The day before Waterbury I still had no idea what I was playing. I had several builds of various decks, Uba stax, control slaver, oath, and various deviants, but I decided on a Gifts build. I basically used Brassman, and had 3 empty slots until an hour before the tournament, eventually filled with dresses and a library (15th proxy). My reasoning was that I felt confidant in my ability to play it, and I felt it had a pretty good game against other drain decks that usually seem to flood the meta. The night before the tournament, I agreed to give my friend a ride to the tournament, and although he didn’t do so hot (4-4), for a deck we scrapped together an hour before the tournament that he never play tested, I think he did quite well.
So, without further ado, I present my list:
Game One Gifts
26 Mana
10 Broken Artifacts (moxen, lotus, petal, ring, vault, crypt)
2 Islands
1 SC Island
1 Tolarian Academy
1 LoA
4 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
1 Swamp
2 Underground Sea
2 Volcanic Island
1 Tropical Island
1 Beatstick
1 Darksteel Colossus
5 OMFG TEH BROKEN CARDS!!1!!1one!
1 Tinker
1 Will
1 Burning Wish
1 Recoup
1 Time Walk
14 Draw and Search
3 Gifts Ungiven
3 TFK
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Recall
4 Brainstorm
1 FoF
14 Nos
4 FoW
4 Drain
3 Pithing Needle
2 Duress
1 Rebuild
15 SB
4 Oath of Druids
4 Forbidden Orchard
1 Gaea’s Blessing
1 Akroma, Angel of Wrath
1 Razia, Boros Archangel
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Pyroclasm
1 Coffin Purge
1 REB
Some explanations:
The mana base is pretty self explanatory. I wanted a basic swamp to fetch for against wasteland decks, which was quite useful several times, but usually got boarded out for orchard. I ran one extra mana than I usually did because I wanted library but I didn’t want to compromise my colored mana access.
The colossus and broken cards should require no explanation.
I ran a gifts/tfk split, and was pretty happy with the results. I wouldn’t run more than 3 gifts, but I might cut a tfk if something pops up. The restricted cards don’t require explanation, and brainstorm is just plain good.
I love pithing needle. So very much. It was never a dead draw, and running three was really useful. Its even better when you scout
. Sometimes you just hold it, but theres almost always something to call. Fow and Drain shouldn’t require explanation, and rebuild is just good, especially when attempting to combo off.
Round 1- U/R Fish (forgot his name…)
I actually had a bye this round, but that was due to a computer error. I ended up playing a pretty cool guy wearing some kind of pikachu hat. Game 1 colossus smashed his face in even after he got me to 3, thanks in part to pithing needles naming lavamancer and factory. Game 2 his little men overran me, and I didn’t manage to get oath online. Game 3 a quick oath smashed his face in with a bunch of angels and colossi running around.
Round 2-Uba Stax (Justin)
I sit down and he throws down some first turn shaman, second turn mask. Luckily, I have plenty of basics and tinker in my hand, and get a turn 3 colossus down, which even though he drew like 5 cards off bazaars, he couldn’t stabilize.
Game 2 I got a god draw after a brainstorm, with a second turn oath off an orchard, holding a drain, force, and walk. He attempts to duplicate my oathed up colossus, which I force, next turn I cast time walk and he scoops.
Round 3- Control Slaver (Kyle [whateverworks])
I don’t remember this match too well, but I get a needle down naming welder and tinker up the win. It was a pretty good game, I believe, though.
Game 2 I got a quick oath out, which caught him off guard, I think, based on his reaction. I oath up an angel, and oath another with will in my hand. I end up tendrilsing for a bunch, which seemd to surprise him as well. A good game, however.
Round 4- Some Storm Deck (TPS w/ intuition?)- Seth
This was a very quick match. To summarize, in both matches he got a second/third turn successful intuition, ak into second ak, play like 15 cards, and tendrils me. It was pretty brutal.
Round 5- Sligh (don’t know what his name was)
This is actually the guy my brother played last round, so I knew his deck prior to the match.
Game 1 I scooped after it looked bad so he wouldn’t know too much.
Game 2 I oathed out quickly and dominated.
Game 3 he got triple pup out, but I clasmed his board and oathed up some fat ladies.
This was a quick matchup, so I did some scouting.
Round 6- Tog (don’t recall the name)
Game 1- I get a turn 2 needle down naming tog. Scouting is tech. However, he manages to get a tog down and truthed my needle killing me.
Game 2 I oathed up a baddie and killed him with needle on tog.
Game 3 This was crazy. After some various shenanigans with blue cards, he was pretty low on cards, but would kill me next turn. I had an akroma in my fist with a force, walk, recoup, demonic tutor, and some other stuff. I checked out my mana after drawing a sol ring. He had a truth and the mana to play it thanks to a merchant scroll. I demoniced for a lotus, saced it and hard casted akroma, which he forced, so I used academy to hardcast force. I then time walked and smashed. During my next upkeep he truthed my akroma, a misplay on his part. I replayed akroma and hardcasted recoup into a walk for the win.
Round 7- GAT (Josh, the person who won the tournament)
Game 1 I got a colossus out quickly and smashed his face in.
Game 2 I got a needle naming tog, but his dryad ended up killing me after some brainstorming.
Game 3 I oathed up some lethal angles and killed him.
Round 8- Bat Shit (team batman)
We ID and I check on my friend and brother, and give my house a call. Unfortuantly, my mom said that she was going to take me home at 11. So I would have to drop… However, eventually I managed to get a ride home at 3:30, so I got to stay for t16. This is my first t16 ever.
Top 16- Oath (Jeff)
He seems to be a good guy. I knew he was playing oath from previous scouting, so I knew I had games 2, 3.
Game 1 he oathed up some baddies and killed me.
Game 2 he played a turn two oath. I smile, and drop a orchard and a needle on wasteland. He drops his own orchard, but I cast a time walk and win the orchard war, smashing his face in with various angels and colossi.
Game 3 I demonic for my one copy of oath, and play it with two orchards. I win with a huge yawgmoths win into tendrils. He wished me good luck, and I go to the top 8.
Top 8- GAT (Josh)
I’m actually afraid of this match up. Josh is a really good player, and dryads are a pain to deal with.
Game 1 He gets me down to two with dryad, and I do some desperation brainstorms, a desperation will, which ends up accidentally getting me a full hand, I duress his hand away, and have storm count I can’t use. However, I walk again (first walk was into the will). I gift up some black mana and some more counters, giving me 3 drains in hand with a rebuild and a ton of artifacts on the board. I rebuild into a recoup>wish>tendrils for a lot.
Game 2 I end up playing 3 separate oaths which he deals with, and ends up winning.
Game 3 I should have mulled, but I had an orchard, and if I brainstormed into any mana source I had 3 drains and an oath and some other fun stuff. I brainstorm into… Akroma, RAzia, Colssus. Wtf… Needless to say I lost that one, and I wasn’t very happy about it.
5-8- Foochain (don’t know who)
Game 1 I he beats for a lone piledriver convinced I am playing oath. I tinker into a colossus, but he artifact mutations and beats my skull in.
Game 2 I board in oath, confuse him, and end up smahing him with angels.
Game 3 He overextends and I clasm, but I am at 9. He playes a pair of piledrivers, and unless I drew a lotus I had lost (lotus into recoup, clasm, needle on his b-ring). I didn’t draw lotus.
So I end up walking home with a Library. Not too shabby for my third tournament larger than 10 people…
Props:
Ray, for hosting another awesome tournament.
My friends opponent 7th round running uba stax. He let them play the match hands down because my friend was inexperienced, gave him a ton of tips, bought him pizza and a drink, and was just an awesome guy. I don’t remember his name, but this is the kind of guy we need more of in the world. EDIT: His hame was Ralph, after talking to Dave.
Slops:
Team Batman for playing my friend in 3 consecutive rounds with a deck almost designed to beat his. Seriously, wtf?
