7th with ALMOST BLUE [MOL Belgium] 14-3-2015

[Zieby]

Hi all,

It's been a long time I was here, but today I had my first tournament in over 2 years.
After contacting Peach and browsing the interweb I settled on this variation of Almost Blue.
One restricting I had, I did not own a single card what caused for some cards missing I would normally play (Cages)

Main deck:
7   Any Blue Fetch
3   Island
3   Underground Sea
1   Tropical Island
1   Snow-Covered Island
    
1   Black Lotus
1   Mana Crypt
1   Mox Emerald (Proxie)
1   Mox Jet (Proxie)
1   Mox Pearl (Proxie)
1   Mox Ruby (Proxie)
1   Mox Sapphire (Proxie)
    
2   Snapcaster Mage
    
1   Ancestral Recall
1   Brainstorm
1   Ponder
1   Time Walk
2   Preordain
4   Gush
    
1   Vampiric Tutor
1   Demonic Tutor
1   Yawgmoth's Will
1   Mystical Tutor
1   Merchant Scroll
2   Brain Freeze
2   Gifts Ungiven (1x Proxie)
1   Noxious Revival (Proxie)
1   Fastbond
    
4   Force of Will
3   Mental Misstep
2   Flusterstorm (Proxie)
2   Mana Drain
2   Repeal
1   Hurkyl's Recall
1   Tormod's Crypt

Sideboard:
SB:   4   Steel Sabotage
SB:   1   Blightsteel Colossus
SB:   2   Hurkyl's Recall
SB:   1   Island
SB:   1   Mindbreak Trap
SB:   2   Ravenous Trap
SB:   1   Tendrils of Agony
SB:   1   Tinker
SB:   1   Tormod's Crypt
SB:   1   Toxic Deluge (Proxie)

I will write a short report with the highlitghs from memory, because i did not make any notes.

Round 1: Show & Oath
Game 1: He mulls 2 five but he has a second turn Oath with back up. I manage to pull a Brain Freeze for 21 cards, but he still has 1 win con in his deck, this brings him the game.
Game 2 and3 are much of the same. I draw some cards, at a point he resolves Oath but did not have orchard, this gives me time to combo with ToA (I missed the cages)

W-D-L
1-0-0

Round 2: Forgemaster Shops
Game 1: he lock me out and I have no game.
Game 2 and 3: are much of the same again, I control his board with Counters and bounce and could tinker for BSC both games with bounce as back up for copy effects.

2-0-0

Round 3: Show & Oath
Game 1: We have a counter war over his first Oath, he wins and that brings him the game.
Game 2: I have a little luck by having my 4 Fow's in the first 20 cards, this assures me to lead and that results in a tendrils for lethal.
Game 3: This game is a bit strange because we both are starved on mana, but at one point I am able to combo with Will and can double Brain Freeze him to death.

3-0-0

Round 4: RUG Young Pyro Mancer with Quirion Dryad
Game 1: He has a first turn pyro mancer and rides him to victory.
Game 2: I am starved on mana and although his game did not went smooth, I give him the time to land a pyromancer and ride him to victory.

3-0-1

I am amazed by the fact I have a shot on top 8, but then I need to win the next game and that after 2 years living under the rocks (as someone told us that morning)

Round 5: Doomsday
Game 1: We go draw go for like 5 turns before something really big happens. I had a hand with counters Ancestral, fastbond and some counters. He plays duress, I misstep and it is my turn.
Then I am able to combo off, but he had play Laboratory Maniac in his previous turn.
In digging for some storm and extra mana I use my 2 repeals for bouncing my artifacts, This leaves me with no Out on the Labman except blocking him. I am forced to ship the turn with 2 life, but with snapcaster in hand.
He cannot withstand the temptation and attacks me. Flash snapcaster and block the lapman.
Ok I can win this, but now I have to combo with no Y-will, No gushes but only 2 brain freezes.
First i BF for 18 cards by playing some spells and the BF, but I need to keep mana open to counter his ToA i he would draw him.
Next turn I am able to freeze him for al crads but 2, and then played snapcaster on BF.
This won me the game, and we played for 47 minutes. 3 minutes left, but DD can win easy on turn 2 so he wants to play game 2.
Game 2: I Open my hand with Fow, Fluster, Manadrain and Misstep, we go to turns and I win the match.

4-0-1

So I can draw in for top 8 after not playing a single game in 2 years, funny fact is that Marius (Marske on TMD) also sneaked into top 8 at the bottom seat.

Top 8: RUG from round 4
Nice, paired against my only loss
Game 1: I can hold him off for some time, but the counters are too much.
At one point I am 1 storm short of decking him before he is able to kill me.
Game 2: We go back and forward with draw and counters, i stop 1 young pyro, but the second I let resolve so I can go for tinker. I resolve tinker but he has also a quirion, that results in a sort of stand off. Then i can snapcaster Time walk so i try to go for the kill, but he has the counter, otherwise he would have killed me the next turn, so he did.
That gave me a price of 75 euro,-. in 7th seat.

Big thanks for Tom Hens, the organizer and owner of the deck.
Maybe I see you all again in the future,

Greezt Arjan

[Marske]

Very nice to read this!!

(and very happy to sneak into top 8 as well)

[Ten-Ten]

@Zieby: Wow, thanks for this nice read. Nice to have you back Always an inspiration. Congrats on top8

@Marske: Congrats on top8 also. What did you play?

[The Atog Lord]

The Dutch have returned!
Also congratulations

[Marske]

Ten-Ten,

I played:

Maindeck:
4 Mishra's Workshop
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Mishra's Factory
4 Mutavault
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Sphere of Resistance
4 Thorn of Amethyst
3 Dismember
3 Chalice of the Void
3 Null Rod
2 Blinkmoth Nexus
1 Sculpting Steel

Sideboard:

1 Dismember
1 Chalice of the Void
1 Null Rod
1 Sculpting Steel
4 Grafdigger's Cage
3 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
2 Crucible of Worlds
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Precursor Golem

If people really want I could do a small report as well

[Shock Wave]

I'm a big fan of Almost Blue and its flexibility. I've seen it in action many times, most notably in the hands of Jean Baptiste Aymes (creator?). Thanks for the report and welcome back to Vintage

[Pyromaniac]

It was a very nice tourney and also very nice to see a lot of people I hadn't seen in years again

I was playing the blue belcher deck of the VSL with an updated sideboard and had a lot of fun with it, coming in 11th at 4-2. The deck is pretty nice and stable, but could use a little optimization and also draws some really crappy looking hands that actually are good in the deck, so sometimes it's a bit of a puzzle but that's combo I guess

I don't have a lot of time for MtG anymore, but it was very fun and exciting to be at a tournament again

Hero

[Zieby]

@Zieby: Wow, thanks for this nice read. Nice to have you back Always an inspiration. Congrats on top8

@Marske: Congrats on top8 also. What did you play?

Thank you, although I made top 8, i do not think this was the optimal build.
I believe Gifts Ungiven does not fit in this deck and should be DTT.
I also learned why Peach plays 2 maindeck Abrubt Decay, it solves allot of difficult situations.

But, Almost Blue is certainly a strategy that has his pro's in this Metagame.

@ Rich, thank you for the welcome back, although I do not believe I will attent a tournament in the comming month's due to the fact I am becomming a father for the third time.
And this time it's a boy (after 2 girls), so in about 14 years I will be playing MTG all over again.

I'm a big fan of Almost Blue and its flexibility. I've seen it in action many times, most notably in the hands of Jean Baptiste Aymes (creator?). Thanks for the report and welcome back to Vintage

It is, and as mentioned above, with some minor adjustments I think it will be well suited for the current Metagame. Jean Baptiste Aymes was maybe the first who used the Brain Freeze Combo in Vintage, but this deck is in its core a Gush deck, and he played the deck in the era of a restricted Gush.

@ Hero,
Always nice to see at a tournament, maybe I contact you next time for a deck.... 

It was a realy nice day, and I know why I loved this game so much, thank you all....

[PeAcH]

@Zieby

Congratulations on a great performance it would be great to see you back with input on the archetype and also on Gush/Gifts decks!