Interesting tournament results

[Shabbaman]

I'm happy that it's finally extended season again, so people actually play with cards I know and like (go go go pernicious deed!). Now last week there was an extended PT and this weekend three (3!) extended GP's.

Now, who cares, you say. The nice thing about those important tournaments is that new decks arise, with a lot of new deck ideas. I don't give a shit about standard, but when new cards (newly made, not previously not used (I even play tombstone stairwell ;) ) come into "the format" it's good to open your eyes. In this particular case there's one mechanic I'd like to point out that's worth to incorporate in your/some decks: dredge.

Dredge let's you put the card with this mechanic in your hand instead of drawing a card (replacement effect). When you do this, you have to put cards from the top of your library into your graveyard. The good thing about this is that you can replay the card again and again (good against counter decks, for example) and let's you fill the graveyard in the mean while. There are two ways to exploit (note that exploit is a lot stronger than just "use") this: filling the 'yard with stuff you want there (reanimator, incarnations, squee ;) ) and psychatog (dubbed best creature ever printed). A Tog deck uses both strategies, so it gets even better. Read more about it here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/mf67).

The best dredge cards are life from the loam, darkblast and stinkweed imp, FYI. Just look them up.

This weekend is a Legacy GP, finally. I'm building a zombie infestation/reanimator deck that's nearly finished (only need 4 Akroma's, but they're pretty expensive) and I expect something like that in the top contenders. Perhaps a bit different with less of a reanimator approach and with more dredge cards. Dredge plus squee is a winner, obv.

[Energy]

What about the Grave-Shell Scarab: If you sacrifice it, would you be able to draw it then back out of your graveyard? I guess the order is the other way around: You first have to draw and then the Grave-Shell Scarab goes to the graveyard. The other way around it would be a very handy defensive card, although a bit costly.

[Shabbaman]

quote:1, Sacrifice Grave-Shell Scarab: Draw a card.
Dredge 1 (If you would draw a card, instead you may put exactly one card from the top of your library into your graveyard. If you do, return this card from your graveyard to your hand. Otherwise, draw a card.)

You have to pay all costs before the effect goes on the stack. So atm you draw a card, the scarab card is already in your graveyard. And thus you can dredge and put the scarab in your hand. So, never ending blocker :) But pretty slow.
In the preview (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/mf58) Flores compares it to good old Blinking spirit.

One thing I forgot to mention in my first post, dredge is absolutely perfect with cards that let you put cards from your deck into your graveyard, because you can then "draw" them. Really good with intuition and gifts ungiven!

[Energy]

So, how did the legacy tournament go?

[Shabbaman]

Unfortunately only the top 8 decklists are available thus far, but as expected a goblin deck won. It beat a suicide black deck in the finals that should've won if it weren't manascrewed. 4 engineered plagues and 4 darkblasts is apparently a good way to stop goblins.

What's nice about the top 8 is that only 2 of the decks are established archetypes, both goblin decks. So despite the (expected) hate goblins is still the top deck. The other decks are astral slide, a salvagers combo and three different threshold decks. I think that's weird, since with all those dredge cards (and the threat of reanimator) I'd expect a lot of graveyard hate (like tormod's crypt).

That the suicide black deck ended at second place is brilliant. Everybody and their mother is always claiming that it's an obsolete archetype. It was run by a pretty good player though. But that might say something about all those people claiming that the deck sucks ;)