Magic Game Day - Aug 14, 2009

"3 beers + 3 shots of tequila = 3 losses"

I had planned to play in the Magic Game Day tournament in our local store, but got forced to join an after-office drinking activity by my bosses, which made me arrive at the shop at the very last minute of registration. By the time we were filling up our decklists (they were required because it was a higher-K level than the usual 4K FNM), I was unprepared and hadn't played much of the new deck that I brought -- Jund Mannequin, aka The Conley Woods Special:



// Lands
4 [SHM] Reflecting Pool
4 [LRW] Vivid Grove
4 [LRW] Vivid Crag
2 [LRW] Vivid Marsh
3 [EVE] Twilight Mire
2 [SHM] Fire-Lit Thicket
2 [UNH] Forest
2 [UNH] Mountain
1 [UNH] Swamp

// Creatures
4 [ARB] Putrid Leech
4 [SHM] Kitchen Finks
4 [LRW] Mulldrifter
4 [LRW] Shriekmaw
4 [ARB] Bloodbraid Elf
2 [ALA] Caldera Hellion
2 [LRW] Cloudthresher

// Spells
4 [LRW] Makeshift Mannequin
4 [CFX] Volcanic Fallout
3 [ARB] Maelstrom Pulse
1 [ALA] Jund Charm

// Sideboard
SB: 3 [M10] Great Sable Stag
SB: 2 [LRW] Cloudthresher
SB: 4 [ARB] Anathemancer
SB: 3 [ARB] Thought Hemorrhage
SB: 3 [M10] Deathmark


Round 1: vs. GW Tokens (won)

In game 1, I get 2 early Putrid Leeches which were just too much for my opponent's small creatures. In game 2, he boards in Great Sable Stag, which I try to remove via Caldera Hellion. Unfortunately, it was a huge misplay as my opponent had a Wilt Leaf Liege in play -- the Stag was a 4/4! In the deciding game, I Thought Hemorrhage his Stags, and remove everything else he puts on the board.

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


Round 2: vs. WW Kithkins (lost)

I face one of the regular winners in the FNM of my local store. I knew he was playing the Kithkin deck of the store owner, and that he was very proficient in playing it. Our first game was epic, as it lasted for a good part of the total time alloted for the round. In the end, a crucial Path to Exile of my Cloudthresher was the game winner for him. In game 2, I had removal for all of his creatures and he emptied his hand in doing so. I had a single Putrid Leech on board, and on his turn, he topdecks a Cloudgoat Ranger, which combined with the Honor of the Pure on board, was enough to kill me on a single swing.

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


Round 3: vs. GW Tokens (lost)

I face another GW token deck, and once again the first game was epic with me maximizing my Mulldrifters and Shriekmaws to full potential in getting rid of everything he could put on board, on my way to a very close win. In game 2, I mull to 5 with 2 lands but with wrong colors for the spells that I had. I decide to keep it, instead of mulling to 4. My opponent, on the other hand, gets the nuts draw and kills me with an Overrun on turn 5. In game 3, I get stuck on 3 lands for the duration of the game. :(

Game standing: 3-5
Match standing: 1-2


Round 4: vs. WW Soliders (lost)

I can't remember much from this game, except for the really complex combat math that we both had to endure throughout. He had creatures that give +1/+0, +0/+1, there's creatures that give +1/+1 to soldiers only, there's enchantments that give +1/+1 to all, there's exalted dudes that give +1/+1 to single attackers, you get the point. All I remember is that we went 1-1 in two close games, and then I lost the final game to another mana drought (stuck in 2 lands). I kept a 2-land hand that had a Putrid Leech play on turn 2, but the 3rd land came in too late, as the game was out of reach by then.

Final game standing: 4-7
Final match standing: 1-3


At this point, I already dropped from the tournament, as I was out of contention of the top 24 who were going to get prizes. And it was almost 11pm at this point, so if I played out the last round, I would just miss the last train home. Oh well. Time to go home.

FNM - Aug 7, 2009

With the Blightning deck doing pretty badly the past couple of weeks, I decided to take a break from it, and netdecked Christopher Murray's Bw control deck for last night's FNM.



// Lands
3 [EVE] Fetid Heath
1 [SHM] Reflecting Pool
15 [10E] Swamp
4 [M10] Plains

// Creatures
4 [ALA] Tidehollow Sculler
4 [EVE] Stillmoon Cavalier
2 [CFX] Nyxathid
4 [SHM] Demigod of Revenge
4 [LRW] Shriekmaw

// Spells
4 [LRW] Thoughtseize
2 [M10] Duress
2 [EVE] Raven's Crime
2 [M10] Mind Shatter
3 [LRW] Profane Command
4 [CFX] Path to Exile
2 [M10] Liliana Vess

// Sideboard
SB: 4 [LRW] Burrenton Forge-Tender
SB: 2 [M10] Duress
SB: 2 [LRW] Austere Command
SB: 2 [EVE] Hallowed Burial
SB: 4 [ALA] Infest
SB: 1 [ARB] Zealous Persecution


Round 1: vs. BR Aggro (won)

The night began when our TO said that there were going to be only 3 rounds tonight, because we started really late (7pm), and that there were very few players (<20). And when pairings were setup for round 1, I got a BYE!

I was already watching another player (the eventual first place winner last night) on his first match, when another player arrived to the store and wanted to play in the FNM. Now I have an opponent.

He turned out to have a very similar deck to the one I was using the past few weeks, but with minor differences (ie. he was using Sign in Blood). In the end, I easily won in 2 games -- on the first, I beat him with 2 Demigods; on the second, I just massacred his hand and beat him with Tidehollow Scullers.

Wow, that's a good sign -- beating my old deck -- and it was the first time in a LOOONG time that I had won on the first round.

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


At this point, my pen lost its ink, so I was using dice to keep track of life totals for the remainder of the night. Thus, I have very little memory of the details of the games. And apparently, it was a premonition of the losses that will follow... :(


Round 2: vs. Br Discarder (lost)

I was up against my second round opponent in last week's FNM, so I knew his deck from the get-go. I remember our first game being very funny. :) He would cast Shriekmaw, I would cast the same. We would trade in combat. Then he would cast another one. I would Profane it and bring back my 'Maw. Then he would Profane mine and bring back his 'Maw. Good times. In the end, he would beat me in 3 games, behind a double Thought Hemorrhage -- the first one for Path to Exile, then after seeing 2 Demigods in my hand, he would cast another one, for the Demigod.

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


Round 3: vs. Naya (lost)

This was my third consecutive week to play against this guy -- the one with the Naya deck that had Cerodon Yearlings. We were 1-1 so far (him winning the first time, then I won last week), and he was starting to say that this was our decision round. He was then surprised when he saw a Fetid Heath in my second land drop. Whoa, new deck? Our "decision game" turned out to be the start of a new battle.

Anyway, it turned out to be a bad round. On the first game, my opponent was even making mistakes in the game, but I still lost. Once, he attacked me with a 3/3 Nacatl with a Stillmoon Cavalier waiting to pump and first strike. And he even cast a Volcanic Fallout with him having more creatures on board. Eventually, I lost via Ajani Vengeant -- I had no answer for it, once it came online -- and a one-sided Armageddon plain and simply just wins games. :(

Afterwards, our second game was reminiscent of our very first game two weeks ago -- I had to mulligan to 4. Nuff said. I lost that game.

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


Apparently, the only time that I get lucky is on the dice roll for the random foil cards. Last night, I rolled a 7 -- but it was still enough to get second pick on the foil cards (other players rolled a 6, 5, and 4; the winner rolled a 20). I had the chance to get another foil Slave of Bolas, but decided to pass on it, and pick something else this time -- a foil DCI Mind Control.

FNM - Jul 31, 2009

"Trust the Japanese."

I decided to netdeck Taichi Fujimoto's BR Aggro deck from the 2009 Japanese Nats, with a few minor changes:

-4 Blightning, +4 Boggart Ram-Gang
-4 Magma Spray, +4 Tarfire
-2 Shriekmaw, +2 Chaotic Backlash


Round 1: vs. Combo Elves (lost)

I keep a decent hand of 2 lands, Bolt, Hellspark, Ram-Gang, Javelin, Javelin. The third land didn't decide to show up until the 6th turn though, and by that time it was too late.

-4 Anathemancer, -4 Javelin, +4 Firespout, +2 Deathmark, +2 Shriekmaw

I'm confident with my Elves matchup, with 8 sweepers post-SB, and a ton of removal. And on the second game, it really started to look that way, as I was on my way to winning after clearing the board multiple times in the game. With my opponent at 7 life, I unearth my Hellspark, and drop a Demigod ftw... but wait! In comes Cloudthresher for my opponent (a singleton which he drew!), sending my Demigod to the ground, and putting him at 2 life. I Deathmark the Thresher before passing the turn to him, but on his turn, he plays Regal Force and goes off. :(

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


Round 2: vs. Br Discarder (lost)

I mull to 6 on the first game, and my opponent starts talking about how he's pressured to win the game now that I mull'd. WTF? Apparently, it so happens that he plays a discarder deck, so the one less card was a huge advantage for him. Anyway, I apply quick beats as I always do, but he Terminates most of my creatures, and stabilizes at 7 life. All the while, he's pecking at my hand with Scepter of Fugue, and eventually drops a monstrous Nyxathid on the board. With nothing to kill the black elemental with, I lose the game.

-4 Fallout, -1 Anathemancer, +3 Bitterblossom, +2 Manabarbs

I play a turn 2 Bitterblossom and a turn 5 Manabarbs (I missed one land drop). He's able to Fallout once, but afterwards, I just sit back and watch my faerie army do their thing. :)

In the third game, I send my opponent all the way down to 1 life, but my lone attacker by then -- a Ram-Gang -- meets a gigantic Nyxathid. I was safely at 17 life then, so I decide to attack and wither his elemental, and hope for the best topdeck. Then, I draw land after land, and meanwhile, my opponent drops a SECOND Nyxathid. I slide my final draw across the table, and guess what, it was another land. :( I've just been Nyx'd!

Game standing: 1-4
Match standing: 0-2


Round 3: BYE
Loser round. Nuff said.

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


Round 4: vs. Naya (won)

By this time, I've just been texting Beej to come to UM early. And meanwhile, I play my final round against my round 1 opponent from last week. I easily win game 1 this time (no more mulling to 5), and board in Deathmarks and Shriekmaws for my Anathemancers (which were useless all night). In the second game, we play an extremely close game, with both of us in topdeck mode and at 6 life, but he draws Cliffrunner Behemoth. With Trace of Abundance in play, it has haste AND lifelink -- meaning I lose. Game 3 gets by very quickly and I win with minimal problems. 3/3 Wild Nacatl? Bolt that. Bloodbraid Elf into Cerodon Yearling? Fallout that. Woolly Thoctar? Deathmark that. Another Thoctar? Shriekmaw that. And swing. :)

OMG, it felt so good to finally get a win.

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

Of course, I get grouped again with the losers who will battle it out for random foil cards. I was one of the winners again, and guess what I picked AGAIN? Another DCI foil Slave of Bolas. LOLZ!