[Article] Cook’s Kitchen: Storm Hands III

[Bryant Cook]

Cook’s Kitchen: Storm Hands III (http://jupitergames.info/articles/2013/52694/cooks-kitchen-storm-hands-iii)

How to beat Deathrite Shaman.

[Koby]

I dont think the first game gainst Elves was realistic. The Natural Order for them was a turn 3 kill:
Cast Sentinel, make GGG tapping DRS and Heritage, cast Visionary, untapping Sentinel (G), use Wirewood Symbiote to untap DRs and cast Birchlore and play Cradle (no mana, 5 creatures in play) cast Natural Order and saccing Ranger; fetching Cratergoof Behemoth giving all creatures +5/+5 and attacking with DRS, Symbiote, and Behemoth (6/6, 6/7, 10/10).

Assuming thats the play he makes, does the sequence on Turn 2 gives you the best shot at winning?

Opening hand #1: Keep, cantrip with Ponder hoping for more artifacts or rituals. Turn 2 EtW for 14ish.
Opening hand #2: Mulligan, Petal and Chrome Mox as only IMS; hinging too heavy on Brainstorm making the hand better. Cmox effectively only provides "colorless" mana since none of the spells share a color.
Opening hand #3: Depends on the matchup this is either mulligan or keep. It lacks solid business spell and acceleration. However against other combo decks this pretty nice: Ponder or Duress for more info, follow up with Petal into Silence. Fetch to clear the Ponder.

[Lemnear]

Why so you decide to storm and Grapeshot with Sample Hand 4 BEFORE the battle step? My gut feeling tells me to attack and provoke a block to burn out both shamans to Limit his mana AND Life supply by them

[Bryant Cook]

I dont think the first game gainst Elves was realistic. The Natural Order for them was a turn 3 kill:
Cast Sentinel, make GGG tapping DRS and Heritage, cast Visionary, untapping Sentinel (G), use Wirewood Symbiote to untap DRs and cast Birchlore and play Cradle (no mana, 5 creatures in play) cast Natural Order and saccing Ranger; fetching Cratergoof Behemoth giving all creatures +5/+5 and attacking with DRS, Symbiote, and Behemoth (6/6, 6/7, 10/10).

Assuming thats the play he makes, does the sequence on Turn 2 gives you the best shot at winning?

To be honest, it was late when I wrote this and I didn't see that play. However, this was more of an exercise on how to play around Deathrite Shaman. Not to play Elves properly ;)


Why so you decide to storm and Grapeshot with Sample Hand 4 BEFORE the battle step? My gut feeling tells me to attack and provoke a block to burn out both shamans to Limit his mana AND Life supply by them

You don't actually want to kill both of your goblins. You don't have an excessive amount of them, you need them to deal continuous damage.

[leegoo]

Good article as always.

On the opening hands and assuming G1 (without scouting)

Opening Hand: Empty the Warrens, City of Brass, Rite of Flame, Ponder, Lion’s Eye Diamond, Brainstorm, and Gitaxian Probe
Keep on the play or draw. On the play lead with City, brainstorm looking for petal/mox. Considering a miss on that, put back LED on top of EtW to set up for Empty next turn.
On the draw probably lead with ponder looking for mana source #2 and then following the same line.

Opening Hand II: Infernal Tutor, Burning Wish, Chrome Mox, Lotus Petal, Lion’s Eye Diamond, Brainstorm, and Silence
Always keep on the draw, probably mul on the play (although I would be tempted)
On the draw if I missed land/relevance off the top I'd probably lead with petal<BS. Of course if you miss on land in those 3 you are almost certainly just dead, but so it goes.

Opening Hand III: Silence, Duress, Ponder, Underground Sea, Misty Rainforest, Lotus Petal, and Rite of Flame
I'm not sure. First instinct is to throw this back on the play since you are leaning pretty heavy on ponder not sucking. (either action/IT/x or action/acceleration/x) On the draw you see enough cards to make it an unexciting keep though. Probably would lead with Sea<Duress just to see one deeper on T2.

That said it's been almost a year since I competitively played, so I may be rusty and wrong.

[Lemnear]

You don't actually want to kill both of your goblins. You don't have an excessive amount of them, you need them to deal continuous damage.

Just if they block and kill 2 goblins and you follow up with that 3-Storm-grapeshot and kill both shamans and Ping your opp for 1 damage (equals a successful Attacking goblin) you can charge the following rounds without any blocking shamans and their lifegain in your Way which CAN eat your goblins away turn after turn (with your amount of gobbos, of course) or use the mana-Mode to present more blocker. Sac'n 2 goblins here to get rid of their lifegaining manasources is worth it imo.