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.