Classroom X – Deal or Bitter Ordeal
This is the first installment of Classroom X. These articles are the product of the extreme casual environment of Dan Eckstein’s classroom. Dan (or Mr. X) is a math teacher in a small town in Southwest Missouri. Between location and family Dan rarely gets to play other than across the desk after school with his students. As a result he gets to play with any weird deck he comes up with.
Today’s deck is built around a house of a card.
Bitter Ordeal 2B - Sorcery
Search target player's library for a card and remove that card from the game. Then that player shuffles his or her library.
Gravestorm (When you play this spell, copy it for each permanent put into a graveyard this turn. You may choose new targets for the copies.)
Dan noticed that many combo and control decks in the current environment are really dependent on just a few cards. Remove those cards from the game and you have a deck of dead draws. Many of the agro decks are based on too many colors and really only pack a few genuine cards to produce mana. The Onslaught fetch into a Ravnica dual is really helpful for mana fixing but it leaves a deck wide open for Bitter Ordeal.
It is necessary for you to understand that in Eckstein’s room we allow proxies. That is we print off copies of cards and sleeve them up to play. This makes up for the cost of the game that many of us can’t afford and it lets us experiment a lot more freely. When one of us really needed a deck for the now defunct Scholarship Series we would use money earned on this site to play for it. Hopefully we can start getting paid again soon.
Without worrying about the coughing up the cash for cards like Thoughtseize and Burning Wish Dan built the following.
Deal Or Bitter Ordeal
4 Tinder Farm
4 Sulfur Vent
4 Irrigation Ditch
4 Geothermal Crevice
4 Ancient Spring
4 Archaeological Dig
4 Wild Cantor
4 Chromatic Sphere
4 Chromatic Star
3 Cabal Ritual
4 Rite of Flame
4 Burning Wish
4 Death Wish
3 Balancing Act
3 Bitter Ordeal
3 Thoughtseize
Wishboard
1 Balancing Act
1 Bitter Ordeal
1 Thoughtseize
Imagine the following.
Playing against Next Level Blue and taking away his Tarmogoyf’s. He is left with a Dark Confident and Trinket Mage beat down. (Only need Gravestorm of 4). Previous level Blue is even easier. And by the way the Gravestorm copies aren’t counterable by normal Counterspell tactics.
Playing against G/U Tron and removing Platinum Angel, Sundering Titan, Triskelion, and both Mindslaver’s. No win possible. (Gravestorm of 5)
Playing against TEPS and removing 4 Burning Wish and 1 Tendrils of Agony. Another auto win. (Gravestorm of 5).
Playing against Ideal and removing all of his Form of The Dragons.
Playing against Dredge with a Gravestorm big enough to remove all of his Dread Returns and Ichorid’s. With those out of the way he’s begging for Narco’s, Imp’s and Tribes to beat with. Watch out for Balancing Act.
The Agro decks get harder. You almost have to pull of the Balancing Act before you Bitter Ordeal.
Today well test against an easy match up in Previous Level Blue. Two students will be playing while Mr. Eckstein will take notes.
VS. Previous Level Blue – List from Paul Cheon GP Vancouver.
Hand 1 – Bitter on the playBitter – Sulfur Vent, Rite of Flame, Irrigation Ditch, Ancient Spring, Wild Cantor, Geothermal Crevice, Death WishPLU – Tarmogoyf, Snow Covered Island, Spell Snare, Force Spike, Ancestral Vision, Cryptic Command, Vedalken Shackles. Mulligan to – Tarmogoyf, Rude Awakening, Threads of Disloyalty, Flooded Strand, Breeding Pool, Sensei’s Divining Top
Turn 1 – Bitter – Play Geothermal Crevice
PLU – Draw Miren, the Moaning Well, Play Breeding Pool untapped (18), play Top
Turn 2 – Bitter – Draw Burning Wish, Play Spring, Play Cantor
PLU – Draw SC Island, Play Strand
Turn 3 – Bitter – Draw Burning Wish, Play Sulfur Vent, Play Burning Wish to get Bitter Ordeal (EOT PLU activates top revealing Delta, Strand, Goyf, Sac Strand to get SC Island, Activate top again to show Spike, Command, Steam Vents. Move Command to top then Spike)
PLU- Draw Cryptic Command, Play SC Island
Turn 4 – Bitter – Draw Chromatic Sphere, play Ditch, play Sphere, play Burning Wish for Thoughtseize.(EOT PLU activates Top – Spike, Vents, Counterspell, Counterspell to top)
PLU – Draw Counterspell, Play Miren
Turn 5 – Bitter – Draw Cabal Ritual, Sac Sulfur (RU) play Rite of Flame (RRU), Sac Crevice (BGRRU), Sac Spring (WBGRRUU), sac Ditch (WBGGRRUUU), Use Sphere to change G to W draw Bitter Ordeal, Sac Cantor for B (WWBBGRRUUU), play cabal (WWBBBBBBGRRUU) play Thoughtseize (18) (PLU Counterspells) play Death Wish for Balancing Act (9) (WWBBBGRRU)Play Act (PLU activates top, taps to draw Spike plays Spike Bitter pays G), (BBBU), Play Bitter Ordeal for 11 – ( getting all remaining non fetch lands). PLU is looking at a no mana and just a Goyf in hand and scoops.
The PLU student inquires if should have held his counter for the Act or the Wish instead. On playback it’s irrelevant. If Thoughtseize resolves then the Bitter player removes Goyf and follows with an Ordeal for 7 grabbing the remaining Goyfs and all other sources of green mana. PLU would then be unable to Entwine the Rude Awakening and would have no other sources of victory with an eventual decking due to having 7 less cards in library plus losing cards to any future Bitter Ordeals.
Hand 2 – PLU on the play.PLU – Flooded Strand, Polluted Delta, Force Spike, Snow Covered Island, Cryptic Command, Flooded Strand, Counterspell Bitter – Wild Cantor, Rite of Flame, Ancient Spring, Archaeological Dig, Chromatic Star, Thoughtseize, Bitter Ordeal
Turn 1 – PLU – Play SC Island
Bitter – Draw Chromatic Sphere. Play Ancient Spring tapped
Turn 2 – PLU – Draw Force Spike. Play Flooded Strand. Sac for Breeding Pool tapped (19)
Bitter – Draw Irrigation Ditch. Play Ditch tapped. Play Chromatic Star.
Turn 3 PLU – Draw Tarmogoyf. Play Polluted Delta
Bitter – Draw Thoughtseize. Play Archeological Dig, Sac Spring (BW). Play Thoughtseize. (PLU Counterspells). Use Star to change W to B drawing Ancient Spring. Play Thoughtseize. (PLU Sacs Delta(18) for Island and Force Spikes). Sac Ditch (GU) Play Cantor(U). Sac Cantor for B. Sac Dig for B. Play Bitter Ordeal. (7 copies removing – 3 Goyfs, Rude Awakening, 3 Counterspells).
Turn 4 – PLU – Draw Flooded Strand, Play Strand, play Goyf (5/6). Smiles
Bitter – Draw Tinder Farm, play Farm tapped.
Turn 5 – PLU- Draw Threads of Disloyalty, Play Strand, attack (15)
Bitter - Draw Geothermal Crevice, play Crevice, play Chromatic Sphere.
Turn 6 – PLU – Draw Steam Vents, Play Vents Tapped, attack (10)
Bitter – Draw Wild Cantor, Play Springs, Play Cantor
Turn 7 – PLU – Draw Sensei’s Diving Top, Play Top, Play Threads of Disloyalty on Cantor (Bitter Sacs in response-one burn (9)), attack (3)
Bitter – Draw Death Wish, Scoop
After the game Eckstein points out that Bitter could have used Dig and Rite on turn 2 to remove all four goyf and a potential Thoughtseize though it would have been spiked. And on turn 3 Bitter could have use Rite first and then had the extra mana to play through the Spike. Bitter added Deathmark to his Sideboard.
Hand 3 – Bitter on the playBitter- Burning Wish, Wild Cantor (2), Geothermal Crevice, Tinder Farm (2), Death WishPLU – Tarmogoyf (2), SC Island (2), Spell Snare, Steam Vents, Sensei’s Divining Top Turn 1 – Bitter – play Geothermal Crevice
PLU – Draws Ancestral Vision, plays SC Island, play Top (debated Vision)
Turn 2 – Bitter – Draw Chromatic Sphere, play Tinder Farm, play Wild Cantor
PLU – Draw SC Island, Play SC Island
Turn 3 – Bitter – Draw Balancing Act, Sac Tinder Farm (RW), Play Burning Wish, (PLU Spell Snares), Play Tinder Farm, Play Cantor (EOT PLU activates Top – Cryptic Command, Vedalken Shackles, Ancestral Vision – Switches Vision and Shackles)
PLU – Draw Command, Play Steam Vents untapped (18), Suspends Vision (4)
Turn 4 – Bitter – Draw Irrigation Ditch, Sac Crevice (GB), Sac Cantor(B), “Here comes the Counterspell” play Death Wish fetching Bitter Ordeal, Sac Tinder Farm (RW), Sac Cantor (B), play Bitter Ordeal for 5 (removes 2 Goyfs, 2 Breeding Pool, Rude Awakening), play Irrigation Ditch
Eckstein stops note taking at this point the PLU students does attempt to use Visions targeting Bitter in hopes of decking him first but a large Bitter on turn 12ish makes him scoop.
Hand 4 – PLU on the playPLU – Cryptic Command, Threads of Disloyalty, Ancestral Vision, Flooded Strand, Repeal, SC Island, TarmogoyfBitter – Archaiological Dig (3), Thoughtseize, Balancing Act, Death Wish, Sulfur Vent Turn 1 – PLU – Play Strand, fetch Breeding Pool untapped (17), Suspend Vision (4)
Bitter – Draw Sulfur Vent, play Vent
Turn 2 – PLU – (Vision 3) Draw SC Island, play Island, Play Goyf (1/2) “That’s a play I normally wouldn’t make but it seems the safest place is the field”
Bitter – Draw Death Wish, Play Archaeological Dig, Play Thoughtseize (18) throw away Cryptic Command.
Turn 3 – PLU – (Vision 2) Draw SDTop, play SC Island, play Top, attack (16)
Bitter – Draw Ancient Spring, play Dig, Sac Vent (RU), Sac Digs for W(RUWW), play Act, discard Vent, Death Wish and Dig.
Turn 4- PLU – (Vision 1) Draw Vision
Bitter – Draw Sulfur Vent, play Vent
Turn 5 – PLU – (Vision draw Command, Spell Snare, Counterspell) Draw Polluted Delta, play Delta to fetch Breeding pool tapped (16)
Bitter – Draw Geothermal Crevice, play Crevice
Turn 6 – PLU – Draw Strand, play Strand and fetch Island (15)
Bitter – Draw Thoughtseize, play Spring, play Thoughtseize (14) throw Counterspell.
Turn 7 – PLU – Draw Steam Vents, play nothing bluffing another Counterspell.
Bitter – Draw Wild Cantor, sac Vent, Crevice and Spring (BBWGRU), use G to play Cantor, sac Cantor for B, play Wish for Bitter Ordeal and play Ordeal for 5 removing 3 Goyfs and 1 Rude and 1 Counterspell. PLU Scoops.
Two lessons in this game. First is the fact that Goyf is still safer in hand and shouldn’t be dropped until you can back him up with counters. In this case the Goyf would have seized anyway. Second is that many a blue mage bluffs the counter and sometimes the best course is to just power through it.
Hand 5 – Bitter on the playBitter – Archaeological Dig, Wild Cantor (2), Ancient Spring (2), Death Wish, Geothermal Crevice, Wild CantorPLU – Spell Snare, Threads of Disloyalty, Tarmogoyf, Polluted Delta, Ancestral Vision, SC Island, Counterspell Turn 1 – Bitter – play Geothermal Crevice
PLU – Draw Delta, play Delta sac for Breeding Pool (17) suspend Vision (4)
Turn 2 – Bitter- draw Rite of Flame, play Ancient Spring, play Wild Cantor
PLU – (vision 3) draw Spell Snare, play Island
Turn 3 – Bitter – Draw Tinder Farm, play Dig, Sac Spring, Sac Dig (BBW), play Death Wish, (PLU Counterspell), play Wild Cantor, attack (16)
PLU – (vision 2) draw Force Spike, play Delta fetching Breeding Pool (13)
Turn 4 – Bitter – Draw Wild Cantor, Play Farm, play Cantor, attack (11) “I hear those Cantor’s belong in every agro deck.”
PLU – (vision 1) draw Tarmogoyf, play Goyf (3/4).” I think he’ll take care of your army”
Turn 5 – Bitter – draw Death Wish, sac Crevice and Wild Cantor for (BBG), play Death Wish, (PLU Spikes), sacs Farm (RW) pays W to the spike, Gets Balancing Act from Death Wish resolving, play Rite of Flame (RR), sacs Cantors for WW, plays Act.(PLU keeps Goyf in hand). Play Ancient Spring.
PLU – (Vision draws Flooded Strand, Counterspell, Cryptic Command) Draw Steam Vents, play Strand to fetch ?????? “I don’t have any green sources”. PLU Scoops.
This is a possible deck flaw with Cheons deck. He could easily run 4 Pools and still be set for Shackles in most games. I can not imagine why he didn’t unless he was concerned over the CIPT or the life.
The two players of this deck are just high school students so be merciful if you noticed any play errors. But we would appreciate any comments you may have.
You post comments or email Mr. Eckstein directly at daneckstein@hotmail.com.
Tags: Bitter Combo Casual Fun
Related to:
Magic: the Gathering
