This weekend I had a Black Celebration playing some very old school mono-black decks at Modern FNM and a weekend Tiny Leaders event. Both events had just over 12 players.
Modern: Mono-black control, 4-0
4 Duress
4 Distress
1 Memoricide
1 Mind Sludge
2 Disfigure
2 Victim of Night
1 Devour Flesh
2 Tendrils of Corruption
1 Eradicate
2 Mutilate
4 Sign in Blood
4 Read the Bones
2 Diabolic Tutor
1 Elixir of Immortality
2 Steel Hellkite
2 Sorin's Vengeance
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Bojuka Bog
23 Swamps
1 Leyline of the Void
1 Witchbane Orb
3 Bottle Gnomes
1 Devour Flesh
1 Ratchet Bomb
1 Barter in Blood
1 Curse of Death's Hold
3 Nantuko Shade
3 Rain of Tears
This is a very old-fashioned style of Mono-black control. Use discard spells to pick apart your opponent's hand, removal to stay alive, and card drawing to slowly pull ahead on resources until you can land a Sorin's Vengeance to solidify your position or Steel Hellkite to wipe your opponent's stuff and finish them off. With 8 point-discard spells and a Mind Sludge you'll draw dead discard as the game goes on but the plan is that the extra cards will make up for that. Though you always want to check their hand before playing a Hellkite if you can.
I beat a competitive burn deck 2-1, a casual burn deck 2-0, Hexproof 2-1, and BW tokens 2-1 to finish 4-0.
Tiny Leaders: Kuon, Ogre Ascendant / Pox, 3-1-1
Kuon, Ogre Ascendant
Epochrasite
Reassembling Skeleton
Guardian Idol
Chimeric Idol
Nether Spirit
Chimeric Mass
Cursed Scroll
Executioner's Capsule
Phyrexian Furnace
Sun Droplet
Tsabo's Web
Powder Keg
Ratchet Bomb
Raven's Crime
Funeral Charm
Hymm to Tourach
Stupor
Innocent Blood
Smother
Diabolic Edict
Infest
Forced March
Smallpox
POX
DEATH CLOUD
Skeletal Scrying
Shred Memories
Syphon Life
Armillary Sphere
Charcoal Diamond
Pristine Talisman
17 Swamps
Duress
Scepter of Fugue
Disrupting Scepter
Dragon's Claw
Elixir of Immortality
Thran Foundry
Sickening Dreams
Engineered Plague
Rancid Earth
Gloom
The idea behind this deck (if it's not obvious) is that all of your creatures are immune to your own mass removal, either because they're not creatures at the time (such as Chimeric Idol) or they re-animate themselves in some way. So you just Pox or Death Cloud away everybody resources and clear up with whatever you have left.
This deck is definitely mis-built as an earlier draft contained The Rack and Shrieking Affliction, and some cards (Raven's Crime, Funeral Charm) don't really make sense in their absence and should be replaced (I've gone for Scrabbling Claws and Chainer's Edict).
I'm not certain if Kuon is the best Leader for this deck. Whilst his ability is great if you can flip him, that's never easy and basically not possible against some decks. Running either Kiku, Night's Flower or Toshiro Umezawa seems possible with only slight alterations to the list (more discard to protect Kiku, more instants for Toshiro).
I beat Elves, Zombies, Geist of St Traft, and then had a draw and a loss against Shu Yun.
Showing posts with label Modern. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Modern. Show all posts
Monday, March 09, 2015
Sunday, June 09, 2013
IW Modern - 2nd with Wildfire
At our local Modern tournaments I like to alternate between playing my good deck (Soul Sisters) and building something rogue - out metagame is fairly casual and turning up with the same deck every time gets boring. The rogue decks don't always work out so well (Enchantress, Pox), but this was an exception.
This tournament's deck was inspired by
a) my love of land destruction, and the discovery that Wildfire is both modern legal and cheap.
b) this tournament report from Jon Johnson: Hanweir Watchkeep, keeping legacy fair
It wasn't inspired by Gavin Verhey's Daily MTG article, published a couple of weeks before the tournament - that was just a coincidence.
Looking around the Magic Madhouse website revealed some other budgets gems, such as Arc-Slogger (which I described on twitter as "2% of the cost of a Thundermaw Hellkite" and Detritivore.
2 Epochrasite
4 Hanweir Watchkeep
Shivan Wumpus
3 Detritivore
3 Arc-Slogger
Wurmcoil Engine
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Dead // Gone
4 Volcanic Fallout
4 Wildfire
4 Everflowing Chalice
2 Talisman of Indulgence
2 Talisman of Impulse
15 Mountain
4 Tectonic Edge
4 Molten Slagheap
Sideboard
4 Goblin Ruinblaster
2 Boil
2 Leyline of Punishment
2 Pithing Needle
2 Shattering Spree
3 Guerilla Tactics
After playing the deck my main thought is that Arc-Slogger is awesome.
Usually it's like you've just drawn three or four Shocks just by playing it, so I think playing all four would be reasonable (you can replace the terrible Shivan Wurm which was supposed to be Epocharsite anyway).
Also, an actual black splash would be easy enough and might offer some better sideboard and removal options.
We had 11 players on the day, so we played 5 rounds before cutting to top 4.
Round 1: Oliver playing RUG (without Tarmogoyf for budget reasons), won 2-0
Game 1 goes very long, as I'm not entirely sure what he's playing but he obviously has a variety of counterspells. Without Goyfs he struggles to kill me as everything in his deck dies to Volcanic Fallout, and he has me down to 10 when I resolve a 6/6 Detritivore that has been nibbling away at his lands. It grows to 7/7 and as Wildfire takes out more land he decides to throw the three Lightning Bolts he has in hand at me, but fails to untap and draw another burn spell and loses a 36 minute game.
Game 2 is considerably shorter as he taps out at the end of one of my turns for a Cryptic Command bouncing my storage land and I respond with Boil and a Lightning Bolt for his Vendilion Clique, leaving him with no permanents. He concedes.
1-0 (2-0)
Round 2: Paul playing Pod, won 2-1.
I win game one as I am able to Wildfire away most of Paul's board and my Detritivore kills him before he can recover, and lose game two as I have a Pithing Needle on Birthing Pod, but Paul draws Restoration Angel and Kiki-Jiki and is able to kill me.
In game 3 after destroying his first Pod with Shattering Spree and taking some damage from a pair of Kitchen Finks I resolve an Arc-Slogger with red mana open and about 40-something cards in my library. The Arc-Slogger means Paul can't combo me out, and it and my Bane of Hanweir finish him off with a few cards left in my library.
2-0 (4-1)
Round 3: Charlie playing Esper Gifts, lost 2-0
I don't have an answer for Iona and Charlie puts her into play twice very quickly (via Gifts Ungiven for Iona and Unburial Rites).
2-1 (4-3)
Round 4: Graham playing Soul Sisters, lost 2-0
This time I lose quickly to cards I definitely have answers for. I mulligan both games, and even though I have an opening hand Leyline for game 2, I don't draw Volcanic Fallout or Wildfire in either and lose to a load of Spectral Procession tokens.
2-2 (4-5)
Round 5: Dickie playing Kithkin, won 2-1
I win game one with a Wildfire, which kills all his creatures, but lose game two to a turn two Kor Firewalker, turn three Honor of the Pure, when my attempt to race with Shivan Wumpus plus Wildfire is foiled by an unexpected Refraction Trap which takes out the Wumpus.
Game 3 I again face a turn two Kor Firewalker, turn three Honor of the Pure, but this time Dickie's draw is otherwise sub-par, and I'm able to race with two Bane of Hanweir, as thankfully I can shoot his Baneslayer Angel three times with my Arc-Slogger before it gets exiled. With me on five life and Dickie on four I remove his second blocker and his 3/3 pro-red guy can't prevent him losing to my two 5/5s.
3-2 (6-6)
I make the top four as the 3rd seed. The rest of the top four is my last three opponents, as Dickie is the other 3-2 to make it on tiebreakers and Graham and Charlie were able to ID the last round.
Top 4: Graham playing Soul Sisters, won 2-0
This time I do draw Volcanic Fallouts and Wildfires! In game one I draw lots of them, but hardly any creatures (which get Pathed) and I finally win a very long game with an Arc-Slogger after casting three Wildfires. Crucially Graham is only able to Soul Warden and Martyr his life up to 28 mid-game so I was able to deal with his Serra Ascendants.
In game two I have a turn one Pithing Needle for Graham's turn one Martyr of Sands (he has another in hand) and I again am able to sweep away his creatures a few times and kill him with an Arc-Slogger.
4-2 (8-6)
Final: Charlie playing Esper Gifts, lost 2-1
Game one goes as expected - I lose to Iona.
At this point Charlie hasn't lost a game all tournament but I board in all the land destruction, including Pithing Needle (for fetchlands), and though I have to mulligan to five cards, Charlie is able to Thirst for Knowledge away Iona but can't find Gifts or Unburial Rights. I suspend two consecutive Detritivores that leave Charlie only with a couple of land, and they and an Arc-Slogger means he finally loses a game.
Game 3 I probably misplayed. I am taking damage from a couple of Lingering Souls tokens with Boil in hand after taking out two Celestial Colenade with Tectonic Edges, and rather than just waiting and building up mana on my storage land I cast a Goblin Ruinblaster to try and keep him off four mana. He Gifts in response and has another land in hand so I lose to Iona again. If I'd waited I can probably possibly prevent him getting an Iona but might still have lost to the Lingering Souls tokens.
4-3 (9-8)
So Charlie wins this IW Modern tournament with Esper Gifts (he says Far // Away is terrible) and I finish second with Wildfire, and am the open player to take a game off the winner. I consider this a successful outing for WILDFIRE.
This tournament's deck was inspired bya) my love of land destruction, and the discovery that Wildfire is both modern legal and cheap.
b) this tournament report from Jon Johnson: Hanweir Watchkeep, keeping legacy fair
It wasn't inspired by Gavin Verhey's Daily MTG article, published a couple of weeks before the tournament - that was just a coincidence.
Looking around the Magic Madhouse website revealed some other budgets gems, such as Arc-Slogger (which I described on twitter as "2% of the cost of a Thundermaw Hellkite" and Detritivore.
2 Epochrasite4 Hanweir Watchkeep
Shivan Wumpus
3 Detritivore
3 Arc-Slogger
Wurmcoil Engine
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Dead // Gone
4 Volcanic Fallout4 Wildfire
4 Everflowing Chalice
2 Talisman of Indulgence
2 Talisman of Impulse
15 Mountain
4 Tectonic Edge
4 Molten Slagheap
Sideboard
4 Goblin Ruinblaster
2 Boil
2 Leyline of Punishment
2 Pithing Needle
2 Shattering Spree
3 Guerilla Tactics
After playing the deck my main thought is that Arc-Slogger is awesome.
Usually it's like you've just drawn three or four Shocks just by playing it, so I think playing all four would be reasonable (you can replace the terrible Shivan Wurm which was supposed to be Epocharsite anyway).
Also, an actual black splash would be easy enough and might offer some better sideboard and removal options.
We had 11 players on the day, so we played 5 rounds before cutting to top 4.
Round 1: Oliver playing RUG (without Tarmogoyf for budget reasons), won 2-0
Game 1 goes very long, as I'm not entirely sure what he's playing but he obviously has a variety of counterspells. Without Goyfs he struggles to kill me as everything in his deck dies to Volcanic Fallout, and he has me down to 10 when I resolve a 6/6 Detritivore that has been nibbling away at his lands. It grows to 7/7 and as Wildfire takes out more land he decides to throw the three Lightning Bolts he has in hand at me, but fails to untap and draw another burn spell and loses a 36 minute game.
Game 2 is considerably shorter as he taps out at the end of one of my turns for a Cryptic Command bouncing my storage land and I respond with Boil and a Lightning Bolt for his Vendilion Clique, leaving him with no permanents. He concedes.
1-0 (2-0)
Round 2: Paul playing Pod, won 2-1.
I win game one as I am able to Wildfire away most of Paul's board and my Detritivore kills him before he can recover, and lose game two as I have a Pithing Needle on Birthing Pod, but Paul draws Restoration Angel and Kiki-Jiki and is able to kill me.
In game 3 after destroying his first Pod with Shattering Spree and taking some damage from a pair of Kitchen Finks I resolve an Arc-Slogger with red mana open and about 40-something cards in my library. The Arc-Slogger means Paul can't combo me out, and it and my Bane of Hanweir finish him off with a few cards left in my library.
2-0 (4-1)
Round 3: Charlie playing Esper Gifts, lost 2-0
I don't have an answer for Iona and Charlie puts her into play twice very quickly (via Gifts Ungiven for Iona and Unburial Rites).
2-1 (4-3)
Round 4: Graham playing Soul Sisters, lost 2-0
This time I lose quickly to cards I definitely have answers for. I mulligan both games, and even though I have an opening hand Leyline for game 2, I don't draw Volcanic Fallout or Wildfire in either and lose to a load of Spectral Procession tokens.
2-2 (4-5)
Round 5: Dickie playing Kithkin, won 2-1
I win game one with a Wildfire, which kills all his creatures, but lose game two to a turn two Kor Firewalker, turn three Honor of the Pure, when my attempt to race with Shivan Wumpus plus Wildfire is foiled by an unexpected Refraction Trap which takes out the Wumpus.
Game 3 I again face a turn two Kor Firewalker, turn three Honor of the Pure, but this time Dickie's draw is otherwise sub-par, and I'm able to race with two Bane of Hanweir, as thankfully I can shoot his Baneslayer Angel three times with my Arc-Slogger before it gets exiled. With me on five life and Dickie on four I remove his second blocker and his 3/3 pro-red guy can't prevent him losing to my two 5/5s.
3-2 (6-6)
I make the top four as the 3rd seed. The rest of the top four is my last three opponents, as Dickie is the other 3-2 to make it on tiebreakers and Graham and Charlie were able to ID the last round.
Top 4: Graham playing Soul Sisters, won 2-0
This time I do draw Volcanic Fallouts and Wildfires! In game one I draw lots of them, but hardly any creatures (which get Pathed) and I finally win a very long game with an Arc-Slogger after casting three Wildfires. Crucially Graham is only able to Soul Warden and Martyr his life up to 28 mid-game so I was able to deal with his Serra Ascendants.
In game two I have a turn one Pithing Needle for Graham's turn one Martyr of Sands (he has another in hand) and I again am able to sweep away his creatures a few times and kill him with an Arc-Slogger.
4-2 (8-6)
Final: Charlie playing Esper Gifts, lost 2-1
Game one goes as expected - I lose to Iona.
At this point Charlie hasn't lost a game all tournament but I board in all the land destruction, including Pithing Needle (for fetchlands), and though I have to mulligan to five cards, Charlie is able to Thirst for Knowledge away Iona but can't find Gifts or Unburial Rights. I suspend two consecutive Detritivores that leave Charlie only with a couple of land, and they and an Arc-Slogger means he finally loses a game.Game 3 I probably misplayed. I am taking damage from a couple of Lingering Souls tokens with Boil in hand after taking out two Celestial Colenade with Tectonic Edges, and rather than just waiting and building up mana on my storage land I cast a Goblin Ruinblaster to try and keep him off four mana. He Gifts in response and has another land in hand so I lose to Iona again. If I'd waited I can probably possibly prevent him getting an Iona but might still have lost to the Lingering Souls tokens.
4-3 (9-8)
So Charlie wins this IW Modern tournament with Esper Gifts (he says Far // Away is terrible) and I finish second with Wildfire, and am the open player to take a game off the winner. I consider this a successful outing for WILDFIRE.
"Fire is always at the top of the food chain, and it has a big appetite."
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