Edit: Ok, it didn't work in one time so I made 3 posts. This is not my article, but since I think the original thread was locked, with the same problem and this is what should have been there I posted it. I got it from a Dutch Legacy site.
Part II: The further evolution of the deck
1) Introduction
Before reading on, I have to tell you more about myself. Not about my lifestyle ( ) but about my playstyle. It will help you to better comprehend the direction I wished to take with MCG Loam.
Back in 2001 I started playing magic on tournament level. I was only playing vintage because legacy didn't exist at that time. My favourite deck was Keeper. I loved to take control over the game. I was a control player in my heart.
Time changed and new decks saw the light (Slaver,...) and I learned an important lesson during that period: "you can never have a wrong threat, but you can have an answer at the wrong time."
Once legacy was born I started with some sort of Isochron Scepter-Orim's Chant control build evolving into landstill.
I played landstill for one tournament, but was so disgusted by the fact that it took so much time before I could finish a game (Nantuko Monastery was not part of landstill in that time). I made myself a promise to never play landstill again during tournaments (a promise I still hold), cause I learned to hate to be forced in the control role every time. I would like to switch roles at the most opportune moment.
I switched to threshold and loved the playstyle: sometimes the control but able to go beatdown if necessary...
Ok this may seem to you like I'm just filling space with nonsense, but I told you the above to help you understand this:
I wanted to create a loambuild able to be the beatdown but also able to be the control.
2) Where we (Stijn, Kris, Tist) started
We started with the aggressive aggroloam (builds we 'stole' from German tournament results: more known as aggroloam). We made it more control by adding cards like Burning Wish and Terminate (I also added Eternal Witness instead of Unearth). MCG loam was born.
Seismic Assault was the card I disliked the most in the actual MCG loam: don't get me wrong: Seismic Assault is a busted card ONCE the loam engine is running.
But I wanted to take the build to another direction: also function well when the loam engine was not online (like Survival of the Fittest decks: what do we do when Survival of the Fittest is not online?).
I didn't want to add an extra color to the GRb MCG loam build due to the following reasons:
- dragon stompy was born
- goblins and some other decks play Wasteland
- avoiding colorscrew
- being less dependent on Mox Diamond to solve manaproblems
So I had to sacrifice a color to introduce white. Green has to stay (pretty obvious). I had to choose between red or black.
So let's look what each color gives us:
red:
- Burning Wish
- Terminate
- Seismic Assault
black:
- Dark Confidant
- Thoughtseize
- Pernicious Deed
white will give us:
- Swords to Plowshares
I opted for keeping black, for the following reasons:
- opening hand of 2 lands, Mox Diamond and Dark Confidant are so busted
- Dark Confidant as cardadvantage when Life from the Loam is not online
- Thoughtseize, Duress and Extirpate will give me a better combo matchup
- Swords to Plowshares is better than Terminate
- Seismic Assault is only good when the engine is online
- avoiding Burning Wish will give me more space for 'real' sideboard cards
I made the swap to Pernicious Deed and Engineered Explosives instead of the Seismic Assault. I made MCG loam more control and less dependent on having Life from the Loam. Instead I chose to control the game to the point where drawing Life from the Loam would be inevitable.
Pernicious Deed and Engineered Explosives are good against a card that is a real nightmare for loamdecks: "Counterbalance". They make the threshold matchup better, give you more outs against ichorid and combodecks that are opting for the goblins route (Empty the Warrens).
3) Where we (Joa and Tist) ended: Terranova
We tested the following build:
Maindeck:
29 Mana Sources
3 Bayou
3 Savannah
1 Scrubland
4 Windswept Heath
2 Bloodstained Mire
1 Forest
1 Swamp
4 Tranquil Ticket
1 Barren Moor
4 Wasteland
1 Volrath's Stronghold
4 Mox Diamond
15 Creatures
4 Dark Confidant
4 Wild Mongrel
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Terravore
4 Engine
4 Life from the Loam
8 Removal
4 Swords to Plowshares
2 Pernicious Deed
2 Engineered Explosives
4 Disruption
4 Thoughtseize
SB
3 Duress
3 Extirpate
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Pernicious Deed
2 Krosan Grip
2 Tormod's Crypt
3 Umezawa's Jitte
The build was the incarnation of what I hoped for: a Loam build that can be the attacker and/or the defender. A build playing only broken cards.
This build deserved it's own name. Stijn suggested Terranova (the new Terrageddon) and I liked this name. So now our child has this name.
4) More on the matchups of this deck:
The given percentages are based on our testing, and are the representation of how I feel the odds are.
Terranova-Threshold: 55-45
If you can keep counterbalance off the table you will win. If you cannot, don't waste your time to play life from the loam. Go for cards that have converted mana cost of 3: Terravore, Pernicious Deed, Krosan Grip.
Terravore together with Volrath's Stronghold = good game.
Terranova- Goblins: 85-15
The only chance for the goblin player is this: pray you can start the game. Start the game with a Goblin Lackey. Hope it connects.
Otherwise Terranova wins...
Terranova- Landstill: 65-35
game 1: if Landstill plays no Extirpate Terranova wins.
game 2: If Landstill has Extirpate the game is pretty even.
Problem for landstill is this: most of the time Terranova will win game 1; this means that there will almost be no time left for you to win 2 games in a tournament setting.
Terranova- Combo: 40-60 (variation depending on matchup)
game 1: combo is generally not in your favour: 4 Thoughtseize, 2 Engineered Explosives and 2 Pernicious Deed are generally not enough.
game 2: games should be pretty even.
TES, Belcher and Solidarity should be your biggest fear. Ichorid, Cephalid and Aluren are better guests.
Terranova- Dragon Stompy: 65-35
Just make sure to have the fetchlands to get your basic lands OR have a Mox Diamond and enough lands in your opening hand. Trading 1-1 will win you this matchup.
Terranova- Burn: 30-70
If you do not expect Price of Progress and they play it you are in trouble.
game 1: expect to loose this one.
game 2, 3: go for Wild Mongrel/Tarmogoyf + Umezawa's Jitte. The main reason to play Umezawa's Jitte in side is for the burn matchup.
Terranova- Pikula style: 60-40
game 1: if they have no Extirpate maindeck you should win.
game 2, 3: you expect graveyard hate. Board in Umezawa's Jitte and go for the aggro-style.
Terranova- Slivers: 70-30
If they play no Hibernation Sliver you should win.
5) How I became Belgian champ with Terranova: a tournament report
Decklist see part 3
Round 1: Kris (4 color landstill)
1-0
game 1: Kris starts with a fetchland. I play Thoughtseize on my turn but Kris plays Brainstorm in response. I see a hand indicating me he is playing landstill.
On his turn he plays the standstill he has hidden on top. Kris is manascrewed even after resolving a Fact or Fiction. He is missing green and black mana.
I can beat him to one life but then it seems like he is stabilizing (thanks to Crucible of Worlds combined with Nantuko Monastery and Mishra's Factory). This game is taking so long I know the one who will win this game will win the match.
Volrath's Stronghold saves me as I return Terravore turn after turn. It had to resolve once through his counterwall and I finish him off.
There are 2 minutes left so he has no chance to come back.
Round 2: Glenn van Roy (counterbalance tog)
2-1
game 1: I start with a Thoughtseize and see this hand: Island, Sensei's Diving Top, Counterbalance, Psychatog, Fact or Fiction, Vindicate and Undermine.
I have beaters in my hand: I'm doubting between the Sensei's Diving Top and the Counterbalance. Realising he is playing a controldeck i think the chance he will topdeck a land is pretty high. I take the Counterbalance.
On his turn he plays Sensei's Diving Top and activates it but misses a land drop.
From there on it is a formality to finish him off.
game 2: I don't remember this game that much. But I know this game takes some time. He finishes me off with a Morphling cause i missed one mana to play Pernicious Deed and activate it. Ironically it was my own 'fault' cause I topdecked pretty bad and kept lands in my hand to make him believe I have something useful.
game 3: I have Life from the Loam and Wasteland in hand. He only plays nonbasic lands. Meddling Mage on Life from the Loam keeps him in the game. Life from the Loam and Wasteland are in my graveyard and he knows I have another Wasteland in my hand. He plays Extirpate (he has 2 nonbasic lands in play). He thinks for a while and decides to remove all my Wasteland. A few turns later he plays Extirpate on Life from the Loam.
Now a Wild Mongrel equipped with an Umezawa's Jitte joins my side, which goes all the way.
Round 3: Pierre (UGWb slivers)
2-0
game 1: My starting hand has 2 lands, Mox Diamond, Engineered Explosives, Pernicious Deed, Terravore and another card. Seems like a very good hand when he plays his first sliver. It is however the sliver that lets you return a sliver by paying 2 life (Hibernation Sliver). Engineered Explosives and Pernicious Deed don't seem that sexy anymore. When an AEther Vial joins his side things are looking rather bad for me.
First I blow Engineered Explosives for 2 just to slow him down, he returns his Winged Sliver and Hibernation Sliver to hand.
Then I blow my Pernicious Deed making him return his slivers to his hand again and losing more lifepoints. Meanwhile I have Life form the Loam and Wasteland online. But he doesn't give me the time to take advantage of it. It is a topdecked Pernicious Deed that lets me win this game.
game 2: It seems like he boarded a lot of control cards. First he plays Meddling Mage on Pernicious Deed. Then a Pithing Needle on Engineered Explosives. I have Swords to Plowshares for his Sinew Sliver. He has no clock at all with only his Meddling Mage out.
I get a Wild Mongrel and Umezawa's Jitte online. I have a déjà vu (you too?). Wild Mongrel kills the Meddling Mage thanks to Umezawa's Jitte and the way is open to finish him off.
Round 4: Yves Verlaine (Rb goblins)
2-0
Goblins is a good matchup for this deck. Avoid Goblin Lackey from connecting and win (that's in fact the gameplan).
game 1 and 2: Swords to Plowshares on Goblin Piledriver in both games together with Tarmogoyf and Wild Mongrel make sure I put the pressure on him. And we all know what happens when goblins are pushed in the defense.
Round 5: Kris Boschmans (UGW thres)
1-1
game 1: he starts with a land. I start with land and Mox Diamond and play Thoughtseize on him twice. I make him discard Engineered Explosives and Brainstorm, leaving him with only a Daze.
I make sure to put pressure on him with Dark Confidant and a Tarmogoyf. A few turns later it is over for him.
game 2: I board out 4 Thoughtseize and a Life from the Loam for 2 Umezawa's Jitte, 1 Krosan Grip, 1 Pernicious Deed and 1 Engineered Explosives. The game is starting well for him with Sensei's Diving Top and Counterbalance on his side. My Pernicious Deed makes sure the gamestate returns to a neutral point.
We both have 3 cards in hand but Kris has Sensei's Diving Top. My 3 cards are 2 lands and a Mox Diamond and ik topdeck 3 more lands in the following turns ---> he wins
Round 6: Peter Steurs (reddeck wins)
0-2
The one who wins is sure of top8. I don't know what he is playing because my previous matches took almost all the time of the round.
game 1: I keep the following hand: Mox Diamond, cycle land, lands and Dark Confidant. When he starts with mountain Chain Lightning I know things are looking bad for me. Of course he burns my Dark Confidant to death. The problem is I see no other creatures in the following turns. I played a Thoughtseize seeing 2 Ensnaring Bridge. He burns me out of the game when I have a big Terravore on the table.
game 2: I board out my Thoughtseize bringing in my 3 Umezawa's Jitte and Krosan Grip. I start with this hand: fetchland, land, Tarmogoyf, Tarmogoyf, Terravore, Mox Diamond. I believe I cannot lose this game.
I start with first turn Tarmogoyf (maybe this was not the right play). He plays Chain of Lightning on my Tarmogoyf. I play a 4/4 Terravore. He uses 2 burn spells to kill my Terravore. I play a 4/5 Tarmogoyf but he can burn this creature to death again.
I see no more creatures. He has all the time to just burn me out of the game.
Round 7: Frank Heusinkveld (43 land)
2-0
I have to win this round to be sure of top8. I have the highest resistance of all the players with 13 points.
This time I know that my opponent is playing 43 landdeck. It will help me win this match.
game 1: I keep a hand I would never keep against an opponent when I don't know what he is playing. This is my starting hand: 3 Mox Diamond, Wasteland, 2 Life from the Loam, Tarmogoyf and Terravore. If I draw a land soon I'm sure to win. Since I am on the draw chances are very high this will happen.
He starts with playing his whole hand thanks to manabound: 3 Maze of Ith, 1 Treetop Village, 1 Savannah and 1 Wasteland. I draw but see no land, so I simply play 1 Mox Diamond.
He draws a card but does nothing except attacking with Treetop Village. I draw a land, play my second Mox Diamond, play Life from the Loam and waste his Savannah. If he doesn't topdeck his own Life from the Loam I'll win cause he will have no further chance to cast it. He does not topdeck his Life from the Loam and I win.
game 2: I mull. This time after a few turns the board is as follows: I have 2 Wild Mongrel and an Engineered Explosives (for zero) into play. He is on 10 life and has 2 Treetop Village into play and enough mana to activate one of them. He has Life from the Loam in his hand, I don't.
I have enough cards in hand to make both my Wild Mongrels 5/5. I'm sure I'll win because I have 10 damage attacking and an Engineered Explosives (for zero) into play.
I attack and he says: I do not block. He scoops and take his cards together as do I.
Do you see what's not correct here? THINK ABOUT IT!
Read Engineered Explosives! Oh my god we both forgot that Engineered Explosives cannot destroy lands.
So in fact I stole this game from him without knowing it myself at that time.
He is frustrated he is knocked out of contention cause of this stupid thing. I can understand it, cause I would also feel bad in his situation. I offer him a drink, but he refuses.
Top 8 for me.
GREAT!!
However things don't look so good for me when I see which decks are also present:
2 TES (very bad matchup)
1 Solidarity (bad matchup)
1 Dragon Stompy (good matchup)
1 Sligh deck (the one i lost from in round 6)
1 UGW threshold (even matchup)
1 Rw goblins (good matchup)
I'm really lucky cause I'm paired against the goblin deck.
Quarterfinal: Sean Van Osselear (Rw goblins)
2-0
game 1: I have a good hand, only Goblin Lackey can be a problem.
He starts with Goblin Lackey! I have no answer for it, but I have a Thoughtseize. Thoughtseize lets me see: Goblin Piledriver, 2 Mogg Fanatic and Gempalm Incinerator. I take the Goblin Piledriver. Things are looking good.
Next turn he attacks and lays Mogg Fanatic and casts another one.
I play my Wild Mongrel. He cycles Gempalm Incinerator and I boost my Wild Mongrel. He sacs both his Mogg Fanatic and I boost my Wild Mongrel again. I have one card left in my hand.
He decides to attack with Goblin Lackey which I block. I discard my last card to let my Wild Mongrel survive. One of my discarded cards was a Life from the Loam.
In my turn I dredge my Life from the Loam and return 3 lands to my hand. Wild Mongrel together with Life from the Loam gives me the game, cause he is out of gas.
game 2: I have to mull. My six cards are these: fetchland, dual, Wild Mongel, Tarmogoyf, Terravore. I keep them, hoping he will not start with a first turn Goblin Lackey again.
But... he does. I'm in big trouble.
But they don't call me topdeck Tist without a reason. I topdeck a Mox Diamond. And cast my Wild Mongrel. "I own you Goblin Lackey"
In his second turn he plays fetchland breaking it for a Plateau. Oops, things are again looking bad cause I feel he will plow my Wild Mongrel and thus connect his Goblin Lackey.
But... he plays nothing.
I topdeck a Terravore and play my Tarmogoyf.
In his turn he plays a Wasteland and plays a Goblin Matron, searching for a Goblin Warchief. I topdeck a Wasteland however and use it to destroy his Plateau. (remember I still have 2 Terravore in my hand).
Sean says: "Tist what more do you want?" He plays another Wasteland and passes, unable to cast his Goblin Warchief.
I play my first Terravore. He plays another Wasteland and passes. I play my second Terravore and it is over.
Semifinal: Jean-Marie Desruelle (dragon stompy)
2-0
I hope I win the dice roll, maximizing my chances to start with a basic Forest. But he wins the roll.
game 1: I keep the following hand: 2 Swords to Plowshares, 1 Thoughtseize, Mox Diamond and lands. I just hope he will not start with first turn Chalice of the Void for 1, but opting for first turn Magus of the Moon.
He starts with first turn Magus of the Moon. I'm happy (lol). I play Swords to Plowshares on it, but he plays the Chalice of the Void for 1.
But he has no beatings going on. I soon draw a Wild Mongrel and finish him off.
game 2: He starts with first turn: Chrome Mox (imprinting a red card), Ancient Tomb, Seething Song and Tephraderm. I'm glad he doesn't start with disruption first. I let Tephraderm hit me twice.
I play my Wild Mongrel. He plays a morphed creature (Gathan Raiders of course) having two cards in hand.
I draw a card and pass. He draws a card, plays a land and decides to attack with his morphed creature and Tephraderm. I block the morphed creature, he unmorphs but is unable to reach hellbent, so his Gathan Raiders dies. I'm on 7 life. But I have 2 Terravore and a Tarmogoyf in hand opposing to him having Tephraderm into play and one card in hand.
I play Terravore (3/3). He attacks me again and i double block: both my creatures die but I don't care: more are coming.
I play my Terravore and my Tarmogoyf and finish him off as follow: he had two morph creatures on the table and 2 cards in hand. I play Engineered Explosives for zero and activate it. He responds (as expected) by discarding his 2 cards and now has 2 5/5 Gathan Raiders into play. My Terravore is a 9/9 and I decide to attack (I have a Swords to Plowshares in hand). He thinks for some while and then decides to double block (as I hoped for). I plow one Gathan Raiders before damage on the stack and his second raider dies after damage resolution. My Tarmogoyf and Terravore finish the job.
Final: Kris Boschmans (UGW thres)
2-0
You can read the report made by Tom Denduyver below:
Belgian legacy champs 2007: The final. (a report by Tom Denduyver)
After seven rounds of suisse and a top 8 single elimination two off the best Belgian legacy players clash in the 2007 final. Baptist Matthys will fight with Kris Boschmans in a best of three match.
Baptist Matthys
Baptist the former Threshold master will now be playing Terranova a deck that was made by his own team. Marijn Lybaert the Belgian pro played a similar version at worlds but Tist and his teammate Joa gave it a last twist the evening before the tournament, they replaced red by white. Baptist is also known for his trashtalking (Trashtalking Tist) and his lucky topdecks (Topdeck Tist). Sean Van Osselaer experienced the last thing when facing Baptist in the quarter finals.
But winning several legacy tournaments and knowing the deck his opponent plays like it is his own Baptist surely is the favourite to win.
Baptist Matthys, Belgium legacy championship 2007 finalist.
Decklist see above.
Kris Boschmans
The player seems icecold and he has been playing this deck for as long as I know him. Last year I faced him at the champs and he was also playing white *****. I beated him with my affinity but in the legacy tournament in Ostend he got his revenge by beating me with his ******** while I was playing a Terrageddon version of my own. Kris also made it to a couple of top eights and did win a couple of tournaments to. He also knows very well who he’s facing and what deck he’s facing. Kris might have the edge against Baptist after sideboarding but I warned him before the tournament he would regret playing Threads of Disloyalty over Mind Harness because of Terravore. Kris knows what he is doing and in his semi final never got lost in his deck and his plays while he was playing against the roguish burning bridge deck.
Kris Boschmans, Belgium legacy championship 2007 finalist
You can find his decklist here:
http://www.magicclubmol.be/files/results/20071222.pdf
Game 1.
Kris wins the roll and chooses to start the match. Both players shuffle their decks while the judge (Level 2 Jurgen Baert) makes a notifies them that both players should randomize their deck a little more. Tist already gets the trashtalking going before even drawing a card by saying against Kris he even has to shuffle his deck even harder. Laconic like he is Kris replies him he is already exhausted but the blink on Kris his eyes betrays he is fully concentrated and ready to take the title and bring it home to his Antwerp instead of Tist’s Gent. Both players receive the free draw seven and choose to keep their hands.
Kris starts with flooded strand into island and plays ponder. Tist start with an attack on the hand with Thoughtseize after fetching a Bayou. He grabs Counterbalance from Kris’ hand leaving a Nimble Mongoose in his Kris his hand.
Kris lays down his Nimble Mongoose on the second turn after playing a Tropical Island. He saw the tiny creature going all the way so many times on the back of his Counterbalance Top. Tist drops another land on his next turn and reseizes his hand another time by taking the Mystic Enforcer the creature he feared most when entering this final.
Kris tries to recover from the losses he led by playing Brainstorm dropping a Tundra and playing the tiny Sensei's Diving Top. He also sends his Nimble Mongoose in to take another bite at the life of Baptist his low lifetotal due to the Thoughtseizes. Baptist knows it’s time for some action on the board and tries to resolve a Tarmogoyf on his turn after dropping a Bayou. Kris takes a look at his top three cards and decides it will resolve.
Leading of his turn playing a plain and then resolve a bigger threshold mate for his Nimble Mongoose in the form of a Mystic Enforcer. Tist cycles a Barren Moor on his turn to find a solution and he finds it in the form of a Swords to Plowshares giving Kris only three life because he didn’t make it to seven cards in the graveyard yet. Sending his Tarmogoyf in the attackers zone and got the life totals almost even (Kris: 16 / Tist: 14). Tist really wanted to make a real breakthrough now and tried to resolve a Dark Confidant but Kris calm as he is played a Daze and reached threshold.
In his upkeep Kris looks at his top 3 cards. He replays his Island and started the race with his Nimble Mongoose. Tist attacked with his Tarmogoyf and played an other Lhurghoyf but this time it was a Terravore. Kris seeing the danger looked at his top three cards and had to say:”resolves”. He played and cracked a fetch followed by a Life from the Loam returning a Barren Moor. End of turn Kris tries to find a solution by playing Brainstorm and take another look at the top three cards.
Kris fetches after a Tropical Island plays an Engineered Explosives for 3 blows it up and hits another time with the Nimble Mongoose. (Kris: 10 / Tist: 7) Tist starts the dredging with his cyclers and returns them with Life from the Loam and knocks Kris down to four with his 6/7 Tarmogoyf.
In his upkeep Kris looks with the Sensei' Diving Top and plays a Counterbalance but in fact wanted to find something else instead of his beloved enchantment. He kept his Nimble Mongoose at home just to make sure he would survive another turn. Tist declares an attack and his Tarmogoyf find the Nimble Mongoose of Kris in the blockers phase. Post combat he cycles and finds another copy of Tarmogoyf and tries to pin on the board but Kris also finds a copy in the top three cards of Tarmogoyf and shows that with Counterbalance. Tist plays a Volrath's Stronghold just to make sure his Terravore will see play again soon.
Kris resolved a Tarmogoyf of his own now and passes the turn. Tist uses the Volrath's Stronghold in his upkeep and putted the Terravore on top. Kris predicted that the Terravore would go on top and send it right back to the bin drawing two cards in te process. Tist played another Thoughtseize and took a grab at the top Kris had to put on top to prevent the vore from getting into play. Both players are at four here.
Tist made the play he did last time and gets the vore in to play. Kris fetches end of turn and in his next mainphase he chooses to go to the sideboard.
1-0 for Tist that needed this victory very much knowing he would face a better equipped threshold deck after the boardings.
Game 2
Tist takes a lot of time to make his boardings the judge remarks him that he has only three minutes to do that.
While reshuffling their deck intensively Tist asks the judge if he can make another change. He may do it because he didn’t presented his deck yet but then decides to keep his deck like he boarded first.
Kris gets another chance to start first and does that by only playing a Flooded Strand after both players had kept their hand. Tist gets a turbo start by cycling a Tranquil Thicket after fetching and then played a Mox Diamond discarding a Bayou.
Kris will try to make a lock with Jotûn Grunt, Meddling Mage, Counterbalance + Sensei's Diving Top and will try to get an advantage by stealing Tarmogoyf, Wild Mongrel and Dark Confidant with Threads of Disloyalty. Following that strategy Kris resolves a Meddling Mage on Life from the Loam on his turn. Tist lays down an invitational winner of his own, a Volrath's Stronghold secures it from the Daze.
Kris doesn’t want to give Tist any advantage and plows the Dark Confidant in his turn and plays an Engineered Explosives at zero and he makes it exploded to remove the Mox Diamond from Baptist. He attacked with the Meddling Mage. Tist just played a Bayou.
Tist’s body languages shows he is already thinking about game 3 but in fact he still has a plan and Kris smart as he is keeps concentrated.
Kris just attacks with his mage drops a Tropical Island and passes the turn knowing he is in control. Tist tries to resolve a Terravore in his turn and it worked.
Kris had the solution already in hand and played an Engineered Explosives at three. Tist blows the Engineered Explosives away with one of his own. He plays a Wasteland on the Tundra and attacks with the 7/7 monster (Terravore).
The player from Antwerp isn’t finished yet. He isn’t impressed by such an amazing play from the MCG player. He calmly plays a brainstorm fetches for his basic Plains and plays another Swords to Plowshares! He keeps in the race by attacking with his Meddling Mage.
With the regained life Tist is in control and gets another attack on his opponents manabase by wasting his Tropical Island.
Kris just draws a card and attacks with his Meddling Mage. Tist keeps on attacking his players resources this time a Thoughtseize makes sure an Mystic Enforcer won’t join the Meddling Mage on the board. Leaving a Krosan Grip and Tarmogoyf in Kris’ hand.
Kris keeps the pressure on with his Meddling Mage and plays another one on Pernicious Deed.
Tist just draws a new card in his turn.
Kris gets his Meddling mages into the attacking zone but the Meddling Mage (chanting against Pernicious Deed) finds the removed from game zone instead. He ends his turn by playing a top. Tist finally finds a creature to add on the board. Wild Mongrel should keep the Meddling Mage at home. End of turn Kris takes a look at his top three cards.
The Ponder from Kris finds him yet another Swords to Plowshares and this time the Wild Mongrel has to leave play and is removed from game. Tist remarks Kris on the fact he has only one plow left and with a Volrath's Stronghold in play Kris knows that could be a problem with only three options over (1x Swords to Plowshares, 2x Engineered Explosives) if another vore would see play. Kris just attacks with the Meddling Mage and passes the turn. Tist stays pacient and just passes his turn and Kris takes a look at his top three end of turn.
Kris attacks with his Meddling Mage and plays a Ponder. Tist resolves a Dark Confidant and plays a Windswepth Heath on his turn.
In Kris his turn he fetches after a Tundra and Tist does the same searching a Bayou.
Tist attacks with his Dark Confidant and Kris allows Bob Maher to take two lifepoints. Tist wastes Kris’ Tundra and then plays Pernicious Deed after a long time thinking because he knew that Kris could counter it with his last turn played Counterbalance. Kris takes a look at the top three cards and has to say ok. He activates it for 2 leaving a clean board and a Sensei's Diving Top on Kris his library.
This was the moment Tist had been waiting for. He was so patient with his Pernicious Deed all off this turns just wanting to get that extra card down with it. Both have even changes now.
But what a comeback from Kris when he plays his top again and unleashes a Tarmogyf on the board. Tist might make an even bigger play by getting the Wild Mongrel + Life from the Loam combo on his turn.
Kris takes a look at his top 3 in his upkeep and decides to attack with the Tarmogoyf and add another one post combat. Game 2 should be soon over as Tist faces two 6/7 Tarmogoyfs. Tist decides to take an extra turn and dredges his Life from the Loam. Then he played an Engineered Explosives on two showing Kris he had a solution all the time. The patience and concentration off this two players after twelve hours tournament magic is unbelievable. Thinking this to myself Tist dredges his Life from the Loam and sees that a Terravore has entered his graveyard.
Kris realises the danger and wants to find a solution in his upkeep by looking at his top three cards. Tist gets his Terravore on top with his Volrath's Stronghold in his upkeep and Kris played a Predict targetting his opponents library but Tist doesn’t want to get fooled a second time and cycles a land and draws his Terravore and plays it right ahead.
Kris makes a final move in his turn by playing a Tormod's Crypt and a Meddling Mage on Life from the Loam. Tist however knows that he can waste his own land to get his Terravore big enough to finish the game and so he becomes the Belgian legacy champ 2007!
Both players received nice prices supported by Wizards and Magic club Mol that organised a very nice tournament with 129 players from different countries (Germany, France, Holland and Belgium). We shouldn’t forget to thank the judges Jurgen Baert and Roel Jansen (the player from Holland who is in fact the Luxembourg legacy champ).
6) SPECIAL THANKS TO
* Stijn De Clercq and Kris Lauwaert for creating MCG loam together with me. It was the basis for "Terranova"
* Joa for being my mirror testing partner and the many hours testing with me during the last weeks before the Belgian championship. Joa for going 5-2 with the same decklist!
* Joa again for helping me decide for the white version instead of the red one. So from now on: GBw control loam will be named as "Terranova". The red version is called "MCG loam". MCG standing for magicclub Ghent.
* Fred for bashing me with ichorid and make me understand this matchup better.
* Mark Lambrechts for being my testpartner concerning the goblins matchup and the survival matchup.
* Christophe Labie for being my testpartner concerning the dragon stompy matchup.
* Sander for bashing me with his creative combodeck.
* Mita for being my testpartner concerning the enchantress matchup.
* Magicclub Mol for organizing the biggest legacy event in Belgian history.
* Kris Boschmans for being a nice guy and showing he is the best Belgian threshold player of the moment.
* Kris Boschmans for showing me how to shuffle my deck. (inside joke)
* MCG for being there. Without our club all the good results of the last years would not be possible. Keep on the good work mates!
* MCG for creating her own deck for the first time in her existence and kicking ass with it.
* MCG for demonstrating they are "the" best magicclub in Belgium.
Baptist Matthys aka Tist
Proud member of MCG (Magicclub Ghent)
I have a few questions based on the report and list:
1. The States seem to give Aggro-Loam no respect, no attention, no love. Why is that?
2. Although I read your points about Red being removed from the deck, I tend to disagree. Has your view of Red changed with the printing of Countryside Crusher? Also, you neglected to address Devastating Dreams in your comparison of support colors. GRb will still allow you to effectively run EE and Deed while giving you some back-breakers like Crusher, Dream, BWish, and Seismic Assualt.
3. Also, why did avoid Genesis? He seems at least decent with all the dredging you will be doing.
Originally Posted by Cavius The Great
So I'm the writer of the article about Terranova. I'll try to give my opinion about further questions.
1. The States seem to give Aggro-Loam no respect, no attention, no love. Why is that?
- Since I'm living in Belgium I have no idea what the meta in USA is. If your meta has not a lot of combo I would advice to give Terranova a try. You will be pleased.
2. Although I read your points about Red being removed from the deck, I tend to disagree. Has your view of Red changed with the printing of Countryside Crusher? Also, you neglected to address Devastating Dreams in your comparison of support colors. GRb will still allow you to effectively run EE and Deed while giving you some back-breakers like Crusher, Dream, BWish, and Seismic Assualt.
- The deck was created before morningtide was printed. We tested the deck and came to the conclusion that Terranova has a good goblin matchup and that it has to do a lot with the inclusion of swords to plowshares.
- Devastating Dreams is not good in loam mirror matches (an issue where I play) and I found it underwhelming against threshold decks. It is another card that is severly hurt by counterbalance and only good when the loam engine is online. I tried to avoid to many cards which are the nuts when loam is online. That's the reason of kicking seismic assault and devastating dreams.
- We plan to test countryside crusher in the near future and hope it will be a bomb. However missing swords to plowshares will have a big impact. Terminate <<<< swords to plowshares.
3. Also, why did avoid Genesis? He seems at least decent with all the dredging you will be doing.
- Genesis was once part of the deck: but I revealed it a few times with confidant and lost some games cause of this. I didn't want to take the risk for the tournament.
- Nowadays I've again included genesis in terranova. I'll test it more in the coming weeks.
I don't know if you need Genesis AND Stronghold. Seems like one ought to be good enough.
It looks pretty obvious that white should be cut.So let's look what each color gives us:
red:
- Burning Wish
- Terminate
- Seismic Assault
black:
- Dark Confidant
- Thoughtseize
- Pernicious Deed
white will give us:
- Swords to Plowshares
I would even add some props on red (devastating dreams, gamble, crusher, pyroclasm, great anti-artifact spells, the ability to play under a moon) and to black (smallpox and volrath's stronghold). Props to white: maybe vindicate and gaddock teeg and crime of crime/punishment (because puinshment is good). Stp is useless when you play the biggest creatures in magic. It looks like you splash only to play STP. Sounds crazy when you can afford to play devastating dreams. Vindicate or teeg are easily exchangeable, respectively with deed/punishment/EE and chalice/discard and crime can still be randomly played with mox diamond.
I'm sorry to say this, but it looks like the worst life from the loam pile I've seen since a long time.
And winning a tourney facing not a single extirpate/leyline/planar void/tormod's crypt with a loam deck is not that much a performance. It looked like a good metagame call to play aggroloam and that's all.
Maveric:
It looks pretty obvious that white should be cut.
I'm sorry to say this, but it looks like the worst life from the loam pile I've seen since a long time.
I:
Yes, you are right. My decklist is completly shit. We worked longer than a year just to reach nonsense.
However results speak for itself: 129 players, only two of them piloted the deck: one won the tournament, the other went 5 wins 2 losses.
Our deck is completly shit: you are right!
Maveric:
And winning a tourney facing not a single extirpate/leyline/planar void/tormod's crypt with a loam deck is not that much a performance. It looked like a good metagame call to play aggroloam and that's all.
I:
If you would read my report you would know you are wrong on this. I won a game where I was hit by 2 extirpate (see round 2) and I won a game with meddling mage on loam, pithing needle on pernicious deed and tormod's crypt in play (see round 3).
I read your report. So ok, you've won the round2 facing grave hate. About the round3, I keep reading and rereading it and I can't find the loam lock (only EE and deed lock).
I understand that you can be pissed off by statements like mine but instead of stating that white is better than red because you played it 1 year or because you won a large tourney with very good pairings (no combo for instance), just demonstrate us that STP is better than burning wish, to start with. Then, how STP can be better than burning wish AND crusher. then how STP can be better than burning wish AND crusher AND devastating dreams, etc...
Ps: just read your previous post about crusher and dreams. Ok I can receive that. as for myself, I still believe that you don't need neither STP nor terminate in such a beaters deck. Burning wish is far more important though.
He didn't say stp > crusher, he said he'd test it out.
Also, if you play the red splash your response to turn1 lackey is either a turn 1 dude via mox diamond, or wish -> clasm/dreams after they drop their hand.We plan to test countryside crusher in the near future and hope it will be a bomb. However missing swords to plowshares will have a big impact. Terminate <<<< swords to plowshares.
#mtgfinance follow on twitter: @mtgStaples
Team Brown & Team Unicorn. Does that make me a Brown Unicorn?
If your only concern is lackey just play darkblast or charm. But really gob is such an easy MU that you should not bother with it.
Take it easy guys ;) It's just magic.
About this discussion between BGW or BGR, i also believe there should be more reason then Swords to plowshares to make a white splash. STP however is the most powerfull removal spell available. Smother, terminate, ghastly demise come close, but often not close enough. This gives you a nice edge.
I'd like to find some more reasons to splash white over red in the MD or SB. Vindicate seems a very good suggestion, vindicating a basic land, while wasting a non-basic could cripple your opponent and is very flexibel. White could also help fix one of your auto-losses : Burn. Cop : red, pulse of the fields, sphere of law.
Gaddock teeg also makes a nice anti-combo card.
Conclusion : there could/should be more reason to play white over red than stp's and there is.
Eternal rating : 1826
Belgium, Europe
For what it's worth, you would have to point a .44 at my balls to get me to take out red from my Loam lists. I'm looking forward to your testing results, Matelml.
YOU'RE GIVING ME A TIME MACHINE IN ORDER TO TREAT MY SLEEP DISORDER.
Did you ever get burned by the dis-synergy between Mox Diamond and Pernicious Deed?
Magic Level 3 Judge
Southern USA Regional Coordinator
Yes, it is sometimes a burden to blow your own moxen. That's the reason why we plan on dropping the pernicious deed and replace them by engineered explosives.
There is no way this deck is 65-35 against Dragon Stompy. Blood Moon shuts Aggro Loam down a large part of the time, and Chalice at two completely shuts off the deck. Postboard with Pithing Needles and Crypt coming in it gets even better for DS. I've playtested Dragon Stompy against Aggro Loam (granted, not your list) more than any other deck, and I've yet to lose a best of three.
Don't get me wrong, the deck looks great, I just take issue with the Dragon Stompy matchup. I believe 40/60, maybe 45/55 is more accurate.
In my limited testing with DS vs GRb Aggro Loam, the match seemed to be slightly in Loam's favor. Blood Moon sucks when it comes to casting Terravore, but AggroLoam should at least have a basic Forest or Mox in play to activate Loam. Plus, Burning Wish for Shattering Spree (or Hull Breach) is just a house. Granted, Chalice for 2 is a kick in the nutz, but Loam has EE to handle that.
I honestly concur with Maveric's comments. I really fail to see why someone would want to splash White in an Aggro-Loam build. White has Swords to Plowshares and that is pretty much absolutely all. You want to deal with creatures, fine. Dealing with creatures does not mean "4 Swords to Plowshares", especially if that forces you to splash.
With Countryside Crusher, Red is now IMHO better than Green in Aggro-Loam, and my latest build has relegated Green to a little splash for the obvious Tarmogoyfs and Life from the Loams, turning into RBg build (and do not come around with silly "I've been playing this deck for a year I know more than you" arguments, my first post about Aggro-Loam decks in French forums is from December 2006). The deck do not need fast spot removal. Goblins drops a turn 1 Goblin Lackey? Fine, let him connect, have them drop their Goblins and overextend, and Devastating Dreams all their men away. Tarmogoyf is out? You have Black, you have Volrath's Stronghold... Shriekmaw! Immunity to Chalice of the Void and Counterbalance is also huge props for Shriekmaw. You absolutely want to deal with a few weenies? Lightning Bolt is versatile, killing players or Magus of the Moon (thanks for the Mountains!) is good. Lightning Bolt is actually a 4-off in my build, it is extremely good. Oh, Firestorm. That card is a beating and does wonders with Life from the Loam. Red is also the superior SB color, with Pyroclasm, Volcanic Spray (meet Empty the Warrens), Artifact Mutation, Rack and Ruin, Meltdown (a savage beating against Ancient Tomb decks, and completely immune to Chalice of the Void), a bunch of these being available game 1 through 4 MD Burning Wish, which give you an edge against Aggro (Pyroclasm) and Control (Cabal Therapy, Life from the Loam, Devastating Dreams).
White = suboptimal color. Everything White does, Black and Red do it too, but better.
Swords to Plowshares = overrated.
With the current tendency of running ugly manabases in Legacy since the decline of Goblins and Wasteland, Devastating Flow looks appealing. A tad slow, but game winning if it resolves turn 2 or 3.
I've found it nearly impossible to design a decent Loam deck with Destructive Flow. The same thing that can make it better than Blood Moon (i.e. it mana-screws people instead of just colour-screwing them) means that you yourself need to run a LOT of basic lands if you don't want to kill yourself.
Blood Moon does not conflict with your cycling lands, duals, Wastelands, Volrath's Stronghold, etc... they still make Red mana for you; throw in a couple of basic Forests and you're set. Destructive Flow, instead, requires you to rely on just your basic lands.
YOU'RE GIVING ME A TIME MACHINE IN ORDER TO TREAT MY SLEEP DISORDER.
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