Deck for Waterbury

[mr_rogers]

  I am going to Waterbury in October and need some advise on my deck.  I've been playing the deck at local tournaments for a few months now and placing well, but I can't seem to beat FCG and have some trouble with Gifts.  I'll post the deck then explain any unusual choices.

4x MWS
4x Volcanic Island
4x Wasteland
2x Polluted delta
2x Island
1x Strip Mine
1x Black Lotus
1x Mox Emerald
1x Mox Pearl
1x Mox Ruby
1x Mox Jet
1x Mox Sapphire
1x Mana Crypt
1x Mana Vault
1x Sol Ring
1x Tolarian Academy

4x Goblin Welder
4x Juggernaut
2x Su-Chi
3x Triskilion
2x Razormane Masticore
1x Sundering Titan
1x Duplicant

4x Thirst for Knowledge
1x Ancestral Recall
1x Memory Jar
1x Time Walk
1x Tinker

4x CotV
3x CoW
1x Trinisphere

  I'm running more main decked Trikes because of the high amount of FCG in my area.  I know the Gifts and Control Slaver will be big at Waterbury and not many Workshop decks will show.  I think the deck is pretty solid the way it is but would like suggestions to help with the Gifts and Control slaver match in particular. I was thinking about a main deck Plat Angel for the gifts match.  The angel wouldn't stop them because of the bounce but might slow them enough for me to win.  I was thinking about a main deck Fire/Ice to handle opposing Welders.  I'm not really worried about anything else, except FCG. 
 
  The only thing in the deck I'm not really satisfied with are the Su-Chis.  I'd really like to replace them but I'm not sure what to put in.  Maybe Main deck Jester's Cap or even Tormod's Crypt.  Any criticism/help is welcome.  I really look forward to optimizing this deck.

-Thanks. Joe.

[Xenoben187]

Honestly, if you really expect a mana drain heavy field, I'd think of playing a different deck.  Getting a jugg, su-chi, trisk, razormane, titan or dupe drained = gg.  That, or I'd change the mana-base to a 5 color config and play heavy-drain hate like maindeck choke and in the eye of chaos, also, a couple gorilla shamans would be good.

[mr_rogers]

@xenoben187: First thanks for your input, But when I said ideas were welcome I was assuming I'd recieve help with card choices.  Play a different deck was not exactly what I wanted to have posted.  I do appreciate the switching to a 5 color version with In the Eye of Chaos and Choke.  That is the type of reply I was hoping for. 

p.s. nothing personal in my post but I have done a lot of testing with the deck and to be told to play something else after the work I put into the deck is kind of annoying.  Workshop Aggro is not dead like Sui-Black.

[49 Cents]

You could cut the Su-Chi's for Intuition. They are really savage with a Welder or a Crucible out..

[Xenoben187]

@xenoben187: First thanks for your input, But when I said ideas were welcome I was assuming I'd recieve help with card choices.  Play a different deck was not exactly what I wanted to have posted.  I do appreciate the switching to a 5 color version with In the Eye of Chaos and Choke.  That is the type of reply I was hoping for. 

p.s. nothing personal in my post but I have done a lot of testing with the deck and to be told to play something else after the work I put into the deck is kind of annoying.  Workshop Aggro is not dead like Sui-Black.

I didn't mean the play a different deck comment to sound like mean.   It's just that since trinisphere was restricted, workshop aggro hasn't had it's crutch to lean on to beat mana drain decks consistently.  Alot of times, turn 1 welder, turn 2 drain mana is just too much for this deck to handle and there's not enough disruption to stop it from happening.

The good news about the deck is you have good matchups with stax, and since stax did take the top spot at worlds, you can probably expect more of it than you think at waterbury.  I really think you need to tune the deck to deal with manadrain and I think *at least* in the eye of chaos is needed if you're not will to go to a 5 color base.  Another card you might try is Null Rod.  Following your turn 1 jugg/su-chi with null rod could be devastating for just about every deck in the format right now.

[Revvik]

Or you could use the cards you have to play 5c Stax.  Especially if you think you're gonna be facing Drains all day.

[Yames]

I’ve been playing a deck similar for a while now and I’ve found 2 main deck Shrapnel Blast to be very effective.  Also since you play fetch lands already have you considered Brainstorm.  I have found it to be very effective when I need to dig for a threat.  I don’t play Su-Chi at all because I find the 4-8 manna I end up with in the middle of an attack phase bothersome.  Since most people bring in Rack and Ruin or have it main.

[warble]

+Smokestack
+Tangle Wire
+Solemn Simulacrum

They rock, any deck with tangle wire and workshops should annihilate FCG.

4x Bazaar and UBA Mask are also cool, but if you're seriously worried more about aggro than about CS (I'd be worried about CS and Gifts...) it won't help you there.

Personally, unless it's STAX I won't put workshops in my deck.  Period.

[mr_rogers]

  Alright I'm cutting the Su-Chis to add 2 Null Rods.  I'm also going to drop 2 Trikes for In the eye of chaos.  Now the only real question is with ITEOC in the deck should I replace TFK?  I mean the two cards don't really work well together.  Is there any sorcery draw worth running(Ideas Unbound, maybe) or should I run various metagame cards in those slots?

[Polynomial P]

There is a new sorcery speed TFK in ravinca where you discard a land instead of an artifact. Ideas unbound is TERRIBLE, it wrecks your hand AND costs double blue.

[mr_rogers]

  I agree that Ideas Unbound is not good but sorcery draw that is playable is hard to come by.  That draw spell from Ravinica sounds like it might have a place in the deck.  What about replacing TFK with 2 Gorilla Shamans and 2 more Null Rod?  Do you think 4 rods are needed since I already run 4 CotV main deck? 

[yespuhyren]

I've been playing many types of workshop aggro, so I'll post my current list

// Lands
    1  Island
    4  Mishra's Workshop
    2  Shivan Reef
    4  Volcanic Island
    4  Wasteland
    1  Strip Mine
    1  Tolarian Academy

// Creatures
    2  Duplicant
    4  Goblin Welder
    4  Juggernaut
    3  Razormane Masticore
    2  Sundering Titan
    2  Triskelion

// Spells
    1  Mana Crypt
    1  Mana Vault
    1  Sol Ring
    1  Tinker
    1  Timetwister
    1  Mox Emerald
    1  Mox Jet
    1  Mox Pearl
    1  Mox Ruby
    1  Mox Sapphire
    1  Black Lotus
    1  Time Walk
    1  Ancestral Recall
    2  Intuition
    3  Thirst for Knowledge
    3  Crucible of Worlds
    4  Chalice of the Void
    1  Trinisphere

// Sideboard
SB: 3  Red Elemental Blast
SB: 3  Blue Elemental Blast
SB: 3  Defense Grid
SB: 3  Chill
SB: 3  Rack and Ruin

I play in Ontario, and see lots of FCG, enough to actually merit dropping in 3x chill in the SB just in case, because you should expect to face at LEAST 1 FCG deck each tournament, as well as TONS of fish.

[mr_rogers]

@yespuhyren:  I like your build, but have some questions.  How well does the deck perform against drain-based decks? Is wasteland a big problem with one basic land and no fetches?  And do you side out welders when facing FCG?

  The reason I am not running Shivan Reef is there are a lot of Wastelands in my area.  Now I know Waterbury will have a different meta than my town, more control(especially drain-based decks), heavy Fish showing and probably a few more workshop decks since they've become more popular lately.  Drain decks are why I'm thinking about running ITEOC main deck.  I was also thinking maybe going 5-colors to run Choke in the sideboard. 

  The other match-up I'm worried about is the mirror and STAX.  I'll have R&R but I'm not sure if that is enough.  No one else in my area play workshop-based decks so I can't really test against that.  I would like some advise as how to play/sideboard against other workshop decks.

-Thanks. Joe.

[yespuhyren]

In our area, the only wasteland heavy deck is fish, and this deck doesn't have such a problem with fish.  Also, playing three crucibles of my own, with intuition to fetch it if I ABSOLUTELY need it is also a bonus.  Against FCG, I usually take out

3x Crucible of the Worlds
1x Timetwister
2x Goblin Welder

for

3x Blue Elemental Blast
3x Chill

against Stax, I board out

3x Razormane Masticore

for

3x Rack and Ruin

[neenjafus]

why would you run shivan reef over fetchlands...especially with 3 crucible in the deck?

[Methuselahn]

I have been playing a deck similar to the one in the original post to multiple Top8s in the last few months.  Reflection 5/3  is basically what you have sans -2 Su Chi, -1 Razormane Masticore for 3 Brainstorms.  Like what Yames said earlier, Brainstorms are good.  They make the deck more consistant, plus give you more turn 1 plays, including a slightly better chance at Turn 1 Chalice for 0 on the play.

Half of your deck's strategy is to deny your opponent mana, so naturally you are up shit creek without a paddle when it comes to FCG.  (I haven't faced FCG in months)  If I was playing Rico Aggro at Waterbury, FCG would not be my biggest concern.  I don't expect it to have a large showing.  IMO, the two biggest threats to this deck are Uba Stax and Control Slaver.

I would like some advise as how to play/sideboard against other workshop decks.

Start by boarding in 3+ Rack and Ruin and any Shamans or Karns you have.  Brainstorms come out because they are not permanents, Chalice and Trinisphere can sometimes come out on the draw. 2 Shamans are usually minimum tho. 

Do you have a sideboard ready?

My best advise is to win the die roll and learn how to mulligan aggressively.

[mr_rogers]

I do have a sideboard. Here it is.

4x REB
3x BEB
3x R&R
2x Jester's Cap
3x Pyroclasm( for the FCG match-up)

I will try the brainstorms in the deck.  Just one question, does adding the brainstorms make the deck more hurt by chailice at 1?  Chalice now stops welder and brainstorm, cutting off two crucial cards instead of one.  What chances do you think this deck has in the New England meta?

thanks for the help so far everyone.......Joe.

[yespuhyren]

why would you run shivan reef over fetchlands...especially with 3 crucible in the deck?

no more foil fetches, and i got 2 foil shivan reefs

[NastyNate]

no more foil fetches, and i got 2 foil shivan reefs

Lol! This often the single most important factor in the configuration of the decks I play as well. If it ain't pimp, why play it.

[yespuhyren]

My point exactly   Though I did just get a foil Foothills, so I might throw that in 

[BruiZar]

@NastyNate / Yesphuhyren:

So you rather die pimped than win scrubbed?

If winning isn't that important why bother to post here? I mean, if the good advise given on this page is put aside because the leser card is shiney, casual might be a better format for you?

just what i think..

I'd play basic land over painland or fetch personally. Why would you want to risk getting STP'd or balanced over and over again by playing a twister? Pitchcounters and drains don't help your board position either..

[mr_rogers]

  Well I believe I have the list I want to play.  I'm playing my original build minus 2 Su-chi and 1 Razormane Masticore.  I've put 3 Brainstorms in and they've been working great.  I may up the duplicant count to 2 maindeck as I want to see that card more and more lately. 

  I posted my sideboard earlier and would like ideas for sideboard cards I may have not thought of.  I think I've covered the hard match-ups but maybe I should cut something and add a couple ITEOC against drain-based decks.  Well I'm going to keep messing with the deck and I'll post my results later.


-Joe.