Waiting for Godot: Zendikar Prerelease Two-for-One

Last week, I detailed the deckbuilding and first round of my Zendikar prerelease, in which I lost in three games. Stuck in the loser’s bracket, I’m hoping to win out and salvage a 3-1 finish. Fair warning: I checked replay functionality after the match, and unfortunately, several games in the final three matches had corruption issues. With no time to enter another prerelease (and no guarantee its replays would end up any better anyway), I decided there was enough content in the replays that survived to make a column of it, but I won’t be stepping through every game this week.

In the comments of last week’s column, there was some surprise and dissent over the inclusion of (Goblin War Paint) in my final build; understandable given the general (and appropriate) disdain for auras vulnerable to a 2:1. I chose it over several other bottom-end cards on the premise that the (Goblin War Paint) would convert reliably for more damage than my other options, which included (Blood Seeker), (Vampire's Bite), and (Goblin Bushwhacker).

It can be tough to decide on those last few cards during deckbuilding, particularly when deciding between the least of evils instead of the best of solid playables. Whenever there are multiple defensible options for the final slot or two in a deck, I like to play the “Would You Rather” game during the matches. When a card I was debating appears in my hand, I ask myself if I’d rather have one of the benched cards instead. Now, even if I draw that card in every game, the sample size isn’t going to be large enough to produce a statistically-relevant conclusion, but it’s a good exercise nonetheless. First, if one card is consistently the one you want to have, or consistently isn’t, that starts to say something important, even if it’s not conclusive. Also, it’s an excellent way to get a feel for where marginal, bottom-end cards are good and where they stink, which helps inform future cuts to to 40.

R2G1

I win the roll and draw seven:

Having a turn-one play is nice, but there’s no action after that, and the (Spire Barrage) is currently a five-mana, sorcery-speed, half-(Shock). Villain keeps while I take a fresh six:

This looks much better, although I’ll be in trouble without a Mountain. We have a war paint sighting as well, and I think in this spot, not knowing what’s coming, it’s clear I’d want (Blood Seeker) from among my low-end possibilities for the slot based on my available mana. My first draws are a turn-two Mountain and a turn-three (Plated Geopede), while Villain’s first play is a turn-three (Makindi Shieldmate). I draw a (Bladetusk Boar) instead of a land on turn four, and face an interesting turn. What’s the plan?

R2G1 #1

I see two choices: swing in with the (Bloodghast) and (Burst Lightning) the shieldmate after combat, or put (Goblin War Paint) on the (Plated Geopede) and attack with both (Bloodghast) and (Plated Geopede) to ensure some damage, but leaving me unable to kill the defender. I like the second play. Villain has to choose between temporarily killing the (Bloodghast) and taking three, or blocking the insect and taking two, either of which is fine for me. The shieldmate jumps in front of the (Bloodghast) and I hit for 3.

Villain drops a (Khalni Heart Expedition) but no actual threat, and passes. I mise a Swamp to make the whole turn hum, bringing back the (Bloodghast), pumping the geopede, and reaching (Bladetusk Boar) mana, all in one land drop. My attack goes unblocked, the boar joins my team, and I ship the turn back with life totals at 20 – 9. Villain plays a land and casts (Expedition Map) but again no threats, leaving me wondering if I should be playing around something in his four-card hand.

R2G1 #2

Even if I know I’m up against (Into the Roil) or (Pitfall Trap), the correct play is still to swing with everything, so I send in the team. The shieldmate blocks the geopede, but 8 more sneak through, and (Burst Lightning) seals the deal after combat.

Despite the haste being irrelevant, (Goblin War Paint) led to more damage for me than (Blood Seeker) or (Vampire's Bite) would have, although I was fortunate to avoid (Journey to Nowhere), (Into the Roil) or (Pitfall Trap). Again, this is one game and is in no way statistically relevant, but slowly building up a mental case file can really help with future decisions.

R2G2

I didn’t take sideboarding notes, but I feel pretty sure I took out the (Mind Sludge) for something. I have these seven on the draw:

An easy keep. Villain starts off with a (Blazing Torch). I draw a (Goblin Shortcutter) and open with the tap land to gain a life, which feels odd in a black/red deck without a drain effect.

No action from across the table is a good sign for me, meaning my two drop can swing in for one attack before anything can be torched. I pull a (Quest for the Gravelord) and have two creatures to choose from: (Plated Geopede) and (Surrakar Marauder). Which do you cast and why?

R2G2 #1

The shortcutter is going to be very good later so I want to save it, and either of my other two drops will likely connect in combat next turn. Since the torch won’t be active until after my third turn at the earliest, I’m going to have to present both the geopede and the marauder anyway. Given that, I may as well go for maximum damage, which means the geopede. I expect Villain to take out the geopede over the marauder, but I think over the course of an entire game, the marauder is likely to hit for more because of the unblockability, so I’m fine with that.

(Greenweaver Druid) enters the battlefield across the table, which means Villain will have to choose between accelerating or throwing the torch next turn. I untap and pull a (Guul Draz Vampire). Knowing that the geopede is likely to die to the (Blazing Torch) next turn, what should I play alongside the (Surrakar Marauder): the (Quest for the Gravelord) or the vampire?

R2G2 #2

I think having a 5/5 zombie token in play a turn sooner will be worth more damage in the long run than running out a 1/1 that isn’t likely to do much until it becomes a 3/2 intimidate anyway. I hit for 3, cast the quest and the marauder, and pass. Villain has (Gomazoa) plus the mana left over to equip the torch to the druid. Gomazoa is annoying, but between all my intimidate and the shortcutter, it may never have the chance to block anyway.

I rip and play a Mountain, and the geopede eats the torch before the landfall trigger can resolve. I’m still able to hit for two and cast the (Bladetusk Boar), passing the turn with the life totals at 21 – 15 and a board strongly in my favor.

A kicked (Sphinx of Lost Truths) tries to change the balance, but despite the amazing a card advantage, I still have aggression and a superior board—I just need to seal the deal before those extra cards have a chance to matter much. I rip a land to clear the way for 5 points of intimidate, and a (Kazuul Warlord) in my second main piles on the pressure.

Life totals stand at 21 – 10 when Villain casts a (Grazing Gladehart) and an (Expedition Map), and finally drops a (Turntimber Grove) to gain two life and buff the sphinx. I take 4 damage in the air before getting the turn back. I draw a (Spire Barrage) and plot the turn. What’s the play?

R2G2 #3

Attempting to win a race against a (Grazing Gladehart) is not advisable—that thing has to die soon, but not necessarily this turn. It will be worth more to the damage race to use the (Goblin Shortcutter) to falter the (Gomazoa) and swing, which leaves mana up for the (Guul Draz Vampire) as well. With (Gomazoa) unable to block, I obviously I attack with the boar and the warlord, but the marauder has to stay at home because I don’t want to trade it for the druid.

I send in the boar and warlord as planned, and when the (Grazing Gladehart) jumps unexpectedly in the way of the warlord, I prepare for the (Vines of Vastwood) about to come. Sure enough, the antelope inflates to a 6/6 and annihilates my 4/4. Side note: instant-speed removal is fantastic. A (Burst Lightning) in that spot instead of the (Spire Barrage) I drew would have been a blowout. Still this isn’t a terrible trade, since it’s clears out a trick that could “counter” my removal, and it’s going to be tough for a non-evasive 4/4 to get through successfully from here anyway. I drop an intimidating (Duul Graz Vampire) after combat and pass.

That intimidate only lasts for a moment, as a land drop on Villain’s turn puts the score back to 17 –11, but there’s no other action. I draw into my (Magma Rift) and plot the best way to use the removal at my disposal:

R2G2 #4

Now the gladehart needs to die, especially with the (Expedition Map) guaranteeing at least another two life if it lives. If I can keep Villain at 10 or less life, I should be able to end this with another landfall trigger. It would be nice to save the (Spire Barrage) for a dome shot, but I think I do more damage in the long run by aiming at a creature with it anyway, so I may as well do that now. Barrage the antelope, swing for 3 to make it 17 - 8, and hopefully a land drop will be all that’s needed to finish the game next turn.

Villain manages a (River Boa) and an (Archive Trap). The archive trap is fine with me, I love it when my opponents pay five mana and a card to shuffle my library. Happily, only three lands are milled (as is my (Bloodghast): please, don’t play a singleton mill cards, kids), meaning ten of the remaining 13 cards in my library are game-winning draws: nine land and one (Burst Lightning). I like those odds! I pull a Swamp and that seals the deal, sending 8 points of intimidate into the red zone.

R3G1

This replay isn’t even in the list and corrupted, it’s just not there at all. There are about 11 total minutes of clock gone in game two, so it was a fast game. I remember Villain was red-white with great removal in both colors (red burn two, (Journey to Nowhere) and a (Pitfall Trap)) and a maindeck (Seismic Shudder) that gave me a scare, but I managed to pull out a win. I remember seeing so many one-toughness creatures in game one that I brought in my own (Seismic Shudder) for something.

R3G2

Villain elects to play and keeps (so I must have won game one), and I evaluate my seven:

Oh, two-landers! You look so pretty, but can be so disastrous. Still, I have good early plays, and a couple of lands should turn this into a real beauty. Keep.

No plays at all from Villain through three, and no land for me through three. I draw (Goblin War Paint), though. Normally I would consider what low-end card I would want here, but being up against a known (Seismic Shudder), I’m definitely in the war paint camp for this matchup. Do I play it out there?

R3G2 #1 

No, he’s shown too much removal. I really want to play the paint in this matchup when I’m at least getting in for a guaranteed swing in case I get 2:1ed after. Sure enough, I swing in and get (Pitfall Trap)ed. With no plays, I pass, and Villain casts a (Bladetusk Boar). I again fail to pull a land, and ship the turn. The pressure mounts, with a (Goblin Bushwhacker) creating a 6-point attack.

R3G2 #2

I make a terrible mistake at this point, failing to use my (Seismic Shudder) to save a couple of damage and add a counter to the quest, thinking it was a sorcery, because most one-point (Earthquake) effects have been in the past. Reading cards: highly recommended! I manage to find a Swamp, but I still have no play besides crippling myself again with the (Magma Rift) (or recognizing that the shudder is an instant). I pass, and the boar applies some (Goblin War Paint) to add to the pile-on. I manage to find another Swamp, which means I can’t play the (Shatterskull Giant). What should I play?

R3G2 #3

I have to burn the (Magma Rift) now to ensure my survival. The (Seismic Shudder) misplay is looming large: I’m about to take four extra damage and be unable to make a 5/5 zombie token because of my no-play on the shudder. Huge. I take another point, but Villain has no play despite six lands and three cards. I find a replacement land on my draw, and work out which creature to cast:

R3G2 #4 

I go with the 4/3, but I’m not really expecting anything to live. Yup, Inferno Trap. This completes the quest and I make a 5/5 after Villain casts a (Geyser Glider), then I cast the (Nimana Sell-Sword) on my turn. Villain removes both my 5/5 token and my sell-sword, then drops a teetering peaks to hit for exactly seven for the game. All told, I took six unnecessary points from the bushwhacker. I didn’t have removal for the glider, but who knows, maybe I could have come up with some in time to turn it around if I’d played the shudder correctly.

R3G3

That will not do on the play when I need to come out swinging. I send it back. Man, (Mind Sludge) is decent at best in this deck, and has so far been nothing but ugly.

That looks much better. Villain mulligans to five, and I’m hoping that will buy me the time I need to beat down and win before I’m facing much of a defense. Despite not drawing a land on turn two, I opt again for the (Plated Geopede) turn two over the (Surrakar Marauder). If I don’t draw land I’m likely going to lose anyway, so I may as well play as though I’m going to draw some.

Villain casts a turn-two (Goblin Shortcutter) off of a second Mountain, which are both good signs for me: no Plains, and no better turn-two play than a guy you’d rather play on turn four or five. I can't find another land, though, so I hit for one, play the marauder, and pass. Villain has (Adventuring Gear) for the goblin, but also misses the land drop. The race to unscrew is on!

I rip (Unstable Footing), play (Quest of the Gravelord), and crash in with both. I’m happy to offer a trade right now since it puts me 2/3rds of the way towards a 5/5 zombie for (mana=b). He accepts, and I hit for 1. We both continue to miss land drops, and I finally hit my third on turn six. My only play is the (Giant Scorpion), but at least the geopede hits for three this time.

Villain finds a third land too, but it’s another Mountain, and he’s already confessed to having a grip full of white cards. My deck laughs at my situation with (Adventuring Gear) off the top, and I throw it on the scorpion to diversify my threats once I finally find a land. Hitting with two creatures sets off an (Inferno Trap), and I lose my scorpion to it at the end of my turn.

At long last, Villain finds a Plains and sends my other insect on a (Journey to Nowhere). I pop the quest at the end step, and finally draw my fourth land. Mana! What precious commodity! How should I play this spot, now that I actually have some options?

R3G3 #1

I can either equip the zombie, drop the land and hit for 7, or attack for five, play the land, and cast (Nimana Sell-Sword). Assuming I find another mountain in the next four or five turns, I can effectively think of the life totals as 21 – 7 because of the (Unstable Footing). Given that, hitting for 7 now would be good, setting me up to win off any Mountain. If I don’t find a Mountain, though, I will have failed to develop my board with that play, leaving me creatureless next turn if Villain has removal, which I’m predicting at this point.

Hitting for 5 and dropping the sell-sword also sets me up for a win off a Mountain next turn, though, unless Villain can take out both creatures. Without a second Plains that seems unlikely, but there are definitely some scenarios where I could lose both creatures before the end of my next attack phase.

I decide to max out my mana and develop my board with the sell-sword play. It has some advantages, but in my quest for turning my 95% chance of winning into 96.5%, I like equipping and attacking Villain down to within (Unstable Footing) range in hindsight. It gives me a certain inevitability: unless I can’t find a second red source in the next 5-10 turns or so, I’m going to win with that play.

I attack for 5 and pass, and my giant zombie shuffles off on a (Journey to Nowhere), leaving behind the sell-sword. I don’t have to wait 5-10 turns: a Mountain is on top, and the attack plus the (Unstable Footing) take the game and match.

Round Four

Sadly, two out of three of my round-four games were corrupted, and this article is starting to run long anyway, so I’m going to summarize my final match.

G1

Villain was playing a red-black splashing blue for two (Windrider Eel)s with the help of an(Akoum Refuge) and a (Khalni Gem). In the first game, I’m the early aggressor with (Bloodghast), a (Giant Scorpion) and a (Nimana Sell-Sword). Villain has an early (Quest for the Gravelord) which gets a couple counters when he blocks my (Bloodghast) with his not-very-intimidating (Surrakar Marauder). I drop him to 9 before he stabilizes with a kicked (Gatekeeper of Malakir). I sac my (Bloodghast) of course, but now he has a 5/5 to hold the ground.

We stall out, but I have (Heartstabber Mosquito) and six land, so I figure to be taking out the zombie shortly. Then, Villain casts (Ob Nixilis, the Fallen) and drops a land to make it a 6/6, and my mosquito target changes in an heartbeat. Of course, instead of pulling a land, I pull the (Magma Rift), again putting me in the spot of having six land, the mosquito, and the rift. I have the (Giant Scorpion) though, so while I have to take an attack from the 5/5, I have a some time to find land #7.

I hit it on the next turn, take out the now-9/9 Ob Nix, and breathe a sigh of relief. Without missing a beat, Villain untaps and casts (Kalitas, Bloodchief of Ghet). Wow, he has my pool from the cancelled event! I (Magma Rift) the vampire bomb of course, and I’m feeling like I can win this thing with the life totals at 9 – 7 and me with the 2 /2 flyer, but Villain drops two (Windrider Eel)s on me the following turn. A couple landfall triggers later, I’m toast.

G2

This one was equally tight, but I end up winning on a play error. I almost had the game, but Villain stabilized just in time with (Kalitas, Bloodchief of Ghet), and this time I had no removal for it. All he needed to do was use Kalitas’s ability to destroy one of my threats and use te resulting token to hold off the other, but instead he cast a creature that used up one of his three black mana sources. That allowed me to charge in for just enough damage to win, and he saw his mistake immediately, lamenting about it at the start of game three.

G3

I won game three fairly convincingly with the turn-one (Adventuring Gear), turn-two (Plated Geopede), turn three equip, drop a land, swing for five, and play (Surrakar Marauder). I had my (Kazuul Warlord) and (Magma Rift) in hand, so I elected to play my (Heartstabber Mosquito) as a 2/2 flyer for 4, as it curved me out nicely and applied intense pressure along with the 5/5 first striker. With removal to clear out a key blocker, I won the game before I would have ever been able to play the mosquito kicked anyway. I can get greedy with sweepers and kicker spells, but I managed to find the right play that time, and salvaged a 3-1 out of it.

That’s all I’ve got for you this week, although there ought to be a new podcast up today as well over (link below). Thanks for reading, and join me next week for a Zendikar draft walkthrough!

I win the roll and check my seven on the play:

A couple of lands in the first four turns will turn this into a fine hand, so I keep and wish for Mountains. Villain opens with (Akoum Refuge), an Island, and a (Surrakar Marauder), and I face my first black deck of the tournament. I pull a Swamp on turn three and have the (Giant Scorpion) to keep the marauder at bay after (Bloodghast) makes it through for 2 unblocked. (Funny, nobody wants to trade with a creature that comes back into play when I drop a land…)

Villain has (Marsh Flats), which hits the bin in exchange for a Swamp, and I get to feel what it’s like to be on the wrong end of an early (Quest for the Gravelord). (Spoiler: it kinda sucks).

I untap and draw a fourth Swamp. What’s the right play this turn?

R4G1 #1 

I’m not thrilled at the prospect of hastening the arrival of and reflexively play it out. What a terrible mistake! Villain is going to be much more interested in trading now that he has a (Quest for the Gravelord), and I have taken away my ability to landfall back the (Bloodghast) for no gain. I attack in anyway, and sure enough, he chumps, and I feel like a chump. I pass the turn, Villain casts (Khalni Gem) and ships the turn back to me.

I draw a Mountain and play it, which brings back (Bloodghast). What now?

R4G1 #2

In poker there’s a phenomenon where you screw up on one street (one round of betting), and make a bad play on the next street because it’s the play you should have made the street before. For example, let’s say you have pocket tens, and raise preflop from early position. three players call, and the flop comes down QT3 with two clubs. This is a great flop for you, a set (three of a kind made with a pocket pair) is quite the monster in hold’em. With three other players, you decide to get cute, and check it, hoping someone will bet so you can check-raise.

Nobody does, though, and the turn comes off: it’s the 8c.

That’s kind of what I did here. I felt so dumb for not having an active (Bloodghast) this turn, I thought hey, I can fix that, I’ll put the (Goblin War Paint) on the (Bloodghast) and get in there for an extra 4!

Yes, that’s a play that helps make up for my previous mistake, but I don’t like

Also, should I play around Disfigure? NO, would have used it on scorp back on the trade play if he had it. If Villain (Disfigure)s my (Bloodghast), he can pop the quest.

R4G1 #3

Who to sac?

 

R4G1 #4

 

R4G1 #5

 

R4G1 #6

Kill Ob Nix, then how to attack?

 

R4G1 #7

omg He’s dropping bombs

 

   R4G1 #8

 

R4G2

 jfghsd Sadly, this is where the replays fail me.

R4G3

 

 

 

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Waiting for Godot: Online PTQ by Proxy

There has been a lot said about whether or not online PTQs are a good idea. I don't want to turn this into an article on why MTGO PTQs are a good idea, but I’ll just say that they are. Magic Online represents a significant portion of the Magic-playing world (30% - 40% of the overall Magic business, according to this September 2007 interview with Worth Wollpert), and the handful of legitimate concerns about an online qualifier are not enough of a reason to keep the online portion of the Magic audience from their shot at a PTQ, provided the tech can handle it. By being sealed, even live-only players can create an account and enter for thirty tickets if they want.

I hope to find the time to play in a PTQ eventually, but it is difficult for me to set aside those kinds of hours. In the meantime, my podcasting partner, Marshall Sutcliffe, aka malachiconstant, aka "the childless guy with the awesome, supportive girlfriend," is much more likely to be able to chop out that window of time. Such was the case on Thursday, when he was able to clear the schedule and enter the first Magic Online PTQ. The format was an M10 sealed six-round “shootout.” Basically, if you finish 5-1 or 6-0 in a six-round sealed, you win entrance into another six-round sealed, and the top 8 of that draft for the crown. Yes, that’s fifteen rounds of limited if you want to win this thing.

While I wasn't going to be able to do it, I figured, why not live vicariously through Marshall, and write up a walkthrough based on his run at the Pro Tour in this historic Magic event?

Regular readers know that it takes me two articles just to make it through a three-round draft walkthrough with my usual level of detail. With Zendikar right around the corner, though, I really want to cover this walkthrough in one week so I can cover a Zendikar prerelease event for next week. This means that I will have to leave some games and/or matches as summaries, as I know he didn’t go 0-2 and drop because he sent me the names of his opponents and how he sideboarded for them (in hidden text).

I’m going in with no knowledge of how he did, so my plan is to step through the games, making each decision before seeing Marshall’s. At the end of a game, if he and I made several decisions differently or if it was a particularly interesting game, I will go back and give it the full treatment. Otherwise, I will summarize it, sometimes with an interesting decision point thrown in.

OK, let's get started! Marsh sent me his unsorted pool and his final decklist as separate files, so I can start with untarnished deckbuilding, and then compare where we both ended up. Rare check!

Red and black have no rares, but (Guardian Seraph), (Mind Spring), (Garruk Wildspeaker) and (Birds of Paradise) are all solid opens, with Garruk being pretty darn bomby. (Honor of the Pure) depends on white creature count, and (Elvish Piper) has never seemed worth it to me, although the threat of dropping creatures at instant speed during Villain's combat phase is pretty cool. The piper takes a card slot, though, so the real question is, how much mana does he have to save you to make up for his mana, card, and activation costs, and the fact that he only starts saving you mana on turn five? The answer for me is usually, “More than I expect him to,” and I pass.

So, how does the pool look?

Marshall’s PTQ Pool

I begin by swapping out a couple of foils for regular versions from my collection, and the M10 Garruk for my Lorwyn version so that we won't have to look at card names in red. Generating a text list will be a little overwhelming but you can click on the picture for a zoomed-in version, and look up any cards you are unfamiliar with at www.mtgotraders.com.

When I see how shallow red and black are in number, I take a look to see if they are easy eliminations, and sure enough, they are. Neither has the creature depth or bombs to be a main color, but each has a potential splash in (Lightning Bolt) and (Doom Blade) that I will keep in mind, especially with a (Terramorphic Expanse) in the pool. Before looking closely at white, blue, and green, I check the artifacts, where we have (Rod of Ruin), much better in the slower sealed than in draft, and (Whispersilk Cloak), which particularly shines with green creatures, but can also protect important utility creatures from removal.

Now let's look at white, blue, and green, but with the cards that I’m not happy to play basically every time I’m in that color taken out. This could pull from view some cards that might actually make the deck in the end, depending on my playable count or archetype, but I like to condense each color down to the cards that are the argument to play that color, not the cards that I am simply willing to play in that color if I have to.

With white, I took out (Silence), one (Solemn Offering), (Angel's Mercy), and because the white creature count is so low, (Honor of the Pure). (Glorious Charge) and the (Wall of Faith) are also cut for now, but could come back later. That leaves this for white:

The triple (Pacifism) and double (Blinding Mage), and (Divine Verdict) leap out immediately, strongly suggesting that white will be a main color. (Guardian Seraph) is a solid flyer, and (Armored Ascension) is great on a big non-flyer, even with only half Plains.

Let's check blue next. I pull as unplayable (Tome Scour), (Zephyr Sprite), and (Sage Owl). I just don't want a 1/1 flyer for 2 in my deck—the ability just isn't worth a creature that weak. (Zephyr Sprite) is the same weak creature without the ability for half price, and still isn't good enough. I also pull (Levitation), although it could come back if I end up (mana=u)(mana=g), where it's a solid alpha enabler with green fatties, and (Coral Merfolk), which could be a 23rd card if needed but is certainly not a reason to play blue. That leaves us with this:

Another very strong color. (Air Elemental) can win games, (Merfolk Looter) is conventional wisdom's "best common in the set" (provided you optimize it by looting every turn), and there is card drawing, the unblockable (Phantom Warrior), and (Wall of Frost) is a huge pain for any deck trying to race you on the ground. The great news heading into the look at green is that there is a great deck right here in (mana=w)(mana=U), so we are freerolling with green, and we already know it has Garruk and (Birds of Paradise).

Green is the color with the most overall cards, and I pulled the (Mold Adder)s, the (Regenerate)s, one (Naturalize), (Fog), (Nature's Spiral), (Emerald Oryx), and (Elvish Piper). (Enormous Baloth) hasn't thrilled me in draft, but in sealed it with a (Whispersilk Cloak), it's a legitimate long-game win condition. Here's what we're left with:

I still think white is the core, so the main question is, white-blue, white-green, and if white-green, do we add the fairly easy splash for (Doom Blade) or (Lightning Bolt), and if so, which? Here's what my white-blue build would be:

[UW Here]

It's a bit creature-light, but (Merfolk Looter), (Divination), and (Mind Spring) can help make up for a lower creature count by digging for extra cards, and therefore, extra creatures. It might be correct to start the (Wall of Faith) and bench the (Solemn Offering). Yeah, I think I like that to start, bring in the offering when clear targets are presented. I don't play the (Whispersilk Cloak) because the evasion is mostly redundant, and the shroud isn't worth the casting and equip costs to me. This build is a strong contender that I'd be happy to take into battle.

Here's what my white-green with no splash looks like:

[WG Here]

Tough final cut for this deck. I decide to bench the (Palace Guard) over the (Rod of Ruin). The (Palace Guard) loses a lot of its purpose when green brings in two (Deadly Recluse), (Centaur Courser), (Giant Spider), (Cudgel Troll), (Garruk Wildspeaker) for more 3/3s, and (Stampeding Rhino). The deck has plenty to hold the ground without the guard, but no way to deal with (Prodigal Pyromancer), (Merfolk Looter), and other utility one-toughness creatures. The deck is strong enough as-is that I'm inclined to leave out the splash as a maindeck choice, but I will remember it if I play this build and face a must-kill threat that the white removal and (Rod of Ruin) just can't deal with, such as bringing in (Lightning Bolt) for a (Cemetery Reaper).

So which build? The big arguments for the blue build are the additional flying win conditions, and the card drawing/looting. The big arguments for green build are the usually-better-than-overrun Garruk, the tough-to-kill (Cudgel Troll), the improved ground-cloggers, and the (Whispersilk Cloak) that turns green fat into win conditions. It's close enough to me that either course is defensible, but since green has the legit bomb in (Garruk Wildspeaker), that's where I'd start, but if I didn't have the cloak to put on fatties, I'd go with the white-blue build. After each game one I'll be asking myself whether Villain appears better equipped to handle my green strengths or blue strengths, and play the other.

So what did Marsh run? He ended up running a GW build with only a one-card difference, running the (Palace Guard) over the (Rod of Ruin), and he saved out a white-blue version, so we're thinking basically alike to start. Now let’s find out if we’re playing alike as well.

R1G1

Villain, in (mana=b)(mana=u), uses a (Doom Blade) on a (Birds of Paradise)-powered turn-three (Giant Spider), which lets a turn-four (Stampeding Rhino) stick. Villain is beating down with a turn-two (Black Knight) and a (Snapping Drake) in the meantime, and drops a (Wall of Bone) with regeneration mana up to stop the Rhino. Hero has had double (Pacifism) since the opener, though, and takes over the game with an (Armored Ascension) (with three Plains) on the Rhino, and a (Pacifism) on the (Snapping Drake).

Villain plays a steady stream of Swamps, and casts a desperation (Consume Spirit) at Hero and a (Tendrils of Corruption) at the birds, but thanks to a chumping (Llanowar Elves), Villain comes up one attack short of outracing the 7/7 flyer.

R1G2

I don’t see a big benefit to switching to blue-white for this matchup, other than flyers going over the (Wall of Bone) and the lack of any (Windstorm). Green has the benefit of double (Mold Adder) which will get out of hand if one hits early. I would put in 2x (Mold Adder) for an (Elvish Visionary) and, the (Palace Guard).

Hero makes that exact swap, I discover after peeking behind the spoiler shields in his email.

The first interesting spot in this game is turn four. What’s your play here?

We definitely don’t want to cast the (Cudgel Troll) until we have regen mana up, so the play here is to cloak up the pegasus because we can, and cast (Pacifism) on the (Dread Warlock). Hero follows that path as well. Unfortunately, Villain answers the (Cudgel Troll) with a (Mind Control) before it can be cloaked. That’s trouble, but Hero rips a (Divine Verdict) to destroy his stolen creature, and continues to race.

Hero finds a (Giant Spider), but it is taken down by and end-of-turn (Doom Blade). Hero draws some land while Villain draws more creatures, and eventually, the race is lost.

Any more swaps for game three? We could bring in a (Naturalize) now that we’ve seen (Mind Control), but I’m hesitant to bring in one reactive card that is only good if Villain casts (Mind Control) and we have the (Naturalize).

R1G3

After mulling into a playable 6-carder with a turn-one (Llanowar Elves) a turn-two (Centaur Courser), and a turn-three double (Deadly Recluse), things are looking good, but Villain has removal for the courser and every subsequent relevant threat. Hero has (Pacifism)s for Villain’s (Zombie Goliath) and (Dread Warlock), but his removal-proof (Black Knight) wielding (Gorgon Flail) and a second (Dread Warlock) go the distance in an error-free game that Hero simply wasn’t going to win.

0-1, 1-2

Certainly not how we wanted to start the tournament, this puts on heavy pressure to rattle off one heck of a winning streak. Let’s see how it goes.

R2G1

Both players mulligan to six, and Villain, playing red-white, gets stuck on two land for a few turns, but Hero can’t muster up much in the way of power to take advantage of it. (Armored Ascension) on (Elvish Visionary) is nice, but Villain shuts it down with (Blinding Mage) until he can find some mana. Pacifisms hit threats on both sides of the table, but Hero finally puts some power on the table in (Cudgel Troll) and (Centaur Courser), which take over a turn faster thanks to a missed tap from Villain which allows the 4/4 flying (Elvish Visionary) to swing in. That puts Villain so low that his (Serra Angel) isn’t enough to stop the alpha strike.

R2G2

On the draw, we have these seven:

This hand is counting too heavily on the first few draws to be good for me to keep. Swap a Plains for a Forest and it’s a trivial keep, but I don’t want to risk it. Hero elects to take the chance and keep, though, so let’s see how that works out.

The first three draws are (Whispersilk Cloak), (Centaur Courser), and (Giant Spider), but Villain isn’t applying any pressure, with early plays of (Rampant Growth) and (Gorgon Flail), showing a deck switch into black-green. Hero drops the turn-three cloak, and Villain has no turn-four play despite laying a fifth land. Hero is out of plays himself unless he rips a Forest, so naturally he does just that. Mad skillz. He plays (Giant Spider) and passes, and all Villain can muster is another (Rampant Growth). Hero pulls (Elvish Visionary), and has a few options this turn. What’s your approach on this board?

R2G2 #1

One option is (Armored Ascension), but removal and no creatures explains Villain’s actions all too well. Save the pocket rockets for when Villain is either tapped out, cardless, or appears removal-free. That leaves the aggressive play of the (Centaur Courser) or the dig-for-land play of (Elvish Visionary). It is so important to hit some land and get this hand moving that you have to play the visionary here. If you hit a Forest, you can then cast the courser. Hero agrees and makes that play, drawing a (Llanowar Elves). He equips the cloak to the spider, hits for 2, and passes.

Villain casts (Liliana Vess), which he must have just drawn or she would have been played last turn, uses her tutor ability, and passes. Back to Hero, who finds another Forest on top, and with it more options. What now?

R2G2 #2

We have to keep in mind that Villain has just queued up the card of his choice, which I would expect is removal or a bomb creature. In case of removal, I’m staying away from the (Armored Ascension) play. We also have enough power on board to take out Liliana, so I would start there: attack Liliana with both creatures. (Side note: Planeswalker loyalty is measured in loyalty counters, but online, they don’t visualize these counters, they simply change the loyalty number in the lower-right corner. Will this cause players to miss that they can “kill” a planeswalker with Vampire Hexmage? Not the ones who read Waiting for Godot!)

The simple mana dump after combat is to bring out the (Stampeding Rhino), or we could diversify a bit and drop the (Centaur Courser) and either the (Deadly Recluse) or the mana elf. I go with the (Centaur Courser) and spider, which leaves us with lots of options for next turn no matter what Villain does.

Hero decides to suit up the (Elvish Visionary) with (Armored Ascension) instead, which I don't like for reasons already stated. Instead of falling to removal next turn, though, the pocket rockets draw out a (Naturalize) that almost certainly would have been spent on the cloak otherwise. Villain casts the Naturalize before attackers are declared, though, costing him Liliana, as Hero certainly would have aimed the 4/4 flyer at Vess and the 2/4 at Villain hade he been allowed to declare attackers before losing the aura. Instead, Vess becomes disloyal, and the Llanowar Elves hit the board after combat.

Villain untaps and drops a (Stampeding Rhino), which is hardly a “bomb creature” but would appear to be what he tutored up with Vess. He suits it up with (Gorgon Flail), tapping out and passing. Hero draws another Forest and we have another turn of multiple options:

R2G2 #3

With my play last turn, we’d have the option to put rockets on a 3/3, creating a 6/6 flyer and a tapped-out opponent. As it is, despite the telegraph, I would swing with the spider and the visionary, allowing me to (Divine Verdict) if he blocks and still play out the (Centaur Courser). Hero opts to swing with the (Llanowar Elves) as well. The rhino blocks and the divine find it guilty, but Hero has traded an extra damage now for a (Deadly Recluse) instead of a (Centaur Courser).

Villain plays a land and passes, and if (Stampeding Rhino) is the best he could find with (Liliana Vess), he should have stuck with red-white. Hero draws (Guardian Seraph), and again attacks with the mana elf instead of using it to play out more total power, in this case playing the 4/4 rhino instead of a 3/4 flyer and a 3/3 vanilla:

  R2G2 #4

Villain is at 10, and Hero has 9 power on board. If he holds back the mana elf, Villain would be at 11 and Hero would have 11 power on board, a much better scenario when your opponent appears to be topdecking to stay alive. Villain, in fact, draws a land and goes to one on the next attack, and the (Gravedigger) he finds with his free turn isn’t enough.

1-1, 3-2

When an opponent floods that badly (and (Stampeding Rhino) is the best pull they can find with (Liliana Vess)), you are going to win without optimal play, but this was the first game so far where there were several spots with multiple angles to take, and several spots where I deviated from Marshall’s plays, so I thought it was worth a closer look.

OK, four more match wins to go!

R3G1

Hero loses the roll but has a solid keeper, especially on the draw:

It proves to be a mirror match, and Hero finds another Plains and Forest early to get the hand going. Villain’s first play is a (Veteran Swordsmith), and the follow-up is a (Rhox Pikemaster), applying some serious pressure for someone without a turn-one or turn-two play. This sets up a tough turn-four. What’s the best play here?

R3G1 #1

The two plays as I see it are (Giant Spider), or (Pacifism) on the pikemaster and tapping the swordsmith. The latter play is not vulnerable to an opposing (Pacifism) and prevents all damage next turn, but fails to develop our board at all. If Hero plays the spider and Villain can’t deal with it, then the swordsmith has to stay back, but Hero takes 4. If Villain has a (Pacifism), then the spider play is going to put Hero at 10 just like that. Still, 10 is not zero, and the fallback plan can be (Pacifism)/tapper until we get the (Cudgel Troll) online with regen mana up, so I would drop the spider here.

Hero does as well, and fortunately Villain doesn’t have the Pacifism. Unfortunately, he has a postcombat (Centaur Courser) and (Stormfront Pegasus), and the beats are on, big time. Hero draws a (Palace Guard). Now what?

R3G1 #2

The best bet to survive now is to pacify the pikemaster and play the (Palace Guard), which should take away all Villain’s profitable attacks unless he has tricks. Then if Villain is out of gas, Hero can put the pocket rockets on the (Palace Guard) with tap mana up, and then put the cloak on the guard for a 4/7 flying unblockable shroud guy that can block any number of creatures, which hopefully turns this game around.

Hero opts for playing out the troll with tap mana up. I like my play a little better, but this one has its merits, too, and achieves the primary goal of leaving Villain without a profitable attack next turn. It works; Villain doesn’t attack, but plays a (Siege Mastodon) and passes. Hero draws another Plains, makes the troll an 8/7 flyer, and goes on the offensive with it. Villain chumps with the pegasus, and on his turn swings profitably with the 3/3 and the 3/5, one of which is blocked by the spider. Then, with what seems to be a bottomless tank of gas, drops another (Centaur Courser) and a (Blinding Mage) of his own.

A Forest for Hero allows for an 8-point swing, cloaking up the troll, and dropping the (Palace Guard), which can be a great one-turn (Fog) unless tapped by the opposing mage. Hero taps the pikemaster as expected, then Villain goes all out. What’s the block?

R3G1 #3

With the (Pacifism) in hand, I’m going to martyr the guard, here. The spider can take down the swordsmith, the guard can absorb the rest, and then Hero is winning the race from there if Villain is finally out of gas. Hero makes that play as well, but of course, Villain still isn’t done, dropping (Great Sable Stag) before passing. This is a tricky spot. If Hero attacks with the troll and pacifies one creature, Villain will tap the tapper at end of turn, then tap the Spider before combat, and alpha for 12. Hero either has to draw a creature, or move the cloak onto the spider after combat so that only 9 damage can get through.

Hero draws (Garruk Wildspeaker) and uses the planeswalker to produce a 3/3 token. Now Villain needs something like (Overrun), (Fog), (Giant Growth), (Might of Oaks), or (Safe Passage) in order to win this race. He comes up with none of those, knocking Hero down to 1, and dying to the follow-up attack. Close one!

R3G2

Any changes? Villain has a pretty speedy deck, but it obviously drew pretty well. I don’t think the (mana=u)(mana=w) version is superior here, as that favors a longer game. This is one where if he had the (Rod of Ruin) main I would switch it for the (Palace Guard), but as it is, that’s already the case. I don’t think I make any changes, here. Hero opted to bring in (Fog) for (Elvish Visionary), and I can understand that temptation, as it certainly would have ensured winning the race in game one, and he’ll be on the draw, here. I’d still rather have the cantrip 1/1 to dig deeper into the deck.

Hero finds a keepable opener that happens to contain the (Fog). Villain did a deck switch, moving to a white-red build, but there’s not much early offense from either side thanks to light flooding on both sides, Hero’s (Deadly Recluse) and Villain’s (Blinding Mage) and two (Seismic Strike)s. The game breaks wide open, though, when Hero resolves (Enormous Baloth), then equips it with (Whispersilk Cloak) on the following turn. I told you the cloak is why I liked the green over the blue. Without it, the mage taps the 7/7 each turn and the stalemate continues. With it, the game is over in two swings (with (Fog) still sitting in hand).

2-1, 5-2

R4G1

This game is missing from the replay list. Hmmm…Villain chooses to play last, so Hero must have won game one.

R4G2

This game starts out slow, with Hero stuck on four lands, only one Plains, for quite a while with two (Blinding Mage)s. There is a big slaughter involving three (Deadly Recluse)s and a (Borderland Ranger), which Villain then targets with a freshly-cast (Gravedigger) to dig himself out of mana problems of his own. Villain gets a fourth basic land type, pushing the splashes with a (Birds of Paradise), a (Rampant Growth), and the ranger.

With nothing else to do, Hero suits one of his mages with (Armored Ascension) to make a 2/3 flyer, and it eventually meets an (Unsummon), right as Hero finally finds a fifth land and casts a (Stampeding Rhino). Villain has dropped a fair number of creatures, but none of them with power above two when Hero draws (Garruk Wildspeaker). What’s the plan in this spot?

R4G2 #1

So frustrating! The options available with even just one more Plains here are so much better than working with one. I really want to get Garruk down with protection, here, and I’d like to ramp up to his ultimate. My plan is to tap all my green for Garruk, then tap the Plains and float a white. Use Garruk’s ability to untap the Plains and a Forest, then tap the Forest for (Pacifism) on the (Wind Drake). Now with the tapper, Villain would have to suicide into the (Stampeding Rhino) just to get one damage onto Garruk.

Hero takes a different path, tapping all Forests to cast Garruk, then making a 3/3. Fair enough, that also should protect Garruk, and we are a few turns from wanting to blow the ultimate anyway.

Villain sends (Horned Turtle) at the player, and (Gravedigger) and (Borderland Ranger) at Garruk. I would think this telegraphed pump, but if so, why didn’t Villain just attack with (Birds of Paradise) alone and pump it? Nothing to do but block and spring the trap, though. Maybe this is (Pyroclasm)?

Nope, (Earthquake), rendering our respective choices for Garruk fairly moot, although in my plan Villain would take two extra damage, and the (Wind Drake) would already be pacified.

Hero casts his other (Blinding Mage) again, and Villain has (Djinn of Wishes), which has (Divine Verdict) waiting for it, but not without telegraphing it because of the suspicious mis-use of (Blinding Mage) required. Hero finally finds another Plains, (Excommunicate)s the Djinn, and attacks with the mage, and then uses (Divine Verdict) on the (Wind Drake), which I don’t like. I’d rather go ahead and telegraph, or try to disguise it as an accidental click-through by spamming “undo” after passing priority precombat, or typing in “$#^%@” or whatever, because extra cards from that djinn could put the game away.

As it is, the extra cards from the Djinn end up being lands, but they do dig Villain to an (Awakener Druid), and the resulting 4/5 overwhelms the overworked (Blinding Mage).

R4G3

The fact that Villain has (Earthquake) and a slower deck make me think this is a good candidate to switch to the white-blue build. Hero apparently agrees, because this is the opener for game three on the play:

Looks solid, just need to find an Island or two.

Hero finds another Plains instead, and begins using his (Blinding Mage) to tap down Villain’s turn-one (Birds of Paradise) during upkeep. A (Sage Owl) that I hate does a little bit of good, moving an Island to the top instead of two Plains or a (Pacifism), and meanwhile Villain has not managed to do anything but cast the birds. With the Island drawn now, what’s the plan?

R4G3 #1

We could just go aggro with the (Air Elemental), or play the (Rod of Ruin) and tap down the birds again. It’s quite odd that Villain hasn’t made a play yet, and I don’t know how much tapping the birds is getting us, now. It is basically turning off his main-phase black spells, which doesn’t seem like enough of a reason not to just come out with the 4/4 flyer and let him have a turn.

However, (Essence Scatter) is a real possibility, and would help explain his lack of action despite six cards in hand. With two Plains coming up, we’ll be able to cast (Air Elemental) with (Negate) protection fairly soon, and since (Air Elemental) is our primary win condition in this build, I like the idea of protecting him. If I had other big threats and/or didn’t know for sure I’d be getting the mana for (Negate) backup, I would be more inclined to just run the elemental out there and make him have it, but countermagic explains Villain's actions so well here, I’m going to play it safe and run out the rod instead.

Hero decides to take the risk, attacking with everything and then casting (Air Elemental), and sure enough, it’s met with (Essence Scatter). Bummer. Villain follows with an (Awakener Druid), but (Rod of Ruin) comes down to rain on that parade. Villain makes an (Emerald Oryx), which is pretty hilarious. Deck switch FTW!

Villain’s (Giant Spider) is pacified and his (Awakener Druid) takes a dirt nap thanks to the rod, and Hero slowly takes over, not even bothering to kill the birds, instead going to the face with the rod. (Phantom Warrior) draws another (Essence Scatter), and Hero has no blue for the(Negate). Things are still well in hand, though, with the various one-point sources of damage adding up to some big chunks each turn. Villain’s desperation (Sleep) meets (Negate), but a second (Sleep) resolves, buying Villain an extra turn that isn’t enough to stave off defeat.

3-1, 7-3

A nice three-round win streak to turn the tournament around. Two more wins needed for top 8!

R5G1

Uh oh, looks like another missing game. The first replay I have for this round has the clocks down by about ten minutes each and no dice roll. Hero has the option, and must have lost game one. I wish we had some info, but we’re flying a little blind.

A third land instead of that baloth would be nice, but a keeper nonetheless. Hero finds a Plains and a (Terramorphic Expanse) to address the land concerns, but Villain makes an early (Soul Warden), which is likely to gain him double-digit life in this matchup. After a turn-four (Guardian Seraph), Villain nullifies the play with a (Blinding Mage). He’s stuck on three Plains, but is making the most of them with steady life gain, a second (Blinding Mage), and a (Stormfront Pegasus). Suddenly, despite Villain being stuck on three, (Whispersilk Cloak) may be required to make any headway at all in this game, as the (Blinding Mage)s and the (Soul Warden) aren’t going anywhere.

Villain finally finds a Swamp on turn 8, casts (Magebane Armor), and suddenly any given weenie is a force to be reckoned with. The game drags from here with Villain gaining life and tapping all relevant threats, and Hero using his removal on whatever threats Villain manages, with one armored creature getting in there for 4. Finally, a turn-14 (Captain of the Watch) followed by a turn-15 (Pacifism) from Villain enable an alpha, and Hero takes his second match loss.

3-2, 7-5

Round six, which malachiconstant decided to play out for fun, is my easiest match walkthrough ever: Villain doesn’t show and times out.

Well, it was a solid pool and a solid effort, but Marshall came up short this time. It seems awfully tough to win a sealed PTQ without a bonkers card pool, and while this one was clearly quite good, it wasn’t quite at the insane level you want to see. Certainly a good player with a little luck can pilot a “merely good” pool to 5-1, it’s simply going to be more of an uphill battle. Hopefully, my next PTQ walkthrough will be of my own attempt!

Oliver’s Magical Beginnings

Another update on Oliver, my almost-seven-year-old son who is a couple of weeks into his Magic career, since his story seems to be a more-popular segment than my boring old limited Magic theory.

He remains proudly undefeated at 6-0, including beating the 13-year-old boy next door at his first game of Magic (and who was instantly sucked in himself—I owe him a red-black deck, which were the colors he chose for a deck after playing a game). Oliver came with me to another live event at the local shop, but since it was a draft, he was purely a spectator this time. He went through his blue-white deck with Marshall, explaining what he thought of each card and how it had performed for him to that point.

He has also come up with his first card nickname. His current favorite card is (Mahamoti Djinn), which he fondly calls “Sonic Boom,” because, “it looks like he’s booming out from the ground.”

Eager to try new decks, he has commissioned a monogreen deck from me, which we’ve been working on this week. He wanted to make use of his promo Rampaging Baloths, so we’re tinkering with various landfall cards, landfall enablers, and forest-loving spells like (Howl of the Night Pack) and Timbermaw Larva. We finished the first pass right before bed last night, and it goes for a test drive tonight. I actually think it’s good enough to crush the other decks we’ve made thus far, and since that’s likely what I’ll be playing, I’m predicting a 7-0 start and more reminders of his undefeated status, especially if sister Clara plays and it’s two-on-one.

Works for me.

Next Week

The Zendikar prerelease is coming to MTGO! And with the PTQ events moving into Zendikar sealed as the standard format, suddenly the prerelease isn’t just a quaint one-off format with no relevance past the prerelease weekend, it’s legitimate practice for making your way onto the Pro Tour!

Also, I’ve been working with PureMTGO on an article submission time that works for my available writing schedule, and that looks to be a Wednesday submission for Wednesday evening posting, so you can look for Waiting for Godot in the late-Wednesday article postings, basically making it a Thursday column. Then, on Thursday evenings, the Limited Resources podcast should be going up each week, so you can get a double dose of limited Magic theory each week.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you next week!

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