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Like Zan and Jayna touching rings, today's Flores Friday will be making a temporary transformation into Swimming With Sharks.
The Mothership is running Planar Chaos previews this week and next. While nothing, literally nothing, is more popular on a Magic site than a brief look through the virtual spyglass into the near future, the timing couldn't be worse for Extended PTQ players who rely on Swimming With Sharks to read the metagame and prepare for the next week's qualifier tournaments. So for this Friday and next, I am porting my PTQ-configured Magicthegathering.com column over here.
| Deck&ntsb; &ntsb; &ntsb; | &ntsb; | |||
| NO Stick | * | 1 | 1 | |
| Aggro Loam | * | |||
| G/W Haterator | * | |||
| U/W Tron | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Flow Deck Wins | 1 | 1 | ||
| Gaea's Might Get There | 1 | 1 | ||
| TEPS | 1 | 1 | ||
| Affinity | 1 | |||
| Aggro Rock | 1 | |||
| Friggorid | 1 | |||
| Loam Slide | 1 | |||
| Tooth and Nail | 1 | |||
| Trinket Angels | 1 | |||
| Trinket Post | 1 | |||
| U/W Post | 1 | |||
| Zoo | 1 |
Notice anything missing?
The much hyped Internet and World Championships decks did not dominate the volume in known Top 8s that we really thought they would; in particular is the complete absence of Boros Deck Wins, the trumpet-blasting presumptive preseason leader (caveat: I only have Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina results, and I am pretty sure my man Patrick Sullivan made Top 8 with Boros, as did Scouseboy in Bradford, England).
The interesting thing is that the absence of Boros allows for the viability of U/W 'Tron, U/W Post, and Trinket Post. We of the Top8Magic.com mock tournaments ran many a U/W 'Tron versus Boros fight, and should Boros live up to the predicted numbers, look for the U/W big mana decks to become essentially unplayable.
Here are some different looks at the U/W big mana:
| U/W 8-Post An Extended deck, by Daniel Neeley 3rd place at a Pro Tour Qualifier tournament in Charleston, West Virginia on 2007-01-07 | ||
Artifacts 4 Azorius Signet 1 Talisman of Progress Artifact Creatures 2 Triskelion Creatures 1 Eternal Dragon 2 Exalted Angel Instants 3 Condescend 3 Fact or Fiction 3 Memory Lapse 3 Remand 3 Repeal 3 Thirst For Knowledge |
Legendary Artifacts 3 Mindslaver Sorceries 3 Decree of Justice 3 Wrath of God Artifact Lands 1 Ancient Den 1 Seat of the Synod Basic Lands 3 Island 2 Plains Lands 1 Adarkar Wastes 4 Cloudpost 2 Flooded Strand 4 Hallowed Fountain 4 Vesuva Legendary Lands 1 Academy Ruins | 2 Pithing Needle 4 Sun Droplet 2 Exalted Angel 4 Meddling Mage 3 Condemn |
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The Cloudpost decks you will see are basically improved UrzaTron decks. They are improved in the sense that Cloudpost plus Vesuva requires only 2/3 the dedicated land slots of the UrzaTron package, which is important in a two-color deck that often needs CC solutions under pressure (Wrath of God et al). There are trade-offs, of course; Cloudpost and Vesuva are powerful in concert but they come into play tapped; in addition you can draw Vesuva prior to Cloudpost, and it is just worse than anything else in that spot.
Neeley's configuration seems pretty straightforward. Like most decks of this style, he has some powerful big mana options, and Repeal as his Get Out of Jail Free card, but while he technically has a lot of permission, Condescend is essentially the only "hard" counter, hard as it is. Note the 4/1 split in favor of Azorius Signet over Talisman of Progress.
| U/W Tron An Extended deck, by Jesse River 3rd place at a Pro Tour Qualifier tournament in Minneapolis, Minnesota on 2007-01-07 | ||
Artifacts 4 Azorius Signet 3 Chrome Mox Artifact Creatures 2 Sundering Titan Instants 2 Condescend 3 Fact or Fiction 3 Memory Lapse 3 Remand 2 Renewed Faith 3 Repeal 4 Thirst For Knowledge Legendary Artifacts 2 Mindslaver Legendary Creatures 1 Meloku the Clouded Mirror |
Sorceries 3 Decree of Justice 4 Wrath of God Artifact Lands 1 Ancient Den Basic Lands 1 Island 1 Plains Lands 2 Adarkar Wastes 4 Hallowed Fountain 4 Urza's Mine 4 Urza's Power Plant 4 Urza's Tower | 3 Pithing Needle 2 Exalted Angel 1 Arcane Laboratory 2 Rule of Law 4 Condemn 3 Stifle |
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The Philadelphia region U/W 'Tron decks were quite similar to the Shaheen Soorani version we saw at Worlds (both complete with two Solemn Simulacrums), so I decided to go with Jesse River's deck from Minnesota to pepper the pot.
Jesse's threats are serious: Meloku and Sundering Titan. Sadin and BDM pointed out that this archetype plays Fact or Fiction and never really wants to re-buy Eternal Dragon, so that might make sense. Sundering Titan can be quick in this deck, and hasn't stopped being one of the most devastating threats ever to crash the ground in Extended. Note River only plays 21 lands, but runs three Chrome Moxes. Dan Dargenio (Top 8 in Philly with Tooth and Nail) explained that Chrome Mox is a new innovation in the U/W decks to try to remedy the dismal Boros matchup by speeding things up. Basically you imprint anything and use Thirst for Knowledge and Fact or Fiction to power back on top.
| U/W 8-Post An Extended deck, by Steve Locke 2nd place at a Pro Tour Qualifier tournament in Minneapolis, Minnesota on 2007-01-07 | ||
Artifacts 1 Azorius Signet 1 Chalice of the Void 1 Engineered Explosives 4 Talisman of Progress 1 Tormod's Crypt Artifact Creatures 2 Sundering Titan Creatures 3 Trinket Mage Instants 3 Counterspell 4 Fact or Fiction 4 Spell Snare 3 Thirst For Knowledge Legendary Artifacts 2 Mindslaver |
Sorceries 3 Decree of Justice 4 Wrath of God Artifact Lands 1 Ancient Den 1 Seat of the Synod Basic Lands 3 Island Lands 3 Adarkar Wastes 4 Cloudpost 3 Flooded Strand 4 Hallowed Fountain 4 Vesuva Legendary Lands 1 Academy Ruins | 3 Chalice of the Void 1 Pithing Needle 1 Tormod's Crypt 1 Arcane Laboratory 1 Engineered Plague 3 Faith's Fetters 2 Rule of Law 3 Disenchant |
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Trinket Post is something special. Steve Locke lost in the finals of the Minneapolis PTQ to my G/W deck, but his deck just seems fantastic to me. Kowal told me he thinks it is the best deck in the format (and they actually had Boros in the midwest... imagine how good the deck could be if the format solidified the right way). The addition of the Trinket Mage engine is subtle and powerful here. One Needle and one Crypt are like a pair of razor-sharp shovels that dig this oblique Cloudpost deck completely out of what should be very difficult matchups.
Note Steve's reverse look at the two-mana accelerators... one Azorius Signet and four Talismans. I like this configuration a lot more for a couple of reasons: 1) The deck actually needs UU or WW rather than UW for early Counterspell (3) and critical Wrath of God (4), and 2) Talisman of Progress is one hundred times better with Sun Droplet. Oh wait... Steve didn't actually play Sun Droplet. Awkward. Here's how it works: When you get two or more Droplets down, you can damage yourself with the Talisman to place multiple counters to net life. This is a subtle trick that can be used in concert with instant speed card draw to create small edges.
I personally didn't expect the zillions of Hallowed Fountains, or I probably wouldn't have played G/W (or at least I would have tuned the sideboard differently). Initially I was claiming that this was impossible to predict, but then Sadin reminded me that I play (primarily) in the American Northeast. Last year's Extended PTQs in the Gray Matter territory, plus Connecticut crossover, were almost always NO Stick in the finals, if not first place. I consider this a regional quirk. The small number of reporting PTQs probably overblows Hallowed Fountain due to the Gray Matter tournament (two NO Stick and two U/W 'Tron in the Top 8, including NO Stick's victory).
BDM and I re-coined "the Boros Swiftblade deck" as Gaea's Might Get There because, well, the deck has Gaea's Might and Boros Swiftblade might get there, and it's just clever. If you don't know how this deck works, check out Chris Wolterek's deck from Charleston:
| Gaea's Might Get There An Extended deck, by Chris Woltereck 2nd place at a Pro Tour Qualifier tournament in Charleston, West Virginia on 2007-01-07 | ||
Creatures 3 Boros Swiftblade 4 Grim Lavamancer 4 Kird Ape 1 Savannah Lions 2 Tin Street Hooligan 4 Watchwolf 4 Wild Mongrel Enchantments 4 Armadillo Cloak Instants 4 Gaea's Might 3 Lightning Helix |
Legendary Creatures 3 Isamaru, Hound of Konda Sorceries 4 Tribal Flames Basic Lands 1 Forest Lands 1 Blood Crypt 2 Bloodstained Mire 1 Breeding Pool 2 Flooded Strand 1 Godless Shrine 1 Sacred Foundry 2 Stomping Ground 1 Temple Garden 4 Windswept Heath 4 Wooded Foothills | 4 Pyrostatic Pillar 3 Ancient Grudge 2 Krosan Grip 4 Molten Rain 2 Vindicate |
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This deck plays like a Zoo deck but has some unusual and very specifically themed choices. It cuts the fourth Lightning Helix to run maindeck Armadillo Cloak, Boros Swiftblade, and big Invasion thematics Tribal Flames and Gaea's Might. Godless Shrine and Breeding Pool jack the Zoo manabase to enable five point Bolts and Giant Growths. Besides a little extra mana efficiency at the cost of a little mana consistency, these matter because of cards like Boros Swiftblade. With a Gaea's Might, the little 1/2 can send for twelve. Add an Armadillo Cloak? Staple on trample and a little bit more.
The Aggro Loam deck that won in Charleston isn't so much of an Aggro Loam deck, at least not like we have seen out of MTGO since a little after last year's Extended PTQ season. It is much more like the excellent Day 3 World Championships deck, a big turn deck rather than a beatdown one. This makes sense because Wild Mongrel is a lot worse in a world of Sudden Shocks, and Wall of Roots is just getting its feet roots wet again in a format where it has always shined.
| Aggro Loam An Extended deck, by Scott Schauf 1st place at a Pro Tour Qualifier tournament in Charleston, West Virginia on 2007-01-07 | ||
Creatures 4 Birds of Paradise 4 Terravore 4 Wall of Roots 4 Werebear Enchantments 4 Seismic Assault |
Instants 2 Putrefy Sorceries 4 Burning Wish 4 Cabal Therapy 3 Devastating Dreams 3 Life from the Loam Basic Lands 3 Forest 2 Mountain Lands 1 Blood Crypt 3 Bloodstained Mire 4 Forgotten Cave 1 Overgrown Tomb 3 Stomping Ground 4 Tranquil Thicket 3 Wooded Foothills | 3 Darkblast 3 Krosan Grip 1 Chainer's Edict 1 Devastating Dreams 3 Duress 1 Hull Breach 1 Life from the Loam 1 Nostalgic Dreams 1 Shattering Spree |
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This deck generates a ton of card advantage via Life from the Loam and cycling lands, and can win on Seismic Assault or go for a quasi Upheaval plus Psychatog kill with Devastating Dreams plus Terravore. The archetype is definitely on our short list for best deck in the format, though it is definitely susceptible to hate cards, should they appear en masse.
The last of the PTQ winners was a deck near and dear to me, my own Haterator.
| G/W Haterator An Extended deck, by Trevor Jones 1st place at a Pro Tour Qualifier tournament in Minneapolis, Minnesota on 2007-01-07 | ||
Artifacts 2 Sword of Fire and Ice Creatures 4 Eternal Dragon 4 Exalted Angel 4 Llanowar Elves 4 Loxodon Hierarch 4 Troll Ascetic Enchantments 3 Worship Instants 2 Orim's Chant |
Legendary Artifacts 3 Umezawa's Jitte Snow Creatures 4 Boreal Druid Sorceries 4 Call of the Herd Basic Lands 8 Forest 4 Plains Lands 4 Temple Garden 2 Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree 4 Windswept Heath | 3 Tormod's Crypt 3 Rule of Law 1 Worship 3 Krosan Grip 1 Orim's Chant 4 Plow Under |
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Trevor's main change was to cut Gilded Light, replacing it with two Orim's Chants and upping the maindeck Worship and Jitte count. I've already written about the deck twice before, so you can get the details in either of my last two articles on this site. Trevor's PTQ was definitely conducive to success, dominated by all easy matchups like Trinket Angels, Boros, and TEPS, but he was able to beat U/W twice, including Trinket Post in the finals (on the back of Plow Under). Trevor actually kicked maximum tail, leading the Swiss before winning it all.
Personally, I consider Week 1 an affirmation of the Top8Magic.com Podcast mock tournaments we have been running in New York the past couple of weeks, with reporting winners being first and second place at our first tournament, and the Northeast winner echoing Penn Mike Stein's 4-0/8-0 at last week's mock with NO Stick.
For future reference, the Extended PTQ Top 8 deck lists will be available here. Due to some frigid Wizards snow daze and equally glacial tournament organizers, only two PTQs are currently up; I cheated to get the numbers on the Philly PTQ. Notice how much worse the Hallowed Fountain decks look without the odd Northeast metagame.
| Deck&ntsb; &ntsb; &ntsb; | &ntsb; | Aggro Loam | * | |
| G/W Haterator | * | |||
| Gaea's Might Get There | 1 | 1 | ||
| TEPS | 1 | 1 | ||
| U/W Tron | 1 | |||
| Affinity | 1 | |||
| Flow Deck Wins | 1 | |||
| Flow Rock | 1 | |||
| Loam Slide | 1 | |||
| Friggorid | 1 | |||
| NO Stick | 1 | |||
| Trinket Angels | 1 | |||
| Trinket Post | 1 | |||
| U/W Post | 1 |
We don't have a PTQ this weekend, so I have no personally measurable opinion on positioning, but I think that it is probably a good week to play Boros. The most popular deck from Worlds has to be underplayed for the Week 1 numbers to look like they did, and there is no better way to remind a big spell U/W deck about the speed of the format than with a Molten Rain. With most players underestimating the G/W - probably Boros's toughest matchup among known, if not popular, decks - the sailing looks good for Savannah Lions and company. Pat Sullivan is one of the best PTQ Red Deck players in the history of winning amateur tournaments. I'd love to see an opinion out of the man RE: winning the mirror, and ASAP (hint, hint Sullivan).
Thanks for reading, and good luck this weekend. Just make sure to play a sick deck.
LOVE
MIKE
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