Tournament report
Tobias Egelhof
Demonic Hordes Hessen Vintage Tournament
Darmstadt 01.06.2008
1st place
After leaving my combo cards at home for some time (which may have been a mistake in Annecy), I decided to play good old Horden Tendrils again.
Here is the list:
Combo Sau strikes back!
Maindeck (60):
Spells (50):
1 Black Lotus
3 Chromatic Sphere
1 Lion's Eye Diamond
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
2 Cabal Ritual
4 Dark Ritual
1 Demonic Consultation
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Duress
1 Imperial Seal
1 Necropotence
3 Tendrils of Agony
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Yawgmoth's Bargain
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Ancestral Recall
4 Brainstorm
1 Chain of Vapor
4 Force of Will
1 Mind's Desire
1 Mystical Tutor
2 Ponder
1 Timetwister
1 Tinker
1 Windfall
Lands (10):
1 Flooded Strand
1 Island
4 Polluted Delta
1 Swamp
1 Tolarian Academy
2 Underground Sea
Sideboard (15):
4 Dark Confidant
1 Darksteel Colossus
3 Duress
2 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Island
1 Massacre
1 Rebuild
1 Swamp
1 Time Walk
I decided to take Hurkyl's Recall completely out of the main because I really wanted only the raw combo power in game one. I replaced it with Windfall, which had been absent from my testing list for some time. I also removed Time Walk to the sideboard and added 2 Ponders which were great.
The sideboard transformed my list into a somewhat standard TPS list with Confidants. This was great in matchups packing a lot of disruption stuff.
Tournament starts a bit late due to Norman forgetting cards for Juergen
30 minutes after the planned start we move into the...
1st round
Simon Fassl - Gush Tendrils
Simon is a nice guy, and I never lost to him (I think), therefore I am happy to play against him first round. But he is playing Gush Tendrils, which packs a lot of disruption which makes me not too confidant (how good I have "confidence" in my sideboard - har har).
I loose the die roll and Simon elects to start. He mulls to 6. I keep a solid hand with some acceleration, Force of Will and a Cosultation, which is enough for a 9-storm first turn kill (he fetched and Forced himself to 18 life).
I board in the Confidants, Duresses and Time Walk.
I mulligan to 5 and keep a slow hand. After some turns I manage to tinker into Jar, which brings some mana and a Bargain into my hand, which resolves.
Games 2:0
Matches 1:0
2nd round
Florian Hess - GAT
GAT is also not my most favourable matchup. I know Florian is able to play his build quite well, so again, my confidence in winning is low.
And I loose the die roll again. He starts, but mulls to 5. I tinker into Jar but cannot kill, so I mini Tendrils him with 7 storm (including Vampiric but no card draw), bringing him to 5 life. A turn later I have the vampiric'd Will and win.
Again, I board the Confidants and Duresses with Time Walk.
I mull to 6 and we start a slow game. I bring a Confidant to stick and draw some cards and attack some turns. Tinker resolves and Jar pops up, bringing nothing but a second Confidant which is forced. Next round Brainstorms gives me Will and I win.
Games 4:0
Matches 2:0
3rd round
Anton Karlinski - Elves (!)
I never played against Anton but I know he is playing Elves with red for Goblin Bombardment. He had some success with that list in the past, so I am aware despite it being an Elves deck
Of course I loose the die roll and he starts with a Llanowar Elf. I play Imperial Seal, and put Lotus on top. Next turn he does nothing relevant and I Twister into Ancestral and the Tendrils kill.
Out of the sideboard comes Colossus and Walk.
Second game he leads again with a Llanowar. I follow it up with 1st turn Necropotence, taking 10 cards and leaving 9 life. This takes a lot of time to decide the correct hand to keep, and in the end I throw away the Forces in favor of Chain of Vapor and Will. He drops Pyrostatic Pillar on his turn which I can handle thanks to Chain. I win the same turn.
Games 6:0
Matches 3:0
4th round
ID
5th round
ID
top 8
quarterfinals
Patrick Schwarz - Tyrant Oath
I win the die roll!!! And loose
I hold a hand with Ancestral, Tinker and Crypt, allowing for two strong early game plays. Tinker gets forced, and in response to my second turn Anc he Cunning Wishes for Misdirection...
I board in some Duresses.
Second game is another story. We play draw-go for some turns until I get Bargain to resolve.
Third games takes more time. I resolve a second or third turn Necropotence and take 13 cards, leaving 7 life. I hold Imperial Seal, but no draw spell except Windfall and Bargain. Bargain will be possible mana-wise, but I need one more life (Seal for Will, draw card, Will, Force of Will, Seal for Tendrils and draw card), so I need to utilize Windfall to draw that card off Seal.
I know he is holding Mana Drain and a Tyrant and one mystery card. I play Seal, he thinks for some time and elects to Exirpate my Brainstorm in response, which was obviously a mistake. After the Extirpate Seal resolves and Windfall gives him only lands, so I win.
Games 8:1
Matches 4:0
semifinals
Fabian Moyschewitz - Red Aggro Stax
I know what Fabian is playing and pray for the best.
He starts after winning the die roll and mulligan to 6 and I hold my breath. Down comes Land Mox Crypt... Solemn Simulacrum! I show him my hand of Land, 3 Rituals and Demonic and the topdecked Yawgmoth's Will.
Second game I hold a hand with basic land and Rebuild, he mulligans again to 6. This time he has the first turn Sphere. I draw Lotus and play it with the basic. He plays Juggernaut and passes. I draw Mana Crypt, play it, Rebuild, Ritual, Will, win.
That were two really lucky games
Games 10:1
Matches 5:0
finals
Florian Hess - GAT
Florian managed to fight his way back into the top 8 although all the top people were trying to ID their way into it. We talk about a price split and he tells me he really wants to have that Demonic Hordes winner card. So I take the Library and he gets the winner card and the Berserk. We play a single game for the tournament win.
I win the die roll and start with Ancestral in his upkeep. He thoughtseizes me and takes Demonic. I play Seal for Will and Duress him, seeing Duress effects in his hand only. He plays his own Demonic and passes. I win the Will turn with Force backup.
Games 11:1
Matches 6:0
So I ride Horden Tendrils to a tournamen win again 2 1/2 years after the last one. The list changed a bit since then, but its power remained.
The Brainstorm and Ponder restrictions will affect my deck too, so I think I will test 4 Sleight of Hand in the place of one Ponder and 3 Brainstorm. I definitely need a blue 4-of for the Consultation.
top:
- Very nice people coming from all over southern Germany to Darmstadt. Great event!
- Friendly opponents.
- Combo for being nice to me.
- Tournament location.
flop:
- Rych for being ill
- Daniel for not coming due to hangover.
