Classroom X – NOT Ordeal with Goblins
This is the third 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 has no real pressure to win and he gets to play with any weird deck he comes up with.
We have been looking at a Deck that was designed around Bitter Ordeal. The concept was pretty simple use the Invasion sac lands and some other sacable’s to play a Bitter Ordeal with a high Gravestorm count. Use that removal to hit key valuable cards out of the opponents decks. Mixing in a little Balancing Act to empty an opponent’s field and using our higher mana base to reestablish quicker than our opponent.
Here is the list. Sideboard is constantly changing.
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
In past installments we showed how easy it was to play through the counters and hit a control deck in the jewels leaving it helpless and worthless. At that time RoninX commented about our game against agro which is the toughest match for this deck. After a dominating show against a top 8 Zoo deck we were concerned that some of the readers might actually carry this deck into a PTQ or something. To be just and fair we are now going to post our hardest pairing. Goblins.
For our opposing deck list we once again went to the Top 8 list. In this case we used Carlos Camilon lists. He took Second at Nashville’s PTQ. Here is the list in case you need it.
1 Swamp
3 Mountain
1 Blood Crypt
2 Mutavault
3 Wooded Foothills
4 Bloodstained Mire
1 Overgrown Tomb
4 Aunties Hovel
3 Gempalm Incinerator
4 Goblin Matron
4 Goblin Piledriver
4 Goblin Ringleader
1 Goblin Sharpshooter
4 Goblin Warchief
4 Mogg Fanatic
4 Mogg War Marshal
1 Siege-gang Commander
4 Skirk Prospector
3 Chrome Mox
2 Blood Moon
3 Patriarch’s Bidding
Deal or Bitter Ordeals problems with this deck are three fold. First it has plenty of threats. Second it’s really fast. Third its mana base isn’t as fragile as many of the other typical decks.
As normal we don’t just say what happens. We show you. Two of Eckstein’s students will pilot the decks and Eckstein will do the play by play.
Hand 1 – Bitter on the playBitter – Wild Cantor (2), Tinder Farm, Cabal Ritual, Chromatic Star, Archaeological Dig, Balancing Act Goblins – Goblin Warchief, Wooded Foothills, Goblin Matron, Bloodstained Mire, Auntie’s Hovel, Mogg Fanatic, Chrome Mox
Turn 1 – Bitter – play Tinder Farm
Goblins – Draw Goblin Piledriver, Play Auntie’s Hovel showing Mogg Fanatic, play Fanatic
Turn 2 – Bitter – Draw Sulfur Vent, play Vent, play Wild Cantor
Goblins – Draw Patriarch’s Bidding, Play Foothills (19) to fetch a mountain, play Mox imprinting Bidding, play Warchief, attack (17)
Turn 3 – Bitter – Draw Burning Wish, Play Dig, Play Cantor, play Star
Goblins – Draw Goblin Matron, play Mire fetching Mountain (18), Play Matron fetching Mogg War Marshall, Play Piledriver, Play Marshall, attack (note the Piledriver is an 11/2 – Bitter goes to 0)
Eckstein notes to his Bitter player that he could have played Act the turn before. While the Act / Bitter combo potential is tempting any chance to get rid of a Warchief is a good idea.
Hand 2 – Goblins on the playGoblins – Chrome Mox, Patriarch’s Bidding, Goblin Piledriver, Mutavault, Wooded Foothills, Goblin Warchief, Goblin Ringleader Bitter – Ancient Spring, Tinder Farm, Rite of Flame (2), Wild Cantor, Geothermal Crevice, Chromatic Sphere – Plenty of mana but no action – mulliganIrrigation Ditch, Balancing Act, Geothermal Crevice, Burning Wish, Archaeological Dig, Tinder Farm Turn 1 – Goblins – play Foothills fetching Blood Crypt (19)
Bitter – Draw Balancing Act, Play Tinder Farm
Turn 2 – Goblins – Draw Mogg Fanatic, Play Mox using Fanatic, play Mutavault, play Warchief, attack (18)
Bitter – Draw Rite of Flame, Play Crevice
Turn 3 – Goblins – Draw Mogg War Marshall, play Marshall, play Piledriver, attack (7)
Bitter – Draw Sulfur Vent, Play Dig, Sac Farm, Crevice and Dig (WRGBW), Play Rite of Flame (WWRRGB), Play Wish for Bitter Ordeal, Play Act discarding Ditch and Vent,
Turn 4 – Goblins – Draw Mutavault, Play Mutavault
Bitter – Draw Chromatic Star
Turn 5 – Goblins – Draw Bidding
Bitter – Draw Sulfur Vent play Vent
Turn 6 – Goblins – Draw Blood Moon
Bitter – Draw Wild Cantor, Play Star
Turn 7 – Goblins – Draw Goblin Warchief
Bitter – Draw Burning Wish
Turn 8 – Goblins – Draw Goblin Piledriver
Bitter – Draw Ancient Spring, play Spring
Turn 9 – Goblins – Draw Bloodstained Mire, play Mire fetching Mountain (18), activate and attack with Mutavault (5).
Bitter – Draw Wild Cantor, debates with himself for a long time, decides to pass.
Turn 10 – Goblins – Draw Auntie’s Hovel, Attack with Mutavault (3)
Bitter – Draw Bitter Ordeal, Sac Lands (RUBW), sac Star (WWRB) drawing Thoughtseize, Play Balancing Act, (Goblins discard Bidding)
Turn 11 – Goblins- Draw Matron, play Aunties Hovel showing Ringleader.
Bitter – Draw Tinder Farm, play Farm
Turn 12 – Goblins – Draw Auntie’s Hovel, Play Aunties Hovel revealing Piledriver, Play Piledriver
Bitter – Draw Irrigation Ditch, Play Ditch, play Cantor
Turn 13 – Goblins – Draw Wooded Foothills, Play Foothills fetch Mountain (17), play Warchief, attack (Bitter blocks Piledriver – 1)
Bitter – Draw Tinder Farm – Sac land (RWGU), Use G to play Cantor, Sac Cantor for R (RRWU), Play Wish for Pyroclasm, Play Pyroclasm. Play Farm
Turn 14- Goblins – draw Skirk Prospector, play Matron fetching Warchief.
Bitter- Draw Star – Scoop
That was a long one. Eckstein points out that the Goblin play could have play Blood Moon on turn 10 with more success.
Hand 3 – Bitter on the playBitter – Death Wish(2), Rite of Flame, Cabal Ritual (2), Tinder Farm, Geothermal Crevice Goblins – Goblin Piledriver, Bloodstained Mire, Gempalm Incinerator, Skirk Prospector(2), Goblin Ringleader, Auntie’s Hovel
Turn 1 – Bitter – Play Tinder Farm
Goblins – Draw Aunties Hovel, play Hovel revealing and playing Skirk Prospector
Turn 2 – Bitter – Draw Cabal Ritual, play Crevice
Goblins – Draw Goblin Warchief, play Hovel revealing Warchief, sac Prospector, play Warchief, attack (18)
Turn 3 – Bitter – Draw Bitter Ordeal
Goblins – Draw Goblin Matron, play Piledriver, play Skirk Prospector, attack (10)
Turn 4 – Bitter – Draw Chromatic Sphere, “This is insane. I hope you are aware of the fact that Instants and sorceries with threshold check if seven or more cards are in your graveyard when they resolve, not when they're played or put on the stack.” Sac Farm (WR), play Rite of Flame (WRR), Sac Crevice (WRRBG), Use G to play Chromatic Sphere, Sac Sphere Changing R to W drawing Wild Cantor (WWRB), play Cantor (WWB), sac Cantor for B (WWBB), Play Cabal Ritual (WWBBB), play cabal “It counts as the 7th card in yard (WWBBBBBB), Play third cabal (WWBBBBBBBBB), play Death Wish for Balancing Act (life –5), play Balancing Act, play Bitter Ordeal for 10 – (pull out - 3 Mountain, 1 Blood Crypt, 1 Mutavault, 2 Aunties Hovel, 3 Chrome Mox) “I’ll leave you with G B and Colorless mana”
Goblins – Draw Mogg War Marshall, play Mire fetching Overgrown Tomb (19). “I still have Mutavault”
Eckstein stops his notes here. About 5 or 6 turns later Bitter hits with another Ordeal for 4. Enough to remove Mutavault. Eckstein does tell the Goblin player that he could have sac’d his goblins for RR in response to Act and cycled Gempalm Incinerator. Maybe draw a land before the Bitter resolved.
Hand 4 – Goblins on the playGoblins – Marshall, Bidding, Fanatic, Prospector, Tomb, Warchief, Ringleader “You goofed my mana all up.” Mulligan, shuffling A LOT. Mogg Fanatic (2), Bloodstained Mire (2), Patriarch’s Bidding, Mogg War MarshallBitter – Tinder Farm, Chromatic Star (2), Chromatic Sphere, Geothermal Crevice (2), Balancing Act Turn 1 – Goblins – play Mire fetching Blood Crypt (17) play Mogg Fanatic.
Bitter- draw Tinder Farm, play Farm
Turn 2 – Goblins – draw Mutavault, play Mutavault, play Marshall, Attack (19)
Bitter – Draw Balancing Act, play Farm, play Star
Turn 3 – Goblins – draw Blood Moon, play Mire fetching Mountain (16), play Blood Moon. Bitter scoops. “I really have no way to play against Blood Moon. Sideboard suggestions?”
Hand 5 – Bitter on the playBitter – Irrigation Ditch(2), Bitter Ordeal, Geothermal Crevice, Ancient Spring, Sulfur Vent, Death Wish Goblins – Mogg Fanatic, Overgrown Tomb, Auntie’s Hovel(2), Goblin Ringleader, Gempalm Incinerator, Skirk Prospector
Turn 1 – Bitter – play Crevice
Goblins – draw Goblin Ringleader, Play Auntie’s showing Fanatic, play Fanatic
Turn 2 – Bitter – draw Thoughtseize, Play Sulfur Vent
Goblins – draw Goblin Matron, play Tomb tapped, play Prospector, attack (19)
Turn 3 – Bitter – Draw Chromatic Sphere, play Spring, play Sphere, play Thoughtseize (Matron – 17)
Goblins – Draw Swamp, Play Hovel showing Incinerator, cycle Incinerator (15) draw Bloodstained Mire. Attack (13)
Turn 4 – Bitter – Draw Sulfur Vent, Play Irrigation Ditch
Goblins – Draw Mogg Fanatic, play Swamp, play Ringleader (Warchief to hand, Bidding, Mire, Mox to bottom of Library) attach (11)
Turn 5 – Bitter – draw Wild Cantor “I think I have 1 more turn”, Play Vent, play Cantor
Goblins – draw Wooded Foothills, Play Warchief, play Fanatic, attack (4), sac Fanatic, Ringleader, and prospector to play Ringleader (Mogg Fanatic to hand, Bidding, Mountain, Mire to bottom) “two fizzled Ringleaders…..go figure”
Turn 6 – Bitter – draw Ancient Spring, sac lands (BGURBWGUUR), sac Cantor for W, sac Sphere to change U to B drawing Cantor (BBBWWGGUURR), Play Death Wish for Balancing Act (2), play Balancing Act (Goblin sacs fanatic to put Bitter at 1), Play Bitter Ordeal (G) for 15 (all mana producing lands, all chrome Mox, 2 Blood Moons and 2 Warchief), play Cantor, Play Cantor, play Ancient Spring.
Goblins – Scoops “I’m not going to take a Cantor Beatdown”.
Eckstein points out that the Goblins over committed and could have won if he hadn’t sac’d a Fanatic for mana.
These 5 games came out 40% for Bitter but I feel it’s important to point out that the wins were either very lucky (triple cabal Rituals) or because of play errors (over play in game 5). I don’t think there is any way to make this decks have winning points over Goblins.
For sure, this deck isn’t a PTQ’r. I’m not the type to hype a deck just because I like it. Even if you think no one is going to play goblins the match up against Dredge is even worse and EVERY tournament will have a good share of Dredge.
We do appreciate any posting of comments and we always attempt to post a response. Or you can email the class at Daneckstein@hotmail.com.
Tags: Combo Fun Goblins Bitter
