[Deck] Nic Fit (GBx Explorer Zenith Control)

[vilnico]

Congrats Arian on the top32 !
Did you see a lot of True Name Nemesis during the tournament ? There seemed to be a lot at Bazaar of Moxen.

Btw, couldn't make it to Bazaar of Moxen in the end. Happy event in the family exiled BoM from the stack.

Quickly @ Qweerios:
Just stating Brainstorm must be 4 or 0, is the same as stating a Legacy deck must be 60 and never 61.
I could also say that seeing you mentioning playing 61 card makes my eyes bleed (actually it does not, I don't really care personally). Does that make my argument any better ? not really.
You saying that playing 3 Brainstorm makes strange things to your body does not make it any better. In my opinion it makes your argument only weaker, at least very less audible.
And mostly it is contradictory with you asking to be "serious":

@Evertbody reading this,

A good trick to anyone hitting the "Submit Reply" button is to try and think of counterarguments to what you are advancing. Be critical of what you assert and we might end up with better conclusions to successfully optimize our decks. Maybe I am alone in this enterprise but I don't believe that a good discussion revolves around you showing me what is dear to you, me showing you what is dear to me, and leaving it to that because we cannot inquire on our preferences any further. For the sake of development, let's use reason to support our choices and all will be clearer.

Both are "obvious", although there are corner cases where it is valid to not respect those basic statement. I did play 61 cards in Nic Fit in the past, and I understand why we could play only 3 Brainstorm on GtF list as Tao explained it.
That said, playing the 4th Brainstorm on the 61th slot is interesting, but it could make someone else upset.
He would argue to cut something in the 60th rather than getting a brain-cancer playing 61th. Because any argument about the 61th loss being compensated by the gain in consistency brought by Brainstorm does not change the fact that it is one card too much. Playing 4th Brainstorm in a 60 deck card being the holy standard.
So you argue that we can break one, and not the other ? Sorry, but why ?

Anyway we are in the Nic Fit thread right ? Aren't we here to think out of the box (the reason that makes you loving and hating it) ?
If that is so, then I hope you can understand people here playing only 3 brainstorms in a 60 cards deck, and that you will stop your body from secreting unhealthy things.

[Ralf]

So here is my report for the Bazar of Moxen main event.

I played Scapeshift Nic Fit and reach 83rd place (695 players).
- 2 fetches MD (+1 bayou +1 mountain)
- 2 Huntmasters MD, the third being replaced by a scavenging ooze.
- 2 slaughter games MD for the flex slots.

The report will be brief. Ask for insights if you want something more detailed !

Round 1: Dredge. Win 2 - 1. Ooze MD was killer in this MU, as I managed to take game 1 thanks to him.

Round 2: Merfolk. Win 2 - 1. Featuring TNN. What a beast... I had to deed x3 times in the last game using witness to get rid of a lethal TNN. Good player using his own submerge on TNN. I scape him in the last additional turn.

Round 3: Reanimator. Lost 1 - 2. Made a bad call on game 3 with a flashbacked therapy, instead of picking Pithing needle (which I saw on the first therapy), I named FOW (He also had one). Then, GSZ for Ooze and had to wait for a BW to get rid of it. Should have done vice-versa, he might not have countered the GSZ with the FOW.

Round 4: UWR control / punishing fire. Win 2 - 1. Very long games. Scape him in the first. Got killed by TNN/Clique in the second. He died to aggro in the last game.

Round 5: Homebrew Esperblade. Win 2 - 0 . Very very long games. Esper playing 1 terminus / 1 entreat, Jace, TNN, SFM, Blood Moon... WTF !!! We went back and forth both games, really really close.

Round 6: ANT. Win 2 - 1. Ooze MVP !!!! and the last one I got lucky, he was a bit "storm short" as I was up to 26 life.

Round 7: BUG Delver + TNN. Lost 0 - 2 . I guess the previous match drained too much of my concentration. I sat and kept poor hands both games while my opponent had everything. Double delver game 1 with counterspells back-up and perfect tempo game 2.

Round 8: OmniShow. Lost 0 - 2. Luckiest opponent ever. Game 1 he had leyline of Sanctity in his starting hand (1-of...) and I could have played Slaughter game by turn 3 if not. Game 2, I slaughtered ETI on turn 3 (after a therapy turn 1 on S&T) and he had drawn S&T + the 1-of Emrakul of his deck. WTF !!! Well I'm out of day 2 :-(

Round 9: Death Proof. Win 2 - 0. Game 1 he died to aggro. Game 2 he died to scapeshift after having sided out his FOW :D

Overall satisfied by my own performance. I usually play kind of punishing version of Nic Fit but decide at the very last moment to give a go to the scapeshift one. Why ?
I wanted a way to win quick as I expected games to be really really slow as this was a major tournament with a lot of players and huge prices for the top 8.
=> 1 match was won thanks to a scape in the additional turn !!!! Priceless.

A bit disappointed as "Combo" was all over the place (pairings I love you :-() 4 matches on 9 !!

[kavaki]

What exactly is "Death Proof"?

[hymntotourcock]

Excellent report Arianrhod, glad to see a non-Pod fitter clean house.

I'm very interested in working From the Ashes into my Punishing Fit. Is this card worth playing without a Wishboard? Is it win-more, or is it Price of Progress level superfuckingawesome? So many of these decks play 0 basics and I wish so badly to prey upon them.

I would obviously have to make room for more basic lands to support this and cut something less vital to fit FtA (maybe 2 copies?). How does this look to you? Can't tell if this card is awesome or unnecessary.

2 Bayou
1 Badlands
1 Taiga
3 Verdant Catacombs
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Bloodstained Mire
3 Swamp
2 Forest
2 Mountain
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
1 Phyrexian Tower
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Volrath's Stronghold

4 Green Sun's Zenith
4 Veteran Explorer
2 Eternal Witness
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Huntmaster of the Fells
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Thragtusk
1 Primeval Titan

3 Sensei's Divining Top

4 Cabal Therapy
2 Thoughtseize
3 Liliana of the Veil
4 Punishing Fire
3 Pernicious Deed
3 Abrupt Decay
2 From the Ashes

[Qweerios]

@Vinilco,

The Brainstorm argument here is something so fundamental that anybody that doesn't understand it is missing out on a very basic principle of competitive magic. I had legitimate concerns about getting that point across to a community that is dear to me on the source so I had the whole thing read through by a couple of fellow competitive magic players. The conclusion was unanimous, those who don't understand why most decks should begin with 0 or 4 Brainstorm and how any in-between amount is senseless are the ones missing out. I will take their precious advice and stop wasting my time trying to communicate with people speaking a different language, it is too arduous for what comes out of it.

I don't care how my method of argumentation was perceived or where I stumbled in my explanation. I am a truth-seeker and we have been arguing on different grounds towards different goals.

EDIT: If you think that using graphic language or making apparently silly comparisons is a deliberate attempt at discrediting myself, you are deluded. Making shocking statements is meant to induce shock, a state that tends to make people backtrack to known territory. It is an attempt at having the reader go back to his roots and rethink the basics of what makes a deck good, or in this case, consistent.

[Ralf]

What exactly is "Death Proof"?

A tempo deck based on Death shadow which include life points as another ressource.
Basically, the opponent plays a lot of life costing spells (gitax probe, dismember, street wraith) to reach the threshold of 12 HP. From there it plays death shadow and try to race you :)

Very interesting deck.

[Tao]

The conclusion was unanimous, those who don't understand why most decks should begin with 0 or 4 Brainstorm and how any in-between amount is senseless are the ones missing out. I will take their precious advice and stop wasting my time trying to communicate with people speaking a different language, it is too arduous for what comes out of it.

Like you say MOST decks. Pod lists are heavily constricted on deck space. A deck that is forced to play~44 lands and creatures, 4 Cabal Therapies and 3-4 Birthing Pods has only ~8-9 slots left. I can certainly see reasons why Green Sun's Zenith, Abrupt Decay, Pernicious Deed, Recurring Nightmare or Inquisition of Kozilek are legitimate contenders for those slots.

[Star|Scream]

Like you say MOST decks. Pod lists are heavily constricted on deck space. A deck that is forced to play~44 lands and creatures, 4 Cabal Therapies and 3-4 Birthing Pods has only ~8-9 slots left. I can certainly see reasons why Green Sun's Zenith, Abrupt Decay, Pernicious Deed, Recurring Nightmare or Inquisition of Kozilek are legitimate contenders for those slots.

At that point there's probably a too-cute or win-more creature you can shave for the 4th brainstorm.

Hell, I'd even get rid of the Recurring Nightmare.

I definitely want to see as many brainstorms as possible per game. You don't know if you want to see a recurring nightmare. It might be nice, but it might be useless.

[Tao]

At that point there's probably a too-cute or win-more creature you can shave for the 4th brainstorm.

Hell, I'd even get rid of the Recurring Nightmare.

I definitely want to see as many brainstorms as possible per game. You don't know if you want to see a recurring nightmare. It might be nice, but it might be useless.

It is obviously not about whether a card is always useful or not. The deck plays many situational cards like Deed, Explorer, Therapy or a good number of the Pod targets anyway - which is btw why I had always suggested running 4 Brainstorm.

Having a Recurring Nightmare in the deck seems like a super important card thing in grindy matchups and I don't think stuff like Phantasmal Image, Scavenging Ooze or Archmage are debatable. If you would cut anything for the 4th Brainstorm it would probably be a Decay, a DR Shaman, the GSZ or a Baleful Strix.

[kavaki]

A tempo deck based on Death shadow which include life points as another ressource.
Basically, the opponent plays a lot of life costing spells (gitax probe, dismember, street wraith) to reach the threshold of 12 HP. From there it plays death shadow and try to race you :)

Very interesting deck.

Hmm... that kinda does sound interesting.
I assume its weak to burn or U/R Young Delver.

Is it of any concern to us? I assume that Deed and Decay would make it not something that should scare us.

[Ralf]

Hmm... that kinda does sound interesting.
I assume its weak to burn or U/R Young Delver.

Is it of any concern to us? I assume that Deed and Decay would make it not something that should scare us.

I guess it is a combo predator rather than anything else.
One guy playing it made day 2.
It should be considered as another tempo deck (with delver etc...) without the red splash but a black splash.
Lightning bolt have been dismissed for "reanimate".

If you face this deck, be careful, being at 12 you are in his oneshot kill range (a bit like U/R Young delver)...

And YES this deck is very weak to "burn" in general as the lowest HP you have the bigger you strike with it.
I saw a match where the guy was attacking with 2 death shadow 1/1; his opponent did not dare to block and took 18 damages after 2 dismember were resolved. Pretty scary.

[Tao]

Updated OP with Pod lists. Two SCG Top16s should be enough to warrant that. Currently BUG Pod, Scapewish and Fire are the three most most successful versions of the deck, right?

[hymntotourcock]

I was diddling around with Death's Shadow earlier this year. It's a blowout kinda deck, but it's similar to combo in that it folds pretty easily. Getting a Swords to Plowshares pointed at one Shadow kills all Shadows in play.

[Arianrhod]

I was diddling around with Death's Shadow earlier this year. It's a blowout kinda deck, but it's similar to combo in that it folds pretty easily. Getting a Swords to Plowshares pointed at one Shadow kills all Shadows in play.

That's actually hilarious.

[Piceli89]

Updated OP with Pod lists. Two SCG Top16s should be enough to warrant that. Currently BUG Pod, Scapewish and Fire are the three most most successful versions of the deck, right?

It seems so. For those of you willing to hear the point of view of an external Nic Fit player, I just wrote this- nothing that you already don't know, but it may be nice to read one more time. In this article I review briefly those three variants putting emphasis on their advantages and disadvantages, with Punishing Fit being imo the one that's most well suited for this metagame.

Clicky

In italian, use an online translator to get most of the meaning.

EDIT: here's the page already translated:
Clicky_eng

[kavaki]

After watching my local legacy event (I have a catacombs.... somewhere..... where I dont know, but I need it.), I started thinking about something.

How is our lands match-up(On punishing fit, but other versions as well)? Im thinking about how I would board for it.

[jbone2016]

After watching my local legacy event (I have a catacombs.... somewhere..... where I dont know, but I need it.), I started thinking about something.

How is our lands match-up(On punishing fit, but other versions as well)? Im thinking about how I would board for it.

Ooze is our friend. Since the stage/depths combo, I tend to have more difficult with it (I was running the junk wish version). Extraction effects are key after board. Discard isn't as good. With the scapewish version I have a copy of From the Ashes for this reason.

[pfiremc13]

Could golden wish have a place in white versions? Having access to nether void, humility, batterskull and/or deed pre-sideboarding could be nice, though 5 mana is a lot.

[Megadeus]

Wow that wish is 5 mana? Seems terrible. Burning wish is just better

[Blastoderm]

I agree with 0 or 4 brainstorms. Playing 3 brainstorms is just retarded.