Dies to Removal

I personally like the T \\ T option as it gave me something for the mirror as well as I expected a few inexperienced pilots to play it because of Knoxville. There was a couple of these but I never had the opportunity to play them. I also like T // T's versatility and it only comes in on the play aga...

Arkansas states was today and I played MDU's list main except for 2 Temple of Silence instead of splitting between Silence and Malice, and 2 Mana Confluence instead of the Guidgates, and 3 Searing Blood, 3 Shock. Sideboard was 4 T // T, 4 Eidolon, 2 Mizzium Mortars, 2 Chained, 1 Harness, 1 Fated, 1 ...

Provide more information. Sideboarding Plan Against MB has been like this: I know I want to take out -3 Shock, -3 Searing Blood. I know I want to bring in +2 Assemble, +1 Mutavault, +1 Chained, +1 Chandra, Pyromaster. I'm not sure if I want to bring in Wear // Tear or 1x Toil // Trouble for the las...

I think they say that because they have a harder time grinding it out against us with a dozen good cards which do not have any synergy with one another outside of devotion. They need threats hitting the table turn 4 through 6 or 7 and us having less answers than that which doesn't always happen. Or ...

I killed a Ghost Dad with an Assemble token and a Helix a couple days ago. You can save your burn to 2 for 1 his creatures if you do not have: "If I dump my hand the next 3 turns I win." I'm at least 50-50 (matches they usually win at least one game in the matches I win and vice versa) to ...

Good mulligan calling (not simply all or no land send them back) is one of the most skill intensive parts of Magic in my opinion. Simply having a great gut for calls or being super lucky is better but it is harder to develop those approaches to the problem.

You can keep them spooked just by making sure you 1R open every play from turn 5 on. They'll Rev for less just to keep the counter open and you never have to draw one to keep them at bay. I've played a couple online today where they assume I'm playing with more critters and let me burn them out befo...

Managed to trick a UW player into Reving for four while I was tapped out on his turn so I could Trouble him for 7 and then skull crack him for the win. Made my day.

I did kill an MBC player with only four spells last night. Trouble for 7; Trouble for 6; Boros Charm and Skullcrack. I wonder if he thought it was funny.

We do even if he failed to see the humor.

I'm liking the 8 scrylands as well, 4 triumph, 2 silence, 2 malice. I've never had a major hiccup from having too many come into play tapped worries there seems an even mix where when I need to make a critical play I have untapped lands. I washed out this weekend at an SCG Super IQ, but round one G3...

If you wear toe socks and keep a revised mountain folded in half in your left back pocket you'll always draw two lands in your opening hand and a third by turn 3. It's science.

Also . . . anyone ever experienced Nightveil Specter boarded in from an Esper Control player? Harry Corvese is advocating that. I played against it last night, it was only a pain as they dropped two and then a fiendslayer and when the second was able to hit me it grabbed a CTTR off the top (it was ...

I'll start playing the RWb Toil // Trouble main next week online. I was focused on finalizing for this paper event this week. I think I'll like the way when the YP/ AZ version switches to control footing and we simply outplay them by bidding our time and swing with a Phoenix when possible, 2 mana ki...

Looks like I finalized my list for GP Phoenix. Heading out tomorrow morning. [deck]4 Chandra's Phoenix 4 Young Pyromancer 3 Chained to the Rocks 4 Boros Charm 4 Lightning Strike 4 Magma Jet 3 Searing Blood 3 Shock 4 Skullcrack 4 Warleader's Helix 1 Blood Crypt 2 Boros Guildgate 7 Mountain 3 Mutavau...

IF you're afraid of Angels, Fiendslayers, Nightveils (which you can already kill) keep a chain or two in. IF you see blood baron in game two, or if it was there in game one (it happens occasionally) then bring Mortars in. Not all of them run it. You don't keep searing blood in for Elspeth tokens, do...

Don't be a dick, and the judge thing is big. Don't be afraid to call the judge on legitimate slow play or rules questions as mentioned above. A lot of people are afraid to slow things down or your opponent may become upset if you call the judge (sometimes because their hoping to get away with someth...

MBC usually brings in or at least swaps removal around in the matchup, Toil goes a long way as they are land don't cast spells till turn three (not including pack rack or thoughtseize). Having Toil game one goes a long way I can imagine. I've liked the increase to 3 chains main though, though it see...

R3-BEasyBG (B aggro-no demons) G1-burn critters, phoenix, helix a pain seer when he’s out of cards, chain a critter, win G2-couldn’t stabilize with only two lands till turn 6, went to 2 life and holding off one goblin 2/2 and tormented hero with pair of phoenix but another goblin off the top to give...

The hell you bringing in toil/trouble against a B aggro deck? On the play only, it came back out game three. I know this is questionable but the cracks and a couple charms came out for the chains, mortars, assemble, and toil or two I don't remember, he wasn't running merchant. Game 3 charms came ba...

I'm playing the most recent Zem main deck 3x shock, chains, searing blood, 3 vault, 1 silence, 1 malice, 2 guildgates SB: 1 chain, 3 mortars, 3 PE, 2 Assemble, 2 Spark Trooper, 3 toil//trouble, 1 wear/tear (forgot chandra switch) DE R1-babones: (B aggro) crackler, tormented hero, demon, etc G1-Kept ...

He kept the zombies incorrectly planning to race Assemble the Legion, vice making Zem discard it with Rakdos. Not a bad call but I think Zem was planning on the downfalls being sided out. MTGO has had more hexproof in 8 mans and I run into one every three to four DE (out of 5 a week). I know glare k...

I understand it against whip, against dredge, and usefulness against Ux and Esper/UW variants (as an option) though I probably will not board it in the mirror as there is little I want to take out and already have to make room for PE and Toil. Drawing one of one or two copies hoping to target one of...

I don't side wear // tear against black. If they want to spend turns three and four gaining 3 life and 3 at most on turn five I'll let them. I'll do stuff that affects the game at that point. If I'm not doing that I didn't lose to staff I lost because I had nothing going on except playing lands and ...

Sp to recap, I want from every pilot a brief discussion on these topics asap: - 4th mutavault vs 1st Temple of Silence - 3rd assemble the legion vs 4th mutavault (sideboard) - wear // tear vs glare of heresy (sideboard) - viashino firstblade vs toil // trouble; value across the meta to justify side...

Ok, I have to ask again about wear // tear. If you're not running it for Bx to use the dual mode, what are you using it in that revoke or glare aren't obscenely better choices? The instant speed matters that much? I'm trying out both and am torn on the issue. I've never used the dual on wear // tea...