Post by gabochido on Jan 18, 2012 15:13:45 GMT -5
While its a good idea to have specific deck primers which include all the information for any given deck, sometimes its easy to just write down thoughts on a particular matchup you just had. I'll start a thread for this and see if other people start adding thoughts and other matchups.
White Weenie (WW) vs Mono Black Control (MBC)
Very Favorable for White Weenie (about 60-70%, depending on sideboard)
General overview of matchup.
Even before sideboard, WW has an advantage against MBC. The creatures in WW are generally better and cheaper, so even if the MBC creatures cause the WW player to discard a card, the card disadvantage for WW is made up in creature combat. WW also has a number of cards that MBC has a very hard time dealing with
Key Cards for White Weenie in this matchup
Squadron Hawk
Guardian of the Guildpact
Benevolent bodyguard
Prismatic Strands
Rune of Protection: Black
Order of Leitbur
Obsidian Acolyte
Key Cards for MBC in this matchup
Dross Golem
Crypt Rats
Chittering Rats
Duress
Distress
Echoing Decay
Strategies to follow for WW.
Follow the main strategy of the deck by filling the battlefield with efficient threats quickly enhanced with a bonesplitter. Having a squadron hawk early also nullifies a lot of the advantage brought in by the discard that MBC will have. Play around Echoing Decay by placing a variety of threats if possible.
The problem with MBC is that if you overcommit you can be slaughtered by a well played crypt rats, and if you don't you'll run out of steam due to the discard. Recently there was a trend for MBC to skip the crypt rats so I usually just play as much as I can as quickly as possible and hope to be able to protect against crypt rats with a benevolent ancestor or prismatic strands.
Its very important to remember that prismatic strands has flashback so it makes an excellent target to discard and its actually easier to play it from the graveyard. In general don't discard lands unless you have more than 4 or you may find yourself land screwed. Also, don't hold on to excess lands to bluff a trick in hand, while discarding an excess land is not an issue, the chittering rats makes you put it on top of your library, effectively losing you a draw. However, if you have a key card you can't play that turn and a land, it may be worth keeping it in case the play something to make you discard.
Once you can play your Guardian of the Guildpact you will have a huge advantage, but make sure you don't leave him out there on his own or it will be taken down by the many edict effects MBC has.
The best sideboard against MBC is the Rune of Protection: Black. Having 3 should be enough to get past the initial duress and distress attack and once you put it in play just make sure you always have at least one mana available for a corrupt to the face. Also, remember they can cycle so they are never a dead card even if you have already played one.
Strategies to follow for MBC.
Start playing your normal strategy of playing creatures and forcing them to discard. Your creatures all include card advantage so don't be afraid to trade in order to keep the board clean. If you get behind use the cryptic rats to recover. This is the general strategy against any agro deck.
Against WW, be sure to save up your edict effects for their Guardian of the Guildpact (and sometimes Order of Leitbur). Because these are the biggest threat to your strategy pre-sideboard, its important to keep the board clean.
Echoing decay can be very efficient against WW and its best use is against Squadron hawks. If you can wait, try to save it until they've played all their hawks or at least 3 of them. Dispose of Benevolent Bodyguards as soon as possible and try to leave your tendrils for the bigger threats like the razor golems or kor skyfishers. Don't worry about javelin throwers since they're usually not a big threat and you only need to get rid of them to make your edicts work properly.
Corrupt can be a game ender and can turn the race around but remember to play around prismatic strands, though once in top deck mode you just have to play right through whatever they have in their hand since they'll always have 3 mana open. The same goes for crypt rats, though fortunately, crypt rats can be used again if the prismatic strands goes off. Never lose sight of a prismatic strands in the graveyard.
After sideboarding, WW has a huge advantage against MBC with the Rune of Protection. Your best bet is to hope to be able to get rid of one with a first or second turn duress/distress and then play enough threats combined with removal to put more pressure than the rune can protect against. Use your corrupts against their creatures unless they foolishly tap out then throw everything at them.
Dross Golem is probably the best card against the Rune of Protection, Guardian of the Guildpact and the other protected sideboard cards. Its fear ability is useful enough to be a viable main deck option. Serrated Arrows is always good against WW and also gets past any protection that might exist.
White Weenie (WW) vs Mono Black Control (MBC)
Very Favorable for White Weenie (about 60-70%, depending on sideboard)
General overview of matchup.
Even before sideboard, WW has an advantage against MBC. The creatures in WW are generally better and cheaper, so even if the MBC creatures cause the WW player to discard a card, the card disadvantage for WW is made up in creature combat. WW also has a number of cards that MBC has a very hard time dealing with
Key Cards for White Weenie in this matchup
Squadron Hawk
Guardian of the Guildpact
Benevolent bodyguard
Prismatic Strands
Rune of Protection: Black
Order of Leitbur
Obsidian Acolyte
Key Cards for MBC in this matchup
Dross Golem
Crypt Rats
Chittering Rats
Duress
Distress
Echoing Decay
Strategies to follow for WW.
Follow the main strategy of the deck by filling the battlefield with efficient threats quickly enhanced with a bonesplitter. Having a squadron hawk early also nullifies a lot of the advantage brought in by the discard that MBC will have. Play around Echoing Decay by placing a variety of threats if possible.
The problem with MBC is that if you overcommit you can be slaughtered by a well played crypt rats, and if you don't you'll run out of steam due to the discard. Recently there was a trend for MBC to skip the crypt rats so I usually just play as much as I can as quickly as possible and hope to be able to protect against crypt rats with a benevolent ancestor or prismatic strands.
Its very important to remember that prismatic strands has flashback so it makes an excellent target to discard and its actually easier to play it from the graveyard. In general don't discard lands unless you have more than 4 or you may find yourself land screwed. Also, don't hold on to excess lands to bluff a trick in hand, while discarding an excess land is not an issue, the chittering rats makes you put it on top of your library, effectively losing you a draw. However, if you have a key card you can't play that turn and a land, it may be worth keeping it in case the play something to make you discard.
Once you can play your Guardian of the Guildpact you will have a huge advantage, but make sure you don't leave him out there on his own or it will be taken down by the many edict effects MBC has.
The best sideboard against MBC is the Rune of Protection: Black. Having 3 should be enough to get past the initial duress and distress attack and once you put it in play just make sure you always have at least one mana available for a corrupt to the face. Also, remember they can cycle so they are never a dead card even if you have already played one.
Strategies to follow for MBC.
Start playing your normal strategy of playing creatures and forcing them to discard. Your creatures all include card advantage so don't be afraid to trade in order to keep the board clean. If you get behind use the cryptic rats to recover. This is the general strategy against any agro deck.
Against WW, be sure to save up your edict effects for their Guardian of the Guildpact (and sometimes Order of Leitbur). Because these are the biggest threat to your strategy pre-sideboard, its important to keep the board clean.
Echoing decay can be very efficient against WW and its best use is against Squadron hawks. If you can wait, try to save it until they've played all their hawks or at least 3 of them. Dispose of Benevolent Bodyguards as soon as possible and try to leave your tendrils for the bigger threats like the razor golems or kor skyfishers. Don't worry about javelin throwers since they're usually not a big threat and you only need to get rid of them to make your edicts work properly.
Corrupt can be a game ender and can turn the race around but remember to play around prismatic strands, though once in top deck mode you just have to play right through whatever they have in their hand since they'll always have 3 mana open. The same goes for crypt rats, though fortunately, crypt rats can be used again if the prismatic strands goes off. Never lose sight of a prismatic strands in the graveyard.
After sideboarding, WW has a huge advantage against MBC with the Rune of Protection. Your best bet is to hope to be able to get rid of one with a first or second turn duress/distress and then play enough threats combined with removal to put more pressure than the rune can protect against. Use your corrupts against their creatures unless they foolishly tap out then throw everything at them.
Dross Golem is probably the best card against the Rune of Protection, Guardian of the Guildpact and the other protected sideboard cards. Its fear ability is useful enough to be a viable main deck option. Serrated Arrows is always good against WW and also gets past any protection that might exist.