Top 8 in Tewksbury for a Ruby

So, I didn't win, but I top 8ed for the first time, and the top 4 split, so there was no real "winner" to do a report, so i figured, I'd give this a shot.

I was quite nervous coming into this tournament. College had kept me away from magic in general, nevermind the Monday night vintage, which really is the best practice around.

The list was a variation of the one I played at the previous Tewksbury tournament. Here's the list

Tough Shit Tezzeret
by team tough shit

Land 14
3 Underground Sea
2 Volcanic Island
2 Island
3 Polluted Delta
3 Flooded Strand
1 Tolarian Academy

Artifacts 11
5 Mox
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Black Lotus
1 Senseis Top
1 Time Vault
1 Voltaic Key

Sorceries 9
1 Time Walk
1 Yawgmoths Will
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Tinker
3 Duress
1 Ponder

Instants 20
4 Forces
4 Drains
1 Vampirirc Tutor
1 Impulse
1 Repeal
1 Echoing Truth
1 Fact or fiction
1 Ancestral recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Mystical tutor
1 Hurkyls Recall
1 Fire/Ice
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Misdirection

Creatures 5
4 Dark Confidant
1 Sphinx f the Steel Wind

1 Planeswalker
Tezz

Side
2 Remora
2 REB
1 Pyroblast
1 Fire/Ice
1 Darkblast
2 Rack and Ruin
1 Pyroclasm
2 Tormdos Crypt
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Pithing Needle
1 Yixlid Jailer

I guess its a lot like the build that Eastman and his crew run....

Round 1 vs Sam Best w/ Tezz
Game 1 is a quick win for me
Game 2 I played HORRIBLY for the 1st 3 turns, and although I play very well later on, its too little too late
Game 3 Sam starts off with a very strong hand, but i am able to fight him off and set up a tinker to win

Round 2 vs Kyle w/ Goblins (RBG)
game 1 he wins the roll and plays a turn 1 piledriver. Shit. Luckily, he gets a little mana screwed, and i am able to fight off his threats for what seems like an etternity until i find tinker for sphinx
Game 2 he leads off very strong, but I do too, with a quick vault and tinker for key

Round 3 vs Travis with "You lose.deck"
Game 1 he wins the roll and turn 1s a metalworker. Knowing what about to happen, i decide to duress him, to get the artifacts out of his hand, instead of leaving the drain mana open. Bad idea. The duress whiffs, as all of his artifacts are dudes. I lose quickly.
Game 2 I mull to 5, and keep a shitty hand. I play a mox emerald, top and say go. He opnes with a thorn and sphere turn 1. Shit. I use top to see land, tolarian and tinker. Hmm, maybe i can squeak out of this one with a win..... Nope, travis plays another sphere on his turn, followed by a wasteland. I die to a Trike

Round 4 vs GI w/ Tezz
Game 1 I have a great plan. I forgwt the details, but i remember, that i was expecteing my ancestral to get countered, and i would be fine. so i shoot off ancestral, only to have it get misdirected. That sums up game 1
Game 2 was a bit more of a game. It comes down to a counter war, leaving us with empty hands. He takes a timewalk turn, and rips a win.

Round 5 vs Mike/ tezz
Game 1 All i remember was that i was very proud of how well i played, and it ended with my tinkering in a sphinx.
game 2 I open with land, sol ring, vault, key, force, blue card, and something that doesn't matter. I win turn 2

So, at 3 and 2 i sneak into 7th place.

Top 8 vs Jesse w/ TPS
Jesse and I drove together, so i know he's playing TPS. I also know he's very good with it.
Game 1 is very fun. I'm much more comfortable playing with someone i know, so i'm able to have a lot of fun. Jesse tries to go off after i land a sphinx and swing (puttin gmy life to 23). Luckily, i'mm able to botleneck his mana, and his storm fizzles and i win
Game 2 (enter nervousness) Here, i realize all i need to do is win one more game and i go to top 4. I get very excited and put myself on tilt. Mr. TPS shoots off a last resort minds desire for 3, and finds ritual, necro and tinker. All of the sudden, he starts keeping track of storm. Jesse plays his balls off and wins quickly, without me able to do anything, deswpite my amazing hand, which would have sealed the deal next turn
Game 3 We keep stopping each other, until i land a remora with a shit ton of mana open. Jesse then does some stuff and tries to go for it, but i keep him at bay with countermagic. Next turn, he goes for it again, but his luck ran out with tha previous miracle minds desire, and he fizzles. He then goes for it a 3rd time. He gets to storm 7 before i realize i haven't been drawing of my remora for the past 3 turns. I literally handed him the top 4 spot. He definitly played his balls off for it. So i ended the day with $15 in credit, which i used to buy a Sea.

Props:
Batters Up games for running a VERY smooth tournament, with FANTASTIC prize support, despite ther being only 18 players
Demonic Attuorney for playing Dragon
Nefarious, Tool, and Jesse for making the car trip anything but boring
Mike Shag for helping me test/build the deck (Team Tought Shit, son!!!)

Slops:
My own ignorance

yeah, i'm done