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

[Bryant Cook]

At this point, you're practically playing ANT. I only sided out Chrome Moxen against VERY slow blue decks that dragged out the game (IE. Blue White Control/Esper Deathblade. I didn't against Shardless, but perhaps I should've).

I wasn't too impressed with Cabal Ritual on the weekend. It was sided out a lot, I'm wondering if the slots would be better off a thirteenth land and another protection spell leaving Infernal in the sideboard. The land would likely be a fetchland, it could also be the Tropical Island to open up a sideboard slot and another Duress.

[Lemnear]

If you feel that Ad Nauseam is too slow if you need to Wish for it against matchups dealing a lot of damage, board out Ad Nauseam and side in the PIF!

Chopping a Mox and adding another 4cc Spell to the Maindeck is bad for game 1 and Ad Nauseam in general. With MB Cabal Rituals and PIF, I sometimes wonder why even bother to reinvent the wheel instead of switching to ANT :/

[Bloodcookie]

I was never quite on board with the inclusion of Cabal Ritual in TES. The initial mana investment and need for threshold seemed prohibitive; those slots have been reserved for a 5th fetchland (which makes Brainstorm more useful) and 4th Chrome Mox in my build.

Something I've been experimenting with recently, however, is running 2 main-deck Extirpates in place of a Mox and a Duress. The ability to disrupt not only the opponent's current hand, but all future hands as well seems very good, to say the least, and is relevant against both counter- and permanent-based hate. Thoughts?

[Lemnear]

I was never quite on board with the inclusion of Cabal Ritual in TES. The initial mana investment and need for threshold seemed prohibitive; those slots have been reserved for a 5th fetchland (which makes Brainstorm more useful) and 4th Chrome Mox in my build.

Something I've been experimenting with recently, however, is running 2 main-deck Extirpates in place of a Mox and a Duress. The ability to disrupt not only the opponent's current hand, but all future hands as well seems very good, to say the least, and is relevant against both counter- and permanent-based hate. Thoughts?

If my opponent has a counterspell in his hand against my T1-3 combo, I'd prefer the Duress any day of the week.

[HammafistRoob]

I actually really like Bryant's idea of the extra Fetch and Duress over the Cabal Rituals. It makes the infernal in the board and PiF slightly worse, but it makes our Ponders and Brainstorms better while also making Adnaus better. I'm pretty sure that is a good tradeoff considering PiF is usually used against slower decks that give us some time to sculpt anyways. If I make it out to the local on Wednesday, I'm definitely gonna try replacing the CRits with a 3rd Duress and the 1st Scalding Tarn. FWIW, my fetchland configuration is currently 2 Delta, 2 Misty. It works decently at mimicking a BUG shell by fetching up a Sea and casting a Ponder.

[Megadeus]

I was never quite on board with the inclusion of Cabal Ritual in TES. The initial mana investment and need for threshold seemed prohibitive; those slots have been reserved for a 5th fetchland (which makes Brainstorm more useful) and 4th Chrome Mox in my build.

Something I've been experimenting with recently, however, is running 2 main-deck Extirpates in place of a Mox and a Duress. The ability to disrupt not only the opponent's current hand, but all future hands as well seems very good, to say the least, and is relevant against both counter- and permanent-based hate. Thoughts?

4 Chrome Mox? I'm not saying it is necessarily wrong, but I always hated even running 3, and wanted to cut to 2. Why the fourth? Drawing multiples is like the actual worst, and even 1 felt bad a lot of the time. I only really wanted it post Ad Nauseam as lotus petals 5-6 to let me combo off immediately.

[Bryant Cook]

I actually really like Bryant's idea of the extra Fetch and Duress over the Cabal Rituals. It makes the infernal in the board and PiF slightly worse, but it makes our Ponders and Brainstorms better while also making Adnaus better. I'm pretty sure that is a good tradeoff considering PiF is usually used against slower decks that give us some time to sculpt anyways. If I make it out to the local on Wednesday, I'm definitely gonna try replacing the CRits with a 3rd Duress and the 1st Scalding Tarn. FWIW, my fetchland configuration is currently 2 Delta, 2 Misty. It works decently at mimicking a BUG shell by fetching up a Sea and casting a Ponder.

Im going to move the Tropical to the main deck actually, adding in another Decay to the SB versus Miracles.

[Bloodcookie]

4 Chrome Mox? I'm not saying it is necessarily wrong, but I always hated even running 3, and wanted to cut to 2. Why the fourth? Drawing multiples is like the actual worst, and even 1 felt bad a lot of the time. I only really wanted it post Ad Nauseam as lotus petals 5-6 to let me combo off immediately.

While it's true that the Moxen are often unproductive in terms of generating mana, they are effectively free storm count in any situation.

[Megadeus]

I mean sure, but so is Manamorphose or something. I get what you are saying. Just like a 2 Chrome Mox hand is basically a mull to 6. Idk. If its been working for you, keep at it, I just always hated the card.

[Lemnear]

I actually really like Bryant's idea of the extra Fetch and Duress over the Cabal Rituals. It makes the infernal in the board and PiF slightly worse, but it makes our Ponders and Brainstorms better while also making Adnaus better. I'm pretty sure that is a good tradeoff considering PiF is usually used against slower decks that give us some time to sculpt anyways. If I make it out to the local on Wednesday, I'm definitely gonna try replacing the CRits with a 3rd Duress and the 1st Scalding Tarn. FWIW, my fetchland configuration is currently 2 Delta, 2 Misty. It works decently at mimicking a BUG shell by fetching up a Sea and casting a Ponder.

Two minor remarks:

1) Using Delta to fetch Volcanic is like setting up a neon sign behind you reading "Hi! i'm playing storm!". I'm strickly against using Delta in TES as you don't have Basics to fetch anyways and unnecessarily revealing that you are playing black could prevent people from tapping out in fear of you playing discard for their fresh-fetched Batterskull or in case you are running storm. As long as your opponents think you are kind of a tempo deck, they will either tap out to gain an Edge in the non-existent damage race or hold back their threats in fear of Daze. Both scenarios can be useful for us.

2) Fetching an U.Sea as you first land to cast Ponder is a bad opening to cloak your deck. Unless it's your only land and/or you want to follow up next turn with a combo-attempt soley based on that U.Sea, i would prefer Volcanic . Fetching U.Sea makes sense if you want to lead with a discard-Spell, but not for Ponder alone


@Megadeus
Everyone hates Moxen. There is just nothing better

[Megadeus]

Anyone thought of maybe a single basic Island? I mean I know the colors are rough but it may be warranted. It may require a badlands though which kinda sucks :/

[Lemnear]

Anyone thought of maybe a single basic Island? I mean I know the colors are rough but it may be warranted. It may require a badlands though which kinda sucks :/

You don't want basic Island in game 1 as you can't combo off it. Tropical is a Basic Island in game 1 which can be destroyed by Wasteland. I ran it during the all-discard testing and it was just aweful to draw if the Rest of your hand just calls for black/red mana to explode T1/2.

[Bryant Cook]

I can't wait to fetch for Tropical, ponder and then kill them on my second turn.

[Dice_Box]

I am looking at the Eric list, it seams the guy knew what he was doing, but I can not work it out. PiF's main, ok I guess, but then why are you not just playing TNT or ANT?

[HammafistRoob]

Two minor remarks:

1) Using Delta to fetch Volcanic is like setting up a neon sign behind you reading "Hi! i'm playing storm!". I'm strickly against using Delta in TES as you don't have Basics to fetch anyways and unnecessarily revealing that you are playing black could prevent people from tapping out in fear of you playing discard for their fresh-fetched Batterskull or in case you are running storm. As long as your opponents think you are kind of a tempo deck, they will either tap out to gain an Edge in the non-existent damage race or hold back their threats in fear of Daze. Both scenarios can be useful for us.

2) Fetching an U.Sea as you first land to cast Ponder is a bad opening to cloak your deck. Unless it's your only land and/or you want to follow up next turn with a combo-attempt soley based on that U.Sea, i would prefer Volcanic . Fetching U.Sea makes sense if you want to lead with a discard-Spell, but not for Ponder alone.

I agree with your first point, but don't really understand your second. Can you explain a little bit why you prefer Volcanic? I'm under the impression that Usea should more often than not be your first fetch since it casts more spells by far. Are you assuming that it could be hit by a Wasteland or something?

Im going to move the Tropical to the main deck actually, adding in another Decay to the SB versus Miracles.

I can see that it would make the matchup against them better, but the other option makes you a tad better against the rest of the field I would think. Speaking of Miracles, do you board in Blasts against them as well? I played against my buddy earlier and tried to bring the Xantids in addition to the Decays, trying to catch him off guard thinking he probably brought out all the Swords and some number of Terminus. I didn't draw them until I already attempted a combo turn which got stopped, but he didn't have the removal for them. It was probably still bad but I like switching it up some to keep the people you play against often on their toes so they don't know your exact plan.

[sawatarix]

The 4th chrome mox better than a cabal ritual?
Maybe we should just go back and play 4 infernal tutor in the maindeck again,it's still the best card to explode on turn 1-2 via ad nauseam.
Wishing the tutor from the sideboard for a turn 3-4 ad nauseam seems not ideal because our lifetotal could be real low then.

These 2 slots don't seem to be fixed so far.

[Lemnear]

I agree with your first point, but don't really understand your second. Can you explain a little bit why you prefer Volcanic? I'm under the impression that Usea should more often than not be your first fetch since it casts more spells by far. Are you assuming that it could be hit by a Wasteland or something?

If you have access to several initial mana sources and not a hand which heavy on black spells but only has a single IMS in Form of a fetch which you obviously use for U.Sea, I would prefer to fetch for a Volcanic (in game 1) for two reasons: one is that chaining Misty into Volcanic into Ponder leaves a different picture of your deck for your opponent which pretty much echoes my first point made in the previous post; a second reason is that EtW, as a faster and cheaper kill than Ad Nauseam, needs at least one red mana and if you are going to cast a first turn Ponder, the chances that you can setup turn 2 Goblins if you already have a Wish or a RoF or a LED in hand is higher than trying to do this off an U . Sea (exceptions like having DR + IT in hand while you are looking for an LED occur and that's why I mentioned hands with plenty of black spells in the previous post; same is true if you face combo and want to cast T1 discard or if EtW is not an option because your opponent knows about it during postboard games)

I can see that it would make the matchup against them better, but the other option makes you a tad better against the rest of the field I would think. Speaking of Miracles, do you board in Blasts against them as well? I played against my buddy earlier and tried to bring the Xantids in addition to the Decays, trying to catch him off guard thinking he probably brought out all the Swords and some number of Terminus. I didn't draw them until I already attempted a combo turn which got stopped, but he didn't have the removal for them. It was probably still bad but I like switching it up some to keep the people you play against often on their toes so they don't know your exact plan.

Your biggest concerns are CB, Clique and Hatebears. Xantid does nothing against those. Moreover Miracles-pilots keep all their sweepers in against TES (if they can identify it). You board in Decays and Blasts to handle all their permanents (sans SDT)

The 4th chrome mox better than a cabal ritual?
Maybe we should just go back and play 4 infernal tutor in the maindeck again,it's still the best card to explode on turn 1-2 via ad nauseam.
Wishing the tutor from the sideboard for a turn 3-4 ad nauseam seems not ideal because our lifetotal could be real low then.

These 2 slots don't seem to be fixed so far.

The question should be: is the 4th Mox or a Cabal Ritual better than the 13th land? Imo neither is

[HammafistRoob]

Yeah I totally agree with that. It isn't very rare to open one landers with Ponder and no red spells though. Would you recommend moving back towards Silence if your meta is heavy in Miracles and AnT? I know that AnT is favorable for either build, but Silence helps push the matchup heavily into our favor. I hate being turn 1'd when I'm playing TES, and I'm also thinking about Bribery since two Reanimator decks have been showing up lately. Yes this meta is pretty miserable for storm, but you can't get better unless you learn to fight through the tough matchups right?

[Rood]

I hate being turn 1'd when I'm playing TES, and I'm also thinking about Bribery since two Reanimator decks have been showing up lately.

Bribery is too slow to matter against getting turn 1'd. If anything, play the extra duress and maybe surgical extraction.

Also it's always entertaining running into Bryant at a SCG event. I watched him pulp some kid into dust in under 3 mins.

[HammafistRoob]

Bribery is too slow to matter against getting turn 1'd. If anything, play the extra duress and maybe surgical extraction.

Also it's always entertaining running into Bryant at a SCG event. I watched him pulp some kid into dust in under 3 mins.

It's very rare that UB Reanimator gets the turn 1 guy so Bribery isn't too slow against them. The turn 1 comment I made was referring to AnT since Dupuis apparently gets two turn one hands against me in 4 games :(.