----My Mini Report----
Ok, so I wake up at 8 AM and my uncle and I head out for Detroit. He used to live in Detroit and agreed to pay for the gas if I drop him off at the Greektown Casino downtown. We get to the casino only three hours after leaving Columbus. I had savage Mapquest tech, so I find Pandemonium okay. I get there at around noon and talk to Spencer and his friend. His friend kept making fun of the Dungeons and Dragons players which sorta eased my nervousness (I always get insanely nervous before each Magic tournament). The tournament finally got started around 1:45, which was lame.
Round 1 vs. Chris Walton - Salvagers/Game
Game 1 - Chris drops some white/black/green mana. I suspect Truffle Shuffle. Problem is, I haven't looked at a Truffle Shuffle list since GenCon. He drops a Gamekeeper and I sigh. I really hate playing against stuff I haven't tested against. I StP his Gamekeeper and get him down to one, but he combos off with Orzhov Guildmage(!). I decide I'm not going to do well this tournament.
Game 2 - I throw down some dudes and beat down. He plays some stuff, but Needle/Mage prevents him from playing better stuff, I guess.
Game 3 - We both play stuff. I have out a Needle naming Salvagers, and 3 Mages naming Living Wish, Cabal Therapy, and Pernicious Deed. He drops Gamekeeper/Innocent Blood, and flips over friggin Simic Sky Swallower. How lame. I have 18 life to his 10. We pass a few turns and he swings with the monster. I go to 12 and swing with my team, sending him to 4. He realizes that even if he holds back to block, 2 Mages are going to get in. He scoops up his cards.
Round 2 vs. Spencer Hayes - U/W/B Fish (I kept calling it Threshold to his dismay)
Game 1 - He maindecks Jotun Grunts. He drops two and wins.
Game 2 - I drop Jotun Grunt. I win.
Game 3 - I drop Jotun Grunt. I win.
Round 3 vs. Phil Cape - U/W/G Threshold
Game 1 - He casts like 3 Mystic Enforcers and I deal with them all. I cast stuff and send my dudes to their battlestations.
Game 2 - I draw StP's when I need them. I really can't remember much about this match.
Round 4 vs. K.C. Keel - Some variant of Threshold.
At this point I'm 3-0 and decide that I'm hungry. I also don't want to play the mirror again, and since we're the only undefeated players, a draw would guarantee us both a Top 8. We play one game for fun, and he whips out Goblins. I control his board for a while, and finally let him drop some men, since I was planning on winning anyways. I indeed win.
Round 5 vs. Brian Demars - Iggy Pop
Demars was at 9 points. I offered to draw with him, so he would be in the Top 8 no matter what. He asks me to scoop to him instead to help his rating. I dont have many sanctioned eternal tournaments under my belt (I did Top 8 at an Origins Vintage tournament in 2003 though) so I scoop him in. It never hurts to make friends with like the best player in Michigan. Anyways, we play a couple games for fun. I draw crap and he combos off. Infernal Tutor is busted.
Top 8 match vs. Chris Walton - Salvagers/Game
Game 1 - Before this game, I hear rumors that only the Top 4 gets prize. This frustrates me. I haven't actually lost a match yet, so one slip up this round, and I'd be leaving empty handed. Anyways, he combos off on me. Wow, now I'm really feeling bad.
Game 2 - I guess I was shaking or something while I was shuffling, so Chris tells me I have been playing amazing all day, and I have nothing to be worried about. I admit that I'm not confident in my Magic skills, and that I get nervous before each game in a tournament. He continues to praise my play, and helps me feel better. Unfortunately for him, I do relax, and win this game. He flips over Darksteel Colossus with Gamekeeper and hits me for 11. But I fly over with Enforcer.
Game 3 - He triple rituals. I'm worried he is going to do something relevant. Instead, he hardcasts a DSC. I counter it in relief. I have two Mongoose out with only 4 cards in the graveyard. He is at 5 life, and I have no cards in hand. I untap and draw....Mental Note. I give myself Threshold and swing in for 6.
Top 4 vs Vic Soi - U/G/W Threshold
Game 1 - I can't get Threshold. He does.
Game 2 - I drop two Enforcers. That's usually gg in the mirror.
Game 3 - I decide to hold back my threats so I can try and control the board. Eventually, he has no cards in hand, and I drop Mongoose/Worship. He gets out beats and takes me to one. Then he plays Engineered Explosives. My choices are either A) FoW it and die, or B) Let it resolve, and die. I had an StP in hand, so I could have taken out his Monastary, but it would have put him at 25 life to my 1. He also built up a hand, and was going to stabilize faster than I would have. I decided to die to my own Force of Will.
All in all, I had a great time. I won $20 in credit and a booster pack. I used the credit to finish my playsets of fetchlands.
Props:
-Me, for making barely any play mistakes all day, if any.
-Chris Walton, for being a really good guy. And he had the most hilarious alternative to the dice roll ever.
-Jotun Grunt, for being the best card in the format. I loveded you!!
-My deck, for giving me solid hands and giving me what I needed when I needed it.
-Paul Nicolo, for winning with a rogue deck(?). That guy is pro.
-Andy Diamond, for letting me borrow Needles.
Slops:
-Andy Diamond, for camping with his girlfriend instead of playing Magic. A Solidarity deck would have mixed that meta up a little.
-Michigan's roads. Are you kidding me? That was ridiculous.
-The judge. Most of the time he was scary. I was afraid to ask him any questions because I thought he'd yell at me.
-Detroit Police, for yelling at me. Shouldn't they be arresting Eminem or Rasheed Wallace instead?
