I figured we should have a thread exclusive to some tournament results and reports - just a space for us MtG players to discuss and share our experiences, successes, and shortcomings. Before I start off, I'll just mention a few guidelines and the format to follow.
Rules:
1. Constructive criticism only.
2. Only discussion on tournament and event happenings, other discussion can be taken elsewhere.
3. More as we go along.
Format:
-Introduction to the event
-Brief deck synopsis
-Rounds breakdown
Round # and brief explanation on opponent's deck.
Game 1:
Game 2:
Game 3 (when necessary):
For the above, try to offer as much detail as you can on the decks and plays made during each game. Make mention of your sideboard choices and winning/losing plays. I'll offer my most recent report as an example.
So last night was the local shop's first tournament for one of their Commander's Arsenal sets. I think there were a total of 12 people involved. Less than expected, but still enough to get the tournament going. I got there extra early (because I only live a few minutes away) to hang out and do some trading/testing.
And who did I see there but a friend of mine and an AMAZING Magic player, Anthony Lowry. Lowry is all-around a great guy and a fantastic Magic player. He writes for LegitMTG.com, so you can check out all his articles here (you'll be a better player/person if you read them). He's unnervingly serious during his games, but I find that playing him brings out the best in me and pushes me to my limit. We chit-chatted while he deck-tested against another friend of mine (who I'll call Thundermaw Hellkite here), and this let me get a look at the decks they'd be playing later that night.
Lowry and I did some trading. I ended up with a Temple Garden, Overgrown Tomb, Blood Crypt, and 2 Restoration Angels. He got a Tamiyo, a Terminus, an Entreat the Angels, and a Rhox Faithmender. I know...I only got lands and the 2 angels, but Lands are probably the best investment you can ever make when it comes to Magic...EVER (and I had more-than full playsets of all the other cards I traded).
I did some testing of the changes I made in Bant Control against another friend of mine who was playing Four Color Control - Grixis Colors (Red/Black/Blue) and Green for Ramping and Thragtusk. Game 1 I didn't see any of my counterspells at the right time, and he managed to get out his Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker. We boarded and then I swept through games 2 and 3.
I tested my Naya Midrange deck against him too. Lost game 1 but took Games 2 and 3 pretty easily. I was in a great mindset for the tournament with 2 victories under my belt so I just decided to do some scoping out of the competition and talk with people.
Then the Tournament began. Four Rounds and then cutting to the top Four.
I was playing Bant Control (White/Blue/Green), a deck I'd been testing and tweaking for a long time now.
Round One I played against Thundermaw (my friend, not the card). He used to play the WUr Midrange/Tempo deck with Thundermaw Hellkite (which is why I gave him the name), but before the tournament switched over to UW Flash. I think the switch and lack of testing really hurt him. I've played this guy SO many times in the last month. We probably play more than 50 games a week, easily, so we're both very familiar with the other's play-style.
Game 1: He was wearing me down with just a Snapcaster Mage, knowing that he had to get the damage in first. I managed to remove the mage but he had 2 Restoration Angels, and then I was down to 9. I threw a Detention Sphere on the angels and continued taking hits from the Snapcaster until I was down to 5. I took 2 damage off of a Shockland coming in untapped so I could play Centaur Healer and go up to 6. All this time the only damage he'd taken was off a Hallowed Fountain coming in untapped. But I managed to stabilize at 2 life with Sigarda and Angel of Serenity (Thragtusk and a Restoration Angel under it) on the field before Restoration Angel targeted Centaur Healer and I went up to 5. My two big angels swung for 10, dropping Thudermaw to 8 and leaving me with 2 blockers and 5 life. He drew his next card and scooped.
Game 2: I had a much easier time. Side-boarded in Artifact-removal for his Runechanter's Pike; a Jace, Memory Adept, and MANY more Counterspells. I don't have as many notes on this game, but I ended up landing Memory Adept and milling him out. Not my favorite way to win the round, but I still managed to win.
Record: 1-0.
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Round Two was against another good friend playing Junk (White/Black/Green) Reanimator. It's one of my hardest matchups, and he's very very good.
Game 1: Went back and forth for a while. I just didn't see enough answers and he managed to Unburial Rites a Craterhoof Behemoth with 5 other creatures on board and swung for Lethal.
Game 2: I sided in Graveyard hate and counter-magic, but I saw none of it and couldn't stabilize. I managed to get rid of most of his real threats, but he'd sided in Sigarda which was very tough for me to deal with. I was forced to Terminus at 3 life, but then he played a Selesnya Charm to make a Knight token and attacked with that (and Gavony Township) for lethal.
Record: 1-1
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Round Three was against another Bant Control deck. This guy and I had played a few weeks before and our first game went over an HOUR AND A HALF long. I was prepared for the long game, so I knew to play with my A-Game.
Game 1: He took a mulligan to 5 cards, and I kept my 7. I was very happy with my hand: farseeks, counterspells, and just the right amount of mana. The game went back and forth. It was a long one, and I went down to 9 while he was all the way at 30 off of Thragtusk life-gain. I killed his Jace, Architect of Thought with one of my own, and played my second one. I got a lot of card advantage off of him and managed to stabilize with Tamiyo. I even got her Emblem. I was swinging with Angel of Serenity and Thragtusk and had infinite ability to counter his spells because of Tamiyo's emblem. He scooped and we went to Game 2.
Game 2: I sided in more countermagic and Jace, Memory Adept. He took a mulligan to 6 again and I kept my hand. I kept all of his threats in check, even when he played Restoration Angel on his Thragtusk to go to 25. But I had Jace, Memory Adept and Tamiyo out on the field, and then played a Garruk, Primal Hunter. We went to time and he scooped (he was 0-2 at that point and admitted he just didn't have the answers to my game position.
Record: 2-1
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Round Four was, of course, against Lowry. Of all the games we've played, I think I've beaten him once. But I didn't let that get to me and went in with my gameface on.
Game 1: I took a mulligan to 6 and started off trying to get my threats on board. He managed to keep my threats off him and his Tamiyo with Supreme Verdicts and Terminus, allowing him to get her Emblem. At this point he had infinite access to Ghost Quarter (to destroy my land), Sphinx's Revelation (to gain life and draw), and Dissipate (to counter all my spells), so despite being at 31 life to his 17, I decided to scoop and go to game 2.
Game 2: was a bit more back and forth. He got his Tamiyo out early, which I promptly Oblivion-Ringed, only for him to play a second Tamiyo. I killed the second one, but he used a Detention Sphere on my Oblivion Ring to get the first one back. He had several Geist of Saint Traft, too, which I had to spend my resources against. In the end, the plays I made keeping his Tamiyos and Geists in check let him get up to 40 life via Sphinx's Revelation and draw into an Entreat the Angels. He used it and got out 4 angels. At that point I was at 11 life and had only my one Angel of Serenity. He was swinging for lethal next turn. I scooped and wished him luck.
Record: 2-2
I got one prize pack along with the other 2-2's that night. One opened a Jarad, one opened some other junk rare, I opened Armada Wurm.
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Lessons of the night: Tamiyo was a powerhouse, both for me and against me. Sphinx's Revelation worked better against me than it did for me, since I seemed to always be drawing it in the early game. But it's such a good card when you use it right. Jace, Memory Adept was the breakout star of the night, and I'm very happy with him in my sideboard. Jace, Architect of Thought didn't pull the same weight he usually does, but I played some unfortunate matchups where he just wasn't that well situated.
Overall I'm very happy. My two losses were against two incredibly skilled players and I put up as good a fight as I could. I learned a lot about what was good to do and what not to do. This was one of my best tournaments and the one I felt I did best in (in terms of growing/learning/playing). In the end Lowry and Reanimator-guy ended up splitting the Arsenal. I was not surprised. They were both very good and both played incredibly good decks.
On a side note: my Naya Midrange deck performed pretty decently too. It'll be a fun pet-project for the next few weeks while I continue to tinker with and tech Bant Control.
This is the deck I played, just in case anyone was interested.
Spoiler:- Bant Control:
Creatures: 12
2 Centaur Healer
3 Restoration Angel
1 Sigarda, Host of Herons
4 Thragtusk
2 Angel of Serenity
NOTE: I hate double-posting, and would avoid it if I could, but no one else has posted, so...
Tournament Report - November 30th, 2012-12-01
Last night was a FNM $5 Standard Tournament. Five dollars to play some competitive magic is always a good thing in my book. It wasn't at my usual LGS, so I went with a few friends on a bit of a road trip. We didn't know what to expect from decks or players, so it was a bit of a wild-card night.
Because it was only $5 for entry, I decided to take it as a chance to test my playing skills with a different deck and played my (probably) less-competitively powerful Naya Midrange deck instead of Bant Control (I also wasn't ready to be playing 45 minute games all night).
I made a few changes to my list before the tournament started, switching out my Sideboarded Gisela for an Angel of Serenity. I also kept a Yeva mainboard instead of a third Thundermaw Hellkite. I'll go into whether I felt these were good changes or not later on.
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Round 1 vs. America Tempo/Control
I know this was some sort of America deck, but I can't be sure whether it was Tempo or Control. I didn't see any Planeswalkers, so I think it was Tempo. Still, I prefer to call it America Do-Nothing. Because that's essentially what it was.
Game 1: I was on the play and drew a pretty nuts hand. Avacyn's Pilgrim into a T2 Centaur Healer. He played a D-Sphere on my T4 Loxodon Smiter. We stalled for a while until I hit a Thundermaw off of Cavern of Souls. He stalled a bit on that, blocking my Restoration Angels and Azorius Charming my dragon. He then managed to hit my dragon with Zealous Conscripts and hit me for 8 Damage, getting me down to 15. I got my dragon back and kept hitting him. Like I said, his deck DID NOTHING. I got him down to four and then Miracled a Bonfire.
Game 2: He took a mulligan to 5 while I kept at 7. I managed to hit a T2 Thalia and slowed him down completely. He spent a Searing Spear trying to kill it and wasted a Snapcaster on a Syncopate in graveyard when he had a Syncopate in hand. Even with A Bonfire and a Thundermaw countered I managed to hit a T4 Thragtusk and T5 Restoration Angel. I had Gavony Township on Board and killed him two turns later.
Record: 1-0
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Round 2 vs. Rakdos Aggro
This was the store owner. I learned later that he'd only just started playing Magic rather recently (by comparison, at least). So he did pretty well.
Game 1: We both kept at 7 cards and he was on the play. He it me with Rakdos Cacklers, Shred Freaks, and Ash Zealots until I was down to 9 life. I managed to draw out of my gas and play a Thragtusk on T5, but the addition of a Falkenrath Aristocrat quickly got me back down to 7 and then 2. Two Centaur Healers and a Thragtusk managed to help me prolong defeat, but without any sort of flying I couldn't defend. Unfortunately, I probably misplayed. I had him down to 10 after a single attack, and could have probably won if I had attacked on my last turn (before losing). But that Falkenrath Aristocrat ended up being too much for me to deal with.
Game 2: I sided in all my anti-aggro cards. Rhox Faithmender, Trostani, Selesnya Charm, and 2 Sigarda, Host of Herons. I had a bit of mana issues for the first few turns, forcing me to call my Caverrns on Clerics so I could play my Centaur Healer. He still managed to hit me back down to 19 that next turn, but a second Healer put me up to 22. I hit him for 6 to get him to 14. He managed an absurd amount of Damage the next turn via Hellrider to get me down to 11. I promptly readied a Restoration Angel on my Centaur Healer with his next combat, taking 1 damage off Hellrider but gaining 3 from the flickering Healer. I attacked with Angel in the air, bringing him to 11. The next turn I hit a Thundermaw. He went to 6, drew his next card, and scooped.
Game 3: Much more back and forth. He'd commented that he knew I was playing Huntmasters because I was playing Naya (and Huntmaster is the only reason to play Naya), but we'd gone through 2 games without seeing a single one. He managed to play Cackler T1 and Knight of Infamy T3 to attack me with the cackler for 3 that turn. Then was an Ash Zealot and a swingfor 6. I was at 11 before hitting that fabled Huntmaster and getting back to 13. He tried to kill it with a Devil's play for 2, but I had Selesnya Charm to pump it back up out of damage range. He still managed to bring me down to 7 before I Bonfired for 2 to wipe his board of everything but Hellrider. I played a Thragtusk and went up to 12. Restoration Angel and I was at 17. He killed one Huntmaster with a Dreadbore only for me to play a second at be at 19. I swung for 8 and he went to 10. I watched him stare at my board and draw his last card and scoop.
Record: 2-0
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Round 3 vs. Junk Reanimator
I played against the same guy I always end up playing when I've been doing well. This deck is so good, I can't even really explain it.
Game 1: I took a mulligan to 6. He kept. Despite hitting an early Thragtusk and getting him down to 10, He managed to stabilize with a T4 Unburial Rites on Angel of Serenity, wiping my board. I managed to get a Huntmaster out and Oblivion Ring his angel, but he hit a Craterhoof and ran me over.
Game 2: I hit a T2 Loxodon Smiter, dropping him to 16 and he hit an Elderscale Wurm off of Unburial Rites. T5 I managed to Zealous Conscripts the Wurm and swing him down to 2. He played a Lotleth Troll that next turn, but I played Restoration Angel, targeted my Zealous Conscripts, and stole his wurm again to swing for lethal.
Game 3: Despite hitting 2 Healers and a Thragtusk, I just couldn't keep up. His ability to mini-wipe my board with Angel of Serenity and pump out his own Thragtusks via hardcasting and unburial rites was just too much. He was up to 43 life and I was down to 14. Despite hitting a Craterhoof of my own, I just didn't have enough on the board to make a difference, and he swung through all my defenses.
Record: 2-1
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Round 4 vs. Primal Surge-Craterhoof
Another good friend of mine that had traveled with me to clean house at this other FNM. He was playing a "Ramp into Craterhoof" deck. It took advantage of Arbor Elf, Elvish Archdruid, Axebane Guardian, and Gatecreeper Vine to Ramp BIG TIME. His end goal was to hit a Craterhoof with a dozen little guys on the field, or ramp into Primal surge, which would essentially let him play his entire deck (he only had 4 non-permanent spells in his deck). I knew I had to stop his ramping to stop him.
Game 1: We both took shockland damage to get out our Mana dorks, but I hit a T2 and T3 Centaur Healer to get back to 24. I kept swinging, knowing he wouldn't block with his little guys. He actually got a few guys out, but I Bonfired for 2 and he scooped.
Game 2: We decided not to sideboard. He didn't have his in sleeves and knew it'd just be a pain in the *** to do. He took Shockland damage to get dorks out. And I managed a Thragtusk and Restoration Angel. Both hit him down to 10. He had a pretty huge board up at that point through the drawing power of Mentor of the Meek and Elvish Visionary. But he tapped out with no answers and I was able to Bonfire for 3 to clear his board again.
Final Record: 3-1
Prize Packs x3: Foil Elguald Shieldmate. Divine Deflection. Gisela, Blade of Goldnight. Tibalt, the Fiend Blooded.
All in all a pretty fun night. I got to play with Naya, which just was a blast. I love that deck. And I even managed to get a win in against my Reanimator buddy. Every time I play him, win or lose, I realize I'm getting better. That always gets me excited.
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Card Choices: Gisela, Blade of Goldnight (SB: taken out) - I'm glad I decided to take out Gisela. She just wasn't ever good enough when I played, and there was no matchup where I really wanted her. I guess in the end the same can be said for Angel of Serenity, since I never used her either. But I still prefer the better angel - there might be situations in which Serenity is more useful. Yeva, Nature's Herald (MB: added) - Not as happy with her, though I never did draw her either. The ability to flash in well over half my creatures seems nuts. But I just don't know if that's better than a 3rd Thundermaw Hellkite. Time and testing will tell. 4x Avacyn's Pilgrim (MB: added) - These were pretty decent, allowing me to hit a T2 Centaur Healer or Loxodon Smiter. I like them better than Searing Spears for now. Especially in some matchups. And then they can be sided out for better things.
My deck, if you were wondering:
Spoiler:- Naya Midrange:
Creatures:26
4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
3 Centaur Healer
2 Loxodon Smiter
4 Huntmaster of the Fells
4 Restoration Angel
1 Yeva, Nature's Herald
4 Thragtusk
2 Thundermaw Hellkite
2 Armada Wurm
I decided to go Boros at the midnight Pre-release for Gatecrash. Went 3-2 overall...probably should have been 4-1 or 5-0 if not for some stupid mistakes in R4 and keeping a bad hand in game 2 of R3. I really had quite a decent card pool, but after hitting 3:30 AM, my mind stopped working all that well.
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Round 1 vs. Simic: Lost the first game and decided to splash the Black for [[Kingpin's Pet]] and [[Gift of Orzhova]]. Swept the next two games. 2-1.
Round 2 vs Orzhov: Hit every drop. Flying just kept him beaten down. Went 2-0.
Round 3 vs Simic: Game one I hit the perfect curve. [[Boros Elite]] into [[Daring Skyjek]] into [[Skyknight Legionnaire]] into [[Spark Trooper]]. Game two I kept an okay-looking hand, but never drew into a white source. Game 3 he managed a [[Drakewing Krasis]] and gave it +2/+2 and unblockable (with some sort of enchantment), and out-raced me. I was one-mana short of taking the game. Went 1-2.
Round 4 vs Boros: Kept an O.K. hand, but didn't draw into anything. He had all the answers, and it was about 4AM and I was beginning to play badly and made a critical misplay. Game 2 I hit a nut curve again, but misplayed and lost. 1-2.
Round 5 vs Dimir: Crushed game one, despite all his removal and milling. Game 2 I survived milling and a chump-blocking a 26/26 [[Consuming Aberation]] to get my opponent down to 2 before I ran out of blockers. Game 3 we battled back and forth, despite me getting milled to single-digit cards. But I just out-raced him.
prerelease was really fun. quite a good play environment. i went simic for the prerelease first up and didn't get any rares outside of my guild booster, so that sucked, but i still managed to go 3-2 thanks to a decently solid pool (despite lacking shamblesharks and elusive krasis). then went simic again for the 2hg with my brother, and went 1-2. pulled obzedat out of my participation booster and also pulled borborygmos and breeding pool, so it was by thanks to those.
Saturday was the local shop's 2HG PreRelease event. I just moved to the area and didn't have a partner, but the shop paired me up with somebody. He...was kind of a scrub. He knew how to play, sure, but didn't quite have a real handle on 2HG or the new cards...or Sealed decks in General. I was left carrying a lot of the weight. Still, we managed to go 2-2 pairing my Simic-RUG deck with his Gruul-Naya. I probably could (and should) have gone Simic BUG. I had Mind Grind, Soul Ransom, and a ton of Dimir stuff (including my teammate's Watery Grave). But I felt more comfortable with Gruul and utilizing more Green cards.
I also had to basically build my Partner's deck, so I had even less time than otherwise when it came to building and testing. We ended up going 2-2, so not terrible. I carried both games to victory, and he stumbled through the games we lost.
I had some pretty decent pulls this time, too. 3 Drakewing Krasis, 1 Zegana, 3 Nimbus Swimmers, and 3 Slaughterhorn made up the core of my pool. I also had Burning Tree Emissary, Madcap Skills, and Legion Loyalist, and 2 Forced Adaptation to pair with Fathom Mage for extra Card Advantage...even though I only managed to do that during Testing.
Last night was probably my most successful FNM in a while...possibly ever. It was the first time I went to an FNM since moving to MI and the crowd was much more diverse and competitive than the place I used to go back in NY. Also, there were about 3-4 times as many people. Back there, we'd have 3, maybe 4, swiss rounds (if there were enough people), and that'd be it. Last night there were 5 swiss rounds, a cut to Top 8, and then single-elimination.
I went 5-0 in Rounds, 2-0 in Top 8, and then split for 1st/2nd because it was already 11:15 PM and we both wanted to go home. I played my usual Naya Midrange deck, which I just love. It's just full of value creatures and fun ways to interact with them. I made a few changes overall, but more on that later. There were a couple standout cards last night, and a few last-minute deck and sideboard changes that DEFINITELY worked out in my favor.
Spoiler:- Naya on the Warpath:
Land (23)
2x Cavern of Souls
1x Clifftop Retreat
1x Forest
2x Kessig Wolf Run
1x Mountain
1x Plains
2x Rootbound Crag
2x Sacred Foundry
1x Slayers' Stronghold
4x Stomping Ground
2x Sunpetal Grove
4x Temple Garden
Creature (24)
2x Aurelia, the Warleader
4x Avacyn's Pilgrim
4x Boros Reckoner
4x Huntmaster of the Fells
4x Restoration Angel
4x Thragtusk
2x Thundermaw Hellkite
Sorcery (6)
4x Farseek
2x Mizzium Mortars
Planeswalker (4)
2x Domri Rade
2x Garruk Relentless
Instant (3)
3x Searing Spear
Sideboard (15)
2x Angel of Serenity
2x Boros Charm
2x Garruk, Primal Hunter
3x Loxodon Smiter
2x Oblivion Ring
2x Rest in Peace
2x Witchbane Orb
Round 1 vs. Jund Aggro: 2-0
We both came out pretty strong in G1, though I took a mull-to-6 and he took a mull-to-5. I hit a Turn-3 Garruk Relentless off a T2 Farseek and made a Wolf to block his Rakdos Cackler. Cue his T4 Falkenrath Aristocrat. She kills Garruk, and the Wolf/Cackler trade. I slam down a T4 Thundermaw Hellkite, and Aristocrat goes bye-bye without something to sac and absorb damage. He manages to get me to 10 before I solidify my board with a Boros Reckoner and a Restoration Angel. Between Resto and Thundermaw, that's game.
Game 2 I sideboard out 2x Aurelia, the Warleader, 1x Huntmaster, 1x Thundermaw, and 1x Domri Rade, bringing in 2x Oblivion Ring and 3x Loxodon Smiter. We both mull-to-6 but I'm able to hit a nut curve with T2 Smiter and another T3 Garruk Relentless. Garruk serves double-duty as a blocker-maker and removal. Before he's able to do more as the Veil-Cursed, he gets Ghor-Clan Bloodrushed and killed. But at this point I've managed to drop 2 Thragtusks and the game is over.
Round 2 vs. Prime Speaker Bant: 2-1
Game 1 I took a mull-to-6 but came out swinging. He was on the defensive from the beginning despite the card advantage he got from Prime Speaker Zegana. It's a strong deck, but the fact that she doesn't draw you cards and gain you life doesn't put her in the same league as Sphinx's Revelation. I hit him with a Thundermaw-Resto combo and then burned him the last few damage.
Game 2 the tables were turned. I sideboarded in 2x Angel of Serenity, 2x Oblivion Ring, and 2x Garruk, Primal Hunter. I think I pulled out Garruk Relentless, some of my Burn spells, and a Huntmaster. He came out very strong in the beginning with a T4 Thragtusk and then two consecutive Restoration Angels. I managed to yank the two angels and a Beast with my Angel of Serenity, but it was promptly Selesnya Charm'ed. Without a flying blocker I didn't have a way to stop the tick-tick-tick of my life by Restoration Angels...and he was at 36 by the time the game was done.
Game 3 played out more like Game 1. We both took a mull-to-6 and I managed a T2 Boros Reckoner and T3 Huntmaster of The Fells. He'd already Shock Land-ed himself twice, and I swing with 7 power to get him to 6. He shocked himself again to play a Thragtusk and go to 9, and I managed to hit him back down to 3 again by forcing him to block my Reckoner with the Thragtusk and dealing 5 damage to him. Then I Speared him for the win.
Round 3 vs. Naya Humans Variant: 2-1
I won the roll and he took a Mull-to-6 in Game 1. He came out rather strong, with Champion of the Parish and Silverblade swinging hard. But I managed to stabilize with 2x Huntmaster and Reckoner, and at 10 life I dropped a Thragtusk. He managed to get me down to 9 before I drew Aurelia and took the game.
Game 2 he came out very strong. I sideboarded in the same cards as against my Round 1 Aggro opponent and kept a hand with 3 land, Oblivion Ring, Loxodon Smiter, Boros Reckoner, and...something else. I think Restoration Angel or Thragtusk. Unfortunately, he hit a super-aggressive curve, and I wasn't able to play any of those until T3 when he already had Mayor of Avrabruk, Thalia, Champion, and Silverblade Paladin. Couldn't come back from all that.
Game 2 was incredibly one-sided in my favor. I didn't take as many notes this game, but I dropped him from 18 to 12, then it seems he shocked himself to 10, I hit him to 7, and that was it. I remember playing with help from Garruk Relentless/Veil-Cursed again. He managed to throw a Sigarda and I thought that would stall the game, until I realized I had Garruk, the Veil-Cursed out on the field. I sacrificed a Wolf Token and pulled Thundermaw from my deck. All my mana was open and he scooped.
Round 4 vs. Dark Naya (Naya with Black): 2-0
I'd seen this kid play before and I knew he was good. Dark Naya is also one of the stronger midrange decks because it combines Naya's value creatures with Jund's value removal with things like Abrupt Decay and Rakdos's Return. Game one I hit a strong curve, playing a T2 Domri, a T3 Huntmaster, and a T4 Thragtusk. He had shocked himself down to 16 and managed to play a T5 Zealous Conscripts, stole my Thragtusk, and swung-out at me for 8 (hitting me to 19) and sending 6 to kill Domri. I got my Thragtusk back, drew a card, and slammed down Aurelia. With Thragtusk that was exactly lethal.
He got very flooded Game 2. He saw some of his removal, but not enough to stop the onslaught of guys I was sending his way. He did manage to 2-for-1 my field with an overloaded Mizzium Mortars, but I had enough sense not to overextend and played a Smiter AND Reckoner the next turn. He never saw a Rakdos's Return or any of his other removal, and I took the game pretty handily.
Round 5 vs. Naya Humans/Blitz: 2-1
Game 1 went back and forth for a while until I started bringing out the Thragtusks. Then it was just too much. He didn't feel like playing that game out and scooped. I wasn't complaining.
Game 2, sided out 2x Aurelia, 1x Thundermaw, 1x Domri, 1x Huntmaster. In: 3x Loxodon SMiter, 2x Oblivion Ring. I thought I had this one in the bag, but he surprised me by putting Volcanic Strength on his Silverblade-bonded Champion of the Parish. I went from 17-9 in one swing because it had Mountainwalk and I had a Sacred Foundry out on the field. I could have survived the next turn, but he played another human and pumped the Champion even further. Scooped.
Game 3 I played more carefully. I T2 Farseek into a 3rd G/W source to play Boros Reckoner T4, even though that slowed me down considerably. I didn't want to risk him having a Volcanic Strength in hand before I could stabilize. Reckoner makes combat very unpleasant for Aggro decks, and he's still tough to play around, so that bought me a lot of time to build up my board presence. I was confident enough then to drop a Sacred Foundry and use it as removal, Mortars and 2x Searing Spear cleared his field and I had the game.
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With Swiss rounds over I was in 1st place at 5-0 (the only 5-0 of the night) and guaranteed a spot in Top-8. Gameface time.
Top 8, R1 vs. Esper Control: 2-0
I thought this would be my toughest matchup, but I drew incredibly well and I'd practiced against this deck for a long time. I knew I had to win quickly but keep a close eye on all his mana so I didn't over-extend board-wipes. Sphinx's Revelation was also tough, but I knew if I played smart I could beat it.
Game 1 I drew nuts. Shocked myself twice to hit a T2 Domri Rade, and a T3 Boros Reckoner. I got enough Value off of Domri (Thragtusk!) so that even when he Oblivion Ring-ed it, I wasn't too upset. I attacked into an Azoirus Charm and then played A Huntmaster, forcing him to wipe the board. But then I got to play my Reckoner again. I dropped the Thragtusk and swung with both it and the Reckoner the next turn to knock him from 15 to 7. I swung again, and he tap-out a Sphinx's Revelation for 3, hoping to save himself at 2. I Searing Speared him all the same and that was game.
Game 2 wasn't even close. I managed to land a Thragtusk and a Loxodon Smiter on curve before he hit Terminus for full-price. I dropped Garruk Relentless, too. He milled a few times with Drownyard and Detention Sphere'd Garruk as I got him down to 7 with just the Beast. I played Avacyn's Pilgrim and attacked for 4. He played Revelation for 4, but I shot him with Searing Spear and Boros Charm to burn him out.
Top 8, R2 vs. Naya Humans Variant (same as R3): 2-1
This was the same guy I played during Round 3 and I'd been his only loss that entire night. I was feeling very confident that I both knew his deck and could beat it.
Game 1 went too long for him to survive. I had Huntmaster on T3 and let him flip back and forth, shooting him and his creatures. He managed to bond Silverblade Paladin with Nearhearth Pilgrim for Doublestrike and Lifelink and at one point ended up at 33 life. But I chipped away at that. I had 2 Restoration Angels in hand to let Huntmaster flip and unflip over and over, picking off his guys one by one. Then I had Slayers' Stronghold on the field, giving one of my Angels +2/0 and Vigilance. He had one Restoration Angel out on the field, and I just continued sending my 5/4 Angel at him. It let me keep it as a blocker and still make it a threat. I ended up dealing 15 with just the angel before dropping a Thundermaw and he scooped.
Game 2 was very close. It went on longer than it should have (for him), but the addition of Frontline Medic and a whole swath of chump blockers meant he had the chance to attack into whatever I had on the field with no consequences. Even with 2x Boros Reckoners and 2x Loxodn Smiters I wasn't able to survive a gang of indestructible creatures...and without flying, his Double-striking Restoration Angel finished me off. I was only 2 draws away from a Mizzium Mortars that I could've overloaded to save my butt...but such is life.
Game 3 wasn't really a fight. He missed a LOT of land drops and was stuck with a 2/2 Champion of the Parish and a flipped Mayor of Avabruck (so it didn't even buff the Champion). I had managed to drop 2 Thragtusk and both Reckoner and Smiter. Even with him sticking an O-Ring on my Reckoner, I still won. At one point he was at 4 even when I thought he was at 7, so I swung into his 3/3 Wolf, 3/3 Howlpack Alpha, and 2/2 Champion with my Thragtusk, Reckoner, and Smiter. He blocked Tusk and Smiter with the Wolf and Champion, repectively. He would have been at 1, though I thought that would only get him to 4 (lesson: watch the game states), so I speared his Alpha to save my tusk and clear his board. He asked why I didn't spear him and I learned my mistake. Still, with nothing on board and staring down 3 creatures, he scooped.
Top 8, R3 vs. Junk Reanimator. Split.
It was already 11:15 and we both wanted to get home. We split for top prize and both ended up with $30 store credit and the promo foil Farseek. Very cool promo. I'm actually glad we split, because Reanimator (especially Junk) is my least-confident match-up. I had a very good friend who played Junk Reanimator before GTC and I could never go more than 1-2 against him, even with significant Graveyard Hate. I hadn't played it since GTC came out, however (except on Cockatrice), but in the end it didn't matter, because we both were tired and wanted to go home. All in all, a very good night.
Overall record for the night 7-0 and a Split.
____
Final thoughts on the night:
-Garruk Relentless was a star for me last night. And I'm glad I made the split-second decision to include him in the mainboard or I might not have used him at all. I wasn't a huge fan before Gatecrash, but I'm really loving him now.
-Aurelia, the Warleader needs to be a 2-of. I was playing a 1-1 split with her and Gisela, but the two attack phases are just that good. I really wanted to have Gisela in the sideboard for the Control and Midrange mirror, but felt that Angel of Serenity was stronger in that regard.
-Angel of Serenity was pretty "meh" last night. Mostly because the format was so full of Aggro, but I also didn't really find the need to play her during my one Control match-up. She actually worked against me in the Prime Speaker Bant match, allowing my opponent to reuse his Restos, and I never saw her during the Dark Naya match. I actually might switch out one of these for Gisela.
-Loxodon Smiter was the champion of the night. I'd been debating playing him over Centaur Healer in the Sideboard for a while, and finally decided that his bigger body and strength against the possible Control/Rak Return/Liliana matchup would prove better than 3 life. I was absolutely right. Centaur Healer works well with Restoration Angel, but you're likely to need it as a blocker before then. Smiter makes them really reconsider attacking, or at least, if they attack you know they have a combat trick up their sleeves.
-Witchbane Orb is still a "maybe" in my book. It'd definitely be amazing against Rakdos's Return, any sort of Mill, and targeted sacrifice, but I never drew it all last night. I still think it's necessary, but I'll need to actually play it to be sure.
-Boros Charm was a star in the one match I actually sided it in for. I can't complain at all.
-Rest in Peace never came in since I didn't play Reanimator, but I know there are several people playing some sort of Reanimator variants and UWR Flash w/Runechanter's Pike variants, which RIP really works well against.
"You can call yourself whatever you want.
Soldier. Leader. Patriot. Revolutionary. It doesn't matter.
At our core we're all the same thing.
Monsters."
Went to the local FNM on the 5th to prepare for the next day's 1K Standard Tournament. I'd made a few changes to the deck from last time, mostly in the sideboard in preparation for the inevitable Junk Reanimator matchup. Ended up with a 6-1 record and a split for top prize.
Spoiler:- Naya on the Warpath:
Land (23)
2x Cavern of Souls
1x Clifftop Retreat
1x Forest
2x Kessig Wolf Run
1x Mountain
1x Plains
2x Rootbound Crag
2x Sacred Foundry
1x Slayers' Stronghold
4x Stomping Ground
2x Sunpetal Grove
4x Temple Garden
Creature (24)
2x Aurelia, the Warleader
4x Avacyn's Pilgrim
4x Boros Reckoner
4x Huntmaster of the Fells
4x Restoration Angel
4x Thragtusk
2x Thundermaw Hellkite
Sorcery (6)
4x Farseek
2x Mizzium Mortars
Planeswalker (4)
2x Domri Rade
2x Garruk Relentless
Instant (3)
2x Searing Spear
1x Selesnya Charm
Sideboard (15)
1x Angel of Serenity
1x Thundermaw Hellkite
2x Boros Charm
2x Garruk, Primal Hunter
3x Loxodon Smiter
2x Oblivion Ring
2x Rest in Peace
1x Selesnya Charm
1x Purify the Grave
Round 1: Bye.
Round 2 vs. Mono-Red: 2-1
I started off pretty strong, despite taking 4 off a Vexing Devil on turn 1. I was down to 14, but shock-landed myself again to land a T2 Boros Reckoner. He fought me down to 6, and I continued to pull removal and blockers. I finally landed a Huntmaster of the Fells, which he inevitably didn't have an answer for.
Game 2 didn't go as planned. Despite keeping what seemed like a strong hand, I couldn't stabilize fast enough, and was burned-out by a morbid-enhanced Brimstone Volley. I'd kept a Selesnya Charm in my hand, but I wasn't able to use it. It was the first hint that I wouldn't be as happy with that card.
Game 3 was more in my favor. I managed to hit a pair of Turn 2 and 3 Loxodon Smiters followed by pair of a Turn 4 and 5 Boros Reckoners. He didn't have a way out.
Round 3 vs. Dega (RWB) Midrange: 1-2
This was an interesting brew utilizing Boros Reckoner and Blasphemous Acts, while also having strong cards like Falkenrath Aristocrat and Aurelia, the Warleader; and Finishing everything off with Faithless Looting and Unburial Rites.
Game 1 I started strong with a T3 Huntmaster, which he answered with a Reckoner + Blas Acts combo to knock me to 8. Still, I managed to stick an Aurelia with a lot of creature support and swing in for lethal.
Game 2 wasn't even a game. He managed to get Reckoner out on T3 and Aristocrat out on T4, and despite my best effort, I didn't have a way to stop him from hitting Unburial Rites on Aurelia and swinging for absurd amounts of damage.
Game 3 I sideboarded in 2 Rest in Peace to deal with his 'yard interaction. I used it too late, however, and he used Rolling Temblor to mow down my Pilgrims. I got him down to 1, hitting a Reckoner T2 and following it up with both Restoration Angel and Thundermaw. But with me at 16, he attacked uninterrupted, knocked me to 13, and then shot me with Blasphemous Acts.
Round 4 vs. Selesnya Aggro: 1-0 (opponent dropped after G1)
This wasn't much of a game. He tried to mount some kind of offense, but I managed to gain 10 life via Thragtusk and put it out of reach. He had some sort of time constraint, so he had to leave.
Round 5 vs. Naya Blitz: 2-1
Game 1 went back of forth for a while. He knocked me down to 7 at one point, after which I dropped a Thragtusk. But despite the 12 life, he was able to Ghor-Clan Bloodrush + Boros Charm Double-Strike me for exactly lethal.
Game 2 was more my speed. I hit all my early removal and managed a Huntmaster of the Fells flipping, and continually pinging him, even though he'd gotten me down to 6. At one point he attacked with a huge Bloodrush, but I had a Selesnya Charm on hand to defend myself and exiled his creature. I dropped another Huntmaster and stabilized for the win.
Game 3 wasn't even close. I dropped a Turn 3 Thragtusk followed by a Turn 4 Restoration Angel. Facing down 28 life and a full board, he had to concede.
Top 8, R1 vs. UWR Flash: 2-1
This was an odd UWR build without Boros Reckoner or Geist of Saint Traft, and I think that definitely hurt it. Game 1 I came out very strong, following a Huntmaster of the Fells with a Thragtusk and just beating face.
-4 Boros Reckoner, -1 Huntmaster of the Fells
+3 Loxodon Smiter, +2 Boros Charm
I thought the above sideboarding would be the way to go. I was mistaken. I hadn't encountered his Runechanter's Pike yet, and that was definitely a game-changer with Moorland Haunt. Despite getting him down and fighting through not 1, but 2 Sphinx's Revelations (gaining him a total of 12 life/cards), I had him at 10. But he had a spirit and a Restoration Angel with a pike, and I didn't have an answer to that.
-2 Garruk Relentless
+2 Rest in Peace
I managed to drop Rest in Peace right on time, limiting what his Runechanter's Pike could do. But that was after my Turn 3 Thundermaw Hellkite, then a Loxodon Smiter. He was only able to ping away at me for 1 with his Invisible Stalker while I had my enormous beasts and dragons knocking away.
Top 8, R2 vs. Junk Reanimator: 2-1
I was very wary for this matchup. It definitely isn't one of my best. The deck's ability to hit a T3 or 4 Angel of Serenity is just deadly. Still, I have a lot of experience playing against it, and know the routes it can take.
Game 1 went tremendously in my favor. I managed to hit an early Huntmaster of the Fells, followed by Boros Reckoner and Aurelia to do just INSANE amounts of damage.
-2 Huntmaster of the Fells, -2 Garruk Relentless, -2 Domri Rade, -2 Searing Spear
+1 Selesnya Charm, +1 Thundermaw Hellkite, +2 Rest in Peace, +1 Purify the Grave, +3 Loxodon Smiter
Game 2, I didn't really get on my feet. I had a bit of mana issues, and he continued to ping me with Restoration Angels. There wasn't anything I could do.
Game 3 was a HELL of a game. We went back and forth, even with him landing an early Angel of Serenity and scooping up a Huntmaster and some other stuff. He kept destroying my lands with Acidic Slime, leaving me with only 4 mana open at one point (including Avacyn's Pilgrim). But I had dropped a Rest in Peace to keep him off his graveyard. He also managed to Vault of the Archangel himself +10 life while we held our stalemate. I finally managed to draw my second Hellkite, but had to wait for my 5th land. My forest finally came. I played the Hellkite, and he scooped it up.
Top 8, R3 vs. Naya Aggro-Midrange - Split
This was the same guy I played twice in the FNM from 2 weeks ago. So I was sure I could win, but at 11:30 we were all tired and wanting to go home and rest up for the next morning's Standard 1K.
Final Record: 6-1 and Split
Final thoughts: definitely could have played better for a lot of my games. I really wasn't on my A-Game this week (I should have seen that Boros-Blas Acts coming). But I can't really complain.
Once again, I never actually played Angel of Serenity, and can't really imagine the match I would play it in. Maybe the mirror...or against Jund. But I'd probably rather have a Witchbane Orb...which was another card I was sorely missing. I think I'll remove Purify the Grave for the 1x Witchbane Orb...and maybe the Angel for the 2nd.
Selesnya Charm seems like good utility now, especially with Reanimator and all the Bloodrush I've been up against. There's nothing I like more than exiling your Bloodrushed creature.
At the same time, I miss my extra removal of 3x Searing Spears. At 2x, they just don't show up as often.
"You can call yourself whatever you want.
Soldier. Leader. Patriot. Revolutionary. It doesn't matter.
At our core we're all the same thing.
Monsters."
Sounded like a fun time, I wish I could win games at my FNM, my best was 2-2 and one of those was a bye, and the other was a friend of mine using a Battle of Wits deck.
THIS IS FOR MY NINTENDO 3DS HANDHELD SYSTEM 2664-2984-6619
THIS IS FOR MY POKEMON WHITE VIDEO GAME Mike-0218-6703-3716
I'll post the less-than stellar results/report from today's Standard 1K, where I went 2-2 and dropped. I think it's important to acknowledge our shortcomings and stumbles, just as it is to recognize our successes. I probably could have finished the 5th Swiss round, but I decided to go home. My head wasn't in the game and I was tired from the late night last night.
Anyway, I'll edit this later.
"You can call yourself whatever you want.
Soldier. Leader. Patriot. Revolutionary. It doesn't matter.
At our core we're all the same thing.
Monsters."
So my LGS had a free Pack Wars tournament Saturday, and the people participating was me and 3 friends, rules of the turnament was, you couldn't look at your pack before the tournament and you got 3 of each basic land.
R1-Aganist a friend that in Constructed we share a very similar playstyle.
R1 G1:
He manged to get a one drop out. My turn I played a land (nothin I could play). Followed this way until T3 when I got something out, and on his 4th turn he One-Thousand lashed my guy. My turn nhothign special waiting to hit a green mana source for something, then on his turn hw got out a Skyknight Leggionaire. Got me to 10 life, then I hit an Angelic Edict to get rid of his Legionnare. Then ended up winning a few turns after that.
R1 G2:
Nothing really big until about T6when I hit a Ripscale Predator and he only had one creature, so won pretty quick.
R2 G1: Ended up playing a friend who is really good at the game.
Had to mulligan down to 5 because lack of spells. But anyway he only hit Basilica Guards, while I played Ripscale Predator T6. Since he couldn't block adn only had a defender out, I won pretty quickly.
R2 G2:
Kept my hand at 7 with 4 lands, a creature (Biovisionary), and 2 Sorcerys (Angelic Edict and Sheilded Passage). He hit a creature on T2. While I wasn't stuck utnil about T6 because lack of Green. So finally I was able to hit Biovisionary at 14 life. Then hit Ivy Strret Denizen.
Then as normal Ripscale later in the game. Took my opponent down to 2 life, then a removal spell got ris of Ripscale, but a Massive Raid hit when I had 2 creatures. So won and got a pack. Pulled the White Primordial guy completing my set of the Primordials.
THIS IS FOR MY NINTENDO 3DS HANDHELD SYSTEM 2664-2984-6619
THIS IS FOR MY POKEMON WHITE VIDEO GAME Mike-0218-6703-3716
So FNM this week. Ran general Naya Aggro deck borrowing some dual lands from a friend.
Round 1: Against a weird Orzhov tokens deck.
Game 1: Started with a pretty good opening hand and stayed at 7, won the dice roll and played. Dropped a Sacred Foundry and took the shock. Dropped a Legion Loyalist and swung 1. He went and drew into a Plains and passed. My second turn, Drew into my second Burning-Tree Emissary. So dropped those and a Lightning Mauler and swung 5. He played a Swamp and Doomed Traveler. My 3rd turn drew into a Frontline Medic. So dropped a Forest and played it. So swung for 7 and passed. Then he played a Plains and played Beckon Abberation. Then I swung with all and it was game.
Game 2: Followed the same pattern then he got a Vampire Nocturnus out and walled stuff. Got me down to about 10 then I swung game.
Record 1-0
Round 2: Against U/B/W Mill/Control
Game 1: Kept swinging into Restoration Angels while getting Drownyarded for 6 (he had 2 out). Ended up getting milled out because Jace, Memory Adept ultimate.
Game 2: He misplayed a few moves and ggot greedy with a Sphinx's Revaltion while at 4 life, so I Skullcracked him and swung game with Legion Loyalist.
FNM Report April 19th, 2013 – Coy's Comics. Saginaw, Michigan
Went to the local FNM on the 19th to play a bit of Magic. I'd made a few changes to the deck from last time, mostly in the sideboard in preparation for the inevitable Junk Reanimator matchup...that I never ended up playing. I guess no one was playing Junk last night. I went undefeated in Swiss rounds and lost the first match in top 8, but more of that later on.
I went with Naya Midrange again. I really considered running Anthony Lowry's most recent UWR Midrange deck, but I didn't really get to test with it at all and I didn't want to play a deck without proper testing. My local shop is rampant with Aggro anyway, so Naya Midrange always does pretty well.
Here's the list I was running. A few changes from last time: I put the Loxodon Smiters mainboard to shore up the first match against Aggro and cut down on the Planeswalkers. I also shored up my sideboard to help in the Junk Reanimator matchup with 3x Rest in Peace and 3x Selesnya Charm. Without actually playing a Reanimator deck, however, this never really came into play:
Spoiler:- Naya on the Warpath:
Land (23)
2x Cavern of Souls
1x Clifftop Retreat
1x Forest
2x Kessig Wolf Run
1x Mountain
1x Plains
2x Rootbound Crag
2x Sacred Foundry
1x Slayers' Stronghold
4x Stomping Ground
2x Sunpetal Grove
4x Temple Garden
Creature (27)
2x Aurelia, the Warleader
4x Avacyn's Pilgrim
4x Boros Reckoner
4x Huntmaster of the Fells
4x Restoration Angel
4x Thragtusk
2x Thundermaw Hellkite
3x Loxodon Smiter
Sorcery (6)
4x Farseek
2x Mizzium Mortars
Planeswalker (2)
1x Domri Rade
1x Garruk Relentless
In the player's own words, this was a "janky" sort of deck. Something he threw together and thought would be a lot of fun. And it probably would have been if it had gone off. But I really hit some insane draws and had everything I needed. He was running Ulvenwald Tracker with the big Selesnya value creatures: Armada Wurm, Elderscale Wurm, Loxodon Smiter, Trostani, Thragtusk, Silklash Spider, etc.
In Game 1 he did manage to hit me some with both the Tracker and a Call of the Conclave Centaur Token. But an Aurelia coupled with a Ravager of the Fells and a Restoration Angel made it just way too much to handle.
Game 2 was even more one-sided. I got a Loxodon Smiter on T3, Thundermaw on T5 and hit for huge. Even after he Selesnya Charm'd my dragon, I still had 2 Smiters and a Boros Reckoner on field, and he was down to 3 life. I took the win.
Round 2 vs. Jund Aggro (2-1)
I didn't take very many notes at all this match, so I'll just summarize briefly. I took Game 1 after a bit of back-and-forth. He Dreadbore'd and Abrupt Decay'd a couple things (Smiter or Reckoner), but I managed to land a Thragtusk and a Restoration Angel and ended up chipping away at him that way.
Game 2 he curved insanely. Dropping T1 Experiment One, and T2 Burning Tree + Flinthoof Boar. Then hitting me with a T4 Hellrider. No way to fight against that.
Game 3 he was forced to Mull-to-5 and I kept a strong hand with plenty of removal, some ramp, and a Thragtusk, I believe. Despite the presence of Falkenrath Aristocrat and Flinthoof Boar, I managed to just out-fight him. In the end, Thragtusk and Avacyn's Pilgrim finished him off.
Round 3 vs. Turbofog (2-0)
During Game 1 I had no idea what my opponent was playing. I saw some Bant-colored lands so I thought he might be playing Bant Control, so I was sure to play very conservatively with my threats. I managed an INSANE amount of ramp that game. Going T1 Pilgrim, T2 Pilgrim + Farseek. I could have landed a T3 Aurelia if I had the 6th mana, but that didn't show up for a few more turns. Instead I dropped a Huntmaster of the Fells. He played a Sphinx's Revelation for 0 on his turn to keep in from flipping, but I attacked with the pair of 2/2s and let it flip on his turn, after which I hit him for 7 more damage. He Sphinx's Rev'd for 1, but I dropped Aurelia on my turn and he scooped it up.
Game 2 he kept a risky hand. He told me later that it was a 2 land hand without Green, but hand Sphinx's Revelation, 2 Farseeks, a Supreme Verdict, and a Snapcaster Mage. Every other land in his deck would produce Green, so if he drew into just one Green land he would be doing very well. I opened with a Turn 2 Loxodon Smiter and hit him down to 12 before dropping a Restoration Angel and a Thragtusk. He was stuck on 3 lands the whole time.
Round 4 vs. Mono-Red (2-1)
I felt pretty confident as Game 1 started, but he got a very explosive draw. Because he was on the play, he could attack with his Stromkirk Noble and burn my Avacyn's Pilgrim. That put me a turn behind and I couldn't drop my Loxodon Smiter for a full turn more. He threw down Hellrider and that was game.
Game 2 I was on the play and managed my Turn 2 Smiter. Followed by a T3 Smiter and a T4 Huntmaster, and a T5 Thragtusk. I also dropped Garruk Relentless and killed off a Rakdos Cackler. With that kind of board position there was no way he could fight back.
Game 3 was a bit more back and forth. But a combination of early-turn Smiters and a Huntmaster gave me enough juice to power through his board. Garruk cleared the way again, and Thundermaw flew in for the kill.
Round 5 vs. Jund Midrange - Split
We decided to split since we were both in the top 2 (I think I was in first by a small percentage of tiebreaker points). We were both guaranteed a Top 8 spot.
Top 8, R1 vs. Mono-Red (0-2)
Same player as R4. And my deck did not play very well. Game 1 I kept WAY too slow a hand, and he managed to burn me out for the last 3 points of damage at the end. I never really got off the ground.
Game 2 MY deck killed me. I was forced to mulligan DOWN TO 4! And despite landing 2 Huntmasters in a row, he had the burn and the Skullcrack to keep me from gaining the second set of life. Hellrider came down and that was that. It's super frustrating to lose to YOUR deck.
---
Final thoughts: I wish I hadn't over-sideboarded myself against Reanimator. There are only 1-3 Reanimator players at this shop, and I probably didn't need to dedicate that much sideboard to it. There's even less Jund Midrange or Esper Control, so Pithing Needle and Witchbane Orb didn't come in at all. Neither did Big Garruk, and I didn't see Domri once. I found myself wishing I had more removal all night in my Aggro matchups.
Here's what I'm thinking for the deck next time:
Spoiler:- Naya on the Warpath (updated):
Land (23)
2x Cavern of Souls
1x Clifftop Retreat
1x Forest
2x Kessig Wolf Run
1x Mountain
1x Plains
2x Rootbound Crag
2x Sacred Foundry
1x Slayers' Stronghold
4x Stomping Ground
2x Sunpetal Grove
4x Temple Garden
Creature (24)
2x Aurelia, the Warleader
4x Avacyn's Pilgrim
4x Boros Reckoner
4x Huntmaster of the Fells
4x Restoration Angel
4x Thragtusk
2x Thundermaw Hellkite
3x Loxodon Smiter
FNM Report- May 10, 2013 Champion's Cards and Games Charleston, WV
OK so this is probably my best FNM so far. I went 2-1 in matches and 4-2 in games.
Round 1 vs Dega Vampire/Human Tokens (I went 0-2)
Game 1: Took a opening hand with 2 gates and some 1 one drops. Almost won because Legion Loyalists battalion but a Dreadbore lost me the game.
Game 2- Followed Game 1 almost move for move.
Current Record 0-1
Round 2 vs. America control (I won 2-0)
Game 1- Won because I outraced the opponent. Kept a hand of Selesnya Guildgate, Champion of the Parish, Legion loyalist, 2 Frontline Medic, Mountain, and Sacred Foundry. At one point he got a Melek out and copied a Mizzium Mortars and killed a Loyalist and Frontline Medic. But drew into both of those creature again. Couldn't handle my board.
Game 2- Almost G1 move for move, but Mizzium into a Boros Charm so nothing of mine died.
Current Record 1-1
Round 3 vs. Izzet Control (I won 2-0)
Game 1- Took a hand with 3 gates and 1 shockland. At one point was at 3 life while opponent was at 20. But I killed his creature with a Spear. Couldn't stablize after that.
Game 2- Almost lost because a Nivix Cyclops into a Epic Expirement for 7. But I speared it twice before all the Instants gave him the bouses. But outraced him again.
Current Record 2-1
I'll do a more in depth thing later. I have baccalauriate later and I'm about to leave. Also should note I played against friends from school that I play against everyday in all 3 rounds. But my R3 opponent I had neevr played against with that deck. and I helped build R1 and R2 decks. But anyway
Tied with R1 Opponent for 4th and waled out with $10 in credit and the Judge's Familiar promo. Pretty good night. Also bought some guild packs and got a Rakdos, Lord of Riots, a Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord, and a Borborgymos Enraged.
Last edited by the3rdH0kage; 12th May 2013 at 10:32 PM.
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