Title: Elementary School: Elementals in Block Constructed
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Blog Entry: As I stated in my last blog, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about running Elementals in the upcoming PTQs. First, the case for Elementals in Block: Flexibility. There is probably no deck as inherently flexible, one that offers as many opportunities for customization to your particular meta-game, as Five Color Elementals. This is a five color deck that has an incredibly stable mana-base. The combination of seven or eight Vivid lands, with the five-color production afforded by Reflecting Pool, Primal Beyond, and Smokebraider, is impressive even in this block. Elementals is obviously a flexible build from the start, in that almost all of it’s creatures do double-duty as spells when you need them: Wispmare (Demystify), Mulldrifter (Counsel of the Soratami), Cloudthresher (Squall Line), Shriekmaw (Terror), Elemental Harbinger (Vampiric Tutor), Fulminator Mage (Stone Rain), and of course Reveillark and Horde of Notions to recycle all the goodness listed above. Mannequin and Incandescent Soulstoke provide you the ability to play or reanimate your creatures at instant speed, Soulstoke having the added bonus of making those creatures un-counterable, hasted, and pumped +1/+1. Most of the mid-range control builds round these spells out with some removal (Nameless Inversion, Crib Swap, and Spitebellows all being Elemental removal) or Firespout for added power against Kithkin and generic aggro. However, Elementals has had some success the past few weeks, sometimes with multiple top 8 showings in the same PTQ, and with changes geared to making it more of a straight control or aggro deck compared to the more standard mid-range deck piloted by Raph Levy at the Birmingham Grand Prix. Raw power. At its core, the traditional build of Elementals is basically a mid-range, five-color “good stuff” deck that crams most of the best spells from block into a shell that eases the mana requirements and allows for tutoring and recursion of its spells. Against aggro decks, the traditional build will deploy some early creatures to stay alive and dig for it’s removal, and then use that removal to stabilize and gear for the long game. By getting double-duty out of creatures like Shriekmaw, as well as the card advantage inherent in Reveillark, Mulldrifter, and Horde of Notions, Elementals takes control of the game and buries its opponents as the game progresses. A resolved Horde of Notions is often game over against most Aggro decks, as they not only have to deal with a 5/5 hasted fatty, but also deal with the recurring Shriekmaws, Nameless Inversions, and Mulldrifters that create an insurmountable advantage. Although the “Tier One” spells of block are missing from this deck (Cryptic Command and Bitterblossom being the two format-defining cards in my mind), this deck is packed with a “who’s who” of the remaining best spells in the block. Entertainment value. This is more of an intangible, but it’s worth mentioning. A lot of people have mentioned how stagnant this format has been thus far. I try to take these comments with a grain of salt, given that this is a long season with another set still to come. Think back to Time Spiral block season, which at it’s start had basically four decks: Red Deck Wins, U/B Teachings, Red/Green Big Mana, and White Weenie. Over the coming months, the format diversified to include Pickles, Shifter, U/G Aggro, Combo Slivers, Poison Slivers, etc. I’m sure this format will see the same thing, and to some extent the PTQs from 6/28 are already bearing this out (some notable top 8s included two wins by Merfolk, and strong showings by various Elementals and Shamans builds as well as a RDW). However, there are a lot of players that are dissatisfied with Faeries (either they’re sick of the deck, or frustrated with the mirror match), and Mirror Master is a questionable solution as it seems unable to claim many “blue envelopes” from Faeries when pitted against it in the top 8. Toast has its own issues with Faeries, as well as mana flood problems along with a requirement that the pilot be solid enough to complete matches on time. “Little Kid” G/W was completely shut out of the Top 8s posted for 6/28. For a player looking to have a combination of success AND entertainment from their PTQ matches (and yes, in my experience that is a factor that does apply to a lot of people), Elementals is a good choice. When it works, the deck is a blast to play. It also offers the player more branches of play than any other deck in block, and provides more options every turn and more avenues to victory. Plus, let’s face it: any deck that can play a turn 3 5/5 creature with Vigilance, Trample, and Haste is going to be fun to play. Us Magic players like our fatties, especially ones immune to Shriekmaw, Nameless Inversion, Lash Out, and Firespout. And, the case against Elementals: Opportunity for pilot error. Although the deck is entertaining to play because of the myriad options it provides every turn, this can also be a drawback as it can lead to pilot error. Against a Tier One deck like Faeries, your room for error is minimal. This is really a deck that rewards experience and play-testing. I’ll use Elemental Harbinger as the primary example. Far too many players run this guy out on turn one to dig up a Smokebraider. This is often a sub-optimal play. This guy needs to be treated as what he is: a tutor for your silver bullets, a chance to find the weakness in your opponent’s armor and exploit it. He’s also extraordinarily expendable. In my play-testing with the deck, I almost always want this guy to die. I want him to fetch me the card I need (usually Shriekmaw, Reveillark, Horde of Notions, or Cloudthresher), and then chump block to prevent some damage so that I can reanimate him with Reveillark, Mannequin, or Horde of Notions and repeat the process. There’s a reason why most (quite nearly all) decks in this block season aren’t trying to go Aggro with a turn one 1/1 creature: it just isn’t effective. You’re also running the risk of throwing off your mana development when you tutor with him that early. That isn’t to say that there aren’t opportunities where running him out on turn one isn’t the optimal play; sometimes it clearly is. However, you need to be careful to determine whether or not that is in fact the correct course of action. Incorrect meta-game decisions. As this deck is highly customizable, you need to try to make sure your main-deck is set up in a configuration to best position itself for your local meta. The overall failure of Mirror Master to win PTQs hasn’t prevented people from playing the deck, and without main-deck Firespout (or at least getting close to maxing out on Shriekmaw and Nameless Inversion), your game one match-up against that deck is going to be very soft. Similarly, the number of Cloudthreshers and Wispmares you include will vary depending on your game plan against Faeries and how often you expect to face that deck. A s this is a five-color deck, your sideboard options are basically unlimited. Common inclusions are Fulminator Mage and Sower of Temptation, and recently Eyes of the Wisent has shown up as a tutor target against Faeries. Again, though, most spells are available to this deck’s disposal, including Thoughtseize, Guttural Response, and even Cryptic Command (which will be even easier to play with the new Red/Blue Hybrid land). No Cryptic Command / Weak Top decks. This is really the main fault most people find with Elementals – it’s often dismissed as a weaker version of Toast due to the lack of Cryptic Command. This is a relatively fair comment, as that happens to be one of the most powerful and format-defining cards in this block. However, what the deck loses in raw power due to the exclusion of Cryptic Command, some feel it makes up for that loss with its better mana-base and overall flexibility. That’s an individual call. Again, I’m not really convinced that you can’t squeeze Cryptic Command into this deck if that’s your hold-up, and we actually have a Top 8 example from the Dallas PTQ to show this is a possibility. The other issue is the relatively weak top decks you’ll experience if your opponent puts you into top-deck mode. This is a valid concern. Drawing a Smokebraider late-game is one of the inherent drawbacks of the deck. Again, you have to compare this to Toast, where most builds are running 26 or 27 lands. Most mid-range Elementals are running 24 lands with 4 Smokebraiders, so the difference really isn’t all that large, but it does exist. Here are three examples of Elementals builds that made Top 8s last weekend in Roanoke and Dallas, along with some of my thoughts on each. Remember that my comments are just based on observation and my play-testing – the builds as they are made Top 8 and speak for themselves: Elementals by Michael Rooks (6 th – PTQ Roanoke 6/28) 16 Mountain 3 Graven Caerns 4 Mutavault 4 Flamekin Harbinger 3 Incandescent Soulstoke 4 Manaforge Cinder 4 Rage Forger 4 Spiteflame Witch 4 Sunflare Shaman 4 Tarfire 4 Flame Javelin 4 Lash Out 2 Shard Volley Sideboard: 3 Fulminator Mage 4 Guttural Response 4 Heat Shimmer 4 Moonglove Extract This is an interesting example of an Aggro Elementals / Shamans hybrid version of Red Deck Wins. It is essentially mono-red – the black splash is to power up Spiteflame Witch. This deck has a lot of “reach” for a block deck. I think the main weakness is its exposure to Firespout, but on the plus side against a deck like Toast, it doesn’t really need to attack to win, as it can rely on the burn spells, Sunflare Shaman, and Spiteflame Witch. If I were to remake the deck, I’d probably cut the Shard Volleys and replace them with Shriekmaws, with additional in the board to replace the Moonglove Extract (which I assume is for Burrenton Forge Tender removal). The mana base could also use a little bit of work, and I’d really like to see the fourth Incandescent Soulstoke. This is a very interesting deck and looks like it is an absolute blast to play. Additional Black mana might also allow for sideboarding Thoughtseize, which could be a worthy addition. A final thought would be potentially adding Knollspine Invocation as an additional source of reach, which also happens to be strong against Faeries and Toast. Elementals by Jonathan Trull, (2 nd - PTQ Roanoke 6/28) 1 Fire-Lit Thicket 3 Graven Cairns 2 Mountain 4 Primal Beyond 4 Reflecting Pool 1 Sunken Ruins 2 Swamp 4 Vivid Crag 3 Vivid Marsh 4 Cloudthresher 4 Flamekin Harbinger 1 Horde of Notions 4 Incandescent Soulstoke 4 Mulldrifter 4 Reveillark 3 Shriekmaw 4 Smokebraider 1 Wispmare 1 Crib Swap 3 Makeshift Mannequin 3 Nameless Inversion Sideboard: 1 Eyes of the Wisent 4 Firespout 4 Fulminator Mage 1 Makeshift Mannequin 1 Shriekmaw 2 Sower of Temptation 2 Wispmare This is a solid example of a mid-range Elementals deck in the Raph Levy style. The sideboard includes the singleton Eyes of the Wisent, as well as the full set of Firespout and Fulminator Mage in the sideboard. I’ve personally had better luck with running 3 Firespout in the main, but again that is a meta-game decision. I also recommend running a second Horde of Notions main in the event that the first one gets hit with a Crib Swap, as well as making it easier to find one without having to use a Harbinger on it - the Horde really is that good. This is probably the base-line build you want to look at if you’re considering running Elementals at a PTQ. I’ve included additional Fire-Lit Thickets over one of the Swamps and one of the Mountains in my playtest build, but again that’s personal preference based on testing. Elementals by Mark Hendrickson (4 th – PTQ Dallas 6/28) 4 Fire-Lit Thicket 4 Island 4 Reflecting Pool 4 Sunken Ruins 4 Vivid Creek 3 Vivid Grove 4 Vivid Marsh 3 Cloudthresher 3 Festercreep 2 Horde of Notions 4 Mulldrifter 4 Shriekmaw 4 Broken Ambitions 4 Cryptic Command 4 Firespout 2 Incendiary Command 3 Makeshift Mannequin Sideboard: 1 Cloudthresher 2 Crib Swap 3 Fulminator Mage 2 Mind Shatter 4 Plumeveil 3 Puppeteer Clique This is a unique build that takes Elementals into the direction of a pure control deck, almost a sort of “Toasted Elementals” if you will. I would definitely have to playtest this deck, because it has some interesting inclusions (such as Broken Ambitions paired with 11 Vivid Lands, and 3 main-deck Festercreep), but I’ve included it as it obviously performed well (this PTQ had 176 players) and is an example of an Elementals deck that runs Cryptic Command. Hopefully I’ve provided some food for thought for those of you thinking about running Elementals. I really believe this archetype has the power and flexibility to win a PTQ, and hopefully we’ll see additional success for the deck in the coming weeks.
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