GP A'dam Side-event Results

[MoreFling]

GP A'dam T1 side-event. 22 players.

Deck Breakdown:

1: Peter Gottlieb, Growatog
2: Dario de Palma, Supergro
3: Stefan Gussenhoven, Growatog
4: Patrick Fransen, Green LD
5: Roy Thijssen, Rector Trix (Ancestral on TMD)
6: Rudy van Soest, Parfait (MoreFling on TMD)
7: Richard Guijt, Sui Black
8: Joram de Kraker, MUD
9: Arjen Boesveld, Piledriver Sligh
10: Carsten Pipke, Academy
11: Hero 't Mannetje, Paragon Keeper (Pyromaniac on TMD)
12: Stefan Gordijn, Trenches
13: Maarten Bukkems, Sui-gro (LevelZero on #tmd)
14: Remco Gerards, Rector Trix
15: Koen Moerman, Future Sight/Mirari control (Koen on TMD)
16: Martin Matthijsse, Sui Black
17: Renaldo Veneman, B/W
18: Ton van der Linden, The Shining
19: Raymond Starrenburg, Rector-Dreams
20: Deni Toet, Sui Black
21: Peter van Oosten, Ankh Sligh
22: Feike Verkaik, no listing available.

T8 decklists:

1: Peter Gottlieb, Growatog
3 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
1 Island
4 Tropical Island
4 Underground Sea
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Berserk
1 Fastbond
1 Regrowth
4 Quirion Dryad
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Emerald
1 Black Lotus
1 Cunning Wish
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Opt
2 Merchant Scroll
2 Sleight of Hand
4 Brainstorm
4 Misdirection
4 Force of Will
3 counterspell
4 Gush
SB:
1 Crumble
2 Submerge
1 Emerald Charm
1 Ebony Charm
1 Strip Mine
2 Naturalize
1 Diabolic Edict
3 Duress
2 Smother
1 Berserk

2:Dario de Palma, Supergro
4 Force of Will
4 Gush
4 Brainstorm
4 Opt
2 Misdirection
4 Werebear
4 Quirion Dryad
3 Mystic Enforcer
2 Meddling Mage
3 Daze
3 Swords to Plowshares
1 Naturalize
1 Berserk
1 Fastbond
1 Regrowth
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Emerald
4 Flooded Strand
2 Polluted Delta
1 Island
3 Tundra
4 Tropical Island
SB:
2 Compost
2 Null Rod
3 Seal of Cleansing
1 Balance
2 Blue Elemantal Blast
1 Misdirection
2 Tsabo's Web
2 Tormod's Crypt

3:Stefan Gussenhoven, Growatog
1 Daze
3 Quirion Dryad
4 Gush
4 Brainstorm
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Living Wish
3 Psychatog
2 Misdirection
4 Force of Will
3 Cunning Wish
3 Counterspell
4 Opt
1 Time Walk
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Fastbond
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Berserk
1 Regrowth
4 Underground Sea
4 Tropical Island
2 Polluted Delta
3 Flooded Strand
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Black Lotus
1 Lotus Petal
SB:
3 Duress
2 Hurkyll's Recall
1 Null Rod
1 Berserk
1 Counterspell
1 Psychatog
1 Diabolic Edict
2 Smother
1 Naturalize
1 Glacial Chasm
1 Maze of Ith

4:Patrick Fransen, Green LD
4 Ice Storm
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Fyndhorn Elves
4 Winter's Grasp
3 Thermocarst
1 Creeping Mold
4 Tangle Wire
4 Ankh of Mishra
4 Terravore
2 Argothan Wurm
2 Ihf-Biff Efreet
1 Masticore
1 Zuran Orb
1 Sol Ring
1 Mox Emerald
3 Powder Keg
1 Pendelhaven
4 Wasteland
1 Treetop Village
1 Strip Mine
1 Dust Bowl
13 Forest
SB:
4 Dodecapod
3 Root Maze
3 Null Rod
1 Powder Keg
1 Masticore
2 Tormod's Crypt
1 Whirling Dervish

5:Roy Thijssen, Rector Trix
4 Force of Will
4 Illusions of Grandeur
4 Cabal Therapy
3 Duress
3 Brainstorm
2 Donate
4 Dark Ritual
4 Academy Rector
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Black Lotus
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Necropotence
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Mana Vault
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Yawgmoth's Bargain
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Crypt
1 Rushing River
1 Sol Ring
1 Vampiric Tutor
4 Gemstone Mine
2 Scrubland
4 Polluted Delta
3 Underground Sea
1 Tolarian Academy
SB:
1 Timetwister
1 Mind Twist
1 Balance
1 Duress
4 Phyrexian Negator
2 Blue Elemental Blast
2 Hurkyll's Recall
2 Seal of Cleansing
1 Abeyance

6:Rudy van Soest, Parfait
2 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Serra's Sanctum
1 Mountain
12 Plains
1 Mox Pearl
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mox Diamond
1 Grindstone
1 Sol ring
1 Story Circle
1 Seal of Cleansing
2 Blood Moon
2 Sacred Mesa
2 Aura of Silence
2 Claws of Gix
3 Argivian Find
4 Orim's Chant
3 Scroll Rack
4 Land Tax
4 Swords to Plowshares
1 Wrath of God
3 Replenish
2 Moat
1 Enlightnened Tutor
1 Balance
2 Humility
SB:
1 Wrath of God
1 Phyrexian Processor
1 Karmic Justice
1 Sacred Ground
1 Planar Birth
2 Tormod's Crypt
1 Aura of Silence
1 Pariah
1 Ivory Tower
1 Blood Moon
3 Abeyance
1 Ivory Mask

7:Richard Guijt, Sui black
4 Hypnotic Specter
4 Juzam Djinn
4 Nantuko Shade
1 Carnophage
2 Phyrexian Negator
4 Dark Ritual
4 Hymn to Tourach
4 Duress
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Yawgmoth's Will
4 Diabolic Edict
1 Demonic Consultation
1 Necropotence
1 Sol Ring
1 Powder Keg
2 Nevinyrral's Disk
1 Zuran Orb
1 Mox Jet
1 Black Lotus
1 Strip Mine
4 Mishra's Factory
1 Wasteland
13 Swamp
SB:
2 Phyrexian Negator
2 Perish
2 Gloom
2 Engineered Plague
2 Animate Dead
1 Nevyinyrral's Disk
2 Dodecapod
2 Tormod's Crypt

8:Joram de Kraker, MUD
3 Powder Keg
3 Karn, Silver Golem
4 Sphere of Resistance
3 Winter Orb
3 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Tangle Wire
4 Metalworker
4 Smokestack
4 Grafted Skullcap
1 Time Vault
1 Mana Crypt
1 Memory Jar
1 Mana Vault
1 Sol Ring
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Emerald
4 City of Traitors
3 Petrified Field
4 Wasteland
4 Mishra's Workshop
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
SB:
1 Cursed Scroll
4 Jester's Cap
1 Ensnaring Bridge
3 Null Brooch
1 Crumbling Santuary
1 Powder Keg
4 Rejuvenation Chamber

As for my own results, I went 2-1 vs Tainted Dreams round 1, 2-0 vs B/W round 2, 2-0 vs Supergro round 3, and then proceeded to lose 2-0 and 2-1 to Growatog round 4 and 5. ^^

[Grand Inquisitor]

Its always interesting to see how other metagames are developing.  I can't believe GAT does so well in Europe.  Do you have the T8 matches, I wanted to see what beat the MUD deck.

[Hyperion]

Thanks for the writeup, and congratulations on the T8 finish.

Patrick Fransen is my hero. Who'd expect the highest placing, non-GAT deck to be runring Terravore and Argothian Wurm?!

[Mith]

Green LD! I LOVE IT!

GO TERRAVORE!  

[Rico Suave]

Quote (MoreFling @ June 10 2003,04:58)1: Peter Gottlieb, Growatog
2: Dario de Palma, Supergro
3: Stefan Gussenhoven, Growatog

Hmm, yea.  Yet some people still think Gush didn't need restriction, lovely. =/

Anyway, Ihf-Biff is the coolest.  That guy is my hero as well.

[MoreFling]

no, it's 5 rounds of swiss.

Me and Roy both played the 2 GAT decks in the final 2 rounds, and especially Stefan drew amazingly all 6 games he played against me and Roy.

Well, whatever, Peter couldn't complain about his amazing draws against me either, at least game2

[Kaervek]

Quote I can't believe GAT does so well in Europe.

I can;t believe you can't believe it. It is the strongest and most consistent deck in the format by a long shot. I can't reember the last time a GAT build didn't end up as either #1 or #2 down here.

[MoreFling]

GAT is kind to people who don't have as much playing skills as they think they have. I'll be laughing in July when they all scrub out again.

[Grand Inquisitor]

Quote It is the strongest and most consistent deck in the format by a long shot.

Especially since GAT is a dead deck, I don't want to get too caught up in this.  However, GAT has never done noticeably better than other major archetypes (TnT, Keeper...) in my area.

The deck is capable of explosive starts.  It packs tons of counterspells.  It has the largest creatures in the format (i consider tog bigger than mask).

The way I approach it, is as a combo deck that needs to wait a turn (unless it timewalks) before it can kill.  Most games I have won, have been because of that crucial turn.  The GAT deck needs to sacrifice tempo or life and often cards (pitch counters) to get its strategy through.  With 'Your Mother' I have not lost a single game to GAT, even though I may have to use up 3 burning wish to stop it (balance, vindicate, chainer's edict).  In major tournaments (in the NE) since January, only 1 (TMD championship) was won by GAT, and there were a lot of people playing it there.  GAT has certainly been a presence at other events, even getting its fair share of T8's, but Urphid, TnT or Keeper usually take it out.

The GAT deck plays on the margin (low number of threats for an aggressive deck, low number of counters for a control deck, too much of both for a combo deck).  Good players exploit that margin.

[MoreFling]

Grand Inq. : You're spot on. However, keeper and ur phid especially are pretty much non-existant here. That ofcourse leaves the field open for GAT. If it wasn't for MUD, it would walk-over any tournament, and GAT can pretty much beat that.
The problem with GAT is simply that sucky players can do well with it. And sometimes, there's just nothing you can do, which happened to me in 3 out of 5 games with parfait vs Tog there.

[Grand Inquisitor]

it is amazing how different metagames really are.  thats why i've never written off things like reanimator and abm as trash.  sometimes, they're just the right solution for a given tournament.

after seeing this i'm going to try to take better notes about the decks presence at tourney's and making T8's.  thanks again morefling.

[Fishhead]

Quote The problem with GAT is simply that sucky players can do well with it.

Sure, anything can happen.  But I've seen plenty of less experienced GAT players get their butts handed to them.  

But, as GI points out, thats partly a function of the metagame.  Look at the deck breakdown in the first post and tell me who has a good shot against GAT.  

There's no Mask or TnT, both of which have decent or even good matchups.  MUD is the sole representative of the artifacts, and it does well enough to T8.  Personally, I think MUD is sooo vulnerable to Hurkyll's that it is not the best deck to play against a field of Gro. In my experience, the massive disruption of Rector Trix can pull off Mask-like wins (ie, destroy their hand and combo them out) against GAT, but I haven't played enough games to be confident that the matchup is about even.  I see Trix finished at #5.

Anyway, the same thing happened in our metagame at the beginning of the month -- as soon as Gush was restricted the experienced GroTog players broke out their old favorite deck and played it again.  Of course it captured all the top spots; all the experienced players were playing it and none of them were hating it!  

Does it mean anything?  Well, it means something - Tog is a smooth playing, very strong deck.  I think its the best in the format.  But does it deserve to take the Top 5 spots (like it did at Matchplay)?  Nope.  That just means that no one showed up with DuckTape or Mask or even Blood Moon or Chains.  :-/

[Matt The Great]

Quote 2 Ihf-Biff Efreet

*swoons*