Poromagia Helsinki 15.09.2012 Results

[pyyhttu]

We had a small 4 round 8 player tournament. Results:

1____Pyyhtiä, Tuomas______12 pts___Emrakul-combo
2____Leminen, Markus_______9 pts___Naya-aggro
3____Niemi, Joni___________6 pts___UB-merfolk
4____Hänninen, Kari________6 pts___Bant-control
5____Ylä-Lahti, Henri______6 pts___GWUB-midrange
6____Orden, Christopher____4 pts___RUG-Ramp
7____Niemi, Miikka_________3 pts___UGB-Reanimator
8____Tran, Sami____________1 pts___Stax

If the participants see this thread, please contribute your own lists if you feel like it. If we can amass the top-4, I volunteer to post them to mtgpulse.com.

Here's what I ran:

Emrakul-combo
Mana (31):
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Polluted Delta
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Flooded Strand
1 Arid Mesa
1 Windswept Heath
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Marsh Flats
1 Tropical Island
1 Bayou
1 Scrubland
1 Underground Sea
1 Tundra
1 Volcanic Island
1 Savannah
1 Taiga
1 Badlands
1 Darkslick Shores
1 Underground River
1 Watery Grave
1 Llanowar Wastes
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Yavimaya Coast
1 Breeding Pool
1 Gemstone Mine
1 Island
1 Swamp
1 Forest
1 Shelldock Isle (Doomsday, Emrakul)

More fast mana (10):
1 Lotus Petal
1 Lotus Bloom
1 Chrome Mox
1 Mox Diamond
1 Dark Ritual
1 Rain of Filth
1 Utopia Sprawl
1 Manamorphose
1 Pentad Prism
1 Squandered Resources

Counters & Disrupt (21):
1 Mental Misstep
1 Force of Will
1 Misdirection
1 Daze
1 Dispel
1 Spell Snare
1 Disrupt
1 Flusterstorm
1 Force Spike
1 Spell Pierce
1 Pyroblast
1 Overmaster
1 Cabal Therapy (sometimes gets oathed gamekeeper too)
1 Duress
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Thoughtseize
1 Castigate
1 Negate
1 Mana Leak
1 Remand
1 Mana Drain

Draw/Tutor/Cantrips (23):
1 Serum Powder (exchanges opener seven of no Emrakul/Channel etc. straight away, also after applying HL spoils mulligan)
1 Chromatic Star
1 Chromatic Sphere
1 Terrarion
1 Darkwater Egg (all of these eggs enable same turn Doomsday kill, smoothens mana and draw too)
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Brainstorm
1 Frantic Search
1 Gamble
1 Time of Need
1 Sylvan Tutor
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Personal Tutor
1 Demonic Consultation (Only worth tutoring with this if Emrakul already in hand. Risk dying mitigated by deck size and combos being multiple two parts. Definitely wins more than causes losses).
1 Eladamri's Call
1 Lim Dul's Vault (bad with Channel route)
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Tainted Pact (only stop and take is Emrakul)
1 Intuition
1 Perplex (Show and Tell, Doomsday, Vindicate... pending)
1 Rhystic Tutor
1 Beseech the Queen (Pending. Awkward mana cost, does not fetch Emrakul, have to show...)
1 Grim Tutor (Pending. Life loss, double black)

Utility (5):
1 Vindicate (Karakas)
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Noxious Revival (Intuition piles, doomsday-kills)
1 Frantic Search (Doomsday, if opponent has life 15 or >=)
1 Dream's Grip (Doomsday, if opponent has life 15 > 30, also eot hoses opponent's counter mana, buys time against random critters. For the entwine, maybe should pack City of Traitors...)

Combo counterparts (in order of importance) (8):
1 Channel
1 Show and Tell
1 Oath of Druids
1 Doomsday
1 Gamekeeper
1 Sneak Attack
1 Eureka
1 Tooth and Nail (Channel)

Win (2):
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Thorn
1 Bribery (not enough ramp, this blows, pending).

Original source with pending future changes can be found from: http://iki.fi/~pyyhttu/magic/highlander/emrakul-combo.txt

My match-ups were in order: GWUB-midrange, Bant-control, Naya-aggor and UB-merfolk. All matches were 2-1 except last one went miraculously 2-0 as this was the only game my opponent faced little mana screw.

[MMD]

Grats for the win and thanks for your report and the innovative list. Most probably you needed a good potion of luck to win the last matchup. Certainly not a DtB but it has its niche (and can use its rogue factor).

It seems that there is a lot of out of the box thinking in Finland which I appreciate. Also you guys are diligent to search for "Combo outs".

This is another list from Finland where I had to recheck cards as I was not 100% sure about the correct function. This time Squandered Rescources, Terrarion and Time of Need because. I have never ever faced those cards personally and have not read them for like a thousand years.

I have some questins regarding your list:

What is your main kill? Channel/Shelldock is certainly preferred but uses up a lot of life which is not always available and the other combo is easy to accomplish but not really a combo as there are a lot of cards out there which can be used to stop it also it one more turn to loose against the other deck.

As this is no 100% combo finish: How often have you been killed by a counterattack (last survivor) or burned to ash after "comboing".

There are a couple of suicide/gamble cards in your deck (Lotus Bloom/Squandered Resources/Gamble/Demonic Consultation). Are there worth the investment? I mean there some rock solid card missing in your deck (e.g. Ponder) which could reduce the suicide factor but would reduce speed.

Is there so much control in your meta? I mean 21 disrupt spells is a lot and makes finding the combo pieces more difficult as you cannot play some search cards instead.

[pyyhttu]

What is your main kill? Channel/Shelldock is certainly preferred but uses up a lot of life which is not always available and the other combo is easy to accomplish but not really a combo as there are a lot of cards out there which can be used to stop it also it one more turn to loose against the other deck.

I haven't tested the deck so much, but so far most often I pull of the games either with Channel or Show and Tell, or then with Doomsday or Oath, and in that order. In the tournament out of 8 game wins I won once with Doomsday and Gamekeeper, twice with Oath and the rest of four wins were split with Channel and Show and Tell. Channel is the preferred way, as the extra turn then gained is very brutal in the early stages of game. I try to go for that whenever I can unless I know opponent packs some burn or I have some other route in my opener which is then faster.

As this is no 100% combo finish: How often have you been killed by a counterattack (last survivor) or burned to ash after "comboing".

I don't think I have enough experience to say, as the deck was deviced about a week ago, but during the tournament only once Bant-control overran me with critters while I had late Emrakul on the field. Which means statistically this has now happened in 25% of games I've lost.

There are a couple of suicide/gamble cards in your deck (Lotus Bloom/Squandered Resources/Gamble/Demonic Consultation). Are there worth the investment? I mean there some rock solid card missing in your deck (e.g. Ponder) which could reduce the suicide factor but would reduce speed.

When I'm exploring combo decks, I tend to go on the edge with all-in approach first, and if that does not work, then smoothen the design and add control elements, cheap library manipulation etc. Given that, Ponder has been the first card in my thinking to replace some sub par card once I get more experience how the deck behaves and where it should be taken. About the card selections you mentioned: As the fundamental turn of the deck is something like 3 (on average), and mana is issue when trying to enforce the combo around hate, I prefer the fast mana available then. And so far I wouldn't cut the Lotus Bloom. Don't know about Squandered Resources though. The card was tossed in for the Doomsday kill. Gamble and Demonic Consultation are great. They've certainly won me more games than I've lost with them.

Is there so much control in your meta? I mean 21 disrupt spells is a lot and makes finding the combo pieces more difficult as you cannot play some search cards instead.

I wouldn't say we have overly much control, and my 21 disrupt spells are not to reflect that anyway as they can be used to stall aggro just as much. They help me to adjust the game pace especially when am going second as then stopping some plays by your opponent becomes very important and changes how one plays the deck. I noticed though, that this deck won most of the match when I was able to go first.

[pyyhttu]

Here's Joni Niemi's UB-merfolk from the third spot:

(Lands 32)

13 Island
4 Swamp
7 Fetchland
Underground Sea
Watery Grave
Underground River
Sunken Ruins
Wasteland
Mishra's Factory
Mutavault
Faerie Conclave

(Creatures 23)

Delver of Secrets
Cursecatcher
Baleful Strix
Snapcaster Mage
Phantasmal Image
Dark Confidant
Stonybrook Banneret
Coralhelm Commander
Master of the Pearl Trident
Silvergill Adept
Augur of Bolas
Lord of Atlantis
Lullmage Mentor (was awesome)
Adaptive Automaton
Cold-Eyed Selkie
Merrow Reejerey
Wakethrasher (8/8 islandwalk for three mana)
Merfolk Sovereign
Vendilion Clique
Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
Phyrexian Metamorph
Talrand, Sky Summoner
Tombstalker

(Counters and removal 34)

Disrupt
Mental Misstep
Stifle
Spell Pierce
Spell Snare
Divert
Force Spike
Remand
Counterspell
Daze
Trickbind
Muddle the Mixture
Mana Drain
Deprive
Miscalculation
Logic Knot
Mana Leak
Force of Will
Misdirection

Thoughtseize
Duress
Inquisition of Kozilek
Appetite for Brains

Engineered Explosives
Tragic Slip
Ghastly Demise
Ratchet Bomb
Doom Blade
Smother
Go fo the Throat
Diabolic Edict
Chainer's Edict
Dismember
Psionic Blast

(Others 11)

Ancestral Vision
Ponder
Preordain
Brainstorm
Bitterblossom
Standstill
Demonic Tutor
Back to Basics
Liliana of the Veil
Jace Beleren
Jace, the Mindsculptor

[pyyhttu]

And the runner up Markus Leminen and his Naya aggro:

Lands:
1   Misty Rainforest
1   Karplusan Forest
1   Brushland
1   Horizon Canopy
2   Mountain
2   Plains
1   Windswept Heath
2   Forest
1   Mishra's Factory
1   Wasteland
1   Scalding Tarn
1   Copperline Gorge
1   Barbarian Ring
1   Temple Garden
1   Arid Mesa
1   Verdant Catacombs
1   Stirring Wildwood
1   Flooded Strand
1   Marsh Flats
1   Mutavault
1   Bloodstained Mire
1   Savannah
1   Razorverge Thicket
1   Plateau
1   Karakas
1   Wooded Foothills
1   Taiga
1   Stomping Ground
1   Sacred Foundry
1   Battlefield Forge

33   Lands

Creatures:
1   Skinshifter
1   Grand Abolisher
1   Tarmogoyf
1   Isamaru, Hound of Konda
1   Lotus Cobra
1   Tin Street Hooligan
1   Aven Mindcensor
1   Phyrexian Metamorph
1   Bloodbraid Elf
1   Goblin Guide
1   Elite Vanguard
1   Scavenging Ooze
1   Leonin Relic-Warder
1   Porcelain Legionnaire
1   Kird Ape
1   Vithian Renegades
1   Qasali Pridemage
1   Restoration Angel
1   Kitchen Finks
1   Serra Avenger
1   War Priest of Thune
1   Gaddock Teeg
1   Wild Nacatl
1   Thrun, the Last Troll
1   Skyshroud Elite
1   Loam Lion
1   Flametongue Kavu
1   Eternal Witness
1   Mirran Crusader
1   Flinthoof Boar
1   Jotun Grunt
1   Avacyn's Pilgrim
1   Birds of Paradise
1   Noble Hierarch
1   Grim Lavamancer
1   Stoneforge Mystic
1   Knight of the Reliquary
1   Fauna Shaman
1   Strangleroot Geist
1   Scryb Ranger

40   Creatures   

Other Spells:
1   Sword of Feast and Famine
1   Sword of Fire and Ice
1   Sword of Light and Shadow
1   Tangle Wire
1   Sylvan Library
1   Rancor
1   Oblivion Ring
1   Journey to Nowhere
1   Ajani, Caller of the Pride
1   Chain Lightning
1   Green Sun's Zenith
1   Volcanic Hammer
1   Fire Ambush
1   Armageddon
1   Ravages of War
1   Arc Trail
1   Price of Progress
1   Searing Spear
1   Lightning Helix
1   Rhystic Lightning
1   Incinerate
1   Swords to Plowshares
1   Eladamri's Call
1   Path to Exile
1   Lightning Bolt
1   Magma Jet
1   Char

27   Other Spells