[Deck] T.E.S - The EPIC Storm

[jamis]

In addition to what rogue.nine said, Sensei's top also requires quite a fair amount of mana investment. Basically you have to pay 2 mana, to look at the top 3 cards, and say you dont find the card you want, have no way to shuffle. Without ponder, you have 4 fetches and possibly 4 infernal tutor to shuffle. I don't think its worth it IMO. TES aims to go off early, before hate comes down. Top slows you down. If you want to play the slowrolling, topping every eot game, sculpting a perfect hand, play doomsday, because you can actually still go off with like 2 life + have the option of adding a bounce spell to your 5 card stack to play around hate like gaddock. Also you have more fetches and lands that don't die (gemstone) or hurt you (city of brass) which is quite relevant. Cheers, Ivan.

I think this was my problem. I'm used to playing Doomsday and trying to craft the perfect hand. Okay, switching to Bryant's list completely now that I understand the deck more. Thanks!

[ComboMan]

Lose a lot :)

On topic: I was considering cutting the Silence for another land, based solely on the fact that I can only play Legacy locally and there aren't too many people capable of playing a top tier deck at my local store. I usually side out Chants every game (almost nobody plays blue), and I sometimes feel another land would be beneficial. Would you run the 2nd Volc or the 3rd U Sea? Im thinking second Volc

If you r playing with bryant's mana base, I would say to u to put one more City of brass...

[paK0]

Lose a lot :)

On topic: I was considering cutting the Silence for another land, based solely on the fact that I can only play Legacy locally and there aren't too many people capable of playing a top tier deck at my local store. I usually side out Chants every game (almost nobody plays blue), and I sometimes feel another land would be beneficial. Would you run the 2nd Volc or the 3rd U Sea? Im thinking second Volc

The land I miss the most is a Tundra, but I feel like 13 lands is a lot already so in your case I would probably try out Preordain in the Silence slot.

[TrialByFire]

The slot is either going to be a Volcanic or an Underground Sea. Which do you think is better. The black to red ratio is almost even, so make it a Volc to make the lands even? Or make it a U Sea so your turn 1 Duress hands have a better chance of having black?

[ivanpei]

Come to think of it I think comboman may have a point. The 3rd city of brass is actually very good, I noticed that with 4 chants, you have only like 6 land sources and 4 lotus petals for white. Plus I'd rather draw a city then an underground sea or volc in my opening hand. Unless its a double city hand, then that sucks.

[Bryant Cook]

If I had to choose between Underground Sea number three or Volcanic Island number two, I'd probably choose Sea. It's what I always fetch for first, I hardly ever fetch for Volcanic before Sea.

Although, the argument for the third city doesn't seem bad.

[Shimi]

Testing this deck I made -1 Fetchland +1 City of Brass and never went back, it become much more easy to play chant and less vunerable to stifle.

[OurSerratedDust]

As a fairly new storm player, I'm having some trouble with the counterbalance and other blue matchups. What are so not-so-obvious plays that help these matchups out? Also, is burning wish->thoughtsieze a common play against them? It really just occurred to me, but it does get rid of counter magic in one way or another. Also, what is the plan against a resolved counterbalance (with or without top)? What is the best way to attempt to deal with that?

Any other helpful things like this are appreciated. Thanks, sorry if some of this stuff is too obvious.

(Posted this on the storm boards too)

[ComboMan]

The land I miss the most is a Tundra, but I feel like 13 lands is a lot already so in your case I would probably try out Preordain in the Silence slot.

If u miss tundra, city is the way to go...
Tundra doesn't help u to combo off... Just help u to cantrip, and play protecs...

[ivanpei]

Preboard, if they land it on the play turn 2, its very difficullt from then on. Usually I try to duress it out of their hand (I take it over force if I can't combo off right away, and need a few turns to set up). Burning wish -> thoughtseize is a common play, blue usually plays slower, keeping mana open for spell snare/spellpierce/stifle/counterspell. So Burning->seize is very common. They usually don't run out their goyfs on turn two unless they don't have those counters. Once balance lands, preboard there's not much you can do if he also has top. But if it's blind, I try to play through it by baiting with a chrome/ petal/led, I usually ask, trigger? And opponents usually flip, so you know what's on top. If its a zero, you can't play your artifact mana, if its a 1 you can't play ritual/rites/protection, if its a 2, no tutors, etc etc. You then calculate if you can go off without those cards. Another option is to bait, make sure its not a 2cc, then burning wish, usually I get empty the warrens. Then I just play out the remaining mana this turn or the next and hopefully be able to empty for lots. That can get there sometimes. Diminishing into a blind balance is terrible unless you know they don't have a 0, 1 or 2 on top. Key is to bait.

[Neuad]

Aside from reading through this thread, probably the ANT thread, and Fetchlands thread. . .can anyone give me some links to articles/places to read up on storm combo as I attempt to learn it?


Just after posting this I looked at the first page of the thread.

Now I feel dumb.

Excellent write up on the build Bryan, glad I got to watch you play at the GP.

[rogue.nine]

I randomly noticed,while rereading your opening post, that it says:

Then it became apparent that Empty the Warrens wasn’t as useful, it was moved to the sideboard much like Grapeshot was in the past

While the most recent deck list in that post and your GP Columbus list both have it back main. From what I remember emidlin is in favor of +1 ADN -1 ETW main and I cringe every time I ADN into Tendrils + either one of them but I understand the appeal of the redundancy. Any thoughts?

[Bryant Cook]

I randomly noticed,while rereading your opening post, that it says:


While the most recent deck list in that post and your GP Columbus list both have it back main. From what I remember emidlin is in favor of +1 ADN -1 ETW main and I cringe every time I ADN into Tendrils + either one of them but I understand the appeal of the redundancy. Any thoughts?

Keep reading. It says that it was moved back into the maindeck. I think 2x Ad Nauseam is pointess, I've won countless rounds against blue on the back of ETW alone.

[paK0]

If u miss tundra, city is the way to go...
Tundra doesn't help u to combo off... Just help u to cantrip, and play protecs...

The thing is that City can not be fetched, which kinda bugs me, but I'll just have to put up with it =).

[cranksmith]

Off topic just to answer Ozy's question.

I don't really have anything constructive to say, but what country is "just the same bananna" an expression in? Because dude, awesome.

Paeng's Filipino, but I am not sure if that expression is really something coming from us here in the Philippines though.

[Neuad]

@Bryant

So this may have been answered already, but why play 4 Infernal Tutor's mainboard, and not 3 with 1 side for Burning Wish? Obviously your deck is tested and works rather well so I'm sure you have a perfectly logical reason, and it may be my lack of skill with combo yet. . . but I've found myself a few times on the verge of going off, with only 2 wishes and nothing good to iggy pop for, and not enough to tendrils them.

[Bryant Cook]

@Bryant

So this may have been answered already, but why play 4 Infernal Tutor's mainboard, and not 3 with 1 side for Burning Wish? Obviously your deck is tested and works rather well so I'm sure you have a perfectly logical reason, and it may be my lack of skill with combo yet. . . but I've found myself a few times on the verge of going off, with only 2 wishes and nothing good to iggy pop for, and not enough to tendrils them.

You could always Diminishing Returns or Ill-Gotten Gains getting back your second Wish or Infernal you used earlier on in the game. Having the fourth Infernal Tutor in the maindeck increases threat density so you're able to win faster and earlier on in the game.

With two wishes you could also get Tendrils and Grapeshot and win.

[OurSerratedDust]

If so many people using Bryant's list are looking for another land against wasteland decks, why not put an extra sea/city in the board? Byrant's SB does have a couple of cards that don't get used very often, so it could slide in there.

[Bryant Cook]

That may of been the worst suggestion yet. There's no need to waste a perfecty good sideboard slot on lands. I'm 100% against this.

[Pulp_Fiction]

Land in the board isn't that bad. I used to run a Bayou in the board for when I brought in 2x KGrip and 1x Wipe Away (but I also ran Swarms in the main). If u want another land just cut one of the 4x Chrome Mox and stick the 14th land in the deck.