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Thread: [Deck] TES (The EPIC Storm)

  1. #381
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    Re: [Deck] TES - The EPIC Storm

    While I agree with cutting cabal pits (I haven't been running them for a while) I disagree on cutting a tomb of urami. Yes, it is agrivating as hell if thats ur only land and you want to brainstorm / xantid.... but the ability to make an uncounterable 5/5 is just rediculous in control matchups. If you can follow that up with a burning wish ->duress then it's prety much game. I also disagree with going down to 3 plunge. With 2 plunges in your hand you can sometimes combo without even using DReturns or IGG. For example lets just say you have a hand of dark rit, rite of flame, 2x plunge, burning wish, and 2 lands on the board. You can use both rituals, then plunge twice for a ritual and an LED, then burning wish for a fuckton of gobos (16 to be exact). Or, if you are feeling balsy, you can DReturns with 0 floating. In this scenario the plunges become the storm engine by either replacing themself manawise with a dark rit / rite of flame or netting a mana with an LED. Of course you could also just plunge once as a set up and try and grab and LED, then straight up win the next turn. They are definately the hardest part of the deck to play, but they are also the most rewarding if played correctly.

    BTW I'm currently in the middle of writing up a big long post about mulling hands in this deck. School is a bitch right now, so I'm not exactly sure when I'll post it, but it is in the works.

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  2. #382
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    Re: [Deck] TES - The EPIC Storm

    Quote Originally Posted by Kronicler View Post
    While I agree with cutting cabal pits (I haven't been running them for a while) I disagree on cutting a tomb of urami. Yes, it is agrivating as hell if thats ur only land and you want to brainstorm / xantid.... but the ability to make an uncounterable 5/5 is just rediculous in control matchups. If you can follow that up with a burning wish ->duress then it's prety much game.
    Here you can be right: i've never played tomb of urami, so i cannot tell if it's that good.

    Quote Originally Posted by Kronicler View Post
    I also disagree with going down to 3 plunge. With 2 plunges in your hand you can sometimes combo without even using DReturns or IGG. For example lets just say you have a hand of dark rit, rite of flame, 2x plunge, burning wish, and 2 lands on the board. You can use both rituals, then plunge twice for a ritual and an LED, then burning wish for a fuckton of gobos (16 to be exact).
    Well, without your 2nd plunge you could wish for 12 goblins (that's usually GG anyway on turn 2) and still have your life >0 (unless you plunged for something like 3 and 3). I don't feel like this hand is particularly better with 1 more plunge.

    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Nightmare View Post
    This is a prime example of a stupid player. You would probably have lost if he named LED, Rite of Flame, and Dark Ritual.
    I'd probably combo on turn 2 with the non-chanted ritual effects
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    We got Goyf Threshold, Deadgoyf Ale, Survival of the Goyfest and Goyfalid Breakfast.
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    Currently Playing: Nourishing Lich.Deck
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  3. #383
    Bryant Cook
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    Re: [Deck] TES - The EPIC Storm

    Quote Originally Posted by GreenOne View Post
    Lengthy post
    I agree with most of what you said, I too have cut Cabal Pit, I also cut Forbidden Orchard. Although, I am keeping Tomb of Urami. Forbidden Orchard was hardly ever an issue, but lately it has been catching up with me. This is why Cabal pit’s inability to tap for other colors and Orchard’s recent problems are why they’re being cut. I have added 2x Undiscovered Paradise for the moment, while the bouncing can be annoying I haven't had UP mess with Hellbent yet. I tested out Glimmervoid and found them to be extremely terrible and suicidal. Often ruining future storm count to keep a land around was annoying.

    I personally don't know if dual lands are the best option. They don't tap for any color, which can make certain hands unplayable. Neither dual land you posted can cast Xantid Swarm either, which can be a very large problem against aggro-control and control.

    Chain of Vapor can be useful but rarely is, when people make references to CoV's usefulness they often think of Vintage where it is much more powerful. CoV can increase storm count but has a terrible effect on the deck, leaving yourself with no lands bouncing petals//Moxen leaves you vulnerable and rarely increases mana. While it may be better than Shattering Spree if you don't know what your opponent is siding, you'll be better off game three knowing whether they have Chalice of the Void or not.

    I agree with Mr. Nightmare on this one, in testing naming/chanting acceleration is probably the best move you can make.

  4. #384
    Artist formerly known as Anti-American
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    Re: [Deck] TES - The EPIC Storm

    Well... I have playtested the SB a lot, and I found the following I tend to dislike...

    1. The 4th Confidant. I wanna cut it really badly. I dont like it because even though I only need 1, I'd much rather draw into a business spell then another Confidant. Cutting the 4th copy might be the right choice.

    2. Duresses were amazing. I might also be willing to just simply run these right now, considering the fact that CotV isnt that big yet, unless your up against a LftL deck or Faerie Stompy. Duress for me was strictly a metagame choice. They can also support EtW very well. Another option my friend suggested was to run Unmask in this slot, which can enable a 1st turn Swarm, as well as 1st turn disruption. I havent tested Unmask yet, but I may consider it.
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  5. #385
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    Re: [Deck] TES - The EPIC Storm

    Quote Originally Posted by wastedlife View Post
    I personally don't know if dual lands are the best option. They don't tap for any color, which can make certain hands unplayable. Neither dual land you posted can cast Xantid Swarm either, which can be a very large problem against aggro-control and control.
    Don't know. With the fetch you can play every card in the deck except for xantid. With the duals can happen a bit of color-screw, but compared to Cabal Pits they were great. However, there's a possibility that undiscovered paradise is better, just didn't test it enough (and over all not in multiples)

    Quote Originally Posted by wastedlife View Post
    Chain of Vapor can be useful but rarely is, when people make references to CoV's usefulness they often think of Vintage where it is much more powerful. CoV can increase storm count but has a terrible effect on the deck, leaving yourself with no lands bouncing petals//Moxen leaves you vulnerable and rarely increases mana. While it may be better than Shattering Spree if you don't know what your opponent is siding, you'll be better off game three knowing whether they have Chalice of the Void or not.
    CoV is good just because it can be used during the combo AND for protection. Last day a won a game that went something like: him doing first turn BoP and me land go. 2nd turn he played rule of law (I brainstorm in resp) and pass. My turn: CoV + combo. that deck can need some protection. It can't always combo out on turn 1-2 on the draw. If the opponent plays something nasty we know that we have an easy out.
    The meta is full of decks capable of disruption in the form of permaments. (Rule of Law, MM, Pillar, Chalice @0). The majority of the time people is siding in permanents vs us and that's when CoV shines. I know shattering spree is busted vs artifacts, but there are many problematic non artifact permanents to deal with.

    CoV can't usually make mana, but can build threshold (sacrificing lands) and make something like 2-3 storm for "U" AND be protection AND buy a turn sometimes. What's wrong with that?

    ---
    We had just finished some more pre-side games, playing Me(Solidarity) vs Wastedlife (TES). the session ended 6-4 for TES.
    From the solidarity perspective I can say I feel a bit below. A xantid hand can wreck me as can a first turn 8-10 gobbos. I can't always mull into FoW vs an unknown opponent, so first match is slightly in TES' favor (55-45 or 60-40).
    I have to say that 6 out of 10 games WastedLuckass started with a Swarm.
    ---
    @ Anti-American: Duress can be a good idea, try it out and tell us something more about your testing.

    @Unmask: it sucks. We have too little black cards and those we have are important ones. Card disadvantage sucks too, CC is high (confidant), but it can take critters. Summed up, I don't see it any better than duress.
    Quote Originally Posted by Tacosnape, TrialByFire, Silverdragon mix
    We got Goyf Threshold, Deadgoyf Ale, Survival of the Goyfest and Goyfalid Breakfast.
    It probably won't end until we have decks like Goyf Stax, Goyfbelcher, Goyfchantress, Vial Goyflins, Goyfstill, Goyf from the Loam, Faergoyf Stompy, Goyf-Pox, Goyf Confinement, 8-Land Goyfstompy, and the Dave Gearhart classic, Goyfidarity.
    And Ichgoyfrid, Red Deadgoyf, GES, 42landand4goyf.dec, Goyf Game and Ill-Gotten-Goyf-y Pop
    Currently Playing: Nourishing Lich.Deck
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  6. #386
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    Re: [Deck] TES - The EPIC Storm

    After a conversation with Wastedlife about Dark Confidant, I decided to keep the 4th copy in. Duresses were insane. I sided them in with Confidant and it does so much for you. It protects your EtW, if you have the mana it can protect your Combo 1st turn, draws a counter out, and it protects your Swarms and Confidants. Duress also took out a High Tide and gave me information from the High Tide player as well destorying his clock against me.
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  7. #387
    Bryant Cook
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    Re: [Deck] TES - The EPIC Storm

    Quote Originally Posted by GreenOne View Post
    Don't know. With the fetch you can play every card in the deck except for Xantid. With the duals can happen a bit of color-screw, but compared to Cabal Pits they were great. However, there's a possibility that undiscovered paradise is better, just didn't test it enough (and over all not in multiples)
    I disagree with the fetchland plan still, turn one Xantid will win you your tougher matches; against Solidarity, Threshold or even Hannifish. Xantid Swarm is often your strongest option against a lot of decks and cutting away at his chances of casting him turn one doesn't seem like a good idea. I agree with Cabal Pit being less than exceptional, hence why it was cut. In my testing so far, Undiscovered Paradise has been amazing. Although, at first I got very excited thinking I could float a mana and found out I can’t...
    Quote Originally Posted by GreenOne View Post
    I have to say that 6 out of 10 games WastedLuckass started with a Swarm.
    Quote Originally Posted by GreenOne View Post
    CoV is good just because it can be used during the combo AND for protection. Last day a won a game that went something like: him doing first turn BoP and me land go. 2nd turn he played rule of law (I brainstorm in resp) and pass. My turn: CoV + combo. that deck can need some protection. It can't always combo out on turn 1-2 on the draw. If the opponent plays something nasty we know that we have an easy out.
    The meta is full of decks capable of disruption in the form of permanents. (Rule of Law, MM, Pillar, Chalice @0). The majority of the time people is siding in permanents vs us and that's when CoV shines. I know shattering spree is busted vs artifacts, but there are many problematic non artifact permanents to deal with.
    The main problem I have with COV is that it often doesn't change the game state. The situation you posted it does, I'll give you that. However, most of the time you don't get hands with eight zero casting cost artifacts and land that you can bounce them with. This rises up another issue I have with Chain of Vapor, TES plays very little land, which is why I think CoV wouldn't be very useful. At most you'll have 3 land if you are still in the game to sacrifice to Chain of Vapor. Yes, we have problematic permanents what deck doesn't? We have an out already being Burning Wish, and it’s been working so far. I understand the need not to rely on Burning Wish but it's a lot more versatile than CoV when it comes down to it. Burning Wish acting as a tutor as well as an answer will win you more games. Burning Wish also acts as a storm generator with Ill-Gotten Gains much like Chain of Vapor.

    Quote Originally Posted by GreenOne View Post
    CoV can't usually make mana, but can build threshold (sacrificing lands) and make something like 2-3 storm for "U" AND be protection AND buy a turn sometimes. What's wrong with that?
    What happens if your opponent ends up forcing you to fizzle? That point in the game there's no chance for recovery, which is another reason I dislike Chain of Vapor. Is building Threshold very necessary? I mean we cut Cabal Pit, and we or at least I, side out Cabal Rituals a lot.

    Quote Originally Posted by Anti~American4621 View Post
    After a conversation with Wastedlife about Dark Confidant, I decided to keep the 4th copy in. Duresses were insane. I sided them in with Confidant and it does so much for you. It protects your EtW, if you have the mana it can protect your Combo 1st turn, draws a counter out, and it protects your Swarms and Confidants. Duress also took out a High Tide and gave me information from the High Tide player as well destorying his clock against me.
    Duress in the sideboard other than a 1x of is bad. Here is why, it's often a dead draw where you need a tutor or acceration, which is what you sideboarded out for it. You can't sideboard out Xantid for Duress, because well, you need them for the same match-ups. This is where Dark Confidant comes in, Dark Confidant can be flopped in or out in almost any match-up, where as Duress is only good in match-ups than Xantid is good in. I understand you're not replacing Dark Confidant with Duress but you'll end up sideboarding out too many key cards and will disrupt your deck. After disrupting your deck you'll end up drawing dead cards (Duress) and you won't be able to combo out. Duress's peak is useful, but I don't think it is worth more than a 1x slot in the sideboard as a wish target.

  8. #388

    Re: [Deck] TES - The EPIC Storm

    Quote Originally Posted by wastedlife View Post
    In my testing so far, Undiscovered Paradise has been amazing. Although, at first I got very excited thinking I could float a mana and found out I can’t...
    Hah! Told you it was better!

    Since I so rarely want to see more than one Plunge (due to City and the first Plunge bleeding a lot), I am considering dropping to 3 and subbing some other card manipulation - one Mystical, Impulse, mayeb even Tainted Pact - not sure exactly what yet.

    I am starting to wonder if 2 ETW 1 Tendrils isn't better, because I am starting to think that going for the turn 1-2 "10 power of goblins" plan is really strong.
    Quote Originally Posted by Bardo View Post
    Matt, basically everything you said turned out to be true.
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  9. #389
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    Re: [Deck] TES - The EPIC Storm

    I've also been considering going 2 etw 1 tendrils, but for different reasons. The turn 1 10-12 gobos play is very strong, and if you can do it, the right choice is usually to do so. The reason that I'm thinking of switching is because seeing that second etw early is ok (and sometimes amazing)... while seeing an early tendrils is always horrible. My primary reason that I havent switched yet is because I hate plunging and removing my 1 tendrils from the game. It sometimes prevents a combo when using infernal, led, and dark rit because you dont end up with enough mana to get a burning wish after IGG. I'm not sure right now, but I sure do hate drawing early storm cards.

    BTW I've been using Undiscovered Paradise for months now. I thought you guys were as well! Oh well :-D.

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  10. #390
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    Re: [Deck] TES - The EPIC Storm

    Quote Originally Posted by wastedlife View Post
    I disagree with the fetchland plan still, turn one Xantid will win you your tougher matches; against Solidarity, Threshold or even Hannifish. Xantid Swarm is often your strongest option against a lot of decks and cutting away at his chances of casting him turn one doesn't seem like a good idea. I agree with Cabal Pit being less than exceptional, hence why it was cut. In my testing so far, Undiscovered Paradise has been amazing. Although, at first I got very excited thinking I could float a mana and found out I can’t...
    After some more testing I found too that the fetch/duals was worse than the Undiscovered paradise one. I've been probably blinded by the fact it was simply better than Cabal Pits. I found that the +1 land and -1 plunge is not good too. So, I guess i'm jumping in the +2 fivecolor lands (Undiscovered is probably really good here, but i'll test Forbidden Orchard, glimmervoid, tarnished citadel too).

    Quote Originally Posted by wastedlife View Post
    The main problem I have with COV is that it often doesn't change the game state. The situation you posted it does, I'll give you that. However, most of the time you don't get hands with eight zero casting cost artifacts and land that you can bounce them with. This rises up another issue I have with Chain of Vapor, TES plays very little land, which is why I think CoV wouldn't be very useful. At most you'll have 3 land if you are still in the game to sacrifice to Chain of Vapor. Yes, we have problematic permanents what deck doesn't? We have an out already being Burning Wish, and it’s been working so far. I understand the need not to rely on Burning Wish but it's a lot more versatile than CoV when it comes down to it. Burning Wish acting as a tutor as well as an answer will win you more games. Burning Wish also acts as a storm generator with Ill-Gotten Gains much like Chain of Vapor.

    What happens if your opponent ends up forcing you to fizzle? That point in the game there's no chance for recovery, which is another reason I dislike Chain of Vapor. Is building Threshold very necessary? I mean we cut Cabal Pit, and we or at least I, side out Cabal Rituals a lot.
    I usually side chain of vapors vs non-counterspell decks and the opponent can't force you to fizzle if he's not playing counterspells (unless he's playing extirpate, orim's chant and so on...). I know that the deck can use BWish to solve problematic permanents, but I usually am dead in the time I'm searching for Wish, casting it and casting the spell I take from it, so I wanted more solutions maindeck. Chain of vapor is the best bounce spell that a deck tight on mana can use. Obv you're not always using CoV for making storm, but sometimes you'll do. You won't always use CoV to build threshold, but you can do it if you need it. You won't always cast CoV to buy a turn (in this case is a sort of "cycle" ability) or to solve some problematic permanent, but often you'll do.

    Have you ever tested it? Try it out and see how it goes.
    Quote Originally Posted by Tacosnape, TrialByFire, Silverdragon mix
    We got Goyf Threshold, Deadgoyf Ale, Survival of the Goyfest and Goyfalid Breakfast.
    It probably won't end until we have decks like Goyf Stax, Goyfbelcher, Goyfchantress, Vial Goyflins, Goyfstill, Goyf from the Loam, Faergoyf Stompy, Goyf-Pox, Goyf Confinement, 8-Land Goyfstompy, and the Dave Gearhart classic, Goyfidarity.
    And Ichgoyfrid, Red Deadgoyf, GES, 42landand4goyf.dec, Goyf Game and Ill-Gotten-Goyf-y Pop
    Currently Playing: Nourishing Lich.Deck
    Current Record: 1-83-2

  11. #391
    Bryant Cook
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    Re: [Deck] TES - The EPIC Storm

    Quote Originally Posted by MattH View Post
    Hah! Told you it was better!
    Since I so rarely want to see more than one Plunge (due to City and the first Plunge bleeding a lot), I am considering dropping to 3 and subbing some other card manipulation - one Mystical, Impulse, mayeb even Tainted Pact - not sure exactly what yet.
    I am starting to wonder if 2 ETW 1 Tendrils isn't better, because I am starting to think that going for the turn 1-2 "10 power of goblins" plan is really strong.
    You did... Guess I should've listened.

    The only time I don't want to see Plunge into Darkness is if I've already used two or if I have an opening hand that’s clogged with 2cc cards. The key with multiple Plunges into Darkness is to do the first one for 3-5, then the second one for 6-8 and win that turn.

    I disagree with 2 ETW; you can always tutor for ETW or just simply open it. Opening storm cards if often bad, same with "I win" cards. Increasing this amount doesn't seem good either. ETW is very venerable to the format, although very good on turn 1 on the play; it becomes worse and worse as time goes on. Another reason to keep 2 Tendrils of Agony and 1 Empty the Warrens is the fact that TES removes a lot of cards from the game between Diminishing Returns, Chrome Mox, and Plunge into Darkness. Removing Tendrils from the game during any point of this would force you to have to find/have Burning Wish and cast it, making you venerable to counterspells.
    Quote Originally Posted by GreenOne View Post
    I usually side chain of vapors vs non-counterspell decks and the opponent can't force you to fizzle if he's not playing counterspells (unless he's playing extirpate, orim's chant and so on...). I know that the deck can use BWish to solve problematic permanents, but I usually am dead in the time I'm searching for Wish, casting it and casting the spell I take from it, so I wanted more solutions maindeck. Chain of vapor is the best bounce spell that a deck tight on mana can use. Obv you're not always using CoV for making storm, but sometimes you'll do. You won't always use CoV to build threshold, but you can do it if you need it. You won't always cast CoV to buy a turn (in this case is a sort of "cycle" ability) or to solve some problematic permanent, but often you'll do.

    Have you ever tested it? Try it out and see how it goes.
    At this point CoV is very situational in the cases that its actually useful, against deck's without counterspells we should be able to somewhat goldfish, unless it’s against discard. Do we need an additional storm generator? I mean we have IGG AND Returns to generate massive storm, if Chain of Vapor is useful (We have more than one land) that means its around turn 3-4 by then we can go off without an additional storm engine(Going of SX). Against fast aggro we should be able to goldfish them if they haven't played problematic enchantments/artifacts, in which they haven't since you'd be using it on creatures. That argument is somewhat irrelevant.
    I have tested it and dismissed it for the reasons posted in this thread.

  12. #392
    Artist formerly known as Anti-American
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    Re: [Deck] TES - The EPIC Storm

    Quote Originally Posted by wastedlife View Post
    Duress in the sideboard other than a 1x of is bad. Here is why, it's often a dead draw where you need a tutor or acceration, which is what you sideboarded out for it. You can't sideboard out Xantid for Duress, because well, you need them for the same match-ups. This is where Dark Confidant comes in, Dark Confidant can be flopped in or out in almost any match-up, where as Duress is only good in match-ups than Xantid is good in. I understand you're not replacing Dark Confidant with Duress but you'll end up sideboarding out too many key cards and will disrupt your deck. After disrupting your deck you'll end up drawing dead cards (Duress) and you won't be able to combo out. Duress's peak is useful, but I don't think it is worth more than a 1x slot in the sideboard as a wish target.
    I get ya. Your saying that it's hard to be proactive with so much disruption sided in place of business spells. I guess that SB slot can be a metagame concern then.
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  13. #393
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    Re: [Deck] TES - The EPIC Storm

    To keep my promise now a short report from my win with T.E.S. in one of the bigger monthly legacy tournaments in Germany.

    First of all sorry for the long time between promising and posting this report but I had to write a long german Deck Review about T.E.S. first and that takes more time than I expected.

    After a long time of goldfishing and testing with T.E.S. I wanted to go to the next step,something that I never did before: Playing 7 rounds of very skill intensive Storm Combo. My first Tournament with T.E.S. ended up 4:2. Wins against two times U/W Landstill,Affinity and R/G Beatz ( funny game; Mulligan down to 4 then 3times draw go and win :-P). Loss against one of my Testpartners with Hanni Fish (That he draws like God in Both Games doesn’t improve this bad matchup for example: On the Play First Turn Duress,Second Turn Meddling Mage,Third Turn Mage, Fourth Turn Mage all with Stifle and Force Backup -.-)
    The other Loss against a Counterbalance/Sensei Divining Top- Deck. Game 1 my topdeckskills are horrible and game 2 he lays down second turn Top+Balance+Open Mana for Topactions.

    But I really like the Deck and wanted to give him a second chance on another Event. After some changes in the Decklist, or in other words , connect my list to the newest one from wastedlife ;-) I was ready to play T.E.S. again.

    My decklist can be found here: http://www.planetmtg.de/articles/artikel.html?id=2572



    Round 1

    Opponent: Ulrich
    Deck: Rifter
    Dice: me

    Game 1: My hand allows me to produce First Turn 14 goblins and in his two Turns he don’t find a Pyroclasm to handle them.

    Game 2: Until turn 3 nothing relevant happens except of land drops and a Seal of Cleansing from him. Then my hand is good enough to kill him over Tendrils if I play it right. But to make the Game more excitingly I make an horrible miss play. I forget the Seal on his side and start with a LED, then some ritual effects and in response to one of them he destroys my LED. Crappy shit. Now my hand contains only an Infernal and I have to search Diminishing Returns to try to combo again. So I pass the turn and cast the Returns one turn later. The new 7 cards are good enough to kill him the same round. Lucky me.

    2:0 10


    Round 2

    Opponent: Thorsten
    Deck: R/w Vial Goblins
    Dice: he

    Game1: He starts with Land, Lackey. My hand contains 2 lands so I drop one of them. In his turn he have an wasteland and a Warchief. Without dropping the second land I pass the turn and he attacks with his goblins + a piledriver from his hand. He puts in a Ringleader with the Lackey but that’s not really relevant because in my Turn I can cast a lethal Tendrils with a little help from Ill Gotten Gains.

    Game 2: He starts again with Lackey and I lay down a chrome mox and a land to cast a Plunge into darkness for 5 as a setup. In his Turn he has the best answer: Engineered Explosives for my mox and another sideboard card: Tormods Crypt. Normally not really good against me but I’ve drawn the Maindeck Iggy and the Crypt stops me from cast them. So all in All the Crypt gives him enough time to kill me with some attacks.

    Game 3: I start with Land and Brainstorm and now my hand is good enough to kill him Turn 2. He begins with the third time First-Turn-Lackey but that’s not good enough to stop me from comboing.

    2:1 20



    Round 3

    Opponent: Matthias
    Deck: Hanni Fish
    Dice: me

    Game 1: I know what he’s playing and I’m not really happy with that. But my hand is really strong and I can cast First-Turn Xantid Swarm. He resolves. Then he starts with land Serum Visions and at this point I know that’s my game. I attack in my round and can combo out without any fear of Stifle or other counters. After the Game he shows me the Swords that he puts on top his library with the Visions.

    Game 2: He starts with Land go. And I try again to cast a Xantid Swarm. He’s thinking about that very long but in the End the Swarm resolves. So I think he’s got a removal but surprise….he don’t get one and my Swarm can attack…Now I have the dicision between creating some Goblins or the riskier way: Searching Returns. I decide to search Returns because of the possibility that he’s boarding in Plagues. No Risk ,no Fun ;) For my luck my new hand is good enough to kill over Tendrils.

    2:0 30


    Round 4

    Opponent: Andre
    Deck: B/w Sui
    Dice: he

    Game 1: I look at him playing some rounds ago and so I know what expect me…
    Land,go is the not really strong beginning from him. I start with a Cabal Pit and Andre thinks about what I’m playing….Pox is his first tip. And I try to make him believe that he’s right. He wastes my Land and passes the Turn. I draw a Dark Ritual from the top and so I can start comboing only in 10 Goblins but that should be enough if he don’t have a maindeck Plague. He don’t have and game one goes to me.

    Game 2: He begins with a Duress ,chooses Dark Ritual over Compost and Empty the Warrens. In my turn I can cast Chrome Mox and the Compost and that’s necessary because he shows me double Hymn to Tourach and Sinkhole. But not enough a Hypnotic comes down on the field and my hand becomes more and more weaker. My hand contains at this time a Dark Ritual and 2x Infernals. He attacks with the Hypnotic Specter and I had to discard one of the Infernals then on my Turn I drew a LED and at this time I try to start comboing. Cast D. Ritual and Infernal search Returns and with the new 7 cards my hand contains enough power to cast a lethal Tendrils.

    2:0 40



    Round 5

    Opponent: Markus
    Deck: U/Grw NQG
    Dice: me/he I don’t know ;-)

    Game 1: Double Burning Wish,two lands and Fast Mana is my opening hand and I try with it. He does a lot of cantripping in the first turns and when I drew my third land I try a Burning wish with stormcount 0. He let them resolve and I search EtW. The next turn I cast a lot of irrelevant stuff like triple LED to increase the spellcount and then EtW for 12. Like the most NQG lists in Germany he don’t run stifles and so I get 12 goblins. He try to to survive with Fire/Ice and 2x Swords but all in all that’s not enough to stop the goblins from smashing him down.

    Game 2: I hold an very risky hand that has an autoloss against pyroclasm but I try it and after land go from him I start to play fastmana like Ritual and EtW after that…Stormcount 6 and 14 goblins for me. In his two draw phases he start to find a Pyroclasm with double Brainstorm but in fact he don’t find one and he’s dead.

    2:0 50



    Round 6

    Opponent: Linus
    Deck: CAL
    Dice: he

    Game 1: I start with a mulligan and hold a suboptimal hand with triple Plunge but I know that he’s playing a very slow finishing CAL deck and keep that hand. He starts cycling some things and returns all with LftL also he had a wasteland and because of that I never become more then one land but all his actions are not enough to stop me from going off. With one life but a lethal Tendrils on the stack this game ends in favour for me.

    Game 2: Another game, another mulligan. He starts with Exploration and a second Turn Confinement/Life Lock. Not that problem if I find a Burning Wish but nearly hundred Turns I don’t find one. After a lot of cycling and dredging from him he lays down a Terravore who’s in the near of 20/20 and the Burning Wish I drew from the top is one Turn too late. Because I don’t have enough mana to cast Burning Wish for Tranquility and comboing the same turn.

    Game 3: Third time mulligan for me and I’m very pissed because of the second game. This matchup is so good for me that I normally can’t lose the whole game. The game starts with second Turn Confinement Lock again and I don’t have a Burning Wish again. After some turns I find one and wish me the Tranquility. But I had to pass the turn. Now he’s going to make an extremely false decision. Instead of wasting all my lands or making 4 life with his Nomad Stadium (which both had stopped me from comboing) he wants to keep his Confinement in play and spend his mana to return a Witness with a Genesis to his hand. After that he passes the Turn and now I had the decision between two ways to play my hand. My hand is: 2x Dark Ritual,2x Cabal Ritual (threshold),Lotus Petal,Tranquility,Il Gotten Gains. My board 2x Cabal Pits and my graveyard: Tendrils,Plunge and irrelevant stuff like lands. Life totals me 11 Linus: 24 (he acticvates Nomad Stadium one time before) and so I cannot cast all fast mana and Tendrils for win.Way 1: Start comboing and cast a Tendrils for 20 that don’t kills him but give me enough life to survive his last turns (extra time was called) or Way 2 start comboing and cast a Plunge for 10 life with the option to find an Infernal or lose. I decide to go “All-IN” and spread out 10 cards from my library face down. Turning them over one-by-one. The tenth card is the Infernal ;-). Lucky….

    (after the round I think about the situation again and realize that if I return the lotus petal with the Iggy I also had the Burning Wish as an “out” but in the game itself I forgot this option completely)

    2:1 60

    One round left and a draw is enough for me to win this tournament. But my opponent wants to play.


    Round 7

    Opponent: Philipp
    Deck: HanniFish
    Dice: he

    Game 1: He starts with a Mother of Runes. My opening is a Xantid Swarm. He resolves and after his second play. (a Jitte) I know my Swarm will survive long enough. In my Turn I start comboing but my hand contains not enough black mana producer to kill him over Tendrils and not enough blue producer to cast Returns. So I do a lot of tricks to increase the Stormcount. Burning Wish on Burning Wish and stuff like that and pass the Turn with 20 goblins in play. That’s more than enough against his lonely mother.

    After the game I trashtalk a lot with Philipp to convince him that it would be better if he ID with me. And after nearly 5 minutes we shake hands and I’m the winner of the January Iserlohner Event.
    I’m very happy with that and receive a playset revised Taigas for my first place.

    ID 61

    In the end Pros and Cons

    Pro’s:
    -the Deck
    -Wastedlife for creating the Deck and all other who developed the deck
    -my Eternal Rating after the tournament :-P (1855)

    Con’s
    -my horrible English


    Thy for reading this article! I hope you enjoy it!
    Last edited by FlodO; 02-22-2007 at 02:37 PM.
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  14. #394
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    Re: [Deck] TES - The EPIC Storm

    Very nice report and, once again, congrats! The two things that surprised me from this report are a) how many times you mulled and b) how many times people let xantid resolve. I'll elaborate on these more when I return from school, but right now I gotta go.

    Kronicler
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  15. #395
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    Re: [Deck] TES - The EPIC Storm

    Very nice report, Flo! Those were some very intense games at the tournament and it was great watching some of them.

    I'm looking forward to your German report, as well. Are you going to play the deck again soon? ;)
    Sometimes you have to read between the minds.

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  16. #396
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    Re: [Deck] TES - The EPIC Storm

    Has the 2 Cabal Pits been any good in the tourney? Or were they just a nuisance, as most of us here have agreed upon?

    I too am surprised by the amount of times Xantid Swarm resolved... It's either luck or bad decisions from your opponents... But hey, whatever wins...

  17. #397
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    Re: [Deck] TES - The EPIC Storm

    Nice work. I wished I played TES, as I would've not only been undefeated, but also have a better chance agaisnt 5/3 in the quarter finals. Karma does stuff like that.
    ICBE - We're totally the coolest Anti-Thesis ever.


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  18. #398
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    Re: [Deck] TES - The EPIC Storm

    Congrats on the finish! I was impressed that you weathered what seemed like some pretty bad matchups to come out on top.

    Are there any cards you would change if you were to do it again? Specifically Cabal Pit, but in general as well.

    And can you tell us how you boarded?

  19. #399
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    Re: [Deck] TES - The EPIC Storm

    Quote Originally Posted by Lego_Army_Man View Post
    Congrats on the finish! I was impressed that you weathered what seemed like some pretty bad matchups to come out on top.
    thx!

    Quote Originally Posted by Lego_Army_Man View Post
    Are there any cards you would change if you were to do it again? Specifically Cabal Pit, but in general as well.

    And can you tell us how you boarded?
    First of all i would cut the Cabal Pit completely..i've never used them except for mana.
    The SB is not optimal as well...I've missed a Duress/Cabal Therapy and 3 Shattering Spree are too much. I didn't tested the Dark Confidant in the board but i think in our metagame he is not that good as it could be. ( In germany Solidarity normally doesn't exist)

    The newest changes (include Tomb of Urami etc.) seemes to be good in my eyes.

    Quote Originally Posted by Lego_Army_Man View Post
    And can you tell us how you boarded?
    I'm sry but i don't remember how exactly I've boarded.
    +++Team aYb+++

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  20. #400
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    Re: [Deck] TES - The EPIC Storm

    OH MY F*CKING GOD... I just had this huge ass post typed up then my browser quit on me! UGH. Well, I guess I'll retype it now....

    I'm going to a tourney this weekend so I would like to go over sideboards and boarding strats against a bunch of different decks. Here is my current SB:

    4 Dark Confidant
    1 Cleanfall
    1 Diminishing Returns
    1 Duress
    3 Empty the Warrens
    1 Ill-Gotten Gains
    1 Rough/Tumble
    1 Shattering Spree
    1 Simplify
    1 Tendrils of Agony

    I decided to go back to 3 ETW over 3 shattering spree because spree was to narrow of a card, and ETW is more useful in more matches. Also, my decision to run 2 enchantment destruction cards may be debatable, but the usefulness they provide is more than any other single card in that slot would.

    Thresh / Fish: I don't see much thresh in my meta, but I do see quite a bit of fish. If I am wrong in grouping them together, let me know, but in my experience the strat is the same. Here is how I board against them:

    -2 Plunge
    -4 Cabal Ritual

    +4 Bob
    +2 ETW

    The stifles in Fish make ETW slightly less effective against it, but I still think bringing it in is the right decision.


    Solidarity: I definately see some solidarity in my meta, but only one of the 3 or so players is actually a skilled pilot. I also seem to get a Xantid every game :-D. I guess I board like this:

    -2 Cabal Ritual

    +2 ETW

    I think it has been said before but Bob is just to slow in this matchup. Also, if you want to win with ETW, you really gotta pull it off in the first turn or 2 unless you can follow it up with Burning wish -> Duress.


    Gobos: Prety straight forward.

    -4 Xantid

    +2 ETW
    +2 Bob

    ETW is great here, and Bob is just for chrome moxing.


    Deadguy Ale: There is 1 guy who always brings this deck and I seemed to get paired against him every single time. Here is how I would board:

    -4 Xantid
    -2 Plunge

    +4 Bob
    +2 ETW

    Bob is definately the stone cold nuts in this matchup. Also, I would rather side out plunge instead of cabal ritual as getting threshold is a definate possibility here.


    IGGy Pop: People in my meta are slowly realizing that TES is a much better deck than IGGy, but a few people still refuse to believe it. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how to board in this matchup. Off the top of my head, here is what I would do:

    -4 Xantid

    +4 Bob

    ETW is to slow here IMO, so I don't board that in. Bob is functionally to slow, but is better to chrome mox than xantid. Any tips for this matchup?

    And that's about it. Not much else I expect to see, cept maybe a burn deck. I think I'd board that exactly as I board goblins.

    Kronicler
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