Battle of the Sets IV - Reports & Results

[Legend]

I will be posting match reports & results below.



DIVISION 1:

#1 Tempest d. #8 Homelands, 3-0
#2 Onslaught d. #7 Stronghold, 3-0
#3 Urza's Saga d. #6 Urza's Legacy, 3-2
#4 Mercadian Masques d. #5 Judgment, 3-1

#2 Onslaught d. #3 Urza's Saga, 3-1
#4 Mercadian Masques d. #1 Tempest, 3-0

#2 Onslaught d. #4 Mercadian Masques, 3-0
(Onslaught wins Division 1!)


DIVISION 2:

#1 Mirrodin d. #8 Fallen Empires, 3-0
#2 Odyssey d. #7 Visions, 3-1
#6 Prophecy d. #3 Invasion, 3-0
#4 Exodus d. #5 Fifth Dawn, 3-1

#1 Mirrodin d. #4 Exodus, 3-0
#6 Prophecy d. #2 Odyssey, 3-1

#6 Prophecy d. #1 Mirrodin, 3-1
(Prophecy wins Division 2!)


DIVISION 3:

#8 Nemesis d. #1 Apocalypse, 3-1
#2 Antiquities d. #7 Weatherlight, 3-2
#4 Scourge d. #5 Planeshift, 3-0
#3 Urza's Destiny d. #6 Alliances, 3-0

#4 Scourge d. #8 Nemesis, 3-1
#2 Antiquities d. #3 Urza's Destiny, 3-0

#2 Antiquities d. #4 Scourge, 3-2
(Antiquities wins Division 3!)


DIVISION 4:

#1 Torment d. #8 The Dark, 3-1
#2 Arabian Nights d. #7 Mirage, 3-0
#3 Darksteel d. #6 Ice Age, 3-1
#4 Legends d. #5 Legions, 3-1

#3 Darksteel d. #2 Arabian Nights, 3-1
#4 Legends d. #1 Torment, 3-0

#3 Darksteel d. #4 Legends, 3-2
(Darksteel wins Division 4!)


FINAL FOUR:

#2 Onslaught d. #6 Prophecy, 3-1

#2 Antiquities d. #3 Darksteel, 3-1


FINALS:

#2 Antiquities d. #2 Onslaught, 3-1

[Legend]

Finally, after some minor delays, the tournament is underway!


Arabian Nights (Alfred) vs. Mirage (Legend)
Ice Age (Alfred) vs. Darksteel (Legend)
Scourge (Alfred) vs. Planeshift (Legend)


The action started out in Division 4, where #2 Arabian Nights took on heavy underdog #7 Mirage. Typically in matches such as this, the underdog must seize an early opportunity if it presents itself, or else risk the match slipping completely away. If the underdog can take advantage of an opportunity in one of the first two games, the series has a chance to be at least somewhat interesting. Unfortunately for Mirage, it could not capitalize on such a chance in the first game, where Arabian Nights, despite an avalanche of card drawing, could not find any large creatures for a long stretch of time, which allowed Mirage to work its opponent down to a precarious 5 life. Arabian Nights, on the edge of a cliff, seemed on the verge of dropping the first game, but could only hope for some luck and began to put Mirage on the clock with a couple of Old Men of the Sea, one Unstably Mutated. Mirage had an Incinerate in hand, and as the turns went by, could not find the necessary killing blow to compliment the Incinerate, only mana source after mana source. Arabian Nights put Mirage on a one turn clock to find the needed burn spell when a Serendib Efreet joined the party. Mirage's draw? A Fire Diamond. Mirage could only watch helplessly as the Efreet dropped Arabian Nights to 4 life during the upkeep, one short of Incinerate's reach. What followed in the next two games was closer to the script one would have expected - two blowouts involving a continuous flow of large creatures pounding Mirage's hapless burn deck into submission. Arabian Nights advances with a sweep.

Next, it was time to see who Arabian Nights would face in the second round - Darksteel or Ice Age. Ice Age is still looking for its first ever match win, having lost in the first round in each of the first three Battle of the Expansion Sets tournaments, each time in an agonizing game 5, and each time with a different deck design. Now it was time to try a B/R Necro/land destruction deck. Could snakebitten Ice Age finally advance to the second round, or would its horrible fortune continue against Darksteel, which surprisingly advanced all the way to the quarterfinals last time out with upset victories over former finalist Onslaught & former champion Apocalypse? Sadly for Ice Age, the answer was the latter, as Darksteel rallied from losing the first game for three straight wins. Ice played first to start the match, and with a first turn Necro, was able to shut down Darksteel's mana and overrun it with a couple of Abyssal Specters. But the fun was short-lived for Ice Age, as Darksteel went first in the second game and opened with a couple of quick Drooling Ogres. Robbed of precious life points with which to use Necro, Ice Age quickly folded, and it was on to game three. Ice Age again had an early Necro, but could not find quite enough land destruction to keep its opponent down, and as a result paid dearly. Darksteel was able to keep Ice Age occupied with threats long enough to build up enough mana to finish the game with burn, and in the meantime was also able to clear a couple of Abyssal Specters out of the way. Amazingly, at one point Ice Age was able to steal a Drooling Ogre by tapping out to cast Icy Manipulator (Darksteel happened to not have an artifact to steal it back), but Darksteel Fireballed its own Arcbound Worker to make its Juggernaut a 6/4 to survive the block by Drooling Ogre. The Juggernaut was tapped over the course of the next few turns, but by then Darksteel predictably had enough burn to finish the game off. In the fourth game, Ice Age stumbled out of the gate with a horrendous draw featuring only a Swamp and a Mountain along with no other plays. Fortunately, Darksteel was not exactly lighting the world on fire with its hideous opening of Arcbound Worker and a bunch of land. Ice Age had the break it needed - there was an opening if it could just snap out of the mana funk. Finally, it did. But the delay had been costly. Darksteel began to find creatures, including two Drooling Ogres. Yet Ice Age, already with an Icy in play but only four mana, managed to hang in there by Ritualing out a second Icy to steal both Ogres and tap down some of Darksteel's mana. Darksteel, though, quickly took back both Ogres with a Juggernaut, which Ice Age quickly removed. Meanwhile, the Icies held the Ogres at bay while a Knight of Stromgald began to attack. Ultimately, though, it was far too little, too late for Ice Age, as it had not been able to keep Darksteel's mana down, and the burn deck now had more than enough mana to cast the variety of burn spells in its hand. An Oxidda Golem off the top only made matters worse, and soon the match ended with a couple of Pulses of the Forge. Darksteel continues its success - but for Ice Age, it will be a long summer, as it deals with a fourth consecutive first round exit - for the first time in less than the full five games. The wait for that elusive first round win will continue for at least another few months. Darksteel moves on to an intriguing second round encounter with Arabian Nights.

Finally, in Division 3 action, consistent aggro-killer Scourge faced off against winless Planeshift, which, like Ice Age, had been bounced in the first round of each of the first three tournaments. Unfortunately for Planeshift, it was up against an opponent that tears apart simple aggro decks (such as Planeshift), especially those that lack any sort of major burn reach. The outcome: a sweep, and another first round loss for Planeshift, which evaporates into thin air once again. Scourge is not only immune to mana screw, it also has a nice assortment of weapons against aggro, including Wing Shards, Silver Knight, Dawn Elemental, & Noble Templar. Planeshift just didn't have a chance. Silver Knight is a particularly bad problem for Planeshift, as it has no way to actually remove the pest, and it can handle almost all of Planeshift's creatures in combat. So the fact that Scourge did not cast a single Silver Knight in the entire match, yet swept, tells you all you need to know about the domination here. The first game involved a hard-cast Decree of Justice for two Angels, both of which were enchanted with Dragon Scales. The second game witnessed the arrival of three Daru Warchiefs, and the final game featured a double mulligan by Planeshift - although Planeshift probably could not have won even if it were allowed to start with 10 cards in hand. Scourge moves on in dominant fashion - but it will be hard-pressed to go any further with Apocalypse looming in the second round.

[Alfred]

I found it funny that when I cast the third daru warcheif, we both couldn't figure out what their p/t were. God, I'm so bad at math!

[Legend]

Division 2 action:


#2 Odyssey (Legend) takes care of #7 Visions (Lyhrrus), 3-1. Visions stole the third game with a fast start that prevented Odyssey from ever getting any kind of control over the game, but Odyssey won the other three games handily with ridiculous amounts of bounce and removal coupled with Tog + Upheaval.

[Lyhrrus]

Best tech ever:  Pygmy Hippo Drain into Stampeding Wildebeests!


BTW, does anyone know anything about IPs and networks?  I'm having trouble connecting Apprentice to other people.  I'm wondering if it's because I'm on dial-up, though I don't think that should matter...

[Legend]

Division 1 action:


#3 Urza's Saga (Legend) eliminates #6 Urza's Legacy (CourierV90), 3-2 in a thriller

In one of the better battle of the sets matches ever played, and certainly the most exciting so far in this particular tournament, new-look Saga held off Legacy in a matchup between bitter block rivals. The sets alternated wins, with Saga taking games 1,3, & 5. Saga, playing first, held serve with a quick opening that led to Phyrexian Processor set on 4 (a conservative choice dictated by the threat of Legacy's unstoppable air assault combined with wanting to be just large enough to handle Villages & Grunts) and Time Spiral. Soon things were out of hand and Saga had a ton of permanents on the table and a Processor going nuts with the help of Turbines and Keys. But Legacy swarmed through the air in the second game to bring the series to tie as Saga fumbled to get the Processor machinery set up. The third and fourth games went just as the first two had gone, with Saga taking the third with Processors, Time Spirals & Karn, and Legacy the fourth with its air swarm and some severe Village beatings.

Game 5 would be the closest of all, with Saga on the ropes until it pulled a rabbit out of its hat to narrowly escape with its life. Saga played first but did not blaze out of the gate as quickly as it had in its first two wins. Legacy was out a bit slower than it had previously started also, but finally both decks began to get in gear. Saga got out its usual Processor for 4, while Legacy began to swing through the air with a Fleeting Image and a Rancored Cloud of Faeries. Saga managed to get off two Time Spirals and seemed to have the game in hand with Processor able to churn out multiple tokens a turn, and a Smokestack starting to wipe out Legacy's board. But Saga had still not found the card it so badly needed to survive - the lowly and undervalued Claws of Gix. If Saga did not draw a Claws of Gix on its next turn, it would lose  to Legacy's air brigade of Fleeting Image & the Rancored Cloud of Faeries. Legacy's next attack brought Saga down to 4 life. It was now or never for Saga. It had more than enough damage to win the game within two turns, but just needed to stay alive through another Legacy attack.

Then, it happened. Claws of Gix came right of the top of Saga's deck to save the day for the artifact powerhouse! Now, with a ton of mana, a Smokestack on 3, & the 4-point Processor dominating the game, Saga had gone from total despair to total control, and Legacy could only watch as Saga now had access to the precious life gain it needed to endure the next attack. It was all over, as Saga's Processor tokens could march to victory in one more turn.

Saga survives Legacy, 3-2!

[Legend]

Wow....I just got finished playing something like 100 matches with Alfred in a six hour marathon. Here is what happened, not in chronological order because that would just be too much to sort out. A pretty healthy mix of all-time classics, decent matches, and of course your garden variety blowouts.


DIVISION 1:

#1 Tempest (Alfred) d. #8 Homelands (Legend), 3-0

As expected. Homelands did get Tempest down to 2 life in the third game, though. The others were not so close.

#2 Onslaught (Alfred) d. #7 Stronghold (Legend), 3-0

A repeat of the Battle of the Expansion Sets I semifinals. Stronghold never even came close.

#4 Mercadian Masques (Legend) d. #5 Judgment (Alfred), 3-1

Judgment managed to win the third game while Masques stalled on two lands, but Masques drew a turn 1 Ramosian Sergeant in every game, which translated to victories in the other games where Masques had the mana it needed. Each win pretty much came down to Glider swarms with some searched up Volunteers & Guards holding the ground. The fourth game was the closest, with Judgment managing an Elephant-Guided Glory and a Brushhopper in a late bid to tie the series, but Masques narrowly  won the race with some Gliders backed up by the search power of Ramosian Lieutenant with exactly four mana available to keep searching up more Gliders (and a few other assorted non-flying rebels holding the ground).


#2 Onslaught (Alfred) d. #3 Urza's Saga (Legend), 3-1

Round of 16 (Divisional semifinal) action here. Saga has no answer to basically everything Onslaught can do, except for a quick Smokestack (or two). That is how Saga managed to grab the second game, wiping out Onslaught's board with a third-turn Smokestack. In the fourth game, Saga actually got out two Smokestacks, but not before an Exalted Angel and Lightning Rift had already done irreparable harm. Onslaught was able to rebuild its board quickly and put the final points of damage in with another Lightning Rift while Saga could manage only a 1-point Processor with Onslaught on 32 life and Karn nowhere in sight. The other two games Onslaught won were not at all close.




DIVISION 2


#1 Mirrodin (Legend) d. #8 Fallen Empires (Alfred), 3-0

The defending champ gets an early tuneup here against bottom feeder Fallen Empires and wins in just a few minutes. The third game was somewhat close for a short while, with a standoff between an Atog, a Frogmite & some assorted Fallen Empires creatures, but Mirrodin eventually found a Pyrite Spellbomb to compliment a Shrapnel Blast it had been holding to gain the last 6 points of damage and win the match. The other two games involved quick hand dumps by Mirrodin that wer simply too fast for plodding Fallen Empires. Even a Hymn that knocked out two Myr Enforcers was not enough in the second game.


#6 Prophecy (Legend) d. # 3 Invasion (Alfred), 3-0

Only 2 lower seeds out of 15 matches played in the first round have advanced. Prophecy was one of the two, and the other will shock you. But all who watched this match agreed that this was no shocker. Prophecy simply manhandled Invasion in three straight commanding games, overruning Invasion with large creatures that were just too much for Invasion's smaller forces. Troublesome Spirit was, um, particularly troublesome, and Scoria Cat was a total nightmare. Citadel of Pain only added to Invasion's misery.


DIVISION 3


#8 Nemesis (Legend) d. #1 Apocalypse (Alfred), 3-1 in the greatest upset in tournament history!!!

Yes, its true. In the most improbable upset in all of Battle of the Expansion Sets history, and perhaps the most improbable upset in the history of sport, lowly Nemesis ambushes former champion Apocalypse and bounces it from the competition! In fact, this match was not even overly close, as Nemesis won the first two games before dropping the third, but grabbing the fourth in crushing fashion. In each of the first two games, Apocalypse managed to fend off some early beatings, but once the decks got into topdeck mode, it seemed that Blastoderms and Saproling Bursts were showing up for Nemesis, but Spiritmongers and Desolation Angels were hiding in Apocalypse's deck. Meanwhile, Apocalypse experienced some minor mana problems, but was never mana screwed. The favorite controlled the fourth game; however, the final game was not close, as Nemesis swarmed out of the gates with Mogg Toadies, Stampede Driver, War Mammoths, and a Blastoderm, while Apocalypse could manage only a Lynx, which was removed, and a useless Arena. When one considers the disparity in card quality between the two decks, this upset becomes even more remarkable. This now makes three consecutive tournaments since Apocalypse's championship in the first battle of the sets that Apocalypse has accomplished either very little or nothing. Nemesis moves into the divisional semifinals to face Scourge! Meanwhile, Scourge catches a huge break with controlling Apocalypse out of the way. A matchup with Nemesis almost certainly punches Scourge's ticket into the divisional finals.


#2 Antiquities (Legend) d. #7 Weatherlight (Alfred), 3-2

Antiquities has been one of the elite decks since the beginning, but each time out, something has gone wrong and denied the artifact set a championship. In the first tournament, Apocalypse narrowly sneaked past Antiquities 3-2 in a classic semifinal nailbiter. In the second tournament, Antiquities was one win away from moving into a semifinal showdown with eventual champion Tempest, before horrendous mana problems and mulligans allowed Arabian Nights to steal the last two games of their quarterfinal match and advance to face Tempest, which promptly swept Arabian in one of the worst semifinals ever played. Last time out, Torment smashed Antiquities in a painful second round sweep. In almost every situation, the story is the same with Antiquities: it is the true wild card of the tournament. It can beat any opponent, but it can also lose to just about any opponent. The reason for this is simple - Mishra's Workshop. When Antiquities draws a Workshop in its opening hand, it is extremely difficult to beat and usually annhilates anything in its way. However, without an early Workshop, Antiquities reverts to a merely pedestrian, even below average deck, and can fall to just about any opponent. The difference between Workshop and no Workshop is like night and day.

Complicating matters even more was Antiquities's first round opponent, dangerous Weatherlight - a bit of a wild card deck itself (the key card being Empyrial Armor). Adding to the intrigue here is the addition of hoser Serenity to Weatherlight for this tournament. However, unlike Mirrodin or Urza's Saga, Antiquities is not totally screwed by Serenity, as it need not play more than a couple of big threats at any one time, nor is its mana dependent on artifacts. Antiquities can also lose if Weatherlight comes out with a quick Empyrial Armored creature. On the other hand, Weatherlight is particularly susceptible to Strip Mine, and suffers badly to Triskelion. In any event, Antiquities was in for a dangerous challenge that, if it could overcome, would perhaps be in position for a special performance. What would happen?

Antiquities lost the die roll and with no Workshop in sight lost quickly to an Empyrial Armored Sould Shepherd teamed up with a concession-forcing Phantom Warrior. Down 0-1, it was hardly the way to start off the tournament against an opponent wielding such potent artifact removal capabilites. But Antiquities came back strong in the second game with quick Onulets and Su-Chis powered out by Workshop. Even a Serenity was not enough as Antiquities never played out more than two or three artifacts at once, eventually allowing it to win a somewhat longer game when Weatherlight simply ran out answers, constantly on the defensive.  The third game went similarly, with Workshop again showing up and leading to Su-Chis, Triskelions, and Tawnos's Coffin. But Weatherlight would not go quietly, and dumped Antiquities with another quick Empyrial Armor, this time on a Sage Owl, and it was on to the deciding game. Would Antiquities suffer another cruel disappointment, or would this time be different? Right away, it was clear that this would be the latter, as Antiquities managed a couple of quick Clockwork Avians which brought the match home with Serenity nowhere in sight - although it hardly would have mattered, as Antiquities held several more threats in hand just in case. Triskelion mopped up a couple of smaller creatures just for good measure. Antiquities breaths sigh of relief and moves into the divisional semifinals - and perhaps on to even greater things.


#3 Urza's Destiny (Legend) d. #6 Alliances (Alfred), 3-0

A surprisingly docile Alliances went down easily, as it suffered from horrid draws and a repeated unfortunate lack of early removal, allowing Rofellos to survive in two games and go berserk. Meanwhile, Elders and Dynamos provided even more mana, and it wasn't long in each game before Silverbacks and Thorn Elementals hit the table. Alliances seemingly had enough removal to win a game or two, but the matchup does not play out that way.



#4 Scourge (Alfred) d. #8 Nemesis (Legend), 3-1

Nemesis's magic runs out here in the divisional semifinals, as Scourge was never threatened and lost only the third game, crushing Nemesis in the other games with a varied assortment of aggro-destroying defenses, including Silver Knight, Dawn Elemental, and Noble Templar. Nemesis did get one memorable win in the third game with a Stampede Driver powering a herd of Saproling tokens, Mammoths, & Toadies past Dawn Elementals, Soldier tokens, and Silver Knight.


#2 Antiquities (Legend) d. #3 Urza's Destiny (Alfred), 3-0

When Antiquities draws Workshop, it is almost impossible to beat. That's exactly what happened here in this divisional semifinal matchup, as Antiquities actually drew double Workshop in a couple of games and ran Destiny out of the building and into a ditch, sending the mono-green deck down in flames. Onulets, Su-Chis, Primal Clays, Tetravites, & Triskelions all exploded out of Antiquities's hand, as it beat bully Destiny into submission three straight bruising times. One time, Destiny managed to cast both Masticore and Ancient Silverback, only to watch them both disappear into Tawnos's Coffins. Thats how the entire match went. Buzz-saw Antiquities moves on to a date with Scourge. That ought to be easy, right? Wrong.


#2 Antiquities (Legend) d. #4 Scourge (Alfred), 3-2 in only the fourth ever 0-2 comeback!

Only three times before has a set rallied to win the final 3 games of a series after dropping the first 2. Now, it has happened a fourth time, with Antiquities staging an amazing rally to save its championship hopes after the dream was perched on the edge of a cliff.

On paper, this divisional final matchup seems to favor Antiquities, but Scourge has the upper hand if the game lasts reasonably long, with several late game bombs, and is also all but immune to Strip Mine, and for that matter, mana-screw of any kind. If Antiquities does not draw an early Workshop, Scourge willl have enough time to set up its defenses and eventually triumph with Decree of Justice, Dawn Elemental, or Eternal Dragon. This is exactly what happened in the first two games, as Scourge pounced on two so-so Antiquities hands to fill the board with Dawn Elementals, Noble Templars, & Soldier tokens. Antiquities did not come close to winning either game.

Just when things seemed darkest for Antiquities, though, the Workshops began to show up and the epic rally was on. The third game was a classic Antiquities blowout, with Onulet on the first turn, followed by a couple of Su-Chis. The fourth game witnessed another Workshop outburst, although Scourge managed to hang in a little longer before ultimately succumbing to a horde of Tetravites and a Rocket Launcher just after a couple of Decree of Justice Angels had made a bid to stabilize the game. Once the series was tied, it seemed as though the fifth game would be only a formality for Antiquities. Sure enough, the final game quickly turned into a disaster for Scourge, as it came out slowly and fell hopelessly behind as a Workshop aided by a Candelabra powered out an avalanche of Avians, Su-Chis, Tetravus, and Triskelions. Amazingly, a match that had only minutes earlier seemed in hand for Scourge came to an abrupt end as the white deck could manage only minimal resistance in the face of the Antiquities outburst.

After surviving the stern challenge of Weatherlight, crushing Destiny, and staging perhaps the greatest comeback of all time against Scourge, Antiquities looks to be a deck of destiny and has certainly become the big story of the tournament thus far. Already the champion of Division 3, Antiquities now only needs two more wins in the final four to claim its first championship and wash away the disappointments & near-misses of tournaments past.



DIVISION 4

#1 Torment (Legend) d. #8 The Dark (Alfred), 3-1

The Dark picked up its second ever game win after dropping the first two. Then top seed Torment turns out the lights.


#4 Legends (Legend) d. #5 Legions (Alfred), 3-1

Moat is game over for Legions. Greater Realm is almost game over. However, even with quite a bit of Land Taxing, Moat was nowhere to be found in the second game, and Legions managed to fight through a Greater Realm to grab that game. However, quick Moats locked down the first & final games, and a Greater Realm coupled with some removal allowed a Phoenix the time it needed to get the third game for Legends.


#3 Darksteel (Legend) d. #2 Arabian Nights (Alfred), 3-1

Darksteel continues to impress, beating quality opponent after quality opponent to advance into the third round for the second straight tournament for a divisional final date with the Torment/Legends winner. As in the Ice Age match, Darksteel lost the first, then won the next three to take this divisional semifinal match. Drooling Ogres got Darksteel the fast starts it needed, and some Oxidda Golems joined in to give Darksteel some wins in close races in each of the final three games. Arabian Nights came within 1 life point of forcing a fifth game with a double Unstably Mutated Serendib Efreet, but to no avail, as Darksteel had the burn it needed to wrap up the match on the following turn.

[Matt]

I'm totally rooting for Antiquities. I hate those damn white decks - Tempest and Onslaught and Scourge.

Darksteel, of course, has what might be the best card in the format (Skullclamp), so it shouldn't come as that much a surprise if it's doing well.

[Razvan]

Oh, man, this is awesome. I am rooting for Antiquities too...

Hm... here's a thought... I really want to take that Antiquities deck to a tourney... if only I can convince them to let me play with 4 Strip Mines...

[Alfred]

I for one, am not rooting for antiquities! It has beaten me every game, and all of them were pretty close. It will be my duty to make sure that antiquities DOES NOT win the entire tournament.

Matt, You are right about darksteel being a good deck, but not because of skullclamp (It doesn't have any), but because of FAST creatures coupled with a plethora of burn. Where other decks, mirage in particular, have a substantial amount of burn, it just doesn't have the speedy creatures to put it's opponent within burn range. This strategy is very potent against the control decks in the format, and other aggressive decks will have to work hard to beat it to the punch. I could see darksteel going all the way to the finals. It's just that good. I could also see it beating anitquities with fast starts and burn (fingers crossed).

The Dark match was particularly fun to play. Though the summary is short, torment is probably one of the better decks that the dark could hope to play. It's relatively slow, it has few threats (good for maze of ith) and has no way of dealing with a topdecked inferno or eternal flame when the dark is higher in life, which is what happened in the 3rd match. I think this matchup could have even been closer if ball lightning had shown up more often. Fire Drake is a surprisingly effective creature when maze of ith is on the table, making The Dark harder to race.

I actually joked to Legend that I wanted to play with apocalypse because I was sick of losing   (I had chosen all of the underdogs proir to this match). This match was TOUGH, and even though I only saw spiritmonger once, I can see why nemisis won this match. This match had nothing to do with card quality or disruption or card drawing, it was pitting two strategies against each other, one the slower control deck versus the fast, redundant aggro deck. I think that the balls to the wall aggressive approach of nemisis had strategical superiority to the painland using, arena needing Apocalypse. There were times when I needed to waste a death grasp on a creature so that it wouldn't kill me next turn, not to mention gerrard's verdicting myself to gain 6 life. If this series were played to the best of ten, I think that Nemisis would win 6-7 games.

[Legend]

I'm pulling hard for Antiquities and I will do everything in my power to bring it the championship. Definitely my favorite deck right now, its been a lot of fun navigating it through some tough matches. Still two more challenging matches to go, so we'll see. I also enjoy Mirrodin a lot, but Mirrodin already got its championship last time so I hope Antiquities gets its title this time around.

[Legend]

It's all over!

ANTIQUITIES has won Battle of the Sets IV, defeating Onslaught in a tense final, 3-1!

Full recap and reports of the finals and other matches coming soon.

[Legend]

DIVISION 1:


#4 Mercadian Masques (Alfred) d. #1 Tempest (Alfred), 3-0 in the Division 1 semifinals

In a complete and utter stunner, Mercadian Masques goes against prior results in this matchup and dismisses former champion and two-time finalist Tempest, which had bounced Masques from the last two tournaments, both times 3-1, in the finals of Battle of the Sets II & then in the second round of the last tournament. How could such a turnaround be possible? Masques always seemed to have game against Tempest, but for whatever reason Tempest had the upper hand the first two times, able to get the lock into place, then protect it with counters. Not the case this time, as Masques capitalized on three key ingredients to gain the sweep: its own fast starts, multiple Disenchant draws backed up by Ports to shut down countering, and mana problems for Tempest in a couple of games. In the final game, Tempest could only watch as Masques came up with 3 Disenchants to deal with 2 Humilities backed up by a Counterspell. Tempest becomes the second opponent that Masques had previously lost a match to, then beaten in a subsequent match (the other being Odyssey, which beat Masques in the 1st round of Battle of the Sets I, then lost to Masques in the semifinals of Battle of the Sets II).


#2 Onslaught (Alfred) d. #4 Mercadian Masques (Legend), 3-0 in the Division 1 finals

Only moments later, though, Masques was eliminated in mere minutes against the impossible matchup of Onslaught. Onslaught wins Division 1 with only one game loss!



DIVISION 2:


#4 Exodus (Legend) d. #5 Fifth Dawn (Alfred), 3-1

In the last remaining 1st round match left to be played, Exodus advanced to the second round for the 4th consecutive tournament, persevering through an agonizing quagmire of a match against newcomer Fifth Dawn, which fails to follow in the footsteps of block brothers Mirrodin & Darksteel with a successful debut. This painful slog of a match basically revolved around Exodus's ability to win before Fifth Dawn could deploy a Door to Nothingness. Fifth Dawn's creatures would not be a concern because of Exodus's ability to set up a Weaver lock that Fifth Dawn could do nothing about. However, Fifth Dawn could buy ridiculous amounts of time with Beacon of Destiny. On the other hand, though, Exodus had the annoying Thrull Surgeon to pluck Doors from Fifth Dawn's hand, or perhaps some other important spell at the right moment. Resources would not be an issue for Exodus, though, as it could continually bring back its creatures with Oath of Ghouls.
In the end, Exodus lost only the fourth game when a Door to Nothingness finally came off the top for Fifth Dawn in a topdecking situation. However, in the first two games, Surgeons caused just enough havoc for massive Exodus creature swarms to finally overcome the absurd lifegain of Beacon of Destiny (which at one point got Fifth Dawn to 80+ life before ultimately losing that very same game) as Door just did not show up in time. The final game was the only quick game, as Fifth Dawn stumbled with mana problems and lost quickly to a horde of bad creatures.


#6 Prophecy (Legend) d. #2 Odyssey (Alfred), 3-1

Another major upset here in a tournament that ended up featuring several such stunners, as new look Prophecy turns some heads with a shocker over latest upset victim Odyssey's and its robust Psychatog deck.
What went wrong for Odyssey? The fourth game involved a double mulligan, which Odyssey almost managed to fight off with some card drawing to get back in the game, but to no avail, as Prophecy had just enough of a head start to close down the match. Prophecy's second win, in game two, involved a stall on two lands that put Odyssey hopelessly  behind, while the first game simply involved a fast Prophecy start that kept up the pressure enough to keep Odyssey constantly behind. Despite some problems with Odyssey's draws, this match was just as much about what Prophecy did right. Odyssey was constantly forced into tough situations by Brawlers and Citadel of Pain, and Troublesome Spirits proved, well, troublesome. The rest of the Prophecy cast was less spectacular, but nevertheless effective, in particular Chimeric Idol, which menaced Infiltrators throughout the match. Prophecy advances to the divisional finals to face.....


#1 Mirrodin (Legend) d. #4 Exodus (Alfred), 3-0

Exodus bows out right after beating Fifth Dawn running into the buzz-saw known as Mirrodin, which runs its match win streak to 7. The three games lasted less than 5 minutes. Can anyone stand up to Mirrodin?


# 6 Prophecy (Legend) d. #1 Mirrodin (Alfred), 3-1

Yes - Prophecy, of all opponents, pulling off its second straight enormous upset, and the third enormous upset of the tournament, along with its previous ousting of two time semifinalist Odyssey, and Nemesis's ousting of former champion Apocalypse. This one ranks right up there with the Nemesis upset though, because it involved a low seed defeating a former champion, in this case seemingly unstoppable defending champion Mirrodin, up until this match on a 7 match winning streak. But in Battle of the Sets IV, it seems as though anything can happen. Here, Prophecy was somehow able to pull out three straight games after dropping the first against overwhelming odds. As per usual in upsets of this magnitude, the underdog certainly needed some help from the favorite (if the two decks both get their best draws, Mirrodin will of course win), but Prophecy again was able to take advantage with its own surprisingly effective and simple aggro strategy. In the fourth & final game, Mirrodin played first & had three Disciples of the Vaults on the table within the first two turns. But maddeningly, Atog was nowhere to be found, hiding somewhere in Mirrodin's deck - so the match had gone for Mirrodin, and so it continued to go. In the end, Mirrodin was able to reduce Prophecy to 4 life, but its final draw step failed to yield a series tying Pyrite Spellbomb (with two Disciples still in play), Atog, or Shrapnel Blast, nor anything else of use, as Prophecy finished things off with Troublesome Spirit. Amazingly, Prophecy wins Division 2!!! No one saw that coming, but such is the wacky greatness of Battle of the Sets!!!


DIVISION 4

By now, three tickets had already been punched to the Final Four, with coveted division titles going to Onslaught, Prophecy, and Antiquities. All that remained in divisional play was to wrap up Division 4, where Torment was the only remaining #1 seed, but about to face the impossible matchup of Legends, which had previously swept Torment. Onslaught was slated to face Prophecy in the Final Four. But who would escape Division 4 to meet Antiquities?


#4 Legends (Alfred) d. #1 Torment (Legend), 3-0

So much for the #1 seeds. Legends removes the last remaining top seed from this exciting and unpredictable event, adding yet another confounding twist for the experts to ponder their ruined tournament brackets. This result anyone could have seen, though. Torment can't do anything about Greater Realm or Moat. Both spell game over for Torment, which just has a horrible matchup here. Legends moves into the divisional finals to face Darksteel.


#3 Darksteel (Legend) d. #4 Legends (Alfred), 3-2 in the Divison 4 finals!

Darksteel joins the upset parade, claiming the Division 4 title against heavily favored Legends with a rally from 1-2 down that left Legends in a state of total disbelief. Legends was the clear favorite here because Moat shuts down all 20 of Darksteel's creatures, while Greater Realm stops all of Darksteel's direct damage. Only one problem for Legends - Darksteel would still have an opening if Legends could not find both enchantments.
Legends took the first game in the way it was expected to win, but Darksteel won the second when a Greater Realm failed to show. Legends again gained the upper hand with a game 3 win on the strength of Moat and a timely Spirit Linked Firestorm Phoenix. But then, only one game short of its first ever final four appearance, the wheels began to fall off for Legends, as the wheels have fallen off so many other times for so many other final four hopefuls. Funny things happen late in these tournaments. Seemingly sure things suddenly become not-so-sure things. Reality gets turned upside down. Underdogs get an opening and take advantage. Here, Darksteel made some of its own luck, then took advantage of some Legend's misfortune in a bizarre two-game collapse that vaulted Darksteel into the finals. Darksteel played first in the fourth game, and went berserk with turn 2 Drooling Ogre, turn 3 Oxidda Golem, turn 4 Oxidda Golem. Meanwhile, Legends not only offered no removal for any of the three creatures, it  missed a crucial land drop before finally dropping a Moat too late to make a difference, as Darksteel of course had the burn it needed to inflict the final points of damage. Legends had failed to handle the intense pressure of Darksteel's Ogre/Oxidda draw in the fourth game, but it still had a chance to redeem itself. Legends played first after a mulligan, but Darksteel had the first play with a turn 2 Drooling Ogre. It was Spirit Linked, though, and a Juggernaut was Chain Lightninged. Amazingly, Legends still had found neither Moat nor Greater Realm. But for now at least, it seemed as if Darksteel has nothing to do either. Legends went for a Firestorm Phoenix. Darksteel, with five mana in play, responded with an end of turn entwined Barbed Lightning, putting Legends on 17. The following Darksteel turn saw a sixth Mountain and a Juggernaut. Legends Chained the Juggernaut on its turn, Darksteel Chained Legends back, and Legends chained Darksteel back. The life totals now stood at 17-14 in favor of Darksteel, which added a 7th Mountain and passed the turn back to Legends. Darksteel would now have to feel the fear of Legend's draw phase once again - would this be the draw that would finally ensure a Legend's trip to the Final Four - would a Greater Realm finally show up? No. Legends went for another Firestorm Phoenix, still seemingly secure at a healtyh 14 life. However, this would be Legend's final turn. Darksteel unloaded two Pulses of the Forge at the end of the turn, and followed it up with a 6-point Fireball to take the match on its own turn! And just like that, Darksteel was in the Final Four, becoming the champion of Division 4.


THE FINAL FOUR

The final four featured an intriguing cast of characters that had each arrived at this point having taken markedly different paths. None were #1 seeds, all long since eliminated. There were two #2 seeds, a #3 seed, and a #6 seed, all four emerging from arguably the most exciting and wide-open battle of the sets playoffs ever.

First, there was Division 1 champion Onslaught. It was certainly not surprising to see this former finalist back in the final matches with a chance at the title, but its last two tournaments had not been nearly as succesful as the first ever Battle of the Sets, where Onslaught reeled off 4 consecutive sweeps before itself falling victim to a sweep at the hands of Apocalypse in the finals.  Onsalught has again show off its ability to reel off long stretches of dominance, but it has also shown that it can run into a wall, even after long winning streaks.

Division 2 champion Prophecy was undoubtedly the biggest surprise of the tournament thus far, having inexplicably overcome the immense challenges of Invasion, Odyssey, and Mirrodin in order to arrive at this point. Prophecy had already accomplished a tremendous amount and cemented itself as the most surprising cinderella in tournament history. But how much longer could the miracle continue?

Division 3 champion Antiquities has easily been one of the 4 or 5 most successful decks in Battle of the Sets history. Yet it had not yet captured a championship - its colossal disappointments have already been well-documented. But now, after sneaking past tricky Weatherlight in the 1st round, sweeping Urza's Destiny in the divisional semifinal, and then pulling off perhaps the greatest comeback ever against Scourge in the divisional final to claim the Division 3 title, Antiquities appears to be a deck of destiny. It is certainly the people's choice, and will probably be a slight favorite in both of its next two matches. Would Antiquities finally shrug off past disappointments and reward the fans with a richly deserved championship? In the wildest Battle of the Sets of all, why not the wild-card - why not the joker?

Finally, there is Division 4 champion Darksteel. In only two appearances since its inception earlier this year, Darksteel has already accomplished quite a bit, advancing to the quarterfinals last time out with wins over Onslaught & Apocalypse, and finding its way to the Final Four this time, punctuated by an unexpected win over Legends in the Division 4 final. Will the simple, yet brutally effective bash 'n burn deck take the title, or will it be extinguished just short of the finish line?


MATCH 1: Division 1 winner vs. Division 2 winner

#2 Onslaught (Alfred) d. # 6 Prophecy (Legend), 3-1

Onslaught duplicates its feat of Battle of the Sets I, winning four matches to secure a spot in the finals. Last time, Onslaught pulled it off with zero game losses - this time it will have to settle for a mere two, having already dropped one against Saga. Prophecy made it a second game loss in the third game with a fast start, but was there ever a doubt here? No. The other three games were all total Onslaught domination from start to finish, just as the matchup looked on paper. Prophecy at least gets a game win as a consolation prize against recurring nemesis Onslaught, which now awaits the winner of the Antiquities/Darksteel match.


MATCH 2: Division 3 winner vs. Division 4 winner

#2 Antiquities (Legend) d. #2 Darksteel (Alfred), 3-1

Antiquities has already been recognized as the wild card of all decks, possessing the ability to beat any opponent - but also the propensity to sometimes beat itself, depending on its Workshop draws. Ironically, though, a game in which Workshop did not show up would end up best demonstrating that maybe Antiquities finally had the karma on its side - the first game of this match. Antiquities won the coin flip and played first, keeping a mediocre hand with a couple of Urza lands and a Strip Mine. Not a promising start, but not bad enough to mulligan either. Urza's Mine was Antiq's first land, and it used the Strip Mine on Darksteel's first Mountain. Urza's Tower was the second land for Antiquities before passing it back to Darksteel. Darksteel played an Arcbound Slith. Antiquities now faced yet another moment of truth. It did not have a third land, and the game was about to slip away. But the match turned on the very next draw - an Urza's Power Plant, completing the Urza-land trio! Suddenly, Antiquities had gone from 2 mana and helplessness, to 7 mana and command of the game! What luck, the power plant coming right off the top! A Clockwork Avian entered play, and it was back to Darksteel, which could only play another Slith and pass the turn. Now Antiquities began to pour it on, pumping out a Su-Chi and a Primal Clay as a 1/6 wall to play defense while the Avian hit for 4. Another Avian hit play shortly thereafter, and it was on to the second game, which Darksteel managed to grab with another early Slith and a generally solid Darksteel opening forcing a quick concession from Workshop-less Antiquities.  However, Antiquities quickly regained control of the series with a mulligan into a solid Workshop hand to take the third game. Antiquities, going second, again mulliganed in the fourth game, but did not find a Workshop. Its first two lands were a Factory and an Urza's Mine, while Darksteel began to attack with an Arcbound Slith. Antiquities attempted to stop the Slith from getting out of control with the second leg of the Urza trio (power plant) leading to Onulet. Amazingly, the Onulet lived, and the two artifact creatures traded. Darksteel played out another Slith. Antiquities played a Strip Mine for its fourth land, and a Su-Chi. Darksteel had lost its early upper hand, but valiantly fought back with a Flamebreak after Su-Chi had blocked Slith, clearing the board and leaving the life totals at 14 for Antiquities, 17 for Darksteel. Antiquities added another Factory and a a Candelabra next turn, and attacked with the other Factory to even the life totals at 14. Darksteel could only manage another Arcbound Slith. Then, the match fell out of reach for Darksteel, as the Urza trio once again came together off the top, with Urza's Tower showing up! Strip Mine knocked out a Mountain, and thanks to the Candelabra, Antiquities was able to spit out a Tetravus and a Rocket Launcher. Another Launcher followed, and with more than enough mana to win the game with two launchings, plus a decisive creature advantage, Antiquities was on to the finals!


THE FINALS


#2 Antiquities (Legend) d. #2 Onslaught (Alfred), 3-1 in the greatest finals yet!

This looked to be a spectacular finals matchup between two evenly matched powerhouses, and it did not disappoint, resulting in one of the classic confrontations of all time! The two foes had certainly arrived here in different ways - Onslaught barely breaking a sweat in smashing four straight challengers, Antiquities having only enjoyed one blowout & gutting out three other tight matches, including a 5-game battle with Weatherlight, an 0-2 comeback against Scourge, and a tough Final Four battle with Darksteel.

It was Onslaught who looked like the champion in the first game, though, thumping a Workshop-less Antiquities with an early Exalted Angel and a Lightning Rift. A concession was soon forthcoming.

However, Antiquities has already shown off its comeback ability in this tournament, and managed to take the second game with a good hand of its own as Onslaught stuggled with mana problems. Onslaught mulliganed to 6, and Antiquities started the game off with a Workshop and a second turn 3/3 Primal Clay. Onslaught countered with a Lightning Rift, while Antiquities added another 3/3 Primal Clay. Onslaught played a face down Exalted Angel. The Antiquities attack brought Onslaught to 11, but it could not apply any further pressure due to an inability to find a 6th mana for Triskelion. Antiquities instead had to settle for a currently unusable Coffin.
If Onslaught had a fourth land to unmorph Angel (specifically a Plains, as two of its lands were Mountains), Antiquities would be in a bit of trouble if it could not find another land itself. However, Onslaught stalled on three lands, and had to double Shock a Primal Clay and endure the attack from the other one to drop it to 8 life. Antiquities still did not have a 6th mana, but did add a freshly drawn Primal Clay. Onslaught could only add another face down. The ensuing Antiquities attack resulted in a chump block by one morph and Onslaught dropping to 5 life. It was now or never for that Plains to unmorph the remaining Angel, as an Onulet joined Antiquities side - although now it was probably too late for even that to help. Regardless, the Plains did not show, and Antiquities had evened the series at 1.

The third game turned out to be the pivotal game thanks to a crucial series-turning late-game situation. Antiquities managed to get 5 early points of damage in with a Clay and a Factory, but Onslaught had an Astral Slide after shrugging off a Strip Mine to hold off both attackers. A Tetravus added to the pressure, but Onslaught was up to the task, taking only three more damage from the Clay before stabilizing at 12. A clockwork Avian joined the team, but things got worse for Antiquities when a Starstorm took down the Avian, Clay and Tetravus. A Rocket Launcher, a Candelabra, and the usual 3/3 Primal Clay replaced the Starstorm victims, but those two seemed inadequate against an Exalted Angel that appeared on Onslaught's next turn. However, with the Urza trio in play since the early game and Onslaught having to tap out for the Angel, Antiquities had just enought to shoot down the Angel with the Launcher. The Clay brought Onslaught down to 9. Onslaught passed the turn back. A Clay and a Factory pumped to 4/4 (thanks to Candelabra and other Factory) went in on the attack, but both went down to another Starstorm. Onslaught again passed the turn. The remaining Factory got Slid out, then a Su-Chi hit the table. Onslaught again passed, but took down the remaining Factory with a Shock and Slid out Chi. A second Astral Slide hit the table. Antiquities played a Coffin. Onslaught played a Rift and began to use it to reduce Antiquities to 18. Next, an Onulet and a Triskelion hit the table for Antiquities, making the situation a bit more interesting. Then came the key play of the match. Onslaught went for Akroma's vengeance, but Antiquties responded by shooting Onslaught with the Triskelion, then putting it in the Coffin. When the Vengeance resolved, the entire board was cleared, except for the Triskelion, which emerged unscathed from the Coffin, suddenly alone on the board and with three fresh counters. Antiquities was left at 16 (-4 from Su-Chi, +2 from Onulet), while Onslaught was left at 6 life and facing a very much alive Triskelion. Onslaught could only play a face down Angel to chump block and pass. When Onslaught found nothing on its next draw, Antiquities had gained the victory and a crucial 2-1 lead in the series.


Antiquities went for the kill in the fourth game, going second and starting out with a Workshop & an Onulet. Onslaught played a turn 2 Rift. The Onulet attacked and brought Onslaught down to 18, and was joined by a Mishra's Factory and a Su-Chi. Onslaught played a land and passed. The Chi and Onulet attacked, with the Onulet dying to the Rift and the Chi hitting for 4. The life totals stood at 22-14 in favor of Antiquities. Antiquities added a Coffin and another Workshop, while Onslaught played a land and passed back. The Chi then went down to two cycles and the Rift, but the factory got in for two to put Onslaught at 12, while the Chi would-be mana burn went into the factory. 22-12. Antiquities then used the two Workshops for a Triskelion. A face down Angel appeared for Onslaught (5 mana in play), which chumped the Trisk. A Rocket Launcher was added for Antiquities. Onslaught found a 6th land, and Starstorm took down the Trisk, which shot Onslaught in response to reduce it to 9. Mishra's Factory got in for two next turn, and it was 22-7 as an Onulet joined the Factory. Victory seemed within reach for Antiquities, but Onslaught added another Rift. The Onulet soon died, and Onslaught also shot Antiquities with a cycle. The pendulum swung further back towards Onslaught with a hard-cast Renewed Faith, and it was 22-13 Antiquities. But a second Factory came down and allowed the other Factory to become 3/3 and hit for three more damage. It was now 22-10. Su-Chi & a 2nd Rocket Launcher joined the Antiquities board, while Onslaught added a third Rift. But it was too little, too late for Onslaught, as Urza's Tower hit to complete the Urza Trio and make the Launchers lethal. The Su-Chi was predictably gunned down when it attacked, but the Chi mana just went into one of the Rocket Launchers along with Urza mana for a 6-point Rocket Launch. When no solution showed up for the remaining Launcher on Onslaught's draw, it was all over - the whole enchilada.  Antiquities had finally claimed its elusive championship, while Onslaught would once more have to settle for second place.


Congratulations to Antiquities, Battle of the Sets IV Champion!


Antiquities road to the championship, round-by-round:

R1: d. Weatherlight, 3-2
R2: d. Urza's Destiny, 3-0
R3: d. Scourge, 3-2
R4: d. Darksteel, 3-1
R5: d. Onslaught, 3-1

[Legend]

I'd also like to extend a special thanks to Alfred, for playing virtually all of the matches with me in marathon style for two consecutive nights, and for his contributions on some of the decks. Thanks again, Alfred, I appreciate it.

I'll also note that this was the best Battle of the Sets yet, with several major upsets, plenty of wacky surprises, a number of all-time classic matches, the best finals yet, and a great champion. Good to see Antiquities become the fourth different Battle of the Sets winner.

[Shock Wave]

How often do you run these things? I want in on this action!  

[Razvan]

Agreed. If you ever need an extra player for this, I am so in.

[Alfred]

In all, I really enjoyed playing the tournament! The only loss that I thought should have been a win was the fifth dawn deck. It had all of the tools needed to beat exodus, yet it didn't come through when I needed it to (I had 7-8 turns of topdecking nothing but land while I was up 70+ life points on my opponent). I am a bit biased though, as it is my baby.

[Setnakt]

I'm curious about Urza's Saga, as it's the set that probably has the most high-powered playable cards in its pool. I haven't done a significant amount of tinkering with it so part of this is just fielding how solid the deck is at the moment. Anyways, while I like the list it has now because when I messed with it a little bit every once in a while things just click together and the raw power of the cards shone through, I'm wondering if a black splash wouldn't strengthen it. Specifically, I have a hard time imagining that Duress, Dark Ritual and Yawgmoth's Will would do any harm. You might have to cut back on a couple artifacts but from a general perspective, for example, I can't see Academy becoming so much less broken with Will and Rit involved that it wouldn't be worth running too.

I'm not experienced in the way the deck performs right now, so I won't go so far as to suggest specific changes (since some low-powered cards are probably significantly important because they fill necessary, otherwise unfilled roles - I'd probably mess things up without testing matches since there seems to be a reasonable metagame developing). Just wondering if this possibility had been considered or why it was dismissed.

[Alfred]

I have some suggestions for 2 decks in the Battle of the Sets. Visions and Stronghold are decks that are probably in need of a little help, so I brainstormed for a few ideas, here is what I came up with:

BG Visions:

9x Swamp
12x Forest
3x Undiscovered Paradise
4x Fallen Askari
4x Stampeding Wildebeests
4x Uktabi Orangutan
4x River Boa
4x Quirion Ranger
4x Tar Pit Warrior
4x Nekrataal
4x Creeping Mold
4x Funeral Charm

I find that in this deck black is just more solid than blue is. I find askari better than pygmy hippo, funeral charm is a great combat trick, nekrataal is better than man-o-war and tar-pit warrior is cheap and big, with a drawback that is hard for your opponent to use. If you don't like tar pit, you could go with wake of vultures, which is essentially rainbow efreet (if slightly worse).


GB Stronghold:
4x Volrath's Stronghold
11x Swamp
14x Forest
4x Spike Breeder
4x Spike Feeder
4x Stronghold Assassin
4x Spike Soldier
4x Wall of Blossoms
4x Tortured Existence
4x Lab Rats
3x Mox Diamond

There is a lot of synergy within this deck. Not the least of which is Stronghold assassin and lab rats, the spikes and tortured existance, breeder and assassin etc. Wall of blossoms + chump blocking labrats are this deck's early game until it can start using assassin, spike recursion, spike growing, or token overwhelming.

I think that these decks are better than their predecessors, anyone may add their input, but legend is the one who makes the final descisions.

[Seifyk]

Seems like ABU is quite unfair as a blue control deck with a black splash for mind twist and terror

        1 Swamp
        3 Island
        4 Underground Sea
        4 Mox Sapphire
        4 Mox Jet
        4 Black Lotus
        4 Terror
        4 Mind Twist
        4 Timetwister
        4 Time Walk
        4 Prodigal Sorcerer
        4 Mahamoti Djinn
        4 Counterspell
        4 Control Magic
        4 Air Elemental
        4 Ancestral Recall

Meh.  I will shut up now

[Legend]

ABU is not an expansion set, and is therefore not eligible for this tournament.

[goober]

You have no clue how to make a broken deck.

4 Twister
4 Wheel
4 Contract from Below
20 Moxen
4 Lotus
4 Ancestral
4 Channel
4 Fireball
4 Demonic Tutor
4 Dark Ritual
4 Underground Sea

That beats anything.

[Matt]

Not to mention that you can do a lot more horribly overpowered stuff than what you have listed there:

4 Underground Sea
4 Mox Sapphire
4 Mox Jet
4 Mox Ruby
4 Black Lotus
2 Sol Ring
2 Mox Emerald

4 Timetwister
4 Wheel of Fortune
4 Ancestral Recall
4 Time Walk
4 Demonic Tutor

4 Black Vise
4 Ankh of Mishra
4 Copy Artifact
4 Regrowth

And that's assuming Chaos Orb and Contract from Below would be banned. You could also go 4 Balance and 2 Pearl instead of the Regrowth/Emeralds, but it hardly matters.

EDIT: Damn you, goober! Oh well, I still think my list is better, since I don't have multiple Channels and Fireballs clogging it up.

[Alfred]

Umm, could someone comment on the decks that I've created?

[Jacob Orlove]

29 Lands +3 Mox Diamonds seems like a WHOLE LOT of mana for the stronghold deck. That's more than half your cards. Visions has a much more reasonable 24.

The Visions deck has only uktabi+wildebeests for any kind of late game advantage--it'll have a very hard time playing the control deck against the more aggressive strategies (particularly the red decks), and a hard time mustering an aggressive offense before the slower decks have their powerful lategame effects kick in. Blue seems like the better call, even if it's not that great.

The stronghold deck is interesting, although the current build is surprisingly strong. Yours might be a little slow to set up agains the quicker decks, but it certainly looks like it would be formidable once it gets going. There's a lot of synergy, but I'd be worried about drawing half of each combination, and not really seeing the cards you need to win.

[Alfred]

Jacob, I don't understand why blue would do a better job at either of the things you mentioned. Against aggressive decks, tar-pit warrior is a beast (not literally), it has a large presence for a small amount of mana and nekrataal is dope against aggro decks, because not only does it 2 for 1, it has first strike and 2 power, making it great against smaller creatures. I have tested both versions of the deck, and trust me, the BG deck is just as fast, or even faster than the UG version.

I just have to say that, the current build isn't very strong at all. I believe it has yet to post a match win in the tournaments (if I'm not mistaken). Jacob, I would normally agree with you about the mana situation in stronghold, but the george baxter analysis showed me that I needed that many lands to have enough colored sources. I'll try to remove some lands though. In regards to the half-combo concern you were speaking of, these cards are good on their own, and the further the game progresses, the more likely you are to draw into these combinations that make the deck powerful.

EDIT: Just a quick question, could you abuse skeleton scavengers with 6th edition rules by stacking his regenerate shield over and over, thus pumping him to enormous proportions permanently (say 3 times fast)?

[Legend]

Alfred, I'm pleased with all of the decks at this point, and I'm definitely not in favor of the proposed alterations to Stronghold, although I find the possibility of changing Visions intriguing, since Black has been used to some success in previous incarnations of Visions. For now, though, I'll decline to make any changes, although it remains a possibility to consider as we discuss it further.  

First, some comments/questions on possibily changing Visions.  Nekrataal is strong, but I would be concerned about some dead matchups, such as Torment, Antiquities, and Urza's Saga, against which Nekrataal is useless. However, there is no doubt that Nekrataal is a very solid card that could be excellent in quite a few matchups. I also agree that Fallen Askari is better than Pygmy Hippo.

Tar Pit Warrior is respectable, but a little too fragile. I could see it being used, though since if you look back to Battle of the Sets II, I had Visions as Mono Black, and Tar Pit was used there, as Visions scored its first and only match win, 3-2-1 over Urza's Legacy (despite the great ease with which Legacy could dispose of the Warrior). Warrior can prove marginal against certain opponents, yet can also be efficient and effective in the right matchups.

Mana - a problem, albeit minor, were this change to occur. The mana isn't as good with Black, since Nekrataal requires double Black, whereas none of the Blue spells require double Blue to cast. A couple of Undiscovered Paradises (as appear in your proposed list) would probably smooth this problem out to at least a reasonable extent. I would not play more than two Paradises, though, as you really don't want to draw more than one.

Funeral Charm is nice in some matchups, but totally dead in others (since two out of the three abilities are crappy - with the +2/-1 being useful as removal for certain pests such as Rofellos or Spectral Lynx). You suggested Wake of Vultures. The Funeral Charm slots would probably be better filled with the Vultures.

Supporting Stampeeding Wildebeests is a minor concern, since G/B should still have more than enough green creatures to support it, but playing Black does take away the reasonable Pygmy Hippo and forces the addition of the lackluster Quirion Ranger* to help out with Stampeeding Wildebeests.

I also like the fact that Blue provides more evasion than does Black. Wake of Vultures is at least a reasonable creature to fill this role somewhat, though.

As for Stronghold, I will grant you that Stronghold has fallen on hard times over the course of the last three tournaments (during which time it has proven itself to be a lower level deck), but it actually ran all the way to the Final Four in the first tournament. I still like Stronghold as is, especially considering the overall power level of the set, which is not very high at all - I don't think it can really do any better. I'm not impressed with the Black/Green build at all. It looks to have far too much mana, and attempts to play a slower, controlling sort of game somewhat similar to what Exodus runs, but without anything resembling the same sort of power level. The current build at least presents a reasonable, straightforward Green/White creature setup, which plays to the strengths of the available card pool.


*EDIT: Forgot that Quirion Ranger was already in the Visions list for Battle of the Sets IV. Duly noted.

[Alfred]

First of all, thank you for giving your time for looking at these decks. I want to start off by saying that though nekrataal is useless in the matchups that you mentioned, 2 out of the 3 decks you mentioned we are already running cards/combos to stop, including the bouncing ape. Nekrataal is shoring up one of this deck's biggest flaws, creature removal. Although it may not be great in the matchups you suggest, it is really good against almost every other deck. Comparing Man-o-war's ability to nekrataal's is unfair, while man-o-war gelps with tempo, nekrataal helps both tempo AND card advantage.

Also, as I recall, quirion ranger is in the UG deck currently. If you miss the evasion of rainbow efreet and cloud elemental, you can replace the (I admit) underwhelming funeral charm with wake of vultures. The thing I like about tar pit warrior is that most spells that an opponent would cast on an enemy creature would kill it anyway, so in many cases this means almost nothing.

Seeing as though stronghold is in pretty dire straights right now, I would suggest you test this deck:

GB Stronghold:

4x Volrath's Stronghold
10x Swamp
11x Forest
4x Spike Breeder
4x Spike Feeder
4x Stronghold Assassin
4x Spike Soldier
4x Wall of Blossoms
4x Tortured Existence
4x Lab Rats
4x Skeleton Scavengers (remember to regen in response to regen etc.)
3x Mox Diamond

This may seem like a weaker exodus, but it is quite a powerful deck. I also left out the most powerful combo of all:

volrath's stronghold/tortured existance
wall of blossoms
stronghold assassin

[Jacob Orlove]

I don't know what the "george baxter analysis" is, but I'm 100% sure it's wrong. His old books were completely terrible.

Anyway, I just want to point out that you can put a regeneration shield on scavengers all you like, but it won't actually regenerate unless it actually takes lethal damage/is destroyed.

[Alfred]

Whoops! That was really stupid!

Okay, with that in mind I'll change the deck:

4x Volrath's Stronghold
9x Swamp
12x Forest
4x Spike Breeder
4x Spike Feeder
4x Stronghold Assassin
4x Spike Soldier
4x Wall of Blossoms
4x Tortured Existence
4x Lab Rats
4x Skyshroud Troopers
3x Mox Diamond