Report - Top 8 - Highlander GP 8 - 2nd April, 2011

[Maqi]

Hey there!

Here's my report from last weekend's Highlander GP 8.

Hope you like it!

[Vazdru]

Hope you like it!

Yes i really do...although that draw in round 2 turned out quite harsh for me so i faced a lot of bad control-matchups in the draw-bracket afterwards 

Congratz for your performance and thanks for your support and content.

[GoblinPiledriver]

I had been given all the decklists, whitout the Top8. So I can tell you who played which deck. With the decklists the seatings were included but not the final standings. So the number in the lists mean the alphabetical number not the final standings.


Number   Name        Deck                                                             Archetype
1. Al-Saidi, Jonny   UG-Midrange                                               Midrange
2. Barzen, Markus  5C-Oath-Staxx                                             Control
3. Becker, Daniel   5C-Alara-aggro                                            Aggro
4. Below, Andre     RG-Beats                                                       Aggro
5.  Brenndörfer, Paul Boros                                                          Aggro
6.  Brunno, Valentino Mono Blue Control                                    Control
7.  Collinet, Patrick     Naya-Zoo                                                   Aggro
8.   Demel, Kai            MonoG-Elves-Eldrazi-Ramp                   Midrange
9. Dettling, Jan            5C-Oath-Staxx                                          Control
10. Diefenbach, Claus  RDW                                                        Aggro
11. Doll, Matthias         BG-Midrange-Control                             Control
12.   Dubernell, Robin   MonoU-ExpeditionMap-Artifacts          Control
13. Ehrle,Philip           5C-Alara-aggro                                          Aggro
14. Erich, Vincent       5C-Oath-Control                                         Control
15. Eichenauer, Markus Naya-Zoo                                                Aggro
16. Euler,Andre           5C-Alara-aggro                                         Aggro
17. Fischer,Jürgen     Naya-Zoo                                                    Aggro
18. Fischer, Sven       Bant-Midrange-Control                              Control
19. Flimkert, Sven      GWB-PatternRectorHulk-Combo             Combo
20. Frenster, Jochen  MonoU-Artifacts                                          Control   
21. Frerichs, Jürgen   RDW                                                            Aggro
22. Frings, Reiner       BW-Control                                                  Control
23. Gehring, Peter       Naya Zoo                                                     Aggro
24. Grohmann, Jonas  4C-Elves                                                      Aggro
25. Grossmayer, Christian RB-aggro                                              Aggro
26. Hauck, Christian     4C-Blood-Midrange                                   Midrange
27.Heinsius, Matthias   Zur-Esper-Control                                       Control
28. Heiser, Jan              BW-Control                                                  Control
29. Hinkel, Thomas       Mythic-Bant-Midrange                                Midrange
30. Hoffman, Dennis     5C-Planeswalker-Staxx                             Control
31. Hoyer, Roland          4C-Domain-aggro                                     Aggro
32. Iacono, Giuseppe    RGB-Valakut-Ramp                                  Midrange
33. Januchowski, Fabian  White-Weenie                                       Aggro
34. Kenfeld, Simon        Esper-Control                                            Control
35. Keupp, Andreas       UW-Control                                               Control
36. Klöcker, Mario           Esper-Control                                          Control
37. Korbel Jochen           5C-Alara-Aggro                                      Aggro
38.Krause, Jacob            Bant-aggro                                              Aggro
39. Lanigra, Marc            Bant-Control                                            Control
40. Lauter, Alban             Bant-Control                                            Control
41. Lehmann, Ronald      UR-Counterburn                                     Control
42. Link, Matthias            URg-Control                                            Control
43. Lorenz, Andreas        MonoU-Artifacts-Control                       Control
44. Lorenz, Konstantin     Naya-Zoo                                               Aggro
45. Luposchainsky, Simon  MonoU-Control                                  Control
46. Mielke, Fabian            Bant-Midrange-Control                        Midrange
47. Muench, Jan                UWR-Planeswalker-Control                Control
48. Neubert, Thilo              Boros                                                     Aggro
49. Niederhausen, Martin UW-Control                                           Control
50. Oberbörsch, Benjamin 4C-Control                                           Control
51. Ortmann, Bjoern           Big-Bant-Control                                  Control
52. Ozdeman, Enis             UR-Counterburn                                   Control
53. Pieler, Martin                Boros                                                     Aggro
54. Quade, Christoph        Naya-Zoo                                              Aggro
55. Reddien, Gerd             BG-Infect-aggro                                    Aggro
56. Reich, Sebastian        UG-Midrange                                        Midrange
57. Richter, Patrick            4C-Control                                            Control
58. Riehm, Oliver               UGB-Reanimator                                 Combo
59. Rölle, Christian            UR-Counterburn                                    Control
60. Romahn, Niklas           Captain-America-Control                     Control
61. Salten, Oliver                Mono-Red-Goblins                               Aggro
62. Schmidt, Christian       Captain-America-Control                    Control
63. Schneewind, Sebastian  Naya-Zoo                                          Aggro
64. Schumann, Rene          Naya-Zoo                                             Aggro
65. Schumann, Timo           RDW-Sligh                                          Aggro
66. Schumann, Tino            5C-Control                                           Control
67. Silny, Andre                   Bant-Midrange-Control                       Midrange
68. Stadler, Florian             Naya-Zoo                                              Aggro
69. Stahl, Gerry                    UWb-Esper-Control                            Control
70. Stein, Nikolai                 MonoG-Eldrazi-Ramp                         Midrange
71. Stein, Sascha                UGB-Channel-Combo                         Combo
72. Steube, Sebastian        RG-Beats                                              Aggro
73. Stief, Maximillian           Dark-Bant-Control                                Control
74. Stier, Thomas                4C-Blood-Toolbox-Midrange              Midrange
75. Stührmann, Stefan         WURB-Staxx                                        Control
77. Terp, Patrick                   GW-Elves                                              Aggro
78. Thiemann, Kai                 4C-Blood-Midrange                            Midrange
79. Tschakert, Tobias           UWBr-Control                                      Control
80. Tzscheuschner, Daniel   4C-Goodstuff                                        Midrange
81. Viehmann, Sebastian     BG-Ramp                                              Midrange
82. Von Der Heyde, Mathias  5C-Alara-aggro                                  Aggro
83. Vonderberg, Sven M       4C-Oath-Control                                   Control
84. Wertenbruch, Sacha        RB-Goblins                                           Aggro
85. Wieske, Oliver                  GRU-Valakut                                        Midrange
86. Wigge, Mathias                Bant-Control                                        Control
87. Wilhelm, Michael              5C-EyeoftheStorm-Control                Control
88. Wolf, Tobias                      Esper-Control                                     Control
89. Zanotti, Danilo                   Naya-Zoo                                            Aggro
90. Zohren, Cedric                   Naya-Zoo                                           Aggro


--> Metagame Breakdown:

33x  Aggro         = 36,7%
14x Midrange    = 15,6%
40x Control        =  44,4%
3x Combo          =    3,3%

[Payron]

Nice Job and Thx alot!!

I just wanted to ask, if we maybe can define "control", because I had yesterday a diskussion and different people have different defination of "control". It is just the question, where we need to make the cut between midrange and control.

for example: I think I know patrick richters version of his 4c deck because I used to play a pretty similar build, but I would rather define it as a Midrange deck rather then control.
Personal I define control as a Deck which doesn t try to make pressure and wins later on. Like the Mono Blue decks or so on. I mean you got maybe more information then me, just wanted to point that out

[LasH]

Nice Job and Thx alot!!

I just wanted to ask, if we maybe can define "control", because I had yesterday a diskussion and different people have different defination of "control". It is just the question, where we need to make the cut between midrange and control.

for example: I think I know patrick richters version of his 4c deck because I used to play a pretty similar build, but I would rather define it as a Midrange deck rather then control.
Personal I define control as a Deck which doesn t try to make pressure and wins later on. Like the Mono Blue decks or so on. I mean you got maybe more information then me, just wanted to point that out

Aggro is a strategy that aims to win by producing maximum damage output in the shortest number of turns. This strategy often places a heavy emphasis on using creatures as efficient damage sources. Aggro strategies can be slow and relentless or fast and ruthless, in both cases attempting to overwhelm the opponent's defenses and reduce them to 0 life.

Control is a strategy that attempts to interfere with, prevent, deny, or otherwise cancel the opponent's actions. It attempts to establish a superior board position and then use that position to win.

Aggro-Control is a strategy that combines efficient creature-based damage (aggro) with heavy disruption elements (control).

Thats the usual definition..

Its still pretty hard to decide which deck belongs to which categorie, because in my opinion, creatures combine efficient creature damage with disruption these days (quasali pridemage, tidehollow, sower, wickerborn elder, glen elendra etc). Creatures get more and more control+aggro in one. But thats just my opinion. Hope i could help.

[MarcMagic]

I think it also depends on whether you aim to kill the opponent through (board)control or beatdown. Although most control decks kill with creatures it does not mean that those are Aggro-decks imo. Playing a creature based UG-deck for example with lots of disruption (counter, bounce etc pp) a high manacurve and rampspells doesnt make it controllish, because your aim is to win due to creatures and their power. This would probably be an example of a typical Midrange-deck or mb Aggro-Control. I don't think these decks should be count as "Control" because they follow a startegy which is called "Aggro", although they got both aspects (aggro+control). IMO typical Control-decks are sth like UW-Control, Stax, Mono-U, 5CC, MBC etc because they do not aim to kill the opponent through beatdown (well ofc sometimes it's the best you can do..) but with controlling the board. They are trying to slow down fast decks, trying to get into a good boardposition with cardadvantage (trading 1 for 2 etc).

I think everybody got a different view on what is Aggro and what is Control but just because creatures are getting stronger and stronger and gaining "Control"-abilities as addition to their good body doesn't make those decks more controllish, just better : )

[Payron]

I just feel like I saw a lot more bant aggro control, rather to call them real control decks ... so I think the count of pure control decks is lower and there are a lot more midrange decks.

Thats exactly my opinion to control, aggro control and aggro, thank you Marc.

[meteora]

It´s just hard to stuff every single one of the 90 decks into a certain basket... Myself (Andreas Keupp finishing 10th due to tiebreakers 16 Points) used to play UW Aggro-Control. At first sight though you could also regard it to be UW Control. So you would have to examine each list very - and I mean VERY closeley - so this isn´t a problem of examining the different strategie but a problem of time and personal understanding of a deck - in my opinion.

[MarcMagic]

It´s just hard to stuff every single one of the 90 decks into a certain basket... Myself (Andreas Keupp finishing 10th due to tiebreakers 16 Points) used to play UW Aggro-Control. At first sight though you could also regard it to be UW Control. So you would have to examine each list very - and I mean VERY closeley - so this isn´t a problem of examining the different strategie but a problem of time and personal understanding of a deck - in my opinion.

ofc it is not obv at first sight which of the (for example) Bant-decks are Control and which are Aggro but i guess most (or even all) Bant-versions are more Aggro than Control. Well this goes maybe just for me but I would make a clear difference between Bant and UWG/g-Control to point out the Archetype. The manacurve and number of cheap 1-3 CC creatures would be the first thing to check whether a deck is Bant or UWG-Control but that's another topic.

Nobody is critizising GoblinPiledriver for his work (good job btw) but it should be clear that the meta is a bit different from the "33x  Aggro = 36,7% 14x Midrange = 15,6% 40x Control =  44,4% 3x Combo  =   3,3%" depending on peoples point of view.

[Nastaboi]

Aggro decks are proactive, control decks are reactive.

[MarcMagic]

Aggro decks are proactive, control decks are reactive.

I agree. But isn't it also the case, that the same deck can be played proactive/reactive depending on the situation/matchup/opponents deck? Let's take UG, vs Aggro you are the reactive one (in most cases) and vs Control you are the proactive one (as well only most of the times, not always).

For me for example the whole Top 8 consists of different types of Aggrodecks, even if I consider UG and as well the 4C-Pile played by Firestarter as Aggro-Control to make clear that there are no true Controldecks.. but I guess it's redundant to talk about such points of view because it doesn't make any difference anyways

[Tabris]

I think you are right about the nature of UG. Its a classic role. Control vs Aggro and Aggro vs Control.