Five With Flores

Just in time for the State Championships! This is the first of three videos featuring the qualifying decks from the Pro Tour Berlin Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ). The winner was none other than Demigod Deck Wins, played by Guillaume Baudois.

This video was built, again, for this week’s Top Decks at magicthegathering.com. However I had to get it up on YouTube in order to, you know, link it into my article, so YouTube subscribers and FiveWithFlores blog afficionados get a preview.

Enjoy!

Oh, here’s some additional meat:

The PT Berlin LCQ was won by an update to Demigod Deck Wins, played by Guillaume Baudois. Here is Guillaume’s version:

4 Ashenmoor Gouger
4 Boggart Ram-Gang
4 Demigod of Revenge
4 Figure of Destiny

4 Incinerate
4 Flame Javelin
4 Mogg Fanatic
4 Puncture Blast
4 Stigma Lasher
1 Unwilling Recruit

4 Ghitu Encampment
19 Mountain

Sideboard
4 Guttural Response
1 Unwilling Recruit
3 Chaotic Backlash
1 Everlasting Torment
1 Vexing Shusher
4 Fulminator Mage
1 Murderous Redcap

Notable changes in Guillaume’s version:

1) Mogg Fanatic on one; as you know from previous blog posts, I have been running Tattermunge Maniac in this slot. Tattermunge has been pretty great but in testing Guillaume’s version, I can say that Mogg Fanatic was just fine.

2) Stigma Lasher on two; we’ve been running Vexing Shusher (which is obviously much better in a Blue format). However Stigma Lasher is a fine option, especially if you fear Kitchen Finks. As I’ve said repeatedly, this slot is up in the air and I think most of the choices are about as good as one another… As the great Tsuyoshi Fujita once told me, it depends on the metagame.

3) Land mix, being four Ghitu Encampments and one Unwilling Recruit (that is, not a land) over five Mountains. Ghitu Encampment was okay testing Guillaume’s version but I prefer Mountain personally.

4) Puncture Blast over Shock, Lash Out, &c. this is a big one… He really seems to respect a Kitchen Finks. This card is fine, but I think I prefer Lash Out to fix my draw, especially if I am down one land.

Not that the LCQ win was required by any means to validate the Demigod deck, but it certainly seems like a fine strategy for States. I will be making my recommendation here on FiveWithFlores later this week — not sure if I will have time to produce another video specifically about my deck choice before States — so definitely check back by Friday night / super early Saturday morning because you know I am apt to change my mind at the last minute (This Girl, The Legends of Team CMU, &c., &c.).

More videos up tonight.

LOVE
MIKE

So I had a really interesting roundabout way of getting to this video.

Originally BDM wanted me to do a “build” from the MTGO deck editor, which ended up being Building the Red Deck (probably not surprising)… But I have always thought it would be useful to actually show readers how decks work instead of just using written words.

That ended up being this one.

The thing was… I mean you can run into anything in the Tournament Practice room, but the first pairing out was almost comical: Mono-Blue deck exhaustion against Vexing Shusher and Demigod of Revenge. But you know what? A match against Kithkin wouldn’t have been a good illustration of how the Red Deck works. A really fortunate pairing actually allowed me to show the various capabilities of the Red Deck, even if it was not thanks to a Tier One opponent. 

I think this one turned out pretty well (although I hate dead air and there is a fair amount in this one).

I hope you enjoy it.

LOVE
MIKE

Thanks to everybody who has been following Five With Flores here and on YouTube so far.

One of your own had a question:

Hey Mike,

I am a little new to the game, so can you explain to me why someone would want to play the Red Deck that you showed in the first two videos? Isn’t a deck like that under-powered compared to a deck with Wrath of God, Empyrial Archangel, and those kinds of cards?

Joe

Well Joe, there is a long tradition of players underestimating the Red Deck dating all the way back to its first PTQ win in the hands of one Paul Sligh. I am going to try to show you the Red Deck built from the ground up (this format was suggested by my friend Brian David-Marshall of The Week That Was and the Magic Podcasts). I hope it is helpful to you.

LOVE
MIKE

PS Demigod Deck Wins

4 Ashenmoor Gouger
4 Boggart Ram-Gang
4 Demigod of Revenge
4 Figure of Destiny
4 Tattermunge Maniac
4 Vexing Shusher
4 Flame Javelin
4 Incinerate
4 Shock

24 Mountain