It has taken me decidedly longer to write this article, mostly because I was wondering if it was even relevant to take on Lorwyn Block Constructed in the face of Faeries and Kithkin. And then I realized I could mash together two article ideas I had kicking around in my head, and unleash the monstrosity into the unsuspecting Magic community. While I doubt that its effects will be felt far and/or wide, I'm hoping to at least get this particular decklist out there.
But first off is
Article Idea One: Faeries. It goes without saying at this point that Faeries is the big cheese in block constructed these days. I regard it as a deck to be feared and respected, but I still contend that it is not at Affinity level. The deck is still vulnerable, usually to aggro, but it can be beaten. Not by particular decks, though. I don't think so, anyway. By players. By players that refuse to give in. By players realizing that in a Faeries-heavy metagame, non-Faerie decks actually have the advantage of not being in the mirror-match half the day (or more). By players realizing that if you don't bring Faeries, Faeries goes away.
People are so caught up in the fact that Faeries is everywhere that they fail to think. “But, it's everywhere. It has to be the best deck, right?” No. It's a good deck. I don't think a single deck out of the major players is the best deck, they're all good decks. Faeries is just the one people bring the most, and naturally lends itself to a zillion top 8s and only a few less wins.
But look what happened at Pro Tour-Hollywood. People refused to play Faeries, and only one made it to the top 8. Sure, the percentage of the field that it made up was still large, about 28%, but if you swapped out one Elves deck in the top 8 for Faeries, you have pretty much the same representation from the field at large. And that's why most of the time, metagame theorists and writers will tell you that in a large tournament, the top 8 is usually indicative of the field at large. If one day everyone showed up to your block tournament with B/R Goblins, then all of a sudden Goblins would be the deck to beat.
At this point I'm sure someone out there is saying, “Yeah but Goblins dies to Faeries, idiot.” Really? All the time? (Well, probably, but this is simply an illustrative point. Substitute any deck for Goblins and I'd be making the same point.) Play better Magic. Challenge the Faeries players. Don't just give them a win by not testing against it. And, I guess, this goes for the Faeries players, too. Don't just assume you're going to win because you're playing Faeries. Because it's not Affinity.
With all that said, I'd like to offer up that block right now isn't skewed. It's lazy. No one is doing their homework right now. Patrick Chapin says this week that the other decks out there aren't as efficient with their linear strategies (Rogues, Treefolk, etc.) as Faeries and Kithkin. I think there are viable strategies out there without being tribal, or even necessarily linear. It's just that no one has come across them yet. Keep testing, instead of continually showing up with the same ol' every tournament. Challenge the boundaries. Think for yourself. Question authority.
Sorry, on a bit of a tangent there.
Anyway, if you're going to netdeck (which is not something I outright
Condemn; I've done it more than a few times, too) be smart about it. Test the HELL out of it, don't just pick it up, play it against your buddy who's been playing Faeries for three months, and assume it's crap just because it can't beat an experienced Faeries player in the first five matches you ever play against it. Sure, there will be some duds, but maybe you'll find that deck that actually does what you want it to, is intuitive and resilient, and forgiving. (Incidentally, I think that's why Faeries is a good deck… it does and is those things. But there are other decks out there if you don't want to play it. If there is the one takeaway from this entire article, that is it. If you don't like it,
play something else.)
And with the Faeries rant out of the way, on to
Article Idea Two: Treefolk. I realize I just spent something like seven hundred words complaining about people complaining about Faeries and then sort of told you to play them anyway. It's some sort of weird logic paradox that comes about when you write spontaneously. The other one is this: sometimes, on the whole, everything makes sense. Which is why I present you with
Treefolk Lorwyn Block Constructed
by Rick Cummings
4
Murmuring Bosk 2
Vivid Grove 1
Vivid Meadow 2
Vivid Marsh 3 Swamp
6 Forest
3 Plains
3
Reflecting Pool 4
Leaf-Crowned Elder 4
Doran, the Siege Tower 4
Chameleon Colossus 4
Bosk Banneret 4
Treefolk Harbinger 4
Timber Protector 2
Dauntless Dourbark 4
Nameless Inversion 3
Turn to Mist 3
Oblivion Ring SB: 3
Festercreep SB: 3
Firespout SB: 3
Cloudthresher SB: 2
Faerie Macabre SB: 2
Primal Command SB: 2
Shriekmaw Now, when I say that Pat Chapin is wrong about other linear strategies being inefficient, this is what I mean. Turn one Harbinger fetching up Colossus, turn two Banneret, turn three Colossus is a pretty tough play to beat for most decks. Especially black decks. The deck also plays turn three
Leaf-Crowned Elder, turn three Doran, or turn four
Timber Protector quite often. Plus there's the added bonus of
Leaf-Crowned Elder shenanigans, which cheats so much stuff into play it's unbelievable. There have been multiple games where I've stuck a Harbinger, a Doran, and an Elder, kinshipped out a Nameless, killed their blocker, and swung for the win. Or had an Elder, a Protector, and kinshipped a Protector. Or any number of other silly plays.
The upside to Treefolk is that they can be really fast. Like Kithkin fast. A Harbinger, Banneret, Doran draw is pretty fast, and usually lethal, unless your opponent can deal with you on the spot.
The downside is that Treefolk can be really slow. Like, really slow. The removal package is good for other midrange-y decks, but against Kithkin it's too slow and running giant dudes is a
Mirrorweave Liability. The advantage that we have against Faeries is that most of the business dudes are costed so high that they can effectively shut down their
Spellstutter Sprites. I have yet to play against Quick ‘n' Toast, but I expect their main spells to deal with Treefolk are
Cryptic Command and…
Mulldrifter? I don't really know. I'll be honest and say I don't really know how to operate Q'n'T, so I can't reliably say how to play against it.
However, I'm trying to get this deck out to the community because I think it's a deck with a huge amount of potential. I don't know if the numbers are right, and I don't know if I have the deck figured out exactly, nor do I know if the sideboard is correct.
Will this deck win you your PTQ? I don't know. Will it win GP: Denver? I don't know. But at least it's out there. Give it a shot. I love playing the deck and it seems to suit my playstyle well (which isn't surprising; I built the thing, after all). And I don't think I'm the only person that finds a Faeries/Kithkin metagame to be horribly boring.
Rick
P.S. If you haven't read it, I suggest you check out Patrick Chapin's article on
Information Cascades in Magic. I think by this point it should be out of Premium range, as it's over a year old now, but I think it should be required reading for anyone playing tournament Magic.
Related to:
Magic: the Gathering
