Saint Louis MTG

This is from memory so I will update again later with names and if I notice any mistakes. I started off X-1 (losing to dredge) and then scrubbed out the last two rounds, thus missing top 8 and 16 and ended up in the 20s. I was pleased with the deck overall but some changes will be made if I were to play this again next time. Here’s my list:

3 Spell Snare
4 StP
3 Path
3 Firespout
3 EE
2 WoG
3 Brainstorm
3 Ancestral
2 Wish
2 FoF
2 Elspeth
2 Decree
1 Crucible
1 Ajani Goldmane
2 Pulse
1 Extirpate*

4 Strand
2 Tundra
2 Scrubland
2 Plateau
2 Gemstone Mine
2 Wasteland
1 Kjeldoran Outpost
1 Academy Ruins
5 Plains
3 Island

SB
1 Pulse
1 Word o’ Seizing
1 Path
2 Extirpate
3 REB
2 Crypt
1 Rav Trap
2 Forbid
2 Perish

Singleton Extirpate was card 61 (eww) in order to fit 2 Perish in the board since I didn’t have many outs to NO->Prog. I’m convinced that with 7 StPs, Wing Shards >> Firespout in here (especially with tempo decks picking up Spell Pierce) and therefore Perish is no longer needed. I based this off Landstill + Ultimate Walker and eschewed Counterspells for more threats and life gain. I meta’d against Zoo, Merfolk, Thresh variants, and the Landstill “pseudo-mirror.” I am accepting storm/belcher to be autolose. Loam/43 land G1 rides heavily on Wish but post board is much better thanks to Extirpate and Co. Dredge is difficult but playable post board and REBs are actually relevant vs them.

After playing the traditional Landstill mirror a zillion times, going to 4c with EE is paramount. I am playing completely around Spell Snare and StP (hence the Outpost). Gemstones are in here because the life loss from City of Brass actually matters.

I still think Ancestral Visions is ass but they rock the mirror. Because of the delay in card draw, more spot removal is necessary to stay alive so that when Visions does go off, you’re in a position to win. Ajani V is good but I prefer Goldmane because it has better synergy with Elsie, Decree, and is a must kill vs Zoo/Burn/Sligh.

MD Pulse was the nut high. It was experimental but certainly saved me enough times to be MD worthy.


Round 1: Geddon Stax (2-1)

G1: I keep a good hand with lands, StPs, Brainstorm, Spell Snare. He plays t1 Chalice @1, t2 Crucible, draw go for a few turns and then Smokey. I scoop.

G2: I sided in Forbids, Crypts, and Path for Wishes and Firespouts. This game took a long time. We both make land drops but I have Forbid up and counter a Geddon and a Smokey. He tries to apply pressure with Factories but I StP like crazy. Eventually we both have Crucible out and I FoF into Elspeth. I ramped out Elsie and made my permanents awesome as soon as I could. I then EE for 3 and kill his Crucible and multiple Ghostly Prisons. He gets out Baneslayer, followed by Smokestack. But at this point, I have access to five colors (woot gemstone) with Ruins recursion. This took a while to set up and I had to Pulse to stay alive. He got up to ~30 life but I eventually kill his board, Decree for Angels and swing for 12 a turn.

G3: We have 10 minutes for game 3. My hand has Elsie and Ajani, lands, and StP. He spends his early turns running out Chalices, I just make my land drops. He doesn’t go turn 3 or 4 Smokestack so I run out Elspeth easily, followed by Ajani and went turbo aggro and finished the match as time is called.


Round 2: Dredge (0-2)

G1: FML. Two bad matchups in a row. There were a lot more dredge than I had expected (probably because the deck is good but more importantly $40). He’s on the play and plays t1 Tribe or Imp. I play land and Swords. On his turn he plays Breakthrough for 1 and I’m frowning at my Spell Snare. He goes through most of his deck in the next turn or two and I survive the onslaught thanks to StPs and EEs but I haven’t hit my third land. I did however draw Cunning Wish so I just needed a land and Rav Trap him, and stabilize, as he has no hand. I don’t hit land that turn and lose.

G2: I side in grave hate, forbids, REBs, and Path for irrelevant cards. I mull down to 5 and didn’t see a hate card but keep because it had two lands, brainstorm, StP, and REB. I stay alive for a while thanks to removal and actually resolved FoF, which gave me my only hate card all game…1x Extirpate and it wasn’t enough.


Round 3: Drew with UGR Canadian Thresh (2-0)

G1: Yay, a good matchup for once. He triple wastes me in the first 5 turns of the game. I get stuck on 2 lands for a while and he plays Goyf. I StP, he Forces, but good thing I play 7 StPs MD. Eventually I baited with a draw spell which he countered and then Firespout away a goose. YuGiOh Extirpate steals his geese and I see he plays 2 Cliques instead of bounce spells and his hand was irrelevant. I Pulse back up to 20ish, get Elspeth out, followed by Wastelock.

G2: I’m assuming he’s bringing in REBs and Spell Pierce. I sided out pretty much all my blue cards for Extirpates, Crypts, Perishes, Pulse, REBs, and Path. He Forces an StP on his Goyf early but I Extirpate Force, taking one from his hand, revealing Daze x2, Stifle, and Pyroblast. I think at some point I resolve Perish killing Mongoose and Extirpated them, and his threats couldn’t get past 8 StPs + a deck of sweepers and I win with Elspeth.

Round 4: Geddon Stax (2-0)

G1: He mulls and plays t1 Flagstones and I’m saying to myself “WTF.” I keep Spell Snare mana open for Chalice and Brainstorm into Crucible. He spends his turns playing 3phere and Crucible. I play Crucible and later FoF into Elsie. I beat down for a while but he O-rings her. I EE for 3 killing most of our board but Elspeth takes it down alone.

G2: I boarded the same as before. I play land go and he plays Savannah go. I Waste it. He plays Flagstones. I play land and suspend Recall. He plays Canopy and Chalice @1. I Waste Canopy. I luck sack into Crucible, play FoF, and he scoops.

Round 5: UGR Canadian Thresh (2-0)

G1: I’m always happy to see Mongoose on the other side of the table. He Stifles and Wastes but I had Brainstormed into more lands. He saves Goyf from StP with Force, I Path. Goose gets me down to 8 before I Firespout and he has lands and 4 cards in hand. He’s played 2 FoW at this point so I go for Pulse on my turn. He looks at his lands and hand and thinks. If he has 3xBolt I lose but if he has Boltx2 and F/I, I have Spell Snare. It turns out he has Bolt, F/Ix2 + irrelevant card. I pulse back up to safety. I let him burn out Elsie and Outpost takes it down.

G2: I board the same as before. I managed to kill an early Goose with EE. I go for Extirpate WinCon plan rather than Wasteland since I had another one in hand. This reveals his hand to be 2 FoW, REB, 3 Daze. My hand was Extirpate, Perish, StP, Path, and REB. He plays a Goyf. I bait with StP and he Counters. I Path and he Counters. I Perish, then Extirpate Goyf, putting him on the burn plan. I was at 11 at this point and he burns me down to 4 and is in top deck mode. I draw Pulse and stupidly used my red mana and it gets countered and I’m looking at my REB. Major punt there if he has the kill but he doesn’t and I later draw into another Pulse (another reason to play 3!) and get back to safety and he scoops.

Round 6: Samuel (guy who top 8’d) Merfolk (1-2)

G1: I lead with Tundra holding 2 more lands, StP, Snare, Firespout, EE. He Wastes. I play land go, and he plays land, Curse catcher. Yay! I let him beat me down for a while. I crack fetch he stifles. I then play the Wasteland from my hand and kill his mutavault. He runs out of gas at one point and I resolve firespout but am at 3 life and he’s got active Vial and is in top deck mode. FoF into 3 StP effects and pick up two of them and then Brainstorm into Pulse. I get back up to 20, decree for a few guys, play Ajani, and he scoops.

G2: I bring in REBs, Pulse, and Path for Wishes, Extirpate, and FoF. I keep a two lander but never draw into my third land. I StP and Path but he double Forces. I’m holding 2x Firespout and WoG but only have Island, Plains. I get down to 8 and am facing lethal and top deck…Decree. The next card was Plateau. Frown.

G3: We have 7 minutes for G3 which is good for him and bad for me. I keep another 2 lander on the play with 2 StP effects and 2 Wrath effects + Brainstorm. He protects his initial onslaught with Spell Pierce and Force. I get up to enough lands but couldn’t play around Daze. Wing Shards would have been much better here. Damn, this just cost me top 8.

Round 7: Dave with UGB Tempo Thresh (0-2)

G1: Win this round and I’m in the top 16. He plays T1 Usea and Brainstorms. I’m thinking “Shit, now I’m going get pummeled by tendrils.” We play land go and eventually I fetch, and he Stifles. He then plays Goyf and I Swords, he Forces and follows with Tombstalker. I don’t hit my fourth land and was holding WoG x 2.

G2: I still think this matchup is in my favor because without Mongoose, my 8 StPs are relevant although Firespout does shit (another match where Wing Shards would have won). He gets out an early Stalker and has a Force/Spell Pierce for every StP I throw at it. I get down to ten and he plays a Goyf (3/4). I Decree for some blockers and draw extirpate. On my turn, I Extirpate Spell Pierce, taking one from his hand, and he’s only holding Daze. I have exactly 4 mana and WoG in hand along with plenty of gas. GG.