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

[SaberTooth]

i think that if you play brainstorm, you need to play fetchlands

[Final Fortune]

Playing that tournament,
I played vs Goblins, in the 3 games I needed to fetch to look for and Play duress or Ponder, thats it. Moxen really shines in here.
I think even plkaying 7 lalnds I wont loose vs goblins.
So argument vs Goblins is nonsense.

And maverick, even you will need to fetch soon, that's even contradictory.
For sure I want to face those maverick and goblins even playin 10 lands.

The real Problem i see is sometimes the need of mana for silence.
So playing 11 - old configuration - no fetches 8 gold is ok for me. sometimes I dont need lands to win just 1, but please, the correct one.

I mean how do you beat a hand with 2 FoWs, spierce and Forbid and next drawing Cunning - > Fluster,
I needed during 5 TURNS a Petal or a Gold. . Playing 11 lands, those fetches and holding the brainstorm the most time, didnt served me of nothing (3 silence in hand).
Please respond!

I've made similar observations, I imagine 3 or 4 Chrome Mox, 11 or 12 Lands and 6 to 8 Gold Lands is just based on your own experience more than anything else.

[akmalik]

Cause I failed some tournaments with the old “standard” list (most of the time screwed and lost thanks to Mulligans), I cutted some Chrome Moxe for more lands, Karakas and another City. It's a little bit slower but really constant and fits my playstyle very well. Has anyone else gained experience in this direction? In my experience you have with this version a better tempo matchup and its easier to combo through counterbalance/top.

[Lemnear]

Cause I failed some tournaments with the old “standard” list (most of the time screwed and lost thanks to Mulligans), I cutted some Chrome Moxe for more lands, Karakas and another City. It's a little bit slower but really constant and fits my playstyle very well. Has anyone else gained experience in this direction? In my experience you have with this version a better tempo matchup and its easier to combo through counterbalance/top.

I've cutted chrome mox completely long before and adjusted my playstyle to the weaker ad nauseams needing a Petal or a land Post nauseam as startup. I enjoy the additional fetches for the cantrips and stable mana vs. Wasteland and 4 developing my game.

I even Run confidant Main from Time to time to overcome Control/outdraw hatebears and Force them to keep creature removal in. Playing upkeep-chants/silence in several turns with confidant/s online is nice too.

@counterbalance: you should try to go Off before CB comes online. Therefore chrome mox is better than additional lands

[jandax]

Question for those opting for Xantid Swarm in the sideboard:

Was Dark Confidant also tested out when making this decision? I know on the front page it was a missed-the-cut listed creature. But at some point wasn't Xantid Swarm? Anyways, one premise that both strategies share is that decks with removal will board it out making the creatures you board in less vulnerable. From there, it's a just a question of wanting to prevent spells from being countered, or plowing through opposition and just draw a ton of cards to replace their disruption?

I've tried both out and just like the Confidant better. Granted, it's only been a few dozen games, limited testing. Maybe it's purely subjective, thought I'd ask and see what people thought.

[Bryant Cook]

Question for those opting for Xantid Swarm in the sideboard:

Was Dark Confidant also tested out when making this decision? I know on the front page it was a missed-the-cut listed creature. But at some point wasn't Xantid Swarm? Anyways, one premise that both strategies share is that decks with removal will board it out making the creatures you board in less vulnerable. From there, it's a just a question of wanting to prevent spells from being countered, or plowing through opposition and just draw a ton of cards to replace their disruption?

I've tried both out and just like the Confidant better. Granted, it's only been a few dozen games, limited testing. Maybe it's purely subjective, thought I'd ask and see what people thought.

T.E.S. is fundamentally different than ANT. T.E.S. is much faster and has a worse time at playing the long game, it's strengths are having disruption while being fast. Mainly due to the lack of basics and less land for more acceleration. Dark Confidant does not fit this game plan - Confidant is a grindy card that's effect is most powerfully suited for a long game. T.E.S. never wants to play the long game. In this deck Confidant would be better off being Night's Whisper.

[jandax]

Fair enough. I guess my next question would be, does DC really affect the fundamentals of this deck in a way that it under performs?

I refuse to play ANT because it is slower, yet having the option of drawing extra cards seems to me, a relatively new player to Storm, more valuable in the matchups where your own disruption is matched by theirs. I'm willing to be completely wrong and accept that I'm trying to reinvent the wheel. You designed the deck, I just copied your list because its awesome.

The fundamentals I'm not trying to argue, it's the application of the card (Confidant) to this strategy of acceleration into a quicker combo that [to me] feels like it gives redundancy and card advantage back in matchups where Swarm would have done the same.

[Bryant Cook]

Fair enough. I guess my next question would be, does DC really affect the fundamentals of this deck in a way that it under performs?

I refuse to play ANT because it is slower, yet having the option of drawing extra cards seems to me, a relatively new player to Storm, more valuable in the matchups where your own disruption is matched by theirs. I'm willing to be completely wrong and accept that I'm trying to reinvent the wheel. You designed the deck, I just copied your list because its awesome.

The fundamentals I'm not trying to argue, it's the application of the card (Confidant) to this strategy of acceleration into a quicker combo that [to me] feels like it gives redundancy and card advantage back in matchups where Swarm would have done the same.

The problem with Confidant is that you can play him and draw 2-3 cards off him before being in a position to win the game, that's three additional turns you gave the opponent. That's not what this deck wants to do - ever. You're better off running Night's Whisper and not giving your opponents time to find hate against you.

[jandax]

The problem with Confidant is that you can play him and draw 2-3 cards off him before being in a position to win the game, ...

Good point, and here's what I'm getting at; just through my limited play with it against top tier decks in testing, it seemed like going off was guaranteed in a couple turns. Again your argument is just as good, I thought I was on to something

[Tombstalker]

I really dont think bob is even all that good in ANT, if that helps, so it would simply be worse in TES. Too much red, too many unfair decks and too many powerful interactions in this age make bob (and, IMO, straight CA cards) mostly an outdated concept.

[KevinTrudeau]

Finally got down to actually test Probe, and am now seeing its benefits. I tested a metric shit ton of variants, and finally found the list I plan on running this Sunday for SCG: Minneapolis (shitty job permitting). I don't have time to post it and board plans right now, but I'll post it tonight; it's not playing any Chants, although it could be correct just to play Bryant's current list and play Chants. Basically, I found that a lot of what Bahamuth said was correct, aside from three points (that I can think of right now; the testing was exhaustive and so there's probably more I had to disagree with): that Burning Wish was the worst card in the deck after Chrome Mox; that having 3-4 EtW maindeck postboard vs. Canadian Threshold is a good enough strategy; that cutting Past in Flames is acceptable.

[Pelikanudo]

I will give my advice related to d.confidant.

First, don't play this in TES.
Is too slow and there are other much 1 cost cards that can be used instead, pyroblasts , xantid.

See our 2 costs, the more polivalent card, we could also make space to 1 krosan or 1 Limpiar
The only think I can think of it can be usefull ritgh now is Miracles Matchups and MUDs but you ll need to change the strategy.

I for example am playing the old style 11 lands no fetch plan. and 4 c.moxen.
For me its beeing great, tomorrow I have an important tournament and I'll tell you all how it was this build.

Apart
@Bryant:
I'm thinking on the 11 lnads build about siding astrategies and
I would prefer to side out brainstorm and ponder instead of gitaxian.
And in slow matchups I simply change to +1 karakas -1 moxen and then I can side out the gitaxian.
Gitaxian is great and its better the faster the deck is (as the MasterCard announcenment having a first turn win is great but having a first turn win knowing your opponent hasnt FoW has no price.) and the deck with gitaxian and 11 alnds is so thinned that i dont want to side them out. I kept for example a hand with no lands, 2 gitaxian and petal and LED, that's ok for me.

Let me know your thinkings related apart I know you dont play 11 lands.

[lemariont]

Hi guys, Im trying with the last Cook´s list, and maked some good results.

But in two games vs Show and Tell, I realized that the 2xKarakas sb-plan is not as nice as it looks. If he plays Omniscience (70% aprox. of this deck), is useless. He can play Emrakul froms his hand all times he need.

Any idea vs Omniscience?????

I losed two times vs this deck, with karakas in board.... We NEED a new plan!!!!!!!!!

[AriLax]

Hi guys, Im trying with the last Cook´s list, and maked some good results.

But in two games vs Show and Tell, I realized that the 2xKarakas sb-plan is not as nice as it looks. If he plays Omniscience (70% aprox. of this deck), is useless. He can play Emrakul froms his hand all times he need.

Any idea vs Omniscience?????

I losed two times vs this deck, with karakas in board.... We NEED a new plan!!!!!!!!!

Just killing them works fairly well. Omni-Tell is also fairly weak to discard as they have to go through a Show/Wish.

[Dark Ritual]

Just killing them works fairly well. Omni-Tell is also fairly weak to discard as they have to go through a Show/Wish.

100% this. I played against burning wish omnitell yesterday, and all my disruption really got to him as that deck lacks redundant business spells as it has one route to victory and that is show and tell. You can also just race them, as they can't get a turn 2 kill or a turn 1 kill unless they have the nut draw. I wouldn't even board in karakas for the matchup, just board in more discard if you have it and try to just strip their FoW and go off afterwards or strip their one business spell, as they aren't particularly likely to draw a second business spell anytime soon giving you time to find another protection spell for their force.

I agree on dark confidant being bad in here. Night's whisper is better as funny as that sounds as you're likely going off the turn after you resolve a night's whisper unless you draw utter crap. Although night's whisper isn't close to being good enough currently in my eyes, there's almost no point to playing the card as 2 mana spells in this deck should be doing something gamebreaking like infernal/wish.

Dark confidant in general in storm combo is just too slow nowadays (sadly) I would love to run the card, but I have almost no excuse to run the card in the current metagame while RUG is on top. They will bolt it and they will trade their 1 mana for your 2 mana.

[jandax]

I'll head all of your advice and not run DC, because learning the hard way is like losing your entry fee before you register. Thanks


And with the talk about Omni-show and RUG, wouldn't Duress be better than Thoughtseize? That's what I get out of the conversation.

[Pelikanudo]

Brief Torunament report:

List:
4 Gemstone Mine
4 City of Brass
2 Underground Sea
1 Volcanic Island

4 Chrome Mox
4 Lotus Petal
4 Lion’s Eye Diamond
4 Dark Ritual
4 Rite of Flame
4 Burning Wish
4 Infernal Tutor
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Silence
3 Duress
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Ad Nauseam

3 Cabal Therapy
2 Xantid Swarm
2 Karakas
2 Echoing Truth
1 Shattering Spree
1 Grapeshot
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Diminishing Returns
1 Past in Flames

Made 5-2.
15 of 83 people.
Lost To:
- RUG with stifles instead of the card that puts 2 on gy and from side surgical and fluster
- Miracle. No more miracles I faced. C.b. from side.

Notes related these looses:
- In both of these 2 looses I won both firsts games
- I can recognize I could have won the RUG matchup if when naming with therapy I had named properly (options were 1. FoW 2. Brainstorm) I named FoW, he had Brainstorm in hand, next he drew FoW. Thats simple.
- I should have mulliganed in one mutch up, regarding to this, I don't think parity can be applyed to Lands - Gitaxian.
- The deck as always when winning wins in extreme, I used twice diminishing today and got some maverick plays, but that was vs Burn. and Dredge.
- I faced another RUG which I won 2-1 with stifles also.

Other Notes:
- Vs Maverick, karakas was great in second game, and in first, simply was silence and comboing on second turn. Speedy of moxen was key.
- Information is nice vs second games and first, you know how to face the match up, I can recognize that withouh that information I could have lost the 1st game vs maverick for example or vs Burn, the Burn Match up was strange as I saw in first game a pirostatic pillar.!!
- I felt like 11 lands is enough and the deck has a perfect behavour,
made 3- 3 vs RUG, but I want that both the RUG match up and miracles match up gets better. winning 1st games is ok, but the therapy fails and the fact that the side in those 2nds and 3rd match ups was irrelevant make me think the how to side better.
- I really think that if I would have played fetches I would ha lost more match ups vs canadian thatn not, stifle was a useless card all the time for them.

Conclusions:
- I just dont want to take out 4th moxen, I really side it out in only 1 mutch up by karakas, was in RUG, just to try. Speedy even vs Miracles and RUG is what made me won those games. Thast why I'm going to try -1 gitaxian + 1 land, as I want to preserve speedy and want to side out only in some 2nd and 3rd games moxen. RUG for example.
- 11 lands seem ok, but sometimes risky, I maybe would include 2 Fetch instead 1 gitaxian + 1 City of Brass.
- I didnt used PiF, and I evaluated some games in which IGG would have been better, as they're potentially faster. So I'll change to IGG, and related to RUG match ups, I simply dont reach the time to play the PiF never, they, re just too fast.
- Diminishing again was key, I really don't like to play that card but sometimes is the only goal, when I played the card was vs burn, the turn after dieing and because I just didn't draw business until that last turn...
- The deck is extreme, as I like it, statistics are demontrated i this decks as in no one
- Related to mulligans I didnt made in the entire torunament altouth I kpet a hand with 2 gitaxian 1 petal LED burning ponder, which I kept and which I lost becuase i didnt draw the land.

Questions:

- What do you suggest:
- 1 gitaxian = +1 U.Paradise? or
- 1 gitaxian - 1 city = +2 fetch?
- I'm simply thinking in switching to t.seize. opinions?
Related to the previous builld.

[lemariont]

I returned to 3 Gitaxian, 13 lands. Too many mulligans with no lands, and too many games with only 1 land in 3 o 4 turns.

En sb, Im trying with a Bribery for one of the two Karakas. In the pairing with Show Omniscience or Show and Tell or maybe Reanimator, is another bomb in the SB, that can take Iona or Gilselbrand, to make a mini adnauseam

And finally, I can agree that the best bomb versus ******** UGR, is to include the EtW from the sb (2 main), and maybe a second EtW (3 main) if in your meta there are many ********.

[Final Fortune]

Brief Torunament report:

List:
4 Gemstone Mine
4 City of Brass
2 Underground Sea
1 Volcanic Island

4 Chrome Mox
4 Lotus Petal
4 Lion’s Eye Diamond
4 Dark Ritual
4 Rite of Flame
4 Burning Wish
4 Infernal Tutor
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Silence
3 Duress
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Ad Nauseam

3 Cabal Therapy
2 Xantid Swarm
2 Karakas
2 Echoing Truth
1 Shattering Spree
1 Grapeshot
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Diminishing Returns
1 Past in Flames

Made 5-2.
15 of 83 people.
Lost To:
- RUG with stifles instead of the card that puts 2 on gy and from side surgical and fluster
- Miracle. No more miracles I faced. C.b. from side.

Notes related these looses:
- In both of these 2 looses I won both firsts games
- I can recognize I could have won the RUG matchup if when naming with therapy I had named properly (options were 1. FoW 2. Brainstorm) I named FoW, he had Brainstorm in hand, next he drew FoW. Thats simple.
- I should have mulliganed in one mutch up, regarding to this, I don't think parity can be applyed to Lands - Gitaxian.
- The deck as always when winning wins in extreme, I used twice diminishing today and got some maverick plays, but that was vs Burn. and Dredge.
- I faced another RUG which I won 2-1 with stifles also.

Other Notes:
- Vs Maverick, karakas was great in second game, and in first, simply was silence and comboing on second turn. Speedy of moxen was key.
- Information is nice vs second games and first, you know how to face the match up, I can recognize that withouh that information I could have lost the 1st game vs maverick for example or vs Burn, the Burn Match up was strange as I saw in first game a pirostatic pillar.!!
- I felt like 11 lands is enough and the deck has a perfect behavour,
made 3- 3 vs RUG, but I want that both the RUG match up and miracles match up gets better. winning 1st games is ok, but the therapy fails and the fact that the side in those 2nds and 3rd match ups was irrelevant make me think the how to side better.
- I really think that if I would have played fetches I would ha lost more match ups vs canadian thatn not, stifle was a useless card all the time for them.

Conclusions:
- I just dont want to take out 4th moxen, I really side it out in only 1 mutch up by karakas, was in RUG, just to try. Speedy even vs Miracles and RUG is what made me won those games. Thast why I'm going to try -1 gitaxian + 1 land, as I want to preserve speedy and want to side out only in some 2nd and 3rd games moxen. RUG for example.
- 11 lands seem ok, but sometimes risky, I maybe would include 2 Fetch instead 1 gitaxian + 1 City of Brass.
- I didnt used PiF, and I evaluated some games in which IGG would have been better, as they're potentially faster. So I'll change to IGG, and related to RUG match ups, I simply dont reach the time to play the PiF never, they, re just too fast.
- Diminishing again was key, I really don't like to play that card but sometimes is the only goal, when I played the card was vs burn, the turn after dieing and because I just didn't draw business until that last turn...
- The deck is extreme, as I like it, statistics are demontrated i this decks as in no one
- Related to mulligans I didnt made in the entire torunament altouth I kpet a hand with 2 gitaxian 1 petal LED burning ponder, which I kept and which I lost becuase i didnt draw the land.

Questions:

- What do you suggest:
- 1 gitaxian = +1 U.Paradise? or
- 1 gitaxian - 1 city = +2 fetch?
- I'm simply thinking in switching to t.seize. opinions?
Related to the previous builld.

That's pretty much my version of the deck sans the Volcanic Island and Tendrils of Agony, I think you're really going to hate yourself for playing Volcanic Island when you draw it as your only land and the MD Tendrils of Agony is completely worthless and totally antithetical to what you really want to do with this deck when you're playing 4 Gitaxian Probe, peek, ritual, led, infernal and GG those scrubs.

[dionykos]

That's pretty much my version of the deck sans the Volcanic Island and Tendrils of Agony, I think you're really going to hate yourself for playing Volcanic Island when you draw it as your only land and the MD Tendrils of Agony is completely worthless and totally antithetical to what you really want to do with this deck when you're playing 4 Gitaxian Probe, peek, ritual, led, infernal and GG those scrubs.

Question for you guys who don't play fetchlands: doesn't that just make your brainstorm (and ponder) much worse? even with 4 fetchlands (+ 4 IT), I would othen like to have more shuffling effects. I never tried without fetchlands, but have you considered Preordain in this case?