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Post by JediCheese on Jul 22, 2010 22:16:10 GMT -5
So, they have started a weekly 1v1 EDH league in Phoenix here with a $5 entry fee. I busted out the Vendilion Clique mono-blue tempo control deck without half the cards (seriously, my piecemeal deck is horrendous compared to how broken this can be). We had 8 people show up (and started about an hour late). With this deck, all play occurs on opponents turn unless I indicate otherwise. Match 1: vs something (can't remember) Countered all his shit and beat him with Clique. Not exactly the most interesting match. Match 2: vs Kozilek, Butcher of Truth I watched this guy massacre a Vendilion Clique guy the round before. I was very nervious. Little did I know that the other Clique guy was running a sorcery speed deck. I won the die roll, and then transmuted Muddle the Mixture on turn 3 for Isochron Scepter. Turn 4 I Scepter a Memory Lapse (prosauce) with 2 mana up to Lapse a spell. He baits the Lapse with a Icy Manipulator and then puts out a Pithing Needle calling Scepter! I have Cryptic and Into the Roil in hand Next turn he plays top and EOT I Clique. The beatdown begins. Along the way, he plays a Kyren Toy and starts getting mana built up. I Roil the Kyren Toy to his hand the turn before he can play his general and then the next turn bounce the Needle. Eventually he plays the Needle again, and I Commandeer it calling Top. GG. Match 3: vs Jenara, Asura of War I get slaughtered. I counter Jenara but don't counter Sylvan Library. He outdraws me and I die a slow death. Ultimately, he sowers my Clique and kills me with it. Match 4: vs Oona, Queen of the Fae Not much of a game. He gets mana screwed and eventually plays a Extraplanar Lens on an island. Being that I have tons of mana to spend on card draw thanks to the Lens and he has 2 islands left, I win. Match 5: vs Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief I had no clue what to expect out of this deck. It started off strong with a crypt Rats I don't counter. Along the way, he gets out Sorin and sends me to 10 life (I am totally hosed at this point). Then I bribery and grab a Grave Titan. He dies to the 6/6 black dude and his army of 2/2's. He did get me down to 5 life before I ended up killing him. Match 6: Rematch vs Jenara. It's ugly. I draw no counters and die to Jenara because I can't counter her turn 3. Need to make some changes to my deck to solidify this matchup Ultimately, I take 2nd and get $10 store credit. I will use it as entry fee for the next two weeks I love playing EDH for 3 weeks for $5 ;D
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Post by Travis Lannoye on Jul 23, 2010 11:36:44 GMT -5
Ho damn, there's a Kyren Toy in your EDH league. Props to that guy!
Could you post your V-Clique list?
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Post by JediCheese on Jul 23, 2010 12:46:12 GMT -5
Vendilion CliqueFor the colors, red is what I ran with in the tournament but has been taken out of the deck, green is what the deck has in it now (post tournament), and black is the same between decks. The deck is still far from optimal, but it does work for the moment. I will say a few things about this deck. The first is that it is the worlds most boring deck to play. You flash in Clique EOT turn 3 (unless there is something to counter) and then win in 7 attack phases. Your turn is Untap -> Draw -> Attack -> Go. The only decisions you need to make is who to Clique (do you want the card or are you scared of their hand) and if I should counter the spell the opponent just played (and if it doesn't fly, have some ability to slow down Clique attacks, or draw them cards the answer is no in regards to should you counter it). The second thing is that the deck is 1v1 only. It will die in any multiplayer game. There is way too much stuff to counter in multiplayer and the deck wins with 21 general damage. The final thing is that the deck is TOTALLY misbuilt. What needs to happen to the deck: -Run 38-40 lands and make the basic Islands Snow-Islands. Plus add in Vesuva, Strip Mine, and Tolaria West. Additionally add in Crucible of Worlds. -Take out all the mana artifacts (only run Chrome Mox, Lotus Petal, Mox Diamond, and Sol Ring). -Run another 5 counterspells (Desertion, Mana Drain, Exclude, Thwart, and Foil). -Add in Acquire, Treachery, Teferi/Venser, and Tunnel Vision as utility cards. Usually, decks have really good stuff to steal and Tunnel Vision + Clique wins games. -If I wanted to, I could run another two infinite loops with the deck: Mindslaver/Academy and Planar Portal/Beacon of Tomorrows. Both are very mana intensive so I would have to run the mana acceleration artifact package but they win games. They don't fit in a Clique deck because this deck is a tempo-control deck, but it's possible to squeeze them in and sacrifice other elements. Mana: (36) 20x Island Misty Rainforest Scalding Tarn' Polluted Delta Flooded Strand Seat of the Synod Ancient Tomb Darksteel Citadel Halimar Depths Scrying Sheets Mouth of Ronom Faerie Conclave Academy Ruins Riptide Laboratory Wasteland Ghost Quarter Dust Bowl Mana Artifacts: (6)(8)Chrome Mox Lotus Petal Mind Stone Sky Diamond Coldsteel Heart Grim MonolithSol Ring Voltaic Key Sapphire MedallionBounce: (3) Repeal Capsize Into the Roil Search and Draw: (15)(16)Personal Tutor Merchant Scroll Time Spiral Jace Beleren Thirst for Knowledge Telling Time Ponder Brainstorm Opportunity Stroke of Genius Frantic Search Impulse Ancestral Vision Whispers of the Muse Memory JarMystical Tutor Jace's IngenuityCounters: (25) (27)Redirect Twincast Disrupt Rewind Logic Knot Muddle the Mixture Counterbalance Rune Snag Arcane Denial Spell Blast Force of Will Cryptic Command Mindbreak Trap Forbid Dream Fracture Hinder Dissipate Counterspell Mana Leak Daze Memory Lapse Miscalculation Condescend Power Sink Pact of Negation Dismiss CancelOther Stuff: (14)(9)Thran Foundry Sensei's Divining Top Isochron Scepter Bribery Commandeer Evacuation Time Warp Ertai, Wizard Adept Journeyer's Kite Tormod's Crypt Propaganda Fabricate Palenchron Beacon of TomorrowsTezzeret the SeekerLastly, if you want to play Clique, you NEED to read this article: strategy.channelfireball.com/featured-articles/feature-article-dueling-with-elder-dragons/. It is stock Clique deck that many play and you tweak off of it.
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Post by JediCheese on Jul 27, 2010 1:21:43 GMT -5
Played tonight and went 2-1. I forgot Doran makes Clique a 1/1 and I lost because I couldn't do enough general damage. Round 1: vs Oona I get mana screwed but have an island and a bunch of mana leak effects. Eventually I hit another island and go to town. I countered a bunch of stuff, then let Oona resolve and Treacheried her. There was an epic beatdown with both generals. Round 2: vs Doran I was beating with Clique when he plays Maelstrom pulse on Clique. I counter and then he plays Doran. I could have countered but figured I was two attack steps away from winning. Little did I realize Clique was now a 1/1. I lose the race and lose Round 3: vs Kozilek, Butcher of Truth I bribery his Emukal and then proceed to Anniliate 6 Unfortunately, he is able to Duplicant my Emukal. I Roil his Duplicant and then counter it the next time around. He gets out Mystifying Maze and stops my Clique from winning the game. I eventually Time Warp for my 6th attack and then Cryptic his land EOT for the 7th strike later on. Very good game played that went back and forth.
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Post by Travis Lannoye on Jul 27, 2010 9:00:59 GMT -5
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Post by JediCheese on Jul 27, 2010 9:19:23 GMT -5
I've seen Sisay. It's a powerful general but I doubt she rises to Tier 1. I would rather play Nath or Soulsinger before her due to their disruption ability. Sisay has minimal disruption and is more aggressive with their searches. Yes, it has some tutorable answers to various things with it's Legendary spells but they tend to be expensive.
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Post by Travis Lannoye on Jul 28, 2010 17:03:54 GMT -5
If you are having problems with general damage, one more card you could try to squeeze in is Declaration of Naught.
The nice thing about a tutor general like Sisay (or Isperia or Momir Vig or whatever) is the ability to quickly dig up answers to whatever your opponent happens to be playing. Furthermore, you don't always have such a linear, mundane strategy for winning games. For example, if I faced some of your previous foes with a Sisay deck, I could dig up the following answers: - Oona: Crovax, Ascendant Hero could instantly kill off her tokens, Arashi the Sky Asunder could keep killing flyers, Gaddock Teeg could shut off a lot of the spells they would play, Glissa and Kataki could keep mana artifacts at bay. - Doran: Mangara + a sac outlet could keep Doran off the board, Kamahl + Crovax combo could make sure they don't have the mana to cast him, Iona calling black or white would likely prevent Doran from being cast. - Kozilek: Kataki and Glissa probably pull a lot of weight in this matchup.
Or, if you want to stay blue, here's what I'd get with Arcum Dagsson: - Oona: Because you are mono-colored and your general is cheaper, you can probably out-accelerate them. Pithing Needle will stop Oona's ability. - Doran: I used to run Karn in my old Doran deck. Ensnaring Bridge + (insert blue bounce spell here) would probably work, or Karn + Darksteel Ingot, or Helm of Possession. - Kozilek: Bribery is still amazing, as always. Ensnaring Bridge is probably a house against them, especially if you can bring it back with Academy Ruins.
One final note: I'm really jealous of this Monday night EDH league. I wish they had something like this around here. Except, I'm sure the hard-core pros would find some way to make it less fun (flashback to Jasper's Teeg deck and Treviranus's Wydwen deck). Maybe not...
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Post by JediCheese on Jul 29, 2010 10:47:21 GMT -5
Oh, I love Clique. The loss to Doran was 100% me misplaying. If I counter Doran, I win. Just thought that I was 2 attack steps away from winning and I am at 30ish life. How can Doran win in 2 turns with a 1/2 and a 0/5? Oops Jasper has Teeg? I NEED A LIST!!! Oh, this is nowhere near as fun as you may think. The top decks are very competitive, I am just playing a competitive deck too. ;D Usually, the games go 11 turns (turn 3 Clique + 7 attack steps) and I counter 90% of the opponents spells. The only issues I have to decide during the game is if that spell is worth countering and which counterspell I need to use.
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Post by Travis Lannoye on Jul 29, 2010 11:43:18 GMT -5
I don't honestly know if Jasper still has a Teeg deck or not, but from what I remember it was an aggresive green/white beatdown deck. I only played against it once.
You might consider Spin Into Myth as another solution to generals.
EDIT: Gather Specimens is another highly underrated card in EDH, especially in mono-blue. It happens to deal with all giant Eldrazi dudes as well.
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Post by JediCheese on May 10, 2011 0:36:22 GMT -5
There's another EDH league here in Phoenix! Time to break out the broken Vendilion Clique deck and go stomp some people!
Additionally, I'm tempted to put another $10 into it and turbocharge the lands to absolutely broken with Snow-Covered Islands and Scrying Sheets. I don't know if Crystal Ball is any good because it gives the opponent an opening...
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Post by Travis Lannoye on May 10, 2011 7:59:46 GMT -5
Good idea...I did the same to my Geth deck and it works very nicely. Don't sleep on Mouth of Ronom, either. Colorless land-based removal.
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Post by John Galli on May 10, 2011 9:23:43 GMT -5
That league sounds fun Chris. 1v1 EDH isn't really my cup of tea, but any EDH is usually fun EDH. Ben Rislove and I were talking about 1v1 EDH the other day, he was stressing that 5-color is the way to go because you simply have access to any kind of spell you want. Also, he has a Captain Sisay deck that is apparently bonkers broken, but I haven't seen it in action.
As for Jasper, I honestly haven't seen that kid at Misty since I quit competitive magic 8 months ago. He may have either quit too or tapered down his playing, and I know with EDH that nobody liked playing with him so he probably doesn't play it that often.
Here's some of my suggestions for your Clique deck-
- Sky Diamond - Coldsteel Heart - Cancel
Comments: I don't think the comes into play tapped artifacts are worth it here, they're just too slow and these games sound far too competitive. Cancel just seems like a dumb counter to run, even if it is a hard counter; there has to be something better for that slot (aka Faerie Trickery)
+ Grim Monolith + Crystal Shard + Expedition Map + Blue Sun's Zenith + Faerie Trickery + Tormod's Crypt + Trinket Mage + Wash Out + Kira Great Glass-Spinner + Declaration of Naught + Mystifying Maze
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Post by JediCheese on May 10, 2011 12:12:56 GMT -5
The problem with a 5 color EDH deck is twofold: 1) The price is astronomical. We are talking nearly a set of dual lands, fetch lands, and shock lands. 2) It wins by card advantage. You out draw and out class the opponent. Vendilion Clique wins by stalling. I trade your power for a Cancel and do it every turn.
In 1v1, there is a VERY limited group of generals I would play. V. Clique, Horde, or Zur (I might also play Jenara). All have a FAST clock and have backup with excellent spells.
The decklist above is old but I'll update it with the newest decklist come tonight.
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Post by John Galli on May 10, 2011 15:25:49 GMT -5
Travis I'd be interested in doing a multiplayer league for EDH if we could organize it among the guys or maybe even mention it to Ben at the shop.
Hell, even an EDH tournament would be fun (again multiplayer tho)
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Post by Travis Lannoye on May 10, 2011 15:43:09 GMT -5
We could use the $50 idea as a starting point...
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