GP-Chicago

[coraz86]

Maybe it's too soon, but hell with it.

There will be at least one Erie car at GP-Chicago. It'd be cool to meet some of you Midwesterners-we're coming down Friday and leaving Monday, so if any of y'alls want to do meals or otherwise make merry, I'm totally up for that. I met some great people at the Star City Open in Indianapolis last spring and I'm kind of sad that I haven't gotten to see any of you since.

Also, several of us being basketball fans, we're hitting the Bulls game the evening of 11/10 (here's hoping for another epic Taj moment (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmN-MIbvLks)). Anybody wants in, holla.

[JACO]

I will be there, and will be hosting a handful of people (no, I don't have any more room, like 8 people on the floor is the max).

[UnsungHero]

Anyone know if there is going to be any playmats distributed for the event in addition to the promo card?

[SpikeyMikey]

I will be there, and will be hosting a handful of people (no, I don't have any more room, like 8 people on the floor is the max).

Am I included in that number or is that just with Milwaukee and Ohio guys?

[JACO]

Am I included in that number or is that just with Milwaukee and Ohio guys?

You are included.

[hi-val]

I am really, really trying to justify the trip. If I can get in a car from Cincy or people want to ride with me, I am MUCH more inclined to go.

[coraz86]

As fishnabubu and I are going to be hitting that night's Bulls game, I will be wearing a Pippen Dream Team jersey. Anyone sees me, feel free to say hi.

EDIT: A crucial member of our party bailed, so fishnabubu and I will not be there. Major sadface. I'd be much obliged for updates over the weekend on how any Source members are doing at the event.

[SpikeyMikey]

Seeing a lot of Tron. 2-1 :( Tron in rnd 2.

[Phoenix Ignition]

Seeing a lot of Tron. 2-1 :( Tron in rnd 2.

How'd it go and what deck were you playing?

Any cool decks we didn't see just by watching the coverage?

General metagame thoughts?

[UnsungHero]

I was there.
Played UWR Delver

R1 Jund 2-0
R2 Robots 1-2 (Both me and my opponent had game losses due to decklist error opps sudden death)
R3 Jund 2-0
R4 Robots 0-2
R5 BRWG Pod or something 2-0
R6 Jund 2-0
R6 Robots 0-2
R7 No Show opponent 2-0
R8 ID to my friend who paid for me who was playing an Enchantment Prison deck
4-5 eh not terrible for a format I have played only a few times.

I also overheard that there was someone with a turn one Thoughtseize and won the game by grabbing Flusterstorm.... Juuuuuuuudge
First modern tourney, format isnt terrible, but damn do I hate playing robots. Wish I would had more hate for the deck in my board, had alot of combo hate that I never got to use. Derp

[SpikeyMikey]

How'd it go and what deck were you playing?

Any cool decks we didn't see just by watching the coverage?

General metagame thoughts?

Went terribly :P Ended day 1 @ 6-3 with B/W Tokens.

Jund 2-1
Tron 0-2
Infect 2-0
U/R Twin 2-0
Bant Midrange 2-0
Epic Storm 0-2
4c Pod 1-2
Affinity 2-1
Team Italia 2-1

List was:

3 Soul's Attendant
3 Auriok Champion
3 Dark Confidant

4 Lingering Souls
4 Spectral Procession
3 Raise the Alarm
2 Shrine of Loyal Legions

4 Thoughtseize
2 Path to Exile
2 Zealous Persecution

4 Intangible Virtue
2 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
2 Ajani Goldmane

4 Windswept Heath
4 Isolated Chapel
4 Marsh Flats
3 Godless Shrine
6 Plains
1 Swamp

Sideboard
3 Chalice of the Void
3 Rest in Peace
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Stony Silence
2 Sundering Growth
1 Path to Exile
1 Zealous Persecution
1 Ethersworn Canonist

Chalice was great tech and I was not the only person running it. CotV=1 ruins Infect and does a pretty good job of messing with Tron also. Canonist just ended up in the board because I didn't know what else to run and it seemed better than Rootborn Defenses a 4th Auriok Champion.

Matchups went mostly the way I expected them to. I crushed Jund, Affinity and midrange, lost terribly to Tron (have yet to beat a Tron in tournament) - although topdecks played a key role in that - and split vs. combo. So yeah, 4-0 vs. fair decks, 2-2 vs. combo and 0-1 vs. ramp. The Jund matchup ended up 2-1 because the only token generator I saw G2 was a Shrine of Loyal Legions and it was immediately Abrupt Decayed. I held out for a while with Soul Wardens and Planeswalkers, but eventually, you have to draw something relevant. G3, I got to blow a Sorin ult, which is always a pleasant experience. The Affinity went to a 3rd game because he had a very aggressive hand G2 and while I was handling it ok, I dropped Bob as a blocker (because I was too cheap to use one of my spirits for that) for his MoE. With 2 Spectral Processions in the yard, I flipped a Procession on Bob and died during my upkeep with lethal on board. Came back G3 with turn 2 Stony Silence, turn 4 Persecution.

I used to have Aven Mindcensor in board for Pod, back when U/W Tron was a thing and I needed a way to stop Map and Gifts. Since Tron doesn't do much searching anymore, just cantripping, I cut it from board. Wish I'd have had it for Pod. He had 3 Chord of Calling G3. Mindcensor there would've locked it up.

It looked to me like Affinity tanked. I only saw the 1 late, after I was already out of contention and from what other people were telling me, they were all clustered in the middle tables. Obviously, Jund had plenty of spots near the top, since everyone and their dog was playing it. Unfortunately, I only got paired against it once. I'd have been happy with seeing Jund for 15 straight rounds. Epic Experiment Storm was well positioned. There was still a lot of yard hate out there and with Deathrite Shaman everywhere, Pyromancer's Ascension was weak. Experiment nicely circumvents that whole GY thing. I had a half-tuned list I gave to a friend of a Guttersnipe Storm build that was pretty decent. He managed to go 4-5 or 5-4 despite the fact that it was his first time ever playing the deck and hadn't played Magic in a year or two. There were more GY decks there than I would've expected. I know DredgeVine was a dark horse that people were talking about before the tournament, but there was a decent amount of Eggs there and I saw no less than 5 different Living End players. In fact, round 9, I sat next to a Living End mirror match! I saw a lot of Tron early on, but as the day went on, I didn't see much around me.

If I were prepping for the next GP in Toronto, I'd probably peg Storm as a major player. My gauntlet would be Jund, Affinity, U/W midrange, R/G Tron and U/R Storm. Dredgevine didn't do well enough to push itself out of the category of niche deck and Rest in Peace and Stony Silence were everywhere, making Eggs deader than the hooker in the movie 4 Rooms. The Lingering Souls Jund thing was cute, but it wasn't that uncommon. A number of people were packing white and Souls in their Jund listings.