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By: JXClaytor, Joshua Claytor
Jan 01 2008 4:03pm
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 Hello again everybody!  This week's events allowed me to cover eight full events, but sadly, I was only able to get the top eight decks from seven of them.  You see, event 1100509 was corrupt, and only two or three of the games were up in the replay section when I went to check them.  However, I do have the members of the top eight so we can recognize them for their accomplishment.  Before we dive into the current week, let's take a look at last weeks standings.  

1.  Dredge:  Last week it was number one, and proved to be the most successful combo deck in the field.  Can it stay on top for another week?

2.  Gaddock's Zoo:  This is the beatdown deck of choice.  It has cheap men, like Grim Lavamancer, Mogg Fanatic and in some cases Gaddock Teeg.  Teeg is insane against most of the combo decks in the field, as he shuts off the key cards.  Enduring Ideal, Mind's Desire, and Dread Return are unplayable with him in play.  These dorks are backed up with solid burn like Tribal Flames, Lightning Helix, and Firebolt.

3.  Affinity:  Affinity broke into the top last week.  It's a powerful deck with main deck tools against Dredge (Tormod's Crypt and Arcbound Ravager can ruin this decks day.)  It has a good matchup with Zoo because it has large men that come out quickly (Think Myr Enforcer.)  and can win games out of no whereon the back of Cranial Plating.  This deck is cheap when compared to other Extended decks, and should be a player in the format for time to come. 

4.  Chase Rare:  Pro Tour Champions deck.  It can be a beatdown deck with the quick draw.  It can be a control deck with Sensei's Divining Top and Counterbalance.  If it is good enough to win the Pro Tour, it has to be good enough to look into right?

5.  PT Junk:  Most Junk decks run solid midrange utility creatures.  Guys like Loxodon Hierarch and Eternal Witness are the backbone of the deck, gaining you much needed life against Aggro (in the case of the elephant.) or recurring powerful spells like Vindicate Pernicious Deed and Duress against control.  Of note is a new version of the deck that features a Junk base, but also runs Doran, the Siege Tower as a quicker route to victory.  If I have my way, I'll be writing more about Junk in the Trunk at a later date.

Ichorid
 

Roar!!!

Now you can see what the top five decks are this week.  We have a new entry into the top five.  Gifts Rock is a Gifts Ungiven based control deck.  The Green Black Blue powerhouse takes advantage of mass removal in Damnation and Deed to slow down the aggro matches, and uses recurssion in the form of Genesis to gain an advantage in control match ups. 

The other new deck in the top five is what I feel is the natural evolution of the PT Junk deck.  Doran and pals plays much like junk, even uses most of the same cards, but can win quicker than the regular Junk deck, as it gets to cast 5/5 beatdown men on turn two. 

Let's get on to this week's recaps. 

1100509
All data from this event was corrupt. 

Sneakattackkid
dol_pl
Lucindo
siewca_wiatru
Bard_Taliesin
_sprite_
doorey loo
Clone11

I would hazard a guess and say Lucindo was playing Dredge.  He is after all one of the most successful pilots of the deck on MTGO. 


1100510
The top two split.

0utsider:  RBG Zoo
Cpal90:  PT Junk
carl_: Affinity
PlatinumAngel:  Platinum Angel's Special Mind's Desire Ideal Deck.
vitorssp55: TEPS
MituliakV:  BUG TomboGoyfoTog
Chili Boy:  Gifts Rock
Lanicor:  Domain Zoo

There is nothing really of note here in this event.  Of course, Platinum Angel continues to play decks that defy not only net decker's but other players alike.  In this set of replays, I watched him play an Ideal like base, before he won with the TEPS kill.  In other games, he would win with Enduring Ideal.  I often times have no idea what to think of this player or his deck, but he really puts his own touches on decks. 

Tarmogoyf

1100511
This event was split in the finals

Tulio_Jaudy:  Total Mess
C R I S I S: Doran Junk
Little Shaves: Dredge
Clone11:  Red Deck Wins
manu_chao:  BG Rock
ali3765:  Chase Rare
small_talk_big_play:  Doran Junk
qwertpl:  Boros Deck


The only thing worth mentioning here is the emergence of Doran Junk, which split in the finals and took another slot in the top eight.  I'll have a list for this deck at the end of the article.  I have already covered Total Mess in a Community Profile with the player last week.  You should check that out!  

Lightning Angel


Careful Study

1100512
Split

Lucindo: Dredge
iori: Primal Junk
alankats: Chase Rare
King of Snake:  Affinity
doorey loo:  BG Rock
st.b.lu:  Gifts Rock
tpc2000:  Total Mess
Andronchik:  Chase Rare


iori's deck looks like typical Junk deck, but also runs a Primal Command tutor tool box of sorts.  He is also unwilling to come off the deck.  Sadly, I was unable to get that for you all.   


1100513
Split

TuSaisPas:  Gifts Rock
Lucindo: Dredge
Dish:  Affinity
islands: Ideal
penultimatedoom:  Goblins
0utsider:  RGB Zoo
S E V A S T R A: Doran Junk
Fabian: Heartbeat


Gifts Rock finally gets to the finals after having a couple of other top eight showings.  I will also show you a version of this deck at the end of the article.  
Gifts Ungiven

Vindicate
1100514
Split

Dr.Siuss: Doran Junk
AnssiA:  Death Cloud
_sprite_:  Doran Junk
trunks123:  Gifts Rock
nofxdarkside2:  Dredge
Gosu:  Goblins
Sodo:  BG Rock
Alan_Glen:  RGB Zoo


Doran Junk showed up huge in this event.  I am not quite sure of what to think about AnssiA's deck, Death Cloud is a very powerful spell.  

1100515
Split

Fangord:  Red Deck Wins
manu_chao:  Flow Rock
trunks123:  Gifts Rock
Armigilion:  Gaddock's Zoo
ggalmol: Chase Rare
Dr. Greens:  Dredge
DrinkersStore: Affinity
the_bestdude: concession


It seems to me that the metagame is settling down in the Extended format.  It should be this way until the PTQ season takes off for PT Hollywood.  We have a lot of decks that have made multiple top eights, and than Red Deck Wins, splits in the finals. 
Grim Lavamancer

1095070 4X
Split

lsv: PT Junk
DrinkersStore: Affinity
Groo the Wanderer: Affinity
Lalau WBA: RGB Zoo
jehrid: Dredge
NinjaVanish: Dredge
little hunter: Gifts Rock
Scottgolden12953: TEPS


This event may end up being the last hurrah for PT Junk, as more and more players pick up Doran Junk they will find that the Doran version is pretty much superior in every way.   
Cabal Therapy

Colors Deck Name Placings Percentage
Dredge 12%
Gifts Rock 10%
  Affinity 10%
Doran Junk 8%
Chase Rare 7%
PT Junk 5%
Rock 5%
Dark Zoo 5%
Ideal 3%
TEPS 3%
Total Mess 3%
Goblins 3%
Red Deck Wins 3%
Gaddock's Zoo 3%
Heartbeat Desire 1%
Boros Deck Wins 1%
Platinum Angel's Special Ideal Desire 1%
Death Cloud 1%
Flow Rock 1%
Primal Junk 1%
  Disconnected 1%

This Week's Big Winner:

I'm going to pick two this week.  After being on top the past week, Dredge took a stranglehold on the opposition and continued to be the top dog in the format.  When you can consistantly fight through Leyline of the Void and Tormod's Crypt and still win through all the hate, that is quite the accomplishment.  Lucindo is still the player I would watch if you want to learn about playing Dredge, as he really does have a strong handle of the inner workings and mechanics of the deck. 

The other winner this week has to be Gifts Rock.  The deck has had a small impact on the format for the past couple of weeks, and suddenly blows up with a handful of strong showings. 

The week's biggest loser: 

Gaddock Zoo:  What happened to you?  I'm not entirely sure, but it may due to a poor matchup with Gifts Rock.  Dark Zoo had a more impressive showing, and if you want to beat down I would recommend that. 

What would I play? 

If I were going to play any Extended events in the coming days, I would run Dredge.  If not that, I would run Dark Zoo, and of course if money were not an issue, I would have bought Ideal already.  There are a lot of options for anyone in this Extended format! 

Next week I will have some more Extended data, and we'll go over the month of December as PTQ"s swing into action next month.  Until then may the end of 2007 be happy, and the start of 2008 be safe! 

Decklists. 

Doran Junk:

4 Birds of Paradise
1 Elves of Deep Shadow
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Dark Confidant
4 Doran, the Siege Tower
3 Eternal Witness
3 Loxodon Hierarch
4 Cabal Therapy
4 Vindicate
2 Profane Command
2 Thoughtseize
2 Smother
1 Chrome Mox

4 Windswept Heath
2 Polluted Delta
3 Overgrown Tomb
2 Temple Garden
1 Godless Shrine
2 Forest
1 Swamp
1 Plains
1 Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
4 Treetop Village
Sideboard
3 Umezawa's Jitte
4 Leyline of the Void
3 Pernicious Deed
1 Smother
2 Thoughtseize
2 Indrik Stomphowler

Gifts Rock

1 Breeding Pool
3 Forest
1 Godless Shrine
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Island
3 Overgrown Tomb
1 Plains
2 Polluted Delta
1 Stomping Ground
2 Swamp
1 Temple Garden
1 Watery Grave
4 Windswept Heath
4 Birds of Paradise
3 Eternal Witness
1 Genesis
3 Loxodon Hierarch
1 Ravenous Baloth
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
4 Cabal Therapy
3 Collective Restraint
1 Damnation
2 Duress
1 Extirpate
4 Gifts Ungiven
2 Living Wish
2 Pernicious Deed
1 Putrefy
1 Smother
1 Vindicate
Sideboard

2 Duress
1 Eternal Witness
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Harmonic Sliver
1 Haunting Echoes
1 Indrik Stomphowler
1 Kataki, War’s Wage
1 Loxodon Hierarch
1 Meddling Mage
2 Smother
1 Teneb, the Harvester
1 Withered Wretch
1 Yixlid Jailer

 

0 Comments

new to the site by Anonymous (Unregistered) 129.139.1.69 (not verified) at Thu, 01/03/2008 - 16:58
Anonymous (Unregistered) 129.139.1.69's picture

This site has some of the best content I've seen in a long while.  Online Tech was my favorite article, but Flores isn't the best replacement for Frank Karsten.  I thoroughly enjoy this Extended Play series.  Can there be links to decklists though?  It's very hard to find them.  Thank You!!!!

woot! by Mitchy at Wed, 01/02/2008 - 11:11
Mitchy's picture

Sweet article man! Thanks !!