Hello spikes! Im trying to make a new standard deck in paper but worried about rotation. Any strong decks that are fairly rotation proof? I was eyeing jund sac, seems like it only loses lively dirge if im not mistaken. Havent played the deck enough to know how big of a deal that is so some insight on that from any jund sac players would be great. Thanks!

Hey everyone!

I've been working on a small tool to turn sideboard guides into nice-looking, printable cards that fit inside your deckbox, without having to fiddle with print sizes.

You can organize your matchups and sideboarding plans in Google Sheets, preview how the cards will look, and generate a PDF ready to print and cut out.

It's free, private, and doesn't require an account. Everything is processed locally in your browser.

There's a Google Sheets template to get started, and some instructions on how to use AI to convert existing sideboard guides from other formats, so you don't have to rewrite everything manually.

You can try it here: https://dgmora.github.io/sideboard-printer/

Hope some of you find it useful! Feedback and suggestions are welcome.

Hi Spikes.
I've played a few decks lately that are usually really good at filling the graveyard. [Discussion]
Im trying to play the deck more in paper laltely but i struggle in organzing the graveyard in a way for it to make sense and work irl.
Recently i started having my exile pile above the deck which has helped a lot.
How do you mange a large graveyard irl? Do you stack it with relevant cards in order? Like if the ammount of creatures matter or certain cards that can be cast from the graveyard and you put those on top?
do you have it as one big pile? I've seen some people like "fan" them out in stacks of 4 or 5 cards on top of eachother. Is it okay at an rcq to stack the graveyard to make it easier to manage?

Hey all,

I've been getting into Dimir mid and am absolutely cruising so far, and whenever I do lose, I can almost always find optimization/learning opportunities. I was just wondering if anyone knew how and when to sideboard all my various cards. Its usually easy for me to figure out what to board in, but I can never figure out what to cut (unless it's obvious, like hex for azorius control). I also don't understand the purpose of Vren and when to put it in/out.

Took down an 8 person RCQ today with Dimir Midrange. Not crazy impressive but it was my first Standard RCQ, third ever after I played a few in May and June, so very excited for my first RC qual! Dimir is not an amazing deck, but it was the cheapest for me to build and I’m happy to just learn the format with a tier 2 deck.

Here’s my current list: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/8012892#paper. Pretty stock. I’m very happy with the 2 Tidebinder main 1 side. The list felt great but I didn’t play any control, which was 7/15 decks in the morning RCQ before the one I played, so I’d be glad to hear if anyone has suggestions on things to change in a control meta.

Round 1: Izzet Spellementals 2-1

Game 1: we both flooded pretty hard, I never found a Kaito or Curiosity, ran out of steam before they did. Noticed I gave them an easy 2 for 1 by playing out two Beavers into their [[Prismari Charm]]. L

Games 2 and 3: Both basically the same—I find 1-2 Betrayal to deal with their first fatty, keep finding removal and the occasional counter, and accrue enough resources with a well placed Kaito to win. WW

In general, the matchup feels close, with lots of interesting decision points. Definitely need to be careful about not giving them too many 2 for 1 opportunities. Game 3 I had this spot where I had Beavers, they had 3 mana untapped end of their turn 3, and I wanted to play a Drowner to guarantee Kaito next turn if they had one removal spell. Prismari Charm would be a disaster though. They had already played one and binned another with surveil, but my gut just told me they had it. I went to my turn, they did and it was annoying but I kept the Drowner, played it, got Kaito down and off to the races. Definitely would have lost if I played the Drowner, as it was my only other threat. TLDR follow your gut gamers.

Round 2: Simic Landfall 2-1
Game 1: Luckily got to steal this game off my opponent getting mana screwed. Nothing interesting here, just a great example of how you need to play tight AND get lucky to win any serious tourney. W

Game 2: Great back and forth, but I stumble a little early with low mana and can’t find a counter for Nursery. Used a counter on flashback [[Esper Origins]] and that might have been a mistake, I forget exactly why I did so but I think I just was low on removal and wanted to buy some extra time (and figured if they had [[Sapling Nursery]] or [[Earthbender’s Ascension]] they would have played it, and Esper would get them closer to it). As it happens it wouldn’t have mattered anyway since they had a Spell Pierce. They eventually get a Nursery and Ascension down before I can find more counters. I grind it out and luckily find my two Day of the Black Sun, I get them to 6 dead next turn BUT unfortunately they top deck an [[Icetill Explorer]] with a [[Fabled Passage]] in the yard and I’m done. I suspect a more skilled pilot could have won this game though. L

Game 3: I have some good interaction for their early threats, and then get Vren down. They have no answer for it and it wins me the game on its own. W

Pretty bad matchup, which is why (together with Lifegain being a bad matchup) the deck is tier 2 or worse. Still feel a lot of agency though, and the post board games feel pretty good. You basically need to steal game 1, but if you do I feel like you might be favored. Still an uphill battle though, and I need more experience with it. Nursery feels like a must counter, nothing else really scares me as much. Simic feels like a better matchup than mono green, simply because it stumbles a bit more with mana. Avatar just doesn’t seem worth it for me tbh but I certainly am not an authority on landfall. I feel like if I can find a way to feel comfortable against this deck, I can feel much better with Dimir in general. Dodging Lifegain is not a good strategy but it is what it is.

Finals: Azorius Flash 2-0
Game 1: I had never played against this deck and hadn’t had time to watch opponent play throughout the tournament, he just told me earlier he was playing “Faust combo”. I’m new to standard so that meant nothing to me. So I played really conservatively, always trying to leave interaction up and taking very few risks. He plays a [[High Noon]] but that doesn’t affect me much. I just get some threats down, resolve a Kaito and overwhelm him with card advantage. W

Game 2: Didn’t see a ton of his deck so I side boarded based on vibes (I think +1 Vren +1 Tidebinder +2 Duress, -1 Yuriko -1 Beavers -1 Betrayal -1 Wan). The deck just does its thing, I’m trying to remember if there is anything of interest that happened and anticlimactically for a final, I don’t think so. I just get some boys down, eventually resolve a Curiosity after a couple get countered, control their threats and get there. W

He then explained the deck to me and mentioned how this is probably the nightmare matchup, so again I got pretty lucky. For anyone who hasn’t played against it (maybe it’s just me lol), the idea of the deck is locking you out with a combination of [[Voice of Victory]]/[[Jennifer Walters]], High Noon, and [[Aang, Swift Savior]]/[[Aven Interruptor]]. We concluded together that the correct sideboarding would have been +1 Vren +1 Tidebinder -2 We Say Thee Nay (and possibly +2 Betrayal -1 Snare -1 Charm)—my opp’s argument being that counter spells are not really amazing against their deck, and we just want to keep as many threats and removal as possible. Overall though it’s a great matchup so I wouldn’t worry too much about it on the Dimir side.

Generally, got really lucky and played pretty tight, can’t ask for a better tourney. Gotta figure out what I’ll do about the RC since I was hoping to not spend much more on Standard, but idk if I can justify to myself bringing Kaito to such a large stakes event. I think with a ton of reps I could eventually feel comfortable into Landfall, but I suspect Lifegain is simply too good and simply too bad of a matchup for the deck to ever feel good. Who knows though, we’ll see what Star Trek does to the format. Would love any suggestions and critique of course as a standard beginner. Thanks for reading!

I belive Champions Cup Store Qualifier are considered Comp REL. If not, please remove my post.

I'm starting a bit of a research project, having been away from academic research long enough that I think I'm ready for another one!

I'm interested in what makes some TCG players exceptionally good, and whether those abilities can be learned, are partly innate, or are influenced by other factors.

So here's my question:

Have you ever known two TCG players (any game) who invested similar amounts of time and effort but achieved very different levels of success? What do you think explained the difference?

There's some interesting research around deliberate practice, including challenges to the popular 10,000-hour rule. But I'm particularly interested in hearing from people who actually play these games competitively.

Is it how people practice? How quickly they learn? The people they play with? Something else entirely?

I'm also curious whether the skills that make someone exceptional at one TCG transfer to another.

I'd love to hear real examples from your own experiences, particularly where players have put in comparable effort but achieved different results. I've found that some people can find a great testing group, lock in tier one decks and practice for hours and hours - and still go 3-5 and scrub out. Another rolls in hungover after barely practicing and cruises to day two.

Hello! I’m very new to competitive magic, and I’m unsure if I’m allowed to bring my notes for sideboarding between matchups. I wrote down a couple key matchups and strategies for my Orzhov life gain deck on three index cards and put them in my deck box. Am I allowed to have these in a competitive tournament or is that cheating? I’m going to the Hartford spotlight series and I want to make sure I’m playing by the book!

Thank you!

I'm currently polishing up my Boros Dragons list for this weekend. Something like this: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/standard-boros-dragons-woe#paper is pretty close to what I have landed on. However, I'm considering replacing one of the copies of Magmatic Hellkite with something a bit more impactful that I can tutor up.

At 4 mana, we have Decadent Dragon and Stingerback Terror. Both have trample which is a plus, but neither really provides much value beyond the raw stats. My thought right now is that they feel more like a side grade than an actual improvement over MH.

When we step up to 5 mana, things get much more interesting. There are some extremely powerful options at that cost. The A tier are Bonehoard Dracosaur, Dragonhawk Fate's Tempest, Spinerock Tyrant and Terror of the Peaks. All aggressively costed bombs and potential game enders. In the B tier we have Draconic Visitor, Ran and Shaw, and Twinflame Tyrant. All decent, but with slightly sub-par stats.

I have tried Dragonhawk and found it slightly underwhelming. Most games it just domes them for 4 and dies. The first strike on Bonehoard means it can actually punch through big blockers if it manages to survive. If it sticks around it can also make some tokens which is nice. I'm not sure how relevant the wither actually is on Spinerock, but a 6/6 flyer for 5 is a lot of stats, and it's the only thing that can at least trade with the big demons.

Now the question is, which one (if any) is actually worth including? I don't have a testing team so I'm hoping the hive mind here can provide some useful insights.

Hello spikers,

Just posting feedback from a standard RCQ that i attended a week ago. Played in a standard RCQ with 18 players.

Preparation:
I've just been grinding on MTGA with mono green landfall (mythic)

Deck selection:

I rocked up to the event with three decks to choose from; Mono Green, Jeskai Artifacts, and Golgari control. Prior to deck registration I recognised familiar players who are on spellmentals, izzet piles, and probably playing control decks. These are tough matchups for Mono Green and Artifacts, so I ended up registering Golgari control

https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/8010352#paper

Round 1 GW landfall 2-0
- this was a favourable match up, GW landfall does not have good catchup compared to mono green
- game 1 had all the removals and sweepers lined up. Took over game with delian
- sideboard +2 day black sun, +2 betrayals, +1 necropsy. -3 duress, -2 Together as one, -1 deceit. Expected opponent to sideboard in protection spells and sapling nurseries
- game 2 had removals lined up. Played around mossborn hydra + protection spell. slowly won with annex

Round 2 abzan midrange 1-2
- game 1 opponent had too much recursion and answers to my annexes and delians
- sideboard +3 outrageous robbery, +2 betrayal, +1 vacuum, +1 necropsy. -4 hex, -3 duress, Expected opponent to sideboard out removals and bring in handhate
- game 2 won with GY hate and annex/delian engine
- game 3 lost due to 3 annexes lifeloss and my core got destroyed

Round 3 Boros Dragon 2-0

- favourable match up. Have too many removals to deal with their threats and they do not have any way to catchup from behind

- sideboard +2 betrayal, +2 revenant, +1 necropsy. -3 duress, -2 deceit. Expected opponent to bring in boros charms and artifact/enchantment removals

Round 4 mono blue jace control/combo 2-0

- Deck wins with new jace loyalty combo. Felt unfavourable as I had alot of dead cards game 1, slow clock, and dealing with counterspells

- game 1 unfortunately opponent landscrewed early on. saved handhate to strip counterspells so can resolve annex and delian. had to create delian emblem so can have a faster clock before he combos

-sideboard +2 revenant, +1 duress, +3 robberies, +1 vendetta, +2 heist, +1 necropsy. -4 hex, -1 shoot, -1 cover-ups, -1 edict, -1 betrayal. expected opponent to bring in even more counterspells and carddraw
- game 2 landed an early revenant and stripped his hand of counterspells so was able to resolve an annex

Round 5 UW tempo with black splash for kaito 2-1
- game 1 won. Opponent had dead removal cards in his hand and couldn't keep up with annex + removals. have to play around opponent flash creatures and make sure to kill voice of victory so can play spells at end of opponent turn
- sideboard +2 day of black sun, +2 revenant, +1 necropsy, +2 cruelclaw. -4 together as one (this card not good if gets airbend/plotted), -3 duress
- game 2 lost due to voice of victory + enduring curiosity engine. could not keep up
- game 3 win. slowly trade removals 1 for 1 and slowly accumulate advantage with delian. have to protect delian at all cost so that means even not casting spell during my turn while high noon in play, i played around a possible creature flashing at end of turn and killing delian on combat. eventually he sac'd high noon to kill delian and I was able to cast two annexes with one being countered.

Round 6 top 4 abzan midrange 2-0

- game 1 the sweepers lined up and deadly cover-up exiling all the vraskas. eventually won with annexes and too much card advantage
- game 2 severance priest exiled unholy annex. killed the priest to get an 8/8 creature and he had no removal to kill him. drawn into removals to kill deathtouch vraska so couldn't kill 8/8 spirit

- sideboard same as earlier

Round 7 finals boros equipment split

- I felt this matchup was favourable but we both wanted to finish up so we split. The RCQ was an double invite so we both got it

reflections:

- i felt the deck was strong in a creature heavy meta without mono green. It was a breeze playing it on the day and I was pleased how it performed. it would be weak if the meta was mono green and UW control heavy
- I would make futher changes to play 4 deadly cover-up mainboard as this can easily exile opponents wincons and strong pieces - especially vs elemental and reanimator decks

Decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/8009674

Hello fellow Dimir wizards!

Are you tired of not knowing what's in your opponent's hand? Would you like to turn your few lowly creatures into lethal threats? Do you miss the days when your mana really hurt you?

If you answered yes to all of the above then I propose you make a dark pact with the powers of light and start splashing white. 

History

For the past year, I've been playing primarily brews that looked like Dimir Kaito (often with some splash). I'd often make it to mythic but Dimir's place in the meta never really made it above Tier 2 and my ceiling in even my best seasons was around #500.

Then WOTC finally decided to ban key pieces of our worst matchups and Dimir became Tier 1 again. At first I played some Dimir but I was soon frothing at the mouth to see if I could make a tempo brew in Azorius/Grixis/Esper work and embarked on brewing.

Eventually, I revisited a promising Azorius Convoke brew of mine and splashed black for Kaito (decklist for those curious: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/8009676). With more time on my hands this season, I started to track my games once I hit higher Plat. I went 16-4 (in addition to a big win streak to get to where I was) and the deck looked very promising.

But, as I made my way higher into Diamond, the competition started to get harder and the weaknesses of the deck were becoming more prominent. I realized I was winning some games against stronger decks solely because I had the surprise factor of being a brew or because I was making less piloting errors.

I finished a respectable 23-9 but I knew it was time to go back to the drawing board. Luckily, I had kept notes on my wins (I posted a link in a comment below in case you're curious what those looked like). Looking over my notes I realized that I had a few real knockouts in white that would shine in Dimir Kaito.

After quite a bit of tinkering and play testing, I came up with a list and got back on the ladder. It felt smooth as butter and my win percentage skyrocketed again. I cruised through Diamond and am climbing my way through Mythic.

I truly believe it's a small but very tangible step up from Dimir Kaito. The introduction of some of the white pieces really shores up some weaknesses in this meta. Unfortunately, due to some error syncing in my Notes app, I lost records of recent games besides the first 7 (going 7-0 but also includes some Bo1 where I was experimenting with small adjustments). The notes are also linked in the comments.

New Pieces

[[Arachne, Psionic Weaver]]

Arachne is probably the most imporant addition of all the new cards and an absolute monster.

I very often will go Turn 1: Dream Beavers -> T2: Attack, weblsing beavers for Arachne, and play beavers.

In your first 2 turns you have done 3 points of damage, scried twice, have 4 power/toughness on two separate creatures in play, seen your opponents hand, and you have taxed the type of your card of your choosing. Playing Kaito turn 3 is GG often enough (added bonus: she also returns Kaito to your hand if you're worried about him staying on the board).

The best part is that the tax and hand-info effect isn't even ETB. Countless times I've played Arachne and just picked instant and the opponent can't use their removal until the next turn when they have enough mana. And there is no stack for returning the web-slinged creature to your hand since it's a cost so it's guaranteed safe.

3/3 is no joke for Dimir either. Instead of swinging for 1 or 2 for the first several turns, you're often swinging with a weenie and 3 power on top of that. That makes your opponent's clock tick much faster. I've seen top 8 Dimir lists using Cecil again just to try to get a bit more pressure early but Arachne has no downside (you can still swing if you have 2 or less life) along with all the upside (including being one damage stronger).

She also shores up some of your worst weaknesses. A couple of examples: I'll see Izzet Spellementals eagerly holding up 2 mana on turn 2 waiting to 2-for-1 me with Prismari Charm only for me to attack with Beavers and then slam an Arachne on the board after pulling Beavers to safety. And all their cantrips become twice as expensive. Izzet Prowess can't just play a million cantrips on their turn anymore and the hand info against them is especially priceless for knowing how much time you have to set up your board. Against UW Artifacts she can slow down your opponent one turn (or even two if they held onto too little mana) after you declare Artifacts.

You know what's extra great about her? Good control players now have a really tough choice about what to do with your weenies a full turn earlier. Before Arachne, they could just wait around until you attack turn 3 to decide but now if they only have removal and no counterspell they have to really think hard about what to do with that soon-to-be-tapped Siren/Yuriko/Beaver on turn 2.

Side note: In my linked notes, you'll see I refer to her as Yera. That's an old bad habit and a relic of the Omenpaths fiasco (I do actually like her Omenpaths card more though: https://www.mtgpics.com/card?ref=om1023)

[[Aang, Swift Savior]]

Aang is such a great tempo card. I find myself always praying for more tempo cards like Floodpits Drowner and he's pretty much it.

Are there a few situations where I'd rather have Tishana's Tidebinder or Wan-Shi? Sure. But the vast majority of the time I'm happier having Aang in my hand.

He gets around uncounterable spells (looking at you Inevitable Defeat and Cavern of Souls). He can temporarily remove creatures and their counters at instant speed. He can get rid of tokens and creature lands permanently (that weren't the result of earthbending). He's a great late game mana sink and that flip ability can happen much faster than it did in Azorius prison (especially with the map tokens off Siren) and don't forget flipping is also instant speed. He even gets around the hexproof of Dragonfire Blade.

Lastly, he's a nightmare in the mirror. A flash/flier with a 2/3 body is really hard for Dimir Kaito to deal with when most their creatures are a 2/1 or weaker.

[[Practiced Offense]]

I think this card is pretty self explanatory. However, a less obvious benefit, is how often I get board-wiped and then just give Kaito double strike next turn for the unforeseen win. Also, the lifelink has saved my butt quite a few times. Turn 5 you can turn your beaver/siren duo from 2 points of damage into 12 points.

[[Kaito, Cunning Inflitrator]] (or blue Kaito)

Obviously not a white/Azorius card but one I want to highlight nevertheless. I really think all Dimir decks should be running this card.

How many times have you sat there staring across the table at Control with two Requiting Hexes in your hand? How many times have you battered your opponent to 2 life but they now have an impenetrable wall of creatures?

The plus ability alone on Blue Kaito solves this issue. I've had countless game where the opponent is spamming "Good Game" only to play blue Kaito next turn and swing for the win (even more dangerous with Pracitced Offense in the deck and the double strike increases his loyalty X2).

You can often create a ninja token every turn. I plus Kaito, Bane of Nightmares far more often than I used to solely because of blue Kaito (and now I have Yuriko so even more synergy). I'll win a lot of games with nothing more than two ninja tokens that are 4/3's.

He'll also soak up PW removal before you play main-attraction Kaito. And most importantly, that Ult ability is just another timer to pit your opponent against. I've ulted him for as early as turn 4 and the Ult happens more than you'd think. I've even seen top 8 lists running mainboard Preacher which is kind of ridiculous when blue Kaito is available in the three spot and so much more of a nightmare.

Sideboard

I won't harp on this too much but the contribution of white to your removal suite is no slouch either. Seam Rip is huge in some of your worst matchups. i.e. Orzhov Lifegain - not only is exiling Amalia huge since she's the number one reanimation threat but you can now remove those pesky enchantments. Jund Sacrifice you can just exile Greedy Freebooter and buy yourself a ton more time (no treasure token created). Even Sheltered for Ghosts comes in handy when Izzet Prowess is constantly knocking on your door with a ton of damage each turn.

Drawbacks

The most significant one is (as I joked about in the intro) the mana base. And honestly it's not as bad as you would think.

Creature lands were used primarily against control and now a ton of control is using Petrified Hamlet. Your pip availability for B/U is actually BETTER than top 8 lists for Dimir Kaito (not only do you have starting town for extra availability over just a basic but there's no colorless because the list isn't running Soulstone Sanctuary).

Which leads me to the actual real downside. The lands definitely hurt more and there is a bit of a learning curve on what to do with Multiversal Passage as you have to think about available pips and future requirements. The only advice I can give is if you think life is going to be an issue in the current game then don't be afraid to bring in Starting Town later/tapped or tap the 2-life lands. However, I've sat down and done the math (albeit some of my college stats is rusty and including things like Turn 1 scry makes it even more complicated) and I think the lands are currently near optimal. They don't hurt a ton and the pip availability is good for each respective color.

Conclusion

Sorry for the novel! I wish I had more data points for you but with only 3 weeks left until Star Trek (and Salt Vampire doing a lot of what Yera can do) I figured I'd get this post out as soon as possible rather than wait until I've recorded a couple dozen more games.

Also, I'm pumped for Spacecraft in Star Trek and will probably go back to trying to make Convoke work (so many tools that care about tapped creatures like Lost in the Maze, Captain America, Websling, Split Up, etc.) after set release.

Let me know what you think! I'd love to hear about cards I missed or what your experiences are with the changes.

So with Engineered Explosives spoiled in the upcoming Star Trek set, how close are we to getting an actual aggro affinity deck in the meta? It seems like with Mox Jasper, blue traxos, krang, weapons manufacturing, pinnacle emissary, memory guardian (if you really want cards that specifically say affinity on it) that we have to be getting pretty close if we aren't there already.

It seems Lifegain is nigh unwinnable and Mono G is a tough match. My standard plan against aggro or board is to SB out Kaito and SB in Vren and Black Sun - which only works if I draw them, generally. And doesn't seem to work at all versus Lifegain - they just outvalue everything.

Should I SB Torpor or Karn? It seems that would work against me as well. I also think I am misplaying Black Sun sometimes - trying to get maximum value (either that I play it too early and don't have a reset)

Are they just terrible MUs or I'm missing something?

EDIT : Forgot to post decklist sorry. Torpor Orb seems good but then what do I remove?

Deck

2 Bitter Triumph (LCI) 91

4 Dream Beavers (TMT) 62

4 Enduring Curiosity (DSK) 51

4 Floodpits Drowner (DSK) 59

4 Gloomlake Verge (DSK) 260

2 Hidden Lair (MSH) 269

5 Island (ELD) 254

4 Kaito, Bane of Nightmares (DSK) 220

4 Requiting Hex (ECL) 116

2 Restless Reef (LCI) 282

2 Shoot the Sheriff (OTJ) 106

2 Soulstone Sanctuary (FDN) 133

1 Spell Snare (DIS) 33

4 Spyglass Siren (LCI) 78

3 Swamp (ELD) 258

2 The Wondrous Wasp (MSH) 84

1 Tishana's Tidebinder (LCI) 81

1 Wan Shi Tong, Librarian (TLA) 78

4 Watery Grave (GRN) 259

2 We Say Thee Nay! (MSH) 82

1 Spell Pierce (DFT) 64

1 Preacher of the Schism (LCI) 113

1 Shipwreck Marsh (FRA) 189

Sideboard

2 Flashfreeze (FDN) 590

3 Duress (FDN) 606

1 Disdainful Stroke (KTK) 37

1 Annul (EOE) 46

1 Disdainful Stroke (WOE) 47

3 Strategic Betrayal (TDM) 94

1 Vren, the Relentless (BLB) 239

2 Day of Black Sun (TLA) 94

1 Wan Shi Tong, Librarian (TLA) 78

Hello, looking for some advice/tips/etc.

I have been playing standard competitively for about 4-5 months. Played some prowess before stormchaser ban and have been on Spellementals before and since the bans. I practice on MOTO/Arena and twice a week in paper at LGS. I have been 4-1 multiple times this week on MOTO league with the deck and even trophied last week with it. I’m usually consistent with 2-1 record at LGS 3/4th place most weeks with 10-15 players.

I’ve been to 4 RCQ’s now this season and lost in semi-finals of a top 4 cut, went 0-3 at the next, went 3-2 and 2-3 at the others but didn’t make top 8 with 3-2 record. I’m looking for advice on how to improve better on paper, or get better practice in. Our local meta is a little heavier on bad matchups for Spellementals and I see others on the deck do bad at RCQ’s too with mostly landfall and control decks making top cut. I don’t feel like I’m playing worse from nerves, or anything like that but I feel super good going into the tournament and then feel like I make 1/2 mistakes a game that just cause me to get steamrolled in early rounds. Also attending events alone when I see others that have already Q’d conceding to their friends or ID etc. is a little frustrating.

I’ve considering changing decks to play into local meta a little more? But again do super good on MOTO and when practicing so not sure if that’s really the answer.

Any advice is welcome, TIA!

Hi guys,

Yesterday I attended a local RCQ with 23 participants, 5 swiss rounds into top 8. I´d like to share my experience playing Izzet Prowess, as I haven´t seen too many people playing the deck in paper.

My list was this one: https://moxfield.com/decks/_T7qDbqZVUCxor4m6p4pzg

R1 vs Dimir Kaito, on the play, 2-0 W

Matchup is good for prowess imo, shore up is very good here.

R2 vs Rakdos Lizards, on the draw, 2-1 W

Lost first game because i got burnt really fast on curve and didn´t find multiple removal, but the matchup is fine to play as well, althought it´s favored to the deck that is on the play. Luckily, I spell snared a Stinging Vitriol G3 turn 2 (which was kind of a gamble tbh, if he had cavern of souls and dropped a creature instead my hand was doomed) and then steamrolled him.

R3 vs Dimir Kaito, on the draw, 1-2 L

Lost this matchup because this guy was playing a different version that I hadn´t seen yet, with [[Spectral Sailor]] and [[Loch Mare]], and others cards as well. He played really well around my outs so really props to him.

R4 vs Azorius Momo, on the draw, 0-2 L

This matchup seems like hell to me. T2 Riddler, T3 Springleaf Drum -> Momo -> Sage of the skies feels almost impossible to answer. Wondering how to improve my gameplay and sideboard plan in this specific matchup after the event.

R5 vs Jund Sac, on the play, 2-1 W

This matchup can be very explosive for either side. Positive point is that they usually lose some points of life (lands, [[Obsessive pursuit]] and [[Callous inspector]]). I won G1 and G3 the same way, leaving him on 1hp and him dying on his upkeep trigger to the enchantment. First one was with an attack for 13 with slickshot and pompous, hitting burst and vibrant to face, and the other one was a 6 damage ETB from sunspine lynx.

Placed top 8 while being 3-2, because the guys I lost to were 1st and 3rd.

QF vs Azorius Momo, on the draw, 0-2 L

Almost got the first game now, but he survived on a few hp and hit 3 removals in a row. G2 I got rolled.

Overall I´m happy with the performance of the deck. I will now make some adjustments on the 75.

Some interesting facts:

• I got deck-checked G3. It lasted 25 minutes because the judge had some technical issues. Finally, everything was correct, no problems found in any of both decks. Just after being handed it back, I noticed 1 card in my sideboard had a white sleeve, the other 74 cards had black ones. Freaked out hahaha, probably messed up the night before. Had to buy new ones and resleeve the whole deck between rounds.
• Didn´t match vs any spellmentals, even thought there were some of them. I´m curious about how is this matchup post side, if i had to guess i´d say its slightly favoured for them.
• There was 1 guy playing the sultai reanimator arena deck
• Dimir Kaito was probably the most played deck, saw at least 5 people playing it.
• 1 Boros Dragons, 1 Jeskai Artifacts and 1 Azorius Control. Didn´t see any 4c control.

Thanks for reading!!!

Hello spikes!

This is the place where any and all decks can be posted for all spikes to see. The goal of this is to fit all your needs for competitive magic. Maybe it's a card consideration given an X dollar budget. Maybe you need that sweet sideboard tech that no one else thought of? Perhaps you just can't figure out the best card to beat a certain matchup. The ideas here are only limited by your imagination!

Feel free to discuss most anything here. We only ask that with any question, you also make sure to post your decklist so people have some context to answer your question. Otherwise, have at it! If you have any questions, shoot us a modmail and we'll be happy to help you out. Survive your deck check and survive your competition!

Hey r/spikes! I am a long time casual player who recently decided to take the plunge and go competitive, and I wanted some feedback and hopefully start a discussion on some decks to enter for upcoming competitive events! I am lucky to have a large group of Standard players in my group so I have experienced many decks & matchups, but I am looking to see which deck would be worth bringing to my upcoming events?

My current decks

• Boros Dragons
• Mono-Green Landfall
• Boros Spirit/Token Aggro
• Izzet Spellementals

Admittedly I am leaning towards Landfall due to its rotation resistance and overall strength, but looking forward to placing well in these events and would love some insight on how these events transpire. Is there a certain degree of meta-chasing that occurs?

Hello,

Just seeing if there's any discord or guide for Boros Dragons in standard? Mainly looking to find advice on how to beat Spellementals, it's prominent in my local meta and my Voice of Victory always get burned down.

Any info or advice would be great!

Hi guys. First time posting here, let me know if I don't respect some rule of this sub.
I'm a rogue deck control / high value midrange player. I vary pretty often but I like to just play my brews.

I'm finding particularly hard to counter the new orzhov lifegain deck as it seems to have a lot of everything (ench, walkers, gw plays, go wide and big creatures). Surely I'm missing some of it's weaknesses. Can you suggest me anything that it's effective against this deck? Other than sideboard cards is there anything I can play in the main? Any colour is fine I just want ideas.
Thank you guys!

Article

I love to draft, it's the purest way to play the game. While spiking constructed tournaments takes hours of dedication (and to be fair by the middle to end of a limit set, you need to have put in the hours to learn the format), drafting limited is a lot more accessible. Early in a set, no one really knows anything and it's up to you to put together a list that makes it to seven wins

So I put together Level Up 7, quick and easy tips to become a (slightly) better drafter

Please feel free to check out my other work:

Burn Baby Burn:

Modern Burn Primer | Modern Burn Tips & Tricks | Modern Burn Mulligans

Level Up Series:

Git Gud Scrub | Biggest Myths | Practice Like a Pro | Winning on Margins | Spiking Tournaments

Your Move:

Modern | Legacy | Pauper

Other:

Cheaters Never Prosper

I’ve only really ever played Standard on arena until about a week ago. I’ve got a mono-blue control list that aims to win with either of the new Jaces, and plays Draw-Go control to set that up by way of Geist of St Thalia and [[Jace’s Machinations.]]

The deck is good, I’ve gotten above plat for the first time ever. I have no delusions that I will place well at the RCQ. I figured worse case scenario I get to play standard and likely help an event fire. But what should I know about playing an RCQ? I’ve never played anything more serious or stringent than a CEDH tournament.

Any sideboard suggestions?

Decklist:

4 Consult the Star Charts

4 Countersculpt

2 Emeritus of Ideation

4 Geist of Saint Thalia

4 Into the Flood Maw

21 Island

4 Jace, Reality Sculptor

4 Jace's Machinations

2 Tam's Resistance

2 The Theorist, Jace Beleren

4 Theorist's Proxy

2 Theorist's Sanctum

3 Three Steps Ahead

SIDEBOARD:

3 Spell Pierce

3 Aetherize

3 Annul

2 Essence Scatter

1 Ghost Vacuum

1 Karn, Argent Defender

2 Unsummon

https://youtu.be/8sCV42as76o

Hi there, I'm a Mardu Discard enjoyer and thought I'd share my enjoyment with others via YouTube videos, you may have seen my other posts about how to play the deck and what the deck tech.

This time around I've made an in-depth sideboarding guide where I explain each sideboard card in my version of the deck as well as other considerations that others run to give people and idea of the possibilities and what could be considered.

This is a resource I have always looked for and something that teams or other content creators offer at a cost, respect to them but I thought I'd provide one for free which can be used by anybody.

I hope you like the video and get some good use out of it, if you do please let me know!