Last week, we left off when I posted a 3-1 result in the first Constructed portion, with Mythic, and armed with a pretty sick draft deck:
2 Elite Vanguard
2 Blinding Mage
2 Stormfront Pegasus
2 Wild Griffin
2 Cloud Crusader
2 Mighty Leap
2 Excommunicate
3 Squadron Hawk
1 Safe Passage
1 Armored Ascension
1 Serra Angel
1 Awakener Druid
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Spined Wurm
My Limited plan was to force White, as people felt the color wasn’t good enough as a main strategy. My drafting with Tim Aten had proved otherwise, as drafting a hyper-aggressive White deck with a small splash had led to plenty of victories in the 8-4 queues. Lord knows I can’t get away from a 2/2 for two anyway. I simply prefer it to be Silvercoat Lion instead of Runeclaw Bear.
When drafting hyper White, there are certainly some cards you would like to dodge. Pyroclasm is a nightmare. Prodigal Pyromancer is no fun to be facing. Giant Spider and Azure Drake aren’t the end of the world, but an answer is necessary to get through either one of them. A lot of the cards that are nightmares are uncommon, but you really can’t beat them if the opponent has them.
Whenever I finish registering my draft deck in a tournament, I try to set a realistic goal for myself. Some decks aren’t good enough to post a 3-0 record, and I think being honest with yourself on how good your deck may be is a very good idea. After seeing the above deck, I thought a 2-1 was extremely likely, with a 3-0 within the realm of possibility.
Round 5 versus Dan Nelson (UR)
Dan’s deck had a few problem cards for me, such as Prodigal Pyromancer, Azure Drake, and Mind Control, but overall I felt like I was the favorite.
Game 1, I got off to an incredibly quick start with Elite Vanguard, Squadron Hawk, and Wild Griffin, but was stopped kold by an Azure Drake. And by stopped kold, I mean I straight up lost to it. I never found a way to deal with the 2/4 flyer, and I was beaten down by some Canyon Minotaurs and Berserkers of Blood Ridge.
Games 2 and 3, I got off to insanely fast starts again, but this time I had answers for his show-stoppers. Both games ended pretty quickly, with me ambushing him like my deck was supposed to do, while I crossed my fingers, hoping his deck didn’t contain a Pyroclasm. It didn’t, and I was victorious!
4-1
It was after this match that I ran into E, and he said he had a hell of a story to tell me.
When I run into someone who tells me they have a story to tell, I am prepared to be disappointed. I say that respectfully, of course. The truth is this…
A lot of people suck at telling stories!
I have made it a goal of mine to make sure I always tell a story worth hearing. Even if I have to embellish some of what I am telling, I am not going to waste the listener’s time with a mediocre tale.
So when E told me, I was prepared for mediocrity. What I got, thankfully, was the story of the weekend.
E was playing Runeflare Trap in Constructed, and had been mulliganing an abnormal amount during the tournament. His mulligans had led him to down the dark path of a 0-2-1 record. Game 1 of round 4, E, again, had to mulligan an abnormal amount. This time he went down to three cards, played a Mountain and nothing more, and got ambushed by Putrid Leech and crew.
Luckily for E, his opponent had no idea what he was playing. He could easily be under the impression that he was a Mono-Red deck that had to mulligan a ton, but the last thing his opponent could be thinking was that E was a Runeflare Trap deck.
Game 2, E kept a six-card hand while his opponent mulliganed to five. Turn 3 came along, and the following happened:
Opponent: Mind Rot myself.
E: Huh?
Opponent: Mind Rot myself.
(Sounds like my Esper Charm story, right?)
E: You have four cards in hand?
Opponent: Yeah
E: Okay. Uh, Twincast your Mind Rot.
Opponent: Okay.
E: Discard for my copy of Mind Rot?
Opponent: Sure. Discard two Obstinate Baloths.
E: … Sigh…
Opponent: Discard Putrid Leech and Lightning Bolt for my copy of Mind Rot.
This. Actually. Happened.
There are so many things that make this story amazing:
1) The opponent thinking that Obstinate Baloth worked that way with Mind Rot. Was this his big plan coming into the tournament? Had he built his sideboard with this goal in mind? Was he snap keeping hands when they had Mind Rot + Obstinate Baloth in them?
2) E Twincasting the Mind Rot to wreck himself. There is no way you don’t Twincast the Mind Rot there, but imagine the horror of the opponent if he didn’t.
3) Did E’s opponent have some psycho read? Was he trying to level E? Is anyone actually that smart?
4.) The fact that I drove to the tournament with “the opponent.” His name is ________________, and he is a very good man. (Don’t worry, Rusty. I would never sell you out in front of a worldwide audience.)
Nothing could top that story. No amount of mana screw could tilt me as badly as E was tilted from that. That sent him to 0-3-1. Imagine if that happened to E in round 1 of the tournament. I don’t think I would be able to go on.
Round 6 versus Gabriel Carleton-Barnes (U/B/w)
Match coverage can be found here.
Adam Styborski did a pretty good job of covering the match, but failed to mention GCB’s mana troubles in both games. My deck came out like a rocket both games, and Gabe was stuck on three lands for numerous turns in both games. After looking at his deck, I was certainly favored, but his deck wasn’t nearly as bad as I made it look in the match.
5-1
I already had my 2-1 locked up, but I was out for blood. I knew I was against Bob Albright and his Mono Black deck. There were some Necrotic Plagues going around late in this draft, so I was hoping not to run into them.
Round 7 versus Bob Albright (Mono B)
Game 1, I kept 3 Plains, 2 Forest, Stormfront Pegasus, and Elite Vanguard on the draw. And then I got MTGO’d. Hardcore MTGOers know what getting MTGO’d is, but for those of you who are unfamiliar:
MTGO’d – Keeping a five-land, two-spell hand and never drawing another spell.
Game 2, I kept a similar five-land, two-spell hand on the play, drew a Squadron Hawk and crushed Bob.
It all came down a big game 3. Bob’s deck was quite good, but mine was too. Squadron Hawk was outstanding against him, but could I get through all the removal and Reassembling Skeletons?
The answer was no. Game 3 went back and forth before I succumbed to a lethal Corrupt. The game was spent watching guys die back and forth. For a moment I thought I was going to be able to get the game, but two Assassinates in one turn ruined that plan.
Dem da beatz!
5-2
Both times I was so close to posting an x-0 in my pod, but came up a game short. It’s a frustrating feeling. I was playing well, and running pretty well, but I couldn’t capitalize on it. I needed to 3-0 my next pod if I really wanted to make Top 8 at this tournament.
I headed to McCormick and Schmick’s for dinner with a handful of people, to vent, re-prepare, and enjoy a tasty meal. I’m normally not a big fan of chain restaurants, but McCormick and Schmick’s never disappoints. I’d recommend it to anyone.
The rest of Friday was spent watching drafts; playing MTGO in the room with Chrandersen and E; and being woken up, again, by violent vomiting.
If I thought what E was doing Thursday night was bad, what Alaska #2 was doing was downright absurd. I sh** you not, it sounded like an exorcism was taking place in the bathroom. I got so freaked out that I made a run for it downstairs. I didn’t know what to do, and Alaska #1 seemed like he had things under control. When I came back upstairs thirty minutes later, it was like nothing happened.
Who was going to throw up on night number three? One time… not me!
Saturday, August 21st
Classic toss and turns. It’s 7am, and I’m rocking out to The Script and Girl Talk. Pretty good morning for three hours of sleep, I’d say.
My draft pod was the following:
Saylor, David (Sketchy at best.)br>
Phillips, Cedric (Idiot)
Ghorbani, Payman (Sweet first name)
Nelson, Brad (Couldn’t be running better if he tried.)
Baumeister, Corey (Nicest kid in all the land.)
King, Stephen (The DI of DIs)
Petrov, Matt (No, no buddy. With cola.)
Woods, Conley (Nice deck…again.)
Everyone kept telling me how stacked my pod was. Yes, this was a good pod, but these were people in the way of my goal. My pod could have been:
Budde, Kai
Phillips, Cedric
Budde, Kai
Budde, Kai
Budde, Kai
Budde, Kai
Budde, Kai
Potter, Doug
It would not have mattered. My game face was on. Losing was not an option.
My draft deck was the following:
3 Elite Vanguard
2 Infantry Veteran
3 Pacifism
2 Assault Griffin
2 Chandra’s Outrage
1 Blinding Mage
1 Silvercoat Lion
1 Stormfront Pegasus
1 War Priest of Thune
1 White Knight
1 Mighty Leap
1 Excommunicate
1 Juggernaut
1 Armored Ascension
1 Siege Mastodon
1 Berserkers of Blood Ridge
Relevant sideboard cards were Celestial Purge and Solemn Offering.
Round 8 versus Corey Baumeister (U/B)
Brad’s younger brother had a pretty bad U/B deck. Trying to make this long-winded would be insulting. It was a one-sided beating both games. The fact that Corey managed to get any wins with his deck is a tribute to how strong of a player he is.
6-2
Round 9 versus Conley Woods (B/R)
Conley was a B/R midrange deck without any of the cool combos you normally find in B/R. I didn’t see anything Act of Treason shenanigans, or Reassembling Skeletons.
Game 1 I was on the offensive, but he was beginning to stabilize and attack me. I made a mistake with a Blinding Mage and missed a point of damage to tap something on his turn. The point of damage ended up being very relevant, and there was a point in time that I hoped I lost the game because I don’t get any satisfaction out of winning games where I make mistakes. Fortunately, I peeled a Mighty Leap to get him for exactsies.
Game 2 I was stuck on lands, but my hand was so good that it didn’t matter. I was stuck on two lands for most of the game, but I drew all three Pacifisms to stop any blockers he considered playing. Conley flooded out pretty badly this game. I eventually drew two more lands, and crushed him.
7-2
Could I get the 3-0 I was desperately seeking?
Round 10 vs. Brad Nelson (U/G/w)
Brad had just beaten Stephen King in a very long match. After seeing Stephen’s deck, I was shocked that he lost a game with it, let alone a match. It was the best deck I had ever seen drafted in M11. He had such hits as:
Hoarding Dragon
Fireball
Cudgel Troll (possibly two)
Crystal Ball
Garruk Wildspeaker
Chandra’s Outrage
Lightning Bolt
Triskelion
We played some fun games after the Limited portion, and after he wiped the floor with me numerous times, I was thankful I had to play against Brad.
The coverage can be found here.
Monty Ashley did a great job of covering this match. Game 3 was easily my most frustrating of the tournament, as I didn’t get to play Magic for the first time on the day. I was in the spot I really wanted to be in; on the play with a hyper aggressive deck for all the marbles.
Unfortunately, somebody had other plans, as both my openers were unkeepable, and I got crushed. Once again:
Dem da beats!
7-3
So now it was time for me to go 3-0-1 into the Top 8t. If there is any deck that can run hot and run off some wins, it sure is Mythic.
Round 11 versus Alex West (Sam Black Mythic)
Game 1 against Alex was a complete blowout. I was forced to mulligan into a mediocre six-card hand and he naturally drew his Linvala, Keeper of Silence. It only took a few more attacks before I was reaching for the four Linvalas in my sideboard yet again.
Game 2 was probably the most fun game of the tournament. I was far ahead on the board, but Alex obviously had Mana Leaks in his hand, so I could never resolve a Sovereigns of Lost Alara to put the game away. I had to play quite cautiously because if I ever made a misstep, it would be me getting slapped in the face for 13 damage, not him.
I was finally able to resolve Sovereigns and get in for a ton of damage, but not before he resolved his own to take out my Jace, the Mind Sculptor. I had another Jace in grip to handle his 12/11 Lotus Cobra, but I had to hope he didn’t have another Eldrazi Conscription in his deck to win the game. I then remembered Sam’s list from the Midwest Master Series that he won, and they only had access to one. When Alex attacked my Jace and refused to search, I knew I had the game won.
Game 3 was probably the most high variance game of the tournament. Alex had the fast start of Noble Hierarch into Lotus Cobra plus Birds of Paradise. As great as his start was, I had the start of Noble Hierarch into Lotus Cobra plus Misty Rainforest (no crack) + Noble Hierarch. My hand was Deprive, Sovereigns of Lost Alara, and another fetchland. That meant I was going to be able to play Sovereigns of Lost Alara next turn with Deprive back up. Alex did nothing relevant next turn, so I made my play and got in for infinite. Next turn, Alex cast Sovereigns with three mana up… But I had a Deprive instead of Mana Leak. Zing!
Two to go!
8-3
Round 12 versus Patrick Crane (Naya)
Game 1 was the big heartbreaker. Patrick took a mulligan on the draw and my hand had a turn 1 mana accelerant, two Knight of the Reliquaries, and an Elspeth, Knight-Errant. I figured I was good to go. Here is how the game played out:
Me: Turn 1 Noble Hierarch.
Him: Turn 1 Birds of Paradise.
Me: Turn 2 Birds of Paradise, Celestial Colonnade, attack for one, go.
Him: Turn 2 Knight of the Reliquary, pass.
Me: Turn 3 Knight of the Reliquary, Seaside Citadel, pass.
Him: Turn 3 Linvala, Keeper of Silence.
Me: Look at my hand of two Knight of the Reliquary and Elspeth, Knight-Errant.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! This cannot be happening!
Yeah, that game ended right then and there.
Game 2, I mulliganed to five and got completely smashed by Vengevine and Cunning Sparkmage.
Game 2 is of little consequence. My spirit was broken after game 1. I was so sure I was going to win that game based on matchup, his mulligan, and how good my draw was. If I were a gambling man, which I am, I would have bet the house and the car on me winning that game.
Instead, the big dagger. It cut deep.
8-4
Alright, it was time to get back on the horse. There were pro points on the line, and I sure could use some. That last loss felt miserable, but there was still work to be done.
Round 13 versus James Beltz (Runeflare Trap)
Game 1, James mulliganed to five and I ground him out with Jace, the Mind Sculptor; Knight of the Reliquary; and Sovereigns of Lost Alara. James’ draw was inadequate, and when you stumble against Mythic, you pay for it.
Game 2, I hit the goddamn lottery!
James: Turn 2 Howling Mine
Me: Turn 2 Lotus Cobra plus Noble Hierarch
James: Turn 3 Temple Bell
Me: Fetchland plus Telemin Performance
TOUCHDOWN!
9-4
A win like that is just what I needed to stay on an even keel. It was a complete and total blowout, and with one round left to go, I could put all my attention and emotion into it.
Round 14 versus Sam Black (Sam Black Mythic)
Sam and I were both interested in the pro points, so no concession or agreement was made. It was time to battle.
Game 1, Sam and I both have the same board position. We both have a Knight of the Reliquary and some mana creatures, and we’re both waiting for Sovereigns of Lost Alara; Jace, the Mind Sculptor; or Eldrazi Conscription. Instead, we drew lands.
Lots of lands.
It got to the point that we were laughing about it. We would both activate Knight of the Reliquary, thin our deck of lands, and then draw either another land or mana accelerant.
Eventually, Sam drew a Vengevine, Sejiri Stepped it, and killed me. This game was one of the most comical games I’ve ever played.
Game 2, I did stuff and Sam didn’t. No, really! Sam did next to nothing, while I got filthy with Linvala, Keeper of Silence and Sovereigns of Lost Alara. It was pretty sweet (for me).
The all important game 3 was another one-sided affair. I was nut drawing with Lotus Cobra, Knight of the Reliquary, and counterspells. Sam had a Linvala, Keeper of Silence, but I had Jace, the Mind Sculptor to bounce it and counter it on the way back down. Baneslayer Angel came from Sam, but I bounced that too and played a Sovereigns of Lost Alara.
Game, set, match, as they say.
10-4
13th place, $350, and another pro point to put me up to thirteen on the season. I was happy, but not satisfied. I had tested a lot for this tournament, as it is a dream of mine to represent the United States one day. Sadly, this was just not my year. If only I could have x-0’d one of those darn pods!
The rest of my evening was spent eating Chipotle; drafting with Ravitz and Stephen King; and just relaxing after a long tournament. It felt good to have another decent finish this season, since Grand Prix: Oakland feels so long ago.
For the record. if you’re not doing this, you’re doing it wrong:
Fajita Burrito.
Double Rice.
1/2 Chicken.
1/2 any other meat (Steak, Barbacoa, or Carnitas in that order).
Every salsa but hot.
Sour Cream.
Cheese.
Watch them struggle to wrap.
Refuse a double wrap.
Allow a new tortilla in case the previous one rips.
Pay the price of one burrito even though it is probably the size of two.
Unwrap.
Enjoy.
Sunday, I woke up, 3-0’d a draft with a Jace’s Erasure deck, and went home. It was easily one of the best weekends I’ve ever had, and Minneapolis continues to treat me well in my Magic endeavors. If every tournament could be there, I would be so happy!
Pro Tour: Amsterdam is in a few days, and I have a deck I extremely happy to be playing. With any luck, it will be in the coverage and everyone can see for themselves what my team and I have worked on for over a month.
Next week… How about an article about me finishing well at the Pro Tour? Sound good to you?
Sure as hell sounds good to me!
Until next week…