@Gabe.
I'm confidant that the Belcher's matchup have been not underconsidered by the player who win with TPS.
Against decks that have good protections, TPS should perform a bit slower game plan, but against No-Reactive-Defences.decs such as Belcher, it can go for the throat and win as soon as it can.
In a single word, TPS can goldfish against Belcher, with minimum difficulties against opponent's Duresses.
When goldfishing, TPS, had a turn 2-3 winning rate, without broken hands. I killed a lot of times with TPS a full turn faster with better hands ( turn 1-2 ).
On the other hand, while TPS can goldfish against Belcher, the same winning strategy cannot be applied by Belcher because of FoWs. They should slow down in order to win.
While winning fast is highly probable with Belcher, playing aggressively with it, usually burn you out a lot of resources. After a Duress+FoW's combination, you cannot ( maybe ) be able to recover so fast.
In this combo-mirror, I don't see any Belcher advantage, excluding first turn kill without TPS' FOWs.
That situations could happen and no Sideboard cards can help you against them.
I underlined ( hopefully well ) a good series of scenarios against Belcher and TPS.
From my perspective, playing against GrimLong would be a bit toughter, expecially if I'm going to face a deck with defences similar to mine ( or at least FoWs ). GrimLong have similar path to victory compared to TPS, but a really HUGE amount of tutors, so it can recovers REALLY WELL.
On the other hand, because I usually play that deck with 4 protections ( Duress OR FoWs and never both of them ), I tend to dislike his behaviour when facing SPEEDY decks with a bit more disruptions.
IN THE COMBO MIRROR holding both Duresses and FoWs can cover and protect you almost completely.
A proactive defence to explore the opponent's hand and make the needed math in order to win, a reactive protection to cover the "opponent's inevitability" when it would happen.
For those reasons, I tend to argue that those players without specific tools against Belchers/GrimLong, interpreted that matchup at his best: you are going to face a Speedy deck with your well balanced combo decks too. You can't water down your speed or your qstrategy to add tools that, maybe, you could not be able to resolve because of their "OPS, I WIN" hands. You have to calm down and focus that in the first two turns, the number of FoWs and Duresses would give you by themselves your entire loss or your victory.
And, judging as well as you can, your initial hand, would soon put you in the condition to feel if you are going to win or lose.
When on the draw, holding a first turn FoW with Duress can be more than half of the game.
When on the play, Duress and mana can let you slow him down a single turn trying to win the next one.
There are percentage of winning fast, that Belcher have goldfishing.
If you consider TPS a deck against which you can goldfish, you are going to valuate that sideboard as "inefficient".
if you are going to consider TPS a good combo decks, with some defences and some weapons, you should realize that it is not a goldfish at all, and the Belcher/Grim clock, should be slowed down a bit more.
@TPS vs. Other Combo Results
It seems to me to be repetitive, but being shut up when needed AND not considered enough WHEN I propose something really interesting, seemed to me funny but stupid.
In this thread.
Anyone answered me soon saying that TpS is shit.
Ok.
You can do it because you are free of thinking anything AND because I slowed down the number of winning reports made here on TMD because of "the rest of my life"
Ok.
This thing, in the end, signify nothing, because TPS is doing well here ( and in Spain, France and Germany ).
For references, I can add you another good result of a TPS player in a 45 players' tourney ( 20/11/05 Mestre, Italy ).
this is the link for the ones who need to click or know a bit of Italian.Swiss Results.
1° Oss Alberto aka Wolf (TPS UB)Â
2° Olivi Simone (T1-Tog Without TOG)
3° Bertani Luca (3C-Oath)*
4° Slongo Davide aka Jotarokujo ($5C-$t4k$)
5° Baxter Nicholas aka PdL (TPS UB)
6° Zavan Alessio (Fish UR)
7° Pinto Antonio (Workshop Slavery)
8° Zanon Francesco aka NoseBleed (WU Tang)*
9° Larcher Mario aka Krimine (2Land Belcher)
the other decks faded out of my mind.
One TPS placed 3rd and the other dropped into the final to his friend, placing 2nd.
The 3rd one was the first seed of the swiss while the 2nd was the 5th one.
To a first superficial analyze of the metagame, it seemed to me "Control and Combo oriented", but I would add more details if needed or wanted. A lot of MW.decs and Welders too.
If only I would have continued proposing you decks and tourneys' analyzes of our Weekly main events, you would have noticed that TPS continued to perform as always really well.
Continue play a deck in a good percentage and with good players and you would see it winning again, even in America.
...but you have to play it well....
MAxxMAtt
