FRF Standard Testing Gauntlet

I created a gauntlet of competitive Standard (FRF, February 2015) decks to use for playtesting for GP Miami, using the wonderful site http://metadeck.me/

Here are the decklists I used:

 

1. Abzan Control

4 Courser of Kruphix

4 Siege Rhino

2 Tasigur, the Golden Fang

4 Abzan Charm

4 Thoughtseize

3 Bile Blight

3 Hero's Downfall

3 Elspeth, Sun's Champion

2 Read the Bones

1 End Hostilities

1 Liliana Vess

1 Nissa, Worldwaker

1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor

1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon

1 Utter End

4 Sandsteppe Citadel

4 Temple of Silence

4 Windswept Heath

3 Forest

3 Llanowar Wastes

3 Temple of Malady

2 Plains

1 Caves of Koilos

1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

Sideboard

1 Bile Blight

2 Read the Bones

1 End Hostilities

2 Nissa, Worldwaker

1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon

1 Utter End

4 Drown in Sorrow

2 Glare of Heresy

1 Erase

2. R/W Aggro

2 Outpost Siege

1 Soulfire Grand Master

4 Seeker of the Way

2 Ashcloud Phoenix

1 Wind-Scarred Crag

4 Hordeling Outburst

4 Stoke the Flames

2 Brimaz, King of Oreskos

4 Temple of Triumph

4 Chained to the Rocks

4 Stormbreath Dragon

4 Lightning Strike

1 Chandra, Pyromaster

11 Mountain

4 Plains

4 Battlefield Forge

4 Goblin Rabblemaster

Sideboard

1 Abzan Advantage

2 Valorous Stance

1 Mastery of the Unseen

2 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker

2 Hushwing Gryff

1 Glare of Heresy

1 Chandra, Pyromaster

2 Magma Spray

3 Arc Lightning

3. G/r Devotion

4 Whisperwood Elemental

4 Shaman of the Great Hunt

2 Crater's Claws

1 Rugged Highlands

4 Rattleclaw Mystic

3 Genesis Hydra

1 Nissa, Worldwaker

1 Mana Confluence

4 Courser of Kruphix

2 Xenagos, the Reveler

3 Voyaging Satyr

3 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx

2 Arbor Colossus

4 Temple of Abandon

3 Polukranos, World Eater

4 Elvish Mystic

1 Windswept Heath

4 Wooded Foothills

2 Mountain

8 Forest

Sideboard

2 Wild Slash

2 Outpost Siege

3 Briber's Purse

1 Nissa, Worldwaker

1 Setessan Tactics

2 Nylea's Disciple

2 Arc Lightning

2 Reclamation Sage

4. Jeskai Tokens

1 Wild Slash

1 Valorous Stance

1 Outpost Siege

4 Hordeling Outburst

4 Seeker of the Way

4 Jeskai Ascendancy

1 Jeskai Charm

4 Treasure Cruise

4 Mystic Monastery

4 Stoke the Flames

1 Temple of Epiphany

4 Lightning Strike

4 Temple of Triumph

4 Raise the Alarm

4 Flooded Strand

2 Plains

2 Mountain

1 Island

3 Shivan Reef

3 Battlefield Forge

4 Goblin Rabblemaster

Sideboard

1 Wild Slash

1 Valorous Stance

1 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker

1 Elspeth, Sun's Champion

2 Stormbreath Dragon

2 Glare of Heresy

2 Chandra, Pyromaster

2 Negate

1 Erase

2 Arc Lightning

5. Abzan Aggro

2 Valorous Stance

3 Warden of the First Tree

4 Sandsteppe Citadel

4 Rakshasa Deathdealer

2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor

1 Murderous Cut

3 Anafenza, the Foremost

4 Siege Rhino

3 Wingmate Roc

2 Abzan Charm

3 Temple of Malady

2 Bile Blight

3 Hero's Downfall

4 Fleecemane Lion

2 Temple of Silence

2 Thoughtseize

2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

4 Windswept Heath

2 Forest

2 Plains

3 Caves of Koilos

3 Llanowar Wastes

Sideboard

1 Nissa, Worldwaker

3 Drown in Sorrow

3 Hunt the Hunter

3 Glare of Heresy

1 Back to Nature

2 Thoughtseize

2 Reclamation Sage

6. Mono-Red Aggro

3 Outpost Siege

4 Wild Slash

4 Mardu Scout

4 Monastery Swiftspear

4 Hordeling Outburst

4 Stoke the Flames

3 Lightning Strike

4 Firedrinker Satyr

4 Foundry Street Denizen

22 Mountain

4 Goblin Rabblemaster

Sideboard

3 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker

4 Eidolon of the Great Revel

1 Harness by Force

4 Searing Blood

1 Mountain

2 Arc Lightning

7. U/W Heroic

2 Seeker of the Way

2 Tranquil Cove

4 Defiant Strike

2 Feat of Resistance

1 Stubborn Denial

4 Heliod's Pilgrim

1 Ajani's Presence

4 Hero Of Iroas

4 Temple of Enlightenment

4 Favored Hoplite

2 Ordeal of Heliod

4 Gods Willing

4 Ordeal of Thassa

4 Battlewise Hoplite

2 Aqueous Form

4 Flooded Strand

9 Plains

3 Island

Sideboard

4 Valorous Stance

3 Disdainful Stroke

1 Treasure Cruise

3 Stubborn Denial

1 Lagonna-Band Trailblazer

2 Mortal's Ardor

1 Glare of Heresy

8. Sultai Control

2 Island

3 Swamp

2 Llanowar Wastes

4 Opulent Palace

4 Polluted Delta

2 Temple of Deceit

4 Temple of Malady

1 Temple of Mystery

2 Yavimaya Coast

1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

2 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon

1 Garruk, Apex Predator

2 Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver

2 Kiora, the Crashing Wave

4 Bile Blight

4 Satyr Wayfinder

4 Dig Through Time

2 Disdainful Stroke

3 Thoughtseize

4 Hero's Downfall

2 Crux of Fate

1 Treasure Cruise

1 Murderous Cut

3 Sultai Charm

Sideboard

2 Disdainful Stroke

2 Tasigur, the Golden Fang

3 Rakshasa Deathdealer

1 Silence the Believers

2 Negate

2 Pharika's Cure

2 Drown in Sorrow

1 Liliana Vess

9. Naya Midrange

2 Mastery of the Unseen

1 Shamanic Revelation

4 Whisperwood Elemental

2 Shaman of the Great Hunt

2 End Hostilities

2 Mana Confluence

4 Courser of Kruphix

3 Temple of Plenty

2 Purphoros, God of the Forge

2 Xenagos, the Reveler

1 Arbor Colossus

2 Elspeth, Sun's Champion

4 Temple of Abandon

4 Sylvan Caryatid

2 Polukranos, World Eater

4 Elvish Mystic

3 Windswept Heath

4 Wooded Foothills

2 Mountain

4 Forest

2 Plains

4 Goblin Rabblemaster

Sideboard

1 Shaman of the Great Hunt

2 Nissa, Worldwaker

3 Glare of Heresy

1 Xenagos, the Reveler

2 Arbor Colossus

2 Destructive Revelry

3 Arc Lightning

1 Reclamation Sage

10. U/B Control

1 Silumgar, the Drifting Death

3 Crux of Fate

1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon

4 Dismal Backwater

1 Disdainful Stroke

4 Dig Through Time

1 Pearl Lake Ancient

1 Murderous Cut

2 Perilous Vault

1 Radiant Fountain

1 Silence the Believers

4 Bile Blight

4 Dissolve

4 Temple of Deceit

4 Hero's Downfall

2 Jace's Ingenuity

1 Evolving Wilds

1 Negate

2 Thoughtseize

1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

1 Bloodstained Mire

4 Polluted Delta

1 Flooded Strand

6 Swamp

5 Island

Sideboard

2 Tasigur, the Golden Fang

2 Disdainful Stroke

3 Jorubai Murk Lurker

3 Drown in Sorrow

2 Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver

1 Negate

2 Thoughtseize

11. Temur Midrange

3 Shaman of the Great Hunt

1 Yasova Dragonclaw

4 Rattleclaw Mystic

4 Frontier Bivouac

4 Ashcloud Phoenix

4 Heir of the Wilds

4 Crater's Claws

3 Stubborn Denial

4 Savage Knuckleblade

1 Mana Confluence

1 Temple of Mystery

3 Boon Satyr

2 Lightning Strike

2 Temple of Abandon

2 Polukranos, World Eater

3 Elvish Mystic

4 Wooded Foothills

3 Forest

2 Mountain

4 Yavimaya Coast

2 Shivan Reef

Sideboard

1 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker

3 Disdainful Stroke

1 Stubborn Denial

1 Nissa, Worldwaker

1 Lightning Strike

2 Destructive Revelry

1 Polukranos, World Eater

3 Magma Spray

2 Arc Lightning

12. R/W stark aggro

4 Seeker of the Way

4 Soulfire Grand Master

4 Goblin Rabblemaster

4 Hordeling Outburst

4 Outpost Siege

4 Wild Slash

4 Stoke the Flames

4 Chained to the Rocks

3 Lightning Strike

1 Valorous Stance

4 Battlefield Forge

4 Temple of Triumph

3 Evolving Wilds

9 Mountain

4 Plains

Sideboard

2 Valorous Stance

3 Stormbreath Dragon

2 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker

2 Arc Lightning

3 Erase

3 Mastery of the Unseen

Miami GPT tournament report

TL;DR I got really lucky all day, and round Three was AWESOME (for me).

Round 1 vs David, R/W agro

All three games were decided the same way:  the person who got manascrewed lost.  There was a decent amount of gameplay before we respectively flooded out horribly, but really, all games came down to horiffic flood/color/manascrew.  Game three was particularly amusing, when my Sarkhan killed him - he revealed a hand of 4 chain to the rocks!

W – 1-0

Round 2 vs Nathan, Red Deck Wins

I knew Nathan was on mono-red, so I happily kept 2x wild slash, lightning strike, 2 lands and 2 creatures on the draw for game one.  He opened with the triple 1-drop opening, to my single red source.  And then I was dead.

Game two was similar.  My creatures died, and then I did, extremely fast.  I think I exposed a Soulfire Grand Master to removal too early – I should have used a burn spell on a creature instead of casting it so quickly.

L – 1-1

Round 3 vs Joey, G/r monsters

This was the best match of the day, by FAR.

Game 1 :  I missed my third land drop for two turns.  By the time I started trying to come back, it was too late, and green monsters ate my face.

Game 2: I had the awesome tempo draw, killing mana dorks while landing Rabblemaster #1.  Then a second Rabblemaster, whose tokens convoked a Stoke the Flames to kill a courser and attack him down to 17.  He played an Arbor colossus, which I Valorous Stance’d.  And then I attacked for 18 with two rabblemasters + friends that same turn.  WOO-HOO!

Game 3:  This was THE game of the day.  I am not getting much damage through, and stumbling a bit with awkward tapped-land draws.  Polukranos and Elvish Mystic smack me around for a lot damage.  I Charm the hydra to the top to buy a little breathing room, and he lands an Arbor Colossus.  I untap and draw my fifth land.  I have four cards in graveyard, and my hand contains Dig through Time + Lightning Strike.  I have no creatures in play, versus 2 caryatids, Arbor Colossus, and Polukranos waiting on the top of his deck. 

I pass the turn, leaving up 5 mana.

He attacks me for 6 with the colossus.  Notably, he does not attack with an Elvish Mystic, and is representing 6 mana.  So, midcombat, I strike down the Elf.  He floats mana with it, but decides not to monstrous.  He casts Polukranos in his second mainphase.

I cross my fingers and cast Dig Through Time.

Jackpot.  I hit exactly what I wanted!

I hit Elspeth + untapped land off the Dig.  She wipes away his two monsters.  He casts two manadorks and begrudgingly passes the turn.  I make tokens, and add a rabblemaster to my board.  My hand is Stoke the Flames, and I play a scryland, seeing Soulfire Grand Master on top!  Perfect!  I pass the turn, with Joey at a healthy 16 life.

He tanks, and then taps completely out to cast Ugin, the Spirit Dragon!

He tanks again, while I myself am thinking about different scenarios of how he could play it.  My board is Elspeth at 2 loyalty, 3 soldier tokens, and Rabblemaster.  My hand is a lone Stoke, and my top card is SFG.  He has two caryatids, an elvish mystic, and a voyaging satyr.  I am at 5, he is at 16 life.

His options:

1.     + Ugin kill Rabblemaster

2.     + Ugin kill Elspeth

3.     + Ugin to drop me to 2 life – I am currently representing only 6 power, which would make Ugin lethal if I couldn’t deal with it.  This was what I would have feared most, if I didn’t already know I had stoke with SFG on top.

4.     -6 Ugin to wipe the board, leaving him with Ugin in play.  This was what I actually feared most, as I wouldn’t have enough creatures/lands to cast SFG, convoke, and buyback Stoke the Flames.

I realized none of these options leave me in too bad of a spot, so I awaited his decision.

Joey elects for option number 2, to kill off Elspeth.

Recipe Unlocked: Soulfire Grand Master Activation + Stoke the Flames, season with Goblin Rabblemaster to taste, allow to simmer over three turns.

W – 2-1

Round 4 vs Dave, Temur Aggro

Both games we traded blows in the early game, and then he started running out of gas while I drew more threats and answers.  Not much to say.  Sorry Dave!

W – 3-1

Round 5 vs Donny, Deck unknown

Intentional Draw into Top 8. Good tiebreakers gave me high seeding, giving me the play for all my matches.  This is very good for Jeskai Tempo!

Sandwich time!  Om nom nom.

ID – 3-1-1

Top 8:

Quarterfinals vs James, Jeskai Aggro

Neither game was particularly close.  Game 1 I rode a rabblemaster to victory while he was stuck on 2 lands discarding to hand size, and game 2 I had 12 points of burn when he was at 12 life.   Whaddya gonna do?

Semifinals vs Eric, G/r Devotion

Eric was kind enough to give me a ride down to the tournament.  Even kinder, he wasn’t actually going to be able to make the GP!  He scooped to me!  Finals, baby!

Finals vs Donny, Jeskai Tokens

Game 1 I was pretty much in the drivers seat.  I landed a Rabblemaster, killed a Mentor, protected my guy with a Jeskai Charm +1/+1, and used it to drive through for lethal.

Game 2 was very nail bitingly close (from my perspective, anyway)

We are trading some blows, getting in a few hits and landing a few creatures.  I spend a few turns drawing lands and burn spells, while he attacks with 3 1/1 tokens and does nothing else.  I drop to 8 from the token attacks, while he is at 16.  I have 7 mana in his end step, with Jeskai Charm and 2x Lightning Strike.  I decide to bolt him down to six and hope to draw more pressure, or anger of the gods.  I topdeck… Glare of Heresy.  I eat a soldier token with it (to much laughter from the peanut gallery).  I drop to 6.  I topdeck… Glare of Heresy!  I eat another soldier.  He Stoke’s me, then attacks for me to 1 with the remaining goblin token. 

I topdeck running creatures, and he continues drawing exactly token makers that can’t push through the 1 point of damage.  He is forced to chump block with tokens until he runs out of answers and dies, with 4 lands and a negate in hand.

I win!  2 Byes for Miami!  :D