Fetch 5 8s
by: Richard Meshell
I ‘ve had some recent success with the RUG Titanshift deck I wrote about previously. I attended two PPTQs over the past two weeks, and made top 8 in both.
The deck was very much similar to that I had been playing, as I did not devote any testing to trying out new cards. I felt like it was running smoothly, so I did not want to disrupt that. Below is the decklist I submitted for PPTQ1.
TP31000 5/ 8” raised 4.3 50 46 TP32000 3/ 4” raised 5.5 50 Two Gang TP35000 1/ 2” raised 6.0 50 38 TP36000 5/ 8” raised 8.0 50 52 TP37000 3/ 4” raised 9.0 50 54 Low profile screws – reduces risk of sheetrock bulge TP710 L.P. Screws - 1000 0.5. Dismiss Join GitHub today. GitHub is home to over 50 million developers working together to host and review code, manage projects, and build software together. Bring / carry / fetch / take - English Only forum but at your peril you fetch a candle yet - English Only forum coming back to fetch away a friend - English Only forum Do you think you could collect/get/fetch the mail for me - English Only forum End up / wind up / fetch up - English Only forum Fetch - English Only forum fetch - English Only forum.
Maindeck
1 Breeding Pool
2 Cinder Glade
3 Forest
1 Island
2 Misty Rainforest
7 Mountain
1 Steam Vents
2 Stomping Ground
4 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
4 Wooded Foothills
3 Explore
2 Izzet Charm
4 Khalni Heart Expedition
3 Prismatic Omen
3 Remand
4 Scapeshift
4 Search for Tomorrow
2 Summoner’s Pact
4 Primeval Titan
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
Sideboard
3 Obstinate Baloth
3 Nature’s Claim
1 Negate
2 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Anger of the Gods
1 Pulse of Murasa
1 Ancient Grudge
2 Spellskite
This PPTQ had a late start, but I was lucky in that it was only a 5 or 10 minute drive from my home so me and my friend were able to jam a few games and get lunch beforehand without feeling rushed. Ultimately 50 people were registered, so it was a healthy sized PPTQ.
Round 1: UWR Nahiri
Maybe one of the best players in the area, but I don’t think he had played with Nahiri in the deck yet. I took game one when I was able to Remand his Nahiri and resolve a Primeval Titan and turn on Valakut. Game 2, I took a mulligan on the draw and he was able to counter my ramp spells in a timely fashion and finish it up with burn. Game 3, I went to a mulligan to 5 on the play but was able to get to 7 lands pretty quick. A Primetime was countered and I was left in topdeck mode. He had no relevant pressure and I eventually found a Scapeshift. (2-1, 1-0)
Round 2: Merfolk
Lost the die roll and lost game 1 from having some poor draws. Game 2, I think he kept a hand with Silvergill, Master of Waves, and a Lord. I kept a hand with Prismatic Omen and Scapeshift. I risked a blowout from Echoing Truth, but got the feeling that my opponent didn’t completely know what I was doing. I got there, and Game 3 was much of the same story. Izzet Charm bought some time by shocking a Lord. (2-1, 2-0)
Round 3: 5-Color Bring to Light
Interesting deck. I knew what the deck was from seeing the kid play it at previous events and earlier in the day, but wasn’t completely sure what it did. Game 1, I saw double Kitchen Finks and that was about it before I finished it with Omen and Titan. Game 2, I boarded in Angers and Negate and I think a single Cage. He mulligans and leads off with Anafenza and Melira, which get cleaned up with Anger. I have a Valakut in hand, but wait to play it until I can protect it with Izzet Charm or Negate. He missed a land drop, but naturally finds Crumble (I knew it was somewhere in a BTL deck). My plan worked and it was the turning point to a Game 3 win. (2-0, 3-0)
Round 4: Elves
I win the die roll, but lose on turn 3 after some lucky Collected Company hits. I board in Angers and Cages (taking out KHE I think). Game 2, I take a mulligan and keep a slow hand that has a Cage. I keep drawing into my tap lands (Valkut and Cinder Glade) and just can’t get my spells out fast enough. The Cage ultimately didn’t matter as what he had in his hand was sufficient. (0-2, 3-1)
Fetch 5 8s Pro
Round 5: Merfolk
I was a little bummed about not being about to double draw in, but knew I wasn’t completely out of it. My opponent leads off with a Cursecatcher then Silvergill then Lord (which is Izzet Charmed). I had a Turn 4 Prismatic Omen->Scapeshift kill. Game 2, he extends a little bit and gets me to 12 before I get doulbe valakut+Omen online to clean up the threats and follow it up with a Titan. I haven’t played the Merfolk matchup much with this version, but it seems a little swingy with this deck being slightly favorable. (2-0, 4-1)
Round 6: ID
https://free-gun.mystrikingly.com/blog/pokemon-x-rom-mac. Me and my friend are paired against each other and ID into top 8. We’re lucky it worked out this way as his Griselbrand-Nourishing Shoal deck feels like a bad matchup. We take this time to gas up at the nearby BBQ joint. (0-0-1. 4-1-1)
Top 8:
In the top 8 we have: RUG Titanshift, GR Titanshift, Griselbrand, Naya Burn, Bant Boggles, Living End, UB Faeries, and Elves.
Top 8, Round 1: Elves
I’m paired against the Elves player from earlier, with him being the higher seed. He takes a mulligan to 5 on the play (I go to 6). His start is less explosive, and it gives me some breathing room to take game 1 which I felt was huge. In game 2, I saw Thoughtseize out of his board as he takes the Anger I kept in my hand and then uses Eternal Witness to buy it back. During his turn I’m left with lethal lands on board, but my only card in hand is Scapeshift which he strips with Thoughtseize. I can’t find another payoff in time. Game 3 I’m on the play (thanks to Game 1), and he takes a mulligan while I keep my 7. He plays out 3 elves, but is stuck on 1 land. I Anger those away, and my opponent misses his draw step. At this point, I think he’s on tilt and I just have to stick to the textbook. We get there.
Round 2: Bant Boggles
He was able to double draw into the top 8 during the swiss, so he remained the higher seed and selected to play, leading off with a Boggle. The Hexproof matchup is really annoying and I hate losing to it, but can usually do OK if Rancor isn’t involved. Rancor and 2x Daybreak Coronet are involved. He knocks me to 1 and goes up to 32 life. I have an Omen on the field and my out is a Scapeshift. I cast Pact and then Remand it to draw a card. Not a Scapeshift so game 2. In Game 2 he starts off with Leyline and a Boggle, followed up with Etheral Armor and Rancor. I had to take a mulligan, and my hand was set up for a Turn 4 titan (worst thing in this matchup) and also needed to draw into a Nature’s Claim. I decided to keep this hand and not mulligan down for a turn 2 Spellskite, which maybe I should have done). I do draw into the Claim and cast Titan, but need to use the Claim on Etheral Armor so that my Titan can effectively block his 9/6 trampler (I’m at 4 life). He scried two cards to the top with a Serum Visions with an uncracked fetchland. I target the Armor with Claim, and he fetches an untapped Hallow Fountain to cast Stubborn Denial (—tf). I can’t claw back from that in a draw step, so he wins in two. He did lose in the finals to the Naya Burn player.
Overall, the deck ran very well for the day. Izzet Charm pulled a lot of weight, and I’ve considered switching the numbers on it and Remand. As with the archetype in general, it’s soft to aggro. However with the addition of the 3rd Omen, you can almost consistently pressure the turn 4 kill (or some meaningful interaction on Turn 4). The sideboard I thought was fine, but needed to focus in on bad matchups just dedicate 3 or so cards to it.
I basically had no time for practicing the week before PPTQ2 due to a crazy work schedule. My playing partners also bailed out at the last minute from catching a stomach virus. Even with those factors, I was feeling good about attending this event and was riding some momentum from the previous week.
I moved one Primeval Titan out of the maindeck, and slotted in a Pulse of Murasa. I had played with three Titans before, so that did not need testing. Pulse was a gamble, but I felt it would consistently have enough targets to be useful. For the sideboard, I made room for an additional Anger of the Gods (up to 3) as I was having trouble in the matchups where I was bringing it in, and wanted to see it more. Below are the changes I made to the deck, then registered.
Maindeck
-1 Primeval Titan
+ 1 Pulse of Murasa
Sideboard
+1 Anger of the Gods
-1 Pulse of Murasa
Round 1: URG Delver
Smaller event, so I can’t avoid playing people I know. I haven’t played against this guy in a while since we make it out to modern on different days so I have no clue what he’s playing. He leads out with a Gitaxian Probe and Serum Visions. Next turn, there is a Delver, so the mystery reveals itself. I go off on Turn 4, so I didn’t see much beyond that. I assume Blood Moon was part of the SB package, so Baloths and Claims are brought in. Game 2, take my first turn by cracking a Wooded Foothills for a basic Forest and suspending a Search. On my end step, he Surgically Extracts the Foothills from my graveyard, stripping the other two from my hand. This is followed up by a Pyromancer and Blood Moon, which I couldn’t quite recover from. Game 3, I got off to a faster start and was able to win when he expended some resources getting Baloth off the table. (2-1, 1-0)
Round 2: Grixis Delver
He leads off with a Delta, fetching and shocking for a Watery Grave, and casting Serum Visions. I took a pretty good guess that it was Grixis Delver. He confirmed it with a Thought Scour on himself revealing a Delver and Gurmag Angler. He really didn’t have any pressure, so I was able to land a Primeval Titan and have a few Valakuts online. Game two, I ramped up to a Primeval Titan pretty quick and knowingly ran it into countermagic (I believe I had Pulse of Murasa in my hand), but what I didn’t expect was that he was cast Surgical Extraction on my Titan, and strip the others out of my deck. Seriously, what’s up with this card? He did have pressure in the form of a Young Pyromancer, so we moved to Game 3. I had sided in Baloths and Claims the second game, and added an Anger for game 3. In the third game, we went through the exact same exercise where my Titan was Mana Leaked, then Extracted. This game was different in that he was stuck on two lands, neither of which game black mana. I managed to get a single Valakut online after many turns and whittled him down with it (he took a few shots from a hero Baloth). Pulse played a small factor here, as I was able to pulse a Fetchland back to my hand to save it from an Extraction (I needed the land to maintain lethal). (2-1, 2-0)
Round 3: GB Elves
I was on the play and kept a solid turn 4 Scapeshift hand, with a remand. I knew my opponent was on Elves from watching an earlier match, so I knew I just needed to not die on turn 3. It works like I drew it up and I bring in all of my Angers, Negate, and Cages. I keep a hand with solid ramp, an Anger, and a Cage. I ramp out first, but he seems to be carefully playing around Anger by not overextending. It’s a smart play, but I have a combo clock. I play Anger to clean his board, and draw into a second one. I think the second Anger was too much to come back from, especially with the Cage, and I was able to Valakut him out. (2-0, 3-0)
Round 4: GR Valakut
With 30 people and 5 rounds, I was in an unfortunate spot of not being able to double draw into Top 8. The other two 3-0’s were able to, but I was paired down and needed to play. I recognized my opponent from the previous PPTQ as playing GR Valakut (my friend played him). He won the dice roll game 1, and I had a hand of Izzet Charm and Remand. I had a decent idea of what to counter in the matchup, but had never played it. I got ahead on lands, but missed my 6th land drop with Prismatic Omen out and Scapeshift in hand. He was able to finish with Valakut triggers, despite not getting a hasty Titan. Game 2 went a little more favorably for me, as I was able to get a quick Scapeshift before he get anything substantial. Game 3, I set up a turn 4 win on the draw. The fastest he was able to get a Titan was his Turn 4, which would only put me to 1 (its 18 total damage, and I was at 19) that way I could untap and win. I could even play around a Baloth gaining life, or a Spellskite for whatever reason. I pass the turn and he plays Through the Breach, putting Emrakul into play. I scoop out of a little frustration, but he admits that the Emrakul is a one-of. Well played! (1-2, 3-1)
Round 5: Bant Eldrazi – Draw
The math still works out that I can draw into top 8, I will just be on the draw most games. (0-0-1, 3-1-1)
Top 8:
In the top 8 we have: RUG Titanshift, GR Titanshift, GR Valakut, Bant Eldrazi, Merlia Company, UWR Nahiri, GB Elves, GB Elves. I played two of these guy in the Swiss .
Top 8, Round 1: GR Titan
I was paired up against a local Scapeshift player who has had a few really good finishes playing the RUG Omen version, so I am mentally preparing to play against that. I keep a good, fast hand and he leads with a tapped land. After his 3rd land drop, I notice there isn’t any blue in his manabase (nor is he fetching it out) so I decide it’s probably safe to run my Scapeshift out without fear of Cryptic Command. That works and I take game 1. He does see the blue in my mana base, so he brings in a Boseiju, Who Shelters All that won game 2 (I needed to counter Scapeshift, untap and win but couldn’t). Game 3, I’m unsure if I made a mental error but it was something to note. I was saving a Negate in my hand for Scapeshift, which I was pretty sure was the only thing that could kill me. He then attempts to cast a Prismatic Omen, which I snap-Negated. I lost to Scapeshift that game, so I was wondering if that was the correct move.
I was at 17 life, so a 7 land Scapeshift is lethal regardless. His board state was a Tribe Elder and 5 lands, were I believe he had made his land drop for the turn. An Omen makes a resolved Titan lethal, by fetching two Valakuts and making his land drop for turn. In this case, my Negate is best spent on Omen so that Titan isn’t lethal and I can untap and win. The other scenario is Omen+ Scapeshift. He had six lands guaranteed, so Omen/Scapeshift is live. If Omen is countered, and he doesn’t make a land drop, there are still at least 8-9 outs left in his deck (STE, Search for Tomorrow, Pacts) that get the last land and can cast Scapeshift. In this line, Scapeshift itself is best countered. So what was the right play? Since there is no clear answer here, it was probably countering a ramp spell early on. I did hold the Negate for a turn or two.
The GR Titan player won the PPTQ (playing Melira next, and then UWR Nahiri in the finals). It is a strong enough deck that you can surround it with anything and it still be ok. For this PPTQ, the deck played fine and I noticed a few misplays on my part that could have been avoided. I look to play this version or something similar next week at GP Indy. Now to go practice for it!
by: Richard Meshell
I ‘ve had some recent success with the RUG Titanshift deck I wrote about previously. I attended two PPTQs over the past two weeks, and made top 8 in both.
The deck was very much similar to that I had been playing, as I did not devote any testing to trying out new cards. I felt like it was running smoothly, so I did not want to disrupt that. Below is the decklist I submitted for PPTQ1.
Maindeck
1 Breeding Pool
2 Cinder Glade
3 Forest
1 Island
2 Misty Rainforest
7 Mountain
1 Steam Vents
2 Stomping Ground
4 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
4 Wooded Foothills
3 Explore
2 Izzet Charm
4 Khalni Heart Expedition
3 Prismatic Omen
3 Remand
4 Scapeshift
4 Search for Tomorrow
2 Summoner’s Pact
4 Primeval Titan
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
Sideboard
3 Obstinate Baloth
3 Nature’s Claim
1 Negate
2 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Anger of the Gods
1 Pulse of Murasa
1 Ancient Grudge
2 Spellskite
This PPTQ had a late start, but I was lucky in that it was only a 5 or 10 minute drive from my home so me and my friend were able to jam a few games and get lunch beforehand without feeling rushed. Ultimately 50 people were registered, so it was a healthy sized PPTQ.
Round 1: UWR Nahiri
Maybe one of the best players in the area, but I don’t think he had played with Nahiri in the deck yet. I took game one when I was able to Remand his Nahiri and resolve a Primeval Titan and turn on Valakut. Game 2, I took a mulligan on the draw and he was able to counter my ramp spells in a timely fashion and finish it up with burn. Game 3, I went to a mulligan to 5 on the play but was able to get to 7 lands pretty quick. A Primetime was countered and I was left in topdeck mode. He had no relevant pressure and I eventually found a Scapeshift. (2-1, 1-0)
Round 2: Merfolk
Lost the die roll and lost game 1 from having some poor draws. Game 2, I think he kept a hand with Silvergill, Master of Waves, and a Lord. I kept a hand with Prismatic Omen and Scapeshift. I risked a blowout from Echoing Truth, but got the feeling that my opponent didn’t completely know what I was doing. I got there, and Game 3 was much of the same story. Izzet Charm bought some time by shocking a Lord. (2-1, 2-0)
Round 3: 5-Color Bring to Light
Interesting deck. I knew what the deck was from seeing the kid play it at previous events and earlier in the day, but wasn’t completely sure what it did. Game 1, I saw double Kitchen Finks and that was about it before I finished it with Omen and Titan. Game 2, I boarded in Angers and Negate and I think a single Cage. He mulligans and leads off with Anafenza and Melira, which get cleaned up with Anger. I have a Valakut in hand, but wait to play it until I can protect it with Izzet Charm or Negate. He missed a land drop, but naturally finds Crumble (I knew it was somewhere in a BTL deck). My plan worked and it was the turning point to a Game 3 win. (2-0, 3-0)
Round 4: Elves
I win the die roll, but lose on turn 3 after some lucky Collected Company hits. I board in Angers and Cages (taking out KHE I think). Game 2, I take a mulligan and keep a slow hand that has a Cage. I keep drawing into my tap lands (Valkut and Cinder Glade) and just can’t get my spells out fast enough. The Cage ultimately didn’t matter as what he had in his hand was sufficient. (0-2, 3-1)
Round 5: Merfolk
I was a little bummed about not being about to double draw in, but knew I wasn’t completely out of it. My opponent leads off with a Cursecatcher then Silvergill then Lord (which is Izzet Charmed). I had a Turn 4 Prismatic Omen->Scapeshift kill. Game 2, he extends a little bit and gets me to 12 before I get doulbe valakut+Omen online to clean up the threats and follow it up with a Titan. I haven’t played the Merfolk matchup much with this version, but it seems a little swingy with this deck being slightly favorable. (2-0, 4-1)
Round 6: ID
Me and my friend are paired against each other and ID into top 8. We’re lucky it worked out this way as his Griselbrand-Nourishing Shoal deck feels like a bad matchup. We take this time to gas up at the nearby BBQ joint. (0-0-1. 4-1-1)
Top 8:
In the top 8 we have: RUG Titanshift, GR Titanshift, Griselbrand, Naya Burn, Bant Boggles, Living End, UB Faeries, and Elves. Cocktail 10 3 download free.
Top 8, Round 1: Elves
I’m paired against the Elves player from earlier, with him being the higher seed. He takes a mulligan to 5 on the play (I go to 6). His start is less explosive, and it gives me some breathing room to take game 1 which I felt was huge. In game 2, I saw Thoughtseize out of his board as he takes the Anger I kept in my hand and then uses Eternal Witness to buy it back. During his turn I’m left with lethal lands on board, but my only card in hand is Scapeshift which he strips with Thoughtseize. I can’t find another payoff in time. Game 3 I’m on the play (thanks to Game 1), and he takes a mulligan while I keep my 7. He plays out 3 elves, but is stuck on 1 land. I Anger those away, and my opponent misses his draw step. At this point, I think he’s on tilt and I just have to stick to the textbook. We get there.
Round 2: Bant Boggles
He was able to double draw into the top 8 during the swiss, so he remained the higher seed and selected to play, leading off with a Boggle. The Hexproof matchup is really annoying and I hate losing to it, but can usually do OK if Rancor isn’t involved. Rancor and 2x Daybreak Coronet are involved. He knocks me to 1 and goes up to 32 life. I have an Omen on the field and my out is a Scapeshift. I cast Pact and then Remand it to draw a card. Not a Scapeshift so game 2. In Game 2 he starts off with Leyline and a Boggle, followed up with Etheral Armor and Rancor. I had to take a mulligan, and my hand was set up for a Turn 4 titan (worst thing in this matchup) and also needed to draw into a Nature’s Claim. I decided to keep this hand and not mulligan down for a turn 2 Spellskite, which maybe I should have done). I do draw into the Claim and cast Titan, but need to use the Claim on Etheral Armor so that my Titan can effectively block his 9/6 trampler (I’m at 4 life). He scried two cards to the top with a Serum Visions with an uncracked fetchland. I target the Armor with Claim, and he fetches an untapped Hallow Fountain to cast Stubborn Denial (—tf). I can’t claw back from that in a draw step, so he wins in two. He did lose in the finals to the Naya Burn player.
Overall, the deck ran very well for the day. Izzet Charm pulled a lot of weight, and I’ve considered switching the numbers on it and Remand. As with the archetype in general, it’s soft to aggro. However with the addition of the 3rd Omen, you can almost consistently pressure the turn 4 kill (or some meaningful interaction on Turn 4). The sideboard I thought was fine, but needed to focus in on bad matchups just dedicate 3 or so cards to it.
I basically had no time for practicing the week before PPTQ2 due to a crazy work schedule. My playing partners also bailed out at the last minute from catching a stomach virus. Even with those factors, I was feeling good about attending this event and was riding some momentum from the previous week.
I moved one Primeval Titan out of the maindeck, and slotted in a Pulse of Murasa. I had played with three Titans before, so that did not need testing. Pulse was a gamble, but I felt it would consistently have enough targets to be useful. For the sideboard, I made room for an additional Anger of the Gods (up to 3) as I was having trouble in the matchups where I was bringing it in, and wanted to see it more. Below are the changes I made to the deck, then registered.
Maindeck
-1 Primeval Titan
+ 1 Pulse of Murasa
Sideboard
+1 Anger of the Gods
-1 Pulse of Murasa
Round 1: URG Delver
Smaller event, so I can’t avoid playing people I know. I haven’t played against this guy in a while since we make it out to modern on different days so I have no clue what he’s playing. He leads out with a Gitaxian Probe and Serum Visions. Next turn, there is a Delver, so the mystery reveals itself. I go off on Turn 4, so I didn’t see much beyond that. I assume Blood Moon was part of the SB package, so Baloths and Claims are brought in. Game 2, take my first turn by cracking a Wooded Foothills for a basic Forest and suspending a Search. On my end step, he Surgically Extracts the Foothills from my graveyard, stripping the other two from my hand. This is followed up by a Pyromancer and Blood Moon, which I couldn’t quite recover from. Game 3, I got off to a faster start and was able to win when he expended some resources getting Baloth off the table. (2-1, 1-0)
Fetch 5 8s 3
Round 2: Grixis Delver
He leads off with a Delta, fetching and shocking for a Watery Grave, and casting Serum Visions. I took a pretty good guess that it was Grixis Delver. He confirmed it with a Thought Scour on himself revealing a Delver and Gurmag Angler. He really didn’t have any pressure, so I was able to land a Primeval Titan and have a few Valakuts online. Game two, I ramped up to a Primeval Titan pretty quick and knowingly ran it into countermagic (I believe I had Pulse of Murasa in my hand), but what I didn’t expect was that he was cast Surgical Extraction on my Titan, and strip the others out of my deck. Seriously, what’s up with this card? He did have pressure in the form of a Young Pyromancer, so we moved to Game 3. I had sided in Baloths and Claims the second game, and added an Anger for game 3. In the third game, we went through the exact same exercise where my Titan was Mana Leaked, then Extracted. This game was different in that he was stuck on two lands, neither of which game black mana. I managed to get a single Valakut online after many turns and whittled him down with it (he took a few shots from a hero Baloth). Pulse played a small factor here, as I was able to pulse a Fetchland back to my hand to save it from an Extraction (I needed the land to maintain lethal). (2-1, 2-0)
Round 3: GB Elves
I was on the play and kept a solid turn 4 Scapeshift hand, with a remand. I knew my opponent was on Elves from watching an earlier match, so I knew I just needed to not die on turn 3. It works like I drew it up and I bring in all of my Angers, Negate, and Cages. I keep a hand with solid ramp, an Anger, and a Cage. I ramp out first, but he seems to be carefully playing around Anger by not overextending. It’s a smart play, but I have a combo clock. I play Anger to clean his board, and draw into a second one. I think the second Anger was too much to come back from, especially with the Cage, and I was able to Valakut him out. (2-0, 3-0)
Round 4: GR Valakut
With 30 people and 5 rounds, I was in an unfortunate spot of not being able to double draw into Top 8. The other two 3-0’s were able to, but I was paired down and needed to play. I recognized my opponent from the previous PPTQ as playing GR Valakut (my friend played him). He won the dice roll game 1, and I had a hand of Izzet Charm and Remand. I had a decent idea of what to counter in the matchup, but had never played it. I got ahead on lands, but missed my 6th land drop with Prismatic Omen out and Scapeshift in hand. He was able to finish with Valakut triggers, despite not getting a hasty Titan. Game 2 went a little more favorably for me, as I was able to get a quick Scapeshift before he get anything substantial. Game 3, I set up a turn 4 win on the draw. The fastest he was able to get a Titan was his Turn 4, which would only put me to 1 (its 18 total damage, and I was at 19) that way I could untap and win. I could even play around a Baloth gaining life, or a Spellskite for whatever reason. I pass the turn and he plays Through the Breach, putting Emrakul into play. I scoop out of a little frustration, but he admits that the Emrakul is a one-of. Well played! (1-2, 3-1)
Round 5: Bant Eldrazi – Draw
The math still works out that I can draw into top 8, I will just be on the draw most games. (0-0-1, 3-1-1)
Top 8:
In the top 8 we have: RUG Titanshift, GR Titanshift, GR Valakut, Bant Eldrazi, Merlia Company, UWR Nahiri, GB Elves, GB Elves. I played two of these guy in the Swiss .
Top 8, Round 1: GR Titan
Fetch 5 8s 2
I was paired up against a local Scapeshift player who has had a few really good finishes playing the RUG Omen version, so I am mentally preparing to play against that. I keep a good, fast hand and he leads with a tapped land. After his 3rd land drop, I notice there isn’t any blue in his manabase (nor is he fetching it out) so I decide it’s probably safe to run my Scapeshift out without fear of Cryptic Command. That works and I take game 1. He does see the blue in my mana base, so he brings in a Boseiju, Who Shelters All that won game 2 (I needed to counter Scapeshift, untap and win but couldn’t). Game 3, I’m unsure if I made a mental error but it was something to note. I was saving a Negate in my hand for Scapeshift, which I was pretty sure was the only thing that could kill me. He then attempts to cast a Prismatic Omen, which I snap-Negated. I lost to Scapeshift that game, so I was wondering if that was the correct move.
Fetch 5 8s 6
I was at 17 life, so a 7 land Scapeshift is lethal regardless. His board state was a Tribe Elder and 5 lands, were I believe he had made his land drop for the turn. An Omen makes a resolved Titan lethal, by fetching two Valakuts and making his land drop for turn. In this case, my Negate is best spent on Omen so that Titan isn’t lethal and I can untap and win. The other scenario is Omen+ Scapeshift. He had six lands guaranteed, so Omen/Scapeshift is live. If Omen is countered, and he doesn’t make a land drop, there are still at least 8-9 outs left in his deck (STE, Search for Tomorrow, Pacts) that get the last land and can cast Scapeshift. In this line, Scapeshift itself is best countered. So what was the right play? Since there is no clear answer here, it was probably countering a ramp spell early on. I did hold the Negate for a turn or two.
The GR Titan player won the PPTQ (playing Melira next, and then UWR Nahiri in the finals). It is a strong enough deck that you can surround it with anything and it still be ok. For this PPTQ, the deck played fine and I noticed a few misplays on my part that could have been avoided. I look to play this version or something similar next week at GP Indy. Now to go practice for it!