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Legend
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« Reply #3 on: January 16, 2003, 10:48:21 pm » |
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I would first of all like to say that Matt was a very pleasant opponent, and a great sport. I really enjoyed this match, and I would he happy to play him again. I wish him the best of luck as he navigates his way through the rest of the tournament. This was one of the more exciting matches I have ever played, win or lose. The dramatic back and forths, the sudden changes in fortune, and the tenuous grip on the advantage for both players made this one a real nailbiter. My position was always in doubt, given the higher overall power level of Matt's deck.
I'd like to take you through the match with some comments about what I was thinking before, during, and after. Going into the match, I thought that this was a toss up, a real struggle for survival. I never take anything for granted to begin with, as bad matchups can be won, and good matchups lost. But I knew this would be a fight because of the potential for explosive starts that Matt had, and because of Pernicious Deed, which is a nightmare card against Ankh Sligh. I rely heavily on permanent sources of damage. Deed forces me to hold back a bit, setting up the possibility of having my board Deeded, then having a held back Scroll Duressed, or something along those lines.
Another factor that concerned me was Matt's relatively light exposure to POP (or so I thought). There would be no random topdecks of POP for ten damage to salvage otherwise lost games. But I was surprised to find out that POP could play a role after all as the match unfolded. I would have been more comfortable to see Matt running Llanowar Wastes in addition to the Bayous, but I suppose he was not running Llanowar Wastes exactly because of decks like mine that thrive on punishing nonbasic lands.
In my favor was the fact that the only creature that I truly couldn't deal with is Spiritmonger, of which Matt has only two. The other creatures are not all that menacing for me. I also was fairly confident in my ability to get consistent draws and avoid mulligans, while I thought that Matt could have a game where a stumble just might buy me the time I needed. One reason I play Sligh is because of its penchant for capitalizing on draws that might not be bad, but just lacking that little extra something. Any deck can capitalize on an opponent's truly bad draws, but Sligh can also put the opponent who has drawn an average hand on the defensive right away. Matt had some good answers for my strategy, but he would need to have them at the ready without delay.
GAME 1
I was in trouble right away, but as you can see, Matt had to expend his share of resources to Hymn me twice, and I was able to fight off his stern challenge with a rogue Jackal Pup on a mission. Once we were in topdecking mode with the Pup chipping away, I felt pretty good about my chances here. Towards the end of the game, when I POPed Matt for lethal damage and he Wasted his Bayou in response, I complimented him for the play. Matt didn't think he had made that great of a play, but I've seen people miss that, although it may seem obvious. He had no chance of winning after that, but still, he made the right play.
GAME 2
Matt went first and mulliganed, but this was just his game all the way. He controlled it nicely, and I soon realized that the inevitable result would be. I got a good draw, but Matt played nicely and his deck performed the way it should. I was severely beaten by a Spiritmonger. You can read the log, I don't need to elaborate too much more here. Matt's game all the way. I would like to discuss my sideboarding, though.
For game two, I sided out 4 Gorilla Shamans and 4 Price of Progress. I brought in 4 Mogg Fanatic and 4 Pyrokinesis. My reasoning was that the Shamans only had Sol Ring and Mox Jet to smash, while POP was just not all that great against Matt's manabase. I did this despite the dramatic effect POP had just had on the board position in game one.
Pyrokinesis seemed good as it could be a major factor against Hippies, Negators, and possibly Boa. But as a Spiritmonger and Boa dealt me the final points of damage in game two, I decided that Pyrokinesis was not that great a choice, since I already had enough burn to kill Matt's smaller creatures, and I wasn't going to be able to kill Monger regardless. For game three, I would put the POPS back in, since Matt was fetching up his Bayous (as well he should). I figure POP would have a good chance of dealing at least two damage, four if I got a little lucky. Mogg Fanatics in place of Gorilla Shamans proved to be a solid move. They ended up being the difference in game three. Fanatics add that extra bit of damage to push me over the top, can kill Boa, and can still do a little something if a Deed comes out, versus the relatively (for this matchup) suboptimal Shaman.
GAME 3
So the POPS are back in, with Pyrokinesis out. You saw the logs, this was just an amazing game. One of the most amazing games I have ever witnessed. I have to admit that playing for the first time in the match, I was pretty sure I was going to win when I saw my opening seven. I mean, it had first turn Ankh, followed by a second turn of two 2/1's and Black Vise! Then a third turn Wasteland to follow that up! But not so fast. As you saw, Matt trumped my play with a first turn Spiritmonger! You saw my reaction: just an understated "wow". I was totally blown away. Suddenly, the match had gone from looking like I had it to being in serious doubt. I am pretty stoic about these things, and I always expect the unexpected, but this was something else. I just sat there for a moment, thought about the situation, and went ahead with my second turn, hoping for a miracle. I did have the Ankh, the Black Vise, and the creatures, but I felt that Matt had the advantage, even after I Wasted his Bayou on my third turn. I didn't think I could outrace a Spritmonger even with my good board position, regardless of Matt's land situation. I suspected that Matt would try to race, but he chose not to. This was the break I needed.
So we just sat there. He came up with some more land, but the Ankh was punishing him for it. Meanwhile, I was slowly burning Matt out, and soon enough Matt had past the point where he could attack me with the Spiritmonger, and now had to keep it back. Once the game had past that point, I started to feel more comfortable. The only thing that could stop me was a Deed. But it never came. Matt was managing to stay under the Black Vise, but the damage was coming at him pretty steadily as I topdecked bolts. A River Boa came along, but it was killed by a Mogg Fanatic. I think Matt had a fetchland or two in his hand by this point, but they were rapidly becoming useless as his life total dwindled with the Ankh still in play. An Incinerate put Matt at three life, with the board position still Spiritmonger versus Ankh of Mishra, Black Vise, Jackal Pup, and Goblin Cadets. Any burn spell would do now. I drew a Mogg Fanatic. Unless he had a Smother or a Diabolic Edict, that would be it. I attacked. He blocked the Jackal Pup, and went down to 1 life. I then Fanaticed him to close out the match. This match is a good example of why I like Mogg Fanatic. It is not spectacular, but is is just a subtly effective card that gets the call in a lot of matchups. Amazingly enough, it was the difference here.
Great match, Matt, you were a fine opponent. It could have gone either way, and I consider myself fortunate to have escaped from this one. This was truly one of the best matches I have ever participated in. Good luck the rest of the way.\n\n
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