HBspulse
01-28-2008, 04:10 PM
Hi people of the source,
I wrote an article of loam based decks in the european metagame. I hope format discussion is the place to put this.
Looking forward for any comments...
HBspulse
The rise of loam in legacy
This article presents you the succesfull introduction of a new archetype into legacy and the recent evolution of it into an absolute tier 1 deck over the last year.
Life from the loam has been introduced in legacy decks for some time now, mainly in the form of the green/white Terrageddon deck, created in the Netherlands. This deck maximizes the synergy of the mana denial of Armageddon and the mid- and lategame brokenness of terravore. The deck first appeared in this form:
The Dutch Connection’s ‘TerraGeddon’
// Creatures
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Werebear
4 Terravore
4 Wild Mongrel
3 Eternal Witness
1 Genesis
// Spells
4 Armageddon
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Life from the Loam
3 Solitary Confinement
// Lands
4 Tranquil Thicket
2 Secluded Steppe
1 Nantuko Monastery
3 Wasteland
4 Windswept Heath
3 Forest
1 Plains
4 Savannah
3 Wooded Foothills
// Sideboard
4 Tivadar’s Crusade
4 Null Rod
3 Krosan Grip
2 Loxodon Hierarch
2 Last Breath
This deck won the dutch legacy championships in 2006, with over 130 players, and from then on became a regular in legacy tournaments across Europe.
However, this deck was only an little appetizer of what had to come. It is inherent control-minded and consequently somewhat slower. The chances of racing a combo-based strategy deck with this are quite slim. Nonetheless, this was an excellent deck to battle goblins, pikula or landstill, which were the reigning decks at that moment.
The next step in the development of the loam archetype, was to look at the extended aggro loam decks. These were successfully introduced into legacy, mainly in Germany and are much faster decks using the speed-up factor of Mox Diamond. These decks chose red as a secondary color over white for additional speed and creatures. Seismic Assault proved to be a mid-game killer card, which can wrap-up the game in one or two turns. Combined with Lightning Bolt and Kird Ape, aggro loam proved to be a serious contender in legacy too, frequently getting into the top8.
Then the big bang happened in legacy, with the printing of Future Sight and one fieresome creature named Tarmogoyf. It shook the entire legacy metagame, giving every green playing deck a serious boost. The circle of control beats aggro/control and aggro/control beats aggro, was abruptly broken and decks began to change.
Obviously Tarmogoyf became an auto-inclusion in aggro loam. Since the deck easily splashes for a third color and it has at least 30 zero casting cost cards, one cannot pass by the brokenst of black cards, namely Dark Confidant. So we found room to give Bob a go in aggro loam.
I took the following deck to a 44 player tournament on 05/08/2007 in Mol Belgium and made a split in the finals :
4 Taiga
1 Bayou
1 Badlands
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Wasteland
3 Forgotten Cave
3 Tranquil Thicket
1 Forest
1 Barbarian Ring
4 Kird Ape
4 Nimble Mongoose
4 Dark confidant
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Terravore
4 Mox Diamond
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Life from the Loam
3 Seismic Assault
Sideboard:
3 Pyroclasm
3 Pyrostatic Pillar
3 Chalice of the void
2 Engineered explosives
2 Ancient grudge
2 Krosan Grip
You can find the top 8 decklists here : http://www.magicclubmol.be/files/results/20070805.pdf
Matchups :
Round 1 : White stax 2-0
Round 2 : White stax 2-0
Round 3 : False cure combo 2-0
Round 4 : CRET belcher 2-0
Round 5&6 : ID
Quarter final : White stax 2-0
Semi-final : UGR Threshold 2-1
Final : Split with Terrageddon
It was obviously Tarmogoyf and Life from the loam overwhelmed the meta. Stax was a very popular deck, but with the introduction of Tarmogoyf in loam decks, it quietly vanished from the tournament scene. Goblins was pushed out of the picture, with Threshold decks now having an even better matchup against the little green men. It was written in the stars Threshold en Loam would began to dominate legacy, and so it happened…
I’ll get to matchups in a minute, let me first go through the changes this decklist went through. In the post tournament analysis, it was clear that Lighning Bolt just wouldn’t make the cut anymore. They were there as an answer to a first turn goblin lackey or to kill one of Hanni fish or Pikula’s creatures. With the shifting of the metagame, one was obliged to either play Tarmogoyf yourself or to have sufficient answers. Because it is always better to have both, the bolts became Smother. The same reasoning was used to eliminate Nimble Mongoose, since threshold was sometimes not easily reached and goblins were put onto hold, Wild Mongrel proved to be a better beater in a Tarmogoyf metagame. It also became clear that Volrath’s Stronghold earned a place next to Barbarian Ring and Terravore begged for playing its 4th copy.
I took the altered deck to a 33 player tournament at Kortrijk Belgium on 19/08/2007 and made a top4 split with it. The decklist had : -1 Bloodstained mire, - 4 Lightning bolt, -4 Nimble Mongoose, + 1 Volrath’s Stronghold, + 4 Smother, +3 Wild Mongrel, + 1 Terravore and a slightly adapted sideboard.
My matchups :
Round 1 : False cure combo 2-1
Round 2 : Cret Belcher 1-2 (Pyrostatic pillar just isn't good enough)
Round 3 : Goblins 2-1
Round 4 : Landstill 2-0
Round 5 : ID
Quarter final : Stompy 2-0
Semi-final : split, other teammates got top4 too.
It was time for a final and crucial alteration. By introducing Smother and replacing Nimble Mongoose, the deck was moving away from a straight aggro role. It has a good mid and late game, thanks to a decent draw engine, Terravore and Seismic Assault. However it can also assume an aggro role and go beatdown. Kird ape weren’t the creatures you wanted to play in an aggro-control deck and were easily overpowered in a metagame of Tarmogoyfs.
While I was very opposed to turn the deck into a further control role, I had to admit Burning Wish provided an excellent toolbox, to find that 4th Life from the loam or to have access to a board clearer (Devastating dreams), creature removal (Deathmark) and artifact/enchantment hate (Reverent Silence, Shattering Spree). Since the deck was gaining in popularity, this extra tutor provided a slight edge in mirror matches. Smother was replaced by Terminate, as it is so easily supported by the deck and high CC creatures , such as in reanimator decks, still were present in the meta. Later with the emerging of Dragon stompy, Terminate proved to be a better choice.
I was looking for something fancy to add to deck and then I saw Unearth for the first time in a mono-black aggro decklist. I instantly fell in love with it. It was the perfect remaining open slot in the deck and proved very valuable in battling counter-based decks and even mirror matches. Do try cycling Unearth during combat to boost your Tarmogoyf by putting a sorcery card at instant speed in your graveyard and out-trick your opponent ;)
The deck was baptised “MCG Loam” after our team “Magic Club Ghent”. The best way to describe it, is as an aggro-control deck. You can assume both roles depending on which opponent you’re dealing with. Since misassignment of role equals game loss, mistakes against this holy rule of tournament playing will lose you matches.
I took MCG Loam to a 52 player tournament in Mol Belgium at 18/11/2007 and piloted it to a split in the finals. My teammate Kris Lauwaert got also top 8 with almost the same list :
Creatures
4 Dark Confidant
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Terravore
3 Wild Mongrel
Spells
4 Mox Diamond
4 Burning Wish
3 Seismic Assault
4 Terminate
3 Life from the Loam
2 Unearth
Lands
1 Badlands
3 Tranquil Thicket
3 Forgotten Cave
4 Wasteland
1 Barbarian Ring
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Bayou
4 Taiga
1 Forest
2 Bloodstained Mire
1 Volrath's Stronghold
SB
1 Life from the Loam
1 Devastating Dreams
3 Krosan Grip
1 Deathmark
3 Pithing Needle
1 Reverent Silence
1 Shattering Spree
4 Chalice of the Void
You can find the top8 decklists here : http://www.morphling.de/top8decks.php?id=719
My matchups :
Round 1 : Enchantress 1-2
Round 2 : Control loam 2-1
Round 3 : BGR aggro burn 2-0
Round 4 : UGW threshold 2-0
Round 5 : Cret belcher 2-1
Round 6 : ID
Quarter final : Aluren 2-0
Semi-final : Gifs ungiven control 2-0
Final : Split with BG rogue deck
Finally to the matchups :
Threshold : 55-45
It matters a lot if they are playing the red or white version and if they play counterbalance or not. Reverent Silence was added especially to battle counterbalance pre-sb. The red version can’t get rid of Terravore mid-game and is therefore also easier to defeat. Because this is one of the harder matchups for MCG Loam, Chalice of the void was added in the sideboard. Looking at your mana curve, there is no more 1cc left, except for Unearth, which obviously comes out for the Chalices. Chalice of the Void is a real weapon against a lot of decks after sideboard and in particular against Threshold.
SB :
In : +4 Chalice of the Void, +3 Krosan Grip (you expect Threads of Disloyalty)
Out : -2 Unearth, - 3 Seismic Assault, -2 Terminate
Combo : 40-60
This is the first remark people make about the deck : Oh my god, you have an auto-loss against combo! It is difficult to go through all possible combo decks in the current metagame, but this is certainly not true. You have a quite decent matchup against Cret Belcher or Aluren, however Tendrills of Agony based decks, such as Iggy Pop or TES are somewhat harder. You have maindeck access to board sweepers for tokens, and Pithing Needles and Chalices after sideboard, so Cret Belcher will have a really hard time taking an extra game after the first. Aluren is easily raced or mana screwed and Pithing Needle and Krosan Grip are quite good. Ichorid was almost nowhere to be seen, so no explicit graveyard hate was added. If you really are scared of combo, in particular TES or Iggy Pop and your local tournament is filled with them, do consecrate some extra slots in the sideboard or squeeze in discard maindeck. First try without.
SB : Depending on the matchup.
Stax : 70-30
Quite an easy matchup. They have a real hard time attacking your mana base, and most of the time are mana-screwed thereself or outraced. Just try to keep Crucible of Worlds from the table and use your Burning Wish early on for Shattering Spree as they can easily resolve a Chalice of the Void for two.
SB :
In : +3 Krosan Grip
Out : -2 Unearth, -1 Terminate
Depending on the build, Chalice of the Void could help if they play Swords to Plowshares.
Landstill : 60-40
This is certainly in your favour. Life from the Loam is hell for any landstill player, as they will be outdrawed and possibly mana screwed. Finding Life from the Loam should be your first objective, after that be sure to put enough pressure early on. Volrath’s Stronghold recurring Terravore is great ways to deplete counterspells.
SB :
In : +3 Krosan Grip, +3 Pithing Needle
Out : -2 Seismic assault, -4 Terminate
Goblins : 60-40
The one thing to be afraid of is a turn 1 Goblin Lackey connecting. Still, it isn’t necessarily a drama. You can still Burning Wish for Devastating Dreams and clean the board. Do assume a control role in this game, as you will win the late game. Hold them off until you find a Terravore or a Seismic Assault and just win from there on. Wild Mongrel is an excellent defender against those pesky goblins.
SB :
In : +3 Pithing needle
Out : -2 Unearth, -1 Dark confidant
Random decks
Most of them are just swept away by the raw power of the deck. However, some niche decks like enchantress proved to be quite a fight. However, these are underplayed and have rather bad matchups against other tier 1 decks.
Another Ghent player, Marijn Lybaert, took an adjusted build to the World Championships and went 5-0 with it, you can find his decklist here (5th from the top) : http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgevent/worlds07/legacydecks
He chose to replace 4 Terminate with 4 Thoughtseize, 2 Unearth with 2 Eternal Witness and the Seismic assaults with Pernicious Deed. This makes the deck a lot more controllish and it seemed to suit him well.
As you can see, the deck is absolutely a tier 1 deck and can be adapted to your local metagame and your own style of play.
This is how I see the metagame today :
Tier 1 : MCG Loam and Terranova (see the second part of this article), UGW Threshold with counterbalance, Dragon Stompy.
Tier 1.5 : UGR Threshold, Goblins, Cret Belcher, Aluren, Ichorid and Landstill
Tier 2 : All the rest
What about morningtide?
Yep, Countryside crusher has entered the building. If it only had trample...
Unfortunately, it doesn't, which makes it less effective against heavy critter decks such as goblins. You also can't play 8 3cc creatures in my opinion. However, in an aggrocontrol metagame, crusher is the card that will dodge hate (tormod's crypt, extirpate) and optimizes your draws. Time will tell if the old giant earns his place in the deck...
I hoped you enjoyed this article! Stay tuned for the second part, where my teammate Baptist tells how he became the national legacy champion with a new version of the deck.
Stijn De Clercq
Team MCG member
I wrote an article of loam based decks in the european metagame. I hope format discussion is the place to put this.
Looking forward for any comments...
HBspulse
The rise of loam in legacy
This article presents you the succesfull introduction of a new archetype into legacy and the recent evolution of it into an absolute tier 1 deck over the last year.
Life from the loam has been introduced in legacy decks for some time now, mainly in the form of the green/white Terrageddon deck, created in the Netherlands. This deck maximizes the synergy of the mana denial of Armageddon and the mid- and lategame brokenness of terravore. The deck first appeared in this form:
The Dutch Connection’s ‘TerraGeddon’
// Creatures
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Werebear
4 Terravore
4 Wild Mongrel
3 Eternal Witness
1 Genesis
// Spells
4 Armageddon
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Life from the Loam
3 Solitary Confinement
// Lands
4 Tranquil Thicket
2 Secluded Steppe
1 Nantuko Monastery
3 Wasteland
4 Windswept Heath
3 Forest
1 Plains
4 Savannah
3 Wooded Foothills
// Sideboard
4 Tivadar’s Crusade
4 Null Rod
3 Krosan Grip
2 Loxodon Hierarch
2 Last Breath
This deck won the dutch legacy championships in 2006, with over 130 players, and from then on became a regular in legacy tournaments across Europe.
However, this deck was only an little appetizer of what had to come. It is inherent control-minded and consequently somewhat slower. The chances of racing a combo-based strategy deck with this are quite slim. Nonetheless, this was an excellent deck to battle goblins, pikula or landstill, which were the reigning decks at that moment.
The next step in the development of the loam archetype, was to look at the extended aggro loam decks. These were successfully introduced into legacy, mainly in Germany and are much faster decks using the speed-up factor of Mox Diamond. These decks chose red as a secondary color over white for additional speed and creatures. Seismic Assault proved to be a mid-game killer card, which can wrap-up the game in one or two turns. Combined with Lightning Bolt and Kird Ape, aggro loam proved to be a serious contender in legacy too, frequently getting into the top8.
Then the big bang happened in legacy, with the printing of Future Sight and one fieresome creature named Tarmogoyf. It shook the entire legacy metagame, giving every green playing deck a serious boost. The circle of control beats aggro/control and aggro/control beats aggro, was abruptly broken and decks began to change.
Obviously Tarmogoyf became an auto-inclusion in aggro loam. Since the deck easily splashes for a third color and it has at least 30 zero casting cost cards, one cannot pass by the brokenst of black cards, namely Dark Confidant. So we found room to give Bob a go in aggro loam.
I took the following deck to a 44 player tournament on 05/08/2007 in Mol Belgium and made a split in the finals :
4 Taiga
1 Bayou
1 Badlands
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Wasteland
3 Forgotten Cave
3 Tranquil Thicket
1 Forest
1 Barbarian Ring
4 Kird Ape
4 Nimble Mongoose
4 Dark confidant
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Terravore
4 Mox Diamond
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Life from the Loam
3 Seismic Assault
Sideboard:
3 Pyroclasm
3 Pyrostatic Pillar
3 Chalice of the void
2 Engineered explosives
2 Ancient grudge
2 Krosan Grip
You can find the top 8 decklists here : http://www.magicclubmol.be/files/results/20070805.pdf
Matchups :
Round 1 : White stax 2-0
Round 2 : White stax 2-0
Round 3 : False cure combo 2-0
Round 4 : CRET belcher 2-0
Round 5&6 : ID
Quarter final : White stax 2-0
Semi-final : UGR Threshold 2-1
Final : Split with Terrageddon
It was obviously Tarmogoyf and Life from the loam overwhelmed the meta. Stax was a very popular deck, but with the introduction of Tarmogoyf in loam decks, it quietly vanished from the tournament scene. Goblins was pushed out of the picture, with Threshold decks now having an even better matchup against the little green men. It was written in the stars Threshold en Loam would began to dominate legacy, and so it happened…
I’ll get to matchups in a minute, let me first go through the changes this decklist went through. In the post tournament analysis, it was clear that Lighning Bolt just wouldn’t make the cut anymore. They were there as an answer to a first turn goblin lackey or to kill one of Hanni fish or Pikula’s creatures. With the shifting of the metagame, one was obliged to either play Tarmogoyf yourself or to have sufficient answers. Because it is always better to have both, the bolts became Smother. The same reasoning was used to eliminate Nimble Mongoose, since threshold was sometimes not easily reached and goblins were put onto hold, Wild Mongrel proved to be a better beater in a Tarmogoyf metagame. It also became clear that Volrath’s Stronghold earned a place next to Barbarian Ring and Terravore begged for playing its 4th copy.
I took the altered deck to a 33 player tournament at Kortrijk Belgium on 19/08/2007 and made a top4 split with it. The decklist had : -1 Bloodstained mire, - 4 Lightning bolt, -4 Nimble Mongoose, + 1 Volrath’s Stronghold, + 4 Smother, +3 Wild Mongrel, + 1 Terravore and a slightly adapted sideboard.
My matchups :
Round 1 : False cure combo 2-1
Round 2 : Cret Belcher 1-2 (Pyrostatic pillar just isn't good enough)
Round 3 : Goblins 2-1
Round 4 : Landstill 2-0
Round 5 : ID
Quarter final : Stompy 2-0
Semi-final : split, other teammates got top4 too.
It was time for a final and crucial alteration. By introducing Smother and replacing Nimble Mongoose, the deck was moving away from a straight aggro role. It has a good mid and late game, thanks to a decent draw engine, Terravore and Seismic Assault. However it can also assume an aggro role and go beatdown. Kird ape weren’t the creatures you wanted to play in an aggro-control deck and were easily overpowered in a metagame of Tarmogoyfs.
While I was very opposed to turn the deck into a further control role, I had to admit Burning Wish provided an excellent toolbox, to find that 4th Life from the loam or to have access to a board clearer (Devastating dreams), creature removal (Deathmark) and artifact/enchantment hate (Reverent Silence, Shattering Spree). Since the deck was gaining in popularity, this extra tutor provided a slight edge in mirror matches. Smother was replaced by Terminate, as it is so easily supported by the deck and high CC creatures , such as in reanimator decks, still were present in the meta. Later with the emerging of Dragon stompy, Terminate proved to be a better choice.
I was looking for something fancy to add to deck and then I saw Unearth for the first time in a mono-black aggro decklist. I instantly fell in love with it. It was the perfect remaining open slot in the deck and proved very valuable in battling counter-based decks and even mirror matches. Do try cycling Unearth during combat to boost your Tarmogoyf by putting a sorcery card at instant speed in your graveyard and out-trick your opponent ;)
The deck was baptised “MCG Loam” after our team “Magic Club Ghent”. The best way to describe it, is as an aggro-control deck. You can assume both roles depending on which opponent you’re dealing with. Since misassignment of role equals game loss, mistakes against this holy rule of tournament playing will lose you matches.
I took MCG Loam to a 52 player tournament in Mol Belgium at 18/11/2007 and piloted it to a split in the finals. My teammate Kris Lauwaert got also top 8 with almost the same list :
Creatures
4 Dark Confidant
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Terravore
3 Wild Mongrel
Spells
4 Mox Diamond
4 Burning Wish
3 Seismic Assault
4 Terminate
3 Life from the Loam
2 Unearth
Lands
1 Badlands
3 Tranquil Thicket
3 Forgotten Cave
4 Wasteland
1 Barbarian Ring
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Bayou
4 Taiga
1 Forest
2 Bloodstained Mire
1 Volrath's Stronghold
SB
1 Life from the Loam
1 Devastating Dreams
3 Krosan Grip
1 Deathmark
3 Pithing Needle
1 Reverent Silence
1 Shattering Spree
4 Chalice of the Void
You can find the top8 decklists here : http://www.morphling.de/top8decks.php?id=719
My matchups :
Round 1 : Enchantress 1-2
Round 2 : Control loam 2-1
Round 3 : BGR aggro burn 2-0
Round 4 : UGW threshold 2-0
Round 5 : Cret belcher 2-1
Round 6 : ID
Quarter final : Aluren 2-0
Semi-final : Gifs ungiven control 2-0
Final : Split with BG rogue deck
Finally to the matchups :
Threshold : 55-45
It matters a lot if they are playing the red or white version and if they play counterbalance or not. Reverent Silence was added especially to battle counterbalance pre-sb. The red version can’t get rid of Terravore mid-game and is therefore also easier to defeat. Because this is one of the harder matchups for MCG Loam, Chalice of the void was added in the sideboard. Looking at your mana curve, there is no more 1cc left, except for Unearth, which obviously comes out for the Chalices. Chalice of the Void is a real weapon against a lot of decks after sideboard and in particular against Threshold.
SB :
In : +4 Chalice of the Void, +3 Krosan Grip (you expect Threads of Disloyalty)
Out : -2 Unearth, - 3 Seismic Assault, -2 Terminate
Combo : 40-60
This is the first remark people make about the deck : Oh my god, you have an auto-loss against combo! It is difficult to go through all possible combo decks in the current metagame, but this is certainly not true. You have a quite decent matchup against Cret Belcher or Aluren, however Tendrills of Agony based decks, such as Iggy Pop or TES are somewhat harder. You have maindeck access to board sweepers for tokens, and Pithing Needles and Chalices after sideboard, so Cret Belcher will have a really hard time taking an extra game after the first. Aluren is easily raced or mana screwed and Pithing Needle and Krosan Grip are quite good. Ichorid was almost nowhere to be seen, so no explicit graveyard hate was added. If you really are scared of combo, in particular TES or Iggy Pop and your local tournament is filled with them, do consecrate some extra slots in the sideboard or squeeze in discard maindeck. First try without.
SB : Depending on the matchup.
Stax : 70-30
Quite an easy matchup. They have a real hard time attacking your mana base, and most of the time are mana-screwed thereself or outraced. Just try to keep Crucible of Worlds from the table and use your Burning Wish early on for Shattering Spree as they can easily resolve a Chalice of the Void for two.
SB :
In : +3 Krosan Grip
Out : -2 Unearth, -1 Terminate
Depending on the build, Chalice of the Void could help if they play Swords to Plowshares.
Landstill : 60-40
This is certainly in your favour. Life from the Loam is hell for any landstill player, as they will be outdrawed and possibly mana screwed. Finding Life from the Loam should be your first objective, after that be sure to put enough pressure early on. Volrath’s Stronghold recurring Terravore is great ways to deplete counterspells.
SB :
In : +3 Krosan Grip, +3 Pithing Needle
Out : -2 Seismic assault, -4 Terminate
Goblins : 60-40
The one thing to be afraid of is a turn 1 Goblin Lackey connecting. Still, it isn’t necessarily a drama. You can still Burning Wish for Devastating Dreams and clean the board. Do assume a control role in this game, as you will win the late game. Hold them off until you find a Terravore or a Seismic Assault and just win from there on. Wild Mongrel is an excellent defender against those pesky goblins.
SB :
In : +3 Pithing needle
Out : -2 Unearth, -1 Dark confidant
Random decks
Most of them are just swept away by the raw power of the deck. However, some niche decks like enchantress proved to be quite a fight. However, these are underplayed and have rather bad matchups against other tier 1 decks.
Another Ghent player, Marijn Lybaert, took an adjusted build to the World Championships and went 5-0 with it, you can find his decklist here (5th from the top) : http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgevent/worlds07/legacydecks
He chose to replace 4 Terminate with 4 Thoughtseize, 2 Unearth with 2 Eternal Witness and the Seismic assaults with Pernicious Deed. This makes the deck a lot more controllish and it seemed to suit him well.
As you can see, the deck is absolutely a tier 1 deck and can be adapted to your local metagame and your own style of play.
This is how I see the metagame today :
Tier 1 : MCG Loam and Terranova (see the second part of this article), UGW Threshold with counterbalance, Dragon Stompy.
Tier 1.5 : UGR Threshold, Goblins, Cret Belcher, Aluren, Ichorid and Landstill
Tier 2 : All the rest
What about morningtide?
Yep, Countryside crusher has entered the building. If it only had trample...
Unfortunately, it doesn't, which makes it less effective against heavy critter decks such as goblins. You also can't play 8 3cc creatures in my opinion. However, in an aggrocontrol metagame, crusher is the card that will dodge hate (tormod's crypt, extirpate) and optimizes your draws. Time will tell if the old giant earns his place in the deck...
I hoped you enjoyed this article! Stay tuned for the second part, where my teammate Baptist tells how he became the national legacy champion with a new version of the deck.
Stijn De Clercq
Team MCG member