Monthly Archives: August 2016

Crush of Tentacles – Beyond the Top 8

crush-of-tentacles
Two different Crush of Tentacles decks were top performers at the New Jersey Invitational (though neither made Top 8, due to Modern)

“Send to Sleep”
-Patrick Chapin

Patrick is half-referencing one of the cards in one of the two 7-1 (or better) U/G Crush of Tentacles decks from last weekend’s Star City Invitational in New Jersey… But he’s also kinda sorta playing on words.

Is Standard super boring right now?

Mike moves to convince his podcast partner that Standard is in fact super open, interesting, and ripe for optimization. Here are some decks that might get your creative juices going…

U/G Crush by William Moore

4 Den Protector
4 Elvish Visionary

4 Anticipate
2 Summary Dismissal
4 Pieces of the Puzzle
4 Crush of Tentacles
4 Part the Waterveil
4 Explosive Vegetation
4 Nissa’s Pilgrimage
2 Nissa’s Renewal

3 Blighted Woodland
4 Lumbering Falls
9 Forest
8 Island

Sideboard
4 Jaddi Offshoot
4 Revealing Wind
3 Dispel
4 Negate

U/G Crush by Zac Elsik

4 Den Protector
4 Elvish Visionary
2 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger

3 Anticipate
4 Crush of Tentacles
2 Oath of Nissa
1 Nissa’s Renewal
3 Part the Waterveil
3 Send to Sleep
4 Nissa’s Pilgrimage
1 Sight Beyond Sight
4 Explosive Vegetation

1 Blighted Woodland
8 Island
9 Forest
4 Lumbering Falls
1 Skyline Cascade
1 Yavimaya Coast

Sideboard
1 Summary Dismissal
3 Noose Constrictor
2 Clip Wings
1 Void Shatter
4 Jaddi Offshoot
1 Orbs of Warding
1 Display of Dominance
2 Dispel

Esper Control by Shaheen Soorani

4 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
1 Emrakul, the Promised End

1 Liliana, the Last Hope
2 Narset Transcendent
1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
2 Sorin, Grim Nemesis

1 Anguished Unmaking
1 Coax from the Blind Eternities
4 Oath of Jace
1 Ruinous Path
3 Transgress the Mind
2 Dark Petition
4 Languish
1 Silumgar’s Command
1 Ultimate Price
4 Grasp of Darkness
1 Descend upon the Sinful

4 Choked Estuary
2 Evolving Wilds
1 Plains
4 Prairie Stream
4 Shambling Vent
4 Sunken Hollow
5 Swamp
2 Island

Sideboard
1 Liliana, the Last Hope
1 Emrakul, the Promised End
1 Summary Dismissal
2 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
1 Fathom Feeder
1 Ruinous Path
2 Infinite Obliteration
1 Dragonlord Silumgar
1 Murder
2 Negate
2 Duress

Shaheen Soorani — sometimes touted as the most successful Invitational player in Star City history — might not have made Top 8, but he did go undefeated in Standard. Unsurprisingly, Shaheen’s “Esper” solution is actually two decks mashed up with two different decks (i.e. right in Mike’s wheelhouse). It’s also basically a B/W board control deck — an established quantity in Standard — splashing for Jace, Oath of Jace, and… Coax the Blind Eternities?!?

Find out why Coax the Blind Eternities is more than just a three mana tax in Shaheen’s deck (despite there being all of one Eldrazi card in his sideboard) in “Crush of Tentacles – Beyond the Top 8”:

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Conspiracy: Take the Crown Exclusive Preview – Birds of Paradise

Birds of Paradise
Birds of Paradise, one of the most iconic cards in the history of the game, is back in Conspiracy: Take the Crown

Birds of Paradise is a powerful card that has quite a bit of history to it (going back, as it does, all the way to Alpha). We all know this is one of the strongest creatures of all time, Magic’s original redundancy card, and a key contributor to countless championship decks.

Instead of selling listeners on Birds [because, let’s be honest, why would they need to?] Pro Tour Champion Patrick Chapin and Resident Genius Michael J. Flores share some of their favorite Birds of Paradise stories.

Take a short trip down memory lane (and hear about Mike’s favorite bluff) in “Conspiracy: Take the Crown Exclusive Preview – Birds of Paradise”:

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Distended Mindbender Takes Center Stage

Distended Mindbender
In Robert Santana’s Jund Delirium, Distended Mindbender takes center stage (and two cards from your hand)

Check out Robert Santana’s new Jund Delirium:

3 Liliana, the Last Hope

1 Emrakul, the Promised End
2 Distended Mindbender
1 Mindwrack Demon
3 Ishkanah, Grafwidow
2 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
3 Pilgrim’s Eye

3 Languish
3 Traverse the Ulvenwald
2 To the Slaughter
3 Fiery Impulse
3 Kozilek’s Return
4 Grapple with the Past
3 Vessel of Nascency

6 Forest
4 Swamp
1 Mountain
4 Llanowar Wastes
4 Smoldering Marsh
1 Cinder Glade
4 Evolving Wilds

sideboard:
1 Emrakul, the Promised End
1 Languish
1 Fiery Impulse
1 Duress
1 Dragonmaster Outcast
3 Transgress the Mind
1 Ultimate Price
2 Pick the Brain
2 Den Protector
2 Pulse of Murasa

At first glance you might be asking yourself what the red is for. Just Fiery Impulse? What a weird splash; I mean, you can just play Dead Weight at B, right? And help your Delirium even more?

… Oh yeah, Kozilek’s Return is one of the most powerful, format-bending, cards available! The one Mountain laces together the powerful Emerge strategy (with Distended Mindbender filling in for Elder Deep-Fiend) with the B/G Delirium color combination alongside the supremely powerful red sweeper.

Kozilek’s Return, Languish, and Fiery Impulse work together in this deck in a way that is very hateful for Bant Company. What is a Bant Company deck supposed to do if it has Collected Company — or even both Collected Company and Spell Queller — in hand when the opponent casts Distended Mindbender (with Kozilek’s Return in the graveyard)? Do you cast Collected Company there? The Kozilek’s Return is going to sweep you. Do you cast neither? The Distended Mindbender is going to take both the good cards out of your hand.

Spell Queller is little to no insurance against this deck. Spell Queller Languish; go ahead… Santana’s deck is going to get you with Fiery Impulse at just the right time to maximize the Languish, later.

This podcast teaches you “the most important thing about Wretched Gryff”, talks about the most Top Level Podcast deck ever (Grixis Cat), and discusses customizations in Bant Company, too! All this in “Distended Mindbender Takes Center Stage”:

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Elder Deep-Fiend into Elder Deep-Fiend (into Elder Deep-Fiend)

Elder Deep-Fiend
Elder Deep-Fiend is one of five Eldritch Moon cards that have completely revolutionized Standard

After a pair of weeks that saw a Spell Queller-fueled Bant Company and a retro-inspired G/W Tokens take early crowns at Star City Games Standard Opens, Pro Tour Eldritch Moon became a showcase for a number of new strategies, many of which were centered around Elder Deep-Fiend.

Turbo-Emrakul, by Owen Turtenwald

1 Chandra, Flamecaller
3 Emrakul, the Promised End
3 Elder Deep-Fiend
1 Wretched Gryff
4 Gnarlwood Dryad
3 Pilgrim’s Eye
2 Ishkanah, Grafwidow

4 Gather the Pack
4 Nissa’s Pilgrimage
4 Kozilek’s Return
4 Grapple with the Past
2 Corrupted Grafstone
4 Vessel of Nascency

3 Shivan Reef
4 Yavimaya Coast
1 Mountain
3 Island
7 Forest
3 Game Trail

sideboard:
2 Dispel
1 Coax from the Blind Eternities
2 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
1 Den Protector
2 Fiery Impulse
2 Invasive Surgery
1 Summary Dismissal
1 Clip Wings
1 Negate
2 Shaman of Forgotten Ways

Elder Deep-Fiend is a transitional card in Owen’s deck. It buys time and can be a powerful threat… But it’s not the end game for this deck. Owen uses Pilgrim’s Eye as his preferred Elder Deep-Fiend setup man, which is subtly important. Pilgrim’s Eye is an artifact. It’s perfect in every way, actually… A three mana creature that generates card advantage into chaining into a “four” mana “seven drop”. The basic land undoes the inherent disadvantage of the Emerge mechanic, but getting an artifact into the graveyard (and for that matter an artifact creature) makes Emrakul, the Promised End that much faster.

Owen’s deck is all about Emrakul, the Promised End. If he can buy enough time with Elder Deep-Fiend, Emrakul will win it. That is the bet.

Temerge by Andrew Brown

4 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
4 Primal Druid
4 Matter Reshaper
3 Shaman of Forgotten Ways
1 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
4 Wretched Gryff
1 Lashweed Lurker
3 Elder Deep-Fiend

4 Gather the Pack
4 Grapple with the Past
4 Kozilek’s Return

4 Yavimaya Coast
4 Shivan Reef
4 Sanctum of Ugin
4 Lumbering Falls
1 Woodland Stream
4 Forest
2 Island
1 Mountain

sideboard:
4 Traverse the Ulvenwald
2 Noose Constrictor
2 Radiant Flames
2 Kiora, Master of the Depths
1 World Breaker
1 Emrakul, the Promised End
1 Eldrazi Obligator
1 Ishkanah, Grafwidow
1 Thought-Knot Seer

Elder Deep-Fiend has a completely different role in Andrew Brown’s deck. Rather than Emrakul being “the thing” in this deck the Deep-Fiend itself is not just a transitional card but a potential end game lock.

This deck wants to chain Elder Deep-Fiend into the next (and next) copies via Sanctum of Ugin. It is quite feasible to Time Walk the opponent four or so times, attacking for 20 with massive tempo generators. Sometimes you just draw multiple copies; sometimes Grapple with the Past keeps your Eldrazi flowing.

It is pretty natural for Elder Deep-Fiend-based Emerge decks to be Temur. Green is the best setup color due to cards like Grapple with the Past or mana accelerators like Primal Druid or Nissa’s Pilgrimage. Elder Deep-Fiend itself is colorless (but requires blue mana).

Rounding out Temur is of course Kozilek’s Return.

It is difficult to exaggerate how compelling Kozilek’s Return is in this format. It ruins all the small creature decks, and the fat casting costs on Wretched Gryff; Emrakul, the Promised End; or of course Elder Deep-Fiend buy this card back famously.

POST SCRIPT:
We didn’t have access to all of our usual recording equipment this week. (Slight) apologies on sound quality this week.

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The Tragic Arrogance of Osyp Lebedowicz

Tragic Arrogance
Osyp played three, Three, count em THREE copies of Tragic Arrogance in the main deck of his G/W tokens;ind out why that was awesome.

Thanks Eldritch Moon! Mike is happy that that stupid G/W Tokens deck is no longer top dawg in Standard!

Um, Mike…

Turns out that longtime friend, Pro Tour and Grand Prix Champion, (and notable troll storyteller) Osyp Lebedowicz cleared out last week’s Standard Open with — you guessed it — G/W Tokens.

But Osyp’s version of G/W Tokens, despite playing absolutely no new Eldritch Moon cards, was innovative and ingenious.

G/W Tokens by Osyp Lebedowicz

4 Sylvan Advocate
4 Hangarback Walker
4 Archangel Avacyn

4 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
4 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar

4 Oath of Nissa
4 Dromoka’s Command
2 Declaration in Stone
2 Evolutionary Leap
3 Tragic Arrogance

4 Canopy Vista
9 Forest
4 Fortified Village
7 Plains
1 Westvale Abbey

Sideboard
1 Clip Wings
2 Tireless Tracker
2 Declaration in Stone
2 Lambholt Pacifist
2 Linvala, the Preserver
2 Stasis Snare
1 Quarantine Field
1 Aerial Volley
2 Nissa, Vastwood Seer

Notable in Osyp’s list is the presence of two main deck copies of Evolutionary Leap but the aforementioned trifecta of Tragic Arrogance. There are a number of reasons this is so innovative and effective:

  • Tragic Arrogance costs five mana – I know! Weird, right? But going up to five is actually subtly advantageous in Standard if the dominant interactive card is Spell Queller. Simply, you can’t Spell Queller Tragic Arrogance.
  • It goes over the top – We talked before about using five casting cost creatures like Archangel Avacyn or Ishkanah, the Grafwidow to the same effect [against Spell Queller]. That’s fine… Tragic Arrogance trumps other big stuff, especially in this deck.
  • Tragic Arrogance is wildly asymmetrical in this deck – Since Osyp’s G/W list has enchantments like Evolutionary Leap, artifacts like Hangarback Walker, multiple Planeswalkers, and different kinds of creatures it can retain quite a lot of material post-Tragic Arrogance; much more, typically, than the opponent will.
  • It forces the opponent to sacrifice – Unlike Planar Cleansing or Radiant Flames, Tragic Arrogance outdoes the defense of Selfless Spirit or Archangel Avacyn. Take that, interactive creature defense creatures!

This G/W retro-win headlines this podcast but Mike and Patrick also go over big moves in G/B Delierium, Bant, a resurgent look at Eldrazi Displacer, and the first big appearance of Crush of Tentacles. Check it all out in “The Tragic Arrogance of Osyp Lebedowicz”:

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