Hanratty's Favorite Superhero (Top 4 FNM)

Standard ChrisHansonBiomancin

SCORE: 6 | 4 COMMENTS | 1464 VIEWS | IN 3 FOLDERS

First FNM in a While- Undefeated Top 4 —April 19, 2014

So I've decided to revisit this deck after BNG provided all of the Scry lands as well as Fated Intervention. I had been playing My Prophet, Your Loss (Top 4 FNM) prior to the Grand Prix in Phoenix, and while the deck is a blast, it was time to change it up.

This deck is equally fun to play due to the multitude of decisions that have to be made and the fact that the deck's profile can change drastically post-board, throwing opponents for a loop. The board against control seems especially brutal as I basically aggro out. Here were the results of last night's successful FNM run:

Rd 1 GR Aggro; W 2-0: Similar to Monsters, but opted for no mana dorks and instead ran cheap beaters like Experiment One, Gore-House Chainwalker, and Burning-Tree Emissary. Game 1 was a nail-biter as I finally stabilized with a Wurm at 3 life before running away after a Sphinx for 3 or 4. Game 2 was more of a blowout as I countered his Domri Rade and Supreme Verdict cleared the way for Wurm mop-up duty.

Rd 2 UW Control; W 2-1: I dropped Game 1 after getting him under 5 life but being unable to get past two Elspeth, Sun's Champions. Game 2 looked to be taking a similar route, but I had my luckiest moment of the night when I topdecked AEtherling with him tapped out after the second Elspeth and under 8 life. Game 3, I drew nothing but gas, including 2 Advents, 2 Boons, and 2 Mistcutters, and proceeded to win in a blowout.

Rd 3 Esper Control; W 2-1: Again, I lost game 1 after letting him resolve AEtherling early on. In game 2, I had him at 7 life with a Boon and Wurm on the board when he tapped out for Blood Baron of Vizkopa, so I Populated at the end of his turn with Rootborn Defenses and followed up with a Mistcutter for 5 that ended it. In Game 3, I had pressure on board forcing him to drop and minus Elspeth, then followed up with an end step Advent and main phase Aetherling of my own. It took a little while for me to chip away since he played a Blood Baron after that, but the conclusion was forgone once the Shapeshifter hit the table.

Rd 4 MBD; W 2-0: I honestly think this is a great matchup for me as our curves are similar but I have answers for days against Pack Rat and can wait to respond to what they do mid-game. In game 1, I waited until he dropped an Underworld Connections to flash in a Wurm, then proceeded to counter a few removal spells and exile a Desecration Demon with Selesnya Charm for the win. In game 2, I was a bit mana-screwed while he was flooding out a bit, but I had enough mana to deal with his early threats and eventually take over. Sphinx for a few ended it.

Rd 5 & 6 friendly draws since Top 8 was guaranteed.

Top 8: MUD splash White; W 2-0: Despite the lopsided result, both games were extremely close. In game 1, he steadily drained my life early and often with cheap flyers like Cloudfin Raptor and Judge's Familiar, but I got out a Boon and 2 Wurms mid game to get into the race. I ended up getting there in the nick of time as he had me down to 2 life. In game 2, he got me down to 1 on two separate occasions, the first being right after I played a Mistcutter for 5. I then used Azorius Charm for Lifelink to buy myself some extra time, as all he had left in the air was 2 Judge's. Since he had no Mutavault out, I was once again able to win the photo-finish as a Raptor joined too late and dropped me to 1

Since it was almost 2AM at that point, the Top 4 decided to split. Great run by this deck, and I'm excited to keep playing it until Journey comes out.