Waterbury report, 16th place

Let me first say that this was one of the most entertaining tournaments, in which I've played, in a very long time. The players in attendence were generally very polite, good natured, and well bathed. Ray put together an exceptional event, and should be applauded for the time and effort he invested.

Up untill Friday night I had as usual, not decided what deck to play, done any playtesting, or thoroughly scrutinized the metagame. I got home from work around 9 PM and began to think about what decks I expected to play against, and how to beat them. I figured TPS, 5/3, Control Slaver, Oath, and random budget decks to make up the bulk of the field. After some diliberation I decided to play 5/3, because it was the deck I was most comfortable piloting. I tweaked it to suit my personal taste, crossed my fingers, and went out to grab some grub, beer, and a movie; several hours later I rolled home heavily intoxicated and crashed around 3 AM.

I dragged my arse out of bed at about 8, and hastily pulled myself together in about ten minutes. After an uneventful 90 minute drive, I was there.

I walked in grabbed a deck registration sheet, sat down and began filling it out. While scribbling away, I noticed some friends, chatted for while, and watched them play a few casual games. I declined thier offer to play a few games, knowing full well that if I played this thing completely through the swiss, I was looking at at least 12 hous of magic, and I do believe in too much of a good thing. After paying my enterance fee, and registering my deck, I waited for the tourney to begin.

While waiting I thought about how little time I had put into magic recently. I don't think I've played at all since around Thanksgiving, and only one tiny tournament since SCGs first Richmond P9 Tourmament. I figured that I was only here for fun anyway, so I resigned myself to just wing it, and see what happens.

Here's what I played

Land//
4 Mishra's Workshop
4 City of Brass
4 Gemstone mine
3 Ancient tomb
3 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy

Acceleration//
8 SoLoMoxenCrypt

Fatties//
4 Juggernaut
1 Razormane
1 Dupe
1 Platinum
1 Titian

ENGINE//
4 TFK
4 Welder
1 Ancestral
1 Walk
1 Tinker
1 Demonic Tutor

Disruption//
4 Trinisphere
4 Crucible of Worlds
4 Swords to Plowshares

Side//
4 REB
4 COTV
1 Possessed Portal
3 Rack and Ruin
3 Seal of Cleansing

Round 1: Andrew with TPS

Game 1: We roll dice to see who plays first and he wins the roll. I don't remember the cards I had in hand at the time time because I didn't get a turn. Some combination of Lotus, lotus petal, land, ritual card drawing, demonic tutor for will, was all I needed to see to scoop. At least I knew what he was playing. I boarded in 4 COTVs, and 4 REBs, taking out 1 juggernaut, 1 razormane masticore, 2 crucible of worlds, and 4 Swords to Plowshares.

Game 2: I manage to get a chalice set at one into play, and follow it up with a trinisphere. He pays 3 to put mana crypt into play, rebuilds the following turn and fails to go off. I replay my disruption and a goblin welder. His mana crypt and a late game juggernaut finish him off.

Game 3: More of the same. Really long drawn out game where he is unable to do anything with sphere and chalice in play, but I am unable to draw anything fatter than a goblin welder for a long time. Eventually, however I do manage to finish him off.

Round 2: Mike w/ Cerebral Assassin (nice guy in his first vintage tournament with a pimped out deck he borrowed from a vendor)

Game 1: I mange to get down early beats, but my juggernaut only gets in one swing before his welder turns it into an ash tray. I scoop to his animated titan, and welded possessed portal.

Game 2: I board out 1 Crucible, 1 StP, and 1 juggie for 3 seal of cleansing, but procced to keep a questionable 6 card hand with a mox sapphire, ancestral recall, 2 workshops, and a seal of cleansing. My turn one Ancestral meets force of will and he does crazy broken things that end up with a titan and portal in play with multiple squees in hand for his portal by turn three. I slowly lose permanents, and eventually scoop when all hope is lost.

Round 3: Jim with 5/3

Game 1: His Juggie meets my StP, my crucible/strip mine eat his lands, and I kill with a juggie of my own.

Game 2: +3 Rack & Ruin from the board/-1 Crucible, -1 StP, -1 Titan from the MD. He plays threats, and I have all the answers. I wasteland his workshop, StP his welder, rack and ruin away his juggernaut and mox clearing the way for my own juggie to go the distance. He did manage to resolve some spells, but could not answer my fattie.

Round 4: Mike with U/R Staks (one of my friends, that of course I get matched up against in a 202 person event)

Game 1: he goes first laying workshop and crucible. On my first turn I lay three moxen, sol ring, academy, tinker for platinum angel, and hardcast juggernaut. He tries to recover, but even double tangle wire holds me off for only so long.

Game 2: Board in three rack and ruin, and out a crucible, StP, and Something I don't recall. He goes turn one mox, shop trinisphere, and passes the turn to me. I wasteland his shop and pass back. He plays a land, and nothing else. I play a workshop and crucible. He plays another land and thirsts into nothing important. I lock him down with my crucible/wasteland and his trinisphere. He scoops.

Round 5: Matt with Dragon (young kid who was very excited to be 3-1 at this point)

Game 1: He plays first and lays mox jet, polluted delta, and duresses me for my trinisphere. I play a mox ruby, welder, shop and crucible, and pass the turn back to him. He plays bazaar and activates it dumping dragon and laquatus; then he animates and I lose.

Game 2: I board in 3 seals, and out 3 juggernauts. Turn one I play a seal, turn two I play a seal, turn three I play a seal, and I'm holding StP. He can't play through the hate, and I play a Titan.

Game 3: I didn't keep very good notes from here on out, but I know I had a broken draw and he had no disruption, by turn two I had played trinisphere, crucible, and demonic tutor for strip mine. Platinum angel came down and he scooped.

Round 6: Chris w/ Control Slaver

Game 1: He gets out a welder and a triskelion before I can play the welders in my hands. I try to StP the triskelion, but he shoots me twice, and the trike shoots itself once in response. I should have thought of that scenario and saved the StP until the welder was tapped. I lose

Game 2: I had a good looking 6 card hand which had a mox, city of brass, workshop, mana crypt, thirst for knowledge, and a time walk.
I go first and play the mox, city, and time walk. I untap draw another city, play mana crypt, and thirst into three more lands! I play draw go for four more turns drawing nothing but mana sources before I die to his fat men.

Round 7: Mike with TPS

Game 1: I play turn one razormane, and he plays turn one brainstorm. I play crucible turn two and replay the wasteland I pitched to razormane to kill his underground sea. He plays another land and duresses me seeing nothing but land and welders. I top deck Trinisphere and win.

Game 2: I manage to do 12 points of damage to myself with tombs and city of brass, but in the process get a trinisphere, crucible and razormane into play yet again. I did not see any of the cards I boarded in, but he never escaped the lock, despite casting hurkyl's recall a couple of times. I did not see him play any basic lands in two games and I wonder how many he ran in his build, because had he fetched any out I would not have been able to contain him.

Round 8: Scott with Meandeck Oath

Game 1: He gets out an orchard, and an oath; shortly there after two big hasted fliers put me away.

Game 2: I board in three seal of cleansing, but I don't remember what came out for them. When he oath's out Akroma she meets Swords to plowshares. I beat with a welder spirit token and a juggernaut, while Spirit of the night sits in his hand, and he doesn't find a brainstorm, in time.

Game 3: He manages to resolve ground seal against me, but I hard cast my beats and seals keep killing his oaths. Again a juggie and tokens swing in for the win.

After all is said and done, I'm sitting at 6-2 and waiting to find out if my tie breakers are good enough to top 16 with. I'm also pretty tired and mentally drained, but I had a great time. When Ray announced the top 16 I was the last name called; sweet!

Top 16 Round 1: Brian w/ Rector Trix

Game 1: Brian wins the die roll, and cabal therepies for trinisphere. I do nothing of relevance on my turn and die when he combos out on his second. Hmm...didn't expext this match-up.

Game 2: I board in 4 REB, and 3 Seal of Cleansing, for 4 swords to plowshares, a crucible, a razormane and a juggernaut. I pull everything I need right off the top, despite his best efforts my deck handed me the win, and locked him down despite his Force of will and cabal therapy.

Game 3: He lays down scrubland, a mox pearl and a mana vault, therapies for trinisphere, which i do not have, and passes the turn. I play a mox, gemstone mine and lay down seal of cleansing. He plays a delta, fetched an underground sea, and I realizing he could play his rector with the vault and pearl, foolishly decide to pop the seal to kill the vault, which he taps to float mana, cast the rector, flashbacks therepy, nabbing my second seal of cleansing, and goes on to win. I immediately realized my error, but was helpless to recover. Had I just let him fetch bargain, he would have had only 19 life and thus would have had to draw his bounce spell, or a tutor, and the mana to cast rushing river + illusions (and possibly for a tutor too) without the life-gain from illusions to grab him 20 more cards. I essentially gave him twenty more cards to draw out his combo and saved him the truoble of having to deal with seal first. Live and learn, I guess.

Despite misplaying in the top 16, it was cool just to make it that far. I hope everyone had as much fun as I did, and maybe the next Waterbury will be even bigger and better than this one was!