[T8] @ Knight-Ware 8/23 - Elves!

[Koby]

Quickie report since I didn't take notes on individual games. Expected a lot of aggro and little control, so I brought the second more unfair deck in the format (Belcher being first): Elves! 36 players showed up, so 6 rounds of swiss cheese followed by T8 elimination to see who gets playset of Gofys.

T8:

1/2 Split
Khiem - Zoo
Josh - BR Goblins

3. John - UGr C'Top
4. Jordan - UWb Landstill

5. Sean - Dragon Stompy
6. rukcus - Elves!
7. Ozmandias - Ichorid
8. ??? - ???

My overall record was 4-1-1 going into T8, then punted vs C'top when I decked myself on turn 2 of game 2. I won a NM Nether Void for my troubles.

I played:
Round 1 - Zoo 2-1
Round 2 - Pattern of Rebirth.dec - 2-1
Round 3: Underworld Dreams.dec - 2-0
Round 4: Bant Thresh - 2-0
Round 5: Landstill - ID (played it out, and i went 2-0)
Round 6: Dragon Stompy - 0-2 (played it out as we were both gauranteed T8) We play three more after and I win every time. 3sphere + Jitte is some good vs tribal.

T8: UGr C'Top - 1-2:

Game 1, I topdeck the one Vexing Shusher in my deck, and proceed to play out all my spells protected from his turn 2 Counterbalance.

Game 2, after boarding out the Grapeshot (since he runs stifle/nought), I proceed to go off turn 2 and draw my deck looking for the said Grapeshot. Last card drawn when I realize I punted.

Game 3: opener has Vexing Shusher, but he's got EE@1, EE@2, and I Summoner Pact for Viridian Shaman to blow up EE@2. He untaps and Firespouts, leaving me with exactly 3 mana to pay for Pact upkeep.

Pretty much, Game 2 & 3 I lose to my own cards.

There wasn't a single match that I was worried about. It has a good matchup against both blue decks and Zoo. Firespout and Volcanic Fallout and kinda annoying to deal with, but they don't really matter much since it's so easy to recover.

Decklist
11 Forest
4 Land Grant
1 Regal Force
4 Glimpse of Nature
4 Fyndhorn Elves
2 Llanowar Elves
4 Nettle Sentinel
4 Priest of Titania
4 Wirewood Symbiote
2 Quirion Ranger
4 Elvish Visionary
4 Birchlore Ranges
4 Heritage Druid
2 Summoner's Pact
2 Viridian Shaman
1 Vexing Shusher
1 Sylvan Messenger
1 Elvish Archdruid
1 Grapeshot

Sideboard
2 Viridian Shaman
3 Krosan Grip
2 Naturalize
3 Thorn of Amethyst
3 Relic of Progenitus
2 Essense Warden

[lorddotm]

T8:

1/2 Split
Khiem - Zoo
Josh - BR Goblins

3. John - UGr C'Top
4. Jordan - UWb Landstill

5. Sean - Dragon Stompy
6. rukcus - Elves!
7. ??? - Zoo
8. ??? - Survival


Looks like Aggro Loam dominates this Top8, except for Countertop. A little happy I didn't make it as I only had Merfolk completely built...

Congratz on the finish, and TES is slightly better than Elves! against aggro :P.

[Ozymandias]

That top 8 can't possibly be right. I was there, playing dredge, and was sixth in the standings post-Swiss. I lost in the first round of the top 8 to Zoo.

Here was my list:

4 Golgari Grave-Troll
4 Stinkweed Imp
2 Golgari Thug
4 Ichorid
4 Narcomoeba
4 Putrid Imp
4 Bridge From Below
1 FKZ
1 Cephalid Sage
1 Woodfall Primus
4 Cabal Therapy
3 Dread Return
4 Breakthrough
2 Careful Study
2 Deep Analysis
4 Lion's Eye Diamond
4 Gemstone Mine
4 City of Brass
4 Cephalid Coliseum

SB:
4 Chain of Vapor
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Ray of Revelation
3 Ancient Grudge
2 Pithing Needle

r1: ANT, 1-2
r2: Forbid-Phoenix monoblue, 2-0
r3: Non-combo Elves, 2-0
r4: Eva Green, 2-0
r5: Affinity, 2-0
r6: ID
t8: Game loss for registering LED twice instead of cabal therapy, mulligan to 4(!) and win on the third turn, lose g3 after a poor keep. (1-2*)

In retrospect I should have shaved Ichorids and such instead of boarding out the LEDs and DAs. There was not a large amount of Dredge hate. Also, I should have been SBing Firestorm in place of Leyline. The only yard hate I faced all day was 1 Extirpate, and I never saw the mirror.

[beastman]

I have to ask, why in gods name did you only play 1 archdruid?

[Koby]

@ Ozymandias:

Oops, my memory didn't serve me well. There was no survival deck, rather it was your Ichorid deck. I was going off of your T8 blurb from the tourney announcement thread.

@ beastman/Archdruid:

Archdruid is essentially two cards in one: Elvish Champion + Priest of Titania. I already play 4 Priest of Titania (more than sufficient with the amount of mana elves). The druid provides the +1/+1 ability, and the card is overall just flat out better than Elvish Champion. The aim of the deck is strictly combo out (as evident by drawing 51 cards on turn 2 on the draw). Beatdown is only an option if I don't draw Glimpse of Nature, or somehow "fizzle" and must turn sideways.

If I play more than 1 Archdruid, then I'm no longer playing combo Elves, and now I venture into beatdown Elves, which means I should be playing 4 Imperious Perfect, multiple Archdruids, and multiple Elvish Champions.

Again, this is strictly inferior to the combo variant.

[beastman]

Cut a couple of the priests. They both accomplish the same thing, And you need a backup plan against decks packing countermagic. You play so many elves that you can vomit out your hand and drop a lord and wham! You have a turn 2 clock. He also has the added bonus of dodging spell snare and being much harder to hit with counterbalance.

[keys]

Hey, it was fun watching you play. You turned them elfs sideways a few times in the game I watched versus Phil's WOrb/Grow deck.

I played Khiem in the Zoo mirror round three. I won game one fast, but game two took over 40 minutes just trading threat for threat/removal (him winning eventually bc he drew a Library). We had less than 10 minutes left for game 3 but I was forced into mulling to 4 and didn't even get to play a spell before he ran me over... :frown:

Another sad day for me I placed 11th with 4-2 (10-4 in games) and craptacular tie breakers... missing out on the prizes by one rank.

Didn't the R/b gobs guy just barely make T-8 with his 4-2 rec? What a turnaround.

[Krieg]

decklists here

http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?p=374036&posted=1#post374036

prize list here
http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showpost.php?p=374039&postcount=19

many thanks to all who came

[lorddotm]

Didn't the R/b gobs guy just barely make T-8 with his 4-2 rec? What a turnaround.

The thing about Knight Ware tournies is that if you lose early, you win later. go 0-2 and just win the entire thing, its happened before :wink:.

Congratulations to everyone who placed. Kheim should've played it out though, Zoo thrashers Goblins pretty hard usually.

Phil, if you read this, I want your LEDs for my deck :P

[HAVE HEART]

@ Ozymandias:

Oops, my memory didn't serve me well. There was no survival deck, rather it was your Ichorid deck. I was going off of your T8 blurb from the tourney announcement thread.

The "??? - ???" in your top eight rundown is actually Max with Survival Rock, so there was a Survival deck.

[Koby]

Oops, again my bad. I wasn't paying attention to the other side of the room, so I missed out those 2 matchups.

[Necrogeist]

Here's a mini-report I wrote up and then forgot about :p
UWb Landstill here
I believe the top 8 was actually

1/2 Split
Khiem - Zoo
Josh - BR Goblins

3. Jordan - UWb Landstill
4. John - UGr C'Top


5. Sean - Dragon Stompy
6. rukcus - Elves!
7. ozymandias - Dredge
8. Max - Survival

I heard that there were two zoo decks, but the only deck I didn't see that day was the Goblins and Countertop - I played Survival first round of top 8, and Khiem played Dredge.

My list:
4 Mishra's Factory
2 Wasteland
3 Flooded Strand
2 Polluted Delta
1 Underground Sea
1 Scrubland
2 Hallowed Fountain
2 Glacial Fortress
2 Island
2 Plain
1 Swamp
1 Academy Ruins
(23 land)
3 Force of Will
1 Daze
4 Spell Snare
2 Counterspell
(10 counters)
2 Path to Exile
1 Swords to Plowshares
2 Vindicate
2 Wrath of God
2 Engineered Explosives
(9 destruction)
2 Cunning Wish
3 Sensei's Divining Top
3 Standstill
3 Brainstorm
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Jace Beleren
(13 Card-draw/utility)
2 Decree of Justice
2 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Eternal Dragon
(5 win (+ factories))
SB:
1 Chalice of the Void
2 Meddling Mage
1 Runed Halo
2 Blue Elemental Blast
2 Extirpate
2 Path to Exile
1 Zealous Persecution
1 Fracturing Gust
1 Pulse of the Fields
2 Relic of Progenitus

Obviously, need my last FoW and Tundras, but it wasn't much of a problem on the day.
Round 1: Staff of Domination Elves - 2-0 (He tries Staff but it's countered. After, I don't draw counters and hope I can kill him before he gets another staff).
Round 2: ANT - 2-0 (I stupidly play Jace and leave only one blue out, allowing him to play Ad Nauseam next turn, which I knew he had. Fortunately he Ad Nauseaums to one and doesn't get the mana to Tendrils, instead playing Empty the Warrens for 11. I drop a Top, find an Engineered Explosives, and pop it for 0. An Elspeth the next turn gets in for the last 1 damage).
Round 3: Dragon Stompy - 2-1 (I forget to counter his second magus game two, and quickly lose).
Round 4: Affinity - 2-0 (She is mana screwed first game, and I take care of her threats pretty quickly. I never bother fetching Fracturing Gust, getting path instead).
Round 5: Elves! - ID - 0-2 (I don't sideboard second game, but even if I did I would have needed to get a chalice down within the first two turns).
Round 6: Zoo - ID - 1-2 (I draw the last game out with Pulse of the Fields but he pithing needles Elspeth, and I can't seem to draw any other threats).

Top 8: Survival - 2-1 (I lose the 2nd game, and then realize I should side in my 2 Relics. I get one in my opening hand after a mulligan, and then grab a 2nd one in my first draw. He gets one Survival into play, but my Meddling Mage naming Survival + Elspeth will kill him within 2 turns, so he scoops).
Top 4: Zoo (Khiem, again) - 0-2 (I predict a loss, and I get one. I drag it out for a while with Pulse of the Fields, but he gets me with Price of Progress).

[Ozymandias]

Honestly, that deck is just awesome. Brian Weissman would be proud. Still kind of wish I had faced you instead of Zoo in the quarters.

[Otter]

How were the Land Grants for you? I'm just terrified of the idea that I'm going to get blown out by Force (or Spell Snare on the draw) in random games that I really have no business losing. Is the minor thinning they provide worth it?

[Koby]

If I suspect my opponent to be blue (or know he is) I will not keep a non-Forest hand and mulligan aggresively to find it. Otherwise, the only time you should worry about it is also against discard, since they can just nab it leaving you with a broken hand and no mana.

They work great, especially if I draw multiples and thin the deck out before I play draw spells.