I (heart) Staticaster (2 of 2)

This article is a bunch of anecdotals on several matches from the 07-12-12 FNM at Alabang Town Center of a UWR flash-midrange deck I've recently brewed. To see the deck list and discussion click here.

Against Richard Mariano’s UWB Flash Midrange

Black is the other option of UW flash with respect to splashing. Black offers respectable removal with Tragic Slip and Ultimate Price and the option to use Lingering Souls.

In our virtual mirror match, Richard brought in a better early-game draw suite with Thought Scour, Azorius Charm and Think Twice and was able to thwart me over and over. Along the line, I was able to filter better with Desolate Lighthouse (which is marvelous late game) and beat down with angel and pike – thereby taking a very long first game.

In game two, I screwed my sideboard by taking out my trusty Staticasters against a deck with access to UB which obviously ran Lingering Souls – Richard’s winning card in game two. I don’t know what I was thinking. This match was supposed to be an easy one for me. We ran out of time and went to draw.

Richard Badlon’s Bant Control 

Another long game. Badlon runs all sorts of card advantage against me with Jace AOT, Think Twice and a nine-point Revelation. I cast my own for six to catch up. He took out both of my Pikes. I found myself unable to deal enough damage and he wasn’t able to take me out either in the same manner. He comes up with an Angel of Serenity and pulls three from his yard. I was on the defensive and was cycling a Snapcaster Mage and Restoration Angel while carefully keeping his angel on the board. I realized that the game was now likely come down to a deck-out so I recast a couple of Thought Scours hoping (1) to mill down his draw pile and (2) to possibly drop his Elixir of Immortality into his yard. It turns out that he had his Elixir in hand all along which I was able to Dissipate thanks to my other Snapcaster Mage. Richard Badlon decks out and drops since there wasn’t enough time to a game two.

John Patrick Garcia’s All Range RDW

I rejoice at finally getting a match with agro. I bring out my deck, dice can and tokens – showing off a 4/4 angel on purpose to feign having a GST – a trick that worked as Patrick Garcia confesses to after our match.

Game One: Three lands was all I got the whole game and lethal on me was in before I knew it.

Game Two:Sideboarding against agro:

-1 Detention Sphere -2 Runchanter’s Pike -2 Dissipate -2 Unsummon

+1 Izzet Staticaster +2 Supreme Verdict +4 Pillar of Flame

I thought Detention Sphere cost too much and provided too little defense (plus I don’t like the idea of having too many sorcery-speed spells). Pike and counter-magic were not going to be relevant and Pillar of Flame takes the place of Unsummon in early creature defense with better yield. I was able to survive the early rush with Pillar, Snapcaster, Burning Oil and Staticaster. I eventually drew big with Revelation, answered everything he had left and it wasn’t long before Restoration Angel and some spirit tokens took him out.

Game Three: I decided to re-board:

-3 Supreme Verdict, +3 Detention Sphere

I took out Supreme Verdict because my defense-control strategy was based on creatures (Staticaster and Restoration Angel). I promptly stopped the early rush and gained mana and card footing. I burned his Thundermaw Hellkite out of the sky with back-to-back Burning Oils (as predicted). I felt that Patrick was avoiding committing too many creatures fearing a verdict. It was then that I brought out and showed him that sided those out. The second Staticaster hits the board and an angel homeruns most of the 20. I confess to having bluffed having a GST and Patrick admits to anticipating the said creature - with a bit of help from that token I deliberately made visible during the shuffle. 

My conclusion so far is that UWR obviously has everything a competitive player would want given that its a well-rounded color trio. The access to Sphinx's Revelation gives an automatic pull to power-carding and red is really the color to splash as opposed to black given the position it has against those who splash the latter (see the match with Richard Mariano). 

I've yet to encounter Rakdos agro with this list. I look forward to a match with Zombies to see if NOT maindecking Pillar of Flame is something I should really stand for. 

See the first part of this article via this link.

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