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FTKzak
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« on: July 29, 2007, 12:53:30 am » |
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First Ever Tournament Report - Zack Knowlden
After being lame and not going to Waterbury last weekend, I was determined to get off my ass and go play some GAT. So, I headed up to Bridgewater for ELD’s Mox VII for a signed UL Time Walk. Following a non-eventful drive up 95, I arrived at the old church to find most of the guys that came to the last tournament, minus about 10. Apparently people weren’t too enthused about super hot and muggy weather and sitting in that beat-ass church. Hopefully the tourn-out for ELD’s next tournament is much better, as he is determined to not play in that venue anymore.
OK, so here’s the list I ran:
GroAtog (28Jul07)
4 Quirion Dryad
1 Psychatog
4 Force of Will
4 Brainstorm
2 Mana Drain
2 Misdirection
4 Gush
3 Opt
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Cunning Wish
1 Red Elemental Blast
4 Merchant Scroll
4 Duress
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Time Walk
1 Fastbond
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Island
1 Volcanic Island
3 Underground Sea
3 Tropical Island
3 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
Sideboard:
3 Yixlid Jailer
2 Pithing Needle
2 Massacre
1 Submerge
1 Blue Elemental Blast
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Artifact Mutation
2 Oxidize
1 Fire/Ice
1 Berserk
To the matchups!
There were 19 people in attendance, so 5 rounds of Swiss, cut to T8.
Round 1: John playing URBana Fish
The first game involved him getting an early Dark Confidant to stick, while I chained draw spells, Scroll, Recall into a Dryad. He got a Gorilla Shaman to stick and ate three of my Moxen. I just untapped and went nuts with Yawg’s Will though, and that was it.
The next game he got way ahead of me with an early Confidant, but unfortunately for him, he managed to flip 13 points of damage with a FoW and two Control Magics. He stabilized by ninjitsuing Bob back to hand, and got a Shaman on board compared to my lonely 1/1 Dryad. I was down to 2 life, and topdecked Time Walk, cycled it and attacked, he chumps with his only blocker, the shaman. Off the top on my next turn, I see Gush, and then Opt, and that was good enough to win it. This was the only game I brought in Needles, I didn’t have much use for them the rest of the day.
1-0 (2-0)
Round 2: Corey Fraser playing GroAtog (The first of many mirrors)
I just blew him out of the water two games in a row.
First game, he starts of with Library. I follow up with Emerald, Trop, Lotus, Dryad, pass with I believe mana drain in hand, plus some other goodies. He chained a bunch of spells on his turn: Opt, Opt, Sleight. He couldn’t find much, and I just went for it on my turn with Brainstorm, Opt, Timewalk. A couple more swings and it was over.
Game 2 was more of the same. I started off with first turn Dryad off Moxen and land, and passed with Black Lotus on the board. Soon enough Yawg’s Will showed up and that was that.
2-0 (4-0)
These two games went really quick so we played a few games for fun after. Corey’s a cool guy, it was interesting to see his individual take (6 Opt effects!) on the predominant deck.
Round 3: Taylor Pratt playing GroAtog
The first game I can’t make much sense of my notes, but I know that I started off this game with first turn Black Lotus into a bunch of bustedness. I got an early Psychatog to stick, and eventually managed to go off with Yawg’s Will after a really really drawn out stalemate of Psychatogs. Taylor may have lost this game because he forgot that he had REB in his board, and he had wish in hand for a long time. He remembered after I blasted his tog, so we ended up with a clear board. I just got lucky and was the first to draw Will.
The first game lasted almost 40 minutes so we were really hurrying to try and get game 2 played. I didn’t keep good notes this game because it was over really really fast. For the fourth game in a row I started off with Lotus in hand without mulling once. I was feeling pretty good about this match. He had a slow start, and I came back with Emerald, Jet, Dryad, land and Lotus, pass. I think that I drained and Brainstormed and on my turn, Gushed, Scrolled, Recalled, played another Dryad...and then won on the next turn.
3-0 (6-0)
Round 4: Ryan Marek playing what else? GroAtog!
This round consisted of me going busted with Yawg’s Will the first game, and then Ryan doing the same the second game. We decided to draw rather than play a third since we were both 3-0 and could just draw in anyways.
3-0-1 (7-1)
Round 5: Stefan Ellsworth playing Gush combo
ID
Top 8:
I got repaired with Stefan, so we ended up playing after all.
My notes started to really suffer in the Top 8, but they were some crazy games.
First game started off pretty slow, but after some build-up, it got to the point where Stefan scrolled into mystical into duress to set up a win. This kinda backfired when he duressed and saw a hand of Gush, Gush, Gush, MisD, MisD, FoW, Yawg’s Will. Needless to say, it didn’t take me very long to win with a tog already on board.
Second game, he managed to get 14 gobbos in play, and he had just enough pyroblasts and forces to get it through. They went the distance.
Third game he kept a potential turn 1 kill, but I ruined it by taking his Lotus with a Duress and leaving him with only a Lotus Petal for mana. I think when he tried to Brainstorm off the petal, I drained off a Lotus, and FoW his FoW. He couldn’t find a land in time and an early Dryad (maybe Tog?) chipped away at his life until I got him within killing range.
Top 4: Rich Shay playing GroAtog
Rich couldn’t find a land until he had mulled down to 5, and that’s really what won the first game for me. I got a tog down and managed to Yawg’s Will with fastbond out, gushed for a million cards, and timewalked.
Game 2 was a much tighter match. I got an early Dryad down and started chipping away, but he eventually stabilized with a couple Dryad’s of his own. The back-breaker of this match came when he tried to Snuff Out by single big dryad, but I had the Misdirection and killed off one of his instead. I believe he threw out a desperation Echoing Truth and managed to bounce my guy, but I was too far ahead and pulled it out.
So in the end, I only lost two games all day, and no matches; I was pretty happy. I split in the finals cause it was so damn hot and muggy and everyone seemed ready to call it a day.
Some thoughts on my card choices: REB in the maindeck was awesome all day, I liked it a lot. Library was good...the one time I played it and the single activation I got off it. I think I can afford the spot in my deck, and if I was really feeling the need to have another basic, I’d probably cut the Ruby and the red in the board for more bounce. After being Snuffed-Out a couple times during the day, I think I might switch out a Massacre and the Submerge for two of those. I didn’t even know the card existed before today, but it seems like a perfect fit. I wish I could give more insight on the Yixlid Jailers/Needles/Massacres/Oxidizes/Artifact Mutation, but I didn’t play any Stax or white Fish/Bomberman or Ichorid, so I’m not really sure on those. I don’t think Ichorid even showed up.
Props:
My deck for being crazy good to me all day.
My opponents for being friendly and fun to play Magic with despite the weather being a Stifle on everyone’s anti-perspirant, and general sanity. Hopefully see you all at Hadley and Feinstein’s tournament.
ELD for putting on such good tournaments!! I had a good time, and I think most everyone there did as well. Also, sweet friggin proxies. The amount of work that goes into preparing for these tournaments is astounding and is much appreciated.
Slops:
People that didn’t show up! Only 19 people, so hopefully better next time.
Holy crap it was hot there.
Me for not going to Waterbury - I’m definitely gonna try and make up for it by going to all the other upcoming local tournaments. Hopefully my run of luck continues!
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