[Article] Storm Academy: ANT 101

[Silent Requiem]

Here is link to my latest article.

http://www.manaleak.com/mtguk/2010/12/storm-academy-ant-101/

Feedback is welcomed, as always.

-Silent Requiem

[Diprivan]

First one to react, I guess.

Very nice article, very informative for people who never joined the combodreamteam.
Keep up the good work.

One minor note:
"The deck is also in a state of flux, as pilots experiment with ways to deal with the loss of Mystical Tutor. Some pilots are adding Red for Burning Wish, but this starts to blur the line between ANT (traditionally Blue/Black) and TES (a Black/Red/Other Storm deck). Incidentally, Boer faced and defeated TES in the final round of the Dutch championship."

Are you considering writing articles about 'mixed archetypes' (burning ANT, DDANT, etc)?

PS: for the record, I strongly believe that in a direct confrontation TES is favoured against ANT.
PPS: fingers crossed that by the time you write your article about solidarity, frantic search will be unbanned :cool:

regards

[NesretepNoj]

While ANT does not need to resolve Ad Nauseam to win (especially after the sideboard), it is generally the best path to victory [..]

This is simply not true. Ad Nauseam is the weakest path to victory and should be avoided, whenever possible. The strongest path, which you left out, is the tutor/cantrip chain kill. In a deck with 12 cantrips, 10 fetches, 4 Cabal Ritual and 4 LED, this is easily done. Last weekend I went in third using Ari Lax' list (same as Boer's except -1 Thoughtseize, -1 Ad Nauseam, -2 Chrome Mox, +2 Grim Tutor, +2 land) and won several games this way. An example goes like this:

First turn: Fetch, Preordain.

Second turn: Brainstorm, Fetch, Ponder.

Third turn: Brainstorm (1), Fetch, Ponder (2), Land, Duress (3), Lotus Petal (4), D. Ritual (5), C. Ritual (6), LED (7), Infernal Tutor (8), Infernal Tutor (9), Tendrils (10).

This is especially useful against blue decks packing Force of Will, but no Counterbalance nor a clock like MUC and Landstill.

Besides this, I really enjoyed the article (and the two previous). I especially like our use of terms like "linear draw" to distinguish the different builds and strategies.

[naarou]

He said "generally best", not strongest. It's obviously not the strongest because there's usually a chance it'll fizzle. It's just "generally" the best because it requires less setup and finesse than an IGG loop, and graveyard hate has no bearing on it. With IGG you have to have a tutor or wish or other enabler in the graveyard before you can cast it, with ad nauseam as long as you have the mana to cast it and a way to get it, you can win on the spot.

The chaining of tutors/wishes (in TES) is the safest option like you said, but you need an ASSLOAD of mana to do it. Look at your example: you have 2 cantrips which hit relevant things, 2 lands, petal, dark ritual, cabal ritual, LED, and infernal tutor.. I wouldn't quite call that "easily" done unless your opponent is doing absolutely nothing and has only one form of permission.

[NesretepNoj]

The chaining of tutors/wishes (in TES) is the safest option like you said, but you need an ASSLOAD of mana to do it. Look at your example: you have 2 cantrips which hit relevant things, 2 lands, petal, dark ritual, cabal ritual, LED, and infernal tutor.. I wouldn't quite call that "easily" done unless your opponent is doing absolutely nothing and has only one form of permission.

That was an actual example against MUC. I did the same in game 2. I've done the same against several non-blue decks and even New Horizons (duressing away blue cards to FOW and cashing in on his Dazes).

Two cantrips? I casted five cantrips and the cards you mentioned are alle four-ofs barring lands (17) and tutors (6).

Remember, every cantrip becomes a virtual Dark Ritual everytime you hit a threshed C. Ritual or LED.

This route is one of the strenghts of CantripANT compared to TES and the sole reason I play this deck.