Thanks for the comments, Walker. I'll keep that in mind regarding the match results - good point.
I haven't yet tried Memory Lapse but it is interesting. Played at the opportune time it could muck the Storm player's plan, but perhaps it leaves it up to chance (sure you counter a key spell, but if they have a draw effect will it matter?) I also wonder how well Lapse plays out in a deck that may not run any hard counters to pick off the threat the next turn. Entrance is a deck packing some powerful interactions though, perhaps an extra turn could be enough time to make something worthwhile happen. I wonder if it would be better in Deep Dog (blue green madness common-style for those unfamiliar) as Dog is much more of a tempo oriented deck.
Back to Grand Entrance, I'll agree that its lifegain is great for buying time against Storm. Overall though I've seen much more Goblin Storm in the queues than Grapeshot-based decks. If you don't have something to deal with their 20+ tokens you might just be sunk anyhow.
Game 4 I think is pretty ideal. Because your other creatures should be good enough to win, too.
I wonder if Manaplasm is better as just a nice combo? Because you're playing some possibly sub-optimal cards that fit the Manaplasm theme like Blazing Shoal. It would reduce the possibility of swinging with a huge turn 2 guy, but would it be better if the Blazing Shoal were something like that new XR spell from Conflux? So instead of trying to make a 20-power Manaplasm, the new goal would be to play a Manaplasm on turn 2 or 3, then follow it with a series of 4-6 drop. Which is more midrangey and less combo. But you were doing great in the casual room anyways so it probably doesn't matter.
The budget manabase may make it hard to cast Rumbling Slum, Fireblast, Tower Above, and Flame Javelin in the same game. One is fine, two may be hard. Going from RR to GG on three or four lands is hard. Is the RG hybrid land budget friendly?
The only thing that stunned me was the lack of berserk. That would let you push damage through as well as give it a bit more damage.
Turn 1 Manaplasm
Turn 2 Attack, Pitch a Bounty of the Hunt, play Berserk, game over.
Although that takes a pretty specific configuration of cards, so it might not work like that very often. Although this article has inspired me to try a mono green manaplasm deck now. :)
Resounding Silence. as a 3-of and we added the 3rd Sigiled Paladin (might go back to 4th Elspeth though). In the board we now run 2 Sigil in the open slots. With the decrease in slower midrange decks, it became a better more imperative to be able to kill a great deal of guys.
A minor suggestion: For suspense, could you wait to list the results of the match until the end?
Also, re: storm. I hadn't lost to them in quite a while with GE. I had MD Memory Lapse to give myself a fightning chance, but it was the SB of Strands + Holy Light that made it fairly easy. I'd lose G1 a fair amount of the time, but then have either counters (Sometimes Hydroblast, but it wasn't that great), but mostly Strands + Light for the win.
Keep in mind that with Riftwatchers and Sunbeam Spellbombs, they often have a hard time hitting you for 22, or 24, or 29 or whatever life-total in the mid 20s, which has stolen a few games for me when I didn't draw hosers.
Lots of information but no deck lists this time ? Imho the biggest hurdle for this format (which is way better than the critics say) is the amount of time it needs to even get to a first version of a 100 card deck. Well maybe the official release on Thursday will help with that.
You could try a 1/1 for 1 flyer, (Suntail Hawk) for example, in place of (Phyrexian Walker). It is a difficult swap though. I really like Walker because of the 0 casting cost. You can just plop it down for free and you have a decent blocker, or a ninja-enabler. It also can be fetched (on rare occasions where you need another creature) with (Trinket Mage), or returned from your graveyard with (Leonin Squire) (great for recurring a chump blocker.) Perhaps you could try a 1 cc artifact creature in its place, (Arcbound Worker)?
In more recent Grand Entrance builds I have gone down to 3 Walker - this makes it a little more affordable, but it is still a fairly expensive common.
Part of the reason white is ahead of the rest is because there's approximately a BILLION OF THEM in every freaking queue. Elspeth is the only expensive card, so the new infusion of people just brought even more WW...
p.s. the B/W deck is actually sick, although we've since swapped out the Excomminucats.
If you put some Strands maindeck that certainly gives you a shot at game one, which is important as auto-losing game 1 and banking on winning 2 sideboarded games isn't a sound strategy.
In any case it is usually impossible to have good matchups against everything (and usually if that's happening it means that something should get banned which fortunately isn't the case with pauper at the moment).
its just funny cuz both are in my clan on MTGO TheBlockElite and terry sent me the decklist a few days ago and I came on here this morning and see Lathe in the article. Pretty cool either way
Aye, I do not believe that latheknight designed the deck but it is very hard to credit anyone with a deck as being the builder. Someone usually pops up to state they were first or played it here or there. If Terry Poole was the designer then he deserves the credit.
I really loved your article! Speceally beacuse past 1 months all im doing every day is playing ALA Block Tournies. So far I tried Jund - Bant and now Esper.
Jund was extremly bored to me cause you had to be kinda lucky to get the right cards...
Bant was perfect until I started losing and I didn't knew why. If I hadn't had something and opponent had I lost.
Esper... WOW! I mean I threw work on, I tried 10 difrent combos but It just stinked! I couldn't win a single tourny with it. I dunno. I allways had best cards, I poped everything up but it still didn't work...
Well NOW Im really greatfull for this article. Really thanks. I've been tring to build perfect ala deck and I tried so many mono-white combos. Today I tried your 3 decks and I loved them :P I must say I spended over 400$ on all of them now xD
Im loving this ALA think speceally when I battle against decks that contain 30 lands, 4x all ultimatums and removals... lol!
I wouldn't say it is a complete bye. First round will be very tough. The only hope that you have is to apply a little pressure and have them fizzle their attempt - this is not likely to happen. Game 2 you have 4 Hydroblast, 4 Holy Light, and 3 Prismatic Strands. It has been weeks since I've been killed by a Grapeshot, usually it is a amass of tokens (backed by Goblin War Strike) and of course Holy Light is key there.
I won't defend this list too far though. I wrote this article roughly 2 weeks ago (my first article and I didn't realize it'd take a bit of time to come to fruition) and I think that the online metagame is constantly shifting - or it just allows for so many decks that it is difficult to address the metagame as a whole anyhow.
I still run Grand Entrance occassionally, though I have a much more traditional list, focusing on Blue/White and only dipping into Black for Executioner's Capsule. I run 3 Prismatic Strands main with Holy Light and Negate in the sideboard. I agree that Storm is still a deck that can just win at times, but what more would you pack for it? Benelovent Unicorn? Or just not run Grand Entrance?
Isn't this very close to a complete bye for Storm? You have 7 cards in the board that allow you to interact. I don't see how its possible to win game 1, and I don't think 4 Hydros and 3 Strands will be enough to win 2 sideboarded games... Prismatic Strands on its own won't be able to stop them when they have their faster draws as it only comes online turn 3.
Cloud Sprite + Suntail Hawks are ok 1drops if you don't have Walkers. Also, Thought Couriers.
Thanks for the comments, Walker. I'll keep that in mind regarding the match results - good point.
I haven't yet tried Memory Lapse but it is interesting. Played at the opportune time it could muck the Storm player's plan, but perhaps it leaves it up to chance (sure you counter a key spell, but if they have a draw effect will it matter?) I also wonder how well Lapse plays out in a deck that may not run any hard counters to pick off the threat the next turn. Entrance is a deck packing some powerful interactions though, perhaps an extra turn could be enough time to make something worthwhile happen. I wonder if it would be better in Deep Dog (blue green madness common-style for those unfamiliar) as Dog is much more of a tempo oriented deck.
Back to Grand Entrance, I'll agree that its lifegain is great for buying time against Storm. Overall though I've seen much more Goblin Storm in the queues than Grapeshot-based decks. If you don't have something to deal with their 20+ tokens you might just be sunk anyhow.
Unfortunately Fire-Lit Thickett is around 4 tickets, so a playset is close to the cost of the entire deck...
Good call! If I had thought of Bersek, then I would definitely have played it =)
OMG Berserk! You said that right as I was typing my comments. Definitely Berserk.
Game 4 I think is pretty ideal. Because your other creatures should be good enough to win, too.
I wonder if Manaplasm is better as just a nice combo? Because you're playing some possibly sub-optimal cards that fit the Manaplasm theme like Blazing Shoal. It would reduce the possibility of swinging with a huge turn 2 guy, but would it be better if the Blazing Shoal were something like that new XR spell from Conflux? So instead of trying to make a 20-power Manaplasm, the new goal would be to play a Manaplasm on turn 2 or 3, then follow it with a series of 4-6 drop. Which is more midrangey and less combo. But you were doing great in the casual room anyways so it probably doesn't matter.
The budget manabase may make it hard to cast Rumbling Slum, Fireblast, Tower Above, and Flame Javelin in the same game. One is fine, two may be hard. Going from RR to GG on three or four lands is hard. Is the RG hybrid land budget friendly?
Another great article! Kudos for this. :)
The only thing that stunned me was the lack of berserk. That would let you push damage through as well as give it a bit more damage.
Turn 1 Manaplasm
Turn 2 Attack, Pitch a Bounty of the Hunt, play Berserk, game over.
Although that takes a pretty specific configuration of cards, so it might not work like that very often. Although this article has inspired me to try a mono green manaplasm deck now. :)
Resounding Silence. as a 3-of and we added the 3rd Sigiled Paladin (might go back to 4th Elspeth though). In the board we now run 2 Sigil in the open slots. With the decrease in slower midrange decks, it became a better more imperative to be able to kill a great deal of guys.
A minor suggestion: For suspense, could you wait to list the results of the match until the end?
Also, re: storm. I hadn't lost to them in quite a while with GE. I had MD Memory Lapse to give myself a fightning chance, but it was the SB of Strands + Holy Light that made it fairly easy. I'd lose G1 a fair amount of the time, but then have either counters (Sometimes Hydroblast, but it wasn't that great), but mostly Strands + Light for the win.
Keep in mind that with Riftwatchers and Sunbeam Spellbombs, they often have a hard time hitting you for 22, or 24, or 29 or whatever life-total in the mid 20s, which has stolen a few games for me when I didn't draw hosers.
Good call on Metallic Sliver, a fine choice. I'd still prefer Walker, but he's a great budget alternative.
I'll have to say no to Kobolds - but that's a funny idea. :-)
What are you running instead of the Excomm?
Too late (not entirely your fault I guess).. :/
Lots of information but no deck lists this time ? Imho the biggest hurdle for this format (which is way better than the critics say) is the amount of time it needs to even get to a first version of a 100 card deck. Well maybe the official release on Thursday will help with that.
Crookshank Kobolds? =)
You might try metallic sliver, with all the sliver decks running rampant.
You could try a 1/1 for 1 flyer, (Suntail Hawk) for example, in place of (Phyrexian Walker). It is a difficult swap though. I really like Walker because of the 0 casting cost. You can just plop it down for free and you have a decent blocker, or a ninja-enabler. It also can be fetched (on rare occasions where you need another creature) with (Trinket Mage), or returned from your graveyard with (Leonin Squire) (great for recurring a chump blocker.) Perhaps you could try a 1 cc artifact creature in its place, (Arcbound Worker)?
In more recent Grand Entrance builds I have gone down to 3 Walker - this makes it a little more affordable, but it is still a fairly expensive common.
Hi!
Tnx to post yours ideas. the blink deck its soo awesome because i test in MOL and win a lot but i have a question:
Phyrexian Walker is a little expensivo for me, any ideas for other cards in his 4 slots?
Amonchakai
Part of the reason white is ahead of the rest is because there's approximately a BILLION OF THEM in every freaking queue. Elspeth is the only expensive card, so the new infusion of people just brought even more WW...
p.s. the B/W deck is actually sick, although we've since swapped out the Excomminucats.
"Stinger... just isn't as powerful as the other cards."
I dont necessarily disagree with your choice, but I think you should reevaulate stinger.
It is arguably the best common in the set.
My bad for missing that! :)
If you put some Strands maindeck that certainly gives you a shot at game one, which is important as auto-losing game 1 and banking on winning 2 sideboarded games isn't a sound strategy.
In any case it is usually impossible to have good matchups against everything (and usually if that's happening it means that something should get banned which fortunately isn't the case with pauper at the moment).
its just funny cuz both are in my clan on MTGO TheBlockElite and terry sent me the decklist a few days ago and I came on here this morning and see Lathe in the article. Pretty cool either way
Aye, I do not believe that latheknight designed the deck but it is very hard to credit anyone with a deck as being the builder. Someone usually pops up to state they were first or played it here or there. If Terry Poole was the designer then he deserves the credit.
terry poole made the deck latheknight piloted
I really loved your article! Speceally beacuse past 1 months all im doing every day is playing ALA Block Tournies. So far I tried Jund - Bant and now Esper.
Jund was extremly bored to me cause you had to be kinda lucky to get the right cards...
Bant was perfect until I started losing and I didn't knew why. If I hadn't had something and opponent had I lost.
Esper... WOW! I mean I threw work on, I tried 10 difrent combos but It just stinked! I couldn't win a single tourny with it. I dunno. I allways had best cards, I poped everything up but it still didn't work...
Well NOW Im really greatfull for this article. Really thanks. I've been tring to build perfect ala deck and I tried so many mono-white combos. Today I tried your 3 decks and I loved them :P I must say I spended over 400$ on all of them now xD
Im loving this ALA think speceally when I battle against decks that contain 30 lands, 4x all ultimatums and removals... lol!
~Thanks for this great article mate!
Ivo, thank you for taking the time to comment.
I wouldn't say it is a complete bye. First round will be very tough. The only hope that you have is to apply a little pressure and have them fizzle their attempt - this is not likely to happen. Game 2 you have 4 Hydroblast, 4 Holy Light, and 3 Prismatic Strands. It has been weeks since I've been killed by a Grapeshot, usually it is a amass of tokens (backed by Goblin War Strike) and of course Holy Light is key there.
I won't defend this list too far though. I wrote this article roughly 2 weeks ago (my first article and I didn't realize it'd take a bit of time to come to fruition) and I think that the online metagame is constantly shifting - or it just allows for so many decks that it is difficult to address the metagame as a whole anyhow.
I still run Grand Entrance occassionally, though I have a much more traditional list, focusing on Blue/White and only dipping into Black for Executioner's Capsule. I run 3 Prismatic Strands main with Holy Light and Negate in the sideboard. I agree that Storm is still a deck that can just win at times, but what more would you pack for it? Benelovent Unicorn? Or just not run Grand Entrance?
Isn't this very close to a complete bye for Storm? You have 7 cards in the board that allow you to interact. I don't see how its possible to win game 1, and I don't think 4 Hydros and 3 Strands will be enough to win 2 sideboarded games... Prismatic Strands on its own won't be able to stop them when they have their faster draws as it only comes online turn 3.