[Article] Learning From the Flaws Of Aggro in Vintage – A Look At Bird Shit

[Vegeta2711]

http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/article/9419.html

Woo.

I'll sum up the three reasons why I believe the deck did so damn well, despite looking like the namesake suggests.

1. Lam Phan is a good player and a topdeck machine.

Self-explanatory here.

2. The deck itself was unexpected and the disruption configuration was different from the usual strips + Trinisphere that were usually showing up at the time.

The counter base is downright 4-Gush-GAT-like and when combined with the standard Fish mana disruption of Null Rod, Stifle and Strip effects, the deck has a huge amount of disruption for any deck to overcome. The fact that few had played against decks that boasted that much disruption and didn't automatically lose to Lava Dart also contributed to the deck's success.

3. The mana curve was incredibly low and the deck had a lower average spell cost than every other deck.
...

Woo, enjoy people.

[jazzykat]

Clear concise article.

I think your opinion was voiced in some instances that sounded a little like fact but overall you did a nice break down which gives me a clear basis to start playing the deck.

I would really have been interested to see a matrix of say all of the decks you reviewed so far. While the grading is subjective, you do use stated criterion. I would also like to see the criterion fleshed out a little more in concise bullets.

Overall, I think it is a good article and I hope you stay true to this clear and concise writing style, never becoming so agrandizingly verbose that the information and ideas you wish to convey are shrouded by the very words you use to express them.

I look forward to your next article.
Cheers,
JK

[Law]

Nice article. Since I have some of easer to get stuff for the deck ill be putting together a weaker but same idea version. If it is good at least for me then I will try it at my local tournament (that is if it is somewhat good).

Thanks nice read.

The new software has a spellcheck function. I suggest you start using it.
-Jacob

Edit: Spell Checked. I did not notice it had one Jacob sorry.

[MrZuccinniHead]

your worrying about the mana base was probably a good worry.  It seems Lam ran all non-basics and fewer sources because of a meta-call thinking mostly control...also because he has like 5464356734 cantrips .

[Dante]

nice job Josh.  I'd been testing Bird Shit for a couple weeks now and came up with a very similar cardlist and the exact same manabase.  This is what I had come up with

4 Nimble Mongoose
4 Meddling Mage
3 Werebear
3 Ninja

4 Force of Will
2 Misdirection
3 Daze

3 Stifle
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Null Rod

2 Mental Note
4 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Gush

4 Tundra
4 Tropical Island
4 Fetch
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Black Lotus

basically, I've found 4 Swords are necessary to beat Control Slaver and Oath - sometimes you can win the disruption/counter war before the welder/oath/big artifact creature and other times you need to NOT win that war and just STP the problem.  I also found 2 Misdirections was good as well instead of 3.

If you're expecting any kind of other Birdshit/Fish deck, 2-3 Hidden gibbons is a good sideboard choice - turn 1 4/4.  Got that tech from an Italian tournament where Birdshit came in 1st out around 125 people.  In a random (i.e. first big US tournament after 3sphere's restriction) tournament, I'd work the 4th Null Rod into the sideboard.

Your comment about Stax and Balance was spot on.  My primary mage "targets" were Smokestack, Welder, and Balance.  Typically with 4 STP, I didn't have to name welder, allowing me to use the Mage for Smokestack and then Balance.

Overall, excellent article - an excellent reference for anyone looking at getting started with the deck.

Bill

[savekeeper]

Wow, great article, AGAIN!

I don't mean to be a suck-up but you're stuff is excellent so far, keep it up.

I do have three questions though:

- What do you sideboard in against combo, if anything at all? StP seems dead against SX, Meandeath and other combo decks not playing DC. Do you simply side in the Oxidizes because they at least remove a mox, or am I missing something?

- Is Misdirection really any good? Somehow it always seems like a wasted slot to me.

- Do you think this deck is playable on a budget? I suppose the Lotus and Mox could be replaced by fetch- or basic land but what about Time Walk and Ancestral Recall? I was thinking about an extra Mental Note for the Time Walk slot because Mental Note quickens your kill like Time Walk does, but I have no idea concerning Ancestral Recall. Anyone got an idea?

[Draven]

Unfortunatly, there is no replacement for Ancestral Recall. You could try a Deep Analysis. It is no where near the power of Ancestral Recall, but it is a decent card. The other problem, though, is the deck isn't running Drain, which are quite helpful in powering out the Deeps since it is a Sorcery. You could also try Fact or Fiction. As an instant, it might actually be a better card for your deck.

As for the Walk, Walk is another card that is hard to "replace." My playtest partner doesn't have a walk, so he just ignores it as if it didn't exist and uses that slot as another open slot for the deck.

Good luck.

[Vegeta2711]

I constantly go back and forth on running 4 STP maindeck, but I do value them greatly.

In the Stax match 90% of the time I name Balance or Smokestack, I almost never name Welder because it's either not a threat or I can kill it. Hidden Gibbons is good tech! For a while when I still had the Ancient Tombs in the board, I ran Sword of Fire and Ice and sometimes Umezawa's Jitte purely to win aggro mirrors. Sometimes I still run the Jitte, because it's godly in combat.

My boarding against combo is as follows
Dragon: -3 Null Rod, -2 Misdirection into +2 STP, +3 Ground Seal.

Sensei: -2 STP into +2 Oxidize

TPS: Nadda (Plows can hit DSC if need be and nothing is really worth bringing in)

Deathlong: Nadda (Plows can hit Xantid Swarm if need be and nothing is really worth bringing in)

SX: Who cares? None

Belcher: -2 STP into +2 Oxidize

Misdirection is an amazing tool in small counter wars and redirecting AR, Lava Dart and Deep Analysis. It's not the greatest tool, which is why I only run 2, but it's very useful in some matches.

The deck is easily playable at even the 5 proxy level. You only really need to proxy a few cards that matter. The replacement for Time Walk is just running a 3rd Mental Note or more redunancy in something else maindeck. There is no replacement for Ancestral Recall, just run another cantrip, that's really all you can do.

Also I'd like to just say thanks, I appreciate the good word.

Overall, I think it is a good article and I hope you stay true to this clear and concise writing style, never becoming so agrandizingly verbose that the information and ideas you wish to convey are shrouded by the very words you use to express them.

I can't help it, I hate reading boring longwinded writing, so I'll always try to make my stuff short and to the point.

[PopFenton]

My problem with putting the Lotus in the deck is in the fact that you have to sacrifice it. Against Welders, with the original list you don't have any artifacts that go to the graveyard, so it keeps them from using them to mess with your stuff. Which means it makes it a lot tougher for them to get rid of your null rod. By adding the Lotus you are giving them something to weld out Null Rod for. Null Rod is usually game against decks like Control Slaver, so I personally wouldn't want to run the risk of having it welded out.

[Jacob Orlove]

Wait, you're worried about putting artifacts in the graveyard, with a deck that runs mental note? Lotus is way too good to pass up on in every deck at this point.

Nice article, Josh.

[Vegeta2711]

If anything Lotus going to the graveyard is a bonus, because it helps out thresh while giving you massive acceleration.

Seriously you people assume so much with that whole, 'I played Black Lotus and Null Rod and they resolved a Welder and[/i] it lived long enough to be used.'

I'm really just going to say, the acceleration you gain in every match with Lotus in casting multiple turn 1 cantrips + threat or a Null Rod (Go figure) early on is usually going to outweigh the few times CS Welders matter.

[Rico Suave]

Excellent article. 

Black Lotus means you can play Meddling Mage before they can play their Welder, and there's still something else you're going to cast that turn with the leftover mana. 

I'll take that ability even if it means their Welder can nullify 3 cards in my deck, and I might add that for them to remove the Null Rod it takes a turn of Welder use at the very least and is a Time Walk effect if they're on a clock, not to mention it makes Stifle better since that buys yet another turn against a resolved Welder.

[Nastaboi]

I like what you have done to the deck. Adding Lotus was natural, and more beats are very welcome. I recently lost a top4 game against a Sutured Ghoul animator when I cycled through over half my deck finding no critters and was overrun by a face-down Krosan Colossus.

I think you failed to mention one flaw that every aggro deck has now. There is a top tier deck which strategy relies on their opponent having a creature on play. There is plenty of Oath in my region, and I find StP to be extremely shitty against it. I mean, I have to draw and resolve two of them if they can resolve an Oath while giving them Time Walks in for of six lifepoints. I use to board three Ray of Revelations and they are very needed here.

Another thing I find extremely annoying is Chalice of the Void. Right now you have no way to remove one set to one, which will be the first and most common setup. Most of your critters dodge it, I know, but most utility spells don't. I think it needs to be taken into consideration.

What are Seasingers in the board for? They might work against Oath, unless they board into Hydra or Pristine Angel. Madness naturally, but that isn't an issue.

[Dante]

if you find chalice to be a big deal, iwork in some disenchant/seal of cleansing instead of oxidizes.

[cardiffgiant]

I'm not an expert, but looking at his deck and SB, I don't think Oath should be that big of a problem. There is fair amount of library manipulation and any of the following will delay or stop Oath: StoP, Meddling Mage, Stifle, butt load of counters. Since it is primarily a tempo deck, he doesn't need a permanent solution, just to delay his opponent an few turns.

The only cards that seems weak are Mental Note and Old Man of the Sea. Old Man because he's not useful the turn he comes into play. I would think Gilded Drake, Waterfront Bouncer, or even Man-O-War would be better. It seems Mental note is just to get threshold. There should be a better cantrip to use. How about Shadow Rift? Although not as good for filling the graveyard. It will allow you to get the last damage through.

Even though it limits Werebear, have you considered Cursed Totem in the SB? It fixes a lot of problems like Welder, Ancient Hydra, Psychatog, Sliver Queen, Ambassador Laquatus, etc.

Great article. I'm looking forward to seeing how Aggro-Control decks will do now that Trinisphere is gone.

[Hyperion]

Althought this article isn't necessarily intended to be a play guide, I think it's worth bringing attention to the synergy between Brainstorm and Mental Note because it's more subtle than some of the other "tricks" this deck has. Cast Brainstorm, put two cards you don't need on top of your library, then cast Mental Note to kill two birds with one stone - filtering your hand quality and attaining threshold (or 4/7 of it, anyway).

Nice work as per your usual, keep it up!