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

[Bryant Cook]

How does one side vs other stormdecks? People have been picking up TinFins and ANT in my meta lately.

Most of the time I do something like this:
-1 EtW
-1 Infernal

+1 PiF
+1 Cabal Therapy

But I am unsure whether this is actually correct.

-1 Empty the Warrens
+1 Cabal Therapy

[jin]

LOL, just watched the JD vs Bryant Cook video. Is the commentary scripted, because they don't sound very informed. I especially chuckled when he said that it would be cool to have someone so experienced with the deck under the camera earlier. I thought, yeah a couple years earlier would have really helped me learn the deck...

[RaNDoMxGeSTuReS]

Example:
You're playing against a deck and can safely resolve Empty the Warrens or Ad Nauseam (from a safe life total). You know your opponent has no current outs to a swing from Empty, but it'll take two turns (generally). You know they can draw an out whether it be EE, Maelstrom Pulse, Pernicious Deed etc.

Do you go with Ad Nauseam for the "for sure" Tendrils kill, knowing that Ad Nauseam could just fizzle, or do you go with Empty knowing "it will" kill your opponent -- and you'd just have to make them draw the exact out to it.

I've been leaning on Empty more often in such instances because it seems better of the two, usually.

Just wanted some input from the other kids out there.

Bryant's game three against UWR was a good example of this.

[Asthereal]

Example:
You're playing against a deck and can safely resolve Empty the Warrens or Ad Nauseam (from a safe life total). You know your opponent has no current outs to a swing from Empty, but it'll take two turns (generally). You know they can draw an out whether it be EE, Maelstrom Pulse, Pernicious Deed etc.

Do you go with Ad Nauseam for the "for sure" Tendrils kill, knowing that Ad Nauseam could just fizzle, or do you go with Empty knowing "it will" kill your opponent -- and you'd just have to make them draw the exact out to it.

I've been leaning on Empty more often in such instances because it seems better of the two, usually.

Just wanted some input from the other kids out there.

Bryant's game three against UWR was a good example of this.

Define safe. From 18+ life I would always go for Ad Nauseam. This deck is very well tuned for it.
From 14 life and less I would start considering Empty the Warrens. In general, that is.

But this greatly depends on the deck you play against.
Against Burn, a fizzled Ad Nauseam is lethal.
Against BUG Still or Miracles you can easily fizzle and still go off two turns later via Returns or Past in Flames.

[Jay_Gatz]

Hard to say for sure with such limited information but if the opponent doesn't have a clock I would go for AN, prepared to pass the turn if I have to. Mostly depends on exactly what you're playing against and board state

[Lemnear]

Example:
You're playing against a deck and can safely resolve Empty the Warrens or Ad Nauseam (from a safe life total). You know your opponent has no current outs to a swing from Empty, but it'll take two turns (generally). You know they can draw an out whether it be EE, Maelstrom Pulse, Pernicious Deed etc.

Do you go with Ad Nauseam for the "for sure" Tendrils kill, knowing that Ad Nauseam could just fizzle, or do you go with Empty knowing "it will" kill your opponent -- and you'd just have to make them draw the exact out to it.

I've been leaning on Empty more often in such instances because it seems better of the two, usually.

Just wanted some input from the other kids out there.

Bryant's game three against UWR was a good example of this.

URx Delver Decks are the posterchild for EtW in general, Bryant had an open window and 4 mana Post Infernal ... obviously you go for EtW than passing the turn for no other reason than maybe drawing mana for ad Nauseam instead but while doing giving your opp access to 2 untapped Lands, another draw and a possible Lightning Bolt to the Head that makes your ad Nauseam Even worse

Edit: EtW on the draw vs BUG is bad. Pulse and Deed Ruin your day

[RaNDoMxGeSTuReS]

URx Delver Decks are the posterchild for EtW in general, Bryant had an open window and 4 mana Post Infernal ... obviously you go for EtW than passing the turn for no other reason than maybe drawing mana for ad Nauseam instead but while doing giving your opp access to 2 untapped Lands, another draw and a possible Lightning Bolt to the Head that makes your ad Nauseam Even worse

Edit: EtW on the draw vs BUG is bad. Pulse and Deed Ruin your day

Empty against Tempo decks is more accurate. I wouldn't say URx is a correct statement. Didn't realize Bryant had only four mana post tutor in game three. Then of course that makes sense.

In his game three against Esperblade he went for Ad Nauseam against his opponent with no hand and only three lands in play. I believe he could have cast Empty for 10 and taken two turns to kill his opponent.

Sure he has more outs to draw like Stoneforge, but in any cominbation flashback on therapy saccing a Goblin token for the equipment still wins. So there's that I guess. (But I'm assuming he boarded out Empty after game one).

Just some random thoughts the last couple days. Nothing too crazy.

[Jay_Gatz]

Empty for 10 duders against esperblade seems loose when you can just go for a kill. They have have too many potential outs, stoneforge, EE, d-sphere, some sort of wrath etc

[RaNDoMxGeSTuReS]

Empty for 10 duders against esperblade seems loose when you can just go for a kill. They have have too many potential outs, stoneforge, EE, d-sphere, some sort of wrath etc

If they are keeping sphere and verdict in, you're winning anyway. Stoneforge isn't an out when you have therapy in the yard.

[Bryant Cook]

I think against Esper it's still correct to Ad Nauseam over empty. They have too many outs and Ad Nauseam isn't likely to fizzle, although, I'll say it's great that Empty is that powerful of an option.

You can always just cast Empty post Nauseam also if you're short on mana to Tendrils them.

[RaNDoMxGeSTuReS]

Casting Empty for 10 blind on the draw is miserable sometimes. Still probably not a mulligan though.

[Bryant Cook]

Casting Empty for 10 blind on the draw is miserable sometimes. Still probably not a mulligan though.

Sure on the draw. Whatever, that's not what we're talking about.

[Megadeus]

Ad Nauseam from 14+ life seems fine most of the time. Id rather just kill them rather than banking on them not drawing an out

[Asthereal]

Same here. Especially my fast list (Bryants -1 Ponder, -1 Cabal Therapy, +1 Duress, +1 Chrome Mox) does fine with Ad Nauseam. I think my chances of winning from 10 life (assuming the opponent has no Bolt or so) are even above 60%.

[Lemnear]

Same here. Especially my fast list (Bryants -1 Ponder, -1 Cabal Therapy, +1 Duress, +1 Chrome Mox) does fine with Ad Nauseam. I think my chances of winning from 10 life (assuming the opponent has no Bolt or so) are even above 60%.

I would say that is strongly dependend on HOW you cast AN aka how many Rituals/LED's you already used/ are still in your Library. If you already burned 50%+ of those highly efficient mana accelerators, an Ad Nauseam off 10 life will fail most likely

[Bryant Cook]

No prize splits!

[Megadeus]

Great article! I loved watching that Game 1 against URW Delver. PiF is seldom used by me and that really does show its power.

[jin]

Great article! I loved watching that Game 1 against URW Delver. PiF is seldom used by me and that really does show its power.

That's surprising. I actually use Ill-gotten gains less. It would have been great to watch some of Bryant's earlier matches where he played IGG and DR. That would have been very helpful.

[Megadeus]

I use IGG a whole lot, but that is because all you need is a leftover mana, a ritual, LED, and Tutor... I tend to rely on my artifact mana a lot more. Im sure there has been at least one time where I could have gotten PiF for the kill.

[Asthereal]

Past in Flames can be a life saver against rough matchups like mono black disruption and Tempo Thresh.
I don't think we should cut it, even if it turn out 2/3s of the tourneys you don't need it at all.
I'm sure you'll regret not having it when you start bumping into those two matchups...

For me: last tourney I didn't use either.
Okay, not true, did use Iggy, but because I failed to get blue mana from one my LEDs to cast Returns.
(Me so STUPID!!)

Edit: PiF is also very nice for showboating. I once had an awesome Ad Nauseam into many spells and PiF into ~100 goblin tokens from two times casting EtW and then Grapeshotting for ~40. Could also have grapeshotted twice instead, but that would have been lethal halfway my showboat.