CorwinB
09-03-2014, 10:08 AM
BAC 2014 was last weekend in Charleville-Mezieres (France), with a 128 people Modern tournament on Saturday, and a 130+ people Legacy tournament on Sunday.
After being crushed by Elves 3 times at GP Paris earlier this year when playing Stoneblade, I had decided to switch to Miracles for this tournament. Einherjer's excellent primers were also a factor, and I chose not to mess with his stock list until I got a better understanding of the deck's working.
Disclaimer : My lack of training (both with the deck and with Legacy at large) was obvious during this tournament, and my not-completely sucky record when I dropped is due to the deck's incredible power. I dropped because I was with 2 friends who wanted home (nearly 4 hours ride), and the one who made the tournament with me was definitely out with a 2-3 record.
Round 1 : Pascal, Sultai Delver
After mulliganing to 6 and keeping a decent hand, I lost game 1 to a very nasty hand on the opposite side : Thoughtseize, Hymn to Tourach, Wasteland... I manage to play from the top of my deck for a while, before dying under a Tarmogoyf's claws.
The second game is interesting in that I manage to survive 3 of Liliana's ultimates while both my opponent and I are drawing duds. First and second time, I keep my lands. Last of Liliana's Ultimates, I float my mana in response to the activation, keep a Jace I'm ticking up, and after the ultimate resolves I flash down a Snapcaster who kills Liliana in the following turn and provides some defense for my Jace. Jace's Ultimate proves deadly in the extra turns.
Round result : 1-1
Score : 0-0-1
Round 2 : Pierre, Shardless Sultai
The good news with the draw R1 is that I'm now in the burnproof bracket of the tournament. The bad news is that I'm facing a dangerous matchup.
I mulligan a no-land hand into a one-land + Ponder, I declare a keep before realizing my land is an Arid Mesa and that I need to fetch a dual to cast Ponder, and of course I get blowed out by a Wasteland. :cry: . By the time my mana starts arriving, the board of my opponent has become a nightmare with Tarmogoyf, Liliana and Jace.
I'm tilted in G2, I mentally skip a turn, mistakenly believe that my opponent's Deathrite Shaman has summoning sickness, and throw away my Snapcaster's Flashback on a Brainstorm that, sure enough, disappears from my Graveyard when I needed it to setup a Miracle... I don't come back from this (not that I deserve a comeback on this one).
Round result : 0-2
Score : 0-1-1
Round 3 : Florence, Shardless Sultai
Ok, now I now the universe is trolling me, third Sultai in a row... Strangely enough, having tilted in R2 helps me refocusing on the game.
Florence starts with suspending Ancestral Visions, and I answer by setting up Counterbalance + SDT. I don't counter everything, but I counter a lot, and a Terminus takes care of what I don't counter. Florence manages to win a counterwar for her Jace to resolve, she brainstorms with Jace for a couple turns and resolves a 6/7 Tarmogoyf. She attacks with said Goyf... right into an Entreat the Angels I had been floating on the top of my library. I suspect she is keeping Abrupt Decay, but I block with all 4 Angels, and the Goyf bites the dust. Next turn I send two Angels at her Jace and one at her, and I win a couple turns later.
G2 is going pretty well, but I lack time to close the game (I definitely need more practice with this deck to get the good lines of play faster, and the bad ones extirpated out).
Round result : 1-0
Score : 1-1-1
Round 4 : Clément, Reanimator
Clement starts with a Lotus Petal, which incorrectly makes me think he's on Storm. I have Counterbalance + SDT, but when I try to resolve Counterbalance with one extra mana available, he : brainstorms, fetches, brainstorms again, cracks his Petal for B and casts Dark Ritual, Entomb for Griselbrand + Shallow Grave, draws 14, and Dazes my Counterbalance twice. Nice stack ! I die an horrible death shortly therafter.
Clement doesn't want to play sideboarded games, and so he concedes to me and drops from the tournament to enter the Commander side event, with 40 minutes still on the clock. Who said you can't win quickly with Miracles ?
Round result : 2-1
Score : 2-1-1
Round 5 : Claire, Elves
Time for my sweet, sweet revenge against the small green people.
Game 1, I try to gain some time with Swords to Plowshares on Dryad Arbor, resolve a Jace, and nearly get crushed when Claire tries to Woof ! me for 14. I fall to 4, and wipes her board the following turn. She nevers get back in the game and dies from Jace-itis.
Game 2, she starts with Pithing Needle, and I wince. She proceeds to name Jace, the Mind Sculptor and I sigh in relief (2 of my 3 Jaces have been sided out), especially since I've Counter + Top available. 2 of her 3 first lands are Dryad Arbors. When she tries to resolve an Heritage Druid while I'm tapped out, I make a blind flip for Counterbalance. No :1:, but a cute Terminus... Next draw phase I wipe her board, and a very long and painful moment begins for Claire, trying to draw one of her few outs from a Counter-lock, while all I'm waiting for is a win condition. She concedes a couple turns later.
Round result : 2-0
Score 3-1-1
After that I need to drop from the tournament, so I go back to the Judge table and asks for a score modification, conceding to Claire instead of winning the round.
The tournament was some incredible fun, which makes me think I really need to play more Legacy. I need to make less stupid misplays (moving to not-completely-obvious misplays would already be a significant improvement), and above all I need to play faster. The deck was an absolute blast.
After being crushed by Elves 3 times at GP Paris earlier this year when playing Stoneblade, I had decided to switch to Miracles for this tournament. Einherjer's excellent primers were also a factor, and I chose not to mess with his stock list until I got a better understanding of the deck's working.
Disclaimer : My lack of training (both with the deck and with Legacy at large) was obvious during this tournament, and my not-completely sucky record when I dropped is due to the deck's incredible power. I dropped because I was with 2 friends who wanted home (nearly 4 hours ride), and the one who made the tournament with me was definitely out with a 2-3 record.
Round 1 : Pascal, Sultai Delver
After mulliganing to 6 and keeping a decent hand, I lost game 1 to a very nasty hand on the opposite side : Thoughtseize, Hymn to Tourach, Wasteland... I manage to play from the top of my deck for a while, before dying under a Tarmogoyf's claws.
The second game is interesting in that I manage to survive 3 of Liliana's ultimates while both my opponent and I are drawing duds. First and second time, I keep my lands. Last of Liliana's Ultimates, I float my mana in response to the activation, keep a Jace I'm ticking up, and after the ultimate resolves I flash down a Snapcaster who kills Liliana in the following turn and provides some defense for my Jace. Jace's Ultimate proves deadly in the extra turns.
Round result : 1-1
Score : 0-0-1
Round 2 : Pierre, Shardless Sultai
The good news with the draw R1 is that I'm now in the burnproof bracket of the tournament. The bad news is that I'm facing a dangerous matchup.
I mulligan a no-land hand into a one-land + Ponder, I declare a keep before realizing my land is an Arid Mesa and that I need to fetch a dual to cast Ponder, and of course I get blowed out by a Wasteland. :cry: . By the time my mana starts arriving, the board of my opponent has become a nightmare with Tarmogoyf, Liliana and Jace.
I'm tilted in G2, I mentally skip a turn, mistakenly believe that my opponent's Deathrite Shaman has summoning sickness, and throw away my Snapcaster's Flashback on a Brainstorm that, sure enough, disappears from my Graveyard when I needed it to setup a Miracle... I don't come back from this (not that I deserve a comeback on this one).
Round result : 0-2
Score : 0-1-1
Round 3 : Florence, Shardless Sultai
Ok, now I now the universe is trolling me, third Sultai in a row... Strangely enough, having tilted in R2 helps me refocusing on the game.
Florence starts with suspending Ancestral Visions, and I answer by setting up Counterbalance + SDT. I don't counter everything, but I counter a lot, and a Terminus takes care of what I don't counter. Florence manages to win a counterwar for her Jace to resolve, she brainstorms with Jace for a couple turns and resolves a 6/7 Tarmogoyf. She attacks with said Goyf... right into an Entreat the Angels I had been floating on the top of my library. I suspect she is keeping Abrupt Decay, but I block with all 4 Angels, and the Goyf bites the dust. Next turn I send two Angels at her Jace and one at her, and I win a couple turns later.
G2 is going pretty well, but I lack time to close the game (I definitely need more practice with this deck to get the good lines of play faster, and the bad ones extirpated out).
Round result : 1-0
Score : 1-1-1
Round 4 : Clément, Reanimator
Clement starts with a Lotus Petal, which incorrectly makes me think he's on Storm. I have Counterbalance + SDT, but when I try to resolve Counterbalance with one extra mana available, he : brainstorms, fetches, brainstorms again, cracks his Petal for B and casts Dark Ritual, Entomb for Griselbrand + Shallow Grave, draws 14, and Dazes my Counterbalance twice. Nice stack ! I die an horrible death shortly therafter.
Clement doesn't want to play sideboarded games, and so he concedes to me and drops from the tournament to enter the Commander side event, with 40 minutes still on the clock. Who said you can't win quickly with Miracles ?
Round result : 2-1
Score : 2-1-1
Round 5 : Claire, Elves
Time for my sweet, sweet revenge against the small green people.
Game 1, I try to gain some time with Swords to Plowshares on Dryad Arbor, resolve a Jace, and nearly get crushed when Claire tries to Woof ! me for 14. I fall to 4, and wipes her board the following turn. She nevers get back in the game and dies from Jace-itis.
Game 2, she starts with Pithing Needle, and I wince. She proceeds to name Jace, the Mind Sculptor and I sigh in relief (2 of my 3 Jaces have been sided out), especially since I've Counter + Top available. 2 of her 3 first lands are Dryad Arbors. When she tries to resolve an Heritage Druid while I'm tapped out, I make a blind flip for Counterbalance. No :1:, but a cute Terminus... Next draw phase I wipe her board, and a very long and painful moment begins for Claire, trying to draw one of her few outs from a Counter-lock, while all I'm waiting for is a win condition. She concedes a couple turns later.
Round result : 2-0
Score 3-1-1
After that I need to drop from the tournament, so I go back to the Judge table and asks for a score modification, conceding to Claire instead of winning the round.
The tournament was some incredible fun, which makes me think I really need to play more Legacy. I need to make less stupid misplays (moving to not-completely-obvious misplays would already be a significant improvement), and above all I need to play faster. The deck was an absolute blast.