[Report] Mind Twister wins 7th CVL

hi all,

Fist of all I'm gonna apologise for my english so be patient while you read the report.

This is the list i finally played:

Maindeck:
1 Flooded Strand
3 Island
1 Library of Alexandria
4 Polluted Delta
1 Swamp
1 Tolarian Academy
3 Underground Sea
2 Volcanic Island
4 Dark Confidant
1 Platinum Angel
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Black Lotus
4 Brainstorm
1 Demonic Tutor
4 Duress
1 Empty the Warrens
4 Force of Will
1 Mana Crypt
4 Mana Drain
3 Mind Twist
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Rebuild
3 Repeal
1 Sol Ring
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Yawgmoth’s Will

Sideboard:
2 Black Knight
3 Yixlid Jailer
1 Darkblast
3 Pithing Needle
2 Pyroblast
3 Rack and Ruin
1 Red Elemental Blast

The same maindeck I played in madrid weeks ago and this side changes:

- 4 leylines -1 black knight - 2 energy flux + 1 rack and ruin + 3 pithing needle + 3 yixlid jailer

I really wanted pithing needle in my side, to improve my stax an fish match up, which showed to be the weakest... also thepack of pithing and jailers to cover the lack of Leyline.

Hee we go eith the tournament:

Round 1. Against Joel Abrero with TPS

First game: he mulls to 6, i duress turn 1 taking out his lonely mana acceleration (ritual I think), turn 2 play confidant, in his turn he tries to resolve time walk I drain andin my turn play Twist for 5 and let him with an underground a mox and no hand... that's game.

side: + 2 pyros -1 repeal -EtW

Second game: He mulls again and keeps a hand with only tolarian and petal as mana producers, i duress him taking out vampiric... he stays 4 turns waiting for mana and it's too late cause i've been drawing with confidant for 3 turns... so he never recover.

1-0 3 points

Round 2: Oliver Medina with Bomberman

first game: I play turn one confidant that enters, he goes land lotus auriok which I force, he resolves trinket for tormod's (don't know why...) and block trinket with confidant cause I've another bob. The he tries to play mindcensor I drain, in my turn mind twist to take out his full hand... next turn tinker for platinum and win.

side: +3 pyros +1 darkblast (don't remember what I took out)

second game: he goes turn 1 aven, turn 2 trinket, turn 3 auriok.... aggro mode on my cryt helps killing me too quick.

side: i include black knight an took out EtW and rebuild I think to fight the aggro mode.

third game: he keeps a hand with 3 avens and some draw, but no disruption, I have darkblast in hand so his avens become useless and confidant starts overdrawing him, when I'm at 4 lives i tutor for tinker and platinum for the win.

2-0 6 points

Round 3: Juan Lopez with The mountain wins again

this round has no story... I simply can't do nothing, my confidants do not survive a single turn and he destroys my mana base (pyrostatic pillar seals both games)

2-1 6 points

Round 4: Eva Albadalejo with Mono black

First game: I start with confidant turn one, she opens with duress taking FoW, I draw drain that counters her turn 2 Hymn to tourach, and the play mind twist to empty her hand on turn 3. Now game is ended platinum kills her.

side: darkblast in (expecting oponnent confidants) rebuild out... I think...

second game:we both have 2 confidants, and we both have cards to kill oponents confidant, but she has a lonely diabolic edict andI have darkblast...that's all...EtW for the win.

3-1 9 points

Round 5: Jordi Bardulet with U/B Fish

First game: Turn one confidant he fows, me too... he plays swamp and pass I draw some mana acceleration and drain a negator... then twist him and seal the game.

side: +2 pyros +3 pithing +1 darkblast -3 twist -3 duress

Second game: I start with pithing naming wasteland ( stopping the 3 wastes he draw in the first 4 turns) but I'm out of gas and he starts to play a ton of creatures... i tutor for tinker platinum hopingmylonely FoW would be enogh to protect him... and finally it is cause hi only have creatures and mana denial... but no counter or removal...

4-1 12 points

Round 6: Roger Coloma with Control goblins (U/R)

First game: he plays null rod and a ton on brainstorm but only a fanatic as a thread, and fins no wasteland and let's me draw 5 or 6 card woth library... that's too much...

side: yixlid jailers, black kngihts, pithings and darkblast in, duress, twist and something I don't remember out...

Second game: he opens with pilledriver, i go mox jet sol ring tolarian yixlid, he wastes tolarian, and also wastes my underground sea... so i'm out of blue mana... yiclid blocks pilledriver andnow he has fanatic inplay... i've ancestral in hand and topdeck a fetch, play ancestral draw lotus and play double black knight, knoghts become moats as his fanatic and double pilledriver cannot kill them... now i've enough time pithing names mishra's factory (stopping the 3 he has) and now platinum flyes over the table for the win.

5-1 15 points

ROUND 7: against Miguel Angel Rodriguez with Grow ID

I enter the top 8 thanks to tiebreakers (i'm in position number 8 and top 9 and 10 both have 16 points)

Quarters: against Luis Codera with MERFOLKS

I start looking at his list and I can't belive what I see... he says he even don't have the 4 copies of tidal warrior.... well I'm only worried about lord of atlantis andstart.

First game: he has 3 or 4 1/1 or 1/2 merfolks in play... I counter 2 lord of atlantis and start swearing because my confidant and his merfolks are killing me... I finally draw a tutor and play EtW for 10 goblins... next turn I reveal mystical tutorinf for tinker platinum in... I'm alive

side: +3 pyros +3 pithing + 2 knights -3 twists -4 duress -1 something

second game: I pyroblast his turn 2 nija I play confidant... I counter 3 Lords of atlantis andkeep nijas out of the table but i cannot counterhis chalice for 1 an for 0 and the I start drawing a ton of moxes, brainstorm, pyros etc... my confidant kills me...

third game: he mulls to 5 and I open underground lotus confidant x2 endof the story...

Semis: against Jaume Bonet with Pitch Long

First game: we both mull to 6 and start a draw go for 3 turns... insome moment he plays ritual,i drain, he fows, I drain too... in my turn topdeck twist and that's all..

side: 2 pyros in, rebuild and EtW out

Secondgame: He goes land mox pass, i duress taking out his lonely bomb,he topdecks twister draws and passes, i cast double duress taking out ancestral recall and bargain, he topdecks EtW plays 6 goblins that kill me

third game: he mulls to 5 and I think i go double confidant turn one again (bobs are treating me well today)

Final: Pablo conceeds so that I asure a place into the final of december (i'm not playing many tournaments this year so won't have place by points...) and then I give him the half of the prize.

That's all, some comments:

1- Flash and Gat where all arround, I did not get paired with any of them but i think both decks did not perform well due to tons of hate and best players playing other thins (shops and rituals mainly...)

2. ichorid has definitely dissapeared form the yard.

About the deck: I read Maxxmatt post about winning mana stabilityby cutting red... and though it maybe was the way to go against fish and stax... but i definetly want red... pyros make this deck practically an automatic lose forcombo and control (sure not only because of pyros but in addition of duress and twist). EtW is provably the worse card in the deck, but is a decent win condition and allows to win "now" some games when you play will, shines against aggro and stax (which arethe worse pairings) tendrils only allows this random wins but is useless if you are not already winning...

Ilove my new side, i allways felt that leyline needs to much slots and forces you too mulligan, jailers are enoughto beat ichorid, 12counters 4 duress 3 twistand3 pyros are enough against flash.

finally, i allways had a love-hate relation with confidant... but I've found the deck that takesall the profit of confidant.

Hoping this report is at least "readable" and waiting for any thoughs.

Miguel Angel Diaz

-Wette-