One last go. A player and TO report. [with top 8 decklist]

[ErkBek]

Alternate Title: Feinstein is gonna be pissed

I couldn’t have asked for a better last tournament. Thanks to everyone that was there and I hope you had a great time too. It felt like I was hosting a party, not a tournament. I met a lot people and I caught up with countless friends, I had a great time.

On Friday night I meet up with Jesus Roxas at his house for a little refreshing, having neither of us played vintage in weeks. We played the Slaver – Long matchup for about 4 games and decided it’s still heavily in Long’s favor.

So we decided to test the Slaver – Meandeck Tendrils match up for fun. Meandeck Tendrils pulled out 2 of 3 games. In its only loss it managed to just play a bunch of spells and then just chill. At about 1am we decided it was time to get some sleep for the long day ahead.

7:24 am a phone call from Mike Solymossy woke me up. He was asking for Wall of Deceit…..how random. I told him I have no idea what it does and I still don’t.

So Jesus and I were up for the day. We ate breakfast did a little goldfishing and were off to the tournament. On the way there, we stopped to buy a massive amount of cupcakes from Jewel, totaling 6 dozen. It was Roxas’ birthday and I guess he felt awfully generous.

So we arrive at the College of Dupage a few hours early to get everything set up. A considerable amount of players were there around 10am since there was some confusion with the starting time. Everyone that was early was pretty easy going about the situation. I forgot to update the new start time on the SCG forums, my bad.

As we approached noon and the start of the event, the cafeteria was suddenly swarmed with approximately 300 little kids all of which were wearing the same white shirt.  I didn’t know what to think, I was shocked, confused, and embarrassed all at the same time. I’ll try to get some pics up of it soon. The running joke was that all the kids were actually playing in the tournament raising attendance to 350 people.

So the kids clear out within half an hour and we start the event a little late. A total of 48 people showed, so the tournament would be 6 rounds and cut to top 8, with a free side event starting concurrently with the sixth round. The pairings go up for round 1 and I’m up against good old Intuition Tendrils. I’m playing what I consider to be the best deck I’ve ever played UBR Grim Long

UBR Grim Long
Mana 30
1 Academy
4 Delta
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Badlands
2 Usea
1 Swamp
1 Island (11 lands)
5 Mox
1 Lotus
1 Peal
1 Vault
1 Crypt
1 Ring
1 LED (11 artifacts)
4 Dark Rit
2 Red Spirit Guide
2 Cabal Rit

Protection 7
4 Duress
2 Rebuild
1 Hurkyl’s Recall

Kill 2
2 Tendrils

Business 21
4 Brainstorm
3 Grim Tutor
1 DT
1 VT
1 MT
1 Iseal
1 Ancestral
1 Timetwister
1 Tinker
1 Jar
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Yawg Will
1 Desire
1 Necro
1 Bargain
1 Time Walk

SB
1 Volcanic
4 Pryoblast
2 Extripate
3 Empty the Warrens (Fish and stax)
1 Planar Void
2 Massacre
1 Island
1 Chain of Vapor

Round 1 – Bruce with IT
I win the dice role and keep my opening seven. A turn 1 duress, turn 2 Ancestral, into a tight yawg will kill ends it there.

+2 Extripate
+3 Pryoblast
+1 Volc
-1 Iseal
-1 Cabal Rit
-1 Necro
-3 bounce spells

Game 2 – I Duress his hand which is spicy, but lacks explosive mana. A few turns go by he ends up playing a tendrils for 8 plus a dark confidant. I hardcast a memory jar and pass the turn. He does nothing relevant other than swing for 2. So I untap cast Twister (jar still on the table), I hit walk and ancestral so I play those. On my walk turn I announce Grim Tutor and break Jar in response. He FoW’s the Grim from his new seven, but I have a pryoblast, and that’s game.

After this round ends I slid out to go grab 16 Little Caesar’s pizzas, which I was pleasantly surprised to find where done on time. I get back 5 minutes into round 2 giving me plenty of time to set up pizza and beverages and then play my round.

1-0 (2-0)

Round 2 – James King with Oath

Game 1 – I keep a turn 1 kill but without protection on the play. He doesn’t have a FoW, so we go to game 2.

no sideboarding b/c I don’t know what he’s playing

Game 2 – He opens with Leyline and Chalice at 0. No fear though. I play ancestral and some brainstorms while he tries to play as stax, but gets nowhere. I end up playing a rebuild and a twister with about 12 open and go on to win that turn.

2-0 (3-0)

Round 3 – Dave Carhart with Slaver

Game 1 – Duress him early. Play a draw 7 with around 4 mana floating, duress, kill him.

I assume he’s running gifts because I saw a merchant scroll and a gifts so I board

+4 Blast
+2 Extripate
+1 Volc
-2 Cabal Rit
-3 bounce
-1 Iseal
-1 Mystical

He mulls to 5 and drops a turn 1 sphere off a petal and academy. Having boarded out all my bounce spells I decide that this should be interesting. My hand wasn’t anything amazing. We basically just sit around for 15 turns developing. I get a memory jar on the board, meanwhile he drops another sphere. At some point he plays a tinker with 2 mana open, so I extripated his FoW’s and then Blasted the tinker, so it drags on. I eventually  cast a Spirit Guide and the beats ensue. I draw bargain and I for some reason decide to cast it right into a mana drain. Go me. Dave untaps and rips none other than a sundering titan. 3 of my lands hit the GY, leaving 3 in play. He gets in there for some damage and my spirit guide dies. Time is called. I decide to go for it. I’ve only got 22 cards left in my deck, including both of my tendrils, so I start with a chain of spells for storm, break a jar, cast ancestral, but still no tendrils, so I cast 2 moxes and a time walk. I untap my mana vault and pass the turn. He beats for 7 dropping me to 6. I untap and draw a tendrils! I ramp up the storm to 6 and tendrils him down to 1 life, but more importantly I’m back up to 18. We end up with the draw.

3-0 (5-0-1)

Round 4 – Teammate Ryan Spindler with Burning Slaver

We talk about IDing but decided we are best off playing it out.

Game 1 – He wins the dice roll. I protect a turn 2 bargain with Duress and end it there.

-1 Hurkyl’s
-1 Rebuild
-1 Iseal
-1 Mystical
-1 Cabal Rit
+1 Volc
+3 Pyroblast
+1 Chain of Vapor

Game 2 – He mulls to 6 into an insane hand. Turn 1 walk. On the walk turn he resolves ancestral and loads up on 3x counters. He slaves me after I get 2 or 3 turns.

Game 3 – I resolve a turn 2 Jar and pass the turn, but his mox monkey wipes my board down to 2 lands and jar. He untaps and cast Sol Ring, Mana Vault, drops academy and eats my memory jar! I think for a while and decide to blow jar in response since I needed to get my graveyard going. On my turn I play a brainstorm and pass (hiding a twister on top of my deck and leaving a pryoblast in hand). He jokes that he’s going to rip yawg will and does! He plays a will and a warrens for 22, but I’m still alive! My Twister resolves on my turn into a spicy hand. I bait a counter out with a brainstorm and then drop a Bargain + LED.

4-0 (7-1-1)

Round 5 – I@n Degraff with SS

We’re are forced to play because he’s 3-0-1

Game 1 – he gets a turn 1 duress + cutpurse off a lotus. Luckily my hand is insane so I’m still in it. I fetch out an island and cast a brainstorm. He attacks and strips my land. I cast a bargain with all my mana (I didn’t have enough mana for a duress that was in my hand though). He cast a brainstorm which he tells me found Force + Blue card. Bargain gets countered and I scoop.

-3 Bounce
-1 Cabal Rit
-1 Iseal
-1 Tendrils
-1 Desire
-1 Tinker
-1 Jar (I can’t afford bombs to be countered by stifle, especially if they involve setup or passing the turn)
+3 Warrens
+1 Volc
+1 Island
+3 Pyroblast
+1 Chain

Game 2 – I get a turn 1 warrens for 8. A duress follows soon afterward to stop him from finding answers.

Game 3 – I get another fast warrens for 6? 2 tokens die as the beatdown ensues. I end up getting a DT for time walk to speed up the clock, and I go on to rip yawg will on my walk turn like a champ and end the game right there.

5-0 (9-2-1)

Round 6 – ID with Ben Carp

5-0-1

Good thing I got to draw in the last round as the side event had some problems starting up on DCI reporter (being a single elimination tournament). 36 people there going to be playing in that too, which was far more than I expected. I set up some brackets by hand and get those games started.  (side note, I think I should have started the side event concurrently with the 5th round of the main event, not the sixth. This would have started it earlier and less people would have played in it)

The top 8 starts and I’m number one seed paired up with Chris Nighbor playing the SS.

As Nighbor and I are shuffling up, we realize that we never once have played against each other despite playing in about 10 of the same tournaments. Both of us are usually near the top tables, so that’s pretty strange. Nighbor talks a lot of trash, so talk it right back with him.

Game 1 - I win the dice roll. I play a turn 1 tinker that resolves, so I grab Lotus and turn 1 kill him. I look around and decide that I’ll probably never get to do this again, so I stand on my chair and yell “Turn 1 kill” in GWS style.

-3 Bounce
-1 Iseal
-1 Tendrils
-1 Desire
-1 Tinker
-1 Jar   
-1 cabal rit
+3 Warrens
+1 Volc
+1 Island
+3 Pyroblast
+1 chain

Game 2 – I don’t recall too much other than I get smashed by a turn 1 bob, turn 2 shadow of doubt.

Game 3 – I open with a duress on stifle leaving his only other play as a turn 1 cutpurse off a lotus (he would have had stifle + cutpurse up turn 1 though b/c he had a sapphire too). I stabilize with a warrens for 4 tokens. We chill for a while and I eventually Grim for Pryoblast and take out the cutpurse. I make a couple more defensive plays, and the gobbo’s go the distance!

We get to the top 4 that’s me and 3 ICBMer’s. They all really want to split, but I’m up for playing. We run some numbers and they offer me all cash as part of the split, so I agree to take it. I’m pretty sure though that I would have won the prize if we would have played it out.

The side event is at the top 4 goes to 11pm. Mark Domzil (URBana fish) beat Mike Solymossy (BHWC tendrils) in the finals of the side event.

Here are the list (mine is above)

2nd – Ben Carp (the Gunslinga)  w/ ICBM oath
 4 Forbidden Orchard
 1 Strip Mine
 2 Wasteland
 2 Underground  Sea
 3 Tropical Island
 2 Polluted  Delta
 2 Flooded Strand
 1 Black  Lotus
 5 Mox
 2 Mishra's Factory
 1  Vampiric Tutor
 1 Demonic Tutor
 1 Crop Rotation
 1 Wipe Away
 1 Time Walk
 1 Ancestral Recall
 4 Brainstorm
 3 Thirst for Knowledge
 4 Mana Drain
 4 Force of Will
 1 Life from the Loam
 1 Intuition
 2 Null Rod
 4 Chalice  of the Void
 4 Oath of Druids
 1 Gaea's Blessing
 1 Akroma, Angel of Wrath
 1 Razia, Boros Archangel

Sideboard:
2 Mishra's Factory
1 Life from the Loam
2 Simic Sky Swallower
3 Oxidize
3 Pyroclasm
4 Leyline of the Void

3rd – Matt Ladwig (Hydra) w/ URBana Fish
Mana 25
4 Polluted  Delta
3 Flooded Strand
2 Island
2 Usea
3 Volcanic
4  Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
5 Moxen
1 Black Lotus

Creatures  15
4 Gorilla Shaman
4 Ninja
3 Waterfront Bouncer
4 Dark  Confidant

1 Ancestral
1 Time Walk
4 FoW
3 Chalice
2 Daze
2 Remand
2 Pyroblast
1 REB
3 Duress
1 Fire/Ice

SB
4 Flametongue Kavu
2 Hydroblast
1 Blue Blast
4 Rack and/or Ruin
2 Planar Void
2 Arcane Lab

4th – Dave Carhart w/ Slaver
1 Lotus Petal
5 Mox
1 Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Mana Crypt
3 Volcanic
3 Delta
2 Strand
2 Underground
2 Island
1 Snow-covered Island
1 LoA
1 Academy
4 BS
4 TFK
4 Drain
4 FoW
3 Welder
2 Merchant Scroll
1 Vamp
1 DT
1 Slaver
1 Triskelavus
1 Titan
1 Truth
1 Fire/Ice
1 FoF
1 ETW
1 Tinker
1 Will
1 Ancestral
1 Walk

SB
3 Sphere of Resistance
2 Duress
2 Rack and Ruin
1 Skelatal Scrying
3 FTK
1 Heratic
2 Pryoblast
1 REB

5th – Owen Turtonwald w/ Slaver

5 Mox
1 Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Mana Crypt
4 Volcanic
3 Delta
2 Strand
2 Island
1 Snow-covered Island
1 LoA
1 Academy
1 Academy Ruins
4 BS
4 TFK
4 Drain
4 FoW
3 Welder
2 Merchant Scroll
2 Gifts
1 Titan
1 Trike
1 Slaver
1 MisD
1 Tinker
1 Rack and Ruin
1 Fire/Ice
1 Walk
1 Ancestral
1 Ecoing Truth
1 Pryoblast
1 Red Blast
1 Mystical

SB
3 FTK
3 Arcane Lab
2 Viahino Hertic
2 Blood Moon
2 REB
1 Pryoblast
1 Trinisphere
1 Tormod's Crypt

6th – Ryan Spindler (Rhyno) w/ Burning Slaver

4 Force of Will
4 Mana  Drain

4 Brainstorm
4 Thirst For Knowledge

3 Goblin  Welder
1 Gorilla Shaman
1 Burning Wish

1 Ancestral  Recall
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Tinker
1 Echoing Truth
1 Time Walk
1 Extripate

1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Demonic Tutor

1 Mindslaver
1 Sundering  Titan
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Duplicant
1 Tormod's Crypt

1  Darksteel Citadel
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Emerald
1  Mox Sapphire1
1 Mox Ruby
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1  Mana Vault
1 Sol Ring
2 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
2  Island
1 Snow Covered Island
2 Underground Sea
3 VOlcanic  Island
1 Tolerian Academy
1 Strip Mine

Sideboard
2 Red elemental Blast
1 Extripate
1 Pyroclam
1 Shattering  Spree
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Solem Similacrum
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Deep Analysis
3 Duress
1 Rack and Ruin
1 Stifle
1 Fire/Ice
1 Pyrite Spellbomb

7th – Mike Dahmane w/ Mono black stax

1 Strip Mine
3 Mishra’s Factory
3 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
3 Wasteland
4 MWS
3 Swamp
1 Academy
1 Sol Ring
5 Mox
1 Lotus

3 Nether Void
4 Chalice
3 Tangle Wire
1 Trinisphere
4 Sphere of Resistance
3 Smokestack
3 Crucible
4 Null Rod

4 Dark Confidant
1 Vamp
1 Demonic
2 Juggernaut
1 Karn

SB
2 Tabernacle at Pendrell vale
2 Leyline of the Void
3 Extripate
3 Tormod’s Crypt
2 Plague Spitter
3 Razormane Masticore

8th – Chris Nighbor w/ SS 

4 Dark  Confidant
4 Dimir Cutpurse
3 Erayo, Soratami Ascendant

4 Brainstorm
4 Duress
4 Force of Will
4 Stifle
1 Echoing Truth
1 Extirpate
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Darkblast
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Time Walk
1 Vampiric  Tutor
1 Sword of F/I
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Engineered Explosives

5 Moxen
1 Lotus Petal
1 Black  Lotu
4 Polluted Delta
1 Bloodstained Mire
4 Underground  Sea
1 Watery Grave
3 Wasteland
1 Island
1 Swamp
1 Strip Mine

2 Shadow of Doubt
2 Blue Blast
4 Energy Flux
4 Diabolic Edict
3 Threads of Disloyalty

Props
Everyone who showed up, especially if you drove +3 hours or skipped a GPT to make it.
UBR Long
The judge, Nick, who did an awesome job.
Little Caesar’s for $5 pizzas
Roxas for buying cupcakes for everyone.
Turn 1 kills
Team GWS for being the nuts

Slops
To the infinite kids who delayed the start of the tournament.
My cell phone for never holding a charge
Shadow of Doubt

[Polynomial P]

Congratulations on going out with style, Eric. It was a fun tournament for everyone and I probably wouldnt have gone had you not been playing. Thanks again for being so helpful to me and always being a gracious winner. Ive been goldfishing that 100% proxy pitchlong you gave me... Thanks.

[Moxlotus]

We chill for a while and I eventually Grim for Pryoblast and take out the cutpurse.

Hottest play ever for Long!

Nice job on the stand on chair.  I really wish I could have been there, but real life happens sometimes.  Congrats on going out with a bang and running what sounded like an insane tournament.  I'm just curious, what were the final "deck packages" for the 5-8th?

EDIT:  Ladwig isn't on ICBM anymore.  And he finally made top 4 because he put down that shitter Dragon !!!!! (I hate Dragon and give him shit everytime I talk to him).

[islanderboi10]

Very nice report.
Thanks for the read.
Good work also!

Do you, by any chance, have the Side Event decklists? I am interested in Mike Solymossy BHWC tendrils list.


Thanks!

[D0y]

Eric, I'd like to thank you for an awesome tourny. Its been to long since there has been any vintage in Chicago. Hope to see you around some time, and good luck in Carolina.

[ErkBek]

I forgot Ladwig quit ICBM.

Do you, by any chance, have the Side Event decklists? I am interested in Mike Solymossy BHWC tendrils list.

Nope, since the tournament was only for $90 in cards we didn't collect decklists. He'd probably send it to you if you PM'd him on Starcity though.

[Moxlotus]

As requested--the deck that got second place in the side tournament

"WestCoast Tendrils 13NoVa Style

AKA TEH ABSOLUT BALZ!"

2 island
2 swamp
3 underground sea
4 polluted delta
1 flooded strand
1 tolarian academy
5 moxes
1 lotus
1 petal
1 crypt
1 vault
1 ring
1 mox diamond
4 dark ritual
3 cabal ritual
4 dark confidant
4 duress
3 tendrils of agony
1 windfall
1 timetwister
1 necropotence
1 demonic tutor
1 vampiric tutor
1 mystical tutor
1 imperial seal
4 brainstorm
1 Ancestral recall
1 time walk
1 repeal
1 hurkyls recall
1 rebuild
1 chain of vapor
1 yawgmoths will
SB)
1 Echoing Truth
1 chain of vapor
1 Hurkyls Recall
2 Extripate
1 Tendrils of agony
2 Shadow of Doubt
2 tormods Crypt
3 Fledgling Djinn (yeah, seriously)
2 Cabal Therapy

[wethepeople]

Nice 2-for-1 report, I enjoyed reading it. Congradulations on your finish, and good luck with whatever you plan to do next.

[Hydra]

EDIT:  Ladwig isn't on ICBM anymore.  And he finally made top 4 because he put down that shitter Dragon !!!!! (I hate Dragon and give him shit everytime I talk to him).

I still like that deck, but with SS running around it's a pretty poor choice.  I had a blast at this event, and I'll no doubt get a report up later.

[T00L]

congrats

also

Alternate Title: Feinstein is gonna be pissed

l o l

[nataz]

congrats

also

Alternate Title: Feinstein is gonna be pissed

l o l

This took me a solid 12 hours to get.

-so good-

Congrats on the send off. If you are going, mind as well go in style.

[Twaun007]

Thanks for holding the great Eric Becker collection give away tourney. It was a blast and I wish you good luck on your adventures outside of magic.

I think I played the "real" Ash Ketchum in round one. It was awesome!

[Almighty]

Thanks for holding the great Eric Becker collection give away tourney. It was a blast and I wish you good luck on your adventures outside of magic.

I think I played the "real" Ash Ketchum in round one. It was awesome!

Ha ha. For those who missed it, someone registered as Ash Ketchum (seriously) and was wearing the hat Ash wears in the cartoon. Twaun didn't recognize the name or the hat, and this little tidbit took place between the two of them.

"Do you like my hat?"

"The bill is very crisp"


Classic.
That guy was too much

[Hydra]

That was Mark, Dave Carhart's little brother.

[Twaun007]

It never clicked in my head what was going on untill Almighty and Lochinvar81 were like "Thats the dude from Pokemon!"
I laughed for like ten minutes.

Good times.

[Dxfiler]

Alternate Title: Feinstein is gonna be pissed

Top 4 was three of my teammates (well, formerly 3, now just 2 :p) and they all got to split awesome prizes.  Why would I be pissed?

If this is actually your last tourney, I'm glad to see you went out with a bang.  The tourney looked like a success for you on all levels.

Congrats.

- Dave Feinstein

[ash_ketchum]

Just in case anybody was wondering, the side event had about 32 or 31 people and was single elimination
the last 4 decks were wizard fish, URBana fish, combo with confidant, and oath. Ash took it in the end against
(Sully),that was probably spelled wrong, 2-0 Sully was playing the combo and I was playing URBana

[zeus-online]

Alternate Title: Feinstein is gonna be pissed

Top 4 was three of my teammates (well, formerly 3, now just 2 :p) and they all got to split awesome prizes.  Why would I be pissed?

If this is actually your last tourney, I'm glad to see you went out with a bang.  The tourney looked like a success for you on all levels.

Congrats.

- Dave Feinstein

Probably based on your statement that TO's shouldn't enter their own tourneys? 

/Zeus

[Jacob Orlove]

Let's not hijack this thread with flame-bait. Keep it on topic, people.

[Ged]

Kobefan, I don't know if it is appropriate to ask questions after your final tournament, but here they are anyway:

1) Would you change anything in your list after the tournament?
2) I noticed that you didn't have much against ichorid in the sb. You didn't fear it, didn't expect it or choose to ignore it until FS comes out?
3) Would you make place in your current list for street Wraith after FS becomes legal, and if the answer is yes, what would you take out?

Btw, sad to see you go, hope you'll return some day, but if not, best of luck in your mtgless life. You did a lot for our little community.

[ErkBek]

1) Would you change anything in your list after the tournament?

I wouldn't change a card in the maindeck, except maybe something small like -1 Cabal Rit +1 SSG or -1 Rebuild +1 Chain of Vapor. The reason I ran the 3 board wipers and a 2/2 cabal rit/SSG configuration was I wanted the best possible game against chalice @ 1. Chalice @1 is much more painful for Grim Long than pitch long since GL should run 4 duress, 1 Iseal, and probably less than 4 cabal rits.

2) I noticed that you didn't have much against ichorid in the sb. You didn't fear it, didn't expect it or choose to ignore it until FS comes out?

I've found the ichorid matchup to be around 50/50 game 1. Basically you mulligan into an aggressive hand that can play a turn 2 threat (ie wheel, tinker/jar, bargain, etc). Game 2 and 3 is better because you've got planar void to tutor up FTW. Post future sight you definitely need some more hate on the board since ichorid gets insane. I'd probably cut 1 island and 1 Massacre for 2 Leylines. That way you could randomly steal games by having one in your opening 7, drawing broken hands, or getting hands with Tutor + Planar Void.

3) Would you make place in your current list for street Wraith after FS becomes legal, and if the answer is yes, what would you take out?

 

Street Wraith probably belongs in the deck. I haven't done any testing with it, but I'd probably go

-1 Cabal Rit
-1 Rebuild
-1 Mystical Tutor
+3 Street Wraith

These changes would really improve the fish matchup, so cutting 1 massacre from the sideboard seems like an okay plan.

[bloodyquill]

I just wanted to say thanks for the great tourny becker it was a blast!

[Methuselahn]

Eric,

First, congrats on what sounded like a great event!

I noticed that every time you sided, you brought in Volcanic Island.  In this light, would you consider changing the manabase? 

[ErkBek]

Eric,

First, congrats on what sounded like a great event!

I noticed that every time you sided, you brought in Volcanic Island.  In this light, would you consider changing the manabase? 

I really liked volcanic off the board and I think its the best way to go. It's not necessarily that I don't want to add another non-basic to the deck, but its more of post board I want 12 lands, while pre-board I want only 11. The reason for this in game 2's and 3's I'd rather have an extra stable mana source in the deck, since games generally go a little longer post board. Notice, in most matchups I board out a cabal ritual and in comes the volcanic for it.

Why don't you just cut a cabal rit from the maindeck for a volcanic, you may ask?

Well, cabal rit is better than another land in many situations in game 1. It is a major enabler for the Tutor->Will->Tutor->Tendrils play, which comes up a lot more in game 1's than in game 2 and 3's.

I hope this makes sense.

[GrandpaBelcher]

I bait a counter out with a brainstorm and then drop a Bargain + LED.

Seems like you're really selling this play short:

You:  "Brainstorm."
Him:  [think think think]
You:  "You know you want to counter Brainstorm."
Him:  [think] "Did you say something?  Because I didn't hear it."
You:  "No, no."
Him:  [think think think]  "Force."
You:  "Okay!  Dark Ritual, Dark Ritual, Bargain."
Him:  "Sigh.  Resolves."
Crowd:  [goes wild]

It was really one of the best executed mind tricks I've seen in a long while.

Good play, congratulations, and good luck.

[coyoteuglly]

Just in case anybody was wondering, the side event had about 32 or 31 people and was single elimination
the last 4 decks were wizard fish, URBana fish, combo with confidant, and oath. Ash took it in the end against
(Sully),that was probably spelled wrong, 2-0 Sully was playing the combo and I was playing URBana

Congrats on winning your set of Forces Ash.  Sorry I couldn't give you more of a game in the Top 4 but Grim Lavamancer owns me.