Esper Deathblade's one of those decks where so many things happen over the course of a game that it's nearly impossible to write a detailed tournament report.

However, for those who like to see how decks are doing and sideboard choices, I've put some match summaries below. Something may be off here/there, but you'll get the gist.

Decklist:
1x Batterskull
3x Force of Will
3x Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1x Vendilion Clique
3x Lingering Souls
1x Umezawa's Jitte
4x Stoneforge Mystic
3x Snapcaster Mage
1x Counterspell
4x Deathrite Shaman
4x Brainstorm
4x Swords to Plowshares
2x Thoughtseize
2x Inquisition of Kozilek
1x Engineered Explosives
4x Flooded Strand
3x Polluted Delta
2x Marsh Flats
2x Wasteland
1x Karakas
1x Academy Ruins
3x Underground Sea
2x Tundra
1x Scrubland
1x Tropical Island
1x Island
1x Swamp
1x Plains
SB:
1x Disenchant
1x Vindicate
1x Detention Sphere
1x Force of Will
2x Meddling Mage
1x Sword of Feast and Famine
1x Supreme Verdict
1x Perish
1x Dark Blast
1x Humility
2x Surgical Extraction
1x Negate
1x Pithing Needle


Round 1 - Punishing Jund (David Price)

Game 1
I get really far behind, with his board state as Liliana, Bloodbraid, Confidant and me with lands. I'm able to cast a souls and a Deathrite Shaman (DRS). Sac the shaman to his liliana (down to 2) and take 3 from bloodbraid. He bolts a token to preserve miss Veil. I flashback a souls and hit liliana for 1. He +1's Liliana (I discard Jace, sadface). Down to 9, I double block the elf and get rid of it, leaving 1 token. I draw swords, so in the token goes! His confidant keeps hitting lands, and he resolves a goyf and a DRS. Liliana back up to 2, in response, swords the goyf. I hit a snapcaster... this is starting to turn around! Swing Liliana to 1, and he abrupt decays the token to keep her at Edict loyalty. He hits a BBE + card, and opts not to +1 liliana this turn. He casts the elf hitting another goyf, and swings in for 5. I snapcast the the swords, swords the goyf, and block the elf. He lands DRS. I brainstorm into lingering souls, jace and DRS. Cast the souls with flashback and the shaman. I think I'm finally back in this!... Say go. Bob hits another Liliana. He casts BBE into.... Maelstrom Pulse. Sadface. Liliana takes down DRS, and I promptly die. I get to see Grove of the Burnwillows, though, which is good info.

With less than 30 minutes left on the clock, I somewhat regret not conceding when I was far behind. However, knowing I was a BBE/MP away from pulling back into that game next turn off a Jace, I dont' feel so bad about the decision.

In: Perish, Vindicate, Supreme Verdict, Sword of F&F, Disenchant (Choke?), 2x Surgical Extraction
Out: 3x Force of Will, 2x Thoughtseize, 2x Inquisition of Kozilek

Game 2
I think I took this game on the back of a Jitte, using swords on goyfs. Don't remember the specifics.
It was a quick one.

Game 3
He turn 1's DRS, and I repay in kind. He plays a bob turn 2, which I swords on my turn. He gets a goyf online turn 3. I try to remove a land to play Jace and he removes it in response. I believe it's a mana ability and therefore can't be responded to, so he calls a judge. I learn that it is, in fact, not a mana ability (due to the fact it targets). So I play SFM for batterskull instead. On his turn he Punishing Fire's SFM, tapping his grove and swings with a Goyf, noticing he forgot to leave a black mana open for DRS. I waste the grove on my turn and say go. I don't remember this turn (maybe he just attacks and says go), but I remember being tricky and exiling his punishing fire with DRS on his end step. The bait works and he taps his shaman to exile it in response to shock me, freeing my Swords in the yard. My turn I brainstorm into perish, stoneforge and a land, putting a souls and Perish on top. I then snapcast swords his DRS. He casts a bloodbraid elf into abrupt decay for my DRS and lands another DRS, swinging with the goyf. I happily take the damage to Perish on my turn and land a SFM for Sword of F&F. The game quickly ends from there. 2-1 win for deathblade, 1-0.


Round 2 - Sneak & Show (?)
These games are fuzzy. He wins 1, I win 2.
Sideboard goes...

In: Humility, Disenchant, Force of Will, Detention Sphere, 2x Meddling Mage, Sword of F&F, Pithing Needle, Negate
Out: 3x Lingering Souls, 1x DRS, 1x Jitte, 4x Swords to Plowshares

The only notables are that Batterskull off SFM helped me survive an Sneak-Emrakul attack with permanents in tact, at 1 life, DRS, sea, karakas in play and another land & drs in hand. However, the next turn Griselbrand off a brainstorm sealed the deal. Also, I stripped a Show & tell to have him topdeck another and S&T Griselbrand, that was upsetting. Otherwise, 2-0 for Deathblade.


Round 3 - TES (Bryant Cook)

We play a lot in Syracuse, we know the matchup pretty well and I feel it's taken a shift into esper's favor with the inclusion of DRS and wasteland over the old UW builds. Many people would probably expect the UW counter-heavy build to have the better matchup, but Bryant is patient enough with the deck to devour anything lacking a clock. What many people don't know, is that casting Force of Will on his Brainstorm means you insta-win. Keep this insider-secret in mind for your future matchups with Bryant "Mr. Greedy" Cook.

We're good friends and he drove, so I know it's going to suck giving him a loss. <3

Game 1
A mulligan from Bryant. He probes me, sees brainstorm & snapcaster, but not much else, and goes all-in on Ad Nauseum. Brainstrom reveals lingering souls, lingering souls, force of will. :( Sorry bud, it wasn't as bad as my draw of FoW, FoW, Counterspell against Patnode playing Oops-All-Spells / "Breakfast", a few months ago though.

In: Force of Will, Negate, Detention Sphere, Meddling Mage x2, Sword of F&F, Surgical Extraction x2
Out: 3x Lingering Souls, 1x Jitte, 4x Swords to Plowshares

Game 2
He stumbles a bit and discard eats some of his spells, while wastelands eat his mana. Eventually he lands a Xantid Swarm that I opt not to Force, so that I can keep my snapcaster for brainstorm + damage. The decision pays off and I can kill him over the next few turns before he can muster a hand to combo off with. Deathblade 3-0.


Round 4 - Elves (Eric English)

Game 1
We keep our hands and I play land, inquisition of kozilek. Eric reveals his hand, Natural Order, land, elves and I set my hand down to start recording cards. Once Eric reveals his hand he snap picks up my hand and counts the cards and calls a judge, I drew on the play... awesome. I take the punishment I deserve for being careless and move on to game 2. That's what I get for drinking until 2:30 am with Bryant Cook.

In: Supreme Verdict, Perish, Darkblast, Humility, Detention Sphere, Disenchant (Choke/Thorn), Vindicate
Out: Thoughtseize x2, Inquisition x2, Lingering Souls x2, DRS x1
(Many players take out forces, I find I get blown out by GSZ & Glimpse without them, so I leave 3)

Game 2
Turn 1 DRS, turn 2 swords your dude & stoneforge for Jitte pretty much locked up the game.

Game 3
I keep a hand of 2 lands, dark blast, wasteland, humility, jace, FOW. It's sketchy, but with dark blast and humility, coupled with FOW to slow him down a turn, I feel I can get there. He casts DRS, I force it pitching jace. He complains about it being a terrible play. I draw supreme verdict, play a land and pass. He plays a dryad arbor and a dude. I darkblast his dude, and he spends a solid 30 seconds telling me how noone plays that card and it's terrible. I like Eric... when he's winning or having fun. When he's losing, not so much. So we spend a few turns with ihm playing a dude, then I dredge and kill it, repeat... mostly to keep hititng a gaea's cradle off a fetched arbor to combo off. Finally, he stumbles and doesn't drop a dude. I hope to rip a land and drop humility to seal this thing and rip... batterskull.... ugh. He starts drawing dudes and we repeat the cycle a couple turns, until I get another draw!... Jace... ugh again. Where's that 4th land? He finally gets a few lands in play and gets to spend a couple turns casting 3-4 dudes a turn off glimpses. 2 turns go by with no 4th land, perish, engineered explosives, brainstorm, etc. Tough and disappointing loss, but Eric goes back to being normal now that he's won. Deathblade 3-1.


Round 5 - TES (Royce Walter)
Another Syracuse player out drinking with us last night.
Royce says he hasn't won a die roll all day. I roll a 12. Beauty can be found everywhere in life.

I don't remember the specifics of the games, but I do remember at one point cracking a fetch land, picking up my deck box, and staring into it for a solid 30 seconds, flipping through lingering souls tokens, before aloud stating... what the hell am I doing? Sleep deprevation is kicking in...

Deathblade 4-1

We all now get to joke about a new planeswalker card we want to create...
Adam, Slayer of Syracuse <4>
If Adam, SoS is in your opening hand, draw an additional card.
+2: Remove 60 seconds from the round clock.
0: Search your library for Force of Will and put it on top.
-7: Remove target Syracuse Player from the Tournament.


Round 6 - Reanimator (? Komar)
Game 1
Turn 1 land, lotus petal go. I cast inquistion of kozilek off a w/b land and see griselbrand, griselbrand, land, show & tell, show & tell. Well, I'm dead... Grab a show and tell and say go. He casts griselbrand. I swords, he draws 7, in response I swords, in response he draws 7. He lets swords resolve and ends up at 13. I say go, he discards a bunch of stuff and hits me for 7. I can't draw out and he kills me.

In: 2x Surgical Extraction, 2x Meddling Mage, 1x Force of Will, 1x Humility, 1x Detention Sphere
Out: 3x Lingering Souls, 1x Jitte, 2x Stoneforge, 1x Engineered Explosives

Game 2
Deathrite Shaman eats his graveyard. Discard eats his show and tells.

Game 3
Same. Deathblade 5-1


Round 7 - Intentional Draw


Top 8 Round 1 - TES (Bryant Cook)
I think it's 2-1 this time instead of 2-0. Maybe I got this match switched with the previous match.
I don't remember the specifics. Deathblade 6-1-1


Top 8 Round 2 - Elves (Nick Patnode)
Another Syracuse player, the 3rd of our car (Bryant, Myself, Nick)
Perish and Jitte get there. Slayer of Syracuse Ultimated. Deathblade 7-1-1


Top 8 Round 3 - OmniShow (?)
We decide on $500/$600 split instead of $400/$700 to make the match entertaining, while not overly disappointing for the loser.

Game 1
I go the beatdown route and get there before he can combo off, after stripping a show and tell and him getting stuck on 3 mana.

In: FoW, Negate, Disenchant, Detention Sphere, Meddling Mage x2, Sword of F&F, Surgical x2, Vindicate
Out: 3x Lingering Souls, Jitte, B-Skull, Engineered Explosives, Swords to Plowshares x4

Game 2
Turn 0 leyline of Sanctity, saw that coming. He goes turn 1 land. I play a land and say go. He plays a land and passes, I brainstorm end of turn. I play meddling mage naming show and tell. His list has echoing truth and wipe away in the board, and cunning wish in the main, so I feel this gives me the best chance at killing him before he combos off. Turns out (he tells me later) that he didn't notice my meddling mages on the list, and didn't board them in. Naming Cunning Wish would've straight up won that game. After many turns of swining for 2 and brainstorming with Jace, he finally draws a cunning wish with force backup to combo off after hardcasting a dream halls.

Game 3
He mulligans to a turn 0 leyline. I go turn 1 deathrite, he goes land. I go turn 2 clique on his turn, he forces. He plays a land and impulses. I go turn 3 meddling mage naming show and tell. His turn 3 is a land go. My turn 4 I opt to vindicate his leyline, so my discard would be live for the rest of the game, rather than the land. I have FOW, FOW, Jace, Batterskull in hand. He goes turn 4 sol land, dream halls, with 4 cards in hand. I think to myself... if I force this and he has a force, I lose to him having enter + blue card, or drawing into either over the next several turns. Therefore, I let it resolve. He says go. I draw a land (with no 2nd blue source or land in the GY) and pass, rather than pitching the force to cast jace, as it would be throwing away a counterspell to brainstorm. He draws and plays a land, then hard casts cunning wish (3 cards in hand). I debate again... do I counter this? If he has FOW, he can wish up Firemind's Insight and straight up win. I let it resolve, and he grabs insight. He casts it pitching a show and tell, and I cast force pitching a jace. He casts force pitching a enter the infinite (yep, he had it), and I put Force of Will on the table, slowing putting into the exiled zone... batterskull.

He wins, though he nearly pooped himself at that second FOW.



Good tournament overall. Next time, no final-call drinking the night before!