[Primer] R/G Lands

[Alexeezay]

Skyl3lazer: Everything what you say is true, I just think that if you are already running 2 Manabond, then Ghost Quarter is the way to go. Same goes for Horizon Canopy over a Tranquil Thicket.

We shouldn't read too much into the results so far because the new meta is super fresh. But it doesn't look too bad honestly.

[Skyl3lazer]

Skyl3lazer: Everything what you say is true, I just think that if you are already running 2 Manabond, then Ghost Quarter is the way to go. Same goes for Horizon Canopy over a Tranquil Thicket.

We shouldn't read too much into the results so far because the new meta is super fresh. But it doesn't look too bad honestly.

I could definitely see the case for Canopy over Thicket, I just don't happen to own one at the moment

That said even with manabond, I'm assuming that I'm only going to get 1 loam off before a combo deck could be killing me. In that instance I'd want port over GQ.

[Crimhead]

That said even with manabond, I'm assuming that I'm only going to get 1 loam off before a combo deck could be killing me. In that instance I'd want port over GQ.

Agreed. As far as combo goes, Ports > GQs. Ports are fantastic with Manabond besides.

[inevitablepnut]

splash of black, entomb instead of gamble, volrath's stronghold, and leovold? thoughts?

[Dice_Box]

splash of black, entomb instead of gamble, volrath's stronghold, and leovold? thoughts?

So Jund Depths with Leo? Not sure that would work.

[inevitablepnut]

So Jund Depths with Leo? Not sure that would work.

Idk that it would work either.. The thought behind it is that it leo just slows your opponent immensely. then again it may just be trying to do to much.

[Wiktul]

After some hard playtesting I'm giving a try to a single Sylvan Library main. When our faster combo is our best plan g1 it works as semi-Manabond without a need of a prayer for the perfect hand. Later in the game it allows us to adapt to boardstate, when acceleration or tutors become crucial and we don't need to hesitate so much before each dredge. As sideboarding can be quite tricky with still shifting meta, it really shines in g2 and g3. With so much outcome and confidence gained from it, I won't hesitate to make it my 61'st if that would be the case ;)

[inevitablepnut]

I've been seeing alot of lists running ancient tomb. Is this effective after playtesting? Are we shifting towards that and 2 manabond lists?

[djxstream]

I've been seeing alot of lists running ancient tomb. Is this effective after playtesting? Are we shifting towards that and 2 manabond lists?

It increases the odds to landing a sphere/thorn/chalice on t1. Instead of relying on a mox, you can cast it with the tomb or crop rotate for it.

It also could get you to make marit lage on 3 lands.

[Skyl3lazer]

So I was going to write more about the GP Richmond side events but I'm super lazy so you get a short summary. My list was as below, but with the following changes:

-1 Taiga
-1 Tranquil Thicket
+1 Karakas
+1 Horizon Canopy

SB
-1 Karakas
+1 Warping Wail

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C-28C08XsAER6NH.jpg

The meta was fairly combo-heavy, but I personally played against mostly fair decks (8/11 times), with my combo being UB, BR Reanimator, and 1 Omnitell.

BR Reanimator, I won the die roll and knew what he was on, so it was an easy matchup.

UB Reanimator was interesting. I ended up 2-0 in two very long games involving a Blazing Archon and a 40/39 Tireless Tracker. Mainboard we have the same outs as usual, and a fast combo + bog on rotation is usually enough. Postboard, the Warping Wails were absolutely amazing - I got to turn 1 Warping Wail a Reanimate, followed by a T2 rotate for bog in response to Exhume. Ideally those would be reversed, but the mana wasn't there if I rotated turn 1.

Omnitell is still a joke matchup, I can't imagine we're more than 10% to win that. Warping Wail makes it better postboard, but they still have force. Best bet is to stay fast and try to luck into it.

Elves matchup really showed the power of Tomb. Game one we're faster than usual, so the matchup is pretty OK. Game 2 I got to go T1 Land -> Exploration -> Land -> Rotate -> Tomb -> Chalice on 1, GG. Between the turn earlier Marit Lage and additional T1 lock piece option, this matchup feels really heavily in our favor now.

Overall against the rest of the field I just felt very favored. I think for this weekend Heaven//Earth might have been slightly better SB than the Kozilek's Returns, but it didn't really come up. I liked my suite of hate removal - grudge is amazing against SFM decks of any flavor, and Back to Nature helped make some very negative Humility matchups much more winnable. Only reason I didn't get a list on SCG was because I gave my opponent the byes for the main event on Friday, which meant he was the '5-0'.

It was a good time and I'm looking forward to Eternal Weekend, and seeing how the meta adjusts. Even this weekend there were some spicy brews around that weren't combo. I saw a UW Humility deck, and 4 color Atraxa Nicfit.

[filln]

40/39 Tireless Tracker

I'm surprised you didn't draw out your entire library!

[Skyl3lazer]

I'm surprised you didn't draw out your entire library!

The punishing fire left in my deck was in the bottom 5 cards, but my opponent was at 4.

[Noctalor]

Yesterday we had the first big event (130 players) since Top got axed, and I won it with this list

// 60 Maindeck
// 4 Artifact
4 Mox Diamond

// 6 Enchantment
4 Exploration
1 Manabond
1 Molten Vortex

// 8 Instant
4 Crop Rotation
4 Punishing Fire

// 34 Land
4 Dark Depths
4 Thespian's Stage
4 Wasteland
4 Rishadan Port
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 Karakas
2 Taiga
1 Forest
1 Glacial Chasm
3 Maze of Ith
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
2 Tranquil Thicket
2 Windswept Heath
1 Barbarian Ring

// 8 Sorcery
4 Gamble
4 Life from the Loam


// 15 Sideboard
// 7 Artifact
SB: 3 Chalice of the Void
SB: 4 Sphere of Resistance

// 2 Creature
SB: 2 Tireless Tracker

// 5 Instant
SB: 4 Krosan Grip

// 1 Land
SB: 1 Bojuka Bog
SB: 1 Ancient Tomb

[kravkenov]

Yesterday we had the first big event (130 players) since Top got axed, and I won it [...].

Congrats !! Report needed ;)

[filln]

Such a clean list. Congrats! Any issues with only two fetch?

[Noctalor]

So, let's talk about the tournament.

I faced (not in order)

1 Dredge
1 Grixis Delver
1 URg Burn
1 Tezzerator
1 Team America
1 Elves
1 Deathblade
1 Death & Taxes

Dredge is beatlable if the opponent has no Ashen Rider or is not able to get it in time, I was able to permachasm in G3 and decided to mill my opponent despite having a tracker (which hard carryed the game) and a marit lage, had to spend 20 minutes just to avoid a firestorm when chasm was not online.
Elves is surely a combo we can beat, we both got a turn 2 post board and in the first game I was able to grind him into oblivion.
The URg burn mu was super fun, it was on stream if you want to watch it link
Tezzarator was a nightmare, MD leyline and a turn 1 chalice got me in game one, I tried my best to beat it but I lost 1/2, I then managed to beat it in the top8 thanks to a tracker which carryed once again and a fast Marit Lage in the third game. If you want to see the swiss game it was streamed aswell link
Team america was a lost surprisingly, I lost a 1/7 gamble for tabernacle and managed to lose game 1, won g2 easily and then lost to 2 stifles in a row on my 2 fetches, kinda tilting
Deathblade was a slaughter, it's a pretty easy MU imho.
Grixis delver was super close, managed to win despite getting loam and punishing extracted and a needle on thespian in G3.


The best cards in the SB were Trackers and Chalices, really performing when needed.
Barbarian ring has never been activeted during the entire event, it will get cut, moving either the bojuka or the tomb md
I think we need a single Heaven/Earth, grixis can be hard if we don't have a sweeper, and the card surely has a lot of value as a gamble target.

Such a clean list. Congrats! Any issues with only two fetch?

I'm not having mana problems at the moment, I'm currently 22/5 in tournaments with this list and mana has never been a big issue so far


Feel free to ask further questions

[Ingo]

So, let's talk about the tournament.

I faced (not in order)

1 Dredge
1 Grixis Delver
1 URg Burn
1 Tezzerator
1 Team America
1 Elves
1 Deathblade
1 Death & Taxes

The best cards in the SB were Trackers and Chalices, really performing when needed.
Barbarian ring has never been activeted during the entire event, it will get cut, moving either the bojuka or the tomb md
I think we need a single Heaven/Earth, grixis can be hard if we don't have a sweeper, and the card surely has a lot of value as a gamble target.

Feel free to ask further questions

Nice run Noctalor!
Since Chalice overperformed, in which matchups did you slot them in? I don't like them in multiples, so'd like to hear how they worked their magic for you.
How was the D&T Matchup? Apparently you didn't need Barbarian Ring.

[Wiktul]

According to your statement that Heaven // Earth could be a thing against Grixis Delver - are you aiming it at Delver, Pyromancer and tokens? If so, wouldn't Volcanic Fallout be a better option? I understand the synergy with dredge and Gamble that makes this new card considerable choice, but while getting overruned by those pesky little creatures I'd rather risk a badluck with Gamble than hope that my Grixis opponent won't be able to counter my only out from such situation.

[Noctalor]

According to your statement that Heaven // Earth could be a thing against Grixis Delver - are you aiming it at Delver, Pyromancer and tokens? If so, wouldn't Volcanic Fallout be a better option? I understand the synergy with dredge and Gamble that makes this new card considerable choice, but while getting overruned by those pesky little creatures I'd rather risk a badluck with Gamble than hope that my Grixis opponent won't be able to counter my only out from such situation.

The main issue from my experience is to deal with a pyromancer if we don't have a spot removal instantly, it can easily generate at least 2/3 tokens and we are not always able to mitigate that damage with pendrel, a single Heaven could potentially give us a gamble target to get out from this situation, or the card could already be in our graveyard, maybe even forcing a surgical on itself, if we have it in hand it can trade for a delver and if we need it in the graveyard it shouldn't be a problem to just cast the green part for 0.

Nice run Noctalor!
Since Chalice overperformed, in which matchups did you slot them in? I don't like them in multiples, so'd like to hear how they worked their magic for you.
How was the D&T Matchup? Apparently you didn't need Barbarian Ring.

Chalice was super good against:
dredge, preventing leds gave me enought time to stabilize, you dont really want to cotv@1 here because you need crop and gambles to win most likely
elves, which can't really afford to waste time to play around it against us
UR burn, you can see in the stream how I managed to stabilize at 4 HP in the second game and chalice was 99% the main reason
Deathblade, they run 1 to 0 decay atm, chalice on 1 makes marit lage a free win and it also hits their game plan pretty hard (most list are heavy on ponder at the moment)

I haven't boarded the card against non burn delvers, but maybe I should have, I like how it is simply an answer to surgical which happens to shut down one third of the opponent's deck as a "small bonus"


Taxes got pretty much demolished, I'm kinda heavy on removals, G1 I had a vortex in hand which is a free win, and in the second game I had the nuts, he started karakas go, holding rip, and my turn 1 was mox mox taiga crop wasteland loam, he never recovered.
I think that, unless Taxes is heavily played in your area, having gamble into Vortex/Heaven should be enought to deal with Prelate, I could be wrong but barbarian ring is out of my list at the moment, so far it felt too underwhelming against anything else to deserve a spot.

[Skyl3lazer]

According to your statement that Heaven // Earth could be a thing against Grixis Delver - are you aiming it at Delver, Pyromancer and tokens? If so, wouldn't Volcanic Fallout be a better option? I understand the synergy with dredge and Gamble that makes this new card considerable choice, but while getting overruned by those pesky little creatures I'd rather risk a badluck with Gamble than hope that my Grixis opponent won't be able to counter my only out from such situation.

Volcanic Fallout Does Not Kill Leovold