Decks of the Week - 5/24/16

Well since life got in the way of David’s Magic Monies and Decks of the Week here is an update written by me. To all those who actually read this… May god have mercy on you all.

Standard

No standard events this weekend. I was going to find a homebrew to talk about, but they were all dreadful. So I didn't do that. It isn't because I am lazy. Honest.

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Modern

[d title="Eldrazi & Taxes by Gilbert Saiz, Jr." style="embeded"]
Creature
2 Reality Smasher
3 Eldrazi Displacer
4 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Flickerwisp
4 Leonin Arbiter
4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Tidehollow Sculler
4 Wasteland Strangler

Instant
4 Path to Exile

Artifact
4 AEther Vial

Land
1 Swamp
1 Vault of the Archangel
2 Shambling Vent
3 Plains
4 Caves of Koilos
4 Eldrazi Temple
4 Ghost Quarter
4 Godless Shrine

Sideboard
1 Anguished Unmaking
2 Aven Mindcensor
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Hallowed Moonlight
2 Kor Firewalker
2 Pithing Needle
2 Rest in Peace
2 Stony Silence
2 Zealous Persecution[/d]

http://www.mtgstocks.com/decks/115856

This is my kind of deck. Tons of hand disruption, unfair lands, [c]Aether Vial[/c] putting creatures into play, various ways to make exiled cards never come back, bouncing creatures for multiple etb uses, and [c]Reality Smasher[/c], who doesn't like a good [c]Reality Smasher[/c]?. The single [c]Anguished Unmaking[/c] in the Sideboard is notable, I think there is enough exile to run Vindicate even at sorcery speed.

[d title="Affinity by Ethan Brown"]

Creature
1 Master of Etherium
3 Memnite
3 Steel Overseer
4 Arcbound Ravager
4 Etched Champion
4 Ornithopter
4 Signal Pest
4 Vault Skirge

Instant
4 Galvanic Blast

Artifact
4 Cranial Plating
4 Mox Opal
4 Springleaf Drum

Land
1 Mountain
4 Blinkmoth Nexus
4 Glimmervoid
4 Inkmoth Nexus
4 Darksteel Citadel

Sideboard
2 Spellskite
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Spell Pierce
1 Wear // Tear
1 Blood Moon
2 Whipflare
1 Dismember
2 Thoughtseize
2 Ancient Grudge
1 Ghirapur Aether Grid
1 Relic of Progenitus[/d]

http://www.mtgstocks.com/decks/115859

This looks more like a Metalcraft list to me, which is probably what I like so much about it. The different lines you can take with this deck make it much more interesting to me than the "play my entire hand turn one, go" style Affinity decks. You can go for a good old fashioned [c]Etched Champion[/c]/[c]Vault Skirge[/c] [c]Cranial Plating[/c] beatdown or use [c]Steel Overseer[/c]'s ability with [c]Ornithopters[/c]/ [c]Memnites[/c] in play to go wide or pull out the 'ol [c]Inkmoth[/c]/ [c]Blinkmoth[/c] infect clock. Oh yeah and the deck’s pilot; Ethan, is 13. Half my age with more top 8s under his belt than I will probably ever see, well done.

https://twitter.com/magicprotour/status/734521041599397888

[d title="Death's Shadow By Sam Black"]
Creature
3 Steppe Lynx
4 Death's Shadow
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Street Wraith
4 Wild Nacatl

Instant
2 Lightning Bolt
3 Become Immense
4 Mutagenic Growth
4 Temur Battle Rage

Sorcery
3 Thoughtseize
4 Gitaxian Probe

Artifact
4 Mishra's Bauble

Land
1 Arid Mesa
1 Blood Crypt
1 Godless Shrine
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Stomping Ground
1 Wooded Foothills
2 Verdant Catacombs
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Windswept Heath

Sideboard
1 Lightning Helix
1 Stony Silence
1 Phyrexian Unlife
1 Natural State
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Pyroclasm
3 Hooting Mandrills
1 Forest
1 Dismember
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Tarmogoyf
1 Grafdigger's Cage[/d]

http://www.mtgstocks.com/decks/115905

This deck looks to be going face, a "we're messing up if we don't turn sideways" kind of a deck. I am unfamiliar with the [c]Death’s Shadow[/c] archetype, but looking at this deck I think the plan here is to go face with your 1 drops while quickly depleting your life by fetching shock lands untapped and paying 2 life to phyrexian mana symbols so [c]Death’s Shadow[/c] is big enough that [c]Temur Battle Rage[/c] + [c]Become Immense[/c] kills your opponent.

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Legacy

Format: Legacy - SOI
Location: 2016 MOCS Championship - Legacy
Players: 13
Finished: 1st Place

[d title="Sneak & Show by Niels Noorlander"]

Creatures
4 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
4 Griselbrand

Planeswalkers
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

Instants
4 Force of Will
4 Spell Pierce
4 Brainstorm

Sorceries
2 Gitaxian Probe
4 Ponder
2 Preordain
4 Show and Tell

Enchantments
4 Sneak Attack

Artifacts
4 Lotus Petal

Lands
3 Ancient Tomb
2 City of Traitors
1 Flooded Strand
3 Island
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Mountain
1 Polluted Delta
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Volcanic Island

Sideboard
3 Blood Moon
1 Flusterstorm
2 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Pyroblast
1 Pyroclasm
2 Sudden Shock
3 Through the Breach
1 Wipe Away[/d]

http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/deck.asp?deck_id=1265770

Whelp it’s sneak and show. Cheat a big 'ol card draw dude in the game that will find her highness the flying tentacle thing who you can also cheat in to, um, win the game… Quick. I guess. Got 1st place...

[d title="Shardless Sultai by Gerry Thompson"]

Creatures
3 Baleful Strix
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Shardless Agent
4 Tarmogoyf

Planeswalkers
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

Instants
4 Abrupt Decay
4 Brainstorm
4 Force of Will

Sorceries
4 Ancestral Vision
1 Maelstrom Pulse
2 Thoughtseize
1 Toxic Deluge

Lands
2 Bayou
2 Creeping Tar Pit
2 Misty Rainforest
4 Polluted Delta
1 Swamp
2 Tropical Island
3 Underground Sea
4 Verdant Catacombs
3 Wasteland

Sideboard
1 Baleful Strix
2 Disfigure
1 Flusterstorm
2 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Hymn to Tourach
1 Maelstrom Pulse
2 Pithing Needle
2 Sylvan Library
1 Thoughtseize
1 Toxic Deluge[/d]

http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/deck.asp?deck_id=1265766

Here’s something more my speed, Shardless BUG. I have been a fan of BUG since before it had a clan on Tarkir; Shardless BUG, or “Sultai” plays a grindy game using the Cascade on [c]Shardless Agent[/c] to out value other decks. Cascade lets you do a few fun things, one of the most notable is probably casting an [c]Ancestral Vision[/c] without suspending it. The deck runs some fun cards, [c]Baleful Strix[/c] replaces itself and nearly always trades favorably, [c]Deathrite Shaman[/c] can drain for days while manipulating graveyards or accelerate mana, I don’t think I need to explain Goyf at this point. Aside from the creatures the deck runs top tier removal, has great card draw, and 2 copies of the best planeswalker ever printed is(are?) the cherry(s) on top. Ok, enough fellating the Sultai deck no matter how much Tasigur was enjoying it, lets move on.

[d title="Miracles by Joe Spanier"]

Creatures
1 Snapcaster Mage

Planeswalkers
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

Instants
4 Brainstorm
2 Counterspell
4 Force of Will
1 Predict
1 Spell Pierce
4 Swords to Plowshares

Sorceries
2 Council's Judgment
2 Entreat the Angels
4 Terminus

Enchantments
4 Counterbalance

Artifacts
4 Sensei's Divining Top

Lands
3 Arid Mesa
4 Flooded Strand
5 Island
2 Plains
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Tundra
2 Volcanic Island

Sideboard
1 Blood Moon
1 Blue Elemental Blast
1 Containment Priest
1 Ethersworn Canonist
1 Flusterstorm
1 Humility
1 Izzet Staticaster
1 Moat
1 Pyroblast
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Rest in Peace
1 Supreme Verdict
2 Vendilion Clique
1 Wear // Tear[/d]

http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/deck.asp?deck_id=1265767

David could probably talk more about the intricacies of legacy miracles since he has piloted it before and seemed to enjoy it. I have a more… “Burn it with fire” relationship with this particular kind of deck. Do you want to hate magic? Play against an ensnaring Bridge deck, If you can’t find someone douchey enough to play that, then legacy miracles is the next best thing. Sensei's Divining Top coupled with Counterbalance is one of the most annoying soft locks I have ever played against. I think the only thing more annoying are some of the “Heart of the Cards” wins Miracles pilots can pull out of their ass. Nothing is more frustrating nor as satisfying than an “Oh, I win.” in a Miracles matchup.

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That's it for decks of the week. Don’t expect too many from me, even this one was unplanned. My analysis is more anecdotal and thus probably less helpful than David’s so if that’s your jimmy jam, too bad.