Double Report - Myriad and The Mana Clash

This weekend I played in two events, Myriad on Saturday, and The Mana Clash on Sunday. I'll start off by saying I do not blame my lists for my lack of winning. I know I could have played much better, and I hope to get the job done the next time I play vs New England's finest. Despite not playing well, I did have a good time at both events. The Type 1 Community in New England is amazing, and I expect 2008 to be the best year ever for New England Vintage.

Myriad Games

Deck Name: Ron Paul Fact #24 Ron Paul once had an arm-wrestling contest with Superman.
The loser had to agree to wear his underwear outside his pants.

Ron Paul wins the best deckname contest. I picked up some cards for a special project to be revealed at my Tournaments once I finish my proxy goals.

// Lands
2 Island
3 Tropical Island
3 [BE] Underground Sea
3 Flooded Strand
3 Polluted Delta

// Creatures
4 Quirion Dryad
1 Psychatog

// Spells
1 Time Walk
1 Mox Emerald
4 Gush
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Echoing Truth
4 Brainstorm
1 Demonic Tutor
4 Merchant Scroll
1 [BE] Fastbond
4 Duress
1 Cunning Wish
4 Ponder
4 Misdirection
1 [BE] Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
4 Force of Will
1 Black Lotus
1 [BE] Ancestral Recall
1 Yawgmoth's Will

// Sideboard
SB: 1 Hydroblast
SB: 1 Smother
SB: 1 Berserk
SB: 2 Tormod's Crypt
SB: 3 Tarmogoyf
SB: 3 Pithing Needle
SB: 4 Energy Flux

Round 1 GAT - Draw

Game 1 This game is ugly, as I lose the die roll and get blown out by fastbond.

Game 2 This game is beautiful, as I go first and blow him out with fastbond.

Game 3 This game is the one that really matters. I find very often, when playing the mirror, there will be one game that a choice or two will determine who wins the match. This was that game. My opponent threw out an Ancestral, which I Misdirected. I don't make it a secret that I play four of them, and a mistake that huge is almost always game over. On my turn, I dropped Lotus, Duressed twice, leaving him with just and Island, and Vamped for Ancestral. On his turn he drew brainstorm, and brainstormed into REB. This countered my Recall, and the game was a back and forth battle right through the 5 turns. The correct play on my 1st turn would have been to drop the Underground Sea and Duress, see where that got me, and then on my next turn, I could have Vamped for Recall, and then protected it with Duress first. I got greedy and gave my opponent outs, and he got there. Later on, I didn't cast Tog, when it would have been lethal because I was concerned about Threads of Disloyalty. Yeah, I know Tog costs 3, but that was my logic. I instead opted to pitch Tog to Mis'D to Force another counter out of his hand. It was a very poor showing for me. I was very disappointed to draw a game in which I could have played much better.

Round 2 GAT - Loss

My opponent had ID'd with his Round 1 opponent as they are solid players and both playing GAT. This proved to be catastrophic for everyone involved.

Game 1 Fastbond lead to an early win that I could not stop.

Game 2 He resolves keys spells through counter Magic, including Yawgmoth's Will. He had a Goyf out, but had to Vamp for Tog so he could do get past my Dryad. If Goyf was a Dryad, it would have been insanely lethal after the Will turn. Instead he gave me a draw step where I could have made something happen. I draw land and proceed to lose to a huge Berserked Tog.

Round 3 GAT - Loss

Game 1 He has a very strong hand with Fastbond, and I can't get into the game. I'm certain I made some mistakes on top of his strong draw.

Game 2 He keeps his hand strong with Gush and cantrips, so I know I'm falling behind. I have Misdirection and FoW with 2 blue cards when he goes for Ancestral. His hand is stacked at this point, and I attempt a Misdirection. He forces back. I take a huge risk and use Gush, the only blue card for Force, to try and hit a blue card and pull way ahead. I don't hit the blue card, and he follows up with Lotus and Will for the game.

With no chance of making Top 8, I stay in to keep up my opponent's tie breakers and hope to get some practice in vs a difficult match up or two. As it turns out, no one involved in the 1st round draws ended up making it to the Top 8.

Round 4 U Fish - Win

Game 1 My opponent has some stifle effects, but I outdraw him quickly and get the win.

Game 2 Game two is even more explosive, as Duress showed me a hand that could not stop me from comboing.

Round 5 Ichorid - Win

Game 1 He gets multiple bazaars and my hand was not quite able to get the job done.

Game 2 I combo out while he draws horribly off Bazaar. Tormod's Crypt buys some time, and Needle eventually shows up.

Game 3 I have access to 4x Tormod's Crypt, as I use Will to get them both back for a second use. This game looks closer than it was, with him having lethal damage on board consisting off Dryad Arbors a Zombie Token and an Aquamoeba. I a Pair of Dryads holds down the fort, and Merchant Scroll fetches Echoing Truth when my life gets too low. I eventually chain a ton of cantrips together into time walk.

Even though I feel his list was not optimal (running Stalking Vengence and some baubles) I was happy to get in some more testing vs Ichorid. My new plan seems more fragile, but I have not lost with it yet. I have been able to consistently get needle and/or Crypt early. This is a huge bonus over the Leyline plan, as it allows me to keep a hand with Ancestral/Moxen and still get some hate down. If I went the leyline plan, keeping Ancestral means I'd have to combo out, and would be mostly unable to interact with Ichorid.

Round 6 Stax - Loss

Game 1 This game got out of hand quickly, with multiple sphere effects. I kept the game going to see if a Smokestack was in the list. He declined to play any more spells, and Goblin Welder with 2 Mox Monkey took me down.

Game 2 I was able to combo out very quickly.

Game 3 I get a very good hand with Recall, Energy Flux and Vamp. He opens with City of Brass, Mox Sapphire. I draw, lay a land and attempt Recall during his upkeep. This play was terrible. I know he has to have REB, as he did not have a play on his 1st turn. If he doesn't have REB, and instead kept a bad hand that starts doing stuff on turn 2, then I could have just cast Recall when he tapped to play his spell on turn 2. If he didn't tap down, and kept a Red up until I draw a Force, then I'd probably win just from him not developing his board. Completely sub-optimal. So I ran Recall into a counter, and then proceeded to move all in on an Energy Flux. I Vamped during my upkeep, to grab Lotus, so I could get the Flux down ASAP. My opponent then proceeded to waste my mana base, and eventually get a Crucible into play. Crop Rotation gots Tolarian Acadmey, which helped out his cause even more. I was pinned under strip lock, with a Nonbo of Energy Flux and my outs. With my moxen as lotus petals, I cast Goyf, which meekly threatened to get there. He destroys this pipe dream with a Powder Keg after it gets in a little damage. He eventually wraps it up while I have a full grip and no outs.

I was glad to be able to get a game in VS a good Stax player. This game really showed that the Nonbo of Energy Flux + Pithing Needle isn't ideal. It also showed me that Energy Flux does effect me in games where Crucible Strip might otherwise not matter. Overall I think that Energy Flux is a bomb, which is great when you have down a threat, but it can be easily played around if you do not have a clock yet. With this new info, I decided to add some Red to the deck and over hate Artifacts for the Mana Clash.

Mana Clash

Ron Paul Revolution

// Lands
2 Island
3 Tropical Island
3 [BE] Underground Sea
2 Flooded Strand
2 Polluted Delta
2 [BE] Volcanic Island

// Creatures
4 Quirion Dryad
1 Psychatog

// Spells
1 Time Walk
1 Mox Emerald
4 Gush
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Echoing Truth
4 Brainstorm
1 Demonic Tutor
4 Merchant Scroll
1 [] Fastbond
4 Duress
1 Cunning Wish
4 Ponder
4 Misdirection
1 [BE] Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
4 Force of Will
1 Black Lotus
1 [BE] Ancestral Recall
1 Yawgmoth's Will

// Sideboard
SB: 1 Hydroblast
SB: 1 Smother
SB: 1 Berserk
SB: 2 Tormod's Crypt
SB: 3 Pithing Needle
SB: 3 Ingot Chewer
SB: 3 Ancient Grudge
SB: 1 [BE] Mox Ruby

Round 1 Goblins - Win

Game 1 I thought I was in the clear, but Stingscourgers in multiples messed with my clock. I eventually lose to Wart + Stingscourger recursion that I do not have time to break out of.

Game 2 I get down fastbond and secure a win quickly.

Game 3 My hand is insane, and I slow it down until there's no chance of fumbling. I combo off and pick up the win.

Round 2 Oath - Loss

Game 1 My opponent gets down a 1st turn Oath. I bounce it with Echoing Truth on my turn. On his turn, he replays the Oath. My next turn I time walk, and set up for a Yawgmoths' Will. Will doesn't get me as much as I'd like, and I have to let him get Oath Active. On his turn he Oath's out Akroma. Nice, that gives me plenty of time. On my next turn I draw nothing useful. I figure I'm going to be killed by double angels, but on his next turn he oaths out DSC. How lauky. This gives me yet another turn. On my turn I again don't get there, but I'm happy that my opponent is playing a much slower than usual list. If it was Tyrant Oath I would have effectively 2 less turns to win. If it was Angels, I would have had one less turn. I have capitilized on that kind of deckbuilding many times in the past and hope to do it again.

Game 2 I have a hand with Misdirection and double Scroll, along with a land and a Mox. I start by using Scroll for Forces which stops his first Oath. I feel he has another, so I scroll for Force #2. I stop the second Oath and I feel like I'm in the clear. I wreck his hand with Duress and he has only a Darksteel Colosus. After many turns of beating down with a solitary Spirit Token, I make the mistake of going for Gush during his endstep. I compound it by fighting with Force. This game him 10 mana to cast Colosus. This was a huge mistake and there were so many better options. That series of plays was just the worst possible choices I could have made with those cards.

Round 3 RG Beats - Win

Game 1 My opponent and I decide to keep, even before we roll to see who goes 1st. I comment that they must be two really good hands. My hand gets insane fast, as my Ancestral reveals the good stuff, and I get down fastbond, gushes and eventually Dryad before casting Will. I didn't even get to see his deck, but I think he's playing Goblins as I saw him with a Stingscourger earlier.

Game 2 Think it's Goblins, I board out Misdirection for better options. He opens with Mox, Black Lotus, Bolt, Bolt, Taiga, Pyrostatic Pillar. On my turn I echoing Truth the Pillar and again combo out. I make some very bad choices during Will, and do not get Time Walk to complement my huge Dryad. I pass with Force and Hydroblast as the only two blue cards in my hand. He casts Stingscorger, which I Force, putting me to 2. He drops Seal of Fire and it's onto Game 3.

Game 3 He has a Kird Ape heavy draw, and I get down Tog early. His Aether Vial keeps me worried about Stinkscorger, but eventually I get an overwhelming card advantage and I push through for lethal.

Round 4 Flash - Win

Game 1 Mulling has a huge impact on this game, and I'm able to capitalize. I merchant Scroll on turn one for Ancestral. He follows suit with Merchant Scroll for Flash. I Duress the Flash and resolve Recall. Dryad grows fast, but I have to pass with him having the Summoner's Pact in hand. If he draws brainstorm into Flash I'd lose, but he doesn't and we're on to game 2. Flash is very dangerous, and it's always ugly to pass when your opponent has the insta-win available.

Game 2 Again he mulls, and this game is even worse. I have multiple counters and he's not in a position to threaten at any time. I take it down with Dryad.

Round 5 Goblins - ID

Top 8 Mono Red Shop Aggro - Win

Game 1 I keep a hand with a turn 2 kill, but no Force. It was really not a great hand to keep, as the only openings that would get by were Wasteland or Aggro heavy. I can't find Force off my turn 1 cantrip, and the Turn 2 Magus of the Moon shuts me off the mana I need to do anything.

Game 2 Multiple Ancient Grudes and Ingot Chewerer kill 7 artifacts, keeping me in the game. Yawmoth's Will blows the game open and double Dryad takes it down.

Game 3 She leads with Chalice at zero and two using Workshop and a Mox. Another Workshop and she starts to go Draw-Go, so at this point I know she must have a grip full of Moxen and non artifact cards in hand. I wait until I can win in the same turn and then just do it. Ingot Chewer hits the Chalice at zero, I drop Lotus, Will, replay Lotus, Ingot Chewer Chalice at 2, Demonic Tutor for Fastbond. From there I drop Dryad and chain a bunch of spells which result in Time Walk and Merchant Scroll for Cunning Wish. My time walk turn sends a lethal Dryad in for the win.

Top 4 3cc - Loss

Game 1 Lotus, Mox, Balance - I keep Misdirection, Gush, Fetchland, Duress expecting him to follow up with Ancestral. He drops an Underground and taps it. I get ready to win the game, but he leads with Duress. I show him my hand and he takes the Misdirection. On my turn I draw Merchant Scroll and Duress expecting to hit the Ancestral. He shows me Mystical and Brainstorm. From here I make a very weak play. I choose the Brainstorm, with the incorrect logic of drawing a Misdirection, Mana or FoW being devastating. I don't draw one of those cards, and he goes on to resolve Ancestral and keeps ahead for the rest of the game. At some point he Extirpates, which I thought he had maindeck, but after the match says he wished for.

Game 2 He goes for an early Ancestral, but I do not have the Misdirection. The game is very back and forth and he eventually Mystical's without asking if it resolves. I'm sitting on Double Force and some land, and he knows I atleast have the 2x Forces. He picks up his deck and I get rattled, calling the judge over. I say that he runs Extirpate main, and I needed to think about allowing the Mystical resolve. He didn't pass priority and just pick up his deck. I am shaken and decide to counter the Mystical, which was the wrong play. The Forces were gone either way, but by stopping Mystical he was one card ahead of where he would have been. For the rest of the game, I was a step behind. He drew Yawmgoth's Will, the next turn I draw Tormod's Crypt. I lose this one on the back of weak plays.

I played this match up very poorly and hope to shake it off and do well in my next match. I have often had a hard time shaking off poor showings, so I take this as a chance to get more experience recovering mentally from disappointment.

3rd/4th Mono Ub - Win

Game 1 He gets down Chalice at 1 and 2, which slows the game down to a screeching halt. There is a huge counter battle over Tinker, which I could have won if I had doubled up on counters earlier. Instead, I let a fetchland and a library activation resolve in the middle of the fight, and he found the final counter. The only way I would have won that game was if his win conditions were too low in the deck and he decked himself, so I really just wanted to see as much of his deck as possible. There was a slight chance of getting down a Tog and him not having Sower, but the game was so long that the chances of that were negligible.

Game 2 He gets stuck on one land and a Mox Sapphire. Duress shows I'm in very good shape. I cast Ancestral, he forces. I cast Ingot Chewer to destroy his Mox, he Forces again leaving him with just one card in hand. That is exactly what I was hoping for as I have Will already. The next turn I cast it to replay Ancestral and get the ball rolling. This turns into a huge advantage, but I have only Mis'D with no Forces. He attempts an Ancestral and I draw 3. I try and imagine how I can possibly lose. The only way is if he topdecks Sower of Temptation after I cast the Dryad in my hand. I decide to hardcast Ingot Chewer instead of the Dryad. The next turn he drops Sower. Not bad. Another Ingot Chewer keeps me safe for a bit and Dryad soon joins in the fray. It's over shortly after.

Game 3 We both build a mana base and play some one mana spells. When I had 5 Mana on the board, I float UU and Gush. He responds with Thirst, I respond with Ancestral, he Forces, I Misdirect his Force to his Thirst. I draw 5 he counters his own spell. The game is over shortly afterwards.

So the Red splash does, of course, give some good options for Artifact destruction. The key difference is -2 Fetch for +2 Volcanics. What that does is decrease the strength of Brainstorm and Ponder, as there are less shuffle effects. It also makes Green and Black mana slightly harder to come by as well. I think there is a ton of room in the GAT archetype for variation. For now I'm going to put my attention back onto making proxies and preparing for my event on the 26th. After that, I am not sure which build I'll go with, but there are plenty of options.

Props:
Ron Paul - for being the man
Myriad and Ray for putting on a great weekend of Magic
My opponents, for being gracious in both victory and defeat
Misdirection for being even better than FoW in many match ups
Ingot Chewer - for getting around Chalice at 1 and not caring about Thorn of Amethyst

Slops:
Anyone who doesn't know who Ron Paul is (just Google Ron Paul)
Myself, for making many suboptimal plays over the weekend
Anyone who didn't make it out of bed on Sunday to come play in The Mana Clash - it was a great time and it would have been even better if you showed