Live from the BatCave

[Pinder]

So, the tournament is underway, and we have....9 people. Fuck you New York.

First round:

Don (AngryTroll) vs. Brian (Maverick676)
James (Pinder) vs. Chris (Volt)
Ryan (DeathwingZERO) vs. Ian (unregged)
Nick (Yawgmoth) vs Abe (unregged)
Dan (Bardo) vs. BYE (It was a tough match, though)

Winners in blue after the round.

[Pinder]

Double post because no one cares

Don (AngryTroll) vs James (Pinder)
Brian (Maverick676) vs Ian (unregged)
Ryan (DeathwingZERO) vs Nick (Yawgmoth)
Dan (Bardo) vs Chris (Volt)
Abe (unregged) vs BYE

[frogboy]

this would be a lot more interesting if I had someone to bet with.

[Pinder]

this would be a lot more interesting if I had someone to bet with.

It would be a lot more interesting if you showed up .

ZillA, too.

[Jak]

What decks are people playing?

[Pinder]

AngryTroll - 4c Survival
Volt - Goyf Sligh
Me - 4c Slivers
Bardo - VoroshStill (U/b/g Landstill)
DeathwingZERO - TES
Maverick676 - UGw Thresh
Yawgmoth - BG Rock
Abe - TrinketNaught
Ian - Sligh/Burn

[Jak]

Updates?

Edit- Just for fun, I'll show the list I would have rocked.

4 Scrubland
3 Savannah
4 Windswept Heath
2 Flooded Strand
2 Bloodstained Mire
5 Plains
1 Swamp
3 Nantuko Monastery

2 Eternal Dragon
3 Decree of Justice

4 Duress
3 Sensei's Diving Top
2 Krosan Tusker

4 Pernicious Deed
3 Wrath of God
4 Vindicate
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Diabolic Edict
3 Humility

SB
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Orim's Chant
4 Abeyance
3 Extirpate

Untested, unrefined, and totally thrown together, but OMG do I love the 22 creature control cards.

[Pinder]

Updates?

Sorry, it's hard when you're playing.

Round 3 and Round 4 are over (if you really wanted the pairings I can find them), top 4 is:

Don (AngryTroll) vs Nick (Yawgmoth)
-----------------------------------------
Abe (unregged) vs Dan (Bardo)

Since I'm not in the top 4, I can now report full time (as uninteresting as it may be). I'm getting my camera out of the car so I can rock the pictures, too.

edit - I'll have decklists for the top4 afterwards, too.

[Jak]

Awesome. Sorry you didn't make it. Play by play would be nice Pinder . JK Take lots of pics.

[Pinder]

Awesome. Sorry you didn't make it. Play by play would be nice Pinder . JK Take lots of pics.

Pics forthcoming.

Dan took first game against Abe, they're shuffling up for G2 right now.

(Actually, I lost game 1. I'm smiling because I'm an idiot. - Bardo)

Don and Nick are still in G1.

edit - Our Top 4:



(Chris and Brian in the back)

edit2 - Man my camera is shitty when people are moving. Maybe clearer pictures later.


Currently Bardo has two Goyfs while Abe has a Needle on Deed (he blocked with a Trinket Mage last turn) Counterspell from Bardo on Naught makes Goyfs into 6/7s for the win. This was on turn 4. Bardo is playing Landstill. In game 2, he Extirpates Dreadnaught. Bardo is on to the finals!

Nick has Garruk (3 counters), Gigapede, Deed, and Top to Don's Shriekmaw, BoP and Harmonic Sliver. Don just killed Garruk with a swing from the Shriekmaw. Swing from Gigapede puts Don at 1, while Nick is at 18. Deed from Nick clears everything but the 'Pede and the Shriekmaw, then Nick Vindicates the Maw for the win. On to game 2.

edit 3 -

So, G2 for Don and Nick. Don has 2 Taiga, Rofellos, Quirion Ranger, Genesis (on the table?) and Magus of the Moon to Nick's Top, Forest, Scrubland and Savannah. Nick Tuskers for a basic Plains, which he uses to Swords the Magus before dropping Tarmogoyf (2/3). Don fetches Bayou into Throughtseize, which Nick responds to with Swords. Thoughtseize nabs Gigapede. Nick plays the other one in his hand. Tarmogoyf comes in (4/5 now). Don Therapies, naming Deed, revealing Wrath. Returns the Bayou with Ranger, plays it again into another Ranger and a Magus of the Moon. Nick comes in again for 4, Don at 10, Nick at 15. Nick comes in with everything. Nick trades Gigapede for the Magus, and Don Shreikmawks the Goyf. Nick plays the Wrath that Don should have Therapied for, clearing the board (Don: "I'm an idiot!"). Don topdecks Survival, plays it. Nick hits a Gigapede off the top, Grips the Survival (Don: "What are the odds?"). Swings with Gigapede, putting Don at 3 (Don must have fetched or something?), then Don fetches and goes down to 2, Nick drops another Gigapede. Don scoops.

Bardo and Nick split in the finals. Fin.

[Pinder]

Bump because I realize that no one is reading this because it's all edits!

[Bardo]

Fun times. I played "Vorosh" aka "Mostly Monoblue Control" aka "U/b/g Landstill."

"Vorosh"
by Bardo

4 Brainstorm
4 Standstill
3 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Fact or Fiction

4 Force of Will
4 Counterspell
3 Counterbalance

3 Pernicious Deed
3 Engineered Explosives
2 Vedalken Shackles

4 Tarmogoyf

4 Mishra's Factory
4 Underground Sea
4 Tropical Island
3 Flooded Strand
3 Polluted Delta
4 Island
1 Swamp
1 Academy Ruins
1 Faerie Conclave

Sideboard
4 Engineered Plague
4 Hydroblast
3 Dark Confidant
2 Krosan Grip
2 Extirpate

The deck played awesome, and I only punted one match due to a careless play mistake (though I'm not 100% I would have won; I'm 100% certain that I lost because of it.)

My pairings:

Round 1. vs. Bye. I treated my Bye to a Pabst/Jager-chaser, and in a moment of weakness, almost conceded this match so that my bye could advance. But in the end, I just accepted the win and gave him/her a hug.

(Actually, I played the role of event reporter and took coverage of Pinder's stunning defeat over Chris's Goyf Sligh list with a topdecked Essence Sliver. I may write this one up later).

Round 2. vs. Chris (Volt) with Goyf Sligh.
Game 1. I mull to five on the draw, but somehow win with Goyfs and CounterTop.

(In: HBlasts; out Fact, Conclave and a couple of other things.)

Game 2. Dunno much about this one, except I got blown out of the water. (Apparently?)

Game 3. I might have been able to win this one, but foolishly dropped a Factory to play a Shackles, bringing my non-basic count up to 5. PoP + Bolt > 12 my life. I had a largish Goyf on the board to his nothing and had no reason to play the Shackles. Fuck.

1-1.

Round 3. Brian (Maverick?) with White Thresh.

Game 1. I Deed 2x Mongoose; drop a Counterbalance. Brian Brainstorms in his next mainphase; CBalance reveals Top; he scoops.

Game 2. I win with EE + Shackles + 2x Goyf (one mine; the other, not).

2-1

Round 4. Ryan (DeathwingZero) with The Epic Storm (TES).

Game 1. I lose the die roll in my third straight match. On his second turn he gets his storm to 6 and ETWs for 12 goblins. I play a land and take twelve. The following turn I play land #3, Deed his Goblins and start swinging for 10 with 2x 4/5 Goyfs and a Conclave.

(I bring in Confidants and Extirpates for chaff.)

Game 2. Turn 1 Top; turn 2 Bob; I start hitting for 4 w/ the Bob and a Factory. On his last turn, he Burning Wishes, I CSpell, he Pyroblasts the CSpell, I Force the PBlast; and then Force an Infernal Tutor. Game.

3-1

Ryan and I take a break and hit the bar across the street. Gin & Tonic + fries. It's snowing outside.

Top 4. Abe (?) with TrinketNaught.

My nervous system greatly compromised by pills and gin, I play the worst game of Magic I can remember. I stupidly lose to a Dreadnought and rightly so.

(In: Extirpate + Krosan Grip)

Game 2. A fucking slaughter. I have 2x 6/7 Goyfs on turn 4 and just pummel the shit out of him.

Game 3. I counter a Dreadnaught and then Extirpate the thing which elicits the scoop.

4-1

Nick, playing Truffle Shuffle, and I split the finals. I make twenty-some-odd dollars and enough store credit to get a Horizon Canopy.

4-1-1

Incidentally, Pinder is as awesome In Real Life as he is on these boards. Major props to you and Maverick for making the trek from Seattle. :)

Edit - I'm the guy in the hoodie on the bottom right in Pinder's pic, with that obnoxious shit-eating smirk. I do hate to have my picture taken; so, yeah.

[DeathwingZERO]

This isn't going to have a fun report like I did my last time I bombed myself out of a tournament, all I can say is that I know that the number of play mistakes I made with my deck today was higher than my total Storm counts.

You go ahead and leave that to your own imaginations.

[Volt]

.

[AngryTroll]

I went with 4c Survival.

4 Birds of Paradise
2 Quirion Rangers
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Darkheart Sliver
2 Eternal Witness
2 Magus of the Moon
3 Shriekmaw
1 Flame Tongue Kavu

1 Anger
1 Squee
1 Harmonic Sliver
1 Rofellos
1 Genesis

3 Thoughtsieze
3 Cabal Therapy
3 Swords to Plowshares
3 Burning Wish
4 Survival of the Fittest

3 Wooded Foothills
2 Windswept Heath
2 Bloodstained Mire
4 Forest
1 Swamp
1 Mountain
3 Bayou
2 Taiga
2 Savannah

61 cards, 20 land, 4 3-ofs? Yes.


Round 1 vs. Brian (Maverick676)
Brian is playing UGW Thresh, which is sweet. GBrw Thresh is designed to smash blue based aggro control, be it Thresh, Meathooks, CounterSliver, etc. Good way to start the tournament.

I win game one with one big super turn. His board: 1 Goyf, 1 Mystic Enforcer, maybe one Nimble Mongoose, without Threshold, and one card in hand. I have a Goyf in play, with some mana dudes to go with it. The turn before, I Burning Wished for Ruination to his 4 non basics and 2 basics, and Eternal Witnessed back Shriekmaw. He cast the Enforcer on his turn, making me with I had returned Swords to Plowshares instead of Shriekmaw. What do I topdeck? Swords. I Evoke Shriekmaw, cast Ruination, then follow it with Swords. I win this game.

I board in some Baloths and Krosan Grips for the Burning Wishes (Ruination is not going to work twice on him). I win game two handily.

1-0 match, 2-0 games


Round 2: Pinder with 4c Slivers.

I draw a Darkheart Sliver to match his Hibernation Sliver, stalling the game. He Duresses me on turn 1 and again a few turns later, but I draw Survival. I find a Magus of the Moon with Survival, and attempt to cast it. He responds by being grumpy, and not breaking his fetchland. I pause, look at him questioningly, and he breaks it for another dual. He explains that he has no non-basics in the deck. He casts a Vial, but concedes when I play a giant Goyf.

Game two, I again stick a Magus and go to town. I draw lots of land, though, and only have one basic forest to go with my duals and fetches. I swing with Magus of the Moon into a Muscle Sliver, trade, break all my fetches, Eternal Witness Magus back to hand, and replay it. Now I also have a Shriekmaw to back up the Magus in play. GG. Pinder shows me that he boarded out two of his Aether Vials. Wtf?

2-0 matches, 4-0 games


Round 3: Yawgmoth, with Truffle Shuffle.

He has Garruk Wildspeaker, Deeds, Swords, Vindicates, Wrath, Gigapede, and all sorts of good stuff in his deck. I have Survival and friends.

I lose game one to a topdecked Divining Top early. It provides card quality while I draw land. At one point, I had 6 land (and two fetches) to 5 non land. He Haunting Echoes me to look at my list and smashes me.

Game two, I keep a one land hand:
1 dual land, 1 Q Ranger, 1 Rofellos, 1 Goyf, 1 Survival, 1 Swords, 1 Thoughtsieze? Something like that. I play the Q Ranger, pass the turn. Play the Rofellos the next turn, and Nick Vindicates my Taiga. I bounce it to my hand with Ranger, continue to not draw land (So I didn't even lose a land drop!), and win.

Game three, I drop Rofellos on turn two, then Genesis and Magus of the Moon on turn three, and ride it to a win.

3-0 matches, 6-1 games.


Round 4: Abe with Stifle Naught.
I make top 4 either way, but I want to see his deck. I keep terrible hands and don't sideboard, but I get to see all the stuff in his deck and get a feel for how good of a player he is. He does go turn two Naught Stifle, after Forcing my Thoughtsieze, and then forces my Swords also. Boo.


TOP 4: Nick again.
I lose game one to Gigapede, but almost pull it out with an Ruination for four of his land to stop Gigapede recursion.

Game two is a close game. It all comes down to one turn. I play a Shriekmaw to kill Goyf, have 2 Rangers, Rofellos, and Birds in play, to his Gigapede. I do all sorts of good stuff, but say "Go" before I am done with my turn. I know he has Wrath in hand, know I have Therapy in yard, and am planning on saccing a Ranger to it. However, I blow it, and lose the game because of it, knocking me into a split for 3rd/4th.


Props:
GBrw Survival, for smashing the decks it is supposed to smash
Pinder and Maverick, for showing up from Seattle
Bardo, for showing up
Magus of the Moon
Swords to Plowshares

Slops:
Zilla, Frogboy, LinkXWing, and Joe for not going
Me for forgetting to flashback Therapy



As far as the list goes, Swords to Plowshares was amazing all day. In fact, I am going to test -3 Burning Wish, +1 Swords, +1 Thoughtsieze, +1 Cabal Therapy for a while and see how that is. For a big tournament like a GP, I would leave Burning Wish in the deck for sure. Against a deck like Enchantress, Burning Wish is the difference between Reverent Silence and winning the match, and having no outs and losing the match. Against Stax, Shattering Spree; against Landstill, Ruination. I am at least going to test the deck without them, though.

The only change I would make to the mainboard is -1 Darkheart Sliver, +1 Loxodon Heirarch. However, I was expecting 2-3 Sliver decks today, so Darkheart was amazing.

The landbase was pretty solid. 1 more basic certainly wouldn't hurt, though. Basic mountain should go, to be replaced with something. I really want to be able to fetch basic Swamp, but Bloodstained Mire is very underwhelming.


The tournament was a blast, and it was great to have Pinder reporting as we went along. We went to Burgerville afterwards and BSed for another hour, then headed back. Slick roads getting into Corvallis; I counted 3 or 4 cars in the ditch, and as many State Patrol in the last few miles into town. 25mph with negligible steering and brakes on the highway was exciting, but I made it here in one piece. I'm definitely looking forward to next month and the Duel for Duals in June!

[Pinder]

Incidentally, Pinder is as awesome In Real Life as he is on these boards.

It's the metal legs. It was a risky operation, but I think it was worth it.

Major props to you and Maverick for making the trek from Seattle. :)

I will continue to do this as long as there are tourneys at the Batcave. I never have a bad time there. I just wish I could convince more than one other person at a time to go with me.

Pinder savagely topdecking Essence Sliver the turn before he was going to die,

Pinder's stunning defeat over Chris's Goyf Sligh list with a topdecked Essence Sliver

I really have no idea how this happened. In all respects I should have lost this match, but somehow the planets were in such an alignment that I happened to have such a crappy board card in my board and board it in and draw it (twice) in the only matchup where it could have been relevant. In retrospect those and the 2 Plague Slivers (like I said, my sideboard was fucked up today for some reason) really should have been:

Spell Snare
Daze
Chalice
More Grips

or something else not useless. I really don't know what I was thinking.

Pinder shows me that he boarded out two of his Aether Vials. Wtf?

Yeah, chalk it up to the 3 hour drive or whatever, but I was off today.

[AngryTroll]

In retrospect those and the 2 Plague Slivers (like I said, my sideboard was messed up today for some reason)....

Quoted for emphasis. 4c Slivers, with Plague Sliver in the board.

[Nightmare]

It's the metal legs. It was a risky operation, but I think it was worth it.

Excellent reference. Grandma's Boy FTW.

[Volt]

.

[Pinder]

lol. I think we gave our man Pinder a bad enough time about the Plague Slivers last night. It was funny listening to him and Brian trying to concoct scenarios where it made sense, though. Good times.

There's really only one, and that's as a metagame choice against slivers (which, until just prior to the tournament, Brian was going to play, and I assumed Volt would). Plague + Hibernation = You take 2 a turn, they take lots.

But again. Bad choice. Never boarded him in all night. I remember between me, Bardo, and DeathwingZERO we were trying to come up with situations where it would be the right play to Spell Snare Daze, too. We're excellent theorists here in the West, no?

Excellent reference. Grandma's Boy FTW.

I was wondering if someone would catch that. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy that you did.