Hello arena attendees. Today is the story of another top eight choke by yours truly. In what is becoming an alarming trend, it would seem I am having trouble closing at tournaments. I suppose that means no Glengarry leads for me, since those are for closers.







This past weekend I attended a Star City Games Invitation Qualifier (SCG IQ, for brevity's sake), and finished eighth out of eighty-six. My weapon of choice was the Junk midrange deck that I advocated a couple of weeks ago, with a few modifications. Here is the list I played:

4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
1 Centaur Healer
4 Loxodon Smiter
1 Disciple of Bolas
4 Restoration Angel
2 Obzedat, Ghost Council
4 Thragtusk
2 Angel of Serenity

4 Farseek

1 Undying Evil
2 Tragic Slip
2 Orzhov Charm
2 Abrupt Decay

1 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
2 Garruk, Primal Hunter

4 Temple Garden
4 Overgrown Tomb
3 Godless Shrine
3 Woodland Cemetery
3 Sunpetal Grove
3 Isolated Chapel
2 Vault of the Archangel
2 Cavern of Souls

Sideboard
1 Tragic Slip
1 Abrupt Decay
1 Ground Seal
2 Rest in Peace
2 Blind Obedience
1 Sever the Bloodline
1 Gideon, Champion of Justice
2 Trostani, Voice of Selesnya
4 Acidic Slime

It was a fine list that delivered a fine performance. In the Swiss rounds, I played against Esper Control, G/R aggro, Naya Blitz, another Naya Blitz, Mono Green aggro, R/G aggro, and drew in into top eight in round seven. My lone loss in the Swiss was to the Mono Green aggro list. I was crushed in the first game by Strangleroot Geist and Rancor for days. The second game was a back and forth affair that where I was barely clinging to life with Obzedat, Ghost Council and Vault of the Archangel. I made a questionable attack, and got punished with by a Ranger's Guile for exact damage. In all fairness though, I think I win the game if my opponent does not have that specific card.

The draw and in round was a bit nerve-wracking, as there was some crazy tiebreaker math going on. I knew that I was more than likely in with a draw, but it was going to be close. Thankfully, it all worked out, and I squeaked in at eighth place. Not so thankfully, I had not really watched any other matches around me that day, and had no clue what I was paired against in the quarterfinals. I take my seat across from an extraordinarily nice gentleman, shuffle up, and draw this opening seven card hand:

Temple Garden
Godless Shrine
Loxodon Smiter
Farseek
Thragtusk
Garruk, Primal Hunter
Angel of Serenity

Now, this is an excellent midrange hand. I can interact in phase two of the game quite well, and there is enough power in this hand that I can probably grind out a win against another midrange or a control strategy. I elected to keep the hand on the draw, and then I was greeted by this from my opponent:

You have ruined my plans before...

Stomping Grounds into Experiment One

...And now I am dead...

The game ends with a flurry of giant oozes, hasty pigs and vampires on turn four. Magic is fun.

The second game is closer, but the deck just did not feel like participating in the match. I got choked on three lands, and drew triple Avacyn's Pilgrim. I did manage to cast a morbid Tragic Slip on a Flinthoof Boar, that in retrospect should have hit a 3/3 Experiment One. Truth be told, I was bummed that I had to cast the Slip, as I wanted to save it for Falkenrath Aristocrat. I did not think about my target for the Slip, and just went with one of the 3/3's rather than the correct 3/3. I did manage to get my opponent to eight in the game, and felt like I had a real shot at winning when I finally drew a Loxodon Smiter. Alas, Dreadbore made me incredibly sad, and soon I was packing it up shortly after starting the top eight.

So, what did I learn about the deck after seven rounds of actual battle?

The deck is solid. I played against several aggressive decks during the day, and I felt like I always had the tools to win the match. Post board, aggressive decks have a hard time competing with the continual life gain and removal package. I consistently beat the aggressive decks I played against, unless they hit a large contingent of haste creatures. My losses to the Mono Green aggro deck were both Strangleroot Geist heavy draws, and Jund aggro plays a multitude of hasty drops with Flinthoof Boar, Dreg Mangler, and Falkenrath Aristocrat.

Magic R&D, you need to reprint this stat!

My kingdom for Wall of Blossoms.

The one control match up that I played, I felt incredibly favored. The Junk deck attacks from so many angles, it is asking a control deck to execute quite a task to contain them all. I went to three games against Esper, but that was due to badly flooding out game two, and not so much because the Esper deck was good against Junk midrange. However, I could see including some number of Lingering Souls in the board for this matchup.

The removal package was good, but Orzhov Charm is not right for the environment. I initially was playing the card for all the utility it offers, and the ability to kill Olivia Voldaren dead. Unfortunately, it is mostly just a removal spell, and the life loss hurts too much in the metagame. If I had to do it over again, I would run three Tragic Slip and three Abrupt Decay main with a Selesnya Charm being a probable inclusion.

Avacyn's Pilgrim ranges from fantastic to infuriating. In the games where you miss on Farseek, but still accelerate to the five drops, the Pilgrim is wonderful. In multiples though, it is practically like missing a draw step. I am not sure if I will leave them in or not. I think the deck needs the acceleration to compete effectively, but I was rarely happy to draw it outside of my opening hand. I may just maximize the Tragic Slip count. Pop a Selesnya Charm or two in, and have a floating slot for maybe a one of Arbor Elf, Lingering Souls, or Liliana of the Veil. Only playtesting will reveal the correct path, but, rest assured, I will figure out what is correct.

Underplayed in Standard and a beast

Vault of the Archangel was beastly. I can attribute multiple wins at the tournament to Vault. It is probably the second best utility land in Standard behind Kessig Wolf Run. The card was phenomenal all day long, and I was incredibly happy to have included a second copy in the list over a miser's split with Gavony Township. 

The sideboard was solid, though I used, basically the same six cards most of the day. I would bring in the extra removal, life gain, and board stall for aggressive decks. The anti-control package of quad Acidic Slime and Gideon, Champion of Justice seemed effective, though it could probably be tweaked. I never played midrange so I could not test the Slime plan out there, but I imagine it is good when both players are striving to hit big mana or utility lands that will swing the game. Also, the chance of locking an opponent out of a color is very real, and is normally backbreaking. As for the graveyard hate, it should just be three Rest in Peace. I was being cute by playing one Ground Seal because I like the cantrip attached. That is not the correct way to attack Reanimator in Standard. Go all the way, and back it up with a clock. Otherwise, Reanimator will out durdle, and win the long game.

All told, I am pleased with the deck. It shows a lot of promise, and if the pilot were better, it potentially could have won the SCG IQ. I was in every match, and I felt favored against aggressive decks, which is a good place to be in Standard right now. The rush decks are springing up left and right to combat the surge of Reanimator, which is excellent, but leans heavily on Grisly Salvage and Mulch to hit the right cards. Any hiccup at all, and Champion of the Parish or Experiment One will end a game in short order.

I would like to extend heartfelt appreciation to everyone for reading another installment of Explore. I can say that this column has encouraged me to become more active as a player and, hopefully, as an educator. I may not be first, but I am not the worst.

As always, thank you for reading.

Jeremy Skelton
@peeps_champ