[Free Article] Worldwake: A Vintage Set Review

[Smmenen]

http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/vintage/18735_So_Many_Insane_Plays_Worldwake_A_Vintage_Set_Review.html

Monday, February 1st - Worldwake is finally upon us, and everyone is salivating over the new cards. In today’s edition of So Many Insane Plays, Stephen Menendian brings us his view on the cards that will see play in Magic’s broken format. He also updates his impressive Complete Vintage Checklist.

Vroman missed at least one important card.   Also, I have a few new decklists in here.  

[myw002]

The Nature's Claim card looks really good.  I think I might try an add one in my Tez deck as tech.  Seems great in SB or MD.  Any thoughts on Bazaar Trader in the future?

[vroman]

Good call on Kalni Garden. Im pretty sure no dredge decks play Dryad Arbor anymore, but Kalni does seem better in this niche application.

You really think Jace Mindsculptor is not even worth mentioning?

[BruiZar]

There is some discussion on Khalni Garden / Polymorph for limited too.

[CorwinB]

That was a great set review, Stephen. Do you see Slavering Null resurrecting Goblins in Vintage ?

Also, do you intend to do a similar set review for Legacy ?

[Cyberpunker]

Jace is crazy when he resolves...just like Confidant. But only in the long term. Very uncool to have in the beginning though.

[voltron00x]

Nice job with both the article and list updates, although I'm also curious why no discussion on Jace.  

Arbor Elf is actually better than I realized on first glance for Vintage Elves.  I'm not sure if you want more than 8 mana Elves, but this one should probably replace a set of Fyndhorn / Llanowar Elves, because you can untap duals with it.  The only way its worse is if you're having to combo off w/out any lands in play, but that's relatively rare given the deck's use of basic Forests.

Khalni Garden is pretty janky in Dredge, sorry.  The fact that you can fetch Dryad Arbor into play isn't a small part of the card, it IS the card.  You can fetch into Arbor to block Yixlid Jailer (as I know YOU know - but this still happens, someone got tricked into it in NY on 1/23) AND it allows you to cast Reverant Silence.  The fact that you can sac it to Cabal Therapy / Dread Return is the bonus part, not the primary.  If you can't fetch it and you can't use it to play Silence, there's really no point.

Bojuka Bog probably has a little more buzz on it than it should.  It will be a minor role-player.  Its strength against Dredge is probably a lot lower than most people realize, unless you're using Crop Rotation or something.  The limitation of only being able to use it main-phase is just huge.

[bosoxdave]

Do you see Amulet of Vigor finding a spot in Tezz as a 1-of?  It can act as a time walk with time vault thereby giving an extra turn to find key?

[Doomsday]

Do you see Amulet of Vigor finding a spot in Tezz as a 1-of?  It can act as a time walk with time vault thereby giving an extra turn to find key?

No one plays 4 Keys, and another Key would be much better than this Amulet.  So no.  IMO.

[AmbivalentDuck]

That was a great set review, Stephen. Do you see Slavering Null resurrecting Goblins in Vintage ?

No.  I've addressed this in the goblin thread already.

[Joblin Velder]

That was a great set review, Stephen. Do you see Slavering Null resurrecting Goblins in Vintage ?

No.  I've addressed this in the goblin thread already.

I had no idea you moonlighted as Smmenen.

[Smmenen]

Nice job with both the article and list updates, although I'm also curious why no discussion on Jace.  

Arbor Elf is actually better than I realized on first glance for Vintage Elves.  I'm not sure if you want more than 8 mana Elves, but this one should probably replace a set of Fyndhorn / Llanowar Elves, because you can untap duals with it.  The only way its worse is if you're having to combo off w/out any lands in play, but that's relatively rare given the deck's use of basic Forests.

Khalni Garden is pretty janky in Dredge, sorry.  The fact that you can fetch Dryad Arbor into play isn't a small part of the card, it IS the card.  You can fetch into Arbor to block Yixlid Jailer (as I know YOU know - but this still happens, someone got tricked into it in NY on 1/23) AND it allows you to cast Reverant Silence.  The fact that you can sac it to Cabal Therapy / Dread Return is the bonus part, not the primary.  If you can't fetch it and you can't use it to play Silence, there's really no point.

Bojuka Bog probably has a little more buzz on it than it should.  It will be a minor role-player.  Its strength against Dredge is probably a lot lower than most people realize, unless you're using Crop Rotation or something.  The limitation of only being able to use it main-phase is just huge.

Like I said in the article, I think Bog is really powerful in the Stax mirror, and I expect to see BR Stax play it.   It will own both Welder and Crucible wars.

That was a great set review, Stephen. Do you see Slavering Null resurrecting Goblins in Vintage ?

Also, do you intend to do a similar set review for Legacy ?

 

Yep!   Next week, and then its back to Vintage content for two consecutive weeks. 

[Beralt]

Vroman said -

Good call on Kalni Garden. Im pretty sure no dredge decks play Dryad Arbor anymore, but Kalni does seem better in this niche application.

Recent (pre-worldwake - Jan 17th, 2010) tourney in which Dryad Arbor is/was run, it's use of course main deck was as an uncounterable creature, a further Dread Return target (although the list doesn't play Ghasts to enable Landfall)and the sideboard enabling Reverent Silence:

http://www.deckcheck.net/deck.php?id=32118

I think Khani Garden would be better in this particular style of Dredge as it will give you an extra permanent mainboard vs Stax whilst keeping your mana if/when you need to use the Plant as Cabal Therapy/Dread Return fodder.  It's lack of fetch power wouldn't hurt this build but would lose the use of Reverent Silence and thus have to substitue the new Nature's Claim.

[BruiZar]

I don't think an extra permanent against stax matters. The problem with stax are spheres, not smokestack / tangle wire.  What khalni garden does have is wasteland protection, although any wasteland would probably first hit your bazaars anyway

[voltron00x]

Stephen - Have to say I'm curious to see what your next articles are going to be about.  I couldn't help but notice that you played Tezzeret at the last few tournments (if I'm not mistaken), using your method to tailor the deck to the meta.  Do you feel Tezz, configured correctly, is the optimal choice at the moment?  Your results were obviously very good. 

You spent the better part of 2009 trying to innovate and/or refine in other design spaces (Gro, TPS, MD Beats, 5C Stax) as opposed to playing Tezzeret, so I'm curious as to what was driving the change...

[Smmenen]

ha!  I'll keep you in suspense

[Smmenen]

This article is now free.  Enjoy

[Yare]

This article is now free.  Enjoy

Not free for me yet. Since February is a short month, I'd say it needs another 2 days.

[DubDub]

This article is... now free.

[madmanmike25]

I'd like to discuss your MUD list.  I'm curious if you still feel 3 Swords are the way to go.  10 Creatures and 3 Swords is a ratio I do not like one bit.  In your list I would recommend cutting Swords and possibly adding in real threats that can end games with your lockpieces.  -3 Swords and +2 Trikes, +1 Karn.

It's good to see you value Smokestack even though your Thorns suggest you could have gone with Juggernauts.  Wait one second, Thorns are good with Smokestack too!  Let's keep that tech on the downlow.  We don't want too many people to start playing with Smokestack.

What would your possible SB be?

Other than that, list looks really solid.

[Smmenen]

Sword is a really, REALLY powerful spell, taht is as good a draw engine as any, and works awesome with Metalworker.   10 creatures isn't alot, you are right, but with Lodestone Golem I feel like Sword only gets better.   It's also great that Sworded dude can't be blocked by Sphinx or Inky.    I think the answer, then, is to try and fit in a few more creatures to make Sword stronger. 

Haha!  Good point on Smokestack.   

Thanks for the complements -- I'm a huge fan of MUD. 

[Smmenen]

FYI:

http://www.themanadrain.com/index.php?topic=40120.0

Thada Adel is the real deal, despite what the haters said.