The M&B Problem

Minsc and Boo, Timeless Heroes have become a force...in U/x decks. Because of course. We can't have nice things in Legacy unless they help Blue decks. 

But it creates a problem for me, because I was using Abrupt Decay as my removal spell of choice for cards like Teferi and Narset-both still very important cards to deal with! But it doesn't deal with Minsc and Boo.

The issue is that a 4/4 with trample and haste every turn for zero mana is a problem. Among other things, of course. And I'm mean it's not like M&B can just draw more cards and deal damage to me to solve a pro-what's that? It can? 

OOoooookay. 

Here's where I butt up against the fundamental problem with Legacy: so long as the Xerox package exists (Brainstorm, Ponder, Expressive Iteration/Preordain, Fetchlands, Daze) the options for Blue decks are limitless and the options for non-Blue decks are restricted. That's an issue for me, because it's boring. It seems like I'm looking at playing a Xerox package deck or an anti-Xerox deck. 

But there's no way to properly build an anti-Xerox deck because the Xerox decks can do anything! They can be U/R Delver, they can be U/W/x Control decks and the axis to beat either of these things are different. They use the graveyard until they don't, they use creatures until they don't; the options are extremely open to them and weaknesses to any build are very easy to shore up.

I'm considering cutting Grist to make room for copies of Plague Engineer. A proactive naming of Hamster could be helpful and a 2/2 deathtouch isn't a bizarre idea. It doesn't feel right but that might just be me. 

I almost don't want to go to Friday night Legacy because I know I'm going to face decks that have no vulnerabilities to exploit. I don't feel like playing UR Delver-because it's a known quantity. The plays are the same. The puzzle is solved. 

Not sure what to do about that. But I'm going to give it another swing tomorrow anyway. 

0-2-1

Well, here's a bit of a slide from the last event. 

Rd 1 vs Derek on mono Red prison

G1: my first play was to get a Swamp, but the response was a turn one Blood Moon.

Unfortunately, the next three lands in my hand were a Verdant Catacombs and two Bayous. I could play nothing, while he cast Goblin Rabblemaster. I cut out before he could see what I was up to.

G2: There was a Chalice of the Void set to 1, then another on 2, and I was hanging on until I got a Pernicious Deed, which I cleared most of the board with. Then it was Apprentice, Chain to win.

G3: This time there was a turn two Chalice on 2 and every card in my hand cost 2. I cast a Once Upon A Time in response, saw 2 Pernicious Deeds in the top five and thought: Uh-oh, I’m not going to see another one. I didn’t and that was that.

What I didn't do: Sideboard in Abrupt Decay. That card solves my Chalice problem, along with just about any other problem that deck can resolve and I didn't realize this until after the fact. Next time!

Rd 2 vs Ryan on 4c Control w/Minsc & Boo.
G1: He didn’t seem to get much board presence, and eventually I whittled his hand down to a Chain of Smog on him-which he countered, letting me Chain myself to win. Unfortunately, I don't think I saw a nonland permanent from him this game, so I wasn't sure what to do and merely boarded in three copies of Choke.

G2: This was a grinder of a match. We traded removal and creatures but eventually he got the better of me. He had Uro to recur, so I switched up my sideboard to include Leyline.

G3: While I had the opening Leyline hand, my follow up didn't include enough pressure. He answered my threats but I was able to answer his and eventually, we went to time. Still, interesting match!

Rd 3 vs Chris on UW/r control
Game 1: Not much. Just got Narcet/Days Undoing’d. 

Game 2: I got stuck on two lands. While my turn two and three Hymns did what they were supposed to, I couldn’t draw anything else to help me. Eventually Narcet arrived and I didn't have any pressure. When Day's Undoing was cast on my turn after I drew, that was that. 

I'm not sure I sideboarded well in that last match; I knew my Sudden Edicts didn't matter but would Leyline have been a good decision? It seems like the Day's Undoing decks are notoriously light on threats and many rely on resources coming back from the graveyard. 

That second game I conceded, my opponent didn't win. He might've, given enough time but perhaps if I had been looking for a hand that targeted my opponent's deck's weaknesses I might've hung in there.

Mostly this evening felt like I had some bad luck. Aside from missing the Abrupt Decay vs Chalice interaction I didn't miss anything. Teferi is still a problem and the white removal suite (Swords to Plowshares/Prismatic Ending) is a grinder. I wish I had an answer to that. 

Thragtusk might actually be helpful if I could ramp up mana, but what was suggested to me was Thrun the Last Troll.

It can't be countered and it can't be targeted. Can this do what I need it to? 

Sideboard Margins

 I know I've been talking about what cards-especially anti-Blue cards-might fit into the Yes We Die shell or sideboard. I don't mind the obvious answers but just after I'd posed this question, I saw the Thraben U video putting a spotlight on Sheoldred, the Apocalypse. 

I won't say that it was news to me that the card was good: the stats alone for Sheoldred make her formidable. I also knew from other decks I've built that making players take damage for drawing cards shouldn't be sniffed at. That it could be as punishing as it was, however, was a little eye opening. 

And it fits in with what I'm doing very well. The incremental life gain is extending things to a point where I can combo off, the incremental life loss is shortening the game to where I don't have to.

There is, of course, one problem. 

Sigh. I've said it before but holy crap are cards expensive. 

It's $50 for a card that on day of release was going for close to $40 and now that it's out in the world, is just more expensive. The supply went UP and the cost also went up.

That ain't right. I don't know how the hell singles of new cards spike like this, but it is exhausting to have this game be so damned expensive. 

Part of me just wants to throw in a 'what the heck' card. This is where God-Eternal Rhonas becomes seductive. 

But I think I'll just go with a regular old Thragtusk for now. 

A Thousand Reasons

 After the 2-2 performance of Yes We Die, it's probably worth looking at the deck I had vs the deck I brought. I think this might be interesting because it can illustrate the difference between the decks I bring to the table to play and the decks I bring when things are serious business. 

So here's the list:

4 Sedgemoor Witch
4 Witherbloom Apprentice
2 Murderous Rider // Swift End
4 Dark Confidant
2 Shifting Ceratops
1 Eternal Witness
2 Endurance

4 Sudden Edict
4 Once Upon a Time

2 Fabled Passage
4 Forest
4 Swamp
4 Bayou
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Overgrown Tomb

2 Grist, the Hunger Tide

4 Chain of Smog
3 Abundant Harvest
4 Hymn to Tourach

15 Sideboard

SB: 1 Defense Grid

SB: 4 Leyline of the Void
SB: 3 Choke
SB: 3 Pernicious Deed

SB: 4 Abrupt Decay

Obvious differences are obvious: There is a sideboard! And there are the requisite lands required for running a deck in Legacy. The original deck wanted to trim the land count down and use the double-faced spells/lands from Zendikar Rising to help keep the pressure on. A tournament deck does not have the slack for these kinds of things. 

There are other changes too: Because there is such a heavy Blue presence at Mox, the sideboard was trying to manage the popularity of those decks. Shifting Ceratops mainboard is a result of this thinking but the sideboard is where this really gets emphasized. 

Leyline is still a useful tool against decks that want to use Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath or Murktide Regent, and that is most Blue decks. But Abrupt Decay, despite falling out of favor was helpful for me. Getting rid of Teferi or Narscet, cards I have seen often on Fridays, is pretty goodl. Abrupt Decay's uses might be limited, but I like having at least some kind of answer to Teferi that allows me to continue to interact with the game.

Along those lines, the lone Eternal Witness maindeck could be questionable. I was never sad to see it, but a third copy of Endurance or Grist, the Hunger tide are reasonable. 

Or, something that creates a problem for Blue with some protections from Prismatic Ending. 

Finally, a substitute for Defense Grid in the Sideboard is worth considering. I only have three copies of Choke, and I've maxed out the other relevant spells I think: Leyline and Abrupt Decay. What would be a good catchall spell? I think the three copies of Pernicious Deed are where I want to be. 

Force of Vigor or Krosan Grip? Grip holds an edge because of the countermagic available but is that even a thing that the Blue decks are worried about? The relevant permanents I saw there were Aether Vial and Standstill. So maybe this is too narrow.

Tear Asunder fits into what this deck wants and has some flexibility. Unfortunately, that comes at the expense of costing a lot of mana and I don't know that I'll have the time to wait until turn four. I might have to put the question to some friends. I would love to add in a card like Thragtusk but I just don't ramp up mana quickly enough.

My search brought me to God-Eternal Rhonas though and suddenly I'm considering that. I shouldn't but I am.

2-2

After weeks of going without a single match win, I decided to change decks again. I'll be talking about that soon but for now, here's how last Friday went!

Round 1

Vs Chris on Day's Undoing combo
1: We traded board position in the early going, but eventually he landed a Narset, Jace and a Teferi and I had lands on my side. I made a critical mistake when I used Questing Beast to attack Jace instead of my opponent, then using the Beast’s trigger. Being at 6 or less life is definitely better than being at 10. Live and learn.

2: I got a Choke out on turn 3 and he scooped. 

3: I had four Dark Confidants, he had 4 Prismatic Endings and I never got to draw a single card off a Confidant. I got a bit stuck on lands, too, but by the time I had five lands out, I was facing a board of Jace-after destroying Teferi and Narcet with Abrupt Decay. I didn’t have any other pressure though and Jace ticked up to 13. Man I hate Teferi.

Round 2
Vs William on UR delver
1: an early Hymn took out the two Murktides in hand, so he used DRC and Delver (which had easily flipped) to take out my Grist, the Hunger Tide. But I landed a Questing Beast and used it and two insect tokens to pull ahead. He'd attacked for six, while at 5 life, then played another Delver to block my Questing Beast. 

Unfortunately, Questing Beast has text relevant to Delver of Secrets. 

2: He got suck on a Volcanic Island, and I capitalized with a Choke on turn 3. He responded by Wasteland-ing my Bayou, but I had a Witherbloom Apprentice out and once I cast Sudden Edict to remove his only creature, he didn’t have any way to follow up.

Round 3
Vs Brandon on Changling combo
1: I got run over by all the changelings coming out after a Dwarven Recruiter appeared.

2: On turn 3 I had the Chain/Apprentice combo and that was it.

3: Turn 3 Brandon was all set up, and I was taking for 7 a turn. With an Apprentice on the table I paused and he said "If you're waiting, that's good news for me" and I said "It is good news for you". Then I cast Abundant Harvest drawing a Chain of Smog and that was it. Whew.

Round 4
Vs Jonathon on Stiflenaut
1: He started off with a Minsc and Boo I almost stabilized from being hamstered every turn. But I couldn't get away from a recurred Uro, and when my last ditch Eternal Witness was countered that was it.

2: I dropped Leyline of the Void on turn 0 meant that his plan B was out-but he had Torpor Orbs and I was not expecting those. However, with a resolved Dark Confidant, I was able to keep my hand full and the pressure on. Eventually I got the win.

3: I failed to sideboard between these games and that was a mistake. I needed Pernicious Deed and didn’t think to bring it in. At this point, I had seen Torpor Orb and should've looked for a way to remove it. I instead mulliganed a solid hand down to one with sideboard options-so it had a Leyline, followed by a Choke-which was countered- but I couldn’t generate any other pressure on the board. Eventually a Torpor Orb was followed by Uro and that was all she wrote.

Still, 2-2! That's the first time I've won a match. 

Takeaways from this experience:

Choke is good. I had tilted my sideboard towards Defense Grid, because it is cheaper, has no color requirements, and could potentially do something in games where I didn't face Islands.

But nobody is doing anything like that at Mox Boardinghouse. Nearly every deck I faced had land types that included Island. It is better to just lock them out of the game, then try to prevent them from acting during my turns. 

Graveyard hate is still necessary. Leylines were useful in many matchups and despite the field being relatively broad, it still seems like they are required.

Practice helps. Jason was kind enough to load up a UWR control deck and UR delver for me to play against. Those matches helped me have a plan for the Blue-based decks I faced.

Finally, I need to figure out what is better to sideboard out. Many opponents were scared of a Hymn even when I'd boarded that out. But should I have boarded it out? 

Protection effects still matter and counterspell disruption is still important. I'm not sure how to incorporate these things. 

My decision to add in Abrupt Decay was a good one. Getting rid of the two most common Planeswalkers I've seen has been very useful. If a deck is running Tundra, I guarantee I will see Teferi, Time Raveler. 

Not a bad first showing. 

Yes We Die

Yup, it's another riff on a deck I saw online. Named after a Dagoba song, I figured it was appropriate, given the endgame. 

Main		Sideboard
4	Chain of Smog	3	Bala Ged Recovery // Bala Ged Sanctuary
1	Thoughtseize	3	Hagra Mauling // Hagra Broodpit
4	Sedgemoor Witch	4	Pernicious Deed
4	Witherbloom Apprentice	4	Leyline of the Void
2	Murderous Rider // Swift End	4	Veil of Summer
2	Grist, the Hunger Tide	3	Tsabo's Web
3	Beanstalk Giant // Fertile Footsteps
4	Abundant Harvest
4	Sudden Edict
2	Fabled Passage
6	Forest
6	Swamp
3	Hagra Mauling // Hagra Broodpit
3	Bala Ged Recovery // Bala Ged Sanctuary
3	Once Upon a Time
4	Hymn to Tourach
4	Nurturing Peatland
1	Dragonsguard Elite

Obviously a work in progress.

This is the casual version. I'm thinking about taking a tuned up version to the Friday night events, because it has an 'I win' condition (Chain of Smog + Witherbloom Apprentice), which previous decks I've run did not. 

Also, I really like B/G as as color combination. 

Now, casually this is a very tight build-not a lot of lands, use of the double faced cards like Bala Ged Recovery and Hagara Mauling to make up for that. It's fairly low to the ground, which is good but the lands that enter tapped do create a delay. 

Again: under casual circumstances, I'm OK with that. Going into an FNM, I'm going to have to change it up.