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Watching that first game... Friends don't let friends play Taiga in RUG Delver, though to be fair playing Plateau in Stoneblade seems only slightly better. And that Standstill... what was he thinking? RUG can't be forcing a draw-go game. I would've let him choke on that Standstill and just hit tons of land drops.
Looks like Esper Blade (Shaheen Soorani playing Telemin's Performance again) and American Blade (with Wasteland) made top 8 at the latest Legacy SCG 5k.
I'm working towards building Esperblade right now (before I sold my modo collection I loved it) however I'm not sure if I should go with straight esper blade, or deathblade. When I was playing online I had enjoyed stoneblade more, mostly because of back to basics in the sideboard, however with a sizable chunk of reanimator at my store I'm thinking of making deathblade this time around. Are there any other pros/cons I should be aware of and what would you guys build personally?
EDIT: Currently thinking about playing this: http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/26-08...er-stoneblade/ but it needs help, especially in the sideboard
Stick with Esperblade. I'd much rather play a control deck over a midrange list in this meta. Play RIP, cage, and Containment Priest and don't worry. You can win game one about half of the time depending on your build, and games 2/3 are significantly better for you, as long as you stay on your toes.
From my phone. I do my best, dammit!
Ok, this is what my post-dig list is looking like, any input is appreciated.
Esper Stoneblade
4 Flooded Strand
4 Polluted Delta
2 Marsh Flats
3 Tundra
2 Underground Sea
1 Scrubland
2 Island
1 Plains
1 Swamp
1 Karakas
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Liliana of the Veil
4 Brainstorm
4 Force of Will
4 Swords to Plowshares
1 Counterspell
3 Lingering Souls
2 Ponder
4 Thoutseize
2 Snapcaster Mage
4 Stoneforge Mystic
2 Vendilion Clique
2 True-Name Nemesis
1 Batterskull
1 Umezawa's Jitte
SB:
2 Containment Priest
1 Council's Judgment
1 Disenchant
1 Engineered Plague
1 Flusterstorm
2 Rest in Peace
2 Spell Pierce
2 Supreme Verdict
2 Meddling Mage
1 Enlightened Tutor
What are some of the defining differences between UWR Delver and stoneblade?
..Lack of tempo cards? Isnt it really obvious if you compare the lists?Quote:
Originally Posted by neddsaurus
-4 delver
-4 daze
-2 or 4 wastelands
less spell pierces
I quote.Quote:
Originally Posted by dsck
In add the manabase is different.
The Stoneblade is more solid than UWR Delver.
You probably want Force of Will :wink:Quote:
Originally Posted by ljackstar
As for the sb, I'm not really a fan of Council's Judgement. When would you bring it in? Also, I'm not sure you really need a slot for Toxic Deluge. Zealous Persecution might be better, or a second Supreme Verdict. Deluge seems great for non-white lists as it hits TNN and friends, but it seems worse when we have access to verdict.
If you're putting a FoW in the sideboard, I'd consider a discard spell (Inquisition of Kozilek or Cabal Therapy), another flusterstorm, or another graveyard hate card for the last slot.
Ya there is supposed to be 4 FOW main, though I was thinking of moving 1 to the board. Thanks for the advice I will make those changes tonight!Quote:
Originally Posted by princeofperasia
Is there any time that you would consider LoTV in this deck? Or is just going against our gameplan.
Council's Judgement answers every planeswalker ever, as well as TNN, mom - protected creatures, CB'S worst flip cmc, Wurmcoil trigger with a chalice @ 1 in play, the list goes on. Play at least one in the 75.
From my phone. I do my best, dammit!
How do people feel this deck compares to UWr Mentor Miracles? Does this style of fair midrange/control have better matchups against certain decks? Or are both decks fairly similar in terms of matchup strengths and weaknesses?
I ask this as someone who took an extended break from playing Delver variants, starting with UWr Blade, and then eventually shifting over to UWr Mentor Miracles. I've had success with both decks, but to be completely honest, Mentor feels far more broken and slightly more consistent.
Obviously both decks have access to the same pool of cards, and both play somewhat similarly aside from their win-condition of choice. However, it seems like most decks are better equipped to deal with Stoneforge Mystic + Equipment (or can just pretty much ignore it outright, e.g. most forms of combo), whereas a Countertop soft-lock is problematic for far more decks in the format.
I'll grant that an unopposed Batterskull absolutely *crushes* Delver, but it seems like Mentor is capable of the same level of crush-itude if it establishes the lock and draws enough removal (Counterbalance + SDT generally spells gg, BUG Delver's Abrupt Decay aside).
Is it merely a matter of card availability? Would Blade players jump ship and play Miracles instead if the cost of cards were of no concern? Or is there something going on in the metagame I'm missing that justifies playing Blade over Miracles? It just seems like the format is fairly close to being 'solved' in terms of converging on an ideal form of midrange control strategy, and the form it's taking involves Countertop + Monastery Mentor.
With the meta today, I don't think LoTV is as good today as she was a year ago. Back then she fought TNN very effectively, but people are shifting towards Pyromancer and Mentor making her -2 ability lackluster.Quote:
Originally Posted by ljackstar
I don't mind a one of Council's Judgement to answer the random card your opponent sticks to the table, but having two in the board seems clunky. At best it's a one-for-one answer whereas you want your sideboard to shore up major weaknesses. Just my two cents.Quote:
Originally Posted by Secretly.A.Bee
Hmm, sad to see the downgrade but honestly its understandable. Hopefully bfz will show us some sweet equipment or synergy. Or just something else broken in the same way its older brother did and promptly gave birth to the x-blade archetype.
On a side-note, what are people's thoughts on baby jace, i see a lot of control or tempo decks run him but obviously results may vary.
I play 1 main, 1 side most of the time, but sometimes I main them both. Clunky hasn't really been an issue.Quote:
Originally Posted by princeofperasia
From my phone. I do my best, dammit!
I like the 1 main 1 side idea. My biggest issue with them is just that they cost 3 mana, but having a catch all answer is extremely nice.
What are your guy's thoughts on running true name in the deck? I'm considering putting 2 in, and taking out 1 Clique and 1 other card I haven't decided yet. Is it possible I should be replacing the cliques entirely, or moving 1 the the board?
And is it possible for us to play 4 digs? Watching Eternal Weekend and the latest SCG Invitational it's clear that dig is simply the most powerful card in the format, and several games seemed to come down to who had more digs in their list. Maybe with Jace looter we can afford to push the dig count to 4?
I like 2 TNN main deck
I thought tnn was like a super-staple for the deck, like omniscience for SnT
Yes and no. I play at least one, but often 2. It's important to have access to, but not always something you want. It's an easy sb out card for clique to come in, they are essentially twins, just good for different matchups.
From my phone. I do my best, dammit!
Alright thanks.
Now has anyone tried 4 digs? It might be difficult right now, since we don't spew as much stuff into our graveyard as delver per say, but the card is just individually powerful enough that it might be worth it. My initial thought is to run JVP, but I'm not sure what to cut for it.