Originally Posted by
shonenkakumei
3-1 at FNM, with a hard-won last round:
Round 1
2-0 vs. Grixis Control
Game 1 is Supplier into double Therapy for immediate advantage, then Bridge from Below to lock it up quick. Game 2 I went down from two to one Bridges, but I hit one anyhow and he Surgicals it to discover that it’s my only copy. Feels good. My abundance of fetches let Bloodghasts play around Snap-Surgical for an easy win.
Round 2
0-2 vs. Lands
Game 1 he goes Mox Diamond, Exploration, fetch, Taiga. I get things rolling with a Supplier and a couple turns later some Bloodghasts, but he naturally draws Tabernacle, slowing me down, followed by a quick Marit Lage. Game 2 (in: 3 StP, 1 Wear // Tear, 3 Surgical)*I keep a reasonable hand with a turn one Thoughtseize and a StP but no Surgical. I Thoughtseize and see Gamble, Exploration, two Wastelands, fetch, Krosan Grip, Port. Ouch. I take the Gamble, thinking I can’t beat the “demonic tutor” for Loam recurring those Wastelands (and hoping he bricks on draw steps making the acceleration of Exploration less useful). He consequently gets his fast Exploration start and with Port and draws into Tabernacle again, then Loam to quickly lock me out. I think I should have taken Exploration instead and hoped for drawing into Surgical for Loam, but either way that hand seemed hard to beat.
Round 3
2-1 vs. Dragon Stompy
Game 1 he’s on the play and starts with a Chalice into Captain Lannery Storm into Thundermaw Hellkite. Can’t beat that. Game 2 (in: 3 Wear // Tear, 2 StP, 1 EE) I start with Supplier, which mills over a Bridge from Below, and he lands a turn 2 Rabblemaster. I don’t have an answer in hand to Rabblemaster, but I sack my Supplier to Cabal Therapy to be a blocker that trades, and showing some 4-dragon in his hand. He offers a trade—presumably out of fear of Bridge?—and I have time to get Bloodghast engine going before he draws another red source. Bombardment finishes him off. Game 3 I keep a slowish hand with EE, which I slow roll and eventually 3-for-one him (hitting a Chrome Box, Chalice, and Goblin token) and he can’t get back in the game.
Round 4
2-1 vs. Lands
Game 1 is close—his start isn’t explosive, but he lands a natural Tabernacle to gum up my works… which isn’t the worst for me, as I let Supplier die, which mills over Bridge from Below, and I recur some value. I’m one turn away from stealing the pre-boarded win when he dredges over Glacial Chasm followed by Dark Depths/Stage. Game 2 (in: 3 Surgical, 3 Wear//Tear, 2 StP… changing up my boarding from round 2) I keep a hand on the basis of speed, and my turn-1 Supplier acts as a ritual for a turn two Gurmag. The Gurmag clocks him down and I use discard to protect my Bombardment from Krosan Grip, which ultimately gets there. Game 3 I Surgical his Dark Depths early, discard his Tireless Tracker and the game becomes incredibly grindy. I slow roll Bombardment until I have a spare, since I had seen a Krosan grip and Surgical in his hand when I took the Tracker. I wait to Surgical his Loam, he then Surgicals himself and fails to find in response, which leaves me free to play my first Bombardment into the Krosan Grip that I know he has in hand. After the K-Grip, I resolve me second Bombardment and finish him off through Bloodghasts recurring as he tries to Ghost Quarter me down to zero lands… but I ran enough basics to get there.
***
Thoughts after the night of Lands—could there be room in the board for a Blood Moon effect?
I used to run two Magus of the Moon, which I missed this time. I like my current board which prioritizes StP, Wear//Tear, Liliana... but maybe one Moon? I was running Magus before since it makes Spell Pierce/Stubborn Denial (i.e. Grixis Delver, RUG, Shadow) and Duress (Turbo Depths mostly) look bad, but then again, the OG enchantment is still good against Turbo Depths and Zombardment’s Delver matchup seems ok to me anyhow.
