After taking some notes every tournament to maybe write a report, placing second at EE7 seemed a good a time as any to start. I've been playing magic since Invasion, and legacy for the past 2 years. I haven't gotten to play much legacy recently, but was excited for the chance to play in my fourth EE. Since it had been a while, I didn't feel as comfortable playing grixis delver, my usual tournament choice. So I had the following sleeved up:
4 Goblin Guide
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt
4 Price of Progress
4 Fireblast
2 Searing Blaze
1 Sulfuric Vortex
10 Mountain
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Wooded Foothills
1 Arid Mesa
Sideboard:
4 Leyline of the Void
3 Smash to Smithereens
3 Exquisite Firecraft
2 Pyrostatic Pillar
2 Searing Blaze
1 Sulfuric Vortex
With the anticipated metagame being fair, burn seemed like a good choice.
Round 1: Rodney with Storm (ANT)
Game 1 I started on the play with a swiftspear. A cabal therapy took my eidolon and I bolted, played a lavamancer and passed the turn. The next burn spell that shows up is ad nauseum which ends the game.
Game 2 the pillars I sided in were not enough.
Game 3 I am fortunate to draw all mountains and stick an eidolon. Eidolon gives me the time to get him down to 1 when he has to tendrils me for 16, putting me at 1. Some burn spells and creatures seal the deal from here.
Win 2-1, Record 1-0
Round 2: Dan with Grixis Delver
Game 1 I did not take good notes, but his life total decreased by increments of 3.
Game 2 involved some fugitive wizards on my opponent's battlefield, as 3 delvers did not flip for about 4 turns. I felt badly, as anyone who has ever played delver has felt that pain. Searing blazes and other bolts help me count to 20.
Win 2-0, Record 2-0
Round 3:Rob with Turbo Depths
Game 1 I start off with a bolt and he thoughseizes an eidolon, but I have another. Some more burn spells from me, discard from him, and a lack of a 20/20(supported by a mulligan to 6) gets him to fireblast range. Sacrificing two mountains was a common way to end games that day.
Game 2 we both mulligan to 6. I hadn't realized how good eidolon was in this matchup until having two out and a fireblast ends both games. I get lucky that the 20/20 doesn't show up either game, as I have no ways of stopping it.
Win 2-0, Record 3-0
Round 4:Nathaniel with Eldrazi
Game 1 I'm on the play with a mull to 5, but luckily I get to bolt in response to his turn 1 chalice on 1. Luckily that is my only 1 drop, and that I get to price of progress for 6 towards the end of the game. I side in smashes to combat chalice.
Game 2 Nathaniel mulligans to 6 and plays a chalice on 1 on turn 1 again, stranding my goblin guide in my hand. I fireblast to avoid it being taken by thought knot seer. I plan on using smash on chalice, but after missing an eidolon trigger on a jitte, get to use it on that to bring him to 3, where a rift bolt off the top ends the game.
Win 2-0, Record 4-0
Round 5:Anuraag with Miracles
I had met Anuraag in Louisville and seen his stream, so I figured he was on miracles. Without countertop, it feels like I'm favored in this matchup.
Game 1 I am on the play and see a blood moon off a goblin guide attack. I suspend two rift bolts, which I was worried about a flusterstorm, but they both resolve. Bolts end the game.
Game 2 I'm on the draw and a few creatures and bolts take him to 11. My hand of 2 eidolon and 2 fireblast are enough to overtake a mentor and a token, as taking 4 for every spell adds up quickly.
Win 2-0, Record 5-0
Round 6:Sean with Grixis Leovold
Finally I get to play against a 4C Control/Czech Pile/Grixis with a pair of Leovolds. This might be my best matchup. After realizing we were on the same flight to GP Louisville, we head off to the feature match area to play.
Game 1 my only note is that he plays spell pierce. My life total does not change, and a deathrite shaman is too late to gain any life.
Game 2 Sean mulligans to 5 and plays hymn to tourach on turn 2. A deathrite never has a green source to gain life, and a snapcaster and baleful strix join his side of the table. Snapcaster blocks a goblin guide, and I exquisite firecraft the strix so my other creatures can attack. Fireblast closes things out.
Win 2-0, Record 6-0
Round 7: Eetai with Death and Taxes (red splash)
This was the feature match on stream this round. Link: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/175282348
Game 1 Goblin Guide draws him several lands. A prelate on 1 stops most of my hand and leaves a lavamancer unable to use its ability. When prelate with a jitte equipped attacks, I block with lavamancer and use a searing blaze to finish off prelate (pre-combat damage so it cannot be saved). The two jitte counters kill my guide, which I think is what allows me to win the game. A few burn spells later and we're off to sideboarding.
Game 2 I burn some mother of runes on turns 1 and 2. Recruiter of the guard finds a great silver bullet in fiendslayer paladin. After reading the card, I hope to draw a third land to play sulfuric vortex. I price of progress for 2 for mana efficiency, and stoneforge mystic finds a jitte. Phyrexian Revoker stops lavamancer, and I get to searing blaze it, attack for 1, and fireblast for the win.
Win 2-0, Record 7-0
I'm excited at this point since I've locked top 8 for the first time ever. My best finish before now was 5-2-1 at EE6.
Rounds 8 and 9: ID
Record 7-0-2, 2nd in swiss.
The seeding was quite important for top 8, as with 3 storm decks and turbo depths, being on the play game 1 was crucial.
Quarterfinals: Jackie with Storm (ANT)
I was nervous facing storm for my second time today, but happy to being playing against ANT rather than the TES that is in the top 8. Goblins on turn 1 or 2 is something I cannot deal with well compared to the slower tendrils kill.
Game 1 My eidolon is taken with cabal therapy. A few turns later he has to emergency tendrils me for 10 to get out of bolt range. No further action allows bolts and guides to finish the game.
Game 2 I keep a great 1 lander, with a swiftspear, pillar, and other 1 mana burn spells. He double probes me, seeing the pillar but unable to do anything about it. Talking about it later, he did not board in duress (which I think is a mistake) and was hoping I wouldn't draw the second land. I do, and pillar makes another non-lethal tendrils not gain as much life. Creatures and bolts end the game.
Win 2-0
All three storm decks have been defeated in the quarter finals, which is a huge relief for me. Even with 6 pillar effects, storm is still a powerful deck and not a great matchup for burn.
Semifinals: Sean with Grixis Leovold
I'm excited at this point, after somehow beating storm for the second time, and getting to play my best matchup again. This is also the feature match on stream.
Game 1 Sean mulligans to 6. I fireblast away 2 of my 3 mountains to avoid it getting discarded to kolaghan's command. A bolt drops him to 1, which turns of force of will and fetchlands for his tropical island to gain life with deathrite.
Game 2 Sean mulligans again, but hymns me on turn 2 and then again on turn 4 with snapcaster. A plethora of removal and creatures leaves my board empty and on 4 life. Luckily, I had spell mastery for exquisite firecraft to make it to the finals.
Finals: Eli with Turbo Depths
This is a very rough matchup for burn, before adding Eli's skill into the mix. I lose two quick games (with sideboarding the match was barely 10 minutes). Watching the replays, they were closer than they felt, but I can't beat a 20/20.
Everyone I played Saturday and talked with were awesome people, and it was fun battling legacy (as always). Congrats again to Eli on the win, and I'm looking forward to playing again at Eternal Weekend.
Final Record:
9-1-2 in matches
18-3 in games
The most important and first purchase with the prize is a playset of beta lightning bolts, just in case I need to deal 3 damage to one target.
