A DISLIKE!!! BURN THE WITCH

There isn't enough fire in hell for this apostasy!

We spectators demand BLOOD and real drama.

Pre-tournament rage ain't enough.

Dang, missed it. There was no stream when I checked . Hopefully you guys recorded it and will put them up .

EDIT: I caught the replay in twitch. It was a one sided match. As much as having the fleshbags in first hand as you have to sac him it's a 1 on 1 which against this deck is never going to do it. It's also fair to say the 2 incarnations of Gideon are tricky to deal with. When out early enough the indestructible 4/4 or 5/5 means you really need something like suppression bonds or direct damage or something to throw at it. In the early rounds normally you just lose a blocker or take the hit.

I will be interesting to see the other matchups so good luck to both but Dieverse the deck is not going to be a pushover but it depends on what else you are packing (I will check the decklists again later).

Agree Danno the vids for the matches should be quite educational.

Look forward to more coming .....

SD

Just click on the link in the quote and then in the upper right corner, if I remember right you can view the recorded video that way.

Mobius, Covert and I put it through its paces last night.. it held up. It beat Barney's Thopters 2 outta 3.. the loss was a mull to 5. Mobius is a brutal teacher.. Covert is a big sweety. I appreciate them both taking the time to prepare me for Mr. Mackey.

Sounds like overkill preparation to me! We'll see, anxious to play. See you in a couple of hours!

I expected no less from both of them

5 CC has a good matchup against Azorius, Thopters, and Tokens if they don't get off to a fantastic start. The deck's removal suite really shines once he gets up to 5 mana, and the deck's draw power just keeps him rolling when the other decks are in topdeck mode.

Out of those, the Thopter deck matchup is the worst due to hasted Artifact Creatures, since most of the more powerful spells are sorceries. Even then, I give the 5 CC an edge in the game.

He's gonna get MANGLED by Covert though.

Yeah, CGB needs Beast to go deep in the tournament to give his deck the best shot at winning the whole thing. The coaching thing is a smart play on his part. CGB is a regular Richard Hatch.

You can bet CGB has strategies beyond the deck, heck he is super competitive but in his own words why play otherwise. I see a few surprises across a lot of the decklists based on what I might have expected.

I think anyone playing a decent 5cc deck deserves to do well, in particular with moss in the pool. When it hits it's mana it should cover anything so good luck to those facing it.

Another thing, pro tour guys collaborate right, he'll chess grandmaster certainly do (for that see Queen's Gambit novel and the final v Russian master) so why not in duels? Some of these guys are at the top of the game so co testing just shows they want to get match ready!

Putting the decklist out in advanced is a huge benefit for people like CGB who analyze the ever living F outta decks. A big portion of the game is luck and the RNG, but knowing what is coming from your opponent AND having days to think about it is an advantage and helps make better informed decisions. (BTW, not advocating that it shouldn't have been done this way, just stating my opinion)

I think 5 CC has a good shot against all the decks, but the Esper Control decks have the answers for the field. CGB's deck I think is land-light, he's running 23 and I advocate 25 for that deck. I suspect he's tested it down to that level and I know he's got 12 ways of searching up land, I just hope it doesn't screw him in games.

Even after watching yesterday's performance of Azorius I think it is a 1-sweeper and done deck. We will find out soon enough, with 75% of the decks packing sweepers (and 5 CC packing 6 sweepers) and Steely didn't see any of his 2.

When are people playing their games? I assume a lot of the play is going on starting tonight throughout the weekend, is there a location where people are putting in their Twitch Channels/YouTube Channels?

From the Bant ramp deck (which only runs 3 white cards) I play, I can say that going 23 land is definately ok on long term, as long as you aren't trying to play 5cc. I lost 3 games out of 18 with it before I was satisfied, 1 of those was due to not hitting landdrop 3 on the draw, despite double jace loot.
All you need to do is get to 3 land, Skyspawner/connection/Pilgrimage/Moss does the rest. Gruul ramp has it even easier since it can afford to run 4 pilgrimage instead of 2/2 conn/pilgrimage; although the skyspawners make the blue approach have a faster top end.

Since the tournament is pretty small, I'd also keep at 23, but maybe would go up a land if the deck were in a long running gauntlet.

My adapter should be in my hands within the hour according to my tracking number. I will be online for most of the day testing my Naya build.

CGB is really making me feel guilty about not having 2 From Beyond, 1 Sower, and 1 Ulamog in the main. I went for Moss instead...

The Covert and Gemini matchups are the worst IMO bc Moss and fatties that don't die to Radiant Flames/Languish.

Looking at the decklist maybe but in this type of deck all you need to do is run counters and be patient. Most good counters are cheaper than board wipes so if you have a little power on the board it can add up and if counter is wiped it's not so clear cut. If you have either Gideon out that will also leave you power to eat an opponents life total with no further casting cost. Even moss in reality cannot appear before T4 where you can have both power and a counter or even ignore the moss when you have a land in hand for your next turn.

The control mirrors should hopefully be great matches as will the conflux when it's motoring. There are probably a few surprises too no doubt a few provided courtesy of RNGesus in some matches.

Gemini's only got 1 creature Languish won't hit, so that isn't a worry there. His Emeria Retreats are your issue, since you don't have but 2 ways + Ulamog of dealing with them. To a lesser extent Acid Moss as well, but you have your own ramp suite +25 lands to help you out of that bind. I really think that matchup will be decided on Rolling Thunder in the end, if it happens.

Against Covert, you're hurting since most of his fat is immune to Languish and matches/outclasses yours. That game would depend on the draw, and I give Gruul a higher matchup (especially with 3 Rolling Thunder).

Mega vs Mackey begins.. right now!

True, but I'm going off of the decklist. 1-sweeper and done. He can still make a game of it if swept and will kill anyone quickly who doesn't pull off a sweeper (except the Jeskai Tokens), but most of the games the other deck will be able to establish better board presence and win. My opinion, of course.

The control mirrors is all about being the first to not do anything but play lands and make incremental plays, especially instant end of turn plays. Just like most control mirrors.