[DTB] Blade Control

So you think geist is great in the mirror, but you board out lingering Souls, the card that makes geist look silly?

Could've been mis-boarding, but Geist was really good everytime I sided him in versus control and combo and other decks that don't care about 1/1 tokens.

EDIT: After playing 9 rounds and seeing what my opponents sided in versus me, do you think we crutch a bit too much on our graveyard to give us value? A lot of my opponents sided in stuff like Surgical Extraction, Relic, etc so that it turns off Souls, Snapcaster and Academy Ruins.

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Originally Posted by Arsenal

I feel like we're very soft versus Graveyard based strategies. We have 3 sideboard cards (2 Surgical Extraction, 1 Relic of Progenitus) to deal with them and it just feels like it's not enough. I think I may test -2 Surgical Extraction, -1 Relic of Progenitus, -1 Spell Pierce, +4 Leyline of the Void.

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Don't discount Snapcaster Mage with Extraction (and/or Extirpate).

Also, I prefer Nihil Spellbomb over Relic because it replaces itself, and with Academy Ruins active, is recurrable (without losing a draw).

I enjoy playing stoneblade due to the fact that it is very flexible but at times being flexible has it cons. For eg, i drew a "controllish" hand against miracles and lost the game or the fact that I kept an aggresive hand against an aggro deck. My question is do you guys foresee what role a stoneblade player has to take before playing against the opponent and should we mull for eg if we drew a controllish hand against a more orientated control deck like miracles?

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Originally Posted by Malakai

So you think geist is great in the mirror, but you board out lingering Souls, the card that makes geist look silly?

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It might be worth running Eiganjo Castle. It'll force the other player to block with 4 tokens to kill a Geist.

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Originally Posted by DragoFireheart

It might be worth running Eiganjo Castle. It'll force the other player to block with 4 tokens to kill a Geist.

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Still sounds too narrow I think. I know I am already siding in things like zealous persecution to deal with situations like those anyways.

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Originally Posted by ThediscoPower

Still sounds too narrow I think. I know I am already siding in things like zealous persecution to deal with situations like those anyways.

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I agree. I sided in Zealous to deal with opposing Souls token (didn't see many on Sunday though).

What do we do against Dredge? When I got paired up final round versus it, I felt like I lost before the game even began.

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Originally Posted by Arsenal

What do we do against Dredge? When I got paired up final round versus it, I felt like I lost before the game even began.

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There was an old article on starcity (back in 2011), where the author goes on a rant on how stoneblade players should not rely on things like leyline to battle dredge, because the tools we have are enough to beat that deck and that players just don't know how to play against dredge. Let me find that article, and i'm coming back at you, because what he said actually could help you out.

Actually, found it :

http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/l...toneforge.html

Look at the part playing against dredge. Replace purify the grave with surgical extraction.

I sided in 2 Surgical and 1 Relic for my g2 against Dredge, but didn't see any of them. Maybe should've mulled more aggressively; perhaps the allure of Brainstorm did me in (keeping a good hand w/ Brainstorm, but no graveyard hate). Idk, but this matchup felt dreadful.

EDIT: That article is quite old. Many Blade players are on Vidi's Esper list (or close to it) and don't run stuff like Mutavault and Wasteland to help with Bridge from Below. Also, if Dredge kept a decent-ish hand, then games generally don't go long enough to get SFM -> Batterskull -> 3: Return Batterskull to hand in order to knock out their Bridges.

As for graveyard hate: I have always respected that and dedicated 4slots to it,which I think is correct. In my opinion 2surgical and 2nihil spellbomb is optimal.

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Originally Posted by Arsenal

Round 4: RUG Delver

Game 1: I feel good going to into this match. His early threats get countered and StPed, leaving him durdling around for a long time. I assemble Stoneforge + Batteskull + Jace as he is cantripping for eternity, trying to find a threat. I StP his Goyf, and he takes a look at my board, then scoops. I take out Forces, Vindicate, Counterspell and bring in Perish, Relic of Progenitus, Zealous Persecution, and I think a Spell Pierce or two.

Game 2: RUG Delver does it's thing and I can't get anything to resolve and his 2x Stifle leaves me looking silly with nothing but uncracked fetches on my side. He plays very tight this game, knowing that my only out is Supreme Verdict on his Nimble Mongoose and Goyf. He gets there in typical RUG Delver fashion. No changes for sideboarding.

Game 3: He mulls down to 5. I open with Relic, Clique, 2 land, and a Jace; I can almost smell 3-1. He lands turn 1 Nimble Mongoose and passes. I land turn 1 Relic... and proceed to get stuck on 2 lands for the rest of the game. He ends up cantripping into another Nimble Mongoose. I pop Relic and we get into a counter war over his Stifle; he ends up winning and that causes him to hit Threshold. I then die. This was a very depressing Game 3 as he mulled to FIVE, but he was a very friendly and skilled player, so I enjoyed the overall match and wish more Magic players can have a fun conversation while still playing well like we did.

2-2 in Matches.

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Hey Arsenal, I was your Round 4 RUG opponent. Just wanted to say that I really enjoyed playing against you (easily the most entertaining match of my tournament). Overall a very close match and you clearly knew what you were doing. Wish more matches were like that as well. I got pretty lucky game 3 - I was already envisioning the 2-2 after the mull to 5. Sorry you landed just outside the money spots though :( I was praying not to face dredge in my last 2 rounds (they were everywhere).

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Originally Posted by ac3eb

Hey Arsenal, I was your Round 4 RUG opponent. Just wanted to say that I really enjoyed playing against you (easily the most entertaining match of my tournament). Overall a very close match and you clearly knew what you were doing. Wish more matches were like that as well. I got pretty lucky game 3 - I was already envisioning the 2-2 after the mull to 5. Sorry you landed just outside the money spots though :( I was praying not to face dredge in my last 2 rounds (they were everywhere).

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Heh, fun is what Magic is all about (aside from that god-damned variance). I had a great time in our match and glad to see you placed very well (15th?) in the tourney; hope to see you back in October for SCG Open Milwaukee.

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Originally Posted by ThediscoPower

Still sounds too narrow I think. I know I am already siding in things like zealous persecution to deal with situations like those anyways.

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It's narrow but it also doesn't come into play tapped.

Geist will QUICKLY end games in just 3 turns. A jitte with a couple counters + that land and Geist means he'll be extremely difficult to kill. Between Jace bouncing stuff and snappy removal, Geist will have chances to swing. Also, he doesn't care about yard hate

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Originally Posted by DragoFireheart

It's narrow but it also doesn't come into play tapped.

Geist will QUICKLY end games in just 3 turns. A jitte with a couple counters + that land and Geist means he'll be extremely difficult to kill. Between Jace bouncing stuff and snappy removal, Geist will have chances to swing. Also, he doesn't care about yard hate

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So in this hypothetical game where Geist is good, you have:

• Resolved Geist
• Found and resolved Jitte.
• Equipped Jitte.
• An active Jace.
• Resolved removal, snapcaster, and the removal again.

Explain to me how Geist is winning this game in a way that a 1/1 vanilla creature couldn't?

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Originally Posted by Malakai

So in this hypothetical game where Geist is good, you have:

• Resolved Geist
• Found and resolved Jitte.
• Equipped Jitte.
• An active Jace.
• Resolved removal, snapcaster, and the removal again.

Explain to me how Geist is winning this game in a way that a 1/1 vanilla creature couldn't?

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He can't be targeted by removal and he's dealing 6 times as much damage? I don't understand what it is you are asking.

I played Esper at GP Strasbourg, finishing 24th (with the worst tiebreakers amongst all 37pters).

4 Stoneforge Mystic
3 Snapcaster Mage
1 Vendilion Clique

1 Batterskull
1 Umezawa's Jitte
3 Lingering Souls
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Brainstorm
1 Preordain
3 Force of Will
2 Spell Snare
1 Counterspell
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Thoughtseize
4 Swords to Plowshares
1 Vindicate
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Engineered Explosives

2 Mishra's Factory
4 Flooded Strand
4 Polluted Delta
4 Tundra
3 Underground Sea
1 Scrubland
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Karakas
1 Plains
2 Island

3 Surgical Extraction
3 Geist of Saint Traft
2 Spell Pierce
1 Force of Will
1 Thoughtseize
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Perish
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Celestial Purge
1 Sword of Feast and Famine

List felt solid all around – Geist won a game vs. Burn but never came up otherwise (no mirror, no miracles). Mishra's Factory was unimpressive, but I did not miss Wasteland either. I really like Celestial Purge vs. Liliana decks and (to lesser extend) Sneak and Show. I also like Snare MD over Pierce (although it does weaken the already weak G1 vs. Show and Tell).

Matchups were
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Dredge 2:0
Omnitell 0:2
NicFit 1:2
TES 2:1
BW 2:1
D&T 2:0
MUD 2:1
Burn 2:0
BUG Delver 2:1
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Reanimator 2:1
Jund 2:0
Thresh 1:2
Shardless BUG 2:1
Burn RUG 1:1:2
Junk 2:0
BUG Planeswalkers 2:0
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12-3-1

I might do a report with more details if people are interested, although my memory is getting fuzzy already.

I would like to know how your Dredge and Reanimator matches went. I played against TinFins and Dredge and I never felt like I was in the game at all.

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Originally Posted by Arsenal

I would like to know how your Dredge and Reanimator matches went. I played against TinFins and Dredge and I never felt like I was in the game at all.

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Same. What do you do for these decks besides sideboard and pray?

Dredge was very lucky – I would expect to get stomped G1 and hope for an awkward draw coupled with some Surgicals postboard.
In the actual match, I mulligan to 5 on the play. He dredges 3 quick bridges but not much else, notably no 2nd Therapy (after the first whiffed on Force), so Mystic -> Batterskull stabilizes and a blocking Snapcaster eats the Bridges. I believe it was this game where he messed up killing Stoneforge with Darkblast.
G2 he never dredges: He leads with Therapy on Surgical (whiffs). I pierce the second Therapy (targeting himself) - F.Looting then resolves but only discards one Dredger. I find a Surgical.
(I believe I boarded: +3 Surgical, +Force, +2 Pierce, +EE, +Purge, +Verdict, -3 Souls, -3 Jace, -2 Snare, -Vindicate)

Vs Reanimator, I get him to think I'm on High Tide (I lead Island, Preordain), so he reanimates Iona on blue t1. I fetch Scrubland on my t2 but have no removal anyway. He reaminates Griselbrand turn 2. I die.
G2 I Inquisition his Show and Tell, Surgical his first attempt at reanimation and then his Show and Tells as he had drawn another. He never gets anything going.
G3 he has the nuts: T1 reanimate Griselbrand with Force backup. I have Surgical with Force backup though. So guess I was lucky here as well.
(I believe I boarded: +3 Surgical, +Force, +2 Pierce, +Thoughtseize, +3 Geist, -2 StP, -Jitte, -EE, -Verdict, -3 Souls, -Vindicate, -Stoneforge)

The Reanimator matchup is fine postboard and winnable preboard (although you just cannot beat their god draw preboard).

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Originally Posted by Serbitar

Dredge was very lucky – I would expect to get stomped G1 and hope for an awkward draw coupled with some Surgicals postboard.
In the actual match, I mulligan to 5 on the play. He dredges 3 quick bridges but not much else, notably no 2nd Therapy (after the first whiffed on Force), so Mystic -> Batterskull stabilizes and a blocking Snapcaster eats the Bridges.
G2 he never dredges: He leads with Therapy on Surgical (whiffs). I pierce the second Therapy (targeting himself) - F.Looting then resolves but only discards one Dredger. I find a Surgical.
(I believe I boarded: +3 Surgical, +Force, +2 Pierce, +EE, +Purge, +Verdict, -3 Souls, -3 Jace, -2 Snare, -Vindicate)

Vs Reanimator, I get him to think I'm on High Tide (I lead Island, Preordain), so he reanimates Iona on blue t1. I fetch Scrubland on my t2 but have no removal anyway. He reaminates Griselbrand turn 2. I die.
G2 I Inquisition his Show and Tell, Surgical his first attempt at reanimation and the his Show and Tells as he had drawn another. He never gets anything going.
G3 he has the nuts: T1 reanimate Griselbrand with Force backup. I have Surgical with Force backup though. So guess I was lucky here as well.
(I believe I boarded: +3 Surgical, +Force, +2 Pierce, +Thoughtseize, +3 Geist, -2 StP, -Jitte, -EE, -Verdict, -3 Souls, -Vindicate, -Stoneforge)

The Reanimator matchup is fine postboard and winnable preboard (although you just cannot beat their god draw preboard).

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I'll mulligan more aggressively in these matchups as I boarded in 2 Surgical + 1 Relic, but never saw any of them across 4 games versus Dredge and TinFins.