Another weekly event. Here's what I ran.
4 Lackey
4 Piledriver
4 Matron
4 Ringleader
4 Chieftain
3 Instigator*
2 Incinerator
2 Subterranean Scout
1 Siege-gang Commander
1 Sharpshooter
1 Goblin Warchief*
1 Stingscourger
1 Tin-Street Hooligan
2 Tarfire
1 Collected Company
3 Aether Vial
3 Chrome Mox
1 Pendelhaven
1 Rishadan Port
2 Wasteland
3 Cavern
6 Fetches
2 Taiga
4 Mountain
//SB
1 Krenko*
2 Pyrokinesis
1 Tin Street Hooligan*
1 Sudden Demise
1 Tuktuk Scrapper
2 Krosan Grip
2 Chalice of the Void
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Tormod's Crypt
3 Trinisphere
A few cards off of last time, marked with an asterisk. I wanted a Warchief in there somewhere. Cuts are getting hard. I dropped an Instigator because it happened more than once that I would have a Lackey effect with nothing to put into play. Similar feelings to last time regarding Chrome Mox and Pendelhaven. Some games the Mox just sat in my hand. Pendelhaven shows up and magically steals a game. This list feels strong. It hits hard and fast. I miss the fun, toolbox plays. I miss Settler.
Onto the games:
ANT, 0-2.
I have a quick start game one, but my opponent goes for a natural Tendrils on turn 2 or 3. Game two I open on a no-lander with Chalice. I consider it, but I have no one drop. I'd be sitting on my hands for several turns even if I hit running lands. I have a nice looking six, in any other match up. No action until turn three. Mulligan to five. Find five goblins. I keep a decent four. Land, Lackey, I'll take it. My opponent goes off on turn 2. It happens.
Shardless, 2-1.
Game one my opponent gets hasty and swings with the Gofys. I swing back for 17 through an Abrupt Decay. It looks like I'm ahead game two. I respond to a suspended Ancestral with a Chalice for zero. I have decent board presence. But this time, I am the hasty one. I walk right into Toxic Deluge. Game over. Game three Pendelhaven saves my butt, keeping an early Instigator alive.
Pyromancer's Ascension + Grixis Control brew, 2-1.
Things are over pretty quickly in the first game. So I don't know quite what I'm up against. I see lots of cantrips. I bring in storm hate. My opponent invites Pyromancers and Tasigur to the party. I'm not prepared for that. Eventually Pyromancer's Ascension comes online. My opponent bolts away any offense I can muster. Game three I am better positioned, removal returns to the deck. My opponent almost turns the corner. But I have Piledrivers for days and YP and Tasigur accept chump duty. These games were quite intense. Between Lightning Bolt, Forked Bolt, and Snapcaster Mage it is difficult to keep anything on the table.
Omnitell, 2-0*.
An asterisk on this one as we're able to split a modest prize and do so. Game one my opponent sees the Stingscourger in hand that shuts down Show and Emrakul. My opponent digs (not actually Dig) for an Omniscience. I present lethal on turn 4. Without cash money on the line, my opponent keeps a speculative hand game two. I have three pieces of artifact disruption. They all get spell pierced. Strange. Somewhere in there I jam a Lackey and start delivering the business. I reveal a Matron off Ringleader. Again, invalidating the Emrakul line. Perhaps Omniscience is boarded out? Not really. We discuss this after as my opponent is unsure how to approach the sideboarded games. I think it is a race, there's little reason to worry about my disruption. I would not keep Spell Pierce in. Etc.
Some lucky moments in there. The night could have easily gone 0-2. Last time I faced that Shardless player, I got wrecked. A lot of wins are coming from opponents not knowing how to approach the Goblins match. Removal on the wrong threat at the wrong time. Poorly timed alpha strikes. Things like that. I'm sure I'm making mistakes, too. Not trying to say my opponents are bad. But I have a lot more reps with Goblins versus deck X than they have with deck Y against Goblins.
Humphrey, do you have a suggested Mox Diamond list? I'd love to try it.
