Its Time to Paint!

The Chicago PTQ has come and gone. I have learned some valuable lessons out of this most recent PTQ. I had been testing Time Sieve all week and should have just played it since I had shifted knowledge in that direction. I did not get home until about 130am Saturday morning and questioned if I should really play that deck. I knew I did not want to play 5 color control because I expected Jund and 5CB to be out like crazy. I was definitely right about that assumption. The metagame was super awkward as the amount of Kithkin/5 color control/5CB/Blightning was unreal. I expected Blightning and 5CB to be in force to shut down 5cc, but assumed Kithkin would be dead. Flash back to earlier in the week. I had been watching some friends testing a Jund Painter Combo on MODO beta. The deck basically sets up a Violent Outburst cascading into a Painter's Servant that will name Blue. Then untap and Chaotic Backlash for lethal damage. I wanted to put this deck on hold as I thought the metagame was not right yet as Maelstrom Pulse or Lightning Bolt would set me back horribly. Something else also went wrong. One of the kids who was also playtesting the deck did well in a Magic League tournament. The list got posted that night/morning. I was not sure how many people would catch on to the deck or write off the idea. Just took some of the surprise factor out, which was awful at times. Sometimes I was forced to rawdog the Servant out the turn before I was going to backlash and it was easily removed. The deck is very solid and I feel there needs to be some changes and the manabase needs changed around for sure. I would probably even consider dropping a chaotic backlash to the board and playing a 26th land. Here is the deck for reference:

1 Gargoyle Castle
1 Swamp
4 Reflecting Pool
4 Savage Lands
4 Fire-Lit Thicket
1 Twilight Mire
2 Graven Cairns
3 Mountain
1 Vivid Crag
1 Vivid Grove
1 Vivid Marsh
2 Forest
4 Shriekmaw
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Great Sable Stag
4 Painter's Servant
4 Chaotic Backlash
4 Violent Outburst
3 Bituminous Blast
4 Flame Javelin
4 Volcanic Fallout


Sideboard:
2 Infest
4 Thought Hemorrhage
4 Anathemancer
4 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Jund Charm

Round 1 I played against Mark Ruby playing Boat Brew. Game 1 I Outburst for Servant EOT turn 4. Untapped and cast Backlash for 24 damage. I boarded in infest and maelstrom pulses to get rid of Burrenton Forge Tenders and out of control spectral prosession tokens. Game 2 he got the nut draw. Stalwart into Forge Tender into Spectral into Bashing. Game 3 was really close and I totally punted the match. He attacked all in turn 4 for 16 damage, was 10 damage, but calculated him having another Honor the Pure under the Heights. My board position was GSS, and 2 Painters Servants. He would have one mana open after activating the heights. I had him on Path to Exile, which seemed about right. So I blocked with GSS and 1 Painter's Servant. He had the path and I took 14. It was looking pretty slim to win. Of course I drew the Chaotic backlash, but the Forge Tender was still in play. I bashed in with my dudes and he went to 13. During his upkeep I tried to Backlash him. At first I thought he was going to scoop them up then he looked at backlash. I pointed out the source was blue, trying to mise a win. Then he asked oracle text of Painter's Servant and I scooped up the cards. I dont regret trying to Jedi Mind Trick there because it almost worked, but at the same time it was a scum move.
1-2 (0-1)

Round 2 I played Charles Hendricks playing 5CB. This matchup is kind of funny because there is a rivalry between us from playing at the same store ect. I knew it would be a solid game of Magic. Cj won the die roll and lead with a vivid. I followed and he played a putrid leech. My first play was a GSS. I then played BBE which hit a Outburst which lead into a Painters Servant. I was down in the point of the game where I kind of didnt want to expose the alt win condition, but it happened. I also was at the point to where if he doesnt have maelstrom pulse in hand I untap and backlash for lethal. He pulses and I scoop them up to game 2. I bring in Anathemancers and a jund charm. I start off with a mulligan and hand seems solid except both lands are CIPT. I missed a landdrop turn 3. Hit one turn 4 and 5. Had back to back BBE, but hit mancer and fallout. When I played the Servant it got pulsed and that shut off the backlash. CJ had double Cryptic command and I had no outs with my troop tapped out. I probably should have mulliganed to 5 game 2, but luckily hit some land. 0-2 (0-2) Should have dropped, but played to get some points back.

Round 3 played against some random guy playing Elf Combo. I turn 5 backlashed him both games when he had infinite guys out. Thanks for playing. 2-0 (1-2)

Round 4 played against some guy playing Kithkin. Game 1 was close but not needing to hit Servant is always nice. Game 2 I had the nut draw minus a painters servant. A key infest from BBE set up an outburst into Servant. 2 turns later I hit a backlash after he had played a CGR. I show him the backlash and he scoops them up.
2-0 (2-2) At this point I decided to call it a day as I was tired/hungry and had no chance to make top 8. I had gained some points back and was back to the drawing board. Also turned out for the better because I was able to attend a birthday party for my girlfriends sister. Cant go wrong with 7 and 7.

As I look ahead this week into the PTQ in Madison and PTQs at gencon; I think Jund decks are going to be all over. They have favorable matchups against the field and are rather resilient. Sullivans Merfolk deck was very solid and I expect that to be played a lot this weekend in Madison. I also expect Kowal/Van Lunans Zoo deck to be played once a list appears. Currently Im leaning towards playing the same deck. Tweaking some of the weaker points and boarding for a more current field.