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

[Tom T]

Hi Tom,
Did you get to use the singing Goblin token in the finals?

In the finals I got 44 Goblin tokens, but I didn't have that many so I just took two of them with a lot of dice.

If you ever have the chance, you have GOT to get one from Bryant!

Indeed! Bryant, if you ever have too much time on your hands would you mind durdling on a goblin token card if I would send it to you?
Same goes for all other dedicated TES-players out there! I would love to beat the crap out of opponents with the goblins of the whole TES-league.
So pm me if you would!


On a different note, I played some post-board matches against the 4-color Aggro Loam deck today and the match-up is horrific. Postboard they have 4 Chalice of the Void, 4 Thalia, 1 Gaddock Teeg, 4 Wasteland (+ a loam engine) and a couple of discard spells. They can power them out pretty fast with Mox Diamond and to make it even worse they play a couple of Sylvan Library and Dark Confidant.
Empty the Warrens is not an option because they can Burning Wish (they have 4) for outs.

This was my sideboarding:
-2 Duress, -1 Cabal Therapy, -1 Silence, -1 Empty the Warrens
+3 Abrupt Decay, +2 Chain of Vapor

What strategy would you guys choose?

~Tom

[oSeabass]

This was my sideboarding:
-2 Duress, -1 Cabal Therapy, -1 Silence, -1 Empty the Warrens
+3 Abrupt Decay, +2 Chain of Vapor

What strategy would you guys choose?

~Tom

I personally don't see the Silence being good in that match. I would leave in the discard to try and stop the hate, or have a chance to hit hate as fast as we can. I like leaving in the Duress and CT, take out 4 Silence and the EtW???

Silence to me doesn't do enough against that deck (correct me if I am wrong), but it seems like the hate they have is going to try and resolve into play, as opposed to having the hate in hand to use as counterspells.

If the hate is in play, Abrupt Decay. If the hate is in hand.... Silence their plan???(can't think of a good rhyme to remember that sideboarding strategy).

[oSeabass]

Recently in my sideboard I have been running 2 Abrupt Decay and the old school Hull Breach (over the third Decay). UB Tezz and the rise of Painter are running main deck hate like Blood Moon and Chalice of the Void. I have been running the tutorable Hull Breach in the board as a panic button in game 1 against any hate bear we expect in games 2/3. I know AD is uncounterable which is crucial against Chalice and CounterTop, but I think having the searchable target for game 1 is nice. Also game 2/3 if you bring it in, it can be used to make Red mana off a Chrome Mox if you really need it :)

[davelin]

In the finals I got 44 Goblin tokens, but I didn't have that many so I just took two of them with a lot of dice.

Indeed! Bryant, if you ever have too much time on your hands would you mind durdling on a goblin token card if I would send it to you?
Same goes for all other dedicated TES-players out there! I would love to beat the crap out of opponents with the goblins of the whole TES-league.
So pm me if you would!


On a different note, I played some post-board matches against the 4-color Aggro Loam deck today and the match-up is horrific. Postboard they have 4 Chalice of the Void, 4 Thalia, 1 Gaddock Teeg, 4 Wasteland (+ a loam engine) and a couple of discard spells. They can power them out pretty fast with Mox Diamond and to make it even worse they play a couple of Sylvan Library and Dark Confidant.
Empty the Warrens is not an option because they can Burning Wish (they have 4) for outs.

This was my sideboarding:
-2 Duress, -1 Cabal Therapy, -1 Silence, -1 Empty the Warrens
+3 Abrupt Decay, +2 Chain of Vapor

What strategy would you guys choose?

~Tom

Mull into fast hands or hands that have some protection in the form of discard and/or perm-hate. Silence is probably better on the play since you're more likely to be able to Silence-walk on the play rather than the draw. Yes sometimes they just have the nut-hate hand, nothing you can do about that. But they have to be somewhat aggressive on their mulls to hate-out TES, we're still the aggressive deck here. Also without ways to interact during your turn (i.e. counters) you can go off safely if you have it in hand.

[Lemnear]

Heart of the Storm Vol. 5 - Hero's Come Back! is finally online on MTG TheSource! Check it out!

[Asthereal]

@Lemnear: Awesome! I was considering stalking you for a new chapter of Heart of the Storm, but I felt it was inapproprioate.

@Tom: on the play, Silence-walking them seems an okay strategy, but on the draw I would agree that Silence will porbably not help that much. If they have 20+ hate cards, you will just lose if they get to play them out, so speed is king. Davelin is correct: mull into fast hands, and hope for the best. On the draw I agree with your sideboarding.
On the play I would consider -1 Duress, -1 Therapy, +2 Chain. This needs testing though, since I don't know their exact list. But on the play going for a Silence-walk or a very fast combo with perhaps even Chain to bounce your artifacts for Storm count could work. Also I think the Empty could be good on the play since we put a lot of pressure on them if we do that turn one. They need both Mox and Wish to find an answer in time, so chances of that happening are pretty slim.

[Lemnear]

@Asthereal

Naaaahh, feel free to bump me like others did. ;)

It just took it's time to finish due to a shitload of work/festivals/vacation, as you might notice from the described temperatures at the beginning of August and the late release now :/

[oSeabass]

@Lemnear Great write ups! Gonna read through the new one to try and find some cool lines of play I haven't thought of yet. Thanks!

[Lemnear]

@Lemnear Great write ups! Gonna read through the new one to try and find some cool lines of play I haven't thought of yet. Thanks!

Don't miss on the older ones! :)

[oSeabass]

Don't miss on the older ones! :)

It'll be enough reading to get me through work.... now I just gotta let the info absorb. I am actively thinking about the hands and the matchup when you ask "Would you keep that hand?". I think seeing a veteran storm players thought on hands against specific decks will really help me learn when to ship back a hand and just look for crazy plays.

[Lemnear]

It'll be enough reading to get me through work.... now I just gotta let the info absorb. I am actively thinking about the hands and the matchup when you ask "Would you keep that hand?". I think seeing a veteran storm players thought on hands against specific decks will really help me learn when to ship back a hand and just look for crazy plays.

That's all the reports are about. Feel free to ask in the respective threads if questions occur and hit me on the mistakes I (without a doubt) make.


P.S. 1.600 posts! Woooooooo!

[Tammit67]

After taking a break from TES and failing to accomplish anything with RUG and High tide, I'll be bringing TES to SCG Philly this weekend. Anyone else getting their rite of flames on?

[Lemnear]

After taking a break from TES and failing to accomplish anything with RUG and High tide, I'll be bringing TES to SCG Philly this weekend. Anyone else getting their rite of flames on?

I wish I could ... struggle to make it to BoM in November :(

[oSeabass]

So I ran 4 games at my LGS with TES last night. I ran the change of -1 Mox, +1 Fetch (having more fetches then fetchable land).

I feel like I was more happy keeping double Brainstorm hands with like a single LED and some disruption in games. I knew I could disrupt and then start sculpting a bit to help dig into a win. That being said I don't have enough play with it to say I like it, but having a fetch is so nice when you have a Brainstorm or 2. So far though, I liked the change.

(NOTE: I did almost punt a game by auto playing a fetch with 3 duals already in play and then AN for the turn. If I drew into a land/spells where I needed to make the land drop matter, I would have been sad).

[Tammit67]

I wish I could ... struggle to make it to BoM in November :(

Speaking of which, I got to convince myself one of these years I have the bank and the skill to fly out there. One day...

+1 fetch -1 mox: I'm not overly concerned. I brainstorm lock myself without killing them vary rarely and usually only because I'm playing a matchup where I need the speed and can't play draw go for whatever reason. I really like my Ad Nauseam not passing the turn and would rather keep the percentage points there instead of on having a slightly higher land count and better brainstorms. This may change if more tempo ekes its way into my life

[Bryant Cook]

After taking a break from TES and failing to accomplish anything with RUG and High tide, I'll be bringing TES to SCG Philly this weekend. Anyone else getting their rite of flames on?

I'll be there. Running the same 'ole list.

[Final Fortune]

So they ran 5 fetch, 3 duals, 4 gemstone, 2 city? Just making sure I have the mana base correct (albeit it should be easy enough for me to remember)

FWIW, 3 MD Infernal Tutor, 1 SB Infernal Tutor, 6 Gold Lands, 4 Fetch Lands, 3 Dual Lands is one of the better configurations I've played with, considering 1 Infernal Tutor is SBed vs any blue deck game 2 regardless I figured the pre SBed Infernal Tutor and another MD Land over the SBed in 8th disruption spell has more utility over all.

I wouldn't cut Chrome Mox below 3x, the effectiveness of Diminishing Returns decreases rapidly without them.

As an aside, does anybody play 4 Duress, 3 Silence over the reverse?

[Lemnear]

Nope, Silence can basically cantrip in non-blue-matchups ... Duress can't

[Lemnear]

Woah! Plans flipped over!

Berlin will probably send a whole battalion of stormtroopers to Paris for Bazaar of Moxen in November :DD



Amazing to meet all the Sourcers IRL today. Greetings to MD.Ghost ;)

[testing32]

How do you guys feel about the 3rd abrupt decay in the board? Miracles has really dropped off lately which is where decay really shined. It's not great against Thalia. Would something else be a better use of that slot?