Subject: TSE MONO GREEN [Deck for Deck Work Shop] Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 19:07:16 -0500 From: mitchell a waldbauer To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com VG(Versatile Green) Deck For those of you who care here is some info on the development of this deck(Those who don't care just skip a few paragraphs). Two saturdays ago I went from owning 0 Vineyards to 4. I also Went from 1 Erratic Portal to 4. I wanted to use them so I thought "Why not at the upcoming tournament?" I expected to see many mono black, a few mono red, and other assorted decks. For mono black I had Dauthi Horrors(The original version had black also), Spike Weaver, Maze of Shadows, Wall of Blossoms, and Torture Chamber. For mono red I had Verdant Force( I had Reccuring Nightmare in the deck to get it out), Pygmy trolls, Lowland Basilisk, Wall of Blossoms, and Spike Feeders. Against Death/Ghouls and Control I had fatties and Spikes. It worked fine but I soon found more green cards I wanted to use and also found the black cards less useful. Out come the Dauthi Horrors for Heartwood Dryads, and Recuring Nightmare for more creatures. This change also allowed be to have more Mazes/Wastelands in the deck. So here is the decklist as played on Sunday: VG 4 Eladamri's Vineyard 3 Erratic Protal 2 Torture Chamber 2 Thopter Squadron 3 Survival of the Fittest 4 Spike Feeders 3 Spike Weaver 2 Spike Soldier 2 Scragnoth 4 Wall of Blossoms 4 Heartwood Dryad 3 Pygmy Troll 1 Lowland Basilisk 1 Constant Mists 3 Wasteland 2 Maze of Shadows 17 Forests Sideboard: 3 Needlestorm(Tradewinds) 2 Tranquility(Cop:Green,Assorted Enchantments) 1 Scragnoth(Blue Control) 1 Pygmy Troll(Mono red, BR Oath of Ghouls) 1 Torture Chamber(Weenie decks) 2 Constant Mists(Hatred, Capsize) 1 Maze of Shadows(Hatred) 1 Wasteland(Decks with Nonbasic lands w/o shadows) 1 Spike Soldier(Capsize) 2 Winter's Grasp(Blue control) This deck is capable of dealing with most of the deck archtypes very well. Mono Black-Has difficulty using Vineyard Mana. Fog them until they die to mana burn. After boarding remember they may have Perish. It is not a problem as long as you don't overextend yourself. Torture Chambers and Maze of Shadows rock. Mono Red-The deck's creatures are capable of big enough and plentiful enough to take on mono red's one for one. Maniacal Rage can cause problems but moving spikes onto other creatures or the Lowland Basililisk or the Spike Soldiers can deal with them. Torture Chambers and Wall of Blossoms rock. Mono White - If you see this deck don't worry. Mono white is strong against Red, Black, and enchantment based decks. The deck has none of these. Fog until mana burn death. Torture Chambers and Spike Weavers rock. Awakening - Playing Vineyard is risky. If you need the mana go for it. Drop creatures on the table a few at a time(unless they have blockers) and apply beatdown. The last two creatures you should cast are Spike Soldiers and Scragnoths because they are immune to capsize. If they target your land with capsize then cast Constant Mists and sack it. Spikes, Scragnoth, Wastelands, and Constant Mists rock. Survival/Recurring/Death Variant - Play only a few non spikes at a time. Make sure that spikes can be killed in response to a living death. Spike Weavers help fog. Inflated Thopter Squadron should let you fly over their defenses and win. Torture Chamber helps get rid of weenies so they can't use Recurring Nightmare. If they have Living Deaths then Survival for Feeders and Weavers. Sideboard in tranquilities. This is the toughest matchup for VG, but, VG beats it most of the time. Survival of the Fittests, Wastelands, and Winter's Grasps rock. CounterPhoenix - Play like against awakening. Play Spike Soldiers and Scragnoths last so that they waste burn on the others. Vineyard allows them to recur the Phoenix more often. Spike Soldiers, Scragnoths, and Wastelands rock. The Erratic Portals are in the deck for use with Spikes and Wall of Blossoms, and to tie up mana against weenie decks. __________________________________________________________________________ Tournament Report. VG makes its debut. THe tournament was small(12 people) but quite varied. Survival, CounterPhoenix, Mono Black, and Awakening are there. Match 1 Justin playing Awakening/Recurring/Tradewinds/12 Countermagic. Round 1 - Early Survival for Scragnoth kills him. A capsize fizzles off of Constant Mists. Sideboard more Constant Mists, Wastelands, Winter's Grasp, Tranguility, and Scragnoth. Round 2 - Turn two Wall of Blossoms. He allows that. Turn three Winter's Grasp one of his two Islands. He allows that. He drops an island. I play my fourth land and smile at the Scragnoth sitting in my hand. He then lays a swamp(wtf?) and we both say in unison "I cast Lobotomy." There go my Scragnoths. I drop multiple creatures. I Finally have enough creatures to do heavy damage and he casts Perish(I wish I had known he had that to!). I drop a survival with no creatures in hand. He drops a Tradewind. Next turn he bounces my Survival and casts Lobotomy. I refuse to show him more of my deck and conceed. Out goes a Constant Mist in goes a Spike Soldier. Round 3 - Turn two Survival for me. Turn four Spike Soldier gets mana leaked. Turn five Scragnoth does not. But he has a Wall of Blossoms. I Survival for a Spike Feeder. I cast Spike Feeder. I move a counter. I play no more creatures for him to Perish, but he never draws one. 1-0,2-1 Match 2 Andy playing Counter Phoenix Round 1 - I discover he is playing Blue when he drops turn one Island. I use my normal blue strategy. Play two creatures and beatdown with them until he burns them. Then drop Spike Soldier. After a Phoenix and two Shocks it dies.He has two cards in hand. I have five. Drop another Soldier. Dismiss (Uhoh). I cast Survival. Dismiss. Drop Scragnoth. Spike Scragnoth. He Whispers. He's at five, but eventually kills my Scragnoth and wins. In go other Soldier, Scragnoth, Wastelands, Winter's Grasp. Round 2 - He drops turn one Mountain. Misses turn two land drop. I Winter's Grasp his mountain. I drop a copule of critters that go all the way. No sideboard change. Round 3 - Same as round one but no Dismisses(So he keeps only a few cards in hand) or Whispers. 2-0.4-2 Match 3 Brent playing Hatred Round 1 - I drop turn one Vineyard. He drops Swamp. ;). VG likes Mono Black. He drops Shadows. I drop Weaver w/ one mana open. I draw a Survival. I fog for a few turns, then get another Weaver. I draw another Vineyard. He dies to 21 total points of mana burn. Side in Maze, and Mists. Round 2 - Same as round one but he draws a Hatred turn 3. However, He has 5 less life than me and I can block one of his two shadows. I stall with Weavers and Mists. He dies to mana burn death. 3-0, 6-2 Match 4 Jennifer(my Girlfriend) Playing RB Oath of Ghouls/Living Death Round 1 - Early assault from Mogg Fanatic, Rats of Rath, and Blood Pet do damages to me. Many people watch as we are both undefeated and are going out. People remark on how I am losing. THey fail to relize that I have taken only five damage and have three more cards in hand than she does. I get out my Weavers and Torture Chamber. She dies to many Spikes. In goes a Pygmy Troll, Wastelands, Winter's Grasps, and other Soldier. Round 2 - Turn one vineyard. Turn two Wall of Blossoms. Turn three Torture Chamber. Turn Five Torture Chamber. She only has six creatures and one Oath of Ghouls. Turn nine Torture Chamber. I can now in one turn kill anything she can pull out of her graveyard. She dies to more Spikes. 4-0,8-2 I win the Tournament! I get 30 store credit. Get some boosters. I get a Reflecting Pool, Living Death, and Rainbow Efreet. Props- My girlfriend for being one of the best Magic Players in town. Me for writing a report. Grandslam for holding tournaments every Sunday. Andy for being a great Judge. Robert for giving me the finger. Sean for getting second and for asking my advice. To Frank for the best website on the net. Slops- Me for any typos. Comments are expected. My email is Eagleye@dhc.net. Hasaki Waldheimer "Spikes are the perfect beings in the Rath Cycle. They annoying Living Death, fizzle buybacks, make Scragnoth's bigger, and are nice fat creatures. Maybe one day elves can evolve into Spikes. And they taste good too." -Squee reading from Ertai's notes with his own commentary