// Lands
4 [MOR] Murmuring Bosk
1 [SHM] Reflecting Pool
4 [LRW] Gilt-Leaf Palace
2 [EVE] Twilight Mire
1 [EVE] Fetid Heath
4 [LRW] Vivid Grove
4 [LRW] Vivid Marsh
2 [UNH] Forest
2 [UNH] Swamp
// Creatures
4 [LRW] Treefolk Harbinger
4 [LRW] Wren's Run Vanquisher
4 [MOR] Scarblade Elite
4 [LRW] Doran, the Siege Tower
4 [MOR] Chameleon Colossus
3 [LRW] Cloudthresher
// Spells
4 [LRW] Nameless Inversion
4 [LRW] Profane Command
2 [LRW] Crib Swap
3 [SHM] Firespout
// Sideboard
SB: 1 [LRW] Cloudthresher
SB: 2 [LRW] Crib Swap
SB: 4 [LRW] Thoughtseize
SB: 4 [SHM] Kitchen Finks
SB: 3 [SHM] Faerie Macabre
SB: 1 [EVE] Wickerbough Elder
Round 1: vs. Mirror (lost)
My first round opponent's first play was a Murmuring Bosk into a Treefolk Harbinger. Great -- a mirror match -- which pretty much means it's a 50-50. The first game started off exactly that way, with me just winning at the end via a double Firespout, killing my opponent's Colossus, and me with a Cloudthresher surviving the fire blaze.
SB: -3 Cloudthresher, +2 Crib Swap, +1 Wickerbough Elder
In game 2, it pretty much more of the same, but my opponent won the race thanks to a crucial Primal Command -- with both of us at 5 life, it then put him back to 12. In game 3, we did mirror pro moves, but I ran out of gas eventually, and lost.
Game standing: 1-2
Match standing: 0-1
Round 2: vs. Gb Warriors (lost)
I'm always comfortable with aggro matchups, with my huge arsenal of removal, but this one was apparently too fast for me as my opponent beat me with the Colossus-on-Battle Axe-haste trick. I made the same SB strategy as the previous match because this deck, like the mirror, had no flyers -- thus taking out the Threshers.
SB: -3 Cloudthresher, +2 Crib Swap, +1 Wickerbough Elder
In game 2, my opponent couldn't do anything to the Harbinger-Harbinger-Doran pro moves, and I easily beat him at 20 life. In game 3, we were once again racing, and we were eventually both at top deck mode at the end, with him at 5 life, and me at 3 life. He had a Crib Swap token in play though, which put me down even more to 1 life, until I was able to Nameless Inversion it. However, despite the long topdeck battle, he still won and drew his Profane Command before I did. (He had 2 in his deck; I had 4)
Game standing: 2-4
Match standing: 0-2
Despite being down 0-2, I didn't lose hope, and I was aiming to bounce back to 5-2, after 7 rounds. One can always dream, right? ;)
Round 3: vs. Mono G Warriors (won)
My opponent's first play: Nettle Sentinel. What? You again?
I easily won the first game though, thanks to a Firespout, leaving my Doran alone in the board. In game 2, it was a close battle all the way, but I lost to 2 Crib Swap tokens (Yes, you read that right -- I lost to two 1/1 tokens). In game 3, I was back to my winning ways and beat him with a Profane burn to the face and fear to swing.
That's 1 down, 4 to go.
Game standing: 4-5
Match standing: 1-2
Round 4: vs. UR Rogues (won)
In round 4, I was reading my opponent's cards all match, as he was playing a mono-red deck, but utilizing the UR hybrid cards from Eventide (which I'm not very familiar with). I still beat him though in the first game with a Profane to the face. :)
SB: -2 Cloudthresher, +2 Crib Swap
He beat me in the second with a boarded-in Inside Out and a Crag Puca (apparently, this one is also good against Doran). And I beat him in the third game quite easily with various beats.
That's 2 down, 3 to go.
Game standing: 6-6
Match standing: 2-2
Round 5: vs. UB Faeries (won)
My faeries opponent was serious... dead serious. And I couldn't buy a conversation with him, even if I wanted to. But heck, serious or not, he couldn't do anything against my semi-pro moves (1 Harbinger only), and easily lost game 1.
SB: +1 Cloudthresher, +4 Thoughtseize, +1 Wickerbough Elder, -4 Scarblade Elite, -2 Firespout, -1 Doran
In game 2, I was able to do the full pro move... almost, because he had Broken Ambitions for my Doran. But anyway, I was still able to pull off the win as he was not able to draw the Cryptic Command late in the game to bounce the Bitterblossom that eventually killed him off.
3 down, 2 to go.
Game standing: 8-6
Match standing: 3-2
Round 6: vs. Quick N' Toast (won)
This round was surprisingly one-sided, as I easily won both games -- the first one with various beats and a Profane in the end, and the second game thanks to a mana flood for my opponent (which is the common drawback of the QnT deck). It was actually a scary sight as his first 4 lands were a Vivid Creek and 3 Reflecting Pools (whoa) -- he could practically cast anything. Luckily for me (and unluckily for my opponent), he didn't have anything to cast. LOL.
4 down, 1 to go.
Game standing: 10-6
Match standing: 4-2
Round 7: vs. UB Faeries (lost)
This is it. It's the final round, I was at 12th place, and playing for a slot in the top 10. The top 6 would get pre-release passes, and 7th to 10th places would get booster pack prizes.
It didn't start so well, as I lost game 1 after mulling to 6, and some pretty bad draws.
Game 2 was fun though. There was a funny sequence (can't remember it exactly), but he basically had a Sower championed by a Mistbind Clique in play, as well as some other faeries; while I had a Doran, a Harbinger, and a few other creatures. He made a crucial mistake in combat when he could have ended up with the Sower back and stealing my Doran, but instead he ended up with the Sower and my Harbinger. He attacked for a turn or 2 with the Sower, which I was eventually able to kill off with a Nameless Inversion, and ended with him at 1 life, and me at 3 life. I drew a Cloudthresher, looked at his open mana (enough for a Cryptic Command or a Broken Ambitions), he had 3 cards in hand.... and I decided to evoke the flashy elemental. I won the game -- he had no counters in hand. :)
And then, suddenly, I choked. Or should I say, my deck choked. :( I mulled to 5, and kept a hand of 1 Thresher, 1 Vanquisher, 2 Vivid Lands, and 1 Murmuring Bosk. On the next 3 turns, I drew nothing but more lands. This ended with the inevitable, and I of course lost the game, with all my lands coming into play tapped, nothing to reveal for my Vanquisher, and nothing else to play.
Game standing: 11-8
Match standing: 4-3
4-3 is not bad I guess. It's a good stepping stone up to my short-term objective of getting into a top 8. And I found out eventually (based on NG forum posts) that my round 7 opponent ended at 8th place, but the packs he won were all crappy. >:-)
I'm just happy that, at least, my ratings went up a bit again yesterday. :)
1700, here I come! ;-)
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