So I was hoping to get some interactive discussion going on, so I thought I’d throw out a question for anyone and everyone to openly answer. Hopefully we can get some fun out of this.

Which card is worse for standard: Burning-Tree Emissary or Sphinx’s Revelation? Or are they both fine? Is there something worse? Also, feel free to give some info on yourself with your reply (your history with the game, play level, etc).

Thanks and hope this leads to some fun.

Today I hit up FNM with a few friends. I had decided I was going to borrow the few lands I needed for Junk Rites and play that. I hadn’t gotten many practice games in with it, but hey, it’s the best deck in the format. Well, we got there and when it was almost time to start I realized my friend with the lands I needed wasn’t coming. So back to my good ol’ friend. Here’s what I played.

Esper Control

Main Deck:
3 Augur of Bolas
1 Jace, Memory Adept
3 Restoration Angel
2 Snapcaster Mage

4 Azorius Charm
2 Devour Flesh
3 Dissipate
1 Planar Cleansing
4 Sphinx’s Revelation
4 Supreme Verdict
4 Think Twice
2 Ultimate Price

4 Drowned Catacomb
1 Ghost Quarter
4 Glacial Fortress
3 Godless Shrine
4 Hallowed Fountain
1 Island
3 Isolated Chapel
3 Nephalia Drownyard
1 Plains
3 Watery Grave

Sideboard:
1 Duress
2 Feeling of Dread
1 Jace, Memory Adept
2 Negate
2 Obzedat, Ghost Council
1 Psychic Spiral
1 Purify the Grave
2 Rest in Peace
2 Tragic Slip
1 Witchbane Orb

I’ve put a ton of time and effort into this deck, so I wasn’t too disappointed. I ended up going 3-1 and getting 6 packs. Here’s how things went down.

Round 1 VS Junk Rites

Game one was pretty close. He stuck a few Thragtusks as well as Lotleth Trolls and got some solid beats in (bring me to 1 life twice), but Revelation did enough work to buy time for Drownyards. Game 2 I got terrible mana screw and decided to tap out one turn to flashback a Think Twice in order to dig for another land. I missed and my opponent Salvaged into a Craterhoof Behemoth for lethal as I sat there with a Rest in Peace in hand. Game 3 went exactly how I liked. I had Dissipates for most of his Reanimation spells, Purify the Grave for the few that slipped through, and then removal and a Jace. I won on Turn 1 of turns.

2-1
1-0

Round 2 VS Boros

Not your typical Boros list. My opponent had some really odd choices. Sadly I don’t remember many details, but nut draws and having trouble hitting a fourth land did me in both games.

0-2
1-1

Round 3 VS GW Midrange

I honestly felt kind of bad during this game. My opponent was a really nice guy, but was playing a very fair GW Good Stuff deck (Trostani, Armada Wurm, Resto Angel, etc) that just couldn’t put on enough pressure with all my removal and counter magic. Drownyards and Jaces did work as Dissipates and Verdicts handled the battlefield.

2-0
2-1

Round 4 VS Gruul Aggro

As I sat down I offered my opponent a draw. Reason being a record of 3-1 gets 6 packs, but 2-2 is nothing while 2-1-1 is 3 packs. She decided she’d rather play it out, so we did. Game 1 Burning-Tree Emissaries and Ghor-Clan Rampagers made quick work of me. The next couple games were simple enough. Augur, removal, board wipe, Obzedat, revelation, win.

2-1
3-1
6 packs

So after all was said and done I was happy I played Esper. I felt I could have won Round 2 if my deck had cooperated, but things happen. Aside from a couple misplays I felt I played very well and enjoyed my deck as usual. I honestly can’t think of a card I’d change. Fell free to shoot over any questions or suggestion on the deck!

Alan BC
Slayer89 on Cockatrice

Here’s the list I’ll be running.

4 Hallowed Fountain
4 Glacial Fortress
3 Watery Grave
4 Drowned Catacomb
3 Godless Shrine
4 Isolated Chapel
3 Nephalia Drownyard
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Island
3 Augur of Bolas
2 Snapcaster Mage
3 Restoration Angel
1 Obzedat, Ghost Council
4 Think Twice
1 Devour Flesh
4 Azorius Charm
3 Dissipate
2 Murder
4 Supreme Verdict
4 Sphinx’s Revelation
1 Dimir Charm
1 Jace, Memory Adept
SB: 1 Duress
SB: 2 Tragic Slip
SB: 3 Rest in Peace
SB: 2 Negate
SB: 1 Devour Flesh
SB: 1 Trading Post
SB: 1 Witchbane Orb
SB: 1 Jace, Memory Adept
SB: 1 Psychic Spiral
SB: 1 Obzedat, Ghost Council
SB: 1 Curse of Death’s Hold

A write up will follow. I promise this time. Any thoughts/ideas on the list?

So, yesterday, I played in a TCGPlayer Platinum event. Usually I like to go into a lot of detail with these tournament reports and tell a fun story, but honestly I didn’t do all too well on this one, so I’m just going to get down to the nitty gritty. I figure there’s always something to learn from every situation.

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Tomorrow morning I’m heading out to the TCG Player Platinum Qualifier at Alluring Treasures in Manteca. Here’s the final list I’ve decided on.

3 Augur of Bolas
2 Snapcaster Mage

1 Jace, Architect of Thought
2 Jace, Memory Adept
1 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage

3 Azorius Charm
2 Devour Flesh
2 Ultimate Price
3 Blind Obedience
2 Think Twice
2 Psychic Strike
4 Supreme Verdict
3 Terminus
4 Sphinx’s Revelation

4 Hallowed Fountain
3 Watery Grave
3 Godless Shrine
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Drowned Catacomb
4 Isolated Chapel
3 Nephalia Drownyard
1 Island

SB: 2 Tragic Slip
SB: 1 Witchbane Orb
SB: 1 Pithing Needle
SB: 1 Devour Flesh
SB: 2 Detention Sphere
SB: 2 Negate
SB: 2 Dispel
SB: 1 Psychic Spiral
SB: 3 Rest in Peace

Not too much changed since my last post. Cut back to 26 lands to squeeze in an extra card in the main, moved Slips to the board, and traded off a couple numbers. Also went with Needle and Orb in the board since they both serve useful but independent purposes.

Hopefully will be posting a picture of my prize mat and $400 tomorrow. Follow me on Twitter for frequent updates of the event. @AlanMore

So, yesterday I went and played a few games with my buddy. My first paper Magic in a while. Made a couple changes. As of now, here is the updated list that I’m really liking.

3 Snapcaster Mage
2 Jace, Architect of Thought
2 Jace, Memory Adept
1 Tamiyo, Moon Sage
3 Blind Obedience
2 Think Twice
2 Devour Flesh
2 Ultimate Price
3 Azorius Charm
2 Dissipate
4 Supreme Verdict
3 Terminus
4 Sphinx’s Revelation
4 Hallowed Fountain
3 Watery Grave
3 Godless Shrine
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Drowned Catacomb
4 Isolated Chapel
3 Nephalia Drownyard
1 Plains
1 Island

2 Negate
2 Dispel
1 Ultimate Price
1 Psychic Spiral
2 Duress
2 Detention Sphere
1 Devour Flesh
3 Rest in Peace
1 x

That last sideboard slot will either be a Witchbane Orb or Pithing Needle. I’m leaning on Orb. I’m also considering putting in Augur of Bolas over Snapcaster due to the fact that a turn 2 Thalia can be brutal especially on the draw. I guess I’m off to more testing.

I know my posts have been few and far between lately, but I plan to pick them up a bit. I have a TCGPlayer Platinum event in a couple weeks so I have to get my stuff together. Last time I wrote here I had made the transition to UWr Flash from Esper. Well things have changed.

I really did enjoy the Flash deck. It did everything I usually enjoy doing. It countered tons of spells, killed guys, drew cards, and won in a flashy way. The thing is after a few FNMs and lots of testing I just couldn’t click with the deck. After a while I just got bored of running through the motions. Also, despite a decent sideboard plan, the control matchup just felt horrendous. I was starting to realize I needed a change. At this point Bant Hexproof was popping up and the best deck against that seemed like an old friend; Esper. So it was back to I had spent so much time before. I started off with LSVs “Not-Esper” list.

    Main Deck
    3 Snapcaster Mage
    1 Augur of Bolas
    3 Azorius Charm
    2 Dramatic Rescue
    2 Think Twice
    2 Ultimate Price
    2 Dissipate
    2 Detention Sphere
    4 Supreme Verdict
    3 Terminus
    4 Sphinx’s Revelation
    2 Jace, Memory Adept
    2 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
    1 Jace, Architect of Thought
    4 Glacial Fortress
    4 Isolated Chapel
    4 Drowned Catacomb
    4 Hallowed Fountain
    3 Nephalia Drownyard
    4 Island
    3 Plains
    1 Swamp
    Sideboard
    3 Rest in Peace
    3 Tribute to Hunger
    2 Negate
    2 Dispel
    1 Curse of Echoes
    1 Psychic Spiral
    1 Duress
    1 Dramatic Rescue
    1 Terminus

I changed a few cards, but overall a very similar list. I really liked it. All the spot removal (situational and temporary as some of it is) backed up by sweepers made for great Aggro matchups, 4 Sphinx’s Revelation makes going over Mid Range easy enough, and Drownyard+Jace3.0 is still the best anti-control setup. After testing for a while with GTC cards I’ve solidified a list I like. Here’s where I’m currently sitting.

3 Snapcaster Mage
2 Think Twice
2 Devour Flesh
2 Ultimate Price
3 Azorius Charm
2 Dissipate
2 Detention Sphere
4 Supreme Verdict
3 Terminus
1 Merciless Eviction
4 Sphinx’s Revelation
2 Jace, Architect of Thought
2 Jace, Memory Adept
1 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
4 Hallowed Fountain
3 Watery Grave
3 Godless Shrine
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Drowned Catacomb
4 Isolated Chapel
3 Nephalia Drownyard
1 Plains
1 Island

2 Negate
2 Dispel
1 Ultimate Price
1 Psychic Spiral
2 Duress
3 Blind Obedience
1 Devour Flesh
3 Rest in Peace

One thing that definitely excited me about going back to Esper was a few new spells. Devour Flesh was definitely one of them. Diabolic Edict has always been a good card and for this deck that’s exactly what this card is. Blind Obedience also seems like a great one. Turns 4-6 have always been sketchy because you want to slam a Planeswalker but you cant afford to let an Aristocrat, Hellrider, or Hellkite come down and ruin your day. Thanks to Blind Obedience you no longer have to worry about that, and it also helps you stay alive as you cast other spells. The last new spell I like is Merciless Eviction. I once had a game where my opponent had out a Liliana, Jace, and around turn 10 slammed a Nicol Bolas. At this point Detention Sphere is a little lackluster. These are situations where it used to be that you would just die. Now thanks to Merciless Eviction you can actually win these hopeless battles.

Another thing GTC gave us was perfect mana. My mana base may look a little odd, but I think 10 shocks is enough for this deck especially with all the aggro running around. A full set of Fountains since the 2 main colors are blue and white as well as three each of the two new shocks. No longer should casting spells be a problem.

A minor note, I do really like Obzedat, but haven’t worked him into the list simply because I’m not sure I’ll be able to acquire the 2 copies I’d like before the event. My trade binder is a little sad right now.

So there’s the basic run down. Hopefully I’ll be back soon with detailed testing notes and more info on some other decks I lie.

We all have to be able to appreciate the current Standard. Are the decks ideal? Maybe not. The thing is pretty much every strategy has something. Aggro (Zombies), Midrange (UWr), Control (Bant), Combo (Reanimator/Omnidoor) … it’s all there. Granted these decks might not contain the exact cards you want, but there are options. But for me, I never feel as comfortable as I do with some blue cards.

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Saturday night I sent my friend Will a text saying I wasn’t sure I wanted to play in the TCGPlayer Silver event the next day. I felt I hadn’t put in enough prep work to know my deck well. To be honest I was just in a pissy mood and wanted an easy way out. Also, my confidence was at a low point for some reason. Everything in Magic seemed wrong and I didn’t want to solve the problem, I just wanted to avoid it. Thanks to my wonderful wife and the fact that I can’t quit (Magic) all too well, I ended up going anyway.

Sunday morning we arrived at Red Sky Comics in Merced around 11am. We found our friends and started filling out our deck registration slips. I wasn’t 100% happy with my list, but it would definitely do. After writing down what felt like a million cards, here’s the list I had penciled in.

My List on TCGPlayer

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