[Deck] Imperial Painter

Okay, so I took down a small, private tournament yesterday evening on the back of our lovely deck ;)

For reference, this is the list I used:

- Lands
3x City of Traitors
4x Ancient Tomb
4x Bloodstained Mire
7x Mountain
1x Great Furnace

- Creatures
4x Painter's Servant
2x Phyrexian Revoker
3x Simian Spirit Guide
1x Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
3x Imperial Recruiter
1x Magus of the Moon
2x Goblin Welder

- Other spells
4x Grindstone
3x Sensei's Divining Top
4x Blood Moon
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Pyroblast
2x Red Elemental Blast
2x Ensnaring Bridge
2x Lotus Petal

- Sideboard
3x Pyroclasm
2x Red Elemental Blast
4x Thorn of Amethyst
2x Sulfur Elemental
2x Grafdigger's Cage
1x Ensnaring Bridge
1x Manic Vandal

I opted for a more stable manabase, since I've been having trouble with 8 sol lands for a long time. Furthermore I wanted to be able to have some welder possibilities, by adding the singleton Great Furnace. Which at the end, turned out great :)

It was a 6 round swiss tournament followed by a top 4.

- Round 1:
U/R Delver (Cruise style)
I won the die roll, and ended up winning game 1, since my OPP didn't see more than 1 land, through 21 cards.
Game 2, the opposite happened. I kept a 1 land hand, that had CoT and a SDT, so I figured I could keep and then dig for more lands, but it didn't happen. :(
Game 3 was the most play we both got out of the match, but he'd boardet most of the blue cards out, to turn into a more burn oriented build.

0-1 and my back against the wall, for the rest of the tournament.

- Round 2:
12 Post
Since I didn't have Tormod's Crypt or something else to remove the GY, I needed to play the control role in this MU. Which game 1 ended up being. Through the game, I fetched a couple of times, and took one hit from a Primeval Titan, before eventually using Jaya Ballard to incinerate him, staying behind a bridge.
Game 2, I didn't stop him, before it was too late.. Got a moon down, but he had his basics in play, so it was only a matter of time, before he could hardcast Emrakul and the likes..

Game 3 however... Didn't loose a single point of life, thanks to a CoT, delivering mana for a blood moon, followed by a bridge into Jaya Ballard, hitting him again and again :D

1-1, we're still in it :D

- Round 3:
U/W/R Miracles
Dieroll goes in favor of my OPP, he starts out with an Island into SDT. my first turn was CoT into revoker, in response he drew a card, then Revoker landed on the board, naming SDT.
From there, Blood Moon is a strong card, giving me control over the game, landing the combo in 5 or 6 turns.
Game 2 he couldn't do much against me, landing the combo and grinding him out. :)
Normally I try to throw down Painter's Servant, using my blasts as counterspells/land destruction until I can find the Grindstone and then combo.
But I've been successfull in landing Grindstone early and then sandbag the blasts in hand, waiting for my mana to develop and then do a "alpha turn", where I land the Painter, combo and then protect it at all costs.. :D

2-1, I've got a good feeling now, and I'm sitting at the end of the appartment, where there's room to sit and play properly.

- Round 4:
NicFit control
Yet again, I loose the dieroll, resulting in him, playing a Cabal Therapy naming Painter's Servant. He hits and sees a hand with 2 Pyroblasts and some lands.. The Cabal was cast from a Bayou btw.
I play a mountain, casting SDT. His second turn, taps Bayou for Veteran Explorer, sacks it right away to flashback the Therapy, he then finds basic Island and Swamp, me getting 2 Mountains. As i recollect it, he played a Ponder, giving me the turn. Looking EOT with the Top, seeing a Blood Moon, putting it on top, drawing it, playing it, which cuts him off of green mana, rendering his Pernicious Deeds, he had in hand, useless :D

Nothing to do more than develop my board, putting the combo in play and activate.

Game 2, pretty much the same, he has 5 lands in play:
1x Swamp
2x Island
2x Grove of the Burnwillows

But not BB, for Liliana otV and stuff :D

3-1, just gotta win 1 more :D

- Round 5:
U/W/R Miracles
By winning this, I should be able to draw into the top 4.
Knowing he's on Miracles, does help a lot, when deciding mulligans. But the thing I love about iPainter, is that you can moon people out of games :D

Which was the case for these 2 games. Game 1 results in 7 damage from my own lands, but I managed to dodge a Terminus a Jace, TMS and a Counterbalance. Game 2 was a bit slower, but planting Jaya Ballard with a Painter on board, using blasts as protection for Jaya to incinerate was soooooo much fun :D

Oh well, 4-1 :) With 2 people on 13 points and me and another on 12, we ID'd into the semi's..

4-1-1 :D

- Semifinal
Death and Taxes
As you may have noticed... Sudden Shock in the main and 2 Sulfur Elemental... I did NOT wanna loose this MU!
Game 1 starts off with him going for a Plains into Mother of Runes. My starting hand included Sudden Shock, so... Let's game :D
I go, Ancient Tomb into Revoker, naming MoR. He untaps, swording it. Okay, so fine so good. I play a mountain, putting SDT in play, looking.
He puts Thalia into play, beating me a couple of times, placing a Revoker on the battlefield, naming Grindstone, which I had in play. EOT on his turn, I play the Sudden Shock on his Revoker, killing it. He had Thalia in play, but only 1 Plains untapped, which was the deciding factor for me to play the SS. I untap, play the Painter and activate Grindstone, winning game 1.

Game 2 was another story though :/
We enter a staring contest, which ended in him, winning game 2, where we both had only 11 cards left in our libraries :D

The other people at the tournament was amazed, that nothing happened :D I guess you would have had to be there to appreciate the situation :P

Game 3, was a little like game 1. I Had 2 Sudden Shock on my opening hand, controlling the game from start to finish..... FINALS :D

- Final
U/R Blues Cruise

I can only say one thing.... Believe in denying Treasure Cruise :D
Complete control from start to finish, playing to my outs and never letting the boogeyman of the format resolve. :D

My life total went from 20 to 7 over the course of game 1, while my opponent was on 20, the entire time.
Having cut his fetchlands off, so he couldn't play more than 1 blue spell every turn, was crucial for me to control the game. :)

Game 2 was a bit more interactive from both sides. I had a graveyard in the middle of the game, which consisted of 1 Goblin Welder and 5 blasts :D

As we say in Denmark: I had the "NO!" cap on :D

Almost a pristine run through the tournament, battling a lot of - at least what I concider - bad MU's for my version of the deck....

Luck was also a VERY big factor for me, yesterday, but I'll take it :D

I played seven games against UR Cruise over the weekend in a tournament and can attest that Painter can in no way be aggressive and win over the long run. I turn two'd my UR opp once which was lucky, considering they pondered and brainstormed before scooping. But in all the other games, when they way out drew me with Cruise it was just over. That spell can not resolve. Damage can be mitigated, our combo can be protected, but they can not be allowed to Recall. The games I lost I lost due to playing too aggressively (pre-Cruise resolving) and losing the bet that they would have either the Bolt or FoW to break up the combo. Close calls, sure, but it's becoming more apparant that the key to this matchup is fighting over Cruise the same way a Recall is fought over in Vintage.

Again my experience against the deck is limited. We'll know in a month or two what's the best plan to beat the deck.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by phoenix4

"As you may have noticed... Sudden Shock in the main"

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I don't see any in your list. Were the 4 bolts really 4 sudden shocks?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jandax

I played seven games against UR Cruise over the weekend in a tournament and can attest that Painter can in no way be aggressive and win over the long run. I turn two'd my UR opp once which was lucky, considering they pondered and brainstormed before scooping. But in all the other games, when they way out drew me with Cruise it was just over. That spell can not resolve. Damage can be mitigated, our combo can be protected, but they can not be allowed to Recall. The games I lost I lost due to playing too aggressively (pre-Cruise resolving) and losing the bet that they would have either the Bolt or FoW to break up the combo. Close calls, sure, but it's becoming more apparant that the key to this matchup is fighting over Cruise the same way a Recall is fought over in Vintage.

Again my experience against the deck is limited. We'll know in a month or two what's the best plan to beat the deck.

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I agree... TomCruise can NOT be permitted to resolve :D

Because of this, I've got blast 7 and 8 in the SB, to get around this :)
But I'm a lot less scared of the MU, than 2 weeks ago :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mgoldman

I don't see any in your list. Were the 4 bolts really 4 sudden shocks?

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Haha :D
yeah, sorry, the 4 bolts were Sudden Shock :D

The sudden shock is amazing!!! I played 4 in main last month in a 63 player's tournament getting 6th place. It was the key against delver decks, shaman, mavericks...U/R burn is a hard match that's why i play wurmcoil engine in the sideboard. It worked to me...also i play lightning greaves in side and equipped in a welder and wurmcoil in battlefield...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nayashi

The sudden shock is amazing!!! I played 4 in main last month in a 63 player's tournament getting 6th place. It was the key against delver decks, shaman, mavericks...U/R burn is a hard match that's why i play wurmcoil engine in the sideboard. It worked to me...also i play lightning greaves in side and equipped in a welder and wurmcoil in battlefield...

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Seems to me, like a Blood Moon, within the first 3 turns (So they have to naturally draw their islands) is just as crucial as anything. But yes, the Sudden Shocks shone like a star, in my semi against Death and Taxes. Being able to circumvent their MoR is awesome :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nayashi

The sudden shock is amazing!!! I played 4 in main last month in a 63 player's tournament getting 6th place. It was the key against delver decks, shaman, mavericks...U/R burn is a hard match that's why i play wurmcoil engine in the sideboard. It worked to me...also i play lightning greaves in side and equipped in a welder and wurmcoil in battlefield...

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Would you mind sharing your list and SB? I've been playing the stock shortcake list for a little while now and will likely play it in New Jersey but I'm still considering Merfolk, or maybe even burn. The biggest problem I seem to have is keeping my servant on the table.

A question to all, I've always assumed naming blue against a FoW deck is a bad idea so I haven't been doing so, but then there's no protection from a REB for the servant. Is that the correct line of play or should I just always name blue to keep the REBs active, even if you don't have on in hand at the time?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mgoldman

A question to all, I've always assumed naming blue against a FoW deck is a bad idea so I haven't been doing so, but then there's no protection from a REB for the servant. Is that the correct line of play or should I just always name blue to keep the REBs active, even if you don't have on in hand at the time?

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I will name blue in a few situations: If they have a lot of pressure that I cannot deal with unless I attempt to blast a "blue" Tarmogoyf, if I need to combo quickly and protect the combo, or if I have a Grindstone available (welder out and one in the yard or a stone already on the table).

I am unsure if this is 100% correct, but it is what I have been doing so far.

Against UR delver it's wise not to name Blue right off, but it can be beneficial. You just need to have a read on the situation. If they've run out a number of FoWs already, then you have more incentive, however, they'll board in Blasts against Painter as well, often enough. You don't want to turn those on, either. Yet your blasts remain relevant because they counter their counters and deal with their good cards (cantrips, delver) so it's more of an advantage not to name Blue. Against something like Esperblade, you're turning their FoW's on but in trade, you're opening up all their permanents and spells to blast effects. Only experience will give you the most correct answer, and in short I would simply hesitate to name Blue against FoW decks unless you know you have a better shot at winning.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mgoldman

Would you mind sharing your list and SB? I've been playing the stock shortcake list for a little while now and will likely play it in New Jersey but I'm still considering Merfolk, or maybe even burn. The biggest problem I seem to have is keeping my servant on the table.

A question to all, I've always assumed naming blue against a FoW deck is a bad idea so I haven't been doing so, but then there's no protection from a REB for the servant. Is that the correct line of play or should I just always name blue to keep the REBs active, even if you don't have on in hand at the time?

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Main deck

3 City of Traitors
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Great Furnace
2 Bloodstained Mire
2 Arid Mesa
4 Mountain
2 Plateau
4 Ancient Tomb

2 Simian Spirit Guide
3 Goblin Welder
4 Imperial Recruiter
1 Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
1 Magus of the Moon
2 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Painter's Servant

4 Pyroblast
2 Red Elemental Blast
4 Blood Moon
3 Lotus Petal
2 Ensnaring Bridge
3 Sensei's Divining Top
4 Grindstone
2 Enlightened Tutor

SB
1 Ethersworn Canonist
1 Spirit of the Labyrinth
1 Manic Vandal
1 Ratchet Bomb
2 Tormod's Crypt
1 Rest in Peace
1 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Koth of the Hammer
1 Ensnaring Bridge
3 Lightning Bolt
1 Trinisphere

I'm slowly updating some of the posts on the front page. What things do people want added? And if someone makes a sweet banner for shortcake I'll switch out the pictures of recruiter and etutor for it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kap'n Cook

I'm slowly updating some of the posts on the front page. What things do people want added? And if someone makes a sweet banner for shortcake I'll switch out the pictures of recruiter and etutor for it.

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http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/a...iPainter-1.jpg

I made this banner awhile ago, I'd love to see it get used!

Holy fuck, i want that as a playmat

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mgoldman

Would you mind sharing your list and SB? I've been playing the stock shortcake list for a little while now and will likely play it in New Jersey but I'm still considering Merfolk, or maybe even burn. The biggest problem I seem to have is keeping my servant on the table.

A question to all, I've always assumed naming blue against a FoW deck is a bad idea so I haven't been doing so, but then there's no protection from a REB for the servant. Is that the correct line of play or should I just always name blue to keep the REBs active, even if you don't have on in hand at the time?

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I posted it few weeks ago...so here it's

http://tcdecks.net/deck.php?id=15005&iddeck=111217main:
1 Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Phyrexian Revoker
2 Goblin Welder
3 Imperial Recruiter
3 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Painter's Servant

2 Enlightened Tutor
2 Red Elemental Blast
4 Pyroblast
4 Sudden Shock

4 Blood Moon

1 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Lotus Petal
3 Sensei's Divining Top
4 Grindstone

1 Great Furnace
1 Wooded Foothills
2 Plateau
3 City of Traitors
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Scalding Tarn
5 Mountain

Sideboard:
1 Ethersworn Canonist
1 Manic Vandal
1 Sulfur Elemental
1 Wurmcoil Engine
2 Koth of the Hammer
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Lightning Greaves
2 Rest in Peace
2 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Volcanic Fallout

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jandax

Holy fuck, i want that as a playmat

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I'm with you :D

Can we have the file? (I'm assuming you used Ps?) :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by phoenix4

I'm with you :D

Can we have the file? (I'm assuming you used Ps?) :)

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I did make it with Photoshop. However this was more laid out for a banner size. However I could make more of a playmat friendly version and maybe even add some other iPainter staples if people would want a painter mat.
If you want the banner file though, I can certainly share it!

I'm working on my sideboard and I would like to hear the pros and cons of trinisphere vs thorn of amathyst? I'm currently running 2 trini and 0 thorn. I see lists with 1 of each and opposite of what I am running. So far trini has won me a match vs ANT but otherwise it hasn't been boarded in much and when it was I rarely see it/needed to find it. Thoughts?

Would also like to hear peoples thoughts on COP:red for use in NJ. I've heard a few people say they expect a lot of burn. I've also seen it used effectively against UR delver. I already have 2 byes (won a GPT with burn coincidentally enough) so hoping to avoid a lot of the random stuff one might be paired against in the first 2 rounds.

Thanks all!

I'm not sure I understand the split either. I prefer trinisphere personally but the difference between 2 and 3 mana is relevant.

I don't like the thought of cop red personally. The thought of having ancient tomb and CoP out together drives me crazy but others have said good things about it. I personally want to try sphere of law. Other people suggested leyline of sanctity and dragon's claw.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mapson

I'm not sure I understand the split either. I prefer trinisphere personally but the difference between 2 and 3 mana is relevant.

I don't like the thought of cop red personally. The thought of having ancient tomb and CoP out together drives me crazy but others have said good things about it. I personally want to try sphere of law. Other people suggested leyline of sanctity and dragon's claw.

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Dragons Claw is nice because you gain life off of a good majority of your spells as well. It also has interaction with welder. You could also name red with painter, making your artifact spells gain you life.

Leyline is nice because of the ability to play it for free right away. However Its WW makes it hard to cast, and by the time you are able to cast it you might be already close to dead.

COP seems ok. Never tried it myself, once again you can also name red with painter, giving you protection from anything as long as painter is out.(assuming you have the mana)

Burn decks also seem to have more artifact hate than enchantment hate, so you have to take that into consideration too.

There isn't a real clear cut choice when it comes to the Burn hate. As far as Trinisphere goes, Ive always liked it more than Thorn.