Mixing Mike, mixing his way to 18th place at Waterbury

I think back to my last Waterbury, losing to 3 topdecked Exalteds and a Balance Round 1 basically putting me out of any contention. Then I remember how a few rounds later I lost to FCG when he topdecked the ONLY card that could save him in both games the turn before he dies. I turn in my deck reg after thinking and remembering the lessons I learned hard just a few months before...

4 Goblin Welder
1 Pentavus
1 Platinum Angel

4 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will

1 Ancestral Recall
4 Thirst for Knowledge
2 Deep Analysis
4 Brainstorm
1 Fact or Fiction

1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Yawgmoth's Will
2 Mindslaver

1 Engineered Explosives

5 Islands
4 Polluted Delta
4 Volcanic Islands
3 Underground Sea
1 Darksteel Citadel
5 Moxen
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt

//Sideboard:
3 Lava Dart
3 Sphere of Resistance
3 Rack and Ruin
2 Red Elemental Blast
2 Flametounge Kavu
2 Coffin Purge

Round 1 vs Henry with ??Trix??

Game 1: He wins the die roll and opens with Therapy on Force. He hits it, and does it again naming Mana Drain, and hits again. Other than that, he didn't play any other spells besides Ancestral which was countered. I ended up slaving him to see Will, Donate and Illusions. He plays Illusions and forgets to pay the upkeep the next turn.

Boarding: -1 Platinum Angel, 1 E. Explosives, +2 Coffin Purge

Game 2: Again he plays very few spells and I just end up outdrawing him fairly easily. Some other players said they ran into a Trix player who did the same thing, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was the same player.

1-0-0

Round 2 vs Gary Buda with Stax

Game 1: He keeps a hand with some Tundra’s and can't play very much. He hits his red mana about two turns later but my 3 Tutors have already fiound me whatever I needed to get him to far behind to ever really catch up. I drain something big and proceed to play Yawgmoth's Will to which he concedes.

Boarding: -1 Platinum Angel, -2 Deep Analysis, +3 Rack and Ruin

Game 2: He gets turn 1 Smokestack, followed by turn 2 Trini and Crucible, and shows me Strip for the lock. I concede to that and move to game 3.

Game 3: I play my Island go, then he opens with turn 1 Trini. Brainstorm doesn't find me Force and I end up losing shortly after to 2 Welders, 2 Wires, and a Triskelion.

1-1-0: At this point I was feeling a little down. I was thinking about my last Waterbury and how I ended up losing early and losing any hope of contention. I put it into the back of my mind and get ready for the next round.

Round 3 vs Rich M (shockwave) with DrainShop
I get this pairing and know it's gonna be a really really hard win to get. I sit on down and shuffle up after a few friendly words.

Game 1: He opens with Chalice for 1 nuking my 2 Brainstorms and Mystical. With me holding little I could do, he eventually seals the game with a Chalice for 3. With only Forces, Mana Drains, 2 Deep Analysis, and 4 big brown things in my deck, I choose to scoop and hope things go better for me in the next game.

Boarding: -1 Platinum Angel, -1 Mana Drain, -1 Deep Analysis, -1 Welder, +2 Rack and Ruin, +2 Red Elemental Blast

Game 2: I don't have many notes for this game, probably because it was so close. I do remember getting Mindslaver off once or twice, and playing Yawgmoth's Will that he concedes to after checking out my yard seeing about 5 more mana plus the 4 I had on my board and bazillion tutors and draw spells. I did make a mistake this game, though very minor. I'm about to take his slave turn and play Underground Sea into an untapped Wasteland.

Game 3: He has to mull to 5. I keep my full grip as he opens with turn 1 Seal and I think a Chalice for 1. I get out E. Explosives and get some Welding action going. I play a Huge Will and play right into a Chalice for 0 twice with Pearl and E. Explosives before Welding out his Chalice. It kept me from recurring an extra Brainstorm and getting an extra slave, but it's still a mistake. The Will basically ended the game for him, but he concedes when I get out Pentavus.

2-1-0: I'm really drained out from this match, and they put pairings up about 4 seconds from when I turn in my match ship. I just hope to get some easy matchup and get some really broken draw so I can eat some pizza and rest up.

Round 4 vs Wayne (Moridar) with Bazaar MaskNaught

Game 1: He wins the roll so he opens up with a Bazaar. I'm thinking it's Madness but he wants to activate it on his turn. He pitches non-mandess/Dragon cards and I'm feeling relived. He plays a Welder and I let it resolve. I remember E. Explosives killing off his first Welder and naught as well keeping me around until I can make my move. He gets out a Naught via a welded-in Mask and I see my opening to make my move. I play TFK and pitch Angel. Next turn I play Will and hardcast Angel and all my artifacts out of my yard. The Angel can't get removed and flying beats take this game a few turns later.

Boarding: -2 Deep Analysis, -1 E. Explosives, -1 Darksteel Citadel, +2 Coffin Purge, +2 Lava Dart

Game 2: I get a couple of slave turns on him totally messing up his hand and manabase through Bazaar while Purging away any Squees he hit. My notes tell me I got out Angel for some beatings and then the Darts come in for the burnout kill.

3-1-0: I'm feeling a bit more confident, but the last round had gone into turns after time, so I'm really getting hungry since I haven't been able to eat and relax for the last two rounds now.

Round 5 vs Rob (Sextiger) with Hulk

Game 1: We play around with Thirsts and go back and fourth between drawing extra cards. I’m feeling in full control when I get Deep Analysis to resolve with him having two Islands open. E plays a lot of effects and gets an AK for 3 to resolve, then plays a Thirst. I’ve fallen really behind and play the only spell I could, Mystical for Tinker. It somehow resolves with only one counterspell for backup and I get out Mindslaver. I take his turn checking for Forces and make sure he can’t use them. I cast Yawgmoth’s Will on my turn and he concedes. I still had no idea what he was playing, and assumed it was a mirror match. So I board like it is.

Boarding: -1 E. Explosives, -1 Darksteel Citadel, -1 Platinum Angel, -1 Mana Drain, -1 Thirst, +2 Lava Dart, +2 Red Elemental Blasts

Game 2: I start losing from the get-go. He opens with an early Ancestral which resolves. I manage to resolve a few key draw spells to keep me in it along with some Brainstoms here and there. I get him to have a counter war over a Thirst in his endstep after he played a Tog earlier that turn, which he ends up winning, but I follow it up with a Recall that meets a Force, then Yawgmoth’s Will which he now sees his mistake and has no effects. I get out a Mindslaver after I take a Walk turn and slave him. Hit Tog gets ReB-ed, his hand and graveyard is RFG, and I’m free to do what I want. After a LOT of digging and a few turns of Welder beats, I find Vamp and get out Pentavus for the win. I had six cards left in my library when I went in for the swing, but made sure that Welder beats could achieve victory before I milled myself.

4-1-0: I’m feeling great, probably the best I’ve felt for a while at any event. I get some time to eat and sit down. I end up taking some pictures and sit around outside of the loud parts to keep myself from getting a headache.

Round 6 vs Travis LaPlante (JuggernaughtGO) with HyperMUD

Game 1: I lose the roll again, and I’m actually scared because of it. I have yet to see any combo all day, and was hoping this wouldn’t be the one. He drops a land, Mox, Lotus, and plays Metalworker, then says go. I take my turn and play a Welder and pass expecting to Welder out whatever he plays with Worker the next turn. He plays his land and follows up with Staff of Domination. I have no effects and he shows me 3 artifacts. I ask him what his kill is and he’s going to draw into Sapphire and/or Petal, lots of creatures, and Time Walk. I make him draw the cards and he gets what he needs to win.

Boarding: -1 Darksteel Citadel, -2 Deep Analysis, +3 Rack and Ruin

Game 2: I lay Island go, and he gets turn 1 Juggernaught which resolves. I’m not really afraid since I’m holding a Rack and Ruin with a Mox in hand. I draw, play Island and mox, and then pass turn back to him. He beats for 5, and plays a second Juggernaught to which I respond to with Thirst. His Juggernaught resolves, and I take my turn. I play Brainstorm to dig further for a RED source which doesn’t show up. I show him my hand as he nearly craps himself and is happy I didn’t draw the red mana.

4-2-0: Well, needless to say I just got off a bad beat. I had LOTS of time this round to go talk with people which I do. I go talk to JP about the Meandeck combo that’s been running around, and get to catch up with my biddies Alden and Rob to see how they’ve been doing.

Round 7 vs Steve (Zherbus) with Meandeck Combo

Game 1: I draw my hand and see Welder, Force, Lotus, 2 Lands, Angel, and a Mox. I keep on the draw hoping I get a second turn because I don’t think I could lose after that. Steve ends up gassing out at 8 spells and I play my Mox, land and Lotus. He doesn’t get to play very much without any blue mana, and passes. I play Welder and say go playing it safe. Again lacking blue mana I get a third turn, to which I hardcast Angel. He has no answer and concedes.

Boarding: -2 Deep Analysis, -1 Darksteel Citadel, +3 Sphere of Resistance

Game 2: He’s on the play, so I know I need a hand with Force in it. I do, but he still ends up playing Necropotence. I play my land and say go. He combos me out fairly easily as it’s only a matter of time since I don’t have any Forces through a Sphere of Resistance I got down on my second turn.

Game 3: Finally, on the play against this beast. I keep a hand with a Force AND turn 1 Sphere of Resistance in it. I play the Sphere and Steve doesn’t have a land after having to mull to 5. I take a few points of damage from Mana Crypt, but it’s irrelevant because he doesn’t get a land. I end up getting out a fattie from a tutored-out Tinker and proceed to win.

5-2-0: I’m pretty sure that all of the Meandeck combo decks are out of my bracket, and I’m really happy that I got to steal a win against it without winning the die roll. I talk to some more peoples and whatnot. I know I have to win next round to have any chance of Top 16, and keep that in the back of my mind.

Round 8 vs Michael with ??7/10??

Game 1: He wins the roll like most of my other opponents have and goes all in on Memory Jar a few turns into the game. I kill his 2 Welders before it resolves via Explosives. He sits there a little dumbfounded and gets to play a few moxes and a spell that meets Force off the Jar. I do see a Sundering Titan in his yard. He has no more gas and I end up outdrawing him. He concedes to a Fact or Fiction that flopped over Platinum Angel, Thirst, Deep Analysis, and 2 other irrelevant cards under my active Welder.

Boarding: -1 Darksteel Citadel, -1 Platinum Angel, -1 E. Explosives, +3 Lava Dart

Game 2: He gets stuck on one land after I get a turn 3 slave off and make him lose a Gemstone Mine and his Mox or Lotus. I end up getting to far ahead that by the time he’s drawn another mana source I’ve already gotten Yawgmoth’s Will off. He concedes to another Mindslaver activation a few turns later.

6-2-0: Well, I’m pumped as hell that I won, and I sit down to do some trading while I wait for Ray to announce the Top 16. Turns out I get 18th place right behind Demonic Attorney who took 17th. Well, all I know is that I played very good magic on the whole taking out those three mistakes against Shockwave in round 3. My losses were out of my control, and I go ask Brassman is I can get a T4 game with his stack going. I get my packs and open up a FBB Blastoderm and Mogg Salvage. I stay up late and play some more T4 with CHAIN5, and get to talk with Doug (Hi-Val), Steve Menendian, Justin (Saucemaster), the Canadians, and lots of people I can’t even remember. Great times had by all, and Ray you are my HERO!!

I think might test a bit without Platinum Angel. She did win me that round against Mask, and I do owe her much credit against Meandeck Combo. Deep Analysis won me about 4 games and helped in another 3 at least on the day. Vampiric Tutor was finding me cards ALL day despite the -1 CA it produces. It won me about 5 games by getting me Will soooo many times for the game win or Explosives to remove their Welders or Ground Seal.