80th at GP Denver with UW RIP Miracles

Hi all,

I'd like to say I had a fantastic weekend over in Denver and it was totally worth the $500+ bucks I shelled out for the plane ticket + lodging. I got to meet sdematt and his buddies as well as Koby and oarsmen. Sweet time indeed.

Here's my list:

// Lands
7 [UNH] Island
2 [B] Tundra
4 [ON] Flooded Strand
3 [UNH] Plains
1 [LG] Karakas
1 [ZEN] Scalding Tarn
1 [ZEN] Marsh Flats
1 [ZEN] Misty Rainforest
1 [ZEN] Arid Mesa
1 [ON] Polluted Delta

// Spells
1 [RTR] Detention Sphere
4 [COM] Brainstorm
3 [CS] Counterbalance
4 [CHK] Sensei's Divining Top
4 [AL] Force of Will
1 [AVR] Terminus
2 [WWK] Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 [FNM] Counterspell
1 [AVR] Entreat the Angels
4 [FNM] Swords to Plowshares
3 [MI] Enlightened Tutor
2 [AL] Helm of Obedience
4 [RTR] Rest in Peace
2 [US] Energy Field
1 [RTR] Supreme Verdict
1 [US] Back to Basics

// Sideboard
SB: 1 [CS] Counterbalance
SB: 1 [AVR] Terminus
SB: 1 [WWK] Jace, the Mind Sculptor
SB: 1 [RTR] Supreme Verdict
SB: 3 [MOR] Vendilion Clique
SB: 2 [MM] Misdirection
SB: 1 [ALA] Ethersworn Canonist
SB: 1 [MI] Cursed Totem
SB: 1 [PLC] Porphyry Nodes
SB: 3 [COM] Flusterstorm

I've been playing RIP for a while now (you can see some of my results on mtgdecks.net), but I was about to audible and go for Punishing RUG Delver at the last minute when I realized my version (no Jace) was simply cold to a player who held on to their Abrupt Decays (all I had were Misdirections). Luckily, I saw Joey Manner's Top 8 deck from a Jupiter NELC: http://jupitergames.info/articles/20...mber-14th-nelc

I liked his list because it was more combo heavy (compared to Caleb D's list) and I had been having success with that. I ultimately decided to stick with two colors (less vulnerable to Wasteland, Karakas for Clique/Teeg etc. and made my Energy Fields better, not to mention MD Back to Basics wrecked).

Without further ado, my report:

Rounds 1-3 Byes

3-0

Round 4

Ricky Cummings with Merfolk

Ricky had top 8'ed with Merfolk a few months back at a SCG Open, so he definitely knew what he was doing. However, Merfolk is just cold to RIP field game 1, and games 2 and 3 they had very few answers so this is a really favorable match-up. Game 1, I won with the lock, buying some time with Swords. He beat me down to 5, but with the lock in place he had to scoop. Game 2 I mulled to a weak 5 and managed to set up a lock, but an echoing truth sealed the deal and he won. Game 3 he kept a land light hand and we played draw go for a few turns and he slowly ratched the pressure with a Cursecatcher and a Lord. I was down to 11 and then set up the Field lock. Unfortunately, he had an echoing truth. I countered it, but the next turn he had his second (and last one in his deck). He had a Vial at 2 and a Vial at 3 at the time. I had a Swords in my hand and after doing some math, I decided I was fine with the echoing truth even if he had double lord. Still, I fetched a bunch of lands, with a Top out, digging for a Force. I came out empty and fetching brought my life total down to 8. I had to let the truth resolve and then he vialed in a Kira and that sealed my fate. I should have played Supreme Verdict on the Cursecatcher+Lord that turn, which would have played around Kira and his second echoing truth. So, I lost a great match-up that I would have won had I played perfectly. I fumed for a bit, but then decided to refocus on what I could control: not tilting and playing as well as I could for the remainder of the tournament.

3-1

Round 5

Si Ning-Li with TES

Luckily, I knew what he was on based on following Jupiter Games. I kept a hand with one land a FOW game 1, and he went for the kill on the play. I countered his Burning Wish and eventually locked him out with Counterbalance. Game 2 I must admit I got extremely lucky. On his 3rd turn, he played a Silence, I forced, then he went off. I had 2 lands and a top in play. I fetched, topped into my only out (Flusterstorm) and proceeded to win from there. I had no blue cards left in hand, so FOW wouldn't have saved me there.

4-1

Round 6

Stefan with Mono Black Jank

This guy had 3 byes from a Standard GPT and played a really janky deck with cards like Fume Spitter and Tortured Existence. I guess I got pretty lucky to be paired against him. Game 1 I combo him out before Lili's ulti, game 2 I misboard and take out my Jaces only to get Sadistic Sacramented, game 3 I win with the E-Field lock and eventually kill him.

5-1

Round 7

Joe with Goblins

He told me didn't have any byes, so I had my work cut out for me. Luckily he was playing Goblins and E-Field just wins g1. G2 he had a fast start and a pyroblast for my E-Field. Game 3 had probably one of my best plays of the tournament. It was my turn, I was at 14 life and staring down a Piledriver and a Matron, with 2 vials in play. I tank hard and do some math and figure out he has the possibility of killing me next turn if he has a War Marshall and a Chieftain. I had 4 lands in play, and E tutor and E-field in hand. I fetch basics, playing around wasteland and then e tutor for RIP and play the field. He does have the two goblins, but no pyroblast, so I resolve RIP next turn and eventually hit a helm. Phew!

6-1 and into Day 2!

Round 8

Lukas with EsperBlade splashing Deathrite/Decay

I pretty much get rolled by SFM both games. In game 1, he has a sweet play where I go for my fourth fetch, and he cliques me in response. I have no choice but to force it, because the brainstorm in my hand would have shuffled away my helm (I had RIP in play). I had 4 lands and decided to wait a turn and then go for the kill with my 5th land. He manages to resolve EE and shut down my RIP. I get a Jace and stabilize, but eventually he draws a Deathrite and equips Batterskull and I lose. Game 2 I side into Miracles as my combo is terrible vs. EE, Disenchant and Abrupt Decay and he rolls me as I'm unable to find one of my four sweepers.

6-2

Round 9

Daniel with EsperBlade

I manage to combo him out quickly after my CB draws a force in game one. Game two I board into miracles and he has a bunch of dead cards in hand and gets beaten down by Clique and locked out by Jace. Yay for my transformative sb strategy working!

7-2

Round 10

Michael with GSZ Spirit Jund

He rolls me game 1 with a well-timed Abrupt Decay. Game 2 I side into Miracles and he still rolls me as I'm again unable to sweep the board. Good thing I boarded the way I did though, because he had 3 Decays and a Qasali in hand.

7-3

Round 11

Aaron with MUDpost

Game 1 I combo him out after resolving Back to Basics. Games 2 and 3 I make a colossal mistake and fail to board in my cliques, which cost me the match. The Cliques are seriously so amazing and should almost always come in as opponents will get rid of their removal and not worry about their life total. Game 2 I lock him out with B2B again, but he Metalworkers into the infinite combo before I can combo him out the following turn. Sigh, Legacy. Game 3 I have a ton of hate for Metalworker, but his 12 post plan gets him there. This match, like Merfolk, felt really winnable and I was just on the cusp game 2. Cliques would have helped me get rid of combo pieces both games.

7-4

Round 12

Corbett with Sneak and Show

I get the read that he's Sneaky Show from sdematt and keep a hand with D-Sphere. I also draw into Karakas, and he's pretty stuck. He ends up going for Show and Tell anyways, when I have RIP in play, and I end up e-tutoring for helm, drawing the helm with a top and he concedes on the spot. Guess I didn't even need the Sphere :) Game 2, I have Karakas again and he's stuck durdling while I combo him out.

8-4

Round 13

Tyler Lytle (Standard GP Champion) with ANT

Game 1 I roll him with a CB lock. Game 2 I had a Counterbalance out and a Brainstorm in my hand. I drew into 14 of my 22 lands (after seeing 21 cards) and let him back into the game. He decays my CB and I get comboed out. In hindsight, I should have played the Brainstorm much earlier to draw into either the combo or a Sensei Top or another CB or a clique, basically anything to apply pressure. My deck failing on me hurt pretty bad, but I just got up and went to g3. G3 was also a HUGE nailbiter. I keep a hand with double force and flusterstorm, he ends up thoughtseizing me. I decide 2 force is worth more than 1 flusterstorm due to the amount of discard he's packing, (which ends up being correct). Anyways, I eventually get out a counterbalance and it gets eot decayed. I think I'm in for some trouble after he duresses me and sees 2 fow and 1 e tutor and no other spells, but he takes the tutor as he can't combo off and I have RIP in play. I find my helm and take the win. It turns out he had tendrils in his hand, and no burning wish in his deck, so he needed a natural tendrils due to RIP being in play. Yay RIP!

9-4

Round 14

Kenny Castor (2nd at GP Indianapolis) with RUG Delver

I'm really excited to play vs. RUG Delver and was in fact hoping for it to be my last round. I had great results testing vs. it (E field wins game 1, RIP is a moat that I play 4 of) so I'm really hopeful. Game 1 ends up being a lot closer than it should have been as I don't see E-Field until the penultimate turn. Basically, he puts on a lot of pressure and I have a Verdict to stabilize. I draw into a Jace, bounce his Delver, and he bolts my Jace. He replays his Delver and I topdeck Entreat for 3 Angels (we both have no hands). I only hold one Angel back after swordsing his 2nd Delver and get punished as the Angel gets Dismembered. I had forgotten that card was played in RUG. In hindsight, I could have held back to Angels and the Swords, and then he wouldn't have been even close. As it was, he Dismembers my Angel and hits me down to 1 life. I topdeck an energy field, and that saves me from any pending burn and I take game one. Game 2 I play extremely aggressively with 2 RIPs, 1 Field and 1 Helm, but he has the nuts and counters all of my spells. This match-up is partly so good because everything is a must counter, but he just had the counters that game. 2 Sulfuric Vortexes finish me. Game 3 was really unfortunate. He plays well, holding tight to a stifle. When I go for the pivotal terminus turn, (I had to fetch for a white source) we have a counter war over stifle and he wins. My misplay that game was topping into Supreme Verdict and Terminus and just placing all my bets on the fetchland. In hindsight, I should have fetched when he revealed FOW. In the end, it didn't end up mattering as he had 2 counters left over when he won, but it was still very frustrating to lose to a good match-up

9-5

Well, that's the end of my report!

Props

Sdematt and his buddies for letting me crash with them last minute. Also, sdematt for lending me 100 bucks as I lost my debit card
Travis for showing me the very first Beta Lotus I have ever seen, outside of a dealer
Meeting Joe Lossett (I'm a huge fan after that Lauren Nolen game)
Meeting other sourcers
Getting my mtgdeals token signed by Vidi (Who attacks for 1 in Legacy? GP Winners!)
Getting really lucky with my MUs. I didn't face any BUG decks, Jund, Maverick or Miracles. Those three MUs are pretty tough. That being said, I think the deck is favored to heavily favored vs. the rest of the metagame.

Slops

The bank for closing at 4 PM when I went at 4:30 to withdraw money for the trip the day before
Me for being an idiot and taking the wrong suitcase off the plane from Denver. It was an Asian suitcase (like mine) but instead of a sleeping bag and a toothbrush, I end up with some bras and Asian female clothing.
Me for being really tired and not having a chance to hang out more with you lovely folks. I'll be living in Reston, Va, near DC, during the next GP and would be happy to host some of you!

Until next time!

Bob aka Bobbykins aka Akatsuki

After reading your props section, now I know exactly who you are. Sorry I didn't get your name at the GP, I was dead tired by the end of the day. :smile:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Vidi

After reading your props section, now I know exactly who you are. Sorry I didn't get your name at the GP, I was dead tired by the end of the day. :smile:

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You weren't kidding when you said you hardly post on The Source.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Vidi

After reading your props section, now I know exactly who you are. Sorry I didn't get your name at the GP, I was dead tired by the end of the day. :smile:

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Whats this MTG Token being spoken of. I wanna seeee

http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/7738/20130109.jpg

I don't think I actually introduced myself Vidi, so it's totally my own fault. Throughout the whole day whenever I saw you, you looked so intense and sure that I thought you were a pro. It looks like a sourcer wins this one though! :laugh:

I also apologize for my iCamera's quality. The first one says "Who attacks for 1 in Legacy?" and the second says "1 damage at a time"

Quote:

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Originally Posted by akatsuki

Me for being an idiot and taking the wrong suitcase off the plane from Denver. It was an Asian suitcase (like mine) but instead of a sleeping bag and a toothbrush, I end up with some bras and Asian female clothing.

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Hope you and the owner of that suitcase managed to get your stuff back.

I wanted Pat Cox to sign some MTG Deals tokens, but everyone told me that would be far too salty.

-Matt

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sdematt

I wanted Pat Cox to sign some MTG Deals tokens, but everyone told me that would be far too salty.

-Matt

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I have an MTG Deals token. It's pretty bad ass.

Nice read; and pretty good placing out of some 700 players.

I have been playing around with RIP Miracles myself and I also prefer running a second Helm. B2B was a nice touch. Do you think you would change anything in the deck if you were to do it again?

Thanks!

I actually REALLY liked the deck. If I had played perfectly, 3 of my matches were highly winnable and this very well could have finished in the Top 16 (of course I did get lucky in not getting paired vs. many BG/x decks). I think the BG/x MU still needs some work, so I'm not sure I would recommend it if that's what you're expecting a lot of. On the other hand, this deck has some REALLY favorable MUs and play against BG/x decks so I would consider it. As far as what to change, I think the Canonist in the sb might be unnecessary as storm is a really great MU (Flusterstorm + Clique + FoW + RIP + CB) makes it good enough. Nodes was okay, but I didn't play against any BG/x decks where it's quite strong. The last slot that's debatable is Cursed Totem, but I still like it vs. Maverick/Bant/Elves/Junk. I've played Pithing Needle in testing, which is solid, and Jace Beleren is probably pretty good too.

Sweet list, nice report.

I thought I remembered Vidi on here.