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personalbackfire
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« on: September 07, 2009, 08:15:08 am » |
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I played Nights Whisper Tezz at Bluebell this past weekend. The weekend started on Friday night with some testing. I was sort of set on playing Pitchlong if it tested well. Against Stax it seemed to do fine. It had the whole force the threat win the next turn thing going on. The problem was I was getting blown out by Tezz w/ Duress.
Jeff's (Folinus) friend was playing NW Tezz w/ Duress on Friday night and doing quite well with it. I had kind of given up on the deck a few weeks ago at Steel City when it pooped out on me in the swiss on day one. I knew I didn't want to play Bob and it seemed like a good time to give the deck another chance. I used his list as a starting point (which was basically a stock Tezz list.) We played a few games of the mirror match, realized that the deck is still absurd and went to bed.
This is what I played.
3 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
4 Island
1 Swamp
3 Underground Sea
1 Volcanic Island
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
4 Force of Will
2 Duress
2 Thoughtseize
4 Mana Drain
1 Misdirection
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Ponder
1 Time Walk
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
3 Nights Whisper
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Tinker
1 Inkwell Leviathen
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Timevault
1 Voltaic Key
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Sensei’s Diviing Top
SB:
4 Leyline of the Void
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Tormod’s Crypt
1 The Abyss
1 Volcanic Island
1 Extirpate
1 Darkblast
1 Pyroclasm
2 Rack and Ruin
2 Red Elemenetal Blast
Some things about the deck.
I choose to exclude Library because I am running Duress. In the event I have turn one Library or Duress I would rather be Duressing then playing Library. Also if others are playing Duress then my Library loses value. The Library pretty much fought with the Island 4 slot, which I am glad I had. Against Jeff and Will in the top it it was relevant. The maindeck swamp was also nice, and came in handy.
I choose to run a chain because it is the most effiecent bounce spell. It helps in the problem matchups (fish, shops) and the alternatives that fight for a meta slot aren't better in my opinion at the moment. I guess an option would be to play a 4th Nights Whisper, but I did not seem to have a problem with the draw in the deck.
In the SB:
I continue to have the Abyss in my sb, I think it's like the 10th time I have boarded it, and it is never relevant.
The two R&R and Hurks against shops are nice and a fine fit for Tezz.
Onto the report:
Rd 1: Oath. Matt Elias
Game 1: I draw a plentiful amount of counterspells to get me through this game. Matt gives me a token that swings him to his death over the course of like 15 turns.
Game 2: The hand I draw in this game is absurd. It is also the reason that Tezz is broken. I fan open my hand and it is Delta, Sapphire, Lotus, Ruby, Tezz, Will and Recall. He leads with duress taking will. On my turn I play a Recall that gets me a tinker. I then play Tezz ,which gets forced. On his turn he duress’s my tinker then casts his own Recall. I am feeling alittle concerned at this point. A few turns later I topdeck key I think and win.
Rd2: 5cStax Jeff Folinus ( I don’t remember much, this is what he says happened)
Game 1: “Game 1 against me I play Bazaar activate pass after mulling to 6, you play turn 1 Tezz with Drain backup. I dig with Bazaar but don't get anything to stop you. I was trying to setup a Balance but it was way to slow against your explosive hand.”
Game 2: “I lead with a Resistor and eventually get down Smokestack, my hand doesn't have Workshop the mana was generated from Sol Ring and Mana Crypt which ended up hitting me 3/4 times. Then on the key turn you Vamp for Lotus, I go for EOT vamp for crucible to support my Smokestack at 1 and after that Ancient Grudge flashback, I used bazaar, on lotus in resp you RnR me. Then you go for Yawg Will then cast Recall and Vamp for part of the combo pass when you had one already (Key was in play - Steve). I topdeck Tangle Wire or Bazaar into it passing the turn, then I bazaar again and make mistake of not playing Chalice@2 but even so I would have had to dodge many Crypt rolls while trying to get a Welder active. The important mess up turn now looking back if I Grudged then Vamp I should have got Welder as an outlet for Crypt and bring back lock pieces.”
Rd 3: Joe Davis 3 color Draw 7/ Drain/Tezz
Game 1: I draw infinite land while Joe does things. He has mox monkey out and eats my moxs and lotus, which is upsetting. I force his intuition with welder on the table. He Wills and casts ancestral again and intuition, that gets him vamp. He eventually plays wheel, which I welcome with open hands, my hand was land, Jet, Inkwell. I draw 3 Forces, Mana Drain, Timewalk, land and some other things. I Drain his twister then on my turn Timewalk. On my walk turn I believe I NW into a Will and blow Joe out.
Game 2: I have a pretty solid hand but am caught up on 2 lands. I have reb and a drain, and tutors to just win but I am trying to play smart and not dumb. After not drawing a third land I eventually just go for the timevault with key in play, he forces and I drain. I go to untap timevault in my second main phase and he overloads(?) it. Later he plays a Jar, which gets me Recall, Force, buecard, bluecard. He tries to win but I Recall in resp hitting the MisD, so I counter his Vault with my double backup. I eventually Will and win.
Rd4: Andy with Joes Deck
Game 1: I keep an alright hand btu his hand was better. I get mana screwed and he wins with titan… Titan? What a blow out.
Game 2: I keep an alright hand again after a mull I believe. He resolved a fact which gives him Tezz and that damn Titan. I proceed to lose every mana crypt roll ever and demonic for drain. He plays Titan with his infni mana, I Drain, and he topdecks the drain to drain back. GG
Rd5: Austin w/ CBGoyfTezz
G1: I Thoughtseize his Sapphire on the play. His hand had Goyf and Drain as the other options. I then play mox -> Sol Ring. He plays a Ponder and passes. I play tezz and thats game.
Game2: He plays land Sol Ring, Timevault. I play a land and pass. He upkeep Vamps for Key and takes infini.
Game3: I Extirpate his CB early on, but it was disappointing because he only had 2 in his deck post board. I duress him at some point and his hand is will Krosan Grip. I have Top out but he isn’t killing it, which I think is a misplay. I then will and play Ancestral, Timewalk, then Duress his Kgrip. About a turn after my TW turn I hit Tezz and win.
Rd6: Draw
Top8: Will w/ 5cStax (he does a pretty good job in his report covering this match)
Game 1: I duress his thorn on my turn one then I drain his turn one trini and cast a turn two gifts. As always my gift piles early game are suspect but it gets me there. I believe it was Chain, Hurks, Recall, Force. I play a Will at some point which fizzles for me. I Vamp for Tezzert. Play Tezz and search out key. He is able to double barbarian ring my guy to death, then me to death. Jeff tell me I could vamp for maybe Brainstorm and hope to get there. Tezz was def wrong, as I didn’t see he had threshold. When I did see it I fetched the key thinking he wouldn’t double kill my Tezz, which doesn’t really make sense either.
Game 2: I play turn one Mox land Timevault. He plays a Tangle Wire. On my turn I topdeck the mox and play mox land Key win.
Game 3: I keep a sketchy 6 card hand. I believe it was 4 lands a Mana Vault, and a mox, but it could have been a 5th land and a Mana Vault. I draw Key. Then I draw mystical and mystical for Tinker. I then Tinker out big dude which gets me the W.
Top 4: Evan w/ 5cStax
Game 1: I Scroll for Recall early on then Thoughtseize him taking one of 2 Trikes in his hand. On his next turn I drain the second trike. I draw a card then Recall floating 6 mana. The recall was terrible and I don't use any of the drain mana. I get a Tezz down shortly after and win.
Game 2: I mull to 6. I Forced his turn one Welder and play a turn one Mana Vault. He then plays Thorn and on my turn I play Tinker through it. I also have a Rack&Ruin in my hand with mana to cast it at the end of the game.
Finals: Matt(?) w/ Force of will Ichorid
Game 1: I don’t get any fast mana and am one mana short of winning with timevalut/key. Unfortunately I never draw a mox or anything and ichorid does the ichorid thing.
Game 2: I keep a sketchy 6. I don’t draw into hate and he forces my Demonic. I draw some lands and lose.
Overall I was pleased with the deck. I believe that Tezz is still the best deck in the format and that it can be tuned to beat any deck it wants. The red splash was nice for the Rebs and Rack and Ruins and is probably the best 3rd color to go to at the moment. It gives you the necessary tools to reliably beat Shops and gives you one of the best cards in the mirror (REB.)
The Force of Will Ichorid deck, which is gaining popularity in our meta is also solid option in my opinion. Having lost to it in the finals two weeks in a row, I don't believe that it is unbeatable, but it does have the tools to better deal with opposing players hate. The deck loses its combo kill for a slower, more consistent, less reliant on Bazaar build. The Force of Wills also add another dimension to the deck, which have contributed to at least two of my loses to the deck postboard.
As always thanks for Mike for running a great event. Thanks for my teams for helping test. Thanks to all my opponents for being stand up guys and congrads to the Winner and the rest of top 8. It was also great to see Will and Joe Davis top 8 their first tournament back after an extended break.
Any questions, comments, or concerns are appreciated.
Thanks
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