[Report] I liek GAT

[Clown of Tresserhorn]

So, after months of small tourneys and such, I finally get to play in a somewhat big tourney. It was unlimited proxy and we had a turnout of around 15 people with a bazaar for first. It was 4 rounds of swiss with a cut to top 4. The night before me and Godot playtest like a mother with Tog and 7/10. He takes Tog, and me, being indecisive, took GAT. I tinkered around with it for awhile, but I felt like having fun, so I went with it. I arrive early to see Godot and r3as0n (go freak-a-leeks!). I playtest GAT vs. Fish and lose HORRIBLY, I mean like 1000000-0 horribly. I lose focus, and round 1 starts.

Round 1 vs. Jay with MUD (no welders)
Game 1: It's not even close. He gets double strip and trinisphere before I could even muster up a dryad. I do get one out, but he gets triskelion and pwns me.
Game 2: I get turn 1 dryad, brainstorm, more cantrips, dump my hand and pass (dryad is like a 5/5). Next turn I drop a land, gush, and get fastbond. GG.
Game 3: This game was retarded. I get and early dryad and deal with his threats Ala oxidize. He TD's a maze of ith. I TD a dryad. He TD's maze #2. I ancetral, and drop my remaining 2 dryads with him having no hand. He rips triskelion. Followed by sundering titan. 'Nuff said.
Games: 1-2
Matches: 0-1

Round 2 vs. good friend Matt wood (tainted wood) with belcher
Game 1: I have FoW
Game 2: I have FoW for land grant, but he TD's lotus and gets a jar. he jars into almost nothing but a grant for land, while I get FoW, wish, brainstorm in the jar hand. At this point I have dryad on table (3/3) and EOT brainstorm into will and lotus. I set up my will as top card and proceed to win next turn.
Games: 3-2
Matches: 1-1

Round 3 vs. Adam woods with wMUD with slaver (GEEZ! out of the 15 people I think 9 were playing workshop decks).
Game 1: He beats me by playing chalice one followed by slaver on turn 3 (I have tog in play). He rips a welder (but only a couple artifacts in play) and at this point it's almost over. I get dryad down and get him to 9, but then he gets smokestack/skullcap going and gets a wire.
Game 2: This game was mad quick. I get turn 1 dryad, turn 2 ancestral, turn 3, brainstorm into gush and vamp. vamp for fastbond and just win.
Game 3: We play into the late game where he gets ensnaring bridge/skullcap/bloodmoon, while I have 1 tog and a huge dryad. we play draw go for awhile, and I finally resolve deed. I deed everything away, but he slaves me. he gets nothing and plays keg and sets on it for 2, along with a welder and another mox. I EOT wish for fact and fact into will, tog, dryad, 2 irrelevant cards. I take dryad/will. I didn't have enough mana to capitalize on will, so I pass. On my next turn, I will, he welds mox into crypt, I oxidize and draw about 15 cards (with Dryad in play). I time walk and attack, he blows keg (which I totallly forgot about!) and I'm left with 1 tog and 1 dryad left in library (and him with no cards in hand and at 6 life). I then cantrip into dryad, play it and pass. He draws a mox, and welds it into a bridge (with no cards). I have wish--->oxidize EOT. on my turn, I play tog, demonic, deed, then pearl, then force it to get dryad up to a 6/6 and win (with under 10 cards left in library). Most. entertaining. game. evar.
Games: 5-3
Matches: 2-1

Round 4 vs. Eric with sligh with LD
Game 1: nothing interesting happens, in fact I can't believe he got this far. he plays a masticore which gets oxidized at some point, and a 26/13 dryad takes him to town.
Game 2: He gets turn 1 shaman, turn 2 dwarven blastminer, while i draw ass. he kills all 4 dryads and we're into the late game. he has shaman, blastminer, and hammer mage at this point, with me holding fastbond, will, and lotus and only having 2 basics in play. on my turn, I rip demonic, play will, play fastbond, play 2 dryads, cantrip like a MOFO and walk for the win.

Games: 7-3
Matches: 3-1

Top 4 looks like:
1) Jeff Urich (r3as0n) w/ GAT (team freak-a-leek)
2) Jim Gaffney (Godot) w/ Tog (team freak-a-leek)
3) Bob Yu (me!) w/ GAT (team freak-a-leek, among others )
4) Jay with MUD

so I get paired with Jim, and jeff gets paired with Jay. Me and Jim are willing to split, but Jeff wanted to split in finals, so we played it out. I ASS RAPED Jim (due to good draws, such as double dryad turn 1, and LoA turn 1), but Jeff loses to Jay, so I figure I'll concede to Jim, seeing as how he has a better chance with Tog. He loses eventually, and I play Jeff for third. We play casual games and I beat him 2-0 putting me at 3rd place.

final standings are:
1) Jay
2) Jim
3) Me
4) Jeff

overall it was a fun tourney. There will be one next month at Raven's Roost in Denver, CO for power for anyone who cares.

As for props/slops:

Props:
Jim, Jeff, and Jay for T4ing
GAT for being b0rken
All my opponents for being mad cool
Petey Pablo for making freak-a-leek
187, esp. Scott Limoges for helping tweak GAT into the house it is

Slops:
Me, for not winning

-Bob

[Nantuko Rice]

Round 3 vs. Adam woods with wMUD with slaver (GEEZ! out of the 15 people I think 9 were playing workshop decks).
Game 1: He beats me by playing chalice one followed by slaver on turn 3 (I have tog in play). He rips a welder (but only a couple artifacts in play) and at this point it's almost over.

I'm just curious about how that game in round 3 went. Chalice for 1, how did he play a welder. Did you oxidize the chalice? Cuz you can't. Did the welder just slip? Just curious.

[Squee]

Nice finish with GAT.  I was just wondering what your decklist was and if there were any changes you'd make to it.  I played Suicide GAT today in the Milwaukee tournament but got out drew.  The decklist I played was

4 Quirion Dryad
2 Psychatog
4 Force of Will
3 Misdirection
3 Duress
2 Daze
4 Brainstorm
4 Serum Visions
4 Night's Whisper
2 Cunning Wish
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Gush
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Fastbond
4 Undergound Sea
4 Tropical island
2 Volcanic Island
4 Flooded Strand
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Island
4 Moxes
1 Black Lotus

Sideboard
2 Red Elemental Blast
2 Deep Analysis
2 Artifact Mutation
1 Oxidize
1 Gorilla Shaman
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Firestorm
1 Smother
1 Berserk
1 Fire/Ice
1 Blue Elemental Blast
1 Coffin Purge


Even though there aren't many colorless mana sinks the lack of hard counters like Drain really hurt me.  There were times when I was holding Misdirection and they would cast something huge and I couldn't do anything about it.  I don't think that Drains could be added though, when you add Drains you can just play better cards like Intuition for Accumulated Knowledge and then you play Hulk.  

What does everyone think about possibly adding Counterspell to the deck.  Duress barely did anything all day and Counterspell would have helped quite a bit.  I'd like to hear everyone else's opinions on that.  

I also added a 21st mana source instead of the Fire/Ice because I didn't want to lose to my own deck.  This worked out great as mana screw was not a problem at all.

[Clown of Tresserhorn]

Rice: I believe he sacced it to a smokestack...I'm not certain though....I may have wish--->naturalized it. I know it didn't slip because he cast a welder and it was countered by chalice. My notes didn't say anything, so I'm not 100% certain.

As for my decklist, I can't reveal anything yet, as the team has worked so hard "optimizing" it. I do plan on writing some articles on it in the future though. I can, however, comment on a few things.

1) As disruption goes, I feel the same way you do. While MisD was good, I definitely missed the Drain (maybe mostly from my testing with Tog). I don't know about daze, as it's REALLY conditional.

2) As for the draw, I'm still not certain on what to run. serum visions vs. sleight is a very sticky topic that needs more testing.

3) You may want to reconsider your manabase. After playing against decks like fish and MUD, I found that you need to have a consistant manabase. 21 is just too low.

Your board is realy interesting. What do Deeps come in for? Since you don't run drain, if you hold it in hand, it's a real liability, and if it's in the yard, it may as well be a night's whisper. Plus, you run 1 less tog, so pitching it early is not really an option.


EDIT: Wisconsinite's watch out!!!!! I'm comin' back July 7th, and I will own j00!!!!!!!!

[fuego527]

What does everyone think about possibly adding Counterspell to the deck. Duress barely did anything all day and Counterspell would have helped quite a bit. I'd like to hear everyone else's opinions on that.

counterspell is just worse than mana drain...do you really hate colorless mana that much? i mean you are right that hulk abuses drain mana better than gat would, but the only down side running drain over vanilla is mana burn

do you really think burn is that much of a problem?
and more importantly, do you really think that burn is more of a downside than being able to cast y-will for b, c wish for u, whisper for b, etc. is an upside?

[Godot]

First, I think we only had 12 people, so all y'all Denver people need to get out here.  If theres support there'll be some hella nice prizes.

Yeah, so i played Tog, and for some reason this deck totally hated me today.  I have never before consistently drawn so much ass with this deck.  In wins and in losses I generally had funky draws--nothing like the way the deck ran in testing.  Anyways, enough of my bitching, the report:

Rd 1 - Drew w/ EBA

Drews been mad working on EBA for awhile and I know he has serious anti-Hulk shit in here so Im not looking forward to this.

Game 1 - He get 2nd turn Duress so I brainstorm goodies back on top of my deck and keep like, 2 land and the 3 Intuiition.  Sucks for me that he has the Meddling Mage and I proceed to lose when he drops Angel next turn and starts beating for 6.  Wastes were involved and I was never really in this game.

I board in 2 REB and a Deed

Game 2 - I Intuition for 2 Deeps and an AK relatively early and he Mages the Deeps.  I still have wish so its all good.  I drop Tog and he drops Damping Matrix and continues to beat on me with his Mage.  I finally rip Cunning Wish and Artifact Mutation his Damping Matrix.  From there its just elementary.

Game 3 - I drop land and Emerald first turn aiming for 2nd turn Deed.  On his turn he drops 2 Meddling Mages naming Deed and Wish.  I can still draw cards so I dont really care.  I eventually pull REB and drop Deed.  I finally draw Tog, blow Deed and win.

Round 2 - Adam with wMUD

Game 1 - I plan to and succeed in dropping Tog on like turn 3 or something so Im confident the game is sewn up.  He drops Karn on his next turn but I wish for Artifact Mutation and win in short order.

I board in Deed and 2 BEB.

Game 2 - I mull to 5.  Im still kinda in this game, but he eventually just overwhelms me.

Game 3 - I again mull to 5.  This game is seriously in his favor.  His board is Powder Keg(3 counters), Mana Vault, 3 Moxen, Sphere of Resistence, Smokestack and a fresh Goblin Welder.  I only have 4 lands and a Lotus tutored for the turn before.  I drop Deed and blow it for 2.  He now has 2 Mountains and a Smokestack to my 4 lands.  At this point I am in complete control of this game, but my hand has no business- BEB, 2xFOW and 2 Mana Drain.  I proceed to draw nothing but more counters until time is called.  I finally rip Wish, but there arent enough turns to kill him with Saprolings.  I didnt see a Tog this entire game.  So we draw, and I have to win out to make T4.

Round 3 - Logan with TNT

Logan hasnt played since like Ice Age, and it showed.

Game 1 - I drop first turn LoA.  He drops first turn Wasteland.  I killed him about 4 turns later with LoA still on the board.

Game 2 - I play Tog.  It kills him on like turn 5.

Round 4 - Jeff (r3ason or however the hell he spells it) with GAT

Jeff just concedes to me since he'll be in either way and I have funky points due to the round 2 draw.  We play it anyway.

Game 1- I take a hit from a 6/6 dryad(on like, turn 3 or something) then wish for Terminate and kill it.  This buys me enough time to find Tog, draw shitloads of cards and win.

I bring in Deed and 2 REBs or something like that.

Game 2 - I think this game was back and forth with him having a slight advantage all game.  He eventually wins.

Then we cut to T4.

Semis - Bob (Clown of Tresserhorn) with GAT

Game 1 - I decide to be a sporting chap and let him have 2 Dryads with counters before I even take a turn.  I lose in extremely short order.

Game 2 - He gets a more normal draw.  I take a few beats, but nothing that I have to actually deal with.  I draw cards, play Tog and win.

Game 3 - He plays turn 1 LoA and follows with more crazy shit on subsequent turns.  I die horribly.

So anyway, we figure I have a better chance in the finals and Bob concedes to me.

Finals - Jay with artifacts.dec

Game 1 - I keep a really sketchy hand, but it has Lotus and Wish.  I figure I'll just wish for Artifact Mutation and this should be no problem.  WRONG!  Jay drops a couple Moxen and then CotV for zero and since my hand is so dependant on Lotus I FoW.  Then he plays a Juggernaut.  Im cool with that.  Take my turn, drop Lotus and fetch.  I play Duress. Hes holding Strip and Waste.  I have no carddraw and only 2 land so I just scoop.

Game 2 - I keep a hand with 2 Brainstorm, 2 non-fetch lands and a Sol Ring.  I keep and play Sol Ring first turn.  He plays 3sphere off a shop, but Sol Ring keeps my development at a semi-normal level.  I proceed to Brainstorm 3 time over the next several turns seeing no additional land, but many Mana Drains and other cards that dont help me.  Finally I get past that clump of crap and draw about 5 consecutive lands once Im in topdeck mode.  I spent most of this time FoWing and Draining 2 Trisks and a Chalice for 2.  I mana burn for about 6 or 8 damage.  Finally I rip Wish when I have 6 Drain mana and wish for FoF.  I fact into Fetch, Ancestral, YawgWin, Intuition and something else.  He gives me a pile with Intuition and Yawgwill so I take it.  I Yawgwill.  I only have enough mana(due to the Trinisphere) to cast either Time Walk or Ancestral.  So I Walk and next turn Intuition for AKs.  I AK into a Wish.  Next turn he drops Sundering Titan.  I have 2 of each dual out and 1 island.  I float mana and ask him which lands hes targetting.  He tells me to pick one of each land type, ok, whatever you say.  So i keep one of each dual, get Artifact Mutation and kill the Titan.  I now have no lands, but I do have 8 dorks.  The only problem is I am at 5 and he has a Juggy on the table.  I get him down to ~8 when he drops Tangle Wire and wins soon thereafter.


I definitely feel this was the right deck to play.  I just had oddball draws.  There were about 7 cards in here that I didnt see once all day.  That just isnt supposed to happen with Tog.  Im gonna have to test running 4 Togs cause I didnt draw it anywhere near as much as I would have liked--especially in the workshop matchups.

Props -
Ravens Roost for holding an all proxy tourney
Artifact Mutation, definitely the MVP
Team Freak a Leek for taking 3 out of the top 4
Seagrams Gin, cause I drink it and they payin me for it

Slops -
People who bring really bad decks to all proxy tourneys
People who dont know the rules
Me for losing to bad decks
The Laws of Probability

[Gabethebabe]

If you consider to play Counterspell, maybe consider first to play Mana Leak with 3 off-color moxen.