[Deck] Team America (Midrange/Control Thread)

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Originally Posted by wizard_of_gore

First - it's mother of runes

Second -sorry, but landstill against gw decks is almost auto - win. Ok, it's not so easy, but it's supposed to be in our favor, because of pernicious deed. that card eat them alive. Even recuring wasteland, bunch of counterspells and reusable removal (liliana). Mother of runes is never be problem for UBGx landstill - we have plenty of edict effects - and speaking of that, of all control decks in format, UBG landstill have answer for thrun too. Resolved standstill against gw/maverick/company in right time wins you game. They can't race you with such a card advantage.

Against burn you can just pick up your cards and go home, as you said.

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I'm not sure if GW is that good of a matchup.
1) Edicts are worthless in the face of open fetch -> dryad arbor. GW has too many mana creatures to make edicts relevant.

2) What answers does landstill have for Thrun? It's not edicts and its not spot removal or deed.

3) Pernicious Deed can be destroyed by GSZ for Qasali Pridemage, since Pernicious Deed can't go off the same turn it is being cast. However, the GW player has to get the pridemage so its a good play, but even then its a turn 3 play with a turn 4 activation. That maens, you're well on your way to 0 life with a bit of bad luck. Even if you manage to Deed the board, all you have accomplished is not losing, instead of winning.

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Originally Posted by bruizar

]2) What answers does landstill have for Thrun? It's not edicts and its not spot removal or deed.

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Perish and/or Damnation. Edicts DO answer Thrun post Deed.

Thrun is really not the deciding factor! The game is usually decided earlier by cards like KoR, Deed, Choke, Sylvan Library,...

If the Maverick players has nothing but a Thrun, it can easily be outtrumped by Jace & Liliana/Goyf.

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Originally Posted by bruizar

I'm not sure if GW is that good of a matchup.
1) Edicts are worthless in the face of open fetch -> dryad arbor. GW has too many mana creatures to make edicts relevant.

2) What answers does landstill have for Thrun? It's not edicts and its not spot removal or deed.

3) Pernicious Deed can be destroyed by GSZ for Qasali Pridemage, since Pernicious Deed can't go off the same turn it is being cast. However, the GW player has to get the pridemage so its a good play, but even then its a turn 3 play with a turn 4 activation. That maens, you're well on your way to 0 life with a bit of bad luck. Even if you manage to Deed the board, all you have accomplished is not losing, instead of winning.

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You have very situational view. Maverick has hard time against heavy control decks based on board control. I don't want to say it's auto-win, but BUG landstill (and similar decks) are constructed to deal with creature decks in general.

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Originally Posted by catmint

Thrun is really not the deciding factor! The game is usually decided earlier by cards like KoR, Deed, Choke, Sylvan Library,...

If the Maverick players has nothing but a Thrun, it can easily be outtrumped by Jace & Liliana/Goyf.

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QFT. Let's not derail the thread. Thrun isn't really the point, and besides, those are all postboard answers. Maybe you guys are having a field party against GW, but I highly doubt it.

we were talking about deedstill which has a better matchup versus maverick.

If you read the primer and through the thread it is certainly not an easy matchup for BUG control. However, if you adapt your maindeck a little and know which gameplan to implement it is a favourable matchup... They will always put up a fight though!

What do you guys think about new UR delver deck...did anyone played against it?
Since RDW is problematic for us, this one could be very tough...

It is tougher than RUG control which is a positive matchup if played correctly, but not as bad as burn...

Any thoughts about Virtue's Ruin as a SB card, I'm thinking of putting one in and one Perish out since there is a lot of Maverick and UW Blade decks around...?

Usually, when I refer to Perish, I mean Perish and Virtue's Ruin. I personally prefer Virtue's Ruin, especially if you're running more of a green creature slant (or are not running White at all). Killing Mother of Runes and Mindcensor can be imperative i some situations, whereas nuking their manabase can be more productive in others.

I usually run a split, unless I expect Elves! to show up.

-Matt

I went to a 39 Player BOM trial on Saturday, heres how I got on:

Heres the list I ran:

4 Goyf
4 Snapcaster

3 Jace TMS
1 Liliana

4 Brainstorm
4 Hymn
4 FOW
2 Thoughtseize
2 Inquisition
1 Life from the Loam
2 Ghastly Demise
2 Dismember
3 Spell Snare

4 Seas
2 Trop
2 Bayou
1 Tar pit
4 Wasteland
1 Swamp
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Polluted Detla
2 Verdant Catacombs

Board
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Extirpate
3 Deed
2 Ghastly Demise
3 Spell pierce
2 Thoughtseize
1 Island

Overall the deck felt really good.

But my tournament went like this:

Round 1 - Dredge W 2-1

G1 Scoop to save time when Dredge goes off.
G2 Extract all narcomebas and Extirpate all ichorids.
G3 Extirpate all the bridges, my opponent goes all in on Iona and names black. Which was a bit of a mistake, as my opponent saw a Jace from a cabal therapy, so I untap and bounce Iona.

Round 2 - Burn W 2-1

Probably should of lost this round, my opponent made a few play mistakes which cost him the match.

G1 lose to early GG and hellspark, that I cant answer.
G2 and G3 I run my opponent outs of cards and go to town with a goyf.

Round 3 - Burn L 1-2

G1 Lose (nothing much to say, he dealt me 20 damage)
G2 He keeps a 1 land hand and I turn 1 IoK his turn 1 GG. Hes never really in it as he doesn't draw a mountain till turn 4.
G3 Manage to stabalise with 2 x snapcasters on 6 life and he has no cards in hand, he then rips a pyrostatic pillar off the top, which I have no answer to.

Round 4 - U/R Burn W 2-0
G1- We both land flood in the mid game, but I have a Goyf which takes it down.
G2 - This goes really long, I stabilise at 5 life with a Jace and ultimate Jace for the win.

Round 5 - Dredge L 0-2
G1 - I scoop when he starts to go off.
G2 - I draw my opening seven, which has Exitipate and Snap, but wasteland as the only land. I mulligan to a medocre 6. His hand is really slow and I keep him off dredge long enuf so that Goyf is lethal next turn, he then rips a faithless looting off the top and proceeds to win.

At 3-2 and severly tilted I decide to drop, as 4-2 probably doesn't make it.

anyone have thoughts on running BUG control at GP indy? i am only wondering due to the amount of dredge / burn that will be running around.

Here is the list that I have been running recently and it has been working out pretty well for me. I feel like I want some number of Darkblast either in the main or side but can't quite figure out what to cut or how many to run. Either way, I feel like the only decks that you really have a hard time with here are burn and dredge/reanimator, which the SB helps to shore up quite a bit. Any thoughts?

Planeswalkers:
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Liliana of the Veil

Creatures:
3 Snapcaster Mage

Removal/Disruption:
3 Pernicious Deed
1 Maelstrom Pulse
2 Smother
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Repeal

Counter and Filter:
4 Brainstorm
3 Counterspell
4 Force of Will
2 Spell Pierce
4 Spell Snare

Lands:
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Polluted Delta
4 Underground Sea
2 Tropical Island
1 Bayou
2 Island
1 Forest
1 Swamp
1 Creeping Tar Pit
4 Wasteland

SB: 1 Damnation
SB: 2 Thoughtseize
SB: 3 Flusterstorm
SB: 1 Grafdigger's Cage
SB: 1 Relic of Progenitus
SB: 1 Tormod's Crypt
SB: 1 Nature's Claim
SB: 1 Life from the Loam
SB: 2 Surgical Extraction
SB: 2 Hydroblast

@jdsnider

3x Finks on my SB have been really good against Burn/Aggro decks.

Nice result flounce...
3:2 having only very bad matchups is a success I think!

I'm on vacation in another city and I connected wit magic people for testing. Run into very expirienced player with deadguy ale deck and it's really bad matchup for me (mothers, hymns, vindicate, crusader...)...won 2 out of 10 games...any suggestions about strategy against WB decks? He came back from heavy discard, sweep..almost everything :mad:

ty

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Originally Posted by antesha

I'm on vacation in another city and I connected wit magic people for testing. Run into very expirienced player with deadguy ale deck and it's really bad matchup for me (mothers, hymns, vindicate, crusader...)...won 2 out of 10 games...any suggestions about strategy against WB decks? He came back from heavy discard, sweep..almost everything :mad:
ty

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For their creatures: Darkblast, Massacre, Virtue's Ruin, and Pernicious Deed can swing the game into your favor. Massacre especially will help deal with their deck if they over-extend.

If you are seeing a lot of Hymn decks, Divert and Misdirection are worth considering in your sideboard. Otherwise, you'll just have to try to strategically hide your bombs with Brainstorm in response to a Hymn/Thoughtseize. Jace, The Mindsculptor, Liliana of the Veil, and Sylvan Library are very helpful tools in a game that will end up going long.

You're going to have to try to gain value off of Planeswalkers and Deeds. If you can out attrition them, you're fine.

-Matt

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Originally Posted by sdematt

You're going to have to try to gain value off of Planeswalkers and Deeds. If you can out attrition them, you're fine.

-Matt

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Concur. My wins against Deadguy come from Deeds hitting multiple permanents, and Jace.

Couple of things I've noticed about this match up:

Ghastly Demise is awkward with Dark Confidant. You have to use Spell Snare/FOW normally to keep him off the board.

They can Vindicate your Deed before you get a chance to untap. So I would suggest pre-Deed discard, or holding your FOW to resolve a Deed. You can let most things resolve on board, so long as you wipe them with Deed later.

Is everyone happy with the creature base of 4 Tarmogoyf (+ 4 snapcaster) and a Creeping Tar Pit? I'm finding in a lot of matchups it is really an asset to have a creature in play. Are 1-2 Tombstalkers or something not worth the slots?