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

[Gaka]

Hi Bryant, you mentioned in your first post, that Grapshot is best than pyroclasm or infest.

I tried the card in many games, but dont see how it function, and pyroclasm is good vs opposing tokens and thalias, gaddock, etc. (without mum protection)

Maybe you can explain in some examples when and how is good the Grapeshot.

Thank you very much...

And good luck in SCG..... your list is awesome...

Tokens should not be your concern unless they happen to be lethal that turn. In which case spending a turn killing them sets you back even further against an opponent who is clearly putting pressure on you. Don't be that guy.

Against Thalia Grapeshot is a 3 mana kill for it, which you can reuse later with PiF or IGG, should you still use it. Hey, even DR. With an opposing Teeg, Grapeshot gets even better. You can theoretically combo out without teeg stopping you with grapeshot, and it also serves as a way to kill teeg and any other bears before you tendrils them.

Plus, there is also ole faithful grapeshot for 40 if you really want to showboat. This shouldn't be a valid reason, but some opponents honestly deserve it.

[akmalik]

The only real use of Grapeshot is to win with Tendrils/EtW + Grapeshot or to kill hatebears postboard. These situations are rare but there is no card, regarding the functionality, even close to Grapeshot.

At some point you're just out of the age to kill with storm 20+.

Still not sure if I should try out the new list. The old list with 15 lands and less Chrome Moxe just works too well ^^

[Pelikanudo]

Hi!, done some testing...

Having in main the base as same as post except:
+1 chrome mox , +1 Tendrils = -1 Empty, -1 Gitaxian
And Manabase:
4 City of brass
4 Gemstone
2 Underground
2 Undiscovered Paradise (Added +1 Undicovered Paradise, Before it was +1 Volcanic Island Instead) Reason For Edit

I've tuned the side as:
2 T.Seize
2 Xantid Swarm
2 Karakas
3 Abrupt Decay
1 Revoke Existence
1 Grapeshot
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Diminishing Returns
1 IGG

The fact is that taking out the E.Truths can make loose match ups vs cards like Ivory Mask or like.
and from now on we have put up in +1 the E.Truths effects so that vs chalices and trinisphere can be ok still in second games, as the main target for b.wish will be Empty in firsts games, referring mainly to MUD or like match ups.

I came to the conclusion that therapy is ok, but I prefer still playing cards 100% effective in their role in TES, as once happened to me loosing because of not saying the ritgh card, so for me those slots can be t.seize and pyroblasts , the same is applicable for IoK. Also I don't want to be dependant on Gitaxian so therapy can be effective when siding, Ponder > Gitaxian is a reallity.

Also for me PiF were ok but certainly playing the deck I see the needs of speed more than reaching the late game for PiF. personal preference, anyway.

Another thing is that the No Fetches mana base is ok as in my meta there are tons of UGR and will appear UBG maybe with stifles that can ruin me the day, and as I said before, wasteland never was a problem for me even with 11 lands.

Please, let me know your thinkings,
- Is really neccessary anything to take out enchantments for 4 or more mana cost?
- can now shatering spree be replaced by any other more versatile card?
- 2, 3 or 4 which is the correct number for Abrupt Decay?
- What about the idea on Proper Manabase and No Fetch Plan vs UBG?

[Bryant Cook]

I finished the event at 19th in an incredibly tough field. My report should be in my next article.

Spoilers: I won two rounds off of the back of Grapeshot alone. Not showboating.

[egosum]

I ' ve been in ovine 8 this last weekend and played TES. For the main event I did a crappy 4-1-2 (losing to reanimator and Sneak show because he drew an excellent hand g3 Leyline of Sanctity + 2 FoW in the first 3 turns denying my 2 going off attempts, and drawing to Omnitell thanks to a last turn top deck of Burning wish into pyroclasm when on turns).

I also played the sunday side event (45-50 players), doing top 8 with the following version:

UBR TES

Main 60

2x Underground Sea
2x Volcanic Island
1x Island
1x Swamp
1x Gemstone Mine
4x Polluted Delta
2x Scalding Tarn
1x Bloodstained Mire

3x Chrome Mox
4x Lotus Petal
4x Lion's Eye Diamond

4x Dark Ritual
4x Rite of Flame

4x Infernal Tutor
4x Burning Wish

4x Brainstorm
4x Ponder

4x Duress
3x thoughtseize
1x Inquisition of Kozilek

2x Ad Nauseam
1x Tendrils of Agony

Side 15

2x Engineered Explosive (Incredible against random hate: chalice and stuff, also against Maverick, you can play themm preemtively to GAddock, and U/W countertop)
2x Echoing Truth
1x Chain of Vapor
2x Inquisition of Kozilek
1x Cabal Therapy
2x Extirpate
1x Diminishing Returns
1x Ill Gotten Gains
1x Tendrils of Agony
1x Empty the Warrens
1x Pyroclasm

The only thing I would change if had to play it again in this very same metagame is -1x IoK side deck for +1x Past in flames (just because PiF owns discard, which is rather hard, if paired with countermagic, let's say BUG/Esper Blade...). I'm not changing it for IGG because IGG gives some plays impossible to do with any other card in the universe of magic, plus it grants faster wins against non-blue decks.

Greetings,

Iñaki.-

[Bryant Cook]

Report

[jandax]

I loved how legacy round three you sided into a 58 card deck.

Good report, learned a little about the TES matchups

[paeng4983]

I dont know how to do the link as what bryant has, but here's what happened to me at yesterday's legacy wars wherein we had it 6rds plus T8.

http://mtglegacy.freeforums.org/test-forum-1-f2.html

Gitaxian probes rock big time! They really gives you the right tempo you needed at the perfect time.

I was not expecting legendary creature base meta since I anticipated a UW miracle, RUG, UR and dredge. So instead of adopting in toto bryant's SB list in which it has karakas, I tweaked it to what I see it would help me against the meta here.

*cheers

[Bryant Cook]

Has anyone tested with Abrupt Decay yet?

[paeng4983]

Has anyone tested with Abrupt Decay yet?

I personally haven't tested this. But what I can see is that, instead of having what we normally have (1 wipeaway, 2 echoing, 1 krosan grip), TES can just have two of this Abrupt Decays (AD) as their replacement. AD being it uncounterable, is a house against counterbalances.

[KevinTrudeau]

Has anyone tested with Abrupt Decay yet?

I have, and have come to the initial conclusion that it joins the ranks of many other bounce spells as a suitable metagame choice, as opposed to a no-doubt catch-all inclusion. This is mostly due to the fact that casting anything above one can sometimes really suck versus Maverick; were Maverick not to be a huge metagame factor (as it was in the recent SCGI), Abrupt Decay would probably be the de facto bounce spell. This is of course assuming only running six gold lands will be sufficient enough to support it.

In addition, after extensive dabbling with the fetchland manabase, I'm back to playing gold lands and Silences; I would probably be playing gold lands regardless even if I didn't think once again that Cabal Therapy is a big pile of poop. Tropical Island is just a huge piece of shit. Island is also usually just a huge piece of shit. Note that I'm not saying they're shitty in a vacuum, but in the metagame and for this deck's goals, but of course, you already know that.

Also, try out Carpet of Flowers again in the sideboard, taking out the Chrome Moxen in the matchups where you want it, and see how it is. With all of these got dang Spell Pierce decks running around, combatting them with Sol Ring is usually pretty good, probably better than boarding in more discard. Tentative SB config then vs. Miracles would probably be -1 IT, -1 Probe, -1 Ponder, +3 Abrupt Decay, and -3 Chrome Mox, +3 Carpet of Flowers, assuming Carpet turns out to be good enough. This would leave you with nine other slots, which could all be Wish targets (your current seven with the fourth Duress in place of Therapy plus Ill-Gotten Gains and a second Tendrils to board in to make PiF loops, IGGy loops, and a multitude of other lines you already know about available while maintaining it being Wishable), or your current seven Wish targets with Duress in place of Therapy and two free slots, like 2 Xantid Swarm, 2 Karakas, 2 additional discard spells, 2 additional Chants, etc., if both having IGG and the ability to have a Tendrils in the sideboard when you wish to board it in/boarding in Tendrils at all proves to be futile. Also try out in the maindeck -2 Silence, +2 Thoughtseize (it makes it so the 2 potential flex slots would for sure be coming in for less-than-stellar cards in the Maverick and Force of Will combo matchups, keeping the disruption count at seven which might be the optimal number, and also has more general applications), although I'm less positive about that than the possible inclusion of Carpet of Flowers since I don't know if seven is the optimal number of disruption slots regardless of matchup, in addition to the life loss from Thoughtseize, which can really suck in a deck with four Gitaxian Probe.

[Final Fortune]

+1 for Carpet of Flowers, I played it in Belcher and preferred it to Xantid Swarm in RUG based meta games because it's more or less pseudo disruption vs Spell Pierce, Daze and Flusterstorm and it's acceleration when the opponent isn't holding a counter(s). Now with Gitaxian Probe, you can more effectively leverage it here as "protection" as soon as you know they aren't holding Force of Will, so it's definitely worth revisiting in TES.

Pretty much agreed with the Golden Land manabase, I'm still on 8 Gold Lands, 3 Underground Sea and 4 Chrome Mox myself, you just need to be able to cast Silence in a deck playing with Diminishing Returns.

I haven't been impressed with Abrupt Decay, I think it suffers from the "2cc removal spell" syndrome where it's too mana inefficient vs Maverick and not necessarily better than SBing in more discard vs. Counterbalance.

[Matt]

Seems good against Merfolk too... But, Miracles, and to a lesser extent Esper-blade, is what I'm out to beat, atm anyways.

[Bryant Cook]

Played the stock list at a local tonight defeating Burn, BUG Control, Goblins (Two turn one kills), and UW Stoneblade. Then lost in the playoffs to a mulligan to four against Maverick game one. Game two may have been on me, but I would probably keep my hand again.

Karakas
Echoing Truth
Gitaxian Probe
Lion's Eye Diamond
Dark Ritual
Rite of Flame
City of Brass
Underground Sea

Probe blanked, I drew a Ponder a few turns later that didn't find anything and I eventually lost.

[Lejay]

He said he lost game one.

[lambert101]

Anyone get any testing with abrupt decay yet? So far I am still sticking with echoing truth as of now.

[Bryant Cook]

I'm going to this week, I just need to figure out the new sideboard. I'm running through a few options.

1.) Cut both Echoing Truth for two Echoing Decay.
2.) Cut both Xantid Swarm for two Echoing Decay, then cut an Echoing Truth for something?
3.) Cut a Karakas and an Echoing Truth for two Echoing Decay.

Part of me wants to keep an Echoing Truth for people who play Leyline of Sanctity. I could just be too attached to Echoing Truth. I'm leaning toward option two, but I'm unsure of what I want something to be. Possibly the forth Cabal Therapy?

[lambert101]

Bryant,
I like your option 2. Cutting the swarms for decay and if you add the fourth therapy, you could possibly have 6 discard post-board against show and tell.dec with the seventh in the board. I don't know if you want to rework boarding plans against show and tell.dec. Keeping in probes obviously helps therapy. I feel hitting show and tell buys time till you can fight through counter spells.

[Bryant Cook]

Bryant,
I like your option 2. Cutting the swarms for decay and if you add the fourth therapy, you could possibly have 6 discard post-board against show and tell.dec with the seventh in the board. I don't know if you want to rework boarding plans against show and tell.dec. Keeping in probes obviously helps therapy. I feel hitting show and tell buys time till you can fight through counter spells.

I would probably put the fourth Duress in before the fourth Therapy.

[lambert101]

I like that idea better for against the control match-ups.