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Thread: Dr paintlove; or how I learned to stop worrying and keep painting

  1. #1

    Dr paintlove; or how I learned to stop worrying and keep painting

    Yea, so I’m no poet like the great kapncook nor am I a painter like the great bob ross. But whatevers, we’re here to smash words and art together, using the greatest tier 0 deck to have graced the legacy format. The plan:

    Roses are blue,
    Violets are blue,
    Everything is blue.
    Activate grindstone,
    Targeting you.

    (Credit to Garett yockey for the inspiration)

    This is the second league I’ve run with the Swedes. The previous run I ran with 4c aluren to a nice 0-4, getting not really getting crushed ever, but close games don’t really cut it. Combination of bad plays, silly mistakes and once, an opponent having literally all the answers (bolt, bolt, swords, red blast).
    This time, I figured Id sleeve up BR painter (with br daretti, transforming into 4 entomb, dance of the dead,worldgorger, with the sneaky 2x wasteland). Punish greedy mana, grind value from daretti, and then really go sideways and infinite mana grindstone. Or dance of the dead a walking ballista, sinking mana into it.
    After a while though, I thought to myself ‘I should take this a bit more seriously’, and went to shortcake. It’s a deck I know should be good (especially in a blue heavy and/or greedy mana meta). I took up my old shortcake list and compared it to the kapns (utley26) list. The difference was that I had;
    Main
    +2 seasoned pyromancer
    +1 etutor
    +1 mopal
    -1 painter
    -1 petal
    -1 SSG
    -1 cratermaker
    Side
    +1 painter
    +4 leyline of the void
    +1 lattice
    -1 canonist
    -1 hedge mage
    -1 abrade
    -3 surgical

    Some major dissynergies here, so I took out the leylines directly, and figured I need artifact destruction, something against chalice, and more mana. So I ended up with:

    Strawberry Shortcake
    Main
    3 Goblin Welder
    1 Ethersworn Canonist
    1 Goblin Cratermaker
    3 Goblin Engineer
    4 Painter's Servant
    4 Imperial Recruiter
    1 Simian Spirit Guide
    3 Karn, the Great Creator
    2 Enlightened Tutor
    4 Pyroblast
    2 Red Elemental Blast
    1 Lion's Eye Diamond
    4 Lotus Petal
    3 Grindstone
    3 Smuggler's Copter
    1 Ensnaring Bridge
    1 Blood Moon
    4 Ancient Tomb
    4 Bloodstained Mire
    3 City of Traitors
    1 Great Furnace
    2 Plateau
    5 Mountain

    Sideboard (15)
    1 Ethersworn Canonist
    1 Duergar Hedge-Mage
    1 Magus of the Moon
    4 Lightning Bolt
    1 Red Elemental Blast
    2 Surgical Extraction
    1 Abrade
    1 Tormod's Crypt
    1 Grindstone
    1 Pithing Needle
    1 Ensnaring Bridge

    It’s basically the kapns list minus a surgical on the side for an extra blast. I figured since hullbreacher seems to be popular these days, blue will probably still be popular, and greedy manabases would probably still be a thing. So I squeezed in an extra blast where extra grave hate is.

    Also, this is a webcam league, so this is off memory. Thanks to the opponents who looked through and helped me recall what had happened!

    Match 1 vs enchantress
    G1 - i led with something irrelevant probably, and he went basic land into enchant lands into rip early, and I had a engineer-heavy hand. He sealed it a turn or two later with helm.
    Plan - I boarded out some blasts, moon, bridge and boarded in canonist, hedge mage and something else I can’t recall (yes, very stupid). My plan was to land canonist, draw out removal, and slow them down to win.

    G2 - I got lucky in this game. Had a relatively mediocre-fast hand, and after the third game, he told me that he didn’t play solitary confinement, and instead went for a value draw more cards route. This meant that I had an extra turn (the actual turn I decided to go for it). The game went something like play lands, and a stone. Then next turn drop painter, tomb and SSG for a quick win. I think me not playing out the combo with tonnes of open mana made him misplay, and not go for the solitary confinement line (he didn’t think I had the mana to go for it. Didn’t realise that SSG was a thing).

    Now what I should have done here is reconsider my sideboard plan. Sure, it’s still go faster, but what I needed were blasts, magus and blood moon back in and go for the lands. If I get a land, that’s up to 2-3 mana I’m killing with 1 card. Also, there are possibilities to undo on thin ice with a well placed blast.
    But what I did do, like the bad player I am, is think well, I won, so it worked, right?

    G3 - crushed me. Don’t remember if I did anything relevant even. Everything was held ‘on thin ice’, and it was g3 I noticed that it was very fetch dependent, and if I had blasted a single land, it would have also removed at least 2 land auras with them (and choked their mana). Too little too late.

    Next time, Ill keep all the blasts, side in magus, hedge mage, side out bridge, cratermaker. The blasts I will need to remove solitary confinement, and also choke their mana production. I think magus could have been a secretly good card here too.
    In the after game chat, he described to me how his brother plays imperial painter, and he just crushes him game after game. By the sound of it, his bro’s never beaten enchantress with painter before. Great start for me!

    0-1

    Match 2 - dragon stompy
    G1 - he led with mountain, chrome Mox and SSG into rabblemaster, I led with mountain welder. 3 turns later, he fireflux squads into something like a rabblemaster and locks me out with Trinisphere a turn later.

    Plan - go faster, and throw caution into the wind. Board +grindstone, +4 bolts, -moon, canonist, cratermaker, -2 karn. (I’m sure I made a mistake here, but am not really sure what the correct thing to do is).

    G2 - relatively ok hand with painter painter, some mana, and a recruiter.
    I lead with land painter, he drops warboss. On his next attack I chump painter into warboss, which he then stomps (bonecrusher) to kill painter number 1. Yea, I probably should have known that. I draw into another painter (he can’t have all the removal, right?), play that. He abrades the next. I lose more life. Play welder that I mised off the top, and the painter. He stomps the welder, then doublestomps the painter. So sometimes, when your opp sides in more removal, they might happen to draw all of them. A turn later, all the adventurous bonecrushers come into play, then bonecrushed me to death a turn after.

    I’m not sure what to take from this game. I guess it is that I should mulligan more aggressively, and aim for the t1-3 win rather than have a mediocre, lethargic start. Another thing I guess I could take from it is that legacy isn’t only blue soup.


    Match 3 - esper vial
    G1 - I kept a… sus hand in retrospect. lands at least 1 was ancient tomb, and a great furnace, copter, recruiter. I start with tomb into copter, and he looks up the card, then straight up forces it, pitching meddling mage (lucked out a bit there!). He then goes plains into vial, so I put him on esper vial or humans. I recruiter into a engineer, he lands second vial, and then vials in charming prince. I cast Engineer entomb a stone. He then swords the engineer. I draw into welder, play welder, and we both make landdrops. Then, he drops teferi, bounce welder, and then I drop karn. Karn resolves, so he probably is out of counters, I wish for pithing needle, cast needle on vial (would like some help here - should I have needled vial, and hope to draw blast, or needle teferi, since karn shuts off vials anyways? I felt like the vials really can’t be allowed to stay. Teferi doesn’t give him any resources unless he minus 3). Anyways, I naturally draw into a blast for the teferi, then draw into painter, play welder. He draw goes, I mise a blast, blast teferi, weld out a petal for stone, play painter, and I win.

    Plan - no idea. But more removal seems apt, so 4 bolts, abrade, hedge mage comes in, bridge, moon, 2 etutor, led, 1 petal come out. My thinking is that I wanna make sure I can remove teferis, and other peeps he has, and kill vials. I also don’t wanna go down too many cards, and tempo is gonna be on my side, probably. I’m guessing he’s gonna side in some amount of hate in the form of null rods and rip. Maybe disenchants if he plays that.

    G2 - mull to 6 keeping recruiter, stone, canonist, and some mana. Seems good. Lead with the stone, which he forces… not sure if that was his correct play, but I’ll take it! Turn 2 I go canonist, it resolves, and ends up sitting there all game. He doesn’t end up doing much, playing draw go most of the game, making landdrops, so I assume he’s sitting on tonnes of counters, or he doesn’t value canonist being able to stop him from removing my peeps (since canonist is already in play). Recruit for painter on my next turn. He drops a strix, and keeps land dropping. So I sculpt the hand (read: mise into) engineer, city, blast, painter. I figured, I should drop engineer, and see if he’s gonna counter it… nope. So I entomb another painter (which was a mistake in hindsight; plays into extirpate), pass. He land drops, agonizing his moves. On my next turn, I sequenced in a weird way. I drop painter on blue, he counts my mana, and he thinks I’m short 2. Resolves. I weld out petal for stone… no stifle (apparently, stifles aren’t played in esper vial). Ok, play city, activate stone, and he swords my painter, I blast it. He looks back at his hand, I remind him canonist is still there. Whoops, and I win! First match win!

    He reveals at the end that he basically started the game with 2 force, a swords, some lands, and drew into only lands. Man, that sucks for him. He also claims that moon effects are great vs him, and that canonists weren’t such a big deal. I imagine if he had vials, then it wouldn’t make any difference for sure. But limiting him to 1 interaction piece per turn still seems good. Will have to figure it out more. I imagine that vial on 3 is very dangerous. Flickerwisp, apparition comes to mind as extra removal pieces. Was even wondering at this point if torpor orb could be used as hate, since it’d work vs many decks, and I get to weld it in and out if need be.


    Match 4 - sneak and show
    So this was against a mate of mine, local guy (though via webcam, still). He also happens to own a bunch of decks (though not painter), so I’ve no idea what he’s on. Previously, he was on TES, miracles and rug.

    G1 - mulled a first hand that had a greedy petal and 1 land, into no lander into a 5 of tomb, mountain, recruiter, copter, petal, tucking a karn and I can’t remember what else. Probably a SSG. I win the dice throw and go first.

    I go tomb copter, he goes volcanic into Preordain. Turn 2 I go recruiter, then search. I was a bit stumped here; felt silly to go for a painter immediately, since I’ve no blasts nor stone, and I figured I should try to slow him down, since I saw a cantrip, so I went for a canonist (probably a mistake here), a copter beat, drawing an engineer, pitching a land. He plays volcanic then cantrips again. At this point, I should have known he was on some form of show and tell since I don’t think UR delver runs Preordain, especially post oko. I know that he knows that I’m on painter (cuz he’s a local, and ive only high tide, aluren and painter).
    Turn 3, I draw into a cratermaker and I play canonist, which was forced, pitch ponder. On his turn 3, drops a tomb, petal, sneak attack, sac petal for emrakul beat, annihilate my board, and figured I can’t crawl back from that. Drats.

    Siding, I’m a bit stumped, but I end up +canonist, +2 surgicals, +bridge, -moon, -led, -2 petal.
    My thinking is that I really need to slow him down, and not really knowing the MU, I imagine that he’s gonna run something anti GY, so I can’t rely on needle via engineer, so I should just lean on karn for that. On the other hand, bridge really needs to come down ASAP, so I should side that in, as well as canonist slowing him down. The surgicals I wasn’t sure about; but I figured, blast a show and tell, then surgical it. Makes sense, right? That being said, it feels wrong having to side into an A+B combo that can’t be tutored for. Also, I wasn’t sure about moon, but since it allows sneak attack, and that’s possibly thre worst thing for me to deal with, figured I didn’t need it.

    G2 - i keep à decent 7 with lands, a petal, welder, recruiter and a painter. I lead with land into welder, and he goes land, cage. Turn 2, draw surgical, play recruiter for a recruiter, recruiter gets in for 1 (19). He drops land, go. Turn 3, I recruiter for a recruiter, beat in for 2(17). He goes land, go. Turn 4, recruiter for recruiter, beat for 3 (14). He does land go (he’s sculpting the perfect hand, it seems). Play the last recruiter for my Japanese canonist (I realise via our banter that he doesn’t like mismatching cards), beat in for 4, down to 10. At this point, I make a mental note to, at all possible points, fetch for different land art, for the differing card languages as much as possible, just to make my opp cringe a bit. He plays something, probably a cantrip, then passes. I draw bridge, play canonist, gets forced, then I drop bridge (got him!). He pauses, then thinks about it for a second, then decides to scoop it up (going through his deck in the meanwhile, trying to figure out what his outs are).

    So here, I wondered to myself if I could actually get to beat down win. So I figured hedge mage (that can also get a cage and sneak attack if I’m lucky), and magus of the moon (and possibly get him off blue, if he misfetches). But I’ve no idea what to take out. At the end, I should have maybe taken out petals, but at that point in time, it was sneak attack that was scary, not show and tell, so I took a blast out for a hedge mage (whoops!).
    G3 - kept a greedy 7. Painter, cratermaker, surgical and some lands. He leads with volcanic cantrip, I draw blast play fetch, pass. Turn 2, he drops land, cantrip, and I draw into a second surgical. Play land, go. Turn 3, drops a tomb, then show and tell. So here, I was thinking I had completely played the mull wrong; I should have just mulled to a bridge or canonist. So I figured sure, just blast the damned thing. Blast resolves. Then he drops a few petals, then show and tells again. Crap, I should have surgicalled show and tell with the petal on the stack. Dammit. Anyways, my best move would be show and tell in cratermaker, and hope he drops an emrakul. But no. He drops omniscience, plays his hand, pays 7, and plays out his hand. And at that point, there was nothing I could really do aside from crater the emrakul. But he plays another. There was no real way to get back from that, so I fold.
    I chat with him a bit after tha games, and show him the jpn bridge and the Korean bridge, my Spanish/jpn canonist, the split of white bordered ptk lands together withthe odyssey mountains. Haha we got a good laugh from it, but I imagine that the effect would be better in person (it’s hard to see via webcam).
    Felt like I played the hand really badly game 3; should have known better, and I would have gotten him (or a higher chance to get him) if I had just mulled to bridge. And not surgicalling immediately when I had the chance was idiotic too. I didn’t realise that sneak and show played Omni as well. I could see putting a canonist in under show and tell, then blast the Omni. Strangely enough, I know that the MU isn’t great, but it felt like I genuinely had a reasonable shot at stealing game 3 if I had mulled better and if I didn’t side the extra blast out.

    Anyways, I ended a nice, underwhelming (but lesson-filled) league, going a solid 1-3 to come somewhere near the bottom of the rankings. It felt like a met very few blue decks, and the one blue deck was sneak and show, which was already pretty horrendous as a matchup. But of the 4 matches, it was only dragon stompy that really felt too fast and disruptive and where all my threats/interaction doesn’t match up well at all. Enchantress was a bad MU, but I’ve a feeling that it is still winnable with a more solid plan and better mulling.

    So all in all, it was a nice time in terms of being able to shuffle cards and throw cardboard like the paper wizard we all’d like to be, and it was cool being able to chat to other peeps stuck at home for a bit. A shame that my showing really tarnished the status of shortcake in the meta, but I’ll work on it. Felt like I learned a lot from those games, and I can only hope that I’ll remember to topdeck better in the future... and probably play better.
    The gathering is still an important part of the game though, and it’s nice that the local community is still going strong.

    I’m hoping that a ‘got crushed’ tournament report will at least make other people feel better for not nailing down that 5-0 every league. There will surely be more ‘got crushed’ reports as time goes by. Unless, of course, I suddenly turn all those happy little accidents to wins.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk in
    Legacy decks: mono U painter, strawberry shortcake, imperial painter, solidarity, burn
    EDH decks: zedruu voltron, rakdos the defiler, persistent petitioners, blind seer

  2. #2
    Bob Ross
    Kap'n Cook's Avatar
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    Re: Dr paintlove; or how I learned to stop worrying and keep painting

    Always love reading tourney reports, especially Painter. I've been getting the itch too to actually sling paper legacy again even if it's webcam too. I don't think I've played any since before Breach was printed :(
    Strawberry Shortcake

    http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/s...erry-Shortcake

    What a brainstorm do? Draw card and activate on draw effects fix hand, removing woods
    #FreeNedleeds

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