SOI Standard Poor-Man Challenge: Round 2, Part 2 Results

Deck Challenges

zandl

27 May 2016

1408 views

Autumn is Coming! by Nickick
      versus
Wasting my Time by CaptainLick

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Results Show

CaptainLick (2)   vs.   Nickick (0)

Game 1 Show

Captain managed to stick a turn-4 Walker of the Wastes to answer Nickick’s Ancient of the Equinox  ^Flip, though the Walker was already significantly larger at 8/8. Between it and a Bane of Bala Ged, Nickick had a lot of trouble finding any sort of answer to the problematic duo. Crawling Sensation offered a bit of help (at the expense of a Murderous Compulsion flying into the graveyard), but the Walker’s trample simply couldn’t be contained as it grew into an 11/11 on the final turn.

Game 2 Show

Sinister Concoction dealt with an early Walker of the Wastes as an Ancient of the Equinox  ^Flip got in for a few decent beats. As time went on, though, Captain’s draws were a potent mix of bombs and removal. Eventually, the Ancient couldn’t afford to swing into Captain’s army and had to switch to defense. Once Captain started attacking, a pair of Bane of Bala Ged really put the squeeze on Nickick’s resources, further intensifying the strength of a new Walker of the Wastes, then a 12/12. Blocks were made where they were best, but nothing could deal with all of Captain’s bombs at once.

ur-prowess-zandls-challenge by Dalektable
      versus
Blockage by argeaux

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Results Show

Dalektable (2)   vs.   Argeaux (1)

Game 1 Show

Argeaux’s Topan Freeblade became Renowned on the third turn after a Roil Spout on Dalektable’s Elusive Spellfist cleared a path. Things seemed to be going Argeaux’s way until the Spellfist landed and found Expedite for haste alongside a Stormchaser Mage. Argeaux was able to keep casting new creatures each turn, but their value was far outweighed by Dalektable’s pump spells. Titan's Strength into Fiery Temper was enough to finish the game a few turns after the Roil Spout with Dalektable still sitting comfortably at 11 life.

Game 2 Show

Dalektable got stuck on three mana for a number of turns while drawing into an unfortunate string of relatively expensive spells, like Jhessian Thief and Niblis of Dusk. Argeaux capitalized on this hiccup by dropping as many creatures as possible and going wide around blockers, using tempo spells whenever necessary. Roil Spout was brutal against Dalektable, who still needed lands, and Celestial Flare prevented anything from connecting for a good amount of time. In the end, it was a Topan Freeblade and an Elusive Spellfist that won the game in Argeaux’s favor.

Game 3 Show

An early Jhessian Thief was thwarted with Claustrophobia by Argeaux, but Dalektable retaliated with a topdecked Stormchaser Mage with Titan's Strength. The scry revealed a Tormenting Voice with a Fiery Temper already in the hand, which led to Argeaux’s Topan Freeblade biting the dust on the following turn. In the meantime, Argeaux was stuck without a second White source for the Celestial Flares that were stacking up. Once a Plains finally came, Dalektable’s stabilized draws and scries had presented more than a few creatures to swing with each turn, effectively preventing Celestial Flare from being of much use.

Burninating the Countryside by TheGrayMerchant
      versus
Zandl's Silverblack 2016 - UB Delirium Control by Boza

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Results Show

Boza (2)   vs.   TheGrayMerchant (0)

Game 1 Show

Merchant’s Village Messenger  ^Flip met its demise at the hands of Grasp of Darkness, wrecking its dream of becoming a big, bad werewolf. Boza kept the board mostly clean while Merchant was drawing into things like Dual Shot and Lightning Axe, neither of which being ideal in the matchup. With time to build up a land-base and sift through the top cards of the deck, Boza drew into two copies of Gisa's Bidding. This gave Merchant something to do with those burn spells, but it also cleared the path for Aberrant Researcher  ^Flip. Without much more pressure, Merchant fell to the flying abomination.

Game 2 Show

Through a trio of Sanguinary Mages and an awkward string of draws by Boza, Merchant dealt a total of 18 damage fairly quickly. With two Black sources, though, Boza was able to make good use of Madness on Gisa's Bidding and Murderous Compulsion. Necromantic Summons was cast on an Aberrant Researcher  ^Flip and managed to transform right away, giving Boza a real clock to win with. Merchant only had a few shots to draw into a Fiery Temper or Reality Hemorrhage, but neither came up in time.

Pauper Prowess Punch! by greasysweet
      versus
(deck not found) by ThoughtShift

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Results Show

ThoughtShift (2)   vs.   greasysweet (1)

Game 1 Show

Sweet had some good hits with Elusive Spellfist and Stormchaser Mage, but Thoughtshift’s deck was stuffed to the brim with removal. Grasp of Darkness, Fleshbag Marauder, and Ultimate Price removed any threatening creatures while Sidisi's Faithful and Skyline Cascade filled in the gaps. By turn-7, Sweet was out of options and drawing into a steady stream of just creatures without the enabling power of pump spells. A Ruthless Deathfang and Rakshasa Gravecaller landed for Thoughtshift, leading to a decisive victory.

Game 2 Show

Sweet’s creatures were backed up in the hand for a few turns due to getting stuck on three lands for a couple turns and Thoughtshift’s Sidisi's Faithful. By the time they started turning sideways, though, Thoughtshift was having some problems with mana, too. Stuck on four lands, Thoughtshift had trouble finding enough ways to kill off Sweet’s creatures before they dealt damage. A Mage-Ring Bully was buffed by Brute Strength, Expedite, and a Fiery Impulse targeting Thoughtshift’s Rakshasa Gravecaller, granting just enough damage to Sweet to end the game.

Game 3 Show

Without any mana issues this time around, Thoughtshift was unhindered and able to cast all the removal that was needed and even netted 4 life off of Foul-Tongue Invocation with Ruthless Deathfang. Sweet whiffed on lands for a couple turns and Thoughtshift saw the opportunity to play out the hand to create a clock. Sweet couldn’t really contain much of what was happening on the board nor get a creature to stick after the Deathfang came out. Out of momentum and cards, Sweet fell to 0.

SO-Sligh (Poor-man) by DruneGrey
      versus
Wolf Wolves Wolf Wolves - Poor Man Challenge by magnetcrocodile

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Results Show

DruneGrey (2)   vs.   magnetcrocodile (1)

Game 1 Show

Each player started with a pair of Village Messenger  ^Flips but Drune’s remaining spells cost significantly less. Falling behind with a hand of mediocre 3-drop creatures, Magnet’s only saving grace was that Drune didn’t have enough power to steamroll over the defense. With Drune drawing two untimely lands, Magnet was able to play out some of the larger creatures, establishing a board presence and presenting quite a problem for Drune. Without a way to deal with Lambholt Pacifist  ^Flip and Breakneck Rider  ^Flip after they transformed, Drune took a few big hits and the game was over.

Game 2 Show

On the play for this game, Drune’s Village Messenger  ^Flip transformed on turn-2, leading to some decent beats for a little while. Dragon Fodder soon followed, giving way to Titan's Strength and Fiery Impulse for damage and support. Magnet couldn’t keep much of anything on the board through all of this and wound up being burned out on turn-5 by Ravaging Blaze on a would-be blocker.

Game 3 Show

While Magnet was playing out a decent but creature-heavy hand, Drune had a punishing fourth turn of Dragon Fodder + Reckless Bushwhacker to force Magnet to pump the brakes. Now stuck with spells that are better on the offensive (i.e. Somberwald Alpha and Village Messenger  ^Flip), Magnet couldn’t do much once the removal spells started coming down. Ravaging Blaze nuked a Breakneck Rider  ^Flip and dealt 3 damage to Magnet, most notably. With a horde of explosive creatures and burn to support them, Drune won handily.

zandl's challenge by tempest
      versus
Ultra Budget Landfall Deck by jellowsmurf

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Results Show

tempest (2)   vs.   jellowsmurf (0)

Game 1 Show

Jellow missed the fourth land-drop and couldn’t slam a Retreat to Emeria right away, making Tempest’s turn-5 Bane of Bala Ged a big deal. Without a removal spell on the spot, Jellow simply couldn’t do anything to the creature and lost with no permanents before ever getting off the ground.

Game 2 Show

Tempest was off to another aggressive start with Sludge Crawler, Catacomb Sifter, and Dominator Drone. Without any real form of removal and stuck on spells like Might of the Masses and Sigil of Valor without an army of creatures, there wasn’t much Jellow could do. Life was gained and Retreat to Emeria provided necessitated chump-blocks, but Tempest’s creatures weren’t really going anywhere.

Poor Man's Deck Brewery (RB) by furyofstorm101RL
      versus
uw-midrange-flying-control-poor-man-challenge by JKLawson89

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Results Show

JKLawson89 (2)   vs.   furyofstorm101RL (1)

Game 1 Show

Fury’s initial assault was a fierce one, getting Lawson all the way down to 1 life before Lawson’s removal chained down any of Fury’s remaining creatures. From this point, both players engaged in a ten-turn staring match, both with a ton of removal. Lawson was having issues getting any creature to stick (most of them not doing much, like Topplegeist or Faerie Miscreant) while Fury was topdecking lands and removal spells. When Alms of the Vein came up, though, Lawson couldn’t do anything about it and died with 2 Stasis Snares and a Silkwrap in the hand.

Game 2 Show

Lawson’s slow opening was punished by Fury’s aggressive one, though having lots of removal greatly improved Lawson’s situation. As the game progressed, Fury was running out of steam and couldn’t keep creatures on the board long enough for them to have a meaningful impact. Village Messenger  ^Flip and Insolent Neonate didn’t have many uses going into the late-game but they kept coming up. Although Topplegeist and Faerie Miscreant didn’t pull a lot of weight either, Fury began drawing into spells like Rush of Adrenaline and Swarm Surge without any creatures to use them on. A Thunderclap Wyvern boosted Lawson’s clock on Fury and the game was over soon thereafter.

Game 3 Show

Lawson’s deck seemed to find stable footing this game and curved out nicely with a pair of Faerie Miscreants and a Reflector Mage to bounce Fury’s Heir of Falkenrath  ^Flip. A few turns later, a Silumgar Sorcerer countered an Incorrigible Youths, leaving Fury without much of an offensive presence. Grotesque Mutation allowed for some nice blocks and life-gain, but Lawson was drawing steadily into removal and Thunderclap Wyverns. Though Fury saw a healthy amount of removal spells this game, the draws didn’t line up too well and Lawson’s were spot on.

Bounty of the Tides- Necro-Alchemy on a Budget! by Mortem
      versus
Zandl Poor Man Challenge: No Money, No Life by DominusMine

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Results Show

Mortem (2)   vs.   DominusMine (0)

Game 1 Show

Each player’s opening hand was filled with removal spells that slowed the pace of the game down to a crawl. Dominus’s Accursed Witch  ^Flip managed to blank Reave Soul and Complete Disregard, leaving Mortem without any options to it for a couple turns. After locking it down with Send to Sleep and casting Rise from the Tides on the following turn, though, Mortem seized control of the game. Dominus, even with a hand still stacked with removal, couldn’t realistically fight off the horde of Zombies before being swept away.

Game 2 Show

Mortem was in some trouble in the mid-game turns without making land-drops. Perhaps the only saving grace Mortem had was that Dominus’s deck was so heavy on removal spells and the matchup was bound to inevitably swing in Mortem’s favor. Dominus’s Accursed Witch  ^Flip was a bit of a thorn in Mortem’s side once again, but Send to Sleep kept it locked down while Compelling Deterrence bounced it for tempo. Mortem kept the board stable long enough to find lands for Rise from the Tides, netting 12 Zombie tokens all at once, forcibly shoving Dominus out of the game.

Moneyless Vampires by Nightdragon779
      versus
Nobody Expects the Thraben Inquisition by tooTimid

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Results Show

Nightdragon779 (2)   vs.   tooTimid (1)

Game 1 Show

So far in this challenge series, Call the Bloodline has been doing some serious work. It helped stabilize a lot of rough boards, generated enough tokens to go wide and attack, and turned on Madness spells. In this matchup, though, Night was having a difficult time actually taking control of the battlefield because of Timid’s constant stream of valuable creatures. Whirler Rogue, for example, doesn’t care much about a couple Vampire Knight tokens. Where Night had removal, Timid had Essence Flux, doubling up value on most of the creatures that were targeted. Night’s spells were seemingly disappearing into thin air as Timid’s board was growing, and the game ended.

Game 2 Show

In a more straightforward attempt to win, Night used a couple copies of Heir of Falkenrath  ^Flip to turn on Fiery Temper and Alms of the Vein while flying overhead for good beats. Even though Timid was fighting back with Reflector Mage and Cleric of the Forward Order, Night had things like Titan's Strength to push extra damage through and snag a victory with.

Game 3 Show

Timid’s promising hand with two copies of Thraben Inspector presented a lot of potential value. Without a card like Essence Flux to stop from being slowed down by Night’s removal package, though, Night quickly gained the upper hand on the battlefield. An Heir to the Night  ^Flip and a Pale Rider of Trostad were able to get in for damage most turns while Timid was stuck with more spells like Faerie Miscreant and Cleric of the Forward Order. After a few more turns of Timid’s creatures being burned and Night’s getting in for damage, the game was over.

poor-man-standard by Holtzman
      versus
Swaggys SOI Poor Mans Challenge deck by SwaggyMcSwagglepants

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Results Show

SwaggyMcSwagglepants (2)   vs.   Holtzman (0)

Game 1 Show

Holtzman cast a Herald of Kozilek on turn-3, but there was only one Island in play, meaning all those would-be-Blue colorless cards in the hand weren’t really sped up after all. Tide Drifter and Ruination Guide found their way to the board, but Swaggy was already chugging along. A pair of Vampire Envoys and a Cliffhaven Vampire were swinging through the air and causing a lot of pain for Holtzman. With no way to stop them or race through the life-gain, Holtzman was quickly forced out of the game.

Game 2 Show

Holtzman’s mana figured itself out this game and Swaggy was nearly dead in a matter of turns to a pair of Ruination Guide and an Eldrazi Skyspawner. Down at exactly 1 life, Swaggy drew a Grasp of Darkness and, with it, the chance to live another turn. A few more fortunate draws let Swaggy live while Holtzman was just drawing into lands and Spell Shrivel. Swaggy found a Vampire Envoy and a Serene Steward the turn after (with enough lands to balance out the counterspell), and Holtzman had no more pressure to offer. The little combo of the Steward and Envoy was unimpeded and Swaggy finished the game on top.

Rally-less Rally [Zandl's Challenge] by Crayfish
      versus
Poor-man (Were)wolf by Volvary

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Results Show

Volvary (2)   vs.   Crayfish (0)

Game 1 Show

Volvary began with two copies of Village Messenger  ^Flip and drew into a third on the second turn. Volvary’s turn-3 was Lambholt Pacifist  ^Flip with Neglected Heirloom  ^Flip. Needless to say, this put an enormous amount of pressure on Crayfish to find an answer. Alms of the Vein bought a little time as a Fortified Rampart managed to block what it could. In the end, though, Crayfish was stuck on three lands and was either dead to doing nothing before an army of transformed Werewolves or dead to normal damage with the -2 from Read the Bones.

Game 2 Show

Cliffhaven Vampire with Grotesque Mutation, of all things, was doing work for Crayfish, hitting Volvary for 6 damage and gaining back 5. A problem that was becoming more serious, however, was that Crayfish couldn’t find permanent answers to Volvary’s creatures. Pacifism kept a few at bay, but not being able to get a Duskwatch Recruiter  ^Flip off the table was detrimental. The constant stream of new Werewolves coming down each turn was too much to handle with the likes of Qarsi Sadist or Not Forgotten.

zandls-soi-challenge by eludemerlange
      versus
Budget Cuts for the Izzet by Ostrichman01

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Results Show

eludemerlange (2)   vs.   Ostrichman01 (0)

Game 1 Show

OstrichMan’s early Elusive Spellfist and Stormchaser Mage were both killed off by Grasp of Darkness and Fleshbag Marauder. Now under virtually no pressure, Elude took control and sat on a Call the Bloodline with Retreat to Hagra, generating a swarm of Vampire Knight tokens and draining life each turn. By the time OstrichMan cast another creature that didn’t immediately die, Elude was too far ahead on life to lose the race.

Game 2 Show

Yet again, OstrichMan’s threats were eliminated by removal at instant-speed, slowing the game down to a pace Elude preferred better. With only a handful creatures in the Prowess deck, new ones weren’t popping up often, giving Elude time to cast Call the Bloodline. With eight lands in play, Elude was using Sanitarium Skeleton’s ability twice to make two Vampire Knight tokens per turn cycle. OstrichMan couldn’t keep up with just burn spells and couldn’t find any other creatures to reignite the flames with.

Bad News Bears Beta (ZPC 2016) by TristanTaylorsVoice
      versus
Black-red Crazy poor vampires by amerishin

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Results Show

amerishin (2)   vs.   TristanTaylorsVoice (1)

Game 1 Show

Neglected Heirloom  ^Flip found its way onto a Town Gossipmonger  ^Flip pretty early on as Amerishin looked on with a Fiery Temper in-hand, an Heir of Falkenrath  ^Flip on the board, and no mana open. The 5/6 Incited Rabble  ^Flip monstrosity crashed in each turn and deflected all blockers with first-strike, making any combat trick impossible. Amerishin simply couldn’t race the Incited Rabble  ^Flip nor take it down before it came across for lethal damage.

Game 2 Show

Amerishin came out swinging and won the game on turn-5 with a two copies of Heir of Falkenrath  ^Flip and an Olivia's Bloodsworn. TTV had no way to reach up and defend with what little creatures there were, and that was it.

Game 3 Show

The game went long and both decks were well into topdeck territory before it came to an end. TTV snuffed out Amerishin’s early flying creatures with Pacifism while Amerishin prevented another Ashmouth Blade  ^Flip from happening by targeting Town Gossipmonger  ^Flip with Lightning Axe in response to the transformation. With both decks pretty well neutered, the topdecks largely favored Amerishin with haste and larger creatures than TTV’s. It took several turns, but TTV couldn’t find any answers for a mounting army and was overwhelmed once Stensia Masquerade hit the board.

Statistics

As promised, here are a couple of charts to help you digest the numbers of what’s going on here.





From the graphs, we can see that the Blue, Black, and Colorless decks have hung on tight while the Green, White, and Red ones have begun to take a backseat. Will this trend continue or will the more aggressive colors prevail?

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

Third round’s matches:

DruneGrey vs. Schlatre
CaptainLick vs. Honeysliced
eludemerlange vs. JKLawson89
JerichoDarkstar vs. Wee_Dragonaut
tempest vs. Saturn999
tpmains vs. professorducky
PhnxLdr vs. Mortem
SwaggyMcSwagglepants vs. CRKFIEND
mtgThaen vs. Nightdragon779
DarkLaw vs. Volvary
Nobueno95 vs. Dalektable
amerishin vs. tulse
TheDeckBuilder_mage vs. xcn
ThoughtShift vs. Boza


As a reminder, the Top 7 participants will each receive a commemorative banner designed by the pulchritudinous Mrs. zandl. All Feature Token prizes will be doled out at the conclusion of the final round, Round 5.

Happy tapping, players!
zandl

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This article is a follow-up to SOI Standard Poor-Man Challenge: Round 2, Part 1 Results The next article in this series is SOI Standard Poor-Man Challenge: Round 3 Results