So I’m even-steven. Now it’s time to face two Psychatog decks, both supposedly good matchups. Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell these guys to roll over and die to me, because Yannick Roussel proceeded to kick testicles up into my abdomen for the greater glory of Quebec or something, and Jason The paddled my ass so hard that the judge came over and gave him a game loss for hazing.
The problem was Deep Analysis. Ever Persecute a control deck guy and look over next turn, only to find out that he’s got five cards in his hand again? That happened to me a lot.
Round 5 vs. Yannick Roussel w/ Psychatog (plenty o’ Deep Analysis)
Check this out.
Game 1:
I rip away his hand like I’m supposed to, but he calmly pays life, draws 800 cards, casts a Tog and a Familiar, and then a couple of Fact or Fictions and a duo of countered Edicts later, his ‘Tog swings for twenty. I just sit there and take my asshammering like a good little palace eunuch.
I sideboard in the usual suspects, plus a couple of surprise Magnivores.
Game 2:
One unscheduled rectal massage deserves another – I get the Duress, Duress, Overmaster, Addle, Overmaster, Edict, Persecute, Magnivore draw, and crush Yannick like a bug before he can get anything going. In fact, I think I had two 5/5 Magnivores attacking by turn 6, while he had no cards in hand and no creatures in play.
Game 3
He casts Deep Analysis thirty or forty times again. No matter how much discard I have, it doesn’t matter, because his hand is always getting refilled, and when he hits nine mana, he Upheaval-kills me with my Innocent Blood nowhere to be found. Most of this game consisted of me running out of gas while he still had a mittful of ill-gotten cards thanks to the Blue Necro. Imagine me raising my middle finger at the screen in a Stone Cold salute (join me if you like) and you’ll have a pretty good idea of how I felt about Deep Analysis by the end of this day.
Match Record: 2-3
Well, that sucked ass. I’d try to be more eloquent if I felt the inclination, but I know that most of you readers out there don’t hesitate to stoop to the earthiest of language, so I thought I’d throw my hat into the ring on that score. Maybe I can salvage a 3-3 record out of this if the next round is kind.
Round 6 vs. Jason The w/ Deep Analysis Blue (also had Psychatog/Upheaval in it somewhere)
Yay. More Persecutes that do nothing.
Game 1
:It’s usually good to see your opponent’s life drop from twenty to eleven over the course of a few turns… But not if your kill in Game 1 is Echoes/Millstone. Mr. McThe had so many Analysis that he could have passed wind and fired two cards out of his ass. I put up a good fight, but who am I kidding – he draws ten more cards than me from the Anals alone.
A Psychatog finishes it after he Recoils my Ensnaring Bridge.
Game 2
:See Game 1.
This is not a cop-out. It’s the same damn thing – except this time I resolve an Echoes and take all his countermagic plus his Fact or Fictions and his Upheavals, and still lose to the Psychatog and the two counterspells he had in his hand, as he draws a Repulse off the top to save it from one Edict, counters another, and then drops a Familiar to soak up another Edict, all the time casting Deep Analysis after Deep Analysis.
The ‘Tog runs me over after a few turns of this.
Final Match Record: 2-4
Same record as Brian Davis.
I’m not a happy camper, but let’s face it…I’m lucky to be playing the first place. After a few minutes of feel pretty grouchy, I lighten up and go watch the end of the T1 tournament. I’ve get to draft for free all day tomorrow, and who could stay angry with that fine a future in store?
I go back up to the hotel room, go grab some dinner with the guys, tell some stories, and then it’s time to sleep well and dream of opening large bombs. The next part of this report will be for the limited portion, and I’ll give you a sneak preview – in my first draft I was playing G/B and opened Cabal Patriarch, Gurzigost, and Genesis. Those are bombs… Would I have the solid deck to back them up?
I guess you’ll find out.
Until then, have a good one – and thanks for all the mail. I’m still digging through most of it, answering the mail I got for the Magic: Online article (about 110 pieces of mail, all told) is going to take me a while.