[Report] Tobias Egelhof - Darmstadt T1 - 3rd place

[Tobi]

Tournament Report
Tobias Egelhof
Darmstadt, Vintage, 10.04.2010
3rd place


I tested the Watskeburt!? list various weeks and tried several modifications (3rd Brain Freeze + Consultation, Tinker/Jar, Remand vs Spell Pierce, Tendrils main, etc). Finally this is what I took to Darmstadt:


Watskeburt!? - Horden Style

3 Spell Pierce
4 Force of Will
3 Dark Confidant
1 Ponder
1 Brainstorm
2 Brain Freeze
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Frantic Search
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Timetwister
1 Mind's Desire
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
1 Memory Jar
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Rebuild
1 Chain of Vapor
3 Repeal
1 Sensei's Divining Top
2 Tormod's Crypt
1 Black Lotus
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Flooded Strand
4 Misty Rainforest
3 Underground Sea
3 Island
1 Library of Alexandria
60

Sideboard
3 Yixlid Jailer
1 Inkwell Leviathan
2 Ravenous Trap
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Trygon Predator
1 Tropical Island
1 Forest
15


The latest modification was the addition of Dark Confidant to the maindeck to improve the Stax matchup. Out went Thirst, Gush and Fact.
This was not tested, but I felt it was needed since we expected a lot of MUD lists in Darmstadt.

Thanks a lot to Arjan and Marius, who gave some advice which I ignored partially and the long email discussions we had about some card choices.

The Darmstadt tournament was my last chance to get my hands on one or two byes for the Bazaar of Moxen event. Due to family stuff I had to miss Hassloch which was held two weeks before.

So finally the tournament started and we had a good attendance of 25 players, with an amazing amount of 0 (zero) unpowered players. 5 rounds of swiss plus top 8.


1st round
Amadeus Kurz
UB Artifact Fish

Amadeus is someone I cannot beat in a tournament it seems. Well, I only faced him two times in competitive environment, but I never felt like I could beat him.
He just has every answer to what I do and beats me down quickly. I don't remember being in a good position at any time during the match.
His deck is a funny mix version of UB Fish, full powered with Master of Etherium, Esperzoa and Null Rod plus Mishra's Factories.
We go smoking after like 20 minutes and have some time to view what the others play. A lot of Stax was spotted.

0:1:0


2nd round
Andreas Neumann
UR Landstill

I tested a lot with Andreas during the last weeks, so I know his list quite well and don't feel too good about this matchup. But I know losing is not an option anymore if I want to reach a top 8 seat. So I win
First game I tinker for Jar and fire it off in my next upkeep. I manage to gather some storm and Brain Freeze, which he stifles. I am not too sad about it since I know the cards I get back to hand after the Jar turn: Yawgmoth's Will and Desire.
I board in the man plan and beat him down quickly in the second.

1:1:0


3rd round
Alban Lauter
OathTezz

Long story short: I have Library of Alexandria in my opening hand both games being on the draw. With a lot of card advantage I eventually win at some point. Not very skillfull, but lucky. And this should not have been my last lucky match this day.
Really sorry, Alban.

2:1:0


4th round
Patrick Hiness
Noble Fish

I mull to 5 on the play first game and have to keep a semi-powerful hand. However, some good topdecks let me resolve Jar. I activate it next upkeep, play some mana, Twister into a Desire with 14 storm. Game.
I board in the Inkwell and 2 Trygons.
Second game he dominates me Noble-style, I have no chance.
Third game I manage to Tinker the Inkwell and Vampiric into Time Walk.

3:1:0

I check the standing and happily find out that I can draw into top 8. But pairings for round 5 tell me otherwise. My opponent has 6 points, and still a chance to top 8 if he beats me, so I have to battle.


5th round
Edrion Gawarain
Red Stax

Edrion is upset about a judge decision from the previous round, and it seems he is not fully concentrated on the match. This, plus awesome draws on my side make this a quick win.
First game I start with Mox Jet, Mana Crypt, Black Lotus. He plays Workshop, Mox, Chalice@2. EOT I Gifts for Academy, Petal, Rebuild and Mox Sapphire, get Petal and the Mox. Also EOT Vampiric for Will. GG
Second game I have the men, and he sits on Mountain with Mox Ruby, doing nothing.

4:1:0


Due to others IDing into top8 I finish 1st after swiss.


Quarterfinals
Ralf Natterer
UBG Drain Tendrils with Vault/Key and Confidants

1st game I mull to 5 and start with a crappy hand on the play. My Confidant is destroyed and he gets one going, and even a second. Still, I somehow manage to get a Jar onto the battlefield, and on the next upkeep, I fire it off getting... not much. I can do some storm and finally Brainfreeze with 7 storm, which is not enough to deck him. Good thing is, his Sensei's is milled away which he put on top before, so he may die of his two confidants. He is at 14 life, takes his turn and reveals: Darksteel Colossus and Fact or Fiction. Win (!).
Second game nothing comes my way and I get beat down by a Confidant until he has Vault/Key going.
Third game he again has Confidant while I don't. I have Library and can use it a while, but I don't draw colored mana, and have very few options therefore. From Confidant Damage (revealing some low castingcost spells and Force of Will) he gets down to 5 life, but hardcasts Colossus on his turn. I hold Chain of Vapor and know he has Force, so my only chance is to cast CoV forcing him to force and hope for a 4 cc spell to be revealed from Confidant. I do it, he forces and on his turn reveals: Tendrils

5:1:0

Well, you need some luck to win a tournament, and this is what I had right now. I am one win away from a bye in Annecy.


Semifinals
Harald David
Noble Fish

My second Noble opponent this day. I don't fear Noble too much because it is not a broken deck. And in most cases brokeness >>> not brokeness. After this very intellectual piece of wisdom, I start the first game - and lose. My notes show me two Forces on his side and some confidant damage on mine. I get beat down.
Second game I hardcast Inkwell and win. At some point in the match I draw Tinker and wonder until I remeber how the Inkwell came into play, sorry, was put onto the battlefield.
Third game don't really get into the game. Null Rod and Wastes keep me from getting mana and a lonely Pridemages beats on me. With a second Null Rod on the battlefield I need to Hurkyl's, so I start to prepare a broken turn. I play Hurkyl's with 3 life, 3 lands and a Lotus in hand. He hardcasts Force, I pitchcast Force (pitching Predator), play Lotus and Twister in hope of a broken 7. Unfortunately, luck left me the round before and I get nothing relevant and concede.
Another player pointed out that I could have pitched anything else than the Predator, played Tendrils instead of Twister for 10 life, play Predator next turn and tried to go for a broken turn a few turns later. Yes, that would have probably been a good alternative.

5:2:0


Well, I missed the byes by a single game, but my lucky matches have been exhausted at that day, so I am not sad about it. The deck performed well and I was happy with it, although I feel that the addition of Confidants need to cause some more modifications maindeck. I cannot provide more insight on this now, but will do some brainstorming the next time. Any comments are appreciated.

[LSD25]

thanks for the report.  how do u feel about the modifications?

[pierce]

i like the transformation option into bug fish. very clever.

how relevant is the second brain freeze in this list? can that be cut for some utility spell, or is it of vital importance?

[Tobi]

i like the transformation option into bug fish. very clever.

Thanks. It worked well in the matchups where the storm mechanic was hated in games 2/3. Not my personal idea though. It was used by my 1/4ers opponent last year in Milan and some others, too.
Really good vs Stax.

how relevant is the second brain freeze in this list? can that be cut for some utility spell, or is it of vital importance?

Personally, I always want to have at least 3 win conditions maindeck, and with Jar, I also want to have a good chance to get one of the storm cards in my draw-7. And since a single lethal Brain Freeze is often hard to do, the second one is oftentimes needed.

[Zieby]

Hi Tobi,

Thanx for the Props and a nice report,

We will discuss futher in the future,

Greetz Arjan

[pierce]

i see your point, but is there a strategic advantage to a second brainfreeze instead of a second tendrils?

were you expecting a lot of dredge as well? maindeck tormods crypt is pretty rare these days.

[Marske]

were you expecting a lot of dredge as well? maindeck tormods crypt is pretty rare these days.

What most people fail to realize is that Crypt is pretty good (well most people know that) but the Idea behind Watskeburt?! (and Almost Blue) is that doing a mid sized brain freeze (20-25 cards) then crypting them can be truly devastating, followed by another Brain Freeze (if It's not a kill already), the fact that it's good as a disruption piece is a nice added benefit.

[Evenpence]

were you expecting a lot of dredge as well? maindeck tormods crypt is pretty rare these days.

What most people fail to realize is that Crypt is pretty good (well most people know that) but the Idea behind Watskeburt?! (and Almost Blue) is that doing a mid sized brain freeze (20-25 cards) then crypting them can be truly devastating, followed by another Brain Freeze (if It's not a kill already), the fact that it's good as a disruption piece is a nice added benefit.

T-Crypt is pretty good game one vs. the entire format as well, save Fish and MUD w/ no crucibles (or welders, obv).

[Stray_Cat]

Hello,

First, gg, for proving that watskeburt is still viable.

I would like to hear your thoughts on the ToA maindeck. When reading your report, it seems that you didn't use it at all, every time you could storm, it was an overkill and you could simply use brainfreeze.

I do agree that the addition of dark confidant gives a huge boost to the deck, but is that worth including ToA ? Unlike brainfreeze, ToA is totally useless unless the time you need to kill.


About memory jar : I've played this a lot in watskeburt, and was very pleased with it. But with null rod archetypes rising (at least here in france), doesn't jar get shut off too often ? And why not including instead one big fat dude for tinker ? Even if Mr Big Fatty is totally useless while storming, it gives a good improvement of the MUD and the fish match-ups.

Thanks.

[Tobi]

Tendrils was initially in the sideboard to be boarded in game 2/3, but I moved it to the main to be able to kill with tendrils where storm was not enough to kill with BF. I used it some times to win in the tournament, for example in the match versus Edrion game one.
With Confidants I wanted to have something to give me some life back, and I wanted to have a win condition against Iona@blue, which was played in Darmstadt.
I also tested with 3 BF maindeck, which felt good. As you say, it is a useful card which has many more applications than Tendrils.
Overall, I liked having Tendrils maindeck, since I always had the option to finish with Tendrils, where BF wouldn't have helped.

I added Tinker/Jar to the maindeck right when I started testing, and never looked back. It is such a great kickstarter into a combo turn, and has great synergy with BF (mills 7 additional cards, and you may have BF in your original hand to EOT BF as instant). Null Rod is not as problematic with counters and bounce. Vs Null Rod.dec I sided out the Jar for Inkwell.

[Stray_Cat]

Thanks for your answers.

Overall, I liked having Tendrils maindeck, since I always had the option to finish with Tendrils, where BF wouldn't have helped.

When hearing this, I feel like you included ToA just for a matter of personal comfort. Am I wrong ? What I would like to know is : was the maindeck ToA objectively more often usefull / needed to win than sticking in your hand without use, and so taking the slot for a more usefull card ?

About tinker/jar, this may finally be a simple matter of metagame.

I would like to know if you have tested with a maindeck demonic consultation ? This might seem awkward at first, but with 3 kills, multiple confidants/forces/drains, this might work ? I'm still testing it, but consultation can sometimes give you THE boost needed to win right now.

[Tobi]

Yes, probably maindeck Tendrils is a matter or personal preference. In fact, it offered some tactical options game one, but it may also have been something like Fact or Fiction or Thirst.
However, it freed a sideboard slot, which was a nice side effect.

I also tested Consulation since I really like the card. But then you need the third Brain Freeze, which is also not a bad option. Consultation sometimes is a bit of a gamble, but overall a great combo card.
The reason why I didn't play 3BF+Consult is this: If you Consult and remove two Brain Freezes it becomes very hard to win, since BF needs a lot of investment (storm)to kill. And when I added theTendrils, of course Consultation needed to go.