#elf ball

Creature-less Black Blue Control : This deck was focused on milling me out. and using Talent of the Telepath for value.

R/G Monsters : This is the classic devotion deck, fresh with Gaea’s Revenge and all the typical pieces.

Esper Dragons : The main control deck to beat in the meta, Ideally using the power of the Dragonlord Ojutai and Dragonlord Sulimgar with efficient removal.

Match One : Creature-less Control

Game 1

Before the sideboard, my deck was pretty strong, Erebos’s Titan was by far an all star. Because of his lack of creatures he couldn’t destroy the Titan without using two or more cards. Liliana was also a key card, as the game boiled down, using her discard effect was doing numbers on my opponents hand. Whip was another strong card as it easily gave me enough reach to end the game.

Game 2

With access to my sideboard, i took out two Ultimate Price, two Gilt-leaf Winnower and one Fleshbag Marauder and added in two Duress, two Palace Siege and one Crux of Fate. I didn’t see any spectacular plays game one so i strongly believed that it was dragons control. I mulligan to six because of lack of hand disruption but kept a three lands ( one swamp , two fetches) , Erebos’s Titan, a Drown in Sorrow and a Liliana.He casts a Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver on turn three and exiled a Hero’s Downfall, and two lands. The next turn i play a Liliana and pass. He exiles again hitting my other two Hero’s Downfall and a swamp , and Bile Blight’s Liliana. That game ended very quickly.

Game 3

My deck remained unchanged and we progressed into round three, I mulligan to five in the search for lands and keep two swamps, Liliana, Erebos’s Titan, and a Hero’s Downfall. He casts an Ashiok on turn 4 this time and slowly began to mill me. I missed an excessive amount of land drops and was slowly jerked around as his Talents of the Telepath took my Dark Petition and got insanely far ahead.I managed to cast Hero’s Downfall around turn 5, which was stopped by Mizzium Meddler.

Overall Analysis

My heavy spell sweep and low draw of hand disruption spells made me an easy target against this deck. Paired with the relative unlucky draws, the deck preformed fairly well. Ideally once Zendikar comes out we can see some improved creatures enter the arena for black decks. On further inspection I would probably take out Dark Petition because of his Talents of the Telepath.

Match Two R/G Monsters

Game 1

I started the game with a powerful hand four lands ( 3 fetches 1 swamp), Sign in Blood, Liliana, and Thoughtseize. I fetch and Thoughtseize his hand of Courser of Kruphix, 5 lands ( 2 scry lands , 1 Nykthos, 1 Haven of the Spirit Dragon, forest) and Dragonlord Atarka. I took the Kruphix, and the game progressed killing my Liliana with a Crater’s Claws, he casts a Wisperwood Elemental and manifest with it, the next turn I Ultimate Price his face up Wisperwood Elemental and he attacks and flips a second one. The same turn goes by after i top deck another ultimate price, this time he flips a Polukranos. I draw a Languish and die after he Crater’s Claws my face.

Game 2

I took out my two Duress for two Despise took out the Sign in Blood and Read the Bones for two Infinite Obliteration and took out two Winnowers for the last Infinite Obliteration and a Crux of Fate. The match was a long drawn out string of events that was me casting nearly every removal spell, but drawing no creatures. Following up his Hornet Queen with a drown in sorrow still wasn’t enough to help stabilize against a 6/6 Genesis Hydra.  I cast Infinite obliteration at 5 life to get rid of Gaea’s Revenge for no haste shenanigans. During the late game i finally stabilize with a Whip of Erebos, but he then follows with an Ugin and beings to slowly up tick him. Losing life fast it was a race to see if i could draw the two remaining downfall’s in my deck. Sadly after a few turns past i died to the combination of exiling my whip and ugin bolts.

Overall Analysis

The match up was pretty fair, given I was able to at least get a Priest of the Blood Rite or a Erebos’s Titan to help me. I can deal with a lot of his threats very easily, it just requires that I draw well. Weakest card was by far the winnower’s his deck is all symmetrical, making his ability useless.

Match Three : Esper Dragons

Game 1

This was the deck I was dying to play against, and needless to say it went as I expected. I had a Thoughtsieze, a Duress, two Erebos’s Titan and three swamps, easy keep. I Thoughtseize a hand with Anticipate, Dig Through Time, Ultimate price, and 4 lands ( 2 scry 1 haven, 1 dismal). I take his Anticipate and the game contiunes. Turn three I Duress him to make sure he has no answers for my Erebos’s Titan on turn four. His had was Dig Through time, Ultimate price, Silumgar’s Scorn, and two lands ( 1 haven, 1 scry). I take his scorn, giving me a good opportunity to cast Erebos’s Titan. Turn four comes around and I slam Titan down, he resolves, and i pass the turn. He passes, i draw a fifth land and cast a second titan, which he casts Foul-Tongue Invocation with no dragon revealed . I pass my turn again. He taps out for dig through time after removing three cards from his graveyard. I draw a Preist, and cast it. and then i swing with my Titan for five damage. He untaps and casts crux of fate naming non dragons, and my titan survives. i draw and cast Whip, attack with titan dropping him to 10 and i pass the turn back to him. He draws a card and then concedes.

Game 2

I took out one Fleshbag Marauder, two Ultimate Price, one Drown in Sorrow, and one Winnower and one Languish and brought in one Crux of fate, two Palace Siege, two Duress and three Infinite Obliteration. My opening hand was Duress, Infinite Obilieration, Liliana, and four lands ( 2 fetch, 2 swamp). I turn one duress him, revealing Scorn, Anticipate, Foul-tongue, and 4 lands ( 3 scry, 1 haven), I take the Scorn. Turn three I cast Infinite Obliteration naming Dragonlord Ojutai, he reveals his hand with a Ojutai and then concedes. 

Overall analysis

The deck did what it did best, disruption. I was able to clear a path of tall the counterspells, and played a threat that isn’t easy to deal with. Overall the least powerful card was probally Liliana, because for me to flip her requires some card disadvantage. Once she’s flipped shes such a beating being able to make your opponent pitch their hand away.

Wrap up

The deck is missing some efficient plays in the early game, and has much to be desired. The power is there, but needs some serious support from zendikar to make viable. Especially with the nature of the format beginning to speed up with such players as U/R thopters and Rally combo.