Tapping Grixis Dragons
Standard
SCORE: 1 | 1 COMMENT | 389 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER
3rd place —Jan. 9, 2016
Well, I built this deck but I never got the chance to play it or tweak it. The idea was to see how to build a Grixis Dragons/Awaken/Tapping/Control deck. I couldn't make up mind what I wanted.
Round 1: Lost 1-2 I don't know what the guy was running. Some R/G ramp deck with massive creatures and splashes of blue and white.
My hand played aggressively. I was holding two Draconic Roar and a Thunderbreak Regent, a few lands and a Clutch of Currents. By turn 4 I had the dragon out and it was game over by turn 7 or 8. He just never got his rampers going.
Games 2 and 3 were dramatically different. I held a hand I should have dumped. From my side deck, I dropped in Horribly Awry to deal with whatever his rampers were going to bring in I was in for a rude awakening. I had all lands and a Thunderbreak and an Icefall Regent. I was hoping I'd hit something next turn, but I was drawing dead. His rampers Shaman of the forgotten ways and Rattleclaw Mystic came out and he brought in Dragonlord Atarka. He hit all his land grabbers: Explosive Vegetation, Nissa's Renewal, etc., and the guy had like 14 lands at his disposal. He was putting counters on creatures; he had Abzan Falconer. He had Woodland Bellower. It was a festival of creatures on his side. He swung for the fences and took the game.
Game 3, I sided in Crumble to Dust to deal with his lands. I did get to play one, but he was only playing two Cinder Glades. After, he told me that he was worried about that change. I could have devastated his game with another one of those spells. But I only hit three mana that game and I just couldn't do anything.
Round 2: 2-1 Landfall deck with small creatures. He dropped in a Scythe Leopard and then a Makindi Sliderunner, but I had tap spells in hand, so he never got swing with them. I'd let him drop in his lands to pump up and then I'd say, "Before combat phase," and I'd play an Ojutai's Breath on one and Clutch of Currents on the other one. I kept him in limbo until I pulled a Draconic Roar and a Horribly Awry.
On my side of the board, I didn't pull any dragons, but I had Halimar Tidecaller on the board, and I pulled another one by turn 5, so I attacked and then played the 2nd one to return Clutch of Currents to my hand. I played the card for it's Awaken cost and I returned one of my own Tidecallers to my hand. Next turn I played another land and cast the Clutch with Awaken on his Leopard and I had a 6/6 creature with flying. Game over.
Game 3, I sided in Horribly Awry and he just never had a chance. I controlled the game completely. I played my Tidecaller loop again and built up a land card. The guy was really pissed off.
Round 3: 2-1 vs G/W counters. The guy had Hardened Scales on T1. He was running Abzan Falconer and Servant of the Scale and Hangarback Walker and Endless One. You, creatures that gain counters. Oh, and Managorger Hydra. So he was making big flyers out of all his creatures.
He hated my deck. We fought hard for control. He had a lot creatures and I had to pull in all my control cards to deal with his deck. I was running Ultimate Price, Horribly Awry, Singing Bell Strike, and even Aligned Hedron Network!
He took game one quickly. My only answer to his enchantments were my cancel spells but on turn 1? Forget it.
Game 2, I had Clutch of Currents going on. I let him pump his creatures and then I'd return them to his hand. Then I cancelled them. Then I brought in a Tidecaller, then the other. I put a dragon out there, too.
Game 3, he had me down to 1 life! One friggin' life point, and I held him off. He played three Endless One creatures in his opening hand and a Hardened Scales. He was going to win, but I pulled a Skyline Cascade and that was how it started. I tapped one of his creatures and used a Draconic Roar on another one. He swung with the one that could. I pulled a Tidecaller and used it to block a 1/1 Endless One and a 2/2 Endless one. When I killed that last Endless One, I countered the rest of his creatures and I put out a Thunderbreak Regent and that's how I won the game while holding on to 1 point of life. Exciting win for me.
Overall, I like what I was able to do. I thought I was going to need some drawing ability but this was never an issue. I kept taking out Crippling Chill and Dragonlord's Prerogative. I also never pulled the larger dragons and seemed to do just fine without them. I think I will drop the dashers and just keep Dragonlord Kolaghan to keep more control spells in the deck.
This is a fun, asshole deck. I certainly pissed off two players last night!