After GP Baltimore, I definitely felt some pressure to keep finishing high. I was especially nervous about GP Seattle because not only was it the most expensive trip I’ve taken for a GP so far, but it was Sealed format. I made Top 32 at GP Austin a couple months ago with Innistrad Sealed, but I think that Dark Ascension has added a level of “bombiness” to the format on which I’m not sure I’m comfortable gambling hundreds of dollars. The depth of playability with Innistrad alone was much more stable.

However, discomfort has never stopped me from doing questionable things. This time, my efforts paid off; I can now say that I’ve made Top 32 of the past three GPs I’ve attended, with actual finishes Top 32, Top 4, and Top 16. As someone relatively new to high-level play, I find this really exciting, and I’m eager to see what other goals I can achieve.

Sealed in Seattle

For GP Seattle-Tacoma, I gladly paid $20 to arrive at noon without having to register a pool. Sadly, when I showed up, I was disappointed to find that they had just finished round one. I’m not sure what caused me to think that a Magic tournament would run on schedule, but it was likely some form of brain misfire.

Here’s the pool I was faced with.

To use the Sickbrew Sealed widget, click (don’t drag) individual cards from the pool into either the Junk, Pool, or Deck sections. You can click multiple cards at a time to move them all at once! Sort by cost, rarity, and color.

The blue was clearly very strong and deep, and I had enough black to complete the deck with Mikaeus, the Unhallowed if I wanted. I could even splash Brimstone Volley and Fires of Undeath off a Sulfur Falls. After much agonizing, I felt my white was much more synergistic with good removal in Fiend Hunter and Bonds of Faith. Drogskol Captain certainly had bomb-potential, too, with the number of Spirits and Cackling Counterparts in the deck. Ultimately, he and Fiend Hunter are the creatures you want to copy, not legendary Zombie Lords.

In my experience with Dark Ascension Sealed, a U/W Fliers archetype can look amazing but get run over by plain, old Big Dudes. If it has too many Niblis of the Mist (a frail body at an unimpressive cost) and not enough ground protection, the advantage attained by playing evasive creatures is lost. This pool, however, had just enough tricks and removal to feel very safe to play.

Dark Ascension has reduced synergies and slowed down the format. Highly aggressive decks are still possible, but you’re unlikely to randomly find one in a sealed pool. In general, strive for a midrange, controlling build that won’t roll over to a quick offensive.

1 Silverchase Fox
1 Invisible Stalker
1 Avacynian Priest
1 Thraben Heretic
1 Deranged Assistant
1 Elder Cathar
1 Stitched Drake
1 Fiend Hunter
1 Drogskol Captain
1 Stormbound Geist
1 Elgaud Inquisitor
1 Tower Geist
1 Nephalia Seakite
1 Moon Heron
1 Soul Seizer

1 Saving Grasp
1 Bonds of Faith
1 Chant of the Skifsang
1 Lingering Souls
1 Forbidden Alchemy
1 Griptide
1 Dissipate
1 Cackling Counterpart

8 Island
7 Plains
1 Shimmering Grotto
1 Swamp

This is the list I submitted, but I should’ve played Brimstone Volley, Feeling of Dread, and a Sulfur Falls over Invisible Stalker, Chant of the Skifsang, and an Island. After spending too much time trying to build with Mikaeus, I gave up on splashing red even though it would’ve been easy. I boarded into this corrected version each round and occasionally cut the Swamp for a Mountain and Fires of Undeath. Lost in the Mist was also a frequent anti-blowout measure.

Day 1

The tournament took forever to proceed to round 4, but when it did I got an immediate feature match with Jesse Hampton. He had a similar U/W deck, splashing black for Falkenrath Noble and Forbidden Alchemy flashback. He tempoed me out in game 1 with a Falkenrath Noble and a Sturmgeist that I had no immediate answer for. However, I rallied in games 2 and 3. I sent my Drogskol Captain into his Falkenrath Noble and tapped-out board in game 3. He lamented not blocking here after finding that I didn’t have a trick, because a 4/3 Moon Heron did most of the heavy lifting while I answered Sturmgeist with a Fiend Hunter.

After taking round 5 against B/R Removal and Feeble Guys, I met my first loss at the hands of Sam Swanson. He out-Spirited me with his own Lingering Souls and Midnight Haunting, while Thalia gave my deck the middle finger. Ironically, the only game I won was the one in which he got out Mentor of the Meek and I simply outraced him.

In round 6, I beat my opponent. Or rather, I should say that he lost to mana screw because this is what he repeatedly told me after both games.

In game 1, I killed him with fliers while he played a bunch of ground creatures against my stabilized board. In the last couple turns, he played a Kessig Recluse and a Wolfhunter’s Quiver then made the claim that he lost to mana screw.

“If I draw the second Forest sooner, there’s no way I lose that game.”

“Definitely. There’s no way I can beat you, otherwise,” I agreed. I then added, “I just think that’s a ridiculous thing to say to someone,” not confident in his ability to perceive irony.

In game 2, when he attempted to Claustrophobia my flier, I countered it with Lost in the Mist and bounced his Kessig Recluse. The following turn, I Dissipated it. When he scooped to my fliers in a couple turns, he simply said, “I lost to mana screw.”

Okay, dude.

I can understand frustration at losing to bad luck, but even in those situations it’s still more helpful to ask yourself what you could’ve done better. While I actually enjoy playing against unsporting people, that attitude is unhelpful for both you and your opponent. The instant you accept that you’re better than someone else, you’ve stripped yourself of a learning opportunity and burdened yourself with blame, should you lose. Of course they complain of mana screw. The only alternative is to blame themselves.

I had two rounds left to win at least one match. Thankfully, I got it in one in my match against Marcel Angelo Zafra. He Beguiled the Wills of all my creatures in game 1, but I overran him in games 2 and 3.

My last round of the day was against Kevin Chu playing blue/white. All three games were very close, and I was sure I had him dead in game 3 in which the board had stalled since the very early game. On my turn, I played a couple more Spirits. Then, he laid a land and cast Increasing Confusion for five. I had ten cards left on the turn that I planned to alpha strike, so I did it anyway, flashing in a second Drogskol Captain after blocks with a Cackling Counterpart. He chump-blocked my two largest fliers so he only took thirteen. I looked at the Griptide in my graveyard wistfully as I passed the turn. With no counter in hand, either, I was increasingly dead.

Overall record: 7-2

Day 2

Some of life’s mysteries can never be answered, like why my towel this morning smelled strongly of graham crackers. Surely it had something to do with staying at a cheap Travelodge, but beyond that, I was at a loss.

Draft Pod 1

I first-picked a Drogskol Captain, but after taking a Faith’s Shield unreasonably high, the white mostly dried up. I got an early Soul Seizer and a Mondronen Shaman and eventually enough red and blue to convince me that those should be my colors. I took Russet Wolves fairly early over an Afflicted Deserter I didn’t expect to table. Many people don’t respect this card as much as I do, but I think a 3/3 for 4 is surprisingly excellent in this format.

In pack 2, I opened a Silent Departure, then had a pair of Hanweir Watchkeeps and an Into the Maw of Hell passed to me. I picked up some filler, including a Rolling Temblor that could be decent in my deck of three-toughness dudes and fliers.

In pack 3, I opened a Silent Departure and an Into the Maw of Hell. After some deliberation, I took the generally superior Departure, expecting the Maw to be snapped up by the G/R Werewolf drafter on the other side of the table. Second pick, I happily took a deck-solidifying Stitched Drake, followed by a Think Twice, and… Burning Vengeance? I didn’t think my favorite archetype was possible anymore! And yet, had I actually just drafted it? Whether or not the flashback count was there, I decided it was better than the alternative, Riot Devils. (Like Russet Wolves, I think that Riot Devils is a well-costed vanilla creature with the advent of Dark Ascension. I’ve never been thrilled to play a 2/3 for three in Innistrad, but DKA has slowed the format and added many 2/2s.) The rest of the pack had been mostly stripped of red and blue cards, but I picked up a Memory’s Journey, Nightbird’s Clutches, and Desperate Ravings, thinking they could all solidify my Burning Vengeance if I ended up going that route. I was thrilled to find that the Into the Maw of Hell had tabled with five cards left in the pack, and pleased, if not surprised, to get a second-to-last pick Riot Devils.

1 Stitched Drake
1 Lantern Spirit
1 Selhoff Occultist
1 Armored Skaab
1 Riot Devils
2 Hanweir Watchkeep
1 Russet Wolves
1 Afflicted Deserter
1 Mondronen Shaman
1 Soul Seizer
1 Nearheath Stalker

2 Silent Departure
1 Think Twice
1 Desperate Ravings
1 Nightbird’s Clutches
1 Burning Vengeance
1 Bone to Ash
1 Wrack with Madness
1 Griptide
2 Into the Maw of Hell

9 Island
8 Mountain

Relevant Sideboard (in approximate order of playability):
1 Memory’s Journey
1 Rolling Temblor
1 Fling
1 Nightbird’s Clutches
1 Fortress Crab
1 Feral Ridgewolf
1 Saving Grasp
1 Curse of the Nightly Hunt
3 Bloodcrazed Neonate

Round 10: Blue/Green Mill

In game 1, Kyle was on the play. This was really unfortunate for me because he flipped a turn 2 Scorned Villager into a turn 3 Grizzled Outcast. I Armored Skaabed into a Stitched Drake, then spent a bunch of turns casting Silent Departure on his Grizzled Outcast and Festerhide Boar. He played a Ghoulcaller’s Bell, which started milling things like Think Twice into my graveyard. I thought this was great and was looking forward to killing him in a few turns with my Stitched Drake when he cast Increasing Confusion. I checked out my graveyard: yep. Griptide was, again, super-long gone.

For games 2 and 3, I boarded into Memory’s Journey and two Forests. When I drew a Forest in both games, I felt so safe and comfortable. He cursed me with two Curse of the Bloody Tomes in game 2 and one in game 3, but I wasn’t close to milling to death in either game. A transformed Mondronen Shaman and a Nightbird’s Clutches from the graveyard got me game 2, while Hanweir Watchkeep and a Nearheath Stalker were my champs in game 3.

2-1

Overall: 8-2

Round 11: Blue/Black (splash Lingering Souls)

In game 1, my opponent won the die roll but mused that his friends advised that he draw. I wasn’t about to tell him either way, so I simply agreed that in Dark Ascension Sealed I frequently like to draw first. “But I should at least think about it,” he said. “Of course,” I agreed. He chose to draw.

I proceeded to completely out-tempo him. He played Lantern Spirits and Niblis of the Breath, while I beat down with Selhoff Occultist and Riot Devils. I countered his Markov Patrician and drew a card, hoping to keep up my advantage and prevent him from gaining life. We traded Lantern Spirits, and then a Griptide on his tapper kept him off of defense. He played a Geistcatcher’s Rig, killing my Soul Seizer, but I destroyed it with Into the Maw of Hell. When he recast the Niblis of the Breath, I returned it to his hand with Silent Departure, then cast Wrack with Madness on it to kill him the following turn.

“Nice Wrack,” he grinned. I chuckled.

I would just like to clarify the careful strategy of this joke for a moment. We’d been friendly and light-hearted for the entire game, and he clearly intended his pun with irony. Additionally, it was at least a little bit clever. (If you don’t think so, I invite you to read a typical chat stream from one of my feature matches; if the sheer volume of Kitchen Finks references doesn’t make you want to claw your eyes out, you might not have the Human subtype.) Also, note the professional delivery. It’s simply, “Nice Wrack.” Not “Nice Wrack, HEHEHhehheHHEHHHheheheHEEEEEH.” Proper eye contact is key!

Unfortunately, being good at social niceties doesn’t always translate over to the game very well. Before game 2, my opponent remarked, “Well, that tempo didn’t matter until the end of the game. So I’ll draw. Wait, was that tempo? Yeah, it was, what am I talking about.” So he drew.

I led with an early Hanweir Watchkeep and a Mondronen Shaman. I returned his Niblis of the Breath back to the deck again with Griptide, then cast Silent Departure on his Markov Patrician. He played and flashed back Lingering Souls to transform both my Werewolves, but I could simply pass the turn. He cast a Sturmgeist, but I had a Nightbird’s Clutches with flashback to end the game, even if one of the Spirits could still block.

2-0

Overall: 9-2

Round 12: Blue/White, (splash Lingering Souls flashback)

We both began by Thinking Twice, but I played a Selhoff Occultist and a Lantern Spirit before he could find any creatures. I assumed the position of “beatdown,” although I was on the draw. He cast Lingering Souls then passed the turn, choosing not to flash it back even though he had black mana. He must have had Lost in the Mist, so I cast an Armored Skaab with mana to replay anything he bounced. He chose to let it resolve. I had board control, so there was no need for me to play anything else. He flashed back the Lingering Souls, keeping up Lost in the Mist, but I kept playing low-cost spells into it like Silent Departure. He eventually countered my Hanweir Watchkeep, but he was already at three. I cast Bone to Ash on his Niblis of the Mist, then cast Wrack with Madness on one of his Spirit tokens. When he played a Moorland Haunt, I answered it and a Spirit with Into the Maw of Hell.

In game 2, my opponent played a turn 3 Lantern Spirit which I followed up with Burning Vengeance. I played a Russet Wolves, and then returned the Lantern Spirit to his hand with Silent Departure. When he replayed it and tapped out for a Spectral Rider, I returned it to the top of his library with Griptide. I cast Into the Maw of Hell on his Moorland Haunt and Spectral Rider, but he answered with Bonds of Faith on my Russet Wolves. That’s when he cast Helvault and everything went downhill. Despite beating down with a Selhoff Occultist for a couple turns, he stabilized at eight with an active Helvault and Lost in the Mist backup.

I boarded out Wrack with Madness for game 3, hoping to aggro him out with Fling on the play even if he got to Helvault mana. I dropped an early Mondronen Shaman then returned his Mentor of the Meek to hand with Silent Departure. He’d already paid to equip it with an Avacyn’s Collar. When he cast Chant of the Skifsang on my Shaman, I felt pretty okay with it. I played a Lantern Spirit to start attacking and he passed the turn, transforming my Shaman. His Lost in the Mist countered a Selhoff Occultist and returned the Lantern Spirit to my hand, but it didn’t really matter. He took two damage from the spell. On his turn, he transformed the Magehunter back by replaying his Mentor of the Meek and Helvault, going to five in the process. I played a Nearheath Stalker, then a Stitched Drake, and the game ended before I could transform my Shaman again.

2-1

Overall: 10-2

Draft Pod 2

All right! I was still x-2, so if I could just 2-0 this next pod I’d likely be able to make Top 8. Who’s in my pod, anyway?

I see.

“What’s going on in Pod 1?” Conley asked. We all looked over, unable to recognize more than two of the players.

To be honest, though, I was less disappointed at my competition and more excited at the opportunity to draft with skilled players. I play this game to improve, and one of the best ways to learn is to play against people who are more experienced. Additionally, I perform best in drafts with good signaling (read: not FNM), so I felt comfortable among people who knew what they were doing.

My first pack was one of those ones with no outstanding bombs or obvious picks. I took a Wild Hunger, thinking back to the second draft at PT Dark Ascension, where the only match I lost was to double flashbacked Wild Hungers. If the people near me weren’t in green or red (both seemingly unfavored colors), I could aggro other decks out with what I believe to be the best green common in Dark Ascension.

When I got a third pick Wild Hunger, I knew it was a strong signal. Afterwards, I picked up a Mondronen Shaman. I’d already seen Conley take one from two seats to my left, but I felt confident knowing that none of the Wild Hungers were getting past my seat. I picked up a third copy of the spell sixth, then rounded out my deck with Hinterland Hermits, Russet Wolves, and a Scorned Villager I needed for my curve.

In pack 2 I had no strong first pick. I took a Moonmist followed by a Gatstaf Shepherd. I was happy to collect an Ashmouth Hound, Geistflame, and pair of late Festerhide Boars. It wasn’t the most aggressive curve so far, and I felt self-conscious about having so many four-drops. What would my friends think? When the whispering starts, here’s how it will sound:

“Who’s that?”

“That’s Jackie Lee. She plays too many four-drops.”

“Seriously?… Yeah, she looks like the type.”

Meanwhile, I heard laughter from the other side of the table. Conley, who was solidly in R/G Werewolves, got a fourth-pick Mayor of Avabruck. Hey, I thought that was pretty funny, too! Too bad we weren’t passing the other way. I’d just have to be satisfied with the very Wild nature of my Hunger.

In pack 3, I first-picked an Ambush Viper. He’s a great guy! Also, I needed some more two-drops or the curve-based jeering might actually become a reality. I was passed a second-pick Devil’s Play that promptly made me feel better about not having a fourth-pick Mayor.

A couple solid three-drops later, I had a choice between sixth-pick Avacyn’s Pilgrim and sixth-pick Curse of Stalked Prey. Having multiple tramplers and trample-conferring spells, I was tempted by the Curse. However, the Pilgrim seemed like the better choice; not only did he accelerate me to my four-drops, but he was a tiny little beater! So I picked the Human, who must have identity problems because everyone calls him an Elf.

1 Avacyn’s Pilgrim
1 Ambush Viper
2 Hinterland Hermit
1 Ashmouth Hound
1 Gatstaf Shepherd
1 Scorned Villager
1 Orchard Spirit
1 Kessig Wolf
1 Crossway Vampire
1 Riot Devils
1 Russet Wolves
1 Mondronen Shaman
2 Festerhide Boar
1 Nearheath Stalker

1 Geistflame
1 Ranger’s Guile
1 Fling
3 Wild Hunger
1 Devil’s Play

9 Mountain
8 Forest

After submitting my decklist, I tweeted:

“I have no right to be this happy with my deck, given who’s in my pod.”

Round 13: Conley Woods, R/G Werewolves

I lost the die roll, which is never good in the aggro mirror. Moreover, Conley and his friend spoke of how he had “invented Red/Green Werewolves” before we began.

“How unfortunate that I have to play the mirror against the pioneer of the deck,” I mused.

I tried to accelerate past my tempo disadvantage with an Avacyn’s Pilgrim, but a Forge[/author] Devil”][author name="Forge"]Forge[/author] Devil made short work of it. Soon I was facing down one of Avabruck’s many Mayors. I tried to flash in an Ambush Viper at end of turn, but it was crisped by a Geistflame. On his turn, Conley passed and flipped his Mayor. I laid a Hinterland Hermit, hoping for the best, but it met the same ill fate at the hands of a Brimstone Volley. (That’s right: a volley of brimstone with hands.) I played a morbid Festerhide Boar and a Mondronen Shaman, but since Conley was at a solid fourteen, I succumbed pretty soon to his pack of Wolves.

In game 2 I was on the play, and it was me that was casting Geistflame on his Kessig Wolf. I played a Mondronen Shaman, attacking into his Ulvenwald Bear and trampling over it with a Wild Hunger. Conley played a Forge Devil to ping me, a Strangleroot Geist, and a Blazing Torch. I played a Festerhide Boar, hoping to keep the pressure on against his increasing board. He tried to Brimstone Volley it, but I protected it with Ranger’s Guile. I had a second Festerhide Boar, which he killed with the Torch and a flashbacked Geistflame. However, at that point, he was at three and I had a Wild Hunger still in the graveyard. He played a Skirsdag Cultist then scooped on my attack.

Conley led with a turn 2 Torch Fiend in game 3 to my Riot Devils. Unfortunately, his next play was to discard a Scorned Villager. I dropped a 3/3 Festerhide Boar to apply pressure. He failed to find a land beyond his two Mountains, but he managed to play Ashmouth Hound and Torch Fiend back-to-back. I played a Nearheath Stalker, holding both Wild Hunger and Fling. Conley fought as well as he could without a third land, but the game was over shortly.

Round 14: Iain Bartolomei, U/B

Iain and I had a feature match for our win-and-in round. He had to mulligan to five on the draw, so when I played a turn 2 Scorned Villager he was forced to let it transform. I got in for two then played a Festerhide Boar. He played a Screeching Bat but didn’t want to block my Werewolf, going to thirteen in short order. I played a Nearheath Stalker, and he attacked with the Bat. He flashed in a Nephalia Seakite during my attack, but between my lands and Werewolf I had enough mana to play and flash back Wild Hunger. I killed his bird and brought him to one life, ending the game soon after.

In game 2, Iain didn’t make the same mistake of letting through too much damage, and he had a full grip of cards. He flashed in a Nephalia Seakite to block my Crossway Vampire, but I simply played a morbid Boar. Unfortunately, when he cast Claustrophobia on my pig, my offensive was stopped in its tracks. Meanwhile, I’d been taking two per turn from his Bat. My effort to regain board position by playing Mondronen Shaman was nearly halted by a Grasp of Phantoms, but I stalled the inevitable with Ranger’s Guile. I played a Nearheath Stalker and dealt Iain the first few points of damage with Mondronen Shaman. He transformed his Bat and attacked into my Stalker, which chumped to become a 5/2. This is the point at which the game became awkward, as he milled a Skaab Ruinator and one other creature. I had planned to block his Stalking Vampire with my Nearheath Stalker to trade, but if I did that, he’d simply resurrect a gigantic flier. I took the damage. On my turn, with him at fifteen, I didn’t have the right cards to kill him. We moved to game 3.

I felt good about being on the play for game 3, but pretty soon I had a different feeling; after throwing back six lands and a Devil’s Play, I had to throw back five lands and a Fling, which is basically the same hand except worse in every way. The next five didn’t contain any lands, and I was forced to stick with three lands and a Ranger’s Guile. I struggled to find a creature, while Iain simply played and transformed two Screeching Bats to take the match.

Round 15: Eric Froehlich, U/B

Disappointed to have missed the Top 8 due to a mull to four like the one that cost me the semifinals inÂ Baltimore, I asked Eric if he’d like to draw for Top 32. He told me he didn’t care about the money, only the points. I was fine with that, so we played it out.

I won the die roll, and Eric had to mulligan.

“That’s my 25th time mulling this weekend,” he informed me, squinting at his hand. “I really don’t want to go to five.”

“In the end, it’s your choice,” I offered.

He countered, “Well, I can only make the correct play.”

“That must give you a significant advantage in this game!” I said, playing my part.

“Well, I certainly never get lucky,” he replied bitterly.

I played and transformed a Hinterland Hermit, which got in for three before he could play an Armored Skaab. I bolstered my forces with a Gatstaf Shepherd and a Mondronen Shaman, while he dropped a Highborn Ghoul. I attacked into it with everyone, forcing a block of Ghoul to Shaman and Armored Skaab to Hinterland Scourge. Wild Hunger was a blowout, and I followed by playing Ashmouth Hound. On the next turn, I transformed all three of my werewolves, and he scooped on the attack.

Eric was on the play for game 2, but my Ashmouth Hound still came out ahead of his Civilized Scholar. I attacked and played a Kessig Wolf, while Eric fulfilled his own prophecy by stalling on three lands. I seized the opportunity to blow a Devil’s Play on his would-be Archivist, following with a Scorned Villager. He fought back with a Dead Weight on my Kessig Wolf, going to ten on my attack. I played a Boar to his Falkenrath Noble, attacking into the Vampire and killing it with a Wild Hunger. Froehlich followed suit on the next turn.

Outcome

My final standing was 13th overall. I was disappointed to have lost my win-and-in as I had in Austin, and even more disappointed to see that my tiebreakers had tanked until I could no longer finish among the Top 12. After feeling the initial disappointment, I reasoned that the $100 would’ve been nice, but I wound up with the same number of Pro Points. That puts me at thirteen, and I’m hoping to pick up enough before Avacyn Restored to achieve Gold level.

It’s important to have goals, and I’ve been pleased with my results. Overall, though, I’m simply having a blast touring the GP circuit. I’ve received a wealth of support for which I can’t thank you all enough. But most of all, I’ve learned so much in such a short time.

I can’t wait to share some of it with you next week.