[Tournament Report] Win at a WPNQ with Temur Reclamation
Hi all, and welcome to this tournament report! I wouldn't say I was the most prepared for this tournament, but playing similar decks to Temur Reclamation cut down the amount of practice I needed. This was a very small event, with only 25 players, but the field was strong with a whole lot of Fires and Cats running around. Let's get to the list.
Mainboard:
4 Expansion//Explosion
4 Wilderness Reclamation
4 Opt
4 Growth Spiral
4 Chemister’s Insight
2 Negate
1 Aether Gust
1 Brazen Borrower
2 Mystical Dispute
3 Niv-Mizzet, Parun
2 Bonecrusher Giant
2 Flame Sweep
1 Sinister Sabotage
4 Steam Vents
4 Breeding Pool
3 Temple of Mystery
2 Castle Vantress
2 Fabled Passage
3 Mountain
2 Island
1 Forest
4 Rugged Highlands
1 Swiftwater Cliffs
Sideboard:
1 Bonecrusher Giant
2 Lava Coil
2 Nightpack Ambusher
2 Negate
2 Sorcerous Spyglass
2 Lovestruck Beast
2 Shifting Ceratops
1 Aether Gust
1 Fry
So first, let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way – there are five gainlands in this list. I do not advocate playing gainlands, they were only there as I couldn’t source any copies of Stomping Grounds or Temple of Epiphany in time for the tournament. This deck can offset the downside quite well through Growth Spiral, and the extra life can help against aggressive decks. Regardless, I think the full set of Shocks and Temples are better.
Other than the gainlands, this list is fairly standard. The third copy of Niv-Mizzet was the only real change I made – a tournament the previous weekend showed the local meta to be mainly Jeskai Fires and Jund Cat, with very few aggressive decks running around. Flame Sweep and Bonecrusher Giant get a lot worse when most threats have 3 or more toughness! Niv proved to be a ridiculous card in pretty much every circumstance. With so many adventure decks running around, Niv made my opponent’s lives difficult at pretty much every turn.
Round 1: Simon on Grixis Fires (On the Play)
This was a great match to start the day with! Simon was a great opponent, and we had a really friendly match for Competitive REL. Grixis Fires is a much better matchup for Temur than the usual Jeskai, as they lack the powerhouse that is 3eferi. For the most part, this list looked to be a pretty standard package of Shimmer of Possibility, Drawn from Dreams, Fires, Thought Erasure and various planeswalkers as the win condition.
Game 1 contained one of the most value-filled plays I’ve ever seen with this deck. My opponent played a Drawn from Dreams when I had 5 lands in play. I responded with Expansion, taking 2 cards… Into an Expansion, getting another 2 cards, before finally using a Mystical Dispute to counter my opponent’s copy of Drawn from Dreams. From here, it was easy to close out the game.
Sideboard:
Out: 2 Bonecrusher Giant
2 Flame Sweep
1 Brazen Borrower
In: 2 Negate
1 Aether Gust
2 Sorcerous Spyglass
Here, we just want to max out on counter effects and ways to deal with 6cmc Chandra.
Game 2 went in a similar fashion. I hold up counterspells for key spells, casting cantrips and Insights when I’m not made to use my mana. Make land drops, counter Fires, stick a Reclamation, Explosion to draw a few cards, Explosion for lethal.
1-0
Round 2: Marek on Gruul Aggro, splashing blue (On the Draw)
This was a weird matchup! An early island in game 1 made me worry about counterspells, but the only blue card I saw was The Royal Scions. Countering that in game 1 left my opponent on 3 lands, and I was able to clean up their 2 drops with a Flame Sweep. No pressure led to a relatively easy win.
Sideboard:
Out: 1 Negate
2 Chemister’s Insight
1 Niv-Mizzet, Parun
1 Wilderness Reclamation
1 Expansion//Explosion
In: 1 Bonecrusher Giant
1 Lava Coil
1 Lovestruck Beast
2 Nightpack Ambusher
1 Aether Gust
I didn’t have the best idea of what to expect from game 1, but Robber of the Rich, Growth-Chamber Guardian and Gruul Spellbreaker led me to think it was some sort of aggro deck. Here, I trimmed some top end to replace it with interaction and blockers. Seeing The Royal Scions in game 1 made me want to hold onto at least 1 Negate.
Game 2 was long. Some removal killed his dudes, and I stabilised on a healthy life total. Unfortunately, I then topdecked Niv into Niv without a third red source on the board, while my opponent topdecked double Spellbreaker to kill me over those 2 turns.
In comparison, game 3 was quite quick. I mulled to 6, keeping a hand with 2 Opts, 3 lands and a Lava Coil. Coil killed a Growth Chamber Guardian, then my opponent dropped a Rhythm of the Wild. Uh, what? When did this card come back?
Honestly, I wasn’t holding counterspells, but the Riot for hasted creatures took its toll, and the same pattern of drawing a Niv-Mizzet without the right lands in play led to my death. Sad times.
1-1
Round 3: Ryan on Jund Cat (On the Play)
Grind grind, grind.
I didn’t see a single Korvold in this match, but otherwise all the usual suspects were present. Game 1 saw both of us doing our things, with a Cat, an Oven and a Wilderness Reclamation on the board by turn 4. Luckily, Chemister’s Insight is a hell of a drug, and the card advantage lets me eventually find another Reclamation, and a lethal Explosion.
Sideboard:
Out: 1 Negate
1 Insight
2 Bonecrusher Giant
In: 2 Sorcerous Spyglass
2 Lava Coil
Giant doesn’t really do enough here. Shocking a cat feels bad, and 2 damage doesn’t kill anything else in the deck. Coil lets us exile, and Spyglass turns off the Oven. Simple sideboard plan is simple.
Game 2 was extremely long. Looking at my notes, my life totals changed 18 times before dying. I found an active Reclamation in this game, but no way to leverage the excess mana. Drew a bit of hot air, and eventually just died to my opponent’s random creatures and cat triggers.
Going into game 3 on the play, a Growth Spiral led to an interesting choice. On turn 5, 6 mana in play: do I slam the Niv-Mizzet, or play a Sorcerous Spyglass to see if the coast is clear? I opted for the safe route of Spyglass, and saw a hand of Judith, Thrashing Brontodon, Trail of Crumbs and Mayhem Devil. Niv came down next turn, went unanswered, and an Explosion burned my opponent out through 2 Cindervines. Play Niv, win games.
2-1
Round 4: Anthony on GB Cat Ft. Casualties of War (On the Play)
Game 1 went the exact same way as last round. Rec on 3, Insight to draw cards, Explosion for lethal. Countered a Casualties of War.
Sideboard:
Out: 1 Insight
2 Bonecrusher Giant
1 Flame Sweep
In: 2 Sorcerous Spyglass
1 Lava Coil
1 Negate
Seeing Casualties of War game 1 made me want to go up a Negate, and I didn’t feel under as much pressure as I did against Jund.
Game 2 saw 3 Trail of Crumbs on my opponent’s side of the field. I countered the third copy, but they were still getting lots of cards off the first two. Luckily, I was able to keep any consistent food producers off the board after Coiling a goose. Spyglass revealed a Casualties and 2 lands, died to the Casualties, then I got to stick a Reclamation… Which allowed me to Insight into another Reclamation… Which gave me the mana to Explosion my opponent for lethal from 25 life.
3-1
Round 5: Edward on Jund Adventures (On the Play)
Breakers were weird. There were some ties. My opponent had to play, so no lunch break for me! Game 1 was terrible here. I got a Reclamation set up with an Insight in hand, found another Insight, and somehow managed to draw nothing relevant in 8 extra cards. I found one Niv, which ate a Swift End, and saw no other threats. What a way to lose game 1.
Sideboard:
Out: 2 Insight
1 Expansion//Explosion
1 Wilderness Reclamation
1 Mystical Dispute
In: 1 Giant
2 Lava Coil
2 Lovestruck Beast
Here, we’re just looking for removal for Innkeeper and some blockers. A lot of important stuff in this deck dies to 2 damage, so Flame Sweep was still good postboard.
Game 2 was me seeing 3 Reclamations, having one hit by a Return to Nature, then using the other 2 to fire off a lethal Explosion. I Stomped 2 Innkeepers here, which limited my opponent’s card advantage and really removed a lot of the pressure.
Game 3 can be defined by a 6 with cantrips that didn’t go the way I wanted after a Duress. Drawing a Niv with 4 lands in play doesn’t help either. You win some to bad topdecks, you lose some to bad topdecks.
End of Swiss: 3-2
Not the best record, but my round 5 opponent winning brought up my breakers, and allowed me to slip into the top 8 cutoff in 8th place.
Top 8
Quarterfinals: Michael on Jeskai Fires
We’re starting every match on the draw from here on out. My opponent opened game 1 with double Sphinx of Insight, bottoming all 6 cards. A Temple sent a 7th card to the bottom. I played cautiously this game, countering their first Fires of Invention, then forcing them into a position where the best thing they could do with Fires was a Sphinx of Insight. Fires ends up being a detriment here, as it leaves me free to deploy a Reclamation, then another, then another, before firing off a lethal Explosion for the full 20 life.
Sideboard:
Out: 2 Giant
2 Flame Sweep
1 Opt
In: 1 Fry
2 Nightpack Ambusher
2 Shifting Ceratops
Seeing the Sphinx in game 1 led me to believe this was the Cavalry version of the Jeskai deck, so we’re just looking to get some good threats, and add another answer to 3eferi or Cavalier of Gales.
Game 2 opened with another double Sphinx hand from my opponent after mulling to 6. They topped 1, then topped 2, but got stuck on 3 lands. I just played my cards, made land drops, and eventually killed them. Really bad luck for my opponent here, but not much else to say about it.
Semifinals: Zak on Izzet Flash
This is a matchup I had played exactly once before, against the same opponent. Ironically, my gainlands won me the match then, gaining the one point of life that kept me alive in game 3! I kept a REALLY risky hand in game 1. 6 lands and a Growth Spiral. I expected that my opponent would play cautiously in this matchup, as a resolved Reclamation is near impossible to deal with. I was right, and I wasn’t put under much early pressure. Unfortunately, I just kept ripping lands off the top and died to a giant after finding absolutely zero action.
Sideboard:
Out: 2 Flame Sweep
2 Giant
1 Insight
1 Wilderness Reclamation
In: 1 Aether Gust
2 Shifting Ceratops
2 Nightpack Ambusher
1 Fry
Here, we are SO scared of Niv-Mizzet. This matchup is defined by this big boy, with the first person to resolve one usually being the winner. 2 Aether Gust, 1 Fry, and a healthy pack of flash/uncounterable creatures to close out a quick win before the big dragon can steal a win.
This works in game 2, as I Aether Gust a Giant (which my opponent put on the bottom) before playing a Ceratops and playing protect the dinosaur. 4 hits kills the blue deck.
Game 3 came down to turn 6. My opponent played their 6th land and slammed the Niv, but an Aether Gust put that back on top. This let me untap and get a Reclamation on the board before playing an Insight in response to the Niv’s second casting. This Insight found my second Aether Gust. On my turn, I dropped my own Niv, then used Reclamation mana to Gust my opponent’s Niv back to the top before tapping out to draw 4 cards off of an Explosion, and 2 off of Niv. This left my opponent on 5 life and me with a Shifting Ceratops in hand.
This put my opponent into an impossible position, where playing Niv leaves them tapped out, and dead to a Shifting Ceratops or any combination of draw spells. They bounced Niv with a Borrower, giving me another card and going to 4 life, then passed with 4 mana up. I drew a Nightpack Ambusher and played a Ceratops, which ate an Aether Gust and got put on the bottom (only as I had the second in hand and was looking for a counter to protect my wolf). Wolf got countered on my opponent’s turn, but left them tapped out, and the second Ceratops was able to haste in for victory.
Finals: Matt on Jeskai Cavalry
Well, it all comes down to this. My memory of game 1 here is a little fuzzy, and my notes aren’t particularly detailed. I remember countering my opponent’s Fires, and using the opening to play a Reclamation on my turn. From here it looks like I just drew cards, found a second Reclamation and fired off 2 Explosions back to back for lethal.
Sideboard:
Out: 2 Giant
2 Flame Sweep
1 Niv-Mizzet
1 Opt
In: 2 Shifting Ceratops
2 Nightpack Ambusher
1 Fry
1 Aether Gust
Again, we’re worried about 3eferi, uncounterable threats, and providing a relevant clock. Negate feels like a trap against the Cavalry version.
Game 2 saw some spice! My opponent dropped a Tithe Taker on turn 2, before doing… not much else. I eventually cast Fry on the Tithe Taker in response to a second one being played (and only one mana being left open), before untapping, playing my land and dropping a Reclamation. Two turns later, I have 6 lands in play and a huge mana advantage.
On their turn, my opponent played their 5th land, went to combat and attacked with a Tithe Taker and their 1/1 spirit. I cast a 5 mana Nightpack Ambusher, which resolves and blocks the Tithe Taker, leaving me with one mana up. My opponent then plays a Cavalier of Gales in their second main… Right into my Mystical Dispute. After this absolute blowout, I just let my Ambusher create an army and only countered things that threaten the wolf. A final Aether Gust on a Cavalier of Flames seals the deal, and my opponent scoops it up.
Overall thoughts:
The deck feels good. Having a proactive gameplan in a shaken-up meta is very important, and the Cat decks just aren’t my style. Temur Reclamation ticks all my boxes while still being a competitive choice. Niv-Mizzet is a house in the current meta, as even a lot of the creatures have an instant or sorcery tacked onto them, and he usually draws at least 1 card. A lot of games were won by Niv-Mizzet, with Explosion not being a realistic option without multiple Reclamations. Looking back through this report, it looks like I complain about drawing a 6 cmc card at the wrong time a lot, but I do think Niv may be the best card in this deck, and he definitely won me a lot more games than drawing him lost.
There is a lot of interaction in this 75, which rewards good decision making with regards to when to use which answers. Losing Veil of Summer hurts the deck more than it helps in my opinion, but Shifting Ceratops is the perfect card to cover up counterspell matchups. The sideboard still feels extremely flexible, but the numbers could probably use some tweaking.
I feel like the deck is still a bit weak to aggro, and cutting a Flame Sweep for a Sinister Sabotage and a Giant for a Niv-Mizzet didn’t help this. I didn’t expect much aggro in this tournament, and was rewarded for this decision for the most part. Having hard counters is extremely important against Fires, and seeing even a single copy of Sinister Sabotage made my opponents play a lot safer, which just buys time to set up.
Let me know what you think, and feel free to ask any questions about the tournament or the (nonland) card choices in this list!
Posted Dec 1, 2019, 1:52 PM UTC · edited