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Zuran
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Tuesday, December 08, 2009
The Zuran gaming center forum is now operational!
Check it out at http://zuran.50.forumer.com/index.php, or just use the link at the top portion of the home page.
I'm still working on the threads and subforums, but you can now begin creating your accounts and start posting! Share your insights on strategy and deck building. Discuss recent and upcoming events. Ask our resident TO and Judge about game rules and card interactions.
Some general forum rules:
1. No flaming. Everyone gets to share their opinion.
2. Don't post in the wrong section. It makes life harder for us moderators/admins.
3. Don't sell cards on the forums. Let us all respect the business.
4. If you're a regular local player, please use a familiar user name so people can identify you.
Thats about it!
* If you wish to be a moderator and you want to help us in keeping the forum in good shape, just let me know!
Labels:
Boros,
Gatch,
Magic,
Southern Invitational
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Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Hi all! I hope you all enjoyed the southern invitational! I'll leave it to Zuran management to make a broader article about the event. Here's how last night played out from my perspective.
I decided to take this list to the southern invitational.
Main Deck:
4 Steppe Lynx 4 Hellspark Elemental
4 Goblin Guide 2 Goblin Bushwacker
4 Plated Geopede 3 Hell's Thunder
3 Ranger of Eos
4 Lightning Bolt 2 Burst Lightning
3 Path to Exile 3 Earthquake
4 Arid Mesa 3 Terramorphic Expanse
4 Saclding Tarn 4 Plains
4 Marsh Flats 5 Mountain
Sideboard:
2 Day of Judgment 3 Safe Passage
2 Harm's Way 1 Path to Exile
4 Celestial Purge 2 Oblivion Ring
1 Elspeth Knight Errant
Round 1 vs Jund
Game 1: What a way to start. I mulligan and keep a one land hand (Plains) and 2 steppe lynx. Long story short, I fail to draw any more lands for the next 5 turns. I manage to get 3 steppe lynx on the board though with my singleton Plains. aheheh...blah.
Game 2: I keep a semi-decent hand and trade blows with a sprouting thrinax, which ends up sprouting it's tokens. I misplay here, playing Harm's way on a sprout and redirecting it to one of it's brothers. Apparently, I still take two damage before the Harm's way target dies. I continue to misplay from there on, I had an earthquake in hand and decided to keep it as a final blow, and then I wasted a Ligtning bolt on another sprout pumped up by 2 Jund charms, which I already knew was going to happen. I didn't draw any Celestial Purges despite having sided in four copies. My frustration from my first game got the better of me and led me to make mistakes. I'll have to read my last article and take my own advice. >_<
Standing: 0-1-0
Round 2 vs Mono Black Vampire Control
Game 1: I was beginning to curse my luck now. I had to get paired with a deck that had a ton of life gain spells and removal. I bring him down to critical life, only for him to regain it back with Tendrils of Corruption and Consume Spirit. Sorin Markov comes down and nets him even more life, while at the same time absorbing my attacks. Consume slaps me across the face and I lose.
Game 2: I go in quickly for the kill here, as I draw an almost god hand. I win.
Game 3: This was close. I was bringing the beatdown but he had a lot of life gain. 2 Sorin markovs eat Celestial purges. He maintains a decent life total with Tendrils. I go into topdeck mode and manage to draw enough hasty guys to send in beats without exposing a target to Tendrils on his turn. I win.
Standing: 1-1-0
Round 3 vs Turbo Fog
Game 1: After the last game I thought my unlucky streak was over. Not. I get paired up against a very efficient Turbo Fog deck. The game ends with him at 31 life and me with no library.
Game 2: I manage to bring the beats this time, with him just barely behind in fog effects. I was short one burn spell, and he stabilizes at 1 life. He proceeds to locking me down with fogs and counters, until he drops Baneslayer angel. I sided out my path to exiles for game 2, and with no answer to the flyer it was death from above. There goes my chances of making it into top 8.
Standing: 1-2-0
Round 4 vs. Mono white aggro
Game 1: Finally an even matchup. We both mulligan to 6. I aggro out with a bunch of Goblin guides, lynx and geopede and proceed to take this match the way Boros does it best: Ranger of Eos searching up steppe lynx and bushwacker.
Game 2: I side in my Day of Judgments and hope I curve out well enough to make chump blockers out of my opponents creatures. Being on the draw I have a slower start, but I'm in good shape as I have enough removal to deal with first strike blockers. A kor skyfisher from her side nips away at my life total until I find a lightning bolt. Two consecutive earthquakes deal enough damage for me to take this game.
Standing 2-2-0
Round 5 vs. GW tokens
Game 1: I finally win the die roll and go first. I open with steppe lynx, burst lightning on his creature, and then another steppe lynx. My cats go unmolested the entire game and all my opponent's creatures end up as blockers. I take this game with a lot of burn in my hand.
Game 2: Again I open with steppe lynx for 4 damage on turn two, then curving into geopede and hellspark elemental, swinging for 12 on turn 3. A continuous stream of fetch lands keep my guys big. Journey to Nowhere connects with the geopede, but I have a full grip of haste creatures and burn to finish him off.
Standing 3-2-0
Rouond 6 vs Jund
Game 1: The top tables draw into the finals and we're just playing for prize packs now so there's less pressure. I mulligan to 6 and end up with a red heavy hand. We exchange blows until blightning gets my last card and double dragon hits the table. With no removal in sight I scoop.
Game 2: I draw no lands and mulligan. I still draw no lands and mulligan again. Now down to 5 cards and I have 2 marsh flats and all red spells on the play. Apparently my bad luck had not run out. In fact I radiated so much bad luck my opponent failed to get any green sources. After drawing another flats and finally a scalding tarn I crack 4 fetches and play Ranger of Eos. I misplay this again, as I search up steppe lynx and a goblin bushwacker that I couldn't even kick with my one mountain in play. Still no green from his deck, and he plays out his removal heavy grip on my then growing board. He runs out of burn, and then runs out of life soon after. What a comeback from a double mulligan!
Game 3: This plays out like game 1, only no blightnings mean I kept my hand intact and get to race him. I see no celestial purges and have to lightning bolt a sprouting thrinax. He drops putrid leech to join his saprolings. I cast day of judgement to clear his board, and he follows up with Bloodbraid into Bolt. Our life totals are pretty even until I am able to Ranger into lynx and bushwacker. A final swing gets him down to 2 life, and Harm's way deals the final damage for the win.
Final standing 4-2-0
I think the deck performed decently despite a number of errors on my part. I did mulligan a lot of times, but in the matches where I had decent draws I was able to win, so I must attribute my mediocre standing to rotten luck. My brothers made 4-2 and 3-3 standings respectively. Our anti-jund list also had a streak of bad luck, as it only went up against 1 Jund deck and it even lost to a vampire deck by not drawing any celestial purge, white knight, or devout lightcaster. I placed 19th, 3 places short of winning anything at all, but the experience was good and our team was able to make nice trades.
Congratulations to Zuran Gaming Center management for a job well done, and kudos to the top 8! I hope we're able to organize another big event soon, and i'll make sure I bring my lucky tarantula's foot to that one!
Labels:
Gatch,
Magic,
Strategy
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Saturday, December 05, 2009
Have you ever been so sure of a play that you knew nothing could go wrong, only to find that you miscalculated right after executing your genius plan? I know I have. It feels terrible, especially when the right moves were staring you in the face. Spectators jeer and laugh at your mistake, and you laugh along with them- but deep inside you're infuriated. You're not mad a them for making fun of you, instead you're angry at yourself for not performing well, for wasting hours of playtesting and thousands of pesos on your deck.. for losing the game, and the tournament, due to pilot error.
A classic example would be at a recent tournament, where I commited two play errors: First, against a mono-white aggro deck. I won the first game, and in game two I was down to 3 life while my opponent was down to 4. I had Earthquake and some creatures in my hand. I decided to play out some blockers instead of just playing the earthquake and ending the game in a draw. I ended up losing that game, and then I lost again in game 3. Had I gone for the draw in game 2, then our standings would have been 1-1-1. I got greedy for the 2-0 win against a well renowned player. The next match was against a Crypt of Agadeem deck, piloted by another formidable player. I knew I could make no mistakes, but I made them nonetheless. I kept bad hands and ended up getting mana screwed. In game 3 I manage to fog out the unearthed creatures via agadeem combo. My opponent has 1 remaining card in his deck which I know to be the last Extractor demon. I have a Goblin guide and a Goblin bushwacker on my board, while on the other end is a defending Rotting Rats. My life is 4 and my opponent is at 5. We were out of time and this was to be my last turn, followed by my opponent's last turn, so there was really no way I could kill him. For some god forsaken reason, I still attack with my guys. He obviously blocks with the Rat which then goes to the graveyard. I pass the turn. He draws his last Extractor demon, unearths the Rat, discards the Demon, unearths the Demon, and kills me...on the last turn, with his very last card. Boom.
There is no excuse for playing poorly, and I believe my lack of concentration is what caused me to make such bad decisions. This may well be the case for any player making the wrong moves. After all, nobody plays poorly on purpose. Lack of concentration gets even the best players in this game, or any game for that matter. But we have to learn from our mistakes. The very first step, is admitting that you made a mistake, and that you did not lose by your ill fortunes or by your opponent's god given draws. You made a mistake, and you payed for it. Accept it, learn from it, and for heaven's sake don't do it again. (note so self: Concentrate on the game.) Next, find out what caused you to make such an error and find ways to prevent it from happening again. Magic is a mentally exhaustive game. Driving a car for example, can be done so subconciously, which is why you can be talking to someone on the phone while driving (note to reader: you "can" do this, but DON'T.) Magic on the other hand, demands your entire brain. You can't be thinking of something else while trying to figure out which creatures to block. If you're going to play the game, then play the game. There is no multitasking in Magic, there is only one task: defeat your opponent. Distractions abound while you're at the gaming table. I made a personal top 10 list of things that can mess with my concentration, along with what I can do to prevent them:
10. My opponent is not concentrating on the game. >> It's his loss. Play your best.
9. My opponent emanates a funky aura. >> Lean away from the table and play your best.
8. Someone is asking to trade for cards while I'm playing. >> Tell them off politely.
7. I'm drawing bad topdecks. >> Don't get frustrated and play your best.
6. I'm up against my worst matchup. >> Playtest.
5. I'm up against an off-meta deck. I'm worried I have no good sideboards. >> Playtest.
4. It's too cold/hot. >> Wear appropriate clothing to the tournament.
3. I need to use the toilet. >> Drop the bomb at home before the tournament.
2. My phone is ringing. >> Text my girlfriend before the tournament.
1. I'm hungry. >> Eat before the tournament.
I'm sure some of these apply to you as well, but it would be better if you list down your own pet peeves so you could be aware of what to look out for while at the tables. All in all, if you can get rid of all these distractions, i'm sure it will benefit your game and you will make fewer mistakes. To close off this article, i'd like to leave you folks with a valuable quote taken from a masterpiece of musical ingenuity :
"Get'cha head in the game!" - Troy(Zack Efron: High School Musical)
Labels:
Boros,
Gatch,
Magic,
Strategy
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Friday, December 04, 2009
Hi guys! This will be my first ever deckbuilding/strategy article on this blog, so bear with me. I'll be talking about the red-white deck that dared to oppose Jund supremacy: Boros Bushwhacker. Let's start off with the decklist that made 5th place at the recent Worlds event held in Rome.
Boros Bushwacker by Bram Snepvangers:
4 Arid Mesa
4 Marsh Flats
4 Mountain
6 Plains
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Teetering Peaks
24 lands
3 Elite Vanguard
2 Goblin Bushwhacker
4 Goblin Guide
3 Kor Skyfisher
4 Plated Geopede
4 Ranger of Eos
4 Steppe Lynx
24 creatures
2 Burst Lightning
2 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Path to Exile
12 other spells
Sideboard
2 Baneslayer Angel
1 Burst Lightning
1 Celestial Purge
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
3 Harm's Way
2 Journey to Nowhere
3 Manabarbs
2 Oblivion Ring
The Core
Red-white means fast. It's the color of fast food, It's the color of the Mach 5 (thats Speed racer's car for you less nerdy folks) and it's the fastest color combination in standard right now. This is mainly due to the landfall powerhouses Steppe Lynx and Plated Geopede, and the much debated Goblin guide. These three creatures are the usual 4-ofs you would find common among Boros decklists. Some people believe the Geopede is a tad too slow for the deck, but I beg to differ. Early game consistency is what makes this deck potent. It has so many ways to draw a god hand its not even funny. Having lots of one and two drops that maximize early damage allows you to get your opponent within burn range faster than he can say Concede. Red usually has problems running out of gas, and white fixes this by contributing Ranger of Eos. The deck usually ends the game by setting up a big turn 5. Ranger of eos is used to get a steppe lynx and Goblin Bushwhacker, then on the next turn you play out your creatures, activate landfall and swing for massive damage.
Beating Jund
No other deck can better capitalize on your opponent's slow draw than Boros. This is why it has the potential to beat Jund. Jund has massive midgame power. Once it gets it's proper mana it plays superior spells that always generate card advantage. This is where speed comes in. Jund usually plays a tap land on turns 1-2, and a putrid leech on turns 2-3, followed by a blightning or a sprouting thrinax turns 3-4. Such an opening is prone to an early rush, such as turn 1 lynx, turn 2 fetch + geopede, turn 3 fetch + something else. After much playtesting, I've learned that you can usually deal enough damage to Jund early on and then just reach with a burst lightning or bolt for the win. The good thing about this strategy is that unlike other decks, you are not playing Jund's game. You are the aggressor in this scenario, and the Jund player has to play his spells in response to yours, not the other way around. The Jund player will have to think if playing his usual black>green opening mana will be benificial, since he would expect an early beatdown and he might need red mana open for a lightning bolt or terminate. This in turn messes with his mana curve, and the putrid leech or sprouting thrinax might come down later than he had intended. Blightning is also less effective against a deck that plays out it's hand very quickly. In addition, some lists (like mine) run a plethora of fast unearth-able creatures like Hellspark elemental and Hell's thunder. Some Jund players side out Blightning in game two due to it becoming a 3 damage 3 to cast sorcery spell. Boros also features a great sideboard against Jund, in Goblin Ruinblaster, Celestial purge and other Exile removals that negate sprouting thrinax's ability. All in all, this tactic is something worth considering if you expect a lot of Jund in your local meta.
Deck Tuning
Speaking of your local meta, I believe its always a good idea to scout your local meta when tuning your deck. "Meta" or "Metagame" for those new to the term, refers to the deck composition of your playgroups. What decks are people bringing to your FNMs and local events? Are there more Jund players than Boros? Does anybody play rogue decks? You don't want to build a deck that hoses Jund, only to end up playing against 5 Eldrazi green decks in a row. I think its best to draft up your own decks tuned to your local meta rather than just going online and printing out decklists. Of course its also good to start from a proven archetype, then working in your adjustments from there. I once read in an article somewhere that 1st place decklists are not the "best" but actually only the "best at that particular tournament". For example, the decklist above did well at Worlds due to the population of decks present at that event, so copying it card-for-card might not net you the same results. Personal preference and your playstyle also comes in, so if you prefer hellspark elemental main deck over plated geopede then so be it. Magic is supposed to be fun game, and a lot of that enjoyment comes from designing a deck on your own an doing well with it. Keep this in mind when tuning your Boros deck, or any deck for that matter.
I for one, am expecting a Jund population of around 30% at the upcoming Southern Invitational. Other players will expect this as well and will bring Eldrazi green and White based anti-jund decks, so my list should be prepared for them too. I won't go into my decklist just yet. If I do well at the event i'll probably post it up here.
The battle for southern supremacy will be this Sunday, December 6 3pm. See you all there!
