Yare
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Playing to win
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« on: September 14, 2004, 11:19:38 pm » |
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Here is my report in full for the tournament on the 28th. I'm posting it now because StarCity apparently has no interest in it and doesn't even have the decency to give me a reply, in spite of my prompting them twice. [/rant] In any case, I would encourage you all to come out on September 25th for the next tournament which will be for a Beta Timetwister. Without further ado, here is the report.
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I’m originally from West Virginia, but I go to school at Duke, which is in Durham, North Carolina. Where I’m from, there aren’t very many type 1 events, so when I heard that there was going to be a tournament for power in Durham, I couldn’t help but enter. The entry fee was what I considered a steep $25. This was especially true considering the prizes: a pack mint Unlimited Mox Emerald if fifteen people showed up and second/third prizes of a VG Unlimited Berserk and NM Unlimited Forcefield if twenty people showed up.
I didn’t really know what kind of metagame to expect, but all I could afford to build was U/R Fish anyway. I had never piloted this deck in a tournament before, but had playtested a reasonable amount against 4CC, FCG, U/G Madness, and U/G Oath of Druids. Yes, I’m aware that most of those matchups are obsolete, however it did give me a much better feel for playing the deck, in particular avoiding mistakes in dropping Standstill. With that, here is my decklist (an asterisk denotes 1 proxy of that card):
U/R Fish
4 Grim Lavamancer
4 Spiketail Hatchling
4 Cloud of Faeries
1 Gorilla Shaman
4 Force of Will
3 Daze
2 Stifle
2 Fire/Ice
1 Time Walk*
1 Ancestral Recall*
3 Null Rod*
4 Curiosity
4 Standstill
4 Volcanic Island
1 Island
1 Mox Sapphire*
4 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
2 Faerie Conclave
4 Mishra’s Factory
1 Library of Alexandria*
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
Sideboard:
4 Red Elemental Blast
2 Blue Elemental Blast
3 Rack and Ruin
1 Energy Flux
1 Misdirection
2 Fire/Ice
1 Echoing Truth
1 Crucible of Worlds
Ok, a few notes about the build. To me, Daze just seems like a crucial part of the deck. When combined with Spiketail Hatchling, it makes them both that much better. This is particularly true in that I’m running two fewer hard counters due to the absence of Voidmage Prodigy. I just never really liked Kai in the deck, as he was too mana intensive to allow me to swing with my manlands when I wanted to. Additionally, I felt that by cutting Kai I could go to 23 mana sources, which gives me another slot for something better, like Daze
As tournament time approached, I was torn between Library of Alexandria, Mox Ruby, and another Island. In the end, I decided that Library was the best choice because it could be played under Standstill, worked under Null Rod, and the production of colorless mana didn’t matter all that much since I only needed red for Lavamancer and Shaman. In the end, Library drew about two cards for me the entire tournament, so running a basic Island over it wouldn’t be completely unreasonable.
I know that some of you are grimacing over the choice to run four Fire/Ice between the maindeck and sideboard. The reason for this was that I was told before the tournament that the metagame was Fish infested. Consequently, my best defense was Fire/Ice. This turned out to not be true, so I definitely would only run two at most in the future.
Finally, I know that proxying my third Null Rod isn’t exactly the pimpiest thing I could do, but when you can’t get your hands on them, I guess that’s what you do.
With that, I donned my West Virginia Mountaineers football shirt and went to the tournament, having no idea what to expect.
So I get to the tournament and see some people playing. I sign up and fork over my $25. I make a few small trades and look over what other people are doing. After about half an hour, I found out a number of things about the tournament.
We ended up getting 14 people to sign up. The owner of the shop still ok’d the Emerald as the prize, but there would be no Berserk or Forcefield. Of the 14 players, I believe 12 were 18 or over. I would guess that all of the adult players (excluding myself) were running decks in excess of $1000 with all of the jewelry and Workshops included. This was bad enough, because I really hadn’t expected this kind of steep competition. Beyond that they were ALL using the most pimped out decks I’ve ever seen in my life, with more DCI foils and Beta power than you can shake an Isochron Scepter at. [/cheesy Magic humor] Honestly, I was a little intimidated, having only a sharpied Unlimited Island as my pimp card.
Finally, I found out that this tournament would deviate from normal Magic tournaments in that it would be a double elimination tournament, as opposed to a Swiss with T8. I figured this probably benefited me, the underdog, in that I could avoid facing some of the better decks without having to go to a T8. It was also pointed out by somebody that it was similar to Swiss in that two losses is usually cause for elimination anyway. So we pulled numbers and got paired up.
Oh, one final note: my descriptions of the matches may not be entirely accurate, as I may have confused one match or game with another. I apologize to both my readers and my opponents for these errors.
Rd. 1 – Red, running 4CC
This was the exact person that I didn’t want to get paired with the first round. He was the guy who sent out all the e-mails for the tournament and I was told that he had pretty much every card every printed. Someone even commented “who’s going down first?� when Red’s pairings were announced. Such is life, I suppose.
Game 1 – He wins the die roll and decides to play first. He drops a fistful of jewelry and proceeds to Ancestral Recall or Skeletal Scrying or something big for card drawing. I drop Null Rod turn 2; apparently he had no Force of Will. Combined with Wasteland, I’m able to keep him denied of his white mana producing Tundras. He ends up Swords to Plowsharing two of my Grim Lavamancers, but my other men were swinging for too much and he didn’t get Balance.
Sideboarding:
-2 Fire/Ice
-3 Daze
+1 Crucible of Worlds
+1 Misdirection
+2 Red Elemental Blast
+1 Echoing Truth
Game 2 – He plays. I get out some men fairly early and begin swinging. Unfortunately, I make a major play error later in the game. I have him at 3 life (after swinging) and have the choice between playing Spiketail Hatchling, Standstill, and Null Rod. He has a facedown creature on the board, but no Tundras. Therefore, the only way he could morph his angel was by either dropping a Tundra and Mox Pearl or playing a Black Lotus next turn. For some reason, I decided that Spiketail Hatchling was the better play. By some miracle, he gets Black Lotus, and casts Yawgmoth’s Will. I was sick, unable to excuse myself for the gross play error. He does some broken stuff, including flipping his angel, and casting Ancestral Recall. Since he was tapped out, after much deliberation, I decided to use my Hatchling to counter his Demonic Tutor, figuring the target to be Balance or something else equally bad for my creatures. At this point, I have four attackers: Cloud of Faeries, Spiketail Hatchling, Grim Lavamancer, and Mishra’s Factory. He swings, I take the damage going down to 14, and he goes back up to 7. I swing next turn for 6 damage (activating Lavamancer), putting him at 1. I was a little concerned that he might play something broken next turn to the tune of Balance, Fire/Ice via Cunning Wish, or Time Walk. He swings with Exalted Angel. I take the damage, then respond to the life-gain triggered ability, hoping to counter it with Stifle. He looks at the Stifle sitting on his Angel for a little while and scoops up his cards. I don’t know that the Stifle was all that big since I didn’t see his hand, but I thought it was worth noting that Stifling Exalted Angel can buy Fish another turn that the Fish player’s opponent may not expect.
1-0
Rd. 2 – Brian/Ryan, running Trinistax
I’m not sure of the name of this opponent and it seemed to be the focus of some confusion all day. I apologize that I can’t get the name accurate.
Game 1 – He wins the die roll and goes first, mulliganing to 6. He plays Tolarian Academy, Mana Crypt, Trinisphere. I don’t have a Force of Will, so it resolves. I get to two lands, hoping to drop something on turn three. The next turn, he drops Tangle Wire. I try to fight the Wire, dropping more lands, hoping that Mana Crypt might kill him. He plays smokestack. Next turn, he sacrifices Mana Crypt to smokestack at 10 life. I scoop.
Sideboarding:
-2 Stifle
-2 Curiosity
+3 Rack and Ruin
+1 Energy Flux
Game 2 – I play first, mulliganing to 6. I play Polluted Delta, fetch a Volcanic Island, and play Grim Lavamancer. I don’t remember what he does next turn, but I don’t lose quite yet. Turn two I drop Volcanic Island, play Curiosity on Lavamancer, and swing for 1, drawing another Grim Lavamancer with Curiosity’s triggered ability. Next turn, he Tinkers for Sundering Titan. I have Force of Will, but no blue card backup, having not gotten it on the Curiosity draw. I say, “you’re choosing Mountain and Island on the same dual, right?� He says, “right.� I scoop, congratulating him.
Looking back, I didn’t really like siding out Curiosity, but I figured that if my men are going to be dying, I didn’t want to have dead Curiosities in my hand due to having no creature targets for them. In hindsight, I probably could have done something better, but what I’m not sure.
1-1
At this point, I was kind of disheartened. Having seen the other decks, I didn’t see any realistic shot at winning the tournament. I decide to trudge on, hoping for a miracle.
Rd. 3 – Adam, running Tog
I was pleased when I saw that I got paired against Tog, as I knew that Fish has a great matchup against it. My opponent didn’t share my enthusiasm. Then again, he was running a borrowed deck, so his deck choice wasn’t his own.
Game 1 – I don’t remember who played first. He mulligans to five after drawing seven cards on his six card mulligan. It ended up not mattering since he had no lands in the second seven card hand anyway. I don’t draw enough threats soon enough. He resolves Tog and wishes for Berserk. I manage to Ice his Tog for one turn (after having the first Ice Forced). Next turn, he pumps his Tog while I remove a hair from one of my card’s sleeves. He finishes pumping and I declare my Gorilla Shaman as a blocker. He Berserks the Tog and deals lethal damage.
Sideboarding:
-2 Stifle
-2 Fire/Ice
-3 Daze
+1 Misdirection
+4 Red Elemental Blast
+1 Crucible of Worlds
+1 Echoing Truth
Game 2 – I play first. My opponent mulligans to 5 again. I don’t remember much about this game. I think I just got some men out and beat. I remember that he Forced a Time Walk or something, pitching Tog, a play that I thought was questionable. In any case, Lavamancer has his way.
Sideboarding:
Same as above
Game 3 – He decides to play first, mulliganing once more to five cards. At this point he was pretty frustrated. I think he gets semi-land screwed. Turn four I tap out for Crucible of Worlds. It resolves and I play Strip Mine. He scoops.
I somehow manage to survive, so I go to the next round with a little more confidence.
2-1
Rd. 4 – J.C., running 4CC
This round was kind of interesting because I was playing against someone I would guess to be about 16 years old. I watched him play during the last round where he beat some G/W deck running Nimble Mongoose and Birds of Paradise. He didn’t seem to have too firm of a grasp on the game, but had 4CC anyway.
Game 1 – I’m pretty sure that he won the die roll and went first. I try to deny him of his precious white mana, but he resolves Crucible of Worlds, putting an end to that plan. He Swords to Plowshares a Curious Lavamancer. He then draws 2 Fire/Ice, killing four of my creatures over the course of two turns. That pretty much sucked. I’m not sure why he doesn’t flip an Angel, but he never does. Instead, he swings with 2 facedown creatures and a shaman a few times and managed to win with 2 life left. I’m pretty aggravated, as he didn’t play that well and got some pretty good draws.
In between games 1 and 2, a few things happened. First, I noticed that he takes FOREVER to shuffle his deck. He tended to play slowly the whole match, which was kind of aggravating. While sideboarding, I reach for Echoing Truth, 2 Red Elemental Blasts, Misdirection, and Crucible. I begin pulling out Fire/Ice and Daze when I realize something: I don’t think he is running any jewelry. I ponder siding out Null Rod against the deck, as I’m not completely sure what he has over there. I know that I saw Library of Alexandria (which he got active last game for about six or seven cards), but no jewelry. I decide to side out Null Rod, just because it seems like the right play.
Sideboarding:
-3 Null Rod (!)
-2 Fire/Ice
+1 Echoing Truth
+2 Red Elemental Blast
+1 Misdirection
+1 Crucible of Worlds
Game 2 – I choose to play. This game was probably the most fun of the day. I get a few Wastelands and at one point have TRIPLE CURIOSITY going on with a Lavamancer, and two Clouds of Faeries. The funny part, however is that his mother shows up for games 2 and 3. She gets her son a drink and OFFERS TO BUY ME A DRINK. Personally, I thought she would have been able to figure out that I was pounding her son’s face in since I had like 12 cards in play and her son had 2. I decline the drink, telling her I was fine. In any case, I beat for a bunch and just win big time. Again, I see no jewelry; apparently my guess was correct. At this point, I realized that he was going to have a hard time winning, as 4CC without the moxen is not that good.
Sideboarding:
Same as above
Game 3 – He chooses to play. I don’t remember this game very well, but I think he may have gotten somewhat mana screwed. I manage to get Lavamancer and some other guys going and win.
I think I may have intimidated my opponent some in this match, as I took a little more initiative to point out things like the triggered ability of Cloud of Faeries resolving and such and this seemed to kind of unnerve him. Whether this mattered or not, I’m not sure. My most annoying match of the day over, I moved on.
3-1
Rd. 5 – Phil, running 4CC
Somehow, I didn’t know what Phil was running, in spite of it being late in the tournament. I knew there was another Fish player at the tournament, so I kind of thought it might be him. I realized he wasn’t in short order though.
Game 1 – I win the die roll with a perfect 20 and choose to play. I get my opening hand and am greeted by 2 Wastelands, 2 Fetchlands, a Lavamancer, and some other stuff. I smile, fetch, and cast Lavamancer. He plays a Strip Mine and Strips my Volcanic Island. I shrug, swing for one and play another fetchland, casting Curosity on Lavamancer. Next turn he plays Tundra and Swords to Plowshares my Lavamancer. Next turn I play Wasteland and Waste his Tundra. Next turn he plays Wasteland and Wastes my Volcanic Island. Ouch, out of colored mana sources. Next turn I play Wasteland and sit on it. He then plays a fetchland and passes the turn. I then play a Strip Mine and cast Null Rod, which surprisingly resolves. He plays another fetch and leaves it be. He eventually pops his fetches, I counter whatever he tries to play and then Wasteland his two lands. Somehow, after four strip effects, he manages to maintain some lands on the board, but it’s too much for him. I eventually win.
Sideboarding:
-2 Fire/Ice
-3 Daze
+1 Crucible of Worlds
+1 Misdirection
+2 Red Elemental Blast
+1 Echoing Truth
Game 2 – He plays first with a hand that he talks about possibly getting rid of but keeps anyway. At some point, I play Lavamancer across from his facedown creature, 2 Tundras, and Wasteland. All of my hopes are banking on him not having a land (he had 1 card in hand) or drawing a land. He draws. No land. However, he does get Swords and removes my Lavamancer from the game. Bummer. He swings for 2. I figure I’m toast, as I don’t have an answer to Angel that’s not Lavamancer or Echoing Truth (since I sided out Fire/Ice). He passes the turn. I topdeck into Grim Lavamancer. I play Lavamancer and it resolves. Here we go again. He draws his next card. No land, again. He swings and I take 2. Next turn I burn off the facedown Angel with Lavamancer. At this point there isn’t a lot he can do. I begin beating with Lavamancer and another creature as he hopes to top into an answer. He finally gets his fourth land and Angel, forcing me to burn off the Angel, giving him another turn. He doesn’t topdeck and loses.
Apparently my opponent for the next match (Red, from the first round) had left the tournament, since we were getting into 6 PM territory. So, I won took the pseudo-bye and moved into the finals of the loser’s bracket for a match against a horrifically effective Belcher deck.
4-1
Rd. 6 – Jared, running Belcher
I had seen this guy annihilate some people earlier today so I knew that I would need some effective, quick answers to win (see: Null Rod, Force of Will).
Game 1 – He wins the die roll and chooses to DRAW. I was surprised by this, as I thought that Belcher would rather have the extra turn than another card, particularly against an opponent packing Null Rod. In my opening hand I get: Mox Sapphire, Null Rod, Wasteland, Wasteland, Fetchland, Lavamancer, and something else. Turn one I go Mox, Wasteland, Null Rod. That was pretty much devastating for him. He plays his Chinese Land Grant, fetching Tropical Island and casts Tinder Wall, along with a bunch of useless jewelry. I waste his Tropical Island, cast Lavamancer, and then try to Curiosity my Lavamancer using the mana from my Sapphire until he points out that I can’t do that. I apologize and pass the turn. He Land Grants again and gets his Bayou. He plays Vampiric Tutor (I think) and passes the turn. I waste his Bayou and after discarding 4 cards, he scoops.
Sideboarding (not sure about this):
-2 Fire/Ice
+1 Energy Flux
+1 Rack and Ruin
Game 2 – “Against his better judgment� he chooses to let me play again. I get an opening hand similar to the one last game and am very pleased (without the Sapphire). I play Flooded Strand and pass the turn. He draws, plays Lion’s Eye Diamond, Mox Jet, and plays Land Grant, showing me Mystical Tutor, Demonic Tutor, Vampiric Tutor, Yawgmoth’s Will, and Land Grant. I gawk at his hand and say ok. He drops Tropical Island. He does some tutoring and such. I play Null Rod next turn. He Mystical Tutors during his upkeep for Oxidize and Oxidizes the Null Rod. He then proceeds to Land Grant again, getting his Bayou. I try to fight him, but I can’t do it, as he somehow gets two Tinder Walls down and combos out. His god draw out god drew my god draw.
Sideboarding:
Same as above
Game 3 - I choose to play. This time I keep a hand that doesn’t involve Null Rod. I play Lavamancer first turn. He Land Grants and shows me TWO Oxidizes. I eye the two Force of Wills, two Wastelands, Standstill, and Curiosity in my hand and say he can have his Land Grant. I don’t remember what he does from here. I decide to Wasteland a land instead of playing Null Rod. He does something else I can’t remember (probably another Land Grant) and then I resolve Null Rod. I believe he held back on playing his Bayou (not sure) until the last moment. At this point I have three Force of Wills in addition to Standstill and Curiosity. I opt to just keep Standstill in my hand rather than playing it, because I figure that the best benefit I could get from it would be getting two blue cards, which wouldn’t really do all that much for me. In any case, he tries to Oxidize Null Rod, which I Force. He scoops and I somehow overcome Belcher.
5-1
So, at this point I would have to beat the winner of the winner’s bracket twice in order win the Mox. Additionally, if I lost, I got nothing (since there weren’t enough people to fund second and third place prizes). I didn’t know what my opponent was running, but I know that I saw him earlier resolve Pernicious Deed, so I thought he might be running B/G Nether Void. This turned out later to be false, in that he was running Masknaught (which, considering it later, I had seen earlier). Off hand, I asked him if he would consider splitting. After much negotiation, we come to a mutual deal in which I gave him some cards and cash and I walk away with the near mint Unlimited Mox Emerald.
And with that, I got my first piece of power. I must say that it was a big deal for me, having played since Ice Age. I remember the first time I saw magic cards and couldn’t help but want to play. Of course, that was back in the days when we broke our casual format with Illusionary Wall (until we realized it couldn’t attack, heh).
Props
Katie, my girlfriend, for driving me to the tournament because I’m a bum and can’t afford a car
Eric Drach, for teaching me the game of Magic so long ago
The guy who split with me (Phillip, I think. I’m really bad with names, so I apologize), because he could have made us play it out and probably would have won and for letting me wait in his car for my ride after the tournament so that I didn’t get mugged.
My opponents, all of whom played very well and were very good sports.
Obviously, I enjoyed myself at the tournament. I met a lot of great players with great collections and great decks. Thanks for a great tournament.
David Earley
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