Clearly, I have been taking a break away from my Captain’s Log column. I was going to write about the things I learnt over the Born of the Gods prerelease weekend, but I didn’t have any unique lessons to share. Even today, I’m still honing my basic Sealed skills in order to be able to compete at a high level come Grand Prix Montreal weekend.
One of my biggest struggles with Sealed is my misevaluation of cards because I look at them in a vacuum. I’ve shown Jon Stern a pool I had before and he told me that he would not have played [card]Vaporkin[/card] had he received my pool. I have played [card]Vaporkin[/card] in all of my pools where blue was one of my colours. I have also always played [card]Blood-Toll Harpy[/card] in my black decks. Obviously they have won me games on their own, but they were not always the optimal choice given the other 39 cards of my decks.
Once the prerelease and release weeks had passed, I was once again off to the Standard grind, so I’m going to give you guys a quick recap of the two Standard PTQs I have played since my last column and the knowledge I have accumulated heading into the last weekend of the current Standard season.
PTQ Ottawa
After my excellent result at Grand Prix Vancouver, I surely did not start the Ottawa PTQ on the right foot. I began the tournament 0-2 before racking off 5 wins to finish in the top 16. My two losses were to the mirror with Blood Baron in the sideboard and Orzhov Midrange.
This is what I had registered:
[deck title=Mono Black Devotion by Kar Yung Tom]
[Lands]
18 Swamp
4 Mutavault
4 Temple of Deceit
[/Lands]
[Creatures]
4 Desecration Demon
4 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
4 Nightveil Specter
4 Pack Rat
[/Creatures]
[Other Spells]
4 Underworld Connections
4 Devour Flesh
4 Hero’s Downfall
2 Bile Blight
4 Thoughtseize
[/Other Spells]
[Sideboard]
4 Lifebane Zombie
3 Erebos, God of the Dead
3 Duress
1 Doom Blade
2 Bile Blight
2 Drown in Sorrow
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]
PTQ Ottawa happened right after the Sunday Super Series and with Orzhov being a big player at that tournament, it explained my inclusion of 4 [card]Devour Flesh[/card]. I had no intention of losing to Blood Barons.
However, due to my inexperience in the matchup, it is possible that I could have achieved a record better than 5-2 had I better prepared myself. Prior to this tournament, I had not played against Orzhov in any sanctioned tournaments and I auto-piloted through the sideboarding process. I disregarded bringing in [card]Lifebane Zombie[/card] against them because I was treating Orzhov like the mirror.
Unfortunately, [card]Lifebane Zombie[/card]s are one of the key ways to win in that particular matchup. I only learnt that after my second loss, but was able to utilize this new found knowledge to beat Super Series Top 4 Competitor Andy Robdrup himself later on in the tournament.
Andy and I tested the matchup extensively after our official games and felt like the overall match was probably closer than what most people expected. Mono Black is definitely a dog, but I would say it’s a slight underdog as an early [card]Lifebane Zombie[/card] is a decent clock. [card]Mutavault[/card] and Elspeth tokens can’t get in its way.
When looking at my decklist, there was also the noticeable omission of [card]Dark Betrayal[/card]. I took them out because I thought the metagame was opening up where non-Black decks were going to pick up in popularity. Hard to say I was right considering the fact that three decks in the top four of the tournament, including the winner, were Mono Black Devotion.
My friend Dan Lanthier ended up winning the whole tournament with the following list:
[deck title=Mono Black Devotion by Dan Lanthier]
[Lands]
4 Temple of Silence
4 Mutavault
18 Swamp
[/Lands]
[Creatures]
4 Pack Rat
4 Nightveil Specter
4 Desecration Demon
4 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
[/Creatures]
[Other Spells]
4 Underworld Connections
3 Bile Blight
4 Hero’s Downfall
1 Ultimate Price
2 Devour Flesh
4 Thoughtseize
[/Other Spells]
[Sideboard]
3 Lifebane Zombie
3 Duress
2 Devour Flesh
2 Erebos, God of the Dead
1 Ultimate Price
2 Dark Betrayal
2 Drown in Sorrow
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]
PTQ Quebec City
The following week, there was yet another PTQ, this time, it was in Quebec City. I made slight adjustments to my Mono Black Devotion list.
[deck title=Mono Black Devotion by Kar Yung Tom]
[Lands]
18 Swamp
4 Mutavault
4 Temple of Deceit
[/Lands]
[Creatures]
4 Desecration Demon
4 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
4 Nightveil Specter
4 Pack Rat
1 Lifebane Zombie
[/Creatures]
[Other Spells]
2 Bile Blight
2 Devour Flesh
1 Ultimate Price
4 Underworld Connections
4 Hero’s Downfall
4 Thoughtseize
[/Other Spells]
[Sideboard]
3 Lifebane Zombie
3 Erebos, God of the Dead
3 Duress
2 Doom Blade
1 Ultimate Price
2 Bile Blight
1 Drown in Sorrow
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]
I want to remind my readers that this was the week right after Kent Ketter made a splash at SCG St. Louis with Jund Monsters. The top eight of that tourney was also littered with RG Monsters so Monsters was expected by me to be reasonably popular at this particular PTQ.
[card]Lifebane Zombie[/card] had always been one of my top performers against RG and with me thinking that I wanted more action against UW Control in game 1, I included a single copy in the main deck. After discovering that the Orzhov matchup was less of a scare than I thought, I lowered the number of [card]Devour Flesh[/card] and added an [card]Ultimate Price[/card] to have a more diversified main deck removal suite. [card]Ultimate Price[/card] was of course also a nod to the rise of [card]Stormbreath Dragon[/card].
As for the sideboard, I trimmed on copy of [card]Drown in Sorrow[/card]. This was the only card that Dan and I never sideboarded in at the Ottawa PTQ . There doesn’t seem to be much WW in the metagame and RW Devotion seems to have completely disappeared as a deck. It’s fair to say that maybe these players moved onto playing a version of Monsters. Dan suggested that I cut all copies but I kept one just in case.
Ultimately, I ended up finishing 5-2 to again, losing to the mirror and the [card]Agent of the Fates[/card] version of Mono Black. All four of my most recent losses have been to a black-based deck. Since PTQ Toronto in January, my record with Mono Black Devotion in sanctioned matches has been an incredible 35-9 (an 80% win rate!). Although my results have been strong, these last four losses certainly make me consider joining the Orzhov clan.
Orzhov Midrange
Orzhov Midrange has been a deck for a while now. Andy Robdrup had been playing it for as long as I can remember but it was brought to the center stage when he finished in the top 4 of the Sunday Super Series Championship while also performing well during a StarCityGames Open event during the same weekend.
Andy’s list from the Sunday Super Series championship is as follows:
[deck title=Orzhov Midrange by Andy Robdrup]
[Lands]
10 Swamp
4 Godless Shrine
2 Hallowed Fountain
4 Mutavault
2 Orzhov Guildgate
4 Temple of Silence
[/Lands]
[Creatures]
4 Blood Baron of Vizkopa
4 Desecration Demon
3 Nightveil Specter
4 Pack Rat
[/Creatures]
[Other Spells]
2 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
3 Underworld Connections
3 Bile Blight
2 Devour Flesh
4 Hero’s Downfall
1 Ultimate Price
4 Thoughtseize
[/Other Spells]
[Sideboard]
2 Lifebane Zombie
2 Dark Betrayal
2 Doom Blade
3 Obzedat, Ghost Council
2 Drown in Sorrow
2 Duress
2 Revoke Existence
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]
For me, the main incentive to play Orzhov Midrange over Mono Black is the slight edge against Mono Black and a significantly better matchup against UW Control due to having access to [card]Obzedat, Ghost Council[/card] out of the board.
In my experience as the Mono Black Devotion player against UW Control, I always wanted a spell I could use to punish them when they tapped out. Obzedat or [card]Rakdos’s Return[/card] are probably two of the best spells you can cast in those situations. Erebos from the Mono Black Devotion deck, on the other hand, can be dealt with in a number of ways.
Read the Bones
I have played Andy’s list for the last little while and I remain impressed. It is solid and I never really ran into much mana trouble. The one question I did ask myself was if I would like [card]Read the Bones[/card] more than [card]Underworld Connections[/card]. I feel like there’s a strong possibility that Orzhov players just ported [card]Underworld Connections[/card] from the Mono Black builds. Mono Black has to prefer [card]Underworld Connections[/card] more because devotion to black is important for the archetype.
Despite my complete understanding that [card]Underworld Connections[/card] is exceptional against UW Control, I think it can be argued that [card]Read the Bones[/card] is superior in other matchups. It’s definitely less horrible against the aggressive strategies. Even against Mono Black Devotion, the game plan might not be more cards, but the right cards – a Blood Baron or a second white source to cast [card]Elspeth, Sun’s Champion[/card].
I’m keeping an open mind and it looks like I am not alone. This week, aytor_92 took down an MTGO Standard Premier with the full set of [card]Read the Bones[/card].
[deck title=Orzhov Midrange by aytor_92]
[Lands]
4 Godless Shrine
4 Mutavault
1 Orzhov Guildgate
2 Plains
10 Swamp
4 Temple of Silence
[/Lands]
[Creatures]
4 Blood Baron of Vizkopa
3 Desecration Demon
4 Pack Rat
[/Creatures]
[Other Spells]
3 Bile Blight
3 Devour Flesh
2 Duress
2 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
4 Hero’s Downfall
4 Read the Bones
4 Thoughtseize
2 Ultimate Price
[/Other Spells]
[Sideboard]
1 Dark Betrayal
3 Doom Blade
3 Lifebane Zombie
2 Obzedat, Ghost Council
2 Pithing Needle
2 Revoke Existence
2 Underworld Connections
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]
That’s not all. Drew Christensen recently took down a Standard PTQ and he opted to go with a 2/2 split.
[deck title=Orzhov Midrange by Drew Christensen]
[Lands]
4 Godless Shrine
4 Mutavault
2 Orzhov Guildgate
2 Plains
9 Swamp
4 Temple of Silence
[/Lands]
[Creatures]
4 Blood Baron of Vizkopa
4 Desecration Demon
1 Obzedat, Ghost Council
4 Pack Rat
[/Creatures]
[Other Spells]
2 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
3 Bile Blight
3 Devour Flesh
4 Hero’s Downfall
2 Read the Bones
4 Thoughtseize
2 Ultimate Price
2 Underworld Connections
[/Other Spells]
[Sideboard]
2 Dark Betrayal
3 Doom Blade
2 Drown in Sorrow
3 Duress
1 Erebos, God of the Dead
3 Lifebane Zombie
1 Obzedat, Ghost Council
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]
Orzhov Sideboarding
One of the aspects of the Mono Black Devotion mirror is the amount of discard spells each player has to play post-board in other to prevent the other from resolving an early [card]Underworld Connections[/card]. They have no choice since Black has no solutions to a resolved copy of the card, but I have played many mirror matches where having too many discard spells that I could draw in the middle stages of a game became a liability.
And that’s why I like how Orzhov can approach the matchup from a different angle. It can choose to fight [card]Underworld Connections[/card] and Erebos with [card]Revoke Existence[/card] instead of jamming excessive copies of Duress. A lot of this thinking reminds me of how Reid Duke wrote about how he won almost every Modern Jund mirror he played. He sided out all his discard spells. Could a similar approach be successful here?
Mono Black Devotion and Orzhov Midrange remain my top two choices as I take the train to Toronto this Friday in the hopes of winning the final Standard PTQ of the season. There’s a small chance I go crazy and audible. A small chance.
My Sideboard Plan
To end my Standard discussion, I did want to include the sideboard guide I wrote for myself last weekend. I took a page out of Jon Stern’s book alright. Of course, feel free to critique it as I am still learning every single time I pilot this deck.
For easier reference, here is my list from PTQ Quebec City once again:
[deck title=Mono Black Devotion by Kar Yung Tom]
[Lands]
18 Swamp
4 Mutavault
4 Temple of Deceit
[/Lands]
[Creatures]
4 Desecration Demon
4 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
4 Nightveil Specter
4 Pack Rat
1 Lifebane Zombie
[/Creatures]
[Other Spells]
2 Bile Blight
2 Devour Flesh
1 Ultimate Price
4 Underworld Connections
4 Hero’s Downfall
4 Thoughtseize
[/Other Spells]
[Sideboard]
3 Lifebane Zombie
3 Erebos, God of the Dead
3 Duress
2 Doom Blade
1 Ultimate Price
2 Bile Blight
1 Drown in Sorrow
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]
The Mirror
Out:
[draft]
2 Desecration Demon
1 Lifebane Zombie
2 Pack Rat
2 Devour Flesh
2 Hero’s Downfall
[/draft]
In:
[draft]
3 Erebos, God of the Dead
2 Bile Blight
3 Duress
1 Ultimate Price
[/draft]
My sideboard plan is all over the place because of my [card]Dark Betrayal[/card] omission. I’m also starting to feel like 3 Duress is too much to bring in.
Orzhov Midrange
Out:
[draft]
2 Desecration Demon
1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
4 Pack Rat
3 Hero’s Downfall
1 Ultimate Price
[/draft]
In:
[draft]
3 Erebos, God of the Dead
3 Lifebane Zombie
2 Bile Blight
3 Duress
[/draft]
My sideboard plan for this matchup is still very messy. I know the tools that I want but taking out cards has been a challenge.
RG Monsters (play)
Out:
[draft]
2 Bile Blight
4 Underworld Connections
[/draft]
In:
[draft]
3 Lifebane Zombie
2 Doom Blade
1 Ultimate Price
[/draft]
RG Monsters (draw)
Out:
[draft]
2 Pack Rat
2 Bile Blight
4 Underworld Connections
[/draft]
In:
[draft]
3 Lifebane Zombie
2 Doom Blade
1 Ultimate Price
2 Duress
[/draft]
I am comfortable against RG Monsters overall except when they have one of those early [card]Domri Rade[/card] draws which can make it awkward for you to get ahead with [card]Lifebane Zombie[/card] as they will just fight it. That’s the reasoning behind the 2 Duress when being on the draw.
UW Control
Out:
[draft]
2 Bile Blight
2 Devour Flesh
1 Ultimate Price
4 Hero’s Downfall
[/draft]
In:
[draft]
3 Lifebane Zombie
3 Erebos, God of the Dead
3 Duress
[/draft]
Taking out all copies of [card]Hero’s Downfall[/card] seems strange, but this is the plan Owen Turtenwald suggested in an older article and I have had success with this plan. I know for sure that I want to keep all four [card]Pack Rat[/card]s in despite how bad they might seem. They are simply a necessity because you need to apply early pressure and leave little room for them to happily tap out for a Jace.
The KYT Show
I have not found a proper title for my stream yet, but maybe some of you can help me out. Right now, my plan is to stream every week right before recording the Eh Team. Expect me to be live on http://twitch.tv/kytmagic every Thursday from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm EST.
Feel free to drop by any time. Maybe you just have a question you want to hear asked on the Eh Team.
As always, thanks for reading!
Kar Yung Tom (KYT) is the Digital Content Manager for Face to Face Games. He oversees the F2FTour.com and Magic F2F websites. He is also the lead host of the First Strike podcast.