You Make the Play – Making Your Lands Fall

The first land drop was simple. The second one, less so.

Opening grip was nothing to write home about, but solid enough. I actually have this hand as better than 60% against the field:

Share photos on twitter with TwitpicBloodbraid Elf
Bloodbraid Elf
Enlisted Wurm
Mountain
Plains
Reflecting Pool
Vivid Creek

The first land drop is simple… Of course you run out the Vivid Creek.

The opponent makes life somewhat easy (that is, he doesn’t play some kind of Isamaru, Hound of Konda) by playing a Terramorphic Expanse into an Island.

So you haven’t drawn card number eight yet (that is part of the surprise).

The play should be simple… But it might not be as easy as it seems.

What land do you play next?

LOVE
MIKE

PS Obviously the deck in question is Black Baneslayer Cascade Control. Part of the reason I haven’t posted much recently is that I just play this deck over and over and I can’t stop. I really think it may be my favorite deck of all time (at least to play). If you need the deck list to make your decision, here is a re-paste from last post:

Black Baneslayer Cascade Control

4 Bituminous Blast
4 Blightning
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Captured Sunlight
4 Deny Reality
1 Enigma Sphinx
4 Enlisted Wurm
4 Esper Charm

4 Baneslayer Angel

4 Exotic Orchard
1 Forest
1 Island
1 Mountain
2 Plains
4 Reflecting Pool
1 Swamp
4 Vivid Crag
2 Vivid Creek
1 Vivid Grove
2 Vivid Marsh
4 Vivid Meadow

sb:
3 Ajani Vengeant
4 Hallowed Burial
4 Maelstrom Pulse
4 Primal Command

Currently Reading: Dune, 40th Anniversary Edition (Dune Chronicles, Book 1)

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9 comments ↓

#1 rockbard on 10.09.09 at 11:34 pm

I don’t think it matters that much, because your plays start at turn 3. If you drew another vivid land, you play it. If not, does not matter.

By the way, I also enjoy playing the deck too. It’s one of the most fun decks to play.

– Gabriel

#2 Jaelan on 10.09.09 at 11:40 pm

I think you drop the Pool (if you don’t draw another Vivid). That way, if you draw into Blightning, you drop the Mountain on turn 3 and you can play Blightning without removing counters from the Vivid. Or, if you draw into Esper Charm, you drop the Plains on turn 3 and have the mana for Esper Charm without removing Vivids.

#3 schwarzott on 10.10.09 at 12:47 am

I have no clue what this article is about. Is there some reason you wouldn’t want to play pool on turn 2?

#4 baldr7 on 10.10.09 at 6:20 am

i definitely would play the pool.
a) it sets up your mana better than any other land drop
b) you can bluff your opponent into thinking you are 5CC or some other pool based control deck

#5 nyahoi on 10.10.09 at 9:07 pm

Aside from trying to bluff being some other deck I cant see how else not playing the pool turn two would make a positive difference. Playing the pool lets us play both our 3 drops immediately (Esper charm or Blightning) and our future drops aren’t effected at all. If we play either mountain or plains though we obviously risk losing a vivid counter if we draw the wrong 3 drop.

losing a counter however dosn’t seem that much a loss though. We can still produce every color combo we need to without needing to remove another thanks to pool (b/r, b/u, b/u/w, g/w, g/r, w/w). Maybe it is right to bluff! I’f this was the plan i’d say plains. Gives you more of a chance to play your 3 drop if drawn. The mountain would signal the risk of immediate action, the plains might encourage them to play another ETBT land 🙂

#6 MTGBattlefield on 10.10.09 at 10:18 pm

You Make the Play – Making Your Lands Fall…

Your story has been summoned to the battlefield – Trackback from MTGBattlefield…

#7 Joe on 10.10.09 at 10:25 pm

Since you’re playing with cards that aren’t legal in Type II, you concede during your upkeep so you can go work on a Type II manabase 😛

#8 ProdigalT on 10.11.09 at 5:00 pm

Why are we discussing this deck? In what universe is Pool not the play? I don’t see a particular downside to playing the Pool, since it shows up in more decks (gives away less), and enables any 3 drop we draw. If you play a Mountain, it’s pretty obvious what you’re up to. A Plains is less obvious, but still pretty loose if you draw a Blightning. Either way, I’d rather see you try and update this deck to an actual legal format, though the mana gets pretty terrible. Back to Borderland Rangers?

#9 Five With Flores » You Make the Play: How Else Are You Going to Cast Your Esper Charm? on 10.16.09 at 8:57 pm

[…] When last we rocked and rolled I presented the following situation… [Y]ou run out the Vivid Creek. […]

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