Title: Diminshing Returns - PTQ Edison NJ
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Blog Entry: One of the interesting things about “meta-game” decks (and the G/W “Little Kid” deck is most definitely a meta-game deck designed to attack specific weaknesses in the acknowledged “best” decks of the current block format) is that once such a deck is “out” (meaning that it has had success, with lists making Top 8 and/or being discussed on popular strategy sites) it generally becomes less successful. Unfortunately for G/W, there are specific cards that can neuter its “stick a Teeg with a Shield and auto-win” strategy, namely Consign to Dream for Faeries and Crib Swap for Five Color Control / Toast, as well as Oblivion Ring from Kithkin. I believe the Kithkin match-up is softer than most people think, and unlike the other match-ups there really is little G/W can do about it outside of modifying the land base to include Firespout. But let’s back up for a minute. I played G/W for the second time this PTQ season at Edison, NJ this past Saturday, resisting my urge to make a last-minute audible into Faeries due to my lack of testing against the mirror. I’d had success with the G/W deck the previous week, going 7-1 at West Chester and making the top 8, finishing 6 th after a quick loss to Faeries. Overall I’d gone 2-1 against Faeries for the tournament, but felt that the deciding game wins in both Swiss rounds were due to mana-screw on my opponent’s part as much as anything. Play-testing during the week did little to assuage these feelings as our updated Faeries list (with sideboard access to Consign to Dream) flat-out steamrolled G/W and the G/W/b deck I had put together. To shore up the Faeries match-up, I adjusted my sideboard to look like this: 3 Guttural Response 3 Oversoul of Dusk 3 Wispmare 4 Pollen Lullaby 2 Crib Swap The main deck stayed exactly the same, but for reference: The Invincible Steven Greene (AKA “Little Kid” G/W or Barkshell Blowout) 2 Elvish Hexhunter 4 Safehold Elite 4 Gaddock Teeg 4 Kitchen Finks 4 Wilt-Leaf Cavaliers 4 Wilt-Leaf Liege 4 Cloudthresher 4 Shield of the Oversoul 3 Barkshell Blessing 3 Oblivion Ring 4 Wooded Bastion 3 Mosswort Bridge 9 Plains 8 Forest Luckily no car trouble this time, so we got to the tournament about 30 minutes early. I saw a lot of Faeries, a lot of Toast, and some G/W decks. I actually took decent notes this time, and then managed to lose them, so again from memory (and apologies for any inaccuracies): Round 1 – Faeries So, here it is, right off the bat. My opponent this round was a very nice guy, who I believe was there with his kid. He was playing a pretty stock Faeries list from what I saw, and I’m not really sure how much playing he’d done with it before. I managed to win 2-0, using a Cloudthresher to sweep the board in the first game, and in the second countering a Cryptic Command with a Guttural Response and going straight Aggro beatdown. Round 2- Faeries Play it again, Sam! Going back to last week, that would make five consecutive rounds playing against Faeries. The first game, I took the beatdown. My hand was too slow, and he had all kinds of counter-magic and bashed my face in with a Vendillion Clique. I drew a ton of lands, while he was stuck at 4 and drawing all gas. I should probably outline my sideboard plan here, which looked like this: -4 Wilt-Leaf Cavaliers / +3 Wispmare -3 Barkshell Blessing / +3 Gutteral Response -2 Shield of the Oversoul / +3 Oversoul of Dusk The second game my hand was much better. I got out a bunch of early beaters and went aggro, and was able to resolve an Oversoul of Dusk on turn 6 by using Guttural Response. I actually cast a second one after that (why not, there’s no Damnation in this format), and then had to wait a few turns to win as he kept casting Cryptic Command to tap my guys. Eventually he stops drawing them and I win. The third game was unfortunately anti-climatic as he had to mulligan down to 4 cards, keeping a two-lander. Unfortunately those lands were Mutavault and Sunken Ruins. I also took a mulligan to six, but I was on the draw and curved out into Wispmare, Liege , Finks and won. Round 3 – Toast I lost the die roll, and realize quickly that I’m playing toast. My two-drop gets hit with a Broken Ambitions, as does my three-drop (which I’m told after the match was a savage top-deck), and my four-drop meets a Crytic Command. At this point the game is basically already over, as he starts to recur Shriekmaws, etc. I eventually stick a Wilt-leaf Liege , and then have to decide if I want to attack. I get a read on him that he has a Cloudthresher in hand, so my other option is to play the 2 guys left in my hand, get up to 10 power and try to play out the Thresher underneath. Instead, I attack into the Cloudthresher that he in fact does have in his hand. It was all relatively pointless as he had a Shriekmaw and Mannequin in hand so I lose regardless. I sideboard -3 Barkshell Blessing, -2 Hexhunter, and -1 Oblivion Ring for +3 Oversoul of Dusk and +3 Guttural Response. This game starts out about pretty well, with me playing a Kitchen Finks and then slapping a Shield on it (I had the Guttural Response in hand and was hoping to blow out a Cryptic), but instead he lets it through and then uses a Crib Swap on it. Ouch. Later on, I’m able to stick a Wilt-Leaf Cavaliers and counter a Cryptic with Guttural Response. I then have a clear opening with 5 mana and rip a Gaddock off the top with a Shield in hand. So, I can play Gaddock and stick a Shield on him, or play Gaddock and Shield the Cavaliers. Both have their plusses and minuses. Obviously an invincible Teeg means I probably win if he doesn’t have another Crib Swap. If I think he does, I’m better off putting the Shield on the Cavaliers. However, that leaves Teeg vulnerable to the rest of his deck. I decide to Shield Teeg, and of course it dies to the second Crib Swap. Hey, sometimes you get out-drawn. I lose 0-2. Round 4 – Toast Now for the seventh round in a row, I’m up against a deck packing 4 Cryptic Command, quite possibly the most powerful spell in Block. The first game does not go well, with my early guys getting countered and killed, and eventually Oona shows up and I scoop. I sideboard as laid out above, and then promptly have to mulligan to 6. I start to get the bad feeling that my day is about to end, but I fight it off. I’ve actually been able to win a strong percentage of the games where I’ve had to mulligan with this deck, and sure enough my opening hand is pretty solid. The game-breaking play is on turn 5. I’ve played out a Safehold Elite and a Wilt-Leaf Liege, and am now facing down 4 untapped lands on my turn 5. I rip a Shield of the Oversoul off the top, and have a Guttural Response in hand, and am 100% sure my opponent has a Cryptic Command. P re-combat I stick a Shield on my Liege to draw out the Command, which he plays and I counter, and swing in for 12 damage. I win the next turn. In game three, my opponent is severely mana flooded, and I play out guys and win. Again, anti-climatic, but it’s worth noting that he also had brought in Crib Swap out of the sideboard. Round 5 – Kithkin No homebrews today folks. This round was over very quickly, and so was my tournament. I have to mulligan again game one, and get blown out quickly as I don’t draw enough creatures to keep up. The second game my hand is better, but he plays an Oblivion Ring on my Liege and my Finks, and swarms me to death before I can stabilize. So I ended up 3-2 matches, 6-6 games. The most notable thing for me was that across the two tournaments, I faced Faeries four times in the Swiss, going 4-0. I would definitely suggest the sideboard I listed as a powerful anti-Faeries option, but again if their sideboard includes Consign to Dream, I’m not sure the match-up is nearly as strong. I absolutely recommend Guttural Response, as last weekend I did manage to draw it at the right time and it won me three games directly. It also seems like people read the article Mike Flores wrote last Friday, where he states that the Toast match-up is fine as long as people don't start sideboarding Crib Swap... As for me, the next PTQ I have to play in will be 7/19 in Rockville , MD at Dream Wizards. Unless some new technology breaks, I’ll probably come with either Faeries or Elementals. I think Elementals has a lot of promise, and I have really enjoyed play-testing with it due to its awesome flexibility. Of course, it needs to be able to beat Faeries, which I believe won this PTQ as well and is unquestionably the best deck in the format at this point. Besides myself, two other players local to me ran G/W at both PTQs. Our Swiss record in PA was 16-6; in NJ the following week, 6-8. I think it’s safe to say the field has begun to adapt.
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