38 List

I went -1 Flooded Strand +1 Misty Rainforest. This list is skewed to make the Shadow matchup reasonable and is mostly conceding the UW matchup, at least the Terminus Mystic Sanctuary type. Also no Knight of Autumn main still because I believe the good Urza players will not have any Pithing Needles game 1.

Devout Lightcaster has been upgraded out of "close to being cut."

The cards closest to being cut are 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.

Results

3-2 (7-6). Lost to Burn due to a really bad mulligan situation game 3, and lost to E Tron by losing the die roll. I'm really not running into people who I can T3 anymore.

These are fine/approximately even matchups; no complaints there. But I'm just not seeing as much Ancient Stirrings to beat up on anymore (I'm 15-2 vs Ancient Stirrings), and not as much "Linear and Go Big" at all really (30-5 vs that category, which includes Tron, Storm, Amulet, Ad Nauseam, Bogles, Living End, Elves, Scapeshift, Mill, Twiddle Storm, JAC, Neoform, Titanshift, Paradoxical Outcome).

OO Amulet (T3, T8) Lifetime 3-2 vs Amulet

XOO 8Rack (T13, T8) Lifetime 1-0 vs 8 Rack

XOX Burn (T12) Lifetime 10-8 vs Burn

OXO Prowess (T5, T8) Lifetime 2-2 vs Prowess

XX Eldrazi Tron Lifetime 5-3 vs Eldrazi Tron

Rounds!

Round 1 on the play vs Nexus_VI on Amulet

If Amulet became extremely popular AND Mystic Sanctuary caught on I would go back to Blood Moon. But they have a hard time racing us and a hard time interacting, so this matchup is pretty good even without the moon.

Win Game 1

Hand's great.

Opponent has the T1 Amulet and T2 Azusa but doesn't have EE.

Actually this hand beats EE on 2 anyway. Whatever, this is why we are here. Our holy mission is to defeat Ancient Stirrings decks. Win T3.

+3 Veil +1 Ouphe -3 Evolution -1 Shalai until we see what their interaction is. Usually it is countermagic and EE.

Game 2

This really doesn't get there. Say the Once Upon a Time hits a Druid. Then it's like, maybe good. If it hits a Noble or something, that's really bad.

Hmm. This is reminding me that I was supposed to board out Givers. They don't really protect against the opponent's things very well unless there are paths.

OK. Bottom Forest and Giver.

I had the option to play Ouphe or Druid T2. I picked Druid, and it got Dismembered. That means I definitely punted -- the Ouphe and the Veil are both intended to protect the Druid, and I blanked both of them by playing the way I did. Subtle but extremely important.

Anyway I play a Gavony Township game because they can't activate their Ballista, I get them down to 7 and they draw a Once Upon a Time, which would win but they miss the Titan. Win T8.

Round 2 on the play vs tonifm on 8Rack

Who even knows; people play these decks and I'm not thinking about them. They probably think that gives them an advantage. I understand that this kind of thinking supports the Modern format, so I'm not hostile to it or anything; it's just, yea. I don't understand why anyone would play this.

Lose Game 1

What a hand.

Opponent goes T1 Urborg Fatal Push. I play T2 Druid and get Poxed.

T3 Thoughtseize takes my Call and Raven's Crime takes my last spell. I decide to keep 3 lands so I can cast things. Then I draw Shalai. Lol.

+4 Veil +1 Caterpillar +1Lightcaster -3 Evolution -2 Once Upon a Time -1 Call

Win Game 2

This looks fine. Veil can break things wide open and the other cards aren't dead.

T1 nothing, T2 Once Upon a Time finds a Druid. I just pass; opponent's Inquisition gets Veiled.

My T3 Druid + Noble gets Pushed + Charmed. I have the Lunge, so I need any relevant card to win T4, but don't hit one.

Opponent plays T4 Ashiok.

Byebye Ashiok.

Raven's Crime takes a ton of my cards but I win by playing Shalai T7.

Then I punt the game away by throwing away my Lightcaster into a Mutavault, which means I can lose to a Smallpox if opponent topdecks it. They don't, so I 'm safe.

T8 is Giver + Caterpillar. Opponent has Davriel + Rack though, so the race is actually scary. I take a hit from each before killing Davriel in combat and eating the Rack with a Caterpillar.

I go to fetch for an Arbor in response to Pox, but it turned out it got exiled to Ashiok forever ago, so I lose a life for no reason. This actually affects the clock.

The winning line is to Lunge a Noble to get in the last point of damage, which is sweet. Win T13.

Win Game 3

On the draw this is kind of hard, because we can't help but play into Smallpox. Whatever, I guess keep this.

Is this correct? I purposely didn't play anything because Pox gets another card for free.

But then I am playing slowly into a tempo deck, kind of?

Opponent plays T2 Nihil Spellbomb, I play T2 double Giver. One gets Pushed. The other kills a Davriel with Exalted on T3.

I Call for Shalai in response to a T4 Inquisition so I can't lose it to the Inquisition, but now it's Ashiok vs Giver + Shalai. I think opponent will need a sweeper to win. I don't think they play those, so I play into it by a LOT.

Win T8.

Round 3 on the draw vs XtraJuls on Burn

I used to have more cards against Burn, but each sideboard slot beyond my 2nd Forgetender wasn't doing much to advance the Shalai plan, so this is what we have.

Lose Game 1

This is a T3 with a land, or a T4, so I'm keeping it.

This is not a good hand vs Burn. Dead.

+3 Path +2 Forgetender +1 Caterpillar -2 Vizier -1 Once Upon a Time -2 Lunge -1 Call

Win Game 2

I don't really see how the Giver would live, and if I don't draw something to do, this hand is very sketchy. On the other hand T1 Giver, T3 Forgetender isn't terrible.

I kept it. I'm not sure.

I literally drew the second Lunge. Ouch. T2 Arbor from Finale. T3 Forgetender from Finale.

It looks good, but .. it's not. I can't hit a land for Shalai.

Opponent burns a Skullcrack for no value at the end of the turn displayed at left, so I go to 5. Then they untap and play Eidolon.

On Turn 7, I draw a Razorverge Thicket as my 4th land, because everything sucks.

Turn 8 Shalai, at 2 life. My Giver gets Pathed in response.

I have the win through a spell but I blocked backwards leaving Eidolon alive with me at 2 life... Then opponent punts by Helixing the wrong target... yikes. What a mess of a game. Win T12 when the dust settles.

-1 Lunge +1 Vizier

Game 3

Man this is almost great. If they have a creature heavy hand and I draw a land this is close to just a win. On the other hand these Finales are similar to a mull to 6 already... I tossed it back.

Oh no. This one is really really sketchy.

Okay here is my 5 -- bottom Druid and Vines.

Once Upon a Time is my T1 Noble, which gets Searing Blazed. T2 Druid gets a Bolt. I go to 11. Ranger-Captain for Forgetender on T3 sends me to 8; it gets Skewered and I go to 4. Lame to end the round like this. Maybe that 7 was a keep. It would have been strong vs opponent's Swiftspear Eidolon opening.

Round 4 on the draw vs Glamur_bear on Prowess

Prowess is interesting because they have a hard time turning into a control deck the way that Burn can, so we actually can try to race by protecting a druid. 3 Paths are very very strong, too -- Prowess decks don't really play enough threats to punch through multiple Paths unless they get time to use a Reveler.

Win Game 1

T4 on the draw with no protection is a pass from me.

This at least has the Giver.

Bottom the Lunge. Soul-Scar Mage against Giver of Runes and my opponent plays Light Up The Stage T2 with no second land.

← Opponent's Light Up the Stage is very monkaS. I take 8 on T3.

Opponent hits second land T4 and starts doing math. They Bolt my Giver, and I protect the Druid in response. Double Lava Dart kills the Druid. Another Mutagenic Growth puts me to 2, so my Lunge win is just barely turned off.

I guess I was supposed to block with the Giver of Runes T1. It would have turned off Light Up the Stage?

Wow, opponent bricks and I live at 1. Win T5.

Opponent starts to make me click through it, but then decides not to after I make 19 mana. I guess they don't make the Hall of Not Valuing Your Time for that since they thought better of it.

-1 Finale -1 Call -2 Lunge -1 Evolution +3 Path +2 Forgetender

Lose Game 2

It would be tough to throw this one back. I mean, I want a Path, but not that badly.

Opponent plays T1 Nothing, T2 Cantrip and Nothing. Once Upon a Time hits a Ranger-Captain.

My T2 Druid gets a Burst Lightning.

T3 they Blood Moon me! Well then! I guess I fetched wrong! They play T4 Soul-Scar Mage. I hit my Plains and Path the Soul-Scar. They Dismember my Shalai.

T8 I play Forge-Tender.

T11 my Vizier gets Gut Shotted.

T13 I Lunge a Druid just to get Green mana to cast my other two Druids. I don't use any Green mana to cast the Vizier, but they Abrade my Druid, and I make a Green mana. In response to the untap, they spend a Bolt on it. This is great because it's all happening on my turn. I end up with a Noble and a Vizier and a Forgetender.

The Noble gets the flashback Lava Dart, and the Vizier gets a Bolt.

I die T16 to a Crash Through giving two Kiln Fiends trample.

I'm not changing my boarding for that Moon.

Win Game 3

I guess so..

T1 Noble gets a Bolt. T2 Forgetender, T3 Druid with double Forgetender up.

Opponent Dismembers the Druid, which is pretty sad considering the situation. Then I immediately draw a Vines of Vastwood, for the rub-ins.

I trade a Vines with a Gut Shot to save Ballista. Ballista dies to Bolt. I T6 Ranger-Captain for Noble, and opponent is still stuck on one land.

Win T8 with Ranger-Captain beats.

Round 5 on the draw vs Yaggdryzzill on Eldrazi Tron

E Tron is fine, not great. We should be able to race them, but the die roll matters a lot. If the game goes long, they mess up our hand AND our board, which is bad. But they also don't usually play enough interaction to stop us from having a live Druid.

Lose Game 1

Yup.

This hand beats T3 Karn Liberated, but not T3 Karn, Great Creator for Spyglass. That sucks, a lot. I play Noble and hit the Karn to 1. T4, opponent takes my Evolution with a TKS.

It's possible I was supposed to just Evolve the Druid in to Shalai and hit the Karn to 2..... hmmm.

I hit Karn to 3 and evolve a Druid into Shalai as my T4, so I won't be dead to Lattice.

Opponent spends 6 minutes thinking about the line of Dismembering Shalai and casting Ballista for 3. I can't really imagine how that was difficult, since it was the only valid target. But who knows. I kill Karn with a Lunge, and die to the Ballista.

+3 Path +1 Veil +1 Caterpillar

-2 Lunge -1 Once -1 Noble -1 Shalai; I have no idea.

Lose Game 2

I think we can expect better than this.

I guess: Bottom the Druid.

T1 Noble. T2 Druid. I don't draw any pieces, just another Druid. So I pass to their T3 Tron just holding up Vines. TKS takes Vines. Maybe this isn't a keep.

I find a Path for the TKS, but I'm facing down Karn again. Opponent just slams Lattice T4, and I path in response to it. Unfortunately my board is garbage, so I can't do 3 damage to an undefended Karn. Dead. Maybe a bad keep?

I mean, I really should have tried harder to win the die roll.

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