Regular Standard Tournament - May 17, 2008

I used this BG Elves deck for the tourney:



// Lands
4 [LRW] Gilt-Leaf Palace
4 [10E] Llanowar Wastes
1 [SHM] Reflecting Pool
2 [MOR] Mutavault
1 [PLC] Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 [TSB] Pendelhaven
4 [10E] Treetop Village
4 [10E] Forest
2 [10E] Swamp

// Creatures
4 [10E] Llanowar Elves
2 [CS] Boreal Druid
4 [LRW] Wren's Run Vanquisher
2 [MOR] Bramblewood Paragon
4 [FUT] Tarmogoyf
4 [LRW] Imperious Perfect
4 [SHM] Wilt-Leaf Cavaliers
2 [MOR] Chameleon Colossus
3 [LRW] Garruk Wildspeaker

// Spells
4 [LRW] Profane Command
4 [LRW] Nameless Inversion

// Sideboard
SB: 3 [LRW] Cloudthresher
SB: 1 [TSP] Squall Line
SB: 2 [LRW] Primal Command
SB: 4 [SHM] Kitchen Finks
SB: 2 [TSP] Krosan Grip
SB: 3 [LRW] Eyeblight's Ending


I found out from the previous night that I had too much black mana sources, so I replaced 1 Swamp with 1 Forest. I also removed all Extirpates in the SB, in favor of additional SB against Faeries and RDW, which usually flood weekend tourneys.


Round 1: vs. UB Faeries (lost)

I really have bad luck in matchups, as I was paired against a good player in round 1. Good thing I knew his deck though, because I watched him playtest with his teammates before the tournament started. And I did pretty good in the beginning, with me quickly winning game 1, still at 19 life. For game 2 though, my opponent sided-in Damnations and I lost a close game. In game 3, I lost the race of life, with him attacking with his flyers, and with me attacking with my ground creatures. I also made some misplays by overextending, when I knew he could cast Damnations (which he did).

Game standing: 1-2
Match standing: 0-1


Round 2: vs. RGw Landie? (won)

I was up against the guy who beat me using the RGw Landie deck the night before. This time though, things went the other way around, with me easily winning 2 games unscathed. Both games were so one-sided that I didn't even know if he used the same deck, because he wasn't able to cast much spells, other than some Harmonize.

Game standing: 3-2
Match standing: 1-1


Round 3: vs. Mono-White Kithkin Soldiers (lost)

I knew my opponent used a Kithkin soldier deck before we started, because I had a lot of time to watch other matches, with my quick win in round 2. Unfortunately for me, his Soldier engine was in all gears in the first game and I wasn't able to keep up with a barrage of first striking Soldiers (via Field Marshal). For game 2, I was coasting my way to winning it, up until he was at 2 life. That's when he stopped the bleeding by casting Stonecloakers (after stacking damage), and casting Armored Ascension to make a huge flying kithkin soldier attack me every turn. Unfortunately, I didn't draw my Profane early enough and he beat me 0-2.

Game standing: 3-4
Match standing: 1-2


Round 4: vs. WG Ramp (lost)

I hate seeing Kitchen Finks on the other side of the board. I lost in 2 games because my opponent kept on casting the persistent lifegainers, while ramping up his mana. In the end, I would lose to a huge creature -- a Cloudthresher in the first game, and a Crovax (swiping my 1/1 elf army) on the second.

Game standing: 3-6
Match standing: 1-3


Round 5: vs. Mono-Black Rogues (won)

Both of our games were races, with him attacking and prowling, and me... just plain attacking. I won in 2 games thanks to Profane Command, which my opponent did not have. :)

Game standing: 5-6
Match standing: 2-3


Round 6: vs. Mono-White Kithkins (won)

My opponent was using a subpar Kithkin deck, pretty much like the one I used to take to tourneys -- the one with Forbidding Watchtowers, Oblivion Rings and Temporal Isolation. I knew exactly how this deck worked, having used it a lot of times before, and I easily won in 2 games.

Game standing: 7-6
Match standing: 3-3


Two consecutive days, two consecutive .500 and below finishes. :( Now, I don't feel THAT bad (I still do) that I won't be able to play at the Regionals today. That will probably end up as another Treefolk Shaman day anyway. At least yesterday, I was a Hill Giant.