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Rather than using the internet as my chief source of getting ideas, I talked to various people about the new Standard - and they all gave me various decks. Dave Chung liked three-color UZI, Matt Boccio liked mono black beats, and the Minnesota connection was veering towards U/G/B Oppo. I took the information I had from the invitational combined with the random technology Y&R and Team Wizards had provided me, and my testing gauntlet looked a little like this:
- Mono black control/aggro
- Two- and Three-Color UZI
- U/G and U/G/B Oppo
- U/G Madness
- Sligh
- Wake
Fast-forward to the night before the tournament: Boccio and Chung came down to my place on Friday and we meet up with Jake Abdalla. We were going to go to Jackass, but Jake insisted that we got in some more testing and made the final tweaks in our lists.
Boccio was running Wake, I was going to play UZI, and Jake ran U/G Madness. Chung coming from NJ, couldn't play in NY States, but eventually decided to play Jake's U/G madness list for his tournament the next day. That night we tested for a while - and I realized a large flaw in my deck. Not only did it not beat U/G better than 65%, it barely managed 50-50. Confused yet tired, I went to sleep hoping that the right deck would just appear.
On the train Jake explained to me why U/G was the right choice and also why it would win. His list was pretty standard, but contained two copies of Krosan Reclamation in the sideboard. Still confused on what to play, I turned to Boccio and Chung. Boccio had his headphones on and Chung was asleep - and it was determined that I would play U/G.
The only part of Jake's list that I didn't agree with was the counterspells main and Aether Bursts in the sideboard. We talked over which one was right and eventually concluded that the bursts should be main.
We got to the tournament site at about 9:15 with minimal problems (Boccio needed a neck brace or something, and Chung was still confused about where we were). We walked around the room and saw a lot of U/G and Sligh, so we left the Aether Bursts main. The tournament had roughly 120 people in it and would be seven rounds.
I registered my deck and got ready for round 1. My final deck list looked like this:
2 Aquamoeba
4 Arrogant Wurm
4 Basking Rootwalla
4 Merfolk Looter
4 Wild Mongrel
4 Wonder
4 Aether Burst
4 Careful Study
4 Circular Logic
2 Deep Analysis
2 Roar of the Wurm
2 Centaur Garden
2 City of Brass
7 Forest
11 Island
Sideboard:
3 Compost
4 Counterspell
2 Krosan Reclamation
3 Phantom Centaur
2 Ray of Revelation
1 Upheaval
Round 1: B/W Control
In every tournament, there is what we call a"free win" - and for me, it happened round 1.
Game 1 he wins the die roll and plays first. He keeps his hand and I paris double-Mongrel, Rootwalla, Arrogant Wurm, two Roars, Island. My next hand is not very good against a black control deck... But I keep it nonetheless. His turn 1 Duress grabs a Roar of the Wurm because me hand is Roar, Arrogant Wurm, four lands. I lay a land and say go. On turn 2 he plays a Nantuko Shade and says go. I play the Wild Mongrel that I drew (mize!) and say go. Of course he has Chainer's Edict for the Wild Mongrel and that's pretty much the game. His Shade, combined with two more Edicts and a Smother, are enough for me to shuffle up for game 2.
Boarding: +3 Compost, +3 Phantom Centaur +4 Counterspell, +1 Upheaval.
-2 Roar of the Wurm, -3 Careful Study, -4 Aether Burst, - 2 Wonder
Game 2 I draw a fairly good hand, and get him down to six when he starts to stabilize. He Mutilates my board of Wild Mongrel, Rootwalla, and Looter, then drops his Shade. My Phantom Centaur gets Edicted and for the next three turns I take Shade beats and drop to four. On my turn I draw Careful Study and study into Rootwalla, Arrogant Wurm. He realizes that my Centaur Garden plus either Rootwalla or Arrogant Wurm is enough to kill him, so he goes for the win. His freshly-drawn Duress revels my one card to be Circular Logic, which I'm forced to pitch. Without much hesitation, he taps six lands and says,"Corrupt, targeting you." I happily tap one blue mana and Logic, then attack for the win the next turn.
Game 3 I can tell that my opponent is angry at his misplay and to top it off my draw is insane. Two Composts combined with my Wild Mongrel and double Arrogant Wurm is just too much for him, and he scoops on turn 7.
1-0
Round 2: G/R
Game 1: He gets his nuts draw: Wild Mongrel, Violent Eruption your team, Blistering Firecat, Blistering Firecat, game.
Boarding: + 3 Phantom Centaur
-2 Deep Analysis - 1 Wonder.
Game 2 I keep two Islands, Forest, Looter, three Arrogant Wurm, I just hope that my Looter doesn't die. Turn 2 I play the Looter and cross my fingers; unfortunately, his turn 2 play is Volcanic Hammer and I pick up my Merfolk Looter and ship it to the yard.
Suddenly he says,"What are you doing?" I reply with,"What are you targeting?" He says three to the face. Happily I drop turn 3, 4, and 5 Arrogant Wurms while he misses land drops.
Game 3, I finally draw a Wild Mongrel. My Arrogant Wurm and then double Phantom Centaurs answer his turn 3 Call of the Herd; I show him my double Aether Bursts and that's the game.
2-0
Round 3: B/R Wildfire
Game 1: I drop a turn 2 Wild Mongrel; turn 3 Arrogant Wurm; he Stone Rains me the next turn. A few turns later his Smother is then Logiced and he scoops..
Boarding: I still wasn't really sure what he was playing, because all I had seen at that point was Smothers and Stone Rains game 1.
+3 Phantom Centaur, +2 Counterspell + 3 Compost
-4 Aether Burst, - 4 Wonder.
Game 2 is mainly the same thing; I drop a Looter then some Arrogant Wurms and counter his threats.
3-0
Round 4: Chris Donovan U/G Madness
Chris won last years states and I had heard that he was playing UG with Aether Bursts main.
Game 1: My turn 1 Careful Study gets me two Rootwallas, and Chris lays a land and says go. Next I play a Wild Mongrel and bash with the Rootwallas. He plays an island and says go. I bash with my creatures and pump a Rootwalla, leaving an island open. He plays a land, bursts my Wild Mongrel and says go. A few turns later, Chris plays a turn 5 Arrogant Wurm, which I Logic - and I swing in for the kill.
Boarding: +3 Phantom Centaur, + 2 Krosan Reclamation
-2 Deep Analysis, -2 Roar of the Wurm, -1 Careful Study.
Game 2, Chris starts with Wild Mongrel and I have Aquamoeba. He gets Arrogant Wurm turn 3, which meets my Arrogant Wurm.
A few turns pass and the board is something like he has Rootwalla, Wild Mongrel, and Arrogant Wurm, to my Phantom Centaur, Arrogant Wurm, and Aquamoeba. I think I'm in a good position until he drops Wonder... And just like that, I'm dead in two attack phases.
Game 3 We both start strong, me with Looter him with Wild Mongrel and we get into a creature standstill. He plays a Spellbane Centaur and my next 2 draws just happen to be Aether Burst. Nonetheless, I still have a slight creature advantage - but only just. Out of options, Chris pitches his Wonder and bashes with the team; of course, I have no Wonder and I scoop.
3-1.
Round 5: Steve U/B Braids
Game 1: I play first and keep Island, Careful Study, three Merfolk Looter, Aquamoeba, Arrogant Wurm. My turn 1 Careful Study gives me another Looter and an Aquamoeba... This is not winning. Over the course of the next four turns, I miss land drops until Steve drops a Braids and I get locked.
Boarding: +3 Phantom Centaur, +3 Compost
-2 Deep Analysis, -1 Careful Study, -2 Roar of the Wurm -1 Wonder.
Game 2 I start off with a strong hand: Double Merfolk Looter, Careful Study, Arrogant Wurm, Wild Mongrel, Rootwalla, and Wonder... But when I Careful Study into two nonlands, I'm just about ready to call it a day. Luckily, the next turn I draw a forest and play Wild Mongrel, which is followed by Arrogant Wurm. With four lands out, Steve plays a Braids - which I happily let resolve and quickly swing for the kill.
Game 3: Steve plays a turn 1 Blackmail, which grabs Logic. I play island and say go. Steve plays another Blackmail, which gets a second Logic and says go... Hmm, no lands.
I play a turn 2 Compost and say go. Steve draws and says go. My next turn I rip Wild Mongrel off the top and play it. Steve draws and frustratingly says go. This proceeds for about three more turns, when finally Steve shows me his hand - which contains four Smothers.
4-1
Round 6: Max Tietze U/B/G Oppo.
Game 1: Max starts off with forest, Bird. I play island and say go. He plays land and says go. This continues for about four turns until I draw an Arrogant Wurm, which gets lapsed. He plays an Opposition, a Call, and a Braids and soon enough it's over.
Boarding: +2 Compost, +2 Ray of Revelation, +2 Counterspell, +2 Phantom Centaur
-2 Roar of the Wurm, -2 Deep Analysis, -2 Careful Study, - 2 Wonder,
Game 2, I get a solid draw. My turn 2 Looter gets Smothered and my turn 3 Wild Mongrel has a logic for his second Smother. Turn 4, I have Compost and Looter... Then loot out an Arrogant Wurm. Max attempts a Dark Banishing on my Wurm, which I Logic and draw a card. I attack, pitch my hand, and sac my Centaur Garden for the win.
Game 3, Max parises down to five; I go down to six. He plays a forest and passes. I play island and say go. On turn 2, he plays an island and says go. I play turn 2 Compost. His turn 3 Shadowmage Infiltrator is met by my Wild Mongrel, with Logic backup for his smother. A few turns later, plus an Arrogant Wurm or two, the game is over.
5-1
Going into round 7, the standings are put up. I'm in 7th and can't draw, Jake is in 6th and can't draw either, Boccio dropped at 4-2, and Chung is off somewhere drafting it up.
Round 7: Jason Imperiale
Now here's an interesting story: Fighting through a sea of good players, Jason piloted his Mono Green Elves deck to a 5-0 performance. Round 6 he was unable to draw, as he was paired down, and round 7 I played him, he could draw in - yet I couldn't. Jake had told me earlier that he had played Jason and that he lost, so I didn't know what to expect.
Game 1: Jason starts off with a Llanowar Elves, followed by an Elvish Lyrist and an Elvish Warrior. I calmly dropped a Wild Mongrel and said go. Jason bashes with his creatures, has some crazy Giant Growth tricks... And suddenly I'm at ten.
Jason plays a Wild Mongrel. I untap, drop a land, and say go. In Jason's attack phase, I drop an Arrogant Wurm and put him in a poor situation. Although I'm low at life, I think that I've got the game - Jason drops another Elvish Warrior and says go. Next turn I draw an Aether Burst, play a land and a Wild Mongrel, and get ready with my Aether Burst for any of his tricks. He plays an Elephant Guide on one of his creatures and says go. End step I cast the burst and he scoops.
Boarding: I've heard from various people that Jason has been smashing U/G with his Elvish Champions, so I board in two counterspells and three Phantom Centaurs, -2 Deep Analysis, -1 Wonder, -2 Careful Study.
Game 2: Game 2 goes more or less like game one. He drops the early beats, including a turn 2 Elvish Archer with an Elephant Guide. I get out an Aquamoeba and some Rootwallas out, but I have no answer to the first striker. He drops the Elvish Champion, which I Logic; I draw Aether Burst, bash with the team, Burst his Archer, and he scoops.
6-1
Jake wins his match and is 6-1, he is in 1st place and I'm in 2nd. The top 8 included five U/G decks, one Sligh, one Psychatog, and G/R. Some of the notable names in the top 8 were Zev Gurwitz with Psychatog, and Chris Donovan who I played round 4.
T8: Chris Donovan U/G Madness
Game 1: I lose the die roll 20-2; not good. I drop a turn 2 Looter and loot out a couple of Rootwallas. He has an Aquamoeba and sits there for a few turns. I bash consecutive turns with two Rootwallae and pump twice. He lays lands and says go. A few more turns of Rootwalla beats and we're in game two.
Boarding: +3 Phantom Centaur, + 2 Krosan Reclamation
-2 Deep Analysis, -2 Roar of the Wurm, -1 Careful Study
Game 2: His hand is very aggressive with a turn 2 Wild Mongrel, turn 3 Arrogant Wurm. I have a Looter and I stabilize with a Phantom Centaur. I drop a Spellbane Centaur, and says go. Eventually I loot out an Arrogant Wurm. Over the next two or three turns I attack, and he makes several defensive blocks. Eventually I call his bluff of drawing Aether Burst off the top and go for it; he shows me his hand of island and scoops.
Jake plays Adam Rubens in T8, another UG mirror matchup and beats him in 3 games.
T4: Sligh
Game 1: He plays and drops a turn 1 Raging Goblin. I play an island and pass the turn. He misses a land drop, but drops another Raging Goblin and bashes. I play a Looter and say go. He misses a land drop and burns it off, still keeping on the pressure by swinging with the Goblins. I drop a Wild Mongrel with a Logic in hand and he continues to miss land drops. Eventually he cannot deal with my threats and he scoops.
Boarding: +3 Phantom Centaur,
- 2 Deep Analysis, -1 Careful Study. (Which should have been one Logic)
Game 2: Luckily for me, he parises down to five and then plays a land and says go. Since he is at five cards, I keep my hand of five lands, Arrogant Wurm, and Phantom Centaur. He misses land drops and stalls on one land for a couple of turns; eventually, I draw a Looter and cast it. Of course, this is killed via Firebolt, but fortunately he misses another land drop. Over the next five turns I draw four Circular Logics and sit on a Phantom Centaur and eventually Logic four of his spells, including a Raging Goblin.
Unfortunately, Jake loses to U/G so we won't be playing in the finals.
Finals: UG
We try to work out a split, but we don't reach an agreement. We play it out.
Game 1: I win the roll and play. I start off with a forest, Rootwalla start. He plays island and passes the turn. I have a Wild Mongrel, and then I bash with the Rootwalla. He then plays a Looter and passes the turn back to me. I lay island, bash with the team, and pump my Rootwalla. On his turn, he loots out an Arrogant Wurm, which resolves. On my turn I play a land, Aether Burst his Wurm, and bash with the team while I pump my Rootwalla. He Loots out his Arrogant Wurm, which I let resolve; I pitch Wonder and swing for the kill.
Boarding: +3 Phantom Centaur, +2 Krosan Reclamation
-2 Deep Analysis, -2 Roar of the Wurm, - 1 Careful Study.
Game 2: He plays first and drops a turn 2 Wild Mongrel. I have a Looter. He plays a Rootwalla end step and swings for five. I play a land and say go. He attacks, I loot and play a Rootwalla, block his Rootwalla, and trade. He plays another land and a Looter; I untap Loot on my turn, and discard an Arrogant Wurm. He plays another Rootwalla end step.
On his turn, he drops an island and taps out to play Wonder.
Puzzled, I come to the conclusion that he has another Wonder in his hand, because clearly if he loots and pitches it, he can kill me in two attack steps... But he doesn't have another Wonder and I eventually draw one of my own, loot it out, and attack for the win.
Final record: 9-1.
Overall, I think I made the right deck choice and card choice. The only thing that could be considered changing I think is swapping the Aether Bursts for counters, depending on the metagame. During the tournament I think the Aether Bursts were more important main than counters - mainly because I played more UG/Sligh than I did vs. Wake/UZI/Other Control Decks.
Thanks for reading and good luck in your upcoming tournaments.
