[Archive] Challenge Set 1

[Gocho]

I finally made it to round 10 with some small changes to the above deck and ran into 180 card goblins

Time to squeeze regrowth/twister in somewhere.

[Nyktorion]

I just beat this using a dredge deck. It did take some tries, though. I often failed in the Spawnwrithe and Rats rounds, which usually kill in round 3, so you need a fast start (i.e. access to a Bazaar of Baghdad in round 1).

For the "fast" rounds (Spawnwrithe, Relentless Rats, Coat of Arms and Time Walk), it seems that I was just lucky to be fast enough this time - these four rounds were deinitely the hardest for this deck. The Meddling Mage round was not too bad, since Dread Return was not named by the three mages which got into play (I assume that the mages also inhibit the flashback variant of a card but I haven't tested that). The Lightning Blast round seemed easier than the rest, since It allows to take 4-5 turns to pull off the combo instead of the usual 3-4. I only played against Underworld Dreams once (and I obviously won), but I can imagine that it could turn very ugly if you don't have a start that allows you to do all your drawing/dredging during the first two rounds. Finally, the Obliterate round was trivial for dredge: just wait until you have a land in your hand, and everything else you need in the graveyard (3-4x Bridge from Below, 3-4x Bloodghast, Flame-Kin Zealot, Dread Return), and pull off the combo.

;Dredge
;
;
;

.17 1 Black Lotus
.169 1 Mox Sapphire
.1531 1 Angel of Despair
.1088 4 Bloodghast
.675 1 Flame-Kin Zealot
.684 4 Golgari Grave-Troll
.678 4 Golgari Thug
.681 4 Narcomoeba
.680 4 Stinkweed Imp
.705 4 Bridge From Below
.120 1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
.666 4 Cabal Therapy
.1440 4 Careful Study
.700 4 Dread Return*
.1967 1 Life from the Loam
.398 4 Bazaar of Baghdad
.258 4 Underground Sea
.1487 3 Polluted Delta
.1 1 Ancestral Recall
.252 3 Tropical Island
.499 1 Brainstorm
.312 1 Ponder
.1970 1 Mental Note

[Nyktorion]

Note on the last duel of this challenge: in addition to the Honden, the AI starts with a Dragon Engine. Hence, firing off a Tranquility or a Tempest of Light in round 1 is not an immediate win. Still, it takes 7 rounds for the engine to kill you, so that's quite some time for finding an appropriate answer (which a deck fighting the Honden contains anyways, since it won the first 5 duels).

[grinnin]

I still cannot complete this challenge, I'm not sure whats wrong with me!

I've used both Aww's 'Boring Angel' deck and the Oath deck just a few above me, but for whatever reason I can never seem to get past 4 or 5 rounds in. The only exception was the one time I actually saw the Honden round, using the Oath deck, and having the world's crappiest hand.

Are there any other perspectives on this challenge other than throwing out a Plat. Angel or Disk round 1 ?

[aww1979]

I posted this in my masochist thread already, where I am trying to redo all the challenges without dredge, oath or tendrils, and managed to (with luck) beat onslaught with this: (after trying all week) And yes, I am bragging a little... though maybe I shouldn't, given how long I spent at it!

.248 1 Time Vault
.249 1 Time Walk
.250 1 Timetwister
.1351 1 Tinker
.537 4 Transmute Artifact
.165 1 Mox Emerald
.166 1 Mox Jet
.167 1 Mox Pearl
.168 1 Mox Ruby
.169 1 Mox Sapphire
.17 1 Black Lotus
.894 1 Mana Crypt
.157 1 Mana Vault
.230 1 Sol Ring
.1550 1 Voltaic Key
.653 4 Darksteel Colossus
.1891 4 Echoing Truth
.1758 4 Show and Tell
.1815 4 Master Transmuter
.1 1 Ancestral Recall
.1308 4 Platinum Angel
.312 1 Ponder
.499 1 Brainstorm
.1216 4 Seat of the Synod
.317 1 Tolarian Academy
.126 6 Island
.510 4 Mishra's Workshop
.1208 4 Cathodion

Step 1) Sell your soul to get Platinum Angel and/or Darksteel Colossus in play early.
Step 2) Smackdown, DSC style.

Spawnwrithe is by *far* the hardest deck for this to face. Naturalize on the angel, plus spawnwrithe's speed, made it an absolute hell. Most games I lost to spawnwrithe, or later rats or timewalk. I beat lightning blast with amazingly lucky speed (turn 2 DSC), the dreams deck by using two echoing truth on the underworld dreams, as well as an early DSC, and the obliterate round by using black lotus to cast Show and Tell on the DSC, which survived obliterate because it is indestructible. :D:D

[grinnin]

I did it!

After trying on and off for a month or two I finally beat the Honden! Basically I took the same strategy of dropping a Plat Angel with Show and Tell, but I sat it on a modified NeoAcademy manabase (black tutors, fastbond, and grim monoliths.)

I hope the other challenges are at least a little easier, whew.

[Juzam Djinn]

It would be nice if you could post your decklist. This will help a few people I think. Thanks in advance.

[grinnin]

Basically its a faster version of Aww's Plat Angel deck, but the speedier tempo costs you in the Titania/Blood Moon round. Expect to replay that one a lot.


;M2- Challenge Tinker
;
;grinnin
;
;20/01/2010
;1
;4th Edition
;

.1 1 Ancestral Recall
.17 1 Black Lotus
.390 4 Crop Rotation
.62 1 Demonic Tutor
.1395 1 Frantic Search
.310 4 Grim Monolith
.1905 4 Sleight of Hand
.1424 1 Lotus Petal
.894 1 Mana Crypt
.157 1 Mana Vault
.1084 1 Merchant Scroll
.165 1 Mox Emerald
.166 1 Mox Jet
.167 1 Mox Pearl
.169 1 Mox Sapphire
.168 1 Mox Ruby
.202 1 Regrowth
.230 1 Sol Ring
.1351 1 Tinker
.333 1 Vampiric Tutor
.317 1 Tolarian Academy
.499 1 Brainstorm
.352 1 Mystical Tutor
.334 4 Personal Tutor
.1758 4 Show and Tell
.1308 1 Platinum Angel
.249 1 Time Walk
.252 4 Tropical Island
.173 1 Nevinyrral's Disk
.725 1 Mirror Universe
.126 5 Island
.91 3 Forest
.1891 4 Echoing Truth
.495 1 Feldon's Cane

[scherbchen]

finally did it, thanks to you.

started with grinnin's deck, cut the green to make it more reliable and Blood Moon resistant, added Vault/key, and finally took a page from Grand Prix Madrid and decided to exploit the 4 Show and Tell....

mana and stuff

12 Island
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Black Lotus
3 Grim Monolith
1 Mana Vault
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring

card drawing and deck manipulation

4 Personal Tutor
4 Sleight of Hand
1 Ponder
1 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Mystical Tutor

solid cards

1 Nevinyrral's Disk
3 Voltaic Key
1 Time Vault
4 Echoing Truth
1 Timetwister

killing cards

1 Darksteel Colossus
1 Sundering Titan
2 Platinum Angel
2 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
1 Inkwell Leviathan

really unfair cards

1 Tinker
4 Show and Tell


round two was what made me step back from oath. a two-turn clock is just too brutal.

[jiansonz]

Hi there,

I´m really enjoying this game, but I have a LOT to learn about the new cards (and rules, too). New for me is anything past Manalink v1.32 and 4th edition rules. Unpatched Manalink 2.0 alone has 337 cards that were new to me!




I finally managed to beat Tribal Trials, using this deck:

;Angelic Strike
;First Strike White
;Underdogs
;no.spam@plea.se
;24/02/2010
;1
;4th Edition
;

.188 15 Plains
.167 1 Mox Pearl
.17 1 Black Lotus
.157 1 Mana Vault
.221 4 Serra Angel
.816 4 Thunder Spirit
.862 4 Rainbow Knights
.64 3 Disenchant
.240 4 Swords to Plowshares
.794 3 Spirit Link
.290 2 Wrath of God
.1198 1 Akroma, Angel of Wrath
.159 2 Meekstone
.726 3 Moat
.806 2 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
.166 1 Mox Jet
.216 4 Scrubland
.230 1 Sol Ring
.62 1 Demonic Tutor
.694 1 Karakas
.333 1 Vampiric Tutor
.508 1 Mishra's Factory

Nothing new when it comes to the key cards to battle the fast creature decks in this challenge. The deck evolved from one of my favourite and most stable Shandalar/v1.32 Gauntlet decks. At first, it was illegal (immediate auto-loss) and I didn´t understand why. Turns out Mana Vault is restricted (I had 3 of them)...

I think I made 30 or so attempts in total, 7-8 of them with the final version of the deck. The third time I made it to the Sliver deck, I won. I had really crappy starting hands the other two times.

I have a good record against the Fairies deck. A reasonably early Thunder Spirit or Serra Angel keeps the Fairie Rogue swarm from attacking. I could sometimes win without an early Tabernacle, but it was an immense help the times I had one.


These three duels from my succesful run are the most memorable:

Rats: I had four lands and a Moat in the starting hand, but I was almost killed before I could cast it. The rat deck got a great draw, and it really is relentless. It took a Swords to Plowshares, a defensive Spirit Link and a heroic sacrifice of Knights to have me survive to the fourth turn!

Soldiers: I got the first move, but had no Tabernacle in the starting hand. No land either, but I had a Mox Jet, a Vampiric Tutor and a Moat. I tutored in Black Lotus on the first turn and cast Moat on the second.

Slivers: I had the first move and Queen got killed by a first-turn Tabernacle. Still, I was almost ran over a couple of turns later, and I was actually saved by a Sinew Sliver that gave some attacking slivers at least 3 in power, which meant they stopped untapping because of a Meekstone I had in play. I was now down to 1 life. I summoned a Thunder Spirit that gave its life to stop that Sinew Sliver (all slivers were flying at this stage). Some Spirit Linked Rainbow Knights (protected from blue) won the duel for me a couple of turns later.


(Interesting fact: my deck has 3-0 vs the Soldiers deck and 4-0 vs the Elves deck. Probably mostly due to luck with the starting hands but it´s still cool.)



Winning this challenge "unlocked" a card for me. I have some questions about that:

* Are "locked" cards unavailable in regular Gauntlet, Duels and Sealed Deck tourneys also?

* Can they still be seen in the Deck Builder? If yes, how can I know which cards are locked and which are available?

* What happens if I put a locked card in a playdeck? Will I auto-lose all duels, will the locked cards be switched for something else (basic lands?) or will they simply not be possible to cast?

[stassy]

What happens if I put a locked card in a playdeck? Will I auto-lose all duels, will the locked cards be swtiched for something else (basic lands?) or will they simply not be possible to cast?

You will be able to cast it but you will have a message box pop up and say this card is locked by x challenge, and you won't be able to use its abilities.

When a card is illegal in a challenge in the latter version a pop up will show you which card is at fault.

[Cognis]

I was finally able to beat Onslaught with a deck made for Chaos Orb challenge. I didn't have Goblin Welder unlocked but you can change him for something else, I played him but didn't need it although it would've made things easier. You need some luck with the draw but since you usually have a couple of rounds before you die it doable. Ironically the first round tends to be the hardest since the AI can get a ton of life while the final obliterate round is funny since you just have to wait for a few good cards to kill the AI in one turn

.1892 4 Elvish Spirit Guide
.1904 4 Simian Spirit Guide
.1908 4 Tinder Wall
.1 1 Ancestral Recall
.1696 4 Manamorphose
.1423 3 Seething Song
.30 1 Channel
.1866 4 Empty the Warrens
.1897 4 Land Grant
.1730 4 Rite of Flame
.250 1 Timetwister
.1351 1 Tinker
.309 1 Windfall
.17 1 Black Lotus
.1718 1 Chrome Mox
.1685 2 Chromatic Star
.1894 4 Goblin Charbelcher
.1898 1 Lion's Eye Diamond
.1424 1 Lotus Petal
.894 1 Mana Crypt
.157 1 Mana Vault
.1900 1 Memory Jar
.165 1 Mox Emerald
.166 1 Mox Jet
.167 1 Mox Pearl
.168 1 Mox Ruby
.169 1 Mox Sapphire
.230 1 Sol Ring
.241 1 Taiga
.252 1 Tropical Island
.282 1 Wheel of Fortune
.1895 2 Goblin Welder

[Xanathar]

I've just completed (I admit minor cheating in one of the matches) the 5:1 odds challenge.. not really interested by the unlocked card, but so fascinated by the concept! I would probably replay it with a different deck in the future.

Really I had so many great moments in taking the challenges, and sometimes I left the game thinking about how to beat it..

Thanks jatill, congratulation for the great challenge

(And now the bug-post-scriptum.. after the final challenge - eheh - I had to took a turn against a deck with only tranquilities in the deck and no 5:1 challenge to take and serum powder unlocked only after that very easy match.. is it normal ?)

Deck I used:


.628 4 Accumulated Knowledge
.1 1 Ancestral Recall
.1889 2 Cunning Wish
.1717 4 Force of Will
.720 4 Mana Drain
.62 1 Demonic Tutor
.1910 1 Yawgmoth's Will*
.169 1 Mox Sapphire
.166 1 Mox Jet
.451 3 Ring of Ma'rûf
.1886 1 Burning Wish
.1899 2 Living Wish
.165 1 Mox Emerald
.167 1 Mox Pearl
.168 1 Mox Ruby
.17 1 Black Lotus
.266 2 Volcanic Island
.258 2 Underground Sea
.317 1 Tolarian Academy
.252 2 Tropical Island
.806 1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
.528 1 Strip Mine
.1487 4 Polluted Delta
.254 4 Tundra
.202 1 Regrowth
.726 3 Moat
.290 1 Wrath of God
.240 4 Swords to Plowshares
.922 1 Glacial Fortress
.812 2 The Abyss
.349 1 Enlightened Tutor
.333 1 Vampiric Tutor

I don't remember drawing Vampiric Tutor in any match though

[stassy]

Congrats! Now can you do the 10:1 one? XD

[Enchanteur]

Please, give us any comments about strategy and situations you meet.
I'm curious to know what kind of card you schearch with wishes.

I recently had some spectacular wins with wishs.

I had win a game with living wish for "shock troops". (just 1 red mana on table, 4 mana total, night of soul bretarial in play, IA getting 2 FP. I musted win now or I was dead next IA turn.

The most spectacular win :
I was submerged by wave of angrys creatures (tapped). I spend mana and cast draw spells, trying to find a solution, but nothing until I get : a living wish !
But the problem is : Only 3 manas left, no more ! 2 as cost of the wish, then 1 after that. All my creatures are tapped (2 hierarch noble), except birds of paradise, all land tapped (after wish casted ).
I must win this turn, or I'm dead the next IA turn.
I have concordant crossroad on table and a living wishes in hand.
My opponent is 14 lives, I have only 1 life-point.

What to do so ?
Try to find, it's easy !!!