[Deck] Imperial Painter

@DrewliusMaximus- Thanks for the reply. I like how you took the deck in a more consistent combo role. What do you do though if you lose the ability to combo out on your oppenent? thank you for the advice on siding and I'm not sure how I missed it but taking out the servents does really make the matchup better. Not sure if I'm ready to drop the aggro plan. I have cut the figures down to three and it seems like a great number. I have been following Hollywood's general list except I also run two tops. Had to cut the goblin welder/sharpshooter to do this though. Also I have alternated between the different burns. I think I will stay with the bolt, but I added some fetches to make the tops a little stronger. I'll report after the tourny with results and my final decklist.

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Originally Posted by sroncor1

@DrewliusMaximus- Thanks for the reply. I like how you took the deck in a more consistent combo role. What do you do though if you lose the ability to combo out on your oppenent? thank you for the advice on siding and I'm not sure how I missed it but taking out the servents does really make the matchup better. Not sure if I'm ready to drop the aggro plan. I have cut the figures down to three and it seems like a great number. I have been following Hollywood's general list except I also run two tops. Had to cut the goblin welder/sharpshooter to do this though. Also I have alternated between the different burns. I think I will stay with the bolt, but I added some fetches to make the tops a little stronger. I'll report after the tourny with results and my final decklist.

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I probably should have made this point before, so I might as well now. The list I posted before was sort of preliminary and was by no means set in stone. I don't run those cards in the deck anymore. In fact, I've always been an advocate of Divining Top in Imperial Painter.

Just as a reference, I haven't been playing this deck a whole lot recently, so it is good to see new ideas prosper. I noticed there are hybrids that are appearing all over the place, be it R/w or R/u.

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@DrewliusMaximus- Thanks for the reply. I like how you took the deck in a more consistent combo role. What do you do though if you lose the ability to combo out on your oppenent? thank you for the advice on siding and I'm not sure how I missed it but taking out the servents does really make the matchup better. Not sure if I'm ready to drop the aggro plan. I have cut the figures down to three and it seems like a great number. I have been following Hollywood's general list except I also run two tops. Had to cut the goblin welder/sharpshooter to do this though. Also I have alternated between the different burns. I think I will stay with the bolt, but I added some fetches to make the tops a little stronger. I'll report after the tourny with results and my final decklist.

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The Welders and Gambles do make the combo more consistent, but they also allow for more flexibility. For example I can board in a Jitte and tutor for it to go aggro, or find a Relic to remove a Gaea's Blessing, or get a Bridge to buy some time, or even tutor for non artifact stuff (like Moons or Blasts) as long as I have enough cards in hand that the Gamble is worth it. The Welders especially reinforce this deck's main strategy really well. There are so many little tricks you can play with them like Welding out a Servant to protect it from a STP, or popping a Top but Welding it out in response so it goes into the graveyard instead of on your library. And I have only done this once in real game play, but if you have a Grindstone and a Welder out, you can blindly Grind yourself to put a Servant in your yard and then Weld it out for the combo. I do sacrifice the aggro plan to a certain extent, but just 1 Jitte in the SB is enough to provide a tutor-able and recur-able aggro plan on its own.

So I hope you did ok at the tournament man. You should give a report when you get a chance.

So the tournament did not go as well as planned. I ended the day 2-3 but I think it was more to a couple of play errors(guess it is harder to jump back into competitive games after 9 months than I thought) and some terrible luck on my part than anything. The deck is definitely strong and very consistent. I would venture a guess it is one of the most consistent and resilient “combo” decks. Onto the deck list and a short match report and a few thoughts on card choices moving forward.

4 Imperial Recruiter
4 Painter’s servent
4 Grindstone
4 Magus of the Moon
4 Litghning Bolt
4 SSG
3 Chrome Mox
3 Enlightened Tutor
3 Figure of Destiny
3 Pyroblast
2 tops
2 Jaya Ballard
1 Vexing Shusher
1 REB
4 City of Traitors
4 Ancient Tombs
4 Plataeu
3 Bloodstained Mire
3 Mountains

Side
4 Trinisphere
4 pyrokinesis
2 REB
1 Vexing Shusher
1 Goblin Welder
1 Relic of Progentis
1 faerie macabre
1

Rd 1 versus Dragon Stompy
In game one we exchange beats and eventually I get a Magus and a Servant on the board and he has some mana and a Gathan Raiders backed up with Trinisphere. I decide to blow up the raiders with my REB because he only has one card in hand and I had Pyroblast in hand with Imperial Recruiter. On the next turn he drops Chalice for three. I try to keep beating but eventually he gets a bigger dude, not sure which one, and wins the war. I may have made a misplay here and blown up the Trinisphere but I really thought it wasn’t going to slow me down and I wanted to press my superior board position and leverage that for the win. I only sided in the Viashino Heretic, taking out a Magus. Game 2 was uneventful with me comboing off turn three under little pressure from him and we are onto game 3. I have to Mull down to 5 and then I set up the combo and stabilize the board, but I need a third mana source to activate. After 4 draws he drops a hellbent dragon and I am off to the losers bracket. I don’t think I messed anything up in the third game as I had so many outs that I could have drawn and my luck just wasn’t there.

Rd 2 versus Faerie Stompy
This match up really broke my heart. I knew playing FS that this should be in my favor. The modern versions of FS definitely have trouble with Imperial Painter, but who would have thought the guy would be playing a tricked out version of flash era FS. Either way game one was not close as he went double Cloud of Faeries into Jitte on the play. Couldn’t really do much and the game was over a few turns later. Onto game two with me siding in the Heretic, 2 REB, and the Shusher for , 2 Bolts and 2 Grindstones. The game starts off strong for my side of the board with early Grindstone and a couple REB in hand. He drops a SoFI followed up by an Serendib that he couldn’t equip. I draw into a Shusher. I play the Shusher knowing that from here on none of my spells are counterable and I will be able to combo off in a turn or two max. I use the Shusher’s ability to make the REB uncounterable and he stifles it then counters my spell. WTF. What competent FS player would waste slots on stifle. Needless to say he equipped and beat me faster than I could find a Servant.

Rd 3 versus Dreadstill
I think he had an optimal build except for not having a playset of the duals. Game one was a long affair with him eventually resolving a Dreadnought and beating me. I sided in the additional Shusher and the Welder and removed 2 Lightning Bolts. I was on the play and I drops first turn Servant with a REB off SSG to counter his FoW. Next turn I dropped the Shusher and then proceeded to get the Grindstone and mill him out without him able to counter my threats. Game 3 I had to end up going the beat down route. He countered an early grindstone but the Magus next turn followed by Imperial Recruiter and Figure where too much for him as his life total quickly dropped to 0.

Rd 4 versus Belcher
Not sure if it was a bad version of Belcher or not, although aren’t all versions of this deck bad? But sometimes bad decks win. He won the die roll and I didn’t get to lay a land the first game. Game 2 was slightly different with me having the turn 2 combo, except he again hit the turn one belcher. What are you to do?

Rd 5 versus MUC
I took this one in two games. Winning game one with the combo and game two through the beat down of 500 1/1’s. It was funny though as game two he hit a FoF turn four into three islands and 2 Pithing Needles. I gave him both needles as I had already decided I wasn’t going to try and combo him out and I didn’t want him to have the mana to be able to use multiple Shackles on me, or be able to get a fully pumped up Figure. By the end of the game he had three needle out naming Grindstone, Jaya Ballard , and Figure. Jaya and the Figure could still swing and that was that.
Overall I really do love the deck. I made a few misplays but overall in testing, I have to say the deck is really strong. I played a lot with some old friends in the area and I had no problem with Ichorid or the various Rock type decks floating around. I definitely think Goblin Welder needs to be in the main deck as he is just too strong and he is just too versatile and good. The Lightning Bolts were the card most sided out but I still hesitate to get rid of them as they help so much versus goblins and affinity and random dudes. I might cut on of the Enlightened Tutors down also. Either way I will keep experimenting with the deck as there are a few more Legacy tournaments in the coming weeks and hopefully I will not play like scrub this time.

sroncor1, what's the last card in your SB? Sorry to hear about the tourney outcome, but getting land screwed and first-turn Belched (twice?) isn't exactly good luck. FS with Stifle is kind of strange too. I will say that I usually board in Pyrokinesis against Dragon Stompy, and that might have helped but who knows. Also, I am a big fan of Welder in the MD now. The way I see it, this deck's main thing is to get and keep a Painter out, and Welder really helps that cause (as well as doing a bunch of other tricks).

Sorry it was a Viashino Heretic. Never got to actually have him resolve as he was always countered so I guess that means he is good. I have been playing with the deck a little more. I'll post again in a few days with some more results.

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Originally Posted by sroncor1

Sorry it was a Viashino Heretic. Never got to actually have him resolve as he was always countered so I guess that means he is good. I have been playing with the deck a little more. I'll post again in a few days with some more results.

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Heretic has always been a threat whenever he hits play. I've only had him resolve a handful of times in sanctioned play because he always gets either countered or swept away by a Swords at EOT. His ability is very potent.

Also, I'd be interested in knowing how Jitte is doing for all of you. I noticed that is what everyone is playing in the deck now over Sword.

My experience with Heretic is the same. I've only had him stay on the board for a few turns in all the games I've played with him. I'll be playing this Sunday, and I'm dedicating a second slot in the SB for anti-artifact, and I'm debating on whether to have a 2nd Heretic or mix a Goblin Tinkerer in there as a lower-cost alternative. That way I might be better able to Recruit my artifact-hating creature and play it on the same turn.

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Also, I'd be interested in knowing how Jitte is doing for all of you. I noticed that is what everyone is playing in the deck now over Sword.

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Jitte has been really good for me. It's a Swiss Army equipment that handles a bunch of problems, and/or just allows you to go aggro. Here are some of the reasons I like Jitte:

1. You choose when it triggers - since our guys don't have evasion, the opponent often gets to have a say as to when a Sword's ability occurs.
2. It helps remove swarms of creatures, which can be a problem for this deck.
3. It's faster than Sword, and gains more life, which can really help stabilize against Burn/Sligh.
4. It gives you some outs against pro-red guys - and this is not just White Weenie. The Survival Elves deck I play against has a SB White Enchantment that gives his creatures protection from red (can't remember what it's called).
5. This is minor, but Jitte can actually kill Elspeth tokens even after they have been made indestructible...nice.

Also, since I play with Relics in the SB, I don't like the dis-synergy between the Sword and Relic. I definitely want either Sword or Jitte in my SB, since equipment is my favorite way to handle Humility, and until they make another amazing alternative, these two are the best ones. I would say the biggest advantage of Sword in my mind (aside from the pro white/black of course) is that once it's equipped, it is no longer vulnerable to Pithing Needle or Null Rod (which is appearing now in my metagame). But overall, those issues aren't enough to sway me away from Jitte for the time-being.

So I will be playing in two events this coming weekend. I'll be playing the same maindeck except for the fact that I switched out an Enlightened Tutor for a Goblin Welder. I have been happy with the results. While the Enlightened Tutor have been not so amazing in game one, they have allowed me to run singleton jittes, ensnaring bridge, and dredge stoppers to great effect. I haven't had the same results with Gamble although I will keep trying it. Ill post a decklist later in the week and then another report. I can say though that the jitte is amazing when you switch to the aggro plan, although I have figures in my build.

I got first in 16-person tournament yesterday with this list:

9 Mountain
1 Mire
1 Foothills
8 City/Tomb
3 Mox
4 SSG
4 Magus
4 Recruiter
4 Servant
2 Jaya
1 Shusher
1 Welder
7 Blast
2 Blood Moon
2 Magma Jet
4 Grindstone
3 Top
SB
4 Trinisphere
3 Relic
2 Jitte
3 Pyrokinesis
1 Viashino Heretic
1 Goblin Tinkerer
1 Shusher

Round 1: 2-1 against a non-traditional Tendrils deck
Round 2: 2-1 against UGR Gro
Round 3: 1-2 against ANT
Round 4: 2-0 against Enchantress
Top 4: 2-0 against UGW Dreadstill
Final: 2-1 against ANT

I agree with you sroncor1 that Gambles aren't that hot. They can do amazing things, but overall I'd say they make the deck less consistent. So I went back to Magma Jets - they're always useful. And I'm loving the MD Moons!

Obviously the deck did well, but I didn't have to play Zoo, which has been a problem for me. Also, I tested a little against my friend's Aggro Loam with a few MD v MD games, and that is a rough matchup pre-board. I'm wondering if I should put the 4th Relic in the SB for matches like that, especially since one of my friends is playing Ichorid now in our meta (and doing pretty well). Or, I could even go back to one of my older board choices: Stuffy Doll. I'm not sure what exactly I am going to do with the board (any thoughts are appreciated), but I like this MD. I am going to keep it unchanged for a little while and hopefully get to test it against a wider variety of decks in the next couple of weeks.

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Originally Posted by DrewliusMaximus

I got first in 16-person tournament yesterday with this list...

Obviously the deck did well, but I didn't have to play Zoo, which has been a problem for me.

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The thing is with Imperial Painter, every match is winnable because the deck can play so many different ways. There's some powerful defense weapons the deck implies against storm-combo (Trinisphere, Blast), which I noticed you lost to. It happens.

Other aggro decks packing cards like Swords to Plowshares and Lightning Bolt have traditionally been a problem for this version of Painter. It's just the nature of the beast. However, that doesn't mean there are options to improve those match-ups. Cards like Umazawa's Jitte really help in taking out dudes who are bigger than yours. And, like Sword of Light and Shadow before it, Jitte also provides a much needed boost of life to offset Ancient Tombs and to pump your guys to take out other creatures.

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The thing is with Imperial Painter, every match is winnable because the deck can play so many different ways. There's some powerful defense weapons the deck implies against storm-combo (Trinisphere, Blast), which I noticed you lost to. It happens.

Other aggro decks packing cards like Swords to Plowshares and Lightning Bolt have traditionally been a problem for this version of Painter. It's just the nature of the beast. However, that doesn't mean there are options to improve those match-ups. Cards like Umazawa's Jitte really help in taking out dudes who are bigger than yours. And, like Sword of Light and Shadow before it, Jitte also provides a much needed boost of life to offset Ancient Tombs and to pump your guys to take out other creatures.

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Yeah, the combo matchup really depends on the die roll. And even after you drop Trinisphere, you have to close the deal because of cards like Serenity. Overall IP has the cards to deal with combo, but I also accept that there isn't anything you can do tunr 1 and 2 wins sometimes.

As for the aggro match, I assume you meant to use the double negative "that doesn't mean there aren't...", in which case I agree. There are options to improve the matchup, and I also agree that equipment are maybe the best of them. I think this particular build of IP needs to approach many aggro decks by becoming less dependent on Servant because they can too easily remove him.

Absolutely. To reiterate, Imperial Painter can defeat every deck in the format - with the right draws. When performing with this deck, you need to make decisions expeditiously. Winning a dice roll puts you in the drivers seat, and that is very important because of your options when examining your opening hand. Here are some things to consider:

1.) I don't know what I'm playing against, but I have a feeling they're packing control. Should I hold back dropping that Painter until next turn when I can support my Blast effect?

2.) Am I going to go for their lands off the bat with Painter/Blast?

3.) Do I feel it necessary to exhaust my hand in dropping a turn one Magus? Will that ultimately matter?

4.) Should I play Figure of Destiny turn one and bait a Swords rather than playing my Grindstone and preparing next turn to drop Painter or Imperial Recruiter?

5.) Should I wait a turn to play a creature and bait Daze with Simian Spirit Guide?

Some people just don't understand: This deck arguably focuses more on the chain of events stemming from the first turn than any other deck in the format. This deck really is about baiting; your opponent has no idea what you are trying to do in the first few turns, and you need to therefore take advantage of his or her lack of knowing by devising your plan as you move along. It will give you the tools of survival late game because you have understood what it means to start a game the appropriate way. This is also critical for games two and three, respectively.

So I played in a FNM event and went 2-1. Two notes, I forgot to deside before the tournament began and I had Pyrokinesis in the main instead of the lightning bolts. The other thing is that throughout the week the white cards of the deck continued to be cut down to eventually not part of it at all. I never removed the plateau though since I’m lazing and it was FNM so I said fuck it.

The Deck
4 Imperial Recruiter
4 Painter’s Servant
4 Grindstone
4 Magus of the Moon
3 Chrome Mox
4SSG
3Pyroblast
4REB
3 Pyrokinesis
2 top
3Figure of Destiny
2 Jaya Ballard
1 Vexing Shusher
1 Goblin Welder
4 City of Traitors
4 Ancient Tomb
3 Mountains
3 Fetchland
4 Plateau

Side
4 Trinisphere
4 Lightning Bolts
1 Pyrokenisis
2 Shattering Spree
1 Vexing Shusher
1 Viashino Heretic
1 Fearie Macabre
1REB

Round 1 vs Merfolk
In the first game my Painter’s Servant walks into a daze on the second turn after I landed a first turn Figure. We trade damage for a while but with an active Vial I am quickly behind in tempo and board position and a Wakethraser is big enough to finish the deal. Game two I play around daze and combo off on my second turn. The third turn again saw the deck do what it does and combo off the third turn with REB backup on the Echoing Truth that was played in response to Grindstone activation.

Round 2 vs a Rock variant
I lost the first two games, but I think it was due to me keeping suspect hands. Both games saw me draw incredible amounts of mana sources. The first game I was able to 3 for 1 him by killing two Bobs and a Hyppie with a Pyrokinesis and I still lost. The Pyrokinesis was hard casted btw. Eventually my early Magus is Vindicated and a couple goyfs hit the board and my life total goes to below 0. Game two he swords a first turn magus and again I draw lots of mana, namely my first two draws were the other Chrome Mox in the deck. Oh well what can you do, I guess I still have to work on hand recognition.

Round 3 vs Landstill(?)
The first game saw me cast a Magus off the City of Traitors and SSG. He tops for like 10 turns and I slowly swing his life total to 0. I think an Imperial Recruiter joins the party sometime, but not sure when. Game two sees him FoW a first turn magus followed by a second turn Trinisphere. He wasn’t too worried about it I guess since as he said he has lots of things that cost three, but it does take away his free counters so I was happy. I follow it up into an Imperial Recruiter and a Magus and he again can not find the basics. He did have a Bob beating me for a bit but again I never really saw what he was playing as I basically locked him out early and fast. He told me after the match that he dropped pyroclasm because he dropped red to make his mana base better. I guess he didn’t realize that as Magus defense it still works great as he can produce red. He also kept in Shackles and took out EE. I tried to tell him that EE is still really strong against the deck, but I think he missed the point that with only two basic islands he was going to get stuck getting shit with the shackles while the EE will stop me from comboing while taking my best aggo creature.

Overall I loved the deck and I really feel as if it can handle any deck. I will not be dropping below 6 REB effects. I really liked Pyrokinesis in the maindeck. Not sure if I will keep it but I will continue to look at. I did have to drop the Ensnaring Bridge from the side but then I decided to say fuck it to Progenitus decks as they suck anyway. While I may have lost to a Rock style deck I have to say they seem very weak for the current meta. In play testing, I have found them to be fairly easy to beat as their mana isn’t the best and the spells cost so much and they are fairly slow.

I think that the three different version of Imperial Painter that could be competitive are:

• mono R or RW version that could abuse of Gamble/Enlightened to tutor artifacts you need

• Epic painter that control the board with a countertop strategy or just combo rapidly thanks to Lim's Dul and offers a sideboardable plan B

• UR version maybe a lil less competitive but this is the version I'm playing just 'cuz I love tutor everything I need

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Originally Posted by Hollywood

This deck really is about baiting; your opponent has no idea what you are trying to do in the first few turns, and you need to therefore take advantage of his or her lack of knowing by devising your plan as you move along.

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That's true and it represent the strategy to adopt in the early game, you are able to understand what your opponent is playing while he will rarely stifles an Imperial Painter or a Trinket Mage and if a combo pieces is already in your hand... :laugh:

Imperial Painter by Comeback

LANDS
1 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
2 Bloodstained Mire
3 Volcanic Island
3 Island
2 Mountain
4 Ancient Tomb
1 Academy Ruins

CREATURES
4 Imperial Recruiter
4 Painter's Servant
3 Trinket Mage
3 Simian Spirit Guide
2 Magus of the Moon
1 Vexing Shusher
1 Llawan Cephalid Empress

ARTIFACTS
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Pithing Needle
2 Grindstone
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Relic of Progenitus

OTHER SPELLS
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Force of Will
2 Repeal
2 Red Elemental Blast
2 Pyroblast

SIDEBOARD
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Vexing Shusher
1 Kira Great Glass Spinner
2 Pithing Needle
1 Engineered Explosives
4 Thorn of Ametyst
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Tormod's Crypt
2 Divert
1 Misdirection

I would be interested in what your results have been. I had thought about adding blue since I missed having FoW in the deck I was playing. On first glance though it seems your deck tries to do to much while not doing any of it as well as the other builds. I am interested though as I love the dual tutor effect you have in the deck.

I also wanted to throw out there that the elimination of mana burn helps Imperial Painter alot. It can be quite annoying taking two damage off an Ancient Tomb and a subsequent one loss of life because of mana burn. Similar situation with City of Traitors.

I'm not sure about everyone else's experiences with burn in this deck, but I can't honestly remember the last time I played a game with I.P. and didn't take burn. Interesting.

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Originally Posted by sroncor1

On first glance though it seems your deck tries to do to much while not doing any of it as well as the other builds.

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It's quite true, I've just to manage the game for the combo solution 'cuz Imperial Recruiter & Trinket Mage aren't only tutors, they simply block goyfs, qasali or coatl or let u take cards like Llawan or Engineered.

If u know meta and decklists, u are quickly able to understand that maindeck contain everything u need but in each game your strategy is:

• reply to your opponent strategy and beat with stupid creatures
• reply to your opponent strategy and combo in mg or lg
• just combo asap

Sometimes the strategy plan of your opponent is to lock u so he keeps hands with COTV or a countertop stuff and u have just to tutor the correct creature like shusher or EE, BTW it's not impossible to win thanks to the creatures combo Painter-Llawan or just with a turn 2 magus and some protections that guarantee it in play.

For The Source tournament, I'll be piloting my new version of Imperial Painter. I'll give details through each round (W, L, or D) and how the deck fares along the way.

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For The Source tournament, I'll be piloting my new version of Imperial Painter. I'll give details through each round (W, L, or D) and how the deck fares along the way.

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Represent yo!

I went a disappointing 1-2 on Sunday after making a few mistakes, so let me share....

I used the following list:

9 Mountain
1 Mire
1 Foothills
8 City/Tomb
3 Mox
4 SSG
4 Magus
4 Recruiter
4 Servant
2 Jaya
1 Shusher
1 Welder
7 Blast
2 Moon
2 Magma Jet
4 Grindstone
3 Top
SB
4 Trinisphere
3 Relic
2 Jitte
3 Pyrokinesis
1 Heretic
1 Tinkerer
1 Shusher

I went 2-1 against White Stax in round 1. First game I think I got the combo, I lost the second game, and beat down for the win in game 3 with something stupid like 2 Recruiters and a Tinkerer. I think my only sideboarding was -3 Blasts, +1 Tinkerer, +1 Heretic, +1 Shusher. In game 3, Magma Jet was key because I killed Exalted Angel before it could morph.

Round 2 was against RGW Zoo, which is a matchup that I have been trying different things with to improve. I lost game 1 after a first turn Magus was killed, and then my next 2 creatures were killed, and his dudes attacked, and I hate Zoo. In game 2, since I was on the draw I decided to try something new against my better judgement and boarded in 4 Trinispheres along with 3 Pyrokinesis and 3 Relics, taking out 2 Blood Moon, 3 Top, 2 Blast, and Shusher. I had already thought about how this is a bad idea, but I wanted to try and lock him out of plays for a few turns and combo for the win. What ended up happening was that I got a Trinisphere in my first 7 but my only land was a City. After mulling to 5, I had a slightly playable hand with 2 lands, Pyrokinesis, and 2 creatures. I played Welder turn 1, drew into Trinisphere turn 2, but only had 2 mountain down. I drew a land and Pyro'd his Nactl before playing Trinisphere. But he got his 3rd land and dropped Goyf, and I died. I know some people have said they liked Trinisphere against Zoo and other aggro decks, but in my opinion, it SUCKS. And I'm not just saying this from one experience. Of course Trinisphere was not my only mistake here. Boarding out Moons was a bad idea, and keeping the combo plan was also not good. As of now, I think the best way to approach Zoo is to outlast them, and/or disrupt them with Moon. If I could do it over again, I would have boarded something like -4 Grindstone, -3 Blast, -1 Shusher, +3 Relic, +3 Pyrokinesis, +2 Jitte. I think Tops and Relics would have really helped put pressure on him to keep up the gas (since he didn't run Null Rod).

Round 3 was against Aggro Loam. I won game 1 with a turn 3 combo. I boarded -3 Blast, -2 Moon, -3 Top, -1 Welder, +3 Relic, +3 Pyrokinesis, +1 Heretic, +1 Tinkerer, +1 Shusher. Game 2 I was in control with Servant, Jaya, and Grindstone in hand, but he had Chalice out for 1. I made the impatient play and used Jaya to kill the Chalice on my turn so I could play Grindstone and win the next turn. The problem, is that he got a third land, and was able to Wish for Shattering Spree and killed the Servant. Afterwards, Crushers came down and got big before Jaya could kill them, and killed me. With him at low land, I should have used Jaya to kill his mana. I'll have to remind myself that Servant + Jaya can be more surefire (but prolonged) win even if the combo is available. Then I lost game 3 after keeping an iffy hand that had 2 Blasts (with no Servant), Pyrokinesis, 2 lands, Welder and Shusher. I proceeded to draw my other 2 Blasts on consecutive turns and Crushers and/or Goyf killed me (I can't remember).

I went a disappointing 1-2 (drop) this weekend with this list:

9 Mountain
1 Mire
1 Foothills
8 Tomb/City
3 Mox
4 SSG
4 Recruiter
4 Magus
4 Servant
2 Jaya
1 Welder
1 Shusher
1 Figure of Distiny
2 Blood Moon
6 Blast
2 Magma Jet
4 Grindstone
3 Top
SB
4 Trinisphere
3 Relic
2 Jitte
3 Pyrokinesis
1 Shusher
1 Heretic
1 Tinkerer

Round 1: Goyf Sligh (0-2) - I lost the first game on the fourth turn right before I was about to combo off. I boarded -4 Grindstone, -3 Blast, -1 Shusher, +3 Relic, +2 Jitte, +3 Pyrokinesis. I didn't side out Moon because I thought it might have been RGW Zoo. I lost game 2 after playing a Magus and Figure which just chump blocked while I used top to try and find a Relic to shrink his Goyf. Pyrokinesis helped me remove every creature except Goyf, and I thought I could last a few turns until he played/equipped a Jitte.

Round 2: Deadguy (2-0) - Game 1 got a first turn Moon which shut off every land he played for the first few turns, and then I Servant / Blasted the only Swamp he played. I boarded -1 Shusher, -2 Blast, +3 Pyrokinesis. I thought he was playing with Bob and not Tombstalker, so I didn't board in Relic. Game 2 he Thoughtsiezed first turn for a Servant, and immediately Extirpated it. He also played a Needle naming Top. But I got Magus down, and then Jaya. I also played a Recruiter for Figure of Destiny. He then played Tombstalker and attacked on his next turn. I drew the land I needed though to make Figure a 4/4 and attacked for 8, slanting the race in my favor. He played another Needle naming Figure, and held his Stalker back to block. Fortunately for me, he didn't draw another creature, and I was able to burn with Jaya for the win. We talked after about how he should have named Jaya with the first Needle.

Round 3: UGB Orb/Gro (0-2) - Game 1 I kept a hand with 5 lands, and 2 creatures thinking that I could draw into some business within the next 2 turns. Unfortunately, I drew only lands for 4 straight turns...loss. I think I boarded -4 Grindstone, +3 Relic, +1 Heretic. I can't remember how game 2 started, but I know I Recruited a Magus but couldn't play it before he played Werebear (with Threshold) using his Tropical Island. I played the Magus anyway, and then he played Orb. I drew Figure and had Top but the Orb shut me down, and Werebear beat me to 0. I haven't played against this deck enough so I'm sure I screwed up the plays, but he definitely was one step ahead in the tempo this whole game.

So I'm still not sure what to do against Zoo-ish Aggro. I think going down to 6 Blasts is good since there are more non-blue decks around these days, but the MD probably needs a little modification to deal with an aggro-heavy metagame.

You can always run Firespout against Zoo, but you run the problem that Goblins does - Spout is going to also kill all your guys, so you're going to really have to play Control if you're going to use it.

Secondly, Firespout doesn't kill Thoctars or Tarmogoyfs (usually), but it will wipe out all the Kird Apes, Wild Nacatls, Pridemages, and Grim Lavamancers, which is a sizable chunk of their force. If you have like a Magma Jet to follow up, you can take out a Thoctar or Goyf as well usually.

It doesn't help you deal with the problem though that all of their removal kills all your guys (Lavamancer is especially brutal on everyone but the Painter's Servant itself).

The more I think about it, the more I think Imperial Painter's matchup against Zoo is easily the worst. At least against Goblins, a well-timed Pyrokinesis kills off 1,2 toughness dudes. Zoo has an annoying toughness of 4 and 5 everywhere. Nacatls are 3, which is within Firespout, but Firespout is weak for your plans.

This is what I suggest, running some extinction effect, that kills all green creatures. That way, you get rid of Qasali, Goyf, Thoctars, Nacatls while leaving Apes and Lavamancers. Still doesn't solve the problem since they have burn against your Painter, and sadly, Helix, Bolt, Blast all hit his 3 toughness.

It's a super tough matchup I would assume, and Redblasts does nothing. You said Trinisphere is bad, but I think it's still your only chance on G2, mulling and going T1 Trinisphere, and hopefully slow them down. Maybe even Sphere of Resistance is worth considering.

Or just run Landstill and win the aggro matchup :)

I have a lot of problems to win against zoo-ish in my :u: :r: version, btw after some test I've decided to side in/out the following cards:

OUT

• 1x Vexing Shusher
• 2x Magus of the Moon
• 1x Pithing Needle
• 1x Brainstorm

IN

• 1x Kira, the Glass Spinner
• 1x Engineered Explosives
• 1x Relic of Progenitus
• 2x Divert

With your blue splash, you also have the option of just running a bunch of red hate cards like Chill, BEB, etc.

In my experience, Zoo decks these days run a really heavy red/burn package (Lightning Bolt, Lavamancer, Kird Ape, Lightning Helix, Chain Lightning, Wooly Thoctar), so those spells should theoretically work well against them.

Blue also gives you the Propaganda option, which makes it tough for them to attack you in large numbers and gives you time to set up your combo.

Again though, Propaganda is only going to stall them, it won't actually protect your Painter from being burned out the way Chill or BEB can.

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You can always run Firespout against Zoo, but you run the problem that Goblins does - Spout is going to also kill all your guys, so you're going to really have to play Control if you're going to use it.

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I thought about this, but in addition to the fact that it kills my guys too, they can too easily play around it, and resetting the board doesn't help me if they can just drop another cheap big creature that puts me right back on the defensive. I'd rather burn their creatures directly so they have to spend their resources to kill my guys.

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This is what I suggest, running some extinction effect, that kills all green creatures.

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That would be cool, but I don't know of one that's red.

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It's a super tough matchup I would assume, and Redblasts does nothing. You said Trinisphere is bad, but I think it's still your only chance on G2, mulling and going T1 Trinisphere, and hopefully slow them down. Maybe even Sphere of Resistance is worth considering.

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My main problem with 3sphere against fast aggro besides Burn is that even if you drop it first turn, if they get to 3 mana they can just start dropping big creatures. I haven't tested this too many times, but from the few times I have, the tempo gain I might get in the first 2 turns disappears as long as they get a 3rd land, and I find myself on the defensive if I can't combo out by turn 4.

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Or just run Landstill and win the aggro matchup :)

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I was counting on you to do this Chris...:)

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With your blue splash, you also have the option of just running a bunch of red hate cards like Chill, BEB, etc.

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I agree that if you run blue, these sorts of cards might be a really good option.

What I'm going to do with my mono-red is go back to one of my older builds. I actually only played it once, but got 1st with it, so I'm not exactly sure why I changed it so much. Back then, I ran more burn MD to handle "random aggro", but since aggro isn't so random anymore, I'm thinking it might be a good call. This was the old MD.

9 Mountain
1 Mire
1 Foothills
8 City/Tomb
3 Mox
4 SSG
4 Recruiter
4 Magus
4 Servant
3 Jaya
3 Lightning Bolt
3 Magma Jet
6 Blast
3 Top
4 Grindstone

And I would have a SB like this possibly:
4 Trinisphere
4 Relic
2 Blood Moon
2 Pyrokinesis
2 Shusher
1 Heretic

The 3 Lightning Bolts, 3 Jets, and 3 Jayas in the MD would allow for a pretty decent removal approach in game 1 that does not need Servant to be alive. Also, I am definitely going back to 4 Relics in the SB. I think that if I am not running Goyf, then I need 4 of these. Also, like you said Jeff, Lavamancer is bad for me, so I really need to deny the graveyard as a resource. Against RGW Zoo I could board in:

+2 Moon, +2 Pyrokinesis, +4 Relic

...and board out:

-4 Blast, and either -4 Grindstone or -1 Grindstone and -3 Top? maybe I can board out 2 Magus also?

To be honest, I would board out Top. And keep the Grindstones if you still run gamble. Top is too slow against Zoo. I'm pondering on 2 Tops in Landstill, which is amazing, but if our meta is really zoo-infested, Top is too slow and I would rather have business spells to cast everyturn.

I'm not sure how consistent Imperial Painter is in getting out the combo, but if it's VERY consistent, I like 3Sphere protection into Painter Grindstone combo. But I agree that if they hit 3 mana, you're in risk of burn, but I think aside from that, you really slow them down from Turn 1 Nactal, Turn 2 Nactl Bolt etc. You force them to go Turn 3 Bolt, then drop a creature. Although I must say that boarding MU is bad for you. Maybe a RW Imperial list can play Absolute Law, which is a house against burn, goblins and Zoo i.e. leaving your Painters alive aside from StPs/Paths.

I would probably board out Magus, since they're really bad against Zoo. Blood Moon is better, so board out Magus and maybe put in disruption. I think it's time to bring in the old list Drew. Zoo's unchecked in our meta now. It's winning more than ANT lol in a non-blue environment. Imagine how bad that situation is when ANT is supposed to cakewalk a non-blue environment but Zoo is bringing in T2/T4 for more than 3 weeks in a row.

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Originally Posted by Esper3k

With your blue splash, you also have the option of just running a bunch of red hate cards like Chill, BEB, etc.

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chiLL kiLLs you too... not a good idea imho.

Would Powder Keg be a reasonable option in monored against zoo? It kills your painters at 2 and your grindstones at 1, but otherwise you can get away unscathed, as the rest of your guys are 3cc

DUH, forgot about Keg. Keg's a house. You have 1 MD Welder so it's not a problem if you're forced to blow up Stones or Painter. Keg is good, might be slow if not landed Turn 1/2, but it's good if you play the original list with bolts and jets to slow them down. Also, board in Jittes against theirs, or you'll hit yourself for losing to a lone Kird Ape and if they don't draw Jitte, then you can swing with yours and gain life while comboing out.

I would board Jaya out against Zoo. She's pretty much something you never want to draw against Zoo since she takes a turn to get active (so she will pretty much always die before she gets to do anything) as well as can't really block anything in Zoo.

Against Zoo, I like Lightning Bolt, but don't like Magma Jet. Other than killing a Lavamancer or a Pridemage, you're really not going to actually kill anything in the deck (other than the very rare T1 2/2 Nacatl).

Keg is better, but again, you do run many things in the came CMC as Zoo too, so you have to be careful when using it.

I have used Kegs in the SB before, but the problem I had was that it was a little too slow. Sometimes the turns it took to generate counters made it ineffective, and also everyone boards in artifact hate against IP, so it could just be destroyed.

I agree that Jaya is not the greatest vs. something as fast as Zoo, and I have been happy for a while only running 2. So, that means I can either put 1 Shusher back in the MD and have an open slot in the SB, or put something totally different in the MD.

Re: the Jets, I know that they don't kill any Zoo creatures on their own, but they can combine with a blocker or other burn spell, and they will kill a Nacatl if Blood Moon has taken away a color or 2. Mainly, they are there for general use, aside from Zoo, so that I have a slightly diversified casting cost (get around a Chalice for example), scry away useless cards (especially in combination with Top), and kill many other relevant creatures like Bob, Goblins, etc. And against Zoo, even if I have to combine a Jet with a chump-blocker to kill a creature, scrying can ensure that I follow up with a business spell. That said, maybe maxing out the Lightning Bolt count is a good idea.

As far as other anti-Zoo cards...I could add another Blood Moon to the SB, add another Pyrokinesis to the SB, or try a Duplicant. Other thoughts?

Finally finished my set of Recruiters so I can try & build a version of this deck. However, New England is becoming infested with Zoo...I'm going to be trying to splash colors to make the deck more resilient. Thoughts on some of the following options?

Green:
makes Shusher easier to cast
some Llurgoyf critter as an alternate finisher
Grip against the stupid omni-present Counter-Top
Dense Foliage to protect the Painter
Eternal Witness to get back pieces

Blue:
gives BEB & Hydroblast and/or Chill & Propaganda out of the SB
MD Trinket Mage fetches Grindstone & is fetchable via Recruiter, giving many more early configurations that get you both combo pieces
Stifle & Trickbind can slow down many decks (and a slow Zoo deck with a crippled manabase is a sad Zoo deck...) might be worth going heavy on these & Wastelands to have the ability to set up the normal control game this deck can play with a Painter & Jaya
also gives the possibility of Stifle-Nought...
means Academy Ruins can be used for retrieval of combo pieces & hate such as EE, Crypt etc

White:
Absolute Law - burn what?
Enlightened Tutor - don't care about CA if I win next turn...
Moat - although it would probably be too slow versus many of the decks it would be needed for
Lightning Helix - if we run burn, on which point I'm not convinced, why not run 3 damage burn that keeps us alive?
various white effects that return artifacts to hand...
efficient removal that should be better than burn in this deck
Chant/Silence/Abeyance as options versus combo & to force through pieces

Black:
ummmm, not seeing many things that aren't done better in another color...

The two versions that excite me most are RU with a Stifle-Nought, heavy LD option & the ability to SB into 8 Blue Blasts and the RW version with E. Tutor, heavy Chant effects & LEDs for the '1 big turn win' with recursion & Absolute Law out of the board. Step one, finalizing decklists & then on to testing.

Just to note, I think Absolute Law is a really bad card for this deck to play as a large strategy of the deck is dropping the Painter down naming Blue and using REB's. REB = very sad when everyone is Prot Red...

In general, I like the blue splash, although you could conceivably splash both Blue and White and get your Red/White/Blue deck :)

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Originally Posted by Esper3k

Just to note, I think Absolute Law is a really bad card for this deck to play as a large strategy of the deck is dropping the Painter down naming Blue and using REB's. REB = very sad when everyone is Prot Red...

In general, I like the blue splash, although you could conceivably splash both Blue and White and get your Red/White/Blue deck :)

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RWU Imperial America :cool: not only is trying to conceive a manabase giving me a cross-eyed migraine but don't think I can possibly fit everything in that I would want! Having enough trouble with that with the 2-color versions... That is a good point on the REBS, except that they still function just fine as counterspells (versus blue decks) and if they can't control my combo, they should just lose... And lose quickly if I add tutoring to summon up the missing link, while still leaving my critters able to block all day if I call red with Painter (which would incidentally also stop Qasali & Grip from screwing with the combo).

I know Hollywood has a RW list that he's been playing.

I could see the Absolute Law thing out of the SB maybe being ok if you name "red" with Painter. You'd probably board out Blasts. Your Servant would be protected from Quasali and Grip, but of course the Absolute Law would probably get destroyed by them instead. But without either of those cards, it's true that Zoo won't be able to touch the scarecrow. You would just have to combo out really quickly because Zoo's creatures would now be unblockable.

Scrumdogg, are you trying to keep Ancient Tombs in your color-splashed manabase?

Thus far in the Source tournament, I am 2-0-0 with R/w Imperial Painter. Hell, I'll even post my list because I don't really care either way. It's really no secret what I play:

//0cc
[3x] Chrome Mox

//1cc
[4x] Figure of Destiny
[4x] Red Elemental Blast
[4x] Grindstone
[4x] Lightning Bolt
[4x] Pyroblast

//2cc
[4x] Painter's Servant

//3cc
[4x] Imperial Recruiter
[4x] Simian Spirit Guide
[4x] Magus of the Moon
[2x] Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
[1x] Viashino Heretic

//Land
[6x] Mountain
[4x] Plateau
[4x] Ancient Tomb
[4x] City of Traitors

//Sideboard
[4x] Active Volcano
[4x] Trinisphere
[4x] Faerie Macabre
[3x] Pyrokinesis

I wanted to bring this list forward right after at least the second round ended so we can take a look what is working best in a generic sense. I've been really happy with this list because it has a very good sideboard approach to some of the most powerful decks in the format.

Mount Vesuvius Erupts

I've decided to play an extra four "Blast" effects in the sideboard, a la Active Volcano. So far, I have to say I've been very pleased. It's funny: They were originally in the very first list I had ever seen, and I even played a few. It's a highly underrated addition to the sideboard because of the Merfolk match. You'd think it would be in your favor with all the blue hosing effects you supply, but it doesn't work that way. Merfolk are very resilient and can pose a huge threat to this deck if not dealt with properly. Active Volcano really can throw an opponent off when he least expects it. It also acts like a pseudo-Recoil, with an end-of-turn bounce effect that can not only set your opponent back a turn, but make them discard a card in the early goings.

Four Faerie Macabre...What?!?

Truth is: I really underestimated this card when I first ran this deck. I used to only play two or three and called it sufficient. But, to my own surprise, I needed more. I really didn't always want to Imperial Recruiter for one, so increasing my chances plucking one or in the opening seven was critical in stopping decks like Ichorid and the sort. In testing, he has been a priceless asset that just shocks an opponent when they think you have absolutely nothing in your hand. They (the graveyard-toting opponent) expect you to pass the turn with nothing to do. But the Faeries are critical in that match. Very critical.

Finding Our Destiny

After I began thinking about replacements for the Sword of Light and Shadow slots, I began wondering if there was possibly a creature that could compensate. After all, there really was a distinct issue when it came to dealing with decks toting bigger baddies than my own. So, I decided to give a relative newcomer a try. Boy, did he light up the world here. He shines so much in the most intricate ways. Here, you have a simplistic one-drop for either a red or white source. He then continues getting bigger at a scorching pace, leaving all smaller creatures before him dead in his path. The most important thing to note is his 4/4 development; most Goyfs I've dealt with that early typically sit at 3/4. He can get in there a few times before you secure the board with lock or combo components. He also soaks up early removal; compensating for the arrival of the Servant. A truly magnificent inclusion that really only makes the deck better.

So, Why Plateau and No "non-Hybrid" White Spells?

You know, I was asking myself this very question before. Originally, before changes were made, I included Enlightened Tutor and Hannah's Custody in my list. I even had one single Radiant's Dragoons in the board as well (including some prototype lists than never made it public). The Plateaus are basically there currently for "sketch" purposes until I decide what they are used for. It's almost a foregone conclusion you can expect me to have some white cards in the board; cards like Dragoons, Custody, and the sort. Right now the Plateaus are essentially "on tilt".

The Exorcist II: The Viashino Heretic

When thinking about silver bullets for the main, I really didn't want to overdo it with all the cool and exotic things you can get with Recruiter because it just waters down the deck. I kept it simple with a Heretic, who ironically has been one of the most critical components in Imperial Painter thus far. I've had him in my main for quite some time, but he was needed now more than ever with the inclusion of Figure of Destiny to combat Chalice of the Void. I've gone to get this guy so many times with Recruiter, I may even up the count to two.

So, basically what I did is use the Source tournament as a gauge to see where the evolution of my build has gone, and more importantly, where it is going. Albeit a strong start at 2-0-0, I can still find room for improvement based on the matches I've had to contend with. I'll make sure a written report is issued when the tournament is over, out of respect for my opponents. Hopefully, the winning trend will hold up.

I played the weekend before last at a small tournament in Garland, and then this past weekend back in Houston. Here's a report for both.

I have been trying some different things to help with the Zoo matchup and ended up coming up with slightly more burn in the MD and a mana-denial strategy out of the SB. A brief disclaimer - I know I have written before about how I didn't like Trinisphere because it can backfire on you. But I took my friend Chris's advice that it might be our best chance against something like Zoo and added Pillage to the SB to complement it and Blood Moon so that I could just try and keep Zoo from playing Magic at all. Here's the list I used the last two weeks:

10 Mountain
1 Mire
1 Foothills
4 Tomb
3 City
3 Mox
4 SSG
4 Magus
4 Recruiter
4 Servant
2 Jaya
1 Shusher
7 Blast
3 Lightning Bolt
2 Magma Jet
3 Top
4 Grindstone
SB
4 Trinisphere
3 Relic
3 Blood Moon
3 Pillage
2 Pyrokinesis

I replaced 1 City with a Mountain because I was tired of having City as a starting land and I wanted a better chance at getting double red. While the likelihood of a first-turn Trinisphere or Moon is less, with the Bolts/Blasts, I have found that you can usually answer a first turn spell and then play Trinisphere/Blood Moon second turn and it works just fine.

Tournament in Garland....

Round 1 - GW Aggro: Game 1, I kept a hand with a mountain and 1 SSG as the lands, but had a Top, Servant, Grindstone, and Bolt. I went first, played the mountain and Top, and passed. He played a Birds. I drew something other than a land, Bolted the Bird, and passed. He played another land and some creature. I used Top during the upkeep, and found no land, and passed the turn. He played Troll Ascetic, and attacked with his other creature. I then decided to use SSG to play the Servant. He then played something else and attacked. I decided to play the Grindstone on my turn instead of using Top. He attacks on his turn and of course I am getting low on life. I use Top during the upkeep and find City, which I keep until my next turn just in case he has Wasteland or something. He attacks and gets me down to like 4, and then I play City and combo off. I board in 2 Pyrokinesis, and 3 Relics (I'm assuming he has Goyf even though I didn't see it) taking out 3 Blasts, 1 Grindstone, and 1 Shusher. I lose Games 2 and 3 horribly because he has an insane amount of artifact destruction each time and a Troll Ascetic that gets enchanted or equipped.

Round 2 - Cascade Hypergenesis: I think I go first game 1 and play a first turn Magus. He plays a land I don't recognize that would have been able to tap for any color. I then play Servant and pass the turn. He plays another land and passes to me. I then play a third land and Grindstone. On his third turn he plays his cascade spell, and since I have not seen this before, I have to ask what's going on. So he hits Hypergenesis and plays Akroma and the rest of his hand, and I play my Recruiter and the second Servant he tutored up, but none of that mattered because I won the next turn. I wasn't sure what to board in, so I just got Relics and took out Bolts and Shusher. I can't remember exactly how game 2 started, but he cascaded right after I played Servant with a hand full of nasty big dudes. Unfortunately for him, he had sided in 1 Pithing Needle and hit that instead of Hypergenesis. He named Grindstone, but I played Jaya and ended up killing his lands and beating for the win.

Round 3 - Mono Black Control: Game 1 was long and crazy. He discards some of my stuff, while I resolve a Top and remove some his creatures with burn. He ends up attacking me down to 1 and playing a Lich's Mirror (crazy), but I am able to get out Servant and Grindstone to combo off and force him to reset. On his first turn after the reset, he gets a miracle starting hand with Dark Ritual that let's him kill my Servant. I follow with a Magus of the Moon. He ends up not playing a spell for several turns while I keep dropping creatures and beating with 2/2's. I finally get him to 3 and Bolt for the win. Game 2 I get a sweet draw and combo on turn 3 with Blast support.

Top 4 - UGWB Countertop: I don't really remember how these games went exactly, but Magus and/or Moon won them both I think.

Finals - Charbelcher: Game 1 I get out a Servant early with a Blast in hand, and keep piling on creatures as he plays 2 LED's and a Petal. When he starts to go off on turn 3 or 4, I let him build up and decide to wait to counter Charbelcher but he Empties the Warrens instead for 10 dudes. Luckily, he has taken enough damage, I have enough guys, and I beat for the win. I board in Trinisphere, Pyrokinesis and Pillage, taking out Tops, Magus, ShusherGame 2 I keep a hand with 3 Mountains, a Servant and Grindstone and decide I'll settle on giving him a 3 turn clock even though he is on the play and it works. I win.

Tournament yesterday in Houston...

Round 1 - RGW Zoo (here's the moment of truth): Game 1 he is on the play but has to mull to 5. I have a hand with Top, Servant, Blast, Grindstone, Magma Jet, Mountain and SSG. He plays a turn 1 un-pumped Ape and I Magma Jet him on my turn seeing another Mountain and City with the scry, which I keep on top. I can't remember what he plays on his second turn, but I play Top and Grindstone. He drops a Thoctar I thin on turn 3, and I decide to play slowly so I can try and find a second Blast with Top before I put Servant on the board. Luckily I find it, and combo out on like turn 5 or 6. I board in the resource denial plan, putting my entire sideboard in, and taking out Shusher, 2 Grindstone, 3 Top, 4 Magus, 5 Blast. He starts without playing a creature, and I start with a Relic. He then plays a second land (both duals), and does nothing. I then play a Tomb, and a second turn Trinisphere. In hindsight, I probably should have played the Blood Moon in my hand instead since he could have just Gripped the Trinisphere with a third land. But he does not draw a third land on his third turn, so he's locked out. I then play Blood Moon, which ends up cutting off his colors. The game is slow from here. On my next 3 turns, I play a second Trinisphere, a Grindstone, and then Recruit for a Sevant, which is the second one in my hand. I don't have 6 mana out, and I want to wait so I can play both Servants at once and force him to kill both. While waiting I play a second Blood Moon and attack him for 1 a few times, all while keeping his graveyard empty. Finally, I get my 6th mana, play both Servants, and pass the turn. At EOT he pays 3 and sac's 2 of his 4 lands to Fireblast 1 Servant. He needs to topdeck a land to kill me second one, but does not, and I win. Hooray! I beat Zoo. I must say though that even with good draws I needed for him to get some bad luck. We played another post-board game for fun and he won handily with Thoctar out under my Trinisphere. Blood Moon is much better against them than Trinisphere.

Round 2 - BG Land Destruction Control: This was our friend's homebrew deck with lots of acceleration into lots of land destruction and some Hypnotics and Terravores for beatdown. Game 1 I was able to get Top out early and counter some of his crucial spells with a Servant and Blasts. The game took a while but Jaya ended up burning for the win. Since I saw he had Gaea's Blessing, I sided out Grindstones, Shusher and boarded in Relics and Pyrokinesis. Game 2 he destroyed more lands early on but I was able to play a Servant and keep at least 2 lands while I beat for the win. One crucial play here was being able to Pyrokinesis his Terravore while it was still a 4/4.

Round 3 - RG Goblins: Game 1 I was on the draw I think but had a decent hand with the combo. I played turn Servant after he played a Lackey, and turn 2 Grindstone, but he had second turn Hooligan to kill my Servant, and dropped something scary with Lackey (can't remember what). I was able to Recruit a second Servant, and had Chrome Mox + red card that gave me 5 mana on the next turn to play Servant and combo off. Unfortunately he had too much by then and attacked with double hasted Piledriver and like 4 ot 5 other Goblins that turn. I boarded out 7 Blasts and a Shusher, and boarded in Pyrokinesis, Pillage, and 3 Trinisphere. I had a hand with first turn Magus or Trinisphere. Having not played Goblins in a while (or seen Wasteland at all for that matter), I made the stupid mistake of playing the turn 1 Trinisphere. He then Wasted my Tomb, and while I had a second land in hand, I did not draw another for 5 turns at least. Meanwhile, he dropped lands every turn and his first actual play was a Siege-Gang Commander. I conceded soon thereafter.

Although I was 2-1 in the Houston tourney, I was paired down after round 1 so I didn't make Top 4. Still, I was happy enough beating Zoo.

So, with only a few games using the new list, I'm pretty happy with it. I like the idea that I can board in an entire strategy that utilizes the deck's explosive manabase, but time will tell how effective it really is. Also, it is still apparent that Trinisphere can backfire, but I blame myself for the stupid play this time.

Nice work, Drewlius. I'm glad to see those changes working for you. Sometimes opening with a City can be tiresome, especially if it is one of your only lands.

As for me; I'm currently 3-1 in the Source tournament with my version of Imperial Painter. Once it is over, I'll be sure to post a report.

Thanks man. I finally built Dreadstill as a second Legacy deck but I just can't stop playing Imperial Painter. Well done on your results so far too Hollywood. I didn't realize the Source tourney took so damn long, but good luck the rest of the way.