Browncoat67
05-09-2011, 11:07 AM
This week brought 17 players for Sunday Legacy, including a few new faces. It was a beautiful, sunny day and great for playing outside in The Temples twin gazebos.
This week saw second appearance of Spiral Tide, as I set Napalm aside to pilot the more complicated and consistent deck. The field also included The Gate, two Zoo decks and two Goblin decks. Mono White and Mono Black control builds were in attendance, as was a fresh Affinity deck, Rug, TES, Counter-Top, and our regular Mono-Red Burn. Infect also made an appearance, flexing its toxic muscles. Tide, being the demanding lover it is, left me little time to watch other matches over the first few rounds.
Round One faced me off against our familiar Goblin friends, albeit with a fresh pilot. Game 1 saw a first turn Aether Vial (http://magiccards.info/fvr/en/1.html), which spit out a Goblin Lackey (http://magiccards.info/fve/en/5.html) and put me on a very short clock. The Lackey dropped a Goblin Ringleader (http://magiccards.info/evg/en/40.html), which (fortunately for me) only hit into another Ringleader. It wasn’t fast enough, and Tide took the win. Game 2 was much more one sided, as the Goblins never landing any substantial hits before the combo set off and I swept the round in short turns, but not short time. Zoo and Affinity was the only match still going when I came inside, with Affinity swarming the board and beating past the Tarmogoyfs (http://magiccards.info/fut/en/153.html) and Knight of the Reliquary (http://magiccards.info/cfx/en/113.html).
Round Two was against one of the Zoo builds. I took game 1 easily. The Tide went out, however, as it failed to go off when Time Spiral (http://magiccards.info/us/en/103.html) drew me into three lands, two Ponders (http://magiccards.info/m10/en/68.html) and nothing else of worth. Several Ponders and Brainstorms (http://magiccards.info/cstd/en/9.html) left me with a hand full of land, a Turnabout (http://magiccards.info/us/en/105.html) and two lost turns. Game two went to the Zoo. With high hopes and on the play for game three, the Tide let me down again as I chanced a one land hand that was loaded with all my other combo pieces. EIGHT draws, and three discards later, I finally started drawing into my next lands, but much too late. Match Zoo.
I faced an expertly piloted Rug in Round Three for a difficult match. Game one saw the resilient Rug fend me off with a little counterspelling, while it whittled me down for the win. Game two went on quite a bit longer, as The Rug was slow out of the gate and I was biding my time, letting my hand build to where I thought it was as strong as possible. I was cautious, and held off going for the win until I felt I was in a position to deal with any counters my opponent might have. When my opponent attempted a Vendilion Clique (http://magiccards.info/mt/en/55.html) on my draw step, I responded by pitching a Ponder to Force of Will (http://magiccards.info/ai/en/42.html). A Red Elemental Blast (http://magiccards.info/un/en/170.html) was the response, and I decided that my only option was to go for the win. I successfully dropped two High Tide (http://magiccards.info/fe/en/36.html), and then Turnabout to untap all my lands, Wishing (http://magiccards.info/ju/en/37.html) for a Pact of Negation (http://magiccards.info/fut/en/42.html). The Pact resolved, and I countered the Clique.
With no options left, I warily picked my way toward the win, building toward the Blue Sun (http://magiccards.info/mbs/en/20.html) rip of my opponent’s library with extra maneuvers to play around potential counters. As I discovered afterward, the extra caution was unnecessary, as a Time Spiral left my opponent with nothing to counter my spell drops, and I mused on how I could have used a Peek (http://magiccards.info/10e/en/94.html) or even New Phyrexia’s freebie, Gitaxian Probe (http://magiccards.info/nph/en/35.html) to speed things up. As it was, we started game three just as time ran out, and we were immediately on turns. Playing for the draw, it occurred to me after that three turns are enough for Spiral Tide to go off, and still might possibly have won the match. Regardless, the draw was enough to put me in top 8 contention.
Pairing down and facing The Gate for Round Four, my opponent – the now out of top 8 contention Gate, conceded, giving me as good a shot as I would have on the day for hitting top 8. Tie breakers could still push me out, so all I could do was watch the other matches play out and hope for the best.
Around the room, The Rug dropped heavily on Goblins, crushing a turn 1 Aether Vial and robbing them of any chance to come back, despite a turn three Goblin Warchief (http://magiccards.info/evg/en/42.html). A Goblin Sharpshooter (http://magiccards.info/on/en/207.html)/Lookout (http://magiccards.info/le/en/101.html)play cleared Tarmogoyf off the board, but the little green guys weren’t up to the task of taking on Progenitus (http://magiccards.info/cfx/en/121.html), and Rug takes the match.
Zoo took on Infect, which was showing an unusual Titan Forge (http://magiccards.info/mbs/en/141.html). Land one of those with a Tainted Strike (http://magiccards.info/som/en/80.html), and you could be bringing some major hurt. Sadly, this rogue build was not up to the task, especially after Gaddock Teeg (http://magiccards.info/lw/en/248.html) dropped, shutting down the deck. Napalm and Mono White Control went to a draw in their game 2, as a pair of Price of Progress dumped lethal on both. The deck-which-says-no couldn’t hold off the flames forever, and Napalm takes the match.
Tiebreakers nicked the Rug out and me in by one spot. Thanks to all my prior opponents who played well and kept me in the hunt.
In Top 8 Round one, I faced off against a Raveger free Affinity build. We both took mulligans for the opening game, and the Ornithopers (http://magiccards.info/4e/en/359.html) and Signal Pests (http://magiccards.info/mbs/en/131.html) fell quickly. Cranial Plating (http://magiccards.info/pch/en/110.html) buffed the flying artifacts and game one ended quickly. I managed to fend off my opponent in game two for a while with Snaps (http://magiccards.info/ul/en/43.html), bouncing his Signal Pests equipped with the Cranial Plating. Despite having every other piece of the combo, I couldn’t draw into the High Tide I needed, and by the time I got my Merchant Scroll (http://magiccards.info/hl/en/42.html), I was one land short of pulling off the win and I’m out of the top 4.
The other match was done quickly, leaving Zoo and Countertop in a drawn-out contest. Top took game one, and pair of Price of Progress cooked the blue build in game two, after a Steppe Lynx (http://magiccards.info/zen/en/36.html) had teased a Swords (http://magiccards.info/ddf/en/22.html) on the top deck, with no way to bring a two drop back up. Game three was a struggle, with momentum swinging back and forth a few times. Zoo missed a Red Elemental Blast on the Counterbalance (http://magiccards.info/cs/en/31.html), but Krosan Grip (http://magiccards.info/ts/en/202.html) was in hand to clear it out, freeing the REB to blast a Jace the Mindsculpter (http://magiccards.info/wwk/en/31.html) off the stack. A second Counterbalance lands, with the board advantage swinging back to Counter-Top. Zoo attempts a Price of Progress for the draw, but Countertop denies. Zoo resolves a Thrun (http://magiccards.info/mbs/en/92.html) and a Wild Nacatl (http://magiccards.info/ala/en/152.html), after hitting the second Counterbalance with another Krosan Grip, but it’s just not enough when his opponent has a Lavamancer (http://magiccards.info/pd2/en/1.html) and, eventually, a trio of Tarmogoyfs to beat and burn to the win.
Congratulations to our top 4 who split – Nick, Dave, Pete and Randy
This week saw second appearance of Spiral Tide, as I set Napalm aside to pilot the more complicated and consistent deck. The field also included The Gate, two Zoo decks and two Goblin decks. Mono White and Mono Black control builds were in attendance, as was a fresh Affinity deck, Rug, TES, Counter-Top, and our regular Mono-Red Burn. Infect also made an appearance, flexing its toxic muscles. Tide, being the demanding lover it is, left me little time to watch other matches over the first few rounds.
Round One faced me off against our familiar Goblin friends, albeit with a fresh pilot. Game 1 saw a first turn Aether Vial (http://magiccards.info/fvr/en/1.html), which spit out a Goblin Lackey (http://magiccards.info/fve/en/5.html) and put me on a very short clock. The Lackey dropped a Goblin Ringleader (http://magiccards.info/evg/en/40.html), which (fortunately for me) only hit into another Ringleader. It wasn’t fast enough, and Tide took the win. Game 2 was much more one sided, as the Goblins never landing any substantial hits before the combo set off and I swept the round in short turns, but not short time. Zoo and Affinity was the only match still going when I came inside, with Affinity swarming the board and beating past the Tarmogoyfs (http://magiccards.info/fut/en/153.html) and Knight of the Reliquary (http://magiccards.info/cfx/en/113.html).
Round Two was against one of the Zoo builds. I took game 1 easily. The Tide went out, however, as it failed to go off when Time Spiral (http://magiccards.info/us/en/103.html) drew me into three lands, two Ponders (http://magiccards.info/m10/en/68.html) and nothing else of worth. Several Ponders and Brainstorms (http://magiccards.info/cstd/en/9.html) left me with a hand full of land, a Turnabout (http://magiccards.info/us/en/105.html) and two lost turns. Game two went to the Zoo. With high hopes and on the play for game three, the Tide let me down again as I chanced a one land hand that was loaded with all my other combo pieces. EIGHT draws, and three discards later, I finally started drawing into my next lands, but much too late. Match Zoo.
I faced an expertly piloted Rug in Round Three for a difficult match. Game one saw the resilient Rug fend me off with a little counterspelling, while it whittled me down for the win. Game two went on quite a bit longer, as The Rug was slow out of the gate and I was biding my time, letting my hand build to where I thought it was as strong as possible. I was cautious, and held off going for the win until I felt I was in a position to deal with any counters my opponent might have. When my opponent attempted a Vendilion Clique (http://magiccards.info/mt/en/55.html) on my draw step, I responded by pitching a Ponder to Force of Will (http://magiccards.info/ai/en/42.html). A Red Elemental Blast (http://magiccards.info/un/en/170.html) was the response, and I decided that my only option was to go for the win. I successfully dropped two High Tide (http://magiccards.info/fe/en/36.html), and then Turnabout to untap all my lands, Wishing (http://magiccards.info/ju/en/37.html) for a Pact of Negation (http://magiccards.info/fut/en/42.html). The Pact resolved, and I countered the Clique.
With no options left, I warily picked my way toward the win, building toward the Blue Sun (http://magiccards.info/mbs/en/20.html) rip of my opponent’s library with extra maneuvers to play around potential counters. As I discovered afterward, the extra caution was unnecessary, as a Time Spiral left my opponent with nothing to counter my spell drops, and I mused on how I could have used a Peek (http://magiccards.info/10e/en/94.html) or even New Phyrexia’s freebie, Gitaxian Probe (http://magiccards.info/nph/en/35.html) to speed things up. As it was, we started game three just as time ran out, and we were immediately on turns. Playing for the draw, it occurred to me after that three turns are enough for Spiral Tide to go off, and still might possibly have won the match. Regardless, the draw was enough to put me in top 8 contention.
Pairing down and facing The Gate for Round Four, my opponent – the now out of top 8 contention Gate, conceded, giving me as good a shot as I would have on the day for hitting top 8. Tie breakers could still push me out, so all I could do was watch the other matches play out and hope for the best.
Around the room, The Rug dropped heavily on Goblins, crushing a turn 1 Aether Vial and robbing them of any chance to come back, despite a turn three Goblin Warchief (http://magiccards.info/evg/en/42.html). A Goblin Sharpshooter (http://magiccards.info/on/en/207.html)/Lookout (http://magiccards.info/le/en/101.html)play cleared Tarmogoyf off the board, but the little green guys weren’t up to the task of taking on Progenitus (http://magiccards.info/cfx/en/121.html), and Rug takes the match.
Zoo took on Infect, which was showing an unusual Titan Forge (http://magiccards.info/mbs/en/141.html). Land one of those with a Tainted Strike (http://magiccards.info/som/en/80.html), and you could be bringing some major hurt. Sadly, this rogue build was not up to the task, especially after Gaddock Teeg (http://magiccards.info/lw/en/248.html) dropped, shutting down the deck. Napalm and Mono White Control went to a draw in their game 2, as a pair of Price of Progress dumped lethal on both. The deck-which-says-no couldn’t hold off the flames forever, and Napalm takes the match.
Tiebreakers nicked the Rug out and me in by one spot. Thanks to all my prior opponents who played well and kept me in the hunt.
In Top 8 Round one, I faced off against a Raveger free Affinity build. We both took mulligans for the opening game, and the Ornithopers (http://magiccards.info/4e/en/359.html) and Signal Pests (http://magiccards.info/mbs/en/131.html) fell quickly. Cranial Plating (http://magiccards.info/pch/en/110.html) buffed the flying artifacts and game one ended quickly. I managed to fend off my opponent in game two for a while with Snaps (http://magiccards.info/ul/en/43.html), bouncing his Signal Pests equipped with the Cranial Plating. Despite having every other piece of the combo, I couldn’t draw into the High Tide I needed, and by the time I got my Merchant Scroll (http://magiccards.info/hl/en/42.html), I was one land short of pulling off the win and I’m out of the top 4.
The other match was done quickly, leaving Zoo and Countertop in a drawn-out contest. Top took game one, and pair of Price of Progress cooked the blue build in game two, after a Steppe Lynx (http://magiccards.info/zen/en/36.html) had teased a Swords (http://magiccards.info/ddf/en/22.html) on the top deck, with no way to bring a two drop back up. Game three was a struggle, with momentum swinging back and forth a few times. Zoo missed a Red Elemental Blast on the Counterbalance (http://magiccards.info/cs/en/31.html), but Krosan Grip (http://magiccards.info/ts/en/202.html) was in hand to clear it out, freeing the REB to blast a Jace the Mindsculpter (http://magiccards.info/wwk/en/31.html) off the stack. A second Counterbalance lands, with the board advantage swinging back to Counter-Top. Zoo attempts a Price of Progress for the draw, but Countertop denies. Zoo resolves a Thrun (http://magiccards.info/mbs/en/92.html) and a Wild Nacatl (http://magiccards.info/ala/en/152.html), after hitting the second Counterbalance with another Krosan Grip, but it’s just not enough when his opponent has a Lavamancer (http://magiccards.info/pd2/en/1.html) and, eventually, a trio of Tarmogoyfs to beat and burn to the win.
Congratulations to our top 4 who split – Nick, Dave, Pete and Randy