Showdown #34: The Red

Hello all and welcome back to Showdown, where me and Kaveth pit our own Standard builds against standard builds sent into us by you all, the members of Tappedout. I want to personally thank you al for listening to my comments on deck submissions and their qualifications. There was not a single deck that was not put into the list of considerations -- something that I don't think has ever happened in the history of me doing these articles, so I want to say thank you and I hope this continues to be the case in the future. I will be continuing to post the regulations on submissions in the base of the article.

Last week Kaveth and I unleased our inner red mages in what happened to be a bit of a short match where my Naya Walkers build triumphed over a Mardu tokens list. This week it's my turn once again to use a community deck, and I have a bit of an off-color (for me) deck choice this time around. So, I have for you all a Showdown between Kaveth's UB control deck and zephramtripp's Mono red budget aggro list. Let's get to the techs.

Deck Tech With Spootyone

The deck I've chosen to run this week is a little out of my comfort zone, but an interesting choice nonetheless -- Mono-red Aggro. But this isn't just any Mono-red deck. This deck is a budget mono-red deck. So what does this mean, exactly? Well, it basically just means there are zero copies of Goblin Rabblemaster.

This worries me slightly. One of the best cards a Mono-red deck can play is the Rabs. And when a control deck attempts to stabilize with something like Drown in Sorrow, Rabblemaster is one of the best things to play right afterwards to keep the pressure on. Especially in this matchup, I worry that not having the rare Goblin from M15 is going to possibly bite me.

That said, there is truly something to say about this matchup. After all, cheap, hyper-aggro, I'm-going-to-beat-your-face-in RDW just loves to Prey Upon those big mean expensive control decks and their pilots who think they have the meta figured out.

Am I drumming up enough excitement for the matchup yet? C'mon, who wants to see the budget deck REK some face?? *Battle-cry*

4x Akroan Crusader 3x Coordinated Assault 4x Dragon Mantle 4x Foundry Street Denizen 3x Frenzied Goblin 2x Hall of Triumph 4x Hammerhand 4x Hordeling Outburst 4x Monastery Swiftspear 20x Mountain 4x Paragon of Fierce Defiance 4x Titan's Strength Sideboard 4x Lightning Strike 3x Magma Jet 4x Magma Spray 4x Searing Blood

Deck Tech With Kaveth

The list I plan to play is UB Control featuring a few key FRF cards; Ugin, the Spirit Dragon, Crux of Fate and Silumgar, the Drifting Death. Control is the first archtype I dabbled in when I began playing Magic, one of the highest learning curves and the easiest to fall flat on your face with. The matchups are grueling, slow and often go to time, but for some odd reason I have always remained drawn to this kind of a deck.

The match up here is a control players worst nightmare game 1 and still a bit iffy going into games 2 and possibly 3; I am very happy to see that the list is a budget build but the fear of being pelted to death with penny cards will definitely keep me on my toes.. To battle!

4x Dissolve 4x Dig Through Time 2x Silence the Believers 4x Bile Blight 4x Hero's Downfall 1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth 3x Radiant Fountain 4x Temple of Deceit 1x Temple of Mystery 1x Temple of Malady 4x Swamp 4x Island 4x Polluted Delta 4x Dismal Backwater 4x Thoughtseize 2x Silumgar, the Drifting Death 3x Crux of Fate 2x Ugin, the Spirit Dragon 2x Jace's Ingenuity 1x Interpret the Signs 1x Murderous Cut 1x Perilous Vault Sideboard 2x Negate 4x Drown in Sorrow 1x AEtherspouts 2x Pearl Lake Ancient 4x Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver 2x Disdainful Stroke

Game 1

Spootyone wins the die roll. WOO! I keep an opening hand of mountain, 2x Foundry Street Denizen, Monastery Swiftspear, Akroan Crusader, Hammerhand, and Hordeling Outburst. Keeping a one-lander is always risky, but this is a super-aggressive hand otherwise. I think it's a keep.	Kaveth keeps his opening hand of 2xTemple of Deceit, a Dissolve with Murderous Cut, Bile Blight, Hero's Downfall and a Crux of Fate to round out the removal. Lost the die roll, and drew into a relatively slow and steady hand with some good early interaction.
S1: Draw: None Mountain, Swiftspear, attack for 1 pass. 20/19	K1: Draw: Island Starting at 19 health, drew into an Island. I need to get into Bile Blight range as quickly as possible. Lead with the Temple and scried an Interpret the Signs to the bottom as it is far too slow for this matchup. Pass.
S2: Draw: Mountain Yes! Rewarded. I play the second mountain. I then play the Akroan Crusader and play a Hammerhand on him to get a prowess trigger and a 1/1 hasty dude from the heroic trigger. I attack for 3 and pass. 20/16	K2: Draw: Silumgar, the Drifting Death Down to 16, hoping for a Swamp or Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth off the top and was sadly disappointed to see Silumgar, the Drifting Death. Death is coming far swifter than the drifting death can provide. I play the second temple, revealing the second Silumgar, the Drifting Death, this guy really hates me, bottomed him.
S3: Draw: Hammerhand Well, that's a good draw. I play the second hammerhand on my crusader, get the prowess and heroic triggers, and attack for 7. Second main I play the Foundry Street Denizen and pass. 20/9	K3: Draw: Polluted Delta Sitting at 9, hoping to draw a miracle. Polluted Delta isn’t quite that, playing the Island and passing, hoping to lean heavily on Bile Blight or Hero's Downfall to stay in it for 1 more turn.
S4: Draw: Mountain That's so good. I play the outburst, triggering prowess. kaveth concedes. FROM KAVETH: On his turn he casted Hordeling Outburst to which I conceded. Rationale being that I needed 1 more turn to get to Crux of Fate and even casting Hero's Downfall on the Foundry Street Denizen to go to 2, play the Polluted Delta on my turn, Bile Blight then fetch into a Murderous Cut doesn’t quite deal with his boardstate.

Spooty wins game 1

Sideboarding with Spootyone

Out: 4x Hammerhand, 3x Frenzied Goblin

In: 4x Lightning Strike, 3x Magma Jet

Sideboarding for this matchup isn't really too hard. There aren't a lot of thing I feel I should be removing. Hammerhand is probably the worst of the bunch against control, even though it was a critical player in G1. I wouldn't mind having access to burn spell, however, so I feel it's necessary to remove those for the playset of Lightning Strike

Another card I'm going to remove is Frenzied Goblin. On the draw, especially, this really doesn't put the kind of pressure on my opponent that I need/want it to. I think that while Magma Jet is a bit slower, it will provide a bit more value than the goblin would -- especially with no rabblemasters.

Sideboarding with Kaveth

Out: 4 Thoughtseize, 1 Interpret the Signs

In: 4 Drown in Sorrow, 1 Aetherspouts

Hoping this is enough to keep me in the game long enough to be able to consistently deal with his threats.

Game 2

Kaveth is on the play with a hand of: Perilous Vault, Dig Through Time, 2 Temples, a Dismal Backwater topped off with a Swamp and Island. I am on the play here and I have 2 opportunities to scry. I was 1 turn off of living last game, going to hedge my bets to say that going first can get me there.	Spooty mulligans a hand with 2 paragon of the fierce defiance and a Hall of Triumph. I think that this hand is a bit too slow and hopeful that the opponent just won't interact. I keep a 6-card hand of mountain, 2x Monastery Swiftspear, Titan's Strength, Foundry Street Denizen and Hordeling Outburst.
K1: Draw: none : Lead with a Temple, Scry revealed Drown in Sorrow… the risk paid off.	S1: Draw: Mountain Good draws, good draws. I play a mountain and the swiftspear, attacking for 1. 20/19
K2: Draw: Drown in Sorrow Sitting at 19, drew into the Drown in Sorrow, played the Dismal Backwater to undo his last turn with the plan of tossing down an untapped land and drowning the following turn if he over commits. 20/20	S2: Draw: Mountain I'm happy being rewarded for keeping 1-landers. I play a mountain. He doesn't have Bile Blight mana up for this turn, and I don't want to play right into a T3 Drown in Sorrow...Hmm...I think I know what I need to do. I the second swiftspear and then a Titan's Strength, scrying a mountain to the bottom. I then attack for a total of seven. 20/13
K3: Draw: Dismal Backwater His attack left me at 13. Drew into Dismal Backwater. I need to cast the Drown in Sorrow here. I played it, killed his board and my scry revealed a second drown… Lucky top decks for sure. Kept it on top and passed with a sense of relief. He played a sole Foundry Street Denizen and at this point I don’t think he has the capacity to take me from 13 to 0 in a single swing with his 2 cards in hand.	S3: Draw: Mountain Now, I thought I scry'd you away...I play a mountain. I'm really going to get blown out by either Bile Blight or Drown in Sorrow if I play the outburst this turn. And It would be nice to get more value out of the denizen. Overall, I think that I'm facing a severely uphill battle at this point, but I'm hopeful that there's still a glimmer of a chance.
K4: Draw: Drown in Sorrow Drew the Drown in Sorrow and played an Island into a Perilous Vault to make him hesitant to commit more to the board. Drown in Sorrow should save me from anything other than a fist full of burn spells even after this turn.	S4: Draw: Mountain Drawing yet another mountain there probably puts my chances of winning to zero, and I know I'm overcommitting this turn, but I really have no other options. I play the outburst, make my denizen a 4/1, and then attack for 4, passing the turn. 20/9
K5: Draw: Dismal Backwater Dismal Backwater, gaining 1. After that, it's a second Drown in Sorrow to wipe the board, scrying and putting a Silumgar, the Drifting Death on the bottom. 20/10	S5: Draw: Hordeling Outburst I play the outburst and pass.
K6: Draw: Drown in Sorrow I top deck another Drown in Sorrow and force a concession. I can’t believe the top decks.

Kaveth Wins Game 2!

I mulligan a hand with 4 mountains and no 1-drop. That just doesn't cut it here. I keep a 6-card hand of 3x Mountain, Foundry Street Denizen, Hordeling Outburst, and Hall of Triumph. I really am not the hugest fan of this hand, but I don't think I can afford to go to 5 with this deck once he has Drown in Sorrow in his deck.	Game 3 on the draw with a hand of: 2x Hero's Downfall, Crux of Fate and Aetherspouts paired with a Dismal Backwater, Swamp and Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth. I can’t really ask for much more here.
S1: Draw: none Mountain, denizen, pass.	K1: Draw: Dissolve Drew into a Dissolve. Lead with the Dismal Backwater and passed. Not much thinking here, just want to get to Hero's Downfall, Aetherspouts, Dissolve and Crux of Fate. 20/21
S2: Draw: Foundry Street Denizen That could be the worst possible draw apart from just a mountain. I even have to play it, which is stupidly gross. I do so, attack for 2 and then play a mountain and pass. 20/19	K2: Draw: Polluted Delta 19 Health. I drew into Polluted Delta, played Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth as there is no risk of him getting value out of it and passed.
S3: Draw: Paragon of Fierce Defiance If this is Bile Blight, I'm just dead anyway. No real reason to play around it, I suppose. I can attempt to play around Drown in Sorrow by playing the hall instead of the outburst this turn, but I really don't think that's quick enough to win. I play the outburst and both my denizens become 4/1s. I go to combat. He takes 8. Yay! it at least wasn't bile blight! Pass. 20/11	K3: Draw: Dig Through Time Sitting at 11, hoping to see Bile Blight or Drown in Sorrow. Drew Dig Through Time, not terribly happy about it. Hero's Downfall is going to have to buy me a turn.
S4: Draw: Mountain He must have a pretty unlucky hand right now. I can't foresee him taking 8 with a blight in hand. I can't foresee him passing with Drown in hand. He doesn't even have double-U for Dissolve. Hell, I could win here if he doesn't have Hero's Downfall. I play a mountain and the Paragon of Fierce Defiance. In response to the ETB triggers, Paragon is hit by a Hero's Downfall. I attack for 7 and pass. This is crazy. I feel like I shouldn't be alive. 20/4	K4: Draw: Hero's Downfall Seems my good and bad luck strings together in multiples.

Spooty Wins the Match

Afterthoughts

Spooty: Like I said in Game 3, I feel like I shouldn't be alive. This truly was one of those matchups that teetered over the fulcrum that is a T3 wrath effect. Being without Goblin Rabblemaster or "large" burn spells like Stoke the Flames meant that my reach was dramatically low. And as was witnessed in Game 2, I simply floundered after getting drowned in sorrow.

I want to be clear: for a budget deck, this build was quite incredible. Apart from missing the reach against decks with Drown in Sorrow and/or Anger of the Gods, I felt pretty comfortably ahead. That said, this was what should have been an easy matchup for me. Should the opponent have been running a Sylvan Caryatid, Courser of Kruphix, Siege Rhino build, I would have to imagine that things would be much harder.

One thing I really want to stress was my immense distaste for Paragon of Fierce Defiance. That card was bad. Like...real bad. I understand its implications in this deck or any deck, but it relies on the boardstate already being in your favor by turn four, and does not protect you any more from thsoe T3 wrath effects. Additionally, he dies to just as much as anything else and doesn't grant haste to himself. There really was no time in which I was happy to have/draw this card and I mentioned several times during the match how poorly I felt about it.

I think the best thing you can do, zephramtripp, is to remove the playset of them and bring the Lightning Strike mainboard. Alternatively, you could substitute them with a playset of a card such as Valley Dasher or War-Name Aspirant. I wish you luck in the future!

Kaveth:

I felt like I was on my back leg for a grand majority of the games. I can only imagine the RDW list having Goblin Rabblemaster and Stoke the Flames being true nails in the coffin. As for my own deck’s interaction, I felt like there was a sizable lack of interaction before turn 3, 4 and 5. The inclusion of Drown in Sorrow wasn’t enough to guarantee me anything more than a fleeting chance to draw it and hang on for one more turn.

I will have to see what I can do about my loss streak at this point in the coming weeks.

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Thank you to Evoksva_______ for the 10 dollar donation! It's been a while since I've recieved one so this was a fantastic surprise :)

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Until next time, may you never get mana-screwed. And as always, thanks for reading!

--Spootyone--

Feeling generous? Wanna help out? It's easy! Donating even a small amount really helps make these happen, and I will always be appreciative of it. Plus, you can get rewards for doing so!

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$5.00 = You will receive a personal thank you and mention in the next article I release!
$10.00 = I will do an in-depth analysis of the deck of your choice, giving my advice and opinions in detail (Note: this will need to be limited to Standard and EDH for the time being as I grow my skills and knowledge in other formats). Additionally, you will receive the mention in the next article!
$25.00 = In addition to the deck analysis, I will run a 5-game playtesting match between your chosen deck and any other of your choice, be it your own, a pillar of the format, or even one of my own creations! Afterwards, I will provide you with a detailed synopsis of how things went, and give my opinions and suggestions about the chosen deck. This will be in addition to the notation in the next article.
$50.00 = If you are generous enough to donate 50 or more dollars, you and I will set up a meeting via Skype, Google Hangouts, etc. to discuss archetypes, cards, formats, or anything even remotely MTG-related. Afterwards, we will meet up on Cockatrice to have our very own Speedbrew where you can challenge me to anything you'd like! (This will be purely for fun -- not an actual episode of Speedbrewers). Due to time restraints, I'll have to keep this portion to ~ 2 hours long. In addition to all this, you will still receive the 5-game playtesting match of your choice, in-depth deck analysis, and mention in the next article I send out!

~~~ IMPORTANT ~~~

I need to emphasize the criteria for deck submissions, as it's going to help us choose in the future. Please, if you submit a deck, pay attention to these when choosing.

1.) The deck must be Standard-legal. We are not versed in Modern right now and it would be wrong of us to pilot a Modern deck and claim to know what we were doing.

2.) The deck must have a 15-card sideboard. In an effort to remain fair, both decks need to have the ability to sideboard -- even if it's poor. Please make sure the deck has a sideboard. If you have unique SB choices or choices in general that would not be easy to comprehend, please explain them so we can know what we're doing with your deck.

3.) Do whatever you can not to limit your creativity and skill. This means don't allow cost to become an issue. If you don't own the cards IRL, it's fine. Having less good cards in the deck means bias during the match when the card is only there for monetary reasons. NOTE: If you create a Budget deck for the purposes of it being so, that is different and is fine. But please note the distinct differences between budget-building and (for example) only having one copy of Thoughtseize or Siege Rhino because that's all you currently own.

Apart from these stipulations, go nuts in deck building! But please, make sure these rules are followed when submitting so that we don't have to shoot down a perfectly fine deck just because it has a 3-card SB or because it's playing Aven Skirmisher as a proxy for Wingmate Roc.

Thank you and enjoy!

WebCounter.com

This article is a follow-up to Showdown #33: Nestled in Tokens The next article in this series is Showdown #35: Raider's Spoils

Dylan says... #1

Great article as always, really enjoyed it and am loving the new format. I would also like submit my deck for next week's showdown.

Soul of Sidisi (Feat WIP) Playtest

Standard dberg101

SCORE: 0 | 1 COMMENTS | 15 VIEWS

January 26, 2015 4:42 p.m.

Naronu says... #2

Amazing article as always guys! The new format looks amazing, I'd like to submit my budget Temur build

The Savage Frontier Playtest

Standard* Naronu

SCORE: 13 | 8 COMMENTS | 2459 VIEWS

Hope you like it!

January 26, 2015 4:50 p.m.

Rasta_Viking29 says... #3

Hammerhand grants haste!

January 26, 2015 5:06 p.m.

weisemanjohn says... #4

Hey there Spootyone! I've been out of the game for a bit, but the new set gave me some inspiration. I'm not sure what the current meta is like or how this deck will fare in it, but my tests so far prove it to be fairly competitive. I will now introduce one if your favorite color combinations: a Green White Manifest Destiny Deck

Manifest Destiny Playtest

Standard weisemanjohn

SCORE: 1 | 4 COMMENTS | 202 VIEWS

PS, I don't know how long you've been doing it (like I've said, I've been out a while) but the table format for keeping turns straight is a nice touch.

January 26, 2015 5:10 p.m.

Spootyone says... #5

Rasta_Viking29: Oh hey, look at that. You can tell I'm not incredibly familiar with the card haha. Luckily it didn't seem to make too much of a difference in the matchup. I may have not boarded them out with that knowledge, but at the same time I really didn't like playing into Bile Blight even more so by putting auras on my dudes.

January 26, 2015 5:22 p.m.

Caes says... #6

Great article guys, Fate Reforged has brought us some awesome cards.

My submission now takes advantage of the incredible ramp Frontier Siege creates.

Share the Wealth Playtest

Standard* Caes

SCORE: 3 | 1 COMMENTS | 215 VIEWS

January 26, 2015 5:22 p.m.

allthingsMTG says... #7

my jeskai tempo standard deck that I run, with 2 Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest instead of a playset of seekers or rabblemasters

can't stop burn Playtest

Standard* allthingsMTG

SCORE: 1 | 0 COMMENTS | 822 VIEWS

January 26, 2015 6:04 p.m.

bsian says... #8

Great article Spooty, as always! I'd like to submit my take on the two decks that will likely be seeing the most play in post-FRF standard; Abzan midrange and Jeskai tokens:

Tier 1 Abzan Midrange Playtest

Standard HerderOfNerf

SCORE: 2 | 0 COMMENTS | 381 VIEWS

Ascend, thy Tokens Playtest

Standard* HerderOfNerf

SCORE: 0 | 0 COMMENTS | 26 VIEWS

January 26, 2015 6:53 p.m.

Frayace says... #9

Izzet Always Finds a Way Playtest

Standard* Frayace

SCORE: 1 | 0 COMMENTS | 100 VIEWS

This is an Izzet tempo deck. the sideboard Cloudforms are for control matchups.

I've been having alot of fun with it, and I hope you try it out :).

January 26, 2015 7:12 p.m.

alexthegreat38 says... #10

Love the Showdown articles as always!

Here is my Temur Aggro deck with FRF cards, looks so far like it might be in a good place in the meta this time around:

Temur Reforged Playtest

Standard* alexthegreat38

SCORE: 2 | 3 COMMENTS | 733 VIEWS

January 26, 2015 8:32 p.m.

bretters says... #11

Good match. Here is a submission from me again .

Sultai Midrange Playtest

Standard bretters

SCORE: 0 | 1 COMMENTS | 1289 VIEWS

and

The Heroes of the Boros Legion are Ready for War Playtest

Standard bretters

SCORE: 7 | 2 COMMENTS | 820 VIEWS

the boros deck I plan to play at my next Fnm. It is currently built. The sultai deck I don't have built currently but I do own all of the cards in it and can build it if I want. I really hope the next article includes one of my decks for the first time, maybe consistency in submitting decks will get paid off crosses fingers

January 26, 2015 8:35 p.m.

fallenarchetype says... #12

I'd like to submit my 5 colour whip deck for the next showdown Whip It. Whip It Good.

January 26, 2015 8:36 p.m.

zephramtripp says... #13

Thank you so much for featuring my deck. I am so surprised I actually won a few games. Thank you for the advice, too.

January 26, 2015 9:07 p.m.

Obake says... #14

Classic matchup, RDW vs Control. Great article as always Spootyone and Kaveth!

Now that FRF is officially released, here's some new submissions from me:

Soulflayer Whip Playtest

Standard* Obake

SCORE: 5 | 2 COMMENTS | 1025 VIEWS

As the name implies, this one is a Sidisi Whip deck updated with new toys from FRF.

Cinnamon Gum Playtest

Standard* Obake

SCORE: 1 | 0 COMMENTS | 83 VIEWS

Big Red deck I've been wanting to build since Flamewake Phoenix was spoiled. Still very much a WIP but getting closer to actually building.

January 26, 2015 9:38 p.m.

SpartanCEL says... #15

Reading about games is always fun, especially if they're well written so props to you guys! (Curious how many drafts you guys do of your articles pun not intended) Also wondering how you get your article in the latest article page. I could just ask but I figured might as well lump it in here

10/10 would read more!

January 26, 2015 9:47 p.m.

Hickorysbane says... #16

Resubmitting this thing

Hardcore Heroes Playtest

Standard PrecintSix6Six

SCORE: 1 | 0 COMMENTS | 485 VIEWS

The columns switching in G3 kinda threw me off, but the whole thing was the usual top-notch quality.

January 26, 2015 11:08 p.m.

TheHroth says... #17

Great games! I'm happy the budget deck performed so well.

Esper Superfriends Control?:

The Rogue Shard of Tarkir Playtest

Standard TheHroth

SCORE: 181 | 1 COMMENTS | 10182 VIEWS

January 27, 2015 12:30 a.m.

miracleHat says... #18

Just out of interest, what happened to the formatting for game three? I would suggest showing the reader when it starts (to avoid confusion) and when it ends (already did). After that, you started the opening hands (game three) on the opposite sides of the rest of the gameplay.

Otherwise, keep writing the articles.

January 27, 2015 1:50 a.m.

Spootyone says... #19

The game 3 formatting has been edited to be correct. Sorry for the confusion! It was a mis-edit.

January 27, 2015 2:39 a.m.

CommanderOfBolas says... #20

Hey, great article again, guys! my sideboard is in need of some tuning, but here is my submission:

Blue Devotion is Back Playtest

Standard CommanderOfBolas

SCORE: 0 | 0 COMMENTS | 79 VIEWS

January 27, 2015 3:52 a.m.

Gutz says... #21

As always a good article bud. id also like to submit my Battle tested R/G Monster for you to give a go.iv been running it since RTR and evolved it into what it is now.

R/G Monsters Playtest

Standard Gutz

SCORE: 0 | 0 COMMENTS | 56 VIEWS

January 27, 2015 8:49 a.m.

Derpachus says... #22

I got a deck I would love to pitch in for a showdown. I have only had it irl for about 3 weeks now, and at FNM it has gone overall 7-3-0-0.

Brutal Beating Playtest

Standard* Derpachus

SCORE: 6 | 0 COMMENTS | 588 VIEWS

January 27, 2015 9:47 a.m.

Chachamara says... #23

Always nice to see a budget build! Here is my deck for your consideration.

Breakfast Cheese Playtest

Standard* Chachamara

SCORE: 0 | 0 COMMENTS | 46 VIEWS

January 27, 2015 10:08 a.m.

Yggdrasil60 says... #24

Awesome article, glad to see Mono Red can still win without rabblemaster :p
Here is the deck I submit, which is kinda off the radar :

Selesnya's Burning Soul Playtest

Standard Yggdrasil60

SCORE: 1 | 0 COMMENTS | 0 VIEWS

Color wheel isn't displaying, I guess it's a temporary problem.

January 27, 2015 2:47 p.m.

The_Raven says... #25

Wow.... Never really read these, but... Well, it was quite :)

So, why not? Budget Heroic? More to love? ;)

A Poor Mans Heroic Playtest

Standard NorthernRaven

SCORE: 0 | 0 COMMENTS | 129 VIEWS

January 27, 2015 3:07 p.m.

HolyFalcon says... #26

Great article as always Spootyone and Kaveth! I've been brewing Jeskai Aggro, and I'd like to submit for the next Showdown.

My Mantis is Hungry | Jeksai Aggro Playtest

Standard Potter2003

SCORE: 0 | 0 COMMENTS | 4 VIEWS

January 27, 2015 8:22 p.m.

Ramz-E says... #27

I would like to submit a deck for the next challenge:

The Sentinels of Abzan Playtest

Standard* Ramz-E

SCORE: 0 | 1 COMMENTS | 168 VIEWS

January 28, 2015 6:13 a.m.

deltacobra says... #28

Here's a deck to put some junk in your trunk.

Prisoner of Abzan Playtest

Standard deltacobra

SCORE: 1 | 0 COMMENTS | 185 VIEWS

January 28, 2015 7:01 a.m.

EddCrawley says... #29

Just noticed in game 1:S2, you had Monastery Swiftspear and Akroan Crusader in play, you cast Hammerhand on Crusader, and so MS got +1/+1 prowess trigger (2/3), Crusader got +1/+1 and Haste (2/2) and a haste soldier, swinging with all should be 5 damage not 3.

January 28, 2015 9:36 a.m.

TheFanatic says... #30

Hey, Spooty. I've been working on a B/W warrior tribal build for my friend, and it would be great to see it featured in an article to see how it plays outside of my own testing. Here's the current list:

Mad Matt's Men of Mayhem Playtest

Standard* TheFanatic

SCORE: 0 | 0 COMMENTS | 6 VIEWS

January 28, 2015 7:15 p.m.

EridanAmpora says... #31

In game 1 on Spooty's turn 2, I believe he attacks for 5 since Monastery Swiftspear is a 2/3 from prowess, Akroan Crusader is a 2/2 haste from Hammerhand, and he has a 1/1 hasty token.

January 29, 2015 9:28 a.m.

bigmacaroni24 says... #32

I like it! Always a good read.

Here's something I'm working on. I'd love to see what you can do with it.

As a Matter of Artifact Playtest

Standard bigmacaroni24

SCORE: 2 | 4 COMMENTS | 136 VIEWS

Have a great day!

January 29, 2015 1:28 p.m.

Jeyrrick says... #33

Nice Showdown as always. I was pleasantly surprised to see aggro, especially on a budget, and I am glad to see it do well in today's standard full of midrange and control.

If I were to give any of my own advice to zephramtripp, I would agree with Spooty in saying that you should remove the Paragon. He costs a little much for aggro and doesn't do quite enough. If you were using him for the haste, I would try the new FRF enchantment Break Through the Line. It gives cheap and easy haste and unblockable, so you won't need Frenzied Goblin to be able to push. It may even be good enough to replace the goblin.

Well, here's my 2nd revision Alesha, Who Smiles at Death deck that I hope you will look at:

Dude Looks Like a Lady Playtest

Standard* MisterMayhem

SCORE: 4 | 8 COMMENTS | 960 VIEWS

I'm eager and excited to see what Fate Reforged and the next showdown will have in store for us!

January 29, 2015 2:27 p.m.

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