Cleaning up comments and updating for most recent FNM performance. Deck ran very smoothly and the changes I made adding Shock and Magma Jet to the mainboard now make me think this deck might be able to compete come JOU release, as they both saved me considerable damage early-game. I drew both Warleader's Helix nearly every game (not a complaint) and I’m considering adding a 3rd, or possibly 1 to the SB – feedback on this welcome. Only loss I had was to the same 5 color control variant that I’ve been having issues with – go figure that in round 1, I’m faced with that same matchup 3 out of the last 4 FNMs. There’s over 25 people there, easy! The odds there. Whatever.
Round 1 - 1-2 - 5 color control, as mentioned above. Game 1 is a throw-away for my deck, since I don’t possess the hand hate round 1 to deal with his insane Sylvan Caryatid + Axebane Guardian ramp while he hits every land drop and smacks me for a 15 point Rakdos's Return on turn 7. Game 2, I sided in all my hand hate, Slaughter Games’d his Sphinx’s Revs, blew up his ramp and tore him apart – Sin Collector and the re-added Duress to the SB shined like champs. Game 3, lost because I held a Thoughtseize when he had 1 card in his hand (so as not to damage myself any more than I already had), and it turned out to be a Angel of Serenity that I couldn’t recover from. Even others told me they wouldn’t have risked a seizing of thoughts there and it was just bad luck. Even though this wasn’t a great start to my night, I fared much better here and am much happier with my results!
Round 2 - 2-0 - Maze’s End. Lol. Pretty much sums it up although topdecking 5 Fog effects on Game 2 with luck and 3 Urban Evolution was really annoying, and I was getting worried that the 9th and 10th Guildgate were going to come out. Stormbreath Dragon finally ended that combat embargo.
Round 3 - 2-1 - Green Devotion. Lost Game 1 because I Thoughtseize’d Domri Rade assuming my opening hand with Dreadbore would take care of his Garruk, Caller of Beasts 3 turns later. Only 1 chance to topdeck, right? Yeah, well he hit 5 creatures – 2 Polukranos, World Eater and 2 Arbor Colossus. Almost pulled it out, though! Games 2 and 3, he didn’t get Godhands and I mopped the floor with him.
Round 4 - 2-0 - Boros aggro with burn splashed in. If this deck was either straight aggro or straight burn, I might’ve had issues. He saturated his deck with 2 completely separate ideas, gutting the core facets of either in favor of trying to combine the 2.
All in all, I was very happy with the results because it could easily have been a 4-0 night except for one single play. I went in thinking it was probably the end for this deck since JOU spoiled only Deicide to consider as an addition while so many other decks were bountifully gifted with shiny new toys, but left feeling like I’ve fallen back in love with it all over again. This made me make the following changes:
- -1 Elspeth, Sun's Champion SB. I wasn’t finding myself wanting to side in copy #2 at any point.
- +1 Slaughter Games SB. Back up to 2x since it effectively shuts down half of what control (or any deck with a core card) can do to you, and I always want to draw this against a Sphinx's Revelation deck.
- -1 Whip of Erebos MB. Too slow, too situational. I’ve realized that I have too few creatures to make this work and with the addition of Warleader's Helix for life gain as well as Shock and Magma Jet to nullify early aggro damage, this frees a spot in my MB for…
- +1 Brimaz, King of Oreskos MB. With 12 temples, this deck plays painfully slow and I’m taking any opportunity to lower the curve on my threats. This might move to a 2x, with -1 Boros Reckoner if it tests well. Plus, Brimaz isn’t dead against control matchups like the Reckoning is.
Changes I’m considering making with JOU:
- +1-2 Decide MB, -1 Boros Charm and possibly -1 Magma Jet / Shock. With the increased emphasis on enchantments coming out with Journey Into Nyx, not to mention 5 more Gods, many will be dipping even further into new brews and enchantment flavor to old ones. I think that there is enough going on in the current meta to support instant, cheap enchantment removal. Hitting every God in a deck doesn’t hurt, either. The question is what to take out and although I love Boros Charm preventing wipes and being an outside killshot on a double striking Desecration Demon, Deicide might be more effect.
I would love to hear some feedback on this. Thanks for reading and keep the Dega love coming!
