Daily Dose 45 - Standard

Daily Dose of Standard

KrazyCaley

6 March 2013

1358 views

vs. MMM222

My deck:

Bolas for a Better Tomorrow

Standard* KrazyCaley

SCORE: 107 | 506 COMMENTS | 23119 VIEWS | IN 42 FOLDERS

Game 1

Enemy wins the toss and plays first. He mulligans to six.

Caley keeps an opener of Drowned Catacomb, Sulfur Falls, Nephalia Drownyard, Dreadbore, Think Twice, Counterflux, and Chromatic Lantern.

Turn 1

E plays Watery Grave tapped and passes.

C draws Mystic Retrieval, plays Drowned Catacomb, and passes.

Turn 2

E plays Breeding Pool tapped and passes.

Probable BUG deck. BUG is popular with homebrewers these days, which gives it strength in competition - you never know what to expect out of one of these.

C draws Slaughter Games. He plays Nephalia Drownyard and passes.

With Sulfur Falls as the only other available land, I have to decide whether it's more important to play Think Twice right on turn 2 or Chromatic Lantern right on turn 3. I decide on Think Twice, which is definitely the riskier play, but if I draw a land that enters untapped, I'll have the best of both worlds.

Turn 3

E plays Overgrown Tomb tapped and passes. End step, C casts Think Twice, drawing Dragonskull Summit

C draws Swamp. He plays it and casts Chromatic Lantern, then passes.

It all worked out.

Turn 4

E plays Hinterland Harbor. Then he casts Vampire Nighthawk and passes.

This doesn't give me much information. Vampire Nighthawk is such a good creature that it fits right in basically anywhere.

C draws Barter in Blood. He plays Dragonskull Summit and passes.

I could cast Slaughter Games and remove all mystery, but I might not hit anything with it if I cast it now. Best to wait, sit on my counterspell, and see if he casts a second creature for my Barter in Blood.

Turn 5

E attacks with Vampire Nighthawk and hits. (E 22, C 18). Then he plays Woodland Cemetery and casts Vampire Nighthawk. He passes.

If I put a dollar into a jar every time I forgot to use Think Twice when I should, I'd have enough money for Blood Crypts.

C draws Dreadbore. He plays Sulfur Falls and casts Barter in Blood, which resolves. C passes.

Turn 6

E plays Hinterland Harbor and taps out for Staff of Nin. He passes.

This makes it more likely to be a control deck. I have sometimes considered including Staff of Nin myself; it is a handy 1-toughness-creature pinger, and the card advantage is obvious, of course.

C draws Gilded Lotus. He casts it. In response, E hits C with the Staff. (E 22, C 17). C passes.

Turn 7

E plays Swamp and casts Arbor Elf. Then he casts another Arbor Elf. Then he passes. End step, C flashes back Think Twice, drawing Drowned Catacomb.

His deck is still a bit of a puzzle. I can't get a read on him. Why did I wear all these rings?

C draws Gilded Lotus. He casts it.

STATE OF THE GAME

BEHOLD MY MIGHTY ABILITY TO TAKE A SCREENSHOT.

Tired of operating in the dark, I choose option D.

C casts Slaughter Games naming Syncopate.

BUG decks usually have a few counterspells, and Syncopate tends to be their favorite because it doesn't require double blue.

C finds one copy of Syncopate in the library and exiles it, none anywhere else. C sees a hand with Prime Speaker Zegana. The library contains 1x Arbor Elf, 2x Borderland Ranger, 1x Cyclonic Rift, 2x Disciple of Bolas, 1x Essence Scatter, 4x Farseek, 2x Simic Charm, 2x Snapcaster Mage, 2x Staff of Nin, 4x Thragtusk, 2x Ultimate Price, 2x Vampire Nighthawk, and 3x Victim of Night.

Well this is an interesting build. It's sort of a midrange-control hybrid that can push through some damage on the ground. Thragtusk is the real engine that will make it go.

C passes. End step, E hits C with Staff of Nin. (E 22, C 16).

Turn 8

E attacks with his creatures and hits. (E 22, C 14). He plays Overgrown Tomb and passes.

C draws Desolate Lighthouse and plays it.

Just what I need to find Mr. B.

C casts Mystic Retrieval on Slaughter Games. Then he casts Slaughter Games again naming Thragtusk, removing four copies from the library and seeing a hand of Breeding Pool and Prime Speaker Zegana.

I could have gone for Barter in Blood, but I felt it was more important to get rid of the dangerous Thragtusk first. He has an extra card because Staff of Nin draws, don't forget.

C Dreadbores one Arbor Elf. Then he passes. End step, E activates the Staff. (E 22, C 13).

I can now spend the Dreadbores profitably, having seen no Planeswalkers to worry about. This will slow down my bleeding a bit. Hopefully he will now cast Zegana so that Barter in Blood can be used for even greater security.

Turn 9

E plays Breeding Pool. He attacks with Arbor Elf and hits. (E 22, C 12). He passes. End step, C uses Nephalia Drownyard, milling Nighthawk, Arbor, Land.

C draws Nephalia Drownyard. He Dreadbores Arbor Elf and passes. End step, E activates the Staff. (E 22, C 11).

Here I was hesitant. The field is clear except for lands, mana artifacts, and his Staff of Nin. I need to either play the Drownyard and start milling him, or else use the Drownyard as fuel for Desolate Lighthouse. I decided to Lighthouse it.

Turn 10

E plays Hinterland Harbor. He casts Farseek twice for lands and passes. End step, C activates Desolate Lighthouse, drawing Dragonskull Summit and discarding it.

He's not casting Prime Speaker Zegana because he has a win on the board.

C draws Watery Grave. He plays Nephalia Drownyard. He activates Desolate Lighthouse, drawing Drowned Catacomb and discarding Watery Grave. He passes.

Wow, I would be helpless without this Lighthouse. Also, he forgot to activate the Staff, which is excellent for me.

Turn 11

E plays Island and casts Prime Speaker Zegana. Then he passes. End step, C drownyards twice E for a total of six cards.

C draws Island. He flashes back Mystic Retrieval for Dreadbore and uses it to kill Prime Speaker Zegana.

STATE OF THE GAME

So here we are. I keep drawing lands, lands, and more lands, despite my Lighthouse. However, I do not continue to lighthouse here, because he has 22 cards left and I'd prefer to just run for the finish line using Nephalia Drownyard. So I save mana for that and Counterflux instead.

C passes. End Step, E hits C with the Staff. (E 22, C 10)

Turn 12

E casts Borderland Ranger, which runs into Counterflux. End step, C drownyards E once, milling Snapcaster, Disciple of Bolas, land.

I'm out of kill spells, which is why I countered this. Need to buy just a bit of time to mill him out.

C draws Watery Grave. He passes. End step, E uses the Staff. (E 22, C 9). End step, E also casts Simic Charm to give exactly zero creatures hexproof.

Your guess is as good as mine about that play. This game would be completely one-sided in his favor without Nephalia Drownyard and Desolate Lighthouse, by the way.

Turn 13

E casts Staff of Nin and passes. End step, C drownyards away 6 cards. C also Desolate Lighthouses up a Counterflux, discarding Watery Grave.

I have 9 life = 5 turns to live, he has 9 cards = 2 turns to live.

C draws Barter in Blood and passes. End Step, E flashes down Snapcaster Mage but it runs into Counterflux. E concedes.

Sideboarding

Caley boards out 3x Mystic Retrieval and boards in 3x Dissipate.

Not sure about this. Mystic Retrieval is an important engine for the deck. Dissipate is effective against Thragtusk, of course, but I'm not sure that cutting Retrieval was correct.

Game 2

E plays first and mulls to 6.

C keeps an opener of Mountain, 2x Drowned Catacomb, Sulfur Falls, Chromatic Lantern, Think Twice, Counterflux

Turn 1

E plays Overgrown Tomb untapped for Arbor Elf and passes. (C 20, E 18).

Off to a fast start this time.

C draws Sulfur Falls and plays Drowned Catacomb, then passes.

Turn 2

E plays Watery Grave untapped and then taps out, including Arbor Elf, for Wolfir Avenger. (C 20, E 16).

I don't care too much about the regeneration, but this is an awful lot of damage to be stacking up so early without a kill spell for me, and before my second land drop.

C draws Watery Grave and plays Mountain. He passes.

Turn 3

E plays Watery Grave tapped and attacks with everything, then he passes. (E 16, C 16). End step, C casts Think Twice drawing Dreadbore.

C draws Barter in Blood.

Excellent. Now hold still for one turn.

C plays Sulfur Falls and casts Chromatic Lantern, then passes.

Turn 4

E plays Island, then taps everything including Arbor Elf for Thragtusk. He attacks with the Avenger and passes. (E 16, C 13).

The Chromatic Lantern was an obvious mistake, as should now be evident. With Barter in Blood online next turn regardless, I should be more worried about what's coming down than about ramping for one.

C draws Desolate Lighthouse. He plays Sulfur Falls and then Barter in Blood. E sacs Wolfir Avenger and Thragtusk. C passes.

I was curious to see this. He must be out of land to play.

Turn 5

E taps everything, including Arbor Elf, for another Thragtusk. He attacks with the beast token and hits. (E 16, C 10).

This does not look good.

C draws Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker. He plays Watery Grave tapped, then Dreadbore on Thragtusk and passes.

Turn 6

E attacks with his beasts and hits. (E 16, C 4). He passes. End step, C flashes back Think Twice, drawing Counterflux.

Need Barter in Blood to survive.

C draws Dragonskull Summit and concedes.

Sideboarding

C boards in 3x Cyclonic Rift and boards out 2x Gilded Lotus and 1x Think Twice.

Impressed with that performance from his deck, I sacrifice some long-game performance for some more answers.

Game 3

C plays first. He keeps an opener of Swamp, Drowned Catacomb, Mountain, Think Twice, Devour Flesh, Counterflux, Cyclonic Rift.

E keeps their opener.

Turn 1

C plays Swamp and passes.

E plays Breeding Pool untapped for Arbor Elf and passes. (C 20, E 18).

Turn 2

C draws Cyclonic Rift. He plays Drowned Catacomb and casts Devour Flesh to kill the Elf. (C 20, E 19).

Slow down there, buddy.

E plays Watery Grave tapped and passes.

That's more like it.

Turn 3

C draws Dragonskull Summit. He plays it and passes.

I'm a little uncomfortable since I don't have another blue yet for Counterflux.

E plays Woodland Cemetery and passes. End step, C casts Think Twice drawing Drowned Catacomb.

Turn 4

C draws Dissipate. He plays Drowned Catacomb and passes. End step, E flashes down Wolfir Avenger, but C Counterfluxes it.

Much more comfortable now. Note that he can't cast Thragtusk next turn, or I probably would have let this through.

E plays Breeding Pool tapped and passes.

Turn 5

C draws Counterflux, plays Mountain, and passes.

Ohhhh, Thragtusk. I love it! I LOVE IT! I AM ACTUALLY GOING TO COUNTER YOU.

E plays Drowned Catacomb and casts Thragtusk. C Dissipates it.

I AM A STRONG PLANESWALKER! ANY CREATURE IN THIS MULTIVERSE, TAKE A RUN AT ME!

Turn 6

C draws Desolate Lighthouse and plays it. He passes.

E casts Staff of Nin. C Counterfluxes it.

Nope.

Turn 7

C draws Devour Flesh. He does nothing and passes.

E casts Vampire Nighthawk and passes. End step, C casts Devour Flesh, killing the Nighthawk, then flashes back Think Twice drawing Nephalia Drownyard.

This is going slightly better than last time.

Turn 8

C draws Murder. He plays Nephalia Drownyard and passes. End step, E flashes down Snapcaster Mage with nothing to target.

E attacks with Snapcaster Mage but C Murders it. Then E taps out for Staff of Nin. E passes. End step, C Drownyards 2 lands and Havengul Lich.

Good sideboard choice.

Turn 9

C draws Barter in Blood and passes. End step, E hits him with the Staff. (E 22, C 19).

E plays Overgrown Tomb tapped, then casts Thragtusk. He passes. End step, C drowns away Psychic Spira, Yeva, Nature's Herald, and a land.

Turn 10

C draws Drowned Catacomb and plays it. He passes. End step, E uses the Staff. (E 22, C 18).

E attacks with Thragtusk and hits. (E 22, C 13). Then he plays Hinterland Harbor and casts Prime Speaker Zegana. Then he passes. End step, C mills away Disciple of Bolas and two lands.

Turn 11

C draws Dragonskull Summit. Then he casts Barter in Blood, killing Thragtusk and Prime Speaker Zegana; Thragtusk makes a beast. He plays Dragonskull Summit and passes. E activates the Staff on the end step. (E 22, C 12).

E attacks with the token and hits. (E 22, C 9). He passes. End step, C mills away Farseek, Vampire Nighthawk, land.

Turn 12

C draws Watery Grave. He overloads Cyclonic Rift. In response E uses the Staff. (E 22, C 8). C plays Watery Grave tapped and passes. End step, E flashes down Snapcaster Mage targeting Psychic Spiral, then casts Psychic Spiral. Two Bolases and a Think Twice are milled away.

E plays Hinterland Harbor, then casts Triumph of Cruelty, Staff of Nin, and Arbor Elf. He attacks with Snapcaster Mage. (E 22, C 6). He passes.

Turn 13

C draws Slaughter Games. He flashes back a recently-milled Think Twice from the graveyard, drawing Chromatic Lantern. He casts Cyclonic Rift on Staff of Nin, then casts Slaughter Games naming Staff of Nin, exiling two from the hand and two from the library.

He also had a Simic Charm in hand, which wins for him unless he doesn't cast it.

E's upkeep, C has to discard Chromatic Lantern. E casts Simic Charm for +3/+3 on the Snapcaster, and C concedes. E wins the match 2-1.

Thoughts

• Staff of Nin is a strong card; it nearly got him back into that bad game 1, and won him game 3 singlehandedly.

• I get really manic when I go on long, long control runs.