Rock Lee
Full Members
Basic User
Posts: 199
2nd 2 0
|
 |
« on: October 26, 2008, 10:03:17 am » |
|
22 people showed up to ELD's XX. Although the showing was less than we were hoping for to secure a Mox Sapphire, the competition was still solid and I enjoyed many interactive and enjoyable matches.
After tinkering with Shards cards in Alara and begrudgingly accepting that I both love and hate Relic of Progenitus, here is the Slaver list I settled on.
2 Island
3 Underground Sea
4 Volcanic Island
3 Flooded Strand
1 Polluted Delta
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mana Crypt
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
3 Goblin Welder
1 Triskelavus
1 Sundering Titan
1 Mindslaver
3 Master of Etherium
4 Courier Capsule
4 Thirst for knowledge
4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
2 Misdirection
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Echoing Truth
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
SB:
3 Extirpate
3 Thorn of Amethyst
3 Ingot Chewer
3 Viashino Heretic
3 Red Elemental Blast
Courier Capsule:
I greatly prefer the raw push-power of Capsule over other card advantage edging cards such as Merchant Scroll-Fact or Fiction, Deep Analysis, or Sensei's Divining Top. Capsule plays well with the entire deck at all times of the game state. Every opponent asked me how capsule was for me, and it was relevant in every match. Capsule allows you to keep 1 blue source hands confidently, allows you to use your 2 open mana eot when a drain didn't hit relevant sorcery-speed-spells, pumps Master of Etherium that extra bit, and ultimately allows you to out card advantage nearly any deck via welder recursion.
Master of Etherium:
The Master is also great in all game states. I'll admit I often pitched him to Thirst for Knowledge, only to weld him in. Often he was the least-potent blue card in my hand for a Force of Will / Misdirection and while this might be a poor Leviathan-excuse, its multi-function early on was used several times. In the same light, I won two games on turn 4 on the back of two Master of Etheriums and a hand of artifacts. He doesn't become supremely enormous, but he can easily fight a Tarmogoyf when the time arises. Additionally, his synergy with Triskelavus is enormous.
Lack of - Merchant Scroll - Ponder:
This deck plays mostly in the End of Turn step. Winning small victories with Capsules, Drains, and your multitudinous other instants.
I didn't take notes, so here's a from-memory brief recount of my matches of the day
Round 1: Mike Bergeron - Red Tape Dispenser Extraordinaire
Game 1
I know Mike usually plays 5 color stax, and I keep a hand of Lotus, Emerald, Tormod's Crypt, Tinker, Welder, Volcanic Island, Force of Will. Respectable against anything graveyard-ish, and will likely get there. He wins the roll and dumps an ichorid, stinkweed imp, dread return into the grave and passes. Oh dear, this is not going to be fair in all the wrong ways. I rip Thirst for my draw, and that basically seals the deal. After getting Triskelavus in play, I crypt Mike 3 times while noting he is played Colored Ichorid and eventually I leave Mike with 3 cards in library. and save-bazaar, no permanents. boo.
In: Extirpates, Thorns, Ingot Chewers Out: Capsulex2, Drainx1, Sundering Titan, Master of Etheriumx3, Mana Crypt, Thirst for Knowledge
Game 2
Mike Mulls. He hesitates on his 6 hand, but keeps it anyway. My hand has nothing hugely explosive nor a Force of Will, but an ingot chewer and an extirpate. He plays Black lotus (bad for me), pithing needle naming Tormod's Crypt, then a 2nd needle naming Goblin Welder. He burns for 1 (oh thank the maker). he has to play draw-go for a few turns while I find a welder and a T-crypt, enabled by Ingot Chewer. The bridge removal and recurring crypts seals the deal.
Round 2: Rich Shay - i.e. Nemesis
My record is shaky against Rich, mostly because I've been playing decks-in-testing or crazy decks. Despite facing down the behemoth that is Rich Shay, I am confident that my deck can beat painter, which Rich is piloting.
Game 1
ends early with Rich having a saucy hand, but needing a 2nd and third mana source via a brainstorm. He finds Tolarian academy without any moxen. Sundering titan backed by a a drain ends his fun on turn 3, with him still drawing a guaranteed non-mana-source from his brainstorm.
Out: Card disadvantage In: Rebx3, 1 Viashino Heretic
Game 2
Rich Mulls. He thinks a bit, then keeps. I keep. he says go. what? No land drop, that means his hand is supremely saucy. I prepare for a counter-war onslaught with a capsule, then a thirst. he gets a land on his 2nd draw, and throws out Ancestral Recall, I have two counters, but so does he. Unfortunately the recall resolution isn't enough to turn the already large card advantage disparity I have against him, and a master of etherium soon finishes him off.
huzzah, Vengeance is mine.
Round 3: Craig Dupree
I've been impressed with Craig's progress over the past few years. He started out playing the Vintage equivalent of Red Deck Wins and moved upto GAT and competitive decks. Granted, he's been playing Izzit-combo recently, so go figure.
Game 1
I have two Masters of Etherium in play putting pressure on him. he drains a force going into a Will turn. He goes to play a land for turn and I remind him that he already played a land, as I only had three land drops. He thinks for a bit, calculates his will mana for a 5-6 spell warrens in the grave, and figures he can't pull out of lethal Masters of Etherium next turn. We go to sideboard for game 2. mid-sideboarding, he goes through the spells played and the land-drops made and we both realize it was definetely his 4th turn, not his 3rd turn, that we though, so he could have made the land drop necessary to warrens for 6. I feel horrible, realizing that my mistake could be construed as cheating, but since we've scooped up our cards to sideboard it is too late to reverse any game states. I comment that I did have an echoing truth in hand, so it still would've been game, but regardless I feel horrible.
In: Extirpate (saw Accumulated Knowledge game 1), Rebs Out: Vamp, Mystical, Mana Crypt, Misdirectionx2, Triskelavus
Game 2
I get a turn 3 extirpate on AK, and reb any remaining draw. This game is very mechanical, and unfortunately slowly painful for Craig as my deck gives me tons of draw and disruption, but few wins until much later.
Round 4: Dan Yarrrington playing Dan Yarrington.dec ie I Hate Blue
I'm paired down, so I can't double-draw in. But where's the fun in that anyway!?
Despite efficient beats and null rods being brutally effective against Slaver, I have confidence in my Blue-goyf - Master of Etherium.
Game 1
Ends quickly on the back of Tinker -> Sundering titan, hitting 2 opposing lands. So much for plan B.
In: Ingot Chewers, Viashino Heretics Out: Misdirectionx2 (as much as I love misdirecting Rebs & Stp's, this has to go), Courier Capsulex2 (Null rod boo!), Mana crypt, tormod's Crypt
Game 2
Is over 35 minutes long and a grueling match of exchanged removal, disruption, and dudes. At 5 life, I eventually put him on the defensive with hardcast ingot chewers, and pull out. After the match his graveyard had 3 Swords to Plowshares, 3 Tin Street Hooligans, 3 Rebs, and countless creatures. Quite the fun match, if not stressful.
My teammate after the match informs me of a risky play I could've done that I missed even contemplating, and a blatent misplay that would've brought game 2 to a grinding halt in my favor. Oh teammates... so good for twisting daggers.
Round 5 I ID with Legacy Man playing Stifle-Naught. huzzah.
Top 8
Playing against Godsire-Belcher Man
My opponent was a newer player, used to casual rules, and therefore had some problems with me not letting him take misplays back. Interesting and even amusing for sure, but I was resolute in my tournament behavior.
Game 1
he casts land grant and goes diving for a land, at which point I say "woah woah woah" and have him reveal his hand, which is completely reliant on black mana. I force the Land Grant, and he is perturbed. I lay down some lands & draw while he plays draw-go. Drain on Wheel, into Time walk and Will is good. Master of Etherium goes in for the kill.
In: Extirpates, Ingot chewers, Thorns Out: Misdirectionx2, Thirstx1, Courier Capsulex3, Master of Etheriumx3
Game 2
He has a turn 1 Timetwister. His twist gives him enough to hardcast a blecher and belch me, with no lands tutored up yet. flipping.... 4 cards and then Bayou. woot! I evoke my twistered Ingot Chewer, and followup with extirpate on Belcher. I just bought myself many turns. I also see Tendrils is his only out left. Our game progresses with me drawing nothing else but counters, while he draws bombs or card advantage. I pull out a Tinker, nuking his Bayou with Titan, hoping to finish this up quickly, only to have him rip Balance with no cards, lands, or creatures. yarr.. Draw-go ensues with him having moxen and me having nothing. I get a land, with vamp in hand. He vamps. I'm at 14, meaning a mini-tendrils is death, but Yawgmoth's Will is certain death. I Vamp for Recall instead of Tormod's Crypt, knowing crypt alone won't save me, and I only have 15 cards left in my library, so the likelihood of drawing crypt or a force is high. I recall and draw nadda. As I anticipated, Will finishes me off.
I gave up my first game to Godsire Belcher. how embarrassing. Onward and upward!
no SB changes
Game 3
I lead with Turn 1 Thorn, backed up with a turn 2 Drain. ESG enables his Land grant, into a shattering sprees targeting thorn once and my sapphire once. I drain the original spell targeting the thorn, which sets him back many turns. I get enough turns to set up for a large will and plenty of counters. Sundering Titan finishes it off.
Semifinals: Rich Shay Rematch
My brain would explode to recant these three games exactly. They were, as usual with Rich Shay, enjoyable and intense games of magic. Unlike our non-interactive games in the swiss, these are played tightly.
Game 1
has me churning out courier capsules and thirsts. I am able to counter his card advantage while chugging out my own. Eventually Master of Etherium gets in there.
Same SB plan as the swiss
Game 2
I have an early library, but am restricted from forcing while he thirsts his brains out. Relic of Progenitus turns my welder into a mons goblin raider, and the clincher is a sower of temptation on my viashino heretic. what a beating.
Game 3
I have turn 1 library. But this time I draw ridiculously well with library and he doesn't have thirsts in droves. Much Face-palming ensues, and eventually Master of Etherium goes the distance.
Finals - Legacy Man (Sorry I don't remember your name!) playing Stifle-Naught
Game 1
Is one of those sad moments in Vintage. With a mana curve of two, my opponent never got more than his original island for mana after 6-7 turns of drawing. I churned out capsules and thirsts galore, with the occasional force being played by my opponent, but the momentum of my deck couldn't be stopped.
In: Ingot chewers, Viashino heretics Out: Tormod's Crypt, Master of etheriumx3, Mana Crypt, Courier Capsulex1
Game 2
Was the unfortunate opposite of Game 1. I drain both his turn 2 Dark Confidant and his Turn 3 Dark Confidant. After this he draws 6 lands. He has needle on Welder and Viashino Heretic, but a ingot chewer on the welder needle allows a quick conclusion via Welded Sundering Titan.
Huzzah! Pearl!
I used every card out of my sideboard, and every card on my main was amazing! While I could see metagame changes, the deck feels solid as is. I hope you enjoyed my recap, and feel free to comment.
|
