To GrO or not to GrO

[Zeon dragonlord]

Hey all.  I'm going to a tournament Saturday and want your help on a gro deck.  If I had power I'd put it in there.  Here it is:

Critters:
4x Werebear
4x Quirion Dryad
2x Morphling

Counter:
4x Force
4x Counterspell
3x Misdirection
2x Daze

Draw:
4x Brianstorm
4x Opt
3x Sleight of Hand
3x Gush

Other:
2x Powder Keg
4x Land Grant
1x Regrowth
1x Mystic Tutor

Land:
7x Island
1x Forest
4x Tropical Island
2x Polluted Delta
1x Strip Mine

O.K. I know what you are going to say "Where are the impulses?"  I tested and I like Brainstorm alot better.  I also like Counterspell alot better than Mana Drain.  I also have hte oath conversion side board.  Other than those, any advice would be appreciated.  Thanks!

[Smmenen]

Quote (Zeon dragonlord @ Feb. 05 2003,18:16)O.K. I know what you are going to say "Where are the impulses?"  I tested and I like Brainstorm alot better.  I also like Counterspell alot better than Mana Drain.  I

I don't think anyone would say either of those things  Especially if you have the Fetchlands.  

Just out of Curiousity, where are you playing this Sat?

STeve

[jpmeyer]

Isn't it a bit tough to cast Morphling when you only have 12 true land?

[Zeon dragonlord]

I am playing at the sports bench in Kokomo, IN.  DCI sanctioned and stars at 2:00.  I don't know, I tested and whenever I got brainstorm and a blue mana I did great but impulse I have to wait for 2 mana and I usually want to spend that on a Dryad or a Bear.  I usually don't have to hard a time casting Morph.  He's not a key card in the deck so if I get him early I just pitch him to a counter or something.

[Zeon dragonlord]

Hey all.  What does a gro deck do versus a white weenie?  Plus I need more help on deck by saturday.  Thanks.

[Grand Inquisitor]

oath out of the board owns WW.  just don't tap out, since they have disenchant, and you'll be fine.  a much tougher decision is whether to sb oath in against sligh.  i bring in oath against ank sligh, but not against anything with ball lightnings.

i think 1 morphling would be fine, and i'm not sure if the oath sb will work with so few land (maybe others have ideas?)  depending on your meta make sure to pack a woodripper in the board.

[Spizzard]

Whats up with people stealing my avatar? First mtgnews.com now here... Oh well.

In your deck, I dont know if mystical tutor is all its cracked up to be.  You dont have ancestral or time walk.  The best thing you can get is a gush (substitute situational card draw) or a counterspell.

I also suggest moving morphling to the sideboard or keep 1 maindeck.  2 Kind of changes the feel of the deck.

I think land grants are suboptimal.  Fetchlands are better.  You could up your fetchland count 2 more and still have somewhat the same effect.

So in all
-1 Merchant Scroll
-2 Morphling
-4 Land Grant
+4 Impulse
+2 Island Fetchland
+1 Gush

[Igor]

From my experience, you do not need that many land for the oath engine to work, you got so many pitch counters that you do not need more than 3 mana to get the engine running and you got tons of cantrips.  I used to have oath side in my version with 4 land grant, 2 moxes and 10 lands... and it worked fine.

As for the land grant, I personally like them as a blood moon can shut a fetch land gro deck pretty easily.  However if you are going for the fetch idea, cut the forest it is not worth it as you play blue fetches (which is best by the way).  If you do not plan on facing anything with blood moon, go with the fetches, if people play BM, go with land grant that's what I think... Oh and do not forget land grant are mystical fetchable... as stupid as it may sound it changes a mulligan hand to a good hand sometimes.

Also, if you prefer counters to drains, I would cut the morphlings as they will only be useful as food for FoW, you just do not get enough mana.

I also think impulse is better than sleight of hand in a version with hard counters as you do not want to tap out during your turn, but again it's a close call... by the way impulse is great to find an oath after sideboard, so don't think they are not worth it.

Now the most important, gush, play 4 gush, it is a must it will not win you games it will win the tournament, you never have too many gushes, if you've got too many it's only because you don't have enough... Gush saves a land from wasteland and let you draw 2 cards from it, gush gives more mana in a land light deck, gush cannot be misdirected, gush is the deck, play 4.

Also, about the strip, I would cut it, but never tested it... I just don't like the idea of having a land that produces only colorless mana and does not read "tap: you win the game, you may only use this ability if you have 7 cards in hand", mostly in a deck with land grants and that runs so few lands... it just will screw some of your starting hands for very little benefits in the other games...

In short, here is what I would change:

If you stick with no drains:
-2 Morphling
-3 Sleight of hand
-1 Island
-1 Strip mine
+4 Impulse
+1 Gush
+1 Misdirection
+1 Daze

With drains:
-3 Sleight of hand
-1 Island
-1 Regrowth
-1 Strip mine
+1 FoF
+1 Gush
+4 Impulse

Good luck

[Grand Inquisitor]

i missed the mystical the first time through.  your deck is redundant enough, and un-ancestral recall enough so you don't need it.

as far as land grant vs. fetch, use the fetches if you can get them.  they work great with brainstorm, and while some people's metagames have bloodmoon, everyone's metagame has counterspells.  also, sometimes you need that trop and you're sitting with 2 islands and a land grant in hand.

[Zeon dragonlord]

Thanks for all your help.  I made some changes and played in the tour.  I got 2nd.  I lost to my friend's WW.  I could only get a hold of 2 powder keg.  Here is my decklist.

Critters:
4x Werebear
4x Quirion Dryad
1x Morphling

Counter:
4x Force
4x Counterspell
3x Misdirection
3x Daze

Draw:
4x Brianstorm
4x Opt
4x Gush
2x Impulse

Other:
2x Powder Keg
4x Land Grant
1x Regrowth
1x Mystic Tutor

Land:
7x Island
1x Forest
4x Tropical Island
2x Polluted Delta

I am going to being playing this deck in the tour. next week so hopefully it will first this time.  My friends not playing WW next time.

[Spizzard]

You are still running morphling and Mystical?  Mystical is strictly bad in your deck.  You dont have ancestral or time walk to grab.
I also think running land grants and fetchlands is a bad idea.  I think if you ran 1-2 more fetches, you could drop the land grants.  That would free up much more space, allowing room for the keg, and impulses.


(BTW, do you have to use my avatar?)