Bloodcookie
06-09-2012, 10:53 PM
Today I attended the Trial for Grand Prix Atlanta at Jake's Cards and Games, Bellefonte, PA. I was playing a configuration of TES based upon Bryant Cook's list, with modifications made in anticipation of a heavy blue presence (a supposition which would be borne out), as well as my own preferences and paranoid delusions:
4 Gemstone Mine
1 City of Brass
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Polluted Delta
2 Bloodstained Mire
1 Underground Sea
1 Volcanic Island
1 Scrubland
1 Badlands
4 Lion’s Eye Diamond
4 Lotus Petal
4 Chrome Mox
4 Dark Ritual
4 Rite of Flame
4 Burning Wish
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Infernal Tutor
3 Duress
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Cabal Therapy
1 Orim’s Chant
2 Silence
1 Ad Nauseam
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Chain of Vapor
3 Red Elemental Blast
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Echoing Truth
1 Deathmark
1 Infest
1 Shattering Spree
1 Grapeshot
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Ill-Gotten Gains
1 Diminishing Returns
1 Past in Flames
Turnout was lower than anticipated at 14, as graduation parties and parallel tournaments depleted our numbers. Nonetheless, some last-minute reallocation of judging duties provided us sufficient players to allow for a top 8.
[Aside: there were at least 8(!) combo-oriented decks present, including ANT, TES, 2 Pyromancer Ascension, Glimpse Elves, Dredge, High Tide, and Imperial Painter. I was so proud :cry:]
Round 1 (Joe, with Imperial Painter): 0-2
1.1: I throw this one away in spectacular fashion, despite Joe mulling to 4. On turn 2, or thereabouts, I try to go off, but then forget to play my LED before Burning Wish. I try to play it off, grabbing a Shattering Spree and later making a dozen goblins, but he manages to turn my deck blue and grind it into oblivion.
SB: +Chain of Vapor, Echoing Truth; -2 Silence
1.2: Joe's Blood Moon and Surgical Extraction keep me well in hand.
Round 2 ("Turtle", with High Tide): 2-1
2.1: The storm combo face-off is surprisingly slow and grinding, but he eventually pulls it off. The only damage anyone takes is caused by my City of Brass.
SB: +3 REB; -Chrome Mox, Ponder, Infernal Tutor
2.2: I manage a solid Ad Nauseam from 19, he knows how my deck works, and we move on.
2.3: I Empty the Warrens for 12, and he doesn't have an answer.
Round 3 (Wade, with UW Stoneblade): 1-2
3.1: The Achilles' heel of TES finally shows itself, and an early Wasteland locks me down.
SB: +3 REB; -Chrome Mox, Ponder, Infernal Tutor
3.2: I manage to sneak in an Ad Nauseam and Tendrils for an arbitrarily large quantity.
3.3: In this game, I think I'm in a safe position to go off, but am proven wrong. I cast Silence, he Forces it. I follow up with Ad Nauseam, and... he has the second Force. Batterskull proceeds to do what its name says.
Round 4 (Lance, with Pox): 2-0
4.1: I Ad Nauseam from 19, showing multiple LEDs and tutors.
SB: nada
4.2: Technically, I win this game when Lance realizes part-way through that he failed to de-sideboard. He's understandably bummed, but is an excellent sportsman and we play it out:
4.2b: After some heavy hand-disruption early on from Lance, I make the "why-the-hell-not?" play, and wish for Diminishing Returns. (Lance gets a kick out of this, and frankly who could blame him?) Then, after drawing my 7, with a storm count of 4 with 1 black mana floating, I proceed to casually go LED, LED, Lotus Petal, Dark Ritual, Burning Wish, Tendrils. In retrospect, I'm glad we played it out, as I felt less terrible about winning on a technicality.
At the end of the Swiss rounds, I'm in 9th place. I can't help but think I might have made top 8 if not for a handful of minuscule errors on my part, but perhaps the memory thereof will keep me on my toes in the future. In any case, I had a great time, and will certainly swing by Jake's for future Legacy tournaments.
4 Gemstone Mine
1 City of Brass
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Polluted Delta
2 Bloodstained Mire
1 Underground Sea
1 Volcanic Island
1 Scrubland
1 Badlands
4 Lion’s Eye Diamond
4 Lotus Petal
4 Chrome Mox
4 Dark Ritual
4 Rite of Flame
4 Burning Wish
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Infernal Tutor
3 Duress
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Cabal Therapy
1 Orim’s Chant
2 Silence
1 Ad Nauseam
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Chain of Vapor
3 Red Elemental Blast
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Echoing Truth
1 Deathmark
1 Infest
1 Shattering Spree
1 Grapeshot
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Ill-Gotten Gains
1 Diminishing Returns
1 Past in Flames
Turnout was lower than anticipated at 14, as graduation parties and parallel tournaments depleted our numbers. Nonetheless, some last-minute reallocation of judging duties provided us sufficient players to allow for a top 8.
[Aside: there were at least 8(!) combo-oriented decks present, including ANT, TES, 2 Pyromancer Ascension, Glimpse Elves, Dredge, High Tide, and Imperial Painter. I was so proud :cry:]
Round 1 (Joe, with Imperial Painter): 0-2
1.1: I throw this one away in spectacular fashion, despite Joe mulling to 4. On turn 2, or thereabouts, I try to go off, but then forget to play my LED before Burning Wish. I try to play it off, grabbing a Shattering Spree and later making a dozen goblins, but he manages to turn my deck blue and grind it into oblivion.
SB: +Chain of Vapor, Echoing Truth; -2 Silence
1.2: Joe's Blood Moon and Surgical Extraction keep me well in hand.
Round 2 ("Turtle", with High Tide): 2-1
2.1: The storm combo face-off is surprisingly slow and grinding, but he eventually pulls it off. The only damage anyone takes is caused by my City of Brass.
SB: +3 REB; -Chrome Mox, Ponder, Infernal Tutor
2.2: I manage a solid Ad Nauseam from 19, he knows how my deck works, and we move on.
2.3: I Empty the Warrens for 12, and he doesn't have an answer.
Round 3 (Wade, with UW Stoneblade): 1-2
3.1: The Achilles' heel of TES finally shows itself, and an early Wasteland locks me down.
SB: +3 REB; -Chrome Mox, Ponder, Infernal Tutor
3.2: I manage to sneak in an Ad Nauseam and Tendrils for an arbitrarily large quantity.
3.3: In this game, I think I'm in a safe position to go off, but am proven wrong. I cast Silence, he Forces it. I follow up with Ad Nauseam, and... he has the second Force. Batterskull proceeds to do what its name says.
Round 4 (Lance, with Pox): 2-0
4.1: I Ad Nauseam from 19, showing multiple LEDs and tutors.
SB: nada
4.2: Technically, I win this game when Lance realizes part-way through that he failed to de-sideboard. He's understandably bummed, but is an excellent sportsman and we play it out:
4.2b: After some heavy hand-disruption early on from Lance, I make the "why-the-hell-not?" play, and wish for Diminishing Returns. (Lance gets a kick out of this, and frankly who could blame him?) Then, after drawing my 7, with a storm count of 4 with 1 black mana floating, I proceed to casually go LED, LED, Lotus Petal, Dark Ritual, Burning Wish, Tendrils. In retrospect, I'm glad we played it out, as I felt less terrible about winning on a technicality.
At the end of the Swiss rounds, I'm in 9th place. I can't help but think I might have made top 8 if not for a handful of minuscule errors on my part, but perhaps the memory thereof will keep me on my toes in the future. In any case, I had a great time, and will certainly swing by Jake's for future Legacy tournaments.