Between the huge hype over this event mostly driven by Demonic Attorney on
this epic Tournament Announcement thread and the prospect of many old faces coming out of retirement for this event, I had to make a showing. Also while never striving for foils, ever since my first Control Slaver game I have secretly pined after foil welders. I piloted Tezzeret, and the list is fairly cut and dry, albeit updated a tad in anticipation of Oath, Dredge, and Welders being on the uptake.
The List:
// Lands
3 Underground Sea
4 Polluted Delta
1 Swamp
2 Island
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Tolarian Academy
// Creatures
1 Sower of Temptation
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
4 Dark Confidant
// Spells
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Tinker
1 Pithing Needle
1 Time Vault
1 Voltaic Key
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Vault
1 Sensei's Divining Top
2 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Time Walk
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Lotus Petal
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Ponder
1 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Mox Ruby
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Emerald
4 Repeal
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Vampiric Tutor
4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
// Sideboard
SB: 3 Hurkyl's Recall
SB: 1 Yixlid Jailer
SB: 1 Darkblast
SB: 3 Pithing Needle
SB: 1 The Abyss
SB: 1 Ravenous Trap
SB: 3 Mystic Remora
SB: 2 Mindbreak Trap
Brief comments on the deck.
In testing of ELD's bob-less version of Tezz, the one card I found to be flipping amazing was
repeal. I've previously run high-repeal count in mono blue, Tyrant Blue, and Shaymora, but never felt that it was as pivotal and amazing as it currently is, with all competitive decks running either Null Rod, Dark Confidant, Goblin Welder, or Time Vault.
A maindeck
Sower of Temptation was brought in for the same reasons but in addition it was a better answer to Sphinx of the Steel Wind and shored up some of Tezzeret's glaring weaknesses to Null Rod Fish.
Dark Confidant has been standard-fare for Tezz, but briefly I feel that while it is an inferior draw engine to Skeletal Scrying, it provides both a clock against control and protection against annoying fish, both of which place it in a superior position above Skeletal Scrying.
Last Maindeck spot was a Pithing Needle, which is there mostly for bazaars or wastes, and is a low mana answer to Time Vault Key.
Round 1: Chris who's last name alludes me playing Combo Elves
Amid shuffling he shows me a forest on the bottom of his deck, which could either be dangerous aggro or combo elves, you can never tell with the new fetches. I lose the die roll.
Game 1: I keep a hand with 4 mana sources, 2x repeal, Force. He lays a wirewood symbiote, Black Lotus, Passes. Which is odd, but I presume he will go for the sauce next turn. I lay down mana and pass. He plays a skullclamp which I force, he attacks and passes. Again I lay down mana, but have mana drain online. He plays Glimpse of Nature, which I drain, he plays glimpse of Nature #2, which resolves, but he manages to draw non-elves in three creature draws and transforms into creature-beats for 4 a turn, which gives me time to combo out.
I side in Darkblast, The Abyss, and 2x Mindbreak Traps.
Game 2: I see none of my combo pieces, but halt his combo by forcing a Skullclamp. He had summoner's pact'd the previous turn and one of his four mana was a mox emerald, and he has lethal on the board for next turn, but I find a repeal for his mox emerald. I set up for a mana drain incase of a second Summoner's pact in his hand for a ESG, but he doesn't have it anyhow and he dies to the trigger.
Round 2: Chris Dirico playing WUB Fish
Chris seems a bit curt and bitter while we're bantering in our opener, which insinuates Fish or Shops. I lose the die roll.
Game 1: I keep an opener of turn 1 bob, or active library. I opt for active library. I get 1 draw off it before it gets wastelanded, and on the same turn a Null Rod comes down. Oh well, I'll just play bob next turn. I play my 2nd land, an underground sea, and pass. He thoughtseize's my Bob and wasteland's my Underground Sea. This is not going well. I play draw-discard-go for 9 turns without a single mana source and scoop it up. In the process I see opposing Bobs, stifles, and Jotun Grunts.
I side in Darkblast, The Abyss, x2 Pithing Needle.
Game 2: I keep a weaker opening hand of turn 2 Bob off two nonbasics, but with force backer. More mana is good against Fish, so I opt for it. I plant land-go. He played Mox Sapphire, Jet, Pearl, Dark Confidant, which I force, he forces back, and casts Ancestral Recall with his last card. Nice. Hand. He draws a land & thoughtseize for my Bob. Great. I play land-go and he proceeds to draw wastes and forces off Bob while I draw no more mana sources, and end the game with zero mana in play. Well that was demoralizing.
Round 3: Mispaired with Chris, who would have been my third Chris match in a row, but the correct pairings are Blane, who often plays crazy Tier 2 decks, but with competence. Assuredly not to be underestimated. He's playing IonOath. I lose the die roll.
Game 1: He thoughtseizes my hand of turn 2 Drain, turn 1 Bob, 2x Repeal and takes the Mana Drain. Intriguing. I'm fully expecting to never have Bob see one of my own Upkeeps alive, but I throw him out there. I should have known, he drops an Oath of Druids, however I am a lucksack and ripped a Force of Will in the one draw I was given. and stop that handily. At this point Bob just gives me more drains and more forces, and He cannot race the bob advantage.
I side in 3x Mystic Remora, 2x Mindbreak Trap.
Game 2: I lay down an early Remora, but he has a near endless supply of lands to plant while I'm scrambling for mana sources. I have to let remora die on a turn where I'm going to stick a fresh one, and he impulses and fights with the remora down, but it sticks. He tries to push through an oath now that I have an ample supply of mana for my fresh Remora, but remora feeds me the topdeck counters I need to seal the deal.
Round 4: The Jeff playing 5c Staxx. I lose the die roll.
Game 1: He lands an early sphere, which holds me back enough for him to lay a Tanglewire, which enables him to freely cast his Smokestack followed by a Crucible. Well that's all she wrote on that one.
I side in 3x Pithing Needle, 3x Hurkyl's Recall, 1x Darkblast, 1x The Abyss (By accident)
Game 2: I see none of my hate, but I have a turn 2 Time Vault-Key combo. I'll take it, and I do.
I won so quickly I don't double check my side-ins to realize I have The Abyss in my deck.
Game 3: We have an interesting game of me turn 2 Tinkering for Sphinx of the Steel Wind, but him having Crucible - Waste lock and active welder with Tanglewire while I have 2-3 permanents. I finally am able to rip an underground to darkblast his Welder and in turns finish him with Sphinx barely. A close game and well played.
After the game I realize the Abyss is in there instead of a relevant card, and thank my stars I didn't have The Abyss in my hand at the opportune time instead of Darkblast.
Round 5: I take a risky draw with Ben Kowal as I have the second to worst breakers. I greatly dislike playing against Kowal, as i have a spotted record against him, and all of my mind-trickery doesn't work against him as he is psychotic and essentially immune. Also if we draw here, we will likely be in opposing brackets of the Top 8, which is fine with me.
I make it into Top 8.
Top 8:
Travis Leplante El Chupacabra playing 5c Staxx with Master Transmuter. I lose the die roll.
Game 1: I don't recall this game well, but get an early Sphinx down and win a turn earlier due to his ancient tomb & City of Brass doing him 6 damage.
I side in 3x Hurkyl's, 3x Pithing Needle, Darkblast
Game 2: I keep a hand of 2x Moxen, Tolarian with other lands, Bob, Force, Bluecard. He lays a turn 1 Sphere with tons of mana. I lay down my moxen and pass. He plays Helm of Obedience, which I realize while reading it copiously is not simply a leyline-enabled combo, but grabs a creature. It resolves, as I have a needle off my draw, and figure I'll let him waste mana until I eventually needle it or a welder. He lays a wasteland, and I lay mana and a Dark Confidant. He kills my underground, which I am thankful for as I have Tolarian & Tezzeret in my hand, with just 1 mana short that turn to cast him. He Helms me for 3. I had misread the card and thought you reveal 3 and a creature in it goes into play for him, the rest are put to the graveyard, but you instead are supposed to reveal one at a time. Hilariously Sphinx of Steel Wind is the second card, so Travis gets a free Sphinx, but I call a judge on myself about me seeing the third card. I have a darkblast in the graveyard, so I could manipulate my next draw. The judge gives me a warning, and we shuffle away the would-be game winning Hurkyl's recall. Instead I draw Voltaic Key, and with tolarian gives me exactly enough mana to tutor time vault and go infinite, and I have darkblast in the grave to kill my own Bob to avoid any possible suicide-mid-infinite-turns.
Top 4: Sam Best playing Combo Tezz. Rituals-Warrens-Tezz oh my. I lose the die roll.
Game 1: He Mulls. I see Brainstorm, Brainstorm, Force, Sol Ring, Tolarian, Mox Jet, Sensei's Divining Top, which is solid. he plays land-mox-mox-go, I draw Tezzeret. I play my artifacts and sit tolarian feigning drain. He casts an EOT Thirst for Knowledge. I brainstorm seeing Tinker, Drain, Voltaic Key, I put back Force, then Tinker. and Drain his TFK with my 2 remaining blue. He plays Duress on his turn, taking my Tezzeret, but I have the Tinker with Voltaic Key on my turn for the game.
I side in 3x Remora, 2x Mindbreak Trap
Game 2: I keep a remora hand with Voltaic Key & Sensei's Divining Top. I land mana while drawing extra off Top & Key while he is unable to advance under remora. I play a new remora, a counter ensues that I win, and the card advantage of top-key takes it home.
Finals: Kowal playing G/W Aggro with NullRod. I lose the die roll.
Game 1: I keep a highly mana accelerated hand of Artifacts, Bob and no force, which is risky against a spirit guide fueled turn 1 Null Rod type deck. He doesn't have the null rod though, and I manage to keep him off a Kataki with Repeal. He telegraphs an Aven Mindcensor so I hold back with Dark Confidant. He plays the Bird eot and I let it resolve as I have drawn Sower of Temptation. I counter his Kataki and on my turn begin accumulating for a mini Tendrils. I Sower his Aven Mindcensor and he asks a judge to confirm that I have a maindeck'd Sower of Temptation off my decklist. We continue playing while it is confirmed as the penalty is a gameloss regardless. I beat down for two turns with 4 damage of fliers, and the Aven Mindcensor being on the other side fizzles one of his fetches. I draw enough accelerates to tendrils him for 5 and that's game 1.
I side in Darkblast, The Abyss, 1x Hurykl's Recall
Kowal pile-shuffles and counts my deck to 60 at the beginning of this match when I present. What a punk!
Game 2: I keep a bold hand of Turn 1 Tinker with no backer. He plays land-go. I play tinker for my Robot, and they promptly get swords to plowshare'd. Fiddles. He then lays down Null Rod backed with wastes, and a Enlightened tutor's for Choke to essentially lock me out of the game. I flounder a bit with Darkblasts off lotus-petal'd Underground Seas, but he has more dudes than I have Undergrounds and I succumb to the beats.
Game 3: I keep a hand of turn 1 Tinker for Sphinx again with no backer, but I have basic lands and a Bob as a solid plan B. Unfortunately for Kowal, he mulls to 5 without an answer in sight.
Overall the deck performed as it should have, haphazardly against Fish, well against the mirror, and solidly against random. In the spirit of the oldschool nature of this event, here's a list of Props & Slops.
Props:
+ Numerous Vintage heads showing up for solid times for all
+ almost more EDH games played than Vintage games played between rounds and as people dropped.
+ a TO that gave overly generous prize support while working their tail off considering the judgeless circumstances
+ Subway for being better than Chinese.
+ JR, Kowal, Leplant, Probasco, Ellsworth for coming out of the woodwork.
+ a 10$ tournament within 40 minutes means a day of exceptionally cheap fun that still enables a nightlife.
Slops:
- Bathroom Maintenance closings meaning a lopsided run through the mall in time of need
- Mis-siding without realizing it
- illiteracy when reading new cards.
- Kowal for being a punk
:Edited to fix Travis's name:
