The car of GWS pwnage is totally showing up.  Minus Phil.  So I guess that's just Fisher and me, but we have enough pwnage on reserve to make up for the Phil loss.

The Care Bears will be in attendance as well.  Can we get them involved in the drinking contest?

Damn man, why a picture of me sporting a Stroke of Genius?  Are you trying to make me look awful?

I had just Duressed him turn one seeing FoW, Ancestral, Lotus, REB, two lands on a mull to six.  I had two Flashes and two Pacts in my hand, so I took Ancestral and planned to go off on my third land drop after I Merchant Scrolled for Mystical ->Summoner's Pact.  He had two cards I didn't know (I found out they were REB, Blue Card) when I tried to go off.  I was all but certain that he wouldn't be able to fight through the countermagic. 

I was also quite rattled from our previous match and the fact that he drew Ancestral in five opening hands; he mulliganed one of them -- we only played four games.  Two of the hands had Lotus, and another had Fastbond, Land, Land, Orchard, Oath. Our first game, he had triple counter and Chain of Vapor on turn five (when I tried to go off).  I was on tilt (an upgrade from "rattled") from our previous game, and it might have cost me the game, although he would have still drawn the Reclamation he needed.

In retrospect it is easy to see you're right.  I was trying to prevent him from drawing the blue card he needed for FoW and didn't want to give him another topdeck with five mana open.  I went off on my turn.

@ Pact trigger combing
Absolutely.  It’s amazing to be able to Pact a threatening spell on their turn and still go off next turn after untaping.  The match I lost in the semifinals saw me going off on my upkeep three times (or trying to).  On turn three of the last game, I played Flash with double Pact backup, he triple countered back (REB, REB, FOW).  I still had a Flash to play during my upkeep, but he topdecked (as his only card) Krosan Reclaimation.

@ Chalice for Two
That was a stupid registration error on my part.  I meant to play Chain in the maindeck and Echoing Truth on the board, but I registered two Truths.  I definitely wouldn't endorse being cold to Chalice.

@ Platz
I’m not totally sold on Platinum Angel either, but it was really good for me in the tournament.  The not lose clause is essential with Pact and taking a lot of damage/decking yourself.  I don’t want to play Blessing unless I have to, but I found myself decking often.  Platinum fixes that most easily.  I want to be able to play Oath with Pact backup.

It's been a pleasure to be able to work with you to make this team up from the ground.  I know that each one of us has learned a lot and had a great deal of fun in the process.  This loss rings even deeper for me because we've been through a hell of a lot together while playing this stupid game.  Both of us will surely remember all that we've accomplished and all that we've learned which will set us forth into the "real world."  I want to avoid being sentimental, but I simply cannot.  Best of luck, Eric.  We've been good friends and hope we can remain so.

"Farewell, too little and too lately known,
Whom I began to think and call my own;
For sure our souls were near ally'd; and thine
Cast in the same poetic mold with mine.
One common note on either lyre did strike,
And knaves and fools we both abhorr'd alike:
To the same goal did both our studies drive,
The last set out the soonest did arrive.
Thus Nisus fell upon the slippery place,
While his young friend perform'd and won the race.
O early ripe! to thy abundant store
What could advancing age have added more?"
 
   - John Dryden

Even though I play sno, I really really think I can go.

Team GWS needs some help for this years Waterbury! 
Brian Fisher and I will be coming as the only two representatives of our team from IL/WIS and we’ve run into a problem.  Our flight comes in at 12:00am on Friday night at La Guardia airport in New York.  We need rides both from there to the hotel in Stratford (the Ramada Inn) and back on Monday or somewhere to stay on Friday night.  Our leaving flight is at 6:00am on Monday.  Can anyone help us our or point us in the right direction to find help?  I’ve already looked in shuttle services, and they all close at 11:00pm.  Taxis seem like a terribly expensive mode of transport and likewise with renting a car.  We’d be willing to pay money for gas and some more for anyone who could help us out.

Thanks in advance to anyone who might try to help us.

--Mat Endress

I was really waiting for the section on "SAVAGE."

I really think that, with all your tutoring power, those one-ofs are brilliant.

SACKTAPPPAAAAA!!!!11

The three mana or three bomb plans are defaults.  In other situations it just involves being creative based upon what is in hand.  Maybe Eric has more advice than I do, but I find that if you pull to the front of the deck anything that might be good and then try to find some synergy among three of those cards and your hand, it usually helps me to find exactly what I need.  Don't forget that it can pull three bounce spells against Stax.

It's really straightforward a lot of the time though.  For the how versatile Intuition is, most of the time abusing the versatility is cute rather than good.  Always ask “does this win me the game next turnâ€� and if the answer isn’t “yesâ€� with some confidence then you picked the wrong cards or the deck has used up all the power.

Fisher and I will roll in at some point.

I'll come just to see JD.

Here's the line that everyone's stuck on.

I think we decided that since Mystical Tutor is an instant, it is better, if only for fetching bounce spells against Stax.  Mystical Tutor barely makes the cut.

Yeah, that was me.  They told me not to do it again because I might break the chair.

Eric Becker
At least one more person playing his deck
Another guy from GWS
4 Other people playing decks we've seen before
One of the big names in MWS Aggro not playing MWS Aggro

We've found a winner.  Although I think I like Hold the Cup a little more.

To further Phil's note about the Extract plan making you the beatdown, I tend to like to mulligan pretty agressively postboard with the Extract plan.  If it doesn't have disruption of some sort, an Extract, and/or ways to find both, there is no reason to keep the hand.  Most of the cards desireable in the opening hand are in the deck as four-of's now so there is no reason not to start out with a couple.

I listen to exclusively Godspeed You Black Emperor and Aesop Rock.

We're starting to cover Faulkner in class and I have a HUGE hard-on.

To clarify:

I don't have a purse.  Fisher has the purse.  I just have golden curls.  Just so we're clear and all.

Fixed.

@thread

No one is close yet.

I have green eyes.  Sorry dude.

@this thread

Nobody is every going to get it.  If anyone guesses correctly, I offer a lock of my hair as reward.

This just happened to my friend Phil aka Moxlotus on here with an Ancestral.  It's utter bullshit.

I didn't even vote for myself.  I lolpwned the standings anyway.

Ooooh Oooh ooohh I want to play the Type One popularity contest!

In the order I typed them:
Brian Demars
STEPPPPHHEN MENDENDIANNEINALOLANN (so many insane plays)
Douglas Linn - If not for winning, then for turning me on with his Pro Tour Shuffle*.
Rich "speaks Latin and gives me a hard-on" Shay*
Kevin Cron
J to tha D
Travis Laplate for giving teammate, Brian Fisher, a deck to play every other month
Roland "lol he's asian guyz" Chang
Andy "last name sounds like a soft drink" Probasco
Phil "Play sno but posts infy as Moxlotus" Schmit
VRRRRVRRRVRRRoman
Bob Yu
and fucking Lou too
Jacob Orlove
Dan Carp because even if he doesn't win, he talks really loud

Honorable Mention: Mat Endress for reinventing Oath, being the smartest looking guy ever, and having an unimaginable amount of good sex with startlingly attractive women.

*not gay

There's been a lot of talk about  the mirror and I thought I'd comment a little bit more on it.

Casting Trike seems to be wholly ignored.  Oath mirror matches are often times long and I've won a TON of matches due to a hardcast Trike.

The mulligan is the most important part of the match.  I really have to have some good spells if my lands aren't at least two of the following: Wasteland, Orchard, Tutors, or Crop Rotation.  Crop Rotation is an exception as it usually counts as two in just itself, particularly in the mirror.

Tinker obviously comes in the mirror.  Tinker for Trike happens enough to be worth considering heavily.  Controling Oath is the most important part.

I don't leave in more than one Oath post board.  One is the right amount for the tutors to find if you get a "Orchard, Orchard, Waste, Tutor, I'm awesome guys " hand.

Although it hasn't been mentioned, I think Chalice is really important over Null Rod postboard against dumb stuff like Swords to Plowshares.  Against Stax, the easiest wins consist of Chalice @1 and Tinker.

Thanks.


One quick note:  Since Control Slaver sees a lot less play than it used to, I switched over to Razia and I think Phil agrees with me.  The ability has mattered all of once in testing but Trample hasn't at all.