I waited a bit before I wrote this, mostly because I left Fort Worth on Sunday night with a bad taste in my mouth, and I wanted to calm down a bit before I wrote anything about it.With time to clear my head, I can now say I actually had a good time, and I really enjoyed hanging out with everyone that I don't normally get to talk to.
Standard
I played Naya Midrange, because I just didn't like anything else. Sometimes I stick with a deck for too long after the meta has shifted, because I continue to have success with it. It can be hard to tell if a deck is winning because it's good or because I'm playing against bad players. I think this time it was the latter.
I added 3 Ray of Revelation in the sideboard to combat the Bant Hexproof deck. I had success in that matchup, 2-1 in three rounds played, but it was way more of the metagame than I had expected. My other two losses were to BR Zombies and Mono Red before I dropped, and my only other win was against a Bant player.
Legacy
After I dropped from the Standard Open, I joined the four-round Legacy warm-up event, or whatever they were calling it. I had been brewing a pretty exciting UW Wizards Stoneblade list (ignore the deck name on the link), but I wasn't sure if it was good. I lent the deck to Andrew Sullano to playtest while I was still battling standard. When I went to get the deck back, he told me that he could never beat it playing UW Miracles. This was a good sign. I went 3-1 in the tournament, my only loss coming against High Tide when I was stuck on two lands both games. It's legacy, sometimes that happens.
I made a couple of modifications and played it again for the legacy open on Sunday. Here's how that went:
Round 1 - Esper Stoneblade
Game 1 I flood out while he kills me with random Lingering Souls tokens. Game 2 I win the Jace war with Detention Sphere, and cruise to victory. Game 3 He forgets to flashback Lingering Souls on a critical turn that would have allowed him to attack and kill my Jace the following turn. Instead, I was able to protect it and ride it to my first match win of the day.
1-0
Round 2- Mono White Stax
Game 1 He leads with two Mishra's Factories and then a Scroll Rack. He asks if I need to read it, but I know it. It's the most difficult card to play in Magic. I'm worried he's going to take forever and we might draw, but he uses it fairly efficiently. I Spellstutter Sprite his Land Tax, and protect my Jace with Force of Will. Game 2 is similar, except he has turn two Trinisphere, but I have the Force of Will. I counter his relevant spells and he's never really in it.
2-0
Round 3 - UB Stifle-Naught
Game 1 He kills my lands with Stifle and Sinkhole, but I keep drawing them. I land two Stoneforge Mystics to get Batterskull and Sword of Feast and Famine. His Desecration Demon was no match. Games 2 and 3 are both blowouts, where he casts Stifle, Sinkhole, Sinkhole, Snapcaster on Sinkhole, etc., etc., and I never get to play any spells. Oh well, its Legacy, I'm somewhat ok losing this way.
2-1
Round 4 - RUG Delver
But I'm not ok getting an unintentional draw, especially against RUG Delver, just because my opponent takes a minute and a half every time he Ponders and Brainstorms. Game 1 took 25 minutes and he topdecked Lightning Bolt on the last possible turn before my Batterskull took over. Game 2 I had Rest in Peace, and he could never amount an offense that matter, but it took me another twenty minutes to kill him. Also this guy would shuffle almost what I would consider an excessive amount every time, and there was plenty of opportunities for this, since it was legacy. On one of his longer Brainstorms, he says "sorry I'm taking a while", and I responded "saying sorry isn't going to make the game go any quicker." Surprisingly, his pace of play picked up after that, and we finished game two with a whole five minutes left for game three. We didn't finish the last game.
2-1-1
I was very upset. I haven't been this upset in a while. I knew that with an 8 round tournament with 210 people, that unintentional draw most likely meant I couldn't top 8, even if I won out. I had all this rage, which I channeled to defeat all of my next opponents.
Round 5 - UW Miracles
I'm angry, so I crush. He counters my Vendilion Clique once, but I had used Caverns to cast it.
3-1-1
Round 6 - Death and Taxes
I had Jace, he had basic plains. Bloodbath.
4-1-1
Round 7 - Show and Tell
I had everything I needed in both games, and his draws kinda played into mine.
5-1-1
Round 8 - Esper Stoneblade
I lose game one, but win games two and three because I'm fighting a Jace war and he wants to fight over Stoneforge Mystics.
6-1-1
Predictably, I finished 10th place, missing out on top 8 on tiebreakers. The $100 prize was poor consolation, as it barely covered gas for the trip. I left still upset about drawing in round three, and instead of hanging out more in DFW, I drove home.
After playing more with the deck, including two MOCS Preliminaries where I've gone 5-1 and 4-1, I've further tuned the list. Here is the latest update:
4 Tundra
4 Flooded Strand
3 Polluted Delta
1 Marsh Flats
2 Plains
3 Island
2 Riptide Laboratory
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Karakas
1 Glacial Fortress
4 Stoneforge Mystic
4 Spellstutter Sprite
3 Vendilion Clique
2 Snapcaster Mage
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
2 Spell Snare
1 Spell Pierce
1 Counterspell
4 Brainstorm
4 Force of Will
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Swords to Plowshares
1 Detention Sphere
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Batterskull
Sideboard:
3 Supreme Verdict
3 Rest in Peace
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Detention Sphere
1 Disenchant
1 Spell Pierce
1 Hydroblast
1 Divert
1 Envelop
1 Pithing Needle
1 Familiar's Ruse
I've been very impressed with the Venser in the maindeck, along with Cavern of Souls. Both cards I added just for fun, but have earned their place in the main deck. Familiar's Ruse in the sideboard is a pet card of mine. I want to play it maindeck instead of Counterspell, but that just doesn't feel right. Familiar's Ruse + Snapcaster Mage is quite a bit of countermagic. I cut the Mutavault for a second plains. I wanted two white sources to fetch so I can Supreme Verdict and not get Wastelanded. Also, I had yet to activate Mutavault after 30 or so matches.
The deck is a lot of fun to play. Its better against combo than Esper Stoneblade, but it might be worse against BUG and Jund. The mirror is still close, I still think you need to be on the Jace side of the fight, and build my decks accordingly.
If you play this, please don't cut any Jace or the Sword of Feast and Famine from the maindeck. I don't know why legacy players want to do that all the time. I've heard several arguments, even from people who I respect, but they've yet to come anywhere close to convincing me it's right.
That's all for now!
27 January 2013
21 January 2013
Announcing!
New Duel Deck: Caw Blade vs Caw Blade!
It's no secret that I was incredibly fond of the Caw Blade mirror. I would still like to play it today, and my experience at the Star City Games Legacy Open playing UW Stoneblade reminded me that I wanted to build two versions of the deck and carry them around.
The decks are still quite pricey (thank you, Jace the Mind Sculptor!), so the plan is print out proxies to use. I didn't want the decks to be identical, so I scoured the internet for the two bests lists I could find from the pre-banning Standard. Which side will you choose? If you want to play, find me at a future event and challenge me!
Caw Blade, by Ty Thomason
1st Place -PTQ Katy, Texas
4 Celestial Colonnade
4 Glacial Fortress
2 Inkmoth Nexus
5 Island
4 Plains
4 Seachrome Coast
4 Tectonic Edge
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Squadron Hawk
4 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Batterskull
3 Dismember
2 Divine Offering
1 Into the Roil
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
3 Mana Leak
4 Preordain
3 Spell Pierce
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of War and Peace
Sideboard
1 Batterskull
2 Celestial Purge
3 Condemn
2 Day of Judgment
1 Divine Offering
2 Flashfreeze
4 Kor Firewalker
Caw Blade, by Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa
1st Place - Grand Prix-Singapore 2011
4 Celestial Colonnade
3 Glacial Fortress
2 Inkmoth Nexus
5 Island
4 Plains
4 Seachrome Coast
4 Tectonic Edge
1 Consecrated Sphinx
4 Squadron Hawk
4 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Batterskull
3 Dismember
1 Divine Offering
2 Into the Roil
1 Jace Beleren
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Mana Leak
4 Preordain
3 Spell Pierce
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of War and Peace
Sideboard
1 Batterskull
1 Celestial Purge
2 Condemn
1 Day of Judgment
1 Deprive
1 Dismember
2 Divine Offering
2 Flashfreeze
3 Oust
1 Sun Titan
It's no secret that I was incredibly fond of the Caw Blade mirror. I would still like to play it today, and my experience at the Star City Games Legacy Open playing UW Stoneblade reminded me that I wanted to build two versions of the deck and carry them around.
The decks are still quite pricey (thank you, Jace the Mind Sculptor!), so the plan is print out proxies to use. I didn't want the decks to be identical, so I scoured the internet for the two bests lists I could find from the pre-banning Standard. Which side will you choose? If you want to play, find me at a future event and challenge me!
Caw Blade, by Ty Thomason
1st Place -PTQ Katy, Texas
4 Celestial Colonnade
4 Glacial Fortress
2 Inkmoth Nexus
5 Island
4 Plains
4 Seachrome Coast
4 Tectonic Edge
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Squadron Hawk
4 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Batterskull
3 Dismember
2 Divine Offering
1 Into the Roil
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
3 Mana Leak
4 Preordain
3 Spell Pierce
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of War and Peace
Sideboard
1 Batterskull
2 Celestial Purge
3 Condemn
2 Day of Judgment
1 Divine Offering
2 Flashfreeze
4 Kor Firewalker
Caw Blade, by Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa
1st Place - Grand Prix-Singapore 2011
4 Celestial Colonnade
3 Glacial Fortress
2 Inkmoth Nexus
5 Island
4 Plains
4 Seachrome Coast
4 Tectonic Edge
1 Consecrated Sphinx
4 Squadron Hawk
4 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Batterskull
3 Dismember
1 Divine Offering
2 Into the Roil
1 Jace Beleren
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Mana Leak
4 Preordain
3 Spell Pierce
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of War and Peace
Sideboard
1 Batterskull
1 Celestial Purge
2 Condemn
1 Day of Judgment
1 Deprive
1 Dismember
2 Divine Offering
2 Flashfreeze
3 Oust
1 Sun Titan
15 January 2013
Another PTQ Report
Last weekend there was a Modern PTQ here in my hometown of Houston. Asgard Games, (the store which I occasionally write for), was hosting their first PTQ. This was exciting for me since I can walk to the store, and exciting for other people I know who were unhappy with the way 3rd Coast Cards ran their tournaments.
I played the same deck as I did in Philadelphia, with a few changes. Khalni Heart Expedition got cut because it just wasn't good enough. This allowed for cutting of some of the excess basic lands and adding in more shocklands, so now the mana is better. The extra space allowed me to move the Pyroclasms to the maindeck. I also cut a Prismatic Omen for a Muddle the Mixture, since it can be both, and more. The sideboard is similar in theory, different in execution. Back to Nature was added in place of Cyclonic Rift to deal with Leyline of Sanctity and Blood Moon since the Bogle deck started showing up. I knew a bunch of people were playing Splinter Twin so I fit in the Combust, and changed one Ancient Grudge to a Seal of Primordium. I decided Vexing Shusher is the best card to have in the matchups where you want something like that. This is the list I registered:
4 Sakura Tribe Elder
4 Primeval Titan
4 Farseek
4 Search for Tomorrow
4 Scapeshift
4 Remand
4 Izzet Charm
3 Pyroclasm
2 Prismatic Omen
1 Muddle the Mixture
4 Valakut the Molten Pinnacle
4 Stomping Ground
3 Steam Vents
2 Breeding Pool
4 Misty Rainforest
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Forest
1 Island
4 Mountain
Sideboard:
3 Ancient Grudge
4 Obstinate Baloth
1 Pyroclasm
1 Negate
2 Back to Nature
2 Vexing Shusher
1 Combust
1 Seal of Primordium
I'm much happier with this list going forward than the old one. I would play this exact 75 again.
I can't get the PWP website to load, so I don't have opponent names, but I'll do my best.
R1 - RG Tron
Game 1 He mulligans to five, has to spend the first three turns just trying to hit his land drops. I Scapeshift on turn 5 to kill him. Game 2 I mulligan to five, he has turn 4 Karn, and starts killing my lands. I die with three Titans in hand. Game 3 I'm on the play, he doesn't have turn 3 Karn, so I Prismatic Omen on turn 4 and Primeval Titan for 21 on turn 5.
1-0
R2 - Chris Jabr - Burn
Chris is a local Asgard player. Game 1 He plays Goblin Guide on turn 1, and my first three lands did two damage to me. I died. Game 2 I remand his Keldon Marauders twice, then play two Obstinate Baloths. He still has enough damage to get me to 8 life, but I it wasn't enough to stop Prime Time from doing his thing. Game 3 We both mulligan to 6. I keep six lands two Baloths. He plays turn 0 Leyline of Punishment. Consider me punished. He has turn 1 Goblin Guide to go with it. Unfortunately for him, he only has the one land. I play out my Baloths and try to attack him. I rip a timely Muddle the Mixture to counter his Flames of the Bloodhand, and then topdeck Scapeshift while at 2 life to win the game. Very close.
2-0
R3 - Moe Raval - Splinter Twin
Moe is a buddy. We are going to PT Montreal together. But he's always talking smack, and I never hesitate to talk it right back. Game 1 He casts Izzet Charm to loot, and then I kill him with Scapeshift on turn 5 with three mana open. Game 2 I have Seal of Primordium, so he holds back on his Blood Moon and instead Vendillion Cliques me, putting my mostly dead Negate to the bottom of my deck, and drawing me into the two lands I needed to kill him with Scapeshift. He didn't really seem to understand what he was doing in this matchup.
3-0
R4 - David Shakarisaz - Splinter Twin
David is also going to PT Montreal with me. After Moe lost to me in round 3, David was giving him shit for losing. "It's such a good matchup I never lose to that deck!" Then I beat him 2-0. Game 1 was odd. I Izzet Charm his Pestermite when he casts Splinter Twin, then double Pyroclasm his follow up Deceiver Exarch. He never draws another untapper, and I eventually stick Primeval Titan. Game 2 he makes a strange series of filter plays: Turn 1 Serum Visions, keep both on top; turn 2 Sleight of Hand, take the card he saw already, then Serum Visions, put both on bottom. I know there isn't always a right order to play those cards, but this seemed very strange to me. I supposed the card on top could have been the second Serum Visions. Anyway, he lands Blood Moon on turn 3, but I immediately rip Back to Nature. I wait until I'm going to go off, and in the mean time I've draw Vexing Shusher, so I just force through the Scapeshift. He had drawn all lands.
4-0
R5 - Scapeshift
He's playing a more traditional Scapeshift list with Cryptic Command and no Primeval Titans. Game 1 He's on the play but doesn't have any ramp, so I can turn 5 go for it with counter backup. Game 2 He plays turn 0 2x Leyline of Sanctity, and I die eventually since I never draw an answer. Game 3 He has turn 0 Leyline again. We both ramp, but I'm short on blue mana to transmute for Back to Nature. Eventually I draw it, but still don't have enough counter mana to force through the Scapeshift. Eventually I get to 10 mana and transmute for Shusher and cast it. He Cryptic Commands it. I say ok. Then I have to tell him that its uncounterable. He draws his card, discouraged. I then play Scapeshift and in response cast Back to Nature, with two mana floating. He Lightning Bolts my Shusher, so I make Back to Nature uncounterable. Then I make Scapeshift uncounterable, but he Remands in response. So now I'm tapped out with two Scapeshifts in hand, and he gets to untap with 9 mana and 4 cards in hand. I think I'm dead, but he just passes. I untap and play Scapeshift, which he Cryptic Commands, but the second one gets him.
5-0
Since the tournament was only 110 players and 7 rounds, I should be able to draw in. I'm in first place on the standings and I'm hoping I get paired against one of the other 5-0 players and not paired down...
R6 - Will Lowry - Splinter Twin
But of course not. I get paired down, and even worse, it's my roommate. The worst possible thing. We talk about draws and concession possibilities, but nothing quite makes sense. So we play. Game 1 I have the nuts turn 4 Scapeshift and Omen. Game 2 I don't draw Scapeshift or Titan after ramping. Same game 3, but I would have won if I had held onto a fetch land instead of Stomping Ground on an Izzet Charm loot that I'm still not sure I did incorrectly.
5-1
R7 - GWb Hatebears
He got to ID last round, so I'm paired up. I'm third in standings behind the two 5-0-1 players. I discussed before the round about playing to get Top Seed and the play for all of the top 8. The play/draw rule is such that the higher seed gets to choose. I know that if I win, I will be first seed for all of top 8. I think that's huge for the deck I'm playing, and I still think my opponent is playing Melira Pod, which is a good matchup. So I tell him I want to play. He wins the die roll and has turn 2 Loxodon Smiter. I did not expect this, and my Pyroclasm isn't enough to buy me the time I thought it would. I die before I can draw a kill condition. Game 2 He doesn't play his Mindcensor until after I search with Primeval Titan, so I easily kill him. Game 3 He has turn 3 Linvala, and I somehow draw all of my Sakura Tribe Elders and die.
5-2
So I get 9th. Again after going X-0 with two rounds left. Maybe I'll keep playing it out and refuse to draw. But that is ridiculous. This time is partially my fault, since I could have ID in round 7 and didn't. But also the top 8 play/draw rule is silly and probably shouldn't factor into my decision ever. It would make me feel better about it if it only factored in a difference in match points instead of tiebreakers, since tiebreakers are somewhat random. Also if sponsor invites are about "keeping people from getting discouraged", they should be able to account for the X-0 0-2 top 8 miss, since that is the most discouraging thing ever, but apparently they can't look at that.
For reference, just some estimates I had going into the last round that affected my decision. For my situation, I thought that:
ID gets top eight 90+% of the time
My deck is ~10% better on the play
I have a 55-60% favorable matchup in round 7 (actually probably less, but I thought he was on melira pod)
I have a ~30% chance to top 8 with a loss (no one else was ID besides table 2. 30% is for the 4-1-1 guy to lose and have no unintentional draws)
I played the same deck as I did in Philadelphia, with a few changes. Khalni Heart Expedition got cut because it just wasn't good enough. This allowed for cutting of some of the excess basic lands and adding in more shocklands, so now the mana is better. The extra space allowed me to move the Pyroclasms to the maindeck. I also cut a Prismatic Omen for a Muddle the Mixture, since it can be both, and more. The sideboard is similar in theory, different in execution. Back to Nature was added in place of Cyclonic Rift to deal with Leyline of Sanctity and Blood Moon since the Bogle deck started showing up. I knew a bunch of people were playing Splinter Twin so I fit in the Combust, and changed one Ancient Grudge to a Seal of Primordium. I decided Vexing Shusher is the best card to have in the matchups where you want something like that. This is the list I registered:
4 Sakura Tribe Elder
4 Primeval Titan
4 Farseek
4 Search for Tomorrow
4 Scapeshift
4 Remand
4 Izzet Charm
3 Pyroclasm
2 Prismatic Omen
1 Muddle the Mixture
4 Valakut the Molten Pinnacle
4 Stomping Ground
3 Steam Vents
2 Breeding Pool
4 Misty Rainforest
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Forest
1 Island
4 Mountain
Sideboard:
3 Ancient Grudge
4 Obstinate Baloth
1 Pyroclasm
1 Negate
2 Back to Nature
2 Vexing Shusher
1 Combust
1 Seal of Primordium
I'm much happier with this list going forward than the old one. I would play this exact 75 again.
I can't get the PWP website to load, so I don't have opponent names, but I'll do my best.
R1 - RG Tron
Game 1 He mulligans to five, has to spend the first three turns just trying to hit his land drops. I Scapeshift on turn 5 to kill him. Game 2 I mulligan to five, he has turn 4 Karn, and starts killing my lands. I die with three Titans in hand. Game 3 I'm on the play, he doesn't have turn 3 Karn, so I Prismatic Omen on turn 4 and Primeval Titan for 21 on turn 5.
1-0
R2 - Chris Jabr - Burn
Chris is a local Asgard player. Game 1 He plays Goblin Guide on turn 1, and my first three lands did two damage to me. I died. Game 2 I remand his Keldon Marauders twice, then play two Obstinate Baloths. He still has enough damage to get me to 8 life, but I it wasn't enough to stop Prime Time from doing his thing. Game 3 We both mulligan to 6. I keep six lands two Baloths. He plays turn 0 Leyline of Punishment. Consider me punished. He has turn 1 Goblin Guide to go with it. Unfortunately for him, he only has the one land. I play out my Baloths and try to attack him. I rip a timely Muddle the Mixture to counter his Flames of the Bloodhand, and then topdeck Scapeshift while at 2 life to win the game. Very close.
2-0
R3 - Moe Raval - Splinter Twin
Moe is a buddy. We are going to PT Montreal together. But he's always talking smack, and I never hesitate to talk it right back. Game 1 He casts Izzet Charm to loot, and then I kill him with Scapeshift on turn 5 with three mana open. Game 2 I have Seal of Primordium, so he holds back on his Blood Moon and instead Vendillion Cliques me, putting my mostly dead Negate to the bottom of my deck, and drawing me into the two lands I needed to kill him with Scapeshift. He didn't really seem to understand what he was doing in this matchup.
3-0
R4 - David Shakarisaz - Splinter Twin
David is also going to PT Montreal with me. After Moe lost to me in round 3, David was giving him shit for losing. "It's such a good matchup I never lose to that deck!" Then I beat him 2-0. Game 1 was odd. I Izzet Charm his Pestermite when he casts Splinter Twin, then double Pyroclasm his follow up Deceiver Exarch. He never draws another untapper, and I eventually stick Primeval Titan. Game 2 he makes a strange series of filter plays: Turn 1 Serum Visions, keep both on top; turn 2 Sleight of Hand, take the card he saw already, then Serum Visions, put both on bottom. I know there isn't always a right order to play those cards, but this seemed very strange to me. I supposed the card on top could have been the second Serum Visions. Anyway, he lands Blood Moon on turn 3, but I immediately rip Back to Nature. I wait until I'm going to go off, and in the mean time I've draw Vexing Shusher, so I just force through the Scapeshift. He had drawn all lands.
4-0
R5 - Scapeshift
He's playing a more traditional Scapeshift list with Cryptic Command and no Primeval Titans. Game 1 He's on the play but doesn't have any ramp, so I can turn 5 go for it with counter backup. Game 2 He plays turn 0 2x Leyline of Sanctity, and I die eventually since I never draw an answer. Game 3 He has turn 0 Leyline again. We both ramp, but I'm short on blue mana to transmute for Back to Nature. Eventually I draw it, but still don't have enough counter mana to force through the Scapeshift. Eventually I get to 10 mana and transmute for Shusher and cast it. He Cryptic Commands it. I say ok. Then I have to tell him that its uncounterable. He draws his card, discouraged. I then play Scapeshift and in response cast Back to Nature, with two mana floating. He Lightning Bolts my Shusher, so I make Back to Nature uncounterable. Then I make Scapeshift uncounterable, but he Remands in response. So now I'm tapped out with two Scapeshifts in hand, and he gets to untap with 9 mana and 4 cards in hand. I think I'm dead, but he just passes. I untap and play Scapeshift, which he Cryptic Commands, but the second one gets him.
5-0
Since the tournament was only 110 players and 7 rounds, I should be able to draw in. I'm in first place on the standings and I'm hoping I get paired against one of the other 5-0 players and not paired down...
R6 - Will Lowry - Splinter Twin
But of course not. I get paired down, and even worse, it's my roommate. The worst possible thing. We talk about draws and concession possibilities, but nothing quite makes sense. So we play. Game 1 I have the nuts turn 4 Scapeshift and Omen. Game 2 I don't draw Scapeshift or Titan after ramping. Same game 3, but I would have won if I had held onto a fetch land instead of Stomping Ground on an Izzet Charm loot that I'm still not sure I did incorrectly.
5-1
R7 - GWb Hatebears
He got to ID last round, so I'm paired up. I'm third in standings behind the two 5-0-1 players. I discussed before the round about playing to get Top Seed and the play for all of the top 8. The play/draw rule is such that the higher seed gets to choose. I know that if I win, I will be first seed for all of top 8. I think that's huge for the deck I'm playing, and I still think my opponent is playing Melira Pod, which is a good matchup. So I tell him I want to play. He wins the die roll and has turn 2 Loxodon Smiter. I did not expect this, and my Pyroclasm isn't enough to buy me the time I thought it would. I die before I can draw a kill condition. Game 2 He doesn't play his Mindcensor until after I search with Primeval Titan, so I easily kill him. Game 3 He has turn 3 Linvala, and I somehow draw all of my Sakura Tribe Elders and die.
5-2
So I get 9th. Again after going X-0 with two rounds left. Maybe I'll keep playing it out and refuse to draw. But that is ridiculous. This time is partially my fault, since I could have ID in round 7 and didn't. But also the top 8 play/draw rule is silly and probably shouldn't factor into my decision ever. It would make me feel better about it if it only factored in a difference in match points instead of tiebreakers, since tiebreakers are somewhat random. Also if sponsor invites are about "keeping people from getting discouraged", they should be able to account for the X-0 0-2 top 8 miss, since that is the most discouraging thing ever, but apparently they can't look at that.
For reference, just some estimates I had going into the last round that affected my decision. For my situation, I thought that:
ID gets top eight 90+% of the time
My deck is ~10% better on the play
I have a 55-60% favorable matchup in round 7 (actually probably less, but I thought he was on melira pod)
I have a ~30% chance to top 8 with a loss (no one else was ID besides table 2. 30% is for the 4-1-1 guy to lose and have no unintentional draws)
03 January 2013
Holiday Magic Happenings
Over the holidays, I took a 13 day road trip up to the northeast. Along the way, I played in a couple of Magic tournaments. Here's how they went:
GP Indianapolis
I only had two byes, since the PWP bonus for winning a PTQ isn't retroactive. It was sealed deck on day one, so I felt like I had a decent chance to make day two anyway. The deck I opened up wasn't spectacular, but I felt like it had the tools. I built a RBu deck, splashing for Mercurial Chemister, Blustersquall, Izzet Staticaster, and Pursuit of Flight. I think I played one blue source too few for the build I had, since my black cards weren't nearly good enough to win on their own. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything else in blue to support a straight UR deck. I had an alternate GBw deck that was probably the best deck to play, but I misjudged the power level of the main deck and didn't board into it as often as I should have. The result was a very mediocre 5-4 finish at a GP where 6-3 had a decent shot to make the second day.
The one interesting story from the event occurred during the middle of day one. At this point, looking back on it, I'm fairly certain my opponent cheated me in one of the more savage cheats I've witnessed. I was up a game going into game 2, and my opponent made a rather elaborate show of trying to remember what his 40th card in his alternate deck was supposed to be. He finally figured it out, and piled out 40 cards. Then, on the last turn before he died, he "drew" a Sphinx's Revelation that allowed him to stabilize, and the card advantage he accumulated meant he eventually won the game. What I think happened is that he had the Revelation in his lap / sleeve before he piled, and then added it to the top of his deck on the turn he needed it. I didn't realize what happened until after I punted the third game to lose the match, I mentioned that his topdeck of the Sphinx's Revelation was very good for him game 2, but he made a comment about "having it in his hand the whole game", which I knew to be false since he had no cards in hand the turn he drew it. Eventually I put two and two together, but it was far too late and there is too little evidence to do anything about it. It's cheats like these that are so hard to catch in real time that it makes me upset that the DCI doesn't suspend people when they have video evidence of them doing these things. I'll have more to say about this in an upcoming article about cheating.
PTQ Philadelphia
The only Magic cards I brought with me on the trip was a Modern deck to use at the PTQ that happened the last weekend of December in Philadelphia, PA. I played the following list:
4 Sakura Tribe Elder
4 Primeval Titan
4 Farseek
4 Search for Tomorrow
4 Scapeshift
4 Remand
4 Izzet Charm
3 Khalni Heart Expedition
3 Prismatic Omen
4 Valakut the Molten Pinnacle
4 Stomping Ground
1 Steam Vents
1 Breeding Pool
4 Misty Rainforest
2 Scalding Tarn
3 Forest
1 Island
6 Mountain
Sideboard:
4 Ancient Grudge
4 Obstinate Baloth
2 Pyroclasm
2 Negate
2 Cyclonic Rift
1 Vexing Shusher
Here's how the tournament went:
R1 Chang, Morgan - Eggs
Game 1 He went off turn 3 with Silence backup. Game 2 I Negate his Lotus Bloom, and he stalls for a few turns, and I kill him with Khalni Heart Expedition. Game 3 He mulligans to five, and attempts to Silence me the turn I'm going to kill him, but I have the Negate to win on the spot.
1-0
R2 Kemple, Chris - Burn
Game 1 He keeps a one lander, and never draws a second land. I take 3 a turn from his burn spells as I try to draw out of my mulligan to six with no green sources. Eventually I draw a Stomping Ground, but play it tapped to buy more time. He gets me to 2 life before I kill him with Scapeshift. Game 2 he has turn 0 Leyline of Sanctity, but I draw two Obstinate Baloths and just beat him down.
2-0
3 Ozulas, David - BW Tokens
I lost almost every game I played against this deck to Sam Friedman while were playtesting between rounds at the GP, but both games my opponent kept hands without any disruption so I killed him on turn 4 both times.
3-0
4 Natterman, Chris - Affinity
Game 1 he didn't have Cranial Plating, so I had an extra turn to set up and Scapeshifted him out while at 5 life. Game 2 he mulligans to 5, I have 3x Obstinate Baloth, but I lose to his 2x Tempered Steel and Inkmoth Nexus. Game 3 I draw 2x Ancient Grudge and have all the time in the world to kill him.
4-0
5 Drebsky, David - Kithkin
Game 1 he plays some Kithkins, I kill him with Scapeshit. Game 2 I prevent him from using his Windbrisk Heights that is hiding an Aven Mindcensor, and I kill him with Scapeshift.
5-0
6 Kohler, Justin - Esper Planeswalkers
Game 1 we both mulligan to 5. He gets stuck on land, but i'm flooded. Eventually he draws out of it and gets a Batterskull to start attacking me. On the turn before I die, I topdeck Scapeshift and still have enough mountains left to search out and kill him. Game 2 He has Leyline of Sanctity. I have plenty of time to find my Cyclonic Rift, but never get there and he kills me with Batterskull again. Game 3 he gets stuck on two land, even after 2x Spreading Seas on my Valakuts, so I have enough time to ramp to Primeval Titan and Scapeshift when he's tapped out.
6-0
Because the tournament was 189 players, I know that 6-1-1 won't be a lock for top 8, but 6-0-2 should be. I'm hoping to get paired with the only guy I actually know at the tournament, Max Brown, and draw into top 8. However, I get paired down. That's ok, just have to win.
7 MULLIN, ZACHARY - 4 Color Pod
Game 1 I ramp up and Scapeshift kill him very easily. Game 2 I mulligan, stall on lands, and he has the Qasali Pridemage he drew to kill my Khalni Heart. I still can play a control route, but I only have one blue source, which he taps down with the Exarch he drew and kills me with Kiki Jiki. Game 3 I ramp into double STE, but he ramps into pod and Mindcensor. I can't draw any lands or removal, and he kills me with Restoration Angel and Kiki Jiki.
6-1
I can still ID into top 8 if I get paired up or my breakers are good, but once I see that I'm 8th in the standings I know I'm going to have to play.
8 Isgur, Benjamin - 4 Color Pod
Game 1 I keep a questionable hand, and am never in it since he was on the play. I probably should have mulliganed since I knew I'd be on the draw. Game 2 I once again miss land drops, and he has a Qasali Pridemage in his hand to kill me Khalni Heart, and I'm never really in it.
6-2
So I managed to not top 8 after starting 6-0, losing twice to what I consider to be a pretty good matchup. At least it wasn't as bad as this I knew it was possible to not top 8, and I don't think I was playing poorly, still just trying to win matches. It has made me reconsider how good Khalni Heart Expedition is, since I got blown out when they killed it two separate times. I finished 11th.
This is a textbook example of a tournament where I would have top 8 if IDing wasn't allowed, but it is, and I really can't blame anyone except myself. In general, I think I would prefer to not have IDing in tournaments.
For the rest of my holiday break, I've got to keep working on modern for the PTQ season as well as gear up for the PT in Montreal.
GP Indianapolis
I only had two byes, since the PWP bonus for winning a PTQ isn't retroactive. It was sealed deck on day one, so I felt like I had a decent chance to make day two anyway. The deck I opened up wasn't spectacular, but I felt like it had the tools. I built a RBu deck, splashing for Mercurial Chemister, Blustersquall, Izzet Staticaster, and Pursuit of Flight. I think I played one blue source too few for the build I had, since my black cards weren't nearly good enough to win on their own. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything else in blue to support a straight UR deck. I had an alternate GBw deck that was probably the best deck to play, but I misjudged the power level of the main deck and didn't board into it as often as I should have. The result was a very mediocre 5-4 finish at a GP where 6-3 had a decent shot to make the second day.
The one interesting story from the event occurred during the middle of day one. At this point, looking back on it, I'm fairly certain my opponent cheated me in one of the more savage cheats I've witnessed. I was up a game going into game 2, and my opponent made a rather elaborate show of trying to remember what his 40th card in his alternate deck was supposed to be. He finally figured it out, and piled out 40 cards. Then, on the last turn before he died, he "drew" a Sphinx's Revelation that allowed him to stabilize, and the card advantage he accumulated meant he eventually won the game. What I think happened is that he had the Revelation in his lap / sleeve before he piled, and then added it to the top of his deck on the turn he needed it. I didn't realize what happened until after I punted the third game to lose the match, I mentioned that his topdeck of the Sphinx's Revelation was very good for him game 2, but he made a comment about "having it in his hand the whole game", which I knew to be false since he had no cards in hand the turn he drew it. Eventually I put two and two together, but it was far too late and there is too little evidence to do anything about it. It's cheats like these that are so hard to catch in real time that it makes me upset that the DCI doesn't suspend people when they have video evidence of them doing these things. I'll have more to say about this in an upcoming article about cheating.
PTQ Philadelphia
The only Magic cards I brought with me on the trip was a Modern deck to use at the PTQ that happened the last weekend of December in Philadelphia, PA. I played the following list:
4 Sakura Tribe Elder
4 Primeval Titan
4 Farseek
4 Search for Tomorrow
4 Scapeshift
4 Remand
4 Izzet Charm
3 Khalni Heart Expedition
3 Prismatic Omen
4 Valakut the Molten Pinnacle
4 Stomping Ground
1 Steam Vents
1 Breeding Pool
4 Misty Rainforest
2 Scalding Tarn
3 Forest
1 Island
6 Mountain
Sideboard:
4 Ancient Grudge
4 Obstinate Baloth
2 Pyroclasm
2 Negate
2 Cyclonic Rift
1 Vexing Shusher
Here's how the tournament went:
R1 Chang, Morgan - Eggs
Game 1 He went off turn 3 with Silence backup. Game 2 I Negate his Lotus Bloom, and he stalls for a few turns, and I kill him with Khalni Heart Expedition. Game 3 He mulligans to five, and attempts to Silence me the turn I'm going to kill him, but I have the Negate to win on the spot.
1-0
R2 Kemple, Chris - Burn
Game 1 He keeps a one lander, and never draws a second land. I take 3 a turn from his burn spells as I try to draw out of my mulligan to six with no green sources. Eventually I draw a Stomping Ground, but play it tapped to buy more time. He gets me to 2 life before I kill him with Scapeshift. Game 2 he has turn 0 Leyline of Sanctity, but I draw two Obstinate Baloths and just beat him down.
2-0
3 Ozulas, David - BW Tokens
I lost almost every game I played against this deck to Sam Friedman while were playtesting between rounds at the GP, but both games my opponent kept hands without any disruption so I killed him on turn 4 both times.
3-0
4 Natterman, Chris - Affinity
Game 1 he didn't have Cranial Plating, so I had an extra turn to set up and Scapeshifted him out while at 5 life. Game 2 he mulligans to 5, I have 3x Obstinate Baloth, but I lose to his 2x Tempered Steel and Inkmoth Nexus. Game 3 I draw 2x Ancient Grudge and have all the time in the world to kill him.
4-0
5 Drebsky, David - Kithkin
Game 1 he plays some Kithkins, I kill him with Scapeshit. Game 2 I prevent him from using his Windbrisk Heights that is hiding an Aven Mindcensor, and I kill him with Scapeshift.
5-0
6 Kohler, Justin - Esper Planeswalkers
Game 1 we both mulligan to 5. He gets stuck on land, but i'm flooded. Eventually he draws out of it and gets a Batterskull to start attacking me. On the turn before I die, I topdeck Scapeshift and still have enough mountains left to search out and kill him. Game 2 He has Leyline of Sanctity. I have plenty of time to find my Cyclonic Rift, but never get there and he kills me with Batterskull again. Game 3 he gets stuck on two land, even after 2x Spreading Seas on my Valakuts, so I have enough time to ramp to Primeval Titan and Scapeshift when he's tapped out.
6-0
Because the tournament was 189 players, I know that 6-1-1 won't be a lock for top 8, but 6-0-2 should be. I'm hoping to get paired with the only guy I actually know at the tournament, Max Brown, and draw into top 8. However, I get paired down. That's ok, just have to win.
7 MULLIN, ZACHARY - 4 Color Pod
Game 1 I ramp up and Scapeshift kill him very easily. Game 2 I mulligan, stall on lands, and he has the Qasali Pridemage he drew to kill my Khalni Heart. I still can play a control route, but I only have one blue source, which he taps down with the Exarch he drew and kills me with Kiki Jiki. Game 3 I ramp into double STE, but he ramps into pod and Mindcensor. I can't draw any lands or removal, and he kills me with Restoration Angel and Kiki Jiki.
6-1
I can still ID into top 8 if I get paired up or my breakers are good, but once I see that I'm 8th in the standings I know I'm going to have to play.
8 Isgur, Benjamin - 4 Color Pod
Game 1 I keep a questionable hand, and am never in it since he was on the play. I probably should have mulliganed since I knew I'd be on the draw. Game 2 I once again miss land drops, and he has a Qasali Pridemage in his hand to kill me Khalni Heart, and I'm never really in it.
6-2
So I managed to not top 8 after starting 6-0, losing twice to what I consider to be a pretty good matchup. At least it wasn't as bad as this I knew it was possible to not top 8, and I don't think I was playing poorly, still just trying to win matches. It has made me reconsider how good Khalni Heart Expedition is, since I got blown out when they killed it two separate times. I finished 11th.
This is a textbook example of a tournament where I would have top 8 if IDing wasn't allowed, but it is, and I really can't blame anyone except myself. In general, I think I would prefer to not have IDing in tournaments.
For the rest of my holiday break, I've got to keep working on modern for the PTQ season as well as gear up for the PT in Montreal.
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