1st place at NYSE Open II

mr.grim

The Colossus of Calamity
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N.Y.S.E. Open 2 Champion.

1st place at NYSE Open II

« on: July 08, 2014, 12:46:21 am »

Sorry for the delay on the report, but my life has been really crazy over the last 2 weeks. This will be more of a highlight reel :than a tournament report.

The Friday before the event, I got out of work early, bags packed and I was ready to go. About an hour before we were going to leave, a personal issue arose that would prevent me from going. With a little bit of luck and help from a friend, everything was A-Okay a few hours later. My girlfriend and I quickly packed the car and left a few hours later than planned, but we were happy to be on our way.

We arrive in Long Island about 5 hours later after a good dinner and some minor traffic. Only then did it hit me that we forgot to book our hotel room earlier in the day. After calling 12 different hotels, we finally found 1 that had one room available; unfortunately it was a spa that wanted a ludicrous amount of money. I decided to roll the dice and hang up the phone when she asked for the credit card number. I quickly thunder - thumbed through the Internet on my phone and got the same room at the same place for a hundred dollars less by using Priceline. We got to the hotel, unpacked, filled out my deck list and then slept on one of the best beds with the most glorious pillows. I'm not kidding you, I wanted to steal the pillows but figured they'd charge me 3 million dollars and decided against it. After waking, we went to get the breakfast buffet offered by the hotel which, to our dismay, was atrocious. The meal was comped, so we grabbed our stuff and went to the event.

The Event:
Pretty typical start; got registered, ready to go.

Round 1 Vs Anthony Nania on merfolk:
Game 1 - I win the die roll and immediately mull to 6. After looking at my six, I had to mull to 5. As I was shuffling, I could feel the needle on the tilt - o - meter turn to red. I thought to myself, "what the hell, I won an event to get here and didn't have to pay $100 to play," so I regained my composure and looked at my 5 card hand. My 5 card hand was 2 lodestone golems, Mishra ' s workshop, black lotus and a steel hellkite. I resolve a turn 1 golem and pass the turn. He goes island, pass. I top deck a strip mine, strip his island, swing for 5 and pass the turn. He draws a card and scoops it up.
Game 2 - we have a little more of an interactive game. I get there on the back of cavern on golem and cavern on construct.

Round 2 Vs the current world champ, Joel Lim on Merfolk:
I win 2 - 0 with the help of caverns on golem and construct. The only highlight I can remember is eating a true-name nemesis with a hellkite.

Round 3 Vs Michael Scheffenacker on forgemaster workshop:
He beats me 2- 0, and I learn just how unfair metalworker can be.

Round 4 Vs Matthew Pate on BUG control:
I Win in 2 - 0; caverns once again get the job done. During game 2, he passed the turn with just a BOB in play, a bunch of cards in hand and no mana available. This allowed me to cast a forgemaster, give him boots, sack 3 artifacts including him and fetch blightsteel, let him wear the same boots and swing for the win.

Round 5 Vs Ben Kowal on smokestack workshops:
Game 1 - we got into an awkward standoff where he had 3 lodestone golems in play and I had a wurmcoil engine. He had a few cards in hand and I had basically nothing else. I ended up getting a forgemaster into play and then a turn later, steel hellkite ate all the golems. I win a turn later.
Game 2 - this game was insane; we both mulled to 6 and he serum powdered at 6. I was on the draw, but was able to cast a turn 1 metalworker. His turn 2, I believe, was a lodestone golem. My next turn, I ended up casting a chalice on 0, lodestone golem, thorn and a steel hellkite. Feeling pretty good, I pass the turn. His next turn he windmill slammed an ensnaring bridge into play. I felt that tilt meter moving again, but I took a deep breath and continued to play. I was holding a dismember and chalice. I drew a second chalice, so I ended up dropping a chalice on 4 in fear of smokestacks. A few turns later, he tries to cast a smokestack. I point to the chalice. I end up with a 2nd dismember and I have a fairly large army at this time. He drops a Karn and immediately eats my chalice at 0 and my chalice at 4. I dismember his Karn on the end of his turn. I once again drop another chalice on 4. He ends up with another Karn in play, but can't kill the chalice this time. I end up dismembering his 2nd Karn, leaving me at 6 life I think. Then I finally hit a Phyrexian revoker on my turn, cast him and turn off Karn. After a few turns of draw - go, we come to terms that the game is going to end by one person being decked. He pointed out the fact that we both mulled to 6 and that I drew first. I pointed to his serum powder pile and informed him that I kept 61 in for game 2. We shook hands and wished each other good luck.

Round 6 Vs Adrian Becker on Survival:
I win in 2. The only things that stood out were revoking his birds of paradise and letting a Magus of the Moon stay in play with a dismember in hand because it hurt him more than me because I had metalworker mana.

Round 7 I.D. with Stephen Menendian on RUG Delver

TOP 8 Vs Mike Brotzman on Talrand deathrite gush:
Game 1 - I won on the back of a caverned golem.
Game 2 - he ended up with 3 deathrites in play and kept bouncing my golem with jace. I finally landed a forgemaster and fetched a steel hellkite, and then fly in for the win.

TOP 4 Vs Vasu Balakrishnan on UW stoneforge angel control:
Games 1 & 2 was a mess in which we each punted in the others favor.
Game 3 - I edge him out with a thorn and revoker. He didn't get the answer he was looking for. I finish him with a hellkite.

FINALS Vs Rob Edwards on Fenton Oath:
Game 1 - Rob mulled to 6. He opens with a Jace; I revoke it and drop a chalice on 0. On my next turn, I drop a chalice on 2. He doesn't do much in his turn and passes. I cast a forgemaster and pass - he, once again, doesn't do much on his turn. I cast
a sundering titan and blow up his lands. He scooped on his next turn.
Game 2 - Rob gets a turn 1 Oath without an orchard. I spend the rest of the game trying to get a forgemaster and boots together on the same turn to no avail. Rob assembles key vault and wins.
Game 3 - Rob mulled to 5. I lead off with a thorn and chalice on 0. His turn was misty, go. My 2nd turn I dropped an uncounterable lodestone; on his turn he dropped a waste and passed. The next turn, I dropped a wire and wasted his waste. He responds by wasting my workshop. The wire ended up tying everything down and I rode the lodestone to victory.

I've already thanked a lot of people on the NYSE thread, but there were 2 I forgot to mention. I would like to thank Brian Demars for his articles on sportsmanship and how to prepare for a tournament - they have been a big part of my success this year. I would also like to thank my now fiancé, Casi, for always supporting me and my cardboard crack habits.


« Last Edit: July 08, 2014, 09:12:01 am by mr.grim »	Logged

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