Duncan
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Team R&D
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« on: June 30, 2008, 04:11:41 pm » |
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Yesterday I went to Breda for the 12 proxy Mox Sapphire Tournament. After a night of playing bomberman with 4 controllers on the SNES I wake up tired and prepare for the tournament. I pick up Alex and we take off for the 1,5 hour drive to Breda. I must have been still sleeping, because I already took the wrong exit of the highway after like 10 miles. We lose a quarter getting back on track, but still have plenty of time left.
I am going to play GWSx: Dark Confidant fueled Ritual Combo, the deck I have been discussing a bit the week before here on TheManaDrain. I use 13Nova’s latest list and also feel comfortable with his new sideboard including white for Orim’s Chant. I don’t know whether GWSx is better than Pitch/Grim Long right now, but I prefer the consistency over the speed and also love to play with Confidants. Here is the list I played:
2 Swamp
2 Island
2 Flooded Strand
4 Polluted Delta
3 Underground Sea
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Lotus Petal
1 Black Lotus
4 Dark Ritual
3 Cabal Ritual
4 Dark Confidant
2 Night’s Whisper
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Ponder
2 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Imperial Seal
4 Duress
2 Chain of Vapor
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Rebuild
1 Necropotence
1 Yawgmoth’s Bargain
1 Timetwister
1 Time Walk
1 Yawgmoth's Will
3 Tendrils of Agony
Sideboard:
1 Scrubland
1 Tundra
3 Orim’s Chant
2 Extirpate
3 Yixlid Jailer
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Rebuild
1 Planar Void
2 Massacre
I hear 39 people showed up, including some Belgians and even some French people, so for the first time in a while we’ll be playing six rounds of Swiss instead of five. On to the matches!
Round 1: Hero ‘t Mannetje with 2-Land Belcher; 2-1
Before the tournament I heard him telling someone he was playing a “First-hand-all-in” deck so I knew he was playing some sort of combo. It turned out to be 2-Land Belcher. He wins the die-roll (I’m getting used to this, the tournament where I win over 50% of my rolls has yet to be organised) and elects to go first. I don’t remember my opening hand exactly. He opens very fast and I’m thinking to myself: “You shouldn’t have picked a deck without Force of Will, now you’ll pay for it!”. Needless to say he does some broken things and drops a land and a Belcher and activates it. I’m about to pick up my cards and start boarding, but he reveals his Tropical Island as the 6th card so I’ll get a turn this game. I draw, fetch, play mox and bounce his board with Hurkyl’s Recall (his board was: Taiga, Belcher, Petal, Mox). Because I also have Rebuild in hand I should be able to stall him for a few turns. His deck thinks differently and his first topdeck is a Channel and we proceed to game 2.
-1 Island, -1Swamp, -2 Dark Confidant, -1 Sensei’s Divining Top, -1 Rebuild
+1 Scrubland, +1 Tundra, +3 Orim’s Chant, +1 Hurkyl’s Recall
My opening seven shows me two Orim’s Chant and a fetchland. I play fetch go. He goes for my throat but I play a Chant in response to his second Rite of Flame after sacrificing his Black Lotus and he has to take some burn. Turn 2 I drop a land, duress him and leave W open for Chant #2. Then it went something like this: he goes draw go, I go draw, land, confidant, go, he goes draw go, I go draw, land, duress, go. I’m sculpting my hand but then he tries to go off. Again I Chant him and let him take some mana-burn. I draw another card and in his turn he plays Empty the Warrens for 8 Goblins. By now he’s on 7 life and I can easily combo out while he’s outtapped.
I forgot to board a Massacre in to tutor up in case he gets a threatening Goblin army, so:
-1 Chain of Vapor, +1 Massacre
The third game is quite funny. I get a decent opening hand with Mana Crypt, Yawgmoth’s Will, Imperial Seal, a land and another three cards but he casts Wheel of Fortune and passes the turn. I’m sad to lose this hand, but my new seven are even better: three lands, two Cabal Ritual, Dark Ritual and Yawgmoth’s Bargain (and I got threshold because of Wheel!). I drop Bargain with 20 life, 4 storm and BB floating and crush him.
Round 2: Jean-Paul Pover with UR Noughty Painter; 2-0
Jean-Paul is a nice guy who’s also always at the tournaments in Hengelo. Two weeks ago he played a Painter list with Trinket Mage and Dreadnought. With some minor changes this list is playable after June 20th so chances are big he’s still playing it, and he was.
He wins the die-roll and I have to mulligan. He opens with a turn one Stifled Dreadnought. I answer with a mox and a hurkyl’s recall. He then drops Mystic Remora so I only start play a land next. He pays the upkeep, plays a land and passes. I play my third land and pass back to him. He lets the Remora die and plays something I can’t remember. I duress him and combo out with Tendrils, Yawgmoth’s Will and Tendrils again.
-1 Swamp, -1 Island, -1 Cabal Ritual, -1 Rebuild, -1 Sensei’s Divining Top
+1 Scrubland, +2 Orim’s Chant, +2 Extirpate
Second game he drops a Remora again, this time first turn. I don’t miss a land drop, but he can’t find his third land with his Top so he can’t keep the Remora on the table. I drop a Confidant and three turns later he is at 13 life. I play Orim’s Chant, he Forces, I play Mox Pearl followed up by another Chant, Sol Ring, Dark Ritual and Tendrils.
Round 3: Gerwin Ruiterkamp with Mana Ichorid; 1-2
He has been playing Ichorid for a while and I know he was playing it today. This round we sit at table 2 and I’m the only person not to play Ichorid on the first two tables. It seemed the ground was fertile for 2/2 hasted Zombies.
Of course he wins the die roll. We both mulligan and he opens with a Bazaar and dumps dredgers. On his second turn he plays Breakthrough and goes all the way. It’s over. I am beginning to hate game 1 against Ichorid.
-4 Confidant, -4 Duress
+2 Extirpate, +3 Yixlid Jailer, +1 Planar Void, +2 Massacre
I pick a good opening seven with Imperial Seal, Mana Crypt, Yawgmoth’s Bargain and a land in it. I lead with Seal for Lotus and pass. He dumps dredgers, but I drop Bargain turn two and it’s over (I was scared I wasn’t going to make it because I didn’t draw Tendrils or any tutors but I managed to find a Tendrils with Sensei when I was at two life.
Third game a keep a risky hand: Black Lotus, Yixlid Jailer, Lotus Petal, Sensei’s Divining Top, Extirpate, Brainstorm, Mana Crypt. I’m scared as hell to see him start with chalice at 0, but I have to take my chances. It turned out he didn’t play chalice at all and after he drops a Bazaar I can do my thing. I draw another Jailer and play Petal into Brainstorm. I don’t find my first land so I go Lotus, Crypt, Jailer, Jailer, Top, go. I have two Jailers so he has to find two solutions before I find my first land with Top to open up Extirpate. Perhaps you’ve already guessed it: I never see a land or Jet and turn three or four he double Chain of Vapors my Jailers and easily finishes me because I can’t cast anything.
Round 4: Alex Rood with RG Beatz; 2-0
Last tournament I got paired against my brother round one after a two-hour drive. This time I get paired against my only companion. He is playing his second tournament after a break for more than a year and he’s happy to have six points after three rounds. Last night we tested some and should be able to win every game (except for the ones where I make counting errors, that happened several times last night). His only real problems for me are 4 Pyrostatic Pillar from his sideboard.
I win the die-roll and open with Swamp, Jet, Confidant. He plays Mogg Fanatic and kills Bob. At the end of his second turn I play Vampiric Tutor for Lotus and combined with some Rituals, Yawgmoth’s Will and a Night’s Whisper I kill him turn 3.
-1Rebuild
+1 Hurkyl’s Recall
Game two I have a broken opening, but I can only create a Tendrils for 18: Lotus, Sapphire, Cabal Ritual, Timetwister, Mox Ruby, Delta for Sea, Hurkyl’s Recall, Sapphire, Ruby, Tendrils. However, I still have a Confidant, Ancestral Recall, Time Walk and a land in my hand. Wastes my land and drops a Tarmogoyf. I play my land followed by Recall which draws me a Chain of Vapor, Confidant and a Land. I play Time Walk and drop two Confidants next turn, hoping to bounce his blocker next turn and finish him. He drops two Mogg Fanatics and makes a double-kill. He starts eating my life away with a 5/6 Goyf accompanied by Seal of Fire, Lightning Bolt and two Kird Apes. I bounce his goyf to get another turn to find a tendrils and he nukes one of my moxes with Tin Street Hooligan. Right now I’m at 7 life and he has 11 power to put into the red zone next turn. I make a little prayer and peek at my card. Thank heavens! It’s a Tendrils!
We play another game for the fun and go outside to eat something.
Round 5: Bastiaan Bruinooge with UBR Painter; 2-1
I hope to win this match so I will be able to draw into top 8 and take a little break, but I know Bastiaan is a good player. This was one of the most intense matches of all day for me.
I win the roll and we both keep. He drops an early Grindstone and plays a Vampiric Tutor, most likely putting Painter on top. I create some storm and mana to play Timetwister but all I can do afterwards is dropping a Necropotence. I pay 7 life, going to 4 and pass the turn. He Demonics for Lotus, plays Yawgmoth’s Will replays Lotus, Demonic and a land and I think he passed. He was one mana short to play both the Servant and activate the Stone. I know I have to win this very turn and I manage to combo out after a Duress seeing Lotus, REB, Island and Delta.
-2 Island, -1 Swamp, -1 Rebuild, -1 Cabal Ritual, -1 Sensei’s Divining Top
+1 Tundra, +1 Scrubland, +3 Orim’s Chant, +1 Hurkyl’s Recall
Game 2 I have to mulligan and he leads with Painter’s Servant. I Duress and am just in time to make him discard his Grindstone. I also drop a Top and pass. He tutors up a second Grindstone and Extirpates my duresses. I am able to stall two turns with Hurkyl’s Recall and Chain of Vapor, but he comboes out with Mana Drain backup soon thereafter.
I board in my Extirpates, hoping to Extirpate a Grindstone after duressing it, or otherwise just remove Force of Wills:
-1 Chain of Vapor, -1???
+2 Extirpate
I start with land, Mox, Confidant but he has the Force. Second turn I drop a Sensei and Extirpate his Forces. He reveals Jet, Drain, REB, Colossus and Engineered Explosives. Not a good hand. I sculpt my hand with Top. I’m getting tired here, playing an Ancestral right into his Red Blast. He plays the land he draws two turns in a row and I’m digging for either Duress or Orim’s Chant to combo out. I find a Duress and it goes as follows:
Duress, he Drains, Mox, Ritual, Demonic, Will, Lotus, Ritual, Duress, Demonic, Tendrils.
Round 6: Zagar Zeeman with Staxx; ID
We ID, take a break and both get into top 8.
I go stand next to Alex to watch his 6th round. He is at 3-2 with quite good tie-breakers so he has a chance to get in if he wins. He has to play Slaver, which is a good matchup for him I believe. He loses game 1 and wins game 2 on the back of a Pyrostatic Pillar and triple Red Blast. Game three his opponent has to mulligan to 5 and Alex strips his first and only land. He drops a Goyf and is totally winning, but when his opponent desperately casts a topdecked Tinker without backup he forgets about the Red blast in his hand! I can’t believe my eyes! The Tinker finds Sundering Titan nuking both Alex’s lands and it’s over.
I finish 5th in the swiss so I have to play against number 4: Gerwin again.
Top 8: Gerwin Ruiterkamp with Mana Ichorid; 1-2
He wins the die-roll and I have to mulligan. He starts with a Bazaar. I have a good hand: I drop Sea and play Brainstorm sculpting my hand into Yawgmoth’s Will, Time Walk, Vampiric Tutor, Dark Ritual, Cabal Ritual, Yawgmoth’s Bargain. My plan is to tutor up Lotus during my upkeep, drop Yawgmoth’s Bargain and kill him second turn. But I don’t get a second turn. He goes nuts with double Bazaar and kills me turn 2.
-4 Confidant, -4 Duress
+2 Extirpate, +3 Yixlid Jailer, +1 Planar Void, +2 Massacre
Game 2 he mulligans and I lead with Sea into Brainstorm, putting two Massacres back on top. He drops a bazaar, Mox Jet and Cabal therapies me naming Force of Will. He passes. I’m about to make one of the nicest kills I made this day. The situation was as follows:
Hand:
Vampiric Tutor
Yawgmoth’s Will
Tendrils of Agony
Hurkyl’s Recall
Mana Crypt
Graveyard:
Brainstorm
In play:
Underground Sea
Top of library:
Massacre
Massacre
Maybe it’s obvious but he didn’t see it coming after he therapied me and I was quite proud of myself after this kill. During upkeep I Vampiric for Lotus, which I draw. I play Crypt, tap Lotus for black and play Yawgmoth’s Will. I replay Lotus, this time saccing it for blue and play Vampiric for Mox Jet. I play brainstorm and draw Jet, Hurkyl’s Recall and a third card. I put both a Hurkyl’s and the third card back. I play Jet, bounce both my artifacts with the other Hurkyl’s Recall, replay them and cast a lethal Tendrils.
Game 3 I think a long time whether to mulligan this hand or not. He has mulliganned and my hand is: Sea, double Fetch, Planar Void, Mana Crypt, Mox Ruby and Dark Ritual. I decide not to mulligan because I’m on the draw and the chance of him having Bazaar/Breakthrough, Dredgers, an answer to Void and the mana to cast it are quite slim.
He starts with Cephalid Coliseum and plays Careful Study discarding two dredgers. I draw a Mox Jet, fetch and play my Planar Void. He Chain of Vapors it, plays bazaar and dredges some. I draw nothing special and replay the Void. He Bazaars (discarding and thus removing Darkblast from the game) and drops a City of Brass and evokes Wispmare giving him two zombies. I’m just as lucky with my topdecks as he is. I draw Yixlid Jailer and play it. He has only two Chain of Vapors for his outs now. Darkblast is RFG, he already used one Chain of Vapor and has discarded another for Bazaar. His hand is empty so he can’t dig with his Bazaar. Unfortunately he immediately topdecks a Chain of Vapor, bounces the Jailer and it’s over.
The deck was fun to play and good overall. I think it's a good choice for today's meta.
I get a Bayou and three Asian Saviors of Kamigawa Boosters for my efforts. We go home after a fun day and at night we watch the final of European Soccer Championship. Spain won with 1-0 beating Germany. For a change the Germans didn’t win in the last minute.
Thanks for reading!
Duncan
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