Hello people. First off let me make it clear that I took no notes and at most dreament of winning, but didn't think I would. So this is from my memory only. I will start off with testing phase to draw out this otherwise short report. I just recently moved to CO Springs from GA. Being in the military I had no choice. I was quite upset that just as the East coast was getting into T1 mode with SCG power nines on a regular schedule I was moving away. I then dug into TMD to find players and tourneys. I was contacted shortly after posting which is GREAT. So I found the players and started testing for this store, which was starting to do 10 proxy, tourneys on a bi-monthly basis. I had my original Meandeck oath together from when it 1st came out. So I started testing with that. It blew for me. I would auto scoop to Plat's and one nice techy MD Jester cap. I had been meaning to add cunning wish to over come these. Then seeing the newest tech of dropping SoTN for Hydra I liked it. I also considered the UGB version as I liked it's style, but my friend had that together so I went into searching for my next deck to form a better gauntlet for testing. About that time Ziv's article about playing the best deck came out so I decided my next deck would have Mishra's Workshop (MWS) Since having a land that produced 3 mana can lead to the most Broken things. I played around with that for quite awhile doing ok, but nothing great. I then proceeded to try and find the Meta game to play its best match up deck. I was told it would be Control Slaver (big surprise) and its bad match up was Dragon. So I went for it. FAILED. It just didn't work for me. Try as I might they only countered my business spells and wrecked me. Scrapped. That was the Wed before the tourney and our last scheduled test date. So I was mad and had No idea what to play. I then found Oath of Auriok. Seemed Grand. Instead of oathing up a critter and trying/hoping to swing for 2-3 turns I could oath and Win. Bing bang BOOM. I made my deck after a tourney report but changed it a decent amount. I gold fished it for a bit and it was looking great. I would get oath down with counter back up or turn 1-2 so they would only be safe with FoW. Here is my deck list I ran
4x Force of Will
4x Brainstorm
4x Mana Drain
4x Accumulated Knowledge
3x Intuition
3x Oath of Druids
2x Cunning Wish
2x impulse
2x Auriok Salvagers
2x Pyrite Spell bomb
1x AEther Spell bomb
1x Vampiric Tutor
1x Balance
1x Ancestral Recall
1x Time Walk
1x Fact or fiction
4x Forbidden Orchard
3x Flooded Strand
3x City of Brass
3x Island
1x Plains
1x tundra
1x tropical Island
1x Mana Crypt
1x Mox Sapphire
1x Mox Emerald
1x Mox Jet
1x Mox Ruby
1x Mox Pearl
1x Black Lotus
1x Lions Eye Diamond
Side board
1x Emerald charm
1x Fire/Ice
1x Stifle
1x Brain Freeze
1x Intuition
2x Rack and Ruin
2x Blue Elemental Blast
2x Engineered Explosives
Trans sideboard
1x Akroma AOW
1x Ancient Hydra
1x Gaea's Blessing
1x Iridescent Angel
I would make a few changes based on my games and that I didn't get any testing prior to tourney. Balance was sided out EVERY game and never cast once. Blue elemental blasts were never used either. I would love to MD 1 EE but not sure if I need it. Ok report from Memory
Round 1 Vs Jim (??? on TMD) CS
Game 1- they make some random announcements and Jim says he is playing some janky deck. I believe I won die and start off with nothing great. He does something not broken and we go back and forth for about 30+ mins until he finally gets control and drops Mindslaver and uses it says go I then proceed to trump that by scooping to hold a little mystery.
Game 2 I keep and win semi quickly being as we have about 5isn mins left in round.
Game 3 starts with time expiring with him on his 1st turn. So I now know that either we draw or I win. He mulligan to 4-5 I believe looking for FoW I thought but turns out he was looking for Slaver to make me go and kill myself. I then mully a hand looking for a turn 3 win. I go from 7 to 6 and have Mox, orchard, Fow, Drain, brainstorm, Oath. I keep. I win on my turn 2 or 3 of extra turns. WOOT. Side note he said he was running janky deck because I think he just hates CS overall.
We were last ones to finish and posting are up and waiting soon.
Round 2 Dave/David Stax
Game 1 He wins roll and wins long drawn out game. I don't have much to say about this match or game other then he won and was NOT pleasant to play Vs. He took it in 2 straight if my mind doesn't neglect me. He was nice guy just not my Fav style of opponent.
Game 2 since I spoiled conclusion I will talk about something more interesting. If you look at
http://www.themanadrain.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=21576 There is a lot of aggression between Colorado springs players and Denver players, so being new to area I jumped into middle of it all. We brought up 6 players from springs with 4 into top 8 and 2 into top 4 and 1 into finals (me).
Round 3 Vs Ryan (Springs player) with UGB oath
Game 1 nothing to exciting here. He is newer to T1 and playing a friends deck. I know oath better as I have played it since it came out. I do learn a Valuable lesson in this match that won me (I think) the other mirror I played in top 4. Normally oath decks run Wasteland x3+. That means he owned me in the token war. Also I only need 1 activation of oath to win where they need 2-3 turns after oath to win. I'm not sure if it goes to 3 or not, but I take match.
Game 2 my learning in game 1 had me side like this. -3 orchard. +2 EE's +1 Akroma to kill/stop his. I won and we go to next round
Round 4??? Forgot your name. Playing MUC
Game 1 I feel bad. He wins die roll and mullys down to 4 cards I think? I keep at 7 or maybe down to 6 cause I could afford it in tempo. For him going THAT far down this game goes a LONG time. I draw a ton of cards and no business spells. He drops Powder keg and sets it at 2, which puzzles me since it doesn't hit enchantments. Then about turn 7+ he figures out that if he sets it at 4 he kill Salvager, so next turn he bumps it to 3 and I untap draw and Win. Lucky me.
Game 2- Ok now I am a bit scared seeing as he mullied so low and still managed 1 heck of a fight. Again I was blessed and I think he mullied to 6 and kept ify hand. I believe I had the "nuts" or close to it and win. He was great person one that makes MTG fun. Win or lose.
Round 5 Bob with CS
Game 1 ID into top 8 though he is one of the biggest rivals of the springs though not sure why. They said I should play it out and own him, but I said wait till top 8 when it matters.
Aside note before top 8 ANYONE please feel free to fill in gaps of your matches and post up your thoughts over all.
Top 8
Bob with CS (from rd 5)
Game 1 He wins roll I believe and we play and play until he owns me in the long game. I believe one turn was he drawing about 10+ cards with AK wars and a recall.
Sideboard I side in 1 Rack and 1 Blessing and 1 hydra, for 1 Balance, 1 salvager, 1 intuition. Though I could be wrong on exacts as I changed up SBing each game/match
Game 2- I go 1st and proceed to win without much problem. I think I get a fast start and win before he gets dominating.
Game 3- weirdest game I have I think. He plays land I play Land, Mox, Mox Go. He lays land says Go. I draw lay land tap out to drop Salvagers turn 2. He Counters (drain or Fow not sure) Takes his turn without much craziness (which leads me to think it was Flowed not drained). My turn 3 I lay land and tap out to cast Hydra. No counter. Ok He goes nothing. I untap swing, swing, and swing. He then bounces it I shoot him for 2 I think. I attempt to recast he counters I drain he FoW I counter he drains. So his counter was good, but he's at 1 with 2 mana from mana drain. He draws and burns I win. Close game and weird way to go. Great person Woot Springs I say
Semi's Vs??? Name???? Playing Meandeck oathish
Game 1- He owned me with 1st turn oath with orchard. I take a bit to see his yard and such. He had Akroma, but saw nothing else since he only oathed once even though he could have done more. Interesting to me.
Sideboard-this is the game where I 1st tried my sideing out oaths since I could Rarely drop it and hold it in play.
Game 2- we play back and forth and this game goes long. He drops Ground seal saying ("lets see how you boarded"). Knowing I put in EE's I have answers. That holds up game until I draw EE, which he counters, I then cunning wish? Good. Nice! I get Emerald charm. He looks at it, reads it, and says hmm that’s nice. As it blows his ground seal up. Next turn I hard cast Salvager and win.
Game 3 I am a bit foggy on how I win but I do. Very nerve racking now, as I know prize is close.
FINALS Vs none other then Jim with CS (My 1st rd opponent)
Prize split? What you got in mind? Not sure. I want power. Me too. On to game 1
Game 1- we talk a bit very little since I think we are both kind of nervous. See 1st in NM mox jet and 2nd...a lonely Tropical Island, so Quite the difference in price. He wins roll and starts. I being nervous look at my hand thinking "If I draw this I am ok and if he doesn't counter that I could win" alas play it safe I say knowing I can mully ify's into turn 1 winners. I got to 6 decent but not great. Play continues and he takes game 1. nothing to important other then him countering this and that and taking it in long game.
Side boarding- I always added Blessing Vs CS so they didn't deck me easy with oath. and also usually Blue blasts and hydra's for wielders
Game 2- Pressures on for me 2 in a row. I go 1st and get nutty draw winning without remembering too much. I guess I win semi quick when I don't remember anything of the match. feel free to correct me on ANYTHING you see.
Game 3- The BIG ONE. he goes 1st. Not a quick win for me at all so I am worried since he normally owns me in Long game. I know he ends up with like 4+ tokens when I end up getting oath into play and I am at low life. He takes his turn before oath gets active and starts to scoop saying good game. I see him putting his hand in yard at this point. I think sweet as he doesn't know I have added in other guys aside of Salvager. As I start to pick up board he says show it too me. My pulse jumps up OH KNOW OH KNOW what it I hit hydra and him with another turn and a ton of tokens can win, by saying getting time walk to attack with tokens. So I start to oath Hoping and hoping. Card after card come and I see enough for the combo and want to try and get a "shady" win saying there it is pointing at lotus and spell bomb, but don't want a tainted Vic because I am just not that guy. If he scoops that’s fine but I don't want to lead him into falseness. Soooo after a good deal of cards come out I hit.................
Ancient Hydra. FUDGE. My heart sinks thinking of all his possible outs in his deck. I draw for the turn and being as my decks VERY low in cards hope I don't draw Salvager or hope I do if he has no counter spell. I draw drop land I think and pass turn with EVERYTHING crossed that can be. He draws and sends I think 5ish guys into red zone. Which would be lethal. Only thing I can do is block and shoot guys with fade counters and hope he doesn't do anything else. He doesn't. NOW the scariest part. Knowing I don't have blessing I have 2 new fears during my upkeep. 1) did I side in any other guys. Being pretty nervous I am not sure of my side boarding. 2) What if it's last card in deck and I lose to having no draw. So I then start flipping 3 cards later it's him that D-O-Double G Salvager. I win.
Still a little amazed I pulled it out and brought another big (at least semi) big win for Colorado Springs players. Other one is Ryan C finished top 8 in GP Seattle with Alluren.
Props
Fall-Titan- for not knowing who I was and giving me his "super secret tech against ground seal and the like". He also went to same tourney and played similar deck, which lost, in 1st round of top8 Vs Doomsday.
http://www.classiccardscomics.com/ For having tourney and hope it was good enough to do again.
Everyone else on boards that chatted with me about deck.
All my opponents for being Fun MTG players overall.
Getting Very drunk afterwards to celebrate.
Denny’s for my lunch/supper since everyone else ordered Pizza and I didn't think it would be that popular
Slops
I don't like cutting down people. Only slops is in the article if you can spot it (which you should be able to) then you know it. I just want to say I don't think it's all him just more clashing personalities.
Thanks again and please fill in any blank spots you see. I will try and edit it to make it as accurate as I can.
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