Daily Dose of Standard - Ep. 1

Daily Dose of Standard

KrazyCaley

2 December 2011

1441 views

Hello.

Greetings once again, tender Magic lumplings. Time for me to try another of my mad article experiments.

The premise this time is that I will be sallying forth with a standard deck, playing against random strangers in the tournament practice room in MTG Online. I will then transcribe the play back to you with my commentary. If you're new to the game, you will learn a lot about how the game works and about strategy. If you're an intermediate player, you'll learn a lot about strategy generally, particularly relating to control deck handling. If you ever play against me, you will learn a lot about how I think. And everyone will learn a bit about the standard metagame, and improve their game a little bit by analyzing the play and picking apart the mistakes of myself and my opponent.

The deck I will be playing is Crawling Chaos, a blue-black control deck I built in my mad Magic lab.


Vs. Zeferinoelf

Game 1

Enemy (E) wins the toss and elects to play first.

Caley (C) keeps a hand of 2x Island, 3x Swamp, Volition Reins, Doom Blade

T1

E plays Copperline Gorge, casts Grim Lavamancer, pass.

C draws Bloodline Keeper  Flip, plays Island, pass.

Hard to say what this deck is. Lavamancer is a RDW card, but Copperline Gorge is a Wolf Run Ramp card. Also note- when playing strangers and faced with many options as to which land to play first, I like to lead with the one that shows a DIFFERENT color than the first spell I am likely to play; in this case, Doom Blade. Against people who might know that I do this, though, I mix it up.

T2

E plays Rootbound Crag tapped, attacks with Grim Lavamancer (Enemy 20, Caley 19), passes.

Playing the Crag this way means he either all the lands in his hand are non-basics, or he is in mana trouble.

C draws Drowned Catacomb, plays it, passes. End step, O casts Galvanic Blast targeting Caley. (Enemy 20, Caley 17)

T3

O plays Copperline Gorge untapped, passes. During the end step......

First decision point I have this game. Not attacking with it is broadcasting the idea that he intends to play a burn spell and then use the ability. He would do this because a- He actually has the spell and the mana to do this, or b- He does NOT have the mana/spell to do this, but wants me to think that he does. In any case, I decide to destroy the Lavamancer for a couple of reasons: First, RDW decks (which I now believe this to be due to a lack of any Rampant Growth or what have you) win by maximizing the damage they get per card. Killing the Lavamancer now minimizes the damage it does to me long run. Second, my hand does have a few other answers, and I am likely to draw more. By the time he casts another creature, I'll be able to respond with Bloodline Keeper  Flip the next turn, or perhaps even Skinrender if I'm lucky enough to draw it. Further, I am gambling that he is NOT able to cast another spell and then use Lavamancer's ability yet while I still can. If I'm right, I save myself two damage. If not, no big deal. I am also not concerned about saving the kill spell for any large threats he may be building up to due to my Volition Reins, which incidentally also protects me against the far more likely Shrine of Burning Rage, which is in every RDW build ever these days .

.....during the end step, C casts Doom Blade targeting Lavamancer. E responds by casting Incinerate targeting C, which resolves, then uses Lavamancer's ability before it dies. (Enemy 20, Caley 12)

C draws Reassembling Skeleton. He plays Swamp, casts it, and passes.

The skeleton is a good draw in this situation. It will stop all his big ground threats, most likely Stromkirk Noble or Stormblood Berserker, though it is no answer to the most threatening creature I am likely to face in the immediate future, Chandra's Phoenix.

T4

E plays Copperline Gorge tapped. He casts Galvanic Blast and Incinerate targeting C, then passes. (Enemy 20, Caley 7)

C draws Think Twice. He plays a Swamp and passes.

This decision not to cast Bloodline Keeper  Flip is arguable, and perhaps a bit dubious. The only threat I am likely to face in the immediate future is Chandra's Phoenix, which the keeper would easily answer. Plus, casting the Keeper now would let me start building up one possible win condition. However, my thoughts here were not just of the immediate future, but of long-term problems. My deck is running very slowly at the moment, and I am at 7 life. Even though I may have board position, my opponent might conceivably need only 2 more turns to kill me with that amount of life, though this is admittedly unlikely given how many direct burn spells he's already used. So, my thinking went, I need to draw something that will be a real issue for my opponent. My most-desired cards are Sorin Markov, who keeps me alive with his +2 ability, or Rune-Scarred Demon, which stops the potential Phoenix AND fetches Mr. Markov for me. So, instead of dropping my Keeper right away, I decide to use Think Twice instead.

T5

E plays a Mountain and passes. End step, C casts Think Twice, drawing Darkslick Shores.

C draws Drowned Catacomb, plays Darkslick Shores, and passes.

Same logic for not playing the Keeper now as last turn. I will flashback Think Twice during my opponent's turn. For those who don't know why I am waiting for my opponent's turn to do this, I am hoping to dupe my opponent into perhaps thinking I possess some manner of counterspell or other response until the last possible moment. I would only cast Think Twice on my own turn in situations where I was looking for a card for that very turn, for instance, if I really wanted a land to drop that turn.

T6

E plays a Mountain and concedes the game. Caley up 1-0.

A frustration concession that was absolutely not justified. I have nothing to win the game with right now, and like I said, he could kill me with a couple of good draws.

Sideboarding

C removes 2x Corrupted Conscience and 2x Army of the Damned. Caley inserts 4x Flashfreeze.

The tricky part here is not what to put in, but what to take out. I decide that by the time I cast Army of the Damned, the game will likely already be decided either way. Corrupted Conscience is of questionable usefulness against a RDW deck. I decide to leave in Volition Reins against his likely Shrine of Burning Rage.

Game 2

E elects to play first.

C mulligans a hand of Think Twice, 2x Volition Reins, Sorin Markov, Dissipate, Reassembling Skeleton, Island.

Very tempting to keep; one land draw and I am most likely in business, but it's far too risky.

C keeps a hand of Island, Darkslick Shores, Flashfreeze, Dissipate, Rune-Scarred Demon, Skinrender.

T1

E plays Mountain, casts Goblin Fireslinger, passes.

I would ordinarily now be almost certain that this is the normal RDW build, but what's with the R/G lands?

C draws Swamp, plays Darkslick Shores, passes.

Handy tip- Always drop the "tapped unless 2 or less" lands if you can bring them in untapped, even in a situation like this where you only have one in hand. (Exception- You are playing more than a 2 color deck and need other colors) You might, after all, draw more, and you don't want to waste those three opportunities to drop them untapped if you don't have to. Obvious, perhaps, but worth mentioning and emphasizing.

T2

E plays Kessig Wolf Run, plays Shrine of Burning Rage, passes.

I hate it when that happens. Nothing I could do there. Now I need to get a Volition Reins or Sorin Markov ready to go ASAP or I will lose. Also, I still do not understand the inclusion of the R/G lands and Wolf Run in this RDW deck. Perhaps he intends to use Wolf Run as a finisher by powering his creatures through blockers for those last few bits of damage? Interesting idea if so, but is it worth the times when you'll have the wrong lands?

C draws Evil Twin, plays Island, passes. End of turn, Goblin Fireslinger activates. (Enemy 20, Caley 19).

T3

E does nothing, passes. (1 on shrine)

C draws Sorin Markov, plays Swamp, passes, Fireslinger activates, then E casts Galvanic Blast targeting C. (Enemy 20, Caley 16, 2 on Shrine).

Just what I needed, but I'll also need three more lands. Other than three straight land drops, Think Twice would be ideal.

T4

E casts Perilous Myr. C counters it with Dissipate.

A very worthy target. Still wary of that Chandra's Phoenix, but I will (hopefully) be able to use Evil Twin on it if it shows up, which would at least make him cook a burn spell.

C draws Darkslick Shores, plays it, passes, takes 1 from Fireslinger. (Enemy 20, Caley 15)

T5

E plays Mountain, does nothing. (Enemy 20, Caley 15, 4 on shrine).

C draws Think Twice.

Difficult decision. I could now gamble and cast Think Twice, hoping for a land, in which case I would be in very fine shape, or I could cast Skinrender to stop the bleeding. I decide on the latter, perhaps a bit too conservative of a play.

C casts Skinrender, targets Goblin Fireslinger with the ability; it dies after pinging one last time. (Enemy 20, Caley 14). C passes, but end step, E casts Galvanic Blast at C. (Enemy 20, Caley 12, 5 on shrine)

Note that Zeferinoelf could have also decided to kill his own Fireslinger in response to the Skinrender coming down; this would have forced Skinrender to target itself, thus leaving me open for any ground threats he might have had. Whether or not this play is correct depends largely on what he has in hand- if it is ground creatures, it is the correct play, anything else, and the play he made was correct. Also take note of how I am already in really dangerous territory with the Shrine, which is really a fantastic card for RDW and will be in all such decks until it rotates, I should say.

T6

E plays Chandra's Phoenix, attacks with it, passes. (Enemy 20, Caley 10, 7 on shrine).

Now I'm in real trouble.

C draws Evil Twin, casts it, targeting Chandra's Phoenix, passes.

The only play that keeps me alive.

T7

E plays Mountain, passes. (Enemy 20, Caley 10, Shrine 8)

Inexplicable. Why he doesn't attack, I have no idea. I would have been forced to trade or else lose the game. Now my Evil Twin comes online and I can kill any Phoenix that shows up at will. I still have a low chance of winning, since any red spell he casts will kill me until I can get Sorin Markov out and get a bit of a buffer. This is unlikely, but now a bit more likely with his mistake. Hopefully he'll run into mana flood.

C draws Island, plays it, passes.

T8

E plays Mountain and passes. End step, C casts Think Twice, drawing Swamp. Then C activates Evil Twin to destroy Chandra's Phoenix.

Once I drew the Swamp, it was safe to use the remaining mana to kill off the Phoenix.

C draws Dissipate, plays Swamp, casts Sorin Markov, uses his +2 ability, and passes. (Enemy 18, Caley 12, Shrine 9).

I still die to any red burn spell that does 2 damage if he draws it next turn, but after that, I can start to build up my buffer. If I can reach 7 loyalty, I can force him to pop the Shrine prematurely or else it will be used against him.

T9

E plays Mountain, then casts Volt Charge at C. C concedes.

So close!

Sideboarding

C removes 2x Bloodline Keeper  Flip, 1x Reassembling Skeleton, inserts 3x Negate.

Questionable, in retrospect. This is a sellout to stop Shrine of Burning Rage, but removes some of my important defenses against creature attacks.

Game 3

C elects to play first.

C keeps a hand of Island, Swamp, Drowned Catacomb, Flashfreeze, Dissipate, Black Sun's Zenith.

Should I have mulliganed to Negate? I might have mulled myself down into the ground if I tried too hard at that, so I decide to stick to my guns here.

T1

C plays Swamp, passes.

E plays Mountain, casts Goblin Fireslinger, passes.

T2

C draws Darkslick Shores, plays it, passes.

E plays Copperline Gorge, casts Perilous Myr, passes.

T3

C draws Rune-Scarred Demon, plays Drowned Catacombs, passes. End step, Fireslinger hits. (Enemy 20, Caley 19).

E plays Mountain, attacks with Perilous Myr. (Enemy 20, Caley 18). Then casts another Perilous Myr. Then passes.

I could have Dissipated this, but I have Black Sun's Zenith in hand. I decide that the plan will be to wait until I have enough spare mana to cast this AND keep a Flashfreeze handy, then wrath his board. I am less concerned about Shrine of Burning Rage since he has not played it yet, though he could be slow-playing me. I consider this unlikely if he is the sort of player to concede just because he drew a few land in a row, as he did in game 1.

T4

C draws Island, plays it, passes. 1 from Fireslinger. (Enemy 20, Caley 17)

E plays Mountain, attacks with both Myr. (Enemy 20, Caley 15). Then casts Stormblood Berserker and passes.

I could Dissipate this and proceed with my original plan, but my greed for card efficiency knows few boundaries. I revise my plan: Next turn, I will wrath his board immediately, including his 3/3 Berserker. This will tap me out, but I believe I have adequate defenses in place in case he threatens me while I am tapped out. I will still have 10 life, and he will have only 3 remaining cards and no board. It is a very greedy, aggressive play, but it's hard for me to resist the allure of a 4-for-1 play.

T5

C draws Black Sun's Zenith. Plays Island and casts Black Sun's Zenith for 3, destroying all creatures. Fireslinger hits, and the Perilous Myr do two each. (Enemy 20, Caley 10).

E plays Kessig Wolf Run and casts Shrine of Burning Rage.

Either he just drew this or he WAS slow-playing me. If the latter, my hat is certainly off to him, for I was definitely fooled. Still, I am in good shape. I have a Rune-Scarred Demon and am 2 mana away from casting it. I could then fetch a Volition Reins or a Sorin Markov and either shut down or render irrelevant his shrine. The demon is incidentally an excellent blocker. I could also draw 1 land and either of those cards as an out.

T6

C draws Negate, passes.

Mockery!

E plays Rootbound Crag, passes.

T7

C draws Swamp, plays it, passes.

E plays Mountain, passes. (Enemy 20, Caley 10, Shrine 2)

T8

C draws Evil Twin, passes.

Just need that 1 land. So close!

E does nothing, passes.

T9

C draws Negate, does nothing, discards Evil Twin, passes.

Look, Negate, I know you and I don't get along well. I wish you were Counterspell all the time and never put you in decks, I know, and yes, even in this deck you are a sideboard card. But hey, if we are going to make this standard deck work, I need you to not royally screw me over like this, ok? I will replace you with Despise like THAT unless you get with the program. Now make way for some friggin' land.

E does nothing, passes.

T10

C draws Skinrender, does nothing, discards Skinrender, passes.

The situation is becoming alarming. There will now be 5 counters on the shrine during his turn, and I have 10 life. If he has even a small Galvanic Blast, there will be 6 counters and I will have 8 life. I need that land YESTERDAY, deck.

E plays Copperline Gorge tapped, passes.

It is likely that he is holding back threats until I show him I'm going to do anything about the Shrine. This is NOT the right way to play RDW. He should be speeding to my demise. It is possible, however, that he really doesn't have much to do but play lands, in which case he's been unlucky. Still, he has 4 cards in hand. What could they be?

T11

C draws Swamp, plays it, casts Rune-Scarred Demon, fetching Sorin Markov, passes.

E casts Chandra's Phoenix, then Gut Shot targeting C using red mana. (Enemy 20, Caley 9, Shrine 8). E casts another Shrine of Burning Rage. E passes.

Problematic. I am almost certainly lost now. The lost time spent looking for that last land has doomed me.

T12

C draws Island, plays it, casts Sorin Markov, uses the +2 ability to kill off Chandra's Phoenix. (Enemy 20, Caley 11, Shrine 9, other Shrine 0). C passes.

E plays Stormblood Berserker and Caley concedes. Zeferinoelf wins the match 2-1.

He now has enough mana to kill me with his two shrines.


Thoughts

1- Shrine of Burning Rage is solid.

2- I likely made many play errors, but the two most serious ones were likely 1- Casting Skinrender instead of Think Twice in turn 5 of game 2. This slowed me down when he already had out a Shrine, perhaps costing me the game, though it did stop some damage being done. 2- Getting greedy with my Black Sun's Zenith in game 3, causing me to perhaps take more damage than I needed AND tapping me out. With or without the relevant counterspell, I should have at least realized that my opponent would see two open lands as a sufficient deterrent to casting Shrine of Burning Rage. However, I believed that he did not have the shrine. As it turned out, he either was one step ahead of me and slow-played me quite well, or else had a lucky draw. Either way, I should have left the land open, I think.

3- My opponent made at least one bad error on turn 7 of game 2 by failing to attack with Chandra's Phoenix. This would have forced me to block with the Evil's Twin copying the Phoenix, or else lose the game. Instead he held back, which simply allowed me to kill the Phoenix the next turn anyway. Since the Phoenix recurs anyway, it's hard to see why he didn't attack.

4- I suspect my opponent of having played far too conservatively in several places, though I don't know for sure because I don't know what he had in hand. In general, when playing RDW, go all out! You should very rarely hold back any cards- though my opponent wisely did so by holding back Shrine, regular burn spells and creatures should not stay in your hand. If your opponent is running a control deck, you can't let him prematurely control you by fearing his counterspells and not playing anything. Time is money in RDW, and you need to burn through those counters and get your opponent's life down as soon as you can.

5- Don't get frustrated! My opponent could conceivably have won game 1 quite easily, but he threw it away. Yeah, maybe you're drawing a bunch of lands and are pissed about it, but do NOT scoop your cards until defeat is certain. In a lot of circumstances, your opponent will be able to kill you instantly but not realize it. Play on until you're sure you're dead!

The next article in this series is Daily Dose of Standard - Ep. 2

xo2 says... #1

I feel Sphere of the Suns should be in ub control decks. Even if it's on turn 4 so you have Mana Leak mana up. It would seem to help you keep up with the aggro decks in today's meta.

December 3, 2011 8 p.m.

KrazyCaley says... #2

I'd love to hear you expand on that. Just something to ramp up to the win condition?

December 3, 2011 8:04 p.m.

xo2 says... #3

Basically. At last weeks fnm, I had one and got my spell to resolve after a few counters on each side and him using a Mana Leak . It's a mana fixer. Late game it's not a good draw, so it should be dumped by alchemy(if ur running them).

I like to use it on the fourth turn, so I can have the Solemn Simulacrum effect without tapping out, so Mana Leak counters their Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas or Hero of Bladehold , or koth, or wolf run's Titan they ramped into. Multiple in your opening hand just gets to your bomb faster. There's no way to proliferate it, but you didn't end up playing any Inkmoth Nexus , so I would assume that you could afford to run 2 card:Phyrexia's Core to get something out of them, since the sphere mana fixes.

December 3, 2011 8:24 p.m.

KrazyCaley says... #4

Ah. Should probably take a look at the deck. I can see how this would make way more sense in the curve with Solemn Simulacrum , but I don't run it, nor do I run Mana Leak itself, believe it or not.

December 3, 2011 10:50 p.m.

Please login to comment