Hey everyone, this is Luis.
Took me some time to find this thread, i had just been looking at SCG. Lunar's report seemed pretty much accurate...way too many things had to swing my way to make top 8. I got insanely lucky, but i guess thats how it works. As for James' situation, Ryan was watching him and his opp like a hawk to make sure they couldnt make any sort of deal. They can arrange a split OR one person can concede, but both these events can't happen. So, basically James could have conceded, knowing his opponent wouldnt give him anything for it...i dont think i would concede in that situation either.
Lunar: I had forgotten about that comment i made too, when i said your deck looked easier to beat. Looking back, that was a pretty jackass thing to say, and actually pretty inaccurate. That was back when i wasnt too familiar with type1; CA actually seems like a tough matchup now  . Im glad you were able to look past that initial impression.
I enjoyed this series, and i will be playing in the Legacy series they have planned, as well as any future type 1 events. Im just glad UBA stax wasnt popular till now; after the Lotus tourney me and Brent played a bunch and the matchup is pretty unfavorable to gifts.
Luis

Dave -
Maybe the mindslaver should be in the main, as rack and ruin was a metagame specific choice, but platinum angel mostly went in because I was taking subpar cards out, not because it was that good. Then again, this is the first time I have played this deck, so I think I need to play it more to be more confident in my choices.

Hi all, my name is Luis and I finished 3rd with Trinistax:

Decklist:
4 Trinisphere
4 Smokestack
4 Crucible
4 Tangle Wire
1 Triskelion
1 Sundering Titan
1 Razormane Masticore
1 Memory Jar

4 Goblin Welder
1 Rack and Ruin
1 Fire/Ice

4 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Tinker
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Mystical Tutor

4 Workshop
4 Volcanic Island
4 Wasteland
2 Island
1 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
7 SoLoMoxen
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault

Sideboard
3 Blood Moon
3 Red Elemental Blast
3 Blue Elemental Blast
3 Rack and Ruin
1 Memnarch
1 Mindslaver
1 Platinum Angel

This is a pretty standard build, but UnstableCornbread and I expected a lot of Fish and Workshop, and little combo, hence the maindeck Fire and Rack and Ruin. We also took out the Chalices from the side, as they are mostly for Dragon. This was my first time playing with Workshop, and I was looking forward to it.

Round 1: Kilo, playing pretty much the exact same deck.
I was a little dismayed to play a friend round 1, much less in a mirror match.
Game 1: We both get out crucibles, but he is able to dump more permanents and grind me out with smokestack.
SB: -4 Trinisphere -4 Tangle Wire +3 Blue Blast +3 Rack and Ruin +1 Memnarch +1 Mindslaver
Game 2: I get a removal heavy hand, and rack and ruin + Crucible/wasteland prevent him from playing most of his spells. His one welder as his only permanent causes problems, getting rid of my Memnarch and Smokestack, but my 10 to 1 permanent advantage is too much.
Game 3: More of the same. I draw more removal, blue blasting welder and rack and ruin to cripple his board, as he draws nothing.
I felt pretty lucky to win, as the mirror is pretty random.

Round 2 vs Mono-white
Game 1: My opponent wins the die roll and drops plains+chalice for zero.
I lay trinisphere with workshop, and follow it up with smokestack + crucible, eventually killing with masticore.
SB: -3 tangle wire +1 memnarch +1 mindslaver +1 platinum angel
Game 2: His hate shows up, as serenity + triple abolish allow mystic crusaders to kill me.
Game 3: Turn 1 trinisphere, turn 2 smokestack, turn 3 crucible is a hard lock against him.

Round 3 vs r/u fish
Game 1: He goes first and lays a turn one null rod off sapphire+wasteland. I waste his land, and remind him he can't use sapphire when he tries to tap it next turn. He drops lavamancers and clouds while I drop crucible and smokestack. The board eventually resets to him having just a lavamancer vs my lone crucible. I drop land, go, then land, mox jet, tinker for trike and win at 2 life.
SB: -4 Tangle Wire -1 Mystical Tutor -1 Tinker -1 Rack and Ruin -1 Memory Jar +3 Red Blast + 3 Blue Blast +1 Platinum Angel +1 Memnarch
Game 2: First turn trinisphere prevents him from playing anything but 1 lavamancer.

Round 4 vs Workshop Aggro
Game 1: Crucible/Wasteland and active Welder handles all his permanents.
SB: same as round 1
Game 2: He doesn't side out trinisphere, and plays 3 of them, while I play crucible/wasteland and lock him with his trinispheres.

Round 5 vs 3-color control slaver (AltronDragon on TMD)
Game 1: Crucible/wasteland yet again, along with sundering titan at one point.
SB: -1 mystical -1 tinker -1 razormane +3 red blast
Game 2: He continues to not draw force of will, and I crucible him again, while rack and ruining his platinum angel.

Round 6
ID with RandomMiser

Round 7
ID with Legendofmagic

Top 8:
QuarterFinals vs Sean with Monoblue
Game 1: He goes first, and has mana leak and force of will for my threats, then lays back to basics. I die to 4 ophidians on the board.
SB: -1 mystical -1 tinker -1 trike -1 rack and ruin -1 fire/ice +3 red blasts +1 platinum angel +1 mindslaver.
Game 2: I go emerald, mana vault crucible. He doesnt force, and I lay volcanic, welder, and follow that up with smokestack.
Game 3. He gets a slow start, but lays an energy flux with 2 islands and a pearl, while I just have welder, shop, volcanic and smokestack (0 counters.) During upkeep, I weld in lotus for stack, then lay a trinisphere. During his upkeep, he lets pearl go without floating mana, so I then sack lotus to REB the energy flux. He doesnt lay a land, and loses shortly thereafter.

Semifinals vs RandomMiser with control-slaverish deck
Game 1 and 2 I get subpar draws and get run over by welders, mana drains and isochron scepters. ( 1 set to fire/ice, one set to mana drain.)

3/4 playoff vs tracerbullet with 4cc
Game 1: I drop the lock quickly, and he doesn't have enough countermagic.
SB: -1 mystical -1 tinker -1 trike -1 razormane -1 rack and ruin -1 fire/ice  +3 REB +3 blood moon.
Game 2: About turn 3 he forces a welder or something and I drop lotus+blood moon vs all non-basics and one island. He cant cast anything, and I eventually get out Sundering Titan.

I ended up with the pearl, and had a great time at the tournament.  All my opponents were good sports, and I was happy with how my deck performed ( ie, how often I drew Workshop....)

-Luis