I have question about the first replay against UB: why did you let the first Grave Titan resolve? You had Spell Pierce mana and he was tapped out.
( I'm not saying you played it wrong, I'm just curious. :) )
Thanks for writing such an extended run down of 30 card sealed swiss. I am playing one right now for the first time in ages (SoM is boring and got enough of MED4 for now) and really needed a quick confirmation about the land count and stuff like that. I am very lucky as I opened 2 mythics including a green titan on my first try.
I like to chat during or after the play. I often start conversations, when I lost or won big. When I lost and feel like the opponent was a nice guy from a few remarks in game I often try to talk with him, somehow it makes me feel better about my loss. I hat arrogant winners. If I win I like to talk as well, maybe rerun some plays, to try to find out if I made errors, or got lucky or anything.. sometimes it helps to improve my game.
Once in a while I use the addbuddy after such chats, but the problem is, a few months later you never know which nickname is which person and those 'buddies' remain random strangers, so it's kinda useless.
I really enjoyed the videos. It gave me a different view on how to play the deck. I sometimes think that I am a little to conservative when I am playing control.
After putting 4CC into the equations the landscape for archetypes changed a bit as you can see. Control has now a more definite lead on the other types. 4CC still loses the 2nd overall placement but its distance from Esper is less than it appeared to be at first look.
As I kinda suspected, the BUG Allies win against 4CC in the Top8 was partially driven by poor draws on the control deck's side. However, that's part of the game too: even I managed to win a tournament with an absurd deck against my worst matchup some years ago. These kind of things just happen. ;)
I'm surprised you didn't mention Martial Coup, it's a good combination of White Sun's Zenith and Phyrexian Rebirth, and I would rate it above Kirtar's Wrath. I'm not sure that White Sun's Zenith will make much of an impact. Even at WWW10, that's still only 10 2/2 creatures. It's great to have, but 20 potential damage doesn't quite make it a game over card.
As much as I love the card, I'm having a hard time worrying about Mitotic Manipulation. I'm picking up a playset, but I don't see it breaking the format here. If you're using it to copy a Frost Titan is just kinda sounds like win-moar to me.
There are plenty of instant speed board sweepers. Evacuation destroys White Sun's Zenith. In standard you can use Consume the Meek. Instant speed, mass smother seems pretty good against weenie decks.
I know I wrote about Endless Whispers at one point. I may have mentioned a Confusion deck, but I don't think I ever wrote an article on it. Wow I'm getting so old I can't remember.
Actually, I believe it was you who wrote an article about both of these cards. I wrote this article a year ago and the week I wanted to submit it there was an article about Confusion here. So I waited a few weeks and then someone published an article about Endless. So I figured this article was completely dead at that point. However, a year later I am still loving this deck today as much as I did back in 2003 when I first made it. I decided to revisit this article and try again. I didn't mention it in the article, but this was my not just my first tournament deck, but also my first block constructed deck.
So there was a 4CC after all! Thank you Copperfield, I'll fix the graphs as soon as possible. :)
Indeed, Fume Spitter is very strong against Allies. That's why I was kinda surprised to see the BUG deck reach Top4. I guess there weren't enough Spitters in this week's meta to fend the allied assault. However, Griisu managed to win against arcbounddaylabor's 4CC in their Top8 match. I'd like to see that replay!
I absolutely agree. While normally I don't really care about classic because...well i have no desire for serious competitive play, it was still a great read and a lot more intriguing than i thought it would be. Great article.
This is one of the better articles I've read here, I smiled reading the whole thing :) I can only imagine the ruckus this would cause in a multiplayer game, but it would be HI-larious. Once, at any rate.
This looks very familiar to something I made a while ago, though I splashed U for some card selection, trickbind (for the times CitR goes horribly horribly wrong) and designed it for 1-1 duels. I found it a blast to play, and I hope you enjoy your deck as much as I did mine!
Edit: It might also be worth mentioning that the artifact lands are there to trigger CitR. This allows you to steal valuable lands too, and gives you some extra artifact-theft ability. Edit Edit: I just saw that you actually put that in your article anyway!
I played a slightly different non-black Four Color Allies deck that was a tweak on a list I made Top Four with at the SPDC just before MPDC 11.11. I probably should have used black allies due to all the Doom Blades running around Standard these days. I lost on Monday thanks to this, including the one archbounddaylabor was running, which if I remember correctly was a Four Color Control list.
It's also worth mentioning that you have to be careful with the +1/+1 counter Allies against decks using Fume Spitter. Dudes like Oran Rief-Recluse, Umara Raptor, and Bojuka Brigand may seem like bears in your head, but they enter the battlefield as 1/1s. A smart opponent with a Fume Spitter on the board will sacrifice it in response to the Ally's ETB ability, thus killing what seemed like a 2/2. And getting quite a bit of value out of his little Phyrexian pest! I think Fume Spitter in particular poses quite a hurdle in Allies' path to the gold.
They're still fun if you want to run something other than Esper, though :-)
You can use auras as well. Cast an aura on your creature, your opponant may get control of it but it is still on your creature. You get one of thier enchantments in return.
Great videos, Agur!
I have question about the first replay against UB: why did you let the first Grave Titan resolve? You had Spell Pierce mana and he was tapped out.
( I'm not saying you played it wrong, I'm just curious. :) )
Congrats on the occasion!!!
-Abe Sargent
These price charts are great! Thanks a bunch for providing them to the public.
Old article, but I'll comment anyway.
Thanks for writing such an extended run down of 30 card sealed swiss. I am playing one right now for the first time in ages (SoM is boring and got enough of MED4 for now) and really needed a quick confirmation about the land count and stuff like that. I am very lucky as I opened 2 mythics including a green titan on my first try.
I like to chat during or after the play. I often start conversations, when I lost or won big. When I lost and feel like the opponent was a nice guy from a few remarks in game I often try to talk with him, somehow it makes me feel better about my loss. I hat arrogant winners. If I win I like to talk as well, maybe rerun some plays, to try to find out if I made errors, or got lucky or anything.. sometimes it helps to improve my game.
Once in a while I use the addbuddy after such chats, but the problem is, a few months later you never know which nickname is which person and those 'buddies' remain random strangers, so it's kinda useless.
I really enjoyed the videos. It gave me a different view on how to play the deck. I sometimes think that I am a little to conservative when I am playing control.
Rules...we dont need no stinking rules!
As promised the updated graphs are in:
After putting 4CC into the equations the landscape for archetypes changed a bit as you can see. Control has now a more definite lead on the other types. 4CC still loses the 2nd overall placement but its distance from Esper is less than it appeared to be at first look.
As I kinda suspected, the BUG Allies win against 4CC in the Top8 was partially driven by poor draws on the control deck's side. However, that's part of the game too: even I managed to win a tournament with an absurd deck against my worst matchup some years ago. These kind of things just happen. ;)
I had no idea that was gonna be published, I would have been more professional!!!
Good write up and good times :)
I'm surprised you didn't mention Martial Coup, it's a good combination of White Sun's Zenith and Phyrexian Rebirth, and I would rate it above Kirtar's Wrath. I'm not sure that White Sun's Zenith will make much of an impact. Even at WWW10, that's still only 10 2/2 creatures. It's great to have, but 20 potential damage doesn't quite make it a game over card.
As much as I love the card, I'm having a hard time worrying about Mitotic Manipulation. I'm picking up a playset, but I don't see it breaking the format here. If you're using it to copy a Frost Titan is just kinda sounds like win-moar to me.
There are plenty of instant speed board sweepers. Evacuation destroys White Sun's Zenith. In standard you can use Consume the Meek. Instant speed, mass smother seems pretty good against weenie decks.
I know I wrote about Endless Whispers at one point. I may have mentioned a Confusion deck, but I don't think I ever wrote an article on it. Wow I'm getting so old I can't remember.
Actually, I believe it was you who wrote an article about both of these cards. I wrote this article a year ago and the week I wanted to submit it there was an article about Confusion here. So I waited a few weeks and then someone published an article about Endless. So I figured this article was completely dead at that point. However, a year later I am still loving this deck today as much as I did back in 2003 when I first made it. I decided to revisit this article and try again. I didn't mention it in the article, but this was my not just my first tournament deck, but also my first block constructed deck.
Just so you know, the official spoiler has been up for 3 days now..
So there was a 4CC after all! Thank you Copperfield, I'll fix the graphs as soon as possible. :)
Indeed, Fume Spitter is very strong against Allies. That's why I was kinda surprised to see the BUG deck reach Top4. I guess there weren't enough Spitters in this week's meta to fend the allied assault. However, Griisu managed to win against arcbounddaylabor's 4CC in their Top8 match. I'd like to see that replay!
i always have built monored confusion and monoblack whispers decks. its very interesting seeing the two combined
I absolutely agree. While normally I don't really care about classic because...well i have no desire for serious competitive play, it was still a great read and a lot more intriguing than i thought it would be. Great article.
That comment almost gets the flame? I thought the "suck my okk" remark would have gotten someone to flame me. lol glad you like the idea.
This is one of the better articles I've read here, I smiled reading the whole thing :) I can only imagine the ruckus this would cause in a multiplayer game, but it would be HI-larious. Once, at any rate.
well my clanmates helped in that. im glad you liked it though, i wassent sure how it would be recieved.
This looks very familiar to something I made a while ago, though I splashed U for some card selection, trickbind (for the times CitR goes horribly horribly wrong) and designed it for 1-1 duels. I found it a blast to play, and I hope you enjoy your deck as much as I did mine!
Edit: It might also be worth mentioning that the artifact lands are there to trigger CitR. This allows you to steal valuable lands too, and gives you some extra artifact-theft ability. Edit Edit: I just saw that you actually put that in your article anyway!
I played a slightly different non-black Four Color Allies deck that was a tweak on a list I made Top Four with at the SPDC just before MPDC 11.11. I probably should have used black allies due to all the Doom Blades running around Standard these days. I lost on Monday thanks to this, including the one archbounddaylabor was running, which if I remember correctly was a Four Color Control list.
It's also worth mentioning that you have to be careful with the +1/+1 counter Allies against decks using Fume Spitter. Dudes like Oran Rief-Recluse, Umara Raptor, and Bojuka Brigand may seem like bears in your head, but they enter the battlefield as 1/1s. A smart opponent with a Fume Spitter on the board will sacrifice it in response to the Ally's ETB ability, thus killing what seemed like a 2/2. And getting quite a bit of value out of his little Phyrexian pest! I think Fume Spitter in particular poses quite a hurdle in Allies' path to the gold.
They're still fun if you want to run something other than Esper, though :-)
You can use auras as well. Cast an aura on your creature, your opponant may get control of it but it is still on your creature. You get one of thier enchantments in return.
There's a Paris Texas??
That conversational thread is one of the single most fascinating pieces on deckbuilding that I have ever read. Awesome work, Whiffy!