Lord Erman's picture
By: Lord Erman, Nafiz Erman
May 07 2009 12:16pm
4.5
Login to post comments
5012 views


ROGUE PLAY
The Gold Rush

by Nafiz Erman

Hello again everybody. The agony and pain has finally ended. Kaleidoscope is finally an officially supported format with its own tournament queues. Since the first day the format was announced, I was testing many decks with a small community which was also hyped up about the format just like me. I tried many things from pure aggro decks to creatureless control decks, from combo decks to aggro/control decks.

Since the announcement of the format, all that we have been discussed here were only theories. We talked about aggro and said that it might be the best option in this format. We said that the lack of Mass Removal could be a big problem for anyone who wishes to try Control decks.

But now the time for thinking and guessing and presuming is over. It is now time to test what we have done so far. It is now time to see our creations in real action.

The Gold Rush has finally begun!

Before I get to the game reports I promised you, I should first give you my decklist and talk about it a bit. Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present you the deck I worked so hard to build.

 

First of all I must mention one thing. I don't own four Reflecting Pools. I only have one but the decklist shows four. It means that if you ever decide to try it, you should play it with four Reflecting Pools. Instead of the three I'm missing, I am currently playing one Arcane Sanctum, one Seaside Citadel and one Wooded Bastion

Now onto the deck. As you can see it has a bit of something from everything. I can counter spells, I can look at my opponent's hand and remove unwanted cards, I have direct damage, I have life gain, I have removal, I can draw cards and I have more creatures than an average Control deck. Therefore I'm calling this deck a 5 Color Soft Control deck. Of course the first day I build this deck it was looking totally differently but in time it became what you see above.

My very first version of the deck had three copies of Grand Arbiter Augustin IV and it was a White/Blue deck with Green as splash for Bant Charm, Voidslime and Oversoul of Dusk. Then the deck has evolved. I removed the Arbiter as he was doing very few things for me and widen the scala of colors I was using in the deck. After many many many test games against every type of deck, I decided that what you see above to be the final version of it.

So I was ready with a fine tuned deck I was very happy about. I was ready for my journey for gold. And below you'll see how it went.

 

GAME 1
Opponent: Bored2319
Playing: Zoo

Game one was a typical Aggro vs. Control game. He played creatures and I either killed them or countered them. He then played two Figure of Destinys and tried to pump them which were both hit by my Lightning Helixes. A Woolly Thoctar got Trial/Errored and a Castigate removed a Shield of the Oversoul from his hand. But Castigate also revealed two Pure/Simples and I was just planning to play my Teferi's Moat in hand.

I played a Shadowmage Infiltrator and he used one of his Pure/Simples on him. He played a Knight of the Reliquary which had an enormous size thanks to his fetchlands in the graveyard but thankfully I had a Mortify in hand which killed the knight at the end of his turn.

At this point, I top-decked another Castigate which removed his final Pure/Simple in hand and during my next turn I finally played my Teferi's Moat I was keeping in my hand since the game began... which got hit by a Duergar Hedge-Mage! I have to admit that I was absolutely not expecting that dwarf.

As if destroying my precious Teferi's Moat was not enough damage, the next turn that pesky Dwarf Shaman attacked and in response to my Lightning Helix targeting the dwarf, my opponent first played a Sigil Blessing and then a Double Cleave, which really hurt a lot!

But at the end I played another Teferi's Moat and managed to keep it in play and then played a Simic Sky Swallower and ended the game.

Game: 1-0
Sideboard: -4 Castigate / +4 Firespout

Game two ended very quickly. He first did some fetchland mumbo-jumbo and just when I was thanking to lady luck for his slow start, he managed to play not one but two gigantic Knight of the Reliquarys. Even though I had Teferi's Moat in hand, a Gaddock Teeg shut it down and those two knights sealed the deal for him pretty quickly.

Game: 1-1
Sideboard: -4 Firespout / +4 Rise/Fall (Siding it in against those big creatures was a mistake in the first place.)

Game three was almost a copy of game one. He played creatures, I destroyed them and a well timed Rise/Fall left him with one card in hand. Even though he managed to play a Wilt-Leaf Liege and even attached a Shield of the Oversoul to her while I had my Teferi's Moat on table, I repeled this serious threat by casting a Mortify targeting the Aura. In the meantime I gained serious card advantage thanks to my Shadowmage Infiltrator.

His Woolly Thoctars, Knight of the Reliquarys and that Wilt-Leaf Liege turned into nice little pets thanks to Teferi's Moat while I finished the game with my Simic Sky Swallower.

Game: 2-1

Overall: 1-0

 

GAME 2
Opponent: Opradvo
Playing: Mono Red

Another Aggro vs. Control game which was very similar to the first game. He started aggressively with Tattermunge Maniac, Figure of Destiny and another Figure of Destiny. All have been dealt with and a Castigate saved me from a Fulminator Mage. I played a Shadowmage Infiltrator and he played two Rise of the Hobgoblinses. My Shadowmage Infiltrator got me my beloved Teferi's Moat and instantly all those pesky red creatures turned into statues.

I continued attacking with my Shadowmage Infiltrator and he got stuck at four mana. And when I played a Castigate and removed his Demigod of Revenge, he conceded.

Game: 1-0
Sideboard: -3 Simic Sky Swallower, -2 Supply/Demand, -1 Oversoul of Dusk / +4 Rise/Fall, +2 Firespout

I replaced four creatures in the main deck because I knew that my first priority was to stay alive. And just as I expected, he started the second game just as he did in game one. He again played a Tattermunge Maniac and a Figure of Destiny. A turn three Fulminator Mage kept me one turn behind him but a Firespout cleared the table. I fail to draw my Rise/Falls and thus he gained the board advantage quickly after my Firespout with a Boggart Ram-Gang and a Figure of Destiny.

At that point I cast a Supply/Demand when I had four lands on table and got me a Mortify to kill Figure of Destiny. However that move turned out to be a wrong one as he got down another Boggart Ram-Gang and hit me with those three creatures. My life total got lowered to a point where killing one of those three creatures was not going to save me. During my turn I draw my fifth land which was enough to tell me that I should have fetched my Teferi's Moat instead of Mortify.

Game: 1-1
Sideboard: No changes

In game three everything went very smoothly. He played nothing in his first two turns and I played a timely Rise/Fall and got rid of a possible turn three Boggart Ram-Gang. Even though he hit my mana base twice with his Fulminator Mages, I was never short of mana.

He then played a few creatures and I killed them instantly. He brought in Elvish Hexhunter from his sideboard which surprised me as he was playing Mono Red. Firespout then took care of three creatures and as always my Shadowmage Infiltrator helped me keeping a hand full of useful cards.

He played a second Elvish Hexhunter followed by a Boggart Ram-Gang but I managed to play my Oversoul of Dusk and Firespouted the table during my next turn. My mini-Progenitus started hitting hard as I finally got my Teferi's Moat down which kept a nasty Deus of Calamity at bay.

His final effort to cast a Demigod of Revenge has been successfully countered by a Trial/Error and a Lightning Helix declared me victorious.

Game: 2-1

Overall: 2-0

 

GAME3
Opponent: WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot
Playing: Bant (but more like GWu)

Oh how I love aggro decks. My whole deck has been tuned to beat them.

He started the game with a few Coiling Oracle actions and one revealed a Mystic Snake. His Snake Elf Druids attacked me for a few turns until one gets Lightning Helixed. When I reached four mana, I played Castigate and as expected he played his Mystic Snake which of course got countered by a Trial/Error.

Another atttempt of him to play a Rhox War Monk has also been countered but he managed to play an Oversoul of Dusk (hey! that's my girl!). As a response, I managed to get down my Teferi's Moat but he then played a Shield of the Oversoul onto his mini-Progenitus which turned her into a mini-flying-indestructible-Progenitus and she really hit bad.

During my next turn I Mortifyed the Aura and after a couple more turns, I managed to get down my cute(!) Leviathan on table and it ended the first game in a short time.

Game: 1-0
Sideboard: -4 Oversoul of Dusk / +4 Firespout

For the second game I replaced my Oversoul of Dusks just because I knew that they couldn't help me against my opponent's Green/White creatures. And I sided in four Firespouts just because I knew that four Elvish Hexhunters were coming.

I had a fantastic start to game two by casting a turn two and followed  by a turn three Castigates, which removed one Voidslime and one Bant Charm. I even top-decked a third Castigate but this time he manged to counter it with a Voidslime.

After that he played one Elvish Hexhunter just as I was expecting and also played a Shield of the Oversoul onto it.

But his Aura has been hit by a Mortify and the little annoying Elf has been burned down to ashes by a Lightning Helix. After I Trial/Errored an attempt to play an Oversoul of Dusk, I finally managed to play my Teferi's Moat. A few turns after that I played a Supply/Demand to get a Trial/Error and my opponent played a Coiling Oracle which fetched him a Bant Charm. But what he didn't know was that I had another copy of Trial/Error also in hand.

Nothing happened for a few turns but then he top-decked an Elvish Hexhunter and thus the counter wars has begun! Of course with two Trial/Errors in hand, I was the one who ended the war but that ment a sudden appearance of a Watchwolf with a Shield of the Oversoul onto it. I had my Simic Sky Swallower in hand but I was at six mana. He hit with his 5/5 flying and indestructible Watchwolf until he got me down to two life.

At that point I first played my Leviathan and stopped the flying wolf(!), then played a Shadowmage Infiltrator and get me some cards and then played another Simic Sky Swallower. My Shadowmage Infiltrator finally gave me a Supply/Demand which has been transformed into a Mortify which then destroyed the Aura on Watchwolf.

And the game then ended like this:

After this attack, Lightning Helix ended the game. But it was interesting how I did not need my Firespouts.

And that was the end of my third tournament game.

Game: 2-0

Overall: 3-0

 

Game 4
Opponent: denis BERTRAND
Playing: Esper with Red as splash

Everything was going well so far and nothing has changed in this game. I started with a Castigate which he responded later with a Tidehollow Sculler. I played a Shadowmage Infiltrator and he played one too. I fried his Shadowmage Infiltrator with a Lightning Helix and he did the same to mine. Then I played another Shadowmage Infiltrator and he played a Fulminator Mage but couldn't sacrifice it in order to block my Shadowmage Infiltrator.

After a few turns I played first a Teferi's Moat selecting black while he had three creatures on table and then played my new favorite minion Oversoul of Dusk and she did her job successfully.

Game: 1-0
Sideboard: -2 Shadowmage Infiltrator, -1 Supply/Demand, -1 Simic Sky Swallower / +4 Rise/Fall

The second game ended pretty quickly. I hit his hand first with a Castigate and then with two Rise/Falls and he had some mana problems, so he conceded.

Game: 2-0

Overall: 4-0

 

GAME 5
Opponent: Mr.Page
Playing: 5 Color Soft Control

So far I didn't play against another Control deck and now it was time. I started with Castigate as usual and removed an Ajani Vengeant but he gained board advantage with a Kitchen Finks followed by a Loxodon Hierarch. Both threats have been dealt with and another Castigate removed a Broodmate Dragon but also revealed Pure/Simple. And I had my Teferi's Moat in hand at that point.

I couldn't draw a Trial/Error for some time and thus couldn't do anything against another Kitchen Finks and Loxodon Hierarch pair hitting the table. His Esper Charm made me discard two cards which left me with an empty hand and he then finished the game with his creatures.

Game: 0-1
Sideboard: -4 Teferi's Moat, -4 Oversoul of Dusk / +4 Countersquall, +4 Rise/Fall

I had a dream start to game two with two Castigates one after another removing some serious threats from his hand and played also a Shadowmage Infiltrator. He played a few creatures which all have been removed and I started filling my hand with my Shadowmage Infiltrator. At one point I had three Countersqualls and one Trial/Error in hand which formed an unpenetrateable defense.

He tried everything from Esper Charm to Cruel Ultimatum and all failed eventually, and as always my Simic Sky Swallower finished the game without any problems.

Game: 1-1
Sideboard: No changes

I had a lot faith in my deck and me when the third game started. I had eight counterspells and eight cards to attack his hand and so far I haven't seen a single trace of Hit/Run, the only card that can kill my lone Simic Sky Swallower. So I thought that I was going to win again.

Unfortunately that did not happen.

I failed to draw my Rise/Falls which is always a big problem against other Control decks. I played a Castigate and removed his Broodmate Dragon. He played down a few creatues and I killed them. Then he played a Shadowmage Infiltrator and managed to protect him. After all, I'm not the only person who plays Trial/Error.

The key to my success was now working against me; my opponent gained serious card advantage with his Shadowmage Infiltrator and finally managed to get one Ajani Vengeant through. My attempt to burn the planeswalker with Lightning Helix has been countered with a Hindering Light and at that point things started going upside down.

I played a Shadowmage Infiltrator which has been killed by his Ajani Vengeant and then he first resolved a Cruel Ultimatum and finished the game with Broodmate Dragon.

Game: 1-2

Overall: 4-1

I must say that I was a little bit disappointed after this game.

 

A Short Break
Food for Thought: Protection from Bant?!?

Right at this point I stopped playing Kaleidoscope and played in one ALA Block 2man to restore my faith in me. There was nothing special in the game to talk about and it ended as 2-0 pretty quickly against a 5CC deck. But I have to tell you one thing:

Guys, I understand why you side in Goblin Outlander against Bant. Yes that creature has Protection From White but please keep in mind that it doesn't have Protection From Bant!!! It won't save you. It never has. And it never will be.

Now that the break is over, we can return to our gold rush.

 

Game 6
Opponent: thekid
Playing: Mono White

And that was my first loss against Aggro. My Teferi's Moat did its job perfectly and kept those Wilt-Leaf Cavaliers', Wilt-Leaf Lieges and other nasty stuff at bay while I destroyed his Figure of Destinys either with Lightning Helix or Mortify. But unfortunately I had no answer for Stillmoon Cavalier and it ended both games.

Game: 0-1
Game: 0-2

Overall: 4-2

And this game ends my report. I must say that those two losses in a row after four perfect wins was a little bit upsetting but that is the way of things. There are even lessons to learn from defeat.

I learned many things in my search for gold. The biggest lesson is that color hosers are incredible in Kaleidoscope. As you see above, Oversoul of Dusk won me games on her own. And I lost Game-6 just because I couldn't get rid of a Stillmoon Cavalier. My next deck will most probably contain both which will then form an unstoppable army.

Kaleidoscope seems to be the format for color hosers.

The second big lesson is Teferi's Moat. It isn't just good or useful; it is much more. I was aware of its value but those tournament games against very good decks proved it once again. It is THE card for any Control deck.

The other lesson is that the meta leans toward Aggro which I'm sure is nothing surprising for anyone. There are also mono color decks as expected. I knew that many were playing Mono Red but Mono White was something new for me. And then we have Zoo as usual. I'm also sure that someone somewhere plays Red/Green Aggro with Sarkhan Vol. During my test games I came across many such decks and it surprised me how I didn't play against it in my first six tournament games.

And then there is one other lesson which actually didn't make me happy. The games don't fire often. For one game, I waited like 45 minutes. That's really too much.

It seems that everybody plays Standard these days. Even though Standard was always the most played format, I see a huge increase in the number of Standard tournaments played these days. They just fire non-stop!

I think that it must be because of this "Player of the Year" thing. I guess people are after points to qualify for that Championship. If that is indeed the reason, then I think that everyone who loves those other "exotic" formats such as myself, will have some serious problems.

Singleton, Vanguard and even Classic and Extended share the same fate these days.

Even for Pauper tournaments, which is the most played format among those exotic ones, I have seen people waiting like ten minutes.

Okay everybody, it's once again time to say goodbye.This format is so much fun and I can only hope that I was successful in convincing you to start your own adventure for gold. And if you do decide to join the Gold Rush, hopefully this article can help you in showing you roughly what you should expect and what you will be up against. Of course you have to act fast because once Alara Reborn becomes online it will reset the current meta (I'm looking at you Anathemancer!).

My next article will cover some two-color deck options for Kaleidoscope. Until then, have fun in your search for gold!

Thanks for reading.

See you online
Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

2 Comments

Nice article, but your by bearer of woe at Thu, 05/07/2009 - 14:09
bearer of woe's picture
4

Nice article, but your constant shifting of tense makes for an awkward read.

2-mans are no 'tournament' by Blade at Sun, 05/10/2009 - 19:20
Blade's picture

even though Wizards has that label in the room. Seriously! :p