Ok, I'm back! It's been quite some time since my last installment. I needed a vacation. Writing articles every week is really draining, especially when you have other commitments like, uhm, work. To make things up for the audience, my very first post for 2008 will be a back-to-back, starting off with the PTQ Hollywood results.

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Dredge for PTQ

Dredge
Domain Zoo
Red Deck Wins
UG Faeries
Affinity
Goblins
Mono Blue Control
BG Elves
Doran Rock
Simictron
Enduring Ideal
Boros Deck Wins
Cephalid Breakfast

Dredge dominated the scene with four Top 8's, one was the overall champ. Domain Zoo and Red Deck Wins took three spots, while a UG Faeries bridged both Standard and Extended. These archetypes were present in the previous tune-up tournament, and remarkably expanded its dominance.

Jiro Francisco Winner
Maindeck		Sideboard
Lands: 3 Polluted Delta 3 Flooded Strand 4 Watery Grave 1 Breeding Pool 4 Cephalid Coliseum 1 Island --- 16 Lands	Creatures: 4 Putrid Imp 4 Narcomoeba 1 Golgari Thug 4 Stinkweed Imp 3 Ichorid 1 Cephalid Sage 1 Flamekin Zealot 4 Golgari Grave-Troll 1 Akroma, Angel of Wrath --- 23 Creatures Other Spells: 4 Careful Study 2 Darkblast 3 Cabal Therapy 1 Tolarian Winds 4 Bridge From Below 3 Dread Return 4 Breakthrough --- 21 Other Spells	4 Chain of Vapor 4 Pithing Needle 1 Cabal Therapy 4 Leyline of the Void 2 Darkblast --- 15 Sideboard Cards

Long dead Narcobridge in Standard. Not in Extended...

Over the past months since Future Sight, Dredge has become the most notorious deck around the globe. The basic concept is to pick up some dredge cards from your graveyard until you throw several Bridges from Below and Narcomoebas. Then sacrifice your creatures for a flashbacked Cabal Therapy or Dread Return and produce an enormous amount of Zombie tokens, then reanimate a Flamekin Zealot for an explosive attack! A resolved Tolarian Winds or a Breakthrough for zero starts the dredge engine. Cephalid Sage is an alternative Dread Return target when you are halfway of your trip.

But it doesn't stop there. Backup plans include either killing your opponent with recurring Ichorids combined with multiple Bridges or surprising you opponent with an Akroma, Angel of Wrath. Dredge runs only 14-16 lands, which is not really an issue because it only plays up to eight flashback spells.

Winning the first game is very easy but the next game or two can be more difficult. Obviously, every non-Dredge deck would run graveyard hate cards like Tormod's Crypt, Leyline of the Void, possibly Yixlid Jailers, and even Extirpates. Sideboarding Darkblast, Chain of Vapor and Pithing Needle will protect you from them, well except for Extirpate. Also, a Leyline of the Void is appropriate in a mirror match.

Unbelievably, despite the number of graveyard-hate cards in the scene, Jiro was undefeated last Saturday. Dredge actually "dredged" its way to the Top 8.

JT Porter Top 8
Maindeck		Sideboard
Lands: 4 Wooded Foothills 4 Bloodstained Mire 4 Windswept Heath 1 Stomping Ground 1 Sacred Foundry 1 Blood Crypt 1 Steam Vents 1 Temple Garden 1 Overgrown Tomb 1 Godless Shrine 1 Mountain --- 20 Lands	Creatures: 4 Dark Confidant 4 Tarmogoyf 4 Kird Ape 4 Grim Lavamancer 3 Isamaru, Hound of Konda 3 Mogg Fanatic 2 Gaddock Teeg --- 24 Creatures Other Spells: 4 Vindicate 4 Tribal Flames 4 Lightning Helix 2 Gaea's Might 2 Armadillo Cloak --- 16 Other Spells	2 Loxodon Hierarch 2 Ancient Grudge 2 Artifact Mutation 2 Kami of Ancient Law 2 Ronom Unicorn 2 Tormod's Crypt 1 Yixlid Jailer 1 Jotun Grunt 1 Gaddock Teeg --- 15 Sideboard Cards

Domain Zoo is one of the best aggro decks in the format despite the ridiculous number of fetch and dual lands and all the pain of using them.

The gameplan is easy - dropping cheap creatures like Isamaru, Kird Ape, or Mogg Fanatic at the earliest, defining its true speed. Then putting more assault with Tarmogoyf or Dark Confidant for continued life and card advantage. Once in the "domain" state, which means when you having five of each basic land type, seal off the game with a five-damage Tribal Flames or pump a creature with a +5/+5 Gaea's Might.

This deck also has defenses. Vindicate removes any opposing permanent, even doubling as a land destroyer aganst slow decks. Because you're going take nine to twelve damage on your first few turns due to all that land fetching, Lightning Helix and Armadillo Cloak are needed.

This deck bows to a Blood Moon and a single-charged Chalice of the Void, so sideboard Ronom Unicorn and Ancient Grudge answer your problems respectively. Extra Gaddock Teeg stops any Wrath of God or Gifts Ungiven.

Based on the results, keep in mind that Dredge has answers in Crypts, Leylines or Jailers, and have plan B's. Even though you have all of the graveyard-hate in the world, you should know when and how to play those cards.

 

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Rated R Standard

Reveillark Combo
Red Deck Wins
UB Faeries
BG Elves
WW Kithkins
UG Faeries
UW Control
Blink Variant
Dragonstorm
Mono Black Control
Skred Red
Doran Doran
BR Goblins

Standard's new entry is our feature deck this week. Aside from Mutavault and Bitterblossom, Reveillark has become an instant hit. Let's find out why.

Joel Bantilles Top 2
Maindeck		Sideboard
Lands: 7 Plains 6 Island 4 Adarkar Wastes 3 Wanderwine Hub 2 Nimbus Maze 2 Calciform Pools --- 24 Lands	Creatures: 4 Reveillark 3 Body Double 3 Mirror Entity 3 Bonded Fetch 2 Riftwing Cloudskate 2 Aven Riftwatcher 4 Mulldrifter 1 Merrow Witsniper --- 22 Creatures Other Spells: 4 Wrath of God 4 Prismatic Lens 3 Condemn 3 Momentary Blink --- 14 Other Spells	3 Sower of Temptation 3 Flashfreeze 1 Draining Whelk 1 Stonecloaker 3 Teferi's Moat 3 Bottle Gnomes 1 Sacred Mesa --- 15 Sideboard Cards

Basic setup - Use your discard and draw outlets Bonded Fetch and Mulldrifter respectively until you put at least one Reveillark in your graveyard. Then drop in a Body Double copying Reveillark, and a Mirror Entity. That's it! Now, stack/activate the 'Entity's ability for zero a million times, killing your creatures. Then your Body Double (copying Reveillark) will trigger its leaves play ability, to return the same Body Double, copying Reveillark again, and either Bonded Fetch for another "loot" or Mulldrifter for extra two cards. Lather, rinse, repeat until you fetch other CIP creatures like Merrow Witsniper for an infinite milling machine, sealing off the game.

Among the weak points that I could see is that one Extirpate could stop any graveyard-dependent combo, as well as Tormod's Crypt. Also, because setting up the combo is a slow process, you need to be able to drop those Prismatic Lenses as early as you possible. Against aggro, Blinking Aven Riftwatchers and Cloudskates will make you stay on the game for few turns, and of course some mass removals in the form of four Wraths of God helps.

Like other combo decks, you can go with another game plan. Simply pump up your creatures with Mirror Entity then make a one-time, big time swing.

Sideboarding is pretty straightforward. Sower of Temptation against stompies; Flashfreeze for red or green-based decks; Draining Whelk for Profane Commands. Also, Stonecloaker will help you in saving your Mulldrifters and other creatures from lethal damage or destroy effects while waiting for the combo. It also acts as a mini-Extirpate in mirror matches.

A 6-0-1 finish by Joel Bantilles last Sunday proves the deck's potential. Expect Reveillark combo / "Project R" on the next few tournaments.

 

 

 

 

Philip Christopher Rama III Top 4
Maindeck		Sideboard
Lands: 4 Karplusan Forest 4 Treetop Village 1 Pendelhaven 8 Mountain 3 Mutavault 1 Keldon Megaliths 3 Forest --- 14 Lands	Creatures: 4 Tarmogoyf 4 Mogg War Marshal 4 Mogg Fanatic 4 Countryside Crusher 2 Keldon Marauders 2 Greater Gargadon --- 20 Creatures Other Spells: 4 Tarfire 4 Incinerate 4 Rift Bolt 4 Shard Volley --- 16 Other Spells	4 Threaten 3 Pyroclasm 3 Martyr of Ashes 3 Ancient Grudge 2 Boom // Bust --- 15 Sideboard Cards

What I'm excited about with Red Deck Wins is the addition of Countryside Crusher. Combined with Shard Volley or Greater Gargadon and its built-in pump ability, the giant can get umanageably large. Mutavault adds to your creature count and it can't be killed by an Eyeblight's Ending or even by a Wrath of God. Straightforward sligh decks normally run 16 or more "cheese" cards.

Sideboard cards like Pyroclasm wipe out all of the Faeries, and Martyr of Ashes is like a Wrath of God against ground critters. Ancient Grudge may be useful against some Lotus Blooms or Phyrexian Ironfoots (Ironfeet?) and Boom//Bust against Mana Ramp or Blue.

RDW in Extended has almost the same build as this, sans Gargadon, but above all, their main goal is simple - to burn opponents badly.

 

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Now there you go, two articles today. The City Champs trial tournament is upcoming. We'll see how Reveillark combo and others perform.

See you next week...

 

I'd like to thank Lorenz Cortezo for the wake-up call...