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Rex_Kwan_Do
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« on: January 23, 2005, 11:15:02 pm » |
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With my newly assembled team making our first appearance at a major Type 1 event, I can’t really complain with a 6th place finish and a mox ruby, although I know I could have done better. I played an EBA-ish deck, modified from a deck list that sparked interest in me in the article “A Vintage Year in Review” by Steven Menendian on magicthegathering.com. The other three members of Team Rex entered with Stax, Oath, and Cerebral Assassin.
The deck I saw in the article was as follows:
Main Deck
3 Underground Sea
4 Tundra
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
2 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
1 Island
1 Plains
1 City of Brass
3 Ophidian
4 Meddling Mage
3 Phyrexian Negator
2 Exalted Angel
1 Time Walk
1 Demonic Tutor
4 Brainstorm
4 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Swords to Plowshares
3 Duress
2 Vindicate
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Sol Ring
1 Black Lotus
Sideboard
2 Swords to Plowshares
1 Exalted Angel
1 Moat
1 Disenchant
1 Serenity
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Energy Flux
1 Blue Elemental Blast
2 Stifle
1 Ebony Charm
3 Damping Matrix
I decided the Ophidian’s were not good enough to use as a draw engine since they do not guarantee me drawing cards since they are creatures, and they cost 3 to play. I’m not really getting to draw any cards until turn 4 most of the time, and that’s if the creature is unblocked. With decks like oath, jugs, and stax providing early answers, I felt ophidian was a bit too slow. I took the 2 vindicates out mostly because they are too slow and cannot play through tangle wire since they are at sorcery speed. Also, the 2 colors needed doesn’t make it any more appealing. I felt increasing the STP count to 3 in the main deck was the right choice and was a definite success by the end of the day. I put in four impulses into the main deck, which I prefer over brain storm, but still kept 3 brainstorms main deck. I particularly like the impulses because I have 4 Chains of Mephistopheles on my board, which I will get to later. Other main deck changes I made was adding a balance (why not?) and a mind twist, which is ridiculous off the drain and won me a few games. I upped the sac land count to 6 to smooth the mana base and added 3 islands to protect against wastelands. In the end, I didn’t have room for wastelands and strip and the deck functioned well without them.
So here’s the deck I went with for the tournament…
4x polluted delta
2x flooded strand
3x island
3x tundra
3x underground sea
2x city of brass
1x mox jet
1x mox sapphire
1x mox pearl
1x sol ring
1x black lotus
4x meddling mage
3x phyrexian negator
2x exalted angel
1x yawgmoth's will
1x fact or fiction
4x mana drain
4x FOW
3x duress
1x ancestral recall
3x swords to plowshares
1x mind twist
1x time walk
4x impulse
1x demonic tutor
1x mystical tutor
1x balance
3x brainstorm
sideboard:
1x swords to plowshares
4x sacred ground
3x energy flux
3x null rod
4x chains of mephistopheles
The sideboard from the deck I saw in the article was not well-equipped for this metagame and so I completely redid it. I used the 4 sacred grounds for stax decks, and unless they have disenchants or seals, they are going to be hard pressed to win the game. The energy flux was for workshop decks, null rod for combo and control slaver, and chains could easily be boarded in for brainstorms and are awesome against combo, bazaar of Baghdad, and decks that run brainstorms and thrist for knowledge.
After some serious testing against some of the most popular decks around (although I didn’t get to test at all against control slaver), I felt really comfortable with my deck and was ready to see how it did. Here’s my best attempt at a match report. I tried to take notes but soon found out that I couldn’t concentrate on what I was doing and take notes at the same time, a skill I will try to develop.
Round 1- VS Brandon Leonhardt - Doomsday
Game 1: I drop a land and pass the turn. He drops a polluted delta and grabs an underground sea to open with a duress. I respond with a mystical for ancestral and he takes an impulse out of my hand. I drop another land with meddling mage in hand but I don’t know what he’s playing. I pass the turn. Nothing from him so I ancestral on his end step into a duress. I duress him on my turn revealing an unmask, doomsday, and some other stuff. I take the unmask and drop a meddling made set to doomsday. Mage swings for the win and is sped up with help from his friend phyrexian negator.
Game 2: I board in 4 chains of mephistopheles and out comes 3x STP and 1 brainstorm. He is on the play and opens with another duress. Cards of interest are black lotus, meddling mage, and mana drain. I have the first turn meddling mage and I am concerned when he takes my mana drain. I begin to wonder if he has boarded in creature removal. I draw another drain, and as tempting as it was to play the mage I sit on my drain, still wondering why he didn’t take my lotus. I drop a chains of mephistopheles and I don’t see how his combo can work with that in play. I then cast the mage once I had drain back up and that was game. It turns out he didn’t have any removal and just misplayed.
Record: 1-0-0
Round 2- VS Jeremy Zwirn- Control Slaver
Game 1: About two minutes into the game the head judge informs him that his deck list only has 56 cards and that results in a game loss. I see some blue dual lands but nothing else.
Game 2: I take a risk and board in my chains again and take out the brainstorms and something else. I realize he is playing control slaver a little too late since his combo is set up and he begins taking my turns… next game….
Game 3: I take the chains back out and put in 3 null rod and bring my main deck STP count to 4. He manages to resolve a first turn welder, and after a good bit of both of us sitting on counters he builds up enough mana to hard cast a mindslaver. My first misplay of the day follows as I break my lotus and hardcast a FOW on his slaver. Not only did it not matter if I counter it or not (with welder in play), but now my null rods can now be welded out for my lotus!! Wow… I’m really stupid. I instantly realize what I have just done but now it’s too late. He begins to take my turns but time is running out fast. He doesn’t have the infinite combo yet and I have a phyrexian negator and morphed angel in play with mana to unmorph it. Time is called with the 5 turn rule in effect. He attacks with my phyrexian negator, blocking with his welder and taking 4 damage. He sacs the negator to itself. On his turn, he drops an engineered explosives set to 0 and blows up my unmorphed angel. This game ends in a draw.
Record: 1-0-1
Round 3 - Hill Redwine - TriniStax
Game 1: I know Hill is playing Stax since we’ve played before last year at SCP9 and recently at a tournament in NC, and I’ve been watching him when I got done so far today. So far he’s 2-0 and off to a great start. He opens up with a workshop and trinisphere which quickly sees a force of will removing an impulse. I set a meddling mage to crucible of worlds and pass the turn. I think for about another 4 or 5 turns Hill doesn’t see another land and I swing with an Angel to win the game. Not too fair of a game but the turn 1 trinisphere is always worth a shot.
Game 2: I board in 4x Sacred Ground and 3x Energy Flux. I take out Yawgmoth’s Will (which will result in a second misplay of the day), time walk (extra turns against stax seems bad), 3 duress, and 2 brainstorm. I manage to drop a sacred ground on turn 3 and from there I don’t see a creature in quite a long time. He has boarded in some STP of his own and REB so when I finally do see a creature it didn’t stay in play. After sometime I manage to resolve an energy flux, and he has no welder in play (I STPed one). He decides to keep his crucible of worlds and has to sac some artifacts. Sacred ground sets up a very long game if I don’t see any creatures or he has STP. Hill decides to drop a smokestacks (as drain bate) which I don’t take. He sets 1 counter to it. I sac a land and it is returned to play with the sacred ground. He sacs his smokestacks to itself. I finally find an exalted angel and the begin swinging. I also drop a second energy flux. I hear the judge say there is about 2 minutes left and begin taking really fast turns. Hill points out that there is no rush since if we tie I win the match. I was like oh yeah… and felt pretty stupid. I fact or fiction on his end step and Hill give me a pile of 3 cards (one a negator) and the other 2 cards containing a mystical tutor. I take the tutor seeing a lotus in my yard with lots of mana and mystical up a yawg’s will on his end step too. Oh wait, I boarded it out. DERF. I end up not wanting anything and just get a demonic tutor so I can get another creature to put into play. Time is called soon after and I don’t have enough time to swing for the win. But as Hill pointed out, I still got the match.
Record: 2-0-1
Round 4 - Brian DeGuia - 5/3
Game 1: This was a very quick game as he got a turn 2 jug and I got a turn 3 morphed creature. I unmorph my flyer turn 4 and gain all that life I’m losing from his jug. He’s on a 5 turn clock and I’m holding counters and draw a STP to deal with his threats.
Game 2: I board in 3x energy flux and 1 STP. Out comes 3x duress and 1 negator. He opens up very strong with a turn 2 jug off a workshop and wasteland. I have one land in play and can’t do anything. I drop another land and set a meddling mage to jug. He plays another waste land and mox saphhire and he tinkers out a colossus. I was wondering why he didn’t waste my two nonbasic lands and secure a victory but I wasn’t complaining. Suddenly I am back in this game as I drop an energy flux on my turn. On his upkeep, he questions if he has to sac colossus since it’s indestructible but the judge tells him the oracle on flux reads sac, not destroy. He lets his jug die and saves his colossus with his 2 wastelands. He swings with big boy and puts me at 2. On my turn, I swords his colossus and he gets really pissed off since he should have won the game. Well, after that a negator comes down and a hand full of counter magic secures me this win.
Record: 3-0-1
Round 5 - Jay Coffman - Stax / 5/3 hybrid
He asks me if I want to draw since he’s 4-0. I can’t and I ask him if he wants to concede since he’s 4-0. He considers it but we figure out that 2 people 3-1-1 won’t make top 8 and we play it out. Jay was one of the nicest people I played all day and I was glad to see him go on to take second place. Great job.
Game 1: I duress turn 1 and see a city, jug, crucible, another jug, glimmervoid, and smokestacks. I take the crucible and pass the turn. He manages to get his smokestacks out and a crucible. I have like 2 lands afer he wastes one and with a 5/3 staring me down I can’t recover.
Game 2: I board in 4x sacred ground,1x STP, 3x energy flux. Out comes 3x duress, 1x negator, 3x brainstorm, and 1 impulse. I drain a Jug his second turn and twist away his hand on turn my third turn. The following 2 turns I set 2 meddling mages to jug and welder before he could play either. I resolved a sacred ground which made his smokestacks and wastelands useless. He eventually gets enough mana to hardcast a triskelion and shoots my mage set to goblin welder. He gets a welder in play and his 5/3 is back on the table. I have taken a bunch of damage from my 2 cities this game and he hammers me down to 3 life before I STP his jug. I play a negator and pass the turn (this stupid, stupid play ends up costing me the game) as he plays a tinker on his turn. I have to tap my 2 cities (putting me at 1) to drain it. I flip over my card that I would otherwise draw and reveal to him an energy flux. I burn for 1 and lose the game. He congratulates me on a great second game and I wish him the best of luck.
Record: 3-1-1
Round 6: I am paired with my teammate Wadie Shahin and we are both 3-1-1. He is playing stax. We look at our tie breakers and I am 2 places ahead of him. Since we know two people won’t make top 8 that are 4-1-1, he concedes to me to prevent any chance of neither of us top 8ing. I had to sleep in the same bed as this guy Saturday night in the motel. What does that have to do with anything? I don’t know, but I love you man, like, you’re ridiculous. Almost as much as force spike.
Record: 4-1-1
With the cut to top 8 I am ranked sixth and face off against Rocky McCumbee. I scramble to find out what he is playing so I don’t have blind meddling mages. One of my teammates informs me he is playing Oath, since he “crushed” Rocky’s oath round 1. I wasn’t there to confirm that, but I would not be doing any crushing of my own.
Game 1: This match-up is pretty simple. If he manages to resolve an oath, I lose. If I manage to resolve a meddling mage set to oath, he loses. Needless to say, he gets his oath before I get my meddling mage. Boo.
Game 2: The previous rule does not apply. He gets his Oath resolved again. However, I’m not giving up without a fight. My exalted angel is able to do some serious damage before his creatures start pouring down and I pound him down to 8 life. I also have dropped a meddling mage set to counter spell. He oaths out pristine and iridescent and doesn’t swing, fearful of taking damage at his fragile life total. I cast a yawgmoth’s will (with force back up) sacing a black lotus to cast it, and using and island so I can float a black. I have a bunch of crap built up in my card. I duress twice, after my first one is mana leaked (I don’t pay 3). I rip an intuition out of his hand with my duress. I cast a time walk from my graveyard, a morphed creature, I mystical up a demonic tutor (since I need more creatures to overwhelm him) and I impulse. This yawg’s will took me about 15 minutes since I had so many options from my yard but in the end won me the game. I tutored up a negator on my time walk turn and cast it. He doesn’t do anything and says go. I unmorph the angel and swing with my 2 negators, mage, and exalted. No matter how he blocks, he takes 8. This game seemed like it took forever but I secured the victory.
Game 3: He is on the play and I have to mulligan down to 5 cards. However, I couldn’t have asked for anything better. My 5 cards consisted of Force, Impulse, Mox pearl, Land, meddling mage. Wow. I know I have a good shot at winning now if I can resolve my first turn mage. He opens up with land, lotus petal, oath. I force it. He forces back. Good game. I can’t recover and my meddling mage is useless.
So looking back, I didn’t do anything amazing to get sixth at starcity p9. I got lucky at times and was paired up with my teammate in round 6 to get into top 8. I had my worst match up, control slaver, get a game loss because of a decklist infraction. He probably would have taken the match instead of a draw if he wrote out his full deck. I just used meddling mage effectively throughout the day and relied on my sideboard and exalted angel to win me games. But after all, control decks aren’t supposed to do anything amazing to win games. I know I could have given the other players a run for their money in the semis and finals but I didn’t get a chance to prove my deck. I still think meddling mage is a card that does not see anywhere enough play and I hope my performance brings some interest to it. Any feedback on my deck and sideboard would be greatly appreciated since this is pretty much the same version since the first time I put the deck together. The only thing I have changed is to put the chains on the board and brainstorms main deck. Thanks to all the people who came out to the tournament despite the weather, and thanks EJ for picking me up from school and driving us over there and just being ridiculous.
Cody
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