1st Place at Blue Bell Game Day #1 (Saturday, 12/20) with Martello Shops

[Changster]

Once again, I found a Workshop list that worked for me...

Since finishing 1st overall in the Swiss and placing 5th at Vintage Worlds this year, I've been on a hot streak playing only Martello Shops (designed by Raffaele & Vincent Forino).  Fortunately, along the East Coast there have been Vintage tournaments almost every weekend to compete in.  Below is a quick summary of what my tournament trail looked like:

11/1 Comic Book Depot (Bellmore, NY) - 1st Place
11/8 Mark's Comics (Valley Stream, NY)- 2nd Place
11/22 Top Deck Games (Cherry Hill, NJ) - 1st Place
11/29 Comic Book Depot (Bellmore, NY) - 2nd Place
12/20 Alternate Universe (Blue Bell, PA) - 1st Place

Most recently, I took down the Emerald/Workshop Blue Bell Game Day @ Alternate Universes, hosted by Craig Berry & Chas Hinkle.  It was a fantastic 40-person tournament, with 6 rounds quickly moving from one to the next that I seriously had to ask Chas to postpone firing one of the rounds just so I could take a leak.  Props to those guys for running such a smooth event!

Here's the list I ran...

MARTELLO SHOPS

//Maindeck (60)
1 x Black Lotus
1 x Mana Crypt
1 x Mox Emerald
1 x Mox Jet
1 x Mox Pearl
1 x Mox Ruby
1 x Mox Sapphire
4 x Chalice of the Void
1 x Sol Ring
3 x Sphere of Resistance
4 x Phyrexian Revoker
4 x Thorn of Amethyst
1 x Trinisphere
4 x Tangle Wire
3 x Phyrexian Metamorph
4 x Lodestone Golem
4 x Kuldotha Forgemaster
1 x Duplicant
1 x Steel Hellkite
1 x Sundering Titan
1 x Strip Mine
1 x Tolarian Academy
4 x Ancient Tomb
4 x Mishra's Factory
4 x Mishra's Workshop
4 x Wasteland

//Sideboard (15)
3 x Crucible of Worlds
2 x Dismember
1 x Duplicant
1 x Ghost Quarter
1 x Pithing Needle
4 x Tormod's Crypt
1 x Triskelion
2 x Wurmcoil Engine

If you compared the list above to what I actually ran at Worlds, it's only two cards off.
+1 Pithing Needle
+1 Triskelion
-1 Sphere of Resistance
-1 Witchbane Orb
The deck in the current metagame is a solid choice to combat Delver & Oath builds.  I won't go into crazy detail about matches, but here's how they unfolded.

Round 1 vs. Matt Bevenour w/ Dredge
G1: On the play, kept a terrible hand vs Dredge = L
G2: Multiple Tormod's Crypts = W
G3: Multiple Tormod's Crypts = W

Match Record: 1-0

Round 2 vs. Josh Fuller w/ Martello Shops
G1: Overpower him with a perfect hand on the draw = W
G2: An early Lodestone from him knocks me down quickly to 6, but I stabilize and come back = W

Match Record: 2-0

Round 3 vs. Adam Pollini w/ Rage Extractor Shops
G1: Quickly find myself burned to death via a Moltensteel Dragon + Rage Extractor combo = L
G2: We grind it out shop vs shop style = W
G3: With less than 10 minutes left, we scramble and play through the 3rd game.  I failed to notice that Revoker had shut down his Sol Ring and then played & used my own Sol Ring to resolve the game-winning Duplicant, imprinting his Moltensteel Dragon.  My apologies Adam, and thanks for being a good sport about it.  A bystander pointed this out to us only after cards were put away and the match slip was signed. = W

Match Record: 3-0

Round 4 vs Ryan Glackin w/ URg Delver
G1: Stabilized at 2, grindy match that eventually got him = W
G2: So much hate! = L
G3: Again, so much hate! = L

Match Record: 3-1

Round 5 vs Steven Colby w/ Martello Shops
G1: Quickly dismantle him with an army of bots = W
G2: He somehow forgets to sideboard I stabilize at 1 life to take over a very grindy and prolonged game = W

Match Record: 4-1

Round 6 vs Nick DiJohn w/ Martello Shops
Intentionally draw into Top 8 as 3rd seeded player.

Overall Swiss Match Record: 4-1-1

Quarterfinals vs Matt Bevenour w/ Dredge
G1: It was a landslide of zombies and I was dead before I knew it.  Kept a hand that quick solid on the play against Dredge, but I always felt about 1 turn behind. = L
G2: Controlled the game with turn 1 Pithing Needle on Bazaar of Baghdad, coupled with a Wurmcoil and other hate. = W
G3: Matt unfornately mulls down to 1 and I even have a turn 1 Needle on Bazaar, so this one ends quickly. = W

Semifinals vs Nick DiJohn w/ Martello Shops
Every game in this match was so complex and grindy, it hurts my brain just trying to recall what happened.  It went the distance of 3 games with many Revokers, Metamorphs, Duplicants being named at every twist and turn.  Somehow after all the dust settled, I pulled out this victory.  Nick's an excellent and rising Shops player, so I expect him to find plenty of success with the deck in the future.

Finals vs Ryan Glackin w/ URg Delver
G1: Although I'm on the draw, I get a busted hand and quickly land a Chalice on 1, which seals the win. = W
G2: My ending life total was 23, but it did not fully represent how much of a crazy game this one was.  Early Revokers and Wires contained him, but he was always one card/mana short from blowing the gates wide open.  Toward the end of this epic game, I started topdecking consecutive bots (Trike, Wurmcoil, Wurmcoil, Steel Hellkite) to seal the deal.  It was like a windfall of brute power to close things out with a win in the finals.

* * *

After all of that, I was lucky enough to walk away with a nice Unlimited Mox Emerald.  I had a blast in all of my matches and overall quite happy with the way I played the deck.  A few uncharacteristic errors on my end, but it didn't stop me from playing the deck optimally.

In closing, it's only a matter of time before the next metagame shift, so I can only hope the minor tweaks I continue to make to the decklist stay ahead of that curve.

Best,

-Roland

[mr.grim]

Soooooo much heat!  Props bro!

[benk499]

Roland,

Thanks for the write up!  I'm just getting into shops running a very similar build (but a very different sideboard) and I've quickly fallen in love with it.  Mind if I pick your brain a little?

1.  Why are you running 3 Spheres and 4 Thorns?  I would have cut the Thorn first as I figure it leaves me vulnerable more vulnerable to Ingot Chewer and Delver.  Is it just so you can drop your creatures more easily?

2.  Why no Grafdiggers in the sideboard?  I've found them to be the most useful card in there.  What's your plan against Oath?  Also I had been planning to cut the LotVs, but was thinking Relic of Progenitus instead of Tormod's Crypt.  I figured the additional mana cost of the Relics were outweighed by the card draw. 

Here's the list I most recently ran.

1 x Black Lotus
1 x Mana Crypt
1 x Mox Emerald
1 x Mox Jet
1 x Mox Pearl
1 x Mox Ruby
1 x Mox Sapphire
4 x Chalice of the Void
1 x Sol Ring
4 x Sphere of Resistance
4 x Phyrexian Revoker
4 x Thorn of Amethyst
1 x Trinisphere
4 x Tangle Wire
3 x Phyrexian Metamorph
4 x Lodestone Golem
4 x Kuldotha Forgemaster
1 x Duplicant
1 x Steel Hellkite
1 x Sundering Titan
1 x Strip Mine
1 x Tolarian Academy
4 x Ancient Tomb
3 x Mishra's Factory
4 x Mishra's Workshop
4 x Wasteland

SB:
4 Grafdiggers Cage
4 Leyline of the Void 
2 Ratchet Bomb 
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 Witchbane Orb
2 Crucible of Worlds

I was planning on retooling the SB to:
4 Grafdiggers Cage
3 Relic of Progenitus
1 Ghost Quarter
2 Dismember
2 Crucible of Worlds
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Triskelion
1 Duplicant

Any pointers you could give me would be much appreciated!

[Meddling Mike]

I was curious if you could speak a bit about your sideboard. You mentioned that you have since added the Needle, I was curious about what match up that was for. I noticed you brought it in for the mirror. I was also curious about the Triskelion. Has he been better than another Wurmcoil Engine? Which matchup do you bring in the Duplicant for? Just anything with creatures?

Good write up Roland and congrats.

[Changster]

1.  Why are you running 3 Spheres and 4 Thorns?  I would have cut the Thorn first as I figure it leaves me vulnerable more vulnerable to Ingot Chewer and Delver.  Is it just so you can drop your creatures more easily?

2.  Why no Grafdiggers in the sideboard?  I've found them to be the most useful card in there.  What's your plan against Oath?  Also I had been planning to cut the LotVs, but was thinking Relic of Progenitus instead of Tormod's Crypt.  I figured the additional mana cost of the Relics were outweighed by the card draw. 

Happy to help guys!  You're welcome 

1.) I have found that 3 Sphere of Resistance feels about right, not pushing crucial creature spells out of range of being cast.  Whereas Thorn does not negatively impact my spells turn to turn and I can sneak in additional creatures / Metamorphs under them.  Ingot Chewers are for sure a liability, but Thorns still serve a solid purpose of preventing them from playing any additional cantrips, tutors, planeswalkers.  Pushing up the casting cost on those can still be effective, even if it means letting them chip away at your wall of spheres.

2.) No Grafdigger's Cages in the sideboard because I am more comfortable with Tormod's Crypt simply removing a graveyard.  It can apply to Dredge, Treasure Cruise, Oath, Workshop Waste/Strip battles, or even ritual-based combo with Yawg Will finishes.  It's a playstyle choice, plus it dodges the all-important Chalice at 1.

@Meddling Mike - Needle was for shutting down Bazaar, Jace, Dack, Griselbrand, Vault/Key, Engineered Explosives, or opposing Forgemasters/Hellkites.  It has been instrumental as a more versatile 5th Revoker, if you will.  Triskelion is more for opposing Revokers shutting me down, a proactive answer to Dack and his buddies (Young Pyro & Delver).  Duplicant is there mainly for an opposing Griselbrand, Blightsteel Colossus, or Emrakul.  The 1-2 punch against those guys is Metamorph them, then Dupe them, swing in for the kill.  Often times, it requires using the first Forgemaster to copy the guy first, then bringing out the Duplicant to clear the path when you attack with your Metamorph'd copy.

[benk499]

Thanks for the insight!  I think you swayed a few of my card choices. 

Also this part is deliciously evil:

>  The 1-2 punch against those guys is Metamorph them, then Dupe them, swing in for the kill.

I hadn't thought of that one yet.  So far I've found the Duplicant just incredibly useful though.  I find myself getting it with the Forgemaster more than half the time I activate it. 

[tribet]

Are you sometimes tempted to name Fetchland or the like if you can get Needle T1 or T2?

Also, you mention Needle for Dack, you mind sharing your typical sideboard plan against delver?
- 4 Revoker?
+ 2 Wurmcoil
+ 1 Triskelion
+ x Tormod's?
+ Dismember?

[msg67183]

Are you sometimes tempted to name Fetchland or the like if you can get Needle T1 or T2?

Also, you mention Needle for Dack, you mind sharing your typical sideboard plan against delver?
- 4 Revoker?
+ 2 Wurmcoil
+ 1 Triskelion
+ x Tormod's?
+ Dismember?

From what I see, I would think Duplicant is fairly poor in that matchup as it takes a guy then becomes smaller than it's original form most of the time. I could be wrong but I would think. Against Delver I'd leave in Revoker specifically for Dack actually, once again I could be wrong.

[tribet]

I didn't list Duplicant because I really had Trygon in mind. He's just too much of a beater honestly.

I was in fact wondering whether thining out on lands (Mishras?), Metamorph? or possibly Forgemaster? was idiotic against Delver.

I don't know if focussing on Dack is key priority in that matchup. If Dack gets on board, you are already behind so you are doing it wrong anyways, no? When you're drawing too many Revokers early, do they really put ahead considering Delver runs minimum moxen & only 1 or 2 Dack max. Do you maybe just leave 1 Revoker as Forgemaster target or as midgame/late game versatile answer?

I think game 2 & 3, you'ld rather focuss on their graveyard (Grudge, Cruise), Spot removal for their few critters and trying to increase the 2-1ing a little bit more in your favour (+ Needle naming fetch + Wurmcoil + Triskelion; - metamorph, - Forgemaster...).

Let's wait for Roland to sober off from New Year's eve.

[msg67183]

I didn't list Duplicant because I really had Trygon in mind. He's just too much of a beater honestly.

I was in fact wondering whether thining out on lands (Mishras?), Metamorph? or possibly Forgemaster? was idiotic against Delver.

I don't know if focussing on Dack is key priority in that matchup. If Dack gets on board, you are already behind so you are doing it wrong anyways, no? When you're drawing too many Revokers early, do they really put ahead considering Delver runs minimum moxen & only 1 or 2 Dack max. Do you maybe just leave 1 Revoker as Forgemaster target or as midgame/late game versatile answer?

I think game 2 & 3, you'ld rather focuss on their graveyard (Grudge, Cruise), Spot removal for their few critters and trying to increase the 2-1ing a little bit more in your favour (+ Needle naming fetch + Wurmcoil + Triskelion; - metamorph, - Forgemaster...).

Let's wait for Roland to sober off from New Year's eve.

Another thing I noticed about Delver is, if they get a Delver onlinethey don't really care about Spheres. When I played Shops I would board out Spheres against creature based decks since they have threats that are very low costing.

[tribet]

I would board out Spheres against creature based decks since they have threats that are very low costing.

"Threats that are low costing" but that are also in very low density (10 max). They need to find them so Spheres is one way to slow that, right?

Then they have 4 Delver and you have like 17-18 cards that can deal with it efficiently (Chalice, Tangle Wire, Dismember, Metamorph, Dupe, Hellkite, Triskelion, Wurmcoil). You need to protect your cards from their removals & counters, no? So you need all your Spheres, right?

[benk499]

Yeah I don't board out my Spheres against Delver either.  Lots of times Delver gets stuck on 1-2 lands and a Sphere or two can keep them silent for awhile while they dig for land.