I am posting this in the improvement forum because, although the deck was pretty well optimized for the Meta of the Richmond P9s, it still could probably use some work. Maybe it has peaked... That's what we'll find out.
Anyway, I had been out of T1 for a while cause my area is not exactly a hotbed of activity. I did my research on the state of the format and the meta I thought I would see at P9. I landed on mainly stax, gifts variants, and combo. I wanted a control aggro deck that would be more proactive and, therefore, faster than fish. I also wanted it to have creatures that would be very efficient as well as proactive. It became a UB Hate.dec that I dubbed "Black & Blue" because it basically just pummels opponents until it wins. But before I explain how I got to it, this is the deck as registered for Day 1 of the P9:
Black & Blue
3/18/06
13Â Â Creatures
4Â Â Dark Confidant
3Â Â Rootwater Thief
4Â Â Dimir Cutpurse
2Â Â Shadowmage Infiltrator
18Â Â Protect/ Disrupt
4Â Â Force of Will
3Â Â Daze
4Â Â Duress
3Â Â Extract
3  Null Rod        Â
1Â Â Hurkyl's Recall
7Â Â Draw/ Tutor
1  Ancestral Recall        Â
1  Time Walk        Â
4  Brainstorm        Â
1Â Â Vampiric Tutor
22Â Â Mana
4Â Â Underground Sea
3Â Â Polluted Delta
3Â Â Flooded Strand
4  Mishra's Factory        Â
2  Wasteland        Â
1  Strip Mine        Â
1Â Â Island
1Â Â Swamp
1  Black Lotus        Â
1Â Â Mox Jet
1Â Â Mox Sapphire
60Â Â Total
15Â Â Sideboard
4  Leyline of the Void        Â
3Â Â Annul
1Â Â Extract
1Â Â Hurkyl's Recall
1Â Â Rebuild
3  Darkblast        Â
1Â Â Stifle
1Â Â Chain of Vapors
I designed this thing only about 3 days before the tourney, hardly an optimal plan. But I thought the idea was solid. I had my friend Carter (Nataz) help me to refine it 2 days prior. He convinced me the Dark Confidant would help way more than it would hurt. As the deck wanted to grind out a win I was afraid it would be too slow for Bob. He also helped with the mana base, adding the Factories and cutting the wastes to 2x.
The creatures are all, I think, very efficient. Bob, Dimir, and Shadowmage all helping to refill my hand as well as beat. The thief along with the very hateful distruption suite was designed to proactively stall by getting rid of win conditions and bombs like Yawg Wins. Mainly I just wanted the mana base to be stable enough that the deck could be very consistant but my curve was so low that I could easily fit some more beats in the factories and some disrupt in the wastes/strip.
Report Half:
It turned out that my guess about the meta was pretty on target except for stax, which I saw none of. I saw a lot of gifts decks with various colors and win conditions. I drew a few combo opponents as well. I didn't think to take lots of notes while playing but I will try to fill in what I can.
Round 1: Doug from Meandeck w/ Gifts not Ich
So, first tournament, don't really know people, just mainly what is written on TMD and whatnot. First opponent has a Meandeck sweatshirt on... sweet. Not only does that mean he is probably a polished player, but he is probably running one of those "secret tech decks" that you guys seem to love so much. Turns out he wasn't in love with it and was playing gifts instead.
Anyway, Game 1 I pretty much steamrolled him. Bob, counters, duress, I don't think I extracted him this game but pretty much I just clocked him. Game 2, he gets down 2 Old Men on the same turn... pout. But I am still getting damage through here and there until he drops Plat Angel and I sided out all my artifact bounce, scoop.
Game 3 I board back in some bounce. Same deal happens, he gets 2 Old Men out. I make a mistake though and extract the Plat instead of Tendrils, too fixated on the last game I guess. He eventually tendrils me. Should have gotten tendrils cause I had other ways to deal w/ plats... live and learn.
0-1; 1-2
Round 2: Mono Blue w/ Shackles
Game 1 he surprised me w/ the Shackles but I was able to power through all his counters and had him on the run most of the game. Game 2 Boarded in annuls and another bounce. He resolved Telepathy first turn so that was real weird to have my hand on the table. I had too much for him though, annulled his shackles at one point. Just powered through for the win.
1-1; 3-2
Round 3:
I honestly can't remember. But I won. And with about 30 minutes to spare.
2-1; 5-2
Round 4:Â Andy Probasco (sp) sorry;
Can't remember what andy was playing but both games I extracted and duressed my way to a win. I think he wasn't drawing much in the way of answers either. And at one point he was mana screwed and I forced a brainstorm, questionable card disadvantage but I didn't want him to find a land... anyway.
3-1; 7-2
Round 5: Mat Endress; GWS IT
This was an enjoyable match besides the fact that the first game I was mana screwed and didn't have counters, duress, or anything really to stop him. Game 2, I found that I really didn't have all that much to board in against him, I think I just got the stifle. This game I believe I started off real well w/ some disruption but then drew land after land until he had recovered enough to win. I am well known amongst my friends for having horrid luck sometimes. Mat was great to play with though and answered some play questions afterwards.
3-2; 7-4
Round 6:Â Oath
Not much to speak of here. Game 1 & Game 2 he had god hands that were perfectly set up against me.
3-3; 7-6
So I dropped. But feeling unfulfilled after these tough beats I did a Vintage side event 8 man single elim tourney and won a box beating 2 different gifts that both tried to transform into oath and a UW fish deck that was pretty easy to race. The darkblasts that were sided in helped a lot w/ that one of course...
Day two I dropped the shadowmages for DT and a chain of vapor and changed around my SB since I had never used the leylines.
MD:
-2Â Shadowmage Infiltrator - needed a bit more control and less aggro, I boarded them out a lot on Day 1
+1Â Demonic Tutor
+1Â Chain of Vapors
SB:
-4 Leyline of the Void - never used them and they took up too many spots. Not good utility since you have to use 4
-1Â Stifle - too reactive for combo
-1Â Chain of Vapors - MD
+2 Coffin Purge
+2 Tormod's Crypt - these were in case of slaver, dragon, or ich of which I still saw none
+2 Arcane Lab
Day 2
Round 1: Mat Endress w/ GWS IT
I drew Endress again, thought it would be cool to actually get a chance to beat him this time, and I actually won game 1 in very drawn out fashion with good draws including a lot of disruption and confidant beats. However, the gods once again were against me. Mat first turn killed me Game 2, proceeded to stand on his chair in the customary celebration and was promptly warned by the head judge not to stand on "his" chairs. Game 3 i mulled to 4. Mat kept a questionable hand and trounced me. I finished that game w/ 3 bobs in my hand, sweet!  Looking back though, it is all ok with me though cause I think I am probably still taller than Mat even when standing on a chair.
0-1; 1-2
Round 2: Tam w/ a Gifts Varient
This round was slightly unfair as I first turn extracted him both games. Game one I took DSC and couldn't find another win condition but I saw a mana severance and deduced he had Belcher in hand. Dropped a null rod and worked on stopping his draws and duressing him until my one lonely creature could finish him off as I could not find any others. Game 2 was very similar. Took DSC again as I had the null rods and more ways to deal w/ belcher. Dropped null rod again and kept him off his draw spells w/ counters. Duressed away answers to my null rod and eventually beat him down.
1-1: 3-2
Round 3: J w/ r/g beats
This round was extremely stressful. His deck was packing bolt, chain lightning, stormbind, pillars, along w/ a suite of hidden gibbons and herds and guerillas. Game 1 I got down a Bob pretty quickly before I really knew what he was running. He proceeded to bring down 2 stormbinds and kill every other creature that I put out as a threat. I eventually played enough threats to exhaust his gas and put him in top deck mode but the stormbinds were threatening and Bob was slowly whittling me away. I eventually was down to 2 or 3 life and with lethel on the board. Upkeep, flipped over a land, breathed a sigh of relief, and swung for the win. There really wasn't much I had to side in against him either which made it tough. I just decided to go for it. Game 2 saw me drop an early bob again, he tried a herd which I countered, then proceed to drop a gibbons, gibbons, and guerilla on subsequent turns. I continued to pount with Mishra's and Bob while he killed the other threats I put out. Was able to get theif active and started extracting direct damage cards each turn as bob was starting to whittle me down again. In the end it came down to me again having 2 to 3 life, flipping a land w/ bob and then swinging for the win. Very very stressful.
2-1;Â 5-2
Round 4: Nate w/ Gifts Varient
Nate's deck also had DSC and Belcher win conditions. Again I extracted the DSC and found null rod to slow him down. Countered his attempts to draw anything relevent and eventually beat him down w/ factories and creatures. Game 2 I brought in the extra extract, and another hurkyl's recall. Again I was able to extract and drop null rod early. He had kept a hand w/ a bunch of artifact mana and had trouble finding lands after the null rod. I duressed and countered his draws once again. Eventually I got down a dimir cutpurse, he had 5 cards in hand. He top decks Library. One turn too late... He never got up to 7 as the cutpurse did it's damage each turn.
3-1; 7-2
Round 5: Josh w/ Grimlongish
Game one I kept a hand w/ 1 daze was on the play. Wasn't sure at this point what JDizzle was playing and didn't have the duress or extract to find out. He proceeded to turn 2 kill me. Game 2 I stalled him w/ null rod and wastes and he drew no land while I got Thief online. He later said that he was pissed when he drew his only Tendrils turn 2 and then was very happy about it when the thief came down. I lost this game though cause I brainfarted horribly. Took his Yawg Will and then the next 3 or 4 thief extractions I neglected to see/ remember that burning wish was in his library. I am a GREAT player... ugh. He either drew the wish or tutored for it, chained his stuff and my null rod, burning wished for Yawg Wins and accordingly, won. That hurt my heart...
3-2; 7-4
Round 6: John w/ Workshop Aggro, lots and lots of aggro
Game 1 I had an early thief and bob, duressed him and countered his TFK. I extracted him early as well to find that his deck had 3 or 4 Juggernauts, Titan, Plat, Slaver, Trike, Dupe, and others. Jeez, not much controlling about this deck... After all of the early distruption he was flooded and in topdeck mode and drew nothing helpful. On to Game 2. I boarded in my annuls and added artifact bounce. He had a second turn Juggernaut and I had no counters and drew no way to deal with it. Game 3, same deal. Early juggernaut, I drew nothing helpful. Both these games I got out an early bob but even that didn't get me anything. Just wasn't meant to be I suppose.
3-3; 8-6
General Thoughts:
This deck was great for the meta. A vast majority of the decks seemed to be running very limited win conditions and w/ all my draw the disruption just kept on coming. In fact, I could game 1 turn 1 extract and hit a win condition pretty reliably. Didn't play stax, but the UW Fish deck ran chalice and I had problems w/ chalice for 1. In design I tried to make the deck pretty resilient and consistant versus a chalice w/ threats in each of the 1, 2, and 3 spots. The deck did great against Gifts as it could disrupt before gifts could get online. I even had a pretty decent chance against IT if I drew decently and did not make play mistakes.
I think that is my general feeling about the deck. I think it is pretty stong on it's own. A lot of my losses came down to inexperience and a bit of luck problems. Bob was huge despite almost killing me a few times, all the proactive disruption was perfect for the meta, and it was pretty consistant I think. Both days I won more games than I lost and winning a box in the side event is nothing to scoff at I guess.
But I also think that it is probably not totally optimized since it was put together in a few days. I am willing to answer any questions you guys might have about card choices as well as any advice or suggestions you may have. The present version is definately fast enough to deal w/ gifts, stax, etc. Any suggestions on how to speed it up or optimize it a bit more to have a better matchup w/ combo? Thanks guys. Great Tournament.
