GP Paris : 2nd with UWR Miracles

[Serguei]

You can find my report here :

http://www.eternalcentral.com/grand-prix-paris-finalist-report-with-uwr-miracles/

[twndomn]

congratulation on your finish. That BUG final though..., sigh.

[lordofthepit]

Well done, sir. I was amused when your opponent had to call a judge to verify that you maindecked REBs.

[Serguei]

@ twndomn : yes it is sad but it is still a great performance :)

@lordofthepit : REBs surprised a lot of people, but yes it Was hilarious when he called the judge. I am the only one who scoop on each player and sideboard before the match ? :)

[Quasim0ff]

I does take some balls to play REB in maindeck, but I think they showed themselves to be very strong for you, well done!

It was a pleasure watching you (as well as Philip) play, as you both played fast-paced as well as very competent.
Unfortunate in the finals.

[Monkey_Island]

Also congratulations for the round 0 matchup who seemed really tough!

[Serguei]

I does take some balls to play REB in maindeck, but I think they showed themselves to be very strong for you, well done!

It was a pleasure watching you (as well as Philip) play, as you both played fast-paced as well as very competent.
Unfortunate in the finals.

Playing REB in maindeck is bet. If you are attending a lot of junk and rogues decks (as there can be in a local tournament) I certainly won't play them.
Nevertheless in a tournament as big as the gp was, you can expect that almost 70 % deck are blue. You'll always find something to counter in these match-ups.
In the other 30% decks some point can be considered, to justify playing REB in maindeck is not a problem

Against non blue deck, your brainstorm will always resolve, as your Sensei's Divining Top, so you can easily shuffle away your REBs in game one.
Among these 30%, there are some Death and Taxes and Elves which are esay match-ups
As high you go in the tables as less there is a chance you fight against rogue deck




@Monkey_Island : As I said it was the most difficult match of all ;)

[Quasim0ff]

Playing REB in maindeck is bet. If you are attending a lot of junk and rogues decks (as there can be in a local tournament) I certainly won't play them.
Nevertheless in a tournament as big as the gp was, you can expect that almost 70 % deck are blue. You'll always find something to counter in these match-ups.
In the other 30% decks some point can be considered, to justify playing REB in maindeck is not a problem

Against non blue deck, your brainstorm will always resolve, as your Sensei's Divining Top, so you can easily shuffle away your REBs in game one.
Among these 30%, there are some Death and Taxes and Elves which are esay match-ups
As high you go in the tables as less there is a chance you fight against rogue deck




@Monkey_Island : As I said it was the most difficult match of all ;)
I think you are correct, in the assesment that the larger the tournament, the more blue matchups you will face. Well done!

[exallium]

Wow. I own most of this deck. I'm definitely thinking of Jamming this together for my local weekly (proxy allowed) legacy tournament =)

Thanks for the great article and congrats on your finish!

[DragoFireheart]

Getting people to call a judge to check your main deck because you had REB/Pyro was pretty hilarious.

[Bed Decks Palyer]

Getting people to call a judge to check your main deck because you had REB/Pyro was pretty hilarious.

I'm not sure if it's hillarious at all. Different people make all sorts of tricks and cheats and I can imagine the opponent thinking something like "ha, this person forget to de-sb, and now tries to pretend that the REB is part of md", and rather called a judge. Nothing wrong about it.
When I maindecked Xantid Swarm in my VeterANT, I was the first one to look for the HJ and show him my deck before the tourney started.

Grats on a finish!

[Jitse]

Congratulations on finish and thanks, I earned 85 euros yesterday by playing exactelly your list, and it was great. The REB main did a lot of stuff for me and when it was dead I could usually just shuffle it away with brainstorm. I would play a 4th jace main instead of a 3th entreat I think and a 2d pyroblast in the side instead of the swan song since in the matchups I boarded in swan song I boarded out all removal so the swan was actually a problem.

I think you should have won the tournament your final opponent cheated (I don't care if it's accidentally or not) in the quarters.

[Serguei]

Congratulations on finish and thanks, I earned 85 euros yesterday by playing exactelly your list, and it was great. The REB main did a lot of stuff for me and when it was dead I could usually just shuffle it away with brainstorm. I would play a 4th jace main instead of a 3th entreat I think and a 2d pyroblast in the side instead of the swan song since in the matchups I boarded in swan song I boarded out all removal so the swan was actually a problem.

I think you should have won the tournament your final opponent cheated (I don't care if it's accidentally or not) in the quarters.

The list is strong that is a fact. When we look at the 3 miracles which made top 8 at this gp, only 3 cards change between the 3 decks in the main deck.

I put a swan song in the sideboard because I was afraid of sneak attack. As i did not run Spell Pierces in the main deck I had very few answers to that card. Giving him a 2/2 is not an huge risk because this deck has no other way to deal you damages (If you are hit by an emrakul or a griselbrand, I consider you loose this game ;) )
It is almost the same thing for Storm but you keep your swords postboard (if it is critical)

[Jitse]

The list is strong that is a fact. When we look at the 3 miracles which made top 8 at this gp, only 3 cards change between the 3 decks in the main deck.

I put a swan song in the sideboard because I was afraid of sneak attack. As i did not run Spell Pierces in the main deck I had very few answers to that card. Giving him a 2/2 is not an huge risk because this deck has no other way to deal you damages (If you are hit by an emrakul or a griselbrand, I consider you loose this game ;) )
It is almost the same thing for Storm but you keep your swords postboard (if it is critical)

list is really strong indeed, and I wouldn't keep in STP against storm, you can deal with the flier in enough ways the only thing is that they cost you a card. REB, Pyroblast, Jace -1 and Clique blocks all kill the flier so that was not the problem, I can understand the sneak attack issue but where I live (the Netherlands) almost nobody plays Sneak and Show, everybody that plays combo plays storm

[Serguei]

If your only solution to a xanthid is jace -1 ability, you will loose this game each time he will have one.

Because he''ll kill you each time before T4 if all his spells can't be countered. Nevertheless, being fulltap at your turn 4 against storm is a little suicidal

[Jitse]

If your only solution to a xanthid is jace -1 ability, you will loose this game each time he will have one.

Because he''ll kill you each time before T4 if all his spells can't be countered. Nevertheless, being fulltap at your turn 4 against storm is a little suicidal

Against TES, I might rather keep in Terminus to deal with xantid swam then STP, if they are lickely to try to kill you with empty the warrens.

[twndomn]

list is really strong indeed, and I wouldn't keep in STP against storm, you can deal with the flier in enough ways the only thing is that they cost you a card. REB, Pyroblast, Jace -1 and Clique blocks all kill the flier so that was not the problem, I can understand the sneak attack issue but where I live (the Netherlands) almost nobody plays Sneak and Show, everybody that plays combo plays storm

That really depends. Regardless it's TES or ANT, you just have to look at Storm opponent's lands for clues. If he's running Tropical Island, it's no doubt Xantid, therefore StP has to stay in the deck. If he's running Tundra, then it's most likely Silence. In this case you need either more counters or Ethersworn Canonist.

[Bed Decks Palyer]

REB, Pyroblast, Jace -1 and Clique blocks all kill the flier so that was not the problem

Xantid Swarm is green.

[Jitse]

Xantid Swarm is green.

Read, I wasn't talking about xantid swarm but about the token from swan song and that is in fact blue.

[spartan117]

Congrats for the impressive run! :D

Still, during round 1 game 1, how could he reb your stp if he had to sac LED in order to activate grindstone? ^^

[Serguei]

Probably it was not the good orders the cards were played :D

I haven't taken any notes during this GP, But I remember loosing only with a land on table and I had played a swords to plowshares

[Bed Decks Palyer]

Read, I wasn't talking about xantid swarm but about the token from swan song and that is in fact blue.

True, lost in traslation.

[Kobal]

Serguei, with the red blasts in the main have you considered moving the basic mountain there as well?

Or is it not such a big issue to fetch for volcanic early against delver decks with wastelands (i.e. all of them)?

[Jitse]

Serguei, with the red blasts in the main have you considered moving the basic mountain there as well?

Or is it not such a big issue to fetch for volcanic early against delver decks with wastelands (i.e. all of them)?


You have enough lands and fetchlands in your deck that you can usually afford to fetch for the volcanic the turn you play your REB, and only when you want to play a REB you fetch for a volcanic which means that they can only waste your red after you have at least played 1 of your REB, so they can only shut down 1 by wasting you (But you have a second volcanic), at least this is how I feel about it. I would just not search a volcanic unless you want to cast a REB that turn against delver decks.

[Serguei]

Miracles is a deck which is build with a lot of basics. This is to be strong against tempo and denial decks. So I fetch a biland, only if I have no choice, for an example to play a REB; or if there is no other fecthable lands.

[Kobal]

Two more questions in that vein, then.

1) You both say to only fetch for Volcanic when you need to cast REB. That sounds reasonable, but what if you do want to cast that REB early and you have a somehwat land light hand?

2) How does that approach get altered once you fave a deck with Stifle? Especially against RUG Delver it seems prudent to fetch when you can play around Stifle. On the other hand, a Stifle used on a fetchland is one that can not counter the Miracle-Trigger of terminus, so maybe it's a tossup.

[Serguei]

Two more questions in that vein, then.

1) You both say to only fetch for Volcanic when you need to cast REB. That sounds reasonable, but what if you do want to cast that REB early and you have a somehwat land light hand?

2) How does that approach get altered once you fave a deck with Stifle? Especially against RUG Delver it seems prudent to fetch when you can play around Stifle. On the other hand, a Stifle used on a fetchland is one that can not counter the Miracle-Trigger of terminus, so maybe it's a tossup.


1) it is the same if you have to fetch a tundra to play swords or terminus. If you have to play your reb, you just fetttch your volcanic to play it, otherwise patience is the fisrst rule cf Philipp's article http://www.eternalcentral.com/there-and-back-again-miracles-philosophy-sideboarding/

2)Stiffle is a great card against us. It could cut a color or counter miracle triggers. Nevertheless, the true problem is when he got an early threat, If they do not have threats , you will just play your lands, tops, ponder, without fetching. And more lands you will jhave less the tempo players will play stiflle against your fetch. He wil target and wait miracles.

Even I know he plays some stiffles, I will always find first an island then a plain, even if i have reb in hand. With your 2 basic lands in play you can play your most revelant spells.