SB: 2 [FD] Engineered Explosives < Vindicate/JaceOriginally Posted by ThediscoPower
SB: 1 [ROE] Inquisition of Kozilek < Verdict
SB: 2 [TE] Disenchant < Verdict
SB: 3 [FBP] Surgical Extraction < Vindicate/Verdict
SB: 2 [6E] Perish < Spell Pierce
SB: 1 [CFX] Path to Exile < Spell Pierce
SB: 1 [NE] Massacre < Spell Pierce
SB: 1 [JGC] Vindicate < Sword to Plowshares
SB: 1 [HDP] Stifle < this used to be CounterSpell; StP - Pierce, dunno..
SB: 1 [MBS] Sword of FF < Spell Pierce
I have never played Stoneblade before but due to now getting some Jaces and forces I probably will try it out! I apologize if the mana base is a bit budget but I do the best I can!
3 Jace, The Mind Sculptor
4 SFM
3 Snapcaster mage
2 Trinket Mage
1 Vendilion Clique
4 Force of Will
2 Spell Pierce
1 Batterskull
4 Brainstorm
3 Swords to Plowshares
3 Supreme Verdict
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Relic of Progenitus
2 Mana Leak
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
4 Flooded Strand
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Arid Mesa
3 Hallowed Fountain
1 Steam Vents
4 Island
4 Plains
2 Mishras Factory
1 City of Brass
SB:
3 Red Elemental Blast
stuff
I havent thought it out too much... I am missing about 4 cards I believe in the MB but not sure what to replace....
The red splash is due to a heavy expected Blue meta game. Also if stuff like Goblins is somewhat heavy in my Meta is it right to run Hydroblast in the SB? Thanks for everyones input! I hope to see that I enjoy the deck type!
Nihil Spellbombs are fantastic, it's a hate that hits the yard, cantrips and can recycle with Academy Ruins. And it's something you can bring in RUG and not be embarrassed about it. The only threat you really care about are turn 1 Delver blind flip and Mongoose. We have removal for Delver, and Spellbombs to slow down Goose.
I have difficulty playing against UW counterbalance deck. Whats the general gameplan against this deck and what sideboard to bring in this matchup? I always find SFM and batterskull package not being enough pressure for them. FYI I play regular esper blade list.
The Miracle-MU was one of the reasons for me to play this deck over Miracle itself.
You are right. SFM--> Batterskull doesnt cut it, most of the time, but binds enough óf their ressources over time. Same for Lingering Souls ( which you do not flashback asap, obv. ) They will ge handled, but itll cost them alot more time/mana/cards to do that, than it cost you to cast it. So your tactic should be something like keep them busy with your stuff until you drop and Jace and Brainstorm like 10 times in a row to beat them down with the creatures you have, while keeping your counters for opponents jaces or angels. The rest doesnt interest you at all. Discard helps alot at negating opposing jaces too, as does Lingering Souls. From time to time you can aswell win by Fatesealing but this is generall weaker, due to their top and eventual Angels. So use your Jace to draw the best of Top3 every turn and win the game by your creatures, no matter how long it takes you.
If you ask me, this MU is actually pretty favored for Esperblade, if we speak of Standard-lists on both sides.
Greetings
I think you want to play something more like this if you are restricted to a bit of a budget:
Core:
4x Stoneforge Mystic
4x Snapcaster Mage
3x Vendilion Clique
4x Swords to Plowshares
4x Force of Will
4x Brainstorm
2x Counterspell/Spell Pierce/Mana Leak (I prefer Pierce, but Mana Leak will probably be easier on your manabase than Counterspell)
3x Jace, The Mind Sculptor
1x Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1x Batterskull
1x Umezawa's Jitte
1x Sword of X/Y (F+F or F+I)
5 slots of your chosing. Perhaps 2x Supreme Verdict/board control, 2x Ponder, 1x Elspeth or JTMS, but I would be tempted to play 3x Geist of St. Traft, +1 Elspeth, 1x Ponder.
Land Base:
4x Flooded Strand
4x U/x Fetch
1x W/x Fetch
1x Plains
1x Karakas (or plains if you don't have it)
4x Island
4x Tundra replacement (Maybe 3x Hallowed Fountain, 1x Glacial Fortress or a 2/2 split)
4x Mishra's Factory (or you can go a Mana Denial/Utility route, either with some amount of Wasteland, or a Academy Ruins and a Dustbowl)
I like the idea of maxing out on Mishra's Factory, playing 1x Dustbowl, and 1x Crucible of Worlds in the main, and being a aggressive Factory deck. You would want Sword of Feast and Famine in this style of build.
Sideboard:
3x Wrath effects, and a Moat if you have it (Elspeth combo!)
1x Umezawa's Jitte (Creature hoser)
2x Blue Elemental Blast (if mono-red or Gobbos is an issue)
2x Disenchant
2-3x Surgical Extraction
2x Path to Exile
2-3x Your choice
Thanks for the Input! I do kind of like the idea of Mishra beat down as well. Elspeth would do wonders in that sort of build! If I do the Mishra's route, what would your thoughts on possibly playing Standstill be?
I wouldn't run Standstill, but more because I find it far too slow for today's meta. I can appreciate slamming a planeswalker and following it up with Standstill, but, unfortunately, the meta is too defined by T1 Delver go, for it to be successful.
Thanks for the reply sir Einherjer, I would try your strategy. I shouldn't have cut the lingering souls. I just realized that they are that good.
This is true. Maybe I'll test it out in the side for control mirrors? It is probably just worse than just winning counter wars over a Jace.
DO you guys board out lingering soul at all during rug matchup? I was thingking the spirit might be useful as chump blocker to buy some time.
Isnt RUG one of the match ups where souls is at its best? Really difficult to counter due to flash back, one half of the spell trades with delver, and it creates many chump blockers for goys and geese
I'd like to add 2 words on the "Snapcaster and Rest in Peace" issue.
I think Sidh is quite right in describing the "win-win" scenario, because RiP is such a hard one-card lock in the matchups where it comes in that it justifies cutting fodder for Snappy:
-It shuts down completely Aggro Loam and Dredge. They have to lucksack into their outs (respectively Krosan Grip or EE / Nature's Claim), and they're known for not being the decks with the greatest card quality power.
- It shuts off Reanimator's graveyard avenue of attack, leaving them with essentially the need to resolve a Show and Tell. If you're splashing red (you should, by the way) whether you're playing Stoneblade, Miracle or whatever else, it gets difficult for them to get it through the Blasts plus the Pierces and the Flusterstorms.
- It drastically cuts off Canadian Threshold's clock, which is the only way they usually manage to get you before you stabilize and punish them for their glass structure. What else would you have boarded before? The onyl good choice was Relic of Progenitus, but I think a hard solutions gets you more value as the game goes by. They simply have to remove it, elsewhere they get buried by mid-game supremacy and basically have to get the job done with Delver or with burn. By the way, it can't be Grudged nor Rebbed not Flusterstormed, although being Stifle-able for the first half.
Snapcaster becomes a vanilla 2/1 for 2, but he still happens to Ambush Viper 2/3 of their threats, and can be used as a win-condition (for real).
- I still have to decide whether or not to bring it in against the BUG flavours that are lately popping like flowers everywhere, at least here. With the new, important addiction of Deathrite Shaman, you're basically shutting them off something like 10-11 card-ish (Shaman, 3/4 Goyfs, 2/3 Snapcasters and the single Life from the Loam that brings CA with Jace). If they are running Dark Threshold with the same creature base as Canadian, the answer is pretty simple.
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I think the card has enough merits to prefer it to the other traditional gy-hate counterparts. Surgical Extraction is losing more and more value these days, even if you're playing Snapcaster. It really shouldn't be brought in other MUs than the gy-based ones, especially the blue-based ones; I find that a spell that makes card-disadvantage, although free and giving information, kinda weak these days, in the constant 1-for-1 trades common in the pivotal turns. I guess that you could afford to waste an Extraction if you have Jace out and have BSed since 3-4 turns, but it would be a game already won. If you bring it in against Threshold, it's actually damaging you, since 2 life matter enormously (unless you're aiming to Wasteland-Extracting their duals, which is effective like 30% of the time and in the first 3 turns against so-and-so players). Extraction is really strong just in the Reanimator matchup and maybe Storm, while it's kinda mediocre against Dredge if not seen in the first turns (where it could also not be enough) or topdecked when they already have critical board presence. Against Show And Tell, you could maybe manage to extract their SnT, but that's it.
Relic of Progenitus is actually a very good card, as it cantrips and keep your opponents constantly under pressure of not Snapping something or running aroung it/slowing down to not have something important exiled (like The aforementioned Loam or keeping in check Threshold for Cabal Ritual). It tends to shine in the aggro-control matchups, as opposed to SE; still, RiP could be even better here.
Another important point is that RIP counterbalances the absence of Wasteland in the UW decks, which tend to fold from time to time to certain recursions, like Academy Ruins+ EE and Grove+Punishing Fire. Although not the most common engines, they still appear in few decks and it's really good to have an out to them, especially to the latter. In certain cases, it can also used as a lure to save your Batterskull from Disenchant or Grip.
Thoughts?
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It's a strong enoguh argument, but it not only shuts Snap, it also shuts Souls 'back and EE+Academy. Assuming you use neither of this it would be profitable, but what is left for Lingering and Academys currently beeing played?
Has anyone had success running Dark Confidant. With 1 top and some Jace why does this card not see more play?
Gene Richtsmeier, the author of the latest SCG article about Esper Stoneblade, does play Dark Confidant:
http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/l...toneblade.html
I'm playing in a local tournament tomorrow with a fairly stock list, and I was wondering if anyone had any sideboard opinions. I'm expecting the metagame to consist of RUG, Maverick, 12 Post, Omni-Tell, Miracles (Helm/RIP combo specifically), and Dredge. Here is my sideboard:
3 RiP
2 Duress
2 Supreme Verdict
1 EE
2 Flustersotrm
2 Lingering Souls
1 O Ring
1 Humility
1 Feast and Famine
I've been throwing around the idea of 1-2 Surgicals as well, but RiP does everything so well. I have heard the arguments for and against RiP and I think it's the right decision. The 1/1 O Ring/Humility split is because both accomplish a similiar goal against Omni-Tell while having other applications in other match-ups. Opinions?
This makes a lot of sense, I think I'm prepared to make the switch from surgical to RiP. Surgical is only really superior to RiP in the S&T MU but I guess the other upsides are worth it.
Looks pretty solid, 0 lingering souls 0 swords of X and X MD I assume? I'd consider switching SoFaF for a 2nd jitte which is key in certain MU and flusterstorm for spell pierce (unless you already have 4 MD) which has more utility overall.
I actually upped the MD to 1 Lingering Souls. I really like it as a 1-of in the main, with 2 more in the board. Personally, I don't think I could ever cut Flusterstorm. It just helps against so many combo decks.
I did poorly in the tournament, but not on misplays. This deck has entered into my metagame really hard:
http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazin...aily/deck/1050
In 4 rounds, I played this deck two times and almost beat one of them. I think this requires a small sideboard adjustment:
2 Flusterstorm
2 Supreme Verdict
1 Duress
2 Surgical Extraction
3 Rest in Peace
1 Feast and Famine
2 O Ring
2 Lingering Souls
Surgical will give me a lot of value against Rector while still being powerful against graveyard decks. I'm going to try this out and see how it works.
Just so u know, rector gets beat up by RIP as well.
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