Last week I talked about some of the Limited cards in Planar Chaos that I thought were tough calls. I didn’t hit them all and planned on getting back to that this week, but I don’t want to do a whole article about that. I was thinking I would split this column into two sections, in honor of the fact that I’ve been playing two formats in preparation for upcoming events. I’ve been heavily focused on drafting for the upcoming Pro Tour in Geneva, but when I can’t manage to get eight people to play (or at least six), I still like to game with some Extended decks. I haven’t been trying to find the super secret tech, as I think that’s a huge mistake. I used to make that mistake all the time. I see a lot of players making it, especially early in testing.
When testing for a format, I find the best possible thing you can do to start is just proxy up all the “stock decks” to form your gauntlet, and play those decks against each other a lot. Once you get a feel for how the decks play and what cards are important in what matchups, you can try to come to some sort of conclusion about what the best decks are, and then start making changes to the existing lists to compensate. But trying to metagame against an archetype without know exactly how it works and what the best way to attack the engine is simply a mistake, and it can throw off all the testing you do from that point due to false assumptions about matchups and what people will be playing.
For example, if you feel that just from looking at the decks that you like Scepter Chant a lot, and someone takes a Rock deck and tunes it to beat Scepter, you get a false idea early on that Scepter is a bad deck… and you abandon it. Then you might start playing a lot of decks that Scepter just crushes, and think your matchups are really good since you haven’t been playing against your abandoned Scepter deck. Then, on top of that, you assume that since your testing shows that “Deck X” is the best in the field, that other people will have come to the same conclusions… so you metagame against that deck too.
The point I’m making here has nothing to do with Scepter Chant, or the Rock, or any specific deck. The point is that you shouldn’t’ make assumptions early. Make sure you keep your gauntlet of stock decks together throughout testing. Even after you’ve made changes to a deck, you should make a completely new copy and still keep the existing stock list together. The only time I’ll update them is when I feel a change is so obviously better than the previous version, and only then when most people know about it through an article or some other source. When it’s a safe bet that 90% of the people you’ll play against will have heard about it, tried the change, and realized it’s better if they aren’t dumb (and you aren’t too worried about the dumb ones anyway), you can make the change to your stock lists.
This Grand Prix is slightly different, though. Mainly it’s because Planar Chaos has been thrown into the mix since the last major tournament. And since Planar Chaos isn’t available online yet, there aren’t any Premier Events from which to draw results. Magic Online has fundamentally altered the way I test for events, since it’s possible to get a lot of information about the state of the metagame and new breaking tech at any time you like, if you’re so inclined. Frank Karsten’s excellent articles on MagictheGathering.com also are a great place to look when getting started. This goes for beginners and pros of any level. Frank tells you exactly what the most popular decks are, how successful they are, and gives a good stock list to start with. With Planar Chaos mixing things up, there might be some major shifts to the metagame, but since it’s a small set I think it’s still valid to start in the place we are now.
That’s where I’ve been for the last week or two, since I haven’t made a much progress quite yet. My early thoughts told me that Aggro Loam is probably the best overall deck choice before Planar Chaos comes to town, so I decided to run it through the entire gauntlet. This included U/W Post, Boros, Scepter Chant, U/W/R Counterbalance, and TEPS. I discovered that this deck is extremely hard to play well, but very powerful. I think its only bad matchup was U/W Post, which is basically the same as U/W Tron. I don’t even know how bad it is, but I noticed that Chalice of the Void was a gigantic beating so it might have hinged only on that card itself. Counterbalance was also a big problem, and nearly unbeatable since everything in the deck that’s important pretty much costs two mana.
After these testing sessions, I managed to read Richard Feldman article on this here site here, saying pretty much the same thing. Chalice is the nuts, and he plays four in his deck. To me, that’s a great idea. I don’t know if I’m sold on the exact list, but I’d certainly give it a try since my ideas on the powerful cards in the deck are obviously similar to his. The only problem I have with that build is I worry about cards like Extirpate and more Black decks popping up post-Planar Chaos, with Damnation around to power them up.
As a matter of fact, when Planar Chaos appeared my head started cooking up some interesting homebrews that all had one thing in common…
I want to put down a potential decklist here, but I’m afraid of all the flaming on the forums about untested lists. It seems silly for me not to share my thoughts, though, just because some people are going to be haters. So here’s a disclaimer for all of you out there before you bother posting in the forums:
These decks are untested. Skip this section if you aren’t interested. This is just a little extra for the guys that are interested, before I move onto Limited.
Creatures (6)
Lands (20)
Spells (34)
(Spell Snare can be Force Spike depending on your preference.)
Okay, it’s just an idea. The list is mainly derived from Katsuhiro Mori’s World’s deck, with some Damnations added maindeck, and some Extirpates in the board. I think the deck gets much better with Wrath of God added to the mix.
Jeroen might want to kill me, but I think the Rock actually gets much better with Extirpate. I’m not going to bother with a list, but I’m going to try it. If it’s any good I’ll keep you posted.
The other thing I want to mention today is Limited. I don’t like the new set, but I do really enjoy exploring any new format. All the different card combinations that come up are very interesting, and the way it changes the way I value the Time Spiral cards is really cool. For example I was drafting last night with Antonino DeRosa, Ben Rubin, TBS, Patrick Sullivan, and Kate Sullivan, and in my first pack I have the following decision. I don’t remember every single card in the pack, but the relevant ones were:
Draining Whelk
Essence Sliver
Benalish Cavalry
Cavalry Master
Quilled Sliver
Durkwood Baloth
Tendrils of Corruption
Coral Trickster
Flamecore Elemental
Now, I’m not saying that all of these cards are considerations for picks, but signaling is important and those cards are all relevant for those purposes. I’m not even considering Flamecore Elemental, obviously, but it’s good to note that it’s the only Red card in the pack. So, what would you take?
In triple Time Spiral draft I would have taken the Draining Whelk and not really thought much about it. In TTP draft, I ended up taking the Essence Sliver. Certainly good arguments can be made for any of the good cards in the pack (I could take Green for signaling, or try to cut Black, etc…), but I think the Sliver is the best. First of all, with all those White cards, at least another playable is bound to table. Also, most likely I’ll get back Quilled Sliver. Add to that the fact that I think the White slivers in Planar Chaos are awesome… I went with Essence Sliver and didn’t regret it. I ended up drafting a very good U/W sliver deck and went 2-0-1 (drawing because we ran out of time and couldn’t decide who would have won.)
The real lesson here is that, when a new set comes out, you really have to unlearn everything you learned and start from scratch. As a goal, that’s pretty unrealistic… but getting as close to that as possible makes sense. Evaluating everything again is one of the most important parts of adapting to a new environment. I’d say 80% of the things you learned the first time still hold true, but there are a good 20% of the cards that change in some way, either increasing or decreasing in value. Even something as simple as being aware of the interactions is very important. I didn’t realize that Reality Acid and Tolarian Sentinel worked together so well, until I read Nick’s article the other day. It’s the little things that make a huge difference at your next tournament. All it takes is being one step ahead of the pack. Going into Japan (triple Time Spiral) with a new set was tough. The reason I didn’t make Day 2 was, at the core, my group’s misevaluation of Momentary Blink. I could have probably drafted an insane deck with multiple Ivory Giants and Momentary Blinks, but instead ended up losing to Jelger Wiegersma playing for Day 2… and he was playing that deck (he was sitting right next to me.) And wow, was his deck good! He did manage to open an Ith, High Arcanist to help him out, but if my card evaluations were a little better, specifically in that case, I would have probably won that draft pod.
One thing that helped me a lot in Ravnica block was that I really felt like I “got it.” I really understood the ins and outs of the format and always knew the right pick. I may never be the best technical player in the game, but my main advantages in tournament play (if any) have always been my deck construction, my drafting skills, and the fact I have solid groups with which to playtest. Other people rely on technical skill, work ethic, or raw talent (like Gerard, who makes no sense most of the time but wins a lot). If you’re like me and you don’t have superhuman powers, and have a job and other commitments that keep you from being able to play as many hours as the competition, you have to rely on your ability to learn things and adapt quickly.
I guess in the end, what this article ended up being about is how to catch up and digest a new set in limited and constructed as quickly as possible and how important that is. Believe it or not, writing helps me learn, too. I am constantly evaluating and trying to manifest what I believe. Doing that helps me organize my thoughts, and means that I really question the points I am making.
In these articles, what I want to show you is how to grow as a player. Decks and cards will change. Strategy will change, metagames will change, etc… The thing I wanted to know most, when I was struggling in the PTQs and other tournaments, was how to get better and reach the next level. Giving you a decklist is part of that, I guess… but it’s not going to do it all. You can lead a horse to water, right? The real thing is, it’s all about growth. I’m hoping that giving you a glimpse into what I think about in a given week, and how I reach certain conclusions. Hopefully, this will help you understand that you have to come to your own conclusions, and not blindly accept what one person says as fact. I can tell you what I think, but really you should want to know why I think it. Trust your instincts, but don’t be afraid to be wrong. I’m not afraid to be wrong… in fact, I hope that someone has an argument against what I’m saying so I can find the holes in the theory. It either helps me understand why I’m wrong, or – if I can prove my point (even if they don’t want to hear it) – why I’m right.
I think the hardest thing to do when I started was to evaluate exactly who and what to believe. Who was the writer out there that was giving me the information that I needed to win? The answer is that there’s a little to learn from everyone. Underestimating one person is a mistake, as is, to an equal extent, overestimating someone and taking their opinions as fact. If you’re reading this article and you think it was a waste of your time, you’ve probably got a long way to go before you can really get where you’re going. I read every single article on the Internet when I was trying to level up. No matter who the player was, I tried to take something from every article. Some articles are in-depth research-based articles about “Deck X” in “Metagame Y,” while other articles will help you change the way you approach the game.
If you want to get better, it takes practice. A lot of losing, some perseverance, some confidence, and some of the least valued virtue: humility. Know you can learn something from anyone, and keep your eye out for it. You’ll be the better player in the end.
I feel like I’m starting to get preachy, and I’m the last person who would want to come off that way. I hope this helped someone out there that really wants to learn. Maybe it’ll mean there’ll be one more cool guy I can go drinking with at the next Pro Tour…
Until next time, good luck reaching whatever your goals may be.