1st Place Report – Oath of Auriok at Minneapolis Monster Den

I think we had 18 people playing for a Library of Alexandria and Time Vault at the Monster Den in Minneapolis. They announced it would be four rounds of swiss to a top 8. I brought my newly designed Oath of Auriok deck that uses the infinite recursion of Auriok Salvager, black lotus or lion’s eye, and the pyrite spellbomb. The crowd was full of storm and powered control, and interestingly I avoided seeing a null rod or trinisphere all afternoon.

Decklist:
4 Flooded Strand
3 Gemstone Mine
4 Forbidden Orchard
1 Savannah
1 Library of Alexandria
2 Plains
3 Island
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mana Crypt
1 Lion's Eye Diamond
1 Black Lotus

1 Darksteel Colossus
2 Pyrite Spellbomb
1 AEther Spellbomb
4 Brainstorm
4 Force of Will
1 Intuition
2 Thirst for Knowledge
2 Mana Leak
2 Impulse
1 Tinker
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall
2 Auriok Salvagers
2 Seal of Cleansing
1 Balance
1 Enlightened Tutor
4 Oath of Druids
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor

Sideboard:
1 Pristine Angel
1 Iridescent Angel
1 Woodripper
2 Tormod's Crypt
2 Swords to Plowshares
2 Sacred Ground
2 Ray of Revelation
1 Seal of Cleansing
1 Orim's Chant
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Rack and Ruin

Round 1 vs. TPS, won 2-0. I combo’d out both games quickly.
Round 2 vs. TPS, lost 0-2. He combo’d out both games quickly.
These games are all a blur, because they went so fast. With no null rods, trinispheres, or chalices to worry about on both sides, it was simply a race to combo.
Round 3 vs. 4cc, won 2-1
Game 1 - I combo’d out quickly with oath/salvager.
Game 2 – In this game, I eventually oath’d out Colossus with him having two spirit tokens, but then came my mistake. I hard cast a salvager for another attacker, but then I blocked both of his spirit tokens blanking out that he could use my oath. Then, out came his Colossus. I attacked with both my creatures and he blocked Colossus for Colossus. He then attacked with his, time walked, and swung again for the win.
Game 3 – He had to mulligan, but he accidently drew 7 cards. The judge said he had to further mulligan down to 5, which then he mulligan’d to 4. I had a dream draw of two orchards, mox, oath, time walk, ancestral. The game was over on my turn 2.
Round 4 vs. Tog – we both ID into the final 8. We played a couple games for fun, and I beat him 2-0.
Match Record 2-1-1. Game Record 4-3-1. Seeded 7th.

Quarters – vs. UW fish 2-1
Game 1 – I can’t remember the specifics, but I remember him being stuck at low mana. Eventually, I got out an oath, which brought out colossus. He tried plowing it but I spellbomb’d it back into my hand. Later, with salvager and brainstorm in hand, I oath/combo’d out next turn.
Game 2 – Second turn, I ancestral’d, which he ancestral’d, which I brainstorm’d, which he dazed my ancestral. After that, I basically drew mana after mana, and his two cloud of fairies and a spirit token, with counter back up, beat me down.
Game 3 was a long battle. Early on down to 2 cards, a plains and gemstone mine, and with him at 6 cards and 1 factory, I balance’d. He lost 5 cards, including an ancestral, since he needed to keep an island. I eventually got an oath out and intuitioned for Orchards. He sent his own spirit token farming and drew a seal for my oath. After more topdecking, I finally drew another oath, and he got out a chalice for zero. I got out my colossus, which he sent farming. Then to his surprise, out oath’d an Iridescent Angel, and he had no way to stop it swinging for the next 4 turns.

Semis – vs. Welder deck 2-0
His deck was red and artifacts, but I didn’t see a trinisphere or workshop in either game.
Game 1 He was stuck at 3 non-MWS lands and no other mana sources, and I had countered a metalworker. I oath’d out Colossus, and next turn swung for 11. He finally got a sol ring, but I countered it. He didn’t have enough mana to use his staff of domination to tap my colossus and the colossus and a salvager swung for the win.
Game 2- After a few turns, I hard cast a salvager with lotus and spellbomb ready. He got a memory jar out, but it was too late.

Finals vs. Kobold/Clamp 2-0
Game 1 – He thought for a while, kept his hand, and to my amazement didn’t play a mana source! I knew of this deck, but didn’t know of the new Kamigawa tech. I had an early tinker colossus that started swinging. I think on his third draw, he finally drew a Black Lotus, and after debating for a bit, I forced it, and I won shortly thereafter. He said if I didn’t counter it, he probably could have won that turn with three glimpse of nature in his hand.
Game 2 – He got out an early Sol Ring, Skullclamp, and some kobolds. Eventually, I was able to hard cast a salvager with a Lotus in the graveyard, but nothing else but more mana. We were both left to topdecking for an answer. One turn, he clamp’d a few times, but the best he could do was Tendrils me for 12. A couple turns later, I drew a brainstorm, which revealed another brainstorm. I fetched to reschuffle, and brainstormed into an aether spellbomb, which I show’d and he scooped knowing I could eventually draw into the pyrite.

I’ve been trying to give white a fighting chance in type 1. After various attempts at parfait with long drawn out games and losing to tier 1 decks, I discovered the Auriok Salvager was a good white card to build a deck around. Many props to the Monster Den for hosting these bimonthly type 1 tournaments.