ONE LAST LOOK BACK

Polyjak: Tonight was my first real chance to see Aetherbraider in action. It looks like a mash-up of UR Elementals and UR Tempo. Was this a consious influence on your design?

Skeletoy77: After looking at visual spoilers till my eyes hurt, I decided I could make a deck that was not only explosive with the right initial draw, but had the card drawing capacity for the long haul. I weighed my options between what type of archetype to go with, and decided on elementals.

Polyjak: Many players add black to the elementals build. What advantages or disadvantages do you see in doing so?

Skeletoy77: Advantages I see are card recovery from the graveyard, as well as a little more removal. However I don't like the idea of waiting around for the land you need, or using artifacts or other spells to bring them out. You may be able to get creatures back in your hand after they have been destroyed, but as far as control goes, there are plenty of burn spells as well as counters in UR.

Polyjak: Yeah. You sacrifice some of that explosiveness you mentioned earlier.

Skeletoy77: Definitely.

Polyjak: How were your matchups tonight? Anything you didn't expect? Anything that gave you a struggle?

Skeletoy77: I think I had a fair chance against all deck types, I try to watch as many matches as I can in between mine so I get a feeling for what everyone is playing. Squirrelrevolution's [BG Elves] deck was my only drawn out match, which did suprise me.

Polyjak: What about his build gave you the most trouble?

Skeletoy77: His removal definitely hurt me trying to get a quick jump. He knew to get rid of my Smokebraiders early on so I couldnt cast "expensive" creatures such as Mulldrifter and Aethersnipe on turn 3 or 4. I was prepared for his -1/-1 treefolk ability with the Mudbuttons as well as his elf token combos with Hurly Burly in the SB.

Polyjak: How does Aetherbraider fare as we move into Shadowmoor season?

Skeletoy77: I believe it will do well, I intend to examine the effectiveness of our new cards and continue testing with new ideas. However, I think it will largely remain the way it is until I see how it does against the new card pool.

Polyjak: Sounds like a safe plan. Lastly, do you have any words of wisdom for players who are new to the Lorwyn Block metagame?

Skeletoy77: Have the most fun you can. Don't be afraid to play with your own ideas. Likewise, learn from other players as well. Block is a great place to start -- you'll never have more fun playing Magic.

Polyjak: Well congratulations on the big gold, and thanks for your time! I hope to see you around for BPDC Shadowmoor Season!

Skeletoy77: I'll be there! Thank you for hosting and everyone else for the great times!

Polyjak: You were a few points of damage shy of putting Elves on the Block map in a big way -- what inspired you to bring BG Elves to the finale tonight?

squirrelrevolution: I was expecting more faerieish controllish decks. Outside of that I just thought I had at least one really strong card/combo in every matchup.

Polyjak: Did those combos come in handy this evening?

squirrelrevolution: somewhat, but not as much as I had hoped. The Bowmasters were good against Mulldrifters all night. And a powered up Nath's Elite locked one of my opponents out of the game completely.

Polyjak: Was there a combo failure somewhere along the line?

squirrelrevolution: Not really. Skel's deck is just better than mine, I think. He beat me 0-2 in the Swiss. I don't really have that many combos, just certain cards that are really good in certain matchups, and lots of support.

Polyjak: What aspects of Skeletoy's deck do you feel made it, as you say, "better" than yours?.

squirrelrevolution: He has an endgame. If I don't have someone mostly dead by turn 5 or so, I typically lose. He had enough control to stabilize and bury me under Mulldrifter/AEthersnipe card advantage. We playtested these exact decks before last BPDC and the results were pretty much the same.

Polyjak: That's a problem for every non-blue deck in this format, it seems. Do elves have any tools to give them a late game?

squirrelrevolution: That, I am not sure about. Footbottom Feast seems to be effective. I also sided out some lands to try to get more threats on the board. It almost worked. =)

Polyjak: I was impressed by that play in Game 3. I'm not sure I'd seen Footbottom Feast used before. I didn't even realize that it is an instant. =) Do you have any words or advice for a player who is just now entering the Lorwyn Block metagame?

squirrelrevolution: I think there is still plenty of unexplored space for new decks. That is the main reason I play Magic: to fiddle with pet cards and decks. I have fun and even win every once in a while.

Polyjak: And I love seeing new decks come out of nowhere and do well, so it's a great format for both of us. Thanks for your time, and congrats on the silver medal!

squirrelrevolution: Thanks, I enjoyed it. And thanks for hosting.