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Thread: Blue-White Stoneblade, 22nd Place at Eternal Weekend, Main Event Report

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    Blue-White Stoneblade, 22nd Place at Eternal Weekend, Main Event Report

    Tourney Report Part II: Main Event of Legacy Champs, NA, 2018

    Alex Caviris
    22nd Place, with UW Stoneblade


    Deck: Legacy UW Stoneblade eternal 2018 final.dec

    Counts : 60 main / 15 sideboard

    Creatures:11
    3 Snapcaster Mage
    3 Stoneforge Mystic
    3 True-Name Nemesis
    1 Vendilion Clique
    1 Venser, Shaper Savant

    Spells:29
    4 Brainstorm
    4 Ponder
    1 Spell Pierce
    1 Spell Snare
    4 Swords to Plowshares
    4 Accumulated Knowledge
    1 Umezawa's Jitte
    1 Council's Judgment
    2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
    1 Supreme Verdict
    1 Batterskull
    4 Force of Will
    1 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria

    Lands:20
    1 Cavern of Souls
    4 Flooded Strand
    7 Island
    1 Karakas
    1 Misty Rainforest
    2 Plains
    1 Polluted Delta
    1 Scalding Tarn
    2 Tundra

    Sideboard:15
    1 Containment Priest
    1 Vendilion Clique
    2 Flusterstorm
    1 Path to Exile
    2 Surgical Extraction
    1 Disenchant
    1 Rest in Peace
    2 Back to Basics
    1 Council's Judgment
    1 Sword of Fire and Ice
    1 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
    1 Supreme Verdict

    Matchups in Short:

    1-Czech Pile with Counterbalance, 2-1 Win
    2-Grixis Control, 2-0 Win
    3-Grixis Control, 0-2 Loss
    4-Jodi Kieth Version of 12 Post, 2-1 Win
    5-Mavericks, 2-0 Win
    6-Steel Stompy, 2-1 Win
    7-Death and Taxes 2-1 Win
    8-Mono Red Prison, 2-0 Win
    9-Miracels, 1-1-1 Draw
    10-Lands, 2-1 Win
    11-Elves, 1-2 Loss

    Overall Record: 8-2-1

    Saturday Morning:

    Round 1: Grixis Control 2-1 Win

    Game 1 was fairly uneventful. I'm not sure a whole lot happened in the entirety of the first match It did begin to billow momentum into me, though. My opening had was basic ok. Early in the day I'd usually try to keep hands with forces and cantrips, because without byes you never know what you're going to come across. I wound up sticking an unanswered t2 stoneforge mysetic and backed it up by triggering into a batterskull. He tried and failed to kill it t3. Game ended pretty quickly with me at 23 life. Game two I kept a subpar hand and had subpar results. Sadly, tey included a tight loss by snapcaster beats. G3 Was more of a game, but still uneventful. The only reason I think I realized that my opponent was on counterbalance was it hit the field quite unexpectedlyecauseg3. He got a couple of lucky flips. Sadly for him, his dwindling life encouraged me to burn a spell snare on a late game baleful strix with my board filled to the brim with creatures bearing weapons. The oddest thing happened. He triggered counterbalance and cringed. There was a pernicious deed on top of the library. He cast pyroblast targeting my snare, and then extended his hand. He was off from casting and triggering the deed by one mana...if I let it resolve.

    1-0

    Round 2: Grixis Control 2-0 Win

    Round two still felt pretty uneventful. I am not entirely sure if I was completely zoned in or just played tightly and correctly for the most part. I never left myself exposed in two games. Game one ended with me ulting teferi and my opponent scooping before I brainstored with Jace. Game two ended with beats from a True Name carrying batterskull and jitte and SOFI.

    2-0

    Round 3: Grixis Control 0-2 Loss

    It was an interesting game. My opponent definitely seemed experienced with his deck choice. Didn't hurt that it carried Beta duals and was otherwise all foiled. He played g1 as though he k new what I was going to do before I did. I kept sticking threats he had mb answers for, such as edicts and k commands...almost like he was playing grixis control? Oh, well. I go to the sb and expect that g2 should go better. I made a critical error in sequencing which threat to stick when. I should have played a TNN, and had instead held open mana to stick a vclique. It was a mistake that cost me g2 and the match. Oops.

    2-1

    Round 4: Jodi Kieth 12 Post 2-0 Win

    Oh dear me, the Candelabra deck? Yes, that one. There was a surprisingly large amount of 12 post based decks in the room that day, in general. Game one was a little tense. I got hit by an early Ulamog that needed to be dealt with, but in general I used deck manipulation from Brainstorms and Ponders to select the correct cards at the correct times, and kept an actually fairly aggressive tempo. I am pretty sure that was correct and not unnecessarily reckless. I usually run a MUDpost deck, and I know the more turns you allow to go by, the less likely you are to win the game vs 12 post. I finally locked him under a jace and ulted for the win. Game 2 wasn't a game. I stuck a back to basics when he tapped out for a dynamo or monolith into a trinisphere. He never recovered and I won again through planeswalker ult.

    3-1

    Round 5: Abzan Mavericks 2-0 Win

    My opponent was canny in disguising his use of abzan g1 through fetching the correct lands to mask it. I never let him stick a thing at all throughout g1. I swordsed his t1 birds, spell snared his t2 stoneforge I stuck my own t3 SFM, and t4 snap sworsed his play. I wound up buryin him under a mountain of pressure. Game 2 was basically more of the same. He hit a surprise seize. I don't particualrly remember what my hand was, but it wasn't great. Then again, when you're not running vs a combo deck, it is more important to keep a hand that has answers and develops well than a hand that stops a cascade of powerful, combo plays. This game ennded under s firm lock of card advantage and TNNs and I believe I wound up ulting Jace from the final life totals.

    4-1

    Round 6: Steel Stompy 2-1 Win

    I'll be honest, I always root for colorless decks, unless they're my opponent. In this case, I had the same odd choice I wound up with during day one: do I counter the t1 Chalice on the draw. Twice. All three games were super close. From the lifetotals, one would think it was back and forth, but in each case except the third game, I felt that dominance was established early and never overcome. It was just inevitability being fought off hard each time. G1 I thinkI waylaid him, because I masked myelf as being a miracles deck until I put my foot on the gas and turned the corner with a TNN with a jitte. G2 I kept a subpar hand and died predictably from inevitability of pressure and swarm. G3 was the best of the set. I always knew what he was doing, and he had gotten a feel for what I was up to. That said, there was a great sequencing for the turning of the corner. He had two active ravagers in play. There was a move to combat with the attmept at lethal. He was cautious with the movement of counters around from one to the other to other artifact creatures. I actually stumbled in my sequencing of a swords snap swords sequencing. I was attempting to fizzle his movement of counters from a ravager to another creature. I swordsed the orignnal ravager, and he sacked to move. With the target on the stack, I flashed in a snap to a yard without a swords, as the first had not resolved. I looked at my options. I had a brainstorm, three accumulated knowledge, and a couple of unrelated spells in my yard. I also had an active featch and knew that the next card was a ponder from my last turn. What to do? I took the risk of fetching from five to a possibly lethal 4 and flashing back AK to draw three. Thankfully there was a swords in those three. I hadn't hit a force yet in the game, it was turn 7 or 8 and I only had the one in hand. I suppose the chances were only so much, but it had to be done. I hit the swords and cracked back for lethal.

    5-1

    Round 7: Death and Taxes 2-1 Win

    This game felt oddly like an odd mirror, except he attempted a prison that only partially controlled me, and I had control spells that completely negated his plans. He had a t2 Thalia g2 and 3. It wasn't that which cost me game 2. It was more the crusader with the sword on it. Games 1 and three were generally a testament to the power of blue card selection to get me the correct white spells and artifacts at the correct times. He hit a palace jailer to become the monarch on board state that only possessed a stoneforge. He exiled the stoneforge, and then the next turn I stuck a True Name. He drew two cards off the Monarchy, and then I stole it. I can just do more with card advantage. The final board state was a jace on ult, a teferi two turns from ult, a TNN with a batterskull and a Jittte While the lifetotals looked close game three, I remember not feeling threatened from 11 to dead maybe...ever. He hung in there for long time hunting for flickerwisps to reset a Jace that was quickly climbing. I wound up winning the game via beats, though. The final lifetotals were 0 to 25. The only question I wound up with at the end was whether or not it was correct to side in the Back to Basics. I still feel that it was.

    6-1

    Round 8: Mono Red Prison, 2-0 Win

    This was a sad game for me. The player and I were hovering around each other for several rouds. He seemed like an upright individual, as most of my opponents were. I also just usually like prison decks. I knew what he was on, already from the hovering. I assumed he knew what I was on as well. Not really sure, though. G1, he was on the play, and I tried to keep a hand that didn't die to chalice 1. Unfortunately, I was not able to force it on t1, when he slammed it. My hand wound up looking like this: Fetch, basic island, Spell Pierce, Stoneforge Mystic, TNN, Jace, Accumulated Knowledge. He mulligans to 6, if I recall correctly, and does what his deck does best. T1 Chalice 1, t2 Trinisphere, T3, Magus of the Moon. It wound up just not being enough. I went T1 Island, oops, T2 Draw force Fetch Plains to avoid being under the moon, T3 Draw Basic Island, leave force open. He slams an Ensnaring Bridge on T4. I wind up drawing a land what never becomes relevant. The game becomes a grind. He is too low for the SFM to be relevant, but if I draw a fourth land I can slam a jace, but not hold up force of will. For the first time in the day I try to throw a serious head fake. He topdecks a Chandra, Torch of Defiane, and slams it. I tap three mana, and slam a spell pierce back at him. He thinks about it for a second...and moves the chandra to the Graveyard. I was at 8 life, and was probably dead to the chandra. If I drew a plains, maybe not, because I had a council's judgement in hand, but I only had one white source at yet. He moves the Chandra to the GY. I had successfully pierced a Chandra...through a chalice on 1. It IS his trigger to remember. I move to my turn, and he immediately realizes he forgot his trigger. I slam jace and take over the game I even leave the magus where it was. It never really mattered to me. Game two was even less of a game. I was able to counter the early pressure points, keep my plays live, and tempo my opponent out to ult Jace a second time. I believe I had also just thrown his morale with the Spell Pierce G1. It is always so important to keep your head clear after making a mistake. I do hope he takes away a lesson from the loss but doesn't stay demoralized about it. He had a really good run with a non Blue deck. He did all of us prison players proud. I apologized for even having to chalice check him and move on to the next game....

    Round 9: Miracles, 1-1-1 Draw

    These three games were grindy masterpieces. I was feeling pretty good about my chances, no matter what I was against. The potential top 8 included several combo decks, which is why I played Stoneblade in the first place. I hadn't seen much combo at all, at any point during the day, but as I approached the Top 8, I saw more and more meta decks. The player I was againt actually did not know wht I was on, but I had seen him playing earlier and suspected he was on Jeskai Miracles. I was ready for a pcak my lunch match, and that is what I got. Game one was actually fairly quick. He was able to stick and protect his third mentor, and swing lethal. I did, however, hang in there as long as possible without scooping to get as much info as possible about his deck. I learned one important thing: he wasn't on Accumulated Knowledge. This, I supposed, should give me a leg up. I also tried to not play any once I realizeed I was losing the game. Not that I thought he'd bring in Surgical Extraction or Rest in Peace post board, but hiding info when one is losing is best. So, game 2 he hadn't seen any True Name Nemisis or Accumulated Knowledge. Although the game ran long, and he likely saw most of the deck, I won with a TNN swinging with a batterskull. That tends to win games. The last game was under 12 minutes from time. We both played as quickly and deliberately as possible. The game ended with him sticking an irrelevant Jace and Gideon, Ally of Zendikar on T4, and me ending on T5 with a Council's Judgemnt in hand and a pair of snapcaster mages on top of the library after a ponder. He wass a good guy. We both wished each other all the best, and the hope to run it back in the T8, but we drew. Was the first and last time in the swiss rounds.

    7-1-1

    Round 10: Lands, 2-1 Win

    Game one was clawing, kicking and screaming through repeated combo turns from my lands opponent. I think he ended the game at plus 80 life. I was trying really hard to ult my teferi, be it became largely irrelevent with punishing fire in the yard, and my inability to permanently deal with it. Lost game 1, as I said, kicking and screaming. Game two, things get better. Obviosuly, the hate is real post board in my deck. Didn't hurt that games two and three, I saw at least one Back to Basics and Surgical Extraction. I promised I'd post this to my Lands Opponent, so here we go about Game 3. The decisive turn, I believe was my Turn 5 endstep. He had hard assembled combo on the field with an exploration as well. He could have comboed on my endstep. Here was the board state. On my turn five, I had three islands and a plains. I pondered on my turn, looking for a path or a swords ot plaowshares. If I found either I was pretty far ahead. If I didn't he had me dead to rights. I pondered, and I did not see it. So I made what I felt later was an error. I shuffled and drew. I smirked and drew my random card. I played a Tundra, laid my hand face down on the table and passed with Island, Island, Plains and Tundra Open. His board state was a Dark Depths, an exploration, and a Thespian's Stage, a Rishidan Port, a fetch and a Taiga. He was in the tank for a long time. Finally, he says, Port down your basic plains, and I float white mana. He looks at me, and says...” Move to your endstep.” At this point we have a judge scrutinizing us. I say, “mana dissipates” I state it. I don't ask. He says, “go to my turn?” I say, “sure.” He untaps, upkeep, draw. He plays a tracker, and plays a wasteland. He says “make a clue,” “waste your tundra?” I say, “float white.” He looks at me, in deep, deep concern. He then states “I have convinced myself that you don't have a swords.” I shrug. “Move to Combat.” Untap, upkeep, draw. I slam a back to basics. The game is at that point functionally over. The next turn I play a jace and bounce his tracker. At that point I plus and plus, and play a teferi, and plus and plus.... I get to my win and in.
    8-1-1

    Round 11: Elves, 1-2 Loss

    My win and in I make a critical error, one that I likely could have appealed and won the appeal, that cost me game 1, possibly. The world may never know. Honestly, he might have played differently, and he may still have won game one. I never take games from victorious opponents, because it isn't right. That said, I definitely cost myself any chance I had. I was on the play and I fetched a Basic island with two more basic islands in hand and a bunch of white sources. I fetch, and immmediately say, “hold up, I need to fetch differently.” He had already fetched a forest, although I had not yet presented my deck to be cut. Honestly, I am not entirely sure what the correct answer is, but I feel like I should have appealed that. Until the deck is presented, the fetch is not over. I lost g1 with double swords, and a stoneforge mystic in hand. Oh well. Game 2, I do a good job of killing every dork, countering all the glimpses and gszs, and eventually add both a jitte and a true name nemisis to the board. It gets academic pretty quickly. Game three, I wind up getting a little over aggressive and win up having a lethal choke resolved against me. I didn't see any library or choke Game 2, and paid for it.

    Overall record, 8-2-1.

    I had a blast, and minus a couple of misplays (which sadly cost me my losses), I played pretty tightly. My opponents were all gentlemen, and it is always great to see familiar faces from all the big East Coast legacy events. I wish all my former opponents well, and look forward to running it back next year. Maybe I'll even run yet another new deck. You never know!
    Last edited by malfie13; 11-21-2018 at 03:17 PM.
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  2. #2

    Re: Blue-White Stoneblade, 22nd Place at Eternal Weekend, Main Event Report

    Without a deck list, reading this without context is a waste of time.

    Sure, one can dig around the Internet to retrieve the list, omitting it here just doesn't make sense.

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    Re: Blue-White Stoneblade, 22nd Place at Eternal Weekend, Main Event Report

    Quote Originally Posted by twndomn View Post
    Without a deck list, reading this without context is a waste of time.

    Sure, one can dig around the Internet to retrieve the list, omitting it here just doesn't make sense.
    I apologize. I thought it was here, as it was in the other. Rectifying.
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    Re: Blue-White Stoneblade, 22nd Place at Eternal Weekend, Main Event Report

    Decklist for ew 2018

    Legacy UW Stoneblade eternal 2018 final.dec

    Counts : 60 main / 15 sideboard

    Creatures:11
    3 Snapcaster Mage
    3 Stoneforge Mystic
    3 True-Name Nemesis
    1 Vendilion Clique
    1 Venser, Shaper Savant

    Spells:29
    4 Brainstorm
    4 Ponder
    1 Spell Pierce
    1 Spell Snare
    4 Swords to Plowshares
    4 Accumulated Knowledge
    1 Umezawa's Jitte
    1 Council's Judgment
    2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
    1 Supreme Verdict
    1 Batterskull
    4 Force of Will
    1 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria

    Lands:20
    1 Cavern of Souls
    4 Flooded Strand
    7 Island
    1 Karakas
    1 Misty Rainforest
    2 Plains
    1 Polluted Delta
    1 Scalding Tarn
    2 Tundra

    Sideboard:15
    1 Containment Priest
    1 Vendilion Clique
    2 Flusterstorm
    1 Path to Exile
    2 Surgical Extraction
    1 Disenchant
    1 Rest in Peace
    2 Back to Basics
    1 Council's Judgment
    1 Sword of Fire and Ice
    1 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
    1 Supreme Verdict
    We speak for no one, we hear no one, we see no one

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    Re: Blue-White Stoneblade, 22nd Place at Eternal Weekend, Main Event Report

    Quote Originally Posted by twndomn View Post
    Without a deck list, reading this without context is a waste of time.

    Sure, one can dig around the Internet to retrieve the list, omitting it here just doesn't make sense.
    I also edited the discussion to have the decklists at the top of it
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    Re: Blue-White Stoneblade, 22nd Place at Eternal Weekend, Main Event Report

    The way you presented the scenario seems a bit different from what your opponent says happened from his tournament report. Also has more detail as to the sequencing that leads me to feel like you probably wouldn't have won the call

    "Game 1: He leads on Flooded Strand. I have a Misty Rainforest and immediately crack it. He fetches in response while mentioning getting Stifled. He finds a basic Island, puts it into play and begins shuffling his deck. I ask if I'm getting Stifled and he says no, that I'm good to resolve my fetch. So I go find basic Forest and put it into play. At this point he turns to the table spotter/judge and asks if he can "choose a different land." I stare at the judge in case I need to start making an appeal, but the judge is on it and tells him that he's already made and confirmed his decision."
    Quote Originally Posted by Richard Cheese View Post
    I've been taking shitty brews and tier 2 decks to tournaments and losing with them for years now. Welcome to the club. We meet for cocktails after round 6.
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    Top quality german restraint there.

    If I'm at the point where I'm rage quitting, you can bet your kransky that I'm calling everyone involved a cunt.

  7. #7
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    Re: Blue-White Stoneblade, 22nd Place at Eternal Weekend, Main Event Report

    Quote Originally Posted by Megadeus View Post
    The way you presented the scenario seems a bit different from what your opponent says happened from his tournament report. Also has more detail as to the sequencing that leads me to feel like you probably wouldn't have won the call

    "Game 1: He leads on Flooded Strand. I have a Misty Rainforest and immediately crack it. He fetches in response while mentioning getting Stifled. He finds a basic Island, puts it into play and begins shuffling his deck. I ask if I'm getting Stifled and he says no, that I'm good to resolve my fetch. So I go find basic Forest and put it into play. At this point he turns to the table spotter/judge and asks if he can "choose a different land." I stare at the judge in case I need to start making an appeal, but the judge is on it and tells him that he's already made and confirmed his decision."
    Just saw this thread.

    I'll chime in on this as well, as it appeared to me that you reevaluated your fetch exclusively based on me having found a basic forest, not because you had no other white sources in your hand.

    I strongly think the table spotter would have backed me on an appeal too; we had effectively agreed to a shortcut and you not having presented your deck is irrelevant because you verbally confirmed that I could resolve the fetch you had responded to.
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    Re: Blue-White Stoneblade, 22nd Place at Eternal Weekend, Main Event Report

    Quote Originally Posted by haganbmj View Post
    Just saw this thread.

    I'll chime in on this as well, as it appeared to me that you reevaluated your fetch exclusively based on me having found a basic forest, not because you had no other white sources in your hand.

    I strongly think the table spotter would have backed me on an appeal too; we had effectively agreed to a shortcut and you not having presented your deck is irrelevant because you verbally confirmed that I could resolve the fetch you had responded to.
    Hey man, nah I didn't. I just thought about what I had to do t2. I made a mistake, pure and simple. Once I saw the forest on the table I knew I'd lose the appeal and dropped it. I didnt escalate. I don't have much of a dirty bone in my existence. That said. I would have definitely loved a white source, regardless of what you were on. I didnt know g1, and hadn't evaluated the board state. I wish you had waited for me to finish resolving my fetch before you did. But I also believe you are also a clean player and in no way put my mistake on you.
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    Re: Blue-White Stoneblade, 22nd Place at Eternal Weekend, Main Event Report

    PS as it happens you were one of the few possible opponents for my win and in I didnt see play and or just know what you were on. I just suck sometimes when I try to play quickly. I don't like or ever try to go to time. I did once all tourney, and it wasn't for lack of either me or my opponent trying.
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