PanderAlexander) we decided to build 4c CounterTop using Martell's List as a shell.
So we came up with this.
Mainboard: 60
Spells: 32
4x Brainstorm
4x Counterbalance
4x Force of Will
4x Sensei's Divining Top
4x Swords to Plowshare
3x Firespout
3x Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2x Counterspell
2x Spell Snare
1x Fire // Ice
1x Oblivion Ring
Creatures: 6
4x Tarmogoyf
2x Vendilion Clique
Lands: 22
4x Flooded Strand
4x Misty Rainforest
3x Tropical Island
3x Volcanic Island
2x Tundra
2x Island
1x Forest
1x Plain
1x Karakas
1x Scalding Tarn
Sideboard: 15
4x Pyroblast
3x Krosan Grip
3x Relic of Progenitus
2x Hydroblast
2x Pithing Needle
1x Firespout
Round 1: vs. U/r Merfolk (0 - 2)
Game 1 - I'll admit that this was the first time I've come across a Merfolk deck not splashing black or going mono. He resolved Vial on Turn 1 with a Mutavault. So of course, when I finally saw a Volcanic Island I was pretty clueless as to what to do. Don't remember much here but he definitely resolved/popped 3 Standstills and just when I thought I was about to stabilize he bolted me in the face twice for game.
Game 2 - This was a tighter game but still ended relatively quickly. Vial resolved. Creatures stuck on the field for him. When he Spell Pierced twice on my Jace... I packed it in.
Round 2: vs. Affinity (0 - 2)
Game 1 - He saw Cranial Plating, Disciple, Shrapnel Blast, and Master of Etherium... all the while mulling down to five. I thought I kept a solid hand of 4 lands, a Counterbalance, Brainstorm and Tarmogoyf when I drew nothing into lands and lands. He took this one rather quickly.
Game 2 - Pretty much the same as Game 1 except he stabilized faster with 2 Master of Etherium and a Arcbound Ravager at one point. Again, I had about six lands in play with my next three draws being lands.
Round 3: vs. UBG Standstill (2 - 0)
Game 1 - My opponent must have kept a slow hand because when he tried resolving Jace 2.0 and I Force of Will-ed it... the game went south for him. Next turn, I resolved my own copy of the Wallet Sculpting Jace and he scooped the turn prior to me popping his Ultimate.
Game 2 - Oh lordy, lord... was this a fun game. He's on the play and I think this was his turn 3, but here's what basically happened after doing nothing but dropping lands for a few turns.
He tries to resolve Standstill ->
I respond by cracking my Tarn ->
In response, he cracks his fetch and plays Stifle on my Tarn ->
Next, I respond by casting Force of Will (pitching CB) targeting Stifle ->
he responds by playing his own Force of Will (maybe Jace?) on my Force of Will ->
I respond again Force of Will-ing (pitching V. Clique) his Force ->
No response on his end so fetch resolves grabbing Tropical Island ->
Tap my Volcanic to cast Pyroblast on Landstill
At this point we both have 2 cards in hand, and the only reason for doing this was because Goyf was in hand. Next turn, Goyf comes out and starts beating for three -- Mishra's Factory comes out from his end and we start trading damage for a few turns. Eventually he goes down to 5 and when I'm about to swing in for another 3, he casts Cunning Wish searching up a Diabolic Edict and playing it... which promptly meets a Spell Snare from me. Fire // Ice burns him for two the same turn and the game was mine.
Round 4: vs. Aggro Loam (2 - 1)
Game 1 - Don't remember too much about this Round but I do remember stabilizing at a fairly safe number getting out the soft lock out shortly after. Goyf or Jace took it home for me I believe.
Game 2 - He resolved Turn 1 Confidant by playing Mox Diamond and a Land. I didn't have a StP for it and that eventually costed me the game seeing as how he also had 2 HUGE Goyfs in play soon after.
Game 3 - First thing I noticed was K. Grip in my hand with CB, Top & Pithing Needle. I think I resolved the soft lock on Turn 2. Turn 3, I looked at the Top 3, saw Brainstorm, put that on Top and drew into it with top. Maybe it was because I was super paranoid of Krosan Grips... but I Brainstormed the same turn putting back a Krosan Grip and then a land. He resolved KotR which I ate once and then StP'ed and played around Grips by always keeping my own Grip on Top. He tried it at one point but my Grip was on top to greet his. Jace eventually came out and his ultimate got there for me.
Round 5: vs. B/W Control??? (2 - 1)
Game 1 - My opponent was coming into his first Legacy tournament and I had remembered seeing Grave Titan while playing a friend of mine. It was basically a standard-ish deck, with a lot of hand discard, removal spells and Tidehollow Sculler with high-end finishers such as Elspeth, Eternal Dragon and Grave Titan. Confused the hell outta me but the CB/Top soft-lock resolved mid-game and Goyf went the distance.
Game 2 - Grave Titan resolves. Lol.
Game 3 - CB/Top soft-lock resolved pretty early throughout the game. Opponent casted the first copy of Elspeth.. which resolves. I firespout during my turn with 2 Goyfs out and attack into it. He attempts Elspeth #2 which meets (1 of 3) Jaces in my deck. More removal spells and trading ensues when we eventually start going to turns while I have 1 Goyf out and he has 1 card in hand. I then resolved the Blue Swiss Army Knife called Jace and start beating him for 5. Eternal Dragon comes out and he passes. Taking my turn, my opponent is at 11 life on Turn 3 (of 5) while I think that Goyf is a 5/6. I scan his grave to confirm that Goyf is a 5/6 when the Judge points out that Goyf is actually a 6/7 because Tidehollow Sculler is an Artifact Creature. This prompts the concession because I would have eeked out the win on my last turn by using Jace's -1 ability.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trying to play off a 0 - 2 deficit after Round 2 was definitely depressing but sometimes shit happens. To be honest, the only thing one can really do is just shrug it off and try to not let that alter his/(rarely her) gameplay.
Seeing as how this was my 2nd Legacy Tournament, it was definitely a learning experience for me but I definitely want to thank PanderAlexander & neji21 for helping me become a better player. Without you guys, I am nothing.
Another shoutout goes out to groupmates:
Koga (neji21) - (3 - 1 - 1 w/ UG Vengevival) Who made Top 8... AS USUAL. The quest for Top 4 abandoned while losing to Chapin's Survival build in a tightly played 3 games.
Nate (NathanS2k) - (3 - 2 w/ Zoo) Who defied all expectations when we thought he would go 0 - 5 but proved us all wrong.
Kerry - (3 - 1 - 1 w/ R/b Goblins) Who should have made Top 8 but got screwed by tiebreakers. Enjoy that Ajani Goldmane you pulled out from your M11 consolation pack prize though.
Not bad for your FIRST Legacy tournament, Nate/Kerry.
It seems that most new players coming into the Legacy format plays an archetype that is somewhat easy to pilot.
Maybe burn.
Maybe zoo.
Heck, maybe even Dredge if you've played it in extended a while back.
But not me.
After getting STOMPED on at my first legacy tournament playing NO CounterTop (going 1 - 4 - 1) a month back, I realized it was time for a change. Taking some advice from a good player and pal of mine (PanderAlexander) we decided to build 4c CounterTop using Martell's List as a shell.
So we came up with this.
Mainboard: 60
Spells: 32
4x Brainstorm
4x Counterbalance
4x Force of Will
4x Sensei's Divining Top
4x Swords to Plowshare
3x Firespout
3x Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2x Counterspell
2x Spell Snare
1x Fire // Ice
1x Oblivion Ring
Creatures: 6
4x Tarmogoyf
2x Vendilion Clique
Lands: 22
4x Flooded Strand
4x Misty Rainforest
3x Tropical Island
3x Volcanic Island
2x Tundra
2x Island
1x Forest
1x Plain
1x Karakas
1x Scalding Tarn
Sideboard: 15
4x Pyroblast
3x Krosan Grip
3x Relic of Progenitus
2x Hydroblast
2x Pithing Needle
1x Firespout
Round 1: vs. U/r Merfolk (0 - 2)
Game 1 - I'll admit that this was the first time I've come across a Merfolk deck not splashing black or going mono. He resolved Vial on Turn 1 with a Mutavault. So of course, when I finally saw a Volcanic Island I was pretty clueless as to what to do. Don't remember much here but he definitely resolved/popped 3 Standstills and just when I thought I was about to stabilize he bolted me in the face twice for game.
Game 2 - This was a tighter game but still ended relatively quickly. Vial resolved. Creatures stuck on the field for him. When he Spell Pierced twice on my Jace... I packed it in.
Round 2: vs. Affinity (0 - 2)
Game 1 - He saw Cranial Plating, Disciple, Shrapnel Blast, and Master of Etherium... all the while mulling down to five. I thought I kept a solid hand of 4 lands, a Counterbalance, Brainstorm and Tarmogoyf when I drew nothing into lands and lands. He took this one rather quickly.
Game 2 - Pretty much the same as Game 1 except he stabilized faster with 2 Master of Etherium and a Arcbound Ravager at one point. Again, I had about six lands in play with my next three draws being lands.
Round 3: vs. UBG Standstill (2 - 0)
Game 1 - My opponent must have kept a slow hand because when he tried resolving Jace 2.0 and I Force of Will-ed it... the game went south for him. Next turn, I resolved my own copy of the Wallet Sculpting Jace and he scooped the turn prior to me popping his Ultimate.
Game 2 - Oh lordy, lord... was this a fun game. He's on the play and I think this was his turn 3, but here's what basically happened after doing nothing but dropping lands for a few turns.
He tries to resolve Standstill ->
I respond by cracking my Tarn ->
In response, he cracks his fetch and plays Stifle on my Tarn ->
Next, I respond by casting Force of Will (pitching CB) targeting Stifle ->
he responds by playing his own Force of Will (maybe Jace?) on my Force of Will ->
I respond again Force of Will-ing (pitching V. Clique) his Force ->
No response on his end so fetch resolves grabbing Tropical Island ->
Tap my Volcanic to cast Pyroblast on Landstill
At this point we both have 2 cards in hand, and the only reason for doing this was because Goyf was in hand. Next turn, Goyf comes out and starts beating for three -- Mishra's Factory comes out from his end and we start trading damage for a few turns. Eventually he goes down to 5 and when I'm about to swing in for another 3, he casts Cunning Wish searching up a Diabolic Edict and playing it... which promptly meets a Spell Snare from me. Fire // Ice burns him for two the same turn and the game was mine.
Round 4: vs. Aggro Loam (2 - 1)
Game 1 - Don't remember too much about this Round but I do remember stabilizing at a fairly safe number getting out the soft lock out shortly after. Goyf or Jace took it home for me I believe.
Game 2 - He resolved Turn 1 Confidant by playing Mox Diamond and a Land. I didn't have a StP for it and that eventually costed me the game seeing as how he also had 2 HUGE Goyfs in play soon after.
Game 3 - First thing I noticed was K. Grip in my hand with CB, Top & Pithing Needle. I think I resolved the soft lock on Turn 2. Turn 3, I looked at the Top 3, saw Brainstorm, put that on Top and drew into it with top. Maybe it was because I was super paranoid of Krosan Grips... but I Brainstormed the same turn putting back a Krosan Grip and then a land. He resolved KotR which I ate once and then StP'ed and played around Grips by always keeping my own Grip on Top. He tried it at one point but my Grip was on top to greet his. Jace eventually came out and his ultimate got there for me.
Round 5: vs. B/W Control??? (2 - 1)
Game 1 - My opponent was coming into his first Legacy tournament and I had remembered seeing Grave Titan while playing a friend of mine. It was basically a standard-ish deck, with a lot of hand discard, removal spells and Tidehollow Sculler with high-end finishers such as Elspeth, Eternal Dragon and Grave Titan. Confused the hell outta me but the CB/Top soft-lock resolved mid-game and Goyf went the distance.
Game 2 - Grave Titan resolves. Lol.
Game 3 - CB/Top soft-lock resolved pretty early throughout the game. Opponent casted the first copy of Elspeth.. which resolves. I firespout during my turn with 2 Goyfs out and attack into it. He attempts Elspeth #2 which meets (1 of 3) Jaces in my deck. More removal spells and trading ensues when we eventually start going to turns while I have 1 Goyf out and he has 1 card in hand. I then resolved the Blue Swiss Army Knife called Jace and start beating him for 5. Eternal Dragon comes out and he passes. Taking my turn, my opponent is at 11 life on Turn 3 (of 5) while I think that Goyf is a 5/6. I scan his grave to confirm that Goyf is a 5/6 when the Judge points out that Goyf is actually a 6/7 because Tidehollow Sculler is an Artifact Creature. This prompts the concession because I would have eeked out the win on my last turn by using Jace's -1 ability.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trying to play off a 0 - 2 deficit after Round 2 was definitely depressing but sometimes shit happens. To be honest, the only thing one can really do is just shrug it off and try to not let that alter his/(rarely her) gameplay.
Seeing as how this was my 2nd Legacy Tournament, it was definitely a learning experience for me but I definitely want to thank PanderAlexander & neji21 for helping me become a better player. Without you guys, I am nothing.
Another shoutout goes out to groupmates:
Koga (neji21) - (3 - 1 - 1 w/ UG Vengevival) Who made Top 8... AS USUAL. The quest for Top 4 abandoned while losing to Chapin's Survival build in a tightly played 3 games.
Nate (NathanS2k) - (3 - 2 w/ Zoo) Who defied all expectations when we thought he would go 0 - 5 but proved us all wrong.
Kerry - (3 - 1 - 1 w/ R/b Goblins) Who should have made Top 8 but got screwed by tiebreakers. Enjoy that Ajani Goldmane you pulled out from your M11 consolation pack prize though.
Not bad for your FIRST Legacy tournament, Nate/Kerry.