Deck list: https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/bugw-spellseeker/?cb=1628013811
Changed the deck a lot from last week, cut the cards that performed like shit and added a full suite of white cards. The meta has been really creature and very red lately so I wanted to adjust for that a bit as well, also I wanted to play with my beta basics, not these silly Snow-covered lands. Changes from last week:
Cuts: Tourach Dread Cantour, Ice-fang Coatl, Reclamation Sage, Tarmogoyf, Tireless Tracker, Jace the Mindsculptor, Hymn to Tourach, Snow-covered Forest x4, Snow-covered Swamp x2, Snow-covered Island, Flooded Grove, Wasteland.
Adds: Knight of Autumn, Eladamri’s Call, Teferi Time Raveler, Recruiter of the Guard, Wall of Blossoms, Sword to Plowshares, Prismatic Ending, Forest x2, Island, Swamp, Plains, Godless Shrine, Arid Mesa, Hallowed Fountain, Temple Garden.
RD 1 vs UB Thoracle : 2-1
G1: He mulls to 5 on the play and doesn’t find a blue source for a few turns. I thought that T3feri stopped Thoracle combo so I sat back on my T3feri for a few turns not playing aggressively and not realizing that he can just Demonic Consult first, exiling his library then play Thoracle and win. Win not deserved.
G2: I mull to find hand attack or a fast clock and don’t find either. He plays slow on purpose, waiting until an opportune time to win and does.
G3: I mull to 5 again but find some cards, he keeps 7. This game was tense, I have Lotus Cobra in play, Wall of Blossoms, Uro, Diabolic Intent in hand 2 lands one is a fetch. I play land, Uro, draw non fetch land, put fetch land into play and fetch with Lotus in play for mana. I want to Diabolic Intent for Opposition Agent so I sac my Lotus Cobra to Intent instead of playing out the Wall of Blossoms. My Intent gets Memory Lapsed, I play Wall of Blossoms and redraw it, my hand is Wall of Blossoms and one land. T4 he plays 4th land and passes. I feel like I am dead, I cast Uro, he thinks for a bit and then Mana Leaks my Uro. I pass, he plays 5th land and passes, I rip Thoughtseize, cast intent, sacking my Wall of Blossoms and getting Opposition Agent. Thoughtseize seize Thoracle, Gifts Ungiven, third nonrelevant card, his only card in play is a Divining Witch. I take Thoracle and pass. He casts Gifts and I Opposition Agent in response, I take Reanimate and Unearth out of his library and he has no other ways left to get Thoracle into play and calls it quits. What a crazy game and by the hair on my chinny chin chin.
RD 2 vs Jeskai Control: 2-1
G1: He wins the dice roll and keeps 7, I mull to a weak 5. I play some lands until 6 but he misses 5th land drop and plays JTMS, brainstorms, plays fetch and passes, I cast Opposition Agent and kill his JTMS and suddenly find myself in a game that I thought was gone forever. A few turns go by and he isn’t making land drops so I just get to control the pacing and do whatever I want against control.
G2: We have a weird game where he plays the 3 cmc monarch enchantment on my Arbor Elf on his t3 but doesn’t draw lands off the monarch. I have a sylvan library but I also do not find lands so we have an extended stair off that leads into a long game when we both start finding lands but he finds them first and with infinite cards takes a slight lead that I cannot come back from.
G3: He taps out at some point and I take infinite turns while in turns from going to time but get lethal in extra turns.
RD 3 vs Grixis Control: 2-1
G1: This game was stacking up to be close when I have a Leovold in play and I feel ahead until a madcap is cast and I have no answer, then a Treasure cruise is cast into my Leovold as his last card and, in nearly top deck wars, besides his 8/8 abyssing me every turn soon, I feel heavily favoured. I draw a tutor and just Knight of Autumn the Colossus and crack in.
G2: We play a long drawn out game that was a super interesting Control Vs Midrange game. He is answering everything I do but I am gaining some sort of advantage from my spells that do resolve and I spend my mana every single turn and don’t stutter. He eeks out a slight advantage on somewhere around his turn 7 then casts a treasure cruise so we go to…
G3: my t1 is land, elf, go, he goes land pass, t2 I cast Paradise Druid, he passes his t2, my t3 I cast Liliana of the Last Hope, his t3 he casts Liliana of the Last Hope and kills my elf. My turn 4 I cast Lotus Cobra, play and crack fetch, and cast Time Walk and then Eternal Witness, getting back Time Walk. I count my damage and how many turns I will take and am 1 damage off lethal so I commit to kill his Liliana first and seeing where I end up. My t5 off Time Walk, I attack, cast Time Walk, then uptick my Lilly on my Eternal Witness and Unearth it, getting time walk back and casting it. My t6 off Time Walk, I downtick Lilly and get Eternal Witness back and Time Walk again. I draw Ephemerate on my last turn and then end up taking infinite turns. That was my last turn to find a way to win in 1 more damage or infinite turns off of my initial Lilly+Unearth+Time Walk+Eternal Witness hand from my T4. I found it on my last turn with the ephemerate.
RD 4 vs Med Red: 2-1 The return of the HogWizardLord is back, we are all doomed.
G1: Red love Hog, Hog no love red back. Hog draw Price to Progress, Pat die.
G2: Red now jealous, treat Hog poorly, Hog Mull to 6. I Thoughtseize him on the play and see Chrome Mox, Sol Ring, Ancient Tomb, busted red three drop creatures x2, busted red four drop creature x1, RED LOVE HOG AGAIN. I take his Chrome Mox and pass. He doesn’t draw a Mountain, the love hate relationship continues. When he finally finds a Mountain and taps out for some three mana 3/3 that only he could win with, I take infinite turns.
G3: Red angry at Hog, hog no win with busted hand. He keeps a hand with no acceleration. I Inquisiton and take Goblin Rabblemaster, seeing a Skullclamp and some creatures that aren’t a fast clock. He plays the Clamp, then I Prismatic ending it. He plays a 3 drop creature with no text while I am at a high life total. I develop mana. Next turn he Clamps his 3 drop and plays Looter Scooter. I untap, cast Wall of Roots and pass. He Loots with Scoots, and passes. I hand attack him with Grief, see a clear coast and take infinite turns.
Its extremely surprising to beat a Hogman on red, the gods of luck have to smile on you to even give you a chance against him when he is with the red deck that loves him so. The changes made the deck so much better. I didn’t face down a Blood Moon so less basics didn’t ruin me too badly although I did get Priced once in the finals but I was losing anyways to an on board Eidolon of the Great Revel. I had a timely Swords against a Dreadhorde Arcanist against Jeskai Control, and I had a very powerful Prismatic Ending on a Skullclamp in the finals that would have become a real issue.