oneofchaos, who is not currently a basic member but will be tomorrw, asked me to post his tourny report, as he is too impatient to wait
. Here it is:
So, after very bare minimum testing due to school finals a friend and I attend Hatchman’s awesome event. I was happy today. I wore my cowboy hat, and was prepared for anything. I am also happy because perhaps I’ll meet Rich Shay or Ben Kowal for the first time, seeing as this is my second tournament for vintage. I’m rather tired due to staying up till 4 AM. Dunkin Donuts > Starbucks, for the record. Anyways onto my deck I played. I played oath and here is a decklist:
I wish my team good luck, and I go check my pairing. Great, I’m going to meet Kowal, just not the way I would have wished for.
Mana:
5 Moxen
1 Black Lotus
4 Forbidden Orchard
2 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
2 Island
2 Underground Sea
2 Tropical Island
2 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
Win:
4 Oath of Druids
1 Razia
1 Akroma
1 Gaea's Blessing
Active control:
4 Chalice of the Void
2 Null Rod
2 Duress
Reactive control:
4 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will
1 Darkblast
Draw/Manipulation:
4 Brainstorm
3 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Ancestral Recall
Tutors/other:
1 Time Walk
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Crop Rotation
1 Rushing River
Sideboard:
2 Simic Sky Swallower
2 Pithing Needle
3 Oxidize
1 Darkblast
3 Energy Flux
1 balance
1 pyroclasm
2 arcane labs
What’s different from ICBM oath?
Not much at all
I walked into a lot of stacks playing each other on tables before I register. I decide to cut a fetch for an island for more stability. I also decide to play a darkblast over a duress to kill damn welders or what I call the dave hand. The Dave hand is where the lands you draw are redundant orchards and your opponent will kill you with you own tokens. I also have it in there for the mirror, and a possible aggro out. The board I went nuts on the stax matchup. I honestly would/should have cut an oxidize for another duress. I did like the rest of my board, which served faithfully throughout the day. The only cards I never used were the labs, the only card I never cast was the clasm.
Round 1, Ben Kowal with CS
He totally trounces me game 1, and I popped a lot of fetches. DSC comes down off a tinker. He wins game 1. I believe I board in 2 pithing needles against him, and I cut a crop rotation and a thirst. I was winning thanks to a turn 1 duress, turn 2 oath. He has one turn, one thing in his deck to help him. Ben plays time walk. During his timewalked turn shows me his rushing river, and a tinker in hand, and DSC wins again?!
For the record Kowal you deserved that trash dumped on you! Topdecking like that! Just kidding, I’m sorry it wasn’t empty.
0-2
Round 2, Mark with CS
This time I get a decent game 1 hand. I keep him from doing much thanks to counters and Razia wins it over 3 turns. Thanks welder, and no thanks to orchard for failing to show up. Game 2 I did the same board plan. My reasoning is simple, if I have to go crop, and it gets countered, I’m really fucked. Then the thirst is cut because it’s nice for them to drain. In with the needles for whatever. He goes volcanic, ruby go. I say orchard, jet, chalice go, without an oath in hand. He plays crypt, tinkers, I brainstorm to no avail. He gets memory jar. I think I wonder how good he is. I draw and play needle and he pops jar in response. Wow, it worked. I draw into an oath and force backup. I play them, and Razia and Akroma have it in 2 turns.
2-0
Round 3, Chad with SS
He plays underground go. I play underground, and than a duress seeing waste, emerald, strip, petal, cutpurse, and erayo. I take the petal. A few turns later, a resolved oath wins, and thank you Akroma. In comes SSS x2, pyroclasm, balance, and a darkblast. I take out 2 null rod, and 3 challice. Damn edicts force me to run more creatures. So he goes first duressing away my oath. I came back over several turns, but Chad has drawn 3 edicts and has killed all my hopes that game. I lose to erayo/cutpurse. Game 3, I Come back guns ablazing, and get out an early Akroma, and then a raiza next turn. He is at 2 Life by the time he double edicts me. He began to control the game, and soon I realized I had most likely lost. My oath got stifled, and I desperately tried to get answers. He flips erayo, in response I recall myself. I drew into 2 moxen, and a balance, thus I can resolve a balance to wipe his board to high heaven. I oath in a SS, balance away. Next turn swing.
Round 4, Tricky Tom with CS
Game 1, was a typical oath beats slaver nuts fest as he was dead early on. Typical boarding. Game 2 was however much different. I had to block my akroma to a tinkered colossus, in order to live. He was at 11. I oath a razia, and before I draw, I vamp. Putting me at 2. I see rushing river in my deck. Draw rushing river, duress away a force, swing 6. He goes to kill me and says move to game 3? I bounce his DSC, a welder, and have razia block a token, and kill another token. Next turn a swing for victory.
Round 5, Much with 5c Stax
I predicted stax just like I said. Too bad It was just 1 out of 6 of my rounds. Oh well turn 1 challice, orchard, turn 2 oath, and gg from there. I board in 3 oxidize, and 3 flux. I take out 4 challice, and 2 duress. I see a turn 1 wasteland from him, and that’s it. That is it. I play island, and pass. He draws, and passes. Doesn’t look like a decent hand for him. I play orchard, and oath. Next 4 turns razia just wins it for me like a good girl.
Round 6, Chris with CS
We discussed IDing, but due to the really bizarre weird matchups going on, It doesn’t look like we’ll both make it in. We play it and I lose both games badly to annuls/rebs/and a techy seal of removal. I wish him luck in the top 8 knowing I’ll barely miss it.
I placed 10th out of 54th not terrible for my second tournament. Got a foil ground seal as a top amateur 15 and younger prize, and kudos to Hatchman.
I go watch my friend beat a real jerk in the side event for a drain. Woot!
Props:
Hatch for killing my Saturday, good times
Jeff for being a cowboy with that hat
Kowal/Shay for being nice
Tom, for being such a good opponent, and wishing me luck. We traded and played more matches.
Slops:
Missing top 8
Nate for harassing my friend, just shut up already?
Bad directions had us up in Massachusets.
Thanks again, and post onwards peons.
-Dave Brennan (The Cowboy)
