My preparation for the GP was solid. Since Dragon's Maze came out as school was ending, I've been able to do 10-15 drafts in real life. I never got around to drafting on MTGO like I did several times during RTR season (and then won a limited PTQ), but it wasn't like I was going in cold having not played the format at all like I did before PT Montreal. I didn't do any sealed practice, but I still felt comfortable because my experience with the original RGD sealed, as well as sealed in general.
I didn't think I had any byes, since the amount of sanctioned Magic I've played since January was pretty low. Turns out I was confused about when the planeswalker point season ended, and I still had two byes. This is great. I signed up for the sleep in special, since I live 5 minutes from downtown. When I got to the site on Saturday at the required time (noon), the non-sleep in people were still building decks. I went ahead and built my deck anyway. I have the list somewhere, maybe I'll add it here when I get it. Highlights were Aetherling, Firemane Avenger, and Warleader's Helix. I built WRu at first, but by the end of the day I was boarding into UWr as most of the red cards I was playing were pretty bad in sealed, and the blue fliers I had in my sideboard won me most of the games that didn't involve Aetherling.
An aside of Aetherling: I was skeptical that it was the best card you wanted in sealed. I would have preferred Angel of Serenity, or Mizzium Mortars / Cyclonic Rift before the tournament, but now I will say that Aetherling is the best. Also, Pack Rat isn't even close to this discussion, so don't bring it up.
Eventually I get to play Magic.
R1-2 Bye
2-0
R3 Harris, Christopher
Game 1 I'm on the back foot, but manage to regain tempo with Voidweilder and attack back with some fliers. Things are looking good when he Arms and Dangerous his Leyline Phantom to get most of my team, but I have a few guys in hand to restabilize. I have Warleader's Helix in hand that I plan on using to win the race, but he overloads Dragonshift and I die when I'm tapped out. Game 2 I have a good start, racing his wind drake, but on turn 6 while I'm at 16 and tapped out he Dragonshifts, Arms, and Giant Growths to kill me dead. This is a very disappointing way to start a tournament.
2-1
He was European I think. Both games involved a slow build up of forces on both sides, but he would then play Luminarch Primordial, Foundry Champion, and Boros Battleshaper and I would be completely dead. It wasn't very interesting.
2-2
Now my back is against the wall, and my deck seemed to be much worse than I thought. Maybe my prediction about not making day 2 was true. Maybe I don't have the fire or edge anymore to compete at these things. Maybe I'm not good at sealed. All of these doubts running through my head, but none so big that a trip through the loser's bracket couldn't cure...
R5 Hochman, Will
This kid was about 13 or 14. I think he belonged to one of the dealers, since he had a shirt on that said something to that affect. I mentioned being upset about my record and not wanting to play anymore, and he suggested I concede. I appreciate the effort. Game 1 I win when he floods out terribly. Game 2 it looks like I'm going to win easy after he bloodrushes his Rubblebet Maaka onto his Daggerdrome Imp on turn 3 just to gain some more life. He then attacks the next turn into my Vassal Soul and I block, and he just bins his Imp. Along with the Firemane Avenger I have in play, things are looking good. Then he Grisly Spectacles my Avenger, milling Aetherling, Inaction Injuction, and Debter's Puplit. He follows this up with his own Atherling (that Pulpit in the yard mocking me even more!), and the game has gone from unloseable to dead on board in two turns. I still have Vassal Soul and Boros Mastiff, and a Maze Sentinel lets me try to race, but all this life he gained from the Imp is going to be too much to beat, even with the Warleader's Helix in my hand. He attacks me down to 2 with the Aetherling, leaving his Truefire Paladin back on defense. I Pursuit of Flight my Mastiff and attack with the team, going to 6 in the process. On his turn he attacks with Paladin and Aetherling, then makes Aetherling unblockable. I think for a while then block Paladin with Sentinel. He pumps Paladin two times, and also Aetherling two times to threaten lethal damage, with one mana still untapped. I debate Helixing him and trading Sentinel for Paladin, or using it on the Paladin to save my Sentinel, either play keeps me alive. After a minute in the tank on this, I look over and realize he only has a Mountain untapped. Stunned, I decide to Helix the Aetherling. He taps the mountain and says "blink it". I tell him it takes blue mana to do
that. he says "yea I have it right here" pointing to his previously
tapped island, and I say "no you had red untapped kid" and then he
binned his guy. With no creatures left in play on his side, my Vassal Soul and Mastiff finished him off rather quickly after this. I was stunned at the sequence of events, and hoped it could be a turning point for the rest of the day.
3-2
R6 Treiber, Andre
I drew Aetherling in two games.
4-2
R7 Bordelon, Zack
I drew Aetherling in two of the games.
5-2
R8 Smith, Matthew
I lost game 1, then he had mana issues game 2. Game 3 was close. I had a large flying army and he had 2/4 reach, 3/3 reach, and Guardian of the Gateless. Things looked real bad when he cast Collective Blessing, but I used Azorius Justicar and Voidweilder on the Justicar to get two turns to alpha strike, doing just enough damage to win.
6-2
R9 Kaufmann, Loran
For the first time of the tournament, I'm playing someone I know, and Day 2 is on the line. Game one he has enough removal to keep up the pressure when he plays first. I draw first game two, and my fliers slowly whittle him down until I can finish him off with Warleader's Helix. Game three, he mulligans to 4 and I kept 4 lands and Aetherling on six, so it was an easy win. I felt bad that it had to be against someone I knew, but I was very relieved to have made day 2.
7-2
Got some food and went home to get some rest. I like to conserve energy during multi-day Magic events, and save the partying for the end.
My first draft on Sunday went ok. I wasn't thrilled about my deck immediately after, because I could have had an even better Rakdos deck, but the Orzov I ended up with was fine. I could have picked 5 Kruul Warriors to start the draft if I was so inclined, but ended up choosing Turn/Burn, Tithe Drinker, Rakdos Drake, Sin Collector, and Carnage Gladiator over each of them. I picked up another Rakdos Drake and some other split cards (Toil/Trouble and Breaking/Entering) as well as some cluestones to maybe go Grixis. Pack 2 I pick Cartel Aristocrat, then High Priest of Penance over Kingpin's Pet, a pick I'm still not sure about. I get another Aristocrat and some Deathcult Rogues, so my deck has a solid evasion game plan, but not much removal. Pack 3 I get Trostani's Judgement, Underworld Connections, and Pallisade Giant, as well as some more creatures like Keening Appirition and Azorius Justicar.. 8 bears total, along with 5 evasion 3 drops to finish the job.
10 J, Joe
This guy was from the same game store as Sam Friedman, they had the same shirt on. His deck wasn't great, and I Sin Collector on his Rootborn Defenses before overrunning him with bears. Game 2 was same.
8-2
11 Tobey, Aaron
Inevitable since we were in same pod, but I wish it would have been after both 2-0 so we could guarantee one of us 3-0. Game 1 he is slow and I get early damage, despite having to pay mana for Soul Tithe on Deathcult Rogue. When he plays Scab Clan Giant, it is randomly determined to kill the already enchanted Rogue, so I don't end up down a card. With the free mana, I can start to use Underworld Connections, and Deviant Glee on Daggerdrome Imp was enough of a clock that I didn't die before he did. Game 2 he flooded and my evasion guys easily killed him.
9-2
12 Bruno, David
The closest match of the weekend, and he ended up making top 8. Game 1 is a race, my Justicar buys me enough time, and hit Tithe Drinker and Deviant Glee on last turn of Underworld Connections to do just enough damage before I die. Game 2 I maybe punt by not eating his guy with my Aerial Maneuver in the mid game, taking 6 damage I could maybe have avoided, but we were racing 4 to 2 and it seemed like it might be useful later. Then he plays Trostani's Summoner, and I'm facing lethal. I attack him down to 6 with two Deathcult Rogues, and leave back Balustrade Spy and Cartel Aristocrat. I Maneuver the Aristocrat to first strike the Centaur, and the Spy chumps the Rhino, and I go to 1 and he has only the vigilant Knight token to block. I need to draw any creature to get through for lethal, but I blank. Maybe it was an aggressive attack, I haven't confirmed my choice. Game 3 I mulligan to six, miss my fourth land drop one too many times, and can't beat his Golgari Longlegs. It was another close game.
9-3
Draft 2 was very interesting. I took Bronzebeak Moa pick one, then Carnage Gladiator, then Renegade Krasis over Kruul Warrior (probably wrong), and another Carnage Gladiator. Despite this, I never saw a red card I could take, and ended up with more green and white cards. I tried to force Selesnya pack 2, but there wasn't much of anything there, and my deck's curve started at 3. Pack 3 I opened Pack Rat and already have two Orzov Guildgates and one Cluestone, so I decided to splash. I picked up a couple of mediocre two drops, and a Transguild Promenade to help the splash. Rix-Maadi Guildmage tabled, so Rakdos was open, just nothing good in the first two packs. The deck ended up worse than the first one, but I had Pack Rat so I hoped I could get at least two wins to get into the money.
13 Garber, Matthew
I lose game 1 to Rogue's Passage after I can't get through his 3/1 first strike flier. Game 2 he plays 3 plains but no other lands and I kill him. Game 3 he seems flooded, and I find a turn where I can attack with the team twice to put him dead unless he topdecks, and he doesn't.
10-3
14 Seck, Benjamin
Game 1 he Codex Shredder's himself into Psychic Spiral after stalling the board. I drew Pack Rat too late to race. Game 2 is more of the same, but I could have won if I drew second black to double activate Vizkopa Guildmage since he had taken enough early damage.
10-4
15 Hua, Ming
His deck didn't seem very good, and I drew enough early game to pressure him before he could do whatever it was his deck did. Game 2 was especially fast, with Dryad Militant and Burst of Strength to kill his Frilled Oculus, then Renegade Krasis and two 4-toughness creatures made my army huge. He died shortly after.
11-4
41st place
$200
I was a little disappointed by the result, but happy after the way day 1 started. I'm beginning to remember why I used to play limited almost exclusively. Part of it is that standard has been pretty miserable lately, but also I'm enjoying the games during drafts more. I'm looking forward to GP Vegas to play more sealed.
