You can pay GGG and regenerate it the Times if you wanted. But it would only save it from lethal once is what I am saying.
For simplicity sake, a creature can only be regenerated once per turn.
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You can pay GGG and regenerate it the Times if you wanted. But it would only save it from lethal once is what I am saying.
For simplicity sake, a creature can only be regenerated once per turn.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Megadeus
That's not simpler, it's manifestly false. A creature can be regenerated as many times as you want, provided you can pay the cost. The trick is just that pre-emptive regeneration only covers at most one dealing of lethal damage. So to regenerate multiple times, you'd have to regenerate in response to the distinct instances of lethal damage.
Simpler - If a creature would die from anything, Regenerate it. It'll live unless the thing killing it says otherwise(ie. Can't be regenerated). You can do this as many times you can afford to pay the cost(s).
So. you can regenerate the Boa from as many Decays/Bolts/Verdicts as you can pay for as long as you regenerate before each instance of the killing spell resolves. If you wait until after, Boa dies.
Also, putting the shield on does not tap the creature. Hollows is not a pseudo Icy Manipulator. If the shield is used (the creature would die) it will become tapped, 1 destroy effect would be cleared(more important part when Deathtouch triggered), and all damage is cleared.
There are few instances where you'll want to be using it on their creatures. examples: kill Phantasmal image or cracking a Kira, Great Glass-Spinner shield.
Even so, I still think it's a good idea.
hello everyone,
we had a small local tournament (13 players) last weekend and i finished 4th - with 3:1
1. game against elves: 1:2
game 1 he combos off
game 2 i take the game with handdisruption and jitte
game 3 he combos off before i could equip jitte on my lingering souls tokens mid game.. very close.
2. game against TES 2:0
game 1 i started with deathrites shaman, he mulligan into 6 and only does 8 goblin tokens on his first turn. i stp 1 and blocked the next few turns with 3 creatures.. than he run out of gas..
game 2 was similar.. he mulligan into 5. i run discard turn 1 and ethersworn canonist turn 2 - gg
3. game against RUG Delver 2:1
game 1 i get around stifle and daze somehow.. he never draw one of them :)
game 2 he gets an active delver and rough/tumble my board and burned me down..
game 3 we trade a lot of stuff on board.. and i finished the job on my last extra turn with 2 7/7 knights - against 7 live and a delver declared as blocker :)
4. game against goblins 2:1
game 1 i won with active jitte
game 2 he overwhelmed me with a lot of goblins and sharpshooter
game 3 was a lot of stalling but i get a knight online and threre comes marit lage :)
im very happy with the Rockdeck.
my list looks like this:
1 x Swamp
1 x Forrest
1 x Karakas
2 x Bayou
2 x Savannah
3 x Scrubland
3 x Wasteland
4 x Verdant Catacombs
2 x Windswept Heath
2 x Marsh Flats
1 x Dark Depths
1 x Thespian Stage
1 x Dryad Arbor
4 x Deathrite Shaman
4 x Dark Confidant
3 x Stoneforge Mystic
4 x Knight of the Reliquary
2 x Vampire Hexmage
1 x Gaddock Teeg
3 x Inquisition of Kozilek (dont own Thoughtseize)
2 x Cabal Therapy
4 x Swords to Plowshares
3 x Abrupt Decay
1 x Maelstrom Pulse
3 x Lingering Souls
1 x Batterskull
1 x Umezawas Jitte
Sideboard:
2 x Golgari Charm
2 x Oblivion Ring
3 x Ethersworn Canonist
3 x Surgical Extraction
2 x Choke
1 x Duress
2 x Obstinate Baloth (expected bug and jund but dont faced them)
i will cut baloths again and add some more hand disruption - maybe tower of the magistrate, Sword of Feast and Famine, dunno.. :)
couldnt test hexmages, because i dont face planeswalkers, i did managed to get marit lage online 2 times with stage/dephts and help from knights.. so i will test them again
thanks for reading
Skizz
Hi everyone,
today I played a small local turney with 12 Players and went 1st with 4:1.
This were the list:
2 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Batterskull
1 Umezawa's Jitte
3 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Dark Confidant
4 Stoneforge Mystic
4 Deathrite Shaman
3 Abrupt Decay
4 Swords to Plowshares
2 Liliana of the Veil
3 Hymn to Tourach
2 Thoughtseize
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Lingering Souls
1 Windswept Heath
4 Wasteland
1 Plains
1 Swamp
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Marsh Flats
1 Savannah
3 Scrubland
2 Bayou
1 Karakas
Sideboard:
2 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Gaddock Teeg
2 Ethersworn Canonist
2 Thoughtseize
1 Abrupt Decay
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Garruk Relentless
The 6 different Hatebears are because in our local meta is a lot of unfair decks most of the time...Also Dredge was very popular in the past, so 4 GY Hate.
Today our Meta were very very strange and random :eyebrow:
Round 1: Mono U Faerys
In both Games i had a mulligan to 5 and never saw more than 1 Land, exept for 3 Wastelands in one Game, I did NOTHING :frown:
Round 2: GW Turbo Fog!! :eyebrow:
I won 1:0 because Angels Grace cant handle 4 Deathrite Shaman 1-2 turns before I would had drawed me to death (drew about 6 card a turn).
Ley-Line of Sancity were very bad for me G1 but in Game 2 Gaddock Teeg were the King:cool:
Round 3: Shardless BUG
I won both Games with Jitte, Knight,, Bob, Discard and Lingering Souls...It was a material war but finally i won...
Round 4: Dredge
I won Game 1 with a 1st Turn Thoughtseize on LED and he couldnīt discard his cards fast enough, then I had Jitte+Meat to kill his Bridges...
In Game 2 I killed him with Deathrite Shaman, Nihil Spellbomb, Surgical Extraction and Jitt+Meat. For a short time he stopped DS+Meat because of double Firestorm but I had more gas finally.
Round 5: Dragon Stompy (Wolf Stompy)
I was very very afraid on this MU because of 8 Blood Moon effects:cry:
Game 1 he killed me with a fast Moon+Chalice but at the end of the game it was very very close because could stabilize a bit.
Game 2 This were very close. I handled Blood Moon with BG Mana is response and killed a Magus of the moon with Jitte counters and played a Lilli after...I won
Game 3 He played a 1st turn Chalice, I wasted him and he never drew another land. Finally I killed him with Jitte+Souls.
So I went 4:1 with the 1st Place and picked a Verdant Catacomb :smile:
The changes will definitly hit the manabase! Most of the time I had big problems with my lands! If my opponents had more Wastelands, stifles or something the tournament would have been a different one.
Changes:
- 1 Wasteland
- 1 Lingering Souls
+ 1 Forest
+ 1 Bayou
Also I will change the 2 Thalias with 2 Engineered Plaque, Deed or Zealous Persecution or something because I think 4 Hatebears + 9 Discard Spells should be enough against unfair decks.
Greetings
Did you ever miss Tarmogoyf? Normally in a combo heavy meta, the clock provided by Gofy is critical.
No, not really. I have played Maverick for example without goyfs for about 2 1/2 years, sure this type of deck supports the goyf better than mav but knight is just bigger and has a great ability and offers you to play utility lands (Karakas for Emmi & Geisel). I think goyf is better placed in tempo decks and we are a midrange deck, so knight fits better i think (even goyf is not bad for sure!)Quote:
Originally Posted by Mirrislegend
And you also can hit a knight on T2 thanks to DS :-)
The list which I played was just a core/starting version of the deck, I will test it more and we will see how it goes, but the list felt quiet solid (unles the manabase)
Greetings
I have been experimenting with a second dryad arbor instead of the maze of ith as of late and additional cabal therapys, and i really like this configuration a lot, because i get even more utility out of GSZ as a virtual 1 CMC discard spell
this way a hand of thoughtseize, therapy, GSZ is just wrecking opponents hands
even a fetch or knight activation can be a discard spell.... Its awesome for the early game
has anyone else tested something like it?
I haven't tested two Arbor, but I have tested one and I've stuck with it for the longest time.
Also, Aggrosteve, check your PM's.
-Matt
Not on topic of double Dryad Arbors, but can you guys and girls kindly recommend some good stream / YT channel / etc to learn playing Rock from? I subscribe damionblackgear channel (Great work btw, though last series was painful to watch) and it has taught me a lot. Maybe there are some more resources like that?
And since we are at that - 'rock resources' would be great section in OP, if you are still updating it, Matt. For a start it can include your article from after SCG Seattle and damionblackgear channel, but hopefully we can gather more resources for rocking players seeking to learn and improve?
Sure, I'd be happy to do some updates, i've just been super busy with school applications and stuff.
I'll likely have more of a chance to work on it in a couple weeks. My friend just got a tripod for his iPhone, so we may try to record and upload some matches.
-Matt
It's been a while since I've played this archetype, but I just brewed up a list that I've been pretty satisfied with. I think its a bit more aggressive than some of the lists here, but I think that's a good thing. Most of the threats are answer me or die.
4x Dark Confidant
4x Deathrite Shaman
4x Tarmogoyf
3x Stoneforge Mystic
3x Knight of the Reliquary
3x Lingering Souls
2x Sylvan Library
1x Batterskull
1x Umezawa's Jitte
3x Inquisition of Kozilek
1x Thoughtseize
2x Cabal Therapy
4x Abrupt Decay
3x Swords to Plowshares
4x Verdant Catacombs
4x Marsh Flats
2x Windswept Heath
3x Scrubland
2x Bayou
1x Savannah
1x Horizon Canopy
1x Swamp
1x Karakas
3x Wasteland
Not quite sure about the sideboard yet, but its currently:
2x Ethersworn Canonist
3x Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2x Engineered Plague
2x Golgari Charm
2x Thoughtseize/Cabal Therapy
3x Surgical Extraction
1x Swords to Plowshares
I'm also wondering how you guys feel about mainboarded cabal therapies as well as thoughtseize vs inquisition of kozilek. Thoughtseize is definitely more versatile, but the damage can be a bit much at times along with the bobs. The card advantage the deck generates is pretty ridiculous though. With its pretty insane card quality, it can definitely outdraw the opponent.
I'm also wondering what the best angle to attack sneak show is. I'm considering putting in 2 lilianas or revokers instead of the 2 sb discard spells.
Edit: Forgot to say that I also have 3 lingering souls in the main. Thats why I have the cabals. Oops =X.
liliana is awesome against any show and tell variant, and one of the best attack angles against show and tell decks is discard (as long as they do not board and mull into leyline of sanctity)
other hate cards against show and tell would be anything with a come-into-play effect that either destroys or removes a permanent/creature or cards that slow down the combo player
examples would be:
Angel of Despair
Oblivion Ring
Duplicant
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
Tidehollow Sculler
...........
......
...
either way i play 2 lilianas MD and they help soooooo much in that matchup, revokers could be quite usefull as well (in multiple matchups)
on the cabal therapys in general: awesome, awesome, and again awesome, but needs a bit of training to play them right, specially with blind calling something and some synergy in the list you are using
on cabal therapy in your list: i would not like them much, because you probably want every one of your creatures to stay alive as long as possible, outside of maybe a stoneforge mystic that allready did his job
thoughtseize i allways better then inquisition of kozilek, and the damage is all right, specially if you run batterskull + jitte MD. you should never have problems with lifepoints in your list, so its better running thoughtseize, specially if you got show and tell decks in your meta too
EDIT: i even only have shocklands, and do not play either batterskull or jitte MD, but i still use thoughtseize over inquisition.... the power level is on a whole different level
I played Rock yesterday at SCG Minneapolis to a 6-3 finish. Dissapointing since I started 6-1 and flamed out the last couple rounds. Most of all I was able to play my favorite deck for 9 rounds of legacy, something I've never been able to do before. I usually bounce between decks and play something new at our weekly tourneys, but Rock always has been my favorite. Plus I despise blue, and what better way to punish blue than by Choking them. Anyway, List and mini report below. The list is something my friend Brenner originally came up with and I tweaked a little. This was the second time I've played this list and I will note some changes and observations as well.
4- Tarmogoyf
4- Dark Confidant
4- SFM
4- DRS
4 STP
4 Thoughtseize
3 Inquisition
3 abrupt decay
3 Lilliana
2 Elspeth
1 Jitte
1 Batterskull
1 Top
23 lands -- three of which were wastes...no singleton karakas
SB
2 Enlightened Tutor
2 Duress
2 Surgicals
1 Ethersworn canonist
1 null rod
1 rest in peace----should have been a grafdiggers cage
1 Choke
1 Deed
1 Engineered Plague
1 Pithing Needle
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 o-ring
Round 1 Reanimator 2-0
G1He didn't have the combo in his opener, I played a bob and drew into some discard. Lilliana got there.
G2 I remember Duressing and I saw a polluted delta, so I needled it and wasted his Underground sea. Goyf beats
Round 2 Belcher 1-2 (3-2)
G1 Kills me turn 2
G2 Discard plus a Lilly. He actually casts belcher and needs to draw an LED a turn before lethal. He bricks.
G3 He turn 1's me... sad cuz I had Duress into Teeg.
Round 3 Junk Tokens 2-0 (5-2)
G1 Bob took over the game
G2 I deed him once and then cast Lilli plus Bob
Round 4 Reanimator 2-1 (7-3)
G1 I win off a turn two bob, drawing discard afterward.
g2 I thoughtseize turn one. he brainstorms and gets me the next turn.
g3 discard plus lilli
Round 5 Miracles 2-0 (9-3)
G1 he mulls, I thoughtseize and see counterbalance, fow,, stp and some land. I take the STP to make him hold up FOW, he doesnt and casts Counterbalance. I have a double BOB hand. My first one he rips a terminus off the top, my second one he cand answer and I eventually waste him out.
g2 I ET for a nullRod, he entreats and goes all in on two angel tokens. I choke him, take 16 damage from angels, and abrupt decay one and Lilli the other.
Round 6 Goblins 2-0 (11-3)
G1 I STP his lackey, play bob, and draw 4 goyfs
g2 He lackeys, I decide STP the lackey and not play DRS in fear of Stingscourger. I eventually hit an engineered plague on like turn 5.
Round 7 Death and Taxes 2-1 (13-4)
Long games, I misplayed twice here but luckfully it didnt cost me the match. Long games. He brought in a ton of graveyard hate for me, so game three i boarded out all my goyfs and brought my elspeths back in(never drew them anyway). I killed in turn 3 of time of our third game. Interesting though, after game one I asked him what the oracle creature type for Mother of Runes was, he says, "yes, engineered plague kills my humans". After the match he said he boarded out all his humans against me, which ended up winning me the match I think because he simply could not find dudes in games 2 and 3.
Round 8 Shardless Bug 0-2 (13-6)
G1 I was actually excited about this match. He kept a triple goyf hand that got there as I stalled out on one colored source after I wasted him and then he wasted me.
g2 I had on the board, Lilly, Elspeth, 2 tokens a jitte and a SFM. He casts Visions and casts Massacre, Goyf kills lilly and I'm never back in the game.
Round 9 CloudPost 1-2 (14-8)
G1 Lilly was able to fend a dude or two and goyfs got him
g2 he needles my wasteland hand and kills me...never saw abrupt decay
g3 Interesting game where I had lethal on the board, and he Ulamoged, found the oblivion stone, GG.
All of my opponents were extrememly kind and courteous, much respect. Elpeths were terrible! I boarded them out in every matchup except the Miracle and Junk mirror. I would up the Lilly to 4, cuz she is a boss and just dominates the game when she gets active...especially with the new rule. Batterskull did a ton of work for me, but SFM was underwhelming. My friend was playing a similar list but went with KOTR over SFM and played the new dark depths combo. I haven't played enough with KOTR and DRS to deteremine if they are compatible.
Overall the Rock is solid...always thought I had a chance, even against Belcher...and If I would have won the die roll I should have won that match. Anyway, the tutor board was pretty sweet and I liked everything about it. If I would have won that last match I could have gotten Rock in the top 16! finished 45th out of 301. Tons of fun, cheers!
PS, where were you Damion?
I had a wedding the day before (g/f's brother who is also a childhood friend). I was in no condition to play magic. Congrats on the run.Quote:
Originally Posted by JadeOberg
How did he do? This is the deck I'm thinking of playing but I haven't had time to test or play it - I was sick for the last local Legacy tournament.Quote:
My friend was playing a similar list but went with KOTR over SFM and played the new dark depths combo. I haven't played enough with KOTR and DRS to deteremine if they are compatible.
Would Sorin have been better than Elspeth?
How good is Null Rod? Definitely looks nice since it kills a ton of artifacts in problem matchups...namely LED and friends if you can ETutor T1, play Rod turn 2.
He went 4-5. He commented that his deck felt unfocused at times but he said the combo won him many a game. He was prolly playing 47-49 of the same 60 with an identical sideboard. Biggest difference, no goyfs or stoneforge. He was playing Moms and knights instead with a couple loams, maybe a crop rotation?Quote:
Originally Posted by Claymore
I dont think my deck wants either of them. Im sure they are better suited in a more controlling rock build. If I were to run it again, I would only play one Elspeth at the most.
Null Rod was great. I didn't get a chance to run against and MUD variants or storm, but it was very relevant in the 12 post matchup and the Miracles (I boarded out my top and Jitte) In the storm matchup I would only use ET turn one if I didnt have the discard, and in that case I would prolly just get Ethersworn, but it would definitely come in that matchup as secondary hate.
Cheers!
I play 2 thalia and surgical extraction in the side. Just wondering if it is the right thing to side it in against tempo decks like Canadian threshold or Team America?
The only problem with Thalia against RUG is they're a mana denial deck, and then you lock yourself out more by playing Thalia. So they're cutting off your lands, and they're making things cost more. Ideally, you want to have tax and denial on the SAME side of the board.
If I was playing against RUG, you want more cheap removal/bigger threats.
-Matt
Hello fellow Rock players,
I took The Rock (Junk) to SCG Minneapolis this weekend to a 2-2 record at the Legacy Challenge on Saturday and a 4-2-2 record on Sunday. Overall I was really happy with the way the deck played. I had a few games I sideboarded badly and it more then likely cost me the matches or at least a way to compete postboard. All of my opponets were kind, fun, and enjoyable to play. This was a big learning experience for myself as it was my second SCG event and my first taking Junk. My notes aren't so great so most of this is from memory (anyone have tips on taking notes?)
My list:
Deck (61)
Creatures(17):
4 - Tarmogoyf
4 - Knight of the Reliquary
4 - Deathrite Shaman
4 - Dark Confidant
1 - Scavenging Ooze
Lands(23):
1 - Dryad Arbor
1 - Maze of Ith
1 - Karakas
3 - Wasteland
3 - Bayou
2 - Scrubland
1 - Savanah
1 - Swamp
1 - Plains
1 - Forest
8 - Fetches (Marsh Flats and Verdant)
Spells(21):
2 - Cabal Therapy
2 - Inquisition of Kozilek
2 - Thoughtseize
2 - Sylvan Library
2 - Liliana of the Veil
3 - Abrupt Decay
1 - Maelstrom Pulse
4 - Swords to Plowshares
3 - Green Sun's Zenith
Sideboard(15):
2 - Gaddock Teeg
3 - Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 - Life from the Loam
1 - Maelstrom Pluse
1 - Krosan Grip
2 - Golgari Charm
1 - Qasali Pridemage
3 - Extirpate
1 - Engineered Explosives
A couple quick points about the list:
1) 61 cards, I'm just lazy and feel like Sylvan and Dark Confidant let me get away with this.
2) No Lingering Souls - These got cut because I never felt like they had enough impact for me compared to a Knight or Goyf.
3) All stars for me:
- Bob (enough said)
- Tarmo and Knight (the closers as I like to say)
- DRS (unanswered = I win)
- Lili (loads of utility outta her)
- Sylvan (enabled lots of powerful turns)
4) My board is meant to blowout combo. Thankfully I only played one combo deck :rolleyes:
Legacy Challenge:
R1 Sneak and Show (2-1 W)
G1 was a T3 Emarkul. G2 and G3 Karkas, Gaddock Teeg, and Thalia make it hard for them to win. This matchup is getting easy with Teeg and Thalia. He was pretty frustrated when I got these two against him. Discard also helped out here. At one point he had Sneak Attack while I had Karakas he couldn't find a second red source after I wasted his Volcanic Island.
R2 Punishing Jund (1-2 L)
G1 was fairly short and a Knight just got the beats. G2 was super grindy (a theme for the weekend) eventually punishing fire was online for him. Highlight was when he needed to triple fire a goyf of mine. G3 he got a Sylvan Library online and had all the answers for turns. Great games, fun player.
R3 Miracles (0-1-1 L)
G1 he plays a Jace. I Pulse a Jace. He plays another. I kill with creatures. Eventually he lands a third and proceeds to takeover with RIP and such. Highlight of this game was getting to ultimate Lili twice. The first time getting Helm of Obedience and the second time getting rid of a Rest in Peace. G2 I don't board in Golgari Charm and it goes to time I believe. In the course of G2 he landed a RIP and he Verdicted my dudes. Charm seems REALLY good in this matchup. Too bad I couldn't find out...
R4 Nic Fit (2-0 W)
G1 He opens with Explorer with no way to kill it. I use DRS and Bob to put myself in a favorable position and eventually kill Explorer. Goyf/Knight beats get it. G2 is a little more extensive. A DRS battle takes place and our graveyards are barren most of the game. I was Deeded twice clearing almost my whole board both times. DRS/Goyf/Knight eventually get it. Highlight of this game was me attempting to Decay a Top in order to grow my graveyard for DRS and Goyf. He taps to draw. Did I mention I had a Liliana to +1? He drew a Sigarda and Liliana forces him to discard Sigarda. Ouch.
Sunday SCG Open:
R1 Zoo (2-0 W)
G1 and G2 are similar where I have Goyf and bigger knights. My opponent is playing a budget version without Goyf or DRS to combat my Knights. I use DRS to shrink his Knights and Goyf > no Goyf.
R2 Punishing Jund (1-1-1 D)
G1 Opponent mulls to 5 and I kept a one land hand with two therapies and a GSZ. I feel pretty good about myself. Then I fetch a Scrubland and feel bad about myself. He leads with Badlands and nothing. I therapy him saying AD I believe. He shows me Hymn, Bob, BBE, Badlands, and Grove of the Burnwillows. His five beat my crappy one lander as I proceed to not draw lands. G2 is ultra grindy and lasts forever. G3 gets about 8-10 turns in and goes to turns. Against this deck it feels like whoever has the last threat standing after all of the removal, wins.
R3 Esper Deathblade (1-1-1 D)
G1 I keep another bad hand this time six lands and a Goyf. My opponent is very confused when he Thoughtseizes me. It was part of my plan all along. Eventually Batterskull comes down next to a Bob, DRS, Jace, and I scoop. G2 Is the super long one. I have a big Goyf with lethal on board and he has a Clique with Karakas to block and then bounce. This goes on for a while until I finally get DRS to push the last points of damage. Time goes up when we are shuffling for G3. We each are able to inflict one points of fetch damage to ourselves in the 5 turns.
R4 Dark Maverick (2-0 W)
G1 be plays Mom T1 and I Swords it. T2 he plays Thalia and I Swords it. T3 he plays a Bob and I AD it. T4 he plays no creature and I play a Knight for the win alongside Goyf. G2 He starts out on the Waste plan, but I have a T1 DRs that pretty much single handily allows me to play around 3 Wastelands and win. Some how this wasn't a grindy match and I don't understand why.
R5 Dredge (1-2 L)
Remember how I said I wasn't experienced? That came into play big time here. I had a lot of trouble knowing how to beat this deck even though I have all the tools to do so between DRS, Ooze, and Extirpate. G1 I mess around and die to 9 zombie tokens. G2 I show how good I am at magic and have an opener of DRS, Ooze, and Extirpate. I prove it's impossible to lose when you have all three at once. G3 I just sat around and did nothing pretty much. At one point he knows that I have three Goyfs in hand along with one card he doesn't know. He Therapies me to get 4 zombies. The card he didn't know? My fourth Goyf... I vow to shuffle better and to have Bojuka Bog in the SB from now on FOREVER.
R6 Goblins (2-0 W)
G1 I grind out the win here with boat loads of removal and big Goyf and Knights. When we are executing the basic gameplan here it seems pretty favorable. G2 He keeps a one lander with Lackey. I kept a hand with Maze thankfully. His head hits the table and he proceeds to brick on lands for 5-6 turns. Eventually though he starts hitting lands and gets some Ringleaders, but he was just way to far behind from the get go.
R7 Esper Deathblade (2-1 W)
G1 he groans when I play DRS then Knight and he realizes that I'm playing Junk. He says he already drew against Junk and I grimace saying that I have already drawn to Deathblade. We collectively groan again loudly. Game takes a while as we go back forth killing everything on sight. Eventually he is all smiles this game as he has two Bobs and a Jace along with two lands in hand. Effectively drawing three cards a turn. I struggle to beat this. G2 I end in short order with two Goyfs side by side hitting for 3 each a turn. We move on to G3 and I start very similar getting lots of early beats in. He stays afloat off 3(!) DRS gaining life as we move to turns. Fast forward to the 5th turn of turns. He is at 4 I am at 18. I have two Goyfs at 2/3 and a DRS. He has two DRS. Both our hands are empty. I top deck Liliana and slam her thinking I win by -2 her killing one of his DRS. He gains 2 life from a DRS that he sacs. I gobble the creature in response and attack with my Goyfs. He blocks, gains two life with the blocking DRS, and concedes. Super cool dude and I am very thankful he has the class to concede.
R8 Burn (1-2 L)
G1 he leads with fetch mountain, Rift Bolt. Oh great. I figured I would dodge this especially this late in the tourny. He burns me out and fast (turn 5 I believe.) G2 he floods on lands and I am able to squeak out a win when I waste my own Bayou to pump a Knight and avoid Price of Progress damage. G3 early Goblin Guide does me in. On the last turn he burns me for like 7 or 9 or something. I am tempted to start packing a Kitchen Finks in the SB since the life gain that I do have is so dependent on having creatures to eat out of the graveyard.
I drop after this. Ending up with a record of 4-2-2. I was just barely on the cusp of top 64, but decide that a full belly and hitting the road are better then playing one hour of magic for the possibility of winning 50 bucks. I fully regret this decision.
Take aways for me:
1) I never missed Lingering Souls. Although I will concede it could have helped push the last points in my draws.
2) Bojuka Bog is going in the SB.
3) I need a bomb to fight other fair decks. Never really had anything THAT good to bring in I felt. Tracker? Thrun? 4th AD? Sigarda? Open to ideas here.
4) Is Burn just bad to play against?
5) Life from the Loam was underwhelming. It helped once to recur a wasteland on a grove. It does have decent synergy with Lili, Knight, Goyf, and DRS though.
6) Krosan Grip was a baaaad choice. Should have been Vindicate, AD, or another Pulse. Maybe even a Deed.
7) Cabal Therapy is my favorite discard spell
8) Having four Knights and 4 Tarmogoyfs felt good. The games where I drew came from running either out of removal or out of threats.
9) I am adding Cabal Pit. Deathrite wars are a headache and whoever wins them generally wins the game. Cabal Pit also can help against Mirran Crusader, Mom, Bloodbraid, Bob, SFM, Goyf wars, Etched Champion, and a bunch of other stuff. I wish it had been in the board rather then EE.
Thanks for reading and for previously sharing your thoughts. Sorry about the length and random questions sprinkled throughout.
Cheers!
-Andrew