An easily overlooked interaction is the option of using Pendelhaven to pump an elf to allow it to don multiple Skullclamps. This enables the option of sending a bigger threat into the Red zone but more importantly the Double Clamped elf will lose the pump bonus at the end of turn and get send to the graveyard to net you 4 cards, which you can deploy on your next turn. This deck can suffer badly if the opponent can play a Moat as all of the threats in the deck are groundbeaters, so the only hope is to discard the moat before it can be cast, or ride out the turns until you can access Krosan Grip. Countertop decks can also be an issue since the top can always be bounced to counter most of the deck due to the heavy bias on the one drop cards. Likewise a Pithing Needle naming skullclamp or a Chalice of the Void set at 1, all need to be hit with a grip as quickly as possible, hence the possibility to go to the full set of grips post-board. The grip is favourable to other options such as Naturalize, the elves help to negate the higher casting cost and the ability to dodge counter magic is invaluable. Leyline of the Void and Tormod's Crypt are key to winning the dredge matchup. Dredge usually combos out too fast for your clock and your discard only serves to aid their quest. The flash match up can be tricky, you have to hit hard with discard, and try and get an essence warden on the board, I side in the grips(to hit Phyrexian Dreadnought) and voids. Affinity ebs and flows in popularity but if you expected this deck is on the rise then Seeds of Innocence can be a total wrecking-ball, and can replace the crypts. Sadly Premier Events have not restarted yet in V3.0 so I have been unable to fully test a new version of this deck which looks at abusing the combination of Bitterblossom and Skullclamp. Sure I can hit up the Tournament Practice room but there is nothing like the gaunlet of a Premier Event to really test a deck. Never-the-less here is a proposed decklist and I also list my take on a mono black build. |
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I have the gut instinct that if any deck sporting clamp ever really took off in the Classic scene, it would be the death knell for clamp. I mean, you HAVE to believe that if any card is on the watch list, it's clamp.
So if you want to keep playing with this deck - don't win with it! : )
Exactly! It's amazing how dynamic this game is, even in the Classic format. It makes things so much fun to see them change around as we get new cards!
Thank you for all the postivie feedback
Hammy/Iceman Re Blossom
Yes looking back it is very funny: I have already admitted my error in misjudging this card - See comments at the end of an excellent Walkerdog article (http://www.puremtgo.com/articledisplay.asp?AID=1032). "Nice Article Walkerdog! I total underestimated bitterblossom when it was first released and even went as far as to say I thought it would never make a PE T8! Well this has already been disproved and since accepting my error in assessing this card, I have recently picked up 4 - and I must say I am impressed. "
I think it was with this knowledge that Iceage4Life posted here too!
"The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing"
A very good article. I remembered that someone was pretty adamant about Bitterblossom not being a good card in Classic, so I dug through the ClassicQuarter forums (Not to be mean, but I found the thread quite funny. ):
http://classicquarter.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=816KW=bitterblossomPN=1
:)
I thought that was a pretty funny thread, especially looking back on it from here. :P
Anywho, a very good article, and I'm starting to agree with Dangerlinto about the Clamp gettign out of control in Classic. Although based on how much help combo is going to be getting this fall it may be a moot point by then anyway.
Like i said before nice article there andy. I do unfortunatly hate you for putting elf clamp in the public eye though. lol. In all seriousness elf clamp is an ok choice very hand dependant, but the addition of blossom is good enough to actually make me nerves to play aginst a clamp deck. Previosly all you had to do to win the game was really just make sure a goyf dosent sit on the table but now an unanswered turn 2 blossom will give the deck the power boost it needed to keep tempo on its side. i feel like this deck has a lot of potential and just needs to figure out the correct 60 for its make up to be a powerplayer in the format.depending on what we get in med2 it will probably be one of the surviving archtypes going in to tempest ara classic.
I hear this Bitterblossom card is good ;)
I was skeptical at first about it in classic. Although I had overlooked clamp till whiffey mentioned the combo. Great article hammer this deck is dangerous to flash due to life gain and disruption. If flash cant win in the first three turns it probally will not win this match up. I took second thanks to one of these decks in my first top two appearence in classic.