64 person tournament at 401 Games Toronto yesterday, April 9th. Went 4-2 for a top 16 (I think. I left before Top 8 had been decided.)
Props to Daniel Fournier at 401 Games for a well organized comp. Also to all 6 of my opponents who were cool in both victory and defeat.
Fairly standard Junk Rhinos with a sideboard for my local field (almost...)
//Lands
1
Bayou3
Forest1
Karakas1
Phyrexian Tower1
Plains1
Savannah2
Scrubland2
Swamp1
Taiga4
Verdant Catacombs4
Windswept Heath//Spells
3
Abrupt Decay4
Cabal Therapy1
Diabolic Intent4
Green Sun's Zenith3
Path to Exile1
Painful Truths3
Pernicious Deed2
Sensei's Divining Top1
Sylvan Library1
Toxic Deluge1
Vindicate//Creatures
1
Deathrite Shaman1
Dragonlord Dromoka1
Dryad Arbor1
Eternal Witness1
Meren of Clan Nel Toth1
Scavenging Ooze4
Siege Rhino1
Sigarda, Host of Herons1
Qasali Pridemage4
Veteran Explorer
//Sideboard
SB: 1 Null Rod (didn't draw vs DnT and Affinity)
SB: 1 Chains of Mephistopheles (not used)
SB: 1 Gaddock Teeg (not used)
SB: 2 Blood Moon (won a game vs Lands)
SB: 1 From the Ashes (came too late vs Lands)
SB: 3 Thoughtseize (used once vs Reanimator)
SB: 3 Surgical Extraction (Lands and Reanimator)
SB: 1 Sorin, Grim Nemesis (not used)
SB: 2 Slaughter Games (not used)
R1) Death & Taxes, Kevin: Loss 0-2
Ended up with 7 lands in play for both games and a Deed or Deluge would've been cheered like a stripper arriving at a frat party..... but they decided to stay home instead. Pre-game, I decided to remove Massacre from the sideboard. Well, I guess I guessed wrong.
R2) White Humans, Russ: Win 2-1
All the removal finally decided to come to the party in Games 1 and 3. Rhinos and Sigarda arrived later to switch off the lights :-)
R3) Lands, Adam: Loss 1-2
Quickly lose G1 to a turn 4 Marit. Quickly win G2 with 2x Surgical (taking Loam and Pfires), a turn 3 Blood Moon and an immediate scoop. G3 misplay when I miscounted mana and realized, too late, I could've tutored for a Path with Vet/Intent for the impending Marit. Maybe leaving out the 4th Path was a mistake.
R4) Burn, Mike: Cheap and lucky 2-0 win (phew!) as he had to drop and leave. But I'll take it. I'm not proud.
R5) Affinity, Sabrina: Win 2-0
Got to low life both games but Pernicious Deed for 2 was just brutal. I even apologized. G1 it cleared all 9 of her permanents. Same in G2 except for a lone Ancient Tomb. Then Rhinos.
R6) Reanimator, Matt: Win 2-1
Lose G1 but Surgical and Path and Rhinos in G2 & 3 did their job. Therapy/TS stole Reanimate and Exhume
So, it was a typical rock, paper, scissors day and, except for the lack of Massacre, I'm fairly happy with the sideboard for my local field. If I had faced Elves, Storm, Miracles or anyDelver (as I normally do) I would've had some answers. Some observations:
- 4th Path is definitely going back into the main. But for what?
- Rhinos.
- Massacre is definitely going back into the sb. But for what?
- Rhinos.
- Vindicate was all-star. Love that card. I drew it 3 times and each time it had an immediate impact on the board state.
- Rhinos.
- I dodged all the blue decks in the room and so Abrupt Decay was meh. But that's ok.
- Rhinos
- No Eldrazi (that I saw) so I didn't need From the Ashes.
- Rhinos.
- I dodged Miracles (they were there) so Teeg, Slaughter Games and Sorin stayed in the board.
- And, finally, Rhinos :-)
Over and out.