[Article] June Metagame Breakdown

[Dr. Sylvan]

http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/expandnews.php?Article=7721

[rvs]

If you are so hung up on calling K-eeper 4cc, then PLEASE stop calling Tog Hulksmash, ok?

[Methuselahn]

Just to nitpick:

I don't really think you can catagorize the Minneapolis BFD deck as 7/10 Split.

BFD runs MD Trinispheres and Wastelands and not Force of Will and Guilded Lotus, and Draw7s like 7/10 Split.  The decks really play differently.

[Dr. Sylvan]

I actually submitted an article on Wednesday about the naming of Workshop decks, so that should go up some time soon. It should render my perspective much better, and earn me several flames. :)

As to Hulk Smash: the reason I didn't like the K-eeper name is that it described a deck that no longer existed. K-eeper had Elemental Augury. 4C Control is a name that probably won't become outdated, and happens to be very easy to understand. I'm not opposed to flavorful but less clear names in principle, only if they've outlived their usefulness. To me, Hulk Smash describes Type One Psychatog's big difference from previous Tog decks: Berserk. If 4C Control decks were still based on a lock mechanism to win, I probably would still be calling them K-eeper.

[Kowal]

I enjoyed this article, because it featured me.  How good!  

[wuaffiliate]

No incinerate this time! Hmm thats a large ammount of Arcbound Crushers.

[Purple Hat]

Great article

Hmm thats a large ammount of Arcbound Crushers

That's cus he rocks.

[Dante]

No incinerate this time! Hmm thats a large ammount of Arcbound Crushers.

Oh yah, check this Zoo deck out that won a 155-person tournament in Italy - 2 Incinerates!!  It says "I'm 4 Black Vise's away from being Scott Johns and Huei-Saint Shwe" (and I'll mail one bad foil card to the first person who posts who knows what I'm talking about).


1st Placed - Maurizio "Chill" D'Isanto - UR-Control ( Chill&Benga Kiodo's Factory )


MAINDECK

4 Force of Will
2 Stifle
2 Misdirection

1 Mystical Tutor
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Timetwister
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Isochron Scepter
2 Crucible of Worlds

4 Fire/Ice
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Incinerate

4 Gorilla Shaman
4 Serendib Efreet

1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
4 Volcanic Island
4 Wooded Foothills
5 Mountain
1 Library of Alexandria
3 Mishra's Factory

SIDEBOARD

4 Red Elemental Blast
2 Rack and Ruin
4 Tormod\'s Crypt
2 Null Rod
3 Energy Flux


and who said Serendib wasn't playable?  

[Matt]

I don't think I've ever seen a decklist with exactly five basic mountains. Ever. In any non-limited format.

[jpmeyer]

What I found really interesting this time is that most of the top decks in general were strengthening their numbers while the more random decks started dropping off.  Yay consolidation.

[LoA]

It says "I'm 4 Black Vise's away from being Scott Johns and Huei-Saint Shwe" (and I'll mail one bad foil card to the first person who posts who knows what I'm talking about).

 

That goes back to Dallas, when Zoo decks were all the rage.  I think the top 4 decks were Zoo-esque, with Johns and St. Shwe playing traditional Zoo decks and the 3/4 finishers playing with Serendibs and Ernhams.  St. Shwe even had a Healing Salve in his sideboard to save his critters from all the burn in the environment...Healing Salve...

[Dante]

It says "I'm 4 Black Vise's away from being Scott Johns and Huei-Saint Shwe" (and I'll mail one bad foil card to the first person who posts who knows what I'm talking about).

 

That goes back to Dallas, when Zoo decks were all the rage.  I think the top 4 decks were Zoo-esque, with Johns and St. Shwe playing traditional Zoo decks and the 3/4 finishers playing with Serendibs and Ernhams.  St. Shwe even had a Healing Salve in his sideboard to save his critters from all the burn in the environment...Healing Salve...

Yup, the pro-tour Dallas had a $40,000 Type 1 side event.... those two were the 1-2 finishers.  Their decks were

Scott Johns

1 Ancestral
1 Diminishing returns
1 Mystical tutor
3 Psi-blast
1 Time walk
1 Timetwister

1 Balance
1 Disenchant
4 Savannah lions
1 Stp

4 Vise
2 Mox monkey
4 Incinerate
2 Kird ape
4 Bolt
1 Regrowth
1 Wheel

land:
1 Lotus
Mox Pearl
Mox Ruby
3 City
1 Library
3 Plateau
2 Savannah
4 Strip
2 Taiga
2 Tropical island
1 Tundra
3 Volcanic island

Sideboard:
2 Disenchant
1 Mox monkey
4 Guerilla tactics
3 Meekstone
4 Dervish
1 Zorb
------------------------------------------------------

huei-saint shwe

1 Ancsetral
2 Arcane Denial
2 counterspell
1 mystical tutor
1 time walk
1 timetwister

2 Disenchant
4 Savannah Lions
1 Stp

3 chain lightning
1 dwarven miner
2 mox monkey
2 incinerate
4 kird ape
4 bolt
1 Wheel

1 demonic tutor
1 regrowth
1 stormbind
1 sylvan library
2 vise

mana:
mox pearl
mox ruby
4 city
2 mishra
2 savanah
1 soldevi excavations
4 strip mine
4 taiga
3 tundra
1 underground sea
3 volcanic island

sideboard:
consecrate land
disenchant
energy flux
guerilla tactics
hammer
healing salve !?!
hydroblast
psychic purge
2 pyroblast
ray of command
sand golem
stp
dervish
zorb

I think this was the first big-tournament use of Diminishing Returns.

LOA - PM me your address and I'll send you a bad foil or two..

Bill

[MaxxMatt]

@Dr.Sylvan

Really Good Read as usual.


@Dante.
Talking about the RU-Control that won here in Italy...
"Sadly for us " () the Incinerate were cut for other bad cards ( Standstill ). hehe.
 
Historical Notes About That Deck.
The deck is really weird IMHO, but he Top8ed 3 times!!! in a row during our last tourneys. And the intriguing thing was that we only had 3 tourneys from his first appearence. So it seemed not to fail to do Top8 every time he played against us.

"Chill" lost a single match among all those 3 tourneys ( and 2 matches in the top8 of course ) during the swiss rounds. He always won and draw. Props to him to have developed a simple deck that abuse of the opponent's worst point weak person: the Mana Base