Back in February, I played the Romancing the Stones Middle School Dance Party League with Replenish PandeBurst. I went 2-4 for 33rd place, with one win being the bye. I learned a lot building and playing the deck and I wanted to make sure I documented my thoughts. Luckily I have some notes from the time of the event as well.
The Deck
3 Saproling Burst
3 Pandemonium
4 Replenish
4 Intuition
4 Frantic Search
4 Merchant Scroll
4 Accumulated Knowledge
4 Counterspell
4 Force of Will
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Mystical Tutor
4 Flooded Strand
4 Adarkar Wastes
4 Plains
9 Island
1 Skycloud Expanse
1 City of Traitors
1 Ancient Tomb
Sideboard:
4 Hydroblast
4 Powder Keg
1 Wrath of God
1 Dismantling Blow
2 Seal of Cleansing
1 Mana Short
1 Seal of Removal
1 Swords to Plowshares
This deck was based off a Katsuhiro Mori list from a Japanese Grand Prix in 2000. Make of that what you will, but I'd point out the 1 City of Traitors and 1 Ancient Tomb as reasonable "evidence". The original list got to play Brainstorm and Dual lands, which would vastly improve the deck. I replaced Brainstorm with Accumulated Knowledge since the deck already had 4 Intuition, and I decided to not play the 3rd and 4th colors at all. These were both likely mistakes. One card I also cut was Lilting Refrain, which might actually be good. It was fine in goldfish testing but I didn't play any real games with it.
Not playing the 3rd and 4th colors of mana made the deck too reliant on graveyard shenanigans, and too susceptible to graveyard hate. Postboard games went very long and would have had plenty of time to hard cast enchantments for value or even victory, but I was drawing dead to cards like Tormod's Crypt and Planar Void instead.
Accumulated Knowledge is just unplayable in Middle School in general I think, but especially here in the combo deck. Careful Study with additional combo pieces would probably be better, and I took this idea to the next league with my Dragon combo deck. If you really wanted to play AK, I would look at playing Sunscape Familiar.
Frantic Search along with Ancient Tomb / City of Traitors was surprisingly good, also used in the Dragon deck.. Merchant Scroll was solid, but not amazing. I searched for Frantic Search a surprising amount.
The sideboard is mostly fine. Dismantling Blow is never going to happen, and the weird number to make Intuition work are probably too cute. Better to load up on Seals and Defense Grids I think.
I don't have an updated list because I haven't decide what the 4 color mana base should look like. Maybe just 4 Grand Coliseum and thats it. Also not sure how many of the 2 colorless producing lands you want and which ones. More Ancient Tomb means less likely you want City of Brass, etc.
Notes from my matches (unedited)
R1 - Stasis
couldn't untap any lands with frantic search either game. should have waited out standstill.
0-1
R2 - Jund
Win game one easily but early Planar Void in game two and three lock me out.
0-2
R3 - Green Stompy
Game one I draw a bunch of cards and its all lands. Game two I punt by not casting Wrath of God.
0-3
R4 - Rock with Living Wish
win game one but can't beat Withered Wretch game two or three
0-4
R5 - Bye
1-4
R6 - Squirrel Bombardment
Lose a game to mana screw, win game three on turn three on the play.
2-4
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