Liege Rhino - Podless Pod Abzan Aggro - 0 Mana dorks.
Affinity: Out: 4 thoughtseize 2 inquisition 4 voice 1 liege In: 2 stony silence 2 engineered explosives 2 Golgari Charm 2 Nature's Claim 3 Lingering Souls 50 playtested matchups 49 wins This matchup is laughably easy. Our amount of disruption combined with our clock is insane here. Taking out the hand disruption here is because it gets outclassed by our affinity hate. Liege is great, but a bit to slow here. The final card to consider cutting would be between sculler and voice. In the end, I chose voice as whipflare is sideboarded in in some lists and sculler cant be hit by it. In addition, it still allows us to curve and disrupt if need be and is a better topdeck then the other hand disruption. Affinity is all about flying so voice can rarely get its token.
Twin: Out: 4 finks In 2 scooze 2 engineered explosives 30 tempo twin matches 28 wins, 10 geist of saint twin (UWR twin) 5 wins, Tarmo 3 matches won all 3 We have a problem in a good way in that there are different routes you can take to put in, but very little to take out. Finks is the worst here as we have what we need against the tempo plan already. Scavenging ooze shrinks goyf and slows the clock of tasigur and murderous cut if grixis is a problem for you. It also blanks snapcaster targets and is an insane topdeck should twin find a way to successfully one for one you. Twin takes out pretty much the entire combo against us due to their very hard ability to combo off, making this a very favorable matchup due to our clock. The key to this is baiting counters, pressuring, and always bluffing or having the answer to a potential combo. They rarely go for it with open mana. Engineered explosives is great here. Put it on 3 and they literally can not win. They cant stick blood moon, they cant combo as the copies have the CMC of 3 , and they cant even geist us. Very rarely will they board something for it as its hard to expect it. If it is a more all in version of twin, I would add the nature's claim and possibly zealous persecution cutting voice as it becomes significantly worse if they only want to combo off.
GBx: Out 4 thoughtseize 2 IoK 2 Scullers In 2 Golgari Charm 3 scavenging ooze and 3 lingering souls (30 matches yet to lose a game) Why I have yet to lose a game should be self explanitory. This was meant to pray on GBx and it does just that. The hand disruption is very bad here and we go larger then them and literally produce a threat every turn while having the disruption to stop the bob and goyf. The scullers get the remaining due to it being the best topdeck out of the hand disruption spells as a 2/2 body at worst. Make sure in match ups like this to always say "anything with the trigger on the stack?" Most people dont see sculler much and will 2 for 1 themselves.
Burn: Out 4 thoughtseize 1 path In 3 scavenging ooze 2 nature's claim 40 matches 38 won. This is another easy matchup with the lifegain, the disruption for the creature base and taking the higher impact spells in conjunction with careful fetching. Thoughtseize is the only bad hand disruption spell here even though it does say save a damage, I would prefer save 3 or require burn to hit a creature with a burn spell to get a spell back in the form of sculler. Nature's Claim hits eidolon and our own scullers as well while slowing burns clock a turn or two which is all we need as they are a combo deck. It even hits more fringe sideboard play with things like ensnaring bridge (which is actually insane for burn). Scavenging ooze is more lifegain and a clock in topdeck mode.
Infect: Out 4 rhino 4 liege 2 finks In 3 engineered explosivs 3 lingering souls 2 Golgari Charm 2 Nature's Claim 10 matches played (Tyler Hill) won 5 of them This matchup generally is unfavorable according to Tyler, but his mass experience with the deck has taught him how to plan against it, making it against a player like Tyler 50-50, but normally favorable for us. Rhino and liege are a clock, but here so are our other things. They have a hard time with the damage plan against us, most of our things are either disruption, low curve clock, or block twice. Lifegain isnt as relavent against infect , so finks gets the cut. The only sideboard choice here that might need explaning is natures claim. Natures claim hits inkmoth, rancor, ichorclaw sometimes if they run it, and the cards they might sideboard against us.
All control varients: Out 4 abrupt decay 2 inquisition of kozilek In 3 scavenging ooze 3 lingering souls (30 matches against UWR lost one game total, 2 macthes against esper and sultai won all games) Most of our things are good against control similar to twin. what I like to do is slam a voice and play one more high end threat then never tap out again untill they answer whats on board, or slam a smiter and ride it to town after taking a path with the hand disruption. Inquisition doesnt hit the high end spells such as cryptic, batterskull, and keranos. Path stays in to deal with manlands, but abrupt decay hits very little. Scavenging ooze is a great topdeck, is a huge must answer threat by itself, is lifegain as every point of damage matters when control is trying to hit for exactsies, and blanks snapcaster mages.
Amulet: Out 2 IoK In 2 Nature's Claim Hitting amulet and potentially leyline against a combo deck.Enough said. This is generally favorable as I playtested it 4 matches won 2 of them the 2 I lost he always had one turn to topdeck his only out to the situation and they somehow always did. Disruption is great against them provided we have the clock to back it up which we do most of the time. In this matchup, ALWAYS TAKE SUMMER BLOOM!! Steven Speck released an article saying that is the mistake almost every player makes. Summer bloom is the threat. We can decay the amulet if its a problem, but generally it slows them down a ton to take bloom. It is what makes GBx a favorable matchup for amulet, is that single mistake.
BW tokens: Out 4 voice 3 path to exile In 3 Engineered Explosives 2 Golgari Charm 2 Nature's Claim 20 matches played against it all 20 won Tokens blanks spot removal, so path comes out. Decay stays in to hit anthems as the 1/1's are terrible against us, the 2/2's and 3/3's however are a different story. Voice isnt needed as most of the things they do are in the air and are sorcery speed and they dont run enough removal to justify it. Engineered explosives just wins games when it comes in. Persecution is often a board wipe but it also screws with combat math and again just wins games. Nature's Claim at worst hits scullers to stall, but it is mostly a way to deal with hate and hit anthems.
Zoo: Out 4 thoughtseize 2 inquisition 3 tidehollow In 3 scavenging ooze 3 engineered explosives 3 lingering souls 40 tested matches (30 tribal 10 naya) won all of the naya won 27 tribal Souls is a clock with township as well as blockers to stall as every turn matters. Engineered explosives is often game over for them, and scooze is terrible for them as lifegain as well as blanking snapcaster mages. Hand disruption isnt good here as it normally just takes a creature that gets outclassed by ours anyway.
GR tron: Out 4 decay In 2 stony silence 2 Nature's Claim 6 matches played lost one game. Stony silence is the * against tron. In addition, claim is fantastic for us as it hits early dorks as well as wurmcoil and its tokens and O stone. Decay has few targets. This matchup is bad on paper, but in practice we keep them off tron a ton and provide a clock. They cant go over the top if tron isnt complete! It does help I played against it quite a bit prior to this deck and even used to play it for about 9 months.
U tron: Out 4 decay 3 finks In 2 stony silence 2 Nature's Claim 3 Scavenging Ooze This is only here for if you play MTGO (I only play paper as I dont feel like wasting money on an online version where there is little payoff). Stony is better here as it shuts off mindslaver and the mana accelerants they have, as does nature's claim but it also hits platinum angel. scavenging ooze shuts off snapcaster, the mindslaver combo, and provides a clock when all else fails. U tron has trouble against aggro, and this would be no different.
Living End: Out 3 thoughtseize In 3 scavenging Ooze The only spells you care about are 3 CMC; the cascade enablers, fulminator mage, and blood moon. This could go either way for us as we can disrupt them with scooze and make them dig for the combo. If they get it fast enough, we lose. This is untested but is such a little part of the meta anyway that if it really is a problem I can suggest ways to tweak the board to beat it.
Blue Moon: Out 3 Thoughtsieze 4 Sculler 3 Path In 2 Golgari Charm 3 lingering souls 2 nature's claim 3 engineered explosives. 5 matches 4 won. Blood moon and shackles as well as batterskull are all hit by claim, and 2 of those are hit by nature's claim. Souls provides a clock and blanks removal. Zealous screws with combat math, and deals with an increasing win con in the form of master of waves. It was in the original and it is in this one to.
Merfolk: Out 4 sculler 2 voice In 3 engineeered explosives 3 lingering souls 3 matches 3 won. Souls forces them to have a spreading seas after our disruption to win. In addition, Engineered Explosives on 2 spells game over. Sculler gets hit by vapor snag and cant really attack or block much, so he is the worst here. He also gets hit with our explosives. Voice is cut as explosives hits it and there are few counterspellls merfolk runs. This is favorable for us.
Ad Nauseam: Out 4 voice In 2 stony silence 2 nature's claim. 3 matches 3 won. Hand disruption is a bitch for them, and we can get under leyline or destroy it with nature's claim. Claim also hits phyrexian unlife as well as the other mana rocks. Stony silence means game over. No spellskite to protect things, no lotus bloom, and no mana rocks. Voice is literally useless here.
Storm: Out 3 path 4 voice 2 rhino. In 2 nature's claim 3 engineered explosives 3 scavenging ooze This is an untested matchup, however this is favorable. We have a ton of disruption preboard to stop the bombs from sticking. Post board, scooze deals with past in flames shennanigans. If they try and combo off fast with warrens, engineered explosives takes care of it and they lose from there. Explosives also takes care of ascension and electromancer. Nature's Claim beats the things they will board. We also have a clock thats low curve.
Scapeshift: Out 4 decay 2 inquisition In 3 scavenging ooze 3 lingering souls 10 matches played 8 won. Souls is a clock on its own that blanks counters. We have so much disruption and such a fast clock that the only way they have won every game against me is when they chained 4 cryptics in a row. Scooze hits snapcaster mages as well as is a clock. I like taking the enablers of scapeshift instead of scapeshift or if they have a slower hand the cryptic someitmes being taken spells instant win.
Bogles: Out 3 path 4 voice In 3 Engineered Explosives 2 Nature's Claim Golgari Charm 2 matches won both. This is super favorable. Zealuos persecution turn 2 often means game over as they lost the creature to suit up with. Explosives also spells game over. Hand disruption preboard is great but post board they board in leyline which isnt terrible against us but at worst we can natures claim it when we need to. Often though, we dont care about leyline and we just destroy an enchantment when they go for corronet and only try to keep the creatures at bay as a 1/1. This spells almost sure victory.
The mirror: Out 4 thoughtseize 2 inquisition 2 sculler In 3 lingering souls 3 scavenging ooze 2 Golgari Charm Persecution is great at screwing up combat math and wiping the opponents board as they always run the dork version. Souls is a clock and can block at worst. Scavenging ooze screws with other souls , is a great topdeck on its own, and is lifegain. I feel we are favored as we have more disruption then they do and we run manlands so we go bigger. The only not bad hand disruption here is sculler as it exiles liege or smiter or even rhino. I do feel although we seem favored, this becomes hand dependent and skill dependent.
