[Waterbury report] Mono Blue Chalice-Go to 24th

[adamdod]

The Background:
I started playing type one back in the early 90's down in CT.  Traveled to nyc for GrayMatter tournaments a ton.  Played with all the olde school New Yorkers when we were all just kids.. and even got cheater Jason Gordon kicked out of a tournament.

I began judging/running combined sanctioned T1/T2 tournaments in CT in Danbury from 95-98 or so with my friend Ron Kolbig (known as "roncon").  Eventually  I moved to Boston, type one slowly faded to black for a while and we stopped doing them.  I can't tell you how hard it is to watch alot of mediocre players win tournaments I judged back then.. Thank god Ray is doing these Waterbury tournaments now so I can finally play (as Boston doesn't have many T1 tournaments around unless you have a car)...

Onto Waterbury..
I had been testing Mono Blue with chalices for a few monthes now at YMG or whenever I could get a pickup game.. unfortunatly no playtest group yet to work with tho.  I debated moving to Oath, but it just didn't feel right although everyone and their brother on TMD said oath is a better version of mono blue.

I get my rental car at 9am in boston and fly down to CT with barely enough time to get there... but then i remember how late our old CT tournaments used to start and stop fretting about making the 11am starting time.

I get to Waterbury and see my old tournament cohort Ron Kolbig and his son Kent who is now a lawyer and in grad school.  I see a bunch of college kids that were 12 the last time I saw them playing magic.  I feel really really OLD.

Mykeatog tells me to run Arcane Labs over Control Magics in the side.. and I register the following deck:

4 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will
4 Ophidian
3 Annul
3 Impulse
3 Back to Basics
3 Chalice OTV
2 Powder Kegs
1 Morphling
1 Keiga Porn star (should have been plat angel or memnarch)
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Tinker
1 Darksteel Collosus
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Misdirection
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Chain of Vapor (should have been aether spellbomb)

7 island
5 blue fetches
7 SoLoMoxen
1 Strip Mine
1 Library of Alexandria
4 Wasteland

s/b
3 Arcane Lab (storm/combo)
2 Stupefying touch (welders) (jank, should have been hydro blasts)
3 Energy Flux (mws decks)
4 BEB (welders)
3 Chain of Vapor (oath, should have been aether spellbomb)

====

Round 1
Razvan ( Razvan on TMD) with Welder control

game 1-
I have no idea what he's playing and my hand is a little slow, so i drop an early chalice for 0.
he makes a play mistake playing a mox..  he eventually draws a welder, and i am not able to counter it..
he draws a darksteel citadel.. and welds in a titan.  I play my morphling and begin the race.. and draw into a sol ring so that I can attack and untap morphling with enough mana to pump superman on the back end to block Titan.

out-keiga,chain of vapor, mystical tutor,3 annul
in-4 BEB, 2 stupefying touch

game 2
i blast a few welders, he draws more.. i never draw much of anything and attempt to misdirect his ancestral and lose the force war.  he houses me.

game 3
I get a solid draw and he drops multiple moxes and a welder.  I topdeck a powder keg and play it.. he rack and ruins it and i keg away 3 moxes.  He has a welder and i believe taps out to tinker for titan eventually.  I draw a force and then tinker with force back up as i i'm confident a DSColosus will race his titan.  We play it out and he doesn't draw anything major to respond with and its over.

1-0  

my first t1 tournament in like 6 years.. off to a good start.. and everyone so far seems super nice and friendly to play (as opposed to the ptq/states/regionals scene which is full of rules lawyers).

---
Round 2
Justin (negator13 on TMD) with TPS

Game 1-
We chat a little bit and talk about what we played against first round.. he won't say, but i find out he played the mirror, which doesnt seem like too much fun.   I don't know what he's playing so it doesn't even phase me to keep a hand with saphire/island/drain/keg/ophid/b2b/wasteland...not even thinking that i should be muliganing into a force.
He plays 10 spells into a Desire and the desire fizzles with no kill or further draw, but he gets a walk in the 9th or so desire.  He drops bargain on the walk turn and i never see my turn 1.

out- keiga, 3 b2b, mystical, thirst
in- 3 chain of vapor, 3 arcane lab

Game 2
My game plan is to stop his card drawing (bargain/necro/etc..) and drop arcane labs
We both get slow draws.. I eventually play a arcane lab with force backup.. and lose the counter war.. but we both end up with one card in our hand, mine being an ophidian, which I play next turn.  I draw a ton of extra cards and I think i kill him with a morphling.

Game 3
I start off with a good hand holding an annul and a force.. with an impulse and another card to force with..  
he plays necro.. while i have 3 mana open.. i impulse to hopefully find a 2nd force but find the Lab, and annul the necro.
he tutors for im assuming Yawgwill, which he casts and i force. I drop a lab next turn with force backup.. and play 3 ophidians over the next few turns and draw an absurd amount of cards and counter a few card drawing spells he plays waiting for him to eventually play some sort of bounce on the lab.  I eventually tutor for tinker-> colossus and win.

2-0

Off to a great start.. and even in losing, both opponents are totally nice and friendly.. I like waterbury.

---
Round 3
Steven with IRM (mono red workshop)

Game 1.  
I believe this was the round that I sat down next to Mike Panas, who just happens to live in Boston also and we realize he goes to the college that I work at.  Small world

I show my lack of recent tournament experience by not aggresively muliganing yet again.  He plays a first turn workshop and lotus for a juggernaut and 2 welders.
I drop a mox and an island and say go the next few turns.. as I draw cards to stop anything else he could do.. but no gas of my own.. i throw an ophidan in front of his juggernaut and die in 5 turns

in - 3 energy fluxes, 4 beb
out - 3 b2b, mystical, keiga, thirst, chain of vapor

Game 2
He gets turn 2 workshop -> juggernaut, turn 3 juggernaut and REBs my counter.
I draw no gas and feel totally downtrodden as i just get run over.

2-1
way to beat down my confidence here..

---
Round 4
Scott with an affinity variant.

Game 1
Maindeck annuls wreck him.  he gets a ravager out.. but i get superman (morphling) with tons of mana and fly over him.

in - 3 energy flux
out - chain of vapor, mystical tutor, keiga

Game 2
I counter the first two ravagers he plays.  get two ophidians and start drawing 3 cards a turn into a full hand of counters.
I drop an energy flux and a few turns later tinker for colossus and he concedes.

3-1
perhaps I am ok at this magical card game


Round 5 and 6 are a bit of a blur..so I may have what my opponents played flip flopped..

----
Round 5
Dave with U/W scepter chant deck

Game1
We both play draw go for a while.. I annul a scepter and the go online with multiple ophidians and chain of vapor the creature he plays.
I draw multple cards a turn for a few turns and counter a few things  and drop a morphling.  He throws a few blockers out in front of the ophidians but superman wins it.

out 3 b2b
in 3 chain of vapors

Game 2
He plays meddling mage for chain of vapor
I tinker for colossus on turn 3 with force backup.
I feel like im playing a combo deck!
two turns later its done.

4-1

I get cocky here and think.. "hey, not much has changed since i used to play type 1 alot more"..  and say to myself.. if i can just avoid oath ill be all set.  
I go and watch Razvan beat a oath matchup where he has helm of possesion out with his a stolen platinum angel.  He had won the first game and the second is a draw.. meaning he won the match.. his opponent calls a judge, thinking that it should be a draw..  i guess its been a long day.

----
Round 6
Carl with, you guessed it, Oath.

Game 1
I know I win this one but my memory is getting sketchy here.
He gets an early orchard only draw with no oaths in site. I ancestral and play an ophid and drain his counter then force.
I play another ophidian and attack with his tokens he's given me and I know ive gotten lucky this game. I kill him with his 2/3 tokens he gave me and 2 ophids


out- 4 ophidians, thirst (thinking If i ever get to oath, i want something big up)
in 3 chain of vapors, 2 arcane labs

Game 2
I annul an early oath.  we play draw go for a bit.. Ive not playtested this matchup at all yet.. so Im learning as I go.
He intuitions and I dont have a counter.  he gets AK's.. and Ak's for 3.. then  AK's for 4.
He has a full hand and plays an orchard next turn  then oath and i attempt a lame attempt at a counter war that I lose.
He gives me a spirit token and I attack with it and I attempt to chain of vapor the token after I attack with it, which he counters.
He oaths up Akroma and I die 3 turns later

I bring back in the ophidians, and take out the arcane labs, and a mystical and something else.

Game 3
He gets a turn 2 oath.
I bounce the token after attacking.. not sure if i should have bounced the oath instead.. but i know he sided in the pro-everything angels so i cant bounce them.  
He creates another token and I draw a few counters.. but nothing to deal with the token or the angel he oaths up.
He gives me another token and doesnt block my spirits attacking.  he oaths up another angel (akroma i think) and i draw my next card and concede.

4-2

I may still be able to make top 16 as both of my losses are to players still in contention for top 16 so I play on.

---
Round 7
Jason with Landstill...

Game 1
We play an insanely long first game where I make multiple play mistakes (like putting a counter on my powder keg not realizing that he's playing landstill with a factory out.  he beats on  me with man lands and I make a play mistake and don't leave enough mana out to win a counter war over a crucible.  I eventually back to basics and stabilize for a bit but he keeps bringing back man lands with the crucible
i am very land light and cant play any creatures with counter backup and play draw go for many many turns.. he eventually draws multiple man lands and plows my ophidian and I lose.  20 minutes left in the round.

out -thirst, mystical
in- 2 chain of vapors

Game 2
I run out of the gates with a few moxes and waste his first 3 man lands.. he still draws more, but i play keiga which he has no answer to.  I counter his crucible and win this game with about 3 minutes left

Game 3
We both shuffle quickly and start playing.  Time is called and we go into our 5 turns after my second turn.
I have tinker in hand, and going for colossus is the only way I can win this one.  I tinker, he counters, I force, he forces. grrr.
Im pissed because we draw.. and I know im out of contention.  

I never even think of talking to my opponent about conceding until after i submit our slip . one of us would have a chance of making it in at 6-2 to top 16, but neither of us will at with a 5-2-1 record.
Oh well. ill think of it next time.


---
Round 8
Mike with FCG

Mike is honestly the first player I play all day that has that way too serious tournament demeanor.  It was painful to play him as everytime i did something, he sighed or tried to make me feel like i was just lucky and not good.  maybe he had a bad match prior or was just pissed that he was out of contention.. but regardless.. i was friendly and tried to chat him up.

Game 1
I keep somewhat of a good hand.. but annuls are useless against FCG and he plays turn 1 lackey into the chain of goblins and sets everything up.  He gets me down to 2 and  I eventually play a few ophidians and drain one of his 4 mana goblins. next turn I hardcast Colossus (with force backup) and the look on his face was priceless. I kill him over the next two turns with ophids back to block

out - keiga, 3 annul, 3x back to basics
in - 3 chain of vapors, 4 BEB

Game 2
He brings me down to 10 with piledrivers and their friends.  I draw multiple chains and bounce his warchiefs each time so im only taking 1 or 2 each time.  I topdeck tinker -> Colossus with drain backup.  He dies two turns later as I squish a piledriver or two.


We all hang out for a bit as Ray figures out the top 16 with some random issue of a top 16ers mom wanting them to go home.
I collect my packs and see that my opponents from the 1st and second rounds that I beat both place higher than I do, one of whom makes 3/4th (justin).  I totally dread the 2 hr drive back to Boston starting at 11pm, but I have to be back in Boston for sunday afternoon, so stayin in CT isn't in the cards for me.  a few redbulls later and Im home.

All in all a long day.. a ton of fun playing magical cards again.. with everyone I played being really rad and friendly outside of the last round.   I wonder if the Star City events are this fun... but somehow, i doubt it.  Perhaps I'll have to make the trip up to syracuse in February.. but sadly I'll miss Mykeatog's Vintage Evolution (BAAAAD WRESTLING NAME!!!) as I'll be on a sunny cruise ship in the caribbean as opposed to smelly convention center with unbathed magic players.

[Sytupal]

Was Kiega really worth the slot over Morphling #2?    

It seems that your list is rather unstable with several unecessary "1 ofs"

This would include

1x Thirst for Knowledge
1x Kiega
1x Morphling
1x Misdirection


Why not the one mana less Impulse over the lone thirst.  Mostly being because Impulse digs you a card deeper for less mana.    It wouldn't seem that you'd be overly worried about chalicing for 2 in the current metagame anyways?


Either way, Congrats on the respectable finish.

Considering i couldn't even make the event which would only have been an hour and a half drive away, i'm not criticizing, merely wondering.

[adamdod]

Keiga was thrown in at the last minute.. thinking it may be decent vs Oath if it were able to be oathed up or cast.. it probably should have been something better, perhaps plat angel.. that can be tinkered out, or cast off a mana drain and helps the deck vs Combo and Oath.

the thirst was brought in for an impulse a month or so ago after repeatedly drawing the DSColossus and not having a way to rid my hand of him other than having more than 7 cards in hand and discarding.  It digs just as much (1 card less) and with late game moxes or chalices, it never was bad.. and at worst was FOW fodder.

Misdirection was totally worth it and stays.. it won counter wars for me and drew me my opponents ancestrals numerous times.  It may become a shoal after BOK comes out though.

The morphling was priceless also.  what else can attack, then untap and block a Sundering Titan..?

[Disburden]

Keiga was thrown in at the last minute.. thinking it may be decent vs Oath if it were able to be oathed up or cast.. it probably should have been something better, perhaps plat angel.. that can be tinkered out, or cast off a mana drain and helps the deck vs Combo and Oath.

the thirst was brought in for an impulse a month or so ago after repeatedly drawing the DSColossus and not having a way to rid my hand of him other than having more than 7 cards in hand and discarding.  It digs just as much (1 card less) and with late game moxes or chalices, it never was bad.. and at worst was FOW fodder.

Misdirection was totally worth it and stays.. it won counter wars for me and drew me my opponents ancestrals numerous times.  It may become a shoal after BOK comes out though.

The morphling was priceless also.  what else can attack, then untap and block a Sundering Titan..?

The fact that you didn't run the two morphling seems like a big mistake to me. I Would also make sure to run disrupting shoals when it comes out as testing it has proven itself to me (not one copy either). I fear you're holding on to misdirection because of what it can do in certain situations, as the shoal can do alot more things in alot more situations.

[Carthain]

24th?  As in 24th place?  I thought that's where I ended up? (With Razvan at 23rd) ^_^

I could be wrong, as at the time the announcements were made, I was kinda tired and only slightly paying attention.  Anyone know where I might get a list of final standings?

[majestyk1136]

I have a question for you regarding the CoTVs in your maindeck: Did you find yourself regretting your inability to play chalice for 1 without hurting yourself?  Chalice for 0 on turn 1 is a given against almost every deck in the field today (assuming you're going first) but with the lack of consolidation of the converted mana costs in your deck (particularly the infiltration at the 1 drop slot) do you feel that it would have behooved you more to have more counterspells at the 2-drop so that Chalice=1 becomes a more beneficial play for you to make?   I'm thinking of testing this deck and looking out among the various models available for test drives gives me sense that a more consolidated mana cost scheme would maximize the utility of the MD chalices.  Any thoughts?

[adamdod]

I think i got 24th.. may have been 25th or 26th though..

The misdirection will most likely become a shoal.. but in the testing I did for the last few monthes.. I replaced a morphling with DSC and never looked back. You never want more than one morphling, and should never be playing it if you can't defend it (ie make it untargetable).  

When I had two in the deck, I found myself using one as FOW fodder or not being as protective of them as i should have been bk i knew i had another..

as for the chalices..
the ONLY 1cc spells in the deck are the maindeck annuls and an ancestral/Mystical (tinker #2).  
Against combo, (storm) chalice for one is usually game.. but if I don't draw the chalices, annulling necro/bargain isnt shabby either...  and if i happen to draw the annuls with chalice for 1 out.. its force fodder.  
Most of the time, chalice came down for zero or 1.  I found 4 to be too many, and 3 just right.  Chalices also makes a great tinker target.

My maindeck chain of vapor is now a aether spellbomb (another tinker target, it cycles, and is non-color based bounce vs oath (pro-everything angels)).  

The Keiga spot (my 61st card) is being tested as Plat angel, as she's good against combo and oath and random stuff.

I'm sure this deck can be tweaked some more by others.. so Im in no way saying its supremely optimized.. but it worked well for me.

[majestyk1136]

Unfortunately, even Aether Spellbomb can't hit the Pristine Angel if she's untapped.  She's still likely to get past Morphling. (they attack with angel and prior to declaration of blockers play an instant)  Have you considered echoing truth main?  It fulfills some of the same functions as annul, has similar weaknesses and in my opinion shores up your first game matchup vs alot of decks that you have trouble with.  The ability to bounce multiple welders and then drop chalice=1 seems particularly attractive for example.  Maybe a more toolbox oriented approach would work by incorporating a couple of Merchant Scrolls to dig up answers?

The reason I'm so big on this consolidation of mana cost thing is that I'm always scared of having the Chalice=1 setup vs a strong combo deck like Doomsday and having the following situation arise:  The set up the doomsday stack.  Chalice for 1 negates Ancestral (if they have no way to kill the chalice) so the Beacon plan is pretty much out of the picture, so instead they go with the YawgWin/Lotus/LED/Tendrils+Necropotence plan.  The only conterspell backup you have in hand is Annul. (which you would otherwise use on the Lotus or necro to win the game)  Unfortunately your Chalice has now Housed you instead of the other way around, whereas Mana Leak wins the game if cast at any given spell in the string.

This isn't the only example of course, it's just one specific example of a situation where there is no benefit to playing cards that are unintentionally self disrupting.

On a related note, I think that there could be a great deal of benefit to playing the version of mono-blue that you are running when Disrupting shoal is legal and the varied mana costs will be a benefit rather than a hindrance.

[Sytupal]

Thank you for your response  adam however i may have been taken the wrong way.   I was refering to you only having 1 misdirection and morphling, wondering why you don't have 2 of each of them.  

Especially in todays metagame where though trinisphere may pretend to be popular, counter wars are much more common.  


In the build I've been testing with i actually cut down my snake count to 3 so i could fit in another darksteel collossus.  I originally had done what you did, however i found that i was forced to pitch my morphling more often than i had liked and was left with only the dsc as a solid win which was rather unlikely if tinker didn't get through for some reason.    Just some thoughts.


No one should fault you however on the maindeck Annuls, as everyone was expecting MWS.

[Rapalaman1]

Good report. It's good to see that someone did not give in to all the Oath pressure and went with Mono-U instead. The only real thing I disagree with is :

I keep somewhat of a good hand.. but annuls are useless against FCG

I would think that they'd be rather good, maybe not as good as a force or drain in ur opening hand but it still counters a crucial spell in the deck

[Mykeatog]

well.. rapalman, you're obviously wrong.

Unless you can explain what an annul does to moutain-lackey.