Enzee
Trakanon Raider
- 2,197
- 715
Playing a slightly tweaked version of Tom Ross' U/W heroic at an elite IQ tomorrow:
Expecting something like
20% G/b devotion/constellation variants,
30% Mardu midrange
25% Abzan midrange
10% Jeskai Heroic combo
15% other
and honestly, I don't feel afraid of any of those matches. The worst matchup I've found so far has been U/R ensoul artifact, since they are just super fast and I barely interact with them, can't even chump block to try and race.
Against most everything else, you often play it in a counter punch style. Play a heroic guy on turn 1, then always keep enough mana left to hold up a protection to keep it alive through removal if you can, buffing it with any other spare mana. If they try to kill it, it just gets bigger instead. Sure, you don't always have a god's willing or something, but then again they don't always have removal. Plus, with the cantrips and ordeals of thassa, and especially after siding, you have it more often then not.
Also, most people's sideboard plan against 'aggro decks' is anger of the gods or drown in sorrow, which look quite silly when you have a 3/4, or bigger, Favored hoplite on turn 3.
It's only against decks that have little to no removal, like jeskai heroic, sligh and other heroic decks that you just go balls out, dumping your hand as quickly as possible.
4 Favored Hoplite
2 Lagonna-band Trailblazer
4 Hero of Iroas
1 Battlewise Hoplite
2 Seeker of the Way
3 Heliod's Pilgrim
2 Fabled Hero
4 Defiant Strike
4 God's Willing
2 Feat of Resistance
1 Ajani's Presence
4 Ordeal of Thassa
1 Ordeal of Heliod
1 Aqueous Form
2 Stratus Walk
1 Singing bell strike
9 Plains
2 Island
4 Temple of Enlightenment
4 Flooded Strand
2 Tranquil Cove
1 Mana Confluence
sideboard:
3 Stubborn Denial
2 Ajani's Presence
2 Seeker of the WAy
1 Lagonna-Band Trailblazer
1 Triton Tactics
1 Erase
1 Heliod's Pilgrim
1 Aqueous Form
1 Singing Bell strike
2 Treasure Cruise
2 Lagonna-band Trailblazer
4 Hero of Iroas
1 Battlewise Hoplite
2 Seeker of the Way
3 Heliod's Pilgrim
2 Fabled Hero
4 Defiant Strike
4 God's Willing
2 Feat of Resistance
1 Ajani's Presence
4 Ordeal of Thassa
1 Ordeal of Heliod
1 Aqueous Form
2 Stratus Walk
1 Singing bell strike
9 Plains
2 Island
4 Temple of Enlightenment
4 Flooded Strand
2 Tranquil Cove
1 Mana Confluence
sideboard:
3 Stubborn Denial
2 Ajani's Presence
2 Seeker of the WAy
1 Lagonna-Band Trailblazer
1 Triton Tactics
1 Erase
1 Heliod's Pilgrim
1 Aqueous Form
1 Singing Bell strike
2 Treasure Cruise
20% G/b devotion/constellation variants,
30% Mardu midrange
25% Abzan midrange
10% Jeskai Heroic combo
15% other
and honestly, I don't feel afraid of any of those matches. The worst matchup I've found so far has been U/R ensoul artifact, since they are just super fast and I barely interact with them, can't even chump block to try and race.
Against most everything else, you often play it in a counter punch style. Play a heroic guy on turn 1, then always keep enough mana left to hold up a protection to keep it alive through removal if you can, buffing it with any other spare mana. If they try to kill it, it just gets bigger instead. Sure, you don't always have a god's willing or something, but then again they don't always have removal. Plus, with the cantrips and ordeals of thassa, and especially after siding, you have it more often then not.
Also, most people's sideboard plan against 'aggro decks' is anger of the gods or drown in sorrow, which look quite silly when you have a 3/4, or bigger, Favored hoplite on turn 3.
It's only against decks that have little to no removal, like jeskai heroic, sligh and other heroic decks that you just go balls out, dumping your hand as quickly as possible.
