[Deck] The Rock

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Originally Posted by kubalonek

Why not to play City of Solitude instead (only the matter of mana cost?)? For now the best weapon against control decks are in my opinion SFM/Batterskull and Thrun. Both are really big pain in the ...

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That is a really spicy idea. I think I'll grab one of those as well! That's what I love about this format, there's always some random card out there that may help. I guess the problem with these cards is getting them to resolve in the first place, but if we could sneak this or a Defense Grid in before they crack a hundred Ancestral Visions overflowing their hand with counters, it could be pretty helpful. I think they are even cutting their number of Repeals down as well. In an E.Tutor board a card like this comes at the cost of only one slot and could be extremely useful in the right situation. I think it's worth a shot.

That also means no Knight on your opponent's turn, no EOT Wasteland/Fetchland/Top, so no, it's a terrible idea, and look kids, it shuts off your EOT use Stoneforge to Vial in Batterskull. No can do, champ.

I think if you're going to run Batterskull, you should run something like:

8 Fetchlands
4 Scrubland
1 Savannah
2 Bayou
1/2 Forest (if you run Thrun, 2 Forest)
2/1 Swamp
1 Plains
3 Wasteland
1 Maze of Ith
1 Karakas
24

4 Tarmogoyf
4 Dark Confidant
4 Knight of the Reliquary
3 Stoneforge Mystic
2 Qasali Pridemage
17

1 Jitte
1 Batterskull
1 Sword of Feast and Famine (maybe in the board? I'm over by one with this in the main. Not sure, but gives you protection: germs :P)

4 Hymn to Tourach
3 Vindicate
4 Thoughtseize
3 Top
4 Swords
21

Board:
4 Krosan Grip
3 Extirpate (42 Lands/Aggro Loam are back in action, ugh)
3 Thrun, the last Trolololol
3 Pernicious Deed (solves EVERYTHING)
2 Gaddock Teeg (stop their stuffs)


There's your deck, folks. No GSZ or fancy stuff, but it's a deck with cards. I'd love GSZ just to search for Teeg and your Qasali, but at this point, you've got a metric shit-ton of art/enchantment removal, you've got Thrun, Teeg, Grip, Deed, etc. You should be fine. Plus, Feast and Famine is going to get you there and let you play moar threats. I'd love to see a few Smothers, but there's literally nothing to cut, unless you cut Pridemages for Smothers/more creature removal.

Plus, the list gives everyone a flavour they want. Stoneforge? Check. Maxed out Goyf numbers? Check. Batterskull? Check. Lots of lands? check. No Moxen? Check.

Thoughts?

-Matt

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Originally Posted by trilobite_hives

Believe me, if you haven't faced it yet you will feel more insecure getting your teeth kicked in by a Batterskull. When was the last time you even resolved an early Thoughtseize? It's been a while for me.

I like this list a lot. I have SoFaF main over Jitte, but I face a lot of Team America. I think the 2 required equips are Batterskull and SoFI, with the 3rd being the flex slot and can probably be anything, I'd even consider SoBaM in some situations over Jitte. Jitte is amazing, but mostly against aggro and Batterskull has that more than covered.

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True, but Jitte naturally drawn versus aggro is still decent whereas a naturally drawn Batterskull w/o SFM in play is terrible until you've moved into the late game.

Also, re: sdematt's list, I think that's the way to go if you're not running Moxen. I know that I disliked Mox builds for a long time due to it's inconsistency, but I've moved back to it recently to give it another spin and haven't wanted to back since (my non-Mox build relied on more 1cc spells as a turn 1 play, which has gotten considerably weaker due to MM).

[DECKS]

Creatures
1x dryad Arbor
3x tarmogoyf
4x dark confidant
4x knights of the reliquary
2x qusali pridemage
1x gaddock teeg

instant
4x swords to plowshares

socery
3x green sun's zenith
4x hymn to tourach
4x thoughtseize

others
2x sensei's diving top
3x maelstrom pulse
3x mox diamond

lands
1x bojuka bog
2x forest
1x maze of ith
1x plain
1x swamp
2x savannah
1x scrubland
3x bayou
4x wasteland
3x marshflats
4x verdant catacombs

sideboard
2x null rod
1x thrun the last troll
4x extirpate
1x pernicious deed
2x ethersworn cannonist
2x enlightened tutor
2x phyrexian revoker
1x tormod's crypt

[/DECKS]
I'm running a total of 61 cards in the deck.

I really dont' know what to do with regarding the 3rd sensei's which i want to run. Any suggestions?

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Originally Posted by Avatar of Shadow

[DECKS]

Creatures
1x dryad Arbor
3x tarmogoyf
4x dark confidant
4x knights of the reliquary
2x qusali pridemage
1x gaddock teeg

instant
4x swords to plowshares

socery
3x green sun's zenith
4x hymn to tourach
4x thoughtseize

others
2x sensei's diving top
3x maelstrom pulse
3x mox diamond

lands
1x bojuka bog
2x forest
1x maze of ith
1x plain
1x swamp
2x savannah
1x scrubland
3x bayou
4x wasteland
3x marshflats
4x verdant catacombs

sideboard
2x null rod
1x thrun the last troll
4x extirpate
1x pernicious deed
2x ethersworn cannonist
2x enlightened tutor
2x phyrexian revoker
1x tormod's crypt

[/DECKS]
I'm running a total of 61 cards in the deck.

I really dont' know what to do with regarding the 3rd sensei's which i want to run. Any suggestions?

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You're running Zenith, so going to 3 Knights might be ok as far as making a cut. I would also switch the Maelstrom Pulses with Vindicates.

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Originally Posted by Bignasty197

You're running Zenith, so going to 3 Knights might be ok as far as making a cut. I would also switch the Maelstrom Pulses with Vindicates.

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I can't afford the vindicates. And besides, pulses lets me kill in masses.

Artifacts 3
3 Top

Creatures 12
4 Bob
4 Goyf
4 KoTR

Instants 4
4 STP

Enchantments
2 Pernicious Deed

Planeswalkers
2 Elspeth Knight Errant

Sorceries 14
4 Thoughtseize
4 Hymn
4 Vindicate
2 Inquisition of Kozilek

Lands
4 Marsh Flats
4 Verdant Catacombs
3 Scrubland
3 Bayou
1 Maze of ith
1 Swamp
1 Forest
1 Plains
4 Wasteland
1 Horizon canopy

SB
2 Thrun
1 Pernicious Deed
4 Extirpate
3 Peacekeeper
2 Kataki (probably will become grips)
3 Kitchen Finks

So, if you wanted to still keep the tutorboard option, it could be:

3 Tutor
1 Spellbomb/Cannonist
1 Crypt
1 Null Rod
2 Deed
2 Teeg
2 Thrun
3 Grip (or 2 Grip 1 Cannonist 1 Spellbomb)

Here, you really have to pick your poison. You lose Runed Halo, Needle, and Cannonist for the Grips, essentially, but in most matchups, the Grips are better. I'd fit a Cannonist somewhere in the 75, otherwise combo can be pretty bad for you.

If you wanted to just go flat out with no tutors, I'm thinking, assuming you run GSZ:

4 Grip
3 Extirpate
2 Teeg
2 Thrun
2 Null Rod
2 Deed

And if you don't run Zenith...

4 Grip
3 Extirpate (take a Jace and profit?)
3 Teeg
3 Thrun
2 Deed

Thoughts?

-Matt

I was thinking something like this:

mana: 22
18 land
4 chrome mox

cratures 28:
4 dark confidant
4 stoneforge mystic
4 tarmo
4 tidehollow sculler
4 Qasali pridemage
2 gaddock teeg
4 kitchen finks
2 thrun, the last troll

other:10
2 lead the stampede
3 dismember
3 chalice of the void
1 Batterskull
1 umezawa's jitte

I was the Rock player that top8d the Mox Emerald event that lavafrogg attended. I feel pretty good with back to back top8s since switching to this deck, using a farely similar build for both. Mainly including the stoneforge package. For this tournament I added a 3rd mystic and the batterskull. I eventually lost to Deadguy in the Quarters in a long epic match that came down to my bad decision making biting me in the end =/

Omg grats!!!! Post your list so we can all see your leet tech!!! I said it earlier but the meta in socal is perfect for junk/loam/rock anything that abuses wasteland.

My list ended up looking like this:

// Lands
1 [LG] Karakas
3 [ZEN] Verdant Catacombs
1 [ZEN] Swamp (1a)
3 [ZEN] Marsh Flats
3 [U] Scrubland
3 [U] Bayou
1 [ZEN] Forest (1)
1 [ZEN] Plains (3a)
1 [FUT] Horizon Canopy
1 [DK] Maze of Ith
1 [WWK] Sejiri Steppe
4 [TE] Wasteland

// Creatures
3 [WWK] Stoneforge Mystic
4 [CFX] Knight of the Reliquary
4 [FUT] Tarmogoyf
4 [RAV] Dark Confidant

// Spells
3 [AP] Vindicate
4 [LRW] Thoughtseize
1 [CHK] Sensei's Divining Top
3 [SH] Mox Diamond
4 [FE] Hymn to Tourach (1)
4 [IA] Swords to Plowshares
1 [BOK] Umezawa's Jitte
1 [MBS] Sword of Feast and Famine
1 [NPH] Batterskull

// Sideboard
SB: 1 [TSB] Tormod's Crypt
SB: 1 [ALA] Ethersworn Canonist
SB: 2 [MBS] Thrun, the Last Troll
SB: 2 [LRW] Gaddock Teeg
SB: 1 [DS] Sword of Fire and Ice
SB: 3 [AP] Pernicious Deed
SB: 3 [TE] Choke
SB: 2 [MI] Enlightened Tutor

I expected alot of merfolk and landstill variants but didn't run into a single one all day

Hmm. I'm assuming you value SFM over Top against Landstill as Top is best used for grind-it-out games, which Landstill will undoubtedly be better at. What about other midrange decks? There have definitely been games when the card quality that Top gives me versus midrange just buries them as I always have an answer or threat on the ready.

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Originally Posted by Avatar of Shadow

I can't afford the vindicates. And besides, pulses lets me kill in masses.

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That is understandable. When I played Rock, I often found myself Vindicating opposing Goyfs, Knights or Bobs and Pulse would have ultimately hurt me. Just based on my playing experience, I liked Vindicate. Perhaps it is a personal/metagame choice.

Vindicate gives you added versatility as land destruction. There've been games when I Wasteland, Wasteland, Vindicate their sole basic, then just win.

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Originally Posted by Arsenal

Vindicate gives you added versatility as land destruction. There've been games when I Wasteland, Wasteland, Vindicate their sole basic, then just win.

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I know what you mean, but with a resolved iona, you will be more versatile if he names white.

Iona isn't played, like, at all anymore. And even when she was being played, I still think Vindicate's versatility trumped the few times you'd be cut off from removal.

Come one do not bring this kind of argument that can rarely happen probably playing with dredge only. Vindicate is much more versatile card and is perfect against opponent Goyfs / KotRs or basic land if we decide to run land destruction plan.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kubalonek

Come one do not bring this kind of argument that can rarely happen probably playing with dredge only. Vindicate is much more versatile card and is perfect against opponent Goyfs / KotRs or basic land if we decide to run land destruction plan.

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Man vindicates are like 30 bucks each. I just traded my two away when i bought for 7.

Vindicate is usually better. But, if you're never on the land denial plan, then it may not be a bad idea to run a 1-of, if you personally wanted to. Helps with tokens, breaks Goyf stalls, etc. I'm not a personal advocate, but I can see its merit.

Personally, I'd never go down to less than 2 Tops. I think 4 is too many, and 3 is just right, but try to find room for that Top, it can be SO good just to have the card quality your opponent doesn't.

-Matt