[Report] Eudemonia - Berkeley, CA

Again, in the hopes of developing a T1 environment out in SF/Bay Area, Eudemonia has and will be hosting tournaments every Sunday @ 2pm. Unlimited Proxy, $5 entry fee, with prizes in store credit, but as a promo bonus, whoever takes first gets a dual land in addition to store credit.

Like most reports, the short aside is that the day before, I sat down with U/G Madness to test against Draw 7. We played 3-4 games pre-board where I got god draws (i.e. Null Rod backed by double Force). Then we played out 8-10 more games post-board where 70% of the time I drew Null Rod (though he did have more ways to deal with it). All in all, I felt a favorable match-up and headed into the tournament with good spirits, though I’m afraid I used up all my luck in playtesting.

The decklist I played was standard:

//Mana:

4 Tropical Island
4 Wasteland
4 Polluted Delta
3 Island
3 Forest
1 Strip Mine
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Black Lotus

//Beats:

4 Basking Rootwalla
4 Wild Mongrel
4 Aquamoeba
4 Arrogant Wurm
2 Wonder

//Hate:

4 Force of Will
4 Circular Logic
4 Brainstorm
2 Deep Analysis
1 Gush
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall
3 Null Rod

//Sideboard:
3 Stupefying Touch
4 Oxidize
3 Ground Seal
4 Hydroblast
1 Gaea’s Blessing

I expected Dragon and Tog, with a slight chance of Slaver.

We eventually garnered up 8 players around 3pm and started. Scouting around beforehand showed that the field was:

2 Dragon
2 Hulk
1 Draw 7
1 U/G Madness
1 ABM
1 Stompy (11 Land Version)

Eventually we get paired up and seated. My first match is against Dragon. Ugh. He wins the die roll (as everyone does against me).

Round 1: vs. Dragon (Ryan R.)

The only reason Ryan plays Dragon is to prove a point about how degenerate Type 1 is. Luckily for me, the degenerate backfired on him.

Game 1 he goes Turn 1 Compulsion, which I force. I throw down a dog. He drop Laquatus on his turn, chumping my dog when a Wurm joins the beat force. Mangy beats go all the way as he is unable to find a discard outlet.

Sideboard: -2 Wonder, -3 Null Rod, -3 Rootwalla, +3 Ground Seal, +1 Gaea’s Blessing, +4 BEB

Game 2 I see no counter magic, no Ground Seal, just madness outlets, land and Gaea’s Blessing. He sets up going double bazaar, quadruple Squee (from intuition). Eventually he finds his duress, sees my junk, and Shivan Hellkite barbecues me shortly thereafter.

Game 3 I drop Turn 1 Mox, Mox, Land, Time Walk, Land, Dog, Pitch Deep, Flash Deep which he forces. He starts laying out land, while I draw into not much and start sending fleas his way. Eventually he finds his bazaar, which doesn’t stay long as I mise into a Wasteland. Fleas start biting him enough that he intuitions for a second bazaar, only to have me Brainstorm into another Wasteland. By this time he’s taken double bolt from his Mana Crypt, so he Animates Shivan which found it’s way in thanks to bazaar. Shivan sits and stares my dog in the face, while he gets bolted again. He tutors, and in response I pitch out a Rootwalla. He finds his Lotus to drop a Squee and hopefully buy himself another turn. He dies during his upkeep after Squee chumps. >=D

1-0, 2-1

At this point, I’m just in time to catch the end of the Hulk mirror match which is between Andrej and Adam. (which is at 1 and 1) Andrej has Tog, but has just been edicted on Adam’s turn. Life totals are at 13/8. He forces, which gets drained. Adam then lays Tog of his own and Flashes back Deep, putting him at 5, but a grip of 5 and plenty in the yard. Andrej topdecks brainstorm, and finds a Mindtwist with Force Backup. He twists for 5, and Adam can only hopelessly watch as he draws into land and burns to death. Hulk is just so damn scary.

Round 2: vs. ABM (Dave)

I’ve actually never seen or played against ABM before, so I’m not quite sure what to expect. He mulls to 6 and drops a Library. I play a land, he says draw, go. I waste his land, then he lays an island and mysticals for Ancestral. I lay land and drop Fleas. He Ancestrals on his turn, I force, he forces back. He lays a mox out. Next turn he regrows Ancestral, which I logic. I lay more land, and drop a Wurm. He tries to Swords on his turn, which gets meets logic again. Mangy beats go all the way.

Sideboard: Nothing. I saw nothing of consequence from him and didn’t know what to do.

Game 2 He mulls to 6 again, but drops a second turn Blood Moon that royally screws me, along with the 14 lands I see with 7 spells. Having him cast Swords 5 times didn’t help either. At least I know what to board in as Mr. Teeth and Mox Monkey come out.

Sideboard: -2 Wonder, -3 Rootwalla, +2 BEB, +3 Stupefying Touch

Game 3 We both mull to 6 and then he mulls to 5. I drop first turn Mox Diamond, Land Tax. I lay land. He taxes, and drops a land, go. I lay a second land, Null Rod, Gush, go. Some combination of Aquamoeba, and Wurms take him out shortly thereafter as he sided out all of his artifact destruction (not having seen anything from me the first 2 games).

2-0, 4-2

Round 3: vs. Hulk (Andrej, I against I on TMD)

Andrej is probably the best Vintage player at the tournament, and he’s piloting that machine of a deck. I do hear good things about this match-up though, so I’ve not lost all hope.

Game 1 starts of with him going crazy with Emerald, Lotus, Sol Ring, sac Lotus for UUU, Intuition with UU floating, AK for 3. I try to drop a dog, which he forces, and I force back (play mistake on my part). He then tries to AK for 4 which meets a second force, but by then I’m out of gas, while Hulk does its thing and eventually smashes my face.

Sideboard: -2 Wonder, -1 Rootwalla, +3 Stupefying Touch

Game 2 has me dropping a Turn 1 Rootwalla, followed by a Turn 2 Null Rod, while Andrej is left with an Island and 2 Moxen. Aquamoeba beats followed with Strip Mine and Rootwalla take him out.

Game 3 I mull to 6 while he keeps. He misses his second land drop and mysticals for Ancestral. I waste his Underground Sea and lay the Rootwalla beats. Eventually I have 2 Wastelands on table with double Rootwalla action that shuts him down.

3-0, 6-3

I end up winning $20 credit and a Volcanic Island. Hopefully we’ll get a greater turnout next week!

Final Standings

1st: U/G Madness (3-0)
2nd: Dragon (2-1)
3rd: Hulk (1-1-1)
4th: ABM (1-1-1)
5th: Draw 7 (1-1-1)
6th: Hulk (1-1-1)
7th: Stompy (1-2)
8th: Dragon (0-3)

Props:
Eudemonia for hosting and the bonus prize.
Mana Crypt for winning me a game.
All the other players. Great competitors, nice atmosphere.

Slops:
Oxidize for wasting SB slots.
Me for trying to Strip Mine under a Blood Moon. (derf, it’s not a wasteland! I can use it!)