Hello again! Before I start I want to thank all of you for the positive and constructive comments on my previous (and first) article - Thank you guys :) This week I'll present one of my favorite decks - Tilling Thunder. The idea about this deck was floating in the heads of my roommate and me for about a week or two and then I discovered that someone had already created almost the same deck. So I started playing it and I loved it! The deck isn't very powerful but is really fun and has a reasonable match with most of the decks in the current meta.

The Deck:

Many people confuse Tilling Thunder with Kodama's Thunder because the two decks like to cycle Resounding Thunder but this deck generates card advantage through cycling lands and returning them with Tilling Treefolk or Cartographer, not with Mulldrifter. The feeling of playing this deck is like you are piloting Life from the Loam and Devastating Dreams so if you like these decks you must try this one. And finally I present you the build:

Tilling Thunder

Tilling Thunder

Creatures 4 Cartographer 4 Tilling Treefolk 2 Harvest Wurm 4 Viscera Dragger 1 Nantuko Vigilante 15 cards Other Spells 3 Fireblast 4 Resounding Thunder 4 Firebolt 1 Magma Burst 1 Raven's Crime 3 Swirling Sandstorm 2 Edge of Autumn 2 Harrow 20 cards

Lands 5 Forest 5 Mountain 4 Forgotten Cave 4 Terramorphic Expanse 4 Tranquil Thicket 3 Swamp 25 cards Sideboard 4 Pyroblast 3 Ancient Grudge 3 Nourish 2 Grim Harvest 1 Terminate 1 Flame Jab 1 Raven's Crime 15 cards

Engine creatures:

4 Cartographer A really solid creature that practically draws you a card!
4 Tilling Treefolk I fell in love with this one from the moment I saw it! I have been waiting for a really long time to create a deck that features this one. This is the muscles of the deck. Most of the time it will be Mulldrifter for 3 mana :)
2 Harvest Wurm Sometimes I hate this one but every time that I cast Harrow on turn 3 and then this one I feel warm and fuzzy inside!

Draw/Control finisher:

4 Viscera Dragger Draws you a card! Really powerfull vs control players especially if you use it early game. This card is NUTS with Grim Harvest after SB. This one is Swirling Sandstorm's best friend.

Little Hate mainboard :)

1 Nantuko Vigilante Just in case. It is a good beater even if you don't have targets for the morph.

 
Finishers:

3 Fireblast This one doesn't need explaining :) Also activates your Harvest Wurm
4 Resounding Thunder Your basic and most common finisher. Heavy control players hate this card!
4 Firebolt Usually this one keeps you alive vs aggro and finishes off control players(doesn't really work vs storm combo).
1 Magma Burst Instant speed burn that can be 2 for 1, activate your Harvest Wurm or just kill your opponent!

The lock!

1 Raven's Crime With some extra lands and this  you can devastate every combo and almost every control player. The rule of thumb here is to always use your cycling lands for discard vs control and for draw vs aggro!

Anti-aggro:

3 Swirling Sandstorm You will probably win the match if you get to threshold and have one of these in your hand before the aggro player kills you. Really useful for cleaning the board and then unearthing Viscera Dragger for extra damage.

Acceleration:

2 Edge of Autumn - Priceless. Early game it is acceleration and late game it is Harvest Wurm enabler.
2 Harrow - I can't explain how happy I am that this one is going to be in standard in just a few weeks! Instant speed mana acceleration and Harvest Wurm enabler. Has an enormous synergy with the rest of the deck.

Basic package :

4 Terramorphic Expanse If you already have all the colours you MUST fetch Mountain with this.
5 Forest
5 Mountain
3 Swamp

Engine Lands - the heart of the deck! Both cards are 4x no matter what!

To cycle or not cycle? This one of the toughest questions, so I'll try to give you a quick guide about cycling:

You MUST cycle if: You have 8 or more lands. You have 0 or 1 land in the graveyard. You have too many lands (flooded).

You may consider playing the land if: You have fewer than 8 lands and you are going to miss a land drop. You have 2 cycling lands in the graveyard and  suspect that your opponent have graveyard hate.  You play vs control Raven's Crime. You are playing vs aggro (Flame Job).

The SB:

4 Pyroblast Does it really need a comment? :)
3 Ancient Grudge Without these the affinity is not exactly a "good" match.
3 Nourish Because the fast aggro decks tend to rape this deck.
1 Terminate One extra removal just in case.
2 Grim Harvest Side this in if your opponent is control and at least as slow as you are.
1 Flame Jab For those pesky x/1 creatures. Really good vs Fish and WW.
1 Raven's Crime You just need this if you want to beat storm players regularly. Also usefull vs other control decks.

 

What makes this deck tick?

Everything! The deck has so much synergy that it makes my brain hurt :) Almost every card in the deck is kind of a combo with the other, but I'll point some of the most important ones:

Tilling Treefolk, Cartographer and some of the following: Forgotten Cave, Tranquil Thicket, Terramorphic Expanse, Raven's Crime, Edge of Autumn, Harrow, Magma Burst, Fireblast and so on and so on(I think you get the picture).

Harvest Wurm and Raven's Crime, Edge of Autumn, Harrow, Magma Burst or Fireblast.

Viscera Dragger and Swirling Sandstorm or your opponent's Circle of Protection: Red :)

The beauty of this deck is that it can't be stopped by just one type of hate. You can still win even if your opponent has CoP:Red/Black, Prismatic Strands, graveyard hate, life gain or heavy hand disruption. The problem is when your opponent has two or more of the above but this is not very common in the current meta.

A little tip how to play around Relic of Progenitus and other types of graveyard hate - don't overextend (two or more draggers/lands in the graveyard). Also If you know that your opponent has graveyard hate it is better to play your lands than cycle them and then just try to blow him over with burn as fast as possible.

And finally how to play around CoP:Red - just burn his creatures. Don't try to overwhelm him with burn spells, just kill his creatures and start beating him up with yours .
 

I'm sorry guys but this time there will be no alternative builds :( I will try to compensate next time!

The match-ups:

Just keep in mind that these match-ups and my advices are relative and apply to my build and play style. Your mileage may vary !

If you think that the builds of some of those decks are suboptimal or plain wrong just show me a link to more powerful / consistent version and I'll check it out! If you thinks that I have missed some relevant match-up just show me a link and I'll check it out :)

CHROMATIC BLINK

Amar

Creatures 4 Blind Hunter 4 Leonin Squire 4 Mulldrifter 4 Trinket Mage 2 Mesmeric Fiend 1 Okiba-Gang Shinobi 19 cards Other Spells 4 Chromatic Star 4 Duress 4 Momentary Blink 2 Agony Warp 2 Chromatic Sphere 1 Aether Spellbomb 1 Bonesplitter 1 Executioner's Capsule 1 Pyrite Spellbomb 20 cards

Lands 5 Plains 5 Swamp 4 Island 1 Ancient Den 1 Azorius Chancery 1 Dimir Aqueduct 1 Great Furnace 1 Orzhov Basilica 1 Seat of the Synod 1 Vault of Whispers 21 cards Sideboard 3 Dust to Dust 3 Obsidian Acolyte 2 Aven Riftwatcher 2 Echoing Truth 1 Viridian Longbow 1 Steel Wall 1 Circle of Protection: Black 1 Executioner's Capsule 1 Dispeller's Capsule 15 cards

 Blink -  Blink - The match is a solid tie if your opponent has  Lifespark Spellbomb in the Main or SB and knows what he is playing against. Before SB your game plan is to burn his blink targets and smash him with your creatures. Try to keep mana open for instant speed burn and don't let him blink his creatures.Viscera Dragger is the MVP of this match, your opponent can't kill him with his removal and you will burn any creature that tries to trade with him in combat, so you must hardcast this beat stick as soon as possible. Post SB you have Pyroblast (for his Mulldrifter and Trinket Mage) and Ancient Grudge. That's right Ancient Grudge! This card is really versatile in this match-up - you can use it as land destroy, mana-filter destroy and advantage destroy :)

MBC

MBC

Creatures 3 Crypt Rats 4 Phyrexian Rager 2 Twisted Abomination 3 Chittering Rats 2 Okiba-Gang Shinobi 2 Warren Pilferers 16 cards Other Spells 4 Sign in Blood 2 Innocent Blood 2 Echoing Decay 2 Grim Harvest 4 Tendrils of Corruption 4 Corrupt 2 Diabolic Edict 20 cards

Lands 24 Swamp 24 cards Sideboard 3 Dross Golem 1 Echoing Decay 1 Okiba-Gang Shinobi 1 Death Denied 3 Duress 3 Unmake 2 Viscera Dragger 1 Diabolic Edict 15 cards

MBC - Tied match (most of the times) but the game can get pretty ugly if the MBC player draws more than 3 Tendrils of Corruption + Corrupt. Before SB your gameplan is to burn him as fast as possible so try to trade your creatures for his (if he doesn't have targets for Tendrils the game will be yours) and don't be afraid to gamble a little by sending all the damage to his dome :) If he reaches 8-9 mana before you and start casting Corrupts and Tendrils you are done for :( After SB you should bring in Grim Harvest and Raven's Crime and pray for the best because post SB this match is REALLY draw dependent - sometimes you will be able to lock him with Raven's Crime and overwhelm him and sometimes he will rape you with mass discard + Relic of Progenitus + Multiple Corrupts and Tendrils.

MBCu

MBCu

Creatures 3 Crypt Rats 4 Phyrexian Rager 4 Mulldrifter 11 cards Other Spells 4 Innocent Blood 3 Deep Analysis 2 Echoing Decay 4 Distress 1 Grim Harvest 3 Tendrils of Corruption 4 Corrupt 4 Diabolic Edict 25 cards

Lands 3 Dimir Aqueduct 3 Terramorphic Expanse 1 Island 14 Swamp 3 Grixis Panorama 24 cards Sideboard 4 Dross Golem 1 Echoing Decay 1 Tendrils of Corruption 4 Duress 2 Relic of Progenitus 3 Doom Blade 15 cards

MBCu - Tied match. This one is almost the same as MBC (atleast for you). There are only two differences : 

1. Post SB you can side in Pyroblast!

2. Some of the builds have Probe so you must always watch out for this! Sometimes it can be devastating :( Post SB try to keep your Pyroblast only for Probe and ignore everything else.

Teachings

Teachings

Creatures 4 Mulldrifter 4 Spire Golem 1 Twisted Abomination 9 cards Other Spells 4 Brainstorm 4 Counterspell 4 Skred 3 Diabolic Edict 3 Mystical Teachings 2 Condescend 2 Soul Manipulation 1 Echoing Decay 1 Exclude 1 Grim Harvest 1 Jilt 1 Negate 27 cards

Lands 11 Snow-Covered Island 4 Grixis Panorama 4 Terramorphic Expanse 3 Snow-Covered Swamp 2 Snow-Covered Mountain 24 cards Sideboard 4 Duress 3 Pyroblast 3 Hydroblast 2 Doom Blade 2 Relic of Progenitus 1 Smash 15 cards

Teachings - Before SB this match is for us, because all forms of Teachings are slower than our deck and we should be able to burn them to death before they do the same thing with us :)  Post SB we can bring in Pyroblast, Ancient Grudge (If they play with Spire Golem and Raven's Crime, but they will side in Hydroblast and Relic of Progenitus. Just don't overextend with things in the graveyard and play your cycling lands untill you have at least 8-9 mana for Resounding Thunder with cycling.

My conclusion is that after SB the match is tied but you will probably have the lead from game 1 so the match as a whole is in our favor.

Affinity

Affinity

Creatures 4 Disciple of the Vault 4 Frogmite 2 Krark-Clan Shaman 4 Myr Enforcer 4 Somber Hoverguard 18 cards Other Spells 4 Rush of Knowledge 4 Chromatic Sphere 3 Pyrite Spellbomb 4 Thoughtcast 4 Chromatic Star 3 Springleaf Drum 4 Lotus Petal 26 cards

Lands 4 Great Furnace 4 Seat of the Synod 4 Vault of Whispers 4 Darksteel Citadel 16 cards Sideboard 4 Hydroblast 3 Pyroblast 2 Circle of Protection: Black 2 Circle of Protection: Red 4 Gorilla Shaman 15 cards

Affinity - Tied Match. Before SB they have the advantage but you can still win if they have a weak hand. Post SB you have Ancient Grudge for their lands(early game) and Enforcers(late game). You should also side in you Pyroblast and counter their draw spells. So in general you should have the upper hand in game 2 and 3 but most of the time they need only one of those games to beat you :(

Other random advices about this match: Kill Somber Hoverguards first because you have Swirling Sandstorm for his other threats. Don't hesitate to eliminate all of his Disciple of the Vault on the spot.

Slivers

Slivers

Creatures 4 Plated Sliver 4 Sidewinder Sliver 4 Spinneret Sliver 4 Sinew Sliver 4 Virulent Sliver 4 Metallic Sliver 4 Muscle Sliver 28 cards Other Spells 4 Prismatic Strands 3 Temporal Isolation 3 Sigil Blessing 4 Lotus Petal 14 cards

Lands 2 Terramorphic Expanse 8 Plains 8 Forest 18 cards Sideboard 2 Holy Light 4 Obsidian Acolyte 4 Taunting Elf 1 Temporal Isolation 4 Circle of Protection: Black 15 cards

G/W Slivers - This match is almost tied but The Thunder deck has the upper hand. Your game plan here is to burn his Slivers and try to stay alive! If you successfully survive to turn 4-5 the match is probably yours. Your greatest enemy is Prismatic Strands, so try to kill his white Slivers first and don't hesitate to burn their 1/1 sliver with Firebolt on turn 1 or 2. Post SB you have Terminate and Flame Jab for extra crispy slivers and they don't have anything relevant( CoP: Red just doesn't work in this match for them). Of course every now and then you will be overwhelmed with many slivers on the board and Prismatic Strands in hand and there is nothing you can do about it.

G/W Cloak

 

G/W Cloak

 

Creatures 4 Benevolent Bodyguard 4 Silhana Ledgewalker 3 Guardian of the Guildpact 3 Steward of Valeron 4 Valeron Outlander 4 Qasali Pridemage 22 cards Other Spells 4 Armadillo Cloak 4 Prismatic Strands 4 Oblivion Ring 4 Empyrial Armor 16 cards

Lands 4 Terramorphic Expanse 10 Plains 8 Forest 22 cards Sideboard 3 Holy Light 4 Divine Offering 4 Freewind Falcon 2 Llanowar Knight 2 Circle of Protection: Black 15 cards

G/W cloak - Bad match. They have two creatures that you just can't kill - Silhana Ledgewalker and Guardian of the Guildpact - and when they enchant one of those creatures with Armadillo Cloak it is over. Post SB things only get worse, because most of the builds have Pro-red creatures, which means even more things that kill you with Armadillo Cloak and Empyrial Armor. I think that if you win vs this deck you should try the lottery that day :)

I'm really considering Edicts in the SB for match-ups like this...

BURN

BURN

Creatures 4 Keldon Marauders 3 Spark Elemental 7 cards Other Spells 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Rift Bolt 4 Incinerate 4 Lava Spike 4 Needle Drop 3 Shard Volley 4 Fireblast 4 Shock 31 cards

Lands 22 Mountain 22 cards Sideboard 4 Molten Rain 4 Smash to Smithereens 4 Martyr of Ashes 3 Flaring Pain 15 cards

Burn/Burn Range - A bad match especially before SB. They are just too fast for you and you can't slow them down! After SB bring in the Nourish and pray because most of the time the burn player will have enough burn to kill you even after you cast 2 x Nourish...

Mimic aggro

Mimic aggro

Creatures 3 Crypt Rats 4 Phyrexian Rager 4 Blind Hunter 4 Nightsky Mimic 4 Nip Gwyllion 19 cards Other Spells 4 Castigate 3 Oblivion Ring 1 Duress 3 Beckon Apparition 4 Edge of the Divinity 4 Unmake 19 cards

Lands 3 Barren Moor 2 Secluded Steppe 4 Orzhov Basilica 5 Plains 8 Swamp 22 cards Sideboard 1 Crypt Rats 4 Echoing Decay 2 Dawn Charm 3 Circle of Protection: Red 2 Duress 3 Relic of Progenitus 15 cards

B/W mimic aggro - JUST BURN THEM! Relatively easy match before SB. Just don't think twice about killing a creature that is going to be enchanted with (Edge of Divinity), even if this mean that you cast one of your Thunders without cycling. If they don't enchant a creature with Edge really early in the game you won't have any real trouble winning before SB. Post SB you have Terminate and a nasty little surprise for them - the Nightsky Mimic ARCH-NEMESIS Flame Jab. They will bring in CoP:Red and Relic of Progenitus. The CoP is kind of  irrelevant because you will be trying to kill all of their creatures anyway and I already mentioned how to play around Relic. Be prepared for situations where both players kill their opponent's creatures on the spot. Just be patient - your deck has more card advantage than his and you should win in such lock-downs.

Goblin Deck Wins

Numdiar

Creatures 4 Goblin Cohort 4 Goblin Sledder 4 Intimidator Initiate 4 Mogg Conscripts 4 Mogg Fanatic 4 Mogg Flunkies 4 Mogg Raider 4 Mogg War Marshal 4 Mudbutton Clanger 4 Sparksmith 40 cards Other Spells 3 Rites of Initiation 3 cards

Lands 17 Snow-Covered Mountain 17 cards Sideboard 4 Electrostatic Bolt 1 Flame Jab 4 Gorilla Shaman 2 Martyr of Ashes 4 Pyroblast 15 cards

Goblins - Bad, Bad, REALLY BAD! You will have to use all of your burn just to stay alive. Swirling Sandstorm will probably help you take control in the few games that you survived to turn 5-6 but let me tell you something - you won't survive past turn 4-5 in most of the games. The worst thing in this match is that if you somehow manage to survive you will be almost without burn left to kill him. And one final word of wisdom - don't take a hand without Firebolt or there is a good chance that they will be bashing your head open  before you even think of casting a spell.

WW

SpikeBoyM Build from PDC-forums :)

Creatures 4 Akrasan Squire 4 Order of Leitbur 4 Stormfront Pegasus 2 Ivory Giant 4 Knight of Sursi 4 Shade of Trokair 4 Razor Golem                        4 Icatian Javilneers 26 cards Other Spells 4 Sunlance 4 Temporal Isolation 8 cards

Lands 22 Plains 22 cards Sideboard 4 Dust to Dust 4 Martyr of Sands 3 Prismatic Strands 4 Obsidian Acolyte 15 cards

WW - A tied match that favors the thunder player. Before SB and after it your game plan is almost the same - burn all of his creatures and then kill him with yours. You should kill his flayers first because Swirling Sandstorm can take care of the rest. Your biggest problem in this match is Shade of Trokair and you must try to annihilate him on the spot! Your SB plan should be something like this - Terminate for his Shade of Trokair, Flame Jab for his x/1 creatures and 1 or 2 x Ancient Grudge fro his Razor Golem.

Post SB you want him without a living creature because of those pesky Prismatic Strands. You can easily achieve this with Flame Jab which is your MVP for this match! This card is so good here that I'll keep almost any hand that has it. One final word of wisdom - try to play fast because the games tend to be really long(you kill his creatures and he returns the favor) and it won't be very nice if you time out.

MUC

MUC

Creatures 4 Spire Golem 2 Fathom Seer 6 cards Other Spells 4 Exclude 4 Prohibit 2 Repulse 1 Echoing Truth 4 Think Twice 3 Piracy Charm 3 Faerie Trickery 4 Counterspell 4 Force Spike 1 Oona's Grace 30 cards

Lands 24 Island 24 cards Sideboard 4 Hydroblast 4 Coral Net 4 Annul 1 Echoing Truth 2 Errant Ephemeron 15 cards

MUC - The match is clearly for us. All you need to do before SB is to burn him/attack him as quick as possible to 12 life and the game will be yours. There is nothing they can do to stop your Resounding Thunder. After SB bring in Pyroblast, Ancient Grudge and Raven's Crime and the rest of the game should be a walk in the park.

Parlor Tricks

Parlor Tricks

Creatures 3 Ravenous Rats 3 Ninja of the Deep Hours 2 Dimir Infiltrator 2 Izzet Chronarch 4 Steamcore Weird 2 Mulldrifter 16 cards Other Spells 4 Probe 1 Terminate 1 Electrostatic Bolt 1 Echoing Decay 1 Death Denied 1 Train of Thought 4 Skred 3 Prismatic Lens 4 Diabolic Edict 1 Rolling Thunder 21 cards

Lands 3 Dimir Aqueduct 2 Izzet Boilerworks 4 Snow-Covered Island 6 Snow-Covered Mountain 1 Snow-Covered Plains 5 Snow-Covered Swamp 2 Terramorphic Expanse 23 cards Sideboard 4 Pyroblast 1 Ravenous Rats 2 Electrostatic Bolt 1 Echoing Truth 1 Shred Memory 4 Ancient Grudge 1 Circle of Protection: Black 1 Circle of Protection: Red 15 cards

Parlor Tricks - The match is for them! Remember what I said about decks that have 2 or more types of hate that affects you? Well this deck is exactly this: you can't possible fight with the graveyard hate (and some builds pack 2 or 3 Shred Memory ) when it is combined with CoP : Red and CoP: Black. Your only chance is to kill him with your green beaters or to discard his hand with Raven's Crime really fast. After SB you should side out Swirling Sandstorm and 1 or 2 (Tilling Treefolks) for another Raven's Crime, Pyroblast and the most important think for this match - your lucky charm :)

Fish

Fish

Creatures 4 Spire Golem 4 Pestermite 4 Zephyr Sprite 4 Ninja of the Deep Hours 4 Spellstutter Sprite 2 Faerie Squadron 3 Latchkey Faerie 25 cards Other Spells 4 Counterspell 4 Daze 4 Repulse 8 cards

Lands 22 Island 1 Lonely Sandbar 23 cards Sideboard 2 Echoing Truth 1 Rushing River 4 Hydroblast 4 Annul 4 Negate 15 cards

Fish - Good Match-up. This one is kind of easy but you must really know what your opponent's deck can do. Before SB you can and MUST kill all of his creatures except for Spire Golem with (Fireblot) and attack him with your beat sticks. Just  try to remember that he has Daze and game 1 will be yours in no time :) Post SB you have Pyroblast and your secret weapon - Flame Jab. Flame Jab is so fantastic in this match that I haven't lost a game where I started with this one in my hand. Deep fried fish == Good Game!

KODAMAS THUNDER

KODAMAS THUNDER

Creatures 4 Mulldrifter 4 Sakura-Tribe Elder 3 Krosan Tusker 2 Steamcore Weird 13 cards Other Spells 4 Brainstorm 4 Kodama's Reach 4 Resounding Thunder 4 Skred 3 Rolling Thunder 3 Terminate 2 Jilt 24 cards

Lands 6 Snow-Covered Forest 6 Snow-Covered Island 5 Snow-Covered Mountain 4 Terramorphic Expanse 2 Snow-Covered Swamp 23 cards Sideboard 4 Wickerbough Elder 3 Martyr of Ashes 2 Duress 2 Sylvan Bounty 2 Raven's Crime 2 Dosan's Oldest Chant 15 cards

KODAMA'S THUNDER - TIED! This one is practically a mirror. This  match is a mad damage race so I recommend adding the Nourish post SB. The other viable SB option is Pyroblast for his Mulldrifter and Steamcore Weird. Generally to win this match you will need lots of Pure Skill !

<advertisement>"What exactly is  Pure Skill will be explained in one of my next articles :)"</advertisement>

Goblin Storm

Goblin Storm

Creatures 4 Skirk Prospector 4 cards Other Spells 2 Brightstone Ritual 4 Goblin War Strike 2 Seething Song 4 Desperate Ritual 4 Peer Through Depths 3 Ideas Unbound 4 Rite of Flame 4 Empty the Warrens 4 Ponder 3 Distant Melody 4 Manamorphose 38 cards

Lands 9 Island 9 Mountain 18 cards Sideboard 4 Pyroblast 1 Flame Jab 5 cards

Goblin-Storm - This one is tied. Swirling Sandstorm is your best friend in this match-up and you must try to create threshold as quick as possible. After SB you will have Pyroblast to counter a draw or two and sometimes this will be all you need to win :) Other times they will just crush you like a bug! And one final tip - KILL his Skirk Prospector.

Grapeshot Storm Kill

Grapeshot Storm Kill

Creatures 0 cards Other Spells 4 Chromatic Sphere 4 Compulsive Research 4 Ideas Unbound 1 Seething Song 4 Cabal Ritual 2 Words of Wisdom 4 Chromatic Star 4 Manamorphose 3 Sign in Blood 4 Rite of Flame 4 Grapeshot 4 Dark Ritual 4 Lotus Petal 46 cards

Lands 4 Irrigation Ditch 4 Ancient Spring 4 Sulfur Vent 2 Geothermal Crevice 14 cards Sideboard 3 Flaring Pain 1 Seething Song 2 Shred Memory 4 Empty the Warrens 3 Deep Analysis 2 Geothermal Crevice 15 cards

Grapeshot Storm Kill - This one is a hard match. All you can do to stop them before SB is Raven's Crime or a really fast draw so practically you will be dead before you even have a chance to do something. After you side in you will have Pyroblast to counter a draw or two and second Raven's Crime but most of the time it isn't enough :( Your only chance is to side in the Nourish and hope that he will try to deal you exactly 20 damage.

Elves

Elves

Creatures 4 Fyndhorn Elves 4 Quirion Ranger 4 Birchlore Rangers 4 Wirewood Herald 4 Timberwatch Elf 4 Viridian Acolyte 2 Essence Warden 3 Lys Alana Huntmaster 4 Llanowar Elves 4 Nettle Sentinel 4 Elvish Visionary 41 cards Other Spells 3 Grapeshot 4 Distant Melody 7 cards

Lands 12 Forest 12 cards Sideboard 4 Firebolt 4 Woodland Changeling 4 Gleeful Sabotage 3 Safehold Elite 15 cards

Elves-Combo-Storm - Tied to Good match (draw dependent). They have lots of creatures and you have lots of burn :) You're gonna love Swirling Sandstorm in this match. Most of the games gonna be something like this - burn burn burn, oh I draw my Sandstorm you die (or you don't draw it and die :) ). The elves that you should burn on sight are these (ordered by their threat level) - Timberwatch Elf, Nettle Sentinel, (Birchlore Ranger), Quirion Ranger and then the other mana generators.

U MAD? (...NOMAD)

U MAD? (...NOMAD)

Creatures 4 Tireless Tribe 4 Daru Spiritualist 4 Nomads en-Kor 12 cards Other Spells 4 Impulse 4 Confound 4 Deep Analysis 4 Gigadrowse 1 Think Twice 4 Mana Leak 4 Inside Out 25 cards

Lands 2 Lonely Sandbar 2 Secluded Steppe 4 Terramorphic Expanse 5 Plains 10 Island 23 cards Sideboard 3 Disenchant 3 Prohibit 4 Rune Snag 2 Circle of Protection: Black 3 Circle of Protection: Red 15 cards

U-mad Nomad(nomad combo) - Bad Match. You can't burn his creatures very effectively and disrupt him :( Post SB things get uglier because of his Hydroblast + CoP: Red. Your only chance is to burn his creatures while he is tapping yours with Gigadrowse or when he is trying to do the combo without tapping you out.

Yak attack

Yak attack

Creatures 4 Sakura-Tribe Elder 2 Streetbreaker Wurm 4 Aurochs Herd 4 Llanowar Elves 4 Mogg Fanatic 18 cards Other Spells 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Incinerate 4 Stone Rain 3 Icefall 4 Mwonvuli Acid-Moss 1 Rolling Thunder 20 cards

Lands 8 Snow-Covered Forest 10 Snow-Covered Mountain 4 Terramorphic Expanse 22 cards Sideboard 4 Pyroblast 4 Ancient Grudge 2 Penumbra Spider 2 Wickerbough Elder 2 Relic of Progenitus 1 Rolling Thunder 15 cards

Yak Attack(and all of the other land destroy decks) - Extremely easy match-up. Their game plan is to deny you lands and you just don't care - you have too many land-recursion and mana acceleration. After SB Terminate to kill their win conditions and Raven's Crime to destroy their hand and the match should be yours.

Bad match-ups- Burn/Burn Range, Parlor Trics, Nomad Combo, Grapeshot Storm Kill, G/W Cloak, Goblins

Good match-ups - Yak Attack, MUC, Teachings,B/W Mimic Aggro, Fish

Tied  match-ups- Affinit, MBC, MBCu, Elves, Goblin Storm, KODAMA'S THUNDER, Blink

Conclusions:

The deck is not exactly "hot", new or powerful and if you go to a PE with it your best chance is for top 16. But it has an unique flavor that makes you play with it again and again. Yes, it has a long list with bad match-ups and can only beat easily heavy control and midrange aggro decks. Yes, most of the decks pack really heavy hate in their SB but if you like playing with Loam decks you just won't be able to resist this one.

Few Random Final Words:

Just try the deck it's really fun to play.

I want to thank and credit my editor/friend/roommate/test partner Ste! I'm waiting to see what he is going to write for you guys :) Expect him soon. 

I want to know weather you like the template that I'm using for my article.

Don't forget to comment because I really need your feedback.

If you think that the builds of some of the decks are suboptimal or plain wrong just show me a link to more powerful / consistent version and I'll check it out! If you thinks that I have missed some relevant match-up just show me a link and I'll check it out :)

Everything that I wrote here is my opinion and I am open to constructive criticism.