39 List

Same as last time. We are tilted toward making the Shadow matchup decent, and don't have a solid UW plan except this one Thrun.

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

4-1 (8-2). We beat every Modern deck we faced. Ban Opal.

Last league I complained a bit that "I just can't T3 people anymore" and I guess complaining is where it's at, because I got four T3s and two T4s in this league.

Played no game 3s.

OO Tron (T3, T9) Lifetime 10-0 vs Tron (!)

OO Stoneblade (T3, T3) Lifetime 6-4 vs Stoneblade

XX Paradoxical Lifetime 2-2 vs Vintage Decks, somehow, please ban this

OO Day's Undoing (T4, T8) Not tracked

OO Amulet (T3, T4) Lifetime 4-2 vs Amulet

Rounds

Round 1 on the play vs yPrincipe on Tron

Tron is an unbelievably good matchup for us; even if they win the die roll, we have many T3s that win through T3 Karn. And when they don't T3 Karn, our T4's almost always beat T4 Karn. When you win the die roll, this matchup feels almost unloseable.

Win Game 1

Especially with this hand!

Once Upon a Time is a backup Druid. We won the die roll, so easy T3.

Opponent makes me click through it, earning a spot in the Hall of Not Valuing Your Time.

+2 Ouphe -1 Lunge -1 Shalai

Win Game 2

This is not great but it's certainly fine. A Noble off the top would make this insane.

The opponent has T3 Tron from a Scrying. From this position we could:

Finale for Dryad Arbor, planning to beat the Karn minus by holding up Vines the following turn, but risking an Ugin or something
Play Ouphe and hope they point at that instead of a land which would also allow Druid + Vines T3
Just jam the Druid.

I went with "just jam it." Opponent Warping Wails the druid (I kill it) and then plays no artifacts. I can win with a Lunge off the top, but I don't find one, so I just play Ouphe.

I have opponent at 8 and Karn is plussing, then it minuses for no reason on the Shalai.

Anyway we end up in this position, which is a really neat puzzle. Find the T9 win from this position (currently turn 8) that beats the fact that they drew Ugin next turn.

Wait don't read the answer yet! Try to solve it!

Solution: Evolve Ouphe into Ranger-Captain for Noble. Play both Nobles. Hit opponent to 3. Opponent turns up Blast Zone to 4 and blasts Shalai, but you silence their Ugin away. Nothing they do can stop Giver on Ballista; it prevents the lifegain and the Karn minus, and they exactly die to Ballista pings because the Ouphe is gone.

Round 2 on the draw vs lawney97 on GW Taxes/Stoneblade

Stoneforge Mystic is tempo negative in a way that makes this matchup really easy. The only way they can win is with Spell Queller, but if they aren't playing blue, they can't play even the only card that matters.

Win Game 1

Yup

Opponent plays T1 Forest Go, which is pretty good for me. Opponent plays Aven Mindcensor in response to my Finale for X=10, which doesn't matter at all. Technically I guess I should have played it for 20? Win T3.

Also, MTGO bug lets me look at my whole library. I report this and get my entry fee reimbursed (which isn't what I was asking for??). Free league!

-1 Once -1 Lunge -1 Call, +3 Path -- forgot to bring in Caterpillar.

Win Game 2

Sure, this is fine.

I draw second Basic Forest, which is awful. So I have to use the Once Upon a Time on a white source instead of a Vizier or wincon. I'm not sure about second Forest.

Anyway, I draw a Vizier and win T3.

Opponent has a single Path, but it is pretty sad in the face of my Giver + Vines protection. They needed 3 interaction spells to live to T4, and only had 1.

Round 3 on the play vs _Phoenix_ on Vintage Paradoxical Outcome

This isn't really winnable because it's a Vintage deck in Modern, but postboard we can try to T2 Ouphe and hope that is good enough. You can play a Knight of Autumn maindeck if you want but that does not matter at all so you should not do so; the vintage deck does not care about your random T2 Shatter that happens after everything is set up after they already used their moxen twice. Plan A is hoping this deck is banned soon. I don't say this lightly; ban discussions are dumb. Anyway let's watch the nonsense:

Lose Game 1

These Basic Forests are really coming on strong today. This hand is garbage, mull it:

This has a T3 Druid and T4 win, but only if Noble lives or I topdeck exactly land. That's not great upside, and both Evolutions and the Shalai are dead if I don't have 2+ mana on turn 2.

I still keep it and bottom an Evolution, because LETS GO

The Noble lives! Opponent plays T1 Emry flipping over a Pithing Needle into T2 EE on 1 killing Noble. LOL.

I miss the land three times and die. I was dead anyway to the Needle.

+2 Ouphe +1 Caterpillar +2 Path -1 Vines -2 Giver -1 Once -1 Evolution

Game 2

Nope.

Uhh, what's with the Dryad Arbors

oookay i guess keep 4: bottom Arbor, Vines, Druid

My T2 Druid gets Brutality and I lose my topdecked Lunge too. I don't think a mull to 4 generally beats a Collective Brutality.

Funnily enough I draw the Ballista for T3, so I had the T3 if they didn't interact! :P Hahaha yea whatever. It gets Thoughtseized. Then all my things get EE'd. GGs.

Round 4 on the play vs SvenSveeterSven on Ur Day's Undoing and Archmage's Charm.

Opponent is basically a mono-blue control deck with some combo elements. We are ready for that with Veils and Thrun.

Win Game 1

Yup:

Opponent goes T1 Scalding Tarn pass, so I don't run out the T2 Druid since that would blank the Vines in my hand. This decision is critical and wins the game.

I resolve my T3 Druid with Vines backup, the Vines trades for a Bolt, and opponent plays T3 Narset getting Force of Negation. I play Ranger-Captain for Ballista and win T4.

I decide opponent is probably on a slow planeswalker and Blood Moon control deck rather than a Thing in the Ice deck because I saw no cantrips, so I board like this:

+4 Veil +1 Thrun +1 Caterpillar -3 Evolution -1 Once -2 Vizier

Win Game 2

This hand is ready for the long game; let's hope opponent is not on a Thing in the Ice deck.

I play Noble on 1 as bait, but it doesn't die. Then opponent fetches two Islands in a row and spends their first two turns playing three cantrips. Yikes.

I don't know what is going on so I play Giver T2. I force Druid through an Archmage's Charm T3, and play second Giver.

I pass the turn here, waiting for more Veil and with the ability to use my mana on their turn.

When opponent casts Narset and doesn't Minus, this seems like some kind of weird Day's Undoing combo deck.

I cast Thrun T5.

They Bolt + Archmage's Charm to steal a Giver of Runes, then, I called it -- Day's Undoing!

On T7, they get a Pyroclasm with Narset, which isn't going to kill Thrun very effectively.

Win T8.

Round 5 on the play vs Carpizza on Amulet

Matchup is pretty easy really; they can't race us really, and they are not built to interact enough to matter. If we wanted to slam dunk the matchup hard, we would play Magus of the Moon, but one of the main reasons we don't splash Magus of the Moon is that this matchup and Tron are both easy without it.

Win Game 1

Ya we can keep this one :P

Easy 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 is interesting because it has the T2 Call for T4 win, but on the draw, that's not good for racing. Ouphe also doesn't slow them down. I kept it anyway.

They Dismember the Giver, then T3 spend 2 mana on Once Upon a Time to hit a land. I play my T3 Druid and win T4.

Conclusion

4-1 (8-2) is super strong.

Will probably not make any changes, except adding all the Ouphes to the "maybe cut this and give up on Paradoxical Outcome matchup" list.

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