So my story starts on Friday night I've just returned from CVD's house after borrowing the remaining cards I needed to build Slaver. I get online while agonizing over what list to play. I log onto IRC and PM Brassman asking him to make me some money. He descends from on high with a Slaver list for me and tells me this is what he would play if he was playing. This is the holy message I received...
"Rockstar Car Dealer"
// Lands
3 Volcanic Island
2 Underground Sea
3 Polluted Delta
1 Tolarian Academy
3 Flooded Strand
3 Island
1 Library of Alexandria
// Creatures
1 Triskelavus
1 Sundering Titan
4 Goblin Welder
// Spells
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
4 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will
4 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
2 Mindslaver
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Brainstorm
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Rack and Ruin
1 Repeal
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Ponder
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Echoing Truth
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Fact or Fiction
// Sideboard
SB: 2 Rack and Ruin
SB: 1 Tormod's Crypt
SB: 1 Lava Dart
SB: 4 Leyline of the Void
SB: 1 The Abyss
SB: 3 Thoughtseize
SB: 3 Firespout
After hammering out the sideboard with Brassman I retired to bed since I had to wake up at 8 to go pick up an Atog. Brassman returned to Nivix to work on breaking the format in 3 months.
I woke up at 8:30 the next morning to my mom asking me "Weren't you supposed to leave at 8:30?". I immediately sprang out of bed, showered, and thanked my mom for letting me borrow her car before hitting the road. I arrived at The Spires of Order at about 9:15 and acquired the Atog. We left Prahv to pick up some breakfast at McDonald's. While waiting in line we were cut by a gentleman. I was about to let it go but then I recalled that Rich doesn't have social anxiety as he immediately informed the man of his error. On our way out of the McDonald's Rich was stopped by the same gentleman who gave him a small pamphlet. Apparently the contents were about how Jesus could save Rich's soul or something we laughed about it the whole drive to Tewksbury.
We arrived at the tournament early and hung out for about 45 minutes. Rich dug through the dollar rare box while I mingled with the regulars. The tournament begun there were 21 players if I remember correctly and the first round was posted.
I didn't take any notes about this tournament so forgive me if I get your name wrong or not at all.
Round 1 - Eric Kerwin - Ichorid
I recognize the name and am 90% certain I am playing against Ichorid because it is the deck he played pre June 20th.
Game 1 He wins the die roll and plays a turn 0 leyline. My fears are confirmed. He proceeds to do what Ichorid does game 1. I try to put up a fight by tinkering for Tormod's Crypt. After crypting him and watching him reload his graveyard with horrible things I realize this isn't the Gush era anymore and there is no way I can kill him before he kills me. I side in 4 leylines and a Tormod's Crypt.
Game 2 goes much better for me as my hand is pretty good and contains a Tormod's Crypt. I keep and proceed to draw the right amount of business spells and hate to live long enough to slave lock him.
Game 3 was a bit more memorable. I keep a fine hand that contains 2 leylines. This is kind of a bummer because I know his only removal for leyline is reverent silence to which redundant leylines are just dead cards unlike against emerald charm. The game goes no where for a long time as I am stuck on 2 land with a bunch of 3 mana spells and his board is double Dryad Arbor and double Bazaar of Baghdad. Every turn its draw go. Draw beat for 2 with my arbors go. I get down to about 10 before I start doing relevant things. Right after the game gets going they call time. Turns 1, 2, and 3 were relatively uneventful. Turn 4 its my turn and I think for about forever trying to figure out how to kill him. I figure out I can cast Yawgmoth's Will, Mystical Tutor for Repeal, Ponder into Repeal, Repeal his chalice at 0, Play all my 0 drop artifacts, Demonic Tutor for Mox Sapphire or Black Lotus, Get Mindslaver into play and slave him, and finally Echoing Truth my two Leylines. I do this and pass the turn. I am then presented with the puzzle of killing my opponent. At this point I burnt myself out agonizing over my turn which ending up not being that hard after all. People who know me will tell you if I think to long about something I start to miss obvious stuff. So I look at his hand and its 2x Street Wraith and 3 or 4 random cards that don't have the Static Ability "Dredge". So I immediately cycle the Street Wraiths wanting to see more cards. At this point I realize just punted the game because I went on autopilot. I proceed to hope I get lucky off his two bazaars. I don't which I deserved and the match is a draw.
Round 2 - Dan "Master of Mountains" Yarrington - TMWA
I was pretty happy to play Dan since I hadn't in a while and he is always fun to play against. We chat for a bit while shuffling and I ask him why he's not doing the signed foil land thing anymore. He tells me that he is pretty sure he already got everyone already and we begin our match.
Game 1
He wins the die roll and elects to play. I take a look at my opening seven and its 6 cards I don't remember because I was so excited the 7th one was Library of Alexandria. I keep my hand as Dan does his. Dan opens with Land Mox Tormod's Crypt if I remember correctly. I proceed to make a comment about how I haven't gotten to do this in about a year and excitedly play Library and say go. Dan draws and passes while commenting on how he really wanted that to be a land. We draw go for a long time he plays threats I counter them. Eventually I cast Gifts Ungiven on his endstep and you know how that goes. A tinkered out Sundering Titan finishes him off. While sideboarding I make a comment about how I have something special for him I haven't been able to play in a long time. When he asks what it is I tell him that its brasstech.
Game 2 We draw go for a bit until he taps two mana and I get my drain ready for whatever he casts. He proceeds to run out Vexing Shusher while commenting on how I won't be draining that or anything for that matter for a while. He passes the turn. I draw and play my 4th land. I take a look at the Shusher, shrug, and tap 4 mana while announcing The Abyss. Dan goes "what the heck does that do? We both sac a guy on upkeep right?". I make sure he knows its only non-artifact men. We draw go for a while after that since all his creatures are dead cards. I eventually play both of my artifact men which he deals with which is awkward because I now have no more threats.
Game 3 I get out an early Abyss but time is called and I am unable to kill him in time. I pick up my second draw of the day and am pretty upset.
Round 3 - Forget his name - Mono Red Shop Aggro
I don't remember much of this match because it was pretty uneventful.
Game 1 I blow him out with maindeck Rack and Ruin and Draining a Triskelion into something ridiculous.
Game 2 I don't have much going on for a while and the turn before I take over the game he rips Triskelion without me having a counter and I'm at 3...awkward.
Game 3 He keeps on and plays Academy, Lotus, Mana Crypt, Juggernaut. I go Volcanic Island Welder. He goes to his turn and sacs his lotus to play triskelion and I force it. He attacks with Juggernaut which I choose not to block. We go to my turn and I statebased his Academy and proceed to dominate him with welder since everything he plays for forever is going to become a black lotus shortly after.
Round 4 - I think his name was Matt? - Paint
Don't remember much about this match either.
Game 1 he has a pretty good hand and casts a bunch of good spells while I don't really do anything terribly exciting. I try and put up a fight with my mediocre draw but he eventually assembles the combo and grinds me out.
Game 2 I have a hand with a bunch of bombs and no counters. I proceed to run good spells into his seemingly endless wall of counters until I finally get one to resolve. I don't remember with the spell was Gifts or Tinker but it ended the game all the same.
Game 3 he mulled to five and kept a no lander on the play. You know how that goes.
Round 5 - Corey Frazier (sp?) - Control Slaver
Corey has been around the New England type 1 scene much longer than I and we make small talk about the new format while shuffling.
Game 1 we draw go for a while like most control mirrors. Eventually Corey goes for EOT Fact or Fiction which unfortunately resolves. It comes up Land, Land, Land, Time Walk, Ancestral. I split the piles 4 to 1 with Recall as the 1 card. He takes the Recall goes to his turn and proceeds to go nuts casting Ancestral, Lotus, Tinker, and Will. Yeah I'll scoop to that.
Game 2 we once again draw go for the early game. I eventually resolve a Mindslaver and slave him. I go to his turn and his hand is utter jank but he draws Ancestral right off the top. How lucky. Strangely he chose to Ancestral me and tap way to much mana for it. Weird. Anyway after that he passed the turn back to me and I proceeded to play a welder with some counters. After that he wasn't getting another turn for a while.
Game 3 starts out much the same as the other two games. The first big play of the game is an EOT Fact or Fiction on my turn. I drain it and the drain goes through much to my surprise. He goes to his turn and plays trinket mage getting pyrite spellbomb and spell bombs my welder while commenting on how good it is in the welder war. I untap, shrug, and hardcast Titan without any artifacts in my graveyard which is awkward for his welder to say the least. Unfortunately for him I blew up all his lands and 2 damage isn't quite enough to kill a 7/10. He dies to Titan shortly after.
TOP 8
Quarter Finals - Eli - Belcher
I know Eli is playing Belcher and comment on how there is no way Slaver can win this match. He wins the die roll and decides to play.
Game 1 He plays a bunch of accelerates and tries for a charbelcher. I force and successfully stop his first onslaught. We draw go for a while until he draws into ritual necro. I look at the Rack and Ruin in my hand then at the skull then at my Rack and Ruin. I pretty quickly realize it says no where on Rack and Ruin that it can counter spells. I lose to him drawing 15 or so cards soon after.
Game 2 I keep a hand with something like 2 lands 2 forces 2 blue cards and something else. I keep, play a land, and pass. He tries for the first turn belcher shenanigans and I put a stop to it. It used his whole hand for that play so I have ample time to set up a slave lock while always leaving up counters.
Game 3 I keep a hand with good cards and a single force of will. I figure it won't get better than that so I keep. He is on the play and goes Mox Emerald which I let resolve. Then he plays Tinder Wall and I think for a moment. I thought he seemed kind of nervous when he played the Tinder Wall for some reason which seemed odd to me. He then announced Mana Crypt. I then told him to hold on. I proceeded to inform him that I think I have a sick read and I forced the Mana Crypt. He passes the turn. We draw for 2 turns before I draw a sideboarded Thoughtseize. I Thoughtseize him and say lets see how sick my read was. Sure enough his hand was Necropotence, Windfall, Empty the Warrens. I take Necropotence. He goes to his turn plays a Mana Vault and then Empty for 4. I got to my turn and tutor for Echoing Truth and blow up his team. At this point he is out of gas and I just set up slave lock while keeping up counters just in case.
Semi Finals - Mike Daly - Control Slaver
Game 1 We exhaust each others hands early countering each others early threats. I end up drawing a bomb first and tinker for Triskelavus with Welder out. He can't answer that board in time.
Game 2 I'm on the draw and keep a risky busted hand. The hand was Black Lotus, Sol ring, Tinker, Ancestral, Force Of Will, Merchant Scroll, Welder. He plays a land and passes. Thank god no Duress or Thoughtseize. I go Land, Lotus, pop Lotus for UUU, play Sol Ring, play Ancestral, play tinker getting Titan. He doesn't have an answer that beats double counter back up and Titan kills him pretty quickly.
Finals
Nick and I split Finals and call it a day.
The heavily tilted Atog and I bid everyone farewell and head back towards Prahv. On the way back we discuss how one can improve at magic and how hard a game it is to play perfectly. We continue our discussion on the ride back and over dinner at 99 Steakhouse. Its starting to get late so I drop the Atog off at the Spires Of Order and head home.
Props
ELD and Batter Up for holding a great event. Everyone should try and make it out to their next event in August.
My mom for letting me borrow her car.
Drain decks for being insane.
Brassman for allowing me to make money with his decks.
Andrew McMahon for being insane at music.
Brassman's Girlfriend for being a most ferocious unicorn
Slops
Me for not knowing how to correctly play magic the majority of the time
My car for being shitty and not being able to be trusted with the drive to the tournament
CVD for not coming to this and going to the Legacy tournament instead.
The weather man for saying it was going to rain on Sunday but it didn't so I didn't get to go to the beach
Well I guess that concludes my tournament report. I'm probably never going to do this again because I hate writing and it was a pain in the ass to type all this out. I hope this post isn't as trashy as my other posts apparently are.
Hugs and Kisses,
The Overeager Apprentice
