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Howdy All,
This is a report from the SCG Legacy open in Indy this past weekend that had over 300 people – I finished third. You can find my deck list with a deck tech here.
I’ve posted a few things around here before. I’m what you could call a Midwest grinder, this makes for my third SCG Open top 8 (second in legacy). I’ve also top 64’d an SCG invitational and have too many top 64s on the open circuit to count at this point (I’m also really good at x-2ing modern PTQs). I enjoy playing decks that allow me to confuse the other player slightly with some non-standard card choices.
Round 1 – No Side Board Burn
Sometimes rounds 1-2 can be a bye at these things. My round one opponent sat down across from me and set his deck face up on the table for all to see – Chain Lightning. We shuffle and cut, my opening 7 is perfect – two land, mox diamond, chalice of the void and three cards that aren’t terrible relevant. He wins the die roll and bolts me to 17, I untap and slam a chalice on one. The game ends a few turns later after I stick a Knight.
Game 2, I mulligan till I have a turn 2 chalice. Thing go as planned.
1 – 0
Round 2 – Adam Prosak with ANT
This is one of those times where keeping up with the SCG circuit paid off. Prosak sits down across from me and I put him on ANT even though I haven’t seen him play yet today. I win the die roll and mulligan aggressively on the play, I get a chalice in my 5 card hand. He cabal therapies me on his turn one and I see his eyes get wide when he sees my turn 2 chalice (he missed with the therapy). A few turns later I beat him down with a Knight.
Game 2. I probably should have mulliganed some more. I also miss-sideboarded and brought in both my thoughtseize by mistake. I might have been able to pull this game out if I had left a thoughtseize in my SB to burning wish for on turn 3.
Game 3. I act like a good magic player and mulligan aggressively again – I am rewarded for my troubles. I go to 5 on the play again, but this time I have three land, chalice and a mox diamond. I chalice for one on turn 1 and pass, my next two draws are Knight, followed by a second chalice which I promptly place on zero. He dies 4 turns later to a 5/5 Knight.
2 – 0
Round 3 – RUG Delver
I don’t recall the exact specifics of our game 1 – I just remember he didn’t have a threat in his opening hand, shuffled a bunch of ponders and later had his Goyf get out raced by my Knight. Game two he kept a greedy one lander and opted to play a delver on turn one. I promptly wastelanded him and then killed his delver a couple of turns later with a punishing fire. He didn’t make a second land drop till at least turn 6 – far too late.
3 – 0
Round 4 – Camera Match with Goblins
Variance caught up with me in game one of this match. I have one land in my 7 and then no lands in my 6, 5, and 4 card hands. I keep my four because I am on the draw. I lose to a bunch of goblins a few turns later with only one land in play.
Games two and three I Devastate his Dreams – in the most literal sense. I’ve yet to lose a match to goblins with this list – and this round was no exception. I stick a knight and cast DD for 3+ cards at least once in both of the last games. In game two I killed him in one shot with a 19/19 Knight.
4 – 0
Round 5 – Maverick
He wins the die roll and I mulligan to 6. He leads out with cavern of souls on humans into Nobel Hiarch. I draw my card for the turn and decide to be aggressive. I play a land, drop a mox diamond and cast devastating dreams for 1 on my first turn. The three cards in my hand when I discard one at random are two lands and a dark confidant. I manage to keep my dark confidant. His second turn he drops a wasteland and passes – I know I am in good shape. Confidant draws me too many cards before he can find his way to colored mana.
Game 2. We have this really awkward board stall that I can’t find a DD to break. I did however draw all four Knights – they ran him over.
5 - 0
Round 6 – Alex Binek with UWr Control
Binek is a good friend of mine and we are one of the only top tables not called over to the feature match area. I can only describe our match as a grindy 50 minute troll fest. I had some very timely abrupt decays to kill his counter balances and a RIP in game one. In the second game I was able to bait a FoW with a dark confidant and then stick a game winning devastating dreams. I always hate beating a friend so late in an event, but it all worked out because Binek won his next two to make top 8 with me.
6 - 0
Round 7 – Eric Riley with NO Elf Ball
Eric is a very good player – he has top 8s under his belt wielding his legacy weapon of choice (Elves). Thankfully creature decks without counter magic have a VERY poor DD match up. Not going to lie, I miss played a LOT in our first game (but hey, this was my 18th round of magic in 48 hours), but my punishing fires are able to get me there.
Game 2. I messed up again – I forget that elf ball now plays NO as a finisher. I boarded out my Gaddock Teeg. Whoops. He kills me very dead with a Progenitus while I fail to find white mana for the Retribution of the Meek I found with my burning wish.
Game 3. I fix my side boarding mistake and bring back in my main deck Sir Teeglesworth along with my sideboard copy. On the play I put him into a “soft lock” with double chalice on 1 into Teeg. I eventually beat him down with my bear.
7 – 0
Rounds 8/9
The next two rounds I ID with RUG delver and twelve post. These are both fairly good matchups and I want them in the top 8 with me. Swiss record 7 – 0 – 2. I’ve only dropped three games all day – one of which I mulliganed out of. I’m feeling good. Entering top 8 as the third seat, which means I get to play in the quarter finals.
Quarter Finals – Twelve Post
This matchup isn’t close – watch the camera coverage if you don’t believe me. Game one I have turn 1 dark confidant off of a wasteland and a mox diamond. Game two I’m not nearly as explosive, but my opening 7 has two wastelands, two other lands and a loam in it. He mulliganed to six and didn’t get to do much that game. It ended with no permanents on his side of the table. His deck has three pithing needles main deck and a fourth in the board. I’m not sure why he didn’t mulligan more to find one – I’m not sure I’d have won if that had been his turn 1 play naming wasteland.
Semi Finals – Binek Again
We prize split the top 4. I was fairly giddy with excitement, lack of sleep, and my twentieth round of magic in 48 hours. I don’t think I should really call what Binek and I played on camera magic though. It really resembled more a game of soccer where he and I punted a ball back and forth to each other. I haven’t checked the twitter feedback yet from that match – but I’m sure it isn’t very kind. He punted game one to me, I punted game two to him and game three he helm combo’d me out of the game. The entirety of the match myself, Binek and the handful of judges remaining were laughing pretty hard while Alex and I trolled each other in both subtle and obvious ways. Easily the most fun I’ve had playing magic ever.
Wrap Up
So over all I went 8 – 1 – 2 in matches for the day. I was pleased with my play for most of the day and I have a nice check coming in the mail to pay for future magical trips.
Thanks for reading this wall of text – feel free to drop any questions below as comments.
I was really happy with my 75 all day. Going into a diverse field of match ups I believe I would play the same list again in a heart beat. That being said - I do tweak based on the meta game I expect. For instance if I am expecting more grindy/fair decks I generally cut the second GSZ for a Volrath's Stronghold for more late game creatures. A Scavaging Ooze also bounces in and out of the 75 based on how many graveyard decks are running around and the number of creatures seeing play.
Cheers,
~Jeff Hoogland
This comment was hidden due to downvotes but it challenged Jeff on the combo matchup:
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WHOA. Holy scoops to combo batman. Didn't we establish that combo is on the rise again? It seems like you lucked out in who you were paired against.
I'm not trying to be a hater, but wouldn't you rather play a deck that beats more of the field?
EDIT: I don't see why I'm getting hated on. Chalice of the Void is good for crushing RUG and ANT, but it doesn't stop TinFins nor any Show and Tell decks. Thalia and Teeg are good, but you need more than 2x discard spells out of the SB to back up one's hatebears.
You automatically lose to half of the SCG Las Vegas Legacy top decks (it applies if you count the top 16 OR the top 8).
This kind of non traditional combo (which dodges Chalice) is today's boogeyman. Playing a deck that scoops to this type of combo game one and doesn't hit 50% win rate in games two and three seems like a very bad choice to me. The only way one could be immensely victorious with your deck is if you don't get paired against those decks. Hence, my harsh statement about your pairing luck.
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Erm... Chalice is a decent card against almost EVERY deck in that top 8. The only one it doesn't directly stop is S&S, but it does turn off every cantrip in their deck making have to draw their combo naturally.
And even then they have to use Sneak Attack or fear getting blown out by knight or karakas. And they generally need 2+ red sources past that.
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1.) Legacy is very much about your match ups. This is true regardless of what you play - they all have good, bad and in-between match-ups.
2.) As mentioned already the main deck sports 4 chalice of the void possible to power out on turn 1.
3.) Gaddock Teeg is good VS a number of combo decks.
4.) KotR+Karakas isn't bad VS Sneak and Show.
5.) Wasteland is a card.
6.) Thaila is a house.