Ok, so this is a bit late, but you’ll live.  Below is an account of my games.  I took pretty good notes so I was able to recall most of the action.  So instead of a lengthy introduction I’m just going to jump right in.  If you want to see my pool and my deck you can find them HERE and HERE.

 

Round 1 VS BJ

 

The thing I remember about BJ is that his deck had some very interesting card choices.  He had a main deck Embergale which is not that terrible of a card, but he also had a main deck Fossil Find which I thought was a tad bit odd.  When I asked him about the it after the match he said he had had some success with the card, but I’m still a bit skeptical.

 

Game 1

 

I played a turn 3 Thistledown Duo and turn 4 Safehold Duo and then proceded to play green, white, and blue spells that pumped the them and the game was over in short order.  BJ attempted to put up a fight with an early Safehold elite, but put it on top of his library with Aether Tow and instead of playing it again he tried a Scuzzback Marauders which I chump blocked a few times.  He didn’t really see much action this game, but my draw was really good even if he had.

 

I brought in Barrenton Cragtreads and Tattermunge Duo because he was playing forests and red dudes.  I took out my other hybrid hill giant and duo.

 

Game 2

 

BJ mulliganed once and didn’t play anything until turn 3 when he played a Giantbaiting.  I played a Devoted Druid into a turn 3 Safehold Duo on turn 3.  On turn 4 BJ played Fossil find getting back the Giantbaiting, and then attack me with another 4/4, which I took.  Over the next few turns I kept adding attackers and he couldn’t keep deal with them all.  When I played a Silkbind Faerie he scooped them up.

 

1-0, 2-0

 

At this point most of my group was doing well with only two of us losing in the first round.  So I was feeling good when I sat down to play the next round.

 

Round 2 VS Andy

 

From what I gathered from conversation Andy had a Round 1 bye which didn’t bother me as much as you might think.  I generally prefer to play against better players, and I think a lot better than my rating reflects, that might just be my ego, but I think I’m a 1750-1800 limited player I just do most of my playing in unsanctioned events.

 

Game 1

 

This was the single longest game I played all day long.  My life total changed 19 times so the game was at least 20 turns long.  Andy was playing the most annoying deck I had ever played against. He played a turn 2 Trip Noose, into turn 3 Augury Adept, into turn 4 Silkbind Faerie, and had to spend several turn doing nothing, but making sure that he didn’t get too far ahead with the Adept.  I finally go a Silkbind Faerie of my own and then put some pressure on with a Scuzzback Maruader.  The Marauder traded with a few dudes and got in some damage on its way out.  Then I played a huge Howl of the Night Pack, and followed it up with a Godhead of Awe and thought for sure I was going to pull it out.  I had a major creature advantage and all of our dooders were on the same footing.  So I began swinging in with enough guys to be threatening, but still keeping enough back to keep him from cracking back and killing me at my very low life total.  Then he ripped and slammed a Valley Maker on the table.  I wasn’t too worried at first because he didn’t seem to have any mountains, but it turns out that the add GGG to you mana pool is a targeted ability.  A few turns of me not being able to find a way to deal with the extra mana and I was dead.

 

I brought in the same cards as before, for the same reasons.

 

Game 2

 

This game was just an old fashioned race.  I started with a Mistmeadow Skulk, and added Tattermunge Duo, and was getting in damage off of the protection ability and the forestwalk.  I was pretty far ahead on life when I played a decently sized Howl and cracked in to bring him down to 4.  I was at 18 and figured that I’d locked up the game when, and this is something I should’ve learned from, he laid a Runes of the Deus on a R/G dooder and I was suddenly at 5 life.  He also had an active Barrenton Medic with no -1/-1 counters on it to keep me from killing him. 

 

It was a little disappointing to be so close both games and still not be able to get there.  However, the games were a lot of fun and if every game I played was like that it was sure to be an enjoyable day.

 

1-1, 2-2

 

Round 3 VS Steve

 

My notes for this round are terrible, but I do remember some things.  Like Steve mentioning that he had misbuilt his pool.  Which was a little comforting, but sometimes people are talking about maybe one card when they say stuff like that so I didn’t get too excited.

 

Game 1

 

Started with him attacking me with some R/G dooders and me chump blocking as I built up my lands and then made seven 2/2s with Howl.  I have his life total recorded as 10, 6, 4.  It was a pretty boring game, but I’ll take it.

 

Game 2

More of the same, though I had expected more because he did side in like 9 cards, he got me all the way down to 2 life then I Howled and followed it with a Godhead.  He spent a few turns trying to draw a burn spell to finish me, but didn’t get there.

 

2-1, 4-2

 

Round 4 VS a different Steve

 

I really don’t remember anything about these games at all.  From what little I have written down he played a few small dudes and turned them sideways game one and I just had bigger and better threats, including Howl and Godhead.  In game from what I can tell all I did was play a big Howl and it was good enough. I appologize from not having better notes.

 

3-1, 6-2

 

Round 5 VS Ryan

 

These games I remember vividly, because they were close and I got very loose near the end of them.  Ryan was also one of the nicest people I played against all day so the match was very fun to play.

 

Game 1

 

I open with Devoted Druid, into turn 3 Wicker Warcrawler, and have a way to deal with everything he puts in front of it for a long time.  I think he probably kept a sub par hand, but this was the only game we played that was easy for either of us.

 

Game 2

 

I opened on an Elvish Hexhunter and Ryan didn’t play anything until turn 3 when he played a Gloomwidow.  This is where my play starts to get loose, on my turn 3 I play a Warcrawler, thanks to a Devoted Druid, but don’t attack with my Hexhunter because I forgot that Gloomwidiows can’t block on the ground.  It was only a point, but stuff like that can add up.  On his turn he killed my Warcrawler and bashed me.  My hand was running out of action because I couldn’t come up with more white sources.  I manage to trade with his spider, but he just has more pressure manages to get me.

 

Game 3

 

This game was very tight and I just punted it away.  We both started pretty slow with me making only an Elsewhere Flask and Farhaven Elf in the first 3 turn.  All Ryan mustered was a Pili-Pala.  On turn 4 I played a Scuzzback Marauder and was able to turn it into some damage and take out some dudes.  The board stalled for a while until he played a big dooder of his own, a Scuzzback, but I followed it up with 7 Howl tokens and a Safehold Duo.  Over he next couple of turns I attacked him down to 8 with my tokens and he made more dooders while drawing cards with Illuminated Folio.  On my last turn I untapped with a Farhaven Elf, Safehold Duo, and 5 tokens with him on 8 life and 3 blockers.  I do the math and I can’t kill him with what’s on the table, but I’m sitting on 16 life and feel pretty good about my chances of winning.  In my hand I have a Manamorphose and a Presence of Gond, and I know my attack will kill one of his dooders.  So I simply send everyone, but the elf and take him down to two.  In my second main phase I play Manamorphose and draw . . . Somnomancer . . . Wow what a bone headed play.  I play it out and put the presence on my elf.  He untaps, puts Runes of the Deus on a Morselholder and Swings in for 21. 

 

There was no reason for me to lose that game at all.  Any reasonable player would’ve just played the Manamorphose before they attack just to see the top card.  And afterwards I counted how many cards in my deck would just have won me the game.  I had 5 cards that just won me the game right then and there, and 1 that would’ve kept him from killing me.  I felt so terrible, but I was still in the running to make day two.

 

3-2, 7-4

 

Round 6 VS Matt

 

I was never really in either of these games.  I also have no notes except Kithkin Sheild-Dare FTW scarwled over the top of game one life totals.   Matt had seen me beat someone up with Howl of the Night Pack a few rounds earlier and cringed when I played Elsewhere Flask, but other than that I don’t remember much.  I was still pretty upset about the last round.

 

3-3, 7-6

 

After that I dropped and went to get dinner with my buddies and look for block decks.  Which brings me to my favorite story of the whole trip which I’ll cover sometime tomorrow or maybe the day after.  Until next time.

 

Bob

Tags: Magic Sealed Limited