|
[Home]
ATS, or Angry Tradewind Survival,
is the Type 1.5 deck to beat. Developed by Team Evolution, it was nearly
unbeatable when played correctly and with a proper sideboard. In today's
T1.5 Meta, ATS still proves to be an underestimated force.
***ATS is a very difficult deck to play with, and as such, is not
recommended unless you have a LOT of time to burn playtesting it.***
Here is my ATS decklist.
Angry Tradewind Survival
// Draw
4 Brainstorm
2 Sylvan Library
// Counter
3 Force of Will
2 Mana Leak
2 Confound
// Utility Mana
4 Birds of Paradise
3 Wall of Roots
// Utility
1 Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
1 Monk Idealist
1 Uktabi Orangutan
1 Seedborn Muse
1 Mystic Snake
1 Masticore
1 Elvish Lyrist
1 Spike Weaver
1 Gilded Drake
1 Genesis
1 Anger
2 Quirion Ranger
4 Tradewind Rider
// Combo Engine
1 Squee, Goblin Nabob OR Krovikan Horror
4 Survival of the Fittest
// Land
1 Taiga
2 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath
4 Tropical Island
7 Forest
//Sideboard
2 Xantid Swarm
3 Back to Basics
2 Stifle
2 Tormod's Crypt
3 Choke
3 Chill
Now, you may look at that and say, 'What is that? There's...no point!'
But thats where your wrong. ATS is a 'variable' deck; it adapts to the
situation, locks, and wins. In this case, the win is Masticore over five
turns, but it can be literally anything. ATS uses Genesis and
Survival of the Fittest to create a well of possibilities. Now for the
card analysis.
Taiga: Triggers Anger.
Wooded Foothills: Tutors for land and a good deck thinner.
Windswept Heath: Tutor directly to Taiga.
Tropical Island: Its a dual land....and the deck's two primary colors.
Remember, can be tutored for by fetchlands for an Island or Forest.
Forest: Survival's main way of being used.
Squee Goblin Nabob: Re-usable utility tutor with Survival.
Survival of the Fittest: Duh. The only way to cycle through utility and
create a whenever, whatever well of creatures.
Tradewind Rider: Stalling while your Masticore bites chunks out of your
opponent's life. Kills combos (within reason).
Quirion Ranger: Re-using Tradewind Rider, Rofellos, and another attack
with Masticore.
Anger: Haste'd creatures are nice, especially Birds of Paradise.
Genesis: Bring back the solution to the problem you're faced with. This
deck is dead without Genesis.
Gilded Drake: An answer to Benzo. Recommended, but different choices
based on meta. Rider + Drake Combo later explained.
Spike Weaver: Damage prevention, a prime choice for this deck.
Elvish Lyrist: Goodbye, enchantments. I highly recommened this.
Masticore: The finisher (in my case). I can't see what would be better
to finish with, since you can also just discard utility for Genesis.
Mystic Snake: Counterspell with legs.
Seedborn Muse: Untapping more is always good, and makes Stax have an
aneurysm.
Uktabi Orangutan: No ATS can play without it.
Monk Idealist: Get back your dead Survival.
Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary: More mana is always a good thing.
Birds of Paradise: Mana accel is sparse in T1.5, so these are required.
Wall of Roots: Again, more mana accel.
Confound: Counter a counter...and then draw a card.
Mana Leak: Easier on the mana base.
Force of Will: Counter for (virtually) free.
Brainstorm: Draw.
Sylvan Library: Manipulating the library.
Sideboard: Explained later.
Playing With ATS
ATS has numerous combos and mechanics that you may choose to play. All
of them are equally powerful, and here are the better ones.
Tradewind Rider + Gilded Drake: Bounce the Drake over and over again,
and you steal all of the opponent's creatures. An excellent combo, one
which can easily win the game.
Anger- One thing: ALWAYS PUT ANGER TO THE GRAVE FIRST! Haste is very
important in this deck, almost what keeps it alive. Just take my advice:
first in, better off.
Slyvan Library: Manipulation of your deck is good. Mainly a way to find
Survival and destroy the opponent.
Survival: Make sure you:
a)Tutor for Anger first
b)Make decisions based on the future game, not the board now
c)Dont waste time, and
d)Keep it from being destroyed.
Survival of the Fittest keeps this deck alive. When destroyed, you must
somehow get it back, using any means possible. Idealist is in here just
for that.
Genesis: 2nd tutor. After Anger comes Genesis.
Masticore: Your last needed tutor. The win condition has to be on supply
at any time.
Masticore + Your Hand: Make sure you discard any creatures you have
first. Since Genesis is here, just get them back when you need them.
Squee also works here.
Survival + Squee/Krovikan Horror: He never dies, so just keep killing
him off for a tutor. Horror is the same way.
Sideboard
The sideboard is the part that gives ATS the right to say, 'I'm boss'.
Depending on your meta, the sideboard will change. The sideboard
provided here is a good idea of a semi-competitive meta...and how to
squeeze every drop of life out of it. Every deck has a weakness, you
just have to find it.
In the search for a good sideboard, remember that no deck is invincible.
A card or two can shut down most decks. So search long and hard, and you
will destroy the competition. |
