Aug 30, 2009

Results August 28, 2009

Fresh results are in! The holidays took its heaviest toll yet, only 10 people participated, with a lot of regulars missing. Hopefully we'll see more people show up come September. Low attendance means I will present you with a top 4 this time. Three well-known decks, and a new blink deck I concocted with a little gem from Ice Age as one of my uncommons! In case you don't get it: when you exile a reanimated or unearthed creature with Flickerwisp or Momentary Blink, it does return to play. So, I had a great time, even though we only had time for four games. It's also interesting to note that Astral Slide, Tortured Existence and MBC all finished outside the T4. We are adapting, we are... Enjoy!



T4 Decklists

1. Martijn Labohm (10 - Foundry Affinity)
2. Martijn Hennink (9 - Rapid Eye Movement)
3. Bart Holkenborg (9 - Faeries)
4. Rob de Jonge (9 - Taïga)



Martijn Labohm - Foundry Affinity
1st place (10 points)

Creatures
4 Arcbound Worker
4 Disciple of the Vault
4 Glaze Fiend
4 Frogmite
4 Myr Enforcer
4 Quicksilver Behemoth

Spells
4 Chromatic Star
3 Lightning Bolt
4 Springleaf Drum
1 Shrapnel Blast (U)
4 Thopter Foundry (U)
4 Thoughtcast

Lands
4 Ancient Den
4 Great Furnace
4 Seat of the Synod
4 Vault of Whispers

Sideboard
SB: 2 Tormod's Crypt
SB: 1 Lightning Bolt
SB: 4 Pyroblast
SB: 4 Smash to Smithereens
SB: 4 Holy Day



Martijn Hennink - Rapid Eye Movement
2nd place (9 points)

Creatures
4 Safehold Elite
4 Temple Acolyte
4 Aven Riftwatcher
1 Auramancer
4 Brackwater Elemental
3 Flickerwisp (U)
4 Mulldrifter
2 Noble Templar

Spells
4 Momentary Blink
2 Vulshok Morningstar
3 Fieldmist Borderpost
3 Unmake
2 Dreams of the Dead (U)

Lands
3 Azorius Chancery
7 Island
10 Plains

Sideboard
SB: 2 Relic of Progenitus
SB: 2 Circle of Protection: Black
SB: 3 Rune of Protection: Black
SB: 2 Seal of Cleansing
SB: 4 Dust to Dust
SB: 2 Holy Light



Bart Holkenborg - Faeries
3rd place (9 points)

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

Spells
4 Force Spike
2 Spell Snare (U)
4 Counterspell
4 Mana Leak
3 Snap
3 Force of Will (U)
4 Gush

Lands
3 Desert
17 Island

Sideboard
SB: 4 Annul
SB: 3 Blue Elemental Blast
SB: 2 Disrupt
SB: 2 Hydroblast
SB: 4 Negate



Rob de Jonge - Taïga
4th place (9 points)

Creatures
2 Jungle Lion
4 Kird Ape
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Keldon Marauders
4 Scab-Clan Mauler
1 Boggart Ram-Gang (U)
4 Bloodbraid Elf (U)

Spells
3 Seal of Fire
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Rancor
4 Incinerate
2 Fireblast

Lands
11 Forest
11 Mountain

Sideboard
SB: 1 Overload
SB: 4 Red Elemental Blast
SB: 3 Relic of Progenitus
SB: 2 Smash
SB: 1 Smash to Smithereens
SB: 4 Naturalize


Aug 28, 2009

M2010 Set Review

Welcome to another installment of my peasant magic set reviews. We've had a while to play with M2010, and already some commons have seen play. My usual prediction on the playability of the cards will have to make place for actual facts in some cases! If you have been following this blog for a while, you know what'll happen next. Yes, I will once again pore over each common and label its playability or lack thereof. I'll end with a quick glance at some possible gems in the uncommon slot. Of course half of the cards are a known commodity, but that will only make the job easier for me, right? Alright, I promise I will not include any reprints in this review. Now let's move on!

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



M2010 commons



White



Angel's Mercy
While 7 life is a lot, so is 4 mana. Renewed Faith is about 183 times better than this.
Verdict: Won't see play.

Blinding Mage
Master Decoy without a relevant creature type. Seeing that Master Decoy is already outclassed by its Kithkin sibling Goldmeadow Harrier, I foresee a life of embittered loneliness for this mage.
Verdict: Won't see play

Divine Verdict
A new name doesn't make Neck Snap any more playable.
Verdict: Won't see play

Glorious Charge
When would you ever play this above Kjeldoran War Cry or Surge of Thoughtweft?
Verdict: Won't see play

Griffin Sentinel
See Divine Verdict, but replace Neck Snap with Skyhunter Prowler.
Verdict: Won't see play

Lifelink
Look! A worse Spirit Link!
Verdict: Won't see play

Palace Guard
This card has some merit in limited, but in peasant it is too slow with not enough power to impact the board. Also, there are simply better soldiers to be found.
Verdict: Won't see play

Safe Passage
Can be brutal in limited play. This card will have to compete with Prismatic Strands though, and I just can't see this winning that fight, unless white becomes the best color in peasant or too many multicolor decks make the Strands too unreliable. For now I don't see that happening, but who knows?.
Verdict: Might see play

Siege Mastodon
Strictly for limited, but pretty good in that environment.
Verdict: Won't see play

Silvercoat Lion
The incredible unplayable Eager Cadets, without a relevant creature type!
Verdict: Won't see play

Divine Offering
Good sideboard option, pity it's a sorcery. I would have been all over this if this had been an instant!
Verdict: Might see play

Stormfront Pegasus
This is a pretty decent card. 2 power for 2 mana with evasion, sounds like Gaea's Skyfolk, and that saw play (admittedly mainly to trigger a certain mimic).
Verdict: Might see play

Veteran Armorsmith
Well, this is a very good card that should not be ignored if you want to run a soldier deck in peasant. Someone already did.
Verdict: Already saw play

Veteran Swordsmith
Well, this is a very good card that should not be ignored if you want to run a soldier deck in peasant. Someone already did.
Verdict: Already saw play.

Wall of Faith
Sometimes "Won't see play" means "You should never play these, so you can burn your copies with a clear conscience if you are out of chopped wood in the middle of winter and desperately in need of a fire."
Verdict: Won't see play



Blue



Convincing Mirage
Well... This is better than Phantasmal Terrain!
Verdict: Won't see play

Disorient
Riiiight.
Verdict: Won't see play

Divination
Counsel of the Soratami in disguise! Still vastly inferior to good old Mulldrifter.
Verdict: Won't see play

Essence Scatter
I would play this over Remove Soul for the incredible cool art. Remove Soul sees play from time to time, when blue rises to quell the tide of... well... things it seeks to quell I suppose.
Verdict: Might see play

Ice Cage
Euipment and pump spells are way too popular for this to really shine. Add to that (near) creatureless decks like MBC and Arcane Tide and you can see this is going nowhere.
Verdict: Won't see play

Illusionary Servant
The good news is, equipment can't target your guys, and most other targeted spells aim to kill anyway. This is actually a pretty good card that should put up a fight in blue-based aggro decks.
Verdict: Will see play

Serpent of the Endless Sea
Somewhere inside I feel the urge to build a peasant deck with this and Convincing Mirage... X/X [i]is[/i] a monster!
Verdict: Won't see play

Tome Scour
5 cards eh? Still looks like an inferior Vision Charm, but put enough of these cards together and you end up with genuine a mill deck! You need 12+ of these to reliably mill your opponent's whole deck in a timely fashion however, so I think I'll stick to Arcane Tide if I want to mill opponents to death.
Verdict: Won't see play

Zephyr Sprite
A Flying Men in a relevant tribe. I heard 1 power adds up in faeries?
Verdict: Might see play



Black



Acolyte of Xathrid
If you want to win the game 1 point at a time, Onyx Goblet is probably the way to go in black. This card sure isn't.
Verdict: Won't see play

Child of Night
2 power for 2 mana is nice in black. Lifelink is actually a pretty useful ability, and I'm confident this card will find a home somewhere.
Verdict: Will see play

Disentomb
Raise Dead << Unearth in peasant magic.
Verdict: Won't see play

Doom Blade
Better then Terror in a world where affinity is Tier 1. You probably won't be surprised that it was included in one of last month's decks.
Verdict: Already saw play

Dread Warlock
Similarly, fear becomes much, much better, once you take out the artifact factor. Still, a 2/2 unblockable (there aren't that many black creatures in our meta) for three doesn't really translate into a clock, does it?
Verdict: Might see play

Kelinore Bat
Perfect for limited, perfect crap for constructed.
Verdict: Won't see play

Sign in Blood
A killer card draw spell! Adopted by MBC in the blink of an eye.
Verdict: Already saw play

Soul Bleed
Like I said, Onyx Goblet.
Verdict: Won't see play

Vampire Aristocrat
I still think zombie is a more relevant creature type, don't you? Zendikar might change that though, I heard it is chock full of blooddrinkers.
Verdict: Might see play

Warpath Ghoul
Currently one of the best deals a zombie deck can get a 3 mana. Yeah I know, peasant zombies still blows.
Verdict: Won't see play

Zombie Goliath
Case in point.
Verdict: Won't see play



Red



Berserkers of Blood Ridge
That's a lot of power for a red common. Still, peasant is a fast format in which a 4/4 for 5 with a disadvantage shouldn't make the cut. I'ld be happy to be proven wrong though in this case, I love this card!
Verdict: Won't see play



Verdict:



Green




Verdict:



Artifact




Verdict:



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!



M2010 Uncommons




Verdict:



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

Aug 19, 2009

Results July 31st, 2009

It's been a while since I posted results. I've been rather busy lately, and somehow the update of last month's tournament took me a while to put on the net. Well, just in time for our next tournament, here are the results of July. Finally.

Anyway, it seems like we still didn't shift away from aggro. Jasper tweaked his MBC list with a little gem from M2010, and once again emerged victorious. With only 14 people in attendance, probably because of the holidays, I decided to exclude any lists with fewer than 9 points, leaving us with a T7 for the first time!



T7 Decklists

1. Jasper Boelens (15 - MBC)
2. Martijn Labohm (12 - Foundry Affinity)
3. Jan Kotlarski (9 - MBC)
4. Martijn Hennink (9 - Countertop Faeries)
5. Douwe van Noordenburg (9 - Taïga)
6. Erik-Sander Kwebeman (9 - Subway Soldiers)
7. Arne Haak (9 - Arcane Tide)



Jasper Boelens - MBC
1st place (15 points)

Creatures
4 Crypt Rats

Spells
4 Innocent Blood
3 Skeletal Scrying (U)
4 Consume Spirit
1 Demonic Tutor (U)
4 Diabolic Edict
4 Hymn to Tourach
4 Sign in Blood
4 Tendrils of Corruption
4 Corrupt

Lands
1 Cabal Coffers (U)
23 Swamp

Sideboard
SB: 4 Duress
SB: 3 Wretched Banquet
SB: 4 Wrench Mind
SB: 2 Burden of Greed
SB: 2 Pewter Golem



Martijn Labohm - Foundry Affinity
2nd place (12 points)

Creatures
4 Arcbound Worker
4 Disciple of the Vault
4 Glaze Fiend
4 Frogmite
4 Myr Enforcer
4 Quicksilver Behemoth

Spells
4 Chromatic Star
3 Lightning Bolt
4 Springleaf Drum
1 Shrapnel Blast (U)
4 Thopter Foundry (U)
4 Thoughtcast

Lands
4 Ancient Den
4 Great Furnace
4 Seat of the Synod
4 Vault of Whispers

Sideboard
SB: 2 Tormod's Crypt
SB: 1 Lightning Bolt
SB: 4 Pyroblast
SB: 4 Smash to Smithereens
SB: 4 Holy Day



Jan Kotlarski - MBC
3rd place (9 points)

Creatures
4 Crypt Rats

Spells
4 Innocent Blood
3 Skeletal Scrying (U)
4 Consume Spirit
1 Demonic Tutor (U)
4 Diabolic Edict
2 Echoing Decay
4 Hymn to Tourach
3 Unmake
3 Tendrils of Corruption
4 Corrupt

Lands
1 Cabal Coffers (U)
23 Swamp

Sideboard
SB: 4 Duress
SB: 4 Tanglebloom
SB: 1 Echoing Decay
SB: 4 Distress
SB: 2 Burden of Greed



Martijn Hennink - Countertop Faeries
4th place (9 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
4 Echoing Truth
4 Mana Leak
3 Gush

Lands
4 Desert
16 Island

Sideboard
SB: 3 Annul
SB: 3 Relic of Progenitus
SB: 3 Tanglebloom
SB: 1 Weatherseed Faeries
SB: 1 Hindering Touch
SB: 4 Rewind



Douwe van Noordenburg - Taïga
5th place (9 points)

Creatures
3 Jungle Lion
4 Kird Ape
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Keldon Marauders
4 Scab-Clan Mauler
2 Boggart Ram-Gang (U)

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

Lands
8 Forest
3 Gemstone Mine (U)
10 Mountain

Sideboard
SB: 2 Bloodfire Dwarf
SB: 4 Martyr of Ashes
SB: 3 Ancient Grudge
SB: 2 Smash to Smithereens



Erik-Sander Kwebeman - Subway Soldiers
6th (9 points)

Creatures
4 Akrasan Squire
2 Auriok Glaivemaster
2 Elite Vanguard (U)
4 Soltari Foot Soldier
4 Aven Squire
4 Leonin Den-Guard
4 Veteran Armorsmith
4 Veteran Swordsmith
2 Gempalm Avenger

Spells
4 Bonesplitter
3 Harm's Way (U)
1 Oblivion Ring

Lands
19 Plains
3 Secluded Steppe

Sideboard
SB: 4 Honorable Scout
SB: 3 Rune of Protection: Black
SB: 3 Rune of Protection: Red
SB: 2 Oblivion Ring
SB: 3 Prismatic Strands



Arne Haak - Arcane Tide
7th place (9 points)

Spells
1 Evermind (U)
4 Brainstorm
1 Gigadrowse
4 High Tide
4 Ponder
4 Reach Through Mists
4 Accumulated Knowledge
2 Dampen Thought (U)
4 Ideas Unbound
4 Merchant Scroll
4 Peer Through Depths
4 Psychic Puppetry
2 Stream of Consciousness (U)
1 Oona's Grace

Lands
17 Island

Sideboard
SB: 4 Disrupt
SB: 4 Envelop
SB: 3 Gigadrowse
SB: 4 Hydroblast