5/9/14 Death and Taxes (Theros block draft 3-1)

I left for Two Cats Comics around 4:55 p.m.  Due to traffic and difficulty in finding parking, I barely got in the front door by 6 p.m.   

The draft ended up not starting until 6:20 p.m.  or so, because of people who were showing up late.  They had 20 people to draft tonight, instead of 10 people like last time.   There was an eight pod and two six pods.  I ended up in the eight pod, but it didn't matter a lot since there were cross-pod pairings.  

P1P1:  Rare was Extinguish All Hope.  I took Forgeborn Oreads over Tethmos High Priest.  Maybe this was wrong.

I ended up getting two midpack Supply-Line Cranes, which made me think white was kinda open.  No Ajani's Presence or Oreskos Swiftclaw, though.  

P2P1:  Rare was Fated Infatuation.  I took an Elite Skirmisher.

Green/blue was super open from this direction apparently.  I was seeing late Setessan Oathsworn and Sudden Storm from this side.   Also a 9th pick Aerie Worshippers (wth).

No Asphyxiates in this pack, sadly.  

P3P1:  Rare was Ashen Rider.  I took it over Returned Phalanx.  (Basically no other white/black playables in the pack).  

I took a Wingsteed Rider over Observant Alseid,  Probably a mistake.  There was also a Medomai the Ageless in the pack but I decided against splashing since I didn't have any mana fixing.

I took a Favored Hoplite over Ray of Dissolution.  This was definitely a mistake.

Took first Scholar of Athreos over Sentry of the Underworld.

Wheeled a second Scholar of Athreos and the Sentry of the Underworld. 

DECK:

BLACK   9

2 Pharika's Chosen

2 Servant of Tymaret

1 Blood-Toll Harpy

1 Insatiable Harpy

1 Feast of Dreams

1 Font of Return

1 Necrobite

WHITE  12

1 Vanguard of Brimaz

2 Scholar of Athreos

1 Wingsteed Rider

1 Heliod's Emissary

2 Supply-Line Cranes

1 Mortal's Obstinacy

1 Mortal's Ardor

1 Acolyte's Reward

1 Reprisal

1 Excoriate

MULTICOLOR  2

1 Sentry of the Underworld

1 Ashen Rider

LAND:

9 Plains

8 Swamp

SIDEBOARD:

GREEN

1 Swordwise Centaur

RED

1 Reckless Reveler

1 Forgeborn Oreads

1 Blinding Flare

1 Magma Spray

WHITE

1 Favored Hoplite

1 Elite Skirmisher

1 Font of Vigor

BLACK

1 Asphodel Wanderer

1 Bloodcrazed Hoplite

1 Fleshmad Steed

1 Felhide Brawler

2 Returned Phalanx

1 Ashiok's Adept

1 Forsaken Drifters

1 Eye Gouge

1 Cast Into Darkness

MULTICOLOR

1 Battlewise Hoplite

Right:  Red/green

Me:  White/black

Left:  Blue/black (King Macar)

White/red

White/red

White/blue

Blue/red

Green/Black

So blue/green WERE pretty open at the table apparently.  I still felt like my white/black cards were reasonably synergistic.

The Vanguard of Brimaz was mainly to give two white devotion for Acolyte's Reward.  

MATCH 1:  WB Mirror (1-2)

This guy was in a different pod.  His deck was pretty insane with Silence the Believers, Agent of Fates, double Gray Merchant of Asphodel, and one Scholar of Athreos.

Game 1:

Agent of Fates + Silence the Believers for 2 packed a wallop.

Game 2:

I played Ashen Rider and he scooped.

Game 3:

Again, he got Silence the Believers for 2.   He made a voltron of Grim Guardian + Gnarled Scarhide + Nyxborn Eidolon.   I blocked with my 3/5 Supply Line Cranes, went Mortal's Ardor into Acolyte's Reward, he responded with Battlewise Valor on his guy, I responded with Reprisal, making a 2 for 3 (I used 3 of my cards to get his 2).  Not so good.  

I played Ashen Rider again but he did not scoop.  

I lost to double Gray Merchant of Asphodel into Scholar of Athreos.  

Match 2:  UW flyer (2-1)

He was in my draft pod. 

Game 1:

Mulled to 6, kept a 1 lander on the draw.   I lost to Griptide + Archetype of Imagination.

Game 2:

I had Wingsteed Rider, Insatiable Harpy, Vanguard of Brimaz, and Blood-Toll Harpy.  Heliod's Emissary bestow on Insatiable Harpy seals the deal.

Kind of a weird play:  I attack with Vanguard of Brimaz, my opponent blocks with a 3/3 Battlewise Hoplite. I play Acolyte's Reward (devotion 4) on my Vanguard of Brimaz, redirecting damage to the Battlewise Hoplite.  He plays Crypsis on his Battlewise Hoplite, making it a 4/4 that doesn't take damage from my creatures.  But Acolyte's Reward still deals 4 damage to his Hoplite.  So that's still a 2 for 1?  Weird.  

Game 3:

Opponent got blue mana screwed.   Sorry to end his tournament that way.  

Match 3:   Boros beats (2-0)

This guy was not in my pod.

Game 1:

Opponent got white mana screwed.  He played a Kragma Butcher into Ordeal of Purphoros.  I took 3, then Excoriated it.   He played a Wildfire Cerberus but it was not enough to stop my 2 power creature beatdowns.

Game 2:

This game was super close, he got me down to 3 life (I gained 3 life off Mortal's Ardor on a Blood-Toll Harpy blocking his Loyal Pegasus).  After that, I top decked a Excoriate and exiled his Kragma Butcher.  He drew straight lands.  Insatiable Harpy + Supply Line Cranes got me back into the game.

Match 4:   BG Pharika (2-1)

This guy was in my pod.  I saw earlier that he had Pharika, God of Affliction in his deck.  

Game 1:

This was a little weird.  He played a Noble Quarry (unbestowed) and a Swordwise Centaur.  I had a Vanguard of Brimaz, a Scholar of Athreos, and a Pharika's Chosen.  He chose to attack with the Noble Quarry and Swordwise Centaur.  I could have used Feast of Dreams to kill his Noble Quarry before attacks, but I decided to wait for value.  I have to block with my team, he trades off Noble Quarry with Pharika's Chosen.  Then he plays Chariot of Victory equip to Swordwise Centaur, into Snake of the Golden Grove.  

Next turn I block his Swordwise Centaur with Scholar of Athreos, he has Aspect of Hydra to punish me. 

I topdeck a Reprisal but he has Mortal's Resolve to save his Snake of the Golden Grove.   

Game 2:

He plays Necrobite + Noble Quarry to try and kill my creatures but I have Feast of Dreams to respond.  He  doesn't have the Mortal's Resolve this time.  Not that Necrobite on a 1 power creature is really that big of a deal.  

He casts Drown in Sorrow to kill my Wingsteed Rider + Insatiable Harpy and his Swordwise Centaur + Brain Maggot.  I pop Font of Return to get my Wingsteed Rider and Insatiable Harpy back.  

Insatiable Harpy + Heliod's Emissary bestow is too stronk.  

Game 3:

He plays a Keepsake Gorgon (eww) and a Snake of the Golden Grove.  I let the Snake become a 7/7, destroy it with Reprisal.   He attacks with Keepsake Gorgon, I double block with Returned Phalanx.  He wonders why I made that trade but I figured that card was gonna two for one me at some point, why not now?

This game ended up going to turns.   I have Scholar of Athreos, Heliod's Emissary (unbestowed), Insatiable Harpy, Scholar of Athreos, and Sentry of the Underworld, a Servant of Tymaret, and a Font of Return.  He's got a Oakheart Dryads, Sedge Scorpion, Leafcrown Dryad (unbestowed), Karametra's Acolyte, a Swordwise Centaur, and a Brain Maggot (hiding my Necrobite).  

Starting with turn 0, I went for the "drain him to death with Scholar of Athreos" plan.  I could have played Supply-Line Cranes to buff my Insatiable Harpy to 3/3, and attack with my Sentry of the Underworld and Insatiable Harpy into his Leafcrown Dryad.  However, I wanted to save mana for draining with Scholar of Athreos.  He blocks the Insatiable Harpy with Leafcrown Dryad, and they trade off.   He never ends up finding a Time to Feed or a Nylea's Disciple, and I win the off Sentry of the Underworld and Scholar of Athreos drains for 2 a turn.  It turns out he had Necrobite in hand and just didn't want to play it (?)

Result:  3-1 in matches, 8-4 in games.  Got 15 dollars in store credit.  

I've gone 4-0 twice at Two Cats Comics.  Once with red/green in Gatecrash, and once with green/blue in Triple Theros.   To be fair, the second time, I got a first round bye, which helped a lot.

Unfortunately, next week they are doing Standard, so I think I will have to go to Versus Games or Anime Imports.  I could also try driving an hour in traffic to go to D20 Games, but I don't know if that's worth it.