[Deck] Imperial Painter

I went a disappointing 1-2 (drop) this weekend with this list:

9 Mountain
1 Mire
1 Foothills
8 Tomb/City
3 Mox
4 SSG
4 Recruiter
4 Magus
4 Servant
2 Jaya
1 Welder
1 Shusher
1 Figure of Distiny
2 Blood Moon
6 Blast
2 Magma Jet
4 Grindstone
3 Top
SB
4 Trinisphere
3 Relic
2 Jitte
3 Pyrokinesis
1 Shusher
1 Heretic
1 Tinkerer

Round 1: Goyf Sligh (0-2) - I lost the first game on the fourth turn right before I was about to combo off. I boarded -4 Grindstone, -3 Blast, -1 Shusher, +3 Relic, +2 Jitte, +3 Pyrokinesis. I didn't side out Moon because I thought it might have been RGW Zoo. I lost game 2 after playing a Magus and Figure which just chump blocked while I used top to try and find a Relic to shrink his Goyf. Pyrokinesis helped me remove every creature except Goyf, and I thought I could last a few turns until he played/equipped a Jitte.

Round 2: Deadguy (2-0) - Game 1 got a first turn Moon which shut off every land he played for the first few turns, and then I Servant / Blasted the only Swamp he played. I boarded -1 Shusher, -2 Blast, +3 Pyrokinesis. I thought he was playing with Bob and not Tombstalker, so I didn't board in Relic. Game 2 he Thoughtsiezed first turn for a Servant, and immediately Extirpated it. He also played a Needle naming Top. But I got Magus down, and then Jaya. I also played a Recruiter for Figure of Destiny. He then played Tombstalker and attacked on his next turn. I drew the land I needed though to make Figure a 4/4 and attacked for 8, slanting the race in my favor. He played another Needle naming Figure, and held his Stalker back to block. Fortunately for me, he didn't draw another creature, and I was able to burn with Jaya for the win. We talked after about how he should have named Jaya with the first Needle.

Round 3: UGB Orb/Gro (0-2) - Game 1 I kept a hand with 5 lands, and 2 creatures thinking that I could draw into some business within the next 2 turns. Unfortunately, I drew only lands for 4 straight turns...loss. I think I boarded -4 Grindstone, +3 Relic, +1 Heretic. I can't remember how game 2 started, but I know I Recruited a Magus but couldn't play it before he played Werebear (with Threshold) using his Tropical Island. I played the Magus anyway, and then he played Orb. I drew Figure and had Top but the Orb shut me down, and Werebear beat me to 0. I haven't played against this deck enough so I'm sure I screwed up the plays, but he definitely was one step ahead in the tempo this whole game.

So I'm still not sure what to do against Zoo-ish Aggro. I think going down to 6 Blasts is good since there are more non-blue decks around these days, but the MD probably needs a little modification to deal with an aggro-heavy metagame.

You can always run Firespout against Zoo, but you run the problem that Goblins does - Spout is going to also kill all your guys, so you're going to really have to play Control if you're going to use it.

Secondly, Firespout doesn't kill Thoctars or Tarmogoyfs (usually), but it will wipe out all the Kird Apes, Wild Nacatls, Pridemages, and Grim Lavamancers, which is a sizable chunk of their force. If you have like a Magma Jet to follow up, you can take out a Thoctar or Goyf as well usually.

It doesn't help you deal with the problem though that all of their removal kills all your guys (Lavamancer is especially brutal on everyone but the Painter's Servant itself).

The more I think about it, the more I think Imperial Painter's matchup against Zoo is easily the worst. At least against Goblins, a well-timed Pyrokinesis kills off 1,2 toughness dudes. Zoo has an annoying toughness of 4 and 5 everywhere. Nacatls are 3, which is within Firespout, but Firespout is weak for your plans.

This is what I suggest, running some extinction effect, that kills all green creatures. That way, you get rid of Qasali, Goyf, Thoctars, Nacatls while leaving Apes and Lavamancers. Still doesn't solve the problem since they have burn against your Painter, and sadly, Helix, Bolt, Blast all hit his 3 toughness.

It's a super tough matchup I would assume, and Redblasts does nothing. You said Trinisphere is bad, but I think it's still your only chance on G2, mulling and going T1 Trinisphere, and hopefully slow them down. Maybe even Sphere of Resistance is worth considering.

Or just run Landstill and win the aggro matchup :)

I have a lot of problems to win against zoo-ish in my :u: :r: version, btw after some test I've decided to side in/out the following cards:

OUT

• 1x Vexing Shusher
• 2x Magus of the Moon
• 1x Pithing Needle
• 1x Brainstorm

IN

• 1x Kira, the Glass Spinner
• 1x Engineered Explosives
• 1x Relic of Progenitus
• 2x Divert

With your blue splash, you also have the option of just running a bunch of red hate cards like Chill, BEB, etc.

In my experience, Zoo decks these days run a really heavy red/burn package (Lightning Bolt, Lavamancer, Kird Ape, Lightning Helix, Chain Lightning, Wooly Thoctar), so those spells should theoretically work well against them.

Blue also gives you the Propaganda option, which makes it tough for them to attack you in large numbers and gives you time to set up your combo.

Again though, Propaganda is only going to stall them, it won't actually protect your Painter from being burned out the way Chill or BEB can.

Quote:

---

You can always run Firespout against Zoo, but you run the problem that Goblins does - Spout is going to also kill all your guys, so you're going to really have to play Control if you're going to use it.

---

I thought about this, but in addition to the fact that it kills my guys too, they can too easily play around it, and resetting the board doesn't help me if they can just drop another cheap big creature that puts me right back on the defensive. I'd rather burn their creatures directly so they have to spend their resources to kill my guys.

Quote:

---

This is what I suggest, running some extinction effect, that kills all green creatures.

---

That would be cool, but I don't know of one that's red.

Quote:

---

It's a super tough matchup I would assume, and Redblasts does nothing. You said Trinisphere is bad, but I think it's still your only chance on G2, mulling and going T1 Trinisphere, and hopefully slow them down. Maybe even Sphere of Resistance is worth considering.

---

My main problem with 3sphere against fast aggro besides Burn is that even if you drop it first turn, if they get to 3 mana they can just start dropping big creatures. I haven't tested this too many times, but from the few times I have, the tempo gain I might get in the first 2 turns disappears as long as they get a 3rd land, and I find myself on the defensive if I can't combo out by turn 4.

Quote:

---

Or just run Landstill and win the aggro matchup :)

---

I was counting on you to do this Chris...:)

Quote:

---

With your blue splash, you also have the option of just running a bunch of red hate cards like Chill, BEB, etc.

---

I agree that if you run blue, these sorts of cards might be a really good option.

What I'm going to do with my mono-red is go back to one of my older builds. I actually only played it once, but got 1st with it, so I'm not exactly sure why I changed it so much. Back then, I ran more burn MD to handle "random aggro", but since aggro isn't so random anymore, I'm thinking it might be a good call. This was the old MD.

9 Mountain
1 Mire
1 Foothills
8 City/Tomb
3 Mox
4 SSG
4 Recruiter
4 Magus
4 Servant
3 Jaya
3 Lightning Bolt
3 Magma Jet
6 Blast
3 Top
4 Grindstone

And I would have a SB like this possibly:
4 Trinisphere
4 Relic
2 Blood Moon
2 Pyrokinesis
2 Shusher
1 Heretic

The 3 Lightning Bolts, 3 Jets, and 3 Jayas in the MD would allow for a pretty decent removal approach in game 1 that does not need Servant to be alive. Also, I am definitely going back to 4 Relics in the SB. I think that if I am not running Goyf, then I need 4 of these. Also, like you said Jeff, Lavamancer is bad for me, so I really need to deny the graveyard as a resource. Against RGW Zoo I could board in:

+2 Moon, +2 Pyrokinesis, +4 Relic

...and board out:

-4 Blast, and either -4 Grindstone or -1 Grindstone and -3 Top? maybe I can board out 2 Magus also?

To be honest, I would board out Top. And keep the Grindstones if you still run gamble. Top is too slow against Zoo. I'm pondering on 2 Tops in Landstill, which is amazing, but if our meta is really zoo-infested, Top is too slow and I would rather have business spells to cast everyturn.

I'm not sure how consistent Imperial Painter is in getting out the combo, but if it's VERY consistent, I like 3Sphere protection into Painter Grindstone combo. But I agree that if they hit 3 mana, you're in risk of burn, but I think aside from that, you really slow them down from Turn 1 Nactal, Turn 2 Nactl Bolt etc. You force them to go Turn 3 Bolt, then drop a creature. Although I must say that boarding MU is bad for you. Maybe a RW Imperial list can play Absolute Law, which is a house against burn, goblins and Zoo i.e. leaving your Painters alive aside from StPs/Paths.

I would probably board out Magus, since they're really bad against Zoo. Blood Moon is better, so board out Magus and maybe put in disruption. I think it's time to bring in the old list Drew. Zoo's unchecked in our meta now. It's winning more than ANT lol in a non-blue environment. Imagine how bad that situation is when ANT is supposed to cakewalk a non-blue environment but Zoo is bringing in T2/T4 for more than 3 weeks in a row.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Esper3k

With your blue splash, you also have the option of just running a bunch of red hate cards like Chill, BEB, etc.

---

chiLL kiLLs you too... not a good idea imho.

Would Powder Keg be a reasonable option in monored against zoo? It kills your painters at 2 and your grindstones at 1, but otherwise you can get away unscathed, as the rest of your guys are 3cc

DUH, forgot about Keg. Keg's a house. You have 1 MD Welder so it's not a problem if you're forced to blow up Stones or Painter. Keg is good, might be slow if not landed Turn 1/2, but it's good if you play the original list with bolts and jets to slow them down. Also, board in Jittes against theirs, or you'll hit yourself for losing to a lone Kird Ape and if they don't draw Jitte, then you can swing with yours and gain life while comboing out.

I would board Jaya out against Zoo. She's pretty much something you never want to draw against Zoo since she takes a turn to get active (so she will pretty much always die before she gets to do anything) as well as can't really block anything in Zoo.

Against Zoo, I like Lightning Bolt, but don't like Magma Jet. Other than killing a Lavamancer or a Pridemage, you're really not going to actually kill anything in the deck (other than the very rare T1 2/2 Nacatl).

Keg is better, but again, you do run many things in the came CMC as Zoo too, so you have to be careful when using it.

I have used Kegs in the SB before, but the problem I had was that it was a little too slow. Sometimes the turns it took to generate counters made it ineffective, and also everyone boards in artifact hate against IP, so it could just be destroyed.

I agree that Jaya is not the greatest vs. something as fast as Zoo, and I have been happy for a while only running 2. So, that means I can either put 1 Shusher back in the MD and have an open slot in the SB, or put something totally different in the MD.

Re: the Jets, I know that they don't kill any Zoo creatures on their own, but they can combine with a blocker or other burn spell, and they will kill a Nacatl if Blood Moon has taken away a color or 2. Mainly, they are there for general use, aside from Zoo, so that I have a slightly diversified casting cost (get around a Chalice for example), scry away useless cards (especially in combination with Top), and kill many other relevant creatures like Bob, Goblins, etc. And against Zoo, even if I have to combine a Jet with a chump-blocker to kill a creature, scrying can ensure that I follow up with a business spell. That said, maybe maxing out the Lightning Bolt count is a good idea.

As far as other anti-Zoo cards...I could add another Blood Moon to the SB, add another Pyrokinesis to the SB, or try a Duplicant. Other thoughts?

Finally finished my set of Recruiters so I can try & build a version of this deck. However, New England is becoming infested with Zoo...I'm going to be trying to splash colors to make the deck more resilient. Thoughts on some of the following options?

Green:
makes Shusher easier to cast
some Llurgoyf critter as an alternate finisher
Grip against the stupid omni-present Counter-Top
Dense Foliage to protect the Painter
Eternal Witness to get back pieces

Blue:
gives BEB & Hydroblast and/or Chill & Propaganda out of the SB
MD Trinket Mage fetches Grindstone & is fetchable via Recruiter, giving many more early configurations that get you both combo pieces
Stifle & Trickbind can slow down many decks (and a slow Zoo deck with a crippled manabase is a sad Zoo deck...) might be worth going heavy on these & Wastelands to have the ability to set up the normal control game this deck can play with a Painter & Jaya
also gives the possibility of Stifle-Nought...
means Academy Ruins can be used for retrieval of combo pieces & hate such as EE, Crypt etc

White:
Absolute Law - burn what?
Enlightened Tutor - don't care about CA if I win next turn...
Moat - although it would probably be too slow versus many of the decks it would be needed for
Lightning Helix - if we run burn, on which point I'm not convinced, why not run 3 damage burn that keeps us alive?
various white effects that return artifacts to hand...
efficient removal that should be better than burn in this deck
Chant/Silence/Abeyance as options versus combo & to force through pieces

Black:
ummmm, not seeing many things that aren't done better in another color...

The two versions that excite me most are RU with a Stifle-Nought, heavy LD option & the ability to SB into 8 Blue Blasts and the RW version with E. Tutor, heavy Chant effects & LEDs for the '1 big turn win' with recursion & Absolute Law out of the board. Step one, finalizing decklists & then on to testing.

Just to note, I think Absolute Law is a really bad card for this deck to play as a large strategy of the deck is dropping the Painter down naming Blue and using REB's. REB = very sad when everyone is Prot Red...

In general, I like the blue splash, although you could conceivably splash both Blue and White and get your Red/White/Blue deck :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Esper3k

Just to note, I think Absolute Law is a really bad card for this deck to play as a large strategy of the deck is dropping the Painter down naming Blue and using REB's. REB = very sad when everyone is Prot Red...

In general, I like the blue splash, although you could conceivably splash both Blue and White and get your Red/White/Blue deck :)

---

RWU Imperial America :cool: not only is trying to conceive a manabase giving me a cross-eyed migraine but don't think I can possibly fit everything in that I would want! Having enough trouble with that with the 2-color versions... That is a good point on the REBS, except that they still function just fine as counterspells (versus blue decks) and if they can't control my combo, they should just lose... And lose quickly if I add tutoring to summon up the missing link, while still leaving my critters able to block all day if I call red with Painter (which would incidentally also stop Qasali & Grip from screwing with the combo).

I know Hollywood has a RW list that he's been playing.

I could see the Absolute Law thing out of the SB maybe being ok if you name "red" with Painter. You'd probably board out Blasts. Your Servant would be protected from Quasali and Grip, but of course the Absolute Law would probably get destroyed by them instead. But without either of those cards, it's true that Zoo won't be able to touch the scarecrow. You would just have to combo out really quickly because Zoo's creatures would now be unblockable.

Scrumdogg, are you trying to keep Ancient Tombs in your color-splashed manabase?

Thus far in the Source tournament, I am 2-0-0 with R/w Imperial Painter. Hell, I'll even post my list because I don't really care either way. It's really no secret what I play:

//0cc
[3x] Chrome Mox

//1cc
[4x] Figure of Destiny
[4x] Red Elemental Blast
[4x] Grindstone
[4x] Lightning Bolt
[4x] Pyroblast

//2cc
[4x] Painter's Servant

//3cc
[4x] Imperial Recruiter
[4x] Simian Spirit Guide
[4x] Magus of the Moon
[2x] Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
[1x] Viashino Heretic

//Land
[6x] Mountain
[4x] Plateau
[4x] Ancient Tomb
[4x] City of Traitors

//Sideboard
[4x] Active Volcano
[4x] Trinisphere
[4x] Faerie Macabre
[3x] Pyrokinesis

I wanted to bring this list forward right after at least the second round ended so we can take a look what is working best in a generic sense. I've been really happy with this list because it has a very good sideboard approach to some of the most powerful decks in the format.

Mount Vesuvius Erupts

I've decided to play an extra four "Blast" effects in the sideboard, a la Active Volcano. So far, I have to say I've been very pleased. It's funny: They were originally in the very first list I had ever seen, and I even played a few. It's a highly underrated addition to the sideboard because of the Merfolk match. You'd think it would be in your favor with all the blue hosing effects you supply, but it doesn't work that way. Merfolk are very resilient and can pose a huge threat to this deck if not dealt with properly. Active Volcano really can throw an opponent off when he least expects it. It also acts like a pseudo-Recoil, with an end-of-turn bounce effect that can not only set your opponent back a turn, but make them discard a card in the early goings.

Four Faerie Macabre...What?!?

Truth is: I really underestimated this card when I first ran this deck. I used to only play two or three and called it sufficient. But, to my own surprise, I needed more. I really didn't always want to Imperial Recruiter for one, so increasing my chances plucking one or in the opening seven was critical in stopping decks like Ichorid and the sort. In testing, he has been a priceless asset that just shocks an opponent when they think you have absolutely nothing in your hand. They (the graveyard-toting opponent) expect you to pass the turn with nothing to do. But the Faeries are critical in that match. Very critical.

Finding Our Destiny

After I began thinking about replacements for the Sword of Light and Shadow slots, I began wondering if there was possibly a creature that could compensate. After all, there really was a distinct issue when it came to dealing with decks toting bigger baddies than my own. So, I decided to give a relative newcomer a try. Boy, did he light up the world here. He shines so much in the most intricate ways. Here, you have a simplistic one-drop for either a red or white source. He then continues getting bigger at a scorching pace, leaving all smaller creatures before him dead in his path. The most important thing to note is his 4/4 development; most Goyfs I've dealt with that early typically sit at 3/4. He can get in there a few times before you secure the board with lock or combo components. He also soaks up early removal; compensating for the arrival of the Servant. A truly magnificent inclusion that really only makes the deck better.

So, Why Plateau and No "non-Hybrid" White Spells?

You know, I was asking myself this very question before. Originally, before changes were made, I included Enlightened Tutor and Hannah's Custody in my list. I even had one single Radiant's Dragoons in the board as well (including some prototype lists than never made it public). The Plateaus are basically there currently for "sketch" purposes until I decide what they are used for. It's almost a foregone conclusion you can expect me to have some white cards in the board; cards like Dragoons, Custody, and the sort. Right now the Plateaus are essentially "on tilt".

The Exorcist II: The Viashino Heretic

When thinking about silver bullets for the main, I really didn't want to overdo it with all the cool and exotic things you can get with Recruiter because it just waters down the deck. I kept it simple with a Heretic, who ironically has been one of the most critical components in Imperial Painter thus far. I've had him in my main for quite some time, but he was needed now more than ever with the inclusion of Figure of Destiny to combat Chalice of the Void. I've gone to get this guy so many times with Recruiter, I may even up the count to two.

So, basically what I did is use the Source tournament as a gauge to see where the evolution of my build has gone, and more importantly, where it is going. Albeit a strong start at 2-0-0, I can still find room for improvement based on the matches I've had to contend with. I'll make sure a written report is issued when the tournament is over, out of respect for my opponents. Hopefully, the winning trend will hold up.

I played the weekend before last at a small tournament in Garland, and then this past weekend back in Houston. Here's a report for both.

I have been trying some different things to help with the Zoo matchup and ended up coming up with slightly more burn in the MD and a mana-denial strategy out of the SB. A brief disclaimer - I know I have written before about how I didn't like Trinisphere because it can backfire on you. But I took my friend Chris's advice that it might be our best chance against something like Zoo and added Pillage to the SB to complement it and Blood Moon so that I could just try and keep Zoo from playing Magic at all. Here's the list I used the last two weeks:

10 Mountain
1 Mire
1 Foothills
4 Tomb
3 City
3 Mox
4 SSG
4 Magus
4 Recruiter
4 Servant
2 Jaya
1 Shusher
7 Blast
3 Lightning Bolt
2 Magma Jet
3 Top
4 Grindstone
SB
4 Trinisphere
3 Relic
3 Blood Moon
3 Pillage
2 Pyrokinesis

I replaced 1 City with a Mountain because I was tired of having City as a starting land and I wanted a better chance at getting double red. While the likelihood of a first-turn Trinisphere or Moon is less, with the Bolts/Blasts, I have found that you can usually answer a first turn spell and then play Trinisphere/Blood Moon second turn and it works just fine.

Tournament in Garland....

Round 1 - GW Aggro: Game 1, I kept a hand with a mountain and 1 SSG as the lands, but had a Top, Servant, Grindstone, and Bolt. I went first, played the mountain and Top, and passed. He played a Birds. I drew something other than a land, Bolted the Bird, and passed. He played another land and some creature. I used Top during the upkeep, and found no land, and passed the turn. He played Troll Ascetic, and attacked with his other creature. I then decided to use SSG to play the Servant. He then played something else and attacked. I decided to play the Grindstone on my turn instead of using Top. He attacks on his turn and of course I am getting low on life. I use Top during the upkeep and find City, which I keep until my next turn just in case he has Wasteland or something. He attacks and gets me down to like 4, and then I play City and combo off. I board in 2 Pyrokinesis, and 3 Relics (I'm assuming he has Goyf even though I didn't see it) taking out 3 Blasts, 1 Grindstone, and 1 Shusher. I lose Games 2 and 3 horribly because he has an insane amount of artifact destruction each time and a Troll Ascetic that gets enchanted or equipped.

Round 2 - Cascade Hypergenesis: I think I go first game 1 and play a first turn Magus. He plays a land I don't recognize that would have been able to tap for any color. I then play Servant and pass the turn. He plays another land and passes to me. I then play a third land and Grindstone. On his third turn he plays his cascade spell, and since I have not seen this before, I have to ask what's going on. So he hits Hypergenesis and plays Akroma and the rest of his hand, and I play my Recruiter and the second Servant he tutored up, but none of that mattered because I won the next turn. I wasn't sure what to board in, so I just got Relics and took out Bolts and Shusher. I can't remember exactly how game 2 started, but he cascaded right after I played Servant with a hand full of nasty big dudes. Unfortunately for him, he had sided in 1 Pithing Needle and hit that instead of Hypergenesis. He named Grindstone, but I played Jaya and ended up killing his lands and beating for the win.

Round 3 - Mono Black Control: Game 1 was long and crazy. He discards some of my stuff, while I resolve a Top and remove some his creatures with burn. He ends up attacking me down to 1 and playing a Lich's Mirror (crazy), but I am able to get out Servant and Grindstone to combo off and force him to reset. On his first turn after the reset, he gets a miracle starting hand with Dark Ritual that let's him kill my Servant. I follow with a Magus of the Moon. He ends up not playing a spell for several turns while I keep dropping creatures and beating with 2/2's. I finally get him to 3 and Bolt for the win. Game 2 I get a sweet draw and combo on turn 3 with Blast support.

Top 4 - UGWB Countertop: I don't really remember how these games went exactly, but Magus and/or Moon won them both I think.

Finals - Charbelcher: Game 1 I get out a Servant early with a Blast in hand, and keep piling on creatures as he plays 2 LED's and a Petal. When he starts to go off on turn 3 or 4, I let him build up and decide to wait to counter Charbelcher but he Empties the Warrens instead for 10 dudes. Luckily, he has taken enough damage, I have enough guys, and I beat for the win. I board in Trinisphere, Pyrokinesis and Pillage, taking out Tops, Magus, ShusherGame 2 I keep a hand with 3 Mountains, a Servant and Grindstone and decide I'll settle on giving him a 3 turn clock even though he is on the play and it works. I win.

Tournament yesterday in Houston...

Round 1 - RGW Zoo (here's the moment of truth): Game 1 he is on the play but has to mull to 5. I have a hand with Top, Servant, Blast, Grindstone, Magma Jet, Mountain and SSG. He plays a turn 1 un-pumped Ape and I Magma Jet him on my turn seeing another Mountain and City with the scry, which I keep on top. I can't remember what he plays on his second turn, but I play Top and Grindstone. He drops a Thoctar I thin on turn 3, and I decide to play slowly so I can try and find a second Blast with Top before I put Servant on the board. Luckily I find it, and combo out on like turn 5 or 6. I board in the resource denial plan, putting my entire sideboard in, and taking out Shusher, 2 Grindstone, 3 Top, 4 Magus, 5 Blast. He starts without playing a creature, and I start with a Relic. He then plays a second land (both duals), and does nothing. I then play a Tomb, and a second turn Trinisphere. In hindsight, I probably should have played the Blood Moon in my hand instead since he could have just Gripped the Trinisphere with a third land. But he does not draw a third land on his third turn, so he's locked out. I then play Blood Moon, which ends up cutting off his colors. The game is slow from here. On my next 3 turns, I play a second Trinisphere, a Grindstone, and then Recruit for a Sevant, which is the second one in my hand. I don't have 6 mana out, and I want to wait so I can play both Servants at once and force him to kill both. While waiting I play a second Blood Moon and attack him for 1 a few times, all while keeping his graveyard empty. Finally, I get my 6th mana, play both Servants, and pass the turn. At EOT he pays 3 and sac's 2 of his 4 lands to Fireblast 1 Servant. He needs to topdeck a land to kill me second one, but does not, and I win. Hooray! I beat Zoo. I must say though that even with good draws I needed for him to get some bad luck. We played another post-board game for fun and he won handily with Thoctar out under my Trinisphere. Blood Moon is much better against them than Trinisphere.

Round 2 - BG Land Destruction Control: This was our friend's homebrew deck with lots of acceleration into lots of land destruction and some Hypnotics and Terravores for beatdown. Game 1 I was able to get Top out early and counter some of his crucial spells with a Servant and Blasts. The game took a while but Jaya ended up burning for the win. Since I saw he had Gaea's Blessing, I sided out Grindstones, Shusher and boarded in Relics and Pyrokinesis. Game 2 he destroyed more lands early on but I was able to play a Servant and keep at least 2 lands while I beat for the win. One crucial play here was being able to Pyrokinesis his Terravore while it was still a 4/4.

Round 3 - RG Goblins: Game 1 I was on the draw I think but had a decent hand with the combo. I played turn Servant after he played a Lackey, and turn 2 Grindstone, but he had second turn Hooligan to kill my Servant, and dropped something scary with Lackey (can't remember what). I was able to Recruit a second Servant, and had Chrome Mox + red card that gave me 5 mana on the next turn to play Servant and combo off. Unfortunately he had too much by then and attacked with double hasted Piledriver and like 4 ot 5 other Goblins that turn. I boarded out 7 Blasts and a Shusher, and boarded in Pyrokinesis, Pillage, and 3 Trinisphere. I had a hand with first turn Magus or Trinisphere. Having not played Goblins in a while (or seen Wasteland at all for that matter), I made the stupid mistake of playing the turn 1 Trinisphere. He then Wasted my Tomb, and while I had a second land in hand, I did not draw another for 5 turns at least. Meanwhile, he dropped lands every turn and his first actual play was a Siege-Gang Commander. I conceded soon thereafter.

Although I was 2-1 in the Houston tourney, I was paired down after round 1 so I didn't make Top 4. Still, I was happy enough beating Zoo.

So, with only a few games using the new list, I'm pretty happy with it. I like the idea that I can board in an entire strategy that utilizes the deck's explosive manabase, but time will tell how effective it really is. Also, it is still apparent that Trinisphere can backfire, but I blame myself for the stupid play this time.

Nice work, Drewlius. I'm glad to see those changes working for you. Sometimes opening with a City can be tiresome, especially if it is one of your only lands.

As for me; I'm currently 3-1 in the Source tournament with my version of Imperial Painter. Once it is over, I'll be sure to post a report.

Thanks man. I finally built Dreadstill as a second Legacy deck but I just can't stop playing Imperial Painter. Well done on your results so far too Hollywood. I didn't realize the Source tourney took so damn long, but good luck the rest of the way.