2019-07-11 Iron Buffalo with Sultai Teachings 2-2

Decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2025213#paper

Introduction:

• So I'm not going to be posting every event I go to any more, just the ones I feel like. Sorry!
• Played suboptimally for sure, but I want to focus on my sideboarding decisions this time & possible options/changes
• This is not a high quality post

Round 1 vs Ken on Eldrazi Tron (1-2, 0-1)
Drew poorly, mostly. Thought-Knot Seer was a pain.
Out: 1 Fatal Push, 2 Remand?
In: 1 Ceremonious Rejection, 1 Hero's Downfall, 1 Summary Dismissal
Eldrazi Tron is basically a midrange deck with stompy threats. Remand is good if I can dodge Cavern, but I feel like the two counterspells I boarded in fill the role better. Hurkyl's Recall would be a niche choice for the Karn + Lattice combo, but it's really a gotcha interaction that only works once in the match. However, for the other artifact matchups I feel that Fracturing Gust is already great, as well as Consume the Meek versus the artifact creature decks.
It's possible I should be taking out Blast Zone in this matchup.

Round 2 vs Adam on Neoform (2-0, 1-1)
Game 1 he plays two Waterlogged Groves, then a Yavimaya Coast. My mind is blank, but then he casts an Allosaurus Rider and tries to Eldritch Evolution it. I come back to my senses, manage to tap my two lands for a Remand, and he concedes.
Out: 1 Fatal Push, 1 Surgical Extraction
In: 1 Dispel, 1 Shadow of Doubt
Game 2 is slow. He hits me with a Wild Cantor for about 12 damage because I don't feel pressured & let it live, instead holding up multiple counterspells. I'm sitting on three Cryptics, so after a while I start bouncing his lands end of turn. Eventually I drop Torrential Gearhulk and smash.

Round 3 vs Bill on Jund Shadow/Dreadhorde Arcanist (2-1, 2-1)
I asked a friend what he was playing, then promptly forgot. I then kept a hand with a bunch of 4 drops and lost.
Out: 3 Remand, 1 Torrential Gearhulk
In: 1 Consume the Meek, 2 Fatal Push, 1 Weather the Storm
Games 2 & 3 I keep sturdier hands, draw a bunch of cards, and take over the game through sheer card advantage. Devour Flesh is great in this matchup, and is why I don't replace it with Liliana's Triumph or Diabolic Edict.

Round 4 vs Andrew on 4C Zoo (0-2, 2-2)
Some misplays, got run over. BBE is the bane of this deck's existence.
Out: 1 Opt?, 3 Remand, 1 Surgical Extraction
In: 1 Consume the Meek, 2 Fatal Push, 1 Life Goes On, 1 Weather the Storm

Thoughts:

• General: Played pretty sloppy, kept some loose hands. I think I need more practice with the London mulligan.
• Possible changes: Hurkyl's Recall? Maybe cut Weather The Storm for being too cute? Maybe I should be on the snow plan with Ice-Fang Coatls.

2019-03-31 Iron Buffalo RNAx3 3-0-1

Decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1773207#paper

Draft:

• So the draft was 10 players, with some of them looking a little green (experience wise). This affected my decision making in that 1) I can't necessarily trust signals, 2) I can't expect cards to wheel because there are 10 people, and 3) it's possible for totally playable cards to wheel because they evaluate cards differently than I do
• Rares opened (in order): Simic split Stifle//Clone (Repudiate//Replicate), Angel of Grace, Bedeck//Bedazzle
• Pack 1 pick 1: rare is garbage, nothing special in commons or uncommons... but oh wait there's a Gatebreaker Ram
• Pack 1 pick 2: really nothing special, but I took Ram so I might as well stay open and take this Simic Guildgate
• Pack 1 pick 3: simultaneously stayed open AND money drafted a Breeding Pool
• Rest of pack 1: got passed two Gateway Sneaks, one Gates Ablaze, and a late Archway Angel. Gates is obviously open and with 5 payoffs I just need to draft a bunch of gates and some support spells.
• Pack 2 pick 1: The great thing about being in gates is that you can grab good rares and not care about sending/receiving signals. So I take the Angel of Grace, though I never draft it ever.
• Rest of pack 2: I'm in base Simic, but grab almost every Gate I see. Halfway through the pack I realize that Azorius is pretty open, and I've picked up some random blue playables. I pass alone a pack with both High Alert and Azorius Knight-Arbiter, then take the High Alert from the next pack.
• Pack 3: more gates, prioritize some high toughness creatures. Simic is pretty open too from what I could tell - P3P14 Skatewing Spy WHAT.

Round 1 vs Liam on Rakdos (2-0, 1-0)
He's got a few good rares (Theater of Horrors, Rix Maadi Reveler), but they just can't beat a huge Gatebreaker Ram. His deck is only okay, which I'll get to in the post-match discussion.
Game 2 I don't find Ram, but I found High Alert and some big butts which works just as well.

Round 2 vs John R on Gruul (2-0, 2-0)
Game 1 he gets me pretty low, but then I drop some random blockers. After stalling out the board with High Alert + butts, Gates Ablaze sends him back to the stone age and I play out Gatebreaker Ram for lethal.
Game 2 he has a much slower start. I play out a Gatebreaker Ram but he gets multiple blockers out so I hold off on attacking with it. So the game stalls out again, then I swing my 8/8 Ram into his board of 5 creatures. He triple blocks with a total of 8/9, then Applied Biomancy for +1/+1 & bounce another guy makes the game unwinnable for him.

Round 3 vs ??? dropped (N/A, 3-0)
Got the pair down because it's 10 people. He was a newbie and thought he needed to play 60 cards... so he was playing some kind of Simic-based 5 color 60 card deck. After round 2, he'd had enough and unofficially dropped from the tournament, only officially dropping now... so I was 2-0 and got a bye huh

Round 4 vs Michael N. (ID, 3-0-1)
Mutually agreed, went home.

Thoughts:

• Managed to draft all the gate payoffs early (IN PACK ONE), which made the draft super easy mode.
• Recognized that if I had to, I could easily pivot into either Simic or Azorius, which looked pretty open, since I was drafting a lot of blue cards.
• Breakdown of what I saw from the draft pod: 2 players on Orzhov, 1 Orzhov splashing U/Azorius, 2 Rakdos, 2 on Gruul, and 1 on UGwbr???, me on Gates, 1 unknown
• Black was super overdrafted at the table, and as a result I only picked up a single Dead Revels, passing a few decent cards (ex. Get the Point) for gates/blue playables. Pack 2 signaled to me that the High Alert deck was open, and I picked some support creatures up for that before & after (I think 8 of my creatures work well with it?)
• Nice side benefit of drafting most of the gates is that it screws with everyone else's mana, making their deck weaker & unable to splash good cards.
• Definitely felt like I had the best deck in the pod. After all, I was only playing ONE BASIC

2019-02-28 Iron Buffalo 2-1-1 with Sultai Reclamation Teachings

Decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1685666#paper

The plan:

• Opening hand: Dream hand is probably 3-4 lands, Growth Spiral, Wilderness Reclamation, Mystical Teachings. Reclamation + Teachings hands are probably decently above average.
• Early game: draw some cards, set up Cryptic mana, don't die. Ideally turn 2 Growth Spiral.
• 4 mana: Run out Wilderness Reclamation, then cast Cryptic/Teachings
• Mid game: end of turn float mana, Teachings for value, Teachings for Teachings, Snapcaster spells as necessary. May not yet have stabilized.
• End game: Teachings for Blue Sun's Zenith, Blue Sun's for a bunch (leaving open 7 mana if possible I think). Nexus if drawn, otherwise discard to hand size with a stacked hand. Then either 1) Blue Sun's the opponent for the win or 2) attack with Snapcaster/Tar Pit while taking infinite turns

Round 1 vs AJ on RW burn (2-1, 1-0)
Game 1 got run over, was trying to figure out how bad of a hand I had. It was pretty bad.
Goblin Guide revealed a couple 4 drops to go with the ones in hand.
Game 2 he keeps a greed 1 lander. Turn 4 rolls around and I drop Reclamation. I wait a few turns with Cryptics and then manage to combo out. Pretty good.
Game 3 he floods a bit, but still pressures me a lot. I try to hold Life Goes On for extra life, but end up casting it to stay out of burn range. Then I tutor for another one and manage to wrangle Devour Flesh into Life Goes On before I combo off. He kept Searing Blaze in for some reason, but Spell Snares were gas.

Round 2 vs Tim on BW Planeswalker Pox (2-1, 2-0)
Game 1 his clock is 4 Spirit tokens and a Shambling Vent. I have to bounce Sorin and hold up Cryptic Command for it, lest it run me over. I consider Mystical Teachings for a Cryptic but instead go for a Pulse of Murasa that grabs a Snapcaster Mage. I stabilize at 4 and go off.
Game 2 he gets a Liliana of the Veil rolling on turn 3 and I'm unable to answer it. I drop a Wilderness Reclamation without Cryptic and he Disenchants it.
Game 3 I was on the back foot the whole time, manage to bounce a Sorin and hold up a Cryptic if he tries to replay it. Double Surgical on Cryptic and Teachings. He Thoughtseizes into a Remand? and I'm able to draw out of the situation. BSZ (USZ?) for 16, Remand into an Echoing Decay for an army of Spirit tokens while Heart of Kiran isn't lethal (had A Trophy ready in hand). I think he put Thoughtseize into the graveyard after I Remanded it, and I'm not sure how that would have changed things? I had another Remand in hand + about 6 more mana, but his third try might have gotten through.

Round 3 vs John G on Jund (1-1-1, 2-0-1)
Game 1 I go to 1 from fast beats before I'm able to get rid of his creatures. He has two red mana so I hold up double Remand for his Bolt. I Pulse a Field of Ruin?, and he double bolts me next turn putting me back to 1. Then the deck does its thing.
Game 2 had a lot of slow topdecking but he got out of it eventually. Surgicaled my Teachings and Cryptic Commands RIP. I joke to an observer that I should hold Teachings until I have enough mana to hold up flashback cost, and I realize that's not actually impossible if I can find Wilderness Reclamation. There was a point where I fired USZ off for 2, but probably should have held it for as long as possible (as response to Liliana +1/IoK/TS).
Game 3 we ended on about turn 6 and had a draw. Game state was pretty even, could have gone either way.
(start rant)
Pretty annoyed about this match, felt that my opponent played too slowly in games 1/2.
In my opinion, the skill required to play Jund is overrated (see also: PVDDR's articles on deck difficulty). Okay, you have a lot of microdecisions that improve your odds very marginally: Inquisition/Thoughtseize choices, fetching up specific lands, activating Liliana, etc. but these things shouldn't take half a minute each. (end rant)
I understand that he's never faced my deck before, and so needs to read the cards, guess at what my intentions are, and play around that. I also never feel that unintentional draws are my fault, but I have to bear at least some of the responsibility - push my opponent to play faster, play a bit faster myself.

Round 4 vs Matt on G Tron (1-2, 2-1-1)
Game 1 he mulls to 5 and I'm able to accrue enormous advantage. OTP Abrupt Decay his Map on turn 2.
Game 2 he mulls to 6 and I try to keep him off Tron but I simply cannot
Game 3 I keep a hand with no G mana and no 4th land, again I simply could not
Traditionally control vs Tron is a bad matchup and I don't think I was ever favored. I only really won game 1 because his hand screwed him over. Teachings for Trophy + Teachings for Surgical is just way too slow, and I don't have the tools to keep him off Tron. If only there were an instant speed Stone Rain... (actually there are but they're in red)

Thoughts:

• Growth Spiral is the most powerful turn 2 play in the deck and somehow I didn't manage it once.
• I kept a hand without green mana in round 4 and that was a mistake, though not an immediately obvious one.
• I felt lacking in early plays, but there aren't any good instant speed cantrips besides Opt. Looking at 2 CMC... maybe Think Twice or Squelch??? or I could just draw openers with Growth Spiral more -_- Oh, Hieroglyphic Illumination is an option, but only as a one-of?
• I don't have some of the instant speed toolbox (specifically Shadow of Doubt) so I left a Teferi in. I guess it would come in against control but it wouldn't do anything really? To run it out with backup, you'd need Wilderness Reclamation and the control deck probably won't let you do that. I guess it would be really good in the mirror lol?
• Deck was super fun, though I wish I had gotten 3 wins. Not sure what to do about the big mana matchups.

2019-02-21 Iron Buffalo 3-1 with Mono W Emeria

Decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1534030#paper

Running it back from last week, when I got a 2-1 finish (plus a bye for overall 3-1)

Round 1 vs Adam on Jund (0-2, 0-1)
Both games basically just lost to maindeck Kalitas. I was able to remove Scavenging Oozes.

Round 2 vs Brad on 4C Bridgevine (2-0, 1-1)
Unfortunately for Brad, I know what he's on and he mulligans 3 times over the course of our 2 games. He doesn't have any explosive starts, and I'm able to fill up the board and block for days. My GQs and FoRs were pretty good, since he only played two basics.

Round 3 vs Matt on Hollow One (2-1, 2-1)
Took me by surprise seeing him on Hollow One.
Game 1 I put up some blockers but recursive Flamewake Phoenixes/Bloodghasts apply enough pressure for a huge Flameblade Adept to finish me.
Game 2 I think he turn 1 Hollow One'd, and I Surgical'd a Phoenix, also seeing 2 EEs and 2 Grim Lavamancers in the deck. Turn 2 I drop my Wheel of Sun and Moon, leaving me in comfortable ahead to win the game over the next ten turns.
Game 3 goes long, but I'm able to get off some decent double blocks and repeated lifegain to stay in the game. Kitchen Finks MVP

Round 4 vs John G on Jund (2-0, 3-1)
Game 1 I have "early aggression" (read: Lone Missionary into Blade Splicer). His Dark Confidant betrays him, flipping Scavenging Ooze, Tarmogoyf, and BBE, which leaves him at 1 against my miscellaneous creatures.
Game 2 he gets off double Anger of the Gods, but I'm able to consistently push damage with 1/1 fliers.
Compared to my round 1 Jund matchup, he wasn't able to stick Scooze/Kalitas and that made all the difference.

Overall: Happy with the deck, maybe should have been more restrained with Path to Exiles in round 1 (fired them off vs Scooze instead of later Kalitas).

2019-02-14 Iron Buffalo 2-1 with Mono W Emeria

Decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1534030#paper

I figured with the heavy midrange meta at the store, my mono W Emeria deck would be able to exploit that by grinding opponents out with overwhelming value.

Some thought was given to netdecking Tim Rood's BW Smallpox deck since he posted it to reddit, since that would have been hilarious.

Round 1 vs bye (we'll call it 0-0)
Apparently I wasn't signed up :|

Round 2 vs John on mono G Tron (0-2, 0-1)
Game 1 he has turn 3 Tron and I scoop it up.
Game 2 I pressure him, take him off Tron with Field of Ruin + Surgical, but the O Stones delay long enough for him to find a 7th land to chain Karns. Fuck that deck.

Round 3 vs Tim on BW Planeswalker Smallpox (2-0, 1-1)
Basically the deck I was hoping to play. Just ground him to dust. His efficient removal lines up really freaking poorly vs my value creatures, many of which effectively replace themselves with other cards.
Game 1 he hits me with Gideon of the Trials once, I gain 4 life off the back of a Lone Missionary, then manage to gain 16 life from each of my 4 Kitchen Finks. My board is way wider than 4 Spirit tokens and he's unable to pressure me at all with Liliana.
Game 2 he puts a lot more pressure on me with a couple Gideons, Allies of Zendikar (I think that's the plural form). He Surgicals my Squadron Hawks which seems awkward but is probably actually correct- makes his Liliana of the Veil relevant and prevents that slow recursion. After chumping Gideon for several turns, I stabilize with a Sun Titan to get in front of Gideon, and trade off fliers with his anthem'd Souls tokens. Active Emeria and Sun Titan close the deal.
Both games his Gideon of the Trials was able to keep my biggest dude at bay but that's not a big deal when I've got two small dudes ready to keep those planeswalker loyalties down. Also Gideon of the Trials +1 is ... subpar versus Sun Titan lol.

Round 4 vs Alex on Grixis Death's Shadow (2-1, 2-1)
I actually feel pretty good about this matchup, as long as they don't see a Temur Battle Rage.
Game 1 he sees a Temur Battle Rage
Game 2 I Surgical a Faithless Looting (not the best of plays) and get to see what he's handling: Anger of the Gods, Snapcaster Mage, and Lightning Bolt. I chump his Gurmag Angler for a bunch of turns, Field of Ruin away his second red source, topdeck a Field of Ruin as my sixth land, drop Sun Titan to get my first Field of Ruin back, then next turn send his manabase back to the stone age. He has two Death's Shadows swinging into my chumps, but no TBR to push damage and I Dusk away both DS and my Sun Titan, leaving my dudes clear to get the last point of damage.
Game 3 he doesn't have an early DS. He manages to get past the two Blessed Alliances in my opening hand, but then Sun Titan comes down and he trumps Gurmag Angler all day every day. Lot of decks in modern just can't beat a 6/6 lol.

Thoughts:

•  Made a meta call, got rewarded (in 2/3 rounds). Drew poor hands vs the Tron opponent - no early GQ, no turn 3 FoR.
• Not sure whether I still like 2x Thalia in the main
• I love playing this deck. Getting value out of Squadron Hawks and Pilgrim's Eye is amazing. Punishing greedy GDS manabase with multiple FoR also great. Recurring Squadron Hawk? fantastic. Shuffling my library twenty times per game? wonderful
• To anyone who loves value, I recommend picking up the deck. It doesn't cost too much, with $142 of its quoted $314 value on MTGGoldfish coming from Surgicals alone.

2019-01-31 Iron Buffalo 2-1 with Dredge

Decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1606619#paper with a SB Thoughtseize

R1 vs Jon on Jund (1-2, 0-1)
Lost to GY hate creatures. I really need to check out Jund lists - determine efficacy of Ancient Grudges/Abrades/Nature's Claims vs Lightning Axes (hit Scooze, Kalitas)

R2 vs Adam on Jund (2-0, 1-1)
He only had one piece of hate - Scooze. Both games I was able to answer it -> win

R3 vs Ken on Eldrazi Tron (2-1, 2-1)
In between games we discuss the weirdness of Conflagrate: When flashing it back for X=4 (targeting a TKS), the CMC of the spell on the stack is actually 9. This is non-intuitive, since 9 mana was definitely not spent. Basically, when casting a card using an alternate casting cost, you choose a value for X and pay costs accordingly. Then X is applied across all instances in the spell, including the XXR mana cost.
Game 2 neither my 7 or 6 card hands have lands. I wait to see what hate he's brought in - see a Relic & known Chalice, then I concede to TKS to hide Damping Sphere.
Game 3 I have 2 lands, Damping Sphere, some looting action. I find an Ancient Grudge which does quite the work. Pretty grindy as heck, but he doesn't have Tron or Eldrazi acceleration so I win eventually.
He even told me that he was asking about Conflagrate for the purpose of Warping Wail, not Chalice of the Void, but then I walked into it anyways lol oops.

Thoughts:

Deck feels strong, hard to beat Scavenging Ooze and other hate. There are several axes of graveyard hate and I need to be able to navigate around each of them.

2019-01-24 Iron Buffalo Modern 1-2 with Grishoalbrand

Decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1606706#paper

R1 bye ("1"-0)

R2 win vs James on URw? Phoenix (2-1, "2"-0)
In game 2, he flips TitI on turn 3 and reanimates two Phoenixes, hitting me for 13. Then on my turn 3, I SSG + Ritual for 5 mana, TTB Griselbrand, and kill him. Hilarious.

R3 loss to John on Merfolk (1-2, "2"-1)
Opens with Mistcaller oof. I go for a Goryo's, he activates Mistcaller and I Goryo's again in response. He fumbles a Harbinger off Aether Vial (that doesn't work with Mistcaller lol!) Almost get him, buuuut then I fizzle
I combo him out in game 2 after a Dispel blocks my first attempt.
Game 3 he has Trickster and Harbinger rough

R4 vs Joe (1-2, "2"-2)
Game 1 fizzle - should have reanimated another Griselbrand on his turn and not tried to go off immediately. Timing - could have foreseen and reanimated in my end step
Game 2 he IoKs a Lightning Axe, then drops a Scooze. My topdecked Blood Moon locks him out, he finds Grafdigger's Cage but I just TTB WW
Game 3 he has discard Cage and Scooze eugh

Decklist thoughts:

• Firstly, here's the MTGGoldfish decklists for the archetype, mostly competitive league 5-0s: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/modern-goryo-s-vengeance-52692#paper
• I wanted to run 4 Discovery // Dispersal, but only had 2 and the store was out. So I kept 4 Night's Whisper like old lists. Casting Night's Whisper, I felt like a lot of the time I was drawing air.
• The sideboards these guys run are pretty weird. It makes sense - pretty much every card in the deck is part of the combo strategy, so you can't just sideboard 5-8 cards.
• Unlike Dredge, the deck lacks redundancy. It also lacks green, so you can't run the "catch-all" answer to artifact/enchantment hate of Nature's Claim
• Cards I should definitely include if running Grishoalbrand again: Pact of Negation, Bontu's Last Reckoning (couldn't find mine), Emrakul for anti-Surgical tech
• Choices I still question: 1-of Leylines, playing a Steam Vents for Dispersal (not common)

Overall thoughts:

• Deck is very interesting. The splice mechanic in particular - the  4 SSG + 2 Desperate Ritual + 1 Manamorphose package allows you to combo out from no mana, splicing spells onto Nourishing Shoal. To my knowledge, there are only two decks ever that have ever utilized Splice - this one, and the Dampen Thoughts draft deck.
• Both Goryo's and TTB last until the next end of turn step, which makes timing kind of funky. I should definitely check out a primer to learn how to abuse this maximally.
• The manabase is designed to be very painless - typically only a single Blood Crypt for shocklands, and EIGHT basics. In light of that, I'd be a big fan of playing more Blood Moons in the 75. Also the only deck that plays Temple of Malice, so that's immediate giveaway to players familiar with modern's degeneracy.
• I should check out a sideboard guide - since the sideboard is so granular (remember, no Nature's Claims), I need to pre-emptively sideboard anti-hate very specifically.
• Out of 17 players, there were like 6 or more playing 4-5? Jund players, 2? GB, and 1 BW Pox player. Feel like someone showing up with Tron would have absolutely destroyed the room. Also, two UR phoenix players, so that's a deck.
• I definitely understand now how it's can be a fast but inconsistent combo deck. Lots of fun, with evident room to improve by learning some tricks.

2019-01-17 Iron Buffalo Modern 3-0-1 with Dredge

Decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1606619#paper
Same as last week's, but I added a SB Thoughtseize

R1 vs Brad on 4C Vengevine (2-1, 1-0)
G1 lose to double Vengevine, early Bridge from Below tokens. Tried to turn 2 kill my reanimated Bloodghast, but had milled both Blood Crypts!!!
G2 we both had Leyline
His weenies came out, but I found my Assassin's Trophy and was able to go nuts
G3 I had Leyline, he didn't, I did my thing

R2 vs Tim on Infect (2-1, 2-0)
Not particularly fast G1
G2 we're both slow, then he pumps a Glistener Elf with D Strike, Groundswell, M of OK, has Vines to prevent my Darkblast. I drew all 4 Nature's Claims that I boarded in.
G3 Cut 2 Claims, he sees a Spellskite which doesn't really matter. Though he declined to block an Amalgam for some reason?

R3 vs Bill on mono G Tron (2-1, 3-0)
G1 got him before anything could happen -
G2 he mulls to 5 cards incl. Grafdigger's Cage + no lands. Turn 2 topdecks a Forest and I lose. Manages to draw into enough mana for a Wurmcoil and an Ulamog
G3 he mulls to 5, but loses without no Cage, and I have a Ancient Grudge waiting in the wings for any relevant artifact

R4 vs Tim R on BW Pox (ID, 3-0-1)
We played a game, got him good
Then I swapped over to Fevered Visions and manage to cheese him out twice! Fun deck. List here: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1568068#paper

Thoughts:

• Deck is still powerful and unfair.
• I pretty much only lose when opponents have their GY hate. But then, if I believe that opponents will mulligan aggressively for GY hate, then my next level should be to mulligan semi-aggressively for GY-hate-hate. It's possible that a skilled opponent (or an unwitting one) may then further next-level me by not keeping a hand with GY hate, and just try to do their thing.
•  I looked up a sideboard guide after this event. Apparently they take out a couple Shriekhorns in every matchup, which makes sense - Shriekhorn does nothing vs hate and doesn't help find hate unlike the cantrips.

2019-01-10 Iron Buffalo Modern 2-1 with Dredge

Decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1606619#paper

R1 vs Matt on Bant Spirits (2-0, 1-0)
He seems to be playing all of the Bant Spirit enablers - Aether Vial, Noble Hierarch AND Collected Company. I've played against another local Spirits player who runs that, and I don't agree with it since they're not particularly synergistic with each other - they don't play well together. Some thoughts as to why:

• Aether Vial: ignores color costs, enables explosive midgame by cheating on mana, deckbuilding constraints of maxing on 2s and 3s
• Noble Hierarch: accelerates on mana, allows for better attack scenarios
• Collected Company: explosive midgame, requires deck to 30+ creatures at 3 mana or less for consistent hits
• Vial + Hierarch: maximizes turn 1 openings, but have no synergy
• Vial + Company: maximizes operating at instant speed, but has turn 1/2 plays. Also splits mana curve - Company wants to max on 3s, whereas Vial would rather have more 2s (worst of combinations imo)
• Hierarch + Company: accelerates Company but Noble is a bad hit
• Vial + Hierarch + Company: maximizes turn 1 plays, but minimizes the amount of business cards for Vial and Company

R2 vs Joe on Jund (1-2, 1-1)
G1 answered his single Scavenging Ooze
G2 could not handle recurring Scooze (K Command, LtLH), didn't find dredger
G3 he had the beats

R3 vs Boris on burn (2-1, 2-1)
G1 turn 2 created 13 power on the field (2 Bloodghasts + 3 Prized Amalgams)
G2 he had turn 2 RIP
G3 cast Faithless Looting, Cathartic Reunion, Cathartic Reunion, dredged a bunch of Stinkweed Imp, hit all 4 Creeping Chill and turn 3 kill. Left with 14 cards in library and 1 mana to potentially do something else.

Decklist thoughts:

• I should definitely be playing the 4th Copperline Gorge. The fetches don't matter - as long as they can get a mountain they function the same
• Also should have a 3rd Lightning Axe in the SB.
• Accidentally packed a fourteen card sideboard. Oops.

Overall thoughts:

• When I first brought Dredge to an FNM, someone remarked that I was "actually playing a real deck." Which is true. Dredge is the only tiered deck I play/own, and it's both unfair and powerful.
• Most decks pretty much can't win vs dredge without a GY hate card. They see a 7 card hand which would be fine in most matchups but without that RIP or Leyline or Anger it doesn't do anything
• I might get some more reps in with Dredge and take it to Toronto next month
• I should read a primer esp. sideboarding guide

2018-12-21 Iron Buffalo Thursday Modern 0-4 with Jeskai Thing Ascension

Decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1541817#paper

Round 1 vs Ken on Eldrazi Tron (0-2, 0-1)

Game 1, on the draw, turn 2 Chalice was pretty much it.
In both games TKS did its thing - disrupt and smash.

Round 2 vs Marc on UW control (0-2, 0-2)

Cryptic bouncing either Thing or Ascension just ruins my day. All control has to do is answer whichever one I have, then win somehow. He was running a Jace-heavy list, and I eventually crumbled to the card advantage.  I think he was playing more conservatively than he needed to, but at the same time, he was in no rush to win - answer my meager threats, and I have nothing.

Round 3 vs Jake on Storm (1-2, 0-3)
Game 1 I had removal for early cost-reducers, but instead he sat on them until a t5/6 combo turn
Game 2 I had the right answers. Probably would have lost, had he gone for ritual-ritual-Empty.
Game 3 should have boarded more answers to Empty the Warrens

Round 4 vs Christian on Amulet Titan (1-2, 0-4)
He plays the (a?) version with Trinket Mages to tutor for a number of things, which is neat: Amulet ofc, Walking Ballista, Engineered Explosives, ???
I win game 2 only because he mulls to 5 and has nothing. Pretty much the one game all night where I manage to go off (casting Manamorphose with active Ascension)

Games 1 and 3 I am pressured by a Ballista, am able to answer a couple Titans, but lose to the last one.

Thoughts:

• Fundamentally, the deck is bad. The two payoffs (TiTi, Pyromancer Ascension) both require a ton of initial investment, roughly 4 spells each. If either of them get bounced or otherwise removed, those spells have done virtually nothing.
• Another way to evaluate the deck: The wincons are terrible topdecks. And when your deck is built around those very same wincons, that's not a good place to be.
• I'm going to be retiring this deck, similar to Loam Pox (which I also lost to Christian on, lol.
• I wish Pyromancer Ascension had a good shell. Ascension Storm is how I originally got into modern, though come to think of it, it didn't work out too well back then either. Hm.

2018-11-01 Iron Buffalo casual modern 1-1

Visited this place on Tuesday. It's in the former location of Dragon Snack Games (near Millersport Hwy/Eggert Rd), which was formerly formerly of Mt. Morris.

The owner is a guy named Bill/William Waterrose, and the guy heading magic is named Kevin Swanson I think. The prices are competitive (very close to TCG market, will have to see how they adjust when prices fluctuate). They aren't a WPN store yet, so they don't have sanctioned events or FNM. They offer some comics, board games, and coffee. There's a comfy play area which is currently suited more for board games than Magic (very large, separate tables).

Talking to the owner, he said that he wants to attract a more casual crowd for Magic, less of the spiky type. So I decided to hit up some friends and attend their inaugural modern event with Waste Not Storm.

The decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1440722#paper

The event: was announced on FB as $5 entry, Assassin's Trophy for first place. Right before I arrived, the TO made an announcement that because only 6 people showed up all the prizes (30 credit + AT) would go to the first undefeated player which is :/

Round 1 vs Nick on Storm (1-0)
He has no idea what I'm doing, but eventually I have two Waste Nots and make him discard a bunch using Wistful Thinking (it's like a worse Mind Rot!). I draw through almost my entire deck, and win with Snapcaster Mage on Torment of Hailfire for 5, with 3 cards left in my library.
Game 2 he has a bunch of rituals, Past in Flames, and Noxious Revival in the graveyard from Gifts Ungiven-ing in response to my discard spells (Wistful Thinking, Thoughtseize). He fizzles, but kills my Liliana of the Veil and flipped Jace VP. I Torment from hand for a bunch and get the win.

Round 2 vs Dan on Bant Spirits (1-1)
Didn't know about the undefeated thing, so we played it out. Dan is a local guy, nice enough when he's not losing. He's playing a version of Spirits with all 3 of their accelerants: Aether Vial, Noble Hierarch, and Collected Company, which seems a bit questionable.
I concede game 1 to his fast start to conceal information (all he knows is that I'm Grixis with Burning Inquiry and Faithless Looting).
Game 2 he gets a little land flooded and concedes to my Waste Not + Wistful Thinking.
Game 3 I have some bad openers and lose to Selfless Spirit negating my in-hand Damnation. Good sideboarding on his part, expecting sweepers from the Grixis deck.

Waste Not Storm retrospective:

• The SSGs can go - can probably cut them for Fatal Pushes in the main. It's not a fast combo deck - need to have the mana to have a good combo turn, but it doesn't need to be turn 3 or 4 wins. Maybe leave 1 in?
• Sideboard - can definitely use some work
• Mana base - I don't like it. I studied a couple lists online, and based it off those, but the Urborg feels super out of place and fetching+shocking hurts way more than I'm used to.

That other thing:
I decided to drag my friend Jason along with me, sticking him with a suboptimal mono red deck I threw together (including Hazorets, Ahn-Crop Crashers, Harsh Mentors, and Searing Bloods). Then I tossed him into the deep end. He played vs friend Matt on Hollow One (a crush), and then got a bye, playing against the nice Constant-ine who had a relatively casual but coherent werewolf deck. Props to both of them for being friendly and educational.
While driving Jason home, he mentioned that he felt most successful on the red deck when he just stopped thinking and planning for the long term. This is incredible - he managed to hit on a core element of Magic's game design / color pie philosophy. It's like, the most characteristic trait of red.

Bonus deck:
I threw together a quick draft for Bant Eternal Command deck, which was pretty suboptimal. The deck looked something like this? https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1440739#paper (missing 2 from the main, most of the sideboard)
I played a couple quick games against Constant(ine) and lost both. Sequenced my removal poorly and I had a bunch of ramp with nothing to do. I realized that I have a bunch of cards to search for basics, but only about 5 basics, and can definitely use more removal/counterspells.