Games Haven Monthly $1K Series 2019
16th Nov 2019
Games Haven Paya Lebar
With a banlist update looming this very Monday night (local time), it would perhaps be self-defeating to talk about our localised metagame on Saturday too deeply. Suffice to say that the proportion of Food decks decreased slightly, and there was a distinct mood of doom (Foretold) and gloom as a few players resigned themselves to the fact that they might have to deal with another huge metagame shift once more. Other players had clearly shifted immediately to the stage of trying out a new deck that they could be confident wouldn't get nerfed to the ground. All fingers are crossed and we look to Monday for our revelation from the WOTC sphinxes to receive our supreme verdict.
Fun facts about the day
Number of brave souls in a Food-dominated metagame: 25
Highest performing Oko-but-not-Oko deck: Sultai Cat Food
The most popular first choices after a hypothetical Food nerf: Jeskai Fires and Selesnya Adventures
The archetype no one expected to rival Food in numbers: Adventures (Seriously, name any colour combination with green and chances are we had it)
Number of free Once Upon a Time cast: 18
Be careful who you call bulk rare in high school: Massacre Girl
Most unfortunate mulligan: 3 cards
Most number of cards drawn from a single Edgewall Inkeeper in a single turn: 5
3/3 Elk count: I gave up after 27 (in Round 3)
Proud winner: Teo Chee Kiat
Top 8 Decklists
1st Place - Teo Chee Kiat
Top 8 Profile
What deck did you play today?
Sultai Cats and Ovens
What would you say was the best card in your deck, and why?
Trail of Crumbs, too free too good
What card in your deck would you say performed unexpectedly well today, and why?
Oko, last performance before ban
What were some of the challenges you faced while piloting this deck?
1 cat + 0 oven = X
0 cat + 1 oven = X
1 cat + 1 oven = ✓
1 cat + 4 ovens = ✓✓✓
Any interesting plays you made or witnessed today at the $1K Series?
My friend ID'd 3 times [in a 5 round tournament]
What would your response be if Oko really gets banned on Monday?
Finally some new decks to play
Elspeth or Oko, and why?
Elspeth because chio
Sultai Cat Food - Main Deck
4x Breeding Pool
4x Overgrown Tomb
4x Watery Grave
2x Castle Locthwain
2x Fabled Passage
5x Forest
2x Swamp
1x Island
4x Cauldron Familiar
4x Gilded Goose
3x Massacre Girl
1x Wicked Wolf
1x Fae of Wishes // Granted
3x Murderous Rider // Swift End
2x Noxious Grasp
2x Once Upon a Time
4x Oko, Thief of Crowns
3x Vraska, Golgari Queen
1x Liliana, Dreadhorde General
4x Trail of Crumbs
4x Witch's Oven
Sideboard
2x Leyline of the Void
1x Thrashing Brontodon
1x The Elderspell
1x Tamiyo, Collector of Tales
1x Steelbane Hydra
2x Veil of Summer
1x Planewide Celebration
2x Duress
1x Negate
1x Sorcerous Spyglass
1x Return to Nature
1x Casualties of War
2nd Place - Tee Han Yong
Top 8 Profile
What deck did you play today?
Golgari Adventure (Zexuan's list)
What would you say was the best card in your deck, and why?
Return to Nature. Helped me win 3 of my Oven matchups.
What card in your deck would you say performed unexpectedly well today, and why?
Return to Nature
What were some of the challenges you faced while piloting this deck?
Land stuck. Classic Magic.
Any interesting plays you made or witnessed today at the $1K Series?
T2 Return to Nature [my opponent's Oven], T3 Murderous Rider, T4 Questing Beast.
What would your response be if Oko really gets banned on Monday?
Good, I can save money and not make the deck. Otherwise I'd have to follow what they say, if you can't win them join them.
Elspeth or Oko, and why?
What is Elspeth?? I don't know what's going on [Editor's Note: post-Theros player]
Golgari Adventures - Main Deck
4x Overgrown Tomb
7x Forest
2x Fabled Passage
4x Temple of Malady
5x Swamp
1x Castle Locthwain
4x Lovestruck Beast // Heart's Desire
2x Rankle, Master of Pranks
3x Order of Midnight // Alter Fate
4x Edgewall Inkeeper
4x Murderous Rider // Swift End
3x Foulmire Knight // Profane Insight
3x Paradise Druid
3x Questing Beast
4x Once Upon a Time
2x Find // Finality
2x Nissa, Who Shakes the World
2x Vivien, Arkbow Ranger
1x Liliana, Dreadhorde General
Sideboard
2x Kraul Harpooner
1x Massacre Girl
1x Cavalier of Night
3x Duress
2x Noxious Grasp
3x Veil of Summer
3x Return to Nature
Top 4 - Maxwell Li
Top 8 Profile
What deck did you play today?
Jund Food-venture
What would you say was the best card in your deck, and why?
Witch's Oven
What card in your deck would you say performed unexpectedly well today, and why?
Witch's Oven, the sacrifice outlet is very crucial against opponents' Murderous Riders.
The Food production is also very crucial.
What were some of the challenges you faced while piloting this deck?
Some mana issues here and there. Also weak against flyers.
Any interesting plays you made or witnessed today at the $1K Series?
Opponent had Embercleave on a big creature, and the double strike + trample would have killed me. I had 2 Ovens and a Cauldron's Familiar, so I could drain 2 but my opponent was on 3. I happened to have a spare Food token from earlier in the game, with which I drained the last life point before he could get his second strike from Embercleave.
What would your response be if Oko really gets banned on Monday?
Well-deserved.
Elspeth or Oko, and why?
Oko.
Jund Food Adventures – Main Deck
4x Overgrown Tomb
4x Temple of Malady
2x Jungle Hollow
1x Rugged Highlands
1x Bloodfell Caves
3x Stomping Ground
3x Blood Crypt
1x Forest
1x Swamp
1x Mountain
2x Fabled Passage
4x Edgewall Inkeeper
3x Foulmire Knight // Profane Insight
4x Cauldron Familiar
4x Lovestruck Beast // Heart's Desire
2x Order of Midnight // Alter Fate
2x Mayhem Devil
4x Murderous Rider // Swift End
4x Bonecrusher Giant // Stomp
3x Vraska, Golgari Queen
3x Trail of Crumbs
4x Witch's Oven
Sideboard
3x Sorcerous Spyglass
2x Shifting Ceratops
3x Noxious Grasp
2x Blightbeetle
2x Cindervines
1x Thrashing Brontodon
2x Mayhem Devil
Top 4 - John Paul Po
Top 8 Profile
What deck did you play today?
RB Aristocrats
What would you say was the best card in your deck, and why?
Mayhem Devil, because it makes the cat + oven combo better.
What card in your deck would you say performed unexpectedly well today, and why?
Rankle, Master of Pranks. It helped me draw extra cards and at the same time
threatened my opponent's life total.
What were some of the challenges you faced while piloting this deck?
The mulligans, the deck mulligans are not good.
Any interesting plays you made or witnessed today at the $1K Series?
Not really.
What would your response be if Oko really gets banned on Monday?
Don't really care. HAHAHA!!
Elspeth or Oko, and why?
Elspeth, she's sexier and she's a badass.
Rakdos Sacrifice - Main Deck
9x Swamp
5x Mountain
4x Blood Crypt
4x Fabled Passage
2x Castle Locthwain
4x Cauldron Familiar
3x Gutterbones
4x Priest of Forgotten Gods
4x Mayhem Devil
4x Midnight Reaper
2x Cavalier of Night
3x Rankle, Master of Pranks
4x Claim the Firstborn
4x Angrath's Rampage
4x Witch's Oven
Sideboard
4x Duress
4x Dreadhorde Butcher
3x Noxious Grasp
2x Embereth Shieldbreaker // Battle Display
2x Scorching Dragonfire
Top 8 - Tay Wenkai
Top 8 Profile
What deck did you play today?
Jeskai Superfriends
What would you say was the best card in your deck, and why?
Fires of Invention. Free spells always good!
What card in your deck would you say performed unexpectedly well today, and why?
Narset, Parter of Veils. Actually stopped people from drawing too much.
What were some of the challenges you faced while piloting this deck?
No Fires.
Any interesting plays you made or witnessed today at the $1K Series?
Cats being cooked for days.
What would your response be if Oko really gets banned on Monday?
-.-
Elspeth or Oko, and why?
Dunno.
Jeskai Walker Fires - Main Deck
4x Steam Vents
4x Hallowed Fountain
3x Sacred Foundry
4x Interplanar Beacon
2x Temple of Epiphany
1x Temple of Triumph
3x Island
2x Fabled Passage
1x Plains
2x Mountain
1x Castle Vantress
4x Fae of Wishes // Granted
1x Kenrith, the Returned King
1x Realm-Cloaked Giant // Cast Off
4x Deafening Clarion
2x Drawn from Dreams
1x Time Wipe
1x Shimmer of Possibility
4x Narset, Parter of Veils
4x Teferi, Time Raveler
3x Sarkhan the Masterless
1x Ugin, the Ineffable
3x Prison Realm
4x Fires of Invention
Sideboard
1x Ashiok, Dream Render
1x Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God
1x Command the Dreadhorde
1x Time Wipe
1x Unmoored Ego
1x Casualties of War
1x Liliana, Dreadhorde General
1x The Elderspell
1x Disenchant
1x Planar Cleansing
1x Sarkhan the Masterless
1x Mass Manipulation
1x Chandra, Awakened Inferno
2x Mystical Dispute
Top 8 - Mark Dave Ingalla
Top 8 Profile
What deck did you play today?
Golgari Adventure
What would you say was the best card in your deck, and why?
Edgewall [Inkeeper] got the edge.
What card in your deck would you say performed unexpectedly well today, and why?
Vivien, Arkbow Ranger. Allows me to swing and kill.
What were some of the challenges you faced while piloting this deck?
Mulliganning because it's hard to play 2 colours.
Any interesting plays you made or witnessed today at the $1K Series?
Sacrifice decks making tons of damage.
What would your response be if Oko really gets banned on Monday?
No reaction, but I do think he won't get banned.
Elspeth or Oko, and why?
Don't know Elspeth, so none.
Golgari Adventure - Main Deck
8x Forest
6x Swamp
1x Castle Locthwain
1x Fabled Passage
4x Overgrown Tomb
4x Temple of Malady
4x Lovestruck Beast // Heart's Desire
4x Murderous Rider // Swift End
4x Edgewall Inkeeper
4x Foulmire Knight // Profane Insight
3x Paradise Druis
3x Rankle, Master of Pranks
2x Massacre Girl
2x Order of Midnight // Alter Fate
2x Assassin's Trophy
2x Legion's End
1x Find // Finality
1x Liliana, Dreadhorde General
2x Vraska, Golgari Queen
2x Vivien, Arkbow Ranger
Sideboard
3x Thrashing Brontodon
3x Veil of Summer
4x Duress
3x Noxious Grasp
1x Ashiok, Dream Render
1x Sorcerous Spyglass
Top 8 - Alex Keng
Top 8 Profile
What deck did you play today?
Esper Doom.
What would you say was the best card in your deck, and why?
Doom Foretold. Because it's foretold to be doomed.
What card in your deck would you say performed unexpectedly well today, and why?
Oath of Kaya. All matchups are favourable for it.
What were some of the challenges you faced while piloting this deck?
Sorcerous Spyglass on unknown decks (I don't play enough).
Any interesting plays you made or witnessed today at the $1K Series?
None.
What would your response be if Oko really gets banned on Monday?
Oko-oko loh...
Elspeth or Oko, and why?
Elspeth, because I'm not an elk lover.
Esper Stax - Main Deck
4x Watery Grave
3x Godless Shrine
3x Hallowed Fountain
4x Temple of Silence
3x Fabled Passage
1x Island
2x Plains
2x Swamp
1x Castle Vantress
1x Castle Ardenvale
1x Murderous Rider // Swift End
3x Thought Erasure
1x Legion's End
1x Planar Cleansing
1x Mortify
3x Dance of the Manse
3x Kaya's Wrath
4x Teferi, Time Raveler
4x Golden Egg
4x Guild Globe
1x Wishclaw Talisman
2x Sorcerous Spyglass
4x Doom Foretold
4x Oath of Kaya
Sideboard
2x Narset, Parter of Veils
2x Duress
2x Noxious Grasp
2x Mystical Dispute
1x Kaya, Orzhov Usurper
1x Ashiok, Dream Render
1x Devout Decree
1x The Elderspell
1x Unmoored Ego
1x Dovin's Veto
1x Drown in the Loch
Top 8 - Daniel Zhang
Top 8 Profile
What deck did you play today?
Simic Food
What would you say was the best card in your deck, and why?
Vivien, Arkbow Ranger. Giving trample to creatures to swing in is good.
What card in your deck would you say performed unexpectedly well today, and why?
Gadwick, the Wizened. Provided card replenishment.
What were some of the challenges you faced while piloting this deck?
Opening a hand without creature ramp - Goose or Paradise Druid.
Any interesting plays you made or witnessed today at the $1K Series?
N/A
What would your response be if Oko really gets banned on Monday?
Change and play the deck in Pioneer.
Elspeth or Oko, and why?
Oko, unbeatable T2 drop.
Simic Food - Main Deck
4x Temple of Mystery
4x Breeding Pool
1x Castle Garenbrig
5x Island
11x Forest
4x Gilded Goose
4x Paradise Druid
4x Wicked Wolf
3x Brazen Borrower // Petty Theft
3x Questing Beast
3x Hydroid Krasis
2x Gadwick, the Wizened
1x Voracious Hydra
1x Once Upon a Time
4x Nissa, Who Shakes the World
4x Oko, Thief of Crowns
2x Vivien, Arkbow Ranger
Sideboard
3x Veil of Summer
3x Aether Gust
3x Mystical Dispute
2x Voracious Hydra
2x Shifting Ceratops
2x Return to Nature
