Approximately a year ago, the unthinkable happened. I, playing FCG, took home a lotus. I also said I would quit Magic. I wasn't kidding. Aside from a few random drafts or Type 4 once in a while, I hadn't touched my real Magic Cards for at least the past 6 months. But this is Waterbury, I have to go to the Waterbury. So about a week ago I picked up Food Chain and started toying with it.
At the last Waterbury, I played Really-Sucky-Mono-Blue/Red and I did horrible. So I went back to the little green men who brought me home a Lotus. They can bring me another one. FCG has been dissappearing and thusly, it must be time for a triumphant return.
But then
Carl Winter: There are lots of other decks you need to keep a lookout for, two of the better ones being the innocuous Food Chain Goblins and all-but-dead-Psychatog. Both are very difficult to hate out and have got the goods to take you out before you can get up your defenses. I don't expect to see much of either, which is a shame because they're so cool, but they'll be there.
(from
http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/expandnews.php?Article=8715)
Damn... There goes surprise factor. Oh well. I was preparing for a metagame of primarily Stax, Oath, other Combo and secondarily (right word?) Control Slaver, Fish, Other.... was I wrong. Carl Winter was right. Everyone is playing Control Slaver. I had my deck built completely wrong. I never saw Stax or Oath that day. Of the 6 rounds I played before I dropped, 3 were control slaver and 3 were other.
Originally, My plan was to surprise the crap out of everyone witha R/B G (real bad goblins)... featuring maindeck goods such as Duress, Cabal Therapy, and Skullclamps because I was anticipating combo. Playtesting showed that the deck didn't have enough threats and would start crapping out if I didn't start with the right hand. I went back to the standard FCG build with a tweak on the mana base/sideboard.
4 Taiga
4 Fetches
5 Mountains
4 Wastelands
1 Strip Mine
3 Ancient Tombs2 ESG
1 Mana Crypt
2 Moxes
1 Lotus
Sideboard:
4 REB
3 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Tormod's Crypt
2 Naturalize
4 Rack and Ruin
No artifact mutations. They provide a huge tempo swing, but I would prefer the Mountain, Ancient Tomb, Rack and Ruin when I'm playing against Stax. Ancient Tombs also help to get out the early Food Chain and Ensnaring Bridge against Oath.
If you're going to be playing Food Chain in a metagame with stax, I think 3 Ancient Tombs are a must. The life loss, no one cares about, but there are those times when I wish I had a mountain. In fact, that's why I lost so many times today.
With my games being against Control Slaver and other, I should've won easily. However, my deck decides to crap out. I either draw lands and no threats or lots of threats and no land. That's the sucky part of FCG, you need to shuffle. ALOT. And then when you think it's enough, keep shuffling.
Other Deck Quirks?
No Prospector
1 Tinkerer, 1 Sharpshooter
BIG MISTAKE
Sharpshooter sucks balls and prospector is a necessity. I thought I learned that a year ago but I guess not. Tinkerer, I still love.
Round 1, Table 87: James playing Control Slaver
This was one of those tables on the side of the room, you know, where it's really cramped. Not only that but a big guy was sitting behind me, so I had no room whatsoever.
Game 1: At first I don't know what he's playing because he has a volcanic and underground in play. 4CC? Maybe. I thought Control Slaver dropped black a while ago so I went with 4CC. Big mistake. Anyway, my lackey gets forced and then he doesn't drain my recruiter, so it must be safe for me to play a ringleader on the following turn. I grabbed the piledrivers when I should've grabbed an incinerator or too, but it's ok, because he has no artifacts in play. I also don't play Skirk Prospector which was a HUGE mistake. Anyway, I get another recruiter for incinerators and I have Food Chain in my hand but it doesn't matter. He tinkered for platinum angel last turn and is now in the negatives. He has slaver in the yard but no artifacts to weld. He must slave me this turn or die next turn when I draw incinerator. He can't weld out his angel or die due to negative life. So of course on his turn he Thirsts into a Mox Pearl. Takes my turn and clears my board.
+4 REB
Game 2: Shuffle. Alot. Then alot more. I have to mull to 6. Turn one lackey lives but he gets turn one tinker into Pentavus. I die shortly.
Round 2, Table 86: Matt playing Affinity
Game 1: Playing a deck he's not familiar with, he makes alot of play errors. The owner of the deck has also let him borrow alot of power and workshops, which I would've been more careful with, but anyway... he makes alot of play errors, some of which I let him take back. He goes through alot of trouble keeping his ravagar alive, but then he let's it die even when he still has another artifact to sacrifice. Oh well. There are game winning oppurtunities to attack that he doesn't take. And he taps 2 mountains for lightning greaves and then workshop and another mountain for wheel. I explain why he can't and I let him take it back so he can play it the right way. FCG likes to draw 7 and it combos the next turn.
+4 R&R, +2 Naturalize
Game 2: Sphere of Resistance gets a bit annoying but cycling to kill welders is still 2 mana. After a while I rack and ruin away all the annoying stuff and Combo out.
Round 3, Table 59: Deidre playing U/G Madness
Girl. Girl? Girl. She tells me this is the third FCG she's played today.
Game 1: Turn two she has mongrel and I recruiter with 2 Food Chains in hand if she has counter. She swings with mongrel ditching her whole hand (no counters) and I combo.
+3 bridges
Game 2: She gets alot of mana on the board and I lackey. She careful studies and doesn't dig into Roar, Arrogant, or Rootwalla... all of which she could've played. But she does drop a mongrel. Ensnaring Bridge is forced and I slowly amass an army of piledrivers.
===Old team whom I use to play with make a run for food. BK's line is to long so we go to Arby's. Damn they suck. Also, my team performs poorly and one of us playing Dragon almost makes it (5-3-0). Others had played Workshop-variant (3-3-0 drop), U/R Vial Fish (1-3-0 drop), Oath (3-3-0 drop), and Rector Donate Trix (4-4-0)
Round 4, table 35: Jeff playing Belcher
I'm up here thinking, "Yes! I can still make it if I keep winning. Bring it on Stax, Oath, Control Slaver, I'm ready for you!" Of course I run into combo. The type of combo that's faster than my combo.
Game 1: Chrome Mox > ESG. I say "You must be playing Belcher" "Very Good" I wasteland his Bayou and cast a Goblin Tinkerer. I'm happy. But he gets 2nd turn belch after doing that crazy stuff Belcher does on it's turn.
Game 2: Third turn he belches. I was hoping for him to play Belcher, and then artifact mana to activiate it, so I could kill his belcher in response. But he has dark ritual. He's got no lands in play so we start counting. 15...16....17...18....Land. It's a taiga. 36. Die.
Round 5, Table 36: Ross with Control Slaver
Game 1: Lotus, Mountain, Warchief, Lackey into Ringleader. Second lackey is drained and 2nd ringleader yeilds 2 piledrivers.
Game 2: Loss due to play error. He forces my first turn lackey and I have Food Chain out and my library stacked. He has one card in hand. He needs to draw into a counter and have another counter in his hand because I put 2 ringleaders on top and have an incinerator in hand. Of course I stacked it in reverse, but luckily I put a ringleader second from last. I draw for my turn, piledriver. Then cycle to get the ringleader. He had topdecked a mana drain that turn. I lose after being slaved.
Game 3: He forces recruiter but food chain resolves. He tinkers into Platinum Angel after AKing for 3. I have the perfect combo hand. I have another recruiter, another food chain, and 2 ringleaders in hand. My ringleader resolves to reveal a recruiter, ringleader, and a matron. He sits there jaws-wide-open and I show him my hand. I ask him if he has 5 counters.
Round 6, Table 23: Razvan from Canada playing Control Slaver
BEST GAMES EVER.
Game 1: First turn Tinkerer due to ESG. He TFK and drops 2 blood moons. See, I was right. I thought Control Slaver dropped it's black. My lackey I draw next turn resolves which lead to GB Commander and then a Warchief the following turn. He drains a 2nd warcheif I try to cast. On his turn he Black Lotus and Yawg Will. Mox, Lotus, Fetch. BS, Mox Jet, Demonic Tutor. Tinker -> Pentavus. I use Tinkerer to kill his Pentavus which stays RFG due to Yawg Will. On my next turn, I cycle to kill his welder and draw a mountain to allow me to cycle his pentavite token. Piledriver swings for 12.
Game 2: Turn one Welder. My turn one, Lackey. He time Walks and Tinkers into Sundering Titan. He swings, I take 7. My lackey trades with his welder. Then he counters my chump blockers. I die.
Game 3: Turn one driver, and Turn 2 Ringleader. On his turn two he tinkers for lotus. He Yawg Wills to play Mystical Tutor for Recall. He then BS'es and replays Tinker for Titan. I topdeck a taiga for naturalize. The table currently looks like... Him: No land, Welder. Me: Driver, Ringleader, 2 Ancient Tombs. My Driver and Ringleader team have been taking a fourth of his life every turn. He blocks Driver with welder and takes 2. He topdecks a fetchland for volcanic to lava dart my driver. My turn I swing and he blocks with welder. His turn he topdecks a fetchland for volcanic to lava dart my ringleader. He's now at one. Past few turns I've been drawing goblin after goblin with 2 Ancient Tombs laughing at my face. He gets a welder on the table again and smashes me with Titan.
I'm 3-3 and decide that I can't play magic anymore. I drop. I even try to redeem myself in the free side events. I have notes on it but I won't bother writing it because it's so embarassing. Single Elimination, Round One, I lose to U/G Madness. Why? Mana screw.
The people whom I've come with have all found new rides home and are staying til later. So I leave for home all alone and raped. I was to tired to stick around.
