KDLD Report 9th...

[bigbear102]

Well Hollywood can attest to the fact that I called making top 8 two weeks in a row, at Newark and then this. On the ride to Newark I mentioned that I told my girlfriend I would make top 8, and then after making top 8, I told the guys in the car that I planned on top 8'ing this too, but alas, I guess 4-1-1 sometimes just doesn't get the cut...

RGBW Survival

4x Wooded Foothills
4x Windswept heath
3x Savannah
3x Taiga
3x Bayou
3x Forest
1x Plains

4x Survival of the Fittest
3x Aether Vial
3x Cabal Therapy
4x Swords to Plowshares

4x Birds of Paradise
1x Rofellos
2x Werebear
1x Squee
1x Anger
1x Genesis
3x FTK
1x Boneshredder
1x Viridian Zealot
1x Keldon Vandals
3x Loxodon Hierarch
1x Mystic Enforcer
4x Basking Rootwalla
2x Eternal Witness

SB:
4x Engineered Plague
1x Goblin Pyromancer
2x Krosan Grip
4x Duress
4x Pyrostatic Pillar

The list has changed by a few cards every time I play it, but I think this list is going to stay pretty stable for a while now, I really like how it plays. Right before the tourney I took Loaming Shaman out of the board and replaced it with Goblin Pyromancer. The Pillars were also a new addition, and one that will be there for a while.

Before the tourney started I was the Cuse player Hollywood referred to in his report. He showed me the Kraken in his deck and I honestly laughed for like 2 minutes straight.


Round 1: Shane w/ Dark 3deuce

I did not like my odds going into this match, as he can have me below 10 before I get an active survival on the board. We both knew I was at a disadvantage in this game. I sadly do not have my notes from the first few matches with me, so all I can say is that I won. I know my Survivals being active both games made it dumb for me, as everything in his deck dies to FTK.

1-0

Round 2: Matt w/ Wgro

Again, no notes. I have an easy time beating him game 1, as Survival normally does in this match. Game 2 I board in a few Duress and 2 Krosan Grip for needles, which he gets early on both Vial and Survival. I end up winning this game too, but I don't really remember how. I know it involved killing a Mage on FTK and then just outclassing him with men.

2-0

Round 3: Brian w/ Belcher

I remember this match all too well...
We get deckchecked AFTER I open a hand of: 2 Fetches, Cabal Therapy, Survival, Birds and 2 other cards. All I knew was he was playing "belcher". I had no idea what kind, so my 1st turn play, on the play, would have been Fetch, Bayou, Therapy on Belcher. After the deck check I open an almost identical hand, but with 2x STP and no therapy. I go first turn birds, he goes first turn Belcher. AHH!!!! I WOULD HAVE THERAPIED IT!!!! But it's ok, cuz all he did was play the belcher, due to a mistake on his part, he had no mana to activate it. I go 2nd turn Survival, eot grap Vandals, kill belcher and easily ride Survival to victory.
Game 2: In duress and Plague
He is on the play, he then makes 10 PT player tokes. I say land go. He swings. I play Rofellos, he swings and I block going to 1. If I topdeck plague here I can play it without having to use a fetch..... I don't.
Game 3:
I duress turn 1 taking ETW leaving him with a hand full of acceleration. Next turn I draw the E. Plague... DOH!! He plays draw go for 2 turns while I play survival. I have Viridian Zealot in hand in case he drops Belcher and for some reason can't kill me with it, and I have the aforementioned E. Plague for the ETW. He has 4 Belchers left, and 6 ways to get ETW, he obviously rips Belcher and proceeds to deal me 92 damage.
I have to say I was happy just making a game of it, We had at least 3 turns each every game, and I won one of them.

2-1

Round 4: Zach, playing TES

Great... more combo

Game 1: I do some stuff, he plays Diminishing Returns and then drops a land and says go. Next turn he drops more mana accel and D. Returns again, I say "I didn't realize you play 2 of them in the main." he says "I don't." I say "You didn't cast Burning Wish though..." He says "Oops, game 2." (For those of you who don't realize, he shuffled the D. Returns into his library with the rest of his yard, can't do that though.)
Game 2: In come the Duresses and Pillars
I think I go turn 1 Duress, turn 2 Pillar. He sits there for a while while I just play some small dudes and attack for 1-2 a turn. I have the E. Plague in my hand, but don't play it because I want him to take a few from Pillar while trying to amass an army of red men. He finally takes 6 and puts 8 Gobs into play. I drop E. Plague and he scoops.

3-1

Round 5: Jason w/ Boros Deck Wins

I didn't know what he was playing, but heard him talking earlier about using Price of Progress in a burn war to win the game, so I know it's gonna be a fast match.

Game 1: Jason's life total looks like this on my notes: 20, 18,21,20,23,25,27,26. My life totals look like this: 20, 17, 15, 13, 11, 8, 12. The funny thing is, he scooped after I went: Vial Loxodon as a blocker, my turn cast Mystic Enforcer w/ Thresh. He wasn't happy about the Loxodon, I believe there were some curse words muttered, I'm guessing that when I went from 8-12, his hand of "Burn Spell, Fireblast" got a bit worse.
Game 2: All I know is that I intentionally only played 1 dual this match, cuz I knew he boarded Price in. I ended the game at 4 life with 1 dual in play and him with Price in hand.

4-1

Round 6: Hollywood w/ Polar Express

We try to figure out what will happen if we ID. Basically, there will be 9 people vying for 8 slots. I am lower than Hollywood in the standings, so I know it is possible if we draw he will make it and I won't. I also know that my match against Reanimator is not all that hot, I do have Therapy and STP, but it's still strongly in his favor. I decide to ID and take my chances. I end up taking 9th and getting a set of Beta Lightning Bolts.

All in all I was pretty happy with the day. If I had made top 8 that would have given me 3 in a row. 6th at TMLO day 2, 6th at Newark, and 9th here, with a 10th place finish at Geneseo. I still can't complain as I have been in the top 10 at all events, and have gotten a prize every time.

Props:
Hollywood for hookin' me up! May the Legend live on.
Hollywood for makin' top 4. POLAR EXPRESS!
Survival for being the best deck in the format.
Kadi and Eli for a good event
My crap cards for turning into money and 2 FBB Savannahs
Me for leaving with 5 duals and 4 Beta bolts without making top 8.

Slops:
Herbig for scooping to Cody and knocking me out of top 8.
My team for telling me to play Red Combo.
Epic for not making top 8....WtF?!?!?!

[Zach Tartell]

Acceptable. Also, more props to us, for sucking.

Did oyu ever miss glowrider? Seems like a turn two him would have won a game or two against belcher.

[Ewokslayer]

Herbig for scooping to Cody and knocking me out of top 8.

I thought it was pretty funny that Team EPIC screwed Team EPIC out of the Top 8 completely.

[Di]

I thought it was pretty funny that Team EPIC screwed Team EPIC out of the Top 8 completely.

Twice, actually. Jim should've made top8 as well, but Herbig didn't give him the win. Instead, they drew, and neither of them could've made top8 as a result.

[noobslayer]

Herbig is that anti-epic assassin working behind the scenes evidently. Thanks for signing my High Tides!

[bigbear102]

I didn't miss Glowrider at all, Pillar makes combo a much better matchup.

Against Belcher Glowrider wouldn't have helped except in game 3. Postboard I still only have 2, and wouldn't have had Survival up to get it, so I would have had to draw it.

[Jim]

Twice, actually. Jim should've made top8 as well, but Herbig didn't give him the win. Instead, they drew, and neither of them could've made top8 as a result.

Yeah...could have been my first top eight well, ever. Also, I could have remembered I had a graveyard against you and just not lost a single round. Tomato, Tomoto. Maybe next time.

[Nihil Credo]

1) AFAIK, you shouldn't get deckchecked after you've drawn your opening hand.
2) What's up with the BDW player's life totals? Did he draw and play 4 Lightning Helixes or what?

[freakish777]

No, there has to be some StP action in there also (seeing as how he goes up 2 life at one point).