Martello was not performing to the high standard of success it had over the last year plus. Despite making numerous changes to both the maindeck and sideboard, I could not keep up with the changing metagame. The other decks in the format had finally adapted, and I needed to change decks.
I started brainstorming ideas after the event at Top Deck Games on June 22. I needed a card to deal with the annoying creatures in the format. Dismember seemed like the obvious choice. I had tried nearly every six-mana creature to combat other creatures. Triskelion, Wurmcoil, Duplicant, and Geistcatcher's Rig just weren't cutting it. I took the Martello shell and cut the Forgemasters and tutor targets to make room.
Then I needed a card that would replace all the beaters I just cut, dodge removal to some degree, and hopefully offset the life loss from Dismember, Metamorph, and Ancient Tomb. Batterskull was the perfect answer. It was big enough to dodge Lightning Bolt; it was black to avoid Snuff Out; it was cheap enough to still be playable alongside four Spheres; it plays well with Metamorph; while equipped, it can help you go over the top Griselbrand; it gives you an extra permanent to tap to Tangle Wire or sack to Smokestack; but, most importantly, it offsets opposing removal.
I decided to go with this list:
"Decklist Withheld" aka "Batterskull Aggro" aka "Ones and Fours"
4 Batterskull
4 Dismember
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Tangle Wire
4 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Sphere of Resistance
1 Trinisphere
1 Duplicant
4 Mishra's Workshop
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Wasteland
4 Mishra's Factory
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Black Lotus
SB: 4 Grafdigger's Cage
SB: 4 Relic of Progenitus
SB: 3 Ghost Quarter
SB: 3 Crucible of Worlds
SB: 1 Duplicant
Is it revolutionary? Certainly not. But it had the changes that I hoped would get Shops over the hump. I took the list cold into Comic Book Depot just a week later. No one in the car knew exactly what I was on. I didn't know exactly what I was on. Without any in-person testing or on Cockatrice, I wasn't quite sure what to expect.
Comic Book Depot
Round One versus Sam on BUGw Fish
I have no idea what Sam is on, nor do I believe we have ever met.
Game One: I win the roll and keep a solid hand versus an unknown deck. My first Lodestone and Batterskull meet Force of Will, but that's about the only action he can muster this game.
Game Two: My mull to six isn't strong enough to prevent him from quickly advancing his board state. I lose to a combination of Hierarch, Deathrite Shaman, and Qasali Pridemage.
Game Three: I prey on the deck's weak mana base with my Waste effects and lock him out of the game with a Sphere and Revoker and Metamorphed Revoker on Deathrite and Hierarch.
Round Two versus Andy on Neo Academy
Andy was our driver, and we jammed a few games in before the tournament started. I convinced him to switch to Force of Will, which was important in our match and for him on his way to a top eight.
Game One: I win the all-important die roll, and game one goes as expected.
Game Two: Also goes as expected.
Game Three: I mull to five and Andy to six. I quickly put pressure on him with Revoker and Lodestone. He lands a Goblin Charbelcher. When he activates it while facing lethal on board, he says he's targeting me. I quizzically say, "You're targeting me?" He confirms and only does five points of damage. In hindsight, he knew he should've targeted the Lodestone with the Ancient Tombs left in his library. I gladly take the win.
Round Three versus Hale on Burning Long
Hale's report can be found
here. I lose in two games and wonder if the percentage points I'm theoretically gaining versus aggro-based decks is worth the points I'm ceding here.
Round Four versus Jake on UBw Suicide Jace Vault
Jake was playing Paul's winning list from the NYSE Open.
Game One: My memory is hazy on this one. I lost the roll and mulled to six, but his life went down in chunks of five. Based on my powers of deduction, the primary suspect is Lodestone Golem.
Game Two: Jake bought several turns with Jace and Swords to Plowshares, but he was never able to remove the Batterskull itself. An equipped Revoker eventually struck the final blow.
Round Five versus Mike on Dredge
We ID to insure Mike is the one seed, and I'll likely be the three seed.
Top Eight versus Brian on UR Trinketstill
I haven't seen what Brian is on at this point. I assume it's Esper Bomberman based on our past matches.
Game One: As the higher seed, I keep a solid hand considering I put him on the wrong deck. Unfortunately, it is not strong enough to deal with his Crucible and Jace.
Game Two: My turn one Relic of Progenitus to keep him off Crucible, followed soon by a Batterskull, and then another via Metamorph make quick work of him.
Game Three: Brian tanks with his hand of seven and decides to keep the unorthodox hand. He leads with basic Mountain into Pithing Needle on Relic of Progenitus. He was on the Crucible plan but didn't have a counter or Ingot Chewer for my turn one Crucible. He finds Wasteland and Ingot Chewer too late, and I beat him down with a Revoker and two Factories.
Top Four versus Jake again
Jake mentioned that his only losses on the day so far were to me in Swiss. While that's encouraging news, I know it will not be easy to beat him twice especially on the draw both times.
Game One: I was the lower seed, but Jake mulled to five. Double Lodestone quickly gets there.
Game Two: I mull to five. He mulls to a six with land, Lotus, and Jace.
Game Three: I agonize over my six with him keeping seven. The six is Sol Ring, Lotus, Chalice, Trinisphere, Revoker, and Duplicant. All of my spells resolve and I topdeck a Workshop with my first draw. It all goes downhill from there though. Jake has enough lands and stops the bleeding from Revoker at 10. I don't draw another threat in time, Jake stabilizes, and rides Jace to victory.
The finish was disappointing, but the results were not. The top four finish was a small step in the right direction. My work was far from over. Luckily for me, I wouldn't have to wait long. Bloomsburg, which would be my seventh straight weekend of tournament Vintage, was the very next week. I kept the same 75.
Bloomsburg
Round One versus John on Dredge
Game One: I Waste his Bazaar, he dredges Grave-Troll with his draw for the turn hitting a nutty six, plays another Bazaar, I draw for the turn, and scoop to save time.
Game Two: He keeps a hand without Bazaar. Lodestone and double Waste effect end the game in five turns.
Game Three: He has the Bazaar and one Nature's Claim. I have two pieces of hate along with Lodestone and Waste effects again.
Round Two versus Jon on BUG Fish
Game One: We empty our hands at each other resulting in empty boards with both of us in topdeck mode. Jon hits his threat first in the form of Clique-ing himself into Trygon.
Game Two: I lose a pretty frustrating game where he doesn't get to activate Deathrite Shaman, I have quad laser Wasteland plus Strip Mine, and I resolve two Tangle Wires and a Batterskull.
Round Three versus Andy again on Neo Academy
Game One: I lost the roll, but Andy mulled to four.
Game Two: He leads with Pearl, Sol Ring, and Expedition Map. He Forces my Chalice at zero, but my Revoker on Sol Ring resolves. I believe the Force was the last spell he played this game.
Round Four versus Tim on Metalworker MUD
Game One: I'm fairly certain winning the die roll won me this game. I lead with Chalice and followed it up with multiple Waste effects. Tim could not play anything in time to stop my lone Lodestone.
Game Two: I kept a slow, grindy seven with Waste effects and Dismembers but no real threats. Fortunately, Tim did not have an explosive start leading with Ancient Tomb and Chalice. I establish board control over the course of several turns after landing a Crucible and playing Dismember on a Forgemaster and Metalworker. My second Lodestone goes the distance after we trade our first Lodestones. I end the game at six life thanks to Ancient Tombs and Dismembers but was in no real danger of losing.
Round Five versus Keith on Dredge
Keith are I were both 3-1 going into the round. Intentionally drawing would guarantee him a spot in top eight but not me. We play it out with the winner getting the one seed (although the play/draw rule was not in effect).
Game One: I have to mull to three (Wasteland, Sol Ring, Revoker) before I can find a hand with either cast-able spells or a Waste effect. Keith Serum Powders at seven, mulls to one, Powders one, and keeps. His first or second draw for the turn is Bazaar. My draws are even stronger. His slow dredging can't keep pace with my double Revoker and Batterskull.
Game Two: I look at my mull to six: Grafdigger's Cage -- Good start; another Cage -- Now I just need a land; another Cage -- Interesting...; Ancient Tomb -- Snap keep! I don't remember, but I think the last two cards were Ghost Quarter and Crucible. I took up temporary residence in Xmas land. Keith thankfully plays a Bazaar instead of five-color land into Therapy. As if three Cage wasn't enough, my draw for the turn was Grafdigger's Cage.
Top Eight versus Sean on "High Times" aka Dark Times splash green
Game One: I won the die roll and quickly locked him out of the game with Lodestone and Sphere. He got to play a Mox Jet.
Game Two: We both land early Crucibles. I'm able to get multiple Factory beats in before he stabilizes with Wasteland plus Deathrite Shaman removing three Factories. I draw and play Batterskull with three colorless mana up. Sean is forced to expend a lot of resources to deal with the artifact. In the end, it takes Yawg Will, Nature's Claim, and a Thoughtseize to do the job. This sequence of plays has given me time to draw into other threats like Duplicant, which helps me get the final point of damage in.
Top Four versus Nick on Burning Long
Game One: I lose the roll, and we both mull to six. Flash forward several turns. I have a Lodestone, Sphere, Chalice at zero in play, and play Batterskull for the turn. Nick has Oathed up Griselbrand negating my attacks, reduced my life total to six, and drawn 21 cards. Sadly for him, Time Walk and a Hurkyl's Recall are in the graveyard, and the second Hurkyl's is somewhere left in his six-card library. With just enough lock pieces and Tolarian Academy in play, he also can't do anything relevant with Burning Wish. I escape by the skin of my teeth.
Game Two: Nick plays a turn one Necro and sculpts his hand over two turns. He wins by Oathing into Laboratory Maniac and playing Nature's Claim on his Necro. However, I misplay after he Hurkyl's me by playing two creatures instead of just a Lodestone which allowed him to Oath a second time.
Game Three: I keep a seven with Lodestone and double Metamorph hoping he didn't have fast mana and bombs. He keeps a seven with fast mana, lands, and a Hurkyl's hoping I didn't have a fast start. Triple Lodestone got there before he found any of his threats.
Finals versus Josh on UW Flash aka Blue Angels
Josh's report can be found
here. I lose in two games. Game one, I should have definitely mulled. Game two, I kept a six of double Waste, double Lodestone, Sol Ring, and Revoker. While not ideal, I felt that six was stronger than a random five with him keeping seven. I even topdecked a Workshop, but, like he said, he had double fetchland, Ancestral, StP for my first Lodestone, and Force for my second.
Again the finish was disappointing, but I was very pleased with how the deck performed. The decklist, particularly the sideboard, is most likely not ideal, and the sample size is still too small for me to definitively call the deck good. However, the strong showing is promising, and I hope I have continued success with the deck in the near future.
