Magical Thoughts - SplinterFright Tweak

It might not come to a surprise that actually I had come back to magic and in a style that was never before. Ever since I broke up with my gf about 1 year plus ago. I had plenty of time to spare and at night to forget the torment 6 years ago, so well I went all out on Innistrad set which is the newest one and net another card named Snapcaster Mage today, which is going at around $25sgd currently. "Nap shot" my friend Fei Said.

Kind of pleased at my luck i carefully sleeved up the card and in it went into my file. This is the third Snapcaster Mage after opening 3 boxes of innistrad and about 20 packs. 3 + 6 packs during pre-release, 3 packs opened with Derrick, and 5 packs yesterday in J-Cube. Sold the other two for $25 each which nets me $50 back. Not bad! Said Derrick when he wacked a pack and got a foiled Hinterland Harbour which I applauded. After saying Hi to Wayne who didn't even notice us back in Northpoint MacDonalds.

Well Back to yesterday. I was quite disappointed that my deck has played towards my friends who are playing White Weenies (Fei's only deck), a Permission Poison Deck (Sky's Deck) and Tempered Steel (Roy). Mine seems to be looking in the sky and playing Draw-Go most of the time in the Chaos Match Up. It wasn't a surprised as I was playing with some cards that didn't over a punch over competitive decks like what they are playing. It was a "fun" deck though. This time round I put my heart into really forming one that is going to pack a punch at least in tournaments.

Not wanting to play Red Deck Wins (RDW), I search around playing with Laboratory Maniac. Something which allows me to win perhaps the first match, and then completely removing this winning condition on the second match up by playing all out aggro. All thanks to Fei who actually accompany me in J-Cube until ten with a match up with a mirror deck against my Splinterfright Self Mill Deck. Sorry that I forgotten his name, and he looks Chinese but however speaks a slangy English, more to really American style, great time talking to him. His is a more sorcery based rather than creatures...therefore I am in a complete surprise at how the deck performs at the Self Mill.

Game 1 - I was losing to a faster mill process which made his Splinterfright to 7/7 Trampler in no time which I changed his Splinterfright into a 3/3 beast with beast within. And than following it with a boneyard wurm. Mine is 7/7 as well. He was laughing when he said "Free 3/3 beast, not bad!", I'm glad as his forbidden alchemy fetches another Splinterfright into his hand and drops another 2 creatures in..., I replied "It could be 9/9 now, glad that I only have to take care of the part 2 Splinterfright". My beast within didn't come and I was overwhelmed by a part 2 12/12 Boneyard Wurm and a Part 3 14/14 Splinterfright from his Noxious Revival. Ouch!

Game 2 - He kept a one land hand and I had not much good hand as well as reality unfolds to my advantage. His land stalls and thank god for Mulch as I draws 1 more Hinterland Harbor dropping Kessig Cagebreakers, Deranged Assistant and a Splinterfright (MY SPLINTERFRIGHT!) I was yelling....However I had something on my sleeves next turn...On Turn 3 I played Skaab Ruinator on this face and he was saying "Oh! A flying fatty". I nodded and said yeah...Pleased with the Mulch that gives me 3 creatures to Exile. Turn 4 I swing for 5 on his face when he got a LLanowar elves in to help with his mana woes. A Turn 5 second Island was too late as I layed my fifth land casting a  0/0 boneyard wurm which goes into the graveyard and then a 1/1 Splinterfright. Swing for 5 again and he is down to 10. The 2 card mill from Splinterfright sets him at 2/2 and I draws a beast within. But scoops at my Ruinator. He said "Reminds me never to keep a 1 land hand" and we both laughed.

Game 3 - Hands down to him as he managed to pull off a great self mill with Forbidden Alchemy, Dream Twist, then using Noxious Revival to bring the SplinterFright Back on his Library and casting a Turn 4 6/6 SplinterFright. On Turn 5, due to the flashback from Dream Twist, and the SplinterFright Self Mill, puts it at 10/10, downs me to 12 after I blocked it with my 2/2 Wurm. I draw and concede. It is great to see another deck and one that is performing better... :)

However his deck still loses Hands Down to Fei's White winnie which the O-rings on the SplinterFright Shuts down his Deck completely, and without Skaab Ruinator he is unable to Flash back anymore creatures....Not bad I thought...I might want to play with Crackling Counterparts the next time :)

Time to tweak the Deck Further!

4 x Birds of Paradise

3 x Boneyard Wurm

1 x Merfolk Looter

4 x MindShrieker

3 x Phantasmal Image

2 x Laboratory Maniac

3 x Skaab Ruinator

4 x SplinterFright

2 x Mirror-Mad Phantasm

4 x Mulch

3 x Beast Within

4 x Forbidden Alchemy

8 x Forest

11 x Island

4 x Hinterland Harbour

SideBoard:

1 x Beast Within

4 x Mana Leak

1 x Phantasmal Image

4 x Acidic Slime

2 x Back from the Brink

3 x Noxious Revival

I'll see how this deck Fares next week in FNM or Saturday / Sunday Afternoon Magic with my playgroup :)

- Synn