I believe the way most non-pro-level, eternal-format-with-extremely-unpredictable-meta tournaments go is entirely based on pairings. Tribal even more, of course, because of the lack of sideboard, and the tendency of most players to not worry about that and just build decks that go all-in. That's why Teferi's Moat is one of the most powerful, unsung cards in the format right now. I rarely use it (essentially only in builds that fetch it via Academy Rector), but I see both Goblin decks and even Elf decks not packing a single way out. Same for most white weenie builds that are more concerned about pumping and killing creatures.
I did the same careless mistake several times myself, of course. And even not doing it, while sometimes I got paired with decks that suffered mine greatly, some other times I got paired with decks that hosed/outraced mine in spectacular fashion. But this is the kind of bad luck it should be easier to accept: your deck went well, your opponents were better (or better against you), more honor to them.
I don't know if I said it in the video or not. But in the first match. I say, "who plays Searing Blaze?". Just to be clear, yes I know they play it:D. It just angers me because it's such a beating when it landfalls.
Thanks for your suggestions! I didn't really find mana to be an issue- my creatures just weren't powerful enough to trade in a way that favored me. I definitely won't be playing Delver again...and really, I could have gone 2-1 if I'd drawn Unburial Rites more. :)
Geist of St. Traft is not always amazing in limited but it can be if you have the right cards to help it out. I think you had a number of those cards in silent departure, faith's shield, and skillful lunge - all of which are good on their own anyways.
I would have cut delver, reap, and dead weight, and added skillful lunge, faith's shield, and a land. 13 lands in 30 card sealed is the default setting IMO and when you're running two expensive equipments I don't see a reason to go to 12. These cuts also allow you to go from more of a three color deck to just UW splashing black, which would also help your mana and consistency, probably allowing you to run something like 6 plains 5 islands 1 swamp 1 wilds.
I might actually be around to play this saturday(!). Is it endangered week, or just standard tribal?
Also, on a totally random note, I had the inklings of a tribal deck I will never ever be able to afford to build. So out of interest, has anybody paired tallowisp and geist of st. traft for some kind of monstrous spirit-aggro yet?
I had no idea Ghoultree was a solid card. I wish I had picked it over the Elder so I could have given it a try.
And yeah now that I've looked at the draft again Silver Inlaid Dagger would have been a much better card for the deck than an Ironsmith. For some reason it just didn't register with me during the draft. With the Moldgraf I've just had bad luck with it so I've given up on it in my decks.
Regarding the Rat/Pyre question. Actually the Blazing Torch deals the damage so the rat couldn't kill the 7/7.
Thank you Splendid Belt, I also really enjoy your write ups. And at some point I'm going to try doing draft videos. Right now I just can't but in the future I'll give it a try. I'll still be doing write ups as well because I know some people enjoy reading them while at work where they can't just sit back and watch a video.
pack1 pick2 Pick is ghoultree, easily. Yes its best when in a green blue mill yourself deck. But even as a 10/10 for 6 mana its still way above the curve and straight up impossible for some decks to deal with. A good example of a deck that cant deal with it- yours.
Pack 2 pick1 Village ironsmith is the pick with 2 immerwolfs. Since you dont have 2, taking the ironsmith over the clearly superior equipment is just wrong.
Pack 2 pick 7 Bramblecrush is not a maindeck card and is really only worth sbing in if you see a planeswalker. Moonmist goes straight into the red green werewolf deck you are trying to build.
pack 2 pick 8 Moldgraf is a bomb in your deck and you pass it for some reason. Just because the casting cost is high does not mean a card is bad. Most games in innistrad limited do not end on turn 4.
Some major mistakes, but you ended up building the deck well. Moonmist is amazing in a heavy werewolf deck, and its unfortunate you didnt get a chance to try it.Silver inlaid dagger is quite good in any aggro deck, you dont have to be humans, it just gets even better if you are. Bonesplitter was first pick worthy and so is silver inlaid dagger.
If I did then I guess I do apologize... I do sometimes concede if RL takes me away and it has nothing to do with the game state... it is an assumption I often make and I realize its wrong since I play non-MUC decks with Delver so it makes me sometimes hypocritical I guess? Honestly on some days I just don't feel like playing certain decks so I'll concede out people will view this differently, but if I don't feel like playing against a certain deck I don't feel I should have to, feel free to take a win off it.. so yea I know the frustration of someone doing what I did, but at the same time there are times I just don't feel like facing a certain match at that point in time
I have some experience in running 2HG events, and I can say with certainty that 2/3 is not an option, unless you're willing to spend UP TO 3 HOURS PER ROUND! Even artificial time limits (allowing a player 15 minutes of clock time/round) wouldn't help much in this regard. This is simply the nature of 2HG.
I was sad that you conceded the game between us the other day after I played Island,Delver, but after reading this article, I see that you thought I was just another person playing MUC. I was playing a Dimir aggro-control deck (no fae). I find that if I don't play control in blue, I seriously lose to MBC.
Just to give an alternative view - the issue of writing / recording drafts has come up many times here before. Personally I prefer written reports, partly because I ofen read these at work, where having a webpage open is fine, but obviously watching a recorded game isn't.
It's also easier to provide a more in-depth analysis of your plays, what you were considering, and what you could have done differently in a write-up than a recorded game.
I'm still fond of Endangered, but it does tend to attract the shoehorning mentality a fair bit. Hell, I've been guilty of that myself with my 12post ramp decks (Gargoyles are cool, but given the golems and eldrazi decks I've run with a similar shell, I have to hold my hand up here as part of the problem).
2HG can be fun, and I certainly had fun the previous 2HG special event. I had fun in this one at least in the final match, but landscrew can happen to anyone and isn't worth getting upset over long term. Uninteractive decks could be a problem: In a format without sideboards, the temptation to pair combo with control to strengthen both is a concern, rendering the tribal aspect moot.
The thing is, a 4-player match will inherently take substantially more time than a duel. Twice as many lands, cards drawn, people needing to ok every interaction. Add to that team discussions. I don't think there's scope for a best of 3 2hg 3-round tournament, as the potential to go long is massive, as well as the fact the games are likely to be more taxing on the players due to length and potential complexity. Nine 2HG games in quick succession is almost painful to contemplate.
I enjoy having a good team mate which is why I played 2hg with you more than once and why Id play Tribal 2hg partnered with AJ any time any place. No matter what our opponents bring.
As far as post game quips, remarks, asshattery etc, I think in some senses you have to take such things with some salt and water and not get caught up in how unfair it is to be painted badly when you bring a deck that some object to.
Aluren combo (Or dreamhalls for that matter I think) is such a deck and obviously in normal TWL Goblins is too. Though I am really not sure how people didnt beat the goblin/kithkin decks to dust in the format. 40 life is a lot harder to beat down than 20. Particularly if you are playing heavy removal. I would have LOVED to be paired against those guys.
Sometimes I think the way the apocalypse goes is entirely based on pairings.
I am not exciting by endangered weeks (and haven't been since flips left or before that even) because they aren't any more in the spirit of the format than the normal weeks are. Endangered just means a slightly worse shell for our favorite Legacy decks.
Sneak attack isn't without inherent dangers. I would be against preemptively banning such a card and or Show and Tell despite the incredibly annoying and non-interactivity of such decks.
Don't worry about Walls, your build was different enough, and cool!
Also, Nemesis hasn't been running WallDrazi since months (actually, he's not been around in a while, but he was trying several different tribes lately). Walls are free to be played without worry again (they're an important, if peculiar, component of the Tribal world). I've done it myself in the following event I still have to report about.
Yeah, some classic tribes have not seen enough play in these 64 events. This is a bit of a community after all, and some choices by returning players influence the community as a whole. For instance, we have seen a lot of Zuberas, because we have a couple of dedicated Zubera players. I can imagine a different meta where Zuberas are never played.
Careful with Aluren, guys. It's an ok card/archetype if it shows up only once in a while, but if it will become a weekly thing, there's a good chance it will get banned from the event. JustSin said it right in his last article, the bannings aren't as much about the power of a card in the vacuum, as they are about cards fueling decks that start showing up everywhere, overtaking the meta. Most of the cards in our additional banned list would be fine if there wasn't the risk of the respective decks taking over the event for a while. It happened with Glimpse of Nature and Thopter Foundry, and to a lesser extent with Hypergenesis. It never happened with Sneak Attack, for instance: that and the others are preventive bannings. I sometime wonder if it wouldn't be better to "liberalize" the cards that still have to prove themselves annoying, let them run wild for a while, THEN ban them for good after they misbehaved, meaning with that ruining the meta on a consistent basis, not just having a guy going 4-0 with a Sneak Attack deck once in 15 events.
On the rat/pyre question, the best move was to toss the torch on the other werewolf. The rat had deathtouch, so it would kill the 7/7. With the same concept in mind, the grasp wouldn´t save anyone.
So for the wrong move of you opp, you didi the right thing.
I believe the way most non-pro-level, eternal-format-with-extremely-unpredictable-meta tournaments go is entirely based on pairings. Tribal even more, of course, because of the lack of sideboard, and the tendency of most players to not worry about that and just build decks that go all-in. That's why Teferi's Moat is one of the most powerful, unsung cards in the format right now. I rarely use it (essentially only in builds that fetch it via Academy Rector), but I see both Goblin decks and even Elf decks not packing a single way out. Same for most white weenie builds that are more concerned about pumping and killing creatures.
I did the same careless mistake several times myself, of course. And even not doing it, while sometimes I got paired with decks that suffered mine greatly, some other times I got paired with decks that hosed/outraced mine in spectacular fashion. But this is the kind of bad luck it should be easier to accept: your deck went well, your opponents were better (or better against you), more honor to them.
Glad to see you in Tribal! This week is Endangered, being a first week of the month.
And yes, Saint Traft/Tallowisp has been tried, with some success, by Ayanam1 some weeks ago.
I don't know if I said it in the video or not. But in the first match. I say, "who plays Searing Blaze?". Just to be clear, yes I know they play it:D. It just angers me because it's such a beating when it landfalls.
WAFTT is a weekly event.
Thanks for your suggestions! I didn't really find mana to be an issue- my creatures just weren't powerful enough to trade in a way that favored me. I definitely won't be playing Delver again...and really, I could have gone 2-1 if I'd drawn Unburial Rites more. :)
Geist of St. Traft is not always amazing in limited but it can be if you have the right cards to help it out. I think you had a number of those cards in silent departure, faith's shield, and skillful lunge - all of which are good on their own anyways.
I would have cut delver, reap, and dead weight, and added skillful lunge, faith's shield, and a land. 13 lands in 30 card sealed is the default setting IMO and when you're running two expensive equipments I don't see a reason to go to 12. These cuts also allow you to go from more of a three color deck to just UW splashing black, which would also help your mana and consistency, probably allowing you to run something like 6 plains 5 islands 1 swamp 1 wilds.
ratings are good...
BTW- Are you doing another Where Angels Fear to Tread this weekend?
I might actually be around to play this saturday(!). Is it endangered week, or just standard tribal?
Also, on a totally random note, I had the inklings of a tribal deck I will never ever be able to afford to build. So out of interest, has anybody paired tallowisp and geist of st. traft for some kind of monstrous spirit-aggro yet?
Yes, you are right
I stand corrected.
I had no idea Ghoultree was a solid card. I wish I had picked it over the Elder so I could have given it a try.
And yeah now that I've looked at the draft again Silver Inlaid Dagger would have been a much better card for the deck than an Ironsmith. For some reason it just didn't register with me during the draft. With the Moldgraf I've just had bad luck with it so I've given up on it in my decks.
Regarding the Rat/Pyre question. Actually the Blazing Torch deals the damage so the rat couldn't kill the 7/7.
Thank you Splendid Belt, I also really enjoy your write ups. And at some point I'm going to try doing draft videos. Right now I just can't but in the future I'll give it a try. I'll still be doing write ups as well because I know some people enjoy reading them while at work where they can't just sit back and watch a video.
Thanks for all the comments.
I wouldn't go as far as to say SiD is First pick worthy, but then again I never thought Bonesplitter was either.
Either way both cards are amazing and I'd easily take them high up.
not sure how I missed that one, but Essence of the Wild is so LOL
pack1 pick2 Pick is ghoultree, easily. Yes its best when in a green blue mill yourself deck. But even as a 10/10 for 6 mana its still way above the curve and straight up impossible for some decks to deal with. A good example of a deck that cant deal with it- yours.
Pack 2 pick1 Village ironsmith is the pick with 2 immerwolfs. Since you dont have 2, taking the ironsmith over the clearly superior equipment is just wrong.
Pack 2 pick 7 Bramblecrush is not a maindeck card and is really only worth sbing in if you see a planeswalker. Moonmist goes straight into the red green werewolf deck you are trying to build.
pack 2 pick 8 Moldgraf is a bomb in your deck and you pass it for some reason. Just because the casting cost is high does not mean a card is bad. Most games in innistrad limited do not end on turn 4.
Some major mistakes, but you ended up building the deck well. Moonmist is amazing in a heavy werewolf deck, and its unfortunate you didnt get a chance to try it.Silver inlaid dagger is quite good in any aggro deck, you dont have to be humans, it just gets even better if you are. Bonesplitter was first pick worthy and so is silver inlaid dagger.
If I did then I guess I do apologize... I do sometimes concede if RL takes me away and it has nothing to do with the game state... it is an assumption I often make and I realize its wrong since I play non-MUC decks with Delver so it makes me sometimes hypocritical I guess? Honestly on some days I just don't feel like playing certain decks so I'll concede out people will view this differently, but if I don't feel like playing against a certain deck I don't feel I should have to, feel free to take a win off it.. so yea I know the frustration of someone doing what I did, but at the same time there are times I just don't feel like facing a certain match at that point in time
how many instants/sorceries do you play?
this comment is lampoon-worthy.
I have some experience in running 2HG events, and I can say with certainty that 2/3 is not an option, unless you're willing to spend UP TO 3 HOURS PER ROUND! Even artificial time limits (allowing a player 15 minutes of clock time/round) wouldn't help much in this regard. This is simply the nature of 2HG.
I, for one, am not willing to sit through that.
I was sad that you conceded the game between us the other day after I played Island,Delver, but after reading this article, I see that you thought I was just another person playing MUC. I was playing a Dimir aggro-control deck (no fae). I find that if I don't play control in blue, I seriously lose to MBC.
I agree Invigorate is ban worthy.
Just to give an alternative view - the issue of writing / recording drafts has come up many times here before. Personally I prefer written reports, partly because I ofen read these at work, where having a webpage open is fine, but obviously watching a recorded game isn't.
It's also easier to provide a more in-depth analysis of your plays, what you were considering, and what you could have done differently in a write-up than a recorded game.
Btw - nice write up.
I'm still fond of Endangered, but it does tend to attract the shoehorning mentality a fair bit. Hell, I've been guilty of that myself with my 12post ramp decks (Gargoyles are cool, but given the golems and eldrazi decks I've run with a similar shell, I have to hold my hand up here as part of the problem).
2HG can be fun, and I certainly had fun the previous 2HG special event. I had fun in this one at least in the final match, but landscrew can happen to anyone and isn't worth getting upset over long term. Uninteractive decks could be a problem: In a format without sideboards, the temptation to pair combo with control to strengthen both is a concern, rendering the tribal aspect moot.
The thing is, a 4-player match will inherently take substantially more time than a duel. Twice as many lands, cards drawn, people needing to ok every interaction. Add to that team discussions. I don't think there's scope for a best of 3 2hg 3-round tournament, as the potential to go long is massive, as well as the fact the games are likely to be more taxing on the players due to length and potential complexity. Nine 2HG games in quick succession is almost painful to contemplate.
20 mins per side maybe. Half an hour tops.
I enjoy having a good team mate which is why I played 2hg with you more than once and why Id play Tribal 2hg partnered with AJ any time any place. No matter what our opponents bring.
As far as post game quips, remarks, asshattery etc, I think in some senses you have to take such things with some salt and water and not get caught up in how unfair it is to be painted badly when you bring a deck that some object to.
Aluren combo (Or dreamhalls for that matter I think) is such a deck and obviously in normal TWL Goblins is too. Though I am really not sure how people didnt beat the goblin/kithkin decks to dust in the format. 40 life is a lot harder to beat down than 20. Particularly if you are playing heavy removal. I would have LOVED to be paired against those guys.
Sometimes I think the way the apocalypse goes is entirely based on pairings.
I am not exciting by endangered weeks (and haven't been since flips left or before that even) because they aren't any more in the spirit of the format than the normal weeks are. Endangered just means a slightly worse shell for our favorite Legacy decks.
Switching it up might be good for morale.
Sneak attack isn't without inherent dangers. I would be against preemptively banning such a card and or Show and Tell despite the incredibly annoying and non-interactivity of such decks.
Don't worry about Walls, your build was different enough, and cool!
Also, Nemesis hasn't been running WallDrazi since months (actually, he's not been around in a while, but he was trying several different tribes lately). Walls are free to be played without worry again (they're an important, if peculiar, component of the Tribal world). I've done it myself in the following event I still have to report about.
Yeah, some classic tribes have not seen enough play in these 64 events. This is a bit of a community after all, and some choices by returning players influence the community as a whole. For instance, we have seen a lot of Zuberas, because we have a couple of dedicated Zubera players. I can imagine a different meta where Zuberas are never played.
Careful with Aluren, guys. It's an ok card/archetype if it shows up only once in a while, but if it will become a weekly thing, there's a good chance it will get banned from the event. JustSin said it right in his last article, the bannings aren't as much about the power of a card in the vacuum, as they are about cards fueling decks that start showing up everywhere, overtaking the meta. Most of the cards in our additional banned list would be fine if there wasn't the risk of the respective decks taking over the event for a while. It happened with Glimpse of Nature and Thopter Foundry, and to a lesser extent with Hypergenesis. It never happened with Sneak Attack, for instance: that and the others are preventive bannings. I sometime wonder if it wouldn't be better to "liberalize" the cards that still have to prove themselves annoying, let them run wild for a while, THEN ban them for good after they misbehaved, meaning with that ruining the meta on a consistent basis, not just having a guy going 4-0 with a Sneak Attack deck once in 15 events.
On the rat/pyre question, the best move was to toss the torch on the other werewolf. The rat had deathtouch, so it would kill the 7/7. With the same concept in mind, the grasp wouldn´t save anyone.
So for the wrong move of you opp, you didi the right thing.