I thought I posted before now? ANYWAY:
////////////////
The next 3 rounds are a bit speckled, because they went to time and I couldn't write them down immediately after.
Round 5
There was Ashleigh, a nice german fellow who looked like an aussie german blend. His deck lost two games straight, the first one because my fliers got there quite well, and the second because I got my Delver of Secrest flipped and equipped with Butcher's Cleaver straight away. He managed to amass a defense and smash me for plenty, but a Boiling Oil and a (3 kill an attacker) destroyed his attack, so instead of 12 it was for 3, then he died.
I had a Mikaeus who was huge, with the Cleaver, but he got a SilverclawGriffin that was bigger, and thanks to first strike who cares about life gain? I pumped Mikaeus some more, he put Inquisitor's Flail on it, and then I handed my Cleaver to my own Silverclaw Griffin. Thanks to the Flail it would deal enough damage at the same time to clean it up.
Games 2-0
Matches 3-1-1
Round 6
I forget. Maybe it'll come to me later. But I genuinely forget. He had stuff, that's right! Joe, my opponent named Joe. We had the same kind of cards, with both had Blasphemous Act, and we could both play around it. My Mikaeus was huge, and his team was good, and quicker but not quick enough to NOT deal with my junk, and then um...
Game 3, we go to time. It's 3 and 2 meaning 3 turns for me, 2 for him. He's low, near death. On my turn I gte Invisible Stalker to pair with Mikaeus. He can't attack seeing Mikaeus is 8/8ish. He has two blockers. Next turn I attack with just Mikaeus, which he doesn't raise an eyebrow at. He blocks with one creature, I use Blazing Torch on his remaining creature and then that's it -- if he doesn't have a blocker I'll win. Invisi-stalker could only deal 1, not enough, but he windmills his card for the turn...
And everybody can guess that it was a swamp.
Games 2-1
Matches 4-1-1
Round 7
This round I'm against Brendan, who I've been playing beside all day thanks to both of us being in the draw bracket. I even joked about it winding up that way, and there we are paired up.
Game 1 is great because he has many creatures, but I get the combo going, Cleaver for my Invisible Stalker. You think someone would see the digested meat, right? I'm swinging, he's only doing an effective one damage a turn, and surmouts an INCREDIBLE offense that I survive.
His mistakes: not flipping a Cloistered Youth. He was already into his main phase and playing a land, and I didn't mind it not flipping. The second was when he didn't play a Tragic Slip he had, and the third was masteful on my part.
I counted, and he had lethal next turn assuming I couldn't block. It's his turn, I smash him down to next turn letha and then attacks all out, tapping all my creatures...
Except for my Gargoyle. I look at his creatures, count up the power and say "So we're in blockers?" He says "That's lethal right?"
I draw the Gargoyle over to his 3/3 and block, saying "That shouldn't be." We count up, I take 7 in the end, go to 3. I swing back for the win next turn with my team, including my Galvanic Juggernaut. He came down early and just stayed tapped, yay!
Game 2 I win the 39 card bingo, as he sideboards for a while and seems angry. I count his cards, find 39 and call a judge. They take him away and yeah, it's only 39 so a game lose for him. Match to me.
Games 1-0
Matches
5-1-1
Assuming I win the next round I'll make day, being above all the 6-2-2 players, which is great and fun. Ammy is presumably 7-0 at this point, HAS made day two, and James as well. Wish me luck!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
OK, here we have Round 1!
This is all posts written thus far:
9.10
So we're all taking out seats to begin the deck registration. Well over a hundred players, about to open 6 boosters a piece, register what's in the deck and THEN pass it to another player to build with. Sounds easy, yeah?
The number of international and female players has risen sharply, compared to, say, normal Magic. Didn't manage to eat breakfast this morning as we hopped a taxi to get here on time. Shame, but my mate Gibs has a bye so he'll do a food round while I'm forced to win round 1. Easy pie.
This is exciting.
10.21
Deck built. Nice blue white flyers, with the Invisi-stalker/Butcher's Cleaver combo :)
Now everyone else can leave, the allow the poor saps without any round 1 byes to battle it out, for dignity, honour, and all that other stuff.
////////////////
My deck:
8 Islands
6 Plains
1 Mountain
2 Evolving Wilds
---
17 lands
2x Juggernaut
2x Stormbound Geist
Dungeongeist
Invisible Stalker
Angel of Flight Alabaster
Relentless Skaabs
Mikaeus, the Lunarch
Stitcher's Apprentice
Nephalia Seakite
Thraben Sentry
Selfless Cathar
Silverclaw Griffin
Delver of Secrest
---
15 creatures
Rebuke
Blazing Torch
Divination
Butcher's Cleaver
Blastphemous Act
Burning Oil
Feeling of Dread
Warden of the Wall
---
8 other
//////////
Round 1 v Dave
My opponent sports a black red deck that get's out dorks, but I get out a Seakite (he didn't run anyone into it) that I suit up with a Butcher's Cleaver (I wanted my Stalker to have it!) and he sets up a minor defense with Occultist and Nearhearth Stalker, only I've got Feeling of Dread to tap him out.
Game 2 he makes that Walking Undead, but I match that with Selfless Cathar and Stitcher's Apprentice, both going 2 a turn until 4 when Juggernaught shows up. He takes the first, and I write "2x Juggernaut" next to the life change on the life pad. He asks why? and I show him, next turn, the second Juggernaut. Along with the Stitcher's Apprentice for untapping, it looks well and truly over. Both bash in, he double blocks to trade but I use the Selfless Cathar from turn 1 and it's a blow out.
2-0 games
1-0 match
SO CONSIDERING how well the build went, getting that "round 1 bye" everybody was so hyped about wasn't really that profitable. Sure Dave is down one round, but he's not out yet, and everyone who's NOT played a proper match yet isn't quite warmed up. So here's hoping, hey?
9.10
So we're all taking out seats to begin the deck registration. Well over a hundred players, about to open 6 boosters a piece, register what's in the deck and THEN pass it to another player to build with. Sounds easy, yeah?
The number of international and female players has risen sharply, compared to, say, normal Magic. Didn't manage to eat breakfast this morning as we hopped a taxi to get here on time. Shame, but my mate Gibs has a bye so he'll do a food round while I'm forced to win round 1. Easy pie.
This is exciting.
10.21
Deck built. Nice blue white flyers, with the Invisi-stalker/Butcher's Cleaver combo :)
Now everyone else can leave, the allow the poor saps without any round 1 byes to battle it out, for dignity, honour, and all that other stuff.
////////////////
My deck:
8 Islands
6 Plains
1 Mountain
2 Evolving Wilds
---
17 lands
2x Juggernaut
2x Stormbound Geist
Dungeongeist
Invisible Stalker
Angel of Flight Alabaster
Relentless Skaabs
Mikaeus, the Lunarch
Stitcher's Apprentice
Nephalia Seakite
Thraben Sentry
Selfless Cathar
Silverclaw Griffin
Delver of Secrest
---
15 creatures
Rebuke
Blazing Torch
Divination
Butcher's Cleaver
Blastphemous Act
Burning Oil
Feeling of Dread
Warden of the Wall
---
8 other
//////////
Round 1 v Dave
My opponent sports a black red deck that get's out dorks, but I get out a Seakite (he didn't run anyone into it) that I suit up with a Butcher's Cleaver (I wanted my Stalker to have it!) and he sets up a minor defense with Occultist and Nearhearth Stalker, only I've got Feeling of Dread to tap him out.
Game 2 he makes that Walking Undead, but I match that with Selfless Cathar and Stitcher's Apprentice, both going 2 a turn until 4 when Juggernaught shows up. He takes the first, and I write "2x Juggernaut" next to the life change on the life pad. He asks why? and I show him, next turn, the second Juggernaut. Along with the Stitcher's Apprentice for untapping, it looks well and truly over. Both bash in, he double blocks to trade but I use the Selfless Cathar from turn 1 and it's a blow out.
2-0 games
1-0 match
SO CONSIDERING how well the build went, getting that "round 1 bye" everybody was so hyped about wasn't really that profitable. Sure Dave is down one round, but he's not out yet, and everyone who's NOT played a proper match yet isn't quite warmed up. So here's hoping, hey?
Day 1 of GP Melbourne
8.30am
The phone goes off and I get dressed and meet Gibs downstairs, where I write this and where there is a BEVVY of young girls. Don't get excited, they're all too young for you, but it's obvious there's some girls school event being run here. I keep the door open for three girls who're meeting up with everyone down stairs, and one of them realises that they left their key with the teacher, so how're they going to get back in?
Gibs is finding something to eat while I write this. We're going to walk to the tram, catch that down to Flinders street then walk the rest of the way. I have a feeling I may miss the first grinder, but I'm OK with that.
On the topic of grinders I may only do one or two. It's $40 a pop, plus I gotta pay $40 to even enter tomorrow, so I don't wanna do myself in before the main event's even begun. We'll arrive, figure out when they're doing the sealed, and then maybe float around until then.
11.55am
Finally found a chance to sit and do nothing. This is after:
Finding the MCE and realising that it's the wrong place. We DID venture there, Amy and I, for the Dr Who in january but it's not the same place. So after an hour of walking to the wrong place, we had another half hour of walking the correct way.
After the finding the real place, finding which section of the place was the real actual location for all the Magic fun.
After finding the event, finding a cash machine (still unfound as I write this)
Giving up and sitting down after consuming my second bottle of coke for the day and a jam filled chocolate doughnut.
SO let's just say it's very tiring walking around with your bag for far longer than you imagined, but we'll be better planned for tomorrow. I'm signed into the third grinder of the day (Sealed) and after I've had a break I'll look for the ATM again. Maybe. I hates it.
Anyway, the help here was non-existant. There is ZERO signs to an atm. I asked one fella where the atm was, and he pointed kind of THERE. I asked a second, who pointed there as well, but said don't go that way and they mentioned a players lounge. That was closed, for sure. Then I asked another person who said "Melbourne Cricket Ground" and that was a first, some solid location, before 3 more people joined in and tried to give us further directions.
Apparently you need to go back around the front and INSIDE as if you were buying a ticket from ticketek, and there's an ATM in there. You also need to want to walk around there for the third time. At the moment, I lack this desire.
2.41pm
Sealed number 3
Well I sat down, opened my card pool and it had both Brimstone Volley, Fires of Undeath, Skirsdag Flayer and Thraben Doomsayer. But that's OK because I got passed a pool with foil Liliana of the Veil, so I was set and sold that to my mate to pay for my next sealed.
My pool was great, but didn't win. Game 1 I get an early Vorapede out, but my opponent Matt makes a Fortress crab who can block all day. I formulated a plan to sack it to my Falkenrath Torturer, as this would make him big enough to bash in, but I didn't want to kill it the first time for my opponent. In the end, bad choice. He takes game 1, game 2 I take real quick and game 3 goes to time as beat down early, Lili and such to kill his blockers but he assembles the Invisible Stalker and Butcher's Cleaver.
The race was very exciting, players all waiting on us (last match) and I bash, lose a creature so he gtes morbid'd for 5 to Brimstone Volley, then Fires of Undeath, but he bashed next turn, then Brimstone and Snapcaster'd it back. Bad beats, so close oh wells.
Now for sealed 2!
7.14
I'm writing this a BIT after it happened.
Sealed grinder number 2 gets off to a far more humble start, and there's less buzz seeing I've already done the open, register, pass and build that occurs. My pool isn't anything amazing and I build a red/green/white/black thing, which isn't super bad but is really rather inconsistent. I play a few too many red splashes, like Mondronen Shaman and Rage Thrower, and lose the first round.
It was close-ish though. Game 1 I win convincingly, game 2 he gets Fengraf Monstrosity while I get nothing, and game 3 I mull down to four. Nobody likes that, it's a boring fight, there's minor hopes that the underdog can pull it out, and some times they will, but most often it's just the simple thrashing everyone expects, as this was.
After this I got myself and Gibbers, or he got me, and we left to find a pub. Alone with his came Shane, a mate of his. We spent AGES finding a pub, also trying to follow people directions which were about as useful as those given earlier about the ATM.
I did also find the ATM btw. Thanks to the heavenly saints I know up in Lismore, they walked me very much right up to it, where it charged me $2 to check my account, then another $2.50 (why increase?) to actually take some monies out.
Aside aside, we find a pub called insignia, where I'm so starved and done in from the day (Gibbs eventually traded my bag off me, considering how damn heavy it was) that I ordered a beer without considering the shout's rights. So Craig started the shouts and I have yet to return them, though I have just noticed that his glass is empty.
So the day has been a joy and success. I played Magic, met players, cheered my mates on and found no real success myself, though only paying for one event (my openings from the previous paid for the second) was good.
I imagine tonight will devolve into unrecordable events, so I'll maybe remember them, but most likely not.
10.42
So day 1 has ended. I didn't win any grinders, but Ammy did (proud of her) and Tim did (a lismorian, must be proud of him) and I've gotten two more loads of cards for only the one payment (Lilli paid for the second go).
We had a few drinks (too many?) before trekking home. I find the way pretty easy enough, while we pass a few suggestive places with names like "The main course" and well, ya know. We found the Melbourne equivalent of Kings Cross, lessay.
So, tomorrow we awake for an early trip in to the city, we know the way there a lot better but have to be there by 8.45, we think. I need to drink a lot of water, before retiring for the night and changing into the GP shirt that we all got when we registered today.
The phone goes off and I get dressed and meet Gibs downstairs, where I write this and where there is a BEVVY of young girls. Don't get excited, they're all too young for you, but it's obvious there's some girls school event being run here. I keep the door open for three girls who're meeting up with everyone down stairs, and one of them realises that they left their key with the teacher, so how're they going to get back in?
Gibs is finding something to eat while I write this. We're going to walk to the tram, catch that down to Flinders street then walk the rest of the way. I have a feeling I may miss the first grinder, but I'm OK with that.
On the topic of grinders I may only do one or two. It's $40 a pop, plus I gotta pay $40 to even enter tomorrow, so I don't wanna do myself in before the main event's even begun. We'll arrive, figure out when they're doing the sealed, and then maybe float around until then.
11.55am
Finally found a chance to sit and do nothing. This is after:
Finding the MCE and realising that it's the wrong place. We DID venture there, Amy and I, for the Dr Who in january but it's not the same place. So after an hour of walking to the wrong place, we had another half hour of walking the correct way.
After the finding the real place, finding which section of the place was the real actual location for all the Magic fun.
After finding the event, finding a cash machine (still unfound as I write this)
Giving up and sitting down after consuming my second bottle of coke for the day and a jam filled chocolate doughnut.
SO let's just say it's very tiring walking around with your bag for far longer than you imagined, but we'll be better planned for tomorrow. I'm signed into the third grinder of the day (Sealed) and after I've had a break I'll look for the ATM again. Maybe. I hates it.
Anyway, the help here was non-existant. There is ZERO signs to an atm. I asked one fella where the atm was, and he pointed kind of THERE. I asked a second, who pointed there as well, but said don't go that way and they mentioned a players lounge. That was closed, for sure. Then I asked another person who said "Melbourne Cricket Ground" and that was a first, some solid location, before 3 more people joined in and tried to give us further directions.
Apparently you need to go back around the front and INSIDE as if you were buying a ticket from ticketek, and there's an ATM in there. You also need to want to walk around there for the third time. At the moment, I lack this desire.
2.41pm
Sealed number 3
Well I sat down, opened my card pool and it had both Brimstone Volley, Fires of Undeath, Skirsdag Flayer and Thraben Doomsayer. But that's OK because I got passed a pool with foil Liliana of the Veil, so I was set and sold that to my mate to pay for my next sealed.
My pool was great, but didn't win. Game 1 I get an early Vorapede out, but my opponent Matt makes a Fortress crab who can block all day. I formulated a plan to sack it to my Falkenrath Torturer, as this would make him big enough to bash in, but I didn't want to kill it the first time for my opponent. In the end, bad choice. He takes game 1, game 2 I take real quick and game 3 goes to time as beat down early, Lili and such to kill his blockers but he assembles the Invisible Stalker and Butcher's Cleaver.
The race was very exciting, players all waiting on us (last match) and I bash, lose a creature so he gtes morbid'd for 5 to Brimstone Volley, then Fires of Undeath, but he bashed next turn, then Brimstone and Snapcaster'd it back. Bad beats, so close oh wells.
Now for sealed 2!
7.14
I'm writing this a BIT after it happened.
Sealed grinder number 2 gets off to a far more humble start, and there's less buzz seeing I've already done the open, register, pass and build that occurs. My pool isn't anything amazing and I build a red/green/white/black thing, which isn't super bad but is really rather inconsistent. I play a few too many red splashes, like Mondronen Shaman and Rage Thrower, and lose the first round.
It was close-ish though. Game 1 I win convincingly, game 2 he gets Fengraf Monstrosity while I get nothing, and game 3 I mull down to four. Nobody likes that, it's a boring fight, there's minor hopes that the underdog can pull it out, and some times they will, but most often it's just the simple thrashing everyone expects, as this was.
After this I got myself and Gibbers, or he got me, and we left to find a pub. Alone with his came Shane, a mate of his. We spent AGES finding a pub, also trying to follow people directions which were about as useful as those given earlier about the ATM.
I did also find the ATM btw. Thanks to the heavenly saints I know up in Lismore, they walked me very much right up to it, where it charged me $2 to check my account, then another $2.50 (why increase?) to actually take some monies out.
Aside aside, we find a pub called insignia, where I'm so starved and done in from the day (Gibbs eventually traded my bag off me, considering how damn heavy it was) that I ordered a beer without considering the shout's rights. So Craig started the shouts and I have yet to return them, though I have just noticed that his glass is empty.
So the day has been a joy and success. I played Magic, met players, cheered my mates on and found no real success myself, though only paying for one event (my openings from the previous paid for the second) was good.
I imagine tonight will devolve into unrecordable events, so I'll maybe remember them, but most likely not.
10.42
So day 1 has ended. I didn't win any grinders, but Ammy did (proud of her) and Tim did (a lismorian, must be proud of him) and I've gotten two more loads of cards for only the one payment (Lilli paid for the second go).
We had a few drinks (too many?) before trekking home. I find the way pretty easy enough, while we pass a few suggestive places with names like "The main course" and well, ya know. We found the Melbourne equivalent of Kings Cross, lessay.
So, tomorrow we awake for an early trip in to the city, we know the way there a lot better but have to be there by 8.45, we think. I need to drink a lot of water, before retiring for the night and changing into the GP shirt that we all got when we registered today.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
GP Melbourne: Day 0
Or "pre day." Tonight I share a nice dinner/drink with my gal before tomorrow I speed home and pack my bags for many a day of Magic fun!
Friday is grinding all day. This means atleast $80 on new cards I wont care about moments after making the top 1 spot and claiming my three free byes, yee!
Saturday is THE big day. Sealed, a few rounds, then hoping that I make day 2. I'll keep you posted.
Sunday is either day 2 to some mild monies and success, or travelling around Victoria and having a look at her beautiful beauties. Eitherway, success and much fun to be had, assuredly!
Keep checking back here for updates through out the week.
I'm travelling with C Gibs, as I said, and our flight isn't til 8.10pm tomorrow night. Before then, mad panic as we weigh up what we need more: clothes or cards?
Friday is grinding all day. This means atleast $80 on new cards I wont care about moments after making the top 1 spot and claiming my three free byes, yee!
Saturday is THE big day. Sealed, a few rounds, then hoping that I make day 2. I'll keep you posted.
Sunday is either day 2 to some mild monies and success, or travelling around Victoria and having a look at her beautiful beauties. Eitherway, success and much fun to be had, assuredly!
Keep checking back here for updates through out the week.
I'm travelling with C Gibs, as I said, and our flight isn't til 8.10pm tomorrow night. Before then, mad panic as we weigh up what we need more: clothes or cards?
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Melbourne GP 2012!!
Tomorrow we set flight! Victoria is a brilliant little state, and I love Melbourne ever since I visited back in January. (Doctor Who symphony orchestra, beautiful geek love there).
I'm travelling with man C Gibs (he's not a rapper) instead of the usual go-to guru Rony because he's gotten a life and a job and has to deal with that. Which is rather funny, considering my own switch from "nothing but work" last to "nothing but play, at the possible expense of work" this year. Let's rock this!
Now I haven't updated since January 19, which was a shock because I didn't think it had been that long. Eitherway, the explanation is that I stopped playing FNM once I visited Lismore to help with the Dark Ascension prerelease, and without even realising it I've been doing some very good level 2 judge stuff.
Namely mentoring Lismore and her judge lvl 0s enough for them to pass their lvl 1s. They haven't passed yet, but I'm being pulled over to help assess their abilities at GP Melbourne, so that's fun stuff for them and was entirely unnoticed by myself. I was just helping a mate to run his store and his Magic games, and it came naturally.
So expect a good write up of the event, the flight, the location we stayed and some geek love for Melbourne. My sweety wont be with me this time (she was for Doctor Who) but that's OK, it's always good to have a small smidgen of time apart so you can miss the other person properly.
ALSO if you love Magic cards that rip on Magic cards, here's Nyxathid Goes to Town by a budding artist and designer extraordinare Petr Joura.
http://nyxathidgoestotown.wordpress.com/
We'll see you after the jump.
Fox.
I'm travelling with man C Gibs (he's not a rapper) instead of the usual go-to guru Rony because he's gotten a life and a job and has to deal with that. Which is rather funny, considering my own switch from "nothing but work" last to "nothing but play, at the possible expense of work" this year. Let's rock this!
Now I haven't updated since January 19, which was a shock because I didn't think it had been that long. Eitherway, the explanation is that I stopped playing FNM once I visited Lismore to help with the Dark Ascension prerelease, and without even realising it I've been doing some very good level 2 judge stuff.
Namely mentoring Lismore and her judge lvl 0s enough for them to pass their lvl 1s. They haven't passed yet, but I'm being pulled over to help assess their abilities at GP Melbourne, so that's fun stuff for them and was entirely unnoticed by myself. I was just helping a mate to run his store and his Magic games, and it came naturally.
So expect a good write up of the event, the flight, the location we stayed and some geek love for Melbourne. My sweety wont be with me this time (she was for Doctor Who) but that's OK, it's always good to have a small smidgen of time apart so you can miss the other person properly.
ALSO if you love Magic cards that rip on Magic cards, here's Nyxathid Goes to Town by a budding artist and designer extraordinare Petr Joura.
http://nyxathidgoestotown.wordpress.com/
We'll see you after the jump.
Fox.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
3-1! We're kicking tha bottoms.
Hallo, I am very happy to say that all of the win conditions I bought yesterday won a game themself. A Mirran Crusader suited up with Sword War and Peace is lotsa fun (with just 1 card in the opponent's hand, that's 10 damage) and Geist of St Traft lead to a very cool victory round 3. Or 2. Anyway, the games!
At Blacktown again, I'm paired against Blake who's fresh from work and newish to Magic.
Round 1 v Blake with red deck gets there.
Unfortunately for Blake, red deck didn't get there, though the story is funny. There's a turn 1 Reckless Waif that doesn't flip because I keep smoothing my hand and making plays until I land a Hero of Bladehold. Easy victory? Naaah, he's got the maindeck Combust for it (yikes!). That's OK, my hands full of threats so I just play another Hero and hope it sticks. Nope, Combust number 2 torches her.
The game continues uneventful for a moment as his Waif does flip and begins bashing in, when I cast my Mirran Crusader hoping to staunch the flow before it can begin. He answers with, yes you guessed it, Flame Slash.
What? Flame Slash? And sorcery speed mind you?? Funnily enough I pointed out that Flame Slash was a sorcery BEFORE that it wasn't even legal standard. "I gotta call the guy running this thing," I tell Blake, and the runner comes in from his smoke break/phone call. Seeing this isn't FNM I didn't say anything. My opponent was awarded a game lose, asked if he had any other nonlegal cards and we were told to play on from the current situation. I don't know that I like the 'play on' rule, seeing I was winning and was about to be handed another win for an easy match.
Still, it's not official FNM, though it is DCI sanctioned, though it is REGULAR so who knows/cares/whatever. We find a few Lightning Bolt and even a Chain Lightning in his deck, and I figure it's the lightning bolt special fanciness type deck, replace them all with Mountains and continue play.
Back to the action, Mirran Crusader looks smarmy bashing in next turn, when Elspeth shows up and makes dorks, gains me some life and a Fireball from Blake doesn't do much to save him.
1-0
1-0
That feels odd to write. Funnily enough the commoission the unStandard cards caused went along the table, and in round 2 one of the fellas who was talking about it got busted for Ornithopters. Good games!
My round 1 opponent was the amazing Mr Anderson.
Round 2 vs Wolf Run Wolf
Seeing the match up but not knowing the wolf part of it (ramp into lotsa mana, drop a lot of which Wolves exactly?) I keep a good hand for me that doesn't get there. His Birds of Paradise begin attacking when doubled with a Green Sun Zenith for another, followed by a Hero of Oxid Ridge. It's hard to block without creatures, let alone being dead.
For game 2 I sideboarded in my Dismembers and Spellskites, hoping he'd get anyone but his Hero's. He plays a Mayor of Avabruck early which I Dismember, going to 16, because my Geist of St Traft doesn't need to die yet. He drops to 14 off my first attack, tries to make a Kirin Outlaw as a blocker which gets Oblivion Ring'd and he takes another hit, going to 8. He has another Kirin Outlaw which I Dismember again [to 12] but then Consecrated Sphinx shows up and seals the deal.
Game 3 I don't change my sideboarding, though considering the Hero of Oxid Ridge I should have taken out the Spellskites.
Anderson gets an early Getstaf Shepherd who flips rather quick and my Phantasmal Image tries keeping up but he doesn't really. My hand is filled with complicated tricky measures I *could* take to stop the flow, but he has Midnight Howling [the werewolf enchantment] so that my Day of Judgment is useless, and he uses Kessig Wolf Run on my Phantasm who just can't hack the hike. I die pretty soundly, Anderson on a flush looking 16.
2-1
1-1
I also make a mental note: Actually Ghost Quarter's to the main, stupid. I forgot t mention I had counted my deck in between rounds and found 59 cards in the main. I'd removed a Plains for 2 Ghost Qs but neglected to put them in. This may have changed the match results (game loss each, then just play one game) but the result is the same. I ask Runner for the land banks and gets myself a nice replacement Island.
Round 3 versus Rony.
Yet again, my best mate/arch nemesis Rony is the opponent. He's trying a Burning Vengeance deck, which I think is great. Playing FNM the points are really worth it and the boosters are rather arbitary as to who gets them, so the games are just for fun. We tested before the event and he countered everything I did and had a B Vengeance on board when the first round was called, so I didn't know what my chances looked like.
Game 1 I keep 7 and he keeps 6, and he has the Burning Vengeance turn 3. I drop a Hero to just lay the smacks in, but he has a Geistflame and flashes it back to kill the Hero. I think that's a pretty good capability for the deck, but I answer with Consecrated Sphinx and begin drawing oodles, then next turn follow it up with a Sphinx copy via Phantasmal Image. He tries for a Forbidden Alchemy but it finds nothing and he concedes to 8 flying power and me drawing 5 a turn cycle.
Game 2 I sideboard in all my Negates, because they were especially good, and ask Rony jokingly "You're creatureless aren't you?" He confirms so I out all the Timely Reinforcments and Day of Judgment for goodstuff, including another Mirran Crusader.
Game 2 Rony and me lay lands until he tries to Alchemy, which I Leak. He doesn't have the counter-counter and just shrugs as he draws, me joking "Did you need that to draw out of a rut?" He drops the Burning Vengeance next, when I get a Hero and we all know that 7>2. Only he has a Sever the Bloodline for it, so I drop Gideon and hope to avoid all the creature removal he has.
Gidy gets him down to 14, then 8 then a Mirran Crusader joins my side of the fight which gets Mana Leak'd but I pay the 3. Rony's last turn he casts a Snapcaster Mage (liar! There WERE creatures!) but I check out his graveyard and see only a Sever the Bloodline that could make things bad. Dissapate does away with that removal and Rony dies.
2-0
2-1
My final round is against David, playing green white with artifacts in. He's got the powerful stuff, ala Gideon and DoJ, so he's playing green/white "me".
We both keep 7 and he has an early Jade Mage, which I copy with Phantasmal Image to keep the beats off/trade. He doesn't beat, so I do him down to 18. Hero comes down for me, which gets matched by a Druidic Satchel (for reals). I've written here *squints* P. H. squiggle, so I don't know what I played next, but he drops from 18 to 8, taking 7 from Hero-tokens and 3 from the Jade Mage. Hero 2 comes down, and he has a Day of Judgment! Back breaking, if I didn't have another Hero, the third. His answer then is Gideon, who says "Come at me bro," in a real convincing manner, so my team does buying David another turn.
He has a Satchel there after which isn't enough to beat my Hero beats matched with another Phantasmal Image-Hero.
Game 1 I sideboard Negate for his Gideon, Day of Judgment etc. We both keep 7 and I get a very stiff question straight away. He drops Grand Abolisher (no mana leak, no dissappate, etc) so for turn 2 there's no point in playing an untapped land. Does that mean Seachrome Coast or Glacial Fortress? I drop the Fortress tapped, figuring a turn 3 Seachrome Coast to Oblivion Ring the Abolisher is just delicious.
He gets a Satchel on an empty board, which isn't itself threatening but without any pressure from me it threatens to take control of the game. I get another Oblivion Ring so he drops Scepter of the Empires and begins a long game of plinking me down. I'm down to 17 when I get Elspeth and make some dorks, and gain life up to 20 again, but all the while he plinks me with Sceptre. He resolves a Garruk's Companion which begins beating me for 3 a turn and uses his Exilir to go up to 25.
I'm down to 14 when Elesh Norn shows up for the first time ever and rips the game a new one. My soldiers are 3/3, I bash for goods (his 2 minions died) and I make another 3 tokens with Elspeth, and then he Day of Judgments. Yeah, that happens some times.
He's at sixteen after my attack, I drop a Mirran Crusader with Mana Leak back up and he tries to Day of Judgment again. I counter it with Mana Leak and that's rather game, as he has no more threats or counters and his 14 just gets chewed out. Sword of War and Peace shows up and makes it two "small" attacks before I've got the match.
2-0
3-1
So a beaut 3-1 performance! There was certainly times when I could have played smarter, such as dropping loads of creatures into two Day of Judgments. Losing Elesh and all those lovely 3/3 Soldier tokens wasn't so bad though, considering the way I played. I knew the possibility was there, and it meant I could win NOW if he didn't have DoJ. He did, but because of how I'd chosen to play I still had the just-as-lethal threat or Mirran Crusader+Sword.
As I said above the Sword and Geist were both worth it, though I think St Traft will be moved to the sideboard. I like him in games against removal.dec, but he needs more cards to remove blockers and ones that preferably don't cost me 4 life to play. You know, those Vapor Snags I never added.
In his place the Mirran Crusader will rejoin the maindeck (so 2x main) also because of the Sword of War and Peace. It's just nice to know how quick that clock is, and only blue creatures can block after the Swords on the Crusader.
So after my thoughts, here's tonights deck. Note to self: add those Lands. Tricksy lands.
Geist of St Traft to sideboard
Mana Leak/Timely Reinforcments from sb gone -> 2x Vapor Snag in.
So tonight's run (proper FNM, at Megagames again) will look like this:
8 Island
7 Plains
4 Seachrome Coast
4 Glacial Fortress
2 Ghost Quarter
---
25 lands
4 Hero of Bladehold
2 Wurmcoil Engine
2 Phantasmal Image
2 Consecrated Sphinx
2 Mirran Crusader
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
---
13 creatures
4 Ponder
4 Oblivion Ring
3 Timely Reinforcements
3 Dissipate
3 Mana Leak
2 Day of Judgment
1 Sword of War and Peace
1 Gideon Joura
1 Elspeth Tirel
---
22 others
2 Negate
2 Dismember
2 Steel Sabotage
2 Spellskites
2 Go for the Throat
1 Geist of Saint Traft
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Isolated Chapel
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Swamp
---
15 sideboard
OK so based on the cards I have upstairs, we're experimenting lightly with a black splash. Go for the Throat, Nihil with black for card draw. The Nihil would have been Forbidden Alchemy, but 1 mana is cheap to pay and the exile-your-bin isn't counterable, so against opposing Snapcaster Mage's I will be FEARLESS. The Ghost Quarter is against the self same decks, because when they get Drownyard going it's just yuck.
Thanks all, I'll letcha know!
At Blacktown again, I'm paired against Blake who's fresh from work and newish to Magic.
Round 1 v Blake with red deck gets there.
Unfortunately for Blake, red deck didn't get there, though the story is funny. There's a turn 1 Reckless Waif that doesn't flip because I keep smoothing my hand and making plays until I land a Hero of Bladehold. Easy victory? Naaah, he's got the maindeck Combust for it (yikes!). That's OK, my hands full of threats so I just play another Hero and hope it sticks. Nope, Combust number 2 torches her.
The game continues uneventful for a moment as his Waif does flip and begins bashing in, when I cast my Mirran Crusader hoping to staunch the flow before it can begin. He answers with, yes you guessed it, Flame Slash.
What? Flame Slash? And sorcery speed mind you?? Funnily enough I pointed out that Flame Slash was a sorcery BEFORE that it wasn't even legal standard. "I gotta call the guy running this thing," I tell Blake, and the runner comes in from his smoke break/phone call. Seeing this isn't FNM I didn't say anything. My opponent was awarded a game lose, asked if he had any other nonlegal cards and we were told to play on from the current situation. I don't know that I like the 'play on' rule, seeing I was winning and was about to be handed another win for an easy match.
Still, it's not official FNM, though it is DCI sanctioned, though it is REGULAR so who knows/cares/whatever. We find a few Lightning Bolt and even a Chain Lightning in his deck, and I figure it's the lightning bolt special fanciness type deck, replace them all with Mountains and continue play.
Back to the action, Mirran Crusader looks smarmy bashing in next turn, when Elspeth shows up and makes dorks, gains me some life and a Fireball from Blake doesn't do much to save him.
1-0
1-0
That feels odd to write. Funnily enough the commoission the unStandard cards caused went along the table, and in round 2 one of the fellas who was talking about it got busted for Ornithopters. Good games!
My round 1 opponent was the amazing Mr Anderson.
Round 2 vs Wolf Run Wolf
Seeing the match up but not knowing the wolf part of it (ramp into lotsa mana, drop a lot of which Wolves exactly?) I keep a good hand for me that doesn't get there. His Birds of Paradise begin attacking when doubled with a Green Sun Zenith for another, followed by a Hero of Oxid Ridge. It's hard to block without creatures, let alone being dead.
For game 2 I sideboarded in my Dismembers and Spellskites, hoping he'd get anyone but his Hero's. He plays a Mayor of Avabruck early which I Dismember, going to 16, because my Geist of St Traft doesn't need to die yet. He drops to 14 off my first attack, tries to make a Kirin Outlaw as a blocker which gets Oblivion Ring'd and he takes another hit, going to 8. He has another Kirin Outlaw which I Dismember again [to 12] but then Consecrated Sphinx shows up and seals the deal.
Game 3 I don't change my sideboarding, though considering the Hero of Oxid Ridge I should have taken out the Spellskites.
Anderson gets an early Getstaf Shepherd who flips rather quick and my Phantasmal Image tries keeping up but he doesn't really. My hand is filled with complicated tricky measures I *could* take to stop the flow, but he has Midnight Howling [the werewolf enchantment] so that my Day of Judgment is useless, and he uses Kessig Wolf Run on my Phantasm who just can't hack the hike. I die pretty soundly, Anderson on a flush looking 16.
2-1
1-1
I also make a mental note: Actually Ghost Quarter's to the main, stupid. I forgot t mention I had counted my deck in between rounds and found 59 cards in the main. I'd removed a Plains for 2 Ghost Qs but neglected to put them in. This may have changed the match results (game loss each, then just play one game) but the result is the same. I ask Runner for the land banks and gets myself a nice replacement Island.
Round 3 versus Rony.
Yet again, my best mate/arch nemesis Rony is the opponent. He's trying a Burning Vengeance deck, which I think is great. Playing FNM the points are really worth it and the boosters are rather arbitary as to who gets them, so the games are just for fun. We tested before the event and he countered everything I did and had a B Vengeance on board when the first round was called, so I didn't know what my chances looked like.
Game 1 I keep 7 and he keeps 6, and he has the Burning Vengeance turn 3. I drop a Hero to just lay the smacks in, but he has a Geistflame and flashes it back to kill the Hero. I think that's a pretty good capability for the deck, but I answer with Consecrated Sphinx and begin drawing oodles, then next turn follow it up with a Sphinx copy via Phantasmal Image. He tries for a Forbidden Alchemy but it finds nothing and he concedes to 8 flying power and me drawing 5 a turn cycle.
Game 2 I sideboard in all my Negates, because they were especially good, and ask Rony jokingly "You're creatureless aren't you?" He confirms so I out all the Timely Reinforcments and Day of Judgment for goodstuff, including another Mirran Crusader.
Game 2 Rony and me lay lands until he tries to Alchemy, which I Leak. He doesn't have the counter-counter and just shrugs as he draws, me joking "Did you need that to draw out of a rut?" He drops the Burning Vengeance next, when I get a Hero and we all know that 7>2. Only he has a Sever the Bloodline for it, so I drop Gideon and hope to avoid all the creature removal he has.
Gidy gets him down to 14, then 8 then a Mirran Crusader joins my side of the fight which gets Mana Leak'd but I pay the 3. Rony's last turn he casts a Snapcaster Mage (liar! There WERE creatures!) but I check out his graveyard and see only a Sever the Bloodline that could make things bad. Dissapate does away with that removal and Rony dies.
2-0
2-1
My final round is against David, playing green white with artifacts in. He's got the powerful stuff, ala Gideon and DoJ, so he's playing green/white "me".
We both keep 7 and he has an early Jade Mage, which I copy with Phantasmal Image to keep the beats off/trade. He doesn't beat, so I do him down to 18. Hero comes down for me, which gets matched by a Druidic Satchel (for reals). I've written here *squints* P. H. squiggle, so I don't know what I played next, but he drops from 18 to 8, taking 7 from Hero-tokens and 3 from the Jade Mage. Hero 2 comes down, and he has a Day of Judgment! Back breaking, if I didn't have another Hero, the third. His answer then is Gideon, who says "Come at me bro," in a real convincing manner, so my team does buying David another turn.
He has a Satchel there after which isn't enough to beat my Hero beats matched with another Phantasmal Image-Hero.
Game 1 I sideboard Negate for his Gideon, Day of Judgment etc. We both keep 7 and I get a very stiff question straight away. He drops Grand Abolisher (no mana leak, no dissappate, etc) so for turn 2 there's no point in playing an untapped land. Does that mean Seachrome Coast or Glacial Fortress? I drop the Fortress tapped, figuring a turn 3 Seachrome Coast to Oblivion Ring the Abolisher is just delicious.
He gets a Satchel on an empty board, which isn't itself threatening but without any pressure from me it threatens to take control of the game. I get another Oblivion Ring so he drops Scepter of the Empires and begins a long game of plinking me down. I'm down to 17 when I get Elspeth and make some dorks, and gain life up to 20 again, but all the while he plinks me with Sceptre. He resolves a Garruk's Companion which begins beating me for 3 a turn and uses his Exilir to go up to 25.
I'm down to 14 when Elesh Norn shows up for the first time ever and rips the game a new one. My soldiers are 3/3, I bash for goods (his 2 minions died) and I make another 3 tokens with Elspeth, and then he Day of Judgments. Yeah, that happens some times.
He's at sixteen after my attack, I drop a Mirran Crusader with Mana Leak back up and he tries to Day of Judgment again. I counter it with Mana Leak and that's rather game, as he has no more threats or counters and his 14 just gets chewed out. Sword of War and Peace shows up and makes it two "small" attacks before I've got the match.
2-0
3-1
So a beaut 3-1 performance! There was certainly times when I could have played smarter, such as dropping loads of creatures into two Day of Judgments. Losing Elesh and all those lovely 3/3 Soldier tokens wasn't so bad though, considering the way I played. I knew the possibility was there, and it meant I could win NOW if he didn't have DoJ. He did, but because of how I'd chosen to play I still had the just-as-lethal threat or Mirran Crusader+Sword.
As I said above the Sword and Geist were both worth it, though I think St Traft will be moved to the sideboard. I like him in games against removal.dec, but he needs more cards to remove blockers and ones that preferably don't cost me 4 life to play. You know, those Vapor Snags I never added.
In his place the Mirran Crusader will rejoin the maindeck (so 2x main) also because of the Sword of War and Peace. It's just nice to know how quick that clock is, and only blue creatures can block after the Swords on the Crusader.
So after my thoughts, here's tonights deck. Note to self: add those Lands. Tricksy lands.
Geist of St Traft to sideboard
Mana Leak/Timely Reinforcments from sb gone -> 2x Vapor Snag in.
So tonight's run (proper FNM, at Megagames again) will look like this:
8 Island
7 Plains
4 Seachrome Coast
4 Glacial Fortress
2 Ghost Quarter
---
25 lands
4 Hero of Bladehold
2 Wurmcoil Engine
2 Phantasmal Image
2 Consecrated Sphinx
2 Mirran Crusader
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
---
13 creatures
4 Ponder
4 Oblivion Ring
3 Timely Reinforcements
3 Dissipate
3 Mana Leak
2 Day of Judgment
1 Sword of War and Peace
1 Gideon Joura
1 Elspeth Tirel
---
22 others
2 Negate
2 Dismember
2 Steel Sabotage
2 Spellskites
2 Go for the Throat
1 Geist of Saint Traft
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Isolated Chapel
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Swamp
---
15 sideboard
OK so based on the cards I have upstairs, we're experimenting lightly with a black splash. Go for the Throat, Nihil with black for card draw. The Nihil would have been Forbidden Alchemy, but 1 mana is cheap to pay and the exile-your-bin isn't counterable, so against opposing Snapcaster Mage's I will be FEARLESS. The Ghost Quarter is against the self same decks, because when they get Drownyard going it's just yuck.
Thanks all, I'll letcha know!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
TNM, thursday night's Magic
Hello hello, here's the latest brew of my deck:
8 Island
7 Plains
4 Seachrome Coast
4 Glacial Fortress
2 Ghost Quarter
---
25 lands
4 Hero of Bladehold
2 Wurmcoil Engine
2 Phantasmal Image
2 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Geist of St Traft
1 Mirran Crusader
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
---
13 creatures
4 Ponder
4 Oblivion Ring
3 Timely Reinforcements
3 Dissipate
3 Mana Leak
2 Day of Judgment
1 Sword of War and Peace
1 Gideon Joura
1 Elspeth Tirel
---
22 others
2 Negate
2 Ghost Quarter
2 Dismember
2 Steel Sabotage
2 Spellskites
1 Timely Reinforcements
1 Mirran Crusader
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Blue Sun's Zenith
1 Mana Leak
---
13 sideboard
Do note Traft and s of War/Peace are in the main, because they're new threats and look like fun together. Again, no black added because the lands haven't arrived. I'm not sure how I'd do against the control decks now, but with Traft I've got a threat cheap enough to drop early, who they HAVE to counter because they can't doom blade it, ditto for the Mirran Crusader, but now he's a singleton with a brother in the sideboard.
Moved some counterspells around too, 3 Mana Leaks with 2 Negates in the side, to make less redundant draws at the games end when Mana Leaks "pay 3!" is negligible.
I also parked one of the Wurms in the sideboard, and he's joined by some Spellskites. The skites are just good creatures, blocking everything early (like that Noble vampire!) and redirecting spells away from my lovely Consecrated Sphinx, say, then bounced safely to hand and replayed ala giggle (thanks steel sabotage).
Venser and Jace are vacated from the sideboard because there was never a time when I wanted to play them. Venser is a random fella who I'd consider putting back in at some point, but Jace REALLY wants to be in a mill deck, because the effects seem random without the help of Nephalia Drownyard, and the +1 ability is rather underwhelming (though good) for 5 mana.
Elesh was moved to the main because I love and want to have her babies, which goes well with the increase to 25 lands main. Rony insists that 26 is what I want, and he said I always mana screwed against him, but seeing I won those games I'm agreeing with me. Plus I don't wanna see a million land when my threat cost 4 (Hero) and such. The big spells that cost 6 are really just there to close out the game/eat removal for the smaller looking, "plan B" guys.
So I'll let you know how I go! I am trying to figure out how to do pictures on this thing, but at the moment it's not working. There's an HTML editor button I can see, so hopefully I'll just locate the directory I need to link to (I made my own website a few times now).
Ta! Fox.
8 Island
7 Plains
4 Seachrome Coast
4 Glacial Fortress
2 Ghost Quarter
---
25 lands
4 Hero of Bladehold
2 Wurmcoil Engine
2 Phantasmal Image
2 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Geist of St Traft
1 Mirran Crusader
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
---
13 creatures
4 Ponder
4 Oblivion Ring
3 Timely Reinforcements
3 Dissipate
3 Mana Leak
2 Day of Judgment
1 Sword of War and Peace
1 Gideon Joura
1 Elspeth Tirel
---
22 others
2 Negate
2 Ghost Quarter
2 Dismember
2 Steel Sabotage
2 Spellskites
1 Timely Reinforcements
1 Mirran Crusader
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Blue Sun's Zenith
1 Mana Leak
---
13 sideboard
Do note Traft and s of War/Peace are in the main, because they're new threats and look like fun together. Again, no black added because the lands haven't arrived. I'm not sure how I'd do against the control decks now, but with Traft I've got a threat cheap enough to drop early, who they HAVE to counter because they can't doom blade it, ditto for the Mirran Crusader, but now he's a singleton with a brother in the sideboard.
Moved some counterspells around too, 3 Mana Leaks with 2 Negates in the side, to make less redundant draws at the games end when Mana Leaks "pay 3!" is negligible.
I also parked one of the Wurms in the sideboard, and he's joined by some Spellskites. The skites are just good creatures, blocking everything early (like that Noble vampire!) and redirecting spells away from my lovely Consecrated Sphinx, say, then bounced safely to hand and replayed ala giggle (thanks steel sabotage).
Venser and Jace are vacated from the sideboard because there was never a time when I wanted to play them. Venser is a random fella who I'd consider putting back in at some point, but Jace REALLY wants to be in a mill deck, because the effects seem random without the help of Nephalia Drownyard, and the +1 ability is rather underwhelming (though good) for 5 mana.
Elesh was moved to the main because I love and want to have her babies, which goes well with the increase to 25 lands main. Rony insists that 26 is what I want, and he said I always mana screwed against him, but seeing I won those games I'm agreeing with me. Plus I don't wanna see a million land when my threat cost 4 (Hero) and such. The big spells that cost 6 are really just there to close out the game/eat removal for the smaller looking, "plan B" guys.
So I'll let you know how I go! I am trying to figure out how to do pictures on this thing, but at the moment it's not working. There's an HTML editor button I can see, so hopefully I'll just locate the directory I need to link to (I made my own website a few times now).
Ta! Fox.
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