Myriad's Fantastic February Magic Bonanza

It’s not the winning that matters; it’s the taking part!

Yeah, I know, I don’t fully believe it either. Everyone likes to win. Well today wasn’t my day. I just squeaked a 3-3 record with a modified decklist. For those who are interested in such things, here it is. I warn the purists out there it is not a pretty sight. I’m known for playing with Auriok Salvager’s but I am also known for playing oddball, or curveball choices in my builds. Mostly they are for fun, but occasionally something will work really well, it will stay in the deck – at least until the next total rebuild.

The List

3 Auriok Salvagers
1 Goblin Welder

3 Islands
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Academy Ruins
1 Tolarian Academy
1 City of Brass
1 Volcanic Island
1 Underground Sea
3 Tundra
4 Flooded Strand
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Crypt

1 Mystical Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Timetwister
1 Tinker
1 Gift’s Ungiven

3 Thirst for Knowledge
4 Brainstorm

4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
1 Misdirection

1 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Mindslaver
1 Decree of Justice
3 Repeal
1 Sunbeam Spellbomb

Sideboard

1 Tormod’s Crypt
2 Decree of Justice
3 Energy Flux
2 Jester’s Cap
1 Sundering Titan
2 Engineered Explosives
2 Old Man of the Sea
2 Echoing Truth

Ok, now that everyone who doesn’t know me, realizes how crazy I am we can get on to the report of my amazing mediocrity.

Before I begin, any questions on the deck will be gladly answered, but most likely for the obviously odd card choices, the answer will be something along the lines of, because I wanted to see if it worked or not. I can certainly let people know my opinions, but my deck lists fluctuate a lot, so any individual card choices should always be tested and played if they suite your play style.

Now I’ve scared off everyone but Dan who has to read this in order to determine this isn’t in fact the best tournament report - (and maybe Feinstein, because he can’t help himself – it’s like cake and horizontally challenged people) lets begin.

Round 1 Craig Dupre - TMWA

I lost.

Oh wait, you want to know more? Ok!

Game 1: My opponent knows what I am playing, as I do him. It is not a favorable match up for me unless I can go broken. Craig mulls to 6 and I am on the draw. He duresses me turn one, which makes me sad as I have Library in my grip of seven. My hand is Thirst, Mystical, Brainstorm, Salvagers, Island, Library and Ruins. He takes the thirst and I lay library. He duresses me on his turn two and takes the tinker I ripped off the top. A turn later I attempt to mystical, which resolves, but before I can go to my turn I am extirpated, losing my recall on top and all 3 thirsts in the deck. Damn split second!

He uses a 3rd duress to take a brainstorm and after I drop welder he therapies my salvagers in hand. He drops Confidant soon after and I attempt a Gift’s. It resolves and not really having any usual Gift’s pile, I just get broken things. I get Lotus, Recall, Walk, and Twister. I end up with Walk and Twister in hand. I Walk and then use my welder to generate mana with lotus to Will and walk and recall myself. Of the recall I draw slaver and using welder to weld in lotus get 10 mana to cast and slave. I destroy my opponent’s board position and on the next turn I draw mana crypt, which in addition to ruins and welder and the mana on the board leads to a slaver lock.

Game 2: He duresses again first turn; my hand is Repeal, Thirst, Demonic, Misdirection, City of Brass and 2 Strands. He is a little sad my hand has some good cards, but takes Demonic. He lays factory and proceeds to pound on me as I draw little. He plays a lavamancer that I repeal digging for an answer to factory. I Thirst EOT and he attempts to Seek me, I drain the Seek and he Pyroblasts the Thirst, correctly putting me on a draw for answers. He wastes my city and after repealing the lavamancer again I am left brainstorming into all three Salvagers with no white mana. I lose to 3 factories going all the way.

Game 3: On the play I have to mull to 5, my opponent to 6. I keep a hand of Island, T Crypt, Repeal, City of Brass and Decree of Justice. Not amazing, but with the hand and land destruction TMWA packs, going to 4 is almost guaranteed suicide. Of course Craig helps my hara-kiri along by duressing me 1st turn again. After this it is a mere formality for him to drop some critters and pound my head in. In the end I die to a mana crypt roll, although it made no difference I would have drawn nothing of relevance.

I wish Craig good luck and move on to round 2 knowing that with 37 people 4-2 still stands a chance and I may be able to ride the loser’s bracket to top 8.

Round 2 Monsieur Le Bye – Not sure what he played – I beat him first turn both games!

Round 3 Outlaw – Combo (Presumably Crosslong)

Game 1: Again my 1st turn Library is foiled by that evil black card duress – it should certainly be restricted, I mean 4 games in a row 1st turn duress, much worse than Trinisphere!) My hand this time is Library, Lotus, Emerald, Decree of Justice, Island Fetch, Repeal. He takes my Lotus. He casts Demonic and passes the turn with an Underground Sea and 2 moxen in play. I drop island and attempt recall, but he has the force. Turn 2 he recalls and drops a second Sea and Sol Ring. End of my turn he Vamps and on his turn duresses my drain and drops lotus into Will, into a lethal Tendrils.

Game 2: This game is a little ridiculous. I drop welder and a bunch of artifact accelerants. I swing with welder for a few turns, drawing nothing. Outlaw Twister’s me into nothing but mana and even though I draw a force he has enough mana to hard cast Bargain with hard cast Force backup. Needless to say Bargain is quite good and I lose to another Tendrils.

After this round I am a little upset, but cannot complain that I messed up, I was a little unlucky of Outlaw’s Twister, but that happens from time to time, I’m mean it’s not like it would happen more than once in a tournament right!

Round 4: Mike Bergeron (Definitely NOT Stax – I hope Your Happy Ray!)

Game 1: My opponent, who is a good friend of mine, mulls to 5. My opening on the draw is Fetch, Mystical, Welder, Volcanic, Thirst, Twister and Force. I drop the fetch after my opponent opens with waste, emerald chalice at. I mystical for recall and recall and drop welder. My opponent misses land drops for a few turns as I play an Academy that taps for 0 blue mana.

I start attacking with welder and then as he gets more artifact permanents in play and in the graveyard I use it to alter his board as I swing with 2 soldier tokens from Decree. He gets crucible with strip mine in the yard, but only gets one extra strip as I give him back a chalice at 0 instead. He wastes more lands, but cannot find an answer to my 3 creatures and I win with welder and soldier beats.

Game 2: This is my turn to mull to 5, although I’m pretty sure with my 5 on the draw I’m in trouble. I keep Library, Ruby, Salvagers, Slaver and Thirst. Mike drops City, Pearl and Duresses me taking Thirst. He then adds the kicker, dropping chalice at 0. I draw Underground and play it as he drops another City and drops crucible. I draw another land, Tundra this time, and he drops chalice at 1. He fears the obvious power of my Welder!

He then drops academy and a sphere of resistance. I am able to counter a platinum angel, but he gets a Titan into play before I can find a boarded Energy Flux. With Academy out, he has enough mana to keep the Titan around until I am dead.

Game 3: Due to time coming to an end in the round and Mike’s desire to play in the now Legendary, Vintage Draft, he scoops to me game 3 and I still have an outside shot at squeezing myself into top 8.

Round 5: Ryan Marek (Gift’s)

Game 1: We wish each other luck, knowing we both need to win out to hope to make top 8. I am on the draw with this hand – Petal, 2 Tundra, Spellbomb, Brainstorm, Misdirection and Demonic Tutor. I drop most of my hand turn 1 thanks to a pearl I draw. Of course I then draw Library – Bah! By turn 4 my opponent goes for a gift’s that I force and he forces back. It resolves and he gets Recall, Gift’s, Sapphire and Duress. The first two go to his graveyard and next turn he proceeds to make 10 goblins.

My opponent has 1 card left in hand; with drain mana available and I make a bad play mistake. I have Demonic and Tinker in hand with 9 mana available. I lead with Demonic, thinking if he counters it I can still tinker for Slaver and bye myself a turn to drop Salvagers next turn. He doesn’t counter and I get sloppy and cast the Salvager’s first, he drains it and I draw no answer to 10 goblins. I was at 20 and could have baited with Tinker. Who knows what would have happened, but I was mad that I made an elemental mistake.

Game 2: My previous game probably affected my play in this game, as I was still upset at the misplay. Either way my hand didn’t really develop, and although I got a boarded Explosives to deal with Warrens, Ryan had the Colossus to swing for 2 turns of 11 damage. Enough to knock me out of contention. I wish him good luck in his last round and get ready for round 6.

Round 6: Nathan Bingham – (Shop Aggro)

Game 1: We wish each other well although this match means nothing in terms of top 8. I am on the play and lead out with a Volcanic, Pearl, Tormod’s Crypt and Spellbomb. My opponent drops Wasteland and Sensei’s Top. We draw little until turn 4 after which he has wasted my Volcanic, and I finally drew a City to play my Welder. He drops a Juggernaut of a Workshop that I force, pitching Misdirection. I force a Crucible next turn and he draws of top and plays welder. I am short on mana so I twister, Crypting him in response. Needless to say I draw no mana and my opponent drops Emerald, Pearl a Chalice and a Triskelion. I am able to deal with this just in time to remove the chalice and combo off with Salvagers at 1 life.

I probably shouldn’t have won that game, and I always felt like I was one turn away from losing, luckily I managed to win just enough Mana crypt rolls to not die.

Game 2: This is a quick game, with me on the draw. He drops 3 wastelands over the first three turns and a chalice at zero, quickly followed by Karn, which gives him his kill in only a few turns.

Game 3: On the play I keep Pearl, Sol Ring, Fetch, Demonic, Slaver, Force and Repeal. I drop the mana turn one, and my opponent drops chalice at 0 along with Glimmervoid and his artifact acceleration. He duresses me as well of the Glimmervoid taking Demonic. I pass through turn two missing a land drop and he attempts a Thirst on his turn. I force pitching Mana Drain. He drops welder and I repeal it. He replays it and extirpates my Forces. I manage to cycle decree to block his welder and finally draw salvagers. He drops more mana and I drain a Crucible into another Salvagers and swing for the win.

Overview

After the matches I stay around for top 8 as three teammates made top 8. While I am waiting I play Dan for a tee shirt for my wife, which I win, so the day is not a total washout. All in all, the day seemed a great success for Dan and Myriad Games. I, along with many others, enjoyed the extra events and the thought that went into them.

So to finish, as I have no cool videos I’ll end with a limerick. (And if it doesn’t scan – sorry – I study Science not English.)

There was a store called Myriad,
Where all games could be had.
They held tourneys of Magic,
That where aught but tragic
Even when I play bad (ly).