CADIZ UNLIMITED, TOURNAMENT REPORT 28-12-02

[Adeptstremere]

CADIZ UNLIMITED, MASTER TOURNAMENT 28-12-02

Last Saturday I got together with my friends a drove 1hr up to Cadiz (Spain) for a type 1 tournament. There were 32 of us and the level of play was very competitive. I didn’t make it to top 8 but it was quite fun, here’s how it went:

DECK PARFAIT

Main Deck

4 Land Tax
2 Scroll Rack
2 Zuran Orb
3 Swords To Plowshares
4 Orim’s Chant
4 Argivian Find
1 Humility
2 Wrath Of God
2 Story Circle
1 Ivory Mask
1 Ivory Tower
2 Aura Of Silence
1 Seal Of Cleansing
1 Karmic Justice
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Replenish
1 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Soldevi Digger
2 Sacred Mesa
1 Balance

1 Lotus Petal
1 Sol Ring
1 Mox Diamond
1 Mox Pearl
3 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Library Of Alexandria
1 Serra's Sanctum
1 Mountain
12 Plains

Sideboard

2 Light of Day
1 Aura of Silence
2 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Jesters Cap
2 Abeyance
2 Blood Moon
1 Karmic Justice
1 Replenish
1 Moat
1 Humility
1 Grindstone


Worldgorger Dragon 1-1

Game 1: He set up the dragon combo turn 4 but I sealed his Dance of the Dead. He combo’s for a second time but I had Tutored for and played a Mask earlier so he had to fetch Ambassador Laquatus from the graveyard and stop the combo. Pegasus hit the board and swing to seal his doom.

Game 2: Sideboard: 2 Abeyance, 2 Tormod’s crypt, 1 Aura of Silence.
He Dragon’s on turn 2 but I Swords in response. He drops a Force of Will and Strokes for the kill. Short & sweet.

Land Destruction 1-1

Game 1: He gets a good hand and starts destroying my all land. I draw nothing particularly great and can’t get my hands on tax/rack combo or Karmic Justice. The game progresses him destroying land and me taxing until I have no basic land left and 2 wastelands and Library down. I concede regrettably realising later that I could have recycled my lands if I had waited and drawn a Soldevi Digger.

Game 2: Sideboard: 1 Karmic Justice, 2 Blood Moon
Turn 1 and 2 I Wasteland and Stripmine his lands. I set-up tax/rack and chant him two turns straight giving me time to draw big time and set-up my white castle including Karmic Justice. I drop Pegasus and start beating. With 3 minutes left, him at 5 and me at 38 he drops a Mirror Universe and swaps life, I have no Aura’s in play so I’m screwed. I end up with 10 Pegasus in play and still beat him down to 0, dealing the last few points just when they called time. Phew!

Suicide Black 2-0

Game 1: He brings out two early Order of Ebon hand and Hymns me once while I bring out Humility, an Aura and a Rack. Then his mobile phone suddenly rings, he picks it up and starts having a conversation. After he hangs up we carry on playing but his phone rings again, this time he answers quickly after seeing and carries on with the game. He continues to beat with his 1/1s but I now have time to set-up my defence and then bring out Pegasus. To my annoyance his phone rings yet again and this he gets up and goes to the other end of the store to talk!!! Boiling with anger & frustration I desperately search for the Judge but he’s nowhere to be seen! Well my opponent finally returns, lucky for him I’ve calmed down and I beat him down with Pegasus. I should have reported him but I didn’t.

Game 2: Sideboard: 1 Moat, 2 Light of Day, 1 Grindstone.
I mulligan 3 times, ouch! I keep a 4-card hand with 1 land and no tax. He brings out Order of Ebon Hand and starts beating while I manage to draw some lands and drop an Ivory Tower and a Story Circle. He plays Gloom and royally screws me up. I topdeck an Aura and start building up mana but time is called and I’m awarded the win. His fault really and he was lucky that I was foolish enough not to look harder for the judge on game 1.

Turbo Standstill 0-2

Game 1: He sets up a 1st turn standstill and gets card advantage. Turn 4 I make the mistake of casting an Ivory Mask which I didn’t really need, he Mana Drains and brings out a Morphling next turn which seals my fate.

Game 2: Sideboard: 2 Abeyance, 1 Jesters cap, 1 Humility, 1 Replenish, 1 Aura of Silence
I had 3 Chants and 2 Abeyance countered including several other spells. He casts a Morphling late into the game and starts beating. Having worn his hand down and wrathed his Ophidians I manage to get a Replenish through, success!!! Well not quite so because time is called and he is awarded the win, Doh! Never the less we decide to continue the game. He topdecks a Capsize with tons of mana to spare and returns to my hand what he wants while beating me down with the Morphling.


Total Result: 1-2-1
Points Total: 5


Ups:
· Very organized and competitive with many of Spain’s top players.
· Great game vs. Land Destruction.
· Learned a lot playing around very experienced players.
· Karmic Justice.

Downs:

· The store was bloody hard to find and we only just got there in time by chance.
· Jack ass Suicide player with his mobile phone.
· ‘Capsize’
· ‘Gloom’

Conclusion

· Mono Blue kicked my butt severely, due to capsize. Is it worth changing my Orbs for 2 Claws of Gix?
· There’s no excuse for not including 2 Abolish to counter-act Gloom.
· Was my concession against Land D the right choice? I would have probably lost if I carried on and then would not have had time to play the next one.
· Light of Day is auto win against suicide but isn’t it really just an ‘I win more card’? Perhaps I could use its slots for something else more needed in the sideboard?
· I’d like to adjust my deck for this metagame and was thinking along the lines of:

Maindeck
-1 Ivory Mask
-1 Ivory Tower
+1 Replenish
+1 Humility

Sideboard
-1 Grindstone
-1 Humility (moved to maindeck)
-2 Light of Day
+1 Ivory Mask
+1 Planar Birth
+2 Abolish

Any suggestions? In order of the most popular first the metagame is mostly: control, suicide, land destruction, combo, assorted aggro decks.



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[Zherbus]

Moved to the reports forum.

[Grand Inquisitor]

nice report, its always nice to get reports for tournaments outside of the us.

i was curious why you only played 2 games per match, even if it was 1-1.  i realize one match time expired, however, don't they play the first player to get 2 wins?

also, i'm not positive, but i think people are moving towards ring of gix over zuran orb.

who ended up winning the tournament (or at least what deck)?

[Adeptstremere]

Here normal matches are always played 2 games only, at the top 8 we then play best of 3. I thought that was the standard swiss system or is it played differently there?

The winner had a Keeper deck I think. It's difficult to remember because we started playing an extended tournament while they played the finals. They organised Type 1, Type 2 and Extended tournaments all in one day.

I think I'll keep the Claws of Gix in mind and see if there is enough blue decks around to justify the change next time I play.

The next Type 1 is in about 3 weeks I think, I'll probably write another report if I have time.

   

[Grand Inquisitor]

yeah, here (at least anywhere i've played) its first person to get 2 wins (used to be best of 3, but then damn dragon started drawing games like crazy).  and there's also a time limit per round.

keep the reports coming and good luck with claws of gix

[jdl]

If it's sanctioned, rule 111 in the floor rules covers the match structure.  The default is best of 3 games, with the option of best of 5 in the single elimination final rounds.  Draws don't count toward the three game limit.  You just replay them as time allows.

And, as an aside, I'd like to point out that Dragon might be the single most stupid deck ever created.  Wow, I found a 2-card (of 8 cards each) combo and a land.  I guess you lose, or we sit here while I draw game after game.  It takes crazy skill to play that deck. :/

-- Jim