I don't know how many people were at this tournament, but I think that it was about 40 or so people, probably a little bit more, but hey, who knows? Any how I understand that we'll have decklists hopefully this time tomorrow so it can make into the Historic Top 8's and all...
An aside before the tournament:
This is really two reports. It is about the Legacy (oh so mediocre format when compared to...) and a Champions, Betrayers, Saviors draft that was held in my super super grimy basement. I seriously found something in a cup down there that I'm pretty sure was beer, and am very sure was molding. I don't know if that can happen or not, but I don't think I would be very surprised if it were possible. Anyways, please read: don't rent houses in college, dear god just get an apartment....
Anyways, I drafted a sick blue black deck with three, count them three Deathmask Nezumi, which I seemed to have in my hand every game in multiples. They... won. I finished first/second with my brother (Goblin Snowman here) and we grabbed the Pithing Needle and Twincast. Go us...
Now, I should note that Magic seems to be more of a lifestyle than some people give it credit for. There are certain rules that must be followed in daily life. A common one for many people is the rule to not sleep longer than six hours in a night the day before a tournament. So, not wanting to break it, I did. Stu (noobasaurus_rex), Melvin (Anti-American), and Alex, (again, Goblin Snowman) and I all drafted 2HG Kamigawa decks until about 2:00 am. That was a bloody riot by the way... Anyways, we woke up at 8:00 am or so to do the above draft, in order to prepare for the Magic gods and all. We got a few more people to come with us to draft. That's all I've got on drafting other than please play with Dance of Shadows. Alphastriking for the cry across the board...
End aside, Begin actual report.
Well, we headed out from my house with about an hour to spare, with which we ate lunch and talked about how great Threshold is. I imagine that this is what the Ivy League is like when they sit around and talk about how great their degrees are, but you know, fewer laurel leaves and nude men... Anyhow, we left Annie's Parlor (a fucking awesome burger and malt joint for those of you who live in or near Dinkytown in Minneapolis) with like fifteen minutes to get to Monster Den. On the way, I ask Melvin to build me a sideboard while I drive. He did alright...
Here is what I played
4 Nimble Mongoose
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Mystic Enforcer
4 Ponder
4 Brainstorm
3 Sensei's Divining Top
4 Predict
3 Counterbalance
4 Daze
4 Force of Will
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Pithing Needle
2 Windswept Heath
2 Polluted Delta
3 Flooded Strand
4 Tropical Island
4 Tundra
1 Island
1 Forest
SB:
4 Chill
3 Engineered Explosives
3 Krosan Grip
2 Vedalken Shackles
1 Stifle
1 Counterbalance
1 Mystic Enforcer
The Stifle was super random, and I never used it. I never used Chill either, but I never wanted for anything else, so I don't know what I'd want them to be... Maybe another Needle, because Needle is fucking boss...
Round One-
I'm paired against Bearman (whose first name is Michael, I think. I swear that it starts with an "M"...) who is playing Meathooks. I've heard that this is supposed to be a really bad match as we have pretty much even counterspells and the slivers tend to outclass Thresholded stuff... Undecided on this, but this was not the day for going by probabilities, as seen later (aha! Foreshadowing!). Anyways, Bearman has t8ed most of these monthlies over the past few months, so it kind of figures that I'd play him round one.
I don't remember much about game one other than he has swords when he needs it and always seems to have one more counterspell than I do. GRRRRR....
Out- 1 Forest, 2 Something else (?) +3 Engineered Explosives
Game two I get counter/Top going like a Champion while he has Crystalline and Sinew or Muscle Sliver down. I top a Tarmogofy and exclaim to myself, "Haha! Surely this will beat down these lowly peasantly Slivers!" I tap all but one to play him and he End of Turn swordses 'Goyf. I use the top to scrye and see land and two casting cost junk...
Now there, is a good play here, can you see it?
That's right, draw off of top, and proceed to serve with the huge goddam goyf. I saw it too. During his upkeep, after gaining 4 off of 'Goyf... Fuck.
0-1
Round Two- MICHAEL with... Fucking Stax.
This is different than normal Stax because I'm playing Threshold. I see him shuffling and he accidently flips over a Chalice of the Void and I about cry. I say to myself that it's possible that he is only playing something like Fairy Stompy, or Demon Stomy, or Dragon Stompy, or something that isn't Stax. Nope, Stax.
Game one I had Enforcer down with lands and Top. He has Crucible and Lands... He Armageddons. I about cry for joy. He dies to Enforcer beats.
While sideboarding, I comment that I have like 2 out against most of his deck, and they are both named Mystic Enforcer. I add in another one to make it three outs, as well as some Grips. I don't remember what I took out, but I promise that I'll take better notes next time. I'm sure you're all devastated...
He takes Game two the way that he is supposed to with Angel beats and Magus of the Tabernacle plunking away at my life. *Sigh*
Game Three I lead with Tundra into Top and he has Suppression Field. So I drew like three land in a row, fetched both my basics out and he cast 3sphere. Grr yet again. I draw into Grip and I think that I should Grip the Sphere, but then I remember that I don't really care about it yet. I cast a 1/1 Mongoose and pass to him. He plays Ghostly Prison and I'm glad that I saved my Grip. I draw Tarmogoyf and play it and pass to him, while he plays Smokestack. I should note that he is on something like two or three land at this point, so I'm fine with him putting counters on that and getting rid of ANY of his permanents. During my turn, I grip the Prison and hit for 4 with a 3/4 tarmogoyf and a 1/1 mongoose. He doesn't put an counter on during his upkeep and plays another one. I still don't care. I play another land and hit him again. I've draw another Grip at this point too. He adds a counter to both of them and passes to me. During my upkeep, I Grip 3sphere and sac two of the lands that I tapped. I play another Tarmogoyf off the Metric Fuckton of lands that I have and he adds counters during his upkeep and tries to 'Geddon, which I force. He seems pretty upset by that, and I sac 4 lands and hit for like 11, ending the game. Go me
1-1
So I'm pretty happy at this point that I've won ANY games against Stax, much less an entire match, so I'm tootling along like I don't have a care in the world. I go off and watch a couple of team mates do their thing and gloat about beating Stax. Did you know that I beat Stax with fucking Threshold? True Story!
Round 3-
Anyways, I'm paired against some guy named Jason (I think?) with Survival. I think that he ran something pretty similar to Ewokslayer's list, but I don't know either of them that well. Anyways, Game One I see him play a fetch and crack it to play Birds of Paradise, so I read Rock and lead with a Needle on Deed. Then he playes a Taiga and I slump... Survival.... Mise well win anyways, amiright? This one come down to Mystic Enforcer serving to all and me protecting it off of CounterTop.
Game two I bring in some junk that includes Mystic Enforcer... I draw my 7 and see 0 land. I draw my 6 and see 0 land. I draw my 5 and see one land, but it's a forest. I play it and pass, and he Thoughseizes me, nabbing Counterbalance. Then he has Survival. I scoop up my cards on turn three or so with one land in play and like 5 cards in hand.... Gaysauce.
Game Three I leave my board alone and he comments that I should have boarded out CounterTop. So I stuck CounterTop and beat him to death with Enforcer again. Whatever man, if it won me game one, it stays in...
2-1
So now I'm really really ecstatic that I've won two matches I've got no business winning. Just excited to be here, gents....
Round 4-
I'm paired against some guy named Alex (not my brother) who goes to school in Wisconsin. I'm instantly wary of him... Anyways, he's playing some GWB Aggro with Vials, Mom, Goyf, Skyshroud Elite, Vindicate and some other garbage (Not really garbage, just stuff).
I take Game one with CounterTop and Goyf. Nothing special about it. Nothing to see, nothing to see.
Game two he has vial and early Mom to protect a Tarmogoyf off of the vial. He plays another goyf off of vial while I do business with Top I have and the FOUR predicts... That was nuts btw... Anyways, he goes to attack phase and I repond by predicting an extra Top into my Graveyard, looking for Swords. Not only do I not find it, but I get an instant and artifact that the Goyfs were missing before and get hit for an extra 4 damage, which probably lost me the game.
Game three was a huge nailbiter. It came down to both of us at extremly low like, between 2-10 depending on Swordsing. He had 2x Negators, and I had 2x Mongoose. We go back and forth on trying to connect through each other and pretty much wipe our respective boards. Eventually I top a swords for his Negator and then an Enforcer that he doesn't find swords for. Thank God.
3-1
Round 5-
U/W Control
Didn't know people still played this deck. Apparently decks that run off the back of Swords to Plowshares get headaches from Nimble Mongeese. I got two to stick and rode them to victory. He tried to cast Decree of Justice for 2 angels and I topped 2 Swords to get both of them and swing through. For I am a miser.
Game Two- I don't remember what I boarded. Couldn't be anything great. My first 7 gives me 0 land. Seems familiar. Next six is... Top, Counterbalance, Mongoose, Daze, Tarmogoyf, Pithing Needle. Melvin talked about keeping 0 landers against really slow decks and I think that this counts. I'm on the draw anyways, what the hell...
He plays an Engineered Explosives at one preemptively and passes to me. I draw a Tundra(!) and play my Top. He wastelands. Lame lame lame lame lame... Anyways I draw and it isn't a land, so I draw off of top, and no land. I draw top next turn while he plays lands. I draw the turn after that and get THE ONE BASIC ISLAND THAT I PLAY. For I am a Miser. He has 2 more Wastelands down at that point. I replay Top and pass. He does land shit and passes back. I needle, and he groans but doesn't pop EE. I call EE on the Needle. Then I top a Heath and get my forest and play Mongoose. Then I draw another one and play him too. Neither are threshed. I try for a Tarmogoyf but he Spell Snares, which seems like a really questionable board call, but whatever. Must want to get my dazes or something with it.
After than, I want to stick CB and get Threshold, so I draw off top EOT and play using the forest I have. Then I float blue from the island and daze the Top, letting it go to GY with Daze to give me Threshold. Then I replay the Island and play CB, which draws a Force, but whatever, I got what I wanted. Mongeese go in, and I draw a needle the turn after he plays a Mishra's Factory. Go me.
4-1
So I figure that I can probably draw into the t8 at this point, but turns out that my one loss from Bearman gave me horrible horrible breakers. I'm 10th on the standings one round before Semi's. Dammit, I'm going to have to play it out.
I get paired against Travis with Meathooks. Fuck that deck.
Game one he gets a vial down, but I needle it, and then do the Enforcer/CounterTop Tricks (TM) for the win.
I bring in Explosives out of the board for him.
He starts with vial, for which I only have daze, so no dice there. Then I top Pithing Needle and play it on Vial, but he forces, which I daze, and he dazes back. Lame. Turns out that was okay, because he doesn't draw enough guys to apply a ton of pressure and I have a Counterbalance going and I draw another Needle. Go me. CB/Top Serves. I play Goyf and a Mongoose, he tries to swords Goyf, I top, seeing swords, swords, and land. I counter the swords with CB and he plays Grunt and Mage naming Engineered Explosives. He knows there is a swords on top, but whatever. I draw the swords, swords the guys, send in for the kills. Go Threshold.
So I'm in the t8. Way to be me! Decklists will be up eventually, but it was something like
2 Threshold
1 Goblins
1 Truffle Shuffle
1 Death and Taxes
1 Fish/Baseruption sort of thing
1 Landstill (I think)
1 Something else (Obviously)
Semis-
I was paired against Truffle Shuffle, which really should beat me.
Somehow I won game one off the back of CB/Top. Thank you CB/Top.
Game two he won, I think, but I don't remember much of it, I only assume that he won because that would bring us to...
Game three! I have my 3 Grips in now, and I fucking use them. I draw all 3 of them via top and Brainstorm two of them back to use as counterbait for Vindicate and Deed. I probably countered like 6 spells right off of those two. I needled Deed from the get go and then hid behind Swords, Mongoose and Grip for a LONG time. The Goose was a great ol' 1/1 by the by. There I go, plinking away that the 29 or so life he has accumulated off my swords.
Counter, counter, counter went the Counterbalance. Go CB. He finally tried to Damnation after I had a Tarmogoyf down, but I had found Mystic Enforcer on top the turn earlier and I had that for Counterbalance to use. In go the guys, up go the cards.
Quarterfinals-
I'm paired against Geoff with Death and Taxes. We talk for a bit before hand. Geoff is really a cool guy, and I had lent him my Threshold deck fro GP Columbus, where he finished Day Two in like top 32 or something. Go him. Anyways, we talk about splitting prizes and I decide that I don't care what prizes I get. I don't need Bayous, I don't need more Forces, I don't need the 80 or so Credit, I don't need a Beta Taiga. He says I could scoop to him, but I say that I'll have the same options if I beat him as if I scoop, so we decide that we'll play it out.
Game one he gets me to like 11 or so before I stabilize with 2 goyfs and some swords and a needle to deal with his Mother of Runes. Then I think I find Enforcer. Yeah, that seems about right.
Game two I bring in Vedalken Shackles. They seem good. I never see them all game, so jury is out on that... He starts off with a vial, which I force and then he has Thorn of Amethyst. Then another one, but I have another Force for this one. He starts to Port me and I fuel the mana into my Top, which gives me a Mongoose to play. He plays no creatures for a long time, and then about the time I get Threshold, he gets a Glowrider. I use the top and see a swords, which I can't cast because I'm on 2 lands from Wasteland, but I keep it nearby anyways. I attack with Mongoose and he blocks with the 'Rider. Then he plays Mom and Armageddons. Lame.
I still can attack with my Mongoose, but he blocks and protects with Mom. I should note that I'm still near 20 at this point and he is at like 2. Eventually I get a land, which fuels Top, which finds another land, which gives me mana to Swords Mom and cruise in for the kill.
b
So I split for First and get the Bayous, which I trade for some more Tropical Islands. ICBE for the fucking win...
Props-
Me: For being generally awesome and beating horrible MU's.
Me: For playing CB/Top mained.
Counterbalance: For countering nearly an entire game's worth of cards more than once.
Top: For helping to counter nearly an entire game's worth of cards more than once.
The Hatfields: For playing Predict. That card is still nuts.
The people who kept asking me for my decklist: That's an ego boost that I don't need.
Slops-
Melvin and his Family: For doing things other than Magic on what is clearly Magic's Sabbath day...
Stu: For going 4-2 Oh gay... Team KegStand anyway buddy.
Bearman: For going 1-3 with me as your only win. WHY?
As always everyone, thanks for reading! Super Props to Jason for hosting a great tournament and all the Monster Den staff. You guys are the real winners today. Except for me.
