[Report] Top 8 with Welder MUD @ Dream Wizards, Oct 10th

[Corwin]

Another 5-proxy Type 1 Tourney at Dream Wizards, and another chance to continue my streak of making Top 8 and scrubbing out in the Quarterfinals to Fish.  The first two Type 1 Tournaments at Dream Wizards I attended, I made Top 8, then immediately lost to Fish... in fact, out of both tournaments, each 5 rounds + Top 8, I was 0-4 to Fish, and 5-1-1 to the rest of the field.

So I brush up my WelderMUD that I love so much, and head down for another day of Type 1.  Going as a warm-up for the SCG Power-9 Tourney, I am expecting a field full of Fish, as the DC area tends to be, and cruising the tables before the event started, I see lots of Hatchlings and Fairies... but this time I am prepared.  My sideboard is chock-full of nasty things for Fish...


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Round 1 vs. Seimon B. [Slaver w/ Staff of Domination]

Game 1: Mulligan into hand of Workshop, Mountain, Wasteland, City of Traitors, Mox, Metalworker, and I'm playing second.  Seimon drops nothing of consequense, so I drop Metalworker and pass.  Wasteland kills my Workshop, but not much else... but all I draw is lands... LOTS of LANDS.  He gets a Crucible, then Metalworker, a few more lands, then Tinker... for Staff of Domination.  Then comes a Windfall for 5 (I had 5 lands), and Metalworker-Staff goes crazy and I concede.

Game 2: Mulligan into Tolarian Academy, Mox, Metalworker, Smokestack, Smokestack.  Thinking all I need it so pull a Mox or a land, or anything, I lay Academy, Mox, Go... Wasteland hits my academy, and I draw nothing but expensive artifacts.... Triskilion swings for 17 and pings for the final 3.

0-1 (0-2 Games)



Round 2 vs. SomeRandomKid [Food Chain Goblins]

Game 1: He goes first with Taiga, Chrome Mox (Food Chain), Goblin Lackey.  I drop Mountain, Metalworker, go.  He swings, drops Warchief, and passes.  I drop land, go.  Piledriver, swing, the Metalworker killing the Lackey, go.  I drop land, Tangle Wire.  He taps down all but his 2 goblins and he swings again to take me down to 1.  I drop Workshop and a second Tangle Wire + Smokestack to tap him down... and quickly go into Wire + Stack lock... make him sac down to nothing, drop Karn, and swing for the win.

Sideboarding: I bring in the hate I was packing for Fish.  Titan's 3 & 4, and 3x Razormane Masticore.

Game 2: He drops Taiga, Mox Ruby, Prospector.  I drop Workshop, Metalworker, go.  He Artifact Mutations my Metalworker... Damn... and swings with a Goblin, and drops some other goblin dork.  I topdeck... METALWORKER.. and toss it down, along with a Mountain, Welder.  He swings with tokens, and drops a Warchief.  I draw another Artifact, activate the Metalworker, drop a land, and throw down Sundering Titan + Razormane Masticore.  Three turns later I win.

1-1 (2-2 Games)



Round 3 vs. Kenny (Underworld Dreams + Tef's Puzzle Box)

Game 1: Turn 1 Trinisphere = Game

Game 2: Turn 1 Sphere of Resistance + Turn 2 Sphere = Game

2-1 (4-2 Games)



Round 4 vs. Ron (Megrim + Wheel & Deal)

Game 1: Turn 1 Trinisphere = Game again.

Game 2: Turn 1 Sphere, Turn 2 Crucible, Turn 3 Metalworker, Turn 4 Memory Jar, Turn 5 Jar, weld, Jar, weld, Jar, Titan, Titan = gg

3-1 (6-2 Games)



Round 5 - ID


Top 8


Quarterfinals vs. John Wolfsenberger (Dragon)

John beat me with Fish at the last Type 1 Tourney, and keeps telling me he's playing Fish... stupid me.

Game 1: He starts with Sacland for Underground Sea.  I drop mountain, Welder, he drops swamp, I go Workshop Metalworker, he drops swamp + Compulsion.  I activate Metalworker, dropping Tangle Wire + Crucible + Smokestack, and say go, and he replies "Game"... John goes off with the Tangle Wire on the stack.

Game 2: I have very few answers for Dragon in my board, but bring in 3x Tormod's Crypt + Chalice #3 & 4.  I go first, and play perfectly... dropping Turn 1 Sphere of Resistance, Turn 2 Metalworker, Turn 3 Sphere #2 and Crucible, he finally gets his Bazzar, and bazzars into a dragon, I reply with Smokestack, Tangle Wire, go, and he wins during Upkeep again.

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I am 3 for 3 for making Top 8 in Type 1 Tourneys, and 3 for 3 in scrubbing out in round 1 of the Top 8.  And all my preparations for Fish, and I didn't see it all day, in spite of 8 Fish players (out of 26 total)

Overall I am happy, but I want to find some ways to shore up the game vs. Dragon (which I just can't beat), and Fish, which I'm still not sure if I can beat consistantly.



Corwin's WelderMUD - October 2004

===The Lock===
4x Goblin Welder
4x Smokestack
4x Tangle Wire
4x Trinisphere
2x Chalice of the Void
2x Crucible of Worlds

===The Kill===
2x Karn, Silver Golem
2x Sundering Titan

===The Enablers===
4x Metalworker
1x Memory Jar
3x Solemn Similacrum
2x Mind's Eye

===Mana Sources===
4x Mishra's Workshop
1x Tolarian Academy
4x Wasteland
1x Strip Mine
5x Mountain
2x Ancient Tomb
1x City of Traitors
1x Black Lotus
5x Moxen
1x Mana Vault
1x Sol Ring


===Sideboard===
3x Tormod's Crypt
2x Chalice of the Void
1x Crucible of Worlds
3x Razormane Masticore
2x Sundering Titan
4x Sphere of Resistance


I know I forgot the Mana Crypt (stupid oversight), and I am becoming less fond of the Solemn's at time goes by.  My sideboard needs work though.  I was testing the Masticore, because, on paper, they should WrEcK Fish, as they are not turned off by Null Rod.  I think I need to go to 3x Crucible MD, and drop the Mind's Eye, and find room for Blood Moon on the board.

I am still VERY weak vs. Dragon, as I am Mono-Red.  But if anyone has thoughts/suggestions, I would appreciate it.  But before you start, I am NOT interested in changing to U/R or dropping the Welders for Mono-Brown.

Corwin

[Ivantheterrible]

He goes first with Taiga, Chrome Mox (Food Chain), Goblin Lackey. I drop Mountain, Metalworker, go. He swings, drops Warchief, and passes.

SO he drops a turn one lacky you drop a turn one worker. He attacks with a 1/1 with insane ability if he isn't blocked. You could block with a 1/2 that also has an insane ability yours will live to do his insane abilty his wont. Yet you didnt block. maybe its just a typo but that play seems strange.

[theorigamist]

I think it's more likely that the guy didn't swing at all, and just had three mana (2 lands plus Chrome Mox) to cast the Warchief.

[Joblin Velder]

I think he meant welder.

[Raven Fire]

I think it's more likely that the guy didn't swing at all, and just had three mana (2 lands plus Chrome Mox) to cast the Warchief.

Why would you cast Warchief during your second main phase?

I think he meant welder.

Certainly not.  Welder does nothing to further the Food Chain combo.

[Jacob Orlove]

I think he meant welder.

Certainly not.  Welder does nothing to further the Food Chain combo.

He was obviously saying that the wMud player dropped welder, not the FCG player. "Mountain, Metalworker, go" makes no sense.

[DEA]

razormanes wreck fish, no qns about it
even with one energy flux in play, the masticore goes all the way easily
the fish player needs rack and ruin, or an active mancer with sigil, or unsummon, and he needs it NOW
i've resolved turn 2 masticores against fish, and that's game
also, it wrecks aggro badly
mongrels, rootwalls, juggernauts really hate the razormane

but do you think it justifies 3 slots?
MUD/stax already has a good game against fish
i'd be concentrating more about the artifact based matchups and using more rack and ruins
when i played MUD i had a transformational sideboard to workshop aggro
whenever i drew ANY of the threats i always felt that i would have been better off drawing a lock component
just my 2 cents

[Corwin]

As for the exact order of things vs. FCG I am a little fuzzy... I think I went Mountain Welder, then Workshop --> Metalworker.  the first time he swung with the Lackey I had a Welder out, but let it through thinking I could deal with his board quickly enough (a gamble, I know).  The Warchief was dropped off the Lackey.

@DEA - Funny enough, I have had a very rough time with Fish.  That's why I put 3x 'cores on the board and the extra 2 Titans... It probably is a bit excessive, but it is VERY prevalent in DC.  Those 5 cards also allowed me to somewhat transform into a more aggro build (7 big nastys + 2 Karns).

I am thinking about putting the Rack & Ruin's back in as well as Blood Moon.  Other Workshop decks seem to come down to the first active welder or the first Crucible.  But Dragon is still a deck I can do very little against.  I think Blood Moon and Tormod's Crypt are the only real answers, short of a gawd-draw and turn 2 dropping my entire hand and the entire lock.

One thought I had... I seem to remember some Red Enchantment that read something like "Whenever a creature comes into play, it deals damage equal to it's power (or toughness) to it's controller... That would really screw Dragon.... anyone remember what the card is, or if it's casting cost is at all reasonable?

[Azande]

The only two red enchantments I remember are:

AEther Flash 2RR
Whenever a creature comes into play, AEther Flash deals 2 damage to it.

and

AEther Sting 3R
Whenever an opponent plays a creature spell, AEther Sting deals 1 damage to that player.

Don't know how useful these could be though.

[Gandalf_The_White_1]

You could run ank of mishra in the sb as it has synergy with the colourless mana accel and pwns dragon when they try to combo off.  Crypt is free, though, and has uses in other matchups besdiedes dragon, while ank is quite limited.  Blood moon also wrecks them if resolved while also being useful elsewhere.

[CMass]

Ankh of Mishra doesn't own Dragon, it just irritates them a bit.  They have to get around it by going off during YOUR turn with Necromancy.  It does nullify a good portion of their animate effects, but it's hardly game over.

[Negator13]

Ankh of Mishra doesn't own Dragon, it just irritates them a bit.  They have to get around it by going off during YOUR turn with Necromancy.  It does nullify a good portion of their animate effects, but it's hardly game over.

Whenever a land comes into play, Ankh of Mishra deals 2 damage to that land's controller.

I dont understand how whose turn it is has anything to do with getting around Ankh.

[Jacob Orlove]

Ankh of Mishra doesn't own Dragon, it just irritates them a bit.  They have to get around it by going off during YOUR turn with Necromancy.  It does nullify a good portion of their animate effects, but it's hardly game over.

Whenever a land comes into play, Ankh of Mishra deals 2 damage to that land's controller.

I dont understand how whose turn it is has anything to do with getting around Ankh.

If you use Necromany to animate the dragon on the Ankh player's turn, the ankh will always go on the stack below the dragon loop, because the active player's effects go on the stack first. So, you'll have hundreds of points of Ankh damage on the stack, but each time the dragon loop gets to go through another iteration first. If the dragon player has an instant speed kill (say, compulsion to find Ancestral), then they'll win even with Ankh on the table.

[BigChuck]

While the ankh thing may not work all the time, you also need to consider people not knowing how it works, and scooping to it. I know it sounds silly, but at a lot of these 5 proxies, I've seen people pick dragon up, not necessarily knowing all its ins and outs.

[Grand Inquisitor]

i've recently been testing this deck, and i have a much different approach than you.

first, i've always despised metalworker.  He costs the same as a lock part, he's easy to remove, he's a lousy topdeck (other mana sources are too, but he won't even provide mana), and he does nothing the turn he comes into play (besides possibly block a lackey).  I could name more things, but I think you get the point.  Yes, he can provide flashy turn 2 wins, but workshop decks have enough consistency problems, and they're already plenty broken without him.

second, i really like running a full compliment of chalices.  What I've found is that they require a lot of skill to use, but the practice pays off.  Also, in many matchups you shouldn't view it as having to shut down there deck, just turning off one component of their strategy and then focus on beating the rest.

third, the threat base i've been using (which still requires a lot of testing) is just 1x karn, 1x trike, 1x gorilla shaman.  my deck focuses much more on the hard lock, and its been pretty successful so far.  i also run powder kegs main, which have been excellent as removal and mana denial.

as far as fish is concerned, i think the cards that you're not running (trike, crucibles, and powder keg) would go a long way to helping that matchup.  chalice for 2 is also bomb against them game 1.

regarding dragon, its the deck i choose to lose to.  sure i board a pair of tormod's crypts, but thats my only real defense.  my plan is just to lock them out with trinispheres, tangles, and wastes.  without beb, or a way to get duplicant into the grave, there's no real way for mono red to get dragon.  blood moon is probably your best shot, but i find i like boil, since its better against blue based control, which is a more important matchup to me.

also, since my build is so much more focused on the lock down, I find mind's eye to be complete gold while you and your opponent are passing turns back and forth.  possibly even better than memory jar in my build.

edit: hold on, i have to ream chuck for a minute...

you should NEVER make strategic decisions based on your opponent's incompetence[/quote]

[Corwin]

@Grand Inquisitor - I am interested in seeing your build, if you don't mind sharing it.  So few people play Mono-Red WelderMUD, giving up the manabase consistancy for Blue, or going mono-brown.  PM me if you prefer.  But I would really like to see some other ideas, as noone else seems to be working actively on this deck, but it has taken me to 3x Top 8's!

@Chuck - Unfortunately the one Dragon player in my area knows the rules all too well.  And while I may be able to slip it in at the SCG P9, I doubt it.

But it sounds like Tormod's Crypt and Blood Moon are the only consistant weapons against dragon.

Any other thoughts about the sideboard?