Showdown #30: Butcher Food

Showdown

Spootyone

4 December 2014

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Hello all and welcome again to Showdown, where I pit my current standard deck against those submitted to me by you, the members of TappedOut. Last time we were together I faced off against another Temur deck. This was a build that focused on higher mana spells than my own, and unfortunately for my opponent it was a bit of a landslide victory for me. It's been what feels like a long two weeks since then and there have been a lot of changes I've made to the way I'm approaching standard. As some of you may know, I had been playing a Mono-black aggro list IRL at my local game store for a while since it was fairly cheap and I felt it was well-positioned in the meta. I did pretty well with it for a while and then switched to playing this Temur aggro deck for a little bit. I did pretty decently with this deck as well.

Later on I ended up going back to the MBA deck on a whim when the place started doing some SCG Open Trials. I placed 5th at 4-1 with the deck, 2nd at 4-1 the next week, and then 3-2 and didn't place the following week. It seemed as though the deck was having a harder and harder time with my current meta (or perhaps I was overanalyzing the meta that is drowning in Abzan) and this past week I ended up going 1-4, marking my worst record to date at an FNM. I began working on a new build since aggro was beginning to get boring a couple weeks ago and I think I'm ready to begin building/playing it. Curious what it is? Let me enlighten you.

My favorite three colors in magic are Green, White, and Blue, in little of a particular order, but with Simic and Selesnya being my favorite two-color combos. My favorite archetypes to play are typically either control or midrange depending on how I'm feeling at the time. I prefer reactive gameplay to proactive, and love "forcing" archetypes in strange colors (like the Temur Control build!). I had been feeling the itch to play midrange again and so as per normal I went to see how GW mid was doing. I did some brewing and found something I kinda liked. A couple days later at work, I got the urge to try out UG midrange just to see how it went. And people…I stumbled onto a deck in testing that I just love to death…touch. ;) All I'm going to say is…bees.

There's more news too, though. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but honestly I don't feel like I'm enjoying Showdown as much as I used to or as much as I should be if I want to continue doing this. There's a sort of missing element of fun that has gone away. And I think a large part of this is that playing singleplayer magic isn't all too fun after a year or so of doing it. Don't get me wrong -- I love providing content for you all and I will be continuing to do so, but I think it might be time for a bit of a re-skinning of the article series. After all, what's the point of continuing this if it isn't very fun, right?

Me and my friend have been talking a bit, and I think what I'm going to be doing is asking him to join me. What I have in mind is a series similar to what we have here, but with both people playing instead of just me just piloting both decks myself. We can both enjoy a game of magic and there can be little to no bias. Furthermore, there will likely be a bit more difference from episode to episode. Maybe one week I try out a submitted deck; maybe he does the next. Maybe I go a couple weeks trying out a brew, or maybe I switch to another standard build. Hell, maybe we even have a week where we both pilot rogue decks that have been sent in. My point is this: I want to create content that both you and I can enjoy. And I'm hoping that this is a change many or all of you can get behind. This could easily also mean weekly content again. And I hope you like the sound of that, because I know I do!

For now, we will be taking the Temur aggro deck to one of its last outings today at least until Fate Reforged comes out. For this week, I wanted to cover another clan that is in the spotlight right now, competitively. And since I can't do Abzan again (seriously, so many rhinos…), I have chosen Mardu! I present to you all Scytec and his apologetic Mardu build:

deck-large: f-you-wedge-im-playing-rakdos

The single most powerful card Mardu has against me is Butcher of the Horde. I seemingly accidentally do not have many ways to interact with the card, and it can single-handedly undo all my hard work in just a couple turns. Needless to say, this is my biggest threat to victory in this match. I'm hoping to find answers in my deck to handle the butcher or that I can just outpace my opponent, but I do think this may be a bit difficult to overcome if he gets good draws. Let's do this.

Scytec wins the flip and keeps an opening hand of Thoughtseize, 2x Bile Blight, Whip of Erebos, Mountain, Scoured Barrens, and Mana Confluence. It has the first few turns figured out but needs some decent draws.

I keep an opening hand of Heir of the Wilds, Savage Knuckleblade, Forest, Wooded Foothills, Shivan Reef, Frontier Bivouac and Mana Confluence. It's land heavy but I have some good beginning plays.

O1: Scoured Barrens tapped, gaining one. Pass.

S1: Draws Goblin Rabblemaster. Niiice. I play the bivouac and pass.

O2: Draws Butcher of the Horde. Also nice. He plays thoughtseize and removes knuckleblade from my hand. He follows up with a confluence and pass. (s 20/19 o)

S2: Draws Lightning Strike. I play the Shivan Reef and my Heir of the Wilds and pass.

O3: Draws Bloodstained Mire. He plays it and cracks it for a swamp before passing the turn. (no reason to do this now except just because I wanted to).

S3: Draws Heir of the Wilds. Hmm. I play the Forest and then my rabblemaster. Before combat, my opponent bile blights my rabblemaster so that I do not get a goblin token. I attack for 2 with the heir and pass the turn. (s 20/16 o)

O4: Draws Bloodsoaked Champion. That's pretty awesome here. He plays a Mountain and then the Champion before passing the turn.

S4: Draws Wooded Foothills. I know how important that champion can be for this sort of deck, so I cannot let it live. I attack with my heir. Before damage, he Bile Blights it. Second main, I play a Wooded Foothills and then Lightning Strike the champion while I'm actually able to interact with it. I crack my Wooded Foothills for a Forest and use the remaining mana to cast another Heir of the Wilds. (s 19/15 o) Pass.

O5: Draws Crackling Doom. That's a good card. Still, not needed yet. He chooses to play out the Butcher of the Horde to really get the pressure going. Pass. (s 19/14 o)

S5: Draws Shivan Reef. Lands are super fun, right? I attack for 2 (no blocks) and play another Wooded Foothills before passing. (s 19/12 o)

O6: Draws Spiteful Returned. I think the best thing he can do right now is to go hard on the butcher plan. Clearly I have not much going on. He plays the Whip of Erebos and attacks for 5 lifelink. Pass. (s 14/16 o)

S6: Draws Elvish Mystic. Ew. Gross. I attack for 2 and then play a Shivan Reef and the elf. Pass. (s 14/14 o)

O7: Draws Spiteful Returned. Well..uh…let's do this I guess. He bestows one of the returned onto the butcher and swings, dealing a total of 8 and gaining 6. This is rough. (s 6/19 o)

S7: Draws Heir of the Wilds. Yeahh…that's game.

Sideboard tech with Spooty:

Well that didn't feel very good. I drew pretty badly, but at the same time I really need to be able to interact with both the whip and the butcher if I plan on getting anywhere in this matchup. Unfortunately the only things I can really bring in for help in this matchup are the third Crater's Claws and some Destructive Revelry. I bring them in place of Temur Ascendancy and a single Lightning Strike.

Sideboard tech with Dimension:

Hmm…so it seems as though Butcher of the Horde is a good card (say whaa). It seems like all he must do is remove a couple of my threats and then land a whip or the butcher to win. Drown in Sorrow is a good sweeper against my deck as it hits almost everything relevant. Crackling Doom is a great card, but I think Bile Blight does mostly the same thing here. I remove the playset of dooms for the blights and drowns.

I mullligan a one land hand. I keep a high-risk/high-reward hand that contains Yavimaya Coast, Frontier Bivouac, 2 Savage Knuckleblade, a Goblin Rabblemaster and Polukranos, World Eater. I need land but I can't go down to five on the play.

Scytec mulligans a hand with two Wind-Scarred Crag and a handful of black spells. The hand that is kept is Mana Confluence, 2 Bloodsoaked Champions, a Bile Blight, Spiteful Returned and, Herald of Torment. I know, I know. Risky. But it seems like equal risk to both sides, to be honest.

Let's play "Who Can Get Mana-Screwed First!"

S1: I play the bivouac tapped and pass.

O1: Draws Wind-Scarred Crag. Awesome! He plays the confluence and the champion. Pass. (s 20/19 o)

S2: Draws Stubborn Denial. I play the Yavimaya Coast and pass.

O2: Draws Butcher of the Horde. He attacks for 2, plays the crag, gains a life, and then plays the other champion. Pass. (s 18/19 o)

S3: Draws Wooded Foothills. Oh thank goodness. I crack it and get a Mountain and then play the Goblin Rabblemaster. I create a goblin token and attack for 1. Pass. (s 17/18 o)

O3: Draws Bloodstained Mire. Also great. He plays it and cracks it for a swamp. He then attacks with both champions and I do not block. He follows this up with a Bile Blight to my rabblemaster and passes. (s 13/16 o)

S4: Draws Stubborn Denial. Ehhh…I attack for 1 and then follow up with a Savage Knuckleblade. Pass. (s 12/15 o)

O4: Draws Soldier of the Pantheon. He attacks with both champions and one is blocked by the knuckleblade. He returns it to the battlefield with raid and then plays the soldier. Pass. (s 10/14 o)

S5: Draws Polukranos, World Eater. I play another knuckleblade and pass. (s 9/15 o)

O5: Draws Drown in Sorrow. Hmm…that's quite poor here. He plays the Herald of Torment and passes. (s 9/14 o)

S6: Draws Forest. Yes! I play it and cast one of the Polukranos, World Eater. Pass.

O6: Draws Whip of Erebos. Agh. This is a shame. He would be so far ahead with the fourth land. He can't afford to be attacking with the herald in case I get a fifth land. He plays a spiteful returned and passes the turn.

S7: Draws Wooded Foothills. And there it is. I play it and crack it to get a Mountain. I then monstrous my Polukranos, World Eater for 2 to kill the soldier and spiteful returned and swing for 15 with my two knuckleblades and Polukranos, World Eater. He has to block Poluk with the herald and take 8. Pass. (s 8/5 o)

O7: Draws Scoured Barrens. That's game. He concedes.

Scytec is on the play and keeps an opening hand of Scoured Barrens, Plains, Mana Confluence, Bile Blight, Drown in Sorrow, Hero's Downfall, Butcher of the Horde.

I keep an opener of Forest, Wooded Foothills, Heir of the Wilds, Goblin Rabblemaster, Boon Satyr, Reclamation Sage, Stubborn Denial. This could be feast or famine.

O1: He plays the barrens, gains a life and passes.

S1: Draws Crater's Claws. I play a Wooded Foothills and pass.

O2: Draws Bile Blight. He plays the confluence and passes.

S2: Draws Shivan Reef. I crack my fetch for a Forest and then play the reef. I use this to play the Heir of the Wilds and pass. EoT it is killed by a Bile Blight. (s 19/20 o)

O3: Draws Bloodstained Mire. He plays the plains and passes the turn.

S3: Draws Destructive Revelry. I play my Forest and pass the turn. Surely, he has something up his sleeve.

O4: Draws Thoughtseize. He plays the bloodstained mire. He then plays Thoughtseize. I respond by casting my Boon Satyr. He takes the Crater's Claws and then bile blights the Boon Satyr. Pass. (s 19/16 o)

S4: Draws Savage Knuckleblade. I play my rabblemaster and attack for 1 with the token. Pass. (s 18/15 o)

O5: Draws swamp. He plays it and then casts Drown in Sorrow. He scrys and keeps a Master of the Feast. Pass.

S5: Draws Frontier Bivouac. I play it tapped. I have no actual plays here so I pass the turn.

O6: Draws Master of the Feast. He plays the Butcher of the Horde and passes the turn. (s 18/14 o)

S6: Draws Boon Satyr. I'm in a terrible position right now. I choose to pass the turn.

O7: Draws Whip of Erebos. Oh lord. He knows that I have enchantment destruction, so he chooses not to play the whip. He plays the master of the feast and goes to combat. He swings with the butcher. Before damage. I take 5. He passes the turn, and I flash in the Boon Satyr. (s 13/14 o)

S7: Draws Mountain. I play the Mountain and then cast the Reclamation Sage. I destroy the master of the feast and then attack for 4 with the Boon Satyr. Pass. (s 13/10 o)

O8: Draws Scoured Barrens. He plays it and gains a life. This is a strange position to be in because he knows I have the Stubborn Denial in hand. But if he does nothing he cannot win this race. He attacks for 5 with the butcher and passes the turn. (s 8/11 o)

S8: Draws Ashcloud Phoenix. I attack with my two creatures and he attempts to kill Boon Satyr with hero's downfall. I use Stubborn Denial to counter this and he takes 6. I then follow this up with the Ashcloud Phoenix. Pass. (s 7/5 o)

O9: Draws Mountain. He plays the Whip of Erebos. He knows I have Destructive Revelry in hand. He is dead on board without the lifelink. If he attacks, he's dead on the back swing. He is just dead, but decides to play the whip and pass.

S9: Draws Polukranos, World Eater. I play Destructive Revelry on the whip and swing out for the win.

Well, I'm going to be honest with you guys here…I don't think I deserved a win there.

My deck was unprepared to face a deck running Butcher of the Horde as its main way of dealing damage, and I think that's a flaw in deck design. In fact, the only reason I was able to win when my opponent had both that and Whip of Erebos was due to the fact that they were unable to actually cast them both in time. And I feel a little undeserving of that match victory for that reason. I'm sure that if the sample size for that match had been larger you'd see an obvious trend of me losing.

So, Scytec, let's take a peek at your deck.

I think the biggest flaw I see is that you're accidentally running 5 copies of Crackling Doom and Mardu Ascendancy in the 75. This is probably just an oversight that I barely need to address, but I figured I'd point it out anyway. Next up, I think your mana might be a little tough to deal with. You have both white and black 1-drops. You have double-black that you need to meet. You have tri-color needs to meet. I think that since you seem to have a black core to the deck, you should stick to it and remove the Soldier of the Pantheon. Odds are that this will, along with the correct mana adjusting, help the deck to keep more hands and perform better overall.

I also think you can streamline the deck's mission a bit. Spiteful Returned is a fantastic magic card, but is a bit clunky in this build. In fact, it looks almost like you began with black aggro and then just added white for butcher, crackling doom and a couple other things (and yes, I know this was essentially how this deck panned out). There's nothing wrong with swapping colors, but I do think you can have a stronger build if you choose to either go the aggro route or the midrange out instead of doing both. Drop those spitefuls, add a few more removal spells to the main, and voila! Mardu midrange with a real kick!

I'd like to thank Scytec for his submission and everyone else for their continued support on the series. Please let me know what your opinion on the new changes is! I want to get some feedback on this one. Regardless, continue to submit builds! If this does happen as desired then we're going to need even more submissions to keep the series going!

Email: [email protected]

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Twitter: @Spootyone

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