Hi my friends, last week I played this list i a 100 players tournament:
21 - LANDS
4 Windswept Heath
3 Verdant Catacombs
1 Misty Rainforest
?1 Marsh Flats
?2 Temple Garden
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Field of Ruin
1 Ghost Quarter
5 Forest
1 Plains
1 Swamp
30 - CREATURES
3 Noble Hierarch
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Vizier of Remedies
4 Devoted Druid
3 Duskwatch Recruiter
Flip
3 Kitchen Finks
3 Eternal Witness
1 Knight of Autumn
1 Rhonas the Indomitable
2 Shalai, Voice of Plenty
1 Walking Ballista
1 Viscera Seer
9 - INSTANT
4 Collected Company
4 Chord of Calling
1 Surgical Extraction
15 - SIDEBOARD
1 Knight of Autumn
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Anafenza, the Foremost
1 Choke
1 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Eidolon of Rhetoric
1 Raking Canopy
1 Blessed Alliance
1 Abrupt Decay
1 Path to Exile
1 Settle the Wreckage
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Damping Sphere
1 Torpor Orb
1 Stony Silence
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My results and my match consideration:
vs Grixis Deathshadow 0-2
Too many discard and removals. The second game was so long... Thanks to my Shalai, very top card. To win I need more graveyard recursion: Renegade Rallier. Then an Instant graveyard removal: Surgical is wonderful to exile a removal playset like bolt or push (better push so he cannot kill my Shalai). Then I want Remorseful cleric, a very good card: I sacrifice it then I replay with Rallier.
vs Esper Deathshadow 2-0
He has not so many removal, Delver were not enought (3 in few turns) because of my Shalai and growed BOP. One game win with combo on Shalai and one game win with combo on Ballista.
vs Rock 0-2
The same as Grixis. Game two I could win, because I race with finks and other creatures. He draw Damnation. Damn...
We need recursion and also Selfless Spirits: this is the only one match I want it.
vs UWR 2-0
On second turn I play a Finks, he path Finks... I surgical his path. "No removal" for him on game one. He saw Electrolyse but is not enough.
I win with ballista combo.
Second game was longer. Teferi, Cryptic and some counters, but I have so many mana (BOP and Hierarch) to play two spell each turn (few turns...), enough to play ballista combo.
vs Hollow One 1-2
Game one so funny. He play Looting, cycle, play Hoolow. I play a BOP. He playanother spell then a Phoenix return. I play the second BOP. He play something then a second Phoenix. I play the third BOP. He'going to attack me: I had about 6 life, I block with BOP and answer with a Chord to take Druid. My turn: Vizier, Recruiter, Ballista. Eheh.
Turn two the same, I surgical his bolts, but he see three push in three turns!
Game three: I was one turn on late... I don't see anything against him (Autumn vs Hollow, Raking vs Phoenix, Anafenza vs graveyard…).
Hollow one is not a difficult matchup for us, we need a little recursion, rallier again. And 2x path for sideboard.
vs Burn monored 1-2
It was so easy... But... Game one he wins, so many burn on my pieces. On second game I put out all druids and make an aggro plan, win. On third I mulligan to five, but I didn't see any other land.
Aggro B plan is a good idea, but... More lucky with mana.
vs Infect 2-1
Game one I mulligan to 6. Start with a Hierarch, then a recruiter. He play the Agent. Mmm.. On my turn, four mana, I play... Ballista with two counters. I deal 1 damage to agent. Bye bye. I win later with combo, putting other counters on my ballista. Game two he wins on turn four.
Game three I win on turn four.
Against infect is a race, I think two Ballista are better, is very dangerous for Infect because I use one only counter to kill my opp’s creatures.
vs Mill monoblu 2-1
Wondeful deck. But with three witness I could choose which card take from my graveyard, so many choice.
Also against mill is a race, he has not so many interactions like UB version, but is very good deck. He didn't believe when I surgical his Archive Trap.
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So…
If I wanna play this version (no Reliquary, no Eldritch, no Lounge…), I want to add 2-3x Rallier on mainboard: I've to consider Voice of Resurgence (very power vs control decks like Grixis or Mardu), Remorseful (to empty app’s graveyard) and Selfless Spirits, all good creatures replayable with Rallier.
Then, no black, GW is enought.
With this list we can built an aggro plan post side, against difficult match.
