Monday, April 20, 2015

4/20/15 Game Day history

Dragon's Maze:  Saturday:  Went 3-1 in Swiss, lost in Game 3 of the finals of the top 8 due to mistapping mana.  Arggg.
M14:   Saturday:  Only was a top 8, lost in semifinals.  Didn't know about stores doing Sunday Game Day at this point.
Theros:  Saturday 3-1 in Swiss, 1st place in top 4
BNG:  Saturday 4-0 in Swiss (got recorded as a 3-0-1 for some reason), 1st place in top 4
Journey:  Saturday 1-3, should have dropped at 1-2 TBH.  Was busy with work so I didn't play Sunday.
M15:  Saturday 0-2 drop, went to go eat food.  Was busy with work so I didn't play Sunday.
KTK:  Saturday 3-1 in Swiss, they only did 4 Swiss rounds, so that sucked.  I was not in the top 2 of the Swiss so I didn't get the playmat.  Was busy with work so I didn't play Sunday.
FRF:  Saturday 3-1 in Swiss, lost semifinals of the top 4 because I was super sick.    Was sick so I didn't play Sunday.
DTK:  Saturday 2-1 in the Swiss, but they did 3 Swiss rounds with 22 people, so I wasn't one of the people to advance to top 8.  Sunday, I went 5-0 in the Swiss.  Lost in semifinals of the top 8 due to tapping mana poorly in Game 3 of the semifinals (sadtrombone.com). 

Sunday, April 19, 2015

4/19/15 Game Day DTK (day 2) report, Top 4

I wanted to go to bed early last night, but instead I woke up at 2 am, then woke up at 4:30 am., then woke up at 6:30 am, then finally woke up at 8 am event.   Who needs sleep? 

I was originally going to go to Its Your Move Games, but I was predicting a large number of Eudemonia grinders to go there, because it's 3 miles away from Eudemonia.   So I ended up going to D20 Games (instead of Endgame or Comic Cards Etc).

We showed up to the store around 10:35 a.m., and it wasn't open until 10:45 am.  We thought the tournament might not actually happen, but eventually, 22 people showed up.  The event started at 11:30 a.m.

Decklist:
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/2015-04-19-bbd-abzan-aggro/

Round 1:  Mono-red 2-0

My opponent seemed to be a bit new, but he was nice. 

Game 1:  He didn't seem to know what a lot of my cards did.   Siege Rhino does god's work, as usual.

Game 2:  I almost died when he played Titan's Strength on Flamewake Phoenix, followed by Satyr Firedancer with Dragon Mantle.  Yikes.  But I manage to stabilize.

Round 2:   Abzan whip 2-1

Game 1:  He played a bunch of Satyr Wayfinders/Commune with the Gods.  Whip decks don't do too well with an Anafenza, the Foremost in play. 

Game 2:  Lost to Hornet Queen.

Game 3:  Barely managed to kill my opponent before he hit 7 mana for Hornet Queen.  Whew.

Round 3:  RG Dragon 2-0

Game 1:  Almost lost this game because I was at 7 life.  He was down to 12 life, and I had a 6/6 Anafenza.  Tapped a painland to play Fleecemane Lion.  If he ripped an untapped land he could have Crater's Clawed me for 6.  I knew he had one because I saw him reveal it off Courser of Kruphix earlier.  That would have been embarassing.   Also, btw, Dromoka's Command is insane vs. GR. 

Game 2:  He kept a two lander, stumbled a bit.  I had double Thoughtseize, to rip his Thunderbreak Regent and one Stormbreath Dragon.  Ultimately, he had defensive Stormbreath Dragon, but I had Hero's Downfall to swing for lethal.

Round 4:  Mono-white heroic 2-1

Game 1:  Regenerating Rakshasa Deathdealers are pretty good vs. an army of 1 and 2 toughness dudes.  Didn't realize he was on monowhite heroic until game 2.

Game 2:  Lost to Phalanx Leader getting out of control. 

Game 3:   Got beat down by a Seeker of the Way that got up to 5/5, and a Phalanx Leader.  After throwing my Sorin, Solemn Visitor under the bus, I stablized, after drawing a Dromoka's Command + Ultimate Price.  Then I made an 8/8 trampling lifelink Spirit Warden. 

Round 5:  Abzan midrange 2-0

I asked this guy if he would draw, because I was hungry/tired, but he said because we were both locked for top 8, he still wanted to play it out.  I could have conceded, but I was determined to play it out now.

Game 1:  He played a Garruk, Apex Predator, and nuked my Siege Rhino to gain 5 life.  I had Hero's Downfall for Garruk, and Ultimate Price for his Tasigur.   Monstrous Fleecemane Lions, plus two more Siege Rhinos finish him off.

Game 2:  Despite me being on the draw, he kept a slow hand, and I was able to curve out with Fleecemane into Anafenza into Sorin.   Next turn, I Thoughtseized, removed his Utter End.  I was about to ultimate Sorin next turn, but then he ripped a Hero's Downfall for Sorin, Next turn, he played out his End Hostilities as a 1 for 1 for my Anafenza.  He was at 4 life though, and I played another Anafenza.  Then he scooped next turn.

Top 8:

Quarterfinals:  Abzan aggro 2-0

Game 1:  The game could have easily been lost if he was aggressive, but instead he decided to hold back.  He had removal for my other guys, but ran out of removal once I had a 13/13 Warden of the First Tree. 

Game 2:  Opponent had three Raksasha Deathdealer, but chose to be defensive.  So I created a 9/9 lifelink trample Warden, backed up by removal spells.  He stood no chance.  

Semifinals:  Atarka Red 1-2

Game 1:  He got me down to 10 life, but then I started regaining it from Siege Rhino into Siege Rhino.  Then I played double Rakshasa Deathdealer,a Fleecemane Lion, and Anafenza.   He had six goblin tokens and a Zurgo.  I liked my position there, for sure.

Game 2:  I kept 2 drop into 3 drop into 4 drop (Siege Rhino) but he had the removal spells to clear my creatures away, then just chipped my life down to 0 with Monastery Swiftspear, Frenzied Goblin, and Foundry Street Denizen.  I think I should have Hero's Downfalled his Frenzied Goblin on the turn I played Anafenza.  That might have bought me some time.

Game 3:  I was down to 2 life.  I had nine lands, and a Raksasha Deathdealer in play.   I drew a Sorin off the top.  I played it, then +1'd.  Then I swung out.  I had to decide whether to pump, to bring myself up to 7 life.  I decided to pump to a 5/2 so I would go up to 7.  Then I cracked a Windswept Heath to get a forest (woops), taking me to six. I should have just waited on that.

He had a 2/2 goblin token in play (pumped by Hall of Triumph).  He swung, and pumped with Become Immense.  I had Hero's Downfall in hand, but didn't have a second black mana (no Urborg in play).  Ugh.

edit:  I realized now what I should have done.

I had two Llanowar Wastes, a Caves of Koilos, a Temple of Plenty, a Temple of Silence, a forest, a plains, a Temple of Malady, and a Windswept Heath.  (I'm pretty sure I didn't have any Sandsteppe Citadel in play during that time). 

I had tapped plains, Temple of Malady (black) and both wastes (colorless) for Sorin.  Then I tapped forest + Temple of Silence to pump Deathdealer.  This left me with:   Temple of Plenty, Caves of Koilos, Windswept Heath with Hero's Downfall in hand.   So I should have tapped the Temple of Plenty (instead of Llanowar Wastes) to pay 1 of the colorless for Sorin, leaving up:    Windswept Heath, Caves of Koilos, Lllanowar Wastes.  Then I would have been able to pay for Hero's Downfall, but pay 3 life to do so (one to crack Windswept Heath, two for tapping Caves/Waste).   I could have played around Stoke the Flames this way, too.  Even if he swung at me for 2, a stoke the Flames would only take me to 1. 

Payout was kinda low..  2 packs in the pool for 22 people, that was a total of 44 packs.  Payout was only to top 8. 

16
10
5
5
2
2
2
2

It sucks playing 6 and a half hours and not going the distance.  Couldn't close it out.

Saturday, April 18, 2015

4/18/15 Catching up on the past

Been pretty busy since 3/28, but I haven't updated.

3/29/15 Versus Games Draft with salty people complaining about how poor I drafted.
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/2015-03-29-the-hate-is-strong-dtkfrf-draft-1-2/

4/3/15 Heretic Games draft, 3-0
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/2015-04-03-rakdoss-return-3-0/

4/4/15 Versus Games sealed.  9th place, when payout was only to top 8
 http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/2015-04-04-close-only-counts-in-horseshoes-3-1/

4/13/15 Versus Games draft, went 2-1.
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/2015-04-13-i-can-counter-on-you-dtk-draft-2-1/

4/17/15 Anime Imports standard went 0-3 with CVM GR Dragon. 

Lost first round to Dragon control.  Drew two creatures first game (one was in my opener).  Mulled to 4 second game.

Lost second round to mono-white heroic.  Mulled to 4 first game.   Second game I kept some hate, but ended up losing because he drew straight gas.

4//18/15.  Went to Heretic Games in San Bruno, hoping there wouldn't be many people playing there.   Of course, I ran into all the PTQ grinders from Anime Imports there.  Ugh.  I played BBD Abzan Aggro.

Lost first round to a drunk guy playing Temur midrange.  The first game was kinda close, but he topdecked a lot better.  The second game, I mulled to six, and kept 3 lands/Sorin/double Elspeth.  Ugh.  Of course, I got run over.

Got a second round bye.  Ate some fried rice.  Value.

Won third round vs. WB warriors.  First game was pretty close.  My opponent got me down to 1 life, but I stabilized, and swung back for lethal.  Second game, wasn't even close.  I kept an opener with 2 drown in sorrow, 2 hero's downfall.   My First Drown in Sorrow got 2 Battle Brawler.  Then he played Secure the Wastes for 4, and Chief of the Edge, and didn't swing.  I swung my Siege Rhino into his tokens, he blocked with 3 tokens, I Hero's Downfall'd the Chief, and ate his tokens.  Then I played a Fleecemane, and monstrous'ed it.  Next turn, I played a second Fleecemane Lion.  He was stuck in CHUMP mode.