Brenna's Deck at FNM

-Greg

Last night, I took Brenna's deck to FNM to see how it fairs against the big kids. I don't have the deck with me now, but I'll post the full list later.

Round 1: Adam with Esper.
Game 1: Adam got a Liliana on the board early, and between my removal and his counters, I didn't stand a chance. I had Vengeant and Chandra on the board and more removal in-hand, but I couldn't move fast enough to stop everything. I was surprised to have lost so quickly to what should've been a good matchup for me, but I knew boarding would more than even the odds.
Game 2: I board in four Smash to Smithereens and go on the play. Adam mulligans to five, leaving me with card and tempo advantage that I never lose. Banefire ftw.
Game 3: Same as game 2, I dropped lifelinkers and started steadily climbing while sniping his one and two drops. Who plays a blue deck with no counterspells?
Round: 2-1, Overall 1-0

Round 2: Phil with Turbofog.
Game 1: Not much to say, really. Phil is a good player with this deck, but the patterns you have to play to keep your life up are too obvious. Ping little stuff, drawing out Story Circle ammo, O-ring the Mythos and Howling Mines, and get him within Banefire range before you draw out.
Game 2: I again board in my trusty Smash to Smithereens, along with my hilarious trump card against any mill deck: LICH'S MIRROR. I've hated this card since I saw it, and have been ribbing Brenna about backdrafting it since we got the thing, but I ate my words when she sideboarded it against Turbofog a week ago. It's not the best solution, but it is the funniest solution. Anyway, I blow up his drawer artifacts after he drops them, which ended in awesome card advantage for me. We continue to O-ring O-rings, and I hit him with little things to get him low enough, then I O-ring his Story Circle and blow up Chandra for ten.
Round: 2-0, Overall 2-0

Round 3: CJ with Gay Green
Game1: The tempo of g/w is not to be underestimated, and I'm out fast to Lieges.
Game2: I board in more burn and board sweepers, and things are looking better. I make a misplay, as he attacks with Teeg, and I don't block with Meadowgrain, which makes what would've been a game-winning Banefire just a dead card in my hand. Weaksauce.
Round: 0-, Overall 2-1

Round 4: Sean with 5cc.
Game1: I knew I was toast when I sat down, but I did what I could. Broodmate Dragon with no answers, nothing on the board because of counters.
Game2: Forge-Tender swings for 5 with no response, but as soon as he stabilized his mana base I was a goner.

In conclusion:
This deck performs really well in on-the-ground slugging matches, and Divinity of Pride is a real show-stopper. While it isn't the fastest deck in Standard, the spot and mass removal more than make up for that against RDW, Blightning, or G/W hybrids, allowing you to set up for that big Banefire or double Warhammered Divinity of Pride or Figure of Destiny. I have to say, it's also crazy fun to deal 11 and and gain 33 a turn, which this deck does in almost any long game. Mindstone proved to be a crucial component, accelerating mana and card advantage in different phases. Banefire, as always, is a ridiculous card, as long as you avoid Swerve and Wild Ricochet. At worst, it's a flexible creature remover, and at best it's a win.

5cc is a huge problem, but what deck isn't trounced by it? To be honest, I'm still not even sure how to play against it. Sure, the usual tactic of dropping bombs when they're tapped out is a crucial element, but by the time you get to there, you've already been Cruel Ultimatemed and are staring down the snout of two Broodmate Dragons. I'd like to get up with someone who plays it a lot, and do some extensive testing on how to top it, but those kids are so bored of winning with and playing against it that I hate to even ask. You know what? I'm fucking bored of it, too.