Tag Archives: Patrick Chapin

Treasure Cruise and the Definitively Best Deck in Modern

treasure-cruise
Two-time World Championship Finalist Patrick Chapin joins Michael Flores to talk about Treasure Cruise and his utterly dominant Izzet deck from the Modern portion of this year’s World Championship.

“I guess everybody loses to Shahar in the finals of Worlds these days.”
-Patrick Chapin

The most popular question our listeners have been asking us has not been why we didn’t include Gnarled Mass in last week’s discussion of 3/3 for thre mana creatures or to devote all future episodes to Mono-Black Control…

… But to get the RSS feed live!

If you have been desperate for a Top Level Podcast RSS feed, or to set up Top Level Podcast on iTunes, we’ve got you covered.

Patrick and Michael discuss some old cards like Brainstorm and Serra Avenger that didn’t see a lot of Standard play but are played in larger formats today.

A real-life Next Level Deckbuilding fight between our hosts… Team Mike Donais v. Team Alan Comer… Who is the granddaddy of Aggro-Control?

“Bizarrely,” the best deck in Legacy is legal in Modern!

Our own Patrick Chapin “only” finished second in the 2014 World Championship, but he had an absolutely dominating outing in the Modern portion.

This episode of Top Level Podcast focuses on the amazing card Treasure Cruise across multiple formats — Legacy, now Standard, but most importantly Modern. Patrick played the only undefeated deck in this year’s Modern portion.

This is definitively the best deck in Modern right now:

Patrick Chapin’s Izzet Delver

4 Delver of Secrets
4 Gitaxian Probe
1 Mana Leak
1 Remand
4 Serum Visions
1 Snapcaster Mage
2 Spell Snare
3 Thought Scour
4 Treasure Cruise
2 Vapor Snag

1 Izzet Charm
1 Electrolyze

2 Forked Bolt
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Young Pyromancer

1 Arid Mesa
4 Flooded Strand
4 Island
1 Mountain
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Steam Vents
1 Sulfur Falls

sideboard:
2 Dispel
1 Negate
2 Spell Pierce
1 Threads of Disloyalty
1 Izzet Staticaster
2 Blood Moon
1 Bonfire of the Damned
1 Electrickery
1 Harvest Pyre
1 Magma Spray
2 Smash to Smithereens

Treasure Cruise itself was absolutely dominant for Patrick, but he would make some changes to his deck if he played it again. What was his weakest card? His strongest cantrip?

Learn the sweet way you can turn Vapor Snag into “real” removal and against which opponents you should sideboard out Gitaxian Probe.

Patrick and Michael spend most of the podcast on Izzet Delver in Modern but also touch on Gareth Aye’s Standard deck from the Top 8 of Grand Prix San Antonio.

Izzet Aggro by Gareth Aye

3 Treasure Cruise

4 Fated Conflagration
4 Firedrinker Satyr
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
4 Hordeling Outburst
4 Lightning Strike
4 Magma Jet
4 Monastery Swiftspear
2 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
4 Stoke the Flames

4 Bloodstained Mire
2 Island
6 Mountain
1 Polluted Delta
4 Shivan Reef
1 Swiftwater Cliffs
4 Temple of Epiphany
1 Wooded Foothills

sideboard:
3 Disdainful Stroke
3 Negate
2 Keranos, God of Storms
3 Anger of the Gods
3 Chandra, Pyromaster
1 Swiftwater Cliffs

Love Top Level Podcast? Check out the books by our hosts!

Patrick’s Magic: The Gathering Books

Michael’s Magic: The Gathering Books

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You Don’t Want to Utter End a Mantis Rider

Before we get started with Mantis Rider and this week’s episode, some general stuff…

Yes! Patrick has made the Top 4 of the World Championship! More on this at the Mother Ship.

Pretty much everything you have asked for is now up and running. So if you want to follow Top Level Podcast on iTunes or another RSS feed… You can!

We’d love if you’d follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube

Okay! Now onto Mantis Rider…

mantis-rider
Mantis Rider is a leader in the Standard card pool, not only on “rate” but context.

Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour Hall of Famer Patrick Chapin and Michael J Flores discuss some historical 3/3 creatures with haste for three mana; and contextualize Mantis Rider among this pantheon of performers. What gives Mantis Rider such a good “rate”?

What is rate anyway? Our hosts talk about ROI principles in not just deck design, but game design!

Most players can look at a Mantis Rider and realize that it should be an efficient card for its mana cost… But what makes it such a good option contextually? We’ll give you a hint… You don’t want to Utter End a Mantis Rider! … Not only does Mantis Rider ride its own efficiencies, but it can take advantage of inefficiencies elsewhere in the Standard environment to not just perform, but over-perform.

“There are more good cards than you can play in your deck.”

How can you determine what cards you actually should play? Figure out what cards are good to begin with, contextualize how they are positioned in the metagame, and predict the perceptions of others to improve your skills. [How]

A discussion of “Leveling” in deck design, and leveling in general. How do you get to the fabled next level [let alone our own “top” level]?

“You have to metagame against the winners’ circle”.

Finally, Next Level Magic is back! Check out Patrick’s first book, remastered and back in print (along with all of Patrick and Michael’s Magic: The Gathering books) via the links below:

Patrick’s Magic: The Gathering Books

Michael’s Magic: The Gathering Books

Direct Download

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Butcher of the Horde is Overrated! (but still very good)

Butcher of the HordeButcher of the Horde

Pro Tour Champion Patrick Chapin joins Resident Genius Michael J Flores for the second episode of Top Level Podcast!

In this episode the intrepid duo cover a variety of topics, both Butcher of the Horde-related and not-so-Butcher of the Horde-related.

Before you give it a listen, make sure to check out Top Level Podcast on Facebook and Twitter 🙂

In this episode…

  • A style of deck design you might not know about but that has taken down multiple Pro Tours!
  • Why it is important to play your lands in a particular order, and what to do when a card you draw might change your plan
  • The exciting (but ultimately not-ready-for-prime-time) “All-Stars” deck by Tomoharu Saito
  • The realization of Saito’s master plan by former Player of the Year Brad Nelson
  • A discussion of some very good cards that are all relatively similar in power level… How do you pick between Crackling Doom, Hero’s Downfall, Banishing Light, and Utter End?
  • Selecting cards on basis of mana cost versus mana curve
  • The one thing that sets Butcher of the Horde ultimately on top of Sadisi, Brood Tyrant

Top Level Podcast is made possible by standing on the shoulders of giants. Patrick and Michael would like to thank…

  • Kar Yung Tom of ManaDeprived
  • Brian David-Marshall of Top 8 Magic
  • Marshall Sutcliffe of Limited Resources
  • Patrick’s mom (of being Patrick’s mom)

Episode 2: Butcher of the Horde is Overrated! (but still very good)

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Three Cards With Siege Rhino

siegerhino

Siege Rhino might be the best card in Standard



Direct Download

Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour Hall of Fame member and Pro Tour Journey Into Nyx champion Patrick Chapin is joined by Resident Genius Michael J Flores for the first Top Level Podcast!

The first of infinite. Der infinite.

In this episode Patrick and Michael touch a little bit on Patrick’s recent play of Abzan on the Pro Tour and a Grand Prix, plus his preparation for the 2014 World Championships. The focus on this podcast is Abzan decks in Standard, and Siege Rhino in particular.

An extra Abzan “Mono-Green Devotion” deck discussed in this episode:

Abzan Whip

4 Whip of Erebos

4 Ashen Rider
4 Siege Rhino

4 Arbor Colossus
4 Courser of Kruphix
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Satyr Wayfinder
4 See the Unwritten
4 Sylvan Caryatid

4 Forest
4 Llanowar Wastes
1 Plains
4 Sandsteppe Citadel
4 Temple of Malady
2 Temple of Plenty
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Windswept Heath

sideboard
4 Drown in Sorrow
2 Hero’s Downfall
4 Thoughtseize
2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
3 Reclamation Sage

Want to hear more from these guys?

Patrick’s Magic: The Gathering Books

Michael’s Magic: The Gathering Books

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