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MSR9889
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« on: December 05, 2004, 12:17:04 pm » |
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HERPES, co-created by myself and Keith Johnson.
For those of you who care to know, chances are that you yourself have one or more of the 7 different kinds of herpes
Now for the article...
With the permission of Zherbus, I am posting this repost of my previous article, and it has some new modifications that I would like to be discussed, along with 4 TOURNAMENT REPORTS.
I have been working on a deck list for a new and possibly good Type 1 deck. It is combo and aggro to an extent. The idea of the deck is based on getting out the 4 combo pieces:Krark-Klan Ironworks, Myr Retriever 2x, and Disciple of the Vault. You sacrifice the Retriever, they lose 1 life and 2 mana float. Play the other retreiver and sacrafice him, return the other, they lose one more. Repeat until victorious.
This is most definetly a deck list for 5 proxie tournament play.
HERPES, the deck list:
Land
4 CoB
2 Glimmervoid
4 Gemstone Mine
4 Ancient Tomb
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Stripmine
Creatures
4 Myr Moonvessel
4 Myr Retriever
3 Boneshredder
3 Disciple of the Vault
2 Gorilla Shaman
1 Darksteel Colossus
Draw
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Tinker
1 Jar
1 Windfall
1 Scroll Rack
4 Skull Clamp
2 Chromatic Sphere
Tools and Such
2 Krark-Klan Ironworks
2 Helm of Awakening
1 Vamp. Tutor
1 D.T.
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Saphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Sol Ring
1 Grim Monolith
SideBoard:
4 Rack n Ruin
2 FTK
1 Sundering Titan
1 Platinum Angel
3 Xantid Swarm
2 Phyrexian Furnace
2 Plaguebearer
Cards of Choice:
The Land Base- This is now a four color deck. It collaberates well with todays metagame, as far as the sinister Sundering Titan. The lands are most affected by Back to Basics and Waste-Crucible. Otherwise, you can tough it out. The Ancient Tomb is in place of the Workshop, originally run by Keith. I prefer the Tomb, do to its ability to get off a second turn Wheel/Windfall and for clampage. All other lands correspond with the need of multiple colors, with the exception of the Tolarian and the Stripmine. I wanted to put in City of Traitors for more excel, but is doesnt collaberate with the need for mass mana for turn 3-4 kills. Plus, Stripmine has won me many a game, whether its saving colored mana, or killing a Workshop and blowing through a Trinisphere.
Creatures-
Myr Moonvessel- Aka baby suchi, he is great for clamping. The clamp basically wins you the game, seeing as how you draw through a third or more of your deck by turn 3. With things such as the helm, you can play him free and clamp him for the backup colorless. In addition, his is a one drop for the aggro in the description.
Myr Retriever- This guy makes the deck possible. He is the combo himself. Not to mention he fetches back a lost Skull Clamp, Jar, Helm, or Ironworks. Great under the Helm for optimum draw with the Clamp. Clamp the suchi, get him back, clamp the suchi. Under helm, this costs 3 mana for 6 cards and happens quite often.
Bonshredder- I hate welders and all other goblins that matter. I hate dryads and other green weenies. i hate angels in most forms. I hate fish of any kind other than salmon and tuna(with tomato soup). This guy kills them all. He is a flying blocker and is clampable also at a 1/1. Originally, this slot was for Myr Servitor, but i always side him in and those guys out, EVERY DAMN TIME. This is just easier, and increases game one wins. 3 mana is hardly a problem. This guy is easily first turn and even easier second.
Disciple/ of Wrath- The other combo creature. If they play artifacts too, then goody. I have won many a game under the 3sphere due to him. Simply get him and ironworks out and win. There is always a way, unless they get a Platinum(worst case senario).
Gorilla Shaman- This guy is simply the shit, so take a big wiff. He can eat up moxen, rings and vaults. He can take out a sphere or wire on an empty stomach, and has been known to get his iron from stax. Some people want to main deck disruption for some reason, and he solves the problem with this decks lack of it. And you guessed it, hes clamp food and a weenie turn one. He grabs attention from the Clamp and Ironworks cause he is the shit. He is mainly for the Chalace for 2 and moxen/ crypts. Definetly a must have.
Colossus- aka The Alternate Win. The best combo today in type one is Tinker- Colossus. Hes turn one and in this deck, castable by turn 4-5. He'll shut up a titan or blow through a sphere. Hes the big guy behind it all. He has won me many a game, as im sure he has for most of you reading this. He subs out for the titan or platinum.
Draw
Ancestral- Blue, one mana, instant. Self explanitory.
Wheel of Fortune- Helps your opponent on their next turn, wins you the game on your immediate turn...choices, you get alot of them. A great target for mystical or vamp. Generally taken if opponent has no cards for a Windfall.
Windfall- A great card drawing machine in any combo deck it seems. Restricted for a reason. I have so very often Jar-ed, tutored or searched/ dug for a Wheel or Winfall and played it turn 3. Not to hard. Usually, drawing 14+ cards in a combo deck wins you the game, if not next turn. You apply pressure with all of the widespread card draws. It doesnt add up like AKs or Brainstorms and such. It gets you the cards right away, same as the Wheel.
The infamous Memory Jar- This is the card tinkered for so very often. This card sets up the win or the lock (in this case, win). 7 cards are great. Running into other draw cards after that is amazingly fun. Also hard castable turn 2-3 for the win turn 3-4.
Tinker- Scariest card in the game. What are they gonna get? Jar is for win. Colossus is for first turn or last resort. Gets out the plat and titan easy. Gives more search for a retriever or ironworks.
Chromatic Sphere- This is in place for the conjurers Bauble. I needed ways of getting more colored mana, while being able to draw a card. Click.
Scroll Rack- This is reat for getting cards out of the way. After shuffling, you reset and tutor more. Great on a Jar hand for saving cards or just digging.
Tools and Such
Ironworks- The combo itself. This will win you the majority of your games. Kills artifacts for the disciple and produces mana for a hardcast colossus or to kill a mana crypt. Only 4 mana for an easy 2nd turn casting.
Helm of Awakening- Only 2 so not to help your oppenent so much, but enough to be considered broken. Cast this turn 1, and follow with a free clamp, creature, creatue/ bauble. Very handy indeed. Allows for the creation of infinite mana with the ironworks and 2 retrievers, and draw your deck with the clamp. Cancels out the lesser-played SoR. Nuff said...
Tutos of all kinds- Self explanitory. Step 1- get card needed to win. Step 2- win. Gets you out of a one land senario with an ancestral or clamp. Even a monkey can be fetched with these bad boys. As in any combo deck, a must.
Mana excel of all kinds- Sadly, type 1 is all about speed. The longer a control deck drags the game out, the better the chance of it winning. You dont want this deck to be dragged out if ever possible to prevent. Mana means first turn possibilities. So fast, makes your opponent furious. The rest is plainly understood as cards for winning.
SideBoard:
What i think is the weakest part of the deck, i am open to any and all suggestions for this segment. I struggle in general with SBs, and this is a hard deck to SB with. Im thinking about taking out the PBers, and trying Cran. Extractions. As far as im concerned, those are 2 empty slots. As for the rest...
Titan- side in for colossus to stop tog/ dryad and 4cc or maybe even Fish.
Platinum Angel- For other combo and weenie. The ultimate game staller. A tinker choice for sure.
Rack n Ruin- in almost every red SB for a reason. I kill not one but to artifacts in my way for only 3 mana. Perfect for your opponents first-second turn blow your mind crap. GOD against any workshop/aggro artifact deck. Known to win games all in itself.
FTK- As we all have either read or posted about, 5/3 is HUGE. This guy is for basically this type of deck. I have been known to go all out and kill the combo for complete control of my opponents field with my permanents. Kill control if you will, or not.
The Furnace- I think this is under rated and better than a crypt. Great for Dragon, going all in, and vs tog-ish decks. First turn idea follower, and you can get a card out of it. I may develop this further in another post/ arguement.
Xantid Swarm- This was a Defense grid, but the deck has evolved into a new phase. Rather than make spells cost more, I stop them all together. He is clampable and turn 1 flyer. He came into the board for 1 FTK and Defense Grids, since i never knew what to side out for those. Now I just take out either Shamans or Moonvessels, and maybe a Shredder.
THE MATCH-UPS:
Not many tough match-ups
Honestly, the hardest 2 would be 4cc and Mono Blue. Kegs and Counter hurt. Fish is tough, but nullrod has nothin on DC.
Ravager- Perfect if you get the disciple out quick. Normally a win.
Stax of all kinds- I tend to go all in sideboarding depending on the game count and type of deck. In any case, RnR powns all. Shred the welders and your set. You'll have many more permanents then they will for the wire and/ or stax.
Cerebral Assasin- 50-50, it depends on whether or not they can get the portal lock on or not. Side in the plat., since they tend to use the dragon in this case.
Long/TPS/D-DAY- Tendrils in general, side out the helms. Definetly the plat. comes in. This is the best you can do. Watch the draw 7s and such, until you have the win. Chances depend on hand and player. Usually a win by turn 7-8 with caution if you last that long, otherwise by turn 4. But like I said, it depends on both players hands.
The tough match-ups- Side in FTK for anything PHID, maybe fish. Plaguebearer for fish and decree 4cc. Fich and chips/tokens= full tummy for the sick one.
Tog/Dryad(if anyone still plays this)- Let it be. Nuthin but the titan and Xantids go in, unless they have some abstract version of the deck. You are about 70-30 for win percentage. This is still a good deck today, but no one plays it, so you will always run into it..
Slaver- I refuse to lose to a heavy artifact based deck. Go all in, side out the combo. Every card in the SB but plat./ Titan (based on build) and the PB in most cases should go in. So much fun watching them scream on the inside .
Dragon- Just gets the titan and/or plat. and furnace. So simple, yet so good. Easy win. about 70-30 depending on both hands and whats in the SB.
Oath- Clamp the tokens and your set till you go off. Side in the grids and titan. Play this carefully, a tough matchup for any deck.
As far as extra slots go for SB, I was thinking maybe maindeck Xantids for the Moonvessel, and throwing in REBs for B2B and Energy Flux. What do you guys think?
THE REPORTS: just for the doubtful ones.
These come from my local store, where it has mostly younger kids with less experience, but then a separate group of us who always dominate. The decks I run across are things like FCG and just fast mono-red goblins, death long, Cerebral Assasin, TurboLand, Gro-a-Tog and Hulk, Stax, Trinistax, Staff of Domination, White Weenie, Cobold Freeze, UR fish, Mono-blue both good and bad versions, stompy, oath. And thats just the good decks.
Report No1.
Game 1- Fast Goblins
A quick start for him, with 4 goblins out turn 2. I played a wheel out of despiration and he won the next turn.
I side in nothing, as in this case the PBs slow me down. I get the worst 3 first hands i have ever had. I paris down to 4 cards of: Ancestral, Sol Ring, Petal, and Tolarian. I go on to win turn 2 after exploding into clamps and mana excel.
Game 3 I had a slow hand to start, but drew into everything i needed. I win trn 4 before he would have killed me the following turn.
1,0- 2,1
A little kid who got a lucky win first round. Over in 2 quick games. Thank God he understood the combo.
2,0- 4,1
Round 3 was against my friend sam, at the time playing GAT.
Game 1 I have quick start and was about to win turn 3. He top decks a Deed and I clamped my disciple the turn before, as I was going for the immediate win. loose it all and then the Glimmervoids die. He goes on to berserk a rather large Tog.
I side in Titan and out Colossus. This was when i was playing Grids, so i put those in too. I have a quick start, but he Misdirects my turn 1 Ancestral. I get out a clamp, but he forces the tinker on turn 2. I draw into nothing but creatures and shred his dryad. I draw and eventually win like turn 10 or something. whew.
game 3 he starts off with land, mox, lotus, dryad x2 and duress. He takes a clamp and says go. I draw into another clamp and play- tomb, helm clamp, moonvessel, mana vault, draw 2 into retreiver/ land. I play and clamp the retriever and return the moonvessel. I end up winning turn 5 after he draws no counter of a jar i forced thru.
3,0-6,2
Ahren with stax. To start of he plays first turn 3sphere. I gave up turn 2 after he lpayed crucible waste.
Game 2 i go all in and slaughter him. My opening hand was amazing. I went tomb, ring, clamp-go. He plays welder 3shpere. Turn 2, i play city and then rack n ruin the 3sphere an his mox. I shred his welder off a jet and clamp it with the tomb, taking a burn. He plays another welder, but i FTK and go on to beat for 5 after clamping. He plays more stuff like a plat. but in the end it all gets RnRed.
Game 3 was almost identical, other than his first turn was land lotus most welder sphere. Tomb go, nothing, city RnR. I win, as he drawes more than crap. The monkey took his toll, taking out a mox and vault. No mana= No permanents.
Entering Finals of top 4, no1 seed at 4,0-8,3
I play the goblins from round 1 again, as he made 4th see. Dryad beats Trinistax, and i play Sam again.
As usual, he tutors for a deed and slaughters me game 1.
Game 2 he counters everything and kills with 3 dryads. OUCH!!! My only loss of the day is a sweep. It was for store credit, so i walked away with 20 off a 5dollar entry fee
Report no2
Round 1- Josh with t2 ravenger, as that is all he really plays.
I get out a disciple. Then 2. Then tutor for No3. He gets out 2 ravengers, but i Tinker in Ironworks and sac off 4 artifacts for the win.
Round 2 in somes RnR. He goes first with Aether vial, Thopter, Frogmite-go. I empty all but 1 card in my hand, which was the Ancestral, as I had no blue mana. He PLays ravenger and worker thru the vial. swings for 2. I draw creature, after creature, after creature of the clamp. I drew into a GSM and RnR. I decided to play the Mine and wait for his turn. He plays Nexus and a cranial plating. Upon his attack, i play the RnR after he sacked off the thopter and worker and took out the frogmite and ravenger. He had mana open and made the nexus a creature to transfer the counters. I draw tolarian and go on to combo off turn 4.
1,0-2,0
Goblins again, same from report No1. He starts off slow, but the tomb and 2 citys take their toll and he goes on to pummle me.
Game 2 is like the oposite, as he starts off fast and i kill him the turn before he had me. He was pissed.
I paris to 5 and he goes to 6. He reqested i go first after seeign his hand, but i didnt object, since he hadtn sideboarded anything in. I play city, ring, clamp, vessel with land in my hand. He plays land goblin. I clamp and clamp off a retreiver, returning the moonvessel. I play a tomb and play and clamp the vessel, going into another vessel. He attacks and plays another 1/1 goblins. I decide to vamp during my upkeep and snag the stripmine to shut him down, but he draws a land next turn anyways. clamp the vessel and shred a goblin. Clamp the shredder and play a saphire. He hist gfor 1 and is done. At this point im at like 7 with the tomb and city and his 3 attacks for 1. I draw wheel and use it. Tolarian, crypt, vault, jar= win, so I did.
2,0-4,1
some new kid i have never met with GW weenie. Easy win for me, as he had no disenchants or natrualize. He gets in 1 win, as I had out 2 tombs and a city.
3,0-6,2
Ahren again, but with modified stax, as he tends to do this.
I start with a massive amount of mana and disciple retriver iron works. I play tomb, jet, monolith, disciple. He plays shop, mox, 3sphere. I draw into a retriever, as i said would happen now and we all had a good laugh. I strip his shop and he screams, as he had no other mana in hand but the jet. I play the iron works and end the turn after swinging for 1. He plays another shop, but only has 4 mana, rather than 7, which is why he kept the hand. He is done and does nothing but play land for the next 2 turns. I in the meantime play the retriever and another disciple. He plays a welder and then welds out the sphere for a titan. I say I win after he does this, which he proceeds to play another 3sphere and says" the hell you ddo." Again, i say i win, but he doesnt belive it. He is at 15 from the welding and attacking. I draw and begin to do stuff. I sac off the monolith for 2 mana. Then sac the retreiver and return it. He has lost 4. I play the monolith and use the mana and sac. 5 floating, sac other retriver and retrn retreiver. I play again and sac again. Tap sac jet and play and sac retreiver again. He screams.
Game 2, all in and win as usual.
4,0-8-2
Finals see Sam again, along with Keith and Ahren. I play Ahren again and win as the monkey had his way with everything. Keith beats Sam, who is now running death long, and I go on to face keith. I end up losing to his death long in 2 very close games, as in both he stalled and killed me the turn before I had him. What a pisser.
Less people, so only 17 credit, but not bad. Sam and Keith do a draft as they always do, and keith wins as he always does.
Report No3.
Ben and Steve came down, so we have some new competition. Brian is back from college, so we have a huge gathering of all the supperiors, other than Keith and Ahren.
Round 1 is my best match-up of FCG
He starts off with turn 1 recruiter, but no FC in hand. He piles out the creatures 3 a turn, but i get him turn 3 off a lucky topdeck of tinker into the perfect jar hand. I drew no lands that delt me damage this game. This surprised me alot.
Game 2 h sides in lie 10 cards, while I put in the plat. Sure enough, I have the turn 2 kill, when he Mutates the Ironworks and proceeds to beet for alot a turn. Game 3, same thing on turn 5, except after the mutation, I tinker for the other ironworks. Soooo close.
1,0-2,1
Now its Sam with Long again. He goes on to beat me twice on turn 1. i dont want to talk about it.
1,1- 2,3
A rookie in his like 4th tournament. I felt bad after winning, as i had perfect hands to match his 1 drops that could fly. *tear*
2,1-4,3
I face steve with fish. OMG this was awful. Turn 1 nullrod, and he forces my tinker turn 3, so i scoop.
Game 2, he brings in the Flux, i bring in the grids. I get a grid out turn 2, and slowly beat him down with weenie creatures. The shredder got a few fish, and in the end I hard cast the colossus, as he drew no card draw after i killed his 2 creatueres with curiosity.
Game 3 he just goes wild. Turn 2 3 fairies followed by a standstill. i break it and he plays turn 3 flux. I hold out till he plays the rod and shows me 5 counter in his hand.
2,2-5,5
I make 4th seed by a GP. I play Sam, and Ben played Steve. I pulled a win out of my ass in 3 games and Ben beat Steve, since FCG does that to fish. I lose to Ben in 3, as he kills me turns 2 and 4.
17 in credit and a sigh of releif. Sam should have had me.
So thats how Herpes performs. And for all you doubters, if I can go, I am playing Herpes at TMDO5.
Leave feedback on the Xantids in the board vs main vs any at all, as i did this after those 3 reports.
Here is from this friday at the store.
report No4.
HERPES, the deck list:
This is what I played today, adn it seemed to run well. The one time I drew the FB, is won me the game.
Land
4 CoB
2 Glimmervoid
4 Gemstone Mine
4 Ancient Tomb
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Stripmine
Creatures
4 Myr Moonvessel
4 Myr Retriever
2 Boneshredder
3 Disciple of the Vault
2 Gorilla Shaman
1 Darksteel Colossus
Draw
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Tinker
1 Jar
1 Windfall
1 Scroll Rack
4 Skull Clamp
2 Chromatic Sphere
Tools and Such
2 Krark-Klan Ironworks
2 Helm of Awakening
1 Fastbond
1 Vamp. Tutor
1 D.T.
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Saphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Sol Ring
1 Grim Monolith
SideBoard:
4 Rack n Ruin
2 FTK
1 Sundering Titan
1 Platinum Angel
3 Xantid Swarm
2 Phyrexian Furnace
2 Plaguebearer
Round 1
I play the most annoying kid i have even met. I am trying to focus, counting numbers and all, and he askes me all these stupid questions. Game 1 he wins, since i did 18 damage to myself in 3 turns. He attacked twice with a 1/1. How gay is that.
game 2, i kill him turn 4 or 5 as I made several mistakes. I played and used a jar, and fell short on the combo by a disciple. He asked me what the point of even using the jar was, and i explained next turn as i top decked a disciple.
Game 3 is a repeat, only i tinker in a Colossus, after hard casting the jar.
1,0-2,1
Game 2 is against another newer kid to th store. He new i had the win and mocked himself for trying.
2,0-4,1
Sam yet again, as 3 of us were undefeated and we had equal points. He wins game 1 on turn 2 after i have an insane turn 1 and would have had him turn 3.
Game 2 i start off with a fastbond i put in right before the start of the tourney. I play the bond, 3 lands one of which was the tolarian, 1 a strip. I play vessel and clamp him and draw into more land. I strip his and save my 2 in hand. He stalled so badly he couldnt get out, so i draw and draw until I HARD CAST the colossus turn 4-5. Game 3 he savagely beats me on turn 1.
2,1-5,3
I play some one i cant seem to remember, but i win 2-0
3,1- 7,3
Finals, Madness knocked out white weenie, so it was me,Sam, Madness, and Dave playing Mono-blue. We had 18 ppl for the tourney, so we decided to split for 19 each rather than play it out. Afterwards, I went on to eat an amazing chicken-parm sub from the pizza place next door. i bought some packs and traded until my ride came.
Thats it for now. And again, leave feedback on the Xantids and such. Tell me what you think of the Scroll Rack and fastbond.
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