[Report] Pitch Long splits for *1st* two ways at Cary, NC, 4-7-07

For reference, the results and TO’s report for this tournament can be found here:

http://www.themanadrain.com/index.php?topic=32645.0

This tournament report begins the night before the tournament, at a Korean restaurant around 9:00 pm. My friends had suggested we eat dinner there and I had never actually eaten at a “true” Korean restaurant, so I agreed. One of those who was with us was a Mormon, who had learned Korean in his time in Korea during his mission. Not only was he able to guide us through the entire menu with ease, he also was able to recount the story of having his appendix removed while in Korea. While the details were extensive, the climax of the story is when they have just shot him up with some sort of anesthetic, but he hasn’t quite gone under yet. He can see the knife descending on him and struggles significantly to find the words to cry out “I’m not asleep yet!” Finally, he manages to blurt out his message, as difficult as it was, and they shoot him up again. He woke up in a world of pain, but apparently survived. After that, I was taken to a Korean karaoke place, where you rent the room and just sing amongst each other. I hadn’t done that before either. However, we end up staying out late, so I don’t actually get to bed until 3:40 am. Consequently, I didn’t have time to really flesh out what I was going to do with my deck the night before, and had to decide the day of.

I knew the metagame would be changing a little bit since the proxy limit had been raised from 10 to 15 cards. I thought that Gifts might be the superior choice, but I definitely felt more comfortable running Pitch Long, so I opted for “slightly inferior deck with better skill” over “slightly superior deck with less skill,” which I think is a good choice in general. I had been experimenting with a draw 7 build running Wheel of Fortune and Windfall, but just was not happy with the deck, feeling like I would ramp up sixteen spells and still not win. Therefore, I went back to the bread and butter. However, I had recently been trying Mox Diamond and had initially liked the results. I had cut Mox Pearl or a Bloodstained Mire to run this, but I was having second thoughts on the way to the tournament. In the end, I decided to just run 61 (a cardinal sin, I know), as I just couldn’t persuade myself to cut it. So, here is what I ran:

1 Black Lotus
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Memory Jar
1 Mox Diamond
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring

1 Necropotence
1 Yawgmoth's Bargain

1 Ancestral Recall
4 Brainstorm
3 Cabal Ritual
1 Chain Of Vapor
4 Dark Ritual
4 Force Of Will
3 Misdirection
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Rebuild
1 Vampiric Tutor

1 Demonic Tutor
3 Grim Tutor
1 Imperial Seal
1 Infernal Contract
1 Mind's Desire
2 Tendrils of Agony
1 Time Walk
1 Timetwister
1 Tinker
1 Yawgmoth's Will

1 Island
1 Swamp
2 Bloodstained Mire
4 Polluted Delta
2 Underground Sea
1 Tolarian Academy

= 61 cards

Sideboard

3 Xantid Swarm
2 Massacre
1 Chain of Vapor
2 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Rebuild
3 Duress
1 Bayou
1 Sundering Titan
1 Empty the Warrens

= 15 cards

I was personally very excited about the sideboard, as I felt it dealt with a number of concerns, primarily fish (which I still expected in large numbers) and other combo decks. I thought about running Darksteel Colossus in the sideboard, but felt that Sundering Titan might not only be more effective, but also a big surprise for my opponents. I threw in the Empty the Warrens in the sideboard as an afterthought, not having a real choice for the fifteenth card.

Because we like new technology in Cary, we actually decided to post the times that rounds started and ended on the wall, preventing exceedingly long rounds from occurring. Additionally, some Arsenal team members had donated some cash for the prizes, in addition to giving the store a smaller cut of the prizes (namely, $40flat, regardless of attendance). Consequently, this tournament was expected to be a little better than ones in the past. Let’s see how things turned out:

Round 1 vs. Ben with Survival of the Fittest

Game 1: He’s on the play and mulligans to 6. I get an early Necropotence and opt to draw 11 cards, putting me at 8. Apparently my initial draw is not lethal and I play Imperial Seal. I forget that I don’t draw at my draw step and have to take yet another turn to get Will into my hand. Will resolves, and Ben scoops.

Game 2: He’s on the play again and apparently fetches on turn 1. I drop Bargain on my first turn and proceed to win with Tendrils. Ben never really got a chance to get going this match.

Games: 2-0
Matches: 1-0

Round 2: Chris Coppola (Machinus) with Long

Game 1: I win the roll and Chris mulligans to 6. I recall having at least two different tutors and having a great deal of indecision about what to do. I would end up Imperial Sealing for Mind’s Desire, but Chris would play Bargain the turn before and proceed to go off, ending up at 5 life ultimately. I attribute my loss to being outplayed.

Game 2: I mistakenly think Chris is playing Gifts and side in Swarms (don’t ask how I did this; I never saw Gifts or Grim Tutor along the way). Chris again gets Bargain and again proceeds to win at 5 life. I had no chance.

Games: 2-2
Matches: 1-1

A few minutes after my game was over, something interesting happened. Cody Vinci was playing Jarrod Keesling. Jarrod is Demonic Tutoring and Abe, while standing in the vicinity, says “DT for Strip Mine.” Jarrod would DT for Strip Mine and Cody would lose the game (and eventually the match). Now, there was some controversy concerning whether Abe was talking about Cody’s match or another match. Supposedly, he coincidentally said this comment about another game, rather than the game he was standing next to. My position on this is that you should not talk about games in progress, period. Even if he was talking about another match, it is inappropriate to do this, no matter how obvious the board position is.

Round 3: Abe with a combo deck

Game 1: I’m on the draw and mulligan to 5. This was a mistake, however, because in my opening 7 I had Lotus, a Mox, Vault, and some other stuff that I could have played. For some reason I suspected that Abe was running fish, and therefore greatly feared a first turn Chalice (I didn’t have Force of Will). In hindsight, mulliganning there was a terribly misplay; I needed to just play my deck. Anyway, I don’t get what I need and Abe proceeds to play Will and own.

Game 2: You have to understand that with me, in almost every tournament I play in, I am in danger of getting eliminated from top 8 in game 2 of round 3 with incredible consistency. So, I’m no stranger to this position. Abe mulls to 6. Abe has a lot of trouble getting going. I play a mini Tendrils, Will, then Tendrils again.

Game 3: I end up trying to hardcast Bargain at some point and Abe Forces it. I get a Xantid Swarm in play, so I can do whatever I want. I tutor for Will and proceed to play Will. I contemplate precisely what to do at this point, as there isn’t a lot of terribly broken stuff in my graveyard. I opt to play Bargain from the graveyard and hope for the best. I start at 19 life. I get down to 7 life and do not have the win yet. I have plenty of black mana, but no tutors and no tendrils. It was at this point that I draw Tinker. I had 6 black mana or so floating with the possibility of tapping a Sea. I decided the optimal play was to Tinker for Memory Jar now for a couple of reasons. I did not want to draw Jar and then have to hardcast it, as then I might not have enough mana to play Tendrils. Second, that was one less card I had to draw out of the deck, thus slightly improving my chances of getting Tendrils. I continue to draw cards and proceed to get Grim Tutor in 2 or my last 3 draws (meaning, I couldn’t play it), so I was at 1 life. So, 17 cards down (I had to fetch), no win yet. I break Memory Jar and still do not have the win, getting only Mox Sapphire, Brainstorm, and 5 other cards I can’t use. I play Mox Sapphire and Brainstorm. Finally, on the second card from Brainstorm, I rip Tendrils off the top and win. So, in order to win, I had to dig 26 cards deep into my deck. An epic win.

Games: 4-3
Matches: 2-1

Round 4: George with Izzet Guildmage Control

Game 1: George had destroyed me in our last meeting in January with Gifts, so I was inclined to maybe get some revenge this game. I played the mental game (jokingly) by asking him what time he had gotten up this morning (the answer was very early, like 7) and informing him that I had gotten up at 11:20. In any case, he wins the roll and proceeds to play. He plays an early Pithing Needle and names…Necropotence. I would tell him after the match that I did not like this play, especially because he had Trickbind in hand to stop one of my fetches (which he would do). I thought naming Polluted Delta would have been a stronger play. Regardless, I Mind’s Desire for 4 and get Demonic Tutor. I get Will and try to play it. After contemplating what to do for a long time, George decides to Cunning Wish, which I allow to resolve. He then Twincasts Yawgmoth’s Will! He had Trickbind in the graveyard, but no other counters. I decide to let Twincast resolve, thinking he might be baiting. Yawgmoth’s Will resolves. I build up a storm count and proceed to play Tendrils of Agony. George Trickbinds it. I play Demonic Tutor from the graveyard and George proceeds to scoop. I ask him if he would like to see it and he says “yeah, let me see it.” Someone watching the match commented that George should have made sure that I had the second Tendrils in the deck for the win, as it would have been a savage victory had I not been running it. I show George the second Tendrils.

Game 2: George gives my deck the “cut of death” whereby he cuts the deck and then places the top card on the bottom. Apparently it works, as I mulligan to 5. Not having a lot of cards, I manage to Tinker. George goes, “Are you getting an 11/11 big man?” I say no. He asks, “Are you getting a Memory Jar then?” And I say no again. He then says, “Well what are you getting?” I silently pull Sundering Titan out and snap it onto the table. George says “Wow, I wasn’t expecting that,” looking at his 2 or 3 duals, all of which I can destroy. I was afraid George might have Trickbind, but he does not. Sundering Titan’s triggered ability resolves and I blow up all of George’s lands. Three turns later, Titan beats for the win.

Games: 6-3
Matches: 3-1

So, at this point it appears that I will top 8 again, as I believe I can draw into it. I get paired against someone who also can draw in, Jarrod, and we do so.

Round 5 vs. Jarrod Keesling – Intentional Draw

Games: 6-3
Matches: 3-1-1

After a lengthy round 5, we determine the members of the top 8. I predicted six of the eight correctly, winning the top 8 prediction contest (and winning a beaten Flooded Strand, look for it on eBay later this month). Interestingly, I won by a tiebreaker. The procedure was to see who got the highest ranked top 8 member without the other person getting one. In other words, if one person got the 1st place person and the other did not, that person would win. If they were still tied, go to the next, and so on. I ended up winning because I predicted myself in the 5th place slot, while Bert did not.

Top 8: Andrew (Big P) with modified Sullivan Solution packing Tendrils of Agony

Now, anybody that has followed my Magic career in Cary can tell you that I have had a difficult one in the top 8. My last three trips to the top 8, I have lost, and therefore have left empty handed. This time, while I was at least guaranteed my money back for making it this far, I really, really wanted to win. In spite of having been at the same tournament many times, Andrew and I had never played before (which we were actually talking about the round before).

Game 1: I’m on the play. A turn or two in, I Grim Tutor for Necropotence and play it in the same turn. I put Mana Crypt on the table (I have Will in hand) and I draw 10 cards, putting me at 7. I miscalculate, and realize that I have to break a fetchland (I believe this is how I ended up losing the extra life, it could have been a Force). I have to play Grim Tutor in order to win, so a Crypt roll will cause me to lose if I lose the roll. Andrew passes his turn without doing much. I call evens and the die falls my way. I proceed to win via Will and Tutor.

Game 2: I side in 1 Massacre, 1 Swarm (a strategy I ended up really liking when I did not want to commit to 3), 1 Bayou, 1 Empty the Warrens, and 1 Sundering Titan. Andrew is on the play and mulligans to 6. On turn one, he plays Planar Void. This does not bode well for me, as I am still relatively new to combo. Therefore, going off without Will will prove difficult for me. The only removal I had for Planar Void was a single Chain of Vapor, which I would end up pitching to Force of Will because I felt it was more important to do that than something else. Consequently, I would end up discarding (and RFGing) Yawgmoth’s Will when I reached my maximum hand size at one point! Anyway, the game is relatively tight and I’m at 14 life. I have 7 mana on the table, including Black Lotus and Andrew has seen my hand via Duress, so he knows I have Sundering Titan, Empty the Warrens, and Tendrils of Agony in hand. I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do here. I had Xantid Swam in play. I could wait on another land and try to hardcast Titan (which would have been moderately damaging, but not devastating for Andrew), I would ramp up a non-lethal tendrils for 10, then play Empty the Warrens and try to beat for the win, or I could play Empty the Warrens for 10 and try to swing for the win in two turns. I opt for Empty the Warrens. I go to 11 via Grim Tutor and pass the turn. Andrew passes back. I swing with Xantid Swarm and with my 16 goblins, putting Andrew at 6. I am looking at Mystical Tutor, Brainstorm, and something else. I believe there was a possibility of me playing Tendrils for just 2 damage somehow, but I also know that I could not Mystical for Time Walk and just win, so I am uncertain as to the precise position of the game. Regardless, I opt to Brainstorm, hoping to maybe draw into a counter, but cannot. At this point, I’m feeling pretty good, saying things like “Is the streak finally over?” and the like. What happened next was pretty much incredible. I pass the turn back. Andrew tries to Mystical Tutor at the end of my turn, but I say “Xantid Swarm says no.” He says “ok” and proceeds to Mystical during his upkeep for Brainstorm. He draws Brainstorm. He plays Imperial Seal, going to 3 (after fetching). He plays Trinket Mage, getting Black Lotus. He plays Black Lotus, then plays Demonic Tutor from hand. He plays Mox Sapphire, then he plays Tendrils of Agony for 14. I lose. I was glad that he had not gone to 2, as I mentioned earlier that Tendrils for 2 was a possibility. This representation of the events may not have been perfect, but they are pretty close. I wonder now if I should have played Tendrils to gain a bunch of life and try to win another way, but I guess we will never know. Needless to say, I’m very aggravated at this point. Andrew, genuinely, says “Sorry man. You’ll win on turn 1 next game.”

Game 3: We shuffle up and I choose to play. I am greeted in my opening hand with first turn Bargain with Force backup. I play Bargain, Andrew doesn’t have a counter, and I own, winning with 6 life left. It is probably worth noting that I heard somebody whisper “Demonic Tutor” toward the end of this game, when I was taking a ton of time to absolutely make sure beyond a doubt that I would win. Don’t talk about games in progress, please. Sad

Regardless, I am certain I would have won anyway.

I am finally vindicated.

Games: 8-4
Matches: 4-1-1

It was at this point that myself, Chris, Bert, and Cody have a 20 minute discussion about the possibility of splitting. Chris and myself wanted to split, while Cody did not and Bert did not care. I wanted the Mana Drain and Chris wanted the FBB Underground Sea. After things got heated up for a while, we decided (or were forced) to just play it out. For the record, if someone wants to play it out, you have to play it out; splitting is not a democracy. Obviously, however, I did not voice this opinion during the negotiations (I didn’t speak against it, though).

Top 4: Bert Kyle with Gifts

Game 1: I’m feeling a bit better now, having “proved myself” for this tournament regardless of what happened in this match. I win the roll. I play an early Necropotence, but don’t have the cajoles to draw too many cards, instead opting to just fill my hand by paying 6 life and going to 13. I Mystical (I think) and put something on top, then draw 1 card the next turn to put it in hand. I Grim Tutor, apparently, and proceed to win. I did not like how I won here, as I felt I could have played Necropotence more effectively. Regardless, that’s how it happened.

Game 2: He’s on the play. I Duress on turn 1 and see Gifts, Gifts, Duress, Duress, Force, Demonic, Mystical. He says “aren’t you supposed to take the counter here?” I think about it a while, and whether he “talked me into it” or not I am not sure, but I take Force. I draw into some things that I just could not play efficiently, while he is dropped mana sources. After much contemplation, I decide to Timetwister. Bert goes “You’re Timetwistering? That’s great! I can’t believe it!” Heh, I felt great. I just did not like the game position, with him having tutors out the wazoo and myself not having any way of winning in the near future. Timetwister is very, very good to me and gives me two 0CC artifacts and enough cards to play Tendrils for 16, putting him at 3. I pass the turn. Next turn, I play either Will or Tendrils number 2, and win.

Games: 10-4
Matches: 5-1-1

Poetic justice has its way, and Chris defeats Cody in two games. We decide to split, with me getting the unlimited Timetwister and Chris getting the FBB Underground Sea and some cash. I Thanks for splitting, Chris! I already had a Twister, but it was well played, and I had traded for it rather than winning it. Now, I can play with the newer one which I won and sell the other one.

Overall, I don’t know that I would run Diamond again. While it was a great mana fixer, allowing me to play Swarm and Empty the Warrens with ease, there were times when I drew it that I was not thrilled to see it. Additionally, I would prefer not to run 61 cards. Sundering Titan was great, the one time I got to play it, but there were definitely board positions where a Titan would have been “good game.”

This was likely my last tournament for the Cary, North Carolina area, as I will be graduating from Duke this year to attend law school. Most likely, I will not be returning to Duke. I just wanted to say thanks to all the people I met here for being great people to meet and play with. I have had a wonderful time playing with you all. I hope that wherever I go has as good of a tournament environment as the one I found here.

David Earley