Kirblinx vs Aston: Non-White Penny Pincer Grid Draft

[Kirblinx]

Contact either Grillo or myself if you wish to draft one of these.
Pack 1

Spoiler

Row 1:
1 Dismal Backwater
1 Devour Flesh
1 Mogg War Marshal

Row 2:
1 Lumberknot
1 Champion of Lambholt
1 Tragic Slip

Row 3:
1 Executioner's Capsule
1 Lorescale Coatl
1 Pestermite

Column 1:
1 Dismal Backwater
1 Lumberknot
1 Executioner's Capsule

Column 2:
1 Devour Flesh
1 Champion of Lambholt
1 Lorescale Coatl

Column 3:
1 Mogg War Marshal
1 Tragic Slip
1 Pestermite

Pack 2

Spoiler

Row 1:
1 Harvest Pyre
1 Trusty Machete
1 Saproling Burst

Row 2:
1 Maul Splicer
1 Telling Time
1 Somber Hoverguard

Row 3:
1 Galvanic Juggernaut
1 Oona's Prowler
1 Mindshrieker

Column 1:
1 Harvest Pyre
1 Maul Splicer
1 Galvanic Juggernaut

Column 2:
1 Trusty Machete
1 Telling Time
1 Oona's Prowler

Column 3:
1 Saproling Burst
1 Somber Hoverguard
1 Mindshrieker

Pack 3

Spoiler

Row 1:
1 Liliana's Specter
1 Reaping the Graves
1 Darkblast

Row 2:
1 Keldon Marauders
1 Rude Awakening
1 Artisan of Kozilek

Row 3:
1 Temple of Mystery
1 Young Pyromancer
1 Expedition Map

Column 1:
1 Liliana's Specter
1 Keldon Marauders
1 Temple of Mystery

Column 2:
1 Reaping the Graves
1 Rude Awakening
1 Young Pyromancer

Column 3:
1 Darkblast
1 Artisan of Kozilek
1 Expedition Map

Pack 4

Spoiler

Row 1:
1 Darksteel Juggernaut
1 Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
1 Nightscape Familiar

Row 2:
1 Pelakka Wurm
1 Into the Roil
1 Young Wolf

Row 3:
1 Goblin Sharpshooter
1 Selesnya Sanctuary
1 Goblin Glory Chaser

Column 1:
1 Darksteel Juggernaut
1 Pelakka Wurm
1 Goblin Sharpshooter

Column 2:
1 Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
1 Into the Roil
1 Selesnya Sanctuary

Column 3:
1 Nightscape Familiar
1 Young Wolf
1 Goblin Glory Chaser

Pack 5

Spoiler

Row 1:
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Hellkite Igniter
1 Deep Analysis

Row 2:
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Courier's Capsule
1 Thunderscape Familiar

Row 3:
1 Barrage of Expendables
1 Covetous Dragon
1 Ichor Wellspring

Column 1:
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Barrage of Expendables

Column 2:
1 Hellkite Igniter
1 Courier's Capsule
1 Covetous Dragon

Column 3:
1 Deep Analysis
1 Thunderscape Familiar
1 Ichor Wellspring

Pack 6

Spoiler

Row 1:
1 Temple of Deceit
1 Jeskai Elder
1 Trinket Mage

Row 2:
1 Brimstone Volley
1 Mycosynth Wellspring
1 Noxious Revival

Row 3:
1 Sylvan Ranger
1 Rough/Tumble
1 Terrarion

Column 1:
1 Temple of Deceit
1 Brimstone Volley
1 Sylvan Ranger

Column 2:
1 Jeskai Elder
1 Mycosynth Wellspring
1 Rough/Tumble

Column 3:
1 Trinket Mage
1 Noxious Revival
1 Terrarion

Pack 7

Spoiler

Row 1:
1 Fleshbag Marauder
1 Golgari Brownscale
1 Ancestral Statue

Row 2:
1 Feral Invocation
1 Nettle Sentinel
1 Rakdos Carnarium

Row 3:
1 Foundry of the Consuls
1 Compulsive Research
1 Buried Ruin

Column 1:
1 Fleshbag Marauder
1 Feral Invocation
1 Foundry of the Consuls

Column 2:
1 Golgari Brownscale
1 Nettle Sentinel
1 Compulsive Research

Column 3:
1 Ancestral Statue
1 Rakdos Carnarium
1 Buried Ruin

Pack 8

Spoiler

Row 1:
1 Azorius Chancery
1 Tortured Existence
1 Stitched Drake

Row 2:
1 Echoing Decay
1 Krosan Tusker
1 Temple of Abandon

Row 3:
1 Quirion Dryad
1 Starstorm
1 Savra, Queen of the Golgari

Column 1:
1 Azorius Chancery
1 Echoing Decay
1 Quirion Dryad

Column 2:
1 Tortured Existence
1 Krosan Tusker
1 Starstorm

Column 3:
1 Stitched Drake
1 Temple of Abandon
1 Savra, Queen of the Golgari

Pack 9

Spoiler

Row 1:
1 Perilous Research
1 Temple of Epiphany
1 Dragon Fodder

Row 2:
1 Rakdos Carnarium
1 Spikeshot Elder
1 Trading Post

Row 3:
1 Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni
1 Mana Leak
1 Sylvan Might

Column 1:
1 Perilous Research
1 Rakdos Carnarium
1 Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni

Column 2:
1 Temple of Epiphany
1 Spikeshot Elder
1 Mana Leak

Column 3:
1 Dragon Fodder
1 Trading Post
1 Sylvan Might

Pack 10

Spoiler

Row 1:
1 Savage Twister
1 Tymaret, the Murder King
1 Unearth

Row 2:
1 Ninja of the Deep Hours
1 Mnemonic Wall
1 Flame Slash

Row 3:
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Dread Return
1 Bone Shredder

Column 1:
1 Savage Twister
1 Ninja of the Deep Hours
1 Evolving Wilds

Column 2:
1 Tymaret, the Murder King
1 Mnemonic Wall
1 Dread Return

Column 3:
1 Unearth
1 Flame Slash
1 Bone Shredder

Pack 11

Spoiler

Row 1:
1 Jungle Hollow
1 Kessig Cagebreakers
1 Simic Growth Chamber

Row 2:
1 Cloudfin Raptor
1 Miscalculation
1 Petravark

Row 3:
1 Utopia Sprawl
1 Stenchskipper
1 Voyager Staff

Column 1:
1 Jungle Hollow
1 Cloudfin Raptor
1 Utopia Sprawl

Column 2:
1 Kessig Cagebreakers
1 Miscalculation
1 Stenchskipper

Column 3:
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Petravark
1 Voyager Staff

Pack 12

Spoiler

Row 1:
1 Needle Specter
1 Thopter Engineer
1 Bloodthrone Vampire

Row 2:
1 Marsh Flitter
1 Death Rattle
1 Death Spark

Row 3:
1 Assault Strobe
1 Beetleback Chief
1 Vines of Vastwood

Column 1:
1 Needle Specter
1 Marsh Flitter
1 Assault Strobe

Column 2:
1 Thopter Engineer
1 Death Rattle
1 Beetleback Chief

Column 3:
1 Bloodthrone Vampire
1 Death Spark
1 Vines of Vastwood

Pack 13

Spoiler

Row 1:
1 Riftwing Cloudskate
1 Tibor and Lumia
1 Ravenous Rats

Row 2:
1 Chromatic Star
1 Teetering Peaks
1 Chronomaton

Row 3:
1 Deprive
1 Think Twice
1 Slaughter

Column 1:
1 Riftwing Cloudskate
1 Chromatic Star
1 Deprive

Column 2:
1 Tibor and Lumia
1 Teetering Peaks
1 Think Twice

Column 3:
1 Ravenous Rats
1 Chronomaton
1 Slaughter

Pack 14

Spoiler

Row 1:
1 Temple of Malady
1 Horizon Chimera
1 Zulaport Cutthroat

Row 2:
1 Magus of the Candelabra
1 Archaeomancer
1 Lim-Dul's Vault

Row 3:
1 Khalni Garden
1 Voyaging Satyr
1 Chromatic Star

Column 1:
1 Temple of Malady
1 Magus of the Candelabra
1 Khalni Garden

Column 2:
1 Horizon Chimera
1 Archaeomancer
1 Voyaging Satyr

Column 3:
1 Zulaport Cutthroat
1 Lim-Dul's Vault
1 Chromatic Star

Pack 15

Spoiler

Row 1:
1 Resounding Wave
1 Draining Whelk
1 Ichor Wellspring

Row 2:
1 Magmatic Insight
1 Markov Blademaster
1 Sulfurous Blast

Row 3:
1 Codex Shredder
1 Sylvok Lifestaff
1 Hunger of the Howlpack

Column 1:
1 Resounding Wave
1 Magmatic Insight
1 Codex Shredder

Column 2:
1 Draining Whelk
1 Markov Blademaster
1 Sylvok Lifestaff

Column 3:
1 Ichor Wellspring
1 Sulfurous Blast
1 Hunger of the Howlpack

Pack 16

Spoiler

Row 1:
1 Makeshift Mauler
1 Longshot Squad
1 Prophetic Prism

Row 2:
1 Temple of Malice
1 Impulse
1 Mycosynth Wellspring

Row 3:
1 Reckless Charge
1 Consuming Vapors
1 Izzet Boilerworks

Column 1:
1 Makeshift Mauler
1 Temple of Malice
1 Reckless Charge

Column 2:
1 Longshot Squad
1 Impulse
1 Consuming Vapors

Column 3:
1 Prophetic Prism
1 Mycosynth Wellspring
1 Izzet Boilerworks

 

[Kirblinx]

So, Aston decided to give me a game and it turned out to be a great pile of fun. This is what I ended up with (I got to pick first):

A general assortment of value guys, removal and a decent top end. As per usual I will do a write up, but we did play 3 matches, all of which went to 3 games, so it might take me a while (I will trim them down a lot this time). Plus I don't want to spoil who was the victor just yet.

Just a couple of little notes to make this post worth posting:

• I felt like I cast Ravenous Rats every game. He's a cool guy.
• Ancestral Statue + Saproling Burst is just awesome
• Ink-Eyes always managed to get me a Trinket Mage (the traitor) to bring out my Trusty Machete. The value was real.
• Kessig Cagebreakers is still nuts and almost feels like you win if you get to swing with it.

I'll let Aston post his deck as I don't think me describing cards will do it justice.

 

[Aston]

I attempted a sort of artifact deck with Trading Post and Darksteel Juggernaut as the pay-offs. Trading Post was usually pretty good, but I found Darksteel Juggernaut a bit underwhelming with my artifact count and sideboarded it out most games, bringing in some combination of Pestermite, Resounding Wave and Beetleback Chief. Niv-Mizzet was sweet when he lived, especially in combination with Trading Post and Ichor Wellspring.

 

[Kirblinx]

Match Write-up!
I had a couple of days inaction but I really like watching over the games again and writing them up, plus Grillo is always keen on seeing how games played out, so here we go!

Match 1, Game 1:
I keep a slow hand and drop a Bounceland and a Liliana's Specter. Aston suspends a Riftwing Cloudskate and plays a Mindshrieker, which I kill with an Echoing Decay. Then this happens:

So I am set back so far with those 4 drops in my hand. I drop the rats, swing in and pass. Aston Starstorms for 1 to clear my board and swing in. I Consuming Vapors the Petravark away. The Cloudskate comes in from suspension bouncing a swamp. It swings in. I rebound the vapors but Aston Voyager Staffs the cloudskate in response. I can't do anything so I pass, the cloudskate comes back and bounces another land to leave me at 3 again . Two turns of land go then I attempt to cast my Kessig Cagebreakers. It gets Draining Whelked. o_O
This puts me on a two turn clock and I can't get a flying blocker/removal and die.

After this game I periodically side in and out some amount of my bouncelands just so I don't lose in the same fashion I did this game.

Match 1, Game 2:
I drop a turn 2 Ravenous Rats and a turn 4 Needle Specter while Aston drops Wellsprings and Chromatic Stars. He then Starstorms on turn 4 to clear the board so I take the opportunity to dump Kessig Cagebreakers on the field. Aston drops Trading Post and trades his Ichor Wellspring in for two cards, while I swing in with the Cagebreakers and get 2 wolves and pass.
Aston drops a Trinket Mage to find an Executioner's Capsule and deal with the Cagebreakers. I swing in with my two wolves. Trade one of them with the trinket mage and Ninja the other into Ink-Eyes, getting the Trinket Mage onto my side and searching up my Trusty Machete.
Aston drops a Mnemonic Wall to get back his Starstorm, but I have Bone Shredder in hand and take out the wall to do the last 7 damage.

Match 1 Game 3:
I drop Sylvan Ranger and Young Wolf on turns 2 and 3, while Aston sets up the long game with Prophetic Prism, Compulsive Research and Trading Post. I swing in, then drop a Chronomaton and hold up either Echoing Decay or Sylvan Might during Astons turn.
He decided to Starstorm, so I might the Chronomaton to save it. Next turn I rip a Champion of Lambholt, so I slam it to the battlefield, swing with the Wolf and pump the Chronomaton.
Aston drops a Wellspring and a Mindshrieker and passes. I get to untap, drop my Ravenous Rats, pump up the Lambholt and swing with the team. Aston actives the Shrieker and I Echoing Decay it in response and Aston goes down to 9.
Aston slams down a Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind and passes. I know from my scryland that I am going to draw a Marsh Flitter, so I drop it, making the Champion of Lambholt a 5/5 and Niv is unable to block and I get the concession.

Kirblinx wins Match 1, 2-1.


Match 2 Game 1:
I drop turn 2 Chronomaton, turn 3 Ravenous Rats, turn 4 Bone Shredder. This kills Astons turn 3 Trinket Mage. Aston Compulsive Researches, I drop Saproling Burst and beat in for 3. Aston also decides to draw-go, so I only pump out 1 saproling. I accidentally skip my attack step and Aston clears my board (except the saproling) with a Starstorm EOT.
Aston then drops a Galvanic Juggernaut and an Executioner's Capsule and passes, I EOT Reaping the Graves, getting back my 3 dudes in the first sentence and pump out 2 more saprolings.
I then draw Slaughter, buy it back to kill the Juggernaut, drop the rats again and swing in the 3 saprolings (2/2's) to put Aston down to 8. He drops a Darksteel Juggernaut (which I realise I have no way to deal with) and passes. I swing with my team of 1/1's. The rat bites the dust, Aston goes to 5 and I drop a Quirion Dryad and Marsh Flitter and pass. Marsh Flitter gets Flame Slashed, the Dryad gets Capsuled, and the Juggernaut swings in for 4. I crack back with the flitter's tokens, drop a Sylvan Ranger, a Chronomaton and an Ancestral Statue to get back my counterless Saproling Burst. Aston draws a card, then another of a star then concedes to my wall of 1/1's (and a statue).

While missing that combat step made this game go a lot longer than it should have, at least I didn't lose I guess

Match 2 Game 2:
I keep a slow hand with 5 lands. Drop a Ravenous Rats on turn 2, get one swing in before Aston drops Mindshrieker on turn 4. I swing in with the rat, Mindshrieker activates and gets +1/+1. He blocks and I Sylvan Might (yay). Aston then drops Galvanic Juggernaut and things start to go south for me.
I play Ancestral Statue, bouncing the rats and pass. The Juggernaught swings in, and I let it hit me in the hopes it won't untap. Aston then Flame Slashes my statue to let it untap and passes.
I drop a Lumberknot and Chronomaton and bounce my Khalni Garden to get another plant next turn. Aston then slams Niv-Mizzet down and beats in. I chump with the plant.
From this point I keep dropping small creatures that get pinged by Niv and the Juggernaut takes down the others. I am left with a 5/5 lumberknot that I have to trade with the Juggernaut to survive, but after 3 swings form Niv, I can't take anymore (where was my removal)?

Match 2 Game 3:
I get another turn 2 Ravenous Rats (this guy loves me) while Aston suspends his Riftwing Cloudskate. I get to beat in, drop a Young Wolf and EOT Echoing Decay the Jeskai Elder Aston drops. I just play a land swing in and pass. Aston drops a Mindshrieker and a Prophetic Prism and passes.
I drop a Quirion Dryad, swing in with my 1/1's and pass.
The Cloudskate comes in bouncing my forest (my only green source), is met with a Thopter Engineer and the flying team swing in. I draw another swamp , replay my forest and swing in with my team of 1/1's. The Thoper Engineer chooses not to block and Aston takes 3.
Aston just cracks straight back with his team, which I can't do anything about and take 5. He then drops a Beetleback Chief to clog up the ground.
I draw nothing relevant and pass. Aston drops a Trading Post knocks me down to 7 in the air and passes. I get a Liliana's Specter to help block and pass. Aston decides to test the waters and only attack with the thopter token. I block and pump the with Hunger of the Howlpack. Aston Posts a wellspring and passes. I get a Needle Specter and then we hit a board stall. Aston can't get past the two flying blockers and I can't get through his goblins on the ground.
After a couple of turns improving board position, Aston decides to test the waters with a Pestermite swing and I let it through. I will now die if he decides to alpha swing. I finally get my third green source and attempt my Pelakka Wurm, which unsurprisingly gets Draining Whelked and I die to the oncoming swing.

Aston wins Match 2, 2-1.


Once we got to match 3 we were pretty used to each others decks and the matches went pretty bonkers. I decided to record all the replays for you to watch, as my re-telling probably won't do them justice.

Match 3 Game 1:
Aston manages to only have two cards left in his library once the game ends

We both made a couple of play mistakes. Aston could have popped his Executioner's Capsule the turn he found it with the Trinket Mage. I also forgot to active Saproling Burst for a turn. I don't think either of these decicions really mattered in the end.

Match 3 Game 2:
I mulligan to 5, get some decent draws then have to try and navigate around an obvious Draining Whelk.

Match 3 Game 3:
This game introduces you to Niv-Mizzet... Murder machine.

Aston wins Match 3, 2-1.

The usual stray observations:

• After watching all these games again, we each had cards we drew nearly every single game. I had Ravenous Rats, Aston had Starstorm. I think we all know who had the better deal there
• Never saw Aston use Deep Analysis twice. He used it for the flashback on two different occasions, both on turn 3! Once of his Jeskai Elder. The other off my own Ravenous Rats.
• Ancestral Statue + Saproling Burst is still awesome when watching replays.
• Trading Post did some solid work, unlike in other cubes where it is just so slow. The Executioner's Capsule Lock was rather annoying to get through.
• I barely drew any of my removal. I only saw Consuming Vapors once, Slaughter once and Bone Shredder twice in 9 games. I think the MTGO shuffler hates me.
• Voyager Staff was interesting either saving Aston's creatures, reusing EtB effects or screwing over my combat tricks on my own creatures. Was quite impressed.
• Aston certainly chewed through a lot of his deck with the wellsprings and stars.

Those were some real great games Aston. We shall have to do it again sometime!

 

[Grillo_Parlante]

I've been going back and forth about that missed saproling burst attack M3G1. It would have forced him to pop the starstorm to stay alive, which would have put you in a much better position, but at that point you were kind of just getting buried by trading post.

M2g2 was pretty incredible from a mull to five.

 

[Aston]

Yeah I definitely should have just let the Whelk shield down for a turn to apply more pressure.