The first and third decklists from January are missing due to one of the infinitely infuriating”withheld by request” notifications that occasionally occurs in the barbarous hinterland of Europe. The second-to-last March decklist is also missing. Lorenzo Fideli’s doubtless wonderful tech is unavailable to us any of the three times he succeeded with it. That’s right. One man is responsible for this triple-gap in data. I’ll be fair and note that two of the occasions do not specifically say that it’s him requesting withholding. But the fact that it’s the same guy all three times makes me assume the worst.
Despite Mr. Fideli’s best efforts, I have dissected a variety of Hulk Smash builds – fifteen total – looking for the trends in winning cards. This actually worked out a lot smoother than when I did the same thing to Keeper, because Psychatog is a card which invites much less flexibility to a deck that uses it, whereas Keeper is nothing but metagame customization. The first thing I did was amass a set of thirty-eight cards (and one sideboard card) that were played in all fifteen builds available from my metagame summaries of the last six months.
The Unanimous Choices
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
4 Accumulated Knowledge
1 Ancestral Recall
4 Brainstorm
2 Cunning Wish
4 Force of Will
1 Intuition
4 Mana Drain
3 Psychatog
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
4 [Blue fetchlands]
2 Tropical Island
4 Underground Sea
1 Island
Sideboard:
1 Berserk
Essentially the core draw engine, mana, and counters were the same, plus the kill condition. And, of course, the best card in Magic, Yawgmoth’s Will.
Next I’ll supply you with the alphabetical list of the various and sundry cards appearing between one and fourteen different times.
#_#__##____#_#_ 5th [Blue fetchland]
_____________#_ 6th [Blue fetchland]
_#_##__________ 2 Back to Basics
_#_____________ 3rd Back to Basics
__#_#########_# 3rd Cunning Wish
#__##__##______ 1 Deep Analysis
#__##___#______ 2nd Deep Analysis
###__########## 2 Duress
#_#__########## 3rd Duress
_____###_______ 4th Duress
_____________#_ 1 Fact or Fiction
#____##________ 1 Fire / Ice
_____##________ 2nd Fire/Ice
__#____________ 1 Future Sight
_#_____________ 1 Gaea’s Blessing
_____________#_ 1 Gorilla Shaman
____#__#_##_### 1 Gush
##_######__#_#_ 2nd Intuition
_####___####### 2nd Island
_#_##___#______ 3rd Island
_#_##__________ 4th Island
_#_____________ 5th Island
#_############# 1 Library of Alexandria
________#____#_ 1 Mana Crypt
#_#__###___##__ 1 Merchant Scroll
#__##__######_# 1 Mind Twist
__#______##___# 1 Misdirection
#_############# 1 Mox Emerald
#_##########_## 1 Mox Jet
#__######______ 1 Mox Pearl
#__######____#_ 1 Mox Ruby
###__########## 1 Mystical Tutor
_#_____________ 2 Null Rod
#_#####_####### 1 Pernicious Deed
#_#______####_# 2nd Pernicious Deed
__#____________ 3rd Pernicious Deed
___##_______##_ 1 Regrowth
#####__#_####_# 1 Sol Ring
_#_##___#####_# 1 Strip Mine
_#_##___#___#__ 1 Swamp
############_## 1 Time Walk
#__############ 3rd Tropical Island
_________####_# 4th Tropical Island
__##___________ 1 Vampiric Tutor
#_#__###_____#_ 2 Volcanic Island
__#__###_______ 3rd Volcanic Island
_#_______####_# 2 Wasteland
_#_______##_#_# 3rd Wasteland
_#_____________ 4th Wasteland
Sideboard:
#______________ 1 Arcane Laboratory
__#__##______#_ 1 Artifact Mutation
___##___#______ 1 Back to Basics
________#______ 2-3rd Back to Basics
#____###_###### 1 Blue Elemental Blast
#______________ 2-3rd Blue Elemental Blast
_#_______####_# 1 Chalice of the Void
_________####_# 2-3rd Chalice of the Void
#_############# 1 Coffin Purge
#_#___###____#_ 2nd Coffin Purge
__#_____#______ 3rd Coffin Purge
___##__________ 1 Crumble
_#_######______ 1 Deep Analysis
_#___##________ 2nd Deep Analysis
_#_____________ 3rd Deep Analysis
_####__________ 1 Diabolic Edict
#______________ 1 Duress
__________#_#_# 1 Echoing Decay
__#__#___####_# 1 Fact or Fiction
__#____#_____#_ 1 Fire/Ice
__#____________ 2nd Fire/Ice
_____________#_ 1 Firestorm
_#_______####_# 2 Ground Seal
_#_____________ 3rd Ground Seal
####____#______ 1 Gush
#_#______####_# 1 Hurkyl’s Recall
___________#___ 1 Misdirection
##_########_#_# 1 Naturalize
___##__________ 2nd Naturalize
##_____________ 1 Null Rod
________###_### 1 Oxidize
_#_##___#____#_ 2nd Pernicious Deed
___##___#______ 3rd Pernicious Deed
____#__________ 4th Pernicious Deed
_____##________ 1 Psychatog
_______#_____#_ 2 Rack and Ruin
___________#___ 1 Reclaim
#_#__###_____#_ 1 Red Elemental Blast / Pyroblast
#_#__###_______ 2nd Red Elemental Blast / Pyroblast
_____###_______ 3rd Red Elemental Blast / Pyroblast
_________####_# 1 Rushing River
___________#___ 1 Skeletal Scrying
#____##_###_#_# 1 Smother
_######________ 1 Stifle
__#____________ 2nd Stifle
_____##_##_#_#_ 1 Vampiric Tutor
___##__________ 1 Vendetta
____#__________ 2nd Vendetta
_______#_______ 3 Xantid Swarm
Breaking this down piece-by-piece should make it easier to see what the options are.
#_#__##____#_#_ 5th [Blue fetchland]
_____________#_ 6th [Blue fetchland]
_####___####### 2nd Island
_#_##___#______ 3rd Island
_#_##__________ 4th Island
_#_____________ 5th Island
#_############# 1 Library of Alexandria
________#____#_ 1 Mana Crypt
#_############# 1 Mox Emerald
#_##########_## 1 Mox Jet
#__######______ 1 Mox Pearl
#__######____#_ 1 Mox Ruby
#####__#_####_# 1 Sol Ring
_#_##___#####_# 1 Strip Mine
_#_##___#___#__ 1 Swamp
#__############ 3rd Tropical Island
_________####_# 4th Tropical Island
#_#__###_____#_ 2 Volcanic Island
__#__###_______ 3rd Volcanic Island
_#_______####_# 2 Wasteland
_#_______##_#_# 3rd Wasteland
_#_____________ 4th Wasteland
The mana results indicate that Moxen and Library of Alexandria are very good. (Surprise!) Unfortunately for advocates of Gorilla Shaman, so far only 40% of the builds have included Red, and those are mostly older.
_#_##__________ 2 Back to Basics
_#_____________ 3rd Back to Basics
_#_____________ 2 Null Rod
People tried mana denial a while ago, but in the words of JP Meyer,”Mana denial sucks. It is a poor strategy to base a deck upon, because you can almost never have strategy superiority over anything.” This is especially true of cards that backfire on their controller like B2B and Null Rod, because you’re essentially resting your hope on stalling their game plan instead of beating them when they do what they want.
__#_#########_# 3rd Cunning Wish
#__##__##______ 1 Deep Analysis
#__##___#______ 2nd Deep Analysis
_____________#_ 1 Fact or Fiction
__#____________ 1 Future Sight
____#__#_##_### 1 Gush
##_######__#_#_ 2nd Intuition
#_#__###___##__ 1 Merchant Scroll
###__########## 1 Mystical Tutor
__##___________ 1 Vampiric Tutor
For draw/search, the biggest surprise to me was the high number of one-Intuition builds: a full third of the builds skipped the second copy. Maindeck Deep Analysis only showed up with the second Intuition (another shocker for the peanut gallery), and seems to have been cut for Gush throughout March. I was also a little surprised by Mystical Tutor’s success rate given the bad press it’s gotten on TMD lately. Intriguingly, no build ran Merchant Scroll without a Mystical also being included.
###__########## 2 Duress
#_#__########## 3rd Duress
_____###_______ 4th Duress
#__##__######_# 1 Mind Twist
Pretty much everyone ran three Duress and Mind Twist, but the fourth Duress was surprisingly unpopular.
#____##________ 1 Fire/Ice
_____##________ 2nd Fire/Ice
_____________#_ 1 Gorilla Shaman
#_#####_####### 1 Pernicious Deed
#_#______####_# 2nd Pernicious Deed
__#____________ 3rd Pernicious Deed
Most of the winning decks listened to JP Meyer and started to just plain ignore threats, opting to make their”answer” more along the lines of Berserking a giant Psychatog.
_#_____________ 1 Gaea’s Blessing
___##_______##_ 1 Regrowth
Why recur cards instead of draw another grip full of them?
__#______##___# 1 Misdirection
No.
############_## 1 Time Walk
Yes.
Sideboard:
#______________ 1 Arcane Laboratory
___##___#______ 1 Back to Basics
________#______ 2-3rd Back to Basics
##_____________ 1 Null Rod
_______#_______ 3 Xantid Swarm
I blame these wins more on surprise value than anything else.
__#__##______#_ 1 Artifact Mutation
___##__________ 1 Crumble
#_#______####_# 1 Hurkyl’s Recall
##_########_#_# 1 Naturalize
___##__________ 2nd Naturalize
________###_### 1 Oxidize
_______#_____#_ 2 Rack and Ruin
Artifact kill is essential, and 60% of the sideboards contained at least two different casting costs for it as Chalice of the Void insurance. Naturalize was most popular, but when you notice how briefly Oxidize has been legal for play, it’s a clear favorite. In fact, Oxidize is probably one of the better reasons to skip running Red.
_####__________ 1 Diabolic Edict
__________#_#_# 1 Echoing Decay
__#____#_____#_ 1 Fire/Ice
__#____________ 2nd Fire/Ice
_____________#_ 1 Firestorm
_#_##___#____#_ 1 Pernicious Deed
___##___#______ 2nd Pernicious Deed
____#__________ 3rd Pernicious Deed
_________####_# 1 Rushing River
#____##_###_#_# 1 Smother
___##__________ 1 Vendetta
____#__________ 2nd Vendetta
There doesn’t seem to be much agreement on removal choices, but Smother and Rushing River are the rising stars here. JP’s Firestorm tech has only showed up once, probably in part because the Red variant isn’t as successful.
_#_______####_# 1 Chalice of the Void
_________####_# 2-3rd Chalice of the Void
JP”Hulkmeister” Meyer and I don’t really understand why this would be played, so I’m gonna blame it on crazy Europeans and their Rector decks, even though JP wanted to blame it on bad Standstill decks. (Just remember, kids, instants can be played at the end of an opponent’s turn right before they have to discard down to seven! Just think how awesome Cephalid Coliseum isn’t and then turn his entire draw engine into something about that good.)
#_############# 1 Coffin Purge
#_#___###____#_ 2nd Coffin Purge
__#_____#______ 3rd Coffin Purge
Ironically it’s the Hulk build from January Waterbury (Northeastern US:”Home of lots of people with Mana Drains in their decks.”) that kept Coffin Purge out of the core.
_#_######______ 1 Deep Analysis
_#___##________ 2nd Deep Analysis
_#_____________ 3rd Deep Analysis
__#__#___####_# 1 Fact or Fiction
####____#______ 1 Gush
___________#___ 1 Skeletal Scrying
_____##_##_#_#_ 1 Vampiric Tutor
People maindecked Gush and put Fact in the board instead, gradually shedding Deep Analyses along the way. Vampiric Tutor is not nearly as common here as in Keeper, but it’s much preferred in the sideboard instead of maindeck.
#____###_###### 1 Blue Elemental Blast
#______________ 2-3rd Blue Elemental Blast
#______________ 1 Duress
___________#___ 1 Misdirection
#_#__###_____#_ 1 Red Elemental Blast / Pyroblast
#_#__###_______ 2nd Red Elemental Blast / Pyroblast
_____###_______ 3rd Red Elemental Blast / Pyroblast
_######________ 1 Stifle
__#____________ 2nd Stifle
Counterspells belong in the maindeck for the most part except for Blood Moon insurance like BEB.
_#_______####_# 2 Ground Seal
_#_____________ 3rd Ground Seal
I think this is a Welder suppression technique.
Huh. Presumably this is the functional equivalent of sideboarding The Abyss.
___________#___ 1 Reclaim
Bwwuuuaahhh?
Consensus Hulk
By listing the above cards according to their frequency of appearance, I have established a sort of”Hulk-by-vote.”* (I omitted a Red Elemental Blast on the theory that there’s no Red in the deck.)
1 Demonic Tutor
3 Duress
1 Mind Twist
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
4 Accumulated Knowledge
1 Ancestral Recall
4 Brainstorm
3 Cunning Wish
4 Force of Will
1 Gush
2 Intuition
4 Mana Drain
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Time Walk
2 Pernicious Deed
3 Psychatog
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring
1 Strip Mine
1 Library of Alexandria
5 [Blue fetchlands]
3 Tropical Island
4 Underground Sea
2 Island
Sideboard*
1 Berserk
1 Blue Elemental Blast
3 Chalice of the Void
2 Coffin Purge
1 Deep Analysis
1 Fact or Fiction
2 Ground Seal
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Naturalize
1 Oxidize
1 Smother
1 Stifle
1 Vampiric Tutor
The maindeck here is quite, quite good. The only things slightly out of the ordinary compared to some of the more well-publicized builds are the second Deed, the fifth fetchland, the Mystical Tutor, and playing Sol Ring over Mana Crypt. The sideboard has some of the more unconventional choices, but also plenty of standard fare. Democracy did a reasonably good job this time.
Next week, something completely different.
Philip Stanton
a.k.a.”Dr. Sylvan”
prstanto at uiuc.edu
* – For those interested, when I sorted in descending order by how many appearances each non-core card had, it looks like this, and this is how I determined the remainder of the”consensus” build:
#_############# 1 Library of Alexandria
#_############# 1 Mox Emerald
############_## 1 Time Walk
###__########## 2 Duress
###__########## 1 Mystical Tutor
#_##########_## 1 Mox Jet
#_#####_####### 1 Pernicious Deed
#__############ 3rd Tropical Island
#_#__########## 3rd Duress
__#_#########_# 3rd Cunning Wish
_####___####### 2nd Island
#####__#_####_# 1 Sol Ring
##_######__#_#_ 2nd Intuition
#__##__######_# 1 Mind Twist
_#_##___#####_# 1 Strip Mine
#__######____#_ 1 Mox Ruby
____#__#_##_### 1 Gush
#_#__###___##__ 1 Merchant Scroll
#__######______ 1 Mox Pearl
#_#______####_# 2nd Pernicious Deed
#_#__##____#_#_ 5th [Blue fetchland]
#_#__###_____#_ 2 Volcanic Island
_#_______####_# 2 Wasteland
#__##__##______ 1 Deep Analysis
_#_##___#___#__ 1 Swamp
_________####_# 4th Tropical Island
_#_______##_#_# 3rd Wasteland
#__##___#______ 2nd Deep Analysis
_#_##___#______ 3rd Island
__#______##___# 1 Misdirection
___##_______##_ 1 Regrowth
__#__###_______ 3rd Volcanic Island
_#_##__________ 2 Back to Basics
_____###_______ 4th Duress
#____##________ 1 Fire/Ice
_#_##__________ 4th Island
_____##________ 2nd Fire/Ice
________#____#_ 1 Mana Crypt
__##___________ 1 Vampiric Tutor
_____________#_ 6th [Blue fetchland]
_#_____________ 3rd Back to Basics
_____________#_ Fact or Fiction
__#____________ 1 Future Sight
_#_____________ 1 Gaea’s Blessing
_____________#_ 1 Gorilla Shaman
_#_____________ 5th Island
_#_____________ 2 Null Rod
__#____________ 3rd Pernicious Deed
_#_____________ 4th Wasteland
Sideboard:
#_############# 1 Coffin Purge
##_########_#_# 1 Naturalize
#____###_###### 1 Blue Elemental Blast
#____##_###_#_# 1 Smother
_#_######______ 1 Deep Analysis
__#__#___####_# 1 Fact or Fiction
#_#______####_# 1 Hurkyl’s Recall
_#_______####_# 1 Chalice of the Void
#_#___###____#_ 2nd Coffin Purge
_#_______####_# 2 Ground Seal
________###_### 1 Oxidize
#_#__###_____#_ 1 Red Elemental Blast / Pyroblast
_######________ 1 Stifle
_____##_##_#_#_ 1 Vampiric Tutor
_________####_# 2-3rd Chalice of the Void
####____#______ 1 Gush
_#_##___#____#_ 2nd Pernicious Deed
#_#__###_______ 2nd Red Elemental Blast / Pyroblast
_________####_# 1 Rushing River
__#__##______#_ 1 Artifact Mutation
_####__________ 1 Diabolic Edict
___##___#______ 1 Back to Basics
_#___##________ 2nd Deep Analysis
__________#_#_# 1 Echoing Decay
__#____#_____#_ 1 Fire/Ice
___##___#______ 3rd Pernicious Deed
_____###_______ 3rd Red Elemental Blast / Pyroblast
__#_____#______ 3rd Coffin Purge
___##__________ 1 Crumble
___##__________ 2nd Naturalize
##_____________ 1 Null Rod
_____##________ 1 Psychatog
_______#_____#_ 2 Rack and Ruin
___##__________ 1 Vendetta
#______________ 1 Arcane Laboratory
________#______ 2-3rd Back to Basics
#______________ 2-3rd Blue Elemental Blast
_#_____________ 3rd Deep Analysis
#______________ 1 Duress
__#____________ 2nd Fire/Ice
_____________#_ 1 Firestorm
_#_____________ 3rd Ground Seal
___________#___ 1 Misdirection
____#__________ 4th Pernicious Deed
___________#___ 1 Reclaim
___________#___ 1 Skeletal Scrying
__#____________ 2nd Stifle
____#__________ 2nd Vendetta
_______#_______ 3 Xantid Swarm