Top 2 split at Portal, Bethlehem, Pa.


My list:
16 forests
1 Dryad Arbor
4 Llanowar elves
4 Arbor elf
4 Nettle Sentinel
4 Heritage Druid
4 Elvish Archdruid
4 Joraga Warcaller
4 Elvish Visionary
3 Essence Warden
4 Cloudstone Curio
4 Green Sun’s Zenith
2 Imperious Perfect
1 Regal force
1 Emrakul, the Aeons torn

SB:
4 Vengevine (Anti control/aggro)
4 Thorn of Amethyst (Anti combo)
4 Beast from within (Anti combo)
3 Kitchen Finks (Anti aggro/control)

Let me disillusion you: I don't expect this to be the next tech, barring some awkward banlist changes. Hell, in two months it might not be borderline competitive. But it still will be fun as hell to play.

The board reflects the expected meta of a few players with splinter twin/zoo/pyromancers and the rest with some sort of homebrew. Tribal kicks the snot out of homebrew, especially blue based, as does combo. Testing lets me to believe I should be ok against storm post board while trying to race them preboard, something not impossible with turn 3 combo/turn 4 aggro potential. Infect is a shitshow, and the beast from withins don’t do anything against them. I don't really care, I just want to cast some elves.

Only 18 people (5 rounds) in attendance, prizes were 1st gets a playset of shocks of choice, 2nd gets 2, 3rd and 4th get 1, 5-8 get packs. Meta is expected, some people who know what is up, others who have a deck that they designed themselves. I guess I was in the middle. Some joker was playing Dragonstorm.

Rd 1: Dave with I-like-cycling (Living end combo)

G1: I introduce myself to my opponent, a nice guy in a Steelers jersey. I win the die roll and keep 2 nettle sentinel, heritage druid, curio and two lands. Seems good. My 2/2 is met with a quick read of the card, as well as I cycled creature of no importance. The following draw gives me the GSZ for Visionary, which lets me draw my deck thanks to the infinite mana I have turn 3. Emrakul gives me arbitrary turns, GSZ means I never deck myself, and Warcaller means my elves are 200/200. I take my next turn.
Board: -4 curio, +4 Vengevine

G2: His deck seems slower than mine, so I opt for the quickest aggro plan, seeing him board in about 7 cards that might hinder my combo plans. In hindsight, taking out emrakul and regal force instead of 2 curio might be much better.
I go all aggro on him, bringing him down to 4 before he can living end and wipe my board thanks to shriekmaw. My earlier essence warden lets me survive long enough for a couple hits to pass, me to activate a perfect, and vengevines to regrow. I play around violent outburst, and swing into him for the win. Monstrous Carabid is bad at blocking.
1-0 (2-0 games)

Rd 2: Ben with URW removal.dec (now with kiki-jiki, deceiver?)
I win the die roll, and hope he isn’t playing EE, a constant worry of mine.

G1: Game goes something like this: Helix, path, staggershock, Ajani helixes, Magus of the disk. I can’t untap with a lord on the field. No counterspells or wrath though, weird.
Board: In the vengevines and finks, out the curio/warden

G2: Aggro does what aggro wants, and finks doesn’t care about his removal. His canonist looks damn lonely and prevents him from developing his board after he staggershocks. I fetch lords and make tokens.

G3: Mana dork, 3 vengvines, and 2 forests? Snap keep. Urabrask comes down for him as he tries to race me (it does stop my elves combo without 3 nettles, and splinter twin, if not very clunky), but vengevines are too good.
2-0 (4-1 games)

Rd 3: Ray with Burn

G1: I lose the die roll for once, and get goblin guide’d. Nettle sentinel blocks the guide turn two, I play double essence warden turn 3. His one shot burn spells, and apparent mana flood aren’t helping, and I steadily gain my way to 36 before I decide to kill him.
Board: In: finks, out: a warcaller, emrakul, and regal force

G2: He puts on light pressure, but stays on one land. I comfortably combo off turn 3 to 2 billion life and my whole deck on the field, without a way to deck myself.
3-0 (6-1 games)

Rd 4: Dustin with UG Faeries
I look at the standings, and we are the only undefeated players, so I offer the draw to my good friend. He wants to play, so off course I win the roll.

G1: Mana elf turn 1, lord turn 2 before his counterspells finally come online turn. No removal means he can’t deal with my stuff, and mistbind clique doesn’t really slow me at all. I crush him.
I offer the draw again, and he takes it.

Rd 5 ID Ben with Shoal Infect (Yes, I’d get raped)
3-0-2 (7-1 games)

Top 8: Elves, shoal infect, 12 post, URW Control (round 2), pyromancers, BWG rock, UG faeries (round 4), some guy who has to leave.

Top 8: Mark Benning with Pyromancers
God dammit Mark. Why couldn’t I pick up Viridian zealot before the tournament??

G1: I aggro down to 9 before he comfortably combos for everything.
In: Thorns and Beast. Out, combo bullshit

G2: I land a thorn, he can’t combo. Don’t miss your triggers

G3: Turn two thorn slows him down until he finds a wipeaway, but he fails to go off, missing another trigger which I scold him for before letting him resolve it. I replay thorn and knock him to 5. He lands a second ascension and is a mana short of combing through thorn.
4-0-2 (9-2 games)

Top 4: Dustin Pennepacker with UG faeries
This matchup has to be 80% my favor, Dustin agrees.

G1: He attempts to deny me mana and turns with pestermites while dropping my life total thanks to exalted triggers. But with my lords and 5 elves, I am matching him without spending as many cards. He plays his last card in hand, and I drop curio. I explain how he won’t get a turn and we move to game 2.

G2: I drop Llanowar elves followed by imperious perfect and he just picks them up.
5-0-2-(11-2 games)

My match in the finals is my would-be round 5 opponent, Ben Ketel playing Shoal Infect. He offers a prize split and I accept. He would have murdered me. I get 2 Breeding Pool and a Hallowed Fountain.

Changes to make: Add 2 viridian zealot, 1 melira. Regal force is probably not necessary, as I never needed to cast him. More perfects might be in order to replace both him and emrakul. Infinite turns are great, but probably unnecessary.