Well! This deck sure got a lot of compliments. I think it was reasonably competitive, too. The food package is honestly a very decent pillar for this deck, providing lifegain, 3/3 bodies from Oko, protecting Wicked Wolf from non-Path removal. Drown in the Loch also kept me steady early in some games where I didn't have much of a board presence until the mid game since it answers a variety of threats, especially with the abundance of fetch lands (we'll see how that'll end up in Pioneer—this deck seems especially well-prepared for that).
Match 1: L-W-L vs. Izzet Prowess
Oof. This is one where I couldn't get food to stick in games one and three—they kept bolting my turn one bird!—and got overwhelmed with 6+ damage by turn 3. Game two I had more removal in my opening hand and that stabilized me until I was able to have Oko start making some elks on my side, and opponent conceded once I was able to sac food each turn. Those other two games though were over very quickly for me. Sideboard plan in the future may include some Fatal Push if this deck keeps popping up.
Match 2: W-L-W vs. Rakdos reanimator
I'm very familiar with this deck (see: Thunderkin's Kin) so I knew going in I had a pretty good matchup. Scavenging Ooze is in my mainboard for a reason! My opponent had faced a Scooze-heavy matchup in round one, too, so they were pretty salty when mine showed up too. Game one I got a little beat up by an early Ball Lightning and Dreadhorde Arcanist, but Oko, Lili, and Wicked Wolf helped me get back into it and turn the tide. Game two I had an okay start but was forced into some bad blocks with Goose, opponent had two Dark Confidants on the board—one I had to turn into an elk—and just out-valued me before I got any removal in hand. Game three we traded a few cards early, but I landed Ashiok, Dream Render on turn three and never looked back really. Got opponent down to just Seasoned Pyromancer and Arcanist on board, blocked over and over again with the Goose, kept making and eating food tokens to stay at 5+ life, and eventually got a wolf and a Lili to turn things over.
Match 3: W-W vs. Azorius control
This was a matchup I had a few concerns about and made sure I mulliganed hands I was unsure of. Both games were drawn out, but here is where Oko really shined. The ability to constantly pump out 3/3 bodies (with the help of a goose or two) and have enough cheap removal on hand to get past counters when blockers get in the way. Games one and two were pretty similar, with Oko supported by Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver in game one and Liliana of the Veil in game two.
Match 4: L-L vs. Bant Soulherder
Okay, so I've been playing around with making a Soulherder deck in my head for a while, and thinking about what pieces I would add to get a lot of value (thinking about Charming Prince?), but this deck was a combo of that with Stoneforge Mystic and Lightning Greaves and I just couldn't get bigger pieces out fast enough. Opponent started with Giver of Runes and SFM on curve both games, and despite a lot of removal from me (kept three Drowns in my starting hand game two) I just couldn't get enough on the board to match what my opponent kept pulling. I think it's a strong archetype, and I didn't realize how much stronger it had the potential to get with SFM getting unbanned.
So I'm pretty happy with the deck. Also happened to play it the day they announced Pioneer, so that was definitely a lot of the talk that was at the tables. I think what I'm lacking at this moment is card draw (only ended up with two Thought Scours in the deck, might try to find another or find a Pioneer-legal replacement) to match my discard/removal and keep the advantage on my side. Possibly a second Vraska, Golgari Queen, though at 4CMC that's a little high to rely on without better cantrips. Spreading Seas was another thought, though that also won't be in Pioneer.
