[Deck] Team America (Midrange/Control Thread)

I've done a small bit of testing with a 2/1 split of Jace, Vryn's Prodigy and Jace, the Mind Sculptor and been impressed so far. Against D&T specifically, he's blue board interaction, making his +1 great against Mother of Runes (since they're incentivized to let it the ability resolve so you don't get to Decay something), and flashing back Deluge, Decay, Golgari Charm, and Maelstrom Pulse without having to pay 1U for Snapcaster is fantastic in that matchup. It's also great with Truths in grindy matchups like Miracles or Shardless, and thd Merfolk Looter half of him is relevant a lot of the time.

I will definitely try him. Seems strong enough.

Probably drop a Strix for him. That card has under performed.
Clique seems good too.
I'm gonna try a Revoker in the side with needle.

I run snap not only to help flashback spell pierce but also the 2/1. I run a jitte and as you mentioned having issues with dnt jitte is one of the ways of breaking the game open. On saturday jitte won me a game against elves and burn. Its a card that is powerful enough on its own to win certain matchups. However, it does require certain concessions, mainly enough creatures. If not on jitte/tnn I think the new jace is probably better in this deck, esp as we could just drop the counters and keep the TS, Hymn count high.

Strix actually over preformed for me this weekend. Granted I played against 2 delver decks and shardless so matchups where it would shine but still. I am on 2 and used to have a 3rd in the board. May go back to that.

Played in a legacy 21 man. Ran back mostly the same list with a similiar sideboard.

4 goyf
4 DRS
2 TNN
1 Snap
1 V Clique

2 JTMS
2 LotV

4 Decay
4 Brainstorm
2 Ponder
2 Spell Pierce
3 Force
1 pulse
1 Deluge
1 Loam
2 Seize
2 Painful truth

Same 22 lands (4 waste/1 CTP

Sideboard

2 disfigure
2 surgical
2 marsh casualties
1 Force
1 Envelop
1 needle
1 revoker
1 null rod
1 Duress
1 Garruk Relentless
1 Pernicious Deed
1 Sylvan Library

Mud

Game 1: He floods and i get a turn 3 jtms to lock him out.
Game 2: He has the t1 trinisphere and we do nothing for a long time. then he lands wurmcoil and i draw TNN. We do nothing for a while longer and then i hit loam and wasteland him out after clocking him with Vclique and eventually CTP
2-0

D&T

Game 1: We go back and forth but I land TNN early and have removal for most everything.
Game 2: He mulls to 4 and my starting hand is 2 goyf, 1 deed, 1 garruk, 2 verdant, 1 pulse. Sadly not much magic gets played even though his opening 4 was fairly insane: 2 plains, MOM and mirran crusader.
2-0

ANT
Game 1: I know hes on storm but my 7 is TNN, pulse, Seize, delta, verdant, 2 waste. i hope that i can seize and waste for time and then clock with a tnn. I seize and he has infinite mana but only a preordain so i take it. Every draw step is more lands. he probes me and sees it safe but fails to count his mana and double dark petitions into only 3 mana left so i TNN and waste him, eventually killing him with CTP and TNN.
Game 2: He draws mostly disruption and i get him with vclique and goyf on curve backed up by force.
2-0

UB Tezzerator
Game 1: he has what seems like it all: t2 strix, t3 jace, t4 Tezz AoB, Abyss. I somehow navigate most of it with 2 TNN and find the decays i need for his recurring bridges.
Game 2: He has t3 Tezz AoB and animates his only blue, SotS, to dodge decay so i hunt down a waste with loam (<3) and then jace him while putting the TNN/DRS clock on him.
2-0

Uwr Stasis (DODGE!)
ID and thank him for agreeing.

top 8: MUD
Game 1: I am highest on the totem pole so i have the play. He has t3 ugin and thats all i have to say about that.
Game 2: I get DRS out and start casting spells into trinisphere but above CotV-2 and then i play this weird jtms bounce game with his wurmcoil and then metalworker but i take a lot from lodestone because hes stuck on 8 mana and i need to resolve the revoker in my hand but cant kill his lodestone before hand. Finally I EOT decay COTV and land revoker. he gets jacesealed and i win.
Game 3: He has t1 COTV-1. I open with drs, lands, force, jtms, spell pierce. I let the cotv resolve and then draw a DRS (rekt m8). I end up forcing a lodestone and then waste my opp off lands and goyfs do it quick.

Lost a single game in 6 rounds, feels good. Sb is always under construction. I can explain boarding in certain matchups but most of its obvious.
(wrote in notepad so grammar and spelling are not on point.)

I'm going to scg open in Charlotte this weekend so no legacy unless I scrub out. I will be on Abzan midrange.

Hope you all had a happy new year

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Originally Posted by Ricardio

I'm going to scg open in Charlotte this weekend so no legacy unless I scrub out. I will be on Abzan midrange.

Hope you all had a happy new year

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Why do you plaw Abzan now?? Thought BUG Midrange is your baby?

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Originally Posted by Manipulato

Why do you plaw Abzan now?? Thought BUG Midrange is your baby?

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SCG Charlotte is Modern.

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Originally Posted by Manipulato

Why do you plaw Abzan now?? Thought BUG Midrange is your baby?

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In legacy. This is a modern event, buddy. I love this bug control though.

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Originally Posted by Ricardio

In legacy. This is a modern event, buddy. I love this bug control though.

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Ah, ok. Was wondering...

15th at Charlotte legacy classic

http://sales.starcitygames.com//deck...p?DeckID=97585

R1 0-2 dnt

R2 2-1 grixis delver - Hunter nance

R3 2-0 ant

R4 2-0 esper death blade - Billy Jacques (looks like Zack Braff)

R5 0-2 miracles - Shawn French

R6 2-1 sneak and show

R7 2-0 red painters

Deck felt great against. Strix was insane. They didn't have seas there under $300 so I manned up with watery grave. Effected me one game against grixis.
The miracles mu makes me want to slit my wrists so I've decided to try a badlands and 2 slaughter games in sb.

Congrats on the finish! I'm surprised that you went down 0-2 to Miracles since I think it's a pretty good matchup. Was it mostly a variance thing? And if you've only got 2 Seas I think Sunken Hollow might be a better replacement than Watery Grave. It probably means a bigger overall change to the manabase that just the 1-for-1 swap, but fetching or drawing it eventually becomes the same as fetching Sea, whereas Watery Grave is always going to shock yoi if you need it untapped.

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Originally Posted by btm10

Congrats on the finish! I'm surprised that you went down 0-2 to Miracles since I think it's a pretty good matchup. Was it mostly a variance thing? And if you've only got 2 Seas I think Sunken Hollow might be a better replacement than Watery Grave. It probably means a bigger overall change to the manabase that just the 1-for-1 swap, but fetching or drawing it eventually becomes the same as fetching Sea, whereas Watery Grave is always going to shock yoi if you need it untapped.

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Thanks! I get very depressed when I play them for some reason. He miracle 5 terminus in both games and each time it was for a goyf and drs. Im gonna try a badland and 2 games in the sideboard ideally naming terminus to prevent 2+ plus for 1s and maybe change my sideboarding plan.
I chose Watery Grave after considering Sunken Hollow because I only play 3 basics and the 2 life sometimes is worth always coming into play untapped. It only came up once on a mull to 6 that the hand was insane minus the watery grave so I explained to hunter nance and played my shock sea. I didn't think about changing the manabase because I was set on playing the grave or buying a reasonably priced sea.

Well, not having Sylvan Library certainly hurts you versus Miracles. I'm not saying the following is correct, however it has won me more matches versus Miracles than I've lost, but I only ever play one creature versus them at a time. This lets you have a steady stream of threats that can eventually grind them out. This does make you softer to Entreat, but I hate being blown out by Terminus.

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Originally Posted by H

Well, not having Sylvan Library certainly hurts you versus Miracles. I'm not saying the following is correct, however it has won me more matches versus Miracles than I've lost, but I only ever play one creature versus them at a time. This lets you have a steady stream of threats that can eventually grind them out. This does make you softer to Entreat, but I hate being blown out by Terminus.

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Maybe a library is right. Game 1 the clock wasn't fast enough so I over committed. then g2 I tried to do one at a time and then he played jtms and started fatesealing me so I had to play more than one. I am not sure about garruk. He won me a game against esperblade but anything could have at that point.

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Originally Posted by H

Well, not having Sylvan Library certainly hurts you versus Miracles. I'm not saying the following is correct, however it has won me more matches versus Miracles than I've lost, but I only ever play one creature versus them at a time. This lets you have a steady stream of threats that can eventually grind them out. This does make you softer to Entreat, but I hate being blown out by Terminus.

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I'm the absolute greediest when it comes to playing against Miracles, so as long as I'm up on cards my goal is to kill them as quickly as possible without letting Terminus put them back to parity. This is slightly risky because we aren't as resilient in the face of Terminus as Shardless, but I think it's usually worth it to make them have it since they have inevitability unless they're running Mentor.

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Originally Posted by btm10

I'm the absolute greediest when it comes to playing against Miracles, so as long as I'm up on cards my goal is to kill them as quickly as possible without letting Terminus put them back to parity. This is slightly risky because we aren't as resilient in the face of Terminus as Shardless, but I think it's usually worth it to make them have it since they have inevitability unless they're running Mentor.

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I agree with speed. My mental game plan is just very poor against miracles. It's abysmal to play against especially since I play legacy to have fun.
I'm gonna try the badlands and games for now. The dnt matchup is fine.

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Originally Posted by Ricardio

I agree with speed. My mental game plan is just very poor against miracles. It's abysmal to play against especially since I play legacy to have fun.
I'm gonna try the badlands and games for now. The dnt matchup is fine.

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Well, I don't think the Badlands plan is bad, I just feel like maybe just slightly unnecessary.

I really can't say my plan is the best, but the patient approach will really separate the better Miracles players from the poor ones. I can generally beat any poor Miracles players with a never ending stream of threats. The better players can navigate it to a greater degree, but it certainly puts a great deal of pressure on them. I feel like their deck is always looking to get value, so I look to deny it at all costs. This means I don't let them 2-1 off Terminus, I lock out Top as soon as possible, and always run a Sylvan Library so when they do Swords, it gets me more cards. I will also sometimes board in a Surgical to hit Swords, so that Snapcaster isn't a real answer for them.

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Originally Posted by H

Well, I don't think the Badlands plan is bad, I just feel like maybe just slightly unnecessary.

I really can't say my plan is the best, but the patient approach will really separate the better Miracles players from the poor ones. I can generally beat any poor Miracles players with a never ending stream of threats. The better players can navigate it to a greater degree, but it certainly puts a great deal of pressure on them. I feel like their deck is always looking to get value, so I look to deny it at all costs. This means I don't let them 2-1 off Terminus, I lock out Top as soon as possible, and always run a Sylvan Library so when they do Swords, it gets me more cards. I will also sometimes board in a Surgical to hit Swords, so that Snapcaster isn't a real answer for them.

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That sounds like a good plan. I just know that games can lock things up tight and I hate miracles so hopefully I can bend them over and show them where the Angels don't entreat.

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Originally Posted by Ricardio

That sounds like a good plan. I just know that games can lock things up tight and I hate miracles so hopefully I can bend them over and show them where the Angels don't entreat.

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What is your usual sideboard plan versus them?

I remove jitte, lilys, and strix and bring in Jaces, my thief, pulse, needle, grip.