I just played this in a PTQ yesterday:

My list was the same as the one in the opening -1 filter land +1 tectonic edge While the filter land is great at changing mana around to cast 2nd turn sculler 3rd turn tempered steel, I didn't find it as useful as being able to do something with excess mana that this deck ends up running into. Killing a land is pretty useful in this format (keeping cryptic mana away or killing a man land). The other change was +2 etched champion in place of 1 Ranger of Eos and 1 Steel Overseer I think 3 is the right number of both of those and the champ can hold off aggro.

My sideboard was completely different.
2 Tectonic Edge - 4cc or omen/val
3 gaddock teeg - 4cc or omen/val
2 Esper Charm - Fae, omen, mirror, pyromancer
2 burrenton forge-tender - RDW, or other redish aggro like jund
4 Path to Exile - anti aggro, possibly fae
2 Relic of progenitus - mainly ooze

Round 1 I ran into faeries:
Game 1: I had a fast opening that blew him out of the water.

SB: -2 etched champoin , +2 esper charm , -1 thopter foundry , -1 steel overseer , +2 path to exile .

Game 2: It was an average opening. I put out a memnite and a homuculus to get preasure out. he leaked my tempered steel that I tried to play turn 3 (saw it coming, but figured I'd get it out of his hand opposed to playing around it all game). Next turn he played the fae lord that give others shroud during my combat. I responded with a path. Next turn he played MB clique during my upkeep. I responded by killing his only fae with tectonic edge. 

1-0
Round 2: G/W aggro
Game 1: was a blow out on my end. He may have been mana screwed, but he had 3 man and died 5th turn. I did see 3 wilt leaf leige when I thoughtseized, luckily he had another target as well.

SB: I thought about my side while he was siding, but decided I hadn't seen enough of his deck to make any changes.

Game 2: I think I saw 3  of the guy that you pay 1 mana and sac to kill an artifact or enchantment. Along with a string of guys that were made quite large by wilt leaf leige. I lost.

SB: Decided quickly that I wanted path. was hard to take anything out. -3 steel overseer , +3 Path to exile .

Game 3: turn 1 sculler, turn 2 sculler, turn 3 sculler (drew the 2nd 2). Follow that up with a pump effect and he couldnt come back.

2-0
Round 3 VS Elves summoning big guys.
Game 1 he summoned a turn 3 (i think) Oversoul of dusk . I couldn't kill it and chump blocked it alot (darn pro black). Eventually I threw ranger and his 2 memnites in front of it and he simply sent in another.

SB: +4 Path to exile -I can't remember, need to take better notes.

Game 2: All star is once again thopter foundry letting memnites chump block and turn into fliers. I steadily wore down his life total while he wore down mine. A few paths kept me alive untill i saw tempered steel to seal the game.

Game 3: I sent out a steady stream of guys while keeping his off the table (thoughseize the mana producers and path the big guys). I managed to keep him off his game and pulled out the victory.

3-0
Round 4 VS RDW
Game 1: I play first, turn 1 swamp/thoughtseiz. "oh, you are playing that deck..." ouch.

SB: -4 thought seize, +4 path, -2 Steel overseer +2 forge tenders.

Game 2: I kept a hand with champion, tempered steel, master, memnite, mox, swamp, fetch. Played the fetch turn 1. He played 2/1 guy instead of the goblin guide, I fetched the plain, drew a ranger, played the swamp. he piled on the damage. turn 5 I played tempered steel off land played memnite. He untapped attacked past my memnite blocking 1 and threw burn at my face.

3-1
Round 5 VS R/G aggro
Game 1: kept a 2 fetch and plain hand. palyed out 0 mana guys. He played out slightly bigger guys. I sat there with 2 master of etherium ready to own the board (no blue mana). Eventually I had to start chump blocking. I drew mox a turn too late for metalcraft.

SB: out 4 thought seize in 2 path 2 forge tenders.  

Game 2: kept 4 land non land. turn 1 forge tender. turn 4-5 ranger + forge tender and a memnite. He kept attacking. I stack blocked to kill his guys as much as I could, but couldn't get ahead. ended the game after 2 rangers. I saw 13 land (3 fetched) and 10 non land cards. (which means I drew 10 land and 6 non land cards in a 17 land deck).

3-2
Round 6 Vs RDW
Game 1: Tried to stabilize at 1 life as he couldn't attack though my creatures (pumped with TS). Drew fetch, thoughtseize, thoughtseize. given 4 tries he drew a burn.

SB: out 4 thoughseize in 2 path 2 forge tender.

Game 2: 2nd flood of the night. another 3/5 ratio this time without rangers. Both forge tenders came out, but couldn't slow him enough being sac'd to prevent 8 in the air.

3-3 
Round 7 VS faeries
Game 1: Put too much pressure on him and cleared him out.

SB: -2 champion +2 esper charm.

Game 2: Too much pressure again. Pathed his man lands when he tried to block.

4-3
Round 8 Faeries.
Game 1: He went first. thoughseize could only take 1 of his 2 bitterblossoms. I was unable to get any pump effect to stick. and he traded man lands for my attackers while his tokens attacked my life total.

Game 2: oh look man flood. After a great start I followed it up with lands, yay?

4-4

All in all I liked the deck and never felt like I was playing the wrong deck.

I wish I had pressed the sideboard for more anti red and less anti 4cc/omen, but if I had faced those instead maybe not. Also the choices in anti red could have been better. forge tenders are only chosen it seems because they can be found with rangers. A better choice would have been any of the 2/2 pro red guys as they would acutally kill attacking red guys. Vedalken outlander may have been the better choice. And this would actually further my opinion that the deck should have tezzeret in it (opposed to ranger).

Card choices:
Etched champion - was only useful one time. I think that any time he is useful Vedalken outlander would have been better. He comes out a turn earlier and has the same power/toughness. Plus he always has pro red. I'm not saying to MD the outlander, but I am saying dont MD the champion, or even SB the champion.

Tectonic Edge - There was 1 time total that I would have wanted this to be the filter land instead. I could have cast a sculler with the drum and 0 mana guy that was in play. next turn I drew the mana source I needed and that was that. There were 3 times I made use of it and thus was glad it was not the filter land. Only during the mana flood games did I wish that this was a man land ( Dread Statuary probably), but I didn't really think about that.

Ranger of Eos - While I like what he does for the deck he doesn't really turn things around if you are losing. I really think that we should take a step back and consider Tezzeret in his place. There are 23 mana sources in the deck, He shouldn't be that hard to cast.


All that being said a new set should be here before the next PTQ in my area. I'm looking forward to anything that it has to add.

Apparently it was a UW build of steel.

Esper steel will be the best deck in the format once Tezz.2 is legal.....

Tezz.2 enables unfair things:

Swinging on turn 2 with a 5/5 for example.

It alows you to dig for that sculler or whatever you need. And if they put up decent defences, it lets you just drain over their head. Not too mention it turns memnites and thopters into 5/5 guys, since it's just target artifact becomes a 5/5. So you can make 5/5 fliers to attack with on turn 2.... seems rather good, it's almost like having another lord who provides you with terrific card selection powers, finishing capabilities, and superior cretures to other aggro decks, even without the tempered steel and other lords.....

Jan 20, 2011 -- 8:55AM, JustTerrorIt wrote:

Jan 20, 2011 -- 2:28AM, CyrusBales wrote:

Tezz.2 enables unfair things:

Swinging on turn 2 with a 5/5 for example.

I've been out of the loop in Extended, but how are players getting all this mana on turn 2?

I saw the following a few times at the weekend:

TURN ONE:
-Seachrome coast
-Memnite
-Springleaf Drum
-Court Homonculous

But I also saw this:

TURN ONE:
-Darkslick Shores
-Springleaf Drum
-Mox Opal
-Memnite
-Tidehollow Sculler

Not the worst turn one ever.....

But with Mox Opals and springleaf drums, it's not too difficult to hit 4 mana on turn 2, but turn 3 should always be 4 mana. With Tezz, it gives them a solid mid-game plan, an "I win" card, as well as a way to make us of dead sprigleaf drums and dig for more stuff.

symphonyofevil-

I'm not exactly sure what are are asking, but making a control deck or a mid range deck using BWU is certianly viable in the very open meta. Doing so would not be making this deck though. This deck runs on critical mass, making alot of little guys and pumping them up to attack. Take out part of that and you are simply making another deck. The deck is so synergistic with itself that changing a few pieces means you need to change many more as well.

New Tezz-

I think he could definitely see play in this deck. He would obviously compete with Ranger for his spot. I'm less and less impressed with ranger the more I play this deck. This guy can provide similar CA although over a few turns. What I'm unsure about is if I would like to play him or play Tezz 1. The thought of a turn 2 (likely turn 3) 5/5 attacking is great, but waiting another turn and attacking with all your artifacts at 5/5 seems better. Tezz 1 gets the best card for the situation and puts it into play, where Tezz 2 gets the best card in the top 5 and puts it in your hand. The other side to that is Tezz 1 runs out of counters doing so while Tezz 2 gets more counters by doing so. Either way they both need some serious testing.