Introduction
Realized that I haven't played in an RC since Denver eleven months ago. Skipped Dallas for Asia trip, skipped DC to judge it instead.
Standard is great, as previously established. There's definitely a top tier of decks, with a number of weaker but competitively viable options.
Tier 1: UB Midrange, RG Aggro, UWB/UB Bounce
These decks have the fewest overall deckbuilding weaknesses, are very proactive, and have large removal coverage.
Tier 2: GW Dorks, GB Midrange, Zur Domain, R Aggro, UWR Convoke, W Tokens/Control, UW Oculus
Tier 2 decks have some angles vs tier 1 decks but are generally fun-policed by at least one of them.
Tier 3+: UW Convoke/Midrange, RW Aggro, RUG Otters, UG/BUG Terror
These decks have clear weaknesses in that they are not as proactive, interactive, or powerful as would befit a T1 deck.
MTGGoldfish features Nicole Tipple's 14th place Atlanta decklist as the default version. Wasn't happy with the land base - slightly too many painlands. For this event I went with Saulliert's manabase since they've been grinding a decent amount of Esper on MTGO. It trades a Restless Anchorage for Restless Reef, and an Underground River for an Island.
On the spell side Saulliert trades 1 GftT + Kaito for 2 Sheltered by Ghosts. I like the Sheltered by Ghosts idea as an aggro hedge, but want to preserve the number of Kaitos. Moving a Kaito to the SB doesn't make sense to me so I trim Spiteful Hexmage instead. imo Hexmage is the cutest card in the deck, stock is already down to 2, doesn't too too much with the deck, worst of the one-drops.
For gameplay, Stormchaser's Talent is a better T1 play OTP, while Hopeless Nightmare is better OTD. Turns 2+ being able to bounce & repeat one of those is probably your best game.
Sideboard
- Trying to hedge against a wide range of stuff
- RIP is premium GY hate that hopefully speedbumps GY decks fast enough to kill them
- Pest Control, Temporary Lockdown, Shrouded Shepherd all kind of compete for the same spot. For PC and TL you want to bait the opponent into overextending into it which is a sort of bait spot
- No More Lies is for the Sunfalls and 4-5+ drops of the world
Swiss
12 players, 5 rounds cut to top 4
- R1 Christian B on GR ramp WW (1-0)
He didn't have a ton of ramp action, got some Hopeless Nightmare bouncing going & cleared him right out - R2 Alex B on RG Aggro WLL (1-1)
Kept sketchy two-landers in both SB games. G2 was a UW hand with 3 Nowhere to Run, drew black source on turn 4 and died to a solid wide start. - R3 Athena P on UW Eerie WW (2-1)
Killed stuff and bounced anything with aura enchantments - R4 Joshua B on GB Midrange WLW (3-1)
Some grindy action. G2 I fuck up and put a Nowhere to Run in the yard for no reason. But it doesn't matter, I kept a three lander & draw five/six lands in six/seven draws. My Kaito gets Blot Out-ed which seems really good in a world where UB is a deck to beat.
G3 is a bit of back and forth but I go wide & go value which are both good into GB
tl;dr Glissa into Nowhere to Run land is dead Glissa - R5 Tom Z on UR chaff WW (4-1)
Going into R5 we have two 3-0-1s, two 3-1s ... but first place has already played everyone in spots 2-5 so we have a pair down situation. I take the moment to explain some context to my 8th place opponent for whom this is their first RCQ -- he is 2-2 with the worst breakers and we are facing a top 4 cut. I ask once for a concession, he passes, we proceed.
Top 4
Semifinals homie scooped by Jordan
Finals vs Marc D on RG Aggro LWW (RCQ winner)
G1 I keep a mid hand with all colors covered by three painlands. I was concerned with the mana, but really I should have been concerned that my hand didn't have any proper removal to pressure the opponent.
G2 I deliver a multitude of otter tokens and tempo TTABE him out. He unlucks into three Innkeeper's Talents in hand.
G3 I draw a perfect opener of three different fastlands, Stormchaser's, Pixie, TTABE, and I think a Nowhere to Run. Meanwhile Marc mulls to 6 and gets a bit stuck on 2 lands. I draw into a Hopeless Nightmare which accelerates the pressure.
One of the more tedious things vs this deck is that moving first on blocks is often quite bad, given the tricks from both sides. If you move first and get tricked the board state rapidly deterioriates. If you block without a counter-trick you probably get blown out and die.
Conclusions & Takeaways
- Esper definitely feels like a top dog of the format. It plays incredibly efficiently with its mana with very powerful 1 mana plays, can play at instant speed, and can drive card advantage by sticking a Kaito.
- Speaking of card advantage ... Kaito is basically the one source of raw card advantage in the deck. The important thing with Kaito is to play him into tempo ideally so he gets to activate at least another turn.
Like the SB Up the Beanstalk in Temur Otters, I don't get the point of sticking a card advantage engine in the SB. Just play it as your 61st card whatever. - Fighting one mana enchantments with 2+ cost answers probably isn't the right answer.
- Plan to add SB Shrouded Shepherd... looking at cuts on Loran and Temporary Lockdown. White is the tertiary color and 3 is the top of the curve.
