Human Ingenuity

[Guli]

I suggest 4 Abrupt Decay for those who have Oath of Druids, Crucible of Worlds, Time Vault issues. You can deal with Dark Confidant, Tarmogoyf, Trygon Predator as well with the card (and many other cards, the card is just so broad). For Tinker, It would be wise to utilize the Cavern of Souls, since there are no spells in existence that can bypass a counterspell (fluster, mana drain, force of will, mental misstep) with 'can not be countered, or split second' that is cheap and has other broad uses. Yes you can play Swords to Plowshares, but the card is just not optimal anymore, the life gain matters more than people care to admit. You might be better off giving them a basic land with Path to Exile. What I like to do is have my Batterskull and Jitte in the 75 card pool with Stoneforge. This allows me to play some control initially with cards like Dismember and Snuff Out (cards that avoid chalice 1). Throw in a Deathrite Shaman for additional life gain and you can make an aggressive comeback in mid game, changing up roles. They will not be in a position to control the situation.

So how can we deal with Tinker? First I would like to say that this is only 1 card. Normally it wouldn't be such a problem to design around it, but the issue is that there are Tinker targets printed make the game so degenerate, because they have the ability to finish the game in 1 combat step and you have 1 turn with an empty board (turn 1 Tinker happens). I don't see any 3cc Human that can do that. There is also no Human printed (yet) that exiles an artifact without any drawbacks when etb. I believe this would be a very friendly gesture of the people responsible for card design. A 2 mana Human that has Revoke Existance on it when etb. It would help out against Workshop and Time Vault/Tinker, while also hitting a mox sometimes to help Thalia with her mana denial. Fiend Hunter is dangerous but sometimes exactly what you need. While it carries some risk, it is not easy for the Blue pilot to have a Metamorph around. Since you will most likely be casting Fiend Hunter with Caverns or under a Thalia, counter magic is not really going to help. The problem is not just blue though. Metamorph is a card, used in almost any Workshop deck. Lightning Bolt is a card, used as a Golem and Jace killer, while it also hits all our creatures. Normally, our strategy would be happy if they start bolting, we are prepared for that, trading is good remember? However, in the case of Fiend Hunter, it is as if Fiend Hunter did nothing, and your 'answer' becomes the very problem. I think Fiend Hunter shines when you are able to lay down the pressure with Mayor, Thalia and Dark Confidant. They try to put things is front of you, and you exile them with tempo. By the time they can deal with your Fiend Hunter and get back what they lost, you already set up so many board advantage, that it won't matter. A lot of the games this is exactly what happens. But not always, sometimes you are disrupted or can't find your usual game flow, you must adapt and fight. Those are the times you rather have a simple Path to Exile, you probably don't care about the land, you just want to get rid of that threat and stay in the game.

Another option is to run Tinker ourselves. And get that turn 1 Tinker on occasion. Just like thoe Blue mages like to rush to their Tinker when they feel the slightest pressure, we will do the same. The minute I have a mox on the board, and a vampiric, I can go Tinker route.

Here, Evil Human Caverns:

4 Cavern of Souls
3 City of Brass
1 Marsh Flats
1 Tropical Island
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Ruby
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring

1 Tinker
1 Blightsteel Colossus

4 Dark Confidant
3 Mayor of Avabruck
4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Trinket Mage
1 Sensei's Divining Top
4 Noble Hierarch
2 Sin Collector

1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor

4 Abrupt Decay

4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Scrubland
2 Bayou
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Liliana of the Veil
1 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk

This is meant as a joke, though I will test it for fun. Who knows, it might turn out to be ok.

[bax]

A good idea would be to run grafdigger's cage maindeck.
Also Thornscape Apprentice, a human wizard, can give us some tempo relief to draw that StP equired to deal with BSC.

Fiend Hunter in my view is slow and suffer from the same problem suffered by Leonin Relic-Warden.If you do not have a target those cards sit in your hands for too many turns and a tempo deck cannot afford to waste time.

One alternative could be running stuff such as Metamorph ourselves (more of an hypoerbole but we could also play Mangara or Preacher).

To be honest Tinker is often a problem not as big as a turn 1 Oath (forbidden, mox, oath, go)turning dragon breath + emrakul or BSC on turn two.

In both cases (tinker or Oath) playning a cage in turn 1 seems to be the best proactive protection we could play.

[msg67183]

What about Devout Chaplain to get rid of Oath (the enchantment, not the creature) and Tinker Targets?

[StanleyAugust]

What about Devout Chaplain to get rid of Oath (the enchantment, not the creature) and Tinker Targets?

The problem is: When are you gonna play your Devout Chaplain and two other creatures? I mean, you have to do it before your opponent plays Oath of Druids which seems like a lot to ask.

I can definitely see some arguments against Grafdigger's Cage and initially I wasn't in favour of the card neither because optimally you want to play as many creatures as possible. However, the card is just so good right now and for 1 mana you stop a variety of cards and whole strategies which even turn out to be this deck's worst nightmares.

The argument that Brian came up with: "Grafdigger's Cage? I guess I'll Vampiric for Tezzeret instead" presents some new questions, but generally, if I force my opponent to Vamp for Tezzeret because of a 1cc card, I'm more than happy with that. Getting that 5 mana for Tezzeret when I play a lot of mana denial is gonna be tough and I can even stop the Tezz strategy by playing a Stony Silence. Sure, you could make the argument that your opponent will often Vamp for something that is not Tezzeret (which I'm sure he will) but that doesn't mean that Cage isn't good: It still denies him the option to Vamp for the best Vamp target(s) in his deck and he's then forced to take another direction than he would prefer.

[StanleyAugust]

Another option is to run Tinker ourselves. And get that turn 1 Tinker on occasion. Just like thoe Blue mages like to rush to their Tinker when they feel the slightest pressure, we will do the same. The minute I have a mox on the board, and a vampiric, I can go Tinker route.

Guli: Even though you meant is as a joke, it seems like a nice idea, I really like it! However, have you considered playing other Tinker targets than Blightsteel? I think it's suboptimal to play that. I would probably see if I could make room for a Phyrexian Metamorph and a Crucible of Worlds and/or Trinisphere instead. They make a lot more sense to me than Blightsteel.

[Guli]

I don't trust Cage. It doesn't benefit from Cavern protection, it suffers against removal. I can not rely on it when it could result into an instant game loss.

Against Griselbrand Oath, I have very good results. I don't compromise my deck, I follow my own strategy with Thalia, support it by shutting off moxes with Chalice and/or Stony, target their bombs with Sin Collector, and use Karakas or forms of creature control to deal with Griselbrand/Emrakul. On top, I have Decays to get rid of Oath to prevent everything in the first place.

Oath players are prepared to deal with Cage, why would they otherwise play the deck. As a Cavern deck, you aren't fighting on the stack, you bypass it.

Note: If the Oath player has a turn 1 Oath into a turn 2 BSC with Dragon aura, well, they you have a problem, but in this case, I can accept a loss. He needed a serious amount of luck to make it happen. Not to mention that you had a chance to snipe Oath (or play your cage if you prefer).

The problem for us is not that we can't deal with all these problems, the problem is that they require a different approach, while Karakas works for most Oath targets, it does nothing against BSC. Maze of Ith works against Griselbrand and BSC but not against Emrakul. Note that there is also a presence of Show and Tell. Cage does nothing against that.

Anyway, for me this topic is clear, I thought about it a lot and my conclusion is that there is no universal answer right now that can take care of all these issues at once. I presented my solution (revoke existance on a bear), it would give us the tools to properly address our problems related to Workshop matchup, Oath match up and Tinker match up. I would make such a card  aggressively costed like .

What about Devout Chaplain to get rid of Oath (the enchantment, not the creature) and Tinker Targets?

Devout Chaplain is slower than Decay, but it is a good follow up to Decay or any initial 'emergency' tactic to stay in the game. Chaplain is a control card, that cuts off win conditions, but it is not a good reactive card to an early game problem. It is also expensive against Workshop. The pro side of the argument is that it does ruin their board. Being slow is a problem. This is the kind of card that would work well in a list with Force of Will, I believe. Similar to Trygon Predator, you use cheap cards to fight the first wave, then take care of the rest with Chaplain. But I don't see Force of Will going into Caverns any time soon. So that is that.

A card that also takes care of all the big monsters is Stun Sniper. But I think the Summoning Sickness is what makes it a hard choice to run it main deck. The ETB triggers are what we need.

[Guli]

Another option is to run Tinker ourselves. And get that turn 1 Tinker on occasion. Just like thoe Blue mages like to rush to their Tinker when they feel the slightest pressure, we will do the same. The minute I have a mox on the board, and a vampiric, I can go Tinker route.

Guli: Even though you meant is as a joke, it seems like a nice idea, I really like it! However, have you considered playing other Tinker targets than Blightsteel? I think it's suboptimal to play that. I would probably see if I could make room for a Phyrexian Metamorph and a Crucible of Worlds and/or Trinisphere instead. They make a lot more sense to me than Blightsteel.

Fighting fire with fire, evil with evil!

If I run Tinker, it would not be for things like that. You could run those cards without Tinker.

[msg67183]

How about AEther Adept? 1UU 2/2 to bounce your BSC or Emrakul or Griselbrand?

[StanleyAugust]

Another option is to run Tinker ourselves. And get that turn 1 Tinker on occasion. Just like thoe Blue mages like to rush to their Tinker when they feel the slightest pressure, we will do the same. The minute I have a mox on the board, and a vampiric, I can go Tinker route.

Guli: Even though you meant is as a joke, it seems like a nice idea, I really like it! However, have you considered playing other Tinker targets than Blightsteel? I think it's suboptimal to play that. I would probably see if I could make room for a Phyrexian Metamorph and a Crucible of Worlds and/or Trinisphere instead. They make a lot more sense to me than Blightsteel.

Fighting fire with fire, evil with evil!

If I run Tinker, it would not be for things like that. You could run those cards without Tinker.

That's exactly the point. With so little library manipulation, relying on drawing Tinker before Blightsteel becomes a liability. If you run Tinker targets that you can play without Tinkering for them, it no longer is an issue if you draw your target. However, having a little toolbox (you could have Trinisphere in the sideboard) offers some flexibility.

Of course, Tinkering for Crucible isn't as game winning as Tinkering for Blightsteel, but I could imagine it being a pretty damn good play anyway, and would often lead to game wins. If you want a "robot" you could still Tinker for Batterskull which would also be a pretty decent play against creature based decks.

[Guli]

How about AEther Adept? 1UU 2/2 to bounce your BSC or Emrakul or Griselbrand?

This would work, it would also generate a lot of tempo against non workshop aggro. Against Workshop however, it would be a problem, considering the  and total 3 mana.

I like Aether Spellbomb and some Trinket Mage for bounce purposes. Brian (and myself) tried various options like this. It is fine, it works.

I also want to make a comparison between Abrupt Decay and Pridemage. As for being able to cast them, they are equally easy or hard. I opted for Decay because uncounterability and it can come online turn 1 with a mox and definitely on turn 2. Pridemage on the other hand, does deal with Workshop better and offers more clock/firepower. It is possible to play both, with minimal risk, if you keep the multicolor cards restricted to human wizards. This means Sin Collector is harder to use. I mean, sure it is possible to ignore this guideline I set up, and risk it, but you will quickly find out why I am suggesting these rules. Especially with Abrupt Decay and Pridemage in the same deck, you would need a lot of Scrubland and Bayou. Your Cavern can either be Wizard or Human, it would not make a huge difference, with the condition that you run Human Wizards (with the exception of Noble, Thalia and Mayor).

4 Qasali Pridemage
4 Abrupt Decay

4 Dark Confidant (wizard)
4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Mayor of Avabruck

4 Cavern of Souls
3 Scrubland
2 Bayou
1 Savannah
4 Verdant Catacomb
1 Marsh Flats
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Karakas
1 City of Brass

4 Black Lotus, Emerald, Pearl, Jet

You quickly have 50 cards. As you can see, it is not easy to integrate even 1 card and keep deck integrity. What should the remaining 10 cards be? Which Human Wizards are on color? Can we add a Sapphire for maybe Meddling Mage, A.R and Time Walk? How should the SB balance out the main deck? Should we add a tad more lands just to be sure?

I can create a dozen more decks like this on the spot, and they would all be solid. But it still remains hard to assess what the best option would be. To answer that, one must do a detailed meta game analysis and then fill out the deck. Dark Confidant and Thalia with Mayor and Noble are not a choice anymore, same goes for some of the lands and the power, but all the rest are meta slots in my vieuw. Look at Brian's lists, every card has a meaning for his specific meta.

[brianpk80]

You make some very good points, and as I said, if you have some specific metagame reasons, not running Cage can of course be fine, and it seems you do. I would probably lose somewhere around 50% of my games to Oath, Tinker, Will and the card advantage of Snapcaster if I didn't play Grafdigger's Cage which is why I think it's mandatory.

Yes, you did mention that there are specific metas where it's not strong, and I think PA is one.  If I were going to an event far away where I thought there would be more Oath & Tinker rather than Bomber and Landstill, I'd have to consider a maindeck Cage and supplements in the sideboard.  I'd probably consider a small Trinket Mage toolbox if Cage needed to be maindecked.  It's always fun seeing him go up to 3/3 or 4/4 with Mayor.

I thought about it a lot and my conclusion is that there is no universal answer right now that can take care of all these issues at once.

This sounds right.  Thalia, Dark Confidant, Noble Hierarch, Stoneforge Mystic, and Mayor of Avabruck are overpowered for their price.  The remaining balance of a deck using them mixes and matches among cards that are powerful but not similarly over-powered.  Sometimes they are busted in one match but only so-so or dead in others.  These need to be adjusted for specific metas and in the coming years, more printings should yield something that consistently looks close to a universally "optimal" list.  B&R list changes also affect this.  Theros block is likely to be filled with Human Legends and it will be interesting to see what comes from it. 

[brianpk80]

Here's a mini-report from Lancaster.  Thank you to Calvin for a great time and great prize support.  

Mayor Fish, T8 Lancaster
Core:
4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Dark Confidant
4 Noble Hierarch
1 Deathrite Shaman
3 Mayor of Avabruck
1 Exava, Rakdos Bloodwitch

Fish Tinker:
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Batterskull

Non-Creature Answers:
2 Abrupt Decay
2 Swords to Plowshares
1 Path to Exile
1 Stony Silence

Special Humans:
1 Sin Collector
1 Notion Thief
1 Eternal Witness
1 Ethersworn Canonist
2 Meddling Mage

Ancestral:
1 Ancestral Recall

Mana:
4 Cavern of Souls
4 City of Brass
1 Gemstone Mine
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Jet
2 Marsh Flats
1 Windswept Heath
1 Bayou
1 Tundra
1 Savannah

Utility Land:
1 Karakas
3 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Mishra’s Factory

Sideboard:
3 Mindbreak Trap
1 Leyline of Sanctity
1 Ethersworn Canonist
1 Trinket Mage
2 Tormod's Crypt
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Rest in Peace
1 Wasteland
1 Mishra's Factory
1 Sigarda, Host of Herons

It was my first time at this venue.  I was expecting more Oath/Storm than usual and also Merfolk.  On the way there, I realized, "I don't care if I do well; I just want to have a good time and to Notion Thief somebody."  So I put in Notion Thief main in place of Stony Silence #2 (they hit the same decks).  I gave Meddling Mage one last chance also, but he's going back on probation.  He was marginally useful one time, but naming "Tinker" and then getting bolted by Ral Zarek is grounds for termination.  For Swords/Path, each has pros and cons that vary per match-up, and since it was an open field, I just went with a split, which works out if I wanted to name one w. a Meddling Mage (or opponent does so) without blanking the other.  The only reason Mental Misstep was again absent is because much maindeck space was prepped for Storm/Oath and a high creature count for other Fish that having Missteps would weaken Game #1 v. Shops, which I expected there also.  I played 3 Mindbreak Trap sb to offset the loss of Misstep in Storm match and swapped the True Believer (who doubles as protection from BUG's Liliana normally) with Leyline of Sanctity for Turn 0 action.  The sb has a Trinket Mage and mini-Trinket package, which worked out well covering Dredge hate and allowing Trinket Mage + Engineered Explosives to come in place of Notion Thief/Stony Silence v. other Fish decks.  Sigarda again was there to demolish UR Landstill which has no answer aside from magical Christmas triple Pyroclasms when she flies out of a Cavern naming Angel.  

I got to Lancaster area 25 minutes early, but there was an accident on 283E so the last 2 miles took 25 minutes alone.  Called the store, owner was great and said to just be safe.  Got there on time.  
 
When I went in, Calvin had a bunch of big trade items on the counter, Force of Wills, fetchlands, duals, a Mox, and... Mayors of Avabruck + Exava, Rakdos Bloodwitch.  Best sight ever.

Right off the bat, Josh Potucek promised revenge for the last time we played, where he lost game 2 and the match after having to break his own Standstill to bolt my Exalted Mishra's Factory.  He threatened to Firespout my creatures this time.  Evil.  He even knew about the Angel tech.  We didn't have a chance for a rematch that day, but it will happen eventually and I think the Humans will pull it out again.    

Round 1 - Mark Hornung Dredge, Win 2-1

I didn't know what he was playing cause last time we played, he was on BUG Fish.  When he brought his deck out of the case, a few cards got flipped face up revealing a Golgari Thug so I knew then it was Dredge.  He won the roll.  I kept a hand that would normally be pretty decent for g1 Dredge; it had Wasteland, Mox, Thalia, Cavern, and Deathrite Shaman.  He had a superb opener though.  Bazaar discarding 2 Dredgers & Ichorid, and then another Bazaar after I Wasted the first.  Things got out of control very quickly, Fatestitcher was there, so I folded.  

Game 2 I opened Land, Lotus, Stoneforge Mystic, Rest in Peace.  Win.

Game 3 He opened with a non-Bazaar land.  I had a Cage, then there was Thalia, 2 Wastelands, and Trinket Mage fetching Tormod's Crypt.  Mayor of Avabruck came soon; the Trinket Mage attacked for 3 and then Mayor flipped into Howlpack Alpha and began generating 3/3 Wolves.  

Round 2 Darrell on UR Landstill 1-0-1

Game 1 I opened w. Thalia.  I didn't pummel him, there was some back and forth, but he lost after a battle of attrition.  

Game 2 was very long.  He played a Standstill and I didn't break it, laying lands, and then eventually discarding Moxen.  He broke his Standstill to play Jace putting me at 11 cards on my turn.  He was tapped out except for 1 red source.  I had a Cavern in play.  I'd been holding Lotus and drew another Cavern so I opened with Sin Collector revealing 2 FoW, Spell Pierce, Lightning Bolt, Dismember, Jace, Engineered Explosives.  I exiled the Lightning Bolt.  Played another Cavern into Meddling Mage naming Force of Will, then Black Lotus, Stony Silence, Dark Confidant, pass.  He Jacestormed into a few more Bolts and Barbarian Ringed one of my creatures and then tried to stablilize with Crucible of Worlds but it got Abrupt Decayed.  He started Fatesealing me and was discarding Engineered Explosives, at least 2 possibly 3.  As they called time we got to a board state where he was at 7 or so life and w. a Cavern I was replaying whatever he'd bounce w. Jace and another creature would attack for 2.  I had a Noble Hierarch in play.  On my second to last turn I believe he was at 5, and I replayed Mayor of Avabruck and hit him for 2 with the Hierarch.  He went to 3.  I played Mishra's Factory making it clear that on the following turn, I'd hit him w. Exalted for exactly 3, but he topdecked Wasteland, so on the last turn I did 2 damage bringing him to 1 life and the game ended in a draw.    

Round 3 - Mark Kinney, Strix Control 0-2

Game 1, he won the roll.  I opened w. either Bob or Deathrite and and on his second turn he played Lotus, Tezzeret the Seeker fetching Time Vault and I didn't have an Abrupt.  

Game 2, memory is a little fuzzy since Mark and I played four games that day.  I think this is the one where I had Thalia, and he had Goblin Welder and Voltaic Key.  I played Explosives for 1.  I played a Meddling Mage and named Tinker.  Unexpectedly, Ral Zarek of all people showed up and started bolting my creatures.  Tezzeret AoB and Myr Battlesphere were also involved.  It was ugly.  

Round 4 - BUG Fish, Win 2-1

Game 1, I won with Thalia and some other creatures I believe.  

Game 2, we both had 2 Dark Confidants in our opening hand.  He had a Black Lotus, I had a Deathrite Shaman so he had the speed.  He killed my Shaman and Wasted my land and got very far ahead.

Game 3 was a blowout.  I opened Mox Pearl, Black Lotus, Cavern of Souls, Thalia, Mayor of Avabruck.  He had no land and was relying on Moxen to play spells and a FoW to hold off the creatures, which could not be done due to Thalia.  Mayor flipped into Howlpack Alpha.  I played a Wasteland and Rest in Peace on my turn and attacked for 5.  Wolf token end of turn.  He conceded.  
  
Round 5 - ID with Eddie, Noble Fish

T8 - Mark Kinney again Strix Control, Loss 0-2
"I'm playing who?  Again?"  

Game 1, He Tinkered into Myr Battlesphere and I Fiend Huntered it.  The classic unforgettable moment of the day happened then.  I don't expect decks playing Mana Drains and Jace to also run Shop staples like  Phyrexian Metamorph.  But Mark was full of tricks.  He Metamorphed the Fiend Hunter and targeted it, bringing back the Myr Battlesphere with four more tokens.  I was stunned.  8 Tokens.  It didn't matter that I drew a Path to Exile.  

Game 2, I mulled to 6 and took a gambit.  Sometimes they pay off; other times they don't.  I'll take the risk more often than not.  Hand was Ruby, Black Lotus, Ancestral Recall, Noble Hierarch, Thalia, Mayor of Avabruck.  Cracked Lotus for green played Mayor, Noble.  Noble got Mistepped.  Mayor got Dimir Charmed.  Didn't draw a land.  End of the road.

I got a special edition Umezawa's Jitte, a Deathrite Shaman, 4 Vithian Renegades, a Null Rod, 3 Mayors of Avabruck, and an Exava, Rakdos Bloodwitch as prizes.  This is great since I'm rebuilding a collection after selling out for the fourth time some years back.  

Till next time,

[ramrodjon]

Nice report!  Have you looked into Shardless Agent for cascade value?  With so many potent permanents, he could play well with the Human team.  See you soon!

[brianpk80]

Nice report!  Have you looked into Shardless Agent for cascade value?  With so many potent permanents, he could play well with the Human team.  See you soon!

Thanks!  I used him once and he Cascaded into a useless Swords to Plowshares at a critical point in a match against Bomberman.  It's a good card when luck is in the air so the suggestion has merit and could be revisited but for now the disappointing performance overshadows that. 

There were several Mayor Fish decks playing today in Bloomsburg.  I went 3-1-0 in matches but missed the Top 4 because of something called "breakers."  Apparently, it had to do with the match win percentage of our opponents and then that was tied so they had to look at game win percentage.  Won against Workshop, Workshop, and Strix Control and lost against Noble Fish.  I had no idea what the Fish pilot was playing and kept a hand g1 with double Thalia and Stony Silence.  I was feeling good when he fetched a Tropical Island thinking it was some sort of Gush or blue/green control but then the Nobles & Shardless Agents started coming and I could feel impending doom.  He killed one of my creatures with an attacker pumped by Selesnya Charm. 

Some pictures:

Exava murders Jace as planned clearing the path for a full blown Human onslaught two turns later; that's Justin Kohler playing Mayor against someone playing his own Bomberman list, which he marauded. 



Board state v. Strix Control.  He's down to one life after being hit with a Batterskull-equipped Dark Confidant and losing a Mana Crypt roll.  He has Tezzeret Agent of Bolas, his Crypt and Skullclamp are 5/5 creatures.  I have Cage, Bob equipped with Batterskull, Engineered Explosives at 1, Noble Hierarch, Stoneforge Mystic. 



He uses the Tezzeret impulse ability, finds Sensei's Divining Top, spins it, plays Jace and bounces Bob.
Going for the kill:



Going for the kill:
Fiend Hunter the Mana Crypt, pop the Explosives, attack with the Mystic for 1.

[MrGlantz]

There were several Mayor Fish decks playing today in Bloomsburg.  I went 3-1-0 in matches but missed the Top 4 because of something called "breakers."  Apparently, it had to do with the match win percentage of our opponents and then that was tied so they had to look at game win percentage.  Won against Workshop, Workshop, and Strix Control and lost against Noble Fish.  I had no idea what the Fish pilot was playing and kept a hand g1 with double Thalia and Stony Silence.  I was feeling good when he fetched a Tropical Island thinking it was some sort of Gush or blue/green control but then the Nobles & Shardless Agents started coming and I could feel impending doom.  He killed one of my creatures with an attacker pumped by Selesnya Charm. 

Great seeing you there today Brian! I got rolled by shops today at the event in a combination of keeping greedy hands and just in general being unlucky. The Noble player you lost too was my good friend Rob and we practiced the match up a bunch so he was pretty prepared. Selesnya Charm causes blowouts quickly, as does Shardless Agent into Voice of Resurgance. I don't think it'll be something people will generally need to worry about but Voice is awful for humans because it trades horribly. Anyway great seeing you again!

[brianpk80]

Great seeing you there today Brian! I got rolled by shops today at the event in a combination of keeping greedy hands and just in general being unlucky. The Noble player you lost too was my good friend Rob and we practiced the match up a bunch so he was pretty prepared. Selesnya Charm causes blowouts quickly, as does Shardless Agent into Voice of Resurgance. I don't think it'll be something people will generally need to worry about but Voice is awful for humans because it trades horribly. Anyway great seeing you again!

Likewise.  I like that these Charms keep showing up and catch people off guard, myself included.  Last week it was Dimir Charm, this week Selesnya and it looks like the first place deck there had a Rakdos Charm. 

Everyone has bad luck from time to time so no need to be discouraged.  Even the best decks & players in the world find themselves in that "Workshop, Mox, Mox, Revoker, Trinisphere" seat from time to time.  Hope to see you again, -B

[Samoht]

Great seeing you there today Brian! I got rolled by shops today at the event in a combination of keeping greedy hands and just in general being unlucky. The Noble player you lost too was my good friend Rob and we practiced the match up a bunch so he was pretty prepared. Selesnya Charm causes blowouts quickly, as does Shardless Agent into Voice of Resurgance. I don't think it'll be something people will generally need to worry about but Voice is awful for humans because it trades horribly. Anyway great seeing you again!

Likewise.  I like that these Charms keep showing up and catch people off guard, myself included.  Last week it was Dimir Charm, this week Selesnya and it looks like the first place deck there had a Rakdos Charm. 

Everyone has bad luck from time to time so no need to be discouraged.  Even the best decks & players in the world find themselves in that "Workshop, Mox, Mox, Revoker, Trinisphere" seat from time to time.  Hope to see you again, -B

Except they usually just Minbreak Trap the Trinisphere and go to town :p

[brianpk80]

Except they usually just Minbreak Trap the Trinisphere and go to town :p

Well, that's why I sideboard 2 or 3 Traps every event and tell people to side them in v. Shop.   

[Pokey]

I will say that it was rather fun to play this deck, despite my horrendous record, and would consider it again for the future.

[brianpk80]

I will say that it was rather fun to play this deck, despite my horrendous record, and would consider it again for the future.

Glad to hear.  I'm glad you liked the Sin Collector.  I remember before the event you were a bit unsure about that card, but it's making a good name for itself in practice.   

[brianpk80]

Another report.  

"City Council" (Mayor Fish) T8 Lancaster

1 Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
3 Mayor of Avabruck
4 Dark Confidant
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben / 1 Thorn of Amethyst
4 Noble Hierarch
2 Fiend Hunter
2 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Sin Collector
1 Huntmaster of the Fells
1 Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch

2 Stony Silence
1 Chalice of the Void
2 Mental Misstep
2 Swords to Plowshares
2 Abrupt Decay
1 Batterskull

4 City of Brass
4 Cavern of Souls
1 Gemstone Mine
2 Marsh Flats
1 Windswept Heath
1 Bayou
1 Savannah
1 Scrubland
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Emerald
3 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
2 Mishra's Factory

Sideboard:
2 Mindbreak Trap
1 Ethersworn Canonist
1 True Believer
1 Trinket Mage
2 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Tormod's Crypt
2 Rest in Peace
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Path to Exile
1 Vithian Renegades
1 Wasteland
1 Mishra's Factory

Card Choices

Saturday's list was the result of a flavor choice on the margins and technical choices.  The flavor part was running Grand Arbiter Augustin IV in the presidential seat.  I wouldn't recommend him for a large critical event since the casting cost is too high for what it does but I thought it was time for him to leave his mark on Vintage history as a one time feature.  It does synergize well with the shell and objectives of the deck here.  The Sphere effect, X/3 body, and Human subtype are the important attributes.  The Helm of Awakening effect is mostly negligible, except in corner cases where being able to play Trinket Mage for 1U, Stoneforge Mystic/Stony Silence for W, and being able to tap out with Thalia in play but still have Mental Misstep or Mindbreak Trap online are relevant to play sequence.  

On the more technical side, I made some changes to help address some of the archetype's intrinsic challenges.  For those who've been playing or testing Mayor Fish, we all know that the two issues that come up most are having access to colored spell mana w. the Cavern mana base and managing the life loss from Cities, possibly Missteps, fetches, and most importantly Dark Confidant.  The other issue is the legendary status of the deck's all-star MVP, Thalia.  

The first change was to go strict GWB with the non 5C section of the mana base (duals/fetches).  Guli had always suggested it in the past but I was extremely reluctant to drop Ancestral Recall.  However, I gave it a shot because I did notice many of my game losses involved having Ancestral in hand without blue mana or unprofitably burning Black Lotus for UUU or having an opener that required me to first resolve Noble Hierarch to play Ancestral and then losing the game because the Noble was killed or countered.  I love Ancestral like anyone else but it was becoming clear that for non-creature spells, I needed to choose between being able to reliably play Abrupt Decays with GWB or making it awkward with Ancestral Recall and I went with the former.  On a similar note, the Deathrite Shaman was dropped because it was creating too many clumsy opening 7's, for instance Cavern of Souls, Mishra's Factory, Swords to Plowshares, Deathrite Shaman, Mental Misstep, and 2 Humans.  Although Deathrite Shaman is so strong in a vacuum and in BUG Fish, that example shows how often it's strictly inferior to Noble Hierarch here.  Resolving it in such an instance requires burning a Cavern on Shaman.  It may not produce mana if the opponent doesn't put land into the graveyard.  And the abilities can't even be activated to disrupt the graveyard.  I like the Shaman a lot but it's somewhat of a clumsy fit.  I'm realizing it's just a meta-slot against Workshop/Landstill.  Because of that, I don't think he is essential.  I can see putting it in a sideboard for decks relying on Crucible of Worlds because stopping that is really the best thing he does in Mayor Fish.  

For the life loss, I added another Stoneforge Mystic which fetches Batterskull and gets it out of hand in those moments where it's drawn like any unwelcome Tinker-bot.  The recurring life gain was also one of the perks of Huntmaster of the Fells.  Dan who plays Mayor Fish mentioned he a had a friend that also plays Mayor and uses this in the sideboard for the mirror where it's devastating.  Guli also suggested it as something to test a while ago.  I probably wouldn't have tried it without the suggestions but in testing, it was pretty good in a variety of situations.  I didn't have a Huntmaster so I figured I'd buy one or trade for it beforehand; I asked my friend if he had one and he said point blank, "I don't carry Standard cards."  Touche.  But when I got to the store, looking to see if anyone had one Calvin said he had a new card he's been testing in Mayor that I needed to try and it was Huntmaster of the Fells.  Perfect coincidence and luckily he had several, so I offered him a Ral Zarek and a Lotus Petal on the spot and we exchanged.  Thanks Calvin.  I liked it maindeck for this event because there was so much Fish and Merfolk.  I also realized the double direct damage from the transform would be great in the common situation where an opponent has a villainous planeswalker being blocked by an obnoxious creature (cough cough, Baleful Strix).  2 to the walker and 2 to the Bird, attack for 6 with Ravager and the wolf.  Perfect.  

Exava, Rakdos Bloodwitch is the other Human optimized in these situations.  Compared to Exava, Huntmaster is stronger in aggro match-ups, most Shop situations, Dredge, and probably Baleful Control.  It has the perk of giving 2 life and the green in the casting cost is slightly more abundant than the other primary color black because of Noble Hierarch.  Thanks to Cavern though, color isn't really an issue w. playing either Exava or Huntmaster as it can be with non-creature Spells or colored activation costs of creatures.  Compared to Huntmaster, Exava is reliably faster, doesn't require transform, and most importantly dodges the removal suites of control decks running Lightning Bolt or Fire/Ice and then Pyroclasm/Firespout post sideboard.  Because she doesn't transform, she can't be destroyed with Engineered Explosives or Ratchet Bomb @ 0.  She's also entirely immune to the comprehensive removal suite of the European BUG Fish list, which is a nonstop litany of creature removal post-sb.  No matter how often someone Snapcasters a Snuff Out or Abrupt Decay, the witch isn't going anywhere.  When I first saw Exava spoiled, I didn't think much about her except to acknowledge "well that's above the curve at that price" but I figured there must have been loads of other 4/4 creatures printed with similar abilities.  Not really it turns out.  As vanilla and un-mysterious as a 4/4 Haste First Strike (*Uncounterable) Human is, it becomes increasingly apparent that this card is at the sweet spot for so many situations in Vintage right now that it's indispensable, probably even as a 2x.  I've found that a Humans list can safely run up to two or three or 4-CC Humans and with Sol Ring in addition to the standard accel package potentially one more (would have to test) so Exava and Huntmaster are not mutually exclusive.  In Pennsylvania where there is a lot of Jace and other walkers as well as a lot of Fish, 2 & 1 or 1 & 2 can work, and with a Sol Ring thrown into the already extensive accel package, 2 & 2 could be viable.  For Shop, I'd side out most of the 4-CC's on the draw, but you can get away with one or two on the play (Huntmaster being best here).  Exava is always better against Landstill, Bomberman, and Grixis control because of Landstill's removal suite and the latter two's incessant spellcasting and ability to abuse Sensei's Divining Top to prevent transforms.  The ability to include 4-CC Humans does allow for using Notion Thief as a meta slot or Ranger of Eos (fetching Noble Hierarch, Ulvenwald Tracker, Grim Lavamancer, or Gorilla Shaman, possibly Hex Parasite) depending on the rest of the build and expected field.  

The other change was to go to 3 Thalia and 1 Thorn instead of 4 Thalias.  Thalia is clearly the superior card and the legendary issue is not always a problem because she is a lightning rod for removal, however, the legendary issue does sometimes create dead draws, and dead draws lose games.  The other advantage of having a Thorn is that you can duplicate the Sphere effect by having both in play simultaneously which is fantastic.  I added a Chalice of the Void for an "oops I probably win" effect on the play and because blue was dropped, Chalice @ 1 became a reliable play without worrying about Chalicing out Ancestral Recall.  Because of Cavern for Noble, it only hit the 2 Swords to Plowshares (and Mental Misstep which doesn't matter because Chalice 1 is a permanent Mental Misstep) and I trust myself not to Chalice @ 1 against Shops or Noble Fish where I need the Swords.      

I went back up to two Fiend Hunters and omitted Sigarda from the sideboard when I saw that her prime victim was not in attendance.  Although Phyrexian Metamorph and Myr Battlesphere can give Fiend Hunter a headache, it's still a great 2-for-1 that doesn't die to Pyroclasm/Darkblast/Fire and has added protection with Missteps back in the list.  Sometimes you just need that Swords to Plowshares to be uncounterable, and to attack for 1, 2, or 3, and to not give them life, and to not let them fetch a free Island.  I went back up to 3 Factories total in the 75 also, dropping Karakas which was an extra hedge against Grisel, Emrakul, Vendilion, and Talrand.    

Tournament

Round 1 - Burning Oath (Seth Zulinski), Win 2-0

I didn't know what he was playing when he sat down and he seemed disappointed in his choice.  "I'm playing the worst deck in the format today," he said right off the bat and frowned.  That didn't clue me in because there are a lot of diverse opinions on what the worst deck is.  I drew 7 and I remember having land, Thalia, a Mox, Mental Misstep, a Noble Hierarch, and an Exava poised to come out rapidly so I kept.  He won the die roll.  He plays Lotus Petal, Forbidden Orchard and sacrificed the Petal to play something, but it wasn't Oath of Druids.  Maybe it was Demonic Tutor for Ancestral, because at some point I remember Misstepping something and he said "mental note, he's running Missteps today" but I can't remember if that was T1 or T2-3.   On my turn I played Thalia.  He played another Orchard but couldn't play Oath because the Petal was gone.  I may have Wasted one of his lands.  I got a lot of tokens very quickly and killed him with Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch.  

Game 2 was a sad spectacle because Seth was one the most friendly people when I first came to Lancaster two weeks ago.  There were pangs of guilt decimating him so mercilessly.  He opened with Duress, I Misstepped, he played Oath.  I played Land, Grafdigger's Cage, Emerald, Noble Hierarch, Attack w. Exalted Spirit token, pass.  He frowned again indicating that a single Cage was a serious problem.  He pauses on upkeep but doesn't do anything.  On my turn, I played another land, Stony Silence, and Sin Collector revealing a bunch of Moxen and a Dark Ritual exiling the Dark Ritual.  All Moxen Silenced, the Oath is Caged, and now the Ritual is gone.  That seemed pretty harsh.  He Duressed me again and took a Path to Exile.  I played one other creature next turn, it was either Bob or Trinket Mage and he Burning Wished after that for Pyroclasm.  I attacked with creatures and had so many Spirit tokens at that point that by the time he played Pyroclasm he was down to 2 or 3 life, with Stony Silence in play and only Forbidden Orchards as lands and I had several cards in hand so he folded.        

Round 2 - Noble Fish (Rob MacClaren), Win 2-1

I hate Fish mirrors cause they're so savage.  Raw visceral hatred.  Kill your creature.  Waste your land.  Kill your creature.  Waste your Land.  Attack for 6 with exalted guy.  Misstep your Swords.  Memory is a bit blurry.  I have a vague recollection of baiting out a Path to Exile with a Mayor of Avabruck to clear the road for Bob, which won the game.  Bob always wins the Fish mirror.  Game two, I had two Bobs in opening hand.  I expected to lose one.  I played Bob, he Pathed it.  No surprise.  I played another Bob, he Pathed that one too.  That hurt.  I was still in the game for a while with an Exalted Factory.  He played Meddling Mage naming either Mayor of Avabruck or Abrupt Decay.  I had 1 Noble, he had 3.  Then I got up to 2.  Think I also got up to 2 Factories.  Then he got his 4th Noble Hierarch.  I killed one of them.  He attacked with the Meddling Mage and I had Hierarch to block it but didn't bother because I knew he had Selesnya Charm.  I mean I didn't "know" that factually, I just -knew-.  Combination of math, probability, the play sequencing, sixth sense.  I knew he had it.  Whether I blocked or did not block was irrelevant cause of trample, so I figured if he was going to kill me with Selesnya Charm, there was no reason the Hierarch had to die.  If for some chance he didn't have it, his life total was so precarious, he was going to have to start chump blocking my Factories with Nobles next turn.  He played Selesnya Charm and won. That's a good card.  I was at a robust 6 life then, that's how brutal these Noble Hierarch mirrors are.  It's like "Hi, I am a Meddling Mage, I have the same power and toughness as Griselbrand.  And I have Trample."

Game 3 I had Bob, then Stoneforge Mystic->Batterskull, then another Bob and he stalled at 3 mana sources and I Wasted his Tundra.  

Round 3 - Dredge (Brett), Win 2-1

Game 1 he gave an overture about how he was either going to win "very quickly" or just lose and that he was the only person there playing this kind of deck.  It sounded like he was describing Belcher or Rogue Hermit so I mulled my 7 into a 6 that included Mox, Thalia.  It also had Black Lotus, Mayor of Avabruck.  He opened with Bazaar of Baghdad.  I played Thalia and Mayor.  Usually this is the kind of situation where you can steal a game 1 win off Dredge if you get a Wasteland.  Mayor flipped into Howlpack Alpha and for most of the game, I had more and bigger token creatures on the table than he did.  But I really needed a Wasteland at some point and it just didn't happen, so he Dread Returned Flame-Kin with 3 or 4 Bridge from Belows in the graveyard.  And put 44 damage on the table, only around 20 or 21 of which could be blocked.  

Game 2 went on forever.  I had Cage, Wasteland, Strip Mine, and Thalia.  Trinket Mage.  Played Cage.  Got Nature's Claimed.  Played Thalia.  Played Trinket Mage for Tormod's Crypt.  He tried to bait the Crypt loads of times but I wasn't buying it and waited until one of his main phases where he played a land and put several Bloodghast triggers on the stack.  Crypted him.  All of his Bridges were gone except for 1 and we ended up in this stalemate where I had higher life, a Thalia and a Trinket Mage and something else, he had no land and 2-3 bridge tokens.  He only had Ichorid generating tokens and he started Dredging Dakmor Salvages, aiming to eventually Darkblast Thalia.  A crowd had gathered round.  Of all things to topdeck, I drew Grand Arbiter Augustin IV and placed him square in the center of the board.  The boss.  I never would have expected him to be central to winning a Dredge game but he came through big time.  I was planning on boarding him out but had already boarded out the non-applicable crap in this match-up like Stony Silence, Abrupt Decay, and something else w/o much left to remove.  The additional Sphere effect meant when he stalled at 2 Dakmor Salvages, he could not play any spells for the rest of the game.  The X/3 body meant the bridge tokens could never attack profitably.  He was trying to get board position w. the Ichorid and 1 remaining Bridge but was running out of black creatures and I think he made a semi-Alpha strike where I blocked with a Noble Hierarch and exiled the bridge without giving a token.  I drew Mishra's Factory as a final blocker as I was getting low on life and it was enough to stall the board state until he drew his deck and lost on draw step.  

Game 3 there was not much time left but I won in a quick blowout.  Land, Mox, Lotus, Thalia, Rest in Peace.  Waste the City.  Waste the City.  Play Bob.  His only out was me being an idiot and Wasting the Bazaar so that he could work his mana base up to 1G to Nature's Claim the RiP so when I wasted the City the second time instead of the Bazaar, he scooped.  
 
Game 4 - Strix Control (Mark Kinney), Loss 0-2

I was already a lock for the Top 8 so just considered this a fun match.  I would have ID-ed if he wanted but I'd been paired down so I think he needed to win the match to advance.  Game 1 I had double Bob and Mayor but I was waiting for the Mayor to flip before attacking because he had two of those horrible Birds and some other blocker in play.  There's no way I'm letting a Dark Confidant or Mayor of Avabruck die to a 1/1 deathtouch bird.  If he had a relevant planeswalker, it would force my hand into those unfavorable trades but he didn't.  I then got another Mayor and he played Myr Battlesphere.  I got -triple- Mayor next turn, and they all flipped and then I played Batterskull and Equipped something with it.  A large battle was brewing.  Charge was imminent.  Advantage: Mayors.  But right before the first foray, Mark asked if it would be cool to suspend the battle and just negate the entire game by taking infinite turns, I said "no!" but it turns out there's a card they allow in this game that does this?  What silliness.  

Game 2 I had him on the ropes, Fiend Huntered his first turn Bob then he played Jace bouncing the Hunter, replayed the Hunter exiling Bob, then he played Baleful Strix.  I replayed Fiend Hunter exiling the Strix and attacked Jace with Thalia (I think?) forcing him to lose either the Jace or the Bob, so he lost the Bob and then next turn lost the Jace and Stoneforge Mystic was on its way bringing the pain.  Things were going downhill for Mr. Kinney so fast, the revenge moment for the Humans after last time's drubbing was at last upon them.  I was cool with his Time Vault sitting there doing nothing because I had a Misstep for Voltaic Key and he had no counters in hand; I'd seen his hand w. a Sin Collector.  But of all things to topdeck, he played Tinker.    

Although I beat Strix Control last week, it seems to be a really tough match.  I do feel better about it after having seen the list and realizing I don't have to hedge against Lightning Bolt, cause they're not there (notwithstanding foil Ral Zarek).  I think if this deck became really pervasive, it would help to work Thada Adel, Acquisitor into a sideboard or maindeck.  
 
Quarterfinals - Espresso Shops (Thomas Dixon), Loss 0-2

I was on the draw which is never a good place to be v. Shops.  Game 2 was insane, with double Mayor on my side and a Metamorph of a Mayor on his side, and then a Smokestack in damage control mode ramped up to 3.  Tom detailed it in his report here: http://www.themanadrain.com/index.php?topic=45405.0

There was a round robin for a dual land for the 4 people in the top 8 not in the semifinals and I won the first match against BUG Fish, lost the second to Martello Shops.  There were so many wild things happening that day, and this Workshop match was no exception.  I was on the draw.  On a mull to five he opens, Mox, Mana Crypt, Academy, Forgemaster, go.  From Mull 6 I have 2 Noble Hierarchs, Fiend Hunter, City, Wasteland, something else.  I play land Noble Hierarch.  He plays a Wasteland on my City delaying the Fiend Hunter for one turn.  I Waste his Academy.  He summons up that evil Hellkite.  He attacks but cannot use the ability.  I drew another city, played it and and played the other two Hierarchs.  He has no board except for the Dragon and no mana to use the ability.  I think "please let him draw a non-mana producing artifact or Workshop."  Of all things, he topdecks not just any mana source but... Black Lotus.  Attacks.  Pops lotus for GGG and uses ability @ 1 killing 3 Noble Hierarchs.  Uses the remaining 2 mana to play Chalice of the Void @ 1.  Passes.  I immediately draw Swords to Plowshares.  Demonic Intervention is the only plausible explanation for that insult to injury.   G2 I had a good hand, Mayor, Noble, good mana to cast them, Mox, Stoneforge Mystic.  Usually good against the standard shop playbook.  But he had another fast Forgemaster into Steel Hellkite and I didn't draw Swords to Plowshares or Fiend Hunter or Vithian Renegades or Path to Exile or any of the gazillion removal spells post-sb.  Oh well.  

Went to the restaurant, ate well, and then back to the store and played Magic past midnight, something I haven't done in a long time.  One of the best days and tournaments ever.  

-B

[Samoht]

Just sent you a PM Brian. I like the change of Huntmaster and Thorn. Amend my PM to include them

Disregard Glowrider :p

[brianpk80]

Mayor Fish made Top 16 at NYSE and won a Bazaar of Baghdad.

It was a similar list but with Trinket Mage and a Cage main.  Used Path to Exile in place of Swords to Plowshares due to expected heavy Shop & Griselbrand presence.  Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch was an MVP all day long and brought home the final win in the final game, beating UR Landstill 2-0 after being Regrown with an Eternal Witness.  Deck continues to be very brutal against Burning Oath, with Stony Silence, Wastelands, Chalice, Cage, Misstep & Mindbreak Traps + the white utility creatures causing headaches.  After 7 rounds, the two match losses were a 2-1 loss to Tom Dixon's Espresso Shops.  Game 1 is a blur but it had to do with LSG and Tangle Wire + me not having Path to Exile.  Game 2 I played the Shop role, opening with Chalice @ 0, landing Stony Silence for his Sol Ring and drawing 3 Wastelands and a Strip Mine, and then Mayor of Avabruck.  Game 3 he played a Golem, Revoker, and Tangle Wire and Chaliced out my Path to Exiles.  The other match loss was 2-1 to BUG Fish, a typically decent match-up but this opponent was running Pernicious Deed main which caught me by surprise and gobbled up Thalia, Howlpack, and 2 Wolves in one fell swoop.  Game 3 he had a blowout opener on the play: Wasteland, Black Lotus, Dark Confidant, Demonic Tutor, followed by Time Walk and Snapcaster on Time Walk, another Wasteland, Abrupt Decay on my Hierarch, and then Ancestral Recall.  

I have to work today but will try to get to all the local events in July.  Pretty sure I'll play Mayor Fish again.  

[Stormanimagus]

Mayor Fish made Top 16 at NYSE and won a Bazaar of Baghdad.

It was a similar list but with Trinket Mage and a Cage main.  Used Path to Exile in place of Swords to Plowshares due to expected heavy Shop & Griselbrand presence.  Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch was an MVP all day long and brought home the final win in the final game, beating UR Landstill 2-0 after being Regrown with an Eternal Witness.  Deck continues to be very brutal against Burning Oath, with Stony Silence, Wastelands, Chalice, Cage, Misstep & Mindbreak Traps + the white utility creatures causing headaches.  After 7 rounds, the two match losses were a 2-1 loss to Tom Dixon's Espresso Shops.  Game 1 is a blur but it had to do with LSG and Tangle Wire + me not having Path to Exile.  Game 2 I played the Shop role, opening with Chalice @ 0, landing Stony Silence for his Sol Ring and drawing 3 Wastelands and a Strip Mine, and then Mayor of Avabruck.  Game 3 he played a Golem, Revoker, and Tangle Wire and Chaliced out my Path to Exiles.  The other match loss was 2-1 to BUG Fish, a typically decent match-up but this opponent was running Pernicious Deed main which caught me by surprise and gobbled up Thalia, Howlpack, and 2 Wolves in one fell swoop.  Game 3 he had a blowout opener on the play: Wasteland, Black Lotus, Dark Confidant, Demonic Tutor, followed by Time Walk and Snapcaster on Time Walk, another Wasteland, Abrupt Decay on my Hierarch, and then Ancestral Recall.  

I have to work today but will try to get to all the local events in July.  Pretty sure I'll play Mayor Fish again.  

I'm curious. I trust that Exava is working for you, but in what way is she superior to Thrun, The Last Troll vs. Landstill? Does the haste end up mattering that much? Thrun can't be targeted by Jace so Thrun won't get bounced even though he doesn't have haste. I'm curious as to how you arrived at Exava. Is she really the best option out there? Would you consider running 2?

-Storm

[brianpk80]

I'm curious. I trust that Exava is working for you, but in what way is she superior to Thrun, The Last Troll vs. Landstill? Does the haste end up mattering that much? Thrun can't be targeted by Jace so Thrun won't get bounced even though he doesn't have haste. I'm curious as to how you arrived at Exava. Is she really the best option out there? Would you consider running 2?

The haste matters every time.  You can't wait a turn for Bomberman to Brainstorm into blockers or have Landstill find Crucible of Worlds.  Thrun is fine v. Landstill specifically and could augment the package in the sideboard, but it's already a match-up that generally favors Humans so that shouldn't be necessary.   He isn't Human so you'll need GG non-Cavern mana to play it and then additional green to have regeneration open which is sometimes manageable so if desperate to drive the point home mercilessly, he or Sigarda could join for unnecessarily over-the-top (but fun) brutality.  The thing with Exava is that not only are the Haste and Human creature subtypes relevant, but the first strike keeps her safe from double blocks.  Remember with Exalted & Mayor bonuses, she can regularly hit for 5-7 when she hits the table so over the course of a full turn, against a non-blocking opponent, she's dealing about as much damage as a Darksteel Colossus over the same time period.  She's an extremely fast clock that eschews most of the removal and bounce in the format.

I would consider running two definitely depending on the meta.  I usually side her out v. Dredge and against Shops on the draw.  It's one of the few cards in RtR block (and the latter two expansions especially) that's blatantly overpowered for its price so there's no shame in running two.  Thrun is a solid card as well but is more narrow in application.  Hope that answers your questions.      

[Stormanimagus]

Brian, I guess my question is, how is she better than something else at the 3 or 2cmc slot. Isn't 4 mana just often too slow especially for something that ONLY beats?

-Storm

[brianpk80]

Brian, I guess my question is, how is she better than something else at the 3 or 2cmc slot. Isn't 4 mana just often too slow especially for something that ONLY beats?

No.  If you play a deck with ~31 mana sources and can't cast a 4CC spell by the third-fifth turn when you need her, you're doing something wrong.  Further, she does more than beat.  Forcing unfair trades and upending the Jace-lock strategy are very disruptive and generate card advantage.  If you play a full accel package plus 4 Noble Hierarchs, you should want a few cards that take advantage of that, especially since they are protected from countermagic by Cavern.  It can't just be small fry followed by small fry asking to get blown out by Pyroclasm.  That's why I include Mishra's Factories, Batterskull, and larger humans like Exava the Blood Witch.  Maybe it's the art you find prejudicing?     I assure you she has been redeemed and now fights for the good guys. 

Finally, it's pretty silly to embark on a vain quest for "optimizing" the last few cards of a Vintage Fish deck when it's obvious that every choice is simply situational.  Kataki is not good v. Dredge, Mayors are not good v. Oath, Thalia is not great against Shop, etc.  The only total no-brainers here are 4x Cavern of Souls, 4x Dark Confidant, even the number of Thalias, Mayors, and Nobles are variable.  The rest can be calibrated for play-style, objectives, and anticipated field.  When there is a lot of Jace & BUG Fish, you want Exava. 

[Stormanimagus]

Brian, I guess my question is, how is she better than something else at the 3 or 2cmc slot. Isn't 4 mana just often too slow especially for something that ONLY beats?

No.  If you play a deck with ~31 mana sources and can't cast a 4CC spell by the third-fifth turn when you need her, you're doing something wrong.  Further, she does more than beat.  Forcing unfair trades and upending the Jace-lock strategy are very disruptive and generate card advantage.  If you play a full accel package plus 4 Noble Hierarchs, you should want a few cards that take advantage of that, especially since they are protected from countermagic by Cavern.  It can't just be small fry followed by small fry asking to get blown out by Pyroclasm.  That's why I include Mishra's Factories, Batterskull, and larger humans like Exava the Blood Witch.  Maybe it's the art you find prejudicing?     I assure you she has been redeemed and now fights for the good guys. 

Finally, it's pretty silly to embark on a vain quest for "optimizing" the last few cards of a Vintage Fish deck when it's obvious that every choice is simply situational.  Kataki is not good v. Dredge, Mayors are not good v. Oath, Thalia is not great against Shop, etc.  The only total no-brainers here are 4x Cavern of Souls, 4x Dark Confidant, even the number of Thalias, Mayors, and Nobles are variable.  The rest can be calibrated for play-style, objectives, and anticipated field.  When there is a lot of Jace & BUG Fish, you want Exava. 

Yes, but is she truly the best and ONLY option for that role? What about Notion Thief (Since you can play him at instant speed he gets around Jace's bounce ability just fine. Is being boltable really that big a deal such that he is less playable? Isn't the upside of being able to reverse a draw spells a bigger deal than Exava's haste?)?

[brianpk80]

Yes, but is she truly the best and ONLY option for that role?

I just said there is no "[best]" or singular card for all roles, but you calibrate the list based on what you expect to face and how you want to play.  This question misses the mark. 

What about Notion Thief (Since you can play him at instant speed he gets around Jace's bounce ability just fine. Is being boltable really that big a deal such that he is less playable? Isn't the upside of being able to reverse a draw spells a bigger deal than Exava's haste?)?

Notion Thief is a gimmick that only works when it has surprise value.  Yes, the 1 toughness is pretty discouraging and works against it.  When your opponent knows you have Notion Thief or if they play Jace properly against Fish, they're going to be fatesealing you and using the extra counters for multiple unsummons.  Playing Notion Thief at end of turn maybe attacking once and then getting bounced, bolted, Fire/Iced, Pyroclasmed, etc. is quite inferior to playing Exava.  NT is also significantly worse in the Shop match where at least Exava can seal a win when ahead or block Golems with First Strike.  It's also not very relevant in aggro mirrors as Exava is, and Fish is everywhere these days so that can't be ignored. 

I will say if you play it, Notion Thief is very good against Burning Oath but also very win-more, since it's already a favorable match for Mayor Fish and it's the cheap early defenses that win here, not Exava or Notion Thief. 

[Guli]

Exava puts the Mayor Fish player on the offensive. This is were you want to be, it makes all your other spells more powerfull. It is highly relevant that it doesn't get hit by snuff out, bolt or abrupt decay. The card just doesn't care about Jace. The haste and first strike make it a bomb.