9/15 TDG Top 4 report ~ Goblin Storm!

[oshkoshhaitsyosh]

40 Players came to battle at this event and I have been thoroughly testing the list below with great results...

Goblin Storm (empty gush)

4 Force of Will
3 Mana Drain
2 Mental Misstep
2 Flusterstorm
3 Empty the Warrens
3 Jace, The Mindsculptor
2 Repeal
2 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Viashino Heretic
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Brainstorm
1 Ponder
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
4 Gush
1 Fastbond

1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Black Lotus

4 Scalding Tarn
1 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
1 Flooded Strand
2 Island
1 Mountain
2 Tropical Island
2 Underground Sea
2 Volcanic Island

Sideboard
2 Ingot Chewer
2 Ancient Grudge
1 Viashino Heretic
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Yixlid Jailer
1 Grafdiggers Cage
2 Spell Snare
1 Red Elemental Blast

Round 1 - Win 2-0 RG Beats
Game 1 - Empty for 6 turn 1, and that gets there
Game 2 - Empty for 16, and gets there...

Round 2 - Win 2-0 Bob Control vs John Jones (he had game 1 loss on misreg)
Game 1 - Misreg loss for John
Game 2 - We fight over tinker resolving, and I win that war, then I empty for 8 or 10 and win...

Round 3 - Win 2-0 Noble Fish Ben
Game 1 - I empty for a little, then alot
Game 2 - I empty for alot...I love playing against fish

Round 4 - Lose 1-2 Dredge vs Ryan Glackin
Game 1 - He has bazaar...
Game 2 - I have empty for 10 on a mull to 6 turn 1. I then play demonic time walk next turn and win...
Game 3 - I have gush, mox, lotus, jailer, lands. Jailer gets darkblasted and I lose...

Round 5 - ID Matt Elias

Round 6 - Win 2-1 Martello
Game 1 - I lead with land mox, and pass. He has lodestone, off shop and mox, I respond and repeal mox to dig a card. I don't hit force. I play land on my turn and pass. He plays wire on his turn. I EOT hurks, then play heretic on my turn and win easily from then on...
Game 2 - I have grudge and 4 land in hand so I keep. He has turn 1 lodestone again and follows up with sphere and I lose pretty quick.
Game 3 - I have ruby, land, sol ring, hereitc. He plays revoker on heretic. I play land, cast gush, then play empty for 4. He plays lodestone on his turn. Tokens hold down the fort. I cast vamp next turn for grudge and hit revoker and win pretty quick once revoker leaves...

Top 8 - Win 2-0 Martello vs Shawn Griffiths
Game 1 - He has turn 1 sphere, I have land and 3 mox turn 1. He follos up with lodestone. I play brainstorm I think, hit my land drop. He plays wire. I upkeep hurks, then force his wire on next turn. I then play Jace, followed up with empty for 8 and heretic next turn.
Game 2 - My opening grip has fastbond, gush, lotus, mox, lands...He plays turn 1 revoker on heretic and im happy. I play fastbond and gush turn 1 into empty. I empty for 10 with enough mana to hardcast fow on his turn. He plays ratchet bomb which I force. I draw force for turn and swing. He draws hellkite and I force. My next draw was grudge then but he is dead!

Top 4 - Lose 0-2 Dredge vs Matt Elias
Game 1 - He mulls to 3 to bazaar gg
Game 2 - I mull to 6 with 2 gush, lotus, scroll, leyline, land. I scroll force, and force claim. I draw drain, he plays land pass, I miss land drop, then he whispmares my leyline and I lose fast...

So theory here is to win with empty clearly every game. About a half dozen games on the day I had empty for 6-10 within the first three turns, and other games I was going for 20 + goblins. Highest count on the day was 30.The idea w orks well as you don't need lethal storm for it to be good. I have been beating every archetype with this deck. Dredge hate is changing for the next time, as aparently that's what I couldn't beat. I cut tinker guy from the deck as I don't want a dead card in my hand...ever. And half the time fighting for a tinker to resolve, the opponent follows up with a jace the following turn so I opted to go all in on the empty plan. The deck ran well all day and I will definitely be playing this again!

[chrispikula]

You,of all people, play a deck that doesn't like to face Mindbreak Trap or Engineered Explosives!?

[oshkoshhaitsyosh]

Haha yessir! I have tested vs landstill with great success aswell :-X ...maybe I know how to beat my own deck haha.

[vaughnbros]

You,of all people, play a deck that doesn't like to face Mindbreak Trap or Engineered Explosives!?

Clearly he's trying to get you to play this so he can blow you out with landstill.

[oshkoshhaitsyosh]

You,of all people, play a deck that doesn't like to face Mindbreak Trap or Engineered Explosives!?

Clearly he's trying to get you to play this so he can blow you out with landstill.

Lol no actually I have tested 2 matches vs landstill with this and I beat it 2-0 and 2-1...there is a trick in beating landstill. Landstill around early to mid game gives you a small window to capitalize on. You make them burn counters on jace and what not then you go broken through counters in this small window (I know about this window because I play landstill and designed the current lists). If they play ee on 0 before I empty it meets grudge. Not to mention heretic makes it bad and makes all factories bad, that is unless they stop heretic from resolving. In either case I am happy. Furthermore if they hold ee back I storm and play time walk in the same turn. Yes I have beaten landstill like that. Also landstill can still lose to jace. I landstill doesn't get a factory and you stick a jace and fate seal out of bolt range a lot of time they lose...I am just so familiar with landstills game plan I know how to attack it. Not to mention snares and reb off the board.

Generally speaking in most games against landstill there will be a 1-3 turn window aroun early to mid game where they will have only a few cards in hand and will be waiting to top deck jace or standstill to one back in the game. If you can attack them at that time landstill is beatable. You must play your spells correctly and use your counter magic sparingly and save it for that window where they are trying to stabilize...

...until next time...Lesson 1 on capitalizing and beating landstill. By no means is it easy but its doable and I know how landstill draws and plays out to be able to beat it 

[oshkoshhaitsyosh]

Do not forget this deck runs 3 empty so an empty for 6 to stall the game or force them to burn an ee is a good play as well. Then middle game make a game ending play

[vaughnbros]

Yeh so against landstill it's all about playing the match up correctly from both sides of it.

Have you considered maybe trying main deck dredge hate if that match up is an issue?  Seems like spellbomb or maybe cunning wish with rav trap over cage could work.  

Also congrats on the top 4 finish

[oshkoshhaitsyosh]

I would consider spellbomb possibly, but realistically I hadn't tested the dredge matchup with this and the hate on the sb was strictly wrong. I do have a good idea on what I will play next time for dredge hate...

Wish is a really cool idea the more I think about it! Never dead vs any deck nice call Lance

[brokenbacon]

Sick pile Josh. Congrats on the Top 4. You're def one of the best blue pilots around, keep up the great work.

[oshkoshhaitsyosh]

Thanks Jack!

[StanleyAugust]

Hmm, quick count says 58 cards?

[oshkoshhaitsyosh]

It's 60...just counted twice

[Thecheese]

I was the sixth rd opponent. I had to officiate the varsity high school football game in Collingswood, so I missed the first round. I still entered the tourney at 0-1. I rattled off 4 wins but was unable to draw in the 6th rd due to bein paired down. Losing the die roll definitely hurt. The match was fun and it was my 2nd vintage tourney. I cant wait for more!

[StanleyAugust]

It's 60...just counted twice

Wow, sorry my bad, I am obviously bad at counting

[Cruel Ultimatum]

The deck seems pretty sweet. Also I took URg standstill to a top4spilt at the The Adventurer's Guild.

[Semisober]

I have to thank you for posting this deck.  It looked fun so, I played it on a whim at a small local vintage event today.  Finished 3rd and even beat the Landstill deck based on the info you gave! 

[ErtaiAdept]

I have a question about this list. 

You're running what appears to be 16 lands, and the full SoloMox+Crypt for a total of 24 mana sources.  I've been running a similar list for a while, and have found with 23 sources that I often get flooded.  Have you noticed this to be a problem at all?