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List

My opponents on hard control decks were playing Terminus and Damnation as their sweepers, so the days of 4 Thrun are over. -1 Thrun +1 Chameleon Colossus.

The cards closest to being cut are Devout Lightcaster, Chameleon Colossus, 2nd Forest, Dryad Arbor, 3rd Evolution, 3rd Path.

The cards that just barely didn't make the cut are Hushbringer, 2nd Ballista, Knight of Autumn, 4th Horizon Canopy, and 5th Green Fetch.

Results

2-3 (6-7). I misplayed badly in the first two matches and missed lands to an absurd degree in the last match. I do think the shadow match is fine with postboard games having 9 sideboard slots for it, even though it looks really bad here, you can feel the difference. I am really happy with the deck. The only thing I'm unsure of is the 5th fetchland. I think I will go back to the green fetch just because Dryad Arbor is still in the deck.

XX Whirza Lifetime 5-2 vs Whir

XOX Shadow (T5) Lifetime 1-9 vs Shadow

OO Eldrazi Tron (T4, T7) Lifetime 4-2 vs Eldrazi Tron

XOO Storm (T7, T4) Lifetime 2-0 vs Storm

XOX Shadow (T11) Lifetime 1-10 vs Shadow

Lifetime stats are now 126-67 in matches (65.28%).

Round 1 on the play vs Cienaga on Whirza

I had a maindeck Knight of Autumn for a while and it's always close to making the deck. However, I think Paradoxical Outcome is the better Urza deck now, and they don't game 1 Needle you very much, so putting the Knight in your maindeck is basically just for Burn and for the bad version of Urza, which isn't worth it. Anyway, I don't have it, so this is hard, because they can basically always Needle you.

Lose Game 1

Here if Once Upon a Time is a Druid or a Dork this is fine. So I'll keep.

Once was a Noble. Opponent goes Bauble Mountain Galvanic Blast Opal.

I draw the third Once Upon a Time. Yikes. T2 Once Upon a Time for Shalai, T3 Once Upon a Time for Druid. Not good.

T4 Druid, T5 go for it but get Needled via Whir. I Evolve the Vizier into a Shalai. Opponent gets a Welding Jar.

I spend T6 on getting Ranger-Captain for Dryad Arbor to start the Gavony Township game. T7 I get Noble and Giver so I can punch through Sai Thopters if they appear.

I end up in an obnoxious situation where I can put them to 3 and put a Ballista in my hand but they get a turn with like infinite Urza spins to try to gain life. They hit the Thopter Foundry on the first cantrip, so they go out of Ballista range, then the second cantrip hits a Sword of the Meek and I'm dead. Whatever; this is a deckbuilding loss. But I can't bring myself to play the Caterpillar main.

+2 Ouphe +1 Caterpillar +3 Path

-2 Once Upon a Time -2 Noble -2 Evolution

Lose Game 2

This is technically T2 Call T3 Druid T4 win, which we keep on the play.

I draw a Once Upon a Time and can choose between Druid or Ouphe; I know it doesn't matter, so I pick Ouphe and it gets Galv Blasted.

They play T3 Urza, which I Path and play Call for Druid.

T4 Druid + Giver. Opponent goes T4 Goblin Engineer + Trophy. I can Finale T5 for either Druid with Giver protection or Ouphe with Giver protection. I pick Druid and demand they have the Urza as their last card. Well, they had Dead of Winter as their last card.

Good enough - when opponent has Galv Blast, Trophy, and Dead of Winter in the early game, I have to draw a Lunge to win. I don't.

Round 2 on the play vs UnderwaterBimbo on Shadow

Shadow is the one matchup that has been completely unwinnable for me, and I now have 9 sideboard cards for it. Let's see if we can steal Game 1 (probably never) and then try to win both boarded games.

Lose Game 1

Nope.

Uhh

I guess this is our hand.

Bottom an Evolution and an Arbor.

Once Upon a Time is a Druid, so that's nice. Call goes away to the T1 Inquisition though.

I don't plan to beat much interaction on 5 cards against Shadow, so I fetch Arbor. Opponent has Bolt + Push and I concede. Our sideboard is ready, I mean, if we ever have any lands.

+4 Veil +3 Path +1 Colossus +1 Lightcaster

-3 Evolution -2 Vizier -2 Noble -2 Once Upon a Time

Win Game 2

What the fuck

I guess this is what we get to work with; bottom Vizier:

At least it has Veils.

I go T1 nothing, T2 Arbor. Opponent has Push but it gets Veiled. I play T3 Druid, which gets Abraded. I can't win with the Lunge that turn (need WW) so I play Giver and pass planning to Call for Ballista on opponent's turn to lower the W costs.

I decide to play around Cryptic Command (??they don't play that??) by Calling in response to a fetchland, which is not smart.

Opponent plays Ashiok and doesn't minus it, so I win with Lunge T5 with Veil backup. It's nice that Devout Lightcaster will exile an Ashiok too if needed.

Lose Game 3

Okay here's where we play some games where Veil gets Inquisitioned and it feels bad

Wait no instead it's another 0 land hand.

This is fine; we just want to mess up their early interaction and this does it:

Bottom the Forest; forest sucks.

T1 opponent does nothing and I am thrilled to also do nothing. T2 Giver holding up vines and Veil. The critical decision of the game is this fetchland after I draw Basic Plains:

I almost always fetch Basic Plains after Temple Garden because whatever; white is almost always the bottleneck. But here, with the other Plains in hand, it's a disaster and leads to the situation at the left when I draw Devoted Druid.

Opponent plays 2 Shadows; I Path one of them. Then I get this real awkward situation because I fetched Temple Garden + Plains (bad play) and drew Plains and Druid.

←←←←←

They have a Collective Brutality and a K Command which are both on the stack at the same time with me having 1 mana up, so I'm dead to my bad fetch costing me LITERALLY 5 cards.

Then we play a lot more turns but I see no tutors for my insane bombs. I know I don't deserve one at this point but it's still tilting. I need to work on becoming

Round 3 on the play vs NightKnight131 on Eldrazi Tron

I am pretty sure Eldrazi Tron is a mistake and all these people should be playing good tron. That said, this deck attacks us a little better by interacting with both hand and board, since we are so good at racing normal Tron.

Win Game 1

Hmm. No early Druid but has protection and lots of pieces. If this draws a land or a Druid it is a T4. I kept it.

Opponent plays T2 Chalice, and I play T3 Finale for Druid. This beats Karn because of Lunge, but it doesn't beat a Thought-Knot Seer.

Opponent plays a Matter Reshaper, which is even less playable than Kitchen Finks, and dies T4. Can they really not find a better card for that slot?

+3 Path +1 Caterpillar -2 Vines (Chalice) -1 Once -1 Shalai?

I did not feel comfortable sideboarding this.

Win Game 2

This doesn't win early even with a lot of lands off the top.

Much better; bottom a Canopy:

The Once Upon a Time is a Ballista. Opponent Dismembers both of my early plays. I play T3 Giver of Runes and opponent puts a second counter on Blast Zone.

I play the Lunge into that Blast Zone because hey, trading it for opponent's land and Mind Stone seems fine.

(Opponent played Ballista on 1 while my Giver was tapped, but didn't cash it in, so now this is awkward for them)

Opponent's two Dismembers and losing two mana to stop my T4 win means I am threatening his life total, and because he has no mana, his Ballista looks really bad against my Ballista.

Win T7 just in time to get under Map for Tron, thanks to Noble and opponent's Blast Zone.

Round 4 on the draw vs lkoeb186 on Storm

Storm is generally pretty easy; their red removal doesn't get Veiled but Giver + Shalai causes all manner of headaches for them. We are a little bit faster and our backup plan is significantly stronger.

Lose Game 1

This is fine with good mana, good protection, 2 pieces, and a backup plan.

T1 Noble, T2 Giver + Call. Opponent has the T2 bear though, so it's too slow.

Here is the decision point -- Shalai is bad vs Remand, but Druid is bad if they are trying to kill me next turn.

I decide it's probably Remand, and they have the Gifts in response to Shalai anyway.

Gifts pile happens, and I let them have all the mana.

I die T4.

They flash back the Gifts. I think it was incorrect to play the Druid without the lethal available. Shalai demands an answer.

Honestly I never learned how to do Storm gifts piles. I should learn that.

+2 Path +2 Veil -3 Evolution -1 Once

I later realize that Veil counters Gifts, and so I want 4.

Win Game 2

This is fine.

We both play T2 mana guy that wins the game -- Opponent has the 0 mana Dismember though, which is sweet.

Opponent goes Aria and Abrade my T3 Druid, and I play T3 Ranger-Captain + Giver.

I then have to decide between Shalai or holding up Veil.

I decide to hold up Veil again because I really don't think I can lose from there with Veil up, and with the Noble I can Shalai with Veil up next turn.

Opponent Grapeshots my Giver of Runes.

I don't know if you are aware of this but Aria of Flame's damage is not a "May" ability. Hahaha.

+2 Veil -1 Once Upon a Time -1 Noble

Win Game 3

This is close. It needs almost anything to be a T3, but it doesn't have any of the pieces that really screw up their gameplan.

On the play I think this is a snap keep. On the draw I think this is really tricky. I kept it.

I draw Finale. Opponent cantrips a lot and T3 Grapeshots away my board. If I had drawn exactly Vizier I would have lethal with Lunge, but I don't -- just Call off the top. I'll have to Call for Vizier and wait to win T4.

Win T4 with Veil backup.

Round 5 on the draw vs FranPi on Shadow

If I face two Shadows every league then I do not think this deck is the right deck. But here we are, hoping to steal a game 1 and planning to win both sideboarded games.

Game 1

Nooooo

This is great: bottom second Giver.

Opponent goes Bauble Wraith Thoughtseize, and I Once Upon a Time in response.

Interesting Once Upon a Time here. I pick the land.

Opponent takes the Finale, which is surprising to me. I naturally draw another one and go T2 Druid. Opponent has Push + Dismember for my Druid + Giver.

Legacy decks gonna Legacy I guess.

+3 Path +4 Veil +1 Lightcaster +1 Colossus

-3 Evolution -2 Once -2 Vizier -2 Noble

Opponent wants to help me out with how the deck works I guess:

Win Game 2

This hand is pretty bad; no Veil, no Path, no bomb, just a Path and this bad Arbor.

Welp

I guess this is it

Keep Veil Path Path Land Once Upon a Time.

Veil snags the Inquisition. No second Veil for Escalated Brutality, so they still get to do their thing. Mulls to 5 vs Discard decks suck a lot, but I don't believe in keeping borderline 7s with no Veils anymore.

I Call in response to a Thoughtseize so that my Lunge is another Lightcaster instead of just a Call being in the bin.

T7 I play Ranger-Captain + Ballista; the Ballista gets a Push. The Ranger-Captain gets a Terminate.

My next Finale can either get a Lightcaster or a Rangercaptain, and I pick Lightcaster, and ride it to victory turn 11. Beating Shadow on a mull to 5 when on the play is certainly something.

Lose Game 3

If there is a 0-lander to keep, this is it. But that's the question. Is there a 0-lander to keep?

Once Upon a Time AND the top of the deck miss a land (9% chance). Welp. Sometimes you get wrecked.

I lose a Veil to a Thoughtseize; T2 Shadow appears. I miss the land on the third draw too. Wow.

Conclusion

Shadow matchup was two of the losses, but that's fine -- the point is that the matchup actually feels good now -- there are enough sideboard cards to actually fight it. Unfortunately we lost a lot of our UW cards to do it.

Anyway 2-3 is not good, but learning a matchup is great. Lightcaster is the real deal.

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