Type 1 Report - Crazy Card and Comics

Type 1 Report – Crazy Cards and Comics – 10-27-02

Another tournament with my Keeper deck – I was hoping to do better than 3rd/4th this time. I had removed a bit of the creature removal and put in a few more “standard” Blue Keeper cards (see my previous reports for a decklist within 2 cards). I also removed the Mishra’s Factory and added the 4th Volcanic Island.

Side note – As much as I don’t like the Angels or their damn Rally Monkey, it’s always nice seeing a team that competes and wins as a team actually win something. Still, San Fran had Shawn Dunston and the most ex-Cubs, so I was rooting for them (being from Chicago and all, this is as close as we might ever get to a World Series – 3 ex-Cubs on one team. How sad is that.)

There were 16 players playing 2 Keepers (one of them is me), 2 Sligh, 1 Void, 2 Grow, 1 B/w Mask/Tubbies, 2 Full English Breakfast, 1 Reanimator, 1 Pandeburst, and 4 decks I can’t remember. - (edit: see separate post from weekend results for decks).

I was actually planning on switching up and playing NetherVoid, but on Friday I realized I only had 1 Void as I had traded some at GenCon - so much for that idea. Also, I really didn’t have enough time to make the deck – well I did, but I decided to play Icewind Dale 2 for a couple hours Sunday morning instead once I realized I didn’t have the Voids.

Another side note – I love Halloween. It gives grown people (at least in body if not in mind) an excuse to not only act crazy, but to dress up like anything…on a funny, but way off-topic note, there’s nothing like going to your favorite late-night, drunk food joint during Halloween time. There’s a place on the North Side of Chicago called the Wiener Circle that has hot dogs, burgers, etc….except that the staff is incredibly rude to the “patrons” (yes on purpose). It provides instant comedy. My friend had never been there before and the look on his face when the girl behind the counter screamed “What the f—k do you wanna eat, bitch?” was unintentional comedy at its finest, topped only by a grown man grabbing the plastic Lightsaber out of my hands, smashing it to the ground, stomping around on it, then passing out on the hood of a nearby car. PS – when you’re at a party and your friend who’s dressed up as a pirate starts asking random people “What will it take for me to bend you over and put my hook in you?” – then it’s time for you to take your friend home/to the Wiener Circle.

You think with the time change that people would show up early, but no - six or seven people pile into the store at 1:05 pm.

Round 1 – Ricky, Pandeburst
It seems like every tournament we play each other, and every tournament I beat him. This time is no different – I’m just too broken and he’s not fast enough. I win 2-0 and fairly easily, even after having to mulligan both games.

1-0

Round 2 – C.D. – The worst Grow deck ever

We dubbed his deck “The worst Grow deck ever” because he was playing with Merfolk Looters and Wild Mongrels in addition to Werebears and Dryads (no phids). He also had Circular Logic and some other jank card. It really looks like a pile, even more than Grow usually does. He even has white for seal of cleansing and some other stuff. All of his lands were duals to support all the colors, so he would be vulnerable to non-basic hate.

Game 1 – I am expecting re-animator from him, but instead he’s playing Grow. My opening hand is six mana sources and a Plow. I Mulligan into Underground Sea, Mox Pearl, Merchant Scroll, Mana Drain, Force of Will, and some other card. I don’t draw quite enough mana this game and his counters and deck maneuvering get me. At one point I cast Abyss when I should have cast Moat - he had a wild mongrel and he Gushed, pulling back 2 lands to his hand in addition to 2 extra cards giving him 4 extra damage I wasn’t counting on (he already had cast several Gush) to kill me. I believe he had a Seal of Cleansing anyway, but still, I should have played the Moat.

Game 2 – Side in my red blasts and extra keg. Opening hand is two Mox, neither blue and a handful of spells. My next six have Wasteland as my only mana source <sigh>. My next five has 1 land (blue),Lotus, Abyss, Drain, and something. Go for the 1st turn Abyss, but Annuls my Lotus. This is really tough to only start with 5 cards going first. I battle back, and he’s really beating on me. I lose.

So four straight games I’m forced to Mulligan, including one double mulligan. I really think my deck should have done better as this is not exactly an optimal Grow deck.

1-1 Match record

Round 3 – Matt B – B/w Tubbies
This is an interesting deck – it had workshops and all the artifact mana to drop out Sui-Chi and Juggernaut, but also 4 Masks and 4 Dreadnoughts. I think I saw Specters as well, but I can’t remember. He normally plays a discard/Juzam deck splashed with blue. I saw a Balance in his deck during Top 4, but didn’t see what else he had for white.

Game 1 – He goes first. My opening hand has 2 Drains, enough mana, and a Braingeyser. He goes land, Sol Ring, Mask. I go land. He lays a Dreadnought. I draw nothing to kill it. He lays workshop and another creature (tapping for 4, I assume a juggernaut or sui-chi), hits for 12. Draw a plow, plow the Dreadnought. Sui Chi brings me to 4. I draw nothing and die.

Game 2 – Opening hand is 2 Drains, 3 blue lands, Ancestral, and some other card. I’m going first, so I can deal with anything but 1st turn fat or Mask. He lays workshop, sol ring, mask, dreadnought, or something silly like that, I ancestral into nothing (like 2 land and a Yag Will). I plow it, but he plays another. Zuran Orb holds it off for an extra turn or two, but I lose.

Too bad I took out the Meekstone from my sideboard.

So now I’m 1-2 and I need to win to climb my way back to mediocrity (2-2).

Round 4 – (forgot to write down his name) Goblin Sligh

Goblin Sligh is a better matchup for me than regular Sligh – less 1 drop dorks, Ball Lightning, Goblin Grenade (counterspells kill 2-1). I think they only play 1-2 maindeck Price of Progress. They also have no way to kill Zuran Orb maindeck.

Game 1 – I steal this game. Zuran Orb was key. I never saw a Goblin Vandal. I’m getting good at this (beating Sligh). Haven’t lost to Sligh since August. Note to Sligh players – Pyroblast/Red Elemental Blast doesn’t stop Cop: Red, Zuran Orb, Demonic Tutor, Moat, Powder Keg, or Pyroclasm. You might want some way to deal with them. Mogg Flunky is bad. All of the other creatures are 1/1 dorks that post side-boarding, Keeper eats for breakfast. I can’t tell you how many times now I’ve had goblin sligh sitting there with 1 Mogg Flunky unable to attack and me at 8-10 life.

Game 2 – draw. Ran out of time, but I would have pulled it out, I had cop red, Zuran Orb, 3 lands and 2 mox at the end. BTW – I also mulliganed this game. 5/8 games.

So I end up 2-2. Both decks that I lost to made the top 4.

Top 4 is Worst Grow Ever vs B/w tubbies and Goblin Sligh (not the guy I played round 4, but someone else) vs Nether Void. Grow knocks off B/w tubbies. Matt B, the tubbies player, didn’t exactly take losing very well and kind of stormed off (he didn’t say anything, but didn’t say “nice game” or anything and made all kinds of faces on his way out. Sligh vs Nethervoid went 3 games. Matt’s opening hand was Lotus, swamp, nethervoid, mishra, and some other stuff. Game over. Sligh can’t deal with a 1st turn Void. Void beats Grow 2-0 I believe. Nice job Matt!