HL Tournament Hanau, 27.12.2009 (42 players)

[Vazdru]

Winner Andreas Keupp got Mishra's Workshop as first prize with following decklist:

UW-Control

10 Island
4 Plains
Ancient Den
Arid Mesa
Azorius Chancery
Flagstones of Trokair
Flooded Strand
Glacial Fortress
Hallowed Fountain
Karakas
Library of Alexandria
Maze of Ith
Misty Rainforest
Windswept Heath

Faith's Fetters
Force of Will
Gifts Ungiven
Glen Elendra Archmage
Ghostly Prison
Jace Beleren
Kor Skyfisher
Looter il-Kor
Man-o'-War
Mana Drain
Mana Leak
Miscalculation
Mother of the Runes
Momentary Blink
Mulldrifter
Nevermaker
Oblivion Ring
Path to Exile
Perilous Research
Pestermite
Phyrexian Furnace
Pithing Needle
Aether Vial
Ancestral Vision
Annul
Aven Mindcensor
Aven Riftwatcher
Azorius Guildmage
Baneslayer Angel
Brainstorm
Chain of Vapor
Cloud of Faeries
Control Magic
Counter Spell
Court Hussar
Cryptic Command
Day of Judgment
Daze
Disenchant
Echoing Truth
Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Engineered Explosives
Fact or Fiction
Ponder
Propaganda
Repeal
Reveillark
Sensei's Divining Top
Silkbind Faerie
Solemn Simulacrum
Sower of Temptation
Spell Snare
Spellstutter Sprite
Stifle
Stonecloaker
Surveiling Sprite
Sword of Fire and Ice
Sword of Light and Shadow
Swords to Plowchares
Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
Trinket Mage
Vedalken Shackles
Vedilion Clique
Venser, Shaper Savant
Vexing Sphinx
Wrath of God


Runner-Up Lars Luckhaupt

Mono-U-Control feat. Tezzeret

22 Island
Maze of Ith
Wasteland
Temple of the False God
Petrified Field
Library of Alexandria
Thawing Glaciers
Seat of the Synod
Karakas
Tolaria West
Riptide Laboratory
Scalding Tarn
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
Mishra's Factory
Faerie Conclave
Academy Ruins
Mutavault

Vendilion Clique
Silent Arbiter
Trinket Mage
Glen-Elendra Archmage
Duplicant
Meloku the Clouded Mirror
Venser, Shaper Savant
Aeon Chronicler
Sower of Temptation
Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
Triskelion
Sundering Titan
Serendib Efreet
Morphling
Jushi Apprentice

Jace Beleren
Tezzeret the Seeker

Vedalken Shackles
Treachery
Bribery
Control Magic
Dance of Many
Threads of Disloyality
Hinder
Spell Snare
Condescend
Disrupting Shoal
Misdirection
Mana Drain
Force of Will
Dissipate
Remand
Exclude
Dismiss
Counterspell
Cryptic Command
Commandeer
Mana Leak
Brainstorm
Gifts Ungiven
Intuition
Impulse
Fact or Fiction
Ancestral Vision
Future Sight
Ponder
Serum Visions
Thirst for Knowledge
Repulse
Withdraw
Repeal
Psionic Blast
Nevinyrral's Disk
Oblivion Stone
Sensei's Divining Top
Chrome Mox
Crucible of Worlds
Mindslaver
Back to Basics
Expedition Map
Pithing Needle
Mind Stone


3rd placed Michael Steinecke

UW-Fish

8 Plains
6 Island
Hallowed Fountain
Flooded Strand
Gaea's Cradle
Mishra's Factory
Marsh Flats
Misty Rainforest
Wasteland
Windswept Heath
Scalding Tarn
Polluted Delta
Faerie Conclave
Tundra
Rishadan Port
Flagstones of Trokair
Glacial Fortress
Arid Mesa

Man-O'-War
Defiant Falcon
Knight of Meadowgrain
Elite Vanguard
Kor Skyfisher
Stonecloaker
Ramosian Sergeant
Isamaru, Hound of Konda
Azorius Herald
Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero
Kami of Ancient Law
Whipcorder
Serra Avenger
Azorius Guildmage
Mother of Runes
Sygg, River Cutthroat
Ninja of the Deep Hours
Exalted Angel
Figure of Destiny
Hokori, Dust Drinker
Amrou Scout
Thermal Glider
Knight of the Holy Nimbus
Maelstrom Djinn
Defiant Vanguard
Looter il-Kor
Knight of the White Orchid
Descendant of Kiyomaro
Mirror Entity
Aven Riftwatcher
Nightwind Glider
Aven Mindscensor
Serendib Efreet
Jötun Grunt
Savannah Lions

Psionic Blast
Back to Basics
Counterspell
Aether Vial
Standstill
Journey to Nowhere
Miscalculation
Mana Drain
Harm's Way
Negate
Oblivion Ring
Winter Orb
Brainstorm
Memory Lapse
Sensei's Divining Top
Path to Exile
Condescend
Spell Snare
Swords to Plowshares
Force of Will
Forbid
Mana Leak
Seal of Cleansing
Sword of Light and Shadow
Sword of Fire and Ice
Armageddon
Tithe
Land Tax
Ponder
Sea Drake
Chrome Mox
Daze
Complicate
Grafted Wargear
Black Vise

Link to Top 3 Decklists:
http://www.planetmtg.de/articles/artikel.html?id=5101

[Payron]

Something seems wrong with the Winners Decklist because it only got 92 cards, maybe there are some lands missing because 26 lands with a kind of high manacoast seems bit hard.

[Sturmgott]

http://www.planetmtg.de/articles/artikel.html?id=5190&typ=2&action=comments

This time 82 players attended the tournament. The winner is ...

pyyhhtu with Naya Zoo

!!

Congratulations again!

[Vazdru]

Congratz pyyhttu - well done!

also remarkable Firestarters place 6, Nastabois place 11 and goblinpiledrivers place 13 "in the money"

I've played UGb-Landfall

R1 vs B-Staxx 2:1 in overtime
R2 vs Naya-Zoo (Goblinpiledriver) 1:1 - one more round and it would have been my win
R3 vs U-Control 2:0
R4 vs High-Tide (Kosti Jokinnen, 9th) feated match 0:2 (http://www.planetmtg.de/articles/artikel.html?id=5186)
R5 vs Survival (Vincent Eich, 7th) 2:0
R6 vs Survival 2:0
R7 vs Survival (Daniel Tzscheuschner, 5th) 0:1 Drop (although 15 min to play)

game 1 of R7 was a traumatic start in 2010 caused a sleepness night (didn't sleep one minute tonight) I've had 1000 ways to win this game and only one to lose it - of course I took straightly the route to hell
why? especially because I've forgotten to note one damage of a fetchland so my notations were slightly wrong and my calculatons afterwards too; the correct lifecount was 8:5 in my favour

in the critical situation and after he told me that he didn't draw anything relevant to win this game he made the obligatory "all-in"

he had 4 critters: 2/1 2/2 4/4 and 6/6 with trample
I've had 4 critters: 2/1 2/2 3/3 and 4/4 and a Garruk with 4 counters on it 

I've had noted 9 lp instead of 8 so I let 2/2 and 6/6 pass believing to stay at 1 lp for a next turn win (cause he did not play any pump-spells not direct damage). It would have been easy for me to block the way 2 guys survive + attack with ultimate of garruk for the win BUT i did not - even one creature would have been enough so he was at 5 lp and stayed with no blockers.

After i announced blockers we recognized the different lp we have noted and ascertained that 8 is the correct lifecount - a judge affirmed that I am dead ! 

I've made a couple of wrong decisions during the game and nevertheless had to win it easily. Totally angry about my own multiple blunders and lack of concentration in this critical moment and during the whole game I decided to drop immediately after g1 although I've had still the chance to win g2 or reach at least place 7 even after loosing R7. But fun to play a further game or a next round has been totally vanished and the frustration reached a critical limit - so it was better to finish.

[pyyhttu]

Thanks for all the Sydämmelliset onnittelut!

I'm not good with tournament reports but wanted to recap some of the tournament highlights, card choices anyway and try to answer on comments folks at German HL board had made.

The deck was chosen by a whim, couple of days before the tournament. I was testing UG-Madness with my usual play tester and good friend Janne Öhman, who had once again put together a really cool deck, this time big Naya build according to his vision. He usually builds rogue decks and finds innovation from archetypes most of other players are not even aware off (just wait for his Turbofog-control or Cascade-combo).

Anyway, what I mean by big Naya is that the build's curve ranges from 3-5, instead of the usual 1-3. The mana base is more solid and the deck gets a really good boost from turn 1 mana elves, as 3 CC slot is quite heavy.  Also the life gain aspect of the deck leans more towards middle range decks, but I would still categorize this mainly to aggro.

I remember losing my test games 0-7 or something, and the games took a lot of time. With the knowledge from past GPs, I presumed the round time this time is also going to be 50 minutes, so aggro plan started to sound valid. With lots of players the number of rounds (8 eventually) my tournament stamina decreases, so simple tapping of Kavus sounded good. When Janne mentioned that if he had to go and play competitively, this deck would be his choice. This nailed it.

I had the cards except Baneslayer Angel, Great Sable Stag, Dauntless Escort and Armadillo Cloak (had lost it somewhere). I got the Stag and Escort from the dealers, and a German Armadillo Cloak was donated to me by derstefan82 (thanks!). I knew the deck list should be quite optimal, apart from missing Bannender Engel ($60) <-- right... Few test slots were also dedicated for cards like Enlisted Wurm and Cliffrunner Behemoth. They didn't get much play time, as it dawned in the race of games that Wurm was 1 mana too expensive and Cliffrunner Behemoth... Well it needs more testing I guess as only once drew that to my initial hand but it had to be mulliganed back as didn't the fit the current hand's game plan.

The games:

Don't have much notes apart from life numbers and first names of my opponents. I won Alexander's 5c-staxx 2-1, Oliver's 4c-staxx 2-0, then lost only match to Björn Ortmann's Zurvival 0-2, and rest of the matches won: Michael's WW 2-0, another Michael's ...something (can't remember!) 2-0, Firestarter's Zurvival 2-0, Nastaboi's Wb-Staxx 2-0 and Marc Lanigra's Survival 1-0-1.

In the finals Marc was getting an upper hand in the second game but we ran out of time.

About the card choices:

- Spellbreaker Behemoth
Was macht der Denn im Zoo? Wenn ich schon nen Fattie spielen möchte, dann aber auch nen richtigen wie Shivan Wurm oder Iwamori, wobei die eigentlich alle nix im Zoo zu suchen haben. Der Behemoth trampelt nicht und ist für mich somit ein definitives no-go.

I actually cut Iwamori on last minute and was one of the few changes to the deck creator's list. I did this because have lately seen the resurgence of Reanimator lists and the deck really doesn't have removal (apart from Stop, Path and Bane/Demonfire) against large Legendary creatures, should they enter the table. But anyway, Spellbreaker Behemoth fits the curve and plan when/if naya zoo goes first. Control at this point has gotten it's act together and _usually_ used it's early "panic" removal and damage control spells on smaller critters. When counter mana can eventually be left untapped, this guy kicks in. I believe it has proven to be in Janne's tests quite a house. I didn't get a chance to run rampart with it, even though meta had considerable number of control (13 Survivals!).

I'd put in Iwamori back in now and cut Enlisted Wurm.

- Demonfire / Banefire
Öhm... x-Spells im Zoo, in dem auch noch Geddon / Ravages gespielt werden? In meinem Zoo bin ich eh schon immer knapp mit Mana dran, ein x-Spell macht da keinen Sinn, auch wenn dieser zugegebenermaßen mal töten kann.

If Whistler plays a low curve (1-3) Zoo, then sure: these cards are not for that deck. But for big Naya, I'd definitely leave both of these in. With both Ravages and Armageddons. The two X spells here are the best X-damage spells there are atm, and provide the necessary reach, especially in late game against control. I didn't have any situations where I _had_ to play XFire first and then followed by Armageddon. In the end, the play order of these two different spells is surprisingly small, as both of these cards are highly situational: Geddons and Demon/Banefire do what they do and they do it best. Plus, after Armageddon effect, the deck's mana base has time to recover enough to finish off the opponent, or clear a smaller defender out of the way of critters left prior the geddon.

- Cliffrunner Behemoth
Weiß nicht, der überzeugt mich nicht so richtig, da lass ich mich aber auch gerne eines Besseren belehren. Eine richtige Bombe versteckt sich dahinter nicht.

I don't know either, needs more testing. You may be right. Nastaboi might disagree as this was recommended as a no-brainer by him just before the tournament, so wanted to give it a try.

- Civic Wayfinder / Borderland Ranger / Tithe
Gut, Mana Fixing schön und gut, ob man die wirklich braucht sei dahin gestellt. Ich würde die 3 Karten wohl nicht spielen, so ganz fehl am Platz sind sie allerdings nicht. Ist wohl Geschmackssache.

I wouldn't cut these, they proved to be quite good actually. I first questioned them as well when went through the list with Janne. He noted that during Ravnica block and standard, Civic Wayfinder was one of the cornerstones of a beatdown. He was right: do a search on deckcheck.net. The creature has a good ability and stats considering its casting cost. Fixing mana with basics is _always_ good.

- Geddon / Ravages
Wie ich schon mal irgendwann in einem Zoo Thread angemerkt habe bin ich einfach kein Freund davon im Zoo. Allerdings wiederspreche ich hier auch nicht, da die Karten durchaus Spiele gewinnen, keine Frage.

I'm not a fan of the zoo deck type either, but this is relatively easy to play and yields good results with little play testing. I only won one game against WW after resolved Ravages of War.

Steward of Valeron:
muss ich auch mal testen! der ist eine gute Synergie zum Knotvine Paladin, obwohl ich den fraglich finde.

Steward of Valeron is solid, as is Knotwine Paladin. One can't play this in many aggroish decks as it's more middle range creature. Its multi exalted ability proved to be surprisingly good and saw play.

Great Sable Stag:
fand den schon immer interessant, endlich seh ich den mal in nem Deck.
2 x pro und solider Body

Powerhouse. I find more applications for this card in other deck types as well.

Loaming Shaman:
Find ich gut. Das Meta ist voll mit Lftlms usw außerdem hat er ja einen akzebtablen Body.

In first game against Björn Ortmann, he somehow accidently shuffled his graveyard into his deck after resolved eot Eladamri's Call. Judge gave him a warning. After the game continued it came my turn, and I couldn't hide him from the card I just drew. Yeah, flipped over Loaming Shaman.

Scute Mob:
geht garnich find ich. Es müssen im ukpeep 5 länder liegen bis er interssant wird -> zu langsam und ihn zu removen ist ja wohl mehr als leicht.

This is another tutor target along Wild Nacatl for Ranger of Eos: 5/5 for 1 mana is quite good tech in standard atm.

[Nastaboi]

- Cliffrunner Behemoth
Weiß nicht, der überzeugt mich nicht so richtig, da lass ich mich aber auch gerne eines Besseren belehren. Eine richtige Bombe versteckt sich dahinter nicht.

I don't know either, needs more testing. You may be right. Nastaboi might disagree as this was recommended as a no-brainer by him just before the tournament, so wanted to give it a try.

Haha, I was browsing my fried's binder when he was missing cards in his deck and the card just met my eyes. I was only half serious suggesting it, but I would definitely at least test it in a deck like this. I schetched one once but gave up as it would fold to control decks. It had Behemoth in it.

Tithe I do not like.

Kosti's High Tide deck from the 9th place was my design (not quite finished with 101 cards ), but the list have been tuned with Tuomas and several other Finns who each have their own likes and dislikes.

[Tiggupiru]

Congratulations to pyyhttu!

Just decided to chime in and share deck creator's point of view.

I operate under the google translator as I can't understand the German language Tuomas quoted. So if I misinterprate, I apologize.

Anyway, what I mean by big Naya is that the build's curve ranges from 3-5, instead of the usual 1-3. The mana base is more solid and the deck gets a really good boost from turn 1 mana elves, as 3 CC slot is quite heavy.  Also the life gain aspect of the deck leans more towards middle range decks, but I would still categorize this mainly to aggro.

Yeah, this is the direction I drifted while trying to get an edge against other aggros. I also like playing aggro which does not unload all the cards on the table over the course of couple turns and hope for the best. It turns out that there are only a few dead draws in the middle or the late game as all your creatures pack quite a punch.


About the card choices:

- Spellbreaker Behemoth
Was macht der Denn im Zoo? Wenn ich schon nen Fattie spielen möchte, dann aber auch nen richtigen wie Shivan Wurm oder Iwamori, wobei die eigentlich alle nix im Zoo zu suchen haben. Der Behemoth trampelt nicht und ist für mich somit ein definitives no-go.

I actually cut Iwamori on last minute and was one of the few changes to the deck creator's list. I did this because have lately seen the resurgence of Reanimator lists and the deck really doesn't have removal (apart from Stop, Path and Bane/Demonfire) against large Legendary creatures, should they enter the table. But anyway, Spellbreaker Behemoth fits the curve and plan when/if naya zoo goes first. Control at this point has gotten it's act together and _usually_ used it's early "panic" removal and damage control spells on smaller critters. When counter mana can eventually be left untapped, this guy kicks in. I believe it has proven to be in Janne's tests quite a house. I didn't get a chance to run rampart with it, even though meta had considerable number of control (13 Survivals!).

As Tuomas pointed out, Iwamori is in the original deck but I haven't got the chance to test it properly, so in that light the decision to cut it is correct. I think it is good enough, but it still needs some testing.

Spellbreaker Behemoth has been good, as it fits the theme of being big creature which stops most of the weenies on their tracks. And like Tuomas said, it really shines once the control deck start to stabilize and gets to have untapped lands on your turn.

- Demonfire / Banefire
Öhm... x-Spells im Zoo, in dem auch noch Geddon / Ravages gespielt werden? In meinem Zoo bin ich eh schon immer knapp mit Mana dran, ein x-Spell macht da keinen Sinn, auch wenn dieser zugegebenermaßen mal töten kann.

This deck has 35 land, 4 one-drops which generate mana, two civic wayfinders, tithe and couple of other cards to keep you stocked up on land. They fill the roles of finishers, but are often used to take out a blocker as well. Versatility is the key here. Geddon and Ravages also occupy the 'finisher'-slot. If you choose to cast Armageddon/Ravages of War, you have the board advantage and win after it resolves, it really does not matter if you have dead cards in your hand afterwards. So having X-spell and geddon is not a huge problem.

- Cliffrunner Behemoth
Weiß nicht, der überzeugt mich nicht so richtig, da lass ich mich aber auch gerne eines Besseren belehren. Eine richtige Bombe versteckt sich dahinter nicht.

I don't know either, needs more testing. You may be right. Nastaboi might disagree as this was recommended as a no-brainer by him just before the tournament, so wanted to give it a try.

Haha, I was browsing my fried's binder when he was missing cards in his deck and the card just met my eyes. I was only half serious suggesting it, but I would definitely at least test it in a deck like this. I schetched one once but gave up as it would fold to control decks. It had Behemoth in it.

I have tested this and it is not on my list for a number of reasons. First, there are very few red creatures in the deck, so it rarely has haste which makes it a 5/3 lifelink at best. Secondly it requires you to commit more resources to the board in order to be good and even then it doesn't deliver much. I had Brion Stoutarm on the deck before deciding it was not good enough and that seems much better than this one. Although I got to admit that Oran-Rief (I cut this one too before, however it may be good enough to earn that slot back), Kitchen Finks and Brion make a fun combo.

I have Baneslayer Angel in this slot. And don't you dare to argue about it

- Civic Wayfinder / Borderland Ranger / Tithe
Gut, Mana Fixing schön und gut, ob man die wirklich braucht sei dahin gestellt. Ich würde die 3 Karten wohl nicht spielen, so ganz fehl am Platz sind sie allerdings nicht. Ist wohl Geschmackssache.

I wouldn't cut these, they proved to be quite good actually. I first questioned them as well when went through the list with Janne. He noted that during Ravnica block and standard, Civic Wayfinder was one of the cornerstones of a beatdown. He was right: do a search on deckcheck.net. The creature has a good ability and stats considering its casting cost. Fixing mana with basics is _always_ good.

Civic Wayfinder was not really a cornerstone, but an effective mana fixer that has decent body. It also saw play in the elf beatdown when Lorwyn came out. I also like how it makes questionable hands better and helps to fight Blood Moon and it's brethren. And it was Japanese tech, so it pretty much has to be a powerhouse! I might like these two more than I should, but if Japs like it, how could us mortals ever overrate it?

Tithe I do not like.

You might be correct. It is the ultimate fixer, but you never need more than two white sources anyway and it really does not help against nonbasic hate.

- Geddon / Ravages
Wie ich schon mal irgendwann in einem Zoo Thread angemerkt habe bin ich einfach kein Freund davon im Zoo. Allerdings wiederspreche ich hier auch nicht, da die Karten durchaus Spiele gewinnen, keine Frage.

I'm not a fan of the zoo deck type either, but this is relatively easy to play and yields good results with little play testing. I only won one game against WW after resolved Ravages of War.

What Tuomas said.

Scute Mob:
geht garnich find ich. Es müssen im ukpeep 5 länder liegen bis er interssant wird -> zu langsam und ihn zu removen ist ja wohl mehr als leicht.

This is another tutor target along Wild Nacatl for Ranger of Eos: 5/5 for 1 mana is quite good tech in standard atm.

Yeah, this is actually a five drop. You mulligan this if this is in your opening hand and hope to grab it later with the Ranger of Eos.

Steward of Valeron, Knotvine Paladin, Great Sable Stag, Loaming Shaman

Nothing to add, they are all solid. I see no reason to cut them.

Kosti's High Tide deck from the 9th place was my design (not quite finished with 101 cards ), but the list have been tuned with Tuomas and several other Finns who each have their own likes and dislikes.

I need to take a stab at that sometime, looks very good though.

[so_not]

Grats mate!

(Phantom Centaur, FTK, Arc Slogger, Chrome Mox, Stonecloaker, Eladamri's Call, Figure of Destiny, Lavamancer?)

[Tiggupiru]

Grats mate!

(Phantom Centaur, FTK, Arc Slogger, Chrome Mox, Stonecloaker, Eladamri's Call, Figure of Destiny, Lavamancer?)

Phantom Centaur was in the deck when it was more of a midrange sort of deck and I cut it in order to add in more smaller creatures. Totally forgot to re-evaluate him afterwards. I think this should replace Tithe.

Flametongue Kavu is balls against control and most aggros are good matchups anyways so I see no need to have him.

Chrome Mox is not in because the card disadvantage and vithian renegades. I rather accelerate with creatures, as they can carry rancor/SoFI/Armadildo Cloak.

Stonecloaker has not crossed my mind, definitely deserves some playtesting.

I had Eladamri's Call in, but I really didn't have too much good targets for it then. Now that deck has evolved it might have a slot but I am unsure if I want to spend two mana to find the best creature for the current situation, rather than just playing some generic large beast. I think this is personal preference. Worth playtesting though.

Lavamancer and Figure are not in as I don't want to have any non-green one drops even tough these guys reach their full potential later in the game. I also sometimes have trouble finding three White/Red mana for the Figure.

[so_not]

Grats mate!

(Phantom Centaur, FTK, Arc Slogger, Chrome Mox, Stonecloaker, Eladamri's Call, Figure of Destiny, Lavamancer?)

Phantom Centaur was in the deck when it was more of a midrange sort of deck and I cut it in order to add in more smaller creatures. Totally forgot to re-evaluate him afterwards. I think this should replace Tithe.

Flametongue Kavu is balls against control and most aggros are good matchups anyways so I see no need to have him.

Chrome Mox is not in because the card disadvantage and vithian renegades. I rather accelerate with creatures, as they can carry rancor/SoFI/Armadildo Cloak.

Stonecloaker has not crossed my mind, definitely deserves some playtesting.

I had Eladamri's Call in, but I really didn't have too much good targets for it then. Now that deck has evolved it might have a slot but I am unsure if I want to spend two mana to find the best creature for the current situation, rather than just playing some generic large beast. I think this is personal preference. Worth playtesting though.

Lavamancer and Figure are not in as I don't want to have any non-green one drops even tough these guys reach their full potential later in the game. I also sometimes have trouble finding three White/Red mana for the Figure.

FTK is not bad against controls. It is card advantage. Something you need against controls. FTK is also so friggin good against any midrange/aggro that it is a mistake not to play it. Controls run creatures that most of your burn spells can't hit (or you don't want to waste stop/path to) like Meloku, Goyf, Wall of Blossoms, Roots, Masticore, mana dorcks, Loxodon Hierarch etc.

Chrome Mox in general can replace a land in just about any deck. If your best scenario is to get 3 mana on turn three then I really can't see why not to play this. I think the tempo really is worth it.

I would really play Figure (just add shadowmoor filterlands to manabase) so at least you would have more Ranger of Eos targets.

[Tiggupiru]

FTK is not bad against controls. It is card advantage. Something you need against controls. FTK is also so friggin good against any midrange/aggro that it is a mistake not to play it. Controls run creatures that most of your burn spells can't hit (or you don't want to waste stop/path to) like Meloku, Goyf, Wall of Blossoms, Roots, Masticore, mana dorcks, Loxodon Hierarch etc.

Chrome Mox in general can replace a land in just about any deck. If your best scenario is to get 3 mana on turn three then I really can't see why not to play this. I think the tempo really is worth it.

I would really play Figure (just add shadowmoor filterlands to manabase) so at least you would have more Ranger of Eos targets.

What comes to the FTK -issue, I am probably against the world with this one, but I am not a fan of it. The problem against control is that unless they tap out to play one of their few creatures, it is sitting in your hand doing nothing. Don't get me wrong, it is quite a house when it takes out a guy and they have no irrelevant 2/2 bodies laying around. You also have a good point with the midrange decks though, but I don't wanna.

I am really not so sure about the C. Mox, gut feeling tells me it is not worth it. But it's not like I have tested it or anything. So I give in to the public demand and give this one a shot.

I had the filterlands in and I got way too many times screwed by drawing the wrong type of basic land(s) and a filter. Not a combo with mutavault or mishra's factory either. This also increases the chance of getting a blowout by wasteland or other LD, leaving you with a card that produces only colorless. The figure was very good when I had the filters in, but I would probably have to increase nonbasic land count just to avoid those awkward filterland situations, which I've been purposely avoiding. And even with the filters in, the figure going to super sayan - mode is not very realistic, making this a 4/4 at best.

Besides, I have a Uktabi Drake as an extra Ranger of Eos target and it has proven to be very good, no lie.

Oh, and Arc-Slogger is not in because it would strain the manabase. I have no cards that have double-red in their manacost.

[Severuz]

Hi all im new to highlander but i really like the naya deck and have started building it myself. I have a couple of cards i wanted to run past you guys to hear your opinions.

Stillmoon cavalier - pro white and black plus it can get flying. is it too heavy on the manabase?

Sylvan safekeeper - another target for ranger of eos and using the lands you dont need?

Dosan the falling leaf - the bomb against control and tricks?

Jötun grunt - graveyard hate and a solid beater?

Yavimaya dryad - a better civic wayfinder imo. smaller body but forestwalk.

Burrenton forge tender - pro red. ranger of eos target and the bomb against red decks.

wiltleaf liege - good against discard effects and boosts your team.

Gaddock teeg - good as we dont play many spells with X or cc 4.

Let me know what you think? :-D

[Helle]

Welcome to the forum!

I don't agree with all of your card choices:

Stillmoon cavalier - really good creature, but WW is too much for this deck.

Sylvan safekeeper - saves your creatures from spot removal, but doesn't do much on his own. Maybe it's playable if you're expecting a lot of targeted removal

Dosan the falling leaf - it's effect only prevents your opponent from playing counterspells, wrath, day etc. still hit your creatures. I don't think thats worth a 2/2 for 3.

Jötun grunt - playable

Yavimaya dryad - If GG is no problem for you and you got landfall to abuse, then this card is ok. I don't think Naya needs this card as you barely play spells with 4cc.

Burrenton forge tender - pretty sweet if you're expecting to see some burn.

wiltleaf liege - depending on the other creatures you play. The more GW creatures you play, the better it becomes. The discard effect is negligible most of the time, though. All in all I think there are better 4cc options for the deck.

Gaddock teeg - Gaddock is good when you're expecting to see some control.

[GoblinPiledriver]

Gaddok Tegg- with a few Planeswalker Banefire, Demonfire is Gaddok the wrong choice.
The risk is just too high to cut yourself.

Stilmoon Cavalier is a very good card but it fits better in WW, Black Suicide BW-Controll

[Tiggupiru]

Some thoughts.

Stillmoon cavalier - Well, you could hit jackpot with this against WW, but I still don't think it is worth it.

Sylvan safekeeper - I don't think there are cards in the deck that are worse than this. It could replace some card you don't have access to, but other than that I would not play this.

Dosan the falling leaf - Seems underwhelming at that cost-to-body ratio. Still dies to removal if control finds him problematic.

Jötun grunt - It's playable, if you expect lot of graveyard trickery. I generally don't like creatures that have "Fading 1 or 2" which also mess with your Knight of the Reliquary and Barbarian Ring.

Yavimaya dryad - Double green is not a problem, but this deck has not much to accelerate to. Also Admiral Ackbar wants to point out the obvious "nonbasic-trap"

Burrenton forge tender - Even if you are expecting like 20% of burn decks, would it justify to play one/one - weenie? Also with the 100 cards in the deck, the chances to draw BFT/Ranger of Eos is not that high. So even against the deck you want to have this guy, you most likely won't get the chance.

Wiltleaf liege - This is probably good, possibly very good. Another one I forgot.

Gaddock teeg - I had to cut this, even when it was posting good results against various decks. Being unable to play the x-spells are not really a problem, but I really would like to drop the walkers and geddons. It is especially awkward because the cards which Gaddock Teeg prevents you from playing, are the ones which shine against the decks Gaddock Teeg is good against. A textbook example of anti-synergy.