Swiss army knife, i just meant ie. if your holding onto a swords to plowshare you might not want to pitch that to forbid.
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Swiss army knife, i just meant ie. if your holding onto a swords to plowshare you might not want to pitch that to forbid.
Heh, I've just been working on this matchup all day. As it turns out, my best way to win the matchup is to play slowly, protecting your manabase and looking for land heavy hands. Resolving an early SDT isn't an auto-win, but it can play a huge role in this plan. Also, I'm sure you already knew that against Thrash, Wrath and Elspeth cost 3WW and STP costs 1W (and so forth).
When you drop an EE to deal with goyf, always play it for 3 mana to bypass spell snare and keep another mana open to protect against daze. It's worth waiting a turn to blow EE for protection. Chances are they've already blown their stifles on your fetches so I've found midgame EE rarely gets stifled. Also, Academy ruins is the jam.
Don't activate factories, almost ever. They eat bolts like no other and add to their land destruction suite.
Wish=>Pulse is amazing. If you see lots of tempo thresh where you play I really wouldn't cut it. Wish=>P2E is also amazing, since not many builds run basics.
For more specific scenareos, I've had good luck baiting wastes with factories and even moreso with ruins to pave the way for colored duals.
I haven't formulated an opinion on spell snaring ices tapping down my lands. It seems like a bad plan, since it's basically trading a counter from you for a random card from their deck. I think you just let that happen unless it's going to cut you off of double white and you NEED to wrath or whatever.
I've had bad luck sticking elspeths. It seems that burn just sits around in their hand 'till a good target comes up or they can go lethal, and elspeth is the BEST target for them. It usually eats two burn spells after producing a token, which is a good trade but doesn't win the game. Same story with Jace. He'll generally eat two burn spells too.
Resolving a decree seems unlikely. They usually seem to have a stifle sitting in their hand waiting for a target, so be ready to protect it.
EDIT: Now I can't find the post I responded to. Was this old?
The only logical reason to cut Cunning Wish is if you are running UWr and Burning Wish and just can't afford the slots in the sideboard for both. Cunning Wish is a stand-in for virtually every card you could possibly need after the midgame has been reached and its versatility and power is amazing as a result.
With a small wish board you get Pulse of the Fields, Path to Exile and Trickbind as a baseline, all cards that do exactly what you need them to when you wish for them, and covering a huge percentage of the meta between the three of them. Then throw in on-color options like Extirpate, and potentially Diabolic Edict in black, Krosan Grip in green, Blue Elemental Blast, Echoing Truth and Wipe Away in blue, and Enlightened Tutor in white and the card is clearly about as broad and powerful as a card gets once the midgame is reached.
If you put a Counterspell in the sideboard you further increase the flexibility of the deck and give yourself another out, because once you've gotten to the midgame you now have two ways to draw your fourth counterspell instead of one, and both of those ways can also create a win for you in several other ways also.
I just don't see how Cunning Wish comes out of UW Landstill without impacting the game one play negatively, and game one is the game you really want to win to avoid draw scenarios as you start to match up against other blue decks in the later rounds.
Edit: the other scenario I could see cutting Cunning Wish for is if you are running an Intuition engine with Life from the Loam, since Intuition and Cunning Wish take up the same slots in the deck.
Hey rsaunder, thanks for the advice. yeah I drop EE with at least 3 mana if they have counterbalance in play, or just in case i suspect a spell snare, its so annoying when you're like "no way he can't" and you do it and he does play snare.
I'd like to test top more though since you can filter and get more lands if they really screw you. I asked konsultant but he thinks there might be better options for the 2 top slots, he said +1 brainstorm,+1 counterspell, or +vindicate. It also depends on your playstyle though.
There isn't a lot of tempo thresh in my area but I just want to be ready for it if it does come up since its a pretty difficult matchup
I honestly didn't think Top would be all that when Moss started playing it, but now I'd never run a wish-based list without at least two. I don't think #3 is necessary, but it's probably a meta call. I've actually adapted my build around it a little bit, with a higher density of shuffle effects: 7 in 60 cards for 2 tops instead of 6 in 61 cards for 3 tops in Mossivo's list. I don't know how he does it, but hey, it's another viewpoint to consider. Play with it, see if you like it. I personally like running two and find it helps the thrash matchup.
@Foolofatook: My most wished for card, by far, is FoF. Followed by Pulse and P2E. I haven't even run trickbind or wished I had it, how's it been working for you?
Double post. Sorry.
Split 1st/2nd with BUG ANT today in a small 10-man tourney.
Tournament 20: 07/26/09
1st/2nd: Chris Z with UWb Wishstill and Brian with BUG ANT
3rd/4th: Patrick with GBW Dueling Grounds control and Jeff with Elf Survival
Participants:
Chris - UWb Wishstill
Drew - Imperial Painter
Silas - BG LD
Joey - RGB Zoo
Lil' Chris - Elf Aggro (combo with umbra mantle and priest)
Eddy - UB Faeries
Jeff - Elf Survival
Brian - BUG ANT
Patrick - GBW Dueling Grounds control
????? last guy?
DECKLIST AND REPORT:
Lands: 23
1 Academy Ruins
2 Wasteland
4 Mishra's Factory
1 Scrubland
2 Underground Sea
3 Tundra
3 Flooded Strand
2 Polluted Delta
3 Plains
2 Island
Win-conditions: 5
1 Eternal Dragon
2 Elspeth, Knight Errant
2 Decree of Justice
Card draws/tutors: 11
3 Brainstorm
2 Sensei's Divining Top
3 Standstill
2 Cunning Wish
1 Fact or Fiction
Permission: 22
3 Spell Snare
2 Counterspell
4 Force of Will
4 Swords to Plowshares
2 Vindicate
3 Engineered Explosives
2 Wrath of God
1 Humility
1 Nev. Disk
REPORT:
MATCH 1: Jeff with Elf Survival
Game 1: So Jeff is playing Elf Survival again, which I think it's really his trademark deck. The deck has gotten new rejuvenation with Archdruid, making Mirror Entity very deadly in the deck. I highly suggest and believe that any Elf Survival lists needs 3 colors to be competitive as it is. Mirror Entity just gives another win condition with all the mana acceleration. Anyway, here's game 1:
I kept a strong hand of Snares, Stp, and I believe Standstill. He goes with Llanowar into a lord I believe, which I StPed and played Standstill the next turn. He cracks Standstill with Priest and it resolves, and he carries on with baiting while I counter his Survival. The game goes on, and I can't remember much (played against 3 Elf decks today) but I think I won with clearing the board with Wrath before he starts beating my face with over 20 damage. Elspeth post-wrath sealed the deal.
Game 2: +1 Path, +2 Plague, -1 Snare, -1 FOF, -1 Decree
I can't remember much this game either but he overruns me with Elves, with a resolved Teeg creating more solutions that landstill can throw out. He finished me off with Entity/Symbiote/Priest combo, and I could almost stop it if I interrupt it with an StP on Priest/Mirror entity but even then, his creatures would be 6/6s, and I cannot survive the onslaught.
Game 3: +1 Path, +2 Plague, -1 Snare, -1 FOF, -1 Decree
This was a really close game. I countered a bunch of spells, pinpoint removed his lords, drop a Plague that kills Priest + Ranger, he follows up with Harmonic Sliver and then proceeds to grip my Wish->ETutor->Humility. It was my only out then and I could race in 2-3 turns with 2 Factories and 3 Soldiers from Decree. Finally I needed to reset the board by topdecking wrath and amazingly I topdecked something like wrath, but it was disk and it was a turn too slow.
1-2
MATCH 2: Lil' Chris with Elf Aggro
Game 1: His deck actually got a little scary when he had umbra mantle and priest out and I had no factory. But thankfully, EE@2 bought me some time and Elspeth + Standstill seals up the deal.
Game 2: -2 Spell Snare, -1 FOF, +2 EPlague, +1 Path
The game went easily since he didn't draw any lands after his first. I took the liberty to EE away his 1 mana elves and StP his Priest. Followed by 2 Vindicates on his 2 Forests, and beating in with 1 Factory until he drops to 6 and cycle decree FTW.
3-1
MATCH 3: Drew with Imperial Painter
Game 1: The last time I played Landstill v.s. IP with Drew was perhaps when we first met at Asgardgames. That was probably like 4 months back. I stopped playing Landstill at the time since it was too slow a deck (perhaps my inexperience but mostly because I didn't play with Decrees). I finally get to play against a long-awaited deck and the matchups can be frustrating on each side, but in the end, we enjoyed the two games.
I kept a heavy basic hand with 2 Plains, 1 Strand, Spell Snare, StP, Brainstorm, Standstill. I played a land and pass. He returns with a land and EOT I brainstormed. He paused, wanting to blast but decided not to, so now I know to hold onto the Standstill if I can. He plays a Painter which I snare and he didn't blast snare. We fought some war against Painter sticking in play and Drew stopped playing servants and lands Blood Moon to destroy my Factories. He drops Jaya after I EE@3 his Moon and Vindicates his 1 of 2 lands. I StPed Jaya at some point and Cunning Wish->Extirpate->Painter to deal with a board of 2/2 while Elspeth comes in. Elspeth fought against Jaya but lost as I tried digging for StP. Removed Jaya and beat in with Factories and EDragon.
Good game.
Game 2: -2 Vindicate, +2 Path
This game was close as well. I kept this Moon-hate hand since I'm guessing Droo will keep a Moon hand willingly against any Fetch/Dual 3 colored deck. He kept his hand willingly signalling that he has turn 1 3Sphere or Moon effects. I plays Traitor, Mox, Blood Moon, I Forced with my: 2 Snares, 1 FOW, 1 Underground Sea, 1 Top, 1 StP hand, 1 Elspeth. It was a risky hand, but since I'm on the draw, I'd rather keep a strong hand against Turn 1 Moon than mulling into a weak hand that gets raped by Moon.
I drop Top and he Imperial Recruits for Magus. Dang it. Topping the next 2 turns however revealed 2 basic plains, and I dropped Elspeth quickly on turn 4 against Magus. I let Elspeth eat 2 damage from Magus and chump/kill Recruiter. I put soldiers and let Elspeth eat damage so that I have 2 Soldiers to block his Magus. We exchange turns and he ends up getting Jaya online again and answers Elspeth while I drew no removal. The game drags a little as I cycled into 3 Soldiers. Drew took the liberty to bolt my face with Jaya, dropping me from 14 to 5. I finally see a Path with Top and decided to Path Jaya instead of troublesome Magus. Magus now stares into four 1/1 Soldiers. We stalled and I Cunning Wish into Pulse. There's a risk that he can kill me with Painterstone, but being at 5 life, it was really risky as well since he runs Jet maindeck and I didn't have counterspell so I decided to wish for Pulse instead of Extirpating Painter.
I gained back to 14 life and played EDragon and swung in for the win after dropping Standstill.
5-1
TOP 4
MATCH 4: Jeff with Elf Survival:
Game 1: I thank MTGod for not pairing me up with Brian who runs ANT. I'm fine with ANT but it's not a nice matchup without Meddling Mages. I don't feel secure on the back of Negates, since Duress/Chant effects can rip a hand with counter easily off. So I have a chance of beating Jeff again, hoefully.
He opens up with a the nuts into Perfect again. Gosh I hate that card. I answered his board with Wrath. He plays Teeg and I StP it. He's dry on cards by drawing more lands than landstill and I gained back advantage with Top/Standstill and Elspeth gets in there.
Game 2: +1 Path, +2 Plague, -1 Snare, -1 FOF, -1 Decree
I kept a REALLY IFFY hand of Scrubland, Plains, EPlague, Factory, Brainstorm, Top, FOW.
He opens with Turn 1 Survival, and I thought to myself that I can pitch Brainstorm to FOW since I have no blue anyways lol. He followed up with another Survival which I EE@2 killing a priest in the process. He plays a 3rd Survival which I snared. So I don't think he can draw a 4th Survival. He plays out Llanowar, Perfect, and Ranger and I hold onto a hand of StP/Plague. Since I'm afraid he'll grip the Plague, I wanted to StP the Lord and play the Plague the same turn to kill his board. If I played the Plague on turn 3. It would not kill the board and I open myself to Grips. I held back for next turn, but sadly he drops Thorn and I could not StP and EPlague the same turn since I was tapped out playing something else. Next turn, he went infinnite with Priest/Symbiote/Entity. I could StP and break the infinite loop, but the base first activation made his creatures 6/6, and his 7 creatures could beat through my Factories and 2 Soldiers even with 6/6s.
Game 3: +1 Path, +2 Plague, -1 Snare, -1 FOF, -1 Decree
So once again, Jeff steals game 2, and I'm sweating in Game 3, hoping the EPlagues and Landstill does what it does against Aggro.dec. I kept a SLOW hand of 2 Wraths, 2 Lands, 1 EDragon, stuff, but 2 Wraths signalled to me that God was angry with the elves so I kept it.
I hit my land drop consistently, and EEed Survival and a priest. He gets some damage through with Lord + 3 Elves before I wrath and reset. He played out more creatures and I decide to save my last wrath against Progenitus if it did came out. I EPlagued/StP his board out again, and he rebuilt slowly again. However, he was running dry on cards while I was drawing quite well with Top fixing my draws, and resolved Standstills, Disk, Humility, Elspeth, EE, taking turns carefully to blow his board up without risking myself to grips and possible Progenitus. It was a tight game but finally, I destroyed his new field after he built up on 7 cards before cracking Standstill. EDragon and Elspeth gets in there before he has chance to go again.
7-1
TOP 2:
Brian (BUG ANT) and I decided to draw. Sweet.
Comments:
My maindeck sucked with Fact. It was nice to draw it, but I realized I'm boarding it out ALL THE TIME because 4 drop sucks since you're already tight with 2 Elspeth, 1 Humility, 2 Wrath, 1 Disk. I don't want to draw too many 4drops in my opening hand since i may not play it as easily. I think I seriously want to test 3 Cunning Wishes now. With a more dedicated SB, Wish can grab Path/Negate/Forbid/Fact/ETutor/Pulse/Extirpate. And the more I play this deck, the more wishes I wished I had. Since Fact or Fiction is a draw/tutor in the 4cc slot, and I want to drop the cc requirement, the 3rd Wish might be a viable consideration since we're not too heavy on 3drops.
FOF in the SB was a little win-more to be honest. I seriously doubt plays that needed to Wish/FoF for a solution. It's probably not going to work unless you're lucky. I'm not sure. I love FoF, but if I were to include it, I have to drop a 4cc slot, which is tight and optimal at the moment (2 Wrath, 1 Humility, 1 Disk, 2 Elspeth). Such a pity because FoF is such a great card. Maybe I should play MUC again with 4 FoF :D:D:D
My sideboard needed another EPlague, after seeing how potent the card is against our weaker aggro matchup, namely fast tribal (Merfolks, Elves, Goblins to a lesser extent). I missed MTutor in the MD and would probably play it in place of FOF. I switched out MTutor for the 2nd Wrath after testing against Jeff and realizing that I NEED to draw Wrath. 2 is the maximum I would run. I think if you're not sure which cards to cut, mark an X on the card and everytime you draw it, ask yourself what card you wish that to be. After testing, you'll realize which is the optimal card slot in your meta. Currently, MTutor has been that good for me, and it's an X slot for me to tutor up my other answers (Vindicate/Wrath/Counterspell/Decree/Wish). I'm not sure if the 3rd Wish is better. I think it should be since the deck is getting more and more 1cc heavy, putting it more at risk to Countertop which we're not too afraid.
Vindicate was awesome all day except against Moon.dec, which is boarded out for 2 Path since it solves Magus in a 3basicplains manabase.
EDragon was simply the best feeling in the world. It smoothed out my draws and recurrs for more lands when I have board control, and beats in for the win for 4 games today. It's never a bad card since at worst, it's a land, and as the 24th land in 61 cards, it's optimal. I'm a little short of lands with 23 lands in 60 cards.
EDIT: Cycling Decree is the best feeling in the world. It's the best white control win-con besides Elspeth (which is boring IMO lol). Decree, like EDragon, is such an elegant slot in Landstill. They both fulfill purposes outside of winning games and fixing mana and drawing a card while sending soldiers out instantly to block a field of attackers and retaliating the next turn is a very nerdgasm-feeling that I'm experiencing :O
I completely agree with your 3 points on the usefulness of Forbid. Like, I said, it's useful in a lot of matchups that we don't specifically prepare against. And in the mirror - or any tempo deck that packs SS - the 3cc is extremely valuable, perhaps reason enough to run it over counterspell.
I've detailed a few reasons for and against forbid in my first post. The reason I dislike forbid MD is that I feel it comes online much later than any of the other cards you mentioned, except for Jace in certain situations. Having wish allows me to grab a PTE or use my wishboard in the early game and still have access to Forbid late game. I'll admit that replacing Forbid with a wish was a poor choice, but there was rarely a situation where I saw a wish and would have rather had a Forbid. I'm using Clique in that slot instead, and it's working out much better.
I use it in several scenarios, the one most common lately is to say no to a Planeswalker's big event and buy some more time to remove them if I didn't manage to earlier. The others are to stop storm, which I get the opportunity to now and then, and to stop Qasali Pridemage from blowing up the disk. I'd say Trickbind is wished for and used in about every other round at least once. Making it a good part of the toolbox. It also gets used occasionally to protect Humility, although not as often as you'd think because not a lot of people are playing disks at this point and it's hard to get EE@4 against a deck with 3 wastelands once I've figured out what the small splash is.
The card I'm wishing for the most though is Pulse of the Fields. It is worth something in almost every matchup we play these days.
@ Tempothresh matchup:
Next to the advice from rsaunders, if you're running into TThresh a lot, try finding some room for maindeck Crucible and maindeck Moat. Moat is just GG, where Crucible helps against their Waste/Stifle base.
@ Forbid:
Question for those that are testing it: Do you ever wish that it costs just UU? I use counterspell so often in my second turn, or in my 6th/7th, next to an Elspeth/WoG/Moat/Whatever, that I'm not convinced the buyback softlock is good enough for the repacement of CS. I feel it's a win more, when I'm drawing two cards per turn, I am winning already...
@ Wish:
45% PtE
10% Return to Dust
15% Extirpate
15% Enlightened Tutor
10% Hydroblast
I run a board without Fact or Fiction. I tested it, but Enlightened Tutor forfills the same role as FoF: Winning, when you have some mana left. (I run Moat, Top, EE and Crucible as MD targets) Postboard it gets even better, with Plague or Relic.
I run no trickbind.
Pulse of the Fields is an amazing wish target now that the opponent can't mana burn themselves in response. It keeps me alive through so much random stuff it's amazing and it keeps things like Elspeth at bay until I can find mine to make her go away.
I guess I use the wishboard a bit differently than a lot of people here. I use it as an extension of the parry, parry, deflect strategy until I can find removal or get inevitability in play. Having Elspeth land on the other side of the board just means my chances of winning got less, they didn't evaporate the way they do for the opponent when I land it. Cunning Wish for Pulse of the Fields keeps the bleeding at a minimum and then if I'm lucky I get my hands on the other one and Trickbind when the opponent uses the -8 loyalty, which buys me a lot of more turns to find the solution.
I still lose more often than I win when she lands against me but it's not a killer the way it was before Pulse of the Fields and Trickbind became available without hurting the main deck.
I haven't seen Ajani Vengeant yet but I'm guessing the situation will be similar with him.
The reasoning to play 3CC cards that do almost exactly the same as 2CC cards just for CB and Spell Snare doesn't make sense. The CB builds of nowadays have no problem with revealing 3CC (Clique, Monk, Coatl, Vindicate, Shackles) so the advantage of costing 3 is marginal.
Where Forbid can't be Snared, Counterspell can't be dazed. Pretty relevant. Anserwing a turn 2 threat can be done by CS as well, where Forbid is really, really awfull. Protecting your turn 4 Standstill, or your Turn 6 Planewalker (or +1 turn when against Daze) is very good as well. I'm not even starting to talk about matches as Goblins, where early threats and manadenying form the two weapons of choice.
In my opinion, you're too lategamedependant with Forbid instead of CS.
@Elf Ascetic. You posted percentages on what you grab with wish.
For me it's more like:
Path 35
E Tutor 25
Pulse 20
Return to Dust 10
Negate 5
Extirpate 5
Post board the board changes so it varies but generally the importance of wish targets for me is of the following.
1.Pulse
2.E tutor
3.Path (If not sideboarded)
4.Return to dust
5.Pate
6.Negate
I dont know if I'm just getting unlucky or what it is, but I don't seem to be getting land drops, and if I finally do, they just get destroyed. In 61, I use 23 lands including 7 basics and only 5 colorless lands, 1 E. Dragon, 3 Brainstorm, and 2 Top.
From my understanding that should be perfect, is it bad luck? I usually keep 2 land hands that produce U/W; I'm not sure what the problem is. I could possibly take out Jace and then maybe I could go up to 24 land. Jace is awesome, and a huge help when he lands but as a 1 of without seeing him much, he may be able to be cut. I hate to lower my blue count though.
Also, I use both Vindicate and Wish, which can be tricky but its great knowing I have a Swamp and a Vindicate in my hand to handle almost anything.
I too have been having trouble making all my land drops. I cut the 61st card and added the 24th land. It means that I may get mana flooded later in the game, but also means that I'll ensure I make the 4th land drop on turn 4.
In my testing, this deck needs the 3rd Wrath of God and a better card drawing engine than Standstill. There have been many times against random aggro decks that I'd be out of answers and in top deck mode. IE. against Eva Green. They rip your hand apart, destroy your mana base, and can actually deal with both 'Walkers and Humility. But they have trouble with multiple Swords and Wrath - if you can manage to keep them in your hand.
In that matchup Standstill is such a dead card. There is never a moment you can cast it aside from a lucky turn 2 but it's definitly not consistent enough against such decks. I am trying Ancestral Visions in place of Standstill for my current testing.
EDIT: My metagame is like 40% Eva Green and BG Pox decks, so YMMV.
If your having trouble with land drops run 3 top. Top is also good in the matchups your specifically having trouble with IE pox and Eva green.Quote:
I too have been having trouble making all my land drops. I cut the 61st card and added the 24th land. It means that I may get mana flooded later in the game, but also means that I'll ensure I make the 4th land drop on turn 4.
In my testing, this deck needs the 3rd Wrath of God and a better card drawing engine than Standstill. There have been many times against random aggro decks that I'd be out of answers and in top deck mode. IE. against Eva Green. They rip your hand apart, destroy your mana base, and can actually deal with both 'Walkers and Humility. But they have trouble with multiple Swords and Wrath - if you can manage to keep them in your hand.
In that matchup Standstill is such a dead card. There is never a moment you can cast it aside from a lucky turn 2 but it's definitly not consistent enough against such decks. I am trying Ancestral Visions in place of Standstill for my current testing.
Eva green is actually a favorable matchup for most builds becuause of the ammount of removal landstill runs. Combined with top as long as you hit top jace standstill or brainstorm to help you (I think that names off the entire draw package) thats pretty much the game right there. Standstill isn't a dead card against eva green because your whole gameplan is to stop the tempo of discard and just remove threats as they come. Focus primarily on ee for shade and goyf stp for stalker /bob and snare for hymn and force for card advantage plays as well as a false counter.
A false counter is a force that's in your hand but used for bait for thoughtsieze and durress, or if they hymn you and you don't have snare then using force and removing your choice is better then loosing to a random luck discard (Sometimes)
Its not as bad a matchup as your making it. If your having trouble run path in the maindeck and as 40% of your meta is eva green/ pox then thats probobly the best outlook.
As for pox I would strongly recommend posting the build/s of pox your playing against. If its spell heavy then deffinately play the negates post board. Pox is one of those cards that depending upon said board position you want to just take the loss. Half the time its not going to kill you, the other half its backbreaking (Not half as bad as Cataclysm in my mind.)
The list looks something like this:
3 Tombstalkers
4 Goyfs
3 Nantuko Shades
4 Hyppies
5-6 Duress/Thoughtseize
4 Hymn to Tourach
2 Crucible
4 Mishra's
etc
Crucible resolving is absolutely the back breaker, since he can then go to town on my mana base. By the time they cast it I'm usually without cards in hand which makes it extra brutal.
And there are lots of people who play this type of deck. Ancestral Visions would seem to help in this matchup much more than Standstill would, as I could just suspend it early (and with any land that I play which could be Wasteland'd right away). I play 5 basics (3 Plains 2 Island) and I'm seriously considering dropping 1 Underground Sea for the 3rd basic Island. I feel like it's an uphill battle against these decks with the current build.
Why has Crucible of Worlds been cut from your list mossivo? I'm not sure which page (or how many pages back) it's been discussed, but having it as a singleton would help more than it hurts.