I tested a lot for Grand Prix: Los Angeles, but I could find flaws with every strategy. In the end, I decided that combo would probably be the way to go. I was winning a lot with Elves (except against GB or Faeries, although those were much better matchups than I thought they would be), but in the end I decided to have blind faith in LSV. Unsurprisingly, he won the tournament while I was tied for dead last.
TEPS will most likely be considered the breakout deck of the tournament.
Lands (18)
Spells (42)
- 2 Tendrils of Agony
- 2 Sleight of Hand
- 4 Peer Through Depths
- 4 Desperate Ritual
- 4 Mind's Desire
- 4 Seething Song
- 4 Remand
- 2 Electrolyze
- 4 Rite of Flame
- 4 Lotus Bloom
- 4 Ponder
- 4 Manamorphose
Sideboard
Orie Guo (a.k.a. Chidorie) was the initial advocate of storm combo. Josh Utter-Leyton (a.k.a. Wrapter) hopped on the bandwagon, made some significant changes, and eventually managed to convince LSV as well. Some of their friends had played it in local GPTs, and after that, the deck spread like wildfire. Nearly everyone I saw at the GP wearing a red Superstars shirt was gaming with Mind’s Desires.
I liked the sideboarded Ad Nauseams, as once Green/Black Raven’s Crimes your hand away, you are basically drawing dead unless you can rip Desire into another Desire. A resolved Ad Nauseam will most likely win you the game on the spot.
Lands (18)
Spells (42)
- 4 Peer Through Depths
- 4 Desperate Ritual
- 4 Mind's Desire
- 4 Seething Song
- 4 Remand
- 1 Gigadrowse
- 4 Rite of Flame
- 3 Grapeshot
- 4 Lotus Bloom
- 2 Pyromancer's Swath
- 4 Ponder
- 4 Manamorphose
Sideboard
Not only that, but Asher Hecht finally had his breakout performance with a mostly stock TEPS list. While he chose the trusty Grapeshot kill, that still didn’t stop him from losing only to the mirror on the weekend, despite having Trickbinds in the sideboard. In the end, the matchup came down to Brain Freezes and Remands rather than Stifle effects. Grapeshots could have had something to do with his dominance against non-mirrors, as Asher said that drawing Swath plus Shot was just as good as Mind’s Desire, particularly against something like Zoo. I found LSV’s (Wrapter’s) Tendrils kill to be lacking, but I assume that is the list most will adopt.
Creatures (13)
Lands (23)
Spells (24)
Creatures (12)
Lands (24)
Spells (24)
- 3 Umezawa's Jitte
- 3 Vedalken Shackles
- 1 Thirst for Knowledge
- 1 Chrome Mox
- 3 Engineered Explosives
- 4 Spell Snare
- 4 Rune Snag
- 4 Ancestral Vision
- 1 Firespout
Sideboard
Creatures (8)
Lands (24)
Spells (28)
- 2 Umezawa's Jitte
- 4 Mana Leak
- 3 Vedalken Shackles
- 1 Rude Awakening
- 3 Engineered Explosives
- 2 Repeal
- 4 Spell Snare
- 4 Ancestral Vision
- 4 Cryptic Command
- 1 Firespout
Sideboard
I was somewhat surprised to see all of these players playing with Vedalken Shackles, as they are basically only good for game 1 in the mirror. I fully expected Faerie players to start running Ancient Grudges, especially as Affinity was labeled as the Faerie foil. Cutting Shackles at that point seems only natural, as Sower is arguably better against most decks.
Mark and Mat both has Flashfreeze in their sideboard, although in small numbers. Personally, I think playing Flashfreeze is rather silly, as you will basically end up trading Mana Leak for it. I would rather have a powerful sideboard card rather than simply trade one mediocre counter for another.
Mat couldn’t find Mana Leaks in time, so that explains his Rune Snags.
I have been siding out Jitte in the mirror as they are poor against Riptide Lab and Grudge, but if people don’t have Grudges, Sword of Fire and Ice seems pretty spicy. I saw a few other people with Swords, and plenty with maindeck Darkblasts, yet Faeries performed admirably. Regardless, I was extremely impressed with how on top of things people seemed to be.
Mark’s list has several little pieces of innovation. Mat “only” had three Riptide Labs, while Mark had the full four. He also included a pair of Trinket Mages to combo with them.
Saul’s list is a throwback to Cheon’s PLU list from last year. Rather than rely on Riptide Lab, Saul just had plain old Tarmogoyfs. While worse in the mirror, you can bet he got maximum value from them against Zoo and Affinity.
Overall, I still feel like a Faeries-based Blue deck is best, but there is certainly merit to playing Saul’s deck in a specific metagame.
Creatures (25)
Lands (18)
Spells (17)
Sideboard
Creatures (23)
Lands (18)
Spells (19)
Sideboard
Brett was playing in back-to-back U.S. Grand Prix Top 8s, in different formats no less. The GP before those, he finished in the Top 16… and even found time to Top 8 a PTQ in between.
Personally, I think that Brett plays a little too slowly. As long as that doesn’t hamper him, you can almost certainly expect to see him at the top tables in the future.
I don’t necessarily like Affinity, but I can respect its ability to deal with an unprepared Faerie player. Saul and Mat both played with Ancient Grudge, but Herberholz and many others didn’t, which is probably what allowed Affinity to claim two Top 8 spots.
I don’t know much about Carl Hendrix aside from he’s from Texas. Both of their lists are fairly standard, so I honestly don’t have much to add.
Creatures (8)
Lands (26)
Spells (26)
- 3 Umezawa's Jitte
- 4 Darkblast
- 4 Life from the Loam
- 3 Putrefy
- 2 Slaughter Pact
- 3 Thoughtseize
- 3 Bitterblossom
- 3 Raven's Crime
- 1 Worm Harvest
Sideboard
When MJ showed me his deck the night before the tournament, I got a strong urge to audible. It looked amazing, and his performance didn’t disappoint. He took the good parts of Death Cloud, added some more good cards and ultimately ended up with what I think was the best deck in the tournament. If you are looking for a Rock-type deck for your next PTQ, you should definitely try the above list.
Hall of Famer Rob Dougherty piloted All-in Red to a 9-0 finish on Day 1, but couldn’t keep it together for the second day. His list is fairly standard, I’m sure the maindeck Martyr of Ashes were pretty sick.
Grand Prix champion Seth Manfield’s take on the deck was interesting, as he played with Manamorphose and Street Wraith to both push the power level of Empty the Warrens and increase overall consistency by effectively shrinking his deck.
Scott Barrentine, another Texan, ran Arc Sloggers in his version, which I am a big fan of. He also ran Serum Powder and Menacing Ogre, but I’m not quite sure how I feel about those. Powder is probably fine, but it seems like there is something better than the Ogre.
Creatures (11)
Lands (27)
Spells (22)
- 4 Astral Slide
- 4 Spark Spray
- 4 Engineered Explosives
- 3 Life from the Loam
- 3 Lightning Helix
- 4 Edge of Autumn
Sideboard
When a format isn’t easily broken, you can usually expect to see GWalls attempting to revive his old favorites. Horn of Greed isn’t legal, so he turned to Astral Slide. Cedric Phillips even managed to make the finals of the PTQ the next day with 72/75 of Gabe’s list.
After round 11, Gabe was sitting in first place, but uncharacteristically faltered after that. Three Blue decks (Bucher’s Gifts Fae, Saul’s PLU, and Asher’s Storm) all managed to defeat Gabe, although Gabe probably messed up against Asher. He didn’t know that Ghost Quarter could target basics, and therefore could have killed all of Asher’s lands, but allowed Asher to win the game instead. Oops!
I attribute most of Gabe’s success to the majority of his opponents having no idea how to play against Astral Slide, nor any idea what it was capable of. I watched opponents cast Punishment for four, attempting to get rid of a pesky Hierarch, only see to Gabe effortlessly Slide it out. Surely three was the better number.
Another opponent bounced Vendilion Clique with Riptide Lab rather than get it Slid out, simply because he thought he could get Gabe’s Loam with the Clique. That has more to do with Loam than Slide, but still.
For the most part, I attribute Gabe and Ced’s success mostly to their mastery, but also to the trickiness of their cards. If you still feel like Slide is the choice for you, you should practice a lot, but probably also cut it down to 60 cards. In addition to that, you should probably have the fourth Loam. Gabe said he couldn’t find room, but when I suggested that he just cut his eleventh cycling land for the fourth Loam, he agreed that it sounded strictly better.
Creatures (27)
- 4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
- 4 Birds of Paradise
- 4 Ravenous Baloth
- 3 Thornscape Battlemage
- 2 Indrik Stomphowler
- 4 Heartwood Storyteller
- 2 Chameleon Colossus
- 4 Woolly Thoctar
Lands (22)
Spells (11)
Sideboard
Kyle Sanchez showed up to the GP with a very interesting deck, something to which I‘ve grown accustomed. His Beasts update actually reminded me of his King in the Castle list from two years ago, rather than a typical Beast deck. With Persecutes to fight Cloud, Elves, Faeries, and TEPS, and giant animals to fight aggro, he thought he was positioned well enough to find himself in his second GP Top 8. In the end, the Green animals didn’t get him there, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this brew didn’t take a few PTQ slots, especially if piloted by Kyle himself.
Bonus Mini Report: Tied for Dead Last
Round 4: RGW Zoo
He had little disruption, but that didn’t matter as I didn’t find a Desire either game, and I mulliganed to six and four.
Round 5: RWB Astral Slide
I had to do very little these games aside from Remand and Pact of Negation his Gilded Lights.
Round 6: UR Storm mirror
My opponent is a local ringer, and friends with LSV, so we had similar decks. We both try to disrupt each other, but I come out on top.
Round 7: RGW Zoo
LSV and I both had feature matches this round. As I walked up to the area, I loudly asked Luis if he knew what Adam Prosak, my opponent, was playing, as he had written an article on Prosak’s deck last week.
Prosak’s draws were pretty good, and I was facing down lethal on turn 4 almost every game, although to be fair we were both mulliganing pretty aggressively. Game 1, I died the turn I was probably going to win. Game 2, I moved in on Desire for four before he could play a Pillar that I had no answer to (although he didn’t even have them in his list). For the final game, my sideboarded Echoing Truth was enough to turn off his turn 4 kill, which allowed me to untap and kill him.
Round 8: Elves
Game 1 he won the roll and drew Glimpse on turn 3, killing me the turn before I was going to try and kill him. The second game was more of the same. I kept a one-lander with two Lotuses, as if I drew a land I had access to Remand, Magma Jet (I had those instead of Electrolyze), and Echoing Truth. I whiffed twice, and he comboed on turn 3 again.
Round 9: Burn
This was another feature match, although it wasn’t covered. I went off on my turn 4 after Remanding his Smash on my Lotus. Game 2 we both kept one-landers, although mine had Lotus and I drew a land almost immediately. After that, I had Remand and Echoing Truth to top Pillar if I had to, and went off with ease.
Round 10: Elves
Game 1, I get killed the turn before I kill him. Game 2, he plays two Nettle Sentinels, Thoughtseizes me, and casts Eternal Witness for Thoughtseize on turn 3. I try to go for it on my turn 3, but Manamorphose doesn’t serve up the goods.
Round 11: Burn
First game I don’t find a Desire despite playing several cantrips, and he takes his time killing me on turn 6 or so. Second game I am in no danger after his mulligan to four, and could even stop Pillar with Echoing Truth if I had to.
For the final game, he is extremely confident and puts me to nine with a Keldon Marauders that is about to die. I figure he has the Shrapnel Blast, artifact land, and three damage spell, or at the very least a Pillar. I don’t have a Remand or any other sort of protection, so I decide to Desire for four, holding Peer through Depths and a Tendrils. I manage to hit him for 20 exactly, and he is not very pleased.
Round 12: Faeries
I keep double Lotus, Ponder, Desire, and rituals on the draw. I know he’s Fae after suspending an Ancestral, so my keep is pretty awkward. I suspend both Lotuses on turn 1, even though it is usually better to not get blown out by Explosives. I don’t draw a land, he has Stutter and Leak, and I’m basically dead at that point. I try to put up a fight, but Vendilion plus Lab starts taking my Desires and that’s game.
I forget what happens game 2, but I win.
For the final game, I suspend Lotuses on turns 1 and 2, while he has an Explosives for the first one. The second one comes in, but I don’t have a Desire, so we play draw go for a bit. In that time, I draw the Desire, but don’t feel a need to go for it quite yet. He taps 2/3 of his lands to play a Jitte, and my double Pact backup counters both his counters.
Round 13: Faeries
In the first game, Vendilion takes away my good cards and Venser takes away my mana advantage.
Second game, I know he has Stifle in his deck, and when he misses his third land drop, that all but confirms it. I don’t think he would keep a hand that weak without one. On turn 1, he taps out for a Jitte so he doesn’t have to discard, so I decide to Desire for four, holding a Remand, but using all of my mana.
I whiff and he starts drawing lands. My attempt at a second Desire is met with a Stifle, and he starts applying pressure. I try to assemble enough to go off a third time, but can’t quite get there.
Marshall Fine (my tenth round opponent) says I probably should have waited. If he draws another Blue land to go with his Mutavault and Island, I can no longer Remand his Stifle, but could Remand my Desire. That leaves me open to Snare or Leak, and I’m pretty sure he has one or the other. Like I said, I doubt he would have kept Stifle, two lands, and no other early game, but I can’t really be sure. I figured the waiting game favored him, and I would still have fight in me if I missed, so I went for it.
Round 14: Death Cloud
Game 1 he Crimes me a bunch, but I go off with a Lotus and some rituals, and he concedes before seeing my win condition, despite siding in Cranial Extraction.
Second game I start getting Crimed and cast a small Desire. I can get the storm up to eight, but Brain Freeze doesn’t cut it (as I sided into one Tendrils and one Freeze, to dodge Extraction). My opponent comments that Tendrils would have killed him there, so at this point I think he thinks I only have Freeze, so I just board back into the Tendrils plan.
In the final game, my Lotus gets Moldered (which is a pretty techy way to kill Sulfuric Vortex), but I use it to cast Ad Nauseam and fuel what I thought was going to be a Desire for eight. Instead, I chain Manamorphoses and end up with ten storm. I could have just killed my opponent with the Tendrils in my hand, but was too caught up with casting Desire that turn instead.
Justice occurs when I miss, despite basically drawing 25 cards that turn. I play a Sleight of Hand I got off the Desire, and when he opponent casts Extirpate, he sees the Tendrils in my hand and concedes, despite me not having any way of casting it. Quite an awkward way to win, but I’ll take it.
Round 15: AIR
Game 1 I win the roll and suspend a Lotus. He has double Rite and Spirit Guide for a Deus. I play a fetchland and pass, while he has another Rite and an Arc Slogger. This duo kills me on turn 3, before my Lotus gives me the mana I need.
Second game he mulligans, Serum Powders, and mulligans again before finally keeping. I have two Lotuses on turn 1, but he has a turn 1 Chalice for one, which is bad news. It basically means he’s holding another Chalice. After that, he plays a Magus of the Moon and another Chalice, this time for zero, emptying his hand. I’m really hoping to draw a Shattering Spree here and punish his minor mistake, but draw my second consecutive one-drop instead.
He plays a Spirit Guide which I Remand, hoping to draw out of my predicament, and he comments that he will probably just draw a five-drop since he has four mana and a Spirit Guide. Sure enough, Demigod comes off the top and conveniently cuts my life total in half. I can’t wait any longer and Desire for four. It hits Echoing Truth, Shattering Spree, and lands. I bounce his Demigod, but he just draws a land and kills me.
In the end, he finishes just outside of Top 32, while I finish in 65th. We basically just burned $200 by not IDing, although I definitely got the short end of it. The worst part of getting 65th is the sheer amount of “oh man, I’m sorry” that you get to hear. I got over my 65th place finish hours before they said anything, as it wasn’t really a big deal. I have been extremely fortunate in the past regarding tiebreakers, so I suppose variance has to take its toll at some point.
Regardless, it’s kind of a chilling way to start off the new year, don’t you think?
GerryT