Ur Phid

[islanderboi10]

So, I saw this list online, it has recently top 8ed in Quebec...

7th: Maxime Ouelette

1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Ancestral Recall
3 Fire // Ice
4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
3 Mana Leak
1 Pyroblast
1 Red Elemental Blast
2 Misdirection
4 brainstorm
1 Fact or Fiction
2 Meloku the Cloud Mirror
4 ophidian
3 Magnus of the Moon
2 Gorilla Shaman
1 Time Walk
6 Island
2 Flooded Strand
1 Library of Alexandria
3 Polluted Delta
4 Volcanic Island

Sideboard
3 Control Magic
1 Tinker
1 Darksteel Colossus
1 Platinium Angel
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Pyroblast
1 Shatering Spree
2 Rack and Ruin
4 Leyline of the Void


I know that Landstill has been putting up great results right now, and this Phid list just popped up. 

So Slower blue based control decks are still good in today's metagame, but my question is how come UrPhid isn't top 8ing nearly as much as say, Landstill?

I strongly believe that Blood Moon/Magus of the Moon are great in todays metagame.   

The deck runs basics, which help greatly against Stax, it runs Blood Moon, which Hoses the meta, and it runs a lot of countermagic, which stops a lot of decks.

Discuss?

thanks

[Monomax]

Hello, this is my first post here on TheManaDrain.

I would like to say that this deck was a joy to play with, but I did few change after the tournament.

I lost in T8 to GAT, I won first game with Misdi / Ancestral. I lost second game to brokeness and I lost third game because I had no  to cast my Magus of the Moon turn 1 with Misdi back-up.

I also played 3 games out of 5 in the swiss round agaisnt Ichorid, which is suppose to destroy me.

So heres the change :

-1 Island
-1 Fact or Fiction
-1 Mana Leak

+1 Steam Vent
+2 Echoing Truth

Sideboard :

-1 Tinker
-1 Colossus
-1 Angel
-3 Control Magic

+3 Leyline of Singularity
+2 Control Magic Faeries ( Sorry I really dont remember the name of that one )
+1 Pyroblast


Final List :

Man on the Moon

Mana : 24

1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
5 Island
2 Flooded Strand
1 Steam Vent
1 Library of Alexandria
3 Polluted Delta
4 Volcanic Island

Other : 36

1 Ancestral Recall
3 Fire // Ice
4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
2 Mana Leak
2 Echoing Truth
1 Pyroblast
1 Red Elemental Blast
2 Misdirection
4 brainstorm
2 Meloku the Cloud Mirror
4 ophidian
3 Magnus of the Moon
2 Gorilla Shaman
1 Time Walk


Sideboard
2 Control Magic Faerie
3 Leyline of Singularity
1 Red Elemental Blast
2 Pyroblast
1 Shatering Spree
2 Rack and Ruin
4 Leyline of the Void


Shaman / Moon are the all star here and if you dont use Meloku, you play a game without cards who can kill your opponent quickly. 4 let you play Meloku even with Moon on the board, and tahts why Morphling isnt played in here. Meloku can also make token who can block Dryad and other's...

The only thing I lack in that deck is a good draw engine, I dont think that Ophidian is the best thing available, but I have yet to find something better.
Also, maybe Powder Keg could be used to blow up Moxes, Token and little creature.

Im going to read what you guy write up here and bring back comment !

[Prometheon]

It seems like Magus is very critical to your game plan, so why are you only running 3?

Also, I think that Tinker-Platinum Angel should be in the maindeck. Probably in place of one of the Meloku and something else.

[islanderboi10]

Thanks for the reply.

So how have Gorilla Shaman been working out for you?

What about the deck in general?

Thanks

[Monomax]

I am running only 3 Magus of the Moon since this deck can always play a pretty good control role without the Magus, and the goal of that Magus is to prevent my opponent from casting his spell- like a lock component, not beating out his face. Having 2 Magus of the Moon on the Table at the same time isnt the best play I can have, I prefer to have one who can sit or beat if my opponent cant deal with him and protect that guy with counter magic or answer.

I though about Tinker - Platinum Angel, but without any tutor effect in the deck I dont think that will be a really good cards to play with, since the only way to bring her is by lucky-draw the Tinker or the Angel with 7 mana. I think that in a deck like this, the goal isnt to tutor-up something. You have to win with the control role, and use lock and the card advantage of phids to win it. Once again, if I can have a better draw engine then Phids, I may consider it.

Gorilla Shaman were not that great in the last tournament, but he work well with Magus and will accompany him in the beats of my opponent, or controling the board to prevent on-color mox.

I still have to play alot with the deck, because there are numerous card I want to try : Chalice of the Void, Merchant Scroll, Mystical Tutor, Tinker-Platinum, Darksteel Colossus, Empty the Warren, Intuition, Recoup, Accumulated Knowledge....

But im convinced that the actual list can be pretty deadly since you can modify it pretty well to your meta.

Combo is answered by Chalice of the Void, Blast
Ichorid by multiple leylines
Aggro by burninator, DSC, Control Magic
Control by lots of REB and Pyro

Well, keep me on track with your testing if you are playing this ;P

[GUnit]

My guess is that you don't see this top-8ing because it's simply not as good as Landstill.

Just looking over the list you have to tap a lot more main phase mana in this deck (and being tapped out with landstill in play seems less risky than being tapped out with phid in play), you have more cards you don't want to see in your opening hand, you have fewer answers, and you have threats that can be countered and/or  dealt with more easily once they're in play. Ophidian is worse at blocking than mishra's factory in any matchup, and worse at drawing cards than standstill against any deck with a decent clock or blockers.

[Monomax]

Not as good ? Well, it must depend of your point of view.

The goal of this deck is NOT to stall indefinately the game like Landstill do. Landstill usually play some mana-control element /drop standstill asap and win via superior card advantage and counter power. It can be vulnerable to Wasteland and the like.

Man on the Moon on the other side just drop a threat (Phids, Magus of the Moon mainly) then win if nothing can kill the creature.

I was thinking about adding fourth Magus of the Moon... maybe you are right. Im going to give it a good try.

I played agaisnt Landstill in the tournament, which were played by Chiz, and I won 2-0 since Landstill take so much time to set-up that I resolved a Magus of the Moon for the win.

[islanderboi10]

Not as good ? Well, it must depend of your point of view.

The goal of this deck is NOT to stall indefinately the game like Landstill do. Landstill usually play some mana-control element /drop standstill asap and win via superior card advantage and counter power. It can be vulnerable to Wasteland and the like.

Man on the Moon on the other side just drop a threat (Phids, Magus of the Moon mainly) then win if nothing can kill the creature.

I was thinking about adding fourth Magus of the Moon... maybe you are right. Im going to give it a good try.

I played agaisnt Landstill in the tournament, which were played by Chiz, and I won 2-0 since Landstill take so much time to set-up that I resolved a Magus of the Moon for the win.

Yea that is my arguement for this over Landstill.  Magus/Blood Moon are soo good in this meta.  Besides, this deck plays many basic lands and, in my opinion, can do well against the upcoming meta.


I just dont like having the Gorilla Shamans in the deck, I don't know why...


But I have never played Landstill.  It seems like landstill can do just as well, especially with it running lands as a creature base.  Just dont let Magus/Blood moon resolve...

[korangar]

I recently played a spanish tournament (I live in Barcelona) and this is the list I played (note that here in Spain you can't see as many Gush decks as in the USA, an a lot more of MWS decks):

8 Island (Makes the deck inmune to Waste / Crucuble)
3 Volcanic Island
3 Flooded Strand
2 Polluted Delta
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring

4 Ophidian
4 Magus of the Moon (I'll probably cut 1 for a Mox Monkey)
1 Razormane Masticore

4 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will
2 Control Magic (After Lorwyn it will be Sower of Temptation)
2 Misdirection
1 Spell Snare (Should be Mana Leak)
3 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Echoing Truth
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall

1 Fire/Ice

4 Chalice of the Void (MVP of the tourney)
2 Engineered Explosives


Sideboard
2 Red Elemental Blast
1 Spell Snare
2 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Rack and Ruin
1 Tinker
1 Platinum Angel
3 Sulfur Elemental
2 Trickbind
1 Pyroclasm

In my meta there isn't any Ichorid or Oath deck, so I don't have any specific cards against them.

4 Magus are innecesary, since you don't want to see them in pairs, and never in starting hand. I'll try a Mox Monkey.
Masticore is used to speed up the clock, because some games are called in time...
Thirst may seem slow, but they serve the propose to dig in and to discard moxes / chalices. It serves as draw engine 2 when opponents plays a lot of creatures.
I always set chalice for 0 or 1, since I tend to slow down the game (0) or prevent multiple 1cc (I only run 3 maindeck)

Although the deck lacks library manipulation, yo can draw a lot of cards. And since the deck is so redundant, you can always find the answers you need.

The only bad matchup is fast aggro deck (goblins or the like), but post board its a 50/50.

[GUnit]

But I have never played Landstill.  It seems like landstill can do just as well, especially with it running lands as a creature base.  Just dont let Magus/Blood moon resolve...

Landstill's creature removal is red, so it's not that big a deal.

I don't see how wasteland is good against landstill... the deck packs 26-28 mana sources, crucible and stifles, and it has a low mana curve.

[islanderboi10]

I meant Tempo-wise.

Like I said, I have never played the deck before, but it just seems like if you play Faerie Conclave turn one, and your opponent goes Wasteland, Sphere of resistance/Thorn of Am. it would be bad.  That could happen a lot in the near future.