Clown of Tresserhorn
Dip Dub Deuces
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Needs more Cowbell
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« on: February 05, 2006, 07:41:47 am » |
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Intro
When Dan posted that there was going to be another NE Mox tourney, many members of the CO Crew agreed to make the trek to husker-town. We’ve been playtesting a bunch, and everyone who was going pretty much decided on a deck but me. I had playtested Belcher, GAT, and Uba Stax earlier this week, but they just didn’t feel as powerful as Gifts. Being the spike that I am, I audibled last minute to Gifts. I hit up a luau Friday night, catch a buzz, meet up with the fellas and we’re off to Nebraska. The trip was relatively short and unexciting, as all of us were tired. I get my 2 hours of sleep in.
The Tourney
We get there a bit early and the team does some scouting. I had intended to play a board dedicated to beating combo and control (crypts, etc.), but see that there’s a bunch of workshops. I go with 2 Rack and ruins and shit is all gravy.
Round 1: Ryan playing Slaver
Game 1: I wreck him pretty badly. I have no idea what he is playing, as I get the perfect set-up. Land, mox, recall, into force. Two turns later I resolve Gifts and it’s over.
Game 2: I mull to 5 and he goes turn 1 welder L. Luckily for me, I’ve playtested this matchup a crap load of times and keep a decent 5 of fetch, jet, duress, REB, Brainstorm. He turn 1 demonics, I REB his turn 2 tinker, duress away a thirst and resolve a fact two turns later. I sit on drain and wait for him to walk into it, which he does.
1-0, 2-0
Round 2: Alex? playing Changstax variant
Game 1: I keep a risky hand of FoW + blue card + 1st turn tinker. He cast turn 1 welder, which I force. I cast tinker, but he has swords. We play it out for another like 15 turns, until I’m convinced he can beat me. I would have won this game had I seen some hotness for topdecks.
Game 2: I have turn 1 walk, turn 2 drain up, holding chain of vapor, and turn 3 Gifts. I go for tinker and win.
Game 3: He keeps a sketch hand of 6. He plays tormod’s crypt, barbarian ring go. I have turn 1 scroll for recall. He played turn 2 welder, I recall, and let it resolve. On his third turn eot, I rack and ruin tormod’s crypt and a sapphire he played. On his turn 4, he attempts to cast mox ruby, to which I respond by chain of vaporing his welder. He plays into my drain by casting ITEOC. On my turn I have ample mana and kill with tendrils (he scoops).
2-0, 4-1
Round 3: Scott A. playing Monobrown Ravager
Game 1: I force turn 1 metalworker off lotus and he’s out of gas. I easily find tinker and win from there.
Game 2: He drops his hand turn 1, but there’s no disruption, no creatures, only a skullclamp and plating. He finally topdecks triskelion, but I have the Gifts/rebuild to kill with DSC/Walk/Walk.
3-0, 6-1
Round 4: Travis playing MDG
ID, at this point we’re both in. Plus, he’s CO Crew.
3-0-1, 6-1
Round 5: Justin playing Ravager.
He wants to ID, but I want to play it out. This gives Lou a chance to T8, along with others. I think I pissed him off a bit…
Game 1: He has lethal on the board by turn 3. On his eot, I Gifts for rebuild, walk, tinker, recall. He gives me tinker and walk. I walk, play a land. On my walk turn, I play mox/mana vault I’ve been sandbagging, cast tinker sacking vault for lotus, cast my second Gifts for 3 artifacts and burning wish, and finally cast Will. I win easily with Tendrils.
Game 2: He has no gas, and drops two glimmervoids. I have turn 2 tinker/turn 3 walk/turn 4 hurkyl’s.
4-0-1, 8-1
Top 8: Justin from the Swiss
Game 1: He has lethal on the board by turn 3 again. I rebuild, but he makes a mistake by not playing tangle wire, and instead opting for ravager/plating. I Gifts eot for lotus/crypt/petal/will, holding recoup. I have mystical in yard and win easily with tendrils.
Game 2: He has a relatively slow hand compared to what he usually gets, so I find tinker and cast it turn 3. He plays an ensnaring bridge, but I have the rack and ruin.
5-0-1, 10-1
T4: Scott A. from the Swiss.
Game 1: I play land mox go. He plays turn 1 metalworker. I recall into fact/gifts/FoW holding drain. I let it resolve knowing he only has like 1 threat in hand. I get dubs blue up and pass. I then drain a trisk and force a jar. On my turn, I cast fact, revealing Giftsx2, mystical, land, merchant scroll. I take the pile with 2 gifts, gifts for 4 lands, play a land and pass. He’s pretty much out of gas by now. He rips recall, but I have MisD and end the game with Gifts.
Game 2: I keep and EXTREMELY sketch hand of academy, jet, mana crypt, mana vault, demonic, drain, and some other irrelevant non-force, non-land card. He opts to play turn 1 ravager instead of sphere of resistance. I go grab my tinker and end the game on the spot.
6-0-1, 12-1
Finals: Scott Limoges playing CO Dragon
We’re tired and split. I take the minty sapphire and give my beat beta one to Fuckin’ Lou, as I promised him a sapphire. We decide to sell it to Lou whenever he gets money and split that. We also walk away with half a box of Guildpact each. I cracked my packs and pulled a steam vents and godless shrine, so I’m pretty happy.
Analysis
The metagame was heavy shop. The maindeck hurkyl’s definitely helped out a bunch. I felt throughout the day that I was never under any pressure. Gifts built properly just ignores like 90% of the cards played in vintage, and if something slips past your incredible counter wall, you have 4 merchant scrolls and bounce to answer it.
Some issues I’d like to address:
Mana Vault – This card was fucking incredible. Cutting it is retarded. It easily won me 2 games vs. Ravager. Maybe turn 1 gifts in a shit thirst build isn’t good, but it’s definitely sauce in Meandeck’s build.
Kill conditions – I have no idea why New England seems to think flame vault is good, but Wish/tendrils and DSC is definitely better. I kill with tendrils quite a bit, and the only setup you need is Gifts and the ability to count to ten. Not to mention, you don't have to clog your deck up with crap like flame fusilade and time vault.
Props:
Colorado Crew – We took it home this time! 3 out of 4 in top 4, 2 in the finals. ‘Nuff said.
Meandeck – For helping tweak Gifts into the monster that it is.
All my opponents for being cool.
Hobbytown USA – For running the event smoothly.
The judging – Way to make the right calls! It’s more than I can say for a lot of the tourneys I’ve been to.
Dan – For hooking Lou up with that desire. We still have to do some trading.
Me! – For losing only 1 game throughout the day.
Scott A. and the girlfriend of my round 2 opponent – For T8ing at your first vintage tourney. Way to go guys!
Nebraska – For having a random food court in the middle of nowhere.
Scott Limoges - "Dude, the cop's totally gonna make you take a deuce."
Slops:
Lou – For going 2-3 and testing more than all of us combined.
Random idiots who walk around and ask for trade. For the 12329438329th time, I don’t have trade. Stupid butt-rockers...
Finally, watch out St. Louis and Minneapolis, CO Crew will be attempting to make the trip to your tourneys!
-Bob
EDIT: For anyone who cares, 25 peeps showed up, 5 rounds of swiss with a cut to top 8. The top 8, I believe was:
Gifts(me) vs. Ravager
Grim Long vs. Ravager
Dragon vs. Oath?
Gifts vs. Staff Combo
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