Kumagoro42's picture
By: Kumagoro42, Gianluca Aicardi
Dec 18 2020 1:00pm
0
1048 views


 Welcome back to Tribal Apocalypse!

   Table of Contents 

  1. Last Week on Tribal Apocalypse...
  2. The High Price of Winning
  3. Announcements
  4. What's Next

Check the full archive for the "Diaries of the Apocalypse" series


THOUGHTS OF A TRIBAL HOST
by Kumagoro

 Kaldheim spoilers have started to pour in (earlier than expected, since the set releases in paper on February 5, 2021, which is almost seven weeks away). We haven't seen too many cards yet – most of them are Theme Boosters exclusives – but it appears to be a tribal set, which is exciting. Angel, Dwarf, Giant, Elf and Shapeshifter seem to be the main players, with the latter marking the return of the changeling mechanic, which is always welcome – if always slightly problematic for Tribal Wars.

    

 Also, tribal Birthing Pod? That really came out of the blue, and is also welcome, and also potentially an issue for us. But we'll see.


LAST WEEK ON TRIBAL APOCALYPSE...

  • Event Number: Week 518 BE
  • Date: December 12
  • Attendance: 14
  • Rounds: 3
  • Subformat: Standard
  • Winner: ThyShuffler with Peasant
  • Runner-up: -DiamondDust- with Rogue
  • 1-loss: Bandit Keith with Human, Yokai_ with Zombie, Generalissimo with Giant, lovetapsmtg with Dog, Nagarjuna with Knight
  • Up-and-Coming Prize: ThyShuffler with Peasant
  • Dark Horse Prize: Pain_Shiu with Nymph, Takeoutree with Warlock
  • Tribes: Beast (x2), Dog, Giant, Human, Knight (x2), Kor, Nymph, Peasant, Rogue, Snake, Warlock, Zombie
  • Event link (with all players, pairings, standings, decks, and results): here it is

 The proletariat rose! Perhaps the last tribe of the season to lose the Unhallowed status (after Troll, Dog, Assembly-Worker and Ninja – it's been a rich season for the Up-and-Coming Prize), Peasant won an event for the first time, after little more than one year since they started existing. And unlike the previous three occasions, it wasn't AJ_Impy to baptize the new winner, but ThyShuffler. Not bad for a tribe that has no choice but to field the entirety of its members every single time. Though in this particular list, off-tribe landfall strategies from Zendikar Rising also played a crucial role.

 

 Standard's star tribe, Rogue, went all the way to the finals, but in the end -DiamondDust- didn't succeed in having them steal the victory out from under the common guys' noses. And now, who knows if our blue-black scoundrels will still be at the top of the Tribal Standard meta after Kaldheim releases.

 

 Another Naya-friendly tribe that has the release of Throne of Eldraine to thanks for its current lineup is Giant. Bonecrusher Giant, Beanstalk Giant and Realm-Cloaked Giant remain the core of the lineup, with Tectonic Giant from Theros Beyond Death and Crystalline Giant from Ikoria rounding off their ranks (that curiously makes five members out of five referencing the tribe in their names).

 

 Finally, here's a tribe you wouldn't expect to see in Standard (and barely anywhere else): Nymph. Newcome Pain_Shiu attempted a five-color build based around the enchantment creatures from Theros and their synergies. It wasn't very successful, but it might be in part because that extremely bold all-Temple mana base was too tempo-destructive.


THE HIGH PRICE OF WINNING

  

 Here's the prices of all the featured decks, courtesy of the Deck Pricer from mtgGoldfish (MTGO Traders prices as of December 18, 2020):

  • ThyShuffler's Peasants: $14.02
  • -DiamondDust-'s Rogues: $19.30
  • Generalissimo's Giants: $28.72
  • Pain_Shiu's Nymphs: $11.24

 The Top 10 Cheapest Decks that Went Undefeated

  1. SirFalcon2008's Goblins, $1.54, 1st place on Event 289
  2. mihahitlor's Warriors, $1.95, 1st place on Event 233
  3. morpphling's Vampires, $2.25, 1st place on Event 285
  4. morpphling's Goblins, $2.35, 2nd place on Event 102
  5. JogandoPelado's Berserkers, $2.80, 1st place on Event 248
  6. kokonade1000's Berserkers, $2.95, 2nd place on Event 354
  7. MisterMojoRising's Beasts, $.3.01, 1st place on Event 484
  8. Gq1rf7's Goblins, $3.32, 1st place on Event 154
  9. Bandit Keith's Soldiers, $3.48, 1st place on Event 422
  10. MisterMojoRising's Insects, $3.55, 2nd place on Event 201

 The Top 5 Cheapest Non-Goblin Decks that Went Undefeated

  1. mihahitlor's Warriors, $1.95, 1st place on Event 233
  2. morpphling's Vampires, $2.25, 1st place on Event 285
  3. JogandoPelado's Berserkers, $2.80, 1st place on Event 248
  4. kokonade1000's Berserkers, $2.95, 2nd place on Event 354
  5. MisterMojoRising's Beasts, $3.01, 1st place on Event 484

 NOTE: not adjusted to current prices; data collected since Event 85.


ANNOUNCEMENTS

 Just to remind you of a few things:

 The Underdog Prize: During any event of the regular rotation (but not necessarily during the one-time special events), all players who are running an Underdog Tribe are eligible for a 1-tix credit certificate from MTGO Traders. The tie-breakers are first the number of Underdog categories (for instance, a tribe that's simultaneously Endangered and Unhallowed will take the prize over one that's only Endangered), then the points achieved in the final standings.

 The Up-and-Coming Prize: When a tribe wins an event for the first time ever (losing Unhallowed status), its pilot will get a 3-tix certificate from MTGO Traders.

 The New Kids on the Block Award: When a new tribe is introduced in the game, or reaches enough members to be played as a proper tribe (i.e. at least 3 members, so you can build a deck that features 4 copies of each plus 8 Changeling creatures), the first player to score a match win with it will get a 3-tix certificate from MTGO Traders. You'll need a hard win, not a BYE or a win by no-show of your opponent. Tribes currently eligible for the award: Otter.

 The Repopulation Award: Some tribes get played only once (to get the New Kids on the Block Award) and then forgotten. Never again! Register one of the following tribes three times in different events, then play all rounds of those events with them, and you'll get a 3-tix certificate from MTGO Traders. The list of these tribes, established May 5, 2017, is as follows. Still to clear: Antelope. Already cleared: Atog, Crocodile, Goat, Homarid, Incarnation, Jackal, Leech, Licid, Manticore, Metathran, Monger, Moonfolk, Nightstalker, Octopus, Orgg, Ouphe, Ox, Processor, Rabbit, Salamander, Siren, Slith.

 The Hamtastic Award: The Biodiversity Prize dedicated to the memory of Erik Friborg rewards each player who registers 10 different tribes (except Human, Elf and Goblin) during the year with a 3-tix certificate from MTGO Traders. You can go on and win the prize multiple times in the year, but you need to keep playing different tribes! (So if you manage to register 50 different tribes in one season, you can get up to 15 tix!)

 The Top Players Lockout: Every time a Top Player (either a Google Era Top 8, an Ultimate Champion/Tribal Player of the Year, or a seasonal Top 8) will end undefeated, they will not be allowed to register the same tribe and deck again for 5 events (i.e. they'll have to register a different deck five times before coming back to the undefeated one). This means a different tribe; in some cases, specific combo or archetype-defining cards will also be locked out. A list of the current lockouts is maintained here.

 We're on Discord! Join us from here, chat about tribal things with other tribal players and arrange tribal games on MTGO all week long! (Or your can just keep using our Google Sheets bulletin board).


 WHAT'S NEXT

 The upcoming Tribal Apocalypse events of the Blippian Era (every Saturday at 17:00 GMT):

  • 10.50 (Week 519 BE), on December 19: Pioneer
  • 10.51 (Week 520 BE), on December 26: Bandit Keith's Special: Momir Basic

Check out the ban lists and the event calendar.
Next banned and restricted announcement: December 23.
Current watch list:
 Aether VialBatterskullCloudpostHymn to Tourach,
NecromancyShrieking AfflictionSinkholeWitch's Vengeance.

SEE YOU ALL IN THE #TRIBAL ROOM!

 

Art disclaimers. Revel in Riches art by Eric Deschamps; Herald of Anafenza art by Aaron Miller.