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Bombing Scars of Mirrodin Online Release Event

Submitted by peteyJ on October 26, 2010 - 6:54pm

The first thing I would like to do is apologize for the lack of content going up recently. I have been playing a lot of Scars events, but with me forgetting to save the card pools and a fried motherboard, I haven't had the time or resources to bring you new articles. I wasn't sure if I could recover my code for showing cards as images in these articles, so I have spent the last two hours rewriting it. Here is a pool I thought was really good. I ended up with an astonishing 1-3 record, the worst I have ever done in a release or prerelease event.

I am finding out deckbuilding is really hard in this expansion. There are quite a few options and I am having a very difficult time constructing a deck in 20 minutes. Even during sideboarding, a whole deck switch in two and a half minutes is very hard to do correctly. It can even be a risky maneuver if you submit a deck with an inadequate amount of lands, or heaven forbid the wrong color of lands. Without further ado, here is the pool I opened. I will post my deck list in a few days after I get some input on this pool.

1,Alpha Tyrranax
1,Blight Mamba
1,Blunt the Assault
1,Cystbearer
1,Molder Beast
2,Tel-Jilad Defiance
1,Tel-Jilad Fallen
2,Untamed Might

1,Auriok Sunchaser
2,Loxodon Wayfarer
1,Razor Hippogriff
1,Revoke Existence
1,Salvage Scout
1,Sunblast Angel
1,Sunspear Shikari
1,Tempered Steel
1,Vigil for the Lost

1,Barrage Ogre
2,Embersmith
1,Flameborn Hellion
1,Furnace Celebration
1,Galvanic Blast
1,Melt Terrain
1,Ogre Geargrabber
1,Oxidda Daredevil
1,Scoria Elemental
1,Shatter
1,Spikeshot Elder
1,Tunnel Ignus

1,Blackcleave Goblin
1,Dross Hopper
1,Flesh Allergy
1,Fume Spitter
1,Grasp of Darkness
1,Ichor Rats
1,Moriok Reaver
1,Necrogen Scudder
1,Tainted Strike

1,Neurok Invisimancer
1,Plated Seastrider
1,Screeching Silcaw
1,Sky-Eel School
1,Stoic Rebuttal
1,Vault Skyward
1,Vedalken Certarch

1,Auriok Replica
1,Bladed Pinions
1,Chrome Steed
1,Clone Shell
2,Copper Myr
1,Darksteel Axe
1,Darksteel Sentinel
1,Echo Circlet
1,Glint Hawk Idol
1,Gold Myr
2,Golden Urn
1,Golem Foundry
1,Ichorclaw Myr
2,Iron Myr
1,Livewire Lash
2,Memnite
1,Moriok Replica
1,Myr Galvanizer
1,Myr Reservoir
1,Neurok Replica
1,Nihil Spellbomb
2,Razorfield Thresher
1,Saberclaw Golem
1,Snapsail Glider
1,Sylvok Lifestaff
1,Sylvok Replica
1,Trigon of Corruption
1,Trigon of Rage
1,Tumble Magnet
1,Vulshok Replica

My build

Submitted by peteyJ on October 27, 2010 - 7:20pm.

This was the build I came up with. I don't really like it either. I should have gone more aggro probably. I got very poor draws and got flooded a lot. I made one mistake that cost me a game as well. But 1-3 is pretty bad. I never drew angel and only drew spikeshot once. I just had no late game it seemed like. I did well early but then they would drop a bomb and I lost.

1,Razor Hippogriff
1,Revoke Existence
1,Sunblast Angel
1,Tempered Steel

1,Barrage Ogre
2,Embersmith
1,Galvanic Blast
1,Shatter
1,Spikeshot Elder

1,Auriok Replica
1,Chrome Steed
1,Darksteel Axe
1,Darksteel Sentinel
1,Glint Hawk Idol
1,Gold Myr
2,Iron Myr
1,Livewire Lash
1,Myr Galvanizer
1,Saberclaw Golem
1,Snapsail Glider
1,Trigon of Rage
1,Vulshok Replica

8 Mountain
8 Plains

definitely RW

Submitted by hodgepodge0 on October 27, 2010 - 9:51am.

Kyle is right, I'm almost always R/W because it has the combo of removal and evasion. Plus they have alot of the best colored rares. I like Kyle's build alot. I'd probably have something very similar, but I want more artifacts, especially artifact creatures.

Ok, I want to try something crazy with this deck. I'd have Kyle's build, but with the following changes:
-1 Sunblast Angel
-1 Barrage Orgre
-1 Trigon of Corruption
-1 Bladed Pinions
-1 Saberclaw Golem
-1 Plains
+1 Auriok Replica
+1 Trigon of Rage
+2 Memnite
+1 Myr Galvanizer
+1 Copper Myr

This deck is pure aggro. It maximizes the Embersmiths and Tempered Steel by using Memnites and more cheap artifact creatures. I had to cut the expensive stuff to drop a land. This deck actually has 19 mana sources, but only 1 four and five drop. The mana myr can be as big as 4/4s with Galvanzier and Steel, they also activate Smiths and you have equipment and Trigon to make them relevant creatures at all times. Looks like fun.

Aggro Build

Submitted by kmons on October 27, 2010 - 3:42pm.

I really like this idea because most builds seem to be pretty stale at this point. This seems like a really fun build that also would be quite dangerous to play against. If this was the route to go with I might make a few changes however.

In an aggressive deck like this, I would likely use Tumble Magnet to tap down any bigger threats you cannot deal with and force damage through. To fit this in I would probably cut Auriok Replica because that card is quite awful. The replica only prevents damage to you and cannot be used as a combat trick to save creatures, so it is merely a 2/2 for 3 which isn't that desirable. For the same cost the Magnet would seem more synergistic than a 2/2 body.

I also like Bladed Pinions in this deck because you set yourself up for a turn 3 ping with Embersmith more consistently. 4 myr and the Pinions almost guarantees you will get a turn 3 killing of their 2 or 3 drop. Also, in an aggressive deck like this the ability to giving your somewhat mediocre cards flying could be invaluable to force the last bit of damage through. Not to mention that the first strike alone can completely dominate the opposing creatures. I also might like having the Golem Foundry in this deck with all of artifacts you would now be playing. However, what to cut for all these goodies is the problem and the main reason it is so hard to build decks in this format. There are so many options available that even what seems to be an obvious R/W emphasis even has a variety of builds to choose from. Even Barrage Ogre could be thrown back in as a finisher after you ran out of steam and have to sit back and chuck your Memnites at them for the last bit of damage.

I like the idea with Charlie's deck that on turn 5 or 6 you can drop a Tempered Steel or Myr Galvinizer and swing with 3-4 all of a sudden huge creatures and unexpectedly cripple the other player. In fact, if things go well enough their board might be empty because of your Embersmith. Sealed is usually really slow, especially when compared to draft, that this build could steal games rather quickly. At worst your matches will end quickly win or lose and you can go about your business doing other things instead of going to the end of the round every time.

Oh yeah

Submitted by hodgepodge0 on October 28, 2010 - 12:40pm.

I definitely meant to include Tumble Magnet. I did omit Pinions intentionally. It is nice to have another artifact, but I don't know if it would do anything because this deck should be so fast the added evasion hopefully won't be needed. It would be nice to have something to punch through extra damage if your offense stalled though.

RW

Submitted by kmons on October 26, 2010 - 11:49pm.

I think this pool, as with many pools in SOM sealed, should likely go red/white with some metalcraft emphasis, although you don't have a lot of actual metalcraft cards.

With this makeup you would have shatter, revoke, galvanic blast as solid removal along with off color trigon of corruption. Also, you have one obvious bomb in Sunblast Angel and a lesser yet still awesome bomb in Spikeshot Elder.

Playables
White- Sunchaser, Angel, Revoke, Hippogriff, Tempered Steel
Red - Embersmith x2, Shatter, G Blast, Spikeshot, Barrage Ogre
Artifact- Steed, Axe, Idol, 3 on color Myrs, Saberclaw, Glider, Lifestaff,Tumble Magnet, Vulshok Replica, Pinions, Black Trigon

Serviceables
White- Shikari, Scout
Red- Hellion, Geargrabber
Artifact- Memnite x2, Darksteel Sentinel, Red Trigon, splashed green replica+myr

With just the listed playables you would end up with 16 land 3 myrs, 11-12 creatures, 4 dedicated removal spells, 3 equipment, and a Tumble Magnet, Tempered Steel for a total of 40 cards.

However, with 3 relatively inexpensive equipment I wouldn't mind inserting the Shikari and in my mind that means either Tumble Magnet or Tempered Steel get the cut. With zero proliferate, glint hawks, or Glimmerpoint Stags to fully utilize the Magnet, I would choose to cut that. 8 artifact creatures seems like enough to make use of the Steel, but I would have no real qualms cutting it either.

My deck in order of casting cost would likely have been this
1x Sylvok Lifestaff
1x Darksteel Axe
1x Galvanic Blast
1x Spikeshot Elder

2x Embersmitih
1x Auriok Sunchaser
1x Gold Myr
2x Iron Myr
1x Bladed Pinions
1x Sunspear Shikari
1x Glint Hawk Idol
1x Revoke Existence
1x Shatter

1x Vulshok Replica
1x Tempered Steel
1x Snapsail Glider

1x Chrome Steed
1x Trigon of Corruption

1x Razor Hippogriff
1x Saberclaw Golem
1x Barrage Ogre

1x Sunblast Angel

8 Mountain
8 Plains

There's a clear drop off in the curve after 2, but the 3 myr should help push past that issue. The artifact count sits at 12 which could be an issue but not debilitating. However, Tempered Steel more or less fills the void of the missing artifact because Chrome Steed will still be a 4/4 and all the Myr would be 3/3. Sunchaser, Barrage Ogre, and Embersmith would be the only real sufferers of less artifacts. However, those are all situational artifact abilities that really shouldn't hurt you too badly.

What did you come up with Pete?