Changed builds for this Friday. Went from #teamPainSeer to #teamBigD with our favorite 4-drop.
Here's the list first.
It's basically Mike Flores's list.
[deck]Sorcery (4)
4x Thoughtseize
Instant (8)
4x Hero's Downfall
4x Ultimate Price
Creature (24)
4x Desecration Demon
4x Herald of Torment
4x Lifebane Zombie
1x Pack Rat
4x Rakdos Cackler
3x Thrill-Kill Assassin
4x Tormented Hero
Land (24)
4x Mutavault
16x Swamp
4x Temple of Silence
Sideboard (15)
3x Doom Blade
4x Duress
2x Erebos, God of the Dead
2x Pack Rat
4x Pharika's Cure
[/deck]
Round 1
1-2 vs Mono-Black Devotion (splashing the tiniest of blue for Far//Away)
First game, he was on the play. He kept drawing Nightveil Specter after Nightveil Specter. Ultimate Price, nor Doom Blade can do the job; and may I add that I didn't see EVEN ONE copy of Hero's Downfall the whole night from my deck.
I beat him up a bit
with Thrill-Kill Assassins that he was to afraid to block. He couldn't attack with them due to my 2 Herald of Torments in their way.
He then resolved a Gray Merchant with 2 Specters for a 16 point life swing.
Next turn he resolved another Gray Merchant for lethal.
I sideboard -2 Desecration Demon, -4 Hero's Downfall, and +2 Erebos, God of the Dead, and +4 Duress. (This may have sub-optimal or a borderline mistake.)
Second game, I took play and kill him turn 7. He kept using devour flesh, which worked out because I kept drawing a lot of land, and was fine with sacrificing mutavaults to save real creatures.
Game 3 was a big stallfest. I played a creature, he killed it. He played a creature, I killed it. Eventually my Thrill-Killl assassins( with no +1/+1 counters) deter attacks from coming in.
Eventually I resolved a Erebos, and then he resolved an Underworld Connection. We then proceeded to pay all of our life totals for a topdeck war, and eventually he topdecked the Whip of Erebos, which gave him 2
free Nightveil Specter swings from his graveyard. It was my game next combat with the 2 Lifebane Zombies and Erebos I had.
Close game, but I didn't get it as easy I did last week. My opponent is probably the most skilled player at my store, and grinds PTQs and GPs regularly.
Round 2
Bye vs The World
Always jokes about wanting one of these.
Seriously, the TO was confused when I got bye, as I haven't lost a round one ever.
Sat around and watched by buddies (running U/W Devotion and R/G Aggro).
The R/G aggro had a close loss to the same Jund Monsters I lost and tested with last week. That opponent will come up after the 4th round. Remember this. (You don't have to remember it. It's not too important.)
Round 3
2-0 vs Junk Monsters
Think G/W Monsters with black removal and thoughtseize. Basically this was the same list Gerard Fabiano just posted on StarCityGames.com. I was told after the match that it got 10th last week. It runs Polukranos, Angel of Thune, Scavenging Ooze, and maybe Voice of
Resurgence( it's not my type of deck, so I honestly don't know....yeah, I'm bad player lol).
First game I took a 4 land hand, with 3 Swamps, Mutavault, a Thoughtseie, Pack Rat, and Tormented Hero in my hand.
He had play and cast Thoughtseize turn 1. He played me last week as Bant Walkers( also Round 3), and was somewhat familiar with my deck. He took my Thoughtseize.
I play Tormented Hero and pass.
He Thoughtseizes( <-- can this just be a verb already?) and takes my Herald of Torment that I just drew.
Turn 2 I attack for 2, drop Mutavault, and then Thrill-Kill Assassin unleashed.
Turn three he devour flesh on me, I lose Tormented Hero and then he plays Scavenging Ooze.
Next turn my Lifebane Zombie that I topdecked exiles a Courser of Kruphix from his hand( that's another card in that deck!).
He scavenged once with Ooze and plays a Sylvan Caryatid. I ultimate price the Ooze and beat him senseless with a Lifebane Zombie. I bestow the Zombie with Herald, the next turn, and then he folds.
Second
game I mulligan from a no-land hand to a 4 land 2 spells. I keep it. It's pack Rat and Lifebane Zombie. First turn I play temple of deceit. Second turn Pack Rat( the removal magnet himself!!!). Turn three,(as expected), he taps out to Hero's Downfall on Pack Rat.
Turn 3 I exile his Polukranos to reveal his hand of lands. I beat him up with a Lifebane Zombie and he throws down Caryatids and Coursers. He folds and tells me that he hates this deck( though I heard he was loving earlier in the tournament...might still be a good deck).
Round 4
2-0 vs Jund Monsters
I've played this opponent before. Beat him with Black Control on Gameday, a January FNM, and at BNG Prerelease(in which I went 5-0 with B/R Control), but I always lose the dice roll on my own dice. This guy is hilarious and we usually just joke around as we play. It was by far the most fun match, as usual. Grab your popcorn.
We sit down in the
dark corner of the store, far from the counter, and generally where the "good players" avoid sitting.
I lose the dice roll and go second(, of course I lose... -_- ).
Now, my opening had had cackler, ultimate price, mutavualt, swamp, lifebane zombie, swamp, and Desecration Demon.
He plays Elvish Mystic, and I, sadly, can only afford a Rakdos Cackler.
He plays Courser of Kruphix with a Courser on top. He plays a scry land and puts it on the bottom for a dreadbore( no black mana yet). I( thought later than I would like to) cast Ultimate Price on the Elf.
I pass.
He plays a land, scrying another Courser to the bottom and attacks me for 2.
I play a Lifebane Zombie and exile a Course from his hand. He has now gone through all 4 coursers. I attack for 2 with Cackler. I should add that his hand was the now-exiled Courser, a Garruk, a Domri, and a Xenagos. Someone watching jokes that he's playing "Jund Walkers". We joke about it a bit( jokingly, of course).
Turn 4 he play Domri. -2 to
have Lifebane fight Courser and swings for 2.
Turn 4, I attack for 2 at Domri( killing it), ultimate price the Courser and play Thrill-Kill.
Turn 5 he Dreadbores the thrill Kill and passes. (Killing that Elvish mystic has really hurt him!!!)
Turn 5 I bestow the cackler with a Herald and attack him for 5 flying. He stops and reads Herald post combat, and proceeds to crack jokes about it being a card that he knew would be good upon it being spoiled months ago.
Turn 6 he plays a Domri and +1 into nothing.
Turn 6 I bestow yet another Herald unto the Cackler and swing at him for 8 flying. We joke about it being the pinnacle of Cackler's constructed play.
The T/O walks over, as everyone else is done with the final round and wants to collect winnings and go home. 1st and 2nd are already determined, so we're playing for 3rd.
The T/O jokes about us hurrying up and killing each other faster, though after a few jokes, I realize that he has no idea that we're only on game 1. This seems to happen every time me
and my opponent play each other. It's a load of fun, though, and my favorite type of Magic game. I tell him that it's game 1 and he gets pissed and walks away. I heard from a distance "IT'S TWO EFFING AGGRO DECKS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!".
A crowd begins to thicken around us. We say that it must be because "we're such good players"(, jokingly, of course).
Two turns of discussing ending the game already leads to a Dreadbore on the Cackler and a scavenging ooze and Polukranos being played.
I keep attacking in the sky for 6, and he stalls with the Ooze's lifegain, much to the disappointment of myself and everyone crowding around to watch us. Groans and murmmering is heard from our audience as the game stalls turn after turn with a Stormbreath blocker( I have Downfalled the Hydra and Ooze).
He finally is down to 2 life, plays a Courses and asks the judge( T/O) if he can play Overgrown Tomb from the top of his deck untapped without killing himself(, jokingly, of course).
We finally got
to game 2.
I sideboard +3 Doom Blade, +2 Pack Rat( cuz why not?), and board out -4 Rakdos Cackler ( though he flew it for a win earlier, this was a good decision due to Caryatids being annoying. A non-bestowed Cackler can't block or ever deal damage in this matchup. This is even more true on the draw.) and -1 Ultimate Price.
My opponent( jokingly, of course) pesters me about sideboarding for too long and that he's not sideboarding himself. I ask him "Why not? Throw in some Plummets or something!" and he thinks about it and begins sideboarding.
Game 2, his plays are temple, temple, Domri, putting a Reaper of the Wilds into his hand.
I play temple, mutavault and Thrill-Kill Assassin, and then a Lifebane Zombie on Turn 3, exile the Reaper, as his hand is lands and planewalkers.
Turn 4, he puts a caryatid down. Thrill-Kill Takes it out and hit Domri for 3 with Lifebane, putting it down to 1.
Turn 5, he ticks Domri up, with no creatures. He then plays an elvish mystic. Then he casts Xenagos,
the Reveler and puts in a 2/2 token to hit me for 2.
Turn 5, I bestow the Lifebane Zombie with Herald and kill Xenagos with it, while my Assassin takes out the Elf.
Turn 6, things get stupid. He REALLY hates herald.
He -2 Domri putting it down to 1 loyalty and fights my 6/4 Lifebane with the 2/2 Satyr. He then plays.......Grull Charm to do 3 damage to target creature with flying, targeting( you guessed it), the Lifebane Zombie!
A buddy( who went 1-3 with G/R Aggro) jokes that it was "THE WORST CHARM EVER!". Another buddy( went 3-1, losing to the same 2nd place mono black deck that I lost to first round) takes a picture of my opponent and I posing with the Gruul Charm, and then posts it on Twitter.
The T/O shakes our hands for the "Card of the Year" nomination for Gruul Charm( jokingly, of course).
He plays 4 for Polukranos and it's bad on.
Thrill Kill and Polukranos trade and begin to beat his face in with my 3/3 flying, and a 2/2 Mutavault, putting him down to 5.
I decided not
to kill Domri, which is a risk. If Domri gets something good, he could make a comeback. However, I'd rather just put him into lethal, in case he doesn't get his stuff together. It worked.
Another highlight comes up, on the last turn. He +1 on Domri to reveal an Elvish Mystic and put it in his hand.
He then proceeds to tap out and play Garruk for 6, and then using his -3 ability to put Elvish Mystic into play( jokingly, of course).
I raise my hand and yell "FLAVOR JUDGE!". The T/O leans over on the other side of the store and says "Yes?". (Flavor Judge is an inside joke between me and the T/O about his love of comedy and Magic lore flavor).
"My opponent just essentially Elvish Piper-ed an Elvish Mystic!!!"
The T/O pretends to play a pipe flute and says "Come on over elf friends!".
I draw a Desecration Demon, and take my time casting it( jokingly, of course).
"JUST KILL ME! PLEASE! I HATE LIVING!" my opponent says( jokingly, of course).
I ultimate
price the Mystic and swing for 5.
I got 3rd won $15.
Went out for Applebee's with my 2 buddies that I came with, my opponent from the last match, and the Jund player who I played last week( and sometimes test with before FNM). It was a fun night, and fun is the very reason I play Magic. As much as I love the science of play testing, discussing game design, and arguing about card tuning with you guys, I do it all for fun. I'm not that serious. I don't even own an actual Dark Confidant( it's may favorite card, though. One day, if I ever get a ton of money, I'll get one).
Not sure where I'm going with this, so I'll wrap this bad boy up.
What I liked
-Thriller-Killer-Mother-Effin-Assassin!
People either don't block it, or they forget not to block it!
Without a +1/+1 counter, people will hold back all sorts of bigger creatures so that they don't get popped by the needle that is Thrill-Kill, and have their creatures exposed for the baloon animals that they are!
nDeathtouch has a name, and her name is Thrill-Kill.
-Herald of Torment
Of course! I'm convinced that no matter what build you play( even the humans build), that it is a MUST-PLAY.
It's a great 5 drop Aura, and a pretty good deterrent against Mono Black and Blue as a 3 drop(, though I prefer not to deter. Prefer. Deter. It rhymes.
)
-Lifebane Zombie
It did a phenomenal job at giving me information and exiling threats.
-Gruul Charm
Not Gruul? Then, die!
-Applebee's Half Off Appetizers
Yum.
What I disliked
-Desecration Demon
I'm finding that, aside from the Burn matchup where bigger creatures are better, it isn't that useful.
Against G/W and G/R Monsters, it got tapped out by the mana dorks that they no longer need in their post-Planeswalker game state. These Monsters decks only need mana dorks as fodder of blockers and things like Desecration Demon. They ramp into
planeswalkers, and then stay with the walkers(, with their constant being killing you with Monsters).
It would only be an unstoppable threat, whenever I've already been winning with the rest of my board state.
-Pharika's Cure
Couldn't find a matchup to board it in against. Might just be my metagame, but still! Come on, Mike Flores!
-24 Lands
I got flooded so much. I'm just luckly that whatever I did play could hold it's own.
At one point( against G/W I think) I used a temple to scry a temple to the bottom and then drew a swamp. I already had 5 lands on field and 2 in hand.
Against mono black, I had like 10 lands out by the end and 2 in my hand.
What I missed
-Pain Seer
It really makes a difference against U/W and Mono Black Control, and I was missing that in my control match today.
Otherwise, he doesn't work. 
)
for 2 Desecration Demon. 
Colorless means no color, derrr... 
Control 
Goodnight, and God Bless. 
