Monday, May 23, 2011

Horizons, New and Otherwise

The Bazaar of Moxen results are up, and we have an old favorite in Canadian Threshold that made an appearance.

World: hear me on this one.  Stop playing Canadian Threshold.  I'm not going to make the argument that it isn't very good - there's power in surprise, and there's an inherent frustration with playing against the deck; and if people are moving away from things like Zoo, things like Canadian Threshold get better.

But Red isn't known to be a fantastic support color; why Nimble Mongoose, Tarmogoyf and Grim Lavamancer when there's Knight of the Reliquary and Terravore available?

Also, the enemy of the deck (Swords to Plowshares) can be contained with our friend Mental Misstep.


















Wait, why White instead of Black?

An uncontested Knight of the Reliquary is just as good as an uncontested Dark Confidant.

There.  I said it.

It's close though.  Knight will usually end the game in 2 hits, though, usually a couple turns after she comes down.  If you're feeding yourself additional cards with Horizon Canopy or adding to the Wasteland count, both of these push your advantage.

But I'm not here to sing the merits of Knight of the Reliquary.  I'm pretty sure people know that I like that one.

The disruption package is tailor made to handle the problems that this format has to offer:

Stifle is a hallmark of Tempo decks; knowing what and when to Stifle separates the good from the bad.  Spells that tend to cost 3 and 4 give Tempo decks fits generally, so it Stone Rains early, and it stops important triggers later.  It's fallen out of favor from more recent Team America decks - but they're playing Dark Confidant instead of Tombstalker; they don't end the game quickly.

Why Daze over Spell Pierce?  This is a deck that needs to tap out for a threat.  Costing 3 mana is generally a dangerous proposition when things like Swords to Plowshares exists in the format, but tapping out is safer than ever with Mental Misstep, Daze and Force of Will.

Which brings up Mental Misstep - New Horizons' weakness has been Swords to Plowshares and Path to Exile.  You can play around all the other common removal spells in the format, but tapping out for a Knight of the Reliquary and then getting it Plowed before it untaps is a very real concern.

Now, if people intend on playing Team America still, adaptation is important.  I'm opting for Divert over Misdirection on Hymn to Tourachs, but we'll see how long that lasts, in a world of Mental Misstep.

-G

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Still can't beat Fish...

Gandhi said...

Your face can't beat New Horizons.

That's really the best comeback I could muster.