GenCon Tournament Reports
https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/122467
Introduction
Going in, I've played Nadu a total of three times locally - one FNM, two Monday Moderns. At first I tried a Malevolent Rumble build but having the utility of playing Shifting Woodland wasn't worth playing a non-modern-power-level card. Looking at some other lists, I decided that maximizing mana dorks (Delighted Halfling, Wall of Roots) was cleaner, easier to play, and probably just better overall without relying on a delirium sidequest.
Decklist (Moxfield)
I like this. The Hallowed Fountain is a little weird since it doesn't tap G, and there are a few slots to play with - second Endurance, Volatile Stormdrake, Teferi Time Ravelers. Haywire Mite and Suncleanser are silver bullety, but worth including for general value.
A cool Twitter guy posted a guide which gave me a baseline for working off the build, esp. explaining the SB Urza's Saga.
Various thoughts
- Keep mana acceleration + Shuko access. There are 10 "Nadus" in the deck across Nadu, Chord, and Pact. There are only 6 Shukos, with 2 Urza's Saga.
- 4 Chords adds Outrider en-Kor but that is mana-intensive, while playing Shuko + Nadu on turn 3/4 is very possible
- Springheart Nantuko hands are great. Either they eat removal or you start churning out convoke fuel that turn into Nadu fuel.
- I started bestowing turn 2 Springheart Nantuko a lot. For one, off a dork it's guaranteed triggers. Two, it forces opponents to use two removal spells if they have it but they're scared of the eventual Nadu.
- As an opponent, you can never just tap out. I might slow-roll if counterspells or Galvanic Discharge for 4 are being represented. But tapping out? omae wa mou shindeiru
- Fetching for Dryad Arbor to convoke is real
- Chording for new Nadu is filthy
Swiss rounds
- R1 Dustin Ochoa Nadu mirror WLW (1-0)
Some dust-ups in G2. While making an insect token, I found a Dryad Arbor in my token stack and immediately called the judge. Picked up a warning, opponent got a pick a card out of my SB and shuffled it in - Burrenton Forge-Tender.
He assembled the combo before me in G2, but I wasn't willing to concede on the turn since he found Thassa's Oracle no double U source. I ended up explaining to him how to use Sylvan Safekeeper, Endurance to create a second U source for time reasons and play game 3.
I won game 3.
- R2 Nicole Tipple Nadu mirror WW (2-0)
Like my previous opponent they were on Springleaf Drum as well as SB Swan Song. I don't like Drum - just play more real dorks. Swan Song feels cute, but too niche for where I want to be.
SB game Slow roll, hold up Boseiju and Dismember. I bestow a Nantuko a little early, when I could have waited a couple turns to start trying to copy Endurance but not huge since I'm stuck on 4/5 lands. Dismember an Endurance with bestow target, Boseiju Shuko in response to Nadu. Almost die to bugs but hit Pact & combo the turn before I die.
- R3 Alex Meyer Mardu WW (3-0)
In a 16 player event, I have the ability to double draw but decide to play for top 8 seeding.
He applies some pressure but is operating at sorcery speed. Iirc G1 he taps out for Fable and dies, G2 it was Chthonian Nightmare or something into dies.
It was during this game, I think I shuffled a hand Boseiju in while resolving a Chord for Nadu (3). I tell my opponent it was a Boseiju, mention it's probably one of the worst cards to have in hand. He gets to give me a card from my deck, selects a Nadu. I say nothing then, ask judge to award me a warning since he didn't mention one.
As I'm going off, I find third Nadu and Chord for final Nadu even with ~9 Nadu triggers on board, since I don't think I have the ability to cast it or if I do it'll be most of my life total gone.
After new Nadu, opponent realizes how dangerous it was to give me the Nadu.
- R4 ID
Quarterfinals
Will Weber on Naya Landfall WLW*
So he's playing some sort of landfall deck. I figure it involves Reckless Pyrosurfer since I encountered the card in MH3 and that's probably the main reason to play landfall in 2024. Besides that card, it could be a Kaheera companion deck I believe.
Game 1 he's stuck on 2 lands, combo him out while I'm at a healthy 13.
Game 2 he applies pressure and has a Harsh Mentor. Fair enough. Play out a combo more turns, I think I have a bestowed Wall of Roots, but second Harsh Mentor pre-tty dead.
Game 3 we play out to turn 3 and get into a combat situation involving Outrider en-Kor. It's a lot of permanents for a turn 3, so I've reassembled the board state.
My goal is trade off as many creatures as possible, specifically the red creatures so that Ajani can't start going off. I'm playing for a topdeck Nadu since my Outrider will survive. We call a judge to confirm how Outrider works, then because of the wording and a partially recited Gatherer ruling talk ourselves into believing that Outrider en-Kor can spread 1 damage across creatures but only 1 max per creature. This is incorrect. Outrider en-Kor is effectively immortal in combat, if it has a fall guy. All the (first strike) combat damage happens simultaneously, and the replacement effect redirects as much of it as Outrider has been activated.
We played out this game from the ruling. Outrider and all insect tokens die, Ajani flips, Ajani blasts my Halfling this turn and the Nantuko next turn. I draw Teferi into Nadu - remembered very clearly because opponent tries to cast Atarka's in combat and is unable to do so. I die.
Friend comes over. We discuss. We realize the ruling was probably incorrect. With hindsight, if Outrider had played out correctly I probably would have won the game two turns later after drawing and casting Nadu. Instead I got mega-boardwiped and died to cats.
As we clean up, the judges come over. They ask us to re-explain the situation, we re-construct the attacker/blocker state. Some discussion. They bring in a higher judge. We rebuild more of the game state - non-blockers, lands, graveyard. I describe how & why I blocked. The judges confer. We rebuild hand states since we saw what each other played in the following turns. My hand is not good.
It is determined that the incorrect ruling determined the outcome of the game & match. We are offered a choice of continuing from the rebuilt board state or restart from a brand new game. I am playing for a topdeck Nadu, since my hand is entirely air. My opponent has acknowledged the situation, which is ugly. I trust him, and we've been talking through this board state for about twenty minutes at this point.
Please note. This is a deviation from policy, and this kind of back-up is a crazy situation to find ourselves in. No matters what happens, there will be a sour taste in someone's mouth. The hope is that the eventual outcome will be considered the most fair resolution of what occurred.
We shuffle up. He puts his Atarka's Command on top. I make sure to present and he cuts. We resolve combat. First strike, damage goes to the uninvolved insect. Damage. Many creatures die. Ajani flips. He makes a token. Pass the turn. Draw. It's a Nadu.
Semifinals
Friend scoops to me
Finals
Bridger Hahn Jeskai control WLL
Guy plays well, eventually destroys me with momentum of One Ring draws and Phlage.
I board incorrectly. In game 3 I had a Scheming Fence on his The One Ring, have Chord available for 1 but I didn't bring in Burrenton Forge-Tender. I was also aiming to be cute and steal Phlage with Volatile Stormdrake at some point. The tricky part is that it's half an energy deck and half a control deck, Suncleanser isn't a killer but it's still good. Game 1 I get him with a Chord-Suncleanser in response to Wrath of the Skies.
How I think I should have boarded
+2 The One Ring
+2 Veil of Summer
+1 Burrenton Forge-Tender
+1 Scheming Fence
-1 Volatile Stormdrake
-1 Haywire Mite
-1 Noble Hierarch
-1 Boseiju
-1 Otawara
-1 idk
Afterthoughts
The prize pool for this event was juiced, only sixteen players but the field was stacked.
The quarterfinals situation was insane. My opponent was a good sport, we couldn't have rebuilt the board without him and he's also playing against Nadu. Judges helped us through it, props to them (you know who you are). Biggest complaint? Wizards of the Coast for printing a card that is so obscene in the format, probably templated wrong and went unnoticed like Skullclamp in Mirrodin, and then they refused to ban Nadu at the appropriate junctures thereby subjecting us to this game action hellscape. I will be glad to see the bird gone.
