Columbus Ohio 2.7.04 report

[raye]

So a couple of the guys from Chicago tell me they are going to Columbus for the tourney earlier in the week and I that means I'm going. Usually I would drive (well I wouldn't go all the way to Ohio) but I messed up my car in the snow a while back. So me and 2 other guys and one guy's wife head off in the middle of the night toward Ohio.

So the car burns through a fill up of coolant every 2 - 3 hours of driving but we get there and greet Steve Menendian then get soon it is time to play.

I am playing TNT. The decklist is on a link from one of the other posts.

Round 1 - Cliff with Dragon

I lose the roll and he lays some non-basics and gets some creatures into the grave. I get a second turn and drop a Blood Moon. That wins me game 1. Game 2 I side in 9 cards (3 Chalice, 3 Naturalize, 3 Tormod's). I see 2 Chalices in opening hand and set them to 2 and 3.

Round 2 - Shawn w/ Mono U phid

I drop some quick fat and they win in Game 1. Game 2 was much more interesting. I side in Naturalize and Pyroblast (and this is run over REB because of the synergy with Workshop: Kaja!) but the Naturalizes go in because I think he is running U/R and might keep the Blood Moons in his deck. I think this because I'm a bad Magic player. He goes Control Magic on my first Jugg and I think no problem: I have Jugg 2 and Naturalize. Naturalize meets counterspell and he swings for 5. I drop Jugg 2 and he plays another Control Magic. His next turn he swings for 10. I can't remember how I got rid of his 2 Juggs but they go away and we are in topdeck mode. He plays B2B leaving me with 2 mana sources with one being a mox. He then plays Energy Flux to kill my Mox. I draw a shop and a Stripmine and have Karn and Trisk and decide to go for the glory because one swing will win by casting Karn. Then I realize I can't pay the upkeep but he Drains my Karn and dies to burn. We argue over who is a worse player.

Round 3 - Jason with Hulk

I lose the die roll and then drop a quick Blood Moon. It wins the game quickly. Game 2 he gets a Islands. I beat him down to 3 with a Goblin or a Elf but then Hulk does its thing. Game 3 is more of the same. I think this was the weird hand I kept. I had 2 mox and a Wheel and that was it. If that was Forced I was dead in the water but that was the only time I cast Wheel today and I guess it worked... I beat him down to 5 then Hulk does its thing. If I saw one Pyroblast in any of the games I don't think I would have lost. Notice a lack of synergy...

Round 4 - Travis Hopkins with Supergro (I hope that's the deck name: I've played him with that deck so many times but neglected to ask for the name)

I resolve a Welder but he has farmlust. I resolve a Jugg but he aspired to pull a plow. I drop more fat and Seal of Cleansing. This must have been where Blood Moon worked over all those non-basics and artifact fat swings to win. And all through the game I thought I had him with the second Jugg... always a challenge playing Travis. During this game I throw every bad joke and horrible pun I can at Travis because I think I'm funny. Game 2 I resolve some goblins and elves. One goes to grow corn and so does a Su-chi. The 1/1s go all the way. Travis didn't like losing to 1/1s but I win with them so often I no longer think it is sad.

Round 5 - Drew into T8.

T8 - Stephen Menendian w/ that draw 7 deck.

I know Steve is playing some kind of storm deck so I know my only way to win is a Pillar. I think I win this die roll and mulligan the first hand after seeing no Pillar. I have a Pillar second hand but no mox to drop it so land and then maybe goblin or elf and pass turn. Steve didn't win first turn and I get a second turn. I drop Pillar and Steve gets a 'OH CRAP' look on his face. I think some of this is on video even.  Game 2 I think he Desired for about 7 then proceeded to storm me silly. I had a 2 Chalice hand and though I was all set. I even had a Pillar and Chalices at 0 and 1 but Hurkley's and Chain of Vapors took care of those. Game 3 was rather insane. I had a second turn Pillar hand but because I am a bad player I drop a wasteland first instead of a Taiga. It gets Draw 7ed away with Diminishing Returns and Steve loses a bunch of goodies. He drops a bunch of moxes and I get a turn. I wind up with a monkey and a Sol ring so I blow up his 2 on color moxen. I eat a Hurkley's but my next turn I nail his last moxen. At some point I waste a City (I should have wasted a Gemstone) and he resolves Bargain and I drop a Chalice for 1 instead of 0 because I see so many moxen in the grave and removed. Steve then plays return again and is very happy with what is removed then he plays every other 0cc mana source in his deck, drops fastbond and draws half the remaining cards. With every card he looks like he is about to go off and its is a pretty long turn but he eventually stalls. What I learned from this game: Steve never takes Mana Crypt damage! That card just loves him.

T4 - JP with Hulk

I resolve a quick Jar and then drop a few threats. Some get through and others don't but I am just stalling to build up my mana base. I eventually pop the Jar and play a Jugg which gets Forced. I then play my I WIN card Blood Moon after baiting the Force but it gets FORCED! GRRR! I still get some beats in but he does some Hulk stuff and deeds for 4 with no mana to spare to take out my Jugg. Game 2 was similar. JP gets beat to 4 but then does the Hulk thing and I lose. I then proceed to be a dork and ask JP to sign a card but I forget he was Stacker 2 guy. He signs my welder: so cool.

So I had a blast playing in Columbus but at this point I have not eaten all day and look forward to a 6 hour drive home so off we go.

Mandatoryish Props/Slops

Props/
-TnT for being so resilient I didn't autolose to my mistakes (I +wheel, +wasteland, -Monolith, -Squee from my usual build)
-All the players for being a blast to play with
-Steve for signing my Will and JP for my Welder but slops to me for not bringing a Prison card for Kevin to sign
-That cute skater girl for being within my field of vision so often

Slops/
-The car for eating all the coolant every 2 hours and having a smoking engine and a windows I could not see out of and a vibrating steering wheel and no cupholders and on and on and on
-My teammates for bitching about losing all day

Six hours to Columbus is not bad but doing it without sleep the night before and back the same day is brutal but oh look the next tourney is already announced. Hmmm...

[Tha Gunslinga]

Good job!  Just a quick question, though:

I drop a Chalice for 1 instead of 0 because I see so many moxen in the grave and removed. Steve then plays return again and is very happy with what is removed then he plays every other 0cc mana source in his deck, drops fastbond

Am I missing something here?

[Itinerant Swordsman]

A most enjoyable read, Frankson.  Congratulations on your splendid performance.

Quick question.  What decks were present in the field?

[Smmenen]

Holy shit.  Are you telling me that you played Chalice for 1 AFTER I resolved Bargain and I didn't draw to find Force of Will.  That's can't be right.  I'm pretty sure that Chalice hit first.   Anyway, our game three was insane.

I manage to resolve Bargain right after Chalice for 1 and I go for it.  Fastbond is in play and I am extremely calculating at this point.  I try to get all my non city of brass lands into play and I conceive a plan.  My Bargain revealed too many 1 cc spells like Rituals, Chains, and Mana Vault and I have to balance that use of life with my life i need for Fastbond.  Anyway, figure out precisely what i need to do.  I have 4 moxen and a Lotus in my GY and Mana Crypt.  I have Lotus Petal and all my non-city of brass lands in play including academy.  I decide to tap gemstone, gemstone, lotus petal, and city taking me to 2 life and play Diminishing Returns leaving only untapped an Academy with NO artifacts in play.

This plan should have worked since my library had NO land almost and was only about 30 cards or less at this point.  My returns removed 2 of the remaining 3 cities of brass from my deck and I drew a hand of: City of Brass, Wheel of Fortune, Lion's Eye Diamond, Mox Pearl, Force of Will, Force of Will and I think another Returns.  How unlucky.  Anyway, since I'm at two life I draw one more card.  Its sol ring, but I'm under his damned Chalice for 1.  If I could resolve that Sol Ring I'd cast Returns and respond by saccing LED for Black and presumably have an excellent chance at winning.  Oh well.  Great game frankson.

Steve

[raye]

Itinerant Swordsman: Check out this thread for more info about the tourney. http://www.themanadrain.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15069

Tha Gunslinga: Oh don't mind the order of the spells and stuff. It was a crazy game and I'm sure the Fastbond was in play when Chalice was in play. I just don't remember the order of much of it anymore since there was so much going on. And dude you are from Mil. WI right? Have you been down to Chicago for the CrazyCons? If not: why not you bum! :]

Smmenen: Don't pay too much attention to the order of the spells and such. I'm sure its all wrong because I can't remember all of it. That was for sure one the the more entertaining games I have ever played.

[ump]

Congratulations on the good finish.  I see you returned to TnT that has done so well for you in the past (at the local tournaments in Chicago).  I have a few questions about your current decklist though.

Only 2 Sui-Chi?  I understand the fear of mana burn, but shouldn't this be four.  A first-turn fat creature is the deck's primary win condition.  Also, since speed is important, have you considered Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Grim Monolith, or Ancient Tomb?

Quirion Ranger - I know this protects some of your lands, but couldn't this slot open up room for the Sui-Chi mentioned earlier?  If they are spending time wasting your land, then they are not dealing with your threats.

Gorilla Shaman - I know this helped you against Smmemen, but doesn't it serve the same role as Karn?  This might be the second slot of Sui-Chi in my opinion.

Darksteel Colossus vs. Platinum Angel - Has the Colossus worked out better for you?  It seems the angel is castable while you need the Survival for the Colossus.  I can't think of a situation where the colossus is clearly better than the angel.

[greedo]

Congratulations on the finish Frankson.  TNT seems like its been good to you.

How was the Elf Replica?  I liked him myself but I have not tried one out yet.

Any chance of you guys driving to Toronto on the 21st?

[raye]

Ump: Thanks. Hope to see you back on the scene soon!

In response to your questions: I an not concerned about the mana burn but rather I decided the other threats were more useful to help me win. That is, Blood Moons and Pillars are more useful than another 4/4. Speed is great but I can't win quick enough versus some decks with 4/4s. I need to disrupt Storm decks and Dragon and even Hulk to win. First turn fat is nice but I almost never get to ride it to victory. I don't like Crypt but it is up for consideration. All too often I am in topdeck mode against control going for 1/1 beats and Crypt is just not worth it with 6 ways to remove it (4 of which are killed on sight, well 5 of them most of the time unless I am winning).  The story is the same with Vault. I removed the Monolith for a wasteland - I am not sure it is the right move. Cutting some Trees for Tombs might be something I will try in the future.

Ranger is not there to protect Trees. It untaps Welders and Colossus mainly. I might cut it since I do not intent to run Colossus anymore in favor of Sundering Titan or Platinum Angel.

Shaman is run in addition to Karn because of the low CC and because it can hit non 0cc artifacts.

I am actually deciding between Plat. Angel, Sundering Titan and Phyrexian Colossus.


Greedo: The Elf Replica did not factor into any of the games this tourney. I have not used him enough to decide if he is better than the elf he replaced.

I plan on hitting To on the 21st: even have vacation scheduled. I do not know if anyone else will be but I currently think that is a no.

[frimble]

Great to see you do so well in such a competitive event.  I ALWAYS enjoy our games, Frankson!  And no matter what anyone else says, you are funny.
And yes, it is a version of Supergro, but The Ferret called it an "Odyssey Treat" after Worlds last year  

Hope to see you again soon at another tournament.

Travis

[jpmeyer]

Sundering Titan and Duplicant are extremely important at helping the Tog matchup.