I figured I'd attend another T1 tournament in Hengelo, The Netherlands again the 16th. Recently the organisation changed the setup for this event from a monthly thing with so-so prized (duals and boosters) to a big tournament every 3 months with the intention of handing out power every time.
I've been a regular player and I think the change if for the better. I will still be attending no matter what just because it's one of the few T1 tournaments which is close by.
The top prize for this tourny was a beta Timetwister. 31 people attended which meant 5 rounds with top 8.
On with the show... The last event I played was in Breda and I ran a mono red workshop aggro pile which just didnt work out. But I still had faith in the deck and after some minor tweaks I ran the following.
4x Mishra's Workshop
4x Wasteland
1x Strip Mine
6x Mountain
1x Tolarian Academy
2x Mishra's Factory
1x Black Lotus
1x Mox Emerald
1x Mox Ruby
1x Mox Jet
1x Mox Sapphire
1x Mox Pearl
1x Sol Ring
1x Mana Vault
1x Mana Crypt
4x Goblin Welder
4x Solemn Simulacrum
2x Gorilla Shaman
4x Juggernaut
3x Triskelion
2x Duplicant
2x Arcbound Ravager
4x Sword of Fire and Ice
4x Thorn of Amethyst
3x Sphere of Resistance
1x Trinisphere
//sideboard
3x Mogg Fanatic
3x Orb of Dreams
3x Tormod's Crypt
3x Rack and Ruin
3x Red Elemental Blast
The main is pretty standard for this archtype. Sideboard was a bit weird. I put in the Fanatics just to have another 1 drop against flash (which attended in big numbers in Breda) It didnt matter (only boarded it against Goblins)
The Orb are randomly good but wont make it in next time. The rest is both standard and performed on par.
Round 1 - Cederic playing Belcher.
I know Cederic from previous tournaments both in this venue and others. He always plays Belcher.
I win the dieroll and open a hand which has Lotus, Ruby, Thorn, Shaman and some other things but no lands. Containing Belchers mana is the best way to attack the deck so after some thinking I keep it and drop both jewels, the thorn and the shaman. After some turns it turns out my opening play paid of because he scoops without having played a single spell.
The 2nd game is more of the same. I drop spheres and shamans and attack his manasources. It's over soon after.
1-0
Round 2 - Nico playing some Ugbw fishy thing with Tarmogoyf, Confidants, Meddling Mages and other stuff.
I loose the dieroll. After his start of land go I unload a couple of big creatures over the next few turns. Beats end the game shortly after.
Game 2 I cant get going. I draw allot of manasources and no threads. When I finally do draw something he has a couple of counters and I get beaten by Tarmogoyf and Confidant swinging a Jitte.
Game 3 see game 1
2-0
Round 3 - Zagar playing Platinum oath.
I didnt take oath into account because it's been quite absent in the dutch and hengelo meta for some time. And it shows. Im totally outgunned in this match because my gameplan plays right into his. He gets a Platinum Angel on the board. I eventually swing him into negative life but cant get removal for the angel in time.
Game 2 see game 1... I did draw into Rack and Ruin and have a REB but I need to spend that on a Energy Flux so my RnR gets countered. I could have saved the REB as backup for the RnR but that would mean I loose my entire board with an oath and an orchard on his side.
2-1
Round 4 - Barrie with Rgb Foodchain Goblins
I loose the dieroll again and he drops a lackey on his first turn. Im lucky and draw enough mana to play both a Solemn and a welder. Welder soon dies to a cycled Incinerator and he keeps dropping angry green dudes. By this time his lifetotal has dropped to 3 from crypt and beats. So he plays a Tin Street hooligan to kill his mana crypt. My job then turns into not dying next turn and drawing a Sword of Fire and Ice or a Triskelion. Neither comes and it's over.
Game 2 Im lucky and drop Triskelion and Mogg Fanatic turn 1. Trisk and other big artifacts with a Sword of Fire and Ice go the distance.
Game 3 is quite swingy. I drop dudes, he drops dudes. I do damage, he does damage. I kill creatures and so does he.
I eventually drop him to 8 life with a ravager on the board and a Triskelion in hand. I drop the trisk and have just enough artifacts to sac to the ravager to shoot him for 8 with the Triskelion.
3-1
Round 4 - Ramon playing Belcher.
I'm on of the 9 pointers with the highest resistance at this point and can safely draw into the top 8. My opponent doenst have this luxery. His chances of getting to top 8 when IDing are all dependant of the outcome of the match played next to us. Those 2 were no 9 and 10 in the standings at that point.
My opponent declines the ID and wants to play it out so ensure his top 8 position. But Belcher has a really bad matchup against workshop decks running allot of Spheres/Thorns.
I loose the dieroll again. He unloads into turn 1 Memory Jar and cracks it. But his Jar hand it total crap. He's 1 mana short of playing anything dangerous.
On my turn I drop double Sphere. Things go downhill for my opponent. I end the game with 4 spheres and a Trinisphere in play.
Game 2 he stars with mox, petal into Goblin Welder and Chromatic star. I again drop a Thorn. On his turn he welds his Star just to draw a card. More spheres start popping up on my side and Trisk ends his welder. More beats come down on my side and beat him down while he can't play a single spell.
Afterwards his teammates tell him he had a chance in the first game to win on turn 1 but he apparently missed that.
4-1
At this point I'm the only player with 12 point because everyone else drew into top 8 or managed to get in with fewer points.
The top 8 is:
1x MUD
2x GAT
2x Oath (1 platz, 1 tyrant)
1x Shop aggro (me)
1x SliverFlash
1x Dawn of the Dead
Quarterfinal - Arjan playing GAT
He's been bugging me for a rematch for a beating I gave him some time ago. He hoped we would meet in the finals but me being first and him being 8th spoiled that plan. But he does gets his revenge.
I win the dieroll for a change and have to mull twice. My 5 cards are still crap with only a turn 2 play. But by that time my opponent already has a fastbond, dryad and has gushed. I loose quickly.
Game 2 is the other way around. He apparently keeps a 1 land hand with both a Ponder and a Needle. He misplays and plays Ponder on his first turn. I waste his only land and it takes him forever to draw into more mana. I win shorly after
game 3 is really great. Probably the game I enjoyed the most the entire day. We both get creatures down and beat eachother with it. At one point he has to Scroll for Hurkyl's Recall and I need to build up again. His dryad has grown to 7/7 or thereabout with only 5 life remaining. I attack with both my Juggernaut and my Solemn and he blocks the Jug. I drop another Juggernaut as a blocker because I'm getting low on life myself. The Juggernaut resolved because his hand is empty at this point and is running in topdeck mode. He only has about 2 or 3 cards which could actually save him here. or I will kill him next turn. He rips.... Echoing Truth. He truths my jug and beats down for the win.
So I'm out and get to collect my winnings. I get 4 Future Sight boosters and 5 euro for my effort. The boosters only give me 1 Pact of Negation. The rest is crap as ususaly when I open boosters.
All in all I had a playing the tournament and the deck. The deck performed the way it was supposed to compared to the last time I played it.
The sideboard was crap but that's what happens if you enter an unknown meta due to allowing 5 proxies this time.
Next time the Orbs and the fanatics are out.
