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Iare
07-03-2011, 06:49 AM
Team REAL America is essentially Boros Deck Wins with a blue splash for free countermagic and very helpful deck manipulation. The deckname is a homage to that that stupid ditz with nice tits that is always talking like anyone cares what the hell she has to say. Plus, it runs the American colors of red white and blue. This deck really aims to have won by the 4th or 5th turn and has all the tools to acomplish this regularly.

Deck History
The deck really begins with Boros deck wins which has a long history in Legecy. Boros has never really been highly played, but does occasionally T8 tournaments. Boros traditionally has been a deck with cheap effecient creatures and lots of burn, many lists vary little from modern burn decks. One of the great strength of Boros decks have been the ability to metagame very well by running cards like Magus of the Moon, Drueger Hedge-Mage and Volcanic Fallout either in the board or in some cases the main deck. Boros lost some flavor with the printing of Tarmagoyf and even more with the printing of Wild Nacatl as this made Forests very popular. The printing of Stepp Lynx added alot of power to the Boros Sligh builds and I had tremendous sucess with the deck right up until the printing of Mental Misstep. I started working on the blue splash as I saw it as the most logical evolution of the deck and being more tempo oriented helps in a very diverse meta (Which legacy really is).

My Current Decklist:

//Creatures - 15

4x Steppe Lynx
3x Jotun Grunt
3x Figure of Destiny
3x Stormblood Berserker
2x Isamaru, Hound of Konda

//Stormblood Berserker is replacing Kiln Fiend, since pseudo evasion is good and Kiln Fiend dies too easy :(

//Spells- 25
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Lightning Helix
4x Mental Misstep
3x Daze
3x Path to Exile
3x Fireblast
3x Brainstorm
1x Chain Lightning

//Lands- 20
4x Plateau
4x Arid Mesa
4x Scalding Tarn
2x Marsh Flats
2x Volcanic Island
1x Tundra
2x Mountain
1x Plains

//SideBoard- 15
4x Silence
4x Duerger Hedge-Mage
4x Volcanic Fallout
1x Jotun Grunt
1x Path To Exile
1x Chain Lightning


As for the list the only thing I am debating is whether or not I should replace the 20th land with the 4th Daze or a Chain Lightning or just leave the 20th Land there. Duerger Hedge-Mage might be better as Seal of Cleansing, Hedge-Mage is better against countertop but Seal is actually useful against standstill.


Why play this deck:
Has a positive Merfolk and Goblin's matchup.
Runs 10 free spells.
It is a hell of alot of fun to play.
The deck is rather budget by Legacy standards.
Runs 20 lands and 3 Catnips making it fantastic against land hate strategies.
Daze not only generates tempo it helps ensure Stepp Lynx is at least as good as Kird Ape on the attack.
The deck is very consistent and flexible.
Doesn't take long to win, this is great since during longer tournaments you will have time to stretch your legs and relax before the next match :)


Matchup Analysis and Sideboard Strategy:

Merfolk- Positive
This matchup tends to go really well for this deck. Esensially you need to stick a threat or two and ride it to the win while you burn lords off the table. Depending on the build you are facing game one might be tough but the general strategy is not to have an Island and if you do fetch one to use Daze either don't put it back down or Jedi Mind fuck them by waiting for them to attack unblockable and sacking it to a fireblast. If you know they are running standstill stick a Figure of Destiny first thing and ride him to the win (Dismember costs them 4 life which is actually pretty good for you anyway).

Board out the 3 Paths, 2-3 Daze's and 0-2 Brainstorm
If they are running Standstill or back to basics you want to bring in Duerger Hedge-Mage and Seal of Cleansing but if not just take out Path's and Dazes for the Fallouts and the 4th Jotun Grunt. This allows you to basically just win games 2-3 as they can't do a whole lot. Seal of Cleansing is better in this matchup than Drueger if you really need it.

Goblins - Positive
This matchup is really good too. You pretty much have the same boarding strategy against Goblins as you do against merfolk out Paths and 2 Daze's for Fallouts and the 4th Grunt. Not alot to add to this you just drop creatures as quick as possible and start smashing face. Get them to burn range ASAP and burn them out. The only creatures you waste burn dealing with are Lackey and Instigator, MAYBE a lord but usually its best to lob it at their head.

PainterStone- Iffy
Usually Daze goes and 1 Brainstorm for your artifact hate of choice. If you don't end this one quickly or manage to slow them down with bolts/MM you are going to lose. Really this will be a close game I would say you are probably even.

Zoo - Build Dependant
Really so many things are called Zoo these days, and how to board and how to play is dependent soooooo much on your hands board state and the build you are playing against. Really Fast Zoo hands will just beat you but big zoo isn't much to worry about as you can just go fucking kill them before their fatties matter. Board strategy is rather simple in that you want the 4th Grunt, 4th Path (Only if they are fast zoo against big zoo 3 is plenty as you only ever want 1) and second Chain Lightning ... What you take out depends on if you are on the play/draw and what build they are running. If you are on the draw take out the Daze's on the play I generally take out Isamarus and 1 Brainstorm .

Blue/White stoneforge- Even to favorable
This is a very close matchup, you basically need to kill Stoneforge on sight and stick a threat ASAP and start the beats. Seal of Cleansing or Duerger comes in in place of other stuff (If you are on the draw Daze is a good target but Isamaru comes out in this one sometimes too.

Black Decks- Unfavorable
Yes I am lumping black decks all together in one shot... You don't have force and won't always have Daze, plus they have too many spells you want to see kept off the board. Their heavy removal package also makes it harder to stick a threat. Dark Ritual gets mental missteped if you have it and if they resolve bitterblossom you have for the most part lost already. You bring in Enchantment and Artifact hate from the board in place of stuff as well as the 4th Path for Obliterator/Percy/Stalker/Nyxathid, and pray. You can generate Tempo by burning creatures in response to equipment costs being played, that is if they didn't empty your hand with Inquisition, Therapy and Hymns first. Duerger is king here since it can kill Bitterblossom AND an equipment in one go, the problem is its a full turn slower than Seal so it can get picked off by discard easier.

HiveMind- Favorable
Simply race them, Seal of Cleansing is good in this matchup (The more I write this the more I think I should be using Seal instead of Duerger). Chain Lightning replaces a something as you want to burn them out before they get online.

Show and Tell- Unfavorable
You basically have to race the Great Spaghetti god in this matchup. Play as agressivly as possible and hope you get there. Bring in the 4th Grunt and a Chain lightning for 2 Path to Exile.

NO BANT- About Even
Get the jump on them and slow them down with cheap burn and mental misstep, burn them out is your only plan. Sometimes you are fast enough to Race them sometimes you aren't. Rhox War Monk is a real pain so if they are running lots of them bring in the 4th Grunt and 4th Path, always bring in the chain lightning in place of something a Brainstorm usually.

Aggro Bant- Unfavorable
Rhox War Monk is literally a killer and if they are running a full 4x you got to remove it ASAP and the Aggro varieties tend to be more tempo oriented and can just steal the win from you. You bring in the 4th Grunt and 4th Path and hope you can establish a better board then they can (Hope they draw utility creatures and Green Sun's Zenith since it will slow them down just enough, maybe). You really need to resolve and protect a Jotun Grunt in this one since if not they are just going to drop Goyf after Goyf and win (Jotun shrinks them to a point they can be ignored). Save Path's for what really matter and thats War Monk.

Belcher- Unfavorable but not unwinnable
I haven't much to say here. You are aggro and only run 7 counters. You bring in Silence, Chain Lightning and Volcanic Fallout in place of Brainstorms, Paths and 2 Cost Critters.

Storm- Unfavorable but not unwinnable
See belcher above.

Sligh/Burn - Favorable to Even
For the most part you can sack non-basics to fireblast to negate POP and Lightning Helix 2 for 1s a burn deck. Brainstorm lets you generate hard card advantage against Goblin Guide and you can block him with something at your convenience. Grim Lavamancer gets countered/killed on sight.

tsabo_tavoc
07-03-2011, 08:10 AM
A few notes:

1. Chain Lightning > Lightning Helix

2. REB > Silence

3. Goblin Guide > Isamaru

4. Play Grim Lavamancer

5. Kiln Fiend > M12 Berserker

LegacyInferno
07-03-2011, 09:33 AM
A few notes:

1. Chain Lightning > Lightning Helix

2. REB > Silence

3. Goblin Guide > Isamaru

4. Play Grim Lavamancer

5. Kiln Fiend > M12 Berserker

I would tend to agree with most of this, however, over REB, I would suggest Orims Chant.

Iare
07-03-2011, 10:00 AM
Orim's Chant might be worth picking up since I can Kicker it against goblin tokens for another turn. This is probably irrelevant though.

REB Doesn't stop Tendrils decks.

Kiln Fiend may not be better than M12 Zerker, I wouldn't be considering the swap if I were happy with Fiend. Fiend's downfall is the fact he cannot attack into pretty much any Goblin or Merfolk on the board and you don't want to ALWAYS have to burn every creature out of the way or have the means to. I am going to test out the Zerker and see how he does, on paper he looks like the 2 drop that I want in addition to Jotun. Kiln fiend also pushes you to play instant's on your own turn, this is a pretty big drawback. You really want a constant damage source out of your creatures, that is why they are played. Kiln Fiend just doesn't provide this.

Chain lightning is generally better than Lightning Helix, except against opposing red decks. My meta is full of the little bastards from Red Deck wins to Boros to Zoo, Helix is golden here. I also have a hard-on for instants (The ability to cast 1-2 in response to Jotun Upkeep is golden, end of turn, in response to vial activations, in response to standstill, at my own creature in response to bridge triggers). Running 10 spells that cost 2 has never been an issue, specially with 20 lands and 10 free spells. If I were to bring in Chain Lightning it would be in the Brainstorm spot, since spending mana on Blue Spells isn't always good. You lose a little tempo, but the power of brainstorm is PROBABLY worth it.

Jotun Grunt + Grim Lavamancer in the same deck = Epic failz. Grunt is the biggest baddest fatty in my colors for a two drop. Not having anything out of simple bolt range would push this deck into uber crap territory (Not like I can drop 3 lords or power into the midgame on the back of Ringleaders). Grunt is NEEDED here, no ifs ands or buts about it. Volcanic Fallout is in the board and is brought in when facing the matchups lavamancer would be good in.

Goblin Guide is a card that can cause you to lose to yourself therefore is a bad card, I know a hell of a lot of people will stop listening to anything I have to say after this. Really in the world of Lands decks, brainstorms, ponders, preordains, tops and 1/3+ chance at the minimum of causing card disadvantage (Per attack) makes this unplayable in any deck that isn't going for suicidal quick . I have never faced a turn one Goblin guide and thought oh noes I am going to lose. I usually just drop a bigger creature on the table or burn it out after it nets me a land. Add to this the fact that I already run 3 Daze and 3 Path's in the same deck, now this hasn't caused any issue as of yet but adding Goblin Guide would probably cause one in a hurry. I am nearly 100% sure Path and Daze are both better cards than a 2/2.

RaNDoMxGeSTuReS
07-03-2011, 11:05 AM
I'd say lose the chants and add some combination of Vexing Shusher, Mindbreak Trap and Red Elemental Blast/Pyroblast.

They are better across the board.

Iare
07-03-2011, 11:50 AM
I'd say lose the chants and add some combination of Vexing Shusher, Mindbreak Trap and Red Elemental Blast/Pyroblast.

They are better across the board.


Shusher is too mana intensive and there aren't any spells that I need to force through that are overly important. This is really only useful against countertop, I see no reason to run this.

Mindbreak trap is decent enough but against TES and ANT you can't really cast this in response to Duress profitably so it is ALMOST strictly worst than Silence. This is better against Belcher but only madmen play belcher in the blue dominated Meta.

Red Elemental blast is a good sideboard card, but what am I overly worried about in order to want this? The only things I can think of are Show and Tell and Propaganda, I am unsure if punting storm/belcher matches is worth it (Yeah I guess it counters cantrips but I like spending my mana on threats/instant burn until I need to respond to them). I am open to running them but I could use a real argument as to why they would win me more matches than the Silence's will. I have considered swapping them out for Spell snare since it is good against the decks Silence is and has more utility. I think in order to support Spell Snare I would want to add a third Volcanic Island to the deck, and don't own a third...

Spell Snare has been considered in the maindeck I just hate the thought of drawing counters when I really need an answer or burn to their face. The only slot I would put them in is the brainstorm slot and I have found consistency to be rather powerful.

RaNDoMxGeSTuReS
07-03-2011, 12:45 PM
Spell Pierce. Works wonders against storm combo and is good against other decks. Totally forgot about this card.

AlterEgo
07-04-2011, 07:29 AM
Squadron Hawk?
Sure, for TWO mana it's only a 1/1, but it creates card advantage (especially in combination with Brainstorm) and it has evasion. I think it's worth considering - at least.

Mr_Miyagi
07-04-2011, 07:51 AM
About your Hive Mind matchup: Seal of cleansing or other enchantment removal won't help you too much. The only thing you'll successfully stop using those is their Grim Monoliths. They will get the Pact-triggers from a resolved Hive Mind regardless. You should use Spell Pierce vs combo in general, as RNDMGSTRS previously stated.

Iare
07-04-2011, 08:28 AM
You can cast Silence in response to HiveMind to buy you a turn, and most the time they play pact of negation which you can pay for sometimes. That being said I am going to test Spell Pierce in the board in place of silence and going to attempt to get my hands on another Volcanic Island for the deck.

I did some testing with proxied Stormblood Bezerkers and I found them pretty underwhelming. Really Keldon Maurauders are better than other options for the two slot. That being said I am dropping all other two drops and adding the 4th Jotun Grunt to the maindeck, along with 2 more Chain Lightnings. This has made room for a 4th Daze in the board, though making a 3rd Volcanic more important to pickup. Finally, Druegar was ok but I think seal is better so I am going to run it.

Making the deck-list look like this:

//Creatures - 13

4x Steppe Lynx
4x Jotun Grunt
3x Figure of Destiny
2x Isamaru, Hound of Konda


//Spells- 27
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Lightning Helix
4x Mental Misstep
3x Daze
3x Path to Exile
3x Fireblast
3x Brainstorm
3x Chain Lightning

//Lands- 20
4x Plateau
4x Arid Mesa
4x Scalding Tarn
2x Marsh Flats
3x Volcanic Island
1x Tundra
1x Mountain
1x Plains

//SideBoard- 15
4x Spell Pierce
4x Seal of Cleansing
4x Volcanic Fallout
1x Daze
1x Path To Exile
1x Chain Lightning


13 Creatures look like too few on paper in practice it seems OK. Really I would like to add a 2 of 1 drop creature that isn't junk but I really can't find any worthwhile (Figure is too mana intensive to add a 4th). Savannah lions is really the top of the list and they aren't exactly fantastic these days. 20 Land sometimes seems like too many, I might drop one for the 4th Chain Lightning, any thoughts on this? The 4th Brainstorm isn't very good since I don't want to waste tempo playing more than 1 in any given game.