Today’s article is the tale of a PTQ. It took place on Saturday, in the city of Bradford, England. In total, sixty-three mages shuffled up to do battle. I was but one.
The Build-up
It’s Friday morning, around 1am EST. I’ve finished updating the site with the weekend articles. I’m rounding out some tedious editorial minutiae, and gladly winding down. Bear in mind, of course, that in England, the time is, as Ice T once said, six in the morning. Upstairs, my fiancée stirs in her sleep. She’s due to rise any moment, to ready herself for work.
We’re waiting for a parcel delivery this morning, from a mail-order book company. My fiancée Sarah, a Guns n Roses fanatic, eagerly awaits Slash’s autobiography. As it didn’t fit through our letterbox the first time it was delivered, I’ve arranged a redelivery. My usual routine sees me crawl into bed at this time, but not today. I’m waiting for the postman. He shouldn’t be more than a few hours.
Sarah rises. She is notoriously grumpy in the morning. I make her a cup of tea, and she grabs it from me without a word. The tea mellows her, thankfully, and we chat awhile before she departs for work at eight-fifteen.
Eight-fifteen in the morning… That’s what, just gone midnight PST?
Drafts are working.
I have three Lorwyn boosters in my account, and a handful of tickets. Mise well draft until the postman arrives, amirite? I fire her up, and join the hundreds of eager 8-4 players.
I draft a fun faerie deck, and manage to split the final. Still no sign of the postman.
Might as well join another, I think.
The postman arrives at 2pm, which is scandalously late. By then I’ve split three drafts, and have product to spare. I decide to keep playing until I run out of boosters.
At 2.30, my accountant arrives for a planned meeting, a meeting which had completely slipped my mind. My 8-4 had just fired, so I draft and play while I talk finance. I split that one too.
Sarah returns from work at five thirty. I kiss her in welcome, and return to my computer.
When the drafts finish, at around eight in the evening local time, I’ve nine boosters in my account. And a fistful of cool rares. I’d played, and beaten, many a famous name. Tomoharo Saito, Zvi Mowshowitz, and others… all fell beneath my inspired run of form.
I relax with Sarah. Dinner and a movie. She retires to bed at ten thirty, tired from a long week. I’ve been up for thirty-two hours straight, and I’m dead on my feet. I’m being picked up early next morning for a local PTQ, and I need some sleep.
But the itch still burns.
I fire up the laptop, log myself on. I jump in a 2x Sealed Premier Event.
I’m 2-1 when the server rebels and freezes every tournament currently running. I wait around a while, before claiming my refund and falling into bed at three a.m.
Four hours later, I’m up for the PTQ.
Magic: The Gathering… it’s in the blood.
The Cardpool
In deckbuilding, I sit opposite Scottish mage Guy Southcott, one of the stronger players in attendance (the field in general looks rather good). We chew the fat awhile, registering our cards. Guy shows me his lovely folder packed with foils. I am impressed.
We hand the cards to a passing zebra, and receive our PTQ weapons shortly after.
Creatures (46)
- 1 Adder-Staff Boggart
- 1 Aethersnipe
- 2 Amoeboid Changeling
- 1 Avian Changeling
- 1 Axegrinder Giant
- 1 Boggart Loggers
- 1 Boggart Sprite-Chaser
- 1 Briarhorn
- 1 Cloudcrown Oak
- 1 Cloudgoat Ranger
- 1 Deeptread Merrow
- 2 Elvish Branchbender
- 1 Faerie Harbinger
- 3 Fire-Belly Changeling
- 1 Flamekin Brawler
- 1 Giant Harbinger
- 1 Guardian of Cloverdell
- 1 Hornet Harasser
- 1 Hunter of Eyeblights
- 1 Kinsbaile Balloonist
- 2 Kinsbaile Skirmisher
- 1 Kithkin Daggerdare
- 1 Kithkin Greatheart
- 1 Leaf Gilder
- 1 Marsh Flitter
- 1 Mirror Entity
- 1 Nightshade Stinger
- 1 Pestermite
- 1 Quill-Slinger Boggart
- 1 Silvergill Douser
- 2 Skeletal Changeling
- 1 Spellstutter Sprite
- 1 Spiderwig Boggart
- 1 Squeaking Pie Sneak
- 1 Tar Pitcher
- 1 Thieving Sprite
- 1 Tideshaper Mystic
- 1 Turtleshell Changeling
- 1 Warren Pilferers
- 1 Woodland Changeling
Spells (28)
- 1 Fertile Ground
- 1 Aquitect's Will
- 1 Ashling's Prerogative
- 1 Crib Swap
- 1 Cryptic Command
- 1 Faerie Tauntings
- 1 Fistful of Force
- 1 Fodder Launch
- 1 Heal the Scars
- 1 Herbal Poultice
- 1 Incremental Growth
- 1 Lace with Moonglove
- 1 Lash Out
- 1 Militia's Pride
- 1 Oblivion Ring
- 1 Ponder
- 1 Rings of Brighthearth
- 1 Rootgrapple
- 1 Scattering Stroke
- 1 Shields of Velis Vel
- 1 Spring Cleaning
- 1 Summon the School
- 1 Surge of Thoughtweft
- 1 Tarfire
- 1 Triclopean Sight
- 1 Wanderer's Twig
- 1 Whirlpool Whelm
- 1 Woodland Guidance
On first glance at this pool, I’m reasonably pleased. Cryptic Command springs out at me, proclaiming its myriad uses like a town crier. Mirror Entity taps me on the shoulder and whispers sweet nothings in my ear. And the removal… strong, deep, across three colors.
I begin to break and rate the colors, and the all-important tribes.
White
Top: Mirror Entity, Cloudgoat Ranger, Crib Swap, Oblivion Ring, Summon the School, Kinsbaile Balloonist
Middle: Militia’s Pride, Avian Changeling, Surge of Thoughtweft, Triclopean Sight, Kithkin Greatheart, Kinsbaile Skirmisher
Bottom: Shields of Velis Vel
I flick through the White cards, and crack a smile. Strength in depth. There are bombs here too: Mirror Entity is a surefire game-winner, and Cloudgoat Ranger is a house. The two marquee White removal spells appear, as do combat tricks and early men. Kinsbaile Balloonist is a great guy, rousing his troops with a cry of “to the skies!” Avian Changeling is a brilliant three-drop, especially after a turn 2 Kithkin Greatheart. The Skirmishers are quick, and help any evasive men, and Surge of Thoughtweft is a wonderful pump/draw spell. If the pool has Merfolk, then Summon the School is invaluable, albeit without its bosom buddy Judge of Currents.
Triclopean Sight is a card I ridiculed at first, but it helps feed what I feel is one of the fundamentals of Lorwyn Limited: You Need Tricks. Fist of Force, Whirlpool Whelm, Peppersmoke, anything. I’ve found myself rating such cards very highly in later packs of drafts, and I’ll cram as many as possible into my Sealed decks. Man cannot live by creatures and removal alone.
Militia’s Pride is a card I rated as Top, at first. After some careful consideration, I shifted it down to Middle… but I think it actually should appear in the Bottom category. This does seem strange, I grant you, but here’s my thinking. An early Militia’s Pride, to an empty board, can be a kicking. Turn 2 Skirmisher, turn 3 Militia’s Pride, swing for three. However, later in the game, there’s little to be gained from making attacking 1/1 men in the face of opposing creatures. You need non-token creature overlap to get the best from this, and if you have that, they you should be winning anyway. I suppose it’s fine when fuelled by an evasive guy or two, but it’ll just cost you a mana to make a guy that’ll doubtless be blocked by a 2/2. Surge of Thoughtweft does help — note the need for tricks — but I think I’d give it a miss in all but the most aggressive Sealed decks. I may be off on this, and I welcome your opinions in the forums.
Blue
Top: Cryptic Command, Aethersnipe, Faerie Harbinger, Pestermite, Silvergill Douser, Whirlpool Whelm
Middle: Turtleshell Changeling, Amoeboid Changeling, Deeptread Merrow, Tideshaper Mystic, Spellstutter Sprite, Ponder, Aquitect’s Will
Bottom: Scattering Stroke
Again, I feel a little chill when I read the Blue cards. There is strength here, too; not as much as the White cards, but powerful nonetheless. We have the marquee Merfolk, Silvergill Douser. We have a Faerie Harbinger, and while his tribal targets are few, the shapeshifter count is high. Pestermite and Aethersnipe are cards I’ll happily play regardless of tribal concerns, and Ponder is a fine early play that can help out when you’re searching for answers.
Turtleshell Changeling, and his Amoeboid cousins, are great at what they do. The little Blue bag of brine in particular is a fine fellow to fudge your opponent’s tribal shenanigans. Spellstutter Sprite is best at home in a heavy Blue/Black faeries build, and the other men — The Tideshaper, the Deeptread — are perfectly serviceable. One provides evasion and colorfixing, and the other does the evading himself. Even Aquitect’s Will draws a card, and the Flood counter may prove relevant.
Of all the countermagic on offer in this set — and there are some gems — we have the strongest in Cryptic Command, and the weakest in Scattering Stroke. One will see play should we dip our toes in the water. The other will remain at the dry dock.
Black
Top: Fodder Launch, Boggart Loggers, Hornet Harasser, Warren Pilferers
Middle: Marsh Flitter, Spiderwig Boggart, Quill-Slinger Boggart, Squeaking Pie Sneak, Hunter of Eyeblights, Thieving Sprite, Skeletal Changeling
Bottom: Faerie Tauntings, Nightshade Stinger
I move swiftly into Black. The two colors before promise much, and I hope the trend continues. Happily, I’m not disappointed.
Fodder Launch (or as I keep calling it in error, Fodder Cannon) is Top Drawer Removal. It’ll kill almost anything stone dead, and slap the guy’s controller for his cheek. Backed with good Goblins / Boggarts, or even Changelings, it’s an auto-include for the color of night. Warren Pilferers, similarly, is a card that mustn’t be overlooked. Its tribal synergy is nice, but little more than icing. Easily splashable too. Hornet Harasser is a great card, in that it dissuades early attacks (or even board development), and it a great four-drop if you’ve missed early plays in the face of an immaculate curve. He also plays well with the Fodder Launch, of course.
Squeaking Pie Sneak is a great early drop, but when paying full price he seems rather cumbersome. Even so, Nezumi Cutthroat was always playable, so making him able to block, and withstand Peppersmoke, is fuel for his fire. Quill-Slinger Boggart trades on curve, and his ability is quite alarming. As the White in this pool looks like a foundation color, he’ll be pinging with his catapult should Black make the squad. Boggart Loggers is an evasive Seal of Doom for target Shapeshifters,, and Marsh Flitter brings his friends to the party. While four mana for a 1/1 flyer doesn’t seem the value, his ability brings him up to snuff. Be warned that casting Surge of Thoughtweft and THEN sacrificing a Goblin to the Flitter does not a 4/4 flyer make.
Thieving Sprite is another tribal whore, in that he’s at is best in a faerie orgy… although paying an extra mana to make your Ravenous Rats fly isn’t that bad a deal. Hunter of Eyeblights is dangerous removal on a 3/3 body, so make sure you don’t open yourself to mischief.
Red
Top: Tarfire, Lash Out, Giant Harbinger, Axegrinder Giant
Middle: Tar Pitcher, Adder-Staff Boggart, Fire-Belly Changeling, Boggart Sprite-Chaser
Bottom: Ashling’s Prerogative, Flamekin Brawler
After three colors packed with tasty goodness, it’s almost refreshing to see something a little weaker. I say “almost”… of course, we Magic players clamor for perfection at every step.
Even though the red cards are weaker that their collective cousins, there are options here. Tarfire, Lash Out… I hope I needn’t tell you how they rate in the Grand Guignol. Craw Wurm has always been strong enough to se play, and his Red pot-bellied equivalent is no different. The Giant Harbinger, although expensive for his stars, still brings all the big-boned boys to the yard, and Adder-Staff Boggart is perfectly playable if not exciting. Fire-Belly Changeling — here in triplicate — does not inspire awe, although he can help tribal concerns when pressed, and he does box above his weight when blocking. The rest? Food for powder.
Green
Top: Briarhorn, Fertile Ground, Fistful of Force, Cloudcrown Oak, Woodland Changeling, Leaf Gilder
Middle: Elvish Branchbender, Rootgrapple, Kithkin Daggerdare, Incremental Growth, Spring Cleaning
Bottom: Woodland Guidance, Heal the Scars, Lace with Moonglove, Guardian of Cloverdale
After the disappointing Red, I find myself back in strong territory with the Green cards. Briarhorn is the premier combat trick available to the color. As a Giant Growth he’s passable, but as a four-mana combat wrecker he’s simply outstanding. Cloudcrown Oak is another four-mana monster we’re glad to have on our team, and it’s nice to see we can accelerate to them with both Leaf Gilder and the color-fixing Fertile Ground. Fistful of Force is another much-needed trick, and the Trample it conditionally grants can be phenomenal.
As for the rest of the Elves, the Woodland Changeling is possibly the best, as long as you can make good use of his Shapeshifting ability. The Branchbenders are better when backed with powerful cards such as Gilt Leaf Ambush and Lys Alana Huntmaster, but a Grey Ogre with a funky ability isn’t too shabby. Kithkin Daggerdare fuels fast starts, and Incremental Growth can make mountains out of molehills. Rounding out the truly playables we have Rootgrapple, a card with fringe appeal in the destruction of both Planeswalkers and opposing Oblivion Rings. Indeed, the only reason I semi-rate Spring Cleaning is as a foil to the O-Ring antics of those pesky Kithkin herders.
Other
Top: Wanderer’s Twig
Middle: None
Bottom: Rings of Brighthearth, Herbal Poultice
No explanation is warranted here, I feel.
The Deck
After reviewing the cards, I sit back and take stock. White is the strongest color, that much is clear. At the opposite end of the scale, Red offers us little but splash support. What do we pair with the White? Blue, and its playful Merfolk theme? Black, for the synergy of the Boggart Quill-Slinger and the power of the Fodder Launch? Or Green, with the backbreaking Briarhorn and the usual acceleration and manafixing?
In the end, I settle with the following:
Creatures (15)
- 1 Avian Changeling
- 1 Boggart Loggers
- 1 Cloudgoat Ranger
- 1 Giant Harbinger
- 1 Hornet Harasser
- 1 Kinsbaile Balloonist
- 2 Kinsbaile Skirmisher
- 1 Kithkin Greatheart
- 1 Marsh Flitter
- 1 Mirror Entity
- 1 Quill-Slinger Boggart
- 1 Spiderwig Boggart
- 1 Squeaking Pie Sneak
- 1 Warren Pilferers
Lands (7)
- 7 Swamp
Spells (18)
By pairing the White with the Black, and splashing the obvious Red, I’m able to maximize my removal. I also have a few tricks with the Black monsters, such as Loggers, Spiderwig, and Pilferers. It also brings me the best guy-curve I can possible find: four two-drops, four three-drops, four four-drops, and three five-drops.
The Giant Harbinger may seem like an odd addition, but he can fetch up Crib Swap, Mirror Entity, Cloudgoat Ranger, or even the Avian Changeling. I can remove things with Lash Out, Tarfire, Crib Swap, Oblivion Ring, Fodder Launch, or the Boggart Loggers. The deck seems packed with evasion, combat tricks, and solid monsters… and a Wanderer’s Twig helps with the mana. What’s not to love?
That said, I think there’s a case to be made for any of the other non-Red colors in this pool, especially Blue. If you want to argue the point, come to the forums.
The Tournament
I register my cards, collect my land, and await the first round. The pairings are quick in arriving, and I take my seat.
Round 1
I’m playing a chap by the name of Steve Pennington, finalist from a PTQ the previous week. For good or ill, I feel he was riding his luck on that day, as he’s not known for flawless play (or card evaluation). I fancy my chances, and I’m quickly rewarded with a 2-0 win. In game 1, Steve plays out a desperation Colfenor’s Plans when facing almost lethal. After I take him into range of the killing blow, he untaps attempts to cast Cloudthresher for zero mana, believing the Plans allowed him to do so. A judge confirms the error in his thinking, and as Steve sits on two Forests for his Green mana, the game is over.
1-0, 2-0
Round 2
Next up, a young lady called Kim Manners, whom I’ve never played before. She seems pleasant and chatty, but her deck proves otherwise. She has nice mana fixing, two copies of Doran the Siege Tower, and Purity.
Thankfully, my deck appears to be the picture of consistency. There’s a hairy moment in which I face down a 2/7 Doran equipped with double Runed Stalactite, but I have both Fodder Launch and Tarfire to ward of that particular menace.
2-0, 4-0
Round 3
My next opponent is Andrew Buchanan, a previous Grand Prix Top 8 competitor (GP: Manilla 1999). He is the picture of urbanity, and always a pleasure to play. By his own admission, he feels rather rusty on the Lorwyn cards, as he’s not had the chance to play with them much. I defeat him 2-0.
Memorable moments here include topdecking the Oblivion Ring for his Mirror Entity in game 1, and Andrew fetching up the Entity in game 2 with a Harbinger, only to have me destroy it with my onboard Boggart Loggers the turn it sees play. Andrew was kicking himself for that. As is my custom, I tell him he’s sure to get his revenge in the Top 8… foreshadowing, perhaps?
3-0, 6-0
Round 4
Scotland regularly send raiding parties to Northern English PTQ, and today is no exception. Andrew Morrison is one of the crew that troops down, and today sees him flying high at 3-0 piloting a tricky Red/Black deck made to sing by Wort, Boggart Auntie.
Indeed, it is Wort that proves to be the key card in all three of our games. Game 1 sees work come down in desperation when I have removal in hand and many men on the board. Game 2 sees Wort dominate, backed by recursive Hornet Harassers and Boggart Birth Rite, and I simply can’t find my White RFG removal. Game 3, which goes to extra turns, sees me holding a Crib Swap the entire game without Wort showing her face. I battle cagily, and eventually take it on turn 4 of extras when my opponent could’ve blown me away with Wild Ricochet (unbeknown to me) had I chosen to overcommit.
4-0, 8-1
Round 5
Lian Pizzey is a regular on the English PTQ scene, and he has the happy knack of knocking me out of Top 8 contention at the final hurdle. He sits on ten points, and I’m paired down to him here. I long for an ID, but Lian believes he cannot make it.
I win game 1 rather quickly, with evasive beaters and well-timed removal. In game 2, Lian comes out quickly — turn 2 Judge of Currents, turn 3 Militia’s Pride, swing for two, gain a life. I stutter on land a little, and am forced to Crib Swap his Judge as he doesn’t make any non-token threats to fuel the Militia’s Pride. Then the land comes, then the guys come, then the removal comes, then the win comes.
5-0, 10-1
Round 6
I take a ID with another PTQ perennial, Paul Graham. We sit and bemoan the state of the world while others play for glory.
5-0-1, 10-1
The Top 8
My plan in the draft is to remain flexible, for the first picks at least. I take a Tarfire out of a relatively weak booster, and follow it up with a Warren Pilferers. When I see a third-pick Fodder Launch, I decide to hang my hat with the Goblins.
Here’s my deck:
Creatures (15)
- 1 Boggart Harbinger
- 1 Boggart Loggers
- 1 Boggart Mob
- 2 Caterwauling Boggart
- 1 Fire-Belly Changeling
- 1 Glarewielder
- 1 Goatnapper
- 1 Hornet Harasser
- 1 Inner-Flame Acolyte
- 1 Lowland Oaf
- 1 Mudbutton Torchrunner
- 1 Quill-Slinger Boggart
- 2 Warren Pilferers
Lands (10)
Spells (15)
- 7 Mountain
- 1 Blades of Velis Vel
- 2 Boggart Birth Rite
- 1 Consuming Bonfire
- 1 Fodder Launch
- 1 Oblivion Ring
- 1 Tarfire
- 1 Wild Ricochet
Sideboard
The draft finishes, and I’m not that happy with my deck… action starts at three, and seems to cling too readily to the four slot. Double Pilferers is nice, and the recursion available with double Boggart Birth Rite could be key, but the lack of removal could spell disaster. In the draft, I resorted to picking mediocre tricks higher than usual, in order to maximize my damage potential. I feel success in this draft may come on the back of Caterwauling Boggart, Glarewielder, and Blades of Velis Vel.
Quarter Final
I sit, and shake hands with my smiling opponent. He’s running White, and Blue. We shuffle up and exchange pleasantries.
In game 1, my deck performs like a charm. Three drop, four drop, Caterwauling Boggart, Harbinger for Fodder Launch, Warren Pilferers, Glarewielder, good game. Smooth. The second game feels even more unfair. His turn 3 Harpoon Sniper refuses to trade with my 4/2 Hasted Inner-Flame Acolyte. My opponent sits on sixteen, and I hold Boggart Harbinger, Warren Pilferers, Boggart Birth Rite, and Fodder Launch. Things end messily after a brief and futile stance.
6-0-1, 12-1
Semi Final
Now I face Andrew Buchanan, my bested opponent from Round 3. His draft deck is packed with Blue and White merfolk, and an all-important Mirror Entity. He wins the die roll, and we begin.
Things set of badly from the outset. Judge of Currents and Stonybrook Angler clog up the ground while my deck decides to take a brief sabbatical. Soon the board teems with fish, and I can’t keep up. Happily, game 2 is much more brutal. Mirror Entity makes an appearance, but Fodder Launch takes it down. We’re onto game 3…
I start well, beating down with reckless abandon. However, Andrew manages to stem the tide, and takes me to eleven life while I search for recursive answers. I stem the flow, and regroup. Eventually I’m swinging through prospective blockers with Squealing Pie Sneak, but it’s slow going. Glarewielder threatens to make it quicker, and I’m doing my best to go all out as Mirror Entity could spell instant defeat.
One draw step goes by. And another. I’m swinging closer to victory each time.
Andrew slaps the top of his deck, a single turn from defeat. He draws his card with a smile…
…
And extends the hand. I’ve made the final!
7-0-1, 14-2
Final
In the last match of the day, I face the only guy to take a game off me in the swiss, Scotsman Andrew Morrison. And his deck is insane.
Red/Green Giants.
Two Thundercloud Shamen.
Two Lash Out.
Ashling the Pilgrim.
Two Stinkdrinker Devils.
Two Consuming Bonfires.
Two Changeling Heroes.
That’s three Wrath effects, and my deck has a toughness of two.
I lose the die roll, and proceed to get absolutely crushed. My opponent makes three Clashes, and hits them all. My opponent sees multiple removal spells, and multiple great monsters. My draws falter slightly, and my deck is embarrassed by superior forces. Not a chance. Turn 6? Dead. Turn 6? Dead again.
7-1-1, 14-4
So I wish my opponent fair fortune, collect my winnings, and wend a weary mile home. It’s been a long day for twenty boosters, and I feel upset I didn’t take the slot. Yet I suspect, in the harsh light of tomorrow morning, things will feel better. After all, next week is but seven days away, and my day at the office was rather successful.
I get home, late. My fiancée is asleep. I stroke the cat, and fire up MTGO.
It gets you, this game. Bone deep. Roots snaked into your belly. It’s fire, it’s food, it’s life.
As I said before… it’s in the blood.
Until next time…
Thanks for listening.
Craig Stevenson
Scouseboy on MTGO
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