Decks of the Week: Feb. 18

by Bill Stark | posted at 2010-02-18 11:34:00
tagged: MTG, Magic, Magic the Gathering, Pro Tour Qualifier, San Juan, Decks of the Week, DOTW, DailyMTG, Extended. PTQ

Before we get started with Deck's of the Weeks hits from this latest installment, make sure to check out this link from the Grand Prix-Oakland coverage. In it, Brian David-Marshall does a great job of highlighting some of the coolest decks from the second day of competition in Oakland. One that caught reader Peter Martinez's eyes was this take on the cascade/free spells combo:

 

 

Kevin Holmes - Garga-Geddon

 

1  Forest

1  Hallowed Fountain

1  Island

4  Misty Rainforest

4  Scalding Tarn

1  Snow-Covered Island

1  Snow-Covered Mountain

 

4  Greater Gargadon

4  Riftwing Cloudskate

4  Vendilion Clique

 

1  Ajani Vengeant

4  Ardent Plea

3  Bant Charm

3  Blood Moon

4  Fieldmist Borderpost

3  Firewild Borderpost

2  Jace, the Mind Sculptor

3  Restore Balance

4  Thirst for Knowledge

4  Violent Outburst

4  Wildfield Borderpost

 

Sideboard:

2  Boom // Bust

1  Circle of Protection: Red

3  Damping Matrix

2  Firespout

2  Gemstone Caverns

2  Ingot Chewer

1  Kor Firewalker

2  Volcanic Fallout

 

It's a pretty awesome take on the strategy. Instead of using Hypergenesis to power out a win in a single turn, Kevin uses Restore Balance to completely dominate the opponent. With fewer lands and creatures on the table at the time it is cast, the Balance wrecks them while setting you up perfectly. It's certainly the best usage of Borderposts we've seen in Extended.

(Thanks to Peter Martinez for the heads up on that list.)

 

 

Christopher Bourroughs

 

1  Forest

2  Marsh Flats

3  Mutavault

1  Oran-Rief, the Vastwood

2  Overgrown Tomb

3  Swamp

3  Treetop Village

3  Twilight Mire

3  Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

4  Verdant Catacombs

 

4  Bloodghast

4  Dark Confidant

3  Eternal Witness

4  Kitchen Finks

4  Tarmogoyf

 

2  Maelstrom Pulse

1  Putrefy

4  Smallpox

2  Smother

4  Thoughtseize

3  Umezawa's Jitte

 

Sideboard

2  Deathmark

2  Duress

4  Extirpate

3  Krosan Grip

1  Liliana Vess

1  Shadow of Doubt

2  Tombstalker

 

The black-green Rockish Smallpox decks are still putting up sporadic Top 8s. Christopher Burroughs is the latest player to do so in Roanoke, Virginia. It's standard black-green strategizing, disrupt, outlast, Smallpox.

 

 

Ali Aintrazi

 

1  Breeding Pool

2  Flooded Grove

4  Forest

3  Island

2  Misty Rainforest

2  Mountain

4  Steam Vents

4  Stomping Ground

2  Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle

 

2  Eternal Witness

1  Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker

1  Pestermite

4  Sakura-Tribe Elder

3  Wood Elves

 

1  Echoing Truth

2  Gifts Ungiven

3  Peer Through Depths

1  Ponder

2  Primal Command

4  Remand

2  Repeal

4  Scapeshift

4  Search for Tomorrow

2  Tooth and Nail

 

Sideboard

2  Boseiju, Who Shelters All

3  Firespout

1  Fracturing Gust

2  Gigadrowse

4  Kitchen Finks

1  Meloku the Clouded Mirror

1  Shadow of Doubt

1  Sphinx of Jwar Isle

 

Ali Aintrazi put together a Top 8 performance out of a deck only a Jon Loucks could love. Tooth and Nail for an insta-win of Kiki Jiki and Pestermite, or simply be a controlish blue-green deck with powerful spells like Gifts Ungiven. The Louckster managed to qualify with a similar deck during the last Extended PTQ season.

 

 

Brad Sheppard

 

1  Academy Ruins

2  Drowned Catacomb

1  Ghost Quarter

3  Glacial Fortress

2  Hallowed Fountain

4  Island

3  Marsh Flats

1  Misty Rainforest

2  Mystic Gate

1  Plains

1  Scalding Tarn

1  Swamp

1  Tolaria West

2  Watery Grave

 

1  Dralnu, Lich Lord

2  Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir

 

1  Careful Consideration

3  Cryptic Command

2  Engineered Explosives

4  Esper Charm

1  Extirpate

1  Jace, the Mind Sculptor

3  Mana Leak

1  Muddle the Mixture

3  Mystical Teachings

3  Path to Exile

1  Repeal

1  Smother

4  Spell Snare

2  Sword of the Meek

3  Thopter Foundry

 

Sideboard

2  Deathmark

1  Echoing Truth

1  Extirpate

1  Fracturing Gust

3  Kitchen Finks

2  Negate

1  Pull from Eternity

1  Pulse of the Fields

1  Ravenous Trap

2  Vendilion Clique

 

Brad Sheppard played 61 cards, but he can be forgiven a tad for going the Dralnu route in his Thopter/Sword control deck. It's a throwback to the halcyon Ravnica days when Guillaume Wafo-Tapa used the card to do well professionally. Seems unclear whether this is just neat or viable going forward, but perhaps Brad can speak loudly on the subject by putting up another Top 8?

 

For more cool Extended decks, make sure to check out this week's installment of Decks of the Week over on DailyMTG.com.

 

You'll also want to make sure you check out the Grand Prix-Oakland coverage.

---