Tag: thomas-graves

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Eric Jeffrey Seltzer - September 14, 2014

Rabble Red by Thomas Graves (1st at SCG St. Louis Standard Open on Sep...

Champion’s Deck

Goblin Rabblemaster - Rabble Red

Rabble Red by Thomas Graves

1st at SCG St. Louis Standard Open on Sep 6th 2014
Here we have the future of Standard Aggro as we prepare for the upcoming rotation. Now obviously there is going to be changes necessary as a huge portion of the deck will no longer be legal in a few weeks but Goblin Rabblemaster is likely where everything begins anew. It is just so aggressive and provides advantage to Red which has always craved cards like this to eke out small edges with which to hammer in the nails.
As with any Aggro deck we start with an tight and efficient curve. A quarter of the deck comes in one drop creatures boasting full sets of Legion Loyalist, Firedrinker Satyr and Rakdos Cackler, along with a trio of Foundry Street Denizen all capable of producing damage at a rate that exceeds their cost. Next at the two drop spot we find Burning-Tree Emissary which is capable of chaining out spells when he joins the fight with pairs of both Ash Zealot and Firefist Striker all of which are more beaters to help mash the opponent. Next we have newcomer and future superstar Goblin Rabblemaster who just continues to provide value to your board every turn, and this deck has incorporated some Convoke spells to thwart would be suicidal assaults. The final creature is Rubblebelt Maaka but it is most useful for its Bloodrush ability which turns it into a Giant Growth for your attackers. Speaking of Giant Growth there is a one of Titan’s Strength for pump and it has a useful Scry for added value since otherwise this deck is slave to the top of its library. For reach there are two burn spells with Lightning Strike to either clear blockers or finish him, and Stoke the Flames which is capable of tapping down your forced attackers once you get your Rabble token. Finally, we have a misers anthem with Hall of Triumph which is another Convoke if necessary but especially pumps the team to push the beats harder and faster.

 

While it is hard to say exactly how this deck will look in a few weeks it is a certainty that a Red Aggro deck is going to be around in the meta early. I would certainly be pulling together pieces getting ready if you like to beat face Aggro style. Especially important to note is with people going to brew hard with the wedge colors and mana going to slow down a lot of those decks we will undoubtedly be an overwhelming force while they work out the kinks. So definitely mise the meta early until you find that wedge you love.
Eric J Seltzer
@ejseltzer on Twitter
Email: ejseltzer@hotmail.com
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Eric Jeffrey Seltzer - January 29, 2014

Champion’s Deck – Reanimator by Thomas Graves (1st at SCG ...

Griselbrand
Reanimator
Thomas Graves
1st Place at StarCityGames Legacy Open on 1/19/2014
Lands (15)

Creatures (7)

Spells (38)

Sideboard

Since the dawn of magic a recurring theme in black decks is the necromantic flavor of reanimation. The ability to make creatures rise from the grave is a very powerful ability indeed. Over the years more and more cards have been printed on that same motif constantly improving in quality and scope. Coupled with ways to search particular creatures from your deck then either discard them to the grave or put them directly there and better more powerful creatures themselves we have an engine designed to crush opponents with relative ease.

The creature package is the most important aspect of the deck and rising to the top we have one of the best creatures ever printed Griselbrand the focus with a full set to ensure his timely arrival. The are also singleton targets with Iona, Shield of Emeria to lock down a particular color of the opponent, Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite to hamper any creature based strategies, and Tidespout Tyrant to wreck and permanent centric plans. To get your target into the graveyard there are two packages with either Careful Study to not only dig through your deck but also discard a creature to raise or Entomb which will seek a specific target directly to the graveyard depending on your need. Once you have your target ready you are able to either use Reanimate or Exhume to bring your creature back from the dead. There is also a pair of Show and Tell as a secondary way to get a creature into play, but be wary that your opponent won’t be able to trump with a card of his own. As the deck has blue there is the standard draw engine with full sets both of Brainstorm and Ponder to get the cards you need quickly to your hand as you want to ‘go off’ as quickly as possible. To protect yourself as much as possible you have Force of Will and Daze as counter backup with a pair of Thoughtseize as well that can either strip the opponent or serve as a discard outlet in a pinch. Your land count is low at 15 but you couple that with a set of Lotus Petal which allow for some explosive starts with a deck that is very very powerful.
This is a deck that will no doubt continue to be a force within Legacy as it is capable of doing some very broken things. The true power of this deck lies in the new creatures that are printed and as we saw with the printing of Griselbrand as the continue to push the envelope the power will just continue to grow. I for one am very excited to see how it will continue to grow going forward.
Eric J Seltzer
@ejseltzer on Twitter