playing mirrors

[bebe]

How do we play 4c control vs. a 4c control matchup? Certainly, this is going
to be a rather common occurence if the deck gains in popularity. Do we play
beatdown or control? If you have the feeling that your decks are nearly identical,
do you seize one role over the other depending upon the draw? Is it better to mulligan into
either a strong control hand or a strong beatdown hand rather than keep
a mixed hand of control and Angels? Is it better to mulligan into your deck's
strong suit (only creatures for a beatdown deck, only control for a control deck,
only the combo elements for a combo deck) in a mirror matchup?

As a player I usually enter matches with a certain mentality;
I say "I am playing the control deck," or
"I am playing the beatdown deck," or
"I am playing the combo deck."  

Looking at what constitutes a beatdown deck, I would actually categorize any combo deck
as a beatdown deck. We are talking only about the method of kill here. Both
decks aggressively pursue a quick win. They are active decks. So really
we ask whether we should pursue the active or defensive hand in these mirror
match ups. This is applicable to Tog on Tog as well. Or FCG on FCG.
Should FCG in a mirror match assume a control position to foil its opponent?
What if both players think this way?

This harkens back to Dave Price's old adage ...

"People like control because they think it shows that they're good Magic-players.
Active decks, on the other hand, produce threats, and control decks must
have the right answer to the right threat. If not, they're in trouble...
while there are wrong answers, there are no wrong threats."

Obviously, in ther mirror match ups we want to sideboard out any cards deemed 'dead weight'.
There are  wrong answers in control decks as a rule. Beatdown ( with the exception
of a few Rods ) rarely packs many wrong answers. The best beatdown decks pack the
fewest dead cards. Fish has counters that are seldom useless and only Rods need to be sided
out in most match ups. Most of the other cards will be somewhat usefull.

So does the 4c control deck need to sideboard in active answers for a mirror match
while Tog sides in control elements for the mirror? Does FCG side in control elements
for the mirror. If we consider any beatdown deck a mirror match this becomes more complex
as we need to identify correctly the approach of our opponent - well somewhat more complex.

If both players try to be the control deck, then whoever does so more efficiently
drawing better is likely to win. The same is true if two players try to play Tog
as a beatdown deck. Not that I'm advocating a switch in mentality when playing the mirror.
It could be that a surprise plan is best. This would like be a Belcher deck siding in
four Negators.


I think I'm going to do a little brainstorming on mirror match theory.

[Tristal]

I don't think the mirror match is really just Prisoner's Dilemma in most cases.  There are probably some exceptions I haven't tested - I'd imagine the Belcher mirror match is pretty much whoever can go off first, for example - but in most other cases, the strategies are VERY draw-dependent.

In Keeper mirrors it really depends on what threats you pick up.  Do you have Balance in your opening hand?  Did you get Lotus + Angel?  Double Wasteland + Monkey?  What does your mana production do for you in the first three turns?  Can you hold them off long enough to get your card drawing online?

The Tog mirror I never figured out, so I await good responses to this one. :)  Though I do know if you really want to help beat the mirror, SBed Quirion Dryads can go a long way...

[Mon, Goblin Chief]

For the 4CControl Mirror:
- lots of lands is good.
- The counterintuitive play of forcing the opponent to be the first one using Drain EARLY ON (at best during their endstep) is often key, as it will lead them to tap out regularly and let you have a pretty unhindered turn (especially if you had a Drain yourself).
- SB out StP. Don't laugh, I had people, even good players, actually SB IN StPs against me. Obviously I won those games.
- Angel + 2 Wastelands is good
- burn anything with Scrying, I don't care if you have to remove Lotus and Walk, the extracards are worth it
- mulligan 1 Land Brainstorm
- Waste Black, not white, as long as there's no morph on the table

Tog Mirror
- SB out 3 AKs
- don't burn AKs early, Intuition for Deep Anal
- SB out a Tog if you need room
- pretty draw dependant, imo

Belcher Mirror
- Mulligan anything that doesn't kill turn 2, going second probably even anything above 5 cards that doesn't kill turn 1
- don't SB

EnSlaver Mirror:
- SB out Welders for Shamans, F/I(if the opponent doesn't SB correctly, like ALL my opponents did), REBs and Duplicant.
- Counter Thirst for Knowledge at all costs
- turn 1 LoA almost always wins