I think I may have to uninstall Magic Online. I mean it’s not that my wife curses me as an “addict” as she calls me to come to bed at two in the morning, it’s that MODO is fairly lousy for playtesting. The problem for me (someone who is only good at one thing) is that MODO is ungodly fun. I can wile hours and hours away pretending to playtest when in fact, all I am doing is gaming for gaming’s sake. I take each match in the Casual Room as deadly serious, whether I am going for the gullet of an out-classed Birds deck or mis-clicking against a new archetype while watching Smallville or Alias DVDs out of the corner of my eye. There is nothing wrong with gaming for gaming’s sake for the average MODO player of course, but, again, I’m only good at one thing.
This is one of the problems I hit going into Pro Tour: Los Angeles. When I qualified, I was pretty inexperienced in the MODO department… But I associated my PTQ win with MODO despite the fact that all the heavy lifting in building Critical Mass was done on Apprentice. Moreover, the Standard Mono-Blue and Critical Mass Update that were so successful at States were built 99% on Apprentice and 1% in the fires of the Neutral Ground mock tournament a week antes to States and not on MODO at all. But for some reason (probably because I like playing MODO) I thought hours of no-Ravnica gaming in the Casual Room (with nothing like the usual win percentages I demand from my Constructed decks, mind you) constituted adequate Pro Tour preparation. Sure, I got to play with ffej and Josh a couple of times on the tried and true, and we three thousand kings ran a couple of Apprentice mock tournaments, but the majority of my man hours were spent bashing on undefined decks in the Casual Room, which isn’t (or at least wasn’t) my process for PTQ preparation, let alone the big dance.
All of that said, realized, what have you, I still put in a couple of hours per day on Magic Online. Nevertheless, I began to realize recently that my process had to change if I were ever going to, you know, build a halfway decent deck again. So I decided that instead of mucking around in aimless (however fun) fun, I would pretend that I was playing in a PTQ and run eight rounds of Extended, charting my results through the Casual Room on a single night. Doing things this way is actually interesting because you have a nice mix of random bad decks (like in a PTQ) and very good players or strong archetype decks as well; the only downside is the fact that your competition doesn’t necessarily get “tougher” as the “tournament” progresses.
It doesn’t quite substitute the volume of information Apprentice can give me in the same amount of time, but hey, MODO is a lot more fun 🙂
This is the deck I played:
Chapin Zoo
4 Isochron Scepter
4 Fire/Ice
4 Goblin Legionnaire
4 Lightning Helix
4 Watchwolf
4 Grim Lavamancer
4 Kird Ape
4 Magma Jet
3 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
4 Savannah Lions
1 Bloodstained Mire
2 Mountain
2 Plains
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Temple Garden
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath
When I qualified for PTLA, one of the first deck ideas I gravitated towards was Red Deck Wins (surprise surprise). There were three problems. The most obvious one was that Extended no longer plays host to the best one-drop of all time, or his 2/1 block brother. That was okay because I was willing to splash some Temple Gardens in my ostensibly Mono-Red deck just to Holy Strength up the Kird Ape. The bigger issue was the non-presence of Cursed Scroll, the Big Bad that makes Red Deck Wins worth playing at all. I figured out pretty quickly that Isochron Scepter could proxy Cursed Scroll as long as I picked the right creature suite. The disappearance of Rishadan Port and Wasteland was another failure entirely, but at least the deck had room for the funky Ravnica lands I wanted to run.
4 Isochron Scepter
4 Fire/Ice
4 Lightning Helix
4 Blistering Firecat
4 Fledgling Dragon
4 Grim Lavamancer
4 Kird Ape
4 Lava Dart
4 Magma Jet
4 Bloodstained Mire
1 Keldon Necropolis
4 Sacred Furnace
7 Mountain
4 Temple Garden
4 Wooded Foothills
This initial deck also had room for improvement. Yes, the mana is a mess. I was justifying the outlay with “at least I can cast Lightning Helix if I have to.” The idea was sound but kind of fell by the wayside when I started to work with the Seven Kings and associates.
My friend Pat Chapin kind of ran with the ball and basically said “if you’re willing to push the mana that way, why not play better guys?”
Creatures (24)
- 3 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
- 4 Savannah Lions
- 1 Silver Knight
- 4 Kird Ape
- 4 Grim Lavamancer
- 4 Goblin Legionnaire
- 4 Watchwolf
Lands (20)
Spells (16)
You can see that building on my initial idea for updating Red Deck Wins, Pat ported over the superior Apocalypse and Ravnica creature sets to make for a more solid overall deck; his is 99% the skeleton I used for my “fake PTQ” deck, albeit with a different sideboard (Pat’s was full of stuff like more Silver Knights but lacked the heavy Psychatog hate featured in my sideboards below). In hindsight, Pat’s Flooded Strands are better than my Windswept Heaths; the two cards actually draw the same cards out of the mana base (Plains, Sacred Foundry, and Temple Garden), but Flooded Strand is more likely to provoke a misplay (or at least mis-read) on the part of the opponent precisely because it is off-color.
My initial sideboard was:
4 Pithing Needle
1 Umezawa’s Jitte
2 Armadillo Cloak
2 Flametongue Kavu
2 Disenchant
4 Purge
I wanted the Cloaks to break “mirror” parity against Tsuyoshi’s deck. In casual testing, I got tons and tons of scoops from “other” Boros Deck Wins players after an early attrition war followed by Kird Ape + Armadillo Cloak in a single turn. That play, boys and non-boys, is out of Flametongue range.
After working with Josh, I decided to go for a more streamlined sideboard, though I don’t know if this one really gives a lot back:
4 Pithing Needle
1 Umezawa’s Jitte
2 Armadillo Cloak
4 Flametongue Kavu
4 Purge
This sideboard obviously wants to beat Psychatog and Affinity. It ceases to make sense in at least one matchup, as Heartbeat is a bad matchup for the similar Boros Deck Wins and this side had no outs against that deck (ironically to be chronicled below). Anyway, that’s where the deck stood when I hit the Casual Room for my fake PTQ…
“Round One” – Heartbeat
This opponent was my least favorite kind. From my first crack of an Onslaught fetchland into my first Hound of Konda, he was bagging on me for playing a boring “netdeck” Boros Deck Wins (despite the fact that I wasn’t playing that deck). Not that his weapon of choice was particularly innovative… But everything out of this guy was hate, Hate, Hate from die roll until he scooped. So obviously I lost the first game, and badly. There was a huge crowd for the game, and one of the onlookers kept asking why I wasn’t packing it in when my opponent had obviously ramped up the Storm count and kept drawing more and more cards, but that’s how I rolled.
Luckily for me, and as a matter of providence for this fake PTQ, I actually forgot to change my sideboard and had the Disenchants for Games Two and Three. I drew one in Game Two to easily win, and in Game Three, he had me decked, but as I had two Lavamancers in play and an Isochron Scepter next to them (having been clocking with good men the whole time), I just dealt him ten through his Moment’s Peace and won anyway. Thanks for the graveyard fuel, Brain Freeze. You, obnoxious padawan, are no Christopher McDaniel.
1-0/2-1
“Round Two” – Boros Deck Wins
I ran a short trip to Paris on the play and found myself in one of my least favorite matchups: the “mirror” (Boros Deck Wins is the closest thing this deck comes to getting a mirror match). It is slightly in Tsuyoshi’s deck’s favor because Chapin Zoo runs more pain lands, and the incremental value of a card like Watchwolf isn’t really present because the other guy has Lightning Helix and potentially Char. I’ve learned to steal Game Ones the same way every time, which is to wait for the opponent to blow a Pillage before playing my Isochron Scepter. I lost a lot to Boros before figuring that out, but this time, even down a card, it served me well. </obligatory strategy section>
Down came Isochron Scepter with either Fire/Ice or Lightning Helix. With him down a Pillage, it was obviously academic.
Game Two I got double Scepter and it was never close.
2-0/4-1
“Round Three” – The Rock
I won a close Game One that felt stolen. It was all about damage and tempo and he was a bit slow on the recovery. I don’t consider The Rock to be a good matchup for this kind of deck, especially as Chapin Zoo lacks the key elements that Boros Deck Wins uses to beat The Rock, namely the eight pack of Molten Rain and Pillage.
In the subsequent games I lost to Sword of Fire and Ice both times, despite drawing my Pithing Needles and putting them on his relevant cards in time (Sword and Ravenous Baloth primarily). In our testing for Los Angeles, Tim Aten would bash my beatdown decks with Ravenous Baloth which is why I more or less quit working on attack decks pretty early in the process.
2-1/5-3
“Round Four” – Goblins
Not much to say about this one. He got some little hasty men, I got a bunch of Lightning Helixes and Kird Apes.
3-1/7-3
“Round Five” – Affinity
This matchup was a bit odd. In Game One, he had a huge advantage with Ravagers, but I set up a standoff of a roughly equal number of potential blockers and he didn’t come in. I think he figured out that I was the deck with reach a little too late, and when he started attacking, he was too far behind to my Lavamancer and burn cards to take the game. I’m not sure if it was right to hold back when we were on equal terms (he had fairy godmother after all), but it’s possible I could have put him away with beatdown and burn and he was afraid of a lethal counterattack.
In Game Two, certain onlookers were asking why he hadn’t scooped yet when I set up Lavamancer into Isochron Scepter + Purge, but I was pretty sure I knew the answer. Sure enough, he had two Mana Leaks in hand and eventually got me to six life in a game where I had an ostensibly huge pre-flop advantage. It took him three Ravagers to get those 14 points in, though, and Scepter took it home anyway.
4-1/9-3
“Round Six” – Zoo
I kept a one-lander on the play and he got Maher. It looked to be pretty bad for a while with me stalled and him drawing two cards per turn, but I kind of sat behind a Watchwolf and Kird Ape and he just sort of did nothing. Eventually I got an Isochron Scepter with Lightning Helix on it and was pretty sure I was going to win even though he was up about one trillion cards. Sure enough, I did (even if I had to deign to kill Maher at some point).
Game Two he got a succession of three Katakis, but they didn’t really bother me. I kept getting two-for-one because Kataki has one toughness… but then again that let him play another highly useful Kataki two more times, so I don’t know if it bugged him overmuch. That said, Kataki basically does zero (tariff your Scepter for one), and his Mahers (which didn’t live very long, mind you) didn’t seem to hold up to my Scepter + Magma Jet in a fairly symmetrical matchup.
5-1/11-3
“Round Seven” – Affinity
This match sucked.
In the deciding game, he got three Ravagers, three Frogmites, and three Myr Enforcers and I got a Lavamancer and Isochron Scepter on Lightning Helix. I judiciously blocked, traded, chumped, and pumped the Stick to put him on a single 10/10 Ravager with me on 10 life and him with no cards in hand. I took the hit, Helixed the dome to stay alive, and had four mana before his next turn to play my two Magma Jets. I even broke a Windswept Heath!
Anyway, to make a long story short, none of the next five cards I saw with two Jets and my draw step were Purge, so I lost the next turn.
In a PTQ that would have been the round that eliminated me (or given me the draw into the Top 8). I actually think that Affinity is a good matchup for this deck, and the new version of the sideboard (to be listed below) just reinforces that. I’m not sure on the math of missing all four Purges through two Jets after turn 8 or so, but even a chump blocker would have been nice.
5-2/12-4
“Round Eight” – Red Deck Wins
There was actually a server crash in the middle of this match. All I know is that I was up a game after working him with Scepter on Fire/Ice versus Genju of the Spires in Game One, and that in Game Two, it was 14-18 his lead, but I had Scepter + Fire/Ice in play versus two cards in his hand; my grip was five cards: Magma Jet, Magma Jet, Fire/Ice, Fire/Ice, and Lightning Helix.
I’m calling this one a win if you don’t mind.
6-2/13-4
Final Analysis
I am trying to focus on more proactive decks in bigger formats after lackluster performances in L.A. and Philadelphia, so I think this deck is a good option. 6-2 can obviously be improved upon, but I think that the Affinity match I lost – especially given a previous win and overall good matchup against the robots – was just a bad beat. Who misses Purge after double Scry?
Psychatog
I didn’t actually get to play against this deck in my mock PTQ, but I think it should be very winnable. Game One tends to favor Boros Deck Wins (in that matchup), and unlike that deck, this one brings in a full load of hate cards – Purge and Pithing Needle – while also playing slightly more powerful aggressive creatures. I wouldn’t want to play against Dr. Teeth every round, but I would at least feel prepared and capable of winning a fair fight.
Billy’s Madness Deck
I didn’t compete against this mighty deck either, but I actually played against it a lot outside the mock PTQ. It is a weird matchup in that I always feel both behind and out-classed… but where I also always win. Basically all their guys are better than yours, but it doesn’t necessarily matter. A classic implementation of this matchup is you cracking with Goblin Legionnaire into their Wild Mongrel. If they save it, great; if they don’t, even better!
Many times, this matchup comes down to a standoff where they aren’t attacking but you are praying they don’t Dredge or Gifts into Brawn or Wonder… because you would immediately die to their Psychatog. Meanwhile you are chumping with Goblin Legionnaires and doming with Isochron Scepter and Grim Lavamancer. If they don’t get one of the key Incarnations, you usually win an ugly looking game; if they do get it, they still need Psychatog to win, which they don’t always have.
The Rock
I’m pretty sure this deck doesn’t beat The Rock. I played a couple more games against the gentleman who bashed me in fake round three, and he bashed me in two more 1-2 losses. Savage ripper, yes… but favored? Also yes. I felt like he got lucky, but there is no denying the overall strength of his cards against mine… Bigger creatures, Swords, and specialized removal all work together to trump my dumb one- and two-drops, especially as this version has no way to keep him off his fours.
General Beatdown and Attrition Matchups
I like this deck in games that come down to trading and strategic card deployment. Like I think a real Boros Deck Wins or Williams Zoo will have real incentives, but at the same time, if they blow a Pillage or if you get Helix/Scepter, you can pick up enough percentage to fight their natural advantages. That said, these matchups are pretty rip reliant, with either player capable of winning given reasonable circumstances.
Heartbeat
This is a real deal bad matchup, so I am altering the sideboard to fight it better. I am well aware that I got lucky with my pre-fixed sideboard match to win the night (almost a fake win, actually), but that revealed an important element the deck needs for PTQ or other competitive play.
Final Fold Sideboard:
4 Pithing Needle
4 Flametongue Kavu
4 Disenchant
3 Purge
I know I was complaining about not hitting one of four Purges against Affinity, so why does it make sense to go to three? Disenchant does the same job, essentially, and this deck needs at least token resistance to Heartbeat. I kind of dislike cutting a Purge in the Psychatog matchup, but with four big Pithing Needles coming down at the same time, I think that the quick beats and heavy burn in the Chapin Zoo should probably keep the matchup quite winnable.
I’d say it has to be tested, but that would require hours in front of dueling Apprentice screens actually doing math. 🙂
In sum, I love Magic: the Gathering.
Michael J. Flores
Level I Mage
Level VI Writer