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

[Shimi]

The warning was more to just not underestimate Elves or think they're free postboard, little else. With smart play it's at least even, perhaps a bit better. Just remember to play smart like a TES pilot should ^^

It has been like a week or two since the last time I browse on mtgsource.com , so when I was playing against Elves on last weekend I got surpresed by Ruric Thar, the Unbowed coming from Natural Order from Elves, that guy don't let us storm, or even cantrip for bounce (note that Decay does not work here), I'm just warning you guys in case you didn't read the elves post like I didn't.

Also the guy was playing it MD just to beat me because I stormed him on his early legacy days.. also the T1 elves is not safe anymore, they can cabal therapy T1, replay it on T2 and then go with Teeg or NO -> Ruric. That being said I would like to face Elves all day.

[Tammit67]

Mini report: 6 round event at Redcaps corner in Philly

Round 1: Jake Taft with High tide. Solid player.

G1: He doesn't have the disruption but all the gas. I am unable to find a kill before he can go off, so I lay out artifact mana and cast 2 dark rituals so I can ad nauseum/Silence/brainstorm post Time spiral. I get a 7 without any of those 3 and I get brain freeze'd

G2: He has all the disruption but no engines. I start whittling away at the flusterstorms/forces and go diminishing returns to play around his extraction. The wheel does me no good and gives me the mono rituals hand. I'm unable to disrupt him again and he chains meditates and 3-4 high tides before I draw my deck.

Round 2: Joey Manner with UWr miracles. The person I wanted to face least.

G1: He has top but no Counterbalance. I sculpt a hand looking for one more mana to go ad nausem, but he lands blood moon. I make a few goblins off a naturally draw EtW and a bunch of 0 cost artifacts and he spends his last cards in hand to swords/force/swords to cut their number down. I draw a petal for turn, get ad nauseum and start flipping. He scoops.

G2: I keep something like U sea, IT, petal, BS, LED, Probe, Dark ritual. My probe resolves and I see from Joey red elemental blast, spell pierce and non-blue cards and draw ponder off the probe. I play the land, cast ponder and Joey fetches to REB it. He plays fetch, top, go. I untap, draw a second LED and see the line. No land for turn, cast brainstorm mainphase. He fetches down to 18 and pierces it. I double check the math and go petal, ritual, 2 LED, IT for BW, BW for tendrils for 18.

Round 3: Billy with Death and taxes. Billy mostly plays other formats thanks to PTQs and is trying to get into this legacy thing.

G1: My hand brainstorm locks me without giving me the necessary gas to beat mom + thalia by turn two.

G2: I make a quick 12 goblins on turn 2 with the possibility to cabal therapy should he go stoneforge finding batterskull.

G3: He keeps off the back of a Thalia + waste that I therapy but draws a mindbreak trap i also need to deal with. I wish for duress, take it and resume cantripping into Ad nauseum.

Round 4: Nick with UWr miracles. Seems pretty inexperienced with my deck and to a degree his also.

G1: He gets CB + top going and plays rest in peace. I get to resolve an EoT ad nausem, untap and start alternating between 0 and 1 cost spells. He lets petals through and I don't have enough lands in play to allow me to force the flip on top, but I make a lethal number of goblins. It doesn't matter as he drops helm and activates. There are like 19 minutes left on the clock.

G2: I take some cannonist beats as I abrupt decay a blood moon and eventually the ethersworn moron as he stalls on lands. I diminishing returns at 8 instead of trying for the ad naus and go off unprotected successfully.

Time ends in the round as I mulligan to five. I'm pretty sure I can beat this guy but we won't get the chance to play game 3 thanks to the round timer. My car has scrubbed out, so I concede and drop instead of drawing.

Instead of grinding the last 3 rounds and holding people up, gotta go see R.E.D. 2 and it was pretty good

[Lemnear]

It has been like a week or two since the last time I browse on mtgsource.com , so when I was playing against Elves on last weekend I got surpresed by Ruric Thar, the Unbowed coming from Natural Order from Elves, that guy don't let us storm, or even cantrip for bounce (note that Decay does not work here), I'm just warning you guys in case you didn't read the elves post like I didn't.

Also the guy was playing it MD just to beat me because I stormed him on his early legacy days.. also the T1 elves is not safe anymore, they can cabal therapy T1, replay it on T2 and then go with Teeg or NO -> Ruric. That being said I would like to face Elves all day.

Ruric scoops to Submerge, StoP, CoV an other goodies for only 6 Points of Life but some peeps in that thread overestimate him boundless while showing their flawed understanding on the TES vs Elves matchup in their poor targeting of Cabal Therapy.

Ruric CAN appear Turn 2 with a very good draw, but is more of a turn 3 NO target ... More than enough time for Silence, Duress, Therapy and others to strip any Option for the Ogre or the opponent from all lifepoints

[Davek]

Hi all,

i've been testing this deck lately, and while i feel its strenght, i have to admit that i find myself in doubt about the correct use of some cards. For example.. Past in Flames. I know it may sound ridiculous, but i still do not understand why should i take it through a Burning Wish. Wish gets exiled and i cannot cast it again with Pif so i find it a useful choice only if you already have an Infernal tutor in grave together with a consistent amount of rituals, and at the moment i've rarely faced that situation. Another thing i've seen is the inability to get Ad Nauseam though a Wish g1, which i think is huge in g2-3 when you often side out an IT, ready to be grabbed by Wish. So my noob question is: does any of you plays with a steady IT in sb? Could someone explain a noob-hidden pattern of utility for Pif that i didn't notice? Thanks again

[Tammit67]

Hi all,

i've been testing this deck lately, and while i feel its strenght, i have to admit that i find myself in doubt about the correct use of some cards. For example.. Past in Flames. I know it may sound ridiculous, but i still do not understand why should i take it through a Burning Wish. Wish gets exiled and i cannot cast it again with Pif so i find it a useful choice only if you already have an Infernal tutor in grave together with a consistent amount of rituals, and at the moment i've rarely faced that situation. Another thing i've seen is the inability to get Ad Nauseam though a Wish g1, which i think is huge in g2-3 when you often side out an IT, ready to be grabbed by Wish. So my noob question is: does any of you plays with a steady IT in sb? Could someone explain a noob-hidden pattern of utility for Pif that i didn't notice? Thanks again

It is another card like Ill Gotten gains that let's you go off in an extended battle with an attrition deck for relatively low requirements lifewise and storm wise. If you are winning consistently turn 2-3 you probably won't see much value out of it but turn 10 or whatever against the heavy discard/counter decks it is very good to be able to draw a wish and undo all their hard work. I believe it is well worth the slot even if IGG, PiF and grapeshot are all the cards I use least from the sideboard

[sconnell]

Hi all,

i've been testing this deck lately, and while i feel its strenght, i have to admit that i find myself in doubt about the correct use of some cards. For example.. Past in Flames. I know it may sound ridiculous, but i still do not understand why should i take it through a Burning Wish. Wish gets exiled and i cannot cast it again with Pif so i find it a useful choice only if you already have an Infernal tutor in grave together with a consistent amount of rituals, and at the moment i've rarely faced that situation. Another thing i've seen is the inability to get Ad Nauseam though a Wish g1, which i think is huge in g2-3 when you often side out an IT, ready to be grabbed by Wish. So my noob question is: does any of you plays with a steady IT in sb? Could someone explain a noob-hidden pattern of utility for Pif that i didn't notice? Thanks again

re: PiF, as Tammit67 says it's useful in longer games against decks with discard and countermagic. If you aren't playing against those sorts of decks much you might not be playing the sorts of games where PiF shines. IGG giving the opponent back cards is a big downside in such matchups.

re: 4 IT main instead of one board to wish for AdN. The matchups where you sideboard out IT are generally ones where you can expect the post-board games to go a bit longer, and it's realistic that you might assemble the 9 mana for BW -> IT -> AdN. Maindeck (and in some post-board games), it's more important to maximise the chance of an early Empty (needing 6 mana) or IT -> AdN (needing 7 mana.)

[Megadeus]

IGG if you are using it you are probably winning that turn. Also with Pif a lot of the time you end up burning an IT to fetch up another Rite of Flame or Dark Ritual which in turn helps not only get more rituals in the yard to fuel the Pif, but also leaves you with a tutor in the yard to flashback with Pif. Basically Pif you are setting it up and it isn't usually as natural of a kill. And despite using IGG, PiF and Grapeshot the least I would never cut them. IGG and Pif are non life dependant storm engines and I have killed many off of hitting people for 16 with Goblins before they get wrathed and then Wishing for a weak grapeshot for the kill

Edit: also Pif is sick vs Liliana decks (assuming they dont have DRS out)

[Lemnear]

Hi all,

i've been testing this deck lately, and while i feel its strenght, i have to admit that i find myself in doubt about the correct use of some cards. For example.. Past in Flames. I know it may sound ridiculous, but i still do not understand why should i take it through a Burning Wish. Wish gets exiled and i cannot cast it again with Pif so i find it a useful choice only if you already have an Infernal tutor in grave together with a consistent amount of rituals, and at the moment i've rarely faced that situation. Another thing i've seen is the inability to get Ad Nauseam though a Wish g1, which i think is huge in g2-3 when you often side out an IT, ready to be grabbed by Wish. So my noob question is: does any of you plays with a steady IT in sb? Could someone explain a noob-hidden pattern of utility for Pif that i didn't notice? Thanks again

Dunno, I mostly use PIF to showboat into some 50+ damage Grapeshots Turn 1 or 2 :)

The chorus is correct, you use PIF for attrition battles against discard-heavy matchups like BUG or JUND to miraculous recover from Thoughtseize, Hymn and Cabal Therapy.

BAWZ-players use it to chain binned Infernals into LED's into UUU into a cantrip-chain into Burning Wish into IGG for 3 LED's into UUUBBBRRR into more Cantrips into Infernal into Wish into Grapeshot the whole board and lifepoints ... yes, greatness awaits in my next HotS-Report ;D



For the IT topic: you almost newer need the Ability to Wish for Infernal Game 1 because almost none opponent is prepared to battle a horde of goblins T1/2. In game 2/3 this may change with E.Explosives, Mass-bounce and shit in addition to an overload of Counters and reaktive cards, Giving you the time to Gather more mana to Wish for Infernal which often is switched/sideboarded 1-for-1 for a Cabal Therapy to Battle through the mentioned hate. In game 1 you want the fast Access to AN which a Full Set of Infernals provide.

[monovfox]

Lemnear, when am I going to see more Heart of the Storm tourney reports? I loved those!

[paeng4983]

Things that I still recall from my July 21st tournament.

http://mtglegacy.freeforums.org/post17.html#p17

[Lemnear]

Lemnear, when am I going to see more Heart of the Storm tourney reports? I loved those!

Thenever I not only find the time to attend a tourney but also have the time to write a report of the required quality. I was more than 2 months outside of Germany for business lately, so that's the reason for the recent lack of new releases, sides playing Elves, TRS Doomsday and writing a primer for the later.

However, do not fear that I abandoned the Series :)

I may have to change the playgroup aka the gents club, depending how the thing remained/evolved during the summer months and my deficiency. Saturday is on my working schedule, making it hard to attend at the local Berlin Legacy in the ASL there our fellow SCG Writer C. Kotter is at a regular base. I'll make it happen and go there for a peek, trading and Shakehands this saturday though :)

[Zombie]

Thenever I not only find the time to attend a tourney but also have the time to write a report of the required quality. I was more than 2 months outside of Germany for business lately, so that's the reason for the recent lack of new releases, sides playing Elves, TRS Doomsday and writing a primer for the later.

However, do not fear that I abandoned the Series :)

I may have to change the playgroup aka the gents club, depending how the thing remained/evolved during the summer months and my deficiency. Saturday is on my working schedule, making it hard to attend at the local Berlin Legacy in the ASL there our fellow SCG Writer C. Kotter is at a regular base. I'll make it happen and go there for a peek, trading and Shakehands this saturday though :)

Write a Heart of the Hoof report then? :D

[Lemnear]

Write a Heart of the Hoof report then? :D

Writing about Elves isn't as insightful because most hands play pretty linear and I use a pretty dirty GB list without any crap like Llanowar Elves, Priest of Titania and such. Just 4 Birchlores, 4 NO, 2 Hoofs, 4 Cradles which I talked about in the Elves thread. I just hate the cute durdling some dudes are used to run.

I honestly see not enough value in writing HotS-Style reports for a deck which most unexpected play it is to NO for a Symbiote to stay in the Glimpse chain or the most difficult decisions are what to dig with GSZ or keeping Elves in your Hand for a topdecked Glimpse or not.

If there's a crowd for such reports I might consider writing those for the Events I play with elves

[Zombie]

And stacking Ponders properly is wildly different? Not saying TES isn't harder (though it may just be me grokking twiddly, bouncy things better than cantrip stacking), but you make it sound like Elves is Jund or something. Besides that though, many people are bad and there's much more high quality stuff written up for Storm than for Elves - let alone the modern build - and there's always the offchance that you do things in a way you find unremarkable but could be a new thing to someone else, even if that someone gets results.

[Lemnear]

And stacking Ponders properly is wildly different? Not saying TES isn't harder (though it may just be me grokking twiddly, bouncy things better than cantrip stacking), but you make it sound like Elves is Jund or something. Besides that though, many people are bad and there's much more high quality stuff written up for Storm than for Elves - let alone the modern build - and there's always the offchance that you do things in a way you find unremarkable but could be a new thing to someone else, even if that someone gets results.

I'll keep that in mind. Daniel does an amazing job in the Elves thread even if his reports are more funny than informative. Maybe it would be a challenge to find and present consense in that thread filled with imo suboptimal cardchoices like Ruric, Priest and Co.

There is a lot more need to define a deck's corpus than writing about how to play. As long as people interpret my plea to run Birchlore as a 4-off as a bow to Ruric instead to a better Glimpse combo and devastating Turn 2 Cradle activations, or they ignore the math that Hoof does more damage than Ruric can do in average, there is a lot of Basic work needed and I already showed here on TheSource, that i'm not a forbearing guy which appears being required. Daniel can T8 a dozen more Events with 2 Hoofs and people will still derp around with Ruric, Beck/Call, Priest and Regal Force as if there's something like "playstyle". I'm a tournament player; I care for efficiency.



P.S. I don't feel there's enough in-depth stuff written for storm. Most of the quoted cornerstone articles about storm are totally flat strategywise and there's nothing of quality for Burning Wish Storm aside from Bryant's Primer on TES. Most of the writing focusses on ANT and it's 2 linear ways to kill with PIF and AN but I can't remember reading anything about the decision-making regarding Wish. Hands Down, still the majority of TNT and TES crowd has problems to grasp the Full Potential of their wishboard which is my primer focus to Adress in the HotS-Reports without creating artificial scenarios which always feel awkward while reading.

[Kayradis]

There is a lot more need to define a deck's corpus than writing about how to play. As long as people interpret my plea to run Birchlore as a 4-off as a bow to Ruric instead to a better Glimpse combo and devastating Turn 2 Cradle activations, or they ignore the math that Hoof does more damage than Ruric can do in average, there is a lot of Basic work needed and I already showed here on TheSource, that i'm not a forbearing guy which appears being required.

I still disagree with that, but that's the wrong thread to discuss this!

[davelin]

I'll keep that in mind. Daniel does an amazing job in the Elves thread even if his reports are more funny than informative. Maybe it would be a challenge to find and present consense in that thread filled with imo suboptimal cardchoices like Ruric, Priest and Co.

There is a lot more need to define a deck's corpus than writing about how to play. As long as people interpret my plea to run Birchlore as a 4-off as a bow to Ruric instead to a better Glimpse combo and devastating Turn 2 Cradle activations, or they ignore the math that Hoof does more damage than Ruric can do in average, there is a lot of Basic work needed and I already showed here on TheSource, that i'm not a forbearing guy which appears being required. Daniel can T8 a dozen more Events with 2 Hoofs and people will still derp around with Ruric, Beck/Call, Priest and Regal Force as if there's something like "playstyle". I'm a tournament player; I care for efficiency.



P.S. I don't feel there's enough in-depth stuff written for storm. Most of the quoted cornerstone articles about storm are totally flat strategywise and there's nothing of quality for Burning Wish Storm aside from Bryant's Primer on TES. Most of the writing focusses on ANT and it's 2 linear ways to kill with PIF and AN but I can't remember reading anything about the decision-making regarding Wish. Hands Down, still the majority of TNT and TES crowd has problems to grasp the Full Potential of their wishboard which is my primer focus to Adress in the HotS-Reports without creating artificial scenarios which always feel awkward while reading.

Lemnear,

I'm highly looking forward to your next HotS report whenever that may be. Between yours and Bryant's detailed tournament reports, they have been immensely helpful for up and coming storm-pilots like myself!

[Lemnear]

Lemnear,

I'm highly looking forward to your next HotS report whenever that may be. Between yours and Bryant's detailed tournament reports, they have been immensely helpful for up and coming storm-pilots like myself!

I doubt my Performances are that close to Bryant's that I'd deserve to be put in the same sentence, neither do I feel the HotS series Holds value as a Standard reference for current and upcoming TES players.

I'll do my best to deliver Information of value and entertainment. My next Goal is to bring in more pics and crap so the reports are more enjoyable for a wider crowd without loosing the analytical Part and reasoning for certain decision trees which I was told being the best Part in the HotS Series. I'll try to expand that Part in the Future to deliver my thoughts and reasoning for each vital decision so the fellow readers might get a Bit of extra value out of every game Action.

I'm thankful for your support and kind words.

P.S. Even if those tournaments aren't that meaningful, Bryant might consider the contained info valuable enough to add the reports to the opening posts List of links.

[Kayradis]

I do belive you are wrong in your statement in regards to HotS.

Reading them help me grasp a better understanding of the TES/ANT matchup. I don't only see it as a ressource for current/future players of the deck, but also as a learning tool for people that might have to face the deck as it's becoming more and more popular.

[davelin]

Throwing some general questions out there after playing about 60-70 games with TES -

1) My winning % pre-SB game is much higher than post-SB (almost a difference of around 20-30 percentage points). Typical or says that I'm maybe over-sideboarding or not adjusting to my opponents' adjustments?

2) How often do you mull? I'm finding I mull about 15% or so of the time. Should I be more aggressive?

3) Some matchups like BUG control and RUG delver i'm having issues with. These decks can attack on several fronts (counters, wasteland effects, and/or discard) while throwing out a cheap threat as a clock. By the time our hands have been whittled away and I'm ready to PiF or DimRet, I'm facing lethal and still may have to throw it against their hand and hope they don't have a counter.

Thanks!