The recent Strixhaven Pioneer League was won by Niv on Bant Spirits! I was able to talk with him and ask a few questions about how the season went for him on his way to winning the finals.
First off, congratulations on winning your first League! Why did you select Bant Spirits for your deck this season? What have you played in the past and why didn’t you play that?
My first 2 pioneer leagues I played Mono Black Aggro and did well. Including top 8s, I went 8-5 in games, losing in the finals to Uro the first season, and then in the quarterfinals to Spirits the next. When Uro was banned, I thought I was in the clear to win the following league. However, that one loss my first league was to Spirits, and I would proceed to lose twice to CheeseyPuffey’s UW Spirit deck in that league, stumping me. The next league I tried 4c Omnath, the best deck in that format but the style of the deck didn’t seem right to me. I didn’t top 8.
This league I knew I would choose an aggro deck, and I was worried about playing against Spirits with Mono Black and had never played Mono Red in Pioneer, but Spirits I trusted to be flexible and fight against whatever was thrown at me, because I had lost to it consistently. It seemed only fair to give it a chance in this league, and it obviously performed well.
What was your hardest game or match you played?
I managed to go 6-0 in games and double draw to top 8, so none of my swiss games were too difficult. All 3 of my matches in the top 8 came down to a game 5, and only in the finals was I on the play for that crucial fifth game. In the finals vs Trinket on Mono Green Stompy, game 1 was the decisive game, where a perfect draw and no sideboard cards to worry about let me win on the draw, on turn 4. From there, the play decided the winner, and so I won despite being the lower seed. The games were very intense. He had Aspect of the Hydra every game but luckily never had two.
Similarly, my quarterfinals vs Dredge went to the person on the play games 1, 2, and 4. In game 3, a great hit on the 1 of Drown in Filth destroyed me, and game 5 my opponent whiffed on all his “dredges”, and so I won, anticlimactically. Intense match, but not the hardest.
My hardest matchup was vs UB Control in the semifinals. This match had the exact same results as my quarterfinals match, but it had a very different feel. Despite being on the draw this time, game 1 felt easy and I won on turn 6. Game 2 was grindy and we both got very low, but eventually he was in control. Game 3 I flooded, lost, and now had to win 2 in a row. Game 4 I won somewhat quickly, but game 5 went on forever. I feared a repeat of game 3, but even when I had little to do I had 2 key spells left in hand, Rattlechains and Lofty Denial which would eventually both come in huge and win me the game. However, as key as Denial was, Collected Company also was really important to force a board wipe, and it was easy to sneak in around Sinister Sabotage whenever he had to tap out. I don’t know if Collected Company (Bant Spirits) or Lofty Denial (UW/Mono U) is the better deck.
What changes would you make to your deck in the future? Is there anything new from Adventures in the Forgotten Realms?
There are a lot of things to consider. I choose to play Bant Spirits because when I think of Spirits I think of the snowball, out-of-nowhere deck. However, now taking a step back I realize how disruptive Lofty Denial could have been maindeck in this league, and has been against me in previous leagues. I also didn’t know there was a Simic/Mono Blue version of Spirits, favoring tempo and Curious Obsession over the cards white offers and Collected Company from green. I still don’t think I will choose that version next, but it’s now a consideration.
I also am considering potential different sideboard cards, like Isolate, or Guardian of Faith from the new set, and how to deal with sideboard hate, like Skyreaping. [Editor’s note: Trinket, the final’s opponent for Niv this season, was talking about adding the card to his sideboard to help him beat Spirits]
What do you expect to play in the next season of Pioneer?
I expect to play an aggro deck and very likely Spirits, but I will look at some of the new additions to other options before deciding.
Thanks for answering these questions! Is there anything else you’d like to say?
Go Bucks!
Signups for Pioneer League are currently live on our website here. If you’d like to participate in the coming AFR Season Pioneer League, join our Discord and check out the #pioneer channel. It’s completely free and takes place on Untap.in, a website similar to Cockatrice where you can play any deck for free. You can read more about the League format here.
