TMDI Report Round 2: Smmenen over DKaps 2-0

[Smmenen]

I spent several hours testing this earlier in the week.  I did this by connecting to my own apprentice.  When we connected my name was also DKaps becuase I had used the name DKaps in one of hte programs to play myself.  When we connected I forgot about this, and Kaplan was like: WTF??

That explains that.

My testing results:
My testing had indicated that game one was basically a toss up.  If I mulliganed I would lose.  If he mullliganed it was about the same chances.  Weirdly enough I found it didn't really matter who went first (although i thought it would).  It didnt even depend on my hands - my testing indicated that if he had a good aggressive hand with basically a turn one drop and turn two two drops (or more if a cadet) things would be bad for me.  While I thought Lackey -> piledriver would be the scariest thing for me - testing indicated that pups and cadets were much worse.  

Games Two and three were almost all won by me in testing.  I side in 2 BEBs, 1 Keg, 1 Misdirection and side out 3 B2B, and one capsize.

I figured if I won game one, I would be in really good shape.

Actual Match
-----------------------------
Game one:
I win the roll and play a LOA.  I had Impulse, Keg, LOA, Drain, and three Islands.  I considered playing an Island first so I could turn two drain.  I didn't.  I played LOA.  He played a first turn Cadet (which isn't that scary).  I drew off library and played an island and passed the turn (Misdirection).

He played a piledriver.  I drew into a phid and lOA'd a mox.  I tapped the two islands and the mox and played the phid.  He attacked with the driver and the cadets and then before blocks tried to bolt the phid.  I mis-d it to the Driver (after a rules question to that effect was answer in the affirmative).  he bolted the phid again.  Phid and driver died.  I took 4 points of damage from the cadets and he didn't draw any more dudes before I kegged.  Not too soon afterward I drew morphling and won.  

Game Two:  He goes first turn lackey.  I go Mox, Island with two leaks and an impulse in hand and I think a morphling as well.  I drew into a mox the next turn.  I leaked his second turn jackel pup and he didn't play anything with the cadets.  That was bad for him.  I played another rland and a mox on my second turn and had leak and impulse mana up but I didn't need to use the leak.  I kept nuetralizing his creatures while I was at a very high life total.  Eventually LOA came down and I abused the hell out of it.  Then morphling followed.  

Opinion:
This demonstrates in my mind that the best elements of this deck are the actual Sligh elements: cadets, good burn, and pups.  This deck relies on creatures that it may or may not have: Reckless Charge, Flunkies, Piledriver AND Goblin Grenade all become much worse without the 1 CC men.  

EDIT: Fixed; proper usage of Cadets
Stephen Menendian\n\n

[Matt The Great]

I assume that when you say "Cadets" you mean "Lackey"?

[Legend]

I am very surprised by this result.

[Smmenen]

I think a big part of it is the fact that I basically had good shit to SB while he had nothing.   My SB was gold: 2 BEB, 1 Keg, and one misdirection - each is worth multiple cards if played in the right way.  BEB on a creature that has been charged.  BEB on a grenade.  Misdirection, keg both obviously card and board advantage.  When I keg a 1cc critter I am doing much m ore than just killing one - I am nuetering Flunkies, Piledrivers, and so on.
While for him:
No Red Blasts = Bad.  

If he actually had a good SB, games two and three would have been, I think, clearly in his favor - while game one remaining a toss up.  

Steve\n\n

[CrazyCarl]

Yo bitch, I be gettin vengance fo mah brotha up in this hizzy.

That is all.

Carl

[Smmenen]

Carl.  You think you have a shot in hell against me BRING IT ON MOFO.

I am the KING of mono blue

Steve

[Legend]

Well I think a big factor was his decision to run Rack and Ruin over Goblin Vandal in the SB. Since Dave and I collaborated on the deck, we are almost card for card. However, I prefer to leave Rack and Ruin out of this deck, I think it is better left for Ankh Sligh. I discussed this with Dave, I just prefer Goblin Vandals, for situations such as this. Vandals could have made a difference, perhaps.\n\n

[Smmenen]

Another thing:

While my testing had demonstrated that I was in very good shape games 2 and 3 - in the actual match I did even better than expected in part as a function of how bad Dave's hand obviously was.

Think about it.  He had a turn one lackey and when he attacked on turn two he got NOTHING from it.  Then when he played the pup I leaked it.  That is terrible.  He didn't have any other creatures otherwise he would have played them.  The following turn when he attacked the second time from the lacky he put Flunkies into play - but then I dealt with the lackey I think on the next turn so flunkies were in play most of the game but useless.  

He had, what?, 4-5 cards left in hand?  Obviously they weren't Charges otherwise he would have charged up the pup.  EDIT: Nevermind I countered the pup - so he could have had charges - but he also could have charged the lackey.  So his hand had to be some combination of some of his 8 good burn spells, charges or else Grenades (Unless he was actively holding back creatures or had actually SBed.  That is terrible hand for him.  From creatures, in the entire game two he dealt 2 measily points of damage.  

Legend, your Ankh sligh is a much harder matchup I think - I can't just take out one component of that deck and suddenly create massive card advantage for myself.  Also, Ankhs mean that I need to get kegs at 2 at some point - and that I'll be holding some of my land in hand.  Oh yeah - and Prohibit was solid .

Nevertheless you have more dead cards than me: you have 4 PoP while I have only 3 b2bs which can be pitched to countermagic.  Also you have a ton of wastelands which are less than optimal against me.  And your SB isn't that scary.  Scald's cost two (right?) where are the blasts???  


Steve\n\n

[Legend]

Yeah, it sounds like Dave had some bad draws. Apprentice tournaments are always suspect, to say the least. There is no substitute for real life Magic, especially since Apprentice takes away all the facial expressions, mannerisms, bluffing, and other visual aspects that make real Magic so much better.
I won't read too much into the results.

As for Red Elemental Blasts, I don't like them all that much,as they don't have much of an impact unless you use all eight - but then you dilute the agressiveness of the deck. That is why I abandoned the Blast plan.

If I was playing Ankh Sligh against your Mono-Blue deck, the only changes I would make would be to side out 4 Price of Progress for 4 Scald. Why would I want to take out anything else? That is why I don't use Blasts - Scald fits much more naturally into the theme of the deck. What else would I want to side out? Bolt spells? That doesn't work for me. Sideboarding should be about making a few changes for particular matchups, not radically overhauling the way it plays. That is why I prefer the simple Scald for POP strategy.\n\n

[Smmenen]

Yes, but that doesn't mean they are better.  Ancestral Recall may not fit the theme a particular deck with blue in it, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be played.  Simply put: I think Red Elemental Blast is the best SB card ever printed.

However, there is such a thing as too many Blasts.  But I obvoiusly dont have as much experience with your deck as you do - so I could be wrong.

Another thing that I have come to realize is that I no longer advocate mono blue for other players.  The win margins have just become too slim against too many decks that have risen up and including many losses: TnT, Oath, and Grow are bad matchups, Suicide was already slim for me, sligh was already slim, and OSE was slim and Mask is slim.  Now keeper has fetchlands for Islands, two-3 color decks get them too, and there is this annoying GrowAtog.  The only matchups I'm just straight up confident about are Parfait, Enchantress, other mono blue, R/G zoo, Combo decks, and Old Keeper with pretty decent matches against Fetchland Keeper, and Mask.  That isn't particularly strong.  Nevertheless, I have alot of experience to draw upon that I think gives me a slight edge over other poeple who pick up ophidian blue.  

Therefore, I tend to ignore the results of when other people play mono blue anymore.  

Steve\n\n

[Legend]

Comparing Ancestral Recall to anything is a mistake, because Ancestral Recall is unlike anything else. There are some cards that transcend basic strategy - and Ancestral Recall is one of them. The decision of whether or not to use Blasts is something different altogether.\n\n