VML Season 13 Week 5 Player Showcase
With division play being more than halfway over, playoffs spots are starting to become more solidified. Today, I’m interviewing the undefeated players in each division about the decks they selected and how they feel about their match this week.
Violet Starmine
This is Violet’s third VML season, coming off of a top 16 finish in Season 11. She’s playing Domain Control this week against Tess’s Golgari Midrange.
Why did you choose your deck this week?
Domain historically has a decent matchup vs Golgari and after consulting with my testing team I decided it was probably the better deck to play this week. I weighed some of my other options but I saw so much success with Domain in the last standard RC season that I figured I should bring it back.
How do you feel about your matchup?
Not to sound over-confident but I feel very good about my matchup this week. Hauntwoods getting around Duress is HUGE for this matchup, having access to as much removal as I do feels really good as well. I think that if Tess aims to kill off the Vraska OTK line, she can probably snag the match. I’m not as worried about creatures or Lili here. Tess is a really strong Golgari devotee though so I’m sure I’ll have my work cut out for me here.
What cards/decks are you most excited to play with from Duskmorn?
I’m really stoked to play Overlord of the Hauntwoods! I think this card is SWEET and really brings a lot of value to Domain. I think the fact that it can come in on t3 and still be around after a t4/t5 sunfall is massive when compared to prior cards in this slot like Topiary Stomper. The deck really rewards patient and strategized play so I’m excited to see how this card works out in the Golgari matchup.
What was your hardest match this season?
Probably my match against b1a_z3n! I felt good about playing Orzhov vs Golgari thanks to a lot of testing with my friend Robin (@runtheduels). It felt like the match could’ve gone either way but I felt very confident in my ability to sideboard for the matchup correctly.
Amy Altman
Amy is also playing her third VML season, and has made playoffs in both her prior seasons. She brought Jeskai Reanimator Tokens against lilpumpkin on Azorius Enchantments.
Why did you choose your deck this week?
I played the same deck I’ve been playing for the past couple weeks, which is Jeskai Reanimator Tokens. It’s a good control deck with a combo finish and I’ve been very impressed with how resilient and hard to counterpick this deck is.
How do you feel about your matchup?
My opponent is playing UW auras/enchantments with a bunch of new Duskmorn cards. Her deck can snowball really hard if my single target removal doesn’t line up well and has several powerful draw engines to keep up with my deck in a long game. My plan is to kill her first couple creatures and make sure I don’t get run over and I think I can beat her draw engines late game.
What cards/decks are you most excited to play with from Duskmorn?
I didn’t put any Duskmourn cards in this deck but primarily because I was busy testing for the Regional Championships last weekend. Not really sure what cards if any I would add to this deck from that set but the new removal, counterspells and wraths are worth testing. The card I’m most interested in is Overlord of the Hauntwoods for other decks because I’m a huge fan of Leyline Binding and Up the Beanstalk.
What was your hardest match this season?
My Bats opponent had 4 Rest in Peaces but I was able to hard cast my large reanimator targets by slowing the game down. I think this week is gonna be the hardest because my opponent’s deck can snowball super hard if I stumble on mana or miss my timely removal spells.
Jzjaws
Jzjaws won Season 9 in their first season and is now playing in their 4th season. This week, he registered Azorius Tempo versus Robin Isabella on Orzhov Midrange.
Why did you choose your deck this week?
I chose my decks after determining which decks I playtested on the arena did well. I was 19-1 with UW hand-eye reanimation so I wanted to register it for this week.
How do you feel about your matchup?
My matchup is against WB midrange; I think that I am slightly favored as Into the Flood Maw is good at slowing down their game plan and gives me opportunities to take over the game. I need to be careful of Lilliana of the Veil and Rest in Peace in the SB, but if I can deal with that, I should be good.
What cards/decks are you most excited to play with from Duskmorn?
My favorite cards from Duskmorn are the Overlords, especially the white and green ones. Up the Beanstalk is one of my favorite cards of all time, and all of the Overlords play really well with it.
What was your hardest match this season?
My hardest matchup so far was my first match. It was a Dimir mirror match, and if I did not get perfect draws at the end of game 3, I would not be undefeated.
Ashame
Ashame made top 32 in seasons 11 and 12, playing almost exclusively Esper Midrange. They’re back this season playing what’s comfortable with Dimir Midrange against Honeycomb playing Gruul Prowess.
Why did you choose your deck this week?
I chose my deck this week because it’s the same deck I chose in all the previous weeks and I still feel that it’s well positioned. I generally like to stick to the same deck for the entire season because I feel that being well versed in one deck is better than getting marginal advantages by trying to metagame opponents. I feel that the experience and fluency in a particular deck is very valuable.
How do you feel about your matchup?
UB mid vs RG prowess can be a scary matchup because they can have nut draws that I can’t beat sometimes. But overall I am not too worried about it because I have adjusted my maindeck for an aggro-heavy meta.
What cards/decks are you most excited to play with from Duskmorn?
Enduring Curiosity by far. This card feels insane. The deck used to play Gix, but now imagine Gix with flash and it doesn’t lose you life and also has undying. It’s so good.
What was your hardest match this season?
My match against Fluttering Lilac (UB mid vs GB mid) was the hardest because there were several difficult decisions being made in a long, grindy match. In game 2 we both resolved Liliana of the Veil ultimates.
Catra
Catra is playing in faer 6th season, making playoffs in season 12. She played Domain the first three weeks, but switched to Mono White Tokens last week, which she brought this week. Her opponent, Lighthouse Robin, is playing Azorius Aggro.
Why did you choose your deck this week?
I ran back Mono-White tokens for 2 major reasons, the first being the deck felt incredibly powerful. Like the engine was just so insanely strong it felt like what I wanted to be doing. The second is my opponent had submitted aggro decks the entire season and the deck’s best matchup is aggro.
How do you feel about your matchup?
Great honestly, as I said before decks best matchup is aggro and the opponent submitted aggro.
What cards/decks are you most excited to play with from Duskmorn?
How weird is it that I really really like the lands? They’re just so efficient, one of the better untapped always duals we’ve had. Otherwise I really want to do something with Cursed Recording at some point it seems really cool.
What was your hardest match this season?
Hardest match was definitely against Greatest_Tanuki. They were the only one to take a game off me and I had to topdeck an Atraxa in game 3 against them or I would’ve been in a great deal of trouble.
Aspi
This is Aspi’s 6th season, coming off a top 8 finish in Season 12. She’s played a variety of decks this season and chose Azorius Tempo this week versus Bla_Z3n’s Domain Ramp.
Why did you choose your deck this week?
For the first time I felt like I couldn’t metagame as hard as I usually do. My opponent this week seems to prefer slower midrange strategies but the one week of Gruul Aggro put some doubt in me. I settled on the Azorius Tempo deck after checking the lack of graveyard hate in my opponent’s previous decks to punish the clunkiness.
How do you feel about your matchup?
Pretty good, I don’t like that my deck can lose to itself by drawing the wrong half of the deck but disciplined mulligans and only 2 Cavern of Souls should be enough to put me in a favorable position. Also I really want to repeat the perfect 7-0 from last season to confirm it wasn’t a fluke, I’ve got the fire.
What cards/decks are you most excited to play with from Duskmorn?
The real answer is the limited format, it’s a banger. After that I find the lands incredibly interesting, they aren’t a full cycle and promote interesting deck building.
What was your hardest match this season?
Last week Convoke vs Golgari was really something else. The game one whiff with Knight-Errant crushed my spirit and the timezone difference meant I wasn’t at full capacity. Tess showed the division that I can lose a game, I need to nip that in the bud and embrace my inner vegeta this season.
Gdinut
Gdinut is playing in their 4th season, making playoffs in Season 10. This week they’re playing Domain Ramp while their opponent, Jennifer, is on Mono White Tokens.
Why did you choose your deck this week?
My opponent this week likes playing Aggro a lot, so I brewed something to defeat Aggro.
How do you feel about your matchup?
My opponent dropped last minute from the VML so I won. But when I tested against their usual deck, I won every game.
What cards/decks are you most excited to play with from Duskmorn?
Kaito, Bane of nightmares. I have a soft spot for ninjas.
What was your hardest match this season?
My week 2 opponent. I brewed something I thought was good vs Agro. And lost all 5 matches I tested after deck submission. Yet I still won the real match. So I’m happy it worked out for me. But I know my hardest match will probably be week 7 Vs Autumn. That will probably decide who gets top seed in my division.
Emily Anders
Recently qualified for the Pro Tour at the last Regional Championship, Emily is playing her 4th season. She registered Gruul Prowess versus Noor playing Rakdos Mice.
Why did you choose your deck this week?
I haven’t played a deck this aggressive in the VML before so I’m hoping it’s a pivot that will catch my opponent off guard.
How do you feel about your matchup?
I think whoever wins the die roll will be very happy.
What cards/decks are you most excited to play with from Duskmorn?
I really like the Verges and think that they’ll be a breath of fresh air in a standard with pretty bad mana.
What was your hardest match this season?
My first match against Convoke was a nailbiter. I did not want to keep registering Boros Tokens after that.
AngelicAssassin
Our last two players this week are playing in their first VML season. AngelicAssassin has played Jeskai Convoke and Boros Tokens this season, and this week chose Boros Tokens. JanMelantu, her opponent, brought Mono Red Aggro.
Why did you choose your deck this week?
It’s a lot of fun, flexible and very well positioned.
How do you feel about your matchup?
4 Lightning Helix vs red creatures it’s a tale as old as time
What cards/decks are you most excited to play with from Duskmorn?
Draft is really good, I’ve enjoyed Glimmerlight, Possessed Goat and Defaced Gallery. Glimmer of Innocence is the only new card I’m playing in Standard currently.
What was your hardest match this season?
Red Black Fling vs Abbey, she played very well and the set was very tight.
Legs
This season, Legs has played a variety of decks, but keeps it to Midrange or Control decks. They registered Mono White Tokens this week against LadyJ’s Orzhov Lifegain.
Why did you choose your deck this week?
Mono White Token Control is the first deck I’ve felt really comfortable with this season. I’ve felt strong in testing against midrange, aggro, and tempo. The ramp matchup feels less solid, but still winnable. I love the difficult to interact with card advantage engine, its strength against removal, and access to exile based removal. Against a pretty open field in the post Duskmourn meta it felt like the best choice.
How do you feel about your matchup?
My matchup this week is really interesting. I love my opponent going in for the brew on Orzhov Bat Lifegain! Bats are my favorite archetype from Bloomburrow and I’m looking forward to piecing together the matchup against a new brew!
What cards/decks are you most excited to play with from Duskmorn?
I love Enduring Innocence and am excited to include it in my list this week. It was encouraging to see it perform so well in the Selesnya Company decks from the RC last weekend. The other card I’m most excited about is FOMO, but I haven’t seen a good home for it yet in Standard.
What was your hardest match this season?
It would have to be my match against the Simic Beans deck piloted by Ollie Davis. The deck has such a unique game plan and ability to interact through bounce spells. While I felt favored in the matchup, they popped off in game 1 and I was completely locked out. Game 3 accounting for their flash threats was super interesting as well. It was definitely a memorable match that will stick with me for a while.