SOI Standard Poor-Man Challenge: Round 1, Part 1 Results

Deck Challenges

zandl

26 April 2016

2906 views

Tin Knuckles by Gearhead93
      versus
wu-enchantments-poor-mans-challenge by robo12385

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Results Show

Gearhead93 (2)   vs.   robo12385 (1)

Game 1 Show

Robo started strong with Silkwrap and Stasis Snare on Gearhead’s first pair of creatures, but the fact that Robo was only playing 22 lands came back to haunt him. Stuck drawing a slew of 4-drops without the mana to cast them, Robo could only watch as his opponent seized the opportunity to build up an impressive board state and swing in for victory.

Game 2 Show

Without land-drops being an issue this game, Robo quickly gained the upper hand on the battlefield with a volley of exiling enchantments followed by a Vessel of Ephemera to be regained with Auramancer. Now only with combat tricks and a less-than-desirable Immolating Glare in his hand, Gearhead eventually succumbed to the Spirit legion.

Game 3 Show

For the third game, Gearhead wound up seeing many more creatures than before. This turned out to be a decent counter to Robo’s strategy of "hope I have enough removal spells". Though Robo did possess 2 separate 4/4 Blessed Spirits at one point, Gearhead was just sitting with a pair of Immolating Glares. Robo drawing a few too many lands and then an Auramancer with nothing to retrieve gave Gearhead enough time to move in his Baloth Pup and Citadel Castellan for the kill.

Poorman's mono black by Seavywolf
      versus
Nobody Expects the Thraben Inquisition by tooTimid

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Results Show

tooTimid (2)   vs.   Seavywolf (1)

Game 1 Show

Wolf seemed to quickly gain control of the game with a Call the Bloodline and a couple copies of Alms of the Vein plus Murderous Compulsion. Timid, though, ground out the rough early-game with spells that generated a large amount of tokens. Wolf’s Sibsig Icebreakers were essentially a 2/3 Vanilla for 3 mana between Call the Bloodline being the better enabler and Timid without a hand for much of the game. Creeping Dread was stuck in the same situation, as well. Though the lifelink Vampire Knight tokens scored Wolf some life here and there, Timid’s army of Thopters and Eldrazi Scions won the game.

Game 2 Show

A turn-1 Indulgent Aristocrat from Wolf took advantage of a slower start from Timid to get in for some lifelink damage. A followup Call the Bloodline helped muddle the board against Timid’s Eldrazi Skyspawners and Scions. What seemed like a bomb topdeck in Relief Captain was actually what Timid needed to even stay alive; an end-of-turn Vampire Knight into another + Alms of the Vein on Wolf’s main phase made the Indulgent Aristocrat’s activated ability rather powerful. A few turns of "draw-go" went by as Timid’s flying token army stared down the would-be lethal attack, but he eventually lost out due to the fact that Wolf could just make another Vampire Knight each turn and hit extra value through Madness.

Game 3 Show

Timid curved out perfectly with Faerie Miscreant, Cleric of the Forward Order, Eldrazi Skyspawner, and Whirler Rogue into Relief Captain. Wolf had some fine draws himself, but none of them were too troublesome for Timid. Murderous Compulsion, for example, is a decent card, but not against a huge token offensive. Creeping Dread finally found its way to the battlefield in this game, but Timid was under no real pressure and had already played out everything he needed to before it could start hitting his hand. Without any efficient way to deal with the mounting token assault, Wolf fell to 0 life.

cushion-fluff by professorducky
      versus
izzet-no-rares by mj3913

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Results Show

professorducky (2)   vs.   mj3913 (0)

Game 1 Show

MJ started strong with a Stormchaser Mage right off the bat into two copies of Titan's Strength, but Fleshbag Marauder on Ducky’s third turn shut it down. With only an Elusive Spellfist to carry the banner now for MJ (now lacking in pump spells beyond the passive +1/+0 from Anticipate), Ducky built up a board state that MJ couldn’t really stay alive against. An alpha strike plus the combination of Nantuko Husk and Zulaport Cutthroat ended the game all at once.

Game 2 Show

The theoretical power behind the U/R Prowess shell is its potential to explosively damage the opponent far before any real defense can be constructed. However, if damage is not being pushed through too quickly and you get hit by timely removal, the deck is left with a bunch of clunky draws and either too many inefficient creatures or none to target with your pump spells. A pair of early-game Gudul Lurkers gave MJ a fair bit of momentum going into the mid-game, but Titan's Strength and Sure Strike (while seeming potent) only have one job. Think of them as Lava Spike; they’re certainly strong, but you can’t do anything meaningful but burn your opponent’s face with them. Without the buff of Prowess or being able to interact with the opponent’s mounting pressure, there was nothing that could stop Ducky from taking over. A card like Treasure Cruise (RIP) to refuel the hand on turn-4 or turn-5 is what the archetype needs but, sadly, doesn’t have.

Unstable Power | The Poor Man Challenge by JerichoDarkstar
      versus
pauper mill by fastjaguar3

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Results Show

JerichoDarkstar (2)   vs.   fastjaguar3 (1)

Game 1 Show

Jaguar kept a decent hand with a Sphinx's Tutelage, Magmatic Insight, and Fiery Impulse, but Jericho just got off to a much more aggressive start. Jaguar’s draws turned into spells that only mill and got stuck in the same spot that MJ was during his own game 2, with spells that are fine in a vacuum but don’t change the board-state. Vessel of Paramnesia and Manic Scribe are alright if you’ve got control already, but don’t do much to get you to that point. Jericho loaded up an Elusive Spellfist with Titan's Strength and Uncaged Fury to win in one overwhelming swing.

Game 2 Show

As if to prove a point, Jaguar managed to stave off Jericho’s first two creatures with removal and Jericho had trouble recovering. In the meantime, a Sphinx's Tutelage hit the board and Manic Scribe with delirium began sifting through the layers of Jericho’s deck each turn. With the occasional Tormenting Voice to discard a Fiery Temper and nail a creature as Jericho was forced to tap out (or have no creature), the Tutelage got there and claimed the game for Jaguar.

Game 3 Show

Jericho came out swinging with Stormchaser Mage, Jhessian Thief, and a proper mix of pump spells and draw. The only disruption Jaguar had was Just the Wind. It helped disperse some value from Jericho’s pump spells, but wound up (obviously) not being a permanent solution. No other control came up and Jericho had no trouble winning with a healthy portion of his deck intact.

Black-red Crazy poor vampires by amerishin
      versus
Turbo sphinx - SOI standard Poor-man challenge by Grotski

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Results Show

amerishin (2)   vs.   Grotski (0)

Game 1 Show

Grotski began with a couple draw spells into burn for Amerishin’s early Vampires, leading into what seemed like a simple mill win. However, Amerishin’s draws were strong and a volley of haste creatures came down with startling frequency. Quickly behind in the race, Grotski was staring down an assault that not even both copies of Dampening Pulse could hold back.

Game 2 Show

As I suspected (and secretly tested a brew of my own to check prior to the challenge - hint), any U/R Tutelage deck needs to stay very low to the ground in terms of curve to have a chance against highly aggressive decks. Of course, when Amerishin was curving from Heir of Falkenrath  ^Flip into Incorrigible Youths on turn-3 and attacking for 7, the last thing Grotski needed was hand of Manic Scribes and Reckless Scholars. A Stensia Masquerade landing a couple turns later pushed Amerishin’s creatures beyond the range of burn spells and that was the game.

No Rares? Sounds Like MADNESS! (R/B Vampires) by Grantley91
      versus
Poor-man (Were)wolf by Volvary

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Results Show

Volvary (2)   vs.   Grantley91 (1)

Game 1 Show

A Neglected Heirloom  ^Flip into Lambholt Pacifist  ^Flip on the play allowed the Pacifist to attack on its own and transform right after doing so. With no way to deal with such a large creature so soon, Grantley could only watch as all of his creatures turned to blocking duty. A few turns later, an Uncaged Fury from Volvary finished the game.

Game 2 Show

Grantley came fighting back like a champ, proving that having the right removal at the right times can win you the game. With a turn-2 Heir of Falkenrath  ^Flip on the play and a Fiery Temper to sling at a Lambholt Pacifist  ^Flip, Volvary was immediately far behind. Although a pair of Village Messenger  ^Flips picked up a pair of Neglected Heirloom  ^Flips a bit later, the Heir to the Night  ^Flip had already been flying over and the was race was still in Grantley’s favor. In a top-deck war, neither player drew anything relevant and the game was won by the 3/2 flyer.

Game 3 Show

In what became a very drawn-out game, removal spells were traded on both sides of the board and no clear leader could be identified for quite some time. A notable play involved sacrificing a Zombie token of Grantley’s to Altar's Reap and drawing the clutch combo of Lightning Axe and Fiery Temper to burn away two threatening Werewolves. One of the unfortunate tendencies of playing a Madness deck, however, is that you run out of spells faster than other decks for the benefit of more crippling and aggressive plays. In an extended top-deck war against Werewolves, it’s only a matter of time until you whiff a draw and can’t cast a spell, letting your opponent’s army transform. Ashmouth Blade  ^Flip provided +3/+3 and first strike to a Neck Breaker  ^Flip and the B/R deck couldn’t do anything to stop it.

Investigate (deck not found) by Guissauro
      versus
poor-man-standard by Holtzman

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Results Show

Holtzman (2)   vs.   Guissauro (0)

Game 1 Show

Holtzman started strong with a solid curve of Tide Drifter into Eldrazi Skyspawner into Ruination Guide. Guissauro was at a loss with how to suppress the mounting threat using only temporary answers, like Just the Wind and Jace's Scrutiny. Erdwal Illuminator and Trail of Evidence were racking up plenty of clues, but the draws were clunky and there were simply no spells that could keep Guissauro from being overwhelmed.

Game 2 Show

As in the first game, Holtzman’s threats couldn’t be contained by a few counterspells and bounces. A Herald of Kozilek on turn-3 accelerated Holtzman, allowing him to cast a creature and have a counterspell open on the same turn (groovy synergy there with Spell Shrivel). From there, 1-mana Tide Drifters and 2-mana Vile Aggregates sealed the game up.

Don't you hate that? by 123456789101112131415161718
      versus
Swaggys SOI Poor Mans Challenge deck by SwaggyMcSwagglepants

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Results Show

SwaggyMcSwagglepants (2)   vs.   123456789101112131415161718 (0)

Game 1 Show

The game started off heavily in 1234’s favor with the help of a pair of Reflector Mages to bounce Swaggy’s relatively high-costed creatures and grant a large tempo swing. With the progression of the game, however, those creatures were making it back onto the battlefield as 1234 was drawing irrelevant things like Topplegeist and Consul's Lieutenant against a stacked army of Allies. By the time the beats came on, Immolating Glare wasn’t enough to stop it and a fresh hand of countermagic was the last thing 1234 needed.

Game 2 Show

Spells like Reflector Mage are fantastic for dealing with Auras, counters, and getting things out of the way for your assault to get through. When your deck doesn’t necessarily capitalize on those tempo swings, though, the Mage just feels like a 2/3 for 3 mana. Against an Ally deck, it may even be detrimental at times to bounce a creature regardless of the "free turn" it may give you. Swaggy, under no pressure, had plenty of time to sit and build up a board with Serene Steward and Kalastria Healer at its core, drawing into an Ally almost every turn. With no way to break through for damage or contain and ever-increasing army, 1234’s loss was inevitable from even the mid-game turns.

Blockage by argeaux
      versus
No rare no worries(Poor man challenge) by Alfesio

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Results Show

argeaux (2)   vs.   Alfesio (0)

Game 1 Show

Alfesio cranked out a Stormchaser Mage and an Elusive Spellfist for some big hits in the first few turns of the game, but Argeaux’s removal package whittled down the threats. Claustrophobia landed and blanked Dispel, then Celestial Flare and Immolating Glare over the counterspell cleaned up the board. Argeaux’s Whirler Rogue gave her a presence and an Awakened Roil Spout on one of the tapped-down Spellfists ensured her a victory on the following turn.

Game 2 Show

In what was nearly a repeat of the first game, Alfesio jammed the big threats from the get-go, but Argeaux caught up with removal and slowly amassed an army that Alfesio was ill-equipped to deal with. Without spells like Titan's Strength, Expedite, or Slip Through Space, the deck takes a lot of hits from sorcery-speed removal without being able to recover too efficiently.

zandl's challenge by tempest
      versus
Sad Blokes by Quarion65

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Results Show

tempest (2)   vs.   Quarion65 (1)

Game 1 Show

Quarion’s turn-2 Impact Tremors into a Topplegeist and Dragon Fodder set the fast pace for this first game. Catacomb Sifter from Tempest was to be the start of a great defense, but a second Topplegeist and Delirium in the graveyard shortly thereafter gave Quarion a huge leap in tempo. It also helps that Topplegeist is a very good 1-drop creature when you have Delirium. One Inspired Charge from Quarion while most of Tempest’s creatures were tapped ended the game.

Game 2 Show

All seemed to be going well for Quarion with a pair of Topplegeists on Delirium patrol for Tempest’s Bane of Bala Ged, but some timely top-decked removal shut them down. From there, Quarion had absolutely no hope against a pair of Banes and had no permanents in a matter of turns.

Game 3 Show

A pair of Topplegeists led the fight for Quarion with some quick Delirium, thanks to Lightning Axe discarding Impact Tremors. Not under much pressure beyond that, however, Tempest could ramp with Hedron Archive into multiple spells per turn. Oblivion Strike and Ultimate Price killed off the Geists and Quarion was out of real options. Tempest’s Eldrazi Scions and Thopter tokens quickly flooded the board and Quarion, now in top-deck mode, couldn’t draw anything efficient to hold them back with.

ub-control-soi-poor-mans-challenge by ThoughtShift
      versus
Munda can't come to the phone, leave a message by Jantun

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Results Show

ThoughtShift (2)   vs.   Jantun (1)

Game 1 Show

A few early hits from Expedition Envoy and Makindi Patrol got the ball rolling for Jantun, though a turn-5 Ruthless Deathfang with Sidisi's Faithful off of Hedron Archive seemed to stabilize the board. However, there weren’t too many instant or sorcery spells in Thoughtshift’s graveyard for Rise from the Tides to be effective, nor were there any answers to Resolute Blademaster. Chumps were made with Foundry of the Consuls and Sidisi's Faithful to stay alive, but no help ever arrived.

Game 2 Show

Without an Expedition Envoy in Jantun’s opening hand to establish early-game board presence, the other spells clogged up his curve at 3 and 4 mana apiece. Given the extra time, Thoughtshift seized the opportunity to set up his board for lots of potential value. By the time Jantun was casting creatures each turn, Thoughtshift was waiting with Foul-Tongue Invocation (revealing Ruthless Deathfang for 4 extra life), Fleshbag Marauder, and even Blighted Fen further down the road. Jantun couldn’t get any traction on the board and the Dragon with 2 Palace Familiars flew overhead for the victory.

Game 3 Show

Coming off of a mulligan to 6 cards (a lack of mana-fixing hurting more than anything), Jantun kept 2 Expedition Envoy, 2 Titan's Strength, and 1 of each Basic; not bad. While he did get in for 5 damage with a good scry on the second turn of the game, Jantun was disrupted on his second Titan's Strength by Ultimate Price. From here, Thoughtshift was drawing new answers almost every turn - which his deck is almost entirely comprised of - and Jantun was back to possessing no real pressure. Skipping forward, Ruthless Deathfang found its way onto the board and Jantun had no answer. Rakshasa Gravecaller hit the board, flooded it with Zombies, forced Jantun to sacrifice his only remaining creature, and the game was over on the followup alpha strike.

Pain and Drain by Blueberrypop
      versus
Standard UC Challenge by kovarion

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Results Show

kovarion (2)   vs.   Blueberrypop (1)

Game 1 Show

Blueberry began with a pair of both Duress and Zulaport Cutthroat, looking strong going into the mid-game. When Kovarion drew another Call the Bloodline, though, and found in it a discard outlet, the floodgates opened and he promptly took control of the game. Without removal or any other way to dispose of Incorrigible Youths, Blueberry was falling behind quickly. Nothing too relevant came off the top of the deck and the game was over not long after.

Game 2 Show

Accursed Witch  ^Flip made its challenge debut in this game and gave Kovarion quite a bit of trouble. To get it off the board (and keep from taking 4 damage each turn), he had to double-block it. This allowed Blueberry, though, to start gaining life. A follow up Retreat to Hagra with an Evolving Wilds set back on top with Not Forgotten kept Blueberry out of kill-range, leading into a Retreat to Emeria to finish the game off.

Game 3 Show

An Heir to the Night  ^Flip and a turn-3 attacking Olivia's Bloodsworn into Stensia Masquerade was an alarmingly fast clock for Blueberry to handle. With just one piece of removal in Murderous Compulsion facing down 3 flying threats, the spotty "here-and-there" life-gain was nearly irrelevant. Despite gaining a few points back each turn, it wasn’t enough to offset the 8+ coming across each turn.

mono-red-hedron-alignment by fluffyisgod
      versus
Zandl's Silverblack 2016 - UB Delirium Control by Boza

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Results Show

Boza (2)   vs.   fluffyisgod (0)

Game 1 Show

Turn-1 Lightning Berserker into turn-2 Dragon Fodder was a great start for Fluffy, though Boza wasn’t about to be intimidated. Sinister Concoction on the Berserker enabled Delirium, giving Kindly Stranger  ^Flip a huge amount of value. Though Fluffy got in for good beats with Magmatic Chasm and Titan's Strength, there just wasn’t enough gas coming off the top of his deck to keep up the pace. The Red deck petered out into topdeck mode as a Necromantic Summons picked up a previously discarded Aberrant Researcher  ^Flip for enough damage to end the game.

Game 2 Show

Goblin Glory Chaser on the play is always a welcome sight, though Grasp of Darkness from Boza after taking just 1 damage is even better. From there, a pair of Kolaghan Forerunners welcomed a Dragon Fodder and began some decent beats. A Sinister Concoction came out and took care of one while a Kindly Stranger  ^Flip on the next turn dealt with the other. Left with only Magmatic Chasms and land, Necromantic Summons once again picked up an Aberrant Researcher  ^Flip to swing in the air uncontested for the win.

These soldiers couldn't afford much... by aramlet
      versus
Poor Man's Standard by Aelifre

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Results Show

aramlet (2)   vs.   Aelifre (0)

Game 1 Show

Aramlet began with a hand which included 3 copies of Blood-Cursed Knight and a Gryff's Boon. It took quite awhile for him to get traction through Aelifre’s removal spells, but Aelifre wasn’t doing too much at the same time. Eventually, the third Knight stuck and picked up the Boon to soar overhead and gain obscene amounts of life. By the time Aelifre drew another removal spell, the Knight already had a Murder Investigation on it and the damage was lethal either way.

Game 2 Show

Sinister Concoction prevented any one of Aramlet’s creatures from becoming too large, but the actual number of those creatures became the real problem. With 3 separate Blessed Spirits getting a buff from each enchantment and Blood-Cursed Knight loving the hard-to-reach Enchantment of Behind the Scenes, Aelifre was under an immense amount of pressure. I thought Accursed Witch  ^Flip was going to be one of the stronger cards in this matchup, but its relatively high mana cost and less-than-desirable defensive capabilities couldn’t help Aelifre hang onto the game.

vampire-aggro-zandl-challenge by jparker-sartori21
      versus
uw-midrange-flying-control-poor-man-challenge by JKLawson89

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Results Show

JKLawson89 (2)   vs.   jparker-sartori21 (0)

Game 1 Show

A duo of Faerie Miscreant and Topplegeist got the cute beats on for a few turns until the fourth turn, when Parker tapped out and opened the window for Lawson to flash in Thunderclap Wyvern at the end of the turn. Untapping and drawing into another Wyvern (and casting it right away) meant that neither it nor the copy could die to Fiery Temper. Parker was stuck with a few less-than-useful cards in his hand (like Skin Invasion  ^Flip and Bloodmad Vampire) as Lawson started swinging in the air. Anything that got in the way was bounced back by Reflector Mage.

Game 2 Show

Parker had a tough time from the get-go. Silkwrap and Reflector Mage stopped him from being able to do much of anything in the face of a pair of Topplegeist whittling down his life total each turn. He needed at least 5 lands to be able to keep the pressure on, but he was stuck on 3 for a number of turns. By the time he got there, Thunderclap Wyvern flashed in and the flying army swung for exactly lethal damage.

#Molested (RDW) (Poor Man Challenge) by Freeble
      versus
gloomy-green-poverty-zandls-challenge by ancientgorillashaman

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Results Show

ancientgorillashaman (2)   vs.   Freeble (0)

Game 1 Show

Freeble’s early-game threats were answered through 1-for-1 spot removal and Dragon Fodder was balanced out by a pair of Blisterpods. Autumnal Gloom  ^Flip hit the board and managed to transform in the same turn, thanks to Vessel of Nascency filling up the graveyard with Artifact Creatures. Earthen Arms added 2 counters to the Ancient of the Equinox  ^Flip and the handful of Goblins on the opposing side of the board became irrelevant.

Game 2 Show

Similar to the first game, a Blisterpod held off the attack of a Village Messenger  ^Flip as a Wild-Field Scarecrow joined in to help block. Autumnal Gloom  ^Flip transformed again on the turn it was cast, and nothing could break through it. Still at a relatively safe life total of 10, Gorilla cast a Nissa's Judgment to remove the larger threats on Freeble’s board and was able to start swinging in for good damage. Now only with spells like Lightning Axe against yet another Blisterpod, Freeble had no chance of winning before the Ancient could.

Wasting my Time by CaptainLick
      versus
Blue's Clues + Green - Poor Man Standard by zephramtripp

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Results Show

CaptainLick (2)   vs.   zephramtripp (0)

Game 1 Show

A Seer's Lantern into Kozilek's Channeler allowed Captain to cast a Bane of Bala Ged on turn-5. Though Zephram was already rocking a clump of clues at that point, there was nothing within his reach that could deal with a 7-power creature forcing him to sacrifice 2 permanents each turn. Between Spatial Contortion and Titan's Presence with another Channeler in-hand, Captain had the game in the bag by turn-7.

Game 2 Show

Well, I’m not going to lie and say I wasn’t happy someone discovered just how broken Walker of the Wastes is in this cardpool. On turn-4 with a Seer's Lantern, Captain cast a Walker and it was already an 8/8 trampler. Zephram had answers in his deck to threats that large, but none of them could permanently deal with the problem. He lasted as long as he could against a pair of Walkers (now 11/11) by gaining life and chump-blocking, but there was no way he could win through them.

Delirium of Death by Slush
      versus
Budget Cuts for the Izzet by Ostrichman01

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Results Show

Ostrichman01 (2)   vs.   Slush (0)

Game 1 Show

In what would be a very fast-paced game, Slush managed to Delium-ize a pair of Moldgraf Scavengers and turn them sideways before OstrichMan could get too much going in terms of damage. A fourth land for Ostrichman, though, let him cast 2 Stormchaser Mages (in addition to the 1 he already had out). From here, a Titan's Strength + Fiery Temper on the following turn shut it all down.

Game 2 Show

A Sinister Concoction held off a lone Elusive Spellfist for a few crucial turns as Slush built up some board presence, but no additional removal meant that OstrichMan also had the same opportunity. A Pyre Hound found a Titan's Strength and an Uncaged Fury that OstrichMan had been holding onto and even a full block on it wasn’t enough for Slush to stay alive.

Zandl Poor Man Challenge: No Money, No Life by DominusMine
      versus
Red/Blue Prowess by JuiceyMoon

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Results Show

DominusMine (2)   vs.   JuiceyMoon (0)

Game 1 Show

Though hyper-aggressive decks, like U/R Prowess, have allure for their potentially explosive draws and attacks, they get hit particularly hard by timely spot-removal and run out of gas quickly (even more so than your average RDW). Immolating Glare and Stasis Snare are terrific answers that can completely disrupt the deck - and that’s exactly what happened here. Juicey deployed a decent offensive, but not enough damage was done before each one of the attackers was swallowed up whole. At that point, a pair of Drana's Emissary swept in and secured the win for Dominus while restoring his life total.

Game 2 Show

Dominus’s deck is packed with spells that U/R Prowess just does not want to see. With no way to prevent hard removal like Immolating Glare and Ultimate Price from being 2-for-1 interactions with your pump spells, the deck is left at a very awkward impasse. A Drana's Emissary finally stuck and the removal coming off the top of Dominus’s deck (which far outweighs the number of Juicey’s creatures, mind you) kept everything at bay. The Emissary flew in for 2 points of damage each turn against 2 Goblin tokens, but the 1 point of drain each turn was what allowed Dominus to stay ahead.

zandls-challenge-its-to-win by Atony1400
      versus
Poor Men Flying Over!!! by Nobueno95

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Results Show

Nobueno95 (2)   vs.   Atony1400 (0)

Game 1 Show

Atony’s Red deck set up for some mid-game calamity with 2 copies of Impact Tremors and a Thopter Engineer, but the only things coming off the top of the deck were both copies of Demolish and a Fiery Impulse. Demolish is a card that may have decent matchups but isn’t generally the sort of thing you want to be jamming in your aggro deck. With essentially 2 dead draws in a row, NoBueno had nearly no resistance to fight through.

Game 2 Show

Horribly Awry shut down a turn-3 Surged Reckless Bushwhacker and a Thunderclap Wyvern ambushed a pair of Goblin tokens. From there, Silumgar Sorcerer deflected another Reckless Bushwhacker and a Whirler Rogue gummed up the board, preventing any other damage from getting through to NoBueno. A few safe attackers through the air were enough to finish the match.

Poor Little Men by AndWelcomeToTheJam
      versus
Bad News Bears Beta (ZPC 2016) by TristanTaylorsVoice

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Results Show

TristanTaylorsVoice (2)   vs.   AndWelcomeToTheJam (1)

Game 1 Show

Both sides of the battlefield were stuffed to the brim with an army of angry White guys (and a Nantuko Husk for Jam). Nothing was really happening for several turns aside from Jam’s 2 Spirit tokens bashing in overhead. A draw of Stasis Snare and Pacifism, though, took care of Nantuko Husk and a big Unruly Mob, allowing TTV to get the beats on with a Kytheon's Tactics. The forced block caused Jam to lose quite a few creatures without trading for too many of TTV’s, which left him wide open for another swing on the following turn.

Game 2 Show

In this game, TTV had trouble finding some of his more efficient creatures and was stuck on things like Expedition Envoy, Topan Freeblade, and Dragon Hunter. Jam was cruising on by, though, with a Wayward Disciple  ^Flip and a fat Unruly Mob growing larger each turn through things like Angelic Purge and Nantuko Husk. In terms of creature quality, there was no real contest and Jam got the upper hand quickly.

Game 3 Show

TTV began with a turn-1 Town Gossipmonger  ^Flip into a turn-2 Topan Freeblade for the transformation right away, picking up a sweet Stasis Snare for an unblocked attack on turn-3. Jam got a bit tripped up on mana between a Warped Landscape and both copies of Rogue's Passage, the necessary mana for the former being tied up each turn in trying to stay alive. In the end, TTV’s aggressive start and powerful, mid-game follow through of removal and Pious Evangel  ^Flip with Neglected Heirloom  ^Flip set him too far ahead for Jam to fight against with mana issues. For what it’s worth, Jam’s opening hand included a Swamp, a Plains, and that Warped Landscape, but both cards right off the top were Rogue's Passage and no other lands came up until it was too late.

Pauper Prowess Punch! by greasysweet
      versus
Poor Man's Mud and Blood by Titilanious

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Results Show

greasysweet (2)   vs.   Titilanious (1)

Game 1 Show

If there’s one thing proven to be strong against U/R Prowess so far in this challenge, it’s lots of removal. Sweet had troubles getting anything to stick at first. There were a few good hits, primarily through the use of Expedite and Titan's Strength, but nothing ever lasted for more than a turn. Skin Invasion  ^Flip, of all things, was doing a lot of work for Titilanious as an Aura for creatures about to die, making it a 3/4 for 1 mana. Sweet couldn’t keep up and was down to top-decks against a pair of Skin Shedders, finding nothing to remove them with.

Game 2 Show

This game began in much the same way the first one did. Sweet got disrupted almost every turn by catch-all removal, like Murderous Compulsion off of Heir of Falkenrath  ^Flip. Once the initial wave of removal was gone, though, Titilanious was stuck drawing into less relevant things - Skin Invasion  ^Flip without a way to kill anything, for example. Sweet was also playing a full 16 creatures in his deck, so finding new threats was far easier for him than some of the other U/R Prowess players of this challenge. In comparison, most of the others are playing anywhere from 12 all the way down to just 8 creatures.

Game 3 Show

Just to spite me, now the Prowess deck was having a bit of trouble finding a creature right off the bat. A slower hand full of gas and Anticipates eventually found a pair of Elusive Spellfists, but Titilanious was waiting with a pair of Skin Invasion  ^Flips and a Murderous Compulsion to kill off one and net two 3/4 bodies in the process - not bad. However, after a perfectly reasonable attack to get Sweet down into lethal range on the following turn, a handless Sweet top-decked an Expedite into Slip Through Space into Titan's Strength, making the one Elusive Spellfist a 7/7 - which was exactly lethal damage. Couldn’t have happened in a way any more indicative of Blue/Red.

of moon and blades by Kizmetto
      versus
no-clue-how-to-aether-grid by Bearded_Senpai

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Results Show

Kizmetto (2)   vs.   Bearded_Senpai (1)

Game 1 Show

Chief of the Foundry followed by a pair of Whirler Rogues was a force that Kizmetto was ill-equipped to deal with. Fiery Impulse without any chance at Spell Mastery wasn’t enough to kill the Chief, preventing a legion of buffed Thopter tokens from flying overhead uncontested. A few Werewolves were flipped over and Kizmetto had a Howlpack Resurgence, but there was no race to be had.

Game 2 Show

On the play, Kizmetto dropped a Village Messenger  ^Flip and it flipped right away as Senpai didn’t have any 1-drop spells. From here, Kizmetto cast another Messenger as Senpai followed it with an Erdwal Illuminator. Not to be discouraged, though, one of the Messengers picked up a Call of the Full Moon and the beats got real. Senpai was trying to stabilize, but almost all of his spells cost 3 mana and weren’t too impactful to begin with.

Game 3 Show

Village Messenger  ^Flip got Kizmetto off to another strong start, leading the way for a Duskwatch Recruiter  ^Flip. It managed to flip as Senpai was a bit clogged up again on mana, and Kizmetto took the chance to cast 3 new creatures at once at reduced cost. This army, despite a Ghirapur AEther Grid chipping away it, was too big to contain and smashed through Senpai’s defenses with Call of the Full Moon.

poor man B/R vampires by pro_noob
      versus
U/B Poor Man's Sleepy Dead People by DarkLaw

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Results Show

DarkLaw (2)   vs.   pro_noob (1)

Game 1 Show

On the play, Noob landed an Indulgent Aristocrat and a turn-2 Call the Bloodline. Darklaw had a few spot-removal spells and high-CMC Sorcery spells in his hand, none of which were alarmingly effective. Darklaw was able to counter a few of the larger Madness threats, but the Vampire Knights were stacking up. Without a card like Flaying Tendrils coming up to take care of horde, the game was over in just a few more turns.

Game 2 Show

Call the Bloodline with some sweet topdecks in the form of Fiery Temper x 2 made Noob the favorite going into the mid-game turns. Darklaw managed to snag a Flaying Tendrils, though, off a desperate Pieces of the Puzzle and proceeded to cast it to deny Noob an army. A few turns later, Noob found himself with another handful of Vampire Knight tokens as Darklaw cast a Rise from the Tides to net 7 tokens. With the Zombies entering tapped and without any other lines, Darklaw was at the mercy of Noob’s next topdeck - a whiff. Being able to untap with the Zombie horde changed the game. A Void Shatter came up off a Pore Over the Pages, granting Darklaw some much-needed breathing room. Within a couple more turns, the Zombies crashed in for lethal damage.

Game 3 Show

Yet again, Call the Bloodline came down and started putting Noob’s Madness spells to work. Darklaw was using a Perfected Form  ^Flip to bash in overhead, but the race was leaning in Noob’s favor between the Lifelink tokens and the entire playset of Alms of the Vein. Pore Over the Pages (one of my personal favorites out of SOI, in fact) was able to dig deep and find Darklaw Flaying Tendrils to keep the tokens in check. Between another copy or two of Pore Over the Pages and a Pieces of the Puzzle, Darklaw was able to continuously dig for more answers to Noob’s value engine. Eventually, with a ton of mana still open and a Void Shatter in-hand, Darklaw landed the Rise from the Tides to generate a whopping 15 Zombie tokens. A land off the top for Noob meant the round was over.

Zandl's Poor Man Challenge Deck Submission by ChrisH
      versus
ur-prowess-zandls-challenge by Dalektable

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Results Show

Dalektable (2)   vs.   ChrisH (1)

Game 1 Show

With the perfect display of what an unimpeded U/R Prowess deck can do, Dalektable cast a turn-2 Stormchaser Mage with a turn-3 Niblis of Dusk, jamming a Titan's Strength and Slip Through Space on each for 17 damage in the air on turn-4. Chris, with only an Eldrazi Skyspawner that couldn’t block anything, could only sit and fall to 1 life. Drawing a second, uncastable copy of Conclave Naturalists on the following turn meant the game was already done.

Game 2 Show

Dalektable began the game with a somewhat creature-heavy hand, but had good mana and Titan's Strength with Slip Through Space to even out the draws. However, the next handful of cards on top of his deck were just more creatures. By the time he was running into spells for Prowess and more card value, a Bounding Krasis from Chris each combat kept much of anything from happening. Bane of Bala Ged landed, increasing Chris’s clock by a large margin. Nothing else off the top and a wave of iffy draws led to Dalektable’s demise.

Game 3 Show

With a more balanced hand this time around, Dalektable was able to have a pair of creatures out with a hand stocked full of Prowess-enablers. A pair of Bounding Krasis followed by Pulse of Murasa to get one back kept things from getting too hectic for Chris. Over time, though, the small swings in tempo couldn’t amount to the aggression that Dalektable was dishing out each turn. With a proper blend of Titan's Strength, Slip Through Space, and Expedite to smooth out his draws, Dalektable had no issues swinging in for big damage each turn. It didn’t help, either, that Chris had nowhere to go beyond Bounding Krasis. Conclave Naturalists, for example, kept popping up but probably couldn’t be less interactive with U/R Prowess.

poor-mans-elves-1 by eggyism83
      versus
the-monks-enlightenment by libraryjoy

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Results Show

libraryjoy (2)   vs.   eggyism83 (0)

Game 1 Show

Eggyism spent his first few turns building up some board presence with small creatures, but Joy spent those turns casting a Graceblade Artisan, enchanting it with 2 copies of Gryff's Boon, and protecting it with Center Soul. Nothing could be done about it, and the game was over that simply..

Game 2 Show

Joy had no problems gearing up a Blessed Spirits with a mound of +1/+1 counters through things like Silkwrap, Gryff's Boon, and Glaring Aegis. A Battle Mastery with enough mana for Center Soul (just in case) was added to the equation and the game was over. Eggyism’s deck seemed like it would be a hard-core Elf deck on the surface, but some uninvited creatures, like Prized Unicorn and Netcaster Spider really threw off the synergy that Elves require in order to function. To make things a bit more awkward, the Instant spells in the build seemed to exaggerate trying to go wide in lieu of providing versatile removal to deal with threats while the board was being built up.

Red Black Pauper by jacobpetersen23
      versus
Poor Man Challenge G/U Mill by Nick1996

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Results Show

jacobpetersen23 (2)   vs.   Nick1996 (0)

Game 1 Show

A turn-1 Village Messenger  ^Flip on the play for Jacob transformed into Moonrise Intruder  ^Flip straight away. His follow up was an Heir of Falkenrath  ^Flip, transforming with Fiery Temper on the following turn. There wasn’t a lot of time for Nick to set up much of anything before his situation became "Fog or die," and he ran out of ways to hold back the mounting pressure before achieving any real value.

Game 2 Show

Nick took advantage of a slower start from Jacob by casting a Trail of Evidence on turn-3, enabling each of his Fog spells to provide him with a Clue for more draw. I found this interaction to be pretty slick and, frankly, potentially powerful. The inevitable problem here, though, is that Rise from the Tides costs a lot of mana and being able to cast it while having a Fog open so you don’t die is a huge challenge. Explosive Vegetation appears in the deck to help remedy this, I believe, but then the Vegetation has the same issue. Between Jacob’s enlarging board presence and his spells to damage Nick directly without combat, Nick couldn’t really hang onto the game long enough to cast his win-con. In retrospect, it seems like perhaps Sphinx's Tutelage would’ve been the way to go in lieu of Rise from the Tides, what with all the drawing and being much lower on the curve.

Zandl's Pauper Challenge Deck - Much Air, So Rust by DillsDells
      versus
Rags without ritches, R-B Budget SOI Vamps by WarriorOfTheBlack

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Results Show

DillsDells (2)   vs.   WarriorOfTheBlack (0)

Game 1 Show

Though no Equipment ever showed up for Dills, Warrior got tripped up by a pair of Silkwraps which entangled his early plays. A Weapons Trainer and a Kazuul's Toll Collector, of all things, were allowed to swing in each turn with the tempo swings in Dill’s favor. Now stuck without a discard outlet and only drawing Madness spells, Warrior got pretty far behind on speed and couldn’t make it back up.

Game 2 Show

Warrior began the game with a hand including an Olivia's Bloodsworn and a pair of Lightning Axes, drawing into a third one right away. Understandably so, Dills had trouble getting much of anything going for a while. Once a Kazuul's Toll Collector stuck, though, it picked up a Chitinous Cloak and a Brawler's Plate. Still with only his one Vampire, Warrior was now drawing mostly irrelevant spells and had nothing to deal with the massive threat.

Congratulations to those who advanced! Win once more and you’re in the prize support! As we move forward, know that I’ll be able to work more diligently on the second half of the first round. I was caught up in some things outside of TappedOut and several days went by without me having access to my computer (or internet, for that matter), but things should be more normal in the coming weeks.

That being said, I have a lot of neat ideas for the future of my article offerings, both for the Challenge series and my other ventures. As the series progresses, though, be on the lookout for some added surprises and write-ups to accompany the main articles as we surge ahead.

Pairings have been made using the best random number generator on the internet.

Second article’s matches:

icedkeverage vs. PoppaHyzer
ShikaSpectre vs. TimeliestStorm
Wee_Dragonaut vs. fdn2
Nightdragon779 vs. brokendwarf
jcofer vs. TheGrayMerchant
pokemaster325 vs. Saturn999
jellowsmurf vs. clayperce
mtgThaen vs. Tsarius
beakedbard vs. Schlatre
taskking vs. CRKFIEND
Oshi_with_an_O vs. Honeysliced
Nickick vs. DarksteelBadger
furyofstorm101RL vs. MCY998
DruneGrey vs. KUW
MaverickGV vs. SpringingTiger
tpmains vs. Nuclearrich
nateblego vs. Garrus_Vakarian
Ninjadude51 vs. canterlotguardian
PhnxLdr vs. M010601
mr_jacobo02 vs. sophontteks
magnetcrocodile vs. Dumeeperninja
Helldiver18 vs. xcn
legendofa vs. Crayfish
eludemerlange vs. DaftVader
TheDeckBuilder_mage vs. JonnyIV
tulse vs. ToolmasterOfBrainerd
Mr.Dr.Professor vs. Mortem


Happy tapping, players!
zandl

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