Las Vegas GPT
It was 68 man event, did not do as well as I had hoped but managed to top 8 regardless. Seven rounds in total. Maindeck is still the same as it has been for all of 2017, netting me a prior GPT win and CFB 4k top 8 which had 114 players. I did make heavy changes to the Sideboard due to the disappearance of Miracles, but I find that I don’t have enough raw data to make a decision on changes to the main deck.
Saying all that, here goes the event.
Round One: UR Delver 2-0
This matchup was as lopsided as it has always been. I resolved Knights in the first game which he couldn’t beat. I resolved Thalia and Stoneforge in the second game which he ignored because he wanted to be ready for Knights.
Round Two: UB Reanimator 2-1
Do not be confused by the name UB, this was BR list that cut Faithless Looting for Careful Studies and added Brainstorm somehow. Game one I got lucky. On the draw he played a Polluted Delta and a Lotus Petal while on the play I cast a turn 2 Thalia. At some point he threw an Unmask at me just to see what other cards I had before scooping the game.
He got a fast draw on game two which ended me, but only had a turn 2 reanimate play in game three; which was unfortunately stopped by a turn 1 DRS with Karakas backup. He was never able to recover and it was a quick win from there.
Round Three: Nic Fit 2-0
He had a loose but strong possible opening of Turn 1 Bayou Veteran explorer with a Cabal Therapy in hand. Sadly I was on the play and hit him with Bayou + Swords to Plowshares on turn 2. He never drew another land and died to Batterskull.
Game two was more normal as he got a Leovold out followed by a Pernicious Deed. Sadly I had already resolved Knight of the Reliquary at that point and double wastelands later he was forced to crack the deed for only 2, afterwards I cast my second Knight of the Reliquary and it was over.
Round Four: Maverick 0-2
Both games were super grindy and super long. However, maindeck Abrupt Decays helped him win the Mother of Runes advantage game 1 while a no Mother of Runes setup game two doomed me to be eternally at the back foot versus his Jitte. His overly cautious play gave me a few outs but I failed to draw either of the two Toxic Deluges I had boarded in. The games were very close regardless.
Round Five: Elves 2-1
Game one had me use Mother of Runes exclusively for evasion as a turn 2 Thalia started forcing damage in. A follow up scooze a few turns later along with some lucky wastelands on his Dryad Arbors allowed to get an evasive 4 damage clock. Made a misplay where I didn’t cast a 2nd Thalia early on to get another creature in the graveyard to grow my Ooze to a 5 power creature. The game ended with him at 4 casting Natural Order.
Game 2 was much simpler. Turn 2 Knight of the Reliquary was followed up by Plow + Wasteland with Knight searching for Thespian Stage. Unable to kill the Knight he drew several cards before passing the turn back and dying to Marit Lage. Game 3 was pure luck with a turn 1 Deathrite Shaman, turn 2 Thespian Stage + Swords to Plowshares on his mana source. Turn 3 I top deck Dark Depths. The combo forces him to try to go off with a turn 3 natural order for lethal; but a 20/20 blocker was enough to keep me alive and he immediately dies on the crack-back.
Round Six: Death and Taxes 1-2
Game one was fairly boring as these matchups go. He was able to grab a Jitte, I was not. Game two it was fairly similar; I got an early batterskull down to apply pressure, followed by getting a Jitte active. The game was over soon after. Game three was a damn grind with him finally getting an advantage after resolving his 3rd Mother of Runes to my none. I had a few outs with Scryb Ranger later on, and his unwillingness to be blown out by Knight tricks kept me alive a few turns longer than I should have been—but Moms are really good in this matchup.
Round Seven: Grixis Delver 2-1
Game one was fairly simple. I cast Thalia on turn two, he casts Force of Will. I cast Knight of the reliquary on turn three, he doesn’t daze and delver can’t beat an active knight.
Game two I kept a sketchy one land hand with a Birds, a Deathrite Shaman, and a Green Sun’s Zenith. I fetch for a Forest and cast Deathrite—he dazes it. I then miss a land drop and cast Birds, he pushes it. I draw a colorless land and cast GSZ for 1, he forces it. I am unable to cast spells as I die to Delver beats.
Game three he kills and counters the first 3 spells I cast, I then make a 20/20 and win the game despite his full grip of removal and counters.
Top Eight
I get eight place and we decide to split the cash prize. Since I already have my byes people did the concessions dance until the last few players who had to play got to play.
Great event overall, but I feel I threw away some games I shouldn’t have.
My List
Creatures: 26
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Mother of Runes
4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Stoneforge Mystic
4 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Scryb Ranger
1 Dryad Arbor
Spells: 13
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Green Sun’s Zenith
1 Umezawa’s Jitte
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Batterskull
1 Maze of Ith
1 Dark Depths
Lands: 22
4 Wasteland
4 Windswept Heath
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Forest
2 Savannah
1 Bayou
1 Scrubland
1 Plains
1 Karakas
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Thespian’s Stage
Sideboard: 15
3 Duress
3 Orim’s Chant
2 Phyrexian Revoker
2 Sanctum Prelate
2 Toxic Deluge
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Gaddock Teeg
Post Event Review:
I was most unhappy with Maze of Ith all day. Except for against the Delver matchups, the card has been fairly lackluster. And while I did face two delver lists today—I am still unsure how prevalent that archetype will be from a “game one” perspective. Possibly moving this card to the sideboard along with Sword of Fire and Ice.
Sword of Fire and Ice has been situationally relevant in many games, but if you’re observant you’d see that I currently run a 61 card maindeck. Without Miracles as my worry I have been “hungry” for a value sword less and less—primarily because I’ve been either facing off against combo or I’ve been facing off in the “Get Jitte” stoneblade mirrors. Simply having a sword to make my low tier threats powerful enough to Terminus doesn’t seem as relevant.
Did not draw my Deluges today. Two of my losses could have been 180’d by only Deluges as a Serra Avenger wearing a SOFI and a Mirran Crusader would have killed me regardless had a I only had -1/-1 effects; however, I really could have used damn near any of the sweepers and still gotten value.
Dark Depths overperformed as usual netting me wins against both Elves and a bad board state which would normally spell lights out for Maverick. However, I did feel the card’s limitations in the two losses I had against both Maverick and D&T. I normally beat these lists but these two were good players and I wonder how many of wins in the past was attributed to the good players hiding from Miracles. More testing will now be needed.
Final Thoughts
This was the first truly big Legacy event in my area post-banning and the existence of two Maverick decks in the top 8 is very telling of the coming shift. I faced a much wider mix of decks than I normally do and I there was even representation throughout between Stoneblade lists, Delver Lists, and combo lists. As much as I hated the principle of the Top banning—I’m really enjoying the end results.
