So I turned to the cleaner Rith build (green-white with a splash of red). I don’t recall if from actual testing or just watching others play, but Nimble Mongoose seemed underwhelming to me, until you hit threshold that is, but that usually takes longer time than you’d think, and optimizing for threshold also makes your deck and tactics slightly worse than otherwise, e.g. by playing more cycle lands. So I decided to try out Wild Mongrel, as a more consistent on-curve threat that’s also great on the defense. I respect aggro decks a lot and wanted to increase the number of sweepers compared to the standard lists, and I figured that Wild Mongrel has a better chance to survive a Pyroclasm or Earthquake than Nimble Mongoose in the early to mid-game.

Which one is better?

In late October, or local game store Dragon’s Lair organized the Stockholm Premodern Championship, and expecting a lot of Goblins in the local meta, I went with one Pyroclasm and one Earthquake main, and three more Pyroclasm in the board, ending up with this list:

Rith Terrageddon

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MAIN DECK | 60 cards

Others: 8

4 Mox Diamond

3 Sylvan Library

1 Seal of Cleansing

Creatures: 12

4 Weathered Wayfarer

4 Terravore

3 Wild Mongrel

1 Anurid Brushhopper

Instants and Sorceries: 14

4 Swords to Plowshares

2 Naturalize

2 Armageddon

3 Call of the Herd

1 Earthquake

1 Pyroclasm

1 Cataclysm

Lands: 26

3 Forest

1 Secluded Steppe

3 Treetop Village

4 Wasteland

4 Gemstone Mine

4 Windswept Heath

2 Plains

1 Rith's Grove

1 Karplusan Forest

2 Rishadan Port

1 Tranquil Thicket

SIDEBOARD | 15 cards

1 Tormod's Crypt

1 Zuran Orb

1 Enlightened Tutor

2 Pyroblast

1 Red Elemental Blast

1 Phyrexian Furnace

1 Circle of Protection: Red

1 Ray of Revelation

3 Pyroclasm

1 Cursed Totem

1 Aura of Silence

1 Cataclysm

Deck downloaded from - http://premodernmagic.com ------------------------------------------------ Rith Terrageddon ------------------------------------------------ MAIN DECK (60) Others: 8 4 Mox Diamond 3 Sylvan Library 1 Seal of Cleansing Creatures: 12 4 Weathered Wayfarer 4 Terravore 3 Wild Mongrel 1 Anurid Brushhopper Instants and Sorceries: 14 4 Swords to Plowshares 2 Naturalize 2 Armageddon 3 Call of the Herd 1 Earthquake 1 Pyroclasm 1 Cataclysm Lands: 26 3 Forest 1 Secluded Steppe 3 Treetop Village 4 Wasteland 4 Gemstone Mine 4 Windswept Heath 2 Plains 1 Rith's Grove 1 Karplusan Forest 2 Rishadan Port 1 Tranquil Thicket SIDEBOARD (15) 1 Tormod's Crypt 1 Zuran Orb 1 Enlightened Tutor 2 Pyroblast 1 Red Elemental Blast 1 Phyrexian Furnace 1 Circle of Protection: Red 1 Ray of Revelation 3 Pyroclasm 1 Cursed Totem 1 Aura of Silence 1 Cataclysm ------------------------------------------------ Deck downloaded from - http://premodernmagic.com

SIDEBOARD

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The tournament

Round 1: Kieran on Balancing Tings

Balancing Tings is a rogue deck trying to make Balancing Act assymetrical e.g. by using sacrifice lands like Ancient Spring. Kieran’s version included Quiet Speculation and Roar of the Wurm as a wincon. All that mattered in the first game, however, was that I had Weathered Wayfarer versus a deck with only non-basics, so I got to use all of my Wastelands, followed up by Armageddon if I remember correctly, and I don’t think my opponent cast a single spell. In the second game, I got stuck on two mana for several turns, after using a Wasteland. My opponent was also tight on mana, so we mostly passed turns. When I got to to three mana I started playing Terravores. He had two or three Swords to Plowshares but eventually I stuck a threat and closed the game.
2-0

Round 2: Piotr on Goblins

I won the die roll and got a fantastic start, curving out with Mox Diamond and Wild Mongrel on the first turn, followed up by a Call of the Herd on turn two, with flashback on the following turn. Piotr had a turn one Goblin Lackey, but it was not to any use as I could start beating down while still keeping at least one creature on defense. He deployed a Goblin Piledriver and I had to be careful about haste shenanigans, but I had a Swords up for the Lackey to prevent any profitable attack. A Treetop Village joined my board, and I did some combat math before a big attack for 8 damage, ensuring that my attack on the following turn would be lethal. In game two, he started with a Mogg Fanatic. He used a Wasteland on my Karplusan Forest, perhaps fearing a sweeper, but it backfired as after that he was stuck on two mana for several turns. I believe I found a blocker to stabilize, and then landed a Cursed Totem which shut off Mogg Fanatic, a Goblin Tinkerer and a Skirk Prospector. The game dragged on for a bit and I also found my Circle of Protection: Red, swept the board twice with Pyroclasm, and eventually finished the job with Armageddon and a big Terravore.
2-0

Round 3: Steve on Moneyball Black

This matchup is a bit back and forth. The black player is trying to shape the game with discard, but both players have access to creature removal so both players usually end up in top-deck mode. I got lucky taking out two Knight of Stromgald with a Pyroclasm, and I could eventually take the beatdown role with a Wild Mongrel, I believe, and more Treetop Villages than he had Wastelands. I boarded in more Pyroclasm and Ray of Revelation, expecting Dystopia, but he didn’t draw any of his two copies. I don’t remember the details from the second game, but I believe he couldn’t put on any pressure, so I could draw a bunch of extra cards with my Sylvan Library to turn the game in my favour.
2-0

Round 4: Michał on Devourer Combo

I closed out the first game quickly, and since I saw a Goblin Welder and no combo pieces I assumed he was on the Welder-Tinker toolbox deck, rather than all-in Devourer combo, which was the case. Hence, I didn’t sideboard in all of my hate pieces, like Circle of Protection: Red (versus Fling). In game two I bullied his mana base and was one turn from closing the game with a Terravore, but he topdecked a City of Traitors so that he could Tinker for a combo piece and win. The third game was quite one-sided,  as I had Weathered Wayfarer threatening to chain Wastelands, while at the same time drawing aggressively with Sylvan Library.
2-1

Round 5: Bellazio on UW Stifle-Nought

My opponent did not have a quick Dreadnought in game one, and I could get ahead by drawing extra cards off Sylvan Library and eventually close with a big Terravore. He played Meddling Mage main, but they didn’t do much if I remember correctly. The second game was more interesting. I used Wasteland on his Adarkar Wastes on turn two, which he Stifle’d. I could Pyroblast it, but bet on the game going long so that I could use it in a fight over Phyrexian Dreadnought instead. In hindsight, he wouldn’t be in the game if he lost his land there, but I’m still not sure what was the best play ex ante. Some turns later he indeed deployed a Dreadnought and hit me with it once, even. But I had two or three answers across two turns, so I got rid of the shrimp, leaving him with no resources left. He plowed a Terravore of mine, and played two Meddling Mage, getting in for a couple of attacks, but eventually looking quite stupid versus a Wild Mongrel, and I believe Call of the Herd helped me closed the game.
2-0

Round 6 and 7: ID

Quarterfinals: Stuart on Enchantress

This match is a bit of blur but from my life notes it seems like game one involved him plowing an early Terravore, followed by beats from a couple of Wild Mongrels. There was probably an Armageddon involved because I can’t remember that he ever got his engine going. In the second game he had a strong start with lots of mana and double Enchantress’s Presence. I destroyed both with Ray of Revelation but it was too late since he had already drawn a bunch of cards and could reload easily. In the last game I drew aggressively with Sylvan Library and if I remember correctly I disrupted his mana and he never got anything going.
2-1

Semifinals: Paul on Goblins

Paul mulliganed into a hand with Goblin Lackey in game one, but I had the Swords to Plowshares ready. The rest of the game was a bit of a creature standoff I think, with Mongrel and something else on my side and a pair of Goblin Piledrivers on his, probably ending in my favour due to a Terravore. The second game was caught on camera, and was kind of interesting. Again, he started on Lackey, and again I had the Swords. He followed with Mogg Fanatic, and I with Mox Diamond and Wild Mongrel, whereafter he played Goblin Matron, taking Goblin Warchief, followed by Call of the Herd on my side. After that, I had the choice to either flashback Call of the Herd or Armageddon away his four lands (and three of mine). I went for Armageddon, to avoid a potential Siege-Gang Commander or Goblin Ringleader, and I also had another land a Sylvan Library hand, figuring I’d recover more quickly than him. He offered to trade his Warchief for my Mongrel, which I was happy to accept, whereafter he burned my elephant token with Pyrokinesis, but I had a second dog to hold the fort. He hit his land drops each turn, and after him playing a Matron for a Gempalm Incinerator. I could afford to draw some extra cards with library, finding Zuran Orb and a second Armageddon, leaving him with only three 1/1’s vs my dog. Shortly thereafter I played an enormous Terravore to wrap it up.
2-0

Finals: Sam on Enchantress

Another Enchantress deck, and interestingly, Sam gave me the play. My starting hand was very strong, with Mox Diamond, Weathered Wayfarer and Sylvan Library, but it wasn’t obvious which line to go for and I thought hard about it. I chose to lead with Sylvan, since that would give me a head start even if he had a Swords for Wayfarer, and I also wanted to see as many cards as possible, as soon as possible, so that I could find Armageddon and other cards for disruption. He led with Mirri’s Guile, and after playing a second Mox Diamond I had the choice of immediately going aggressive with Terravore or deploying a Wayfarer. Again, not obvious, but I choose Wayfarer following the previous logic, since the shuffle effect together with Sylvan would let me see a lot of cards, and if he has a Swords perhaps the Terravore can come through after. I also opted to Naturalize his Mirri’s Guile, again not an obvious choice, as you often want to save it for an Enchantress Presence, but I wanted to press my advantage as hard as I could, and there’s always the chance that a play like this makes Enchantress stumble on mana, as it’s pretty light on land. He didn’t stumble, but proceeded to play Argothian Enchantress, for which I had no answer, but I got to search for a Rishadan Port with my Wayfarer in the upkeep, giving me a look at three fresh cards. After tapping his land, he played another land, Wild Growth and Sterling Grove, drawing two cards in the process. I followed up with and Armageddon and a Windswept Heath, hoping he would run out of lands, but he reloaded with Forest, Exploration, Serra’s Sanctum and a Swords for my Wayfarer, and now the board position was clearly in his favour. I cracked my fetch to shuffle for Sylvan, and now I found a Pyroclasm for his Enchantress, and I also had a Wasteland for his Sanctum, leaving him with a single Forest for mana. Sam has no plays on the following turns (from the stream we see that he sandbags a Brushland since he has nothing to play for two mana anyway, and he has Exploration), and I finally summon my Terravore to wrap up the game.

MVP’s in the finals games

In the second game, I got to play first again, and I kept a hand with lots of hate pieces, including Aura of Silence, but with no threats, which made for a somewhat weird game. Again, I killed his Mirri’s Guile on sight, this time with a Ray of Revelation. He had a Tsabo’s Web, but there was no need for me to remove it, since I had no affected lands. I played my Aura of Silence and a Sylvan Library, that I’d use quite aggressively in this game to dig for any action. My Aura forced him to play out a lot of lands, and I flashbacked my Ray on a Wild Growth hoping that this would slow him down and make him commit as many lands as possible, to maximize the impact of an Armageddon that I’d hope to draw. He played an Aura of Silence of his own which he used to get rid of mine (letting me kill Tsabo’s Web in the process), but I had answers for both his subsequent Enchantress’s Presence and Opalescence, leaving him with only a Parallax Wave that he needed to deploy to halt a Weathered Wayfarer I’d found. Luckily for me, he didn’t draw a Replenish or his second copy of Opalescence, so I got another couple of turns to find Armageddon, which sealed the game for me, together with a pair of Wayfarers.
2-0

Celebrations

What a run! After a long day I took the UK national champ title and got my hands on the altered Show and Tell prize card and the unique clay mug trophy with a goblin motive, that Jonas Hornung made for the occasion. It will fit well on the shelf next to the Copper Tablet from Euro Champs in 93/94 in Darmstadt last year. 😉

After the prize ceremony, we headed down to the pub for a few drinks before they closed. It was great fun hanging out with the group of Irish players pictured below. 🙂

Sunday