Post M10 Merfolk....for every format.

By Jim Marlow

Hey everyone,

I hope everyone is doing great in Leeds and elsewhere, i am really excited to see everyone again, and im feeling confident about the PTQ.

I was a bit stuck on what to write for the next article, which is really annoying because i seem to come up with ideas when im working then when i get a day off i cant seem to string any sentences together.

I was going to leave it untill tomorrow to give a report on the WNM at Runik Games this week, when i spotted a little something in the Sam Black article on starcity today

Merfolk Sovereign - and how it may make merfolk playable again.

Anyone who knows me should know i have a fairly sexual relationship with our slippery cousins, and the deck i have had the most fun playing in magic was u/w merfolk from TSP_10th_LOR, so i checked it out on mtgsalvation....

'Other Merfolk creatures you control get +1/+1'

After a brief trouser change, i realised that this was indeed a reason to play merfolk again, in every freaking format around....

O wait, didnt WOTC take mana burn away....hello Wake Thrasher!!!!

This card is basically a garuantee that i will be playing merfolk in every constructed magic event i compete in the next year or so, sweet!

I was already tempted to play merfolk in legacy, then i was thinking u/g or U/G/r threshold, so anyway i knocked up some post M10 lists for standard, extended and legacy.


Standard

3 x stonybrook banneret
4 x stonybrook adept
4 x merrow reejerey
4 x merfolk sovereign
3 x reveillark
4 x wake thrasher
2 x sygg river guide


4 x cryptic command
3 x sage's dousing
3 x path to exile
2 x jace beleren

4 x glacial fortress
4 x wanderwine hub
4 x mystic gate
4 x mutavault
6 x island
2 x plains

This deck looks pretty sick, i havent done a board for any of the decks yet, i havent really looked at m10, and obviously there will be some metagame shifts due to it and the rotation in general. I may put sower of temptation in the main instead of the jace's though.

Extended

4 x cursecatcher
4 x lord of atlantis
4 x merrow reejerey
4 x merfolk sovereign
4 x silvergill adept

4 x ancestral vision
4 x mana leak
4 x spell snare
2 x cryptic command
2 x umezawa's jitte

4 x mutavault
2 x riptide laboratory
4 x wanderwine hub
14 x island


Legacy

What i hate about this list, is that reading it is probably the biggest incentive to crap out of GP brighton i have....although its not like i need an incentive to do this.

4 x cursecatcher
4 x lord of atlantis
4 x silvergill adept
4 x merrow reejerey
4 x merfolk sovereign
2 x wake thrasher

4 x force of will
4 x daze
4 x standstill

4 x aether vial
2 x umezawa's jitte

4 x mutavault
4 x wasteland
12 x island


im pretty happy that 1 card has single handedly made me excited about M10, i should probably look at some of the other cards in the set now i guess.

See everyone at my house on friday, for a pre PTQ party.


Until then,


JimAs always,


feel free to comment on anything about this article, or anything unrelated to magic whatsoever. If you would like to contribute to the TLM blog, please email any ideas, articles, pictures or anything else to ss07jm@leeds.ac.uk

Guest Article : Heathy goes to PTQ Leicester

By Ben Heath

Hey guys, this is the first of many, i hope, guest articles to be hosted on the TLM blog. Thanks go to Ben for taking time to write for the blog. If you want to write an article for the blog, feel free, simply send it to ss07jm@leeds.ac.uk. Similarly, if you would like an article to cover a particular area/format of magic, then send an email to the above address. After all, the blog is here for you, the reader(s, hopefully!).

Jim

Greetings from planet Heathy.

Today, Sunday 22nd March, was the last chance for British players to go to PT Honolulu, the PTQs coming to Leicester for the last leg of the Extended PTQ season. After a mildly successful time in Birmingham, Jim and I decided to head to Leicester and hope for some better luck over there. Jim was playing his trusty Fae deck whilst I was playing Doran Rock, deck list below. We were joined by Paul Wray (zoo), Craig Stephenson (TEPS) and Andy Devine (loam zoo...I think).

Anyways, without further ado, here’s how I got on...

Round 1

First up for me was the loam deck. Good match up for me, as the cards in both graveyards help me power up goyfs when needed. Any threats generated by him were dealt with well.
Won 2-0.

Round 2

Up against wizards with artifacts. If there is one moment which stands out as the worst moment of today, this was it. Game 1, opponent on 6 life, Tarmogoyf and Thoughtseize in hand. Use Thoughtseize to reveal a Chalice of the Void and Spell Snare. Easy choice, Spell Snare, right? Wrong. I took Chalice of The Void. I lost that game, and it was mine for the taking. Game 2 went much better, dealing with Vedalken Shackles with my opponent on 3 life. Dealt the lethal damage with 2 minutes of the round to play. Didn’t bother with Round 3. Drew 1-1. 4 points. That one mistake proved to be my undoing for the entire night.

Round 3

Next up was zoo. Another easy matchup, outraced my opponent in Game 1, but Game 2 was a different story. Lots of shock lands and Thoughtseizes makes Ben a very sad panda, and in no time I was on 7 life with my opponent on 18. Two Loxodon Hierarchs and a Doran later, and I was on 7 points after three rounds.
Won 2-0. 7 points.

Round 4

Feeling confident after three rounds and only one glaring error, my hopes of my first PTQ Top 8 were smashed by another wizards matchup. Vedalken Shackles, controlling Doran, were my undoing in both games, despite boarding in Kataki, War’s Wage, I didn’t see it at all. I happily admit to being outplayed in this match, but deep down I knew that my night would end after Round 6.
Lost 2-0. 7 points.

Round 5

Next was the type of deck that is my least favourite to play against, which is the combo deck. This one was Swans, but unfortunately for my opponent I had answers left, right and centre. Game 1 I Doran’d him into submission, in Game 2 his Swans met my friends Thoughtseize, Path to Exile and Putrefy. Turned out later that Putrefying my opponent’s Chrome Mox in Game 1 was vital, as he would have been able to have casted Firespout twice, completely wiping my board.
Won 2-0. 10 points.

Round 6

Going into Round 6 I was in 11th place, with strong tiebreakers, a good win against an opponent who was also doing well (which is what I was expecting) would have stood me in great stead. I therefore don’t quite understand why I was paired up with Andy Devine in Round 6, who was down in 20th place. With me on 10 points and Andy on 9 points, we eventually decided that Andy would concede to me to boost my chances of getting into the Top 8, but we played anyway. I won Game 1 after Thoughtseizing all his threats before Goyfing him into submission. Game 2 was when I made my second major mistake of the night, and as a result thoroughly deserved to lose (attacking with a far too weak 2/3 Tarmogoyf into another Tarmogoyf and a 3/3 Wild Nacatl...d’oh). Game 3 I unfortunately got mana-flooded and was pretty disappointed to be actually lose the matchup as I thought it was a pretty good match up for me, but as far as the tournament was concerned I won 2-1 and was on 13 points...honest...

I ended up in 10th place with 13 points, a mere 4% on tiebreakers away from 6th place, who was also on 13 points. Although gutted not to make it, I had a good time, and won some pretty awesome cards in the boosters I won, thanks especially to Andy for letting me win the final round, even though it was all in vain (thanks dude). Thanks to Jim as well for the lift. Now I’m off to celebrate with my mates and get absolutely rat-arsed, later!

Heathy

Deck List

2 Chrome Mox,
4 Thoughtseize,
4 Birds of Paradise,
3 Path to Exile,
4 Tidehollow Sculler,
4 Tarmogoyf,
4 Dark Confident,
2 Umezawa’s Jitte,
4 Doran,
2 Kitchen Finks,
3 Putrefy,
2 Oblivion Ring,
2 Loxodon Heirarch.
4 Windswept Heath,
3 Treetop Village,
2 Overgrown Tomb,
2 Godless Shrine,
2 Temple Garden,
2 Ghost Quarter,
2 Swamp,
1 Plains,
1 Polluted Delta,
1 Bloodstained Mire

Sideboard
4 Bitterblossom,
2 Kitchen Finks,
2 Gaddock Teeg,
2 Ethersworn Canonist,
1 Path to Exile,
1 Tormod’s Crypt,
1 Relic of Progenitus,
2 Kataki, War’s Wage.

Tournament Report: PTQ honolulu - leicester 22nd March

By Jim Marlow

Hey guys,

So, having driven home from Leeds the night before i woke up at 6 to drive to Phoenix games in Leicester, armed with a faeries deck, very similar to the one posted in the earlier article, but with 2 path to exile swapped into the main for 2 stifle (this turned out fantastically, i wish i could have fit a 3rd in).

Anyways, before i get into the match reports, i just wanted to mention that Phoenix games is a lovely, albeit small, gaming store, with a really nice gaming area, so if anyone gets a chance drop by for an event (we were informed on regionals coming up shortly there). However, it was a shame that despite being informed that registration finished at 10.30am for an 11.am start, the shop was still not open at 10am!, which was a bit lame. There was obviously a lot of organising to do, but after having a breakfast in McDonalds me and Ben ended up sitting in my car finishing off our decks, which was kind of lame, so hopefully if anyone goes to Leicester the staff at Phoenix games will have worked out the slight administrative kinks they had with this PTQ.

Round 1 - Kris Pietron - Swans

Game 1 - This game was incredibly long and drawn out, but eventually i managed to come good with mutavaults and spellstutter sprites. Kris did well not to reveal what deck he was playing (i first though fae with polluted delta, next teps with a turn 2 ponder) until my turn 3 vendilion clique revealling 2 chain of plasmas in hand. This of course was bas news, but i stripped 1 and then cliqued again post combat next turn to take the other. From here it was simply a matter of finding a threat, and after a few self proclaimed mistakes by Kris i countered a swans and took the game.

Game 2 - This game started much like the first, but i had kept a hand with lots of permission in hand. Having answers to most of Kris' action in the first 4 or so turns seemed strong, especially with beats coming in from a spellstutter, soon joined by a vendilion clique, which left a hand with not a lot of gas. The defining play of the game came when Kris made a turn 5 Teferi off an EOT mystical teachings. I played glen elendra archmage, then my path to exile on Teferi met pact of negation, which effectively nullified most of my hand. From here it was simply a matter of time before Kris drew into his combo.

Sadly, there was only 3 minutes of the round so we called it a draw at 1-1


Round 2 - Johnathan Coutts - Naya Burn

Game 1 - John led off with stompin ground into kird ape, which didnt scare me too much because i know zoo can be an ok matchup with a semi decent draw. John helixed my spellstutter countering his turn 3 dude, which was very bad news for me, and after playing draw go, i had no choice but to let him resolve a sulfuric vortex, which meant i had 3 turns, and quickly died.

Game 2 - John got a first turn kird ape again, and resolved a second turn 3/3 wild nacatl, which seemed strong despite a good opener from me. I was beatedn up by his dudes for a little bit, trying to leave counter magic open to vortex, but all the time dying to his 1 drops. I got low on life, but with venser in hand and visions resolving i allowed a char to resolve, which took me to 3 life (1, if you count the seal of fire on the table), because if i drew land i can make spellstutter, and then venser, bouncing and blocking (i tanked for about 10mins on this play). My 4 from visions were of course fetchland, fetchland, fetchland, shockland - awkward.

Round 3 - James Ritche - Elves!

Game 1 - I knew James was playing Elves! allready from seeing him playing across tables, but he didnt seem to confident with playing the deck, and its a pretty good matchup already for Fae. James flopped a load of elves onto the table early on, but i had engineered explosives for 1 to clear them up. Soon after i drew academy ruins, and slowly destroyed all but 2 cards in hand and a wirewood symbiote and birchlore rangers on his side. I cliqued to reveal pact and glimpse, taking the pact, then pass. He then plays land, glimpse, glimpse, and then attempts to bounce his birchlore - i stifle.....we shuffle.

Game 2 - Once again an early onset of elves is firespouted away, but James gets badly manaflooded, and of course flops them onto the table to show me he has no outs before getting bashed around silly by various dudes i resolve, obviously not fearing a sudden combo.

Round 4 - Chip Raynor - Loam

Game 1 - Chip was a really nice guy, and local to Leicester, which is cool. Our game 1 was fairly close, with a knight of the reliquary growing. However my turn 4 vendilion clique managed to put a loam on bottom, and sometime later, having snared a second copy, i managed to clique again to take the other. Chip mistakenly attacked with his finks (with the reliquary sadly in exile), leaving my mutavaults to get in for lethal.

Game 2 - This was my first non-game of the day. Having cycled lands for the first couple turns, Chip resolved a knight of the reliquary, to get end of turn path to exiled, but sadly this was the only creature Chip drew, nor did he draw any loams, darkblasts, or anything else of any relevence.

Round 5 - Noel Bresland - kithkin

Game 1 - Noel was playing what looked like a very similar deck to the one in standard right now, which was very evident from his turn 1 goldmeadow stalwart. I took couple hits then path to exiled his stalwart, now with a spellstutter of my own. The game changing mistake came in turn 3, where i made a draw step vendilion clique, seeing 2 ranger of eos, a wizenned cenn and land. I should have waited and leaked the attempted ranger this turn the just cliqued next turn for the other. As it happened i punted, let him keep both, then got beaten silly by Figure of destinies while trying to rob wagner an Engineered explosives onto my deck (no dice)

Games 2 & 3 - i am reporting these together because they were ridiculously similar, happily in that i drew out pretty much the stone cold nuts against Noel's deck. In both of my opening hands i had a copy of engineered explosives and my misers academy ruins, which was nice. Whats more both these games saw me drawing heavily into my sideboarded firespouts. The only thing i had to worry about was Noel resolving a spectral procession, but luckily i kept him off this and it was over. I almost feel bad about how well i drew in these last 2 games, in game 3, having already used engineered explosives, and with academy ruins, my 4 card hand contained 3 x firespout and 1 x path to exile - delicious!. Im pretty sure Noel could have stalled out a draw in game 3, but he attack with his figure, and i had the mana to firespout his fresh blockers, then activate mutavault, swing with that and 2 x spellstutter sprites, give one +4/+4 from jitte, which luckily was just enough for lethal.

Round 6 - Christopher Rossiter - Faeries

Game 1 - As with all Faerie mirror matches, this one was explosive..... but seriously this was a long drawn out affair, with various riptide laboratory shananigans being used. Sadly throughout this Chris was able to more than half my life with a Mutavault, and when he resolved another creature it was over.

Game 2 - This was another really close game, but i managed to keep up with Chris' land drops, although he had 2 riptide labs to my 1, which gave him a pretty big advantage. I beatdown with a spellstutter for turn before it was joined by another. Chris vensered my vendilion clique back to my hand, annoyingly. I then sowered Chris venser, and he sowered my sower, leaving me with venser, 2 x spellstutter and 2 x mutavault, and chris with 2 x sower, and 1 x mutavault. I attacked with everything, and chris traded off my sower for a vault after i didnt use my riptide lab (i may have the board wrong because he used his lab to save something else), anyways, i play a postcombat venser of my own, getting rid of both and bouncing the sower, then strip it from his hand leaving him with 2 lands and a mystery, with the board now empty for him (with bounced mutavault in hand), and i have2 x spellstutter and a clique with him low on life.

Anways, it was close to time and chris was win and in and for me it depended on breakers, but i had reasonable ones, plus i was paired up, but in the end i thought it better that one of us made it to the top 8 rather than neither of us, so after this play i scooped to Chris and wished hime good luck in the top 8 (incidentally does anyone know who won it?)

So i hope you enjoyed the report, congratulations to Ben Heath who did well as well that day, and also it was good to see fellow leodensians Paul Wray, Craig Stevenson and Andy Devine in Leicester.

Overall it was a pretty good day, despite not getting any prizes for my troubles i will probably still get some rating out of it, and see new places. Good luck to whoever won the ptq, hope you do well in Honolulu.

Jim

Please feel free to comment on this article or about anything related to Magic or Team Leeds. If you would like to contribute to the TLM blog, please email me at ss07jm@leeds.ac.uk

Extended Fae: preparation for PTQ Leicester

By Jim Marlow

Hey everyone,

So yesterday was sadly my last WNM for 4 weeks due to me going home for Easter holidays from uni, but for the lucky few of Team Leeds going to the last PTQ of the Honalulu season, you shall be graced by my presence. I will of course be playing the blue menace, which is well known to have been my deck of choice for many months over the course of standard and before that block constructed.

I firmly believe that faeries is the best deck in extended right now, for many of the same reasons that it was good in standard. Obviously the deck has some of the best spells avalible in the extended card-pool, but moreover the deck is resilliant to mediocre draws, and can stall out long enough to gain slow control, whereas many decks in extended simply crumble without great draws.

This is the decklist i will be playing in Leicester.

4 x spellstutter sprite
4 x vendilion clique
3 x sower of temptation
2 x glen elendra archmage
1 x venser, shaper savant

4 x ancestral vision
4 x stifle
4 x spell snare
4 x mana leak

3 x engineered explosives
2 x umezawa's jitte

4 x polluted delta
2 x flooded strand
4 x mutavault
2 x hallowed fountain
2 x steam vents
2 x riptide laboratory
1 x academy ruins
6 x island
2 x plains

Sideboard
3 x relic of progenitus
4 x ethersworn canonist
3 x kataki, wars wage
2 x path to exile
3 x firespout

Card choices

4 x vendilion clique - i recently put the 4th in over a 3rd jitte because i wanted to better my matchup against the combo/control decks in the format. Clique is great against both fae and teps because he puts a clock on as well as stripping the hand, and hopefully you can play with 4 you will have a backup clique when they deal with your first.

4 x stifle - again a move to fight teps and the mirror, which i think are the trickiest matches to navigate with this deck. The deck is fairly resiliant to the aggro lurking in the format so i think i can afford to play the 4th. Also, stifle can end games against zoo if you manage to get 1, or even 2 of their fetchlands away.

2 x riptide laboratory - Obviously riptide lab is totally sick, and when active with something like clique, venser, or spellsutter you can lock opponants out of the game. However i really wanted to put in an academy ruins because i was going down to 2 jittes and i thought that it would be better against aggro style decks, and i didnt really want to have 8 colourless mana producing lands in the deck, so the third lab had to go.

0 x cryptic command - For a long time cryptic didnt seem to get played in faeries, and now it seems to be in favour with many players as a 1 or 2 of. I began by playing it, but aside from the fog effect against zoo, i simply cant justify cryptic as good enough for the deck. Instead i think the glen elendra archmage's do a better job, because they counter all the accelerants from teps, both without costing 4 a time, and without adding to the storm count. It pains me to take this out because of my love for them in standard, but the triple blue cost was the last straw and i took them out.

The sideboard is obviously nearly all white, but i think the white splash instead of black gives me far more, and better options against the bad matchups for Fae. Although ethersworn canonist maybe not the best option against elves of teps because they know about it, i think its probably as good as thoughtseize, plus i dont think most players playing elves or teps will expect Fae to board it in.

Anyway, wish me luck in Leicester, and good luck too all other members of Team Leeds going, look forward to seeing you all there


Jim

Feel free to leave comments regarding the article, or anything else. If you are interested in contributing to the Team Leeds Magic blog, or want to contact me for any other reason my email address is - ss07jm@leeds.ac.uk