Gruul Midrange - Comments

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Gruul Midrange

[M1lli2000]

7/15/2022

Went 3-0 at LGS Pioneer event.

Matchups:

Jeskai Control: Was not optimized. Used [[Ionize]] instead of [[Absorb]]. No [[Teferi, Hero of Dominaria]] played. Land count insufficient.

-Game 1: Had good start, got the control player down to 1 life. They stabilized and managed to win the game through Torrential Gearhulk.

-Game 2: Side in: 2 [[Mistcutter Hydra]], 2 [[Cindervines]], 2 [[Snakeskin Veil]], 2 [[Soulguide Lantern]]. Side out: 4 [[Lovestruck Beast]], 2 [[Werewolf Pack Leader]], 2 [[Shatterskull Smashing]]
---- Won the game in 3 turns. Opponent had no interaction
-Game 3: No changes to sideboard
---- Turn 2 [[Cindervines]] allowed me to have slightly more reach. [[Reckless Stormseeker]] worked very well as it was constantly Night. Was able to play around [[Settle the Wreckage]] by casting [[Llanowar Elves]] and boosting it with a flipped [[Stormseeker]]. [[Snakeskin Veil]] came clutch against their [[Cyclonic Rift]].

Simic Chaff: New player, was just excited to play the format. Not worth discussing

Simic Flash: Classic Simic Flash deck.
-Game 1: Steamrolled with [[Reckless Stormseeker]] flipping. It was constantly night as the opposing player never played a card on their turn. Allowed me to Riot in a [[Gruul Spellbreaker]] with a counter rather than haste.

-Game 2: Side in: 2 [[Mistcutter Hydra]], 2 [[Snakeskin Veils]], 2 [[Fry]]. Side out: 4 [[Lovestruck Beast]], 2 [[Werewolf Pack Leader]]
---- Opening hand had one land but two [[Mistcutter Hydra]] and a [[Llanowar Elves]]. Opponent could not interact with [[Mistcutter Hydra]] at all and lost quickly. Discussions with opponent agreed that [[Fry]] was a incorrect choice over [[Lava Coil]] because of [[Nightpack Ambusher]].

Summary:
Played against mostly reactionary decks. [[Reckless Stormseeker]] was 100% effective this event. It was able to give haste and keep the pressure consistently. Boarding out [[Werewolf Pack Leader]] and [[Lovestruck Beast]] is essential against slower decks. I generally want to have faster paced games that protect my creatures, punish them for playing noncreature spells, and have difficult to remove threats. There were Red Deck Wins during the event, in which case I believe I would want to have a "bigger creature" strategy." I would Keep both [[Werewolf Pack Leader]] and [[Lovestruck Beast]] but Remove [[Reckless Storm Seeker]] as it would be removed easier. I'd sideboard in [[Thrash//Threat]], [[Lava Coil]], and [[Snakeskin Veil]] to remove threats and protect mine. Overall, the deck ran very well vs slow decks but has yet to be tested against faster paced games. In theory, what I said above would be effective.

[M1lli2000]

7/23/2022

Went 1-2 at LGS Pioneer Event

Matchups:

Azorius Control: Full Azorius control deck. Went 2-0
-Game 1: Great start, deck worked perfectly. [[Reckless Stormseeker]] Worked House.
-Game 2: Boarded in [[Cindervines]], [[Mistcutter Hydra]], [[Snakeskin Veils]], and [[Fry]]. Boarded out [[Lovestruck Beast]], [[Shatterskull Smashing]], [[Werewolf Pack Leader]]
--- Opponent [[Portable Hole]]'d by [[Llanowar Elves]], but I still managed to take the game as they played behind. [[Questing Beast]] took out [[Teferi, Hero of Dominaria]] easily. Opponent recommended keeping [[Werewolf Pack Leader]]'s in.

Mono-Red Fires of Invention: No idea what to expect. Lost 1-2
-Game 1: Didn't know what to expect. Game ended up being lost due to opponent killing 1/1's that prevented [[Lovestruck Beast]] from being able to attack.
-Game 2: Boarded in [[Cindervines]], [[Snakeskin Veil]], [[Thrash // Threat]], and [[Lava Coil]] . Boarded out [[Lovestruck Beast]], [[Shatterskull Smashing]], 3 [[ Werewolf Pack Leaders]]
--- Won this game by out valuing with [[Llanowar Elves]] and [[Reckless Stormseeker]]
-Game 3: Boarded in 1[[Werewolf Pack Leader]], Boarded out 1 [[Elvish Mystic]]
---Lost the game by opponent getting out an early [[Fires of Invention]] with their ramp.

Dimir Midrange/Control: Went 0-2
-Game 1: Opponent played Aetherling. Game came to topdecking two [[Glorybringer]]. One was countered and lost the game.
-Game 2: Boarded in [[Snakeskin Veil]], [[Thrash // Threat]], [[Mistcutter Hydra]], Boarded Out [[Lovestruck Beast]], [[Shatterskull Smashing]], 2 [[Werewolf Pack Leader]]
---Opponent sideboarded into a full Dimir Control matchup full of removal. Thoughseize turn 2 reduced tempo. [[Lochmere Serpent]] is an excellent finisher as it was able to keep life up and have large unblockable damages.

Summary: Disappointing day. Much of the game losses were due to tempo, hand removal, and matchup knowledge. Kept a lot of hands without [[Llanowar Elves]] which really slows me down. I believe that keeping hands without 1 drop Elf in a control or midrange matchup is detrimental. If they remove the elf, it is still tempo in my advantage. Black removal spells is a heavy problem. May consider removing [[Shatterskull Smashing]] for mainboard [[Snakeskin Veil]].