Hey guys,

Just before the launch of BFZ on Xbone, I had the chance to play some games against Hakeem. Thx again for that Hakeem! It was fun! Anyway, if you guys want to check it out, follow the link. And if you like it, feel free to subscribe! ;-)

Thx guys! Cheers!

https://youtu.be/uNqW-g_QVcw

That third game, I was on tilt the entire time. Trying to dig for a PWer was super-frustrating and I missed a lot of stuff. I should sacked Nissa to flip Liliana at instant speed rather than just let you kill her, I was basically conceding the game in frustration. Then I calmed down a bit, but man, I was furious haha!

GGs!

If only Hakeem had 2x copies of Gaea's Revenge in that Golgari Control deck.. that game would've ended 15 turns earlier.

Yeah that third game was really weird. I was frustrated too cause my deck didn't do what it's supposed to be doing at all. I wondered why you didn't sack her... now I know.



I was wondering when that card, or another fatty would show up...
But very true, the game should have ended way earlier.

hakeem doesn't run fatties in his golgari deck

I thought in the beginning he did... But perhaps he tweaked it a lot or maybe I'm just wrong.

I had one Revenge in there for a short while, but usually I just didn't need it. It's basically an autoloss against Tutelage unless you manage to blow it up, and even then it's a struggle, but those decks aren't very prevalent. Blue control is obviously a tough match-up without Revenge, but those decks really don't exist in the Origins metagame.

Now that there are playable counterspells in the format, Revenge looks a lot better as a way to close out control mirrors. You definitely don't need two, though.

I'm excited about adding Kiora and Ob Nixilis to the deck and testing Brilliant Spectrum in place of Bitter Revelation, as well.

Still need Ob Noxious. Ugh. Last PW. 20 packs left.

I opened one BFZ pack on Steam. Ob was in my rare slot.

You're crazy. Just look at that game.. you did jack chit all game long against a clear board and won bc of Shadows of the Past. Saccing Myrs and Visionaries is not a path to victory. That deck is a great shell, but damn does it cry out for win conditions. I personally think it's one of the worst Golgari Control lists I've seen played, and it gets by bc the pilot is strong, much more than bc the list is strong. I mean.. there are so many good cards that could've made the cut like: Gilt Leaf Winnower, Outland Colossus, Gaea's Revenge, Kothophed, Erebos's Titan.. in addition to the measly 4 wincons that list has. I'd also like to point out that your list rolls over and dies pathetically to enchantment hate.

What is this Steam pack business?

We don't know what hakeem had in hand. I was surprised by the Dimir build, btw. OP, does that thing do well? It seemed like an extremely odd, disjointed mix, to me.

Inevitability is a win condition. If you think Outland Colossus and Kothophed are control cards, you're off your rocker. Winnower is barely playable. Titan is okay. Revenge is playable in a control shell to decide mirror matches but he's absolutely not essential (though he may be in the new meta).

Just because you like midrange more doesn't mean it's "better".

Correct.

Nice videos. The third was nuts, but in a good way. Shows why evoleap is just too strong for its cost.

So if someone kills your 2 planeswalkers (one of which you never ultimate), blows up your shadows, nukes your Bellower+Gravedigger.. how do you win? You don't.. you 'inevitably' lose bc you had no other way to win. So.. your deck rolls over to two spells that kill planeswalkers, two removal spells, and one rec sage. It's just not enough wincons for my taste. I don't care what you want to label a 'control card' or a 'midrange card'.. the goal is the same, reduce the opponent's life total to zero. I personally prefer more cards that work towards that goal, than having a bunch of do-little cards.

I understand why you say that. The way you've seen the deck "perform" in this video, is totally not representative for the deck. I've build the deck around Jhessian Thief , but it doesn't need it to win. For the thief to come through, I play cards like Reave Soul, Frost Lynx, Disperse, Fleshbag, Cruel Revival, etc... I also play a few fatties. Talent of the Telepath is a card that seemed fun to me, and for me it is. With that in mind and all the black/red decks going around, it usually hits for something good. But I didn't put it in to mill. This is absolutely not a mill deck. Nighthawk commented that I should play a tutelage in it because it would go well with the thief. I don't disagree with that, but the thief and the drake are actually the only cards that let's me draw cards. So for me that's not enough to play the tutelage. also, when you see Dimir, people think right away mill, and I didn't want that... so I tried, I repeat: tried, to do something else that suits my playstyle.

If you want to see better videos of the deck, I have two episodes of it. In the first episode I show the entire build.

Episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiuOb4W6M3E
Episode 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPYm_AYvh7E
or the playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiuOb4W ... dgfYE9E4lU

Cheers!
Mackey79

The problem is that those things never happen. When I lose it's usually because I get hit too hard too fast. If I get to the late game, it's usually an auto-win (except against Tutelage, of course). As far as "do-little" cards, I wonder which ones you're referring to? Your precious Kothophed and Colossus do absolutely nothing if they're removed.

Don't get me started on Liliana. It may not seem flashy, but -2 for a Visionary which you then sac to Evoleap draws two cards for one mana and doesn't occupy a slot in your deck. That's almost an Ancestral Recall.

I will +2 Liliana when my opponent has cards to discard. When he doesn't, I probably won't. And he usually doesn't.

In case you don't understand what makes the deck good, it's the sheer amount of card advantage that it generates. You don't need a ton of win conditions because the deck is very consistent. Because of rarity restrictions, bad mana, and the generally low power level of the cards in this game, truly consistent decks are tough to find. It may seem like a lot of the cards here don't do anything, but they're just cogs in the machine. It's the sum-total of the parts here that matters.

My build has its weak match ups, just like any deck does, but the decks that prey upon it don't occupy a large space in the metagame so it's not worth building to counter them (IMO).

And as you so eloquently alluded to, playstyle preference will dictate your card choices.

I bet your favorite song is Led Zeppelin's "Trampled Underfoot".

besides everyone knows my evolpea deck was the best one anyways

Cogs in the machine.. the machine that moves in place.. consistently.. consistently moving in place!

Cards that I'd replace for creatures that actually do things: Bitter Revelation.. why do you need a 4 mana, sorcery speed draw spell in a deck that draws cards hand over fist?

That's all I can think of without seeing the list.. but I'm pretty familiar with it. I don't run Gravedigger in mine, but I can see why it'd be a solid inclusion.

The problem with your 2/3 of an Ancestral Recall play is that THERE'S NOTHING IN THE DECK WORTH DRAWING INTO!

Evoleap is the core of the deck's CA engine and the deck does utilize it's own GY. Revelation finds Leap and fuels the 'yard.