The Mountains Win Again!
Double TMWA Top 4
Our tale begins on Friday, October 20th while preparing for the events of the weekend. Myriad Games was hosting a Vintage event on October 21st followed by a Your Move Games tournament on the 22nd. I planned to test during casual T-Shirt Challenge games while hosting the tournament on Saturday and play at YMG on Sunday. Sara played The Elvish Inquisition both days. On Saturday, she made her first Top 8! Chad Behre played TMWA (a different configuration) on both Saturday at Myriad Games and on Sunday; he made Top 4 both days! After testing and discussion on Friday and Saturday, a few modifications morphed the deck into the following configuration.
The Mountains Win Again version 22.3
1x Mountain
4x Plateau
1x Plains
1x Badlands
1x Scrubland
3x Bloodstained Mire
3x Flooded Strand
1x Mox Ruby
1x Mox Pearl
4x Wasteland
1x Strip Mine
4x Mishra's Factory
4x Jőtun Grunt
3x Goblin Welder
2x Grim Lavamancer
2x Kris Mage
2x Dark Confidant
4x Swords to Plowshares
2x Lightning Bolt
4x Magma Jet
4x Hide and Seek
2x Pyroblast
1x Enlightened Tutor
1x Seal of Cleansing
1x Pyrostatic Pillar
1x Null Rod
1x Crucible of Worlds
1x Goblin Bombardment
Sideboard
3x Red Elemental Blast
4x Goblin Vandal
1x Goblin Welder
2x Grim Lavamancer
1x Pyrostatic Pillar
1x Tormod's Crypt
2x Null Rod
1x Sacred Ground
Tournament: Your Move Games, Somerville, MA
Saturday, October 22nd, 2006
We awoke early, prepared for the day, and donned our stylish outfits for a day of professional Magic. This should be distinguished from “pro” Magic in that we would not play Magic for a living or brag in a swaggering manner about our accomplishments, as some stereotypical “pro” Magic players are so fond of doing. Rather, that we should comport ourselves in a professional manner; we would act in all regards in a sporting and cordial fashion. Many people were confused as to why a couple would attend a Magic tournament regaled in a tuxedo and evening gown. As we were happy to elucidate, it was just like dressing up for any entertainment event. Players who act professionally and jovially contribute more to the enjoyment of a tournament than those who exhibit indifference or disdain, engage in unsporting behavior, or worse yet, radiate superiority or hostility. This is a game and is to be played for fun and enjoyment as well as the thrill of competition. Whether you taste the spoils of victory or feel the sting of defeat, you should always act professionally.
Heading into this tournament, we were expecting a decent amount of Fish and Stax with the usual showing of Gifts / Control and a smaller amount of Combo and Oath. We were not disappointed.
There were 17 players in attendance, shy of the 20 needed for the 2nd place Mana Drain and 3rd place pack of English Legends. The option was proposed (if all players agreed) that we each pitch in another $5 (bringing our total entry to $30) to increase the prize pool. Otherwise there would only be the Mox Jet for 1st place with no other prizes. After some discussion and an impromptu poll, it was determined that we would opt for the former. We paid our extra $5. Despite the fact that there were only 17 players, the small playing area was hot, stuffy, and claustrophobic all day long. Whenever I had time, I would step outside in order to cool off before heading back into the basement. It was as if someone had imprinted Stifle on a Panoptic Mirror at the beginning of the day and each upkeep it refreshed the heat and humidity in the room. Jared, the capable officiator, promptly posted the pairings and we began the tournament.
Round 1 – Justin Miyoshiro playing Uba Stax
I knew that our Stax matchup in game 1 was not as strong as it had been previously. Usually that doesn’t matter since game 1 is still quite winnable and game 2 and 3 are very strong. I shake hands with Justin and we shuffle up and play. I see one land in my opening hand and mull to 6, keeping, still at one land, a Flooded Strand. Justin leads with Barbarian Ring followed in short order by a Bazaar and Welder. I STP the Welder but another one shows up and welds back in Karn who animates a Crucible (with Wasteland on the board) and a Sol Ring and swings for two turns of death. This game only took 5 minutes. I looked at the two Dark Confidants in my hand and sighed. As I sideboarded, I regained my confidence, as I reviewed the potent choices available to me, particularly against Uba Stax. I led with a Plains and passed. He dropped a Workshop, Jet, Mana Vault, and Crucible. I cast Enlightened Tutor at the end of his turn, getting Sacred Ground. He commented that he hadn’t expected that, but admitted that it was quite good. I dropped another land and Sacred Ground and passed back to Justin. He took damage from Mana Vault, about 10 points over the course of the game. He got Granite Shard on board and shot my Welder. I sent his Welder farming, turning his tinkering tools into a plow. I resolved a Jőtun Grunt and swung for a couple of turns before it went away. Mishra’s Factory showed up, and I misplayed by attacking into 2 Granite Shards before dropping Null Rod. I waited for his Mana Vault to kill him and he didn’t find an answer before he dropped to 0. Justin noted that Red Elemental Blast is not so good against this deck and I grinned at the realization that he had been expecting Energy Flux instead of Sacred Ground. Game 3, Justin played first and we both kept. He led with Workshop, Mana Crypt, and Chalice on 2 – that certainly put a hamper on my Seek that I was planning to handle whatever biggest threat he had. I took some early damage from a Granite Shard followed by a Triskelion that killed my Goblin Welder before it got active. His Trisk swung for several turns and put me to 8. I played a creature out to eat a counter off the Trisk and then took some beats as I waited for his Mana Crypt to kill him. He took damage from Mana Crypt the first turn it was out and then missed the next five consecutive turns. On the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th turns, he took 3 damage each time, bringing him down to 3. He also took a couple of points from Barbarian Ring over the course of the game and then stabilized by dropping a Welder, shooting his own Triskelion and Welding out his Mana Crypt at the end of my turn. Trisk came back in short order and finished me off. Not the stellar start I was hoping for, but I wished Justin the best of luck and prepared for Round 2.
Record: 0-1
Round 2 – Sara Yarrington playing The Elvish Inquisition
We were certainly the best-dressed match in the room. It was disappointing to have to play against each other. Chad had just had to play Sara in the Top 8 the day before; it’s a grueling matchup. I led with a Grim Lavamancer which decided to abandon the battlefield for more agricultural pursuits. Sara Sought out my Crucible and removed it. I resolved a Confidant and started getting extra cards from his dark counsel. I Strip Mined a Scrubland and Hid her Crucible (with Wasteland in the graveyard). Confidant kept swinging with Magma Jet clearing the way of Withered Wretches. Jőtun Grunt joined in the fray and finished off the first game in about 15 minutes total. We started game 2 with full hands. Kris Mage showed up and started the early beatdown, eating away 6 points of life over the next few turns. Duress took my Swords and a Jőtun Grunt hit me for four. I dropped my own Grunt and blocked the opposing giant. I Sought out a Crucible, a Sacred Ground, and a Massacre during the rest of the game. I dropped my own Crucible and slowly ate away all her lands. After a while, Jőtun Grunt joined Kris Mage in the beatdown to finished off the match. I encouraged Sara for the next round and moved over a table for the new pairings.
Record: 1-1
Round 3 – Chris Marrero playing Uba Stax
I introduced myself to Chris and won the die roll. I led with a Flooded Strand. Chris played a Strip Mine and Mox Jet followed by an Imperial Seal. I dropped a Grim Lavamancer and started swinging. Dark Confidant showed up and started getting extra cards. At some point during this game, Chris dropped a Powder Keg and I removed it before it caused any major problems. Shortly thereafter, a Jőtun Grunt arrived and brought him to 2 followed by a Magma Jet before he could recover. Chris accidentally drew 8 cards at the beginning of game 2 and mulled to 6. He dropped a Workshop and an Ensnaring Bridge! I Wasted his Shop and dropped Tormod’s Crypt. I resolved an early Goblin Vandal and ate away at his mana. The next turn, I Sought out his Sundering Titan and gained 8 life. Grim Lavamancer showed up for creature control and Jőtun Grunt showed up to do his thing. Chris dropped a Bazaar and emptied his hand to stop my creatures from attacking (and eating his Bridge), so I settled for putting his graveyard back on the bottom of his deck and eventually sacrificing the Grunt. Mishra’s Factory came online followed by a Powder Keg from the other side of the table. I Hid the Ensnaring Bridge, swung in with the Vandal and blew up the Powder Keg. Mini beats followed to finish off the round after about 45 minutes total. I wished Chris good luck in future rounds and stepped outside for a breath of fresh air.
Record: 2-1
Round 4 – Chester Li playing Mono Black Tendrils
I moved up to table 2 and played against Chester Li. I gathered he was playing some form of combo so I wasn’t ecstatic about the matchup, but I knew it was winnable. I kept and played first dropping a Pearl, Badlands, and Seal of Cleansing. He dropped a Jet and Wasteland and played Night’s Whisper. I Sealed his Jet on the next turn and dropped a Dark Confidant. He Wasted my Badlands. I Enlightened Tutored for Pyrostatic Pillar. I swung with Kris Mage, Dark Confidant, and Goblin Welder. After I resolved Pyrostatic Pillar, he played for a couple of turns before conceding. Thinking he was playing some weird combo build with Wastelands and not having seen much of his deck, I sided in all my standard combo hate (including REBs) which turned out to be useless in the next game. We both kept at 7 and he led with Ritual, Necropotence. He wasted my Plateau and later on dropped a Library of Alexandria, continually drawing cards and eating away at his life total. I cast Seek and in response he activated Library and called over a judge to check on a card in his hand. In response to the Library activation, he cast Vampiric Tutor, getting the card from his library and drawing it with the Library. I looked through his deck, saw three Tendrils and realized that this wouldn’t be that easy to neuter. I removed the Yawgmoth’s Will. He cast Cabal Therapy and missed then proceeded to Tendrils me for 10 points, bringing him up to 21 from 11 and me down to 12. I finally found a Waste for his Library (after about five draws) and resolved a Seal of Cleansing, deciding to take out his Jet since that would leave him with only one land. In retrospect, I should have killed the Necropotence but I wasn’t thinking clearly. The next turn Chester received a warning for drawing with Necropotence in play – apparently we’re both making play errors. He dropped a Confidant and I sent a Jet of Magma to dispatch of the wily wizard. He Tendrils-ed me to -2 several turns later. I took out all my Blasts and mulled to 6 on the play. I dropped a Kris Mage followed by a Null Rod. Chester cast Night’s Whisper and cast a Dark Confidant. I removed the Confidant with Kris Mage and dropped a Mishra’s Factory followed by an enthusiastic Grunt to join in the swing-fest. He dropped another Confidant that met another jab from the Kris Mage. He Tendrils-ed me for 6 when he was 7. He dropped a Black Lotus at some point during this game and thought he could use it for a second before he realized the Null Rod was in play. I cast Seek and again removed Yawgmoth’s Will and beat down with the rest of the life cushion he’d set up with the initial Tendrils. Wishing Chester the best of luck, I stepped outside and came back for pairings about five minutes later.
Record: 3-1
Round 5 – Dan Cunningham playing Salvagers
Dan had defeated Chad earlier, so I was only too happy to draw into the Top 8 with him. We discussed tournaments in general and I stepped outside to the park across the street to refresh myself, quaffing water to quench my thirst and washing my face to help allay the effects of the oppressive heat.
Record: 3-1-1
Top 8 – Justin Miyoshiro playing Uba Stax
I again faced off with Justin and I was happy to play him since he was a nice fellow and I enjoy the matchup. I started out with a fetch for Mount Fuji and another fetch for a basic Plains. He started off with Workshop, Mox Pearl, Mana Vault and an early Tangle Wire. He followed that up by a Smokestack and another Tangle Wire and then started beating down with Solemn Simulacrum which I had a tough time removing since he had no artifacts in his graveyard with which to Weld. Eventually he dropped Triskelion and took care of my pesky Welder. He got Crucible and Barbarian Ring and it was only a matter of time until I succumbed to complete board domination. I looked at the two unused Confidants in hand, and promptly sided them out. Game 2, I played a fetch and passed the turn. He played a Bazaar and pitched three artifacts. I Wasted his Bazaar and Hid his Crucible before he had a chance to use it. Lavamancer, Vandal, and Welder joined forces to whittle down his life total from 20 to 0. Game 3, Justin mulled to 6 on the play. This game was almost the polar opposite of game 1. I took two points of damage from 2 Flooded Strands as I got an early Goblin Vandal followed by a Welder and another Goblin Vandal. He got an Uba Mask in play along with some other semi-problematic artifacts. By the end of the game, he had no permanents in play thanks to Crucible on my side of the table and Team Artifact Destruction. I wished Justin the best of luck in the draft he was building his deck for and Sara informed me that I might have to play against Chad in the Top 4.
Record: 4-1-1
Top 4 – Tim Landale playing Gifts
As it turned out, I was instead playing against Tim Landale, who I knew to be playing Gifts. Not the best matchup, but very winnable after sideboarding. I mulled to 6 on the play and kept a single Plateau. I didn’t draw the other land I needed in the first few turns and he set up an early start with a Brainstorm – Polluted Delta combo! He Mana Drained Dark Confidant and Force of Willed Jőtun Grunt pitching Misdirection. He took mana burn due to an apparent miscalculation and Grim Lavamancer started beating down. He dropped a Library of Alexandria and drew three cards off it before I managed to find Wasteland. I dropped another Jőtun Grunt, he had another Force of Will, pitching Fact or Fiction. He cast Gifts Ungiven at the end of my turn and revealed four cards including Yawgmoth’s Will and Recoup with a full graveyard. He had just four mana on the tables so I put Yawgmoth’s Will and Recoup in the graveyard hoping he wouldn’t have the extra three mana on the next turn. He dropped four artifacts he’d been saving in his hand and combo-ed off for about 15 spells.
I led with a Flooded Strand and fetched at the end of his turn. He cast Ancestral in response. I Wasted his Underground Sea and he dropped a Library of Alexandria which was promptly Strip Mined. I Sought out his solitary Tendrils, noted that there was no Burning Wish in the deck and set my sights on Darksteel Colossus. Tim Force of Willed a Pyrostatic Pillar and kept searching for lands. I Pyroblasted a Brainstorm to keep him off mana and Sought out his Darksteel Colossus a couple of turns later. Mishra’s Factory swung like a disgruntled Assembly Worker for a few turns and Mana Crypt managed to do some damage as well. He dropped an Old Man of the Sea, and protected it from farming by sheer Force of Will, but it met with double Magma Jet. He fetched with a Flooded Strand, realized he had no win conditions left and scooped, verbally noting to board in more win conditions.
Game 3, I mulled to 6 on the draw after seeing a hand with five land, a Magma Jet, and Pyrostatic Pillar. Assuming that he would have at least one counter available by the time I had the mana for Pillar, I opted to take a chance on something with more viable threats. Tim played an Island and passed to me. I dropped a Mox Pearl, Tormod’s Crypt, and Mishra’s Factory. I dropped another Mishra’s Factory the next turn and began swinging for three. He Demonic Tutored for something and muttered something about “that was stupid”. The next turn he Tinkered in Darksteel Colossus. At this point, I had a Hide/Seek in hand and a Pyroblast, but only one red mana, so I could not ensure it resolving. Tim had cast Merchant Scroll for a Force of Will earlier in the game, so I knew that I had to get another red source to permanently deal with the DSC. I failed to draw that red source, but I drew a Goblin Welder. Unfortunately The Big Man had already hit me once and I couldn’t survive long enough to get an active Welder or successfully resolve Hide. In the end, I got him to 10 and attempted to Hide the DSC which was naturally Forced and I went to 3 and then -8. I felt that this was a close game that could have been played differently. Still, I’d made top 4, so I was relatively happy. Chad was now in Top 2, after beating Chester. I was set to play against Chester for 3rd and 4th. We decided to split the store credit from the Legends Booster Pack and play for the extra dollar. Chad and Tim worked out a split for their game so that Tim could go play in the draft that he had started earlier.
Record: 4-2-1
3rd / 4th – Chester Li playing Mono Black Tendrils
I lost Game 1 to an early Negator and Dark Confidant, since didn’t have enough burn and/or creatures to deal with both of them. He had three artifacts that became useless under Null Rod that he happily sacrificed, along with all his lands, to keep the big Horror around to finish me off. Game 2 was almost the complete opposite, as I beat down with Mishra’s Factories and Jőtun Grunt while he searched for something.
In the 3rd game, I beat down with pumped Mishra’s Factories, sent his shady Confidant farming, and kept beating down for the win. I thanked Chester for playing, bid the remnants of the tournament players adieu, and Chad, Sara, and I headed out.
Record: 5-2-1
I ended up with $25 of store credit, which I used for some individual cards which I was interested in acquiring. All in all, we had a good time. Photos from the tournament are available
here. We were a bit disappointed that we were just one game away from an all-Mountains final match, but satisfied that we’d done well during the weekend and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We headed out to dinner and a restful sleep and looked forward to future events.
Until next time, may The Mountains Win Again!
