I had last week off because my computer was sick with a virus from soul-seeking with some shady characters with no protection. I was also busy celebrating the entire week in honor of my 21st birthday on the 19th. No more falsified government document shenanigans for me, I’m legal tender now!
That was good and all, but when I was summoned to defend a hometown PTQ I had to come up with something special to murder the critics…
I really wanted to make a multicolor deck with this manabase.
4 Ancient Ziggurat
4 Pillar of the Paruns
4 Reflecting Pool
With only these spells.
4 Stifle
4 Thoughtseize
With a few colorful creatures.
4 Tidehollow Sculler
4 Rhox War Monk
4 Woolly Thoctar
4 Zur the Enchanter
But eventually I slipped farther and farther away from that manabase and ended up with this on the Friday night before the PTQ.
Creatures (24)
- 2 Birds of Paradise
- 3 Zur the Enchanter
- 3 Doran, the Siege Tower
- 3 Vendilion Clique
- 2 Rafiq of the Many
- 4 Rhox War Monk
- 4 Tidehollow Sculler
- 3 Noble Hierarch
Lands (23)
Spells (13)
Between Thoughtseize, Stifle, Tidehollow Sculler, and Vendilion Clique I’ll be able to turn my opponent’s starting hand to dirt regardless of their strategy. From there I’ve got the bi-purpose Clique, Doran, Rhox War Monk, the mighty Rafiq, and a versatile toolbox with Zur the Pimp Master. Oblivion Ring is my removal of choice, with “six” virtual copies (counting Zur fetch opportunities). Steel of the Godhead makes Zur a legitimate kill condition, while being an excellent random blowout card if you drop any you draw on a War Monk for five unblockable with dubs lifelink.
It’s all pretty sound, so I sent it to a few people to get some testing results…
Turned out that it was far too slow to compete against Affinity, but the disruption package was far too potent for any Faerie, Storm, Bant, or Elves decks to handle, and an unanswered Zur or War Monk would blow Zoo and Red decks out of the water.
The sideboard offered a more selective Enchantment toolbox, with Screams from Within solidifying the Elves matchup, Wheel of Sun and Moon giving me options against any graveyard centric engines, while Threads of Disloyalty keeps early pressure on Zoo.
I had the deck built and played it around at FNM for awhile before coming to a few disturbing conclusions. For one, Zur really isn’t a realistic kill condition. It’s expensive, clunky, and tricks me into playing bad spells that look playable on paper. For two, I am pretty weak against a resolved Vedalken Shackles. Oblivion Ring is nice and all, but I’d rather have some sort of instant way of dealing with it if possible.
I got cold feet and had a 3am epiphany to audible into playing “good” cards instead of the eleven slots of Zur wackiness and Rafiq stupidity. That left eleven cards, so some Tarmogoyfs and instant speed Vindicates wouldn’t make too bad an addition, with Jitte and Hierarch filling the gaps in between.
Creatures (26)
- 2 Birds of Paradise
- 3 Loxodon Hierarch
- 4 Tarmogoyf
- 3 Doran, the Siege Tower
- 3 Vendilion Clique
- 4 Rhox War Monk
- 4 Tidehollow Sculler
- 3 Noble Hierarch
Lands (23)
Spells (12)
Sideboard
The addition of Tarmogoyf gave me a leaner curve, which made the mana dudes that much better when paired with a two-drop with the one-drop control spells on backup. With Zur gone it gave me room to throw some of my beloved Elephants in there, which really aren’t very practical for this format unless you’re battling Zoo or that stupid Red deck, but if the disruption works all I’ll need is a big dumb finisher.
I feel stupid for having one Bant Charm in the sideboard. It’s an Instant speed Vindicate that, alongside Clique, gives this deck a modest but solid reactive game for when the big beaters are doing their thing. There were also several situations that came up where they’d have to hope their two-for-one trade on one of my biggies worked out, and Bant Charm makes a much more versatile removal spell over Oblivion Ring in that respect. Playing it meant I was nearly stone dead to a Blood Moon, which is a matchup I’d have to cross my fingers to avoid.
I was really excited to play with Rafiq, and I’ve since thrown a single copy in there for the third Hierarch for some random spice. With all the disruption I feel like it legitimizes him as a solid threat in Extended, and is at a great spot in the curve if you can Vendilion Clique on their turn to clear the way for an eight-point Clique attack when Rafiq is slammed down.
When I made the deck I didn’t have any Internet access, but it runs very similar to the Bant decks that have been popping up. The benefit from this one lies in the fourth color that enables a bigger creature with Doran and more proactive disruption with Sculler and Thoughtseize.
For the sideboard, I wanted to concentrate on really hammering in the more aggressive matches in case I slip on my discard spells game 1. Hierarch, Explosives, and Runed Halo bring better answers to the lean curved decks than the discard spells that become useless and less impacting as the game goes longer. Runed Halo in particular was really effective, and really pulls its weight in a variety of matchups from Woolly Thoctar, to Brain Freeze or Tendrils of Agony, to Tidehollow Sculler, to Hellspark Elemental. I’m going to add at least another one in the sideboard, with increasing interest at opening up main deck slots. Storm players would be dead to it game 1, and Enchantment removal isn’t too prevalent, which makes Oblivion Ring equally appealing.
Explosives is needed to combat Elves and doubles against Zoo. I also like to have a copy or two against Chrome Mox decks, with Vedalken Shackles and Sower of Temptation to up the removal if I get in a bind. Gaddock Teeg really doesn’t need to be there, but I have two foil Russians ones that I really want to play with. I have no such attachment to the Japanese copy, so that will probably be cut for another Runed Halo next week.
The PTQ started fairly promising. I beat a Zoo or RGw deck round 1 with ease.
Round 2 I played against StarCityGames.com own Kevin Binswanger, piloting a stock looking Blue deck. Game 1 I mulliganed to five, but almost had the game if it weren’t for Kev’s pair of Ancestral Vision to put him too far ahead for my one-for-one oriented deck to keep up. This is another problem, but I wouldn’t have been in that mess if my Stifle on his Visions resolved.
Game 2 was much more exciting. I think I mulliganed at least once more this game, but my start was wicked fast with an Exalted Rhox War Monk beating him down to a single life point before his trifecta of Ancestral Vision caught him up from my early hand disruption. From there it wasn’t too hard for him to finish me.
This is when the lunch break hit. It ended at 1:45, which is a pretty long time if you take in that the tournament starts at 10. There were 180+ there in the tight-quartered Gamelot, and there were even players who had to stand for their first round. I don’t know what it is, but whenever there is a lunch break I feel like I lose my focus and drive to win. Taking a loss before the lunch break is the worst feeling, because you know that your one loss away from having a much longer break, and it only makes the break I’m on go that much slower.
Round 3 my Katakis would get some love after losing a quick mana screwed game 1 to Affinity. He showed me Path to Exile and Shrapnel Blast game 1, so I was prepared for his potential Kataki answers.
On the play game 2, I decided to just go for turn 2 Kataki after he busted out a turn 1 Ornithopter, Mana Cylix, and Ancient Den. He’d actually never seen Kataki before, and made the remark…
“Man, this card is good against me… wait, does it mean every Artifact?!”
When he tried to use his Den to keep horny Orni around while keeping his Den in play, he realized the full screwing that was about to happen with War’s Wage.
“My land too?!”
My turn 3 was only an Umezawa’s Jitte, while he kept his Den around with Blinkmoth Nexus and used Path to Exile to get rid of Kataki during combat. I had a Hierarch to follow up, and he didn’t have an answer for a 5/5 Elephant wielding a Jitte with half a dozen counters.
Game 3 saw the Runed Halo earn their keep, locking down a trio of Myr Enforcer while Bird beat in the air wielding a Jitte with Noble Hierarch to ensure Bird’s beak was sharp enough to break skin.
Round 4 I faced off opposite one of those Bant decks that are on the rise. Mana Leak, Condescend, Gaddock Teeg, and Oblivion Ring complimented by the Bant regulars of Noble Hierarch, Rhox War Monk, and Bant Charm make this Standard looking archetype a reliable choice if you’re looking to play a midrange disruption deck. I haven’t tested this version, as I didn’t even know it existed until people came up to me and said my decks shell looks similar, but I think mine has a slight edge thanks to the Black squeeze for more power.
Game 1 I beat him in a squeaker, getting lots of valuable information about the disruption he was running. With Condescend and Mana Leak, it gave me a way to give him dead cards by waiting to play my threats a couple of turns longer.
Game 2 I mulliganed to five and got stuck on White and Blue mana, and he smashed me with turn 2 War Monk, turn 3 War Monk.
Game 3 wasn’t very close either, except I’m the one who had the turn 2 War Monk on the play with Hierarch to follow. He used his Charm and attempted O-Ring, but Stifle countered an O-Ring and Clique from doing any damage, and he had several dead countermagic spells that I could play around after using Sculler and Thoughtseize to protect my dudes.
The last round I played against long time Texas PTQ vet Eric Honeycutt, who used to be on my list of most hated people in the universe. He used to be one of the worst opponents to see my friends play against, although he’s never gotten too uncivil with me. He was the classic trash-talker that always picked away at opponent’s flaws. He’s since cleaned up his act by genuinely apologizing to make amends with anyone who he thought he’d wronged in his Magic career.
Honeycutt was sporting a stock-looking Faeries deck and crushed my skull in a close three-game series that I’ve pushed from my memory. After splitting a couple of games, I was on the play game 3 with a nutty turn 2 War Monk, turn 3 War Monk with Bant Charm and Stifle backup, but Honeycutt had the timely Wrath of God after playing four Ravnica duals to avoid my Stifle. I didn’t draw a follow-up threat for a few turns, which gave him time to land a Shackles to put me in an unwinnable spot.
Despite those two problems, I still feel it’s a solid contender and valid PTQ choice for any Honolulu hopefuls. It has what feels to be a favorable matchup against the majority of decks you might face.
Faeries
I feel really comfortable playing the beatdown role in this matchup, due to the power of Stifle and the other hand disruption against Faeries. If they are playing a two or three Shackles version, they don’t have any good answers to Doran, War Monk, or Hierarch. Sower of Temptation can be really annoying, but that’s just where Stifle, Bant Charm, and much quicker curve look to lower Sower’s utility.
Landing Jitte is pretty easy against them, assuming you’ve seen their hand the turn before. One of the keys here is to get a good read on what countermagic they are playing. Putting them on (and playing around) wacky combinations of Spellstutter Sprite, Spell Snare, Condescend, and Mana Leak is a big part to getting past the fae flunkies.
I haven’t felt that I needed more to win this match, other than a fourth Stifle and Bant Charm to keep my numbers up, as they’re both cards I want to draw as many copies as possible.
Affinity
Sadly, this one is a pretty hard game 1, but isn’t unwinnable. A quick combination of Thoughtseize, Sculler, and Clique can slow them down enough for a War Monk or Doran to get some damage in there, but Doran is a huge liability since he gives those stupid Ornithopters value. Stifle really can’t be used often here, but it does counter a well-timed Modular effect or crucial Atog pump. Bant Charm is the real MVP here, since killing Cranial Plating at Instant speed will often result in a two-for-one.
After board, this matchup swings heavily in GWUB’s favor, with Kataki, Engineered Explosives, and more importantly fewer bad cards like Stifle, Sculler, and Doran.
Zoo
This is another matchup in which I feel very comfortable. All of my creatures are straight up better than theirs, and require them to use their Oblivion Rings and Tribal Flames before they have all their troops out when they’re most optimal to play. Hierarch, Tarmogoyf, War Monk, Doran… all of these guys are huge problems for Zoo, and with multiple sources of life gain this is a nightmare for them.
Storm
I need to draw two or three hand disruption spells, or a hand disruption spell and a Stifle, to win this match. That’s it; any pressure in between is pretty much irrelevant, since they will almost always be able to win by turn 5, which is about as fast as I can theoretically get it done.
After board it becomes that much easier, with another Stifle, Runed Halo, and Gaddock Teeg to neuter their kill conditions. Echoing Truth and Vendilion Clique are likely to rear their heads, but my disruption is cheaper and more effective.
Elves
Much like the Storm matchup, the more hand disruption drawn the healthier GWUB will be. Game 1 can be pretty rough if they get a Wirewood Symbiote and Elvish Visionary going, but the hand disruption can usually slow them down enough for a big hitter to force them into chump block mode.
After sideboard, the matchup becomes much better with Engineered Explosives and Gaddock Teeg joining the good fight. I thought about leaving Screams from Within from the Zur version in the deck as a techy card with an unfamiliar name, but its clearly far too narrow.
Rock
This is a rough one, because Damnation absolutely destroys me, and with Life from the Loam and cycle lands I can’t rely on Thoughtseize, Sculler, or Clique to nab it before it wrecks me. If they don’t get their cycling engine going, it’s pretty heavily in my favor. Sculler and Clique do a good job at taking care of Life from the Loam; however, Sculler isn’t as reliable since they play a good amount of removal as well.
Gaddock Teeg and Runed Halo are great here too. They don’t have many actual threats that they can kill you with, and Runed Halo stays around post Death Cloud.
Bant
This is a deck I expect to increase in popularity. There was a lot of buzz about this deck and a strong showing of supporters at my PTQ, and after looking at some of the other PTQs from February it’s had decent showing across the U.S. already. Noble Hierarch is such a powerful card, and the two best Bant uncommons are poised to make big splashes on Extended this season. This is very strong trio to lay the cement for any UWG-based deck. Perhaps a UWGR version with Lightning Angel, Lightning Helix, and Woolly Thoctar?
The only difference between this deck and my build is that they have cheap bad counters instead of hand disruption. The creatures are all very similar, with Clique, Hierarch, Bant Charm, Stifle, Tarmogoyf, and War Monk bouncing, with Hierarch and Doran giving me a slight creature advantage.
Post board I’m tentative to bring in Runed Halo, since I’ll make a lot of my cards dead at the same time, so if this deck makes a strong enough showing I’ll want two or three Smother to give me a little more control that can draw out some counters on their turn.
I’m fairly certain I’m going to play something close to this next Saturday… that is, of course, unless I come up with a solid-looking Ancient Ziggurat / Pillar of the Paruns deck. I feel like there might be something there… maybe I just need to go full-blown five color and use all the greediest critters I can muster.
Thanks for reading.
Kyle