First, a few brief notes. I'm a bit torn on writing a report, but finally decided that because it was my first T1 tournament that I'd go ahead and do one, but that I'd keep it in the open forum. Also, when I went to get my tablet to tell the guys about my life totals in round 5, I noticed I didn't have my notes...so I'm doing this off the top of my head.
After spending a few weeks playing GAT (plus a few months this summer with a 1.5 version) and only about one week testing out 4CC, I decided to go with it. I PMed Grand Inquisitor the Thursday before to try and strike up a conversation since most of the guys in my group didn't have much input, but unfortunately my computer decided to catch a virus after I spent a few hours with a pirated AdultBouncer password. Damn.
I ended up basing a lot of my sideboard on GI's list and suggestions (10 minutes at a public terminal = mise), and decided to run Tinker/Collussus on his advice. The lists aren't too far seperated that I feel the need to post mine, but if there's any amount of interest, I will.
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We start off Friday afternoon getting some last minute games in right after classes, and as three of us are sitting there, some dude comes up and starts talking about how he used to play. He ended up coming down a few hours later to sell off his cards, and I mised an English Drain for $60, as well as the last few cards I needed for 1.5 Belcher. He started at $200 for his Walk, but by the time I asked him he was up to $250, and soon it was $270. It was kinda beat, so I passed on it. I ended up not going to bed, and only got about an hour on the ride down.
We get to the venue after spending about three and half hours in Chris' snazzy mini-van with power doors and classy shit like that, and find out that there aren't any room left (surprise). We hit the road to find a place with vacancies and some food, which is when we discovered how asstacular Endicott's roads were -- especially the traffic lights that decided to stay red for all 4 directions. We hit up a Dunkin Donuts and make our way back to register our decks.
I needed a second Ground Seal for my board, but couldn't track one down. Bryce looked at me kind of funny when I told him about it during deck reg. Finally we get our decks ready and wait for the even to start.
Round 1: M.E.T.H.O.D. playing some Stax variant.
Game 1: I go nutty with Dryad and counter his key spells. Eventually I run out of gas and his lock components start coming down. Nothing too notable except that he had a few problems with the correct counters on his Gemstone Mines, but nothing too bad.
It was about then that I realized I should ask people before riffling their decks.
For the second game, he asked me to be gentle, so I gave it the lightest riffle known to man, and he still cringed. *shrug*
Game 2: I go busted with the loverly green lady and counter the few business spells he tries to resolve. I decided not to side in Ground Seals for this game because I hadn't seen any Welders. For game 3, I remembered to bring in the Hydroblasts but completely forgot about the Seals, which I feel did affect the outcome of the match.
Game 3: This time, he asks me if he can riffle his deck instead of letting me do it. Since this seems a lot more laid back than the T2 events I've attended, I think about it for a few seconds. But before I say anything, he reaches over and "riffles" his deck, even though it was more like clump shuffling, as he just dropped clump after clump on top of each other. Live and learn, I suppose.
I get an early Dryad and a turn 2 Flux, but I can't get the Dryad above 2/2 until the turn before I get wrecked by Balance. Next time, I'll have to count my lands, since I kept a Walk, but couldn't hit a land until he had already hit 3 or so. I finally tear into mana, and drop a dryad, but it's a bit late. I have a Cunning Wish in hand, but can't get a Hydroblast since I brought them both in. Silly me, I decide not to grab one of the other infinite creature removal spells in my board.
I had already drawn a Blast, and had it been a Ground Seal, the match would have gone much differently, as he Welded out Vault before it did the last point of damage to him, and kept Welding in lock components and the like.
At one point during the match, I look over to the table next to me and see my friend Chris randomly lose a game to Squirrelcraft. In the next game, I see his opponent Mystical and put a Forest on top and then ask if he can do that. Yay for Mirage tutors and mana sources.
0-1, 1-2
Round 2: Some guy with draw7 featuring artilands. (It's written on the notes I can't find, I swear.)
Game 1: I counter a draw7 and beat with a loverly green lady. At one point, I get Crucible/Fastbond/Strip and kill his only lands, then Hurkyl's Recall his board. He drops a bunch of mana and casts Wheel. I shrug and get a much, much better hand, and Force whatever spell he tried to play.
Game 2: He casts a turn 2 Transmute Artifact for Gilded Lotus, which is fine by me, since he already had 7 up and didn't do anything of consequence. I eot Vamp -> Flux and he spends the rest of the game putting half his board in the bin and tapping down the other half to pay upkeep.
1-1, 3-2
Round 3: Guy with TPS.
Game 1: Thanks to Carl, everyone seems to like storm combo now. I see a bunch of artifacts on his turn 1. I untap and resolve Tinker. He asks to see the Iron Giant and then scoops.
Game 2: Not knowing what he's playing, I bring in Flux. I drop it around turn 3 or so, and it does it's job. I'm able to Strip his lands (the guy next to me mentioned that Crucible/Strip was broken -- I guess he didn't see me resolve the Fastbond) and at one point he plays LED and Lotus. He pops Lotus for blue and announces Twister. I ask, "are you passing priority?" After thinking for a few seconds (and adding to the mental feeling of defeat, I imagine) he decides to pop the LED for black. I show him the Drain and he scoops.
2-1, 5-2
Round 4: Matt with Drain Slaver
I end up actually chatting with him, which isn't something I normally do. I let slip that this is my first T1 tourney and he tells me he doesn't believe me, and then tells me this is his first big T1 event. I point out his islands signed by random TMD'ers and he said he just had it done today. But from the way he hung around the featured match table, I guess he's been to these before...I just wish I knew who he was.
Game 1: I saw an Island and a Darksteel Citadel before Collussus got his second swing in.
Game 2: It was close, but he can pull out an active Welder and Slave me for the 2 crucial turns before he kills me while he's within Dryad range.
Game 3: I Walk into an early Flux followed up with a Ground Seal. I was a bit lacking in the threat department, and he eventually resolved a Tinker -> Angel about the same time I resolved a 'Tog. It gets a few swings in before bringing me to 1, and I go over the fairly decent lists of outs left in my deck in my head. I rip a Demonic off the top, and note that my Crucible is on the bottom. I drop it, and he starts to get an idea of what's going on as I dig through my yard for my Strip. I eat his Volc leaving him with only an Island and his Angel in play. He looks dejectedly at my Flux before I swing for lethal. He untaps and dies with his Angel.
3-1, 7-3
Round 5: Andy with 'Tog.
I didn't check the first set of pairings, since they weren't accurate, and the second set paired me against my teammate playing Burninator, which had never gone well for me. Frown town. Then I see another teammate talking to Bryce and Kowal, and they end up putting up a third set of pairings...which I was happy about at first, until I checked my pairings.
Andy's the first opponent whose name I recognize, and I start to get a bit more nervous than before. However, he gets mad props for being an all around cool guy, especially the way he shuffles. His ultra pimp deck was actually curved from the shuffling he did. I can totally admire a guy that isn't afraid to play with his cards.
Game 1: I have a totally busted hand, but my only mana source is an Emerald. Had it been a Sapphire or I'd have had a land in place of it or a Whisper's I definitely would have kept. I mention how broken it is as I ship it, and Carl Winters who was next to us asked if I was being facetious. Not wanting to give much away, I just said it was broken, just a bit lacking in the mana department. I keep a hand of 6 that will be great as long as I don't draw infinite land. I'm sure you can all guess what happened. At one point, he Duresses me while I'm holding 2 Trops, a Tinker, and a Collussus.
Game 2: I get a bit better hand, but he outdraws and outcounters me. I get my 'Tog out, and they stare each other down for awhile before he goes nutty with his full grip and casts Echoing Truth on our 'Togs, then Walks. Frown.
Afterwards, I ask him to sign my 'Tog and he obliges, and gives me a print out of one with some art that he had done. We chat about my deck a bit, and I decide that he's by far the coolest guy I've met so far.
3-2, 7-5
Round 6: Kowal with MonoU. *sigh* What a way to start my first tournament...I already knew he had monoU which was a tough battle for me as it were, not to mention he has countless more hours in testing than I did. X-3 finishes don't make me feel too good about myself.
Game 1: I don't remember much other than I thought he came off a bit arrogant in this game as he wrecked me and I scooped. I almost asked him where he got his life counter, which had some really pimp Rebecca Guay art, but coming off a resounding loss last round and with the way this one was shaping up, it slipped my mind.
Game 2: I got to know him a bit better and decided that he was a pretty cool guy. It was also about this game I started getting over the mental defeat I suffered the last round (which is something I need to work on avoiding). He had me on the ropes the entire game, but I tried not to let him know it and just played for the fun of it. I ended up not being able to even find threats this game, despite Wishing for FoF, resolving it, and resolving it again off a Will. At one point, I Wish for Edict and he laughs when I cast it and he sacs his Phid. Then he starts to wonder, and we take a few minutes to joke about my '99 Keeper-esque tech as I Regrow itand eat his Morphling. By the time I find another creature, I have enough to cast it, FoW, and Drain, but I'm at 2 with a Phid staring me down. I cast 'Tog, he Drains, I Drain and he lets it resolve. I start feeling mentally defeating again and he flashes the Control Magic.
I decide to get it together and make sure I leave this even with a winning record. I definitely didn't want to start of my first tournament with a losing record.
3-3, 7-7
Round 7: Some guy with Fish.
Game 1: I keep a nutty but risky hand consisting of Walk, Tinker, Collussus, Brainstorm, and only 1 mana source. I play my Island, and Brainstorm into Ruby, fetch, and something else. I put the Colussus and fetch on top, drop the Ruby and pass the turn. He plays a Strand, pops it for an Island, and attempts to resolve a Recall, which is promply Dazed, making him wonder what the hell I'm playing. I draw my fetch, drop it and shuffle away my Colussus, then cast Walk, and Tinker him up on my Walk turn. He scoops.
Game 2: I had no idea what he was playing, so I didn't sideboard at all. I remember Forcing a Lavamancer, keeping counters in my hand, and beating down with the loverly green lady for an easy win.
4-3, 9-7
Pretty stainsy, but I ended up 25th, which earned me a pack of 5D. Had I known exactly how much Bryce had lost at the time, I probably wouldn't have taken it. I have mad respect for Bryce after this event, and made a point to shake his hand and thank him after the event.
I really think it's getting close to time to cut the Tinker/Collussus, as people are beginning to prepare for it, so they don't randomly lose to it. Since I don't like not being able to randomly win, I may put the second 'Tog back in instead of the Collussus. Or just play Hulk.
I hate props/slops...so here they are.
Props:
The hotel managers for not speaking Enlisgh (we didn't have to pay for a second night after sleeping in)
The loverly green lady
My opponents that lost to me
The Iron Giant for randomly making my opponents scoop
My computer for not crashing while typing this
Slops:
The hotel managers for not speaking English
The Burger King girl for being dumb and bitchy
The dudes that kicked my ass
Endicott's roads
Not being able to sleep
My computer for hating me
Apologies for the really lengthy report with a lack of funny stories. But I had an absolute blast and am really looking forward to being able to hit up another tourney with the TMD crowd. I just want to thank Bryce, Kowal, and the rest for having such a great event, Brass Man for signing my 'Tog, Carl Winters for signing my friend's Death Wishes because he was too scared to ask himself
, and the PSU crew for finally heading down to a tournament.
