Standard

Game Day Grinder – Week 2

Welcome back to “Game Day Grinder”, the article series that follows a veteran Magic: the Gathering player and his journey to discover what it feels like to try playing competitively whilst constrained by a budget.

If you’re new to the series, click here for links to all the previous articles.

It’s not fun feeling as though you’re mediocre. I’ve played enough Magic across all formats in my lifetime to know that I’m an above average player. My years of tournament play, deck building, and play testing have given me an edge over the average player at a Friday Night Magic event. I may not go undefeated every week, but I usually come out ahead with little effort on my part. The old adage, “Practice Makes Perfect”, has certainly proven true these past several years. But now, building a deck on limited resources, it seems as though I have to rely on more than just instinct, experience, and tight play.

I knew that I needed to focus on my deck building and make smart choices throughout the weeks that would follow so I could be best prepared for the post-rotation Standard environment and have a deck for the Khans of Tarkir Game Day that would give me the best shot at winning. I knew that it would be an incredible feeling to hoist the Game Day Champion playmat by the end of this article series, but I also knew that it would take a lot of hard work to get to that point.

“Hard Work”. Two words that make me cringe. I’d much rather just find a deck list online that looks like fun, pick up the cards the night prior to the event, and rely on my experience to secure the title of Game Day Champion.

I guess we’ll see if hard work truly does pay off at the end of our little experiment. What’ll be even more interesting is analyzing how I feel if I actually win the tournament, or if I scrub out completely after all my efforts.

In an attempt to focus on post-rotation deck building, I came up with the following list of important considerations:

1) If possible, I’d like to stick with Green/White as a color combination. I already have lots of strong cards in those colors, and practicing with the same style of deck will give me an added advantage.
2) I want to stick with an aggressive strategy. As mentioned previously, it’ll be easier to take advantage of my opponents stumbling or making mistakes if I’m on the offensive.
3) I need to prioritize card synergies. The only times I’ve felt confident during a game were when my cards were synergizing well with one another.
4) I need to keep my card choices realistic. It’ll be to my disadvantage if I try working towards a deck that includes more expensive cards that I may not be able to acquire before Game Day.

I had already thought of working towards a post-rotation deck that took advantage of the “Heroic” mechanic from the Theros block, and I came up with a solid deck. Although untested, I felt as though it would pack a punch once Khans of Tarkir was released and plenty of other cards rotated out of the Standard format.

I wouldn’t be able to play with the “all-stars” in my color combination post-rotation, such as [card]Sylvan Caryatid[/card], [card]Courser of Kruphix[/card], and Polukranos, but the cards in a Heroic deck could certainly be obtained even with my restricted budget. There were enough Green and White Heroic cards that synergized well with one another, and building around the mechanic would let me stay aggressive.

Had I stumbled upon the perfect strategy for my situation?

Here’s the deck that I would be working towards building in the coming weeks:

[deck title=Target Deck – Peter Sachlas]
[Lands]
12 Plains
10 Forest
[/Lands]
[Creatures]
4 Soldier of the Pantheon
4 Favored Hoplite
4 Hopeful Eidolon
4 Fleecemane Lion
4 Hero of Iroas
4 Boon Satyr
2 Chronicler of Heroes
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Gods Willing
4 Ordeal of Heliod
4 Ordeal of Nylea
[/Spells]
[/deck]

Let’s take a look at the card choices!

[card]Soldier of the Pantheon[/card] – Once Return to Ravnica Block rotates out, there won’t be very many white or green one-drop creatures with 2-power and an upside. Khans of Tarkir will be a heavily multicolor set, so having a one-drop creature that can be pumped and easily go unblocked against multicolor creatures will likely prove invaluable.

[card]Favored Hoplite[/card] – In aggressive, creature-based decks, good one-drops are what makes the engine run. Although he only starts with 1-power, we plan to have a lot of cards that target our creatures, and he can become a big threat very quickly. Having creatures that acquire +1/+1 counters when targeted also work incredibly well with our suite of Ordeals. Being able to attach a [card]Boon Satyr[/card] at instant speed or casting a [card]Gods Willing[/card] on our Hoplite will also make combat tricky for our opponents since all damage is prevented when he’s targeted.

[card]Hero of Iroas[/card] – Our Heroic enabler! Not only does he fit our curve perfectly and also gets pumped when targeted, but he makes for some crazy plays. Casting our Ordeals for only one mana seems awesome, and lowering the Bestow cost on our [card]Hopeful Eidolon[/card]s and [card]Boon Satyr[/card]s also lets us use our mana more efficiently and quickens our clock.

[card]Hopeful Eidolon[/card]/[card]Boon Satyr[/card] – The creatures fit perfectly into the deck. Most of the time, we’ll want to use them to grow our smaller creatures (and cast them for less with [card]Hero of Iroas[/card] in play), but they also give us flexibility if we need to hit our curve during matches. Playing a [card]Hopeful Eidolon[/card] on the first turn only to attach an Ordeal to it on the second turn might be too much for some decks to handle, and surprising our opponents with a 4/2 [card]Boon Satyr[/card] at instant speed is always a powerful play.

[card]Gods Willing[/card] – Our only instant-speed non-creature spell in the deck, [card]Gods Willing[/card] does everything we need. It protects or biggest threat from removal spells, it grows our Heroic creatures when targeting them, it lets us manipulate our draws with Scry, and it lets us swing through for the final points of damage in a bind. What more could you ask for?

[card]Ordeal of Heliod[/card]/[card]Ordeal of Nylea[/card] – Both Ordeals are useful in different ways, and are both integral to our strategy. Attaching an Ordeal to a one-mana creature will likely be a powerful play post-rotation. Having their effects resolve earlier than normal with our creatures gaining +1/+1 counters from being targeted, we get to take advantage of the abilities resolving quickly against an unprepared opponent. The 10 life gained from [card]Ordeal of Heliod[/card] lets us remain on the offensive and race more easily, not caring about our opponents taking chunks out of our life total. The two lands from [card]Ordeal of Nylea[/card] help tremendously. Having more mana to Bestow [card]Boon Satyr[/card]s and Monstrous our [card]Fleecemane Lion[/card]s earlier will help us close out games quickly.

[card]Fleecemane Lion[/card] – One of the best two-drops in our color combination. Although it doesn’t have the “Heroic” ability, its power and toughness are unparalleled for its mana cost. If we manage to Monstrous our little cat, it becomes even safer to attach all of our enchantments and Bestow creatures without fear of removal, and the +1/+1 counter gained from its Mounstrous ability will actually be relevant in most cases.

[card]Chronicler of Heroes[/card] – I’d like to test this card and see if it’s as good as I think it is. We’ll almost always draw a card when it comes into play with all of our Heroic creatures and Ordeal triggers, and flooding out due to bad draws or too many [card]Ordeal of Nylea[/card] triggers is not as bad when you can use your extra mana to cast a “free” 3/3 creature.

Now that we know which direction to take, we can focus on acquiring cards that are both in our Heroic deck and that will play well in our current, pre-rotation Intro Deck!

Let’s do some shopping, shall we?

I. Spending Our Weekly Budget

As excited as I was to have a deck list to work towards, I couldn’t stop thinking of combat tricks and removal spells. There was one card I had my eye on since the beginning:

[card]Selesnya Charm[/card]

This card does everything and more. It creates a small creature at instant speed if you want to create a surprise blocker or add another creature to your army, it lets you trample over for extra damage and helps your creatures win certain fights, and it gets rid of the annoying monsters with five or more power on the other side of the table. Although it would rotate once Khans of Tarkir is released, I had a sneaking suspicion that [card]Selesnya Charm[/card]s would pay for themselves in no time at all.

Week 2 – $5 Purchases

4 [card]Selesnya Charm[/card] – $0.75 each
1 [card]Soldier of Pantheon[/card] – $2

Total: $5.00

II. The Changes

I didn’t have that many changes to make this week, so I just needed to focus on curve considerations and removing some of my weaker cards.

Main Deck (IN):
4 [card]Selesnya Charm[/card]
2 [card]Sunblade Elf[/card]
1 [card]Soldier of the Pantheon[/card]

Main Deck (OUT):
4 [card]Devouring Light[/card]
2 [card]Scion of Vitu-Ghazi[/card]
1 [card]Selfless Cathar[/card]

Sideboard (IN):
4 [card]Devouring Light[/card]
2 [card]Scion of Vitu-Ghazi[/card]

Sideboard (OUT):
1 [card]Phytotitan[/card]
1 [card]Meditation Puzzle[/card]
1 [card]Hornet Queen[/card]
1 [card]Tireless Missionaries[/card]
2 [card]Rootborn Defenses[/card]

Here’s the list I finalized before the Standard tournament:

[deck title=GW Aggro – Peter Sachlas]
[Lands]
11 Forest
13 Plains
[/Lands]
[Creatures]
4 Sunblade Elf
3 Selfless Cathar
1 Soldier of Pantheon
4 Imposing Sovereign
4 Frontline Medic
2 Scion of Vitu-Ghazi
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Spear of Heliod
4 Raise the Alarm
4 Selesnya Charm
4 Call of the Conclave
4 Triplicate Spirits
[/Spells]
[Sideboard]
3 Sundering Growth
1 Reclamation Sage
4 Devouring Light
3 Hornet Nest
2 Rootborn Defenses
2 Scion of Vitu-Ghazi
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

III. The Booster Pack

At this point, I was begging Fortuna (the Roman goddess of luck) for the booster pack pulls I so desperately needed. I ripped open the packaging and went straight for the Rare.

Booster Pack Contents (Notable):
[card]Life’s Legacy[/card]
[card]Paragon of Gathering Mists[/card]
[card]Feast on the Fallen[/card]
[card]Satyr Wayfinder[/card]
[card]Naturalize[/card]
Beast Token (Green)

“OH, COME ON!!!”, I screamed internally.

I can never catch a break! All these booster packs have been terrible for me. At this point, I should just lower my expectations for my future packs. Fantasizing about great cards just leads to more heartache and disappointment.

As I stared at my crummy cards and brooded, I somehow reached a moment of clarity. I realized that my mindset in regards to the booster pack I got for my tournament entry was all wrong. Technically, I wasn’t paying $5 to buy a booster pack. I was actually paying $5 to play in a tournament in which I could have fun, collect Planeswalker Points, and try to win even more packs as prizes if I did well. The contents of the entry booster pack were just an added bonus.

I decided to make a concerted effort going forward to lower my expectations.

It was time to stop moping and play some Magic.

IV. Tournament Report

ROUND 1 – Red/Black Minotaurs

My first opponent appeared to be in his early to mid-teens. It’s always nice to see younger players participating in tournaments. It can sometimes be intimidating to play in a more competitive setting. It goes without saying that I couldn’t know how long he had been playing Magic without striking up a conversation, but it was nice to see some young blood in the store nonetheless.

I had to mulligan my first hand while my opponent kept his. I had drawn a hand with multiple copies of [card]Raise the Alarm[/card] and a copy of [card]Call of the Conclave[/card], so I kept my six cards. My opponent made the first move with a turn 2 [card]Deathbellow Raider[/card] and it dawned on me that he was playing a tribal Minotaur deck. I had previously flirted with the idea of building a Minotaur deck to test whether it would be successful, but I scrapped the idea early on because I thought the cards and synergies were too weak.

Some of the card choices in my opponent’s deck, as well as his play style, led me to believe that he was a little inexperienced and also playing on a budget (as I was). We both developed our boards and amassed small armies. I couldn’t push through any damage with my larger creatures as he had answered them with a [card]Lightning Strike[/card] and [card]Doom Blade[/card]. I felt as though I was still in a good position and the game could swing in my favor if I found a [card]Sunblade Elf[/card] or [card]Spear of Heliod[/card] to pump my team. Unfortunately, my opponent played a [card]Rageblood Shaman[/card] and started attacking. My army of tokens did little to stymy the Minotaur onslaught as all of his creatures gained trample. My copies of [card]Selesnya Charm[/card] couldn’t remove the Minotaur lord, and I was under too much pressure to make a comeback. The Minotaurs were victorious.

I had to mulligan again, but was pleased with my six card hand in the second game. I had two copies of [card]Call of the Conclave[/card] and a first turn [card]Sunblade Elf[/card], and planned to be on the offensive. My opponent missed his third land drop for four turns, but played two copies each of [card]Lightning Strike[/card] and [card]Doom Blade[/card] to clear my board. Unfortunately, I couldn’t capitalize on my opponent stumbling on mana, having drawn multiple lands in a row. He eventually found more lands and played out another [card]Rageblood Shaman[/card], and I was crushed underfoot for a second time.

SCORE: 0-1

I was visibly upset at the loss. I couldn’t believe I had lost to a less experienced player who was piloting a Tier 2 deck. I packed up my things and stepped aside to clear my head.

“Wait a second. I’m playing a budget deck as well!”, I thought to myself. “How can I be upset about losing to a Tier 2 deck when I’m in the same boat as my opponent?”

It was definitely shocking to realize that, although I was playing with a sub-par deck and had been doing this experiment for several weeks, I still hadn’t found a way to sympathize with other players constrained by a budget. I was actually peeved that I had lost to a “bad deck”. In hindsight, I should have commended my opponent and asked more questions about his deck. Maybe I could have even helped him make it better! Instead, I felt like a grumpy old man who had left the table to sulk in a corner.

I guess I still have a lot to learn from this experiment.

ROUND 2 – Green/Blue “Monsters” (featuring [card]Prophet of Kruphix[/card])

I had an advantage going into the second round. There were points during the first round (when I was getting crushed by an army of Minotaurs) where I lost focus and looked over at the game beside me. I had seen many of the cards in my second round opponent’s deck, and knew that he was playing Green/Blue with creatures such as [card]Courser of Kruphix[/card] and [card]Eidolon of Blossoms[/card].

I was finally able to keep a full grip of seven cards! Unfortunately for my opponent, he had to mulligan to six. I was on the play, and had a blisteringly fast start. I followed my first turn [card]Sunblade Elf[/card] with an [card]Imposing Sovereign[/card] on the second turn. I then played a [card]Frontline Medic[/card] with a [card]Selesnya Charm[/card] still in hand. My opponent had kept a very slow hand, with his first real threat entering play on the fourth turn. The Polukranos came into play tapped, and I was able to whittle him down to a low life total. I had waited until he tapped all of his mana to Monstrous his Polukranos in response to my [card]Frontline Medic[/card] trigger and he fell too far behind after I exiled his Hydra with my copy of [card]Selesnya Charm[/card]. I easily won the first game.

Although I hadn’t seen any copies of [card]Courser of Kruphix[/card] or [card]Eidolon of Blossoms[/card] in the first game, I knew he was probably playing multiple copies of each and sideboarded accordingly. I felt slightly ashamed that I had inadvertently scouted my opponent’s deck in the previous round and that I was now taking advantage of the situation. Would you have done the same thing if you were me? Would you have still sideboard the enchantment hate?

My opponent had a very strong start in the second game, playing a second turn [card]Kiora’s Follower[/card] into a [card]Courser of Kruphix[/card] and [card]Prophet of Kruphix[/card]. Luckily for me, I had a strong start as well, playing a [card]Sunblade Elf[/card] and multiple copies of [card]Raise the Alarm[/card] and [card]Triplicate Spirits[/card]. My opponent revealed [card]Setessan Tactics[/card] on the top of his library (from the [card]Courser of Kruphix[/card]) twice during the game, and both times I was prepared for the worst. My opponent could attack, play creatures on his second main phase, and untap all his permanents on my turn to set up some strong [card]Setessan Tactics[/card] plays. Fortunately, he played both of them in the worst fashion possible. Playing it on his main phase both times and killing my 1/1 Spirit tokens instead of my [card]Sunblade Elf[/card] let me attack unhindered in the air with a pumped up army once the dust had settled.

SCORE: 1-1

I spent some time talking to my opponent about his deck after the match was over. I really liked the concept and the card choices, and I felt as though it could be an incredibly strong contender post-rotation. The only cards that would rotate were [card]Simic Charm[/card] and [card]Cyclonic Rift[/card]. I feel as though [card]Prophet of Kruphix[/card] creature-based decks will be running rampant in a couple of months.

ROUND 3 – Black/White Human Aggro

My opponent was deadly serious about being the aggressor in the first game we played. He played a first turn [card]Rakdos Cackler[/card] into two more 1-drops on the second turn. Interestingly, on his third turn, he decided to attack with all three of his creatures into my [card]Call of the Conclave[/card] token. I was certain that he had some sort of combat trick, but I couldn’t risk taking even more damage. I blocked his creature and my Centaur token survived. A second [card]Call of the Conclave[/card] token stopped him in his tracks, but he kept growing his army of creatures. I was lucky that all he was drawing was small creatures and no removal spells, as a well-timed [card]Bile Blight[/card] would have been disastrous. Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good, and I easily took over the game.

We both took mulligans in the second game, with my opponent playing a Soldier of Pantheon and [card]Tormented Hero[/card] on his first couple of turns. He had seen that I was playing [card]Raise the Alarm[/card] in the first game, so I was certain that he’d be wary of attacking without any removal or combat tricks. I played my second land and sighed, acting as though I was dejected that I had no play on the second turn. I immediately regretted my decision. My acting skills were atrocious and I felt as though it was a bigger tell to have actually acted dejected than it would have been to stay silent. Luckily, my opponent fell for the trick and attacked his two creatures into my 1/1 Soldier tokens entering the battlefield at instant speed. I was lucky to have pulled off a crucial 2-for-1, but was unlucky the rest of the game. I saw no third land for six turns and lost shortly thereafter.

The third game was pretty boring. I was on the play and cast a [card]Sunblade Elf[/card] on the first turn, followed by a [card]Raise the Alarm[/card] and turn 3 [card]Triplicate Spirits[/card]. I slammed a [card]Spear of Heliod[/card] into play on the fourth turn and pumped my army with the Elf on the fifth turn. My opponent had little chance and I clinched the match!

SCORE: 2-1

The same sinking feeling as my last two events settled into the pit of my stomach. Winning the final round would get me some much-needed booster packs, while losing meant an empty-handed walk of shame.

ROUND 4 – 4-Color “Good Stuff” (No Red)

Sorry kids. If you’re looking for a lot of exciting gameplay coverage for the last round of the tournament, you’ll have to look elsewhere. My opponent’s deck seemed way too ambitious. The list of cards I saw were:

• [card]Sylvan Caryatid[/card]
• [card]Courser of Kruphix[/card]
• [card]Nightveil Specter[/card]
• [card]Kiora, the Crashing Wave[/card]
• [card]Advent of the Wurm[/card]
• [card]Hero’s Downfall[/card]
• Multiple Scrylands

Trying to fix your mana in a 4-color deck while worrying about an aggressive start on the opposite side of the table must be miserable. The only card I saw in the first game was a [card]Hero’s Downfall[/card] on the third turn before my opponent fell to my army of creatures.

My second turn [card]Imposing Sovereign[/card] in the second game proved invaluable as my opponent couldn’t set up a good defense. Although he managed to play a Kiora, a [card]Selesnya Charm[/card] let me push damage through and keep the pressure on. Both games were over quickly.

SCORE: 3-1

V. Week 2 Wrap-Up (and trades)

Overall Record To-Date: 7-5

I now had an overall winning record with my deck. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t think it would be possible so early in my research, but I had done it (with a little luck on my side)! It felt incredible to be handed the three booster packs I had won for my 3-1 finish.

One of the local players who knows about the article series and has shown interest since the beginning sat down to watch me open the booster packs. The excitement was palpable. It was a lot more fun sharing my success with someone and having them care as much as I did about what was inside the packs.

Winning Pack 1 (Notable Cards):
[card]Crucible of Fire[/card]
[card]Evolving Wilds[/card]
[card]Titanic Growth[/card]

Well, we weren’t off to a good start. I let out a chuckle when we saw the Rare.

“Maybe Dragon Tribal will be a popular deck when Khans of Tarkir is released?”, I joked.

Winning Pack 2 (Notable Cards):
[card]Hushwing Gryff[/card]
Sliver Token
[card]Kird Chieftain[/card]
[card]Evolving Wilds[/card]
[card]Triplicate Spirits[/card]

I saw the copy of [card]Hushwing Gryff[/card] and smiled, but the player sitting next to me wasn’t as pleased. We had a short discussion about how good the card was and how easy it would be to trade away. Although he had his reservations, I was optimistic and knew that I could eventually find someone who would be interested. Worse comes to worst, maybe I’d even want to play it as a sideboard card. It is in my colors after all!

Winning Pack 3 (Notable Cards):
[card]Jace, the Living Guildpact[/card]
[card]Nissa’s Expedition[/card]
[card]Mind Sculpt[/card]
[card]Ranger’s Guile[/card]
[card]Triplicate Spirits[/card]
[card]Cone of Flame[/card]

I practically jumped out of my seat and we both let out a cry of delight.

“Finally!”, I exclaimed. “I got a good card!”

I was on a high. Not only had I managed a winning record, but I had pulled a copy of [card]Hushwing Gryff[/card] and [card]Jace, the Living Guildpact[/card] from my boosters. I knew that I could trade them away for some of the cards I needed.

Week 2 Trades

[card]Jace, the Living Guildpact[/card] -> 2 [card]Fleecemane Lion[/card], 1 [card]Hero of Iroas[/card], 1 [card]Setessan Tactics[/card], 2 [card]Chained to the Rocks[/card]

I spent the whole trip home trying to wipe the grin off my face. I didn’t succeed.

Join me next time for more “Game Day Grinder” adventures!

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