Classroom X – Persistent Zoo

Sorry it’s been a couple of weeks but springtime is very busy in Mr. Eckstein’s classroom. The student’s have still been testing and playing but our fearless leader hasn’t been able to write very much of it down.

In our last class (http://my.tcgplayer.com/blog/view/id_1696/title_classroom-x-persisting-fae/ ) we began our block constructed testing for the PTQ’s this summer. The big dilemma for us is the timing of our closest site. It will be the day after Eventide is legal. That means that we need to be prepared for a possible huge shift in the expected Meta-game. We’ll be on our toes but who knows what the future holds?

In our last blog we put out a call for block decks that we can use as a test market. We still leave that invite open. Just send your list to daneckstein@hotmail.com . We will keep you name anonymous or give you full credit if you would like. We are finally starting to see some people posting lists and we got a few lists from our last blog so we are set if you do not feel like mailing any thing in.

Of course we fully expect people to bash on our list and the list we use. It’s the nature of writing articles. People that don’t post will always say how bad your ideas are and constantly critique your work. You need thick skin if you think you can write. That is probably why the author of our test deck this week asked to stay a mystery. We’ll call him “the Beast” since his deck is similar to a Zoo type deck.

L M S Jungle by “The Beast”

1 Mountain

1 Plains

4 Reflecting Pool

4 Murmuring Bosk

4 Ancient Amphitheater 

4 Gilt Leaf Palace

4 Auntie’s Hovel

4 Nameless Inversion

4 Oblivion Ring

4 Crib Swap

4 Tarfire

2 Mirror Entity

4 Wren’s Run Vanquisher

4 Goldmeadow Stewart

3 Tattermunge Maniac

4 Flamekin Bladewhirl

2 Chameleon Colossus

3 Treefolk Harbinger

This deck has some very quick draws out of the gate. It is lacking in the later turns however. The goal of this deck is rather simple build up some early beats and use minor removal to make sure they keep hitting. If we were to look at just the actual spells in this deck I would severely question the Mana base. Truth be told it is actually rather playable since the high number of Changeling cards that allow us to reveal and play a multi color land untapped.

The revealing nature of the Changelings also allow the deck to run the under costed creatures that have the draw back of revealing a card with the same critter type. In fact this deck should be name “The Flash”. Think about it, it comes out fast, it flashes its private parts, and runs out as fast as it started (win or lose). While we don’t feel this deck is a contender it does have some solid game against fairies and elves. The name really doesn’t matter so we’ll call it “The Flash” in our testing.

For those who need a reminder here is our deck. (We are still playing it for now but there is another contender on the horizon.)    

Persistent Fire

6 Forest

8 Mountain

4 Reflecting Pool

4 Fire-lit Thicket

4 Boggart Ram-Gang

4 Heartmender

4 Murderous Redcap

4 Safehold Elite

4 Kitchen Finks

2 Incendiary Command

4 Firespout

4 Flame Javelin

4 Lash Out

4 Tarfire

What we are going for here is to abuse the Persist mechanic as much as possible. Board sweepers like Firespout and Incendiary Command really pay dividends when most of our gang comes right back into play. Put a Heartmender into the mix and Walla you have a never ending Army. Even without the ‘mender every Persist creature is a two for one which generates a relative card advantage. We will even put our neck on the line and say that Persist is the best mechanic since Dredge. (Bash away).

If you are new reader of The Classroom we finish off our blogs with a few test games. We lay it out turn by turn so you know that we are being honest. (Believe it or not many writers lie about their win %). Remember that the players of these decks are not necessarily the designers of the deck so there may be some misplays here and there. We used to not worry about any sideboarding but a few people commented that this wasn’t a legit test if you don’t sideboard anything. So now we allow each deck to board after each hand up to 8 cards. To make it real testing we allow any 8 cards since our opponent could pack any card in their board. On our side we do the same and as we play test we keep track of any cards we board. Just before we carry it into a tourney we look at the cards we choose the most and pack the most useful 15.

Let’s get to the games.

Hand 1 – Persist on the play

Persist – Forest (2), Heartmender, Boggart Ram Gang, Safehold Elite, Murderous Redcap

Turn 1 – Persist – Play Forest

            Flash – Draw Treefolk Harbinger, Reveal Crib Swap to play Auntie’s Hovel, Reveal Crib Swap to play Flamekin Bladewhirl.

Turn 2 – Persist – Draw Boggart Ram Gang, play Forest, play Safehold Elite

            Flash – Draw Chameleon Colossus, Reveal Crib to play Gilt Leaf Palace, Reveal Crib to play Wren’s Run Vanquisher.

Turn 3 – Persist – Draw Reflecting Pool, Play Pool, Play Boggart Ram Gang, Attack with Gang (no blockers – 17) ,

            Flash – Draw Murmuring Bosk, Reveal Crib to play Bosk, Play Harbinger putting Crib Swap on top of library, attack with Wren’s Run (Block with Safehold – Persist 1/1), Play Nameless on Boggart Ram Gang.

Turn 4 – Persist – Draw Fire Lit Thicket, Play Fire Lit Thicket, Play Murderous Redcap dealing 2 to Bladewhirl.

            Flash – Draw Crib Swap, Play Crib on Redcap (16), attack with Wren’s (token blocks).

Turn 5 – Persist – Draw Heartmender, play Pool, Play ‘mender.

            Flash – Draw Goldmeadow Stalwart, Play Crib on ‘mender (15), attack (token block)

Turn 6 – Persist- Draw Tarfire, play ‘mender

            Flash – Draw Tattermunge Maniac, Reveal Chameleon to play Stalwart (14), Play Maniac, play Harbinger put a Crib Swap on top. Attack with Wren’s Run (Mender blocks and Persist plays Tarfire on Wren)

Turn 7 – Persist – Heartmender heals self and Safehold, Draw Safehold, Play Safehold, Play Ram Gang – Attack (Harbingers block Safehold and Heartmender, 11)

            Flash – Draw Crib Swap, attack with Stalwart and Maniac (Safehold blocks Stalwart – Persist as a 1/1 – 18), Play Crib Swap on Heartmender (10).

Turn 8 – Persist – Draw Mountain, attack with all but the token (Harbingers block Ram Gang and 2/2 Safehold – 9)

            Flash – Draw Murmuring Bosk, Reveal Chameleon to play Bosk, play Chameleon, attack with Maniac (token blocks)

Turn 9 – Persist – Draw Boggart Ram Gang, Play Ram Gang, Attack with one Ram Gang (Harbinger blocks)

            Flash – Draw Nameless Inversion, “I don’t think I’ll attack with a Boggart to block, a Wither Colossus would really suck”

Turn 10 – Persist – Draw Heartmender, play ‘mender, Attack with both Boggart Ram Gangs ( Nameless one Gang – 6)

            Flash – Draw Oblivion Ring, play Ring on Ram Gang (5)

Turn 11 – Persist – Safehold goes back to 2/2, Draw Mountain, Attack with all (Block Heartmender – 1)

            Flash – Draw Murmuring Bosk, Resigns

Hand 2 – Flash on the play

Sideboard – Persist - + 4 Spitebellows, - 2 Incendiary Command, - 2 Tarfire

            Flash – Here we are presented quite a few options but seeing as how “the Beast” didn’t reveal a sideboard in his / her email we are going to sideboard the deck to how we would have built it. – 4 Oblivion Ring, - 4 Tarfire, + 1 Treefolk Harbinger, + 1 Chameleon Colossus, + 1 Tattermunge Maniac, + 3 Changeling Berserker,  + 2 Changeling Titan. Now we take early beef and follow it with some midgame muscle. Sure we may be risking some instant removal tricks but we feel the deck plays better in the red zone.

Starting hands

Persist – Mountain, Fire Lit Thicket, Tarfire, Boggart Ram Gang, Flame Javelin, Spitebellows, Heartmender

Turn 1 – Flash – Reveal Nameless Inversion to play Gilt Leaf Palace, Play Tattermunge Maniac

            Persist – Draw Reflecting Pool, Play Mountain, Play Tarfire on Maniac

Turn 2 – Flash – Draw Ancient Amphitheater, Reveal Nameless to play Ancient Amphitheater, Reveal Nameless to play Wren’s Run Vanquisher

            Persist – Draw Forest, Play Forest

Turn 3 – Flash – Draw Flamekin Bladewhirl, Play Pool, Play Flamekin, Attack (17)

            Persist – Draw Boggart Ram Gang, Play Thicket, Play Boggart Ram Gang, Attack (Flash play Nameless on Gang)

Turn 4 – Flash – Draw Mirror Entity, Play Pool, Play Colossus, Attack (12)

            Persist – Draw Firespout, Play Pool, Play Firespout

Turn 5 – Flash – Draw Plains, play Plains, Attack and pump up Colossus to 8/8 (4)

            Persist – Draw Mountain, Play Mountain, Play Flame Javelin on Colossus

Turn 6 – Flash – Draw Wren’s Run Vanquisher, Reveal Mirror to play Wren, Play Mirror

            Persist – Draw Kitchen Finks, Play Finks (6)

Turn 7 - Flash – Draw Treefolk Harbinger, Attack (Finks blocks Wren) Flash uses Mirror ability to make both critters a 5/5 (1 – Finks Persist 3)

            Persist – Draw Forest, Play Forest, play Boggart

Turn 8 – Flash – Draw Crib Swap, Play Swap on Ram Gang, Attack (Both blocked) use Mirror to make 2/2’s

            Persist – Draw Mountain, Play Mountain, Evoke Spitebellows hitting Wren for 6, Play Heartmender

Turn 9 – Flash - Draw Reflecting Pool, Play Pool, Play Harbinger to put Crib swap on top.

            Persist – Draw Boggart Ram Gang, play Gang,

Turn 10 – Flash – Draw Crib Swap, Play Swap on Heartmender, Attack (Ram Gang blocks) –Mirror turns to 3/3.

            Persist – Draw Safehold Elite, Play Safehold

Turn 11 – Flash – Draw Auntie’s Hovel

            Persist – Draw Forest

Turn 12 – Flash – Draw Gilt Leaf Palace

            Persist – Draw Boggart Ram Gang, Play Gang, Attack with all (Harbinger blocks Safehold - 16)

Turn 13 – Flash – Draw Hovel

            Persist – Draw Spitebellows, Play bellows, Attack (Same block – 12) “now the tide has turned”

Turn 14 – Flash – Draw Goldmeadow Stalwart, Play Stalwart for 4

            Persist – Draw Lash Out, Play Lash Out on Stalwart (Clash – Spitebellows to top VS. Mountain to bottom – 11) – Attack (bellows blocked – 5)

Turn 15 – Flash – Draw Reflecting Pool – “I just flooded out at the end” – Resign

I’m going to end the blog here since we’re getting a bit long winded. The players have slammed out a few more games since and though the R G Persist deck has a slight advantage it is marginal after the sideboard changes. The game illustrated should have been the Zoo’s but for hitting 5 lands in a row when top decked. It turns out that Oblivion Ring is better in this match up than Nameless Inversion but the Inversion is probably better over all. Travis, one of my students, is actually making the Flash Zoo his pet deck. This is his list

Naked Zoo – Travis’s name. He doesn’t like calling it Flash because of the Vintage deck.

2 Primal Beyond

4 Reflecting Pool

4 Murmuring Bosk

4 Ancient Amphitheater 

4 Gilt Leaf Palace

4 Auntie’s Hovel

4 Nameless Inversion

4 Crib Swap

2 Mirror Entity

4 Wren’s Run Vanquisher

4 Goldmeadow Stewart

4 Tattermunge Maniac

4 Flamekin Bladewhirl

3 Chameleon Colossus

4 Treefolk Harbinger

3 Changeling Berserker

2 Changeling Titan

Sideboard

4 Oblivion Ring

4 Raking Canopy

4 Firespout

3 Spring Cleaning

Once again. If you have a deck you would like to test then zip it to us at daneckstein@hotmail.com.

Tags: Classroom X Zoo Fun Block