[Deck] Nic Fit (GBx Explorer Zenith Control)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jbone2016

Needs a 60th card. So Top is probably it.
Or another threat?

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Forgot about Garruk, Primal Hunter.




Lands (24)

2 Bayou
1 Taiga
1 Badlands
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Wooded Foothills
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Dryad Arbor
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Phyrexian Tower
3 Forest
2 Swamp
1 Mountain

Creatures (11)

4 Veteran Explorer
1 Eternal Witness
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Blitz Hellion
1 Thrun, The Last Troll
1 Primeval Titan
1 Thragtusk
1 Huntmaster of the Fells

Planeswalkers (1)

Garruk, Primal Hunter

Artifacts (2)

2 Sensei's Divining Top

Enchantments (3)

3 Pernicious Deed

Sorceries (12)

4 Green Sun's Zenith
4 Cabal Therapy
2 Duress
2 Maelstrom Pulse

Instants (7)

3 Abrupt Decay
4 Punishing Fire


Sideboard (15)

2 Slaughter Games
3 Red Elemental Blast
2 Carpet of Flowers
2 Extirpate
1 Duress
3 Mindbreak Trap
2 Ashen Rider



And the Toughtseizes are a question of budget, indeed, as soon as I can I'll replace Duress for it.

I just got thinking since im planning on doing legacy in a couple days, how is our enchantress match-up? I assume Deed is an all-star, even more so if they dont run replenish.

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Originally Posted by kavaki

I just got thinking since im planning on doing legacy in a couple days, how is our enchantress match-up? I assume Deed is an all-star, even more so if they dont run replenish.

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Deed is very strong, Innocent Blood is good if you get them early with it. Watch out for Karmic Justice and Replenish. I think we're favored, but it's very possible to lose if they do their thing and we don't have a Deed. You have to clock them pretty early, to try and prevent them from setting up again after your disruption happens.

While amusing to play, this deck felt just awful in so many of my matches this weekend. I don't think I'll ever be touching it again in a game of sanctioned magic.

Having a slam dunk RUG/BUG match up does not make up for all the matches it just fails in.

I lost too more than one player who actually had no idea how their own deck worked, just because their deck was more powerful. Felt really bad.

~Jeff

You know what also feels bad?

Reading how players do bad with their own janky versions of the deck and then blame the deck ("hey let's put these cards into the deck they look like fun and four GSZ is too much anyway and who needs Sensei's Tops or a Sideboard, Dryad Arbor 111!!1!1 it is just too good to not play it"). Obviously WITHOUT ANY TESTING or you would have known before about the lack of power.

He's got a point Jeff. I don't claim that this deck is the greatest, but you really did go with an unorthodox list that many people tried to help you fix prior.

The deck is powerful against almost every creature-based aggro deck out there, UW control, Stone/Deathblade, RUG and BUG. It is not favorable against Show and Tell, Ant/Storm, Burn. To say it's only good against RUG and BUG, this is lack of experience with the deck to say the least.

There are very few decks in Legacy that actually do more powerful things than Nic Fit. Those are combo decks, 12Post and MUD.

The combo issue is addressed in the sideboard, which you knowingly chose to eschew by running Burning Wish.

The other two are such a small part of the metagame that most of us are willing to accept those losses (though personally I don't usually have a tough time with MUD).

If you played against those all day well then that's just bad beats. Otherwise taking a relatively untested janky brew as opposed to tried and true versions that we've worked on in this forum is not really a recepie for success or a testament to the archtype in general.

This deck, more than most in Legacy, rewards practice and familiarity; things you don't have with it. And to think you can whip up a list that looks cool and have instant success with it is borderline assinine. Not taking the advice of those of us who have played it for years is not a flaw of the deck.

I've been tinkering with the deck, this friday me and some friends will get together to play some Legacy, I might bring this to the table:



Lands (23)

2 Bayou
1 Taiga
1 Badlands
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Wooded Foothills
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Phyrexian Tower
3 Forest
2 Swamp
1 Mountain

Creatures (11)

4 Veteran Explorer
2 Eternal Witness
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Thrun, The Last Troll
1 Primeval Titan
1 Thragtusk
1 Huntmaster of the Fells

Planeswalkers (1)

Garruk, Primal Hunter

Artifacts (3)

3 Sensei's Divining Top

Enchantments (3)

3 Pernicious Deed

Sorceries (12)

4 Green Sun's Zenith
4 Cabal Therapy
2 Maelstrom Pulse
2 Duress

Instants (7)

3 Abrupt Decay
4 Punishing Fire


Sideboard (15)

2 Slaughter Games
3 Red Elemental Blast
2 Carpet of Flowers
2 Extirpate
3 Mindbreak Trap
2 Ashen Rider
1 Garruk Relentless



My meta:

Jund, Goblins, UR Delver, RUG Delver, Shardless BUG, ANT/TES, Show and Tell, Reanimator, Death and Taxes, Maverick

Some of those decks belong to just a few players, who rotate them.

It seems a BUG list got 3-1 in a daily.

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/digital.../tourn/6044698

I love the Wurm in the board.

Another 3-1 from a couple days before. 4 color pod!

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/digital.../tourn/6044527

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jbone2016

It seems a BUG list got 3-1 in a daily.

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/digital.../tourn/6044698

I love the Wurm in the board.

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I would never touch anything that DireNTropy runs.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TakeYourTime

I would never touch anything that DireNTropy runs.

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What makes you say that?

Hello all

I've played legacy a long time, and played against this deck on occation. It always seemed awesome to me, so I've decided to try it out.
I've been reading up on this thread, and decided to run the following in a small (21 players, 5 rounds) tournament yesterday

4 Veteran Explorer
1 Deathrite Shaman
1 Scavenging Ooze
2 Sakura-Tribe Elder
2 Wood Elves
1 Eternal Witness
3 Huntmaster of the Fells
1 Thragtusk
1 Primeval Titan

4 Cabal Therapy
4 Burning Wish
4 Green Sun's Zenith
2 Scapeshift

3 Pernicious Deed
3 Sensei's Divining Top

4 Taiga
1 Stomping Ground
3 Badlands
3 Mountain
2 Bayou
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Verdant Catacombs
3 Forest
2 Swamp
1 Phyrexian Tower
1 Kessig Wolf Run
2 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle

Sideboard
2 Red Elemental Blast
2 Thoughtseize
2 Slaughter Games
1 Hull Breach
1 Rakdos's Return
1 Scapeshift
1 Reanimate
1 Virtue's Ruin
1 Pyroclasm
1 Reverent Silence
1 Innocent Blood
1 Maelstrom Pulse


A short report;

Round 1, vs 12post w/ Show and Tell
With him having way more ramp, and a better end-game, this match-up seems like an uphill battle.
It does not feel unwinnable if you keep Primeval Titan of their side of the table.

I lost game 1 to my own mistake, as I forgot to flashback a Therapy, with full knowledge of his hand of 2 Sensei's Divining Top and nothing else
Lost game 2 to Glacial Chasm / Primeval Titan

Record 0-1 (0-2 games)

Round 2, vs. Griffindor (BUG Food Chain/Misthollow Griffin)
Game 1 he combo'ed turn 4, playing 3 Griffins (of Manipulate Fate) and hardcasting Emrakul
Game 2 he got Food Chain + 3 Griffins with an empty hand. I play Deed, then Prime Time wins the game
Game 3 goes back and forth, with him playing his Griffins one by one. I stabelize at 2 life, start gaining life with Deathrite, and ScapeWish for the kill

Record 1-1 (2-3 games)

Round 3, vs. 4-color Shardless Agent / Stoneforge
Game 1 I lose to a Tarmogoyf wielding a hardcasted Batterskull and a Jitte
Game 2 After I resolve a Primeval Titan for Wolf Run, he cast Big Jace, fateseals me, and dies
Game 3 I rip Brainstorm+Jace from his hand turn 2, wish for Thoughtseize for Force, wish for Scapeshift - GG

Record 2-1 (4-4 games)

Round 4, vs Death and Taxes
Really a bye, as he does nothing I care about. Game 2 I even get 3 Phyrexian Revoker with Therapy

Record 3-1 (6-4 games)

Round 5, vs Goblins
Game 1 he's on the draw. He goes turn 1 Lackey, turn 2 drop Chieftain (of Lackey) + Piledriver, turn 3 Piledriver hit for 17 drop Krenko.
If I had named Kenko of my turn 2 Therapy, I would have swept his board at 1 life, but Krenko has 3 thoughness
Game 2 not close, as I play turn 3 Wish for Pyroclasm, turn 4 Huntmaster -> Therapy 2 Ringleaders, turn 5 Explorer, Pyroclasm, Witness for Pyroclasm. Prime Time + Valakut plays cleanup
Game 3 he has a slow had with Aether vial. His 2 fetches kills him, as I go turn 5 Scapeshift for Valakut + 6 mountains

Record 4-1 (8-5 games)

Thoughts on the deck: AWESOME fun. I'll be playing the deck again on sunday, at a BoM trial.
I for sure am going -1 Rakdos's Return for +1 Thoughtseize in the board

Still up for question
I kinda wanna have an Acidic Slime for Equipment and problem lands main, but don't know what to cut. Maybe Ooze?
-1 Innocent Blood for +1 Chainer's Edict in the board?
11 mountain seems like maybe 1 to few?
I expect more combo (MonoU Omnitell, AnT) on sunday. So I'm thinking 1 more Slaughter Games? (to bring in 2, keep 1 board).

What do you guys think?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kavaki

What makes you say that?

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TakeYourTime has been helping me fine-tune the deck. He came up with half the sideboard haha.

The decklist posted in the daily results has a few differences from the actual list due to card availability (I don't have Force of Will or Flusterstorm on MTGO).

Here's the list I'm playing in paper:

Decklist
Cantrips (6)
4 Brainstorm
2 Ponder

Discard (6)
4 Cabal Therapy
2 Thoughtseize

Removal (9)
4 Innocent Blood
2 Abrupt Decay
3 Pernicious Deed

Creatures (12)
4 Veteran Explorer
3 Baleful Strix
2 Vendilion Clique
1 Thragtusk
2 Grave Titan

Card Advantage (6)
1 Recurring Nightmare
2 Liliana of the Veil
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

Lands (21)
2 Swamp
3 Island
1 Forest
2 Underground Sea
1 Tropical Island
1 Bayou
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Polluted Delta
1 Creeping Tar Pit
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Phyrexian Tower

Sideboard
4 Force of Will
3 Flusterstorm
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Notion Thief
1 Damnation
1 Abrupt Decay
2 Golgari Charm
1 Massacre Wurm

Deck Notes:
-I replaced Green Sun's Zenith with Ponder because the deck is only playing 5 green creatures. Ponder digs for mana, Cabal Therapy, and Veteran Explorer in the early game and Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Grave Titan in the late game. Also provides an additional shuffle effect for Brainstorm and digs for sideboard cards in games 2 and 3.
-Vendilion Clique helps against the deck's main weaknesses, specifically combo and opposing planeswalkers.
-I'm unsure which counterspell should be played alongside Force of Will in the sideboard, as Flusterstorm has anti-synergy with Veteran Explorer.
-The deck is fairly strong against combo, even in game 1 with 6 mainboard discard, 2 Vendilion Clique, and 2 Liliana of the Veil. In games 2 and 3, 10 cards are added, allowing the deck to interact on the stack, with discard, and with permanents.

I've played the deck in 2 dailies so far, going 3-1 in both of them. One of my losses was against Dredge; in game 3 I played Surgical Extraction and misclicked, exiling ZERO cards. I think I would have won that match otherwise.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DireNTropy

I've played the deck in 2 dailies so far, going 3-1 in both of them. One of my losses was against Dredge; in game 3 I played Surgical Extraction and misclicked, exiling ZERO cards. I think I would have won that match otherwise.

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:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

What does everyone think about breaking this thread into separate threads for the different Nic Fit subtypes?

Off the top of my head we have:

• BG
• BUG (Jace/brainstorm)
• GBW (rector and/or other good white cards like angels and enchantments)
• Jund scapewish
• Jund, non-wish
• Pod strategy?

It seems like Nic Fit is now mature enough where each of these subtypes can have their own healthy primer/thread. For example, each blade and tempo deck has their own primer but the core strategies are very much the same.

The TES thread is really well maintained thanks to Bryant Cook; the primer lives in the first few forum posts and they're always kept up to date. Ideally each of these Nic Fit threads would have an equally dedicated primer "owner."

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TakeYourTime

What does everyone think about breaking this thread into separate threads for the different Nic Fit subtypes?

Off the top of my head we have:

• BG
• BUG (Jace/brainstorm)
• GBW (rector and/or other good white cards like angels and enchantments)
• Jund scapewish
• Jund, non-wish
• Pod strategy?

It seems like Nic Fit is now mature enough where each of these subtypes can have their own healthy primer/thread. For example, each blade and tempo deck has their own primer but the core strategies are very much the same.

The TES thread is really well maintained thanks to Bryant Cook; the primer lives in the first few forum posts and they're always kept up to date. Ideally each of these Nic Fit threads would have an equally dedicated primer "owner."

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This comes up every 50pages or so. In the past I have been reluctant to do this but it is starting to seem like a good time.

The archtypes more solidified. We aren't testing wacky things like natural order, future sight or godo anymore.

I think it would be like this:
GBx Goodstuff Nic Fit (Pfire, BUG, GBW "junk", and GB fall into this category)
Scapewish
GBW Thune shenanigans

Anyone doing other cute things could make a thread in developing decks.

3-1 at the local tonight with Scape, only lost to the mirror -- I took 2nd, he took 3rd (breakers by 2.25%). Details tomorrow.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Arianrhod

3-1 at the local tonight with Scape, only lost to the mirror -- I took 2nd, he took 3rd (breakers by 2.25%). Details tomorrow.

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I am the mirror to which he was speaking of and will also be posting details tomorrow.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TakeYourTime

What does everyone think about breaking this thread into separate threads for the different Nic Fit subtypes?

Off the top of my head we have:

• BG
• BUG (Jace/brainstorm)
• GBW (rector and/or other good white cards like angels and enchantments)
• Jund scapewish
• Jund, non-wish
• Pod strategy?

It seems like Nic Fit is now mature enough where each of these subtypes can have their own healthy primer/thread. For example, each blade and tempo deck has their own primer but the core strategies are very much the same.

The TES thread is really well maintained thanks to Bryant Cook; the primer lives in the first few forum posts and they're always kept up to date. Ideally each of these Nic Fit threads would have an equally dedicated primer "owner."

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I think that would be a really good idea- in the current thread it's annoying to see most of the posts have nothing to do with your deck (if you only play 1 version).

I also agree with that organization, except pod would go with gbw. A lot of the lists sharing similar colors can be interchangeable (for example thune fit, except for pod maybe, would be the same with and without the combo). Scapewish/pfire is an obvious exception.

2 Bayou
1 Badlands
1 Taiga
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Bloodstained Mire
3 Swamp
2 Forest
1 Mountain
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
1 Phyrexian Tower
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Volrath's Stronghold

4 Green Sun's Zenith
4 Veteran Explorer
1 Eternal Witness
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Huntmaster of the Fells
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Thragtusk
1 Primeval Titan

3 Sensei's Divining Top

4 Cabal Therapy
3 Thoughtseize
3 Liliana of the Veil
4 Punishing Fire
3 Pernicious Deed
2 Abrupt Decay
2 Slaughter Games


SB: 2 Red Elemental Blast
SB: 2 Pyroblast
SB: 2 Surgical Extraction
SB: 2 Golgari Charm
SB: 2 Carpet of Flowers
SB: 1 Toxic Deluge
SB: 1 Maelstrom Pulse
SB: 1 Abrupt Decay
SB: 1 Eternal Witness
SB: 1 ??

I don't think the Thune version needs its own thread. I would try making a Scapeshift thread and seeing what happens.

@Hymn

Golgari Charm does work against most of the creature / fair decks (D&T, Elves, Confidant, etc.) and it's also great against Sneak Attack. I wouldn't leave home without it.

You'll very rarely need those duals you're missing, but when you do, you really really do. I would run the shocklands, but try to avoid using them if possible.

The list I ran.

Quote:

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4 Veteran Explorer
2 Sakura-Tribe Elder
2 Wood Elves
1 Eternal Witness
3 Huntmaster of the Fells
2 Thragtusk
1 Primeval Titan
4 Cabal Therapy
4 Burning Wish
4 Green Sun's Zenith
2 Scapeshift
3 Pernicious Deed
3 Sensei's Divining Top
2 Thoughtseize
4 Taiga
2 Stomping Ground
3 Badlands
3 Mountain
3 Bayou
4 Forest
2 Swamp
1 Phyrexian Tower
2 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle

SIDEBOARD:
2 Pyroblast
1 Pyroclasm
1 Virtue's Ruin
1 Innocent Blood
1 Reanimate
1 Damnation
1 Scapeshift
1 Reverent Silence
2 Thoughtseize
1 Maelstrom Pulse
3 Slaughter Games

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I ended up running 2 Thought seize MD and 2 Sideboard to test them out. I was worried about more combo.

Round 1: Rock
Game one goes pretty uneventful. I start building up lands and he lowers his life with a dark confidant. I cabal therapy away his Knight of the Reliquary's so that I don't have to worry about him waste landing a "mountain" when I go to win. And eventually I win.
-Nothing sided in.
Game two I keep a hand with thought seize, 2 cabal therapy and a veteran for business and proceed to shot gun his hand including taking care of a leyline he drew later.
1:0

Round 2: Manaless Dredge
Game one I win the die roll and let him go first. Mull down and it goes pretty uneventful. His first time seeing the deck so I got to play out the scapeshift and kill him.
+2 Thoughtseize
-1 Huntmaster
-1 (I do not recall)
Game two I made a hude mistake and didn't bring in the slaughter games. I wasn't thinking. He ends up making a ton of zombies and a flayer and that is that.
+2 Slaughter Games
-2 Thoughtseize
Game three I actually bring them in. We play a few turns and I resolve it on his dread returns and he scoops.
2:0

Round 3: Arianrhod on the same deck with a few small differences.
Game one we play a few explorers and I scape for 8 lands and we go to game 2.
+2 Slaughter Games
+1 Thoughtseize
-1 Huntmaster
-1 Explorer
-1 Deed
Game two I bring in Slaughter Games, and it appears that he does as well. I quickly thoughtseize it away. He brings it back with e witness then rakdos's Returns me for 2 (My hand) making me discard my scapeshift. I spin top and see a green sun zenith, sakura tribe elder and a forest. I have 8 lands out and pause to make sure I am not missing something. My turn I draw the GSZ use it for eternal witness and win.
3:0

Round 4: Mono Blue Omni-Tell
Round 1 I mull to 5 and get stomped.
+2 Thoughtseize
-1 Deed
-1 Huntmaster
Game two I play smart with a cabal therapy. He brainstorms it resolves I name brainstorm. What do you know he had one still in hand. I then eat the force that was hiding in his hand on the flash back and scape that turn for win.
-2 Thoughtseize
+2 Pyroblast

Game three I have a decent hand but recall Arianrhod's experience that he had to throw away perfectly good hands just because they had NO interaction with the other deck. So down that rabbit hole I go. Down to 5 still nothing good. I keep and he wins turn 2 or 3. Nothing I was going to be able to do.

3:1 and good enough for third.

Some thoughts for the first time piloting my own copy of the deck. I definitely liked thought seize but I still feel that it was not good enough to help me with my round 4 opponent. Perhaps it was misplays, wrong side boarding, or perhaps it's just not a match we win. I know I need to get better with what to sideboard, and I am always unsure of what to side out. All in all I had a ton of fun playing the deck.

Thanks for reading.

Also, in response to having a separate thread for at least Scapewish, I am a fan. We seem to have a VERY active thread here and it sometimes is unfortunate when I come to see what people are saying about scape and what might be happening with it and there are pages and pages of other variants you have to dig through. I think it is worth a shot and worse case they just get closed and we all aggregate back to a common thread. That is just my 2 cents though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by doomedfire

Round 4: Mono Blue Omni-Tell
Round 1 I mull to 5 and get stomped.
+2 Thoughtseize
-1 Deed
-1 Huntmaster
Game two I play smart with a cabal therapy. He brainstorms it resolves I name brainstorm. What do you know he had one still in hand. I then eat the force that was hiding in his hand on the flash back and scape that turn for win.
-2 Thoughtseize
+2 Pyroblast

Game three I have a decent hand but recall Arianrhod's experience that he had to throw away perfectly good hands just because they had NO interaction with the other deck. So down that rabbit hole I go. Down to 5 still nothing good. I keep and he wins turn 2 or 3. Nothing I was going to be able to do.

3:1 and good enough for third.

Some thoughts for the first time piloting my own copy of the deck. I definitely liked thought seize but I still feel that it was not good enough to help me with my round 4 opponent. Perhaps it was misplays, wrong side boarding, or perhaps it's just not a match we win. I know I need to get better with what to sideboard, and I am always unsure of what to side out. All in all I had a ton of fun playing the deck.

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Siding out all Pernicious Deeds is a safe bet against Omnitell and Sneak and Tell. You should really bring in these Slaughter Games and always as many Thoughtseize / Red Blast as possible. Don't be shy to side out your Thragtusks, they are just Spined Wurms in this type of matchup.

This is what I would do:
+ 1 Thoughtseize (leave one as Wish target)
+ 2 Red Elemental Blast
+ 2 Slaughter Games (again one Wish target)
- 3 Pernicious Deed
- 2 Thragtusk

I would like to know what you guys think about a Burning Wish package without the Scapeshift combo, just as a toolbox.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ayotte

I don't think the Thune version needs its own thread. I would try making a Scapeshift thread and seeing what happens.

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I think a lot of the card choices are different between different colored nic fit decks. There's no reason to keep them together; no one is changing the core of nic fit across builds.

Sam got top four but died to bryant. I sucked and wouldve gotten top 16, but decided to play vin tage instead.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pfiremc13

I think a lot of the card choices are different between different colored nic fit decks. There's no reason to keep them together; no one is changing the core of nic fit across builds.

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Yeah, but I would like to make sure the split threads are active, which I'm not sure would happen. Honestly, I like it in one thread. I've played a few versions of the deck and I like to be able to keep up to date with what everyone's doing from one location.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ayotte

Yeah, but I would like to make sure the split threads are active, which I'm not sure would happen. Honestly, I like it in one thread. I've played a few versions of the deck and I like to be able to keep up to date with what everyone's doing from one location.

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Fair enough, though I still think it's weird to have unrelated posts in the same thread.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Arianrhod

Sam got top four but died to bryant. I sucked and wouldve gotten top 16, but decided to play vin tage instead.

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This happened. I was about 2 in 3 to take it to game 3 against him, so that was good. Beat Elves by virtue of the 3-Pyroclasm sideboard plan, which was nice. More full report to come, went 4-0-2 in swiss, won the top8 round, lost in top 4.

Lost to goblins. 0-1.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jbone2016

Lost to goblins. 0-1.

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Lost to shardless brug

BUG Pod playing versus shardless BUGr on camera at the moment (scglive).

Alright so report from Top 4 of the Jupiter Games Super IQ with Scapewish:
I've been playing Kevin's (Arianrhod) maindeck without the 2 flex spots and with the 3rd Scapeshift, for 60 cards. My sideboard for the event was the following:
2 Red Elemental Blast
2 Slaughter Games
2 Thoughtseize
3 Pyroclasm
1 Reverent Silence
1 Reanimate
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Virtue's Ruin
1 Innocent Blood
1 Scapeshift

I wanted a Perish over the Virtue's Ruin because I knew there were some Elves players and not any Death and Taxes that I saw, but forgot my copy at home. Kevin prophesied that I would get punished for it. More on that later.

Round 1: Kurt with Black-red discard
Featuring such hits as The Rack, Shrieking Affliction, Blightning and Erebos, God of the Dead. The games weren't especially close, I just played big guys that he had no answer to and pushed his face in with them for a bit. The angry mountains turned up in game 2. I don't sideboard.
1-0 (2-0)

Round 2: Eric Vergo with RUG Delver
This is a friend of mine, we've tested the matchup a lot and we both know what to expect from it. Game 1 I play an early Huntmaster while taking a couple hits from Delver, answer the Delver with a Deed, and eventually Scape him.
I don't sideboard.
Game 2 I mulligan to 5, and decide to keep a greedy hand of Cabal Therapy, Veteran Explorer, Huntmaster, Green Sun's Zenith, Swamp. My reasoning is that I'm comfortable with this matchup, I have a Therapy to make sure my Explorer is good, and if I hit a green land in the next two draws then the hand is exactly what I want. He plays a turn 1 Mongoose, and I draw Taiga, play Swamp, and Therapy naming Stifle. I hit 2, leaving him with Bolt, Submerge, Tarmogoyf. He draws land and plays a 3/4 Goyf. I draw a second Therapy, play Explorer and flash back, taking his Submerge, take his Bolt with the next Therapy, Zenith up another Explorer, take his last card and play Huntmaster, which subsequently flips and takes over completely. A second Hunstman shows up and he packs it in.
2-0 (4-0)

Round 3: Graham Higgins with Sneak/Show
I know what my opponent is on because we played at the last event here. We banter a little because we've also got the same last name, and shuffle up.
Game 1 I mulligan to 6 and keep Scapeshift, Burning Wish, 4 lands. My reasoning here is that if I draw disruption, it buys time for the Wish->Games to hopefully allow me to Scape him, and if I draw a threat I can Wish->Thoughtseize to help get there. It may have been a bad keep. He cantrips for a bit and I Wish for Games on turn 3, he untaps and plays Sneak Attack, Petal, Activate, Emrakul, and I die.
-1 Titan, -2 Thragtusk, -3 Deed, +2 Thoughtseize +2 Slaughter Games +2 REB
Game 2 I have turn 1 Thoughtseize and take Show and Tell, leaving him with some countermagic and some mana but no creature. I hit a turn 3 Slaughter Games for Sneak Attack, because I had a Wish in hand so I could deal with a Shown in monster, but would just die to Sneak->Emrakul. I play Huntmaster and he Intuitions for Show and Tells, then Shows in Griselbrand. I Wish, he tanks and lets it resolve, I cast Innocent Blood, he draws 14 and Forces, I REB it and he concedes.
Game 3, he mulligans leads with a Volcanic Island and I turn 1 Therapy, he Brainstorms in response. I have a Wish in hand, so I reason that the way I lose here is for him to turn 2 a Show and Tell, but he would definitely be hiding his Show and Tell with this Brainstorm, so I name Emrakul, hit, and he shuffles. That leaves him with some lands and a Spell Pierce. I ramp up, Wish for Scapeshift on turn 6, and cast it turn 7 after flashing back to make sure the way was clear.
3-0 (6-1)

Round 4: Doug McKay with Mono-Red Stompy
I know what he is playing, but he doesn't seem to know what I'm on. Game 1 I lose the die roll and keep 4 lands, Wood Elves, Wish, and Zenith, with no basics. He turn 1s a Magus of the Moon, but I Wish for Pyroclasm and then cast it, continue ramping, and then Scapeshift him out before his Koth kills me.
I don't sideboard.
Game 2, I keep a hand that doesn't care about Chalice of the Void and has a Pernicious Deed, basic Forest and a Tribe-Elder, which seems like exactly what I want. He has the turn 1 Chalice, but I get my basic Swamp off the Elder, Deed away two Revokers that he had named Top and Tribe-Elder with, play a Tusk, apply some pressure, and then Scapeshift.
4-0 (8-1)

At this point I'm able to double draw into top 8.

Quarterfinals: Steve Thompson with Elves
Another friend of mine, Kevin reminds me that I will be punished for not having a Perish.
Game 1, I lead with a couple of Explorers, ramp a bit and play a Deed leaving up 1 mana. He has Dryad Arbor, Deathrite and Symbiote in play with a Cradle. On his turn he plays a Heritage Druid, then a Nettle Sentinel, and I blow deed with the Sentinel on the stack. I've thought about this play a lot, and I've decided it was a mistake, and I should have let him continue playing guys, but I was concerned about him Glimpsing and setting up a hand that killed me next turn even though I had the Deed, which was a mistake because he couldn't actually do that. Anyway, the Deed sets off 2 Explorers, leaving me with 7 draws that killed him on the spot. I didn't get the Scapeshift and instead played double Huntmaster, and then he goes off and hoofs me.
-1 Zenith, -2 Thragtusk, -1 Titan, -1 Top, -1 Explorer, +2 Thoughtseize, +2 Slaughter Games, +2 Pyroclasm
Game 2, I bring in all my hate, slow him down with a Pyroclasm, Slaughter Games his Natural Orders, and kill him with a pair of Huntmasters that prevent him from building up enough of a board state to do anything with.
Game 3, he mulligans to 4, and I Thoughseize his Natural Order. He builds up a little bit of a presence including a Deathrite, and I set off an Explorer with Tower. My hand is 3 Wishes. I make a huge mistake here, because I see a line that goes from 6 lands, Wish for Reanimate, get back Explorer, sac it, Wish for Scapeshift, cast it for lethal. I double count that I have enough mana and go for it, and he just exiles my Explorer. Derp. Luckily I'm able to get him next turn with the mountains anyway, but it was quite embarrassing. The right play would have been to just Clasm him, but the line was so cool and I got excited. Anyway, on to the next round.

Semis: Bryant Cook with TES
Game 1 I mulligan to 5 looking for some kind of interaction, and keep land land Zenith Wish Elder in the hope that I draw Therapy or am able to buy enough time with turn 3 Thoughtseize. Obviously that didn't work, and he kills me on his turn 3.
-3 Deed, -1 Titan, -2 Tusk, +2 Thoughtseize +2 REB +2 Slaughter Games
Game 2 I keep a hand with turn 3 Slaughter Games off of Zenith + Tower, with a Top to find discard, slightly greedy but the hand had everything I wanted if the Top hit, and probably better than a random 6. I turn 1 Tower->Top, he plays Tropical Island and passes. I spin on upkeep and find Thoughtseize, which I cast. He has double Dark Ritual, Chrome Mox, LED, Burning Wish, Tendrils, and another black card (Can't read my notes here). I take Tendrils, reasoning that if he doesn't hit the red source for Wish, he can't kill me and I can Games his Wishes to go to game 3. He draws and plays Lotus Petal, and I die.

I had an awesome time at the tournament, felt good about my play outside of those two cases against Elves, and felt very happy with the deck. The 2 Fetchlands have been nice, and I'm still loving the triple Pyroclasm board. I also managed to not get punished for missing my Perish, somehow.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jbone2016

Lost to shardless brug

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Beat hypergenesis and then beat uwr delver blade.
2-2 now.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jbone2016

Beat hypergenesis and then beat uwr delver blade.
2-2 now.

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Can you still top8 with 2 losses?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Punksterbass

Can you still top8 with 2 losses?

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No. Beat bug in round 5. 3-2, now. Curious how the bug pod list is doing.

5-0