Can't decide: Wild Pair or UBw Teachings?

Flamancipatr · Joined: 25 Oct 2006 Posts: 24

My PTQ is coming up this Saturday and I'm going nuts trying to decide which deck to play. I have a card pool sufficiently large enough to play any given deck, but I just can't decide which is best overall.

I've got the decklists right here and maybe you can help me make a decision.

Wild Pair

main deck

4 Dormant Sliver
3 Frenetic Sliver
3 Telekinetic Sliver
4 Gemhide Sliver
1 Darkheart Sliver
1 Reflex Sliver
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
1 Whitemane Lion
1 Mystic Snake
1 Might Sliver
4 Wall of Roots

4 Wild Pair
4 Coalition Relic
4 Foresee
2 Take Possession

1 Mountain
1 Plains
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
4 Forest
1 Pendelhaven
6 Island
1 Urza's Factory
4 Terramorphic Expanse

sideboard

2 Extirpate
1 Telekinetic Sliver
1 Frenetic Sliver
1 Whitemane Lion
1 Mystic Snake
2 Detritivore
4 Dodecapod
3 Riftsweeper

(As you can see the main deck is a carbon copy of Wafo-Tapa's list, I just altered the sideboard to suit my area's predilections)

UBw Teachings

main deck

1 Triskelavus
2 Aeon Chronicler
4 Korlash, Heir to Blackblade
3 Shadowmage Infiltrator
1 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir

3 Tendrils of Corruption
1 Pull from Eternity
1 Slaughter Pact
1 Haunting Hymn
4 Damnation
4 Coalition Relic
3 Mystical Teachings
3 Careful Consideration
3 Psychotic Episode

4 River of Tears
3 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Academy Ruins
1 Urza's Factory
4 Tolaria West
2 Island
1 Plains
6 Swamp
4 Terramorphic Expanse

sideboard

1 Venser, Shaper Savant
1 Extirpate
1 Disenchant
1 Pull from Eternity
1 Tendrils of Corruption
2 Take Possession
2 Draining Whelk
3 Aven Riftwatcher
3 Dodecapod

I prefer this build to those that employ Tombstalker and maindeck Venser. Maybe it's because of my love affair with a beefy aggro-worthy Korlash...

Of those I have talked to who are playing in the PTQ and based on the number of Tarmogoyfs sitting in my local shop's display case, I'm counting on lots of amateurs to bring in mono-red and white weenie decks, with the occasional strong player bringing in a teachings control deck. Based on that information, what would you recommend between the two? My only fear would be to play the Wild Pair deck and run up against a bunch of kids with 4 maindeck Molten Disaster Rolling Eyes

.

Thanks in advance!

HUNGTACTICS · Joined: 30 Mar 2007 Posts: 135

i would go with teachings just because its really consistent

kfcman · Joined: 16 Sep 2006 Posts: 583

i agree, the teachings deck "does its thing" on a more consistent basis and is considered by many (including Frank Karsten and Mike Flores) to be the most powerful deck in block.

CHRONICBL · Joined: 31 Aug 2004 Posts: 30

if you extremely comfortable with the UB deck its a great choice, but if you have any doubts in your play ability on that deck i would go with the slivers. teachings is great but only 1 play mistake can cost you the game.

HUNGTACTICS · Joined: 30 Mar 2007 Posts: 135

you can say the same for wild pair

Avata · Joined: 03 Dec 2006 Posts: 356

It's a tough call. My meta seems to be all u/b/x "big mana" control powered by coalitiion relic, or g/x goyf aggro.

I'm a bit perplexed by the format myself - I really like u/b/x as well, but I don't like playing mirrors all day, but on the other hand, wild pair slivers doesn't seem to have a good matchup vs. the control decks in the field.

KeySam · Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 481

I think its realy funny that everyone just copied the list and noone plays grinning ingus in their list, grinning just says if you play him, i get out every sliver i want for tapping another(whit gemhide) and you still can play with whiteman for the counters to be sure you win the turn after you flooded the board Wink

Rotstejn · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 156 Location: Belgium

KeySam we love you ...

KeySam · Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 481

I hope so Rojstein, and btw i would take teachings, forgot to say that i am not a fan of wildpair slivers.

aldaryn · Joined: 02 Sep 2004 Posts: 408

in a meta without much other aggro, mostly the big mana, teachings, or wild pair, then i would play the blue splash of goyf, with some combination delays and momentary blinks and psionic blasts.

Salsa_ · Joined: 03 May 2007 Posts: 15

Teachings.

_SeBaStIaN_ · Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 10

i say teachings

Flamancipatr · Joined: 25 Oct 2006 Posts: 24

In my UBw teachings I chose Coalition Relic over Prismatic Lens. I don't see much difference between turn 2 and turn 3 acceleration, as turn 3 Damnation really doesn't seem that imperative in the format and I'm not playing any counters that I rely on when turn 3 comes around. My main deck is constantly changing in my mind. On the blocks are 2 Aeon Chronicler, 1 land, and a Temporal Isolation, and I'm unsure which combination of 2 cards to play with. Maybe Isolation + Chronicler, or Land + Isolation, or Land + Chronicler? Paul Cheon played with Land + Isolation, but at the moment I'm leaning towards Isolation + Chronicler, as I expect there to be a plethora of people either too silly to run enough Riftsweepers, too few talented players smart enough to run Pull from Eternity, and plenty of "Rawr Hulk smash!" type decks.

Also, Paul Cheon ran Snapback and Momentary Blink in the sideboard. I couldn't find any information on his choice of Snapback, but apparently his choice of Momentary Blink was to help out Triskelavus...? Seemed kind of silly, so I made room for the Dodecapods. Any information you can give about those sideboard decisions would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT:

Here's the list I'm playing tomorrow:

main deck

4 River of Tears
3 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Terramorphic Expanse
4 Tolaria West
1 Urza's Factory
1 Academy Ruins
2 Island
1 Plains
6 Swamp

1 Triskelavus
1 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
4 Korlash, Heir to Blackblade
1 Draining Whelk
3 Shadowmage Infiltrator
3 Tendrils of Corruption
1 Pull from Eternity
1 Temporal Isolation
1 Slaughter Pact
1 Haunting Hymn
4 Damnation
4 Coalition Relic
3 Mystical Teachings
3 Careful Consideration
3 Psychotic Episode

[b]sideboard

3 Dodecapod
1 Aeon Chronicler
1 Pull from Eternity
4 Aven Riftwatcher
2 Take Possession
1 Extirpate
1 Tendrils of Corruption
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
1 Disenchant

I'll let you know how I do once I come back home! Thanks for your help ^_^

shadowknight · Joined: 02 Sep 2004 Posts: 20

let me see....
snapback just couse its good.... (call tokens, griffin creatures, or just tempo)...

Blink couse it owns... counter temporal isoation and activates korlash back, sinergy whit venser and triske, very good.....