[Insert witty/humorous pre-tourney anecdote involving midgets and basketballs here]
So, I get to the Nashua tournament and find a myriad patron named Chad, standing around. We get to talking and I find out that the tournament costs $10, but in order to get to the tournament we have to enter the con. That costs us $5 each after some haggling. So we end up paying $15 a head to vie for a mox pearl as the prize structure.
After we all bitch about how much of a suck fest that is, we get in and I register this pile:
4x Goblin Welder
4x Workshop
4x Jugz
4x Enforcer
4x Metalworker
4x Wasteland
4x Volcanic Island
4x Thirst for Knowledge
3x Tangle Wire
3x Lightning Greaves
2x Gemstone Mine
2x City of Traitors
2x Triskelion
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Ancestral Recall
1x Mindslaver
1x Tinker
1x Black Lotus
1x Grim Monolith
1x Mana Vault
1x Tolarian Academy
1x Pentavus
1x Mox Sapphire
1x Mox Ruby
1x Sol Ring
1x Wheel Of Fortune
1x Memory Jar
1x Mana Crypt
1x Strip Mine
Sideboard:
4x Red Elemental Blast
3x Trinisphere
3x Chalice of the Void
2x Sword of Fire and Ice
2x Lightning Bolt
1x Shattering Pulse
As a side note: Kerz told me to drop the mines and the D.T. because black wasn't worth it. And just run fetchlands and a tanglewire instead. I was fully intending on doing this. However, I fell asleep and forgot to make this change. It has been made now though.
So, Chad and I run into someone who hasn't played in 7 or 8 years and is fully powered, running Dragon. We talk about dragon and he gets some pointers on how to play the deck as well as a few sample games in.
Finally, at 2:45 or 3:00 the tournament starts.
Round 1 - Dan Richardson with 60 cards plus a sideboard
I figured "Dan Richardson? Fish!" however he surprised me during this round with Mana Drains and some other interesting choices indicating that Fish was off the menu.
Game 1: City of Traitors, Mana Vault, Juggernaut, Black lotus, good game.
In: 2 Reb and 2 Chalice, out 1 Demonic, 1 Thirst, and something else...I forget
Game 2: We're wrestling back and forth trying to keep permanents on the board. I get down an enforcer, and realize I tapped out incorrectly and his viashino eats the enforcer dealing me 7...that's tough to swallow. I stabalize with a triskelion, and beat him down while at 1. He can't top a pinger or fire/ice to force through the final damage and I win.
1-0 //matches 2-0
Round 2 - Dragon (the kid from the beginning)
Game 1: I got broken quickly and put him on a 4 turn clock. He can't get a bazaar to stick and I am going to win next turn when he draws the game. CHEAP.
In: 3 trinisphere, out 1 Demonic Tutor, 1 wheel of fortune, 1 thirst for knowledge
Game 2: Turn 3 win. ouch.
Game 3: I go broken quickly again, and jar on his turn hoping he doesn't draw any animate effects OR have any necromancies. My gamble is worth it as he doesn't get an animate spell. I win next turn. <3 memory jar.
1-0-1 //matches 3-1-1
Round 3 - Jai using 7/10 variant with lots of disruption
Game 1: I'm gonna win, but I do something stupid and wheel. I don't recover and lose.
in 1 shattering pulse, 2 sword of fire and ice
Game 2: I top crap for land and lose.
1-1-1 //matches 3-3-1
Round 4 - FCG
Game 1: The goblins player seems happy with his board position until welder + pentavus hits the board. Then he dies as infinate 1/1s beat him silly.
Game 2: 5/3 and 4/4 > 1/1 and 1/2.
2-1-1 //matches 5-3-1
Round 5 - Chris with Tog
Game 1: He outdraws me the whole game and I lose.
In 2 chalice, 2 sword of fire and ice, 3 red elemental blast
out a whole bunch of cards
Game 2: Turn 1 Chalice for 2 seals the game up as he needs to find a deed, and spends a few
turns getting one out and using it while 5/3s and 4/4s beat. Eventually the enforcer takes it
home as he can't deed for 7.
Game 3: Turn 1 -> workshop, SOFI, go. Turn 2 - volcanic, mana crypt, attempt a metalworker
(denied), drop a welder, equip. 5 dmg a turn from a welder seals the deal, especially when I drop a tanglewire next turn. Interestingly enough, I feel kindof bad about this matchup because at the end he tried to float some mana from his upkeep into his draw phase. It
wouldn't have mattered, but still, those kindof things are just stupid mistakes people make
when they've given up.
3-1-1 //Matches 7-4-1
I find out I make it into top 8. Woohoo!! First top8.
Round 1 of T8 - Jai (from round 3)
Game 1: He locks me out with welder, then chalice on 1. I end up topping ancestral, sol ring, and welder while trisk goes all the way.
NO SIDEBOARD
Game 2: We play draw-go for a while trying to develop mana. He gets 4 strips after an ancestral and I die.
So I leave, after watching Kowal smash the dragon player in the head. I don't know who won the pearl but congrats to them.
Props:
Juggernaut. When you turn sideways, you just win.
The Dragon Player. Hope to see you at more tourneys.
Dan Richardson.
Memory Jar. Here's to stopping Dragon players off suicide plays
Slops:
The TO for requiring us to register for the CON and not having better prizes. Although I understand it with a turnout of ~25 people, it still would have been cool for something to top 3. Or even Top 2. Although I don't know what happened at the end, I'm just going off what I knew.
McDonald's for taking 10 minutes to get me a freaking double cheeseburger and a coke. WTF?!?!
