B/G Mortivore

NOTE: TO SEE A PICTURE OF THE DECK CLICK THE RED-Xed SCREEN. IT LINKS TO THE PHOTO ON SCREENCAST

(I think this is a bit better than the last photo becuase at least you can see the deck it you deign to click, I'm still working on getting the large size display in the post itself)

2 Rampant Growth
1 Ravenous Rats
1 Ravenous Rats
1 Gravedigger
1 Tangle Spider
1 Mortivore
1 Aggressive Urge
1 Dusk Imp
1 Mind Rot
1 Cruel Edict
2 Commune with Nature
1 Kavu Climber
1 Chromatic Star
2 Severed Legion
1 Recover
1 Avatar of Might
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Whispersilk Cloak
8 Forest
1 Stampeding Wildebeests
7 Swamp
1 Craw Wurm
1 Terror
1 Giant Spider

This is a typical B/G deck with big creatures and recursion. The mortivore is really the star here. Hatter has posted about its virtues before but let me reiterate how amazing this card is. Frequently a 10/10 or bigger in the late game it is one of the largest creatures in tenth and has regeneration. Not the best card in the set but pretty darn close.

Match 1 ShoopDaWoop (1748): It's a virtual mirror match, B/G versus B/G both aggresive with a bunch of large creatures.

Game one is very close and with the ground locked up it comes down to a race between his knight of dusk and severed legion (he has no other black creatures out so fear is active). Chump blocking from ravenous rats plus a whispersilk cloak on tangle spider let me squeeze in the last few points of damage, I was lucky he never drew removal that game. Also I managed to get the stampeeding wildabeast+kavu climber combo out that game. Its slow but lets me draw twice per turn in the late game so it can be quite useful.

Game two is rather interesting. He gets mana screwed while I get mana flooded. I hit hard early but llanowar elves helps him produce mana for a couple of cheap blockers. When he's at 8 I run out of gas and he starts dropping lands soit looks like the game will be turned around. However, a top-decked mortivore on my part come unanswer and my 9/9 regenerator quickly bring the game to an end

Match 2 Sunfish (1614): He's sporting an aggresive U/R/g deck featuring hurricane. I fear that I will get swamped with card advantage in the late game so I try to play aggresively

Game one: I get off to a slow start with my first play being a giant spider on turn 4. The ground gets locked up and I start bringing out big beater while he drops flying and other evasion in the form of viashino runner. A surprise guerilla tactics off a ravenous rats hurts me but whispersilk cloak comes through for me. Don't underestimate the cloak, its much better than protective bubble (a virtually unplayable card in llorwyn limited) not only becuase equipment has doesn't open up the kind of 2-for-1 chance and aura does but also because of the slower speed of the format in which unblockability can be a game ender

Game two: I get land screwed but luckily his deck is slow and although I miss two turns of land drops I am able to get back in the game with ravenous rats stoppings his lightning elemental. The game lasts a while and I finally get wildabeast+climber going and then drop the cloak. Faced with 5 evasive damge a turn and a free howling mine it looks like sunfish is out of it. However, a guerilla tactics off my rats for the second game in a row puts me at 2 life, and against a red deck that is an exteremly dangerous place to be. The turn before I can swing for game he draws sift. I wait with baited breath as he draws his three cards. He passes the turn and I breathe a sigh of relief as my clocked wildabeasts end the game

Match 3 Galldrian (1811): Just the rating makes me shudder but I will play my hardest against this W/B deck

Game one: I get off to a slow start once again (that seems to be a recurring theme this draft). However, double rats and mind rot rips apart his hand. I am drop craw wurms and avatar and his loxodon hierarch can only stop the avatar. My fatties bring the game to a quick end

Game 2: He puts unholy strength on a wild griffin and I am reduced to chump blocking with a recurring dusk imp (recover+gravedigger). I hope to outrace him when I drop craw wurm but he responds with mobilization! His powerful flyer quickly ends the game

Game 3: I find out I have no enchantment removal sb so i'm reduced to hoping he doesn't draw mobilization. When he drops mobilizatio turn 3 those hopes are thrown out the window. To make things worse I am stuck at five lands single black with a craw wurm, mortivore and severed legion in hand. Then, to add insult to injury he play skyshround prowler with unholy strenght and follows it with youthful knight+serra's embrace. That ends the game, although I do get to drop avatar for double green the turn before I die, a rare feat, so i'm considering this game a victory for me :P.

In any case I am very happy with how the deck performed. It was solid but it didn't have the synergy or raw power of my last few decks so I was very happy to make it to finals.

As always, I will include a question for thought with my post (well I've only posted twice so you wouldn't know what I always do but I don't like just talking about how a deck did, I like to ask others to analyze what I could have done better).

What do you think of the wildabeast+climber combo? It ties up a lot of land but drawing two card a turn is nothing to sneeze at (obligatory terrible pun: unless you're allergic to card drawing). Was wildabeast worth it in a deck with only 1 green creature under 4cc (the elves)?

Always inquiring,

Squest