Sequencing in Monogreen and Gruul
Pioneer forum
Posted on Dec. 2, 2020, 8:25 a.m. by gatotempo
I have been playing a lot of Mono-Green Planeswalkers (no link) and RG aggro, and I have run into a tiny sequencing issue. These lists run 4 Llanowar Elves and 4 Elvish Mystic. I have hands sometimes where I have 2 of one of them and 1 of the other. I have trouble figuring out how to sequence these hands to reveal the least information. Thanks for all of the help!
Play what you have more of, first.
If you have 2x Elvish Mystic, and 1x Llanowar Elves, play the 2 Mystics first.
That way your opponent won't be able to guess early on that you have four of each.
December 3, 2020 4:59 a.m.
I’ve played B/G elves in modern, so I’ve had a similar experience to yours. It’s also an aggro deck. It’s centered around Collected Company. So I’ll just share my perspective and see if the shoe fits.
By playing either Llanowar Elves or Elvish Mystic, you have already revealed a large portion of your deck’s strategy. Basically, these are the poster boys of creature aggro decks. They are very powerful cards, and if anything is worth doing, it’s worth overdoing. Playing either one usually means you’re running a play set of both. I haven’t seen decks run less than 8 unless they have 0 in the deck. So don’t worry too much about giving your opponent too much information in game 1. You don’t have much to hide. Aggro decks have the greatest advantage in game 1 against a deck unprepared for their speed. So don’t slow yourself down by trying to hide information. That’s what games 2 and 3 are about because that’s when you start running appropriate interaction and do the mind games.
That’s why I like aggro decks. I don’t have to worry too much about barfing my hand onto the battlefield as long as I do it quick enough that they can’t prevent it. Yes, I’ve played into more boardwipes than I care to remember, but that gets fixed with experience.
December 4, 2020 5:42 p.m.
Lanzo493 I', usually a control mage, so when playing these decks I do have some trouble. Thanks for your help!
December 6, 2020 10:02 a.m.
TriusMalarky says... #8
Yeah, if I see one I assume the other. In Modern, if I see them, I assume monogreen or elves, if I see Hierarch I think Birds, and if I see Birds and either blue or white, I assume Hierarch.
But it doesn't always matter. By casting one, you've told your opponent what they need to mulligan for next game. If I see a dork, it's always because they want to go t1 dork t2 3-drop or are an elf deck. It's just the best way to play with those cards.
psionictemplar says... #2
From an outsider perspective I would probably suggest doing research on the main decks in the format and see which of the 2 creatures is more common and lead with that one. However if you are planning on using it to just play more mana producers the following turn, it probably won't change your opponents information all that much. At that point your opponent will probably have a good read on what you are doing and how to react accordingly. The only exception I see to this would be if you had 3+ copies of the same creature, which would probably be looked at as a random occurrence. I say this with only game 1 in mind. Games 2-3 your opponent would know what your plan is (likely) and would plan accordingly beforehand.
Another point to consider would be if your opponent knows what you are playing before your match starts. If so, then your sequencing probably won't be that relevant either way. If not, then your opponents choice in starting hand will be a bigger decider on how things play out more so than your sequencing.
The same could be considered from your opponents perspective as well.
Either way, take this with a grain of salt. By no mean am I a solid player or a pioneer player for that matter.
December 2, 2020 5:43 p.m.