Apr 27, 2009

Banned List Update

There's been an update to the banned list. As of 01/04/2009 all the artifact lands are no longer banned in peasant tournaments in Groningen. To prevent Affinity from becoming the menace it was before the bannings in June last year, Cranial Plating has been banned. The organizers feel this should keep affinity in check, while allowing other decks (Esper, Neo Affinity) and/or interactions (Tinker Mage) to come forward. Disciple of the Vault has been added to the watchlist, as its interaction with sac outlets like Atog still raises questioning eyebrows.

Empty the Warrens has been removed from the watchlist. In the last six months, a healthy amount of storm decks have seen play, most of which chose to play the watched card. While the deck booked some solid results with at least one win and some high finishes, the peasant invite showed that a prepared field can easily deal with the card without clogging up sideboards. Two decks were played in a field of 16 players, neither of them made the top 8.

To see the full list of banned cards, click here.

A final change concerns Wizard's new Gatherer (click here to open), which brings a few relevant updates. Amongst others, Mana Crypt is now listed with rarity "Special", instead of "Common", meaning you're no longer allowed to play it in peasant.

Apr 25, 2009

Alara Reborn Set Review

Welcome to my second set review for peasant. This time Alara Reborn is the brand new set, and my my, does it have some goodies for peasant! Once again I will pore over each card that might seem worthwile to the format as far as I can tell. Reborn being all-gold needs some way to structure, so I'll group the cards by allied color combination, or, in the case of tri- and enemy colors, by shard (even though those technically don't exist anymore). I hope you'll find this intuitive to read. Anyway, no dallying, this is what I think...

For reference, you can find the full Visual Spoiler here!



Alara Reborn commons



White/Blue



Ethercaste Knight
So, a basic 1/3 exalted guy for two mana. How good can that be? It's decent on defense and it boosts your best attacker through exalted, but artifacts are fragile, it has no utility value, and it's somewhat difficult to cast. I think there are better options, but a quick Esper rush deck might surprise me.
Verdict: Won't see play

Ethersworn Shieldmage
An improved fog on a small body in Momentary Blink colors? In the right deck this can foil your opponent's combat math and direct damage time and time again. I like that you can fearlesly attack your board into any creature without losing your team.
Verdict: Might see play

Fieldmist Borderpost
Hey, what do you know! This is an auto-include in Esper W/U rush, if such an archetype is even viable. It's multicolor, helping a certain Stormblade, and an artifact, turning on the rest of the deck. Also, it effectively goes into your deck's land slots, as long as you play a few basics as well.
Verdict: Will see play

Glassdust Hulk
Five mana is a lot, though an Etherium Sculptor helps with this of course. For five mana however, you get a positive beast. A 4/5 unblockable will get the job done pretty fast, as long as you don't walk into any Ancient Grudges. I like it, though never as a 4-of.
Verdict: Might see play

Offering to Asha
I really like it when lifegain is tacked onto otherwise playable cards. If you're in a tight fight, even 2 life off an Aven Riftwatcher can make the difference. In W/U control decks this card fills the top curve in permision. 4 is a lot to pay extra, so it's not too easy to play around, and it gains you enough life that I think it's worth it.
Verdict: Might see play

Sanctum Plowbeast
So at the unplayable cost of 6 mana I get a 3/6 wall that's easily destroyed by all colors? That means I would have to play this for the landcycling only, and that's not worth it.
Verdict: Won't see play

Stormcaller's Boon
Hmmm... Cascade is cool, but the main effect of this card is not really worth it.
Verdict: Won't see play

Talon Trooper
French vanilla ftw? I'm torn. Decent stats by any means, for the cost anyways. I don't want to be excited about this one, but it turns on Esper Stormcaller and can fend of Mulldrifters, Aven Riftwatchers, Shrieking Grotesques, Hypnotic Specters, Guardian of the Guildpact, Faeries, Ninja of the Deep Hours and a lot more, all day long. Arg... Should I give this a try?
Verdict: Might see play



Esper



Arsenal Thresher
This curves in on turn 3 right after Etherium Sculptor. And wow, you can reveal artifact lands if you like! In the right deck this is easily a 5/5 for 3 mana. This might fight Myr Enforcer for the beatstick slot in affinity!
Verdict: Will see play

Esper Sojourners
Ick! An inefficient creature with a seemingly irrelevant leaves play ability and a very hard casting cost. The cycling ability is pretty in limited, but not enough to make this playable in peasant.
Verdict: Won't see play

Esper Stormblade
A 3/2 flyer for 2 mana, are you kidding? Great card, and there should be enough gold artifacts around by now to make this playable in affinity!
Verdict: Will see play

Vectis Dominator
Nah, you should never give your opponent a choice, since he will just choose the least annoying. Also, as a 0/2 it will do nothing on an empty board. Too bad really, I was hoping for a playable WB creature.
Verdict: Won't see play



Blue/Black



Architects of Will
A Hill Giant with a Sage Owl ability that cycles for cheap is perfect for limited, but I question its usefulness in peasant. Thing is, there are better utility creatures out there, and 3/3 isn't all that hot either.
Verdict: Won't see play

Brainbite
At 4 mana this is too expensive, even though it's a 2-for-1.
Verdict: Won't see play

Deny Reality
A sorcery-speed Boomerang at 5 mana. Deny Reality isn't off to a great start, and what's worse, the cascade won't often help you in the typical UB deck, which often plays at least 8 counterspell variants. Also, bouncing stuff, especially this late in the game, doesn't really solve any of your problems.
Verdict: Won't see play

Etherium Abomination
Hum. I don't really need to explain to you why this won't see play, right?
Verdict: Won't see play

Jhessian Zombies
At six mana I want better stats out of my land cyclers, maybe a 5/3 regenerator?
Verdict: Won't see play

Mistvein Borderpost
Once again, a borderpost in a color that cares about artifacts. Playable at any rate, it's even better in U/B, as long as you don't go all out on the Mirrodin artifact lands.
Verdict: Will see play

Soul Manipulation
Stunning common! This is the kind of affordable two-for-one any peasant player should be looking out for. Just be careful you don't go all out on the graveyard dependent cards like Accumulated Knowledge and Rune Snag, or else you will be wrecked by Relic of Progenitus.
Verdict: Will see play

Vedalken Ghoul
I'll tap my desert and take 1? If only it would be dangerous if it went unblocked as well...
Verdict: Won't see play



Grixis



Grixis Grimblade
Efficient creature, even though deathtouch is not really a constructed-worthy (though constructed-annoying) ability.
Verdict: Might see play

Grixis Sojourners
This one is actually playable. The cycling ability is just an expensive, though uncounterable, cremate, but the base stats are totally worth it. Besides, sometimes a cremate is just what you want in peasant!
Verdict: Might see play

Magefire Wings
Power increase and evasion on a cheap aura might actually make this playable. Even if you get only one hit out of this before they destroy the creature, it's still worth it.
Verdict: Might see play

Sewn-Eye Drake
Flying makes this so much better than Lightning Elemental. Still, at 1 toughness for four mana this is too fragile.
Verdict: Won't see play



Black/Red



Breath of Malfegor
Overcosted in a format with just one opponent.
Verdict: Won't see play

Demonic Dread
Even though cascade is probably best on a low CC, the effect of this card is awful.
Verdict: Won't see play

Igenous Pouncer
Six mana is still too much, but this at least packs some punch and can come in unexpected. Of course the surprise of you playing these is spoiled as soon as you cycle your first because six mana is nowhere in sight...
Verdict: Won't see play

Kathari Bomber
Incorrectly spoiled as an uncommon, this card still has one big weakness: Aven Riftwatcher. Only two decks played these in the last tournament however, so it seems like it's declining in popularity. Since it's a common now, I can play it besides Hypnotic Specter or Ashenmoor Gouger (I previously stated I'ld rather play these than the Bomber). That means this is actually a fairly efficient creature, sort of a Dragon Fodder stuck on a Firebolt. As an uncommon it wouldn't have seen play, as a common though...
Verdict: Might see play

Monstrous Carabid
Cycling can be relevant in certain decks, and this card is certainly playable in those decks, as long as they play both colors. Astral Slide and Lightning Rift are already popular choices. Usually these get paired with green for Tilling Treefolk, but maybe this will put some more beats in the deck?
Verdict: Might see play

Singe-Mind Ogre
Peasant is a speedy format, so most of the time you'll get 2 damage out of this at most. Then there's the times your up against a deck with Mulldrifters or Myr Enforcers in his or her hand and it burns for a lot more. Maybe. If this wasn't so unreliable I'ld run it. As is, I still want to test it.
Verdict: Might see play

Terminate
A reprint of a solid card that's already seeing play in Blightning Beatdown decks. Not much of a prediction here.
Verdict: Will see play

Veinfire Borderpost
Mana fixing in a color that can use it. Also this is another target for Shrapnel Blast.
Verdict: Will see play



Jund



Jund Hackblade
Huh! Insane if you can turn it on. Most of the times you'ld have to run uncommons or rares to do so (Tattermunge Maniac for example), but there's also the borderposts. B/R especially could run this. Wouldn't even be bad if it could attack only after you dropped down your Ashenmoor Gouger. Oh, did I mention you should play Veinfire Borderpost?
Verdict: Will see play

Jund Sojourners
Not bad, not bad. 3 power for 3 mana is right on the curve, and the cycling ability can actually be relevant. Still, you'ld want to drop this on turn three, and I don't know how consistent you could get those three colors together...
Verdict: Might see play

Putrid Leech
Well well well... A 4/4 for 2 mana, if that won't see play, nothing will! Fits in the (up till now nonexistent) B/G Mimic deck perfectly. Make sure you pack some lifegain somehow, cause this is going to hurt!
Verdict: Will see play

Sangrite Backlash
Meh, Ligthning Bolt, Last Gasp, and Agony Warp are more attractive options.
Verdict: Won't see play



Red/Green



Colossal Might
Excellent pump! The trample is crucial here. Fits right into Taiga-style decks.
Verdict: Will see play

Deadshot Minotaur
One mana too expensive, bummer! Perfect stats, a relevant ability (vs Faeries and Blink for example) and cycling. At 4 mana this would have been perfect, at 5 mana it's, well... One mana too expensive!
Verdict: Won't see play

Firewild Borderpost
Red/green usually has a lot of one-drops, some of which require basic lands (Kird Ape, Wild Nacatl), so I don't see this getting much airtime really. On the bright side, it's Shrapnel Blast fodder and fixes your mana really reliably.
Verdict: Will see play

Godtracker of Jund
If there were enough cheap 5-power creatures in the common slot this might see play. There aren't, so this won't.
Verdict: Won't see play

Gorger Wurm
Well, it's as cheap as a common 5-power creature is going to get. But no, still not competitive.
Verdict: Won't see play

Rhox Brute
Pretty efficient, not as good as the mad hatter (Wickerbough Elder) or Blastoderm.
Verdict: Won't see play

Valley Rannet
Well, these landcyclers certainly aren't anything to the peasant scene. Move along!
Verdict: Won't see play

Violent Outburst
The cascaded spell resolves before this, which means you really want to reveal that Rip-Clan Clasher! Very playable common!
Verdict: Will see play



Naya



Cerodon Yearling
A propos Rip-Clan Crasher? Go find a corner and cry, this is your new and improved brother! Of course, unlike G/R, R/W hasn't established itself as a playable archetype yet...
Verdict: Might see play

Naya Hushblade
Tech: the shroud only kicks in after you played the multicolor aura. I have never seen a more perfect target for Armadillo Cloak or Shield of the Oversoul!
Verdict: Will see play

Naya Sojourners
If only this had 4 toughness.
Verdict: Won't see play

Trace of Abundance
Currently there's not a deck that would want to play this. The only peasant deck I know of that used aura's like these was a G/U twiddle deck that actually needed to target a multiple enchanted land to generate massive amounts of mana.
Verdict: Won't see play



Green/White



Captured Sunlight
Four life eh? Here's the deal, you don't want to play lifegain unless it comes with some sort of utility or gains you a lot of life for a small cost (i.e. Nourish or Hallow). Cascade means you'll always get something else out of this, maybe an Armadillo Cloak? I think I like this card, but I still wonder if the slots aren't better spent on cards that actually win you the game.
Verdict: Might see play

Grizzled Leotau
Lol at the ridiculous toughness. This is Doran's best new friend! Luckily for us, Doran is a rare.
Verdict: Won't see play

Leonin Armorguard
Pretty decent army booster, though a Hill Giant body doesn't actually add that much too an effect like this.
Verdict: Won't see play

Pale Recluse
Anybody interested? No?
Verdict: Won't see play

Qasali Pridemage
Anybody interested? No? What's wrong with you! This is the best common since ages! The power of a Watchwolf and the utility of a Viridian Zealot combined put this common in the hall of fame as far as I'm concerned. If you're in G/W, there isn't a single reason to not play this. It's that good! I would consider this card even if I was playing G/W slivers! If not mainboard, then sideboard. Just wow!
Verdict: Will see play

Sigil of the Nayan Gods
This is a good aura. Problem is, G/W already has an abundance of great, stellar, and insane aura's. Armadillo Cloak this ain't.
Verdict: Won't see play

Sigil Behemoth
Too expensive.
Verdict: Won't see play

Wildfield Borderpost
I'ld wager there's a deck out there that really wants to play this stellar mana fixer.
Verdict: Will see play



Bant



Bant Sojourners
Too expensive for too small an effect
Verdict: Won't see play

Bant Sureblade
With great aura's like Shield of the Oversoul and Armadillo Cloak and excellent weenies like Qasali Pridemage (see below) and Steward of Valeron in G/W this is relatively easy to trigger. W/U gets a few solid commons in this set as well, though up until now there have been less playable multicolor commons in that color combination. That being said, a 3/2 first strike for 2 mana is excellent!
Verdict: Will see play

Crystallization
Why not just play Pacifism or Oblivion Ring? If your opponent destroys the Crystallization, you still haven't accomplished anything.
Verdict: Won't see play

Winged Coatl
Snakeform mark 2.0? Another removal spell in G/U, and a card that can unexpectantly grow Shorecrasher Mimic mid combat. I would have like this so much more as a 2/1 though...
Verdict: Might see play



Hmm... that's a pretty impressive list! But it doesn't stop there, because this time there are some uncommons that might shake things up a bit! Let's discuss!



Alara Reborn Uncommons



Ardent Plea
A really nice cascade card. It does something relevant, and if you cascade out another exalted (which shouldn't be to hard too accomplish if you build your deck right) this can give you a pretty relevant bonus on your third turn.
Verdict: Might see play

Wall of Denial
People are all over this, and it surely is one of the most annoying walls ever made. It's still only a 0-power creature though, so all it will do is stall. I think you're better of playing Plumeveil, if you must play a wall that is.
Verdict: Won't see play

Illusory Demon
This is raw power! It will hit your opponent hard and mercyless! Since you don't want to be playing four, you even have two uncommon slots left for manlands! The downside is its 3 toughness, right in Lightning Bolt range. The upside is its cmc of 3, right in Unearth range!
Verdict: Will see play

Mask of Riddles
A deceptively powerful effect: combat triggered Curiosity + Fear on an equipment. There's so much powerful blue card drawing at the common level that I doubt this will see play though, simply because you don't need to spend an uncommon slot on this effect. If it triggered on any damage this might have been a whole different story.
Verdict: Won't see play

Mind Funeral
One of the most powerful milling effects we've seen in a while, at least at the common and uncommon rarity. Between this and the common mill cards (Drowner Initiate, Ink Dissolver, Memory Sluice, etc) your clock probably isn't fast enough though. I haven't done the math though, so by all means, try it out!
Verdict: Won't see play

Anathemancer
Very strong in any format that is dominated by nonbasics, such as the current standard. Depending on whether you use Crystalkeep or Gatherer as your official guide to what's common and what's uncommon, this might be the right choice. We, in Groningen, use Gatherer, so Mishra's Factory and Maze of Ith are uncommons. Other than that you'll mainly see basic lands, so we are not going to play this. Maybe the French will? By the by, if Wizards is ever going to make peasant an official format, they're definitely going to use gatherer, so using crystal keep has never been an option for us.
Verdict: Won't see play (in Groningen)

Bituminous Blast
A strong effect, but Terminate gets the job done better and costs 3 (!!!) mana less. Don't let the cascade fool you.
Verdict: Won't see play

Demonspine Whip
So, a recurring Enrage? Interesting! The equipment is cheap enough to be playable, and the effect can be pretty brutal. It doesn't even matter if you're a bit mana flooded, since this will only make your critters more powerful. I'ld give this a try.
Verdict: Might see play

Bloodbraid Elf
This card has been hailed as the best card in the set by several people in online discussion threads, even above rares and mythic rares. That says something about the power of this beauty! 3/2 haste is fine at 4 mana, though at the top of the curve, but cascade really does make a difference in a deck with this! RG aggro is where this would see play, meaning you'll cascade into a relevant creature or a burn spell every time. Lovely!
Verdict: Will see play

Mage Slayer
Very expensive, but so is Loxodon Warhammer, and that sees play in some slower decks. There are, however, only a handful of common creatures that trigger on dealing damage as opposed to combat damage, so the place to use this is on big creatures. In that case I think you're better of spending your six mana on a hard hitting creature instead.
Verdict: Won't see play

Vithian Renegades
A better Viridian Shaman, without a relevant creature type. This does take up a valuable unc slot, and you could just as easily play Tin Street Hooligan in these colors.
Verdict: Won't see play

Behemoth Sledge
Armadillo Cloak meets Loxodon Warhammer. This is a very powerfull effect, and if you were about to run the Warhammer in a GW deck, you might as well use this. Thing is, if you're in these colors, you can also simply play Armadillo Cloak and/or Shield of the Oversoul and spend you unc slot on something relevant like a Phantom Centaur.
Verdict: Won't see play

Reborn Hope
A nice utility card, but is this worth an uncommon slot? I can't tell, but I can guess. Probably not.
Verdict: Won't see play

Sigil Captain
Useless in multiples, but there are so many very useful 1/1 creatures in GW that I'ld play this as a 1- or 2-of. Imagine this with Silhana Ledgewalker, Essence or Soul Warden, token generators. Certainly a very powerful effect!
Verdict: Will see play

Zealous Persecution
Nausea sees wide play with the amount of 1-toughness creatures in the format (elves, faeries, goblins, etc), so this theoretically could see play as well. This suffers from the same problem as Behemoth Sledge though. There are common alternatives that are almost equal, or good enough to get the job done, so why waste an uncommon slot on it?
Verdict: Won't see play

Double Negative
Tricky. If cascade sees play, this is a nice answer. Cascade won't see play widely though, and with the exception of the 3/2 hasty elf, you don't really need to counter the original spell. Versus storm you can use Hindering Touch, which is a common. Basically it's see above.
Verdict: Won't see play

Lorescale Coatl
This is pretty nutsy! You'll never need to overcommit after laying this down, since it will eventually outgrow every other creature in the format! Blue has enough common card draw to accompany this as well. GU Mimic was very playable before, but lacked a solid uncommon slot. This will do very nicely.
Verdict: Will see play

Nulltread Gargantuan
But, if you can't afford to wait, you might also play the fattest cmc 3 currently available in the format. The drawback is super steep though, costing you board position and a draw. Still, I can imagine there are still people who'll want to abuse this with Coiling Oracle and Elvish Visionary to negate the drawback. And make no mistake, a 5/6 can go the distance.
Verdict: Might see play

Gloryscale Viashino
Why does it have to have 3 toughness? Lightning Bolt I hate you! Other than that, this will do some serious facebashery when you turn it on, not very difficult in these colors (how very nice this card combines with Armadillo Cloak and Shield of the Oversoul!).
Verdict: Might see play

Flurry of Wings
While potentially very cool (both on offense and defense), this is one difficult mana cost to accomplish! The amount of hate vs 1/1 creatures in the format due to goblins, elves, etc, doesn't help either. A pity, cause I want to like this card.
Verdict: Won't see play

Thopter Foundry
Cheap artifact, life gain, recycling of excess lands and Chromatic Spheres and Stars. Alara block has brought a few playable uncommons to affinity, and this is no exception.
Verdict: Might see play



Very impressive! My predictions gave Conflux 6 commons and 3 uncommons that I though would see play, this time around it's 16 commons and 4 uncommons! To be fair, that does include the Borderpost cycle and Terminate. I hope you'll enjoy these cards just as much as I will. Still, I know I'm going to play me some Alara Reborn cards for a long while!

Hoping you'll enjoy this set as much as I will,

-Hennink

Results April 24th, 2009

The second season is off to a fresh new start. I'll write up a tournament report later. Sadly my rogue deck didn't make T8 (I finished 9th). In total we had 18 participants, another nice turnout! One important change was the unbanning of artifact lands and the banning of Cranial Plating. There was one affinity deck, but it wasn't very succesful. So far it doesn't look like affinity will warp the meta like it used to do. Anyway, on to the decks that did make the top 8!



T8 Decklists

1. Maarten Jacobs (12 - Tortured Existence)
2. Douwe van Noordenburg (12 - Taïga)
3. Wouter Scholtens (11 - GW Slivers)
4. Michiel Deunk (10 - RG Fires)
5. Gijsbert Haaksman (9 - Storm Combo)
6. Martijn Beljaars (9 - Quillspike Combo)
7. Allard van der Made (9 - WU Blink)
8. Rob de Jonge (9 - Blightning Beatdown)



Maarten Jacobs - Tortured Existence
1st place (12 points)

PS. I couldn't find Maarten's decklist between the paper lists, because he provided the decklist digitally. Here it is!

Creatures
3 Spore Frog
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
3 Crypt Rats
2 Eternal Witness (U)
4 Golgari Brownscale
4 Stinkweed Imp
3 Yavimaya Elder
4 Wickerbough Elder
1 Krosan Tusker

Spells
4 Tortured Existence
1 Unearth
1 Grim Harvest
3 Sylvan Library (U)
1 Sylvan Bounty

Lands
11 Swamp
11 Forest

Sideboard
SB: 4 Duress
SB: 2 Grim Harvest
SB: 4 Nourish
SB: 1 Crypt Rats
SB: 4 Festercreep



Douwe van Noordenburg - Taïga
2nd place (12 points)

Creatures
2 Ghazban Ogre
3 Jungle Lion
4 Kird Ape
4 Mogg Fanatic
4 Keldon Marauders
4 Scab-Clan Mauler

Spells
3 Chain Lightning
3 Lava Dart
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Rancor
4 Reckless Charge
2 Incinerate

Lands
2 Gemstone Mine (U)
9 Forest
10 Mountain

Sideboard
SB: 3 Bloodfire Dwarf
SB: 4 Martyr of Ashes
SB: 2 Ancient Grudge
SB: 3 Compost (U)
SB: 3 Smash to Smittereens



Wouter Scholtens - GW Slivers
3rd place (11 points)

Creatures
4 Plated Sliver
4 Sidewinder Sliver
4 Virulent Sliver
4 Muscle Sliver
4 Sinew Sliver
4 Spinneret Sliver
4 Talon Sliver
3 Victual Sliver (U)

Spells
3 Gather Courage
4 Thrill of the Hunt
3 Prismatic Strands

Lands
8 Forest
7 Plains
2 Secluded Steppe
2 Tranquil Thicket

Sideboard
SB: 3 Hallow
SB: 3 Obsidian Acolyte
SB: 3 Ray of Revelation
SB: 4 Holy Light
SB: 2 Root Sliver (U)



Michiel Deunk - RG Fires
4th place (10 points)

Creatures
3 Llanowar Elves
3 Kird Ape
4 Mogg Fanatic
4 Horned Kavu
4 Scab-Clan Mauler
4 Blastoderm
2 Flametongue Kavu (U)

Spells
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Rancor
3 Fires of Yavimaya (U)
4 Rift Bolt

Lands
10 Forest
9 Mountain
3 Terramorphic Expanse

Sideboard
SB: 3 Red Elemental Blast
SB: 3 Relic of Progenitus
SB: 3 Naturalize
SB: 3 Rain of Embers
SB: 1 Smash to Smittereens
SB: 2 Smash



Gijsbert Haaksman - Storm Combo
5th place (9 points)

Spells
4 Lotus Petal
4 Chromatic Sphere
4 Chromatic Star
4 Dark Ritual
1 Demonic Consultation (U)
4 Rite of Flame
4 Ideas Unbound
4 Grapeshot
4 Manamorphose
4 Words of Wisdom
4 Seething Song
4 Ignite Memories (U)

Lands
4 Ancient Spring
4 Irrigation Ditch
3 Island
4 Sulfur Vent

Sideboard
SB: 3 Disrupt
SB: 4 Force Spike
SB: 4 Red Elemental Blast
SB: 4 Unsummon



Martijn Beljaars - Quillspike Combo
6th place (9 points)

Creatures
4 Carrion Feeder
2 Essence Warden
4 Devoted Druid
4 Safehold Elite
4 Quillspike (U)
4 Rendclaw Trow

Spells
4 Commune with Nature
4 Rancor
4 Unearth
1 Demonic Tutor (U)
3 Rite of Consumption

Lands
4 Desert
8 Forest
6 Swamp
4 Terramorphic Expanse

Sideboard
SB: 2 Hidden Spider
SB: 4 Echoing Decay
SB: 3 Moment's Peace
SB: 4 Naturalize
SB: 2 Phyrexian Ghoul



Allard van der Made - WU Blink
7th (9 points)

Creatures
4 Aven Riftwatcher
4 Temple Acolyte
3 Trinket Mage
4 Ninja of the Deep Hours
4 Mulldrifter

Spells
1 Æther Spellbomb
2 Brainstorm
2 Condescend
1 Dispeller's Capsule
1 Path to Exile (U)
2 Relic of Progenitus
1 Repeal
4 Swords to Plowshares (U)
4 Momentary Blink

Lands
1 Ancient Den
1 Azorius Chancery
8 Island
8 Plains
1 Seat of the Synod
4 Terramorphic Expanse

Sideboard
SB: 4 Icatian Javelineers
SB: 1 Disenchant
SB: 3 Divine Offering
SB: 3 Echoing Truth
SB: 2 Hindering Light
SB: 1 Wispmare
SB: 1 Deep Analysis



Rob de Jonge - Blightning Beatdown
8th place (9 points)

Creatures
4 Mogg Fanatic
2 Gobhobbler Rats
3 Keldon Marauders
2 Ravenous Rats
2 Rotting Rats
4 Ashenmoor Gouger (U)
1 Shambling Remains (U)

Spells
4 Duress
4 Lightning bolt
4 Unearth
4 Terminate
4 Blightning

Lands
11 Mountain
11 Swamp

Sideboard
SB: 1 Tormod's Crypt
SB: 4 Red Elemental Blast
SB: 3 Relic of Progenitus
SB: 3 Nausea
SB: 4 Smash to Smithereens



Decks that didn't finish in the T8 included Elfball, IsoMUC, and Affinity.

Apr 21, 2009

Results March 22nd, 2009

So, the finals! The invite! The epic showdown at the end of the season! Has it really been a year?

I expected a lot of goblin tokens and faeries this tournament, so I build a rogue deck with 4 maindeck Engineered Plague, powered out by 4 Dark Rituals. The decklist is included below, since I made T8. This time I wrote a short tournament report, so let's kick off with that.



Round 1: 2-1 vs Jan (Mono Black Control). I lose game 1, but discard + pressure + Relic of Progenitus (nullifying Skeletal Scrying) win me game 2 en 3.

Round 2: 2-1 vs Douwe (Dirty Kitty). The weird thing is I didn't even see my Engineered Plagues in any of the games. Discard and echoing decay work wonders though if you can keep up the pressure. Two Dross Golems tend to end things fast if your opponent has no answers.

Round 3: 1-2 vs Wouter (Balance Faeries). I beat him handily in game 1, it wasn't even close! Then, somehow, it all went awry. Game 2 I had to mulligan to 5 and never could amount any pressure. Game 3 I kept Swamp, Dark Ritual, Dark Ritual, Duress, Engineered Plague, Echoing Decay, Faerie Macabre and fail to draw a second Swamp the entire game. Eventually he drew an Echoing Truth to bounce Engineered Plague and start beating, a few turns later he has Counterbalance and Top online... and I still didn't draw a Swamp. This took him like 17 turns! Very frustrating, but isn't that how magic sometimes works? I was pretty miffed thought that this had to happen versus a very good matchup.

Round 4: 2-0 vs Maarten (Mono Black Control). Turn 1 Dark Ritual, Duress, Hymn. Turn 2 Hymn. Turn 3 Hymn. With a godhand like that you beat every deck. Game 2 went like the matchup versus Jan, Relic of Progenitus for the win.

Round 5: 0-2 vs Allard (W/U Blink). I had pretty high hopes at this point. 3-1 is a very nice start. Instead of winning I get paired up vs blink, which turns out to be a truly unwinnable matchup. I can't race him because of the ridiculous amount of life gain (blinking Temple Acolyte and Aven Riftwatcher) and both games end with Allard smothering me in card advantage.

Round 6: 0-2 vs Oswin (W/B Discard). I though I had a decent chance here, turns out CoP: Black sucks when you're mono black. I still think this is not unwinnable, especially with the golems (I was winning g2 until he ripped a CoP off the top of his deck), but it's certainly not in my favor.



In the end my predictions were not entirely correct, and I beat the snot out of Dirty Kitty without drawing a single Engineered Plague. In hindsight my unc slot could have been better spent. 3-3 wasn't really what I hoped to achieve either, but at least I T8'ed. In the end I managed to grab 7th place in the final standings as well. Not bad, considering that I played a different deck each time!

Also, I'm happy to have influenced the metagame somewhat. I first discovered and played Temple Acolyte, which has become a staple for blink decks. Also, I first built the W/B discard decks with Guardian of the Guildpact and Swords to Plowshares, further refined and piloted to a 2nd place in the finals by Oswin. I do take some pride in that :) Let's see if I can stumble upon similar gems in the coming season!

All in all we had 42 different players during the past season. Around 25 of those showed up more than once. I'm looking forward to the coming season, hopefully we will keep such a high attendance!

Enough of all that talk though, you were wondering about the other decks that made it into the T8, no doubt. Well, karma at least affirmed my prediction somewhat, as Faeries won the whole thing! As for the rest? Enjoy!

PS. The points haven't been published, so I don't know how many points each contestant got. Some I do know.



T8 Decklists

1. Wouter Scholtens (16 - Balance Faeries)
2. Oswin ten Brinke (? - WB Discard)
3. Allard van der Made (? - Trinket Blink)
4. Gijsbert Haaksman (12 - MUC)
5. Jasper Boelens (? - Psychatog)
6. Niels Gramser (? - Elfball)
7. Martijn Hennink (9 - Engineered Aggro)
8. Martijn Labohm (? - Blightning Beatdown)



Wouter Scholtens - Balance Faeries
1st place (16 points)

Creatures
4 Cloud of Faeries
4 Spellstutter Sprite
4 Pestermite
4 Ninja of the Deep Hours

Spells
4 Brainstorm
2 Sensei's Divining Top (U)
3 Counterbalance (U)
4 Counterspell
3 Echoing Truth
4 Mana Leak
4 Gush

Lands
4 Desert
16 Island

Sideboard
SB: 3 Blue Elemental Blast
SB: 3 Relic of Progenitus
SB: 4 Viridian Longbow
SB: 1 Echoing Truth
SB: 4 Guerrilla Tactics



Oswin ten Brinke - WB Discard
2nd place (? points)

Creatures
4 Aven Riftwatcher
3 Faerie Macabre
4 Guardian of the Guildpact
2 Kami of the Ancient Law
1 Kitchen Finks (U)
3 Okiba-Gang Shinobi
2 Ronom Unicorn
3 Shrieking Grotesque

Spells
4 Bonesplitter
1 Demonic Tutor (U)
3 Swords to Plowshares (U)
4 Unearth
3 Unmake

Lands
2 Barren Moor
10 Plains
8 Swamp
3 Terramorphic Expanse

Sideboard
SB: 2 Circle of Protection: Black
SB: 2 Circle of Protection: Red
SB: 2 Disenchant
SB: 2 Duress
SB: 2 Echoing Decay
SB: 3 Nausea
SB: 2 Relic of the Progenitus



Allard van der Made - Trinket Blink
3rd place (? points)

Creatures
4 Aven Riftwatcher
4 Temple Acolyte
3 Trinket Mage
4 Ninja of the Deep Hours
4 Mulldrifter

Spells
1 Æther Spellbomb
2 Brainstorm
2 Condescend
1 Dispeller's Capsule
1 Path to Exile (U)
2 Relic of Progenitus
1 Repeal
4 Swords to Plowshares (U)
4 Momentary Blink

Lands
1 Azorius Chancery
9 Island
9 Plains
4 Terramorphic Expanse

Sideboard
SB: 1 Dispeller's Capsule
SB: 4 Icatian Javelineers
SB: 1 Tormod's Crypt
SB: 4 Echoing Truth
SB: 2 Hindering Light
SB: 1 Wispmare
SB: 2 Deep Analysis



Gijsbert Haaksman - MUC
4th place (12 points)

Creatures
3 Spire Golem
3 Errant Ephemeron

Spells
4 Opt
4 Accumulated Knowledge
4 Counterspell
3 Echoing Truth
1 Isochron Scepter (U)
4 Rune Snag
3 Think Twice
1 Capsize
4 Propaganda (U)
3 Rewind

Lands
19 Island
4 Desert

Sideboard
SB: 4 Force spike
SB: 4 Relic of the Progenitus
SB: 4 Tangle Bloom
SB: 1 Echoing Truth
SB: 1 Capsize
SB: 1 Spire Golem



Jasper Boelens - Psychatog
5th place (? points)

Creatures
4 Crypt Rats
3 Psychatog (U)

Spells
4 Brainstorm
2 Condescend
4 Force Spike
3 Ghastly Demise
3 Mental Note
4 Accumulated Knowledge
4 Counterspell
1 Demonic Tutor (U)
1 Echoing Decay
1 Echoing Truth
1 Engineered Plague (U)
1 Deep Analysis
2 Gush
1 Mystical Teachings

Lands
2 Desert
2 Dimir Aqueduct
11 Island
6 Swamp

Sideboard
SB: 4 Duress
SB: 4 Hydroblast
SB: 4 Mesmeric Fiend
SB: 3 Nausea



Niels Gramser - Elfball
6th place (? points)

Creatures
4 Birchlore Rangers
4 Fyndhorn Elves
4 Heritage Druid (U)
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Nettle Sentinel
3 Quirion Ranger
4 Elvish Visionary
4 Priest of Titania

Spells
1 Chromatic Star
2 Fireball
1 Instill Energy (U)
2 Kaervek's Torch
4 Land Grant
4 Manamorphose
4 Distant Melody

Lands
11 Forest

Sideboard
SB: 1 Kaervek's Torch
SB: 4 Magnify
SB: 2 Sandstorm
SB: 2 Echoing Truth
SB: 3 Naturalize
SB: 3 Nourish



Martijn Hennink - Plague Aggro
7th (9 points)

Creatures
4 Skittering Skirge
2 Crypt Rats
4 Faerie Macabre
4 Dross Golem

Spells
4 Dark Ritual
4 Duress
4 Echoing Decay
4 Hymn to Tourach
2 Vulshok Morningstar
4 Engineered Plague (U)
1 Loxodon Warhammer (U)

Lands
23 Swamp

Sideboard
SB: 4 Relic of Progenitus
SB: 4 Tanglebloom
SB: 4 Diabolic Edict
SB: 1 Crypt Rats
SB: 2 Pewter Golem



Martijn Labohm - Blightning Beatdown
8th place (? points)

Creatures
4 Mogg Fanatic
4 Keldon Marauders
2 Ravenous Rats
4 Ashenmoor Gouger (U)
1 Hypnotic Specter (U)

Spells
4 Duress
4 Lightning bolt
2 Shard Volley
4 Unearth
4 Terminate
4 Blightning
2 Fireblast

Lands
10 Mountain
11 Swamp

Sideboard
SB: 4 Red Elemental Blast
SB: 1 Hymn to Tourach
SB: 4 Nausea
SB: 3 Smash to Smithereens
SB: 3 Fearie Macabre