And.......I'm back!

Hey guys,

So first of all I’d like to apologise for not updating my blog for ages. Basically I’m super lazy and sorry for all those times you’d check for an update and it wasn’t there. I had Cancon, then Hawaii and I started my first full time job (yay!) the day after I got back etc etc. I now understand the time constraints on people who work full time.

Anyway, the Pro Tour is well over now and no Aussies posted any results. Pretty disappointing but at least the holiday was great fun. I’ll probably tell a couple interesting/funny stories about the trip later.

So here are the points changes that you’ve all had ages to think about, over my next few blog entries I'll be going through them:

Protean Hulk (4 to 1)
Flash 4 to 3
Crucible of Worlds (2 to 1)
Worldgorger Dragon (3 to 2)
Price of Progress (1 to 0)
Stoneforge Mystic (0 to 1)
Sylvan Tutor (0 to 1)
Worldly Tutor (0 to 1)
Muddle the Mixture (0 to 1)
Hermit Druid (0 to 1)
Intuition (0 to 1)
Summoner's Pact (0 to 1)
Dread Return (0 to 1)

The thing that stands out most about the changes is that they’ve reintroduced flash-hulk combo which is pretty sweet. Matt Antonello’s already tried it out at a Thursday highlander with mixed results. Still a lot of work to be done on the deck.
So how does Flash-Hulk use its points? Well obviously it must play Hulk and Flash, that’s 4 points leaving 3 to make choices with. Cards to consider are:

Mystical Tutor (2)
Sylvan Tutor (1)
Worldly Tutor (1)
Summoner's Pact (1)
Grim Tutor (1)
Lim dul’s Vault (1)
Intuition (1)
Muddle the Mixture (1)

Having Mystical Tutor + Summoner’s Pact is better than having Vampiric Tutor, so VT is out of the question.

Something interesting to note is that Mystical Tutor was 1 point while Flash-Hulk used to be legal and Merchant Scroll is now 0 points where it used to be 1.

Intuition needs to be played in conjunction with Regrowth and Eternal Witness so it’s too slow.

Good free tutors that the deck could potentially play are:

Rhystic Tutor
Shred Memory
Dimir Infiltrator
Merchant Scroll
Fierce Empath
Fauna Shaman
Eladamri’s Call

Not many really. The deck’s looking quite inconsistent to me at this stage.

Using creature tutors to find Dimir Infiltrator for Flash is too slow. And transmuting for eladamri's call for hulk is too slow. You really want your pointed tutors to be finding both sides of the combo considering that the non-pointed hulk and flash tutors are in equal amounts.
Summoner’s Pact is an exception because it turns Mystical Tutor into a creature tutor.

Following these ideas, you’re left with a choice of Lim-Dul’s Vault + Grim Tutor + a creature tutor Vs Mystical Tutor + Summoner’s Pact. A classic consistency Vs power/speed choice. Up to you which way to go.

I won’t go much further into Flash, that’d ruin the fun. On the surface the deck doesn't have enough tutors, has ordinary mana and would need a lot of work; an adventure at least.

Ok, random PT Honolulu story to round off this entry. This is part one of our most epic night of the trip:
So Isaac, Dan, JP, Tim, Neeman, these 2 awesome bros from Philly, myself and a bunch of other people are chilling out in the outside undercover hostel common area. It’s a nice warm night, approaching twilight, the hostel stereo is playing some great tunes, the resident chef is putting on a feast, everyone’s drinking, good times. Then a hooker walks into the hostel common area through the security gates....
This is not the good type of hooker, she’s bald, unhealthily skinny, missing teeth, in revealing black hooker clothes and has obviously experimented with illicit substances for an extended period of time. Anyway she stalks around the tables grinning absently, intermittently yelling PARRRRTAAAAAYYYYY!!!! between muttering. No one knows how to react, everyone’s frozen not knowing if it’s hilarious or disgusting. She corner’s Justin, one of the Philly brothers and proceeds to give him an unconsented lap-dance, he just takes it in shock. She then creeps over to Tim who is an awkward spot between chairs and the TV. He makes the terrible misplay of not getting the fuck out of there. So she stands over his knees, grabs his prescription glasses from his head which is shaking with disagreement and starts rubbing them on her crutch. Imagine drying your genitals with a towel through your legs, holding one end in front and the other behind your back. The towel is Tim’s glasses.....
Last week Tim had his bike stolen.....
Man, Tim deserves a top 4 at the GP this weekend!

Oh yeah, random underplayed awesome highlander card:
Insidious Dreams!
Can’t believe I haven’t seen someone use this to Erratic Explosion an Emrakul at someone's face yet.

Next highlander blog post coming soon (for realzies!). I'll be talking more Hermit Druid and points.

Luke