Zaresiy
11-09-2009, 01:47 AM
This is my second top 8 posted on this site (well soon to be posted, after the vestal tournament that is), the first being when i played a rock deck but was knocked out in the t8 against Dave Price. I lent out 3 decks to friends (merfolk goyf, tarmo-sligh, and solidarity), as well as lending out cards to 2 people who needed them for their decks. This turned out to be beneficial to the t8 as those people were all necessary for the increased level of prizes (as the cutoff was 24 people, and we just reached 24).
This is the list I played, it's very similar to the list on Doug Linn's article: http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/legacy/18235_Legacys_Allure_Exploring_Tempo_Bant.html I switched the Vendillion Cliques with Rhox War Monks, and they were very helpful in some matchups, but a liability in my final one. Also, the sideboard was revamped.
Main Deck:
1 Forest
1 Island
1 Plains
4 Force of Will
4 Qasali Pridemage
2 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Ponder
4 Brainstorm
3 Rhox War Monk
4 Daze
2 Flooded Strand
2 Windswept Heath
4 Wasteland
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Tropical Island
3 Tundra
2 Misty Rainforest
4 Spell Pierce
Sideboard:
2 Gaddock Teeg
1 Stifle
3 Hydroblasts
1 Blue Elemental Blast
2 Krosan Grip
4 Submerge
2 Path to Exile
Round 1 Vs my friend Donald playing my Tarmo-Sligh deck
This is my deaf friend Donald who usually plays standard but was interested in trying out legacy (he ended up going 3-2 in his first tournament) playing my freshly tarmo-fied sligh (before it was running stuff like ball lightning, keldon marauders, and rift bolts and no goyf) I was thinking this was going to be a tough matchup, as in my experience, blue (without countertop) usually has trouble with burn. My first hand looked really bad, lots of counterspells, and 1 land, a wasteland. After mulliganing that hand away, I got a 4 land 2 rhox war monk hand, so I was in a great position to win, and did so thanks to huge creatures, and life gain. In the second game neither of us drew out blasts, and he put in pyrostatic pillar, which wouldn't have helped him. In that game I drew 3 lands, 1 Noble Hierarch, and 3 tarmogoyfs, so both games I was just really lucky on my draws.
Sideboarding
-4 daze (something that can be cut second game if you're on the draw, when it isn't nearly as effective, though if I win the first, but lose the second I'll put it back in, and take out spell pierce instead)
+3 hydroblast
+1 blue elemental blast
2-0 (1-0)
Round 2 Vs Dark Depths Combo
In the first game my opponent opens up with Tolaria West tapped, and I thought he was perhaps playing landstill, but after that he proceeds to play swamps and islands after agonizing about his hand, and after beating him up with noble hierarch, and qasali pridemage, then another pridemage. Eventually he plays 2 hexmages one turn after another simply to chump block. Eventually he concedes after i have lethal on the board. I made a big new player mistake, I kept a 0-land hand on the draw after going to 6: Ponder, Brainstorm, Force of Will, Force of Will, Spell Pierce, Daze, (knowing when to mulligan is a big weakness of mine) so if I draw a blue source I can start finding stuff with the ponder and brainstorm, and I have tons of countermagic to stay alive until then. He's not sure whether to keep his hand either, but keeps, second turn he plays a vampire hexmage, which I force. Third turn he plays a vampire hexmage, which I force. Then on the fourth turn, he plays another Vampire Hexmage and follows it up with dark depths. This sadly is game over as I still haven't drawn a land... Onto the 3rd game, this time it is more even, but I am able to wasteland a crucial underground sea, as well as 2 dark depths and that was enough to keep him from geting his combo together. During this time I am able to get out a hierarch to start the attacks and multiple goyfs join the party to finish the job.
Sideboarding
-3 daze (switched to spell pierce for game 3)
+1 stifle
+2 path to exile
2-1 (2-0)
Round 3 Vs Dave Price playing Bant Land-Based Aggro http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15244
Dave Price mentions what is on the line in the match, which I wasn't thinking about, whoever wins this match would be able to draw into the t8, going 3-0-2. I was a bit worried about this match going into it b/c of my lack of graveyard hate for him. I was able to win largely through luck. In the first game I have 3x daze and each one hits managing to take out key spells. In the second I was able to remove most of his threats (to be fair he removes most of mine) in the end he makes a mistake and loses his knight of the reliquary as he can't buff it up enough to reach the level of my 12/12 knight (that had been exalted once). After which he has sufficiently cut out his own mana enough that he can't get anything done, and concedes.
Sideboarding
-2 Spell Pierce (he had so little in the way of non-creatures, and daze was really helpful in the previous so I kept it in)
+2 Path to Exile (he only has 12 threats, so have 6 removal puts me in a good situation)
2-0 (3-0)
Following this match I drew the next 2 to assure my top 8 status. Once in the top 8, everyone chooses to forgo the regular prize structure, that totally screws over 5-8 (getting 3 packs for the $16 entry fee... that was upgraded to $20 store credit). Instead the value of the prizes was split among the participants, with each top 8 player getting $45 in store credit.
The top 8 decided to play it out to determine placement in the t8.
Quarterfinals
I win my first match against merfolk with what seems like an endless stream of big creatures, exalted, and lifelink to put the final nail in the coffin.
No Sideboarding
Semifinals
I play against James Shi playing entomb-hulk, and win the first b/c I have a counter to stop his combo. The second two I keep awkward hands as I really don't feel in the mood to play, and I have already gotten my prize, so I lose the next two (once with a 1 tundra, 2 wasteland hand, and green creatures, and once when I don't have enough disruption to stop his combo).
Wrapup
So I ended up in 3rd/4th and he ended up in 1st/2nd (as his opponent had to leave), and I had a lot of fun. I made a last minute switch to this from the canadian thresh I had been testing with, and fully expected to lose most of my matches, but thanks to the similarity to other decks I've played and/or my play skill (possibly, though probably not) I did well with it. I hope you enjoyed reading this tourney report, and if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.
This is the list I played, it's very similar to the list on Doug Linn's article: http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/legacy/18235_Legacys_Allure_Exploring_Tempo_Bant.html I switched the Vendillion Cliques with Rhox War Monks, and they were very helpful in some matchups, but a liability in my final one. Also, the sideboard was revamped.
Main Deck:
1 Forest
1 Island
1 Plains
4 Force of Will
4 Qasali Pridemage
2 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Ponder
4 Brainstorm
3 Rhox War Monk
4 Daze
2 Flooded Strand
2 Windswept Heath
4 Wasteland
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Tropical Island
3 Tundra
2 Misty Rainforest
4 Spell Pierce
Sideboard:
2 Gaddock Teeg
1 Stifle
3 Hydroblasts
1 Blue Elemental Blast
2 Krosan Grip
4 Submerge
2 Path to Exile
Round 1 Vs my friend Donald playing my Tarmo-Sligh deck
This is my deaf friend Donald who usually plays standard but was interested in trying out legacy (he ended up going 3-2 in his first tournament) playing my freshly tarmo-fied sligh (before it was running stuff like ball lightning, keldon marauders, and rift bolts and no goyf) I was thinking this was going to be a tough matchup, as in my experience, blue (without countertop) usually has trouble with burn. My first hand looked really bad, lots of counterspells, and 1 land, a wasteland. After mulliganing that hand away, I got a 4 land 2 rhox war monk hand, so I was in a great position to win, and did so thanks to huge creatures, and life gain. In the second game neither of us drew out blasts, and he put in pyrostatic pillar, which wouldn't have helped him. In that game I drew 3 lands, 1 Noble Hierarch, and 3 tarmogoyfs, so both games I was just really lucky on my draws.
Sideboarding
-4 daze (something that can be cut second game if you're on the draw, when it isn't nearly as effective, though if I win the first, but lose the second I'll put it back in, and take out spell pierce instead)
+3 hydroblast
+1 blue elemental blast
2-0 (1-0)
Round 2 Vs Dark Depths Combo
In the first game my opponent opens up with Tolaria West tapped, and I thought he was perhaps playing landstill, but after that he proceeds to play swamps and islands after agonizing about his hand, and after beating him up with noble hierarch, and qasali pridemage, then another pridemage. Eventually he plays 2 hexmages one turn after another simply to chump block. Eventually he concedes after i have lethal on the board. I made a big new player mistake, I kept a 0-land hand on the draw after going to 6: Ponder, Brainstorm, Force of Will, Force of Will, Spell Pierce, Daze, (knowing when to mulligan is a big weakness of mine) so if I draw a blue source I can start finding stuff with the ponder and brainstorm, and I have tons of countermagic to stay alive until then. He's not sure whether to keep his hand either, but keeps, second turn he plays a vampire hexmage, which I force. Third turn he plays a vampire hexmage, which I force. Then on the fourth turn, he plays another Vampire Hexmage and follows it up with dark depths. This sadly is game over as I still haven't drawn a land... Onto the 3rd game, this time it is more even, but I am able to wasteland a crucial underground sea, as well as 2 dark depths and that was enough to keep him from geting his combo together. During this time I am able to get out a hierarch to start the attacks and multiple goyfs join the party to finish the job.
Sideboarding
-3 daze (switched to spell pierce for game 3)
+1 stifle
+2 path to exile
2-1 (2-0)
Round 3 Vs Dave Price playing Bant Land-Based Aggro http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15244
Dave Price mentions what is on the line in the match, which I wasn't thinking about, whoever wins this match would be able to draw into the t8, going 3-0-2. I was a bit worried about this match going into it b/c of my lack of graveyard hate for him. I was able to win largely through luck. In the first game I have 3x daze and each one hits managing to take out key spells. In the second I was able to remove most of his threats (to be fair he removes most of mine) in the end he makes a mistake and loses his knight of the reliquary as he can't buff it up enough to reach the level of my 12/12 knight (that had been exalted once). After which he has sufficiently cut out his own mana enough that he can't get anything done, and concedes.
Sideboarding
-2 Spell Pierce (he had so little in the way of non-creatures, and daze was really helpful in the previous so I kept it in)
+2 Path to Exile (he only has 12 threats, so have 6 removal puts me in a good situation)
2-0 (3-0)
Following this match I drew the next 2 to assure my top 8 status. Once in the top 8, everyone chooses to forgo the regular prize structure, that totally screws over 5-8 (getting 3 packs for the $16 entry fee... that was upgraded to $20 store credit). Instead the value of the prizes was split among the participants, with each top 8 player getting $45 in store credit.
The top 8 decided to play it out to determine placement in the t8.
Quarterfinals
I win my first match against merfolk with what seems like an endless stream of big creatures, exalted, and lifelink to put the final nail in the coffin.
No Sideboarding
Semifinals
I play against James Shi playing entomb-hulk, and win the first b/c I have a counter to stop his combo. The second two I keep awkward hands as I really don't feel in the mood to play, and I have already gotten my prize, so I lose the next two (once with a 1 tundra, 2 wasteland hand, and green creatures, and once when I don't have enough disruption to stop his combo).
Wrapup
So I ended up in 3rd/4th and he ended up in 1st/2nd (as his opponent had to leave), and I had a lot of fun. I made a last minute switch to this from the canadian thresh I had been testing with, and fully expected to lose most of my matches, but thanks to the similarity to other decks I've played and/or my play skill (possibly, though probably not) I did well with it. I hope you enjoyed reading this tourney report, and if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.